We're Home!

We arrived home yesterday afternoon after a pretty uneventful drive. Bathroom stops were minimal, children were sleepy and quiet and time passed quickly. After 2 hours our "service engine light" came on and the van began acting funny but we pressed on and made it home. Hopefully it's just something simple and easily fixed. As with any vacation, it feels good to be home. Our kitty missed us terribly and we missed the first snow of the year. Mike found out, while on our trip, that he needs to fly to New Jersey tomorrow so we left first thing Saturday to come home in time to get some laundry done and some rest before he leaves.

Our hotel stay was really fun. The hotel had a big warm pool complete with a swirly slide. We all had a blast splashing around and playing together. We had a girls room and a boys room which seemed to work nicely. Elizabeth slept much better compared to previous trips which allowed the rest of us to get more sleep. I also feel like I may have finally mastered the organization of traveling. We managed to keep the van picked up, the hotel room orderly, kids clean and nothing was lost. A big life saver in the van were Elmer's Go Paint books which allowed the little girls to paint and paint in Littlest Pet Shop coloring books without any mess. I'm definitely buying more!

The highlight of the trip for the boys was playing football with their cousins, Connor and Cooper, and for the girls was playing puppy with Aunt Kimberly and Uncle Mikal. Aunt Kimberly and Uncle Mikal patiently threw toys for the "puppies" (aka Anna and Rachel), led them around the house and listened to their barks. I have such silly girls! Mike enjoyed taking the kids around his old stomping grounds like Story Book Island, Dinosaur Hill and the Mines Museum. Grandma Sue spoiled the kids will all sorts of fun food and interesting toys. Timothy has even inherited an accordian that is just his size. Uncle Mikal taught him the basics of playing and he is just the cutest thing when he gets going! I'll post pictures when I have more time but for now I'm off to play Go Fish.

What am I forgetting?

One van, 12 seats, 11 people, 5 car seats, 10 pillows, 4 sleeping bags, 7 suitcases, 1 portacrib, 1 booster seat, 1 crockpot, 1 box of snacks, 2 coolers, 1 water cooler, 1 picnic basket, 2 under seat bins, 11 coats, 2 laptops, 2 purses, 6 blankets, 1 doll, 5 assorted stuffed animals, 3 backpacks full of books, 1 bag of surprises, several pacifiers .... AND A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE! Ha! What am I forgetting ... earplugs, sedatives, duct tape ... if I have the sense by morning I'll post a picture of the van all loaded up. All of this is only for 3 nights and 4 days! Eeeghads!

What a productive day we had though. I really was able to get everything done AND go to Rebekah's awesome card party AND cut Mike's hair AND make dinner. Around 4:30 I was really trying to justify pizza or take-out for dinner but just couldn't do it. An occasional meal out is part of the fun of vacation and I'd rather save it for our trip. So we had spaghetti. I really need to get back to meal planning when we get home. It's been a free-for-all since we first got sick. Now it's time to re-group and figure out what I am forgetting.

Thanksgiving Trip Preparations ...

Winter trip packing is so much more intensive than summer packing because a bathing suit takes up much less space than a winter coat. Plus we're taking two coolers full of food which will take up space in the back. I'm going to post my list of "to do's" and cross things off as I go. I've got things broken down into three categories.

TO DO

XClean turtle tank
XClean van
XClean basement
XPack
XBSF
XMake list for Kyla to take care of Molly and Tuck
XLaundry


ERRANDS

XWalmart
XChiropractor
XLab for bloodwork (for my thyroid)
XWalgreens
XGoodwill
XLibrary

TO COOK

XStuffing
XMashed potatoes
XSweet potatoes
XSalad
XCranberries

As I think of more I'll add it. I did get the stuffing made this weekend and continued to stay on top of the laundry. The little boys want to bring their Bronco's jerseys to wear when they play football with their cousins so I have to make sure their laundry is done. The basement is awful because as we've worked on Mary's room and moving the boys upstairs things have been hauled down there and just dumped. It makes me crazy. What a mess! Mary's room is looking gorgeous! Mike could have a great career as a painter. I can't wait until it's done and I can post pictures.

Turkeys, Pumpkins, Painting and Trip Preparations

Since "free" Saturdays are few and far between these days we have to make the most of them. So today we are tackling a bunch of projects.


I bought two 26 pound turkeys for .37 cents per pound and will be cooking them today with Grandpa, carving them, boiling the bones to make broth and freezing the results. My freezer is really full and this is the only way that I figure I can fit them all in there. I'm really excited to see how much meat and broth I can get from these monster birds. The turkeys were just under $10 a piece and it will be fun to see how many meals I can get for that $10.

I also have two remaining pumpkins from my garden to cook, mash and freeze. That's the easiest project of the day.

While I'm in the kitchen and juggling the littles Mike will be painting Mary's room and furniture. What a huge project. They spent the week stripping wall paper and now need to paint the walls, base boards, trim around the carpet and windows, the closet doors, the door, the bunk beds, the desk and the dresser. I hope he waits to read this until after he's done because it sure sounds daunting. Our house, having been built in the late 80's is all oak. Oak floors, trim, doors, shelves, cabinets .... it's a lot of oak. Some days I feel like I'm swimming in wood. So, to diminish the dated look, I want to paint the trim, cabinets and doors white. We'll do this one room at a time. It's a huge project. Mary's is the first room to get tackled. I'll post pictures when it's finished.

And, finally, we leave on Wednesday for South Dakota. I need to cook the food we'll take, plan the food for the road and hotel, clean out the van and stay on top of the laundry so I can pack on Tuesday. Traveling with 9 kids is NOT a vacation. It's more like a mini-move. I have been able to stay on top of the laundry all week by folding each load as I took it out of the dryer. I even accomplished the awful task of matching the huge basket of socks that had been haunting me for ages. So now I can hopefully maintain.

I also need to get ready for church tomorrow by ironing clothes and making a breakfast to take for the drive. So much to do ....

What's Wrong With This Picture?

When I was at the pediatrician's office last week I was paging through a Highlights magazine with the boys. We found one of those "What's Wrong With This Picture?" pages and started looking for the obvious. Then I just had to laugh out loud! It was no different than our living room. One spindle in the rocking chair is missing (knocked out by rowdy boys using it as a boat), a stuffed puppy has a watch for a collar (Anna loves her pets), a picture on the piano is in the frame upside-down (Elizabeth loves to look at the pictures and occasionally takes them apart), the lid is missing from the bin of Duplos (it was always in the middle of the floor so I just took it off altogether) and there's a drawer from a wire basket set that has been turned into a dog bed complete with dog water and food (again, Anna). I guess the word "wrong" is very relative. And on that note, I'm off to begin my Thursday. Thursdays! Oh, my!

Redeeming my time ...

I really focused today on redeeming my time. I get so discouraged with the amount work that needs to be done in the day. There never seems to be enough time. And, the fact is, I used to be able to get it all done. Honestly, I did. I used to have time to take a nap in the afternoons or bake. So, today I really focused. The time I waste is usually in the late morning or early afternoon. We race through the morning with chores, breakfast, school and by 11:00 I just want to escape by either running errands, getting on the computer or ????? Today when we finished school I immediately whipped up two bundt cakes to bake while I made lunch. Then, after lunch I immediately went for my walk (ouch) and rewarded myself with coffee and a sliver of chocolate zucchini cake while I folded laundry. I washed 3 loads of little boy clothes as well and instead of piling them up I had the little boys fold their own clothes and put them away as I took them out of the dryer. Why haven't I done that sooner? It took them all of 5 minutes per load to fold and put away their few things. And, guess what?! I have baking done and the laundry folded on the same day. Miracle of miracles! Catechism is at our house at 3:30 or I'd have time to grade school too. I also didn't run any errands today which is another time killer. It is Josiah's date night and I plan to run my few errands (buying cheap turkeys for the freezer) while out with him. But, so as not to waste more time, I should go. Just thought I'd share my victories as small as they may seem.

Happy Birthday, Mike!

This is the only recent picture I could find of Mike. He hates to have his picture taken. Isn't he handsome though! His day didn't start as wonderfully as I'd hoped ... a baby in bed with us at 5:15, an early phone call from work, no butter for toast ... but I'm hoping the Q-Doba burrito I brought him made some amends. He wants shish kabobs for dinner and to watch Walle with the kids since they are so impressed that it is being released on his birthday. We ran to Walmart after BSF last night and bought him two dvds he'd been asking for and a funny card. He's really hard to shop for. Now I have to figure out something to get him for Christmas.

On the topic of BSF, on our way there Benjamin announced he thought he was going to throw-up. So, we turned around, raced him home and raced back. I think he has a sinus infection which is why his head and throat hurt all the time. The drainage must upset his stomach too. Poor kiddo. But once we arrived at BSF we all had a wonderful time learning about the Ten Commandments. Awesome as always. I also volunteered to host a fellowship at my house in December. I'm pretty sure the ladies are thinking, "I can't wait to see where that crazy woman lives!", as they are always asking me funny questions about our family. I think people think large families are all like the one in the movie Cheaper By The Dozen ... we're not. It's not totally insane around here ... only partially insane.

Ok, back to reality. Lots to do as usual. My plans are school, grocery shopping, bank, Post Office, Biology, make cake, make kabobs, fold laundry, grade school and watch Walle. I call this my "Do The Next Thing" schedule. In reality I'm pretty sure I won't get the laundry folded or school graded but you never know. I'm really hoping that Luke and Mary feel inspired to dazzle Mike with a cake that THEY make. We'll see ...

The sun is shining ...

Well, the sun is shining, I'm guessing the birds are singing but I haven't checked and no one is vomiting. Life is good. We all got up on time and are busily getting our day going. Breakfast is almost done (Josiah and Luke always linger ....), the washer is going, I've had my devotions, the little girls are dressed and so we are on track for a "normal" day. Ha! Famous last words of a mother. I have tons to do so that is all for now!

Sunday night ...

The worst has passed and I know when I awake in the morning the sun will be shining, the birds will be singing and no one will be vomiting! This is the optimist in me speaking. With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away we need some good health and good attitudes to get back on track before we leave for South Dakota.

Despite this awful sickness we managed to move the older boys back upstairs over the course of the week. It feels wonderful having them back upstairs with us and while the girls are all in one room everyone seems more at peace. Mary, being the gracious sister she is, has welcomed the other two girls in her room with open arms. Mike is diligently working to finish painting and organizing their room as soon as possible to thank Mary for her kindness. I'll post pictures when it is finished. Even unfinished it has worked out nicely. I was extremely nervous that first night with 3 little girls all going to bed at the same time but ... amazingly enough, they laid down, closed their eyes and went straight to sleep. My months of training Elizabeth to lay back down and go to sleep when she awakes in the night have finally paid off and she is going to bed so sweetly.

Tomorrow I hope to get back on track with everything ... school, laundry, cleaning, cooking, bills ... it sounds overwhelming to even type. I keep waiting for a "normal" week but I think such a thing is a myth .... like a "clean" house or an "obedient" 18 month old. Mike's birthday is Tuesday which will take some planning, I have bills to pay, grocery shopping to do and our trip to plan. We didn't get much school done last week so that will be a priority as well. One thing at a time ...

EIGHT down ... three to go ....

Ugh, I was up sick all night long and Anna kept me company. What a miserable bug. So much for Friday chores, Chess Club, Chess Tournament and Anna's visit with Sophie. Everyone is very disappointed. Luke, Mary and Mike are the last remaining healthy ones although Luke is collapsed on the couch looking pretty green and Anna shared her germs with Mary by throwing up in Mary's bed last night so it won't be long I'd guess until they are truly sick. We are very ready for this to be done.

6 down, 5 to go ...

Josiah is the latest to fall prey to this icky sickness. He was feeling rotten and didn't want to go to Biology .... weird because he loves Biology .... and while I was gone at my electives meeting he began vomiting. Blah! Poor kid. The doctor says it's viral ... strep cultures came up negative. Surely it will end soon. Despite the illness we made some progress in moving the boys back upstairs. Mike loves rearranging rooms and is really good at it. He's planning to paint the girls bunkbeds, desk and dressers white so everything matches in their room as well. What a great Dad. Off to make dinner ... left-overs since no one has been eating much.

5 down, 6 to go ...

I don't have much time but we're 5 down with 6 to go. I set Rachel's noodles on the table at dinner last night, she looked at me and said, "my tummy hurts", started crying, stood up, threw up all over the floor, then panicked and ran through the mess continuing to throw up over to me. What a mess BUT it was all on the hard wood floors! Then Jacob awoke with big white pussy spots on his throat! Ewwww! We have the plague I think! So, I'm taking a batch of them in for throat cultures just to rule out strep. Luke feels fine but has a big icky sore on his tongue .... seriously .... I think we have a new plague! Pray for us. It's been a rough week. We're feeling an urgency to get our big boys moved back upstairs with us in the midst of all this sickness as well. So, I'm off to shower, go to the pediatrician, then to Biology, then to a coop meeting and home. CAP may have to miss Josiah tonight. We'll see ....

They're dropping like flies ....

Well now it's 3 down and 8 to go. Ben awoke at 3:30 am with a whole new repertoire of symptoms on top of the vomiting. Poor Ben. My new prayer is that everyone will get this before Saturday so that no one has to miss the Chess Tournament and so that Anna doesn't have to miss spending the day with Sophie. The word of the day is "laundry". Sheets, towels, clothes and so on ... icky, icky stuff! The obsessive compulsive in me wants to burn the laundry at times like these but then the practical penny-pincher chimes in and reminds me that the germs will be killed with hot water and soap. It's still excessively icky.

**Oh No - It's the stomach flu after all!**

It's 10:30 pm. I returned home from Chess Club at 8:30 after a frantic call from Mike saying "the baby is throwing up!" Sweet Elizabeth threw up at least 15 times in 2 hours! She is one sick puppy! My only consolation is that with Timothy this only lasted about 24 hours so only 22 hours to go! Ha! I could also take comfort in out of eleven of us two are down so there are only nine of us to go. Let's see .... I praised God this morning because it wasn't the stomach flu and now I need to praise Him despite it being the stomach flu! We'll see what lies ahead!

The New Sheriff's Current Dilemmas ...

The new Sheriff (me) met with several dilemmas yesterday. A good analogy would be that I was putting out fires instead of confiscating matches. I had planned to meet each inkling of disobedience with swift recourse but instead seemed to be in a constant state of refereeing. It was frustrating and distracting from morning until night. And, then, I had two epiphanies. One is that life has grown substantially more chaotic SINCE Lizzy gave up morning naps. Entire books have been written about children like Lizzy ... The Strong Willed Child and To Train Up A Child come to mind. I might change the titles to The Spoiled, Adorable Youngest or To Train Up A Monster. The second epiphany, is that my children have too much freedom. In the past they have come to me to ask if they could play with a toy and have cleaned up the previous mess before asking. Lately, they've just gone from thing to thing. So, I'm coming up with a new game plan.

To combat problem one, I will be focusing on training Lizzy (tomato-staking, Biblical training and blanket training) and I will be delegating much more. At BSF last night we talked about how Moses, who had direct communication with God, was humble enough to delegate. I don't have a problem with delegating per se but I do always want to be careful not to over burden my older children. While praying about this I was reminded that homeschooling allows my children much more time and freedom than most kids. They are able to finish school before lunch time while their government/private schooled counterparts are still facing 3 more hours of school. They don't have to race out the door by 7:30 to get to school. They don't have homework. So, asking them to have some quality play time with their little sisters so that I can work with the 3 little boys seems reasonable. So, they will take turns each morning from 8:30 until I'm finished playing with the 3 little girls. We'll do up a schedule where one day Mary will host a spa to paint their nails and fix their hair or where Luke will finger paint with them in the garage or Josiah will take them for a long walk to the play ground. I'm going to let each of them pick what they want to do with their sisters. Then, once I'm done working with the boys they can dive into their school.

To combat problem two, I will be reinstructing about what the rules are and gating off areas as a reminder that our house isn't like Disneyland where you go from ride to ride. This will be most painful for Lizzy who seems to think she has complete access to everything .... the pantry, her sister's desk, the toothpaste, ... I also will be putting some messy toys away for the next rainy day. We are also moving the big boys upstairs and putting all the girls in one room. It's just too difficult to hold them accountable in the basement.

Those are my plans. We'll see how it works. We have a busy day today. Biology, a coop planning meeting, Anna's Date Night and CSU Chess Club. The morning is open though. Timothy has quit vomiting but still has a tummy ache. Ben has a headache and sore throat (which started last Tuesday). I'm starting to wonder if maybe we have a weird strain of strep and am contemplating getting throat cultures just to rule it out. Timmy still looks pretty awful. I hate taking them to the doctor and usually wait until everything else is ruled out so this is a tough call. But, my prayers have been answered, no one else has thrown up so it must not have been the stomach flu ... Praise the Lord!

Monday, Monday ...

Every Monday I feel like I should title my post that way. I'm typically motivated on Mondays. It feels good to have a fresh start. Today we will get a bunch of school done while nursing our poor Timothy who either has the stomach flu (oh, Lord, no, please don't let it be the stomach flu!) or food poisoning. He is really, really sick. He can't even keep water down and he lies on his bed holding his tummy. The poor kid has had such a rough few weeks. A cold, fever, sore throat and now this. We also have BSF tonight which is always the highlight of our week.

We had a wonderful weekend despite the cancellation of Grandpa Scotty's visit. He was snowed-in in South Dakota and was missed here very much. The wedding shower was fun and the older kids and Mike had a great time at the Air Force/CSU game. We attended Reformation Church on Sunday which is always and encouragement and blessing. During the service Mary turned to me and said, "Thank you for letting us come here." Now that warms a mother's heart.

I haven't informed the kids yet but they will be surprised to hear that there is a new Sheriff in town this week ... ME! I had the stark realization this weekend that my children have gotten in the awful habit of NOT obeying the first time. On top of this bad habit they are also getting increasingly silly and loud at inappropriate times soooooooooo .... I plan to nip these things in the bud starting immediately. No mercy! I am not traditionally good at the "no mercy" part which is why they have gotten into some bad habits. I'm a softy and I'm busy which is not a good combination in child training.

And, so our week begins! Pray, pray, pray we don't all get the stomach flu!

Josiah and Elizabeth

Josiah showing Elizabeth who's who in a family picture and reading her a book.

As exasperated as Josiah can make me with his partially-functioning 14 year old brain, he loves his little sisters. He checks on them at night before he goes to bed, he will miraculously come out of a teenage funk to help them with something and his voice changes from serious to sweet when he kneels down to talk to them. It gives me hope on those days when his room is a mess, his school is not finished and I can't find him because he's listening to Mike's IPod in the storage room. I look forward to seeing how God will use his tender spirit in the real world.

It reminds me of this Scripture,

"And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'" Matthew 18:3

Amish Corn Cakes

I made these this morning for breakfast and we really enjoyed them! I think Jacob ate 8 of them! They are thicker than most corn cakes ... more like pancakes. I used part whole wheat and part white flour although next time I think I'll use all whole wheat flour.

Amish Corn Cakes

4 cups buttermilk at room temp.
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3/4 flour
3 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons sugar
3 egg
3 tablespoons corn oil

Add baking powder to buttermilk and let set for 5 minutes while you mix the dry ingredients. Beat eggs slightly and add eggs and oil to buttermilk mixture. Pour wet over dry and stir. Cook on a hot griddle.

Perspective

Mike sent this to me and I found it encouraging on this Post Election Day in our new Obamination. It is from Pastor Wyman Richardson of First Baptist Church in Dawson, Georgia.

Dear Friends,

For months now my email Inbox has been besieged by nearly hysterical warnings about what will happen if Barack Obama becomes President. I have been encouraged to be worried, afraid, concerned, prepared for disaster, and a whole host of other maladies if this happens. I do not deny the importance of this election, but it seems to me that we need a dose of perspective. So here, on the eve of the election, I would like to start my own email concerning this election. It’s a “True/False” test. I’d like for all of us to take it.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, Jesus will still be King.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our responsibilities as Christians will not have changed one iota.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the greatest agent for social change in America will still be winning the hearts and minds of men and women through the gospel, not legislation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my primary citizenship will still be in this order – (1) the Kingdom of God, (2) America, not vice-versa.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the tomb will still be empty.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the cross, not the government, will still be our salvation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our children will still be more concerned with whether or not we spend time with them than with who is President.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my neighbor will still be my neighbor, and loving him/her will still be the second greatest commandment. (Do you know the first?)

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see abortion ultimately overturned will still be winning men and women to a high view of life through the gospel of Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see gay marriage ultimately defeated will still be winning men and women to a biblical view of marriage through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my retirement will still not match my treasure in Heaven.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, “Jesus Is Lord” will still be the greatest truth in the Universe.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, we will still know that God is in control.

How did you score?

So be sure to vote, but also remember who you are and who He is.

Wyman Richardson
Pastor, First Baptist Church
Dawson, Georgia

As Americans we have made gods out of our country, families, things, celebrities, pets, games and who knows what else. Maybe being on the losing side will force us to get our priorities in order and take a stand for what is right. Did you know that 50% of so-called born-again Christians voted for a man who supports abortion, infanticide, paying people to not work, censoring radio/literature/television and oh so much more! And on that cheerful note we start our day. When we went to bed last night after talking with the older kids for a long, long time, Mike told them that "when you wake up in the morning nothing in our daily lives will have changed ... yet." In an eternal perspective the election is a good reminder that we are not of this world and that as Christians we are or should be very, very different from those around us.

On this Election Day ...

"... if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14


Let us all take time today to fast and pray for our country, for our local communities, for our husbands as they go out into this world to provide for our families and for our children as they will reap the results of our actions today.

When Daddy makes PB&J and The Candy Hunt

When Daddy makes PB&J .... if there's one thing I've learned it's that when you make little kids PB&J you only use a little peanut butter and a little jelly or you get the above results. But, wow, does Elizabeth like Daddy's sandwiches better than mine!

On Saturday night, while the kids ate their pizza, I snuck out back and hid candy all over the yard and Mike put batteries in 8 flashlights. Then, when it was completely dark outside we called the kids to the counter and told them about our surprise candy hunt! It was an absolute blast and will be something that we repeat every year. This year will always stand out as the best though because the kids were so surprised!

Announcing the plans and handing out the flashlights.
8 Flashlights that WORK! It's a miracle! Flashlights don't last long around here!
The Hunt!

Everyone helping Elizabeth find a piece! She loved running around in the dark!
Going through the loot! Timmy looks like he's parting the Red Sea!

This is definitely a tradition we'll continue! It was so much fun! I hid the flashlights so that they'd be ready for our next adventure. They'll come in handy when we travel as well.

My goal this week is to keep things simple and less busy. Ha! I feel like I run about way too much so I worked hard this weekend to get all my errands done. I can't change a lot of what we do but I can simplify meals and errands.

On Friday, Grandpa Scotty will be coming for the weekend. Mike, Josiah, Luke and Scotty are going to an Air Force/CSU game while the rest of us go to a bridal shower for a family friend in Denver. I'm hoping we can have a relatively peaceful week leading up to our visit.

Tomato Soup

Josiah, "the boy who ate no tomatoes", LIKES tomato soup ... go figure! So, several years ago I found this recipe for Tomato Soup in an Amish cookbook. I like it opposed to canned soup because it doesn't have any additives like sugar and it's super easy!


Tomato Soup

4 cups tomato juice
2 cups HOT milk (I use powdered)
2 cups HOT water
2 T butter
1 t salt
dash of pepper
1/2 t baking soda

Heat tomato juice to boiling in pan. Add baking soda and stir quickly because IT WILL FOAM. Add remaining ingredients. Eat!

We also like this sprinkled with cheese or with Fishie Crackers floating on top. I think what I save in health benefits from making this from scratch I loose by making grilled cheese with American Cheese and Texas Toast. Yum!