Are you a homeschooling mother in need of a laugh?

Then, check this out:

Homeschool Ryan G*sling

Even if you're not, this is funny stuff. Warning: May not be 100% appropriate for kids.

Nesting part 1

The other day, we (the kids and I) started pulling boxes of baby clothes out of the closet to see if anything is salvagable. Is it just my imagination or do stains get worse when stashed away for a few years? Anyway, we did find a few things that will work, I think, including a pile of bibs.

Our current baby - Miss 4-year-old - is becoming more and more excited about having a younger sibling. She even seems to be completely over the fact that this baby is not a girl. (For a while, she consoled herself by thinking there must be a boy and a girl in there...).

She's been making some funny proclamations about things during our baby prep lately. For example:
-While sorting through a pile of bibs, she announced, "This one says 'I love my big sister!!'"
-As I was putting the new stroller together, she pointed to the front seat and emphatically let me know that the instructions say 'Must test out.'
-The baby must be named John. She will not consider an alternative.

So, we all seem to be getting ready for our new little one in different ways. More on this topic later...

Have a great day!

Pregnancy Musings

It seems it was just a few minutes ago that we found out about the 'new baby in my tummy' (as he is known in these parts), and low and behold I'm already at the 25 week mark.

The emotional ups and downs have been more dramatic this time around. My initial sentiments during the first trimester were along the lines of "please, God, let this pregnancy proceed safely and as quickly as possible!!" Now, I'm really enjoying feeling this little guy move around all day long. He is now visible from the outside sometimes - it's possible to see my belly move in strange ways as he swims around in there... It's fun to see the other kids delight in feeling him move.

I'm not terribly uncomfortable yet, and it's fun to have definitely graduated into maternity clothes. Right now, it's all good times as far as my pregnancy is concerned. I pray it continues as such.

But, as I was driving down the highway this evening, my mind turned to the baby growing daily inside my womb, and I started to ponder how quickly I know it will all go. Sometimes I wish I could just freeze the moment we're in. I know that his newborn period will fly by, and soon I'll be saying again to another mom with a brand new baby, "my son seems so small until I see your little one, and then he seems gigantic!"

Eustace was holding our 4-year-old 'baby' today, and she was all legs and arms, stretching from her head on his shoulder to her little feet resting mid-thigh, almost to his knees. She can't even be considered a toddler anymore, definitely a full-fledged preschooler with a big girl-sized personality to match. When did this happen??

I felt a moment of desperation that this baby, too, will be tiny only for a brief moment in time. And he might be our last one.

I guess I didn't expect to enjoy this pregnancy, since I'm now officially labeled 'advanced maternal age.' I braced myself for 9 months of pain and suffering since I'm now an old lady. The first trimester did have some rough moments. But, what a blessing that physically and emotionally, I'm having a period of delight in this pregnancy itself.

Of course we can't wait to meet this little person, and I know that things will become harder as my belly grows and grows. And, really, it's fun to watch your children grow and develop as people. It's just hard sometimes to say goodbye to each developmental phase. I can't believe how hard it is to remember holding each one as an infant. I can barely see the chubby-cheeked toddler that my 10-year-old once was in her preteen face today. But I love who she is now. And I certainly wouldn't want to go back to certain periods of her life (such as those colicky early weeks. thanks but no thanks).

So, you can see how conflicted and emotionally volatile I am. My poor husband. He's taking it like a champ. And I've had some interesting cravings and nesting instincts this time. But that's a topic for another post.

So, for now, kick away little man!! Mama loves the feeling of carrying you around in your warm, safe bubble. May angels protect you and bring you safely into our arms when the time is right.

Monday Morning Daybook

Outside my window...
I see snow, a little bit of sun through a mostly cloudy sky, and my neighbor's recycling container at the end of their driveway. That reminds me...

I am thankful for...
the fact that every day is a new beginning. Also, my husband made it safely to and from work during the nights when the weather and roads were pretty bad over the weekend.

I am thinking about...
spina bifida and adoption. I go through phases of forgetting, really, that I have a child with a variety of special needs. Our daily routine is just that: routine. Then we have a particularly challenging day or two, and I become analytical about it all, and sometimes anxious, if I'm being perfectly honest. But, like I mentioned before, I'm grateful that every day is a chance to start over.

Learning all the time...
The kids are into origami right now. What great timing (with the freezing weather and all..)!! I ordered more paper from amazon which hopefully will arrive today.

Also, we started working on our annual geography fair project last week. This year's country of choice: Zimbabwe.

From the kitchen...
Not much. Scrambled eggs and peanut butter sandwiches, anyone? Trying out my new breadmaker is on my list of things to accomplish this week.

I am creating...
organized closets, hopefully. I have ideas swimming around my head about how to rearrange for the new baby. We've been working on purging clothes, toys, books, etc.

I am going...
to a friend's house today, just for fun, if everybody's health is OK. This evening is taekwondo. Somebody is extremely excited that his new belt level involves jump kicks.

I am hoping...
for some parenting inspiration.
for a relatively low-key week.
to do some freezer cooking.

I am reading...
Oh my goodness, you should see my nightstand. It's a bit ridiculous. I have a bad habit of starting several books at once. Right now, I'm in the middle of:
Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Wayne
When Children Love to Learn by Elaine Cooper
Maria of Guadalupe by Paul Badde
The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage by Dr. Laura
John Adams by David McCullough

I am praying for...
My little guy in utero
Phil, Sara, Sam and Luke who just moved to Hong Kong
Kristen and Cathy, friends who died recently, and their families
for my kids - each in different ways

I am listening to...
kids chatting in the kitchen, somebody on the piano, somebody just jumping out of bed upstairs


Around the house...
a few random boxes of Christas decorations that need to go back to the basement, fire in the fireplace, and legos everywhere!!

One of my favorite things...
hot chocolate.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
doctor's appointment tomorrow. I totally look forward to hearing the baby's heartbeat each month.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...
no time to download pictures right now, but I'll post something later about a fun project we did on Friday.

7 Quick Takes Friday

Lots going on around here, but somehow I just can't get my mind settled on one thing to write about... So here are little 'snapshots' of life in our neck of the woods.

One
The weather is cold, icy, windy, snowy, generally too unpleasant to be outside very much. Activities are cancelled (poor Felicity will be terribly sad about missing her weekly ballet class), so I have a vision (possibly unrealistic) of all the lovely indoor things we'll accomplish today: read alouds by the fire, testing out my new breadmaker (thanks, Eustace, for such a generous Christmas present!), an art lesson or two, maybe a little crocheting with my eldest little craft-wiz. We shall see. Sometimes, it's really great to be snowed-in.

Two
Just started a new book at the recommendation of my friend Janelle.

I am realizing how sanitized all my previous knowledge of Aztec culture must have been and how incredibly significant Our Lady's appearance was to the native people of Central America as well as the whole world. I've read the story over and over to my kids, and just grasped the enormity of its impact.

Three
Made a semi-annual trip to the Riley Children's Hospital for Spina Bifida clinic on Tuesday. It was uneventful, just the way we like it! And while we were at it, we had a family dinner at the Cheesec*ke Factory. Yum.

Four

This Christmas present is a special wall-hanging for displaying martial arts belts as progression is made. This happy guy has a new one to add as last night he moved on from orange to yellow belt!

Five
Have I mentioned yet on my blog that we had an ultrasound in late December and found out our new baby is a boy? Forgive my pregnancy-brain lack-of-memory. We are working on boy names. Any suggestions?

Six

Random picture of my husband at Christmas...

Seven
My almost-7-year-old son resists affection these days. No hugs or kisses for him, thank you very much. Except, sometimes in the morning, when he is the first one downstairs, he asks to sit on my lap, especially if I'm typing on the computer. He's even considerate enough to ask if he can sit on the 'side of my lap' so as not to squish the baby in my belly. He's here right now, and I might even be able to sneak a few kisses if I"m lucky.

Have a great weekend!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary

Strengths and Weaknesses

Every once in a great while, I have brainwaves (these rare occurences, of course, must be documented). So, you'll see below my ingenius (perhaps that's pushing it) idea for preserving our disabled parking tag and making it easier to switch from vehicle to vehicle.

These things are ridiculously flimsy, and it was a matter of weeks before ours had several cracks and would no longer hang on a rear-view mirror. After several tapings (and a year of pondering), I covered the whole thing in clear contact paper. This worked great for keeping the pieces all together. However, we still couldn't hang it appropriately.

I got the inspiration one day to puch a hole in the plastic and attach it to one of those stretchy, bracelet, key ring thingies. Wa-la!! It works!

Now for a few of my many weaknesses...

I have long been a sucker for little kids (particularly little boys), in glasses. Now I have 3 in that category, and 2 are male. Here is the latest in our clan to become spectacled. I am in big trouble.

I would have gladly replaced Sean (our old betta fish) the day he died last fall. Surprisingly, nobody asked until a couple days ago. (Actually, they asked for a dog, a lizard, or a guinea pig - I said the only new pet coming into this house would be a betta fish. They were good with that.) So here's our new friend "Willy" (I think - There's been some debate). I think his blue color is very pretty.

And, finally, who can resist a Daddy doing crafts with his baby girl? He was actually helping all the kids with this project, but I love to see him snuggled up with our kiddos. Major soft spot here.

Happy Epiphany!