An ER Visit!

I have to make this short, because I have a lot going on around me. Baby Girl has had fever since Tuesday, in the 102 range. Yesterday she was screaming and crying of stomach pain and her fever had gotten to 102.6. Her pediatrician wasn't in so I took her to the ER (her pediatrician was at the hospital doing her rounds).

Okay, I was going to make this short, wasn't I?

Baby Girl has strep throat and a urinary tract infection. This morning I have 2 more with fever, headaches, and stomach pain. So we have an appt. at noon with the pediatrician.

So much for that trip to Oklahoma I was planning next week. Oh well, maybe everyone won't get it and we'll still be able to make the trip. I was planning to go to Oklahoma Monday and stay through Saturday at my parents' house with dd12, Baby Girl, and Baby. The 4 older boys are going to the other grandparent's' house.

Here's a cute picture I took last week.

Have a great weekend!

A Change of Plan

I know, I know, I know, I told you all about The Best Life Diet and how it made so much sense and all of that. But then, I went to Bob Greene's website last night to join the online thingy. I ran into some problems. First of all, they do not accept debit cards. I don't know how they would know if it was a debit card versus a credit card, but they made it very clear that they do not take debit cards, only credit cards. The second thing was a questionnaire that I had to fill out to join. It asked, "Are you pregnant or nursing?" Well, yes, I am nursing. It told me that I can't join the online thingy because their diet is not for nursing moms. That doesn't make sense to me because the diet is healthy and balanced and it will work for everyone, nursing or not.

So, I headed over to weightwatchers.com. I have done Weight Watchers online in the past and it worked for me. But, in the past, they did not have a program for nursing moms online. Now they do. And, they take debit cards. So I joined WW online. I am excited about it. And I can still follow the Best Life diet guidelines if I want to. It is all about being healthy and both of those plans are healthy and balanced. Plus, I love the fact that I get extra points for the activity I do! : )

I signed up for 3 months and if all goes well I will keep going month-to-month after that. One blog that I have read for a couple of years that is very inspiring is www.weightwatchen.com
It is the online journal of Roni, a new mom, who lost 70 pounds doing Weight Watchers. She is amazing! It is always encouraging to read her blog. I especially love her menus and recipes, and also her food finds. You HAVE to look at her pictures!! The whole website is great!

I plan to put a graph in the sidebar to show my weight loss progress and also put pictures of my weight loss journey, like Roni has done. Of course, I won't post any pictures or weight loss progress until I have actually made some progress and I have something to brag about. : )

Yesterday our cleaning and laundry did not happen. I'm not sure what happened, but I know the house is not clean and the laundry is still in dirty piles. Add to that a friend who showed up to spend the night and when her mom dropped her off she said, "I'll see you Thursday!" Huh??

Anyway, I hear Baby Girl crying and Baby is hungry, so I had better go!

Monday Morning~A Menu and An Update

Monday: Spaghetti, sweet peas, garlic bread
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Pecan Salad, Salad, rolls
Wednesday: Spaghetti Pie, Garlic Cheese Toast, Strawberries and bananas
Thursday: Lemon Pepper Grilled Fish, Wild Rice, green beans, apple turnovers
Friday: leftovers

Today is our clean up and laundry day. We spend Mondays recovering from the weekend and getting the house cleaned up. We work on laundry all day long, too. Right now I am taking a break while the baby is sleeping, the laundry is washing, and the big kids are busy doing their assigned jobs. All is calm, for the moment.

I have been walking twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. DD12 and I are out the door around 6 a.m. and we usually walk for 20 minutes. I jog a little bit, but mostly walk. This morning dd did not want to get out of bed so I went with Baby Girl and ds9. Hubster and I have been walking each night for 45 minutes. We take the babies with us, Baby in the Baby Bjorn carrier and Baby Girl in the jogging stroller. Needless to say, I am getting lots of exercise. It is fun!

I have to tell you what ds4 just said. He is holding Baby for me and he just said, "Uh oh, his head's falling off!!" He meant that his head was falling to the side. LOL

Last Christmas I bought a book called The Best Life Diet by Bob Greene. I read it then and decided that when the baby was born, I was going to use that diet to lose the weight. Well, here I am with a 6-week old baby and I need to lose about 35 pounds. I have lost all of the pregnancy weight and my old clothes fit me, although some of them are a bit tight. But I was overweight before this pregnancy.

The Best Life Diet has 3 phases. I am in Phase One. These are the guidelines for Phase One:

• a minimum of four weeks
• weigh to get your starting weight, then no weighing for at least four weeks
• focus on moving more and changing your meal patterns.
• increase your activity level
• stop eating at least two hours before bedtime
• eat three meals, including a nutritious breakfast, plus at least one snack daily
• stay hydrated
• take daily supplements (multivitamin, omega-3, calcium)

I like this plan because it makes sense. It focuses on things that are healthy and subtle. I have done other programs in the past that worked really well, but were too hard to follow for life. I want to lose this extra weight but I also want to make lifestyle changes that I can stick with.
I really recommend this book. I also bought the journal to go along with it because I do better when I can write down my progress and have something to look back on for motivation in the weeks to come.

Oh yeah, he also suggests that you quit smoking during Phase One and stop drinking alcohol for now.

Baby is now awake and I have kids telling me they are bored. Looks like it's time to assign more jobs. This house is far from clean. Don't worry, I do my share of the housework! I know it sounds like my children are my slaves, but believe me, they are far from that!

Wordless Wednesday

Beauty in the Common Things: summer vacation
Listen In: little boys fixing their breakfast
Supper Plans: not sure yet...maybe gyros
Today I Plan To... go to Target (bday shopping), go to Office Depot (buy boxes to store out of season clothes and school uniforms- I know, Leslie, I should not be buying boxes when I can get them free at Wal Mart, but you are not here to have that adventure with me at 1 am), continue working on my What Goes Where plan
View From the Kitchen Window: a soggy yard and a gray sky

My weekend alone (sort of) went well. Baby and I spent a lot of time lying in bed watching movies and nursing. He has quite an appetite. I am embarrassed to admit that I watched 7 movies at home and 1 movie at the drive in theater. I don't think I have ever watched that many movies in such a short amount of time. It was fun though! We watched The Holiday, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, The Queen, Marie Antoinette, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Dreamgirls, Freedom Writers, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. My 2 favorites were Freedom Writers and The Holiday. I think I could buy both of those movies and watch them over and over.

The most exciting thing that happened to me this past weekend was an answered prayer. It is such a simple answer from God. Friday night when everyone left, I looked around at my house and was completely overwhelmed. My house doesn't just get dirty or cluttered, it gets disgusting. It happens so often, too. It will be clean one moment and then a couple of hours later it looks like a house that has not been cleaned in weeks. The floors get nasty, it looks like a stuff bomb went off in every room, the dishes are piled up...and this happens every couple of days.

All of this is very humiliating for me to admit.

So anyway, I looked around at our mess and just gave up. I asked God to give me a revelation and to tell me what the problem is. I asked him to tell me why our house can't stay clean and why it gets SO bad in such a short time and why it gets to the point of overwhelming so often.

Okay, so I prayed and then I went and vegged out on movies and forgot about it. Well, the next morning I was making Journal Jars for our kindergarten teachers. I then proceeded to go to www.organizedhome.com and just look around. I came upon an article on clutter and that led me to an article on storage. That's when God said, "This is your answer."

Such a simple answer, but life-changing at the same time. Our home didn't have a storage plan. In other words, everything didn't have a home. There wasn't a place for everything. So we just shuffled things from one surface to the next or we put things in a different place every time we cleaned. So, I went through the house and planned a home for everything. Now I am working on rearranging our stuff so it is all where it belongs. And I am tossing lots of unused and unwanted things as well.

I am not overwhelmed any longer. The house is still a mess, but it is slowly getting better because I am slowly rearranging our storage areas so they work for our family and our home.

God is so sweet to care about our storage problem! He truly does care about every detail of our lives. It makes me feel secure and protected to know that He takes care of every detail, if I only ask Him and then let Him.

Visit to the Dentist and Weekend at Home

We spent the morning at the dentist. Ds9 and ds6#2 were the ones being seen today. They had no cavities! : )

Tuesday dh and dd12 had their appointments. We had several cavities in those two. Lots of $$ to get those mouths fixed up.

Next Thursday is my appointment and my other 6 year old's appointment. The only negative thing I can say about this dental facility is that we have to schedule an appointment for an exam and then schedule another appointment for cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants. So, I will be spending a lot of time in the dentist's office this summer! Today I had 6 of the children with me and it went pretty well. The receptionist commented, with a surprised look on her face, that my children are all very well behaved and that they are "good kids."

Written Saturday morning:
Hubby took the kids out of town this weekend. He is the sweetest! I rented 4 movies to watch during my weekend at home with the baby and last night I stayed awake until 2:30 am watching 2 of them. Now I am exhausted, but I know I can take naps later on, so all is well. I watched The Holiday and about half of The Queen. It was a nice British movie fest. Today I am going to finish The Queen and then watch Pirates of the Caribbean 2. Tonight I am going to the drive in theater to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 3. This morning I am going to go to the farmer's market and Office Depot, then "czech" out the Czech festival downtown. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Soon I am going to blog about our summer plans. There are some things I have planned that are going to be really fun!

Beauty in the Common Things: waking up to the sound of rain
Listen In: kids playing quietly
Supper Plans: French Dip sandwiches
Today I Plan To: go to the grocery store, work on planning summer activities
View From the Kitchen Window: a soggy yard

We have had an incredibly busy weekend that is not over yet! We have another busy day ahead of us and then we will begin the kids' last week of school. The boys' last day is Thursday. Dd12 has to go till June 1st.

Friday night ds9 had a friend sleep over (his first sleep over that wasn't a cousin) and we went to the drive in theater to watch Meet the Robinsons. It was a cute movie. There was a pretty scary part in there and the kids hid their eyes. But other than that one scary part (the evil hats were attacking the time travel machine) it was a cute movie.

That same night dd12 went to a friend's house and they went to see Shrek the Third.
She was dropped off at 7 am Saturday morning because ds9's birthday party was at 10.
She mowed the lawn (she gets paid for this job and she is happy to do it) and then got ready for the party.
Birthday party at 10 (very low-key party with only 3 friends plus our kids which equals 10 kids!) . Then we dropped dd12 off at 1 at a friend's birthday party (HUGE mansion house, 3 horse stables, pool, limo taking the girls out for the day) where she spent the night.

We then went out to our land (not actually ours yet, but we have a contract on it) and walked the whole 11 acres to choose a spot for the house. We found several great spots to build the house.

Then we took ds9's friend home and drove to Home Depot (15 minutes away) and Radio Shack (ds9 wants to buy remote-controlled car with birthday $$). We picked out fencing material to put a fence around our front and side yard to keep Baby Girl in the yard this summer and the next year while we are still living here.

We got home at bedtime and crashed. This morning we are picking dd12 up at 10:30 and taking her to meet her Girl Scout leader so she can ride with her to their field trip. They are spending the day at a water park.

Whew!! House is messy again and laundry is backed up again, so I am going to spend the day working on that, I hope. I always enjoy running around and being outside when the weather is nice, like it usually is in May. So the house usually gets wrecked in may because we are gone a lot. When we are home, we are busy eating and getting ready for bed so for some reason the house gets dirty. Also, it is birthday season for us. We have one child's birthday in May and 4 in June. It gets crazy around here during birthday season!

With one party over with, now I am going to start planning the next one. The good thing is that all 4 June birthday kids want to have their party together. So we're having one big party in a couple of weeks. Then we're finished with parties for a few months.

Please read Elsha's blog this morning. She continues to need our prayers. Elesha is a precious little girl who has a heart for Jesus like I have never seen before in a child. Her family has been through so much with her illness yet they continue to lean on the Lord for strength and trust Him to take care of their little daughter. I am humbled every time I read their updates. Their faith is astounding.

To Do Tuesday, May 15th

Phone Calls/ Internet Stuff:

1. Make appt. for Baby Girl’s 2 year pictures
2. Call dealership about getting van worked on
3. Make appt. with optometrist
4. Make postpartum appt.
5. Pay truck payment, mortgage, insurance, Mom

Errands:

1. Mail LGS paperwork
2. Buy stamps
3. Birthday Shopping- MP3 player, gift card to Target, gift card to Blockbuster, party supplies

Misc. Stuff to get done:

1. Work on laundry
2. Walk for 10 minutes x2 (after taking kids to school and again after dinner)
3. House cleaner coming at 11!!!!!! I am SO looking forward to this. Sleep deprivation has taken it's toll on me and the house is a wreck. I normally clean up before she comes over to deep clean, but not this time. I am going to let her do whatever she wants to do with all of the clutter and mess everywhere. I am going to leave the key for her, leave her $$ on the table, and go out for lunch with the kids.

I feel better after getting all of this written down. I may not get all of it done, but it feels good to put all of my thoughts together and figure out what needs to be done. : )

Happy Birthday!

Today is my oldest son's birthday. He is 9 years old today!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Mother's Day!

Elesha Needs Us

Please take a few minutes today to read Elesha's latest update. Go here to read the update. Elesha needs us to pray for her. Pray as if she were your own.

Wordless Wednesday~10 days old!

Visit here for more Wordless Wednesdays!

Time Travel Tuesday~ Sweet 16 Edition!

I was 16 in 1993.

The album of the year was Unplugged by Eric Clapton.
Song of the year was Tears in Heaven.
I listened to rock music when I was 16. bands like Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Nirvana were some of my favorites.

Movies that I watched in 1993 were Jurassic Park, Mrs. Doubtfire (love this movie!), Sleepless in Seattle, The Pelican Brief, and Schindler's List.

My parents bought me a 1987 red Jeep Laredo the summer of 1993. It was awesome!
I remember having a very fun summer with my best friend, Emily. I had a job working as a cashier at a small, family owned grocery store. I remember taking my first paycheck and spending the whole thing on clothes and a bottle of Mackie perfume.
I still love the smell of Mackie!

I can’t talk about my “Sweet 16” without mentioning my oldest daughter. When I was 16, I had a serious boyfriend, too serious. My oldest daughter was conceived when I was 16 and born when I was 17. Most of my memories of being 16 involve that boyfriend and my pregnancy. It was a heartbreaking year for my family and a challenging year for me. But we made it through and God blessed me with a baby girl!

My daughter is one of the greatest gifts of my life. God took that little girl and helped me turn my life around because of her.

Hubby's First Day Back to Work...

Hubby went back to work today. I am feeling semi-normal this morning, so hopefully I will manage today well. The hardest thing right now is not being able to pick Baby Girl up. She is still so little and I need to be able to pick her up and put her in her crib, car seat, high chair, etc.
Yesterday I decided to just go ahead and pick her up because I took a week off from carrying her and picking her up. Dh did not agree. He wants me to not carry her or pick her up until I am completely healed, which I guess will be around 6 weeks postpartum. I'm not sure if that's realistic, but I am trying.

He took the big kids to school for me, so I just have to pick them up later. I am really ready to get back to normal and get out of the house. But nursing is still taking a lot of time and is inconsistent, so I had better hang out at the house for a bit longer.

This morning we had smoothies for breakfast. They were so good! Go to www.askdrsears.com and get his recipe for Schoolade. That is the recipe I follow. I leave out the tofu, but I use everything else.

Beauty in the Common Things: sleep
Listen In: Baby Girl whispering to Baby
Supper Plans: Sandwiches and Salad
Today I Plan To: survive
View From the Kitchen Window: trashcans by the curb

Please Pray for Baby Will Today

Will's circumcision is this morning at 11:30. Can you please pray that everything will go smoothly and that he will experience as little pain as possible? Mommy is stressing out about this so pray for me as well! : )

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Grilled Chicken, baked potatoes, corn on the cob
Tuesday: Sandwiches and salad
Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas, refried beans, chips and salsa
Thursday: Sandwiches and salad
Friday: Hamburgers and hot dogs, mac and cheese
Saturday: Gyros
Sunday: leftovers or "Breakfast for Dinner"

Beauty in the Common Things: families
Listen In: boys squealing and Daddy sending them outside
Supper Plans: Chicken Fajitas
Today I...took care of Baby, called nurse about his jaundice, took a nap with Baby, enjoyed being with my children and hubby
View From the Kitchen Window: trees blowing in the wind

Annie has tagged me to complete this meme.
Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I have a 4-day old baby boy who is wonderful!
2. My hubby is home with me this week and next week and we are having fun just doing nothing all day long.
3. My favorite colors are pink and green. This is funny because when I was younger (late teens, early 20s) I only liked black. I wouldn't even put pink on my first daughter because I just hated pink. I didn't like anything with flowers on it either. So it is funny to me and to those who know me that pink is one of my favorite colors!
4. I am named after my aunt who lives in California. She is my mom's oldest sister.
5. I am a scheduler/organizer at heart. I love to make plans ands schedules and lists!!!!
6. I enjoy managing my home. I love to try new recipes and to cook for my family. I also like to try new things with my children...new routines and activities. I don't really enjoy cleaning my house, but I love the result when I take time to clean it well. This is my dream job and I don't want to be anywhere else doing anything else with my life. I can't think of a better way to spend my life than taking care of the husband and children God has given me.
7. I am an introvert. I recuperate when I am alone and I crave alone time. ha! Doesn't God have a sense of humor? an introvert with 7 children (5 boys!!)

Now I must tag 7 people...
natalie
christina
leslie
cheerful

okay, I really can't think of 7 people who have blogs and who I think will want to do this meme. So i am going to leave it at 4 people and if I think of any more I will add them!


Beauty in the Common Things: velvety newborn skin
Listen In: Baby Girl and Daddy discussing babies
Supper Plans: Chicken and Rice
Today I...took a shower, went to Wal Mart, took a nap, walked around outside with Baby Girl and splashed in puddles

More pics of Baby Will!!!

Look at that sweet little face!!!

Proud dad, mom & baby Will

Welcome Baby Will!!!!

This is Annie, hijacking Julie's blog to announce the birth of...

Baby Will
8 lbs.
20 inches!
born today at 6:19 p.m.

Another Baby Update
My mom is on her way down here to stay with us for the weekend, and maybe until the baby is born. Hopefully that will happen this weekend!

I have been having lots of contractions but nothing too serious. The contractions are not very strong and they are not very close together or consistent. They are stronger and more painful than Braxton Hicks contractions though.

I have been reading birth stories online. I want to write out my birth stories so I will have a record of them for my children but I am not sure if I want to put them on my blog. Putting my birth plan on my blog was a big deal to me because it is so intimate and graphic. A birth story is even more graphic and intimate than that. A few y ears ago I would have written out my birth plan and birth stories and shared them with whomever wanted to read them, but it seems as I get older that I am way more modest than in the past. When I think about some of the things I have said and shared with people in the past it shocks me! :)

Summer Survival
Today my children are out of school. It is a snow day that wasn't used. Having them here all day makes me fear the summer. Seriously fear the summer. I probably should start praying about this now and hopefully God will give me wisdom on how to handle 7 kids home all day every day for 2.5 months.

I searched "summer survival form moms" (because we all know the children will survive, it's me I'm worried about) and I found this cute article. I have only read the first few paragraphs, but I like it so far. I like that it stresses that moms need to savor the moments of summer. I know summer can be a fun, sweet time for our family. I just need to figure out how to control the chaos, for the most part, add some fun activities here and there, and keep the peace between siblings.

Prayer
Will you please pray for the birth of this baby to be uncomplicated and "normal"? I do not want any surprises. I am also praying that the baby will be born in God's perfect timing. At the same time I am praying that God's perfect timing will be this weekend. :)
Please pray that the other children, especially Baby Girl, will adjust to Baby without a lot of problems. When Baby Girl was born, ds4 was 2 years old. He had a very hard time with anger toward me. He wouldn't let me near him for a few days, and then he still had anger toward me for several weeks. It hurt my feelings, but he got over it and everything was fine. Baby Girl is such a drama queen already. I hope she doesn't add more drama and tears to her already dramatic personality.
Dh is taking one week off after the baby is born. I am nervous about him going back to work and leaving me here with a newborn, a toddler, and a preschooler. I am mostly concerned about the toddler. She is hard to manage anyway, without a newborn to take care of as well.

Can you please pray about all of these things? I know God is able to take care of all of these concerns I am having. And I know He cares about every detail of our lives.

Beauty in the Common Things:Spring sunshine
Listen In:Boys talking and playing, Baby Girl saying "hurry, hurry"
Supper Plans:Beef Gyros
Today I Plan To:Try to hold on till Mom gets here, then rest and relax while she and dh take over

Baby Update

I saw Brenda, one of my midwives, this morning. She said the baby will be here any day now. I won't give you the intimate details of my visit, but I will just say that in her opinion I am very close to having this baby. I have a nonstress test scheduled for Monday and an ultrasound scheduled for next Wednesday. She doesn't think I will need to keep those appointments because she thinks I will have the baby before then.

She did give a suggestion for a natural "labor starter." Let's just say my hubby will be very happy if I follow her suggestion.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:Chicken Pot Pie
Tuesday:Ham, veggies, dinner rolls
Wednesday:beans in crockpot with leftover ham, cornbread
Thursday:frito chili pie with leftover beans
Friday:hot dogs with leftover chili
Saturday:Beef Gyros

Happy Monday!

Hi everyone,

I am glad it's Monday! I feel like I have lots to catch up on around here after our weekend. It wasn't a busy weekend, but we can make messes very quickly, especially when all 6 kids are home for 2 days. They clean up their stuff but the house still looks like a tornado hit it. I feel like a "stuff bomb" went off in our house!

I can't believe our baby is due in 6 days. Wow! He or she will be here very soon. I have to keep telling myself that this pregnancy can't last forever. The baby has to be born sooner or later, hopefully sooner. : )

I have been having contractions since Friday evening. They are not regular and they are not strong enough to count as real labor. But, they hurt! I have heard of women being in labor for days, even a week, and I wonder if this is what they experienced. I don't feel like doing a whole lot, and I want to be at home, but I know this is not true labor yet. My husband is getting more impatient than I am. Our 4 year old was born 2 weeks early, so we think every baby should be 2 weeks early now. Baby Girl was 2 days early. Dd12 was 8 days late and ds8 was born on his due date, or maybe 2 days early. I can't remember.

With dd12 I tried the old castor oil method to try to make myself go into labor. That was not a good idea. It did not make me go into labor. In fact, I was hoping I didn't go into labor because I was so miserable. My mom says she tried it with one of us and it worked. My aunt also says the castor oil method worked with one of hers. But I am not that desperate yet.

My midwives said they usually will let women go to 41 weeks, 6 days. That would be May 12th, which is a Saturday. I doubt they would induce on a Saturday, so they would probably want to do it on Friday, May 11th. That is my 5 year old niece's birthday. Ds8 and another niece (from the same family as the May 11th niece) share May 13th as their birthday. If I have to be induced I want it to be on Friday, May 4th or Monday, May 7th. Hopefully it won't come to that and this baby will arrive on his/her own in a few days.

Beauty in the Common Things:early Spring mornings
Listen In:Dragon Tales
Supper Plans: not sure yet
Today I Plan To:clean up house, do laundry, take a nap
View From the Kitchen Window: a misty morning

Are More Babies Born During A Full Moon?

My sister-in-law and I talked on the phone this afternoon and she was asking when my due date was. I told her April 29th and she asked if that was near a full moon. I didn't know, so we looked it up and there is a full moon on April 30th. She believes that more babies are born during full moons. All 4 of her daughters have come at a time when there was a full moon. Her OB nurse with her 2nd child said that she believes this theory and, according to that one nurse, more women come into the hospital in labor when there is a full moon. I looked up my babies' birth dates and 1 of mine was born during a full moon. The others were not.

I decided to research this a bit, just for fun, and see if there is any truth to it. I have found lots of articles on both sides. This one says there is truth to this moon theory. This one says there is no truth to it.

I found this website, which talks about when babies are actually born, based on the date of conception. It says 2nd or subsequent babies are due roughly 269 days after the date of conception. According to my due date of April 29th, this baby was conceived on August 5th. That means Baby will be born on May 1st. This lady does not believe that there are more babies born during full moons.

Here is another website that explains the reason more women have their water break during a full moon.

According to the full moon theory and the date of conception theory, Baby will be born either April 30th or May 1st.

Things That Need To Change Around Here

There are several things around here that I want to change. Those of you who know me know that I love routines and lists and schedules. I wrote a couple of months ago about needing to get a schedule or routine going for ds4 and Baby Girl. Well, it never happened. I wrote out a schedule or routine, but it was too perfect. There was no room to just do nothing.

So, I am going to try again. The reason I want to do this is because there are some things going on that I don't like. First of all, Baby Girl is into everything. It is chaotic because she has very little structured time. Meals and naptime are her only structured time. The rest of the time is playtime which means destruction time to her. Another thing is that ds4 is watching way too much TV. It is so easy to turn on the TV and let him sit there all morning while I chase Baby Girl around and clean up after her.

When we homeschooled, I did not let the kids watch nearly as much TV as I let ds4 watch now. I read to my kids more, we went to the park more, and they did their share of the work around the house. Of course, I was stressed to the max which is why the big kids are in school now. I want to find a way to have the kids in school and have a new baby and a toddler and a preschooler and still do the things I think are important.

I think it is important to do certain things with children while they are little. Things like teaching them to work around the house, playing outside with them, going on walks with them, reading to them, making sure their meals are nutritious and balanced, teaching them scripture, singing with them, and doing fun stuff like picnics and park days, fingerpainting and coloring.

This is what our day looks like now:
~Get big kids ready for school
~Take them to school
~Come home and eat breakfast, then ds4 watches cartoons while Mommy does chores and Baby Girls gets into stuff
~Mommy on computer and kids watch cartoons/get into stuff and have unstructured play until lunchtime
~Eat lunch
~Go down for nap/rest at 12:30-2:30
~Pick up big kids from school
~Play, eat snack
~Help big kids with homework
~Big kids do After School Jobs, Baby Girl and ds4 run around unstructured and make messes and fight until Daddy gets home

What do I want our day to look like?
~Get big kids ready for school
~Take them to school
~Come home and eat breakfast with little ones
~Do morning chores together (Mommy does Survival Morning Routine)
~Take a walk (ds4 and Baby Girl in double jogging stroller and new baby in baby carrier)
~Watch 1 cartoon (I will probably nurse baby during this time)
~Play outside/go to park/do something fun together until lunchtime
~Eat lunch while Mommy reads aloud (they LOVE this!!)
~Naptime/rest from 12:30- 2:30
~Pick up big kids 2:30-3:30
~Snack, play till 4:00
~Big kids do After School Jobs and homework (Assign a big kid to Baby Girl and ds4 while I help with homework- the twins do not usually have homework so they can help with them while I help the older ones with their school stuff)
~One more cartoon
~Daddy gets home and helps : )

My babies nurse every hour the first few weeks and then every 2 hours until they are 1. It sounds like a lot, and it is, but that is how all of my nursing babies have been so I just expect it.
I know I will have to tweak the routine a bit when the baby arrives but I think it will still work for us.

Weekly Schedule
I used to have a job assigned to each day. Monday was Laundry Day, Tuesday was Kitchen Day (clean kitchen and cook stuff to freeze), Wednesday was Office Day (clean up desk, file papers, pay bills, etc.), Thursday was Town Day (run errands), Friday was Cleaning Day (deep cleaning), Saturday was Gardening Day (any outside jobs around the house), and Sunday was Rest Day. I didn't always stick to this schedule, but it was nice to have a focus for each day. I got the idea from Kim at Large Family Logistics.

(I have decided not to have a weekly schedule like this right now. It is one more thing to think about and I don't feel at peace about it. That may sound weird, but I am just not feeling like it is the way I am supposed to structure our week right now.)

Laundry Schedule:
Monday: kids' laundry, uniforms
Tuesday:Mom and Dad's laundry, uniforms
Wednesday: kids' laundry, uniforms
Thursday: Mom and Dad's laundry, uniforms
Friday: kids' laundry, uniforms
Saturday: towels, sheets, Mom and Dad's clothes

I have used this system for a few years. Occasionally (like last Fall until now) I try other systems, but this one always works best for our family. I always come back to it.
Part of my Morning Routine is to do laundry. If I consistently follow this schedule, I will only have 3 loads per day~ lights, darks, and uniforms. The loads are small and it is very manageable that way. I fold the laundry and then the kids put it away when they get home from school. That is, if Baby Girl doesn't get to it first and then I have to fold it all over again.

Of course, this is my plan. It is the ideal. I know kids, and especially babies, do not follow plans very well. There are interruptions and illnesses and all of that. So, this is what I am going to strive for and if it doesn't happen, then that is fine. At least I will have a goal to shoot for.

Another thing I want to change is the amount of time I am on the computer. I have email and blogging time built into my Morning Routine. I am going to take 30 minutes there and then check email again before bed. It is like being on the phone~ my kids get into stuff and bicker when my attention is on the computer.

I do so much better when I have a plan and a goal for the day. I used to feel very guilty and like a failure if I didn't get it all done like I planned. I have gotten over that in the past year. I now am able to be happy and content with what was accomplished. I am able to look forward to the next day without thinking I have to do all the things that didn't get done the day before.

I am more flexible than I used to be. That is what having 6, almost 7, kids will do for you. It will build patience and flexibility! I know that my routines and schedules are tools, not taskmasters. I am able to be flexible and go with the flow more, even while following a routine.

Thank you, Annie!

I love my new look! Thanks, Annie! You're so sweet. And very good at fancy-ing up blogs. :)

Shredded Chicken Burritos

I made these burritos last night and they were very good. Here is the original recipe. I was rushing around yesterday morning trying to get out the door on time, and I forgot to put it all in the crockpot. So, when I got home, in the evening, I modified the recipe.

I put olive oil in the bottom of my cast iron skillet. Then I put 4 semi-frozen chicken breasts on top of that. I sprinkled about half a package of taco seasoning on top of the chicken and then put a can of green chilies on top of all of that. I covered the skillet and cooked the chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes. I really am not sure how long they cooked. I just left them there for a while and came back to check on them periodically. At one point they seemed fully cooked, but not tender enough yet, so I let them cook longer.

I shredded the chicken and added the juice from the skillet to moisten them a bit. Then we ate the chicken on tortillas with cheese, lettuce, salsa, and sour cream. Yum!

Pregnancy Update

I saw Sue, one of my midwives, yesterday morning. It was another non eventful visit. Nothing exciting is going on to tell you about. Well, I am having prelabor stuff going on~ lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, backache, nausea, pelvic pressure, etc. Nothing major and nothing unusual for 38 weeks pregnant. I see Nancy next Wednesday and maybe by then something exciting will be happening...like, labor!

This morning I returned some books and videos to the library. Ds4 wanted to put the videos in the outside book drop, so I told him he could. Then I realized he didn't have shoes on. I carried him over to the book drop and held him so he could put the videos into the drop. When I got back in the van I noticed a sharp pain in my right lower abdomen. By the time I got to Braum's (needed to get milk, eggs, and bacon for Breakfast Casserole for dinner) I was in lots of pain. I got my stuff and started to walk out the door to go back to the van. I literally could not move. It hurt so bad to even take a step. I managed to hobble back to my van and crawl in. I sat there for 10 minutes or so, trying to relax so the pain would stop. I felt like my tummy was ripping apart.

Anyway, I finally relaxed enough that I could drive home. I got home, parked in the driveway and suddenly I was paralyzed with pain again. It was bad. I couldn't get out of the van. So I was just sitting there in the driveway crying. I called Corey to come home and get me into the house. He has a 30-minute drive from work to home, so I planned to just sit there until he got home. Then I decided that was not a good plan, so I drug myself into the house and crashed until he got here.

He's here now and I am resting. Nancy, one of my midwives, thinks I pulled something (ligament?) and she told me to lie down all day with a heating pad. So that is what I am doing.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Cream Cheese Chicken (Thanks, Michelle, for this recipe), mashed potatoes, a vegetable or salad
Tuesday: Crockpot Morning Casserole (Thanks, Sandra, for this recipe), cantaloupe, biscuits
Wednesday: Shredded Chicken Burritos, toppings
Thursday: Spinach Lasagna, salad, garlic bread
Friday: leftovers

Haley's Contest

Haley is having a contest and giving away a very cute Coach purse. Go over and join in! Maybe you'll win the bag. Better yet, maybe I'll win the bag! :) hee hee

Beauty in the Common Things: sunshine
Listen In: Jay Jay the Jet Plane
Today I Plan To: get kids prescriptions filled, work on Home Management book, pack hospital bag (this is getting to be a joke~ maybe I'll wait and pack it when I am in early labor), clean my bedroom
View From the Kitchen Window: sunshine

Slow Cooker/ Crockpot Recipes, Please

Hi everyone,
I am going to start making crockpot meals three days a week. To do that, I need lots more crockpot recipes! I have searched through all of the Slow Cooker Thursday recipes and copied the ones that look good into a file. But I still need a few more.
Can you all email me your favorite crockpot recipes or post them on your blog so I can copy them down?
Thanks!

I know it will be easier to use my crockpot in the Fall and Winter because hot food tastes so good when it's cold outside. But there has to be a way to use my crockpot during the Spring and Summer. I am going to try new recipes that don't sound so "wintery" and see how we like them.

I will post the recipes as we try them. I am also going to use the crockpot recipes that I already use, like Annie's Garlic Chicken Spaghetti and Roast.

Thanks for helping me out with this!

Strep Throat and An Update On My Life

I spent the morning and afternoon at the doctor's office and then the hospital with Baby Girl. Basically, she was up all night again with a high fever, then this morning seemed to be even worse, so I called her pediatrician. The nurse said to bring her right in.

Our pediatrician sent us over to the hospital to have all of Baby Girl's labs done. We spent 4 hours there getting blood drawn and getting a urine sample. It turned out to be strep throat. No urinary tract infection and no other infections. I am so thankful it is something that is easily treated and that we caught it fairly early.

Tomorrow morning I am taking ds6#1 and ds4 in to the pediatrician's office to get their throat tested for strep. They had a 24 hour thing that included high fever, sore throat, and vomiting. The dr. said they could have had step throat and it could have spread to another part of their bodies. I would rather be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to my children's health. My sister knew a boy in her high school who died from a strep infection that started in his throat and spread to another part of his body. Since hearing that, I have taken strep infections very seriously.

I missed my midwife appointment and my ultrasound this morning. I rescheduled the ultrasound for Friday and I am just going to skip the other appointment. I am going to get tested for strep on Friday just to be sure I don't have it. Today I have had a sore throat, but I dismissed it as allergies. I would hate to have strep throat and go into labor while sick. So I am going to see the dr. so we can treat it early, if I do have it.

Hopefully our family life will improve in the next few days. It has been a stressful week! And it's only Wednesday! My parents want to come down to visit us this weekend. That will be wonderful! I really hope no one else is sick and they are able to come down. My dad hasn't been to see us since we moved here last July. We haven't seen him since Christmas and we haven't seen my mom since early January.

I am excited about watching American Idol tonight. My sister Christina and I have decided that we need to get a life because we get so excited about American Idol. ha ha

But then we decided that we do have lives, very busy ones in fact, and we can watch whatever the heck we want and get excited about American Idol if we want to. So there ; )

Mommy's Losing It

You know those days (or hours) when you really feel like you are losing it? This evening has been one of those. Very little sleep (Baby Girl had a high fever all night and I was up with her, worried sick), plus no nap today for ds4 or Baby Girl or Mommy, plus a bunch of hungry kids after school, two million questions, finally getting Baby Girl to sleep and having her brother wake her up, then neighborhood kids ringing my doorbell after I had told them twice to go home and not come back (it really didn't sound that mean when I said it)...

All of those things set me off a little bit and I have been on the verge of a nervous breakdown all night.

But I have a plan!! My plan is to go to bed at 9 tonight and wake up dh if Baby Girl gets up tonight. Hopefully sleep will help my attitude and tomorrow will be much better. Prayer will also help me and I plan to do that, too, tonight before bed.

Tuesday, April 10

Beauty in the Common Things: sleeping in
Listen In: Baby Girl working on taking all of my Target purchases out of the bag
Supper Plans: Well, we're not having chicken fajitas because I forgot to buy tortillas and I don't feel like going to the store. We'll have pork chops, mac and cheese, hot rolls, and a vegetable
Today I Plan To: Work on laundry (first priority), deep clean my bedroom (we'll see if that actually happens), pack my hospital bag (yes, I am going to get this done eventually)
View From the Kitchen Window: overcast sky

Like my new signature?

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:Garlic Chicken Spaghetti, garlic bread, corn on the cob, salad
Tuesday:Chicken fajitas, guacamole, Spanish rice, chips and salsa
Wednesday:Pork chops, mac and cheese, hot rolls, vegetable
Thursday:Oven Stew, cornbread
Friday:leftovers
Saturday:Hubby cooks

Beauty in the Common Things: sisters
Listen In: Kids talking about Easter chocolate, Baby Girl crunching Cheerios
Today I Plan To: do laundry, rock Baby Girl (she has a fever and is puny), pack hospital bag and put it in van
View From the Kitchen Window: it just looks cold out there

The Good News!

Jesus is alive! He is risen!

Many blessings to you as you celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on this chilly Easter Sunday.

Praise God!

I'm Dreaming of a White Easter...

okay, just kidding, I'm not really dreaming of a white Easter. But we just looked outside and noticed that it is snowing! www.weather.com says it is 40 degrees, but it also says the high for today is 39. Go figure.
Tonight it is supposed to drop pretty low and we are supposed to get a wintry mix overnight. So much for that sleeveless, cute Easter dress I bought! I did buy a sweater to go over it but it sounds like I will need a big coat. Guess those sandals won't really work either...

It's very different for us to get snow on Easter weekend. I remember one time getting snow on my mom's birthday, which is April 16th. That was years ago when I was a little girl, so April snow is rare around here.

The kids are already outside, bundled up, enjoying the snow! How fun!

Happy Easter!

Saturday, April 7

Beauty in the Common Things: dd12 cooking breakfast for our family
Listen In: Baby Girl saying Dada over and over again :)
Supper Plans: Taco Meatloaf
Today I Plan To: pack my bag for hospital, take a nap, dye Easter eggs, send dh to the store for groceries
View From the Kitchen Window: the wind blowing the trees and trashcans outside (word for word from ds6#2)

Annie chose me as one of her 5 to give the Thinking Blogger award to. Thank you, Annie! Now it is my turn to nominate 5 bloggers who make me think.

First of all, let me tell you about my blog. I began this blog a little over a year ago. I really started it just for fun, for family and friends to read and see what was going on in our lives. Then it became more of an online diary for me. I like writing about my days and knowing that one day I am going to have my blog bound so I will have a hard copy of it . Instead of journaling in a “real” journal, I write on my blog. One day my children will have a record of my life (at least this small part of it) and they can read it. Hopefully they will laugh and learn from it! I enjoy reading other blogs, mainly to see how other people live and think.

The first blog I read and my absolute favorite blog is Large Family Logistics. Kim Brenneman, a mother of 8, is the owner and author of this blog. She makes me think and evaluate my home and life each time I read her posts. I first came upon this blog when my 6th child was a week old. Kim has given me so much godly advice through her writing, and I still read this one daily.

Annie’s blog always makes me think. Annie’s thoughts challenge me in several different areas. My spiritual life and the way I view God, scripture, and truth is the main area Annie makes me think. I also love her recipes and menus and all of that fun stuff! I have learned a lot from Annie over the years, most recently from her blog. Did I mention that we have been very close friends for 13 years? We met when my first child was almost born and her 2nd child was a couple of weeks old.

Natalie’s blog is another one I love to read! Nat writes about all kinds of different things, and they are usually things I would not have thought of if I had not read her blog. She is a very gifted writer and I love to read anything she has written. Natalie is my oldest sister and we have obviously known each other for a while.

You’re Doing What? is the blog of Melissa Nelson. I met Melissa through an online group of Christian moms called MOMYS (Mothers of Many Young Siblings). I met her a few years ago via MOMYS and then we emailed a few times. Then Melissa, her husband, and their 9 children moved from the city out to the boonies J and they started this blog to chronicle their adventure. I love reading about the challenges they have encountered and how they have learned step by step how to live this new life of theirs. I recently went back and read their blog from day one and it is so interesting and funny! You should check it out. Go back to the beginning to get the full story.

Organizing Junkie is a blog I found through Annie’s blog. I love this blog! Laura is the author of Organizing Junkie. She truly is an organizing junkie and is very talented in organizing her home and others’ homes. Laura makes me think about my home and the different ways I could organize this or that. I have never actually “met” Laura through comments or email, but I do enjoy reading her blog and she does cause me to think!

There you have it!

Moses Basket or Bassinet?

Here is a picture of a Moses basket. I have decided, after looking at Moses baskets on the internet, that mine is a bassinet with handles, not a Moses basket.
This is what mine looks like, minus the basket on the bottom. You can see the handles if you look closely on the sides.

So, mine is actually a bassinet. But it is portable, so I can move it from room to room like a Moses basket.

As soon as I put the bassinet together today, Baby Girl tried to climb in! She can now climb baby gates and open doors. We have some babyproofing to do in the next week or so.

Thursday, April 5

Beauty in the Common Things: Spring wildflowers
Listen In: the ceiling fan going really fast
Supper Plans: meatloaf, baked potatoes, broccoli
Today I Plan To: go to 3 Easter parties, pay bills, go Easter clothes shopping, close credit cards accounts that I paid off in March
View From the Kitchen Window: dark

An Update
Today I saw Brenda, one of my midwives. I think she is my new favorite. She is super sweet. She sat and talked with me and went over my birth plan for about 30 minutes. Everything was agreed upon except the external fetal monitoring. I requested to be monitored for 20 minutes maximum in the observation area and then no more. But it is hospital policy that they have to monitor me for 20 minutes in observation and another 20 minutes in labor and delivery. Ugh! I hate having that belt around my tummy. It makes it so difficult to relax and be sane through hard contractions. I have decided to make the best of it and use my birthing ball during that time instead of lying down in bed like I have in the past. Maybe being upright will help.

I asked her about inducing if I go past my due date, and she said the longest they let mothers go is 41 weeks, 6 days. That would be May 12th. I told her I am not comfortable going that far past my due date and I would probably want to be induced right at 41 weeks. She agreed to that, so we know this baby will be here by at least May 6th! Of course, I am not planning to go past my due date at all. We'll see if Baby has a different plan. ;)

I borrowed a Moses basket with a stand today from my friend, Jill. It is so cute and I am excited to have it. I have never had a Moses basket and I like the idea of taking it from room to room with me if I want to. With the stand, it looks like a bassinet, but it has handles and it lifts off easily. I will take a picture of it and post it soon.

The baby is doing great. The heartbeat is normal, I am measuring within normal range, and I lost 2 pounds this past 2 weeks. That makes me happy because it means I am getting closer to birth day. I always lose weight the week or two before my babies are born.

I still feel patient and content. There are times when I wish this whole thing would hurry up and be over, but they are few and far between. I am trying to focus on the children I have right now and enjoy time with them and with my hubby. Last night we went on a mini-date to Chili's for dessert. It was very relaxing and we got to talk about nothing in particular. Actually, we talked about blogging and the different blogs I read. He wanted to hear all about it. Isn't that sweet? He really is the nicest, most loving husband and daddy in the world. :)

Another Adorable Picture!

Menu Plan Monday

Today is going to be a restful, slow day. That is my plan, anyway! The only thing I need to do is check our infant car seat for an expiration date. Did you know they actually have a date that says "do not use after this date..."? We have used the same car seat for our last 2 babies. One is now 4 years old and the other one is 22 months old. I think we need a new car seat for this one, but dh doesn't think so. :)

***I checked the date and it is Dec 2007. Looks like we're not getting a new one.
Aren't there lots of factors involved to determine the safety of a car seat? This one has been stored in our shed (not climate controlled) between babies. The one I want to get is the one Consumer Reports rated the highest in their latest study. I know their study was recalled, but I want to follow the recommendations of that study anyway. The reason it was recalled is because the tests they did were done at a speed of 70mph. They were supposed to test the car seats at a much slower speed, 35mph, I think. It makes sense to me to test the car seats at 70mph since that is closer to the speed we actually drive on interstates. ***

Beauty in the Common Things: getting things accomplished
Listen In: PBS cartoons
Supper Plans: see Menu Plan below
Today I Plan To: see above
View From the Kitchen Window: a cloudy, windy morning




Monday: grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
Tuesday: Chicken and Pasta with creamy sauce (crockpot), salad, rolls
Wednesday: Spinach Lasagna, green beans, garlic bread
Thursday: Meatloaf, baked potatoes, broccoli
Friday: Garlic Chicken Spaghetti (crockpot), mixed vegetables, rolls
Saturday: Chicken Fajitas, Spanish rice

Bluebonnet Pictures!

Here are our Bluebonnet pictures! Yes, in the picture of all of the children, Eric is crying. But he was crying in all of the pictures with the children together. There was a bee in his vicinity and he didn't like our advice ("Be very still and the bee won't bother you").

We took these at a park close to our house. Cheerful took pictures of her girls, too.
Maybe she'll put her pics on her blog so we can see them. hint, hint, Cheerful!