We Made It

Or, to be a bit more specific, We Very Nearly Made It. We got up, dressed, fed (albeit lightly - smoothies, fruit and toast make for a lousy breakfast - we would die off, and be quite grouchy about it in the process, if we were forced to become vegetarians!) and out the door in time to make it to Sunday School. The Very Nearly part comes in because, technically, the boys' classes were doing their Opening Ceremonies thing when we arrived. BUT, they had not gone to their 'age appropriate' holding pens yet, and so, that totally counts! SCORE!

About three minutes into class, Smidge announced (to everyone in the room) that he had to pee. Now. Let's go! We shuffled off to the nursery (aka - nearest facility - I know better than to try to make it down the gauntlet, uh, hallway festooned with classroom art.) I handed Miss Emily off to Sweet Tiffany, who works in the nursery on Sundays, and bolted to the facility just in time to prevent Smidge from starting a streaking career. Dancing, high-fives and general happiness ensued.

As we washed our hands, Smidge spied a toy he wanted to play with. Um... well, yes, you can play with that, but you'll need to play with it in here. We can't take it out of the room. "OK, Mama. You go. I'll play." As this strange alien changeling took the toy and plopped down on the floor to play, Tiffany, Nice Mrs. B, and I stared after him as if none of us knew who this kid was or how he got in. Wow, that's new! I did a quick head count: three adults, and only three children. "Um, would it be okay if Miss Emily stayed for Sunday School, too?" :-) I slipped out, kept my ears perked (our class meets in the room adjoining the nursery), and enjoyed the study tremendously. The pace of the class seems much slower when one isn't also tending to two children.

When the boys and I retrieved Smidge, Miss Emily was sound asleep. I think Tiffany is the one person in the nursery I'm comfortable leaving the children with, which had a lot to do with the next step I took. However, there was also the decadent thought of sitting through the service with only three children... it was like the siren's song and there was nobody to lash me to the mast! We ran for it, enjoyed snack and fellowship and then the four of us slipped quietly into the sanctuary. The service was wonderful. It was good to be able to spend time instructing the boys on the liturgy, the order of worship, and the whole point of the service. Miss Emily was up and happy when the service ended, so there wasn't any residual guilt stuck to me as we left the building.

The rest of the day was laundry, cleaning, laundry, and a nap that I tried very hard not to take.

Smidge ate the cheese off his chili at supper, then turned his nose up at the rest of it, so we got ready for bed before the boys and were able to spend extra time reading Smidge-Speed books. We took our time finding all the buildings in Geoppolis. We talked about moles and tugboats with Scuffy. We looked at spiders. But mostly, we cuddled. We smiled. We shared eskimo kisses and head 'nuggles. By the time the boys were ready for a story, Smidge was out cold, his little heart all tanked up and happy.

We are revisiting The Borrowers. I was pregnant last time we tried, and although I loved the book when I was a child, it pretty much knocked me out last fall when I tried reading it to the boys. Two chapters in, though, and I think we're going to make it!

James just finished Owls in the Family and asked for more books by Mowat. He's collected quite a list of authors he'd like to read more of this summer. I suppose it's time to go pay the late fees we owe the Madison County library.

John got a little extra attention and grace this weekend, which seems to be exactly what he was needing. Rather than being a BIG BROTHER, at the moment he's feeling quite mired in MIDDLE CHILD SYNDROME. It's rough to be standing in this chaos we've built, let alone standing in it with one foot in the "young man" realm and the other foot still dragging heavily in the "little guy" realm. We spent some time reassurring him - through actions moreso than words - that it's okay to be in the places inbetween. You don't have to heave yourself up onto the next step of the ladder in one bound. We love you, and we've got your back. I think we all need that reassurrance once in a while, but we don't always know how to go about asking for it.

And Miss Emily has a new nickname: Girlzilla. The boys made it up. She's discovered the joy of knocking down towers. Or, rather, I suspect she's discovered the joy of making her brothers laugh. That they build things for her to knock down is simply a handy avenue through which she can achieve that goal. They'll build something just within her reach, then stand back and watch with anticipation. She'll knock it down, then immediately look at them and raise her eyebrows expectantly. They'll roll with laughter, and she'll squeal and start chewing on some part of the structure until they gather the parts to do it again. What fun!

I'm going to put Girlzilla back to bed and get some rest, myself. Tomorrow will, hopefully, be a Very Busy Day!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

In The Summertime

Yes, I've had the Mungo Jerry song in my head all day long. Granted, that's kept a little lift in my footsteps (not to mention the workout my neck muscles have had from bobbing about all day), so I suppose it's not all bad, right? As an aside, I had no idea he's been so busy all these years!

Weather.com is wonderful. I can gauge just when to hang out the wash in order to have it dry before the rains come! Technology, both primitive and state-of-the-art, working together to bring us fresh garments. What a delight - and three loads down today!

The boys' windows are nearly finished. The purple one is done (just had to do the apron today). The yellow one is nearly done now - the trim, stoop and apron are now done with two coats. It needs just one more coat of Irish Mist on the bars and muntins. The yellow looks particularly bright and airy, but I've got to say the purple isn't bad, either. Certainly not what I'd have picked, but then, neither is the grey in our room. Go figure. It is a good thing we didn't find the circa early-1900's (or older) home we were hoping to find, as there is no way I'd feel good about slapping these garish colors on "good wood". These windows, however? A-okay, in my book. And it made the boys smile. How could I not love that?

We had rain today - glorious, cooling, cleansing rain. The boys wanted to run out and play in it, and my knee-jerk reaction was, "no." But why? Are we going somewhere? Is there a tornado heading for the yard? Am I concerned the creek will rise up and release crocodiles? No, on all counts. You know, I don't mind growing up, but I do have to guard against growing weary in my soul - so go, run, play, dance. As a matter of fact, I'll grab Miss Emily and we'll sit on the porch and watch. It was delightful. Miss Emily, Balto-dog and I sat on the porch and laughed along with the boys. The boys were muddied, exhausted, and drenched, but happy.

Four made-up games, three hours, two showers, and a bath later...

Zorak had prepared a delicious mystery concoction of potatoes, pork chops, onions and miscellaneous other things. The boys set the table. We ate and talked, played and tidied. Then we popped popcorn and enjoyed a family movie before story time. We were productive today on many fronts, but the most important front was time spent with the children. By the time everybody had been tucked in and kissed, Zorak and I looked at one another, smiled the smiles of the truly blessed, and said, "This is good. This is really good."

HVAC guy didn't come today. He said he'd tried to confirm yesterday and couldn't get through (we were home all day, though, and I had even paged him in the evening), so he'll be out Monday, at any rate. Lag time between setting equipment and fabricating the remaining parts looks to be about a week. Thankfully, next week promises to be about ten degrees cooler than the past week. Yay. However, then it looks like it's going back up. So my poor Mother-in-Law may have to tough it out for a day or two in the sweltering, marrow-melting heat. But, if she survives, just think how comfortable she'll be when we kick on that new unit! (She's so brave - she must really love us!)

The delay until Monday does buy us more time for duct repair (there was a lot of it!) and perhaps we can get more trim up and finish the closets in the War Room (aka - erstwhile master bedroom, temporary guest room, future Smidge/Miss Emily room. It's been a busy room.)

And tomorrow is another opportunity to make it to church on time! (We were late for our own wedding - and then late to the reception, as well. I don't know why it surprises me that this is a struggle now.) So, in honor of that, I have two minutes to get to bed before midnight and I'm going to jump on it!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Ahh, sweet end of day

There is, perhaps, no softer, sweeter feeling than that of getting a few minutes one-on-one snuggle time with each child as you tuck them into bed. Somehow, that quiet time of touching base makes the whole unruly mess of the day recede into the background, making way for the hope of tomorrow, and the unending comfort of unconditional love. It goes both ways, and it is oh-so-good.

Had a busy day, but everything seemed to go wrong. Just plain wrong, from beginning to end. We went to the wrong park for playdate, and that's just the culminating fiasco in the whole getting-out-of-the-house saga that hallmarked this morning. This afternoon, we bought veggies and that was about it. Had more to purchase, but it wasn't going to happen today. Nope. I may have to start shopping online, although that will require a bit more proactivity on my part (ie. planning ahead).

While I'm thinking of it, I found two sites this week that I thought were worth noting. I've just left them up all week, because my bookmarks are a hideous mess and although I don't ever buy much online, I wanted to remember them. So, here ya go (then y'all can remind me that I blogged about them when I'm pondering their actual existence in a year, okay?)

Do It Yourself Pest Control. Saw this site recommended on the WTM boards, and blew two full nights checking it out. (Gee, I wonder why it caught my attention? *grin*) Not only is it informative, but the lady who recommended it said she's been quite happy with her business dealings thus far. Worth looking at!

Make Your Own Stamps. Zazzle is a site that I could easily get so lost in that it would take a full-blown rescue operation to help me find my way back again. Stuff you didn't know you needed, stuff you didn't realize was possible. This particular link looks particularly neat, and someday, when I actually mail out Christmas cards, I think it'd be nice to have specialized stamps made. These stamps are authorized postage for the USPS, so have fun!

Oh, oh, oh! Smidge is on DAY TWO of staying totally dry. Totally clean. Totally not eating good foods because of all the potty treats he has consumed. WAH-HOO!!!

Let's see, what else is there? Didn't do much on the house today. Well, *I* didn't. I just cleaned up my mess from yesterday's work. Zorak, however, got the main vent cleaned and about half the runs to the registers cleaned. That, after working a full day. He is my hero.

We had a nice, cool supper: grilled chicken, rice, applesauce, and cucumbers (sliced, then soaked in salt and vinegar/water, chilled - WONDERFUL on a hot summer evening!) I was going to serve iced water and iced tea, but somebody - probably a boy whose name begins with "J" - used all but five ice cubes from the freezer while giving the dog water tonight. So the dog has a mountain of deliciously cooled ice to nibble on this evening and we drank lukewarm tap water. That part wasn't so refreshing. But did I mention the cucumbers were nice?

Tomorrow, more windows, more trim. I'm sure reading about painting is about as much fun as watching it dry, so I'll try to think of something slightly more scintillating to write about. The HVAC Guy is coming, too, I think. I should see if he'll pose for a picture.

Whew, and I'm going to hit the hay before it's suddenly tomorrow already!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

More remodeling work

While we wait for the HVAC guy and the bush hog guy (the bush hog guy was supposed to come today, but the barn still looks more like Bag End than a full-size barn, so my money says he didn't show), we turn our attention the detail work that we have been avoiding... um, well, yeah, avoiding.

We've decided on the closet layout for what will be Smidge and Miss Emily's room. It has two tiny closets, one of which we made even smaller by building a chase in it to run the vent for the water heater up and out. Ah, okay... it doesn't look like a good idea, but it was. At least, it was the best we could do with what we have (what with those pesky codes and all). And we will continue telling ourselves that in ten years, when our youngest children lament their lack of closet space.

So, the littlest closet will get wire shelving, top to bottom. Won't that make it look mighty and useful? We hope so. The other small closet will get two rods with wire racks, but we'll splurge and get the rods with the swoopty things so the coat hangers can slide all the way across. I'm sure that will make a world of difference to the Small Ones.

I got the second coats of paint put on the *one* window in the boys' room. (The other one looks significantly worse now, although I didn't touch it, I swear!) And the tape is OFF. BEEYOUTEEFUL! Next, curtains, perhaps? Mmmm, normalcy... Also got the first and second (I think second, but I don't remember. We'll see in the morning, I guess) coats on the one (and only) window in the master bedroom.

The boys felt a bit neglected after their lessons were done, so they set to making themselves feel better. By yelling at one another. I guess this was an attempt to help me out, so I wouldn't have to do it, myself? I don't know, but by the time Zorak called to see if I needed him to pick up anything on his way home, I was trying to paint with one hand, the hot, sweaty, screaming baby cradled in the other hand, and all three boys were relegated to their beds (but not allowed to fall asleep - nooooo, not at five-thirty, you don't!) It was a lovely phone call, but he refused to bring me horse tranquilizers and rum. Pfft. What'd ya ask for, then?

He did set up the crib for Miss Emily, though, and she is now safely ensconsed in her own wooden cell. Safe from marauding two year olds. Shielded from the pull of gravity. And not sweating profusely against my torso. Life. Is. Good. (I'm all for co-sleeping, under the right conditions: neither parent is a drunk {well, since somebody didn't bring me rum tonight, check}; it doesn't interfere with the parents' private activities {by the time you have four, you've learned to get creative, so 'check'}; the home is somewhat climate controlled to prevent said co-sleeping arrangement from causing undue sweating - and sticking - and a fear that someone will mildew before morning {ehhh, no go on this one, hence the crib}.)

Tomorrow we have a playdate with one of the homeschooling support groups we'd signed up with ages ago. This is our second try with this group. They have a rule that says you must attend X number of functions within 60 days of joining or you get the boot. It's an attempt to keep the predators away, and I certainly appreciate that. It's just that... well, I'm bad about getting out of the house. And even less excited about getting out of the house to go sit at the park and glisten for two hours. Still, we've wanted for a while to go to something and meet some locals, and it won't always be this hot. Right? Right?!? (Quick, someone remind me that it's going to cool off eventually!!!) Thankfully, tomorrow's activity is swimming! I think we can hang with that.

Oh, and Zorak bought an air-mover. We set it up in the hallway and took turns standing directly in front of it. That was better than a weekend pass to Sea World!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Home Remodeling Tip #237

Paint the darned trim before the weather turns hot. Even if you're tired of painting trim. Even if you are burned out on paint, period. Even if you must do it hunched over like Quasimodo, with three children and a baby hanging off your dangly bits. Yes, do it. It's not going to get any easier before Halloween, so just get it over with.

*whew*

Got the topcoat put on the bars and muntins of *one* of the boys' windows. Got most of the window trim painted purple (yeah, that was intentional). Have to wait to paint the stoop and the apron because they'll be yellow. No blue on the windows now, as we're moving all-things-blue to Smidge and Emily's room next month. (A pink and blue room - how cute, yet painfully cliche!)

Textured the linen closet. Will prime that tonight and paint it in the morning. Yay!

Went to Sears today and purchased THIS. It will be here July 5th. Can you feel the joy emanating from your monitor? I'll yell you, if my mother-in-law wasn't coming a few days before then, I'd probably put a moratorium on all things clothing related until then. *grin* I'll spare her the grim task of witnessing that, though, and at least try to keep up in the meantime.

Zorak has all the ventilation runs removed and ready to clean. That has been, to put it mildly, a disgusting venture. I'd rather do laundry!

And... I think I'm supposed to be cooking supper right now, but this is the first time that particular item has managed to wriggle its way to the forefront of my mind. Guess I'd better go figure that out!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

A Countdown

If you go back
1 college degree...

2 vehicles...

3 children...

4 states...

5 houses...

6 years...

You come to the day we got this little addition to our family:



Thankfully, he didn't spring from anyone's loins that size. We just didn't get a digital camera until he was about two. But he was just as cute when he started out, trust me!

Much like Titch's little seed, he grew and grew and grew. Our Wednesday hiking days became immensely more enjoyable once he acquiesced to carrying his own water...


He's been our anchor, reminding us that they're just little guys, that everybody needs extra hugs, that it's okay to be small. That everybody needs their comforting things kept near.


John is the one who can find beauty anywhere. He shares it readily, and heads out to find more.


He tends to play the straight man to his big brother's antics...


... but not always.


He "gets" the good stuff, like family -


both young,


and old (er - older!)


And while it doesn't come as a shock that our "JohnBaby" has grown into such a great young man,


and a wonderful big brother,


It's very touching to see just what a wonderful young man he has become.


Happy Birthday, My Sweet and Wonderful Boy! I love you, and am thankful Dad and I get to have you in our lives. You are truly a joy and a delight to our hearts!

Love,
Mom

On Having a Poop Blog

WHEN did my blog go from a homeschooling blog to a daily poop report? I am so, so sorry for that. In an effort to redeem myself from the incessant potty training updates, I'd like to share a little educational blogging for a bit. (Ok, one more update before I stop: WHY can a child stay 100% dry, 24/7, even waking dry from naps and bedtimes and STILL refuse to use the darned thing for solids?!? WHYYYYYYY?)

Alright, now for a little redemption. The other children are doing productive, educational things. Mainly without me, as I'm sequestered in the hallway, running herd on Smidge.

James is working his way through Gamma, namely because I make him. For fun, though, he is playing with fractions. Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. In his head. For fun. And he's not only accurate, but he's fast. I should be happy that my only role in his mathematical education at this point is to make certain he has the facts themselves down pat so that this will continue to be easy and fun for him. It does give me a little leeway with the hallway time. But we may have to hire a tutor named Heinrich to come and live with us in a few years. He's also *drum roll, please* SWIMMING! The last time we went, he put on a life jacket and took off swimming. He swam way the heck out there, where I'd have to find someone to catch the baby before I could divest myself of binding clothes in order to go rescue him if something should happen. Nothing happened, of course, but a mother's mind works overtime in the Alfred Hitchcock corridor while her mouth is shouting, "Way to GO! Look at you GO!! YAY!! YOU! ARE! AWESOME!"

John's writing is wonderful, and he is reading all the word problems in his math sets. He's also significantly more interested in Latin since we've picked it up again. It's clicking. This is the year of the click for him. Thank God, because he's turning six and six is not my best year for remaining calm and encouraging. Anyhow, we've been reviewing all the Prima Latina prayers this month. And he's good. He's having a lot of fun learning his things, his way. I didn't think he'd do so well with the "which subject would you like to do first" approach, but he does. And he picks math first, then Latin, and then - who'd have guessed, Bible. He's also showing a concerted interest in drawing. Perhaps it's time to invest in some quality materials and start working toward offering him something a little more meaty in that area? Nothing replaces the fun, self-directed delight of free time, but sometimes it's nice to have a few more tools in the mental toolbox.

The board games are getting a workout. As is my inner dialogue, which goes something like this:

"This time is short-lived. This time will pass SO quickly. Oh, kill me now, it's Connect Four! This time is short-lived and precious."

Chess is turning out to be quite fun, though, and it's something the older two boys and I enjoy tremendously. Sadly, chess is Smidge's new "Seek and Destroy" mission - it seems to have replaced read-alouds in his "this causes me pain and so I must prevent its mere presence in our home" approach to life. So we only play while he's napping. There are many sheets of paper lying about the house with mid-game schematics drawn hurriedly on them. (The boys start sketching while I lure Smidge back down the hall to the bathroom. It's not a potty thing, it's just a stalling tactic so they can get the notes down.)

We are about 2/3 done with Huckleberry Finn - we're enjoying it, but the slow pace of the dialogue pretty much puts us all to sleep mid-afternoon. One chapter at a time is a painful way to read through Mark Twain, and I don't think we'll revisit any of his work until the boys are a bit older. Perhaps as a read-aside, where we each read the book at a set pace and discuss it, rather than as a read-aloud? Is that cowardly of me? I hope not, but if so, I'm good with that. Suggestions for what to read next? Some good, meaty, delightful summer read-alouds would be most appreciated!

I'm reading The Cat of Bubastes, by Henty; Godless by Coulter; Moby Dick by somebody who abridged it (it was in the basement and I was desperate); Pilgrim's Progress (this caused the desperation that sent me into the basement for Melville's abridged story); The Power of a Praying Parent by O'Martian (re-read, never hurts to get a refresher); and working on my own independent math studies (why, oh why, doesn't Steve write a Calculus book?). In all, not a bad line-up. I do wish I had a little more brain candy on the nightstand at the moment, but it just doesn't seem to be the season for that.

And Miss Emily is doing a one-armed Army crawl now! She'd probably make better headway if the comforter cover offered more traction instead of bunching up beneath her, but that doesn't seem to be a deterrent. She decides to go somewhere (generally to get something) and she is off - like a very determined, single-minded herd of turtles. Just imagine what she will do when we have flooring we can actually set her down on! Wow, the world is hers to conquer!

But now, it's time to tend to the home and the hubby and the things that need tending before turning in. Kiss those babies!

Dy

On Doing Physical Labor in 94 degree heat with no a/c

See "On Cleaning Plywood Floors".

On Cleaning Plywood Floors

Don't.

Just. Don't.