Pregnancy For the Last Time?

Here we are, pregnant again.

Yes, we planned this. Maybe not exactly for this time, but we did/do want this baby. And YES, we know what makes babies!

It's been rough though. I get super sick round the clock for the first 4 months and this little parasite didn't disappoint. I abandoned my families nutritional needs to sandwiches, cereal and pre-packaged crap during that time.

During that misery I decided it was a good time to bring up the topic of sterilization. I feel like I'm done carrying babies in my body. I'm not so sure our family is done growing but I am certain that I am done growing the family with my body.

The question now is... Who gets fixed?

And the lucky winner is...

Cats & Dogs

Have you ever wished for your kids to get or experience something, and then (regretfully) that wish came true? 

This is the story of how my kids got to experience the miracle of birth (via dog/cat) and how I got to experience the misery of too many damn animals in my house at once.

First, we found out that we were expecting (a human baby). That was shocking and scary and wonderful. Yay! Until morning sickness. Boo!

Some time later our dog was hit by the neighbors truck. Several hundred dollars worth of X-rays later it was discovered that her pelvis was fractured and she would require about 10 weeks of bed rest. 

So she sat and ate and was pampered and all the while grew bigger. At first we thought it was simply lack of activity (she is not your typical lazy pug). We then began to suspect the sometimes result of fornication. Sure enough, $100 more dollars of useless tests confirmed her impending motherhood. 

The cat was getting quite chunky also. Yes, that happened. 

Within two weeks both delivered 5 dogs and 4 cats, respectively. All while I puked and continued to grow my own little parasite.

The children experienced their freaking miracles and we went on to experience the miracle of cleaning up after 12 f***ing animals!

For some reason I was talked into keeping one of each and (mercifully) Facebook helped me sell/give away the rest. 

It was a miracle I'll not want to repeat. 

It has been agreed that no other animals shall join us until at a least two current pets kick it. 

Catching Up

So... It's been awhile. Things got crazy (or crazier) up in here.

Holidays. Birthdays. Trips. So much happened I'll just go over the highlights briefly.

• Holidays were a blur as usual. We ate, we drank, we made merry, etc.
• Birthdays = cake. Is there really more?
• We bought a motorcycle for our oldest Kyler, and he raced! It was super fun to watch and we hope to make lots of future memories attending the races ahead.
• We attended an international campout with about 47,000 other pathfinders in Oshkosh, WI. It was awesome and we were more tired than ever at its end. Epic.
• We tripped up at Lake Martin with 22 other family members. A whirlwind family reunion took place.
• Oh, and we are pregnant. Again! Estimated time of arrival... December 2014.

That more or less brings me to today. I am tired of all the stuff. I am ready to do nothing for awhile. Except that won't really happen, obviously. 

Homeschooling. Potty training. Paci weaning. 

Those things need to happen and I don't wanna!

Packing... again.

It's past two in the morning and my mind just won't turn off. I guess I am still on a high from turbo packing.

Yes, it's that time again... packing for a trip. Only this time it's not the night before departure. I know, I'm awesome. I have finally managed to get something done more than 3 hours before I need it done.

I do still have to cook and pack food for sack lunches for the week and load it all. But that can totally wait until tomorrow. I'm hoping that this time around I can actually sleep the night before a major family trip.

We shall see.

Pathfindering

It's been awhile. Something like 19 years (I can't believe I just wrote that) since I was last a pathfinder. Here I am again but this time I'm a grown-up. I keep waiting to "feel" like a grown-up. It isn't happening.

My son is about to become a newly minted pathfinder this weekend and my husband and I will become staff. It's surreal to look around and realize that I'm STAFF and not a kid anymore.

I suppose that I have been an adult for quite awhile. So when did that happen?!

I hope suppose sometime before I had my first child. It certainly wasn't before I married the first time cause adults aren't supposed to make mistakes like that. Right?

Oh well, I digress.

I am happy to be joining the pathfindering world again and look forward to helping young people. (Saying things like that should be a clear indication that I am now an adult. Or at least it indicates that I was listening to adults at some point.)

I could really kick some butts...

My oldest attended a Pathfinder camping trip over the weekend with his Daddy. It was his first trip with the group and he was very much looking forward to it. He enjoyed most of the trip. He did NOT enjoy the teasing he endured from the older girls in the club.

Originally our whole family was supposed to attend together. However, due to rain the trip was rescheduled over a weekend that I could not go along. Also, some friends of ours were going to be in town and available for just a few hours on Saturday and so Joey was away for a few hours visiting with them and me. It was during that time that several of the girls in the group began teasing Kyler and generally giving him a hard time.

My Drug

Procrastination is my drug.

I wish I was more organized. Like those moms that schedule when to eat, when to play, when to silently open a snickers bar in the bathroom and when to nap.

I have a list in my head of things I need to accomplish. It goes something like this:

A Weeks Worth: (1) Remember to take kids to tumbling and ballet, (2) Finally drive my comforter over to my mothers so I can wash it and we can stop fighting over the full sized blanket on our bed, (3) Grocery shop.

A Days Worth: (1)Uhhh..., (2) Oh yeah, the kids are hungry, (3) Walk the dog and clean up poo from not walking dog, (4) School, diapers, baths, brush teeth...?

Ok, so there's a lot that gets added to the list(s) last minute.

Somehow it all gets done (more or less) and we are super happy when sundown on Friday evening arrives. Oh how I love the Sabbath and not having to worry about most of the list!

VMA Trainwreck

There was precious little I enjoyed about the VMA's last night. Here is a list (in no particular order, obviously): Justin Timberlake (kinda), Bruno Mars(mildly), Katy Perry,  and last, but certainly not least, - the looks on the faces of the "celebrities" when the audience was shown.

During Miley Cyrus's "performance" (I use quotations to indicate that this is a loose interpretation of the word) she sadly shook her body about and attempted to sing a "hit" song of hers that was nominated at some point during the awards show. Then that creepy guy that sings about someone "wanting it" joined her and together they disgraced the stage for a few minutes more. Her tongue could have used a brushing and she appeared to be inebriated in some way (to be fair - many of the performers and presenters appeared that way, probably with good reason).

What's up with the bears by the way?! Trying to ruin stuffed animals for everyone are we?

Why did I watch you say? Well I was hoping to see Bruno Mars and Katy Perry. I was not dissapointed by the latter. The former performed a song called "Gorillla" that was mildly humorous and grossly inappropriate for youngsters. I lost count of the number of times I had to send my son out of the room. He pretty much was only allowed to watch the last performance as it was only one where nobody was talking about "doing it", "wanting it" or "sticking it" somewhere.

Thank goodness for Katy Perry. (much as I like her - never thought I'd say that)

Finally, I must comment on the looks frozen to the faces of the "celebrities" in the audience. Each and every time the audience was panned I was rewarded with the most horrified or confused looks I've ever seen on their faces. It got to where it was a game for us. We would rewind and pause the show to fully enjoy the shock and dismay.

I hope those gift bags really did have that extra $500 Justin promised - every person in the crowd deserved it!

There was plenty of other non-redeeming footage that I didn't comment on and actually fast forwarded through - I guess because it wasn't enough of a train wreck to watch at normal speed (plus I didn't know who they were). At one point we caught up to real time, because of all the fast forwarding, and watched Duck Dynasty until we saved up enough recorded time to be able to skip the boring parts (like the awards).

I really need to find better things to do with my time. I could blame this on Joey though... he's the one that said we should record it!

Snow Skiing with Granddaddy & Yia-Yia

(This should have been published MONTHS ago. Another shining example of my organizational skills and memory retention.)

My oldest two "babies" went on a week long trip. My Dad took them to Brian Head Resort in Utah to snow ski for a week. This was their first time on an airplane WITHOUT ME!

<I was sort of a wreck>

Anyway... They had a great time, learned to ski, went sledding, went tubing and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. All with no mishaps. Whew!

They flew into Las Vegas and enjoyed some sites there, for one night, and then traveled onward to Utah. Their condo was very comfortable and provided lots of distraction for when the lifts were closed. They attended a "Ski School" for one short day and were then pronounced "skiers." Off they went to the top of the mountain and skied like pros the rest of the week.

Emma did have one "incident." She crashed forward and tumbled around real good, even lost a ski. Well, her instructor saw her tumble and asked if she was OK. She was upset and crying a bit and mentioned her foot hurt. He called in the cavalry and she was wrapped up like a burrito and whisked down the hill behind a snow mobile. It was quite an adventure and her foot turned out to be fine. She is a little embarrassed by it now.

Kyler swooshed down the hills as fast as he could. He had a few tumbles too, but no rescues were required. He even learned to jump! Next time he is really looking forward to snow boarding.

They were returned to us in tip-top shape and we are sooo happy to have them home.

<It was a hard week for me.>

Crappy, Crappy, Joy, Joy!

We're moved. It sucked.

Actually it will continue to suck for a few more weeks as I continue to try and find homes for all the things left in the boxes standing guard in my new home.


But seriously. I'm happy.

It feels so good to be "home" and I'm focusing on that.


My family is within minutes of my current address and it's wonderful. I can now actually help when someone is having a hard time. They can come to my house and I can hug them instead of uselessly listening to heartache over the phone. I can drive to someones home in a matter of minutes to be supportive or hang out.

While words can be amazingly powerful there just isn't a replacement for being physically present. That never resonated more than during the last two years we've lived in Texas, near nobody.

(Note: There were also wonderful changes and growth as a result of being alone with my husband and kids while we were in TX all that time. But's that's another post for another day!)

We're Moving!

I had known for quite some time that we were moving. It wasn't thrust upon me suddenly. I'm sayin' I had  "months" to prepare for this eventuality.

So, when did I begin my packing for the move that happened day before yesterday?

About two weeks ago.

If ever there was a real life example of procrastination. Wow. I really don't need to start pointing those out.

Packing For a Trip

It goes something like this...

3 days to departure: 

Me, "OK everybody start bringing me their clothes!" 

Insert large pile of clothes on my bed that I still have to use 3 more times before we leave.

Me, "Wait, wait, wait. First bring me your suitcases!"

My oldest wrenches the largest suitcase from its precarious position underneath a mountain in a closet.

Substitute Teachering

I ended up having/needing to substitute teach at the school where my husband works for the last 5 weeks of the semester. That was.... interesting. I was responsible for Pre-Calculus, Algebra II and something called Math Models.

The PreCal class was nothing. Really. I just accepted their final exams which had been given to them early because they were seniors and about to leave for their class trip. I graded them and that was that.

He is... Mine!

No matter what new deeply crazy level I descend to, my husband is not fazed. He is either perfect or a robot.

I'm pretty certain he's not a robot.

Homeschoolish

I homeschool my kids in case you didn't know. It is a decision that I wished for my children many years before they reached school age. There are many reasons why but they won't matter as most people don't make decisions based on what I think. I refrain from telling the story/reasons unless pressed to by a friend for informative purposes and not to try and convince me why I am wrong/crazy.

I love it. We have such freedom. Simply put - our kids may learn in the way that works best for them and they may learn at their own pace.

For the last two years I've used Time4Learning.com as the curriculum for my oldest, Kyler. He loves it (as much as he loves anything having to do with school).

I love how I can adjust the grade levels he has access too and also how I can review everything he has completed by date/time. All the lesson's may be reviewed as necessary before or after completion. It makes for a very easy lesson planning and record keeping. Also, it is very easy to see when he needs more help on a topic. It's also easy for him to know where to pick up the next day as the student login keeps track of his completed lessons.

I do supplement with a handwriting, spelling and bible curriculum. Although there are spelling lists available for my use if I wish.

Basically Time4Learning.com works for him as a visual learner in a way that traditional workbooks and textbooks simply cannot. He has been thriving and learning to read better and better each day. The interactive style of the lessons helps to keep him interested and engaged. I can't imagine him succeeding half so well with another curriculum - and I've tried several others.


As a member of Time4Learning, I have been given the opportunity to review their program and share my experiences. While I was compensated, this review was not written or edited by Time4Learning and my opinion is entirely my own. For more information, check out their standards-based curriculum or learn how to write your own curriculum review.

Endings & Beginnings

I dread change. I also crave the excitement resulting from it. So clearly I am at war with myself frequently. Crazy probably doesnt do justice to a description of me. My life is, and always will be, complicated.

Anyhoo.

Grey Days

I am reminded of grey days past today. It's scary that life is so unpredictable. It seems any innocent activity is fair game for tragedy.

My babies aren't really ever safe I suppose. I will keep my vigil still. Prayers are all well and good but Jesus wants us home regardless. I pray He comes soon before any real tragedies strike me and mine.Or else we die of old age.

Is a life bereft of illness, disease, accidents nor drama asking too much?

Probably.

I'll keep trying to improve my other-centered love till this world ends.

Finding a great read, 'tis not so easy

I'm a reader. I used to spend hours escaping from my life by reading, literally, whatever I could find. I've read everything from fiction, biographies, maps, instruction manuals and you name it. 

Property management stinks!

That is all.

Lola

My gift for Valentine's Day this year was Lola. She is tiny and wiggly and snorts a lot. The kids love her but may be the death of her.