Growing Pains

Aug. 12, 2008 - Congrats K & K and projects undone

The Foisy's welcomed baby #5 into the world on Monday morning! He's gorgeous and healthy and has two wonderful parents who are going to just love him to pieces.

I was just going over my list of summer projects (posted back in May) and feeling a slight sense of failure... I did call them "projects" not "goals", probably to avoid this very sense of accountablility.

Redo school room-- I would like to streamline the furniture down to a few highly efficient pieces rather than what I have now which is a jumble of lots of pieces that don't do a whole lot except take up space.

This is half done you could say-- I organized the room-- packed up all of last years curriculum and work, boxed and labeled it and placed it in the basement, the new curriculum and supplies lay neatly on shelves-- but the annoying furniture is still part of the disfunctional decor.

Garden- of course. I have more planting to do when I get back. I've been working on my Planting Schedule in the evenings after putting the kids to bed.

GARDEN : a plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables are cultivated

CULTIVATE: to prepare or prepare and use for the raising of crops; also : to loosen or break up the soil about (growing plants)

So, certainly according to Webster's, we have a garden...

School Planning-- I have multiple curriculums to go through and schedule from. I went to the MassHope Convention and was impressed with Tapestry of Grace. I wouldn't be using it for a year or two but was wondering if anyone had an opinion they would mind sharing with me? I was thinking it might be a good switch once I have multiple children to teach because of how I can integrate them.

Success! I have my full curriculum, and my (full) schedule is complete. That's the easy part. Now comes implementation... Pray for cooperative children! Pray for a patient mama!

Butterflies- We should be getting our larvae within a week or two of returning to RI. I'm hoping to get some plants/flowers to attract some wild ones as well. I'd also like to get a couple birdfeeders hung by our large kitchen windows.

Another success story! Yay! We raised and released 4 of 5 butterflies. Yes, in my book, that's successful!

Introduction to Nature Journaling- I will be doing this as well as having Anne and Drew take part. I plan to continue throughout the school year.

While we have observed much of nature this summer-- watching birds, catching snakes in the yard, feeding strawberries to the chipmunks, chasing deer away from our blackberry bushes, netting crabs and shrimp at the beach and closely inspecting several species of bugs including butterflies, dragonflies, june bugs, caterpillars and worms-- we've neglected recording any of it.

Family Newsletter- This will likely be more of a Fall project but I have a list of ideas on what it will include and I'm sure it will be added to in the weeks ahead.

Well, I'm sure it really will be added to in the weeks ahead...

Things I didn't set out to do but worked on-- I went through a large box of pictures (the first step in getting the into an album) over the course of a week's naptimes, I worked on compiling a chore list and system for the family thats almost complete, and I'm cultivating a deeper relationship with God-- so all is not lost. I agree with your sister, Diana, It's all about choices. I can't complain. I stayed busy and its mostly been profitable business. I've accepted that I can't get it all done. Well, mostly accepted. Well, I'm still learning to accept it!

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Aug. 7, 2008 - Impossible Requests

The kids started a summer "to do" list several weeks ago:

Go camping

Go to a waterslide

Go to the beach

Take a train to the city

You would think with only 4 items on the list we would be done already. Not so. We are scheduled to go camping next weekend and this Sunday afternoon plan to take the kids to a waterslide. We have been to the beach a few times but no plans for the train ride yet. Oh, and Anne added another one to the list the other day when I was telling her about the telescope we got.

"Mama, can we go to space?" she asked. Then before I could answer, "Oooh, add that to the list."

"What list?" I reply.

Anne responds matter-of-factly, "Our 'things to do this summer' list."

That will be an easy request to fulfill. Especially considering how well we've done so far. =)

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Jul. 29, 2008 - ADD Theories abound!

Have you ever wondered why our children can’t sit still for more than 5 seconds at a time? Why they can’t eat dinner facing forward with their feet under the table—not on the table or kicking their siblings? Why we need a bag of tricks for sitting through a church service? Why we have DVD players in the car to keep them happy on lengthy trips? There are many theories out there. If you talk to most God-fearing Christians, they will tell you it’s lack of discipline or the teaching of [macro] evolution (tell the child he came from a monkey and the child will act like one). Many doctors and nutritionists blame sugar (at least until recently), BHT and other additives, food dyes, etc. Psychiatrists will blame it on the “neurotic” parents or the immunization shots. While all these things may have a negative effect on the behavior of our children, I have my own theory on what the major culprit is.

Sensory Overload

From the moment our children are removed from the safe-haven of our abdomens, they’re bombarded with sounds and sights that throw their precious, vulnerable brains and nervous systems into a tailspin. Nearly every child’s toy is vibrantly colored and either flashes, plays music, whistles, talks, burps, etc… some have all these “bells and whistles”. Even the packaging surrounding these toys can be over the top. When you stop and think about it, are we really helping them learn or harming them in other ways far more detrimental than the possibility of them not reading at the age of 4—God Forbid!?!

I’m only 33 and I do remember a time when I played house with—brace yourselves—my bicycle and my brother. We had a blast imagining we were visiting people (get on the bike, pedal halfway down the driveway, get off the bike, knock on an imaginary – YES, imagine that!—door) and making dinner with a long stick and an old Tupperware container. We had a few large fallen trees we would walk across to avoid the “hot lava” beneath. There was a covered well in our backyard that served as a wonderful canvas for making little gardens. We used rocks and little plants and moss to make tiny landscapes and then would pour bubbles all around it and use a paintbrush to churn the bubbles and create foam that we called snow. I recall many things from childhood but one thing I never remember being was bored. Now it seems I hear it once a day from someone in my house. The issue is never that there isn’t anything to do, it’s always that they don’t feel like doing anything (unless it requires purchasing something we don’t own or going somewhere). It’s that the more you get, the more you want syndrome.

When our kids outgrow all of the Fabulous, Amazing, Teaching toys, we start pushing them onto Greater, High Tech, Fabulous, Amazing, Teaching video games, computers, and iPods. We give them cell phones in case of “emergency” and TV’s, DVD players and Cable hook-ups in their bedrooms so they can get that 24/7 fix. We are creating our very own Stimulation Junkies. And soon you will probably see a pill to cure it thus creating other issues. We all know how these things work—we just don’t want to admit it because then we must take responsibility for it.

Music gets louder. Cars get faster. Thrills become more dangerous (think about the never-ending battle for the fastest, scariest roller coaster), advertising gets racier, computers get smaller but more complex, toys and games get busier, and sound and visual effects become more graphic on movies and games. We have phones that not only allow you to call one person, but several at a time and in some cases even see who we’re speaking to. We can even pay our phone company to interrupt one phone call with another—how much sense does that make? All the while we’re being desensitized in every way possible.

So my theory is two-fold. The over-stimulation is what I believe to be the cause of the undesirable symptoms we’re seeing in our children. Our bodies and minds are trying to adjust through micro-evolution. Micro-evolution is the alteration of a specific trait due to natural response. We haven’t yet evolved the resources needed to digest the sensory overload. Instead we act out—or our children act out—what we all feel; overwhelmed. Unfortunately, I think we’ll be in this disruptive state of unrest in our culture for a very long time due to the rapid technological and chemical advances we make daily. In the past, decades and sometimes centuries passed between major discoveries. At one time we had the ability to handle the quantity of sensory information we absorbed but now we don’t know what to do with the extreme doses that get thrown at us continuously. As I write this I’m sitting in my bedroom surrounded by items that are colors that didn’t even exist 20 years ago, my answering machine is beeping, and the hum of constant static and sometimes a slight snore resonates from the monitor behind me. Not to mention I am working on my laptop with lots of brightly lit icons on the desktop and along with a large digital picture of my children. None of these things in and of themselves are bad but over time they pay their toll.

Yup, I think it is truly that simple. The sad truth is that aside from moving to a house in the middle of a forest somewhere, limiting supplies and not socializing, in my opinion it’s irreversible. Does all this bad news make our job as parents impossible? Of course not.We can teach them how to better respond. Those of us that struggle with anger but have learned how to not lash out know it can be done. Does it make our job harder? Certainly. With all the competition we struggle more to gain the attention of our kids. Once again, outside of the gospel, we are without hope. Aren’t you glad that one day we’ll be free from all of this—dare I say it—Crap! It will no longer be a battle but something we’ll never have to think about again, ever.

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Jul. 28, 2008 - Sneaky Marketing

I thought something was up when I was at Walmart about a month ago and my Tom's Spearment Toothpaste $4.99 was being clearanced and replaced by Tom's Spearment Toothpaste $4.99. Huh? Same exact size box. Then, I looked closer-- the clearance box was over 6oz. the one replacing it was 5.2oz. Hmmm. That's interesting.

Then, there was the trip to Shaws for Edy's ice cream a couple weeks ago and I walked out empty handed because I was so disillusioned by the packaging. The container looked EXACTLY as I remembered but it had shrunk considerably. I stared and stared thinking my eyes must be playing tricks on me. I mean, could it really be selling for the same price and be at least 1/3 smaller???

Tonight I opened my new container of Breyer's and was again completely mystefied by the quantity markings which read 1.5 quarts. Am I mistaken, or did ice cream at one time sell mostly by the 2 quart container? Suddenly, the sale price I received at Stop and Shop didn't seem like such a bargain. Again, the packaging seems to be identical, in fact without shrinkage at all. At least Edy's had the decency to use less cardboard. I'm beginning to think this is a trend. I knew prices were going up on everything, but come on people! Raise the price by .50 and call it a day. Don't give us less! Boy is that deceptive!

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Jul. 28, 2008 - Weird Weather

We had one of those strange weather days so typical of New England yesterday. We had major thunderstorms (not-so-typical) with gumball sized hail on and off all day along with short bursts of sunshine here. Power was lost for about 3 hours which wouldn't have normally been a huge deal exept that every other Sunday during the summer months is the only time I do my baking-- yup, yesterday was that Sunday. I was about to put my bread for the next two weeks into the oven when it died on me. Geoff had already spent about a half hour using a hair dryer to rid the motherboard on the oven of moisture build up and then we ended up without power anyway. Lightning hit a pole a few houses up from us and it fell on the wires. I put my bread into the refrigerator hoping to stunt the yeast a bit. I found out about 2 hours later that our neighbor across the street didn't lose power so I brought the bread over and baked it there. It definately over-proofed-- as evident by the sunken and crusty tops and almost sourdough-like taste; but in my book still edible. Power returned about an hour later and I was able to bake the blueberry muffins and chocolate chip cookies I had earlier made batter/dough for all the while thunder's clapping and lightning is illuminating my kitchen. Everything was cooling when the doorbell rang at about 7:30. It was our neighbor informing us that a tree over our driveway was on fire and we should stay in the house because he'd already called 911 and the firemen were on their way. We look over and sure enough, sparks are flying from the lines touching the tree and we watch as it burns right through and limbs start falling to the ground. Thank God everything was so wet and therefore didn't catch. The kids after getting over the initial fear, were having a grand time. To actually have firetrucks in front of our house and firemen climbing ladders with lights flashing...Woo hoo, such excitement! Ours was one of many calls they'd had throughout the day so we were sure to send them off with a plate full of fresh-from-the-oven cookies.

For those of you regularly reading my blog: Drew came down this morning, turned his back to me and scratching his rearend said, "Look mommy, I scratchin my bum on de outside dis time." Ahhh... progress...

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Jul. 23, 2008 - Kindred Spirits

We returned from our trip out to the Mid-West 2 Saturdays ago and I'm still reflecting daily on my time there. It was such a joyful time of reuniting with old friends and even making some new ones.

God has truly blessed me with some amazing friendships. I love being my "whole" self with people and I don't often get to be. Don't misunderstand me; I don't pretend to be someone I'm not. However I will be a particular way with particular people-- exhibiting different personality traits but rarely all of them. With some friends I may be more fun or humorous, with others I'm more serious, with some I'm the listener, with others I'm the talker, with some I may answer questions or give advice and with others I may ask the questions and seek advice. It's a rare friend that permits all these things to emanate from me. I love that with these friends I can say exactly what I mean without judgment and do exactly what I do in all my flawed beauty and be loved anyway. I love sharing deep, meaningful, sometimes lively discussions with them and then laughing at a great joke. I love that though we are miles apart and years go by sometimes between visits that conversation flows as naturally as ever.

Thanks guys for a wonderful trip that further reminded me of our Heavenly Father's love for us. I love you and look forward to an eternal reunion.

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Jul. 18, 2008 - Near Wedding Catastrophe!

My brother is getting married Sunday and our whole family is in the wedding-- all five of us. I bought a dress for Elle at JC Penney back in March because none of the bridal shops seem to carry such small sizes. While we were out yesterday, our puppy Sophie, got hold of Elle's dress. Tore it seemingly to shreds. I literally sobbed for 10 minutes. My poor kids were like "What on earth?..."

There it was, hanger pulled through the top of the crate with the dress still attached by one shoulder strap, shreds of lace dangling like streamers. Nightmare!

I decided crying about it wasn't going to fix it so I got on the phone with every JC Penney around trying to locate a new one. They of course inform me that they only sell dresses of that nature around Easter. EASTER! So I decided to indulge in crying again.

After regaining composure I decided to examine the dress again. It really was beyond repair-- at least the outer layer was. Now, I don't sew very well but I can cut pretty good so I proceeded to remove all of the lace. Next I cut all the strings hanging from the hems. It was filthy underneath and had several small pulls but they are on the back. I washed it inside out and Voila-- it's clean and (almost) as good as new. Though it looks very different than it did when I bought it. The truly ironic part is that it was a very frilly dress and now is very simple which is exactly what everyone elses dresses are like so I think it looks better. Only if you look very close can you see where I removed the lace. YAY!

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Jul. 16, 2008 - Tentative Homeschool Schedule for Fall

5:45am Walk

6:30 Personal Devotions

7:00 Kids Up and Dressed

7:30 Breakfast

8:00 Morning Chores

8:30 Prayer, Catechism, Bible Time, Memory Verse

9:00 Phonics (Anne) Playtime (Elle and Drew)

9:30 Spelling, Grammer, Vocabulary

10:00 Snack

10:15 Together Reading Time

10:30 Math

11:30 Science/History/Geography (Depending on the day)

12:00pm Individual Reading Time (While I make lunch)

12:30 Lunch

1:00 Music/Art/Free Time (Depending on the day) Naps (Elle and Drew?)

1:30 Foreign Language/ Nature Journal/ Computer (Depending on the day)

2:00 Quiet Time (Puzzles, Books, Crafts, etc.)

3:00 Snack and Free Play

5:30 Supper

6:00 Evening Chores

6:30 Baths/Showers

7:00 Elle Bed

7:00 Family Devotions

7:30 Drew and Anne Bed

As with everything in life, it's subject to change.

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Jul. 15, 2008 - Anne's on a role today...

I have to share some of the quotes I've heard from Anne today. It's been a challenging day with her so I'm thankful for the occasional comic relief.

After dinner tonight I asked Anne to feed the animals -- a chore she has daily but still needs to be reminded. She got distracted, I asked again, she got distracted, I asked again. She responded by saying in the melodramatic tone she's perfected "Oh Man, I forget everything. All the time, I forget things. Oh well, that's how God made me; to forget everything all the time. Sigh..."

******

We had someone here taking trees out of the front yard today to clear the view of our house from the street. The man was about 25 feet up on a ladder with a chainsaw and Anne excitedly asked, "If he falls and hurts himself, will he be on the news?"

******

As Anne was cuddling with our puppy, Sophie, she asked, "Mom, can I marry a dog?"

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Jul. 15, 2008 - That dreaded time of year...

No, it's not tax time, it's PAP time! Ugh. The entire visit is one humiliating experience on top of another. First, I'm taken to the back and fired questions like "How old are you now, Samantha?" Can't they refer to my file from the last 10 years? Of course not. Instead, I'm forced to admit, out loud, that "I'm 33." Then I'm weighed in and the nurse announces in a nice clear voice to the entire office "138 lbs" and I get to reflect upon all the hot fudge sundaes I've consumed this summer. Next it's "You can use the restroom if needed." Which IS SOOOOO needed due to my nerves. I enter the bathroom and immediately feel obligated by the overflowing basket of "Freshening Wipes" to cleanse thoroughly for fear that I may convey the slightest hint of the 2 hour time lapse since showering. I come out to be greeted by the nurse holding what looks like a pink party tablecloth and she says only "Take off everything and put this on with the opening in the front." When I undress and place the tablecloth on I realize that its not a tablecloth at all, its a tent missing only the poles. I attempt to tie the plastic cord that they so thoughtfully provide around where they hope most of our waists fall and I think "They placed the wrong sized tie on this enormous paper tent." I'm not Miss Skinny Minny by any stretch but let me say if you're even 10lbs heavier you better just get ready to hold it shut with your God given ties-- you're 2 hands. There's no way you're getting those plastic ones to meet, let alone tie. My Doctor comes in and dives into small talk as he sets up his tools and starts running hot water over that horrendous silver torturing device. I'm told to place my hands behind my head so he can do the breast exam. Then, I get to lie down with my hands in the same position while he examines me again, all the while making small talk. Amazing... I've had all dignity stripped away in 5 minutes flat and he's asking how my summer's been. Anyway, I'm noticing that he's chattier than usual and I'm wondering why. So, next its the internal stuff and he has me put my feet it the stirrups and I hear the word, "Relax." Gotta love that! He continues to ask questions about my kids, vacation, etc. but as soon as he tries to do anything, I stop conversation mid-sentence and my body tenses up as if I've taken a polar plunge. This of course makes his job more difficult and in turn more uncomfortable for me. No matter how relaxed I get myself, the moment those "things" touch my skin, its all over. (And for goodness sake, they're either ice cold or hot. How can you not tense up? Can't someone invent a heating device that merely brings them to body temperature?) Then he chuckles and says "I'm trying to get you to answer questions so you'll forget about what I'm doing and just relax." Are you KIDDING? As if what he does is so NORMAL?!? Now at least I know why he was so chatty. He's obviously referred to notes he's taken over the years regarding how nervous-- and therefore how difficult-- I am. I don't mean to slam him-- only the exam. He is a very good doctor. He did all 3 of my c-sections and I have the best looking surgery scars around-- you can barely see them-- but I digress. There's got to be a better way to check for cervical cancer. Please spread the word if you know one! So, after scraping my uterine wall with what feels like an ice pick chiseling away at my insides and examining my organs from "behind", I'm helped into a sitting position, handed a box of tissues, gently tapped on the shoulder and told to "Have a great day." After all we've just been through together, I get a departing gesture no more personal than that of my grocer. Again; Amazing...

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Jul. 12, 2008 - Enjoying our Trip

Wow, I feel like we’ve had a mini vacation in the midst of our big vacation and we still have several days of anticipated events. As unintentional as it was, Beth’s family reunion took place the first weekend we were invited to stay in Grand Rapids with her. Because of this, her very thoughtful aunt and uncle invited us up to where the family was meeting in Traverse City (about 2 ½ hrs north) for the weekend. Not only is it an incredibly beautiful place, there was so much to do! We spent the weekend in an adorable house on a lake and were completely welcomed by her family. There’s a lot to be said for someone inviting a family of 5 whom they’ve never met into their home for 3 days. We spent the first day getting settled and letting the kids hang out by the water for the afternoon. Every 4^th of July, the people who live on the lake transform their pontoon boats into parade floats and parade along the edge of the shore for all to see. It was fantastic. There were 70’s, princess and team themed boats. There was a Blue Angels float, in honor of them being in town for the air show, which was amazing. Several ladies wore these airplane costumes complete with wings and had a little dance choreographed to imitate the blue angels in flight. Of course your standard “Uncle Sam” type American floats took part. Among my favorites was a boat with large paper bags labeled “Baked Beans”, with EXXON signs crossed out and banners flying to announce “We make our own gas!” When the parade ended we headed over to another relatives house on a different lake for a cook out. We felt so welcome by everyone! This same weekend was her family’s grand opening of their coffee shop/café/ice cream place called Bud’s and we were able to see it and eat lunch there on Sunday. Traverse City is the country’s cherry capital and we happened to be there for the giant Cherry Festival kick-off weekend so we spent Saturday there and watched a spectacular air show. We headed home Monday after Geoff and the kids played at the beach for a couple hours while Beth and I toured some of the cute downtown shops. It was so much fun and the best part was it was virtually free! We paid for any food we didn’t eat with the family and that was it. We plan to get her aunt and uncle a nice gift so if you have any suggestions, I’ll take them! If nothing comes to mind while we’re here I can get them something back in RI.

Our plans this week are to tour some gardens with a family that Beth knows that have 3 children all around my kids ages, eat dinner at our great friend Dianna’s house tonight, go camping with several friends including those I’ve mentioned and drive home on Saturday. We will leave exhausted but also exhilarated! Pray for the missionary couple staying at our home in RI for the week. They are there on “vacation” as well but it’s been 60 degrees and raining just about every day. I want them to have some good weather to enjoy—we live in “beach” country if you will and if its miserable weather, they won’t enjoy it as much.

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Jul. 12, 2008 - The Drive to Michigan

We’re in Michigan, finally, after what seemed like the longest day in the history of Earth. We drove straight through stopping only for food, gas, and bathroom breaks—several. Looking back I find the car ride amusing because in reality we avoided any major catastrophe. So aside from the kids watching about 7 hours worth of videos, no harm was really done.

A half hour into the car ride there occurred one near disaster. I always try to find something new the kids can take on their journey as coloring books and crayons can get old when you travel fairly often and they have access to them full time at home. So, I’m sure many of you have seen the beaded non-messy play-do type stuff you can mold. It’s sold all over including at homeschooling conferences. Anyway, for a couple dollars I picked up a 2 pack of FLOAM thinking it was the same thing. IT IS NOT THE SAME! First of all it came in a tub not a little cellophane package like the other stuff which should have been a big clue. Then after reading the label it said something about the compound separating from the beads and therefore you have to mix it well before using it. Well I never have seen the other stuff have a goopy slime that needed to be reworked into the beads. But, I’ll admit I’m a bit naïve when it comes to things like this. I generally shy away from products that could “leach” something into my children’s skin as they’re playing with it. For the sake of my husband’s and my own sanity on the car ride I made the exception. Anyway, I get Anne’s tub of it mixed without a problem and hand it to her. She didn’t have it for more than 5 minutes and I hear her whining in the back “I don’t want to play with this anymore it’s too messy, I don’t like it.” 30 seconds later it’s no longer a whine, its panic as she says “Mom, get this off of me, it won’t come off.” Here I’m thinking, what in the world… I try to do something nice, she’s so ungrateful, blah, blah, blah and then I turn around. The poor girl had purple slime covering her hands, on her shorts, her stuffed leopard… So much for my idea. Thank God I hadn’t finished mixing Drew’s yet. We spent the next 15 minutes trying to rub it off of everything with wipes and paper towels but it was so difficult to clean because it behaved a lot like rubber cement. Ugh. What a mess! We weren’t off to a very good start. Did I mention that my 3 yr old also had to “poop” in that same first half hour of the ride? Every mom reading this knows I had them all use the potty before getting into the car. Every mom also knows, it doesn’t matter a bit!

The short story for the rest of the car ride is that I have 2 library books in need of repair, Anne and Drew needed to use the potty all day but never at the same time (honestly, I didn’t know you could even poop that many times in the same day). In sharp contrast of course to our youngest daughter Elinor who “decided” to have a constipation issue during the journey. She would go through 10-15 minute intervals of obviously being completely uncomfortable and then you would smell something, see a half look of relief on her face and think, phew she must have finally done it—and then we would check and it was merely gas. At one point we spent 1 hr and 15 minutes at a McDonalds stopping for a “quick” dinner because we pulled in along with a bus—and you have to know it was the only food around for miles aside from a sit-down place across the street that we refused to eat at because it would have “taken too long”. Boy were we kicking ourselves after that one. Drew emptied his water into his cup holder and we had to absorb all the water with a pair of socks (we’d used all the paper towels on other mishaps and messes throughout the day) that we just kept wringing out onto the ground. We had to pull over and spank him at one point for intentionally crushing his entire snack bag of goldfish all over his lap, the car seat and the floor. One time when we were stopped I collected the trash and Anne, being helpful of course, threw her water bottle into my bag—her half full, no cap on it, bottle of water, which proceeded to pour out of the small holes at the bottom of the grocery bag onto my socks and the carpet.

On the last leg of our journey, traveling through Michigan on our way to Grand Rapids, the sky (when it finally got dark—it gets dark so late here because of still being in the Easter time zone but being so far west) was absolutely amazing! You could see the stars so clearly and it really was a spectacular sight. On top of that, being July 3, there were several fireworks displays in little towns along the highway and we were able to watch them all from the car. We would drive straight into this brilliant rainbow of colors for several minutes, finally pass it and head into another. This made the drive totally worth it. Ok, maybe the fact that the kids were finally asleep made it totally worth it. Or, maybe it was my great friend Beth meeting us on the porch at 1:15 am when we finally arrived after several years of not seeing her that made it totally worth it. Whatever the case, I’m reminded always of how very blessed my life is and I am so thankful.

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Jul. 1, 2008 - Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

That's what little boys are made of!

My son Drew (3 yrs) is a boy in EVERY way! He cracks me up on a daily basis. Sunday morning he climbed into bed with Geoff and I and a few minutes later he leaned over Geoff to get something and his underpants were down-- I mean DOWN to his knees. I asked "Drew, why are your underpants down." So in his very manly voice he answered, " I pulled them down so I could scratch my bum." Now what you need to realize is he had something called Laryngomalacia when he was a baby which effects the vocal box, so when I say "manly" voice I mean it. He has this deep, throaty speech that when he says something like that I laugh so hard I'm nearly crying. It's adorable but I must say, I immediately told him how yucky that was and that he needs to keep his pants up when he scratches-- especially when he's in someone elses bed!

We took the kids on a picnic dinner at the Marina last night to hear the local Civic Band play. It was a beautiful night and just a quintissential summertime experience. We've been so crazy busy lately that it was such a treat to sit and "be" for a while (with 3 children, sitting and being take on a different meaning completely, but you get the idea)

We leave early Thursday morning for Grand Rapids. I'm so excited as we'll be visiting some of my dearest friends. YAY! I'm sure there will be much to blog about AND my little (he's 29) brother gets married in 2 weeks! How crazy is that?!?

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Jun. 19, 2008 - Tim Russert

I've been thinking about Tim Russert a lot lately-- as I'm sure is much of the country. I never knew him but like so many others, I felt he was very much like part of a second family. Some may think it silly to compare the two but in my case I knew Tim far better than much of my "family". Like countless others I found him to be tough but fair, good natured and captivating. If I or my kids were sick on a Sunday morning, 90% of the time I would watch Meet the Press. I am by no means naive when it comes to secular news but I watch my share of it and am interested in current events however bias they may be. I happen to watch NBC much more frequently than the rest and as it goes I went through a similar grief when David Bloom died suddenly a few years ago. Their abrupt deaths tug at my heart strings for many reasons but none more sobering than them being a reminder of the preciousness of life. I think of Steven Curtis Chapman's Cinderella and how it gains new meaning in light of the sudden, tragic death of his youngest daughter a few weeks back. I take so much of this gift of life for granted-- daily. When Tim signed off Meet the Press two Sundays ago he wasn't thinking "In four days, I'm going to die." Instead he was probably thinking about what he would eat for lunch. Practically speaking we can't go through each day thinking the former (frankly, I don't think I'd leave my house) but we can live consciously. That's one of my favorite words. It encompasses so much! We can be conscious of our (and our loved ones) days being numbered. We can consciously make efforts to hug our children, even if they just made us angry. We can be conscious of our reaction to the guy who just lost his temper in the checkout line. Do any of us stop to think what kind of day HE might have had or are we all too busy thinking about how his temper affected us? I'm ashamed to say I write from experience.

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Jun. 15, 2008 - Organizing is so much fun!

In the past 3 days I've gone through the children's bedrooms and the school/play room and completely reorganized them. It feels really good. We have an upcoming yardsale that was the real motivating factor because as much as I enjoy having everything "together" I rarely have time to make it happen. All broken toys have been tossed, unused and no-longer-needed items are in boxes ready to sell and what little I held on to is neatly put away where it belongs. The kids scissors are in the top desk drawer instead of under the desk, every stuffed animal is in a net basket in THEIR respective bedrooms instead of being scuffed around involuntarily dusting the floors in EVERY room. Anne's dolls now have all their limbs and some even have a PAIR of shoes. Drew's enormous cardboard blocks are in one giant red bag instead of covering his floor and Elle now has onesies in her drawer that won't unsnap on her. Although admittedly they were great diaper change reminders. I always knew when she was soggy by whether her onesie was still snapped. =) I realize this will be a short-lived victory but I am enjoying it for now. See Amy, and you "think" I have it all together! I am realizing that I dress my home much like myself (out of necessity of course). Whenever I get a compliment on my body I always say to myself, "You should see me without any clothes on." I've learned how to disguise things. So if you should come to my house and the kids have just put their clothes away and their rooms look neat, just don't open their dresser drawers. I guarantee that you'll find pajama tops in with their underwear and socks in with their shorts. But hey, we're working on it!

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Jun. 9, 2008 - A Fun Quiz

1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:30 (to walk)

2. Diamonds or pearls? pearls

3. Last movie you saw in the theater? Indiana Jones

4. What is your favorite TV show? Forensic Files

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? oatmeal or ww toast w/ peanut butter, coffee
6. What is your middle name? Lynn
7. What food do you dislike? unfortunately, not a whole lot. I don't eat much pork or simple carbs (unless it's dessert).

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Nicole Nordeman- Woven and Spun

9. What kind of car do you drive? Toyota Sienna (AKA the Fertility Vehicle)

10. Favorite sandwich? HM Chicken Salad w/ grapes and walnuts

11. What characteristics do you despise? apathy

12. Favorite item of clothing? PJs

13. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? Everywhere in Europe
14. What color is your bathroom? Beige and Cream

15. Favorite brand of clothing? JJill
16. Where would you retire? Wherever my grandchildren are.

17. Most memorable birthday? 25 (traumatic)
18. Favorite sport to watch? College Basketball

19.Furthest place you are sending this? N. Ireland
20. Who do you expect not to send this back to you? ???

21. Person you expect to send it back first? ???

22. Favorite saying? (Quote) When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in Nothing; they believe in Anything. GK Chesterton

23. When is your birthday? March 1, 1975
24. Are you a morning person or a night person? morning
25. What is your shoe size? 7 1/2-8
26. Pets? 2 shepherd mix dogs, 1 one-eyed cat

27. What did you want to be when you were little? a dancer

28. What are you wearing today? a bathing suit

29. What is your favorite candy? Dark Chocolate
30. Your favorite flower? Gerbera Daisies

31. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? My brother's wedding in July

32. What are you listening to right now? the whirring of the fan

33. What was the last thing you ate? a ww bagel
34. Do you wish on stars? no

35. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? red

36. What is your pet peeve? The dishes and laundry are NEVER done!
37. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Geoff (he called to say he was on his way home from work)

38. Do you like the person/people you are sending it to? yes

39. Favorite soft drink? I hardly drink soda

40. Favorite restaurant? Any good Mexican place (preferably a non-chain)

41. Hair Color? brown with (do I dare say it) a few gray strands
42. Favorite day of the year? I have too many...

43. What was your favorite toy as a child? My Easy Bake Oven and Twister

44. Summer or winter? Fall
45. Hugs or kisses? Are we talking chocolates?

46. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate!

47. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? sure!

48. When was the last time you cried? A couple weeks ago

49. What is under your bed? dust bunnies and a few containers with out-of-season clothing

50. Friend I've had the longest? Erik

51. What did you do last night? Worked around the house and on school prep.

52. Favorite smell? baking bread
53. What are you afraid of? Making poor choices that have lasting effects

54. How many keys on your key ring? 4
55. How many years at your current job? (Mom) 5 3/4 years

56. Favorite day of the week? Sunday

57. How many States have you lived in? 4

58. Do you make FRIENDS easily? usually

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Jun. 9, 2008 - Summer Menu and House Swapping

1. Sunday (First Sunday of Month is Church Potluck) Sandwiches/Leftovers

2. "Sam"burgers w/ Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms, Potato Wedges, Veggies and Dip

3. Chicken Fajitas, Mexi-Rice, Fruit

4. Meatballs w/ WW Angel Hair, Romaine Salad, Parmesan Breadsticks

5. Slow Cooked Chicken w/ shallots, fennel, and sage, Carrots, LO Breadsticks

6. Grilled Asian Shrimp Kabobs, Grilled Zuccchini and Onion, Brown Basmati Rice

7. Turkey Wraps, Veggies and Dip, Sweet Potato Chips

8. Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore, Fried Polenta, LO Romaine Salad

9. Confetti Omelette, WW English Muffins, Strawberries

10. Turkey Burgers w/ Avacado and Spicy Peach Mango Salsa, Corn on the Cob

11. Roast Beef and Cheddar over Tossed Salad w/ Balsamic Vinegarette

12. Homemade Veggie Pizza, LO Tossed Salad

13. Sauteed Flounder w/ Pineapple Salsa, Sugar Snap Peas, WW Bread

14. Slow Cooked Terryaki Chicken, WW Veggie Lo Mein

15. Asian Chicken Salad (using LO Chicken), Crusty Whole Grain Rolls

16. Steak Fajitas, Mexi-Corn, Fruit

17. Jerk Chicken, Broccoli Slaw, Carrot Sticks

18. Marinated Steak Kabobs w/ Asst. Veggies, Brown Rice, Berry Fruit Cup

19. BBQ Chicken Pineapple Quesadillas, Corn and Tomato Salad

20. Grilled Honey Balsamic Salmon, Orzo, Mixed Vegetables

21. WW Angel Hair w/ Pancetta, Peas, Shallots and Herbs (Chicken opt.)

22. Buffalo Chicken Salad, Fruit Shortcake

23. Turkey Sausage and Egg Burritos, Melon Salad

24. Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs, Grilled Cornbread (use Cast Iron Pan), Zesty Coleslaw, Peas and Carrots

25. Southwestern Steak Salad, Latkes

26. Crockpot Chicken Soup, LO Salad

27. WW Linguini w/ Mussels in White Wine Garlic Sauce, Garlic Bread, Green Beans

28. Balsamic Glazed Chicken Breasts, Spinach Salad w/ Strawberries and Walnuts, HM Chocolate Pudding

29. BLT's, Sliced Melon

30. Tacos, Mexi-Corn, Sliced Cucumber

31. Sauteed Chicken w/ Zucchini, Red Onion, WW Egg Noodles

Notice that none of the meals are baked. I bake our bread every other week but that is all I plan to use the oven for. Bread needed for meals will be pulled from the freezer and reheated wrapped in foil on the grill or eaten at room temp.

I will post recipes if there is interest.

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Is anyone interested in house swapping? It's an affordable way to vacation and I would love to try it. We live in a large one family home in RI. Our quaint, historic town always has many community activities going on and is very close to beaches, antique stores and some great restaurants. We are a family of 5. I think we would be open to going pretty much anywhere but places of specific interest would be Colorado, Alaska, Hawaii, The Plains, The Rockies, Wyoming (Tetons, Yellowstone), etc. We're not that picky. Let me know if you would consider it.

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Jun. 2, 2008 - No oven but the ice cream maker works great!

I'm working on my 3rd batch of ice cream of the season. Cherry cheesecake. I started with the basic Ben and Jerry's sweet cream base (from my B&J ice cream recipe book) and added 4 oz of cream cheese, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, about a half teaspoon almond extract, 1/2c of chopped bing cherries and 1/2c of crushed graham crackers. I can't wait to try it!

As my title states, my oven is on the Kapootz (sp?) That's especially bad for me since I have a 100 person cake to do for Saturday (a graduation/eagle scout celebration) and a brunch baby shower taking place at our house next weekend which I'm making the cake and Pecan Praline French Toast (that of course, is baked)for the following weekend. Thankfully, I have enough bread in the freezer to hold us through until that weekend. The oven actually gave us trouble last year and Geoff would blow dry the inner components throughout the summer and early fall whenever I needed it and that worked fine. It worked fine all winter (due to the dryness) and now is acting out again. The trouble is its very unreliable and Geoff is going on a business trip this week so if it doesn't work, I'm out of luck. There's no way I'm taking the thing apart and drying it out. Knowing myself, I would likely melt some crucial component, or worse, start an electrical fire.

School has been going well the last week or so. It could have to do with the major work being done and we've had mostly fun projects... math lapbooks, nature journaling, mail order butterflies, etc. We also have a new puppy which means added chores... She is 4 1/2 months old and not at all house broken. She pees and poops in her crate so that's fun. =) We're trying to come up with a name for her. She is a Shepherd mix so if you have a cute German name suggestion, feel free to share it.

The garden is starting to show signs of promise. The ever entangling peas are a bit of an annoyance but at least they are growing rapidly and healthy looking. We also have some corn, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, cauliflower and pumpkins sprouting. When I went out this morning I watched a guilty chipmunk run swiftly out of the fencing and up into the woods. So, as long as the rodents and bugs don't eat everything we should be in pretty good shape.

We were in ME this weekend for a wedding. It was bittersweet as it was a college student who had attended our church for the last 3 years and had gotten quite close to our family. She watched the kids often and even stayed with us last summer while she was employed in RI. She is moving to North Dakota after the honeymoon and we will likely not see her for a very long time. But, we're so happy for her and she married a very sweet guy who courted her in the most gentlemanly way and won not only her heart but all of ours as we watched their relationship blossom. Their first kiss was shared in front of 160 people and it was beautiful.

My neighbor and I are coordinating a neighborhood yard sale for June 21. We're hoping to purge our homes of many unused (aka still-in-boxes) items. Sadly, some of my items have been in boxes since our first move nearly 10 years ago. Pathetic, I know. I think her oldest unpacked box is 3 years old. Anyway, I've heard pros and cons of having a neighborhood sale as opposed to an individual sale. You get more people but they may not buy as much... I'm ok with that. I just want the stuff gone! Whatever isn't sold will be given or thrown away and our living space will be (slightly) less cluttered.

We leave for our trip to the midwest in a few weeks. We'll be gone through July 4th weekend which makes me a bit sad as we're always here and usually hosting a large BBQ. However, I will be seeing dear friends whom I haven't seen in a long time-- for some it's been about 12 years! I'm really excited!

I'm going to post my menu later but its going to take a different format this time. I made a Spring/Summer menu that will rotate every 31 days. I actually did this for Fall/Winter too but it only lasted about 2 1/2 months because my right brain gets bored and always wants to "reinvent the wheel". I am approaching it with a more flexible mindset this time though so hopefully I'll stick with it as it does make things much easier. I'll let you know some tips on setting up your menu binder and everything when I post it.

Have a great day (and week)!

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May. 24, 2008 - Clean sheet day!

Climbing into bed after a long day is a treat unto itself but when it's clean sheet day, it's heaven on earth! I love the feeling of the cool, unwrinkled cotton against my skin and the smell of the freshly fluffed fabric on my nose... aahhh...

****

I had a bit of a scare this morning while making french toast for my family. I experienced a sudden sharp pain that traveled throughout my left jaw, ear, neck and head. It was difficult to know where it originated from with the pain radiating all over. It subsided and gave way to a strange tight sensation-- almost like numbness but not. I was really concerned at first but when I started feeling better I noticed that a muscle in my neck hurt when I moved certain ways over the course of the morning. Could it be that I pulled a muscle without seemingly pulling a muscle? It's so bizarre.

****

I hung our Painted Lady Butterfly chrysalids in their "tent" today. I was a nervous wreck because I thought for sure they were going to come unattached from the thin piece of paper I had to pin to the ceiling of the tent. After doing it successfully I realized how silly I was being. I mean think about it. In their natural habitat there are rainstorms that pound down on the leaves they attach to and the wind can gust to high speeds. God designed them to handle all that-- obviously, me moving them 12 inches to another home shouldn't bother them in the least.

Anne is pretty much done with school for the year. I'm doing a few projects with her and lots of reading. I have a few "fun" educational workbooks for her to do over the summer to fill any idle time. I admit, I'm looking forward to the summer break as much as she is.

Sorry for the rather disjointed blog. There are too many thoughts in my head to place any logic to them =)

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May. 19, 2008 - Menu Monday 5/19/08

Sunday

Broiled Terryaki Salmon, Rice Pilaf, Sauteed Snap Peas

Monday

Turkey Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Wax Beans, Green Beans, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Tuesday

Roasted Red Pepper and Chicken Pizza, Assorted Chopped Vegetables

Wednesday

California Burgers (BLT, Avacado, Carmelized Onions), Veggie Chips

Thursday

Balsamic Chicken Legs, Cheesy Baked Potato Wedges, Broccoli, Cauliflower

Friday

Whole Wheat Angel Hair w/ Meatballs, Romaine Salad

Saturday

Grilled Marinated London Broil, Grilled Veggies (Zucchini, Onion, Mushrooms), Smores

Tips: I do the smores on the grill while the veggies cook. Layer grahams with Chocolate, Marshmallow, and Graham topper, wrap carefully in foil, place on grill.

When I buy a family pack of steaks, I freeze them individually with the marinade directly in the freezer bag-- thaw then cook.

Someone emailed about getting recipes of what I post. While I do plan to share recipes on my blog, I don't have the time to include my full menu of them. (Just today, I spent the morning at the children's mindlab at Brown University, picked up a few items at BJ's, got home at 12:30, made lunch, cleaned up and put groceries away, placed Elle into bed by 2:00, made a strawberry rhubarb pie with Drew and Anne, baked DH's cookies for the week and made dinner --and the day is far from over) Even posting a few at this point seems a bit overwhelming! However if you look up a few key words online you can find many versions of these practical dishes. Try substituting more healthful ingredients where appropriate.

* Do your children embarrass you on a regular basis like mine do? I took Drew to get a haircut on Friday. I was busy chasing Elle around the waiting area while Anne and Drew cozied up to a nice lady (at least 75 years old) and had her continuously reading to them. I heard laughter coming from them and turned around just in time to see Drew emphatically tickling the poor woman. However, instead of his hand on her belly, it was all over her right breast. Thankfully she took it in stride and while laughing about it asked, "Isn't he a bit young." Thus I had to make another rule... instead of one about "where" to touch I decided to cover all the bases and just say not to tickle people they don't really know. Why is it that I figure out I need a rule only after it's broken?

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