Our Happy Life - Homeschool Blogger

An update ....

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 09:31:00 -0600

Hello blog friends!

Thought it might be nice to post an update seeing that the last time I posted something was December 2nd! But, life has been busy and energy has been low. I can only do so much, physically and mentally. I'll just quickly sum up the past few months .......

The holidays went well. We kept things very quiet, in terms of activity and gifting. It was actually a very enjoyable season. The past few years have gotten pretty crazy and we didn't like it. So this year, we set our minds to keeping it simple and stuck to it. It went very well.

I have been growing like crazy! I'll post a few photos so you can see my progress ........

This was at 25/26 weeks.

And here I am (headless!) at 30 weeks.

I've been measuring quite large for my dates. I didn't have an ultrasound until 26 weeks .. and believe me .. we were on the lookout for two babies! Only one baby was found .. a very healthy one, thankfully. But the baby was turned sideways. I've heard many accounts since about a second baby hiding behind a sideways baby .. even on ultrasound. So, my mind still wonders. Last week, after a delightful trip to the spa (a pedicure and prenatal massage), the baby did turn head down. I had an appointment with my midwife the next day and my measurements were still almost 5 weeks ahead. We thought maybe the big measurement was due to the the transverse positioning. So I don't know. My placenta is low and I need to have another ultrasound around 35 weeks to determine that it has grown far enough up and away from my cervix. I may still have them check for two on that ultrasound, just to be sure.

I'm feeling so big and already so uncomfortable. I wonder where 10 more weeks of growth will go!

We are still planning on a homebirth and are getting excited about it. Although it does feel like I need to get everything a little more prepared around here. That is next on my list.

I was still planning on switching to cloth diapers for this little one. Sometimes I feel up for it .. other times I feel like I can't handle something new and so different. Looking into gdiapers though .. which seem like the best of both worlds. My hubby has given me the go-ahead for these diapers, even though they won't be as cost-effective as straight cloth. So, in my clear-headed moments, I'm trying to decide.

On the homeschool front, things are going quite well. I added in lots of extras just after Thanksgiving and it totally overwhelmed us all. We took a few weeks off around Christmas and when we picked back up, I went back to our original workload. It was very well-received and has been very manageable ever since. I truly don't know how something will work until we try it. Thus, there are a lot of unused items sitting on the shelf. I don't want to waste money .. but to give things a try, we must purchase. Not sure how to get around that, except that I think I now have a pretty good idea of what works best with our family.

So .. there's our few months in a nutshell. Hopefully, I can get back here to check up on more of you sometime in the near future.

Blessings!

Caught up in my "every day"

Sat, 2 Dec 2006 09:27:00 -0600

Yes, I have spent so much time lately caught up in my "every day". After reading Amy's latest post and also the link to Lorrie's blog, I'm saddened and humbled, yet encouraged and inspired. What a mix of emotions!

I've been tired, not as tired as I was initially, but still tired enough. It has been hard to keep up with everything ... myself, my hubby, my kids, homeschooling, character development, laundry, dishes, cleaning, cooking, etc, etc, etc. I have been overwhelmed! Priorities shifted from what has always been most important - my relationships with the Lord, my husband and my children - to just "getting by". It's been hard and I have been wondering a lot lately ... how am I going to keep up with all of this? Next year, we add a new baby to the mix. What will happen then? I've been caught up in concern and worry for all of this, instead of moving forward in prayer and faith. That's been the story about everything lately ... not giving enough to the Lord and trying to figure it all out myself.

Well, I hope that's about to change. It feels SOOOO hard when I'm SOOOO tired ... but I cannot do this myself. I'm trying to reach out to the only One who can pull me through, but I am not trying hard enough or maybe it is that I am not surrendering enough.

That said, my life is about the bare minimum lately and I haven't had energy for anything extra. It's always a joy to come here to blogland and visit with everyone ... but it honestly doesn't happen much anymore. Love and blessings to you all ... and hoping to stop by to see many of you very soon.

Praise the Lord ... I'm back!

Thu, 9 Nov 2006 15:18:00 -0600

Just a quick note .....

I think the real me, the old me, the energetic me, HAS RETURNED! Yippee! WooHoo! I have energy! I can sleep!

I seriously didn't know if I'd ever feel normal again. I was on the verge of insanity. I had 12 weeks of sleepless nights and exhausted days. I am praising the Lord that it was just a product of the first trimester. The past several days have been just heavenly.

Somehow, we have kept up with school through it all so that is comforting. During the time, though, I wasn't on top of my children and their attitudes and behavior like I should have been. So the old mom is back and it makes the house feel so much more peaceful and enjoyable. Everyone was out of control!

Ahhhh ... it just feels so good. I hope to catch up with blogs soon. Blessings all!

I felt semi-normal today!

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 18:31:00 -0500

It has been quite a crazy few weeks. We celebrated Lily's birthday earlier in the month. She really enjoyed her roller skating party. Actually, we all did! I never made it onto skates (not sure if I should have anyway) but I would have loved to. Otherwise, it was a great time as always with family and friends. We just love to be together!

She's an amazing girl and one of a kind! I can't even begin to describe her right now or explain how blessed we are ... I'd need more time than I have. I love her so much and cherish every moment with her. I LOVE YOU LILY and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

After that, we were preparing for my stepbrother's wedding. That was here in a flash. But now it has come and gone. It was a trial for our Lily who isn't too fond of the spotlight. She was the flower girl. She did well .... all for walking down the aisle, that is. We had a great weekend (and, yes, it lasted ALL weekend!) Here are some photos of my beauties ....

This week, we enjoyed our first visit with our midwife. I've been longing for this appointment. Usually, we are in for a visit around 8-10 weeks and have an ultrasound and know for certain that all is well. This time, with the midwifery care, we waited until the 12-week mark so we could have the best chance at hearing the heartbeat. Well .. no problem there .. we heard it loud and clear! It was so strong! Plus, one midwife suggested taking a calcium/magnesium supplement before bedtime to help me sleep. I took one two nights ago but was interrupted repeatedly by a sleepless child. So I tried again last night. I woke up once for the bathroom but slept soundly before and after! Yippee! I was up and raring to start my day by 5:30am. And I've felt really good today. So hopefully that is going to make a difference. I have been totally desperate for sleep for weeks now ... I was beginning to go just a wee-bit crazy. Now, if I can just get over the smell of the tablets which for some reason smell like rubbing alcohol to me.

Now, we've got ourselves almost completely caught up with schoolwork. That feels really good too.

So maybe it is on with regular life now .... maybe ....

Here it goes .. my pathetic update ..

Fri, 6 Oct 2006 17:41:00 -0500

So .. just HOW do you stop life from taking over? How????? I can't seem to figure it out.

This is Lily's birthday week. My firstborn is turning 7! Oh my! Where did that time go? Anyhoo .. it brings with it all the birthday hubbub. Tuesday was my mom's day. We had mom's group and then Grammy brought all her birthday surprises. We managed to stop all of the fun midday for piano lessons ... but still little school got accomplished.

Wednesday, I got a call first thing in the morning about a terrible crisis with a dear friend. Well, that changed that entire day. Plus, Grammy was still here and took the kids on another major walk that lasted at least two hours. I managed to do a little schoolwork that day too but completely forgot to prep the kids for Awana. Pathetic .........

Thursday we had dentist appointments. So until we got up and got ready, we had to go. Our dentist is near Grandma's, so we had to stop in for a quick (?) visit. Then, I stopped to deliver dinner to my dear friend and talked with her for an hour. No sooner did we get home than Lily was being whisked away for birthday shopping with my dad and step-mother. We had to run errands as well. So another day goes by and NO schoolwork done ......

Today, my friend's husband got called to work unexpectedly and so we had two extra kids at the house. I was delighted to help out. But, alas, another day with no schoolwork. Lily is gone now with John's parents for birthday shopping.

OH MY! I can't even get the typical schoolwork done. How am I supposed to implement this new routine of mine???? I am good at keeping appointments. If I had to have them at school every morning by 8am .. I'd have it done. But keeping ourselves in line when we don't have that accountability? Well, I wonder if I will EVER be able to do it.

Geesh. I could just slap myself. And to top it all off .. I didn't exercise once this week. I'm not sleeping as badly but it isn't necessarily good either. I still wake up A LOT but I am getting back to sleep. And I've managed to actually get some 15 minute power naps this week. I usually just lay there in the afternoon and can't fall asleep. So it is improving. Thank you for all of your kind words and prayers!!!

So ... maybe NEXT week I'll start that new routine ... yeah, maybe .......

Bye Flylady .. hello sleep, devotions, school, exercise!

Mon, 2 Oct 2006 07:47:00 -0500

Yes, goodbye Flylady. Well, as far as learning anything new that is. I am still trying to keep my sink and countertop continually clear. It's amazing how good that makes me feel. But as for expanding my Flylady techniques .. it'll just have to wait. I'm tired and icky and just trying to keep up with my life as it was .. I just can't take something new on right now. Well, in addition to my new obsessions, that is. Remember, I've moved onto natural childbirth and cloth diapering.

Also .. I am trying to figure out some sort of daily routine around here. I have got to get some sort of system going .. and so far, NO good. First of all, I am NOT sleeping. Like last night, I tossed from 1am to probably 5-6am. Can I just say ... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! It is driving me crazy!!!!! I have not had good sleep since the end of my pregnancy with Sam which was over 2 years ago (well, that might be wrong .. I think when I started T-Tapping, I started to sleep better .. so I had about 3-4 month reprieve). Anyway, it's back and it's getting old .. and so are the grumpies that go along with it.

I had a nice evening last night. My hubby had to help my step-brother move his entire house-full of furniture so it wasn't our typical Sunday. Since he was gone, I took the time to tidy up, catch up on laundry, and prepare our school schedule for the upcoming week. So I woke up today feeling 'ahead of the game'. I'm excited for the school week ahead because I am really hoping to stay on task and not play any catch-up. That would feel really good! (Edited to say: It was not a nice evening without my hubby whom we usually get to spend all of Sunday with .. but it was nice in the sense that I got accomplished last night what I typically wait until this morning to do .. and it has made today go much more smoothly!)

Also, I'm not getting morning quiet time. However, two nights ago, I believe, when I couldn't sleep, I spent about an hour or two in quiet time at about 3am. That worked! So maybe that is why I am not sleeping. Hmmm .....

I need to set up a special devotional time for the kids. I skip this way too much and I could just kick myself. That should be the most important part of our day! Seriously, I think I need some sort of check-off list for the main things to do .. even down to getting dressed and brushing our hair. Too often, Lily is sitting at the table doing her math in her jammies at 1pm. Now, my boys take the initiative to get themselves dressed first thing in the morning. Not Lily. She needs Mom to keep on her. Or at least some sort of accountability. So developing some sort of listing or schedule is going to be a task for my week.

I am also going to try to force myself to get back to T-Tapping. The last thing I feel like doing is exercising but I think it will help my days (and my nights!) significantly. At least, I hope so!

So, I'm making goals for the week and hoping to accomplish them. If only I can get over this feeling of wanting to go back to bed .........

My little helper man ...

Sun, 1 Oct 2006 15:57:00 -0500

My Luke is such a helper. It's just in him. I never taught him to be so giving and in tune with people's needs .. he just is. It is totally how God made him. And he never ceases to amaze me. I just experienced a prime example. After my 20 oz. of water a bit ago, I made a dashing trip to the potty. There was no time to evaluate how much TP was left on the roll. Well .. there was not enough. I called to my Luke. "Luke, I need you buddy ...... I'm in the bathroom!" He says, "Coming Mom!" He opens the door, doesn't even look at me, heads straight to the stack of extra rolls, turns and hands it to me, and runs right back out the door. I just watched him ... amazed. He knew just what I needed. What a man!

In case anyone wonders ..

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 16:57:00 -0500

I'm still around! I'm just tired and icky and tired and icky .... and trying to accomplish some schooling in between. We've been incredibly busy and amongst it all I'm still trying to find peace with the decision to home birth. I'm praying about it .. but I need to pray harder and let go of the need to try to work it all out in my mind. I want to go where the Lord is leading us.

Otherwise, I'm reading my books and anxious to go under midwifery care. I won't have my first appointment for almost 3 weeks. In the meantime, I'm keeping a food log. I have very large babies and, in the past, I have never paid attention to what I was eating. I just ate what I craved and for some pregnancies that meant ice cream every night! Well, in retrospect, that could have contributed just a smidgen to my babies' sizes. I know that I grow big babies .. but maybe they don't need to be quite so big. So, anyway, in an attempt to keep my baby its' appropriate size and also to keep my health in check, I am paying much more attention to my habits during this pregnancy. It feels good.

As far as the home birth thing, my hubby is much more at peace with it than I am. But I am the one birthing and so the decision is resting mostly on my shoulders. It is hard to get all of the medical-ness of my past experiences out of my head and also all the 'what ifs' about the delivery itself. Again, I just want to go where the Lord wants us to go. So it is more about seeking Him than anything else.

Alright .. I'm ready for bed .. and it is only 6pm. My hubby isn't even home yet! But Grammy is visiting .. so the kids are occupied and maybe I'll finally make it to the shower for the day. Ick! I know ....

My new addictions ...

Sat, 16 Sep 2006 10:11:00 -0500

Home birthing and cloth diapering. I don't know that I'd call them addictions .. but right now I'm certainly addicted to trying to find out all the info I can on both.

This pregnancy came before we had planned it (but not before He had planned it ). We have little maternity coverage, only coverage for emergencies and certain complications. So we decided to check out other options (options that were floating around in my head anyway .. I'm just amazed at how the Lord works .. giving us a little nudge in the right direction). I had found out about two midwives that do home deliveries in my area earlier in the summer, so we decided to check them out. Since then, I've read 'Ina May's Guide to Childbirth' and have ordered several other books. I'm inspired to say the least. (Addicted maybe?!?) Ha! I just want information, ya know.

And now cloth diapering. Wowee, they are just toooo cute. But there are oodles of options. The gals at Sonlight have aided me in narrowing it down and also answer any and all questions with that tried and true, been there done that, kind of advice. It's great.

Wait until everyone hears about this. First it was homeschooling .. now home birthing and cloth diapering .. everyone will surely think I've gone off the deep end.

In other news, I'm tired and icky. Not vomiting sick, thank goodness .. just icky .. and bloated. You'd think I was 4-5 months pregnant. I was a complete dud this week on our little vacation. It's good we told everyone, because they'd have surely found out anyway.

Back to school!

Fri, 8 Sep 2006 08:53:00 -0500

We have been back to school this week after a scattered two week period. We accomplished one week's worth of school within that two weeks though .. so it didn't get totally wasted.

Lily has completed her Explode the Code #7 and I had planned to move her on to #8. BUT .. I don't have #8. So we switched gears. We picked back up our Sonlight Language Arts and began Rod & Staff English 2. Surprisingly, I am really liking the combination of the two. The Rod & Staff lessons are short and fun and meaningful. We do it orally to keep the handwriting load manageable. I am liking this combination much better than I thought I would. Language Arts was one I had yet to figure out .. I couldn't find what would work for us. Now I think I have.

So .. a good week here .. even though I am so tired. And now, we prepare for another mini-vacation .. the last one for a long time. All our summer activity is dwindling now .. and we are left with just some weddings and weekend activities in the fall. I love it, every time the seasons change. We have been having some cool days and nights around here .. so I'm getting excited.