After a cup of coffee...or two - Homeschool Blogger

Go See My New Blog!

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:04:00 -0600

I have moved to my new blog at www.afteracupofcoffee.blogspot.com. Drop in and say hi!

All there is to say is

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 08:21:00 -0600

HALLELUJAH, PRAISE THE LORD ALL HIS PEOPLE!!!

Audrey slept for eight hours last night.

EIGHT HOURS!

I know! And she's only 9 weeks!

Wow, I can't believe how awake I am.

And I've only had one cup of coffee so far.

Because my husband is gone...

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 21:30:00 -0600

And all my kids are sleeping and I don't want to do the dishes...or the laundry...or go to bed alone...

My Fortune Cookie told me:
Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense.
Get a cookie from Miss Fortune

Clues

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 09:06:00 -0600

My new blog will be on blogger...I am hoping to start selling some scrapbook layouts through my blog, so I needed more flexibility than HSB offers. Hopefully it will be mostly done this weekend! I'll be hosting a prize for the "Ultimate Blog Party" at my new site, so check it out when I get it finished!

It's Coming...

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:17:00 -0600

My new blog! I'll be moving and have a whole new design.

Coming soon!

Git 'Er Done

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 22:45:00 -0600

Last night I got over six hours of sleep.

IN. A. ROW.

I woke up feeling like a new woman and wanted to catch up on some stuff. So I got dressed in my exercise clothes to start exercising.

I started a load of laundry.

I started emptying out the dishwasher.

I started organizing my new scrapbook desk.

However, I didn't finish a single one of those things.

But I did finish filling the coffee carousel.

I may not have showered or exercised or finished anything else today, but by golly, I WILL have my choice of extra bold, medium or mild blend!

Truth, Lies and Biscotti

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 12:40:00 -0600

I've found that 4-year-olds are a veritable font of unasked-for truth. Like the other day when Chloe saw me reading my Bible:

C: What are you doing?
Me: Reading my Bible and praying. I'm having my quiet time with God. I try to do it every day.
C: But you don't do it every day.
Me: I know, but I try.
C: Yeah, but Mommy, you don't!

Or regarding my post-baby size:

C: Mommy, when I grow up and have a baby, will I have a really, really big chest like you?

But last night Chloe outright lied for the first time. I mean, she's told plenty of fantasy stories about the people who come and play with her during naptime, but this was different. This was a LIE. In fact, it was three LIES.

She was supposed to clean her room, which pretty much looked like a tornado went through a tutu store. She said she was done, and when I checked, lo and behold, a clean room! Except, wait, what's that sticking out of the closet? Hmm...some dress up clothes...and baby doll clothes...and pajamas...and dirty clothes. She had stuffed the whole pile into her closet. So we talked about how we don't put things into our closets like that, and she had to put them all in their proper places.

Hysterical crying ensued.

Later, she came out and said she was done.

Me: Already? You put it all away?
C: Yes.
Me: You put your dirty clothes in the basket?
C: Yes.
Me: You put your baby doll clothes in their drawer?
C: Yes.
Me: You cleaned it all up?
C: Yes.

So I go to check, and lo and behold...it's all still in the closet. She didn't check one thing. So I sat her on my lap and we had a talk about what lying is, and how it's not honoring to God, and she apologized and we prayed to ask God for forgiveness, too. Then I told her she had to clean it all up.

Hysterical crying ensued.

She refused to look at me or talk to me, and finally (since it was past her bedtime by now) I just had to say goodnight and she could finish cleaning and then get herself into bed.

So today we made biscotti together, since we ended last night on such a low note.

Because really, is there anything that some homemade biscotti and a cup of coffee (or two) can't fix?

Menu Plan Monday

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 10:11:00 -0600

I'm still trying to learn how to organize my day with three kids, so I'm going to try and keep it a little bit simple this week!

Monday- Ham and Cheese Quiche
Tuesday- Steak, Rice and Veggie
Wednesday- Slowcooker Chicken Soft Tacos
Thursday- Slowcooker Oriental Chicken and Rice
Friday- Fajitas

Hopefully some of those meals work out and we don't end up eating cereal or pizza every day :)

You know you can't resist...

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 10:00:00 -0600

That hair!!! Don't you just want to touch it?

No, it's not my New Year's Resolution...

Sun, 7 Jan 2007 00:08:00 -0600

But it is time to lose some weight. I told myself I would start the Monday after I hit the 6-week postpartum mark.

That is coming sooner than I'd like!

Of course, how I'm going to squeeze a workout in when most days I can't even squeeze a shower in, I don't know.

But it will add to the nose-tickling essence of spit-up and diapers that I carry with me now, won't it?

I still haven't quite decided on my game plan this time around.

Here's my weight loss history (because I know you want ALL the details, and besides actually putting these numbers out there is a reality check!)

I spent most of my college years around 145 pounds, which was perfectly fine, since I'm 5'8. I could have lost a few, and at times did, but I was comfortable.

Then I went to grad school.

And got engaged during grad school.

And planned a wedding during grad school.

And got married three days after I finished grad school, and was somewhere around 160 pounds. I didn't own a scale at the time, so I'm just judging by the number of times I thought, "All my pants have shrunk. I really need to quit drying them in the dryer."

By the end of my first year of marriage I was 186 pounds.

Then I got pregnant. After that I was 204.

A combination of Power 90 and Windsor Pilates videos and calorie-counting got me to 170 and then I got pregnant again. After that I was 212.

I got down to 196 with my videos again, and then Isaac was sent to Afghanistan and the kids and I moved in with my parents. Since we were getting all kinds of hazardous duty pay, I went on Nutrisystem and got a personal trainer, and in my spare time used the Couch to 5k running plan. And got down to 166.

Then my husband came home. And I got pregnant. And yesterday was the 6-week mark and I am 215.

Ultimately I'd like to be 150.

Which means I want to lose 65 pounds.

Let me just take a moment to ponder the enormous enormity of that number.

Ok. Since I have three children and my husband is back so I have someone to, you know, talk to and do stuff with in the evenings, I don't know when I'm going to find the time to exercise. I think I'm going to use these Billy Blanks Bootcamp dvd's I got last year but never used. But I'm also going to go check out a new gym around the corner. And I'll apply the eating principles I learned on Nutrisystem and probably count my calories, too.

*Sigh* Maybe I should go eat another chocolate chip hazelnut bagel before this all kicks in on Monday...of course, we're out of hazelnut cream cheese, so it just won't be the same...

The South, Ya'll*

Fri, 5 Jan 2007 14:18:00 -0600

We've been told that we are going to a base in the south next May. We don't have any official orders yet, so of course that could change at any moment, since all's fair in love and PCS'ing.

(that would be Permanent Change of Station, or moving, for you civilian-types)

Part of me is really exited about the move- the timing is great, since our closest friends are all PCS'ing at about the same time. And I'm excited to experience a new part of the country.

But I am a California girl, born and bred.

I hate humidity.

In fact, I hate it so much, I should write I HATE HUMIDITY.

Not to mention the hurricanes. And that my husband will have to deploy during this tour, so I will be alone for 6 months at a time with three kids and hurricanes.

I mean, really, give me a good earthquake any day and I'm fine. In fact, I could even estimate the size on the Richter scale for ya.

But hurricanes scare me.

However, I fully believe that God is leading us through the Navy's orders, so my excitement outweighs the fear of hurricanes.

You just might be reading a whole lot more ya'lls next year.

Maybe even a bless your heart or two!

*Name that blogger :)

Poopy McGasserson

Wed, 3 Jan 2007 00:12:00 -0600

I've had a few questions about why I had a baby attached to me for five hours straight on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, this is an almost nightly occurence, lasting between two and six hours.

I have The Gassiest Baby in the World.

The worst of it hits in the evening and she just can't sleep until it passes. And just about the only thing that keeps her from screaming her head off and breaking the hearts (not to mention the eardrums) of everyone in a five square mile radius is nursing.

We try the pacifier every time. Pacify her it does not.

And so she attaches herself to me and nurses on and off until she finally gets out a huge poop, then sighs in relief and immediately falls asleep.

She just fell asleep a few minutes ago and I've been waiting to see if it takes or not. Apparently it is not, as I'm hearing the first grunts coming from her vicinity. I guess there is more to come. From her. Not me. Because it's hard to type with baby attached to you when you're sleep-deprived and it's past 1am.

She is a cute little booger, though!

The Third Time

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:18:00 -0600

Today is the third time I have been alone with all three kids. A combination of family, holidays and an aquaintance of a friend who is training to be a post-partum doula means that even though Audrey is just over a month old, I have had tons of help. More than I want sometimes!

Today has gone a little better than the previous two times I had all three. I managed to put away a load of laundry (and there is one sitting in the washer and one in the dryer that I'm going to pretend don't exist...), I unloaded the dishwasher, made grilled cheese for lunch, paid a few bills, and planned dinner (I haven't actually started cooking it yet, and may not end up cooking it, but still, it's planned).

However, I haven't showered. Or brushed my teeth. Or my hair. And we won't even talk about the mascara that I didn't remove before bed last night.

And homeschool? What is that again? I don't think I can remember.

Still, I'm pretty encouraged by the progress we're making. By the time she's three months old I may be showered. The laundry may still be sitting in the washer and dryer, but hey, at least I won't stink!

Christmas Traditions

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 20:33:00 -0600

Since our kids are just getting to the stage where they can really understand Christmas, there was a lot of talk in our house this year about what kind of traditions we want to establish. You know, those really important details, like:

Where should we put the stockings?

Do we open the stockings before or after presents?

When should we open the presents?

On Christmas Eve he brought up all the presents and got the room ready for the kids while I sat with a baby attached to my breast for FIVE HOURS STRAIGHT...but that is another post entirely...

When said baby finally fell asleep and I got a look at the room, I was surprised to see that each person had their own pile of gifts neatly organized by size. I had just assumed that all the presents would be in one big pile under the tree, and Chloe would pass them out one at a time, most likely while wearing a darling and very photogenic santa hat. Doesn't everyone do it that way?

One thing we had agreed upon was that we wanted the kids to appreciate each gift and not just tear through them as fast as possible. To me, this means you ooh and aah over each one and take a good look at it...then you set it aside for later and move on to the next present.

To my engineer husband this meant that you open every box of Geotrax (of which there were FIVE thanks to Grandma), open up all the packaging in all five boxes of Geotrax, and then set up all of the pieces in all five of the boxes of Geotrax.

Did I mention there were FIVE boxes? And that this had to happen in the middle of the present opening? Do you know how long Chloe and I had to wait to finish opening our presents because Luke and the engineeer were building FIVE boxes of Geotrax?

Let me tell you, there wasn't a whole lot of goodwill to men going on in my heart. Maybe next year we'll get all those important details straight. Because you just don't interrupt the present opening!

Menu Plan Monday

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:04:00 -0600

Ok, time to get organized again! My ankle is healed enough to cook now, and my parents have left and we've eaten all the meals that were brought to us when the baby was born! So I have no choice but to cook!

Monday- Steak, Potatoes, Broccoli
Tuesday- White Chicken Chili and Cornbread
Wednesday- Chicken Soup and Crescents
Thursday- Baked Ziti and Salad with Cranberries and Pears
Friday- Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Ok, I think that is all the organization I can handle for now, seeing as how it's 3pm and I am still in my pajamas! Today is my first whole day alone with all three kids, and it has not been the smoothest day :)

Snorty McBoogerson

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 10:30:00 -0600

Baby Audrey has caught the cold that everyone seems to have.

And I just have to say...

Breastfeeding a really snotty newborn?

Not one of those moments where you marvel at the beauty of God's creation.

More of a yuck moment.

With some ick factor thrown in.

Just so you know.

The girl has a big heart

Mon, 4 Dec 2006 10:39:00 -0600

Our church is participating in Operation Christmas Child, where you fill a shoebox with items for a needy child. I thought this would be a great way to introduce Chloe to serving others, so we decided to make a box for a little girl and headed out to Target.

I explained to her that some kids don't have any mommies or daddies to buy them Christmas presents, so we were going to buy the presents for the little girl. Chloe picked out so many things that I knew she loved for herself, but never once asked to have them. (She doesn't know it, but she's getting a lot of them in her Christmas stocking, since she was so good and didn't ask for anything!)

When we were all done, Chloe said how she was going to give the little girl all the presents and that she had lots of extra pillows so the little girl could share Chloe's room with her.

And then she said that since the little girl doesn't have any brothers or sisters, Chloe and Luke and Audrey could be hers.

And then she said that Isaac and I could be her mommy and daddy.

And then she asked when we were going to get her.

I tell you, it actually hurt my heart to explain to Chloe that we couldn't get her, we could only mail the shoebox. She kept asking, "But what if she never has a mommy or daddy? Can't we be her family?"

Isaac and I have always thought that we would adopt a child someday, and it looks like God may be preparing the hearts of our children for that!

Introducing Audrey

Sat, 2 Dec 2006 21:34:00 -0600

Audrey Nicole arrived 11-24 at 6:32 pm. She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. This is her at one week old. She is just the sweetest, most mellow baby, which is good since she has her big brother and sister loving on her all the time, and two-year-old boys aren't the gentlest of huggers :)

My labor this time was sooo different from the other two. Chloe was induced 7 days late, and the entire process took about 6 hours. I think the actual labor was about 4.5 hours. Luke came 9 days late and only took 4 hours. I went from 3cm to pushing so fast that the doctor didn't make it and Isaac thought he'd have to catch the baby!

This time I woke up on Thanksgiving (a week and a half before my due date) having irregular but strong contractions and some light bleeding, so I knew I'd go into labor soon, and we expected it to be fast when it happened. I cooked all day and didn't nap or anything, expecting to go into labor any minute. But my contractions didn't get regular until midnight! And then they were still 10 minutes apart. At 5am on Black Friday I called a friend to drop the kids off because the contractions were 5 minutes apart. At 8am they were still 5 minutes apart, and I was dilated to 3cm! I had expected to be almost done by then. At 10am they had lengthened to 8 minutes and I was still only about 3cm, and I took a shot of Stadol to help me get some sleep (a mild narcotic and the only alternative to epidurals at thsi hospital. It wears off in about an hour, and makes you feel kind of light-headed). I had been up and contracting irregularly for over 24 hours at that point. Finally at about 2 the doctor broke my water. I was up to 5cm. At 4 I was dilated 6 cm. I had one contraction that hurt my lower back so badly that I considered asking for an epidural, but I felt pressure at the next contraction, and when the doctor checked, it was time to push! Just 3 pushes and she was out. I love the feeling of the shoulders coming out, it is such a relief and rush.

Even though it was the complete opposite of what we expected, this was the labor I enjoyed the most, since I felt the most in control and also the most like a team with Isaac. I actually really enjoyed the time with him. He read jokes to me, rubbed my back and feet, and put pressure on some pressure points during the more painful contractions. I felt so loved by him as he served me all day.

Click on over...

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 13:23:00 -0600

Seeing as how I dragged my 38-week pregnant self, my still-healing fractured ankle, and two sugar-laden kids (Lucky Charms for lunch? What a great idea!) through both the Navy Exchange AND Commissary this morning, I am beat and can think of nothing to say. However, this post by Antique Mommy cracked me up today. I want to have the patience and creativity of her mom!

Conversations with Chloe- Birthday Edition

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:43:00 -0600

Since my birthday is in a few days, and we just celebrated Luke and Chloe's birthdays, Chloe is big into surprises...

C: Mommy, I helped Daddy wrap your birthday present! I put the tape on!

Me: That's great! Thanks for helping him.

C: But I can't tell you what it is, because it's a surprise!

Me: Oh, that's ok, I don't want to ruin the surprise.

C: Ok. But I think it's a bracelet! But I won't tell you!