Five Flower Mom

Moving to Six Fower Mom

2009-06-09T10:16:00.003-04:00

We are moving ... I have become Six Flower Mom (months ago) and I am finally just heading to my new blog ... so please take the time to change your link to me, I can now be found here:

Six Flower Mom
http://www.sixflowermom.com

Come over and check it out ... eventually it will be more organized and there is going to be some fun things happening there soon!

Red, White & Blue Swap

2009-06-08T08:37:00.002-04:00

Mamarazzi is at it again, this time in color ... red, white and blue! I am so excited! Stay tuned for more about this blogtastic fun!

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday - See What I Found!

2009-06-03T08:29:00.004-04:00

My Thumb!!!

and it is so good!

and look how cute I am!

(sorry so blurry)

A magical day to you!

I participate in Wordful Wednesday sponsored by
SevEn cLoWn CirCus

Check out the Wordless Wednesday HQ!

You may also like these:

Beautiful Like Me: Me & More Questions

2009-05-31T08:16:00.007-04:00

Today I am posting for the Beautiful Like Me Project, a project dedicated to raising awareness about the lack of self-esteem and poor body image in today's youth. We are inviting anyone and everyone to please join us in spreading the word. Please feel free to join in anytime. Also please take a minute to see the other Beautiful Like Me Posters (listed below)! Together we can help today's youth have a positive self-image!

This weeks topic is:

What person or people are the most influential about how you feel about yourself?
Who influences you the most to feel beautiful?

I have been a little busy lately and blogging has taken back burner, so I am running a little late with my post. As always I procrastinated thinking the topic was fairly easy until I sat down to write about it, I know you have heard that excuse before ... but it is hard ... give it a try ... join in and write your post for the Beautiful Like Me Project and let me know what you think, was it as easy to write as you thought?

Things happen for a reason, I am a true believer of that. So yesterday my family was all at the table eating lunch and Caitlyn (age 14) asks: "Why do people always want to change themselves?" I started to ramble about how "it is okay to want to change how we do things and learn new things, that is how we grow ... and growing is a life long experience." So Caitlyn interrupts me and says, "I know all that but why when you ask someone if you could change one thing about themselves, is it always something about their bodies?" Well honestly, I did not have a good answer for her. We did however have a nice conversation about what we like about our bodies and what other things about ourselves we might change instead! I was very pleased when Allyson (11 years old) jumped into the conversation to say that she would not change anything about herself!

So this little scenario does not answer the question posed this week but it just made me think ... as this project seems to like to do.

As I sit here writing with my baby Willy in my lap, curled up sleeping ... I can look down at him and it takes my breath away. His beauty is amazing. He is perfect ... his double chin, almost bald head, big ears, rolly polly arms and legs, and chunkers belly ... every little inch of him is perfect. Any moment now my one year old will come toddling from the bedroom with his hair all scattered everywhere, a soggy wet diaper, and his big elephant stomps ... a picture of perfectness. He too is beautiful. All my children are, as I am sure all of you know your children are just beautiful and perfect! But do they know it? When do they stop seeing beauty in themselves? How can we teach them to see the inner beauty?

There have been few times in my life when I could look at my self and think "wow, you are beautiful" Matter-a-fact, I am not sure that I have ever been able to say that without seeing flaws. Over the years I have really tried hard to except things the way they are and stop judging myself and taken the time to look at myself and find the beauty ... this is not easy for me, this is work. Even despite the fact that many people are very encouraging and kind and frequently express the beauty they see in me, it always seems that it comes down to what I see in myself. I am the one who influences how I see myself and how others see me. If I feel beautiful and confident, it is easier for others to see the beauty within me.

I struggle with the fact that even as I sit here writing all I can think about is the outward physical image of myself. There are so many others parts of a person to find beautiful, how do we program ourselves to look for it? I would be so interested in hearing someone who can not see answer this question?

I am so sorry that this is such a scattered post. I am not able to get a good grasp of my thoughts for this it ... it seems that with each thought I have, it is followed with more questions, so I am off to read other Beautiful Like Me posts (I will link up to them below) in hopes to find answers or at least more to think about!

For more wonderful thoughts on building self esteem stop by all the other beautiful blogs that are supporting the Beautiful Like Me Project! I will be adding as people post:

My Co-hosts: WickedStepMom and Tricia at Shout

Saffa Chick at Wandering Saffa Chick
Lisa P at Use Your Wisdom

Please join us anytime, if you post leave a message with your link and I will add you to my list! Together we can make a difference, each story told touches someones life!

Here you can look at past Beautiful Like Me Posts!

Here is our topic for the next Beautiful Like Me Post and you can always go to the Project Main Page for a list of topics and other information.

Next post scheduled for Monday, June 1st

What event or time did you feel your most beautiful? How did this event shape your view of yourself? Do your family, friends and children know about this event and how important it was?

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things!

2009-05-28T09:29:00.003-04:00

Okay, here it is ... Mamarazzi's Favorite Thing Swap ...

Mamarazzi over at Dandelion Wishes has just hosted her third Favorite Thing Swap and I participated ... it is so much fun ... in the words of Mamarazzi:

"it thrills me that over 100 women are going to be getting Good Mail this week"

It thrills me too! I am not sure what brings me more pleasure ... putting together my package to mail or receiving my package. I really had so much fun with both!!!So thank you so very much Mamarazzi for organizing this and to all who participate ... stop over at Dandelion Wishes and tell Mamarazzi how great she is AND through Mr. Linky you can hop around and see all the great packages!

BUT WAIT ...
Let me tell you about my swaperiffic package!

I was matched up with Heather at Sugar 'N Spice & Mostly Nice, a busy mom to three boys! I have had so much fun reading her blog and getting to know her and her beautiful family! You should stop over and say hello to Heather, she is so kind and sent me some of her favorite things ... watch below!

Again, Mamarazzi has put a lot of work into this but it has been great! Think about just how nice it is to receive a package of something special in the mail ... if you are anything like me, it is really exciting to have something besides bills and junk in the mail.

PS. I am on pins and needles waiting to hear if Heather received her package ... I had so much fun putting it together, I hope she enjoys it!

Busy, Busy, Busy ...

2009-05-24T08:02:00.007-04:00

So I have completely neglecting Blogland lately, I have been trying to get around and at least read every ones posts but commenting has been little and it has been a week since I have posted. I have composed many posts in my head, now if they will ever get posted is another question!

With the help of many I am working on my new blog ... I had many intentions of updating my blog with the birth of Willy, the debut of Six Flower Mom is just lagging behind ... but it is up and coming soon - I will be moving to Wordpress and have some fun things happening around here ... YEAH!

But this is a glimpse of how my day was yesterday ... so blogging just does not always fit in!

5:00am - up and dressed!

Nurse Willy
Wake up Jacob because he wants to go with me
Move Caitlyn into my bedroom in case anyone else wakes while I am gone!

5:30am - Bring Dan to work, as we sold the truck last week (another story)

Drop Dan off 6am
Stop at grocery store
Home at 7:10am to Caitlyn, Rick and Sam already up

Lots to do before we have to be pulling out of the driveway at 9:00am

Breakfast: English muffins with cream cheese, peanut butter, raspberry jam & orang juice
Made banana muffins for baseball bake sale (3 dozen regular & 4 dozen mini)
Clean up dishes, no dishwasher here!
Laundry - 1 load wash and hang out
Nurse Willy
Email a couple inquires about trucks on Craigslist - typing one handed while nursing
Sam & Willy diapers changed & dressed
Help Rick with night, night diaper, pee on potty, get dressed
Encourage teen girls to get ready quickly
Send girls to feed the foster kitties & boys the chickens
Pack diaper bag
Pack baseball stuff: glove, hat, water bottles
Pack entertainment for little ones at baseball game
Shower, dress, brush, etc... myself ... with only 15 minutes left
Google map directions I need

9:03am - everyone loaded, pulling out of driveway

Drop muffins off at bake sale
Go to my bank - one side of town
Park to nurse Willy who has decided he is starving
Go to post office to mail Mamarazzi's My Favorite Thing Swap Package (more to come on this)
Go to another bank - other side of town - to pay my rent (I just make a deposit for my landlord who lives out of town, works for both of us)
Stop at lawn sale (because really that is what I want to do today)
Arrive at field for baseball at 10:30am

Watch baseball game, it was warm and nice and they played well. Will slept in the sling as long as I did not sit down but that is okay because all Sam wanted to do was run every where! Several trips to the potty with Rick (who is doing great with the potty training), a melty messy popsicle, and some cheering for the great players and we made it through baseball!

About 12:45pm - in the car, everyone buckled, air conditioning on ... nap time for the little ones.
Off to run errands (no Rick not Aaron, we are not going to see Aaron:)

Stop at house, all kids stay in car, check email to see if anyone from Truck search on Craigslist has responded, mommy use restroom (a necessity sometimes)
Pick up a box of glasses and such from Freecycle
Go to Chick-Fil-A drive through
Nurse Willy
Stop at Target to get some outside water toys and baseball bat for Jacob - all 6 kids in Target!!!!!
Use restroom, change diapers, everyone pee ... yeah

4:30pm - Home again, home again, jiggity jig

Quick clean up from the whirl wind this morning
Nurse Willy
Clean out car
Remove tick from Rick's head -- YEAH
Explain why we remove ticks, why we watch for ticks, assure children that they are not going to fall over dead the instant a tick gets near!
Kids prepare for water play with their new toys - yes water guns - how else can they squirt each other without running the hose nonstop?
Sent a couple more truck inquires & read a couple blogs

5:45pm - Oh my, I have to go get Dan ... what is for dinner?????

Load Sam & Willy - others will wait here at the house as they are soaken wet and having fun!
Stop to get gas, as my gas light came on as I pulled out of the driveway

6:30pm - pick up Dan - yeah I have help!

Stop at store to get something for dinner

7:30pm - home again, home again jiggity jig

Girls feed & water kittens, boys chickens
Collect eggs
Grab clothes off line
Clean our litter cats box
Nurse fussy Willy
Fix dinner: Big Chef Salads, Watermelon, Fresh Veggies & dip - whatever else the kids want for left overs
Dan walks fussy Willy
Eat ... yummy & Chat: Ally is trying to convince us that we need to adopt one of the foster kitties, Cloud Tail, she says she will take care of him and get a job to pay for everything
Clean up some dishes
Dan showers
Get night, night diapers on Willy, Sam and Rick
Nurse Willy
Quick tidy

10:00pm - Off to bed: hugs, kisses, & lights out!

Oh Wait - 11:00pm - children with coughing and runny noses ... water needed, some homeopathic tabs for cough and off to bed again!

How do all you wonderful bloggers find time?

Beautiful Like Me: Dance

2009-05-17T17:35:00.009-04:00

This weeks topic is:

In your opinion, what is the best way to build self-esteem?
Dance
(metaphorically speaking)

Each week I am faced with a new question and I think that it is going to be so easy ... I have thought about it and had some great ideas and then, I sit down to post and it gets so complex. My mind starts racing and nothing makes sense!

I have six children and building positive self-esteem is a number one priority but I have no answers. Each child is very different, there needs from me are very different. My oldest daughter has the greatest self esteem: she has always been confident and determined -- YEAH ME! I did a good job BUT then daughter number two comes along, not so confident -- What did I do wrong? And so on and so forth with each child.

So all I know is that each is different and each is ever changing!

But as a parent I will never stop trying to boost my children's self esteem, whether it is through words or my actions I will always try to show them that they are amazingly beautiful people.

Ironically, I recently received the above video, it brought tears to my eyes, I thought it was amazing and I thought "WOW! I bet their parents knew all about teaching self esteem." Just watching these very talented people gave me inspiration.

So I started thinking that maybe another clue to teaching my children positive self esteem is providing inspiration, encouragement and of course positive reinforcement.

So, DANCE or whatever it is that makes you happy and love doing it!

For more wonderful thoughts on building self esteem stop by all the other beautiful blogs that are supporting the Beautiful Like Me Project! I will be adding as people post:

My Co-hosts: WickedStepMom and Tricia at Shout

Jan at Jan's Sushi Bar
Danielle at Boys R Us
Lisa P at Use Your Wisdom
Casey at Half As Good As Yo u
Momma Miller at Miller Memories

Next post scheduled for Monday, June 1st
What person or people are the most influential about how you feel about yourself?
Who influences you the most to feel beautiful?

Random Picture Challenge

2009-05-16T07:09:00.004-04:00

Today I am joining 4 Little Men and Girly Twins with her Random Picture Challenge!
Stop over to see who else has joined!
Maybe you want to join too!

Today's Challenge is
9th picture folder
or September 2008
18th picture

When I saw this picture I was flooded with memories ... September 2009, well actually the pictures was taken the last week of August (downloaded in September) ... almost a year ago!

This is Ally in the back of the mini van, I believe this is the second day of our big move. I'll give you a quick glimpse: pregnant me, five children, four cats in a mini van; daddy and grandma in a 26 foot Uhaul, 1000 miles to a new home we had never seen!!!!

What a trip!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!!!

2009-05-14T13:10:00.004-04:00

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday - Doodle Bop Ally

2009-05-13T08:38:00.005-04:00

Ally loves to doodle!
She draws everyday, this is her passion!
This is just a doodle she did the other day while we were chatting!

The problem is this ... see beside her doodle ... those are my notes from my phone conversation with the insurance company. Allyson will doodle on any paper left within reach! I have sent in bills with doodles, had many notes and other such papers with Ally's doodles on them!!!

She keeps telling me that she is going to move to Japan, join the Sonic Team and be an artist!!!
I say GO FOR IT!!!

A magical day to you!

I participate in Wordful Wednesday sponsored by
SevEn cLoWn CirCus

Check out the Wordless Wednesday HQ!

You may also like these:

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!!

2009-05-11T07:46:00.005-04:00

YES, today is my birthday ... and so I am a year older! I am okay with that, I have never worried about my age. If there is one certain in this world it is that we are all aging, why fight it?

With my children the tradition is on their birthday we tell the story of their birth. This is fun for all, I love remembering the birth of my children and they love hearing about it!!!

This morning I realized I know very little about the day I was born. I know that my mom was young, scared and one of the nurses was not very kind BUT that is it ... I don't know who was there, who came to visit, how my mom felt, or any of those little details that I cherish so much from each of my children's births. So today I am going to ask my mom!

Does your family have any birthday traditions?

I am off to have a family day, my favorite!! Hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T08:07:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day

Today I am celebrating being a mom. A job that I never knew I would love so much.
I hope all moms have a wonderful day!

Awards & Me: Ms. Undecided

2009-05-08T11:45:00.005-04:00

Okay here is my awards post that I started so long ago, really way back in November 2008. These wonderful people granted me these prestigious awards, unbeknown to them that I was not worthy of passing along awards. It is not that there are not so many deserving bloggers. I read blogs all the time written by wonderful, beautiful, creative, funny people BUT I just never know who to pass awards onto. What if they already have it? What if they do not want to tag people? What if, What if? So I never make a decision.

So today my guilt over loaded and I am finally publishing this post, as is ... if you stop by my blog you are awesome, grab an award, pass it along or not! I only ask that you take a moment to look at both my Blog List and Who I Follow because both lists have some great bloggers ... thank you to all who honored me and my blog it is greatly appreciated and means so much to me.

So here is my list of awards, I feel like I am missing one but what can I do!!!

Sara over at Ordinary and Awesome left me this yet another wonderful award.

Kris over at Lily's Licorice left this beautiful award for me.

I was tagged by Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting to do this five things meme. These things are listed not by importance; they are listed by how quickly they come out of my noggin :)

Five Things On My To Do List
1. Enjoy my children!
2. Laundry.
3. Write on my Blog.
4. Clean my house - particularly organize the guest bedroom!
5. Have a wonderful day!

Five Things I Like To Snack On
1. Chocolate
2. Peanuts
3. Peanut Butter
4. Leftovers
5. Popcorn

Five Things I Would Do If I Was a Millionaire
1. Pay off all debt.
2. Help family and friends.
3. Fly home and surprise my family.
4. Buy land and build a house.
5. Travel with my children.

Five Places I Have Lived (have only lived in 3 states!)
1. Duxbury, Vermont
2. Waterbury, Vermont
3. Waitsfield, Vermont
4. Warren, Vermont
5. Hardwick, Vermont

Five Jobs I Have Had
1. Babysitter
2. Manager of Laurel Lee Candies and Christmas Creations Gift Shop (at ski area)
3. Office Manager for HairBuilder's
4. Preschool Teacher
5. My favorite: Mom and Wife and Homemaker!

This was sent to me by Tammy at Pink Stinx

Part of accepting the award is:

*displaying the award
*linking back to the person who gave it to you
*paying it forward & nominating 7 blogs
*adding links to those seven blogs
*leaving comments on their blog telling them you gave them an award
*enjoying the award

I've been tagged by Tiaras and Tantrums to participate in a Real Mom Meme.
Here are the rules: Copy this list to your blog- leaving all links intact- and add in who tagged you. Add your ‘real mom’ contribution to the list, linking it to a post you wrote about being a real mom, obviously. Then tag as many moms as you can and go out and meme-ify the blogosphere!

1. Real Moms don’t flinch when they talk about boobs. They do make you laugh your brains out.
2. Real moms go on vacation and learn to play traffic cop
3. Real moms brag about their kids
3. Real moms do not mince words when they present the truth
4. Real moms juggle
5. Real moms “resist the guilt and embrace the journey”
6. Real moms don’t give a damn to media generated Mommy Wars
7. Real moms have kids with potty mouths
8. Real moms know that real life is not like TV sitcoms
9. Real moms: Carry on a telephone conversation while their child vomits on the couch
10. Real moms: Think farting is really, really funny.
11. Real moms: Wear a nursing bra for approximately 7 years STRAIGHT!

My story is nothing but spectacular, really, I have been wearing a nursing bra(not the same one people) for about seven straight years. Yep, it is true. How can that bee, well, you have three babies in succession and nurse all those babies - forever. And there you have it!

And for mine: 12. Real moms: will let their children explore who they are!

Happy Blogging and a Wonderful Day!!

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday - Minerva Louise

2009-05-06T10:12:00.005-04:00

I know another chicken post BUT we do like our chickens and this was just too cute!

This is Jacob holding Minerva Louise! Yes, He can just pick her up and carry her around. He does it all the time!!!

Rick also likes to carry her around and she just does not seem to care!

Minerva Louise was one of our first chickens, the one and only hen out of ten chickens we bought at first!! Funny story! She lays the nicest little pink egg!!

And then yesterday Rick was walking around the driveway in his diaper, mud boots, carrying a chicken ... I just burst out laughing to myself!!!! What a sight!

A magical day to you!

I participate in Wordful Wednesday sponsored by
SevEn cLoWn CirCus

Check out the Wordless Wednesday HQ!

You may also like these:

To-do Tuesday -- Working Hard or Hardly Working?

2009-05-05T15:29:00.004-04:00

I am just so darn busy working on my list that I have not had a chance to write my post today!!!

If I post it on the internet does that make it true?

Want to start your own To-Do List, stop over and visit Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting with her To-do Tuesday!

Beautiful Like Me: Kindness

2009-05-04T07:07:00.017-04:00

This weeks topic is:
"What features/qualities would we like today’s children to see as beautiful?"

KINDNESS

I have been racking my brain ... when I first ran this question through my head 'kindness' came up but then I kept thinking this was just too simple, there had to be more so for two weeks I have been posing this question to myself and here I am Monday morning (I should have this already posted) and this is what I've come up with, kindness!

There is the old saying that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", I think this is true when it comes to qualities we see within people. We seek different qualities in people for many reasons, maybe where we are in our life, what we like to do, what role this person plays in our lives, etc... so I think it is very difficult (for me) to list specific qualities that are beautiful. I think that more a respect for individuality is important.

But as I said kindness just kept popping into my head! I think that if there is one quality that is beautiful in many, maybe any way shape or form it is kindness. Something that I also believe is lacking in our society today. It is funny to me because I think it can be so easy to be kind ... it is a very simple act, but we seem to be out of the habit (or at least some of us). It seems we have become so wrapped up in being "the best", "the first", "bigger and better" that we have forgot the simplest of things: KINDNESS! I also think that in these days of technology we have taken the personal feelings out of being kind. It seems that I do not get the same warm fuzzy feeling from a forwarded twenty times email than I do from just a quick personal note of well wishes. We have become lazy as a society and therefore our children are not learning about simple acts of kindness.

Okay, so I feel as if I am just rambling about kindness and not really making any particular points ... as I sit here typing I can feel what I want to express but I am struggling to find the words to make it leap out into your heart!

For me kindness can be so simple, I think we sometimes believe that in order to make a difference we have to do great deeds and honestly who has the time BUT what I have found is that sometimes it is the simplest thing ... a smile to someone at the grocery store, an understanding about a mistake made, a quick note, a simple task ... sometimes these things can change the course of someones day and maybe even life.

Think about your last trip to the grocery store (not my favorite place to go but a great place to be kind). I was there just the other night, it was early evening, there were many people most probably just getting out of a long day of work, it was raining, many toting tired, hungry children ... matter-a-fact there was a lady in line behind me that had a basket load of groceries, two children that were not pleased about shopping and mom look frazzled. I assessed my situation ... I had my teenager and littlest one, Dan was home cooking dinner, I was in no hurry! So I offered that she go in front of me. She looked puzzled (She clearly had more items then me) and said it was okay BUT I smiled and offered again, assuring her that I was in no hurry and that I understood how shopping with kids can be tough as I have several more at home!! Funny I could see her tension easing, she smiled and started to unload her groceries, I smiled and played peek a boo with one of her children and the other wanted to see 'the baby'! In just a few short minutes she was checked out and on her way ... with a great smile she turned and thanked me, I smiled and said no problem. As she left I hoped that maybe the rest of her evening would go just as well. Yes, I felt proud (goes to show that kindness can be beneficial for everyone) and my daughter observed a moment of kindness (YEAH), and maybe it changed the course of a frazzled moms day (even if for a moment)! Such a win-win situation.

So for me I think that kindness is the most BEAUTIFUL quality any person can possess. What is great is this is a quality that can be taught so lets get out there and make a difference ... be kind! I personally am taking great care to teach my children about kindness, to themselves, to their families and friends and to strangers! If we all were simply kind to one another our world would be a much more pleasant place.

I am feeling very sporadic today, so if you are leaving this post wondering: "huh?" I am not surprised and I apologize. So I will sum it up KINDNESS is BEAUTIFUL, so be kind and teach kindness!!!

In addition to myself check out who else has committed to this project, I will be adding as people post:

My Co-hosts: WickedStepMom and Tricia at Shout

Cate at Nature's Child
Danielle at Boys R Us
Lisa P at Use Your Wisdom
Sprite's Keeper
Mamma Miller at Miller Memories
Wandering Saffa Chick

Next post scheduled for Monday, May 18th
In your opinion, what is the best way to build self-esteem?

A Friday Thought

2009-05-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

"If you treat an individual ... as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be." Goethe

Thankful Thursday & Thursday Thirteen

2009-04-30T10:03:00.002-04:00

Happy Thursday to you all! I hope that you are having a wonderful week. I am BUT I seem to be lacking in time (do you have some to spare?) We have had a busy and fun week filled with the zoo and playing games and spring cleaning. I also am working on a couple of big projects for my blog -- YEAH!

So today I would like to say that I am thankful for all of my readers understanding ... I am busy today and just have not had time to think So today I will be thinking of all of you! And will be around soon to read your blogs, I usually read everything but my commenting has been sparse so please hang in there with me, I have comments and love your blogs, I just have had very little sit down time to type!!!

And if you are looking for some great reading ... check out my Blog List, there are some great reads!!

Now for my Thursday Thirteen, here are thirteen posts/topics that I have started writing (some only in my head):

1. My first Give-A-Way, coming in May for Mother's Day!
2. An extreme makeover of my blog ... hopefully coming really soon!
3. Vaccines - I am reasearching some on this!
4. Breastfeeding - some tips, ideas, and thoughts.
5. Co-Sleeping - personal choices.
6. Making goats milk yogurt.
7. Beautiful Like Me Project.
8. A kitten story.
9. Our Egg Hatching Project
10. Caitlyn's Corner - green tips from the teen!
11. Alternative Medicine - what works for us.
12. Babywearing - making it work for us.
13. A review New Native Baby Carrier

So that is what I am working on. Oh yeah and the usual stuff, with family updates and pictures off my precious children! Have a great day!

Sponsored by:

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday - #10

2009-04-29T08:25:00.005-04:00

For me this picture needs no words, it makes me smile and it makes me cry all in the same moment. It both warms my heart and saddens it!

Let me explain. This is Jacob at his first baseball game this season (which they won). I snapped this before the game, he was watching the team before him finish up. When I saw him standing there it warmed my heart ... his love for baseball, my little guy growing up so fast, and just how proud my dad would be of him.

My dad (actually my step dad, who I lived with from the time I was two years old) passed away from cancer before any of my children where born. This makes me sad just to think about it because I know he would have loved his grandchildren more than anything. My dad was a baseball fan (actually a fan of most any sport). He loved to play, he loved to watch and he loved to coach ... he lived for sports. He was also #10 ... always! He grew up in a small town and apparently when he first started playing baseball (in Kindergarten, as the story goes) he and his best friend went to try-outs. They both made the team, dad was given #1 but his friend really wanted it so he traded with him and ended up with #10 and he just always had it!

So when Jacob's coach asked me what number I wanted and my choices were #10 or #12,without hesitation I said #10. I did not realize just how emotional it would make me feel when I saw that #10 watching the game.

My dad would be so proud of Jacob. I believe in my heart that he is watching over us but some days I wish with all my heart that he was here to share in the little pleasures of life with my children.

A magical day to you!

I participate in Wordful Wednesday sponsored by
SevEn cLoWn CirCus

Check out the Wordless Wednesday HQ!

You may also like these:

To-do Tuesday

2009-04-28T06:53:00.006-04:00

Things are getting done, slowly but surely. I am not so great at checking things off my list BUT I still frequently write a paper list and cross things off!!!

Just yesterday we had a couple accomplishments ... headline news!!!

Rick peed on the potty all day!!!!
Jacob's baseball team had their first game and WON!!!!

Okay here I go with my list, I am using the same one again and adding a little!!!

My To Do List:

Organize Boy Clothes - YEAH! I did this and have four boxes to give away!
Clean Out The File Cabinet
Write 3rd Blog Post for: Beautiful Like Me
2nd attempt at making yogurt - WOOHOO, it came out great!!!
Work on Garden Plan: what are we panting and where, etc...
Have dinner ready on time, almost every day!
Finish some blog posts that I have started!
Take kids to the zoo - we are headed there today!
Clean off porch

Big Project
Learn Wordpress - oh my! oh my! oh my!
Redesign my Blog
Kick-off my very first Give-a-way!!!

Want to start your own To-Do List, stop over and visit Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting with her To-do Tuesday!

Also check out The Owl's Nest: From To-Do to Ta-Da!

Have a wonderful day! Happy list making!

Mohawk

2009-04-27T13:24:00.004-04:00

Before

After

Morning Prelude in Green Valley

2009-04-26T07:49:00.006-04:00

My dear mother-in-law sent me this beautiful email the other morning.

Soft morning breeze and sunrise in a clear sky - Looking across the flat green valley toward the hard crusty mountains, what stands up are stately palms with their feathery tops waving, and taller dark spikes of cedar or cypress trees (??) This palm gently shakes her branches like a rustling taffeta skirt.

The neighborhood is awakening with its daily chattering alarms. Sparrows fluttering about feeding babies in the tile roof openings, mourning doves cooing from various perches. Two sit quietly on the wall.

Mr. Gambrel Quail jogs in quick spurts along the garden wall, watching carefully for - anything - peering past his black plume, he spots the two doves and hones in. As he gets closer, he lowers his head and the doves depart. Satisfied, Mr Quail also departs.

Flicker goes about his appointed rounds at chimney covers, tapping out the wake up call, moving from house to house.

Cactus wren jabber, jabber, jabber now and then. Bright yellow Goldfinches check out the red ocotillo blooms for insects.

ALARM, ALARM !! On a large bush, a flock of sparrows are silhouetted - one atop each small twig - all chattering and facing......A HA !! here comes RoadRunner on his jaunty morning constitutional. So innocent ! Sparrows keep him in sight and cry continuously - facing him with every diversion he tries. Get Gone, Mr Roadrunner !!

Woodpeckers look in cactus holes, and announce their bouncing flight to the next saguaro. Cardinal flashes by to sit in a tree top searching for 'Wicker Wicker Wicker !!"

Zzzzzzzzoooooooooom Ms. Hummer says, bunny rabbit moves in under a bush. Mr Lizard scampers over the rocks, watching out for RoadRunner.

MockingBird sums them all up for a long morning prelude, backed up by the steading questioning rhythm of all the lost quail: "Where??, where??, where??."

Barb
Not all who wander are lost.

I just thought this was so nice. I absolutely love the early morning, as the sun rises. All is still and then the music of birds and life starting to awake. Then the treasures you see as the light opens the door to a busy world!

A very happy day to you!

Drink Anyone?

2009-04-24T07:36:00.007-04:00

Wordful Wednesday - Spaghetti Sauce

2009-04-22T00:01:00.002-04:00

My Sam loves spaghetti
with lots of sauce!

He also insists on doing it all himself!

A magical day to you!

I participate in Wordful Wednesday sponsored by
SevEn cLoWn CirCus

Check out the Wordless Wednesday HQ!

You may also like these:

To-do Tuesday

2009-04-21T08:53:00.001-04:00

So I am starting to really get into this, I never remember (until Monday night) to check things off BUT I think of my list often and when I have a minute to spare I think of something on my list because I would love to report that I actually completed my list!!!

I am also one of those people that adds things to the list just to cross them off, so I have added a couple things to last weeks list that I did actually accomplish!

I feel like it was a good week, I was able to do a few things. I also got a few consecutive hours of sleep - that really is a task in our house of children! I also feel like we are getting a good routine, it seems life after Willy was born was just hectic and it has taken us awhile to settle in but I feel like we are there! Sam is back to himself, still a little naughty at time, just like a one year old should be but I no longer feel like I am going insane!

So here we go with the lists ...

Review of Last Weeks List:

Organize Boy Clothes (this has been started)
Clean Out The File Cabinet (one out of four drawers done, and it was moved inside)
Write 2nd Blog Post for: Beautiful Like Me
Paperwork for health insurance - mailed yesterday!
Work on Garden Plan: what are we panting and where, etc...
Have dinner ready on time, almost every day!
Clean and organized shed - it looks great!
1st attempt to make yogurt - I will post soon about this, 1st attempt, too runny!

So this week I am going to carry forward items and add a couple!!

My To Do List:

Organize Boy Clothes
Clean Out The File Cabinet
Write 3rd Blog Post for: Beautiful Like Me
2nd attempt at making yogurt
Work on Garden Plan: what are we panting and where, etc...
Have dinner ready on time, almost every day!
Finish some blog posts that I have started!
Take kids to the zoo
Clean off porch

Want to start your own To-Do List, stop over and visit Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting with her To-do Tuesday!

Have a wonderful day! Happy list making!

Mirror, Mirror on The Wall!

2009-04-20T07:53:00.007-04:00

This weeks topic is:
"What do today’s children and teens feel pressured to imitate? Why?"

A friend recently stated that "... my children are mirrors ..." and although we were talking about something very different, it struck me. It just seemed like such a powerful statement, are my children truly a mirror of myself? After much thought and a whole lot of observations of my children, I do believe that there is a lot of truth in this statement. Children's first and probably most important role model is their parents and/or primary care provider. But I think this comes naturally, there is not the pressure to imitate. So as a parent I need to remember that my children are indeed watching and I need to set the best examples as I can, I also need to be aware that there are other influences.

I believe that these other influences can vary some depending on the lifestyle of the family. As a homeschooling family we have been lucky to avoid some of the pressures that a public school offers. When I was a teen this was huge ... there were others with better clothes, more money,
better this and that OR so I thought! I am very thankful that my children do not have the pressures to try to 'fit in' at a public school because it can be very difficult.

So as always I was struggling with where to go with my post, I decided to interview my daughter (who is fourteen) and here is what she had to say:

Me: "What do you think that teens feel pressure to imitate?"
Caitlyn: "Celebrities and stuff they see in magazines and on TV."
Me: "Why do you think teens feel this pressure?"
Caitlyn: "Because that is what is suppose to be cool and they want to be cool."
Me: "Do yo feel these pressures?"
Caitlyn: "No note really."
Me: "Why not?"
Caitlyn: "I think , well 1. because I am homeschooled, 2. the way you raised me and 3. I don't see the point in focusing on stuff like that when you could be doing something to help the world."
Me: "What does being homeschooled have to do with it?"
Caitlyn: I am not influenced by the school and stuff. Because there is so many kids there and they talk and rumors and stuff and I do not have to deal with that.
Me: "What kind of things are teens imitating?"
Caitlyn: "Like how much they weigh, look a certain way, buy certain brands."
Me: "Is there anything wrong with teens imitating celebrities?"
Caitlyn: "Yes and no, I think that as a person you can do as you want so if you want to act like someone else fine but some things are not so healthy and you should just be yourself, not someone else."
Me: "What would not be healthy?"
Caitlyn: "Like with weight, starving yourself to be like someone else would not be healthy."
Me: If you were a celebrity, what kind of role model would you be?"
Caitlyn: "I don't know, I would just act like myself."
Me: "Do you think celebrities have a responsibility to be good role models?
Caitlyn: "No, is is not really their responsibility, it is more people responsibility to realize that they are people too. Maybe it is the media that makes them out to be these amazing people that we should imitate when they are just people with a job."

And then I lost her to her book!!

I think that Caitlyn has a great outlook and is not pressured to imitate anyone. I would like to say that it was because of my remarkable parenting skills BUT I can not. I do think that I help ... mostly by talking about it a lot but also Caitlyn has a confidence about her that she was born with. I do wonder sometimes how this would be different if she had the daily pressures of public school but honestly I am thankful that we are not dealing with it!!

I also know that each child is very different and even though Caitlyn is bubbling with positive self-esteem, my second child, Allyson is not and it is even more important that keep communication lines open with her. And then I have four boys who are all very different and I am sure will each have their own needs regarding self image!

So I guess for me, I find it difficult to really answer this question but as a parent I must be aware that there are many outside influences in this world and we need to help the very individual needs of all our children! So please take a minute or two and open up a conversation with the young one in you life about their self image, it could change their life!

In addition to myself check out who else has committed to this project, I will be adding as people post:

My Co-hosts: WickedStepMom and Tricia at Shout

Judy Haley at CoffeeJitters
Cate at Nature's Child
Lisa at Use Your Wisdom
Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting
Tricia at Shout

Next post scheduled for Monday, May 4th
What features/qualities would we like today’s children to see as beautiful?

Happy Birthday, Cyrus!

2009-04-18T10:36:00.005-04:00

A year ago today my little sister became a mom! She brought Cyrus Howard into this world. Although this was not in her game plan she has become a perfect mom (hey, dad you are great too) and Cyrus is a breathe of fresh air! See that smile, it can melt your heart.

Today we are sending him this birthday wish -- as we can not be in Vermont to celebrate with them, we are celebrating here for him. We miss you guys so much and hope that you have a most wonderful day. I expect lots of pictures!

Happy Birthday, Cyrus!

Much love to you and to your mom & dad for making you so wonderful!

Mamarazzi's Favorite Thing Swap!

2009-04-17T09:59:00.002-04:00

I am so excited Mamarazzi is hosting her third Favorite Thing Swap. I participated in her first swap and it was so much fun. I did not do her second one as my baby was due and I was concerned I would not be organized enough BUT I am ready this time and so excited! This was so much fun last time!

So head on over to Dandelion Wishes to see what all the fuss is about! And stay tuned for more from me about this so fun swap!

My Point of View

2009-04-17T00:01:00.009-04:00

Here is my view of Willy a lot of the time. He loves to ride in the sling and it allows me to get a few things done! But as he is growing so fast I wanted to take a picture from my view so I could remember it ...

And here he is snuggled in. These moments are precious. Sometimes Willy just stares up at me, soaking it all in. Then when he flashes me a big smile, it melts my heart!

I always wanted to use a sling but never had very good luck until now! I love my New Native Baby Carrier which I bought on eBay for $5.00!!!! I do not know what I will do when he grows out of it.

A spectacular weekend to you!

I entered this post in Tiaras & Tantrums, What Are You Wearing? today, so stop over check it out!

Thankful Thursday Thirteen- Caitlyn

2009-04-16T00:01:00.002-04:00

Caitlyn has many, many 'things' that make me thankful ... she is an amazing girl who has taught me so much. One quality that she has that I admire greatly is her love of books ... she has been known to devour a large novel in one day! So here is my thankful thirteen for this week:

Thirteen things I never thought I would say to my fourteen year old daughter!

1. "Did you already finish that book"
2. "Please put the book down"
3. "Do not pick up that book"
4. "Do not start a new book right now"
5. "You have to stop reading long enough to ..."
6. "I will only buy you another book if ..."
7. "You really have read all those books already"
8. "How many books have you read this week"
9. "I can not afford to keep you in books"
10. "No we are not going to McKay's (the used bookstore), we were there yesterday"
11. "She is not listening, she is reading"
12. "You will need to get a job to pay for all your books"
13. "STOP reading and pay attention"

Now, I hope that you all know that I am not some mean mommy that is denying my child books. She reads all the time. I love this and should not complain about it BUT I will say that when she is in a book, she does nothing else. You can not talk to her, she does not stop, she just reads, as wonderful as this is, there are other things in life that need to happen ... showers, eating, etc...

I will say I have used this to my advantage ... when there is a particular book that I want her to read, I bribe her:

Caitlyn: "I need a book."
Me: "How about The Red Badge of Courage?'
Caitlyn, in that teenager tone: "mom"
Me: "If you read The Red Badge of Courage, I will take you to McKays."
Caitlyn, again in that teenager tone: "FINE!"

And she read it, in one afternoon (she said it was not the best) and we were off to McKays in the mornng! So if any of you have book ideas that she should read, send them along and if you have books themselves ... send them too!

So yes indeed I am thankful (and a little envious) for Caitlyn's love of books!!!

Sponsored by:

Wondering on Wednesday - Why Wednesday?

2009-04-15T17:45:00.009-04:00

It seems that there are so many things that I want to participate in out there in bloggy land BUT lately they all seem to be on Wednesday.

Wordless Wednesday
Wordful Wednesday
Wordle Wednesday
I Want ... Wednesdays
Wednesday Weirdness
Works-For-Me Wednesday
What's Cooking Wednesday

Now my friend Tricia over at Shout has started Wondering on Wednesday! Stop over and read her post today: Wondering on Wednesday: What Questions Would You Ask? A truly courageous post.

Check out some other Wondering on Wednesday posts:

So on this Wednesday I am wondering
What Wednesday meme do I choose?

Wordful Wednesday - Night Cap, Anyone?

2009-04-15T06:45:00.005-04:00

How about a Night Cat?
hehehe!!!

A magical day to you!

I participate in Wordful Wednesday sponsored by
SevEn cLoWn CirCus

Check out the Wordless Wednesday HQ!

You may also like these:

To-do Tuesday

2009-04-14T00:01:00.005-04:00

Okay lets review last weeks list! I did not complete it, not even close BUT I did start lots of things and did a few other things, that I am adding as checked items so it appears that I have done something!

Last Weeks List:

Organize Boy Clothes

Started: gave Willy some closet space

Clean Out The File Cabinet

Started: cleaned out one drawer

Write 2nd Blog Post for: Beautiful Like Me
Water House Plants
Work on Garden Plan: what are we panting and where, etc...
Have dinner ready on time, almost every day!

Almost: With the exception of one day!

Clean and organized the pantry!
Set up incubator project for Jacob.
Cleaned out refrigerator!

So this week I am going to carry forward items and add a couple!!

My To Do List:

Organize Boy Clothes
Clean Out The File Cabinet
Write 2nd Blog Post for: Beautiful Like Me
Paperwork for health insurance
Work on Garden Plan: what are we panting and where, etc...
Have dinner ready on time, almost every day!

This is not the only things I do, I just wanted to add that there are many other things besides this list and my blog that I work on everyday. Laundry, dishes, and toy clean up are a never ending job here! I also do lessons with the kids, read, take care of animals, etc... Oh yeah and play ... with six children their is always someone who wants to play something!!!!!

Want to start your own To-Do List, stop over and visit Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting with her To-do Tuesday!

Have a wonderful day!

Happy Monday

2009-04-13T11:25:00.004-04:00

My three littlest guys!
How precious they are!

Happy Monday to you!

Thankful Thursday Thirteen - Spring

2009-04-09T00:01:00.002-04:00

I am thankful for the beautiful spring flowers
And that I can see them
And smell them

I am thankful for the the birds
And that I can see their colors
And that I can hear their beautiful songs

I am thankful for the sunshine
And that I can see its glow
And feels its warmth

I am thankful for the blue sky
I am thankful for the budding trees
I am thankful for the rich dirt
And I am so thankful that all of the above provides for me!

Sponsored by:

Wordful Wednesday - Trigger!

2009-04-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

Please say hello to Trigger, he is a greyhound that my Uncle and Aunt have adopted!!! He is the third greyhound that they have adopted.

I always thought that greyhounds were a very high maintenance dog BUT let me tell you, these pups are great! They like to run fast but for a short amount of time and they like to lay around on the softest thing they can find all the rest of their day!

Here is Trigger in his new bed, complete with pillows, blanket and a stuffed animal! This is a typical scene at my Uncle and Aunts house. These pups are spoiled! They just adopted Trigger and he is just settling in so nicely. He had been at the kennel for over a year, why you may ask? because he is so BIG!!! Here he is next to JoLo who until seeing this picture I thought was a big dog!

And so she does not feel left out, here is Lulu and her name is very fitting!

There are many greyhound rescue groups. In Vermont you can look here! They are sweet and fun animals. And around this house they are loved and spoiled!

A magical day to you!

I participate in Wordful Wednesday sponsored by
SevEn cLoWn CirCus

Check out the Wordless Wednesday HQ!

You may also like these:

To-do Tuesday

2009-04-06T22:12:00.004-04:00

Okay lets review last weeks list! I did not complete it, not even close BUT I did think of it quite a bit and was able to start a little! I was sidetracked a little with a 'stray cat with kittens' project (more about that later).

Last Weeks, My To Do List:

Organize Boy Clothes
Write Blog Post for: Beautiful Like Me - finished at the last moment!
Clean Out The File Cabinet - I did start this!!!

So this week I am going to carry forward items and add a couple!!

My To Do List:

Organize Boy Clothes
Clean Out The File Cabinet
Write 2nd Blog Post for: Beautiful Like Me
Water House Plants
Work on Garden Plan: what are we panting and where, etc...
Have dinner ready on time, almost every day!

Want to start your own To-Do List, stop over and visit Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting with her To-do Tuesday!

Have a wonderful day!

Self-Image - Beautiful Like Me!

2009-04-05T23:17:00.005-04:00

How our self-image effects the self-image of our children.

I have started this post several times. I am just not sure what I want to write. I can honestly say that I have struggled all my life with my self-image. Today it is a much more positive image than it use to be but still some days I struggle. I have been going over and over in my head why? Was it my role models? Was it pressure from my peers? Was it self inflicted? Or was it some strange combination? Then I realized that it really depends on how you define self-image, I think that there is a whole lot that goes along with ones self-image but for today I am going to take one little piece and tell you a little story.

When I was twenty-two years old I had my first child, a beautiful baby girl and one night when she was just a few days old I was sitting nursing her and staring into her beautiful little face. I made a promise to her to be the best mom that I could be and to help her grow up to be a healthy, strong, beautiful woman. Then I began to wonder how was I going to do this? What did she need from me for this to happen? And truly what I came up with was she needed me to set a good example for her ... wow this seemed easy, right?

What I found is it was not so easy. Habits that I had from so long ago were hard to break. My deep rooted feelings for my body image was bad, bad, bad. I had always struggled with my weight and when I was pregnant had gained a lot more weight so I was not very happy with myself. I found myself frequently changing my clothes a million times before I left the house, standing in front of the mirror, turning every which way and stomping back to the closet, with tears because everything looked awful... then it happened, my daughter was probably two and we were getting ready to go somewhere and she came to the mirror dressed in a beautiful little floral dress and turned from side to side, peered up at me and said: "Mommy does this make me look fat?"

Oh my goodness, this broke my heart, I had to do something to stop this and right now so again I made a promise to be a good role model for my daughter. I needed to become comfortable with me, she needed to see that I was comfortable with me. And indeed this is what I did. There are still times when I change my clothes a million times or feel exceptionally 'fat' but I would never share this with my children. And if I do share some feelings of my body with them I also share a solution. Such as, "you know I am feeling like I need to lose a little weight, maybe I should exercise some more."

Thinking back to my childhood I did not have this. My mother too struggled with her weight and was very vocal about it. There were many diets and at times it was a real focal point for the whole family. And then there were always the fashion rules to look skinnier, I can still hear my mom say: light on top, dark on bottom, no patterns, no stripes going around, etc... these 'rules' were ingrained in my head. I know my mom was doing the best that she could but I did NOT want my daughter to have to worry about this EVER and especially not at two years old.

My daughter is now fourteen years old and is very confident and has a great self-image - she knows she is beautiful (but not in a bad way). She loves to be fashionable in her own way. I would like to think that I have something to do with it but I am not sure because my second daughter is not so confident, even though I have tried to be the same positive role model for her, she still is a little more shy, a little more unsure and a little more aware of her self-image. So I do think that there are many factors in developing a positive self-image but I do agree that YES, my self-image has a lot to do with my children's self-image.

As both of my daughters are smack dab in the prime of self-image growth and so very influential I have had to think more and more about the examples that I am setting. I also have had to look at the other role models that they may have. For our family communication is huge ... I really believe that if we just talk about all these things all the time that my children will learn what is right for them. So we talk a lot about models, movie stars, even people we might see at the store and current events around self-image. We examine it and I try to help my children to see where this thinking that we have to be skinny and look a certain way to be beautiful comes from and help them to define beauty for themselves.

I do not have all the answers but I think that it is so important to know that you are being watched ... you are a role model for someone, maybe your own children, nieces, neighbors or maybe even for a co-worker or someone who sees you at the grocery store. Lets all set a good example and help others to see the beauty that we have within ourselves and that they have within themselves.

I am beautiful like me! And you are beautiful like you!!!

In addition to WickedStepMom and myself check out who else has committed to this project:

It is not too late to join us, each story told touches someones life and makes a difference.

Don't forget to sign Mr. Linky so that we can all come read your post!!!

Beautiful Like Me Project - Reminder!

2009-04-05T06:21:00.006-04:00

Don’t forget to check out WickedStepMom’s Beautiful Like Me project. The first round-table post goes up Monday. Can we count on you to join in?

In addition to WickedStepMom and myself, here’s a peek at who’s committed to joining the project:

* Tricia at Shout
* Lori at My Life Interrupted
* Lisa at Use Your Wisdom
* Cate at Nature’s Child
* Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting
* Jen at The Story of Us

It is not too late to join us, each story told touches someones life and makes a difference. Our topic for this post will be:

How our self-image effects the self-image of our children.

Random Picture Challenge

2009-04-04T11:19:00.004-04:00

Today I decided to join in the fun over at 4 little men and girly twins, stop over to see everyone who has joined in the fun! Oh yeah and feel free to join in too!

February 2008
or
17th folder
33rd picture

This is Rick, taken at the World Fair park here in Knoxville, this past November. It was a gorgeous day and what made this day spectacularly special is that our dear friend Shannon was here visiting us. Matter-a-fact I am quite sure she took this picture. We miss her lots, maybe she will come back and visit!

Thankful Thursday Thirteen - Life

2009-04-02T00:01:00.002-04:00

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.

- Tao Te Ching

I am not sure where I found this but I like it very much. So I thought I would shape me Thankful Thursday Thirteen around it.

I am thankful for access to so much information, such as the above quote.
I am thankful for a roof over my head.
I am thankful for the food on our table
And in our cupboard.
I am thankful that I have the ability to think
And learn.
I am thankful that I can feel
And express my feelings.
I am thankful for the work that Dan has.
I am thankful I have choices.
I am thankful for my family, every moment - good and bad!
I am thankful for being able to take this advice (and other advice)
Or not.

A Wonderful Peaceful Day to you!

Sponsored by:

Wordful Wednesday - Hand Fed

2009-04-01T00:01:00.002-04:00

Here are Jacob and Rick hand feeding our chickens! They have become so friendly that the boys can pet them.

The other day a lady came to the house to pick up something I had advertised on Freecycle and when she stepped out of her car all the chickens came running over ... she looked panicked, I told they were friendly, just looking for treats!

I frequently open the door to go out and they will be on the porch waiting for bread!!

The kids really enjoy them, and I too enjoy having them around. We are now getting an average of six eggs per day in a variety of sizes and colors (tan, dark brown, pink, blue, green, and speckled). It is much like Easter each day as only a couple lay in the coop, a couple lay in various places in the shed and someone is now laying in the bushes behind the house!

To read our funny chicken story go here!

A magical day to you!

I participate in Wordful Wednesday sponsored by
SevEn cLoWn CirCus

Check out the Wordless Wednesday HQ!

You may also like these:

Wednesday Wordle - My Week

2009-03-31T20:03:00.003-04:00

{click to make bigger}

I am joining PolymerClaySnails in Wednesday Wordle. Want to join in on Wordle Wednesdays by creating your own Wordle (www.wordle.net) and posting it to your blog.

To-Do Tuesday

2009-03-31T08:43:00.006-04:00

Okay, I am trying again! My first attempt, you can see here, went well but I just have not got my act together since! Wonder why?!

I would love to do a daily list and frequently do make one the night before but I am not organized (or committed) enough to plan a week ahead. There really are too many things that can go all wacky right now! So I have decided to list three projects that I would like to 'work' on this week. Maybe not complete but at least get started!

My To Do List:

Organize Boy Clothes
Write Blog Post for: Beautiful Like Me
Clean Out The File Cabinet

Want to start your own To-Do List, stop over and visit Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting with her To-do Tuesday!

Have a wonderful day!

Beautiful Like Me Project

2009-03-30T06:15:00.008-04:00

I am so excited to help introduce this project. WickedStepMom from Life and Times of A Wicked Step Mom and Tricia from Shout Daily have asked me to participate in this wonderful new project called Beautiful Like Me. The essence of this project is:

Teach the next generation about true beauty and self confidence.

Help girls and boys to have a better self body image and to stand up for beauty in all forms.

We would like to invite all of you to join this project. Grab the button below and join us in blogging to help see how beautiful we all are!

So please join us on April 6th for our next post, each story told touches someones life and makes a difference. Our topic for this post will be:

How our self-image effects the self-image of our children.

Please share with us what you think ... mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, group leaders, or whoever you may be, chances are you are a role model for someone (even if you do not realize it)! We want to hear your story!
Come on and join us, display this badge proudly! You can join in any time. Please feel free to join us in spreading the word, if you do post let me know ... add your name to the list of beautiful people!

I wish you, beautiful you, a most wonderful day!

Friday Flashback - Just For Fun!

2009-03-27T08:42:00.002-04:00

This crew is my husband and friends way back in high school!

Dan (hubby), Mike, Matt, Mark & Jeff

Thankful Thursday Thirteen - My Little Sam

2009-03-26T00:01:00.001-04:00

There is no denying that when a new baby arrives in a home with children that there is some adjustments that need to take place. There is also no denying that when you are one years old that this adjustment can be very difficult. So my little Sam has had his moments (quite a few lately) of naughtiness, leading to frustration of parents and siblings. We do not blame him, we understand that he is only one, his place as baby has just been taken away by a new sibling and his life as he knows it has been disrupted. So we are trying to give extra hugs and love to help him through this tough transition. So this week I am honoring him with this blog post.

My Thankful Thursday Thirteen - My Little Sam

And so many other reasons that make Sam the beautiful person that he is.

Sponsored by:

Wordless Wednesday -- Precious

2009-03-25T00:01:00.006-04:00

I know, another picture of someone snuggling the baby, but honestly there is a lot of baby holding going on around here.

And something funny: the other morning daddy came walking out of the bedroom and Jacob said: "Dad you look just like Willy. You both look grumpy, have two chins and no hair!" Poor daddy!! Darn children are so honest.

And here is Willy. This is from his first photo shoot at our friends studio.

And last but far from least is my children, thank you Kim for taking the time to try to get all of the kids to cooperate for a picture!
I think it came out quite good, there are little things like Caitlyn's evil eyes, Ricks's finger in his belly button and Jacob's hand in front of Willy but it really captures them! I love it!

A magical day to you!

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Spring Has Sprung

2009-03-24T10:59:00.001-04:00

Caitlyn took some pictures of all the beautiful signs of spring! It is just beautiful outside with lots of flowers appearing everyday!

Rick's New Wheels

2009-03-22T11:51:00.004-04:00

See what we found at the Thrift Shop!!!! YEAH! We had looked at these because Rick's litte bike with plastic wheels just would not go on the gravel BUT these where $100. or more --- uugghh! But we found this at a Thrift Shop for $20, added a little air to the tires and it is as good as new! Heavy duty metal with real tractor tires! It even has a trailer hitch... can you keep a secret? We may look at trailers for Rick's birthday!

PS. On a side note a fashion tip: check out Jacob's socks!!!!

What Are You Wearing?

2009-03-20T07:10:00.001-04:00

Today we are joining Tiaras & Tantrums with What Are You Wearing? Friday! Let me tell you I could never participate in this because really who wants to see my old sweatpants? But I have these pictures of Ally in her favorite outfit and thought I would share it!

So here she is sporting her favorite "Don't Bug Me" tie dyed shirt. Ally actually had this same shirt when she was little but she out grew it, then just recently she found this larger version at a thrift shop for $2.00

And here is a close up of her typical footwear ... her tie dyed organic cotton socks (they go with everything) and her new sneakers that she got at the mall with her Aunt Lisa (the shopping expert).

I love Ally's style. For her she could wear this to the playground or out to dinner -- it is comfy and works for her. I love that about her!

So stop over to Tiaras & Tantrums to see other What Are You Wearing? posts! And join in the fun!

Theatrical Thursday

2009-03-19T00:01:00.001-04:00

Children's Theatre of Knoxville holds workshops in which students learn about creative dramatics in a practical setting: they rehearse and present a short 20-minute play!
The Teenagers Imagi-Stage class recently performed an adaptation of O. Henry's classic suspense story "The Last Leaf." Caitlyn Lemmon plays Miss Joanna, and Stephanie Spoon plays her roommate Miss Sue. Seth Roseman plays the girls' lifelong friend Rand. Belle Forrester plays the artist Miss Louisa, and Courtney Kelley plays the pivotal role of Dr. Mary McMillen.
Caitlyn did a wonderful job, as did all these teens. I am just amazed at what they can accomplish in just five weeks.
Bravo to all of these up and coming dramatic performers!!!

Wordful Wednesday - Big Brother!

2009-03-18T00:01:00.003-04:00

So basically, Willy is held all the time. He is very loved by all his siblings!

I am so glad that Rick loves his new brother and I look forward to watching them grow together!

A magical day to you!

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"Plant Your Feet Firmly On The Ground"

2009-03-17T15:28:00.004-04:00

So for a couple of days I have been planning a post in my head, seeking help and advice on how to keep my lovely one year old's feet planted firmly on the ground. He seems to have taken to climbing ... I have 'baby proofed' everything possible and still he climbs. We keep all the chairs ON the table or in the other room with the door closed (not convenient by any means). We have gates and barricades everywhere BUT still he climbs ... onto the table, onto the back of the couch, onto the beds, up on his toys, etc... it is not that I mind that he is up there but then he attempts to jump and flop around and I know that we are going to end up at the hospital!!! And saving my sanity ... because not only does he climb up on everything, all the time but when I speak to him he plops himself down, with a very naughty grin and says "sit"!

So, in my head I have been planning out this post, a plea for help, how do I provide Sam's apparent need to scale high mountains within a safe environment without installing a rock climbing wall including harnesses and spotters!?!?!?

BUT then I was looking for a cute little picture of Sam to include and found these two ...

Now how can I help but be sad that this is the view. I too seem to always have many things out of my reach - as I topped out at a whopping five foot it seems that most of life is built for the taller -- so I find myself toting a foot stool, jumping up or other creative things to reach those things way up high!

So really can I blame my little munchkin for wanting to experience the world from a new perspective? I guess not BUT I still need to keep him safe!

Like Mother, Like Son!

2009-03-17T00:01:00.002-04:00

See what Grandma bought to pull her camper!!!

VROOOOM! VROOOOOM!

Daddy's New Truck

2009-03-16T11:51:00.006-04:00

It is BIG, RED and makes the BOYS (big and small included) SMILE!

Wordful Wednesday - Big Sis!

2009-03-11T16:24:00.004-04:00

Caitlyn loves to cuddle Willy AND he seems to be just fine with it!!!

A magical day to you!

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STOP!!!! Please.

2009-03-06T23:49:00.003-05:00

Please stop time. Yesterday my littlest man turned three weeks old. Where did these days go?
It seems like only last night we welcomed little you into our home. And now you have already grown so much ... no really Willy weighed in at 8 pounds 2 ounces today. That is over a pound already!
I think he looks so cute when daddy holds him. Maybe because I can see him or maybe because compared to daddy he is such a little peanut.
Now that I am feeling a little better, I hope to get posting and get to take LOTS of pictures!!!!! Three weeks have slipped by without me even knowing. It just goes too fast!

I will be spending the weekend enjoying the sunshine, airing germs out of my house and enjoying a healthier family. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Thankful Thursday - A Mess Of Thoughts!

2009-03-05T16:00:00.004-05:00

In the wee hours of the night, last night, I sat thinking about all the things that I needed to do ... laundry, dishes, sweeping, write something on my blog. February was a tough month and I had hoped that March would be much easier. As I have mentioned we have all been sick here ... we spent the better part of February dealing with nasty colds (possible whooping cough) and thought we were all on the mend, just in time for the new little one to join us. Then we were hit again, this time with a nasty, nasty flu/cold thing that has has knocked us all down.

Yesterday, I spent the whole day with a fever of 104, headache, chills, and miserable. The kids have been up coughing and feverish, Dan has been sick and the 'to do list' was getting longer and longer. So, as I was saying in the wee hours of the night, as I sat nursing Sam who had been up coughing and cuddling Willy who had just gone back to sleep, I was feeling quite overwhelmed. The tears streamed down my face and I just said a little prayer that the illness that has taken over our house would go away and that I could sleep -- FOR JUST A FEW HOURS!!!!

Today, as I am feeling a little better, the sun is shining and a few things on the to do list has been done, I said to Dan ... "This is not what I planned." As Willy will probably be our last baby, I had hoped for the perfect birth and then Dan was going to be home, family would visit and all would be well ... unfortunately here we are, Willy is three weeks old and we have all been sick since his birth. BUT then I got to thinking that it could be worse ... we have a wonderful family, we are on the mend and life will go on ... so I should just stop complaining! Or at least be thankful for all the precious people around me and things that I have.

So on this day I am just going to say that I am very thankful for the many people in my life that make it so wonderful! Thank you all for your kindness.

Wordful Wednesday - Snuggles

2009-03-04T07:42:00.003-05:00

There is nothing like a snuggle with the baby!

I am realizing that I need a new camera, any suggestions? Something easy but takes a little better quality, mine digital is now fourteen years old!!!

A magical day to you!

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Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!

2009-03-01T14:01:00.002-05:00

Fevers, coughs, drippy noses, hack, sniff, fuss, whine, whimper, OH MY!

So I am marking February 2009 up for the month of the 'cough'. It seems that we have had little miserable germs all month. It is time for it to go away ...

As I sit here with my little William snuggled in my arms, eating a little lunch ... while in the living room Hubby and five wee ones are all snuggled in blankets, coughing and feverish ... I realize that maternity leave is over, it is time to get back to being mommy!!!!

Oh and maybe somewhere along the way I can get back to blogging too! I have so many things that I want to share including William's Birth Story, tandem nursing update, stories of family visits and funny things that little ones have to say.

Hope everyone is staying healthy and here is to a magical March!

Family Visit

2009-02-26T07:21:00.002-05:00

Well, I have been really bad about blogging this week! But I have been enjoying a visit from family and cuddling with the new baby! Here is my sister and nephew working on their laptops!!!! I am so glad that they are here, I have missed them greatly and I am enjoying every second of their visit! So I am sorry about the lack of blogging but I will be back soon!!!

William Isaac Lemmon

2009-02-19T15:55:00.001-05:00

Thankful Thursday

2009-02-19T04:56:00.003-05:00

I am thankful for a tiny bundle of you who arrived in our home on February 19th at 1:05am.

A Boy!
6 pounds 15 ounces!
21 inches long!

More details to come ... name, pictures, etc...

Thank you so much for every ones kind thoughts and energies.

Wordful Wednesday - Pictureless!

2009-02-18T07:39:00.004-05:00

So if you have been reading, we are waiting on the baby! Monday night when my water broke I thought - oh goody I will have a new baby picture for my Wordful Wednesday post -- but low and behold we are still waiting for this little one to make its grand appearance.

With little thought and effort (I will admit), I have grabbed this picture of Dan (isn't he cute). He is preparing our favorite evening snack -- ROOTBEER FLOATS!!!
Floats have been our family favorite for a long time and daddy always makes them! YUMMY! Funny guy Rick like his rootbeer float in his mug with NO ice cream! He is such a nut!

So there you have it a post and hopefully soon I will have pictures of our new bundle of joy!

A magical day to you!

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To-do Tuesday

2009-02-17T03:59:00.008-05:00

This week I have decided to join Lisa over at Crazy Adventures in Parenting with her To-do Tuesday list. Go check out her list, she is VERY ambitious this week!

I also used Lisa's tutorial to make make check box on my To-do List. It was easy to follow and I greatly appreciated it!

Well, normally I have a million things to do and I am sure that I will be able to add but this week I have one major To-do that I would like to focus on, so here it is:

Have Baby

*And as my water broke last night, I am thinking I can get this done!!!!

Waiting ...

2009-02-16T22:39:00.004-05:00

So tomorrow is my due date and my water broke about an hour ago ... yeah!!! So here I am waiting for the contractions to begin! With my last two births it was over 24 hours between my water breaking and their miracle births, so I should really try to get some sleep. But who can sleep when you are anticipating the arrival of a new baby. I am so curious and excited about who this little one is, this little one that I have known but not met for so many days. This little one that I have talked to, sung to, danced with, snuggled and cuddled for nine months ... knowing nothing about them.

I have sent my family off to bed to get a little sleep -- someone should get some rest -- there is no need for us all to be exhausted. I will run on adrenaline for quite some time and once this little one arrives I will be put to bed to cuddle and rest for a few days!

I will keep everyone posted!

"I Do Count"

2009-02-16T06:04:00.000-05:00

So I thought I would share this funny little story. Saturday night we had a family game night. Grandma is here visiting so it has been lots of fun to pull out games and just laugh and have fun as a family.

The game of choice was Cranium's Family Fun, we always have so much fun with this game. So as we sat at the table setting up the board, the kids are trying to figure out the teams ... we want it to be fair and as there is some reading and writing required, we must pair the little ones on teams with older ones!!! So as the debating progressed, the conversation went like this:

Mommy: "We need to put the littlier ones on teams with an adult to help them out."
Caitlyn (14 year old): "Rick, is too little he does not count."
Mommy: Flashes a look of 'please be nice'!
Rick (3 year old) says in a very big voice: "I do count, Caitlyn. One. Two. Three. Four."

Oh yeah, it was cute! And guess whose team won both games?

Before and After - With Love!

2009-02-15T06:00:00.003-05:00

Ally decided it was time to get her haircut. It has been almost two years. Ally likes her hair plain, which is good because with her very straight and very crazy cowlicks she really does not have a lot of choices - unless she is willing to put a LOT of time and effort into it -- and that is not going to happen!

So here she is before:

One of Ally's goals was to cut enough to donate, which indeed she did. She cut over ten inches which will be sent to Locks of Love, if you are not familiar with this program, this is what it is: "Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis."

And here she is after:

She is so beautiful, in so many ways!!!

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-14T05:59:00.005-05:00

I have been out there reading some blogs this morning with beautiful love stories, poems and letters all expressing their love to that special person in their lives. Each time I read I think "wow, I should have written something like that for Dan." But here I am scrounging around trying to find the words to write to him ... not because he does not deserve all these eloquently put stories, poems and/or letters BUT because I am just awful at this kind of stuff! Oh, how I have dreamed of romance like in the movies but for the life of me could not pull it off! It just is not me and if we are honest it is not Dan either ... we do not usually make a big deal over Valentines Day but I thought I would tell everyone a little about my thoughts.

I do believe in true love, I do believe in love at first sight and I do believe that it can be the most wonderful thing in the world. I have been blessed with finding it ... Dan and I met when I was ten years old and he was fourteen. His family bought the house across the road from us and for me it was love at first sight (it took Dan some time to catch on :). We did become very good friends, very quickly and a few years later (I was fifteen) we started dating. When I was twenty-one we married - there are times when this seems like a lifetime ago BUT then there are times when I can remember our first kiss like it was just a second ago.

Relationships of any sort are not easy, all the time, and ours has had its bumps and curves throughout BUT I think most importantly we have always come to each other first and treated each other with respect. Together we have taken our relationship through many levels to where we are now and with each new place in our lives we have learned and nurtured the needs of ourselves and each other.

So as I sit here in the wee hours of the morning in the dark and quiet, anticipating the arrival of our new baby (any day now) and thinking about the road that Dan and I have traveled together it brings tears to my eyes and a mushy feeling all over ... Dan is my only true love. I know it seems so silly to say, especially these days where it seems like it is said so often, by so many, for all the wrong reasons. I guess that is why I am not so good at this is because it is so hard to take seriously amongst the craziness of our times. With so many being so disrespectful to ones they supposedly 'love'.

So here is my little note to Dan:

My Dearest Husband:
I love you, what more can I say ... it seems that I continue to fall in love with you more frequently then I ever thought possible. You bring me strength, love, and kindness and do it with respect. You are a wonderful father, sometimes I watch you with the children because it makes me smile and warms my heart. I wish I could find the beautiful words to tell you all that is going on inside of me, to express to you the love and admiration that I feel for you but, here I sit speechless (unusual I know). So I guess you are going to have to take my "I love you" and hopefully you know it is from my heart.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentines Day.

PS. Thanks Grandma for taking pictures!

Thankful Thursday

2009-02-10T13:12:00.003-05:00

It has been a challenging couple of weeks. My two littlest guys have been sick (a very good chance it was Whooping Cough) and things have just been hectic. Some of my beliefs have been challenged by others and even worse by MYSELF. I am very happy to report that it seems to be settling down but during this time it has really made me think about some things that I am thankful for. So here is my list of Thankful Thirteen for this week, again in no particular order!

1. I am thankful that my children are starting to feel better.
2. I am thankful for my families health, in general we are all very healthy.
3. I am thankful or information and the technology to gather it ... I have spent many hours reading books, scanning the internet and on the phone to gather information.
4. I am thankful for the people around me who offer advice, even when it seems that I am not listening.
5. I am thankful for kind people willing to help.
6. I am thankful for modern medicine, for when it is needed.
7. I am thankful for naturopathic medicine for when it is right for us.
8. I am thankful for CHOICES, and the knowledge to exercise these choices.
9. I am thankful that I stayed true to my and my family beliefs through my children's illness - this was very difficult at times but I feel that it was the right thing to do.
10. I am thankful for my family, friends and bloggy friends who check in on me when I seem to disappear.
11. I am thankful for modern technologies such as washing machines, ours sure has got its use through this illness!
12. I am thankful for the sunshine that has dried my clothes this week and made it possible for us to open up the house and get a breath of fresh air.
13. I am thankful for my husband and children, they are my life and they are what make me happy to wake up in the morning and tired to go to sleep at night.

So what are you thankful for, even if you do not post about it, take a minute to think about it. There are so many wonderful things in this world and if we stop and think about them, they can bring a smile to our faces and a warmth to out heart! To read some more Thankful Thirteen head over to Crazy Adventures in Parenting, Lisa always has a wonderful post!

A Monday Moment

2009-02-09T12:08:00.002-05:00

This morning there are crocus's blooming! What a wonderful way to start the week. The sun is out, the air is warm and little blue flashes of spring are popping up all over the place. What a wonderful sight! I hope that you all have a wonderful day!

Friday Flashback

2009-02-06T10:44:00.005-05:00

Sisterly Love!

Lovely Sister!

My! My! How they have grown!

Thankful Thursday

2009-02-05T00:01:00.007-05:00

In honor of my Dear Uncle Michael I am trying to post on Thursdays, apparently Thursday has been feeling lonely -- so here is my first attempt, I thought that it would be good to do a Thankful Thursday, so I have decided to participate in Grace Alone's Thankful Thursday this week.

I actually have been hoping to do this for months now but have found it to be so overwhelming ... when I sit down to think about what I am thankful for, my brain starts to run into chaos ... the bottom line is that I have so much that I am so thankful for that I am having a hard time composing a nice neat list. So here is a list of thirteen (because it starts with 'T', matching Thursday). And as Dear Uncle Michael has requested that Thursday be a special day, I am dedicating this Thankful Thursday Thirteen to him ...

Dear Uncle Michael - these are in random order as my chaos brain sets them free!

1. I am thankful that he cares enough to read my blog!
2. I am thankful that last winter in a time of need he welcomed our family (kids & cats included) into his home for several months.
3. I am thankful that he has brought joy and happiness to my Aunts life.
4. I am thankful that my children had a chance to get to know him better.
5. For that matter, I am thankful that I was able to get to know him better.
6. I am thankful that he liked my cooking because it was the least I could do as we took over his house.
7. I am thankful that he helped my children have a winter that they will NEVER forget, complete with tractor rides, snow forts and love.
8. I am thankful for his sense of humor.
9. I am thankful for his wise advice, some taken, some not (and his respect for my choice).
10. I am thankful for his challenging questions and thoughts that makes me think and provides learning to our family homeschooling.
11. I am thankful that he has a big caring heart.
12. I am thankful for his personal firework displays, that makes a ten year old's tears flow with joy.
13. I am thankful that he is my Dear Uncle Michael, a part of my family!

Wordful Wednesday - Laugh

2009-02-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it is good to just throw back your head and laugh all the way down to your toes!!!!

It can make you feel so good!

I have been looking through some old pictures, this is Jacob just a few short years ago, my has he grown BUT he still knows how to laugh!

A magical day to you!

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I Heart Faces - Week 4 - Pets - "Anything Goes"

2009-02-03T20:54:00.005-05:00

I have posted this picture before on Wordful Wednesday but I wanted to enter it into the I Heart Faces, Anything Goes Pet Contest -- so I am posting it once again!

Please scoot right over to I Heart Faces and check out all the other entries! Oh and don't forget to join in the fun, just go here!

Tennessee Snow Day

2009-02-02T17:23:00.001-05:00

To My Dear Uncle Michael!

2009-01-29T16:38:00.004-05:00

I am dedicating this post to me dear Uncle Michael, one of the few faithful readers of my blog. Although he never post comments here on Blogger, I always get email comments with great ideas, thought provoking wisdom and much humor from each of my posts! I appreciate his dedication to my blog.

So today I received this note from him:

AMY,

I BELIEVE THAT YOU NEED TO POST A BLOG ON THURSDAYS.

THURSDAY IS LONELY.

YOU ALWAYS HAVE A WEDNESDAY BLOG.

THURSDAY'S FEELINGS ARE HURT.

IT COULD BE:

THIRSTY THURSDAYS.

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS

THANKFUL THURSDAYS

THEORETICAL THURSDAYS

THERAPEUTIC THURSDAYS

THERMAL THURSDAYS

THESAURUS THURSDAYS

THORNY THURSDAYS

THRIFTY THURSDAYS

THRILLING THURSDAYS

THROBBING THURSDAYS

THUNDERING THURSDAYS

THROWBACK THURSDAYS

THRIVING THURSDAYS

THREADBARE THURSDAYS

THEOLOGICAL THURSDAYS

WELL, YOU GET THE IDEA.

I'M LOBBYING FOR THURSDAY'S EQUAL RIGHTS. PLEASE GIVE THURSDAYS IT'S DUE! YOU COULD BE THE FIRST TO DO SO.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

THE CITIZENS FOR THURSDAY'S RIGHTFUL PLACE IN HISTORY

I know that there are others out there that have Thursday themes, I actually have been trying to get my act together to join Lisa at Crazy Adventures in Parenting with her Thankful Thursday's because I always find her list so inspiring and I think it is so nice to look at all the things that we are thankful for! But I just have not got my act together.

So in trying to please my most honored reader, I am going to give a better effort on Thursday posts -- so check in and see how I am doing!!!

And last but not least, Uncle Michael: Thank you for reading and for all your wonderful ideas! I will see what we can do ... my concern is that the other five days of the week just may not get a fair shake and there will just be more complaining!

Wordful Wednesday - Tea Party

2009-01-28T07:55:00.004-05:00

I thought this was cute, the boys were having a tea party or as I was corrected it was a 'picnic' with tea and cookies!

They were so cute. Sam is just learning to pretend, I wish I could have captured the look on his face when Jacob would 'pour the tea in his cup' he would then look in his cup like we were crazy!

But soon they all had it figured out and they played for a long time! It was really nice.

A magical day to you!

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Why Am I Complaining?

2009-01-27T07:27:00.003-05:00

This morning I received this news article from BBC News: US Women Gives Birth To Octuplets, I am not even sure how to process this ... eight babies all at once and I have been worried about a newborn with my one year old and three year old!

Then I noticed this:

"...the mother is planning to breast feed them all..."

WOW, and again I was worried about tandem nursing my two.

My thoughts go out to this family! It will be busy!

Tandem Nursing

2009-01-25T08:20:00.002-05:00

I am seeking the wise advice, thoughts, stories of all you out there about tandem nursing!

So I do have a little experience, when Sam (my now one year old) was born Rick was weaning. He was almost three at the time and really only nursed once or twice a day and sometimes not at all! When Sam arrived Rick's nursing picked up and at times it seemed they were battling for space. I tried all I could to make this enjoyable for all but really felt stressed about it a lot. Soon there after Rick weaned with no problem and all was well.

Today I am faced with a new baby arriving very shortly and Sam, my one year old nursing fiend! So I seek the thoughts of the experts ... moms who have done it! How can I make this work? I want both my babies to have their needs met and be happy and secure with mom.

So please share! I know it is not easy but I also know that it can be done! Thanks for all your help!

Energy Bursts, Shopping, & Cooking - Recipes Anyone?

2009-01-24T07:42:00.006-05:00

Here I am within the last few weeks of delivery of our new, very wiggly bundle of joy. I will admit that although there is a lot on my mind, I am ready and anxious. I love this time because of the energy ... sometimes I get burst of energy that allow me to get more done in a few hours than most weeks!!!! Who can complain (besides my children and husband who sometimes just have to move out of the way)!

This past week we were hit with illness but we survived a house full of fevers, throwing up, sore throats and coughs ... I even managed to avoid wetting myself through numerous sneezing fits, not a small task with a baby who likes to sit on your bladder!!!

After dinner last night a energy burst hit!!! So at 7:30pm, with one year old and thirteen year old in tow I decided to go get groceries. It worked out great! I will admit that grocery shopping is not my favorite thing to do and it always seems to take up so much of my day and then I am ready for a nap, this late evening shopping worked really well!

Then I went to bed with a mind full of ideas for cooking projects for the weekend. I really want to get a few things into the freezer for 'those' days after the baby is born. So on the agenda for today is Lasagna (4 pans) and Shepherds Pie - both freeze and reheat very well!

I will say that sometimes I get tired of the same meals, but adding a variety can be challenging. Do you have a great meal that freeze and reheats easy? I would love to try it, with a family of soon to be eight sometimes dinner can be a huge task ... how do you make it easier?

A very magical day to you!

Wordful Wednesday - Eggs

2009-01-21T08:51:00.005-05:00

So this may not be very exciting for some but for us it has been an adventure... we are really excited! Here is our crazy chicken story: In October we built a coop (no small task) and went and got chickens. Our hopes were to have some great laying hens. We were all excited and the kids would run out several times per day to check. As our small flock of ten chickens started maturing it seemed that we had a few roosters, the Light Brahamas that we had bought are very hard to tell -- I was told that the easiest way was when they started to crow! So one day we are out side and I counted nine different chickens crowing ... no wonder we are not getting any eggs. So the long and short of it ... eight roosters went to the freezer and we started looking for laying hens. We now have ten beautiful girlie girls (as Rick calls them) and one Rooster, George! We are all happier, and getting four or five eggs per day -- YEAH!!!!

This is Rick's little basket that he takes out to get eggs. This has become a very 'cool' thing for him to do. He goes our twice a day and collects the eggs and is always very excited when he comes back with his basket!

See the variety .. we have some brown, green and white layers. We also have two new layers that should lay very dark brown eggs ... we are waiting on them! There is one that we get every other day that is HUGE -- see on the bottom right, the egg carton will not close all the way! These pictures really do not show the variety of color but it is fun!

Here are a few of the girlie girls and George the rooster ... they are such a pleasure. We free range them during the day and they have become quite friendly. The kids (and I) are really enjoying them and now that they are providing us with eggs, it is all worth it!

A magical day to you!

I participate in Wordful Wednesday sponsored by
SevEn cLoWn CirCus

Historical Day & Sick Kids

2009-01-20T09:55:00.002-05:00

Today our country celebrates the inauguration of our 44th president. I have chose to avoid the politics of the election on my blog as there are so many thoughts, ideas and opinions and I just did not want to go there BUT regardless who you support, your beliefs, ideas, etc ... today is a part of history.

So as all my children woke up with slight fevers, runny noses and low energy we are planted with pillows, blankets, water and juice in front of the fire and TV watching the historical events. There is a part of me that is glad that we are all here watching because as it may not be important to my children today, I believe that it is something they will remember forever.

So here is to getting well, as a family and as a nation.

Monday Weather

2009-01-19T10:24:00.009-05:00

Well, this morning we are getting a little bit of snow. I would like to say that this is not a complaint. Since our big move this fall we have been enjoying the very mild climate of Tennessee. There has been no shoveling, no snow pants, no wet sloppy clothes of five children, what is there to complain about. So far this winter we have had a few cold days (below freezing but not below zero)and a few flakes of snow in the air. This morning is the most we have seen. It is beautiful to see the white flakes falling from the sky and sticking to the bushes and trees. But I think what makes it even more exciting to me is that Thursday it is suppose to be sunny and in the high 50's!!!!

See it really is not even very cold!

A pair of Cardinals that visit everyday!

Snow on bush!

Snow covered garden!

Confused ...U.S. Comsumer Product Safety Debate

2009-01-15T07:03:00.004-05:00

I am always up for a good debate and I will be honest I have not done lots of homework on this --so I am throwing it out there in hopes of getting some great insight!

It seems that there is a whole lot of uproar regarding the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's attempt to protect our children. I do understand the impact of some of the regulations on small businesses, thrift shops, etc... BUT what about protecting our children. Where is it safe and not safe.

I personally buy most clothing from thrift shops and I would really prefer that my children not be exposed to lead (or other chemical) filled clothing. I am aware and try to know what things to look for BUT I do not think that all people shopping at thrift shops are going to be this choosy, which means there will still be children exposed to these chemicals. Why is this okay? Whose responsibility is it to stop these actions.

The bottom line is there is a cycle, if we stop these products from entering our consumer circle then eventually they will be eliminated but in the mean time we have a problem. Who are we protecting the small businesses, thrift shops and a like or our children?

So go ahead, lets hear what you have to say, maybe (hopefully) I am missing something that will make this debate crystal clear to me but right now I am on the fence.

Wordful Wednesday - David & Nicholas

2009-01-14T08:42:00.004-05:00

These two handsome guys are my nephews, David and Nicholas. This picture was taken way back in December of 2002 but I really like this picture. Despite their very sleepy eyes there is a look of innocence and happiness about them. Maybe even a touch of brotherly love!

These two have not had the easiest of lives, they have been thrown many obstacles and seem to continue to struggle through them. I wish I could swoop down and save them but have realized, through many attempts, that I do not have the power to do it. What I have learned is that I can love them and be here for them whenever they need me. I just hope that they realize that I am here for them.

So on this day, as I think about where they are and how they are feeling, I would like to send this wish to them ...

David and Nichols: I wish for you an easier time with life, a hug and just a knowing that they are truly loved by many.

A magical day to you!

I participate in Wordful Wednesday sponsored by
SevEn cLoWn CirCus

Teenager's ?????

2009-01-13T12:00:00.003-05:00

Okay, now I know that I am getting old and 'forget' what it is like to be a teenager (or preteen) sometimes BUT still there are some things that I just do not get and here is one, maybe you all can help ...

Why is it more fun to copy music to an MP3 player and sit on the bed sharing earphone singing as loud as you can, then just putting the CD (or even plugging the MP3 player) into the stereo so we can all hear?

I have tried to relate and am just not getting this one ... we all listen to the same music, I just do not get this one!!!

Out Of The Mouths of Babes ...

2009-01-10T08:41:00.004-05:00

This morning Rick-A-Roonie came out from the bedroom and scooted up on the couch beside me. He snuggled in as always.

I asked: "How did you sleep?"
Rick answered, with of tone of how do you think?: "With my eyes closed."

What more could I say, so I gave him a big hug and smooch!

Have a magical day!

Nesting?

2009-01-09T07:33:00.004-05:00

Well, the thirty-four week marker passed and so we are down to less than six weeks to go in this pregnancy. This comes with a bitter sweetness ... I am anxious to meet this little new one and to be able to sleep flat on my stomach, and get up off the floor without a crane BUT then I do have worries ... like how everyone will adjust and is Sam, at such a young age of only one, ready for a sibling. I guess there is also the thought that this is it, this will be the last time that we gather as a family to welcome a new precious bundle into our home. These last few weeks will be the last that I have with a child that is all mine, kicking me, pushing and wiggling from inside. This is the last time that I can use the excuse of pregnancy for my huge stomach or needing that crane to get up off the floor!!! All of this brings some sadness, although it feels right.

The good news is that the nesting instinct has kicked in and I have organized the pantry cupboards, washed down all the fronts of the cupboards, cleaned out the stove and refrigerator, dusted some cobwebs from the ceiling and organized the bedroom shelves! I started a grocery list of items needed to prepare some meals for the freezer (this was a blessing after Sam was born). I wish this feeling would stay around forever!!!

Today the sun is suppose to appear and I have big plans ... I have seeds to start and laundry to hang dry. Oh yeah , and I suppose I should finish preparing my birth box for delivery! I hope you all have a most wonderful day!

Wordful Wednesday - Sunshine Needed!

2009-01-07T06:46:00.002-05:00

I do not know about all of you but I would really like to see the sun!

A magical day to you!

I participate in Wordful Wednesday sponsored by
SevEn cLoWn CirCus

Mr. Funny Guy

2009-01-05T15:16:00.004-05:00

Rick-a-Roonie, my little class clown, he cracks me up all the time.

Today Rick comes stopping out of the classroom, where he was playing on the computer and says: "Mom, I am grumpy."
I said: "Oh really, why?"
Rick (climbing into my lap with a little sniffle): "Because Webkinz wont let me play."

Poor guy, I have these issues all the time, my computer NEVER lets me do what I want!! Oh well, I guess he just might as well get use to it now!!

2009 - A New Year, A Year For My Family

2009-01-01T00:05:00.004-05:00

I would like to start with a HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! I truly hope that your year is filled with much happiness and kindness! As many do this time of year I have been reflecting on the past year and thinking about the year to come. In years past I have always set some goals for the year, loose weight, eat better, be more organized, do not procrastinate as much, volunteer more, exercise, etc, etc... These are all great things. And some years they happen and some they do not. Well, this year I have taken a different approach to my goals for 2009.

Here is a little history: the past three years have been busy to say the least, actually as far back as I can remember, it seems that each year is just filled with 'stuff'! Here is a quick highlight of some of the chaos n 2008 (including the last part of 2007):

Our fifth child was born.
Two days later signed papers on sale of our house.
Moved into horrible rental with a landlord that could care less if we had heat despite the below zero weather.
Meanwhile finishing a semester of college.
Moved quickly (everything into storage, living with family) - a wonderful time of bonding with my aunt and uncle that are angels in my eyes!
Moved to a great rental with wonderful landlords!
To our much surprise found out we were expecting bundle number six.
Dan's excepts a new job, 1000 miles away!
Move to Tennessee - live in hotel for a few weeks, get settled at new house.
Here I am - there are so many things in between, friends, family, homeschooling, picnics, baking, cleaning, laundry, car repairs, laughter, tears, etc...

This year has been full of moves, change and just a lot of chaos so for 2009 I am planning to slow down. My hope for the coming year is to make this the year for my family. Hey, they deserve it and so do I! I have a wonderful husband and five (soon to be six) beautiful children and I want to devote this year to them ... not cleaning my house, not making a million, not even getting more organized (which I really should do) but to being a wife and mom. Let me make myself clear though I have no desire to be a wife and mom with the perfectly manicured house and the schedule which requires a computer calendar program to keep track of ... my plan is to be a mom that sits on the floor and plays with her children. These are a few of the things that I want to do more:

Play - with my children whether is be driving cars in the mud, UNO, or whatever it is that my kids want to do but I want to join them

Hugs and loves - Last night as I drifted o to sleep I realized that I had not hug my older girls good night, as always I went to the door and said "good night, I love you" BUT that is not enough I want to hug them and show them that I love them, each and every day!

Time Management - I want to stop worrying about whether there will be enough time to get everything on my list done today and instead spend more time with my children. When they want to play a game, chat or go to for a walk, I want to go ... I want to make them wait for my time less!

I have really thought a lot about my priorities and I have decided that I just want to enjoy my children! I want to watch them, nurture them and be their mom -- all the rest will fall into place!

So here is to family traditions - new and old, happiness, kindness and love, all mixed up with a little magic! Happy New Year and may the new year help bring all your hopes, wishes and dreams come true!