To be a nag

I really appreciate the comments that trickle in here. My apologies for not responding. I really am just busy, I always mean to respond to everyone that comments or emails me. I'm so busy in fact I've failed to even update our family photo with kiddo number six, Sebastian. And now we already await our 7th :)

I've cut out nearly all my Internet time to tend to my family and take care of my house and yard/garden. I miss blogging, I miss my website and I miss just being online! I could get a lot more done faster but Sebastian (21 months) wants to hang out with mommy A LOT an carting him around is tiring and sometimes impossible. It's ok; he gets lots of playtime on the floor with mommy which builds his little brain and teaches him a lot. When he's busy with the older kids I scamper to get something done. He LOVES his siblings. I also put him in a sling on my back, but that is getting heavy. He is a solid little boy.

I can't even seem to do things that are more important than just getting online. Like mailing cards to family, keeping in touch with people, helping others, volunteering, Etc. It's an amazing amount of work taking care of a large family.

The little kids are getting to be a challenge. They are busy, tear up everything, have many needs and keep me scrambling. Penelope (3) is always hungry, Sebastian (21 months) is always taking something apart and Layla (5) is always looking for something new to do.

The big kids seem to bicker so much. Sometimes I say they bicker non-stop, but that's not always true. They are good kids but they are a lot of work too. My main responsibility (besides homeschooling stuff) with them seems to be working on their communication with each other. They are so hard on each other, so picky and so fussy.

I tend to be a fussy mom. I want things in order and I expect a lot. I have been known to fuss and nag :(
I'm not rigid but I won't be walked on, I won't do EVERYTHING and I expect at least a couple hours of help a day from each kid. Help could be gardening, younger child helper, cooking, chores, yard word, Etc. Usually it's not a problem. I'm trying to be less fussy though... in case my fussiness has rubbed on them and they are now in return being fussy with each other. I'm no longer complaining about blueberries on the kitchen floor; I just ask it to be cleaned up. I'm trying not to complain that someone isn't doing xyz; instead I ask nicely. It seems to be helping my nagging, not sure if it will help the kids fussiness with each other. The verdict is still out on that. I think it will help. Parents bleed attitude onto their children. I need to nip this now! They will act how I act eventually. Besides I don't need to complain in my house! I have a family who is always willing to help. I just get tired of asking for help so I find myself tired and ranty about something and complain that no one is doing xyz. Well that's just the thing; I'm the leader. I'm the house manager. I'm the planner. I have to lead the house into being tidy and orderly because no one else will do it (nor do they want to!). And, no matter how sick of it I am I still have to 'go to work'. Doing my work doesn't just entail raising, homeschooling, cooking for, bathing and helping kids. It also includes figuring out how to keep the walls standing of my house when 9 people stampede through it. (the 9th person in our household isn't born yet, however. :)

Speaking of the 9th person, the 7th kiddo! We are so excited.

Anyhow a quote reminded me of something I should apply to household work. The quote is from Dave Ramsey: "Employees will tolerate a boss, but will follow a leader".

Now my kids aren't employees, but they do have jobs to do and responsibilities to uphold. For the greater good of themselves and of the household they have responsibility. I am the "boss" cause I am the one, whether I like it or not, that sets the rules, chores, homework, standards, Etc. for the household. My husband helps some too of course, but he is at work a lot..so the ins-and-outs of the household fall mostly on me. So I'm "boss." Now, how do I want to run with that position? With kids that tolerate me or kids that follow me?

Follow. And that is why I working on being a great leader as a mom.

Spring, new life, how I love you so

Well it's spring again! The winter was kinda long but the worst was the morning sickness! :) I'm pregnant! All that 'we aren't having more kids' stuff...we didn't really mean it, again. At first it was a little shocking. The pressure to have a small family and the stigma that surrounds really big families is some what daunting. It would be easier if we actually were a couple that outspokenly were having as many children as God blessed us with, we know many of these types of people. The famous Dugger family with 19 kids and counting are the most popular family for this belief. They have their own TV show. But we aren't having as many as we are blessed with even though I call each one a blessing and my long lost treasures. We really just enjoy children, don't care for birth control and parenting fills our lives. It gives us love and joy to share with each other. I enjoy creating and growing life. I am a gardener and growing life in my womb or in the ground is completely satisfying, rewarding and enjoyable. I have learned over the years I indeed do both well.

As life goes through streaks of bad and good luck, happiness, sadness, joy and hardship I'm happy to announce right now we are on a lucky streak. This is probably due to me being pregnant. We have the best of luck in life when we bring a new baby into our lives. I don't know why but we both think so. So life is good, things are great, Ricky has some possible really exciting new job opportunities. Our kids are healthy and happy, we are in love and happy, nothing is breaking although we do have several old repairs in waiting that will add up $$$ , and student loans loom overhead like a vulture. But right now we are focusing on all the debt we've paid off in the past 2 years, though. Over 18 thousand dollars we've paid off... we are still scratching our heads and wondering how we did that! (um, it was sacrifice and hard work) We follow a lot of www.daveramsey.com and have read Financial Peace. Overall life has a way of balancing out and for now balance is restored, I'm at my best with our homeschooled children, we have a flow and the warm weather has made my heart warm as well as my mind.

I've been gardening already and am very excited about this season. So far we have lots of baby seeds started and many other things needing planted. I have already started planting some things though! The trees and fruit bushes/plants we planted last year made it through the winter and are growing like weeds, producing flowers and really showing that we are growing stuff! So this year we bought 12 raspberry bushes, 6 more blueberry, 4 thornless blackberry bushes, 5 rose bushes and 50 more strawbnerry plants. I got a tiller for Christmas and it makes a world of difference. I love it! I'm getting into planting flowers this year and doing more landscaping. My main idea has always been landscaping with growing food plants! But I also am finding tons of joy in hostas, roses, azaleas, tulips, daffodils and dahlias. I am really happy.

Our new baby is due in September. I have something to write about her...or him. Soon.

Winter Already?

I just can't keep up with posting like I used to. Sadly I'm even having trouble keeping up with journaling as well. (private or online) I try though. I have been using facebook for updates to family and to keep in touch with friends. So that kinda takes the steam away from blogging. It shouldn't, but it does. And it's NOT THE SAME.

So my goodness an update of sorts...
We had a wonderful summer and a great garden. Our efforts paid off. At the end of summer I was not ready to give up gardening. I watched as I got the last harvets and wondered what I would do. Then After a few weeks I couldn't stand the thought of doing ALL that work all over again in the spring! Now I'm excited again!!! Planning for a bigger garden ad more fun. I am already planning our garden for 2010!

Our chickens are doing really well. I was going to post photos but I don't think I ever got around to it. Ricky and I put up a nice wire fence and Ricky built them a cool homemade scrap gate.

We had a great Christmas at home with only some disappointment that some family couldn't make it t us due to ice. We had a white Christmas though which was pretty. (not a lot of snow, but enough that everything looked white!)

Right now we are in the process of cleaning up our basement and fixing it up. We aren't 'finishing it' but we are making it a homey nicer place. The kids are playing down there daily already and we are still working on it. We are painting and putting all our board games and extra toys down there. We also shelved any homeschool books, workbooks, Etc we weren't currently using down there. I am an educational material hoarder! We have SO MUCH material so little time :D

We have a membership to the Magic House www.magichouse.com and have been enjoying it. Otherwise we are all good. Sebastian the baby is SO MUCH FUN. He turned 1 in August. The little girls are growing and have so much fun together! (ages 3 and 5) They play a lot and skip around the house holding hands. Warms a mothers heart. The older kids are playing board games more since I said no more video games before 3 pm and since we fixed up the basement and have a game table down there. So that's really great!

I have many many projects to tent to. I am taking a class about teaching birth art and it starts next week. I thought I'd be so ready for it! And I am not...

And July takes off in full force...with chicken pox

We got the chicken pox at our house. The older 4 kids already had them all at once years ago, so only Penelope and Sebastian need take a turn this time. Penelope had a easy time of it. She calls them 'bug bites.' She didn't even get a pox on her face! And only 1 that I could find on her head. She mostly got them on her backside. Sebastian is still in the throws of a high fever and hasn't broken out yet. Poor little guy. He's resting in the crook of my arm right now dazing in and out of reality. I do give fever reducers, just not continuously. I usually give it only if they can't get comfortable. It's also amazing how much you can reduce a fever by cool rags and a light fan in the room.

The older kids recently finished a 3 part art class at the library. Over the past week Ricky had a birthday, cousin Echo came to town, we lit fireworks, we went to six flags, we watched some family themed movies, we had a nice cool rain storm and unseasonably cool days, and we also ate lots of ice cream and homemade apple pie. Ricky took a few days off work so he actually was home 5 days in a row. Now that it's Monday it sure is hard to get back into the swing of things. Oh wait... was I ever in the swing...?

The older kids are at their theatre camp this week (with their cousin). Luckily I have wonderful family taking them to and from the majority of the camp so I don't have to go out with sick kids. Sebastian seems miserable. It's going to be a long day. A long week. I have a mountain of things to tend to. Really.

I can't wait for Charlotte to call and tell me how camp was today. I told her, "I want the full, full, full report."

Our first outdoor oven

Yesterday Charlotte and I built our first outdoor "oven" to bake potatoes in. We wanted salad and baked potatoes for dinner but didn't want to heat up the kitchen. So we built this lil' oven outside. They cooked faster than in the indoor oven. It's great that every little and big project is 'homeschooling'. Of the cinder blocks we used only one square has an air hole. The other three holes are packed with dried mud or concrete. This kept the heat from escaping

Lately...

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com


GREAT news! The public school down the road finally got with me on enrolling my kids in classes. I can enroll them without problems in things like music, P.E., art, Etc.
The principle was extremely friendly and nice to me. He is checking into how he can get Sage into some reading classes for extra help. So I am very happy about this. This fall/winter will be a busy one for us! The school is only a mile away though so it will not be too bad. I looked into homeschool sports programs like we had before, it was double the price. That was disappointing. So while we won't be connecting with as many homeschoolers as I'd like at least I can get them in free P.E. for the time being. This is especially good timing since Sebastian is so little and it's hard to travel much further than our own backyard.

The Chester Comix came!! 8 pounds of history lesson comic books in a box on my porch when I got home yesterday! They look great! With thicker harder type covers than I had imagined. They will hold up through many kids this way. We haven't gotten too into them yet, but the teacher manuals/printables are GREAT too! I'm really glad they look so cool. We will start on the first one today.

Sebastian walks and claps now. Not all at once though. He is SO cute I can hardly stand it. What a happy baby.

Layla is writing letters and enjoys practicing that lately. Penelope following her lead asks to write letters to, or more often asks me to write letters for her.

I recently unpacked the computer educational games. Ethan finished a CD about fractions, time, and money. The time and money was review. But the fraction section served as a intro for him as we have not done fractions yet. We are starting them now. Sage started the CD the other day too.

Charlotte has a new workbook she started on. Sage is still doing studydog right now for reading.

We have been spending most evening exploring the cemetery across the street and catching glow-bugs. We have a lot of fun.

Gardening is slow going right now. I have over 40 tomato plants planted, lots of peppers, and a few other things like cucumbers, cantaloupe and watermelon planted. But I haven't done any of my fall crops yet. I'm probably still ok, but how much longer can I push it!? I just don't have the time.

A tiller would sure help speed things up. Next year I have to get one. I WILL get one. Not because I can't do the physical work (I want to for exercise) but I have to have it for the speed. A tiller could do in one day what it takes me 3 weeks to do (maybe 6 weeks!). And when I have mouths to feed, baby to nurse, laundry to do, homeschooling, mowing....well it just is not working out.

Time to go I have a baby to change and waffles to get ready.

Summer is in full swing...go go go go

Yard work, Six flags, back to back birthday parties, sleepovers, Renaissance faire, a second move (we never moved the contents of our basement), library programs, laundry, dishes, kids, school work...what's school work?

We do manage to get reading/journaling/spelling in somehow. Oh and basic math about 3x a week (we need more progress here!). Just today I ordered these history comic books ! I'm really excited (Join the homeschool buyers co op for free online for 65% off the set)!! Our plan is to cover one comic book a week together with the kids. I also just saved a zillion instant viewing educational movies on netflix to keep the kids busy for quite a long while. I'm going to compile a list and post it someday.

GOALS FOR SUMMER:
Math with dad on weekends! Must do this!
Comic Book history every week w/corresponding movie/lesson
Netflix educational movie 2-3 x week (at least 1-2 as a family movie)
WRITE EVERYTHING down (log better than ever)

IN OTHER NEWS:
-The public school down the road is ignoring my phone calls (I'm requesting supplemental classes (art, music, P.E. for all, and reading for Sage)
-Layla will go to half day pre-k this fall (only 0.4 miles away from our house!)
-I finally signed up to be a HSLDA member
-Kids are signed up for drama camp!