It is the 100th post today. I've been meaning to do this for several days, but my hands are never free when I sit down at the computer. I've always got Peanut in my arms. So, my idea for this post was to have 100 tid bits about me. You probably don't want to know 10 things about me, much less 100.
Well, I couldn't come up with 100 things - you are going to get 50!
50 Things about me you may not know
Childhood
1. Born and raised in Texas, I will always be a Texan at heart
2. One summer I watched the Parent Trap everyday (Hayley Mills, of course)
3. Was know among fellow Girl Scouts as The Moss Boss
4. I wrote lots of stories
5. Spent lots of time in my room listening to music and singing and writing
Education
6. Decided when I was very young that I would attend BYU
7. Have an Associates Degree and a Bachelor Degree in Recreation
8. Want a Masters Degree in Library Science
9. Would love to study history of English and Geology
10. When I was young I wanted to be a meteorologist.
Hobbies
11. I love to cross stitch – it is my favorite hobby.
12. I love to write.
13. I love to play Sims 2
14. I love to study names – onomastics.
15. I also love learning about the history of English
Favorite movies
16. Willow
17. Singing in the Rain
18. Lord of the Rings
19. Pride and Prejudice (A&E version)
20. Any Doris Day movie
Favorite books
21. Any name books
22. The Secret Garden
23. Peter Pan
24. The Magician’s Nephew – Chronicles of Narnia
25. Prisoner of Azkaban – Harry Potter
Interests
26. NAMES!
27. language
28. My children
Secret Desires
29. Publish a book
30. Head a research team to study Indo-European names
31. Meet any or all of the following actors: Liam Neeson, Peter Tork and/or Colin Firth
32. Get a full time job at Philmont
33. Have a successful home business
Places I’ve been
34. Scotland
35. Italy
36. France
37. Hawaii
38. London – Kensington Gardens to see the Peter Pan statue.
Misc.
39. Formally played the bassoon – 8 ½ years
40. Use to have a great singing voice
41. Love to bake
42. Had tubes in my ears for 20 years
43. Love the fall season
44. Lived in a tent for 3 weeks on a campout in Idaho
45. Lived in a tent for 10 weeks as a Philmont staff member
46. Hate veggies!
47. Never learned to drive a stick shift vehicle
48. Monkees fan
49. Can do a convincing English accent
50. Love to Disco!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I'm not superwoman
Yesterday I took my kids to a birthday party. One of the moms there had her newborn son in her arms. He was born the day after Peanut. That little baby is currently weighing in at 8 pounds. My Peanut is a whopping 10. She looked so enormous next to this little boy. It was so funny!
Anyway, the mom with the little boy said, I heard you had your baby at home. I told her I did. The question I get asked every time someone finds out that I did that was would I do it again. My answer is yes! I would do it again. I wish I had done it sooner than baby #5. She then asks if I was worried if something would go wrong. No, I never worried. I had faith in my midwives. That was something I never had with the doctors. We talk about home birth a bit longer, then the conversation ends with, wow, you are just amazing to do that.
No I'm not. I just did what was natural and with what I felt was best.
Our present to this little friend who's party it was was an outfit I sewed for her and some cloth diapers I had sewn for Peanut and made them way to small for my 9 pound baby. These little cloth diapers are the perfect size for a baby doll. My daughter plays with them and changes her baby's diapers over and over. The conversation turns back to me. You made this? Wow, how do you do it? How do you find time with a newborn? Well, right now it is easy. Peanut is a newborn and spends most of her time asleep. When she is awake, she has four siblings who fight to hold her. I can easily have one of my three older children hold Peanut while I work on something.
Then they ask, you were going to use cloth diapers? Yes, and I'm still planning on doing it. The reason she is not in cloth diapers right now is because she was given 3 large boxes of size 1 diapers. I'm going to make good use of those diapers before she outgrows them.
My friend mentioned that I painted my kitchen cabinets when Peanut was 5 days old. I had my mom and Mom did more work on it than I did. It wasn't anything spectacular.
Anyway, these ladies are just saying you are so super, you are Superwoman. I smile and thank them, but inside I'm ready to cry. No I'm not. I'm not Superwoman. Come to my house - you will see dishes in the sink, a carpet way over due for a vacuuming, toys all over the floor, a pile of laundry waiting to be washed and a lot of clutter. Spend some time with my children - you will hear a lot of arguing, teasing, and my toddler doing a lot of screaming. Listen to me at the end of the day. I'm short tempered with my children, and I "raise my voice" often at them. I wouldn't have to raise my voice if they would just behave or do what I ask when I ask them to take their part in helping to care for the house. If I were Superwoman, my house would be clean and my children would not find pleasure in annoying and teasing each other. If I were Superwoman, I wouldn't be overweight and I wouldn't raise my voice at my children.
I'm not super. I just live day to day. I am a stay-at-home mom. That is all.
Anyway, the mom with the little boy said, I heard you had your baby at home. I told her I did. The question I get asked every time someone finds out that I did that was would I do it again. My answer is yes! I would do it again. I wish I had done it sooner than baby #5. She then asks if I was worried if something would go wrong. No, I never worried. I had faith in my midwives. That was something I never had with the doctors. We talk about home birth a bit longer, then the conversation ends with, wow, you are just amazing to do that.
No I'm not. I just did what was natural and with what I felt was best.
Our present to this little friend who's party it was was an outfit I sewed for her and some cloth diapers I had sewn for Peanut and made them way to small for my 9 pound baby. These little cloth diapers are the perfect size for a baby doll. My daughter plays with them and changes her baby's diapers over and over. The conversation turns back to me. You made this? Wow, how do you do it? How do you find time with a newborn? Well, right now it is easy. Peanut is a newborn and spends most of her time asleep. When she is awake, she has four siblings who fight to hold her. I can easily have one of my three older children hold Peanut while I work on something.
Then they ask, you were going to use cloth diapers? Yes, and I'm still planning on doing it. The reason she is not in cloth diapers right now is because she was given 3 large boxes of size 1 diapers. I'm going to make good use of those diapers before she outgrows them.
My friend mentioned that I painted my kitchen cabinets when Peanut was 5 days old. I had my mom and Mom did more work on it than I did. It wasn't anything spectacular.
Anyway, these ladies are just saying you are so super, you are Superwoman. I smile and thank them, but inside I'm ready to cry. No I'm not. I'm not Superwoman. Come to my house - you will see dishes in the sink, a carpet way over due for a vacuuming, toys all over the floor, a pile of laundry waiting to be washed and a lot of clutter. Spend some time with my children - you will hear a lot of arguing, teasing, and my toddler doing a lot of screaming. Listen to me at the end of the day. I'm short tempered with my children, and I "raise my voice" often at them. I wouldn't have to raise my voice if they would just behave or do what I ask when I ask them to take their part in helping to care for the house. If I were Superwoman, my house would be clean and my children would not find pleasure in annoying and teasing each other. If I were Superwoman, I wouldn't be overweight and I wouldn't raise my voice at my children.
I'm not super. I just live day to day. I am a stay-at-home mom. That is all.
Princesses and trucks
Yesterday, some friends gave my kids some good old fashion metal toy trucks that their children had long out grown. My thought is they will be perfect for the sand box. Toddler took one and started playing with it. Princess took the other two outside to the sand box and began her play. Later I hear Toddler crying his frustrated cry. I went to see what was wrong and I find a little Polly Pocket Princess stuck inside the cab of the truck. It was Ariel, to be exact. Toddler had decided that the truck needed a driver and those little dolls were the perfect size. The problem was that Ariel was not dressed appropriately for truck driving - she had on a Cinderella dress. Ariel was taken out. Toddler continued to play with the truck and several other of his cars. They drove about the living room and crashed into each other a lot.
Princess on the other hand, was outside with the two other trucks. She dug in the sand and moved the trucks along the mounds of sand. She decided that her trucks also needed drivers. She came in and picked up the discarded Airel that Toddler had taken out of his truck. She places Ariel in the cab of one of her trucks and continues to play.
It is funny to see a bright red headed princess sitting in the cabs of these large yellow trucks. It is funny how Toddler quickly decided it was better that his truck had no driver, rather than have a princess in full ballroom gown dress sitting in the cab and how my Princess decided Airiel in full ballroom gown dress was perfect for her truck. Ah boys and girls. They are so different.
Princess on the other hand, was outside with the two other trucks. She dug in the sand and moved the trucks along the mounds of sand. She decided that her trucks also needed drivers. She came in and picked up the discarded Airel that Toddler had taken out of his truck. She places Ariel in the cab of one of her trucks and continues to play.
It is funny to see a bright red headed princess sitting in the cabs of these large yellow trucks. It is funny how Toddler quickly decided it was better that his truck had no driver, rather than have a princess in full ballroom gown dress sitting in the cab and how my Princess decided Airiel in full ballroom gown dress was perfect for her truck. Ah boys and girls. They are so different.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Lovely day
It is a lovely day here. Peanut is 3 weeks old today. It has gone by so fast. It feels like she has always been a part of us now. She still has her cold and so she snorts a lot when she breaths. Hubby was really worried about her, so I took her into the doc yesterday. Doc looked her over and said, yep, it's a cold. She weighs 10 pounds now! What a big girl.
It is a sunny day and I'm drying my clothes on the line. I do love that. I could have done it yesterday, but I was feeling lazy. Today I have energy (I don't know where it comes from, I've had very little sleep thanks to the snorting baby) and so I've taken my clothes outside to dry.
Hubby left this morning for a short business trip. We miss him, of course, but I really have fun when he is gone on these little trips. I have the van all to myself! I don't have to cook nice meals. Not that I always cook nice meals anyway, but at least the pressure to cook nice meals is off. After taking hubby to the airport this morning, we went to a large plant nursery and got some pretty plants. Hubby likes purples, blues and silvers. I found several purple flowers, some blue ground cover and I got lambs ear. A nursery is a place I really have to stay away from. I could spend so much money there. So many beautiful plants.
Our garden we planted is growing. We planted carrots, cucumbers, beans, and pumpkins. We have a very small area for planting and that is all we could fit into it. I've also got some dill, parsley and mint growing. It is neat to see the little plants poking out of the ground and their green leaves getting bigger.
In a week and a half, a friend of mine is going to our nearest cannery. It is strange how is works here, she had to give her order a month in advance to make sure they have what she wants in stock. Our cannery/storehouse is 2 1/2 hours away and I never make it out to that area. She was good enough to call me up and ask if I wanted anything. I placed a nice order with her. I wanted to get enough that it is worth the time and energy it will take her to go there, but not so big that she couldn't accommodate my stuff as well as hers. I'm excited to get my stuff. Mostly it is oats. I can do so much with oats - breakfasts, cookies, grind it for flour and make breads. Oats are so versatile and we use them a lot.
Well, it is time to go rotate laundry and bring in the dry stuff.
It is a sunny day and I'm drying my clothes on the line. I do love that. I could have done it yesterday, but I was feeling lazy. Today I have energy (I don't know where it comes from, I've had very little sleep thanks to the snorting baby) and so I've taken my clothes outside to dry.
Hubby left this morning for a short business trip. We miss him, of course, but I really have fun when he is gone on these little trips. I have the van all to myself! I don't have to cook nice meals. Not that I always cook nice meals anyway, but at least the pressure to cook nice meals is off. After taking hubby to the airport this morning, we went to a large plant nursery and got some pretty plants. Hubby likes purples, blues and silvers. I found several purple flowers, some blue ground cover and I got lambs ear. A nursery is a place I really have to stay away from. I could spend so much money there. So many beautiful plants.
Our garden we planted is growing. We planted carrots, cucumbers, beans, and pumpkins. We have a very small area for planting and that is all we could fit into it. I've also got some dill, parsley and mint growing. It is neat to see the little plants poking out of the ground and their green leaves getting bigger.
In a week and a half, a friend of mine is going to our nearest cannery. It is strange how is works here, she had to give her order a month in advance to make sure they have what she wants in stock. Our cannery/storehouse is 2 1/2 hours away and I never make it out to that area. She was good enough to call me up and ask if I wanted anything. I placed a nice order with her. I wanted to get enough that it is worth the time and energy it will take her to go there, but not so big that she couldn't accommodate my stuff as well as hers. I'm excited to get my stuff. Mostly it is oats. I can do so much with oats - breakfasts, cookies, grind it for flour and make breads. Oats are so versatile and we use them a lot.
Well, it is time to go rotate laundry and bring in the dry stuff.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Family size and soap
In this society of 2.5 kids, having 5 children must seem really bizarre to a lot of people. We haven't got out much as a family since Peanut was born, but when we have gone out, the seven of us, we've gotten some comments on our large size. Even in our ward at church, we are now tied with 2 other families for largest number of children. Hubby and I each grew up in families with 4 children. We've passed our parents. It has been strange.
What has really been strange to adjust is that even after sending hubby to work in the morning and the oldest son to school, I still have 4 kids in the house. With Peanut's cold, I stayed home from church today to care for her, but Hubby still left the house with 4 children. This will take some adjusting. I realize that 5 isn't as large as some families I know, but the adjustment has been bigger for me than I anticipated.
OK, a random happening in our house. I finished a bottle of dish soap and so I dug deep into the cabinet under the sink to find more. I found a bottle of blue dish soap labeled Deseret Dish Washing Soap. Yep, soap from the storehouse. I was using it and I kept getting these strange nostalgic flashbacks to when I was very small and in my parent's kitchen. I smelled the dish soap. The smell was oddly familiar. I mentioned it to my hubby and he said the same thing had happened to him when he used it. This dish soap must smell the way all the dish soaps use to before they all started to have "scents", like cucumber-melon and spring breeze. I wonder if after this soap is gone I can get more of it. I like the way it smells and reminds me of my childhood.
What has really been strange to adjust is that even after sending hubby to work in the morning and the oldest son to school, I still have 4 kids in the house. With Peanut's cold, I stayed home from church today to care for her, but Hubby still left the house with 4 children. This will take some adjusting. I realize that 5 isn't as large as some families I know, but the adjustment has been bigger for me than I anticipated.
OK, a random happening in our house. I finished a bottle of dish soap and so I dug deep into the cabinet under the sink to find more. I found a bottle of blue dish soap labeled Deseret Dish Washing Soap. Yep, soap from the storehouse. I was using it and I kept getting these strange nostalgic flashbacks to when I was very small and in my parent's kitchen. I smelled the dish soap. The smell was oddly familiar. I mentioned it to my hubby and he said the same thing had happened to him when he used it. This dish soap must smell the way all the dish soaps use to before they all started to have "scents", like cucumber-melon and spring breeze. I wonder if after this soap is gone I can get more of it. I like the way it smells and reminds me of my childhood.
Peanut
I've decided to give my baby a blog name. From now on, (or until I change my mind) she will be called Peanut. I call her this because when I hold her, she curls up into a ball and it just reminds me of a peanut.
So, Peanut is 2 weeks old. She has a very different disposition from the other kids, so far. She spends a good deal of her awake time looking around at the world through her big eyes. Her eyes are brown! I'm so happy. I have brown eyes, my husband has green eyes and I've got four green/blue eyed children. Peanut's eyes may not stay brown, but for now, they are and I'm very pleased.
Two nights ago, Peanut caught a cold. I'm not surprised since the other kids have all had colds and I can't keep them from putting their hands all over Peanut's face. Princess (the 4 year old) insists on kissing her on the cheeks all the time. Poor Peanut. She has had the hardest time breathing. Her nose is stopped up and she insists on trying to breath through it. Early this morning, she started to panic because she just couldn't get air through her nose. It made her upset and she started to cry. I let her cry. At least she breaths through her mouth when she cries. Poor baby. It is hard to have a cold.
Princess has been a huge help lately. A few days ago, she was helping me wash dishes but it had been a while since she went potty and she had an accident. I put her in the tub. Toddler got into the tub too. I got them cleaned and then I went to check on Peanut. Peanut needed me, so I was holding her and caring for her when Princess and Toddler got out of the tub. I couldn't put a diaper on Toddler right away, so I let him run naked. Later, he came up to me and was wearing a diaper and a t-shirt. I hadn't dressed him and I know my seven year old hadn't done it. Princess had. I didn't know she knew how to put on a diaper, but she did! Then, yesterday, Peanut wanted a bottle. I was busy and hubby was going to get it, but suddenly, Princess appeared with a bottle. She had made it herself and did it just right! She really watches me. I'm so glad to have my sweet Princess.
So, Peanut is 2 weeks old. She has a very different disposition from the other kids, so far. She spends a good deal of her awake time looking around at the world through her big eyes. Her eyes are brown! I'm so happy. I have brown eyes, my husband has green eyes and I've got four green/blue eyed children. Peanut's eyes may not stay brown, but for now, they are and I'm very pleased.
Two nights ago, Peanut caught a cold. I'm not surprised since the other kids have all had colds and I can't keep them from putting their hands all over Peanut's face. Princess (the 4 year old) insists on kissing her on the cheeks all the time. Poor Peanut. She has had the hardest time breathing. Her nose is stopped up and she insists on trying to breath through it. Early this morning, she started to panic because she just couldn't get air through her nose. It made her upset and she started to cry. I let her cry. At least she breaths through her mouth when she cries. Poor baby. It is hard to have a cold.
Princess has been a huge help lately. A few days ago, she was helping me wash dishes but it had been a while since she went potty and she had an accident. I put her in the tub. Toddler got into the tub too. I got them cleaned and then I went to check on Peanut. Peanut needed me, so I was holding her and caring for her when Princess and Toddler got out of the tub. I couldn't put a diaper on Toddler right away, so I let him run naked. Later, he came up to me and was wearing a diaper and a t-shirt. I hadn't dressed him and I know my seven year old hadn't done it. Princess had. I didn't know she knew how to put on a diaper, but she did! Then, yesterday, Peanut wanted a bottle. I was busy and hubby was going to get it, but suddenly, Princess appeared with a bottle. She had made it herself and did it just right! She really watches me. I'm so glad to have my sweet Princess.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
growing up
Last night was baby's 2 week check up with the mid-wives. They declared her perfect. Of course, I already knew that. She has grown. She is 21 3/4 inches long now and is back to birth weight - 9 lbs 5 oz. She screamed through the entire check up - making quite sure they knew her lungs are good and strong. She loves to be warm. She loves to be held. This is good and bad. I love to hold her, but sometimes, I just need to put her down and take care of life. It makes her upset. She is very alert and watches me when I walk past her. I'm absolutely sure she has smiled at me and I'm not talking gas smiles. Perhaps they have all been gas smiles, but it seems she has smiled at me just because. Let me think that anyway, it makes me happy.
We are trying to get back into the swing of things. My seven year old is doing his homeschool work. My two and four year olds are playing. The toddler seems to be having a rough time. He screeches when anything happens that he doesn't like. He drops a toy and screams. He can't carry something and he screams. His older siblings annoy him and he screams. It is an awful screech. I'm hoping he will get over this phase soon.
I have to admit, I've not had much time for thoughts beyond baby, kids and household duties. Right now motherhood and homemaking are consuming all my thoughts and energies. Can you believe it?
We are trying to get back into the swing of things. My seven year old is doing his homeschool work. My two and four year olds are playing. The toddler seems to be having a rough time. He screeches when anything happens that he doesn't like. He drops a toy and screams. He can't carry something and he screams. His older siblings annoy him and he screams. It is an awful screech. I'm hoping he will get over this phase soon.
I have to admit, I've not had much time for thoughts beyond baby, kids and household duties. Right now motherhood and homemaking are consuming all my thoughts and energies. Can you believe it?
Monday, April 14, 2008
A week and a half later....
Well, it has been 11 days since the baby was born. She is beautiful and sweet. She is still in that newborn state where she sleeps a lot during the day and even quite a bit a night. I have gotten better and more sleep in the last week and a half than I did the three months leading up to her birth.
My mom came two days after baby was born. She left today. It was so wonderful. My mom is the best. She left the house spotless! She did three loads of laundry a day (at least). She did all the dishes. There was never a dirty dish sitting in the sink while Mom was here.
Mom and I got a little crazy too. We painted the kitchen cabinets! They are now a glossy white. The kitchen is so bright and looks so much cleaner now. We also cleaned out several closets, sewed my 4 year old a new pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and made a several shopping trips. We had plans for fixing the inside workings of the downstairs toilet, but we ran out of time. Of course, there was lots of laughing, and we read several Women's World magazines. We went out one evening together with the plan of just getting some lemonade and chatting at a restaurant. We went to three restaurants before we found one open (this town shuts down at 9 p.m.) and the restaurant that was open had Karaoke going that night. We had our lemonades, listen to some really bad singing and laughed the whole way home.
Tomorrow I brave the world of 5 kids on my own for the first time, after hubby goes to work. I might be a total wreck. I appreciate all that my mom did for me, but what is the hardest about her going is the fun companionship that I enjoy with her around. We have a good time laughing, talking and working. I hope one day, years from now, I can have the same relationship with my daughters. I hope we can always be good friends and laugh together. It is hard to say good bye, but my white kitchen will remind me of good times.
My mom came two days after baby was born. She left today. It was so wonderful. My mom is the best. She left the house spotless! She did three loads of laundry a day (at least). She did all the dishes. There was never a dirty dish sitting in the sink while Mom was here.
Mom and I got a little crazy too. We painted the kitchen cabinets! They are now a glossy white. The kitchen is so bright and looks so much cleaner now. We also cleaned out several closets, sewed my 4 year old a new pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and made a several shopping trips. We had plans for fixing the inside workings of the downstairs toilet, but we ran out of time. Of course, there was lots of laughing, and we read several Women's World magazines. We went out one evening together with the plan of just getting some lemonade and chatting at a restaurant. We went to three restaurants before we found one open (this town shuts down at 9 p.m.) and the restaurant that was open had Karaoke going that night. We had our lemonades, listen to some really bad singing and laughed the whole way home.
Tomorrow I brave the world of 5 kids on my own for the first time, after hubby goes to work. I might be a total wreck. I appreciate all that my mom did for me, but what is the hardest about her going is the fun companionship that I enjoy with her around. We have a good time laughing, talking and working. I hope one day, years from now, I can have the same relationship with my daughters. I hope we can always be good friends and laugh together. It is hard to say good bye, but my white kitchen will remind me of good times.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Baby's Here!
Our sweet baby girl was born on April 3rd at 2:40 in the morning. She is a big 9 lbs 5 oz and is 21 inches long. She is a sweetie who is loved so much by everyone here. Her siblings keep wanting to hold her. I won't tell the name here, but here is a picture of my newest pink bundle of joy.
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