i want to work out. i really do.
i have never felt so weak and out of shape in all my life.
i know what you're going to say. "you're so skinny, mindy...you don't need to lose weight...if anything, you could stand to gain a few pounds." i have heard this time and time again. but the point is that i feel like i couldn't run down the street if someone was chasing me with a knife. my legs start burning when i carry annslee up stairs to her bed. (yes. you heard me right. puddie girl is sleeping in her bed. no applause necessary. well....if you want to clap for her, or ME...you can.) so, i just think that it's time to do something to take back my body. i have not worked out since before i was pregnant with colton. this was going on 10 years ago. i have been through 4 pregnancies, and a total of 17 weeks of bedrest (combining aiden and annslee.) so needless to say, i'm not the picture of physically fit. i think my stomach muscles left during the last pregnancy and decided to stay gone out of fear of me doing it to them a 5th time.
the other night, over a plate of fried pickles and fries, i told my family that it was time for me to start working out. my parents started with the "you-are-too-skinny-you-need-to-eat-better-and-gain-some-weight"...but when i explained myself, my dad said 6 works that have stuck with me ever since.
"you used to be so strong."
ok. i did used to be strong. i remember playing soccer, swimming competitively, and doing hours of gymnastics every week. and i remember hearing my dad tell my mom...almost in disbelief, "she's solid as a rock."
i want that again. i want to be tough. solid. strong physically. i want to think...yeah...i could pretty much pound you to the ground if you mess with me or my kid.
chad ordered P90X the other day for him. he's gonna get strong too. i decided that i would do it with him. i watched the first dvd the other night and there were all kinds of push ups and pull ups involved. the guy (who is totally hyper and annoying and hulk like) was saying "keep good form and don't worry if you can't do 30. just do what you can." i'm thinking...yeah...so what if you can only do 1/2 of 1? then what, mr. crazy man???
i answered myself. "then do 1/2."
look out people. once i can do a whole chin-up, you're not gonna want to mess with me.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
you are not going to believe this...
this is one of those stories that you would only believe if you were actually there. and lucky me. i was.
lauren, one of chase's classmates, lives a couple of houses down from us. she has an older sister, alli. they come over to play in the backyard nearly every day after school. the other day, lauren and aiden found an orange, stray cat wandering around out front. aiden especially loves kitties, and it turned out that lauren was pretty enamoured by them as well. so, these two somehow coaxed it into our front yard and "mothered" it for a while. i would not let aiden do anything besides pet it's back. lauren, on the other hand was picking it up and trying to carry it everywhere with here. this is where i will tell you that i knew that this was not a good idea, but my gentle warnings were not really making any difference. the cat finally got tired of it and ran off. i had not thought about that cat again. until today.
all the kids were playing in out backyard this afternoon when lauren spotted the cat again. she came to me and asked if we could feed it. i told her that i didn't have any cat food and she said that she didn't either and that she only had dog food. i told her that maybe the cat would like her dog food. she ran home to get some and came back empty handed. "my mom said that i couldn't waste our dog food on a cat." i said, "ah...good point. maybe you could just give it some water." she said, "your water is closer than my water." aiden was begging me to come see the cat with her, so we all went to find him/her. colton and chad were at colt's baseball practice, so it was just me with the rest of the kids. chase, being allergic to cats and dogs sensed danger and immediately went inside. so, there we are...me holding annslee, lauren and aiden petting the cat, and alli and her friend watching, and chase standing in the dining room window peering at us over a small notebook with a pen in hand. the little girls really wanted to give the cat something to eat and kept asking what we could feed it. i asked our neighbor if the cat was theirs. he told me that it was not, but that it had come to their backdoor last night and they had given it some cat food. he said that his wife had checked it over and that it was declawed. that made me worry a little, because i knew that it could not protect itself without its claws and i started imagining it being lost and hungry. i turned around and looked at the dining room window and saw chase still standing there, shaking his head no...as if he already knew what i was thinking. alli's friend said that maybe her mom would let her keep it. so, i went and opened a can of tuna. the cat ate, and alli's friend called her mom. she told her she could keep it, but that she had to find a way to get it home. now, i am no cat expert, but i do know well enough to know not to put it in my car with my baby, my 5 yr old, my son...who is allergic, and the girl who's parents don't even know me. so, the girl asked alli if they had a leash. now, at this point, i did question the decision to put a cat on a leash, but this was her cat now and annslee was getting fussy and i needed to start dinner. alli came out with a huge dog leash and i watched as they tried to get it on the cat. i said, "so wait? are you gonna walk this cat home on a leash???" she said that she would try and if not, her mom would come get her. so i helped them get the leash on. this is where the story begins to take a nose dive. i say, "ok. this is your cat. congratulations. you are now in charge of it. i'm going in to start dinner." about 3 minutes later, the doorbell rings. aiden says it's lauren and i tell her to let her in. lauren is crying hysterically saying that the cat got away. i told her it was ok and that i was coming. i grabbed annslee and was followed outside by chase, aiden, lauren, alli, and alli's friend...the owner. that's when i am told that the cat started jumping all around and the new owner had let go of the leash. i said, "let me get this straight. there is a stray cat running around the neighborhood with a dog leash attached to it?" they said, "yes." i looked at the kids and thought, "ok...this is where i need to go get alli and lauren's mom. because, let's face it...clearly you need another adult to help in the decision making in this situation because the whole 'leash-on-a-cat' one was clearly a bad call." i recounted the story to their mom, and said that i thought a 'lost cat' sign would look pretty funny with a drawing of a cat with a leash hanging off of it and while doing so, it hit me. OH MY GOSH. IF THAT CAT TRIES TO JUMP A FENCE WITH THAT LEASH ON, IT COULD HANG ITSELF. we were standing there, trying to figure out what to do...annslee in my arms, aiden standing next to me, clearly worried and chase with his little notebook and pen while lauren, alli and the new owner were running through backyards trying to find it. that's when they ran to the front yard of the house where they last saw it and yelled, "IT'S STUCK ON A FENCE! IT'S STUCK ON A FENCE! IT'S HANGING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE AND WE CAN'T GET TO IT!" we needed to act fast...i knew that much. we got there and the girls started to run around the block to get to the other side of the fence. i said, "someone needs to climb the fence." at that point, the lady who lived there came out and went back there to help them. i kept the little ones in the front and waited. she finally came out and handed us the leash. i said, "what happened." she said, "that cat was almost dead. i had to pull it up by the leash so i could reach it and i got the leash off it's neck. it took off. i don't know what those girls were trying to do to that cat, but they had a leash around it's neck." i had the quick thought, "this could go one of two ways. i could admit my involvement in the ridiculous leash debacle, or i could just nod in agreement." i mumbled something about being glad the cat was ok and thanked her for her help and decided that she was really only on a need to know basis.
as i told this story to chad tonight after he got home from colt's practice, he laughed and asked, "what was chase writing in the notebook?" i realized i had never looked but imagined it went something like this........
lauren, one of chase's classmates, lives a couple of houses down from us. she has an older sister, alli. they come over to play in the backyard nearly every day after school. the other day, lauren and aiden found an orange, stray cat wandering around out front. aiden especially loves kitties, and it turned out that lauren was pretty enamoured by them as well. so, these two somehow coaxed it into our front yard and "mothered" it for a while. i would not let aiden do anything besides pet it's back. lauren, on the other hand was picking it up and trying to carry it everywhere with here. this is where i will tell you that i knew that this was not a good idea, but my gentle warnings were not really making any difference. the cat finally got tired of it and ran off. i had not thought about that cat again. until today.
all the kids were playing in out backyard this afternoon when lauren spotted the cat again. she came to me and asked if we could feed it. i told her that i didn't have any cat food and she said that she didn't either and that she only had dog food. i told her that maybe the cat would like her dog food. she ran home to get some and came back empty handed. "my mom said that i couldn't waste our dog food on a cat." i said, "ah...good point. maybe you could just give it some water." she said, "your water is closer than my water." aiden was begging me to come see the cat with her, so we all went to find him/her. colton and chad were at colt's baseball practice, so it was just me with the rest of the kids. chase, being allergic to cats and dogs sensed danger and immediately went inside. so, there we are...me holding annslee, lauren and aiden petting the cat, and alli and her friend watching, and chase standing in the dining room window peering at us over a small notebook with a pen in hand. the little girls really wanted to give the cat something to eat and kept asking what we could feed it. i asked our neighbor if the cat was theirs. he told me that it was not, but that it had come to their backdoor last night and they had given it some cat food. he said that his wife had checked it over and that it was declawed. that made me worry a little, because i knew that it could not protect itself without its claws and i started imagining it being lost and hungry. i turned around and looked at the dining room window and saw chase still standing there, shaking his head no...as if he already knew what i was thinking. alli's friend said that maybe her mom would let her keep it. so, i went and opened a can of tuna. the cat ate, and alli's friend called her mom. she told her she could keep it, but that she had to find a way to get it home. now, i am no cat expert, but i do know well enough to know not to put it in my car with my baby, my 5 yr old, my son...who is allergic, and the girl who's parents don't even know me. so, the girl asked alli if they had a leash. now, at this point, i did question the decision to put a cat on a leash, but this was her cat now and annslee was getting fussy and i needed to start dinner. alli came out with a huge dog leash and i watched as they tried to get it on the cat. i said, "so wait? are you gonna walk this cat home on a leash???" she said that she would try and if not, her mom would come get her. so i helped them get the leash on. this is where the story begins to take a nose dive. i say, "ok. this is your cat. congratulations. you are now in charge of it. i'm going in to start dinner." about 3 minutes later, the doorbell rings. aiden says it's lauren and i tell her to let her in. lauren is crying hysterically saying that the cat got away. i told her it was ok and that i was coming. i grabbed annslee and was followed outside by chase, aiden, lauren, alli, and alli's friend...the owner. that's when i am told that the cat started jumping all around and the new owner had let go of the leash. i said, "let me get this straight. there is a stray cat running around the neighborhood with a dog leash attached to it?" they said, "yes." i looked at the kids and thought, "ok...this is where i need to go get alli and lauren's mom. because, let's face it...clearly you need another adult to help in the decision making in this situation because the whole 'leash-on-a-cat' one was clearly a bad call." i recounted the story to their mom, and said that i thought a 'lost cat' sign would look pretty funny with a drawing of a cat with a leash hanging off of it and while doing so, it hit me. OH MY GOSH. IF THAT CAT TRIES TO JUMP A FENCE WITH THAT LEASH ON, IT COULD HANG ITSELF. we were standing there, trying to figure out what to do...annslee in my arms, aiden standing next to me, clearly worried and chase with his little notebook and pen while lauren, alli and the new owner were running through backyards trying to find it. that's when they ran to the front yard of the house where they last saw it and yelled, "IT'S STUCK ON A FENCE! IT'S STUCK ON A FENCE! IT'S HANGING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE AND WE CAN'T GET TO IT!" we needed to act fast...i knew that much. we got there and the girls started to run around the block to get to the other side of the fence. i said, "someone needs to climb the fence." at that point, the lady who lived there came out and went back there to help them. i kept the little ones in the front and waited. she finally came out and handed us the leash. i said, "what happened." she said, "that cat was almost dead. i had to pull it up by the leash so i could reach it and i got the leash off it's neck. it took off. i don't know what those girls were trying to do to that cat, but they had a leash around it's neck." i had the quick thought, "this could go one of two ways. i could admit my involvement in the ridiculous leash debacle, or i could just nod in agreement." i mumbled something about being glad the cat was ok and thanked her for her help and decided that she was really only on a need to know basis.
as i told this story to chad tonight after he got home from colt's practice, he laughed and asked, "what was chase writing in the notebook?" i realized i had never looked but imagined it went something like this........
A RECORD OF POOR DECISIONS BY MOM
by: chase clarkson
1. she let aiden pet a stray cat.
2. she fed the cat.
3. she put a leash on the cat.
4. to be continued......
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Sunday, May 09, 2010
MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND '10
a.j. "watching" her biggest brother's baseball game
colt...watching his double come at him
colt...on the mound
mommy and her loves* after church on mother's day, we had my parents, honey, and uk over for a cookout. the boy's planned the meal, went to the grocery store, did the cooking, and the serving, and the clean-up. dad was in charge of the meat and the homemade ice cream. he brought turkey burgers and chicken to grill. kevin was in charge of the buns and the grilling. chad was in charge of the sides and he waaay out did himself. he spent the entire week researching and looking up recipes. he decided on a spinach salad with roasted walnuts and goat cheese with a homemade honey mustard dressing that was a-mazing. he also made a fruit salad with poppy seed dressing with pistachios. yum. then...his crowd pleasing mvp's were the grilled sweet potato fries with a maple syrup glaze. i gotta say...i love a man at the grill. especially when it's my man! then, the kids gave me the gift card to james avery so that i could get the 4 engravable disk charms with their names on them. per-fect. after all...i love them...i love james avery jewelry...and i love their names. it's a win-win.
* "i love my mom" an appropriate shirt for the occasion* ok. so i have to say that i usually stay away from the "mom needs a pat on the back so she puts me in these outfits that give her crazy props when i'm too young to do anything about it" clothes, however i sort of viewed this one as a holiday outfit...which is totally acceptable when used appropriately.
one of my favorite memories as a child was the homemade ice cream that my mom and dad made on our back patio in the summers. i couldn't wait for them to bust out the one we gave them for christmas this year. aiden was excited to "crank".
this is going to get blown up and framed for her room. who doesn't love a girl with a hula hoop?
4 generations of ladies...3 of them moms, 2 of them babies.
after the ice cream, and the golf tournament that was so rudely interrupting our mother's day festivities, we played a mean game of backyard wiffleball. it was colt, me, grandaddy, and aiden against chase, u.k., and chad. i'm somewhat ashamed to say the we got schooled. i do have an excuse though. i was so tired from all the eating and sitting around that i wasn't quite myself. chase and aiden, on the other hand, were surprising us all by whacking the ball every time. chad was struck out by colton and obviously blamed the "ball" that he swung at, but eventually hit a home run redeeming himself. dad had a great hit, but somehow managed to trip on his way to home...kind of falling into home plate. i asked him what he tripped over, and he pointed and laughed, "that blade of grass," and then mumbled something about being sore in the morning. (i had "master's pine straw" flashbacks where he and i both face planted trying to get up the hill after the par 3 tournament.) u.k. out shined us all, but did get out at 1st after a diving "peg" from dad that he unsuccessfully tried to hurdle. eventually, colton had enough of us losing, and thus declared that it was my fault because i wasn't playing well today and that i stunk. that was super thrilling and pretty much ended the game. he did apologize later and kiss my forehead like the oldest son that he is...turning my frown upside down. i did stink at wiffle ball today...and didn't get the hits that colton was used to me getting. but give a girl a break. i didn't have to cook or serve........i was all out of wack!
Friday, May 07, 2010
ONE FIELD DAY DOWN..........
we came out to watch chase...the man of the hour.
my littlest boy
all my boys
a.j.*aiden was at granna's making chocolate covered strawberries for all of us. don't worry...she didn't feel left out. she's been through this drill before. she decided it was annslee's turn to represent the sisters!
..........AND ONE TO GO.
Monday, May 03, 2010
chase strikes again
i don't think i can adequately explain to you how sweet chase really is. i mean, he is not unlike most kids and does have his moments...but they are few and far between. tonight, i went from room to room, kissing foreheads and snuggling faces and whispering secrets. when i got to chase's doorway, i didn't see him in his bed. the reason for that??? he was hiding behind his door, waiting to scare me. it was me who ended up scaring him when i poked my head around the door. he jumped and then giggled...showing me those famous dimples. he ran and got in bed and then i had the bright idea to run and jump on top of him. only, this did not go as planned...due to him putting his knees up. my throat landed on his knees and i landed in a heap on top of him, grabbing my throat, saying "owww...owww...owww"...through laughter. (you know...when you still laugh, even though something hurts really bad?) he giggled too, but was so naturally sweet. he said calmly and almost like a parent, "are you alright?" i said, "that hurt." he said, "i know it did." then he said, "i'm sorry." and kissed my forehead and said, "i know that hurt."
his sweetness overwhelmed me. and my throat.
after a little while of giggling and talking, we had this conversation:
me: do you want to go swimming this weekend?
chase (very excited): in the big pool?!?!
me (eyes wide and smiling): YES!!!!
chase: no. never.
me (confused look and exaggerated): whhhhyyyy?
*when i said why, a little spit flew in his eye.
chase (grabbing his eye and laughing): you just said why in my eye!
both of us collapsed into a heap of hugs and laughed. and then we said goodnight.
**reminder and note to myself...don't rush bedtime. it's going to be some of your favorite memories.**
his sweetness overwhelmed me. and my throat.
after a little while of giggling and talking, we had this conversation:
me: do you want to go swimming this weekend?
chase (very excited): in the big pool?!?!
me (eyes wide and smiling): YES!!!!
chase: no. never.
me (confused look and exaggerated): whhhhyyyy?
*when i said why, a little spit flew in his eye.
chase (grabbing his eye and laughing): you just said why in my eye!
both of us collapsed into a heap of hugs and laughed. and then we said goodnight.
**reminder and note to myself...don't rush bedtime. it's going to be some of your favorite memories.**
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
EXPECTATIONS...never a good idea
i have this thing that i do. i build moments up so that the expectations for the moment end up taking over the reality of the moment. i do this, at some point, every day. this thing that i do gets especially out of control during the different holidays. and i add pressure to myself by thinking that i have to capture these perfect, meaningful," thekidswillneverforgetthis" moments on camera. what is this really about? for now, i'm content to just tell the story.
after school yesterday, the kids and i gathered in the backyard to enjoy the perfect weather. this started out innocent enough. the older three were playing their various loves. colt with a ball and glove in hand, throwing off the house; chase tinkering and meandering and loving being chase; and aiden trying to keep up with her oldest brother in between the pull for her affections by the ds; and lastly, but not leastly...annslee in the excersauser...totally engrossed with her bee and flower that always magically flit around her while in this lovely, treasured seat. ahhhh...a peaceful afternoon to sit on the patio and read my new people magazine that has been anxiously awaiting my attention since i plucked her from the magazine rack in the target line that morning. i sit down, smile at annslee and her bee next to me and begin to thinklessly read about angelina and brad's brood. and then it happened. a little, neighbor girl from chase's class showed up with another little boy from chase's class and his twin sister. well...if the backyard is going to become non-peaceful...i might as well text my brother's love and the 2 girls she watches to come play too. (we had discussed getting together during pick up an hour earlier.) i begin to picture pottery barn kids backyard playtime, complete with lemonade, laughter and good conversation. i leave colton in charge of puddie while i go in to make a big pitcher of lemonade, (mistake #1 due to him getting sidetracked by the pitcher's mound) and pull out a tray and cups for everyone. kevin's love and i block annslee from getting pelted by a line drive, as baseball became the game of choice, and i pour the lemonade. at this point, my poor people magazine had been tossed to the ground...pages blowing in the wind...feeling totally neglected. instead of good conversation, we had colt bossing everyone around like they were members of his little league team, chase hitting colt with the plastic bat due to such bossing, lemonade spilling all over the patio, empty cups blowing down the driveway, sisters fighting, annslee spitting up, and other less than perfect situations that i have chosen to block from my memory. what just happened here? how did we go from pottery barn/lemonade fun to complete chaos and hysteria? c.c. took care of puddie while i tried to do my part and play on the little girl's, non-stacked team to help the goingdownhillfast situation...but we still ended up with kids stomping off the field (yard) and going home due to boredom (hurt feelings). after everyone is gone, i survey the damage, clean up the spilled lemonade...that no one said thank you for, by the way...and pick up plastic cups from all over the yard (front and back). the reality is that the kids did have fun. they did like the lemonade. i did get to enjoy the company of c.c. i did get to play ball with my kids. and the best part...they have never even seen the pottery barn kids catalog to know about backyard/lemonade perfect playtime, so they don't know that any expectations went unmet. and me...next time, i'll put out some water, smile at puddie and her bee next to me, flip the pages of my people to the sounds of fighting kids, and save the expectations for the next holiday.
after school yesterday, the kids and i gathered in the backyard to enjoy the perfect weather. this started out innocent enough. the older three were playing their various loves. colt with a ball and glove in hand, throwing off the house; chase tinkering and meandering and loving being chase; and aiden trying to keep up with her oldest brother in between the pull for her affections by the ds; and lastly, but not leastly...annslee in the excersauser...totally engrossed with her bee and flower that always magically flit around her while in this lovely, treasured seat. ahhhh...a peaceful afternoon to sit on the patio and read my new people magazine that has been anxiously awaiting my attention since i plucked her from the magazine rack in the target line that morning. i sit down, smile at annslee and her bee next to me and begin to thinklessly read about angelina and brad's brood. and then it happened. a little, neighbor girl from chase's class showed up with another little boy from chase's class and his twin sister. well...if the backyard is going to become non-peaceful...i might as well text my brother's love and the 2 girls she watches to come play too. (we had discussed getting together during pick up an hour earlier.) i begin to picture pottery barn kids backyard playtime, complete with lemonade, laughter and good conversation. i leave colton in charge of puddie while i go in to make a big pitcher of lemonade, (mistake #1 due to him getting sidetracked by the pitcher's mound) and pull out a tray and cups for everyone. kevin's love and i block annslee from getting pelted by a line drive, as baseball became the game of choice, and i pour the lemonade. at this point, my poor people magazine had been tossed to the ground...pages blowing in the wind...feeling totally neglected. instead of good conversation, we had colt bossing everyone around like they were members of his little league team, chase hitting colt with the plastic bat due to such bossing, lemonade spilling all over the patio, empty cups blowing down the driveway, sisters fighting, annslee spitting up, and other less than perfect situations that i have chosen to block from my memory. what just happened here? how did we go from pottery barn/lemonade fun to complete chaos and hysteria? c.c. took care of puddie while i tried to do my part and play on the little girl's, non-stacked team to help the goingdownhillfast situation...but we still ended up with kids stomping off the field (yard) and going home due to boredom (hurt feelings). after everyone is gone, i survey the damage, clean up the spilled lemonade...that no one said thank you for, by the way...and pick up plastic cups from all over the yard (front and back). the reality is that the kids did have fun. they did like the lemonade. i did get to enjoy the company of c.c. i did get to play ball with my kids. and the best part...they have never even seen the pottery barn kids catalog to know about backyard/lemonade perfect playtime, so they don't know that any expectations went unmet. and me...next time, i'll put out some water, smile at puddie and her bee next to me, flip the pages of my people to the sounds of fighting kids, and save the expectations for the next holiday.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
saturday
things i am excited about today:
-aiden and chase wearing their blue baseball tee's for colton's game. (my goal was to buy iron on letters and put clarkson on their backs and colton's number, and then put "brother" on the front of chase's and "little sis" on aiden's and to get annslee a white onsie and put "littlest sis" on the front...but the whole plan is not happening. so, the baseball tees that are the right color will have to do for now. and annslee doesn't ever get out of her carrier anyway...and she would just spit up on it and need to be changed right away anyway.)
-the fact that i got to go to old navy...alone...and get shorts for the kids. they were on sale for $10.
-the fact that all 6 of our birthdays are on EVEN days. i've talked about this before, but it really excites me and something made me think about this today. when i was pregnant with colton, i hoped that he would be born on an even...because evens are my favorite and i hate odds. so, i am on the 24th and chad is on the 30th. colton was due on the 19th and came on the 14th. yay. then, when it was chase's turn, i really hoped he would be even too. he came on the 30th. double yay! so far, so good. when i was nearing my due date for aiden, i thought that i was probably due to have an odd one. i went into labor on the 11th but held out until the 12th...just after midnight. so, needless to say annslee HAD to be born on an even. and i was willing to do whatever it took. i went into labor on the 7th. my dr. got to the hospital that evening and at around 10:00, she said to start a small pitocin drip and that i would deliver quickly. i said, "wait! she has to wait until midnight. she has to be born on the 8th. she has to be an even!" everyone just looked at me kinda weird and then my dr. smiled and looked at the nurse and said, "start the drip at 11:45." (love her.) annslee was born after midnight on the 8th. yay! yay! yay! and bonus...8 is my very favorite number. it's important to finish well!
-it is beyond beautiful outside for colt's game this afternoon.
-aiden's hair.
things i am not excited about today:
-annslee cried for an hour and a half this morning trying to fall asleep in her bed. she finally fell asleep and only stayed asleep for 6 minutes or so.
-when colton went to put his uniform on a little bit ago, we realized it had not been washed since his last game. woops. nothin a little fabreeze won't fix.
-my hair.
-aiden and chase wearing their blue baseball tee's for colton's game. (my goal was to buy iron on letters and put clarkson on their backs and colton's number, and then put "brother" on the front of chase's and "little sis" on aiden's and to get annslee a white onsie and put "littlest sis" on the front...but the whole plan is not happening. so, the baseball tees that are the right color will have to do for now. and annslee doesn't ever get out of her carrier anyway...and she would just spit up on it and need to be changed right away anyway.)
-the fact that i got to go to old navy...alone...and get shorts for the kids. they were on sale for $10.
-the fact that all 6 of our birthdays are on EVEN days. i've talked about this before, but it really excites me and something made me think about this today. when i was pregnant with colton, i hoped that he would be born on an even...because evens are my favorite and i hate odds. so, i am on the 24th and chad is on the 30th. colton was due on the 19th and came on the 14th. yay. then, when it was chase's turn, i really hoped he would be even too. he came on the 30th. double yay! so far, so good. when i was nearing my due date for aiden, i thought that i was probably due to have an odd one. i went into labor on the 11th but held out until the 12th...just after midnight. so, needless to say annslee HAD to be born on an even. and i was willing to do whatever it took. i went into labor on the 7th. my dr. got to the hospital that evening and at around 10:00, she said to start a small pitocin drip and that i would deliver quickly. i said, "wait! she has to wait until midnight. she has to be born on the 8th. she has to be an even!" everyone just looked at me kinda weird and then my dr. smiled and looked at the nurse and said, "start the drip at 11:45." (love her.) annslee was born after midnight on the 8th. yay! yay! yay! and bonus...8 is my very favorite number. it's important to finish well!
-it is beyond beautiful outside for colt's game this afternoon.
-aiden's hair.
things i am not excited about today:
-annslee cried for an hour and a half this morning trying to fall asleep in her bed. she finally fell asleep and only stayed asleep for 6 minutes or so.
-when colton went to put his uniform on a little bit ago, we realized it had not been washed since his last game. woops. nothin a little fabreeze won't fix.
-my hair.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
in his world...everything's better
so chase is the man of the hour, as he has racked up enough hilarious quotes to deserve his own blog post. i do realize that all kids are funny in their own right, some with a sarcastic bent, like colton...and others because of how they truly see the world...like chase. i am beyond thrilled that i get to sometimes get a peek at life through the eyes of chase. in his world...everything's better.
here are some of his latest:
"when annslee becomes human, she is going to be on dancing with the stars." (he was totally serious.)
while he was in the tub the other night, i noticed i tiny scrape on his chest. i said, "goodness chase. how did you get that?" he looked down at it and said, "oh...i don't know. we need to get a band aide for that. call 911!!" (again...totally serious.)
we have been working on improving a little behavior lately and it is called, we don't put our hands on our siblings in anger. at different times, different ones tend to struggle with this. a while back, it was colt. right now, it is chase. after 1 warning last week, chase ended up having to write sentences for hitting his brother. the sentence was *i am sorry for hitting my brother.* he sat in the dining room to write his sentences and i sat down on the couch in the living room to talk to chad. about 10 minutes went by and chase walked in with his pencil and paper. he showed his paper to me and pointed at his sentences with his pencil and this is what i saw...
1 - 5 said i'm sorry for hitting my brother.
6 - 8 said i'm sorry for hitting.
9 - 25 said i'm sorry.
he explained that he "decided to only write the important part because his hand was tired."
i told him that was kind of the point.
several days later, i heard aiden start crying upstairs. she proceeded to cry all the was downstairs to where i was. she started to tell on chase and stopped as chase came up quickly behind her with a piece of paper and a pencil. before she could tell me what had happened, he looked at me and said, "i'm gonna go ahead and start my sentences." he makes parenting easy!
colton has been saving his money for a DSi. his old DS broke, so he has been helping around the house to earn money to add to what he already had saved up. he had a substantial sum in his wallet that he keeps in his nightstand drawer. he was almost there. some nights, before bed he would get it out and count it. we even did it together one night and i showed him how i like to keep all the like bills together and facing in the same direction in value order. (obviously the correct way! :) anyhow, a few nights ago, he went up with chad and was going to add some money that he had made to the money in his wallet. a few minutes later, he and chad came downstairs to where i was holding sleeping puddie. chad said that all the money in his wallet was missing. i thought they were kidding until i saw colton's face. i said i didn't know where it was and colton lost it. i said, "let me go talk to chase. maybe he and aiden knew something about it." while i was headed up after putting aj to bed, colt met me in the hallway with the stack of money. he said, rather agitated, "i found it under chase's bed." i walked into chase's room and he popped up in bed like he was expecting the visit and said, "what????" i sat down on his bed next to him and the following conversation took place:
me: "chase......did you take colton's money out of his wallet?"
chase: "no. i didn't. and i'm serious."
me: "chase......you need to tell me the truth."
chase (looking away): "no. i didn't take his money."
me (looking at him like he was not pulling anything over on me): "if you lie to me, you will be in more trouble than if you tell the truth."
chase (eyes wide, very dramatic, arms waving): "what happened was......i think colton's wallet opened......and the wind blew the money under my bed."
do you see how it is difficult to ever really get mad at chase?
here are some of his latest:
"when annslee becomes human, she is going to be on dancing with the stars." (he was totally serious.)
while he was in the tub the other night, i noticed i tiny scrape on his chest. i said, "goodness chase. how did you get that?" he looked down at it and said, "oh...i don't know. we need to get a band aide for that. call 911!!" (again...totally serious.)
we have been working on improving a little behavior lately and it is called, we don't put our hands on our siblings in anger. at different times, different ones tend to struggle with this. a while back, it was colt. right now, it is chase. after 1 warning last week, chase ended up having to write sentences for hitting his brother. the sentence was *i am sorry for hitting my brother.* he sat in the dining room to write his sentences and i sat down on the couch in the living room to talk to chad. about 10 minutes went by and chase walked in with his pencil and paper. he showed his paper to me and pointed at his sentences with his pencil and this is what i saw...
1 - 5 said i'm sorry for hitting my brother.
6 - 8 said i'm sorry for hitting.
9 - 25 said i'm sorry.
he explained that he "decided to only write the important part because his hand was tired."
i told him that was kind of the point.
several days later, i heard aiden start crying upstairs. she proceeded to cry all the was downstairs to where i was. she started to tell on chase and stopped as chase came up quickly behind her with a piece of paper and a pencil. before she could tell me what had happened, he looked at me and said, "i'm gonna go ahead and start my sentences." he makes parenting easy!
colton has been saving his money for a DSi. his old DS broke, so he has been helping around the house to earn money to add to what he already had saved up. he had a substantial sum in his wallet that he keeps in his nightstand drawer. he was almost there. some nights, before bed he would get it out and count it. we even did it together one night and i showed him how i like to keep all the like bills together and facing in the same direction in value order. (obviously the correct way! :) anyhow, a few nights ago, he went up with chad and was going to add some money that he had made to the money in his wallet. a few minutes later, he and chad came downstairs to where i was holding sleeping puddie. chad said that all the money in his wallet was missing. i thought they were kidding until i saw colton's face. i said i didn't know where it was and colton lost it. i said, "let me go talk to chase. maybe he and aiden knew something about it." while i was headed up after putting aj to bed, colt met me in the hallway with the stack of money. he said, rather agitated, "i found it under chase's bed." i walked into chase's room and he popped up in bed like he was expecting the visit and said, "what????" i sat down on his bed next to him and the following conversation took place:
me: "chase......did you take colton's money out of his wallet?"
chase: "no. i didn't. and i'm serious."
me: "chase......you need to tell me the truth."
chase (looking away): "no. i didn't take his money."
me (looking at him like he was not pulling anything over on me): "if you lie to me, you will be in more trouble than if you tell the truth."
chase (eyes wide, very dramatic, arms waving): "what happened was......i think colton's wallet opened......and the wind blew the money under my bed."
do you see how it is difficult to ever really get mad at chase?
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
sleep and trains
yesterday, puddie took an hour and a half morning nap. today, she took a 2o minute morning nap instead.
consistency is over-rated is what she said.
when i heard her crying...ready to get up, i looked at aiden. aiden looked at me and said, "she didn't EVEN take a nap!" to which i replied, "I KNOW!"
here is a little morsel of randomness this morning. i've been reading a smackeral of different things lately. a little about lukewarmness (which is just super at making you feel good about yourself) and a little about knowing your children's hearts (which also makes a mom feel like a winner) and a little about how "God does not deal with us according to our sins, nor does he repay us according to his iniquities." psalms 103 10-12 (which IS a "let out a grateful sigh" kind of verse.) due to all of these little nugget whisperings from God, i have scheduled a meeting with the husband. (literally. he put me in his iphone calendar this morning.) it's go time.
in talking things over with my experienced, truth telling, and loving mother at lunch yesterday, i came up with a little analogy of what is causing the restlessness inside. it is this:
you know how freight trains roll? you hear them slowly get started. then you hear the whistle warning people that it is getting ready to move. then you see the wheels start to turn and it slowly begins down the track. then, after a bit it starts moving a little quicker. (hear the sound of it slowly picking up speed?) then, it starts moving faster and faster...until it is going so fast that it is much too late to get on or off. well...my little, lovely family of 6 is on that train, and the train has been moving down the track pretty slowly up until about a year ago when it started picking up speed. now we are moving a little quicker and everything in me is screaming over the noise of the train that this is the time that we have to decide to stay on or get off...or it will be too late. the train will be moving too fast to get off without doing some real damage. i see how life can just sort of take over. school, activities, practices, games, meals, chores, babies, work, responsibilities, etc, etc, etc take up the day. and this goes on day, after day, after day. until annslee leaves for college and chad and i look at each other and wonder, "what on earth happened? where did that time go? and why didn't we stop and do it differently?" are we supposed to stay on the "live safely in the suburbs in a big house with big screen tvs and all the comforts that our little heart's desire, cross our fingers, and hope our kids make it through the public school system without some serious scars" train? OR, are we supposed to get off now, before it's too late? the trouble is, if we all grab hands and jump off, i don't know where we would land at this point. the ground doesn't seem to be there. i'm asking God to show me if he wants us to stay on this train, or not. and if not.....what are we supposed to jump to? i keep thinking that he usually asks his followers to live boldly, and radically. am i doing that? are we training our kids to do that? what does this feeling of discontentment mean? is it time to get off the train? i know we are supposed to do something differently, but i have no idea what. what i do know...is that the train is moving. and it's going to do nothing but move faster.
consistency is over-rated is what she said.
when i heard her crying...ready to get up, i looked at aiden. aiden looked at me and said, "she didn't EVEN take a nap!" to which i replied, "I KNOW!"
here is a little morsel of randomness this morning. i've been reading a smackeral of different things lately. a little about lukewarmness (which is just super at making you feel good about yourself) and a little about knowing your children's hearts (which also makes a mom feel like a winner) and a little about how "God does not deal with us according to our sins, nor does he repay us according to his iniquities." psalms 103 10-12 (which IS a "let out a grateful sigh" kind of verse.) due to all of these little nugget whisperings from God, i have scheduled a meeting with the husband. (literally. he put me in his iphone calendar this morning.) it's go time.
in talking things over with my experienced, truth telling, and loving mother at lunch yesterday, i came up with a little analogy of what is causing the restlessness inside. it is this:
you know how freight trains roll? you hear them slowly get started. then you hear the whistle warning people that it is getting ready to move. then you see the wheels start to turn and it slowly begins down the track. then, after a bit it starts moving a little quicker. (hear the sound of it slowly picking up speed?) then, it starts moving faster and faster...until it is going so fast that it is much too late to get on or off. well...my little, lovely family of 6 is on that train, and the train has been moving down the track pretty slowly up until about a year ago when it started picking up speed. now we are moving a little quicker and everything in me is screaming over the noise of the train that this is the time that we have to decide to stay on or get off...or it will be too late. the train will be moving too fast to get off without doing some real damage. i see how life can just sort of take over. school, activities, practices, games, meals, chores, babies, work, responsibilities, etc, etc, etc take up the day. and this goes on day, after day, after day. until annslee leaves for college and chad and i look at each other and wonder, "what on earth happened? where did that time go? and why didn't we stop and do it differently?" are we supposed to stay on the "live safely in the suburbs in a big house with big screen tvs and all the comforts that our little heart's desire, cross our fingers, and hope our kids make it through the public school system without some serious scars" train? OR, are we supposed to get off now, before it's too late? the trouble is, if we all grab hands and jump off, i don't know where we would land at this point. the ground doesn't seem to be there. i'm asking God to show me if he wants us to stay on this train, or not. and if not.....what are we supposed to jump to? i keep thinking that he usually asks his followers to live boldly, and radically. am i doing that? are we training our kids to do that? what does this feeling of discontentment mean? is it time to get off the train? i know we are supposed to do something differently, but i have no idea what. what i do know...is that the train is moving. and it's going to do nothing but move faster.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Sunday, April 04, 2010
chronicals of easter
we start off the holiday with chase losing his first tooth on friday morning.
followed by a tractor ride at uncle kevin's
then...annslee rolls over,
while colton announces that his favorite things to do are eating snacks, playing video 
chase...showing his "hole"
colton...ready for his game on saturday. and the egg hunt!
sweet pea
puddin pie and her grandaddy
puddy annslee james
grandaddy buys ice cream from the ice cream man. a must!
permission to kiss the dimples?
granna and honey sportin' kevin's fightwear hats at the game. this one's a keeper!
puddy in her u.k.'s furia hat
we miss daddy!
puddin and her mommy
my girls
happy easter
followed by a tractor ride at uncle kevin's
then...annslee rolls over,
while colton announces that his favorite things to do are eating snacks, playing video games, sports, and sleeping. (look how big he looks...yikes! 9 going on 19.)
chase...showing his "hole"
colton...ready for his game on saturday. and the egg hunt!
sweet pea
puddin pie and her grandaddy
puddy annslee james
grandaddy buys ice cream from the ice cream man. a must!
permission to kiss the dimples?
granna and honey sportin' kevin's fightwear hats at the game. this one's a keeper!
puddy in her u.k.'s furia hat
we miss daddy!
puddin and her mommy
my girls
happy easter
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
S.O.S.
(as you can see...i'm not the only one stressed about this situation.)
is there anyone out there that knows how to get a baby to nap. here's the situation. this little darlin doesn't take naps. i have successfully followed the eat, wake, sleep schedule with 3 out of my 4 sugar plums, but sweet puddin has gotten the best of me so far. here is what we do:i feed her.
she is awake until she gives me a sleep cue. (usually she yawns and rubs her eyes.)
i put her down for a nap.
she cries.
at this point it could go one of two ways. she may not go to sleep at all and then she is beside herself for hours, OR she cries for 15 minutes or so and falls asleep.
if she falls asleep, she will only sleep for 20 minutes at a time. i have tried letting her cry, hoping she will go back to sleep, but she never does. 20 minutes is all she will nap. and let's face it...that is NOT a nap. plus...when she wakes up, she is still tired. she is usually so tired that she falls asleep at her next feeding. by 4 or 5:00, she is beyond cranky and then by after her bath, she is down right pissed! (and i don't use that term lightly.)
here is my question to all of you who have successfully "trained" a baby to nap:
how do i get her to nap for more than 20 minutes? is this too much to ask from a 6 month old? she is tired and i know she needs to take good naps so that she won't be so fussy in the evenings, but i don't know how to make that happen. any advice?
Friday, March 19, 2010
HELPING THE CHI'S BRING HOME THE BABIES!!
after years of waiting and praying, george and ginger chi have been chosen to foster 4 month old twin boys. the twins will be arriving on their doorstep from child protective services on this coming thursday...march 25th. the chi's have desired children for many years and have been faithful to follow God's plan for them, even when it was painful and required a patience that, at times seemed unbearable. they, along with their family and friends praise God for His perfect timing and provision. their time has come...and we couldn't be happier for them. in thanksgiving and celebration, we would like to help them obtain what they need to care for these two, sweet baby boys. the twins have a 2 year old brother and almost 4 year old sister that are currently in foster care with another family. they will be coming to see their baby brothers on a regular basis and spending some of their weekends with the chi's. following is a list of needs that are needed for the children and contact information if you are able to help supply this Godly family with what they will need for, not just one baby...but TWO, and their brother and sister.
FOR TWINS:
1 white dresser
1 excersaucer
1 pack and play
1 crib mattress
2 bumbo seats
1 play gym (mat with hanging toys)
FOR SIBLINGS:
2 cozy coop cars
1 wagon with high sides
boy toys (appropriate for 2 yr old)
girl toys (appropriate for 4 yr old)
*gift cards to target or babies r us would be greatly appreciated.
donation contact: sixchi@gmail.com
FOR TWINS:
1 white dresser
1 excersaucer
1 pack and play
1 crib mattress
2 bumbo seats
1 play gym (mat with hanging toys)
FOR SIBLINGS:
2 cozy coop cars
1 wagon with high sides
boy toys (appropriate for 2 yr old)
girl toys (appropriate for 4 yr old)
*gift cards to target or babies r us would be greatly appreciated.
donation contact: sixchi@gmail.com
Thursday, March 18, 2010
scream...
it's what annslee is doing right now and what i want to do. this child fights sleep like none of the others. i thought i had things under control. she was faking me. babywise...baby whisperer...james dobson...dr. sears...they can all kiss my tired..........(did i just have that thought?)
naps have been a no go. and now, it takes several hours to get her to sleep at night. once she finally goes to sleep, she sleeps all night, but good grief, it takes forever. tongiht, i'm at a point that i don't really know what to do. i have fed her...twice. i have rocked her. i have walked her around the house. we have swayed. we have lullubied. we have bounced. now she is just screaming herself to sleep. only she is just screaming and not falling asleep. what to do...what to do? do i go get her? do i not? it's almost 11 and we've been at this since 8. i just need for someone to tell me.
it's 11:26 and she is sleeping like a baby. i went in, layed down next to her, put her pappy back in her mouth and rubbed her head for 2 minutes. she's happy...and asleep. ahhhhhhhh.
naps have been a no go. and now, it takes several hours to get her to sleep at night. once she finally goes to sleep, she sleeps all night, but good grief, it takes forever. tongiht, i'm at a point that i don't really know what to do. i have fed her...twice. i have rocked her. i have walked her around the house. we have swayed. we have lullubied. we have bounced. now she is just screaming herself to sleep. only she is just screaming and not falling asleep. what to do...what to do? do i go get her? do i not? it's almost 11 and we've been at this since 8. i just need for someone to tell me.
it's 11:26 and she is sleeping like a baby. i went in, layed down next to her, put her pappy back in her mouth and rubbed her head for 2 minutes. she's happy...and asleep. ahhhhhhhh.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
ice skating...part 1
so sunday was my very first ice skating lesson ever. the night before i dreamt that i showed up in one of those ice skating skirt outfit things with the flesh colored hose and white skates. the outfit was aqua. i'm not sure what that dream was about, other than i do remember wanting to wear one of those outfits really bad when i was little. anyways...i did not wear that to my lesson, if anyone was wondering. instead i opted for jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, which was not even close to being warm enough for the frigid temperatures of the ice rink. i made a mental note never to wear one of those little skirt outfits as soon as i took the ice. i just don't think those are even practical. they need to be in ski outfits instead. they keep the rink at about 50 degrees. after the lesson, i was thinking about how when i was little, the positives always outweighed the negatives and i wondered when that changed. the negatives where louder to me than the positives at my first lesson. like i said, i was cold. my hands where cold and my ears where cold. actually, my ears where more than cold. they were freezing to the point of wanting to wear earmuffs....(which says something, because that would definitely put a damper on my ice skating fashion.) but i didn't even care because they hurt so bad it was making my whole head hurt. i kept on covering them with my sweatshirt covered hands which would make me sort of lose my balance. the next negative was the rental skates. they hurt my feet really bad. i don't wear shoes other than flips very often, so these skates are going to take some getting used to. the instructor said that we should get our own skates because they are way more comfortable and have sharper blades so that you can actually do the moves better. (the rentals have to be dull to avoid people cutting themselves...but dull blades don't grip the ice very well.) i told chad about this little "glitch" in the whole ice skating experience. to which he replied, "we are not spending $150 on ice skates mindy." i did a huffy breath at that response. i'm not sure he's taking this seriously. i did really enjoy skating though...putting aside the freezing and aching feet. we learned to "swizzle" going forward and backward; change direction; glide on one foot; and how to hold our arms (that was my favorite part!) at one point, i found myself thinking, "just think...at some point, michelle kwan was learning this very thing." then i also thought, "too bad she was probably 2 at the time." i did find myself getting a tiny bit distracted by the little girls in the outfits, with their own white skates doing spins and jumps in the middle of the rink. i wonder when i will advance to the middle of the rink?? the highlight of the lesson was when the instructor told me that i was not a beginner 1...but could be in the level 2 class! and that was while i was skating with my hands over my ears!! i'm really excited for my next lesson. i'm going to have to figure out something to do about my ears, and think about a way to talk chad into my very own skates. i mean...we need to think about this logically. you don't see people making it to the olympics with rental skates!!
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
wait...
our conversation at dinner tonight revolved around blood. probably not the most appetizing of all conversations...but none the less...
it was really about giving blood. i have given blood numerous times. the first time i did it, i didn't eat soon enough after and passed out. that was fun. but that has been the only time that happened. anyhow, at dinner i asked the kids a question. here is how that went:
ME: "would you guys give your blood to me if i needed it?"
AIDEN & COLTON: "YES!!!"
COLTON: "i would totally give blood for you if you needed it. how do i do it?"
ME: "they stick a big needle in your arm and take some of your blood out."
AIDEN (wide eyed): "wait. no. i wouldn't. i wouldn't give blood. no."
COLTON (very thinkingly): "how big is the needle?"
ME: "it's actually pretty big."
COLTON: "i would mom."
AIDEN (yelling): "NO COLTON!!!! DON'T DO IT!!!! THEY WOULD STICK A NOODLE IN YOU!!!"
CHASE (i'm thinking he will be strong and tell me he would give me blood if i needed it): "can i have dessert?"
it was really about giving blood. i have given blood numerous times. the first time i did it, i didn't eat soon enough after and passed out. that was fun. but that has been the only time that happened. anyhow, at dinner i asked the kids a question. here is how that went:
ME: "would you guys give your blood to me if i needed it?"
AIDEN & COLTON: "YES!!!"
COLTON: "i would totally give blood for you if you needed it. how do i do it?"
ME: "they stick a big needle in your arm and take some of your blood out."
AIDEN (wide eyed): "wait. no. i wouldn't. i wouldn't give blood. no."
COLTON (very thinkingly): "how big is the needle?"
ME: "it's actually pretty big."
COLTON: "i would mom."
AIDEN (yelling): "NO COLTON!!!! DON'T DO IT!!!! THEY WOULD STICK A NOODLE IN YOU!!!"
CHASE (i'm thinking he will be strong and tell me he would give me blood if i needed it): "can i have dessert?"
Friday, February 26, 2010
making good on a childhood dream
it's no secret that i have been trying to get to the olympics since i was about 2 years old and watched dorothy hamill skate. and i don't mean as a spectator. my mom says that i would stand on the fireplace hearth to get as close to the t.v. as possible and watch intently. i begged, begged, begged to take ice skating lessons, but the nearest ice rink was a good 45 minutes away. then i thought that gymnastics would take me there, but when i realized that i was double their height, i knew that was a no go. i've never let go of the desire to win an olympic medal, and that is especially apparent during the olympics. 6 years ago, my plan was to start synchronized swimming. i figured that i could do that easy enough and that by the beijing games, i could feasibly be there. then i heard how much they train. so that's not gonna really work with my schedule. now, i'm no expert...but i really think i could successfully pick up curling. i did some research and there is this one curler that is competing in these olympic games that is 43. by the next winter olympics, i will only be 39. and...it doesn't look like you have to be in crazy good shape either. i did find out that she started curling when she was 8... which scares me a little. but how hard can it be? this could be a real possibility. i was beyond excited to watch the women's skating with my girls. i told aiden for weeks leading up to the olympics that i couldn't wait to watch it with her...just like i watched it when i was her age. technically, i think annslee could have gone either way, and aiden fell asleep half-way through the night (poor darlin...it was getting really late and she had to put up with a bunch of skiing events and news intermittently.) actually, annslee has been pretty obsessed with the downhill skiing. she will stare at the t.v. when that is on forever. now we call them "her friends, the skiers." but that's really beside the point. here is a picture of me and the girls watching the skaters. it does make me happy.
i am very thrilled to report that in a little over a week, i am starting adult ice skating lessons. this is all thanks to my friend, g. she had the very brilliant idea and checked into it. chad is being very supportive of this idea. he became really supportive when i agreed to taking lessons as a single skater instead of the ice dancing lessons that i originally talked about. his response to that suggestion made me laugh. he said, "yeah. i can't skate and i can't dance. do you really think this is the sport that i should try to pick up?" anyhow...i digress. the point is, that in a week, g and i will be lacing up our skates and i will be taking my very first ice skating lesson. wow...it's like 31 years since i first asked for lessons, but i think it's important to make good on a childhood dream.
i am very thrilled to report that in a little over a week, i am starting adult ice skating lessons. this is all thanks to my friend, g. she had the very brilliant idea and checked into it. chad is being very supportive of this idea. he became really supportive when i agreed to taking lessons as a single skater instead of the ice dancing lessons that i originally talked about. his response to that suggestion made me laugh. he said, "yeah. i can't skate and i can't dance. do you really think this is the sport that i should try to pick up?" anyhow...i digress. the point is, that in a week, g and i will be lacing up our skates and i will be taking my very first ice skating lesson. wow...it's like 31 years since i first asked for lessons, but i think it's important to make good on a childhood dream.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
tame the crazy
i really shouldn't do this. let you all in on the actual crazy that is in my mind. i think you're supposed to tame the crazy in front of others...right? i don't know why, but when i took annslee to the doctor for her 4 month well check up this past week, i told myself that i was going to blog it. not so much for whoever may end up reading this, but for me...because hopefully when i look back on this post, i will realize how far i've come in this area of the crazy. counting how many times i've been to the pediatrician as a mother is not possible, but i can add up the well check ups at least. they go at 2 weeks, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 3 yrs, 4 yrs, 5 yrs. i'll stop there because that is when they stop getting all the immunizations. so, if my calculations are correct...for my 4 children thus far, i have taken them 36 times for just the well check up. this does not include all the sick or "mychildisscreamingallthetimeandnotsleepingandspittingupcontiuouslyandhasarashthatwon'tgoaway" visits. (annslee has been about 6 times for various reflux/rash reasons). so anyways...this is what i go through EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
cover the infant carrier with a blanket before going in the building. have a wipe ready. have my debit card, hand gel and my own pen in my pocket. use a wipe to open the door and push the elevator button, then use the same wipe to open the door to the office. use my own pen to sign in. tell the receptionist that we are waiting in the hall. use the same wipe to open the door to get to the hall. i gel my hands even though i haven't touched a thing. i hold the carrier the whole time because i'm scared of all the germs that have "settled" on the floor. (if i didn't sound crazy before...i'm sure that last sentence pushed me over the crazy edge.) this is when the infant carrier starts to get really heavy, by the way, but i push through and hope we don't have to wait there long. they come to call us back and i always let the nurse go ahead of me so that i don't have to touch the door handles. when we get into the room, i put the infant carrier on the paper on the table and ask them if the room had been cleaned after the last patient. they always say yes, but spray the chairs for me anyways. (i don't know why this makes me feel better because i don't even sit in them.) while they are asking me questions, i get another antibacterial wipe and wipe the edges of the table where the paper doesn't touch. i get a thick blanket out of the diaper bag (that is also on the paper) and spread it on the table. by this point, they are having me get the baby down to their diaper. when we go to weigh them, i ask them to put the paper protector sideways and to use 2 of them so that the baby doesn't touch the scale at all. when we get back to the room, i put them on the blanket while they measure their heads and length. i always watch to make sure that their hands don't touch the wall. if they do, i wipe them. when the nurse leaves, i pick up the baby and we normally sing lullabies and bounce around the room. the doctor comes in and i somewhat stress about all the other kids that the stethoscope has touched, but i surprisingly don't freak out or break out the wipes. after we are done, i wipe their hands and feet with a wipe, get them dressed and get them all snuggled back in their car seat and cover it up with the blanket. i fold the blanket with the table side folded in and then i use my own pen while checking out, say no thanks to the stickers, and use a wipe on the door handle and elevator buttons. when we get to the car, i take the blanket off the car seat, click it in and gel my hands. one time i took a can of lysol and sprayed the bottom of my shoes before i got in the car...but most of the time i take my shoes off outside before walking in the house. once we get home, i change clothes, put the dirty blankets, burp rags and clothes in the washer and give the baby a bath. then breathe a sigh of relief that i don't have to do it again for another 2 months.
*if it is one of the older kids, they walk...but everything else stays about the same except for a lot of "don't touch anythings." i will admit, at this point, that i'm quite aware that this is not normal behavior...however it is mine.
cover the infant carrier with a blanket before going in the building. have a wipe ready. have my debit card, hand gel and my own pen in my pocket. use a wipe to open the door and push the elevator button, then use the same wipe to open the door to the office. use my own pen to sign in. tell the receptionist that we are waiting in the hall. use the same wipe to open the door to get to the hall. i gel my hands even though i haven't touched a thing. i hold the carrier the whole time because i'm scared of all the germs that have "settled" on the floor. (if i didn't sound crazy before...i'm sure that last sentence pushed me over the crazy edge.) this is when the infant carrier starts to get really heavy, by the way, but i push through and hope we don't have to wait there long. they come to call us back and i always let the nurse go ahead of me so that i don't have to touch the door handles. when we get into the room, i put the infant carrier on the paper on the table and ask them if the room had been cleaned after the last patient. they always say yes, but spray the chairs for me anyways. (i don't know why this makes me feel better because i don't even sit in them.) while they are asking me questions, i get another antibacterial wipe and wipe the edges of the table where the paper doesn't touch. i get a thick blanket out of the diaper bag (that is also on the paper) and spread it on the table. by this point, they are having me get the baby down to their diaper. when we go to weigh them, i ask them to put the paper protector sideways and to use 2 of them so that the baby doesn't touch the scale at all. when we get back to the room, i put them on the blanket while they measure their heads and length. i always watch to make sure that their hands don't touch the wall. if they do, i wipe them. when the nurse leaves, i pick up the baby and we normally sing lullabies and bounce around the room. the doctor comes in and i somewhat stress about all the other kids that the stethoscope has touched, but i surprisingly don't freak out or break out the wipes. after we are done, i wipe their hands and feet with a wipe, get them dressed and get them all snuggled back in their car seat and cover it up with the blanket. i fold the blanket with the table side folded in and then i use my own pen while checking out, say no thanks to the stickers, and use a wipe on the door handle and elevator buttons. when we get to the car, i take the blanket off the car seat, click it in and gel my hands. one time i took a can of lysol and sprayed the bottom of my shoes before i got in the car...but most of the time i take my shoes off outside before walking in the house. once we get home, i change clothes, put the dirty blankets, burp rags and clothes in the washer and give the baby a bath. then breathe a sigh of relief that i don't have to do it again for another 2 months.
*if it is one of the older kids, they walk...but everything else stays about the same except for a lot of "don't touch anythings." i will admit, at this point, that i'm quite aware that this is not normal behavior...however it is mine.
Monday, February 15, 2010
i've come a long way
9 years old is a good thing. life has changed a bit for dear, little colton. due to being the oldest of 4, he has acquired a few responsibilities that are new to him. for one reason or another, the transition from little kid to big kid has been harder for me than him. not only for sentimental reasons, but logistically too. for example, when do you turn over teeth control? let's not kid ourselves...if i am not going over them, it will take a small miracle for them to remain cavity free. this is just one small issue that has been a hard loss of control for me. there is also when to start letting them bathe themselves, pick out their own clothes, put their own laundry away, making beds, cleaning rooms, and the one that still plagues me...washing their own hands. i still have the "if it's gonna be done right i have to do it" voice in the back of my head. however, since adding puddin to the already less than in control equation, i have had to let go. we have come up with a great little idea, and it is called colton gets paid $5 a week to dust the entire house for me, put his laundry away, help chase and aiden get theirs put away, keep his room and bathroom clean, and do whatever else i may ask him to do to help. let's face it...i would gladly pay him three times that for doing that stuff, but he thinks $5 is the cat's meow. puddin only takes 1 long nap during the day and it is from about 9:30-12:00. so i have given myself "chores" to maintain what is left of my sanity*. before this plan was in place, i was ready to pull my hair out. i felt like i was spinning my wheels all day long trying to keep it all done and it just isn't possible. now, as long as i finish my "chore" i feel accomplished. mondays is laundry. (i start it sunday afternoon and then try to have it finished by when the kids get home from school on monday so that they can take it up.) tuesdays i try to hit the grocery store. wednesday is bathrooms. thursday is sweeping and mopping. colton usually dusts on either saturday or sunday. i need to find a good time to vacuum. this never quite fits in because i don't want to wake annslee up. technically, my house han't been vacuumed since, like, christmas...but we aren't gonna focus on that right now. this works for me, because instead of thinking i need to be "getting something done", i can say, "i finished the bathrooms, so i can sit down and play with aiden instead of going to the next thing"...because there is always the next thing. before colton was born, i cleaned the house from top to bottom every single week and any time we had company. i mean, you just never know when someone from small group might want to poke their head in a linen closet upstairs or something. so, everything was always perfect. today, i would challenge someone to be able to get the door closed to my upstairs linen closet after poking their head in it...due to the fact that about 18 towels and 6 down pillows would most likely fall on their head if they did decide to take a gander. i've come a long way!
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