Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Diapers, diapers, diapers!!
I love watermelon, but it is a messy treat and it makes for extra diapers. I already have 3 children in diapers and one who doesn't always quite make it to the toilet and today there was more than the usual amount of dirty diapers and accidents to clean up. What a day!! I think we will be potty training this next weekend. Should be fun!!! It's a good thing these little people are so dang cute!! It takes a lot of love and patience to change that many diapers!!!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Joys of Motherhood
Today little #6 kept me company while I made two batches of bread. He watched me and helped dump some flour into the mixer. He was a little surprised when he touched the spinning part for the blender pitcher and it didn't stop. He told me when the mixer had stopped and then he started eating bread dough and watched me to see if I would see him do it and what I would do. He loves to run away from me when I want to change his diaper, wash his face, change his clothes or brush his teeth. I love doing all those things for him. He is sooooo cute-- he has the LONGEST eyelashes and the cutest little face. When he gets in trouble, he puts both of his little arms and hands over his face and then hides his face in the couch or on a pillow or wall.
#7 repeats everything I say. He says "thanks" when I get him an apple or change his diaper-- he doesn't run away from me. He is very sweet and likes to sit right next to me close when we watch T.V. or when I am nursing on the couch. He also likes to say prayers at meals and at night. Very sweet. I just want to hold him forever- he's so cute.
#5 has taken a new interest in baby toys. He pretty much takes anything the twins have been playing with once they have forgotten about for a second and then says it's his turn, but he would have had no interest in it had they not been playing with it before. As if it wasn't hard enough to share with each other, the twins have to share with their big brother. I usually make him give it back to whichever twin had it. He loves the little baby and likes to pat his head and talk to him. That makes me happy. I try to give him extra positive reinforcement when he does what he is supposed to-- I think the 3-5 yr old age group is pretty annoying overall. But I will miss this stubborn little boy as he grows out of it.
#8 is sooooo soooooo sooooooo cute and sweet. He is starting to smile, coo and reach for things. I love to just hold his tiny body close to me and smell his baby smell. There is nothing cuter and sweeter than a tiny helpless baby. He has to be carried everywhere and he needs his diaper changed and he needs to nurse and sleep. That's it-- I LOVE babies.
The older kids are so easy-- they dress themselves, they brush their own teeth, they clean things, they help get dinner and other meals on the table, they help the twins find things and get glasses of water. They take care of the chickens, the cat and the dog. I love my older kids. I hope I'll continue to be able to give them the attention they need. They are really good kids and I love having them around. I hope they continue to make good choices and learn to work hard and do lots of interesting things.
Life is good. I love being a mom and spending time with my kids. I am very thankful for a good husband who works very hard so that I can do this work. He doesn't enjoy being told what to do all the time at work and the past 2 years have been particularly stressful for him-- I'm grateful he's been willing to sacrifice his preferences to give me and the kids the security of a consistent income and medical insurance. None of this happens without an excellent husband and father. They are soooo important to a successful, happy family.
Not that I do everything I should or that I always remember that I love parenting-- but overall I have a pretty good time and I want to remember these sweet moments.
Well somebody just rolled out of bed so ta-ta for now!
#7 repeats everything I say. He says "thanks" when I get him an apple or change his diaper-- he doesn't run away from me. He is very sweet and likes to sit right next to me close when we watch T.V. or when I am nursing on the couch. He also likes to say prayers at meals and at night. Very sweet. I just want to hold him forever- he's so cute.
#5 has taken a new interest in baby toys. He pretty much takes anything the twins have been playing with once they have forgotten about for a second and then says it's his turn, but he would have had no interest in it had they not been playing with it before. As if it wasn't hard enough to share with each other, the twins have to share with their big brother. I usually make him give it back to whichever twin had it. He loves the little baby and likes to pat his head and talk to him. That makes me happy. I try to give him extra positive reinforcement when he does what he is supposed to-- I think the 3-5 yr old age group is pretty annoying overall. But I will miss this stubborn little boy as he grows out of it.
#8 is sooooo soooooo sooooooo cute and sweet. He is starting to smile, coo and reach for things. I love to just hold his tiny body close to me and smell his baby smell. There is nothing cuter and sweeter than a tiny helpless baby. He has to be carried everywhere and he needs his diaper changed and he needs to nurse and sleep. That's it-- I LOVE babies.
The older kids are so easy-- they dress themselves, they brush their own teeth, they clean things, they help get dinner and other meals on the table, they help the twins find things and get glasses of water. They take care of the chickens, the cat and the dog. I love my older kids. I hope I'll continue to be able to give them the attention they need. They are really good kids and I love having them around. I hope they continue to make good choices and learn to work hard and do lots of interesting things.
Life is good. I love being a mom and spending time with my kids. I am very thankful for a good husband who works very hard so that I can do this work. He doesn't enjoy being told what to do all the time at work and the past 2 years have been particularly stressful for him-- I'm grateful he's been willing to sacrifice his preferences to give me and the kids the security of a consistent income and medical insurance. None of this happens without an excellent husband and father. They are soooo important to a successful, happy family.
Not that I do everything I should or that I always remember that I love parenting-- but overall I have a pretty good time and I want to remember these sweet moments.
Well somebody just rolled out of bed so ta-ta for now!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Funny sayings
My almost 8 yr old went for his baptismal interview today , it was really nice-- when the bishop asked why we don't baptize babies- my sweet little boy responded that they would drown and he said you have to have the atomic priesthood. So sweet.
My 2 year old twins are so dang cute-- they are so happy when I understand what they want. they repeat everything I say. #6 talks more than #7. They both say "no way" , we couldn't find #6's toothbrush, he put his little arms up and said "it's all gone, can't find it, mom"-- he calls me mom instead of mommy like the other kids have. They say "me, turn" to say their nightly prayers and to get their diapers changed. They do not want to be potty trained, but I think they are ready-- we will probably do it soon. #7 loves pockets and carries all sorts of trinkets in them- dice,cars, toy planes, colored game pieces. He also likes to walk around with a little backpack and frisbees. When #6 takes something he shouldn't he smiles real cute and then throws it to give it back. It warms my heart when they hug each other or the other kids and say sorry.
#6 gets scared easily. We had to tell him there are no monsters in the house. He had a big red ant get stuck in his shirt and bite him a couple times before I figured out what it was-- so ther were some tiny ants-- he was scared of them we told him it was OK and the next day he told me "ants not get me". He was scared of bears too, my husband made some scary bear sounds and he went running- very concerned- then we had to tell him there are no bears in the house either. He also think that the city lights across the lake are fireworks.
They say peaches and Martha Speaks really cute. I am a lucky mom.
As if that weren't enough, my baby is adorable-- starting to smile and coo. He only cries when he's hungry or tired. My other children bring me great joy and satisfaction too. Life is good.
My 2 year old twins are so dang cute-- they are so happy when I understand what they want. they repeat everything I say. #6 talks more than #7. They both say "no way" , we couldn't find #6's toothbrush, he put his little arms up and said "it's all gone, can't find it, mom"-- he calls me mom instead of mommy like the other kids have. They say "me, turn" to say their nightly prayers and to get their diapers changed. They do not want to be potty trained, but I think they are ready-- we will probably do it soon. #7 loves pockets and carries all sorts of trinkets in them- dice,cars, toy planes, colored game pieces. He also likes to walk around with a little backpack and frisbees. When #6 takes something he shouldn't he smiles real cute and then throws it to give it back. It warms my heart when they hug each other or the other kids and say sorry.
#6 gets scared easily. We had to tell him there are no monsters in the house. He had a big red ant get stuck in his shirt and bite him a couple times before I figured out what it was-- so ther were some tiny ants-- he was scared of them we told him it was OK and the next day he told me "ants not get me". He was scared of bears too, my husband made some scary bear sounds and he went running- very concerned- then we had to tell him there are no bears in the house either. He also think that the city lights across the lake are fireworks.
They say peaches and Martha Speaks really cute. I am a lucky mom.
As if that weren't enough, my baby is adorable-- starting to smile and coo. He only cries when he's hungry or tired. My other children bring me great joy and satisfaction too. Life is good.
What Really Matters
I have always loved the scriptures- the Bible, the Doctrine & Covenants and especially the Book of Mormon. There are nuggets of pure goodness and beauty and love in those words-- they are the teachings that drew me to the Savior and made life worth living. I have described a bit over the past couple years what a struggle life has been for me and my family -- my husband getting laid off from his dream job working from home- making a lot of money then working for the church and commuting far away, being pregnant with twins, remodeling our house while being very pregnant with twins, having the twins, surviving after the twins, becoming isolated after the twins, having our few friends move, having our church ward go bad and being shunned, feeling it necessary to get out of that situation, beginning the process of building a new home closer to my husband's work and in a good neighborhood and ward, commuting an hour away for church and homeschool activities and vision therapy, being pregnant with #8, finally moving in after everything that could have possibly slowed it down did, getting the old house cleaned out (which took forever), getting evacuated because of a wildfire we watched come very near our new neighborhood, having a beautiful baby, being transported to Primary Children's NICU, dealing with necessary medical tests and billi lights, finally finishing that, finally being settled in our new house, and now seeing the end of that chapter finally come to pass.
My husband will be moving to vendor status so he will no longer be a church employee-- they still want him to do work for them, but he will get paid hourly and he will be able to work from home. We just got word of this today. We paid a big sum of tithing last week which really was about the last of the buffer we had for our move and we were grateful to hear that my husband will be getting the hourly rate he asked for which means a raise and also means that we will be able to afford our new house since the old one will probably take awhile to sell. Tithing is a true principle-- we have been blessed for paying that tithing.
This whole process and experience has put us to the edge of our capacity to endure. There were some days where we just laid in bed as long as we possibly could dreading the events of that particular day. Our faith was challenged first by our ward turning bad and then by interacting and seeing bad things happen at a higher level in our beloved church. We were very sad and disappointed and confused.
But the bottom line is that with all its imperfections the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's church. The Savior of the world loves me and my family. People and leaders in the church may fail me, but He will never fail me. He has been, is and will take care of me and my family. He knows we have been trying hard to follow Him. He knows we have felt alone and lost and forgotten. He has come through-- everytime I couldn't last another day-- word would come that kept me going-- this happened at least 3 times-- the first was around Thanksgiving we found out the lot was ours-- several times people in our new ward just said hi and asked how I was doing-- the Lord sent me a couple new friends to cheer me-- my SIL would call to visit often when I felt the most down-- I was invited to join a forum with some other moms of large families online who helped me find joy and comraderie in the huge task of raising so many little ones and being pregnant again-- we finally closed on our house-- had we not closed on the day we finally did -- I was totally ready to just walk away-- a dear friend just happened to stop by and was able to counsel me in dealing with a difficult family situation when I was very down-- it was hard, but the Lord was there for me although He let me struggle and maybe let me suffer to my capacity-- He didn't let me go beyond my capacity to endure and fulfill my responsibilities in caring for my children.
I feel so grateful. I'm especially grateful to be in control of my life again. Instead of spending time and money on the road, I can clean my house and cook healthy meals. I am able to learn and teach interesting things with my kids. I have learned A LOT-- more than I wanted, but I am grateful. I may be able to start giving back and helping others instead of just trying to survive.
So-- what really matters?
LOVE, KINDNESS, CHARITY
That's it-- just be nice-- don't put people down or make them feel worse about themselves-- be good to people. People matter-- nothing else-- no matter how forlorn, beaten, sinful, sorry, good or bad-- they matter. Be kind, be loving in thought, in word, in action.
the end.
My husband will be moving to vendor status so he will no longer be a church employee-- they still want him to do work for them, but he will get paid hourly and he will be able to work from home. We just got word of this today. We paid a big sum of tithing last week which really was about the last of the buffer we had for our move and we were grateful to hear that my husband will be getting the hourly rate he asked for which means a raise and also means that we will be able to afford our new house since the old one will probably take awhile to sell. Tithing is a true principle-- we have been blessed for paying that tithing.
This whole process and experience has put us to the edge of our capacity to endure. There were some days where we just laid in bed as long as we possibly could dreading the events of that particular day. Our faith was challenged first by our ward turning bad and then by interacting and seeing bad things happen at a higher level in our beloved church. We were very sad and disappointed and confused.
But the bottom line is that with all its imperfections the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's church. The Savior of the world loves me and my family. People and leaders in the church may fail me, but He will never fail me. He has been, is and will take care of me and my family. He knows we have been trying hard to follow Him. He knows we have felt alone and lost and forgotten. He has come through-- everytime I couldn't last another day-- word would come that kept me going-- this happened at least 3 times-- the first was around Thanksgiving we found out the lot was ours-- several times people in our new ward just said hi and asked how I was doing-- the Lord sent me a couple new friends to cheer me-- my SIL would call to visit often when I felt the most down-- I was invited to join a forum with some other moms of large families online who helped me find joy and comraderie in the huge task of raising so many little ones and being pregnant again-- we finally closed on our house-- had we not closed on the day we finally did -- I was totally ready to just walk away-- a dear friend just happened to stop by and was able to counsel me in dealing with a difficult family situation when I was very down-- it was hard, but the Lord was there for me although He let me struggle and maybe let me suffer to my capacity-- He didn't let me go beyond my capacity to endure and fulfill my responsibilities in caring for my children.
I feel so grateful. I'm especially grateful to be in control of my life again. Instead of spending time and money on the road, I can clean my house and cook healthy meals. I am able to learn and teach interesting things with my kids. I have learned A LOT-- more than I wanted, but I am grateful. I may be able to start giving back and helping others instead of just trying to survive.
So-- what really matters?
LOVE, KINDNESS, CHARITY
That's it-- just be nice-- don't put people down or make them feel worse about themselves-- be good to people. People matter-- nothing else-- no matter how forlorn, beaten, sinful, sorry, good or bad-- they matter. Be kind, be loving in thought, in word, in action.
the end.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Meal Plans
I have had to redo a lot of my stand by menus because my family is just plain tired of the same meals all the time. My 3 main requirements for meals have been that they are healthy, easy and cheap. Because I have some picky eaters and we have eaten fairly healthy for the past couple years, I have learned that there is value in the food also tasting good-- so that has been my main task lately to make the food taste good and to find things that everybody likes.
First I knew that I absolutely needed to find a good bread recipe. I have found 2 that I like and that are very healthy with my pioneer natural yeast so that we have good cheap bread available to eat most the time.
Today we had cafe rio type of taco salad. The chipotle salad dressing is quite good.
Yesterday we had potato salad and pasta salad and crepes. The crepe recipe with the pioneer yeast is awesome.
Other things we had-- split pea soup, enchilada casserole, salmon,
Plans for this week-- ratatouille, burritos, italian potatoes, bruschetta and hummus, sandwiches
Now I need to figure out meals- especially since the kids have practices pretty much everyday during my normal prep time and I have a nursing baby-- so I really need to know ahead of time what we'll be eating so that I can have it ready in a timely manner which doesn't happen very often. It is also helpful to record what recipes everybody liked.
First I knew that I absolutely needed to find a good bread recipe. I have found 2 that I like and that are very healthy with my pioneer natural yeast so that we have good cheap bread available to eat most the time.
Today we had cafe rio type of taco salad. The chipotle salad dressing is quite good.
Yesterday we had potato salad and pasta salad and crepes. The crepe recipe with the pioneer yeast is awesome.
Other things we had-- split pea soup, enchilada casserole, salmon,
Plans for this week-- ratatouille, burritos, italian potatoes, bruschetta and hummus, sandwiches
Now I need to figure out meals- especially since the kids have practices pretty much everyday during my normal prep time and I have a nursing baby-- so I really need to know ahead of time what we'll be eating so that I can have it ready in a timely manner which doesn't happen very often. It is also helpful to record what recipes everybody liked.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Baking success
Life has been a little grim around here-- we had a crazy storm--earlier in the day it was fairly warm and the following day it was up in the 80s to 90s-- but out of nowhere we had a TON of rain and hail the size of marbles. Soon after while we were admiring the sunset, we heard rushing water and there was a river of rushing burnt smelling mud that just appeared. Fortunately it missed our house completely, but unfortunately for the houses 2 streets over, it just plowed through-- 11 of those houses ended up with mud damage,many of them had basements that just completely filled with mud all the way to the ceilings. Insurance won't cover the damages and there are no financial aid programs. It is very sad. There has been a huge volunteer effort though and most of the houses are cleaned out at this point, but there is a ton of work left to do. It has been unreal. The flash flood of mud was a result of the fire we were evacuated for back in June. This has been a crazy place to live thus far.
But on a brighter note-- I sucessfully baked 2 different kinds of whole wheat bread using pioneer yeast that was not sour, so my picky eater would eat it. Natural yeast is supposed to be much healthier for us and some people with gluten intolerance can eat wheat breads using natural yeast-- so I'm very excited about this.
One of the kinds was from the book, "Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" which is a no-knead bread-- I doubled the recipe, left out the wheat gluten, added a couple spoonfuls of coconut oil and used about 2 1/2 cups of pioneer yeast starter. I also used warm water I saved from boiling potatoes the night before and I reduced the water it called for by 2 cups. It turned out great.
The next type was a very basic whole wheat bread recipe-- I would have used the potato water again, but I wanted to see if it would work without it. I proofed the yeast with a little honey, regular water and about 1/4 cup of starter, then I mixed 6 cups of whole wheat flour and 4 cups of warm water in my mixer then added the yeast mixture, honey, salt, coconut oil, and the rest of the flour and kneaded it for awhile, then I let it rest til I was afraid it was too sticky and wouldn't work, so after about an hour cause that's how long it takes me to get back to things in between helping different kids with stuff-- I shaped the loaves and put them in an unheated oven to rise for several hours til they were double in size and then I baked them. I am so happy both kinds worked and tasted so good!!
I also made some more peach jam without pectin. I blended 5 cups worth of peaches poured it into a pot with juice from 1 lemon and 3 cups worth of sucanat, brought it to a boil and had the kids take turns stirring it for 20 min. It made great jam. so my house is a bit of a mess- but I may have bread baking solved!! I lost the password to my cooking blog again-- so maybe I'll just give up on that or maybe I'll get around to making another one-- don't know!!
But on a brighter note-- I sucessfully baked 2 different kinds of whole wheat bread using pioneer yeast that was not sour, so my picky eater would eat it. Natural yeast is supposed to be much healthier for us and some people with gluten intolerance can eat wheat breads using natural yeast-- so I'm very excited about this.
One of the kinds was from the book, "Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" which is a no-knead bread-- I doubled the recipe, left out the wheat gluten, added a couple spoonfuls of coconut oil and used about 2 1/2 cups of pioneer yeast starter. I also used warm water I saved from boiling potatoes the night before and I reduced the water it called for by 2 cups. It turned out great.
The next type was a very basic whole wheat bread recipe-- I would have used the potato water again, but I wanted to see if it would work without it. I proofed the yeast with a little honey, regular water and about 1/4 cup of starter, then I mixed 6 cups of whole wheat flour and 4 cups of warm water in my mixer then added the yeast mixture, honey, salt, coconut oil, and the rest of the flour and kneaded it for awhile, then I let it rest til I was afraid it was too sticky and wouldn't work, so after about an hour cause that's how long it takes me to get back to things in between helping different kids with stuff-- I shaped the loaves and put them in an unheated oven to rise for several hours til they were double in size and then I baked them. I am so happy both kinds worked and tasted so good!!
I also made some more peach jam without pectin. I blended 5 cups worth of peaches poured it into a pot with juice from 1 lemon and 3 cups worth of sucanat, brought it to a boil and had the kids take turns stirring it for 20 min. It made great jam. so my house is a bit of a mess- but I may have bread baking solved!! I lost the password to my cooking blog again-- so maybe I'll just give up on that or maybe I'll get around to making another one-- don't know!!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
happenings
The cute little baby is now about 6 1/2 weeks old. It's sad that the little newborn days are gone especially because it was such a whirlwind, but it's nice that he is doing well and he isn't so fragile. He is still super sweet, he nurses a ton and sleeps a ton, and the other kids love to hold him when I need them to do so. I took him to the cardiologist for a check up and he passed the check up and since he didn't have any other heart episodes, we don't have to go back. That has been a huge relief. He had also gained 2 pounds he was up to 10 lb 11 oz.!! He is a little chunk, and oh so cute with his chubby cheeks.
That same week, one of my cute little twins jumped off the top of the bunk bed without the pillows and blankets that are normally there to cushion the fall and broke his little foot. It was very tiny- didn't even show up on the X-ray- the radiologist had to confirm it was broken-- little #7 wouldn't put any pressure on it for a couple days though until I finally held his hand and had him walk on it a little bit-- he is pretty much back to his normal little rambuncious self.
We have had a ton of dental appts. this week. Everybody had at least one cavity so we will all be glad when those appts. are over. We will also be starting vision therapy with #4 again and it's time for a new pair of $300 glasses for him. Staying healthy is not cheap!!!
We are loving all the fresh produce especially the Utah peaches-- they just can't be beat!! My girls tried out for a choir and show choir. They made the choir because they both have lovely voices, but they did not make show choir because it is not in their nature to be showy-- I'm sure they can do it later if they work on that and really want to do it. #1 is loving volleyball-- I'm so glad. #2 started soccer and did pretty well in her first game. We'll be doing more school this week and we should have our schedule ready to go strong and hard starting the week after. It will be busy but fun and good!!
That same week, one of my cute little twins jumped off the top of the bunk bed without the pillows and blankets that are normally there to cushion the fall and broke his little foot. It was very tiny- didn't even show up on the X-ray- the radiologist had to confirm it was broken-- little #7 wouldn't put any pressure on it for a couple days though until I finally held his hand and had him walk on it a little bit-- he is pretty much back to his normal little rambuncious self.
We have had a ton of dental appts. this week. Everybody had at least one cavity so we will all be glad when those appts. are over. We will also be starting vision therapy with #4 again and it's time for a new pair of $300 glasses for him. Staying healthy is not cheap!!!
We are loving all the fresh produce especially the Utah peaches-- they just can't be beat!! My girls tried out for a choir and show choir. They made the choir because they both have lovely voices, but they did not make show choir because it is not in their nature to be showy-- I'm sure they can do it later if they work on that and really want to do it. #1 is loving volleyball-- I'm so glad. #2 started soccer and did pretty well in her first game. We'll be doing more school this week and we should have our schedule ready to go strong and hard starting the week after. It will be busy but fun and good!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)