I'm pretty sure I've had this before, but this is the first time making it. Cracker Toffee. Or Brittle Cookies. Or whatever people are calling it. I have a craving for chocolate, but not the packaged Christmas candies we have. I want something with chocolate chips in it. So, here's what I just made:
Saltines - line a baking sheet with them
1 cup brown sugar and 1 stick butter - melt them til gooey on stovetop
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Pour gooey sugar mess over crackers lining pan.
Bake for about 5 minutes or until sugar is bubbling on top of crackers
Sprinkle 2 cups of chocolate chips over hot sugar crackers. Let sit for a few minutes to melt. Spread chocolate evenly over all crackers. Place pan in freezer for about an hour or until chocolate has hardened. Break into pieces to eat! (or you can bag them and keep in the freezer to give out as gifts!!)
Yum. Mine's in the freezer now. In about 58 minutes, I'm going to chow down on that goodness! :) Too bad the girls are in bed.....NOT. :)
Monday, December 27, 2010
Meatless Mondays
So, I have been trying a new thing, Meatless Mondays, for a couple weeks now. It was going well, until today. I am so lost on what day it is because we've been off schedule, that I pulled out meat to defrost for dinner. Then, I remembered about an hour ago that it's Monday. Oops. Oh well, I am doing an easy ground beef dish because I'm still exhausted from the holidays; pregnancy tends to do that to me - drags out my exhaustion about 4 days longer than the normal person's. :)
Tonight, it's Ground Beef Stroganoff for dinner. I am serving it over rice, with green beans and rolls. I'm excited. For some reason, stroganoff sounded really good. I haven't made or had it in probably a year. Here's the recipe I snagged from Cooks.com....
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (or for tonight, i'm lazy and just using onion powder)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
rice, noodles, whatever (i've heard mashed potatoes is also tasty with this)
Brown the beef with the onion. Drain. Add salt, pepper, and soup. Simmer 15-20 minutes (i added a little water because it seemed awful dry to have sit for 20 minutes). Add sour cream and heat for 5 more minutes. Serve over rice or noodles.
Maybe I'll make it a meatless Tuesday tomorrow. That'll save me the trouble of pulling meat out of the freezer....because it's oh so much work! HA.
Today, we played with the girls' new Play-Doh Ice Cream Shoppe set. That occupied them, without fighting, for about an hour! Addy even got in on it from her highchair. Then she ate some of the blue play-doh....and was done. :) I am STILL working on laundry...Day 2. I will not finish today. 11 loads this week. That's up 4 from my normal 7 loads a week. That's insane! These girls got waaaaay too many new clothes, I guess.
Alright, dinner's almost done. So, it's not the healthiest. It's not going to kill us, either. I'm happy. Little effort. I am only serving one vegetable, though, which is unlike me. I almost always have 2, in addition to a starch and meat. Oh well. It's winter break, right? :)
Happy Meatless Monday!
Tonight, it's Ground Beef Stroganoff for dinner. I am serving it over rice, with green beans and rolls. I'm excited. For some reason, stroganoff sounded really good. I haven't made or had it in probably a year. Here's the recipe I snagged from Cooks.com....
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (or for tonight, i'm lazy and just using onion powder)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
rice, noodles, whatever (i've heard mashed potatoes is also tasty with this)
Brown the beef with the onion. Drain. Add salt, pepper, and soup. Simmer 15-20 minutes (i added a little water because it seemed awful dry to have sit for 20 minutes). Add sour cream and heat for 5 more minutes. Serve over rice or noodles.
Maybe I'll make it a meatless Tuesday tomorrow. That'll save me the trouble of pulling meat out of the freezer....because it's oh so much work! HA.
Today, we played with the girls' new Play-Doh Ice Cream Shoppe set. That occupied them, without fighting, for about an hour! Addy even got in on it from her highchair. Then she ate some of the blue play-doh....and was done. :) I am STILL working on laundry...Day 2. I will not finish today. 11 loads this week. That's up 4 from my normal 7 loads a week. That's insane! These girls got waaaaay too many new clothes, I guess.
Alright, dinner's almost done. So, it's not the healthiest. It's not going to kill us, either. I'm happy. Little effort. I am only serving one vegetable, though, which is unlike me. I almost always have 2, in addition to a starch and meat. Oh well. It's winter break, right? :)
Happy Meatless Monday!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The Chaos of Christmas
Christmas was wonderful! We had such a great time visiting both my and Arthur's families. It was a lot of driving, but it was well worth it. :) We ended up having Christmas at my parents' house on the 23rd, in order for everyone to make it. What a day! We started opening presents among the 8 grandkids, 4 at-home kids, 6 married kids and my parents at 10:30 in the morning. We finished some time before 1pm! Everyone got so many more presents than they deserved, as usual. :) All of us kids surprised my parents with a 20x24 framed photo of all of the kids and grandkids, an 11x14 photo of the 8 original kids, and an 11x14 of the 8 grandkids. I think they loved it! We had to sneak around to get the picture taken after Thanksgiving, but we pulled it off and they were surprised, so I was happy to see my mom's reaction. I know she's been wanting to get a good picture of all of us together but someone's always taking a nap or crabby or absent.
We left my parents' house on Friday morning and came home to drop off the presents and relax for a few hours....or so we thought. We ended up opening all the toys just to get the garbage out of the house. What a mess! Kid toys are so difficult to open! But, the girls were happy to see everything out of the packaging.
Around 3, we headed over to my in-laws for dinner there. It was Italian-themed for the food. I brought an antipasto tray, and I am very proud of myself for going outside my little box to make a pretty decent dish. :) Addy opened her gifts shortly after 7 because she was exhausted and needed to go to bed. After putting her to sleep, we watched some TV and then all opened gifts around 9:30 or so. All 3 girls got (again) a TON of toys and clothes. They were very excited. Arthur got an iPad! He was super excited as well. I got some really great and useful kitchen items, so I was very happy. We got home around 11 and again decided to open the packaging of all the toys. What a chore! Of course, Polly Pocket's roller coaster playset had a ridiculous amount of pieces. We were up til 1 putting it all together and getting out the gifts from Santa....and eating the milk and cookies.
Christmas morning was awesome as well! The girls loved their presents and note from Santa. We opened gifts from each other and then ate a pancake, egg, and bacon breakfast made on my new electric griddle. :) Then, we were finally able to just lounge the rest of the day. Our friend Mike surprised us in the afternoon and stopped by to visit and with gifts for the girls.
It was a great couple of days. Now, we are headed to church this morning; Arthur headed off to work. Should be another great day. I'm already looking forward to a nap and starting laundry so we can get all these new clothes put away!!
Hope your Christmas was just as magical and special. We did review the real meaning of Christmas yesterday, and I was pleased when Iris didn't skip a beat in answering "Jesus was born" when asked what happened on the first Christmas morning. :) That's my girl!
We left my parents' house on Friday morning and came home to drop off the presents and relax for a few hours....or so we thought. We ended up opening all the toys just to get the garbage out of the house. What a mess! Kid toys are so difficult to open! But, the girls were happy to see everything out of the packaging.
Around 3, we headed over to my in-laws for dinner there. It was Italian-themed for the food. I brought an antipasto tray, and I am very proud of myself for going outside my little box to make a pretty decent dish. :) Addy opened her gifts shortly after 7 because she was exhausted and needed to go to bed. After putting her to sleep, we watched some TV and then all opened gifts around 9:30 or so. All 3 girls got (again) a TON of toys and clothes. They were very excited. Arthur got an iPad! He was super excited as well. I got some really great and useful kitchen items, so I was very happy. We got home around 11 and again decided to open the packaging of all the toys. What a chore! Of course, Polly Pocket's roller coaster playset had a ridiculous amount of pieces. We were up til 1 putting it all together and getting out the gifts from Santa....and eating the milk and cookies.
Christmas morning was awesome as well! The girls loved their presents and note from Santa. We opened gifts from each other and then ate a pancake, egg, and bacon breakfast made on my new electric griddle. :) Then, we were finally able to just lounge the rest of the day. Our friend Mike surprised us in the afternoon and stopped by to visit and with gifts for the girls.
It was a great couple of days. Now, we are headed to church this morning; Arthur headed off to work. Should be another great day. I'm already looking forward to a nap and starting laundry so we can get all these new clothes put away!!
Hope your Christmas was just as magical and special. We did review the real meaning of Christmas yesterday, and I was pleased when Iris didn't skip a beat in answering "Jesus was born" when asked what happened on the first Christmas morning. :) That's my girl!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Jesus is the Reason for the Season
The other night while praying with the girls before bed, Arthur and I took turns asking and thanking God for things. It was kind of like a joint prayer. We were both trying to think of a way to ask God to help us remember what Christmas is really about, and all I could think to say was "Jesus is the reason for the season". I remember wearing pins as a child that had that phrase on it. Or seeing bookmarks or bumper stickers with that phrase. It sounds so childish, but I think it really encompasses what we need to remember.
I know my girls (at least Iris and Lily), know that Christmas is about Jesus and celebrating his birth. But, I also know we get soooo wrapped up (no pun intended) in the presents and the tree and Santa. I want my girls to keep singing "happy birthday Jesus" when they're older and not just in preschool. I want them to remember to thank God for the real reason for Christmas, to make that connection between Christmas and Jesus' birth and (eventually) salvation.
I took them to see Santa last Friday at the mall. We stood in line for about an hour, which is something I would normally complain about. I knew full well, though, that the line would be crazy long and that the girls would probably get antsy. They, surprisingly, stood perfectly in line and patiently waited their turn. Iris even commented, "This is a really long line, Mom. We need patience." I smiled the biggest smile ever. We've been working on understanding patience, so it was nice to see she made that connection. We finally got up to Santa and they all got so shy! I expected that somewhat. Lily and Iris just hid behind my legs and Addy stared at Santa with big eyes. I tried to set Addy on his lap, she sat for half a second then looked and me and started crying. Iris finally mustered up the courage to speak to him. She planned to tell him she wanted Barbie and baby dolls for Christmas, but when she did speak she said, "I want a pony." ???? I started laughing. Santa was very soft-spoken, which I think the girls were a bit put off by. On the cartoons and movies, he's this boisterous and fun-loving guy. This Santa definitely was not. He looked like he really wanted to take a break (it was almost noon, which is his break time we were told), so I think it was hard for the girls to want to talk to him if he didn't seem to want to talk to them.
Overall, I'm glad we went. We've been talking about it, and they'd seen him from a distance before, so I was glad to get it done. :) We did not take or buy a picture. I believe it is robbery, the prices they charge...and they do not allow a picture using your own camera...of course. Oh well...I saved us $24, which I think was the lowest price and only included two 5x7's!
We finished up shopping for our last 2 gifts and came home just in time to eat and get a nap in. We had a fabulous weekend at my parents' house and at Grandma's breakfast. The girls had fun playing with their cousins. And that evening was our couples night, which was really great. It was so cold, but it was also very nice to be without the kids for a few hours.
This week, my brother Tyler is here with us until we go back to my parents' house tomorrow night to stay til Christmas Eve. We have 3 different kinds of cookies to bake today, a few of which we will keep here for Santa. :)
Despite everything that is happening this week, I really hope I convey a good attitude toward my family. I tend to get crabby and impatient during the holidays, expecting everyone to be on best behavior and not uncontrollably excited to see family and receive gifts. Yes, I forget they are toddlers a lot! :) Most of all, though, I want to make sure we keep Jesus' birth as the main focus. Santa is fun to talk about and gifts are fun to buy, wrap and give, but I want the girls to really focus on the best Gift ever. I know between preschool and Sunday School they've really learned a lot about Mary and Joseph and the birth but I want it to be a focus here, too. God has blessed me so much with such inquisitive girls; I hope I honor Him by addressing their curiosities with His Word and His Son and His Gift of Salvation.
With that, I wish you all a wonderfully blessed Christmas with your families and friends. I hope we can all take at least a moment each day to stop and think of all that went on to bring Jesus into this world, all the details that came together just right to bring us such an Amazing Gift. God's desire is for us to know Him and love Him. What better way than to share the real Christmas story with our loved ones and show them just how much God loves us!
Merry Christmas!
I know my girls (at least Iris and Lily), know that Christmas is about Jesus and celebrating his birth. But, I also know we get soooo wrapped up (no pun intended) in the presents and the tree and Santa. I want my girls to keep singing "happy birthday Jesus" when they're older and not just in preschool. I want them to remember to thank God for the real reason for Christmas, to make that connection between Christmas and Jesus' birth and (eventually) salvation.
I took them to see Santa last Friday at the mall. We stood in line for about an hour, which is something I would normally complain about. I knew full well, though, that the line would be crazy long and that the girls would probably get antsy. They, surprisingly, stood perfectly in line and patiently waited their turn. Iris even commented, "This is a really long line, Mom. We need patience." I smiled the biggest smile ever. We've been working on understanding patience, so it was nice to see she made that connection. We finally got up to Santa and they all got so shy! I expected that somewhat. Lily and Iris just hid behind my legs and Addy stared at Santa with big eyes. I tried to set Addy on his lap, she sat for half a second then looked and me and started crying. Iris finally mustered up the courage to speak to him. She planned to tell him she wanted Barbie and baby dolls for Christmas, but when she did speak she said, "I want a pony." ???? I started laughing. Santa was very soft-spoken, which I think the girls were a bit put off by. On the cartoons and movies, he's this boisterous and fun-loving guy. This Santa definitely was not. He looked like he really wanted to take a break (it was almost noon, which is his break time we were told), so I think it was hard for the girls to want to talk to him if he didn't seem to want to talk to them.
Overall, I'm glad we went. We've been talking about it, and they'd seen him from a distance before, so I was glad to get it done. :) We did not take or buy a picture. I believe it is robbery, the prices they charge...and they do not allow a picture using your own camera...of course. Oh well...I saved us $24, which I think was the lowest price and only included two 5x7's!
We finished up shopping for our last 2 gifts and came home just in time to eat and get a nap in. We had a fabulous weekend at my parents' house and at Grandma's breakfast. The girls had fun playing with their cousins. And that evening was our couples night, which was really great. It was so cold, but it was also very nice to be without the kids for a few hours.
This week, my brother Tyler is here with us until we go back to my parents' house tomorrow night to stay til Christmas Eve. We have 3 different kinds of cookies to bake today, a few of which we will keep here for Santa. :)
Despite everything that is happening this week, I really hope I convey a good attitude toward my family. I tend to get crabby and impatient during the holidays, expecting everyone to be on best behavior and not uncontrollably excited to see family and receive gifts. Yes, I forget they are toddlers a lot! :) Most of all, though, I want to make sure we keep Jesus' birth as the main focus. Santa is fun to talk about and gifts are fun to buy, wrap and give, but I want the girls to really focus on the best Gift ever. I know between preschool and Sunday School they've really learned a lot about Mary and Joseph and the birth but I want it to be a focus here, too. God has blessed me so much with such inquisitive girls; I hope I honor Him by addressing their curiosities with His Word and His Son and His Gift of Salvation.
With that, I wish you all a wonderfully blessed Christmas with your families and friends. I hope we can all take at least a moment each day to stop and think of all that went on to bring Jesus into this world, all the details that came together just right to bring us such an Amazing Gift. God's desire is for us to know Him and love Him. What better way than to share the real Christmas story with our loved ones and show them just how much God loves us!
Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Countdown to Christmas!
I can't believe it's only 8 days until Christmas! I'm so excited! We have so much going on in the next week, but I can't wait to do it all.
Yesterday was Iris and Lily's Preschool Christmas program and party. It was very cute. Iris was the only one of the kids that really sang. Lily kept jingling her bells even after teacher was whispering for her to hold them still. Addy, surprisingly, sat still through the whole thing. It was a cute selection of songs, and they all did a good job.
Iris' godmother, Jackie (and my future sister-in-law), was able to come to the party and program. Soooo thankful she was there to help chase Addy down during the party. :) Then, Jackie came back to the house and cut all our hair. We are all trimmed up for the next few weeks. One more thing to check off the list!
Last night, my in-laws came over for dinner and to see the girls. They gave the girls sock monkeys. Very cute; they all have a different pattern on them, so that'll help tell them apart. Iris named hers "pinky"; Addy named hers "baby". Lily hasn't named hers yet. I don't think she likes the idea of naming it; she seems very logical and naming a stuffed animal doesn't seem to make sense. That's my girl. :)
For dinner, we had Tagliarini. I forget where I found the recipe but it's healthy and delicious, and it feeds 6 to 8, which was perfect for all of us last night. Here's the recipe:
Tagliarini
1-2 lbs ground beef (i used chicken last night)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped (or 1 heaping tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
2 TBSP honey
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1/2 lb dry noodles
2 cups shredded cheese
Brown beef (or cook chopped chicken til no longer pink) with pepper, onion, and garlic. Drain liquid. Pour into 9x13 pan and add salt, chili powder and honey. Mix together then add tomatoes and water. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until boiling. Add noodles and sprinkle cheese over all. Bake another 30 minutes or until noodles are tender and cheese is completely melted.
Muy delicioso! :)
Today, the girls and I will finish up the last 2 gifts we need to buy. And then I will make a batch of cinnamon rolls and some pumpkin cranberry bread to take to Grandma's breakfast tomorrow. Tomorrow night is our evening in Chicago with some of my brothers and cousins. Then Sunday morning, we will go to my parents' church. Sunday evening I have to be at our church at 5pm to rehearse for our Christmas program, during which I will do a reading. Then, we are invited to our small group leader's home for desserts after the program.
Arthur then works Monday through Wednesday before we head back to my parents' house Wednesday night to stay through Friday and celebrate Christmas with them. Friday night, we will come back this way to my in-laws to celebrate with them. Then we will be home late Christmas Eve, to wake up and spend the day with our girls here at home. Busy week ahead, but I cannot wait to experience it all with my family. :) My girls are so excited about Christmas and seeing everyone. We've been doing the Advent calendar (with chocolate candies, of course), and the girls are so excited that they have gotten a piece of candy every day this month....which is so abnormal for our house! :)
Merry Christmas to all, in case I don't get a moment to post it next week! Have a safe and wonderful Christmas with your families. And I hope we don't lose sight of what the real meaning of Christmas is and take at least a moment to thank God for giving us the best Gift of all!
Yesterday was Iris and Lily's Preschool Christmas program and party. It was very cute. Iris was the only one of the kids that really sang. Lily kept jingling her bells even after teacher was whispering for her to hold them still. Addy, surprisingly, sat still through the whole thing. It was a cute selection of songs, and they all did a good job.
Iris' godmother, Jackie (and my future sister-in-law), was able to come to the party and program. Soooo thankful she was there to help chase Addy down during the party. :) Then, Jackie came back to the house and cut all our hair. We are all trimmed up for the next few weeks. One more thing to check off the list!
Last night, my in-laws came over for dinner and to see the girls. They gave the girls sock monkeys. Very cute; they all have a different pattern on them, so that'll help tell them apart. Iris named hers "pinky"; Addy named hers "baby". Lily hasn't named hers yet. I don't think she likes the idea of naming it; she seems very logical and naming a stuffed animal doesn't seem to make sense. That's my girl. :)
For dinner, we had Tagliarini. I forget where I found the recipe but it's healthy and delicious, and it feeds 6 to 8, which was perfect for all of us last night. Here's the recipe:
Tagliarini
1-2 lbs ground beef (i used chicken last night)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped (or 1 heaping tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
2 TBSP honey
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1/2 lb dry noodles
2 cups shredded cheese
Brown beef (or cook chopped chicken til no longer pink) with pepper, onion, and garlic. Drain liquid. Pour into 9x13 pan and add salt, chili powder and honey. Mix together then add tomatoes and water. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until boiling. Add noodles and sprinkle cheese over all. Bake another 30 minutes or until noodles are tender and cheese is completely melted.
Muy delicioso! :)
Today, the girls and I will finish up the last 2 gifts we need to buy. And then I will make a batch of cinnamon rolls and some pumpkin cranberry bread to take to Grandma's breakfast tomorrow. Tomorrow night is our evening in Chicago with some of my brothers and cousins. Then Sunday morning, we will go to my parents' church. Sunday evening I have to be at our church at 5pm to rehearse for our Christmas program, during which I will do a reading. Then, we are invited to our small group leader's home for desserts after the program.
Arthur then works Monday through Wednesday before we head back to my parents' house Wednesday night to stay through Friday and celebrate Christmas with them. Friday night, we will come back this way to my in-laws to celebrate with them. Then we will be home late Christmas Eve, to wake up and spend the day with our girls here at home. Busy week ahead, but I cannot wait to experience it all with my family. :) My girls are so excited about Christmas and seeing everyone. We've been doing the Advent calendar (with chocolate candies, of course), and the girls are so excited that they have gotten a piece of candy every day this month....which is so abnormal for our house! :)
Merry Christmas to all, in case I don't get a moment to post it next week! Have a safe and wonderful Christmas with your families. And I hope we don't lose sight of what the real meaning of Christmas is and take at least a moment to thank God for giving us the best Gift of all!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A Quick Morning Post
I have a big headache this morning. I'd like to just sit here all morning and do nothing. Can't do that, though.
I found, in another Mom's blog, a free ebook called "Just Get 'em Fed". It was very interesting. A mom of 9 wrote it about her struggle to find balance in feeding her family; she included several great recipes at the end, which I was very happy to see. I love new/simple/healthy recipes. Go HERE if you'd like to see her blog and download the book. I saved it to the desktop for quick reference. :) I actually used her recipe for Breakfast Casserole when I made dinner last night.
Speaking of last night, I think this is where my headache stems from. Our church is renovating and needed folks to help finish the project. So, as a family, we went over to help. The girls played and watched a movie with their friend, while the adults painted. I stood on a ladder and painted around the lights. I didn't mind it at first, even though my husband asked if I should be on a ladder while pregnant. I was fine for the first hour, then my back started to hurt and there was one light that has a faint strobe light thing happening. When you're standing on a ladder just inches from the flashing light, it gets trippy. I started to get a little light-headed, so I slowed down. I was definitely ready to go when we left after 2 1/2 hours there. I don't feel like I got a whole lot down for the church, but this morning my body is saying I did enough! :) Why do all these interesting or helpful things come up when I'm pregnant??? I would be so much more useful (and faster) if I didn't have the body aches from pregnancy. Oh well. I hope they are able to finish the project quickly. I know it's become a huge ordeal and a couple of the folks are there practically every night to work on it. I can't imagine how tiring that must be! They have good hearts, and I know their work is appreciated.
Today, only Iris has school, so the other two are with me for groceries. I finished all the laundry on Monday! That's was the first time in quite a while that it all got done in one day. Arthur was home in the morning, so I got a late start to everything (it always happens that way when he's home!), but I got all 7 loads done before 10pm. The last 2 loads were dried and folded but not put away, so I made sure to put them away first thing yesterday morning. What a relief that is!
Grocery shopping should be interesting. It said it was 1 degree (without wind chill factored in), so we will be super bundled when we go out. I need to bring lots of snacks so I don't run out of energy lifting them in and out of the car!
Arthur has an MRI tonight. Pray for him, please. His hip has been hurting him, especially when he runs, and he is hoping it's just soreness. The doctor did tell him she thought he had weak hips, so he was bummed to hear that. Hopefully the MRI doesn't show anything abnormal and he can just work to strengthen his hip through exercise. He continues to run, but I know he'd like to have an answer and to not be sore anymore.
This Sunday is our church's Christmas program in the evening. I get to do a reading! :) I wanted to be part of the Christmas choir, but will illnesses last Sunday evening and all last week, I wasn't able to get out to the practice(s). So, I am happy to do a reading for the service. If you're interested, it's at New Hope Community Church in Palatine from 6pm to 7pm.
Before Sunday, though, we are so busy. Saturday morning is my Grandparents' Christmas Breakfast. Santa visits there for the great-grandkids, so that'll be fun. :) Then, Saturday evening, we are going to Chicago to walk around and for dinner with 2 of my brothers and their wives as well as my cousin and her husband. That should be fun; we don't get to do anything as couples hardly ever, so it'll be fun to be without our kids for a couple hours. Except, I feel bad my parents will be watching my kids. Not sure if they're watching the other 5 kids, too, but I am hoping they have help if they are!
I felt the baby move for the first time the other night! It was very exciting. I'm 15 1/2 weeks, so I knew it would be soon since I now know the difference between gas and the baby fluttering. :) It was awesome. Every time I feel the first movements when I'm pregnant, I just think about how crazy it would be to think life just happens. There's so much going on in my belly right now, I can't imagine anything other than God as the source of life, the Designer of life's creation. So neat!
Time to get moving! The clean dishes in the dishwasher are calling my name, as well as the dog who is sitting here staring at me to take him out. The shower is calling me, and so are the bags of clothes and toys we are donating to the National Children's Cancer Society. They'll be here some time after 8:30 to pick it all up, so I better get it outside. Busy, busy. Story of my life, but I love it. Keeps me from getting bored, I guess. :)
Yesterday, I called the elderly folks I've been "assigned" to. I was able to speak with only one. She was so positive. She is in a assisted living home now, but she was very positive and her only prayer request was for patience. Amazing. She has health issues, can't get out for church or even to run her errands, but she just wants me to pray for her patience! Makes me think my complaints about having errands to run seem so wrong. I should be happy I can get out and do things and not have to rely on someone. Independence is a great thing, especially if you've experienced and can no longer.
Have a great Wednesday!
I found, in another Mom's blog, a free ebook called "Just Get 'em Fed". It was very interesting. A mom of 9 wrote it about her struggle to find balance in feeding her family; she included several great recipes at the end, which I was very happy to see. I love new/simple/healthy recipes. Go HERE if you'd like to see her blog and download the book. I saved it to the desktop for quick reference. :) I actually used her recipe for Breakfast Casserole when I made dinner last night.
Speaking of last night, I think this is where my headache stems from. Our church is renovating and needed folks to help finish the project. So, as a family, we went over to help. The girls played and watched a movie with their friend, while the adults painted. I stood on a ladder and painted around the lights. I didn't mind it at first, even though my husband asked if I should be on a ladder while pregnant. I was fine for the first hour, then my back started to hurt and there was one light that has a faint strobe light thing happening. When you're standing on a ladder just inches from the flashing light, it gets trippy. I started to get a little light-headed, so I slowed down. I was definitely ready to go when we left after 2 1/2 hours there. I don't feel like I got a whole lot down for the church, but this morning my body is saying I did enough! :) Why do all these interesting or helpful things come up when I'm pregnant??? I would be so much more useful (and faster) if I didn't have the body aches from pregnancy. Oh well. I hope they are able to finish the project quickly. I know it's become a huge ordeal and a couple of the folks are there practically every night to work on it. I can't imagine how tiring that must be! They have good hearts, and I know their work is appreciated.
Today, only Iris has school, so the other two are with me for groceries. I finished all the laundry on Monday! That's was the first time in quite a while that it all got done in one day. Arthur was home in the morning, so I got a late start to everything (it always happens that way when he's home!), but I got all 7 loads done before 10pm. The last 2 loads were dried and folded but not put away, so I made sure to put them away first thing yesterday morning. What a relief that is!
Grocery shopping should be interesting. It said it was 1 degree (without wind chill factored in), so we will be super bundled when we go out. I need to bring lots of snacks so I don't run out of energy lifting them in and out of the car!
Arthur has an MRI tonight. Pray for him, please. His hip has been hurting him, especially when he runs, and he is hoping it's just soreness. The doctor did tell him she thought he had weak hips, so he was bummed to hear that. Hopefully the MRI doesn't show anything abnormal and he can just work to strengthen his hip through exercise. He continues to run, but I know he'd like to have an answer and to not be sore anymore.
This Sunday is our church's Christmas program in the evening. I get to do a reading! :) I wanted to be part of the Christmas choir, but will illnesses last Sunday evening and all last week, I wasn't able to get out to the practice(s). So, I am happy to do a reading for the service. If you're interested, it's at New Hope Community Church in Palatine from 6pm to 7pm.
Before Sunday, though, we are so busy. Saturday morning is my Grandparents' Christmas Breakfast. Santa visits there for the great-grandkids, so that'll be fun. :) Then, Saturday evening, we are going to Chicago to walk around and for dinner with 2 of my brothers and their wives as well as my cousin and her husband. That should be fun; we don't get to do anything as couples hardly ever, so it'll be fun to be without our kids for a couple hours. Except, I feel bad my parents will be watching my kids. Not sure if they're watching the other 5 kids, too, but I am hoping they have help if they are!
I felt the baby move for the first time the other night! It was very exciting. I'm 15 1/2 weeks, so I knew it would be soon since I now know the difference between gas and the baby fluttering. :) It was awesome. Every time I feel the first movements when I'm pregnant, I just think about how crazy it would be to think life just happens. There's so much going on in my belly right now, I can't imagine anything other than God as the source of life, the Designer of life's creation. So neat!
Time to get moving! The clean dishes in the dishwasher are calling my name, as well as the dog who is sitting here staring at me to take him out. The shower is calling me, and so are the bags of clothes and toys we are donating to the National Children's Cancer Society. They'll be here some time after 8:30 to pick it all up, so I better get it outside. Busy, busy. Story of my life, but I love it. Keeps me from getting bored, I guess. :)
Yesterday, I called the elderly folks I've been "assigned" to. I was able to speak with only one. She was so positive. She is in a assisted living home now, but she was very positive and her only prayer request was for patience. Amazing. She has health issues, can't get out for church or even to run her errands, but she just wants me to pray for her patience! Makes me think my complaints about having errands to run seem so wrong. I should be happy I can get out and do things and not have to rely on someone. Independence is a great thing, especially if you've experienced and can no longer.
Have a great Wednesday!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Weak Week
What a week! The girls are finally all better. 48 hours of no snot, puke or poo....so I think we're in the clear. :) Thankfully, Arthur and I did not get it; it's always so much harder to care for the girls when one or both of us is also sick.
We had a great time with soups this week, though, to help make us feel better. I made a HUGE pot of chicken noodle soup on Thursday, and I just have a little bit left now. I love chicken noodle soup! I also ended up making pork chop soup earlier in the week, instead of pork chops themselves. It turned out pretty good. A little spicy, though, so I'd cut back on the chili powder next time. Overall, very tasty! I found the recipe online and it had a ton of good reviews and no bad ones, so I figured why not try it. Click HERE for the recipe.
Also, today the girls and I will be making some Christmas cookies, once they're up from naps. I think we're doing just 3 kinds (instead of getting carried away, like I always do!). Cutout sugar cookies (of course), Giant Ginger Cookies, and Snickerdoodles. I decided not to do any chocolate this time, just because we always do some form of chocolate in our cookies, and I have a taste for something different. We'll probably give some to our neighbors and my in-laws before eating a bunch ourselves! :)
Right now, I have fruit-filled oatmeal bars in the oven baking. They should be done in just a few minutes and were so easy to make. Hopefully they taste great, too. This was my first time making them, but I wanted a good/sweet/healthy snack for while we're making all the cookies. :)
Fruit-Filled Oatmeal Bars
1 cup flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
Filling:
1 cup applesauce (chunky is best it says)
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of ground cloves
Combine flour, oats, sugar and soda. Cut in butter with pastry blender. Divide in half. Press 1/2 of mixture in 11x7x1 1/2 inch baking pan. In bowl, combine items for filling. Pour filling over mixture in pan. Spread remaining crumb mixture on top of filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack and cut into bars.
It says it makes 25 bars, but I am not sure I'll get 25 out of that size pan. Seems like really small portions. I didn't have chunky applesauce, so I just used regular and added some raisins (1/2 handful) in as well to make up for the apples chunks. :) I also don't have that size pan, so I got out my cookie bar pan from Pampered Chef (I think it's the medium size pan) and used a ruler to help me know to where I should spread the crumb mixture initially. I knew it wasn't going to spread out while it baked, so I think that would be fine. I just pulled mine out of the oven and they are cooling. I smell apple and cinnamon, so I'm really hoping they taste as lovely as they smell!
On another note, I've decided to try and start a moms group. The ones I've found online for my area all cost money or are spread out among moms all over chicagoland or have so many members and children that there are 40+ activities a week. I don't see how I can get to know the moms, unless a couple of us decide to go to all the same events. It just seems like a lot of work.
So, I emailed some mom friends on Facebook today to get their opinion and find out if they're interested. I'd like to start it out of my house, since public places are hard to coordinate or are chaotic because we're chasing our children. Two of my neighbors and I tried to start doing this but we didn't get anything planned on it and it was last minute when we'd decide to call each other. Maybe if we set a date a week in advance, that'd help plan our get-togethers? Who knows. Just an idea. I'm not good at calling people during the week because of the background noise, so if it's other moms face-to-face with me and the children noise is expected, I'd feel more comfortable. So, hopefully it works out. I'm praying it does; I know I can use mom talk during the weekdays. My husband gets tired of me talking about the little things the kids do (that drives me nuts or makes me laugh or just other nonsense!), but I know other moms know what I mean when I say I need to just get it out. I love my kids to death, but I also enjoy venting with other moms or asking for opinions or just sharing experiences.
Those fruit bars are calling me! I know they're not cooled yet, but I really want to go cut one and eat it NOW! :)
We had a great time with soups this week, though, to help make us feel better. I made a HUGE pot of chicken noodle soup on Thursday, and I just have a little bit left now. I love chicken noodle soup! I also ended up making pork chop soup earlier in the week, instead of pork chops themselves. It turned out pretty good. A little spicy, though, so I'd cut back on the chili powder next time. Overall, very tasty! I found the recipe online and it had a ton of good reviews and no bad ones, so I figured why not try it. Click HERE for the recipe.
Also, today the girls and I will be making some Christmas cookies, once they're up from naps. I think we're doing just 3 kinds (instead of getting carried away, like I always do!). Cutout sugar cookies (of course), Giant Ginger Cookies, and Snickerdoodles. I decided not to do any chocolate this time, just because we always do some form of chocolate in our cookies, and I have a taste for something different. We'll probably give some to our neighbors and my in-laws before eating a bunch ourselves! :)
Right now, I have fruit-filled oatmeal bars in the oven baking. They should be done in just a few minutes and were so easy to make. Hopefully they taste great, too. This was my first time making them, but I wanted a good/sweet/healthy snack for while we're making all the cookies. :)
Fruit-Filled Oatmeal Bars
1 cup flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
Filling:
1 cup applesauce (chunky is best it says)
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of ground cloves
Combine flour, oats, sugar and soda. Cut in butter with pastry blender. Divide in half. Press 1/2 of mixture in 11x7x1 1/2 inch baking pan. In bowl, combine items for filling. Pour filling over mixture in pan. Spread remaining crumb mixture on top of filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack and cut into bars.
It says it makes 25 bars, but I am not sure I'll get 25 out of that size pan. Seems like really small portions. I didn't have chunky applesauce, so I just used regular and added some raisins (1/2 handful) in as well to make up for the apples chunks. :) I also don't have that size pan, so I got out my cookie bar pan from Pampered Chef (I think it's the medium size pan) and used a ruler to help me know to where I should spread the crumb mixture initially. I knew it wasn't going to spread out while it baked, so I think that would be fine. I just pulled mine out of the oven and they are cooling. I smell apple and cinnamon, so I'm really hoping they taste as lovely as they smell!
On another note, I've decided to try and start a moms group. The ones I've found online for my area all cost money or are spread out among moms all over chicagoland or have so many members and children that there are 40+ activities a week. I don't see how I can get to know the moms, unless a couple of us decide to go to all the same events. It just seems like a lot of work.
So, I emailed some mom friends on Facebook today to get their opinion and find out if they're interested. I'd like to start it out of my house, since public places are hard to coordinate or are chaotic because we're chasing our children. Two of my neighbors and I tried to start doing this but we didn't get anything planned on it and it was last minute when we'd decide to call each other. Maybe if we set a date a week in advance, that'd help plan our get-togethers? Who knows. Just an idea. I'm not good at calling people during the week because of the background noise, so if it's other moms face-to-face with me and the children noise is expected, I'd feel more comfortable. So, hopefully it works out. I'm praying it does; I know I can use mom talk during the weekdays. My husband gets tired of me talking about the little things the kids do (that drives me nuts or makes me laugh or just other nonsense!), but I know other moms know what I mean when I say I need to just get it out. I love my kids to death, but I also enjoy venting with other moms or asking for opinions or just sharing experiences.
Those fruit bars are calling me! I know they're not cooled yet, but I really want to go cut one and eat it NOW! :)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Nate Show
Today I submitted my info for design help from The Nate Show. :) I like watching that show; he has some really great ideas for small spaces. Our dilemma is that we will have 4 kids sharing one room come next Summer. That's going to be tough! We are thinking that the 3 bed bunk bed is the way to go, but I'm not sure. Maybe the bunk bed with a double bed on the bottom and a twin on top? Plus we have to keep the crib in there for the new baby. Ugh! Then, we have all their toys and the kid kitchen. I feel like we're going to have to get rid of some things, which is going to be tough since they're already limited on the number of toys now with the small space.
I just can't wait for this housing market to bounce back, so we can actually make a profit on this townhouse and get something with at least one more bedroom! We didn't want the housing market to determine when we had our children, but I know too that it's going to be hard to keep a 10x13 room manageable and inclusive of everything we need for the girls and new baby!
I try not to complain because I know we still have it good. We aren't struggling with the mortgage, we have zero credit card debt, and the only debt we do have is the house. God has been good, and we are still trusting Him to provide. I just get all whiny when things are cramped, as they are now becoming. :) But, this is our choice to have 4 kids in the 2 bedroom townhome.....so I refuse to complain. :)
Maybe Nate will see how much design help we need and actually give us a really great idea to create "more" room in there! Who knows? He probably doesn't really answer all the submissions himself, so hopefully we at least get an answer....from anyone over there! lol.
I just can't wait for this housing market to bounce back, so we can actually make a profit on this townhouse and get something with at least one more bedroom! We didn't want the housing market to determine when we had our children, but I know too that it's going to be hard to keep a 10x13 room manageable and inclusive of everything we need for the girls and new baby!
I try not to complain because I know we still have it good. We aren't struggling with the mortgage, we have zero credit card debt, and the only debt we do have is the house. God has been good, and we are still trusting Him to provide. I just get all whiny when things are cramped, as they are now becoming. :) But, this is our choice to have 4 kids in the 2 bedroom townhome.....so I refuse to complain. :)
Maybe Nate will see how much design help we need and actually give us a really great idea to create "more" room in there! Who knows? He probably doesn't really answer all the submissions himself, so hopefully we at least get an answer....from anyone over there! lol.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Cold
It is FREEZING out today. Actually, it's below freezing. I haven't stepped outside yet, and I don't plan to.
We had a fantastic time at our friend's annual Christmas party on Saturday night. All of the kids there played so well and behaved great for being up past bedtimes! :) It was a nice evening, with plenty of very good food.
Addy had an explosive diaper yesterday right before we were trying to go to church. I thought maybe she'd had too much chocolate milk with breakfast and too many sweets the night before, so we cleaned her up and went to church. She didn't appear ill at all, and still doesn't. Then, she had another explosive diaper late yesterday afternoon and again this morning. So glad today is our scheduled laundry day! She still isn't whiny or complaining of anything, so I'm not sure what's going on with her. It's always hard when they can't speak in sentences to explain if anything hurts or doesn't feel right. Plus, both Arthur and myself have sensitive stomachs....along with the rest of our families...so, it's very hard to tell what her tummy issue is. She's been on bananas, yogurt, applesauce, and acidophilus, so we'll see how that works out for her in the next 24 hours. She's taking a really good nap right now and slept in this morning, so hopefully her little body is fighting it off.
But, of all days to have her tummy troubles, today is the best because it's too cold to go anywhere, it's not a preschool day, and I'm already washing clothes, so a few more poopy ones are ok. :)
Other than that, we've been lying low. Church was awesome, as always. Pastor spoke about anger. And one of the verses he referenced (which I always forget the book, chapter and verse for) is one that I absolutely love: "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." Such a great verse to bring to mind when I say something hurtful or just plain dumb. What's really in my heart if THAT is what I am choosing to say?
The girls enjoyed not having anywhere to go today. I let them stay in pajamas til lunchtime (something we NEVER do!), and they played with Moon Dough and watched 2 Barney movies this morning. It's been a busy and fun day so far with them. They're behaving much better today than they were last week, so I'm really hoping my change in attitude and patience is part of that reason. I don't believe that our rough week last week was all because of them. I know it was me, too. But, today, I'm ecstatic that we're doing so well.
Pork chops for dinner, along with biscuits, some form of potatoes (maybe garlic mashed potatoes), and either salad or carrots. Today is a great soup day, so I may be changing that to a soup with pork in it. We'll see; the day is still young. :)
We had our first big snow this season on Friday night/Saturday morning. The girls wanted to play outside as soon as they got up, so at 8am we were outside playing. Addy recognizes what snow is this year, so she was very excited to go out in it. She did look like a giant pink marshmallow in her snowsuit, though! Then we came in and had hot chocolate and marshmallows.
I was supposed to go to Women's Bible Study Saturday, but after playing with the girls I was exhausted. Turns out no one showed up for Bible Study, so I didn't feel AS bad, but I know I should have gone. I am glad I didn't miss the lesson, though. I am really enjoying the series we're going through, "A Woman After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George. Really great and inspiring, as well as convicting.
I hear Lily waking up...she is so loud sometimes! haha. Excited to do some more playing this afternoon....INDOORS!
We had a fantastic time at our friend's annual Christmas party on Saturday night. All of the kids there played so well and behaved great for being up past bedtimes! :) It was a nice evening, with plenty of very good food.
Addy had an explosive diaper yesterday right before we were trying to go to church. I thought maybe she'd had too much chocolate milk with breakfast and too many sweets the night before, so we cleaned her up and went to church. She didn't appear ill at all, and still doesn't. Then, she had another explosive diaper late yesterday afternoon and again this morning. So glad today is our scheduled laundry day! She still isn't whiny or complaining of anything, so I'm not sure what's going on with her. It's always hard when they can't speak in sentences to explain if anything hurts or doesn't feel right. Plus, both Arthur and myself have sensitive stomachs....along with the rest of our families...so, it's very hard to tell what her tummy issue is. She's been on bananas, yogurt, applesauce, and acidophilus, so we'll see how that works out for her in the next 24 hours. She's taking a really good nap right now and slept in this morning, so hopefully her little body is fighting it off.
But, of all days to have her tummy troubles, today is the best because it's too cold to go anywhere, it's not a preschool day, and I'm already washing clothes, so a few more poopy ones are ok. :)
Other than that, we've been lying low. Church was awesome, as always. Pastor spoke about anger. And one of the verses he referenced (which I always forget the book, chapter and verse for) is one that I absolutely love: "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." Such a great verse to bring to mind when I say something hurtful or just plain dumb. What's really in my heart if THAT is what I am choosing to say?
The girls enjoyed not having anywhere to go today. I let them stay in pajamas til lunchtime (something we NEVER do!), and they played with Moon Dough and watched 2 Barney movies this morning. It's been a busy and fun day so far with them. They're behaving much better today than they were last week, so I'm really hoping my change in attitude and patience is part of that reason. I don't believe that our rough week last week was all because of them. I know it was me, too. But, today, I'm ecstatic that we're doing so well.
Pork chops for dinner, along with biscuits, some form of potatoes (maybe garlic mashed potatoes), and either salad or carrots. Today is a great soup day, so I may be changing that to a soup with pork in it. We'll see; the day is still young. :)
We had our first big snow this season on Friday night/Saturday morning. The girls wanted to play outside as soon as they got up, so at 8am we were outside playing. Addy recognizes what snow is this year, so she was very excited to go out in it. She did look like a giant pink marshmallow in her snowsuit, though! Then we came in and had hot chocolate and marshmallows.
I was supposed to go to Women's Bible Study Saturday, but after playing with the girls I was exhausted. Turns out no one showed up for Bible Study, so I didn't feel AS bad, but I know I should have gone. I am glad I didn't miss the lesson, though. I am really enjoying the series we're going through, "A Woman After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George. Really great and inspiring, as well as convicting.
I hear Lily waking up...she is so loud sometimes! haha. Excited to do some more playing this afternoon....INDOORS!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Good Company
For the past 2 days, my neighbor and I have been trying to get together. The timing was off because either her son was napping or my girls were napping or things came up. So, she surprised me this afternoon and came over before I even texted her that my girls were done with nap! Yay!
We didn't really have anything important to talk about, but we hadn't chatted in a couple weeks. It was so nice to talk to another adult about adult things - anything other than boogers and cartoons, that is. :) She is a Christian and even if we don't get into any deep talk about God, it's always so easy to talk to her. She is a newer mom, so we have that in common in addition to our relationship with God.
I don't think we covered any big topics, but her company is always a reprieve from the crazy yelling girls. My girls like playing with her little boy....and by playing, I mean getting in his face and taking his paci. LOL. BUT, it keeps them occupied and away from teasing each other!
Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most. I meant to text her all day and let her know that this afternoon would be perfect for her to come over, but of course I forgot and decided to lie on the couch while my girls napped. So, I'm super happy she just came on by. I think she was here for an hour, but I feel refreshed and a little more energetic. It was like I had a moment of recharging just with a little adult conversation. Thank God!
I should keep in mind when there's someone I need to call or see, that I should just do it....it might be just the thing they need for a little recharge!
We didn't really have anything important to talk about, but we hadn't chatted in a couple weeks. It was so nice to talk to another adult about adult things - anything other than boogers and cartoons, that is. :) She is a Christian and even if we don't get into any deep talk about God, it's always so easy to talk to her. She is a newer mom, so we have that in common in addition to our relationship with God.
I don't think we covered any big topics, but her company is always a reprieve from the crazy yelling girls. My girls like playing with her little boy....and by playing, I mean getting in his face and taking his paci. LOL. BUT, it keeps them occupied and away from teasing each other!
Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most. I meant to text her all day and let her know that this afternoon would be perfect for her to come over, but of course I forgot and decided to lie on the couch while my girls napped. So, I'm super happy she just came on by. I think she was here for an hour, but I feel refreshed and a little more energetic. It was like I had a moment of recharging just with a little adult conversation. Thank God!
I should keep in mind when there's someone I need to call or see, that I should just do it....it might be just the thing they need for a little recharge!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
He Knows Best
All the girls are taking a nap today! I cannot believe it. Iris isn't asleep, but she's at least quiet and in the bed. Lily and Addy are asleep, though, which is great! God is good. I just needed to slow down and take a breath, while trying to correct them. Yelling and showing my anger doesn't make them want to do anything. It pays to be patient!
That's all. I just wanted to get this in here before they woke up. ;) I'm actually afraid to do anything for fear they'll awake. LOL. But, I did enjoy some yummy Chocoholic Cake I made last night (thanks to my mom for the recipe). Deelish!
Here's the recipe:
Cake:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 box chocolate instant pudding (the 3 ounce size)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
4 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
Frosting:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 TBSP water
2 TBSP butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
Mix cake mix, pudding, milk, sour cream and eggs. Beat on high for 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into greased and floured bundt (or any tube) pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes (mine was ready at 53 minutes, per my cake tester). Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Turn over onto plate and cool 30 minutes.
Melt chocolate and butter in saucepan. Add powdered sugar and just enough water to be able to stir with whisk. Stir in vanilla. Pour on slightly cooled cake.
(I was out of baking chocolate and cocoa powder, so I just made it as a vanilla powdered sugar frosting. I used a little less water- like maybe 2 TBSP total - so it wasn't runny.)
So yummy!!
Long Winter
I feel like it's going to be a loooong winter...if the rest of our cold days indoors will be anything like yesterday. Yikes! I don't know where we went wrong, but it was chaos all day.
Iris had school in the morning, which normally gets a good amount of her energy out and makes her ready for nap after lunch. Not yesterday. She was super hyper after they ate, so I decided to let the girls decorate the tree with tinsel and candy canes that I'd bought that morning. I assumed that would take some time and work them up to a good nap. Not so.
Lily and Iris really just didn't want to sleep, which meant Addy wasn't going to sleep either. I threatened Lily with no snack and no more TV this week (they were already on a "no TV" day because of a meltdown the previous day), but nothing seemed to matter. I explained calmly that their colds were not going to go away if their bodies didn't rest. Nothing.
Iris naps in my room alone, but she wasn't any better. I moved Lily into my room and I lied down with the both of them, thinking my presence would make them lie still and rest. Nope! They wanted to hug and lie on me, touch my face, talk and sing to me, etc. I was so frustrated....and TIRED!
Addy finally went to sleep when she was alone in the girls' room. Iris and Lily never did. I laid with them for an hour in my bed before giving up and explaining there'd be no afternoon snack. They cried but soon moved on to playing.
I think I wanted some crazy response like, "Oh Mom, we're so sorry. We will be good and take a nap." I know - they're only 3 and 4 years old. :)
By the time Arthur got home, I was done. Iris was sitting on the kitchen rug on a time out, Lily was on another rug on time out, and Addy was (because she napped!) the only pleasant one to be around. Arthur got home and took over the discipline and at dinner I started crying. I was just so wiped out and frustrated. What was I doing wrong? Do other mothers get like this? Do mothers of more than one ever act like this - yelling all day, then crying at the end?? Arthur tried to get the girls to understand that I was crying because my feelings were hurt, and then the girls started crying. That made me cry more. They still didn't get it, but they don't like to see me cry. Iris eventually apologized after dinner, and Lily said "sorry" as I was tucking her in bed. I wanted to cry again. They still didn't get it, and I knew they apologized because the threat of no TV or church movie night or snacks if they don't behave...but what can I expect? I can't really wait around for them to understand my frustration or my hurt. I never really understood my mom's...til now. :)
Last night I prayed that I would understand patience with preschoolers better. And I prayed that the girls would learn to listen and behave not just because the threat of discipline but because it's the right thing to do; it's what Jesus wants us to do.
I just want some naps around here for now. I had a moment yesterday where I thought, "what if I can't handle 4 kids? what do I do? There's no going back." That made me cry. I got scared. But really, what can I do? We decided on this (ok, I pushed for it) so I feel like I can't complain or express concern. So, for now I'll pray. God knows I can do it, otherwise He wouldn't have allowed it. I assume these crazy days with 3 kids is just prep for having 4.
So, when if you think of us, pray for patience and understanding. My patience with the girls, and their understanding of why we have rules. It's going to be a looong next couple of months, but I promise to have a better outlook.
Thanks for listening.
Iris had school in the morning, which normally gets a good amount of her energy out and makes her ready for nap after lunch. Not yesterday. She was super hyper after they ate, so I decided to let the girls decorate the tree with tinsel and candy canes that I'd bought that morning. I assumed that would take some time and work them up to a good nap. Not so.
Lily and Iris really just didn't want to sleep, which meant Addy wasn't going to sleep either. I threatened Lily with no snack and no more TV this week (they were already on a "no TV" day because of a meltdown the previous day), but nothing seemed to matter. I explained calmly that their colds were not going to go away if their bodies didn't rest. Nothing.
Iris naps in my room alone, but she wasn't any better. I moved Lily into my room and I lied down with the both of them, thinking my presence would make them lie still and rest. Nope! They wanted to hug and lie on me, touch my face, talk and sing to me, etc. I was so frustrated....and TIRED!
Addy finally went to sleep when she was alone in the girls' room. Iris and Lily never did. I laid with them for an hour in my bed before giving up and explaining there'd be no afternoon snack. They cried but soon moved on to playing.
I think I wanted some crazy response like, "Oh Mom, we're so sorry. We will be good and take a nap." I know - they're only 3 and 4 years old. :)
By the time Arthur got home, I was done. Iris was sitting on the kitchen rug on a time out, Lily was on another rug on time out, and Addy was (because she napped!) the only pleasant one to be around. Arthur got home and took over the discipline and at dinner I started crying. I was just so wiped out and frustrated. What was I doing wrong? Do other mothers get like this? Do mothers of more than one ever act like this - yelling all day, then crying at the end?? Arthur tried to get the girls to understand that I was crying because my feelings were hurt, and then the girls started crying. That made me cry more. They still didn't get it, but they don't like to see me cry. Iris eventually apologized after dinner, and Lily said "sorry" as I was tucking her in bed. I wanted to cry again. They still didn't get it, and I knew they apologized because the threat of no TV or church movie night or snacks if they don't behave...but what can I expect? I can't really wait around for them to understand my frustration or my hurt. I never really understood my mom's...til now. :)
Last night I prayed that I would understand patience with preschoolers better. And I prayed that the girls would learn to listen and behave not just because the threat of discipline but because it's the right thing to do; it's what Jesus wants us to do.
I just want some naps around here for now. I had a moment yesterday where I thought, "what if I can't handle 4 kids? what do I do? There's no going back." That made me cry. I got scared. But really, what can I do? We decided on this (ok, I pushed for it) so I feel like I can't complain or express concern. So, for now I'll pray. God knows I can do it, otherwise He wouldn't have allowed it. I assume these crazy days with 3 kids is just prep for having 4.
So, when if you think of us, pray for patience and understanding. My patience with the girls, and their understanding of why we have rules. It's going to be a looong next couple of months, but I promise to have a better outlook.
Thanks for listening.
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