Sad

and heartbroken.

We will be fine.

We will get through and be stronger.

Something happened with one of the kids that we have to sever all ties with some friends.

Life just sucks sometimes.

Jury Duty All Done

I was even into the jury box! They asked me my profession. I replied, "Homeschool mom to 6."

The prosecuting attorney dismissed on the next pass through.

I took my 17 bucks for a half day pay and went out to lunch by.my.self.

Jury Duty Day

I have no issues with jury duty. I am glad to serve. My only problem; will the house be standing when I return? and if it is standing will it be on dirty dishes, bread crusts, dirty socks and banana peels?

The Season of No Play Dates

I limit playdates between Thanksgiving and New Years. It is out of necessity. I like my kids and prefer them unbruised. Why would they be bruised? Well....this is a long story.

About 6 years ago when this time of the year came around we had a baby. This baby was our fourth son. He helped heal our hearts. A very cute baby that didn't like to sleep.

As my husband will confirm, without sleep I don't do too good. I think my mother will confirm I have always been this way. I am one of those people that just needs their sleep. My sense of humor disappears, my ability to think decreases, my growling increases and my level of patience dwindles, rapidly.

Six year ago #1 handed me two pieces of paper. One was his list to Santa and one was his list to mom and dad. "Here you go mom. I know I will get all these presents." I hestitated to take the lists. I knew that there was no way he was getting all of the items on the lists. I was proud he actually wrote the lists. But I hadn't slept since the end of August. I was irritated that he was milking the system for more gifts. But most of all, I couldn't come up with a lie fast enough.

I couldn't come up with, "Well you know Santa doesn't do big lists." My brain froze. So I closed the bedroom door and said, "You know that Mom and Dad are really Santa, don't you?" He figured but was in denial. I swore him to secrecy. I was hoping to just ride it out. With an 8 year old, 7 year old, 3 1/2 year old I wanted to keep the Santa magic going.

It didn't turn out that way.

#1 immediately blabbed to #2. A pattern that continues as they are best friends and share most everything except toothbrushes and socks. #3, a bright, precocious, incredibly verbal 3 1/2 year old caught on or was told by his older brothers.

I sat them all down and told them to not talk about it with other children. Other families do Santa differently. Do not talk about it. Every year since then, I have to have the DO NOT TALK ABOUT IT talk the day after Thanksgiving.

#3 did talk about it. (In retrospect, why wouldn't he talk about it? He talked about everything else, anywhere he wanted to. Still does!) In Sunday School at church. Santa was vehemently defended. He was adamant. Little girls and my little boy were almost in a fist fight in Sunday School.

Our family was the subject of leadership meetings.

sigh

I took #3 to the dentist the next year. All the adults around him kept asking if he was looking forward to Santa coming. He would say, "Santa IS Not Weal!" and absolutely shock every single one of them. I would sheepishly smile and say, "Older brothers" and shrug.

Since he can't keep his mouth shut, and neither can his younger brother or sister, we decided no play dates during this time of the year. We have absolutely no confidence in their ability to keep their mouths shut, not tell the other little children, burst the bubble and upset parents.

No play dates because "Santa is not Weal!"



and if anyone need confirmation this story is true. Ask Hilary.

Right, Hilary??

keep smiling, Hilary? smile!

(and even though we miss you, be glad at this time of the year because #3 would be with your #2, and my #6 would be with your #4 and I haven't done the math yet to figure out if #4 is with your #3. You would have gotten bombarded!)

Getting the manners down pat, now let's work on that tact

#2 is having a hard birthday week. He received his gift a few weeks ago (a target for shooting his .22) when Dan came out to shoot. On Monday his birthday came with a special dinner but not special enough. He really wanted real mashed potatoes and I was dead-dog tired and he got instant. And he had to make his dessert. I had all the ingredients but he had to put them together. Essentially, it was really anti-climatic.

We have all had those kind of birthdays. Haven't we? Maybe it was too early for him.

He just got a card from Grammie. It contained a check. The policy in the house is before you spend the moolah, write the thank you note. (To my mother and sister-I am trying to do better-trying.) The card arrived, the note was written.

Apparently, he is a little bitter at his anti-climatic birthday.

The text of the note was something like this:

Dear Grammie,

Thank you for the birthday card and money.

It was the only birthday card I received this year and

it was three days late.

ouch.

sorry mom.

I pulled him aside and told him he was being disrespectful. He should be thankful he was remembered at all.

and I called Grandma to remind her to call him for his birthday.

(Grammie is my mom-Grandma is DH's mom.)

UPDATE: Yesterday, #2 ran this out to the mailbox and everything. He was not budging. This morning I heard the door slam and see a winded #2. He ran out to the mailbox to retrieve his letter. He is rewriting it.

WOOOHOOOO!

It is box day!

Our new Sonlight curriculum arrived today!

2 cores equals lots of new books!

Yeahhh!

You Know It Is Going to be One of Those Days when...

your dear husband asks the 4 year old (while you are making breakfast and getting ready for scripture study): Please put the stool away.

Her response: I don't listen to boys.

Free is good

Today I was given 2 panels of a sliding glass door. We made 2 cold frames for the kitchen garden this afternoon. The big boys were assigned the task, told to get out the power tools, and given the advice of "measure twice, cut once."

#1 ignored the counsel of his mother. He had to re-do his cold frame. He growled the whole afternoon because of the injustice of life in having to do a job correctly.

#2 did his just fine. He measured twice and cut once.

The cold frames aren't in their final place yet. We will do that tomorrow. We were losing our light and we want to evaluate how to tilt the boxes about 10 degrees for more solar gain.

I planted the garlic today and got the hoops up on the kitchen garden for winter/early spring gardening. I have to buy the plastic for the hoops tomorrow.

One day....

One day my elder sons will remember the fact that their younger siblings are just as smart as they are and therefore are just as precocious and curious as they are (were).

One day my elder sons will remember to put away their school supplies.

One day my elder sons will remember to put away their electronic games and equipment.

Until that day comes they will continue to find their Rock Band 2 drumsticks sharpened by their younger sister with their own pencil sharpener.

One day will eventually come. Right?

Let the whining begin....

Can you hear it? I sure do!

Full school started again today. It is 3:05 and now chores are being started. #1 mentioned last week (or the week before) that he might want to go to high school. I am not sure about him going because of his huge lapses in judgement but I told him if he wanted to go we would pray about it and we have to get ready. He is ahead in most subjects except writing. He is doing a lot of writing from now on. Do you hear the whining? ah, the complaining is just phenomenal.

I researching and trying to add organizational skills and study skills to their curriculum too.

Now they are doing:
Sonlight history
EIW writing
Teaching Textbooks math (Algebra 1)
Wordly Wise
Copywork
US History (NCCS)(starting next week)
Occupational Therapies (auditory processing)
Art (starts tomorrow!)
Scripture study
Fix-It (grammar)

thinking about adding in geography, and it is thin in science for now. They keep reading all the science books I buy so I guess I will have to hide the next batch when they come. (I know that may not make sense but these kids read things then I hear "Mom! I already read all of this. I know all of this." Try teaching an outlined course to hear that everyday. And when I quiz them, they do know all of it. sheesh.)

Day 4 of the Flu

on Friday (Halloween Eve) all 6 of them were flat d.o.w.n. on the couches. All the energy they had was for watching TV. Needless to say Halloween was cancelled this year. I wasn't too terribly sad about that. And I must say, it was incredibly unusual to have all 6 of them in one room together and no one was arguing. I really did enjoy that day. I am not happy they were sick but at least no one had energy to argue.

DH, #2, #3, #5, #6 are still running fevers. #1 returned to seminary this morning to find that out of 19 kids in his class only 8 were there-all the others were out sick. We did do a full day of school yesterday to much whining, complaining and they finally won with their piles of used kleenex piled high on their desks. But really the real clincher of cancelling school today was #6. She is a Klingon. It is darn near impossible teaching grammar with someone climbing on you whining, "Mommmmmyyyyyy. Juice. Mommmmyyy. cough. cough"

Just math, reading and writing today. There are lots of educational videos are around we can watch (I raided the library on Saturday.) Other schools cancel when more than 50% of the students are sick, right?

Another note-those of you that have gotten this illness, I was talking with Nona over the weekend and Jon's doc says the cough for this one lasts 5-6 weeks. Doesn't that just make your day? (dripping with sarcasm)

Who Knew?

A bushel and a quarter of apples yeilds 11 quarts of apple butter. It took 24 hours to cook down in my roaster. I had no idea they would cook down that much.

That Last Boy, says that mother shaking her head

"Mom! you cannot talk about my cute belly button anymowa! You can tickle me but you cannot talk about my bellybutton. You can talk about my cute eyebwows." as he wiggles his eyebrows at me.

Where did this personality come from??!

Just wondering

current U.S. population is 305 million.

current estimates of GLBT population is between 13 and 17 million.

Tell me why if the gay/lesbian/bi/transgender population is a mere 6.5% of the population WHY is there a GLBT couple/issue on virtually every single television show I have seen lately? ABC, CBS, Fox.

My Baby

She isn't too much of a baby anymore. I fluctuate between being sad she isn't a baby anymore and rejoicing. She is climbing onto everything. She comes up to me in the living room, climbs the arm of the couch and gives me snuggles. She was just up next to me and I kissed her. I said, "My girl." and kissed her again. She giggles and said, "MY Momma."

The talking, oh, the talking. Sometimes we just don't know what she is saying. I just have to look at her and say, "I don't know what you want." She gets all sad and melts down and I have to scoop her up and cuddle her.

She runs really weird. One side of her body pumps an arm at a 90 degree angle always. The other side is all loosey-goosey. She runs everywhere. Anything less than 5 feet away means she runs. For a while when she ran she shot both of her arms behind her. I guess she thought it made her more aerodynamic.

She is just getting used to me leaving the house. For the first 6 weeks of seminary DH reported she would wake and I wasn't in my bed and she went into immediate panic and wailing. I walk into the door now to a chirpy little voice saying, "Mama!! YOU home!!!" accompanied with a body slam hug.

She plays peek-a-boo with herself. She covers her eyes and waits until someone sees her and then says, "ABOO!" She knows all the body parts and it particularly enamored of her belly button. She shows it off lifting up her dress and pointing to it.

She will stand at one end of the room and wave at you. "HI ILI!" "HI AYIA!" "HI TAAA!" "HI BAAA!" She has a scream that makes you think an ice pick is stabbing you in your ear.

I really love when she wakes up from her naps. She has this habit of being just soooo happy it is sometimes hard to comprehend. She is delighted by the smallest things after she wakes up. I regularly hear, "OOOHHHHH!" as she is marvelling at a pair of shoes after she wakes up.

DH said last night that her nickname should be Boots. That is her regular attired lately--a diaper and boots. Purple little snow boots that she can zip herself and a diaper.

She is welled loved by all the sibs. #2 regularly seeks her out says, "Hi Little Baby" and picks her up for some loving.

We are so blessed with her.

Free apples

A man in our church gave us all the remaining apples on his tree. I think we got close to 7 bushels. I am dehydrating our applesauce from last year to empty out the jars. It will all get refilled with new applesauce next week. In the meantime we are eating apple crisp, applesauce crumb cake, apple cake, apple butter-you get the idea.

The little girls are enjoying the baskets and baskets of apples. I find apples all around the house with little bites out of them. The are on shelves, tables, upside-down garbage cans, on the piano, the coffee table...

I am very grateful for the free apples but would be even more grateful for a place to lock them up.

:)

Cocoa Loco!

#5 just came up to me (I am checking email). She said, "Mom! I want hot cocoa."
I respond, "That's nice" because she didn't say please.
"Mom, I am cocoa loco. Cocoa Loco! That is my middle name!"
"Your middle name is Jeanne."
"Oh, No! I want my name to be Wigga Jeanne Cocoa Loco ourlastname!"

"Mom? Is it okay if I change my name?"


She is now dancing around the first floor of the house singing, "Cocoa! Loco! My name is Wigga Jeanne Cocoa Loco! Cocoa! Loco!"

Chocolate has a hold on that child...

Chicken Pot Pie Anyone?

the roosters are dead.

and yummy.

My toes are cold

the baby has on a pair of jeans. It is a step in the right direction, right?

I am entering real farm-womanhood tomorrow. I have to kill 2 roosters. One of them is getting aggressive towards the little girls.

Let's chat about breakfast

I know many rely upon cold cereal and milk for breakfast. We love cereal here. #4 loves cereal too much-he is happy to eat it morning, noon, night and any snack in between. His mother loves cereal and regularly has a stash of sugar cereal in her bedroom hidden. (tsk, tsk, tsk)

But, we have been experiencing this phenomenon: if cereal is served for breakfast they are hungry LESS than an hour later. It costs me for the cereal (2 boxes and a gallon of milk) and then it costs me for the second breakfast. And the dishes. oooiiiiyyy. the dishes. (did you see the eye roll?)

I was having #3 make breakfast but everyone was hungry and crabby. He can make great toast, scrambled eggs, and set the table now. (I moved #3 to morning snack duty.) I am finding I have to make breakfast. I walk in from bringing #1 to early morning seminary and don my apron. If #6 doesn't eat a good breakfast, oh, the whining. Please just take me out back and put me out of my misery. Our most recent successes are migas con heuoves (corn tortillas and scrambled eggs) and graham cakes (kind of a breakfast cookie).

Here is a list of what we regularly eat:
oatmeal, raw and cooked (DH likes it raw with bananas and raisins, I think it is horse food)
cream of wheat
applesauce and toast (whole wheat)
scrambled eggs
fried eggs and toast
french toast
migas con heuvos
yogurt (homemade)
pancakes
rice, milk and sugar
rice with fried eggs on top
graham cake with raisins and milk
breakfast apple crisp with vanilla yogurt (basically apple crisp, low sugar)
german pancake

Ingredient wise I use eggs, milk, bread, rice, cream of wheat, oatmeal, applesauce, canned fruit and dried fruit. Can anyone think of something with those ingredients that I can whip up another way?

From #5

Mom. I don't want piggy tails. I am just going to put my hair in between my ears.

It is 62 degrees in the house and #6

does not want to keep any clothing on.

For the last week we have put clothes on her, start the day and find little piles of 2T clothing around the house. Sometimes she removes them in one place, other times there is a trail of socks, pants, shirts. It is amusing watching her tenacity and completeness in stripping off of all her duds.

This morning was the wrestle of a lifetime. It is just too cold to let her just run around in a diaper. She tried making a run for the back yard naked yesterday-when it was 54 degrees and raining. She wants to be naked. She even has been starting to refuse a diaper. "NO! NO ziapa!"

It took both DH and I to put a pair of footie pajammies on this girl. She was screaming and howling and protesting the entire time. She flipped over and had to be pinned down. We finally got them on her and I sent #1 scurrying for a safety pin to thwart her efforts in stripping. We held her down and safety pinned the tang of the zipper to the cloth of her jammies. That should stop her for a couple hours I was thinking.

Then DH said, "Gees, all that effort. Too bad they aren't clean."

So, she is dressed in dirty jammies, fidgiting with the the safety pin trying to get out of her clothes as fast and as furiously as she can, watching Angelina Ballerina and every now and then looking over at me moaning, "Noooo, nooooo! nooo mommmyyy."

Ah, the funny things they say

This morning I had a 2 year old running a duplo car up my arm. She just handed me the duplo grandma and said, "Buckle Up!"

Me: How many toes do you have?
#4: Same as everybody else! THiwateen!
and speaking of counting the other day he said to his sister, "Wiggga, you don't know how to count collectly." (correctly)

#2: Mom we are out of Arm and Shoulders shampoo.

#1: Mom, he is verblickly abusing me.

#2: Is this Hagen Daz sauce? (when we were having eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce.)

#1 and 2 were taking Legos away from #4. He came to us crying, "DEY WOBBAS!" and had a melt down. Isn't it good to know that your elder brothers are robbers?

A quote

Character is the aim of true education; and science, history, and literature are but means used to accomplish the desired end. Character is not the result of chance work but of continuous right thinking and right acting. True education seeks, then, to make men and women not only good mathematicians, proficient linguists, profound scientists, or brilliant literary lights, but also honest men, combined with virtue, temperance, and brotherly love—men and women who prize truth, justice, wisdom, benevolence, and self-control as the choicest acquisitions of a successful life. It is regrettable, not to say deplorable, that modern education so little emphasizes these fundamental elements of true character. The principal aim of many of our schools and colleges seems to be to give the students purely intellectual attainments and to give but passing regard to the nobler and more necessary development along moral lines.

David O. McKay
Gospel Ideals: Selections from the Discourses of David O. McKay. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1953. 440-441

What I am hearing right now

"#6! Get off the television!" at least #2 was kind and gentle.

another climber. sigh

What I am hearing right now

intense giggling.

#1 is wrapping all the little kids as burritos in their comforters. He wraps them. They squirm out. They gloat, "I GOT OUT!" and line up again for him to wrap them up.

intense giggling.

I realized as I am cooking dinner

that I grew the chard, the onions, the potatoes and fed and harvested the eggs. We had frittata. It was a very satisfying moment.

and no, I am not getting a cow so I can make my own butter. :shaking the head: no.

First Day of School!

Yah!

Yes, they are getting big

and I like it. It has been 14 years of mothering so far and these past few months have been wonderful! Really. It has not been without trial or #1 mouthing off. The work of mothering has not been so physically draining. All the children are becoming more independent. These are a few things that have happened this year:

#5 is potty trained
#6 learned to feed herself without splatting the entire kitchen
#6 has learned to wash her fingers
#4 has learned to brush his teeth
#1 has started seminary
#1 has had jobs outside of our house
#2 has learned to shoot a .22
#3 read the entire Lord of the Rings series
#5 likes to have her hair brushed
#4 has learned to completely dress himself, as have #5 and #6 has started
#4,5,6 have learned to bathe (need help with the hair still) but if they want a soak they can do it themselves
#5 learned to wash her face completely not just lick around her mouth with her tongue
#1 and 2 are learning to completely finish tasks
#2 is starting to do things without being asked (oh, heaven)
#4 is emptying the dishwasher
#2 learned how to make bread
#1 is making lunches and dinners (occassionally)
#3 learned to slice bread
#1 is finding his personality and he is really funny

and the cherry on top of this whole sundae is:


DH has taken over all the laundry





told ya' he was a keeper

Nauvoo Photo

Garden Money

Sometimes the way to get to my DH is to tell him how much a certain amount of work saved us.

This past year the garden saved us approximately $2679.91.

Next year will be even more because the perennials will be edible (strawberries and rhubarb). The first year is always the hardest and normally the least amount in harvest.

Next to the last canning day

This is it. The only thing left to can is applesauce. That is done in October or November. Nona will come and bring a few bushels of apples, I already have 3 or 4 bushels here, Jackie will probably join us and we will be canning maniacs and do 300 quarts in a day and just be done.

Today I finished off the canning by making green tomato relish. I had at least a bushel of green tomatoes. The garden is being prepared for winter. The chickens have been unleashed into the garden to eat their fill and clean it up. The only things left in the garden are rhubarb, kale, swiss chard and the strawberries.

Nona is here helping me. It has been almost 2 months since we have had a chance to visit with each other. She is mopping my floor. I am sitting here typing. #6 just brought me a popsicle to open for her. It is really getting to the end of summer and I am letting them eat unlimited popsicles today (just so I can get my freezer space back). Trees are turning red, the air is getting a nip, I can't just wear sandals to seminary in the morning.

I am sitting here typing, listening to my floor getting mopped and so very thankful for the bounteous produce from our garden this year. I am even more thankful I am DONE for a few weeks. Time to get the house clean and get ready for school.

Awwww

Poor Michael Moore.

This is what he said, "I am tired of feeling like I'm doing this alone." in this article.

Boo hoo. Cry me a river.

Salsa Day!

For the cost of 2 bushels of roma (paste) tomatoes and a 1/2 bushel of bell peppers (10.99 each and 4.99 respectively)(27 bucks), I made 59 quarts of salsa. The savings on this item is substantial. I saved about 350 dollars by making salsa with veggies I grew in the garden. That is just using an Aldi price as the comparison. If I used regular Pace salsa the savings would be more.

I should add for this price I also canned tomato puree-16 quarts. (I ran out of peppers to keep making salsa.) We use tomato puree to make homemade cream of tomato soup. It is easy, easy to do. (Quart of tomato puree, quart of milk, 2 vegetable bullion cubes, warm it up and watch it disappear.)

I may actually meet my goal of filling every single canning jar in my house. Don't ask how many. :eyeroll: Maybe I'll count after the applesauce is done. :)

And if any of you have any of my jars--keep them until spring. I am pooped.

Life will never be the same

#1 started Early Morning Seminary this morning.

I am trying to spin this into something positive-he's clean, I'm clean (and groomed), he had scripture study and I had 50 minutes of quiet to have scripture study. Next week, maybe we will get family scripture study done too.

My Mastercard entry

Miles travelled: 4368
Fuel cost: $612.82
Poptarts consumed: 67
Shoes that didn't come home: 3

Watching your mother-in-law walk on water: PRICELESS

Ah, the places you will see.....

Mishawaka
Oquawaka
Quitaque
Floydada
Tokio
Meadow
Carrizozo
Nutt
Arrery Derry
Elephant Butte
Mountainair
Zuzax
Tucumcari
Tonganoxie
Funks Grove
Kankakee
Dowagiac

To make the drive more fun I kept track of all the interestingly named places. It started 'cause Mishawaka just sounded really funny in the wee hours of the morning. Meadow was nothing but industrial complexes. And any place that has 2 "Z's" or "Q's" or an "X" had to be worthy of mention.

Lubbock Texas Visited

We were on our way to Roswell (just so we could take a picture for Margo) and the check engine light of the van turned on. We turned around and headed to the nearest dealer that services our van. This is our 3rd night in Lubbock, Texas. Now, we are not slumming here folks. DH last year with the purchase of our van got a AAA membership. When he started asking about the benefits he discovered that the membership we had would only tow the van for 5 miles in the event of a break down. Anyone ever traveled back and forth to Texas on a regular basis? There are lots of places where you are way more than 5 miles away from anything. DH upgraded to RV insurance (well, the van is big enough to count :)). That insurance also has a trip interuption policy. So, if the car breaks down, our AAA membership pays for hotel and food for 72 hours. They won't pay for groceries, only restaurants (shucks, darn). My children have never, ever eaten out this many times in a row in their lives. We have a suite at the hotel and a pool. Each room has a TV with cable. The kids think this is a little slice of heaven. They have 2 minutes of chores a day, free access to TV, gameboys, a pool and Rudy's BBQ in the frig. Today I gave my big boys a good workout in the pool showing them how mom used to play ball in the pool at her grampa's house. They didn't know I knew how to tackle. They certainly didn't know I knew how to roughhouse in a pool. (it was fun!)

The trip has been going well. The only glitch is sleeping assignments but I expected the chattering and bickering.

We stopped in Nauvoo, Illinois for a day and saw the LDS church historical sites. We stayed in a hotel there with a pool. I am a firm believer that hotel stays should involve a pool just for tiring out all these bodies that have been cooped up in the van for hours and hours.

#5 has gotten over her water phobia (remember this?) and is becoming a little fish, jumping in the pool and everything. (Phew.) #6 hears the word "pool" and immediately starts stripping and dancing around the room. She finds the wet suits, pull them down and brings them to me, naked. (I have to go hunt down the diaper.)

We also stopped at Carthage, Illinois visiting the site of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. We saw the watermelon harvest in western Texas. I had never before seen a whole warehouse of watermelons before.

Tomorrow we head to Carlsbad.

Wouldn't you know it?

The garden is finally really starting to produce. The weather has been a huge problem this year. It has just been too cold! Today we picked 1 1/2 bushels of tomatoes and 1/2 bushel of cherry tomatoes (all varieties). There is at least a bushel of peppers on the plants. I am pulling up the pinto beans tomorrow to dry and I let the cucumbers die. I have the kitchen garden cukes for salads but I am done with pickles-by the time I finish the ones I have it will be about 12 batches of pickles. The freezer is getting full of shredded zucchini (for muffins and bread), diced peppers (for pizza and omelets) and squash dices for soups. I harvested a bushel of winter squash this evening also.

Now, wouldn't you know it? it is the busiest time of my year (gardening wise) and we have to go out of town for at least a week. DH's dear grandmother died and we are heading to the funeral. I am running as fast as I can packing for 8 and preserving as much of this bountiful produce as I can. I have at least 4 more bushels of tomatoes that are still green on these plants. So, I am calling around to see who wants tomatoes. I canned 34 quarts today, anything else I will have to freeze or give away or feed to the chickens.

My garden is sorta ugly right now

I have been harvesting and canning and not weeding nearly enough. Entire rows have been harvested and are empty. I have onions drying on the deck and an entire laundry basket of potatoes out there for #1 to scrub to put in storage.

Tomatoes are coming in by the half bushel and I am thinking about letting the cucumbers die. The weeds are getting tall and I have to go out and replant broccoli and spinach and cauliflower and kale and lettuce.

On the inside of the homestead we are taking a quiet day. Our dear friends the Earnshaw's left this morning and it is quiet around here. Well, anything would be quiet after yesterday. Not only were there the regular 14 children around Aubrey, Ryan, Heidi, Alex and Travis joined us AND the Lund's. The place was hopping! and lots of laughs and splashes and popsicles we consumed by the dozens. It was a good time.

A Day That I Hear My Husband Sigh

#5 has been incredibly hard to potty-train.

I am thinking it is just she has a shorter tube than the boys. DH and she have had this ongoing conversation about her accidents. He has been kind and loving. She has been rationalizing and stubborn. (some say she is related to me--me? stubborn, rationalizing? Mother be quiet.) :) You may ask why I am not involved in this conversation? I wet the bed way past 5 and I can't believe I just admitted that but I figure there is a genetic component. DH forges forward.

So, he has had this conversation with #5. "Use your muscles to hold your pee in and run to the toilet." Some days I hear from the bathroom, "DAD! I used my muscles!!" We woop and hurrah.

Today she had an accident. I called her upstairs to clean up the mess she made in the kids bathroom (entire roll of toilet paper unrolled, spread all over the bathroom, some wet, some dry and added in crayon wrappers-this is my life folks, mess after mess after mess, we won't even talk about the can of honey roasted peanuts she dumped all over the library floor this morning. But I do hear my DH exclaim over and over again, "How come the vacuum bag is full again?!"). While she came up I noticed the tell-tale bottom and very calmly tell her to change her panties. Daddy's office is across from the kids bathroom. I got busy and he had to help her get panties down. (Picture 4 year old with her peasant blouse shirt all tucked under her chin running around upstairs with nothing but the peasant blouse shirt.)

Daddy gets her panties and asks her, "How come you didn't use your muscles to hold it in?"
#5 says, "Dad, sometimes I have wimpy muscles."

DH sighs.

I hide my face and hold in my laughs so he and she cannot hear me.

wimpy muscles....

Garden notes

First large tomatoes are red today. The small fruiting tomatoes are coming in by the serving bowl. I was walking through the kitchen today and found #5 filling up on fresh picked tomatoes. It made me smile.

The cucumbers are prolific. I think I am on my 9th batch of pickles. It is a good thing. I was down to 4 jars of relish and completely out of other kinds. The shelf is almost full.

Today peach jam.

Over to Grammie's House to Pick up Cherries

Grammie and Poppy were up north this weekend. I rang her up and asked if she could bring home cherries. I have a whole flat of sweet black cherries on my kitchen counter. We had to go and pick them up last night. #3 and #4 came with me. #3 thinks that if you are driving and he is in the car he has a captive audience. (Well, you are sorta stuck but I don't always listen.) Last night he was talking about potholes, washboard roads, corn (how it is even taller than him), how long we are going to live in our house (this is all in the first 2 miles). I reply to him that I hope we are going to be in this house until he is married and brings his wife and babies to come visit me.

Here is part of the conversation.
#3: You mean we aren't going to move again?
Me: I hope not for a long time.
#3: Weww, you might have to make the house bigger.
Me: You aren't going to LIVE with me. You will come and visit.
#4 pipes up: I am neva getting mawwied.
Me: Really?
#4: I am neva getting mawwied. I neva want to weave ouwa family. I love ouwa family.

What a sweet, sweet boy.

#2 Funny

After #1 and 2 arrived home from scout camp we all sat down for dinner and talked. It seems that they filled their brains with all sorts of interesting information.

From #2: Mom? Did you know that Big Macs have less fat than Whooppers? almost twice the fat!

Me: A Whooper?
#2: Yes, Whooper.
Me: Did you mean Whopper?

Belly laughs from every one around the dinner table.

They will evermore be Whoopers in our house.

Having a hard time getting started today

I tried balancing the checkbook but my DH's system is just too stinking complicated. If a tractor hits him and he is killed we are screwed because he made it too STINKING COMPLICATED. (are you reading this dear?)

I am watching #6 empty kleenexes onto the floor in patterns. Then she stand on top of them and announces, "TADA!" Then she jumps and says, "Ooo, oo, ooooo." What goes on in those almost 2 year old brains?

I drove to see Jennifer and Mark yesterday. It was a nice drive. I took the girls with me. It was very nice seeing her and her family again.

I am tired. I need to do a brain dump and get the list out of my head. Then I will probably be able to decide what I need to do.

At 6:45 #3 and #4 bolted out the deck door to go see if we had more chicken eggs. It was a very fun conversation to listen to while half asleep. :)

#6 has just put on her sisters jammie dress upside down. In otherwords she put it on like a sack and has just announced, "FEEEEEEEee!" and plopped down on her bottom and pulled the jammie dress up to her waist. She knows she is way too cute.

I have the schedule for the school year about 2/3 done. With #1 starting seminary life will change around here. We have never had to be anywhere by 6:30 am in our entire marriage.

The chore chart is re-done.

This year because I will be homeschooling 5 of them I had to delegate some of my duties. Menus have been simplified. #1 is in charge of all lunch preparation, #2 is in charge of all bread making, #3 is in charge of all breakfast prepartions. I have made a complete menu and directions for all of the recipes. Directions like use both cast iron griddles and what setting on the stove to place the knobs. The directions and recipes have been place in page protectors and put in a binder for use.

I still need some bins for the little kids. I have been slowly collecting toys that are not too messy and will entertain them. I have things like bristle blocks, magnetic paper dolls, wedgits, dolls, and pattern blocks. Value World had a great selection this last trip. To get the schooling done for 1, 2, and 3 the little guys need to be occupied, hence the bins of toys. But all toys are behind a locked set of doors, one type out at a time, pick up before new ones are released. And all the art supplies are in the same closet. I had way too many paper clip and paper disasters the last couple months-little shreds of paper all over the place in the name of creativity. New videos have been purchased for video time (Value World and Good Will). I am hoping this plan will keep them engaged enough that I can get the big kids school work done. I know this sounds complicated but I don't want to fall into the trap of keeping the little kids out of the way by video or Wii.

I still have to order curriculum for the big boys. But it is in the shopping cart, I just have to double check it and place the order.

I had considered moving the school room upstairs but decided to get better lightbulbs and leave it in the basement. It is dark and cool down there. So the kerosene heater is being moved down and the lightbulbs replaced. I found a new school table at a garage sale and I have to put up a new white board (garage sale).

Still to do-upgrade memory on the laptops (assigned to DH), get software installed on said laptops (DH), inventory toys so I know what is in the closet and make a list so I don't have to open the closet to give them their choices for toys (or should I just make a schedule and rotate them? bristle blocks on Monday, pattern blocks Tuesday, etc.?) I have to put the books in order of use on the bookshelves, put up the maps, the school calendar and timeline.

Well, that was part of the list. :)

Gotta put on some shoes and get started with the pickles. I have to weed, water, make relish and limewater pickles, clean the garage and spend 15 minutes working on the pantry shelves, make lunch and dinner and attempt to get rid of the fruit flies.

Garden Today

Today's Harvest and Surprise!

See #6 pointing to it? An EGG!

Today there were wax beans, onion, round zucchini, banana pepper, cucumbers and the very first hopes that the tomatoes are going to ripen. What are you having for dinner? Just add garlic and butter and mine is ready to go!

Open pants on the pew

Yesterday #1 and #2 were not with us in church (they are at Scout camp). #3 and #4 decided I needed to be used as a pillow during church. I have bred a brood of cuddlers. Anyhoo, #4 was on my left. I am digging in my purse thinking about writing DH a note and I glance over and see #4 with his pants unbuttoned and open. My eyes fly open in shock-he is on the aisle side of the pew and not in anyway discreet.

I lean over and ask him if he is having pants problems. He looks at me straight in the eye and says, "NO. I fowgot to TUG in. I need to TUG IN." and gives me the mother you are so silly look. He finishes tucking in and buttons up.

But not before others around us saw... and asked "What was going on up there today? I saw that look..."

Come on mom! Didn't you know I need to tug in?

Garden

Harvested 2 five gallon buckets of cucumbers today. Finished the broccoli harvest. Finished the cauliflower harvest. 4 head of cabbage and a handful of wax beans. 3 cherry tomatos (come on heat-I need these tomatoes to ripen).

That Big Brother is so loved

#1 and #2 were invited to a sleepover last night. They had a blast. I was sitting in the living room working on my computer when #1 sat down next to me and shared that he stayed up "all night." At least until 5 am. OK That is part of sleepovers.

He did some chores for me and must have sat down on the couch. As I type I am listening to slight snores. He was reading a cookbook when he fell asleep. It is laying open on his tummy. The funny thing is his baby sister gave him a baby doll to sleep with-just like she sleeps with one. He must have been asleep when she gave it to him. He has been snoring away for close to an hour now with baby doll at almost age 14.

Updated: I did get a picture but I have to figure out how to download it from my phone. AND after the sleep with the lone baby doll, #5 came up and gave him ALL the baby dolls in the house. I have pictures. They are coming.

Some days just require graham crackers and milk

It is 6:28, the big guys are going to the library and then scouts. The little have been banished to the basement with the TV on-so no banishment really, just quiet for me. I took out my stash of expensive graham cracker and I am eating them. by.myself.

I love being a mom. I love where we live. I love the husband. I don't always love the noise that comes with being a mom. The noise level today was FANTASTIC. I am pressure canning some ground beef so add 2 pressure canners to 7 children (#3 had a friend over and no one was bad) it was enough to drive me to give them free reign of the TV and graham crackers and milk.

Happy Birthday Nona!

Today was my friend Nona's birthday. She decided she wanted to spend it with me. I was so incredibly tickled. :)

Since she is the mother of 9, she rarely travels alone. Not only did we get Nona, but we got Dan, and Jon, and Heidi and Alex and Travis and Aubrey. I was not the only person with a friend in the house-everyone got a friend. We celebrated the day by sitting and cutting up cucumbers for limewater pickles and cutting broccoli and cauliflower for the dehydrator. We made pork and bean chimichangas for dinner. Then she took a nap and Aubrey made banana pudding with nilla wafers.

The kids swam, we laughed and talked and talked and talked. We looked at all the gardens and talked some more. They left after the fire flies and the stars were out. We stood out in the driveway dancing to a Jason Okuma (?) song. I was holding #5 and we were dancing. She loved it. Alex loved it. The kidlets were all tired and extremely happy. Nona is making plans to renovate the hay loft so she can move in.

It was a great day.

it was Justin Nozuka.

Know what these are?

pretend you see a picture for a blueberry because I cannot figure this new computer out....grrrr....


BOOBAs!

He is home

#1 returned from Philmont on the 19th at 12:01 a.m. He is 10 pounds lighter, quite scratched up on his shins and relatively proud of his accomplishment. I am proud of him too. His first time away from home and he traveled 4000 miles and was gone for 14 days. His leaders say he did great. He did share that he had altitude sickness but was better after he barfed on the second day. He said he wasn't wobbley after the 4th day. 4 bears were seen and one mountain lion. Many card games were played on the train ride and a new love for Strawberry Guava Fuze was discovered.

Garden

5.7 lbs of cauliflower harvest, 3 lbs of broccoli, 5 gallons of cucumbers, making dill pickles today and limewater pickles later in the week. I am planning on freezing or dehydrating the cauliflower and broccoli.

A call from Baldy Mountain

#1 called us from the top of Baldy Mountain. He sounded very confident. I mean, after all, he had just climbed to the top of a mountain!

MOM! She is becoming a hooman!

That was from #5 regarding #6.

Mom! She isn't a baby anymowa-she is a hooman!

I love this

The chickens ate the swiss chard in the kitchen garden. We should be having chicken and dumplings for dinner later in the week but I have restrained myself. At dinner I told #2 to put up a fence around my kitchen garden. He did it with Aubrey helping but he did it and I didn't have to supervise. I love not having to micromanage. I love that he was competent with tools and building enough to think the plan through and made sure there was walking room around the garden bed. I love having competent young adults in the house.

Let the canning season begin

Two weeks ago we (Rebecca, Margo and families) did strawberry jam. Yesterday a friend let us pick her raspberry patch. Today I picked the currants. I juiced the raspberries and currants and then made jelly.

Yesterday at Breakfast

I leaned over and mumbled to DH, "The roosters are getting frisky." He nodded. We ordered all pullets but have ended up with 3 roosters.

#3 overheard and very loudly said, "WHAT IS FWISKY?"

I just looked him in the eye and said, "Chicken sex."

He grinned HUGE and his eyes lit up. "Ohhhhh, that means more babies. Yahoo!"

that kid and babies.....

He is gone

#1 is off to Philmont.

I am being cautious about this announcement

but I am not sure I can contain myself any longer. The laundry is finally under control!

Now, I know that some of the readers will think that is no big deal. How come this is an announcement? Let me just remind you:

6 children
farm work
toddler

Since our move to the new house the laundry bomb went atomic. The mushroom cloud dropped socks and boxers, willy nilly, all over the house.

Regular cries of, "MOM! were are my socks?" were heard.
Regular grilling of children happened: Why haven't you changed your clothes today? their response was, "I can't find any clothes."

ARGHHHH screams the mother as she pulls her hair out!

For Mother's Day I requested shelves over my upstairs washer and dryer. There are now 7 baskets on the shelves, 6 with a child's name and one with "socks" written on it. All the socks have a home. All the clothes have a home. I installed a hanging rod to the right of the dryer so I can hang all those dresses and Sunday shirts when they come out of the dryer. Even though this was a huge improvement over the laundry before Mother's Day. It still wasn't working right. For some reason, my children love to mix dirty clothes and clean clothes. They were dumping clothes in front of the washer, in front of the dryer, in the hamper, 12 inches from the hamper, 6 inches from the hamper (you get the idea).

Two weeks ago I put in 2 more hampers in the upstairs bathroom. Now, not only is their a white hamper (for whites), a dark blue hamper (for darks), there is also a tan hamper (for lights). I can go through in the morning and see if I have to do a load (or three) and it is already sorted, ready to go in the washer. When it is done in the dryer I assign a big boy (or do it myself, most of the time) to put away the laundry in each person's basket and DH's and mine goes on our bed.

It is working! People have clothes, there are not mountains of clothes being walked on in the upstairs hall. I am breathing a sigh of relief.

As a side note to this entry, I am convinced it takes a year to figure out all the housework again after a move. The systems that worked in the old house don't necessarily work in the new house and it just takes time. In my old house this wouldn't have worked because I didn't have room for the 3 hampers. It just takes time.

Boys and Housework

I have been amazed when moms of girls talk to me about how the housework "works" at their house. As the mother of boys, I have asked, begged, pleaded, cajoled, haraunged, threatened, begged again and somedays just given up on getting the housework done. I take a deep breath before I enter their bedroom. I sigh when I leave it. Somedays the announcement of, "I am getting a garbage bag" finally motivates the 9 and 5 year old to get their areas picked up. All of my children know the sound of a garbage bag being filled with air when you snap it upside down to separate the sides of plastic. And they run to get their precious junk.

I recently purchased shelves for the boys room. They are pretty cool. They are slat boards from a store front that went out of business. They have plexiglass shelves that can be put in just about any space they want and the shelves show off all those beloved lego creations. They have hooks to hang up their clothes. They have brackets for bookshelves. It is organizing heaven.

I went into their room this morning. The shelves are emtpy. The stuff is on the floor. The beds are unmade-some of them without sheets. I am watching their father, my beloved huband, friend and lover, and know that really they are little men. They are just not hardwired to be a generalist. They have a hard time multi-tasking and making all those minute decisions that cleaning their bedroom requires.

I am accepting this and giving up. No cajoling today.

it is almost done

the project list is getting smaller and smaller. The garden is in, it is growing like mad (yeah!), the watering system is installed, the electric fence is up, the chickens are in a coop and we have a few roosters. They were cock-a-doodle-doing. we only have the trellis system to put into the garden. The system I decided will also be able to support plastic sheeting so I can have mini-greenhouses in the fall. The chicken coop needs some work but the chickens don't seem to mind their sleeping arrangements.

Unexpected chores of country life: before company comes over we have to wash the sidewalk-chicken poo from those free-range chickens. If they are free-range, they will range on your car, IN your car if you leave the doors open (ask Margo) and leave evidence that they were in your car (ask Margo). Another unexpected chore has been critter control. #2 has been put on critter control-he and his .22 with several live traps. After the critters are dead, they get tossed over the back fence and the turkey vultures get a good snack.

Today I will harvest the first of our own homegrown strawberries. We will only get a few this year because we got the plants in late. But we are getting some! The onions and potatoes are doing well. The pinto beans I planted from my pantry are doing surprising well. I was just happy they sprouted. Rhubarb is a miracle. I had some rhubarb plants from Meijer in a plastic sack for 4 weeks before I planted them. I thought for sure they were goners. I was out this morning and I see leaves making their way to the top of the garden bed. We will harvest rhubarb next year. Corn is growing, I have to remind myself it looks just like grass when it is newly emerging. I almost pulled my corn plants today. Beans, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes are going crazy. It is a beautiful site. The tomatoes in the kitchen garden are flowering and starting to set fruit.

We are eating salad almost nightly now. The lettuce is sweet and delicious. My library book choices this week were: Blue Ribbon Preserves and heirloom vegetables. When the snow flies it will be back to fiction.

#3 is at Cub Scout Day camp this week. We have an unusually busy week with youth conference for #1, #1 and #2 doing an orienteering course and rescue training for their scout badges, temple trip for #1 and 2, we have 10 young men from church staying the night on Friday night (our church building is the stake center so we are the host ward for all the youth), Aubrey is home and will probably come over, my roommate from before DH is in Michigan and I pick her up and spend time with her and bring her to the airport on Friday and Saturday AND it looks like we will be renting our old house. DH is there today doing some repairs and people are planning on moving in this week. (can we spell relief?? We have been making double mortgage payments for this whole year.)

Life is good. We are all healthy. We have enough to eat and a roof over our heads. We love each other. Life is plain ole good.

guess what we had for dinner?

mmmmmm, it was delicious.


strawberry shortcake



there has to be some days were I earn cool mom points, right?

NOW LISTEN UP!

All you beautiful friends of mine!



IF you are comparing your garden to mine-STOP.

Heavenly Father told me we are supposed to do this. Heavenly Father will tell you what you are supposed to do.

STOP.

Listen to Him for YOUR instructions.

It isn't contest.

Don't compare.

Do what YOU are supposed to do.

I love you.



and be ready in August to come pick some tomatoes.

:)

My computer is limping

My laptop's hard drive is on the fritz. I can use some of the applications but cannot access the internet. I am typing from boys' (and now my) computer. DH is trying to fix it but with all the other things I just told him, "It's okay. I spent too much time surfing anyway." (I did last week.)

We are building an automated watering system for the garden. It is made out of pvc and we are drilling thousands of little holes for the water to come out of. Really, thousands. #1 and #2 are perfectly capable of building it themselves but mama is needed to keep them going. It isn't exactly automated-I will still have to go out and open the valves but it is better than dragging a hose around and watering each individual bed.

Fencing-last week after getting all those tomato plants in the bunnies had a little smorgasbord. #2 has been shooting them with his .22 as often as we see them. We have live traps set and if we catch one we drown it. A few days last week were spent pricing the fencing for the garden. We decided to go with electric netting. It turned out to be cheaper and easier. It should only take about an hour to put up the fence versus days of post hole digging and stringing fence.

Today I did the grocery run. Do you know how much food $500 will buy at Aldi? When will these children learn to photosynthesize??? It was about 4 cart loads.

I am pooped and going to bed.

Garden

Pole beans, corn, melons are in.

Another lesson learned in the gardening arena

Make sure you wear an extra long shirt. Otherwise your tshirt will ride up while you are planting a seedling and the next morning you will have a sunburn on the small of your back.

and you will have a hard time tolerating underthings.

yes, really

sheesh

go ahead and giggle

It is raining

And I say, "HALLELUJAH! THANK YOU GOD!"

my body just can't plant all those other seeds today

I went and bought a gardening hat

#4 said, "oooooo! INdiana Jones Hat!"

Ready for the tally?
Yesterday I planted 80 strawberry plants, approximately 160 onion sets (didn't count), and 8 plants of rhubarb. I put in 1 garden bed of pinto beans (just to see if we can actually grow them).

Today: 160 onion sets, 80 seed potatoes, 16 cauliflower, 4 eggplant, 4 cabbage, 40 broccoli, 24 peppers (gypsy, pimento, italia, romana, cubanelle, anaheim, jalepeno), 20 cucumbers (pickling and burpless), summer squash 6 (zephyr), winter squash 14 (hopi pale grey, buttercup, acorn), tomato 124 (jet star, yellow pear, san merino ?, jubilee, beaverlodge plum, beef steak), tomatillos 8 (verde and mexican), ground cherries 8 (Aunt Molly's and pineapple)

In the kitchen garden:
shallots, garlic, lettuce, red onions, swiss chard, spinach, red pear tomatos, another san marino tomato (the neighbor gave them to me and I have to recheck the name-it is san m-something), sweet pea tomato, triefele tomato, 4 cukes, 4 banana peppers, white cherry tomatoes, cherry delight tomato, and a couple more that I can't remember without running downstairs and outside to check.

Lessons learned this season so far:

The baby will pull out as many markers of plants as possible and mix them up
Sharpie markers run on popsicle sticks that are markers-use ink pen
Need a better way to start seeds-greenhouse needed (and I have a place for it!)

Stacie tagged me

Here are the rules:
1) Post rules on your blog
2) Answer the six "8" items

8 Favorite Shows:
1. House
2. Britain's Got Talent
3. How Clean is Your House
4. mmmm, no cable, haven't had it for years and anything I watch is on hulu or youtube
5. see number 4
6. see number 5
7. see number 6
8.see number 7

8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Saw my old roomie and had a blast
2. Took number 4 to a birthday party
3. Made pulled pork sandwiches and a banana split ice cream cake
4. Rallied the troops to clean the house
5. Watched the chickens
6. Planted more lettuce seeds
7. planted flowers in the front bed
8. showed off my sunburn

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. the first tomato of the season
2. the house selling
3. going to the temple
4. planting the garden tomorrow
5. organizing the garage with the new shelves
6. hot and sour soup
7. a massage tonight
8. spending Monday night with friends

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Biwacko
2. Golden Chopsticks
3. the Thai place in Mount Clemens-Cindy knows, I know how to get there and it involves an orchid
4. Margo's House (she's better than a lot of restaurants)
5. the cuban restaurant in Detroit on Library St.-Margo knows
6. BDs mongolian barbeque
7. Texas Road House because every now and then you just have to have a good salad and baked potato and squishy rolls
8. Giglio's deli counter-best italian subs and cold Crush in a glass bottle in the frig section

8 Things On My Wish List:
1. the laundry bomb that is in my bedroom would magically be put away and ironed
2. peace within the brotherhood-#1 and #3 are bickering a lot lately
3. that all my fruit trees will live
4. a family fun night
5. new shoes, more than one pair
6. new bras, the girls need an uplifting experience
7. can I put laser hair removal on here?
8. a new kitchen

Is it sunburnt or sunburned?

We did 17 rows in the garden today. We are sunburnt/sunburned. Which one is right? I have to look it up but I just spent the day in the sun and I am crispy and don't want to get the dictionary. Anyone know?

We will have approximately a 1/4 acre garden by the time we are done. Justsoseyouknow.

Learning

I love learning. Today I learned that dehydrated lemon slices will store well in my pantry and still flavor my water. Who knew? I dehydrated a bunch of lemons and limes. I stuck one of the slices in my water and it tasted yummy. I am on my third glass and it is going strong.

Not much here

There isn't much to write about just little things here and there. Jon is neutropenic again-please pray. Essentially it means he has no immune system right now.

#1 has been doing a lot of hiking and prep work for Philmont. He and #2 are going rock climbing this weekend in Kentucky.

Last week I taught Stake RS Conference and 2 preparedness classes, one on container gardening and another on making bread. DH got me sick-why does the man kiss me?? Iknowhelovesme.

DH is still coughing-a few weeks ago we thought he had pneumonia or a collapsed lung but the xray came out clean but he is still coughing. I guess it is allergies.

#3 started crying at the dinner table yesterday because he wants to go camping like the big boys.

We had a hard frost last night and I lost my biggest tomato plant. grrrr the wind blew the covering.

#5 has picked up her M.O.M. (mistress of mess) designation with a furor never before experienced. Today it was an entire bag of rubber bands (0ver 500), styrofoam shredding (you know the kind that looks like snow but has so much static it climbs the walls?) and dry erase markers. Don't forget the allergy nose and any flower picked in the yard brought into the house and the piggy tails all rearranged by herself. I think we will start deducting the cost of vacuum bags from her mission fund.

#6 is going along with #5 but at least she is cute about it. No hair yet-there are peaches with more hair than this child. Her latest thing is taking a glass of water and dumping it in the carpet. She also will put her little mouth under the water cooler spigot and get herself a drink.

#5 is good. He wants to learn to read. I just keep doing the battle to get him to change his socks. "Why Mom? they awen't cwunchy yet."

ew

Preparedness Blog

www.candoreliance.wordpress.com

I am glad she has a sense of humor

#5 was dancing around the kitchen, "Dad, I want a peanutbudda sandwich." He keeps walking and says, "That's nice."

She comes to me. "Mom, I want a peanutbudda sandwich!"
"Oh, that's nice. Maybe I would make you one if you said, "Mom, I am hungry would you please make me a peanut butter sandwich?""
Dancing in place, "Mom, can you please make me a peanutbudda sandwich?"
"Sure, if you go wash your face first."
She scurries off and heads to the front hall. It has a mirror that goes low enough that that 4 year old can see her face without climbing on anything. All the sudden I hear gut-busting laughter. She is laughing at herself and the mess that was on her face. She had a ring around her mouth of chocolate something (who knows, I was gone to the dentist), hard boiled egg crumbs and boogers. I am glad she laughed about it, cause it wasn't making ME laugh.

Off the make a peanutbutter sandwich...

This Funny From #4

Mom? Is today Slow Sunday?

An explanation: Our faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has a monthly congregational fast. One Sunday a month we forgo food and water. The money that would be spent on the meals (2 of them) we donate to help the needy and poor. The Sunday that we fast we refer to as Fast Sunday. That is why #4's comment is so adorable.

Remember

We have been fighting some sort of illness around here. We were exposed to strep throat, #6 had dual ear infections, #3 brought home pink eye and allergy season is ramping up. #1 is fine (as usual, sheesh), #2 came home from the backpacking trip complaining of a sour throat, #3 is getting over pink eye, #4 is starting pink eye (or allergies, he isn't goopy so I am leaning towards allergies), #5 pink eye and runny nose, #6 is happy as a lark cause her antibiotics are working. DH didn't work at work today cause he is feeling crummy. BUT instead after his nap (and he was recharged) we worked on the garden plot. ALL THE BIG PIECES OF SOD HAVE BEEN MOVED.

ALL THE BIG PIECES OF SOD HAVE BEEN MOVED!!!!

(this is a big deal folks-we moved over a half acre of sod in a few weeks)

And since it was a family project it was not without its moments. I started the project because it looked like rain was coming. I knew I had to keep prodding the big boys at it because each time it rains the pieces of sod double in weight. DOUBLE is not an exaggeration. Last week the pieces of sod weighed close to 25 pounds each (how do I know? cause it is close in weight to a bag of rice from Sam's and I have hefted a few of those). After drying out for a few days, the pieces of sod had shrunk and they didn't weigh any more than 10 or 15 pounds. The thickness of the pieces also shrank. When originally cut they were about 4-5 inches thick. Today they were closer to 2 inches. So, since the work had literally evaporated I kept pushing everyone to keep going. I drove the tractor, DH started on loading with #1, 2 and 3, #4 and #5 were playing around and would start a sodball fight every now and then. #6 was napping (at first).

I just love watching my kids play outside. I especially love watching the older ones with #6. I watch them and think to myself, "Oh, you have to remember this. You have to mark this in your memory bank to remember how #6 just bolts across the back pasture to sit on a pile of sod with #4 to wait for her tractor ride back. You have to remember how she made you stop the tractor while driving to pick up her binky. You have to remember how #5 says her new jeans are Fawma Jeans and how cute her little tushy is in them. You have to remember how #4 leaps out of the moving tractor trailer and how he is so competitive with #2 to release the trailer so all the sod dumps out. You have to remember #6 cuddling with you on the tractor while the boys loaded the trailer. You have to remember how #1 shortened the swing chains so that the swing was 5 feet in the air and #4 was brave, brave to swing up there so high." I see the pictures of today in my mind--the green grass, the golden pastures with green underneath, the blue sky, the brown dirt and my kids sometimes rolling in it. The wind was blowing their hair all around, their cheeks were pink, #1 and 3 were not necessarily smiling but #4,5, and 6 were overjoyed with tractor rides over and over and over again. #2 was so amazing. He was helpful with his baby sister over and over again. Picking her up, putting her in the trailer, helping her through the fence panels, walking with her. I never had to ask him to help her-he just did it.

As a mom I have those moments all the time. I see the joy in family life. I try to take photographs. I try to write about our life. I want to remember it. I want to embrace this part of my life that moms of older children say goes too fast. I see joy so many times a day. I say to myself, "Take a picture in your mind. Remember. Remember. Remember."

Garden

This week the kitchen garden was finished. This is 3 raised bed gardens that are right off the deck. I planned that all the stuff we use for meals would come out of these beds. One of the beds is greenhoused and already has tomato and basil planted. One of the other beds has shallots. Doesn't that just sound like a good salad?

Tonight we finished planting the fruit trees.

We are pooped.

good night

Oh, how this man takes my breath away

isn't it just sexy? sigh

Somedays I am just astounded at the conversations I have

From #1: What's to eat?
From #2: I did my jobs. Can I play on the computer? What's to eat?
From #3: Moooooommmmm. I am starving! What can I eat?
From #4: Mom? Did you know that banana burps smell like bananas? Can I have ceweal?
From #5: Mom? do you wuv me? I wuv you. I wuv #4 too but he doesn't wuv me. Yah! Cereal!
From #6: BA! OUtside! Bvvrroooom, bvvrroom. (That is toddler-ese for I want to go outside and ride on the tractor while I eat my banana.)

Hear a 19 month old say Boom!

holding her brother's gun. Shooting #2 over and over again. He is playing dead. He is encouraging by saying, "Come on baby. You can do it!" She just body slammed him on the way up to give him a kiss.

Yep, I have a 19 month old girl that knows how to play guns and a 12 year old boy that is willing to play with her. (He just shot her and she is playing dead.)

You Know What I Hear?

measuring spoons clanking in the kitchen

macaroni being poured out of the box

I am still in the armchair with #6.

Ladies-teach those children to cook! It is a new kind of music to your ears.

To My Future Daughters-in-law: you are welcome

:)

102.5

My day is going to be spent cuddling #6. How is your day?

Holey Fazoley

Want an easy way to spend $400?

Go to Cabelas to buy boots for your Scouts.

Have #1 and #2 try on a stack of boots taller than yourself.

Buy rain gear.

Done.

Cha-Ching.

Now I have to figure out how to post from my cell phone camera-I took a picture of the stack of boot boxes.

It is turning out to be a crockpot morning

Everything is going slow. It is 9:18 and the Big One is still not out of bed. You know what that means? I have to buy new pants for him. Can I just start making him wear shorts early?

I made a gallon of yogurt the other day so it is a perpetual breakfast today. There is just something about yogurt and toast that puts #4 and #5 in breakfast heaven. Bowl after bowl is consumed by them.


So, breakfast isn't over, #1 is still asleep, the sun is shining in the front windows, #2 is reading his book curled up in the library chair, the chickens are cheeping, #6 has already stuck the iPod in her jammies and climbed into my lap to play anatomy games. In the background I hear, "I suppose the life of an anorexic duck doesn't amount to much, but it's all I've got."

Definite crockpot morning.

Very.slow.starting.

The Sun is Shining, The Breeze is Blowing, The Sky is Blue

We had the Jensen's and the Ellison's over today. What a perfect day. #1 and I made pizza swirls (a quadruple batch). They played on the trampoline, with the chicks, ran around all the fields, rode bikes, got muddy (several times) all while the mamas yakked and yakked.

No one hurt, no one crying, all fed, friendships continuing to be built.

It was a great afternoon.

She Can Be So Sweet

#6 has been using me as a jungle gym for a while now. It is just the age and all of the children have done it. I grit my teeth knowing it will be over soon. She just climbed up on me, patted my cheeks with her chubby little hands that still have knuckle dimples and gave me a slobby, wet kiss.

It was worth her toes digging into my feet.

The Newest Additions

4 guinea fowl.

The chicks are huge compared to these newly hatched babies.

Easter

This is a short video that is done by a church leader. Today I was asked if we, as Mormons, do Easter.

Yes! Unequivocally. We believe in Christ. We believe in His Resurrection.



We Do Easter.

The Sun is Shinin'

and we are moving sod today.

Garden

I repotted tomatoes, broccoli and tomatoes yesterday. I started another 3 flat of tomatoes-so there is over a 100 plants started. The snow has killed the plans for the peas getting in. Today the boys will have to make more newspaper pots for me to finish repotting the broccoli. I have to start the peppers and look at the plans I made so I can actually remember what I am supposed to be doing.

Tomorrow I am teaching a bread baking class. I will be busy until Friday. I am just praying that we can still get the sod up on Saturday. It takes about 2 hours to clear one row of sod in the big garden. There are a lot of rows. The big boys and I are getting into a system that works fairly well. It will go faster next time we get to work on it.

The Chickens Are Here!

If you noticed

I have been reading The Twiglight series. I needed some fluff after Constantine's Sword. I might need more than just 4 books of fluff. I read tons of non-fiction. But between previewing books for the big boys and homeschool I tried Constantine's Sword and it was just depressing. I gave up after a while. I guess it would be interesting if you were incredibly fascinated with the relations between Catholicism and Judiasm.

not me

Thwarted

it is snowing, it will be snowing until 9 pm

no moving sod today or probably tomorrow

Ah, a 5 year old boy

"Mom? Can I come cuddle in your bed?"

"Sure, come on it." I pull the blankets back and he climbs in.

After cuddles and talking I say, "Bedtime." He sits up, looks at me and says, "Hugs and Kisses and Boops." Boops are touching the other persons nose (normally but it can be anywhere)-it is a way to say I love you.

So, I move to kiss him. He looks at me with those big brown eyes and says, "NO. You don't move. I am doing the kissing tonight."

and he planted one on me and scurried off to bed.

I was tagged

http://bloggingwithjenb.blogspot.com/2009/04/letter-c-tagged.html

10 Things I Like That Begin with the Letter D

Doughnuts-Long Johns with custard filling, no Krispy Kreme, thank you very much
Daffodils
Dacquaris-strawberry, virgin
DH
Daughters
Dun dun-the noise at the beginning of Battlestar Galatica episodes
Dishwasher-a miracle machine
Dates, both with DH and girlfriends
Decisions, I like action, not hemming and hawing
Dancing

So, I guess it would be a really great date if my DH decided to bring me and the daughter doughnuts and daffodils. Then we would put them to bed, make some dacquaris, watch Dun dun (Battlestar Galactica) after loading the dishwasher and dancing around the kitchen.

sorry, feeling punchy

What is going on today

#2 made a solar cooker yesterday. Today he is using the Fresnel lense marshmallow roaster he made last year and testing out the solar cooker.

He has a very attentive audience, especially since it involves roasted marshmallows.

pictures coming

Fruit is ordered

4 peach trees
2 cherry trees
8 apple trees-semi dwarf
50 raspberry
30 blueberry
3 currant
1 hazelnut
100 strawberry

Finally finished the garden plan

Man! That took way too long. Anticipated yield-don't think you want to know. It is over 1000 pounds of tomatoes, 100 pounds of green beans and more. Yes, a 1000.three zeros.

I have ordered elderberry bushes, cranberry bushes, mulberry, gooseberry. Today will get the blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, aspargus and rhubarb.

We cut the sod off this week for the garden plot. The boys want to build a sod house. I have no objections, I am just thinking that I will channel that building into a root cellar. The soddie would be the outer housing. Still researching that.

The chicks arrive in a week.

Home from church again today

#5 slept in (unusual) and said, "I feel bawfy."

Right now she and I are in my bed. She just fell asleep after using the bucket. sigh

Have I mentioned to you guys lately how much I love my husband?

He buys me Fruit Loops.

He is the best.

Cheap Breakfast

1 box (a whole one) of quick oats
1 1/2 c. dry milk
1 1/2 c. creamer
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1-2 c. freeze dried strawberries, blueberries, whatever you want

Mix it all together. Put back in container. For use, 1/2 c. of mix and 3/4-1 c. hot water. Figured out the cost to be about 20 cents per serving.

#4 wants to have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Cinnamon Spice
1 box quick oats
1 1/2 c. dry milk
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8-1/4 tsp. ground cloves.
1 tsp. salt

Same directions as above.

#4 wants this one for snack.

Indoor Gardening videos

On youtube.com there is a great series of videos. The lady's name is Sarah. To view her videos search for pioneerliving. She has all sorts of interesting things to teach us. Who knew I could use tomato plant clippings to make a new tomato plant? not me. I've learned tons.

Did I mention this?

Babycakes went to nursery last week.

You know what this means? I (and DH) actually get to sit through Sunday School again.

At one point we could hear her wailing "Momma! Daaddddy! Mooommmma! Daaadddy!" through the door. They fed her a banana and she was fine. Oh, the miracles a banana holds.

She brought home a yucky cold to share with her sister and I. I am staying home from church tomorrow-by myself.alone.

Garden

16 more broccoli, 8 celery (it's late), 4 cabbage, 8 tomatoes

and I forgot to buy pea seeds, sheesh

Friends, Corned Beef and Cabbage

Today we travelled into the Lund's home for lunch. 33 people attended. It was a grand time. I brought the camera but forgot to take any pictures. duh

YEAH!

I won!

The Time Has Come

and it was way too soon.

grumble.

pout.

#6 polevaulted out of her crib today. That is how DH described it.

I was in the basement working on the seedlings and I could hear her screeching all the way down in the basement. She was so ticked that she couldn't get out of the room. (The door knob is lever type and it only opens when you pull UP on it and she has to tippy-toe it to pull down.) I abandoned my seeds to go comfort her.

I tried getting her to go to sleep on the toddler bed. No way.
I tried getting her to lay down on the pillows on the floor. No way.
I held in my arms and rocked her and patted her bum and she fell asleep for 5 minutes.

I had the big boys bring 2 twin mattresses up. I am now officially the mama of people who only sleep in twin beds (and mine).

It is sad.

too soon

too soon

Breathe Deep Mama

Deep breaths.

We use a computer curriculum called Teaching Textbooks. It is great. I love the self-grading. I love the gradebook.

We printed off #1's gradebook today.

I am looking it over. #1 likes to skip problems. #1 likes to skip lessons.

I call him to me (I am inputting the data into a tracking program) and ask him if he thought I wouldn't see the results of his math?

His response: Well, I didn't think you would HACK into my account.



ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

brain dead? brain damage? brain damage. brain damage.

maybe just hormonal 13 year old boy.

chocolate needed cause I am holding back.

Garden

planted broccoli seeds today-16 plants, 8 Green Goliah, 4 Packman, 4 Arcadia

She is not so unlike the others

#6 is a good blend between #1 and #2 with light eyes. So I think she fits in fairly well. #1 and 2 are the right most kidlets in this picture. #1 was just over 2 and #2 was 10 months.

Just 'cuz

Aren't they cute?

Mom?

Can hab some money? I want to go to the stowa and buy some gumbble bawws. You put the quawta in and dey faww down and I can get a bwue and white gumbble baww. I wike gumbble bawws.

That courtesy of #5.

giggle

I didn't know boys giggle

That is what the neighbors said tonight referring to #3. He was in prime form. He had the giggles so bad that he made all the women and girls giggle along with him. I could see his little baby-ness still when he was red, doubled over and giggling. I miss that l'il Butterball Baby.

Root Canals Suck

Vicodin doesn't suck.

That is all for now.

Things Money Can't Buy

The reason I posted about blessings is because I need to remember them. Like many others we have had our fair share of financial trials. They seem to overwhelm us at times. But as the money becomes tighter and tighter we have been blessed more and more with things you could never buy.

My sons got up and bore their testomies at church on Sunday. There was no prompting on mine or DH's part. Both #2 and then #1 got up on their own and went before the congregation and told the congregation that they know our church is true, the Book of Mormon is true and that they know that that "my family loves me." It was one of those proud mommy moments.

Then, a sister from the ward got up and gave me the absolute, biggest compliment I have ever had. She got up and also bore her testimony of the church and said, "The first *ourlastname* boy got up and he talked about how his family loved him. The gospel is about love. This family is teaching the gospel and their children know they are loved. That is the gospel plan in action, to know you are loved." I felt the Holy Ghost quietly reassure me.

There are many days I wonder why? Why? Why? Why? about oh, so many things. Somethings are very hard for me. There are days when I just grit my teeth and get through. For all of my shortcomings and faults these children love me and I love them and they know it. It renewed my resolve to keep working and doing what Heavenly Father wants me to accomplish. No amount of money could have ever bought that.

Add that to Nona and Dan spending the day with us. And Margo and Rick and kids and Jenny and kids. We didn't eat fancy food-waffles and beans and rice and dump cake. Laughter and love that filled our home. Money can't buy that.

Counting Blessings

2 testimonies born by my eldest sons
3 families over for dinner
15 children running through the house
2 pounds of beans
3 pounds of rice
4 batches of dump cake

TONS of fun and love

It was a good day yesterday.

Gardening Class Finished

Life can now resume.

I figured out how to plant our garden this year. I had the soil all properly amended at the old house. It was painful to let the grass take over that garden patch. You know how birth pains fade? Letting grass take over a garden patch pain does not fade. We have a very clay-ey soil here. Instead of amending the soil we are just going to plant in containers, the whole garden. This way we can have a garden over the septic field. I did also learn a lot getting ready for this class. The new gem was growing potatoes in a pot. It works. And with grow lights you can grow them inside the house year round. Yes, year round. Even DH is on board with that plan. I learn so much getting ready for classes.

Now to order the apple trees and figure out where to place them. What kind? Standard? Dwarf? Semi-dwarf? put along the fence? put in the pasture? I think I figured out where the raspberries, blueberries and the currants will go. Rhubarb will go on Blueberry Hill in between the pine trees because we don't mow there anyway.

The new question is where am I going to put the strawberry patch? Haven't even started that process but I did find the old horse manure pile for the fertilizer.

And are we going to grow grapes?

WHEN?

The following question happened at dinner Saturday night:

#3: WHEN are we going to get a new sibling?

Our response:

we ignored him.

Climbing Waterfalls-Frozen Ones

#1 &#2 are climbing frozen waterfalls today.

Next weekend is the Blue and Gold Banquet.

The weekend after that #1 & #2 are going caving.

it's taking over our lives-Scouts.

Snow

more snow

planning the garden

ordering chickens

Typing One-Handed

#1 needed help putting the water jug on the water cooler. It is 5 gallons, therefore 40 pounds and difficult to set in place. He accidentally flipped it up and my pinky finger was in between the jug and the cooler. I am sitting here with a bag of frozen corn wrapped around it. #2 just came up to me and asked if he "should administer first aid." Then he ran to go get his kit to splint me up. What a great boy.

#4 just came up to me and asked, "why do you have corn?" Ishowed him. He promptly and loudly says, "WOOOWWW!"

I thought I had one more time

but I guess I don't.

#6 had the habit of grabbing one of my fingers and walking me around. She would lead. She would giggle. I let her. I went on walks and dinner burnt. She would take me around and around the first floor of the house. She would take me outside in 10 degree weather. I would fake shiver, go outside for a few seconds, grab her and carry her inside. She would take my finger and then look at me, nod and say, "Uh, uuu ooouu." Have absolutely no idea what she was saying but she was emphatic. Each time she was very emphatic. Sometimes, I just felt my whole late afternoon was spent being taken around the house, time after time after time.

She hasn't done it in a few days, maybe even a couple weeks now.

I sorta miss it.

Dinner Prayer

from #4

Deawa Hebbenwy Fadda, (Dear Heavenly Father)
Fankfuww for dis food. (Thankful for this food.)
Pweease bwess da food. ( Please bless the food.)
Pweease bwing mowa snow. (Please bring more snow.)
Pweease hewp da snow to mewt and da caw to go. (Please help the snow to melt and the car to go.)
Pweease bwing da sun so we can swim in the poowa. (Please bring the sun so we can swim in the pool.)

In da name of Jesus Chwist, Amen.

Think God is confused?

or laughing as much as we did at the table?

Nothing Exciting Around Here Folks

Friday I baked 6 loaves of bread, two kinds of cookies, and a batch of soup. All of them are at least half gone. (And I made big batches darnit.) Saturday the big boys had choir practice, I got the required 6 gallons of milk for the week and 20 pounds of bananas (okay maybe not 20 but it felt like it carrying it out to the van but at least 10-15). Then with the warm weather Peter and Laura came over and it was snowball wars. They built forts, pelted each other, had a great time. I fed them green chile burros and took them home.

A Thought

It came to me as I was sweeping the stairs and front hall.

God doesn't need more CEO's. He needs mothers who are content in their role and will follow Him in raising their family.

Amidst the Raspberry Wars

#6 has also learned today to move the kitchen chairs across the tile floor, climb up on it, stand 12 inches away from the cookie jar and growl, "Goooookkiiiiieeeeeee." While she does that she does her little happy stomp. She stands and stomps one of her little feet for emphasis.

stomp!

Goooookkkiieeeeee! stomp, stomp

Goookkkieeeeeee! stomp! stomp!

gooookkkiiieeee!

stomp!

all this in between battles with #4 over who has the wettest raspberry. It has been going on for at least 30 minutes now. I am not sure who is winning.

To be nobody-but-yourself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
ee cummings


edited to add: I found this quote in Reader's Digest when I was in high school. I clipped it out and carried it with me in the military, college, all my moves. When I read it I was strengthened.

Dinner Tonight

DH is working late-a server down and customers are screaming. I am doing single parent duty for dinner. I sit next to the baby, anticipating that I will get slimed. (I did.) The big boys and I are talking about bread. We had fresh bread with our bean soup for dinner tonight. #1 had started a batch of cookies before dinner. I tell him that he has to finish making the cookies before he moves on to another task. To my left I hear:

GOOOOOOKKIIIIIIEEEEEEEEES

the entire table erupts in laughter

I think #6 expressed her opinion very well.

I think she gets the first snickerdoodle out of the oven.