August 31st, 2009
I have amazing new friends at my homeschool group that told me and one of the other homeschoolin’ preggie mama’s that they wanted to throw us a baby shower. I was floored. Did they do a head count when they offered? Are they aware that this is my fifth child? Do they know that the culture we live in LOVES to shower a new mama. The first time. Not so much when the second follows in less than 2 years. And truly begins to look the other way on the next two. Much less a fifth. When I told them they didn’t have to do that for me one of them said, “Oh, no! Every life is a blessing and deserves to be celebrated!” How amazing is that?
So, I’ve looked forward to this baby shower for months.
And then this week I got sick. Hacking, coughing, pulling a belly muscle sick. And the other preggie mama is due in a week. I had to make the unfortunate and very sad decision to not attend my shower. I knew how I would feel if I and my kids were exposed a week before delivery. And then I got the call that 2 of my friends from the shower would be bringing my part of the shower to me!
They brought presents, fruit, the cutest cupcakes I’ve ever seen, sweet tea, lots of kiddos, and sweet conversation.
I’m so grateful!
 Even the kiddos had fun! All of these beautiful pictures were taken by Catherine my sweet friend who helped to make it all possible!
August 30th, 2009
A couple of weeks ago the local kids all headed back to school. And I’m thrilled for y’all that have done all of your prepwork, bought the clothes, the supplies, and are resting peacefully at home without your children. Really. But for me, I’m amazed that I have no twinge of “should I be following suit?” I have no doubts about them being home. Sure, I have doubts about what grade my oldest should be in, doubts about my curriculum choices (or lack thereof), doubts about my sanity, but never doubts about whether they should be headed out of the house with the multitude of others. This was driven home again this spring with my in-laws. I had mentioned to my mother-in-law that I had been thinking about “putting my oldest back through second grade”. In my head this meant, that I wasn’t sure if he should move onto third grade curriculum just yet and officially sign the registration forms with “second grade”. My sweet mother-in-law took this to mean that I was putting him back into public schools, but not wanting to offend me, she said nothing, just worried in silence about her grandson. Until I brought up curriculum again. And the air was cleared. But not before I about fell out of my chair thinking that she had thought we would do that. And I reassured her, that was such a shocking thought to me. I would not be doing that. No matter how many doubts I have or panics that arise, I am completely assured in this one thing – they’ll be home with me.
Also driven home by the rude, inept, and ridiculous scenes I had (twice) at my local public school office in the process of registration.
Driven home by the semi-constant discussion with our neighbor kids that were gearing up for school, and my 6 year old leaned into me and quietly said, “I’m really glad I get to be home with you.”
Driven home by my 2 year old that yells at the movie Journey To The Center Of The Earth “That not water, guys, that LAVA!”
Driven home each morning as the school bus passes.
And so, on the first day of school when everyone else was donning their new school clothes, we put on our play clothes, posed for “class pictures”, packed a picnic lunch, called fellow homeschoolers, and headed off for a “not back to school” adventure day. We went to the Children’s Museum of Discovery (didn’t take the camera and kicking myself like crazy) where we have a year pass, but have avoided like the plague while the public schoolers were there in force during the summer time. And then we went to the fountains to play the afternoon away. I wanted to make the most of yet another day that I had been given to be with my kiddos. A day where they explored space, the human body, magnets, light, circuits, iguanas, patience, waiting in line, listening, obeying, physical education, playing with others, meeting new people, and taking turns.
All awesome pics below were taken by Maury!
Our first day of school for this year was a success, to say the least. How was yours?
August 28th, 2009
Okay, I’m offering up this recipe just in time for the weekend. Because you know you’ll want a quick breakfast in the morning. Or a snack for tomorrow afternoon. Or a marvelous side for dinner. And this one could meet the criteria for any of those.
These are reminiscent of Red Lobster’s famous biscuits. I didn’t say I actually had the recipe, it’s just in that family.
Also known as Drop Biscuits in their plainest (but still great) form. I took a very simple recipe (that’s quick and great with jelly or gravy for breakfast) and added two of my favorite ingredients.
For my sized family of 6 I double this and it’s just right!
Ingredients
- 1 cup white flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons butter – softened
- 1/4 cup milk – or more if needed
(stop here and continue with baking directions if you want the simple drop biscuits – continue if you’re hankerin’ for a little somethin’ more!)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt (or 1/2 -1 teaspoon minced garlic – they’re both great)
- 3/4 cup shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar or mozzarella best, but this is up to you)
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Measure flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add butter to bowl and rub butter into flour with a fork (or your fingers if you’re brave). Add garlic and cheese at this point, if you so desire. Add milk to make a thick batter, stirring only until dough sticks together. Drop by teaspoonfuls on a very lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes in preheated oven. When they’re golden pull ‘em out and serve ‘em warm!
That’s it. Really. No kneading. No rising. Just dump, stir, scoop, and bake. 20 minutes total and you’re serving little mouths yummy treats!
Happy Baking!
August 27th, 2009
 May they remember it in just this way.
August 26th, 2009
Yesterday was a doozy. Some of it was average inconveniences, but when standing in the shadow of the larger issues, they just created, well, a bigger shadow.
I awoke with a head cold. As did all four of my children. Is this my punishment for my smugness over my kids not going to school and thus not bringing home illnesses? I think maybe so. And I don’t make a good sick person. At all. I hate. I gripe. I complain. And I cry.
I’m weaning from caffeine again. I always do this, cut it completely the first trimester and then in that second trimester slowly allow it back into my life, just to have to wean again before they get here. I’ve been slowly mixing more and more decaf with the caffeinated and yesterday I had stepped it down considerably again.
We got our school work done with relative ease yesterday. You know, with the usual “I don’t want to’s” and all the interruptions, and squabbles.
And then while the kiddos were eating a snack of bananas and looking through a bag of garage sale finds – miniatures I had bought for my shadow box – I turned around to my beloved computer.
At which point I heard a crunching sound. Like the sound of someone eating peanut brittle. Knowing there was nothing that should sound like that I turned around. And there was my 2 and a half year old one foot from me holding his banana in one hand and half-eaten mini-gumball machine in his other. I sprang into action: sweeping his mouth of all the glass and mini-styrofoam gumballs. Realizing, through his screams, that his mouth was cut in at least 2 places I picked him up ran to the shower. Hoping to get him to spit the rest of the items out into the tub, I offered a sip of water. He swallowed it, of course. In the background, I have MyMiddlest and MyPrincess fighting about who knows what, and MyOldest, not new to the “crisis with BigMan” scenario, asking what he could do to help me. While assessing the child and situation, I asked for the phone. I couldn’t reach my husband. Of course, right? Then ran to the computer to look up Poison Control’s Hotline (1-800-222-1222). Ran back to watch BigMan, still in the shower, and talked to “Michael” this time, at Poison Control. Their official stance on swallowing glass, by the way, is “go to the hospital.”
Pause. Here’s the scene.
BigMan has been screaming. Stopped when I offered him more water. Here’s what I know. The glass from the gumball machine was paper thin. The whole of the glass was less than the size of a large marble. Half of it was still intact. The other half was chewed, spit, and swallowed(?). His mouth had definitely been cut by it. MyOldest’s finger had been cut by it when he helped to retrieve the left-over pieces to save for inspection (I told you he was not new to this – man, he’ll make a great daddy someday). The 2 middlest children are alternately squabbling, playing, and asking for things from me as though nothing has happened. I know that he hasn’t ingested much, if any, glass and that it was ground small and that a trip to the hospital means either picking up my husband from work (remember, he just took off the day before for my appointment), or going alone with all 4 kiddos to the E.R. Where they will either “watch him” for untold hours or do surgery on him to get it out. I also know, as with his last E.R. visit, that he was just eating that banana, so the surgery would probably be delayed at least 8 hours. I also know the cost, monetarily, of a visit.
I call my husband’s boss, ask her to locate him while I’m dressing BigMan, barking orders at my other children to get “go to town” clothes on. I relay all this information to Matt and he asks the question that brings me to my knees and starts the tears flowing. “So what happens if?”
He then gets me calm again, tells me to call my other mama-nurse friends and call him back. Megan, says what I would say to one of you if you called me in the same situation. I should probably go on to the hospital. What she did tell me that I didn’t know was, you can call the E.R. nurse and they may tell you more. I found out (after much internet searching) that number is not made readily available online. Matt got off the phone with me and went searching for the E.R. number. He called her and while explaining that his 2 year old son had bitten into … the nurse interrupts with “a mini-gumball machine?” Taken aback, my husband finds out that Megan had just called for us (what a friend, right?!). It made for a nice laugh in the midst of the insanity. The nurse asked a doctor and he said the glass probably wouldn’t show up on an x-ray and that they would “observe” him for bleeding from the mouth, vomiting, vomiting with blood, or blood in his stool. Which I could do from home if I wanted. But to call my pediatrician. Which I did. They concurred. So home I sat. Watching my toddler. Keeping him awake. At this point, I realize it’s been approximately 2 hours that I have been giving orders, but generally ignoring my other children.
The day wraps up with a severe headache, a safe toddler, ignored olders, poopy messes that about send me over, a clogged tub (just in time for the poopy mess cleanups), a house that’s been neglected all day, and a crying sick overwhelmed mama. As I’m spilling all this to my husband with many “I’m a terrible mama..”s thrown in, he begins to help me get little people headed for bed and tucked in. While I cuddle with our current Boss (who is TheMiddlest this week) my husband takes a survey without my knowledge. He comes in, calls TheMiddlest into the other room secretively, and then emerges with a piece of paper that changes my whole perspective.
2 Things I really like about Mama:
ThePrincess:
- “I like her coloring with me.”
- “I love her.”
TheOldest:
- “That she makes sandwiches when we’re hungry.”
- “That she’ll read us books.”
BigMan:
- “I like nuffing!” “Hehehehe.”
TheMiddlest:
- “She’s cuddly and comfy.”
- “She helps me not be scared.”
Another day made worth it by my husband and my children. I really wouldn’t trade what I’ve got for the peace and quiet that I could have.
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