Last week I posted the "homeschool family" video and I finally have more info on the guy/family who did it.
His name is Tim Hawkins, and you really should go check out his website:
http://www.timhawkins.net/
I particularly liked "Cletus take the reel". LOL!
Kelly
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
I Love The Blogosphere
I guess its because the year is ending, but I've been reflecting back on this year - the "Year of the Blog" for me. Until last spring, I studiously avoided reading any blogs. I suspected I could get sucked into the Blogosphere and lose hours and hours of my life every day. While that potential remains, I have avoided it thus far and I am tremendously happy I started reading [and writing] blogs. [And I haven't found it wastes much time after all, because I'm usually doing my blog reading while nursing my baby - day or night].
Blogs are neat. Through reading blogs this year, I have gotten to know my friends better. That sounds dumb I bet, but you have to remember that almost all of my time spent with friends involves being also surrounded by 10 or 12 children [we have 5 and most of my friends have at least 4-6]. And at least a few of those children are babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. So it gets really hard to express a complete thought or share a story all the way to the end. It gets hard to discuss important issues. It gets hard to really do anything other than make small talk between pauses to change diapers, break up fights, and nurse the baby.
This year I have gotten to read the "real" thoughts of my friends. I feel like I know them better. I have discovered things about them that I never knew, even ones I've known for years. They are a really intelligent, humorous bunch of people! Thus, I really appreciate the Blog World.
I have also have made new friends - people I'll probably never meet in real life, but who are part of my daily life because I read their blog daily and I enjoy what they have to say. They inspire me and entertain me, and that's just so Neat.
So, as I'm reflecting back over this year and feeling grateful to have discovered the Blog universe, I want to share some of my favorite blogs with you. I hope you find something here to inspire and entertain.
Funniest straight up Catholic blog that is most likely to help us all on our way to Heaven: Ask Sister Mary Martha
Blog that is most likely to inspire me to be a better Catholic: Totus Tuus Family [and she's just so *cool*. "Save the Liturgy, Save the World!"]
Blog that is most likely to make me laugh out loud when I am feeling sad and that I am most likely to relate to very personally [though I only DREAM about being as good at homeschooling and home management as she is LOL!]: Slightly Crunchy Catholic
Blog by the person I most wish lived closer to me because I'd just like to hang out with her: Laura the Crazy Mama
Blog by the most intelligent man I know personally: A Long and Twisty Passage I used to be smart enough to read his blog and understand it before I had children. No, really... I'm not making that up [though it IS hard to believe I know!]! I graduated Cum Laude from college while working two jobs AND being in the Marine Corps Reserve....I used to be passably intelligent! But I swear I lost brain cells with each child, and now I find I really am too stupid to follow him sometimes. I still love reading the blog though because I learn about some of my favorite little people. ;)
The Blog that has helped me get to know a lovely "RL" friend even better: Deogratias
My favorite blogs that I wish were updated more often because I love the people who write them and I find the blogs thoroughly entertaining:
Aquinas Academy Adventures
Bases Loaded
Our Party of Nine
Pam's Blog
[No pressure guys LOL!]
Now, there are other categories that I could include, like "Blog most likely to make me feel inadequate to homeschool my own children" and "Blog that is way over rated", but I'll leave those off. You probably have your own list. :)
Happy New Year - and to all you bloggers that have made my year more educational, uplifting, interesting, and filled with humor - THANK YOU and God bless you.
And Lola - I expect to see your blog up and running in 2008! ;)
Blogs are neat. Through reading blogs this year, I have gotten to know my friends better. That sounds dumb I bet, but you have to remember that almost all of my time spent with friends involves being also surrounded by 10 or 12 children [we have 5 and most of my friends have at least 4-6]. And at least a few of those children are babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. So it gets really hard to express a complete thought or share a story all the way to the end. It gets hard to discuss important issues. It gets hard to really do anything other than make small talk between pauses to change diapers, break up fights, and nurse the baby.
This year I have gotten to read the "real" thoughts of my friends. I feel like I know them better. I have discovered things about them that I never knew, even ones I've known for years. They are a really intelligent, humorous bunch of people! Thus, I really appreciate the Blog World.
I have also have made new friends - people I'll probably never meet in real life, but who are part of my daily life because I read their blog daily and I enjoy what they have to say. They inspire me and entertain me, and that's just so Neat.
So, as I'm reflecting back over this year and feeling grateful to have discovered the Blog universe, I want to share some of my favorite blogs with you. I hope you find something here to inspire and entertain.
Funniest straight up Catholic blog that is most likely to help us all on our way to Heaven: Ask Sister Mary Martha
Blog that is most likely to inspire me to be a better Catholic: Totus Tuus Family [and she's just so *cool*. "Save the Liturgy, Save the World!"]
Blog that is most likely to make me laugh out loud when I am feeling sad and that I am most likely to relate to very personally [though I only DREAM about being as good at homeschooling and home management as she is LOL!]: Slightly Crunchy Catholic
Blog by the person I most wish lived closer to me because I'd just like to hang out with her: Laura the Crazy Mama
Blog by the most intelligent man I know personally: A Long and Twisty Passage I used to be smart enough to read his blog and understand it before I had children. No, really... I'm not making that up [though it IS hard to believe I know!]! I graduated Cum Laude from college while working two jobs AND being in the Marine Corps Reserve....I used to be passably intelligent! But I swear I lost brain cells with each child, and now I find I really am too stupid to follow him sometimes. I still love reading the blog though because I learn about some of my favorite little people. ;)
The Blog that has helped me get to know a lovely "RL" friend even better: Deogratias
My favorite blogs that I wish were updated more often because I love the people who write them and I find the blogs thoroughly entertaining:
Aquinas Academy Adventures
Bases Loaded
Our Party of Nine
Pam's Blog
[No pressure guys LOL!]
Now, there are other categories that I could include, like "Blog most likely to make me feel inadequate to homeschool my own children" and "Blog that is way over rated", but I'll leave those off. You probably have your own list. :)
Happy New Year - and to all you bloggers that have made my year more educational, uplifting, interesting, and filled with humor - THANK YOU and God bless you.
And Lola - I expect to see your blog up and running in 2008! ;)
Friday, December 28, 2007
God Bless You Secret Santa!!!!
Wow!
OK, the last few months have been a financial disaster, they really have. And December has been the scariest month financially that I've experienced.
My sweet parents gave me money to buy Christmas presents, so that wasn't the problem. The problem was that in addition to paying my husband's expenses at his apartment AND all our household expenses, we had tons of other unexpected expenses. Aside from the huge grocery bill [cooking for the holidays is expensive...I never realized how much!], we had medical bill after medical bill - hundreds of dollars. [Two cases of pneumonia, five cases of RSV, one adult case of bronchitis, and then my bills for the kidney stone - CT scan copay, doctor bills, drugs, etc.] We have great health insurance, but just the copays for all the medical stuff and medications snowballed very quickly. And then of course I missed work because of the kidney stone, which also cost us several hundred dollars in income that we desperately needed.
So, Wednesday [the day after Christmas] I was looking around and trying to decide if I should call St. Vincent de Paul and get some grocery money. I have never seen my refrigerator so empty, and my "cupboard was bare". [Just call me Old Mother Hubbard! LOL!] Somehow I managed to overdraw my checking account [really smart, I know], so I have a negative balance in there right now. Other than some coins in a jar by my computer desk, we were completely tapped out.
I thought my husband was getting paid on Friday [today], but then realized I was wrong - no paycheck till Monday. I had enough food to barely scrape by until Today, but no way could I feed the kids till Monday on what I had around.
So I spent the whole day Wednesday going back and forth about what to do. I didn't WANT to call SVdP - I felt like there were other families MUCH worse off than we are and I didn't want to take money from them. And, amazingly, through this whole separation ordeal, I have not had to use any charity or government assistance, other than that one disasterous attempt to use WIC [which amounts to about $20 in groceries...not much at all]. Starting with this next paycheck, we SHOULD start to catch up pretty quickly - no more separate residences, no more split family income, etc. AND, I will be working quite a bit in January which will also really help.
But how to make it till Monday.....
Then we checked the mail, which we hadn't checked in a few days because we had been running around for the holidays. There were a lot of lovely Christmas cards in our box and as I was going through those enjoying the photos and Christmas letters, when I got to one that I opened and a gift card fell out. A $100 gift card! There was a very sweet note inside from "Secret Santa" .... I just burst into tears.
Wow!
So, the kids and I were able to go to Publix last night and buy enough food to get us through till Monday. It was really amazing!
So, Secret Santa, I have no idea if you are a blog reader or not, but if you are - THANK YOU!!! You made a HUGE difference for us. God Bless You and know that I will be praying for you!
God is so good. :)
OK, the last few months have been a financial disaster, they really have. And December has been the scariest month financially that I've experienced.
My sweet parents gave me money to buy Christmas presents, so that wasn't the problem. The problem was that in addition to paying my husband's expenses at his apartment AND all our household expenses, we had tons of other unexpected expenses. Aside from the huge grocery bill [cooking for the holidays is expensive...I never realized how much!], we had medical bill after medical bill - hundreds of dollars. [Two cases of pneumonia, five cases of RSV, one adult case of bronchitis, and then my bills for the kidney stone - CT scan copay, doctor bills, drugs, etc.] We have great health insurance, but just the copays for all the medical stuff and medications snowballed very quickly. And then of course I missed work because of the kidney stone, which also cost us several hundred dollars in income that we desperately needed.
So, Wednesday [the day after Christmas] I was looking around and trying to decide if I should call St. Vincent de Paul and get some grocery money. I have never seen my refrigerator so empty, and my "cupboard was bare". [Just call me Old Mother Hubbard! LOL!] Somehow I managed to overdraw my checking account [really smart, I know], so I have a negative balance in there right now. Other than some coins in a jar by my computer desk, we were completely tapped out.
I thought my husband was getting paid on Friday [today], but then realized I was wrong - no paycheck till Monday. I had enough food to barely scrape by until Today, but no way could I feed the kids till Monday on what I had around.
So I spent the whole day Wednesday going back and forth about what to do. I didn't WANT to call SVdP - I felt like there were other families MUCH worse off than we are and I didn't want to take money from them. And, amazingly, through this whole separation ordeal, I have not had to use any charity or government assistance, other than that one disasterous attempt to use WIC [which amounts to about $20 in groceries...not much at all]. Starting with this next paycheck, we SHOULD start to catch up pretty quickly - no more separate residences, no more split family income, etc. AND, I will be working quite a bit in January which will also really help.
But how to make it till Monday.....
Then we checked the mail, which we hadn't checked in a few days because we had been running around for the holidays. There were a lot of lovely Christmas cards in our box and as I was going through those enjoying the photos and Christmas letters, when I got to one that I opened and a gift card fell out. A $100 gift card! There was a very sweet note inside from "Secret Santa" .... I just burst into tears.
Wow!
So, the kids and I were able to go to Publix last night and buy enough food to get us through till Monday. It was really amazing!
So, Secret Santa, I have no idea if you are a blog reader or not, but if you are - THANK YOU!!! You made a HUGE difference for us. God Bless You and know that I will be praying for you!
God is so good. :)
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Another Stinkin Meme...!!!
2007 Meme
As seen over at Melanie's . . .[She's a really neat mommy I know!]
1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Had an eclamptic seizure, almost died, got brain damage, got abandoned by my husband, lived as a single mom of 5 kids for 3 months, reconciled... geez.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't think I made any resolutions last year.
For 2008 I want to get my prayer life back on track, get to Adoration at least once a week, and continue to exercise with the kids and eat healthy.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I gave birth. :) Two of my best friends gave birth. It was a good year for really great babies.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, my grandmother [my last surviving grandparent]. She was in her 80s and suffering horribly with alzheimers, but it still was very painful to lose her.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just the good old USA. I visited Tennessee a couple of times - not a separate country, but a really nice state none-the-less.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A stable husband. A cleaning service. More income than expenses for basic necessities.
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 13 - I had an eclamptic seizure and came very close to death.
January 15 - My sweet baby girl was born alive - barely.
August 25 - My husband left us.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Surviving my pregnancy and saving my marriage.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I feel like I failed in so many ways, but when I think about it, almost all of the things I failed at were totally beyond my control.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yep. [see eclamptic seizure above]. Also suffered from hypertensive encephalopathy for about 3 months post partum because my blood pressure was so high from the pregnancy that it was damaging my brain.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A Jeep double stroller that is super light weight, portable, and easy to push - I got it for $10 at a consignment sale and we have REALLY gotten our money's worth out of that on our walks!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mine - I didn't go completely crazy nor kill myself [or anyone else].
My children - they are amazing and wonderful.
My husband - who made the courageous choice to come back and "face the music" once he stabilized after he went nuts and left.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My husband's.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage, groceries, other household necessities, van payment. In that order.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My sweet baby girl. Homeschooling. Adopting two dogs and fostering a bunch of others.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
"Meds" by Placebo
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) sadder b) quite a bit thinner; c) a whole lot poorer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
anything fun and happy with my kids.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Cry.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
I spent Christmas lounging around with my kids and husband.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
I am in love - still - with my husband. Which is kind of amazing actually.
22. How many one-night stands?
For my part, none.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
"Chuck"
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. I generally don't ever hate people. Jesus was really clear about that.
25. What was the best book you read?
I read dozens....now I'm trying to remember them all! I really liked "Christian Courtship in an oversexed world" and I also enjoyed reading "The Care and Keeping of You" with my daughter.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
"Beethoven's Wig" and "The World's Very Best Opera for Kids"
27. What did you want and get?
A live baby.
28. What did you want and not get?
A stable life.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
It isn't as if I actually get to go see movies... I did like "Night at the Museum", but I'm not sure when that came out ... I just saw it this year though. ;)
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 38 in October. I can't remember much about it. It was a very sad time.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If certain idiot doctors had tried lithium with a certain person I know BEFORE my life was destroyed.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Ha. Yeah - pretty much snot smeared, little chocolate mouth printed Tshirts and jeans.
33. What kept you sane?
The Love and Mercy of Jesus Christ.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Pope Benedict the XVI
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Immigration. I really really despise all the anti-immigration sentiment in our country right now. Immigration is the very foundation of our society. Share the love people!
I also got pretty riled about how "pro-divorce" our culture is and how awful our divorce laws are in GA.
36. Who did you miss?
My husband.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
The Baby Monkey.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger". OK, I've been learning that lesson for a long time, but this year reeeaaaaallly reinforced it.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Baby...did you forget to take your meds?" LOL! [I'm not kidding, this is really a song... ;) "Meds" by Placebo - but the video is not for kids, or good Christians actually ]
OK, so if anyone made it through all that - I tag YOU - comment and let me know I can come read your answers on your blog! And I hope your 2007 was less depressing than mine seems to have been!
As seen over at Melanie's . . .[She's a really neat mommy I know!]
1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Had an eclamptic seizure, almost died, got brain damage, got abandoned by my husband, lived as a single mom of 5 kids for 3 months, reconciled... geez.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't think I made any resolutions last year.
For 2008 I want to get my prayer life back on track, get to Adoration at least once a week, and continue to exercise with the kids and eat healthy.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I gave birth. :) Two of my best friends gave birth. It was a good year for really great babies.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, my grandmother [my last surviving grandparent]. She was in her 80s and suffering horribly with alzheimers, but it still was very painful to lose her.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just the good old USA. I visited Tennessee a couple of times - not a separate country, but a really nice state none-the-less.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A stable husband. A cleaning service. More income than expenses for basic necessities.
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 13 - I had an eclamptic seizure and came very close to death.
January 15 - My sweet baby girl was born alive - barely.
August 25 - My husband left us.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Surviving my pregnancy and saving my marriage.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I feel like I failed in so many ways, but when I think about it, almost all of the things I failed at were totally beyond my control.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yep. [see eclamptic seizure above]. Also suffered from hypertensive encephalopathy for about 3 months post partum because my blood pressure was so high from the pregnancy that it was damaging my brain.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A Jeep double stroller that is super light weight, portable, and easy to push - I got it for $10 at a consignment sale and we have REALLY gotten our money's worth out of that on our walks!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mine - I didn't go completely crazy nor kill myself [or anyone else].
My children - they are amazing and wonderful.
My husband - who made the courageous choice to come back and "face the music" once he stabilized after he went nuts and left.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My husband's.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage, groceries, other household necessities, van payment. In that order.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My sweet baby girl. Homeschooling. Adopting two dogs and fostering a bunch of others.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
"Meds" by Placebo
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) sadder b) quite a bit thinner; c) a whole lot poorer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
anything fun and happy with my kids.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Cry.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
I spent Christmas lounging around with my kids and husband.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
I am in love - still - with my husband. Which is kind of amazing actually.
22. How many one-night stands?
For my part, none.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
"Chuck"
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. I generally don't ever hate people. Jesus was really clear about that.
25. What was the best book you read?
I read dozens....now I'm trying to remember them all! I really liked "Christian Courtship in an oversexed world" and I also enjoyed reading "The Care and Keeping of You" with my daughter.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
"Beethoven's Wig" and "The World's Very Best Opera for Kids"
27. What did you want and get?
A live baby.
28. What did you want and not get?
A stable life.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
It isn't as if I actually get to go see movies... I did like "Night at the Museum", but I'm not sure when that came out ... I just saw it this year though. ;)
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 38 in October. I can't remember much about it. It was a very sad time.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If certain idiot doctors had tried lithium with a certain person I know BEFORE my life was destroyed.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Ha. Yeah - pretty much snot smeared, little chocolate mouth printed Tshirts and jeans.
33. What kept you sane?
The Love and Mercy of Jesus Christ.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Pope Benedict the XVI
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Immigration. I really really despise all the anti-immigration sentiment in our country right now. Immigration is the very foundation of our society. Share the love people!
I also got pretty riled about how "pro-divorce" our culture is and how awful our divorce laws are in GA.
36. Who did you miss?
My husband.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
The Baby Monkey.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger". OK, I've been learning that lesson for a long time, but this year reeeaaaaallly reinforced it.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Baby...did you forget to take your meds?" LOL! [I'm not kidding, this is really a song... ;) "Meds" by Placebo - but the video is not for kids, or good Christians actually ]
OK, so if anyone made it through all that - I tag YOU - comment and let me know I can come read your answers on your blog! And I hope your 2007 was less depressing than mine seems to have been!
The Snotty Cast Iron Christmas of Death
Well, the title says it all. LOL!
What an interesting Christmas we had.
Our Christmas always starts Christmas Eve when we go to my mom and dad's house for a wonderful day spent with them and my sister and my brother, his girlfriend and her daughter [who are really family, despite the fact that my brother hasn't married her yet - we keep hoping!].
My family really went all out this year to make sure the kids had an especially great Christmas after the terrible year they've had. It was truly wonderful - the kids got things they really wanted and love, they had a great time playing with my family and each other... it was a wonderful day.
I put a lot of cast iron pots on my amazon.com wish list this year because I want to transition to cooking with only cast iron and baking stones [a la Pampered Chef]. I've been learning about some hazards with the "non-stick" cookware I have - like that non-stick coating is really bad for humans and animals [have you ever noticed they come with a warning not to cook around pet birds because of the fumes emitted from the cookware when it is heated? Apparently it can and does kill parakeets!]. I had also read that cooking with cast iron could boost the iron content in our bodies, and since my kids and I all stay borderline anemic, that seemed like a good thing.
Well, my mom and dad and sister got me pretty much every single piece of cast iron I asked for! And my parents got me a "Cast Iron Cooking for Dummies" book - which is really interesting and neat!
Monkey3 meticulously collected all the bows from the gifts!
Monkey2 LOVED his Star Wars books!
Monkey4 and Monkey3 got some really cool puzzles.
Monkey1 got TONS of American Girl books, which she loved!
Grumpy fed Monkey5 lots of stuff babies aren't supposed to eat. I've given up on stopping it - she loves it and she adores him, so I just leave them alone!
Monkey4 was old enough this year to get really excited about presents!
Then we came home and got ready for bed - the kids went down without a fight [Santa was on his way LOL!].
My husband and I spent Christmas eve watching "Return of the King", which is just such a fantastic movie. I love it!
Christmas morning was wonderful - except 3 of the kids were sick and my husband and I were sick. Monkey1 and Monkey2 had some sort of stomach bug and wouldn't eat all day and Monkey2 and my husband and I had a bad cold and felt terrible. We didn't make it to Mass [which always makes me feel like a complete failure... but I just didn't want to "share" with all the folks at the overcrowded Christmas Mass...especially the elderly ones].
My MIL canceled coming Christmas Day because the kids were sick, so it turned out to be just us all afternoon, which was really nice actually - a very quiet, calm, happy day.
St. Nicholas brought Monkey3 a wooden people Pirate ship, a design and drill toy, and a dress from Hanna Andersson. And chocolate -which turned out to be the favorite present of all with all parties concerned. LOL! [the only time of year they each get to eat a WHOLE chocolate bar by themselves!]
St. Nicholas brought Monkey1 the American Girl "Julie" doll, an MP3 player, and a dress and sweater from Hanna Andersson.
Monkey5 was also a big chocolate fan [sadly, she did not get to eat hers though. Her grumpy wasn't around to sneak it to her!]. St. Nicholas also brought her a Lamaze Monkey, a Radio Flyer walker wagon, and a Hanna Andersson dress.
Monkey4 ate her chocolate before she even bothered to open all her other presents. St. Nicholas brought her a wooden people fire truck, brio blocks, and a Hanna Andersson dress.
Monkey2 doesn't know what else Santa brought because he didn't open anything after he got his Nintendo DS .. LOL! Just kidding - but we DID have to drag him back to the tree to see his stocking and other stuff! St. Nicholas brought him the DS and a Star Wars Legos game for it and an outfit from Hanna Andersson.
The toothbrushes in their stockings were also a big hit - Baby Monkey got her first real toothbrush!
So, Monkey3 got "Shrek the Third" for Christmas [not sure that was a good choice LOL!]. The kids got to watch it Christmas Afternoon and, who knew? It totally devastated my 4yo.
In the movie, Fiona's father [the King] dies. Shortly after that scene, I was in the kitchen cooking up some chicken and dumplings and Monkey3 walks in with tears streaming down her face and looks at me and says "The daddy in that movie died. One day you and daddy are going to die too" and starts bawling her eyes out. She was *completely* distraught. We talked about how yes, one day her daddy and I would die but that it would likely not be till she was a little old lady herself. We talked about the average life span being 80. We talked about "worst case scenarios" IF one or both of us died [who would take care of her, etc]. Nothing helped. She spent the rest of the day crying [alternating between crying quietly and heartrending sobs....] because we were going to die. And she kept saying "Its just not fair for you and daddy to die!" It was really heartbreaking and not exactly what I had in mind for Christmas day...
Aside from the melancholy reality of death, it was a great Christmas none-the-less.
I hope you and your family had a blessed Christmas too!
What an interesting Christmas we had.
Our Christmas always starts Christmas Eve when we go to my mom and dad's house for a wonderful day spent with them and my sister and my brother, his girlfriend and her daughter [who are really family, despite the fact that my brother hasn't married her yet - we keep hoping!].
My family really went all out this year to make sure the kids had an especially great Christmas after the terrible year they've had. It was truly wonderful - the kids got things they really wanted and love, they had a great time playing with my family and each other... it was a wonderful day.
I put a lot of cast iron pots on my amazon.com wish list this year because I want to transition to cooking with only cast iron and baking stones [a la Pampered Chef]. I've been learning about some hazards with the "non-stick" cookware I have - like that non-stick coating is really bad for humans and animals [have you ever noticed they come with a warning not to cook around pet birds because of the fumes emitted from the cookware when it is heated? Apparently it can and does kill parakeets!]. I had also read that cooking with cast iron could boost the iron content in our bodies, and since my kids and I all stay borderline anemic, that seemed like a good thing.
Well, my mom and dad and sister got me pretty much every single piece of cast iron I asked for! And my parents got me a "Cast Iron Cooking for Dummies" book - which is really interesting and neat!
Monkey3 meticulously collected all the bows from the gifts!
Monkey2 LOVED his Star Wars books!
Monkey4 and Monkey3 got some really cool puzzles.
Monkey1 got TONS of American Girl books, which she loved!
Grumpy fed Monkey5 lots of stuff babies aren't supposed to eat. I've given up on stopping it - she loves it and she adores him, so I just leave them alone!
Monkey4 was old enough this year to get really excited about presents!
Then we came home and got ready for bed - the kids went down without a fight [Santa was on his way LOL!].
My husband and I spent Christmas eve watching "Return of the King", which is just such a fantastic movie. I love it!
Christmas morning was wonderful - except 3 of the kids were sick and my husband and I were sick. Monkey1 and Monkey2 had some sort of stomach bug and wouldn't eat all day and Monkey2 and my husband and I had a bad cold and felt terrible. We didn't make it to Mass [which always makes me feel like a complete failure... but I just didn't want to "share" with all the folks at the overcrowded Christmas Mass...especially the elderly ones].
My MIL canceled coming Christmas Day because the kids were sick, so it turned out to be just us all afternoon, which was really nice actually - a very quiet, calm, happy day.
St. Nicholas brought Monkey3 a wooden people Pirate ship, a design and drill toy, and a dress from Hanna Andersson. And chocolate -which turned out to be the favorite present of all with all parties concerned. LOL! [the only time of year they each get to eat a WHOLE chocolate bar by themselves!]
St. Nicholas brought Monkey1 the American Girl "Julie" doll, an MP3 player, and a dress and sweater from Hanna Andersson.
Monkey5 was also a big chocolate fan [sadly, she did not get to eat hers though. Her grumpy wasn't around to sneak it to her!]. St. Nicholas also brought her a Lamaze Monkey, a Radio Flyer walker wagon, and a Hanna Andersson dress.
Monkey4 ate her chocolate before she even bothered to open all her other presents. St. Nicholas brought her a wooden people fire truck, brio blocks, and a Hanna Andersson dress.
Monkey2 doesn't know what else Santa brought because he didn't open anything after he got his Nintendo DS .. LOL! Just kidding - but we DID have to drag him back to the tree to see his stocking and other stuff! St. Nicholas brought him the DS and a Star Wars Legos game for it and an outfit from Hanna Andersson.
The toothbrushes in their stockings were also a big hit - Baby Monkey got her first real toothbrush!
So, Monkey3 got "Shrek the Third" for Christmas [not sure that was a good choice LOL!]. The kids got to watch it Christmas Afternoon and, who knew? It totally devastated my 4yo.
In the movie, Fiona's father [the King] dies. Shortly after that scene, I was in the kitchen cooking up some chicken and dumplings and Monkey3 walks in with tears streaming down her face and looks at me and says "The daddy in that movie died. One day you and daddy are going to die too" and starts bawling her eyes out. She was *completely* distraught. We talked about how yes, one day her daddy and I would die but that it would likely not be till she was a little old lady herself. We talked about the average life span being 80. We talked about "worst case scenarios" IF one or both of us died [who would take care of her, etc]. Nothing helped. She spent the rest of the day crying [alternating between crying quietly and heartrending sobs....] because we were going to die. And she kept saying "Its just not fair for you and daddy to die!" It was really heartbreaking and not exactly what I had in mind for Christmas day...
Aside from the melancholy reality of death, it was a great Christmas none-the-less.
I hope you and your family had a blessed Christmas too!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Quote of the Day
MonkeyDaddy: "Come eat your breakfast Monkeys!"
Monkeys: ::silence::
MonkeyDaddy: "Your mother made you breakfast - come eat it! She slaved over a cardboard box for all of 30 seconds to make this for you, come eat!"
[I made them a "snack" before early Mass - when we get home we will have pumpkin muffins and cinnamon rolls that I really did slave over LOL!]
Monkeys: ::silence::
MonkeyDaddy: "Your mother made you breakfast - come eat it! She slaved over a cardboard box for all of 30 seconds to make this for you, come eat!"
[I made them a "snack" before early Mass - when we get home we will have pumpkin muffins and cinnamon rolls that I really did slave over LOL!]
Friday, December 21, 2007
What Are You Making For Breakfast Christmas Day?
Here are two things I'm making - I thought I'd share just in case anyone needed some ideas! These are great "make ahead" breakfast things.
One is an egg and meat breakfast casserole - it is really good! I usually use ham or bacon [though it calls for sausage in the recipe], and it turns out so yummy! You can make it the day before and just pop it in the oven Christmas morning for a very filling hot breakfast! [I use 100% whole wheat bread in this and it tastes great!]
EGG - SAUSAGE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
1 lb. sausage (cooked, drained & crumbled) (I've also done it with ham and bacon)
8 eggs, slightly beaten
6-8 slices bread, cubed
2 c. milk
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
¼ - ½ cup chopped onion
optional: ¼ - ½ cup chopped green & red pepper
salt, pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together except bread; pour over bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan or glass casserole. Refrigerate overnight. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until browned and set in center. Can also be frozen uncooked (without the bread).
The second recipe is called "Cinnamon Buns from Heaven" and I got it from a friend last year. These are *amazing* cinnamon rolls, and they can be made ahead and popped in the refrigerator too to bake up all warm and gooey Christmas morning. [and you can really only eat these things once a year because I think you use about a pound of butter in the one batch LOL!] I do sub half whole wheat flour for the white flour in this recipe and it turns out delicious too. Probably pointless considering the amount of butter used, but still I feel better about getting some whole grains in there! ;)
Anyway, just in case anyone was looking for some "tried and true" make ahead Christmas breakfast ideas, these are so good!
Cinnamon Buns From Heaven
Dough:
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
2 envelopes active dry yeast
1 teaspoon plus 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk, heated to lukewarm
2/3 cup butter (1 1/3 sticks), softened
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons salt
7 to 8 cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed
Filling:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted [I use half of this - 1 stick is more than enough!]
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, optional
1 1/2 cups raisins, optional
Glaze (optional):
2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks) butter, melted
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot water
To make dough: Combine warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in cup. Stir. Set aside. In large bowl, combine milk, remaining 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup butter, eggs and salt. Stir well. Add yeast mixture. Add 3 1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is slightly stiff. (Note: it will be sticky.) Turn out onto well-floured surface. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding just enough flour to keep dough from sticking.
To let dough rise: Place in well- buttered glass or plastic bowl. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from drafts, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in volume. Punch down dough. Let rest for 5 minutes. Roll out onto lightly floured surface into 15- by 20-inch rectangle.
To make filling: Spread 1/2 cup melted butter on dough. In small bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over dough. Sprinkle with walnuts and raisins. Roll up, jellyroll style. Pinch edges to seal. Cut into 12 or 18 slices.
To let buns rise: If making 12 buns, use remaining 1/2 cup butter to coat bottoms of 13- by 9-inch baking pan and 8-inch square baking pan. If making 18 buns, use two 13- by 9-inch pans. Sprinkle pans with remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Place slices close together in pans. (Note: At this point, you can cover and refrigerate overnight; bring back to room temperature before baking.) Cover. Let rise in warm place for 45 minutes, or until dough is doubled in volume.
To bake buns: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until buns are nicely browned. Let cool slightly before glazing.
To make glaze: In medium bowl, combine melted butter, confectioners'sugar and vanilla. Add hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have spreadable glaze. Spread over buns. Serve. (Otherwise, sprinkle buns with confectioners' sugar.)
One is an egg and meat breakfast casserole - it is really good! I usually use ham or bacon [though it calls for sausage in the recipe], and it turns out so yummy! You can make it the day before and just pop it in the oven Christmas morning for a very filling hot breakfast! [I use 100% whole wheat bread in this and it tastes great!]
EGG - SAUSAGE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
1 lb. sausage (cooked, drained & crumbled) (I've also done it with ham and bacon)
8 eggs, slightly beaten
6-8 slices bread, cubed
2 c. milk
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
¼ - ½ cup chopped onion
optional: ¼ - ½ cup chopped green & red pepper
salt, pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together except bread; pour over bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan or glass casserole. Refrigerate overnight. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until browned and set in center. Can also be frozen uncooked (without the bread).
The second recipe is called "Cinnamon Buns from Heaven" and I got it from a friend last year. These are *amazing* cinnamon rolls, and they can be made ahead and popped in the refrigerator too to bake up all warm and gooey Christmas morning. [and you can really only eat these things once a year because I think you use about a pound of butter in the one batch LOL!] I do sub half whole wheat flour for the white flour in this recipe and it turns out delicious too. Probably pointless considering the amount of butter used, but still I feel better about getting some whole grains in there! ;)
Anyway, just in case anyone was looking for some "tried and true" make ahead Christmas breakfast ideas, these are so good!
Cinnamon Buns From Heaven
Dough:
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
2 envelopes active dry yeast
1 teaspoon plus 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk, heated to lukewarm
2/3 cup butter (1 1/3 sticks), softened
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons salt
7 to 8 cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed
Filling:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted [I use half of this - 1 stick is more than enough!]
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, optional
1 1/2 cups raisins, optional
Glaze (optional):
2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks) butter, melted
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot water
To make dough: Combine warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in cup. Stir. Set aside. In large bowl, combine milk, remaining 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup butter, eggs and salt. Stir well. Add yeast mixture. Add 3 1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is slightly stiff. (Note: it will be sticky.) Turn out onto well-floured surface. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding just enough flour to keep dough from sticking.
To let dough rise: Place in well- buttered glass or plastic bowl. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from drafts, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in volume. Punch down dough. Let rest for 5 minutes. Roll out onto lightly floured surface into 15- by 20-inch rectangle.
To make filling: Spread 1/2 cup melted butter on dough. In small bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over dough. Sprinkle with walnuts and raisins. Roll up, jellyroll style. Pinch edges to seal. Cut into 12 or 18 slices.
To let buns rise: If making 12 buns, use remaining 1/2 cup butter to coat bottoms of 13- by 9-inch baking pan and 8-inch square baking pan. If making 18 buns, use two 13- by 9-inch pans. Sprinkle pans with remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Place slices close together in pans. (Note: At this point, you can cover and refrigerate overnight; bring back to room temperature before baking.) Cover. Let rise in warm place for 45 minutes, or until dough is doubled in volume.
To bake buns: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until buns are nicely browned. Let cool slightly before glazing.
To make glaze: In medium bowl, combine melted butter, confectioners'sugar and vanilla. Add hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have spreadable glaze. Spread over buns. Serve. (Otherwise, sprinkle buns with confectioners' sugar.)
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
It Is A Visual Thing....
Another thing I copied from Mel's blog LOL! [I'm trying to avoid holiday blues today and I'm down two kids - I obviously have too much time on my hands!]
The rules for this were to Google the answers to these questions and pick an image from the first page...
1. Age at my next birthday:
2. Place I'd like to travel:
3. Place I've been:
4. Favorite food:
5. Place I was born:
6. Place I live:
7. Name of past pet:
8. Best friends' nickname:
9. My first name:
10. First job:
I agree with Mel that it is hard not to explain these [who knew there were so many half naked bimbos that shared my first name? Thank goodness for the one old dead guy or I'd have not had a single pic fit to print on this blog! LOL!]. But, I also agree with her that it is funnier left without explanation - unless someone asks, then I'll explain!
I do have to say that I have 3 people I consider best friends but only one of them has a nickname. I wish I had a bunch of cool friends with nicknames - you know, then I could talk about them in code and all. LOL!
The rules for this were to Google the answers to these questions and pick an image from the first page...
1. Age at my next birthday:
2. Place I'd like to travel:
3. Place I've been:
4. Favorite food:
5. Place I was born:
6. Place I live:
7. Name of past pet:
8. Best friends' nickname:
9. My first name:
10. First job:
I agree with Mel that it is hard not to explain these [who knew there were so many half naked bimbos that shared my first name? Thank goodness for the one old dead guy or I'd have not had a single pic fit to print on this blog! LOL!]. But, I also agree with her that it is funnier left without explanation - unless someone asks, then I'll explain!
I do have to say that I have 3 people I consider best friends but only one of them has a nickname. I wish I had a bunch of cool friends with nicknames - you know, then I could talk about them in code and all. LOL!
Christmas Meme
I saw this MEME on my friend Mel's blog.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer gift bags but end up using paper sometimes too. I like gift bags because they are so recyclable! [as long as the 2 yo doesn't crush them....]
2. Real tree or artificial? Well, I LOVE real trees, but we end up using the same tired little artificial one that my husband and I bought our second Christmas together [11 years now!]. It is time to retire it, but I always have better stuff to spend my money on around Christmas....
3. When do you put up the tree? We do it on the Feast of St. Nicholas [Dec. 6] or as close to that as possible.
4. When do you take the tree down? The day after Epiphany.
5. Do you like eggnog? I don't think so.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Fisher Price Little People barn and animals.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? Yes, absolutely. Our most important "decoration". And NO, baby Jesus is not in the manger - he doesn't arrive until Christmas Day. :)
8. Hardest person to buy for? My MIL. She will never share any ideas on what she wants, has a birthday 4 days before Christmas too [double whammy] and anything she wants she buys for herself immediately. *sigh*
9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A shirt from one of my in-laws that was *literally* 8 sizes too large. Do ya think they think I'm a fat cow?! LOL!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I usually mail Christmas cards with a photo of the kids. I am not this year. :)
11. Favorite Christmas Movie? When I was little I loved "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Now I'm not so much in to Christmas movies.
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually by October, I prefer to be done by Thanksgiving [I'm not this year :) ]. I do almost all of it online.
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My brother's smoked ham.
15. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I like the tacky colored lights. What can I say... you can take the girl out of the trailer park but you can't take the trailer park out of the girl... LOL! [OK, so I never lived in a trailer... I still want those colored lights ;) ]
16. Favorite Christmas song. Little Drummer Boy, Silent Night
17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We go to my parents' [A little over an hour away] on Christmas Eve and stay home Christmas day except for Mass. We made this change 2 years ago. We used to be required to drive around to at least 2 or 3 different in-law homes all day Christmas and it was terrible - draining, exhausting, and made the day awful. We stopped 2 years ago when they changed their celebration to Christmas Eve and I refused to not go to my family's "thing" on Christmas eve. This was the best thing that could have happened to our Christmas.
18. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer. Yes, indeed I can.
19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Our kids open their presents from my family on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas morning they open their 3 gifts from St. Nicholas, and then on Epiphany they open a couple of other gifts from us [their parents] and each other.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? I have to agree with Mel - I really dislike secular people that celebrate Christmas [which IS a Christian holiday] and then complain about it being "too Christian" and try to completely secularize it. I mean, next year I don't plan to celebrate Ramadan or Yom Kippur and complain about it being too Muslim or too Jewish.... but I guess if you don't believe in *anything* you have no choice but to go steal other people's celebrations.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer gift bags but end up using paper sometimes too. I like gift bags because they are so recyclable! [as long as the 2 yo doesn't crush them....]
2. Real tree or artificial? Well, I LOVE real trees, but we end up using the same tired little artificial one that my husband and I bought our second Christmas together [11 years now!]. It is time to retire it, but I always have better stuff to spend my money on around Christmas....
3. When do you put up the tree? We do it on the Feast of St. Nicholas [Dec. 6] or as close to that as possible.
4. When do you take the tree down? The day after Epiphany.
5. Do you like eggnog? I don't think so.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Fisher Price Little People barn and animals.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? Yes, absolutely. Our most important "decoration". And NO, baby Jesus is not in the manger - he doesn't arrive until Christmas Day. :)
8. Hardest person to buy for? My MIL. She will never share any ideas on what she wants, has a birthday 4 days before Christmas too [double whammy] and anything she wants she buys for herself immediately. *sigh*
9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A shirt from one of my in-laws that was *literally* 8 sizes too large. Do ya think they think I'm a fat cow?! LOL!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I usually mail Christmas cards with a photo of the kids. I am not this year. :)
11. Favorite Christmas Movie? When I was little I loved "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Now I'm not so much in to Christmas movies.
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually by October, I prefer to be done by Thanksgiving [I'm not this year :) ]. I do almost all of it online.
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My brother's smoked ham.
15. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I like the tacky colored lights. What can I say... you can take the girl out of the trailer park but you can't take the trailer park out of the girl... LOL! [OK, so I never lived in a trailer... I still want those colored lights ;) ]
16. Favorite Christmas song. Little Drummer Boy, Silent Night
17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We go to my parents' [A little over an hour away] on Christmas Eve and stay home Christmas day except for Mass. We made this change 2 years ago. We used to be required to drive around to at least 2 or 3 different in-law homes all day Christmas and it was terrible - draining, exhausting, and made the day awful. We stopped 2 years ago when they changed their celebration to Christmas Eve and I refused to not go to my family's "thing" on Christmas eve. This was the best thing that could have happened to our Christmas.
18. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer. Yes, indeed I can.
19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Our kids open their presents from my family on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas morning they open their 3 gifts from St. Nicholas, and then on Epiphany they open a couple of other gifts from us [their parents] and each other.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? I have to agree with Mel - I really dislike secular people that celebrate Christmas [which IS a Christian holiday] and then complain about it being "too Christian" and try to completely secularize it. I mean, next year I don't plan to celebrate Ramadan or Yom Kippur and complain about it being too Muslim or too Jewish.... but I guess if you don't believe in *anything* you have no choice but to go steal other people's celebrations.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Recovery, Nativity, Fish, and Butterflies
What do these words have in common? These are just a few of the things we've crammed into the last few days.
My wonderful parents came on Saturday to help us while everyone was in recovery from RSV, pneumonia, bronchitis and the kidney stone. This is a picture of all the kids with my mom and dad and my niece. It turned out to be a really nice day, even though my memory of it is kind of hazy from all the narcotics I was on. LOL! It was super wonderful of my parents to come help - very kind indeed!
Here is proof that we are raising yet another monkey who loves books. Baby Monkey thinks books taste delicious!
My dear friend dropped off presents for the kids on Sunday while we were still home in recovery. This was Baby Monkey's VERY FIRST Christmas gift ever! How exciting! She really enjoyed opening it too. [Yeah, I have about 8 pictures of her doing just that, but I'll spare you LOL!]
Here are all the Monkeys in the cute jammies my friend gave them [that's what was in Baby Monkey's package above]. Aren't they adorable? The kids went nuts - they loved them!
On Sunday Monkey1 had a starring role in the Nativity play at our Church - she was one of the Narrators. Since she was the only healthy one [and since kidney stones aren't contageous] she and I were the only ones who got to go - but I enjoyed it! It was really cute and Monkey1 did a GREAT job. I was proud of her.
On Monday, the kids were finally well enough to get out and DO something! We drove to the Tennessee Aquarium and met some friends there. It was SO fun! I liked it much better than the over priced and over crowded Georgia Aquarium. We bought a Family Membership so we can go back as much as we like.
This is a picture of most of the kids in our two families. There were 11 kids age 9 and under total; 2 of them were babies in back packs. This picture was taken in a cave that goes under a huge salt water aquarium. It was really neat!
Here is sweet little Monkey3 in the butterfly garden they had - she is pointing out a butterfly. It was SO cool! The kids had a blast [although Monkey4 was insanely freaked out at all the "bugs" flying around at first - until the Aquarium employee and I could help her understand that they would not bite or do anything not nice LOL!]
Here is Monkey2 with the photo list of all the different butterflies they could find and identify.
Here is Monkey1 at the Sea Horse exhibit. She got to go home with her best friend after we left the Aquarium and she's spending the WHOLE week! It was really exciting - though I already miss her so much I can't stand it! We have never been apart this long before... my baby is definitely growing up!
Here is Monkey4 at the "petting zoo" part - they had manta rays and some other fish that the kids could pet in shallow tanks if they wanted to.
Even Baby Monkey had a blast!
They had a new Penguin exhibit there too, the kids got a real kick out of it. They could stand right up at the glass and the penguins swam right by their faces!
All in all it was a really excellent day!
My wonderful parents came on Saturday to help us while everyone was in recovery from RSV, pneumonia, bronchitis and the kidney stone. This is a picture of all the kids with my mom and dad and my niece. It turned out to be a really nice day, even though my memory of it is kind of hazy from all the narcotics I was on. LOL! It was super wonderful of my parents to come help - very kind indeed!
Here is proof that we are raising yet another monkey who loves books. Baby Monkey thinks books taste delicious!
My dear friend dropped off presents for the kids on Sunday while we were still home in recovery. This was Baby Monkey's VERY FIRST Christmas gift ever! How exciting! She really enjoyed opening it too. [Yeah, I have about 8 pictures of her doing just that, but I'll spare you LOL!]
Here are all the Monkeys in the cute jammies my friend gave them [that's what was in Baby Monkey's package above]. Aren't they adorable? The kids went nuts - they loved them!
On Sunday Monkey1 had a starring role in the Nativity play at our Church - she was one of the Narrators. Since she was the only healthy one [and since kidney stones aren't contageous] she and I were the only ones who got to go - but I enjoyed it! It was really cute and Monkey1 did a GREAT job. I was proud of her.
On Monday, the kids were finally well enough to get out and DO something! We drove to the Tennessee Aquarium and met some friends there. It was SO fun! I liked it much better than the over priced and over crowded Georgia Aquarium. We bought a Family Membership so we can go back as much as we like.
This is a picture of most of the kids in our two families. There were 11 kids age 9 and under total; 2 of them were babies in back packs. This picture was taken in a cave that goes under a huge salt water aquarium. It was really neat!
Here is sweet little Monkey3 in the butterfly garden they had - she is pointing out a butterfly. It was SO cool! The kids had a blast [although Monkey4 was insanely freaked out at all the "bugs" flying around at first - until the Aquarium employee and I could help her understand that they would not bite or do anything not nice LOL!]
Here is Monkey2 with the photo list of all the different butterflies they could find and identify.
Here is Monkey1 at the Sea Horse exhibit. She got to go home with her best friend after we left the Aquarium and she's spending the WHOLE week! It was really exciting - though I already miss her so much I can't stand it! We have never been apart this long before... my baby is definitely growing up!
Here is Monkey4 at the "petting zoo" part - they had manta rays and some other fish that the kids could pet in shallow tanks if they wanted to.
Even Baby Monkey had a blast!
They had a new Penguin exhibit there too, the kids got a real kick out of it. They could stand right up at the glass and the penguins swam right by their faces!
All in all it was a really excellent day!
Need A Laugh?
Watch this video:
http://www.doublesharpevideo.com/HomeSchool2/Homeschool2.html
If you are a homeschooler, know a homeschooler, wannabe a homeschooler, or just want to laugh out loud... check out this video by a homeschool family.
http://www.doublesharpevideo.com/HomeSchool2/Homeschool2.html
If you are a homeschooler, know a homeschooler, wannabe a homeschooler, or just want to laugh out loud... check out this video by a homeschool family.
Monday, December 17, 2007
I'm Doing Better
Things are better today. I think the combination of pain, overwhelmed-ness w/ all the illness here, and coming down off the narcotics just made me really down yesterday.
Life is good. Thanks for the concern. :)
Life is good. Thanks for the concern. :)
Sunday, December 16, 2007
No Advent for Me
I am having a crisis of faith. I feel so guilty - I have had so many blessings this past year and so many miracles.... and yet I can't find any joy in my faith right now. I can't be excited about Christmas - I can't even muster mild happiness at the birth of the Savior. I feel like I'm failing my children. I feel lost.
It turned out that I had/have a kidney stone. By 10am Friday I was throwing up every time I moved the pain was so intense. I spent the afternoon getting a CT scan and seeing my doctor [who was alarmed by the amount of blood I was losing] and was told that I have a stone "high up" in the kidney that will take a while to "work down". Apparently it is a very jagged one that is cutting my kidney to bits as it moves down. They put me on percocet for pain and phenergan to stop my vomiting from the pain, and those two in combination did relieve my pain.
This is one of the only times in my life I have actually requested pain medication - I have a very high pain tolerance [I once did a 30+ hour labor and birth with pitocin so maxed out they were afraid my uterus was going to rupture with no pain meds....]. I've had kidney stones before and not used pain meds - just gritted my old Marine teeth and sucked it up. This time around was excruciating though. Ugh.
So, I'm feeling OK on the narcotics but I'm trying not to take them now and I am being outrageously evil and short tempered when I'm not on them. I'm being mean to my kids and I just feel rotten. I want to just crawl up into a hole and hide for a week and I can't do it, of course.
My poor children are all still sick. The baby is still sick as she can be, the 2yo is still coughing like she's dying even though she finished her antibiotics yesterday, the 4yo sounds like she's getting worse and I'm worried she may be developing a secondary pneumonia infection from the RSV now. My son, the 6yo, still sounds like he should be in the TB ward and my 9yo is actually doing almost 100% better. My husband is worse today and I'm not sure if he may be getting pneumonia.
My 9yo is very sad because we are missing one of her best friends' birthday party today because her dad and I are too ill to take her, and her sisters and brother are too sick to be around other kids. [I would NEVER forgive myself if we gave this horrible RSV to another family and some sweet child ended up in the hospital or worse for Christmas - how hideous would that be?!]
I had to miss work this weekend and got kind of a nasty email from the department secretary about it. Not directed towards me directly [which I could have addressed] but slamming me in the process of praising my coworker who took my class for me. I am worried about my job, I NEED the job, and I have now missed three times in 2.5 months after a perfect attendance record for almost 9 years - and it has ALL been because of things completely out of my control. [I couldn't stop puking from pain or stand up straight to teach Friday night... it was not possible to do. If it HAD been possible, I *would* have done it. I've taught with kidney stones before!]
Oh, and somewhere along the way I've developed pink eye. Just because I needed one more thing. *sigh*
I feel like I have no control over my life and like no matter what choices I make, horrible things will happen. I know this is when I'm supposed to put it all in God's hands, but to be completely honest - I am *terrified*. God has not been gentle with me this year and I'm just plain scared of what is waiting for me around the next corner.
I just feel totally overwhelmed. I feel exhausted. I hurt. I ache. I feel scared for the future. I feel scared for my children. I feel like I'm dropping the ball for them and not being all that they need. I feel hollow, empty, drained, sucked dry.
This is usually my favorite time of year [even in the worst years], but this year I can't even really muster up a single "Merry Christmas" and mean it.
It turned out that I had/have a kidney stone. By 10am Friday I was throwing up every time I moved the pain was so intense. I spent the afternoon getting a CT scan and seeing my doctor [who was alarmed by the amount of blood I was losing] and was told that I have a stone "high up" in the kidney that will take a while to "work down". Apparently it is a very jagged one that is cutting my kidney to bits as it moves down. They put me on percocet for pain and phenergan to stop my vomiting from the pain, and those two in combination did relieve my pain.
This is one of the only times in my life I have actually requested pain medication - I have a very high pain tolerance [I once did a 30+ hour labor and birth with pitocin so maxed out they were afraid my uterus was going to rupture with no pain meds....]. I've had kidney stones before and not used pain meds - just gritted my old Marine teeth and sucked it up. This time around was excruciating though. Ugh.
So, I'm feeling OK on the narcotics but I'm trying not to take them now and I am being outrageously evil and short tempered when I'm not on them. I'm being mean to my kids and I just feel rotten. I want to just crawl up into a hole and hide for a week and I can't do it, of course.
My poor children are all still sick. The baby is still sick as she can be, the 2yo is still coughing like she's dying even though she finished her antibiotics yesterday, the 4yo sounds like she's getting worse and I'm worried she may be developing a secondary pneumonia infection from the RSV now. My son, the 6yo, still sounds like he should be in the TB ward and my 9yo is actually doing almost 100% better. My husband is worse today and I'm not sure if he may be getting pneumonia.
My 9yo is very sad because we are missing one of her best friends' birthday party today because her dad and I are too ill to take her, and her sisters and brother are too sick to be around other kids. [I would NEVER forgive myself if we gave this horrible RSV to another family and some sweet child ended up in the hospital or worse for Christmas - how hideous would that be?!]
I had to miss work this weekend and got kind of a nasty email from the department secretary about it. Not directed towards me directly [which I could have addressed] but slamming me in the process of praising my coworker who took my class for me. I am worried about my job, I NEED the job, and I have now missed three times in 2.5 months after a perfect attendance record for almost 9 years - and it has ALL been because of things completely out of my control. [I couldn't stop puking from pain or stand up straight to teach Friday night... it was not possible to do. If it HAD been possible, I *would* have done it. I've taught with kidney stones before!]
Oh, and somewhere along the way I've developed pink eye. Just because I needed one more thing. *sigh*
I feel like I have no control over my life and like no matter what choices I make, horrible things will happen. I know this is when I'm supposed to put it all in God's hands, but to be completely honest - I am *terrified*. God has not been gentle with me this year and I'm just plain scared of what is waiting for me around the next corner.
I just feel totally overwhelmed. I feel exhausted. I hurt. I ache. I feel scared for the future. I feel scared for my children. I feel like I'm dropping the ball for them and not being all that they need. I feel hollow, empty, drained, sucked dry.
This is usually my favorite time of year [even in the worst years], but this year I can't even really muster up a single "Merry Christmas" and mean it.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Baby Monkey Took A Turn For The Worse
Yesterday afternoon Baby Monkey woke up from her nap running a fever again and being really listless and a bit scary [for mom :) ]. She had been fever free for 24 hours and seemed worse than the day before, so I called the Pediatrician and they had me come in.
She has an ear infection [which I expected, for whatever reason she and Monkey4 are really prone to them - despite never having formula in their lives. :( ]. The doctor also thought she "might" have "low grade pneumonia" but said he couldn't be sure. Which seemed kind of strange to me [this was not our regular ped but the guy "on call" for walk ins - he's a much older gentleman and while he is nice, I feel more comfortable with our regular ped!]. He put her on antibiotics for the ear infection and said they would take care of the pneumonia too if that was indeed going on.
Now this morning, just 12 hours after taking her antibiotics for the first time, she is a different baby - happy and active and seems to be doing well. She actually slept last night too, which was a blessing for both of us!
I woke up this morning in severe pain though - I woke up feeling like I was in transition with back labor - never a good thing LOL! Something is wrong with my left kidney and I'm going in to see my doctor at 2pm. I suspect either a severe kidney infection or a big stone... guess we'll see.
This is *just* what I needed today with a house full of sick kids AND [of course] I am teaching a weekendeder Lamaze Class - 20 hours starting tonight and ending tomorrow evening! That will be fun.
I hope she at least gives me something to control the pain or I have no idea how I'll manage it! I took two Aleve early this morning and that took the edge off enough that I could stop crawling the walls and bawling, but it still hurts pretty bad!
This has been quite some week. Thank God the baby seems better this morning though - ALL the kids seem to be on the mend today and so does their dad. Whew. :)
She has an ear infection [which I expected, for whatever reason she and Monkey4 are really prone to them - despite never having formula in their lives. :( ]. The doctor also thought she "might" have "low grade pneumonia" but said he couldn't be sure. Which seemed kind of strange to me [this was not our regular ped but the guy "on call" for walk ins - he's a much older gentleman and while he is nice, I feel more comfortable with our regular ped!]. He put her on antibiotics for the ear infection and said they would take care of the pneumonia too if that was indeed going on.
Now this morning, just 12 hours after taking her antibiotics for the first time, she is a different baby - happy and active and seems to be doing well. She actually slept last night too, which was a blessing for both of us!
I woke up this morning in severe pain though - I woke up feeling like I was in transition with back labor - never a good thing LOL! Something is wrong with my left kidney and I'm going in to see my doctor at 2pm. I suspect either a severe kidney infection or a big stone... guess we'll see.
This is *just* what I needed today with a house full of sick kids AND [of course] I am teaching a weekendeder Lamaze Class - 20 hours starting tonight and ending tomorrow evening! That will be fun.
I hope she at least gives me something to control the pain or I have no idea how I'll manage it! I took two Aleve early this morning and that took the edge off enough that I could stop crawling the walls and bawling, but it still hurts pretty bad!
This has been quite some week. Thank God the baby seems better this morning though - ALL the kids seem to be on the mend today and so does their dad. Whew. :)
Sick Monkey Update
The 4 older kids are all doing better now. I took them all to the Ped yesterday and she said the 3 older kids look like they are getting better - she said they had RSV but are now getting over it. That's good news. :) The 2yo is doing MUCH better after taking antibiotics for 3 days so far for her pneumonia.
The baby is the only one I'm still worried about. She's still pretty sick, running a fever off and on, and just miserable and kind of listless most of the time. She IS nursing well, which is putting my mind more at ease. Hopefully in a day or two she'll start to turn the corner.
The Monkey's Daddy went to his doctor yesterday too and he also has RSV but his has morphed into viral bronchitis. His air passages were so bad that the doc gave him a steroid shot right there in her office because his oxygen levels in his blood were so low. He's not feeling well at all either.
Here is a picture of Monkey1 holding our sick, listless Monkey5 [Baby Monkey!]:
This is what the Baby Monkey looked like just a few days ago when she was modeling her "First" pair of Levis and some shades and hadn't gotten sick yet:
[I much prefer happy, active baby to sick, listless baby, don't you?!]
And this is the part of the blog post where I share that my 2yo [Monkey4] now has enough hair to go into "real" pigtails! This is an exciting rite of passage at our house. :) [Mostly because they are more or less bald the first 2 years of their lives!]
Here she is modeling her new pigtails:
And then Monkey3 4yo asked me to please make her hair into "reindeer ears". Well... I wasn't exactly sure how to do that [originally she wanted the pigtails to stick straight up like antlers and we had to compromise on reindeer ears instead!] So, this is what we came up with and she was adorable, whether they really looked anything like any part of a reindeer or not:
Here they are riding around on one of the little trikes we have. Notice the sick pneumonia plagued 2yo crying in the background! It wasn't that they wouldn't give her a turn, it was that they wouldn't all get off and give it over to her completely!
So, that's the update from our sick ward. I am hopeful that they will ALL be on the mend soon. Thank you all for your prayers!
The baby is the only one I'm still worried about. She's still pretty sick, running a fever off and on, and just miserable and kind of listless most of the time. She IS nursing well, which is putting my mind more at ease. Hopefully in a day or two she'll start to turn the corner.
The Monkey's Daddy went to his doctor yesterday too and he also has RSV but his has morphed into viral bronchitis. His air passages were so bad that the doc gave him a steroid shot right there in her office because his oxygen levels in his blood were so low. He's not feeling well at all either.
Here is a picture of Monkey1 holding our sick, listless Monkey5 [Baby Monkey!]:
This is what the Baby Monkey looked like just a few days ago when she was modeling her "First" pair of Levis and some shades and hadn't gotten sick yet:
[I much prefer happy, active baby to sick, listless baby, don't you?!]
And this is the part of the blog post where I share that my 2yo [Monkey4] now has enough hair to go into "real" pigtails! This is an exciting rite of passage at our house. :) [Mostly because they are more or less bald the first 2 years of their lives!]
Here she is modeling her new pigtails:
And then Monkey3 4yo asked me to please make her hair into "reindeer ears". Well... I wasn't exactly sure how to do that [originally she wanted the pigtails to stick straight up like antlers and we had to compromise on reindeer ears instead!] So, this is what we came up with and she was adorable, whether they really looked anything like any part of a reindeer or not:
Here they are riding around on one of the little trikes we have. Notice the sick pneumonia plagued 2yo crying in the background! It wasn't that they wouldn't give her a turn, it was that they wouldn't all get off and give it over to her completely!
So, that's the update from our sick ward. I am hopeful that they will ALL be on the mend soon. Thank you all for your prayers!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
All the Monkeys are Sick as Dogs...
Somebody call the Vet!
Wow - what started as a bad cold thing last Friday has turned into something really scary around here.
I took the baby and the 2yo to the Pediatrician today - but I think maybe I should have taken ALL of them. They are all really sick.
The baby has RSV [the doctor thinks all of them have RSV] and she can barely breathe and is running a fever of 103-104 and is totally listless. She's on albuterol and predinisonol [sp?].
The 2yo had RSV that has now turned into Pneumonia. [She's been coughing till she throws up]. She's on an antibiotic and albuterol.
I didn't take the older 3 because I thought they were on the mend, but they have gotten progressively worse as the day goes on and 2 of the 3 are running fevers now and they are all coughing themselves half to death. [My house sounds like a TB ward right now!] I'm going to take them all in tomorrow to determine if any of them have pneumonia.
And my husband has the same thing and he sounds like his may be moving to pneumonia or bronchitis at the least. He has an appt with his doctor tomorrow am.
By the Grace of God, I am healthy. I feel like I've been "fighting" it all week, but so far I am winning. Which is good because somebody has to take care of all these poor sick people!
Please say a prayer for them, especially the baby who I am considering taking up to the hospital tonight if she doesn't get better soon and the 2yo who has pneumonia....
Wow - what started as a bad cold thing last Friday has turned into something really scary around here.
I took the baby and the 2yo to the Pediatrician today - but I think maybe I should have taken ALL of them. They are all really sick.
The baby has RSV [the doctor thinks all of them have RSV] and she can barely breathe and is running a fever of 103-104 and is totally listless. She's on albuterol and predinisonol [sp?].
The 2yo had RSV that has now turned into Pneumonia. [She's been coughing till she throws up]. She's on an antibiotic and albuterol.
I didn't take the older 3 because I thought they were on the mend, but they have gotten progressively worse as the day goes on and 2 of the 3 are running fevers now and they are all coughing themselves half to death. [My house sounds like a TB ward right now!] I'm going to take them all in tomorrow to determine if any of them have pneumonia.
And my husband has the same thing and he sounds like his may be moving to pneumonia or bronchitis at the least. He has an appt with his doctor tomorrow am.
By the Grace of God, I am healthy. I feel like I've been "fighting" it all week, but so far I am winning. Which is good because somebody has to take care of all these poor sick people!
Please say a prayer for them, especially the baby who I am considering taking up to the hospital tonight if she doesn't get better soon and the 2yo who has pneumonia....
Sunday, December 9, 2007
2007 Christmas Un-letter
I’m not sending out Christmas cards this year.
Normally I always send them out with a cute picture of all the kids. I also include a letter updating family and friends on what has happened this year with all the kids and with our family.
I’ve been trying to think of a way to do that letter without it being either just horribly awkward OR without lying through my teeth. I can’t figure out how to do it.
So, I’ve decided not to.
But, just for kicks, here is what my typical Christmas letter would look like this year IF I wrote one:
MERRY CHRISTMAS 2007 FROM THE WARNER FAMILY!
We would like to wish you a blessed Christmas Season and a very Happy New Year! We hope that this letter finds you and your family in good health and high spirits.
This has been a strange and challenging year. But first, the good news:
We have a new baby girl! Monkey5 was born on in January. She was induced 3 weeks early due to complications, but came out perfect and healthy. We are delighted that we’ve been blessed with her!
In other news this year, I [CatholicMama] started the year in the hospital with Pregnancy complications [High Blood Pressure and then Preeclampsia]. After a few weeks of hospitalization, and the most heinous medical mismanagement imaginable, I suffered an Eclamptic Seizure and almost died. Miraculously I lived. Monkey5 almost died as well at the end of the 44 hour labor and spent the first 6 hours of her life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a hole in her heart [which miraculously healed on its own, Praise God!].
The year went downhill from there. :)
I suffered brain damage after the Seizure, similar to what Stroke victims suffer. I could not read, write, type, drive, remember names, numbers, locations, or the names of common objects. I suffered “cortical blindness” for several days after delivery, thankfully my full vision returned [miraculously?]. After about 3 months, my brain began to heal, also miraculously. Now, my only lingering damage is a tendency to forget common words or switch out words without realizing it. [As in “Please throw the toys in the trash” instead of “Please throw the toys in the toy box”]. This has resulted in some interesting situations where her children actually *obeyed* what I said and caused havoc because it isn’t what I thought I said. There is much humor to be found there however. LOL!
Midsummer, the MonkeyDaddy suffered a massive break down. He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the aftermath of almost losing his wife and baby in January. He spent a week in the hospital and then came home, seeming to be doing much better. But, while he was in the hospital, he was started on a powerful drug that actually changed his personality, much for the worse.
Two weeks after he came home from the hospital, he had a complete personality change and a week after that he moved out, abandoned the family, and demanded a divorce [from a marriage that had, to that point, been a very happy, close one!]. He was really, really mean while he was gone and did really terrible things.
Two months of suffering and pain followed that, in which I tried to figure out how to be a single mother to 5 young children. It was a time period of massive Grace – from a miraculous “Consolation of the Lord” to the amazing people who chose to help in every imaginable way. I developed new respect for my friends and members of my Church and Homeschool Group, who absolutely lived out the teachings of Christ in very tangible ways.
It was *amazing* from the standpoint of finding out just HOW incredibly helpful and supportive my family was though – they stood by me and helped me in every conceivable way. They rock!
It was also interesting from the standpoint of who chose NOT to help at all. It was shocking that family members on the other side chose to do *nothing* to help.
Then the MonkeyDaddy went off [on a whim] of the horrible drug that made him evil and he became “himself” again and wanted to come home [another miraculous Grace from God]. I decided to swallow all my pride and reconcile – definitely miraculous and only possible through the tremendous Grace of God.
He started Lithium in November and it seems to be a “miracle drug” for him – he is more stable and happy than he has been in 10 years. It has been nice to see the funny, charming, and wonderful man I married again. In December he moved home. Things are very hopeful right now, which seems totally surreal after the year we’ve had!
In other news:
Monkey1 turned 9 this year and has continued to be an amazingly brilliant and sweet kid. She is in third grade in our Homeschool. She reads like a maniac – reading at least one book per day most days. She reads fiction [Nancy Drew and the American Girl series being her favorites], but she also reads anything else she can get her hands on – she read her massive History text cover to cover for fun, she reads science books, biographies… ingredient lists, directions, and cereal boxes… LOL! She has excelled tremendously in Choir at Church and the Choir Director has recommended private voice lessons for her because she really is gifted. She has continued to play Homeschool Soccer and to be active in Little Flowers. She has also started puberty this year, which has been interesting and amazing to see.
Monkey2 turned 6 this year. He is in first grade in our Homeschool. He continues to be an amazing “fix it” guy – he is definitely an engineer in the making. He can figure out any electronic device [which is good for his mom, because he often has to help me operate her phone, camera, GPS, etc]. He draws blue prints of buildings and schematics of different air, water, and space craft. He also sings in the choir and has a beautiful voice. He loves soccer and Little Saints. He also enjoyed going camping with his God father and God brothers a couple of times this year. He remains obsessed with Star Wars and Super Heroes. He really, really wanted our new baby to be a boy, but he seems now to have made peace with being the only little man in our home, surrounded by sisters. He will make a great husband or priest one day.
Monkey3 turned 4 this year. She is in preschool at our Church 4 days a week. [The same preschool her older siblings also attended]. She is a teacher favorite and is SO sweet and helpful! She continues to be an utter fire-cracker of personality and is so intelligent and hard working [a definite asset!]. She is very energetic and extremely strong [her nickname is “The Ant” because she is tiny and can literally lift and carry her own body weight]. She loves playing Star Wars and Super Heroes with her brother, and can keep up with ANYONE, but she also enjoys wearing pretty dresses and being a total “princess”. She’s a very well rounded kid! She also plays Homeschool Soccer and is involved with Little Saints and can’t wait to sing in the choir.
Monkey4 turned 2 this year, and she was two like no other kid we have! She is intensely focused and extremely intelligent. She got into the most amazing array of “situations”. She can UN-baby proof anything, she can get into any secured space, she can disassemble any possession, she can deconstruct any object. She is a *pure* scientist at her deepest level. It was both extremely fascinating and totally frustrating to witness. It will serve her well when she gets older, we just hope we survive her childhood! Lately she is coming out of that “Path of Destruction” thing and is really maturing and coming in to her own. She has a fantastic, sweet, funny, loving personality. She has been extremely kind to “her” baby and is a great big sister.
Monkey5, the new baby, is precious! She started off life with 3 months of colic. She morphed into a very high needs baby who had to be held 24/7 from birth. She spent the first 6 months of her life in a sling or baby bjorn on her mom and the last 5 months of her life in a backpack on her mother’s back. But as long as she is being held, she is a very happy, easy going baby. She had/has terrible stranger anxiety and only wants to be held by her mother or father and a couple of other special people – she’s VERY upset by anyone else trying to hold her or get too close to her. She is extremely alert and curious and shows every sign of being just as intelligent and sweet as her older siblings. She is crawling everywhere now and is just starting to realize she can get in to things and cause chaos!
The MonkeyDaddy is still working in the IT department of the same bank he has worked at for the last 3.5 years.
I have continued to teach Lamaze at the same hospital where I have been employed for the last 8.5 years and I’m still enjoying it a great deal. My volunteer time has dwindled to almost nil, but I still enjoy helping coordinate things for the homeschool group and being room mom for Monkey3’s preschool class.
I got a new God Son this year too! He was baptized in May and is a precious, handsome little man. I am so honored to be his God Mother! Now I have 4 God children - two girls and two boys. I am really happy to be able to help them on their way to Heaven!
We also adopted two dogs this year. The first is “Sage”, a pure bred 5 year old collie from St. Francis Collie Rescue. She is beautiful, but very “aloof”. Like all great Southern Dams, her manners are impeccable. But, she’s not very affectionate and seems to consider herself far above it all. The second dog, on the other hand, is “Tyr”. He is a 2 year old mutt – lab and husky mix with a little Shar Pei thrown in there. He is an all around great dog. We had some challenges in the beginning with teaching him manners, but he has turned out to be the best dog – very affectionate, playful, obedient, and fun! The kids have LOVED having dogs!
We hope this year has been a wonderful one for you and your family! May your 2008 be filled with God’s abundant Blessings and Love!
The Monkey House
Now, honestly, I started writing this all kind of tongue in cheek, because it really has been a terrible year. But what struck me as I wrote is how many Miracles we had this year – how much Grace poured down on our heads.
In retrospect, instead of remembering 2007 as the worst year of my life [which I have to say, it was], I think I should remember it as the year of Miracles and tremendous Blessings from the Lord.
Praise God indeed!
Normally I always send them out with a cute picture of all the kids. I also include a letter updating family and friends on what has happened this year with all the kids and with our family.
I’ve been trying to think of a way to do that letter without it being either just horribly awkward OR without lying through my teeth. I can’t figure out how to do it.
So, I’ve decided not to.
But, just for kicks, here is what my typical Christmas letter would look like this year IF I wrote one:
MERRY CHRISTMAS 2007 FROM THE WARNER FAMILY!
We would like to wish you a blessed Christmas Season and a very Happy New Year! We hope that this letter finds you and your family in good health and high spirits.
This has been a strange and challenging year. But first, the good news:
We have a new baby girl! Monkey5 was born on in January. She was induced 3 weeks early due to complications, but came out perfect and healthy. We are delighted that we’ve been blessed with her!
In other news this year, I [CatholicMama] started the year in the hospital with Pregnancy complications [High Blood Pressure and then Preeclampsia]. After a few weeks of hospitalization, and the most heinous medical mismanagement imaginable, I suffered an Eclamptic Seizure and almost died. Miraculously I lived. Monkey5 almost died as well at the end of the 44 hour labor and spent the first 6 hours of her life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a hole in her heart [which miraculously healed on its own, Praise God!].
The year went downhill from there. :)
I suffered brain damage after the Seizure, similar to what Stroke victims suffer. I could not read, write, type, drive, remember names, numbers, locations, or the names of common objects. I suffered “cortical blindness” for several days after delivery, thankfully my full vision returned [miraculously?]. After about 3 months, my brain began to heal, also miraculously. Now, my only lingering damage is a tendency to forget common words or switch out words without realizing it. [As in “Please throw the toys in the trash” instead of “Please throw the toys in the toy box”]. This has resulted in some interesting situations where her children actually *obeyed* what I said and caused havoc because it isn’t what I thought I said. There is much humor to be found there however. LOL!
Midsummer, the MonkeyDaddy suffered a massive break down. He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the aftermath of almost losing his wife and baby in January. He spent a week in the hospital and then came home, seeming to be doing much better. But, while he was in the hospital, he was started on a powerful drug that actually changed his personality, much for the worse.
Two weeks after he came home from the hospital, he had a complete personality change and a week after that he moved out, abandoned the family, and demanded a divorce [from a marriage that had, to that point, been a very happy, close one!]. He was really, really mean while he was gone and did really terrible things.
Two months of suffering and pain followed that, in which I tried to figure out how to be a single mother to 5 young children. It was a time period of massive Grace – from a miraculous “Consolation of the Lord” to the amazing people who chose to help in every imaginable way. I developed new respect for my friends and members of my Church and Homeschool Group, who absolutely lived out the teachings of Christ in very tangible ways.
It was *amazing* from the standpoint of finding out just HOW incredibly helpful and supportive my family was though – they stood by me and helped me in every conceivable way. They rock!
It was also interesting from the standpoint of who chose NOT to help at all. It was shocking that family members on the other side chose to do *nothing* to help.
Then the MonkeyDaddy went off [on a whim] of the horrible drug that made him evil and he became “himself” again and wanted to come home [another miraculous Grace from God]. I decided to swallow all my pride and reconcile – definitely miraculous and only possible through the tremendous Grace of God.
He started Lithium in November and it seems to be a “miracle drug” for him – he is more stable and happy than he has been in 10 years. It has been nice to see the funny, charming, and wonderful man I married again. In December he moved home. Things are very hopeful right now, which seems totally surreal after the year we’ve had!
In other news:
Monkey1 turned 9 this year and has continued to be an amazingly brilliant and sweet kid. She is in third grade in our Homeschool. She reads like a maniac – reading at least one book per day most days. She reads fiction [Nancy Drew and the American Girl series being her favorites], but she also reads anything else she can get her hands on – she read her massive History text cover to cover for fun, she reads science books, biographies… ingredient lists, directions, and cereal boxes… LOL! She has excelled tremendously in Choir at Church and the Choir Director has recommended private voice lessons for her because she really is gifted. She has continued to play Homeschool Soccer and to be active in Little Flowers. She has also started puberty this year, which has been interesting and amazing to see.
Monkey2 turned 6 this year. He is in first grade in our Homeschool. He continues to be an amazing “fix it” guy – he is definitely an engineer in the making. He can figure out any electronic device [which is good for his mom, because he often has to help me operate her phone, camera, GPS, etc]. He draws blue prints of buildings and schematics of different air, water, and space craft. He also sings in the choir and has a beautiful voice. He loves soccer and Little Saints. He also enjoyed going camping with his God father and God brothers a couple of times this year. He remains obsessed with Star Wars and Super Heroes. He really, really wanted our new baby to be a boy, but he seems now to have made peace with being the only little man in our home, surrounded by sisters. He will make a great husband or priest one day.
Monkey3 turned 4 this year. She is in preschool at our Church 4 days a week. [The same preschool her older siblings also attended]. She is a teacher favorite and is SO sweet and helpful! She continues to be an utter fire-cracker of personality and is so intelligent and hard working [a definite asset!]. She is very energetic and extremely strong [her nickname is “The Ant” because she is tiny and can literally lift and carry her own body weight]. She loves playing Star Wars and Super Heroes with her brother, and can keep up with ANYONE, but she also enjoys wearing pretty dresses and being a total “princess”. She’s a very well rounded kid! She also plays Homeschool Soccer and is involved with Little Saints and can’t wait to sing in the choir.
Monkey4 turned 2 this year, and she was two like no other kid we have! She is intensely focused and extremely intelligent. She got into the most amazing array of “situations”. She can UN-baby proof anything, she can get into any secured space, she can disassemble any possession, she can deconstruct any object. She is a *pure* scientist at her deepest level. It was both extremely fascinating and totally frustrating to witness. It will serve her well when she gets older, we just hope we survive her childhood! Lately she is coming out of that “Path of Destruction” thing and is really maturing and coming in to her own. She has a fantastic, sweet, funny, loving personality. She has been extremely kind to “her” baby and is a great big sister.
Monkey5, the new baby, is precious! She started off life with 3 months of colic. She morphed into a very high needs baby who had to be held 24/7 from birth. She spent the first 6 months of her life in a sling or baby bjorn on her mom and the last 5 months of her life in a backpack on her mother’s back. But as long as she is being held, she is a very happy, easy going baby. She had/has terrible stranger anxiety and only wants to be held by her mother or father and a couple of other special people – she’s VERY upset by anyone else trying to hold her or get too close to her. She is extremely alert and curious and shows every sign of being just as intelligent and sweet as her older siblings. She is crawling everywhere now and is just starting to realize she can get in to things and cause chaos!
The MonkeyDaddy is still working in the IT department of the same bank he has worked at for the last 3.5 years.
I have continued to teach Lamaze at the same hospital where I have been employed for the last 8.5 years and I’m still enjoying it a great deal. My volunteer time has dwindled to almost nil, but I still enjoy helping coordinate things for the homeschool group and being room mom for Monkey3’s preschool class.
I got a new God Son this year too! He was baptized in May and is a precious, handsome little man. I am so honored to be his God Mother! Now I have 4 God children - two girls and two boys. I am really happy to be able to help them on their way to Heaven!
We also adopted two dogs this year. The first is “Sage”, a pure bred 5 year old collie from St. Francis Collie Rescue. She is beautiful, but very “aloof”. Like all great Southern Dams, her manners are impeccable. But, she’s not very affectionate and seems to consider herself far above it all. The second dog, on the other hand, is “Tyr”. He is a 2 year old mutt – lab and husky mix with a little Shar Pei thrown in there. He is an all around great dog. We had some challenges in the beginning with teaching him manners, but he has turned out to be the best dog – very affectionate, playful, obedient, and fun! The kids have LOVED having dogs!
We hope this year has been a wonderful one for you and your family! May your 2008 be filled with God’s abundant Blessings and Love!
The Monkey House
Now, honestly, I started writing this all kind of tongue in cheek, because it really has been a terrible year. But what struck me as I wrote is how many Miracles we had this year – how much Grace poured down on our heads.
In retrospect, instead of remembering 2007 as the worst year of my life [which I have to say, it was], I think I should remember it as the year of Miracles and tremendous Blessings from the Lord.
Praise God indeed!
Random Facts MEME
Laura the Crazy Mama tagged me for this Meme. I had fun reading what she wrote, so I'll do it too. ;)
Rules: Each tagged person must post 8 random facts or habits about themselves on their blog. At the end of the post, choose 8 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment telling them that they are tagged and to read your blog. Have fun!
1. I read compulsively. Now that I have 5 kiddos, my reading time is really limited [I used to be one of those people who would spend an entire weekend doing nothing but reading ... I hope to live to retirement age so I can be one of those people again!]. But even with 5 kids, I find time to read every single day. I no longer have the luxury of reading fiction [and I miss that], but I read non-fiction all the time. I'm particularly fond of religion books, parenting books, home making books, cook books, gardening books [though I didn't manage a garden this year!], and other such books that help me become better at my every day life.
2. I have a bad temper. It is just shameful. I am mostly very laid back and it takes a huge amount of "stuff" to set me off, but once I lose it, boy am I terrible. I learned this from my dad. I see my kids learning it from me. This is my next "thing" I need to work on [I worked on humilty/pride this year LOL!]
3. I didn't want kids and never planned to have any. I didn't particularly like children at all when I was a 20-something. But we decided to have that "one" kid, and I found them kind of addictive. I adore the crazy little things now.
4. I always thought I'd die before I was 40. We have a family history of early death from cancer. I lost 2 of my 4 older cousins to cancer in their thirties [breast cancer and brain cancer]. They both left very young children behind, a huge fear of mine. One of the 2 remaining "alive" cousins has type one diabetes so badly that it is life threatening. As I draw closer and closer to 40, it looks like I might break the mold, but I sorta find myself surprised to be here. For my 40th birthday I plan to have a massive party. :) Unlike most who hate to see that 40th birthday looming, I find the whole prospect kind of exciting!
5. I have discovered that it is easier to be a single mother with 5 kids than a married wife with 5. Isn't that weird? I have also come to the conclusion that people who think life long celibacy in religious life is a terrible, difficult fate have never been married. Being married is hard. LOL!
6. I don't have a favorite color. It drives my kids crazy, but I really don't. I like bright, vibrant colors - red, yellow, green, blue, purple. I even like black.
7. I used to be a vegetarian for 7 years, vegan for 2. I also used to be an animal rights activist and a ecology fanatic. I still am on some level, but I have too many other causes more dear to my heart right now.
8. I have a BA in History with a concentration in the History of South Asia [ie: India]. How's that for a helpful degree?!
OK, I tag Jen, Mel, Megan, Pam, Vicki, Shelly, JMJ, and Rick.
Rules: Each tagged person must post 8 random facts or habits about themselves on their blog. At the end of the post, choose 8 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment telling them that they are tagged and to read your blog. Have fun!
1. I read compulsively. Now that I have 5 kiddos, my reading time is really limited [I used to be one of those people who would spend an entire weekend doing nothing but reading ... I hope to live to retirement age so I can be one of those people again!]. But even with 5 kids, I find time to read every single day. I no longer have the luxury of reading fiction [and I miss that], but I read non-fiction all the time. I'm particularly fond of religion books, parenting books, home making books, cook books, gardening books [though I didn't manage a garden this year!], and other such books that help me become better at my every day life.
2. I have a bad temper. It is just shameful. I am mostly very laid back and it takes a huge amount of "stuff" to set me off, but once I lose it, boy am I terrible. I learned this from my dad. I see my kids learning it from me. This is my next "thing" I need to work on [I worked on humilty/pride this year LOL!]
3. I didn't want kids and never planned to have any. I didn't particularly like children at all when I was a 20-something. But we decided to have that "one" kid, and I found them kind of addictive. I adore the crazy little things now.
4. I always thought I'd die before I was 40. We have a family history of early death from cancer. I lost 2 of my 4 older cousins to cancer in their thirties [breast cancer and brain cancer]. They both left very young children behind, a huge fear of mine. One of the 2 remaining "alive" cousins has type one diabetes so badly that it is life threatening. As I draw closer and closer to 40, it looks like I might break the mold, but I sorta find myself surprised to be here. For my 40th birthday I plan to have a massive party. :) Unlike most who hate to see that 40th birthday looming, I find the whole prospect kind of exciting!
5. I have discovered that it is easier to be a single mother with 5 kids than a married wife with 5. Isn't that weird? I have also come to the conclusion that people who think life long celibacy in religious life is a terrible, difficult fate have never been married. Being married is hard. LOL!
6. I don't have a favorite color. It drives my kids crazy, but I really don't. I like bright, vibrant colors - red, yellow, green, blue, purple. I even like black.
7. I used to be a vegetarian for 7 years, vegan for 2. I also used to be an animal rights activist and a ecology fanatic. I still am on some level, but I have too many other causes more dear to my heart right now.
8. I have a BA in History with a concentration in the History of South Asia [ie: India]. How's that for a helpful degree?!
OK, I tag Jen, Mel, Megan, Pam, Vicki, Shelly, JMJ, and Rick.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
What a Fun Week!
We had so much fun this week!
These first pics are of the kids doing "Disco Sweat" by Richard Simmons. We've been looking for a fun, clean exercise video the kids and I can do together inside for days when it is too cold for our walks around the neighborhood. A friend recommended Richard Simmons and I laughed when she did - but it really is a neat video! The kids really enjoy it and it is fun to do.
Don't they look cute doing their little disco workout? LOL!
On Thursday, Monkey1 and Monkey2 had their "live debut" singing with our Church choir at our city's "Lighting of the Christmas Tree". It was really fun and they did a GREAT job! This is the kind of thing that makes us love our little suburban town so much!
Here are all 4 older monkeys getting ready for the show:
Here is the baby Monkey in her backpack. We put her Halloween Costume [lamb] on her because it is so warm and it was really chilly out that night!
Here is Monkey3 dancing before the singing started. They had some jazzy Christmas music playing and she had a blast dancing around! It was so adorable.
Here is a picture of the Youth Choir singing. Monkey1 is all the way towards the right, where you can't really see her.
Then on Friday we met my Sister in Law and got professional photos done of the kids [my 5 and her daughter] to give to my MIL for Christmas. It was really fun once we got there. We got some great pics. The kids all wore outfits that my MIL bought especially for this picture.
Here are my kids before we left for the photo shoot:
And then, just to show that Monkey5 is *definitely* following in Monkey4's footsteps with the "Path of Destruction" thing, here we have a couple of cutie shots of her:
How long before she clears Mama's whole bookshelf do you think?
In desperation to get dinner cooked last night, I let her play with a box of macaroni and cheese. She was more resourceful than I imagined - getting the whole thing open and throwing it everywhere! See how proud she is of herself?
These first pics are of the kids doing "Disco Sweat" by Richard Simmons. We've been looking for a fun, clean exercise video the kids and I can do together inside for days when it is too cold for our walks around the neighborhood. A friend recommended Richard Simmons and I laughed when she did - but it really is a neat video! The kids really enjoy it and it is fun to do.
Don't they look cute doing their little disco workout? LOL!
On Thursday, Monkey1 and Monkey2 had their "live debut" singing with our Church choir at our city's "Lighting of the Christmas Tree". It was really fun and they did a GREAT job! This is the kind of thing that makes us love our little suburban town so much!
Here are all 4 older monkeys getting ready for the show:
Here is the baby Monkey in her backpack. We put her Halloween Costume [lamb] on her because it is so warm and it was really chilly out that night!
Here is Monkey3 dancing before the singing started. They had some jazzy Christmas music playing and she had a blast dancing around! It was so adorable.
Here is a picture of the Youth Choir singing. Monkey1 is all the way towards the right, where you can't really see her.
Then on Friday we met my Sister in Law and got professional photos done of the kids [my 5 and her daughter] to give to my MIL for Christmas. It was really fun once we got there. We got some great pics. The kids all wore outfits that my MIL bought especially for this picture.
Here are my kids before we left for the photo shoot:
And then, just to show that Monkey5 is *definitely* following in Monkey4's footsteps with the "Path of Destruction" thing, here we have a couple of cutie shots of her:
How long before she clears Mama's whole bookshelf do you think?
In desperation to get dinner cooked last night, I let her play with a box of macaroni and cheese. She was more resourceful than I imagined - getting the whole thing open and throwing it everywhere! See how proud she is of herself?
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