In honor of our newest monkey, Monkey6, the Monkey House has moved to a new blog address:
http://themonkeymama.blogspot.com/
Please stop by and visit and update your links if you feel so inclined!
God bless you!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Veteran's Day and Sick Babies and Jesus!!!
Well, we've had a busy week!
The kids who were healthy did a Talent Show at a local retirement home on Veteran's Day - the residents LOVED it and said it was a great show. We did it through our local homeschooler's Little Flowers, Blue Knights, Little Saints, and Knights and Maidens of the Immaculata group [sorta like Catholic scouting with a very religious focus]. We have some *amazing* women in our homeschool group who run these groups for the kids and they do some really wonderful service projects all year long.
Here are the kids just before the show, dressed in their "Red, White, and Blue" [each age group had a different color they were supposed to wear]:
Monkey1 did a solo at the show, and the Director of the Retirement Home caught my husband afterwards and told him that Monkey1's voice was so beautiful and that she needed to be in serious voice lessons because she "could be a star one day". We agree, which is why she's in Choir and our Choir Director has suggested voice lessons for her around age 12, when her voice starts to mature, which we plan to do.
Now, Monkeys 5 & 6 [1yo and newborn] stayed home with me - all 3 of us have been sick for more than a week now [Monkey5 is going on almost 2 weeks now]. It has been a miserable cold/flu type thing complete with body ache and fever.
Here is a picture of poor sick Monkey5:
And here is a pic of the miserable baby. Is there anything sadder than a sick baby?
You KNOW she doesn't feel well in that pic, because she almost never cries - she's a very content little sweetheart!
Now for a happy pic. The Baby Monkey has grown HUGE! Below you can see how well she's fattened up after being a little preemie:
And now for a funny story. Monkey4, the 3yo, is in preschool at our Church. Every week they have a "letter of the week" and she is supposed to bring in some item that starts with that letter.
This week the letter was "J", which we quickly realized is the first letter in "Jesus". So, the older 4 kids and I were trying to find something in our home that Monkey4 could take to symbolize "Jesus". We have two crucifixes, but they are both almost 2 feet tall - not really preschooler size. I was looking for one of our smaller crucifixes that belong to the kids, but, belonging to kids they have disappeared at present. :(
During all this, Monkey5 1yo is standing by the front door yelling at me, and I was distracted looking for these other things and I kept saying "What do you need?" but not looking up [bad mommy!]. Finally I look over at her, she is standing by the front door pointing up at our picture of Jesus of Divine Mercy and shouting "Jesus! Jesus!" clear as day!
Boy, did I feel like an idiot! It *was* Jesus, and it is 8x10 and perfect to fit into Monkey4's preschool bag.
I was amazed on a couple of levels - first of all, that my 22 month old had that good of a grasp not only on who and where Jesus was in our home ;), but also that she understood the complex conversation we were having enough to realize we were looking for Jesus.
My husband's comment was that she is "Scary Smart" and I agree!
Of course, I was also touched because "Jesus of Divine Mercy" was a Revelation to St. Faustina [Helena Kowalska] and that is Monkey5's patron Saint - she is named after her. So, that was pretty cool to me to realize that she recognized the painting. [She also got very upset when Monkey4 then *left* with Jesus's picture and took it away to school! She was quite relieved when it came back home with Monkey4 and went back to the spot of honor by the front door. LOL!]
She's an amazing little kid, that's for sure!
Here is a photo of Monkey5 holding the picture of Jesus of Divine Mercy:
In other news, we have 15 2 week old chicks and 4 newborn chicks that just hatched Tuesday. We are expecting several more chicks to hatch in the coming weeks. My husband built a neat new chicken house to house these chickens. He is going to build a couple of more coops too so we can keep the breeds separate so I can sell the hatching eggs on eBay if it works out.
The kids have plans to go spend the weekend with my mom and dad, sister and brother this weekend. They are very excited.
I have plans to try to clean up the house while they are gone.
I have struggled to keep the house clean since the birth of my 3rd child - that seemed to be "critical mass" for me, at which point it became difficult to keep up with the housekeeping and homeschool.
It has gotten beyond terrible in the last 15 months - it first went bad while my husband was gone last fall, then I went immediately into kidney stone trouble and surgery in January, found out I was pregnant a couple of days later, spent the next 7 months exhausted to the point of immobility [LOL! I felt WAY too old to be pregnant this time around... it was just about all I could do to keep the kids fed and alive...!]. And now after 10 weeks home with a new baby and not making much progress, it is a disaster area. Seriously.
It looks like the Target toy department vomited toys all over the place and it needs a declutter and a *deep clean* in the worst way - it is just filthy. I feel overwhelmed now even TRYING to get it put back together, but I can't STAND living like this. So, this weekend will be my first baby step with the kids out of the way [except the baby of course, she stays with us].
Please wish me luck! I'm gonna need it!
Have a great weekend! God Bless you!
The kids who were healthy did a Talent Show at a local retirement home on Veteran's Day - the residents LOVED it and said it was a great show. We did it through our local homeschooler's Little Flowers, Blue Knights, Little Saints, and Knights and Maidens of the Immaculata group [sorta like Catholic scouting with a very religious focus]. We have some *amazing* women in our homeschool group who run these groups for the kids and they do some really wonderful service projects all year long.
Here are the kids just before the show, dressed in their "Red, White, and Blue" [each age group had a different color they were supposed to wear]:
Monkey1 did a solo at the show, and the Director of the Retirement Home caught my husband afterwards and told him that Monkey1's voice was so beautiful and that she needed to be in serious voice lessons because she "could be a star one day". We agree, which is why she's in Choir and our Choir Director has suggested voice lessons for her around age 12, when her voice starts to mature, which we plan to do.
Now, Monkeys 5 & 6 [1yo and newborn] stayed home with me - all 3 of us have been sick for more than a week now [Monkey5 is going on almost 2 weeks now]. It has been a miserable cold/flu type thing complete with body ache and fever.
Here is a picture of poor sick Monkey5:
And here is a pic of the miserable baby. Is there anything sadder than a sick baby?
You KNOW she doesn't feel well in that pic, because she almost never cries - she's a very content little sweetheart!
Now for a happy pic. The Baby Monkey has grown HUGE! Below you can see how well she's fattened up after being a little preemie:
And now for a funny story. Monkey4, the 3yo, is in preschool at our Church. Every week they have a "letter of the week" and she is supposed to bring in some item that starts with that letter.
This week the letter was "J", which we quickly realized is the first letter in "Jesus". So, the older 4 kids and I were trying to find something in our home that Monkey4 could take to symbolize "Jesus". We have two crucifixes, but they are both almost 2 feet tall - not really preschooler size. I was looking for one of our smaller crucifixes that belong to the kids, but, belonging to kids they have disappeared at present. :(
During all this, Monkey5 1yo is standing by the front door yelling at me, and I was distracted looking for these other things and I kept saying "What do you need?" but not looking up [bad mommy!]. Finally I look over at her, she is standing by the front door pointing up at our picture of Jesus of Divine Mercy and shouting "Jesus! Jesus!" clear as day!
Boy, did I feel like an idiot! It *was* Jesus, and it is 8x10 and perfect to fit into Monkey4's preschool bag.
I was amazed on a couple of levels - first of all, that my 22 month old had that good of a grasp not only on who and where Jesus was in our home ;), but also that she understood the complex conversation we were having enough to realize we were looking for Jesus.
My husband's comment was that she is "Scary Smart" and I agree!
Of course, I was also touched because "Jesus of Divine Mercy" was a Revelation to St. Faustina [Helena Kowalska] and that is Monkey5's patron Saint - she is named after her. So, that was pretty cool to me to realize that she recognized the painting. [She also got very upset when Monkey4 then *left* with Jesus's picture and took it away to school! She was quite relieved when it came back home with Monkey4 and went back to the spot of honor by the front door. LOL!]
She's an amazing little kid, that's for sure!
Here is a photo of Monkey5 holding the picture of Jesus of Divine Mercy:
In other news, we have 15 2 week old chicks and 4 newborn chicks that just hatched Tuesday. We are expecting several more chicks to hatch in the coming weeks. My husband built a neat new chicken house to house these chickens. He is going to build a couple of more coops too so we can keep the breeds separate so I can sell the hatching eggs on eBay if it works out.
The kids have plans to go spend the weekend with my mom and dad, sister and brother this weekend. They are very excited.
I have plans to try to clean up the house while they are gone.
I have struggled to keep the house clean since the birth of my 3rd child - that seemed to be "critical mass" for me, at which point it became difficult to keep up with the housekeeping and homeschool.
It has gotten beyond terrible in the last 15 months - it first went bad while my husband was gone last fall, then I went immediately into kidney stone trouble and surgery in January, found out I was pregnant a couple of days later, spent the next 7 months exhausted to the point of immobility [LOL! I felt WAY too old to be pregnant this time around... it was just about all I could do to keep the kids fed and alive...!]. And now after 10 weeks home with a new baby and not making much progress, it is a disaster area. Seriously.
It looks like the Target toy department vomited toys all over the place and it needs a declutter and a *deep clean* in the worst way - it is just filthy. I feel overwhelmed now even TRYING to get it put back together, but I can't STAND living like this. So, this weekend will be my first baby step with the kids out of the way [except the baby of course, she stays with us].
Please wish me luck! I'm gonna need it!
Have a great weekend! God Bless you!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Hey, go HERE to vote for this guy to win a scholarship [it takes about 2 seconds]. Vote for Thomas Peters - we need more "educated" kids like him in the world.
Check out his great Catholic blog too:
Check out his great Catholic blog too:
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Illness and Discouragement
It looks like this may be one of those years where my family stays sick all year long. I just hate that.
The kids and my husband have been sick on and off since August. I've had a couple of things too, but not nearly as ill as they have been.
DH has been really sick for 3 weeks with something we all had 3 weeks ago, but the rest of us recovered. Now his has turned in to pneumonia and he's been extremely sick this week. :(
Monkey5 [1yo] has been sick with a terrible croupy-type thing for the last 2 days and then last night Gemma started running a fever and is sick for the first time [it only held off this long due to breastfeeding I am certain].
We have already missed many things we wanted to do this fall because of sickness - not the least of which was praying at the cemetery Sunday.
I also get so very frustrated [and at times angry] with other people.
Certain people seem to think it is fine to take extremely ill children out into public where they will be in close contact with tons of other kids. I really don't understand this - it is *cruel* in my opinion.
3 weeks ago, when Gemma was 6 weeks old, we took her to Mass for the first time. I went into the ladies bathroom off the Sanctuary with Gemma in a sling, and my 1yo and 3yo with me [we were having some behavior problems that had to be addressed].
When we walked into the ladies room, there was a woman there with her son, who was probably about 2 years old, stripped down to his diaper *standing* on the counter by the sinks. She had strewn his clothing all over the counter from one end to the other and he was standing right between the two sinks.
I assumed he'd had a "blow out" diaper and I made a commiserating comment about those type of diapers and she said "No, actually, he just threw up all over himself. He got vomit on all his clothes and everything". [The clothes that were vomit covered and laying all over the counter so that ANY person who came to wash their hands after using the rest room would come into contact with contaminated counter space].
Then she proceeded to pick him up and bring him over and shove him into Gemma's face [right in the sling!] and say "Oh, look at the little baby Johnny" [name changed to protect the guilty].
I was just appalled! It was all I could do not to recoil in disgust and punch the idiot woman. Who puts a desperately ill toddler into a newborn's face? How dangerous and inconsiderate is that?
Then she proceeds to pack up his clothes, take him back into the Narthex of the Church [where all the parents of unruly toddlers and babies are watching Mass from the glass doors and windows so as to not disturb Mass in the Sanctuary] and she proceeds to stay till the end of Mass, with this child in nothing but his diaper, touching everything around him and messing with the other children in the Narthex - ALL of whom probably had a violent stomach virus that they caught from him within 48 hours. Not only did she not take the sick child home [which would have been the compassionate thing to do both for her own sick son AND for the other children she exposed] but she took no precautions to keep him from touching, slobbering on, and contaminating everything and everyone around them.
I just thought it was awful. How could anyone be so thoughtless and unconcerned about the health of other people - and especially the health of the very young children and very elderly people at Mass, both of whom could end up desperately ill and in the hospital from an infection like the one she was so freely passing around... ugh.
As a result, we have not taken Gemma to Mass since - we are going in shifts. In fact, I am trying not to take her out of the house at all because, working as I do with pregnant women and infants, I am *very* aware of how dangerous and deadly RSV can be to a newborn, especially a preemie. Monkey4 and Monkey5 both has RSV [and Monkey4 developed pneumonia from it] last year - I do NOT want my infant preemie catching it this year.
I know this type of careless people are one reason we stay so sick in cold and flu season. I am always *extremely* conscientious to keep my children home when they are ill [and it means we miss a LOT of good stuff we want to do, but we do NOT want to make others sick], but I see mothers out with VERY sick children all the time - children who are running fevers or vomiting or coughing a terrible croupy cough...
Anyway, that is my vent for today. I wish people would have concern for others around them in so many ways, including staying home to rest and recover when they or their children are extremely sick. :(
The kids and my husband have been sick on and off since August. I've had a couple of things too, but not nearly as ill as they have been.
DH has been really sick for 3 weeks with something we all had 3 weeks ago, but the rest of us recovered. Now his has turned in to pneumonia and he's been extremely sick this week. :(
Monkey5 [1yo] has been sick with a terrible croupy-type thing for the last 2 days and then last night Gemma started running a fever and is sick for the first time [it only held off this long due to breastfeeding I am certain].
We have already missed many things we wanted to do this fall because of sickness - not the least of which was praying at the cemetery Sunday.
I also get so very frustrated [and at times angry] with other people.
Certain people seem to think it is fine to take extremely ill children out into public where they will be in close contact with tons of other kids. I really don't understand this - it is *cruel* in my opinion.
3 weeks ago, when Gemma was 6 weeks old, we took her to Mass for the first time. I went into the ladies bathroom off the Sanctuary with Gemma in a sling, and my 1yo and 3yo with me [we were having some behavior problems that had to be addressed].
When we walked into the ladies room, there was a woman there with her son, who was probably about 2 years old, stripped down to his diaper *standing* on the counter by the sinks. She had strewn his clothing all over the counter from one end to the other and he was standing right between the two sinks.
I assumed he'd had a "blow out" diaper and I made a commiserating comment about those type of diapers and she said "No, actually, he just threw up all over himself. He got vomit on all his clothes and everything". [The clothes that were vomit covered and laying all over the counter so that ANY person who came to wash their hands after using the rest room would come into contact with contaminated counter space].
Then she proceeded to pick him up and bring him over and shove him into Gemma's face [right in the sling!] and say "Oh, look at the little baby Johnny" [name changed to protect the guilty].
I was just appalled! It was all I could do not to recoil in disgust and punch the idiot woman. Who puts a desperately ill toddler into a newborn's face? How dangerous and inconsiderate is that?
Then she proceeds to pack up his clothes, take him back into the Narthex of the Church [where all the parents of unruly toddlers and babies are watching Mass from the glass doors and windows so as to not disturb Mass in the Sanctuary] and she proceeds to stay till the end of Mass, with this child in nothing but his diaper, touching everything around him and messing with the other children in the Narthex - ALL of whom probably had a violent stomach virus that they caught from him within 48 hours. Not only did she not take the sick child home [which would have been the compassionate thing to do both for her own sick son AND for the other children she exposed] but she took no precautions to keep him from touching, slobbering on, and contaminating everything and everyone around them.
I just thought it was awful. How could anyone be so thoughtless and unconcerned about the health of other people - and especially the health of the very young children and very elderly people at Mass, both of whom could end up desperately ill and in the hospital from an infection like the one she was so freely passing around... ugh.
As a result, we have not taken Gemma to Mass since - we are going in shifts. In fact, I am trying not to take her out of the house at all because, working as I do with pregnant women and infants, I am *very* aware of how dangerous and deadly RSV can be to a newborn, especially a preemie. Monkey4 and Monkey5 both has RSV [and Monkey4 developed pneumonia from it] last year - I do NOT want my infant preemie catching it this year.
I know this type of careless people are one reason we stay so sick in cold and flu season. I am always *extremely* conscientious to keep my children home when they are ill [and it means we miss a LOT of good stuff we want to do, but we do NOT want to make others sick], but I see mothers out with VERY sick children all the time - children who are running fevers or vomiting or coughing a terrible croupy cough...
Anyway, that is my vent for today. I wish people would have concern for others around them in so many ways, including staying home to rest and recover when they or their children are extremely sick. :(
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Welcome to the USSA
Welcome to the United Socialist States of America!!!
Yes, the American people ARE that stupid. Although judging from the people around me in the voting line yesterday, quite a few of Obama's voters weren't actually US citizens.... and MANY of the people who were voting for him were voting for the first time EVER in their lives - based solely on his race with no understanding of the issues or his platform... I've voted in every state and federal election for the last 20 years and I've never seen anything remotely like the circus I saw yesterday - it was amazing.
But, regardless, we now have a president who believes strongly in legislating the "Freedom of Choice Act", we may soon live to see the day that babies are aborted up to and beyond the time of birth in every state, regardless of the will of the people. [The vast majority of people in the US do not support late term abortion, even if they are pro-choice] 50% of black babies currently die from abortion, let's see what happens to those black babies now under Obama....
We now have a president who believes in mandatory state preschool and does not believe in homeschooling.
At a time of extreme economic and political upheaval, we have a president who has LESS experience being an elected official than John McCain has being a prisoner of war living in a bamboo cage. [Oh yeah..let's just think about that for a minute... ]
I can't even begin to address the issue of him being a Socialist. As a veteran, it pains my heart in a way I didn't really anticipate. I feel like the country and the ideals I was willing to fight and die for are gone. That country is no more - but maybe we haven't been that country for a long time....
As a veteran who has experienced "government healthcare" I am truly terrified of his "health care plan". Military Healthcare is an oxymoron and that was the best the government could come up with.... just ask my husband who has life altering permanent disabilities because of extreme negligence in the Military Medical System...
My only job today is to not despair. I have done everything I could to stop this from happening and now I am just along for the ride.
I will say one thing though - I am glad I lived to see the day that we have a black president. I just wish, wish, WISH that man were not Obama.
As so many others feel I'm sure, I feel abandoned. I feel frightened for what an extreme liberal democrat president and a democrat congress [headed by Nancy Pelosi, God help us] is going to do to this country.
I fear for my children and the world they are inheriting. I look at them this morning and I cry.
The American people have spoken - now they will get exactly what they deserve.
Yes, the American people ARE that stupid. Although judging from the people around me in the voting line yesterday, quite a few of Obama's voters weren't actually US citizens.... and MANY of the people who were voting for him were voting for the first time EVER in their lives - based solely on his race with no understanding of the issues or his platform... I've voted in every state and federal election for the last 20 years and I've never seen anything remotely like the circus I saw yesterday - it was amazing.
But, regardless, we now have a president who believes strongly in legislating the "Freedom of Choice Act", we may soon live to see the day that babies are aborted up to and beyond the time of birth in every state, regardless of the will of the people. [The vast majority of people in the US do not support late term abortion, even if they are pro-choice] 50% of black babies currently die from abortion, let's see what happens to those black babies now under Obama....
We now have a president who believes in mandatory state preschool and does not believe in homeschooling.
At a time of extreme economic and political upheaval, we have a president who has LESS experience being an elected official than John McCain has being a prisoner of war living in a bamboo cage. [Oh yeah..let's just think about that for a minute... ]
I can't even begin to address the issue of him being a Socialist. As a veteran, it pains my heart in a way I didn't really anticipate. I feel like the country and the ideals I was willing to fight and die for are gone. That country is no more - but maybe we haven't been that country for a long time....
As a veteran who has experienced "government healthcare" I am truly terrified of his "health care plan". Military Healthcare is an oxymoron and that was the best the government could come up with.... just ask my husband who has life altering permanent disabilities because of extreme negligence in the Military Medical System...
My only job today is to not despair. I have done everything I could to stop this from happening and now I am just along for the ride.
I will say one thing though - I am glad I lived to see the day that we have a black president. I just wish, wish, WISH that man were not Obama.
As so many others feel I'm sure, I feel abandoned. I feel frightened for what an extreme liberal democrat president and a democrat congress [headed by Nancy Pelosi, God help us] is going to do to this country.
I fear for my children and the world they are inheriting. I look at them this morning and I cry.
The American people have spoken - now they will get exactly what they deserve.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Happy All Saints, All Souls, and Halloween!
Wow...what a busy week!
On Friday I had to do the food for Monkey4's Halloween Party at Preschool. I was totally stressed out trying to get everything done, but she and the other kids had a blast and it all went very well, so definitely worth it in the end!
Here is Monkey4 at her Preschool party:
Then my parents and my sister came on Friday evening and my sister and I took the kids Trick or Treating around our neighborhood while my husband and my parents sat out on the front porch handing out candy, holding baby Gemma, and enjoying all the kids in costume coming by. It was really, really fun, which it always is. My parents and sister coming to do it with us is always what makes Halloween one of the most special days of the year.
For Halloween costumes, we had Monkey1 as "Samantha" the witch in "Bewitched" [the old show which she has recently discovered]. We had Monkey2 as "Qui Gon Gin" [a Jedi Master from Star Wars], Monkey3 as "Darth Vader", Monkey4 was a Ballerina, and Monkey5 was a Disney Princess Ballerina type thing. :) Gemma didn't get a costume this year because she was too tiny to fit into any costume I could find LOL!
Here they are in all their Halloween Cuteness:
Here is Monkey5 with our Jack-O-Lantern [It says "All Hallows Eve" across the top, but it didn't show up in the pic]:
And here is a shot of our whole family, the first pic ever of all 8 of us together!
Then on Saturday, All Saints Day, we went to a party at a local Catholic Church. Our children's Godparents put on this party every year and it was so fun! The kids processed in at the beginning of Mass, then after Mass we had a potluck and games and fun for the kids.
Monkey1 went as St. Lucy [those are St. Lucy's eyeballs on the plate....]:
Monkey2 went as St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows:
Monkey3 went as St. Agnes:
Monkey4 went as St. Elizabeth of Hungary:
Monkey5 went as St. Mary, Mother of God, with Baby Jesus:
Today is All Souls Day. Normally we go with our homeschool group to the Cemetery to pray a Rosary for the Souls of the Faithful Departed today. But, alas, I have contracted some illness and feel yucky today, so we won't be going. [Which makes me very sad - this is one of my favorite things that we do every year]. But, we will pray a family Rosary for the Holy Souls here at home none the less.
Today I will especially pray for the souls of my grandparents, two of my cousins, and several of my friends who have died.
May the Souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace!
God Bless you!
On Friday I had to do the food for Monkey4's Halloween Party at Preschool. I was totally stressed out trying to get everything done, but she and the other kids had a blast and it all went very well, so definitely worth it in the end!
Here is Monkey4 at her Preschool party:
Then my parents and my sister came on Friday evening and my sister and I took the kids Trick or Treating around our neighborhood while my husband and my parents sat out on the front porch handing out candy, holding baby Gemma, and enjoying all the kids in costume coming by. It was really, really fun, which it always is. My parents and sister coming to do it with us is always what makes Halloween one of the most special days of the year.
For Halloween costumes, we had Monkey1 as "Samantha" the witch in "Bewitched" [the old show which she has recently discovered]. We had Monkey2 as "Qui Gon Gin" [a Jedi Master from Star Wars], Monkey3 as "Darth Vader", Monkey4 was a Ballerina, and Monkey5 was a Disney Princess Ballerina type thing. :) Gemma didn't get a costume this year because she was too tiny to fit into any costume I could find LOL!
Here they are in all their Halloween Cuteness:
Here is Monkey5 with our Jack-O-Lantern [It says "All Hallows Eve" across the top, but it didn't show up in the pic]:
And here is a shot of our whole family, the first pic ever of all 8 of us together!
Then on Saturday, All Saints Day, we went to a party at a local Catholic Church. Our children's Godparents put on this party every year and it was so fun! The kids processed in at the beginning of Mass, then after Mass we had a potluck and games and fun for the kids.
Monkey1 went as St. Lucy [those are St. Lucy's eyeballs on the plate....]:
Monkey2 went as St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows:
Monkey3 went as St. Agnes:
Monkey4 went as St. Elizabeth of Hungary:
Monkey5 went as St. Mary, Mother of God, with Baby Jesus:
Today is All Souls Day. Normally we go with our homeschool group to the Cemetery to pray a Rosary for the Souls of the Faithful Departed today. But, alas, I have contracted some illness and feel yucky today, so we won't be going. [Which makes me very sad - this is one of my favorite things that we do every year]. But, we will pray a family Rosary for the Holy Souls here at home none the less.
Today I will especially pray for the souls of my grandparents, two of my cousins, and several of my friends who have died.
May the Souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace!
God Bless you!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
October Stuff
A few pics of what we've been doing lately:
These pics are from when we released the butterflies. Hard to catch on camera, but it was really cool and exciting!
Monkey3 and Monkey4 are taking Ballet from a Catholic homeschooled teen we know locally - they are having a blast and I am grateful to have such a wonderful role model for them, the young woman who teaches them is just amazing.
Yesterday we went out to my parents' house for my birthday party, it was lots of fun! My brother grilled out ribs and ham for me [my favorite!] and we had chocolate chip pound cake for desert.
We also stopped by my sister's house to see her new chicken coop a friend built for her. It was really cool. She has caught my chicken addiction :) and we are giving her three hens for Christmas. This is Moneky1 showing off where they will live:
Today the kids got to go pick out their pumpkins for Halloween. This is an annual tradition at this point, and they take their pumpkin picking very seriously. LOL!
Here is The Boy holding Monkey5 - she thought the whole pumpkin thing was amazingly exciting:
Here is little Monkey3 holding a pumpkin that weighs more than she does:
And here is Monkey4 doing the exact same thing!
Besides all this stuff, the MonkeyDaddy and I have been planning and scheming to try to figure out how we can make our dream of moving out to the country near my parents a reality. We are looking at trying to buy some land near them and then, hopefully if God is willing, building our own home out there - possibly a cordwood home. We'd like to have 3-5 acres out within 10 minutes of my folks and raise not only our chickens, but some goats and pigs and maybe even a milk cow. :)
We are praying for discernment at this point - we need a Burning Bush to determine whether this is God's Will for our family or not. LOL!
Hope you are having a great fall! It is finally getting cool here...woohooo!!!!
These pics are from when we released the butterflies. Hard to catch on camera, but it was really cool and exciting!
Monkey3 and Monkey4 are taking Ballet from a Catholic homeschooled teen we know locally - they are having a blast and I am grateful to have such a wonderful role model for them, the young woman who teaches them is just amazing.
Yesterday we went out to my parents' house for my birthday party, it was lots of fun! My brother grilled out ribs and ham for me [my favorite!] and we had chocolate chip pound cake for desert.
We also stopped by my sister's house to see her new chicken coop a friend built for her. It was really cool. She has caught my chicken addiction :) and we are giving her three hens for Christmas. This is Moneky1 showing off where they will live:
Today the kids got to go pick out their pumpkins for Halloween. This is an annual tradition at this point, and they take their pumpkin picking very seriously. LOL!
Here is The Boy holding Monkey5 - she thought the whole pumpkin thing was amazingly exciting:
Here is little Monkey3 holding a pumpkin that weighs more than she does:
And here is Monkey4 doing the exact same thing!
Besides all this stuff, the MonkeyDaddy and I have been planning and scheming to try to figure out how we can make our dream of moving out to the country near my parents a reality. We are looking at trying to buy some land near them and then, hopefully if God is willing, building our own home out there - possibly a cordwood home. We'd like to have 3-5 acres out within 10 minutes of my folks and raise not only our chickens, but some goats and pigs and maybe even a milk cow. :)
We are praying for discernment at this point - we need a Burning Bush to determine whether this is God's Will for our family or not. LOL!
Hope you are having a great fall! It is finally getting cool here...woohooo!!!!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
High Anxiety
Gosh, everyone I know is really anxious right now. Is it like that everywhere?
It seems like we are all holding our breath to see just how awful things are about to get and we are all worried about it. I know I look at my kids and worry about what we are about to go through as a nation.
I don’t normally “do” politics on my blog. More or less I am a libertarian at heart, but I am also pro-life which means that I end up voting republican often. When ¼ of the infant US population is destroyed for convenience each year, that’s got to be my biggest issue – nothing else affects so huge a number of lives. [And since minority babies are more likely to be targeted and aborted, my strong feelings against such genocide affects my convictions as well].
This presidential race scares me. Does anyone else feel just plain scared?
I have relatives who will vote for Obama. Personally, I like the idea of having a black man as president – but geez, is this the best we have to offer? Give me Colon Powell or Alan Keyes – give me one of the many strong, intelligent, and leadership worthy black men in this country…
I don’t usually get scared by presidential elections – despite all the hysteria [“We’re gonna have to move to New Zealand if so-and-so wins, because things are going to be so bad around here"], pretty much one politician is as good [or not] as another. In the end, they rarely accomplish much in my experience….
But this time I’m scared.
I’m scared that the American People seem to be set on voting a man into the office of the president who is *amazingly* unqualified for the job. The man has no Executive experience. Seriously. [And the whole voting against the "born alive" act... I mean, good grief. We can't even agree it is a human being when it is OUTSIDE the womb, crying and breathing?! What kind of guy votes against not killing born, living babies?!]
We stand on the brink of one of those historic periods in our country – pretty much everything is very close to going straight to Hell in that handbasket.
And the best guy we can produce to lead this country in a time such as this is … Barack Obama?
Really?
Seriously?!!!
You know, I don’t just LOVE John McCain. Honestly, I’m not sure I really like the guy. But at least he is a proven leader – I don’t think he is a puppet controlled by the groups standing behind him. I don’t think he’s a “Rock Star” with no substance behind the façade and the PR. John McCain is a man of conviction. And he undoubtedly has the “intestinal fortitude” [or, ahem, the BALLS] to lead this country in such uncertain times.
McCain makes me feel a lot safer than Obama, even if I don’t just adore him.
And, I hate to say it, but much as I dislike Hilary Clinton as a person, I would feel a whole lot better about her as a Leader than Obama – she’s got the ability.
She has the balls to do the job. ;)
But you know who I *do* just love?
Sarah Palin.
How can you not love a mother of five who breastfed her kids and wore them in a sling, all while becoming Governor of the Macho State of Alaska – and doing it all by being a shoot from the hip, get rid of the corruption kind of gal?
She’s a lady I’d like to see in the Oval Office. A real example of what it means to be a *woman*, a *mother*, and successful at her chosen career.
She’s someone I’d like my daughters to grow up admiring and seeing as a role model.
So, God Bless Sarah Palin and God Help Us All.
It seems like we are all holding our breath to see just how awful things are about to get and we are all worried about it. I know I look at my kids and worry about what we are about to go through as a nation.
I don’t normally “do” politics on my blog. More or less I am a libertarian at heart, but I am also pro-life which means that I end up voting republican often. When ¼ of the infant US population is destroyed for convenience each year, that’s got to be my biggest issue – nothing else affects so huge a number of lives. [And since minority babies are more likely to be targeted and aborted, my strong feelings against such genocide affects my convictions as well].
This presidential race scares me. Does anyone else feel just plain scared?
I have relatives who will vote for Obama. Personally, I like the idea of having a black man as president – but geez, is this the best we have to offer? Give me Colon Powell or Alan Keyes – give me one of the many strong, intelligent, and leadership worthy black men in this country…
I don’t usually get scared by presidential elections – despite all the hysteria [“We’re gonna have to move to New Zealand if so-and-so wins, because things are going to be so bad around here"], pretty much one politician is as good [or not] as another. In the end, they rarely accomplish much in my experience….
But this time I’m scared.
I’m scared that the American People seem to be set on voting a man into the office of the president who is *amazingly* unqualified for the job. The man has no Executive experience. Seriously. [And the whole voting against the "born alive" act... I mean, good grief. We can't even agree it is a human being when it is OUTSIDE the womb, crying and breathing?! What kind of guy votes against not killing born, living babies?!]
We stand on the brink of one of those historic periods in our country – pretty much everything is very close to going straight to Hell in that handbasket.
And the best guy we can produce to lead this country in a time such as this is … Barack Obama?
Really?
Seriously?!!!
You know, I don’t just LOVE John McCain. Honestly, I’m not sure I really like the guy. But at least he is a proven leader – I don’t think he is a puppet controlled by the groups standing behind him. I don’t think he’s a “Rock Star” with no substance behind the façade and the PR. John McCain is a man of conviction. And he undoubtedly has the “intestinal fortitude” [or, ahem, the BALLS] to lead this country in such uncertain times.
McCain makes me feel a lot safer than Obama, even if I don’t just adore him.
And, I hate to say it, but much as I dislike Hilary Clinton as a person, I would feel a whole lot better about her as a Leader than Obama – she’s got the ability.
She has the balls to do the job. ;)
But you know who I *do* just love?
Sarah Palin.
How can you not love a mother of five who breastfed her kids and wore them in a sling, all while becoming Governor of the Macho State of Alaska – and doing it all by being a shoot from the hip, get rid of the corruption kind of gal?
She’s a lady I’d like to see in the Oval Office. A real example of what it means to be a *woman*, a *mother*, and successful at her chosen career.
She’s someone I’d like my daughters to grow up admiring and seeing as a role model.
So, God Bless Sarah Palin and God Help Us All.
Monday, October 13, 2008
My Poor, Neglected Blog...
Well, life goes on here and I am not finding much time to blog. My apologies!
In the past two weeks we've dealt with sickness, resuming homeschool [YAY!], trying to figure out how to get 8 people where they need to go when our vehicle only fits 7 [barely], getting kids to activities with a newborn in tow [did I mention I'm totally overwhelmed?!], hatching butterflies, adding more eggs to the incubator, dealing with an EVIL bank [they hold CASH deposits for 36 hours!!], and... oh yeah, I turned 39 in there somewhere!
AND for the past couple of days Gemma has been trying to be colicky and fussy all day - we are *praying* this is a temporary thing and not a permanent state of events for the next 6-12 weeks. [I can't do colic again, I really can't... I WILL lose my mind!]
Anyway, in the meantime, here are some pics for your entertainment.
Here is a shot of all the kids, the first pic I've gotten of them all together:
Here are Monkey5, Monkey3, and Monkey2 checking out the butterflies that grew from caterpillars we ordered through the mail. I was amazed it worked, but it did - and was very cool. This was part of Monkey3's birthday present from way back in April... took me a while to order the caterpillars! We let the butterflies go today - it was neat to see them fly off. [It is still really hot here, so have no fear for the butterflies...the directions said it was safe to release them at these temps]:
Here is a picture of Monkey2 holding Gemma and Monkey4 looking on:
And here is a picture of Ms. Gemma herself - all wide eyed and looking around. She weighed 7lbs 1 oz at her 1 month check up, so she's gaining weight well - she looks right chunky to me after seeing her at 4lb 14 oz when we left the hospital!
And this is what my incubator looks like right now:
I've got more Cuckoo Marans eggs in there, lots of Ameraucana eggs, some Silkie eggs, some Polish eggs, and some Welsummer eggs in there.
Right now my hens aren't laying well - we are getting one egg a day most days! And I have tons of people wanting to buy eggs... so I need to get some more hens laying! I also plan to learn to slaughter the males and use them for meat [I know, creeps everyone out, but I am starting to have strong feelings about not patronizing factory farms - I like knowing my food had a good life and was loved and well cared for....plus you can't beat the health benefits of organic, home grown meat...].
So, that's the update on us... hope you are having a great week!
And isn't October just the best month? I LOVE Fall...
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Friends in High Places
Boy are my children well connected!
This story I'm about to share with you is absolutely 100% true.
We have a hen house, but when the weather got hot, we moved all the hens out to an open backyard fenced in run - much cooler for them there and they loved it. But now that fall weather and first frost are on the horizon, we want to move them back into the hen house to keep them cozy and warm.
So, DH went out last night to get the hen house ready and came back in very quickly saying there were mice who had moved in there. [ACK!].
This led to much chaos - all the kids were in the kitchen when he announced this, two of them immediately ran out to the hen house to "see" [and one of them decided to *touch* the "mousey" - guess which one? Hint: It was my fearless, animal loving Bull Rider... ].
As this was happening, another kid, the bleeding heart oldest, immediately went into dramatic hysteria about how we couldn't just *murder* the mice, they were so cute and little and we couldn't *kill* them and WHAT were we going to do to those poor mice anyway? [Which then led to a conversation amongst the children about diseases mice can carry - including the black plague [LOL!] and rabies...]
I was still just stunned [and completely creeped out] and had formulated no plan at all. After I frantically washed the Bull Rider's hands with hot water and antibacterial soap a couple of times, my husband gallantly offered to go out to the hen house with his air rifle and *shoot* the mice... somehow this did not strike me as a fabulous idea.
At this same time, I'm trying to finish cooking dinner [which was all done at once and needed my attention]. So, as a way to calm the kids down and deflect uncomfortable questions about mouse-icide and what exactly happens to your body if you get the plague and how does it kill you, I mentioned to my daughter that maybe she should pray to St. Martin de Porres to get the mice to move out so we didn't have to do anything horrible to them [there is a story about St. Martin where he did just that with the mice in the monastery].
They decided this was a great idea, so they got out one of their Saint books and Monkey1 led them in prayer to St. Martin to beg him to please talk to the mice and ask them to move elsewhere. Then they decided they should definitely pray to St. Francis of Assisi as well - the patron Saint of animals. Then, just for good measure, they decided to also pray to Mary, the Blessed Mother... because "she's the mother of everyone in the world, maybe she can talk to the mice". Then they had a long session reading about all their personal patron Saints....and they had FULL confidence that the mouse problem was solved.
I found this all slightly amusing, and honestly totally dismissed it from my mind [me of little faith...].
So tonight, I went out to check out these mice in the hen house so I could try to come up with some sort of plan to get rid of them and... they were GONE. I am *so* not making this up - there was no sign of them. Just yesterday they were all curious and coming right up looking at anyone who went in, and today they had vanished. I looked all over and couldn't find a single living thing in that hen house. It gave me chills - seriously.
I have often been humbled by God's answers to my children's prayers. Amazed even. But this... I mean seriously. It was wild.
So, THANK YOU St. Martin, St. Francis, and St. Mary. Thank you for hearing my children's prayers and for talking those mice into moving elsewhere so we did not have to "murder" them. [And nobody got the plague!]
Praise God and all His wonderful creation!
This story I'm about to share with you is absolutely 100% true.
We have a hen house, but when the weather got hot, we moved all the hens out to an open backyard fenced in run - much cooler for them there and they loved it. But now that fall weather and first frost are on the horizon, we want to move them back into the hen house to keep them cozy and warm.
So, DH went out last night to get the hen house ready and came back in very quickly saying there were mice who had moved in there. [ACK!].
This led to much chaos - all the kids were in the kitchen when he announced this, two of them immediately ran out to the hen house to "see" [and one of them decided to *touch* the "mousey" - guess which one? Hint: It was my fearless, animal loving Bull Rider... ].
As this was happening, another kid, the bleeding heart oldest, immediately went into dramatic hysteria about how we couldn't just *murder* the mice, they were so cute and little and we couldn't *kill* them and WHAT were we going to do to those poor mice anyway? [Which then led to a conversation amongst the children about diseases mice can carry - including the black plague [LOL!] and rabies...]
I was still just stunned [and completely creeped out] and had formulated no plan at all. After I frantically washed the Bull Rider's hands with hot water and antibacterial soap a couple of times, my husband gallantly offered to go out to the hen house with his air rifle and *shoot* the mice... somehow this did not strike me as a fabulous idea.
At this same time, I'm trying to finish cooking dinner [which was all done at once and needed my attention]. So, as a way to calm the kids down and deflect uncomfortable questions about mouse-icide and what exactly happens to your body if you get the plague and how does it kill you, I mentioned to my daughter that maybe she should pray to St. Martin de Porres to get the mice to move out so we didn't have to do anything horrible to them [there is a story about St. Martin where he did just that with the mice in the monastery].
They decided this was a great idea, so they got out one of their Saint books and Monkey1 led them in prayer to St. Martin to beg him to please talk to the mice and ask them to move elsewhere. Then they decided they should definitely pray to St. Francis of Assisi as well - the patron Saint of animals. Then, just for good measure, they decided to also pray to Mary, the Blessed Mother... because "she's the mother of everyone in the world, maybe she can talk to the mice". Then they had a long session reading about all their personal patron Saints....and they had FULL confidence that the mouse problem was solved.
I found this all slightly amusing, and honestly totally dismissed it from my mind [me of little faith...].
So tonight, I went out to check out these mice in the hen house so I could try to come up with some sort of plan to get rid of them and... they were GONE. I am *so* not making this up - there was no sign of them. Just yesterday they were all curious and coming right up looking at anyone who went in, and today they had vanished. I looked all over and couldn't find a single living thing in that hen house. It gave me chills - seriously.
I have often been humbled by God's answers to my children's prayers. Amazed even. But this... I mean seriously. It was wild.
So, THANK YOU St. Martin, St. Francis, and St. Mary. Thank you for hearing my children's prayers and for talking those mice into moving elsewhere so we did not have to "murder" them. [And nobody got the plague!]
Praise God and all His wonderful creation!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
One Month Update
Today Gemma is 1 month old! It is so hard to believe that a month has gone by already! [I spent the whole month in a fog, totally surreal!].
Here are some recent pics of little Ol' Monkey6:
She started out sleeping really, really well [like 18 hours a day], but that has gradually decreased until for the last 2 weeks I've slept most nights like this [if you can call it sleeping]:
She's becoming fussier and fussier and I'm a little worried. 3 of my other 5 had colic, and I'm scared this may be the beginning of it for her. [I am *praying* that is not so, because I really, truly don't think I can live through that again!].
But, whatever the cause, sleep is becoming very rare around here again. Last night she decided to be awake and fussing and crying from 9:45pm till 2:30am and then I at least was able to lie down on the couch [holding her] and snooze for 3 hours. [My other kids got up at 5:30am - boy am I tired!].
And now, proof that we are raising yet another avid reader:
She gets creative with her reading though:
We have all kinds of weird dynamics going on around here lately. Monkey5, pictured above looking so sweet, is having serious problems with violence. She has always been extremely clingy - a velcro baby and now a velcro toddler. I am not allowed out of her sight, preferably I should be within touching distance at all times. She is also violent with the other kids if they come near me - she will try to kill them if they try to touch "her" mama. Oddly enough, this isn't really new - she's always been very clingy and possessive and she's always had a violent streak. But now she's added tantrums [20 months old you know....]. She will literally throw several fits a day that last 45 minutes up to 1.5 hours and during the tantrums she will bite, scratch, hit, kick, pull hair and generally try to murder me [and often Monkey4 who is her other "primary" target for violence for some reason]. These tantrums can be set off by anything - her being sleepy or hungry or sick, but also her being frustrated, angry, or not getting her way over something simple...sometimes they seem to come on for no reason at all...
My son used to throw really long, dramatic fits like this several times a day when he was her age, but he was never violent. So, this is something new and, um...not really exciting, more like disturbing. My son grew out of this stage [I didn't think I'd survive it, but he did finally grow out of it around 3] and he turned out to be a perfectly wonderful boy. So, I'm hoping and praying that the same will be true of Monkey5 - if not, I see a long future of incarceration for her as an adult if she doesn't get her temper and violent impulses under control. [Maybe this is what you get when you cross a part-Italian daddy with a part-Irish mama.... or a Green Beret with a Marine...WHAT were we thinking?!! whew.]
In other news, my poor 3yo Monkey4 isn't even allowed near me [by the 1yo]. She is, fortunately, a very, very sweet and easy going girl. But it is starting to wear on her. She's also realized recently that she IS three, and we are seeing some mild tantrums and crying/whining about things [which is my pet peeve....the whining thing]. But, really, for a 3yo, she's doing so well I have nothing at all to complain about.
The combined effect though of 3 children age 3 and under is quite... exhausting for the moment. I know this will get better once we are out of the "newborn stage" [I remember feeling this way with all my newborns, even the first one!]. But for now I'm mostly really sleepy and overwhelmed - and trying not to be cranky in the midst of it all.
My poor older 3 children are getting practically nothing from me these days because I'm so consumed by the younger 3. [Actually, Monkey5 takes up about 95% of my time and effort and Monkey4 and Monkey6 split the remaining 5% - how sad is that?!]. So, they are fighting and acting out, mostly because they are being neglected a bit I think.
Which leads me to all those doubts....should I put them in school? [Homeschool is NOT in full swing at this time for obvious reasons]. What can I do with the younger ones so I have more time with the older ones? What is WRONG with me that I can't do it all? [Human much, MonkeyMama?!!!]
Then there is this other weird dynamic with Monkey2 and Monkey3, who we call "The Wonder Twins". They really ARE like twins - they are 19 months apart and they really do act like twins. They are inseparable, together 24/7 [even both sleep in Monkey2's room]. It is really cute, but I am actually wondering now if they are TOO close - silly huh? But I am starting to understand why parents of twins often separate them into different class rooms when they are in school to help them grow on their own. That is hard to do with homeschool.
The other problem is that they leave Monkey4 out - she is big enough to want to be part of their "club" and they won't let her. I feel very sad for her - on the one side she has the Wonder Twins leaving her out and excluding her and making her cry, on the other side she has Monkey5 ThunderDome trying to maim and kill her every time Monkey5 has a bad moment... ugh.
Of course, the truth is that eventually Monkey5 will grow out of her "soul sucking phase" and one day I'll miss the little thing leeched onto my side [clawing and biting... OK, maybe I won't so much miss THAT part!]. And the baby will grow [too fast!]. And I will have more time for the other children and I will be able to get back to what I love most: adoring my kids and being with them.
But for now... *yawn* I'm just trying to keep my head above the water. [What?! Tsunami you say?!! Its headed this way?!]
;)
If you have a spare prayer today, please say one for my sanity, my endurance, my kindness and also that I may discern what is best for my children and help them through this rough spot.
Take care and God Bless you!
Here are some recent pics of little Ol' Monkey6:
She started out sleeping really, really well [like 18 hours a day], but that has gradually decreased until for the last 2 weeks I've slept most nights like this [if you can call it sleeping]:
She's becoming fussier and fussier and I'm a little worried. 3 of my other 5 had colic, and I'm scared this may be the beginning of it for her. [I am *praying* that is not so, because I really, truly don't think I can live through that again!].
But, whatever the cause, sleep is becoming very rare around here again. Last night she decided to be awake and fussing and crying from 9:45pm till 2:30am and then I at least was able to lie down on the couch [holding her] and snooze for 3 hours. [My other kids got up at 5:30am - boy am I tired!].
And now, proof that we are raising yet another avid reader:
She gets creative with her reading though:
We have all kinds of weird dynamics going on around here lately. Monkey5, pictured above looking so sweet, is having serious problems with violence. She has always been extremely clingy - a velcro baby and now a velcro toddler. I am not allowed out of her sight, preferably I should be within touching distance at all times. She is also violent with the other kids if they come near me - she will try to kill them if they try to touch "her" mama. Oddly enough, this isn't really new - she's always been very clingy and possessive and she's always had a violent streak. But now she's added tantrums [20 months old you know....]. She will literally throw several fits a day that last 45 minutes up to 1.5 hours and during the tantrums she will bite, scratch, hit, kick, pull hair and generally try to murder me [and often Monkey4 who is her other "primary" target for violence for some reason]. These tantrums can be set off by anything - her being sleepy or hungry or sick, but also her being frustrated, angry, or not getting her way over something simple...sometimes they seem to come on for no reason at all...
My son used to throw really long, dramatic fits like this several times a day when he was her age, but he was never violent. So, this is something new and, um...not really exciting, more like disturbing. My son grew out of this stage [I didn't think I'd survive it, but he did finally grow out of it around 3] and he turned out to be a perfectly wonderful boy. So, I'm hoping and praying that the same will be true of Monkey5 - if not, I see a long future of incarceration for her as an adult if she doesn't get her temper and violent impulses under control. [Maybe this is what you get when you cross a part-Italian daddy with a part-Irish mama.... or a Green Beret with a Marine...WHAT were we thinking?!! whew.]
In other news, my poor 3yo Monkey4 isn't even allowed near me [by the 1yo]. She is, fortunately, a very, very sweet and easy going girl. But it is starting to wear on her. She's also realized recently that she IS three, and we are seeing some mild tantrums and crying/whining about things [which is my pet peeve....the whining thing]. But, really, for a 3yo, she's doing so well I have nothing at all to complain about.
The combined effect though of 3 children age 3 and under is quite... exhausting for the moment. I know this will get better once we are out of the "newborn stage" [I remember feeling this way with all my newborns, even the first one!]. But for now I'm mostly really sleepy and overwhelmed - and trying not to be cranky in the midst of it all.
My poor older 3 children are getting practically nothing from me these days because I'm so consumed by the younger 3. [Actually, Monkey5 takes up about 95% of my time and effort and Monkey4 and Monkey6 split the remaining 5% - how sad is that?!]. So, they are fighting and acting out, mostly because they are being neglected a bit I think.
Which leads me to all those doubts....should I put them in school? [Homeschool is NOT in full swing at this time for obvious reasons]. What can I do with the younger ones so I have more time with the older ones? What is WRONG with me that I can't do it all? [Human much, MonkeyMama?!!!]
Then there is this other weird dynamic with Monkey2 and Monkey3, who we call "The Wonder Twins". They really ARE like twins - they are 19 months apart and they really do act like twins. They are inseparable, together 24/7 [even both sleep in Monkey2's room]. It is really cute, but I am actually wondering now if they are TOO close - silly huh? But I am starting to understand why parents of twins often separate them into different class rooms when they are in school to help them grow on their own. That is hard to do with homeschool.
The other problem is that they leave Monkey4 out - she is big enough to want to be part of their "club" and they won't let her. I feel very sad for her - on the one side she has the Wonder Twins leaving her out and excluding her and making her cry, on the other side she has Monkey5 ThunderDome trying to maim and kill her every time Monkey5 has a bad moment... ugh.
Of course, the truth is that eventually Monkey5 will grow out of her "soul sucking phase" and one day I'll miss the little thing leeched onto my side [clawing and biting... OK, maybe I won't so much miss THAT part!]. And the baby will grow [too fast!]. And I will have more time for the other children and I will be able to get back to what I love most: adoring my kids and being with them.
But for now... *yawn* I'm just trying to keep my head above the water. [What?! Tsunami you say?!! Its headed this way?!]
;)
If you have a spare prayer today, please say one for my sanity, my endurance, my kindness and also that I may discern what is best for my children and help them through this rough spot.
Take care and God Bless you!
I Love Your Blog Award
Melanie was so sweet to give me an "I Love Your Blog" award. [In spite of me being awful about updating lately!]
Along with the award, I'm supposed to answer the following questions with one word:
1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Where is your significant other? work
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? sweet
5. Your father? funny
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? sleepless
8. Your dream/goal? kindness
9. The room you’re in? bedroom
10. Your hobby? blogging
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? healthy
13. Where were you last night? couch
14. What you’re not? rested
15. One of your wish-list items? book
16. Where you grew up? GA
17. The last thing you did? diaper
18. What are you wearing? clothes
19. Your TV? gone
20. Your pet? chickens
21. Your computer? PC
22. Your mood? exhausted
23. Missing someone? no
24. Your car? minivan
25. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? amazon.com
27. Your summer? over
28. Love someone? truly
29. Your favorite color? bright
30. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
31. Last time you cried? today
[That was hard to do with one word and no explanation! LOL!]
Here are the bloggers I tag with this award:
Slightly Crunchy Catholic
Totus Tuus
Deogratias
Laura The Crazy Mama
Our Four Kiddos
I think I'm supposed to stop with 5...which is hard since there are so many blogs I love!
God bless you - hope you are having a great day!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
A Quote
I saw this quote on my friend's web page and I wanted to pass it on, it is a good one!
"Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says 'Oh crap, she's up!'".
LOL!
[Thanks Danielle!]
"Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says 'Oh crap, she's up!'".
LOL!
[Thanks Danielle!]
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Happy Birthday Monkey1!!!!
Yesterday Monkey1 turned a whole decade old!!!!
She got a bright pink iPod for her birthday from us [which Monkey4 was already trying to snatch!]:
She also bought an American Girl book with the money her great grandma sent her:
She got to pick dinner, and she chose Chinese Food - YUM!
Here she is with the cake she picked:
Her birthday ended up being spread over two days actually. The day before her birthday we did her "birthday dinner" because she had choir at dinner time on her actual birthday. She also chose to open her iPod a day early and her dad got it all set up for her. [You know your baby ain't a baby any more the year that she wants nothing but an iPod for her birthday...*sob*].
On her actual birthday, she got to spend some time with several of her homeschool friends while her little sisters took ballet and then she went to choir that evening [her favorite activity], so it really worked out to be a wonderful day too.
We ended the day looking at her baby photo album...it was really neat to go back and look at all the pictures of her as a tiny baby and tell the story of her birth again.
I'm really proud of my big girl! She was the "original" monkey. We seriously only planned to have one kid. She was just so darn cute and smart and fascinating, we kept thinking "wouldn't it be neat to have just one more?" and then that one would come along and be so cute and smart and fascinating in a completely new and different way and we "just one more'd" ourselves into 6 kids somehow! [With absolutely NO regrets!] LOL!
Monkey1 is the most social introvert I know. People who know her will think I'm crazy for saying that, because she is very outgoing and friendly and makes friends very easily. But she also needs a whole lot of alone time too - when we leave a big gathering or an event where she's been around people for hours, she immediately escapes to the backyard alone for a good long time to think and process and create.
She spends hours and hours writing stories and screen plays. She's constantly researching for her newest "story" - I'm always blown away by what she learns in the course of her writing. She's also quite the artist - her newest art form is "Shoujo", or Japanese style comics. She's actually quite good at it. I could totally see her being the first world famous female comic book writer!
Monkey1 is very kind to other people and tries very hard to help others and make them happy. I'm proud of how great she is at being a friend and putting others first. That was one of our big goals in raising her of course, but it is neat to see it actually happen.
She is an obsessive reader and knows a lot about just about everything. I am often surprised these days when she comes to tell me some fact she learned about some historical event or some scientific discovery. At some point I ceased being the only teacher in our house and she snuck into that role as well! It is incredible to see her learning and to realize the real breadth of her knowledge. She's constantly learning - she's one of those kids you couldn't STOP from learning even if you wanted to.
This year she has started learning to cook, along with learning the violin. This was the year she had two big solos in the Church choir and really came to understand that her voice is a gift from God and should be used for His glory. This year she has grown so much in maturity that often she seems like a little adult [and sometimes she seems like a sullen 15 year old...but that's a different post. LOL!].
All in all, she is an amazing, enjoyable, completely lovable young lady who I am so proud to call my daughter!
Happy Birthday Monkey1 - you are AWESOME Baby Girl!!!!!
.......
And here is a pic of Gemma "Monkey6!", so you can see she's *growing*! WOOHOO!!!
She got a bright pink iPod for her birthday from us [which Monkey4 was already trying to snatch!]:
She also bought an American Girl book with the money her great grandma sent her:
She got to pick dinner, and she chose Chinese Food - YUM!
Here she is with the cake she picked:
Her birthday ended up being spread over two days actually. The day before her birthday we did her "birthday dinner" because she had choir at dinner time on her actual birthday. She also chose to open her iPod a day early and her dad got it all set up for her. [You know your baby ain't a baby any more the year that she wants nothing but an iPod for her birthday...*sob*].
On her actual birthday, she got to spend some time with several of her homeschool friends while her little sisters took ballet and then she went to choir that evening [her favorite activity], so it really worked out to be a wonderful day too.
We ended the day looking at her baby photo album...it was really neat to go back and look at all the pictures of her as a tiny baby and tell the story of her birth again.
I'm really proud of my big girl! She was the "original" monkey. We seriously only planned to have one kid. She was just so darn cute and smart and fascinating, we kept thinking "wouldn't it be neat to have just one more?" and then that one would come along and be so cute and smart and fascinating in a completely new and different way and we "just one more'd" ourselves into 6 kids somehow! [With absolutely NO regrets!] LOL!
Monkey1 is the most social introvert I know. People who know her will think I'm crazy for saying that, because she is very outgoing and friendly and makes friends very easily. But she also needs a whole lot of alone time too - when we leave a big gathering or an event where she's been around people for hours, she immediately escapes to the backyard alone for a good long time to think and process and create.
She spends hours and hours writing stories and screen plays. She's constantly researching for her newest "story" - I'm always blown away by what she learns in the course of her writing. She's also quite the artist - her newest art form is "Shoujo", or Japanese style comics. She's actually quite good at it. I could totally see her being the first world famous female comic book writer!
Monkey1 is very kind to other people and tries very hard to help others and make them happy. I'm proud of how great she is at being a friend and putting others first. That was one of our big goals in raising her of course, but it is neat to see it actually happen.
She is an obsessive reader and knows a lot about just about everything. I am often surprised these days when she comes to tell me some fact she learned about some historical event or some scientific discovery. At some point I ceased being the only teacher in our house and she snuck into that role as well! It is incredible to see her learning and to realize the real breadth of her knowledge. She's constantly learning - she's one of those kids you couldn't STOP from learning even if you wanted to.
This year she has started learning to cook, along with learning the violin. This was the year she had two big solos in the Church choir and really came to understand that her voice is a gift from God and should be used for His glory. This year she has grown so much in maturity that often she seems like a little adult [and sometimes she seems like a sullen 15 year old...but that's a different post. LOL!].
All in all, she is an amazing, enjoyable, completely lovable young lady who I am so proud to call my daughter!
Happy Birthday Monkey1 - you are AWESOME Baby Girl!!!!!
.......
And here is a pic of Gemma "Monkey6!", so you can see she's *growing*! WOOHOO!!!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Gemma's First Days
Above is Gemma sleeping - aren't they all so beautiful when they are asleep?! :)Below is a picture of her tiny little feet. I am amazed by these teeny feet ... I don't know why, but they are the tiniest, most perfect things I have ever seen!
My dad and mom came over and we celebrated my dad's birthday. Here is dad below with sweet Monkey3 and Monkey5 sneaking a bit of frosting!
Here is my mom with all the kids:
Here is my dad getting to hold Gemma for the first time - a pretty cool birthday gift IMO!
Here is Monkey1 holding Gemma - look how tiny she is in her arms!
Last week we started Homeschool Band, which has been a GREAT experience so far! Monkey1 is old enough to be in "orchestra" and she has chosen to learn the Violin. She has been in love with the violin since she was a very small child [Vivaldi has always been her favorite composer]. So, the violin seems a fitting choice for her for sure. Here she is with her violin:
Monkey2 is in the "Recorder" class, and he is *fascinated* with his recorder. He is practicing it all the time. He only got his recorder on Friday and he has already learned one song. He is supposed to practice for 10 minutes a day, and he is practicing for more than an hour. He's so cute and so enthusiastic!
Monkey3 and Monkey 4 have a little kid music class while the big kids are in their classes - their class is sort of a "Kindermusic" type class and they both really love it. Though Monkey3 is already learning to play the recorder too because her big brother is teaching her -she is very eager to get her own so she can play with him. I may just buy her one so they can learn together - like they do everything else!Below is Monkey2 putting together one of the complex lego sets he got for his birthday last month. It would drive me INSANE to have to put together something like that, but he loves it. He amazes me at his little engineering brain... once he got this whole thing put together, then he took it apart and designed and constructed his own space ship designs from the pieces. [He is on the top bunk of his bed in case you are wondering - the only "toddler safe" place in the house! LOL!]
I am doing OK. Recovery has been awful - it turns out that I have a uterine infection. My incision has healed well, but the inside still hurts like crazy and I have a horrible "flu like" body ache and alternate between chills and sweats. *sigh* I am on antibiotics now, but so far [48 hours into it] they aren't helping at all. DH is getting a little freaked out that I'm not responding better. Hopefully it will just take a couple of more days.
It is really killing me to be "down" this long though! I am the kind of person who "hits the ground running" after every birth [not so much because I want to I guess, but because I *need* to] and it is very difficult for me to be "laid up" for this long - we are two weeks post surgery now and I want to be "back to normal".
I hope the antibiotics kick in soon. Leave it to me to get an infection and make this as hard as it could possible be. Geez.
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