Day Fourteen

Our friendly little grocery store.

Walking his baby sister.

December 14th started out as a lighthearted, fun day for us and the rest of the country I imagine.  It was only when I scrolled over to Yahoo to see what the rest of the world was doing that the day shifted dramatically.  20 children murdered in an elementary school in Connecticut.  11 days before Christmas. Children.  Babies.  Needless to say the day went down hill right there and I struggled to keep it together for my children, my babies.  I mourned, I cried, I tried to find some reason, I ranted online and on the phone and then finally I had to pull it together for the children.  We decided to take a walk into our little town and to the grocery store where we took our 9 dollar bills, each with a little note on it, and hid them, three apiece, all around the store.  Upon leaving the clerk asked us "Did we not have what you needed??" ... I explained that we were on a little acts of kindness mission and she said "OH!  It was YOU guys who stuck the bag of money to the pop machine?"  I had to admit that yes, it was us..."Well"  she said "We did it too!  We refilled the bag!"

The loot.

I was talking to a friend today and she said how quickly one person can change lives by destroying them with an assault weapon and yet how slowly one can change lives with kindness.  It's true, it's a very small step, but as long as we take that step and then someone takes another step right behind us, then we can get there in the end.

Hug your children.  Never let them go.

My babies. (and the dog!)

Jack wanted to take a pic too...

Day Thirteen!

I may sound a little more subdued tonight.  It's called a sugar coma.  You'll be able to guess why when I tell you my stunningly stupid  clever  idea for an Act of Kindness today.  See, most years we bake cookies and take them around the neighborhood, leaving them on doorsteps on Christmas Eve.  One year I made a batch of fudge, bought some fun dishes, wrapped the both in fancy plastic wrap ( I can't think what it is called!!  It's on a roll, it's different colors, it's see through.... OMG... sugar coma...!!)  anyway, I made it look pretty and gave that out instead of cookies.  Well, the lovely lady who runs the post office REALLY loved the fudge.  I remembered her mentioning it, so I made a big batch of fudge today intending to give it to her as a random act of kindness.  I made up the fudge, (chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanuts, Heath bits, raisins, ....!!) put it in the fridge to set, bagged it in a cute Santa bag... but.... alas.... there was quite a lot left over.  Wisely I made up another bag for a friend I was going to see in Drama class this afternoon.  ( we ballsed up the time, missed the whole thing... I still have the bag of fudge in the pantry....  this could be bad.... ) Anyhoo... even after the second bag... there was STILL fudge left.  Well I don't know about your house but in our house, if there's fudge... well, let's just say there wasn't any for long.  To be honest there is STILL some left ( note to self, next time, make less fudge ) but we have been doing our best to eliminate it from the house ( in the form of sticking it in our faces as much as possible. )   Jessie was the first to notice the side effects.  She was giddy and hyper for a while, pretending to be a dog, jumping on the couch, laughing hysterically and uncontrollably at first, and then, the crash.  She complained her body felt funny, her eyes weren't focusing and her head hurt.  S.U.G.A.R baby.  My eyes start to flicker from side to side at a rapid rate.  My heart rate accelerates and I can't spell or think!  It's not a stroke, don't worry, it's the FUDGE!!  It's GOOD fudge, but I have NO self control.  NONE.  If one piece of fudge is good, then surely half a pan is even better!!!   We tried to fix the problem with protein.  Scrambled eggs and cold chicken for all!!....  it hasn't worked!!  I MAY have to take the remainder and either a) pass it off to a neighbor or b)   throw it in the outside trash.  I could throw it in the inside trash but I MIGHT go crazy and try to fish it out!!!  (not really!... well maybe!!  Nooo!!!.... possibly.  Best to be sure. )

Anyway, it really was an Act of KINDNESS to give it to our lovely post mistress.... SHE has self restraint!!!  We went for a walk in the glorious "winter" air ( 50+ degrees?? Please. ) and took her her fudge! She was delighted.  We were pleased!  ...and a little sleepy.

oh fudge. 

:D

Day Twelve!

OK... today was another example of expecting one thing to happen and instead doing something else!  Firstly, it should be noted that today is 12/12/12.  Insert obligatory shot of kids and kitchen clock at 12:12 12/12/12......

We got our gingerbread baked ready for our Gingerbread House Day on Saturday then we headed out to Barnes and Noble to perform today's act!  

We'd planned, since it was 12/12/12 to get a copy of the Twelve Days of Christmas and give it to anyone in the store who had a 12 year old OR who KNEW a 12 year old!! :D  ....  our plans were somewhat thwarted when it was discovered that the only version of the 12 days was A Pirates 12 days of Christmas.  

 

That wouldn't have been SO bad but it was about 20 bucks!!   (The price of books in this country just staggers me.  In the UK books are SO inexpensive AND tax free...!!)   anyway....  It turned out that Barnes and Noble was having a book drive for the Children's Home in Lincoln.  They had a selection of books that you could buy and donate to the home.  We checked them all out and Jessie picked 
A Smart Girl's Guide to Sticky Situations.  It must have been a pretty good book as she read it all the way up to the checkout counter! We purchased the book and gave it to the clerk to put into the donations pile.  It felt like the right thing to do, even if it wasn't the original plan!  A stop by Trader Joe's on the way home to try the Dark Chocolate coated Peppermint Joe Joe's made the afternoon complete.... oh my....   where have those things BEEN all my life?!?!? 

The absolute kicker though, the piece de resistance, so to speak, is when my littlest girl LAUGHED for the first time in her entire (almost four months) life!!!  Yeahy!!  Life is pretty awesome around here!!

So there ya have it.  Day twelve!!  We are getting this thing down I tell ya! ;D 

Day Eleven!

Isn't it a STUNNING bus!?!?

Oh today's act was FUN!!!! : D  We took 9 $1 bills and wrote a little note for each bill saying  "Merry Christmas" and "random acts of kindness".  We headed to the bookmobile where we have spent many an hour over the years.  We hadn't actually been since the summer... it was SUCH a hot one and I was pregnant.  Pregnant and summer heat don't mix for me.  I stayed home in the A/C.  Well, we CERTAINLY didn't have to worry about heat this time! :D  It was COOOOLD as we headed out.  We tracked down the bookmobile ( it had changed locations since we were last there! ) and were amazed to find it was a totally different vehicle!!  A BRAND SPANKING NEW BUS!!!  Wow!  It was lovely!!  We hustled on board and the kids went giddy!  They LOVE the bookmobile and were so excited to scan the shelves and pile up books to take home.  I headed to the back of the bus to chat with the librarian, Becky, and also to select some of my favorite Christmas books.  Into nine of these books we slipped the dollar bills... somewhere in the middle of the book so it will be a delightful surprise to any little reader!  One book had a CD in the back and we hid a bill back there too... just to see if anyone listens to it!! ;D

It was really fun for some reason!  The idea that some little reader will be sharing the holiday spirit with Mum or Dad and will suddenly come across a whole dollar bill!! ;D  Warms my heart right up it does! ;D

Day Ten!

Today started out as one way and ended up another!  We had originally intended to go to the Goodwill Store and drop off a ton of donations, then whilst we were there we were going to hide dollar bills in the pockets of pants and coats so that people would find them when they bought them.  Then we got to thinking, finding a dollar isn't that big of a deal anymore, I mean it will be for children when we hide the bills in the Target toy section, but for an adult to find a dollar in a pair of pants well, it won't really raise any pulses.  I often find myself wishing I had $100 bills to hide!!  How exciting it would be to find one hundred dollars!!! ;D Anyway, we then thought it might be better to just hide ten dollars all at once for one person to find.  We taped two $5 bills together and added a note saying "Merry Christmas" and got ready to find a nice winter's coat we could seclude the loot in!

We got to the store and headed in, looking for winter coats.  ...  ...  ...  No winter coats.  Really?!?  Really.  I didn't see any anyway.  Hmm.  We continued to browse the store and the kids picked out books they wanted to buy.  I noticed an older man shopping too.  He looked through the houseware section, he was in the sweater section and finally I noticed him picking out a pair of pants.  He's the one, I thought.   We hustled over there and I rather forwardly handed him the money and note and said "This is for you!!"  .....  "Why?"  he asked.  Suspiciously and not unreasonably in my opinion!!!  I explained that we were doing 25 Acts of Kindness and he said "Nooo.... buy the baby some formula!"  ( as a FERVENT Breastfeeding advocate I thought that was hilarious!! ) "We're fine there..." I said "She's a breastfed baby!" ... this left him no wiggle room so he took the money and smiled.  "Thank you!"  he called out.  "I'll remember this Act of Kindness and pay it forward" .....!!


Awesome. :)

Day Nine!

We made another batch of cookies today, Norwegian Butter Cookies no less!  They are so delicious and simple to make too.  It was Jack's turn to be "Santa" today so he put on his hat and coat and made ready to deliver cookies to the retirement home up the road.  It was about 26 degrees outside.  You'll note Jack's outfit...  Ahem.

Yes Folks, those are shorts.  And Wellington Boots.  And an enormous coat that will make you sweat.  Still, he was in the mood and Ho Ho Ho'ed with me all the way up there!!

Once we arrived we found a staff member and told her we had made cookies for the residents and staff.  She seemed quite grateful, if confused!  Jack said "Ho Ho HO!  I'm SANTA!"... she smiled at him nicely and we headed home!  Jack asked if perhaps we could have "warm chocolate milk" when we got back.  Not hot.  Warm.  I'm on it, Kiddo.  :D

We presented the cookies with an ingredients list also, incase any of the residents had any dietary restrictions. 

Day Eight.

Today Jessie had a partner in crime!!  Both girls donned Santa hats and headed out in the chilly air to find someone walking in town.  (I kept Jack home with me!! ) When they found someone the girls were instructed to hand them a bag of delicious Lindor Truffles and explain that this was a Random Act of Kindness.  Apparently the lady they stopped as she left the post office was most delighted at their offering and left with a big smile on her face! ;D  Mission accomplished!!!

Day Seven!

Today's Act was a quickie but appreciated none the less! ; D  We put a $5 Starbucks Gift Card in the mail box for our mail carrier, Becky.  She is so lovely and works hard all year long, a little unexpected pick me up should brighten her day we hope! ;D  

We were peeking from behind the curtains when she drove up today and she looked for us when she opened our mail box and found her treat!!  She waved and mouthed "THANK YOU!!" to the kids!  

Spreading the Starbucks love!! ;D  

Day Six

This was a cheap, easy and effective Act today!  We baked a big batch of sugar cookies and took them to the gas station where hungry folk on their way to work could help themselves to yummy cookies to go with their coffee!  Those who took one whilst we were there were very grateful!  Frankly I was surprised they let us leave them there and had banked on telling the staff to eat them for themselves if that was the case but the manager didn't seem to blink!  The benefits of small town living I think! :D

Day Five!

Today's Act of Kindness was heaps of fun!!

We bought 12 Candy Canes and made little cards that said "Something Sweet for Someone Sweet.   Join us in our 25 days of Random Acts of Kindness."  We cut two slits in the cards and poked the canes through.  We set them in a basket and Jack and I donned our Santa hats.  At the appropriate time he and I headed across the street to the bus stop where the kiddies were due to get dropped off home for the day.  It was pretty breezy out there but Jack and I amused ourselves and kept warm by jumping up and down and dancing as we waited for the bus.  Since we were both in our Santa hats, every car that went by felt obliged to wave to us for some reason!!!  It was hilarious to see them but of course we obligingly waved back!!   When the bus finally arrived Jack walked up to it and as the children departed he offered them each a Candy Cane and wished them a Merry Christmas.  The children were really excited ( and the children who remained on the bus were intrigued and probably frustrated...!  :)  )   If I'd have been thinking I'd have had enough for each child on the bus too, but I didn't this time.  (Hmm....  you can get those tiny candy canes... there's about 60 in the box....  *Note to self...!!)  The children were all smiles and very grateful AND there were three left so we each were able to dip one in a nice hot cup of cocoa when we got back home!

Perfect!

The Candy Canes ready to go!

My Handy Helper Hander Outer !

Passing out the loot!

Day Four

Showing the UPS guy some love!

We love our UPS guy and at this time of year we tend to see a lot of him thanks to online shopping!  On our way home from Target today we happened to spot him pulling into the Subway parking lot.  We turned our van around and pulled in behind him.  Jessie jumped out and handed him a $5 Starbucks gift card with a snowman on the front.  At first he was a little confused and thought she meant she wanted him to deliver the gift to someone else but she finally managed to explain! He was very pleased, thanked us profusely and wished us a Merry Christmas!  Hopefully he'll get himself something to keep up his energy with all the running around he's going to be doing!

Day Three!

Today's Act was an easy and fun one...!  We checked out the post office website and picked a book of stamps and chose this one...

At the post office we handed over $9 and a card that said "Share some Christmas Cheer on us and enjoy this random Act of Kindness as we count down the 25 days to Christmas." We asked the lovely Kathy, the post mistress, to hold onto the stamps and card and to give them to the next person who picked out the holiday stamps!  She seemed delighted with the idea and exclaimed "FANTASTIC!!" I like to think this will help someone keep in touch with loved ones at Christmas...! :D  (or pay bills... but, you know, sending Christmas cards is more romantic!!) 

Random Acts Day Two

Today it was back to our little grocery store again.. this time we needed some tortillas but we had another cunning plan! We had a little plastic bag with four dollar bills inside and a note we had written. We intended to paste this note to the front of the pop machine outside the store.  As we drove up we noticed a young girl trying to get a drink from the machine.  She was fishing around trying to find change.  We walked up to the machine and she stepped away, apologizing!  We reached into our bag and handed her a dollar bill.  She said "Oh no!  I'm fine!!" but then we explained she had to take it and showed her our little sign!  She laughed and thanked us.  She used the bill and bought a drink for herself and then, with the change, she bought a drink for the little girl who was with her!!  Jessie and I carried on and stuck up our bag and our little note and then went into the store and carried on with our business!  We both wanted to stay and watch what happened when people saw the sign but we also prefer the secret santa sort of idea where you just have to imagine what happens next!! ;D

Our little sign!

25 Random Acts of Kindness. Day One.

This year, instead of the usual advent calendars and such, we thought we'd try and different and exciting approach to the countdown to Christmas.  We are planning to perform at least one random act of kindness every day from the first through the 25th of December.

***DID YOU KNOW?!?! ***
Performing Acts of Kindness is shown to produce the hormone Oxytocin in the body.  This hormone is proven to lower blood pressure!  SO Act of Kindness are not only good for others but good for you TOO!!  Try it yourself and see!!!!

 Our first Random Act was pretty fun!  We went to our tiny local grocery store in our tiny town to buy a potato.  One potato.  I asked Jessie to run and ask the checkout lady how many people worked in the store.  She told her four.  When I went to check out I casually asked for the potato and five separate lottery tickets.  She gave them to me and rang me up.  I thanked her of course and then handed back four of the tickets!  She was a little confused of course but then we explained ourselves and said there was one ticket for each employee.  She was very excited and grateful!!  We left the store feeling quite giddy and looking forward to tomorrow's act!  

The Best Laid Plans and where to shove them!

Ever have one of those days.... I don't even know why I'm asking, I know you did... do... are.....!!  I woke up this morning thinking this was going to be "a GREAT day" !  I didn't know why, I just knew it was.  I had a PLAN, I made a LIST... I was Going To Get Things DONE.  uh HUH.  You're laughing already aren't you.  See?  I knew you'd understand.  As I sit here now, doing something that was NOT on my list mind you, I realize how much I was kidding myself!  When there is a baby in the house, getting DRESSED should be gold medal worthy.  Showered and dressed??!  Fuggedaboutit!!  Showered, dressed, house cleaned, laundry done ( AND put away!!) dinner ready, kids schooled, baby happy and learning new skills...?????   aha ha hah hah ahaaaaa!!!!!    Nope.  Not on your nelly.  Or anyone's nelly for that matter.  Ain't Gonna Happen.  And yet, dreamer that I am, I harken back to a time when Flylady and I were like THAT ( I crossed my fingers to indicate that we were TIGHT!!) .. my house ran like clockwork ( most of the time, it was one of those clocks that had to be wound once in a while! ) if I made a list BAM!!  that list got DONE!!!......   sigh.  Those days are no more.   And I should be glad of it too.  I have a BEAUTIFUL family to spend time on.  A gooing cooing baby girl who we all love to watch grow.  A blossoming teenager who actually LOVES to spend time with me, who physically CRAVES my attentions.  A girl I couldn't be more proud of.  And a boy... my Jack.... this kid can keep himself occupied all day long but at bedtime ... he wants me to sleep beside him every night.  He asks me to hold his hand whilst he falls asleep. He asks me to sing, he begs me to stay.  So today I didn't get my chores done.  I DID cuddle my baby.  I didn't get all the laundry washed I DID play Just Dance 3 with my big girl, I didn't get the Christmas decorations out but I DID spend time reading with Jack and working on his numbers.... oh yeah.... and I held his hand and sang him some songs at bedtime.  Of course I still have things that weigh on me... I didn't call my mother today, I really need to spend some time with my hubby and the kitchen dishes aren't going to wash themselves, but, really, all in all, it was a very, very good day.

25 Random Acts of Kindness.

The family and I were talking earlier about Christmas.  We thought it might be nice this year if we could perform an act of kindness every day from December 1st through the 25th.  We had a few ideas to start with, Jessie liked the idea of handing out free Gingerbread Men at the mall, but I'm not sure people would go for that...  We all liked the idea of paying for somebody's groceries, paying for someone's coffee, surprising someone with flowers, buying a big sack of dog food for a local animal shelter, buy a toy for a child at the orphanage, make cookies for the neighbors ( but we do that every year anyway...  ) ....  we just need to come up with nineteen more ideas!!! ;D   I thought if I wrote about it here, we would be able to keep track of what we do.  Jessie and I are really excited to do this!  We have done stuff like this before and it's always meant more to us than to the recipient!!  We almost feel guilty for enjoying it so much!!  If you have any good ideas, I'd love to hear them!!  Please do share! ;D

Shhhhh..... pretend I never left, ok? :D

So, we won't stop to count how long it's been since I last wrote a blog post...  But the fact that Jessie said today...."Perhaps you could blog about THIS Mom?" might be an indicator?!  Everything is going along nicely at our house.  We had our lovely baby girl, Millie, on August 13th.  She was born 3 weeks early but 6lb10, so bigger than my full term Jessie! :D Millie is getting along great, we all adore her of course, and she gets oooodles of attention.  Her smiles and coos are what are charming us at the moment and it turns out we can lose hours out of every day just talking to her and watching to see what she'll do next!  It's a good job she naps during the day or I wouldn't ever have chance to get dressed!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving....  tons of yummy food, simple, but good.  Each year I look at our plates and think, hmm... could have had more color, could have been more stylish, but each year I look at the pitiful amount of leftovers and figure I got it about right!!  It's time now of course to start thinking about Christmas..... !!  I'm excited this year because Millie will LOVE the lights, we call her Millie the moth because she sure is drawn to light.  I can't imagine how she's going to be dazzled by the trees!!!  I remember when Jess was a baby we'd lay her under the tree and she'd gaze in amazement at all the beautiful lights.... heck, I still do that!!!  We'll probably ( hopefully ) get our tree(s) this coming week.  I'm hosting a Craft / Christmas Project day next weekend and I'd like the decorations up by then... at least some of them anyway! ;D

There has been so much happening around here since I last wrote....  all and nothing if you know what I mean.  Rex doesn't have a job yet but he has some prospects in the pipeline and surely something will shake lose soon!  I'm busy with baby, Jessie is working on writing a novel.... she's doing NaNoWriMo ( National Novel Writing Month ) and Jack is busy kicking his families collective rear in Mario Kart Wii.  He is incredibly good at it... or we are exceptionally poor at it.... either way, he loves to win and the sounds of his playing in the basement carry up through the rest of the house!!

Anyway, I'm happy to have taken the time to write a little tonight.....  everyone else is sleeping and I can hear a Fringe rerun playing in the other room.  I'm thinking it's time I went to bed...  I'll no doubt be up again in a few hours with shortie, but it's getting longer between feeds so not too bad really.

G'night all.  Nice to chat.  Talk again soon.  (I promise!)

Half way through July already!!??!! :D

So I'm at 32 weeks and four days...!! ( don't forget those four days people!! ) Things are coming along nicely with baby....  I'm getting regularly kicked, HARD and some days I'm not sure what the little blighter is doing but my whole belly literally SHOOK like a bowl of jelly....!!  Of course no one else saw it happen and my description of it obviously didn't do the event justice as no one offered me much praise or any kind of award....!!

We've been doing a little hoop jumping lately with regard to midwives, OB's and that sort of thing.  Turns out "Times Have Changed" since VBAC'ed Jack nearly 10 years ago and having a baby naturally is considered "Dangerous" (sigh) My lovely midwife's office has joined forced with another group and the other group's providers, the hospitals and the insurance companies have basically put the kibosh on VBAC birth.  Pah.  and Fie.  I did a little research and found an OB who is ( sensible! ) more than willing to encourage me to VBAC.  Awesome sauce.  We did go the midwife's office today for a final goodbye visit and also ( yeahy!) another ultrasound.  They have those 3D ones.... so we know just what baby looks like!! : D  Baby is head down.... ( yeahy! )..... and...... um..... huge.   (not yeahy).   My other two baba's were, well, small.  I like 'em small.  I like babies to be teeny tiny little things, not to mention how much easier birth is that way!!!  Jessie was 6.6 when she was born and Jack around the 7lb mark.  This little one is already 5lb 3oz and is in the 97th percentile.  Holy heck.   At  this growth rate we can expect at least a nine pounder if it goes full term ( please be early, please be early!!)   I've thought for a long while that baby will be 2 weeks early, don't know why, just a feeling, .... that will make it about 8lbs....   yikes!!  I know that's not REALLY big or anything but it sure seems big to me!! :D Still, we have a healthy baby and that's what counts, isn't it!! ;D

Anyway, there's a little update for you... ! 

Toodles! ;D

23 weeks today! ;D

Not that I'm counting!!  Oh I'm SO counting! ;D

All is well with baby... went for another ultrasound last week and baby is spot on for dates and weighs one pound!!  ( ???  HOW can a baby weigh ONE pound yet I've put on MANY MANY pounds!!???  )  I'm showing as 4 weeks ahead or "Big for Dates" ...!!  I'm going to keep saying that after baby is born...I'm not fat, I'm just Big for Dates!! ;D

Not much happening around here this week.... last week was packed with friends and fun things going on... this week is a little quieter, but lovely just the same.  I got a lot of housework done yesterday so it's looking nice and clean again ( we'll see how long that lasts...) and the laundry is ALL DONE!!!  I KNOW!!!!

We did collect NINE Praying Mantis babies on Sunday and are raising them for fun!! ;D ( not profit!!) We put together an awesome habitat for them the other day ... it looks incredible!  I'll see if I can find a pic.....  Nope.   Bugger.  I'm hopeless at getting my pics from my iPod to my desktop....  grr.  I'll see if I can do it later... I have to write an article on how to raise Mantids too so I'll have to work it out sooner or later! ;D

Well I'd best get moving, have to get Jack to his speech therapy class!

Have a great week!

Checking in and pressing on!

Howdy all!! ;D

No particular point to this post ( oh really?  there's a point to all your OTHER posts?? )  just felt like checking in and passing a few moments with y'all!! :D  ( ok, what's with the Howdy and the Y'all???  Channeling my inner Texan perhaps???)

( Ugh, the dog is at the top of the stairs SCREECHING to get into Jessie's room!!)

Jess and Daddy are out at the lake and then going on to T'ai Chi day in town!  Sounds like fun!!  Jack and I are hanging out, I asked him what he wanted to do and he said he wanted me to play with him.... ooooh kaaaay...... !  I'm hoping that means clean the house and do chores or maybe some fun science experiments but we'll see what we can do!

I told the little guy that he was pretty dirty last night and needed a bath.  He sobbed "I DON'T WANT A BATH!!  I LIKE DIRT!"  He hugged me and patted my back and whispered in my ear... "Love me, AND my dirt!!"  How can I argue with that?!?!?   It occurs to me that both the males in my life tend towards the grubby and messy, but they are also kind and funny, generous and happy.  I'd prefer that over any smartly dressed grumpy meany any day of the week!

Baby is growing and kicking.... we're at the dreaded (for me) 21 weeks this week... once we're through this then I'll look forward to 27 weeks and after that I'll be able to finally relax! I've been trying to do prenatal yoga videos and have realized just HOW much tension I'm holding in my body right now.  SO stiff I feel like an 80 year old.  An out of shape 80 year old!!  I can barely touch the floor!  I'm hoping to find somewhere I can swim a few times a week, I think that will help me build some strength and also relax. :D

We went to a couple of garage sales yesterday and stopped at a homeschooling friend's sale.  We picked up some neat toys ( a Scooby Doo Chess Set for one! ) and some awesome science books with great experiments in them!  We were flicking through them in the car on the way home and again last night!  We are all excited to get started on trying some out.... the perpetual motion machine and the homemade lightbulb are top of the list.  After watching a PBS special last night Jessie, Rex and I are all psyched to try some experiments with solar and wind power and also to come up with some DIY energy saving ideas.  We took Jessie to her first Science Fair recently and she is all pumped to go next time..... everything is a potential science fair experiment at the moment!!

We're busy trying to coordinate some trips soon... My cousin from Australia is in the states at the moment with her husband and some friends.  They are traveling around the place from Florida to Georgia, Tennessee, New York and LA....!!  I'm hoping that they will be able to stop in Nebraska and say hi!  We haven't seen them since our wedding in ..... ( has to check the time line.....) 1996 !!  Sheesh that's been a long time so we have to get together somehow!!  We also want to make a trip to PA to see hubby's Uncle.  We were planning to go sometime soon anyway but he was suddenly taken very ill and  we actually thought he may die....   happily he survived some pretty major surgery so when he's a little stronger we'll do there to see him!!  THEN I want to go see some of my favorite friends, who though they have never met, actually live something like 45 minutes apart from each other in Michigan!  It's my 40th birthday in June and we HAD planned all sorts of big adventures to celebrate...   I think we're going to hold off on those until NEXT year as most of them won't be a great idea when I'm a big fat pregnant lady! So the road trips to see friends will be my birthday treat instead!!  I can't think of a nicer one!  Also our lovely friends / extended family from MN are coming to stay with us soon too.... !!  They are super flexible luckily so we'll fit them in as soon as we get an opening!!!   I love the idea of keeping busy.... helps pass them time if you know what I mean....  not that I'm counting the months, weeks, days HOURS or anything...!! ;D (3,192 hours.....ahem....)

Well Jack is busy running around in his underwear and flying a car about the house.  He's given up spying on me with his homemade periscope  ( I suppose my sitting here at the computer doesn't give him much entertainment!! ) and is now looking for something else to get into!  I'd best go entertain him for a while... or find him some "fun" and "Exciting" chores!!! ;D

Lovely to chat!  Talk to you again soon!! ;D Have a wonderful day!

This moment.

Trying to spend more time "in the now" and being inspired by soulemama and her post today, this is what we were greeted with on stepping outside this morning.

The glorious sun peeking through the trees with a blue, blue sky behind it.  The birds are singing away and Rex reports seeing 12 goslings at the lake paddling along behind Mama Goose.  HOW can anyone fail to be happy on a morning such as this?  True, I'm still not dressed.  Yes, I've been filling out Camp application forms and grappling with such topics as vaccinations and "is your child likable?" OK the dog is driving me BANANAS by acting as though someone has hidden a dead chicken somewhere in the house and she's running everywhere, whining, and looking for it.  Indeed, I have not yet had my morning cup of tea and sure thing, I wish I'd done some Prenatal Yoga this morning instead of stuffing my face with cereal like it was my last meal BUT, the moment I stepped onto the deck ( to wave like crazy people at my husband as he drove by on his way to town! ) I was filled with peace.  I thought I'd like to share it with you guys... you know, 'cause I'm friendly~like.  :D

I'm going to try and keep the image of the morning sun and the blue blue sky at the forefront of my mind today as I go about my day.  We'll see how long it lasts!!  Hope it brings a moment of happy to you too.

Easing back in ....!

Sooooo ...it's... what... late April....!! How are you all doing?? :D    Things around here are, well, .... things.   We're busy doing and busy seeing, kite flying days, nature reserves, frog and snake spotting etc.  Lately, with the warming of the earth, we've been out more at the lake and out in nature.  There's something wonderful about the outdoors that just gets right in there and speaks to your soul.  Certainly mine anyway.  Hubby goes out most mornings to the lake with a cup of coffee and his camera and he'll watch the geese and pelicans, he'll watch the mist rise from the lake and search for frogs along the banks.  Lately he's started asking me to go with him.  I'm honored to be asked to join him in his quiet place and the two of us set out together in the cool morning air and quietly take in the sights and sounds.  The other morning we were lucky enough to see Carp spawning in the shallows off the edge of a lake..  we stood for almost an hour and watched hundreds of huge fish thrashing around in the water.  I called the children and told them we were coming to pick them up... they needed to see this...  I'd never seen anything like it before and we all felt privileged to be able to see something so incredible up close.  

Baby number 3 seems to be coming along well.... kicking and nudging me into awareness each morning.  We lay together, Baby and I, each night before sleep and each morning before rising, I rest my hands on my belly and feel the movements as we both get comfortable for the night or day ahead.  One more week to go and we will reach the 21 week mark where my last pregnancy ended.  I'm surprised at how much this looming date has scared me.  I don't feel that there is anything wrong with this pregnancy whereas with the last one, I knew from the start it felt doomed.  I know that the loss was due to an infection which I do not have this time around.  My lovely midwife had us have an ultrasound at week 18 to be sure there is nothing that looks out of the ordinary and everything looks "perfect" but still....  I will be very happy to see the back of the 21st week.   Once week 30 arrives I think then we will feel safe enough to relax and prepare for a new little one in our lives.

So here we are, counting each day that passes and being grateful for each new day that dawns.  This is the way the summer will go by.  Hopefully I can get back into the habit of writing some more but if not have a happy and beautiful spring and I'll be back again soon enough.

Bonjour!!! As they say in France. A LOT apparently!

So!  This week's trend is Bringing Up Bebe...  (hmm... I should probably add a link here.. hang on a sec....  fumble click, fumble click....  Here ya go!  ) anyway, I'm sure you've heard about it... a book written by an American woman living in Paris ( Pareee ) and comparing the way American and French babies are raised.  I LOVE this book.  Love it.  I even wore a dress and put on dark eye make up yesterday because of it, I'm suddenly channelling my inner "Sniffy Parisienne"!!  I'm sure many of my friends will hate it... the book I mean, not my inner Parisienne, well... they might... anyway, I don't particularly care who else loves or hates the book suffice it to say it has relieved me of SUCH a lot of my pregnancy stress!  I can't tell you how depressed and just Ugh I've been and how horrible I've felt, guilty guilty guilty!!  It does seem to be very American to worry about things and I've certainly embraced that with gusto!  Is THIS safe?  Is THAT?  Can I eat this and not harm the baby etc etc etc....   For reasons you'll see if you choose to read the book, I no longer worry about any of it.  Worry???   Pah!  Non.  Kay ser rack ser rack !!! :D LOL!!!  

Anyway, this book also talks about eating French Style and all that sort of thing so the children and hubby are now enduring my latest whim, eating with COURSES!!! :D  We all seem to be enjoying it and benefiting from the added veggies and fruit.....!  We'll see how things work out.... if you know me at all you know that I am very much subject to the wind changes....! :D  Keeps things interesting for the children you know!! ;D

So there ya have it....  I don't have much else to share right now.... busy reading and making Le Menu.  :D  Super excited to see that Spring is just JUST around the corner though!!  ROLL ON those sunny Summer days!! ; D

***insert finger wave here!!***

Au Revoir !!! ;D A Bientôt! ;D

On donuts and dancing...... but without the dancing part.

***happy sigh!***   I have in front of me a glazed donut.  Soft, glazedy, doughy deliciousness.  Yeah  yeah Paleo Schmaleo.  I'm pregnant and all bets are off !!  This one is the first one I have had in months, but it won't be the last, oh no.  Ah... I keep stopping typing just to have another little bite and to lick the sugar off my fingers in an attempt to keep the keyboard relatively sticky free...!  Don't worry.  If I have to I'll lick the keyboard clean later too!

My day is looking pretty fine so far...  went out to Church this morning where Jessie's iPod, missing for a few weeks now, was returned to her.   Multiple attempts had clearly been made to break her password as she was apparently going to have to wait 22,495,386 minutes, or 15,621 days to try again.  Uh huh.  Unless you hook it up to the computer, which we did.  All's well!  We are curious where it has been all this time and wondered if our notifications to the pod every 30 minutes were what caused the finder to finally give up and return it!! ;D  What ever happened, I'm sure glad it did!  So yeah, iPod is found, donuts are being consumed... I have the kids on blankets and pillows in the basement watching Princess Bride again, I'm going to change into REALLY comfortable clothes (think pajamas I could answer the door in if necessary) and then going rest my butt on the couch with a Midsomer Murder or two, some hot tea, another donut ( what the heck, the kids shouldn't eat a whole one, they'll go INSANE) and my knitting.  Heck, I may even nap.  Man, no rest for the wicked eh?  No dancing either for that matter...! ;D

Oh my dear peeps... what chaos has overcome me over these past few weeks.   Everything seems to still be ok with the baby though I am going to have aged a good 10 years in these ensuing months.  I have some bleeding behind the placenta ( they think ) which means that every now and again I get a tiny bleed.  Yeah.  Just what every expectant mother with a history of loss needs... a little bleed every few days.  It's "NOTHING to worry about" ....  uh huh.  Tell that to my insides that drop every single time!!  Anyway, apparently it IS nothing to worry about and I should just get used to it.  Yeesh,   What a test of my faith this is !  I recently saw a wonderful Pinterest picture... a snarly wolf image with the words Bite Off More Than You Can Chew.... And Then Chew It !!!  I like it!! It's a good reminder.  Also... ahem.... it turns out that stopping mood altering medications cold turkey is not to be recommended.  I hadn't thought about it at all but those TEENY TINY pills I take pack one heck of a punch and by suddenly deciding to stop taking them when I found out I was pregnant... well that started what can only be described as a roller coaster of emotion.  A DOWN only roller coaster.  Perhaps a spiral would be a more apt description!  Anyway, suffice it to say it was bad.  VERY very bad.  I do believe this weekend was the pinnacle and that finally I have  made it through my withdrawals.  I am speaking to my doctor about it on Monday and hopefully she will agree that there is no need for meds while I am pregnant.  ( The meds are hormone regulators and pregnancy does that all by itself! ) anyhow... I'm sure that's more about me than you guys needed to know, but I do want to stress that should you ever find yourself in a similar situation, cold turkey is NOT the way to go!! Ooops.   

Hmm... let's see what else..??  Oh yeah... and then it snowed...!!  A LOT!!   ***happy sigh***  I do love the snow and one does sort of expect it in winter...I mean in Nebraska !  You might not expect it in the tropics, but I would grow bored without SOME change in environment throughout the year!  As you may have noticed I still haven't figured out how to get photos from a Mac onto my blog ( help!!? ) but BOY do I have a ton for you once I get it figured out!!  

My knitting is going well though I have way more ambition than follow through. I have a tendency to pick up the needles and fall straight asleep!   I have a stack of very simple ("Simples!" ) knitting patterns I want to make.... and...um..... that's about it!!!  I started the socks... and then stopped!  No fun!!!  Tooooo tiny stitches.  So I started my tunic!  I'm still working on that and will be for a while..it's huge... but at least it's pretty simple so far!!  I like my knitting projects fast and easy! ;D  ( shush you. )

Well.... there ya have it.... a whole lot of nothing when seen on the page but boy... it adds up to a full week nevertheless!! 

Catch ya next time folks!  :D 

I have not forgotten you, friends!! ;D

Sorry to have been absent lately!! THINGS have been afoot!! ;D  Turns out it's not caffeine that makes your boobs sore.... nah..... nothing that simple..... it's teeny tiny babies that make your boobs sore!!!  Yup!  After 6 years of thinking we were out of the baby making business... SURPRISE.....!!!  Aie aie aie!!  We are very happy but a little nervous given our rather lousy history at getting babies to full term!  This little one looks good though... We've got a nice little heartbeat going, all my pregnancy symptoms are ticking along just fine ( no throwing up thank goodness but I've never had morning sickness so that's no biggie! ) and we're just taking each day as it comes.  I figure it's best to just enjoy being pregnant and hope it lasts the 40 weeks!  I have also decided to try and find one thing each week to look forward to rather than counting the weeks pregnant!  It starts to go reeeeeally slowly if you count it!!! ;D  So.... next week I'm planning a date night with the hubs....  after that it's anyone's guess!!  Any awesome ideas for how I can pass the time!?!  I'm supposed to be "taking it easy"... no lifting, no chores, no nookie.... so horse riding and bungee jumping are probably out....  any other thoughts?!?!

Also, peeps, I HAVE planned to have my head shaved on the 10th of March!!  ( !!??) I'm trying to raise money for children's cancer research through St Baldricks ( get it?  BALD ricks?? ) so if ya fancy seeing me naked ( my naked HEAD anyway ) please feel free to donate on my pledge page....!  Wait a second...here's  a link!  I'm not good at fund raising as I hate asking people for money BUT I won't shave my head for less than $500 !!!   ( We're hoping to raise $1000 but we'll see how it goes!! )

Anyhoo folks, frankly I'm stalling as I'm working on some transcribing this afternoon and it's a bit of a tricky one!  I treated myself to a little time out and a bit of catching up on the blogosphere!

Nice seeing you again!  More soon!!  ( I suppose if I have to be sitting around I might as well spend the time typing eh!? )

xxxx

Hey there fellow earth dwellers!

Well yesterday was a fun and a busy one...! I'd forgotten about a bunch of appointments we had so spent the whole day rushing around playing catch up!  Had fun anyway and still managed to find the time to sign myself up to have my head shaved!  As you do you know?!?! :D  I'm going to try and raise some money for Childhood Cancer Prevention...  we'll see how it goes...but March 10th???  It's going to get pretty chilly above my face!!

Today was cold...12 degrees F.   We hunkered down, lit the fire and watched moves most of the day!  We watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off... I'd forgotten how much I love that movie!!! Don'tchya love a "Feel Good" movie once in a while?!?! ... so basically not a lot to report..I finished off a parer shawl have been working on so soon time to start the hat... (I'm stalling in case you hadn't noticed as I haven't followed this pattern before, but I know it will be lovely!  I'm just odd that way! ) I made a fabulous dinner of slow cooked chicken and potatoes cooked in Olive oil... the potatoes roasted on the bottom and then I mashed them with cream and butter...... oh boy!!   Slathered with chicken gravy we all ate like hogs!!!!  .... hmm... that should probably read differently.....  the chicken and potatoes we slathered with gravy, not us....!!

Anyway, now back to my blazing fireplace with a nice cup of coffee and some dark chocolate kisses!!!  Hmmmm!!! ;D

See you on the flip side, peeps!

Do you ever just sit at the keyboard LAUGHING?!?!

LOL!!  See!! I'm doing it right now!!  I find mySELF amusing!! :D   Nah... I just commented on something on Facebook and the whole thing made me giggle!  If you ever need a really good laugh and you have a VERY open mind, try Damn You Auto Correct.  Believe me, if you are even the slightest bit likely to be offended OR you are younger than 16 (JESSIE!!!  This means YOU Madam!!!) then steer clear and check out the funny animal sites instead!  Sometimes though DYAC will have me weeping hysterically at the keyboard!!  Yeah... it's that funny!!!  Anyway, that's not where I was going to start this post but it sort of evolved all by it's self.... clever eh?! :D

Today has been a bit of a roller coaster!!  Don't get me wrong, not like a HUGE screaming Six Flags roller coaster, more like the caterpillar one you see at the fair... the one that your smallest kid wants to ride, your biggest kid refuses to be seen in and you either a) have to cram yourself in for what amounts to a trip in a washing machine or b) resort to bribing the nearest willing teen to ride along!  Basically it has it's ups and downs, leaves you feeling a bit shaken up and bruised but over~ridingly rather silly.  

It all started in the wee hours.  A small boy, one who should probably still be sleeping in his own bed, stumbles into my sleep waving a 3000 watt flashlight in my eyes.  Eeeeesh.....   climb in then...... mind the dog !!!  MIND THE CAT!!!   THAT'S MY BOOB!!!!    ( I am not overly endowed but somehow or other every time the boy climbs into bed with me he manages to either lean on with his elbow OR ( and this has only happened the once ) STEP on my nipples!!!!   Honestly the trials of being a nice parent!! ;D   Anyhoo... in he gets and we all get back to sleep somehow.  Hours pass.... actually only TWO hours pass but still, ya know, there it is....morning is here....  or what USED to be morning when hubby went to work and had to get up at 6......  these days if we are woken before 8 we're all grumpy and frustrated "What TIME is it?!!?  Wha???   Seven FIFTY???   What's the emergency?!?!"  so anyway... up early.  Hubs is a wonderful guy and takes Jackster downstairs to occupy him and I.... ( wait... Occupy as in keep him entertained not as in camp out in his grill.... just saying....  ) ... I went back to sleep!   ;D

I was actually pretty tired as the previous night I'd had a hard time getting to sleep.  An "incident" on Facebook was haunting me....   You know I try to be a nice person... I try to get along with everyone.... I'll ignore just about ANYTHING to keep the peace!  I try to say the right things, help people out but there will always be SOMEONE ... someone who takes you the wrong way and basically Hates Your Face !  I have someone like that and she was making me ill with her ways!!  I couldn't sleep worrying about it so consequently this morning took the chance to make up for lost sleep.  When I did get up I was still a little fractious!  ( I know!  I kept telling myself... Let it GO woman... ) so, looking back on it, it probably wasn't a good time to get into a heated discussion with my husband about the right way to teach my daughter math...Especially because I HATE math!!!  It DID result in us going to our separate corners to let off steam and then coming up with a super compromise whereby I don't have to teach math any more and he does!!!  Schweet!! ;D ... So.... there was that.  

Hubby then decided to go out for a while and take some photographs so the kids and I were left to our own devices!  Just how I like it on a weekday I might add!! ;D   We did crazy things like PLAY TENNIS.. in January!?!  I heard someone complaining of the HEAT in the sun... and was shocked to realize it was ME!   I should stop going on about how hot it's been because we are due for a rapid cool down tonight... that can easily result in tornadoes and all kinds of nasty...  let's just not mention it eh? :D  

I got my scarf finished for the Special Olympians and chose to send it to South Dakota since Nebraska isn't participating in the scarf program this year.... (???)....  and we LOVE South Dakota... so that's where we mailed it!.  I took my pooch for a lovely walk in the hea..ooops..... street (!!) ...  only to have her attacked by two large hoooonds!   I saw them running towards us and kept saying to myself... they must have invisible fencing.... they must have invisible fencing... they must haaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!   Nope.  The dogs did not stop and charged hell for leather right at us.  I shrieked a lot and yelled a lot and finally hustled Lucy out of there.  Poor little dog's heart was going a mile a minute!!

Once home again the rest of the day proceeded pretty much as normal. I DID however ( thanks to my darling friend Apes ) manage to figure out the Facebook issue!!  I had not realized I could BLOCK a person and they can no longer see me... and I can no longer see them!!   Once I managed to do that a literal weight lifted off my shoulders!!  My stomach relaxed, my heart slowed and I basically "unclenched"  ...!!  I really think that Facebook can be quite a Viper's nest if you don't keep your wits about you!!

The same said Apes also sent me a fabulous link to a Rube Goldberg machine that used all manner of devices INCLUDING A LIVE HAMSTER (!!) to turn a page of newspaper!!  We LOVE that kind of stuff over here and Jack watched the thing over and over and over again!  He was determined to make one of his own and sketched out a plan of him and Daddy launching several balls!  He built a device using a piece of wood, a "grabber", a frizbee and various and sundry other items and could not go to bed as he had to work on his contraption!  He even asked if he could take an iPod to bed in order that he might be able to continue his work!!!   That kid!  He's a hoot!


And that brings me to now.... the kettle is hot once again, the kids and pets are all sleeping, the house is quiet... time for murder??  Oh yes!

LOL!!    Night night!

Another day... another day.....!! ;D

Well these days are tending to run one into another right now!!!   Having a husband out of a job and being home a lot of the time tends to make it hard to remember what day it is!!! ;D   Hubs went out for the day today though so it was a bit more "normal" around here!  I had taken some Benadryl last night and slept like a ROCK!!  I'm not exactly sure I moved a muscle all night long!  I was a tad hungover when finally FORCED to get up at 9:30.....  ahem......  :}

A friend posted a link on Facebook this morning to Bohemian Rhapsody and I made Jessie watch it!!  I amazed myself by singing along to every word, and was thrilled at the complexity of the thing given how long ago it was made ( I say "How Long Ago" fully aware that I am as old as the song, so really, it was but a short time!!)   I told Jessie she HAD to watch it as it was something she would see or hear time and time again throughout her life and she needed to know where it came from!  I think I may have scared her a little bit.......

Moving on......!!

The weather was ridiculous hot again today ( for January I mean! ) and the kids spent the majority of the day outside. I love when they do that, especially when I don't have to "encourage " them to go out!!  ( I did have to "encourage" Jack to eat the delicious vegetable soup I made for lunch, but that's another story!! ) They played a little tennis, played with the neighbors cat and bounced the ball repeatedly against the wall of the house.   Ugh.  I have grown quite adept at tuning out certain things.... the hard time comes when I forget to tune back in!!

I decided to quickly walk the pooch to the post office so I could mail a ton of coupons to the military...  (One of my lovely neighbors actually cuts them all out for me... certainly speeds up the process immensely! )  I had to go fast as the post office was about to close.  Jack said he wanted to go too... he needed to get his shoes..... and a tissue..... hurry hurry........   He finally came running out the house, grabbed my hand and took off running down the driveway.  That boy is STRONG and he literally DRAGGED me down the street!!  

"Will we be running the whole way?!!"  I gasped.

"Yep!"  he yelled back.

Hmmm.   We got perhaps another half block from the house and he stopped and asked for a piggy back ride.  Hah.  I sent him home to Jessie with the promise of chocolate chips and continued at a far more leisurely (though somewhat speedy) pace to the post office!


When I returned from my walk (during which I witnessed a fire truck speed to a halt in front of a neighbors house...no fire..... : }  ) the children were happily engrossed in more Story Cubes!!  ;D  I took a picture, which, again, remains on the camera!  Patience little one... someday I'll figure out my Mac and how to get pics on the blog again! ;D

Anyway, I figured I'd had fresh air, I'd accomplished an errand, I'd made a healthy lunch, cleaned the kitchen and made a cup of coffee..... thus it must be butt sitting time, Midsomer Murder watching and more scarf making!! ;D  I'm done with the length of it ( yeahy for crocheting with a HUGE needle! ) and tonight I'm planning on putting on the fringe!  I'd promise pictures but you know how that goes!! ;D  

So folks, until tomorrow......  I'll bid you adieu.....  I'm thinking a nice slug of Kahlua in my coffee will mellow me out just right tonight!! ;D    Toodles!!!  ***insert finger wave here!***

A day of rest..... and recuperation

The kids and I started going to the Berean church last June and we really enjoy it there.  Jack goes to a "special room" as he calls it with other special needs children.  It's a small group with lots of lovely and loving adults who make sure he has such a wonderful time.  Jess goes to the youth group where, it appears, they fool around and play games, eat donuts and sing a lot!! ;D ( not really, but that's what it SOUNDS like! ) I sit in an enormous auditorium, right at the back, sing along to the music and listen to a lovely preacher.  I've always been a non believer until last June, even now I'm only a beginner so to speak.  I enjoy going, I love the church, I love the people.... I still have lots and lots of questions but keep going every Sunday without fail. :D  One thing I have really taken on board is the commandment to honor the Sabbath!  I hadn't ever realized that honoring the Sabbath even WAS a commandment.  I guess I grew up thinking that shops closed on Sunday just to give themselves a break.  A church friend commented one day that she tried to not even do laundry (not even do LAUNDRY!! ) on a Sunday....  well..... I picked up on that one right away!  FINALLY I have  all good reason to NOT do anything on Sundays.   I'm the kind of person that can't stand to sit still if there is anything else that I SHOULD be doing.  For the last few months I have worked hard to not work...!  Today I had planned to sit and crochet whilst watching my shows.  I wasn't going to clean the house, wasn't going to do laundry, wasn't going to do ANYTHING... yeah.....   I TRIED.....!!

We've all got the sniffles at the moment and I was feeling a bit feverish.  I could tell I was fevered when I put on two pairs of socks, two sweaters, a cardigan, my sweatpants, my slippers, my leg warmers and a scarf.   It was 52 degrees outside.  I thought sitting on the couch would be the perfect way to make myself feel better.  I sat... and started my show.  

.... tsk.      
....    
we haven't done our daily15 minutes outdoors.
......***sigh***.....    
I'd relax much more thoroughly if I KNEW I didn't have to go out again later.   I pause the movie, gather the kids and head out with the tennis ball.  We played catch.  The fresh air felt good, but I was still bundled and not feeling overly warm at all.   Once our game was over it was back to the couch to try again with the sitting and the not doing.    

Start the movie again.

.......shoot........

there are toys all over the floor......  I'll ignore them.

.......HOW can I ignore the toys on the floor??!?!?!  .......

....pause the movie......

.......pick up the toys.........

And so my day went.   By "not doing anything" I ended up emptying and reloading the dishwasher, running and folding ( but dammit AGAIN not put away...... **sigh**......) two loads of laundry, sweeping the fireplace, playing two games of story cubes with Jack, and other miscellaneous nonsense!!  Once the house was tidied to my satisfaction I did eventually get to sit down and rest......  whereupon suddenly I was overwhelmed with heat and had to stand up again to start stripping off the layers!!  At least the fever broke eh?!?!!? : D  

To be honest it really was a very peaceful day.....  I think a lovely cup of coffee would go down well right now..... I'll get one...... right after I clean off the dining table.......    ****SIGH!!*****

Saturday night's alright!!!

Hello again friends! ;D  OK, today I had planned to sleep in !!!   I know !!  I hear you laughing!!!!!   Jack came into bed with us about 2am and went right back to sleep.... only he woke about 7 asking me to get up and go downstairs ( down~a~nairs ) with him. I really didn't want to..... I really wanted to go back to sleep.... for hours and hours ideally......  He persuaded me.... he usually does.....   ***Sigh***    anyway, down we went.

There was absolutely nothing on the TV for children.... I can't STAND that weird YuGhiO stuff ( however you spell it... ) and that's all that seems to be on on Saturdays!  When I was a kid Saturday morning TV was the BEST.... here and now it's abysmal.   Anyway.... he chose to watch something on Netflix instead.  At first he wanted to watch Barney's Christmas Special but then thought he might like to watch Mythbusters (!!!  YEAHY!!!   That's SCIENCE people!!! ) my boy is really into science.  He loves to watch Nova with us and just adores Sid the Science Kid and Curious George!  Anyway, the first myth this morning was all about whether a cell phone can blow up gasoline when you are pumping gas ( it can't!  ... it's the static discharge from returning to your car during pumping..... ) and I wanted to find out whether it was true or not, so I ended up snuggling on the couch with him watching Mythbusters instead of going back to bed!  Jessie came down later and she TOO got caught up with the mystery that is Jamie and Adam.   I occasionally made motions to go back to bed but was persuaded to stay downstairs.  Finally hubby stumbled down too......Yup..... he joined us watching Mythbusters!!  A regular impromptu Pyjama Party!

Sure, we eventually got dressed... I worked my way through MULTIPLE loads of laundry (ugh, which I have just remembered are still stacked neatly in my bedroom and not at all put away.... ) I cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher several times, chatted on the phone, played words with friends, put away the stragglers of Christmas decorations, helped Jessie with her math, and played real life Angry Birds with my boy and helped him with his experiments in physics!  I also later played Story Cubes with Jack.  I'd bought them for Christmas and thought they would help him form sentences and follow ideas.... they work perfectly!  It couldn't be better!  He was so thrilled to be able to make up stories!  We each made up two stories and then I put the cubes away!  Leave 'em wanting more is my theory!!  He did NOT want to stop playing ( yeahy!) so we all went outside for our daily 15 minutes and played catch some more!  Jessie has SUCH an arm on her!  Sometimes I refuse to even TRY to catch the balls she throws!  She'll have my arm off!!!  Rex came out and played too and Jessie loves that!  She gets to throw as hard as she likes to him! ;D

And now the night time is upon us!!   Both kiddies are quietly sleeping, the TV is burbling in the other room and my iPad keeps telling me I have Words with Friends games to play!  I have made myself THE most decadent cup of hot chocolate I've ever had in my life 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup milk with dark chocolate broken up and melted within...... hhhmmmmmm!  It's part of my new healthy eating regime!!  For dinner tonight I had a fried egg and bacon!!! Oh yes....  I totally did!! :D Anyhoo folks, time once again for some crocheting by the fire, a little TV, some high tech word games and a sip or two more of chocolatey goodness!! ;D  "See" you tomorrow!  Sleep tight!

Another lovely day!

Had a lovely day today, slept in a little bit, chatted on the phone with Bestie Lisa AGAIN, chatted with my Mum AGAIN... played outside with the kids AGAIN.... hmmm... I'm seeing a trend!!!  I DID go yarn shopping ( whoo hoo!!) and picked out lovely yarn for the hat and the socks I'm determined to make!  I also bought a book on Amazon today on sock making so once that gets here I'm going to get started on them!  I also bought some yarn to make a scarf for the participants in this year's Special Olympics!  I've already made a good start on it and it's coming along nicely!  Got to LOVE crochet for a quick do!! ;D (I'll try and get some pics posted tomorrow... I always leave blog writing until last thing at night and then am too tired to upload pics!  )

We had a delicious dinner, watched some TV together and then the kiddies went off to bed.  Now it's time for hubby and I to cuddle up on the couch together and watch a good old fashioned British Murder Mystery.  How romantic!! ;D

and what a lovely day to spend in court......!! :D

Now THAT got your attention I bet!! I HOPE it did anyway! I don't want to be the kind of gal where the statement "I spent the day in court" is greeted with anything but horror and dismay!! ;D Actually we had to be in court this morning by 9am as a neighbor was involved in a car accident and had asked us to go along and testify to how awful the hill outside our house is! It was a fun and fascinating experience for Jessie and myself ( you know how homeschoolers are !!) and I'm sure it's much easier to be in court when it's not your neck on the block! As it was we have to go back again next month blah blah blah so we will look forward to doing that again! It's really quite fascinating and moves VERY quickly! They must have got through at least 10 cases in a mere 20 minutes and the judge spoke so fast and so quietly it was quite a trick to follow what was going on!

Anyhoo after our morning's outing the kiddies and I went home whilst hubs went on to Omaha for the day. I fought the laundry again for a while whilst simultaneously chatting with my bestie from Michigan! Our chats are always long and lovely and I miss her so much since she moved away YEARS AGO!! Another friend of ours came over to visit with her lovely daughter and the kiddoes all played in the sunshine and on the Wii in the basement as she and I sipped tea and yapped a while!!.

After our friends left I had a long chat on the Gmail chat thing with my Ma and then the kids and I played catch for 15 minutes before taking a lovely walk in our short sleeves with the pooch. Honestly it was in the mid 60's this afternoon. It's January 5th people!! We saw lots of other people walking their dogs and everyone of them took time to voice their concerns about the lovely weather we were experiencing!! It's hard not to be cynical in Nebraska.... if it's really hot and sunny when it SHOULD be 20 below zero, then we tend to question if the world is indeed coming to an end OR what is hiding around the corner. I think we all expect to get slammed by a huge snowstorm or something, just to show us who is really in charge around here!!!

Our day was rounded off by a visit from another family friend who came for dinner and chatting! We really love having people round to visit and we are so lucky to have such special friends! And now I think it's time for me to hit the hay, or the sack... or maybe just go to bed... I'm kind of tired really!! ; D

Oh oh oh... I DID decide today what I'm going to spend my gift certificate to the Wool Shop on....! ( I know.... you've been on PINS waiting to find out, right?!?! ) I'm going to make THIS hat for baby Fiona ( no peeking Alicia!!) and I'm going to make myself a pair of socks!!! I've NEVER made socks and frankly I'm quite nervous to try... but this is going to be the year! I am determined! When I find a pattern I like I will get started... ALL I have to do now is choose the yarn..... yeah...... that will be a doddle!!!! :P

A promise is a promise... no matter how small....!

I promised my beautiful girl that I would write another post today! She loves to read my blog almost as much as I love to read her stories!

We had a fun day today... the weather was ridiculous hot, Africa hot... ok, not really THAT HOT but for January?!??! It was something like 68degrees!!!!!! WHAAAATTTT??? it's going to be 70 or more tomorrow!! Now that ain't RIGHT!!!! Nevertheless we took full advantage and spent some quality time outdoors. I think Jack wins the prize for most time out today since he took out his angry birds and pigs and played on the driveway for hours! Jessie and I joined him later and played another game of catch! I had gone inside to get the timer so I could play with them ( I know, I'm such a lame mother that I had to set a timer, but I had tons to do and and and.......) sigh. Anyway, I heard them outside... Jack was squealing and Jessie said "I can SEE her!! She's COMING!!" they were so excited I was coming out to play!! Bless them!! :D

The remainder of the day seemed to revolve mostly around laundry and getting the Christmas trees down. For some reason this year I was not unhappy to be taking them down... normally I put it off and put it off, but this year it seemed right somehow. Of course the trees are out but now there are garlands, decorations, wreaths, lights, figurines etc littering the dining table. Tsk. I'll get them put away tomorrow!!! The laundry is also a half finished project! It's always the same when we have company, the laundry is the first thing to suffer!! Well actually it doesn't suffer, it flourishes!!! The more people we have staying and the longer the stay, the more the laundry THRIVES!! ;D Hmmm.... that could be useful information for somebody! Maybe I could get a grant and prove that!!! :D

I've spent the day sticking to my no carb no sugar attempt ( one day!! Whooo hoo!!) I'm going to need more cheese. And eggs. And cream!! ;D I've promised myself one cup of coffee with cream and sugar every night as a treat so I am going to go and make that little monkey right now!!! The kiddies are sleeping, the cat has STOPPED howling at the front door ( I guess a neighboring fat cat came by for a peek in the windows!! ) and the house is quiet...... perfect time for a cozy cuppa then an early night I think!! ;D

Goodnight all...... 'night 'night Jessie....!! Love ya!!

xxxxxxx

Ahem. Happy New Year .... again.....!! :D LOL!!

It's not been QUITE a year since my last post!!!! LOL!!! Nearly, but not quite!! Funnily enough I was reading back through my old posts and they sound very familiar.....!!! Once again I find myself drawn to a more Waldorf~ish way of living. I just LOVE reading soulemama's blog and I am inspired and drawn to her lovely and peaceful ways of living and parenting. I have recently taken up knitting again and have a gift certificate for a lovely wool shop in town. The only thing to do now is to pick a project.... not that that is hard to do or anything...... sigh....!!

Christmas was wonderful.... Mum was here to share it with us and our friend Jay came over too. New Years saw the Bayer / Hrdlicka gang here with all 5 kiddies! Lots of fun and merriment. They left this morning and the house seems very quiet now!! We've had a full and fun 2011, lots of changes took place but the underlying stuff all stayed the same, happily.

I have had some thoughts about 2012, I really want this year's theme to be "Meaningful". I want our days together to have some sort of depth. I love the thought of winter days sitting in the warm, knitting, reading together. I want us to explore the outdoors with chilly cheeks and returning home to a house that's peaceful and comfortable. We have just taken the 15 minutes outside challenge from this lovely blog and the kids are thrilled with the idea! To be honest they spend at least 15 minutes outside everyday, but this way I have to join in!! ;D I will no doubt have Pinterest posts to share since that has become one of my new passions. Our family may explore the pros and cons of whether or not to get a new dog after sadly losing our beloved Brecon this fall. There will probably be some homeschooling posts and some dietary posts as I am leaning towards a low carb approach this year. Perhaps some adventures will be in our future too.... I'll keep you posted.

It's good to be back!!