1 Week Down and Alls Well

Well husband, you have been gone nearly a week. Your family misses you. In fact Bear told me you hurt her feelings and broke her heart. She sure loves her Daddy and yesterday demanded to be dressed like a farmer...just like my Dad.

The boys sound like they have done alright in school. Big D informed me he broke up with Miss M and is now with Miss A. The former beau got angry at him too often. Apparently he moves on quickly. No longer wanting to marry the little girl who was going to marry a Tug Boat Captain his dream job is back to being a farmer. And yes, he received another lecture/reminder he is too little for girlfriends and figuring out who he will marry.

Bug tells everyone that you are gone to Oregon. Germany/Oregon...foreign enough. At a classmates birthday party he played Pokemon and is now making similar battle cards of his various interests.

The twins have been a bit clingy and at the same time more adventurous. They climb now and seem to look for opportunities to fall. The older children's rock collection is the bane of my existence. Mainly because they end up in the hands of our minis who put them in boots and pots and doorways.

I was supposed to start a new Bible Study tonight, but it wasn't well attended and there was a Parish Counsel Meeting which would have left me alone. We will try next week and if there isn't enough interest I will scrap it. The material is pretty deep and I am not sure I am smart enough. Perhaps I should look into the Bible for Dummies? Is that a thing?

Anyway Week 1 summary.
Friday we ran errands and checked out books at the Public Library. They may need to build a new wing for all the books they are getting in for Bug.

Saturday the boys went to a birthday party. I spent 2 hours mowing the lawn and getting a sunburn.

Sunday I relied heavily on anyone near my pew at Mass. Everyone gets a baby! We also went the the PTAs Bingo day. The prize for a BINGO was picking out 2 books, picking an additional 5 before leaving and everyone got doorprizes.

Monday was a low key day. We didn't do much.

Tuesday while the boys were in school I took the girls to Glendive to visit my sister and pickup pallets for our future backyard playhouse. It rained and I discovered our sump pumps weren't working. The outside one just needed plugged in, the Basement one Neil got the float unstuck. This week I will pickup a new one.

March Twink Stats

Gracers has been walking more this week. The older kids have been competitive on who has witnessed the most consecutive steps. 10 steps is the most Mom can confirm, bragging rights of big brother swells the distance of her journeys at each telling.

Meekers has taken a few steps, but is generally more inclined to dive towards arms rather than walk. She cruises along everything and has an crawling speed.

Gracers has been sleeping through the night, Meekers did once this week. Bear still doesn't sleep all the way through the night as a 3 year old, but I am trying to be optimistic that 2017 will be the year of restful nights.

There Cannot Be Only One

My view everytime I am feeding only one baby and the other notices.

I guess our motto is tandem feeding or tears.

Coming to a Bookstore Near You!

My 7 year old is making how to books today. The back page has "coming soon" and listing his other books, currently out and up and coming. I haven't explained copyrights yet, which may effect things.

The instructions range from incredibly detailed to vague. His first book has the 1st step as opening the book. Step 2: turn the page and read all other steps. The next 3-5 steps deal with finding and gathering supplies, with a helpful note that it will be hard and some items might be mistaken as garbage. Also getting yourself a secret lair to keep the creations. Several items needed in the two books I have been allowed to read: a bobby pin, popsicle sticks, glue, a broken christmas light, and the top of a Yummy Tummy drink (have your mom/dad buy you one. Then drink it, but don't throw away the lid.)

We are showing his work to trusted family and friends first before pursuing a publisher.

The Bedtime Hour(s)

The time of excuses, and "need to tell you something", quarrels over how far open the bedroom door should be or if it should be shut, and a healthy dose of crying. Drinks of water pleas and numerous trips to the bathroom, and some more crying.

Nursing babies, tucking in a toddler, bedtime prayers, and reminders for lights out. Hoping to get the dishwasher loaded but valuing any possible minute of sleep more.

Trying to hang on to the small string of sanity that began fraying 45 minutes before the whole routine started.

Attempting to remember who has showered and who needs to. Feeding the family members who come home from the farm after bedtime and getting them to take off their muddy clothes before they dive on a couch. Get them cleaned or fed first?

Getting the twinks settled and my husband asking a question. Doesn't he know by now if the sense me move or hear my voice they wake up and the crying starts all over!? Resisting the urge to say "your turn to parent" and remembering he has been working for the last 14 hours and is tired too.

At the end of bedtime prayers I ask everyone in the family to pick one thing from their day they were grateful for, the best/favorite part, and thank God they were able to experience it. I do this more for me. I am emotionally spent at this point and it can be hard to feel grateful. There really is so much to be grateful everyday though.

A Lesson in Giving

Last night I took the boys to the basement with their tote we use as a toybox. I dumped it out along with all the other toys downstairs. A few side notes: toys that a parent had to pickup went in a garbage bag and was relegated to life in the basement. Also, prior to our descent, I had thrown away all broken toys and sorted out a good share that were long gone and donated to St Vincent's Thrift Shop. The remaining toys were to be sorted in 3 totes of equal size.
1) Toy box for everyday play
2) Donation
3) Storage/Rotation/Sentimental Toys

Box number 1 was quickly filled, the other two remained barren. I dumped the toy box again and delivered a pep talk. I would take care of toys for the girls. Each boyo would pick 10 toys per basket. Then we would repeat the sequence in groups of 5 items.

Oh the tears shed of forced discarded favorites. How an item not meritting a rank in the top 20 still qualified as "one of my favorites" and "so special to me" astounds me. Items one child donated were plucked out by the other and traded for items in another tote. More tears, more gut-wrenching decisions. It was painful all the way around. Reminders that sets counted as one item, whether as a keeper or a donation. My oldest is clearly more attached and sentimental. With cries of "How could you want to donate that?! It was a Christmas present!" After a few rounds I deemed the rest would be donated. More sobbing and wailing. Another Oscar-worthy speech about children in the world with no toys to their name and witnessing children with 2 totes full crying about parting with toys they had forgotten existed.

Honestly it wasn't the warm fuzzy life lesson I was hoping for. Hearts weren't filled with the joy of giving.  wasn't a patient parent carefully imparting and passing down wisdom to my offspring. After taking their box of treasures back upstairs, my son's Catholic guilt reared its head and he decided he should have given more and been more generous. I wouldn't describe him having a relieved face when I said we could always give more and sort through toys again on another day.

This morning though I deemed the mission a success. Bear alone has been a carpenter, doctor, batman, and princess before my cup of coffee was cold. The boys have been more interested in playing in their room than begging for more television time. The amount of toys are more manageable and easier to keep picked up and apparently more fun. Win-win-win.

For a better lesson of giving, I am considering taking the big 3 shopping to pick out a toy or two to donate. And putting together a shopping list for groceries to take to the Community Cupboard. Experienced parents, please share how have you taught your children to be generous and giving?

Wild Free & 3