Technology

I just entered into George Jetson time!

I remember watching the Jetson cartoons growing up and thinking how cool they were will all their technology. I can even sing you their theme songs as we speak! I vividly remember thinking how cool it was that when they talked on the phone, they could see each other. I heard that this could be done back when I was in college, and I thought it was soooo cool, but something that was still unrealistic to the average Joe.

And then I got an iPhone. I LOVE my new phone. I didn't need one. But as my dad explained it, I also don't need a washer and dryer and I still have one. I am having so much fun with all the little tools and apps and I am convinced I will be much more organized and never miss another appointment again. EVER. And to the gals that I visit teach, I'm sure you will be grateful not to be stood up again. (Okay, I only did that once and I felt horrible!)

Tonight my sister called me. And I could see her while she talked and she could see me while we talked. It was so cool. Her hair was nicely done and she had make-up on and was in her tidied up home. The scene on my end was quite different. I stayed home from church with a very sick baby that practically cried all day for the last four days. I didn't have make-up on let alone the proper clothing. He isn't eating well so I am fighting mastitis (ouch!). And I hadn't cleaned up after supper because I had a sick baby that wanted to be held. (And I am stretched thin and really figured the dishes could wait) Oh, and the mountain of laundry was folded, just not put away. Not to mention I hadn't cleaned up after 8 bodies running around this home. And Bonnie got to see it all.

George Jetson style! It really was cool. I just hope Bonnie was more enthralled with our conversation than the scenery!

Leapster Explorer

Spencer is absolutely in love with the present Santa brought him, his Leapster Explorer. I am not one who really is much an advocate of gaming. In fact, I am rather opposed to it. It really depends on the day. I justified the Leapster because both Camie and Danielle have one and it is somewhat educational. And although I really don't like gaming, must my whole family suffer? Maybe. But I have to give a little. I don't like television and we still have one.

When my children turn the nice ripe age of four, I begin reading lessons with them. If you want to know more about that, I have other posts. To motivate my children to work hard and complete their lessons, I have incentives. Or you could call them bribes. Either way I get great results.

Spencer has really done well with the reading lessons. I wondered how he would do since he was a boy. Many have told me boys are so different and although my girls were able to do the reading lessons with success, I may find it quite different with my boys. Spencer has actually been easier.

The incentive I have with Spencer is when he finishes 20 lessons, I buy him a new game for his Leapster. I got him a game after 20 lessons and then another one after lesson #40. When he finished lesson #50 he was so excited and I couldn't figure out why. He kept reminding me on lesson #49 and then #50 and would bring me the lesson book and sit down next to me and do a lesson while I folded laundry. He was quite persistent. And then he asked if we could go get his game. I was confused until I realized he thought he had earned the game. He had only finished one row (of 10), not two. I think he went to his room and cried when I told him he hadn't quite earned it. I even got on Amazon and ordered it because I felt so bad for him.

Evan kept me strong. I told Evan the situation and he asked if I had gotten the game for Spencer. I told him I ordered it and he made me feel like I could wait it out for the original plan of 20 lessons per game. So I did. This week Spencer finished 10 lessons! Several days he did 2 lessons! That is unheard of! I was starting to worry that too much information was being thrown at him too fast. But he did really well.

We finished the last lesson tonight, #60, and he proudly earned his game. He has been playing it for the last two hours and Evan finally had to take it from him so he could go to sleep. Knowing Spencer, he will wait up until Evan falls asleep and go get his Leapster and go hide under his covers and play for another few hours.

It is so rewarding to see Spencer work so hard for something. He is such a smart and determined boy. And the games are educational so if he happens to play all day while I tend to a crying baby, fold and put away mountains of laundry, or pick up toy after toy after toy, it is okay. Right? He is learning . . something.

And if we keep going this way, he may be an almost deadhead from gaming, but he will know how to read.

Love Bandits

Several months ago, we had a fantastic talk in Primary. It was one of those that have blessed my family over and over.

It was a talk about some "love bandits". These love bandits were sneaky little things. They went around doing good and then leaving a heart to show they had been there. These "love bandits" often strike in my home leaving hearts on my bed that is now made. Or in the freshly cleaned playroom. They can be found randomly around my home. And I am not the one doing it! My sweet little children decided to be love bandits all on their own and it makes my heart sing!

I came home last week and found the "love bandit" had struck my backyard: They cleaned up all the toys, attempted to sweep the back porch, and had even washed the play set. Now washing the play set is something I seriously don't do. And then they left their signature heart on the back patio, drawn with chalk. Oh how I love those love bandits.

Of course it didn't take long for Nathan to decide he wanted to "make smoke." I about died laughing when he told me he was making smoke. Want to know how to do it? You take dirt clauds, break them up with your hands when it is windy, and it makes smoke. So ingenious. So much that it kind of undid the sweeping job of the back porch. Left remains from the smoke making project all over the picnic table. But it took gave him several hours of entertainment. So worth it.

I just wish I had taken the love bandit picture before Nathan made smoke.

Spencer learns . . .

Last Saturday I was informed that the night before, while I had taken Camie to a birthday party, that Spencer had learned to ride his bike. What!?!?!?! It was several hours into the afternoon and they had JUST decided to tell me. I had to see that cute little 4-year-old on his bike, so we went outside and he took right off.

So impressive!

But that is not all Spencer learned.

I was speaking at a baptism that evening so I had to prepare my talk. I was outside with him for a while, but I really could not stay out all day with him. We live on a busy street so he really can't stay out front by himself. Taneal took him around the neighborhood for a while. Spencer was just so dang excited to be riding a bike without training wheels and wanted to go for the day, not just for an hour. I don't blame him, it was pretty exciting.

He kept begging and begging to go and I told him I really couldn't. I HAD to prepare my talk. I could just see in his eyes how bad he wanted to go. I was worried he would try to go out by himself. So I told him, "you can go out with Taneal, Dad, or me. Nobody else. We will take you when we can." I had him repeat who he could go out with. And then I also told him if he went out by himself or with anybody other then me, Dad, or Taneal, his bike would get thrown in the trash. I had him repeat the consequences. He knew.

A little later I had this feeling to go look for Spencer. He wasn't in the house. He wasn't in the backyard. And he wasn't out front. I was 10 minutes away from having to leave to go speak. In my heals, I ran down the street looking for my little boy and calling out for him. I finally found him down the street in some friend's back yard. He had ridden down there by himself. Guess what had to happen? I picked up that crying kid who refused to get up off the ground, threw him over my shoulder, and walked home in heals. Yep, we threw away his bike. It is actually put away in storage saved for Nathan, but Spencer lost all privileges to it. He also went to bed for the evening. We let him out for supper and then back up to bed. I felt so bad, but I really can't have my little 4-yr-old running around the neighborhood unsupervised. I need to trust him that he won't take off.

He was pretty sad when a few days later we went out as a family for a walk and everyone rode a bike but him and he had to ride in the stroller with the baby. But I think he learned.

Not sure when we are going to get him a another bike, hopefully soon. He needed a bigger one anyways. It was just so sad that he learned to ride his bike and then next day he had to have it taken away. But I love that little guy too much to let anything happen to him. Sometimes I wonder if I am being too protective. But then I remember I do live on a busy street. Cars zip up and down it with little thought to being in a residential neighborhood. Maybe if we lived on a different street, I wouldn't be so protective. I am following my heart and listening to what I feel will help keep that precious little boy safe.

Two lessons learned.

Silly Taneal

She will probably want to kill me for this. She is a very frequent blogger. i think she reads my blog (and yours) more then I do.

I got a cool little toy the other day. It is one of those nifty little phone thingys that takes pictures. At the end of the day, I hooked it to my computer to recharge, and I realized it was downloading the day's pictures to the computer.

AND LOOK WHAT I FOUND!

I think Taneal was having fun playing around with the camera. I didn't know she could make such faces.

And she doesn't know I am posting these pictures. I am such a fun mom. I can't wait 'till her reaction when she jumps online and sees this post.

Oh how I love that girl. Silly 'ol Taneally!

Why I love ordering diapers

Here we go with another silly post. I must say I am in love with diapers.com. I have been ordering them for almost three years. And as long as things remain the same, I will continue. Let me tell you why (And by the way this is a paid advertisement - not really. Do you really think they would pay me to write so grammatically incorrect?I really am not getting paid, but they should.). The price is about the same as walmart. But. Here is the cool part. I do not have to put those enormous packages into my shopping cart along with the infant car seat, a toddler in the front, and a preschooler hanging on the back. I just sit in my cosy computer chair, log into my account, and two days later the diapers arrive on my doorstep. I don't even have to unload them from the car.

Now if you thought that was cool, wait 'till you hear the even cooler part. They always arrive in a big box with smaller big boxes inside. And they keep everything secure with these plastic bubbles that are so much fun to pop. When I get my diapers order it is like Christmas again. They kids have boxes to play in, boxes to decorate, bubbles to pop, and I love that they are entertained for hours.

It is like a dream come true. I don't have to go to the store, I don't pay extra, and my kiddos are entertained by free (sort of) products that can by thrown away as soon as they finish playing with them or as soon as I get tired of the boxes hanging out in my front entry way. It is a win win every way you look at it.

I just wish I didn't have to order diapers at all. I figured in the last 11 years I have changed somewhere over 30,000 diapers. Imagine what I could have done with all that $$$$$! And that is a whole lot of poop that we are talking about.

I wouldn't change it for the world.

Wait. I do change it. Every day. All day. Many times a day. I have two kids in diapers and one still in night-time pull-ups.

And I love my Internet diapers order. And so do my kids.

Happy Valentines Day

As many believe, Valentines Day is "single adult awareness" day. Not here. Not in my home. I remember all those Valentines where I was single, was too young not to be single, definitely needed to be single, but Valentines day came and went and nothing. No flowers, no chocolates, nothing. And that was good. When you are 14 that is very good. But it still felt bad. So we changed things up in my house to avoid the feelings that you need a boyfriend BEFORE it is age appropriate.

We celebrate the love we have for others, like our teachers or our family. We make it not about boyfriend/girlfriend stuff, but all about love.

And tonight? A candlelit diner with all 6 of my kiddos. It should be so much fun. Now to figure out something fun to go with the candles. Spaghetti? No way. But I will come up with something good.

I found these cute ideas on the Internet and decided to give them a try. The cookies were so fun to make! And the kids are giving a stack to their teachers. Isn't that so cool that they can stack?

This is what we did for the Valentines Taneal is handing out in her class. Danielle and Camie wouldn't do it. They are too cute, not sure why they didn't want to. Maybe next year.

Contracts

Not sure if I should think this is funny or if I should be really worried.

My little Taneal loves sports. She likes to ride her bike, swim, and exercise in almost any form possible. I am not like Taneal. I wish I had the love of exercise, but I just don't. I need to exercise, so when Taneal came to me the other day and asked me if I would go running, I told her as long as Camie would watch Gavin (Evan was outside working) then sure we could go. A few minutes later Taneal and I left and Camie was happily watching Gavin and the rest of the kids. And I must say we ran nearly 2 miles, not bad for the first run since having a baby. We completed it in a little less than 20 minutes.

So the part that makes me laugh and worries me is this:

Taneal made a contract for Camie and herself to sign! I asked Taneal if they couldn't just verbally agree on something, and both girls piped up that the other always changes what they originally agreed to so they needed it in writing. Then they HAD to do what was the plan. No changes could be forgotten or made. It is pretty funny that they made a contract, but maybe not so funny that this might be what the world is coming to and even within the walls of my own home.

We're going to have to have a Family Home Evening lesson on this.

Food Problems

I have ruined my children.

I didn't mean to.

I have tried to set a good example.

I eat my vegetables.

I hide when I eat my sweets.

I don't let them know when I don't like something, I even eat things I don't like.

So how did they figure me out?

I didn't mean to teach them to be picky. But they are. And it is so frustrating because I know how they feel. I don't like forcing them to eat the foods they don't like because I am right there with them. But I don't let them know I feel bad for them. And I do make them take at least one bite and then there is nothing else offered to them until the next meal.

Danielle is what prompted this post. Yesterday I tried to offer her everything under the sun for breakfast and she refused everything under the sun. I offered oatmeal, toast, eggs any way she would like them cooked, bacon, and on and on and on. The only thing she wanted was a bowl of cereal with milk, which is off-limits to her because she repeatedly pours the cereal with a ton of milk and then leaves that bowl there with only a few bites taken and the whole thing going to waste. She can have anything else, but no cereal.

So you know what she matter-of-factly said to me?

"It's okay, they serve breakfast at school and I will just eat when I get there."

I couldn't believe my ears. We do not eat breakfast at school! I don't want to block her account, but OH MY GOSH!!!

Hidden Pictures

It is a rainy day today. Evan's truck is in the shop, he has mine. I had to get the kiddos up way early this morning so they could catch the school bus. And here I am stuck at home. If I had a car, I probably wouldn't go anywhere. But I hate not having a car because I feel like my freedom has been taken away.

We have been on the ball this morning with all the extra time of getting up early, not having to drive the girls to school, etc. I have already showered (miracle #1), played puzzles with the boys, nursed a baby, cooked breakfast and fed the boys, done the dishes, finished a reading lesson with Spencer, colored with Nathan, nursed a baby again, cleared the table, put some laundry away, bathed a very stinky baby, and a few more things.

As I was sitting at the dining room table helping Spencer with his reading lesson and cutting out Primary apples, I glanced out the window to the backyard. I noticed some a flock of doves perched on the playset. They were hard to see and I was amazed at how many there were. I took a picture and thought I would share, to see if you can find all the doves. I was able to count 11 in the picture, but there are more hidden behind the slide, etc. See if you can find them, I posted the answers below so be careful not to scroll down too far:

Pretty camoflauged! This happens a lot on rainy days. There are about 17 birds on it right now, but the camera wouldn't be able to capture them all because of the angles. And as soon as I open the back door, they all fly away.

It is looking to be a day full of possibilities, all of which will happen within the walls of my home.

Can't drive without a car, can't walk in the rain.

Answer:

Happy Birthday Taneal

My little girl isn't so little.

Taneal really wanted a birthday party. I am still trying to adjust to the 6 kids thing and didn't really feel like I had the sanity to throw a party with friends that needed entertainment. I told Taneal I would assist her with a party, but she needed to be the one running the show. Taneal decided she wanted to make hair bows at the party. I asked Bonnie (my sister) to come help. Because of the project, Taneal had to limit how many she could invite, which was so hard for her. She has so many friends and came up with a list of about 15 girls. I told her there was no way we could possibly invite that many girls and do this kind of craft. I told her she needed to limit it to 6 girls, not including her cousin and sister. She invited 7. Way to push the limits there.

It was a super fun party. I made her the coolest cake that actually turned out! Usually my cakes don't turn out and I am so embarrassed when anyone who knows anything about cakes sees them. The kids are always happy with the results, so I don't give up. But this cake I was quite pleased with and surprised that I made it! And, it was one of the easiest cakes I have made. The castle cakes are much harder. Taneal designed it and I figured out how to make it. She insisted the cake was three layers, one chocolate, one vanilla, and one strawberry. It looked so pretty!

The hair bows were a success. The girls had to sort of sew them and they did really well. In fact, they enjoyed it so much that we started the movie late and only was able to watch maybe half of it.

Taneal had a blast and that is what matters. Happy birthday to my sweet girl!

Gavin can roll!

This is probably the lamest post and most uninteresting of all, but here in my home it is pretty cool! With all of my children, never have any of them rolled over until AFTER they have learned to crawl. There may be the exception of rolling over once to show me they aren't developmentally challenged, but that is it. Never again until after they are crawling. They all sit up extremely well by 5 or 6 months.

Gavin is proving to be his own little guy in every way. He rolled over at 4 weeks. Did it again and again at 4 weeks. Stopped for about a month. And then continued some more. Now he is rolling over almost every time we put him down. And the little guy is only 4 months! And he is 18 pounds, so you would think it would be harder to roll all that weight over. And about a week ago he started rolling over and over and over. He didn't just stop from back to front, he kept going.

I am so impressed!

And although it may not be interesting to you, it is pretty dang cool around here. Definitely blog worthy.

Butter and Egg Powder

Getting to the store is becoming harder and harder. Not sure what my problem is, I have had 3 children at home with me for as long as I can remember. I think it is the personalities of the ones I have at home. Or maybe I am getting too old and running short on energy. Maybe the planets just aren't aligned properly. I really don't know. Except that we are often out of milk and eggs. I keep my pantry pretty well stocked. And I am beginning to be more and more okay with being out of eggs and milk. It is just too hard to get to the store.

Last Sunday after church I realized I was supposed to bring brownies to an activity at the church that evening. I was completely out of eggs and the recipe called for 6 eggs. You can't fake a recipe out of that many eggs. I couldn't go to the store because it was Sunday. I thought about calling a neighbor and then remembered I had ordered a can of egg powder to go into my food storage. I hadn't wanted to open it because it was kind of pricey, but I might as well open it now and see if the stuff works like it says it does. I added six eggs worth of the powder to the brownie recipe, cooked it up, frosted the desert, took it to the church and prayed that it wouldn't be disgusting. And you know what? They were so good! You would never have been able to tell I used egg POWDER! It was so cool!

Taneal is having a birthday party tonight. School was cancelled today due to inclement weather. Yesterday the temperatures didn't reach above freezing. In my part of the world this is a big deal and you pretty much stay put indoors. It only gets this cold a few days a year. As I went to make the cake for the party, I pulled out the gallon of oil from my pantry and noticed it was expired. I figured it might be okay since it hadn't been opened. I popped the top and yah, the oil was rancid. Not going to use that stuff. And I really didn't want to go to the store. I remembered the egg powder and then thought about the butter powder I had bought with it. I opened the can and made Taneal's cake with butter powder substituted for the oil. I cooked up those suckers. I had to cut off the tops of all the cakes to level them for stacking. So I got to taste the cakes. They were so moist, so delicious! I think I might start using the butter powder instead of the oil. So happy with the results.

I think I will add the butter and egg powder to my long-term food storage. So happy they worked. I even made German Pancakes with the stuff, just to see how well it would work. They looked different, but tasted the same. My kids even ate them without complaint, which I didn't expect. I am finding more and more solutions to having to run to the store.

4 -yr-old potty-training explanation

It is so funny to hear Spencer explain to Nathan how to poop in the toilet. Nathan has had his moments of success, he just really doesn't care to make it permanent. I try to talk to Nathan to convince him, and he mater-of-factly admits to still being a baby and that he wants to wear diapers.

I'm not trying to indulge in potty talk (okay, maybe I am), so if you aren't comfortable with the topic of poop, please discontinue reading. I begin the potty-training process by talking to my children about how they are grown-up once they can poop in the potty. It has worked on the four children I have potty-trained so far and so I am using the method on Nathan as well. Nathan is taking his own sweet time. ALL my other children were potty trained by this age. I am changing two sets of diapers right now and would really like to change less. I know my children view it as a privilege for me to be able to change them, but I don't share the same view.

As I was changing Nathan's stinky diaper today, he was giving me quite the tongue lashing because I accidentally squished it on his bum. He told me, "Mom, don't get that poop in my bum!" I told him if he didn't want that poop on his bum then he could poop in the toilet and problem solved. (Maybe I should start doing it just to help move the potty-training along)That's when my four-year-old Spencer jumped in to help:

"Nathan, you have to hold the poop in your bum really hard and run as fast as you can and then get on the toilet. Then you push really hard and the poop comes out. It's really easy and then you don't get any poop on your bum. You should try it!"

Hearing Spencer explain the whole "pooping process" made me laugh so hard that I thought I would indulge in a little potty talk and share it with you.