Grateful #4 Ideas and Creativity

My grateful simple today happening is ideas and creativity.

And that probably was the worst run-on sentence without a clear verb or noun anywhere to be found. And I have a feeling that this post is going to be full of run-on or incomplete sentences. It's how I do things. Take what is out there, tweak it, and make it my own.

I am thankful for all the really cool  ideas out there. I am not a creative person. I have no original ideas. If you think I am creative, you can be sure I did not come up with the idea on my own. I am good at copying. I am good at replicating. And I can "tweak" things to fit what I need them to be. But I have no originality. And I am so okay with that. Because what I do works for me. And I have fun with it. And my children enjoy it. And it adds spice to my life.

The picture I am going to share today is something I created. I can't remember where I got the idea, probably off YOUR blog. But YOU didn't have the huge tree made from wrapping paper or the specially die cut leaves with five colors times 25 days, like mine does. And you also probably don't have the super awesome sister who cut out all those leaves for me and then stuck them in the mail and got them to me on day 4 of this Thankful month. And that is how creative I am. I saw or read the idea somewhere, sometime ago and then made it work for me. That's how I pretty much do everything. Minus making my sister work for me. I don't usually do that.



This is our thankful tree that the five of my children who can talk can each get their own color and everyday add one leaf to the tree that they have written on what they are thankful for. It is only day 4 and already the tree is taking shape.

I'm pretty excited.

Grateful #3 Primary

I know I am not going to do this one justice, but it is what I am grateful for today.

The members of the Primary that I serve with. And for those of you who have no idea what that was that I just said, I will explain:

I work with the children ages 18 months to 11 years. We call the children's organization the Primary. And there is a President over the Primary who usually has two counselors and a secretary.

I am in the Primary Presidency at church and it is a big job. The children are wonderful, the music is fantastic, the lessons we get to teach on Sunday are so much fun. It's the adults that make it interesting. We have the best teachers in my Primary. Ones that serve consistently, faithfully, and who really love the children they teach. I couldn't say enough positive about the teachers in the Primary.

But to run an organization like this is hard. Maybe not hard, but it requires a lot of time. And memory. And brain power. All the which I am lacking in. But thankfully I am not doing it by myself. I have two great counselors who are always more than willing to help wherever needed. And I have a great secretary who picks up the slack and probably sleeps for days following each Sunday because of how busy she is.

Today we met together and planned and prepared. We have to get together the class lists for next year with all the babies moving into classes, etc. We have to figure out where to move teachers. It takes a lot of time. But what it truly takes is revelation from our Heavenly Father. It doesn't matter what makes sense on all this organization, what matter is what the Lord wants. He knows what would work best in our Primary and we have to do our best to listen and do what He wants. I am truly thankful for counselors who make their lives good and clean so that they can receive the revelation given to run this wonderful Primary. I couldn't do it without them. And none of this would even matter if we didn't have teachers so willing to serve and magnify their callings.

Grateful #2: A Great Pediatrician

Today I am grateful for a fantastic Pediatrician.

Two days ago the school nurse called me saying Camie was running a fever, could I come get her and please don't bring her back the following day. Well, Camie coughed a bit, and played hard. She did not act very sick, so I sent her to school today. Around lunch the school nurse called again and said that Camie was back in the clinic coughing so bad it was disrupting the class and could I please come get her.

If a child of mine gets a call twice in the same week from the school nurse, I probably ought to take her into the doctor. Suck up the copay and just go.

About a year ago I found the best pediatrician. And GOOD pediatricians are really hard to come by. This Pediatrician takes the time needed to fully, conservatively diagnose, and then fully explain her findings. She really is fantastic. Never in a rush. Never thinks I have a "stupid" question. And isn't a prescription antibiotic happy doctor.

Today I was glad I took Camie in. Dr. R listened to her lungs. Listened to them some more. And then listened even more. She explained as she was going. Grabbed the pulse/ox. Listened to Camie's lungs some more. Asked a few questions. And then said Camie has Walking Pneumonia made worse by Asthma (She previously had asthma). We were prescribed antibiotics, couch medicine with codeine, and an inhaler. Camie's pulse/ox was around 94-96. She was having trouble getting oxygen thus causing the cough which helped her oxygen levels.

This is just a sample of my Pediatrician. She takes time to listen. She explains. She isn't in a rush. And she is good. She has 6 children of her own that she raised and then went to medical school. She has the mother experience backed by the medical. She really is good.

I have been going to pediatricians for 12 years now (not me personally, but me with my children). Only one other time have I found I pediatrician that I loved, and that was when we lived in a different state.

A good Pediatrician is so hard to find. And I finally found one. This may not be a simple thing, but it is the thing that today I am thankful for.

Grateful #1: Showers

I love November and the chance I have to reflect on the good things in my life.

As I begin this month full of thankfulness, I will begin with the small and simple everyday things. Because it is truly the small and simple things that bring to pass the great things. If only monumentious things signified anything great, I wouldn't have much to write about.

And because I need to laugh, I will share the following story.

So here's #1:

I am grateful for a shower. Each and every day.

Today especially. If you don't want to hear a disgusting story, just stop reading right now. And if you do choose to read this story, well . . .  What do I have to hide? I am a mom and things happen. And then you take care of them.

My little Nathan, age 3, has a toilet paper problem. He seems to have to use a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean a WHOLE LOT! Enough that over the last 2 weeks he has clogged the toilet FIVE times! I am so tired of plunging the toilet!

In my house it doesn't seem to matter if the toilet has been flushed, you can still use a toilet. You can make your deposit right on top of the deposit left before you. No problem. And then if it doesn't flush, just yell, "Mom! The toilet is clogged!" If I don't hear them calling, the next person has no problem depositing even more in that disgusting clogged toilet.

So sorry to share such a grim picture, but it really lets you know why I am grateful for a nice, hot, scalding shower.

One that hopefully sanitizes.

Today was a clogged day. And unfortunately during the "unclogging process", my hand slipped and was submerged into that nastiness. I only gagged a few times, never really threw up. But I immediately jumped into the shower and washed myself clean. A simple wash in the sink wouldn't do. Taneal and Camie questioned why I was taking a shower at that time of day, and I related how they contributed to the problem. And you know what their response was?

Uncontrollable laughter.

There is no sympathy around here.

They did say I got bonus points. And later said they would rather do dishes, mop floors, clean the play room, etc before they would plunge a toilet.

And I'm going to remember that next time we have this problem again. I might just get my house cleaned.

I just wish I could teach Nathan about the appropriate amounts of toilet paper to use.

Halloween Luminaries

I have some super crafty, super motivated friends. And those super awesome friends invited me to a super late night impromptu craft night. And I crafted! I made these really cool illuminates that were so fun. And I love the result. I love doing crafts, it is just so hard to find the time to squeeze in fun projects like these.



My kiddos think they are pretty cool too.

And as a side note, they are just old jars with tissue paper mod podged on the outside. I printed off the faces and used a glue stick to put them on. Set a tea light inside and wha la!


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Family Picture Preparations

I seriously don't know why I continue to take family pictures year after year after year. I do love having them as part of my families' history. And my mom has ingrained in me the importance of pictures and I really do love pictures. But Oh! the agony of getting 8 people ready for an hour or less session. The coordinating outfits. The shoes. The hair. The ribbons.

Did I mention the coordinating outfits?

And did I also mention that my better half does not share the same love for pictures as I do?

Here we are again this year and family pictures are only a few days away. I got my hair done today at a new place. Had to get those roots covered. And I LOVE the new place.

Hair done.

Boys hair cut a few weeks ago. Done.

Now what to wear. I came up with/saw this really cool idea of everyone wearing black and white with a splash of lime green. A little different, but so cute. We all have black and white and a few of us have the lime green. That leaves a few simple items to buy.

Not bad.

 Of course I needed a new shirt. And one of the girls needed a new pleated homemade green skirt. And why not throw in a few matching ties for the boys? Homemade of course so that I don't have to search to the ends of the earth trying to find the right ties in the right size. Much easier? Maybe.

And as I am trying on that beautiful new shirt that I found . . . Did I mention I hauled three little boys to the mall to shop? As I modeled the coordinating shirt that enhanced me, I asked Spencer if he liked it. And he really did.

He liked it so much he said, "Mom, you look like an ELF!"

Screeching halt.

 I did not buy that shirt.

Later that night I wanted to prep Evan for the event. I mentioned we were having family picture this weekend and could he be prepared. Yah know, mentally. Because he knows how important family pictures are to me and he knows I can stress a lot little. So he just grins and bears it. He kindly asked what I had in mind for clothes, and I told him my idea of the black and white with a splash of green.

And he, just like his son, made a matter-of-fact comment, no malice involved, "Oh. Okay. So we are going to look like a bunch of leprechauns."

And there you have it. Above is my new family picture. Saved me the trouble of coordinating outfits, wrestling children into a pose for the camera.

(banging head on table) Why do family pictures have to be so hard?

They really are going to be great family pictures. And the results will be worth all the effort. They will, they will.

Even if I do look like an elf with a family of leprechauns.

My boys make me chuckle.

Halloween German Pancakes

Nobody will eat the breakfast I made for them.

Camie walks in and exclaims, "what is that? It looks like poop!"

And Taneal, "mom, I just can't handle the texture!"

My kids favorite breakfast is German pancakes. They love, love, love them. So that is what I made them.

I thought I would be fancy and super healthy by adding spinach to it. It's flavorless and packed with healthiness. I also wanted to add blueberries, but the blender wasn't big enough. So I came up with this incredible idea of pouring half the mixtures in the pan and then blending blueberries in the remaining half and then swirling the two together for perfect Halloween fun. What could be better than green and purple German pancakes?



I guess it looked like poop. I ate my plate of them and they were really good.

I can't get any of my kids to eat them. And I really thought it would be cool, Halloween fun.


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I never thought I would want to take a hairbrush, tie a rope to the end of it and nail it to the wall.

I have had it.

Regardless of how many hairbrushes I buy, I can never seem to find one. I don't know where they go either, because I can't find one.

I am pretty organized so you would think they wouldn't have too many places to hide.

But they do.

I've got to find a solution because this is going to drive me insane.

Course, maybe it already has. 'Cause who blogs about hairbrushes? Yah, that would be me.




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Gavin's 1st Birthday

My little baby is officially ONE! For each child's birthday, I try to make them their favorite meal and really make that day feel special to them. What can you do for a 12 month old baby? I love that first birthday because, well, it's pretty easy to make them feel special about their birthday. They don't even know it's their birthday. And they already feel special because if they didn't, they'd sure cry and let you know. Oh, I wish we could all be more like babies sometimes!

And Gavin's favorite meal? Breast milk. And I am NOT serving that up to my family.

 I was good and weaned the others. Cut me some slack here. I have too many children to follow the rules. It is too hard to wean. And too hard to have rigid schedules. And too hard to do just about anything.  Thus, Gavin still loves to nurse.

So we decided to have some fun with his "favorite" meal and make it be baby food.

We invited SIL Becky and her children over for supper. I hid all the delicious food I had prepared and hurried and did all the dishes and wiped off all the counters before they showed up. I had my kids stack jars and jars of baby food on the counter along with baby spoons and sippy cups. Oh, I wish I had gotten a picture. It would have been priceless.

And that's what we served them up. Let me tell you it was the easiest meal ever. No cooking, little cleaning, no choking. On the expensive side. But it was fun. My kids dug right in and grabbed a jar and filled their sippy cup up with kool-aide. Audrey dug right in too. Tyler and Austin were hesitant but finally gave in an indulged on a jar of applesauce. I don't think Becky ever joined the ranks of a baby food eater. Probably 'cause she knew I wouldn't really serve up only baby food. Maybe also because she could smell the yummy supper I had prepared. We had enchilidas with rice and a salad. Maybe I had some other vegetable. I can't rememeber.

Nathan actually eating green beans baby food. That is one I do not like. But he actually ate it. He always has been great at eating his vegetables!

Gavin really doesn't like baby food. He doesn't drink from a sippy cup either. No, he isn't exclusively breast fed, he actually drinks from a regular cup really well. And he eats what we eat. Plus goldfish.

This is Austin finally giving in and realizing baby food isn't so bad.

Sweet little boy hadn't napped that day. Too much excitement. He took his long nap for the day between supper and opening gifts. I think the nap was at least a good 15 minutes.

He LOVED his birthday present. He still plays on it daily. Such a hit. Thank you Costco!

The following pictures tell this story pretty well. Taneal made Gavin's birthday cake. No, I haven't attempted another cake since my last outburst. She did a nice job. And it is a red and white cake. Not pink.

Gavin was very interested. He was reaching to grab that sparkly lit candle.

Evan was ready to stop Gavin from grabbing the candle.

Evan actually stopping Gavin from grabbing the candle and in the process all of us yelling and scarring the living daylights out of Gavin,

Gavin backing off from the candle. Too much of a reaction from all of us, he knew something was wrong with that candle.

He refused to touch his cake or get anywhere near that candle. Evan finally made Gavin touch the cake hoping that if Gavin at least took a taste, then he would dive right in.

No such luck. Gavin refused to get near that cake. But I did like this picture of him sucking the frosting off his finger.

We finally gave Gavin a fork and then he was okay with touching the cake. With the fork.

Resting

Taneal cracks me up. Sometimes I don't know where she gets her ideas and wittiness, but she just makes me chuckle.

Taneal is loving playing the viola. Now that she is in middle school, she has orchestra class every day. She also has to practice 7 days a week. While her skills are greatly improving, she has a really hard time practicing on the weekends. And then she has to make up the lost weekend practice time.

The other morning she was practicing before school and had been practicing for probably a good hour.

That really is a long time.

She had Gavin on her lap for a while.



She walked around the livingroom for a while.

She probably sat on the toilet for a while ( not really, I'm totally kidding about that one although I wouldn't put it past her).

And for a while she just sat in the chair and looked at me. Probably for a good five minutes. And you know that feeling when you're being stared at? Yah. It was happening. And when it's your own child it isn't quite as uncomfortable, but it was getting there. I finally said something like, "you done practicing?". And then Taneal said she was still practicing. And then I told her it didn't really sound like it.

And you know what she told me?

"I'm practicing the rests". You know, like the pauses between notes in a song!



I couldn't believe it. That girl!


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Severe Drought Conditions

We need rain.

The trees are dying. We have lost more trees in this drought than we did with Hurricane Ike. Pines that are 100 years old are brown. And they are dying everywhere.

Wildfires are raging. Thousand of homes have been lost. Last week ash was falling into my yard. It is bad.

An article from August summed up our current condition. I couldn't find one more current, although I know conditions are only worse:

"As part of an excellent update on the city’s drought, the National Weather Service dug up an incredible statistic: Since Feb. 1 Houston has recorded just 5.81 inches of rain. The next driest comparable period – that is, the 191 days from Feb. 1 through August 10 – occurred in 1917 when there were 10.98 inches of rain.



Here’s another way of looking at it: The city has now gone 198 days without a 1-inch rain event. The last day Houston recorded 1 inch of rain came on Jan. 24. This has broken the record of 192 days set during the fall and winter of 1917-1918.

In other words, this dry spell is simply off the charts and it’s going to have myriad consequences for the area, from our trees and wild creatures to home foundations, not to mention the agricultural effects on a larger scale.


Just as it has locally, the statewide drought continues to worsen to historic depths.


The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor was released Thursday and it continues to be brutal for Texas. Now nearly 95 percent of Texas is in at least an extreme drought, with nearly 80 percent in an exceptional drought."

We need rain.

Houston's average rainfall is about 48 inches. Seattle's rainfall is only 36 inches. Portland usually gets about 40 inches a year. We should be getting more than everyone, yet we are getting less than the Mojave Desert. This year we have only received about 6 inches of rain.

This is no grass for the animals to eat. Craig's list is giving away horses if you can feed them (I heard the last time horses were given away for free was during the great depression.). Friends are having to ship hay in for their animals from states as far away as Utah or Tennessee.

The ponds are but a puddle. Snakes are coming out from their hiding looking for water.

And the water bugs. They don't infest homes like roaches. But they look like roaches. Some may come into your home looking for water, about like a cricket would. But they are big. The only time I have ever seen them in my home is when we have been without rain for a while. This morning I picked up some dirty laundry off the bathroom floor and one of these water bugs must have been hiding in the clothes. It tried to escape by running up my hand and up my arm. I screamed. I can still feel it's fast moving legs on my arm.

We need some rain. Pray for rain.

Colorblindness

Nathan know his colors. He can tell you purple, blue, white, brown, black, green, and nearly every color inbetween. But he can't tell the difference between red and green. He knows all the rest. But everything red is always green.

So I experimented. I gave him a handful of m&ms and had him sort the colors. He pulled out all the browns, then the yellows, the blues. And what was left was a pile of greens and reds. He looked at it for a moment and then slowely started to sort those two colors. And he got them right. But it was with effort. He really had to concentrate to figure out the reds from the greens.

Could this be colorblindness? We are talking a 3 year old here. And when I performed the m&m test he was still 2.

When he called a red green, I would let him know that was red. But he was so consistent I was convinced he could not tell the difference.

That was about three months ago. Had I written this post like I intended to, I would have said 100% the kid is colorblind.

I guess maybe I managed to teach him his colors wrong. Wouldn't that seriously be a cruel joke to play? Don't know how he managed to learn the red and greens wrong, but he did. After months and months of saying, "are you sure that is green? Cause it looks red to me" he has finally figured out that there are indeed red things in this world.

Truthfully what I think it is? He is slightly colorblind and has just figured out the hues and is so stinking smart that he actually knows that this shade of grey is considered red and that shade of grey is, well, green. I don't know. But it is kind of interesting that he picked the two most common colorblind colors and mixed them up like a colorblind person would.

I'm still not convinced he isn't. Im interested to see how things turn out a few years from now. Like say, kindergarten.




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Home Grown Science

In attempts to not be so redneck, we plunged ourselves further into the redneck world. We had high hopes and dreams of a yard that watered itself. Ya know, a yard with sprinklers.

Where we live, we are supposed to get so much rain that we rarely have to throw the hose around. But a severe drought, the worst in history, is upon us. It has been getting dryer each year which is why we have really wanted a sprinkler system.

Evan started digging the trenches for it. That was about two years ago. He got the hardest ones dug, the ones alongside our home. But then his work got super busy. I got busy growing a baby and then had that baby. That baby didn't stop crying for the first 6 months and I am still trying to get a handle on things.

And those trenches? Still there.



Call us redneck. Call us what you will. But a very cool thing has happened with those trenches.

Every time we water the grass, those trenches fill up with water. And because we water our grass a lot, the trenches always have water in them.

So naturally you would think we have swarms of Mosquitos. Nope. None.

We have tadpoles. And toads. And really enthralled children that spend hours and hours relocating those tadpoles and frogs. They are always coming in with tadpoles without legs, tadpoles that have two legs, frogs with really long tails, and then just toads.



One Saturday I think Camie told me she caught something like 30 toads and put them in a fish bowl. At the end of each day I have them go let their catch of the day free. And the next morning they are right back out in the backyard catching them again and playing with them. I think they like the tadpoles the
most. They like watching them swim around.



And what is oh so redneck has turned out to be the best science experiment ever. So educational. I have even learned things I didn't know. Unfortunately they have also learned how forgetfulness will also kill the poor helpless tadpoles.



My kids will always remember this one.



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Dental Woes

Danielle was such a sport. She had some major dental work done. At least it was more than I have ever had done.



She had to have her front bottom teeth pulled. The two permanent teeth came in behind them and didn't dissolve the roots. And then she had a pretty big cavity between two molars. I didn't realize how big it was. I don't think the dentist we saw 6 months ago caught it. Anyways, the cavity was big enough that the dentist suggested she get a baby root canal. He asked me my opinion and I didn't have one. So he did something else and said If it didn't work to come back in. How am I supposed to know if it worked? Too bad my dentist brother-in-law doesn't work on family. At least I'd know he'd be honest. And he would have caught the cavity!



Anyways, it was a big deal to get numbed and then two big cavities filled and then two extractions. I kept taking pictures to keep the situation light. It seemed to work because Danielle thought she was so cool and loved being the center of attention.




And now I can blog about it because I have pictures.



Check out the roots on those teeth! One of them broke as it was getting pulled. My brother-in-law says that it normal on baby teeth. ( Ya know, Bonnie's husband who is a dentist and won't work on family. Plus his practice doesn't accept our insurance. Not trying to make him want to work on us, just saying I would trust him over the dentists we see. )

Gavin is walking!

Once they can stand up in the middle of the floor by themselves, the rest is history. Gavin has been taking steps for about a month now and he has made huge improvements. But he still prefers crawling to walking.

Tonight he decided to try standing all on his own out in the middle of the floor. It was so cute. And he was so determined. and I caught it on video!

As soon as he gets this down, which will probably happen tomorrow, the crawling will be over. Toddler days, I think you have arrived.

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Summer Ends, School Begins

I can't believe Summer is already over. It seemed like it just started. I wanted to do so much this summer and it never happened! I had so many ideas, things I was going to teach the kids, fun places we were going to go to, and we just plain ran out of time. We had a great summer. We did many things. We just didn't finish those quilts, sewing those skirts, and learning the basics of tole painting. I must remind myself that just because school is in session doesn't mean life must end. Right? Maybe a little. They are so busy. I have to make things a priority if they are to get done. Good. Better. Best. Everything is good. But what is better. And choose what is the best.

Now time to get off my soap box.

We are so fortunate this year of LEAVING our old Elementary school and starting at a new school. And the main reason is the principal. We had a nightmare principal at our last elementary school. You wouldn't even consider asking the principal for help or going to her with a problem. It is a long story that probably shouldn't be told since this lady got fired suddenly retired early. Book closed.

This area is growing so fast and people keep having lots of kids and the elementary schools are so overcrowded. So, we got a beautiful new school. And it really is beautiful. And this principal is so nice and listens and cares! What is even better is it is close enough that my kids can ride their bikes to and from school. I am still going with them until I feel confident that they can not get themselves killed or majorly injured on the way home and can make good choices and be kind to one another. So for the time being I am walking, pushing a double jogging stroller, while the kids ride way ahead of me. We decided to wait until next year to start Spencer in kindergarten, so he rides with his sisters to school and then patiently waits by the bike racks while I get there. I am running a lot of the way, but those kids on bikes are fast. The temperatures are well above 100 degrees, so it makes for lots of showers and cold drinks. But the kids are loving it and Spencer is eating up being able to ride his bike twice a day. And this is the only time that Nathan and Gavin actually sit still. I do have to strap them in the stroller, but they really enjoy getting out.

These are the pictures from the first day of school. Aren't my girls gorgeous?Camie started the 4th grade.

Taneal doesn't get to go to the new elementary school because she decided to grow up and go to Middle School. She gets to ride the bus this year and is quite bummed that she can't ride her bike to school. But she is way excited to go to Middle School and even more excited about having a locker and being able to change into PE clothes at school.

Danielle pretty much doesn't get outwardly excited about anything. Life is all good to her, everything is worth smiling over. She has always been the silent one, with the wheels just a turning and eyes searching everywhere. I know she was very excited, because I know Danielle, not because she showed it. She is going to LOVE 2nd grade.

Man, I love these girls!

Did I mention that they are leaving me at home with three boys? I am going to miss the girls so much. I will be surrounded by too much testosterone!