I have been cold... despite the hot temps of 35 c. Sometimes I would go sit outside to warm up while everyone else was asking me to turn the a/c up. Then I would get so, so, so hot, I couldn't stand it.
I was often tired... very tired.
This morning I woke up exceptionally tired.
As I was reading my email I happened to rub my fingers over my check bones and it seemed swollen. For weeks now - if I pushed on my sinus - one tooth hurt.
I compared cheeks. Yes, the right one was just a bit more chubby than the left. So I pushed my tongue up onto my left gum and there was a pea sized lump on my gum over the tooth that hurt when I push on my sinus.
So I called the dentist. Two hours later I left the office with a prescription in hand. It appears that I have a sinus infection and an abscessed tooth. Hmmm, maybe that is why I am so tired. Maybe that is why I have been having chills one minute and boiling hot the next.
Now I am off to Wal-mart to pick up my prescription that I dropped off a few hours ago. But I bet if I asked Hugo really nicely - he would get it for me! Then I can take a nap. I hope to be back online in a day or two - but if I'm not, you all know why!
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Thursday, July 03, 2008
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Home safe and sound....
...and the last twenty minutes were filled with "are we almost home, I am so tired." "When will we get home, I am soooo tired."
I agree, I am tried and was most anxious to get home... but what happened to those exhausted children. You know, the ones who couldn't wait to get out and stretch and then head to bed.
I only hear kids who are hyper, loud and far too awake for my taste.
Tomorrow we will be busy cleaning out the van, washing the clothes and getting groceries. So this post plus an update on Gracie below, is all that you will see from me tomorrow.
Update on Gracie... PLEASE PRAY
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I agree, I am tried and was most anxious to get home... but what happened to those exhausted children. You know, the ones who couldn't wait to get out and stretch and then head to bed.
I only hear kids who are hyper, loud and far too awake for my taste.
Tomorrow we will be busy cleaning out the van, washing the clothes and getting groceries. So this post plus an update on Gracie below, is all that you will see from me tomorrow.
Update on Gracie... PLEASE PRAY
| TUESDAY, JULY 01, 2008 04:48 PM, CDT |
URGENT! GRACIE JUST BEGAN TO "DE-SAT" IN HER OXYGEN INTAKE. THEY ASKED MOM AND I TO STEP OUT WHILE THEY CHANGED OUT THE C-PAP TUBE IN HER NOSE. PRAY THAT THIS TAKES CARE OF THE PROBLEM!! SHE HAS A LOT OF SECRETIONS IN HER CHEST. PLEASE PRAY THEY CAN RESOLVE THIS WITHOUT HAVING TO INTUBATE AGAIN. THANKS, AMANDA |
| |
| TUESDAY, JULY 01, 2008 01:50 PM, CDT |
SO FAR....SO GOOD! GRACIE LOOKS BETTER THIS TIME THAN LAST TIME AND SO FAR, HER LABS AND SATS LOOK GREAT! KEEP PRAYING! TODD AND I WILL STAY CLOSE THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS WE KEEP PRAYING AND TRUSTING IN A MIRACLE! BREATHE IN BREATHE OUT GRACIE! SHE HAS A C-PAP TUBE IN HER NOSE THAT IS TRANSITIONING HER TO COMPLETE EXTUBATION....THIS IS UNCOMFORTABLE BUT NECESSARY....PRAY IT CAN COME OUT SOON!! TODD AND AMANDA |
| |
| TUESDAY, JULY 01, 2008 10:04 AM, CDT |
THE VENTILATOR TUBE IS BEING PULLED RIGHT NOW!! PRAY HARD!! PRAY THAT GRACIE BREATHES! We will not know until the end of the day how Gracie does--but we want her to stay off!! PRAY! THANK YOU--PRAY ALL DAY! Todd and Amanda |
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Stealing from the past...
...AGAIN!
Hugo is terribly busy and I am hoping that we will be moving this summer so I have not made much of an attempt to look for space for my scanner so once more, I am borrowing from the past. We have also started our summer semester and this being the first week back... it has been somewhat hectic. Some of my readers, no doubt wonder how I can torture my children with a summer semester but if you are familiar with the climate you will quickly agree that for many hours of the day - it is simply too hot to be spending any time outside. (Those not familiar with the climate can click here. In fact, we frequently experience weather warnings that are for air quality and not for storms or tornadoes. Though we have our fair share of those too. On those days, our children with asthma have to remain indoors as much as possible. Sometimes we will have three or more days like that in a row so... we might as well be productive and stretch our brains.
Now onto the glimpse from the past. To view click here.
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Hugo is terribly busy and I am hoping that we will be moving this summer so I have not made much of an attempt to look for space for my scanner so once more, I am borrowing from the past. We have also started our summer semester and this being the first week back... it has been somewhat hectic. Some of my readers, no doubt wonder how I can torture my children with a summer semester but if you are familiar with the climate you will quickly agree that for many hours of the day - it is simply too hot to be spending any time outside. (Those not familiar with the climate can click here. In fact, we frequently experience weather warnings that are for air quality and not for storms or tornadoes. Though we have our fair share of those too. On those days, our children with asthma have to remain indoors as much as possible. Sometimes we will have three or more days like that in a row so... we might as well be productive and stretch our brains.
Now onto the glimpse from the past. To view click here.
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Monday, June 30, 2008
Anna's chocolate chip cookies... with a twist
A long, long time ago - while hunting for a chocolate chip cookie recipe I came across a wonderful recipe on Allrecipes.com. They were absolutely delicious. Recently Bethany (10) has taken over making chocolate chip cookies but I was suspecting, as good as they were, she could not be using the Anna recipe. So I checked and my suspicions were confirmed. I know not where she got the recipe but it just was not "the one." So I suggested she try to find the other recipe, intending to help her. But before I could she had gone online, found it, and printed it. Not only that but like all the good bakers in our house, she had already decided to experiment with it. The last trip out with her father - she got him to buy a LARGE bag of M&M chocolate covered peanuts. ( About a 400 gm sized bag - I need to confirm this.) Was her plan to replace the chocolate chips with the peanuts or add them in addition to the chocolate chips? To find out just click on the
INGREDIENTS
* 2 cup butter ***
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 4 eggs
* 5 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoon salt
* 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
(And for a really yummy and unique change add one LARGE bag on M&M chocolate covered peanuts)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and eggs one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips. (And M&M peanuts at this time) Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Remove from baking sheet to cool on wire racks.
Depending on the size of cookies that one bakes you can have several dozen cookies and the cook time can vary from 8 to 15 minutes - again depending on size.
*** when I made this recipe last week, I accidentally left 1 of the 2 cups of butter out - and it made NO discernible difference. We only realized it when we discovered the two butter sticks I had put in the microwave to soften - still in the microwave and the cookies already half gone!)
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INGREDIENTS
* 2 cup butter ***
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 4 eggs
* 5 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoon salt
* 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
(And for a really yummy and unique change add one LARGE bag on M&M chocolate covered peanuts)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and eggs one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips. (And M&M peanuts at this time) Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Remove from baking sheet to cool on wire racks.
Depending on the size of cookies that one bakes you can have several dozen cookies and the cook time can vary from 8 to 15 minutes - again depending on size.
*** when I made this recipe last week, I accidentally left 1 of the 2 cups of butter out - and it made NO discernible difference. We only realized it when we discovered the two butter sticks I had put in the microwave to soften - still in the microwave and the cookies already half gone!)
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Sunday, June 29, 2008
Happy 125th
... to all my fellow Parishioners and our Priests. Today will be a very busy day for our Parish. We will be having a special Mass at a location large enough to accommodate the large number of parishioners that are typically spread over seven Masses. Following this Mass is a reception. Later in the day we will have a ground breaking for the new church. However we will not be attending this as we will be home by then, packing the van for our whirlwind trip/vacation to Ohio. If the auto posting works - there will be a post for Monday and Tuesday, if not - we will see you all on Wednesday. We leave at 3 am sharp Monday morning!
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Saturday, June 28, 2008
Back Pack update
After wearing her back pack and little else all day, Elsa finally fell asleep and was put to bed. So I took the opportunity to discover just what enough is to a three year old.
Enough for an over night trip is:
3 pairs undies
4 t-shirts
1 pair of shorts
1 dress
1 pair of P.J. bottoms
1 P.J. top from different set than the pj bottoms
1 bathing suit
1 pair of yellow flip flops
3 sheets of paper and 2 pencils
... just enough, eh?
4 t-shirts
1 pair of shorts
1 dress
1 pair of P.J. bottoms
1 P.J. top from different set than the pj bottoms
1 bathing suit
1 pair of yellow flip flops
3 sheets of paper and 2 pencils
... just enough, eh?
PLEASE IGNORE THE
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From the peanut gallery
We are preparing to head to Ohio for one of our whirlwind picks trips. However, this time we have made reservations for a hotel room at a location with an indoor pool. Given we are used to temps of 35 c and the high is 25c, plus the possibility of rain, an indoor pool seem the better plan.
But I digress, as part of my preps I caved in and bought two cute, but rather small back backs for Emma and Elsa. Spying hers at breakfast time, Elsa properly ooohed and awed over it and announced she needed to pack it NOW.
A few minutes later she flew down the stairs in her typical style and fashioned her very full pack hanging from her shoulders for me.
"Oh", I asked, "what did you pack?"
"Enough!"
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But I digress, as part of my preps I caved in and bought two cute, but rather small back backs for Emma and Elsa. Spying hers at breakfast time, Elsa properly ooohed and awed over it and announced she needed to pack it NOW.
A few minutes later she flew down the stairs in her typical style and fashioned her very full pack hanging from her shoulders for me.
"Oh", I asked, "what did you pack?"
"Enough!"
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Thursday, June 26, 2008
Something Important....
...very important to think about.
To read about it click here. And for those wondering why we did not return to Canada following my husband's job loss - this is the answer. The crumbling health system is why we sought a transfer to the States. Please take the time to read this article and know - when they say patients are participating in lotteries to see the local doctor - they are not joking. Many towns no longer even have a single doctor's office open. Saint George, New Brunswick is such a town. My father and step mother have to drive to Saint John, a city an hour away, for medical care. As do all the residents of Saint George.
Oh, and in Canada - health care providers can, and do, go on strike. The doctors were on strike when we left Canada in January of 1997. We had an 18 month old son requiring surgery at the time and we were told to wait for our transfer to the States as the waiting list, due to the strike, was so long - he would not get it done in Canada before the strike was over. We were told this in November of 1996.
And keep this in mind. If the Doctor, through negligence, removes your left ovary when he was to remove the right one and so you end up with NO ovaries - who do you sue? His employer? Which is ... the government. Ever hear of anyone suing the government and winning?
Nah, me neither.
So please read this and think very carefully about what you want your health care to look like in few years before you vote in November. I am only 46. The system was broken when we left and that was 11 years ago. The government system came online AFTER I was born. It took less than thirty-five years to fall apart.
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To read about it click here. And for those wondering why we did not return to Canada following my husband's job loss - this is the answer. The crumbling health system is why we sought a transfer to the States. Please take the time to read this article and know - when they say patients are participating in lotteries to see the local doctor - they are not joking. Many towns no longer even have a single doctor's office open. Saint George, New Brunswick is such a town. My father and step mother have to drive to Saint John, a city an hour away, for medical care. As do all the residents of Saint George.
Oh, and in Canada - health care providers can, and do, go on strike. The doctors were on strike when we left Canada in January of 1997. We had an 18 month old son requiring surgery at the time and we were told to wait for our transfer to the States as the waiting list, due to the strike, was so long - he would not get it done in Canada before the strike was over. We were told this in November of 1996.
And keep this in mind. If the Doctor, through negligence, removes your left ovary when he was to remove the right one and so you end up with NO ovaries - who do you sue? His employer? Which is ... the government. Ever hear of anyone suing the government and winning?
Nah, me neither.
So please read this and think very carefully about what you want your health care to look like in few years before you vote in November. I am only 46. The system was broken when we left and that was 11 years ago. The government system came online AFTER I was born. It took less than thirty-five years to fall apart.
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Some of Anna's photos for ...
... Photo Thursday. These are photos Anna (14) has taken in the past year.
A little nature a la brick.
Looking out - Noah 12 yrs
Emma, about 5,and Elsa 2 yrs
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Wednesday, June 25, 2008
A word of warning
Don't anyone, and I mean ANYONE dare read this blog to my youngest child who really hates, detests, despises or in other words barely tolerates her car seat.
Here is a quote from a recent post there:
"The ride there was hilariously bad, with The Baby screaming "SOMEONE HELP ME! THEY ARE CHOKING ME WITH MY CARSEAT!" for a solid HOUR."
Elsa would SO love to have a line like this up her sleeve, so I repeat, do NOT show this blog to my child.
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Here is a quote from a recent post there:
"The ride there was hilariously bad, with The Baby screaming "SOMEONE HELP ME! THEY ARE CHOKING ME WITH MY CARSEAT!" for a solid HOUR."
Elsa would SO love to have a line like this up her sleeve, so I repeat, do NOT show this blog to my child.
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Updates on prayer requests!
NICK Y.
According to a recent email, Nick Y has had surgery and is expected to be in hospital 5 - 7 days. I do not know if he is still in ICU but very well maybe as he has a chest tube. Apparently this happened, to him, once before - five years ago. Please uphold this family in your prayers. While they are part of a very loving parish and will get much support - they are in a particularly challenging situation. In January they were transfered to a nearby State. Nick, due to school, opted to stay in NC. Therefor while the family is here (with ALL of other 7 the children) they do not have a home to call their own. As I said, they have lots of support here, but still - this has to add to the stress!
STORY
On a positive note STORY has been released from hospital and has gone home with her two loving parents. To see her enjoying the experience of being at home click here.
GRACIE
Gracie, continues to need much prayers as do her family. Gracie is around 3 to 4 months old and here is a quote from her caringbridge site as to where she is now:
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According to a recent email, Nick Y has had surgery and is expected to be in hospital 5 - 7 days. I do not know if he is still in ICU but very well maybe as he has a chest tube. Apparently this happened, to him, once before - five years ago. Please uphold this family in your prayers. While they are part of a very loving parish and will get much support - they are in a particularly challenging situation. In January they were transfered to a nearby State. Nick, due to school, opted to stay in NC. Therefor while the family is here (with ALL of other 7 the children) they do not have a home to call their own. As I said, they have lots of support here, but still - this has to add to the stress!
STORY
On a positive note STORY has been released from hospital and has gone home with her two loving parents. To see her enjoying the experience of being at home click here.
GRACIE
Gracie, continues to need much prayers as do her family. Gracie is around 3 to 4 months old and here is a quote from her caringbridge site as to where she is now:
"Options for Gracie:
Spend the next few weeks (1-2 months) giving Gracie physical/occupational therapy, giving her lots of love and food here at Duke, then proceeding to the second open heart surgery and praying that her heart is strong enough. If they decide this, they may also give her a tracheotomy.
#2- Proceed towards transplant because they feel her heart is not strong enough to handle a second open heart surgery. If this is the case, we have no idea when a heart will come and Gracie is very low on sedation…and the ventilator tube is driving her crazy! But if this is the option—she cannot have a tracheotomy because it will change her transplant status.
GRACIE HAS TO HAVE ONE OF THESE TWO OPTIONS TO SURVIVE."
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Too clever by half!
Have you ever been tempted by the very cuteness of your baby to threaten to just "eat her all up"? I have, and Hugo is prone to this also. We have moments when we can not bear their cuteness anymore and tell them we are just going to eat them all up, sometimes just 'cause we are hungry or sometimes for a specific meal. If we follow through with our threat than the child is tortured with kisses and tickles, all over, until they are breathless from giggling and chortling.
Elsa, however, is too clever by half. For instance yesterday when her Daddy announced he was going "eat Elsa for supper" she responded; "You can eat Elta all up for supper, but I am NOT Elta!" and when telling me about this later, he shared how she typically agrees to this threat to be eaten for supper with: "Emma is for supper, I am dessert!"
This is a girl that will not be falling for any pick up lines!
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Elsa, however, is too clever by half. For instance yesterday when her Daddy announced he was going "eat Elsa for supper" she responded; "You can eat Elta all up for supper, but I am NOT Elta!" and when telling me about this later, he shared how she typically agrees to this threat to be eaten for supper with: "Emma is for supper, I am dessert!"
This is a girl that will not be falling for any pick up lines!
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Monday, June 23, 2008
Urgent Prayer Request
These are good friends of our family. We learned yesterday that Nick was in the hospital and today this prayer request was sent out to our parish via email.
" Please pray for healing and for wisdom for the doctors at (the local) Medical Center. Nick Y., Dean and Bridget Y.'s oldest son, is in ICU with a collapsed lung. He is in serious condition. "
The following Psalm was attached to the prayer request.
" Please pray for healing and for wisdom for the doctors at (the local) Medical Center. Nick Y., Dean and Bridget Y.'s oldest son, is in ICU with a collapsed lung. He is in serious condition. "
The following Psalm was attached to the prayer request.
Responsorial Psalm
71:1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety, for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
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71:1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety, for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
June 23rd...
Hmmm, what is familiar about this date? Oh yes, at this time on this date, last year, we were scurrying around loading roasts and coolers and meat slicers into the van, counting shoes and socks to make sure none were left behind and gathering special dresses and outfits. Thankfully the guys suits were all already in Charlotte. Then we were counting heads to make sure that in the excitement of heading to Charlotte for John and Jenny's wedding - we didn't leave any children behind. We certainly did not want to have any pairs of shoes without owners once we got up there. It was an incredible day and flew by in the wink of an eye. Shortly after the wedding we received a disk of pictures from our favourite photographer and we were able to share the wedding with my readers. It was such a beautiful wedding, so full of joy and happiness. Below you will find a few high lights again. In the meantime, I want to wish John and Jenny a very happy first anniversary. It will be hard to top this first year guys - you have accomplished so much!
Congratulations!
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some photos from a year ago - today.
The flower girls and the ring bearer who bore a crown for Mary, rather than the rings.
Sisters of the bride, including the maid of honour.
Waiting for the orders to march...
Waiting for the bride...
Fighting back tears of happiness as she walks down the isle with her father.
Exchanging vows...
Mr and Mrs Ryan leave the church, no longer single adults but now united as one couple through the sacrament of marriage, a living joyful sacrament.
First dance...
Cutting the beautiful cake, a gift from another young couple. It was as delicious as it looked.
Dancing with joy - celebrating the awesome sacrament that just took place.
A quiet moment as the celebrations wind down...
Off to the honeymoon! Once they returned, we enjoyed a fun slide show filled with beautiful photos from the area they had visited.
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There are SO many wonderful photos that Paul Tomas took that captured such special moments through out the day - it was so difficult to chose which ones to share here, but my goal was to just touch on the highlights. I hope you enjoyed revisiting that day with me.
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Saturday, June 21, 2008
This weeks question...
"One more thing: Enjoyed the towel plan. Read an article about large families and dirty dishes (family fun magazine). This mom's solution was to pack away all dishes, buy dollar tree clear glass plates, paint names on plates, everyone has one dish (large flat bottom bowl) and washes their own. No more dishwasher. Can't eat if your plate is dirty. Downside was washing dish between courses (dinner, dessert, soup or salad) So here's my Saturday request: how do you handle dishes?"
Well, I have to say that while we were experiencing drainage problems, we were using disposable dishes as much as possible because washing the dishes had become an excruciating chore with whoever was on dishes having to constantly check the level of water in the pail below. More often than not - we experienced an overflow due to the level of water sneaking up on us. Thankfully this is no longer a problem!
I have to admit that the chore of washing the dishes has been a thorn in our family's side for some time. This was due to the tendency of the child on duty for the day ultimately leaving a few dishes behind. This was also my fault. By the end of the day and supper chores time, I am usually quite beat and often do not double check the kitchen so as to ensure that not only all chores have been completed - but have been done thoroughly. This would result in arguments the following day...
Finally the children themselves came up with a solution. They suggested that we make the chores permanent and not constantly revolving. As I mentioned in a previous post, I did not like the idea of the chores being permanent. I want children to experience a variety of chores and then there is the reality that some chores are easier than others. So I compromised and came up with a 3 month revolving list as opposed to a daily revolving list. This semi permanency of the chores has completely eliminated the constant bickering that not properly done or incomplete chores had been causing. I am also finding that children are taking more pride in the areas assigned to them. I imagine because it is evident to themselves they have not done a good job and also realize it is evident to the whole family that, for example, the living room is not swept well - because they did not sweep it well. It has also made it infinitely easier for me to keep track of who is responsible for which chore - which also makes it easier to crack down on sloppy work.
Over all I am happy with this solution and wish we had come up with it sooner. We have tried many ways of encouraging chores to be done well and consistently and this has by far been our best solution.
Thanks for the question Peg! I hope you, and the other readers, enjoyed the response, as well as found it helpful.
Be sure to submit a question you might have about the challenges of parenting a large family - or parenting in general. You can leave it in the comment section or email it directly to me.
Oh, as to the lady who decided to buy one plate and cup per child, I have to wonder what happens if a dish breaks? Did she have some put away as back up or does the kid have to wait and borrow another child's dish until the mum found another dollar dish that would suffice as a bowl/plate. Her idea is quite unique but I know dish breakage would be a definite challenge for us!
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Friday, June 20, 2008
FRIDAY BONUS!
Decided to pop over to Beautiful Day to see what was up over there and almost fell off my chair and said then and there - this is too funny not to share. I am still shaking my head and wondering how this missed the news? Or maybe it made it onto the national news, and because I don't have cable - I missed it!
Well - not to keep you in anymore suspense click here to to satisfy your curiosity. Warning to EXPECTANT mums- empty bladder before reading.
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Well - not to keep you in anymore suspense click here to to satisfy your curiosity. Warning to EXPECTANT mums- empty bladder before reading.
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Finally - Fun Friday!
Nope - I don't have a scanner up and working but decided for the sake of the many new readers that I have I would dig up some old cartoons to share. To see a fun post about how to know if you are a large family click here. The cartoon was drawn by Anna who was 11 at the time. Enjoy! (For this post please ignore the read more link) Read more!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The terrible twos VS the Teen Challenge
As the miles slipped by bringing us closer to our destination, Hanceville Alabama, I listened to the mostly cheerful noises from behind me in our fifteen passenger van. Occasionally the noise was punctuated by the growls of the soon to be three year old who does not enjoy being strapped into her car seat for prolonged periods of time. Lucky us, we only had another five hours to go. As her 17 year old sister tried to entertain her, I began to muse about the difference between dealing with the temper tantrums of the “terrible twos” stage and the emotional difficulties of the teen years. It struck me that the challenges facing the two year old and the teenager were largely the same – that of the struggle to find one’s independence while also dealing with the fear and the unknowns that this very goal brings with it.
I think most parents when asked which they would prefer to deal with – the terrible twos or the rebellious teen years – would resoundingly answer the terrible twos. Perhaps that is mostly because the memories of the teen years are closer in proximity. Yet, I would venture to say that in many cases it is because those rebellious and troubled filled years brought the most tears and gray hairs than did the terrible twos.
However, as I close in on facing my seventh teenager about to join the frays of those change filled years, I am also still dealing with the throes of the ‘terrible twos’ of my youngest. And so I can honestly say I find the teen years with all of its hormones, searching questions and even tears, infinitely easier to live through than the terrible twos. No doubt, upon hearing this, many parents would look at me as if I had two heads or wonder how many milligrams of Prozac I am on.
None the less it is true and I believe the reason for this is that my teens and I have a foundation that supported us through these difficult years.
It was a common foundation and it was, and is, our relationship with God. I am not saying that it was all cozy, warm and fuzzy with all of us simply turning to God in prayer when faced with a confrontation. Rather it was more a matter of my children having an authority even higher than mine to answer to. And this I believe is the true key to not only coming through the teen years, but all the stronger for having gone through them. That, and continued communication. These are what is missing during the phase of the terrible twos.
At that stage not only is the child’s relationship with God just emerging, it is almost impossible to effectively communicate with the frustrated child why he must or must not do something. The child simply can not comprehend why. Nor can she communicate the frustrations she is experiencing beyond screaming and tossing items about. However, teenagers, if communication lines are kept open, can voice concerns, frustrations and even temptations they are experiencing. When at logger heads over an issue most of my children have had spiritual directors to turn to, who in turn directed them back to the Authority over us all. God. What better resource can one have than that?
But this did not emerge over night. My husband and I did not pull God out of a magic top hat on a child’s thirteenth birthday. My husband and I began building this foundation at an early age, with attendance of Sunday Mass, and catechism taught at home. Efforts were made to pray the Rosary on a daily basis as well an attempt to communicate why it was important to pray. We attempted to make it an enjoyable experience. We also made many books of the saints available as examples to strive for. A personal relationship with Jesus and the community of Saints was what we strove for as a family through the frequent reception of the sacraments. It was a continuous, even if sometimes imperfect, effort. Thankfully we did not fall for the secular idea of not introducing our children to God as this was a personal experience, and was not to be inflected on a child. This idea was supported by the professionals who claimed it was better to leave a child to discover a god, or a higher power, of their liking.
I now truly believe it was this faith foundation that helped pull our teens and will continue to pull our current teens through those difficult years when one feels the need to challenge all authority around them, to seek independence and the why for everything. Why listen, why obey, why be different from ones peers. Why dress modestly when all around us don’t? Why be chaste when the message all about us is be hot and sexy? What better answer to these challenges, these whys, than God. What better than to be able to ask; ‘What do you think God wants you to do?’
Because we introduced our children to God at a very early age, we were able to work with Him to guide our teens through these difficult years. With God on our side when we have been faced with these challenging questions of why, my husband and I do not need to be the bad guy. At least, not for long. When we have had to enforce a decision that was not popular, typically it was not long before the teenager saw the sense of it. The teenager was able to see the reasoning because he was able to take it to God, through the sacrament of Confession, through direction from their Spiritual Director, or through his own private prayer life.
My husband and I know we are not perfect parents. I know that as a mother there have been many times when I over corrected, under corrected and just not been as attentive as I needed to be from time to time. However, I am putting my trust in God, that in His infinite mercy, He has blessed my children and us with enough graces to fill in those cracks in my parenting, and it is my continued prayer that He will continue to do so. I pray that He will continue to assist my husband, and I, in building the foundation that will sustain our children though their teens and on into their adult years – the foundation of a personal relationship with Christ. A foundation built through the sacraments offered by our Church.
Read more!
I think most parents when asked which they would prefer to deal with – the terrible twos or the rebellious teen years – would resoundingly answer the terrible twos. Perhaps that is mostly because the memories of the teen years are closer in proximity. Yet, I would venture to say that in many cases it is because those rebellious and troubled filled years brought the most tears and gray hairs than did the terrible twos.
However, as I close in on facing my seventh teenager about to join the frays of those change filled years, I am also still dealing with the throes of the ‘terrible twos’ of my youngest. And so I can honestly say I find the teen years with all of its hormones, searching questions and even tears, infinitely easier to live through than the terrible twos. No doubt, upon hearing this, many parents would look at me as if I had two heads or wonder how many milligrams of Prozac I am on.
None the less it is true and I believe the reason for this is that my teens and I have a foundation that supported us through these difficult years.
It was a common foundation and it was, and is, our relationship with God. I am not saying that it was all cozy, warm and fuzzy with all of us simply turning to God in prayer when faced with a confrontation. Rather it was more a matter of my children having an authority even higher than mine to answer to. And this I believe is the true key to not only coming through the teen years, but all the stronger for having gone through them. That, and continued communication. These are what is missing during the phase of the terrible twos.
At that stage not only is the child’s relationship with God just emerging, it is almost impossible to effectively communicate with the frustrated child why he must or must not do something. The child simply can not comprehend why. Nor can she communicate the frustrations she is experiencing beyond screaming and tossing items about. However, teenagers, if communication lines are kept open, can voice concerns, frustrations and even temptations they are experiencing. When at logger heads over an issue most of my children have had spiritual directors to turn to, who in turn directed them back to the Authority over us all. God. What better resource can one have than that?
But this did not emerge over night. My husband and I did not pull God out of a magic top hat on a child’s thirteenth birthday. My husband and I began building this foundation at an early age, with attendance of Sunday Mass, and catechism taught at home. Efforts were made to pray the Rosary on a daily basis as well an attempt to communicate why it was important to pray. We attempted to make it an enjoyable experience. We also made many books of the saints available as examples to strive for. A personal relationship with Jesus and the community of Saints was what we strove for as a family through the frequent reception of the sacraments. It was a continuous, even if sometimes imperfect, effort. Thankfully we did not fall for the secular idea of not introducing our children to God as this was a personal experience, and was not to be inflected on a child. This idea was supported by the professionals who claimed it was better to leave a child to discover a god, or a higher power, of their liking.
I now truly believe it was this faith foundation that helped pull our teens and will continue to pull our current teens through those difficult years when one feels the need to challenge all authority around them, to seek independence and the why for everything. Why listen, why obey, why be different from ones peers. Why dress modestly when all around us don’t? Why be chaste when the message all about us is be hot and sexy? What better answer to these challenges, these whys, than God. What better than to be able to ask; ‘What do you think God wants you to do?’
Because we introduced our children to God at a very early age, we were able to work with Him to guide our teens through these difficult years. With God on our side when we have been faced with these challenging questions of why, my husband and I do not need to be the bad guy. At least, not for long. When we have had to enforce a decision that was not popular, typically it was not long before the teenager saw the sense of it. The teenager was able to see the reasoning because he was able to take it to God, through the sacrament of Confession, through direction from their Spiritual Director, or through his own private prayer life.
My husband and I know we are not perfect parents. I know that as a mother there have been many times when I over corrected, under corrected and just not been as attentive as I needed to be from time to time. However, I am putting my trust in God, that in His infinite mercy, He has blessed my children and us with enough graces to fill in those cracks in my parenting, and it is my continued prayer that He will continue to do so. I pray that He will continue to assist my husband, and I, in building the foundation that will sustain our children though their teens and on into their adult years – the foundation of a personal relationship with Christ. A foundation built through the sacraments offered by our Church.
Read more!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Well, well, well...
Virtuous Tuesday has rolled around again and I have yet to actually write a post about how family life offers us the possibility to grow in virtue. Sadly today is not going to prove different. Instead I am going to share what is coming up this week on my blog and why I am doing it this way. As regular readers are aware, I have been experiencing back pain and problems with my neck. These are old injuries that a fall back in September aggravated and I am beginning to wonder if sitting at the computer and especially typing is aggravating it... So I thought to myself, this being the last full day of summer vacation for us, I might as well go full out and get as much writing done as possible and then avoid the computer as much as possible for a few days and see if that, along with the changes we have made to our bed, will help my continuous discomfort. (The frame was broken so we removed it and put the bed on the floor to see if that would make a difference.)
So far I have accomplished three posts that are ready to be posted on their relevant days and am hoping to come up with a few more before the end of the day.
I am praying and hoping that taking a short break from the computer will allow some healing to take place. I know that until I can afford to see a chiropractor and get some much needed adjustments I will not find complete relief. However, I believe the last months of sleeping on a crooked bed frame has exacerbated the misalignment of the vertebra in my neck. I am hoping that heat therapy alternated with some icing, along with avoiding the poor posture I fall into at the computer for a few days straight through, will bring some relief from the muscle strain that I feel in my upper body.
I have also prayed for some relief and have felt God's grace in that regard. Please, if you think of it over the next few days, add me to your prayers for God's healing is my best hope for gaining some sense of relief. While I am not in a lot of pain, it is almost continuous and so is very wearing and very tiring which makes the fulfilling my duties as a wife and mother very difficult. I would like to thank every one in advance for their prayers. Read more!
So far I have accomplished three posts that are ready to be posted on their relevant days and am hoping to come up with a few more before the end of the day.
I am praying and hoping that taking a short break from the computer will allow some healing to take place. I know that until I can afford to see a chiropractor and get some much needed adjustments I will not find complete relief. However, I believe the last months of sleeping on a crooked bed frame has exacerbated the misalignment of the vertebra in my neck. I am hoping that heat therapy alternated with some icing, along with avoiding the poor posture I fall into at the computer for a few days straight through, will bring some relief from the muscle strain that I feel in my upper body.
I have also prayed for some relief and have felt God's grace in that regard. Please, if you think of it over the next few days, add me to your prayers for God's healing is my best hope for gaining some sense of relief. While I am not in a lot of pain, it is almost continuous and so is very wearing and very tiring which makes the fulfilling my duties as a wife and mother very difficult. I would like to thank every one in advance for their prayers. Read more!
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