Fab Friday

So today was a slow start. The girls got up and ready for school, and the husband I snipped and snarled at each other all morning. Once the girls were off, I did a bunch of stuff around the house and then headed out to the store with Emily and Maggie. I managed to come home with all of the things I needed, including all of the goodies for Easter and a bed for Helicopter to sleep/birth in. Husband and I had another argument so I took Grayson out to get some lunch. On our way, we dropped off some candy for Brittan's class at school, stopped at the bank and drove by the stables so he could see the horses. Then we had a nice lunch and Gray, Maggie and Killian hopped in the back of my car for the ride home. The girls and Em came by as it was only a half day at the elementary school, and the husband and I fought AGAIN and I started dinner. Finall, all six kiddos were here and being loud, Haven sported the attitude she is famous for, Gray and Maggie brawled, it was a typical afternoon. Being as the kids were so well behaved, we decided to keep them and Emily for dinner :) Husband and I called a truce, kids were fed and then Haven and I were off to sell cookies at Wawa. Finally home and warm, with cookies and hot cocoa for all, the kids have been shuffled to bed, I have worked and also happliy discovered that the paper I thought was due tonight isn't due until tomorrow!! Now all that is left is to vaccum the family room, wipe the table and clean up the kitchen, and then I can relax.

It's official

Helicopter is going to be a mom. Anytime in the next few days to the next few weeks, she will be having kittens, so if you want one, let me know!

Off to a good start

So, last night was a rough one, Grayson was up a lot and Ryan was snoring, so I finally moved into Brittan's room at 4. I did, however, get up and make my kids that hot breakfast and I got the girls off to school without yelling :) Then I did some work and took Gray to the allergist, unfortunetly he was given more meds :(

However, I have had a hard time being a better wife today, although in my defense, that is because my husband is being a huge jerk. Thankfully he is off at the vet with the cat, I guess we will soon know if she is pregnant.

At least I am a better mom today!

A much deserved break

So after teaching PT class, I came home to my bustling household. Em and the kids were here, some on the computer, some on the Wii, some running around crazy :) They stayed and played for a while then headed home, and I worked with Haven on her project. It was a bit trying as I just received my new computer and it needed the internet set up and the printer drivers installed, but we muddled through and Haven and I got the project done with no arguements or tears, a success!

Grayson had a pre-bedtime meltdown, probably because he had a busy day playing with Maggie and Killian (thanks for keeping him and making him tired Em!), so he was shuffled off to bed as the girls got their work done and had a slower trip upstairs. Everyone got settled and my sweet sweet husband offered to go and pick up dinner from my favorite local Mexican place (their tortilla soup is perfection!) so I had a nice easy supper after the kids were tucked away. I finished my work, wrote a quick paper, and settled down on the couch to take a break. Husband headed to bed early as he didn't sleep much this afternoon and I am loving the free time. I am going to bed early so I can get up and make that breakfast for the kids. Tomorrow Grayson has to see the allergist and Helicopter has a vets appointment to confirm she is preggo, then a conference call.

Here is to new attitudes!

A whole new day

I have been feeling so stressed and fear it is affecting how I parent. I decided that I must buck up and get over it, as my kids need me as a mom, more than I need to be a stress ball. Today is a bit brighter, and I am planning to begin tomorrow as brightly as I can. I will still have my overloaded plate, but I need to focus less on what I have to do for work/school, and more on being the best wife and mom I can be.

I am hopeful that I can turn my mood around, the trip to Chicago is stressing me, but I have to let it go or I won't be productive. I also need to be thankful for those little ones I have, and be grateful that they are young and forgiving. I am going to get up early tomorrow and make them a nice breakfast, and I think I will apologize for being short with them lately, they deserve my full attention.

How do you shake the gloomies?

Things have been hard the last few months, and I am very, very tired. It seems that everything is picking up when all I want to do is slow down. The kids are a crabby mess, the house needs an overhaul, I have 100 papers to grade and two to write plus my regular work, and I am just too tired to deal with it. I am sure a big part of my problem are the gray, gray skies that have been here for weeks. Nothing can steal your "get up and go" like a dreary, overcast day...it sucks all of your spirit out and makes you just want to curl up in bed.

Ah well, we were productive today and dinner is in the oven. I will help Haven with her project tonight in addition to her regular homework, plus it is bath night and Ry has work. I need to grade some papers, work, and write one of the papers. Tomorrow I have to get drop my girls at school and drop Gray at Emily's. Then I am going to drive to PT school and do a conference call with FT school where I need to be online as well, then I have ANOTHER call with FT school...basically I will be sitting at PT school for an hour and a half doing calls! Then I will go teach, then home to help Haven finish her project and do all of the Wednesday night things like dinner, school work, etc.

Oh i NEED a day off :)

Farm fresh taste

Today is farm day, and I like that it has become a ritual. Once the girls head off, Gray and I have a quiet morning, I clean the house and get a few chores done, Gray takes some time to himself. We will then head to Staples for copies, have lunch and then off to the farm. On our way home, a quick stop at Dr. Tom's and then home. Emily and the girls usually come for the ride, and I am hopeful that come Spring we will be allowed to explore the animals, especially the babies!

Off to clean and switch clothes, and then we are ready for our day :)

With child(ren)?

So I noticed that our cat Helicopter is looking chubby and fear that she may have gotten "in the family way" before we adopted her 4 weeks ago. She will be visiting the vet on Thursday and I am hoping she is just getting fat and not about to have kittens. I have never had a cat have kittens, and it is one experience I would like to avoid. I guess we will find out on Thursday :)

Drugs drugs drugs

I have never been a big fan of medicating my kids. I always have tried to give half the medicine (tylenol, etc) to see if that made them feel better. From the start, Haven was on reflux meds beginning at just three weeks old, but never took an antibiotic until well over a year old. Brittan is usually my healthiest, although she has had a few more bugs this winter. All three take allergy medicine during Spring, Summer and Fall, I have tried to do without, but they really suffer and for Grayson, it makes his asthma really bad. Now my poor Grayson. He suffered from many sinus infections as a baby and ear infections as he has entered his toddler and preschool years. He uses two types of asthma meds, although we try to keep him off them unless needed. Since he got really sick in December and landed in the hospital, he has been sick almost non stop, and today we were told he has another sinus infection, and upper respiratory infection and the beginnings of a double ear infection :(

Since December, this is his fifth time on antibiotics, he has been on two different prescribed cough medicines, he has has antibiotic eye drops for pink eye. Twice he has been on an oral steriod along with his two inhaled medications, and once he has been given a shot of steroid. He has not slept well all these months, and I have just about reached the end of my rope. I am tired, Gray is tired, he is mean and nasty and crabby all the time because he isn't feeling well. I am trying to get him to let Dr. Tom adjust him to see if that provides any relief, but he won't do it. If anyone has any ideas, let me know, we need help!

The day is done

The day is over, the husband has left for work and the only noise in the house is the hum of the computer. I am hoping that Grayson sleeps tonight, i have had quite enough of his screaming at night. I think I will need to make him an appointment at the doctor tomorrow...maybe he will actually let Dr. Tom adjust him, it may just help.

Tomorrow looks busy but not frantic. I have to see Dr. Tom, Gray will need to see the doctor. I need to get snack together for the girl scouts, make dinner, clean the house and go to campus. My class is taking an exam, and I will use the time to grade the exam from last week. I should also be able to get home early, which is a relief. On the agenda is to finalize the documents for the site visit so they can be copied on Tuesday. I am getting anxious for May, so I can be done with the extra job, although I will miss the salary!

There have to be bad days

to appreciate the good, right?

Today has been trying. I am very tired, and the kids are crabby and tired, and all around no one is getting along. Haven is basically trying to be my shadow, and is making me crazy. Grayson is just LOUD which makes me think the last few nights of no sleep and loud voice=ear infection. Brittan is just a weepy little girl. I sent them for naps, no one slept, and the worst part was, I was trying to get a nap too.

Ah well, it is now 4:11, they girls will be missing swimming based on exhaustion, illness and crabbiness. I will make dinner, they will eat and take a bath, and then they are off to bed. Tomorrow is a new day, and hopefully a better day.

The new dwarfs, achy, crabby and cough-y

OK, the illness that took Brittan and Ryan down has hit us all. It seems to be an achy, cough-y, sore throat thing with a bonus runny nose. Haven and Gray are both sick, Britt is still coughing like crazy, Ryan still has no voice and I have a killer headache. Last night Grayson barely slept and kept screaming, Haven came into my room and settled on the floor and just moaned, and Britt came in and lay across my feet. Needless to say, no one is well rested this morning.

The girls have swimming, and as long as they feel up to it, I will take them. We are just laying around this morning, and then I will get up and fold clothes and get moving on my day. I am soooooo tired :(

Teach Abroad

I am getting very concerned about what I will do when I complete my doctorate. I know I can stay right where I am , keep teaching as I am, and all will be fine, but I want more. Ryan is open to us moving if I am asked to join a university and we like the area it is located in, and I am thankful for that. I just feel the itch to do more, to see more. I have always wanted to teach in Europe, I just don't know how to go about it. I also want to make sure that when I do it (yes I said when not if) it will be at a time that is good for the children. I want them to really explore the culture, and I am not sure if it is best to do this when they are small or when they are teeneagers. As it stands, I am going to explore both domestic and international universities, as I really want to keep my options open. Maybe I should work on a new language, anyone have any ideas?

Oh so many dishes and a dinner plan

The downfall to cooking so many of our foods from scratch is the huge number of dishes that are generated. It is a trade off I guess, the dishes for the healthy foods made with love, but I am a bit tired of doing dishes!



As my girls now have swimming at 6pm on Sundays, we have had to make Saturday nights our big family dinner. Although I try to cook most nights of the week, the roasts and more complicated meals were usually reserved for Sundays, but alas, we all must adapt.



Tonight we are having honey balsamic chicken. Emily said she was making it the other day and it sounded so good, that we are stealing her idea and having it tonight. It is pretty simple, bone in breasts marinated in a mixture of honey (local and organic), balsamic vinager and olive oil (both not local at all, but organic). I also grated a few garlic cloves in and added salt and pepper, and may drop a few thyme leaves on top when I put the chicken in the oven. The side will be angel hair with sundried tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil. I have a nice big mixed green salad with feta, cucumbers and tomatoes and a cheesecake is baking away for dessert. If the family is REALLY nice, I will make some strawberry compote and fresh whipped cream for the cheesecake. Now I have to figure out what to make for Sunday :)

Sometimes you need to disappear

Today I was feeling blah. I had that big paper looming and a house of crazy screaming kids. Ryan isn't feeling well, so he coped as any husband would, he moped around, threw a fit when the kids interrupted his game, watched tv and took a nap. I then had to juggle the kiddos with making dinner, baking bread, working and writing a paper. In addition, my new computer is freaking out and keeps crashing on me.

As I was getting ready to serve dinner, I woke Ryan up and asked for help. He responded by moving from the couch in the living room to the couch in the family room, and then proceeded to snore more. I really needed help as I was trying to write my paper and had to keep getting up to deal with kid and dinner. Finally, as I was serving dinner and the kids were swarming and the paper looming and the husband snoring I lost it. I stormed upstairs to my room, shut off the lights and laid in bed for two hours. I knew the paper would still be there, but I just needed to get away from the chaos and anger. When I came down, the kids were fed and the kitchen destroyed...and I simply walked to the computer and got to work. I finally ate dinner at 10:30 after the paper was completed, and I am still annoyed with the husband. Now if he actually does the dishes tonight like he says he is and lets me REALLY sleep in tomorrow, maybe I will forgive him :)

Failing?

Oh it has been a hard few weeks. We have been busy, busy, the kids have been more than their usual handful and I feel like I have been running all day every day. Add to that the severe lack of sleep and ever changing, although almost always gray days here, and my mood is off. When anyone gets off schedule, it is so easy to fall back on what is easy, and I fear I have been doing that.

I just haven't been as diligant as usual in cooking, shopping and eating locally and healhy, and I am feeling the pain. I am finding that the winter is hard to deal with if you don't have the supplies you need. As we never canned last summer or stocked up well, I am having to make do with what I can find, and it has been difficult. I am always thinking there has to be more I can do, something I am missing, but I am still a novice and finding my way.

I am anticipating spring, and with the garden plans looking secure and the seed order ready to go, I am hopeful that we will eat better soon. I know I am doing more than I did this time last year, but also know that I am not where I want to be just yet. Still on the short list: order local beef, find locally milled flour, reorganize the pantry to fit the bulk items, order bulk grain to have on hand and incorporate new foods into our diets. Oh I cannot wait until the spring brings us a bounty of fruits and veggies, and am anxious to try my hand at canning, so we are not in this same dreary spot next winter.

Daily doings

A quick update on the daily activities. The bread is in the oven and I am hoping that the oven warmth will finally take the chill out of the house. I am in the process of roasting another batch of coffee, and am anxious to try the first cup. The beans for dinner are soaking on the stove, and in about an hour, I will get the ham bone and veggies into the pot to begin the slow simmer. I have begun my paper, but am only just scraping the surface and have a lot more work to do. I have completed my work work for the day

Home home home

We got our day off, and I am more than relieved! The only down side was that my glorious husband was letting me sleep in the morning and Haven decided she needed to ask me if school was closed. She walked clear past her dad, up the stairs and into my room and woke me up, at 8:15!!!

Anyway, I am up, the house is vacummed, dishes done and kids playing away. I have already made bread and it is rising. Next I will make some soup and for dinner we will have navy bean soup, and ham on the homemade wheat bread, yummmmmmmmy.

I also have a 20 page paper looming, and I am not excited to work on it. I am hoping to have half done by dinner, the end of papers always move fast for me, so I won't be tied up all night.

All I want is a simpler life, and it seems it just keeps getting complicated. That is the trouble today, it is so hard to settle down, hang close to home and enjoy the quiet....but then again, the kids are never quiet.

A good nights sleep

how I wish I knew what that was.

I am tired, and I am sick of getting up all night long alone. Why is it that I can hear my kids, but Ryan can't? Oh well, maybe today I will get a nap, or even better, maybe we will get that storm and I can sleep in on Friday.

On the agenda today, I have to get Brittan to the doctor at 8:30, then depending on the result I will either drop here off or bring her with me on my errands. I have to drop by and see Dr. Tom, then I need to to run to Target to get a bunch of stuff. Then home to clean the house up and make a fire, it is coooooooold.

Off we trudge.

Yeah Me!

So....it is 7:32 pm and I have done everything I needed to do!!!!

Dinner is over and cleaned up, kids have had baths, paper is written and work is done. I actually have a night off, I am so excited!

My lovely husband has agreed to drop the exam I need copies of off at Staples for me on his way to work, and I am all ready for tomorrow. My husband has another interview and I think it is tomorrow morning so I will drop the girls off, come home and get dressed for work, take Gray to pick up my copies, then we will stop at Dr. Tom's and I will drop Gray with Emily. Then I will take off to do my call and if all goes well, I will get to campus early and get some of that big paper done.

But right now I am settling down with a cup of coffee, yippee!