A Little Bed Time Tip

Bed time can often be a sad time for kids...

...and parents alike. Especially if you are a parent with four kids four and under. Try to imagine how it often goes. I announce it's bedtime. I have the 23-pound baby on one hip, and I am trying to corral 3 agile, shockingly fast boys into their cribs down at the end of the hall. I can physically drag one with my free arm, flip him up into his crib, then leave to drag the next two if I so choose. The problem with this method, though, is that child A can easily climb out of his crib, so no matter how many times I drag children A through C to bed, they will remove themselves infinity times from said cribs while I leave to chase and drag their siblings in. This is often done through hysterical laughing, on their parts.

Another method I've been known to use is to have the older four kids help. I have more success with this tactic than the former, but the 4 four and under often scream when anyone puts them to bed but me or their father.

And why, you ask, is my darling husband out of the picture? The dear man is usually out of town. You can bet that when he's here, however, things are much better. The following solution is one to use if you are without help....

Step 1. Make it a habit of rarely giving your children candy.

Step 2. Have a bottle of children's vitamins on hand.

Step 3. Announce to the kids that it is bed time and that the first person who jumps into his crib will get a "vitamin candy" first. See, this is where the "rarely giving candy" part comes in. They don't realize that the vitamin tastes nowhere near as good as candy.

Step 4. Say "On you marks, get set, GO!"

Step 5. Run with the little angels to their cribs with them, watch them fly up and over their railings then watch them wait patiently, standing in their cribs, for the vitamins.

Step 6. Give them their vitamins, read them their stories, give them their sips of water, hold their hands while you say prayers, let them kiss your hands or lips, whichever you prefer, leave their door open at just the right width, go back and let them kiss you again, and say good night.

There... Easy! I realize that there is one flaw with this technique, in that you are giving them vitamins after they brush their teeth, or without them having brushed their teeth at all, so you make your own decision as to whether or not this plan is right for you. Best of luck!

P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

When you're helping someone move, sometimes accidents happen....

He's okay now, though!
 

P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

Why does my laundry room smell like sushi?

Oh yeah, I remember now. Because when I opened the fridge this afternoon to check on the raw vegan chocolate tart which took two hours to make, (which tart I made for the raw foods class I am giving tomorrow, for lots of classy ladies to sample,) I was horrified to find that the sweet, darling, dearest, smushy-pie, snuggle-bunny, baby-face little 4-year-old boy had done THIS....!!! :(

...with his finger.

I was so furious, that I slammed the refrigerator door, hard, then I yelled at the sweet, darling, dearest, smushy-pie, snuggle-bunny, baby-face little 4-year-old boy and asked him how could he, then I stormed into the kitchen to try to regain control of my emotions, then walked to and fro, not knowing which way to turn or what to do, then I said with complete exasperation to the 15-year-old girl to come and look what the 4-year-old boy had done, perhaps needing sympathy, then, upon opening the refrigerator, because I had slammed it one minute prior, the door shelf fell off, causing the one-gallon bottle of soy sauce to come crashing down onto the floor, and the thin (apparently) plastic broke in a large 5-inch crack, thus spilling at least 3/4 of a gallon of soy sauce onto my floor, which the 15-year-old girl and I mopped up with beach towels, which are now in the laundry room, thus causing it to smell like sushi.

I told my sad story to tomorrow's host, and she said, in her super-sweet voice (the 18-year-old boy says she's actually the nicest person he's ever met) that it was okay, and that the Amish, when they make their famous quilts, purposely sew in a tiny error to remind themselves that they are human, and have weaknesses and to keep themselves humble. She said this could be my Amish error-on-purpose.

Sure. That works.

Sorry classy ladies who will attend the class tomorrow. I will try to cut around the finger mark.

Thanks for listening, and I will soon be posting this recipe.

PSSST! To find great deals on fun stuff to do in your area, go HERE!

"It Was All My Fault!"

A conversation...

4-Year-Old Boy: Mom! Hurry, I need a coin because a twin is locked in the bedroom and I have to unlock it!

Me: Okay, go ask Grandma for one. Is he crying?

4-Year-Old Boy: Yeah, so I have to hurry!

[4-Year-Old Boy obtains coin from Grandma, and is heard continuing conversation to himself as he runs down hallway...]

4-Year-Old Boy [in worried tone]: Oh, I hope this works! It was all my fault!

[Coin is heard jimmying door knob, door is heard creeking open.]

4-Year-Old Boy: YES!

[Twin stops crying.]

Man, I love that boy!

There's almost nothing cuter...

...than a sleeping little boy...

...unless, perhaps, a just waken little boy...

Sometimes Boys Are Made of Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

Picked for his mother, brought into the house, and arranged in the sippy cup.... by the 4-year-old boy.

How I Plan to Manage When #10 Arrives

A few months ago, after I posted a chore list I use for the kids, I received an anonymous comment from a reader stating her opinion that I was "mean and lazy" for giving my kids chores. Perhaps she thought that I sat and ate bonbons and drank bubbly, and watched soap operas, while my children slaved around me, me yelling at them to move! so I could see Beau and Hope making out. (Are they even around anymore?) If she thought I was mean and lazy then, this post is certainly going to make her feel that I'm unbelievably masochistic and incredibly slothful. So be it....

As do most of you, I have many responsibilities in the home. My children have chores they need to accomplish after they return home from school, but these chores vary, depending on the age of the child and what his or her extra-curricular activities are.

That being said, because I will be giving birth soon, I will need a little extra help from them, and from others in my community. What I did was to make a list of everything I need to accomplish each day, then I divided this list among my children and others. Unfortunately, John will only be able to stay home for one week after the baby is born, and then will go back to traveling out of town to win our bread. I will take two weeks off from my regular chores, then will gradually add them back in as my recovery process is complete. Here's how it will work...

Before school chores:
17-year-old boy - make 2 fires in fireplaces and unload dishwashers
14-year-old girl - wake twins and fix them breakfast
13-year-old boy - take out trash
9-year-old boy - wipe down high chairs and upper island after breakfast
7-year-old girl - pick up things on the kitchen floor
Grandpa - take little kids to school, as big kids leave earlier and drive themselves (I have yet to actually ask him to do this, but he is the principal of the school, so I think it will work out.)
Ester, our Friday morning helper lady - care for twins and 3-year-old until lunch time

During lunch chores:
17-year-old boy - wash lunch dishes
14-year-old girl - unload dishwasher
13-year-old boy - wipe down lower island and counters
9-year-old boy - wipe down high chairs and upper island
7-year-old girl - pick up things on the kitchen floor
My friend BJ - pick up little kids from school before lunch
Ester - sweep kitchen
Me - change twins and put them and the 3-year-old down for their naps

After school chores:
17-year-old boy - bring in a load of wood, clean formal living room, wash one load of laundry
14-year-old girl - bring in a load of wood, clean family room, and care for twins for one hour
13-year-old boy - bring in a load of wood, sweep the guest hallway
9-year-old boy - clean 3-year-old's room and sweep bedroom hallway
7-year-old girl - help clean 3-year-old's room and clean entryway
Me - fold laundry

Dinner preparation and clean-up:
17-year-old boy - wash dishes
14-year-old girl - prepare dinner (probably a frozen casserole we have prepared in advance) and unload dishwashers
13-year-old boy - clean lower island and counters
9-year-old boy - clean high chairs and upper island
7-year-old girl - pick up things on the kitchen floor

Before bed chores:
17-year-old boy - change and dress a twin for bed
14-year-old girl - change and dress a twin for bed
13-year-old boy - clean anything for ten minutes
9-year-old boy - clean anything for ten minutes
7-year-old girl - clean anything for ten minutes
Me - put the twins and 3-year-old to bed

Weekend chores:
17-year-old boy - deep clean formal living room, deep clean big bathroom
14-year-old girl - deep clean family room, deep clean green bathroom
13-year-old boy - sweep both hallways, clean floor of playroom
9-year-old boy - deep clean Johnny's room, clean food storage room floor
7-year-old girl - organize playroom, deep clean entryway

Lest you, too, think I am mean and lazy, remember that the kids will only have these extra responsibilities for two weeks, then I will take over most of them. We've discussed this in one of our family councils recently, and they are prepared, as well as they can be, so please wish us luck!



On 365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time today:
It's Crib Jumping Time! Click the pic to see.



On life in mexico {and other places} a picture a day today:
{a girl}

Raising Girls

Look at this lovely delicate hand, adorned with a white bow and a shiny plastic ring...

The thing is, this is the hand of the 3-year-old boy...

Obviously, the 8-year-old girl or the 14-year-old got a hold of him sometime during the evening and put him to bed in this state. You've gotta love girls!




On 365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time today:
It's Chopstick and Sock Time! Click the pic to see!

Morning Sickness, Fatigue and Having 8 Kids at Home

(Caution: This post could contain more than you cared to know about my bowel function. You've been warned.)

This was the one part of having a tenth child I was not looking forward to. With a large new home to keep clean, 5 school-age kids with tons of activites, a 3-year-old and 17-month-old twins, how was I going to keep up with even the most basic of responsibilies?

For two weeks after I discovered I was pregnant, there was no sign of nausea or fatigue. I actually began to worry that I had miscarried because things were just too easy. However, I wasn't to be disappointed. About 4 days ago, I was immediately struck with intense nausea, even to the degree of being painful. It was almost a relief that it had finally arrived, but I began to become disheartened because of the severity of it. That night, at about 3:00 in the morning, the diarreah struck. This might seem like an inconvenience that is easily dealt with, except for the fact that I sleep with two babies on either side of me. Even though we've graduated to no more middle-of-the-night feedings, they often use me as comfort and love to cuddle up close. As the diarreah struck over and over again, I was constantly having to push off a twin, sometimes waking him up. At one point, I finally had to wake John up and say, "Could you let the baby lean on you? I'm having an emergency!"

This difficult situation lasted for about 24 hours, and was coupled by severe fatigue. I knew I had contracted a stomach flu, but I continued to have deep concerns that this was the beginning of the first-trimester morning sickness/fatigue that would last into the fourth or fifth month, as with the 8 pregnancies before. I couldn't function. I left the kitchen unswept in the evenings, I called on the kids to take turn after turn babysitting the little ones, and the 14-year-old girl had to do all the cooking. I began to wonder if I would be able to do this on my own or if I would have to cave and hire a full-time maid, something to which I was vehemently opposed.

Two days later, I woke up with more energy than I'd had in weeks. The morning sickness was still there, but as long as I ate something as soon as possible after waking up, I was fine. I swept the mess on the floor from the night before and performed all of the tasks I normally accomplish in the morning. The kids did their "jurisdictions" (see THIS post) and everything was back to normal. After about 2 and a half hours after breakfast, the nausea crept up again, but I ate something and immediately felt better.

So this was it, I thought. The severe fatigue and nausea of the previous days were only due to the stomach flu which I discovered was being spread throughout the community, and what I was experiencing now was the normal discomforts of early pregnancy, which for me, is nausea every two hours, cured by eating the right foods, and tiredness.

Even though I felt TONS better than I had with the stomach flu, I decided I needed to come up with a coping strategy. I've decided that in order to stave off morning sickness, I will make a pre-emptive strike. Every two hours, whether I'm nauseated or not, I will put something into my stomach. Otherwise, if I wait til the nausea strikes, I will have to frantically prepare my food in a hunched over position and have to force down the food into an unwilling stomach. This new plan has been working wonders. Today, I never felt more than a tinge of queasiness!

As for tiredness and fatigue, something I can't afford right now, here's how I've decided to conquer that. In the morning, when I have energy, I try to focus on what I need to accomplish for the day and try to finish it before lunch time. At about noon, one of the kids prepares lunch, we feed the babies, bathe them, then I put them and the 3-year-old down for their naps. It is usually close to 2:00 by the time this routine is finished, so it's time for me to eat again. I make lunch and enjoy it while spending some time at the computer, then head to bed with the babies. I usually am able to sleep close to 2 hours during this time, which gives me the energy I need to finish the day, which usually includes staying up until midnight (or in this case, until 1:26 AM) blogging! I hope these tips I've discovered after only 8 pregnancies has been of use to some of you! Thanks for listening!

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A Glimpse of One Moment in Time

As I was folding clothes a few days ago, I began listening to the sounds of my children. None of them were within eye-shot, so I started wondering what they all were doing. As I walked toward the sounds of activity, the first thing I saw were the twins playing quietly together with a box of blocks in the entryway...


This scene enchanted me, probably because I had waited for moments like these for so long during the grueling first year, times when they would simply play together and enjoy each other's company without me having to be right by their sides. I wanted to save this moment on film, so I did, then I thought I would catch what every other child was doing at that exact moment in time and save it to the camera as well. Here's what I found...


This is the 9-year-old boy vacuuming fruit flies from off the peaches. His brother is apparently advising him. A few months ago I posted photos of how our family does fruit, depicting bowl after bowl of various produce on our island and a commentator asked how we dealt with fruit flies. Question answered.


This is the 3-year-old boy trying to vacuum the fruit flies as well, but he can't figure out why he isn't having as much success with his attachment as his brother is with his.


Here we have the 14-year-old girl making cabbage soup. We had received three cabbages from some friends earlier that day and she knew it would be wise to use them as soon as possible. She suggested that she make cabbage soup for dinner, I stated that I thought it was a fine idea, she googled a recipe, and here she is carrying out her well thought-out plan.

When it came to finding the 7-year-old girl. It took a while. I looked in her room, the game room, the front yard, the side yard, and finally I found her in the back yard. I called her name, but she couldn't hear me. As I got closer, I heard her singing her heart out to a favorite song on her shuffle while admiring her dad's gardening. It was pretty dang precious.


And here is what I was doing before being distracted by wanting to document a moment in time...


P.S. If you're wondering where the other three children were, the 20-year-old girl lives on her own, and I actually tried to call her to see what she was doing, but couldn't reach her, the 17-year-old boy is in Alaska with his uncle and the 12-year-old boy was in scout camp!

P.P.S. Sorry about the bright window lighting in almost every photo!

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Angie hosts "Wordful Wednesday" for those of us who don't like to keep our mouths shut for Wordless Wednesday. It's totally fun!

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