Bath Time Fun!

Have you ever heard that throwing some glow sticks in the bath and letting the kids bathe in the dark could be fun? Well, I have. And we have tried it! My 5 year old thought it was awesome. But glow sticks are a one-time deal. Short-lived fun. I wanted to make it a little longer-lasting. And thanks to a company that had something fun to try out - we have a solution! 

*Disclaimer: I was sent this product in exchange for a review. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. All opinions are strictly my own.*

I was contacted about doing a review on some LED underwater lights! Of course I said yes. I mean, I knew we were moving, but let's face it - I can always make some time for fun! 

They are on Amazon. You can get free shipping on them if you have Prime or even if you buy other qualifying items that give the free shipping option. So that is my first bonus. I don't have Prime, but I like to wait and order multiple things at once for the free shipping. Only when I know there are things I need to get! 

Bonus number two - this thing works underwater! You can light up a pool, the tub, a sink! Whatever you want to add a small light to. It would work as a nightlight in the bathroom sink. My daughters like taking baths in the dark with it hanging in the tub. If we do ever get a pool, I'm setting up these lights for fun night swimming! 

Next good thing that I like about it is the remote option. With a click of the remote, I can easily switch between the options of how it lights up. 

Then there are the suction cups. They hold pretty well. Easily slide them into place. There was also a spare one in case I needed it. 

Lastly, is the charging function. I can plug it in for charging using the USB cord that came with it. So if I'm working, I can plug it in the laptop and have it ready when I'm taking my evening bath. Just don't forget to put the waterproof plug back in to keep the water out of the inner workings. 

And that is it! Awesome? Or not so much? Let me know in the comments below!

Homeschool Bound

My faith in the public school system has fizzled out. Finally. Thus begins my journey into being a serious homeschool mom. The journey is bound to be difficult, and I enter the path with slight trepidation. However, that being said, I have a strong belief that it is the right path to take. My kids mean the world to me. Giving them the best education possible, isn't an empty dream. If all I can leave them is knowledge, then I'm leaving a treasure-loads worth! 

First things first...

I had to remove them from the public school system. My daughters school acquiesced my request immediately. My boys' school... Took several emails and then CC-ing the Superintendent. But it is done! Supposedly... And I am happy to feel so free. Taking that first step can be so draining. Emotionally speaking, I kept wondering if I can truly do this. But knowing the support I have from my husband and the supplies my mom keeps passing along, it just seemed so doable. Physically speaking, I questioned how I would get through the days with the kids around non-stop. I'm not always feeling my best. And try though I may, they know when I'm struggling. They are like their dad... Always reading me better than I'd like! But then there is the thought that if they stay in school, I have to keep getting up before the sun and dragging them to the bus stop. Then dragging myself to pick them up in the afternoon. I think I can handle being home all day every day with them much better than keeping to that schedule! It can be overwhelming at first. But once the rhythm is established, this will be a walk in the park.

What will I teach? 

As required by law mathematics, reading, writing and citizenship are no-brainers. But I won't stop there. History shows our human mistakes so that we can be better in the future. Science brings wonder and reminds us to keep pushing forward. Art breeds creativity. And of course I will be looking forward to our trips to the pool and tennis courts for physical education. I also plan to teach them as much home economics studies as I can think of. My kids won't be like the majority of college-aged kids who don't know how to wash their clothes or make breakfast! My 4 year old folds and puts away her clothes and towels just fine. So I think I'm on track so far. I've created a board on Pinterest that is divided by subject to keep me on track and offer ideas when I get stuck.

What am I doing? 

Normally I laugh and say, "I don't know!" 

I've been reading a lot about homeschooling. I've also thought back to the days when I was a homeschooler (4th grade to college). Not every kid goes ahead at the same pace. So I'm evaluating where my children are and where they need to go. While I like having workbooks that they can progress in on their own, I don't want to sit back and wait for them to have questions. I know at least one of them will gladly pretend to be doing the work while most likely hiding undone pages. I should know, I did the exact same thing. Once. I'm going to be hands on with them. I have a 6th grader, 5th grader, and a 4th grader. Not to mention my 4 year old in Kindergarten! 

Where are my materials coming from?

One thing I have come to find is that a child needs to progress at their own speed. My 4th grader is far ahead in her levels. So I'm going out on a limb and teaching them all together. Refreshers in multiplication, division, fractions and decimals. My 6th grader is the only one who might be able to go into whatever comes after those. Math is my husbands expertise. So he's their teacher in that subject. My mom gave me lots of books that I'm going to pull lessons from to use. I've also printed pages out online to get an idea of where they are. I'm going to have them quizzing each other with flash cards for multiplication and division.

Reading is easy! That is my comfort zone. All my children follow suit in that. Our library recognizes us now, I'm proud to admit. We have a great deal of fun going there. My only sadness is that they limit me to placing 25 items on hold at once. And I can only get 50 items at a time. Which means we are there almost every week. Okay, every week. I've nearly met my Goodreads reading challenge goal for the year already. Which reminds me... I need to up it to 150 books... Anyhow. I'm teaching them the proper differences between the types of books they are reading. And to mix non-fiction in between the fiction. (Something my mom taught me.) Keep hold of enough of reality so that you don't always live in fantasy. They are currently reading about robots and our special forces teams for their non-fiction.

Writing is going to be fun! When I was homeschooled, I had penpals around the world. I also kept journals. LOTS of journals. I've since burned some of those. Most of those. But there are couple I still have. My children won't be forced to keep a journal. They keep to something else. They have Bible study journals. They read the Bible on their own and write questions to ask their dad later. He does Bible studies with them every afternoon, Mondays being question days. Even their Sunday school teachers have been in wonder that my kids know more about the passages being studied than other kids there. My kids can even tell you the historical references of people not in the Bible that affected the events mentioned in the Bible! That makes me very proud. On top of this, though, I plan to try and get them penpals. I want them to practice writing letters while also learning about others around the world. I don't want idle writings. But true penmanship and connections. I would even like them to write family more as well. Since the pandemic, we haven't had many in-person interactions with family. 

History is a subject that my husband and I both are huge fans of. My kids have learned well how much I enjoy it. I make them write reports every summer on a different subject. We discuss World War 2 a lot around here. This summer, they learned the proper layout of a book report while studying pirates. Wanna know how I know they actually learned something from this study? My 11 year old son had to see the dentist. As he sat there, the hygienist asked him what he had done over the summer so far. He told her he learned about pirates. "How fun!" she says. "Yep, I even know all about the process of keelhauling!" He tells her. She looks at me confusedly and back to him, "What is keelhauling?" He goes into precise, and slightly gory, detail about it. She looks back at me and said, "Nothing like Pirates of the Caribbean, huh?" HAHAHAHAHA You wanna talk about being proud of my son?! I told her, "Nope, that is real history that he learned." We did binge through the entire series of Pirates of the Caribbean movies. We are also still reading Treasure Island. We watched two versions of movies made from that book as well. And my mom made it even more fun by sending a game called Pirate Words that had us laughing our butts off trying to make words, beat each other to the treasure and not get eaten by sharks - all at the same time! I took it a step further and had each of them design their own pirate "colors" or flag. Anyone who has studied pirate history will know that pirates didn't all fly the same Jolly Roger flag. They created their own to fly, to show who was captain of the ship. It was cool to see their different ideas and to read their reports. They all see piracy so differently. 

I have science projects and kits lined up already. My mom has sent most of them. From robotics to wind machines, to solar power and circuitry. Not to mention my husband has loads of his own ideas for fun science studies. We have books to study the Epic Failures of Engineering. I can't wait for that one! 

For physical education, we go to the pool and are learning swimming. Or at least I have been trying to teach them. We also take them to play tennis. We bought racquets for us all. My kids love this! We are actually getting better. We no longer take up two courts with our stray balls all the time! I did fall this last time. Scraped up my right side really well. But through it all, we are having fun and staying fit. 

                                                    This one came from the Czech Republic

Geography is a fun subject. I don't believe it is only for learning where places are on the globe. I also believe in learning about other cultures and culinary experiences. I am a member of Postcrossing. I swap postcards with others around the world. When I get one from another country, I look up recipes from there and make a dinner that is completely different than things we have here. Then I read to the kids a little about that country. We talk about where it is. Soon I will be hanging a world map that my mom gave me. I'm creating what I call the Learning Wall. Our place is small, but I'm making it work. 

What suggestions might you have? Any of you homeschool?? I'd love to hear about it!

4 Fun Ways to Pass the Time

 I've started cleaning out old files. You ever do that? Have those moments of thinking you would clean out old papers? I found magazine articles from 2013. I had saved them because they had great ideas to help get through those doldrums of life. To spark ideas on what to do in our down time. I came across some marvelous ones that I wish I had found sooner. However, there are plenty of chances for us parents to use them with things not being fully opened in most places. Especially if the second wave of pandemic hits and everyone is put under lock-down again. 

When you have a lot of toys...

Create a toy catalogue: Take pictures and print them out. You can put them into a photo album or glue them into a notebook. Let your kids pick which ones they want to keep out for now. The rest go into a stored state. When they are bored (at least 2 weeks later), they may pull out the book and "shop" for "new" toys. New selections have to be kept out for a certain amount of time before they can "shop" again. 

I had heard an idea like this before. Instead of photos in a book, however, you would take half of their toys, put them in some kind of container and put them away where the kids couldn't access them. When they got bored, you swapped toys. Ones in their toy box were put away and the stored ones were brought out. This renews their interest. It is like they forget they even had those toys and makes it seem like they are new all over again! No need to spend money, no need to hear the whining when they can't find something to do. Though, as far as whining goes, my kids know better. I take a toy every time they are "bored". I give it away. And they have to do reading, chores or reports to pass their time. They now see the word 'boredom' as a forbidden word. Like a curse word. 

This also helps keep the clutter down. The downside is, you have to have space to store those extra toys in. You can also use it to determine which toys they have absolutely no interest in anymore. If they don't order that toy in 6 months time - they don't truly want it anymore. 

If you have a big enough yard area...

Create a treasure mine! Get a small pool - think the plastic ones or a small blow up kind. Fill it up halfway with sand. Find little plastic gemstones, shells and pretty rocks (fools gold!) - whatever would bring excitement and fun to the kids, and hide them in the sand. Then fill up the rest of the pool with water. You can get little sieves pretty cheap these days. Let the kiddos "mine" and hunt to their hearts content. 

Satisfying a sweet tooth...

Bring out the ice cream! One of the best ways I have seen to end the summer, is through an ice cream tasting party. Some have gone so far as to even buy 10 gallon-sized varieties of ice cream. You line them up on the table and pass out sheets for the "judging". Have silly things like "Quickest to melt" or "Most intense flavor", etc. Once the judging has ended, you can then make sundaes! 

Another twist is to just have multiple types of ice creams, toppings, and fixings. Create a sundae bar. Everyone designs their ultimate sundae creation. Then let everyone vote to see who they think made the best one.

Make learning fun...

Bring the world to your doorstep! Or even choose a different kind of adventure. Check out Little Passports for all kinds of subscription options that bring fun to learning science, geography, and even history. I would love to get my younger son signed up for the Science Expeditions one. They can learn forensic science and fingerprint analysis in the first go! Every month after, they solve another mystery with science. And if you don't want to get a subscription, they also offer Pack options. 

What other ideas have you seen or tried? I'd love to hear them!

Not Wasting Time on Tying Shoes This Year

If the first three months are going to be any idea of what the rest of the year holds, then we are going to be on the go a lot. With 4 kids, that means a lot of waiting on shoes to get tied. Well, it would. If we didn't have Hickies to help! 

*Disclaimer: I was sent these products through my association with US Family Guide in exchange for my honest review. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. All opinion are my own.*

Hickies take the hassle out of shoe tying. Hard enough keeping track of their shoes, let alone in making sure each one is tied. My kids are 10, 8, 6 and 2. The oldest two really tried my patience while teaching them how to tie their shoes. More times than I care to recall, I had to stop and get them to tie their shoes or I had to tie them. When you are in a hurry, this makes things difficult. Or how about those cool super hero shoelaces that refuse to stay tied?? Oh yeah.... 

So how do Hickies help Parents? 

You slide these rubber straps in place and fasten. Then your kids only need to slide their shoes on. Voila! You are ready to go. They save you time and energy.  I chose the Red and the Black and Silver Metallic ones. Each pack has enough laces for a pair shoes. Depending on you lace yours up, you may even have some left over. 

Check out these awesome features:

Works in any shoe with eyelets.

One size fits all.

Elastic material keeps shoes secure yet comfortable.

Never tie again! Play is uninterrupted.

Fun look, without the messy knots and bows.

Adjustable tightness.

Quick and easy - simply slip on and off. Especially if you want to switch out colors to match your outfit!

Good for adults too! 

Do you run a lot? Do your shoes come untied sometimes? This will keep that from slowing you down! They include a guide that shows you how to use them in various styles so that you can wear them tight or wear them loose.

 Get your savings here!

Never tie, never worry. Get Hickies Never Tie Laces on hickies.com, with 20% off using code USFAM. 

Would you use them? How could they be useful to you? Leave me a comment below and let me know what you like most or what ideas you have for them!  

Lucky Cat from Kidorable brings charm and warmth! (+ giveaway)

Hey everyone! I'm working with Kidorable again to showcase a new product they have introduced. The Lucky Cat design has been added to their inventory options! 

*Disclaimer: I was sent these products, free of charge, in exchange for my honest review. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. All opinions are my very own.* 

What is the Lucky Cat? 

The Kidorable kitty who sparks imagination and style for your little lady! My daughter loves cats. Actually, both of my girls love cats. (My husband and I think they are broken, but we love them anyhow.) However, the Lucky Cat knitwear set is absolutely adorable! It's Kidorable! *buh duh tss* Too much? Okay, but really. My daughter struts like a diva when wearing it. She proudly shows off her love of cats, often while making kitty cat sounds. And in purrrfect timing! Storms are moving down in the south that are bringing us colder temperatures and soon - lots of cold rain! 

Christmas is close, but you still have time! 

I don't know what kind of weather you might be having about now, but it is not too late to get your own Lucky Cat items. For cold or for rain - or even for indoors! - there is something for everyone. And right now, they are having quite the sale. So if you are looking for a last minute gift for Christmas, or maybe even a birthday, you really should check them out! 
Kidorable has umbrellas like the one my daughter tried out. 

And the one a lucky reader won from my last giveaway I hosted. She chose the ballerina one. Her daughter loves the movie Leap and got hers in the mail the day she was watching a 1930's movie that had a ballerina in it. It was the perfect addition to her day! 

Quality and sizes are impressive. 

As a Mom of 4 kids, I look for quality in gear that I buy. As one kid outgrows something, there is a second-fourth child who may get use out of it. I take into consideration that my kids might be a little more rough on things than they were meant to handle. Kidorable products seem to withstand that challenge still, as I have seen so far. This shows me that they are high quality and will last a good while. On top of that, sizes can be tricky for us. My kids are on the tall size of the spectrum, which means longer torsos, longer legs and longer fingers. Yep - model material! So shopping for them can be... tiresome. As infants, at least two of them couldn't even wear the baby mittens. Their hands just didn't fit into them. So how well did the knitwear work for my daughter? Perfectly! I went with a size large and her hands fit just right. The hat also fits well, covering her ears from the cold. The scarf is long enough to not only reach around her neck, but even goes to her waist! I also like that the scarf can hold the mittens while out of use in a little pocket. It makes keeping them together while storing them super easy.

What else do they offer? 

Besides amazingly cute umbrellas that stand out in the crowd, and knitwear that inspire daydreams, they have towels, backpacks and rain gear. All of them being unique. And everything sparking imaginative thinking. They can be a knight who battles fierce dragons or a fairy princess! Items like these also give your kids a way to stand out. The designs don't get lost in a crowd. 

So, are you ready to win your own? 

What do you like most about these products? Do you know anyone who would love them? Well, now is your chance to win one! a Rafflecopter giveaway

6 Things I Learned When My Daughter Had Her Tonsils and Adenoids Removed

A simple procedure, but it takes so much planning and time... who knew that having my daughters tonsils and adenoids removed would require me to step up my Mom game? I had mine out around her age, but of course I don't remember much besides getting a Popsicle in the hospital afterwards. I certainly learned a thing or two, however, that I think other parents can benefit from. 

Why did we do it? 
First off, this wasn't something we wanted to do. But this kid went through 3 bouts of strep throat and antibiotics before the pediatrician said no more! Her little body can't handle that much. Plus, according to the specialist we were sent to, she had very large tonsils. Probably why she snored so heavily. And SO loud! You have to understand why and truly be on board with it before agreeing to it. Her tonsils took up a huge part of the back of her throat. There was no escaping the need. No coming up with excuses and putting it off.

Stock up on all the essentials. 
Since she could only eat soft things for up to 10 days, Popsicles, ice cream, yogurt, pudding and jello were the top items to get. She didn't like jello or pudding, so we stuck with the other things. Then you might consider things like broth - but remember it has to be served cooled/room temperature. I also got Pedialyte to make sure she got some nutrients. Aside from that, water is the best thing she can drink for a while. 

Remember to schedule it carefully. 
We scheduled it right before the Thanksgiving week break so that she only had to miss a day and a half from school. Didn't want to get into trouble or have her falling behind in her studies while she was recovering. Recovery is for 10 days. Whether your child has school or you have work - schedule accordingly! I found that talking to the teacher ahead of time was a huge help. If needed, they can provide school work to keep your kiddo up to speed.

Have someone available to help. 
I strive to be a Wonder Mom every day. It is not easy - that's for sure. It can be so tiring at times. And after something like this, you need someone to tag team for a day. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 in the morning, even though her surgery was scheduled for 7:30 (and didn't get under way until 8). So we had to get up at 4:30 in the morning. Then after her surgery, we stayed for her 4 hour observation period. By the time we got home, I was exhausted. I could barely keep my eyes open. Thankfully, my husband took the night off and happily watched the kids while I laid down for a nap. Remember that it is not only because we are waking so early, but the stress can wear you out too. 
At other times, her siblings tried to keep her company and have been helping her when she asks for something. Even my boys have been spoiling their little sister - and they are usually the ones arguing with her!

Be firm -_-
I can't tell you how difficult this has been. On the fifth day since her surgery and this girl has been really begging for other foods. She almost tricked me into letting her have a chip. Talk about wanting to pull my hair out! I have finally gotten graphic in my responses. Talking about having to go back for more surgery wasn't cutting it. So I had to go into detail. "You eat these foods, you could rip out your stitches. You will bleed a lot and I have to take you back to the hospital where they do more surgery. Then you miss Thanksgiving dinner. AND miss out on more than 2 days of school." Harsh, right? But she needed the wake up call. She was asking for chicken nuggets, chips, sandwiches, fries... Yes, these things smell so good and make our mouths water - BUT - NO! So steel yourself. It will come and you will want to cave at those big baby eyes, pleading for mercy and begging for something they can't have. But be strong. Say no. 

Have fun with it! 
My daughter started begging for regular foods without 3 hours of her surgery. And every time since that I made the family something that she wanted, she made comments about how good it smelled or how she wanted some "so bad!". My husband got to the point where he would sit there and take a bite while closing his eyes and saying, "Mmmm". Now before you tell me how cruel this is, remember that for the week before her surgery, she did nothing but talk about how she was going to eat Popsicles and ice cream every single day while we had to eat vegetables! My, how the tables have turned... Now she can't wait to have those home cooked dinners. 

I hope you don't have to deal with such things. They can be so exhausting and stressful. But if you do, I hope this list of helpful hints makes it just a little bit easier for you!

Learning to Handle My Children's Bed Wetting

This past week has been... stressful to say the least. It is a wonder that my blood pressure stayed normal at my doctors appointments. There have been so many appointments. And then my older daughter caught strep. Again. We had an impromptu visit to the clinic on Sunday, with her missing school the next day.

Thus it began...

On Tuesday, we had an appointment with a psychologist as referred by my children's pediatrician. I confess, I was confounded by my boys' inability to master the bed-wetting issue. We had tried everything. Pullups, no juice or sweet drinks, nothing to drink after dinner (usually around 5PM) and even waking them up (if you can call it that) to go potty in the middle of the night. Nothing worked. They continued to sleep like the dead. And still wet themselves nightly. After seeking advice from the pediatrician, he told us it was high time we went to see the psychologist. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but at the same time I did not want to give up all hope.

A doctor I can respect!

She was nothing like I expected. A seasoned woman with 40 years of experience, working with kids. And very traditional. She had no qualms with telling my boys that they were old enough to change their sheets, make their beds, put away their clothes, etc. She also told them that by law, I need only provide food and a roof over their heads and that they needed to be responsible for keeping themselves cleaned and be thankful. Talk about earning my respect immediately! As a matter of fact, she told them that we are changing their diets and they will eat what they are given without complaint or they may as well accept that they will be wetting the bed for many more years to come.

I was a little concerned by her declaration of the diet changes. Drinking water - check! One sweet per week - check! Wait... that means no cereal and no poptarts unless that is the one sweet they choose for a week? Okay... I suppose that isn't so bad. And then the big one. No more than 1200 mg of sodium a day. What does that mean? More fruits and veggies? We can handle that. No chips? Hmm... okay... "Read labels." Do you know what I have learned since starting this practice? Too much. The amount of sodium in EVERYTHING is appalling. No wonder the blood tests showed normal for me, but high for my oldest boy.On average, we consume about 4,000-5,000 mg PER DAY of sodium. The night we had dinner after our appointment, I measured out the "Suggested Serving" sizes and counted up how much it equaled. A single serving was about 2,000 mg. We are talking a single cordon bleu breast, half a cup of au gratin potatoes and 2/3 a cup of mashed potatoes (kids and husband wanted two kinds of potatoes, normally I have a different side). I was floored! Starting looking in the pantry. I had just bought snacks for school. Huge multi-pack of crackers and a couple bags of single serve chips. Those little bags alone are about 300 mg each. 

(Snack items we had bought for the kids = all very high in sodium)

I don't know how well this will work out. We have decided to do this as a family. All for one and one for all! But oh man.... I'm struggling. I keep wishing we could just not do this anymore. At all. We even talked about only trying to get it lessened. Like maybe cut our salt intake by half? Just gotta get the kids trained to not pee in the bed anymore. I can't wait until we can have sweets back too. But I am loving the more vegetarian-like approach. Loading up on fruits and vegetables. I just need more meal ideas.... Got any??

Why DaffaDoot Should Be Your Go-To For Innovative Baby Gear

Imagine driving along with the kiddos in the backseat and suddenly hearing gagging. Ever been there before? That panic moment. Wondering what is happening, but unable to see what they are doing. A moment of panic... Well, I think DaffaDoot is the way to go to avoid just that. 

*Disclaimer: I received this product in exchange for my honest review. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. I was not told what to say, all opinions are expressly my own.* 

This Momma of 4 has had moments just like that. But I can't just spin around and check whats going on. And despite what my children think, I don't actually have eyes on the back of my head. So having a mirror option is amazing. It can't just be any mirror though. You need to be able to easily attach it to something. It can't be sliding around making you crane your neck and squirm to see just right. The wider the view, the better - you can see everything that is going on behind you. Shatter-proof is always a plus. If you have kids, you know that things get broken without any apparent reason or cause. No assembly required - enough said for this Mom. Clear mirror. Don't know about you, but my eye sight isn't as good as I would have wanted. So I need something that is and stays as clear as possible. Able to pivot - which allows for horizontal or vertical mounting - means I can use it whichever way suits my needs best. 

So who do I trust to deliver all these in one? 

DaffaDoot. They have this awesome Back Seat Baby Mirror. It is for rear facing infants. It allows them to also see me. Which I think is pretty cool. Sometimes kids get cranky in the car. But if they can see us and know we see them, it has a calming effect. Installing it was extremely easy. Don't let my video say otherwise. I just have butterfingers tonight. 



DaffaDoot made themselves known with their innovative Crib Wedge. Designed and built to help fussy babies sleep better.

But that is not where they stopped. They moved on to other creations that give us parents the gear to go! I love their seat cover too. When picking which product to review for them, this one was something that I was seriously leaning to.

Having kids has definitely made keeping the vehicle, especially the seats, clean.... well, a lot harder. That is where something like this comes in super handy! I also love the sleek design. Easy to install, easy to wipe down. 

I think new parents, especially, but also parents of multiples can truly find something useful and practical from DaffaDoot. Being a mother of 4, I have had my fair share of baby gear. Each child has been different and displayed different needs. I've been through the colic stages. I've had the baby with the reflux issues. I'm glad to see innovation in products that enable comfort and ease for the parents and infants dealing with just such situations. So check them out and don't forget to let me know what you think in the comments below! 

When Crap Flies... Literally!

I sit here, in extremely high spirits. I cannot tell you what a day it has been. I woke up feeling that no matter what happened, it would all work out. God is in control. That doesn't mean that I wasn't feeling slightly apprehensive. After all, we had a morning meeting scheduled with a lawyer to deal with some legal issues that involved my ex-husband. Meetings like that always carry a foreboding feeling, no matter how well you think you are prepared for it. Despite my hesitations, the meeting went so well, that I forgot all worries in connection to it. The future has taken on a more glorious hue. 

Of course, after such a morning, my husband and I were enjoying lunch and watching Ocean's Thirteen. That is when my daughter decided to truly let go and walk. She has known how to and has made several steps on her own just fine, but has refused to let go for good. Well, that changed today. She let go and toddled across our bedroom and the living room floors without demanding a hand to hold or seeking furniture to guide her along. At 15 months, it's about time! I'm so proud of her though. Maybe she took her time, but she found her way to her own feet. She is ready to be a little more independent. 

That is when we came to the event that spurred the title for this post. She had a great lunch with us. We had cleaned her up. We had put away the mess. And then happily settled back down for the movie. That's when we noticed the smell. And the grunts. She was being cute and happy, just sitting over on the bottom stair that led up to the second floor. But you could tell she was having some concentrating moments over there. Once she finished, I started the changing process. Grabbed the diaper and wipes, then grabbed her. We got comfy on the floor and I went to work. It was a smelly one. As I finished with the first wipe, I reached for another wipe. That is when she reached down, grabbed the dirty diaper and swung. You know when something crazy happens and it is in slow motion? This was one of those moments. I could hear myself yelling, "Nooooo!" My husbands reaction was similar, though I did not see his face. Probably priceless material there. She swung the diaper and it landed squarely on the side of her head. She had poop on her face and in her hair. I had one leg in my hand and reached to wipe the rest of her bum with my other hand. My husband scooped up the diaper and grabbed her hand closest to him. I finished with her rear and grabbed her remaining free hand. Part of me wanted to gag. I wanted to cry. But I was laughing too hard. My husband was mortified, slightly laughing and over all saying how gross it was. It was an epic moment. And as soon as I get the notebook back from my Mother, I'm writing this story down in her book. I keep a notebook for each of my kids. Stories like this, memories, or even just those life lessons I want my kids to think about as adults are going into these notebooks. This is one memory we won't want to lose!

Happy parenting moments to you all!

Reaching the Breaking Point

Tonight I have reached my limit of patience. Tonight I have come to the last straw. Tonight... I'm completely past taking a breath and letting it go. 

What has my knickers in a twist? My boys' homework math sheet. They are learning to tell time. Second graders, they both are. The same exact homework, they both have. Yet, it is not in the same way. My younger sons teacher sends home a front and back page to do each day. She also removes and checks his homework daily. My older sons teacher must not be able to get the same amount of paper the other teachers get. She tries to cram 4 pages onto a front and back sheet. So everything is shrunken and harder to reader. Try reading the minute lines on a clock the size  of a quarter some time. 

Tonight, however, it climaxed my wrath. I've kept the grammar nazi at bay when I saw spelling and grammatical errors. I have adjusted the errors to show my kids how it should be done properly. I have dealt with multiple choice questions where they try to trip up the kids with a couple answers that are ultimately the "right" answer and when I confronted the teachers about it, I got - "We want them to find the best answer." I have squashed the urge to scream every time my eldest sons teacher says he didn't bring in a particular homework assignment. How does she know? She never takes his homework from his folder! And where did it go if not to her?! I do homework with all my kids EVERY SINGLE DAY. Monday to Thursday. And on Friday, he has all his assignments crammed in the folder, exactly how I placed them there. I am the one removing them and trashing them on Friday afternoons. Tonight... tonight was a whole new story. Tonight they had a clock with the time showing 6:32. But none of the three answers corresponded. My younger son chose a time that was closer - 6:37. I had to tell him, that was incorrect. And that the correct answer is not any of the options available to him. 

Honestly! How can you expect children to learn to read properly if they are reading work pages that are filled with errors? How can they learn to tell time when the clocks are so tiny and the answers provided are all wrong? You can't! You are setting them up to fail. 

Then, my older son tells me that his teacher needs more pencils. I already donated a hefty stack to her class. He tells me no one has erasers. ?#!#%$#%^$$! 

 Only this time, there is no bee!

Then came the greatest problem. The bully from earlier this year is still antagonizing my children. And cursing worse than a sailor. Guess who is going to throw down with that girls parents in the morning? Final warning before I get the police involved and show them what real parenting is all about. 

So it looks like I will have to cancel my plans to go to the store tomorrow morning. Instead, I shall be at the kids' school. Voicing my grievances. And laying into the principle. I have had enough! I'm writing a list of each problem I want to voice. And next year.... I think we are homeschooling. Sadly, I can't put them in the better schools because I have to share a vehicle with my husband who works over night. I can't drive them to the Science and Technology school I so badly want them in. Or the STEM school that my friends kids are in. Otherwise, they would be there in a heartbeat. I'd be enrolling them ASAP.

This First Year!

Time certainly flies by. Especially when you have children. You lose track of the hours every day. Then your days go by and you question what you have done all week. Suddenly, a month has passed by, followed by another. And here I am, facing a whole year. You see, my youngest daughter is turning a year on the 19th of this month. Almost a year ago, I was in labor. Thinking I could not do it. Thinking I would fail during childbirth. My husband was my stronghold. He kept telling me how great I was doing. How I was doing it. Just hold a little longer. Childbirth is excruciatingly painful. I went into labor naturally, the night before I was scheduled to be induced anyhow. But, my little bugger still didn't want to come out on her own. It was as though she was putting her arms and legs out to the sides to hold herself in. No matter how hard or long I pushed. No matter how much they upped the dosage of the medicine meant to evict her, she was not coming out. 

Part of me panicked. I had three older children. And I wondered if I could do this. Four kids is a lot these days. I mean, I'm the oldest of 10, but it was different growing up that way. I wasn't the one raising them. I have had a lot of love and support to help though. Family and friends both have been there for us. And here we are, celebrating all those times past. 

She doesn't walk, but she doesn't let that slow her down. She can crawl, pull up and climb stairs. She climbs into my cabinets (after removing their contents). She dances when she hears music that she likes. She loves to get into anything and everything, so we have to take away and hide it all. Thanks to her, I have cleared some of the clutter zones. I had no choice. She loves all things tech-related. Controllers, remotes, phones, computers, TVs, tablets... all of it! Which is great. Her dad is an engineering student. Computers and electronics are his area of expertise. My future nerd might become an engineer after daddy's own heart. 

I might be a stay at home mom, but I am by no means lazy. I do occasional work as an Editor and typist on the side. TV binge watching or being idle don't happen unless I'm too sick, tired or in pain to move. My days are rarely spent on the couch. I have too much else to do. And most of it involves her. 

This week, my Monday was drastically bringing me down. Mondays are a busy day for me. I barely keep up with my days, but Mondays I know what I have laid out for me. I start with laundry. I clean the kitchen (if its not already done). I vacuum if needed, upstairs and down. I catch up with comments on the blog. I decide on what new posts I need to get done during the week. All this, while balancing a very active little girl. She goes where she can, gets into whatever she can reach, and has moments of Mommy Envy. Those moments are when she wants to be held and see what I am doing. I normally keep up with these things without losing my mind. I'll be tired by 5, but its a job I'm equipped for. This past Monday, however, was a little more stressful. She was sick. Stuffy, runny nose, congestion - just plain miserable. Top that with me starting my period for the month... My head hurt. My back hurt. And I was tired before I rolled out of bed. I didn't feel like doing anything. And then, there was the response I was getting from posting a GoFundMe campaign. My husband and I had talked about it. And we figured we had nothing left to lose, so why not try? But then some questions came my way. Some thoughts were tossed into my mind. And, I doubted. As my husband pointed out, I feel wrong taking because I'm a Giver. Its my "gift" (spiritual, for those who know them). I feel worthless, pathetic, lost even, when I'm having to ask for assistance instead of give it. It just isn't me. So I bombarded him with my concerns. I told him the thoughts that were tearing me apart. As usual, he had the answers that I needed to hear. The words that reassured me that I was not anywhere near what I thought of myself at that moment. And he came home with something special to remind me that he still thought I deserved and was better. 

It has made this week go by so much better. I am focused. I am driven. I am ready to embrace the next days challenges. And I'm looking forward to celebrating my baby turning 1! We plan to spend this weekend with my in-laws. We will have an early Thanksgiving Day dinner, followed by birthday cake. My kids are all growing up. And seeing her be a year old, is a huge reminder that I need to slow down a little more. I need to remember this. We all do. Life flies by, when you stop paying attention. Don't ever forget that. Don't lose time, while speeding through it.

Celebrating Nine Years!

What have I done? I have raised a nine year old geek! And I'm so proud of myself!!! Okay, but seriously... My oldest turned NINE YEARS OLD today!!! Where has the time gone? I feel like just yesterday I was screaming into the doctors face that if he would step a little closer, I'd kick his face in. 

 At 2 years old, always a happy boy.

Giving birth to my oldest rewrote my understanding of pain. I'd take spinal fusions any day in comparison. And the fact that I was also worried about my babies life (that night before he came was very concerning to say the least), only amplified my will to bring him in to this world quickly and safely. I was in labor for 25 hours. I forced them to induce me after having blood clots an inch thick and the size of a half dollar drop out from between my legs the evening before. I freaked out. I thought I was losing my baby even though I was technically full term. They had kept me under observation for 12 hours, though I never saw the doctor during that time. Then they told me to go home. No explanation. Just said I was fine. When I mentioned the blood, they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about and said I was probably losing the blood that pools "down there" since we don't have periods when pregnant. Now, I'm not a doctor. I have no medical training. Maybe they were on the up an up. But in my gut, I felt differently. I told them they had two options. They could send me home and I would stay there the next time I went into labor. I'd have my baby alone in my bath tub and be all the happier for it. OR they could induce me. They chose to induce. Hmm... 
There is a reason women prefer to go naturally and not be induced. It really is the worse pain in the world. You start off good. Then you are slammed by wave after wave of excruciating, ab-tensing painful contractions. I had told myself I was going natural. Its safer. Its healthier. I lived through three spinal fusions. How bad could giving birth be? 
I was dying. GIVE ME THE EPIDURAL! 
You know what the anesthesiologist said? No. I'm not touching you. WHAT?! No epidural for this momma. Ever. My spine is cause for pause with them. One wrong move with that needle and they will paralyze me. So I went ahead. Full steam. Screaming and writhing in agony. With a deaf husband standing at my side, frozen in panic and a face that said, "I did this?" That was the only time I saw repentance in that mans face in all the 7 1/2 years we were married. 
When the time came, the doctor finally came in. I'd been there 24 hours and then some! HE FINALLY WALKED IN! He was a prick. It was time and he strolls in asking how I was. I started screaming with the next contraction to answer his question. He tells me to shut up. "You need to stop screaming and save your breath to push." No, what I need is for you to step a little closer so that my foot can be planted squarely in your face. The nurses wouldn't allow my mother in the room with me either. They said it would be too many people. My mother warned me to let it go. She didn't want the nurses to be ugly to me if I was stubborn about something. I still regret not having her there. Might have made the time go easier. Might not have. But she should have been given that option. 
Then I started bleeding out. I went into shock. No one seemed to notice. I told my husband to cover me with a blanket. Then the doctor says, "You bled out and went into shock a little." No, duh, Sherlock! I couldn't hold my baby. Turns out, I tore. My doctor didn't help ease the baby out as he crowned by massage the passageway. Then, he said that after I tore it wasn't open enough so he needed to cut me open a little more. Talk about wanting to murder my doctor! (He wasn't even MY doctor. He was my doctors husband!) 
I lay there. Crying. Watching them with my newborn across the room. His father was cutting the cord, holding his hand, helping to wipe him off. And I lay there shaking, just watching. It was torture. Then he brings this little bundle to me. And suddenly, the world could've disappeared and it wouldn't have mattered. I felt nothing of the pain anymore. I saw my son. So little. He was the most beautiful sight in all the world. I know every mother says that, but its true for each of us. Everything fades away when you see what you accomplished and hold your baby for the first time. I wasn't able to hold him for a while, but he at least laid next to me. And I was happy. I lay there, happy. The doctor sewed me up, congratulated me, and I never had to see him again. 

At 4 years old, this boy was and still is full of energy!

Fast forward to now. He's in second grade. He can do triple digit math. He LOVES Star Wars. He probably knows it a little better than I do. Great at spelling (chip off the old block!). He's embracing a love for Star Trek as his step father is teaching him how it is better than Star Wars... 
And I could not be more proud. This is my little man. Growing up. Too fast. A lover of people. 

He stole my heart then and he holds it even now.

Learning to Let Go

As your children grow older, you might have a harder time accepting that they have likes and interests that vary from what you thought they liked or were into. They are changing. It can be so subtle at times, that we don't realize it until it slaps us in the face. 

I've been purging the house of things that we don't need, never use, or I really don't think we will have a use for anymore. We also cleaned out the storage closet under the stairs recently. I needed the Christmas decorations brought to the front, as soon we will find it is time to set up the tree and decorations. I also wanted to pull out the pre-pregnancy clothes that I have decided not to "hope" I will ever fit into again. This rear of mine has grown with the last pregnancy and I think its all hips. It's not going anywhere. (Which makes my husband a happy man.) While doing this, I noticed that we had accumulated 3 totes of books. I'm talking the 18 gallon-sized bins. Of books. So I got to thinking... I had been packing away books and swapping out kids books every so often with the hope that eventually we would own our own home and the kids could have a bookshelf with a lot of books they can read whenever they want. Its a great dream. But right now... its just a dream. We are probably not going to have a house for another year. Maybe two. So I pulled out all the books and sorted them. I even pulled out my books. I had tote filled with my personal collection and decided that if I'm going to truly make space, I need to start reading and/or pass along the ones I no longer plan to read. 

This was the first moment that I came to realize my kids were growing up and changing without me noticing. I had asked them to go through the stacks and put any books they loved and wanted to keep on the shelf. Anything they no longer wanted, would go in a separate stack on the floor. I was seeing books going into that stack of "get rid of" that shocked me. "But I thought you liked that one?" was my response a couple times. "Yes, but I think I want something else now." was the answer they gave. Wow! Who were these kids? When did they change and get bored with these favorites? But I accepted it. After all, they are growing up now. They read on their own. Okay the two oldest children do. My kindergartner is just now learning. It is time to adapt to their new interests. 

Then came another revelation. I went in my daughters' room. My oldest daughter is 5 years old now. She dresses herself and knows her style. We differ on what looks good, but I often respect her choices when she puts together an outfit. I go in there to grab something for the baby. That's when I saw it. Her overflowing drawer. That girl had too many clothes. More than any of the rest of us had. Her drawer was so full, she couldn't close it! It sat half open with clothes hanging out of it. I sat on the floor, pulled everything out, and began to stack them in piles. Pants here. Shorts there. Shirts in this stack. Skirts in a group. It was everywhere on her floor. I called her in. Mind you, this was as she was getting ready for bed on a school night. My husband gave me the "Really?" look. Yes, really. This was getting out of hand and I kept putting it off. "Let's go through your wardrobe, lady!" She loved doing this with me. She loves talking style with me. Me. The one who throws on whatever and has no fashion sense to save my life. She tells me what this shirt is good for. And this sparkly skirt is so "pretty". So I told her we were going to make sure each shirt she kept had to have matching bottoms. We kept all her pants. Winter is coming and I won't have her shivering because she got rid of the pants to keep the skirts. Which she would do. She wears dresses and skirts every chance she gets. Then I told her to pick 4 skirts and 4 shorts to keep. That should be enough. We matched a shirt to each one she picked and she made a pile of the clothes she no longer wanted. I'm sitting here thinking, "Surely that shirt is her favorite" - Nope! She tossed it out. "Okay, this shirt is a goner" - Nope! She "LOVES" that shirt mommy. Where have I been?! How did I not see this?? 

Then I was hanging the boys' shirts another day. They are both roughly the same size now though they are a year apart. They had over 25 shirts between the two of them! Time to pare down. I told each of them to pick their top favorite 10. No more than 10?! My younger son was freaking out... The shirts they didn't want were the ones I would have kept, while the ones they kept were the ones I thought were worn out. Instead of getting rid of the shirts they tossed out, however, I decided to set them aside in the top of their closet. They come home with holes in their clothes or rips from playing rough and falling down. So when that happens, I'll just swap out a shirt from the reserves. 

It was these most recent things that had me thinking. My kids are changing. And I didn't even notice. Same goes with games and pop culture things. They now love Plants vs Zombies. They talk about it all the time. We don't have those games at my house. So where is this coming from? Oh yeah, ex husband. They play it at his place and are addicted. I asked them why they never play the Lego Dimensions game. Know what they said? "We don't like it as much. Its boring." What?! Since when?? So I'm now packing that game and all its characters up to get rid of. 

When was the last time you noticed what your son or daughter was asking you for Christmas? My daughter likes My Little Pony now. She has moved away from the Minnie Mouse and Disney Princesses. She still likes princess stuff, but if given the choice between that and My Little Pony, she will choose the latter. 

Everyone keeps reminding me that I need to treasure these moments while I have them. One day they will be grown and gone and I will wonder what happened. In the meantime, I also need to pay more attention to what they like and dislike. To what they treasure and are willing to easily give up. Time really does pass us by so quickly. My oldest is turning 9 years old this Wednesday. NINE! Makes me feel so old... He is a gamer, Star Wars fanatic, excellent at spelling tests, and a story teller like no other. I couldn't be more proud of these things. He has his flaws, but he is growing. I can't wait to see what he grows into.