Junks and Crafts

Last week my friend Kristen took us to the local Scrapbox for the first time.  This is a great and dangerous place for people like me who like to scavenge. I came home with 2 brown paper bags full, one with junk and the other fabric.  Paul saw the two bags sitting at the front door and asked if he should take them out to the trash.  He couldn't help but chuckle when I responded "no, that is new trash - I just bought it".

Peter, age 6 and our biggest junk collector, couldn't wait to get started on today's project.  He decided it might be fun to do it outside so he dumped out the junk bag into a pile in the backyard, but it was hard to get inspired by such a heap.  Even inside and organized on the toddler table I was questioning that bag I filled at the scrapbox.  I was experiencing the same itch I get Christmas morning when all the packaging is everywhere.  The kids could tell I was on edge because they were super careful not to knock down any junks.

September is animal month so this activity was to build an animal.  To take the edge off I suggested we all look at animal books for inspiration and discuss what makes different animals unique.  Maryanna and Clara lack the same scientific interest that the boys share.  In fact the boys are very nervous that their sisters "are behind" so they started drilling them on animal classification right there at the junk table.  With a straight face and all the authority of a wise teacher Peter announced to the girls....."Mammals don't lay eggs, they poop their babies out".  The older boys bit their lips not knowing how to respond but I couldn't help but belt out a genuine belly laugh.  We were all laughing and it was enough for me to give the green light on scissors, glue and serrated knives.

Here's what they made:

Clara's Horse

Peter's Hippo

William's Squid

James' Jelly Fish

      
And Maryanna who was more interested in making a new playground for her Calico Critters made a quick and simple Butterfly

We discussed gilding them with spray paint but the kids were unanimous in their decision to keep them as is.  Now where to put them and how long do we keep them on display?  Maybe we should talk to Cathy about selling them on ebay......... after all she says there is value in everything.  And about that new playground equipment for the Calico Critters.....I give it a good week of lots of play and wear.

Fun Mom Workout

    

This was fun because it made me smile.  This was work because it made me sweat.  Let's just say it was a fun workout, a mom workout.

I suppose I'm feeling a little guilty for my lack of athletic achievement these days.  It seems all my sisters and friends are training, racing and working out but I still haven't found the time and can't even manage the amount of sleep required for such activity.

One of my sisters was thoughtful in sharing a detailed program on how to get fit, she's doing a triathalon.  I got tired just reading through the reps and responded instead with the program I've been following.  Here it is:

Wake up and nurse the baby (good calorie burning activity)
Shower as fast as you can (if you have time)
Wrap the baby on your back for resistance
Collect all the dirty laundry and carry it down two flights of stairs
Dance in the kitchen while you prepare breakfast
For added resistance you my want to also pick up a crying 30+lb toddler and bounce him on your hip
Carry one kicking screaming child up one flight of stairs to her bedroom
Run down quickly to assist the rest of the children
Repeat once or twice - until the misbehaving child calms down
Clean up kitchen - squatting as you help unload and load the dishwasher (20 lb baby still on your back)
More squats in the laundry room as you switch and fold the laundry
Rest and Nurse the baby
Take all the kids and dog to the playground - pull the wagon
For variation you could walk to the library instead and pull the wagon full of books and kids up hill
For lunch lift a 10 qt soup pot to the table - lunge over the dog
Load all the kids in the van - reach way over to buckle them in
Load a few kids in a cart and baby back on your back for grocery shopping
Push cart around gradually adding more weight
Load groceries into van - reach way over to buckle them in
Unload groceries - put them away as fast as you can before the kids start getting into them
Back down to the laundry room - more squats, less resistance this time because the baby is not napping on your back
Change crib sheets because of a nap time blow out - feel the resistance of those annoying super fitted sheet working your arms
Prepare dinner once again lunging over dog - toddler can add resistance by grabbing onto your legs
Chase all the kids to the couch for scripture reading
Drag a few up to the bath
Wrestle a chubby wet toddler into his jammies
Cool down with books and cuddles
Collapse on the carpet and leave all the dirty dishes for the next day's workout

This may vary day to day but following such a program will guarantee you back in your "normal" clothes in about six months after giving birth.  You may not look like an Athleta model or even as cool as your friends and sisters but go ahead and give yourself a break because sometimes mothering is all the workout you need............at least that is what I'm telling myself to keep from feeling guilty and instead just have fun with my kids.  

Food on the Go

We are heading into a new homeschool year but that doesn't mean we are going to spend the year at home.  On the contrary!  What I love most about homeschool is the freedom to go out on adventures with  my children on a weekly basis.  Here we are at Greenfield Village with our friends.

In the past I would simply pack a pile of sandwiches, bag of apples and little baggies of other snacks but we are now restricted because of Henry's allergies.  I tried serving them cooked cauliflower and cooked beans out zip locked baggies but that didn't work too good.  So I picked up 3 of these Goodbyns as a means to store and serve our food on the go.  My sister Mary already blogged about the pros and cons here.  I'm still trying to figure out what to fill inside them.

Above I packed pears, bison sticks, dried bananas and raisins, cooked cauliflower and quinoa salad.  That is enough for two children.

Here are our restrictions:
-dairy
-eggs
-wheat/spelt
-oats
-millet
-nuts
-seeds
-anything processed in the same facility of nuts or seeds
-nightshade veggies (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers)
-citrus/acidic fruits

Basically Henry can eat meat and cooked veggies.  I tried packing different lunches for the other kids but the little piglet always seems to get into them.  At home we eat a lot of soup.......any ideas for what to pack for lunch?  Any ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner at home?  I'm about to order one (or two) of these so we can have soup on the go but I'm wondering what others do for food on the go for a small crowd.

Feeding Friendly Dress

Finally snuck away to the sewing station.

This dress was designed well before summer started and just happy it was finished before we met its end.

Dresses are so great for summer but can be complicated when you are nursing a baby.  I do love wrap dresses but in those I have had bad luck with toddlers disrobing me in public. This dress on the other hand was designed as full performance mom wear, it can be worn at a playground on the hottest day of summer, there is no awkward pulling or tugging down a shirt when I wrap the baby on my back, there is easy access for nursing, huge pockets and of course machine washable.

The fabric is a textured cotton that Marie' was so kind to bring home from Japan for me.

The pattern.... I'm wishing I made one because I really like this dress but it was another stand in front of the mirror and self drape project.  I have finally realized it takes more work to fit a standard pattern to my body than to make something up on my own.  I've got the shoulders and rib cage of a 12 year old but the hips, bumps and lumps of a mother with 7 children, it is hard enough to find good fitting ready to wear let alone sewing patterns.  I did find the clothes in Spain fit me pretty good so if anyone knows of a Spanish pattern company I'd love to try them out.

The secret to this dress is there is elastic in the neckline just before the twist meets.  An under tee keeps me modest but it is cropped just below the bust line.  For this reason I can comfortably pull the neckline down and pull the cropped under shirt up for feeding access.  Here is a close up of the neckline:

The only problem with this dress is one of the children asked me if there was another baby in  my tummy.  It does look puffy but that is what makes it kind of comfy - gotta love Mom Wear!

DIY kids

The two girls got in a little argument today.  Some one's blue painted angel got thrown across the room and lost a wing.  I was nursing the baby when it happened but the conflict was resolved without any adult intervention........all that was left was a sticky little mess.  Kind of cute and so worth the clean up.

Hurting and Healing Words

Upon pulling out of our driveway in Michigan and only a few feet on our way out to Utah I slipped in an old conference CD, this was to set a calm and pleasant tone for the rest of the journey.

The first talk we listened to was Elder Holland's, The Tongue of Angels.  That was a great one to start with and I believe because of it I graciously resisted the urge to back seat drive.  Over the miles our conversation and comments became sort of a game, kind of like Pollyanna's glad game with points both positive and negative depending upon the words that escaped our mouths.   This made all the difference in traveling in a van full of young children.  This made all the difference when just an hour later we discovered the CD player was jammed and all that was left to entertain us (besides our "glad game") was the radio which didn't always get reception through the long mountain passes.

I thought a lot about that talk today.  You see I took Henry back to the allergist for a follow up, I took him in hopes of encouragement and understanding, all to help facilitate his healing.  The Dr. was straight forward in discussing the situation and knowing I had several children tried to offer suggestions on how to fit Henry into our regular eating routines.  We also discussed whether it was a good idea to get the other children tested as well.  I was still probing for answers as he made his way to the door.  His eyes danced around the four little children crammed in the corner of the room with me, Maryanna balancing on one foot on a chair, Clara curled up under the chair playing with her stuffed dog, Henry scribbling on a Magna doodle on one half my lap and George on the other half chewing on his thumb making all sorts of cooing sounds.  At the moment I did have my hands full, perhaps I looked a little frustrated about the allergies but instead of encouragement and before he said "have a great day, we'll check him next year" he left me with ..........."look lady, you did this to yourself".  Did he really just say that!  Why would he say that?  That really hurt - I was already feeling a bit of guilt about Henry's allergies.

I don't share this story out of rage and I'm not seeking any pity, I only share it as a learning experience.

I remained calm as I corralled the kids towards the exit.  Checking out I gently questioned why I was being charged a $50 co-pay when there was no exam but just a short discussion of lab results.  In my heart I told myself never to return to that office again and to be honest I really wanted to cry but decided to hold it until the parking lot.

Before I bustled my way out of the waiting room a very large women got up in front of me and declared "let me get the door for you".   That was kind.  That made me feel a bit better.  I suppose you could say that healed me a bit.  On my way still, I pushed the stroller and pulled my train of toddlers through the parking lot only to be stopped by another very kind woman.  She took a good look over all the sweet little faces in my company and slapping her hand on her cheek let out "look at these four beautiful children.....you are so lucky, you are so blessed".  Usually when someone says this I squeak out a shy "thank you" but this woman just healed my hurt, she deserved more.  I looked her in the eyes and said, "thank you so much for saying that", if only she knew what had been reversed by her simple kind words.

The poor doctor, with all his years of training to heal did just the opposite.  I thought about the way my Dad practiced medicine and wished that all doctors could be as kind and wise to their patients as he was.

These two women who I practically bumped into, perhaps they were in the medical offices seeking healing for themselves, little did they know they of their own capacity to heal.  I suppose many of us are unaware of the power our words can have for good or bad.

Elder Holland suggested, "Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity, the three great Christian imperatives so desperately needed in the world today. With such words, spoken under the influence of the Spirit, tears can be dried, hearts can be healed, lives can be elevated, hope can return, confidence can prevail".  What more does the world need than these?  I am determined to do my part.

          

Celebrating the big 5

Maryanna has been counting the days till her birthday for several months.  In fact, since February she's been throwing around verbal invitations to a big celebration to everyone - including check out clerks, Primary teachers, zoo workers,  librarians, and pretty much any child she comes into contact whether at a store or playground.  On the other hand, my invitation, and I believe a few of the boys' as well, were revoked on more than one occasion but in the end we were always once again "invited to her birthday party".

But as the weeks went by I gently explained how as a family we decided that birthday parties would be thrown every other year and this was actually the "other year".  She confidently declared to my face, "well, I plan it myself!  And I'm not going to copy anyone by having a swim or beach party in the summer, I'm going to have an ice skating party with lots of pink balloons and one blue balloon for Poppy and I know Oma's going to come and help me blow up the balloons".  It is hard to react to that kind of determination so I just assured her that indeed she was going to have a very special day.

We were hit pretty hard with a Summer flu the week before her birthday, it was only days around the corner and she seemed to be reminding me of it's approach on the hour.  This was also within days of Henry's appointment with the allergist and learning our house would now need to be rid of the typical delicious birthday treats.  But what I learned was it doesn't take much to throw a party when there's a handful of energetic kids on your side, even without a pinata, piles of presents, bags of candy, a bouncy house or all the neighborhood kids we had a great time.  Here's what we did:

First Clara and I hit the Ann Arbor PTO thrift store where they have shelves of unused and still packaged party supplies neatly organized.  We picked up streamers, balloons, party hats, napkins, fancy plastic cups, and craft supplies all for under $10.  We also grabbed a U of M cheerleader dress with pom poms, a sparkly fairy book, and small wicker sewing box for an additional $5 - these were wrapped alongside the a new pink porcelain tea set and red cowboy boots I found on ebay.

The night before the boys stayed up late making presents for her.  William made colored coffee filter  clothes pin butterflies and Peter took an old toilet paper roll, glued beads on it for a vase then filled it with colorful tissue paper flowers.  We used more tissue paper and a thrifted silk flower to maker her birthday hat special enough to match her personality.  James was careful and spent several hours whittling down a nice stick that with ribbon and felt I helped turn into a fairy wand.  Paul and I hung the birthday banner, streamers and balloons when all the kids were sleeping (I love that he can easily touch the ceiling).

Breakfast was soaked oatmeal pancakes with whipped cream and fresh picked raspberries and she blew out the candles on the old German birthday train.  We walked to the playground.

The boys were very kind in their tea party participation.

The girls played dress-up and to make it extra special I carefully let her try on my wedding dress.

Then we went to Nanny and Poppy's where she shared cake and ice cream with a few cousins.

On our way home Maryanna declared:  "This was the best birthday ever"!  So it really doesn't take much time, money or planning to make a child feel special and feeling special is what birthdays are all about.

Here is what Paul contributed to the digital photo book I created for her 2nd birthday.  I wanted to share it here because the book is wearing out and I don't want to lose these beautiful words.  It is actually helpful for me to re-read it on the days when my patience runs thin and positive reminder on how blessed I am to be her mother.

August 2007 -Happy Birthday MooMoo! 

Our first baby girl is not such a baby anymore!  Maryanna, you have learned so much in just the last year- how to walk, how to talk, and how to make us all laugh with your sprightly shenanigans and adorable antics.  Your inexhaustible enthusiasm has become infectious - there is never a dull moment in our lives with you around!  How we wish we could bottle up your spark and use it ourselves on those days when we feel a bit sluggish.  We wonder about you.  What will you do in this life?  Who will you become?  How will you use that boundless effervescence and contagious smile to bless the live of others?  We cannot wait to find out, to unlock the mystery along with you, and share so many more wondrous experiences together.  Our little MooMoo- you may outgrow your nickname, but may you never lose that zest.  Instead may you relish it, and develop it to bless mankind.  We love you so very much- you are a gift to us, directly from our Father in Heaven.  Happy Birthday!