Baby Henry

We are feeling great and happy to be heading home very soon. Alexis predicted it in her comment here.

Finally Here!

And worth the wait- 9lbs. 21 inches
born 12:53 am, April 29

Overdue Projects

I'm almost 10 days overdue for delivery but the project we finished last night was pushing 3 years overdue. We finally unpacked our last box from Charlotte which was full of prints and pictures to be framed and hung. Paul did an excellent job completing the task while I sat in a chair eating spicy wasabi peas and seaweed snacks.

The Chinese characters read "familes are forever" so that is what we call the arrangement on this wall. Also included is the Proclamation on the Family and both group and individual shots. I am amazed how much the kids have enjoyed gazing over all the pictures and kind of wish I had the drive to complete this earlier. But I am glad we got this project done and now hope to finish moving in completely. I suppose if it were possible for me to go overdue a couple more weeks we may even make some progress on our landscaping as well.

On a side note I have been out and about all day yard-saling, strolling Red Butte Garden with the kids, shopping, hiking, and then to Red Iguana. Still no action but I must be pretty big because I attracted quite a few double takes while out in public. Also, my sister advised me to put a waterproof pad on my bed in case my water broke. I wish I took her advice because when I got back from shopping I discovered Maryanna had dumped a bucket of water on my bed.

The Optimist Creed

So I am closing in on 8 days overdue - the longest I have gone before this was only 3 days over due with the others arriving 1-2 weeks early. You just never know. The good news is I had a NST today and everything looked great. However, not wanting to put my baby at risk of any possible complications, I did schedule an induction for Monday morning.

Then what.....well I didn't have it in me to go back to the mall so I got in my car, sat in the parking lot and cried a bit. I then met Paul at red mango and although it was not as good as pinkberry, I enjoyed ease dropping on all the teenage conversation. We also went to World Market where I picked up some picture frames to complete my nesting. I discovered they sell vosges chocolates so I grabbed the Oaxaca Bar with chiles hoping it may get things moving. So far nothing, that is even after a trip to Ikea with a friend (I had to pick up more picture frames).

After all the purchased junk was put away and chocolate consumed I pulled out a plaque my Grandpa gave me in college (he was a faithful member of the Optimist Club for many years). Here is the creed:

Promise yourself-

To be so strong that nothing can distrub your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimisim come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Anyone can Clean

It is time to clean the house .... AGAIN. I guess the nesting will stop once the baby arrives but in the meantime I have enlisted the help of everyone in the home.

Those who know me well know that Don Aslett is one of my heros. You can imagine how excited I was when a Don Aslett cleaning center was opened right here in UT. It was worth the drive to South Jordan to pick up all sorts of great cleaning supplies like these dust mops, squeegees, and microfiber cleaning cloths. Maryanna is wearing one of the baby sized dust mitts I sewed out of a microfiber cleaning cloth. And don't worry she was safe standing on the back of the couch.

When I was little I remember my mom pouring sudsy water around the kitchen floor then giving each child a couple of rags to put on our feet so we could "ice skate" around the kitchen floor. It worked! We thought we were playing while we were actually helping and cleaning. Here are some of the games I now play with my own kids.... dust mop racing, dirty dust mitt contests, vaccum tag, and clean the shark's teeth (wiping down the ladder back kitchen chairs).

I was once criticized for making my children work. I was told "children should not be the servants in a home...they should instead be given opportunities to be enriched - you should hire a maid". Well.... I have had a cleaning lady in the past because the fact is the kids don't do the best cleaning and I myself am unable to do it all. But I do believe in getting children to work. I was inspired by Merrilee Boyack and her ideas in this book. In addition was lucky to have a few personal consulting sessions with Marie Ricks - that was a great Christmas present!

So you all can have a good laugh imagining me, even bigger than I was here, scrubbing bathroom floors, changing bedding, and hauling all sorts of laundry around the house. My friend Marie' was right when she told me..."awaiting the arrival of a baby is a lot like selling your house, you always got to be ready and the house cannot get messy". Well at least keeping the house in order keeps me somewhat distracted.

Art Therapy

I am running out of projects to finish. I also admit that I am feeling big, immobile and a bit restless.

I started taking an art class in 2005 to help relieve some of the stress from our home remodel. It was great therapy for me. So I showed up at art class on Saturday after almost an 8 week break and not only was I able to enjoy the company of fellow classmates (ages 9-60) but I finally finished this watercolor painting. I started it in September but have been slow to finish since my only time to paint is at art class. Unlike sewing, it is very difficult for me to multi-task and take care of kids while immersed in an art project. Probably because it is messier and takes more of my brain capacity. When doing art I have to completely "check out" which is why I rarely have a chance to do it and also why I enjoy it so much.

I was once told "mothers with five young children should not be taking an art class". I think that is completely false! Some mothers like to go shopping, go to lunch, get their nails done, why shouldn't I go to an art class once a week? I think it is important to be recharged and have an outlet outside the home.

The picture I painted is from a photograph I took of William and Peter looking down at the fish pond at Red Butte Garden. Upon returning home I pulled out the kids unfinished foamcore paintings. They like using acrylic since the colors are vibrant and more fun to mix than kids' washable paints. Paul joined in to help James finish his squares and realized he had not painted since elementary school. So we all got to enjoy a little art therapy this weekend.

Master Schedule Board

Back to my practical self. This is a project I originally did with Mary when my life was a bit simpler with only three kids. It is now time for a new and improved schedule board. The creation of this system was inspired by the concepts in this book .

The background is just a plumbing sheet picked up at Home Depot. The little icons were designed on power point, printed out on cardstock, laminated and attatched by a small piece of magnetic tape. I will note it would have been wise to color code each individual but there was too much arguing amongst the boys as to who got which color. I'm confident it will still work and especially be helpful to those who take over when I finally do have the baby.

I still have half the plumbing sheet open to post up meal plans, job charts, and other useful info like weekly vocab words and individual goals.

The idea is to promote self initiative and eliminate dawdling and whining by the kids and nagging on my part. Some may argue that such a schedule may be stifling but I believe it gives us more freedom. The kids are content knowing what is expected and more likely to perform their tasks quickly knowing afterwards they will have free time. All in all being on a good routine makes us all more efficient and leaves more time to do what we really want to do.

I will not say that every day runs smoothly, especially with the combination of 2 very spirited girls too young to understand the concept. But it does help me establish order in a home that could easily turn to chaos. I will also add that since I have never had a real career it is fun to take my role as a mother and homemaker very seriously.