Routine? People have routines?

So, day 3 of school. I had envisioned a routine for the family that included daily exercise for me, a little homeschooling for IndieGirl, definitely some housecleaning, and whatever other fun we could find. Well, that went out the window on day 1. Actually, I did get up and exercise first thing on the first day. However, the rest of the day was a frenzy of activity and I was in bed by 9:30 Tuesday night. Turns out Husband can take Princess to school, so the urgency to get up and exercise at the obscene hours of the morning is not quite there. I did like knowing I had already been productive and was showered and ready to walk out the door by 7:30 on Tuesday, but not enough to get me going yesterday or today. I had thought I might take the kids at home to Mass at the local Catholic school. That was a no-go today. Now I'm telling myself that this is my week to adjust to getting up earlier and that maybe next week we'll start implementing some of those grand plans. At least, that is my intention. But we all know the road to h-e-double-hockey sticks is paved with good intentions, so who knows what will happen.

In good news, I did manage to exercise eventually today. I even took the kids for a walk to the pond in our neighborhood. To let you know how unusual that is for me, I'll share this little tidbit. A neighbor saw us walking and actually stopped and asked if we needed a ride, or was I out there on purpose? See, we're such recluses that to see us out in the neighborhood makes people think something's wrong. That is kind of sad.

M&M's and a bottle of water for lunch. Yea exercise!

Giveaways

I can't help but notice that we bloggers love free stuff. Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer has been able to put her vast readership to advantage and garner items for giveaways galore. Go here to her giveaway website and be amazed at all that she is giving away. You won't be sorry. I don't even mind if you win and I don't. Really. I don't. I mean, I might be a little jealous, but I don't mind.

A New Era **Updated**

Princess has started school. Drop-off went surprisingly well. She willingly walked into her classroom and went with the teacher to find her desk, no looking back. I could tell she was slipping into quiet mode, but there were no tears. Amazingly, I didn't cry either. I was a little sad, but excited for her mostly. I can't believe I am a parent of a kindergartener! I can't wait for her to come home and tell me all about her first day.

**Update** So, Princess is home now. We picked her up and she was smiling and happy. She answered all of my questions with enthusiasm. She says she's ready to go back tomorrow. I don't think I could have asked for a better first day.

Win a Free Tote

I've been wanting a new bag for fall, and I just found it. Now I just have to win it. So, I'm following the rules and linking to dcrmom, but please don't go and comment or I have less of a chance of winning. ;-) I'm kidding of course. Go look at the cute bag and leave a comment and then link to the contest on your blog and you might win.

Just What I Needed

Name change alert: Nutball=IndieGirl (she is one independent kidlet)


As a parent, you often find yourself wondering if you are doing an okay job. Are the kids really absorbing some of the things you are trying to teach them? Do they only share because they are forced to? Yesterday, IndieGirl showed me twice that maybe a little bit of the lesson was sinking in, beyond being forced to do something. First, we were having lunch. I kept a friend's son yesterday, so we had an extra sandwich to make. Turns out I only had 7 pieces of bread, including the heels. So, someone was not going to get a whole sandwich. All of my kids typically eat a whole sandwich, so this could have been a problem. But, IndieGirl immediately offered to eat just a half, so that our guest and her siblings could have a whole sandwich! I was so suprised. Well, apparently I shouldn't have been. We went out to eat last night for my birthday (which is tomorrow) and Princess finished her mac&cheese rather quickly and was still hungry. IndieGirl was taking her time eating hers, and had french fries as well (Princess only eats fries at the Golden Arches and a local Mexican restaurant). We asked IndieGirl if Princess could have a little bit of her mac&cheese and IndieGirl said she could have all of it! She would just eat her fries. She had eaten about half of it to that point, so it was a very generous offer. Princess ate it right up. Husband and I agreed that if this is how our kids are turning out, then we will be happy to have as many as God wants to give us. Of course, we know there will still be times when they are screaming at each other over the same toy and stuff, but last night we just enjoyed the moment.

I Miss Running

If that doesn't tell you just how warped and misshapen my brain has become with the 4 kids and the pregnancy and all that, then I don't know what does. I'm doing my best to walk 30 minutes a day, at least four days a week. I get bored. Really bored. But, as I find myself challenged just by walking at 4 mph pace for 10 minutes (I do 5 at 3.5 mph, 10 at 4, repeat), I realize my running days are over until post-baby. Since the belly is just burgeoning, things are not likely to get easier in the coming months. So I will walk. And try to not scratch my eyes out from boredom. Perhaps I will even increase my walking time to 45 minutes or something. Anything more and I will be waking with the paper boy to get my exercise in before school.

In less whiny news, I'm going out with the girls tonight! My awesome women friends from FAMILIA are getting together. I love them and can't wait. And, we will be celebrating one birthday and one cancer-free diagnosis (after treatment and hysterectomy) and it just doesn't get better than that. To my Catholic readers that are moms, if you have not participated in a FAMILIA program, I highly encourage you to do so. It is a ministry through Regnum Christi, but you don't have to be a member of the apostolate to participate. You spend 4 years with other women reading and discussing church documents related to marriage, womanhood (JPII's writings on the Dignity of Women were life-changing for me), prayer and evangelization. And it is all great. But what is truly great is forming bonds with these other women who are striving to live a life that is faithful to Christ. If there is not a program in your area, start working on getting one. They now have a program for couples focusing on Theology of the Body and I am hoping to convince Husband and friends to give it a try.

The whining seems less annoying when balanced with something positive.

More Holes and I'm Not Ready

Princess lost another tooth yesterday. She pulled it our herself! Granted, it was barely hanging in there, but there is no way I was going to pull it out. Princess took charge and got it done. Now she has another loose tooth! Also on the bottom, the third one. Is this normal? Her teeth aren't rotting and falling out are they? I'm kind of freaking out, as my teeth never just fell out when I was a child. I required lots of dental assistance.

So I'm totally not ready for kindergarten. I was in bed last night waiting to fall asleep and just let my mind wander. All I could think about was whether or not she will make good friends. Or will kids make fun of her for something we can't even anticipate. Also, I have no idea how the pickup system really works. Not good. Anyway, it just dawned on me that I am really not ready to send her away all day, every day. She has such a sensitive soul and can be so easily wounded. I know I can cover her in prayer and reassure her at home that is she is wonderful. Still, we all know that there comes a day when their feelings get hurt. Or will she be the one hurting someone else's feelings? I'm going crazy, can you tell?

A New Effort

I haven't been cooking for months. Husband was supposed to be eating his Nutri/System food and I just couldn't muster up the desire to cook for myself. The kids were happy to eat sandwiches or corn dogs or whatever, so they didn't care if I cooked. But, I'm tired of eating junk and eating out. Because that is what was happening. Husband wouldn't want his N/S food, and I hadn't cooked, and we would end up eating out or eating junk food at home. So, last night started a new trend. Except that I only had the ingredients to cook last night. I have no idea what I will be able to cook the rest of the week. Anyway, I told the kids yesterday that I would be cooking dinner. I said they had to at least try a bite and then if they didn't like it, that was fine, but I would not be making anything else. I made turkey chili and cornbread muffins. All of the kids ate some chili! They of course loved the muffins, but I knew they would eat those. I was very surprised to see Princess willing to eat several bites though. None of them ate what would be considered a serving, even for a child, but they at least ate some of it. Hopefully this will continue, if I ever figure out what else I'm going to cook. I will start with a menu plan next week, but this week will just be playing it by ear. It felt good to be back in the kitchen for a purpose.

Oh yeah, the recipe I linked to is the one I use, with some modifications for our taste. It freezes well too and makes a great camping dinner, if you make it ahead and just take it with you. Perfect for that first day when you may have only just set up your tent and campsite before it gets dark.

Go See It

If you have not seen the Bourne Ultimatum, then make seeing it a priority. Of course, you should have seen the first two movies if you want to understand anything at all. Husband and I saw a late movie last night. It was fantastic! I had read and heard all of the good things about it, so I knew we were in for a treat. Still, it was beyond my expectations, for the most part. Also, very little swearing that I recall, which is unusual in action movies these days. The whole movie is just one exciting ride, wondering what Bourne will do next to get out of the jams he is always in. It doesn't hurt that Matt Damon is pretty easy to look at too. Don't get any popcorn or a drink though, because you won't want to get up to go to the bathroom and you'll probably forget to eat the popcorn, which would be a waste of money. We were pretty tired going in (we saw a 10:00 show) but had no problems staying awake and focused once the movie started. I'm telling you, this is one to see on the big screen. The previews for other movies were also worth seeing (I love the previews at movies).

I'm reading the Bourne series by Robert Ludlum right now. The books are excellent. However, very different from the movies. In fact, all that happens in the three movies is essentially the plot of the first book, with some significant changes. So, I guess moviemakers could conceivably make more movies using the last two books more closely, but with different names. I don't know that that will happen though. They leave it open to interpretation, in my opinion.

Go see it!

Just Checking In

I have nothing much to say, but hate to go too long without blogging. I know you all feel the same. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Today was the 4th day in a row of exercise! Holy treadmill, Batman! Husband joined a gym this week and has been leaving the house at 0:dark-thirty, and I think that is inspiring me a bit. I mean, if the man can crawl out of bed when even night creatures are sleeping, then I surely have no excuse for not getting on the treadmill in my nice air-conditioned house at my convenience. And apparently I can write run-on sentences with the best of them. So this walking is nice and all, but I get bored quickly. Thank God for the Ipod, but it only helps so much. So, I will be investigating the matter of running safely while pregnant. I like the challenge.

On to tents. My kids love to build tents in the house. What kid doesn't? And you would think this is an activity I endorse cheerfully. But the truth is, I don't. Why? First, they think they can't build one on their own. They insist on Mom's help and the use of clamps and such from the garage. Today I made them try to build on their own. They did a passable job. Now, the second and most annoying factor, is the constant cries for help when the tent "breaks." They move, the blankets move, and all of a sudden it is disaster. I would love the idea of the tent if it bought me more than 3 minutes of peace at a time. Instead, I end up getting up to fix it or resolve the territory disputes every 30 seconds. It is not pleasant. I am also not pleasant today, which my kids have taken notice of and failed to change their behavior accordingly. Which means I should be changing mine. I'll let you know how it goes.

Finally, the great dilemma of the weekend. Do I venture out into the crowds on this tax-free shopping weekend to get Princess set for school? I wouldn't be going out to save the tax money. Rather, to save the babysitting money. If I go on Saturday, Husband can do boy things at the house with the boys. I can take the girls and do girl things. But, my head nearly explodes thinking of the crowds that will be out. I'm leaning towards paying the babysitter next week. My sanity has no price.

In better news, I think I am coming out of the tired fog. I have not felt as bone-weary this week. Perhaps the exercise is already starting to help as well. Either way, it is a good sign, as our lives are about to ramp up with more activity.

Hopefully my next post will mark the return of a cheerful me. For all our sakes.

Motivated

Today may have been my most productive day in weeks. Not only did I exercise first thing (still not until after the kids woke up, but earlier than yesterday) but we actually got out of the house! My kids must have thought they hit the lottery. With my nonexistent energy levels, the mere idea of getting out of the house with 4 kids wore me out. However, with an energy burst from exercise, I made the wild decision to go to the library. I'm pretty sure my kids thought it was always closed or something, with our extended absence. Which is sad, really, seeing as how it is across the street from the neighborhood. Oh yes, less than five minutes from our front door and still I have been too lazy to pay a visit. Anyway, we went to the library, and since it was still early there were no other children to hog the legos or train table or puzzles. We selected our books and videos (the priority is the videos, if you ask my kids) and had time to put together some puzzles. Woohoo!



Then (yes, there's a then!) I got the crazy notion to take all of my beautiful, charming offspring to the maternity store. Let me be the one to tell you--walking into a maternity store with four kids feels a little ridiculous. You know the employees are thinking "What could that woman possibly need?" to themselves. I needed tank tops. I live in ribbed cotton tank tops when at home and these days when not at home too. All of my Old Navy perfect fit tanks were starting to creep up a little, and I know I don't have any plain tanks in my boxes of maternity clothes. Which I need to retrieve from my friend. Besides, every pregnancy merits a couple of new additions. Of course, I will be buying lots of cold weather maternity clothes in the fall since I have never been pregnant past mid-October. Anyway, the sales lady was charming and I looked wistfully at all of the cute summer dresses I will not need. Sigh. I also am trying not to think about the fact that my maternity clothes have now been worn for six pregnancies (I loaned them out to a couple of friends) and use that as justification for a whole new maternity wardrobe.



On we went to yet another store. Can you believe it? Three places in one outing! I was craving some Super Target chicken salad and we needed apples. We were already in the Super Target neighborhood and it was still not even 11:00 a.m. Crazy! We filled up our cart with Super Target goodness like pizza and yogurt and sliced deli meat and cheese. I made the fatal mistake of shopping on an empty stomach. I know I should know better, but I was feeling good with the kids and everything. We didn't even stray to the non-grocery side of the store. My self-restraint was awe-inspiring. To me, anyway.



And, now, the promised picture. I could not find my camera, so I used my phone. Hence the weird angle and inability to see my lazy pants. They'll show up again though. And maybe my bump is more imagination than reality, but it is there. I promise.

Monday Mash-Up

Here I am again, posting everything and nothing, hoping it does not drive the last of my readers away.

Bullets for oganization.

• Can't wait for the exhaustion to abate. It will, right? This isn't some part of pregnancy with a fifth child that no one mentions, is it? If it is, don't be alarmed if I never blog again. Just composing these sad sentences is taxing my brain.
• I may need my maternity clothes sooner than expected. It appears as though I have a bump already. I can't just suck it in, and other people seem to be noticing. Interesting. If I can find my digital camera I will add a picture. In my favorite lazy pants. I know you can't wait.
• One last pregnancy thing. Go tell Aimee congratulations! She has more will power and discretion than I can hope to acquire in a lifetime and waited to share her news until she was past the 12 week mark. When I grow up I want to be responsible and circumspect like her. ;-) I love having pregnant buddies, online or in real life.
• I had hoped to begin a new routine today. I was going to wake up before the kids, but not as early as I will have to rise when school starts. to ease myself into this whole thing. The plan was to spend 30 minutes on the treadmill beginning at 7:00 a.m. When school starts it will have to be 6:00 a.m. most likely. I did not get up this morning. I was just too tired. So, I woke up when the kids did, but stayed on the couch for longer than that. I did make it to the treadmill before lunch. So, that is the new plan: treadmill before lunch until school starts. I know myself and know I will not get up early unless I have no choice. So I will adjust on the fly to the school schedule.
• Speaking of the treadmill, I missed it. It felt great to walk for 30 minutes. I really want to work my way up to running again, but will consult my doctor first for safety. Just walking gets a little boring for me. I did mix it up by varying walking speeds and that helped the time pass.

There it is. Another random update. I have no idea when I will get it together and start writing real posts. Keep coming back to find out, won't ya?

Done!

The summer session is over! Yea! Yippee! I feel like a kid getting out of school for summer vacation. I had no idea how difficult it would be to keep up with the reading in both classes. I now have a database of notes and chapter reviews to give to any students seeking my assistance this fall, so at least all of the work will be useful for a long time. I also got paid for all of my prep work, which will be nice for back-to-school shopping.

Speaking of which, Princess is officially enrolled in Kindergarten. We went to the school yesterday and filled out what seemed like endless forms asking the same questions. A good friend watched the other kids since I had to stop by a couple of places for documents for registration. Unfortunately, I did not bring my checkbook and needed it. So, after doing all we could without it, we went home and loaded up all the kids and went back. I stopped carrying my checkbook around with me last spring, as I rarely used it when doing grocery shopping and things like that. We had to buy a couple of t-shirts for Princess to wear on Fridays and one for me to wear when I'm volunteering. I also took the easy (but likely more expensive) route with the school supplies and ordered the pre-packaged bundle from the PTA. Now I don't have to take a list and fight through the crowds at the store and I can be sure I haven't forgotten anything (no small feat these days). I also joined the PTA! Could I be any more soccer mom-ish? Husband laughed at me when I told him. But, I want to be involved with the school and the PTA is obviously very active and I think being a part of it is better than not being a part of it.

My brain is fried, my body is rebelling against the lack of naps this week, and I have to clean house today before my parents and grandmother arrive. Only two weeks until school starts, so next week begins my efforts to get into a morning routine that starts earlier than 8:00 a.m. Ugh.

It's Real

I had my first OB appointment today. For some reason I think the pregnancy isn't real until confirmed by the doctor's office. I had a sonogram and the little peanut looks good. The sonographer forgot to print a picture for me, so I will have to get one next time. They can record the sonos on DVD now, so the doctor said to bring one with me every visit, since they might decide to do a sonogram on the spot. I was also told I have VIP status for having so many kids. I love my doctor. So, I go back in five weeks (again, doctor says I'm an expert now and don't need the frequent visits).

Buddy asked if the baby came out when I got home. I explained that it would be growing for a long time, but I am fairly certain he didn't get it. The girls, though, understand it takes time and are just worried about details like who will take care of them when I go to the hospital. They won't let me forget the planning!

Now that it is official, I added a ticker. 211 days seems like a lot, but I know it will fly by.

Awards!

Holy Cow--I was given a blogging award! My first one. Thanks Aimee! And, I must say, should you and I ever meet, I have a feeling that we would start talking the instant we saw each other and not stop until our husbands or children demanded it. So, now I'm supposed to pass this on to 5 bloggers that make me think, or something like that.

So, in no particular order, here they are.

1. KLK at Hayk has been living overseas while I have been birthing children right and left. While she doesn't blog about those experiences specifically all the time, you can see that she has been indelibly changed by them. Now if she would just share her thought-provoking insights more often. ;-)

2. Dcrmom at Musings of a Housewife tells it like it is, which we all need in our lives. Hers is a daily read for me and I usually learn something new, or at least nod my head in agreement with what she has to say.

3. Amy Parris at Raising Angels is a kindred spirit I think. She says many things I am thinking but in a way that makes a lot more sense. Plus, we're online pregnant buddies.

4. E-l-e-e at Hello, Self is a riot. She also clearly loves her little man. Her honest struggles with working and parenting always teach me something about my own role at home. And, like I said, she is a riot.

5. MommaLlama at My Three Sons is a friend and a teacher, at least for me. I've learned a lot about homeschooling and adoption and everything in between and around those subjects.

And too many more. I read a lot of blogs, y'all, so choosing just 5 was tricky. Should I ever have the opportunity to do this again I promise it will be 5 different lovely blogs.

The Jesus One

Aimee tagged me for the Jesus meme. I'm supposed to list 5 things I love about Jesus and then tag 5 people. We'll see how the tagging goes. She tagged me on Monday, I think, and it has taken me this long to do it. I don't know what that says about me.

1. Jesus is patient. He waits for us to come to Him, He accepts and forgives our failings, and still He loves us and still He wants us to come to Him.

2. Jesus is generous. He never runs out of forgiveness and love. He never decides He has given enough and that we are on our own.

3. Jesus is constant. He is always there, always with us.

4. Jesus was obedient and gave us an example of obedience. As a mother, I have come to appreciate His loving obedience to his earthly parents and His heavenly Father. He gave us an example of obedience from love.

5. Jesus died for me (and you and you and you and so on). Seems obvious, but I know I don't think about it often enough. He died just for me. He died for each individual.

Okay, I tag KLK, Susanne, SAHM Queen, Queen of my Domain, and Steph.

Hole

Princess has a hole in her mouth. Well, kind of. She "lost" her first tooth last night when Husband removed it. It was tiny! And, also, very ready to come out. The new tooth is already visible behind the space. I fear she has a lengthy and painful relationship with the dentist ahead of her. Tooth fairy visited and left a bag with three quarters. Word on the street is that the slumping housing market has had some kind of impact on the tooth fairy's finances.

There really is a hole, although the picture makes it look otherwise. Like I said, the new tooth is already well on its way.

Toy Recall

Go here for information on a Fisher-Price/Mattel recall. All of the toys in question were sold after May 1, 2007. We have no worries here. Hope the same is true for all of my readers.

Works for Me Wednesday: Parenting

Stop Reading! That's it, that's my sage advice. There are millions of books, magazines, and websites out there full of legitimate advice regarding parenting. If you have a very specific problem, read about that specific problem to educate yourself, but know when to stop. When I had my first child I read a lot about breastfeeding, and I didn't even get too far into the books. However, I read enough to make me think I was the worst mother on the planet because I didn't love it the instant we tried it and I gave up after six weeks. I spent six weeks torturing myself and my husband (and maybe the baby sometimes) with indecision about how the little one would be fed. When I finally decided that I knew what was best for all of us, regardless of the books, I experienced a freedom I could never have imagined. All of a sudden I had confidence and I enjoyed feeding my baby. I'm not saying reading parenting literature is wrong at all. I have found it to be very helpful at times. What I am saying is that you have to balance it with your own intuition and your own unique situation. Rarely is there only one right way to do something, and you'll know when you have hit on the solution for you and your child, regardless of the situation.

Go to Shannon's place for more on parenting.