Baby Name Meme

Hey there! I lied. I'm totally talking babies again. Except this time I'm talking about the ones already out in the world. Steph at Adventures in Babywearing posted this meme and I couldn't resist.

1. Do you have any cultural or religious naming traditions?

Sort of. Butterfly's middle name is a saint name, but we chose it because we liked it as much as anything. Buddy's middle name is BIL's first name, and Monster's middle name is my brother's first name. Princess shares a middle name with me and my grandmother. This baby will share a middle name with my sister if it is a girl. If it is a boy, it will have the names of Husband's grandfathers. IndieGirl's name is just pretty.

2. Did you or your partner come to the marriage with pre-selected names?

Yes. I had one girl name picked out, that was it. Husband didn't really have any that he was determined to use, that I recall. He liked my pick for a girl name and Princess got it.

3. Did you consider the sound of the first and middle and last names together? Did this make any sad eliminations?

Of course we did. You have to think about flow. I don't know that I was sad about eliminations, but there were definitely names that I liked that just didn't work.

4. Did you have veto powers?

Both of us had to agree on the name.

5. Did the baby naming cause arguments?

Not really. We have always found it fairly easy to come to agreement on names for our children, thank goodness, since we have done it a few times. :)

6. Do you think it is easier to name boys or girls?

I don't know. So far it has not been very difficult to choose either, and since we typically don't find out the gender until the big day of arrival, we always have to have one of each ready to go.

7. Did you eliminate names because of people from your past or present who you don’t like or because a certain image comes to mind.

Yes.

8. Did you / would you survey your children to get their thoughts on the name?

We asked the kids for ideas for girl names for this baby and got some interesting suggestions. We will use the same boy name we had chosen for Butterfly. The kids are welcome to make suggestions, but the grownups make the decision.

9. Did you tell people the name or possible names before the baby was born or were they “in the vault”?

We have always shared. The names we have chosen have been fairly normal, common names, so we haven't had to take a lot of flak for it. But, my front-runner girl name for this baby is a little on the unusual side, so we'll see what happens. When I was pregnant with Butterfly, people would ask the names we had chosen. Everyone thought the boy name was nice, but when I said the girl name they would say "Awww, that's pretty, sweet, cute, etc." Everyone was pulling for a girl.

10. Did you use baby name books?

No! We just threw out names we liked. We did consult the Bible for boy names with our second son, just for inspiration.

Drumroll Please…What did you name your kids?

Yeah right, like I was really going to answer this one. If you have to know or will die of curiosity then you can send me an email.

Because Sleep is Required for Thought

I have a big bag of nothing.

I am so tired my eyeballs hurt. I did not get up and do my daily prayer this morning. I have not done it yet today, and it is nap time and I should be sleeping, not writing a lame blog post. I made a conscious choice this morning to stay in my lazy clothes and lay on the couch and turn on cartoons and let my eyes slide shut once or twice. I kept an ear open for the sounds of a toddler in trouble or a big brother inflicting untold torture on said toddler. I dutifully put some snacks on the table or highchair to make sure the natives were fed.

I have been pregnant five times before this and I know this is just a phase. But man, it still knocks me down sometimes. This tired feeling. I tell myself I would be this tired anyway. I do have five kids after all, and numerous obligations. Still. You know it is bad when your first thought upon getting out of bed is when you can get back in bed.

But I don't want this to be a boring pregnancy blog, I've already done that once. So no more baby talk unless absolutely necessary. I do have a post in the works about how we're redoing the girls' room. But fabric has to be purchased and paint choices made and so on. And a lot of sleep has to happen too.

P.S. It makes me happy when I click spellcheck and it tells me "no misspellings found."

Expecting the Unexpected

I went to the doctor yesterday and all is well. Just one baby (whew!), looking good, for being less than an inch long and all. My due date is May 9, but with a scheduled c-section it will be a little bit earlier. I feel good, my weight is right where I want it to start, and hopefully will stay steady for at least the first trimester. Yes, I'm a little bit vain.

So, how are we feeling about all this? I want to be as honest as possible, since this is my blog after all, and I just posted a couple of months ago about our struggles with NFP and conforming our will to God's and all that. I said in that post that we felt we had serious reasons for postponing pregnancy. But the thing about using NFP (or some other natural method) is that you accept that there is always a chance that a pregnancy will occur. And so you say you are okay with that, but until it happens, maybe you don't really know how you feel. The day I took the test and got a positive sign, I cried. And not tears of joy. I was crying tears of fear, disappointment, frustration. I was mourning the loss of feeling that we were moving out of the baby stage. I was thinking about all of the things that would once again be delayed (vacations, paying off a car, so on). I was thinking about how Husband and I felt like we were just getting our bearings back after having Butterfly over a year ago. So that first day of knowing I was carrying another life inside me was a hard one.

Just once, I want to know what it feels like to try to get pregnant. To eagerly anticipate that positive sign on a pregnancy test. To be intentional about growing our family. But that is apparently not what is in store for us.

Three weeks later, I'm in a much better place. God has showered me with His grace. I will say that from the first day, I did not doubt His provision in the more practical matters. Yes we need a new car, and no we weren't planning on that, but He has already shown us that He is with us and providing for us. My insurance is less than ideal, but I do have insurance, and an amazing doctor and friend who will work with us to make sure we do not jeopardize our financial health to have this baby. We are surrounded by people who have done nothing but express joy and thanksgiving for our blessing. We are not growing our family alone. We have spiritual support in droves. Our kids are nothing but excited.

Our path to holiness appears to be one that includes a large family. It is not the path that I would have chosen, but then, who am I to question my Creator's plans? I do know that His ways are greater than I can ever know. I do trust that He will lead us to a life that is more beautiful and more full of His love than we can imagine. Not coincidentally (I think), we have just started a 34 week spiritual retreat going through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I'm pretty sure God will lead me (and us as a couple) to a place of grace and wisdom that prepares me (us) for this life. We are also involved in a two year study on Pope John Paul II's teachings on marriage and family, and I have no doubt that this timing is not coincidental at all. We are all called to be witnesses to the transforming love of Christ. What better way to do that than to bring life into this world? To say that we have hope in this life, that we do not despair, that there is no greater joy than that of a life lived in conformity with the will of God?

There will be good days and bad days. There will be days when I question where we are headed. I will have days when I feel certain I can't go on and that I will lose my mind. I have those days now, but I do go on and my mind does stay intact (barely, but still). I take comfort in His assurance.

For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Protector

I just love this picture. Monster loves his sister so much. He is excited to see her when they wake up in the morning. He likes to hold her hand when she lets him. And I'm pretty sure she knows he likes her. They make me smile. And when I look at this picture, I am reminded that the blessings far outweigh any challenges this large family life might present.

What I Learned This Week: Surprise!

The cute picture that usually goes along with the carnival won't upload today. Musings of a Housewife is live with the carnival now.

What did I learn this week?

I need a bigger car! Okay, so we learned this news three weeks ago, but out of respect for traveling family we were not ready to go public until now. Also, I haven't been to the doctor yet (Thursday), so I planned on waiting until then. But our news was shared elsewhere, and I like to be an equal opportunity user of social media. I will write a longer post on our thoughts and feelings and hopefully a happy healthy baby sonogram picture on Thursday afternoon.

I have also recently learned that I'm in trouble with the cravings. My last two pregnancies I craved healthy things, lots of fresh fruit and salad. This time all I want is sweets and fast food. I'm doing my best to resist, but I'll be honest and say that I cave as often as I resist.

I also learned that the internet continues to be a good thing for me. Shelly as notthedaddy was kind of enough to send me a little package just because she was feeling generous. A book, cute stationery and a note pad! Perfect! Visit her if you like talking about books.

Finally, I might own a little too much Mean Green gear. I realized today when walking into the store after going to the gym that I was wearing UNT shorts, t-shirt, and hoodie. A bit much, but at least I look good in green!

What did you learn this week?

Oh Happy Day!

Hello blog friends!

I'm in an unusually good mood today, so this post might be filled with excessive exclamation points and annoying perkiness. My apologies in advance.

Mission: Potty Training is a success! Well, we are not without accidents entirely, but Monster is well on his way to mastering the task. He stays dry at night and at naps! We have had only one #2 accident, thank the good Lord. He is a cheerful learner, which makes this process much easier. I am so happy to be on the other side of this arduous task.

I finally made it back to the gym today, after a week off to work on the above project. I only did 15 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the bike, but it was better than nothing. I had planned to attend the boot camp class, but the instructor had to leave at the last minute. I suppose a gradual re-entry into exercise is okay.

Although we were greeted by the sunshine on Saturday morning, our soccer games were still canceled due to field conditions after a week of rain. I don't mind practices being rained out, because we don't have to make those up, but two weeks in a row of rainouts means that we will either have an extended season, or more weeknight games. I don't like either option.

Husband and I are going to a concert two weeks in a row! One of his fave band's is Sunny Day Real Estate and they haven't toured in years, so he did not even think twice about going to this show. Turns out it is the week before we see U2! I bought the tickets for U2, and Husband wasn't as excited as I was to see them, until we found out that Muse is opening for them! This is another of Husband's favorite bands, so we are all excited now. Both concerts are on Monday nights, which will be interesting for us, but thankfully we have no early obligations except getting the kids to school. Husband is on a flexible schedule, so he can take the kids to school and then come home and go back to sleep if needed. Because while we like to pretend we are hip youngsters, in reality we are boring old people and we like to sleep.

I hope your Monday is full of good things!

Not Quick Takes Friday

I don't think I have seven thoughts to string together today. What else is new?

I was more productive before 8:00 a.m. today than I normally am in a whole day. I made breakfast for the kids (just cereal, but still), lunch for the school kids, ran the dishwasher, made muffins and made a pasta salad with sauteed chicken to eat for lunch. It helped to know that Husband was bringing me a Pumpkin Spice Latte after dropping off the kids.

It is good to know that I can still be productive, since I haven't been to the gym all week due to Mission: Potty Training. We have only left the house if absolutely necessary. Monster has managed to stay dry on those outings, but at home things are not going so well. He even has a toy on the mantel, just waiting for an accident free day before it can be opened. If I make him go potty every 20 minutes or so then we usually have success with few accidents. But, if I rely on him to go on his own, it is accident-city. So he is not recognizing the urge to go. Which I suppose means he might not be ready, but the kid is four years old and it is time to say goodbye to diapers. Since he is willing to continue working on it (even choosing underwear over a pullup when given a choice) we will persevere. And I will stop using that as an excuse to do no exercise, since I can do strength training at home.

Finally, go to the store and buy the ingredients to make this crockpot lasagna. It is SO GOOD!

Happy Friday!

What I Learned This Week

Okay, so my post might look a lot like a Quick Takes Friday post, but it's not. Promise.

What did I learn this week?

1. A pair of cheap, fake diamond studs can make a girl feel pretty good. I bought some 5 dollar earrings at the Bullseye and have worn them several times and just feel so pretty. They really dress up a Mean Green t-shirt.

2. I am a bigger fan of said Mean Green than I realized. Husband and I tailgated in the rain Saturday. We sat in the rain for the first half of the game. A game that was on TV! We succumbed to the elements at halftime and went to a friend's house to watch the rest. Much as I love my team and like to support them in person, I must admit that watching the second half in some warm, DRY clothes with a cozy blanket was very nice.

3. I hate potty training a kid. Still. It does not seem to get any easier, regardless of how many kids you have. Monster has had a few successes and many accidents and we are soldiering on. I know he will figure this whole thing out, but I do not like being housebound. At least the rainy weather encourages staying in anyway.

What did you learn this week?

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Can Time Stand Still?

This cuteness is four years old today! I took that picture last year when we were camping. I want to freeze him at this age, he is so cute. Alas, he insists on growing up. And really, I don't want him to stop growing. I want him to grow up and I want to see what amazing things God has in store for him.

He is probably our most easy-going child, and that is saying a lot, as our kids have all been fairly easy (until we got Butterfly). He is the child that figured out how to rock himself in his infant carrier during Mass. Friends called him Happy Baby Pants. He is a fantastic sleeper to this day. He happily takes his nap every day. He has a blanket with bears on it (Buddy's crib bedding), and he calls it Grumpy Blanket because Buddy has a teddy bear that he has always called Grumpy and somehow Monster thought all bears were called Grumpy. It makes me smile.

He is a natural athlete. He hasn't met a sport he doesn't like. He'll eagerly tell you who his favorite Ranger is (Michael Young), as well the jersey numbers of most of the starters. He cheers for the Mean Green with gusto. He likes the Cowboys, but also the Steelers, thanks to his love for the Awesomes (family).

He turned four today. He promised he would use the potty when he was four. So far he has had no success and lots of accidents, but he is at least willing to try. And that is just one reason I don't want to freeze time. Because I want him to put diapers behind him.

Still, he's pretty stinkin' cute.

Quick Takes Friday-Yea!

Yea for Friday!

1. I bought a cute shirt at Target recently (can't find it online). When I wore it, Husband said it looked like a Mozart shirt because it has a ruffle front. I said whatever, it looks good. And it does. Especially with my awesome jeans and fave black peep-toe heels. I love clothes.

2. Also recently got this dress from the GIRLS section at Target! A friend was wearing it and I commented on how cute it was. Could not believe it was from kids section. But an XL fits just right. So yea for exercise and yea for cheaper clothes. If you are petite, consider checking out the kids sections once in a while. I look at it as one of the few upsides to the trend to make our kids grow up too fast.

3. Mean Green home opener is tomorrow! Yippee! We have secured a sitter and are ready to tailgate, rain or shine. And right now it looks like rain. I'm not thrilled about sitting in the rain for an afternoon/evening, but I'll do what it takes to support my team. College football is immeasurably better than the NFL for entertainment.

4. I wrote my first three takes this morning, and now it is 4:22 p.m. and I am back home to finish. I met some good friends in a nearby town for lunch followed by playtime at the mall. Butterfly was so good during lunch! We have been avoiding taking her to restaurants lately because her behavior is so unpleasant. But today, she sat in the high chair most of the time, she didn't throw too much food on the floor, and the screeching was minimal. I did have to take her outside to play after about an hour, but that is to be expected. It was so nice to have a pleasant meal. It has been a lot of fun to run errands with just Monster and Butterfly lately. They are both talking so much more now that they aren't competing for attention. They make me laugh and elicit smiles everywhere we go. I'm going to enjoy this new life of two kids at home.

5. My left turn signal has been blinking faster than usual lately. I wasn't sure why, but now I think I know. A friend that was behind me in traffic today told me that my left taillight is burned out, so my car must have been trying to tell me that. So now I can add that to the list of things my car needs, which includes two new tires and an oil change. Ugh.

6. I remember now why I stopped buying Kix. Our kitchen vacuum cleaner is not very good at picking them up and Butterfly doesn't seem to like them as much as Cheerios. So my kitchen floor is currently covered in little yellow cereal balls. Boo.

7. Rain in the forecast all weekend makes me happy.

Visit Conversion Diary for more quick takes.

The Curse of the Good Girl

This post is a review of the book The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence by Rachel Simmons. I was given the book and asked to write a review as part of a Virtual Book Tour by TLC Book Tours. I was not required to post anything specific in my review, so the opinions found in this post are completely mine unless otherwise noted. For the official promotional stuff, go here.

When I was contacted about this review, I initially thought it was not for me. But then I read a little bit about it, and was curious. I have a daughter who is prone to overreacting to certain situations and who has a hard time handling her mistakes.

From the book jacket:

"Unerringly nice, polite, modest, and selfless, The Good Girl is an identity so narrowly defined that it's unachievable. When girls fail to live up to empty expectations--experiencing conflict with peers or making mistakes in the classroom or on the playing field--they become paralyzed by self-criticism that stunts the growth of their vital skills and habits."

I could see a glimpse of what I might be dealing with in the future.

The first half of the book describes in detail the many facets of the "Good Girl." While I don't agree with all of Simmons's points, I could definitely understand the danger in the way of thinking of these girls. Young girls are afraid to risk friendship by telling the truth when they are hurt. Instead of confronting a peer about an issue, they might blow it off or talk about it behind the back of the other person. As a girl myself, I realize that we all have been guilty of this behavior. But for many of us, it is not constant and it does not debilitate us in future relationships and interactions. Simmons points out that a girl will think something bad about herself and then blow it up by thinking others believe the same thing about her. Simmons asserts that girls are forced into a mold of behavior that prevents them from understanding and recognizing a range of emotions, so that they live on the extremes. One mistake can be a crippling blow to a girl living in this world of perceived perfection. Simmons gives many accounts from girls relaying their experiences with their peers. I enjoyed reading the first half of the book, as it gave me insight into what to expect and what to look out for in the future. She also includes a chapter discussing how we as mothers may have fed into this problem with our own inability to grow beyond the idea of a "perfect mother." Overall, the first half of the book is enlightening and entertaining, while also making a clear case for the existence of these disordered behaviors, so to speak.

The second half of the book focuses on problem-solving and learning healthier behaviors. The book is directed toward middle and high school age girls, so I was admittedly less interested in this portion, as my oldest child is not yet eight years old. Still, there were again many helpful points. Simmons encourages parents to look at their own behaviors, especially in conflict and relationship, before targeting their daughters' behaviors. The author provides very clear scripts to role play and help a girl practice appropriate techniques in certain situations. Simmons makes a point to say that parents should not excuse mistakes or bad behavior in their efforts to help their daughters manage and learn from their past experiences. Again she includes a chapter on how we as mothers might need to relearn some behaviors to better parent our daughters. Rachel Simmons has a clear plan and strategy for helping young women move forward to healthier lives.

My biggest question/concern was that the book does not address what a Christian worldview would do to influence both the negative aspects of the "Good Girl" and the positive aspects. I believe there is a place for girls to learn humility and to put the thoughts and feelings of others ahead of themselves. That being said, I will keep this book as a reference. As I said in the beginning, I can already see one of my daughters exhibiting some early behaviors that concern me, and I certainly want to have as many resources as possible to help me raise her to be a strong and confident young woman. I think this book would be a great tool for parents and teachers in navigating the turbulent adolescent years with girls.

Quick Takes Friday

1. MEAN GREEN WIN! MEAN GREEN WIN! MEAN GREEN WIN! Sorry about all the yelling, but this victory was wholly unexpected but very much needed. I had to miss part of the game to take Princess to softball practice and I was a bit disappointed, but thankfully I didn't miss much. There was much yelling and cheering going on here last night. We let the kids stay up past bedtime and everything. Now we can't wait for the home kickoff next weekend. MEAN GREEN WIN!

2. I have decided that I need to check store hours before leaving the house, at least if I'm unfamiliar with said stores. On Wednesday I woke up and was all motivated to run our errands early. I had several stops to make and wanted to be home before lunch. So as we headed out the door at 8:45, I was feeling quite pleased with myself. I stopped off at the school to put some money in the kids' accounts so they could buy lunch. Then we headed down the highway to the next town to shop at Costco and Borders. I never shop at Borders, but I had a gift card. Well, they aren't open at 9:15 a.m. No big deal, we headed to Costco instead. Only they don't open until 10:00 either. So I sat in the car with my remarkably well-behaved kids and tweeted and checked email and got impatient. It didn't help that there was a maintenance crew doing landscaping work, making our wait rather noisy. Eventually we went in the store and got our shopping done. I got my books at Borders (Dead and Alive by Dean Koontz and Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman) and we headed to our next stop. We managed to get all our shopping done with minimal crying from Butterfly. It was a very pleasant morning that just took a bit longer than expected. So now I know to call and check the hours.

3. In other sporty news, my Texas Rangers are still in the playoff hunt. This is an event so rare that sports writers have run out of exclamations. The Rangers have been near the bottom of the league for far too many years, so the fact that they are even in the race is remarkable and makes us very happy. There is so much sports happiness in this house right now that nothing can bring us down.

4. We have been in school for two weeks and things are going well. Butterfly and Monster don't seem to mind having the house to themselves. Monster seems to be talking a lot more, I guess because he doesn't have to compete with three older siblings. He gives running commentary on everything he is doing, which is quite entertaining. Butterfly is pretty much on a one nap schedule, to allow for the change in routine to pick up the big kids. Some days I struggle to make it to nap time, but we are all surviving.

5. Speaking of school, that is going well too. I was a little worried about Buddy and how he would adjust, as he has never been to preschool or mother's day out or anything. But he is loving it. He has made friends (although I'm not sure I like the sound of some of them) and settled into the routine. His teacher and other staff have commented on how sweet he is, and well-behaved, so I'm very happy about that. The girls are doing great as well. Princess has homework every night, in several subjects, but most of it is quick and we get it all done in less than forty minutes usually. It is challenging to get it done before practices on some days, just because I have to get dinner going too, but we're making it work. IndieGirl has had no homework and doesn't have much to say about school, but I know she enjoys it.

6. It feels like fall is almost here. We have had temperatures in the 80s this week! So glorious! We have taken a couple of walks and played outside in the evenings and just generally enjoyed the break from the heat. Now, living in North Texas we expect there to still be at least one more wave of real heat, but then we can put it behind us. I'm a summer girl, but even I enjoy milder weather, just not cold weather.

7. MEAN GREEN WIN! Sorry, it is so exciting that I had to say it again.

Visit Conversion Diary for more quick takes.

Future Posts

Hello there. I've not nothing of substance for today, but I will tell you about two future posts. How do you like that?

First, on September 10 I will be posting my thoughts on the book The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence by Rachel Simmons. I was sent this book and asked to review it by TLC Book Tours. I am more than halfway through the book and have been taking notes, so I will do my best to give a thorough review.

Second, I was contacted by CSN Stores to review a product of my choice. CSN Stores includes over 200 online outlets for shopping. From bunk beds to pastry blenders, they have it all. I will let you know what I choose and what I think in a future post.

Mean Green football kicks off tonight, so I've got to get my game day preparations going.

Science

We have a problem in our house. Our tooth fairy is very unreliable. Princess has had a tooth under her pillow for two nights now, and still no quarters. I suggested this morning that she leave a note somewhere else in the house, as a reminder to the tooth fairy as she is flying through the neighborhood. Princess wisely pointed out that she comes by the window, so she wouldn't see a note located elsewhere in the house.

Husband suggested that perhaps the tooth fairy will visit during the day, while Princess is at school. I liked this idea, I wouldn't mind seeing the tooth fairy myself. But IndieGirl put the kibosh on that, with the reminder that the tooth fairy is nocturnal! Darn those science classes and the reasoning skills she has learned.

Maybe it is time to talk about probability and the chances the tooth fairy will grow ever more unreliable as teeth are lost with more frequency in this house. Or maybe the tooth fairy needs a reminder system.