Kindergarten Has Begun!

My daughter, Faith, started kindergarten yesterday. Poor thing looked a little shell-shocked getting on the school bus. Fortunately, there was a bus attendant waiting to help her onto the bus and into her seat. Come to think of it, she may have been a teacher or a teacher's aide. The bus attendant had that kind of demeanor. My husband followed them to school so he could spy on them, oops...I mean drop of the rest of their classroom supplies.

According to all, Faith did extremely well on her first day. There were no meltdowns or accidents. She enjoyed pizza for lunch, (even though we packed lunch for her). She came home totally wound up. So I waited a while before doing her homework with her. She fell asleep while we were reading together. I love Kindergarten!

On a different note, I finally decided to read a Nevada Barr novel. Blind Decent was the first, followed by Borderline. Now that I know they are part of a series, I'll look for the first two when I go back to the library. I also read "The Careful Use of Compliments" by Alexander McCall-Smith. I'm liking this series as well. I can't wait to see what else I've been missing in the world of books.

Registration Time is Just Around the Corner...

I can't wait for my girls to start school. Some of you may remember that I was debating about whether to home school or not to home school. Clearly I have decided. I'd like to...really. However, the reality is that I need space. I need to be left alone, regularly. Otherwise, I start to get very agitated and snappy. As it stands right now, there is no part of my day (or night) that goes uninterrupted. Some people may like having their kids by their side 24/7...not me. Don't get me wrong, I not only love my children...I like them too. But I need time away from them and they need time away from me.

Why I hate sharing bathrooms

The move is done. There are still some boxes but for the most part, it feels like home. Unfortunatly when we moved, we had to down-size on a few things. One of those things was the bathroom. Instead of 2 & 1/2 bathrooms, we are now down to 1. There are six of us. Hence the title of this post. So here goes:

Why I hate sharing bathrooms

Reason #1 - Having to clean the bathroom before I can use it.

Reason #2 - Having to wait to use it while I clean it.

Reason #3 - Cleaning it then not being able to enjoy it while it's still clean.

Reason #4 - Having to wait for everyone else to use it, then only having just enough energy to clean it.

Reason # 5 - Doing my best to schedule and shorten shower time in order to have hot water for everyone only to have someone totally disregard the conservation effort and take a 20-30 minute shower. Now we all have to wait 30-45 minutes before anybody can get water that's warmer than room temperature.

UGH!!!

Still Unpacked and Ready to Unload

The movers will be here in exactly 4 days. I have packed a grand total of 4 boxes.

*Sigh* Hard as I try, I just can't seem to get things going when it's time to actually put things in boxes. There's something especially exhausting about the process. I usually end up letting my husband do the bulk of the packing. He's great at it! DH just seems to make magic happen. Methodically, he goes room by room and in no time everything is boxed up and ready to go.

Unpacking is a whole different story. My husband will pull out the bear necessities, like clothes,T.V.'s and dishes and leave the rest. This is where I come in. Stereotypical as it may sound, making the house a home is my specialty. I unpack all the boxes. I organize the house according to traffic flow, rush hour and convenience. I make it my mission to create the feeling as if we have always lived there. The new home becomes a sanctuary that counteracts the feeling of being in unfamiliar surroundings. If this were left up to DH, we'd be living out of boxes for at least a year.

Nonetheless, this can work to my advantage. I can create my own space, after setting up everyone else's of course. The new place is a little smaller so I'm not sure where my space will be yet. But once I get settled, that's it. That space will be mine and mine alone. It will be a place where I can go and write in peace.  No kids or adults other than me allowed. I've already gone way too long without a sanctuary of my own. Not only does my creativity and productivity suffer, but I end up feeling like a second class citizen. I get myself situated in one room and soon after, someone comes in and makes themselves at home. They commence setting up shop with absolutely no consideration for whatever I happen to be doing (or not doing) at the time. That will change...

Family History

I'm back! Yes, I know it's been a while. I've been writing still. There have been more articles and I've also spent some time developing ideas for a series of children's stories. The rest of the time was spent doing genealogy research. For those of you that have tried, you know it can be time-consuming. Some of my family has already been researched, but a big part has not. I wished that I had started asking questions and taking down names and dates when the thought first crossed my mind a few years back. Now, I'm just hoping to get as much history from those that are left by re-establishing relationships and getting to know those that I should have all along. It's entirely too easy to get caught up in my own world. Still, there's no reason I can't at least send a quick email now and again. After all, even my dad has an email account (that my mom checks for him). The rest have telephones, even the ones who live in the middle of nowhere.

I have decided to take a little time and write down some of my family's bright moments. That way, when my kids are grown and their kids are asking questions, they won't have to look far for the answers. There's no guarantee I'll be around to tell them in person, but it doesn't mean I can't do it in my own words.

Do you know your family's history. Where did they come from and why did they come here? How did they make a way for themselves? Why does your family have certain traditions or a lack there of? How did their experiences influence them and you?

How the time flies

Today, my youngest is three years old. Not that long ago, I was 4 months pregnant, taking care of a six month old and working full time (yes, all at the same time). I felt like I was taking care of everybody all the time and nobody was taking care of me. Sleep was the most important thing in my life. Now, things have changed drastically. There's a three and almost four year old and no job. The girls want to take care of themselves. I get to sleep in too, now that the girls have a TV in their room. Their health, self-confidence and education are the most important things to me. Time really flies. I am so grateful for the opportunity to slow down and enjoy it.

No Place Like Home

I'm back. My family and I took a trip back to our hometown, Philly. It had been a while and we decided it would be a good idea for everyone to see the kids. Some were lucky, others weren't. I think next time, I'll try to organize a barbecue or two. That way everyone will come to see us instead of us driving around the city to see all of them. Still, it's nice to visit family and friends. My husband and I were very interested to see what things changed and what things stayed the same. This time, I found that I didn't miss Philly as much. Sure, there were a few conveniences that I missed. But all in all, Charlotte is home now.

Homemade Books

Children have very active imaginations. Of course mine are no exception. So, I think I'm going to start writing down some of their made up stories. We'll turn them into homemade books. They'll draw their own pictures. For the sake of legibility, I will write the words. Then they can read their own very special books. In fact, I just may turn some of their stories into books for publication. How cool would that be for your child to go to the library and see a book that he or she wrote sitting on a shelf. Better yet, how proud would they be to see other kids reading them? That's going to be one of our "it's too hot/cold/rainy to go outside" projects. Guess I should stock up on craft supplies. I think I'll use those gift cards I've been carrying around for the past five years.

Reading...Part 2

A few months ago, I wrote a post about being anxious regarding my children's reading skills. Here is an update: A couple of days ago, my youngest read the word "cat". It may not sound like much to some of you. For parents, it's one of the greatest moments ever. She read to me. Yes, I know it's only one word. But that's because it was the only one on the refrigerator at that moment. I'm sure she knows a few more. Now that I've gotten a little positive reinforcement, I'm going to renew my literacy encouragement efforts. The refrigerator will be like an open book, covered with words. Yes, the refrigerator. I can't get them to stay off of it anyway. This will also be a great opportunity to redecorate their room. Currently, the walls are pretty bare. I think I'll add a few of their favorite things in word form. Numbers will be up there, too. They like to count. In the next few weeks, we're going to "try" adding, subtracting and penmanship. I'll keep you posted.

Traveling Light

This year, instead of our parents coming down to see us, we're going up to Philly to see them. It's been a couple of years since we've been there. Everyone is looking forward to being able to see how much the the kids have grown. I don't really enjoy traveling with kids but this time it won't be so bad. This time will be the first time we'll be traveling without diapers or training pants. I don't have to carry a diaper bag. I don' have to carry them. The girls can walk and wear themselves out instead of me. WOOHOO!

You know you speak Toddlerese when...

Last night, My husband , the girls and I went to the market. They didn't have all of what we wanted, so we left to try another one. As we were leaving the shopping center, I heard my oldest mumble something. When I asked her to repeat herself, she said, "I want to go to the pepper diner!". My husband asked, "What did she say?". "She wants to go to the pepper diner", I replied. He was puzzled of course. "She want to go to Chile's again", I told him. We laughed. If motherhood required a resume, I'd add Toddlerese to Adult translator as a skill.

Wordless Wednesday: Girls Rule!

I believe this was taken either late 2006 or early 2007.

I'm glad they're still friends... usually.

Jealous

Last night my husband and stepson were talking to each other about spending time. They discussed going to indoor basketball games versus outdoor football games. I started to feel a little jealous. My husband, the non-sports guy, never offered to take me to a game. He knows I love football. Whenever I would mention the two of us going, the most I would get from him is a noncommittal "It's not my thing". So when I noticed my husband's excitement, I immediately felt sad. I honestly don't remember the last time he was excited about something I was passionate about, let alone offer to participate. Oh well. I'm curious to see what the girls have in store for DH. They're getting older now and really enjoy hanging with their dad. Maybe it's time to have an official daddy and daughters day. The girls are potty trained. (Well, they're about as potty trained as an almost 3 and an almost 4 year old can be.) As long as those two don't start running around in circles and chasing each other while pretending to be dinosaurs, he'll be fine (giggling).This is going to be fun

Snack Time

I've been pretty lucky so far with my girls. There has never been any major problems with them sticking things up their noses or in their ears... until today. My youngest stuck a piece of cereal up her nose. She came crying to me saying "Mommy, I can't get it out!". In the back of my head, I was thinking that she was too old to be doing things like that. But then I remembered that she was still just two years old. She hasn't mastered the art of blowing her nose yet, so I had to perform minor surgery on the spot. I even checked her ears for good measure. Whew! No more cereal.
Now they are pretending to be kitty cats. Guess that means snack time is over. Hopefully, the girls won't try to eat lunch with their feet!

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Lately, I've been on a mission: to make more snacks at home as opposed to always buying them at the store. A lot of time has been spent sifting through recipes looking for the quick and easy stuff. In particular, I have been looking for things I can bake that don't require eggs or milk. Those are high commodities in my house. There are quite a few good ones so far. I couldn't resist the recipe for vegan chocolate cake, so I made that one first. The way its written, is not totally vegan since it uses white sugar and flour. But that's what I had on hand. The batter comes out kind of thick. It has the look and consistency of chocolate icing and tastes just as good. The cake was incredibly easy to make and I had loads of fun licking the bowl. The amount of batter was enough for one loaf pan. The cake turned out beautifully. My teenage step-daughter and her friends all loved it. Of course if I knew everyone was coming over I would have doubled the recipe. I want to try this recipe using true vegan ingredients. Poor me, I guess I'll just have to make it all over again:)

A Much Needed Break

Yes, I know I've been gone for a while. I just needed a break. My husband had been gone for a few days on a business trip. I was home alone w/ the 2, 3, 8 and 17 yr old. It was stressful. The experience did leave me w/ important things to consider about homeschooling. Planning ahead for the expected and the unexpected is very necessary for one's sanity. I didn't do this for the eight year old this time around. He just about drove me crazy bouncing off the walls and getting the girls all worked up. The fact that he is a natural born leader is a good thing. However it's only a good thing when he has something constructive to do. So, after lunchtime, I printed off a few worksheets from the web. Poor thing was actually devastated when I placed them on the table right after lunch. You would think he would be used to it by now. I made sure to give him activities that forced him to sit and think. It gave all of us some peace and allowed me to concentrate on some other things for a while. All in all, I survived.

Dangerouses

In our house everyone has a bed. My two girls are especially proud of the fact that they have big girl beds. Along with ridding their room of all the baby furniture. we also took the time to double check for any safety hazards. After we rearranged their room a bit, we reminded them not to touch the outlets or play w/ the blinds. Today while we were getting dressed my 2yr old made an observation. She informed me that she had three dangerouses in her room and that I had one in mine. Quick thinking and my knowledge of toddlerese led me to conclude that she was referring to the outlets in her room. I praised her. I really enjoy the fact that the girls pay attention. I know it will all end very soon.

Pointless Discussions

Last week I decided to start making pancakes from scratch instead of buying the mix. I figured that I might as well since no matter what it's still going to take me just as much time to make. Homemade pancakes are also cheaper, but of course my husband doesn't think so. He says that I should just give them cereal and milk because it will cost less. Clearly, he hasn't done the math and I refuse to do it for him. Sometimes I get upset and I feel as though he doesn't trust my judgement. Then I put everything into context: This is a man who still tries to eat like a teenager even though he clearly has a thirty-something metabolism. The fact that all that processed food isn't very kind when it comes back out doesn't seem to matter very much to him. For my husband, taste still seem to come before health. So later on, when he questioned my need to buy white distilled vinegar when we had apple cider at home, I stated the purpose and left it at that. Not everyone knows that you can make cake using vinegar.

Positve Reinforcement

Last weekend, we went to our favorite pizza place for dinner. During the meal, we were approached by a lady who had been sitting two booths down. She said that she just had to come over and complement us on how adorable and well behaved our children were. I smiled and thanked her profusely. About ten or fifteen minutes later, another lady came to our table and said the exact same thing. I was humbled. What those ladies said to me made me feel so happy and proud, like I had won an award or something. Clearly, I was not looking for validation of my parenting skills that day. Still, it was wonderful to know that I was doing something well enough to make a difference. People have so much to say when it comes to the do's and don'ts of parenting. However, there is not much to say for getting something right. A change is long overdue. It is time that the world offer more praise for us parents. Positive reinforcement works for grown ups too.

The Other Best Mother's Day Present

Mother's Day weekend has just begun and I'm already a little disappointed about how the weekend is going so far. It looks as if it's going to be mostly hustle and bustle. I don't think I'll be having the special family time that I wanted. Folks seem to have a different agenda. The moment I had that Thought I immediately began to feel guilty. I thought "What if I didn't have kids?". Before I had the girls, I always felt a little sad around this time of year. I would feel as though I was missing out on a wonderful experience, a part of who I was supposed to be. Now that I have kids, I'm complaining about not being able to turn that experience off when it suits me. These thoughts have brought me to the realization that there's more to Mother's Day than just honoring your mother, grandmother, aunt, etc.. Mother's Day should also be about every woman celebrating the ability to touch some one's life in any "mother like" capacity. I am truly grateful to be able to give other human beings the kind of unconditional love and acceptance that I had...The kind that everyone deserves. The opportunity touch some one's life in that "mother like" capacity is the other best Mother's Day present...the best every day present.