The Labor Meme

Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer had this labor meme up in honor of Labor Day. I thought it looked like fun, and obviously I've not had much else to say lately, so... here goes:

How long were your labors?

Kid #1, 27 hours!
Kid #2, what labor?
Kid #3, nada
Kid #4, zilch


How did you know you were in labor?

Kid #1, My water broke, at home, while folding towels. The towels came in very handy. I've always been super relieved that this happened at home instead of say, the grocery store.

All of the other babies were scheduled c-sections. With baby number 3, I was having contractions 3 minutes apart by the time I was being prepped for surgery. Good timing is what I call that. ;)


Where did you deliver?

All of them were delivered in the same hospital my husband was born in. I think that's kinda neat!

Drugs?

Of course. With the first baby I wanted to try it without drugs, but I wimped out when I had pitocin, a long labor, and was taking a long time to progress.

C-section?

Yep, with all 4 of them. After 27 hours of labor, 2 of that pushing, baby #1 wasn't budging. He had a fever, I had a fever, and the doctor said it was time to get that baby out. I didn't have any problems with that idea. I don't mind c-sections, I guess it's all I know.

Who delivered?

All of my babies were delivered by the same wonderful doctor.

If you want to play along, head on over to Shannon's. She has a Mr. Linky up.

Mid-Summer Slump

I usually love lazy summer days. I'm not a keeper of the schedule type. I generally like to fly by the seat of my pants. Get up and see what we feel like doing. Go with the flow. Until about the 3rd week of July.

Now, I'm beginning to grow weary of lazy, summer days. My creativity is drying up. My desire to wrangle 4 kids and all their stuff to head to the pool is waning. The casual days are beginning to feel a little bit long. I'm beginning to feel the itch for a little routine.

I have enjoyed the summer break. We've spent many afternoons at the pool, played at the parks, and had a couple cartoon-marathons. We've stayed up late and slept in. And there are a couple of things I'd still like for us to do, like a camping trip, and a trip to the big zoo.

But, I'm starting to look forward to mid-August when we start school. It might take us a while to find our routine this year, since we are starting to homeschool. I think it will be nice to get settled in and have a little bit of a plan. You never know, I might even start to enjoy a schedule.

Before and After

Before:



After:



My boy is growing up right before my very eyes! Isn't he a handsome kid?!

Strange Dreams

When I am embarking on a new experience, I often have strange dreams about it. Whenever I've been in training for a new job, I would find myself dreaming about the processes I had learned that day during training. I don't really enjoy those dreams because it doesn't feel like I'm really getting good rest. It's a toss and turn kind of sleep.

This fall, I'm embarking on a huge new journey. The journey of homeschooling my 4th grade son and 2nd grade daughter. Up until now they have been going to a Christian school. This year we felt God's leading to bring them home.

So, guess what I dreamed about last night?? Yep! Homeschooling. My dream was that I couldn't find a book that my Instructor's Guide said that we needed. While I tossed and turned in my bed, my mind looked through lots of books from the homeschool bookshelf. I wonder if this dream means that I need to spend more time familiarizing myself with our stuff.

I do plan to spend some time each day looking through our curriculum. I want to ease into homeschooling and have a good feel for what we're going to be doing these first few weeks. We aren't planning on officially starting our homeschool adventure until August 18th. I sure hope that I don't spend the next few weeks having strange dreams about it!

Creative Discipline

Situation: N is relentlessly tormenting K by mimicking and making fun of High School Musical 2 while she was trying to enjoy it. This eventually leads to shouting from K, which wakes up the baby. That's bad news.

Creative Discipline: N is granted his desire to imitate HSM2, but his tormented audience member must leave the room. All of a sudden, it's not so fun to sing along and mock HSM2. After some histrionics from N about how horrible his discipline was, he did complete the assigned discipline. I may have even seen him crack a smile.

The jury is still out on whether this was effective or not. I hope it will be helpful because I'm exhausted by the amount of sibling squabbles we're seeing at our house.

WFMW: The Five-Ingredients-Or-Less Edition

This week for Works For Me Wednesday over at Rocks In My Dryer, the theme is recipes with 5 ingredients or less. This particular recipe is one of my all time favorites. It's about the only way that I will eat cottage cheese as well. This recipe makes me think of my grandma, probably because she has served it with family meals many times. I love it and I hope you will too!

Orange Jello Salad

1 small container of small curd cottage cheese
1 8oz container of Cool Whip, thawed
1 can of mandarin oranges, drained
1 box (4 serving size) of orange jello

Mix the cottage cheese, Cool Whip, and jello together until well blended. Fold in the mandarin oranges. Easy-peasy, and so yummy!

I won!! I won!!

Earlier this week, I entered a giveaway over at FiddleDeeDee for a free ticket to this virtual homeschool conference. DeeDee emailed me today to let me know that my comment number was chosen as a winner. I am so excited!! First of all, I very rarely win anything. Secondly, this will be our first year of homeschooling, so I can use all of the information and encouragement I can get.

If you'd like to read more about the conference, go here.

Thanks, DeeDee, for hosting the giveaway! I'm thrilled to be a recipient of one of the free tickets!

Supper in the Summer

Bigmama seems to have the same trouble I do. When it's hot outside, I don't feel like spending much time in the kitchen. And, some of our normal meals don't really sound that appetizing. So, when the Summertime cooking blues hit, here are a couple of things that I throw on the table.

My kids go crazy over this really simple pasta. Boil any type of pasta you desire and rinse it with cold water. Then pour Kraft Zesty Italian dressing over it. Sometimes we eat it just like this, other times we add parmesan cheese, croutons, tomatoes, or whatever suits our fancy. I usually pair this pasta with grilled chicken, steak or hamburgers.

The other thing I really enjoy in the summer is Frito Salad. Brown some hamburger and add a little taco seasoning to it. Toss together lettuce, cheese, drained kidney beans, and the seasoned hamburger. You can either add the Frito's to the mixture, or you can just put Frito's in the serving bowls. We like to serve the salad with Dorothy Lynch (which I think might be a midwest thing... it's like a french dressing) and Pace Picante Sauce. You can also add tomatoes, black olives, onions, or whatever else makes your mouth happy. Good stuff!

Bigmama has a Mr. Linky up over on her blog. You can head over there to read more Summer Supper ideas or share your own. I'm going to go over myself and look for some fresh summertime ideas.

Giveaway at Simple Mom

Simple Mom has been talking about zero-based budgets on her blog. Today she is giving away a lifetime membership to Pear Budget. Pear Budget looks like a really great program. I plan to give it a try (free for 30 days and then only $3/month). It looks like it will be just what we are needing. Head over to Simple Mom for more details about Pear and to enter the giveaway.

Country Dreams

I lived in a small town until I was 10. After my parents divorced, I moved to a city. I've always liked living in a city. I have so many things right out my front door. I can walk to a pharmacy, a convenience store and a department store, all within in blocks of my house. If I'm having a really bad day, I can go to the lounge right next door. I'm kidding. I could, but that's not my idea of bad-day relief. If I need bad-day relief, I'd probably go to the convenience store for chocolate. I love that I can drive a mile and be at the grocery store to pick up milk and $20 of things we didn't need while I'm there. I love that we have access to all sorts of entertainment, restaurants, parks, and paved bike trails. That's all good stuff. However, I'm finding myself yearning for something that I can't get in my city.

I want space. I want to walk out my front door and not see several other houses. I want to open the windows at night and not hear vehicles buzzing by or sirens wailing. I want to go outside to play with the kids and have space to run, ride bikes, and play baseball. I want to sit outside at night with my hubby and look at the millions of stars in the sky. I'm yearning for a little bit of country.

This dream has been in my heart for quite a while. I used to think that I wouldn't like being in the country because I liked to be close to the action. But, that's changing as I get older. My desires are different now. There is just something about wide open spaces that brings me such a peaceful feeling. I'm ready to break away from the noise and busyness of city life and find myself a quiet spot.

Aaron and I have talked about this for a while. He probably had this dream before I did. It's not going to happen right away, but it's definitely something we want to explore. Until then, it's kind of fun to dream of the possibilities. A cute little house with a nice big porch, a long gravel driveway, lots of trees and open space, and of course, 2 little dachshund puppies to play in the yard! Sweet, sweet dreams. They make me smile.

Changing

C turned 3 on Sunday. He was sick the morning of his birthday. Poor guy. I had given him cow's milk the day before, and he generally drinks soy. He's never been diagnosed as having a milk allergy, but he sure does seem sensitive to it. I think we'll just avoid cow's milk from now on.

That's not really the point of this post though. :) Just lately, I'm seeing C change so much. He's definitely moving from the toddler stage to the preschooler stage. Listening to his talking, which has become so much more conversational lately, is so fun. I love to listen to him talk with his siblings. He really looks up to the older kids and he's enjoying that P is getting big enough to really interact and play with him. Last weekend we were at a family reunion. C wanted to go and pet these cute little dogs, and we were standing just a few feet from them. P was chattering excitedly, but was probably feeling a little nervous about approaching them. C kept gently nudging P forward, saying "P, go pet the doggies". I think he wanted P to check it out and then he'd join him if it all went well. I wonder how many other things P will be C's guinea pig for?? That's kind of a scary thought.

C is also looking older to me these days. We cut his hair last week and having shorter (but thankfully, still curly) hair always makes his face look more mature. I also notice him looking bigger when he's doing things like being brave at the playground, running around outside, helping to dress himself and things like that.

Oh, and then there's the whole independence issue. It brings along it's fair share of temper tantrums, which we're beginning to see. C has always been such a laid back child, so I was hoping we might avoid the tantrum stage that often comes with 3. But, I don't think we're going to be so lucky. Why do they call it the terrible twos?? Two is awesome. Sure they're little busy bodies at 2, but they're so fun. 3 though.... that can be terrible. Oh well, at least I know that 4 is waiting for us on the other side. :)

Funny Boys

When I came home from work tonight, C & P were still up. They were happy and smiling, not at all looking tired. I came in and played with them for a little while. When it was time to put a diaper on C for bed time, he put the diaper on his head and said "diaperhead" in a silly voice. It tickled me. C then thought it would be good if mommy played diaperhead. So, I would place the *clean* diaper on my head and then he would swat it off. P was looking on and found this to be quite funny. He was belly laughing and each time it seemed to get funnier. And so I continued saying "diaperhead" while wearing a diaper on my head and letting C smack it off. Just to hear my boys laugh. I can't think of many things that brighten my day more than hearing giggles coming from my little people!!

Contest at The Gremlin Wrangler

While I was blog-hopping tonight I happened upon The Gremlin Wrangler. She's having a contest to promote her business. Carrie is a talented artist and is giving away the likes of one of these...



I would love to have one of these awesome custom-portraits of each of my kiddos! Or, one of all of them together. If you want to enter Carrie's contest head on over to The Gremlin Wrangler.

AI results

I just finished watching the American Idol results show. A couple of thoughts...

-Thanks to Ryan for telling the 9 year olds who may have been watching tonight, that 9 is TOO YOUNG to be kissing. My 9 year old didn't happen to be watching, but still, I was thankful that he said that!

-Aww, poor Brooke. She was heart broken. I don't usually cry watching AI, but she actually made me tear up. She's the type of person I could see myself being friends with. She's awesome! I wish her well.

-Syesha seems to be having Sanjaya type luck. This isn't the first time that I thought she would be the one to go home, and she's been in the bottom three a lot!!

That's all. Thank you. :)

American Idol Top 5

Tonight during AI, I was watching my children sing in the Spring music concert at their school. The musical was called Amerikids. It was very well done and I really enjoyed it, except for the fact that the gym was about 85 degrees.

On the way home it dawned on me that I had forgotten to put a tape in the VCR. We're living in the dark ages and we don't have DVR. I've had DVR in the past so when I have to set up the VCR to record a show, it's pretty much torture! I was able to catch all of tonight's performances on youtube videos, so I thought I would post my thoughts.

Jason Castro - I really liked Forever in Blue Jeans. His voice and style really appeal to me. When he sang September Morn, I was a little bored. As much as I like Jason, I'm afraid he's going to have to step it up a little more in order to stay.

David Cook - For his first song he sang I'm Alive. I thought it was pretty good and a fun song, but not one of his best. His second song was All I Really Need Is You. I loved it. It had a current feel to it. The judges all gave him rave reviews. I'm pretty sure he'll be just fine tomorrow.

Brooke - When she sang I'm a Believer, it was just alright for me. That's not one of my favorite songs, so that could be part of the problem. But, I didn't think the song really fit her. However, I did NOT think it was a nightmare like Simon said. For her second song, she sang I am I said. I really loved it! Brooke and the piano belong together. That is her thing! I hope she'll be good for tomorrow.

David Archuletta - He was my favorite tonight by a long shot. Maybe because I was more familiar with the songs he chose (Sweet Caroline and Coming to America), or maybe just because, he was awesome! I thought that they were fun songs for him. I got goosebumps when he sang Coming to America. Yay, David! He'll be right next to David Cook on the couch tomorrow!

Syesha - I can't remember the names of the songs she sang, and quite honestly, I'm too lazy to go back to youtube and look it up. I think Syesha has a really pretty voice. She can definitely sing, but I just don't connect with her at all. On her second number, she looked like she was having fun, and that type of song really seems to be her element.

So, top 2 of the night?? The Davids!

Who goes home?? My guess is that Syesha will go home.

American Idol Top 6

I've never done live-blogging, or blogging about AI before, but I always feel like sharing my opinions as I'm watching so here we go!

Syesha Mercado - Wow! This is the first week that I have really enjoyed Syesha. This must be her element! And the judges liked it too. Good for her! I think she looks fabulous tonight!

Jason Castro - Golly, he is just so cute. I love his smile and how his eyes just twinkle. I don't know. Hmm.. I like it, but it's not really exciting. I think this might not be the best song for him. What?! Randy said it was a train wreck? I didn't think it was that bad. Not real favorable comments from the judges. That's okay, Jason. I think you're worth keeping around!

Brooke White - I have really liked Brooke from day one. I think she has a really sweet personality. Oh, NO! I'm not sure that needing to start over is gonna work at this point in the game. Bummer! I think she sang that fairly well though and she showed emotion. It's not my favorite performance by her at all. Golly, to make Paula pause that much is something, huh? Simon must be in a good mood tonight, because I thought he was going to blast her! I'm a little worried for her this week.

David Archuleta - I think that this could be a very good week for David. Let's see what happens... The young girls just go crazy over him! Me too, actually. I really think he's pretty incredible. I love it when he sings big notes. I thought this was a great vocal!!! The bomb. The one to beat. Perfect. a risk. and then we come to Simon and he says "pleasant". Hmmm... maybe he's not in a good mood. My 7 year old wants to know if all British people are mean or if it's just Simon. Ha-ha-ha! I'm pretty sure David will be safe tomorrow.

Carly Smithson - She certainly looks like she's enjoying herself, and she looks nice tonight. She does have a great voice. I wasn't super crazy about it, but not because it wasn't good, just not my thing. The Simon loves me (this week) t-shirt was a nice touch. :)

David Cook - I'm loving this! He has such an awesome voice. I think this "softer" song is showcasing his vocals nicely. Much different than what David usually does, but I liked it!

Bottom 3?? Jason Castro (boo-hoo), Brooke White (boo-hoo), and Carly. I think Brooke will quite possibly be the one to leave us this week.

Best of the Night?? David A.

One

Happy Birthday, P! What a fun day we had today! You were definitely in to your cake. Handful after handful of ooey, gooey frosting and much smacking of the lips. It was fun to watch you dig in. Your favorite present is an activity block that has lights, music, shape sorting, and other activities.

This year has gone so fast! You are my sweet little man and I love you!

Decisions, Decisions

Have you ever had a big huge decision to make and you get all excited about the possibilities, but then the doubt starts to creep in? And then at night, you toss and turn because you can't quite turn your brain off? And then, during the day you toss it around in your head endlessly while you mindlessly nibble on whatever healthy snack junk food you can find? Has that ever happened to you? That's kind of where I'm at right now. And to make matters worse, I'm a terribly indecisive person. Just ask Aaron. I can't even pick a restaurant without a 20 minute ho-hum-where-should-we-go session.

So, I'm praying that the Lord would use a megaphone and neon lights for me on this one. Or maybe a burning bush?? Or, maybe a real sense of peace that could only come from Him.

Recipe Slump

Have you ever been in a recipe slump? You're fixing the same things over and over, you're feeling uninspired, or maybe, like me, you're eating out WAY to often. Well, Lisa TerKeurst is having a little Recipe Swap and Hop over at her blog for this exact thing. I'm glad to post a couple of recipes to hopefully help some people out. I've already been over at her blog collecting some recipes for myself. It's a very good thing!

Easy Tuna and Noodles

3 c. of elbow noodles
1 can tuna, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 to 2 c. cheese
fried onions.

Cook and drain the noodles. Dump into a 9x13 pan (spray pan with cooking spray first). Stir in tuna, cream of chicken soup, and half of the cheese. Top with remainder of cheese and fried onions. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until warmed through. The actual recipe calls for only 1 cup of cheese for topping. I like to mix some cheese into the tuna/noodles though because it makes it creamier.


Taco Pie

tortillas
1 lb ground beef or chicken
1 can refried beans
cheddar or colby jack cheese (1-2 cups depending on how much you want)
taco seasoning

brown ground beef and drain (or cook and dice the chicken). Stir in about 1/2 packet of taco seasoning. Spray a 2 qt casserole dish with Pam. Spread a tortilla with beans, lay in dish, layer hamburger and cheese on top. Repeat until ingredients are gone (probably 4-5 times). Top with tortilla. Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350. Cut into triangles. Serve with sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, or whatever suits your family's tastes.

This has been a long time favorite at our house. When we were a family of 2 adults and 2 little kids it made the perfect amount. Now that we are 2 adults, 2 bigger kids, and 2 little ones, I almost need to double it and make 2. Enjoy!

If I Were a Shoe...

I found the following post over at The Learning Never Stops.

I thought it looked like fun, and I didn't really have anything else to post about today, so I copied it and put in my own answers. Here we go...

********************************************************************************

If I were a shoe, I’d be loafers.

If I were a city, I’d be a city close to Rocky Mountain National Park.

If I were a season, I'd be Spring.

If I were a car, I’d be a Dodge Neon.

If I were a vegetable, I’d be corn on the cob.

If I were a fruit, I’d be a banana.

If I were a color, I’d be yellow.

If I were furniture, I’d be a comfy couch.

If I were a song, I’d be Manic Monday by The Bangles.

If I were a country, I’d be the United States.

If I were a beverage, I’d be a Starbucks Venti Frappuccino!

If I were clothing, I’d be jeans and a sweatshirt.

If I were weather, I’d be mostly sunny (but with a slight chance of severe weather).

If I were an animal, I’d be a dog. (sloth and monkey were also considerations).

If I were a dessert, I’d be chocolate chip cookies.

If I were a plant, I’d be a a Moonflower. (because my best time of day is late evening)

If I were a word, I’d be distracted.

That was fun, you should play too!