Tackle It Tuesday: the Master Bedroom

A week ago, I posted about a major Tackle-It that took place in our master bedroom, and now that the project is finished, I've got a few more pictures of the finished product - including the place we've created for our new addition. This week's Tackle-It is really nothing more than finally getting this post written. We've actually tackled a lot of things lately in preparation for the new baby, and I'm about done tackling things until after I've tackled labor and delivery (sometime in the next 25 days).

Answers to ComfyDenim's Random Questions...

1. Silver or Gold? Which do you prefer in your jewelry?

White Gold or silver. My wedding rings are yellow gold, but since I can't wear them (had to be cut off while I was pregnant with #3 because my hands kept swelling until I was loosing circulation) the temporary band that the Bookworm King purchased for me is white gold. I like it a lot. :)

2. What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

You know, I'm just not that wild and crazy. I've never gone skinny-dipping or bungee-jumping or sky-diving. I've never tried recreational drugs or cigerettes or gotten drunk. I've never held a snake, walked a ridgepole or run for office.

From the world's point of view I do a lot of crazy things: I trust God. I teach my kids at home. I delay vaccinations for them. I use cloth diapers for my kids, cook from scratch, and we live on my husband's income.

I think the craziest thing I've ever done was have children. It's a wild and crazy life, and I love it.


3. If you could learn another language, which would you learn? What would you do with it?

I want to learn to read Koine Greek, Biblical Hebrew, and Latin. I think it would be a blast to be able to read the Bible in an original language - I love doing word studies, so that just really appeals to me. I'm not sure about why I want to learn Latin or what I could use it for, but the other definately sound like fun to me.

4. I know you don't like snakes and that you're allergic to fur - but do you have a favorite animal? Which, leads me to a follow-up question, Why is it your favorite?

Hmmmm.... a favorite animal. I don't know. I think it might be the little boy - they are a blast to watch because you never know what they are going to do next. Half the time they come up with something completely unexpected that I never would have considered doing. Yet they are defiately part-wild - at least mine are. We've studied a lot of animals in the past year, and I have been consistently amazed at God's creations, but I'm not overly enthralled with any one animal - except the human boy-child. I'm blessed to have given birth to several of those.

5. If you were to write a book, what would be your topic & title?

I want to write a book about Danny - not so much the story of his life as the story of how God grew us and blessed us through him - and about the sovereignty of God and how Danny taught us that lesson. The world so often misses out on what children with special needs have to offer, and Danny had a lot of give - and gave to a lot of people - without words. I'm constantly amazed at how he touched others' lives.

Dino Day

We picked up my crazy Aunt Sharon ("crazy" being slightly true and mostly just a term of endearment). She's a hoot. We got lunch from Johnnie's Charbroiler (onion rings. yum), and we took it and ate it at Reeves Park on Jenkins road, which has a fantastic playground. The boys played for 45 minutes or so after lunch (had to get the wiggles out) and then we went to the Natural History Museum. It was pretty nifty. We mostly just looked at the skeletons and were amazed at their size.
They had an apatosaurus skeleton that was two stories tall. We road an elevator up to see the head up close. There were lots of Oklahoma exibits (people and forest and tallgrass/mixed grass prairie), but of course the dinosaurs were the main draw.

Here's the evidence:

The decorating I had planned for my bedroom didn't get done until yesterday afternoon, and I had a meeting last night, so I'm just now getting the evidence of my hardwork up for you all to see.

On Wednesday, we did indeed bake four loaves of bread. We also ate some of it for snacktime. It was good as both cinnamon toast and with butter and honey.

We also worked hard on the master bedroom Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon. Here's the before (what a mess!):















And here's the after:

Like my new digs?

Didn't Goofy Girl do a good job? I love my Oklahoma blue sky header with the sunflowers.

Know what else? The whole thing is a gift from my good friend IFL and online, ComfyDenim. This is actually a baby gift from her. We don't really need much for the baby, and she decided to treat me instead. Isn't she sweet?

We are, as you can see from my last post, having a day at home. We might be homeschoolers, but it is rare that we are actually here for the entire day and have no company. We typically either have friends over for a bit of the day or we go run an errand or two because it is best for us if we only go one or two places a day instead of having errand day. Or we visit Gram or Mimi. We'll be having a lot more days-at-home after this baby arrives, but we've been going so much lately that we are behind in housework.

I'm currently doing something exciting. I'm printing off our homemade schedule for next year that combines Sonlight Kindergarten with Galloping the Globe. Of course, either program is a full program, so I probably will use the Galloping the Globe stuff first and then read the SLK, but we have another family joining us on this global exploration, and we each needed something a little different, so I now have it all down on one piece of paper per week - a veritable smorgasboard of learning opportunities that will get us all the way around the world in 38 weeks, and builds us a short unit on oceans and explorers to follow it up. I've been working on this project on and off for weeks.

My list for the day:
Catch the laundry up DONE
Put it all away DONE
Do a load of diapers DONE
Bake four loaves of bread DONE
Do a bit of school with #2 DONE
Answer a few emails DONE
Play with my kids DONE
Clean the master bedroom almost DONE
Clean the kitchen DONE
Proofread the Global Exploration document DONE
Dust the family living area DONE
Read to my kids DONE
Blog about my scrapbooking accomplishments over the weekend
Clean the office, including emptying the very FULL trashcan DONE
Play a board game with #2 - Offered, but he went outside instead

But the first thing I must do it change #3. He's got a stinky. DONE (several times)

WFMW: Housework Day

Today is, at our house, Housework Day. We are staying home. No one is coming to visit. We aren't running any errands. We will not be going to the park or McDonalds or the bank or the library. We are staying here.

My four-year old is sorely disappointed.

Little does he know that he's going to have a blast. He loves to watch the washer fill as we do laundry, run the little vacuum for me, dust baseboards with a sockpuppet, help put the laundry away, help make bread (means he gets to use the KitchenAid), and he'll get to use his computer during the baby's naptime while I do some cleaning in the master bedroom.

So, most of you probably know this, but if you need to catch up and you have a busy schedule, pick one day each week to stay home.

It works for me. See more WFMW posts at Rocks in My Dryer

Thankful Thursday: My Husband

This is almost trite, but this evening, I'm very, very thankful for my husband, King of the Bookworms. He takes good care of all of us. He is a great Daddy to our boys. He helps with housework daily because he believes that I am staying home to educate and care for our children and THAT is my full-time job - housework is considered a part-time thing. He goes to his full-time job, and he still blessed me enormously by doing the dishes - especially when I'm hugely pregnant with swollen feet in the evenings. This evening, he came home and took over with the boys and sent me on errands (Pass Your Plate and the grocery store). And when I got back, he sent me to the recliner to put my puffy ankles up. He brought me a glass of water and everything. Now he's sitting in his recliner working on work stuff and watching Leno.

What a guy! I'm so very blessed. This picture, by the way, was taken just moments after #3 was born on March 1, 2006.

And speaking of #3, he's awake and calling for me. Guess he needs a Mommy snuggle because he was in bed when I got home from the store.

EspeciallyHeather...

I don't know if you've met Heather or not. If you haven't, you should.

She is an amazing and godly woman. She will tell you that God is good ALL the time, and she means it. God is good when your third child is born with chronic heart defects. God is good when your daughter has a heart transplant. God is good when you are told that your daughter has mitochondrial disease. God is good when you are told she is autistic. God is good when your daughter's school breaks ADA laws and causes you great inconvinience.

And now she is learning that God is still good when the Mommy must become the patient. God is good, in spite of learning yesterday that Heather has a brain tumor. God is good as she goes to the neurosurgeon this afternoon. God is good even in this.

Please pray for Heather's complete healing, for peace for her and her family, and for her to be able to continue focusing on how good God is ALL the time instead of how unfair this situation is.

WFMW: The little Shark

It's amazing what a tiny vacuum with rechargeable batteries can do for my house. In this picture, the King is using it to suck up some Cheerios. Usually, Bookworm#2 uses it - keeping the goldfish and cheerios off the carpet is typically his job. That little purple vacuum that BW#3 is using is obnoxious - it talks about picking up dust, but that's about it.

However, I highly recommend the little Shark Green Quick'n'Quiet Sweeper. It does a great job picking up the little jobs from both carpet and hard floors. And it is so simple to use that my four-year old has it down pat. Great for handing off little floor jobs to the young ones.

This year's traditional family Easter picture

There you have it folks! Two big bellies, two ornery boys, jackets and sweaters and no Easter finery because it was too cold to wear it. Maybe the boys will wear theirs on Mother's Day - if we make it to church on Mother's Day. I'm kind of hoping to be in labor at that point. :)

My answer to a friend's homeschooling question.

I have a friend who is considering homeschooling, and she asked me the following question. I'm just sticking my answer here for future reference.

Question: "Having been through traditional school.. I've been looking back and can
pinpoint a few extraordinary teachers that changed my life, or my view
of myself. Do you worry about the kids not getting that kind of influence?"

ThoughtfulMom's answer:
No, I'm really not.

There are several reasons why.
1. For the two I was rather fond of, there were a minimum of 40 that were mediocre at best, and there were at least six who were actually terrible and each did some damage to either my education or my perception of myself.

2. Homeschooling is not anything like public school at all. I believe that I can be a better teacher and overall influence on my child than anyone else could be with the help of the Holy Spirit. I know these children - I understand how they think, what they enjoy, what they hate, and can (with much prayer and discernment) figure out how to give them the best education for each of them - tailoring things to their individual needs and going at the pace they want to go at.

3. I know that the teachers I remember fondly were the ones that were truly interested in me. As a homeschooling parent, I have the opportunity to be truly interested in my children on a daily basis and to know them better than anyone else. I hope and pray that when they are grown, they have fond memories of all the times we were reading and discussing things together and learning together and from each other. I guess I see learning as more of a family affair than as a student-teacher affair.

Kid Comedy: A funny moment

"Do not even touch it. If you do, you will die." The Bookworm King was reading from Genesis in the Little Kids' Adventure Bible that we got for #2 for Easter.

What I saw that the King missed was hysterical. Just as he read that line, #2 reached down to pick at a scab on his knee - he was reaching, about to pick, when he heard "DO NOT even touch IT! If you DO, you will DIE" with great emphasis and drama.

He didn't touch it, by the way. And it cracked me up.

And now I have to go to the grocery store.

See more Kid Comedy at In a Shoe.

Resurrection Day

It's 4am on the day after Easter. Resurrection Day is over for this year, and it was not an easy day. But just an hour ago, #2 was awake. He came to find me (I was in bed, of course) because he was just awake. I know a bit about insomnia - something was bothering him,

It seems like the entire day was spent in a battle to teach #2 to stay in his chair at mealtime, because that was how the day ended. We've been working on that for a while and it seems to be getting worse instead of better, and it is making mealtime miserable for everybody. This evening, after he'd already been at the table forever, and we were all done, but he'd only had about three bites and a lot of jumping around and running around and not sitting and eating, he'd asked for a cookie - a homemade sugar cookie with icing that we made at Gram's house yesterday morning. I told him that if he could finish the (quite reasonable) amount of food on his plate before the timer beeped (in 15 minutes), he could have the cookie. He started eating, but he continued to jump around and get up and be difficult. Every five minutes we reminded him that the time would beep and he would lose the cookie if he wasn't done eating. But the behavior continued while the food was disappearing, and while much of the food disappeared, there was still food left when the timer beeped, and he lost the cookie.

He was so sad that he nearly choked on a piece of apple.

I have to say, that sometimes getting the desired reaction out of this child is nearly impossible - we're been thinking and trying and teaching and training - but when it comes right down to it - this is a heart problem - a refusal to submit to authority - a rebellious attitude - and we can't change that. We've been praying for God to change #2's precious heart because we've allowed this attitude to grow for far too long.

The cookie, which he'd wanted so badly, was put away - he can try again tomorrow - and he cried and cried. He was truly sad - not just angry - but sad. Daddy went to talk with him and help him calm down, and I sat at the table exhausted and prayed.

And we put the boys to bed, and had an evening of projects and such, and then we went to bed - and that pretty much brings us to 3am, when #2 came to find me, and I was deep asleep - actually dreaming about #1 being resurrected in a healthy body (a dream that occurs occasionally). I heard #2, but I couldn't wake up fully, so he went to the potty and came in the living room to see if Magic School Bus was on yet (Nope. It comes on at 6:30.) I got myself awake about 15 minutes later and came to see what was going on...

He was just awake, and he was thinking about how he lost his cookie, and he was sad. He sat down on my lap in our big comfy chair, and we were able to have a conversation about Self-Control and learning to do what is right over what we want and to discuss better ways to enjoy a meal and a few other things. And we read a few stories from The Jesus Storybook Bible that was an Easter gift and was within reach, and we snuggled and talked - and he fell back to sleep, and I carried him back to bed (no easy feat - he weighs nearly 60 pounds). This year is the very first year that he's really HEARD the story of Jesus dying on the cross and rising again so that we can be forgiven. And I continue to pray, "Father, change his heart." Because even at four years old, when he intentionally makes what he knows are poor choices, he is sinning, and I know that any sin feels miserable on you - sticky and dirty and gross. I don't wish that feeling on anyone.

Now that I have tucked him back into bed and thought and prayed and typed and prayed and thought - it's 5am, and I'm going to go take a nap. May the Holy Spirit work in #2 and I both as we sleep to change our hearts and make us more submissive to Him. After all, He can see the big picture - the final product of #2's life - and lead us to the best possible outcome. And if He (and the resurrected #1) should make their appearance before then, then we will be prepared, as we should be.

Oh the things they say - and another Easter memory

#2 is forever cracking me up with his comments. He picks up idioms and colloquialisms from grown-ups (and the VeggieTales) and then uses them in his own creative ways. He's forever singing and dancing - he's every bit as joyful as he is ornery. Today he got up at 6am - note: It's SATURDAY and he came to our room and poked me and said, "Gramma's awake. I need to go to her house." Because I like my mother, I didn't let him call her right then, but we'll go over there in a bit now that it is daytime for normal people.

At breakfast, he hugged his baby brother and said, "My, you're a short drink of water."

And right now, he's banging the piano (gently - but this is definately not Playing -it's Banging) and singing "The Joy of the Lord is my strength." He's definately got that right.

And here's the promised Easter memory - from 2006:

I'm so excited.... and an Easter memory

Comfy announced to me the other day that she is, in lieu of the traditional baby gift, getting me something entirely for me for the occasion of #4's arrival. She hired Goofy Girl to give me a blog-lift.

And today I got an email from the Goofy Girl herself asking me what I wanted in a blog template.

I had to admit that I really am clueless. But I can't wait to see what she comes up with.

We had a wild day. I went to my OB appointment - and discovered that it is not this week but next week. Which meant that I had to reschedule my 13 month old's 12 month checkup, which was scheduled at the same time as the real OB appointment next Friday. I did manage to get pre-registered at the hospital to have this baby. Which was interesting. (Insurance companies..... that's a different post.) The good news about the rescheduled appointment was that we weren't too late to our friend's Easter party. #2's BuddiE and her mom were hostessing a celebration of Christ that included Resurrection Rolls and egg-coloring. We had a good time in spite of a few mishaps.

Here's an Easter memory for you, from 2005: My sweet, two-year-old #2 crashed on my mom's couch in his Easter finery. He made it through church, brunch at Mimi's with a bunch of relatives, and some play at Gram's house before he just cratered. See how he has his arm tucked behind his head? His daddy sleeps like that, too. Isn't it cute?

Thankful Thursday: Sleep

You know, once you start looking for something specific, it becomes hard to find. I know I have recent pictures of my sleeping baby, but I can't find them, and this is the most recent sleeping picture of any of my boys that I can find. And it isn't naptime - it's bedtime.

I've become overly thankful for sleep. I'm nearing the end of this pregnancy, and between potty trips, heartburn, and being uncomfortable, I'm not sleeping much at night. I've become very fond of naptime. #2 doesn't nap regularly, but he is required to have quiet time during #3's afternoon nap. And I'm blessed that #3 is still taking two naps most days. He'll even go get his binky and blankie and come ask to be rocked when he is tired. I'm trying hard to always sit down with my feet up during quiet time, and I've been blessed with some extra time to snuggle with and read to #2 because of it. I'm hoping that the new baby will easily train to sleep during those same hours so that #2 and I can make naptime our read aloud time most days. More training is necessary for me, though. I must discipline myself to stay awake!

But right this moment, #3 is napping and #2 is at Mimi's house. I'm going to grab a few winks of my own! Praise God for naptime!

Catching up...

I was surprised to find that a whole week has passed since I blogged. We've been busy. I did get all my Bible study homework done and was successful in limiting my time on forums - I did check in on them, but only when I was also doing something else - like rocking the baby. Since I use a laptop, I can do that.

This week's project is to finish the scheduling of the Kindergarteners Gallop the Globe program that I'm building for us to do in the fall. Some friends will be joining us, and we have some needs that are the same and some that are different, and I'm trying to get them all scheduled out because both houses also have toddlers and newborns along for the ride. We'll see how it goes. I'd like to be done with it by Tuesday because that's when our next Bible study starts - and if I'm not done then, I absolutely MUST be done before this baby comes - and there are many other things that have to be finished before then - and I'm in the 33rd week, so I'm rapidly running out of time. This weekend will be packed with Easter activities, too. And my house is a wreck. I wonder how much it would cost to call Merry Maids or someplace similar... I might just look into that.