Shopping

I never used to wait until last minute to get the kids ready for holidays. I was the type that would plan a month in advance what we would all wear down to color of our socks! Well, four kids later life is different. Today we had to race around searching for the perfect outfit for Julia for Easter. I also needed to upgrade Benedicts church attire! I knew shopping with Julia would be challenging! She has a very specific, unique sense of style! I also knew her dad and I had certain expectations of Easter attire. So with a prayer and a goal we left at 8:30 this morning. Surprisingly enough Julia found just what she wanted at our first stop and then it was off to search for Benedict! Emerson is my little shopper! That girl will shop and shop until she drops! She loves ti look at accessories and she loves to help pick out stuff for the boys. So I am not surprised that she talked me into two outfits for Benedict as they are soooo cute according to Emerson!
I am just glad the shopping trip is done and mission accomplished!

R. I. P. John Deere

Blaise's tractor has run it's last load! He sadly informed us his beloved tractor wheels are cracked and can no longer take him zooming around the house! No more hauling leaves, unloading mulch or taking the neighbor girls for rides! We looked into a new set of treads but decided against it. I thought Blaise would fall into a tailspin of depression but Toys R Us kindly inserted in Sundays Paper a picture of a beautiful blue monster truck ride on toy. To which he whispered to Daddy " that one is good for big boys like me"

The Interview

Last week for my Writing Workshop I am in I was asked to interview somebody that I wanted to learn more about. I have been curious about my Grandma Connell and her life as a child, so I emailed her and asked her if she would agree to answering my questions. I had to compose a formal biography about her childhood and submit it to my mom. My mom said I could freewrite some of the neat things I learned. Grandma Jan was born in her house in Alpena, Michigan on August 15, 1937. Her favorite subject in school was reading and English just like me! She grew up with four other siblings named Larry, Marian, Gerry and Jeannie. I asked her what kind of chores she had to do and I laughed when she said: too many! I feel the same way! She had to weed, carry wet laundry outside and hang it on a clothesline, fold and put it away. She washed dishes by hand, swept floors, dusted, and picked strawberries. My mom said she probably didn't get paid for it either which is crazy to me all that hard work. My favorite thing I learned about my Grandma is that she loved to read comic books. I think that is so cute I have a picture of grandma with her feet up reading marvel comics! Sooo funny!
She liked mysteries too! I found out a typical day for her was chores first, just like me, and then she could go outside and play theater or ball. Grandma's life sure sounded fun minus the work but mostly I was surprised how much alike we are.

Palm Sunday

Awhile back my MIL gave me a little statue of Mary with praying hands. I keep her on top of my amoire so that every morning when I wake up I have a constant reminder to pray. Two years ago the girls got a great idea to fold the palm leaves from Palm Sunday and put them in between Mary's hands. Today we will go to mass and wave our palm leaves in church. Only one more week to celebrate that Jesus is risen! The kids are getting excited about Easter and we will color some eggs and are planning a HUGE egg hunt. Daddy loves hiding the eggs and I will get some jelly beans. We don't taint the meaning with talk of anything secular we just rejoice that Christ has risen for all of us! The readings are long today and Emerson has expressed concern about her legs and will she be able to stand, but I know she will. This upcoming week is Holy Week and several days will be spent at mass. To be honest I used to dread taking the little ones to the longer masses, but God gently softened my heart and I realized how selfish I was being thinking of my own comfort and feelings. I embrace the opportunity to experience it now with all four of my treasures for I know there is NO greater gift than taking them in to the real presence of Our Lord!

Game Day

Awhile back Tony and I started this tradition with the kids where we have a game night. We drag out the board games, deck of cards, puzzles and after dinner we sit around playing and snacking until way past a proper bedtime. We have been doing it sporadically since Julia was old enough to play candy land and now with the age differences in our house the range of games varies. Today we have a surprise for the kids! One new game for each of them! Now I usually try to prepare finger foods and snacks that are unique to the theme of the games...these three games have got me stumped....good thing I have all day to ponder this one! What I love best about game time is watching all their little personalities come out.. Emerson is the shark! Watch out she is in it to win it! Much like her dad who never believed in letting the kids win on purpose. Blaise is learning the finer points of sportsmanship and taking turns and Julia is much like me, non competitive and more interested in chatter than strategy. We always make the kids shake each others hands and congratulate the winner, daddy still needs help in that one...especially when he loses to Emerson in chutes and ladders!
Regardless, it is a lot of fun for all. I make one rule and we stick to it: all phones off, only positive talk!
Happy Gaming!

When it rains it pours...

Cold, wet, rainy, and damp! Hail or Sleet not sure what to call it! That describes the actual weather I have witnessed in last few hours. Figuratively speaking it has been one of those days! Woke up to another dead battery! Yes again! On my way out door everyone ready to go and no way to get there. A friend tried to help me jumpstart it but it was no use! Ever see two blondes and six kids try to charge a battery? It was fun while it lasted and I say that sarcastically. I was in despair for about a minute and then got myself busy. Which isn't hard to do.. made some popcorn for the kids, cut up some strawberries for the shortcake tonight, and got the house in order for this weekend. It does look dreary and dismal out there but according to the kids this weather makes for great puddle jumping and worm searching. Hey who knew?!?

An Angel

Tony is always bringing junk or trinkets home from the office. Where he finds this stuff is beyond me...sometimes it goes right in the trash, but last week he brought home this little Lennox Angel ornament. He said it was just laying around and would one of the girls like it? Well one angel and two daughters.. Hmm how does one decide. Then I had a God moment or shall I say The Lord pounded my head with a hammer and said to me... This ornament was not meant for your children but for the little girl across the street that recently lost her daddy suddenly. She needs to know an angel is with her always. The girls are busy drawing pictures and they will take the angel over sometime next week when things have settled down. I am thankful that Tony brings the stuff home you never know what purpose it may serve.

Rough Night

Ever pull an all nighter...?oh sure back in the day when we had no kids an all nighter was no biggie. Tony had to pull one last night. Poor guy had to stay at his office all night long while new computers were installed. So after working a full day and picking the girls up from church he came home long enough to eat dinner and go back to work. He was there until 6am. He came home exhausted! Yet, he had to shower and go right back at it. No, he can't take the day off or order someone else to do it. The buck stops with Tony shall I say. He will work another 8 hours and then come home and collapse for sure! Back in the day this would have been no big deal, but my spring chick is almost reaching a milestone in birthdays and I think the all nighter did not agree well with him! Please pray for Tony today that he can make it thru today and safely drive home. As a reminder: Banker's hours no longer exist!

Coffee Date

Today I am doing something for myself. Sometimes I get so self absorbed with teaching, cleaning, cooking, and squashing out fires that I forget I need a moment for myself. An old acquaintance contacted me for coffee. She recently had a baby and wants to get together and have baby playtime and chit chat over coffee. I explained to her that inviting me for coffee also means inviting the gang and she was thrilled to meet them and see how they have grown. I am definitely stepping out of my comfort zone. So this morning the core curriculum gets packed up, the lap top, reading books, and snacks and we are heading over to a local coffee shop. If she consents I would love to snap a photo of her little girl and Benedict. Who knows maybe they will be pals?!?

Truth Shall Set You Free

Been in a very blue mood today! Our neighborhood received devastating news yesterday about sudden death of a young dad. It has caused me to think about the importance of my own husband/father to my kids! I really wanted to shelter the kids from what was happening but they were questioning all the tears and sadness. Then Tony sent me the mustard seed of the day: "Always tell children the truth. They know when you are lying."
So I told the kids what happened and they gave me the most comforting hug and kisses! Why is it the loss of a person, young or old makes one realize the importance of what they have always had?...something to consider!

Family Trees

Tony and I started a tradition the minute we moved in to our house. For every baptism or communion we planted a special tree for each child. Our yard has become a faith filled story as each child now can point out their special trees. Today we let Emerson pick out a tree for her upcoming communion. It is a Japanese flowering cherry tree and for our baby boy Benedict's baptism a Red Maple. Both neighbors on each side of us love the fact that Tony enjoys landscaping so much! We have pine trees, birch trees, pear trees, maple and oak! It is starting to look like a nursery in our backyard! Most will stay, but if we ever move you can bet their will be a few holes where our "family trees" used to be!

Natural History and Stilton Cheese

One of our favorite places to go is Ann Arbor. Their is a lot of places to take the kiddies too, and really nice restaurants for dad! Today we are surprising the kids and going to the museum of natural history. Blaise has become quite the Dino expert and the girls are interested in bugs right now. Along the way I plan to make a stop at whole foods as I am searching for Stilton cheese. Blaise has been reading a series of books and he claims that there is such a cheese. He wants to taste it and anything I can get him to eat is always a bonus. I will post pictures thru out the day as it seems we always find an extra place to stop and look at. The weather is not supposed to be as friendly today so indoor activities seemed more conducive.

Unschooling

Recently we have befriended some unschoolers. For those of you who may not know the difference, an unschooler is one who is led by the child's own interest and desire to learn, rather than a forced curriculum or schedule. This type a girl could never do that but I have noticed some benefits to this flexible style of teaching. For example, with Tony home these couple of days it seems that no one wants to sit with nose in book and learn. There is an insane curiosity about daddy and what he is doing. I of course encourage the children to bond with Tony and I am trying to "go with the flow" as they say. Yesterday Emerson and Blaise helped Tony do the mulch and in the process he taught them gardening, landscaping, and value of hard work. Today is a lesson in auto mechanics as Tony's car is back in the shop and Blaise is getting first hand knowledge of how to fix a car! And what am I teaching the girls?!? The finer art of shopping for the best deals on tees, ballet shoes, and sandals. I am not so sure if I could ever permanently become an unschooler but it definitely has its pluses!

All Work and no Play

Tony took some time off of work to get some yard work done before our Summer parties! He has been burning the candle at both ends and landscaping work is therapy for him. Today he is doing new mulch, power washing the deck, house, and front porch and picking a new stain for our deck. His incentive is that when he is done I will cook him a steak on the grill! The way to a man's heart is thru the stomach they say! The kids are pitching in to help as they know a family fun day is in the future after all the work is done!

Spring Science

Once the weather warms up we always move science outside...all the messy, fun, and naturey ( made that up) type stuff starts up and the kids become mad about science. Today Blaise was supposed to be learning about surface tension but like any good mom I let him explore and talk me into adding food coloring to his water and then bubbles and last oil! Hey why not! He did discover a bit about surface tension but I think the funnest part for him was blowing the biggest mountain of colored bubbles! The best part was for me! No messy clean up involved... I dumped it out afterwards ( yes dear on your precious grass) and we went inside to cool off! It is hot today!

Happy Birthday!

The kids and I were going to celebrate my mom's birthday today but unfortunately a change of plans occurred. I didn't want her to think we weren't thinking about her today so the kids and I are sending a technological shout out to Nana!
Happy Birthday Nana, love Benedict
Happy Birthday Nana, I hope you like your presents love Blaise
Happy Birthday Nana I hope you have a special day! Love Emerson
Happy Birthday Nana I really miss you and love you and hope you are having a special birthday week! Love Julia
Happy Birthday love Jenn and Tony

Sandbox Saga

Today began the saga of the sandbox...two years ago we got Blaise a sandbox as all boys love dirt! He loves sitting in it with all his trucks... It became a hot spot for the neighbors too! He was king of the world entertaining his lady friends in the sand box...
This year I think it is changing! When his friends came over they seemed cramped in the box. His construction site became a pool for mermaids and a spot to pretend cook. Blaise was not as keen on the change and then when someone suggested he give away his sandbox to his baby brother he abruptly got up and walked off! He has told me he doesn't mind sharing but he still plans on entertaining his friends in his box and he has big plans this season. It involves water and the biggest monster truck hill imaginable! The saga continues...

Narnia

Julia and I recently began a mother daughter book club. I let her pick the first "read" and I told her to challenge herself and I. Well, she has become interested in fantasy and a little bit of sci-fi so upon the approval of her dad he has consented to the Narnia Chronicles. Seems Tony had read the Screwtape Letters in college and he mentioned C S Lewis was a Christian studying Catholicism at one point. We are halfway thru the first book and although it isn't my cup of tea necessarily I am starting to get into the plot. Julia loves the time together as we cuddle up and I read aloud the chapters and she listens or last night she read to me as my throat is sore and I was not up to par. Sometimes the baby is still awake so he sits in between us and travels with us to Narnia!

Fairy Garden

Last Summer the girls became interested in fairy gardens. All winter they researched in books and collected materials to make one in our backyard...Saturday, Tony took the girls shopping and they collected the supplies to begin this seasonal project. Julia created a fairy pond, chairs, and pretty little flowers for growing. She toiled all the soil and followed her landscaping sketch that she drew herself. Emerson helped select a few decorations and they both will be responsible for the upkeep. As the weather warms they will add appropriate perennials so that next year they can sit and enjoy the fairy garden. They have discovered a mysterious thing though...someone or something has been leaving glitter and sparkles along the path...could it be a fairy? This fairy has left very large footprints behind....

Flying High

Who knew air could be so fun!