The One With Showers of Blessings

I have this song running through my head this morning, "There will be showers of blessings falling on you. Showers of blessings falling on you... so let the blessings fall." It's from the children's Bible Songs CD that we listen to every time we're in the car.

I realize how true that is for us right now. Because this is a public journal I don't want to share too much, but I just want to say that we're been very blessed from unexpected sources & from our tax refund this year. THe Lord is providing for us in ways we didn't anticipate. :)

And our other blessings that are not monetary: our children. I've been thinking lately how truly blessed we are to have 5 healthy, wonderful children who also love the Lord and are growing in Him daily. :)

The One About Evenings...

What's with evenings being the "witching hour"?? I mean, seriously! We can have a great day and then when it hits about 4-5 pm things all go crazy. Mom gets in a bad moods, kids act out, baby fusses, Dad gets home to the mayhem and thinks it's just like that all day. (I'm still working on convincing him it really isn't!!!) Thank God for slings... at least that does help to calm the baby a little....

Tonight Matt is working late, so maybe it's hitting me harder than usual. Alyssa has been crying for about 45 minutes. Nursing didn't work, rocking didn't work, swing didn't work, burping didn't work (tho it did work up some spit up which was very smelly which means the dairy DOES bother her. WHY do I keep thinking it won't and it's something else?! :/ ) Finally popped her in the sling and she's acting happy as can be! LOL! WHY is that always the last resort... it's probably be more peaceful if it was the FIRST thing I tried.

Over all though I'm feeling good lately. I am SO THRILLED that the PPD has stayed away thus far. I'm hoping and praying it does... and that I just won't have to deal with it EVER again.

Oh... baby wants me to start moving again. *sigh* At least the others are content despite the fact that they havn't eaten yet.

The One Where I'm Overwhelmed

I'm feeling overwhelmed tonight. Very overwhelmed. I'm not sure how to change it, but I do want the feeling to go away. There's just so much to deal with these days.

The One With The Hurt Arm

Last night I was making dinner & talking on the phone when James (6 y/o) came running out of the boys room saying that Sammy (2 y/o) was hurt. I went in to see what was up and Sammy was laying on the top bunk crying. He wouldn't use his left arm. I sat up there w/ him and he calmed down, but still refused to use it. James said they were playing rescue. James was falling down the mountain (i.e. slide) and Sammy was rescuing him. During the rescue they heard a pop and Sammy started screaming.

Matt got home and said he figured he was ok... just popped his elbow out and it popped back in. He didn't deem it necessary to bring Sammy to the ER. Sammy didn't sleep very well last night and this morning he is still not using his arm. I tried to get him to a couple of times, but he just cried. So we're off to the Drs office around 11 this morning. I'm hoping it's no big deal & something that will heal easily & quickly.

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UPDATE: He dislocated his elbow... poor little man. The Dr popped it back in and he's feeling better already! yay!!

Matt & I have always said that if one of the kids made us end up in the ER or Drs office for an injury it would be Sammy... and yep! He's the first one that has made us go in for an injury.

The One About Housework Multiplying

I need a week off. A whole week off to organize & get my house back into order. It's driving me batty.... I get *almost* there, then the weekend hits or we have a very fussy day w/ Alyssa and it's back to square one. It's very discouraging, tho I realize it's the life of a Mom. Some days I think that sending the older 3 off to public school would be just enough... but I don't want to do that as it goes against what I want for our family. But it is very discouraging to see the laundry pile grow again and the dishes to breed & multiply in the sink. (I swear this is what is happening... we can't possibly use *that* many dishes!! Lol! )

Now my time here is up... baby needs to be rocked to sleep.

The One About Alyssa's Cat-Napping.

I really don't know why I let it bother me that Alyssa won't sleep away from me or for long periods of time. As I sat schooling my 7 y/o and 6 y/o I realized how quickly the time passes and by the time she's that age all of this will just be a memory. So I'm going to try to re-shift my thinking and focus on just keeping her content. Because really, that's all that matters right now. I will continue to try to lay her down, but I am going to realize that it may not happen and just let it go if it doesn't. It's really not that big of a deal.

The One About Rough Days

Some days are tougher than others. I haven't discovered a pattern to it... but there are just some days I want to throw my hands up in the air and give up. But I keep plugging on... because my children need me to. Because I need me to... and I try to look at things in a different light. Today is today.... don't let it drag into tomorrow. Tomorrow is a fresh, new day. Sometimes I'm even able to divide the day up by thinking "This morning is what it is... now let's move on to the afternoon and change things up." Unfortunately today it's the afternoon that is bad. 2 y/o Sammy won't stay in bed for his nap, which usually ends w/ a rougher bedtime in the evenings. 3 m/o Alyssa won't stop crying tho I've changed, burped, fed, snuggled and rocked her... oh! And stayed off dairy since Sunday. *sigh* I know it can take a while to get out of your system, but usually by Wednesday she's better if I have dairy on Sunday. 5 y/o Beth has been telling 2 y/o to do naughty things or not telling me when he DOES do naughty things. At least 6 y/o and 7 y/o are doing ok today. 2 out of 5!! Yay :)

The One About Being Lazy

I'm feeling rather lazy this morning. I would love to do nothing today. Well, nothing in "Mom World" is a bit different than absolutely nothing. I think playing games and just hanging out around the house sounds so much better than chores, schooling and running errands. I won't run errands, actually. I'll have Matt do that ;)

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LATER:
My do-nothing day has turned into a 'hold the baby all day' day. She certainly does not want to be put down no matter what. *sigh* It's a little tiring... but I'm trying to remember it doesn't last forever! Just last night I was sad that she's already growing so much. She has now started laughing quite a few times/day and she started copying me! I thought it was a fluke, but she has done it 5 times now... so I doubt it's a fluke. She copies noises I make and 'zerbits'. LOL! She's such a sweet baby... even on the rough days.

The One About AP

I was talking to Matt about Attachment Parenting yesterday. I told him that it was most likely the original parenting method and the way that Jesus was raised. It's all about following your baby's cues and needs, so it makes sense to me that it was the way people parented from the beginning of time before the "gurus" came in & told people otherwise.

Then I picked up the Sears' AP book that I've been meaning to read and he says the same thing. That AP is the original parenting method. I am really enjoying reading it because it's affirming what I already know & what I felt was right even while reading what other parenting 'gurus' had to say....

The One With Coffee

Good morning! I'm sitting here sipping coffee and ignoring the messes of clutter around me. I'm not sure exactly what happens, but in spite of daily cleaning from the time I get up to the time I go to bed I cannot keep up with things lately. Course i'm not constantly cleaning... there's schooling, nursing, diaper changes, playtime w/ the kids, cooking, laundry.... the list could continue. It's just for a time... and before I know it I won't be nursing and changing diapers anymore and I"ll be able to keep up a little better. It's amazing how much time nursing a little one can take!

Ohh, Matt made the coffee strong this morning... just what I needed after a night of nursing every 1.5 to 2 hrs. *sigh*

I lost 3 lbs this week! Woohoo me!! That means 28 lbs down since Alyssa was born 11 weeks ago! I only exercised once... but I am keeping track of my calorie and fat intake using http://www.fitday.com/ I hope I continue on the weightloss path. I usually end up sabatoging myself and not continue w/ it. Not sure why I do that... I just do.

And now the clutter is getting to me... and the baby is waking, so I'm off to start the day!

The One About Painting

The Medium: Watercolors
The Canvas: The Bathtub
The Result: Occupyed 2 & 5 y/os for a whole hour & 2 very, very messy kiddos!!!

Thank you Rachael for reminding me that I used to let my kids paint the tub! I had completely forgotten about it!!!

The One About Laughter

Alyssa has been pretty fussy lately. It's frustrating on some days. Yesterday evening was particularly rough. I sat in the rocking chair for 20 minutes w/ her just screaming. She didn't want to nurse, she didn't want to snuggle, she didn't want to suck, she just wanted to scream. After about 20 minutes James (6) came over and started talking to her. She stopped screaming. So then we both kept talking to her and she started smiling. We continued talking to her and playing with her and she laughed!!! Not just a little gigle, but real baby laughs! Over and over! IT was so cute and definitely made up for the fussiness....

The One About Changes

This year I have actually set goals and want to make some changes in my life. I usually throw the idea of resolutions right out the window, but I felt like setting some realistic goals for myself this year. These are MY personal goals. We also have family goals set.

Devotions at least a few times/week
Loose 25 lbs or more
Read 40 books

All of these are do-able and definitely worth it.

Another change I've made goes along the lines of my previous chore post. I've thrown most of our scheduling out the window and have put the children in charge of their day in a way. Meals/Snacks are still at the same time & I do have to dictate when we do school... but I've let them take control of when they do their chores & play times. IF they want computer/ TV time they must complete their chores for the day before they can do that. If they don't want those times, the only stipulation on chores is that it's done by bed time. OR if I ask them to put their clothes away or unload the dishwasher cause i need to load it, etc. SO far so good. Even James, who I struggle so much with, is excelling at it and I think it's because he feels like he is in charge... and he is. He's learning that if he wants to do the fun stuff, he needs to work first, which is what we all need to learn, right? :)

I also had a big epiphany about parenting. This has come through conversations with friends over the past few weeks. I know it may not seem like a big deal and many may disagree with me... but I am feeling so strongly lately that where your heart is is the most important thing in parenting. Each family needs to choose what works best for them & what their belief system is. As long as you are seeking the Lord and following what He has given in your heart you are doing the right thing. (Short of abuse, of course... but if you are abusing you aren't following the Lord's heart) I think that you can use punitive discipline in a loving manner w/ the right heart. You can also use positive discipline in a loving manner w/ the right heart. What matters most is the heart behind it.

The One With the Fussy Baby

Someone needs to remind me that these days don't last forever!!
For the past 2 days Alyssa will NOT let me put her down!! It's driving me batty. She'll be completely asleep and as soon as I lay her down her eyes pop open and she starts screaming.*sigh* It's aggravating and makes it so much harder to get things done around the house! I'm very thankful for Beth though. If Alyssa is awake and happy Beth can keep her occupied quite easily. They seem to have that sister bond already. :)

The One About Being Tired

I'm exhuasted. Two nights ago I just couldn't sleep. My mind was racing with all sorts of different topics. My usual prayer or singing in my head didn't help me fall asleep either... so I just layed there. I really detest nights like that. Last night Samuel kept getting up... I think just twice, but still very frustrating! Especially since he was 1/2 asleep and couldn't tell us what he wanted. Then Alyssa kept waking to grunt and fart. Yes.. I had dairy. I am grateful that she's not screaming in the middle of the night and only wakes for 3-4 nursings, but the grunting thing is annoying & I can't sleep through.

Tis the life of a mother, I guess.