"Arwen, you have a new chore".
I put her on folding laundry. She has failed to do the dishes for days upon end unless I remind her. She was previously booted from actually doing the laundry. I thought I'd try her hand at folding.
"How about I don't have a chore" she replied.
"What?" ask I.
"There are enough other siblings to do things. How about I just don't have one."
Nice. Try.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
My Teen, Keeping' it Real
Arwen sprinted out the last 20 yards or so on our morning jog. She turned and watched me jog it in.
"How do I look? Eye-catchingly awkward?" I asked. I always wonder how I look running, since I can't really see myself. I admit, it's vanity, but still--what do I look like?
"No", she replied. "You look like a good runner who's working on her form." "You look like a good runner, just going 0.1 miles per hour."
I laugh. She kept searching for words to describe me. Finally, she hit upon the right ones:
"You look like a good runner in slow motion."
And I am TOTALLY fine with that!
"How do I look? Eye-catchingly awkward?" I asked. I always wonder how I look running, since I can't really see myself. I admit, it's vanity, but still--what do I look like?
"No", she replied. "You look like a good runner who's working on her form." "You look like a good runner, just going 0.1 miles per hour."
I laugh. She kept searching for words to describe me. Finally, she hit upon the right ones:
"You look like a good runner in slow motion."
And I am TOTALLY fine with that!
Friday, November 11, 2016
November Posting
It is nearly impossible for me to get this--or any--post up! I just don't have the a) brain power or b) time. (sigh) Here's another try, and if it fizzles I might just hit "publish" and let it be what it is!
I've been a bit absent in this little corner of cyber space. With postpartum anxiety as my new sidekick in life, I do a bit better when I stay off of electronics. Especially away from pre-election hullabaloo. But now, thank God, that is behind us. About a million Hail Marys later! Our Lady of Victory. This isn't a political blog or a political post. I'm going to keep on praying for our country. But Sean Hannity called it a "modern miracle" and who am I to nay say?
Since last time...
Someone turned 4 months old.
Is he wearing red, white, and blue? I don't do it on purpose, but somehow this boy is always patriotic looking to me! Mr. 4th of July!
Football season ended for Aragorn and I thanked all of our patron saints of athletes that he made it through a season of full tackle football without injury or concussion!
Do you know how much I love seeing Legolas out there playing with his brothers? I don't know if it's because we homeschool or if he just makes for even teams, but I LOVE that my 4 1/2 year old is accepted into the fun by his older brothers. Now for Sam to join the ranks!
This has been the most gorgeous fall! I can't believe how sunny it has been. I've been trying to be dedicated to a cardio routine to ease my anxiety, and outdoor exercise is SUCH a gift! What do I do? I try to jog. If I don't get a run in early in the day (i.e. when Sam is still asleep), then I take a long walk with Sam in his stroller. A power walk. I've got a 15-year old, a 13-year old and my husband around to hold down the fort so I can go. I'm not in my 20's and 40 is looking me in the eye: I'm learning long hard lessons about "self-care". It's hard to break out of the habit of being tied to your children all day every day, at their constant beck and call, but I am learning that I really need to take care of myself or I can't serve them. Same goes for the spiritual life. Must carve out that time. If possible, I prioritize time in the adoration chapel. Anyway, I'm learning.
I was at the dentist getting a cleaning for the first time in a decade. (Told you I needed to learn lessons in self-care). I was explaining that the reason it had been so long is that I'm always pregnant and they typically don't recommend going to the dentist when pregnant. They followed that disclosure with the logical question of "how many kids do you have?" Nine.
Nine?!!
Yes, I have nine children.
You know what everyone always wants to know? How do I do that? I try to give some sort of understanding, like, #1, I don't work outside of the home, so it's sort of "what I do". Then I explain that it's not like having 9 three-year-olds. I tell them my oldest is 15. I explain that the older kids can do things like dishes.
Then I get the second most-asked question: "so are you done?" Or are you going for 10?
This one stumps me. I mean really, has no one ever heard of someone who is morally opposed to artificial contraception? It really relegates you to the land of the kooky religious fanatic to suggest that you do not "plan" your children.
The truth is that at 4 months postpartum I'm not hoping to "go for" any number of children. I'm just recovering from this little one's arrival. We are all growing, learning, and loving our way into being a family with nine children. It's beautiful. And I'm not really thinking about future babies because that isn't really where my body is at for the moment.
Do I explain that my fertility hasn't returned yet? Do I talk about the path of Natural Family Planning that is open to Catholics in case of need?
I mumbled something about "Just hanging in there" right now. In better moments I let my light shine a bit more and try to speak about how much I love my life and my family. That morning, I just put a smile on and proceeded to answer questions about how old you had to be to be considered a "high risk" pregnancy and other fun topics. Sheesh!
Well, God bless that sweet 22 year old hygienist.
This weekend is all about leaf removal. We've got about 30 bags down and maybe 50 to go. A good start!
My girls are visiting their cousins out-of-state. I can't wait for them to come home! It feels positively empty with only 7 kids in the house! I did take the opportunity to take Miss Rosie on a "special day". Just her and I on a little trip to buy a new Lego set. It's hard being a middle child, and I think she felt left behind. Tonight we're watching "Chicken Run", which I love, minus the dramatic and violent ending....
And that's the end of these ramblings! I hear Sam.:)
I've been a bit absent in this little corner of cyber space. With postpartum anxiety as my new sidekick in life, I do a bit better when I stay off of electronics. Especially away from pre-election hullabaloo. But now, thank God, that is behind us. About a million Hail Marys later! Our Lady of Victory. This isn't a political blog or a political post. I'm going to keep on praying for our country. But Sean Hannity called it a "modern miracle" and who am I to nay say?
Since last time...
Someone turned 4 months old.
Is he wearing red, white, and blue? I don't do it on purpose, but somehow this boy is always patriotic looking to me! Mr. 4th of July!
Football season ended for Aragorn and I thanked all of our patron saints of athletes that he made it through a season of full tackle football without injury or concussion!
This has been the most gorgeous fall! I can't believe how sunny it has been. I've been trying to be dedicated to a cardio routine to ease my anxiety, and outdoor exercise is SUCH a gift! What do I do? I try to jog. If I don't get a run in early in the day (i.e. when Sam is still asleep), then I take a long walk with Sam in his stroller. A power walk. I've got a 15-year old, a 13-year old and my husband around to hold down the fort so I can go. I'm not in my 20's and 40 is looking me in the eye: I'm learning long hard lessons about "self-care". It's hard to break out of the habit of being tied to your children all day every day, at their constant beck and call, but I am learning that I really need to take care of myself or I can't serve them. Same goes for the spiritual life. Must carve out that time. If possible, I prioritize time in the adoration chapel. Anyway, I'm learning.
 |
| must love |
I was at the dentist getting a cleaning for the first time in a decade. (Told you I needed to learn lessons in self-care). I was explaining that the reason it had been so long is that I'm always pregnant and they typically don't recommend going to the dentist when pregnant. They followed that disclosure with the logical question of "how many kids do you have?" Nine.
Nine?!!
Yes, I have nine children.
You know what everyone always wants to know? How do I do that? I try to give some sort of understanding, like, #1, I don't work outside of the home, so it's sort of "what I do". Then I explain that it's not like having 9 three-year-olds. I tell them my oldest is 15. I explain that the older kids can do things like dishes.
Then I get the second most-asked question: "so are you done?" Or are you going for 10?
This one stumps me. I mean really, has no one ever heard of someone who is morally opposed to artificial contraception? It really relegates you to the land of the kooky religious fanatic to suggest that you do not "plan" your children.
The truth is that at 4 months postpartum I'm not hoping to "go for" any number of children. I'm just recovering from this little one's arrival. We are all growing, learning, and loving our way into being a family with nine children. It's beautiful. And I'm not really thinking about future babies because that isn't really where my body is at for the moment.
Do I explain that my fertility hasn't returned yet? Do I talk about the path of Natural Family Planning that is open to Catholics in case of need?
I mumbled something about "Just hanging in there" right now. In better moments I let my light shine a bit more and try to speak about how much I love my life and my family. That morning, I just put a smile on and proceeded to answer questions about how old you had to be to be considered a "high risk" pregnancy and other fun topics. Sheesh!
Well, God bless that sweet 22 year old hygienist.
This weekend is all about leaf removal. We've got about 30 bags down and maybe 50 to go. A good start!
My girls are visiting their cousins out-of-state. I can't wait for them to come home! It feels positively empty with only 7 kids in the house! I did take the opportunity to take Miss Rosie on a "special day". Just her and I on a little trip to buy a new Lego set. It's hard being a middle child, and I think she felt left behind. Tonight we're watching "Chicken Run", which I love, minus the dramatic and violent ending....
And that's the end of these ramblings! I hear Sam.:)
Friday, October 28, 2016
TGIF!
We should never stop being in awe of babies.
Each time a baby is born, it is as if a whole new world has been created,
because the world is being seen for the first time by a new soul as if it were the first day of creation;
inside that little head, there is a new system of stars,
new grass,
new cities,
a new sea."
Friday, October 21, 2016
7 Quick Takes: Pumpkin Farming
It's Friday! I've never posted 7 Quick Takes before, but I'm going to see how this goes...I'm not sure what "7" things might come up.
1) Since I have photos uploaded, I will share that we made it to the pumpkin patch again this year! We always opt for a very rural pumpkin farm experience. This means no train rides and hay rides or elaborate corn mazes. Just pumpkins and mud. I love the large stretches of land and the beauty of the countryside. For kids raised in the suburbs, I think this is balm for the soul.
2) From the time she was very little, Rosie has had the hardest time choosing a pumpkin. (The pictures are of Eowyn, so don't be confused). I thought there were many beautiful pumpkin options. Rosie wanted a good stem. She also didn't like the "dirt side" of the pumpkins...which they all have. Once she looked enough to realize they all had mud on one side she was more willing to choose.
3) Legolas went running off at his pace (lightning) and managed to land his foot in a rotten pumpkin. Rotten and filled with about three inches of slime water. By the time I reached him he had one socked foot propped up on a pumpkin and a shoe in his hand. This was about 30 seconds into our picking. Luckily it went smoothly from there on out.
4) We always get caramel apples at the end of our time. It's a tradition. An increasingly expensive tradition! You know, when you buy an apple or two with your first children and spend, say $5, you think, "this is so special". When you buy 8 caramel apples at $2.50 a piece...you start thinking about buying a bag of Brach's caramels and start dipping your own!
5) And not to make myself sound like the cheapest of cheapskates, but honestly: I truly think I'm going to try to grow pumpkins next year! First of all, I know they'll grow because I have seen my neighbors do so with success. Secondly, pumpkins aren't cheap either! And we have to buy 8 (soon to be 9) because that's also a tradition--that each kid gets to carve their own. I think maybe a family pumpkin tradition would have been a good thing to start with. But alas, we've got the tradition we have...so, I'm going to grow my own (or try) next year!
6) I'm out of thoughts on the pumpkin patch. Here are a couple of pics of Arwen's b-day to round out #6 and #7. Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
For Arwen
Arwen turned 15 yesterday! When your oldest has a birthday, it marks not only an important day in their life, but an important day in your own, the day you became a mother!
I remember so clearly the weeks after I was married. Just settled into a cute apartment, volunteering at Project Rachel, discovering that we were expecting a month or so into our marriage.
I remember the friends I made at our Bradley Method childbirth classes (hi Heather!:)) I remember reading every single book I could on babies and watching hours and hours of "A Baby Story" on HGTV.
I went overdue with Arwen and she was 9 pounds 1 ounce: big for a first. But she was perfect as far as I was concerned, and I was just a little biased.;) As she grew, we only loved and admired her more. It's a really good thing we went on to have a whole bunch more kids...I'm pretty sure we were "those" parents with our "perfect" child.
Over the years, Arwen went through all sorts of phases: ballerinas, horses, and a really really long tom-boy phase. She's sporty, but I wasn't sure we'd ever get past Tom Boy. But we did! She was always artistic and loved to write. She discovered her love of languages and geography pretty early on.
As Arwen became a teen she grew into some new interests. She taught herself to play the ukulele. She decided she does NOT like to babysit other kids, but she is head-over-heels for her youngest siblings. She's an awesome big sister.
I was so uncertain as to what to do for high school with Arwen. Her Dad wasn't unsure, and pretty soon neither was Arwen! I was honestly shocked when she told me that she wanted to be home schooled for high school in part because she was afraid she would lose the close relationship she has with her siblings and she was especially concerned about the youngest ones not growing up knowing her.
Arwen tells me just about daily how cheesy I am, and I'm guessing this post is going to make her cringe. That's ok. It's the sentimental old mom that I've grown into over the past 15 years.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
October
Time is flying by faster than I can blog. My days have been a whirl of mothering 9 children and learning what it means to rely not on our own strength but on that which comes from Jesus and Mary. They are faithful and they are merciful.
So, you saw the pictures of my big baby?! Isn't he scrumptious?! A little hard on the old back...I've been trying to put him down more, but he's so happy when I hold him. Sam has been my most reflux-y baby, but without the crying that usually goes with colic. Just lots and lots of spit-up and burping time needed. Keeping him upright helps. It's finally getting better, but both he and I were required to change outfits on account of his issues multiple times a day. I don't ever want to wish away the precious newborn months, but I am not going to say it doesn't get easier on the laundry as he gets better at keeping his meals down!:)
I want to give a quick update on my other children, but I am sure I don't have time to cover all of them in this post.
1) Arwen: rocking home schooling for high school. She is totally organized and responsible. She did suffer a pretty tough blow when she was told we couldn't do the home school basketball team. It travels and has multiple overnight tournaments out of city. With our family, that wasn't going to work. But she absorbed that disappointment with maturity, we found a local league for her to play in this winter (not as competitive, but still fun I hope!), and she has been trying out the clubs that our local home schooling community provides. God has been good and she has made at least one new good friend so far--and it's only October, so that's not bad!:)
2) Aragorn is playing tackle football. He is a full head shorter than the other players. He is young for his class, and either he's not going to be that tall, or he hasn't hit his growth spurt yet.:) However, he's pretty fast and tough to take down. He hasn't had much glory this season (no touchdowns:)) but he did get the game ball a couple of games back. His coach calls him a "little machine", and I think he looks super cute in his pads! So far no injuries--lets see if we can get through this season safely!!
3) Galadriel was so excited to have her very first babysitting job. Galadriel is a natural with little kids but at just 10 she isn't really able to work as a sitter. However, when a nice young mom was visiting our next door neighbor and was looking for a sitter for the morning, they were ok with Galadriel watching her little girls with me next door in case of trouble.
4) Rosie lost her two front teeth and looks like the perfect little first grader she is.
5) Legolas loves school too!
6) and yes, Eowyn...is still learning that she's not the center of the universe. So far she's not really buying it.
7) I guess that's everyone but Bilbo and Gimli. They're good.:) Actually, they've been having fun playing "crab soccer" in the basement lately. That's where you play while in a crab walk position (on all fours, but face up). Bilbo is also on a crazy "Monopoly" kick. He is pretty dominant...I think Rosie might have taken him once. Yes, excitement all around. You see? I feel guilty for skipping a kid or two so this is what you get. Updates on boardgames. I just lost my reading audience. Both of them!
So, you saw the pictures of my big baby?! Isn't he scrumptious?! A little hard on the old back...I've been trying to put him down more, but he's so happy when I hold him. Sam has been my most reflux-y baby, but without the crying that usually goes with colic. Just lots and lots of spit-up and burping time needed. Keeping him upright helps. It's finally getting better, but both he and I were required to change outfits on account of his issues multiple times a day. I don't ever want to wish away the precious newborn months, but I am not going to say it doesn't get easier on the laundry as he gets better at keeping his meals down!:)
I want to give a quick update on my other children, but I am sure I don't have time to cover all of them in this post.
1) Arwen: rocking home schooling for high school. She is totally organized and responsible. She did suffer a pretty tough blow when she was told we couldn't do the home school basketball team. It travels and has multiple overnight tournaments out of city. With our family, that wasn't going to work. But she absorbed that disappointment with maturity, we found a local league for her to play in this winter (not as competitive, but still fun I hope!), and she has been trying out the clubs that our local home schooling community provides. God has been good and she has made at least one new good friend so far--and it's only October, so that's not bad!:)
2) Aragorn is playing tackle football. He is a full head shorter than the other players. He is young for his class, and either he's not going to be that tall, or he hasn't hit his growth spurt yet.:) However, he's pretty fast and tough to take down. He hasn't had much glory this season (no touchdowns:)) but he did get the game ball a couple of games back. His coach calls him a "little machine", and I think he looks super cute in his pads! So far no injuries--lets see if we can get through this season safely!!
3) Galadriel was so excited to have her very first babysitting job. Galadriel is a natural with little kids but at just 10 she isn't really able to work as a sitter. However, when a nice young mom was visiting our next door neighbor and was looking for a sitter for the morning, they were ok with Galadriel watching her little girls with me next door in case of trouble.
4) Rosie lost her two front teeth and looks like the perfect little first grader she is.
6) and yes, Eowyn...is still learning that she's not the center of the universe. So far she's not really buying it.
7) I guess that's everyone but Bilbo and Gimli. They're good.:) Actually, they've been having fun playing "crab soccer" in the basement lately. That's where you play while in a crab walk position (on all fours, but face up). Bilbo is also on a crazy "Monopoly" kick. He is pretty dominant...I think Rosie might have taken him once. Yes, excitement all around. You see? I feel guilty for skipping a kid or two so this is what you get. Updates on boardgames. I just lost my reading audience. Both of them!
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