A few days ago Johnny said:
Once I ate my ear wax and it tasted disgusting!!! I picked wax out of my ear and thought, boogers are good, I will just eat this. But it was really awful. So I leave my earwax in my ears now.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Summer Schedule Stuff
We have been on summer vacation for over three weeks now, and I think that we are finally getting into the summer groove. There is so much that I wanted to do and be sure that it happens that is not going to happen. I had to give up on a few things in order to get the kids to bed before 11pm and me to bed before 2 am. The first week was insane. Everyday I found myself cleaning the house around 11:30 and John pining for time with me after midnight. So I knew that I could not do all that I wanted. I have found a few ways to sneak some things back in. I basically had to give up on doing a lot of extra math and school work with the kids, and I had to give up the notion of a lot of 3 to 6 mile walks. I am trying to include long walks once a week. I have managed to put school work back in a bit. Instead of me being there teaching the kids I have them do work while I do the morning chores. Mostly, I have them read, but I give them math and writing to do independently when I can. That is why I have Ruth and Kate blogging. It is easy for me to sit down to the computer for a minute or two and help them edit their work, and make suggestions to help them learn to write. I try to remember to ask Kate and Johnny their multiplication facts while I make meals or drive in the car. The things we have done everyday are outside play, reading, chores, meals and day trips to the library, zoo, and museum, rest time and friends over. I need to explain a bit why so few things can keep us up so late. It is just the amount of people. Making a meal and cleaning up after a meal for 7 people just takes more time. I can get the dishes done and the counters and table washed in about 20 minutes, if I do it after every meal. But that used to take me 10. The laundry takes the most amount of time. I think I spend a good 2 hours a day, washing, folding, and putting away clothes. Since Anya only nurses, I have to sit down and feed her every two hours for 10 to 20 minutes all day everyday. That really adds up too. I pretty much have to wash a toilet or a floor everyday even if I don't intend to do so. Some one is sure to miss and some one else eventually comes in with a disgusted face saying there is urine on the toilet or floor. I expect I spend 10 minutes daily cleaning the bathrooms. Since Rachel needs a lot of help in the bathroom, Adam still needs a bit, and Anya is in diapers. I would have to say that I spend a good half an hour or more wiping bottoms, and changing messy clothes. The reading takes a lot of time too. I read kid books to Adam and Rachel once or twice a day. They get 20 to 30minutes of reading time depending on their attention spans. I then read to Ruth and Kate, and then something else to Johnny. So it probably takes 1 to 2 hours to read to my kids. But I think that the reading is pleasant, and I can often combine it with nursing the baby. I do half of my non laundry and food related chores in the morning and the other half after I put the kids to bed. Tonight, for example, I will scrub the floors. Tomorrow night I will wash the bathtubs. By doing this, I can get in more time with my kids. So with all the stuff, life is a lot busier with the kids out of school.
I have to add a couple of things. First, we all love the day trips. I had to buy a zoo pass and a kid museum pass, but they have been worth it. When we go out for long periods of time, the house stays a lot cleaner. That is awesome, but the main thing is I get more time just hanging around and talking to my kids. We usually come home pretty tired and hungry, but the house is clean and the kids are willing to sit and listen to a book, eat a late dinner, and they go to bed tired.
Second, I have to mention how good all of my kids are generally. Ruth is always helping me, and does so everyday without being asked. She is very conscientious about how she is treating other members of the family. She rarely fights with anyone. Kate is good at coming up with games and fun things for the kids to do together that often include the younger children. She had a hard time learning to read, and does not like reading to herself for very long, but I have been very pleased that she has been reading independently without fighting me. I think she is even starting to enjoy it. Kate, too, is a big help, especially with the younger children. Johnny has gotten a lot better at not fighting with Adam so very much. He also has learned to do his chores quickly and without complaining. I have been very pleased with his reading too. He is only 6 and a half, but he goes off and reads in his spare time. I think that he has finished four books that are over one hundred pages in two weeks. Adam does not scream so much. He has become more of a playmate and less of a tormentor to Rachel. He is always getting old costumes for him and Rachel to dress up in, or the little people out to play with Rachel. That actually makes my life a lot easier. At the beginning of the summer Rachel whined all day long. If she was not whining to me, she would be screaming about something else. Adam choosing Rachel as a playmate has made a world of difference. Rachel has had to spend a lot of time in time out, but she is learning that she can not whine all of the time, and when I say no, any amounting of crying and whining will not change that. I have heard a few nightmare stories from a couple women in church about their kids this summer. I feel very blessed to have the good kids that I have. My long hard days are not due to my kids behavior as much as the amount of kids I have and I think that is wonderful. My life is good and I am enjoying the summer with all of my six kids.
I have to add a couple of things. First, we all love the day trips. I had to buy a zoo pass and a kid museum pass, but they have been worth it. When we go out for long periods of time, the house stays a lot cleaner. That is awesome, but the main thing is I get more time just hanging around and talking to my kids. We usually come home pretty tired and hungry, but the house is clean and the kids are willing to sit and listen to a book, eat a late dinner, and they go to bed tired.
Second, I have to mention how good all of my kids are generally. Ruth is always helping me, and does so everyday without being asked. She is very conscientious about how she is treating other members of the family. She rarely fights with anyone. Kate is good at coming up with games and fun things for the kids to do together that often include the younger children. She had a hard time learning to read, and does not like reading to herself for very long, but I have been very pleased that she has been reading independently without fighting me. I think she is even starting to enjoy it. Kate, too, is a big help, especially with the younger children. Johnny has gotten a lot better at not fighting with Adam so very much. He also has learned to do his chores quickly and without complaining. I have been very pleased with his reading too. He is only 6 and a half, but he goes off and reads in his spare time. I think that he has finished four books that are over one hundred pages in two weeks. Adam does not scream so much. He has become more of a playmate and less of a tormentor to Rachel. He is always getting old costumes for him and Rachel to dress up in, or the little people out to play with Rachel. That actually makes my life a lot easier. At the beginning of the summer Rachel whined all day long. If she was not whining to me, she would be screaming about something else. Adam choosing Rachel as a playmate has made a world of difference. Rachel has had to spend a lot of time in time out, but she is learning that she can not whine all of the time, and when I say no, any amounting of crying and whining will not change that. I have heard a few nightmare stories from a couple women in church about their kids this summer. I feel very blessed to have the good kids that I have. My long hard days are not due to my kids behavior as much as the amount of kids I have and I think that is wonderful. My life is good and I am enjoying the summer with all of my six kids.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
A Few Cute Things
Rachel came to me the other day and excitedly showed me two quarters she had found. I thought that she was excited to get money. (A dumb thing to think of a two year old.) Then Rachel lifted the quarters up, covered her eyes, and said "Look! Eyes!"
Rachel loves the songs "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." They have the same tune. Rachel goes around singing then all of the time. She always gets the tune correct, and she always sings fake words with an occasional baa, baa, and little star.
I bought some new clothes, because I have not lost enough weight in time to fit into my old summer clothes. When I put on my new outfit, Adam came into my room and said, "Oh, Mom, that looks good on you." I sure felt happy after that.
Adam was putting on his spiderman costume and having a bit of trouble pulling it up over his overall shorts. I asked, "Do you want me to help you get that up over your bum." Adam said, "Yeah, because I have a fat bum like you."
Adam has been wearing a spiderman costume around recently. When he is in his costume and you call him Adam he will very seriously say, "Call me Spiderman."
Ruth, Kate, Johnny, and Adam were watching me put my make-up on, and talking to me while I did so. When I got my make-up all the way on, Kate said, "You look prettier in make- up, mom." I agree with that statement completely. Then Johnny said, "Well, I think you look pretty without make-up." John agrees with that statement.
While I was putting on my make-up with my audience we talked about wrinkles. I showed the kids the wrinkles around my eyes. They asked how I got those there. Later, Johnny worriedly said, "Am I getting wrinkles around my eyes?" I said, "You don't have to worry about that yet, and boys don't care about that anyway." Then Johnny timidly said, "Some boys do." I asked, "Do you care?" He replied, "Yes, a little bit." Johnny has always cared more about his looks than our other kids.
Rachel loves the songs "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." They have the same tune. Rachel goes around singing then all of the time. She always gets the tune correct, and she always sings fake words with an occasional baa, baa, and little star.
I bought some new clothes, because I have not lost enough weight in time to fit into my old summer clothes. When I put on my new outfit, Adam came into my room and said, "Oh, Mom, that looks good on you." I sure felt happy after that.
Adam was putting on his spiderman costume and having a bit of trouble pulling it up over his overall shorts. I asked, "Do you want me to help you get that up over your bum." Adam said, "Yeah, because I have a fat bum like you."
Adam has been wearing a spiderman costume around recently. When he is in his costume and you call him Adam he will very seriously say, "Call me Spiderman."
Ruth, Kate, Johnny, and Adam were watching me put my make-up on, and talking to me while I did so. When I got my make-up all the way on, Kate said, "You look prettier in make- up, mom." I agree with that statement completely. Then Johnny said, "Well, I think you look pretty without make-up." John agrees with that statement.
While I was putting on my make-up with my audience we talked about wrinkles. I showed the kids the wrinkles around my eyes. They asked how I got those there. Later, Johnny worriedly said, "Am I getting wrinkles around my eyes?" I said, "You don't have to worry about that yet, and boys don't care about that anyway." Then Johnny timidly said, "Some boys do." I asked, "Do you care?" He replied, "Yes, a little bit." Johnny has always cared more about his looks than our other kids.
Childhood Memory
At about the age of 9, I tried to play jokes and tricks on my dad. I tried things like jumping out from behind doors or putting something gross in his drink. I always failed. My dad would say, "You have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool me." For some time I managed to wake up before 6am, but my dad was already awake. One morning, I awoke at 4am. The house was dark and quiet. I crept to my parents room, hid behind the door and said, "Wooooo, woooo, woooo," like a ghost. Both of my parents jumped up and screamed. I popped out and started siniging, "I got you! I got you! I got you! I woke up early in the morning and I fooled you." My mother just rolled over, but my father in rather a grumpy voice said, "You did not. Go back to bed." I said, "Yes, I did. You thought I was I a ghost and I fooled you." My dad affirmed that I did not and that I had better get back to bed quickly. I went back to bed, but I gloated the whole of the next day. I quit playing tricks on my dad after that because I felt satisfied that I had finally tricked him. But my dad, to this very day, says I did not trick him. I think that I did scare him, even if he didn't ever think that there was a ghost in his bedroom.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Musings overs Bleach and Wuthering Heights
For quite some time now John and I have been watching this weird Japanese Cartoon called Bleach. We got the first disk from the library. We both found Bleach to be quite strange, but rather entertaining. John got the second disk from the library, and we found that not only did we find Bleach strange, but that we both felt drawn to it and wanted to continue the story. Then we discovered that the library had no more discs of Bleach, even though there are currently ten DVD's and a lot more episodes. (Apparently the Japanese love Bleach too). After a couple of weeks of no Bleach John joined netflix. He did this solely to get more Bleach episodes. So twice a month for the last 3 months we have been enjoying Bleach. Last night we watched the ninth disc. There is only one more Bleach disc available and after that we have to wait until July for disc 11. If we weren't so devoted we would have given Bleach up because the language is bad, it is bloody and violent, and there is an occasionally immodest character. But we are hooked and do not feel like it is bad enough to give up the entertainment. We have so far only wasted 36x20minutes of time on Bleach. Yet, we hope to waste more. When we finish watching Bleach John and I have confessed that we both still have scenes going through our heads, or we are thinking about the jokes, or the theme music. Sometimes I even dream about Bleach. I can't exactly say what I like so much about this animae cartoon, and I am sure I would not like it if it was not animated. I do love that the main character loses his temper and shouts a lot. He insults other characters in such a funny way. I love that he bleeds and almost loses every battle, but then always wins and his healed within a single episode. I like the other characters quite well too and the way they play off of each other. I like the nerdy guy who can fight well and sew even better, and this huge guy named Chad that never gets hurt. I like that none of the characters look much alike, but the total affect of the animation is amazing. I just like Bleach a lot. I also really enjoy the cheesey high school drama that I disdain in everything else I have ever seen and read. Bleach just makes cheesey high school drama funny in a weird way. I love Bleach.
I spent exactly one week annoying my husband and my children to read Wuthering Heights whenever I had a chance. That meant that most nights last week we did not have dinner until 8pm. So I was definitely a bad mom. I promised John that I would take one whole week off from reading to make up for it. But, like Bleach, I found myself involved to a large degree in this novel. I could not go to sleep easily because I could not stop thinking about and pondering over Wuthering Heights. My dreams, even after I had finished the novel, have been all about Wuthering Heights. I have a perfect picture in my head of what each character looks like, what the landscape looks like, and what their houses and skies and the moors looked like. I could picture every flower and cliff described in the book. I felt more like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. I don't think I could ever watch a movie version of Wuthering Heights, because it would destroy my personal images. A few people have asked me if it is a good book, and I have to say no. Wuthering Heights will not make a better person out of anyone. It was not virtuous expect in that it was a very well written, involved and interesting story. Mostly, Wuthering Heights seemed to be about mental illness, before much was known about mental illness. It involved the sufferings of the mentally ill as well as how the mentally ill made others to suffer. I found it to be a rather intense and sad story that ended well. I have to say that I really love the writing style and imaginings of both Bronte sisters. Here is a sentence that I thought was just beautifully written, like the rest of the book: "She bounded before me, and returned to my side, and was off again like a young greyhound; and, at first, I found plenty of entertainment of listening to the larks far and near; and enjoying the sweet, warm sunshine; and watching her, my pet, and my delight, with her golden ringlets flying close behind, and her bright cheek, as soft and pure in its bloom, as a wild rose, and her eyes radiant with cloudless pleasure." Ahh, if only I could write so beautifully. Alas, now I am to go one whole week without reading as penance for being too involved in a single activity last week. But at least we will have dinner before 8pm.
I spent exactly one week annoying my husband and my children to read Wuthering Heights whenever I had a chance. That meant that most nights last week we did not have dinner until 8pm. So I was definitely a bad mom. I promised John that I would take one whole week off from reading to make up for it. But, like Bleach, I found myself involved to a large degree in this novel. I could not go to sleep easily because I could not stop thinking about and pondering over Wuthering Heights. My dreams, even after I had finished the novel, have been all about Wuthering Heights. I have a perfect picture in my head of what each character looks like, what the landscape looks like, and what their houses and skies and the moors looked like. I could picture every flower and cliff described in the book. I felt more like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. I don't think I could ever watch a movie version of Wuthering Heights, because it would destroy my personal images. A few people have asked me if it is a good book, and I have to say no. Wuthering Heights will not make a better person out of anyone. It was not virtuous expect in that it was a very well written, involved and interesting story. Mostly, Wuthering Heights seemed to be about mental illness, before much was known about mental illness. It involved the sufferings of the mentally ill as well as how the mentally ill made others to suffer. I found it to be a rather intense and sad story that ended well. I have to say that I really love the writing style and imaginings of both Bronte sisters. Here is a sentence that I thought was just beautifully written, like the rest of the book: "She bounded before me, and returned to my side, and was off again like a young greyhound; and, at first, I found plenty of entertainment of listening to the larks far and near; and enjoying the sweet, warm sunshine; and watching her, my pet, and my delight, with her golden ringlets flying close behind, and her bright cheek, as soft and pure in its bloom, as a wild rose, and her eyes radiant with cloudless pleasure." Ahh, if only I could write so beautifully. Alas, now I am to go one whole week without reading as penance for being too involved in a single activity last week. But at least we will have dinner before 8pm.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Anya
Here is my little Anya Esther. She is doing a lot more now. She rolls around and around and plays with toys and chews on things. She cried when Ruth left and she no longer had her hair to pull. She smiles the biggest smiles whenever anyone looks at her, so where ever we go people comment on what a cute baby we have. She seems to just love people.Isn't the drool adorable?
Okay, so this same blog is on John's blog too. That is my fault. I accidently put it there to begin with, but I wanted the blog to be mine all mine. Actually the pictures are cute enough to leave on John's blog too.
Rachel's Agression
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