This Week at Our House # 6

1. I am very late in posting this. I am pleased to report that John's job is going very well and he is making his early deadlines with regular working hours.
2. I am currently on my last week of work. We will be getting a tax return and John will be getting paid sometime in March, so we will be covered. The kids keep praying for me to quit. So Friday will be my last day. I worked with really great people and in a peaceful environment, but I will be glad to have my time with the older kids again.
3. Ruth's so busy will school and working. She's learning that if she wants enough time for school work and ACT practice, she has to say no sometimes.
4. Kate helped a lot with the housework for another week. But she is a champ. She wrote a very sarcastic essay for the writing portion of her common core sage test. It was all about climate change and environmentalism. Kate said she was not going to let the government manipulate her into becoming an environmentalist, so instead of writing how to save coral reefs and help the environment she wrote instructions on, according to scientists, what people can do to destroy the coal reef.
5. Johnny's sure growing up. Right now life is pretty easy for Johnny. He works very quickly, so he hardly has homework and has lots of free time for reading, video games, and books. But I make him work a lot around the house.
6. Adam is a bit swamped with book reports and big projects for school right now. Adam's a bright little guy and does very well, but he thinks he is dumb because academics are so easy for school. He got 100% on a heart anatomy test, and I said, "see, you are smart enough to become a dentist or a doctor!" He another one more exam that he only got 93% on and thought he spoiled his chance for becoming a doctor-- silly boy.
7. Rachel has been arguing non-stop. I can't say anything to her without her yelling at me and telling me I am wrong, and she is only 8!
8. Anya has been lying a lot. We've dealt with this before and made it through. I hope we can convince her that being truthful is better.
9. I had a funny conversation with Joseph as I dropped him off at school. He pointed to a boy and said, "That's Mason. He is nice, He let me help him spell cough." I asked if that was for the spelling test and Joseph said that indeed it was and Mason was so nice to let him help. (Face palm)
10. Joshua LOVES legos and can look at the instructions and put the pieces together with little help. 
11. Arwen draws and draws all day long and you can tell by looking at our walls.
12. When I get Susan up in the morning, she just snuggles up close to me and rests her head against mine. I tool her to get her well check and vaccinations. She is 14 pounds and in the 3% and 26 inches and in the 23%. I guess she will be tall and thin. But she sure does eat a lot!!

This Week's Pictures

This Week at Our House # 5

1. Well, what a crazy week it was. Arwen starting throwing up Monday afternoon, and soon there after most of the rest of us got sick too. John began his new job on Monday and was sick on Tuesday. This is where the perks of working at home come into play. John worked half days and Saturday and the middle of the night when he was up, and got his full work week in even though he was sick about 4 days.
2. I took work off Wednesday night for illness and I rarely get sick. I didn't have influenza or the last stomach flu with the kids. But this time, I had a fever for about a day and a stomach ache and some nausea for about 3 days.
3. Ruth felt sick and stayed home from school on Wednesday.
4. Kate was one of two family members to stay well. Because of the sickness, I did not get my usual deep cleaning done during the week. Kate helped me to catch up on Saturday. I think it was a bit of a shock for her. I get the downstairs decluttered, reorganized, thoroughly swept  and washed once a week. It takes about 2 hours. Kate helped clean off surfaces, sweep the stairs, reorganize the toys, clean the desk, and wash the floors. I cleaned out from under couches and the piano, did the laundry, reorganized the toys, swept out the pantries, swept the floors, and washed the floors. Then we cleaned the bathrooms together. I usually do this all myself. I loved having a cleaning buddy, but I don't think my cleaning buddy loved working with me.
5. Johnny stayed well until Saturday. When he knew that he was sick, he quit eating anything and ended up being okay stomach wise. But I think he may have been a little fevery.
6. Adam was sick Tuesday night and better by Friday. He has really bad excema on his hands. I've been using eucerin all winter and it is just not working. I recently switched to coconut oil and that seems to be working just a little better.
7. Rachel was only sick on Sunday. She did not miss any school at all. In fact, I would say that with all of the sickness going around in our family since December, Rachel has probably stayed the healthiest and I think she is proud of that.
8. Anya has been saying that she is sick everyday since October. I know that she is not being honest, and it is getting very frustrating. It started when she had a UTI and got to skip her homework and watch TV. Now she says she is sick before school, at homework and chore times, and before church. We have called her out and talked to her about it, but she still persists. Right now we are just ignoring it and making her do everything no matter what she says. The funny thing, though, she told me the story of the "Boy who Cried Wolf". She seemed to really like it and find it meaningful. I wish she'd learn the lesson in it.
9. Joseph never got sick either. but now he has a very runny nose and a cough. Blah, we have had too much illness this winter!
10. Joshua threw up twice on Tuesday night, and once in his bed on Thursday night, but he never woke up. I find it so odd that I have some kids who sleep through puking.
11. Arwen brought the illness into the house. I think she must have picked it up from nursery. It seemed to have about a 24 hour incubation period and it was pretty much 24 hours from nursery to Arwen puking. Arwen threw up 5 times. We have not had that much puking in a row in a long, long time. Ruth, Kate, and Johnny used to get the stomach flu where they would throw up every 20 minutes for hours, but the younger kids really haven't had that much.
12. I knew Susan was sick because she would not be put down. I knew she was better when she went off to play again. Now Susan has a very runny nose, but I am going to take her in to get her next set of vaccinations soon anyway.
    
    No Pictures This Week

This Week at Our House # 4

1. After 10 long months, it's finally happened-- the miracle we have been waiting for. John signed a contract last Wednesday, and he begins work today. It's contracted work. He won't have any benefits, but the pay is double to make up for that plus the small business taxes. He'll work from home, which is good since we are down one car and not in a position to buy another. It's been a long, hard time. The kids hardly believe that it's true. Everyone wants me to quit working now. I will, eventually. I think we still feel a bit traumatized. We've barely mentioned it even among ourselves-- like somehow it won't be real if we talk about it.
2. I am still working for a little bit.We need to get through until we get the tax return and the first pay check.
3. Ruth has a dance class and a ceramics class this semester. I think she will enjoy them both, and especially enjoy the break from a straight set of serious academic courses.
4. Kate's been mourning the loss of her last semesters seminary teacher and class. This semester, the teacher began the class talking about how they need to get along and be friends. Kate looked around and noticed that a lot of the people she does not get along with are in the class. I think this will be a good challenge for her. It's something we all need to work on.
5. Johnny had homework!! It really frustrated him.
6. Adam and Rachel have been fighting like cats and dogs and I am tired of being a referee.
7. Rachel was the only kid that had a cavity this last dentist time. Poor girl. But she bravely got her filling done without any noise.
8. Anya is about to loose her first top front tooth, just as Suzy is growing hers in.
9. Joseph can be such a good boy, I am just not sure I'll make it to his adulthood as a sane person while I wade through the not as good parts of his decision making.
10. Josh keeps taking everyone's things and putting them on his shelf in his closet. He took $241 from Ruth, and legos and food from Johnny and Adam. I wish I knew how to get this to stop.
11. Arwen can dress and undress herself better than Josh can.
12. Suzy has her first front tooth. The other one has not cut, yet, so we are in for more teething. She pulls herself up and climbs a few stairs. She definitely needs to be watched all of the time now.

Zuppa Tuscana

This is about the best soup version of potato soup on the planet...

Ingredients

• 2 bunches Kale, Picked Over, Cleaned, And Torn Into Bite Sized Pieces
• 12 whole Red Potatoes, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 1 pound Italian Sausage
• 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
• 2 cups  Chicken Broth
• 3 cups  Milk
• 3 cups Heavy Cream
•  Fresh Or Dried Oregano
•  Black Pepper To Taste

Instructions

Prepare the kale and set it aside.

In a medium pot. boil sliced potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, crumble and brown the Italian sausage. Drain as much as the fat as you can. Stir in the red pepper flakes, oregano, chicken broth, milk, and half-and-half. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Give it a taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add the potatoes, a splash of heavy cream for richness, then stir in the kale. Simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, then serve.

This Week at Our House # 3

1. John is still negotiating some possible contract work and he has a couple of job interviews this week. Maybe things will be back together soon.
2. I wrote this to my moms with big families group of friends, "While I was working tonight, I realized, probably for the first time, what a charmed life I have had. We've never had a lot, but we have always had sufficient enough for me to stay home with the kids until now. I had gotten so used to thinking that I am sacrificing some big career or what could have been prestige. blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I never realized how good I had it until now. And now I really know, that none of that matters much. I have just been very blessed to be at home and have as much time as I want to care for my family."
3. Ruth's been quite busy with school and work. She doesn't have an actual job, but she is working about 12 to 15 hours a week babysitting and housekeeping. She has a pretty good savings so far and is paying for all of her own things now.
4. The semester ended this week and Kate has another 4.0. She is working real hard because she wants to get a scholarship to BYU.
5. Johnny ended up with all A's and 2 A-'s but never does any homework. 
6. Trying to get Adam to read is trying. I don't know how to help that boy learn to love books. I limit video games to just 2 days a week, and TV is supposed to be just as limited, but the kids sneak it if I am not home. Adam got all A's and one A- for the second term.
7. Rachel brought her grades up. I think she is trying harder to  pay attention in class. She has way less homework at Legacy Prep than she did at Foxboro. She now says that she likes Legacy Prep better.
8. Anya for the first time did not get straight A's. She got a B in essential skills because she never did her make up work from when she missed a week of school. But she is only in the first grade.
9. Joseph got all A's too, and he's also been bumped up another level in reading. 
10. Joshua had his 4th birthday!! He LOVED it! He loved his gifts. His sibling all pitched in using their Christmas money and got him a pretty nice lego set. We use the food stamps to get the kids their own little stash of candy which he has been carrying around and sharing little of. Uncle Jeremy showed up with a real model train and track, that Josh is in love with. He got a noisy plastic train that runs around the floor on batteries from my mom. He carried that around for days. Josh knew exactly what he wanted for his dessert and dinner. He wanted salmon for dinner and a "brown" train cake for dessert. We provided both. At dinnertime he chanted "Salmon, Salmon" and at cake time he blew his candles out before we even started singing. John kept relighting and Josh kept blowing and we all had a good laugh. Josh is a very organized little boy. He likes things neat. He loved building things with legos and blocks.He loves to color and tries to stay in the lines. He hates dressing and undressing himself and going to the bathroom. Hopefully, he'll outgrow those 2. He still wakes up crying at night which is annoying, but all in all, we love our little Joshua. He brings a lot of joy to our home.
11. Arwen was sick most of the week. I came home from work Monday at 1:20 am and she had puked all over. She had been having diarrhea the week before. She puked one more time that night and one more time on Wednesday, We tried to keep only simple sugars and carbs in her to give her body time to get rid of the germ and to give her stomach time to heal. So she cried every day when we said no chocolate milk. She seems to be okay now and is happy to be getting her favorite drink again.
12. Susan is getting her top teeth. She's been pretty grumpy and waking up at night. Since I get home after 1am, I have been getting 3 hours of sleep a night. I never planned on working before my little ones started school. When John gets a job, I am going to go back to that plan. 10 young children and a part time job is a little more than I can do, I think, at least long term.

This Week's Pictures

This Week at Our House # 2

1. I was really thinking John would get some work this week. But he didn't. I feel pretty disappointed and discouraged about it. 
2. I started work on Monday. I spent the whole week in training and tomorrow I will start working on my own. I will be cleaning classrooms and hallways and such in the BYU SLC center. I work from 9pm until 1am, so I am still home with the kids during the day, but I have to stay on a fairly strict  schedule to be ready to leave around 8:30.
3. Ruth now has a daily babysitting job and a weekly house keeping job. She is really busy between school, homework, and work.
4. Kate has had to pick up the slack with Ruth and I gone as much as we are.She has lots of homework and several tests coming up to.
5. Johnny never has homework. I have no idea how he gets through school as well as he does while doing so much less than his sisters.
6. Adam eased into school without any trouble. He got up and ready in the mornings and did not complain too much about homework.
7. Rachel had to write a book report the same night that she had musical practice. I thought she would be up past 11pm like Adam usually is, but she got to work as soon as she got home and finished before I had to leave for work.
8. Anya had her birthday!!! She is now 7! She is a bright fun little girl. She does not like things all pink or to be a princess. She likes to read, run, and play ball. She is a really good artist with a keen sense of design and balance. She is smart and fun to be around. We are grateful to have darling little Anya brighten our home.
9. Joseph did well with getting back on schedule. He does his homework and his reading without much help and little prompting.
10. Josh is driving me crazy. He won't stay out of his brother's room and he is constantly sneaking and making big messes. He will be 4 in another week. I am hoping he will be a little happier and a little less destructive in the year to come.
11. Arwen got a lot of art things for Christmas and spent the week coloring and reading books.
12. Susan gets around everywhere. She can stand herself up and will sometimes try to crawl up the first step. We have to keep a closer eye on her. I usually wait to give my babies solid food until they are around 9 to 10 months, but Susan just wants to eat. She crawls around and she finds food that the other kids have left on the floor. So I have given up and given her food. She can even eat finger foods and picks them up between her forefinger and her thumb.

This Week's Pictures

This Week at Our House 2015 # 1

Christmas Morning

1. Still no job.
2. We went to John's parents house for a New Years party and returned home at 3am. The kids stayed awake the whole time. We read Fablehaven 3 & 4 to the 5 oldest kids. On Saturday, we took the whole family to see "Meet the Mormons" which is now free at the Joseph Smith Memorial building. And Saturday night we used the gift cards to Red Robin my mom had sent and took the entire family out to dinner. The kids were very, very good. We waited 45 minutes to get a seat and another 45 minutes for our food and the kids didn't run around or complain or cry at all. 
3. Ruth mainly enjoyed laying around the house and watching "I Love Lucy" when she had the chance. 
4. Kate did about the same as Ruth except that she really, really enjoyed reading Fablehaven together.
5. Johnny played lots of games-- video games everyday, and board games almost everyday. I loved hearing Johnny, Adam, John, Ruth, and Kate play dungeons and dragons together.
6. Adam has become and maybe always was the ring leader of the little kids. He can get his younger siblings to do whatever he wants. Yet, he is the first to be annoyed with their noise and mess. Adam, like Johnny, played video games every day and as much as we would allow.
7. Rachel read a lot, drew a lot of pictures, and spent plenty of time playing video games too.
8. Anya loves video games. I would say that she is just as easily addicted to them as are her older brothers. Free video game time was the highlight of her vacation too.
9. Joseph likes video games, but they are not his main source of entertainment. He played out in the snow and spent a lot of time drawing, reading, and building with blocks and legos.
10. Josh had some pretty funny things to say this week. One night he was keeping Joseph up late building legos with his light on, so I had John remove the lightbulb. The next morning Josh came over to me. "Do you know what Mom?" he said, "That man you married is a jerk!" I looked at him rather dumb founded, when he clarified, "You know, Dad. He is a jerk. He took my light bulb out last night." Sunday Josh had his first day of primary. I noticed that he was pretty unhappy and Kate saw him in the hallway screaming at one point, so she comforted him. When we got home, I said, "So you hated primary," and Josh replied, "No. I was just mad."
11. Arwen takes naps and then wakes up incredibly grumpy for a couple of hours and then won't go to bed. I try and keep her from taking these naps, but she always seems to sneak them in.
12. On New Years Eve, Susan crawled up to her cousin Seth, who is 7 weeks younger, kissed him tenderly on the forehead twice and then grabbed his face and pulled his hair. She is now starting to pull herself up into standing positions, but she does not know how to get back down and just cries.

Christmas Break Pictures