Did I make a mistake?

Oh my goodness. There I go using French words when I have no idea if I am using them right! I happen to have a reader who is French Canadian, French being her native language. Then I go and use a term like "se la vie", not knowing if I spelled it correctly, used it correctly, or even had the correct words to begin with!

You can see the faux pas (French again?!) in my Dec. 22 update. Well, Julie, feel free to correct me and tell me how I really did.

And, now to actually NOT post as I am very under the weather with a yucky cold. I have to go lie down as the twins are napping and the other four are out for a few more hours with Grandma. I must take advantage of the quiet house while I can.

Let's say a little prayer that I get some more sleep in the next few days. Sleep has been very elusive and I am not going to feel better until it comes around again!

We are truly blessed!

Just a quick note to say that our Christmas was wonderful and I hope that everyone had as much fun as we did. I am exhausted, however, and coming down with a cold, but we did have a fun holiday. If I get a picture on my computer, I'll post one soon (the connection between Brian's computer and mine isn't working right now and he has all the pictures).

Merry Christmas!

p.s. No names yet for this little girl. Unless you ask my husband, then he'll tell you that it's Mary Margaret, but I haven't given the official 'yes' yet. I'm still just not sure.

Okay, okay, okay...here I am!

I didn't think people actually read this blog, but I guess there are a couple of you out there! What can I say? Life is keeping us busy and I am exhausted. I've been substitute teaching when I can and I am 9 months pregnant, so my days are busier than normal.

I can't believe I only have 3 weeks left! I still don't have a scheduled date because my dr. left town and the hospital was supposed to call, but it didn't happen. So, I am waiting for my dr. to come back to town so we can actually schedule the c-section. I'm fairly sure it will be either Jan. 14th in the morning or Jan. 15th in the afternoon. We're hoping for the 15th just so we don't have to be at the hospital before 11:00am. If it is in the morning, we'll have to be there around 6am and we live 30 minutes away. That's early for us! We like to take our time and be leisurly.

So, my kids are outside playing in the snow and sledding down our hill right now. That makes me so happy. I love when my kids play outside. And, no, it's not because they are out of my hair! I just love that they get the fresh air and excersize and they feel good after a day of playing outside.
We got about 2 inches of fresh snow this morning, so they're having a blast.

I did a marathon Christmas shopping trip yesterday, and can you believe that I'm not done? We're going to the inlaws tomorrow and I don't have those gifts completely done yet. I honestly don't know what I am going to do! I'm going to have to go out tonight and see what I can do to finish. Sigh, oh well. I was going to make some homemade fudge to add to their gifts and I sent Brian out to pick up the ingredients today. Well, I forgot one...the butterscotch chips. Now what? He had to go out because he had some work to do and he didn't want me to drive because it is very slippery with the new snow. Well, now I'll have to go out later anyway. I'm frustrated that I forgot that. Oh well, se la vie.

Christmas day will be here at our house with all of my relatives, including my brand spanking new nephew! I'm so excited to see him again. He was just born on the 14th so he won't even be 2 weeks old. He's a real cutie and it will be the first time that our kids get to meet him. I'm looking forward to that.

Well, I'm here typing away when my twins are napping and the others are outside so I really should be productive and get some stuff done. I promise to try to blog more often.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Look!!! 2 posts in 2 day!!!

Ah, yes, I've been inspired. Not that I have anything useful to say, but I was just sitting here thinking, why not add another post? So, here I am.

This morning was spent cleaning the older boy's bedroom, Evelyn's bedroom, and the toyroom. It was quite an endeavor. I really wanted to vacuum it (we know about my love of vacuuming) and those rooms hadn't been cleaned in about 2 weeks. It took way, way too long, but that's because the kiddos didn't want to help much and I had to keep reminding them what we were doing.

Then came lunch. We've been doing some bento lunches recently, basically because they are fun and because I am trying to introduce them to some new foods. Today, however, I was worn out and frustrated after all the cleaning so I just scrambled some eggs and cut up some plums, peaches, kiwi, and bananas. Of course, John Paul didn't eat any fruit, but he did get a fruit bar and ate all of his eggs so I'm not complaining.

I really wanted to get some schoolwork done today so I think we'll be doing that soon. I also want the kids to play outside (I love when they get fresh air and lots of excersize) but I'm still frustrated about how long it took us to clean this morning and I think we'll have to get some schoolwork done. I know it sounds mean, but we're taking 2 days to do 1 day worth of work, so I'm not actually doing too much.

Okay, I have one baby climbing my leg and another sitting on the floor looking at me so I'd better run.

So, it's been a little while...

This post is for Julie ;) ! This is just a little of everything post since it has been so long since I have done any writing/blogging of any kind.

I am now 17 1/2 weeks pg with baby #7. I still can't believe that we are having another one right now. In fact I saw Father Blume, our Parish priest, at the grocery store today and he asked how I was doing. I told him that I was doing well, I just wish I could get excited about this. I'm still going to focus on holding a newborn. For some reason, that makes me very happy. I think I just get overwhelmed thinking about all of the other logistics of it all. Like how am I going to actually do it? How am I going to take care of 2 17 month olds and a newborn, not to mention a 3 year old, a 5 year old, a 6 year old, and an 8 year old? See, I'm already hyperventalating!!!

Okay, happier note. The twins just celebrated their first birthday. I can't believe a year has gone by already. Part of me kept wishing for the time to go faster so that they would be able to do a few things without me constantly there for them. Things like eating finger foods, crawling up the stairs instead of me carrying them, entertaining themselves with toys, etc. Now, of course, the mommy guilt sets in and I miss their little selves. I can't believe they are running around and acting like toddlers!

We did start homeschooling this month, although we're starting a little slow. Normally school here in MN starts after Labor Day, sometime around Sept. 4th this year. We got an early start so that we could take more time off later. I still let them play outside a lot, though, because the weather is so nice. So, really, we aren't getting much ahead. Oh well!

So, Julie, if I find out the gender of this little one, I'll let you know! I should be having an ultrasound sometime in the next month. I hate to say this, but if I find out I'm having another little girl, I may get much more excited for this pg. Is that an awful thing to say? I'd love a little boy also...I think it would be great for the twins to have another boy similar in age. I just can't help hoping, just a little bit, for a little more pink in the house.

Huh?

John Paul was asking for the leftover turkey from his dinner last night. I told him that he was too late and that Daddy had eaten it for lunch. I explained to him what "You snooze, you lose" means.

He then asked me..."Then why did slow and steady win the race?"

My love of vacuuming

First I must preface by saying that I have a LOT to say about each of my children, so I will be returning to the subjects. I just thought I'd throw out a random thought today.

I love my Dyson vacuum. Is it wrong to love an inanimate object? I don't think so. I've always enjoyed vacuuming (doesn't everybody?) and I got my first Dyson vacuum about 2 years ago. It is the best thing ever. EVER.

One thing I HATE is mopping. So, if you have any really good mops or suggestions as to how to easily clean my hardwood floors, I'd love to hear about them. Especially something that can clean up after my children have a particularly messy meal.

John Paul James

My friend Maggie (http://patentsgirl.blogspot.com/) has this quote on her blog right now...

“It seems to me that if a little flower could speak, it would tell simply what God has done for it without trying to hide its blessings. It would not say, under the pretext of a false humility, it is not beautiful or without perfume. The flower about to tell her story rejoices at having to publish the totally gratuitous gifts of Jesus. She knows that nothing in herself was capable of attracting the divine glances, and His mercy alone brought about everything that is good in her.” (St. Thérèse of Lisieux)

I read that this morning and as lovely as it is and as much as I love St. Thérèse, it made me a little sad. It made me sad for my children because for some reason it is wrong to tout your own intelligence. It is wrong to tell people that your children are brilliant and that they are excelling in academia. Why do other people take it as an insult to their own children and their intelligence? It's not a comparison!

Now my feathers are ruffled. Here's the thing, this is MY blog and I will tell the world just how smart my children are because God has given them gifts and I want my sweeties to know it. I want them to use their gifts and not hide them. I want them to be able to do anything they want to and do it easily if possible.

John Paul knew the alphabet at the age of 16 months. He could not talk, he'd only been walking for 3 months, and I had no idea he knew his letters. But, he loved books. Before he could crawl he would roll across the floor to the stack of books that I had, grab one, and roll back to me. Never once did he rip a page or try to eat the cover. Books were, are, his thing. At Christmas time he was 16 months old and he received his first ABC puzzle. A few days later we were putting the puzzle together and I was talking as I did it. I would say things like, "We need to find the 'r', can you see it?" And he would pick it right up. He did this over and over and over. That was the first realization that he knew a lot more than he let on (he didn't talk until he was 2 1/2).

My little smarty is now 7 1/2 and in the 2nd grade. He is almost through his 5th grade math book and finds it incredibly boring. He can read anything and he is now learning the piano. He can learns new things very quickly and I can't wait to start him on the violin this fall.

Do you see why I am so proud of him? Hmmm, maybe you don't. You see, as smart as my little guy is and how happy that makes me, there's more to it.

John Paul is a very caring boy. He likes to sit and talk with me about anything, but I think he really likes being the oldest and having "grown up" talks. He is always willing to help me out and will readily hold a little sister or brother's hand when crossing a street.

He loves baseball and is learning how to play himself. It is so much fun to see him catch, throw, run the bases. My John Paul is a peanut (he's about 40 pounds and really very short) and sports don't always come naturally to him, but I think he's found his niche with baseball.

John Paul is quick with a smile and has an easy-going attitude that makes all things easier. Especially in a large family. He very sweetly shares all his treats and is the first one to say yes when a sibling asks.

And those books that he loves? Well, now he reads them to his siblings.

Now do you know why I am so proud of him? Oh, I'm very glad that he finds learning things so easy. But I am also proud of him for what he does with his gifts.

P.S. I have five more children to write about so I will give them each their own entry. Otherwise, this entry would go on and on and on and on and on and on...

Babies Will Do That To You

I play the piano at our church. Usually one weekend a month for the 3 Masses. I actually enjoy getting up early on Sunday morning to go and be by myself, I've always been a morning person.

My morning ritual includes showering, dressing, getting a cup of coffee, and reading the paper (i.e. blogs and other fun things) online. Only now I have 8 month old twins. Harry decided to get up with me this morning. Now my morning ritual included showering, dressing, making a bottle, changing a diaper, getting a cup of coffee, playing with said baby, getting spit up on by said baby, changing clothes again, and sitting down at the computer for a quick blog while said baby is occupied with my shoe. Funny how things change when you have a baby.

This Is My Life

So, I've taken the plunge and started the blog that I have wanted to start for a long time. What a better way to keep a log, or diary if you will, of my life; all computerized and neat and orderly. So here is my life.

There was a time when I was a little girl that I thought someone in their 4th decade of life, thirtysomething, was there, the place that I wanted to be. These were the people with families of their own, jobs of their own, and time to do with whatever they wanted. (I know what you're thinking...I was very naive). These were the people who, like my parents, made all the rules. I wanted to be those people. I wanted the kids, I wanted the husband, I wanted the job, I wanted to make the rules, and I wanted time to be my own, to do with as I pleased.

I've recently celebrated my 34th birthday and I realized that I am there, but it is a far cry from the place that I thought it was. I had a job, only to replace it with staying home with my children and homeschooling. I have a great husband, who I love very much, and who needs things from me just as much as I need things from him (who knew THAT was how it worked?!). I have 6, YES SIX, kids (yes they are all mine, yes we wanted them all, yes I know what birth control is, yes I have my hands full, now don't ask) who are so much more needy that I ever was! And, I have time. Time to change, feed, and help brush teeth in the morning. Time to teach math, reading, writing, and religion. Time to make lunches and clean the table and sweep the floor and wipe down 2 high chairs. Time to read to the kids, take them places, and discipline. Time to make a supper meal with all the food groups and force my children to eat green vegetables. Time to bathe, change, and read to my children before saying prayers and tossing them all into bed with kisses. Time to collapse on the couch at the early hour of 8 pm and vegetate in front of the t.v. so I can watch Grey's Anatomy and The Office. Hmmm....not what I thought when I was a little girl, but I wouldn't change it for anything.

How's that for a life?

p.s. That is my daughter, Evelyn. My one and only daughter. Isn't she a cutie?