Another Year Over

2008 is drawing to a close. Can't say as I'm terribly broken up about it, seeing as most of my focus for 2008 has been making it through January 2009 (for an obvious reason). However, the end of the year does make me take stock and evaluate changes I want to see happen for the New Year to come. I don't make resolutions per se, I just like to give thought to the positives and negatives of the old year, so I don't repeat mistakes (I hate it when I am a repeat offender!!).

And I don't make goals, because inevitably a goal list becomes a "kick me while I'm down list", as I tend to make impossible, lofty goals to live up to, like a clean house. What's the point of putting into writing a goal, that will most likely never be achieved in my lifetime without substantial outside help (note to King: Merry Maids is always looking for new clients, maybe I could help them reach one of their goals for 2009!!).

So as this year ends, I think that I will settle for some vague general thoughts for the coming year:
-Happy, healthy children. [Note: I will settle for just healthy!]

-Happy, healthy Mama. [Note: I will settle for just happy! A girl's gotta have her chocolate.now.]

-Continuation of our morning devotions, renewal of our prayer time before school starts.

-Children who want to make my faith theirs.

-Children who have an unlimited view of the possibilities that the future holds for them and feel free to pursue them.

Happy New Year Dear Friends! May it be one filled with immeasurable blessing for each of you and your families!!

R.I.P. Dotty Harold

Dotty Harold

2006-2008

a much loved guinea pig

Today we said goodbye to Dotty Harold. Our little pig in residence. She was a sweet little thing. So tolerant of all the LOVE that was bestowed on her daily. We'll miss you.

Merry Christmas from the Castle!!

Dear Jesus,
Happy Birthday tomorrow!
Love, Princess #2
(This was her dinner prayer tonight-too sweet not to share.)

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Overheard at bedtime:

Princess #1: Daddy, what time can we get up tomorrow?

King: No sooner than 9am!

Princess #1 (in all seriousness): I'm sorry, that's just not going to work for me!

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Princess #3 at bedtime, on the verge of a baby-fit has a moment of realization (much to her parents happiness) . . ."Wait, if I don't go to bed, then it won't be tomorrow-when-I-wake-up and I won't get to open presents!"

Happiness Is . . .

. . . finding out the Sharpie stayed capped while being washed. The Sharpie that slipped into one of his pockets unbeknownst to the Queen.

He's a lucky man, that one.

Meanie No More

So today I had no intention of doing school. Friends are coming over, and I wanted to make a batch of Christmas bread, not to mention laundry-til-I-die (Monday's usual chore). However, the princess' did not know my plans and assumed that they would have lessons as usual. So after breakfast and laundry sorting, they settled down to play in those last few coveted minutes before school was to start.

I got a load started and then nonchalantly asked if anyone minded if we took the day off from school. I wish you could have seen the glow of love that shone from their little eyes as they looked up at me in disbelief. I am a meanie no longer. I am their beloved mother and home-educator willing to give them a break from the drudgery that haunts their weekday mornings. I AM QUEEN. At least til I serve them leftovers for lunch. But until then, I plan to revel in my new found position of the Coolest.Mom.Evah!!

Happiness Is. . .

. . . a snow day! It's snowing here. Really snowing. Like Midwest winters long (happily, for my part) forgotten snowing. And it's been snowing since last night. Church was cancelled and we have been enjoying the day all cozy, snug and buttoned in. Makes me really glad that I finished all my errand running before all this, since there are probably 3 snow plows total for our county, of which 2 are operational (that was a joke, kinda). And it makes me glad that I have knitting projects to work on with no place to go--the best kind of snow day! We have made a batch of peanut brittle, popped popcorn for carmel corn, and have even played a round of "Littlest Pet Shop Monopoly".

It sure feels like Christmas now!

My Mistake

I just love Pandora radio. My hubby has a great Christmas "station" set up for us and it's great to hear song after song without commercial interruption. The princess' love it too and have each settled on a favorite song. The youngest princess loves "Little Drummer Boy". She recognizes the tune and comes running over to the computer to get a better listen.

So last night, while we were decorating cookies, "her" song comes on for the second time in one day, and I say to her, "That's pretty cool that you get to hear your favorite song two times today."

And she replies, "No, that's a girl rumping and pumping, not a boy, Mama!"

My mistake.

Happiness Is . . .

. . . snow! It helps to keep the Princess' busy outdoors so Mama can make peanut brittle without help! Unfortunately, it's so stinkin' cold (for here), that they don't stay out too long. . . and that's why Mama stood on the deck to take pictures, rather than venture out to get close-ups.
Princess #2 showing me her snow sliding invention!
Princess #1 having a snow snack.

Princess #3 wearing snow-PANTS, since, "Mama, they just don't make snow dresses."

Resisting the Urge

As many of you know, I am a Christmas junkie. Every year I wait patiently for the day after giving thanks and go full-tilt-bozo into the preparations for Christmas. This year is different. Mostly due to the simple facts of my life. I now homeschool two children, which on a good day takes up the morning. Then there is that third child to keep tabs on, usually not too difficult, just follow the trail of discarded Barbies she leaves in her wake. And let's not forget the fourth one, who for some reason has decided that my rib cage will make a nice little nest, making eating, bending, and breathing into chores. All of these little people added to the general tiredness that the final weeks bring have led me to do my best to resist the urge to (over) do Christmas.

What brings me to blog about this little aspect of the season, you ask? Tonight, I decided to make a batch a sugar cookie dough for cut-outs. Usually, I double or even triple the batch, just to make sure there are enough for guests, me, the neighbors, me, Grandpa and me. This year however, I singled it. Yep, just followed the recipe.

And yah, a few, small, non-tired cells of my body are freaking out.

You're Welcome

Just thought I'd let those of you whose necks live in my woods in on a little secret. We won't be having any snow this year. How can I be so sure, you ask?

I just ordered (bargain!!) winter boots for Princess #1, since she's outgrown the biggest pair we own.

That usually seals the deal for snow (or lack thereof).

In Need of a Vent

WARNING: I AM GOING TO RANT

I really hate comments comparing my pregnant belly to what some well-meaning (I'm sure) mother remembers hers as being. I don't care if yours was smaller. I don't care if you looked 2 months pregnant at delivery. I don't care that you only put on 15 pounds and that was when you were wearing your winter gear, clunky boots, and were dripping wet. Good for you. Thanks for using your comment to point out that I don't.

To be honest, I am content with how I look. In fact, this fourth pregnancy has been very kind to my pride-no innertube like I wore with #2, no belly hanging over my waist like with #3, just a nice round, high, centered bump. My weight gain is the best it's ever been, baby is healthy and happy. So there.

Thanks, I feel better.

Dreaming of Nesting

I've never done this before, that is, dream of nesting. I've always just done it, without much rational thought. For example, with Princess #1, I obsessively cleaned all the baseboards in the house so when she started crawling they wouldn't be dusty, and since she crawled immediately after birth it was a good thing I did!;) Then with Princess #2, instead of readying the baby gear (which would have been a good call due to her early arrival), I obsessively picked ALL the apricots off our trees in a burst of crazy energy and then lacked the energy to deal with all the fruit! Thank goodness for a mom who knows how to put up fruit and seems to enjoy the task. And with Princess #3, for some reason the oven had to be spotless, and since the "self-clean" mode really meant "clean it yourself", I did so with a lot of elbow grease since oven cleaner is so nasty. Of course, lots of other "nesting" went on, but it all seemed to have rhyme and reason.

Now this time around, the past few nights I have been dreaming that I am cleaning out the pantry. In fact, it killed me yesterday to not be able to touch it and then today we had MOPS, so it's gone untouched again!

So tomorrow, dear pantry, you will be mine, and maybe these weird dreams will end-or else point out some other random thing that needs settling.

Snappity Snap

So Princess #1 has been diligently trying for the past year to conquer two important life skills: snapping her fingers and whistling. It recently really chapped her hide to find out that Mrs. H's little guy could whistle with ease, and she has yet to get a single tweet, you know since she is all worldly and wise and he is only 5.

However, all weekend, we've been hearing her little fingers trying to snap and by George, she's got it. And now has a new (annoying) habit to share with us while she's reading, walking, doing schoolwork, watching a movie, riding in the car, and I'm pretty sure she's figured out a way to do it while practicing the violin.

I will say this in her defense, it does make it easy for mama to figure out where she's holed up when it's chore time! Don't tell.

Happiness Is . . .

. . . hearing the sound of snaps and overall buckles clanging in your dryer again!

Thanks to the generosity of my parents (and a sister), baby has a dresser which was delivered by Papa yesterday. So, I decided to abandon my thoughts of Christmas baking in order to clean said dresser and wash baby's clothes. It is so great to have all that laundry done and his little clothes all folded and tucked away in anticipation.

Houston, We Have A Name

Even two names! Even two names that go together with our last! Whoo-hoo! Stay tuned til February to see if we actually end up sticking with them, since we're not unveiling his monikers until we meet this fellow. I know, I know, why even blog about something you weren't going to reveal, but it is exciting to me that he is named. It makes him feel more "real" somehow. We have learned our lessons from the past with announcing baby's name early, and because of that choice had to deal with comments, the "how do you spell that's", and did you know that so and so and so and so and so and so, all have babies with that same name. Never again, we swore, and Princess #3 remained nameless to family and friends til her birth--much better in our humble opinion to share a name along with the new one. Much less helpful input if you know whattamean!

As some of you know, naming our babies is no easy task! We agonize, civilly disagree with one another's top picks, make lists (okay, just I make the lists), try out different ones, and I like to do the backyard yell test. The backyard yell test is performed by opening the back door and yelling both first and middle names, as if the child was in trouble in order to see if I can snap it out to my satisfaction. All of the princess' have first and middle names that really snap when needed, thanks to this test! And of course, most importantly, we pay careful attention to what the names mean. In fact, my first choice was tossed because of a dumb meaning (read: I couldn't weasel a good alternative meaning anywhere on the Internet, in order to sell my pick!).

Now that I have had the experience of naming a boy, I would take naming a girl hands down any day! All of you with multiple boys that you have named, I can only imagine what you went through, you have my undying admiration, seriously.

And if you are like the princess', who are all dying to know baby's name, I'll quote the king's standard reply, "Izuzu F150".