Overheard At Dinner

Queen:  Okay, how about you eat half of your chicken and we will call it good?

Princess #3:  I can't.

Queen:  quizzical pause

Princess #3: (in all non-sarcastic seriousness) There are three and you can't divide three in half, Mama.

Queen: (between giggles) That is correct . . . glad someone is paying attention during math!!  Now eat these pieces, my dear Miss Literal!!

In A Word

Several years ago, I was given a word.

Unbeknownst to the giver, 

this word changed my perspective on certain

aspects of my life that I had just

chalked up to "sometimes life sucks".

What word, you ask?

grief.

Grief has always meant to me sadness,

like over the loss of a loved one.
However, through the words of this wise woman,
I came to see it as a bigger word.
A more encompassing word.
It became my word.

She was talking about her son and his battle with cancer.
He was victorious, but she was grieving.
This caught my attention.
She said she mourned the loss of those years
of his young life that he spent getting well.
Instead of having a "normal" life,
they lived in and out of hospitals, waiting with bated breath
as to what the latest test results would bring.
And it broke her heart.

When she gave me these words I had
just begun feeding the Prince the supplemental bottles.

And I was angry. Well, heartbroken, really.

She told me that it was grief talking.
Grief that things didn't go as planned or pictured.

When she gave me these words I was just
entering the worst stretch of time
that I have ever had with my spirited child.

And I was frustrated and exhausted.
Already.
Little did I know . . .

This time, I knew it was grief talking.
Grief that this child has such huge hang-ups,
that I am still not sure will be overcome,
about such seemingly simple things, like getting dressed.
Grief that her siblings and I had to figure out how to graciously
deal with the temperament that God had given to this child,
rather than just sit back and enjoy the ride passively.

Her wise words gave me the understanding that I needed to be free to mourn.
And with that freedom has eventually come joy!

Psalm 30:11
You have turned my griefs into joy; you took off my sackcloth
and you clothed me with joy!

A Wee Bit of a Rant

I have a thing about parenting advice.

Unsolicited, that is.

I can usually handle it pretty well.

However, I do love to rant about it later.

{grin}

Today at the dentist's office,

the young dentist that is checking

Princess #3's teeth, tells me that

she is ready to have some

permanent teeth sealed as well as

a filling that is needed to fill a

"dimple" in one of her permanent teeth.

I ask him if she will need to be

numbed up for the procedure.

He says no, she shouldn't need to be.

It is purely preventative.

I say, okay, great, I like to prepare

her ahead of time for what is to come.

He replies with this little gem:

It is better to *not* tell your kids anything

and just let us handle it.

[Queen's side note:  Boy would I pay big money to see him handle 

a baby fit.  Big money, dear friends.]

Really??

Excuse me, but  that is *not* how I parent.

If any of my kids ask if something (like a shot) is gonna hurt.

I tell them yes, but you can handle it.

Not in a mean way, like, suck it up sister, 

but in an honest way, so they know what to expect.

I don't shrug and feign like I don't know.

This honesty is especially important for my spirited child.

She needs to know every single detail in order

to have success during her day.

I try to comply. {grin}

I am willing to admit that maybe my parenting style

could perhaps, maybe be, an oddity, but

I do feel strongly that giving my kids a "head's up"

about what to expect at a doctor or dentist appointment

gives them a chance to process and prepare

for what may be.

So, super sorry, Dr.
I'm telling.

Reading Styles--Royal Style

My girls each have their own way of reading. 

 I find it fascinating.  

Hence this post. {grin}

Princess #1 is a gulper.

Like her mama.

Quick big juicy bites of book.

Must find out what happens next!

She loves to read an author dry.

Like her mama.

Princess #2 is an absorb-er.

Soaking up every last drop of emotion.

Then she personalizes it!

Which usually means lots of righteous anger.

You know, on the hero/heroine's behalf.

And tears. Lots of tears.

Both sad and happy.

Princess #3 is an editor.

Skimming ahead in order to change up any flaw.

Then she spices it up and re-reads.

She checks for clarity.

Why use boring old "talking before bedtime"?

It is much more concise to use the word "stalling".{grin}

And while my sweet Prince doesn't read yet,

don't let that fool you into thinking

he doesn't notice when you skip a few pages

of the "goldbug" book.

He knows.

And he will set you straight.

A (lot of) Knit(s) A Week

Easter!

He is RISEN!

Knitting up little critters for the royal Easter

baskets has become a bit of a tradition.

I just can't help myself.

They are so quick and great stash user-uppers!

All of the patterns are from Susan B. Anderson's fab

book:  Itty Bitty Toys.

I highly recommend her books/patterns.

They are well-written,

and oh! so! cute!

Without further ado here are the 2012 editions:

Mama and baby koala for Princess #1.
Although, secretly, I was tempted to send them to
her auntie, who loved anything koala when she
was younger. :)

It's a stripey kitty!!
It matches Princess #3's pinwheel sweater. :)
Wait . . .

. . . no, it's cute blue mousey!
I love these reversible stuffed animals
so, so much!!

Timmy, it's Timmy!
He's a handful of trouble at every turn,
the sheep that is . . .
 er, um, ahem. {grin}

A little puppy wrapped in blankie for Princess #2.

Homeschooling Today

So, lest you think that I adore homeschooling on a daily basis, and think that it is the best thing for everyone, let me correct you right now.  I don't.

For the most part, I do enjoy homeschooling our kids, but then there are days.  And days.  And entire weeks where I loathe and resent teaching my children. That, my friends, is the ugly, honest truth.

My life would be so much easier if I just had the boy around, I think.
Or would it?

Hmm.

Then there are days like today, where I am so grateful to have the freedom and resources to teach my children.  Like when one is physically unable write**, so I do her lessons out loud, one on one, and we have so much fun!

It was a good day at the Castle school.



**Princess #3 cut her hand severely on a broken china dish and had to have 8 stitches put in this weekend.  Gah!!  For those of you who know me, you know that the combination of blood and needles are my least favorite maladies put together.  Got vomit, I'm your gal.  Fever, coughing, snotty noses, poopy diapers, sign me up.  Blood, needles, wounds needing stitches, not so much.  Especially not on my sweet little girl.  But we made it through together, she was such a brave girl, much braver than her mama, who needed to put her head between her knees once the stitching needle came out.

Princess #3 is 7!!

And she got to celebrate on crutches!

Woot!

This was a year of a lot of growing up for

our spirited miss.

This was a year with a lot of learning for

her parents.

She is a blessing.

She has been used by God in my life to point out a lot of areas 

I didn't know I needed (and still need) to work on.

I should probably be more thankful for that. {grin}

Yay for Barbies!!

Here are some things that you should know about our precious girl,

our youngest daughter.

She is a/an:

*fast and furious bicycle rider.  No training wheels for this one!

*fabulous reader.

*aspiring seamstress.

*giver of neck-popping hugs.

*brave trier of new things.

*lover of all things Barbie.

*wonderful brother watcher.

*aspiring chef.

*quick witted teaser.

*infectious giggler.

We are so proud of her accomplishments this year.

A lot of things we take for granted, are struggles for her,

and she is learning to handle them with grace.

Cuddling her sweet Frosty Rudolph!

Happy 7th, my dear, my darling!!

The One Where I Get Shot

After a rough morning, involving, a tangled skein of yarn, an uncooperative yarn swift, and a little boy trying to help by turning the yarn winder unbeknownst to the untangler of the yarn (that would be me), tempers flared.  I took the Prince over to the family room, coerced lovingly convinced Princess #3 to occupy him with Little People and finished untangling the mess that the "helper" had made.  Once tidied up, I made the rounds apologizing to the helper and those who had to witness the "flare".  I went on to make lunch, when the Prince crept up behind me and shot me with his little laser gun.  After I pretended to be mortally wounded, I hear this little gem.

Princess #1:  Hey! Come and get me!

Prince:  I not bad guy. I just shoot mama!!

There you have it.

He wasn't a bad guy shooting an innocent lady.

He was protecting mankind from his evil mama.

Two More Things for the Christmas List

My toothless wonder!

I ♥ missing top teeth!

Overheard After Rest Time

Princess #3:  Did you have good sleeps?

Prince:  No. Scary monsters in my room.

Princess #3:  Monsters aren't real.  Maybe it was a shadow.

Prince:  No.  Scary bad guys.

Princess #3:  See here's a shadow (shows him her hand shadow), did the scary guy look like that?

Prince:  Yes.

Princess #3:  Okay, so it was a shadow, not something real.  You don't need to be afraid.

Prince:  Okay, Princess #3.  No be scared now.

I've said it before, but the relationship these two have is AMAZING!  Makes my heart melt to hear her help him conquer his fears.

Overheard While Playing Barbies

Princess #2:  This Barbie is mine.  I know because I got her when I was really little after I begged and begged Mama to get it for me.

Princess #3:  That never works for me.

Queen:  That's right! And don't you forget it!!

Soccer Soccer Soccer

It is the last week of soccer here at the Castle.

(Can I get an amen?!)

It's been fun to watch the girls play this year.

And I cannot say enough great and wonderful

things about the Upward Soccer Program

that they play with.

This was our fifth season and each year

it just gets better.

Karate Kid anyone??  Princess #3 played for the 'Hornets'
this year.  Or, as her coach fondly calls the girls,
the 'Annoying Hornets'. {grin} She learned to be an
awesome defender!!

That's Princess #1 there in the blue jersey running toward the goal.
Her 'Freedom' team was awesome!!  And she has scored a lot
of goals this year.

And that is Princess #2 wearing blue chasing after the ball.
Her team the 'Crunch' really improved their teamwork
over the season!

The One Where I Buy a Semi-Pornographic Thermometer

So, as I've mentioned before change is evil here at the Castle.  And change is upon us in the form of cooler weather.  For the last four years we have battled with Fall and every year he kicks our, well, you know.  So I just purchased a little something that I hope will help us win this round . . . a somewhat risque thermometer for our spirited miss.

As well as telling the temperature, there is a picture of a lady, who bears a striking resemblance to "Barbie" who is in various states of dress (or undress) as the weather dictates.  I am hopeful that this will help reinforce what I am telling my spirited little girl in terms of choosing weather appropriate clothing.  It was a relief to finally find one that fit her specific requirements (this is not our first attempt at this):  not a boy, not a little girl, not a girl that really looks like a boy.  Thank you amazon.com for having this lovely option this year!!

Fingers crossed that our little miss sees this as
"such a hot day, I should wear a tank top dress" and
*not*
"whoo-hoo I can get away with just wearing my unders".

Happiness Is . . .

. . . hearing your spirited child tell you how she is feeling instead of losing it.  Yay Princess #3!!!

The above may sound trivial, I know that I would have thought so if I had read this post four years ago.  However, this is a huge step of progress.  One that makes me teary and grateful that this may be the start of hearing more articulate and effective communication from my little girl!!  Thank you Lord!

A Knit A Week

I can still remember when I learned about dinosaurs.  

It was 2nd grade.

Mrs. Scherr's class.

I was hooked.

I checked out books from the library.

Wrote reports. 

Wrote stories.

I was enamored with the things.

Probably drove my parents and siblings nuts.

Or maybe I kept it to myself, as a secret love.

I don't quite remember.

Anyway, Princess #3 has a best friend.

That special little gal is a lover of dinosaurs.

I can't tell you how giddy this has made me.

So when I saw this sweater, I knew I had to make it for her.

Because when I was her age I would have wanted one.

Princess #3 was willing to model for me!

The dinosaurs march around the entire sweater.

The Details:

Pattern:  Diplodocus by Kate Oates

Yarn:  Knit Picks Swish Worsted

Verdict:  When I gave her the sweater, I blanked on the dinosaur's name.

This little sweet, took one look and told me:

It's a Diplodocus.

{grin}

I believe that says it all!!

Happiness Is . . .

. . . listening to my girls' play house, the way their mama does.

Princess #2:  Well, the kids are all in bed.

Princess #3:  Oh good.  It's time to knit!

Overheard at the Store

Princess #3:  Mama, I really want that Barbie car. 

Queen's side note:  It was one of those battery operated, kid-sized Barbie cars!

Queen:  It's $250, sweetie, Mama doesn't have $250 to spend on that.

Princess #3:  Well, you could save up for it Mama.

Queen's side note:  Doncha just love it when your own words come back to roost?

King:  Do you really think that if Mama had $250 to spend, she would spend it on a Barbie car for you?

Princess #2:  NO WAY! She would spend it on yarn!!

Queen's side note:  What can I say?  They know me well!!

Just Another Day . . .

. . . here at the Castle.  However, this day is starting with a trial.  It is the case of The Castle vs. Princess #1 aka the girl who didn't take her allergy meds.

I give you the cast in order of appearance:

The Judge--Princess #2 (finally her chance to boss the big sis legally)


The Defendant--Princess #1


Jury--Princess #3  (look out Princess #1, you're goin' down)

Witnesses--Mama, Princess #2, and Princess #3 (you can see where this trial is headed, can't you??)

Bailiff--The Prince who is patrolling the trial while riding his fire truck.

Verdict:  Apparently we'll find out after a commercial break (the Queen wonders if they have been secretly watching Judge Judy when she's not looking).
Aaaaannnnd we're back.  In a surprise twist, no one saw coming, the allergy medication is guilty because it forgot to tell Princess #1 that she needed to take it.
Justice has been served?!

The Queen thinks that this was a great intro into Civics, don't you?!?

Never a dull moment, although they are prayed for daily.

Overheard At/After School

Princess #1 (while trying to finish up school):  May I order something please?

Princess #3 (waitressing for Chef Princess #2):  Sure.

Princess #1:  Peace and quiet.

Princess #3:  I'm sorry, we don't have that.  We're just swamped with orders for veggie burgers and cotton candy.

Princess #1:  I tried.

Queen's side note:  It's hard to be the last one at the school table some days.  Especially on those days when the kitchen is busy cooking. {grin}
Thankfully Princess #1 is an old pro at tuning out her siblings' noise!

Life. Captured.