Ordinary Days

Not Exactly What I Meant

2012-02-04T11:06:00.001-05:00

I got fed up with a certain six year old telling me 'no' over and over and over, so I gave him a little assignment. I don't think he quite understood me, though..

Wanna Hear Something Funny?

2012-02-01T14:47:00.000-05:00

This actually isn't very funny, but I have to pretend or my head might just freakin' explode!

Someone thinks my husband has forced me to have "all these kids" against my will.
That someone also thinks my husband picked our current location to keep me "hidden away".
Said insane person also thinks we don't have enough food at our house.

This clearly-needs-to-be-institutionalized person has said the following to my face in the past:

A few weeks before my wedding: "You know, you don't have to get married."

Upon hearing the announcement of our fourth pregnancy: "I know you'd never get an abortion, but tell me the truth. Is he making you have these babies?"

(Some of you have probably already guessed this, but said person struggles with issues of loved ones always leaving/being stolen away. And, lucky me, I'm one of those loved ones.)

My problem is this. When I write it all in one spot, the amount of crazy is quite apparent. But 95% of the time, this person is a normal human. Also, a human who wants to spend time with my family... when my husband isn't around of course.

In my dream scenario, I'd love to tell this person that I know they think/have said all of this, that they are ctazy and wrong and deeply hurtful.

But this person is fragile that I could never actually do that.

Ugh, but maybe I just need to.

Thoughts?

I Know

2012-01-20T14:28:00.000-05:00

I had my six week postpartum check-up yesterday. I'm healed up just fine, says my doctor.

She asked how we've been adjusting to adding our fifth child to our home.

"Well, there's definitely more to do but we're just trying to take things easy."

A lot of people tell me I seem very calm and laid-back, especially for a mom who is carting around her own basketball team.

The thing is, I'm not. But none of us are. But maybe this is why I seem to be:

I know that, for at least a good long while, my dishes will never all be clean at the same time.

I know that no matter how hard we try, we won't get out of the door on time very often.

I know that the second we walk through the doors at church, I'll only then realize that someone's face is covered with jelly and someone else is wearing a shirt 2 sizes too small.

I know that my day will be one long song of diaper changes, discipline and dishes... on repeat.

I know that when I want the day to end, it will drag. And when I need more time, the day will be done before I can blink.

I know I'll never pee alone again for at least five years.

I know that some days I'll want to just throw in the towel. And many days I will.

And because I know all of this, I won't let myself be surprised by it. Not too often anyway....

And when I am, we'll probably hop in the car, drive to Starbucks for some cakepops and sing along with the radio cranked up, dancing in our seats until the people in the cars next to us join in.

At least that's what we did today.

To My Baby

2011-12-30T23:24:00.000-05:00

Dear Darling Baby Boy,

You've been out of my tummy and with us face-to-face for almost four weeks now. And other than your birth story, I haven't written a thing about you. Some might guess it's because I'm so busy with you. Newborns keep people busy, right? Well, not you, my sweet. You just keep me happy.

People ask how we're all doing with a new baby in the house. I tell them you must have known you are a fifth child because you are so easy. (Kind of like how you knew you'd be born in December so you came prepared with your very own blond man sweater.) They just remind me that maybe you seem so easy because I've had a little experience with babies before you came along. But I really do think you are the world's easiest baby.

I want to write down how very much I love you and how you make me feel like all is right and how I can see the work of God every time I look at you. I don't have the words to do my feelings for you any justice though.

Know that you are perfection and cherished and adored, my wonderful, gorgeous child.

Know that I cannot imagine my life without you.

More love than a heart can hold,
your Mama

His Story

2011-12-19T14:57:00.000-05:00

(This is a long one but I don't want to forget a single detail.)

Sundays are probably my favorite day of the week. The weekdays are busy with school and work. Saturdays are usually full of errands, visiting with my in-laws and all the odds and ends of to-do lists that were neglected throughout the week.

But Sundays are awesome. We usually start off with a nice breakfast. If I make it, it's scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, sausage and fruit. If Mr. O makes it, we're treated to a huge tray of orange rolls. The boys head off to an hour of Sunday School and then come back home. Then comes the part that might not sound fun to you, but we love it. We clean our house from top to bottom. I usually take care of the kitchen and fold laundry. The kids clean their rooms, put away their clothes and clean up the family room and school room. Mr. O does everything else. I'm talking bathrooms, vacuuming, laundry, mopping.

But we love it. We're together. There is no rush. We take our time as well as plenty of breaks. It's a quiet, slow day and, most importantly, we're all together.

So it seems perfect that it was on a Sunday that I labored at home with my fifth baby.

I didn't feel any different this Sunday. I'd felt like I could go any minute for over a week so my antsy mood that morning didn't clue me in to what the afternoon held. I took the boys to Sunday School and a man I've never met stopped me on my way out.

"When are you due?"

I told him the truth. "Yesterday."

He wished me luck and I drove home with a smile on my face, thinking of his kind words.

The time to pick the boys up rolled around and I just knew I didn't feel right so I asked Mr. Ordinary to get them for me.

By the time he got back, he found Sunshine and I in the bathtub. I told him I'd been feeling some tightness and he asked if this was "it". I said I hoped it was but couldn't be sure since I had thought so many other days had been "it". I hadn't had a contraction in awhile so he suggested I get out since maybe the bath was stalling things. I climbed out and as he handed me a towel I had a definite contraction. I held onto Mr. O and swayed my hips. It was a short one, less than a minute, and pretty tame. I figured if this was "it", the baby wouldn't be here for a long time.

I got dressed, making sure to pick nice undergarments since strangers were pretty likely to see them. I'm weird, I know. The whole getting dressed thing kinda wore me out, so I laid down on the bed and tried to take a little nap. I was woken up 2 or 3 times with still pretty tame contractions. They were about 20 minutes apart. Mr. O encouraged me to get up and moving a little bit to see if we could get the show on the road a little bit.

In the next few hours, I helped the boys decorate the Christmas tree, did some dishes, wiped down the kitchen, decorated the mantle for Christmas, finished packing my hospital bag and (here comes the weirdness again) blowdried and flat ironed my hair. I didn't want to go into the hospital looking like a mess!

And all the while I was having contractions and they kept getting closer together but never got too intense. Whatever I was doing, when I felt one coming on I'd call Mr. O. He'd stop whatever cleaning he was doing, come to me and rub my back while I swayed my hips through it. I leaned on the kitchen counter, the bed, the stair rail or just hung onto Mr. O's shoulders. When it was done he'd tell me what a good job I was doing and then we'd each head back to whatever it was we were doing before. It was perfect.

I usually seperated my hair into 4 sections when I'm straightening it. But this time I made smaller sections based on what I thought I could get through before the next contraction. I could feel one coming on and I told myself, "I can keep doing my hair throught this. I'm tough." I tried to block it out and get that last little section done but I had to take a second to breathe through it. I finished up when the contraction was over.

The time came when Mr. O walks the dog. My contractions were about ten minutes apart and he waited until one ended and ran out with the dog, telling me he;d be back before the next one started. Well, wouldn't you know it, I had one right then and there while I was trying to make my bed. I leaned on the footboard of the bed, determined to get through it so I could finish putting on the clean sheets. This one was so much more intense. I went to my knees and said to myself, "OK, it's time to go to the hospital." I kept telling myself that over and over, but my body couldn't move. As soon as the contraction let go, I hustled down the stairs and into the garage.

I opened the garage door just as Mr. O was coming back with the dog. I handed him my cell phone and told him to call his parents to come over and stay with our four kids who were happily playing in the basement, completely unaware of what was going on upstairs. My in-laws live about 8 minutes from our house but it seemed to take them forever to make that trip. During the wait, I held onto the bull bar on the front of my husbands Jeep and had a couple more whopper contractions right there in front of the neighbors. I was quiet, but they could tell what was going on. One called over to make sure everything was OK and I managed to give them a thumbs-up and a smile.

We got in the car and waited in the street until Mr. O's parents' car was in sight down the block. Then we headed off for the hospital. It was raining and traffic was a little bit heavy for almost five o'clock on a Sunday. I thought about worrying about all of that for a split-second, but then realized worrying about something that is out of my control doesn't make much sense. So I didn't. Instead, I just let my mind go blank, breathed through the three contractions as they came and listened to Pumped Up Kicks on the radio.

Mr. O handed off the keys to the hospital valet guy and off we went into the lobby. A contraction hit as we waited for the elevator. When the doors opened, I waddled in and grabbed the handrail and breathed. It still wasn't over when we reached our floor, but I couldn't move until it was over. Mr. O held the door and waited for me.

We walked up to the nurses' desk and I told them I was in labor. They asked me to go into a triage room to be evaluated. I told them it wouldn't be long and they gave that "Oh they all say that smile" and kept up a snail's pace anyway. I sat on the bed and answered as many of thei questions as I could, all the while reminding them that the baby was coming fast, before I asked, "Can somebody please take off my pants? I need to push." That got their attention.

A nurse and Mr. O ripped my pants off and another nurse checked me. I asked how dilated I was and she said, "Well, I'm trying to find your cervix. Wow. You're about 9 and a half, just a little lip on the left or you'd be ten. Let's get you a room." I wanted to scream I TOLD YOU SO! but I was too busy pushing while trying to not look like I was pushing. You see, the doctor wasn't there yet and I dind't want to be told to wait for the doctor. Mr. O caught on to my antics and asked me if I was pushing. I said, "I don't know" because I didn't want to say yes. I'm so sneaky.

They asked if I wanted to walk to the room or ride in a wheelchair. I asked if they could just push the bed, which they did. There was no way I'd be able to get myself into a chair at that point. We got to the room and I waited until my body told me I could move from one bed to the other. Another nurse checked me and said my bag of water was all that was keeping me pregnant. I asked them to pop it and they said the doctor would. Just like that, the doctor walked in. My water broke by itself, but only a little. The doctor helped it break the rest of the way. The contractions were hot and heavy and I was laying on my side, blowing raspberries, sweating like crazy and staring at the treeline glowing in a sunset out the window. And blowing raspberries? It felt soooo good! The nurse said, "Just do whatever you need to do, whatever feels right." The raspberries felt SO right.

And then I pushed. The doctor told me the baby was presenting chin first. She said when a baby is coming like this it's very difficult to deliver vaginally. Visions of C-Sections flashed in my head, and while I'd do whatever the baby needed to be born safely, I dreaded the thought of the time it'd take to prep me. I became even more determined to push the baby out. The doctor told me she'd try to reposition the baby manually while I pushed. And it worked. In just a few short pushes, out came my fifth child and fourth son.

They said I only managed a vaginal birth because I had pushed out babies before and was able to give slow, short controlled pushes. I was so happy it was over and everything had went fine.

All this happened only 28 minutes after I'd walked up to the nurses' desk.

Within an hour, we were sure what his name should be. And a couple of hours later, we shared it along with the news of his arrival and his very first picture with our families.

He was my second smallest baby. And he most definitely had the most hair, black and silky with a nice wave to it. The labor couldn't have been more ideal. And that sweet baby couldn't have been more perfect.

He is an absolute dream. So quiet and calm and wonderful. It's like he knows he's the fifth baby and decided to be extra easy and sweet for me.

And now we've had him here for awhile and he fits right in with our family. His brothers and sister adore him, rushing to look at his face first thing every morning, begging to help burp him and bring diapers for changes.

We all love him so much and I cannot even think of the words to describe how thankful we are for our sweet new boy.

This Is Why We Don't Tell You

2011-12-02T15:09:00.000-05:00

No baby yet. Just thought I'd pop in since it's been awhile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, what names do you like?"

"Oh, we have a list. Haven't quite narrowed it down just yet."

And? When we do narrow it down, we're not telling you then either.

When people find out we're in that crowd, the ones who keep their baby's name a secret until after it's born? They generally roll their eyes or beg us to tell them anyway.

But we still don't. And here is why. We want to meet them first. We want to know them first. We want to greet them and have them all to ourselves first.

Those same reasons are why we don't grab our phone and immediately call to announce the baby's arrival two minutes after it's been born.

We understand that everyone is excited and wants to be a part of this huge event. Totally get that. But for a little while, we want it to just be about us, to be a little selfish and keep it all our own little secret.

How do/did you handle new baby name sharing?

Just To Clarify...

2011-11-17T13:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, when I said if I get to 42 weeks I'll give birth at home on a pile of towels? I was exagerating just a wee bit.

My plan right now is to get my body into labor well before any kind of intervention becomes necessary. I plan on getting some prenatal massages complete with all kinds of labor inducing accupressure. And believe me, I will be getting those puppies daily if I go over my due date. I know, I know. They're expensive. But I cannot put a price on not being induced.

And if I do get to the point where I'd have to be induced? Well, then I'm willing to cave on this one and get an epidural. Getting a needle stuck in back and not feeling like an active part of delivering my baby (that's just my opinion) is only slightly less appealing than having hideous Pitocin injected into my body.

And now, just for fun, a grainy belly shot.

almost 38 weeks, baby #5

Some Words

2011-11-16T13:55:00.000-05:00

Do you know how many times I've opened up a clean. fresh, pretty, white "new post"... and then stared at it for awhile before closing it and heading over to facebook or twitter instead?

So.
Many.
Times.

I'm in that "the baby is almost here and I feel really quiet" zone. But at the same time I feel like my brain is just swimming in a million things I want to say but can't figure out how to string together.

So, I figure I'll just write. And I'll probably sound insane and nothing will make any sense and (Don't you click on that X!) everyone will probably give up on reading it before I'm done. But whatever.

I'm 37 weeks and 4 days, I'm 3 centimeters dilated and 50% thinned out. I go to the doctor again tomorrow and I hope that information won't be accurate for much longer. I'm ready to have this baby. I'm not feeling impatient, or stressed or achey. Just ready.

But that doesn't mean I'm feeling calm about it either. Truth is, after 3 relatively easy and beautiful and more-wonderful-than-I-could-have-ever-wished-for labors and deliveries, Sunshine's was way traumatic and has me kind of panicky this time around.

I was induced with her. The pain was so intense and unending and sell-your-soul-to-the-devil-to-make-it-stop bad.

My doctor knows better this time around and there is no way in heck Pitocin will be anywhere near my body this time around. My doctor promised that they would give me the full 42 weeks this time around. And guess what? If I go over 42 weeks, I'm just going to not go to my doctor. I swear, I will have this baby on a pile of towels at home before I let them induce me. You can bet on that. Promise.

But I know I can do it. I know I want to do it, naturally, that is. I know it will go great. I know these things. But that last time was just, well, a doozy as they say.

Sunshine just turned 2 and I really see her growing into a silly, sweet, strong young girl. I feel like it's OK to have another baby because she is just growing up so well. Does that make sense? You know, the guilt a mom feels when she rips the title of "Baby of the Family" from her youngest to hand it off to a newborn? I kinda just don't feel it this time around.

So, there are some words for you. Thanks for sticking around while I babbled. Hope I made at least a little bit of sense.

Military Memories

2011-11-11T09:10:00.000-05:00

(Reposted from last year.)

Vapors of Memories

That's me on the right and my friend, Becky, on the left.

As some of you may know, I was in the Army for four and half years. No, I'm not joking. I really was. I threw grenades, maxed out the female push-up score and dug a foxhole. I even ate those nasty ready-to-eat meals, and enjoyed them! Food is really good when you're hungry, even when it looks and tastes like cardboard.

Anyway...

I thought in honor of Veteran's Day I'd repost one of my favorite posts about my Army Days and links to a few others.

Enjoy!
******************************

Stepping out of the grocery store last night, I smelled a familiar scent in the air and wonderful memories came streaming back.

What was the scent? Well, it was car exhaust fumes. And what memories do I speak of? Memories of the little escapes in Basic Training. And, yes, one of the little things that provided a tiny escape from the constant physical activity, gun cleaning and 'Yes, Drill Sergeant's was the wonderful smell of exhaust fumes.

You may know a little of what military training is like from movies or TV shows, but no one truly knows unless you've been there. You are 100% cut off from the real world. There is no radio, no TV, no phone calls (for the first few weeks anyway) and definitely no computer.

No caffeinated beverages, no dessert, no smoking, no talking with someone of the opposite sex unless it had to do with completing a mission, no breaks, no choices.

But beyond that there were no wheels, only feet. We marched everywhere, rain or shine, 100 degrees or bitter cold, near or far. We might see a car occasionally in the distance down the road. And my friend McCoy, who was lucky enough to have family close-by, saw her parents car drive by each Sunday w/hands sneakily waving from inside the windows.

On a very rare occasion, we were loaded into old buses to be transported to the range for weapons training or dropped somewhere in the middle of nowhere for a fun little camp-out.

We would stand there, in a silent formation with our rifles slung over our shoulders, camo caked on our faces and heavy, heavy packs on our backs waiting for the command to board the bus. Yes, there was a command for boarding the buses. Just like there was a command for getting into our bunks each night. And a command for drinking water.

Anyway, as we stood there never quite knowing what laid ahead, we breathed in the exhaust from the old buses and if I closed my eyes tightly enough and managed to drown out the yells from the Drill Sergeants, I was for a short moment back home in Indy cruising The Circle with my friends looking for hot guys.
Of course, then I was snapped back to the real world by one of my battle buddies bumping into my rucksack and shoving me onto the bus.

So now when I get a nose full of that familiar smell, I remember when all we had were the little things. And how sometimes those little things were all you really needed to push you just a little further toward accomplishing your goal.

Roommates: The Good Ones

We Were Soldiers...And Girls

I'm In Love With Another Man

Whaddup Becky!!!

Encouraging Words: Nice Voices

2011-11-04T09:58:00.001-04:00

Things have been busy around here lately. I find myself stressing about getting enough "schooling" in before the baby comes. The weeks of pregnancy have flown and I find myself with a ton of preparing to do in what seems like not enough time.

With all of this rushing around feeling in our house, I seem to have lost my patience somewhere between packing my hospital bag and printing up extra worksheets for the boys to do while baby and I will be resting.

And as we all know, a mom's attitude most definitely rubs off on everyone else in the house.

So this week's Encouraging Words, while a good reminder for everyone, is pretty much pointed straight at me.

What encouraging words are you sharing with your family (or yourself) this week?
If you are reading this via email or in a reader, please click through to leave your link.

It's Just Who We Are

2011-10-31T14:32:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am one of those moms.

If we take our kids out to eat together, I'm going to order them milk to drink and see if the restourant offers fruit instead of fries.

You won't find any character themed items on our Christmas lists. And if you give us one, we'll likely smile and say thank you. And then, after you leave, we'll put it in our Goodwill box.

Same with candy, except it goes in the trashcan instead of Goodwill box.

My fridge and pantry are full of items marked organic. And when we meet at the park for a picnic, my kids' sandwiches will be on homemade bread and we'll have a reuasble BPA-free bottle filled with water instead of juice boxes.

No, we have no idea what that cartoon on Nickelodeon is about. My kids don't know Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber from Gloria Estefan and Lyle Lovett. And, no, we don't know what that video game you're talking about is because we don't have any video game thing-a-ma-jigs at our house.

I don't do any of this to make myself feel like I'm any better than you. I don't do it because I think it makes me a super-mom. I don't do it with my nose stuck up in the air. And I definitely don't do it to make you feel bad about your choices.

These decisions that my husband and I have made are based on what is important to us, what we think is best for our family.

And, like I said, I don't do it because it makes me feel superior. In fact, it often makes me feel awkward and embarrassed. Your kids wants to invite mine over to play XBox? Ugh, I feel so weird having to explain that we don't do video games. You offer my kids a bucket of candy to snack on when we visit? My pits get sweaty when I try to turn it down as nicely as I can. You show up at our picnic playdate with Happy Meals for your little ones and I blush when my boys announce, "We don't eat there. Their food is made from plastic." Sorry. That's how I explained it to them when they were little.

So please, just accept my family for who we are and we'll be more than happy to do the same for you.

Eversave Winner

2011-10-31T08:20:00.000-04:00

Good Monday morning to you all! Let's start this week off with a bit of a celebration, shall we?

Let's celebrate the winner of the $25 Eversave giveaway!

It's Michelle, the Holistic Homeschooler! Yay, Michelle! Enjoy. I'll be emailing you with the details shortly.

Hope everyone has a great Monday full of good coffee, laughter, hugs, awesome songs on the radio and maybe even a nap. :)

A Question & A Reminder

2011-10-28T14:04:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

Quick question for you:

What do you think of my Encouraging Words posts?

Do you enjoy reading them but would rather not participate?
Would you like to participate by linking up your own Encouraging Words posts on Fridays?
Could you care less?

You can be honest. I promise I won't cry.

Also, a quick reminder to enter my Eversave giveaway! It ends tonight at midnight and I'll announce the winner tomorrow!!!

Thanks! Hope your Friday is turning out to be amazing. :)

Pointy Pregnant Proof

2011-10-27T10:48:00.000-04:00

"Wow! You're all baby!" said the nurse.

Hmm, I guess so.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me, Baby #5, 34 weeks 5 days

Top Books On Parenting Advice (or what you really need to know)

2011-10-24T13:37:00.000-04:00

"You're doing it wrong."

Oh, how many times have we parents heard that? Or at least felt it or read something that made us believe that about ourselves?

I've determined that if I ever wrote a book, it'd be geared toward parents and I'd call it Would You Just Chill Out? ~ an expert's edvice on being a mom, by Ordinary Sarah. I can call myself an expert right? I mean I've been in this field for eight and a half years with five different kids. Yep, I'm going to go ahead and claim that title.

And what the heck, I'm just going to go ahead and write an enitre series. The next title will be You Don't Need This Book... and other parenting tips, by Ordinary Sarah.

Seriously, people. Here's what you do:

Take a breath.
Calm down.
Listen to your gut.
Act.
Did it work? Yippee! Not so much. No biggie. Try something else.

It's not that hard. Yes, there are some moments in our 'parenting careers' where we will feel completely lost and distressed and confused. That's when you call in the big dogs and get a little help.

But as far as the most things go, see the above bullet points. Lather, rinse, repeat.

You're going to mess up. We all do. No matter how hard we try and how 'right' the choices we make are, we're never going to achieve perfection. It will never all be a breeze.

But you know what? As long as they're still alive, reltively healthy, happy and kind at the end of the day? I say you're doing a bang up job!

And I remind you that after each and every day, there comes another. A chance to do it all over again. That's pretty nice, huh?

Woo hoo! It's A Giveaway From Eversave!

2011-10-21T11:03:00.000-04:00

Yep! You read that right. Today I'm opening up a giveaway from Eversave! I'm a huge fan of getting things for free. Yippee for free stuff! Especially when you get yo pick your own prize. Nice, right? Hooray!

So, have you heard of Eversave? It's a site with tons of daily deals, both local and national. And what I really like about it is that it has deals that I would actually consider buying, not just a bunch of very random offers that are only, like, 20% off like some other sites offer.

For instance, just today I see that in Indianapolis you can get $20 worth of merchandise at Lucky B Boutique in Broad Ripple for only $7! Hello, Christmas gifts!!!

Don't live in Indianapolis? No worries. Eversave features local deals in over 50 major cities as well national deals that are good for everyone!

Just signing up earns you an automatic $3 for your rewards account. And me? Well, I'm giving away $25 in rewards to one of you lucky people! $28 there can go a long way! Here's how you can enter:

This one is mandatory:

Leave me a comment. Any comment will do, but I'd love to hear your best money saving tips!

Additional optional forms of entry:

Head over to Eversave, sign up and tell me what deal is up for grabs in your area.
Like Eversave on facebook.
Follow Eversave on Twitter.
Tweet about this giveaway. You could say something like "Awesome @Eversave giveaway going on over at @OrdinarySarah's place! Swing by and enter! (giveaway link here)"

Be sure to leave a comment for each form of entry!

I'll close the giveaway and pick a winner next Friday, the 28th. Good luck!

All About The Day I Just Layed On The Couch

2011-10-20T14:02:00.000-04:00

I think I've gotten off the couch a grand total of three times today. Two were bathroom trips after I just couldn't hold it anymore and the other was to make lunch for the kids.

I woke up feeling so horrible, a beautiful mix of horrible sleep and an angry tummy. So it was then that I declared today an official Do Nothing Day.

The kids managed to rip open a box of toaster pastries and pour themselves milk for breakfast while I wondered if I was dying or not. And no matter how many ideas I gave them of places to look for my cell phone, no one could find it. It would not be cool to die in front of my kids and not be able to at least call someone first to let them know about the situation. Finally, I emailed Mr. Ordinary at work from my laptop and he saved the day by caling my phone. I heard it vibrating and sent the kids on a wild goose chase to find it before the voicemail picked up. And wouldn't you know it? There it was on the desk where I had sent them each at least once to look for it.

With my phone now safely nestled in the couch cushions, I snuggled up under some blankets and snoozed off and on while PBSKids babysat my kids for me. When they got bored with that, they played foosball, built amazing towers with blocks and then begged me for some schoolwork. Seriously, they asked me!

It took all I had to print up some worksheets for them before heading back to the couch to die some more.

My family room floor looks like a tornado hit. My kitchen table resembles something off of Hoarders. And I'm sure I'm just a treasure to look at right now.

So, how was your day?

It's Not Like They Say

2011-10-18T21:25:00.000-04:00

This afternoon I was sitting on the carpet, sipping a ridiculously good cup of (decaf) coffee and watching Mr. Ordinary work on a gorgeous, handmade wooden bench for our front hall. He was quiet, focused on lining up boards just right and tightening clamps just so.

Sunshine was in the room next door, working on the second hour of her afternoon nap.The boys were being quiet in the family room. I'm not sure exactly what they were doing, probably reading books or building a couch cushion fort or drawing or something.

And I thought and then whispered to Mr. Ordinary about how people always seem to think houses full of kids must be non-stop busy, full of noise and completely lacking in quiet times like these. Yes, there are moments in our days that are like that, but for the most part we get plenty of calm around here.

At first I think it's because it's expected. The kids know that with each afternoon comes a few hours of quiet time.

But then I think about how it just seems to be part of our nature to seek out some solitude and peace. My older two often wander off on their own with a book in hand. My 4 year old finds his peace with a pencil and a pad of paper, scribbling away rocketships and treehouses and long strings of random letters for hours on end. Sunshine even finds moments to quietly line up her dolls or empty all of her clean clothes into her dirty clothes hamper. Can't say I love that last one so much, but she seems to enjoy it.

Yes, our house is full of kids. And it's only going to get fuller. But that doesn't mean it's chaotic or deafening or unorganized.

Well, not all the time anyway.

***************
Today I decided to Just Write.

31 Days of a Happy Home: Happy Art

2011-10-15T22:29:00.000-04:00

I think my kitchen wall needs this.

source

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More 31 Days of a Happy Home here.

31 Days of a Happy Home: Sticking To Your Guns

2011-10-14T13:08:00.000-04:00

I don't like confrontation. I don't like being uncomfortable or making anyone else feel uncomfortable. I tend to bend over backward and even let some people walk all over me to avoid tense situations.

But when it comes to my home, there are some things that I just have to be firm about.

For instance, we are a Shoes Off At The Door household. I'm not asking to make anyone uncomfortable. It's a cleanliness thing for us. We have tons of little kids and we all pretty much live on our floor. I don't want pesticides, public bathroom gunk, dog poo and everything else that gets trampled through every day tracked into our house.

I've hung this sign at each entrance that kindly asks people to remove their shoes. And, even though it's not the most comfortable thing in the world for me to do, I ask them to please take off their shoes if they ignore the sign. Ugh, I hate that feeling. I wish they'd just take their shoes off so I wouldn't have to ask.

I'm also going to be buying some house slippers to offer guests who would be more comfortable that way. I also make sure to sweep and vacuum when I know company is coming so they have a nice, dog-hair and Cheerio free floor to walk on when they arrive. And we keep our floors swept and mopped all the time anyway.

Mr. Ordinary is building a beautiful bench with a shelf to go by the front door. Hopefully this will help with people who need to sit down to slip off their shoes.

But anyway, it's a big deal for us and I really don't get why it seems like some people just completely ignore our wishes.

But no matter how un-fun it is to stick to my guns on this issue, it's important to us so I do.

Do you have any stick to your guns issues about your home? Maybe you are a no TV house, or you don't like for visitors to bring gifts or candy. Do you have a strict no soda rule or no cursing rule?

I'd love to hear what rules you enforce to make your home a happy one!

Find more 31 Days of a Happy Home posts here.

Find more 31 Day-ers here.

Advice Please

2011-10-13T13:52:00.000-04:00

I'm going to take a quick break from my Happy Home series to ask your opinion on something.

Do you have a relative/family friend who is constantly shoving unhealthy food and/or candy into your children's mouths?

We try to eat as much real food as possible. You know, the kind where you can actually read the ingredients on the label or even the kind that comes with no labels, like fruit. Sure, we love a little candy now and then but we also think it should be saved for special occasions, like birthdays and holidays, not every day and this day and that day and all the days.

And, just like with the candy, we think presents should be reserved for special occasions too.

But we have some people in our lives that don't think these things at all. It's to the point that within one second of them stepping through our door, my kids automatically ask, "What did you bring me today???" or "Where's the candy???"

It's really frustrating to try to get our kids to stop asking for the gifts/candy when the giver keeps on giving, even though they know we don't like it. I have no problem being the bad guy with my kids but it's not fair that the ADULTS involved aren't helping the situation.

Then they try to bring "healthy" candy, which in their opinion, is anything marked "less fat" or "sugar free" or "smaller portions." All that to me says "loaded with crappy chemicals so it still tastes like it's full of sugar."

How about nothing at all??? Isn't a visit good enough?

So, help. Please! How do/would you handle situations like this? I'm at my wits end.

31 Days of a Happy Home: Invite the Happy

2011-10-12T20:45:00.000-04:00

I missed yesterday. But I have a good excuse! I promise!

It was my birthday. I'm now the big 2-9. Although, as Mr. Ordinary will tell you, I'm actually only seventeen and always will be. I stopped at that age, mentally, and refuse to advance.

Anyway...

Back to the birthday. Both my parents and Mr. O's came over last night. And during the time that is usually devoted to calming everyone down and getting them into bed, we were visiting and laughing and sharing and having such a good time.

You don't realize how much a little break from your routine can shake things up, in the best of ways. It was such a refreshing and happy evening for all of us.

So my tip for today is to invite the happy into your home. Ask over the ones you love, the neighbor mom you chat with over the fence, that friend you only see at the library or in the school pick-up line. Bring them, and the happiness they bring to you, into your home.

Read more of my 31 Days of a Happy Home series here.

Find more 31 Day-ers here.

31 Day-ers I'm Reading

31 Days of a Happy Home: Lowered Expectations

2011-10-10T17:48:00.000-04:00

I've written about this before, so you may know that I'm not much of a list maker or an errand runner.

I like having as little on my plate as possible. There is way too much loving and tickling and snuggling and lounging around to be done to have my time filled with getting ten million things done.

To me, having an unending list to be done equals stress and attention taken away from the important things in life. I'm not saying you should abandon all outside-the-home obligations, let your fridge go empty or ignore your bills. I'm just saying maybe you could take a look at your list and cut out and item or two (or twenty).

Today, we were lucky enough to have Mr. Ordinary home from work. And, since it can't be avoided completely, we did have a few things that just needed to get done. So, we did them... as quickly and efficiently as possible and then came home to just hang out. The boys watched a little Schoolhouse Rock and riding bikes while Sunshine napped. Mr. O worked on a fun little project and I sat in the yard, ate an apple, threw the core in the pond for the fish and then crunched leaves between my fingers for awhile.

And it was glorious! Sure, we could have done some schoolwork or cleaned the house or organized closets or something. But having plenty of downtime is just as important as those tasks to us.

Sometimes you just need a day of nothing to help you have a happy home.

Read the rest of my 31 Days of a Happy Home series here.

Find more 31 Day-ers here.

31 Day-ers I'm Reading

31 Days of a Happy Home: Fix It

2011-10-09T11:48:00.001-04:00

I am not a morning person. Like, at all. Just about every morning, I wake up to four bundles of energy ready for action! Or, ya know, breakfast. And I battle through it with tons of "please quiet down", lots of shushing and sometimes even threats that we're all going to go back to bed if we can't calm down already.

So mornings? Yep, they are my Achilles heal. (One of many, but that's beside the point.)

And I know they are. But what do I do about it? Umm, I whine and complain and beg and occasionally hide. And that? Well, it's not really working for me.

So, to break things down: I know what is sucking the happy out of my home (my attitude in the morning) and yet I'm waiting for it to magically fix itself. Makes total sense right? ;)

What I need to do is fix it!

Here are a few ideas I'm going to give a whirl:

Go to bed a little bit earlier.
Try to get ready for the morning the night before. Nothing crazy, just clearing the table so we actually have a place for our breakfast and getting a few school things ready ahead of time for an easy start.
Music. Call me crazy but I really think the music that is playing can set the mood. So maybe a little something soft and slow to encourage a bit of calm from everyone.

I'd love to hear your tips and tricks on making mornings smooth.

What is stealing the happy from your home? How do you plan to fix it?

Read the rest of my 31 Days of a Happy Home here.

Find more 31 Day-ers here.

31 Day-ers I'm Reading

31 Days of a Happy Home: What Makes You Happy?

2011-10-08T14:49:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd turn the tables today and do a little crowd-sourcing on what makes other people happy. My crowd? Well, they're my boys. Here is what they said makes them happy:

snuggling up in the morning
talking about love (from my romantic little 4yo)
laughter
getting tickled
Hot Wheels cars
vacation
riding bikes

Now it's your turn! What makes you happy?

Read the rest of my 31 Days of a Happy Home posts here.

Find more 31 Day-ers here.

Ordinary Days

Not Exactly What I Meant

Wanna Hear Something Funny?

I Know

To My Baby

His Story

This Is Why We Don't Tell You

Just To Clarify...

Some Words

Military Memories

Vapors of Memories

Encouraging Words: Nice Voices

It's Just Who We Are

Eversave Winner

A Question & A Reminder

Pointy Pregnant Proof

Top Books On Parenting Advice (or what you really need to know)

Woo hoo! It's A Giveaway From Eversave!

All About The Day I Just Layed On The Couch

It's Not Like They Say

31 Days of a Happy Home: Happy Art

31 Days of a Happy Home: Sticking To Your Guns

Advice Please

31 Days of a Happy Home: Invite the Happy

31 Days of a Happy Home: Lowered Expectations

31 Days of a Happy Home: Fix It

31 Days of a Happy Home: What Makes You Happy?

31 Day-ers I'll Be Reading