Ordinary Days

40+1 So Far

2009-11-06T21:15:00.002-05:00

My due date came and went yesterday. I had a non-stress test, which was actually more of a spa treatment than a test. I got to sit in a dimly lit room with pretty music playing softly in the background for about an hour while two little bands stretched across my super stretched belly measured the baby's heart rate and any uterine contractions. By the way, my uterus is such an attention whore because as soon as the machine was turned on it decided to show off with one monster contraction that lasted more than 2 minutes but of course turned out to be nothing.

Did I mention I was in a comfy leather recliner with Mr. Ordinary in a matching one right beside me. I got to sip some grape juice and do nothing but sit there and push a little clicker every time I felt the baby move. Mr. Ordinary actually fell asleep for a little while. I kinda wish these things had been mandatory throughout the pregnancy. Lord knows I could use a little prescribed period of rest from time to time.

So anyway the test results turned out fine and so did the ultrasound, which meant no induction just more waiting.

And about that ultrasound, yeah, I'm pretty sure this little girl has six toes on her right foot. I saw it, Mr. Ordinary saw it, even my sister saw it in the ultrasound pictures. I'm not worried about it though. It's not like it's an extra arm or something. I'll be sure to give a correct toe number update as soon as she decides to make her grand entrance.

Speaking of which, even though I've told EVERYONE that a mass text message will go out when the time comes I'm still getting constant phone calls, emails and texts asking "Anything yet?" I totally get the excitement and curiosity. But do you really think I enjoy rehashing "Nope, not yet" 500 times a day? Cause I don't. Please people, just trust that when she knocks on the door we WILL let you know.

And honestly? I'm not in any hurry. Other pregnancies, sure, I was ready by week 38 and each day after that I hoped every little twinge was the beginning of labor.

But with this little lady? I am completely at peace with her coming on her own time. I'm not uncomfortable. I'm enjoying taking it incredibly easy with lots of naps and resting and more naps. I'm not doing anything to try to rush things along, like walking or eating spicy foods or drinking special teas. I have put this completely in the two tiny wrinkly hands that inhabit my womb.

Still...

2009-11-02T09:47:00.003-05:00

I'm still here.

I'm still pregnant.

I'm still swollen.

I'm still waiting.

And while I'm all that, I'm also just trying to be still.

I've stopped jumping at every contraction, wondering if this one was the real one. I'm actually trying to ignore them completely until I'm sure at some point I won't be able to anymore. That's when it will be the one.

And until then, I"ll be be sitting right here. Teaching my boys, cleaning my house, taking long naps and many breaks.

And just being still.

You Capture: Technology

2009-10-22T11:49:00.004-04:00

I've always admired Beth's gorgeous photos over at I Should Be Folding Laundry (by the way, Best! Blog! Name! Ever!). And I really like her weekly You Capture Challenge. But you see, I'm not much of a photographer. Sure, I take pictures. But are they good enough to show off? Ummm, no.

But this week's topic of technology inspired me to post a picture from my camera that for some reason I am in love with. That's probably because I didn't take it. My 6yo did one day when he was goofing around with the camera, but in my opinion it is frame-able.

Then I was looking at my pictures and realized I kinda like this one too:

I realize they're both fuzzy and unedited and probably about as exciting for you to look at as slides of your neighbors Grand Canyon vacation. Call me crazy, but I see something special in them.

Sibling Sweetness, or more stuff never to say to a pregnant woman

2009-10-21T14:18:00.002-04:00

I never once worried about how my boys would react to having a new sibling. I knew before I even told them that they would be excited, that they would welcome the new little bundle with open arms, that they would love and adore a new baby before they even saw it's tiny face.

It's sounds insane to me when a certain someone offers up crazy thoughts like wondering if the boys will be jealous of their new sister or if they'll try to hurt her or become angry about her presence. Why so glum, chum? I mean seriously, try not to be so negative about everything. It really sucks the happy out of the air when you say these things.

Anyway, enough of that crap...

Let's get back to the good stuff, m'kay?

You see, my boys share a very tight bond. They also share a very tight room. That might have something to do with it... But we've always explained that our family is a team, that whenever we talk about each other only nice words should come out of our mouths, that we should always be trying to make each other happy with the things we say and do.

Please don't misread that last paragraph as "We are perfect!" because we are most definitely not. Why just this morning Future hit Big Boy over the head with a toy motorcycle handle bar thingy, Big Boy pushed him into the wooden frame of my bed and Monkey just refused to share his crackers with either of them because they "always eat them too fast" and he "never gets to eat any!"

But oh do the tons of moments of harmony in the ranks make up for little episodes like those, even if at times that don't outnumber them.

Just the other night as Big Boy (6) and I were finally folding and putting away the first load of clean baby clothes, I explained to him that because lots of people are sick right now he may not be able to visit Baby Sister at the hospital. I cannot even begin to describe how distraught that little fella was that he was going to miss the first couple of days of his sister's life.

He leaned over my tummy and began talking through a frog in his throat and tears in his eyes to his Baby Sister. I'm not sure of everything he said to her because I tried to kind of zone out and let them have this conversation. It was between the two of them, not me. But being so close, I couldn't help but overhear how he was sad to not be able to see her in the hospital like he had with his two little brothers. And he said "I just love you so much."

So will he be "setting her out in the middle of the street"* anytime soon? Yeah, I don't think so.

actual quote from an actual person, go ahead and sigh with disbelief, I know I did. Just a little tip, even if you are saying this in jest, just don't say it. M'kay?

No Room At The Inn

2009-10-19T09:08:00.005-04:00

In an effort to make small talk, my doctor always asks how baby preparations at home are going. I wasn't quite sure how to answer "Is the baby's room all ready to go?"

You see, dear doctor, there is no baby room. Unless of course you count the strip of carpet by my bed where her little bassinet and tiny 3 drawer dresser will go. And even that's not ready. But it's getting there!

Nope, we still haven't moved. It's kinda hard when no one wants to buy your house and you don't have the kind of money to cover two mortgages. So for now, the three brothers are still posted up in their room while Mr. Ordinary and I are at the other end of the hall. Baby Sister will be rooming in with us until she's too big for her bassinet.

This is nothing new though. All of the boys did the same thing. It made for super easy middle of the night diaper changes and feedings while their nursery waited for them to be a little bigger.

And guess what? Mr. Ordinary is so sweet that he's decided to upgrade our old bassinet to a more princess appropriate one of these:

Ain't she purty? Oh I'm in love! Actually, anything is better than the one that has lived in the garage for the past couple of years and won't let go of the lovely odor it acquired in it's time there. I washed and scrubbed that thing, I swear.

So yeah, the baby has no nursery. No rocking chair in the corner by a pretty little lamp. No matching crib set. No shelf full of tiny stuffed animals and baby books.

I've told her a million times that I'll make it up to her as soon as we move. And, you wanna know a secret? I don't think she really cares.

Whenver, Wherever

2009-10-16T13:23:00.003-04:00

Back on Christmas 2001, I got the Shakira CD. I also had to work Christmas Day from 3-11 at the front desk of a practically empty hotel. I was the only person working in the hotel. Remind me to tell you what that's like sometime.

Anyway, I took my Shakira CD to work along with a new cookbook my parents had gotten for me at my request. I was a barely 19 year old girl trying to get ready for married life, so I asked for a cookbook. Anyway....

So Shakira and I held down the front desk. I listened to Whenever, Wherever over and over and over thinking about how every single flipping word of that song fit our relationship so perfectly.

Let's look at the very first line, shall we? "Lucky you were born so far away so we can both make fun of distance"

My husband was born in Albania and we met in Army Basic Training. Our relationship was long distance with frequent all night drives from Indianapolis to Fort Bragg, NC and vice versa. And at that particular time, he was serving a six month tour in Kosovo. We laughed in the faces of people who complained about having to drive to the next city over to see their loved ones.

Next line: "Lucky that I love a foreign man for the lucky fact of his existence"

Like I said, he's from Albania. And all the facts that brought he and together are absolutely filled with luck.

"Baby I would climb the Andes solely to count the freckles on your body"

What can I say? He's a moley man.

"Never could imagine there were only ten million ways to love somebody"

Ah, young love! You can never get enough, am I right?

"Lucky that my lips not only mumble, they spill kisses like a fountain"

We're kissers. We kiss. A lot. It's fun. Try it sometime.

"Lucky that my breasts are small and humble so you don't confuse them with mountains"

Keep in mind this was before I birthed and breastfed 3 (soon to be 4) babies. I was the president of the itty bitty t*tty committee.

I'll stop there. You get the idea.

So do you and your significant other have a song? Is there a special song that you relate to or have a special memory attached to?

Shhhh...It's Time To Be Quiet

2009-10-13T14:00:00.004-04:00

No swine flu here. And Future? Yeah, he was getting teeth and had a little cold on top of that. Now that that's out of the way, onward... I dreamed about the baby the other night. She was tiny with a very round face and wispy brown hair. She stared right into your eyes and never cried. She had a calm serene look on her face that conveyed a feeling of happiness and comfort.

I looked at her and asked myself what her name was. And instantly I knew it was one of the names from our short list. I was happy with the outcome and woke knowing that while that name might not be the one our baby girl comes home with, I will know her name when I see her.

Another interesting aspect of the dream was that somehow, I was laying by her face as she entered the world and all I could see was her. I'm not sure what kind of yoga pose could allow this outside of dreamland but that moment was beautiful.

Everyone in our family was there for the birth and left immediately after. Just the opposite of how it has happened for us in the past. I adored the quietness of getting to know our daughter and just breath in her newness alone. I now know that no matter what time she is born, the first call will not go out until at least an hour later. That hour will be our time. The time when no one else even knows she has arrived yet, and we alone get to celebrate her physical entrance into our lives.

I've wanted to post so many things lately but words have failed me. I find myself in a quiet place ready and peacefully waiting for this tiny wonder to knock on the door.

My brain, which is usually overrun with thoughts, lists and noise is awash with the noise of an early morning ocean and I find that quietly sitting on the shore and taking it all in is the perfect place for me right now.

Sweet baby girl, Mama is waiting for you.

Oink Oink

2009-10-08T08:54:00.002-04:00

We took little 2yo Future to the doctor yesterday after two nights of random fevers, crankiness and a little bit of diarrhea. The pediatrician said he's been getting new cases of the Swine Flu hourly for the past week or so and it looked like Future had all the symptoms. He never ran the nose swab test on him but went ahead and prescribed Tamiflu for treatment so we could get started treating it right away.

The Dr. said I should call my Ob-Gyn and let her know to see if I should start the Tamiflu as well. She went ahead and ordered the scrip for me and also said I needed to go to the hospital lab and get tested.

I headed up to the hospital and was greeted like the apparent leper that I am and given a cute little blue mask to wear while walking through the main lobby over to the lab. Yeah, I felt super cool. I mean, who doesn't love it when EVERYONE is staring at you, right?

They shut me off in a little room by myself where I took this cool picture with my phone.

Next thing I know, a nurse in full Grey's Anatomy crash scene gear came in. She had on the robe, rubber gloves up to her elbows, hair cover thingie and a mask. She stuck some q-tips up my nostrils and wiggled them around and then told me I was good to go.

And, oh yeah, keep the mask on until you get to your car.

This is where I decided to take the insanely long stroll around the outside of the hospital to get to my car instead of the hallway that cuts through to the parking lot which is about 3 times shorter distance.

The walk across the lobby with the mask on was enough for me.

Did I mention I'm 36 weeks pregnant and that 'little stroll' left me huffing and puffing for the entire 20 minutes ride home? Yeah, cause it did.

Haven't heard back from the lab yet. But no news is good news, right?

Perfeect for Wordless Wednesday...because I have no words for this

2009-10-07T08:14:00.001-04:00

fuzzy, I know. here is what the back of the truck in front of me said: FUCHS LUBRICANTS CO. Oh my.

Homeschool Open House

2009-10-06T16:14:00.004-04:00

So, do you ring a bell to start your day? Do you have a set schedule each week? What subjects do you cover? How long does each school day last? DO you go on field trips? What laws do you have to follow?

Since we announced that we'd be homeschooling this year, we've recieved all of the above questions and more. I don't blame people for asking. In fact, I like that they are curious about it and seem to show genuine interest.

And for that reason, we decided to have a homeschooling open house.

We set out cookies and apple cider and invited everyone to take a peak into our new norm. I hung up a banner of pictures I have taken throughout our various homeschooling activities including pictures of gymnastics lessons and science class that the boys take at the YMCA.

I decorated the mantle and fire place with all of our "Words of the Week" flashcards. The dining room table was filled with the boys binders, workbooks and a few more pictures for everyone to flip through.

The boys loved showing off their new skills by reading the flashcards to our visitors, showing off their favorite work in their binders and putting together puzzles for everyone to see.

The entire day was such a success that people asked when we'd be having our next open house. They are genuinely interested in keeping up with what the boys are learning and doing in our first year's adventure of school at home. And I think that's awesome!

Three Oh

2009-09-29T14:02:00.002-04:00

Dear Sweet Wonderful Husband,

Today is your 30th birthday and because we are trying to be more frugal these days your gift will be a letter.

I've been trying to think of how to make your day special without a fancy present and I came up with not nagging or complaining all day. I've been doing this a lot lately and, while I conveniently like to blame pregnancy hormones, I know it probably is incredibly annoying. Heck, I even bug the crap out of myself when I start with my "I'm so tired! The boys did this and that today! Why can't you ever......blah blah blah" the second you walk through the door each afternoon. Yeah, I haven't done such a great job on that so far, but the day isn't over!

And about when you walk through the door? The fact that you leave for work before the sun has even thought of coming up just so you can come home earlier to spend time with your family is one of the great things I love so much about you.

That and your muscly physique. Yum! You know what else is sweet about you? That you call each of the boys 'best friend'. I'm sure that is something they will cherish forever and it makes my heart swell each time I hear it.

You dedicate your life to your family. By not only spending time with them, but spending quality time fishing, hiking, taking bike rides, exercising and reading with them I have been lucky to see a bond so strong grow between each of them and their Baba.

And after you give them a bath, tell them one of your many great stories and hold their hands until they fall asleep each night, you come to me. I would never know that you have just completed a busy day at work, then taking care of our home and children, when you turn your attention toward your lucky wife.

We spend our evenings together and I cherish each one. You are the master of the unrequested but never denied massage, you never fail to heed my direction of "talk to me" when I'm bored and I never tire of hearing you profess your love for me.

I've known you now for nine years and have had the pleasure of being your constant companion for 7 of them. I look forward to many more.

Happy Birthday, my beloved partner and best friend!

MWAH!

You Suck If...

2009-09-27T16:38:00.003-04:00

...you call at 8:45 on a Saturday morning and expect to see my house less than an hour later.

...you give us only two hours to get our house ready to show which we spend working our asses off to make it look as nice as possible and then you never even show up.

....you make us get our house ready for a showing and then the only feedback you leave is "We don't like the area." It's called Google Maps. Look it up before you waste our time!

...you come to see our house can decide the bedrooms are too small/you need a two car garage/the yard is too small. It's all on the listing!

I am so very exhausted from our house not selling. But I am even more tired of people requesting a showing and either not showing up or giving a big "No, thanks" over information available in the listing.

If you haven't ventured into the world of house buying yet, let me give you a little advice. Think of the people who live in that house before you request a showing. Don't do it on a whim. Make sure it will really be worth the time, energy, effort and hope that they put into getting their home ready for strangers to walk through.

Because, if you don't? Well, then you just suck!

What It's Really Like: Part 4

2009-09-25T13:51:00.004-04:00

I knew that along with being a mom there would be tons of diaper changing, tons of cooking and dishes, tons of laundry, tons of doctors appointments, tons of teething and diaper rashes and spitting up. I had heard about or read about all of those things.

But you know what you don't read about? You don't read about how many hours, or possibly days, of your life will be spent clipping finger and toe nails. Or about how many butts you will be responsible for wiping on a daily basis for years and years on end. How it will be up to you to keep up with haircuts and scrubbing the unscrubbable filth that sticks to knee caps, napes of necks and behind ears. Or about the disgusting huge amounts of earwax that will be your responsibility to dig out and dispose of.

Seriously people. Keeping up with these things alone is an absolute full time job. And it's one I'm not so good at. Regular baths, yeah I can stay on a decent schedule of that. But suddenly after a week of nightly baths when your children still look like they climb in and out of a dumpster for fun, you realize that you haven't been scrubbing those knees quite hard enough.

And nothing makes you feel like mother of the year than when you go out in public and realize your son's finger nails could quite possibly get him an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for longest on the dang planet.

Or when after he's been hugging on his uuber-cleanfreak grandparents, you realize that he has wads of wax in his ears the size of marbles? Yeah, that's a proud moment.

I was overwhelmed today by all of this and so after our morning lessons, each of the boys got a complete scrub down from head to toe to include mani-pedis and ear swabbing.

And now, beyond all the bodily cleansing I'm still trying to get caught up on washing peed-on sheets, shorts and underwear. Because suddenly, my boys have all decided to forget how to use the toilet.

I'm pretty sure there must be some contest going on about which kid can be the most slovenly. And let me tell you, it's a tight race!

What It's Really Like: Part 3

2009-09-23T09:25:00.001-04:00

Each day right after lunch, my sweet little 2 year old and I curl up on his tiny toddler bed and take a nap while his older brothers watch a movie. Yes, it's getting tight in that bed with my huge belly, but these are the last days of him being my baby and I'm savoring every last second.

What It's Really Like: Part 2

2009-09-22T13:45:00.002-04:00

Today Mr. Ordinary has been in the United States for 10 years. And two days ago he was leading our boys in abdominal exercises on their bedroom floor.

Just another day in the Ordinary household.

What It's Really Like

2009-09-21T10:43:00.004-04:00

I thought it might be fun this week to show what life is really like around the Ordinary House. You know, give you a sneak peek into our lives. Who doesn't love snooping right?

Now, it'd be even more fun if you'd play along so go grab your cameras and snap some average moments at your house that give us a glimpse of the real you!

Our family life centers around our dining room table. Not only do we eat there, we also play games here, do school here and plain old hang out around this circular wooden piece of furniture.

So it probably goes without saying that it gets cleaned off many times a day in preparation for it's next use. Although sometimes, things just get pushed to the middle and space is found somehow for our next project.

Here is an example of what our table looks like at a random point in the day:

So, what's on your table right now? Be honest!

Welcome to LBU, Laid Back Acadamy

2009-09-18T06:01:00.001-04:00

Kork asked a while back how the homeschooling was going. No, I don't plan on turning this into a blog dedicated to our homeschooling lives, but it is a big chunk of us that I can't just leave out.

So, Kork, this one is for you!

When I was first researching every aspect of homeschooling (See: reading lots of homeschoolers' blogs), I was dead set on using Sonlight curriculum. That is until I realized, hey we don't really have almost a thousand dollars to spend on some fancy curriculum. And I know what my boys need anyway. I basically widdled our lists of schooling goals down to the basics of math, beginning reading and exposure to whatever topics our boys want to know more about.

(We'll probably go with a set curriculum as they get a little older.)

I spent a whopping $19 at the Dollar Tree picking up some great workbooks, pencil boxes and crayons, pencils, markers and eraser to stuff them with.

I also picked up these amazing curriculum books from Brain Quest that I saw on display at the grocery store and they majority of our work has come from those. I got the Kindergarten version for my 4 year old because the Pre-K was basically a glorified coloring book, and the first grade version for my 6 year old because it covers all the basics I want to make sure he has down right now. I think they were about $15 each.

Our average day? We only work Monday through Thursday. Fridays are reserved for computer games, outings, or just hanging out if we're not in the mood. We spent last Friday researching sharks on the Internet and then telling everyone we know all the fun facts we learned. Did you know baby sharks swim away from their mothers right after birth because the mama might eat them? Neither did I? But now I do!

We start out with a bible lesson from our Children's Bible. After reading the lesson we talk about it for a couple of minutes and then move on.

We usually do something together, then the boys work independently on a math or phonics worksheet while I go back and forth between them helping them out. We repeat the together, independent thing once more and then we do some fun activity like puzzles or art or card games to wrap up the main part of our work day.

That all usually lasts from about 9am to 10:30 or 11. By then we need to blow off some steam so it's off to a park or picnic with Mr. Ordinary.

While the little fella (2yo) naps, the boys each have a quiet time assignment to complete before they can watch TV. Some of our quiet time activities are our sorting hangers (hangers with clothes pins of either the Alphabet, number 1-20 or the letters of their name written on each), mazes, simple math or phonics worksheets or puzzles.

Each evening, Mr. Ordinary checks over their work with them and reads them books.

I try to make sure we have tons of play time, plenty of wake-up time in the morning (a TV show or two, a good breakfast, and no rushing before school starts) and breaks whenever we need them. Boys bouncing out of their chairs and work unfinished? Who cares! We obviously need to get outside and play for a bit.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We are madly in love with homeschooling and it is most definitely working for us.

I guess the main thing I want to share about it all is that with homeschooling it's all about what works for you. Seriously, there is no one following you around making sure you ring a bell at 8am on the dot, or making sure you cover every subject every day, or making sure you ever do a single worksheet. Want to spend a week in the yard talking about animals you see? Go for it! Want to visit Daddy at work and explore exactly how a copy machine or backhoe or grill works? Perfect!

If you have anymore questions, I'd love to answer them!

It's All A Conspiracy To Steal Toys

2009-09-17T15:37:00.004-04:00

Today I was trying to convince my 2 and 4 year olds to stay in the playroom at the YMCA so I could have a beautiful hour to myself to read a book and maybe consume a sugary beverage from the coke machine ALL BY MYSELF while my oldest was in his gymnastics lesson.

They weren't having it. No matter what I did or how I made an idiot of myself, none of the toys appealed to them and they wanted nothing more than to stay with Mama. I bounced around some balls and pushed around some trucks. I showed them the cool blocks and action figures and pointed out how the other kids were having so much fun.

Somewhere in the midst of selling them on the best damn playroom in the world, a little boy no older than 2 came up to me and patted my belly.

He was cute and I said, "Yeah, that's my baby!" while I patted my belly with him.

He looked at me with great concern on his face and said, "Ball?"

"Yes, it looks like a ball doesn't it!"

But after he tried to lift my shirt and then punched me full force in the gut, I realized he actually thought I was trying to smuggle out a basketball.

Hey, at least he didn't call me fatty!

Click In The Night

2009-09-15T09:52:00.003-04:00

Every night, at least once, we hear the pitter patter of little feet smacking against the hardwood hallway floor while sprinting to our bedroom.

I usually begin poking my husband in the ribs to alert him of the little intruder so he can usher them back to their beds. I'm just not up to carrying squirmy little boys in the middle of the night these days so it falls to him.

Last night I heard a few little footsteps so the poking commenced. But then the footsteps stopped so I thought it was all in my mind. The poking stopped.

Then I heard the dog get up, walk around a little, and flop himself down in a different position so I figured what I had heard before must have been him. I put my head back down on my pillow and closed my eyes, ready to drift off to sleep again.

But wait! What was that? More footsteps. This time I swore they were coming from the living room. The dog wasn't doing anything which ruled out intruder, but the footsteps weren't coming toward our bedroom so I was left wondering, "Am I dreaming or is one of the boys roaming the house at midnight?"

Before I could think about it for very long, I heard a familiar noise.

Click!

That was the front door lock!

Recommence poking, this time with great vigor. My husband ran to the living room just in time to find our 4 year old with his shoes on about to go get his McAllister's cup from the car....at midnight!

After being ushered back to bed, he tried the whole scheme one more time! The poor little booger was half asleep and thirsty and he just wanted to finish his cup of milk from dinner out.

Imagine if I hadn't been awakened by his tiny noises! This freaks me right out!

Have you had any issues like this? Any sleep walkers or escapees on your watch?

Beautiful (And Frugal)

2009-09-11T02:50:00.000-04:00

My mom recenlty celebrated her 65th birthday. And to celebrate, we had a party at my house. When I was thinking of a theme fitting for my mom, I immediately thought of gardens.

If you ever ask her what she wants for Christmas, she'll tell you pot holders and garden decorations.

Her back yard is decked out in arches covered in morning glories and a square-shaped, railroad tie-edged garden filled to the brim with flowers she has collected from friends' yards, garage sales, and seed packets picked up while on vacation. You'll find a gorgeous and eclectic variety of cement, terra cotta, and wrought iron planters lovingly rotated with flowers of the season, lining her back patio and hedge-lined driveway.

I wanted her party to reflect her beautiful garden style, but not my dandelion budget.

Here is what I did:

I started with my Ball jars. I already had plenty of them on hand for canning season, but the good thing about something like Ball jars is that not only are they functional but also classically beautiful.

I headed to the grocery and, with a $10 budget, picked up a bouquet of soft colored carnations and a bouquet of baby's breath.

The combination of a few jars with tiny arrangements scattered throughout the party area gave the garden feel.

I could have gone to the dollar store for some crepe paper and balloons, but that just didn't feel right for a 65 year old mother of 7 and grandmother to almost 20. So I made a homemade pennant banner by cutting triangles out of coordinating scrapbook paper I had and handwriting the letters of her birthday message before attaching them to some yarn with butterfly clips.

And for ambiance, I lit some tea-lights in smaller canning jars and lined them up on the mantle. I also tied some small white ribbon around the neck of each jar to add a little more fancy to it all. Who doesn't love a little more fancy in their life, right?

That's it! For 10 dollars and a collection of things I had around the house, I set the mood for a garden-themed party I hope my mom will never forget!

A Study in Art and Photography

2009-09-10T07:42:00.000-04:00

artwork and photography 6 year old, Big Boy

Gazpacho on the Porch

2009-09-09T05:01:00.000-04:00

Homemade, homegrown gazpacho.

Click here and here for more WW.

Did You Know....

2009-09-08T14:03:00.005-04:00

I saw this little gem was on the wall of the Magic House when we were in St. Louis a few weeks back.

437? Seriously? I'm sorry but I just don't believe that. There is no way that can be correct.

.......I'm sure they actually ask WAY more!

I've actually had to start telling my 4year old to stop asking questions about things he already knows.

No, I'm not trying to inhibit his learning or squash his curiosity. It's other lines of questioning that have recently been driving me insane.

"The just said "Tonight's gonna be a good night" right, Mama?"

"Yes. We've talked about this song 400 times today. Please stop asking that same question over and over. You are not allowed to ask that question anymore today, okay?"

Here are some other "facts" I've gathered through thorough scientific studies (a.k.a. 'being a mom'):

Did you know: 4 year olds need to be walked just like dogs. If not thoroughly exercised at least twice daily, they are liable to chew through leather shoes, run in small circles chasing themselves and pee on the carpet....your 4 year old, not your dog.
Did you know: 4 year olds do not care if their shoes do not fit properly. They will wear ill fitting, flipper like sandals because they love them. They do not care if said flipper-like sandals cause them to fall 3 times in one day, each fall resulting in blood-shed. And all mom and dad can say is the ever popular excuse of "He fell" when CPS (or nosey people) ask why they are so banged up.
Did you know: While a 4 year old may only weigh between 35-40 pounds, they are miraculously able to eat two times their weight each day in bananas, pop-tarts, sausage and untoasted frozen waffles.
Did you know: When the extremely rare moment of stillness comes upon your 4 year old, they can be the sweetest snugglers, nose kissers, and speech givers on why you are such a great mama? That is, until they need another waffle.

What little known facts have you discovered in your career as a child research analyst (mommy)?

My Labor Days

2009-09-07T13:48:00.003-04:00

With all this "Wah-wah-wah! Woe is me" crap I've been writing lately, I'm making even myself tired of eme.

So I've decided I'm gonna take things easy for a week or so and just post all light and fluffy stuff. My mood is easily affected by my surroundings, including posts I read and ones I write, so we'll see if this little experiment in all things light and fluffy does anything in that department.

One of my homegirls from Blissdom, Diaper Diaries, did this fun little Labor Day meme today and so I thought, what the heck, I'll do it too!

(For the sake of brevity and lightness, I'll refer to my boys as #1, #2, and #3.)

How long were your labors?

#1-I was induced a little after 6:30pm and a quiet baby boy popped into the world just past 1am. My water broke and real labor started just after 11pm, so a little over 2 hours.

#2-This insane little guy wanted to come in quite a hurry. I woke up just after 6 am thinking I was experiencing Taco Bell's revenge, when to my great surprise, it was #2 who made his debut a little after 9am. Real labor? About two hours.

#3-This sweet fella decided to play with me the entire day before he was born, while my husband was working of course. I remembering very clearly pretending to sing Happy Birthday at my nephew's birthday party while secretly breathing through a contraction so as not to alarm anyone there. I knew I wasn't close enough yet and just wanted to keep things to myself until it was necessary to let other know. It became necessary much later that night. True labor? From about 1am until he popped out just after 4.

How did you know you were in labor?

#1-My water broke all over the hospital bed while I was playing cards and waiting for things to get started. #2-I had the horrible urge to poop about every 5 minutes. Enough to wake me from a deep sleep. Took me a minute to put "2" and 2 together, but it finally hit me that it was the baby, not the bean burrito. #3-A day of annoying sporadic contractions turned into powerful monsters.

Where did you deliver?

All at the hospital, but the doctors mostly sat back and let me take care of everything so it all was very natural and calm.

Drugs?

Let me just tell you that being induced is no picnic. I did end up getting something through my IV toward the very end. It ended up making me feel loopy and groggy and I promised myself I'd never do that again. So I didn't. Not a single drug came near me with the other two until after the delivery.

Honestly, natural labor really isn't that bad as long as you realize you're basically just along for the ride and it's your body, not your mind, that is in control. But afterwards? Yeah, it feels like someone has beaten your nether regions with a baseball bat.

C-Section?

Nope. I was "threatened with words forceps and suction when my pushing was getting #1 nowhere. It's amazing how quickly you can become an expert pusher when you're faced with something possibly deforming your baby's head.

Who delivered?

#1-An OB-GYN in training on a military base. She was sweet and smart but looking back, her urgency for an induction and use of forceps or suction makes me think she wasn't quite up to par.

#2-My doctor. Love her! She let me do whatever felt right and only sat back, smiled and caught.

#3-Some dude who was on call. Bastard had me in stirrups and gave me an "I have no clue why the baby isn't moving down" face instead of encouragement when I opened my eyes mid-push.

I'd love to hear your labor stories! Let me know if you do this light and fluffy little meme too, okay?

Mr. Ordinary Saves The Day

2009-09-04T13:03:00.001-04:00

Just received this from Mr. Ordinary:

Hunky Foreigner Massage Service

Special of the Week

FREE 1-hour massage for those customers who meet all the following criteria:

Devout mother
Totally awesome wife
Named Sarah

Please support our advertiser Ordinary Days blog. ---------------------------------------

Yeah, he pretty much rocks my socks.