Yesterday was an eventful 24 hours - one in which my husband was awake for mostly the whole day! I had a couple of naps along the way.
It began at about 1:30 a.m. waking to begin our roadtrip. We decided to leave early in order to avoid rush hour traffic in two large cities: Atlanta and Birmingham. We were on our weekend whirlwind trip thru Nashville. Along the way we met my husband's parents in Birmingham to trade out vehicles with them. We traded our mini van for their full size van with a uhaul in tow, loaded down with furniture for our house. It is only a temporary trade in order to pull the uhaul trailor - I will make an addition trip in 2 weeks to trade back.
Leaving early was great as the kids slept for about the first 4 hours. We stopped and tok our time eating breakfast at Cracker Barrell. Then we had a little more time to kill in Birmingham waiting for John's parents. After a short visit with them we headed north to TN. This was definately the longest drive we have ever taken from Birmingham to Nashville. Pulling a uhaul really slows you down!
Our first stop in TN was to visit John's brother, dad and step mom at his old office. Then we headed to my mom's for dinner and to change. We left all the kids with her and my step dad for the evening to go to a costume party. On route to the party I also had to stop by a friends house for a quick pick up. Finally we got to the party around 9 p.m. central time - mind you we had started our day in eastern time.
We had fun mingling with old friends but were tired and ready to go around 11:30 but NO. We were stuck in the mud!!! We had borrowed my step dad's car to take to the party rather than driving the big van and uhaul around town. Several of the party guests were stuck, the tow truck didn't have a long enough cable to pull us out with so we weren't going anywhere. Fortunately, our dear friends took us back to my mom's house when we arrived around 1 p.m. - a full 24 hours later, since our day had begun.
Many other stories lay in between all of the above events but too many to mention for now. Now I know what a really long day feels like.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Women's retreat
This past weekend I got to enjoy some time away in the beautiful mountains. I went on a women's retreat with some ladies from my church. It was sponsored by the WIC presbytery in the middle NC area. So I also got to meet ladies from other churches in the area. It was a beautiful setting and a much needed time of spiritual renewal. Plus I got to enjoy some girl talk and late nights playing games and just being silly. We are already to planning to go again next year.
I did take Clara Bea with me as I have decided to continue nursing her. I think the stress and responsibility of it all sometimes sets in and becomes overwhelming. She had some long nights before we left but is having to readjust since being home again. She doesn't have the luxury of sleeping with mommy anymore. I've decided that a bottle of formula every now and then is a fine alternative to a happy and less stressed mom. Sometimes when you step away from your life and look at it from a new perspective, things seem clearer. Thank you Lord for giving me answers!
I did take Clara Bea with me as I have decided to continue nursing her. I think the stress and responsibility of it all sometimes sets in and becomes overwhelming. She had some long nights before we left but is having to readjust since being home again. She doesn't have the luxury of sleeping with mommy anymore. I've decided that a bottle of formula every now and then is a fine alternative to a happy and less stressed mom. Sometimes when you step away from your life and look at it from a new perspective, things seem clearer. Thank you Lord for giving me answers!
Monday, October 12, 2009
FALL FIELD TRIPS
We have been enjoying the autumn weather with some outdoor field trips this fall. We first visited an apple orchard - one that grows many different kinds. We toured the orchard via wagon ride, got to enjoy the beauty of a sunflower maze, the kids jumped around at the playground, and we stayed to enjoy a picnic lunch. We stopped by the store on our way out for some extra purchases, like apple syrup and an apple crisp mix.
The very next week we went to the Biltmore Estate for their honeschool day activities. The kids learned about time period dress, games the children would have played, plus lawn games, table etiquette, dances, what a tussy mussy was and how it was used, and much more. We had such a wonderful time that we plan to go again in the spring and hopefully take the daddies with us next time.
The very next week we went to the Biltmore Estate for their honeschool day activities. The kids learned about time period dress, games the children would have played, plus lawn games, table etiquette, dances, what a tussy mussy was and how it was used, and much more. We had such a wonderful time that we plan to go again in the spring and hopefully take the daddies with us next time.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Decisions
Sometimes I hate making decisions, especially when they greatly affect the lives of my children. Right now I'm contemplating the length of time I will breastfeed Clara Bea. Of course the first thing to consider is her health and the benefits it gives her, second on my list is the expense that formula would add to our budget each week. But right now I'm feeling very selfish in the matter. She doesn't go long between feedings and gets very fussy at about 2 1/2 hours. This is an exhausting task throughout my day. She also still wakes in the night to be fed. The frustrating part is I know she's not starving, She's gaining weight fine but is just demanding of my time. I'm not sure that formula feeding would solve these issues but at least the burden would be shared. My other secret motivation is to "get my body back". It seems like such a small sacrifice that I should be able to give her me for the first year of her life, but for some reason right now it seems endless.
Monday, September 28, 2009
It's hard to blog with one hand
Hey everybody,
Life has been busy around here. Most of the time that I sit down at the computer is a multi-tasking situation. I nurse Clara Bea in one arm and scroll the cursor through my emails and facebook with the other free hand. Therefore I have not had two free hands to type or blog lately. So in a few quick minutes, while the baby is otherwise entertained, I decided to try and catch up on my blogging.
The older girls are well into their school year in the second and fourth grades this year. We are enjoying a new science class every other Thursday, taught by a husband and wife team. They get lots of hands on and crafy science projects to bring home each week. I love it because I drop them off and get an hour and a half break from being the teacher. We enjoyed one field trip to an apple orchard last week and will taking another field trip to the Biltmore Plantation this week. I'm trying to not let opportunities pass me by this year. I wanted to do so many fun things last year but never committed to them, SO this year I'm trying to take advantage of as many as I possibly can.
Clara Bea is now 3 months old. She is so much more alert and interactive. She is however a bit spoiled - likes to be held a lot, and doesn't go long without nursing. She likes for her momma to be very nearby at all times. Last night was her first night to sleep in her crib. She did very well. So this month I am going to work on transitioning her into Kelsey's room. Well techinically it is both Clara and Kelsey's room, but Kelsey has been waiting for her sister to join her for some time now. Kelsey cries at night because she doesn't want to sleep by herself. She for the past year had shared a room with her big sister until we moved into the house. Now the two older girls are sharing again and Kelsey misses the company.
John has picked up an extra job on the nights and weekends. He is waiting tables again at a Lonestar Steakhouse. We are trying to catch up on some medical and other financial debt that we incurred with the move to NC. I am again teaching zumba at the YMCA and also teaching homeschool PE classes. So along with nursing a baby, working outside the home, schooling the children, general housework and mothering, soccer practices, and filling in with music at church we stay on the go. Evenings and bedtime routine are the hardest when John is not around. My 7 yr old has started crying at night because she's scared. She doesn't like it when her older sister falls asleep before her. They do sleep downstairs and she says she's afraid of the spiders - I feel sad for her, don't want her to be scared and yet I get really frustrated with her as well. I am usually nursing when she comes up crying and can't give her my sole attention to lay with her or comfort her. Please pray that her fears will subside.
Well that's it for now - next time I will be sure to include pictures with my post and hopefully it won't be so long in between times!
Life has been busy around here. Most of the time that I sit down at the computer is a multi-tasking situation. I nurse Clara Bea in one arm and scroll the cursor through my emails and facebook with the other free hand. Therefore I have not had two free hands to type or blog lately. So in a few quick minutes, while the baby is otherwise entertained, I decided to try and catch up on my blogging.
The older girls are well into their school year in the second and fourth grades this year. We are enjoying a new science class every other Thursday, taught by a husband and wife team. They get lots of hands on and crafy science projects to bring home each week. I love it because I drop them off and get an hour and a half break from being the teacher. We enjoyed one field trip to an apple orchard last week and will taking another field trip to the Biltmore Plantation this week. I'm trying to not let opportunities pass me by this year. I wanted to do so many fun things last year but never committed to them, SO this year I'm trying to take advantage of as many as I possibly can.
Clara Bea is now 3 months old. She is so much more alert and interactive. She is however a bit spoiled - likes to be held a lot, and doesn't go long without nursing. She likes for her momma to be very nearby at all times. Last night was her first night to sleep in her crib. She did very well. So this month I am going to work on transitioning her into Kelsey's room. Well techinically it is both Clara and Kelsey's room, but Kelsey has been waiting for her sister to join her for some time now. Kelsey cries at night because she doesn't want to sleep by herself. She for the past year had shared a room with her big sister until we moved into the house. Now the two older girls are sharing again and Kelsey misses the company.
John has picked up an extra job on the nights and weekends. He is waiting tables again at a Lonestar Steakhouse. We are trying to catch up on some medical and other financial debt that we incurred with the move to NC. I am again teaching zumba at the YMCA and also teaching homeschool PE classes. So along with nursing a baby, working outside the home, schooling the children, general housework and mothering, soccer practices, and filling in with music at church we stay on the go. Evenings and bedtime routine are the hardest when John is not around. My 7 yr old has started crying at night because she's scared. She doesn't like it when her older sister falls asleep before her. They do sleep downstairs and she says she's afraid of the spiders - I feel sad for her, don't want her to be scared and yet I get really frustrated with her as well. I am usually nursing when she comes up crying and can't give her my sole attention to lay with her or comfort her. Please pray that her fears will subside.
Well that's it for now - next time I will be sure to include pictures with my post and hopefully it won't be so long in between times!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Four is much harder than three
Time is passing quckly. The days go by so fast, already Clara Bea is 5 weeks old. I thought I would be so much further ahead and ready to take on the world again, but I'm not! I can't seem to get anything done before noon. I've never relied on other people's help this much in my entire life. Right now I feel like I will never be ready to take on our fall schedule with homeschooling, soccer practices, PE and zumba classes, let alone daily household chores.
I thought having child number four would be a breeze, especially with the older girls help. They are helpful especially when they will sit and hold her for 30 minutes while I simply take a shower. But my time is so divided right now. I am nursing so many times in the day, the baby wants to be held all the time, and the others require some of my attention, which they have unfortunately gone without lately. Anna has stepped up to breakfast and lunch duty. She has many times prepared cereal, sandwiches, or spaghettios for her and her sisters. I guess it will take some time to learn a new way of managing the household.
Today some of my girl friends had apparently sensed my stress. They purchased a baby bjorn for me to have. For the fifteen minutes that I used it this afternoon I already was able to accomplish more than I had the whole day before. Clara Bea likes to be with mommy and I guess feels comforted by the bouncing around as I walk from room to room. I think this will be my saving grace in the days to come.
Each mom talks about the transition from one child to two or from two children to three and so on - and which time seemed the most difficult. Well, this is definately my limit! I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I am a bit of a control freak but four children to manage is going to be about all I can handle. Thank you Lord for knowing my capablities and for giving me the grace to handle it all. May I serve You in all that I do.
I thought having child number four would be a breeze, especially with the older girls help. They are helpful especially when they will sit and hold her for 30 minutes while I simply take a shower. But my time is so divided right now. I am nursing so many times in the day, the baby wants to be held all the time, and the others require some of my attention, which they have unfortunately gone without lately. Anna has stepped up to breakfast and lunch duty. She has many times prepared cereal, sandwiches, or spaghettios for her and her sisters. I guess it will take some time to learn a new way of managing the household.
Today some of my girl friends had apparently sensed my stress. They purchased a baby bjorn for me to have. For the fifteen minutes that I used it this afternoon I already was able to accomplish more than I had the whole day before. Clara Bea likes to be with mommy and I guess feels comforted by the bouncing around as I walk from room to room. I think this will be my saving grace in the days to come.
Each mom talks about the transition from one child to two or from two children to three and so on - and which time seemed the most difficult. Well, this is definately my limit! I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I am a bit of a control freak but four children to manage is going to be about all I can handle. Thank you Lord for knowing my capablities and for giving me the grace to handle it all. May I serve You in all that I do.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Moving Day!
We got the keys to the rental house yesterday. We went over to clean which ended up being a huge task. The house had been sitting vacant for some time so there were many cobwebs and dead bugs to vacuum up, not to mention general cleaning of the bathrooms, kitchen, windows, and hard wood floors. Without the help of some very dear friends I could never have gotten it done on my own.
The house seems huge compared to the little apartment we have been living in for the past year. The kids are so excited and were sad that we didn't sleep there last night. They even discovered a secret hide out place behind a full size mirror in the downstairs bathroom. There is a cutout in the wall and they have made it their clubhouse.
Today I continue to pack the apartment. I feel like things are moving in fast forward right now and I can't keep up. I am not quite as prepared for this move as I'd like to be. And when things are out of my control I tend to panic a bit. Like last night when I was up with Clara Bea for a 2a.m. feeding and then couldn't seem to go back to sleep.
I will post pics of the house soon.
The house seems huge compared to the little apartment we have been living in for the past year. The kids are so excited and were sad that we didn't sleep there last night. They even discovered a secret hide out place behind a full size mirror in the downstairs bathroom. There is a cutout in the wall and they have made it their clubhouse.
Today I continue to pack the apartment. I feel like things are moving in fast forward right now and I can't keep up. I am not quite as prepared for this move as I'd like to be. And when things are out of my control I tend to panic a bit. Like last night when I was up with Clara Bea for a 2a.m. feeding and then couldn't seem to go back to sleep.
I will post pics of the house soon.
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