Confessions of a Confined Housewife

Well, it's payday and it's already done for. Bills are paid, groceries bought, car filled up, and we have about $92.00 left over for the next two weeks. In the past, I would have normally found myself clawing at the walls to get out of the house, but lately, maybe I've grown use to staying home, but it's not been too bad. Now that we are in a bigger house, it doesn't feel so confining as the smaller house seemed. So, here's a couple of my confessions I'd like to share that help me keep my sanity, and indulge in a couple of guilty pleasures too.

1. I hide a bag of chocolate chips for the nights that are really stressful. I won't share with the kids or Curtis. Um, sometimes this carries over to cookies, nuts, chocolate, and uh, sometimes corn dogs.

2. I try to sneak sodas. We are trying to cut out sodas all together, but once again, on a really stressful day, I try to convince him to bring me one. You know what's strange? If I go a week without one and then drink one, they taste horrible! Why do I keep wanting them?

3. Guilty pleasure: staying up to 1:00 a.m. talking to Shiloah on the phone.

4. I like to color fuzzy posters.

5. Spending all this time at home gives me an incentive to clean out the closet that drives me insane, organize the heap of stuff I never use, go through the kids' clothes and scale those down, or their toys. Yet, my bedroom still looks like a pig sty. Remind me again why we can't get our own clothes put away?

6. Guilty pleasure: We might be low on gas, have 4.00 in our bank account, but I will find a magazine and some treat at the dollar store that is 1 mile from our house and spend an hour sitting in the van, reading, eating/drinking, and listening to absolutely NOTHING in a parking lot!!

7. Locking the door to the bathroom and reading in the bathtub.

8. Having pancakes, sausage/bacon, and fruit for breakfast. Sometimes I just wish it was in bed, then it would be perfect, except for the toddler that would insist on joining me because it's SO cool to eat in bed and jostle it around that everything would spill onto the bed. On second thought, I'll just take breakfast at the table, even if I have to make it all myself.

9. Guilty pleasure: driving aimlessly around town. Sometimes to look at gardens, Christmas lights, weather formations, houses for sale that I'll never be able to buy. It's just getting out of the house.

10. Hanging clothes out to dry. Usually, I'm out there by myself or the kids are off playing, so it's some time to be outside, in the sunshine, and alone. I like to sit out there and drink a soda too (well, when I can get one).

11. Playing a repetitive and boring computer game, but passes time when I'm bored.


So, anyone else care to share their confessions? One day, I know life won't always be like this and my home won't always be full of children, so usually, I enjoy my time with my kids, but you know, there's just those moments you HAVE to get away.

The Thanksgiving Menu

The other night, Shiloah and I were reminiscing about a Thanksgiving we spent together two years ago. It was in Colorado, both of us away from immediate families, (heck, I think we are at a point we consider ourselves family anyway by now), and a mutual friend from Utah (previously had lived in Texas with us) came to share in the festivities. That meal we shared is what dreams are made of. I don't think one thing was flawed, everything, down to the last crumb was perfection. I actually found myself laying in bed the other morning remembering all we had that day. If Thanksgiving is about food, family, and friends, that day is what you would strive for.

On the menu that day was: (forgive me if I leave something out...there was so much!)
Pumpkin soup
Yam-Yam rolls
Croissants
Turkey
Stuffing with cranberries and nuts
Green bean casserole, from scratch
Pinwheels
Corn
Sweet Potato casserole
Mashed potatoes
Frog Eye salad
Pumpkin pie
Ganoche (spelling?)
Mint chocolate cheesecake
Something orange cheesecake
Apple pie with fried apples..I crave this pie all the time!

We went through 3-4 lbs of butter that day!!!

We did try the "Liquid Thanksgiving Meal", which had been put out by Jone's soda, which was absolutely disgusting. Every try brussel sprout soda? It smelled like the sewer. I think Curtis was the only one brave enough to try it, nobody else could get past the smell. My only regret was that being half way through a pregnancy, I couldn't eat as much as I had wanted. Everything was so good! Later that night we played games. Curtis went home with the boys around 10-11, but I stayed and visited with Shiloah and our friend into the wee hours of the morning, nothing but good ole' girl talk.

I think that Thanksgiving is right up there with one of the best I ever had. This year won't be so festive. Our whole family was recently diagnosed with multiple food allergies, so food will be limited in what we can enjoy. It will also only be us celebrating, and bonus: we are supposed to get snow that day and into the weekend! Perfect for entering the Christmas season and getting our tree up.

What's on your menu this year? Anyone care to share some awesome recipe?

Grow your own Bionics

This was so funny! The Mother-Lode blog posted an interesting and funny post called "Grow your own Bionics." It is a humorous yet true post on motherhood and the need for more limbs! LOL! Enjoy!

How to Lose a Tooth

Three of my kids are at the age to be loosing teeth. They've all started at about the same age, 5, and it's just progressing. Jesse has probably lost the most teeth at this point, and has yet to loose the two teeth on either side of the front teeth. Is it just me, or do those permanent teeth in front always look huge on them? Anyway, these two teeth are just tiny beside the front teeth, and it seems they have been loose for a long, long time.

Tonight, Jesse took the trash out. He choose to go out the sliding door in our kitchen that leads onto a deck. I've strung three clothes lines across the deck since my dryer is still not working to it's fullest power. It was dark, and as he came back up the stairs, he forgot about the clothesline and well, clotheslined himself.

Conversation went as such:

Jesse: "Well, I just figured out another way to loose a tooth."
Me: "Really? How's that?"
Jesse: "You just forget about the clothesline and walk into it. See? It almost ripped my tooth out!"
Me: (Laughing at the poor kid)

It was bleeding and sitting at an angle, and then he was able to just push it out with his tongue. I don't think I get too squeamish over many things, but them loosing teeth is just too much for me...I can't handle the sound, the feel, and I'm scared if I pull it out for them it will be painful.

Tonight we all learned something new! A new way to loose a tooth, and the kids discovered they can pull their own teeth out! It's a win-win situation!

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when the kids trash out the house I simply remember my "favorite" things and then I don't feel so bad.

Let's face it, mothering is a tough job and definitely not for the faint of heart. There is nothing like a child smearing poop on the walls and toys or Crisco on your floors to make a mom want to climb the wall. That is when humor is the best medicine and will save your sanity and help diffuse your temper.

In difficult times or at the end of a really trying day, I call up my friend Dawn and we list our "favorite"- spoken facetiously- things. Then, most importantly, we have a good, long laugh. It is amazing how many of our trials relating to our children seem to be universal. Have a good laugh today at my expense and know that after the shock wears off, I'm laughing too!

While my list may not include bright copper kettles unless they are stained, dented, or in the backyard used as a play-toy, or warm woolen mittens unless there is a missing one, it is definitely full of other interesting things! Without further adieu, here is my list of "favorite" things:

• Two loads of laundry in a row that smell like something died in the washing machine.
• Suspicious "poopy" looking objects on the bathroom floor. After a sniff test I find that it is a mini chocolate bar molded into a turd shape.
• Empty cups in the refrigerator.
• Kids wearing their best "Little Orphan Annie" clothes in public.
• A dirty diaper falling out of the van when the door opens and someone is passing by looking at it.
• Rancid milk sippy cups.
• Scratched DVD's and CD's
• All of my Wilton's sugars dumped onto the floor.
• Powdered sugar dumped out all over the pantry.
• Old, dry crusts of bread found in the bottom of the toy bin.
• Apple cores- need I say more?
• Surprises left in the toilet instead of flushed.
• Toys and underwear flushed down the toilet

This list could truly be massive, but I'm letting go the things from last week. I love my children and the life full of surprises that I lead. Laughter is the best medicine and makes me enjoy telling the stories and helps me get through the day with a cheerful attitude- most of the time!

It's that time of the Night- BEDTIME

It is the pumpkin hour, no not midnight, it is 8 o'clock. When Wee willie Winkie runs through the town looking for kids out of bed, I'm lingering on my knees a little longer after family prayer praying for the strength to get through BEDTIME.

We have two children with special needs, a toddler, a nursing baby, and three older children. I have an intense bedtime routine for the sake of keeping them in bed. It works, it's just long.

We begin with pajama time after baths. This is quickly followed up by one chapter in the scriptures unless it's a really bad night. A really bad night means Madi, who has possible autism, is having a long fit and I'm restraining her, while the baby tries to crawl on me and Madi is trying to punch or kick her, and Meri is screaming too. All this while my older children are reading and Makenzie is sneaking off getting ice out of my freezer to chew. On nights like this we'll read five verses and call it "good." If we are having a "good" night we'll even read some in our family reading book.

Next, I file them all upstairs just to get overwhelmed by the mess. Every morning it gets cleaned and throughout the day, but by bedtime we're back to messes again. By messes I mean laundry, toys, books--the usual. I assign pick-up tasks and then read one to two books to the younger three girls. I end up reciting Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers on the average of ten times.

Then I say a prayer with Meri (2). If I try to cheat on a night that I'm tired and lie on her bed, she gets mad and reminds me to kneel. She then promptly crawls off of her big twin bed and kneels to remind her forgetful mother how to pray properly. Next is a song of her choice which is usually "Popcorn Popping". Then a kiss and a quick reminder that I'm not going to put the baby gate up unless she gets out of bed.

Next is Madi. She gets the Rescue Remedy cream on orders from the natropath she is seeing. Then I say her prayer with her, sing her a song which is usually "Popcorn Popping", have a quick discussion about how the sandman isn't scary and only sprinkles disappearing sand or reciting Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers three more times. It is whichever she insists on, and then I kiss her good night.

Bella (9 months) is usually crawling or walking around me, fussing or climbing me like I'm a jungle gym while I attempt all of this. Next is Makenzie (6). She is quicker to put to bed with a quick prayer and song.

Thank GOODNESS the older children can do this themselves or it would take me all night. I'm usually so tired after all of this that I sit and check some emails and then read before I go to bed myself.

It never hits me that I have to do all this until after dinner and I have to start mustering up the courage to begin. Why do I do it? My first answer is because I feel that I need to do it for them. I feel that it gives them the personalized one on one time with me that they need. I do it because I can teach good principles and enforce the others that I taught throughout the day. I also do this because after eleven years (almost twelve) of parenting I have found that my children respond better to going to bed, sleep better throughout the night, and we have fewer instances of bad dreams or getting up out of bed after they've been lovingly tucked in.

To all of the mothers out there struggling to muster the energy to endure bedtime, I understand because I'm going through it at the same time!

Hair Raising Tales of Shopping with Kids

Most people who have kids have some hair raising tales of shopping with them. Every time I go shopping I call my sister or Dawn up to share more tales of stress and occasionally humorous events. My sister insists that I can write a book of just the things that happen while shopping! I'll share a brief rundown of some recent shopping tales:



In Target, Meredith (2) is standing in the cart while I'm looking at a shelf of baby things. I see something fly by my eye. I ignored it for a brief moment until it registers that it was kind of big, and purple. I turn to look at the purple mound and then in the cart at Meredith who was standing in the cart without clothes on! She took off her dress and flung it down the isle! I quickly re-dressed her and moved on.


I began looking at another shelf a little while later. It was then that I saw something in my peripheral vision fly past me---something white. I turned quickly and there was a diaper lying open on the floor. I turned and looked at Meredith again and she flashed me! Ahhhhhhhhhh! I ran her to the bathroom and put a new diaper on her and reminded her to stay dressed. Stinker!

I'll never forget the time when Madi (who was two at the time) slapped the Hobby Lobby guy on the butt! I about died. It was even worse when she did it again to another guy bending over looking at greeting cards in Walmart. After being a little freaked out, the men were very good natured about it.

Most of my other stories deal with a screaming baby, finding stray objects or toys I didn't put in the cart there when I go to check out, or toddler fits.

The story of when I fell on Benjamin was pretty good, though, so I'll close with this story. I had three children at the time and Benjamin was a little toddler. I was selling Mary Kay at the time and had to run to Walmart before an open house where I was going to serve banana splits. I was already dressed up and wearing my favorite new shoes- high heeled clogs- high- high- heeled clogs. These clogs were a good four or five inches high. They were trendy and sassy and I was excited to wear them out.

After shopping with all three kids, throwing things in the cart in a hurry, and making my way through the store amidst crowds of people, I finally reached the check-out counter. Cailynn (4) was helping me load things onto the belt when I realized that I had forgotten the main ingredients on my list- the ice cream! I asked the lady if it was okay to go and grab it since it wasn't too far and she agreed to watch Cailynn and help me finish unloading.

I made my way through crowds of people and long lines and to the freezer section. I quickly grabbed the vanilla ice cream and carried Benjamin back. As I approached the registers, Benjamin started fussing so I set him down and encouraged him to walk. I tried to continue on quickly and tripped over Benjamin and fell down on top of him screaming loudly all the way down to the floor! Long lines of people around me started to scream as well. I got up and picked Benjamin up and humbly tried to make my way back to the register as red as a tomato. She was almost finished and Cailynn calmly placed the last item on the belt. I was so flustered I barely got the money to her. Benjamin was crying loudly still and as I nervously tried to comfort him I started calling him "Moo-moo"! The woman just looked at me and bid me good-day. I couldn't get out of that store fast enough! The horror- oh, the horror!

Let's hear some of YOUR hair-raising-shopping-with-kids-tales!

Holidays Are Here!!

November 1 marks the beginning of the holiday season for me. November always seems like a short month too, and it will probably whiz by for me with 1 birthday, 7 various health appointments and 3 other miscellaneous appointments already scheduled, just for this month. We plan to have some friends over for Thanksgiving, Curtis' family will be arriving sometime in December and then it's Christmas! I guess I better stop thinking about it. I'm getting overwhelmed.

So what are your plans? I'm scouting out Christmas gifts already. Before, I really had no where to hide them throughout the year since the other house was so small. Here, I just haven't found a secret hiding place for surprises, and if I did, I'm scared the kids would discover them since they can climb. I was on Target.com the other day trying to get ideas. Anyone have suggestions for an almost 9 year old boy? So here I sit, with yes, just 4 paydays before Christmas, trying to get Christmas shopping figured out.

Off topic here, but I'm almost 6 months pregnant now. After December, there will just be two more months before the new arrival gets here. Boy, this seems to go fast, much faster than it ever did before. I read one post about someone at the same stage and they mentioned they felt like they had been pregnant forever already. I don't even feel like that yet, although June, when we found out we were pregnant, already seems like a long time ago.

Well, I better get our day started. It involves schooling, a trip to the library and grocery shopping, a busy day, but normal nonetheless.