Half a Dozen

That's half a dozen months, not half a dozen kids.  It's been 6 months since I started blogging.  I have not done daily blogs, though I'm not sure you'd want to read daily blogs anyway.  We do have some boring days in our life.  What I have done is a total of 66 posts, that averages to 11 posts a month.  That's not to bad, I think, at least 4 a month is a good goal to aim for as I continue.  I've also gotten 24 followers.  Also not bad since I didn't expect any.  I was a little surprised by this next number, I've had nearly 6000 pageviews on my blog.  I'm even almost caught up.  I only have 5 unpublished posts left to add.

I will have to wait until the 1 year mark to do some sort of contest.  I still haven't finished my last contest item.  You probably remember the post about taking kids to the store.  Yet, there are some things I still am stuck on buying in person.  Mostly that is yarn and shoes.  Since I have gotten over my need to buy all my fabric in person, maybe this will help me get over my fear of ordering yarn.  None of the stores I went to had the yarn I needed, in the color and quantity I needed, so I had to order it.  Of course, it took several store trips until I was convinced of this.  In other words, I didn't order it right away.  I am hoping to be done soon though and be able to share.

Here's hoping I'll still be around in 6 months to do another giveaway.  Now to figure out what it will be.  Continue to watch for the rest of my catching up posts.  Maybe, if I am lucky, I can get E to do some personalized graphics for the blog.  Today though, I have to go finish the skirt set I am making for S to wear back to school this week.

We're going on a field trip

Sometimes that's what it feels like when I start to load up the car for a full day out. It reminds me of the teachers loading coolers, bags, and boxes full of stuff onto the buses for field trips. So today we are going to the water park. If you ever frequent water parks, pools, beaches, or parks (especially with sand) the $4 pop up hampers with handles from Walmart are AWESOME. The pricier ones are tall, I prefer the short wide ones (like the tall but on their side so it has a large opening). They fit towels/coverups for 8. Another one fits diapers, wipes, water slings, clothes, sunscreen, life jackets, etc. Walmart now has collapsible cloth baskets available. These fit food, water bottles, etc. I am not a huge fan of Walmart, but when you live a bit more rurally and they are the only general merchandise store for 30 mins, you learn to find what you need there.

I am thankful we own an older Maclaran Volo stroller because the entire seat is a waterproof, breathable mesh. If you toss in a nice water sling and there are your extra hands. We are going on a Sunday so hubby can come, that is my extra set of eyes.  Now to get 6 overexcited kids actually into the bus. Though I know getting them onto the bus to go is in no way measurable to the work of getting them on the bus to come home.  They'll be wet, hungry, tired. 

I frequently get asked how I can afford 6 kids.  It isn't things like this that cost that much.  Health insurance premiums, YMCA membership (where the water parks is), museum and zoo memberships, etc are all the same price regardless of if you have 2 or 6 kids.  It's those "conveniences" that add up.  I want to get them into the "bus" from the waterpark.  I'm hot and tired, they're hot and tired.  There's a McDs a mile up the road.  Who wants McFlurries?  McFlurries times 2 kids (ok, and 2 parents) in a snack size comes to $7.24, the same McFlurries times Super Sized (ok our family isn't really super sized) is $14.41, twice as much.  If you go to the water park every week it can add up. 

We don't go to the water park every week but we seem to have something like that happen every week.  Take yesterday, for instance, if you have to leave the house at 8:30 am to swim lessons you have to be up by at LEAST 8 am to get everyone dressed and towels.  If you have a La Leche League meeting afterwards that happens to be on the same road you really don't want to drive the 20+ minutes home.  Then you need to bring clothes so add a hurried 5 minutes (because I'd rather hurry than get up another 10 minutes earlier) to that 8 am wake up call.  If you have a sick fish that requires medicine from the pet shop, also on the same road, again you don't want to drive home.  By the time you're done with all that is it worth the, now 30 minute, drive home if you have to be back in just over an hour for art class?  You knew all this last night.  You had every intention of packing a lunch.  The baby woke up once so you couldn't finish the dishes, the baby woke up again so you couldn't finish the laundry, after the 3rd time you not only forgot all about the lunch but you didn't even get to brush your teething before falling asleep.  That means you could, if your Supermom, get up earlier and pack it in the morning.  Unfortunately I got demoted to "good mom" by most standards (though I think I'm in danger of another demotion), by a tweens standard I got demoted all the way to "mean mommy".  Since, not feeding the children would, not only result in low blood sugar meltdowns, but  be a bigger demotion than feeding them junk, you are at the drive thru.  A drive thru for lunch is a lot pricier than just McFlurries.

The same thing applies to the checkout line at the grocery store.  Though, seriously, who takes 6 kids to the grocery store?  Probably the same crazy lady who takes 6 kids to Target school shopping.  It was a tough decision.  I could squeeze it into the weekend since hubby would be home.  However, since we have a car wash, birthday party and splash party this weekend I thought it would be nice to get it over with.  The kids are very excited about the "field trip", which is what we have decided to make the Target trip.  4 kids with lists in hand, 1 carrier to contain the baby, and 1 toddler who is usually OK if she has a pacified backup.  Discussion is made of walking to Petsmart when we are done.  There is also a request of World Market if we behave, for good measure mommy tosses in "and help everyone else behave".  It sounds like such a fun day.  3 fights over yo yos, 2 lost lists, 1 screaming baby and lots of annoyed fellow shoppers (and $200 in supplies) later we decide to skip, wait, I decide to skip the other stores in favor of Walmart for all the supplies Target inevitably was out of. 

That's not to say every field trip goes like that.  The water park was a blast, especially ending with a nice McFlurry bribe for a peaceful hour drive home.  Usually a car wash fundraiser would be lots of fun too and wear the kids out.  Unfortunately, tomorrow is calling for thunderstorms.

These kids slay me

Every day this week I've overheard hilarious conversations between S and J. My memory is shot and hours later I've forgotten the topic of conversation much less the details.  This time I'm gonna write it down. Here you go, overheard from little ones this evening.

S: Did you get to pick?
Me: what?
S: Did you want a girl baby?
Me: no, you don't pick
S: I want a boy
Me: you don't get to pick
S: when daddy's gone Js the only boy
Me: J doesn't mind. J, you don't care if your the only boy, do you?
J: I'm a man
S: you're not a man
J: when daddy's gone I'm a man
S: daddy's fat
J: <not sure exactly what he said>
S: daddy has a big belly

I'm pretty sure the end of that was said in the context of, "you can't be daddy because daddy has a big belly" and, well, J has no belly (not that hubby has a huge belly either).  I'm sure hubby will love to hear this one.

Sibling bonds

One of the best (and worst) things about having more than 1 child is the relationships they form. Obviously sibling rivalry is not on the top of my "best" list. Sibling rivalry probably does have some advantages, like teaching negotiation skills (or self defense).  There are some relationships that fall on the "best" list though. 

The relationships I am talking about are the bonds. When you are cleaning up the living room and hear excited squeals, you look up.  There is big sister excitedly telling you how she made her sister laugh. You can't help but give up on cleaning to just watch them interact. After 10 minutes of baby screaming in the car she finally falls asleep. A few minutes later, you notice sister is asleep too.  When you arrive at your destination you go to get baby and see that they fell asleep holding hands. This would warm even the most exhausted heart.

I am sure anyone out there who has a sibling remembers fighting with them. I think it would be the very rare person who doesn't remember good times too. I remember my sister and I making up our own languages. I remember making up games together in the car on long trips. I remember riding our bikes together to the  library, park, and school (back when it was actually safe to do that).

It isn't just sibling pairs that create bonds. It isn't just the siblings closest in age that have bonds. The more kids you have the more interesting the bonds seem to be. In our house they all seem to have a sibling they play more with. Sometimes this changes, sometimes it is a temporary change, sometimes not.  Smaller siblings, as you would suspect, always seem to look up to their next older one. There are the more atypical bonds though. These are the bonds you didn't see happening but they somehow grew strong. 

A2 is #5. #1 has always been helpful. # 1 has always loved to hold the babies. She was like that even when #2 was born, when she was only 3. When #2 was a baby she hated to hear her cry and always tried to fix it. Even when #2 was a preschooler she still would always give in just so she wouldn't cry. Somehow though A2 took the holding and cuddling to heart. E14 would carry her around even when I wanted her to get some exercise through the zoo. A2 would just look up at E14 and she would carry her instead of her having to ride in the grocery cart. Now A2 calls her "Mine". Usually a toddler wants mommy. A2 sometimes only wants E14. The other day she stood at the bottom of the stairs just crying for her. She always climbs up on her lap when she's sitting on the sofa. 

#2 has Autism. She can sometimes be a pain in the behind. She likes to antagonize and annoy people at times. As you can imagine this results in a lot of fights. She is very good with babies so the fighting usually is aimed at #1 or #3. At times #3 is near tortured by B11. Yet S6 already, at barely school age, is very protective of B11. She will even risk getting in trouble for lying to allow B11 to get away with hitting her.

J4 is #4. When I was pregnant with #5 my sister had her 1st. J4 seemed to have no interest in babies at all. We even tried introducing him to babies. We would let him hold his new cousin. He would sit there stiffly like he was afraid of the baby. When #5 came he got over that. He became a great big brother. When #6 came though he became attached. He tells everyone he taught her to crawl. Her first word was "bubba". He is certain he's her favorite. She loves to shower him with kisses. He doesn't let anyone else give him kisses without wiping them off. He even laughs and let's her pull his hair.

Of course these relationships could change. But Pope John Paul II said "it is certainly less serious to deny children certain comforts or material advantages than to deprive them of the presence of brothers and sisters who could help them to grow in humanity and to realise the beauty of life in all its ages and in all its variety".  Their siblings will always be there for them, long after my husband and I have passed.  As long as they continue to learn through the dynamics of their relationships, siblings will be an advantage to them. As long as they continue to appreciate and respect each other I'm happy.  Even when they sound like they're going to kill each other, that's ok, my hubby decided that sitting together on the sofa holding hands is a good logical punishment for sibling fighting.

Recall the ball

I was cooking dinner in a kitchen that not only was recently picked up but even swept. Yet, right there I saw it, a toy ball. It was sitting right in the middle of the floor. If you remember my post about the toothpick, you know that my daughter has broken an elbow falling over a desk at school (and on a bike with training wheels, in addition to putting a toothpick completely through her toe).  Everything I see is an accident waiting to happen.

I picture those old cartoons where the character slips on a ball and goes bouncing all over before landing hard on the ground.  This gets me to thinking about how dangerous a ball can be. I mean left in the middle of a kitchen, where you might be carrying a knife or something hot, think of what would happen if you slipped on it. Or what if it were left on the stairs?

Yet how many kids toys come with balls? This particular ball is from an entire line of toys that come with small balls (not small enough to be choking hazards). I have several of the toys so at least a dozen balls. I pick them up and put them in their bin at least a dozen times a day too. Yet, there was an escapee, right in my kitchen. 

I think, it is pretty common sense to not leave balls on the floor or stairs to be tripped on. Then I remembered that I thought it was common sense to not put a baby in a Bumbo seat on the counter from which they could fall. Or how would a baby slide down and get their head stuck under a stroller bumper bar if they're buckled? Then again, people have won lawsuits because they burned themselves on hot coffee.  Most of us would complain if our coffee wasn't hot.

I don't mean to make light of recalls. Some are very important. When a carseat doesn't properly work, that's an important recall. When a stroller collapses during use, that's an important recall. I wonder though if so many frivolous recalls are going to result in people no longer paying much attention to recalls. Maybe the safety commission will think this same thing and reevaluate how recalls are done. If not I am waiting to see when they recall the ball because my house is full of them.

Ponderings of the Sabbath

As a fairly optimistic person, married to a fairly pessimistic person, you have probably noticed I say "it's all in how you look at it" an awful lot. This applies to so much more than just whether the glass is half empty or half full.  Theologians and different religions ponder, not only how the bible is translated, but how it should be interpreted. The average person doesn't even get that indepth. Instead they try to find ways to make the interpretation fit what they want it to say. Buying that 56" television isn't actually materialistic because it is a "need".  Making sure your yard is as great as the neighbors has nothing to be with coveting because the HOA requires your yard be "upkept". A white lie isn't really "lying" if you're using it to "protect" someone else.  Everything seems to have a "loophole".

Another thing you'll notice about me is that my mind wanders, A LOT.  How did I end up pondering the great web humans seem to weave these days? I was contemplating the fact that I didn't really feel like getting up and cleaning the living room today. It hit me that today is Sunday, a day of rest, so maybe I'll just crochet, sew, clip coupons, and hang out with the kids today. What makes crocheting not "work"? There are people all over the planet that crochet as a job.  Crocheting is a hobby for me, relaxing, does that make it completely different then crocheting as a job. They both are done the same way, they both have the same outcome.

This reminded me of a few weeks ago when my husband and I were debating whether we would help our ox out of a ditch if it fell in on a Sunday. Though I think the only good that came from that conversation was some bible reading. The conversation itself took a wrong turn and ended up at humorous. Our daughter was not familiar with the bible verse though, so she got to practice looking things up in the bible. Then we read and discussed a few verses.

And what became of the Sabbath? So far I'm still sitting here blogging. Sadly, noone pays me to do that so I guess it's not "work".

Sibling jealousy

Another long ago written, but never posted, out of the blog vault.

One of the biggest concerns among parents about to have a 2nd child is
jealousy. That and how can I possibly love another as much, are the
most asked questions I get.

The love question is easily answered. The answer everyone gives is
pretty much the gist of it. Your love doesn't divide, it grows. To
add to that, they get additional love. Both children gain sibling
love. Sibling love is something that cannot be duplicated. Sibling
love is different than parental love. Sibling love will be there long
after their parents are gone.

Jealousy is a bit harder. I have trouble answering that question
because we've never had a huge issue. I do not know the actual reason
we don't have an issue. I am not going to say we haven't had
jealousy. It is subtle. It can be a toddler that's a little more
clingy, we just cuddled them more. It can be a preschooler who's a
little more defiant, we just try to be understanding. Maybe these
issues aren't as apparant because we don't push siblings aside for the
baby. I can cuddle a toddler watching TV while I nurse a baby. I can
take a preschooler to the playground with baby out of the way in the
sling. I can take an older child to scouts with the baby tucked away
in the Ergo.

In our house jealousy of the baby isn't so much the problem. The
jealousy the baby causes can be more the problem. She got to hold the
baby longer. He's hogging the baby. I was playing with her first.
They all want to hold the baby, play with the baby, sit next to the
baby, etc.

I don't think you could find prouder older siblings. My son was so
proud holding his new sister (the same boy who was scared of babies 2
years earlier). They will hold the babies hand in the car to help her
fall asleep. They get the most excited when they make a baby laugh.
They want to bring their baby to show and tell.

Only in my house do the kids actual want more siblings. Yes, like
every other kid, mine don't enjoy sharing. That doesn't matter to
them when it comes to babies. B thinks we should have 20 kids (sorry,
not happening). S is mad that we won't give her twin baby brothers
(as if mommy isn't crazy enough). Sorry guys but we have no plans
to be the next Duggars.