Laundry for a family of 6

(I will continue my trip blog later when I can focus better)

So, laundry is a head ache here…the only laundry I semi enjoy is cloth diapers, crazy as that may be!!  With 4 boys, three of which just throw clean with dirty, etc…I am trying to find a way to organize their clothes more…

The idea of a dressing room has be presented to me by a few of my friends with families twice the size as mine (in my mind my family is still small)…but with out house I just wasn’t sure how to make it work…right now we are in a transition with that…the first thing I did was if it can be hung (pjs too), it is being hung…which does mean the one closet in their room is not large enough…there is a hanging rod in the basement that is pretty long, so right now the older two are maxing it out…my 3rd has his clothes in the guest room and the baby actually has his in their room…they each have there own color hanger (love the container store…bought a box of USA made hangers there :)   )

Eventually I hope to have the storage room cleaned out with shelves for toy bins on one side and clothes racks (also container store, also USA made) and for their clothes and then a bin for their shorts in the summer…

Their underware is now in drawers in their bathroom…there bathroom has 6 drawers that I could not figure out what to do with them, well they need clean undies after bathing so it just made sense…and their socks…those are in IKEA boxes we had on the shoe shelf by the front door and they are to put their most frequently worn shoes on top, so when I actually pair socks they have socks right with their shoes for heading out the door…

Now to just stay on top of laundry and folding socks…the plan for that will be another post ;-)

What a trip

It has been a while since I have posted…many times it has crossed my mind to post about an organization project or something I have made, or something we are doing in school…but beeing a crazy busy mom of 4, none seemed worth my time to take to blog…but this does…this is a God thing…I will give some back history first for those that do not know…

I am second from the left…Tami is just above me…this is our JV B-ball cheer squad 10th grade…

Last March as my husband and I lay in bed looking at face book on his lap top surrounded by boxes getting ready to move, I saw a status update from a friend…that she missed someone so much…initially I thought he dog had passed away, but upon further reading I found out it was a much greater lost…her husband had passed that day while serving over seas…I could not believe, and honestly there are day I still have trouble believing it…

This is my second son Patrick and her first son...we were driving through where she and Dee were stationed on our way to LA so met up for lunch...

This is my second son Patrick and her first son…we were driving through where she and Dee were stationed on our way to LA so met up for lunch…

My friend and I and her husband all went to high school together…We were not that close…she and I cheered together one season and I honestly barely knew her husband…but when we reconnected about 4.5  years ago, a friendship blossomed…we had lunch dates as we were moving to Louisiana and then twice as she was driving through…when Alex was deployed and I was having a hard time she would message me…I knew that I had to be at his funneral…if not for him, but for her…I would not have been able to live with myself if I had not made it…so thanks to my in-laws help…another high school friend of ours and I went…it was one of the hardest days of my life…to see my 32 year old friend a widow, grieving for her husband…their children 4 and 2…very close in age to my PAtrick and Robert…now with their Daddy in heaven…the wailing of their Grandmother, his mom…it just tore my heart in two…it still ditive always will, or something is really wrong…I remember when the missing man formation flew over…that will nethat day it was a symbol…from that moment on it was Dee…It was raining during the fed the sun came out and the skies cleared…

Dee being carried into the funneral...he was burried with full military honors...

Dee being carried into the funneral…he was burried with full military honors…

Over the past year I would text Tami and mes prayed for her a lot and talked to God a lot about it…I knew since last year that I needed to be with Tami this year…so I asked her if she would like for me to come visit…and when our tax return came in I got my ticket and Mikey and I made the trip…

Now being an Air Force brat and Wife I have flown a lot, but none the less, I still get nervous…I tend to run into a lot of issues when travelling…it is just stresfull for me…I usually have a lot of delays…long security lines…things just always seem to get messed up…

I was finally all packed Tues…with half dirty clothes…but packed none the less…even with taking Mikey, I had the fewest carry-on bags I ever had…and I somehow managed to not even need all I packed…My husband and kids took us to the airport…because I had already “checked-in”  as Alex was getting MIkey into the stroller, I already had my luggage checked in and heading to the plain curb side…we did have to go inside to get MIkey added as an “infant in arms” on my ticket, but that was quick and painless…I got to security and there was one person in front of me…last time Alex and I flew out, the AF failed to pay for his ticket, the TSA line was insane and we actually missed our flight and got on another that ended up with a 4 hour delay on top of the original 4 hour layover (see, traveling and I don’t mix)…I did forget to pull Mikey’s bottle and the juices out of my bags…but the TSA agent just went and tested them while I got Mikey settled back in the stroller…by time I was done, she was done…so off we went to our gate…because things went so smoothly we had 2 hours to kill…I went up to the counter and requested a seat change so that I could have space since I knew the flight wasn’t full…it was quite empty actually…the gentleman was very nice…

The flight attendants we very nice and understanding to my wiggle worm 13 month old…we got to Detroit and wiggle warm fell asleep as we walked to our gate…we ended up slightly delayed because we were waiting for half of our crew…we were on a very full flight, so no empty seats…and the plane had to be deiced…once again the flight attendants were great…they let me walk up and down the asile a LOT and when I went to order a snack box the flight attendant said it was on her because I was working so hard…they did not mind me sitting cross legged on the floor half in and half out of the row (aisle seat thanks to other passengers switching with me) so that Mikey was more content in the seat…Mikey did soil his pants and had to go pant less the rest of the way until we got our luggage since I forgot to pack a change of clothes…we got into Salt Lake City about 40 minutes before my flight…so I am walking to my gate talking with my older three when I realized I left my USAFA sweat shirt on the plane…so I rush back to get it (my gates weren’t that close)…the Delta agent gets it for me as another agent checks my flight just to make sure I wasn’t going to miss it…I get my shirt and rush to my gate…I am one of the last ones on, but still with time…Another painless flight into Boise…I got our luggage, got him changed into his PJ’s and then Tami picked me up for the drive to her house…

I just realized how long this is getting so am going to stop for now and chat about some high lights of my trip and my flight home (which was an even better experience than going out there…I will also add photos to this one…but I need to go stuff and hide some Easter eggs…)  to be continued…hopefully tomorrow…

GROSS!!

So…during Father’s Homily in church this morning I was thinking about how so much that the Readings said pertained to my life and really my ah ha moment yesterday…I wanted to blog about them here…well…we got home from church, I took a nap, and then went back to church to decorate the preschool room for vacation Bible school…once we got home, while hubby was making dinner, I was running my fingers through the back of my oldest son’s hair, and I saw this huge yellow tan thing sticking out…hubby was determined it was good stuck to his hair…I went and got a comb, and saw that it was pulling on my son’s scalp, so freaked that it was a bug stuck in his head!!  Hubby still insisted it was popcorn…I kept saying, he hasn’t eatten anything that looks like that!!  Our son was freaked out by then too…Eventually I was “stable” enough for hold his hand, because it hurt as he through his dad was pulling his hair trying to get it out…well once it came out it had legs and a head!!  Not food, and it WAS a bug…so out the door son and I went to the ER…He had gone camping the week before last…the thing is, it didn’t look like a regular tick…once we got to the er, we found out that it was a tick, but a dog tick…which though bigger and this one was very full…it is safer and no need to worry about disease and what not…we are assuming it got there since Tues, only because he had a hair cut Tues and the Barber didn’t come across it…My son has very thick hair and due to a head injury scar she left his hair a little long, so she may not have hit it with the comb…he did have a tick on his face the night he came home after he laied on his pillow, and that was a black, bad, deer dick, but it never bit him…I literally saw it just after it went on his face…this one, who knows how long it would have gone unseen had I not been playing with his hair…hubby and I are now totally grossed out…we will be watching him for a rash or fever, but he should be ok…

Tomorrow: VBS…picking up…and maybe that original blog post I planned…early morning, so heading for a soak and then try to go to sleep early :)

Just Another Day in Paradise

taken after my baby’s Baptism with my Dad and In-Laws…my FAVORTIE picture so far this year!!

had an ah ha moment…the song, “Just Another Day in Paradise” by Phil Vasar popped in my head…but I didn’t want it to sound like satire and that I was complaining about clean on a Sat with my husband off working on a paper for his Master’s degree…which was my reality cheak…I am living in Paradise…I have a family, I have children, I have a home, my husband is getting his Masters for free to promote in a job, he has…

There are people without families or that are still waiting to find that one…there are people trying so desperately for children…my children have never been less than a blessing to me, but sometimes I do not make that impression on them or my husband…We do have a home, yes I have complaints, it is base housing, there are wierd things about it, but it is a home, and in walking distance from church, hubby’s work, activities for the boys, and in a safe community, and we have one…it has not burnt down, or been blown over…my husband is able to continue his education, he is able to promote at the right time, and well all in all he has a job, which so many are searching for right now…

I pray I am able to continue to look at the things I stress about more in this new light…and rather than focus on the burdens that my blessings bring, be glad that I have those blessings…I am a Cub fan, we are optimists!!  Like I told my dad a few weeks back…”I don’t expect the Cubs to win, but I would be estatic if they do”…I still love my cubs, even if they do suck this year…just like my family…I don’t expect them to live up to my impossible expectations, I can’t even live up to them…yes I am exstatic when they surprise me…but I still love them more than I ever thought one could love someone even when they upset me…

Now to work on my bad words when frustrated or angry…but that is for another day…

 

Valentines Day

Working a little out of order here…but trying to update my posts…

We had a nice V-Day last week…though my poor husband for the 4th time has tried to order me flowers…(1st time, while at school for our anniversary, 2nd time to be delived at a dinner for my 30th b-day, 3rd again for our anniversay)…he got an email that there was no one to deliver them from ftd so the order was being canceled…now to watch and make sure the money shows back up in our account…For some reason God does not want the man to give me roses anymore…

Anyway, it was still a very nice evening and even though he was tired he played with the boys and just hung out with me after checking out my gifts to him…plus originally he wasn’t even supposed to be home yet…

The setup for hubby…I made him a basket with a poem that went with all the contents, a dozen balloons with Krispie Kreme coupons attached and 12 reasons why I love him…and then a banner

I liked the cuteness of this idea, but I really like that it makes a nice snack basket for while we are in the hospital…should prob check the bananas though…forgot they were in there and the pickle since I forgot to buy a jar ;-)

Banner…most were already done, but I had to come up with some, and well my creativeness was not there…oh well…still cute…I adhered them to cardstock and then sewed them together…all using up stash :)

Barnes and Noble had a nice 75% off table after Christmas, so I got the boys’ gifts early…Jacob really likes his rainy day activity box…it has games, jokes, and a few puzzle books :)

Robert and Patrick got some nice Thomas trains for less than $10 each thanks to that sale…we have another set, will save it for Patrick’s b-day…

The boys helping Daddy enjoy his V-day presents…you should have seen all the balloons stuffed in my little closet when he got home and I wasn’t done yet…

Daddy kept making a big deal about the cards saying one free doughnut…the boys thought it was great…

And we have to have a blast playing with the balloons, which are still touching the ceiling a week later…

Fat Tuesday in style…

So we have planned a pancake dinner and cinnamon roll king cake…well with our pending move I need to use up stuff in the fridge and freezer…So I was making cherry cobbler, which my hubby doesn’t eat…so pumpkin pie was requested by my three year old and we had over ripe bananas, so banana bread was added…so now we are having pancake dinner, king cake, berry (didn’t have enough cherries but had other frozen berries to use up) cobbler, pumpkin pie, and banana bread (had to go buy more bananas, over ripe bag was 99 cents for a BUNCH…had promised the 2 year old he would help with the banana bread after the 3 year old helped with all of the pumpkin pie…so now I will have bananas and pumpkin to still use up…good thing my boys like both in the form of bread…

 Maggie’s berry cobbler as my mom called it…Jacob wanted to help with the top, but didn’t understand what I meant by just wet (not over mixed…)

Robert’s Banana bread

Patrick’s pumpkin pie

just finished having desert and they all were good…my favorite was the cobbler :)

My plans for the week…

So, after reading one of my new favorite blogs My Child I Love You…I have decided to give up the computer for Lent…This means I will only be on here on Sundays, which are days of Celebration in the Catholic church…I am also hoping to teach my boys more about our Catholic faith, so wanted to post my plans here and will post pictures on Sundays of the preceeding week…I got this idea from my other new favorite blog, Shower or Roses…both of these women have inspired me as a Catholic homeschooling mom…

Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday/Pancake Tuesday/Mardi Gras…lots of name for one thing :)   the day before Lent…Traditionally my family makes pancakes…so that is the plan for dinner…I saw a fun idea to color them purple, yellow, and green for Mardi Gras…not sure hubby will want his colored, but I know the boys will love it…I also plan to make a king cake using cinnamon rolls, the easy way to do it :)   I have also printed an eagle mask for the boys to make and a king cake game

On Ash Wednesday I am hoping to go to mass, but all three times tend to conflict with something…maybe my mom can take Jacob in the  morning and I can go in the evening…looks to be the only way it will work…For dinner I plan to make Ash Wednesday Beans (Black Beans and Rice), really it looks like red beans and rice, just with black beans instead to represent the black ashes…

We will also be starting some Lentan activities today…I saw a beautiful idea for a Jesus tree and ran with it…Rather than ordering the kit I am going to use branches from our yard and have already made and gotten some “ornaments” from the local Catholic store…I need to find a store that sells charms for bracelets to get the others or just make them…

Another activity we will be doing is a Lent Lap Book…My sons have done a few and I hope they have fun with it…we will take our time working on this so that it isn’t crammed in…I do still need time for Classical Conversations with my oldest…

I need to go pick up Rice Bowls from the church…my oldest missed Sunday School the day they were passed out due to a gymnastics meet…For the younger two everyday we will choose something to count and then each boy will put that many pennies in their rice bowl…Jacob will get one penny for each page he reads about a saint…I also plan to pull one item from the pantry each day to donate to the base or local food bank…

There are other ideas over at Shower of Roses, but I am trying to not over do it and burn myself out already…maybe next year I can add to them…

I can’t wait to get started…I have been printing pictures for the boys to color…acticity pages for Jacob and lots of other fun things…I hope I can keep this up…my older two already show such a love for Jesus and I just want it to grow and grow…