Schizophrenia

schiz·o·phre·ni·a - (noun) disorganized speech and behavior

This is how I feel about my blog. Little clips of my life put randomly together seem odd and make me laugh. I could also add some kind of personality disorder here as well. I'm a many faceted person and depending on the personality that sits down at this computer when the moment of opportunity arises, you could get any mix of thoughts or sentiments. Blogging is funny that way. Some women are so great at being consistent in their content and thought patterns, probably because they have a precise purpose in blogging, but I'm just not. So I plug along here. After all, my two purposes of blogging are to continue to share my life with my beloved family and friends a 1000 miles away from me and to have some kind of insight for my children of our familial pursuits in their childhood. If nothing else, it should give them something to make fun of me about as I get old and crotchety.

And so, to warn my readers of a day when my post might be all over the place, I introduce you to my newest posting series.....schizophrenia.

So, what's on my mind today.
Snow is so pretty and I love it, except that it is cold and you have to wear too many clothes and you can't swim and then it gets slightly warmer and is still cold but the snow melts and gets really messy and muddy and it is still cold. Only 2 more months of winter here. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. The winter really has been much milder this year than lasts, and I am thankful to God for that!

When we moved to Ohio, remember I was big pregnant and soon had a baby and then saw snow for the first time, Sarah V came to stay with us and help us out (still waiting for her to come again...hint hint). She marveled one day about how I would let the kids run around our circle in our house and be loud and rowdy. I told her that I was trying out a theory. I had heard of women and children being locked in their homes for months on end by this mysterious thing called snow, and that sounded like alot of pent up energy to me, so I was going to let my kids learn that at certain times, they could let it all loose in the house. I can now say that I am glad I thought ahead to that! Today my children ran up and down our hall, screaming at the top of their lungs AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH......for 45 minutes without stopping. You could see the awe and admiration in Hannah's eyes at the sheer genius of Joshua and Leah to come up with such an engaging game. It works! (I've also brought the bicycles in to the basement for a few quick laps while I change out laundry.)

I've been reading alot this year. I really miss reading when it doesn't fit into my life. I've read lots of books on health and nutrition, always trying to do better for my family in that area. It pays off, if nothing else because it gets me refocused on what junk we are putting into our bodies. I day dream alot about blogging a series here on my health journey. Someday, I'll even sit down and do it, but I warn you that I need to clearly relate the concept of place value to my 5 year old first.

I've also been reading on temperaments again. Trying to get a better hold on how best to guide and teach and discipline each of my chlidren. It is tricky business figuring out your child's temperament. They say they aren't fully established until 7, but I think we can see ours pretty well right now. Joshua is like his father, big surprise there, phlegmatic with a little sanguine...although he seems to have more sanguine than Robert. Leah is interesting. She is just like me and so I assumed she'd be a strong choleric...and she still might, but right now I think she has alot of sanguine in her....which I have NONE. Hannah is a baby, and I have that one nailed down! Or do I, she will be 18 months next week.....hmmmm. Maybe I should start potty training her.

When I finish this post, I will begin the list making and suitcase pulling for our trip!!!! We are all so excited. Especially since it is snowing heavily today and is supposed to continue tomorrow. But in Cinci, the forecast is for sunshine and 40 degrees. CAN'T WAIT!!! Sunshine!!!!

My cheap-Dave Ramsey side and my free spirit spender side are battling over this trip. DR on my shoulder keeps telling me to plan our meals out for the trip so we can save money and eat healthier...I like this option except the work involved in planning and executing it. lol! My free spender side keeps telling me that I love eating out and really it is vacation, my only glimpse of down time ever and I should take the break and enjoy it. Hmmmm, we'll see which lists I get accomplished before we leave on Saturday....that will really determine which side wins.

I used to pack for the whole week leading up to a trip. I'm one of those annoying people that forsees almost any need and packs accordingly to have all bases covered. However, since having children, I've learned about this crazy malfunction on the 22nd chromosome. Apparently it is a gene that shuts off once you reach an age older than my children, I'll let you know what age that is once mine reach it. It's wild to observe, especially if left to develop uninhibited. Here is what it does. Any time a suitcase is brought into the environment, it immediately clicks on and the gene springs into action. If the suitcase is left empty, the child must, genetically driven, completely and totally and haphazardly fill every space of said case. They really can't help themselves. However, and this is where the true wonder of the human make up comes into play, if the said case is being or is packed, the same child MUST remove all items and place them in the most unusual spots in the most extreme areas of the current environment. The first time I witnessed this with Joshua, I just thought it was a novelty of an unknown item, but I now know, after having three very distinct and separate test cases, that it is consistent across the species. Amazing really!

We've survived our first chicken pox party of this season. Hopefully it is the only one we need to catch the elusive critters. All of us Mom's were talking about how funny it is that people freak out when there is a case of pox. We all swapped more germs than this germaphobe Mama can ever honestly admit and who knows if any of the 13 children will actually catch the pox. One of the Mom's here was with her #8 child, the last one to need the pox. She said her #7 took 5 parties before she got them. Seriously, this infecting gig is hard work.

My children all had their very first suckers. Joshua was pretty sure he had died and gone to heaven. Finally a sweet he really loved. I'm petrified of what tonight could be like with all of that sugar and artificial colors. I know that tomorrow will be AWFUL. My kids react to sugar soooo much and usually get very limited amounts. The big two ate a whole sucker, red and blue at that! EEK! Hannah did a pretty good job on part of a blue one herself. I can't believe I let my 17 month old have a sucker. Still freaked out about all of this. I'm such a germaphobe and healthaphobe, these pox parties are just hard on my pysche.

But, now we wait. 14-21 days from now we will know. Surely at least one of the 13 picked it up. The pox boy was awesome. Never fussed once about licking all of the suckers, or having his nose swabbed. Hope my kids are as willing to help when their time comes.

We are going on vacation!!!!! Robert's company finally hired someone for the second full time management position that he has been working since Hannah was 2 months old. FINALLY! So, to celebrate our survival of this insanity and to get our family pulled back together, we are heading out for some down time!!!! We are going down to Cincinnati for a few days. We'll take Robert to the Creation Museum for the first time. The kids are ecstatic about going back, and so am I. It really is stunningly beautiful! We are also going to visit the Newport Aquarium, we are aquarium junkies, after all. Then we are going to park it at Great Wolf Lodge and just chill for a few days. Cannot wait! We don't plan on leaving the hotel at all. Our ideal schedule looks like sleeping in until 8-9. Get up and enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the buffett downstairs. Mosey over to the waterpark a few feet away. Play play play. Have a quick lunch in our room. More waterpark time. Then long naps, playplayplay. Dinner, bedtime story in the lobby then sleep tight. Wash, rinse, repeat! We leave Saturday!!!

Tomorrow we are hosting a chicken pox party at our house. Hopefully it will work this time. It would be perfect timing to get the pox!!!!

Affirmations

-Today I was wading thru knee deep snow to make a passable path for the kids to get to a hill in our back yard to sled on. I pulled Hannah on her little sled and Joshua carried Leah's sled for her as she worked her little legs in the high thigh deep snow for her. Joshua said "Mommy, it feels like we are walking thru the parted waters in the Red Sea. Just like Moses." That made me so happy.
-Joshua and Leah have morning chores that they are to complete before coming out of their rooms. Lately, Joshua gets up at 8, which is his "I'm allowed to get up now" time. Gets dressed, makes his bed, picks up his room and then, even though he could come on down to see what I'm doing, he has been going and making Leah's bed for her so she can just get dressed and pick her room up. It's so nice to see that sibling love and devotion.
-Earlier this week, the big kids were outside playing in the snow. I looked out to check on them, and they were out front shoveling the driveway for us.

Friday Kid Update

We are doing good. We are all settling into our winter routine of only leaving the house on the weekends. Amazing how much money we save this time of year. It has just started snowing and we are glad to see it. We've had little snow this year. One good storm on New Year's Day that lasted for 2 weeks but since then very little. It has been nice in some ways. The kids and I have gotten to get out to the library some, but there hasn't been any fun snow to play in or sled on. This is supposed to be a pretty good snow, so hopefully we will get a good sled day in tomorrow.

The kids are all great. We are doing some retraining and role realignments right now, so it isn't necessarily pretty but necessary. We realized that herd parenting Joshua and Leah together needed to stop. Joshua now has more responsibilities to help push him to better maturity choices. Leah has had all choices and responsibilities taken away to get her back to being realigned at a 3 year old level, instead of 5 years. It is already helping. Joshua is listening much better and being much more caring for us all. Boys just need more work to keep them busy, and I forget that sometimes. Leah is having the biggest change already. She's much calmer and happier. Hannah is ADORABLE. I've thought that all of my kids were cute, but several times a day, I want to grab the camera and capture Hannah at this stage. I don't know if it is her temperment to be so cute or just a phase. Time will tell. She definitly likes attention. I don't konw if that is because she's a third child ans so always has someone's attention or if it is just who God has made her. It sure is fun. We all eat her up.

Hopefully, next week, I'll have some video to put up here!

The winter blahs are setting in here. This year it isn't the snow, yet. We had a nice thick 18 inches that was great to sled in for about 2 weeks but then in a freak weather phenomenon, it got above freezing for several days in a row and it all melted. Since then, it has been cold but no snow. It did snow some this morning, but only about 2 inches. The problem is just that it is cloudy every day. Cold and cloudy is just blah weather. I can see why multitudes of people up here turn to anti-depressants and other drugs, although I don't condone or support this path of treatment, I do sympathize with people looking for a quick fix. It is just wearing never seeing the sun.

I noticed I was heading down the path of blahness again and so decided it was time to get back on my Netflix workout video reviews again. Up first this year, Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I was pretty scared to be honest. I had heard much fitter specimens than me lamenting the agony of this system, but it was the next fitness one up in my queue, so I bit the bullet and resisted the urge to put it right back in the mail. Today is day three and I have to say that I like it.....with the caveats that I am still on level 1 and not doing it with weights, technically (I think do crunches with a 25 pound toddler on your chest should count as weights!). It is a reasonable system, as she leads you through 3 circuits of 2 minutes weight training, 2 minutes cardio then 1 minute of abs. The moves are pretty straight forward and she does them in a controlled manner, not fast and furious, so I feel like I can really do them correctly and effectively. And um, they are effective! My first day, I actually made it through the whole workout, and was pretty proud of myself. By that night though, I was pretty tight. The next day I was quite sore, but getting through day 2 helped work that out....until that night when my whole body was burning every time I got up or down. Ouch! Today is day three, and other than my glutes being tight and my knees being sore from the push ups, I am feeling really good. My only problem is that after having three kids, I'm realizing I might have to always workout in Depends! Very annoying!

I don't like that the girls are just in sports bras, but that is the norm these days. She also has said a couple of cuss words, in my book the A## word is a cuss word. And she talks about girl power and flaunting it, etc here and there. Annoying. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone significantly overweight or out of shape. It isn't a first timers video. I think you'd just quit because it was too much right off the bat....at least that is what I would do under those circumstances.

Tomorrow, I think I am going to add canned vegetables to the mix. My arms are gonna die. I already know it!

One World, One Heart

Have you guys heard about the blog event going on right now? It is called the One World, One Heart giveaway. It is fun. You visit these artsy Momma's blogs and reply to their contest post and then you are entered to win something from them. They have some really cool stuff going on all over the world. Three of my friends in Texas are participating, so check them out.

http://shonastudio.blogspot.com/
First, my friend Shona. She's this amazingly fun and sweet lady that also happens to be an amazingly talented artist. You have to check her out, her work is beautiful and so full of life. She also happens to have a book coming out next month and she posted an introduction to it today on her blog!

http://sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com/
Next is my friend Trudy who is an amazing seamstress. Her blog keeps moving me closer and closer to sewing again. She does some really cool looks!

http://thehomemakingarts.blogspot.com/
Finally is my friend Donna. Donna and I have served side by side thru some really fun times, pulling weeds and cleaning friends homes and serving meals together. She has so much wisdom to offer us younger mothers and she is doing just that at her new site. She's a pretty impressive artist herself as well.