Kids and Rain and Mud

Is it every mother's instinct to cringe, just a little, when they see their children playing in the mud?

The thing is, I do NOT have a nice house. I am NOT an immaculate housekeeper. Yet, I do it. I cringe when I see the mud. I admit it.

I try not to. I look out the window and see radiant joy upon the face of those who are most cherished to me. I try to hold my tongue. I do. I have often told them (lectured) that I don't mind them playing in the mud if they will just wash off with the hose before they come tramping back in the house. I wish they would because I hate the damper that I must put on their joy when they hear my voice saying "don't get muddy!"

Today, a beautiful, light rain started as the children finished eating lunch in the back yard. It was the kind of refreshing rain that I love. I looked outside after a bit & they were all running, playing, enjoying. I said the typical "don't get muddy" thing that I say. I continued to watch the happiness out the sunroom window. Logan, my 5 year old, runs through the yard with such a wonderful smile upon his face yelling "this is one of the best days of my whole life!"

that's what it is about... not the muddy floors. not the extra laundry. It's about childhood and finding joy in the truly beautiful, simple things. Now I better get off here and do a load of muddy laundry.

first (of many) posts on why I love Lord of the Rings

So this blog is about life and all it's good stuff & I can hardly claim to talk about all the good stuff if I fail to mention Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. This is one time the book and the movie are equally fantastic. For now, I think I will talk a little bit about the wonderful book. I just started the book again, for the fourth time. It truly is a book that grows richer with every read. And, ok, I can't really separate them entirely, the movie, some ways, has helped to deepen my appreciation of the book. For example, much of the prologue, for me, the first time I read this masterpiece, went in one eye & out the other as it talked about the different types of hobbits, the governing of hobbits, the pipe weed of hobbits.... I can't remember what actually stuck that first time. As I read the prologue last night, I was imagining Merry (from the film) as he wrote "Herblore of the Shire" and it was much more enjoyable to read. Also, as I have grown to love the characters more with each read and viewing, all the little details about things concerning hobbits are that much more interesting to me.

I have to admit that the first time I read the novel I rushed through it (as much as you can rush through a book of that size & depth) because my husband wanted to watch the films and I wanted to read the books first. I seriously sat in my house all afternoon one August day trying to finish the 2nd part of the book so that we could watch The Two Towers that evening... I finished, we watched, I loved.... but yeah, I didn't get as much out of the fantastic work as I did the 2nd and 3rd time I read it.

I also have to admit that I am often reading late into the night, after my children are asleep, when all my energy is drained. So that makes it tough for books to sometimes stick to my brain. Or when I am reading during the daytime hours, I am reading with 5 children doing their best to turn my focus towards them. So these factors have made me realize that I must read these wonderful classic books more than once.

Anyway, I was suppose to write about why I love LOTR, but instead I have written about why I enjoy reading it multiple times. Oh well. that's the kind of gal I am.... easily distracted, unfocused, and oh yeah, a mom.... so that is why I will end this now. I will write more on this, one of my favorite subjects, again another time.

overwhelmed

I have always done our taxes. It's always been a hassle. Last year was the first year I thought to myself "why do I have to do this?" and the thing is, I had a brand new baby & I well, yes, I was overwhelmed. And the taxes were super confusing. 2 states, hubby unemployed for awhile, hubby working as a contractor for 3 months, new job, old job, tiny 2 week job for me... oh it was awful. i shouldn't have done them. i just shouldn't have. now, here i am, a year later and i feel that same pit of dread in my tummy about doing the taxes. i think it really has hit me that i am overwhelmed: period. and preparing our taxes is just ONE MORE THING for me.... this year, only 1 job, still 2 states, pain the ass. anyway, i haven't done them. i need to do them. we owe so much money that i pray for refund that will cover the majority of our expenses. maybe that is part of it, the financial overwhelmedness... i know that isn't a word, but i feel overwhelmedness. my house is a mess. i have a pile of laundry the size of texas that needs folded & put away & who am i kidding, they probably won't get "folded" per say... more like handed to the person who needs to put them somewhere. i have a dryer that doesnt' work. that's fine, but it just adds to my overwhelmedness. (sorry the word is sticking). school with my kids? i'm so grouchy at times.... i love them & want to homeschool, but we really need an overhaul on on how we do it. anyway... i am overwhelmed today. and i really need to do the taxes (oh there goes my tummy again)

Stepping Stones Post

IN THE WORLD OUTSIDE MY DOOR: It's a perfect 72 degree-makes-you-have-spring-fever-and-crave-an-adult-beverage kind of day.

IN AM LISTENING: to my boys in their bedroom playing with their friend Jake. I just missed part of what Jake was saying, but it was something about his mom pouring cereal into water, then into milk & I think he said put it in the freezer???? yuck.

I AM WEARING: capri pants even though my legs haven't been shaven in TOO long... spring is here, time to shave daily again! :-)

I AM PONDERING: an email that was sent to me today regarding one of my kids & something that her 1st grade daughter claimed happened & didn't. It's a little upsetting. I don't like my kids having other kids lie about them. I trust my kids. I know they are kids. They make mistakes. They try to get out of trouble, but this is different. I don't like it.

I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR: my dad & mom. they always put us kids first. today my dad came up, all the way from smallville to put a belt in my dryer. what a great dad! i'm so blessed.

I AM READING: Bleak House by Charles Dickens. It's good, thought I don't love it as much as David Copperfield, but I think I like it more than Great Expectations.

I AM THINKING; that it is 4:51 pm and i have no ideal what I am making for dinner!!!!!

I AM CREATING: well, i started knitting a headband about 2 months ago.... someday I would like to finish it.

I AM LEARNING; that life isn't always fair, but we still have to make the best of it.

I AM PRAYING: for my neice chelsa who has to have a mammogram this week.

AROUND THE HOUSE: as usual, chaos. someday the kids will be grown & gone & it will be clean & lonely.

FROM THE KITCHEN: it's a rough week or two on the budget for food... no idea what to make tonight. perhaps pasta with chicken.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS: the Brookside st. Patrick's day warm-up parade just happened last weekend. it was tough this year though because Patrick had to work so I was on my own with 5 kids.

THIS WEEK: co-op, parks, library, doctor, school, hmmmm am i forgetting anything?

Loveable Liam

He's boisterous, silly, loud. He loves to read, loves to play basketball, loves to wrestle. He is sweet, big-hearted, and easily has his feelings hurt. He makes up comics that are a little bit too-much-boy-humor, but are still sometimes pretty funny. He and I bond over our love of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, more for the two of us, Harry Potter. We have read them aloud, together, 2 or 3 times, separate, even more. He is so sweet. He was the most excited when I told him we were pregnant with ella. he was the most sad when I told him his Papa had died. His heart is so full. I remember looking at him on the way to midnight Mass, Christmas Eve 2001, when he was a mere 7 weeks old, thinking to myself how much completely and utterly in love I was with him. We were sitting in the backseat of the car (we only had 2 kids then and still could fit in a car!), it was nearing midnight and thus DARK. We were driving from Lebo, KS to Emporia, KS since we were spending the night at Grandma & Grandpa's. I just looked at him & felt this enormous amount of love. Not sure why that night stuck out to me, but it did. Perhaps because we were celebrating Christmas, the night of our Savior & a more immense love than even my own for my son. He's now 10 years old & sometimes questions my love for him. I think to myself, how could he doubt how much I love him???? However, he is a kid & we have to butt heads sometimes, either over school or sibling rivalry or following rules. Last week, he was upset because WE were upset on one day because he drank the last of the milk without checking to see if everyone had breakfast. The next day he was upset because he ate the rest of the cereal without checking to see if anyone else wanted any. yes, you read that right: HE WAS UPSET.... he doesnt' understand why I have to get onto him about things like that. He doesn't understand that it is BECAUSE of my immense love for him that I have to correct him when he does wrong, punish him for mistakes, reprimand him for behavior that is inappropriate. He doesn't seem to realize that I KNOW he is a good kid. I know that his heart is good. I know that his intentions are usually good. I know that when he messes up, he doesn't do it out of cruelty or spite. he does it because he is a 10 year old boy. His heart is solid gold. He is worth mroe to me than an enormous pile of gold. I wish he trule knew that. He says he wants 10 kids. I hope he gets them. he will be such a wonderful husband & father. I already see that. He has a lot of growing up to do, but heck, don't we all? I'm 42 and still have a little growing up to do.

I like taking care of my family

I have a husband, 5 kids, 2 cats, 1 dog, and I have lost track of how many fish we currently have. And let's not forget, I also have a SMALL house. My kids are still at that younger age of making messes: a 1 year old who pulls every book off the shelf just for fun, a 5 year old who loves to draw & therefore has about 50 sheets of paper strung out everywhere, an 8 year old who is sadly just kind of messy, and 10 & 12 year old boys who bring in dirt, leaves, sticks, wood, nails, bird feathers, rocks, etc. We do not do a lot of tv, video games, computer time in our house, which, let's face it, is time NOT making messes, except for the popcorn during movies. I am TRYING to teach my children responsibility by making them do chores, helping with laundry, doing dishes (no dishwasher!), just picking up. We have times when it runs smoothly. We have times when it does not. In all honesty, I actually have found that I LIKE doing the dishes and the laundry. The problem is: a) we are busy, I am busy so it does help if the kids can help. and b) it isn't fair if kids 1 & 2 do dishes and then I do dishes for kid 3. So I do struggle to find that schedule that is fair & doable. However, I realized something last night. It was one of those good nights: no activities, everyone just hanging out, no tv on, no one sick. In between playing with the kids, I got up & did the dishes (gasp, it was someone else's turn!), did some of the laundry, picked up SOME of the clutter. All while paying attention to the kids, listening to peaceful playing, drawing, etc. And I felt content. I felt like I was doing what a mom should do: taking care of my family. I thought about what I want my kids to remember when they grow up. Do I want them to remember me nagging them all the time about doing the dishes? Or do I want them to think about me doing the dishes & nurturing their environment? I know, I know, it's a balance. The kids DO need to do some chores. it's good for them. But I did come to a realization last night that I am going to change my strategy. I want them to do some of the dishes because it is good for them, but I want them to know that I am taking care of them & therefore, I am doing most of them. I want them to help with laundry because they need to know how to do it, but I want them to know that mom makes sure there are clean jeans, underwear, and socks (fyi, when i am having them do it, there are times that there are no clean jeans, underwear, or socks). So I am re-evaluating. I am going to change how we do things around here. It means that more of the every day chores (dishes and laundry) will fall on me. But I am hopeful that they will continue to learn & help in many ways and that our house will be more peaceful. I will update later when we see how it goes!

More of Frugal Living

I realized after my rambling post yesterday that tips on living more frugally may be better in small bites. So I am going to try to post more frequently (no REALLY) with a few tips at a time.
SALTINES!!!!! What a wonderful inexpensive snack!!! Ok, I will be honest, I love the GOOD, pricey, fancy crackers... There are so many that I love, my favorites being those rice crackers. Yum. (which you CAN buy a little more cheaply at Trader Joe's). However, when feeding a family of 7, those do not stretch very far. If I buy the generic brand or aldi brand of saltines, I am looking at approximately $1. My kids often will have peanut butter on them (another staple) or I will have Nutella on them (not exactly on my budget-friendly budget items... but I am weak, what can I say). My 1 year old will eat them plain. I even used them in soup last week! Ok, that may not sound like a big deal, however, my family is spoiled. I often make homemade bread with soup. Or if it is a southwestern or Mexican type soup, we will have tortilla chips with it. Growing up, soup meant SALTINES! So I made my kiddos crush some up & put them in their soup. It was a broccoli cheese soup & it was quite tasty. And the saltines S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D the soup a little further. Who knew? (my mother knew, that's who!).
It's funny, when I am doing these frugal things, I see so much of what my mom did when I was growing up. I had no idea she was so good at stretching that grocery budget. Now she is my hero!