Author: Stacie

The Wonder Cleaner

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I hate to sound like a commercial, but I have absolutely got to share this with you.  I have discovered the most incredible cleaner.  It’s amazing!  It cleans my oven, the mold in my shower, and even the rust stains in the sink.  You have got to buy some of this stuff.  Thank you, Shaklee, for providing me with a wonder cleaner in addition to protecting me, my family and the environment from harmful chemicals.  (Oh and if you don’t already use them, be sure to check out their vitamins…nothing like prevention when it comes to cold and flu season!) 

PS. For more information, contact my sister by searching for Leslie Johnson on Shaklee’s Distributor link.

Daybook

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Outside my window…it’s still dark. 

I am thinking…William will be walking by the end of the week…I mean really walking, not just taking a few steps and falling like he’s been doing for the past few weeks. 

I am thankful for…Signing Times…I know I’ve said that before and I’ll probably say it again, but I love that William can already communicate.  Today he signed “play”. 

From the learning rooms…started Before Five in a Row last week…what a beautiful, gentle curriculum!  And we fell in love with Jesse Bear.  Joseph asks me every morning now, “Mommy Bear, Mommy Bear, what will you wear, what will you wear in the morning?”

From the kitchen…Joseph and I are going to bake brownies for Grandpa Larry’s birthday.

I am wearing…my pajamas.

I am reflecting…on something Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can with what you have right where you are.” 

I am praying…for peace in my heart and gentleness in my spirit…plus tons of patience because that’s something a mommy always needs. 

I am reading…Busy but Balanced by Mimi Doe and enjoying some of her tips.

I am hoping…Larry has a very happy birthday! 

I am hearing…quiet…ah, silence is golden, it’s true.

Around the house…look at that…the siding is up and all the new windows are in!


One of my favorite things…snuggling.

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Make manipulatives for our new music theory program, Keyboard Capers; play, play, play.

Here is picture I thought worth sharing…

Very into sports right now!

Don’t forget to visit Peggy’s blog for more daybooks!

A Zoo Day

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Today was such a dreary day.  It rained for a little while.  It was cloudy and windy and just an ugly sort of day.  The perfect day to stay indoors.  The perfect day to use our imaginations.  Joseph decided today was the perfect day to pretend we were going to the zoo. 

Joseph got all of the animals ready for a trip to the zoo…

Joseph and William put on their animal hats…

William's hat is a lion; Joseph's is a cow.

William listened very patiently while Joseph performed a short play with his cow hat…yep, it’s not only a hat, but a puppet, too!

Grandma Nury came to visit the zoo, too.  She brought Joseph a pair of binoculars so he could see the animals close up.  Then Joseph taught Grandma how to “march around the zoo” like we do in Itsy Bitsy Yoga. 

March, march, march, march...it's a donkey!

March, march, march, march...now what animal, Joseph?

Our trip to the zoo ended rather abruptly when Joseph realized that he had someone new to play his board game, Fruits of the Spirit, with.  So I fixed lunch while Joseph and Grandma Nury played the game and William continued to chew on the zoo animals.  What an adventure!

Practical Life

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We own plenty of Montessori manipulatives.  You know…the little spoons and cups and bowls, all made especially for little hands.  Joseph loves using them.  He loves to scoop beans from bowl to bowl and pour rice from pitcher to pitcher.  He loves the feel of something that is made precisely for his hands.  Something that’s not too big and not too small.  It’s just right. 

It all seemed a little isolated though.  I mean, sure he could scoop beans from bowl to bowl, but I still couldn’t convince him to scoop a spoonful of food into his mouth.  Then we went outside and Joseph opened up his sandbox and climbed in.  He picked up the shovel and started scooping the sand into the back of the toy boat.  Just like that.  And I realized all the practice has paid off…even if for now it’s just in the sandbox. 

Valentine’s Day…a reflection on simplicity

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February 14, 2010

I had it all planned out.  For Valentine’s Day, I was going to help Joseph and William make homemade Valentine cards and then Joseph and I would bake brownies and cupcakes for all of our loved ones.  So I skimmed through some craft books and came up with a cute little design for the kids’ Valentines.  Joseph’s Valentines would feature his handprints artfully arranged to look like a heart and William’s Valentines would have his little handprint posing as a flower.  Oh they were going to be so cute! 

So I got out the paint and began the task of convincing little people to cooperate.  Joseph was so excited.  He kept telling me, “I’m going to make Valentine cards with lots of hearts.”  He happily picked up the brush to begin his artwork, but I quickly grabbed it and explained that we were going to paint his hands so he could make his hands look like a heart.  Not quite understanding me, but willing to try it out, he followed my directions perfectly and soon we had plenty of Joseph hearts.  I washed him up and said, “Okay, now you need to write I love you on each Valentine.”  Okay…he seemed to go along with it so I set him down to do his writing while I picked up a wiggly little William and began the almost impossible task of capturing a baby’s handprint on paper (once that paint is on a baby’s hand, they just want to squish their little hands together…not lay their hand flat for a beautiful masterpiece!) 

Finally after getting William to unscrunch his hands long enough to get his handprint, I looked over at Joseph and he was still sitting there with the black crayon in hand, just looking at me.  “C’mon, sweetie,” I said, “you’ve got to write I love you on each card…that way your Valentine cards will be done.  Do you need help?”  Of course he said no he didn’t need my help (did you read the blog No, Mom, No?).  Very hesitantly he wrote I love you on the first card.  Then the second.  And the third.  Then he looked at me and said, “But Mom I thought we were going to make Valentines.  I was going to draw so many hearts.” 

Ouch.  Once again, I let my elaborate Mommy ideas get in the way of what was truly important.  Joseph wanted to make Valentines.  He was excited to show his love by taking the time to make his own Valentines…not a mommy inspired, complicated piece of artwork.  So we turned over the mommy inspired handprints and Joseph began the task of designing his own cards.  A simple little hand-drawn heart.  One per card.  One per loved one.  So simple.  So beautiful.  So definitely from his heart. 

So this year I learned a valuable lesson.  I learned the value of simplicity.  And this year, each person that received a Valentine from our house really received 3…one from William, one beautiful heart drawn especially for them by Joseph, and one from Mommy (with the help of Joseph’s hands).  So Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us!

P.S.  We did still ending up baking brownies and cupcakes.  Although it was Mommy inspired, it was still a huge success (really what project that involves frosting and cake isn’t a success?) 

The night before Valentine’s Day, Joseph called each family member and asked if they’d prefer brownies or cupcakes.  He took the results and made a graph (super sneaky, wasn’t it…sneaking math into a Valentine’s Day project?!). 

Then early on Valentine’s Day morning, Joseph and I frosted and decorated brownies and cupcakes.  Having learned the simplicity lesson on the cards, I skipped the fancy decorating tips and handed over the sprinkles and heart decorations, because that’s what he told me he was going to do to decorate the cupcakes.  And he did.  And they were beautiful (and extremely yummy!). 

P.S.S.  I also learned another lesson…never leave Dax in charge of the kids when they’re painting!

That's pink paint all over his head and in his hair.

Counting my way through today…

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# of times I’ve wiped a runny nose…I’ve lost count.

# of times I’ve said “God Bless You” to two sneezing children and a husband (who, by the way, continues to deny it’s anything but allergies)…feels like 2,164 but it’s probably more like 20.   

# of times I’ve wondered where we caught this one…only 3…I’m finally learning that it does no good to try to trace the origins…instead I’m putting all my energy towards getting through it and being preventive for the future.

# of times, just today, that I have wished that all people shared my philosophy of prevention and would wash their hands and keep themselves and sick kids (and siblings) home when coughing or sneezing…oh, I don’t know, probably 57.

# of times I’ve administered Benadryl or Sudafed…just twice; Dax has been the evil medicine administrator this time around.

# of times we’ve refilled the vaporizer…at least 3, but we’ve successfully stopped the barking.

# of times I’ve worried it’s the croup or RSV…at least 5.

# of times I’ve called the doctor…just once and he reassured me that it’s not the croup or RSV.

# of times I’ve cried with frustration at the thought of sick children…surprisingly, none.

# of times I’ve nibbled on that chocolate bar Mom gave me…2, okay maybe 2 x 2.

# of times I’ve asked Dax how he’s feeling…just twice…I don’t want to annoy him for fear he’ll retreat into his cave and I’ll be stuck by myself to deal with sniffly noses and icky coughs.

# of times I’ve checked William’s nose to see if it’s running…every single time I look at him…and yep, now his nose is running, too.

# of times I’ve been reassured by St. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.”…each and every time I’ve thought to myself that the worst part of having a sick child is the uncertainty that lurks behind that sniffling nose…worrying that it could be something much worse than a cold.

# of times I’ve reminded myself it could be worse, I could have 8 kids all with a stomach bug and only one bathroom…just once, I didn’t want to discourage myself from a large family.

# of times I’ve prayed and found peace…each time I’ve looked at my children today.

# of times I’ve praised God, not for the cold, but for the realization that we are usually a very healthy family, and there’s nothing so wonderful as good health…numerous times.

Daybook

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Outside my window…it’s dark and quiet.

I am thinking…families are so beautiful. 

I am thankful for…living near extended family so that my kids have the opportunity to grow up knowing their cousins.

Alex and William learning to share

From the learning rooms…switching over to Peak with Books for awhile.

From the kitchen…still munching on leftover Valentine treats.

I am wearing…black yoga pants and a salmon colored t-shirt with my favorite black and white socks.

I am creating…a daybook blog, so that someday in the future I can remember what these days were like.

I am going…to try to get back into a workout routine.

I am reading…Mom to Mom by Danielle Bean and thinking it’s nice to know I’m not alone in my thoughts.

I am hoping…for a peaceful, yet productive week.

I am praying…for my friend Virginia, for peace in her heart.

I am wishing…it would snow here this winter so Joseph would be able to experience the fun of snow angels and snowmen.

I am hearing…William chattering gaa gaa to Daxson while he makes his coffee.

Around the house…cleaning, laundry, and still waiting for some workers to come and finish putting in the windows!

One of my favorite things…chocolate.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Try to accomplish at least half of my to-do list.  We might venture out this week to find a belt for Joseph.

Here is picture I thought worth sharing…

Don’t forget to visit Peggy’s blog for more daybooks and to join in the fun!

Finally…they sleep.

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It’s 3:00 and the house is bathed in silence.  It’s naptime and I actually have two kids napping.  Might not sound too impressive.  In fact, if you had told me I was going to blog about naptime a few weeks ago, I would have laughed and told you there would be nothing to say in a blog about naptime.  Naptime is no big deal…it’s just a part of our afternoon routine.  Oh, but now I know what the big deal is. 

Last week we visited my parents for a week.  Day 1 at Grandma and Grandpa’s the kids did not nap.  I brushed it off…it was exciting to be in a new place.  No big deal.  I put them to bed early.  Then Day 2 came and went without a nap.  Then Day 3 and 4 and 5 and 6…all came and went without naps.  Joseph and William were fine.  They played hard each day and then went to bed early each night.  But I suffered.  I never realized how much I rely on their nap for a mental break.  By Napless Day 3, I was miserable.  It’s not that I don’t want to play with my kids.  It’s not that I have so many pressing things to do that I rely on that time.  It’s greater than that.  It’s that I’m a mommy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and I need some time at some point to recharge.  I didn’t realize until last week that naptime is my recharging time.  I’m not good to anyone without a chance to recharge.   Naptime is my time.  Daxson’s working, the kids are sleeping, the house is mine.  Sometimes I blog, sometimes I clean, sometimes I read, sometimes I even nap right alongside my children.  But it’s not important what I do during that time, it’s important that I have that time. 

I know that at some point my kids will outgrow their naps.  I know that when that happens, I will listen to the wise advice handed over to me by many seasoned mommies and we will have a quiet hour every afternoon so everyone can recharge.  But I also know that until that day comes I will cherish naptime.  I will use it for my own selfish mommy time, so that I can spend the rest of the day giving 100 percent of myself to my children.  

Just a little advice from a mommy who has now experienced a week without naps…Whatever it takes, be it an afternoon nap, a Saturday out shopping, a date night with your husband…a recharged mommy is definitely worth it…so do it…fully recharge yourself and please, oh, please…don’t feel guilty.

Happy Birthday Alex

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To my nephew Alex on his 1st birthday…

(the following is from Bob Dylan’s song Forever Young)
May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others and let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the sky
and climb on every rung
and may you stay forever young.
May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth and see the light surrounding you.
May you always be courageous
stand up right and be strong
and may you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation when the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
and may you stay forever young.

Lenten Prayer

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If you’re having a hard time deciding what to “give up” for Lent, visit Elizabeth and try praying her Lenten prayer during the next 40 days.  And really mean it.  I bet you’ll find yourself peeling away some of those layers that stand between yourself and godliness.  I’m certain you’ll look back after 40 days, happy you had the opportunity to leave behind some of what’s really not important…isn’t that what Lent’s about?