Sounds good to me

Flipping the station on the radio, Buzz asked "why can't we listen to that song?"
Beaver replied, "It's bad for your teeth."
Good 'nuff for me--I didn't like the song anyway.

Should I be worried?

Lots of people worry about what their children are reading. Last week, Buzz brought home a new book from the library:
The Story of Watergate

Time to say good-bye

I had a busy week this week--not just because of the retreat, but also because we had the visitation and funeral for my Uncle Charlie. As uncles go, he was "the silly one," and had a real knack for interacting with others, young and old. He had a good touch with kids, and like my dad, his brother, liked a good time just as much as the next guy. He liked to tell stories and jokes, play silly tricks on us, and like my dad, a great role model for fatherhood. Good-bye, Uncle Charlie. I miss you, I love you, and I know I will see you someday again.

"I thank my God everytime I remember you." Philippians 1:3

A little peace and quiet

Well, I haven't quiet figured all this blogging out, because even though I loaded the pictures in the order I wanted, they came out backwards. This is the place in which I went on retreat. It is called Queen of Apostles Center, in Imperial, Missouri. Very restful place, good food, good environment and comfortable surroundings. The pictures show the outside entrance, some of the grounds surrounding the center, a meeting room, my messy bedroom, and the kitchenette I used. In case you can't stand the absolute quiet, there was a tv with a dish, so my obsession with watching the weather could continue! Thanks, Sr. Virginia, Sr. Rosemary, Sr. Katherine, and Sr. Emily! What a lovely time!

I Promise to Clean My Room

Had this built in the backyard over the weekend...We'll see if they forget to clean their rooms, now....ha ha, just kidding. This is part of the Halloween exhibit at Grant's Farm. All the kids gave this a try.

Budget crunchy update

I almost forgot to update on how we did with the weekly menu. We actually fared a lot better than I anticipated, because the husband brought home Honeybaked ham and turkey and a bunch of sides from a work luncheon, which actually postponed a dinner. Then, we had the opportunity for a date night, so that night the kids ate McD's while the husband and I dined on steak and scallops. Yum. So....anyway, we did stick to the menu otherwise, and while Beaver is still balking at the veggies, everyone ate well. With that in mind, here's the upcoming menu for this week:
1. bagel pizzas (homemade--those BagelBites are a rip-off!)
2. Chicken and pasta with squash
3. Chili or bean soup, not sure which, but they both sound good
4. "Fish 'n' chip" night
5. Grilled steak from last week that we never ate
6. Ham/potato gratin

That's my best guess. Now, this will be adaptable, because I know at least one meal I won't be home. So...that leaves the husband to cook it, or if he so desires, take the boys out for waffles and pancakes. Other than milk and fruit, I don't anticipate a shopping trip. I stocked up on the veggies during my shopping this past week (I had to go--they were offering chicken at $2 pound!).

3-2-1-Blastoff!!

"This is the coolest playground ever, Mom." We brought paper airplanes to shoot off the top of the rocketship. That thing is taller than you'd think, too. I think that as small as Beaver is, it probably seemed 10 stories high to him. I know my knees were wobbly--of course, I get vertigo just looking out the second story window of my own house.

Full moon, Wednesday morning

Full moon over my neighbor's house, 7 am. I couldn't believe how bright it was at that hour of the day, but I guess it was getting the reflection off the rising sun.

Last weekend, I worked at the hospital. As weekends go, it was a pretty smooth one. No angry doctors, the patients were generally agreeable, and no last minute procedures thrown into the schedule leaving me stuck on the clock that much longer.
Every time I work at the hospital, though, I am reminded of my own health. I've had patients who have various illnesses brought on by smoking or drinking too much, some with injuries related to these vices; I have some with heart issues, diabetes, etc that may be helped, even prevented by taking care of oneself. And while it's easy to say "this could've been prevented," it's equally important to realize that many diseases and illnesses do not discriminate. Each patient should be treated respectfully in this manner. Despite anyone's individual weakness toward a particular vice, I, too, have my own weaknesses and would want my treatment to be top priority to those working with me.
Every time I work at the hospital, I am also reminded of my mortality, as well as my loved ones. Death is ugly and inevitable, yet for a few lucky people can be peaceful and quiet. I like to think of those who have gone on ahead of me as being welcomed into heaven. That does give me some peace. Jesus paved this path for me, by dying for me, and giving me baptism. One day, heaven will be my path. I do have fears and anxiety about it; that is normal, I am finding, and more often, I find that many people my own age are starting to have these fears. That is, I guess a weakness of faith. Thinking about not being with my kids or my husband is overwhelmingly sad to me, yet I am confident of their path to heaven, too, being baptized and forgiven as well.
I now include in my daily prayers that God continually strengthens my faith and knowledge of His love, that He will protect and preserve me on this earth as long as He sees fit. The human in me says I hope it will be for a long time, to see my kids grown and possibly have their own children. But that's just me.

I can see my breath at the breakfast table

Today was the first cold, cold morning of fall. Without the heat turned on, our house was a chilly 58 degrees this morning, and as each kid got out of bed, I quickly threw on the socks and sweat jackets over them and greeted each one with a mug of cocoa. It worked--each one immediately cheered up and warmed up. At one point I looked at them, all with their hoods on, bent over their cocoa, like "down on their luck" fellows. But soon, one made monkey sounds and I knew it was my own kids.

Near and dear

Today, Buzz came home from his first day of class at an enrichment center. Being midway through the semester, he missed quite a bit of the projects and content, and he came home absolutely crushed that he didn't get to make a robot bird. I don't know why, but it pains me most when he is sad. I love all my kids for their wonderful qualities, but when it comes down to it, I know that when Buzz is sad, there is really a reason (even if it is perhaps not a valid one). The other boys are more volatile in their emotions and tend to cry or get angry much quicker (and for more invalid reasons), so I usually spend most of my time explaining things to them rather than true mommy-style consoling. I know these moments are fleeting with Buzz, since he is closing in on double-digits at light-speed time, and he won't always want to sit on my lap to talk about things. But for now, I will take all I can get of it!

New recipe: Budget crunchies

In an effort to be focused on saving money, I periodically plan our meals for a week or so at a time. When I'm feeling exceptionally creative, I plan for even longer periods of time. It does help us eat from the freezer/pantry without a whole lot of impulse buys. I always include kid favorites as well, even grilled cheese, hot dogs, all that stuff. So, I have planned the meals for the week, and looks like I will only be hitting the grocery store for milk (of which we are nearly out), and possibly fruit, as we are down to 4 apples and 2 brown bananas. So...here goes:
Beef/bean enchiladas (Buzz's favorite)
Homemade chicken nuggets
Veg Soup with toast
Grilled flank steak
Ravioli
Leftovers will be good for the husband's lunch, for salads and so forth. Next weekend, I will write about how we did, keeping on this menu.

The sky's the limit!

Our kids have started writing Christmas lists, and generally we let them wish away, but remind them that they won't get everything on their lists. Today, the Beaver dictated his list to me:
1. A rocket
2. A Snoopy train
3. A lamb
4. A remote control hairball (!!)
5. A remote control Pink Panther

I think we're going to have a hard time with this one....

20th Verse, same as the first

The Beaver sang for about 15 minutes straight:
"He's got the whole world, in His hands"
however, he would not rest until all parties were accounted for:
"He's got all the cousins, in His hands"
"He's got all the animals in His hands"
I guess it's nice to know he cares, because he said, "Mom, we have to include EVERYONE. Jesus has EVERYONE in his hands, right?"
"Oh yes," I said.

Then, after that rousing anthem, he asked: "Can we count to 1000 now?"

Shopping day

I have started Christmas shopping-it's official. It was actually started back in August, when my husband and I found some small, but necessary gifts for one of the kiddos. They have been successfully stashed until the appropriate time. Today I couldn't ignore on item on sale, and I already knew of another that looked like a winner, so I picked them up. I think I'll use this as a lesson to see if I actually spend less since it's spread over the next two months, or if I'll spend more, because it's spread over the next two months. Really, I'm sure I already know the answer.

Taco-tastrophe

I'm wondering just how smart it was to let the 4-year old make his own taco. Really, I couldn't help it, a phone call came that I had to take--in fact it was the kind where I had to shut myself in a bedroom so I could pay attention. I came back to the kitchen to find 3 slightly damaged taco shells haphazardly stuffed with meat and cheese, not on his plate, but placed in various places around his plate. More meat and cheese were on the floor, and he was happily eating one of his creations. Hmmm....

My Favorite Time of Year

Welcome to October--my favorite time of year. A lot of people feel the need to clean house and get the new hairdo/makeover in spring, but I get that urge in the fall. I love fall. I have a lot of great fall memories from childhood through the present.
I remember being a little girl and going to pick apples with my parents and grandparents. Then, for the next few days, our kitchen table would be covered in newspapers and apple peels, while Mom and Dad sat at the table, peeling and cutting apples for Mom's homemade applesauce. They would also move the little black and white tv into the kitchen. The kitchen was really warm, and on the stove was a big pot cooking the apples into applesauce, and an enormous kettle of boiling water for canning. I don't know how many quarts of applesauce were made, but I knew it was a lot. I remember breezing into the kitchen and eating long strands of apple peels and snitching a few slices as well. I love that memory.
Still later, I remember my best friend and I would have leaf rides in the wagon. We'd fill the wagon with leaves, and pull each other around, throwing leaves out along the way (how this must have upset some of our retiree-neighbors who kept their lawns leaf-free!). Then we'd take the leaves and make "blueprint" outlines of houses, and play house in them. They were pretty elaborate, too. Some had bay windows and some had closets.
In high school, fall meant school, volleyball for a bit, then later the fall musical.
College in the fall meant football (Go MU Tigers!), and homecoming, which I was only really involved with my freshman year. I drew the lifesize Calvin and Hobbes which got our dorm 1st prize for house decks and on the news! But more importantly, homecoming was the actual coming home. Driving home in the fall colors, rounding the corner of my neighborhood the trees were beautiful, and I always arrived home for dinner Friday night.
Today as an adult, fall means the windows are open, apple picking and pumpkin patch with my own kids, cozy nights by our outdoor firepit or inside with game or show, lots of playing outside, and it's capped off with our annual Halloween chili dinner/bonfire with a few of our neighbors. It's these fun activities and this time of year that make fall a perfect time of year. I hope someday my kids will look back and remember this time of year fondly, too.