She's so clever!

I really enjoy Anna at this age. The thought processes of a six (almost 7) year old are impressive and often lead to amazing conversations and conclusions. I'm often floored just realizing how smart she is! And usually she uses her intelligence for good....
But I was in the kitchen doing dishes while the girls happily played 'Simon says' in the living room. They were doing a good, if not repetitive job, even taking turns. I'm listening to the typical, "Stand on one foot", "Pat your tummy", "Rub your head" -type of instructions. Then, I hear Anna say, "Simon says jump up!" Followed by, "Hahaha, I win, Simon didn't say to come down!". I was shocked! As soon as I turned around and gave her a look, she giggled and allowed her sisters to continue the game. As much as I didn't want her to manipulate the game to her advantage that way with her little sisters, I had to admit that I was proud of her thinking! I just couldn't get over how clever that was! Still, just thinking about it makes me chuckle....

Day 2 Nesting

Ahhh, the complete exhaustion and satisfaction of a full day of cleaning! God has totally blessed me with an energy burst this week. Today I tackled the bathroom. I did some serious purging and it felt fantastic. I don't think my bathroom has been this clean since I moved in! I literally scrubbed it top to bottom; we're talking, I even washed the washer! The only thing not done is behind the dryer, for the obvious reason that I'm pregnant and couldn't move it - don't think I didn't contemplate it though! The girls even helped tonight, by helping to scrub the floor. And then I tossed them into the tub for baths and they even wiped down the shower walls while they were in there. But the two funny spots of my day....
Anna came in to the bathroom several times to encourage my efforts and once, she asked why I was cleaning like crazy all of a sudden. I explained that it's called 'nesting', like when a mama bird is getting ready to lay her eggs. Later, when I was almost done my cleaning, she came in again to complement me, saying "Look what a great nest your making, Mom!".
Later, when we had the girls in the tub, Joelle was already done and out (which doesn't take long, since she is NOT a fan of the bath). Lily and Anna were showing how long they could hold their breath, by putting their faces underwater. When Anna went to do it once, Lily decided to push her head down under. We of course stopped her quickly, but Anna came up laughing, "Lily baptized me!".
Days like today give me such joy as a mom, and as a wife, in general just as a person. My poor pregnant body is complaining loudly, but the satisfaction I feel as I get ready to take a bath myself in my nice, clean, organized bathroom is so wonderful!
And in case anyone is reading this (like Mom) and are worried that I'm overdoing it, rest assured that tomorrow I'm taking a break!

A good day!

It was a good day! I had a better night's sleep last night than I have in quite a while, and I woke up this morning feeling very energetic! I actually got the kids dressed right away, which caused them to ask where we were going - tells you how most of our days go.... And then we started cleaning! By lunchtime, I had the living room and kitchen at least tidied and I had cleaned out one cabinet and on top of our "catch-all" by the front door. After lunch I tackled our "office"; which is the bar but is the general collecting area for papers, random pens, coloring books; well you name it! I got it so organized - it's never been so clear! I was really on a roll! I finally took down the last of my "winter" decorations and decided to move some other wall decorations around. And then I got some sense knocked into me..... I was trying to reach something behind the couch and apparently pulled the cord to the surround sound speaker, so it came crashing down on my head. The girls were playing in their room, and came out to find me bawling on the couch holding my head. Anna asked, "Do you want me to call Daddy?"; Lily said, "Do you want Daddy?"; I said no. Lily then said, "Do you want us?"; which made me cry more (remember I'm pregnant and emotional) and I nodded. They all piled on me on the couch and Lily offered to pray for me. "I'll pray first Anna and then you pray first after me...." Elle just rubbed my arm, saying "Mommy ok?" Once the praying was done, Anna got me a baggy of ice. What good girls I have!!!!
Fortunately this was not enough to ruin my day, tho it did effectively put an end to my afternoon of nesting. The girls all went down without complaint for naps - all of them - and all were sleeping within minutes. I layed down and watched a movie and got rid of my headache!
A bit of a side note - Lily has been a totally different kid this week, really since we had her prayed for on Wednesday and her ears were healed (and possibly her tonsils as well). But she has been eating well, sleeping well, staying in her bed most nights, and even snoring less, and just in general been more pleasant! Praise the Lord!
Joe came home in a great mood as well, which he generally is particularly lovey toward me when I have a successful cleaning experience (uhh, acts of service love language maybe?!) So, we took the girls to Super Walmart to do some grocery shopping and whatnot. They all, especially Anna were in need of a few new clothes. Poor Anna has grown so much lately that she pops her buttons open on her pants regularly and her tummy and wrists stick out of her shirts! I bravely took all three girls into a changing room, with 6 items each, and it went suprisingly well. Daddy had to be an appreciative audience for their fashion showings and we ended up with 2 or 3 items each coming home. There were no meltdowns, no tears, no flailing or screaming - and the girls did amazingly well too! I am now totally exhausted, but I count today as an extreme success. Not even the fact that I forgot it was the season premiere of 'Dancing with the Stars' could dampen my feeling of satisfaction today! It was a good day!

Fever

What is it about fevers that make me so fearful? Puking, coughing, sneezing, whatever - no problem; but I don't like messing with fevers! There is nothing I hate worse than putting my babies to bed when they have a fever. The other night Joelle spiked a fever during the day, which we fought with Motrin. But it's a different story at bedtime for me. Her temp was like 103, and we gave her more medicine, but I didn't want to put her to bed until her temp came down. Her sisters prayed for her before they went to bed, and I was just going to rock Joelle for a bit till she was cooler. But she just cried and said she wanted her big girl bed. A while after we tucked her in, I walked by her room and peeked in, and saw she was still awake. So, I went in and covered her up again and was just rubbing her back and she kicked me out! She told me, "Out mommy". Oh - break my heart! Apparently she is unlike her sisters, who just want to be held when they're sick, well, and me for that matter! It's hard for me to comprehend that she just wanted to be left alone! Anyway, after about an hour, she finally fell asleep - snoring like crazy. Joey checked on her when he went out to the fire, and she was finally cool, so I was finally able to rest. I think I must be projecting my need to be comforted and cared for when I'm not feeling well, onto my children! Well, every kid is different - I guess this one's independant like her daddy! Won't it be interesting to see what #4 is like?!

Poor planning

I feel like the crappiest mother right now. Back at Christmas time, since I was on bedrest, we gave Anna a gift certificate for Build a Bear Workshop with a promise that once I was back on my feet, we'd have a special day. Well, we decided that today was gonna be that special day. So, all day, the plan was for her and I to go out for dinner, to Build a Bear, and then do some shopping. She repeatedly told me how this was going to be the "best day". Then her day got even better (by the scale of a six year old) when she lost another tooth! Does life get any better? Well, we got all ready for our night out, did our hair, I even let her wear a little makeup. She decided she wanted to go to Friendlys for supper, which we enjoyed leisurely with no little sisters along. Then we headed over to the mall. We found a mall directory, since we've never been to Build a Bear, we were just told that there was one in Berkshire mall. To my horror, we discovered that there is no Build a Bear Workshop in Berkshire mall, the closest one is in King of Prussia! There is a dinky, knock off, stuffed animal shop there called Planet Teddy. I was devastated to have to tell her that we were going to have to put it off yet again. But bless her heart, she visibly fought back her disappointment, and cheered herself up with, "that means we get to have two special dates!" What a treasure she is! And we did end up having a really great time together. But it definitely was a hit on my self esteem as a mother. So, now I need to get another "best day" put on the calendar!

What am I doing?

I thought it would be fun to start a blog. Jess did it and it looks so nice and easy. Apparently I am not as computer savvy. So, I guess at least for now, my page will be bland and unexciting visually, which goes against everything that I am; but I will be content with its simplicity.
I just thought that this would be a nice activity for me, since I've been spending a lot more time on the computer over the last several months. Occasionally, I have astounding philosophical thoughts and no one to share them with! Alright, admittedly those thoughts are few and far between, but it does happen. And more often, I find something that the kids say or do to be precious, or funny or inspiring, and want to remember it.
But, it's so easy for me to get caught up in the every day; picking up toys, washing dishes, doing laundry, overseeing schoolwork, cooking, and in general just keeping the peace. Sometimes, I need to remember that though being "mom" is my dream job and incredibly important; I was somebody before that - and she's still in there somewhere.... How easily minimized are my other roles, when the role and responsibilities of "mom" are so large and immediate. I do have thoughts and feelings; regarding my family, my friends, my job, my life, my frustrations, fears, joys, dreams, my walk with the Lord, my growth, my struggles.
And these are what I intend to share here, in a fairly "safe" atmosphere, where anyone can read it, yet I don't have to know about it if they don't want to mention it! I hope it will be a place where I can keep track of milestones, both physical, like my children's accomplishments; and personal milestones. So, we'll see how this goes!