Losing Weight

Wow, it's been quite awhile since I've posted anything. And not because there's nothing going on. More like everything is going on right now. Having all the kids home for the summer is a blessing, but it is also keeping me hopping!

All that to say that I need to shed a little weight. Lay some things aside for awhile, at least until fall.

I keep thinking about the verse Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight...." I have my 5 little witnesses by my side this summer. They require my time, my energy, my life feeding into theirs. I know that I need to lay aside some weight right now, and blogging is one thing that needs to go, for now.

Think I'll go throw the Frisbee with my kids, pop popcorn and play some Monopoly, watch my 10 year old try to walk on stilts, help the boys build a "house" in the backyard, go to the park and have a picnic, read a funny book before bed. They're growing up so fast. Be back in the fall hopefully. I needed to lose some weight anyways!

What We've Been Up To

The last week or so has gone by quickly and I am reminded that there are only nine.more.days until the kids are out of school. I look forward to the break from the routine and to having some special time with them. So much to do, so little time.

Meanwhile, we have still been throwing around the idea of putting an addition on our house. A big undertaking because Carl will design it and be the general contractor, subbing out parts of the work such as backhoe service, block laying, electrical, etc. He could do the whole thing himself if there were 48 hours in his day.

I saw an ad in the Pennysaver last week that our old house is for sale. The ad said, "Open House" Sunday. "Our house is for sale! Can we go see it?" That would be me shrieking with excitement!

How do you take 10 people - my mom and some friends were with us - and go incognito to an Open House? How do you act nonchalant when your kids are saying (loudly), "Ooh, this used to be my room" or "Was this our old house"? What had seemed like a fun trip down memory lane became one of life's most embarrassing moments as Brianna(10) and Jeremy(9) ran around snapping pictures of each room with their digital cameras. I tried to shush the blabber-mouths, Travis(6) and Corey(4), and keep the photographers shooting in a less conspicuous area. Carl of course had to check out the mechanics, especially the plumbing and let me know that everything was just the same. The realtor was the buyers' agent when we sold the house 4 years ago. I wondered if she remembered us? We probably had her head spinning. I don't know why we do these things. Nuts,I guess.

Friday morning the kids had a Memorial Day program at school, one of the highlights of the end of the year. This was the school's 22nd such program. Carl came with us, and we enjoyed the cool, but sunny morning while we listened to patriotic speeches by some of our local politicians and musical numbers presented by each grade.

Yesterday was the first picnic of the summer season. We all congregated at my sister's house for a cookout in their awesome backyard. So nice and peaceful. Except for Kaylee(8mo) crying much of the time. And the Corey(4) climbing the tree in the neighbor's yard. And Carl trying to kill bees the whole time we were eating. And my pyromaniac sons roasting hot dogs over the fire on plastic forks. Other than that, "a great time was had by all"! Di & Mike always have great food and hospitality. The day was topped off by getting to see fireworks on the way home.


That's what we've been up to. Just in case you were wondering. Hope your weekend was great, too!

Things That Make Me Go "Eeew"!

This is my very first meme. I found it over at Katrina's blog, Callapidder Days. I could think of quite a few, and the list seems to grow as I get older. Go figure. Anyways, here are 5.

Things that creep me out:

1. Thousand-leggers. This is definitely #1 on my list. Anywhere. But especially in my house. Luckily Corey(4) is our resident bug-killer. He is my hero. Because the only thing that creeps me out more than thousand-leggers is having to kill one.

2. Throw up. In the forefront of my mind today because Corey decided to throw up around 5:30 this morning. Lucky for me, Carl got up and dealt with it. I pretended to sleep. I am not good with puke. But I did learn on CSI Las Vegas that smiling represses the gag reflex. I'm still working on that one.

3. Being home late at night without Carl. He had to go out on an emergency plumbing call around 10:30 last night. Rats. When he is gone I am aware of many strange noises I never noticed before.

4. Heights. This isn't exactly gross, but the way it makes me feel is gross. I never was good at this. And I'm still not. The whole amusement park thing is just not all that amusing anymore.

5. Feet. Just other adult feet. Yuck. Usually crusty and hard. Been in work boots all day. However, I do have a fetish for my kids' feet. Even stinky ones. Even ones with little sock-fuzzies in between the toes. So cute I have been known to kiss them. Especially the baby's.

Okay, that's my creeper list. Hopefully it's not too whiny! Most of the time I just try to be a big girl and deal with the creepy things life sends my way.

What gives you the heebie-jeebies? Let me know if you post a list.

Little Things (and Little People)

This morning when I came down to breakfast, the kids rewarded me with a chorus of "Happy Mother's Day". How nice to be remembered. As soon as I sat down, Jeremy(9) ran to get his gifts out of his backpack for me. Thanks to his teacher, he was encouraged to write some nice thoughts about me that really touched my heart.

Mom - Debbie
Pretty, spontaneous, organized, and lenient
She is the mother of Brianna, Travis, Corey, Kaylee, Jeremy.
She cares when things don't turn out right.
She smiles when I'm nice to my brothers.
She worried when my Pap Pap had to go to the hospital.
She laughs when I don't want to go out to eat with my pj's on.
She cried when she knew she would have Kaylee.
She pretends when she says we are having "schmooga booga dooga" for dinner.
She surprises me when she says, "Let's go to the zoo."
She hugs me when I come home from school.
She is proud of me when I get good reports.
She understands me when I'm sad.
She loves me all the time.
Happy Mother's Day!

Jeremy also pulled a nice little pot out of his backpack, wrapped up in a sandwich baggie: a pansy, a bit limp from sitting in his backpack all weekend. But with a bit of water, it has now revived. I look forward to planting it in my flower bed soon.

With the help of his teacher, Travis(6) also wrote down some thoughts for Mother's Day.
My mom can do many things! I think she's best at "cocing" (cooking), "she can do many uthr thigs" (other things).
My mom is smart! She even knows "how to red a book" (read).
Enhanced with some nice drawings of me!

Corey(4) decorated a t-shirt at preschool with his handprints, making flowers on the front. He also painted a pot and planted some seeds in Sunday School.

Brianna(10) swept and mopped my floor today for me. She also cleaned my bathroom sinks and toilet with such a sweet spirit. She did a fantastic job. She is becoming quite the little homemaker.

Kaylee(8 mo) was just her adorable little self. None of us could imagine our home being without her. She brings such joy to us all.

Carl bought me a new broom and dustpan and a gift card to Borders, with the promise of watching the kids so I can spend a couple of hours there. Carl insisted on taking us out to dinner tonight where we met his mom and dad. It's always a treat when I get a break from cooking.


I cannot say enough how blessed I feel to have 5 sweet, loving children who are growing up so nicely, and a wonderful husband with whom I get to share all these blessings. Thank you all for making my day so special. It is nice to be remembered and appreciated. Thank you, Lord! I am counting my blessings today.

The Saga of my Hair

Did I ever tell you the tale of my hair? My fine, limp, do-nothing hair? Most of my life my hairstyle has been what my mother would call "that natural windblown look". Thanks Mom for trying to put a positive spin on this. But seriously. I can spend $25 to get my haircut and walk out of the salon looking like nothing was ever done. I can buy "product" out the wazoo and it only looks good if I were to reside in a bubble. Please kids, don't touch my hair. I just fixed it. Honey, I appreciate the hug, but you just smushed my bangs. And speaking of bangs. Aren't they from the 80's? Or was it the 90's? Whatever. My hair is crying for some style. But it just doesn't know how to stay styled.

This became especially apparent when I attended college. College was near Chicago which is a very bad place for people with hair insecurities. What the wind didn't ruin, the humidity would take care of. My theme song became,"Why Worry When you can Spray?".

When my sister and I taught school and shared an apartment, together we had enough in hair care products to start our own store. We used to tease each other about the "13 Step Hair Care Process" we had to go through each morning. Pick a little, spray a little, pick a little, spray a little, pick, pick, pick, pick a lot, spray a little more.

Well anyways, when I went to Target this morning, I invested yet another $30 in "product" guaranteed to give my hair volume and weightless style! Woo-wee. Surely that is worth 30 bucks, right. After all, to misquote the six-fingered man in the movie The Princess Bride, "if you haven't got healthy hair, you haven't got anything." Yeah, yeah. I know.

While putting my "product" away, the reality of my obsession with perfect hair came clear to me. I found no less than 6 bottles of Pantene volumizing hair spray - maximum hold, of course, under the sink. Some empty, some with only a little in it, some sorta full. I also found a mostly empty bottle of finishing spritz, a very empty bottle of gel, and an empty jar of Avon face cream. Empty promises, all.

Maybe I'm just obsessed with trying to preserve my youthfulness. Or maybe I'm vain. Or maybe a terrible clutter-bug. Maybe I need to go to counseling. Maybe all of the above. Anyways, next time you see me, maybe I'll be sporting a wig of some sort. Sorta works better with these mild spring zephyrs that tend to ruffle my hair. Just thought you'd want to know.

Thoughts from a 4 Year Old

Just a quick funny before I hit the hay. I was at the grocery store until 10:30pm, and certain grocery stores who shall remain nameless tend to put me in a bad mood. But this is one of those things I have to write down for posterity sake. It was too cute.

Corey(4) has developed quite a vocabulary. Must come from having 3 older siblings. However, his vocabulary surpasses his comprehension. He is by no means in command of the English language yet.

First thing this morning he came loping into my bathroom while I was fixing my hair and announced that he wasn't feeling well. When I asked him what the problem was he answered, "I feel like a banshee (he has no idea)."

Trying not to smile, I probed further and asked him why. "Well, I don't like my bed anymore. I want to sleep in the bunk bed with Travis(6)."

What great insight. That explains everything.

Thanking God for family and friends

I'll take any time I can get with my family. I live a fat hour from my parents (about 45 miles) and about 45 minutes from my sister (about 30 miles), but I never feel like I see them enough. How much is enough? I don't know. So this past week I had fun planning with my sister to get together at my parents' house.

Saturday was my Dad's birthday, and after his having bypass surgery just one month ago, I realize even more now how much I love him and as we say around here, "I just don't know what I'd do without you." I am so thankful that I didn't have to find that out. I am glad he got things checked out instead of waiting when he was experiencing chest pains . He is recovering well, and is looking very healthy and getting more strength everyday.

The kids had a fun time at Grandma and Pap Pap's house running up the hill into the field. They own 6.7 country acres. Even a walk halfway up the hill makes you feel like you're on top of the world. It is so beautiful there. The kids love to go up to their "secret hideout" as they call it. A clump of trees that stands alone halfway up the hill. There's groundhog holes up there, trees to climb, probably some "poisy wivy" (as Corey(4) used to say), maybe even a dead groundhog on occasion. We have found a stinky carcass or two. (Not sure if Travis(6) was telling me a whopper when he announced that he found one up there!)

With the threat of rain and lightening, they all ran back down and came in the house. But as soon as the sun came out again, back up the hill they ran. This was my thinking place when I was a kid. I even remember situating myself in a tree to do my homework. What peace and beauty. I'm glad my kids get to enjoy it now.

Today the weather was different altogether. Rainy and chilly. My Mom brought our long-time family friend, Beth to my house to visit...well, and of course, to see the baby! It was a very refreshing visit. So fun to catch up on all that is going on with her grown up kids (they have 8), who were some of my best childhood friends. I think their family had a great influence on me as to wanting a large family. Beth is still a great Mom to her kids, and you can see that little ones still bring her lots of joy.

I was able to pull lunch together without any last minute trips to the grocery store (yea!) and without getting stressed out. I only experienced a moment of panic when I was trying to think "what do I have?". But I kept my head and remembered that people aren't coming to check out what kind of housekeeper I am or how great a cook I am. I also remembered how many times Beth opened her home to us, most of the time on short or no notice. She never seemed stressed about it. She was always happy to see us, and happy to offer whatever she had.

Travis(6), Corey(4), Kaylee(7mo) and I all enjoyed the wonderful visit. I wish I had pictures to post, but neither camera is presently working. Sniff. You can check out my sister's blog to see a cute picture of Kaylee and my sister.

Letting kids be kids and Squash Fries

This past Saturday night our family had an enjoyable time going to my friend Amy's house for dinner. Amy and Brian are our friends from church, and we both homeschooled. She still does. They have 3 adorable children and you would think that with all we have in common, we would've gotten our families together a long time ago.

Dinner was wonderful. I can't remember what the chicken was called, but it had spinach in it. Yum! But then there was the squash fries. Double yum! More on that later.

After dinner we played a fun game with the kids: Apples to Apples. Their 3 children were playing the game, our 2 oldest were playing, and baby Kaylee stood on my lap flapping her arms for the duration. In my high strung parenting, I sometimes have this notion that my kids are going to be quiet, for some reason, when we play a game. Okay, so I've put in a long day, can you just play without so much screaming? Nope! It was actually a ton of fun to see these 5 kids laughing so loudly and yelling at the top of their vocal range. Even Kaylee (7mo) got into the act by being screamy with the rest of the kids!

Then Jeremy (9) and his friend Evan showed off (loudly) on the piano for one another. It was fun to see their different approaches to the instrument.

With so many kids in the house, the noise level was at a high decibel level quite frequently throughout the evening. Perhaps that was because everyone was having a fun time. Except for when Corey(4) for some unknown reason decided to bop Hannah on the head with the princess wand. (Later on while putting him to bed, he confessed that he felt very sorry for hurting Hannah.)

It was honestly very enjoyable for me to see my kids having so much fun. Why do I try to take away their fun sometimes when we are doing "the family thing" by hushing them up? This evening Carl said, "Well, you know, we worship our quiet around here." Hmmm. He's right. Made me think that peace at any cost is not an effective parenting strategy. Let them be kids. I don't for one minute advocate permissive parenting. Maybe now that I've reached 40 (yikes!) it takes a little more doing to remember what it was like to be a kid, but I need to let my kids enjoy the adventure.

Oh yeah, I didn't forget about the "Squash Fries". Butternut Squash cut into french fry-type slices. Mix with olive oil and salt. Broil in oven until tender. Yum! What a wonderful side dish. So of course I had to buy one. At the grocery store Travis(6) asked me to weigh it. I didn't pick a small one. 5-1/4 pounds. After all 4 kids can put quite a dent in anything I put on the table. (Yes, my kids actually like veggies most of the time.) I had a dickens of a time peeling the thing. And I really hope they like this because a 5-1/4 pound squash may feed us for 3 nights. But it's done and waiting in the fridge for me to cook tomorrow evening. I'll let you know how it turns out! In the meantime, I'm on the lookout for good veggie recipes.

Easter is still Easter!

I was thinking about starting a label for "sickness" since it seems like we've had plenty of it around here. This time it was me that got sick. Now I know pride is bad, but I must say I usually pride myself in not getting sick. So I guess that's what I get. Sick, that is.

Last Thursday evening right before I left the house with Carl and the kids to go see my dad at the hospital, I talked to my mom on the phone. My dad had just had 4 bypass surgery, and the last thing my mom said to me on the phone was "Don't come if you're sick." "Don't worry Mom, I feel fine. You know me, I'm never sick."

Well, "ha"! Friday morning I woke up thinking that I felt like I had gotten run over by a Mac truck. I was achy from my head to the tips of my toes, no lie. By the time Carl got home from work on Good Friday, I was on the couch under a blanket, where I camped out for the next 4 or 5 days alternating between there and my bed.

I thought that I would try to hide from my Mom the fact that I was sick, because I didn't want her to worry about my dad getting sick, on top of everything else she had to be concerned about. But after awhile, it was just no use trying to hide it. The fact was that I was sick. Sicker than I have been in a long, long while.

By Easter Sunday, the baby was also pretty sick, and although my husband really wanted to go to his aunt's house for some homemade spaghetti and meatballs (and to see the fam, of course!), I convinced him that I was too sick to even deal with holding a crying baby while he fared sumptuously for a few hours. In reality, I was too sick to deal. Kaylee(6mo) cried 23 out of 24 hours on Easter. And I dozed and hacked and used up an entire box of tissues.

To say it was not the happiest Easter for our family is putting it mildly. The kids were all disappointed that they didn't go anywhere, not even church. Even our Easter eggs didn't get dyed until Sunday afternoon. Brianna (10) felt bad for me because I tried so hard to find the kids something to wear for Easter, then they didn't even get to wear it. When kids at school asked her what she got for Easter, she didn't have much to brag about. But she knows the true meaning of Easter, and we rejoiced together that Easter is still Easter, even when we are not able to participate too much. Jesus participated for us. He is alive, and He gives us cause to celebrate that fact everyday!

The weekend and some ponderings

It was an interesting and a good weekend. I got to spend some time with my sis Friday night. Hard to believe we only live 30 miles away from each other. It was fun just going out to Borders and chit-chatting about books and writing and life in general. She is such an encouragement and an inspiration to me.

Saturday night Jeremy (9) had to go to the emergency room because his croup made his throat close up. Taking him outside and trying steam treatments in the bathroom a few times wasn't doing the trick. So at about 4:30 Sunday morning, Carl took him over to the ER. After that I guess he felt better because Carl said they considered going out to breakfast, but Jeremy opted not to go because he was in his PJ's. I think the PJ's look like sweats, but hey, if I was 9 would I want to be out in public in my jammies? Oh well, he passed on a pancake breakfast w/ dad this time. Brianna was also recovering from croup, although hers was not as bad. She had a fever and lost her voice.

After next to no sleep Saturday night, we opted to (try to) sleep in Sunday morning. But that is a real trick with a 4 year old in the house. Corey decided to get up and play with his Lightning McQueen car and Bob the Builder phone in his room. Hmmm. Noisy toys. So much for sleeping in.

Well, it was time for the baby to be moved out of our master bedroom. She is officially 6 months old. She'll be sitting up in the bassinet if we don't get her into a crib sometime soon.

This means it was also time for Corey (4) to be moved into the boys' room. Corey was so excited and rambunctious all day Sunday. We moved his toddler bed into Jeremy (9) and Travis'(6) room. Jeremy bawled. Travis bossed. Corey bounced. I tried as best I could to organize their things and make it look presentable, even though it's like 12 pounds of junk in a 5 pound sack.

Corey is so cute, and trying to be so good. He hugs his big brothers and tries to convince them that he is a big guy now. He still has to learn not to turn on the light in the morning and jibber-jabber so loudly.

After taking Brianna to violin tonight, I ran home, fed my family, nursed the baby, then ran back to get Brianna. When I got back, Travis was attempting to play wiffle ball by himself in the front yard. Remembering my attempts at playing wiffle ball by myself when I was little, I went and pitched the ball to him. He is a star in his own mind. It was fun. After about 1/2 hour, my hands were freezing so we went inside.

Clothes to organize. Lunches to pack. Laundry to fold. Teething babies to hold. Doctors appointments. Dentist appointments. Parent-teacher conferences. Baths. Homework help. Husband's 40th birthday!

Where does books to read come in? Time to blog. Hmmm. I'm struggling to get some sleep keep some balance in my life right now. I want to blog, but I don't want to squander precious time either. I'm hoping that by blogging I will find some community with other Christian women that I desperately still desire. But most importantly, I want to have time with God, my husband, my kids. They are and will be the most important part of my life.

Just some things that have been going on and some things I have been pondering lately.

The Littlest Cutie of the Hodge-Podge Household (Part 6)

It's been a busy month, and it only promises to continue this way for the next few weeks years. When will the baby be in kindergarten? Oh yeah, it will be awhile. Sometimes in my tiredness, I feel like hurrying this whole process of seeing my kids get to an age where they are a little more self-sufficient. But then in my tiredness and in my hurry I would unfortunately gloss over those special moments of their babyhood and toddlerhood.

Our littlest member of the Hodge-Podge household is now almost 6 months old. You saw that right! I can't believe this child has been with us for 1/2 of a year. Time really does fly. Our little Kaylee Joy is simply a real treasure. She is very pleasant and sweet. She has just charmed everyone in the family, especially her Pap-Pap John.

It was not a fun pregnancy. I was big huge, at least I felt huge. Made even worse by donning a maternity bathing suit throughout the summer to take the kids to the pool. The only way to hide myself was to park myself in the water down at the 3 foot end and stand there so only the top part of me showed. The tough part was getting back out of the pool. Heave-ho! (It didn't help always seeing someone I knew everytime we went.)

Not about to choose getting cut again, I opted to have a VBAC, and we are so thankful that everything went as planned. I could actually say that most of my labor with Kaylee I had fun. I mean after all, my mom was watching the kids, and I got to spend some time with Carl. Yes, my wonderful, hard-working husband actually did take the day off. I packed him a big lunch before we left for the hospital. Good thing. I snuck bites of his lunch everytime the nurse left the room on and off throughout my labor. Why starve a laboring woman? So I paced and munched while finishing a Karen Kingsbury novel. Just what I needed to keep me occupied.

I was good to go until the doc broke my water. Good thing I had already finished my book. Time to get serious with huffing and puffing and all that! Just about the time I decided I couldn't take it anymore, I whispered to Carl to ask about that epidural. Too late, it was already time to push. Just let me tell you that I didn't appreciate the cheering section as I was pushing. Something in me, I don't know where it came from, yelled "no" for the entire pushing stage. Afterwards for some strange reason I felt compelled to confess to the doctor my sin of sneaking food. He's probably hoping she's my last baby. I swear they were going to put a sign on the door "Fussy Patient".

Every bit of that enduring pregnancy was worth it. Kaylee Joy is such a joy, and so loved upon. She receives about one hundred kisses each day from her siblings. They are just crazy about her. The first place the kids go in the morning is straight to my room to peek into her bassinet to say "good morning" to her. They all use this funny little high-pitched voice to speak to her, which just cracks me up! They rush in the door after school and line up to take turns holding her. She is so patient with it all, letting them hold her, smiling for each one in turn. Just the other day she rolled over. We all cheered for her accomplishment!

I think I'm the luckiest Mom alive to have 5 wonderful, beautiful, healthy children. They are the delight of my life. I love watching them love on the baby. Watching Brianna (10), my big girl, "mother" her baby sister. Watching Jeremy (9) try to tape a crooked diaper on her all on his own "cause she was crying, Mom". Listening to Travis (6) dance in front of her and say "boo" 20 times in a row because he gets KK to laugh everytime. Being patient when Corey (4) wants to put jelly kisses on her head while I nurse her. She usually leans back and looks up at him with this "what are you doing to me now?" expression. He has taken to calling her "Kake" lately!

These are the sweet moments to tuck away in my heart and hold onto forever. It's so true, they don't stay small forever. Life is flying by, and I don't want to spend it all blogging. But I hope to do better in March than I did in February.

P.S. Since this was posted, I noticed that Kaylee popped her first tooth on Saturday morning. The milestones keep flying by!

The lawyers are coming!

It's not like I don't have anything better to do today. The lawyers are coming tomorrow to my house because I have to give a deposition. I have been in a panicked state about this for weeks. Actually, this was supposed to happen back in August, except that I was so close to having the baby that it was postponed.

I should probably be cleaning feverishly or something like that. I mean it might be nice if the powder room was reasonably clean, and maybe the living room, too. But I just can't seem to get motivated to do it right now.

So here I sit in front of the computer rambling to the whole world the three people who read my blog. It is a rainy, soggy day and a bit dismal. I called my Mom this morning and she prayed with me. I am trying to keep my focus where it should be, on Him. Seeing God in the everyday may be a basic discipline in the Christian life, but I don't think it is one that I have previously practiced very much. Reading Psalm 46 yesterday, I was reminded that He is my "ever-present help in trouble" and in control, even when I can't see the big picture. It is my prayer that He get the glory for this whole situation.

The lawyer for the plaintiff wanted to call me and discuss the deposition today. After finally getting the baby settled for a nap, putting the little guys in front of some cartoons, I called and we "discussed". Okay, so far, so good. I guess this won't be so bad.

I only had to give the boys "the eye" and motion for them to be good a few times while I was on the phone. Afterwards I put on some pretty music and made the boys lunch. Something about that mellow James Galway flute brings out the tender side of my boys. They couldn't stay on their chairs during lunch for all the hugs they wanted to give me. They are growing up so much, and I see that slowly, but surely they are learning to play together nicely.

All in all, it was a good morning. God is doing a work here. Sometimes I can't see it, but I can feel it. And I know I sense His presence.

Yet another member of the Hodge-Podge household (Part 5)

Maybe I should subtitle this post "You know you have a 3 year old in the house when..." Here's my thoughts. Love to hear yours!

You may have 3 year old in the house when:
1. You find crayon, pencil, and pen marks on every wall and other relatively flat surfaces.
2. Your kitchen scissors keep disappearing, but following the trail of paper scraps leads you right to them every time.
3. The baby's head is always wet from sticky kisses.
4. Now you know what your mother meant when she used to say,"This house looks like a bomb hit it!"
5. You detect a twinkle in your child's eye when you discover that your purse is missing right when you're supposed to leave to pick up the kids from school.
6. Keys are missing from purse and are not returned until bribery is employed.
7. A sleeve is the preferred napkin of choice for wiping the face.
8. At the first clap of thunder, loud rain, or windstorm, you feel your bed bounce as someone climbs in between you and hubby.
9. You confuse yourself by using reverse-reverse psychology to get them to help you, but you are really glad they still want to be with you.
10. You read Green Eggs and Ham, Richard Scarry's Busytown, or Curious George everyday for 2 months, but you don't mind because snuggling together on the couch is worth it!
11. You find your face squeezed by the hands of a little person who says,"I have to tell you sun-sing, I love you."
12. You actually feel a little melancholy that they are turning 4 in a few days because they are leaving their precious toddlerhood behind.
13. On the other hand you are glad to see them becoming their own little person. Now you now what your Dad meant when he used to say, "When God made you, He threw away the mold!"
That would definitely be true about our Corey.

I remember so well the events of Corey's birth, for he chose to make his entrance in a rather memorable way. I really had wanted to labor naturally, but despite a successful version to turn him from breech into a head-down position, the doctor said the procedure stressed him, his heart rate dropped, and in we went for a c-section. He had to be resuscitated at birth, and I think I worried for the first year of his life that he was going to be alright. Four years later, we can definitely say, he is more than alright, he is a busy, funny, smart, toughie, cute and lovable 4th child, who holds his own around here.

When I look at each of my children, I often wonder how I could do without any of them. Oh yes, I am such a prejudiced Mom. And so blessed. Happy 4th birthday Corey!

God with me!

I think we're kicking this sick bug in the tail. Almost everyone in our household has had some sort of virus, and on top of that Brianna (10) and Jeremy (9) had "strap" throat (as Jeremy calls it)! Hopefully all this is on the way out.

In the past week I have paraded my kids into the doctor's 5 times. (Okay one was a well-child visit.) And that coming from a non-doctor-type person. I think the world of the kids' doctor, but usually have managed to utilize the good 'ole home remedies to keep everyone in good shape. Spending an hour in the doctor's office with a 3yo and an infant in a car seat and whoever else happens to be along is not my idea of fun!

Just a few thoughts that have been rolling around in my head this week.

God is with me in this season of my life. Not a big "wow" of a thought, really. But for me, a very comforting thought. I've been dabbling in a book titled The Gift of Being Yourself by David Benner for the better part of 6 months, maybe more. It's not a very thick book, but it has just taken me that long to really process what this book is all about. I laid down next to Corey(3) the other day for his nap, and he always hands me a book to read. "Here Mama, dis book for you cuz I love you." So after reading his customary 2 books to him, he closed his eyes, and I opened up my book to where I had left off weeks ago.

The words really jumped out at me for some reason.

"The omnipresent God whose name is Immanuel is not distant but nearer to us than we can imagine. God is not alien to the circumstances of our lives, but comes to us in them. Our challenge is to unmask the Divine in the natural and name the presence of God in our lives."

Immanuel, God with us. He is with me right now, right here, while I deal with sick, fussy kids. Snow. Cold weather. Family stress. Time pressures. Tiredness. God has been with me all along. I am the one who is often not aware of His presence. I praise Him for bringing to mind this thought that He is with me in my humanness. What a comfort and a blessing that has been to me this week.

Even More Hodge-Podge Household (Part 4)

I guess it's time for another installment in the thrilling saga of the Hodge-Podge household. I know you've all been waiting with baited breath.

Today the story begins with a messy house (and ends with the same, I might add). The people in this house have been sick since...hmmm, on and off since Christmas vacation I guess. Mostly on. There has been theme and variations on illness in the form of fever, ear infections, stomach flu (no details, I promise!), fever, nightmares, strep throat, rashes, exhaustion (mostly mine), and fever. Do I see a recurring theme here?

Well, after taking Corey (3) to preschool this morning, I noticed a growth in the corner of my sons' room. Oh my! To my surprise it was a huge mountain of laundry. Wow, I thought I just did their laundry.

Most of the rest of my house was in terrible disarray as well. Dishes, paper swords, crumbs, homemade playdough, backpacks, books, paper swords, clothes, beach towels from tents made over the table in the playroom 2 days ago, paper swords, tape, scissors, baby toys, sticky notes. All this and more littered the main floor.

And the baby was exercising her vocal cords. Something about needing to nurse again, she said. Now it was getting on to 10:00 and this morning was going nowhere fast!

Then my little superhero came to my rescue. Every family needs one of these guys. He swooped down into my kitchen and wiped off the kitchen table and swept the floor, then he began tidying up the living room, moved to the playroom and disassembled the tent, folded the beach towels, took down the tent in the basement as well, cleaned up Corey's room, stripped the bunk beds, took the sheets downstairs, and helped to fold laundry.

"Mama, am I your good helper?" You bet, bud! Thanks to my Travis, the house looked presentable once again, and I have just about dug out from under the mountain of laundry.

Our little "Slim-Jim", Travis is 6, and in Kindergarten. He is an emerging reader which he's very excited about. He's the middle man in our line-up of kids. He's Daddy's shadow and a real tough-guy. He likes soldiers, army stuff, swords, guns, tools, digging in the dirt, going camping, Steelers, and other totally boy stuff. Yet he is head over heels in love with Kaylee (4mo), and if there's any word to describe Travis, it's "sweet". My little man of Steel and Velvet. Thanks for all your help today, bud!

If I’m so busy, what am I doing blogging?

My friend Katherine over at Raising Five has a great saying that I love, “Live first, blog later.” As I have started my blog, I have tried to keep that little saying in mind. Blogging is fun, but not at the top of the priority list, as you might be able to tell by scarcity of my posts.

However, I am trying to remember that “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” (Ah hem, girl!) Although this seems like an insane time in my life to start a blog, part of my reason for doing this is that I need an outlet. Lately I have been meeting myself coming and going. I was wishing today that I could clone myself, so that at least one of me could take a nap. But no, the world really only needs one of me….uh, my family could only survive one of me! I love all that I am doing, well…most everything. Skip the part of helping with math homework. And I love the ones I’m doing it for. But I am slowly learning what happens when I try to pour from an empty cup. So if I only get a half hour a week to do this, I am going press on towards being consistent with it, at least for as long as the Lord wants me to. I feel like I am growing because having a blog is forcing me to share a part of myself with others. I tend towards being a very private person. Keeping my failures, shortcomings and oops moments (as Carl would say, my “eeh aah”….think “donkey” moments) to myself is more comfortable. Revealing where I need help has not been my strong suit many times.

As I have read others blogs, I have really enjoyed and been blessed by the “realness” of their lives. They have opened up about their families, their kids, their tiredness, their messy house, their never-ending piles of laundry, their struggles, and their relationship with the Lord. I hope I can learn to let down my hair a bit and be as transparent as these sisters in Christ have been. I also hope that blogging will be a catalyst for growth in me as I endeavor to share honestly about what God is doing in my life.

A look back, a look ahead

Another year has gone by. This is said somewhat with a sigh of relief. 2007 was a year of stretching for me in many ways.

One, my belly stretched out more than ever before in my 5^th pregnancy. Waddling to the pool this past summer was not a pretty sight! Yes baby Kaylee (more about her in a later post) was born about a full pound larger than my other children. She is so sweet in all her chubbiness, soft skin, and fluffy hair. But I need to “unstretch” now. I lost the baby weight fairly quickly this time, so how did I end up putting on an few extra pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years? Yikes. Time to get back on the treadmill. (Situps are not happening right now!)

My marriage has been stretched in unexpected ways as well. This is where the rubber really meets the road. I am finding out that when you face challenges together as a couple and commit to honor your marriage vows, you really can grow in ways you wouldn’t imagine. Admittedly, that growth can be painful at times. We are still a work in progress, but it is by God’s grace that 2 imperfect people are still so in love and looking forward to 50+ more years together! I suspect that God has some great things ahead for us.

I have also been stretched in my relationship with the Lord. Several people have been instrumental in this area. My dear sister has encouraged me to look at my relationship with the Lord in a whole new way. It is slooowly becoming more of a “line upon line, precept upon precept” type of walk. Not something to be done in isolation, and not something that I can even actually do myself. It is truly more about what the Lord has already done for me and what He is now doing in me. My pastor was also extremely instrumental in helping me learn what it means to walk in grace.

I am truly filled with joy and gratitude to the Lord for the year (or two!) of stretching. My prayer for 2008 is that I will cherish His truth and live by His grace.