Snow Round One

We FINALLY had snow this winter!  It's been a little frustrating to just have bitter cold weather and no fun stuff.  And this was the first time Fiona got to go play in the snow!  She loved it!

All bundled up

Heading out!

Claire was trying to show Fiona how to make snow angels.

Our side yard

Happy Chandler!

The back yard

That's a happy little girl!

 

Attempting a snowman. 

Warming up with hot chocolate.  It was Fiona's first hot chocolate and she thought it was AMAZING!

Well, we are expecting more snow tomorrow - which happens to be Chandler's 6th birthday!  He's very excited.  He says that the snow is his birthday present from God.  Silly boy!  They say we could expect anywhere from 4-9 inches so it may be a big gift!  

Blessings in the Bad

One by one my entire family has had a stomach bug this week.  Ick!

On Monday night/Tuesday Nicholas and Declan were throwing up and down for the count.  So pathetic for a little 6 month old!  Poor Nicholas just spent most of the day on the floor with the chills.

The next day Chandler said his stomach hurt and he just laid around most of the day but thankfully did not get too sick.  That same day Fiona slept WAY more then normal.  She woke up her normal time, but then fell asleep on Mom's bed for several hours.  She then had a normal/longish nap and crashed right before bedtime.

On Wednesday night after going to bed Claire came down and told us she had thrown up - in between her bed and night table.  Did I mention we have strawberry shortcake for dessert that night?  Nasty mess.  She continued to throw up several times before I went to bed.  Then I woke up in the middle of the night with whole body shuddering chills and promptly lost it.  Joy.

But I have to say I have an amazing husband.  Due to snow he was working at the workshop which is only about a 1/2 mile from home.  He went to work late because he got everyone together and fed in the morning for me while I laid on the couch pathetically.  Then he came home at lunch and fed everyone and put Fiona down for her nap.  After work he put Declan in the carrier and washed dishes, cleaned up Fiona's messes and fed dinner.

I am blessed to have such a wonderful man. 

Valentine's Date

I had a very special date on Valentine's Day -

Claire and I headed to the Grand Re-Opening of our local pottery painting shop and had a lot of fun on our "mommy date".  I need to do stuff like this with her more often!

Priorities

I can only do so much.

After a full day of schoolwork, laundry, taking care of babies, hauling wood onto the porch to get ready for the cold, and prepping for the co-op class that I am teaching tomorrow - which included cutting 30 crowns out of posterboard and hopefully by the end of the night will include punch 250 holes in little pieces of foam - dinner was fast food. I just could not get the veggie lasagna that I was planning done.

 And that's okay.

Moms have to prioritize their day and SOMETHING has to give sometimes!  Today it was a home cooked dinner.  Tomorrow it might be laundry or cleaning.  But I try to make sure it is NEVER my children. 

The Opinionated 2 year old

I have an extremely opinionated 2 year old.  Big surprise there!   Fiona's newest thing is wanting her hair done everyday.  Then she has to approve it.  The other day I put pigtails in her hair and she wanted barrettes too.  I put them in and she looked in the mirror and shook her head. 

"No.  No." 

We took them out and she picked different ones.  Back to the mirror for her to inspect.

"Pritty!"  She approved it with a big smile and marched off.

Just wait until she is a teenager!

Declan is 6 months old!

Yesterday Declan turned 6 months old!  He is smiling and laughing and adores peekaboo.  He is also at the stage when you put him on his back and he immediately flips onto his belly and then is "stuck" there.  Declan is also almost 17 lbs already.  He is my biggest baby! 

My Day with a 6 month old, 2, 5, and 8 year old

Simple Homeschool has been posting their "Day in The Life" series which I love every year and invited everyone to post their own.  It sounded like a fun project and it would be interesting to see in the future.  Here is my day, it was a pretty normal one for us!

February 2, 2015

8:13am - Fiona (my 2 year old) wakes me up.  My husband gets up early for work so he has been gone for at least an hour or two.  I leave Declan (who will be 6 months tomorrow) sleeping and bring her downstairs.  Claire and Chandler (my 8 year old and 5 year old) are up and snuggled under blankets on the couch watching Netflix.  I put the water on to boil for my morning tea and fix Fiona breakfast.  She has become picky about what she wants in the morning and it takes a few minutes to get her to decide.  I also text my best friend to wish her a happy birthday.

8:30am - I sit down with my tea and check my email and Facebook. 

9:16am - I make myself some oatmeal and Claire and Chandler fix themselves some breakfast.

9:45am - I leave Claire to watch Fiona while go to take a shower.  When I go upstairs to get together I find Declan awake and content.  I bring him downstairs and tell the kids to get dressed. 

10:07am - I realize it's snowing outside while I am getting the littles dressed.  Whoops!  I need to get moving!

Nice warm water bottles for the rabbits in a bucket of clean water for the chickens.  Kitchen scraps for the chickens and strawberry tops for the rabbits. 

10:15am - I head outside to feed and water the animals.  The chickens are waiting for me at the gate and Kaylee and London are waiting outside as they have been lately.  I spread the kitchen scraps around the run and dump and fill their water with fresh.  I head to the rabbit pen and change out the rabbit's water bottles and fill their food dishes.  I give each of the rabbits a couple strawberry tops as a treat.  Then I head back to the chickens and fill their feeder with pellets and collect the eggs since Claire didn't yesterday due to the rain.  It is snowing and windy the entire time. 

We have the rabbit cages all covered with tarps and feed sacks in the winter to cut out the wind.  Between that and piles of straw it's nice and cozy in there for them. 

Can you see the rabbit in this picture?  Here's a hint, top left hand corner!

 

Me all windblown from taking care of the animals!

10:40am - I get back in and straighten the kitchen and dining room to get ready for schoolwork.  The kids are playing nicely so I take the opportunity to call our insurance to try to get a referral problem straightened out.  It takes longer then expected .....

11:18am - We finally sit down to do schoolwork.  Fiona is playing nicely with the Megablocks in the living room and Declan is on my lap. 

11:37am - Claire gets frustrated and goes to the living room to work. 

Yes, she put Daddy's noise reduction headphones on.

11:38am - I find out Fiona got into the lotion in the diaper bag when I thought she was playing.  Clean that up.

11:45am - Try nursing Declan at the table because he is fussing.  Not what he wants apparently.  He just nurses for a few minutes. 

12:03pm - Chandler, my kindergartener, zoomed through his math, reading, English and handwriting lessons and is done.  I let him play his Sonic wii game for a few minutes until lunch. 

12:06pm - Find out Fiona has taken all the plastic bags from my bag saver in the kitchen thrown them down the basement steps and made a nest in the kitchen floor with them.  Clean that up.

12:10pm - Claire has finished her math and English which included copywork today.  We break for lunch, she will do more this afternoon.  Make lunch to the sound of a crying baby.

12:23pm - Place lunch on the table.  I made the girls peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Chandler got a ham sandwich because he doesn't like peanut butter and jelly.  Everyone got some cut up strawberries and whole grain goldfishes with their sandwiches. 

12:26pm - Sit down to nurse Declan properly.  I check my email and Facebook while I am sitting and the 3 older kids are eating. 

12:44pm - Lay Declan in the swing to sleep and snuggle Fiona to get her ready for her nap. 

1:05pm - Lay Fiona down for her nap.  She's still awake, but calmed down.  Claire and Chandler are in their rooms for quiet time.  They can read or play quietly, but everyone gets a rest in the afternoon, except mama of course.  I take the opportunity for a quiet lunch - I have leftover homemade pizza.  I wash dishes while it's cooking and then sit at the computer to eat.  I grab a few more minutes of checking email and Facebook while I am eating.  I put on a load of laundry and take a whole cut up chicken from the fridge to boil for dinner and stock.  I sit at the computer to type up some of this.  

2:00pm - The older kids get up and ask to play outside.  I tell them to pick up their toys in the living room first.  They wake up Declan.

2:20pm - I help them get bundled to go outside.  It's sunny with flurries and really windy.  The temperature is actually dropping during the day.  

2:37pm - Fiona is awake from her nap and calling me.  She's super clingy and wants attention.  So we watch some fun song videos on Youtube.  I end up with both Declan and Fiona on my lap watching.  

2:55pm - Claire and Chandler come in because they are too cold.  They watch videos with us.  

3:13pm -  We stop wasting time and settle on the couch to read our history and science.  We read about the Roman Republic in history and begin learning about the planet Saturn in science.  

3:47pm - We finish reading and I ask Claire and Chandler to empty the dishwasher.  They run into the bedroom to hide.  This is real life, people. 

3:52pm - Fiona dumps the blocks in the hallway while I am changing Declan's diaper.  Clean that up.  The kids are finally starting to empty the dishwasher after a little yelling.  I start picking the chicken meat off the bones now that they are not boiling hot.  

4:04pm - I put the bones back in the pot for stock and put the chicken meat in the fridge for when I start dinner.  I pick up Declan who is now hysterical.  Claire, Chandler and Fiona are playing together very loudly but not fighting.  I set up Declan in the high chair for some millet.  He's not very interested in eating solid food today.  It's only been a few days so he's still getting used to the idea.  I nurse him again.  

4:29pm - Fiona is crying.  She tries to tell me something about Chandler but I can't understand very much of her toddler speak.  

4:40pm - Declan is asleep.  I get the laundry from downstairs to hang out.  I hang 95% of our laundry on the outside clothesline to dry.  I like how they dry and smell better than the dryer.  I send the kids to begin our "Daddy Clean Up".  We try to have the house straightened from any disaster when my husband gets home from work in the evening.  My mom gets home from work (she lives with us) while I am hanging laundry and she helps me finish.  We come inside to find Fiona has unrolled all the toilet paper and brought it into the living room.  Clean that up.  

Fiona tries to help.

5:11pm - I prewash the dishes before starting to make dinner.  Send Claire to the chicken coop to check for eggs. 

I made Poppyseed Chicken Casserole.  One of the few things that everyone likes.

5:19pm - Daddy gets home from work.  In the ensuing chaos Declan wakes up.  Daddy holds him and wrangles kids while I'm working on dinner.  Mom and I hang another load of laundry to air out and dry overnight.  It's COLD out there!  Clothes freeze as we hang them. 

5:53pm - Tell the kids to set the table.

6:20pm - Sit down to eat dinner.  We all sit and eat together as a family every night.  The adults get to sit and talk and laugh after dinner and the kids head to the living room.  

It's a full table!

6:55pm - Mom and I clear off the table and clean up the kitchen.  I wash the dishes.  Realize that while Fiona is innocently standing there looking at us she is carefully dumping the cat food with her foot.  Clean that up.  

7:10pm - The kids show me their "Doom Track" that they created for Chandler's remote control car.  Mom retreats to her quiet bedroom.  I get Declan ready for a bath.  

"Doom Track"

7:33pm - Claire and Fiona are watching Netflix.  Daddy and Chandler are watching video game walkthroughs on the computer and Declan and I settle down in the recliner to nurse with a book.  

8:02pm - We send the big kids to get their pajamas on and Daddy gets Fiona in her pajamas.  Fiona has a massive meltdown when we tell her to help pick up her blocks.  

8:11pm - Fiona calms down and snuggles with Daddy.  Claire and Chandler watch an episode of something on Netflix before bed.  

8:36pm - I put comfy pajamas on and trade Daddy to snuggle Fiona while he plays with Declan.  Fiona and I read a book together and Declan ends up joining us on my lap.

8:54pm - Claire and Chandler head to brush their teeth.  They come back for me to pray over them and Daddy puts them in bed and tucks them in.  

9:19pm - Declan nurses again (he likes to cluster feed in the evening) and Daddy settles Fiona for bed.  

9:29pm - After putting Fiona to bed Daddy puts on the kettle for us both to have some tea.  Then he holds Declan while I relax with my tea (I fixed a London Fog, yum), a bowl of ice cream, and Leverage reruns on Netflix.  

10:46pm - After nursing him again Declan is asleep and we are headed to bed.  Good night everyone!