Excitement

Life has been rather exciting lately, and tonight takes the cake. My brother-in-law made a 3 layer bunk bed for my kids, and tonight is their first night in the bed. As you can guess that brings about a lot of excitement, and not really going to sleep.

My man's two brothers are at our house for Thanksgiving, and they along with the hubs decided that to cook the turkey they wanted to make a fire a pit in our backyard garden. Then bury the turkey in the pit, and let it slow cook over night.

So as I was hearing banging noises from children jumping out of beds upstairs, the boys were running around out in the yard making their fire.   Therefor it was my responsibility to handle the kids.   I went in there, and was helping them remake their beds, because they had thrown the blankets off.  As I climbed off the top bunk to the middle one, I noticed an ambulance out in our cul-de-sac.  It didn't have it's lights on, but I started wondering what was going on.   

Then I noticed the guys get out of the ambulance and walk toward my house.  "What?  There is an ambulance in front of our house."  I said.  At this all of the children were instantly looking out the window.  "There is a police car, and fire truck too!"  one of the children cried.  By this time it had clicked in my mind that this must be about their fire.  So that is what I told the kids.  "Oh, no! Is Daddy going to have to go to jail?"   One cried.   "No, he won't have to go to jail, but he may get a fine."   "What is a fine?"   "It means he will have to pay some money."

At this point I told the kids goodnight and went to make sure no one was hurt.  I get out there to 4 firefighters and the hubs and his two brothers, talking about some neighbor had called concerned they were burning the neighborhood down.  Apparently it was a yellow burn day (meaning low air quality), and so they shouldn't have a fire.  The firefighters were pretty good about it, and said that because it was in a pit, and they were using it for cooking, it was ok.  We may get a fine for having a fire on a yellow burn day, but that is up to someone else.  

I think we will always remember this Thanksgiving as the one where the fire department came. 

Gift ideas

Lately I have been downsizing on toys in our house.  With Christmas coming I am trying to come up with meaningful gifts,  that the kids will enjoy, but don't just add more stuff.  To some degree I a having a little bit of difficulty with this.    For Aurora I am making a binder dollhouse, and some furniture to go with it.  Cinderella got a dollhouse last year, but would like some more furniture.  I am afraid if Aurora gets a dollhouse and furniture,  but Cinderella only gets furniture, even if it is different, Cinderella will feel cheated.

Now Cinderella's birthday is right after Christmas,  and she could get th furniture then instead.   However, if thay is what I do, I am not sure what toy she could get for Christmas.   She loves to read, and she playes barbies.  That is about all she does inside for recreation.   Outside ahe rides her bike, or plays with the neighbors dog.

Any suggestions?

Pain in the foot

So I crashed on my bike like a week and a half ago right?  And the place where I was the most sore was my right foot.   I have large bunnions (a bone that sticks out to the side of my foot at the base of my big toe)  which cause me a lot of pain on a regular basis any how.   This was the area on my foot where the pain was strongest first.   Then the pain spread up into my toe and down into the arch of my foot.  There was no swelling or visible bruising,  and when the hubs gently probed my foot it didn't cause the pain to increase.   So I figured it was probably a sprain, and tried to not put too much weight on my foot that day.  But really even saying that is a joke of sorts.   I am mom to 5 kids, one of which is a nursing baby.  Even with t being a day that the hubs was home how so you not walk around?  But I did try to sit down with my foot up a lot that day.  After that day however I didn't really treat it different than I usually do, and figured the pain would eventually subside.

Well it still hurts, and today it was hurting enough that right now I have it up with ice under it.  I am not sure what to do however,  because I don't feel like I can just sit down with my foot up all the time.  I feel really lazy, and unproductive.   How do I cary my baby to bed if I don't walk?  How do I I do much of anything and stay off my foot.  It is so frustrating!

Recap

So lately I haven't been on top of doing my nightly blog posts.  Seeing as how this is the journal I am keeping right now, I need to do better.

So a lot has happened in the last week, and that could be a big part of why I haven't been writing.

The hubs brother has been having a hard time keeping a job.  He is an entrepreneur, and has tried starting his own company a few times.  And as is the  common thing with trying to start a business, they all didn't really get off the ground.  He has had a few other jobs here and there trying to support his family, but it has been a rough go.

His family has been living with my father-in-law, in a pretty rural community, and the hubs is of the opinion that that is part of why he has had such a hard time with employment.  So when my brother-in-law lost his most recent job last week, the hubs invited him to bring his family here, and stay with us, while he looks for a job in a more populated area.  

So in a whirlwind, it has been decided that they will be coming, soon.  We just aren't sure exactly how soon.  There are a few variables that have to be figured out.  But they could show up as early as Thursday.

I think we can fit them in our house, but it will take some rearranging.  Thus I have been spending a lot of time and energy lately getting things squared away.  I don't mind doing it for them, but it does take a lot of time.

So that is the big thing that is happening around here.  

Then on Saturday, the hubs and I needed to run some errands, and figured it would be a good time to get a sitter, and spend some time with each other.  Well the sitter got here and asked where Spike and Guy were.  I had been so busy rearranging things that I wasn't as on top of it as I should have been.  I knew they had been outside, but I wasn't sure where.  Last I had seen it was in the back yard.   So we went to look.  No kids.   We looked all around the house, all around the yard, around the street, no boys.  Then we noticed that not only were they missing, but their bikes were missing too.

So leaving the girls with the sitter, we took Scooter, got in the van and started to drive around the neighborhood looking for them.  The whole time I was praying that we would find them and they would be OK.  We finally found them, they had left our neighborhood, and were on their way to our church house.  Guy said it was because Spike wanted to go to the church.  

Now I don't know if Guy was just trying to make himself seem innocent, or if he really has a problem of allowing himself to be led down the wrong path by his 2 year old brother.   Either way we have a problem.  He often blames Aurora as well for when he does things wrong.  And I know she can be a mischief maker, and does often suggest breaking rules.  I really don't know what to do with those kids some times.

Late Nights and Naps

Last night there was a Relief Society Meeting at the church.  There was a child care set up, and my children ended up going.  This was not intended.  Our family had gone over to the church earlier for the hubs and I to have temple recommend interviews.  Mine finished just in time for the Relief Society meeting to start, so I headed off leaving the kids with the hubs.  Except for one small thing.

Aurora, Spike, and Guy all took off through the halls, and found the child care.  The thought it looked fun, so they joined in.  The hubs came and found them later, and the people who were watching the kids, didn't have any problem with the kids being there, so the hubs took Scooter with him and went and ran some errands.

Thus, my children were out later last night, and didn't get to bed at their normal bed time.  I also didn't get to bed at my normal bedtime, and then I was woken up in the middle of the night by Scooter, and this morning at about 5:20 by Aurora, who wanted Mom.   So today I was kind of tired  (OK really tired) and ornery.  And the kids were really tired and ornery.   Thankfully I was able to get a little bit of down time, this afternoon, and even got Aurora to take a brief nap.

Tonight, I did a lot better at getting the kids, at least in their rooms at a decent time.   Hopefully I can get to bed before too late as well.

How to have kids and social life go together.

I realized this morning that I have a hard time balancing making sure my kids needs are met and finding ways to interact with other adults.  Particularly when we are at some kind of outing that the whole family goes to.

This last week we went to two such outings.   One was a chili cook off, and the other was an extended family get together.   In both cases meals were served, but the tables were set up in such a way that I just sat by my husband and kids to take care of their needs, and didn't get to visit with anyone over the meal.   At the cook off I felt like I needed to keep my kids in line so they weren't running around being crazy.  I don't know how do that and visit with others.

At the family thing, it seemed like as soon as the meal was done, people were ready to leave.  At this point I felt like I had to get my family rounded up and get a move on.  

I don't blame anyone else for how these situations turned out.  It is just what happened.  I don't have any hard feelings either.  I just know that being a stay at home mom, and me personally with what needs I have, social interaction is a big need of mine.  And I am not sure how to balance interacting with adults and not neglecting my kids.


How do you, or did you, or would you do it?

Wipe out

Today I was feeling somewhat stressed because of the kids, so I left them with the hubs and went for a bike ride.  I had a nice ride, and my legs were definitely feeling exercised,   when I headed back home.  I was probably about half a mile from home, riding along the sidewalk, when  I swerved slightly to get around a tree that was blocking my path, and leaned a bit too far to my left side. Down I went, off the sidewalk and onto my side on the road.  I skinned up my palms, bruised my knees, and sprained some of my toes on my right foot.  My bike also got kind of bent out of shape.   The front wheel turned so that it wasn't in line with the handle bars anymore.   I figured it was probably fixable,  but not rideable in its present state.   I was able to get back up and hobble back home trying to steer a crooked bike.  Finally when I was almost home I saw a neighbor who helped me straighten it back up.  I will probably be sore for a few days, but I am greatfull that I wasn't more hurt.

A Picnic in the French Countryside

Last week I took the hubs for a picnic in the French countryside.  OK not really, but we pretended it was the French countryside.    We really didn't go very  far from home.

We used watercolors to paint the scenery, 

Ate brie on begets with blueberry compote

Drank sparkling cider

 And enjoyed the view

The Ruby of Fire

For my birthday I wanted to have a Mystery Dinner Party.  I told the hubs this, and I also told him that I wasn't the keenest on the fact that pretty much the ones I can find,  are all murder mystery.   Not only are they murder, but they often have immorality involved.  I wanted to do something that wasn't murder, and was clean.

So what did my awesome man do?  He wrote one just for me.  Pretty cool huh?  I helped him iron out details once in a while, but really it was him.  Last night we had the party.  We invited some of our friends to come for the unveiling of the "Ruby of Fire."  There were 4 couples all together.

Our Characters:

General Sean O’Flanagan

A flamboyant Irishman, immigrated to America during his youth.  Retired after a prosperous career as an army officer.  Owns and lives in the renowned O’Flanagan Mansion.  Married later in life to Lady Marie O’Flanagan.

Lady Marie O’Flanagan

Accomplished theater makeup artist, hairdresser, and costume designer.

Wife of Sean O’Flanagan, close associate of actress Dolly Malone.

Dolly Malone

Famous theater actress that starred in “The Purple Fingernail.”  

Close associate of Lady Marie O'Flanagan.

Jeeves

Butler recently hired on by the General.  Has taken interest in the inimitable

Dolly Malone, who frequents the O’Flanagan Mansion as a regular guest.

Professor Thwimbleton

Scholar of archaeology and ancient studies, highly interested in

any news of the recovery of ancient relics, valuable or mundane.

Hot Lips Harriet

Eccentric Artist.  Girlfriend of Professor Thwimbleton.

Gerard Buchanan Herefordshire the Third

Quirky curator of the Winchecomb Museum of Ancient History.  In case you have to use his last name, it’s “HUH-fud-sure”, not “her ford SHIRE”.  Trust me, if you make that mistake you’ll be hearing about it for weeks.

Veronica Le’Clem

Jeweler and collector of minor gemstones.  Rumor has it there

is more fire between her and the curator than just the ruby.

It was a lot of fun, but didn't' quite play out the way we had imagined it. I think we learned a thing or two about writing this sort of thing, and some kinks that will need to be ironed out if this script is ever used again in the future. However it was a great night with friends, fun and food.