Being Sick Stinks (for EVERYBODY)

Yesterday I was feeling oh so accomplished. I went through the house and stripped down all the beds (which is not a lot of fun with the bunk bed, mind you). I washed ALL the bedding, pulled out the flannel sheets and proceded to remake all the beds. While I was in the process of doing this, I decided to rearrange one of the bedrooms.

I was bored with it.

Anyway, I got through most of the laundry, finished the beds, and stepped back to take a look at what I had done. I then made a yummy broccoli cheese soup and sat down with my family to eat. Mike headed off to school and the kids and I went visiting teaching. I came home and got the kids ready for bed. Jackson was in bed by 7:30! Kids were reading books, teeth and hair were brushed, the house was cleaned up. All was well and I was on the fast track to my "quiet time". I only had 30 minutes to go!

And then 7:45 came around...

Jackson woke up and started puking all over. The little guy didn't know what hit him; after all, he has never thrown up before :(... Luckily, Mike came home a little early and held him while I got all the girls in bed. Then I got to sit on the couch and hold him while he continued vomiting.

We called our neighbor over and asked if he would help give our little man a blessing. We have the best neighbors in the world! He came over and they gave him a blessing. One of the things mentioned was that he would stop vomiting and that he would sleep through the night and feel much better in the morning. And all of that has come to pass. Sure, he isn't 100% better, but at least he isn't throwing up and he is smiling again.

I am so grateful for the priesthood, I am grateful for good neighbors who are always there for us. I am grateful for a loving Father in heaven who hears and answers prayers and who is blessing my little boy right now.

So, I got to re-wash his bedding. At least we know his bed is super clean! If only I would have waited one more day to do all that laundry... oh well ;)!

Yes, I know I already posted something today, but something happened that I would like to share.

Many times I have told myself to not send my husband to the store to go shopping for food; but I made an exception this evening because it was only for the basics. That's simple, right? Some fruit, vegetables, milk and bread. I did ask for some frozen cauliflower and broccoli so I could make some broccoli cheddar soup tomorrow (since soup weather is my fave and I absolutely loooooooove soup). ANYWAYS... Mike called me from the store at least 7 times, yep, no exaggeration there... 7 times (or more). He was calling to ask several questions about what to buy. One question he asked was if I would like him to buy some bread bowls. Now, who wouldn't want bread bowls... yum!

So, after several phone calls and several minutes later my sweet hubby came home with all the food he bought. Of course, among the veggies are potato chips, corn chips and cinnamon bears. And we just had to have that summer sausage and the fancy sharp cheese to go with it as well. When he told me he spent $100 I could hardly believe it! Now that I think about it though, some of those items are expensive! Lots more than just fresh produce ;).

Okay... so on with the story. I was digressing. Anyway, he was so excited to show me the "bread bowls". He was all smiles as he opened the grocery bag. I couldn't believe my eyes! Mike had bought two loaves of sourdough bread. Have you ever seen a loaf of sourdough bread? If that was a bread bowl, that would be one ginormous bread bowl! I lovingly explained that they were, in fact, two full loaves of bread and not bread bowls. I'm not complaining however because I love sourdough bread. I just explained I wouldn't be eating it out of the "bread bowl", I would slice it up for the kids and me to enjoy!

I just thought he was so sweet and thoughtful and adorable! I love him so much!

I love sending Mike to the store. I never know what he will come home with. Maybe I'll go up and enjoy some of those cinnamon bears!

I did it!

I did it... I really did it.

I fancied up my blog. I am feeling good about myself. I am good enough, I am smart enough, and doggonit... people like me! Now we'll just have to see if I can keep it up, right? ;)

First Day of Preschool

It's hard to believe that my little Oakley is old enough to go to preschool! Today was her first day and boy was she excited and nervous at the same time! Here she is sporting her Dora backpack AND shoes and all. She picked her own outfit for the first day... so stylin'!

All went well though, she had a blast. She came home all smiles and told me all the things she did in class. She just feels like such a big girl now that she is going to school like her big sisters do.

I am just trying to make it through this crazy schedule! Is there anybody else out there who has experienced that schedule of one child in school all day, one 1/2 day, one in preschool, and one still home all day?

I figure this is the only year I will have that scenario... so I will enjoy it while it lasts!

On a side note... as I was dropping Dakota and her little friend off to kindergarten today, I watched the two of them walk up to the building side by side. I had to giggle at the sight, because I just think those little kindergarteners are so adorable with their backpacks that are nearly as big as they are!

A Little Under the Weather

Well, I got to spend my weekend in bed for two straight days. I am just now getting my sense of smell back which is good and bad. Good, cuz I love smelling my fall candles and yummy dinners and actually being able to taste my food. Bad cuz now I can smell when Jax needs to be changed. I must admit, poopy diapers aren't near as bad with no sense of smell! However, the good by far outweighs the bad ;)!

As I was laying in bed listening to my hubby struggle with the kids, I began to think about all the little things I do around the house to keep things running smoothly. Sure, Mike is a terrific husband and father; but he wasn't born to be a mother. He did a great job of taking care of the kids and cleaning things up, he just doesn't really know exactly how things are run around here. He is a-m-a-z-i-n-g and I would never want to make him sound like anything other than that.

I just think he got a great dose of just how much he appreciates all I do. He was good at putting dishes away and feeding the kids... getting them dressed and to church on time and all of that. It's those little things like crumbs on the table and the floor. You know those crumbs? The ones that if they aren't wiped and swept up immediately, they end up all over your house. It's the fingerprints on the windows and the kitchen appliances. It's the food that explodes all over in the microwave. And last of all, it's that darn laundry that never goes away.

Yes, because I spent two days in bed, I am paying dearly for it today. On the bright side, the crumbs are gone and the laundry is ALMOST caught up (until tomorrow). The fingerprints were gone for about one hour.

I am just so happy for a husband who does so much for me. He cared for me so tenderly. He never complained once, and I know he was stressed out. His plate was so full this weekend... not only did he take on Chemistry and changing the brakes and fixing the door of his truck, he handled my responsibilities as well. I love him so much!

My New Rewards Program

Okay, so I came across one of the best rewards programs for my children. I got the idea from the magazine Family Fun and then I kinda added my own little twist. I absolutely love that magazine by the way!

Anyway, this is our program. I posted a list of chores around the house that my kids can do to earn money (this is fake money that I printed off the website funstuff4kids.org). Anyway, the list ranges anywhere from doing dishes to cleaning up the apples that fall from our apple tree. This has even motivated my kids to clean up the dog mess in the yard! Today my oldest daughter asked if she could earn money by changing a messy diaper (ummmm, let me think about that one for about one nanosecond... yes!)

Okay, so on one sheet I have a list of extra chores they can do around the house. It's basically all the work that I normally do (dishes, dusting, sweeping, mopping, in addition to some mentioned above). Mike and I sat down and decided the amount of money each job would earn.

Earlier in the day I had sat down with the girls and together we came up with a list of things they would like to "buy" with their money. We decided on things like making our favorite dessert together, family bike rides, extra time on computer/video games, pizza party, etc. And, just as with the other list, Mike and I determined the cost of each of these items. They could be things that cost money or things that don't. I find the greatest motivators are the ones that don't cost me a dime!

The kids also have the opportunity to earn money morning and night by doing their "high-5". I found a template of a hand and made some copies and wrote down the 5 things we want done before school and at bedtime on each individual finger. So, for example, in the morning I wrote... get dressed, make bed, brush hair, eat breakfast, and brush teeth. And at night I wrote... pj's, brush teeth, brush hair, clean up, and read. Then I give them a time frame and I don't pester them. They either get it done in time and earn the money or they don't finish in time and miss out on the opportunity of earning more money. Of course, my 4-year-old needs a little more guidance than the older two!

I decided that in addition to this earning program, that I would establish a "maid service fee". If my children want me to be their maid and pick up after them, then I simply do it without warning (because I have ALREADY warned them about this). And then I let them know that they owe me $5 for picking up whatever it was that I did. This worked beautifully with my 6-year-old! I have battled with her for years to put her dirty clothes in the hamper. The other day I did it for a fee of $5. There were many tears shed, but guess who puts her dirty clothes directly in the hamper now! I implemented what I have learned from the book, "Parenting with Love & Logic" and I showed her empathy. It was a bummer, and I really felt sad for her, but it was a good learning experience for us both.

Anyway, so far this has worked better than anything else I have come across. I am doing much less work around the house. I am no longer nagging. I have so much more energy and patience!

The Wanderer

I had one of the scariest experiences of my life this past weekend.

We went to our 15-year high school reunion. As I was mingling and looking around, my little Jackson decided to wander off. I was standing there with my three girls and Reagan says, "Mom, where is Jackson?" Well, I had assumed he went with Mike when he went to go throw some trash away a bit off from where we were. But something inside was nagging me to start looking.

What terrified me the most was there was a little stream not too far from where we were. That was the first place I looked... as I approached the water, I felt like my knees were going to give. I was relieved to find no baby in the water, but sickened at how quickly the water was moving.

Then Mike came back and I asked if he had the baby. He thought I was joking... no joke. So he started looking around to where he just came from; mind you, he had to walk about 5 minutes distance from where we were.

All the while I am just pleading with God to have my son be safe. I felt numb. I felt like a horrible mother. How could I let my sweet boy wander off like that?

Several minutes later Mike came walking back with Jackson in his arms. I was so relieved (to say the least) to see him with our boy. Mike said as he was looking for him, he caught a glimpse of him briefly before he went wandering around the side of a large building. I thought how fortunate we were that Mike saw him before he went around the building. The place we were at was huge!

I thanked Reagan for listening to the Spirit when he told her that we needed to start looking for Jackson. I told her that because she was listening we were able to find her baby brother. I am so grateful for God's angels who watch over our little ones. I was particularly grateful for our Father's tender mercies in protecting my precious baby boy.

I have never had one of my children wander off like that before. And I never want to experience that again! Usually I have him in a stroller, but unfortunately it got left at a park and when Mike went back to get it a couple hours later, it was gone.

Time to get another stroller!