Wild Wednesday

"Wild Wednesday" is the term that a local gas station uses to get customers in. They offer 6 cents off all gas on Wednesdays only. Well, I don't usually go to this gas station because of its location - it is a high traffic area with not enough traffic signs/signals plus there are a lot of retirement communities in our area, need I say more! (Sorry if I offend anyone in this category...)

Anyway, today I decided to go there since the price of gas is on the rise yet again and I wanted to fill my tank before the holiday weekend. Well, the kids are talking to me all at once & Jake is having a rough day with some "tummy troubles" and voicing his discomfort quite loudly as I pull into the gas station. Therefore, I didn't see the sign that says "DO NOT ENTER". Evidently, this sign is put there only on Wednesdays to control the high volume of cars wanting to get the discounted gasoline. (I felt better after Danny told me that it's not there everyday, because I drive past this place ALL the time & I was questioning my sanity as to why I didn't remember it being there).

So folks, here's where my Wednesday gets really WILD...I pull up to the pump head on to another car (which happens to be at the head of the line of about 10-15 cars all in line for this pump). I was totally oblivious to the fact that they were all waiting in line for gas & I OBVIOUSLY was in the wrong place ~ But at this point, another car has blocked me in from behind (not to mention that the nice attendant at the gas station failed to say anything like, "Hey Lady, you came in the wrong way!" ~ I would have totally backed up & gotten out of there!) No, that would have been too easy...

Well, since our state does not have pump your own gas, this makes it even more interesting because the attendant proceeds to fill my tank & ignore the man who is facing my car. Now he was probably in his late 60's to early 70's (complete with golf shirt and plaid pants) and he gets out of his car and comes up towards my window - "Hey, you can't come in here this way - You're doing it the wrong way" (At this point I felt like I was in the Seinfeld episode with the Soup Nazi - It would have been easier if the attendant had just said to me - "No gas for you!") So anyway, I try to tell the man nicely that you can come into a gas station either way, it just depends on where your gas tank is on your car (I wasn't trying to be sassy, I just didn't see the sign & totally could not comprehend how he didn't understand this concept of how a gas station works). Just then, the lady behind him gets out (She was sporting a beautiful pure white "beehive" hairstyle, I might add) - "I had to go all the way around the block to get in line ~ You can't just pull right in here!"

At this point there was a nice lady across the pump who was smiling (well, actually laughing) at me saying "They're gonna kill you!" Those were very comforting words - Now I am getting a little nervous & trying to plan my escape route in my head so they won't follow me to my house~If they even let me get out of here alive! The plaid pants man comes closer to my window, "You know, there is a sign there that says Do Not Enter" having to prove to me that he is right - So I proceed to tell him - "Listen, sorry, but what can I do at this point anyway? I don't even come to this gas station ever! Would you like to come sit in my car with my three screaming kids for a while!?!" He replied one more time, just to drive the point home "There is a sign over there..." So I just look at him & tell him nicely that I will pray for his anger & that I don't have to listen to him anymore & rolled up my window! (Wow, I'm tough! I sure showed him, huh?) I also want to point out for those of you who don't know me personally, I may be ditzy at times (ie, not seeing a big red sign saying Do Not Enter), but I would never intentionally cut people off at the gas station just to save a few bucks!

Whew! I finally paid for my gas & got out of there in one piece...No more Wild Wednesdays for me!

We Finally Did It!

We finally decorated Jake's helmet last night! Everyone has been asking us for the past few weeks since he got the helmet, "When are you going to decorate it?" "What are you going to put on it?" "Plain white is so boring & medical looking". They actually have a contest for the DOC Band babies 2006 calendar put out by the facility where Jake goes for his helmet therapy. Of course, we will be entering our very own DOC Band cutie into the contest - We'll see if he gets in there...

The top three contenders for the design were:

1. Yellow Paint with black writing: "Caution: I'm under construction"

2. Dirt Bikes

3. Race Cars

Race cars won & here it is:

We have various race car stickers on the back, a thin checkered flag design going around the back & his name in blue stickers on the front. So adorable (if I do say so myself). We are all so used to Jake & his helmet that today when my Baby Niece was here (she's 10 months old), Matthew asked me "Mommy, where's Lindsey's helmet?" as if all children have them. I am glad that it's not a big deal to have this and that Jake doesn't even notice it on his head, he's still sleeping through the night no problem ~ He actually seems to look for the helmet and grab at his head & hair when it is off for cleaning in the evenings...

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I am very much looking forward to this weekend! We are planning on taking a long drive tomorrow with the kids & just getting away for the day ~ Some much needed R&R together as a family should do us all a world of good! I definitely need to get out of the house to clear my head before starting "back to school" on Monday...I just have to pick up a few books from the library and 2 workbooks are scheduled to be delivered Monday as well ~ Then we're all set! The kids are very excited to begin the new "school year" ~ I am very excited to implement my new "Daily Routine" charts and pray that they work to help the kids have some more responsibility with their rooms and the house - I'll keep everyone posted on our progress with that & with school next week - For now, have a great weekend!

Birthday Reflections...

This past weekend was Rebecca's 7th Birthday! We had a lot of fun at her party - We had it at an ice skating rink - My sister-in-law and I were remembering all of the different "themes" that Becky has had over the years so far... This was the first year we didn't have her party at home. I have to say, it was pretty easy to just show up with cupcakes & have someone else do the rest! The kids had a blast on the ice and skated pretty much the whole time! The only casualty was my father-in-law who unfortunately broke his hand when he tried to break his fall! But, aside from that, the whole party was a success!

Now, back to my reflections on Becky's birthday...I can't even believe it! It seems like just yesterday that she was born and I began my journey as a mom...As we were walking into church on Sunday, which is her actual birthday, I was walking behind my family and just watching as Becky & Matthew went in holding hands to their Sunday School class & Danny was carrying Jake in his baby car seat and I had to hold back the tears welling up in my eyes. I was reflecting on how seven years ago that day Rebecca was born and she was the little baby in the car seat. I can only imagine how I will be in 6 more years when she becomes a teenager (not to mention that by that time I will be turning 40!) But anyway, these past seven years as a mom I really have grown and matured on a personal (and spiritual) level. Being in charge of these little people that God has entrusted to my care is a great responsibility that I am thoroughly enjoying...

Sure there are days when I wish I could just pick up and take off somewhere with my husband and not have to worry about getting a babysitter or just sit quietly and scrapbook or cross-stitch (haven't picked that up in seven years), but I wouldn't change these times for anything. I know that as quickly as these past seven years have gone by, so will another seven and we'll be celebrating Jake's 7th birthday. Many things will change in the next seven years as they have over the past seven years; some good and some bad; that's just life. For now, I am excited to start the next school year with the kids & I feel so blessed to be able to stay home with them and homeschool them. I get to see the excitement in their eyes everyday as we do different projects, crafts, or as they discover something new in whatever we are studying.

Anyway...My little blessings are calling me, so I have to run...Enjoy the pics!

Priority Mail and Personal Perspectives

Well, what can I say...My secret is out...This is how I get my errands done in peace everyday ~ I tape their mouths shut!

No, seriously...They actually put these on their own mouths by themselcves and before they did, they said, "Mommy, we're gonna put these on & you take our picture!" They crack me up!

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Last night I went to visit my friend who just had her first child a little over a week ago and brought her a meal to help out...Little baby Olivia weighed in at 7 lbs 12 oz. It was so weird to hold a tiny newborn baby after holding Jake all the time - Besides, Jake came out over 10 pounds so he was never that tiny...It was also nice to visit "babyland" or "the quiet zone" as I affectionately refer to anyone's home that only has one tiny newborn baby in it - It's a wonderful peaceful land to visit once in a while to give me some perspective on the "crazy house" that I affectionately call my home with the 3 children and 2 dogs that reside here! It's just a different level of chaos and everyone's chaos is relative.

To someone who was just a regular married couple living their lives, going to work, going out with friends, & getting a good night's sleep on a regular basis and then adding a brand new baby in there - That can turn a world upside-down! But to someone who has a few children already and has been through many different things with those children (like having one of them fall on their head out of the minivan & have to get a staple put in; respiratory illnesses requiring nebulizer treatments and staying up all night with them and a 105 fever; having your baby wear a helmet; etc.) - The new baby zone is a quiet haven compared to the level of chaos experienced here on a daily basis!

Well, whatever your level of chaos, I hope you are having a good day and remember to take time to enjoy this beautiful weather because in about 4 short months - We'll all be complaining about how cold we are! :)

A Little Brady Trivia...

It's Wednesday...Just want to see if your awake in the middle of this week!

What was the name of the bully that was making fun of Cindy Brady because she had a lisp?

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I've been starting to map out our plans for the new school year...We are planning on starting school on August 29th...This way we should be done by the beginning of May next year...Then maybe we can go on vacation while all of the other children are still in school!

Mmmmmm...

C'mon over...I just finished baking these!

I know what you're thinking~It's the middle of summer, 90+ degrees~ Am I crazy? Have I totally lost my mind? No, it is just that my oven has been broken for the last 8 weeks & we just got it fixed & I just HAD to bake some absolutely yummy treats for my family! These are cinnamon oatmeal whole wheat M&M chocolate chip cookies :)

I thought these would make a great treat for Danny to take to work tomorrow & brighten his day! Also, the kids and I are picking up my Aunt Gina & going thrift shopping tomorrow so these will be a good snack to bring along for the ride...

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HERE'S A JAKE UPDATE: We took him to his first recheck with the therapist at Cranial Technologies today & she showed me the progress that he has made in just one week - His head is actually rounding out already in the back! She had to take the helmet into the back & shave away some more growth space! This is so awesome~it was worth the 1.5 hour drive! We go back weekly for rechecks until he is 7 months old & then every 1-2 weeks depending on his progress.

Hampers, Homeschooling & Helmets: An Update on My Life

Things have been busy around here (as usual) and I just wanted to take a minute
to give an update on what's been going on around here...

HAMPERS:

I have been working on my organization mission and bought a canvas 3-sectioned laundry sorter for our main bathroom. (In the back of the bathroom there is a section that could be used as a handicap shower, but we use the area for storage) I organized shelves back there and have implemented the hamper system to keep the clothes from landing in a pile on the bathroom floor. So far so good - I just need to finish a little bit of organizing with the shelves and that space is done!

HOMESCHOOLING:

I am going to order any last minute books that I still need to get for us to start school in a few weeks. I plan to take time this weekend to start planning out our school year schedule on my calendar/planner. Becky and Matthew will be using ABeka for Language Arts/Phonics/Spelling/Writing and Science; Beautiful Feet Books for a Literature approach to American History; Saxon for Math and Five in a Row to supplement language arts, math, science, social studies & art.

We joined a homeschool support group in our area last year and are really happy with it except that a lot of the people who have children my kids ages live far away. They do a monthly parent-run Co-Op where the kids all get together in age-appropriate classrooms for lessons/crafts/stories/games from 12-4pm. The kids loved it last year and are really looking forward to it this year. They also do field trips throughout the year, as well as Geography & Science Fairs. I will be volunteering this year to work with the group on producing their first homeschool yearbook ~ Anyone have any experience on that topic, please share some advice! Last night I went to a meeting to join another group even closer to our home and they say that they have over 100 families so maybe we will be able to meet some people with little girls my daughter's age who live near us...

HELMETS

Our baby Jake has something called Positional Plagiocephaly (which means his head has flattening in the back on one side) The doctors say that his flattening is moderate, but that when looking at his face they felt he had some asymmetry with his eyes and ears that could worsen if not corrected. Jake was 10 lbs. 3 oz. when he was born and did not have a lot of room to move around in my belly before he was born. He seemed to have a slight flattening at birth & therefore favored that side when sleeping or lying down, thus worsening the flattening effect. Two weeks ago we took him to a facility where they treat this condition via DOC Band Therapy (ie, a helmet). He had a plaster cast made of his head then and this past Monday we took him back to get it fitted and start the therapy. They say he should only have to wear it for three months or so, as long as the desired results are achieved. As a mom, I was so worried about how he would look or what people would say, but then I realized that none of that matters and that we are just so thankful that they have treatment for this and it is not a life threatening circumstance or one needing surgical intervention. And besides, I think that Jake is so cute he even looks cute in his helmet! :)