We are in the TRENCHES people!

That thought crossed my mind today as I finished up a visit with the home teachers this afternoon.

It hadn't been a bad visit. Just busy with little bodies rolling this way and that. A 2 year old moving every which way who did NOT want to sit still.  An 8 year old who did gymnastics all over the floor and a 10 year old who finally (finally!) was sitting still. 

It was just chaotic.  A good busy chaotic.  Not one of those Mom is about to go cray cray! Chaotic. (this mom has realized that I can't control everything, much less 5 busy little people, and not at the same time).

I just wondered what other people thought of our chaos.  to us its normal. While perhaps others may think "Man i hate going to that house and teaching a lesson. No one sits and listens!" 

And others who read this blog (who may not have kids) may think "Wow she is such a whiner" and " what was she thinking?" and, I can't believe she did that, and then wrote on the internet about it! and other things.

And those who see my 8 and 10 year olds at church or school on a day that was hectic and I didn't MAKE them brush their hair (they always do it, but brushing doesn't always happen). And then check it afterwards.  If they can sneak out the door without mom inspecting what they chose to wear and ask them when that item was last worn/washed, they will. 

I hope they think "Gee that family is busy" and not "Their mother is such a slob" 

:)

All I can say is we are in the trenches baby!

(*just wanted to say that as far as I know our home teachers are very tolerant.  It was more of a moment of looking at the visit as an outsider.)

In other news Edison has a sentence. Its a favorite with a few different versions.  It usually goes like this -
I want water too!
and
I want water too Mom!

And today he changed it to

I want too!
when he wanted a treat the rest of us were having.

Nolan is rolling around like a pro and is often entertained by a simple toy.

We've got the garden started now and are doing a small remodel of some of the boxes. 


So far this year we have started lettuce and tomatoes and a bunch of other plants in the greenhouse.  We've planted peas and carrots and onions and bok choy and have volunteer spinach in the garden.

I may skip the bountiful basket for a few weeks. It just feels like we don't use the variety they have been sending.... I don't know. We'll see.

I wish my to do list would shrink

Life is good right now.  We've been battling the cold of the century (still!) and perhaps since this is round two of snot noses , gave it to ourselves again.  Who knows.  I just know the boys all have an awful cough still and the girls are using cough drops here and there.  The adults are over it and the young ones are all still suffering. 

But we are doing well!  Everyone is happy including Mom.  I'm stressed and busy, but its more of a I've got to clean this house! and Wow I need to get that project done! kind of stress as opposed to a crazy busy that is just to much to deal with. I don't know. Maybe its that to do list I started. i need to prioritize it instead of just having that part in my head.

There are lots of exciting things happening right now for us.  The twins are rolling.  Nolan is sleeping through the night.  Quinten has his good nights and his bad nights. He's still not sleeping through the night. But I'm hopeful it will happen soon.  He took a 5 hour nap yesterday and I think he might be having a growth spurt.  After that if he doesn't start sleeping through the night we may have to have a cry it out session. 

I've been having some fun with crafts lately.  We caught a fox.  the plants in the greenhouse are ready for transplant.  I'm trying to grow blueberries again! I'm taking a cheese class.

Ok, so maybe I'll expound on each of those topics!  I was recently given some silk cocoons. I've always wanted to try silk but had never been able to afford/talk myself into spending the money for the stuff sold online.  so I degummed them and stretched them and then dyed them and now I've been playing with them. i broke out the hand carders and blended them with some wool But that made my hands so tired I broke out the drum carder.  And then found out that silk is to delicate for my drum carder.  In my opinion.  I've still got some that I'm going to try knitting with without spinning it into yarn.  Family reunion project anyone?  :)

So we caught a fox. The one that has been raiding our henhouse.  We borrowed a trap from a friend and after setting it for about 2 weeks I was surprised that we had a fox in there one morning.  Of course I couldn't kill it myself. so I called a neighbor (we live in the county) and he came over within 20 min and took care of it. then when hubby came home he put it in the garbage..... where it was noticed by the ladies who came over for a primary presidency members. It was so funny because they were all interested in looking at it.  It smelled like a skunk and its eyes were open.  I still feel sad that it had to die. but it was either that darn fox or more of my chickens. 

We still have to lock the chickens up at night due to a racoon.  But we haven't lost any more chickens for a while now. yay!

The plants in the greenhouse are ready for a transplant but its still cold outside. So i'll probably just move them to larger pots.  I bought blueberries (again!) and at this point I've failed so much at blueberries, I'm determined to win.  But I told hubby this time that if I lose, I'll give up. 

I put them in pots this time and plan on growing them in containers instead of in the yard.  We'll see if i'm able to keep the soil correct with this change.

I'm taking a cheese making class. Its something i've been wanting to do for a few years now. I've been making cheese for the past few months and hope this class will help me learn how to make cheddar and perfect my other techniques.  I've failed at mozzerella (wierd, and then to hard) but then succeeded at parmesan. At least I think I did. I won't really know for a year. LOL.  It has to age for 9-12 months.  Its a fun hobby so far.

Anyway, got to go.  Kids need me.

Bath time

Wanna know how I bathe 3 boys by myself?  Well I think I'm so clever I'm going to tell you anyway!  :)

First you decide if you have the energy and if the boys need a bath.  Check.
Next you grab 3 towels and 3 diapers.
Set up a diaper station in the family room. Basically an area to dry and diaper babies and toddlers.
Put towels in the bathroom
Grab a boy, remove clothes, toss them in laundry.  Remove diaper and toss in the garbage. Put baby or toddler in empty tub.
Repeat, until all boys are in the tub.
Fill the tub with water, keeping little bodies out of the cold water that is not yet warm as best you can.     Once it is warm, fill the tub.
Refill the tub at least once when boys decide to go potty in the water.
Wash a baby, rotate bodies.  Wash a baby, rotate. Wash a baby.
Drain the tub.
Grab a towel, grab a baby.
Dry and diaper at the diaper station.
Repeat.
Repeat until all babies are diapered.
We have been having trouble with dry skin so the next step is to lather all little bodies with Cetaphil cream.  This is a fun step because Ned likes to " help" :). It actually is kind of fun. He likes to be silly and get huge scoops of cream and put it on the boys.
This is followed by a break.
A little while later get clothes out for everyone and dress them.

Ok it's really not this complicated.  At least when you are doing it, it doesn't seem like it.  It's also very worth it when everyone smells like baby shampoo at the end!

And the cold continues to share its joys

Hubby had a sinus headache yesterday, I seem to be getting one today.  Ned is coughing with one of those coughs that make you wince.  Boys still have very snotty noses and are still cranky.  Since they are a few days behind Ned it looks like we get to enjoy this for at least another week. Bring on another day of trying to hold 3 sick kids at one time.  I need earplugs.

 I'd like to find the person who so thoughtlessly shared this cold with us and slash their tires or some other drastic thing.  Or even better, lock them in the house for 8 hours with my sick kids.  That would make them think twice.

Next time if someone shows up at my house with a bad cold without warning ( to which I would tell them to stay home!!!) I will make them go home. Not allow them in.  No entry. Nada! Go away!

pallets

Just read on my sisters blog that you can make anything out of pallets. I wonder if I could make a chicken house out of pallets?  Hmmmm....

The fox

Things are always exciting around here.  Now we have a fox. He has so far feasted on 7 of our chicks, a rooster and at least 3 full grown hens. We have resorted to putting the remaining hens in one small coop.  I feel bad for them. But rather crowded than dead, right?  We are working on some modifications to another coop to make it safe.   The coop that had a cow walk through the run several times a few years ago however needs to many repairs.

I'm working on getting a new coop out there.  but its hard to make yourself feel ok about spending a grand on a building for chickens.  maybe we won't..

The boys are trying to kill me by getting up multiple times a night. Throw in Ned getting a cold and also getting up multiple times a night and voila! You have a recipe for zombie mom.  The new rule at my house is that if you are sick at least give me a warning.  For Ned's birthday someone brought us a lovely cold.  Stayed away from the babies but not Ned. "I wouldn't want to give the twins a cold!" they say as they hug and kiss Ned.  Yeah. Thanks for that.  We just love the cold you brought us.  sorry...I'm just tired.

The girls have started soccer again for the spring season.  Hubby is their coach. So for the next 6-7 weeks I'm a soccer widow. 4 hours of practice per week and another 2 hours or so on Saturday.  Its hard, but the girls deserve to have fun.  I just hope the boys sleep more the next few weeks.

I've had my first experience using silk fiber.  It was very fun. I already need more! I need more silk pods! I need enough so that I have a really really good reason to card wool. pulling out my drum carder is a lot of work anymore.  But oh! The possibilities.

I'm taking a cheese making class...eventually.  Its been fun to learn about cheese making.  I find that while you have young kids at home who are a lot of work its a good idea to have a hobby that you find interesting and that gives you a sense of accomplishment.  It helps me through all the endless diaper changes, loads of laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc that is like groundhog day. The same thing over and over every day!  I currently have a few weeks old parmesan in the cheese fridge waiting for some cheese wax!

Hubby is helping me out a lot these days.  His responsibility at night is Ned.  He has to work, so he takes Ned, who usually doesn't get up.  Well, Thursday night Ned was in the worst part of the cold.   He didn't feel well and was up on and off all night. Hubby had a half day Friday so took full responsibility.  He was up with Ned several times and ended up in the family room on a couch with him and the humidifier.  Turned out Ned did best sleeping at an angle with his head above his body on pillows. 

Anyway as I was in and out with twins all night (3 times with a brutal 12:30 wake up) he really saw what my nights are like.  Add to that the fact that he woke up a zombie because of Ned and he seems to really understand a lot more why I'm always tired.  He has been a lot more understanding and helpful.  He was a good help before, but now he seems to be even more so.

 

9 month check up

Quinten is 14 lbs 13 oz
Nolan is 16 lbs 1 oz.

Ned has his 2 year and is 26 lbs.

All are healthy and happy.  Even Quinten is getting thigh fat rolls!