Parenting

Found this great article on parenting.


What they say makes sense. Note that the article was written back in 1996. How much better are we 11 years later? I'd say, not much. Seems like Americans in general are getting worse. Maybe we're more sensitive to it now, but hubby and I have noticed a huge increase in commercials, print ads, and just general statements about "getting away from the kids" and "spending time alone". Whatever happened to the idea that children are a blessing? We get more joy from time spent with our children as a family than we do from any other activity. Granted, there needs to be a balance. Children need time to be children just like adults need time to be adults. But something needs to change in our society. We're raising a bunch of grown up children. You know who they are. Think about it. In our society, debt is increasing, divorce is increasing, job changes are increasing, bankruptcy is increasing, people buy new cars every 2 years. So Americans have successfully raised another generation that views responsibility as what we owe ourselves. Hard work has become an old-fashioned notion. Delayed gratification? No way! So how do we fix it? By being the best example we can be to our children. Will it solve the problem tomorrow? Nope. Will it change the world? Yep. One day at a time.

Cute quotes from Maddie

"Do it like you think it how."
- As she tried to tell Zach which song and what signs they needed to do to perform for the rest of us.

"My nose is all snuffily."
- Pretty self explanatory.

P.S. No, we didn't get a kitten. The photo was taken in May when we were visiting a farm.

Music, health and an ultrasound

For your listening pleasure:



I love Christmas songs!

On another note - Maddie is feeling much better, a few sniffles and sneezes and that's all. I came down with a cold yesterday morning. Made it to church, but shortly after we came home I felt like my head was going to implode. I'm a little better today, still very stuffy and sneezy (stuffy, is that the name of a dwarf? it should be). Josh is starting to feel like he's catching something. We're downing vitamin C like crazy!

Went to our ultrasound this morning. The baby looks great! Heart beating, brain growing, all systems go, kicking, punching, wiggling little baby! We were able to count 5 fingers on each hand, and 5 toes on one foot, we couldn't see the other one clearly. The technicians said they could tell whether its a boy or girl, but we couldn't. They zoomed over THAT area pretty quickly because we said we didn't want to know, but now Tom's going nuts. He had me call to see if they'd tell us what it is, but I got voicemail and haven't heard back yet. Oh well. Well find out for certain when its born!

One more note - when we were looking at the ultrasound, the technicians explained to Zach and Maddie that the black area was the fluid or water that the baby is floating in. Zach looked at the screen for a minute and asked, "Does the baby have goggles to see in all the water?" Too cute.

Good start, strange middle, beautiful finish

Yesterday was interesting.

Zach, Maddie and I were able to get school done by lunch. Kate slept late (till lunch) as it was the first week day she didn't have a class since August. Josh had fun getting the fire going and cutting up pallets to burn (gotta love free firewood).

At lunchtime, though, things kind of fell apart. I gave everyone our lunch options to get their orders (yes, sometimes I feel like a short order cook). Everything was fine until I asked Maddie what she wanted. She started to cry. Hmmm. Unusual. Then she said she only wanted a little yogurt. Hmmm. Why? Turns out her throat was sore. She'd been sniffling the day before, but I didn't think much of it. She ate her lunch completely wrapped in a blanket with her head on the table most of the time. After she finished she wanted to snuggle, so we sat on the sofa and I bundled her into a couple of blankets. She slept on and off (mostly on) for hours. Definitely had a fever. Definitely didn't feel well. When she woke up at one point in the evening she went to use the bathroom and change into warm pj's. Tom went to check on her and he found her sobbing in the bathroom. Why? Not really sure. The effort of trying to change was too much for her. He helped her change, put her back on the sofa, and she fell back asleep for a couple more hours. Whatever it was, the sleep seemed to help. She's a little pale this morning, but otherwise ok.

The evening was spent with everyone home (yes, EVERYONE). Josh and Kate brought out their guitars and played around a little. Josh taught Tom a simple rhythm on the guitar. Kate talked me into trying to play a violin duet with her. Maddie rested next to us, and Zach played with magnetix. The fire was burning in the background and it was a simply beautiful evening. Yes, we are definitely blessed.

Putting the kids to bed - as Zach was falling asleep, he opened his eyes and looked at me and asked, "Do angels have birthdays?" I love the questions they ask.

The news is out

Well, finally, the family knows. Mom's known for a while. I told my dad and brother a couple of days ago, and last night I called my grandparents. Its not a secret anymore! What is it? Oh, only that we're having a baby. May 3 is the estimated date of arrival. Of course, everyone knows that babies don't have a calendar hanging next to them, so our little one will come whenever he or she is ready.

The reactions were great!
Mom - "How?" (gee, after 2 of her own children, I thought she knew that.)
Dad - "Your kidding. Why? Well, if that's what will make you happy..."
Grandmom M. - "Oh! But you already have so much to do! Do you know what you should call it? Quits!" =) (she's too much!)
Grandpop M. - "As long as you're both healthy."
Grandmom K. - "A What? A Baby? Who's having a baby? You? Get out! How wonderful!" (Please note, she is NOT hard of hearing, just happily, well, shocked.) When I asked her during our conversation if she had any regrets in her nearly 84 years, she said, "Yes, I wish I had more than 2 children." She laughed so much during our conversation she said she was gonna pee her pants. See, babies bring joy. At least, I think she was happy, she may have been laughing at me instead of with me. =)

So there you have it. Some think we're crazy, some are concerned, some are thrilled to the point of laughter. Doesn't matter. We're excited. Five children. Who would've thought.