Reflections

For various reasons, such as a busy life as a table of six, and Blogger not always being user friendly as well as due to the recent changes that Google and Blogger have made, I have decided to streamline things a bit including my writings.  Using my Facebook page as my main focus of attention will do that for me.  I changed the name of my Facebook page to "Reflections" to reference the change and the essences of each of my two blogs, and the page will reflect my blogs, but opens the door to other ways of sharing too.  It will make life simpler for me as well as for my followers.  I hope that you all will feel the same as well.

For future posts and more, please go to my Reflections page and hit "like", and you will get automatic updates.  It is my hope to continue to encourage, and inspire others while reflecting the things I have learned, and as well as currently experiencing.  God Bless!

https://www.facebook.com/LilLilBecBecPage?ref=hl

Repairs and Remodel Completed

Our repairs and remodel are complete; well almost, as we have just a few minor things still left to do!

 

Our bathroom has walls again!  It boasts a brand new vanity and toilet with new floors and a new paint color!  We love having our bathroom back, especially the second toilet as one toilet for a family of six was just crazy!  We had some potty dancing going on around here as someone almost always needed to go potty when someone else was already using the upstairs bathroom! (Pretty Paizy did the best potty dancing we discovered! LOL!)

 

The kitchen got new flooring and a toned down color of blue compared to its previous color!  It got new floors too!  We really are enjoying the awkward pony wall being gone!

 

With the awkward pony wall gone, our foyer has opened up a great deal, making it so much easier for our large family to enter and exit our home!  We really enjoyed having our guests being able to enter this house with more ease over the holiday weekend!  I really enjoyed that part very much!

 

Our dining room got a fresh new look too!  We had to get new floors in the dining room due to our continuous flooring, and the damage that occurred at the front of the house.  We decided to go with a new color theme too!  Also, I failed to get a picture of another decision that we made, but if you look at the blog's main picture of our dining room you can envision the new change.  On the left side of the blog picture at the top of this page, you can see a railing that separated our dining room from our living room.  Due to the new floors, that railing had to be removed, however, we decided not to put it back.  That decision has opened up our small space and has given our large family another access point into the living room, besides funneling all of us and the kids through one small opening!  I love this decision, while Scot is still trying to warm up to it; however, we have had two other house guests state that they like the decision to remove it! (And yes, there are toys on my dining room floor incase you are wondering!)

Our foyer got a fresh new look with new flooring and new paint scheme as well!  We also love love love having our coat closet and much needed storage back!  It took us about two weeks to get everything back in its place again.  We also got new master bedroom furniture (Paid for in cash! Telling you delayed gratification and money management helps!), and painted our master while we were under construction, and we did a major purge!  We took a lot of things to Goodwill!  Purging and such is a part of living in tight spaces!  Reorganizing periodically is key too!

Family Under Construction

Good day to you all!  I said that I would keep you all posted on our current family of six adventure, so here I am writing!  Work should officially begin this week, but I thought that I would share some quick few thoughts about our family life at the moment.

So like I have mentioned before, this may seem small to some of you; however, this home disaster is BIG for me.  It feels big for a few reasons.  First, it is affecting our functioning and storage space(s), which is absolutely vital for a large family living in some tight quarters.  Secondly, I really do display some OCD tendencies sometimes, and with this being out of my control, and relying on others to start okaying and doing the work, this is just irritating to me. (If you saw the Big Bang Theory this past week, I could so relate to what Sheldon was describing!) While I am not always able to keep up with the demands of cleaning and upkeep to the extent of some people, in many ways I am a clean freak desiring to clean things in a relatively decent time frame.  And with the impending construction, the need to clean has decreased substantially; however, the desire is still very much there!  I have to talk myself out of cleaning things that are about to get either torn up or affected by construction, so I am ready to just get the repairs going already!  I am also aware that this house is about to get a heck of a lot messier before it get's a whole lot better, which scares me.  Our backyard looks like a city dump now.  I can't stand my children playing and/or sitting in some of the affected areas; however, many of the affected areas are right in front of the house and part of the kitchen and major traffic areas!  I also REALLY REALLY would like our downstairs bathroom and closet back!

On Friday of last week, I got quite annoyed with everything, and I began to have some little panic attacks.  I reached my breaking point about it all.  On a good day, Friday was going to be rough regardless.  I had places to be all day long.  I was going here and there like a crazy, wild woman.  At one point, my breakfast consisted of one donut, a few grapes, and I handful of cheddar cheese sticks to go that I swiped at the girls' school during a reception while wrangling both boys too.  Couple that with just plane ordinary exhaustion with a less than a perfectly functional house, I was all kinds of like a loose cannon.  During one of my pit stops at home, I tripped over the area that had flooring and where damaged flooring had been removed--total hazard by the way; and I almost wiped out with Big Mac in my arms, which just sent me over the edge of emotions!  At one point that day, I misunderstood something that Scot sent via text, and I bawled my little eyes out in the kitchen when I thought, incorrectly, that repairs were going to begin another whole week later than what was originally believed.  I probably just needed a good cry, which up until that point, I hadn't really had yet.  I just had shed a tear here and there with a few tantrums mixed in!  I am finding myself as I type this very post actually, getting agitated by it all and the wait, as Big Mac was pulling parts of the old flooring, wall, and cement up with his bare hands in the kitchen, because we are living in a construction zone!  I just want it to end already...

We still have a bathroom vanity to pick out, a new sink to choose, and faucets.  The flooring guy is coming to measure for flooring on Wednesday, which for me as mamma of this household is just not quick enough.  I want to see men in here working on my house NOW...

But like always... I have to wait.  I have never been a patient person, but things like this make me all the more anxious.  And of course. nothing ever happens on my time, which makes me all the more upset, and a struggle... so hence I am struggling and tired of struggling and trying to keep myself in check.  I am getting exhausted.  I also feel like I am just doing a horrible job keeping myself in check, and find myself having to ask Scot as well as God for forgiveness constantly.  I just wouldn't mind, however, if one thing could occur on my preferred timing!

So we have taken a few more projects on while we are at this phase, and while we have a contractor to help.  In the above picture you can see my tight little foyer, which often looks just as crowded every time we are about to leave, for which that day was no different either.  Therefore, the pony wall to the left of the kids is coming down during repairs, and hence the term renovations.  Taking down the awkward pony wall will open up the area around the front door, which will be very helpful.

Please pray for me as this is stretching me big time.  As we speak, we still have not received the contract to sign to get work underway, and this frankly is irritating to me, because none of these people have to live in this mess.  Also, I am realizing how busy a mom of four really truly can be as I am often going anywhere and everywhere throughout any given day.  Fridays are looking like they will be crazy days for the near for seeable future.  With that said, Scot and I are also contemplating allowing the girls to come home via the bus every Friday afternoon so that the boys can have their much needed naps.  I am learning that being a mom to a larger family means that flexibility, and the willingness to change up what were once set plans, is key.  We are a family under construction!

(Again, no time to proofread or edit!)

"Love It Or List It"?????

Last week, I had actually planned to write an honest post about how I was truly feeling about my current little house.  Many times, when I get on here to write about how we are managing life as a large family, and especially of that of a large family living in such a small house as of late, I have usually overcome some form of griping, and/or complaining, to write a more positive reflection of how we make our tight living arrangements work.  Last week, however, I was going to write a true honest reflection about how I was feeling about our little home.  I was going to provide you a very transparent view of my feelings, even after on FB last week when I revealed how I was trying to be at a place of gratitude and thankfulness of our current living situation; however, deep down inside I was griping still as I was grasping for a more positive outlook.

Have you ever seen one of those DIY shows like "Love It Or List It?"  They usually show a couple who are at a point of discourse in regards to the house.  One of the individuals wants to stay in the house while the other just can't get out of it fast enough! (Like yours truly!)  Most of the time, the lack of space and storage are the chief complaints.  The show often shows footage of a family cramming into small spaces like a kitchen, or a bathroom, with multiple family members trying to do a variety of separate tasks.  If a film crew came into our house and tight space, and especially captured footage of our morning routine, our footage would be so very similar!

We have one and a half baths for six individuals.  In the mornings, the girls have to head off to school, Scot to work, Little Man to either preschool, or some other destination with me, and me who just has to get ready at this point in life before I am left alone with my needy Big Mac!  I take my shower first, then Scot does, and then as we are using the double bathroom vanity to either brush our teeth, shaving, blowing drying or fixing our hair, washing our faces, or applying make-up etc. (Not that we are both doing every before mentioned actions! LOL!  I  assure you that Scot is not applying make-up! ;-)  ).  Anyways, I mention that so that you all may get the idea of the busyness we experience in the morning; however, as he and I are trying to use the mirror, and the sinks, the kids need to use it too for various actions like brushing their own teeth and such.  The girls complain when they are trying to brush their teeth as I am blow drying my hair when I accidentally blow air their way, messing up their brushed out locks!  I am waiting for someone to accidentally spit out toothpaste onto the back of somebody's head at some point!  Or sometimes when one family member is using the half bath/powder room downstairs, another kid needs to use a toilet too, which in turn kicks all other individuals out of upstairs bathroom also.  For about an hour to an hour and half it is nothing but chaos, and a shuffle/shifting dance to get everyone ready and out the door!

This has begun to wear on my positivity in regards to staying in this house, because I realize that Big Mac is not even really included in this bathroom shuffle yet!  However, Scot wishes to stay a bit longer, as I desperately dream to one day run very, very fast from this little, tiny dwelling.  I did agree with my husband to stay for a bit longer since we believed that God had called us to get a few things straight first financially, however, I have found myself griping and desperately wanting to "LIST IT" already!

Well, as I was struggling with my heart, this small house, and having only one full bath with one half bath for six individuals, God decided to place a trial before me and bring us down to only one full bath, and even less useable square footage than we already have had!!!!!!  With a leak, our little house suffered water damage, and is now in need of repairs.  My downstairs half bath is pretty much gutted, which leaves us with only one toilet available for our large family!  Our already lack of storage has been compromised as our downstairs coat closet suffered damage, and was gutted, causing all its contents to spread all over the house in various spots, like our master bedroom for instance...  (sigh).  Some of our damaged items and other items are currently on our back deck too!!!  Like our downstairs toilet, due to the fact that it can be used again but had to be removed for repairs in the bathroom first... (sigh)  Then there is our lost square footage.  While this damage may not be as extensive as it could have been, the fact that we only have 1280 square feet to begin with in, and we are now down to much less useable footage for SIX PEOPLE, is a whole other element that is just hard to fathom, and to deal with when you already felt like your four walls were caving in on you as is, and on a good day!  Therefore, please don't judge me when my good moments are mixed in with several tearful bad moments during repairs and construction!

So my closing thoughts:

1.)  Be thankful for what you have, because you can always have less!
2.)  While I feel like our obeying what we have believed God has asked us to do, and my sometimes frail attempt at being submissive to my husband's wishes--"to stay," has made our situation worse, I have to trust that He has a plan for us and our future living situation regardless.  It does seem like a cruel joke in a way, and I have questioned God, and complained some, but that is where His grace comes in thankfully!
3.)  Our goal at the present, is just to get this house fixed, and repairs completed.  I will keep you all posted as we go!  I get to redecorate a few rooms so I am excited about that. We were going to renovate our upstairs bathroom rather than our nice looking bathroom downstairs; however, water damage has left us with no other option.  We will start working on the upstairs bathroom soon.  We may have to piece meal it for now as we go.  I am also going to go and redecorate my master bedroom for kicks while I am at it!  I will try to find more useable space when able, and I will show you all when I do! 
4.)  I have actually begun to get excited about this house again as we plan on splashing some new colors on the walls, and décor, which is a good thing, because I have been so negative about this house with in the last few weeks.
5.)  And I will being praying for patience as the repairs and such are being made, because they just don't seem to be happening as fast as I would like them to be!

(Please ignore any grammar issues as I simply do not have the time to proofread thoroughly!  I hope that you were able to understand the thoughts for which I was trying to convey!)

Phase Two of Operation Girls' Room: Functional Space

Yes, as embarrassing as it may be, the above picture shows what the main wall in the girls' room use to look like before we got started.  As the girls got older and moved into the same room, this space began to lack some serious storage.  It had also become very non-functional.  Something needed to be done as we had decided that we were going to try to stick it out in this small house for a bit longer.  And so... we got busy!

 

Yes, I climbed up into the girls' bunk beds for the picture just above!

These two pictures show what we did, and what we have gotten accomplished thus far!  Scot still has to improve their desks, which will include a sliding shelf to add more space and function for the girls to do homework or crafts at their desks!  The girls use the drawers in the center of their wall unit to store their clothes.  The storage cubes/shelves store their books, nick knacks, craft supplies, toys, and more!  They each have a lamp at their desks to use when one of them wants to do something while the other one prefers to take a nap for example--okay may be a very unlikely example as of right now since both girls detest naps, but you know what I am trying to say!  The boards that hang just above their desks are magnetic to keep hold of notes and such, AND they are also small dry eraser boards too!  The pink boxes that you see attached to the boards are pencil holders that are magnetic, but that can also be removed from the board, and placed sitting upon their desks!  What a totally awesome idea!  And FYI to all you girls out their, the pencil organizers also came with little mirrors too!  How totally awesome and nifty!  We were still in need of additional storage space on this wall, so Scot found these pink storage benches for their desks!  So the girls can sit at their desks, but also store things too!  What a totally awesome idea!

You may live in a small space, but there can be several ways to make that space more functional!  My girls have more storage space than they did previously, and they now have their own separate little desks with additional lighting.  They even have ways to hang up pictures of friends on their magnetic dry eraser boards giving them the option to personalize their own space!

With a little planning and a little shopping, you can make any space work, and be the king or queen of your castle!!!



Phase One of Operation Girls' Room: Storage

 

Okay, so I showed you all what we did in the boys' bedroom.  Now it is time for me to start sharing about what we did in the girls' room.   I will do it in stages, however, for sake of time on my part; and that is pretty much how we worked in their room as well!

 

 

 

 

So let's begin with the girls' storage... or the lack there of!  Besides for their really cool closet storage and organization, the girls pretty much only had one other way to store their clothes.

 

 

And that one other means of storing their clothes was of this tiny piece of furniture we called the little cupboard!  Each girl got two plastic drawers, and then one drawer each from the actual piece of furniture itself.  You can probably imagine that with two little girls, and the accessories that so many girls have and own, this was NOT at all sufficient!  Something needed to change like something fierce! 



As we started school and Fall clothes shopping we needed to come up with a solution as we were exploring what our possibilities were; so Scot bought plastic storage bins with wheels to place under their beds!  This was such an awesome idea as well as functional!  In fact, I fit so many clothes in there, and there was, and still is, so much room to spare!

I can't wait to show you what else we have been working on, but I will save it for another time as I have to make dinner; but the BEST part is yet to come! 

With that said though, I thought I would show you what we did with the girls' plastic drawers.  Remember Little Man's play area that I had to create in a flash due to need, demand, and time? 

I had mentioned that I had plans to improve this play area especially when it came to storage.  I was going to use my host credits from a party to pay for the organizers needed; however, like in true "Host Becca" form, my sales were a bust!  (FYI--I have decided to NEVER host a party of any kind ever again, because the results are almost always the same for me: no body comes or buys anything.)  Due to dismal sales, I had not one single host credit.  Not one single one.  So I needed another solution, for which my husband came up with.

The plastic drawers from the girls room found a new home in Little Man's play station!  We were able to do so, because the little cabinet is no longer in the girls' room!  Yep, you have to wait and see what we did in their room!  In the meantime, I love how much more organized Little Man's play area looks, and how accessible Little Man's toys are to him now! (Again, ignore the air purifier in the corner.)

It's all about using what you have sometimes for "a make it work" moment! 

Be on the look out for the biggest and coolest change thus far! 

Take care everyone!

The Boys' Room

Okay, a couple of weeks ago, I wrote how I will be showing you all how we are making our small house work for our Table For Six sized family.  We have been making some improvement in our use of space.  Some changes are larger than others.  I am beginning with one of our first changes.  It was fairly simple; however, the change was noticeable.  Well, it was noticeable to us!

Our first project was in the boys' room.  Cramming two boys in a rather small space was quite a feat!  We had to get a mini/micro crib to make it work for the time being.  And then we had to shuffle furniture around.  However, we still needed more storage room.  What we had just wasn't cutting it anymore!  So we bought more furniture and shuffled more furniture around.

Here are the before pictures.  As you can see, it is quite a tight space.  The changing table used to be where the mini crib is, but we had to move Big Mac in so things got moved around.  Although the changing table was in front of the window, I assure you that Big Mac was safe, and was never in risk of falling out of the window.  For the most part, the window had been closed; however, on the few occasions that it was opened during the summer, it was barely opened, and we used the locking safety devices that the window had, and it would absolutely remain barely open at all times.  It was locked in place.  May be only a Barbie could sneak through on her belly!  Anyways, the changing table and their tiny closet was all they had to store both sets of their clothes!  So things had to change! (Also, just so you don't think that my walls are smudged or notice any other odd things, I kind of photo shopped a few things out of my photos that were identifiers.)

So we moved the changing table out of the room completely because it was broken anyways and did not provide much storage.  Now, I pull out a changing mat, and I change Big Mac on the floor rather than on a changing table, which in the end is okay now, because he has become such a wiggle worm while I dress him and change his diapers!

The toy chest now sits in front of the window where the changing table used to be located.  I feel like that change just simply opened up the room more.  The toy chest used to be where the boys' brand new dresser now sits.  I can't tell you how excited I was to put the boys clothes away where I had plenty of drawer space!  I don't have to hang up as many of their clothes in their closet anymore!  Just a few more drawers has been so helpful!

The boys' room is very small, but they enjoy playing in their room anyways!  The corner between the crib and window is still wasted space that I have to figure out.  I will post about that when I have a solution for it.  We are also already planning for when the boys get a little bit older and need larger beds.  We hope to move before then; but life happens, so we are planning for the what-ifs. 

And of course, if we are still here in this house when the boys need larger beds, I will be sure to post a picture of how we do it!

Now this is just a small change!  I can't wait to show you what we did in the girls' room to provide more storage, space, and even little desks!  I will post some pictures of that soon!  And we still have more plans ahead!

Be blessed by what y'all have, and what God has provided you!  Make things work!  Sometimes things in life shouldn't be about the bigger, and what we believe, to be the better things!  It is all about perspective!

Be on the look out for my next post!

Below Your Means

Yes, I am about to talk about our "Little Shoe" (aka our small house) once again.  I know... I know... I know...  I am probably beating this topic to death!  However, I am going to write about it again for two primary reasons.  First, this post will lay the foundation for the next few posts that I am planning on writing.  Secondly, during this summer, God reminded me that we are blessed by what we have and why.

This was my first official summer as a mom of four.  With that new journey, I realized this summer how small our house really can feel sometimes.  There are times we really do feel like we are on top of each other when we live in a townhouse that is only 1280 square feet with little to no true yard.  Some days a little elbow room would be so nice!  I do look forward to the day that we are able to have more space and spread out!  However, now is not the time.  We are to stay right where we are currently.

Sure, more space for storage and elbow room would be nice; and a larger yard for all four of my kids to play in would be totally awesome.  And yes, there are days that I really get tired of cramming things, and trying to find room for things as I am also almost always having to move more than one object around just to get to the desired item needed.  I do have moments when I grumble.  There are times where the noise volume in our little space with six people can get rather intense, but this is the house that God provided for us.

It does get old when I hear people complain about how small their house feels for less people when their house is already larger than mine!  I also get tired of people who brag on FB about how big and spacious and great their house is, especially when again, they have less bodies living in it than I do mine.  And sure, Scot and I are commonly asked about when we plan on moving and how we manage.  We often see people's mouths drop wide open when they hear how many of us are crammed into such a small house.

Just last week, I was asked twice about our living arrangements--how we do it and when do we plan on moving.  For the first time all summer, I took pride with what I had to say and what I said about our house.  First, we make it work!  And I am more determined than ever!  Secondly, Scot and I have discussed it all, and we are finally on the same page in regards to this house; and our plans, and time frame for our next house.  Thirdly, it has been wrong of me to speak ill of the house that not only God has provided, but what my husband has provided us as well.  Lastly, there is just something about living below our means that has intrigued me.  It makes me feel comfortable!  We are not living paycheck to paycheck anymore!  For the first time, I have been able to list the positive reasons as to why we have chosen to remain in this house for a bit longer.

We are continuing to get our finances at a point that we will be able to hold two mortgages at the same time as long as no earth shattering event occurs!  We are not living paycheck to paycheck anymore, and there is freedom in that!  We have emergency funds set up for when life happens; and we didn't used to have that ability to have such things, and plan for the future.  We are able to easily allow our kids to have extra curricular activities, and the ability to vacation in ways we never thought we would ever be able to do.  We also now have the ability to bless others when we feel God's leading!  We are paying down our debt much faster than I ever thought possible!  And we can shop and do things with out sweating, and chewing our nails as much! 

For example, time was slipping away from us the last few weeks, and with four kiddos now, it was a big project to do school supply shopping and Autumn clothes shopping as well.  With life and busy schedules, we had to make it happen quick!  So with in the last three weeks we got it done--school supplies and clothes.  Unlike years past, I didn't spend time searching sales and consignment shops.  This time we pulled out some clothes and items we already had, and the went on a total BLITZ shopping spree!  We went to very few stores, and crossed out items off our lists.  And although we didn't break the bank doing it, we definitely didn't worry about breaking the bank either!

Scot and I are more determined now than ever to make this house work for a bit longer, because we see the freedom in it!  There is just something about living below your means!

I have been doing our seasonal clothes sorting and shifting; and in doing so, Scot and I have made improvements, and will be making more improvements, with our organization and storage and more!  I have even taken some photos!  With that said, I will be posting what we have done and what we will be doing, with in the next few weeks!  I will also continue to show you all how we make our small space work!  So be on the look out! 

It's Official!

It's official!  We have stepped into the whole new world of traveling as a large family!  And our vacation to the beach last week made that even more real to me!

Yep, gone are the days of just traveling with everything piled in our mini van!  We have now entered the world of traveling with luggage and gear on top of the van now!  We simply don't have the room on the inside of our van anymore for long trips and summer vacations. 

I wish that I took a picture of all the things we took to the beach--the huge piles throughout our house.  It was quite something!  I honestly didn't think that everything was going to fit!  Between baby gear, food, clothes, beach tents and umbrella, beach chairs, pool/beach toys, scooters, etc., we had to finally succumb to the fact that packing the van up by itself was simply not enough!  So Scot went out and bought a cargo carrier for the top of the Odyssey.

I still didn't think that everything was going to fit, but Scot kept insisting that it all would!  And it did!  He was right!

So traveling as a large family, requires stepping out into the world of your vehicle roof top, and the skills of a gifted packer!

Cheers to the new way this large family travels!

 

Make It Simple

Make It Simple!

 

 

No one, not even your kids, are going to care about you winning an award about being the most elaborate mom of year!  So why do we keep trying?  All they care about is attention, love, and some food to feed their hungry bellies!  And if your kids are anything like my kiddos, the times you go all out and take the time to prep something nicer, more elaborate dinner entrées, your kiddos actually prefer the simpler dishes!

 

I had been avoiding the pool during the mid-day hours for a couple of reasons.  First reason was because of the boys' varied nap schedules for which I have now concluded that a couple days out of the week to stray from the schedule a bit is A okay!  Second, the fear of not only being responsible for all four kids and their well-being at a pool all at one time, which I have done on several occasions for about an hour and a half in the late afternoons, but to implement a lunch on top of it simply overwhelmed me.  I was concerned about trying to feed the older three while also trying to feed a baby at the pool.  After last week, and realizing how my crew just sometimes has energy not suitable for such a tiny home as ours, it was time to bite the bullet and try; and try I did!

 

Packing a lunch was a daunting thing for me to think about as well.  Trying to make and pack a lunch for three kids and a baby just seemed too much.  I thought about the little grill restaurant at our pool as an option, but we had been using that as a family dinner option on the weekends and I wanted a little break from that resource; however, I wanted to make it as simple as I could for my first time out so I took inventory of what we currently had in the house and went for the easiest lunch items!

 

For our lunch, I grabbed easy items that required no prep whatsoever.  Perhaps not the most green option, but it was my survival option and it won't always be like this.  I just wanted the kids to have fun while not overwhelming myself and my efforts in the process.  For a bread type option and a fruit type option, I grabbed Nutri Grain bars.  I also grabbed apple sauce in a squeeze pouches.  I grabbed fun food options and something that provided a crunch aspect of the meal by way of assorted bags of chips.  For drinks I grabbed Gatorade for me and juice boxes for the older kiddos.  I grabbed a small sippy cup of water for Big Mac to hold his thirst over until we got back from the pool.  I also grabbed a quick jar of baby food for him to eat and some finger food for him as well.  

 

I did fail to provide a vegie option but that could have been remedy with baby carrots which do come in individual serving sizes, but I had none at the time.  Also, I did not have a protein option either but hey there are other meals in a day too.  However, if I wanted to provide a protein option something like string cheese would have been a simple choice!  Though I had none in the house that day either.

 

I used what I had to make our first lunchtime outing to the pool!  Although it was simple, the kids enjoyed their lunch and told me so!  They said it was yummy and light for such a hot day.  I think they also were thrilled with the fact that I was trying to bless them with a fun pool outing even if I was trying to make it as simple for me as possible.  They just appreciated the fact that we were there and that they didn't go hungry while having a blast at the pool!

 

We already enjoyed a similar lunch outing at the pool yesterday!  Love getting out with all my munchkies!  Remember many aspects of parenting doesn't have to be rocket science!  Make it simple for yourself!

Play Space

Little Man's play space.  Just ignore the air purifier in the corner!

So as I have stated several times previously, our house is rather small.  We have plans to move, but Scot has decided that now is not the time.  So I am left still trying to make things work and to make due with what we have.

Our house is a small three bedroom townhouse.  With Big Mac's arrival, came the first time that we did not have a nursery for our baby.  Unlike his siblings, Big Mac didn't get a nursery of his own.  He slept the first 5 to 6 months of his life in our master bedroom, then we moved him into Little Man's room to create a boys room.  However, this posed a problem that I never had before with my other youngsters. 

As Big Mac became more mobile, I soon realized that all of the little toys for the older three needed to go somewhere away from Big Mac's reach.  In the past, with the other kiddos, I would just move the older kid's toys into their bedroom as we always had a nursery.  This time that idea was simply not going to work as Big Mac didn't have his own nursery, but actually shared his room with his older brother.  Simply placing Little Man's toys in the bedroom was not going to work; because Big Mac sleeps and plays in there too, so I had to put my problem solving skills to the test.

I ended up placing the girls smaller toys and games upstairs in their bedroom, and I moved Little Man's toys into the dining room.  Yep, you read that right!  I decided to make a play space for Little Man in the dining room!  We have a sunken living room, so as of right now it is a great way to trap Big Mac.  Once he starts accomplishing the step, I will just use a baby gate to keep him in that space.  I removed Little Man's toys from the living room and the boys' bedroom, and gathered them into the dining room.  I grabbed the girls' pink, princess table that they hardly use anymore and I decided to put it to good use right now.  I organized toys and placed them into canvas bags and such to create a play space for Little Man in order to create a safe place for Big Mac. 

I used what I currently had to make things safe for the baby.  I do plan on getting collapsible organizers eventually. However, I am frugal in some regards and I am willing to wait to see what host credits I will get when I have a party in August with a bag etc. company.  I am looking forward to that, and I know that it will make my dining space look better.  Sometimes so many people are just so quick to buy big, new and/or expensive to make great spaces; and while that is all fun, and good, and needed sometimes, other times it is good to just learn to use what you have--like a pink princess table for your son! ;-)

I do look forward to having my dining room back to solely being a dining space eventually, but right now this is my life and this is my house.  And before you know it the kids will up and grow so quickly, that this play space will be gone in a flash, and I will probably miss toys in my dining, living and kitchen spaces (Yes, I currently have Big Mac's infant swing in my kitchen space!).  Perhaps when we do finally get our larger, elbow-room kind of house, I may actually miss this tiny house and what came with it.  I keep telling myself "delayed gratification."

How We Stay

Several weeks ago, we went on an overnight trip up north to enjoy a Day Out With Thomas.  After our stay and overnight experience, I decided that I would share how we stay when we are traveling on overnight trips, or even brief stays that last just a few nights.  When we travel to the beach and other more extended type of trips and vacations, our approach is usually a little different than what I am about to explain, like we rent a house or condo.  Being a larger family, I thought that you all may be interested in hearing how we handle hotels and such!

With in the last couple of years, even before we became a family of six and were still a family of five, we started implementing a new way of traveling.  And we have continued it on after Big Mac's arrival.  Our first experience with overnight traveling being a family of six, which included lodging, was when we went to take the kids to see and ride on Thomas the Tank Engine!

You have to plan being a larger family.  You have to leave planning on whim to a minimum if you want to enjoy perks and take advantage of more roomier lodging, so that you are not right on top of each other in a cooped up small room.  When we start planning we get ready to make reservations at a hotel that has what we are looking for our family.  Scot spends time searching the web for good deals and locations of hotels that come equipped with suites! 

Suites are hotel lodging beyond that of a one room and one bath experience.  Suites come with a living type area with a separate space for sleeping.  The living area also comes equipped with a pull out couch, leaving room, space, and a variety of sleeping arrangements.  Sometimes such options at hotels are not always easy to find or may be twenty minutes from a desired location/target area, but believe me when I say that the 10 to 20 minute car ride may be well worth it.  Also, many newer hotels are starting to have such rooms and lodging available.  It is becoming more common place now.

We also love us some Residence Inns!  These hotels come with a larger option which often include a kitchenette and small dining area.  The refrigerator is often larger than the mini fridge so often used in small hotel rooms.  When we plan on staying more than one night then we enjoy it when we can find this option too for a few reasons.  First, sleeping arrangements and space.  Second, to cut down costs or to save us on time and energy, coming back to the hotel to make a quick meal for the family is a great option, because many times such kitchenettes are equipped with a small variety of cookware, utensils and dish clothes.

Now there are times like last year, when we traveled into the mountains and our options were extremely limited and we just had to make due with what we could find.  In those cases, we were prepared for the smaller room and close spaces.  I brought fans for plenty of white noise so that I didn't have to hear Sky Baby grind her teeth, Crazy Paizy talk or squeak in her sleep, and Little Man running into the sides of his pack'n'play.  Yes, we used a pack'n'play to help sleep him when he was two-years-old.  It was that trip that we realized that he had grown out of that option!  Scot and I did go out and enjoy our balcony and our view as the kids fell asleep each night.  Then we just marched in for an early bedtime, but we made it work!  We also knew that only one television was going to be available in that space, so we brought in our portable DVD player so that the kiddos could watch what they wanted when we were in the room and we could enjoy watching something for ourselves.

When traveling as a large family, or really any sized family for that matter, you need to plan ahead, and be inventive.

Pet Beetle

It was kind of sad and pathetic to me several weeks ago (Yes, that is how far behind I am with my blog posts!), that Sky Baby was so excited about her new pet beetle.  Little did I know how important the bug jar she had retrieved from her classroom's treasure box, was going to mean so much to her in a matter of a day or so!  She went on a quest to find insects, but it seemed like it went a little deeper than that, especially when she found this horned beetle and named the little guy; however, for the life of me, I do not remember its name!

Yes, she found this insect and named it as she gave it a home.  She even researched the insect and discovered what kind of beetle she had in her care and what kind of food and such the little beetle would prefer, which was great and was a great project for her to do and to learn from, but I discovered that it went a bit deeper than that for her.  It was her "pet".  Yep, we had a pet beetle in a bug jar that she decorated.  She fed it, and she talked to it, and she was proud of it!

Some of you may be wondering why this beetle being her pet became a big deal to me.  Through this pet beetle, who has since past on to the great beetle heaven in the sky, I realized how much my kids--all of them--would like a pet.  However, now is just not the right time for various reasons.  While I have my legit reasons, knowing they desire a companion as I had as a child growing up, made me a little sad that I am unable to provide that for them at this time.

Scot and I used to have a dog named Toby.  He was a Cocker Spaniel (did I spell that right?) mix, and although I was warned by a tech vet who knew that one day we wanted children that such a dog wasn't good with children and were over bread, we got him anyways.  Well after several years went by and two children had arrived with our third one on the way, Toby couldn't take it anymore and to be frank we couldn't take him anymore as he started to snap and try to bite us--even Scot.  We finally made the difficult decision to return Toby to the rescue society before he ended-up biting one of us or our children, which would have made finding him a new home even more difficult.  This dog also had various health issues, such as doggy IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and cleaning up after him and having kids playing on the floor was just beginning to be too much.  Being in a townhouse also didn't provide us many options.  We didn't have a garage or anywhere to keep him, especially if his mess well... you know... um... had gotten on his fur coat, and a bath was required.  One night all we had was our cold, tiny, backyard for the guy until we were able to attend to him, which seemed cruel in a way.  So we returned him to the rescue group detailing to them that he needed a home with no children whatsoever.

Scot and I also had a cat named Pippi.  She was a good cat.  Just a bit stubborn and cranky, but she was good.  However, she ended up also being a cat with medical problems, which included allergies that needed the occasional steroid shot, and IBS as well.  And let's just say that even though she used the liter box, there were still several times that well... well... there was a mess all around.  Anyways, about two years ago, Pippi went into renal failure and was eventually put down.  We haven't gotten another cat for several reasons, but the main one is that this house is just too small for a pet right now.  There is just no place at all for a liter box.  In fact, Pippi's liter box eventually ended up (drum roll please!) in our master bedroom as our family expanded!  Yep, laying in bed listen to your cat take care of business and the smell that would often fill the room just became a bit much and very unromantic if you know what I mean!

Also, being a mom of four kiddos, I simply do not have the time to take care of another being at the moment.  A dog would have to be walked continuously, as our backyard is just way too small for animal waste and the continual clean-up.  I don't have the time to feed another mouth or make sure that someone feeds another tummy.  And sure, you all can say, "Make the kids responsible."  However, an adult--me--would have to ensure that the animal is being cared for appropriately.  The responsibility would most likely fall upon my shoulders, and over the last few weeks I have added more tasks to my already growing list of responsibilities without adding an animal to it. 

Someday when we have waited patiently, planned carefully, and can enjoy the benefits of delayed gratification, we will move to a larger house, and the kids will be older, and perhaps, I will be more adjusted, and another animal will be considered; however, as of now, a pet such as a dog or a cat, will just be too much.  Though Scot and I, okay may be more me, have been considering getting the kiddos a little hamster or the like in about six months or so.  I will let you know if we follow through on that idea!  And whether I am crazy or not!

Now I will close by saying that I may consider the beetle a pet of ours however brief a pet it was and although its name I cannot remember, because I have a memory of that beetle that I may remember always.  One day after observing the beetle had not moved for about 24 hours, I gave Sky Baby the sad news that I believed her pet had died.  She was sad but for a brief time and moved on.  The next day or so while the girls were at school, I heard a peculiar sound in my kitchen.  It was loud scratching.  I looked all around to find the source of the sound, but could not find it.  I kept hearing the noise, and I searched on and off for a bit.  I narrowed down the search area and started to worry that there was a mouse in our wall when I discovered that something was moving in the bug jar.  I looked at it closely.  The bug I had deemed to be dead was in fact a live and well.  It was so healthy in fact that he was moving a stone that Sky Baby had placed in the jar!  I had a good chuckle about our reincarnated pet beetle!  And it only lived a few more days after that!

Small Talk?

So I experienced something just the other day that reminded me of some of the reasons as to why I wanted to start this blog.  Being termed as a "large family" here in the United States can bring about all kinds of opinions, which often can generate a variety of unsolicited comments and looks.  It can make things rather interesting at times I must say.

Earlier this week, I went to a local grocery store to pick up a few, quick items.  I had just picked up the girls from school and I was taking all of my kiddos inside with me.  As I entered the store with all my kiddos in toe and as we were all smiling and chatting while Crazy Paizy was telling me about her day at school, we were interrupted by a woman leaving the store.  She asked me if all the kids were mine, and I replied with a huge smile, "Yes, they are all mine."  She proceeded to give me quite a look and responded with, "I feel sorry for you." I looked blankly at her for a second and proceeded to continue to walk on when I said something to the effect of, "Don't be.  We are good."  For which, her mouth dropped wide open, almost as if she was shocked by my response and thought I was some kind of Bible beater.

I went a little further inside the store, when I stopped as the girls and I started commenting about the lady's rude statement.  I told the girls that I was offended as Sky Baby asked what was a statement like that supposed to mean and why did the lady ask it?  Sky Baby's face explained it all to me.  Her expression confirmed to me that I had every right to be offended by such a rude statement and I will explain to you as to why.

So through another media outlet, other people got wind of my displeasure.  People voiced their opinions and let me know they liked what I said.  But I did have some people come to the defense of the other woman claiming that it was probably just her way of having "small talk."  I responded saying that I wasn't going to be privy to such kinds of "small talk" and here is why.

First of all, I am not one of those people who believes that people are innately good.  On the contrary, I believe that humans are innately sinful.  They are sinners who are in need of Jesus Christ, our Savior.  I had first hand experience with this woman's tone and expression, and for me it was not of a good and nice nature; however, I cannot be sure entirely what her true intentions were when she made that remark.  Perhaps she was just trying to simply strike up small talk, but I have a problem with that kind of small talk regardless of the intentions behind such remarks.

When somebody makes a comment like "I feel sorry for you" after you answered their question about all of the kids being yours, what is that person trying to achieve in such small talk as that?  It seems to me that they would like the mom [me] to agree with their statement, and to start complaining about her kids, and all she does for them, while standing amongst her children she speaks ill about.  It is as if that person wants the mom to start a pity party of sorts right in front of her children, which is undoubtedly wrong to do.

Now don't take me wrong.  There are challenges that do come with parenting as many children as I have; and I do experience some "moments" (as I like to call them and if you can get my drift) while out in public.  In fact, two of my children proceeded to have some brief horse play inside the very store just minutes after the lady made her comment; however, I addressed the situation and moved on.  I left as I had come in--smiling.  Parenting four children isn't always easy, however, I am blessed to be their mom.  They have blessed me and molded me into the person I am today; and therefore, I will not take part in such kinds of small talk.  I will not degrade my children, and I will most certainly not degrade my children in front of them and with a stranger who is supposedly trying to strike-up some kind of small talk!

Okay! Okay!

Okay! Okay! I just might start this one up again soon!

I have some posts stirring in my head ranging anywhere from our backyard, to travel tips, to pet beetles (yes! pet beetles) and more!

Ending

I am making this my last post on this blog.  Being a busy mom of four, having two blogs to keep track of is just too much for me.  One is enough. So with that said, Doors is just way more important of blog for me than this one is; therefore, I will continue that one while ending this one.  You may read glimpses of this blog in Doors every once in a while too!

Keeping A Tighter Ship (It Is Okay To Make A Course Correction)

I love all of my kiddos dearly.  Love every single one of them immensely!  And I love mothering them; however, there are certain aspects of motherhood that I do not like as much as others.  Sometimes as a mom, it is okay to change up your approach too!

I tend to be a fun loving mom who is strict to some degree too.  It just depends what is involved and what is going on.  I can play and be light-hearted but I can be stern when I need to be as well.   While I desire to have my kids enjoy spending time with me, and I them as well, I do not desire that I have to be their best friend.  I just want to have a good relationship with them.

As a mom, I wear many hats and have to take various approaches on a variety of things, especially when addressing a situation or an obstacle.  Many times, I set out going one direction, but often I have to make a few course corrections to get to the desired destination--a.k.a. outcome.  Sometimes you just can't get stuck in one frame of mind or one means of an approach as a parent, especially when you have a few kiddos like myself.  You have to be willing to change things up a bit, if you are invested in your kids lives.

Don't be stubborn or fool-hearted to change up your parenting style, if what you are doing isn't working.  Take me and homework time for instance.  Just know that my least favorite time of the day, is homework time.  It can be crazy and chaotic around here.  With two girls coming home from school with homework and folders for me to go through while having an energetic and passionate 2-year-old awake and running around with an infant who is not quite on a preferred afternoon nap schedule as of yet, homework time can be a huge undertaking and sometimes overwhelming. 

Before Big Mac arrived, (Yes, he may have two nicknames on here!  The other one being Big Boy!) I approached homework a certain way.  However, as the weeks went by, that old way of doing things wasn't working anymore.  I had to switch it up for every one's sake.  Not only for mine but theirs too.  My yelling wasn't good for anyone, but near chaos wasn't good for the girls academics either.  So I had to switch things up and make things as structured as possible while being forced to be very strict.

Between 3 PM to 3:30 PM, the kids chill and enjoy a snack after school.  At 3:30 most days we start homework time with share and prayer time.  (We take the time to talk about school that day and then we pray for their school.)  After that, as the kids are sitting on the floor in front of me, I review the homework time rules and ask them questions about it.  Each child must raise their hand to be called upon.  Our rules include hands to ourselves, quiet and/or no talking, do not invade another's study space, raising hands when they need me or have a question, and answering me with a "Yes, Mom" when I give them a command or an answer so that I know that they heard me, etc.  And any infraction, like rough housing and wrestling for example, is a mandatory time out.  While in time out, if one of them as much as mutters a word, their time is extended.  I have had to send kids into time out in an instant for longer periods of  time than I ever used to imagine I would.  If someone merely shouts once during homework, they are doomed to the timeout spot without so much as a pause.  I have had to get real strict to make homework time more efficient and effective.  They get the warning at the beginning of homework time, after that I don't give any warnings.  If a rule is broken, they go straight into timeout.  I have no time for the three-strikes-your-out-system anymore, that I often found myself doing.  It wasn't working, so I had to do what it took to make things move more smoothly.

I was forced to keep a tighter ship, but that is okay.  I had to become firm, stern, and a disciplinarian during homework time.  It was sad for me at first, but I am starting to see how my kids are benefiting from it now.  I think they are respecting me more, and hence, will respect other people of authority more in the end too.  And homework time is going much better.  It took the kids about 2 to 3 weeks to get used to my stricter study time, but they have gotten used to it and homework time is going smoother. With as many kids as I have, I don't have time to fool around and handout a bunch of warnings.  They need to do what I say when I say it.  A larger family means a tighter ship with Scot and I at the helm.

Hand Soap

Yes, you read the title to this post correctly!  I am going to write a quick blurb about hand soap and how it pertains to this family.  I still have a slue of other things that I would like to write about, but this one is going to be the quickest at the moment; and I bought new hand soap yesterday morning, which just makes sense to write about it today!

So Scot and I have recently come to a conclusion about hand soap as it pertains to this family.  First, it started about 7 years ago, when Scot and I were young, new parents.  Back in those days, we barely had a dime to our name at the end of each month and after all of our bills had been paid.  We bought cheap hand soap by the bulk to save money.  As the years went by and as more kids entered the picture, we continued to purchase hand soap the same way.  However, I started to desire that someday we could have nice hand soap from Bath and Body Works.  I would go to my sisters' houses and other homes and almost be envious of their soap!  And I thought that their soap was all kinds of fancy!  LOL!  Can you believe that!

Anyways, as the years rolled by, and as Scot worked his arse off and moved up the food chain at his work to help better provide for our family, the dollar bills haven't been as hard to come by anymore.  So just about 6 months ago, I finally bought a slue of hand soap from Bath and Body Works!  Yippee!  A happy and joyous day!  I was beaming with delight!  I had always loved their kind of soap that had the granules in it.  Liked how they felt when I scrubbed my hands.  Therefore, that kind was my obvious choice for my first two sets of purchases of soap in various scents (of course!) that yours truly with her nose sniffed out!  I was on a hand soap high!  Ha Ha!

After several weeks, however, Scot and I realized that the soap with the granules in it, were not the best choice for our household and I will tell you why.  With as many people as we have washing our hands, especially that of the smaller-hand-sized variety, it would just leave all kinds of a mess in our sinks!  The pellets and granules would just stick to the base of our sinks when the kids dripped loads of hand soap all over the place.  I would constantly have to scrub the sink to get the mess left behind from my kids.  When left be, the granules would also just streak bright colors in our sinks when water would hit them as they began to dissolve.  It would just constantly leave an unsightly mess for me to clean.

So I went out yesterday, to Bath and Body Works, with the objective to still purchase my coveted scented hand soap; however, I got the foam kind instead with the hopes that there will be less mess in my sinks to clean up!

What Is Considered New?

This is the time of the year, when I start planning and purchasing clothes for the kids for warmer weather.  A few weeks ago, I started taking inventory of what the kids have to help determine what the kids need, and sometimes, perhaps, what they want.  I do this twice a year.  Once in the late summer to prep for the fall and winter, and once in late winter to help prep for the spring and summer months.  I do this so that I can start purchasing their clothes slowly over several weeks so that our wallet doesn't take a huge hit all at one time with shopping for our four kiddos.

I almost always buy each child brand new swimwear, one brand new first day of school outfit, one brand new Easter outfit as well as about two brand new pairs of shoes each weather season at least.  Everything else, however, is up for anything so to speak.  They can come home brand new from a store, especially when there is a nice deal, or used from a consignment shop (Though I have to say that I have found brand new, with tags still on, apparel from such shops for only a few bucks!), or hand-me-downs from someone else.

This year, the boys are looking like they will be getting mostly new clothes or some from that of consignment shopping.  The girls on the other hand, will becoming from hand-me-downs.  Crazy Paizy will be mostly wearing Sky Baby's old clothes (with exception to some new shoes, Easter dress and swimsuit) while Sky Baby will be pulling out her warm weather clothes from two bags of hand-me-downs that we are blessed to have received. 

This past late summer, however, during the middle of the seasonal clothes shift and school shopping, Sky Baby ended up getting some brand spanking, new outfits from the store, with more coming from a consignment shop.  Crazy Paizy, however, wasn't so lucky.  She was going to use a bunch of Sky Baby's old clothes (FYI--Since then she did get two new pairs of jeans and three sets of leggings because she managed to put holes in Sky Baby's old ones and when we saw an outfit that screamed out Crazy Paizy, we didn't hesitate to get her a new outfit too just because she is the younger sister who deserves not to always wear just her sister's old clothes).

As Sky Baby, however, was going through her new clothes and as I was washing all the various sets of clothes for the kids, poor Crazy Paizy shrugged her shoulders and said sadly, "Why don't I get new clothes?"

"The majority of Sky Baby's clothes are second hand bought at a consignment shop," I replied.  "Meaning that even though most of them came from a shop, most of them were already worn by somebody else."

Crazy Paizy looked at me.

"They are new to her and this household perhaps,  but many of Sky Baby's clothes are either from that store or from family friends." I continued,  "They are clothes that are still in great shape and we don't need to waste perfectly good clothes just for the sake of buying something new, which for us means that it has never before been worn by anyone else," I said.  "When there is a need or something stands out of the clothes rack at the store, we will buy something new; however, for the most part we get and wear what is new to us, especially for you kids who are growing quickly, and who easily spoil clothes."

She smiled.

We don't have to have the best stuff on the largest scale.  With a family of six we are flexible.  We are opened minded about the fact that kids grow fast; kids will be kids in their clothes; and we have gotten healthier financially by not just buying whatever, whenever, and for the sake of brand names.  If it looks good we get it; and it is new to us!  We do what is practical. 

You Can Make Anything A Moment

So after I wrote my last post, I did almost immediately feel bad about neglecting my boys that morning for the most part, especially that of Little Man.  They still got their snacks--all be it whether it was fruit snacks for Little Man or my breast milk for Big Boy!  And I did continue to potty train Little Man, change Big Boy's diapers, and I did get both boys dressed and such; however, I didn't spend much play time with them either that morning.  I didn't give them quiet time with me and my full attention. By the end of the morning, it truly broke my heart. 

There is a fine line between selflessness as a mom and needed my time as a mom; and I continue to struggle to find what that balance is and what it should look like. 

Anyways, right now with all my kiddos being up before the butt-crack-of-dawn lately, which causes me to have to struggle a good chunk of the morning between their needs and my need to just get dressed and presentable, it leaves me with less of a morning to do household chores like laundry and such causing me to have even less time to have one-on-one time with my kids I am afraid.  I am feeling like that there is just not enough of me to go around lately and I hate feeling that way right now.

Again, I feel like Little Man has gotten the worst end of the deal at the moment.  Over the last two years, Little Man has been shuttled to and fro to get his sisters where they have needed to be; and then with his new baby brother around and needing attention from me, I feel like Little Man isn't getting the attention that he deserves.  Scot has reminded me that I have felt this way for each child as a new baby has come along; and in the end, I will probably feel like Big Boy has been slighted when he is being shuttled around here and there, to and fro, at the expense of his siblings and their school demands and extra curricular activities.  I think through out my motherhood, I will always waffle with whom I feel is getting shafted at the time... just cause that is how I feel about things so often...

Anyways, today is about Little Man to a degree and the others in retrospect as well. 

I have come to the realization through parenting recently and trying to find time to have quiet time with Little Man in between the needs of my other children, that you can make anything a moment...

That is right.  You can create a moment of bonding in the midst of other things... anything... and stop limiting yourself to what you think those moments should look like. 

Thankfully, Little Man has a helping spirit.  He loves to help me with a variety of chores in a way that his other siblings never did or enjoyed at his age.  He is a go getter and often takes the initiative to help me.  So our quiet times have often been surrounded by a chore such as laundry and dusting.  Sometimes, I take the opportunity to talk about colors or counting as we fold laundry and such.  He gets a big smile on his face believe it or not! Earlier today, I told him that I was going to make time for him and he asked about us dusting!  Go figure!

One morning, I needed to get soup going in the crockpot; and once again, my morning was fleeting by quickly.  I asked Little Man if he wanted to help make the soup with me.  I did not realize how much he would enjoy making it and how proud he would be to serve it to everyone later on that evening.  He and I had a great experience while making the soup. 

I have found that you can make bonding moments out of anything.  Your bonding times don't have to be over play time, craft time, games or baking cookies.  You can make other times count too. 

With a family as large as mine, this has been an important aspect of parenting all of my kiddos.  I am glad to have come to this realization.  I hope it has helped you too!

Find Your Bubble Bath

A picture of me this morning after I finally got to sport my new hairstyle from five weeks ago!

This morning, I set my alarm for my usual 6 AM time.  I have done this for quite sometime now.  On days that I exercise, I get up earlier; however, that routine has been on the wayside for a bit now!  Anywhoo... I hit the snooze and promptly started to get out of bed.  I try to get up and get going before everyone else does and before everyone else needs me for this and that during the morning rush.  Getting the opportunity to at least shower before getting interrupted is important to me.  I just need a few minutes sometimes to just not get interrupted.  This plan of getting up earlier usually works, but sometimes the idea and hope bombs on me as it did this morning.

As I started to hustle myself to the bathroom through the dark room, I heard not only Big Boy stirring again for the third straight morning, but Little Man was already awake in his room for the third straight morning as well.  He calls out for Scot or myself when he wakes up, but mostly for Scot.  Knowing this and after the last two mornings of trying to get Little Man up while attempting to also take care of myself with Scot snoozing away, I decided to try to jump into the bathroom before Little Man realized I was up, especially due to the fact that lately Little Man just cries for Scot to get him up anyways, for which he usually throws a minor temper tantrum.  The last two mornings, I have left him in his room, telling him that I did not have to be treated that way and it was unacceptable and now he can wait longer to get out of his room. 

Before, I got out of my master bedroom this morning, however, Little Man somehow shouted for his dad loud enough that Scot was alerted immediately and was out of bed in a flash.  Before I realized it though, Scot not only grabbed Little Man but decided that he would just go ahead and wake up the girls too! "NO!" I whispered loudly.  "Leave them be! Their wake up time is 6:30!" I snapped.  I wanted them left be for several reasons.  The main reasons were that I did not think my school aged girls should get up earlier at the expense of their two-year-old brother and causing them less sleep for the school day ahead, and I wanted less noise as well as a greater chance to get my shower in with out interruption.  Scot had other plans though.  "I decided to get the girls up so I can feed them all at the same time.  It's okay.  Go get your shower," he said.  I objected but went on my way because honestly the thing that everyone hears me mumble under my breath in this household is, "Nobody listens to Mommy, not even Daddy." Defeated I went into the bathroom and closed the door. 

As I lathered up my hair, I heard knocking at my locked door.  I raised my voice, "Leave me be!  I can't  do anything while in here [shower]," I pleaded for peace.  What I had feared was now occurring--I was being interrupted. I heard what I believed was Crazy Paizy's squeaky voice at the other side of the door.  I pleaded with her to go get her father.  But wait her father was most likely on his porcelain throne for which is his normal morning routine.  What happens if Paizy needs to use the toilet and her dad is using the other one!  I hopped out of the shower, grabbed my towel and threw it carelessly around sopping, wet me.  I opened the door for which no one was there anymore of course, and whispered rather loudly trying to keep my shouting down as Big Boy was still in his crib for the time being, "The door is unlocked for whomever needed it opened!"

As I jumped back into the shower, I realized how much I would like a larger house with three toilets and my master bathroom being at the farthest corner of the house and from my bedroom door.  We have a realtor now and we are casually looking, but we are still not going to be able to move into a house we would like until another 8 months or a year goes by, unless we find an awesome deal before hand.  With that in mind, I also wondered how were we going to make this small house work a bit longer as everyone seems to hear everyone else as white noise and me trying to tell everyone to keep it down because somebody is sleeping, is simply not enough anymore. Anyways, I felt defeated as I got out of my interrupted shower, knowing that this is most likely how it is going to be for a bit. 

Wondering what was so important that my shower had to be interrupted, I threw my bathrobe on again and piled my white towel on top of my head and marched down the stairs and stopped on the second landing where I saw my family eating breakfast in the dining room. "Who and why was somebody knocking at my door?" I asked while placing my hands upon my hips.

They all looked up at me dumb founded and Crazy Paizy said, "It was me."

"And why?"

"I didn't know where Little Man's underwear was."

Long story but Scot had placed Little Man on the potty and sent Crazy Paizy for his underwear and when she could not find them she decided to ask me instead of Scot.

"I don't get time for me!" I exclaimed.  "I can't sleep by myself.  I can't shower by myself. I can't even poop by myself," I declared.

They all just stared at me.  I muttered it all again and headed up stairs into the bathroom.  I leaned over the sink and placed my face into my hands and thought to myself, I can't go a night with out Big Boy getting up at least twice.  I can't shower or get dressed on my own with out someone trying to come through the door. I can't poop on my own.  I can barely eat breakfast before someone needs me.  I can't even talk on the phone with out someone interrupting me.

Yep, I now understand why my mom used to hide in our garage to talk on the phone when we were growing up, and why she would snap at us when we found her.  She needed somewhere to think and somewhere where it was relatively quiet to just talk on the phone.  My problem, however, is that I don't have a garage!  I can go outside if it isn't freezing cold out, or if the bugs aren't chewing me alive when it is warm out; otherwise, all I can do is hide in my master bedroom or in one of the bathrooms.  One of my children, however, is almost always certainly at my door though.  What some of you all may not know is when a mom is on the phone, that is often a green light for kids to get loud and needy! 

I rushed around this morning trying to get myself dressed and others out the door before my boys needed me.  Even found Scot playing on his cell phone in the midst of it all.  When I entered the kitchen and noticed him, I huffed and puffed, for which he did put his phone down promptly.  I just sometimes feel like its just me and all of them, including my hubby.  I keep it all going.  I have even gotten upset that Scot can come home in the evenings and is able to take 15 minutes in the restroom when I can't even get so much as a minute to do my business with out someone needing me! I don't get time for me!

Today, I was determined to blow dry my hair thoroughly, and I did succeed!  However, it wasn't before I had the realization that it had been five weeks since I got my hair highlighted and had a few layers put in for the first time in a long time.  My hair stylist had given me a new hair-do and I hadn't even sported it once!  Not even once!  It has been five weeks since I have had my hair completely down with out it being pulled back of some kind.  I have been to church with my hair thrown back more times than I have ever done in the past!  Today, was the first time in five weeks I got to style and blow out my new hair-do!

You see, my time just isn't my time anymore and especially right now.  I love ALL of my children dearly, but I have to agree with my dad who had four kiddos of his own--having four children is a lot of work.  Gone are the days of me right now I am afraid.  It can take me days and several interruptions before I can post on one of my blogs.  It can take me 3 days some weeks just to scrap an 8x8 page, if I scrap at my house.  When one kid is quiet, another child needs me.  There is just no me time anymore.  I used to be up and dressed, including bathed, hair done and make-up applied before the kids got up.  Now I am trying to do all that with my kids awake because they are all starting to wake up during my quiet time of the day right now for some reason.  I don't get much time to exercise anymore as sleep is way more important to me and hence to the well-being of my family right now. 

You see, you have to be selfless to be a mom and especially as a mom to as many kids as I have.  Life isn't about you and your needs anymore.  You have to be totally selfless; HOWEVER, it is okay to have some selfish moments where it is about you sometimes.  It is better for you and the relationship with your kids and husband if you can find some of your my time.  Try to find a few minutes here and there to make a few things about you.  You need to and don't feel guilty about it either.  I totally understand my mom's need to have her bubble baths back in the day!  She would go running to have them too!  That was one way she found some down time, and I didn't get it until I became a mom, especially when I became a mom to four kiddos as she has been. 

Scot and I have decided that I need at least a few hours out of the week to have my bubble bath--to blow dry my hair so to speak.  Right now I scrapbook a few hours in the evening with a group of women at a church on Mondays.  I couldn't run out the door fast enough the last two weeks either.  I struggled with feeling guilty about feeling that way at first; however, it is okay to feel that way some times.  I am a mom 24/7 for the most part.  It is for their sake that I should go and enjoy.  We all need a break from each other especially as I am a stay-at-home mom.  And even when this eight week scrap time is over, I think me running to Starbucks and sitting still will be in order. 

Today, I demanded of myself to write this post, and to finally feel good about my hair, and to blow it dry, and to wear it down.  And that was okay to do and it was needed.  I needed a few minutes of my time.  To you moms out there, find your bubble bath.