by admin -

What a Mighty Good Man….

Today I had a little “let’s just send the kids to public school” meltdown. I think all of us are a bit overwhelmed, but with a vacation coming in January I am was determined to plow through until Christmas. My husband made the mistake (or maybe not) of coming home for lunch and received an earful from me as he tried to eat his chicken noodle soup. He made several helpful suggestions, which I quickly shot down because I knew they just wouldn’t work. He made the wise decision to return to work, and I got over my pity party and went about the rest of my day.

When he returned home from work this evening he informed me that I was now on vacation. I was a bit bewildered as my scheduled vacation was not until January. As I peppered him with questions and insisted that there was no way we could take a break from school he then informed me that he had taken the rest of the week off of work and he was taking over.

I have to admit I have a mighty hard time giving up the reins around here. I tend to clutch them like a girl on a runaway horse. But this time it only took a few minutes of convincing for me to agree to a little time off. He plans to homeschool the kids, make the meals and take care of the house while I do, WHATEVER I WANT TO DO! Did you read that???? I don’t think I have really had much of a vacation that didn’t involve giving birth so I am pretty excited about this. Of course my list of things I want to do is about a mile long, but I really want to spend this time recharging my very depleted battery. He actually wanted me to get a hotel room and not come home for 3 days but I told him I didn’t think I would be comfortable by myself in a hotel so I convinced him to let me stay at home :).

I am soooo thankful my husband is willing to sacrifice some vacation days and take over my jobs this week. What are you thankful for?

For more Gratituesday visit Laura.

by admin -

Delouse the House

The Homespun Heart is having a week long challenge to help get your house in order. I was excited to read about this challenge because I have started my fall cleaning. Usually every year around this time we clean out the clutter at our house. This started many years ago when I realized that Christmas was quickly approaching and the thought of more stuff (toys, decorations, games, books, etc…) coming into my home was overwhelming. I also use this time to switch out our summer and winter clothes and make a list of all the winter items we need this year. You would think that with six kids I wouldn’t have to buy anything, but those pesky older kids keep growing and need new coats and boots!

We had a fun few days in Williamsburg (more on that in another post) and I was planning on returning and jumping right into my fall cleaning. But, my plans have been derailed. On Saturday my two year old was scratching her head, I looked at her head to see what was bothering her and found a little bug in her hair. I picked it out and threw it away, thinking nothing of it.

Then on Sunday, after we had arrived in Williamsburg and were eating dinner I saw another black bug in her hair. I picked it out, threw it away, and forgot about it.

On Monday I picked several black bugs out of her hair and started to panic. When we returned to the hotel room I googled “black bugs in hair” and was surprised to find out they were lice! I thought lice were white! Of course, I had to figure this out while we were at a hotel 120 miles from our house and we are all sharing beds! My husband washed her hair and combed out more little bugs while I went through everyone else’s hair to see if they also had little friends. Thankfully they did not, but it only added to my confusion as to why my two year old would have them.

She does not go to daycare, play group, mom’s day out, and even missed Sunday school last week because we were camping. The only people she has had contact with are us, and no one else seems to have them. I spent most of Monday night in a dark hotel room, while everyone else slept, trying to educate myself on lice. I also started scratching my head compulsively, not because I had anything in my hair, but because her constant scratching and seeing all those bugs freaked me out. Yesterday my husband and oldest daughter joined my in the compulsive scratching. We do not have lice, but now all of a sudden everything itches! Last night in bed my legs even started to itch!

So today instead of continuing with my fall cleaning I will head to the doctor’s office and hopefully begin the process of killing these little suckers. Then I need to sterilize my home so that no one else gets them. We also need to unpack from our trip, do school, and eventually continue our fall cleaning.

Update: I took the before pictures and there were so many I put them in a separate post. You can view them here.

Have a great day and try not to scratch!

Photobucket

by admin -

Off for the Weekend

We are taking a quick road trip this weekend. I’ll be back on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Just in case you wanted to see a recent picture of me, I’ll leave you with one for the road.

Did I mention that I don’t like to be rained on and I am not that big a fan of photos either!

by admin -

Gratituesday

Although I am thankful for her every Tuesday, since she is turning 14 this week it was time to send a little thankfulness her way.

She is my oldest, and was kind enough to ease me into parenting. I was a young mom and didn’t have any idea what I was doing with her. She was a happy, wonderful baby who was content anywhere, doing anything, she even attended college classes with me a few times in her stroller. As she grew up, she continued in her cheerful ways.

She is a wonderful daughter, big sister, cousin, granddaughter, and friend. She makes friends quickly and is always looking for ways to serve others. Over the past few years her dad and I have watched her turn from a cute little girl into a beautiful young lady.

I remember on your third birthday I cried after your party because I thought you were growing up too fast. Now that you are fourteen, I realize how quickly the time has passed. Although this year, I did not cry after your party. I realized that every year you have been in our family is a better one than the year before. You are a wonderful example to your brothers, sisters, your dad and me. Your positive attitude is contagious and we are a better and stronger family because you are in it.

We love you, and wish you another wonderful year!

For more Gratituesday visit Laura’s blog.

by admin -

Monday Meanderings

Well, we are out of the old house and ready to turn over the keys today. It is a relief to have all the stuff moved and the old house clean. There is still a lot of work to do on the new house. We have almost unpacked, except for the garage, which is a total wreck. Here are some of my goals I hope to accomplish this week.

  • Finish unpacking
  • Finish kids’ report cards
  • Hang pictures
  • Paint school room
  • Order border for play room
  • Buy hardware for garage shelves
  • Start to organize the garage
  • Mail coupons for troops
  • Take the kids to the pool
  • Put away dishes given to us by ladies at church
  • RSVP to two baby showers
  • Plan oldest daughter’s birthday party
  • Finish mount laundry

If I can accomplish most of my list this week, I will be very happy. Things like the garage are projects that will take longer than a week, but I need to get started on them soon. We are taking a month break from school. I hope to plan for the coming school year (I have one starting high school) and then start back in July. I still need to order some curriculum but that can wait until next week.

Have a great week and don’t forget to visit Tiany’s blog for more Monday Meanderings.