Picking My Priorities: The Delicate Balance of Motherhood

I've been trying extra, extra hard to stay on top of my house work and get ahead before the new homeschool year starts. The hard part is staying balanced and not letting it overtake the time with my kids. I did make a schedule for myself that worked incredibly well a few years back but at times I kicked against it. I know that sounds odd but that's the little kid in me. When I follow the schedule, the house stays looking great. Well, I finally decided to woman up and try it again and the house is looking amazing. Even laundry piles shrinking. Boy, taking care of a big family is a lot of work but soooo worth it. I'm determined to not do any cleaning except for dinner cleanup after 5pm.  Mama has to have her breaks too. Sometimes I'm tempted to work on something but my grandmother (mother of nine) reminds me to not burn myself out. She's so right. I just need to enjoy my evenings. :D

I thought tonight I'd be helping out someone who's daughter got lice from a play center. (Totally keeping this anonymous.)  She called me up and asked for help, offered to pay, hearing that I knew how to get rid of it fast. I said no to the pay and just wanted to pay it forward. Awhile back my kids had gotten lice from other kids and I had poured money into trying to get rid of it. An angel lady just came to my rescue who gets rid of them for a living. She would accept no pay and totally wiped out the problem. Believe me, these places charge a lot. I learned from her and have had some opportunities to pay it forward and help others. What a blessing she was!  Turns out they can't come till tomorrow so I missed my session at the gym with my trainer. Well, Charles took 8 kids with him and I had the house alone for 3 hours. While he was GETTING HIS BUTT KICKED (haha) I didn't even know what to do with all the quiet! We were supposed to train together at the gym but since I wasn't there, he was the focus. Basically he came back and just collapsed in a chair. Haha!  He said, "Baby, she kicked my butt. She's your kind of trainer." I can't wait to get back to the gym for sure. ;)

P.S. If you see all my pics at the bottom of my posts that means I blogged from my phone rather than on computer. Blogger app needs to fix it and make options. ;)

When Kids are Sick and Optimism is a Necessity

Ivy

Just when we thought we were free and clear from the whole lice nightmare, 3 of my kids came down with bronchitis and had to go on antibiotics. The others ones sick but it didn't get too serious

We were so happy to be back in church and that lasted just one service.  We were back at home again.  The thing about it is the kids are supposed to be practicing for the church Christmas play and they haven't been able to.  So, tonight they'll finally get to practice at church.  Caleb will have to stay on my lap in church though because he's not cleared to go into nursery yet.  Then again, it's extremely hard to hold a baby in church because babies are always in the nursery until 3 years old.  The kids that are sitting in church are well trained to be quiet and stay sitting in their seat.  Often when I bring Caleb I have to get up and just stand in another room so we're not a distraction.  Then I figure since I can't hear anything we should just stay home.  I don't know.  

Ashley and I waiting in Urgent care

The thing about the kids is that they usually come down with sickness one at a time. I first took Ivy to the ER and then Caleb and Ashley another time.  So after I came back from my second trip, literally within a half hour Ashley was crying when she'd go potty.  If only I had known that when we just were at the ER.  So, we had to wait till the next day to go to an urgent care and get her some medicine.  The kids were burning up in fevers, Ivy hacking like crazy, and Ashley screaming about pain.  I feel bad as a mom seeing them that miserable.  They are finally getting better though.  You know what's crazy is ever since I pulled my kids from public school (6 months ago) my kids have been pretty darn healthy. They used to catch what all the other kids had and for the longest time I couldn't figure out why my kids were always coming down with something.  So, to be dealing with this now is no big deal in comparison.  In fact, when my kids were in school they were sick so much that I had to pull out of platform music ministry at church.  I had never connected the dots till seeing how healthy they've been since then.

You know, through all that and having to sit in waiting rooms for each kid, I realized that we had such good times talking and cuddling.  Just being alone with each one.  Often we take kids separately on errands and appointments.  It usually follows with a treat.  Oprah (this is the only time I'll ever quote her) said that moms often feel they don't spend enough alone time with each one.  We forget though that every time we change a diaper, often we're talking and playing with them.  Giving them kisses.  Whether it's to show them how to tie their shoes, potty on the toilet, reading them a book, going on an errand, those all count.  It's so true.


I found this video about how a mother's touch saved her baby's life.  It's so amazing I wanted to share it with you.

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My Piggy Bank Went on a Diet Without My Permission

As much as my husband and I miss his other career, this one has been such a blessing for me in a different way.  He works a split shift and comes home during the day.  It's so great having daddy home during most of the kids' waking hours.  Having him here for lunch and dinner is awesome.  We go back and forth, back and forth about whether it's safe enough for him to apply back into Engineering.  EVERY TIME we think it's safe, we hear news that unemployment is not really dropping (Obama is full of it) and it's best to stay with what is stable.  Because of what is happening in another country, it could make unemployment here rise even more.  Sigh.  However, I would miss Charles if he had his old schedule back and wasn't coming home till sun down. He's truly my best friend and we get along really well.  Thank goodness, otherwise we'd be driving each other nuts by now.  I don't know.  We worry that if he did get his old career back, it'd be really unstable and then he'd be out of work in 6 months.  Engineering is not too safe right now.  The proof is in the pudding, Obama.  Unemployment is "dropping" because you're looking at the facts in the wrong place.

The lice is officially gone!  Having that lady come to my house and show me how to properly do it made the problem go away so much faster.  If only I had met her sooner.  I think for now I'm gonna keep going through their hair every other day and the once a week just to make sure.  Just one egg missed can cause a problem.  I'm just so happy we can go to church again and this problem is solved before the holidays!  Wheeeeee!  Did you know I missed my sister and her family coming in from South Africa?  They are back home after 6 years of being gone and I couldn't even see their plane come in because of the problem.  It was heartbreaking.  At least  we can see them for the holidays.  :D

Today I woke up with a migraine, but on a positive note, it forced me to take the morning slow and just watch my kids play.  Caleb kept walking around with this gun and making shooting sounds at everyone.  The boys and I were talking in their bedroom last night about how great it is that there are 4 boys.  One more boy to play soldier with, video games, and other fun stuff.  They think Caleb is the greatest little brother ever.  We shall see though as he gets older and out of diapers.  Haha.

How to Get Rid of Head Lice Fast

Okay, this has been my first experience with this nightmare. Some don't feel like it's a big deal but it was for me because it kept us out of church for 3 weeks and we actually battled it for 4 weeks.  IF ONLY I knew what I know now it would've been dealt with WAAAAY faster.  So a professional came out to my house and showed me exactly how it's done.  At this point it had already been 3 weeks and I felt like I wasn't getting very far.  Also, I was taking the more expensive route.  Isn't there a better way?  The idea of washing every single clothing and bedding item in my house seemed so daunting.  Especially with this size family and all that comes with it.  So, to save you the headache, I would love to share what I learned from this wonderful angel that came to my house.  

Originally, I kept buying those lice kits and they are expensive.  There is nothing wrong with those and it's great to use to kill the bugs already hatched and crawling around.  However, you HAVE to get the eggs. Every single one of them and you can only do that with a lice comb.

$4 Amazon or at
Sally's Beauty Supply

I first bought this comb for only $4 and although it does get the eggs out, your kids won't like you very much since it pulls out some hair.  It does work though and is cheaper.  Do NOT use the combs that come in the lice kits.  They are completely worthless.

$11 Amazon

Instead I ordered this comb from Amazon for $11 and it's much more friendly to kids but not to the bugs.  You will definitely get any and all eggs out with this comb.

Wash your child's hair and then condition really good.  Don't rinse the conditioner out because this is gonna help get the eggs out when combing through.  The picture of the girl shows her hair dry but when I'm doing it, it's wet with conditioner on it.

Make sure to separate hair into sections and start right at base pulling all the way out to the ends. Wipe comb each time onto a paper towel but always on a dry spot each time.  Keep folding paper towel to wipe on new sections. When it's used up, put in a zip lock bag and cut another piece of paper towel to use.  Don't just pull comb down with each section but also sideways and back up.  Eggs can be laid in all directions of the hair and this way you are sure to get it.  Once you finish a section, pin it out of the way to start on a different section.  Take special care to look around the crown of the head, surprisingly, this is where I've found the most each day I combed through.  When you are finished, make sure all used paper towels are sealed up in a ziplock bag before throwing away.  Also, rinse and put your comb in a ziplock bag and put in freezer overnight.  Repeat this procedure every day till you find not even one egg after you've combed through hair.  Even one egg missed will become a problem so it's good to really make sure.

The first night only I bought a spray for only $5 that kills bugs on the bed or any other non-washable item. After it dried I vacuumed the beds.  Each night before they go to bed I would throw all their bedding and pillows into the dryer for 20 minutes on high heat.  After they wake up I do it again.  The reason is throughout the day they they go to their bed sometimes to rest or just play and if they do have any bugs, it can get back on the bedding.  Then repeat that night drying the bedding on high heat before they lay on it.  It kills the bugs.  I also dried all of their stuffed animals they slept with at night.

Another tip is you can fill up a spray bottle of vinegar water.  It can help loosen up the eggs and also help to prevent lice being able to lay eggs on their head.  If you get a notice from the school that lice is going around, this is a good precaution.  You can spray on their hair each morning before sending them off to school.

Don't worry about washing every single item of clothing in your house.  Lice can't live without human blood for more than 2 or 3 days.  I only worried about washing things they would come in close contact with.

I've kept my kids out of church for obvious reasons of not passing it around and it's soooo not nice to send kids to school until they are totally clear.  I hope this helps and please leave me a comment any time if you have any questions!

Discovering Head Lice on Kids! Ack!

I can't believe what I discovered several days ago.  My daughter had been itching her head and just as we were about to head to church, I found some lice on my daughter's head.  I was completely shocked since this has never happened in 11 years of having kids.  What the heck???!!  Of course we were not going to church and we won't be able to till I make sure this problem is completely cleared.  We are going nowhere and no one is coming to our house.  

"Lice infestations are very common in families that have young children attending daycare, preschool and grade school." -wiseGEEK

I have no idea how they got it.  We were around some kids a week ago and a week ago before that, that sometimes struggle with it.  Also, they go to children's church, Caleb goes to church nursery, and my 4 older kids go to school once a week.  They could have gotten it from anyone of those four places.  Anyone that sends their kids to church, school, or with friends knowing their kids may have lice are completely rude in my eyes.  More than rude. Heartless.  However, just like me, sometimes we have no idea until we shockingly discover it one day on the way to church.

What do Head Lice Look Like?

Ivy has it the worst, Ashley a little bit, and the boys do NOT have it at all.  So it's obvious that Ivy was the carrier.  Since the boys have the possibility of getting it, I took them outside and completely shaved their heads down as close to the skin as possible.  They are almost completely bald.  Well, even though they don't have lice, the fact that they are bald, the boys don't want to be in their school play now. Ivy is heartbroken.  I told her if she's cleared up in time I will let her still be in it.  However, I'm not gonna do that unless she is 100% clear because I'd be a jerk of a mom otherwise to put another mom through this.  If we have to stay in this house for 2 weeks to make sure, that's fine. 

How do I remove headlice from my home?

Today I am bagging up alllll stuffed animals and sealing them for 4 weeks. I've been washing all pieces of clothing and will be every day, all day till it's cleared.  I still have to go buy the bed spray but we have been having kids sleep in our leather couch for now.  This is such a pain in the butt and I've still managed to keep on top of homeschooling which is a miracle.  The link I just gave above gave even some great ideas for me to use to rid of this.  I've known parents to treat the head but not the house and that's why they continually get it.  It's important to treat everything possible.