Taking Young Kids to Dissect Frogs for Homeschool

I signed my kids up for a frog dissection class at the science center and it was interesting!  Normally, I'm not such a wimp.  Ohhhhh, I was yesterday. Okay, well back in Junior high I had no problems dissecting my own frog.  Did I have a problem watching it yesterday?  Lets just say I started to see black spots in front of my eyes and I had to leave and have my husband take over.  I felt like I was gonna faint and had to leave.  I felt really bad for a couple of hours after that.  My friend heaved a couple of times. It was pretty funny though because we were both struggling.  I don't know if it's because of my morning sickness or because I'm just becoming more wimpy over time.  Haha!  Well, here are some great photos!

(Above) Ryan dissected a female frog

(Above) Ryan's frog was female so he could see the eggs.

My husband Charles helping the boys since I couldn't get up close

(Above) Chaz's frog was male

Chaz listening to instructions

(Above) The teacher showing Ryan he needs to cut open a little higher

How cool is it that my boys only 10 and 11 years old got to dissect frogs and I wasn't able to till Junior high?  This is what I mean about the excitement of homeschooling.  We do things when we want to and have tons of our own field trips throughout the year.  Even better, daddy gets to be involved!  He has a split shift where he has a 4 hour break in between shifts so he is able to attend these things.  I have such a cool husband and life.  :D  

Charles helping Ryan.  Ryan said it was pretty neat opening the frogs mouth inside and looking to see if there was any food in there.

My friend's son Jeremiah putting on his gloves

Kyle (above) 

A Note From a Distracted Pregnant Lady

Boy, I've been in a different world it seems the last two weeks.  There has been so much going on and things to do with outside of my home that I haven't had much time at home.  Thankfully Charles and kids have been really understanding.  The pressures from it all had just zapped all my energy and I'm a really energetic person.  Charles said my "lack of energy" is everyone else's normal.  Really?  My friend says I'm unusually energetic but I think my sisters are also that way.  With having no energy right now I look at the work load around my house and it just seems a lot.  No wonder "normal energy" women look at me like I'm nuts.  I'm behind on everything.  I've gotten out a lot to deal with some issues and coming home was just too overwhelming.  Not because of my family but because I didn't have anything to distract my mind from it all.  It's hard to explain when I can't tell you the things that have been happening.  Anway...

I'm 32 weeks now and I'm having some really bad acid problems still and laying down at night can be difficult.  When I lay down the acid tries to come up.  I'm downing Tums but my doctor suggests Prilosac instead.  I took my first pill today but it can take up to 4 days to start working.  Since controlling the acid also helps with nausea it should make it easier for me to cook and clean in the kitchen.  I also don't want to become a whiner.  What I'm wondering is, why are guys hitting on my so much  more now than I'm pregnant?  It is sooo strange to me and also very annoying.  Good grief.  It's not like I walk around immodest or anything.  Did you know this company wanted to have me take pictures every week of my bare belly to show pregnancy growth on my blog?  I declined because I'm not baring my stomach on my blog.  Only my husband sees my tummy like that.  :D  Other than the morning sickness and acid, this has been one of my best pregnancies ever.  Amazing being it's the 7th one.  I've gained 20lbs so far and hope not to go over 25lbs total. Crossing my fingers (and eating brownies).

The other night my husband was coughing and coughing.  He couldn't get any rest and had to get up at 4:30am.  Finally I went into the room, rubbed some Vics vapor rub on his feet, then put clean socks over them.  Then I got him his inhaler and some cough drops.  Finally he drifted off to sleep but it was a long night before I had thought of all that.  The next day he talked about it on his job and also to me telling me if felt so good to have his wife take care of him like that in the middle of the night.  Hmmm.... maybe I've been so focused on myself my poor husband is feeling left out.  He has been sooo supportive of me.  The nights I can't sleep and get sick, he always lets me sleep in the next morning since he gets home from work in the morning.  When he gets home the kids are still sleeping so he'll take care of them till I'm ready.  He has yet to ever complain about the lack of home cooked meals because of the morning sickness.  Geesh.  Do I really deserve this guy?  This week I am really gonna focus on him and find ways to make him feel extra special.

Has Michelle Duggar Ever Experienced Postpartum Depression?

My firstborn Chaz

I've been hearing some mommies talk about experiencing postpartum depression and feeling alone. It makes me sad because I know exactly what that feels like and very much went through it alone with my first child. I had never heard of it and had it so bad.  I really needed help but not a lot you can do when you've never heard of it before and you are afraid to tell anyone.  I would sit in our apartment while my husband was at work and the most horrible thoughts would go through my head.  Through encouragement from my husband somehow I got through it but it wasn't overnight.   Not only was I very alone in trying to figure out how to take care of a new baby, but there were major hormonal factors having a play in my body and mind also.  Now, when I see a new mom and she has the wild look in her eyes, I HAVE to walk over and encourage them.  I know that look from a mile away.  Of course postpartum depression doesn't happen to the mom with only her first baby, it can be with the 4th baby and happen more than once.  It's really tough.  I hope most people know not to judge moms like this as they often just need either a friend to help them through or help from a doctor.

Anyhow, here is a great article from Michelle Duggar.  Yes, she's experienced it too.  ;)

Has Michelle Ever Experience PostPartum Depression?

Each Day is an Adventure Around These Parts

Neighbor kid hanging out

There are some interesting stuff happening around here but I cannot tell you.  Nothing to do with my family but helping out a friend. Soooo, we've basically had about 4 adults and 12 kids hanging around and spending the night.  Lots and lots of food going into tummies.  :)  

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Anyway, today we ate Tortellini Soup and it's the only way my kids will eat spinach.  My sister showed this to me and it's sooo easy and is a family favorite.

-2 family size packages of fresh (cheese only) tortellini.  Usually in the cheese section of store.
-10 or 12 oz package of frozen spinach
-10 cans of chicken broth

Heat chicken broth and spinach (don't really have to drain juices first) to boiling.  Then add tortellini for 9 minutes (reduce heat to medium).  Done!  Then you add salt to taste and parmesan for topping.

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I've been tired a lot. There has just been a lot of things happening from all different angles and I'm just trying to stay strong and figure out how to handle things from day to day.  Last week I was really down so I didn't do much cleaning for a whole week.  I've been really paying the price for it this week. Since there are a lot of people here on and off I figured I needed to stay on top of it.  The last two nights I stayed up till around 2:30am to clean.  It's just so much easier to clean while everyone is sleeping.  Besides, I don't want to just be cleaning and be there for a friend instead.  The good thing is this issue has kept my mind off the last week's issue.  Anyway, I'm super private about these kinds of things in my life so I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense.  LOL.  Caleb is such a light sleeper it's been hard for him to nap but today he just fell asleep in the middle of all the noise and I had to take a picture it was so cute.  I transferred him to my bed for some quiet.

Sibling Rivalry: Learning to Make Amends and Forgive Early

Who ever thought when I first started a blog back in 2006 that I would find the blogging world to be a source of encouragement, laughter, joy, sadness, empathy, understanding, etc?  Somehow it became a place where people who think alike can find each other and receive encouragement.  In times where we didn't agree, a stretching.  Back when I started the blog I only had 4 kids and was not planning to have any more and was listening to everyone that said to stop.  The stretching came when I read blogs about large families and I wasn't sure I agreed with them.  I realized that I was just giving others the steering wheel in my life rather than God.  With you guys, I felt like somehow we've created a cyberspace invisible link where we can give strength to each other when needed.  Does that make sense?

The girls are so excited about Juliet getting closer to coming.  I'm 31 weeks now and even though she is pretty mild, the kids are finally being able to feel her kick.  She has no where to hide now, she's running out of space.  Ivy tonight was so excited to finally feel Juliet kicking her hand.  Ashley (4) came up to me the other day with toilet paper and asked if she could wipe Juliet's little butt.  I told her she had to wait till Juliet came out.  I assured the girls I would let them learn how to care for her. It's their turn now because my last baby was a boy and the boys wanted to be the one to learn with him. Ashley reminds me every day that she will change Juliet's butt though and doesn't want me to forget it.  LOL.  

Anyhow, I've been really working with my kids on the matter of getting along.  I know it's soooo normal to have some sibling rivalry and it's going to happen.  However, I CAN teach them how to handle an argument and make up properly.  I get so sad seeing families grow up and kids go their separate ways.  Grown adults that can't get along is just sad.  It happens though and I see it all the time.  I asked myself, "How can I at least teach them to handle a problem and get over it?"  Ivy has a best friend who she really loves.  There were times they'd be together and both would turn on Ashley.  This was not okay at all.  I don't care if Ivy is just showing off with her friend, it's not acceptable.  Finally I took Ivy aside and told her that she will no longer have friends over till she's not only mended her relationship with her sister but that she learns that sibling relationships are important.  I told her that Ashley is not only her sister but her best friend.  They are only two years apart and should be able to work things out.  I said, "Kerrie may be your best friend but your sister Ashley is your best, best friend."  I really kept off any friends that wanted to visit her for a bit till Ivy started learning to enjoy her sister and work out fights.  When they do fight I have them come to me, face each other and hold hands, to say sorry, I love you, you are my best, best friend and say they forgive each other.  If that doesn't work I find some way to make it a little bit silly to they get in a better mood and really do work it out.  Often they are hugging after it all and run back to where they were hand in hand.  Can I do that when they are older? Well, not so much but I want them to have the idea of quick forgiveness and moving on when they are little.  Now, Ivy has surprised me by telling me that she loves her friend Kerrie but Ashley is her best, best friend.  She tells me she enjoys her company and they have definitely gotten a lot closer.  Since they have worked this out I've allowed her friend to come over more often.  Now they all 3 play together really well.  ;)  I know some people just let their kids hash it out, slam doors, and talk about each other on the phone to their friends.  The problem with that is they are learning nothing about working it out and it's sad.  The problem needs to be worked out before the sun goes down.

When Poor Vision Plays a Factor in Learning

I was talking not too long ago about Ivy really struggling in her learning.  She is 6 1/2 but can barely recognize her alphabet.  Recently, I had taken the boys to get their eyes rechecked and get new frames.  I figured I might as well get Kyle an Ivy's checked because we never have before.  I honestly didn't think they'd have any vision problems because they never complain about their eyes. 

Kyle and his funny smiles.  LOL

Well, we got their new glasses and I was shocked how bad Ivy's eyes were.  I tried to look through her glasses and it seriously hurt.  The first thing she said when she put on her glasses is "I can see letters!"  Oh my gosh.  You've got to be kidding me.  I'm so excited to see how she's gonna do now in her school work.  I went ahead and bought a phonics program that we can work together on.  I mean, it's a preschool program.  She's barely seeing some letters for the first time and she's really excited.  That means we have to start back at the beginning.  Kyle's eyes are even worse! He just strains really, really hard to see.  Poor guy.  Ivy's is stigmatism along with poor vision so that's why she wouldn't even bother to try and focus her eyes.  I'm excited to work with her now knowing this probably was a huge factor in her learning struggles!

By the way, even through all tears and crying I can't believe how wonderful my blogging friends are.  Your words of comfort and assurance yesterday meant a lot.  You are amazing.  I don't have much support in my personal life for having a large family and I look to other blogs to learn and be encouraged.  Even though this issue was not about having a large family, you just reached out with words of love.  Thank you.  

Where Are You God?

I have not blogged a lot because I am going through a tough trial right now.  One I can't talk of but just feeling lots of anxiety.  Tears come every day and I don't have the energy to clean or do much of anything.  But I save face for my little ones because they don't need to have that worry.  My husband is a sweetheart and holds me when I am down. When I am alone I cry, "where are you God?  Can you even hear me?"  I've prayed and asked for a certain thing for so long.  A situation that is greatly hurting me and has just reached a boiling point.  My heart hurts so bad.  I've tucked myself into a protective cocoon just to avoid any more embarrassment or hurt.  I hate that someone can have that kind of power over me.

God, I have asked, pleaded and cried

You said those that seek You will find You

Where are You?  

Where are You?

Why should I hang my head in shame

When I have done no wrong?

How did I become the liar?

My heart hurts yet I don't feel You

My heart used to be held in Your embrace

I don't want revenge

That is not what I am asking for

Where are You?

Where are You?

At least let me hold my head up high

I have done no wrong

I'm just asking that You remember me

In my distress

Please don't turn Your face from me

I only want to serve You and You alone

Even when I don't feel You

You must be there...somewhere

I am a nice person that doesn't like any controversy with anyone.  I'll do anything to avoid it, even to my own detriment.   There was a time in my life where I was in major distress. I walked into my dark room in defeat and for some reason hit the radio button on my alarm clock. This song was on and I felt a peace come into the room.  God doesn't always come down in a bolt of lightening but I know He speaks to us in other ways.  

Vaccines: A Crime Against Humanity

 This is an EXCELLENT video and answers all the questions I've had about vaccinations and the dangers of it. I've just seen too much in my own life and families around me that are hurting from vaccinations.  I'm talking about FRIENDS in my personal life that I know who are effected greatly from giving their kids vaccinations.  That's shocking.  People have been really pressuring me to get my kids vaccinated because there has been an outbreak of some things.  In this video she says that there was an outbreak in Iowa where 67% of the children who had contracted mumps had already gotten the vaccination so they "should have been protected." Same with the pertussis outbreak in California.  A vast majority already had the full series of the vaccination.  This is a great video to watch.

Here is the video.

St.Patrick by Veggietales

30 Week 3D Ultrasound

Yesterday I to the doctors for a 30 week ultrasound for baby Juliet.  This time Charles got to come with me and since we had someone watching the kids we got to go alone. How different and fun!

I told the doctor that baby Juliet is so mellow I was hoping it's just because she's such a mellow baby and not because there was any distress.  They measured her and at 30 weeks she is breech and her legs folded up towards her face.  That's why in the picture you see her foot right in her face.  :D  By 36 weeks if she doesn't turn they are going to have me go to the hospital to try and turn her. (See video at bottom of post on how they turn a breech baby).

Juliet is 3 1/2 lbs already and we saw her smacking her lips and making sucking motions with her mouth.  Was soooo cute!  

They think either she is mellow because:

a) I'm just lucky, 

b) she's breech and how she is laying 

c) I'm such a busy mamma that doesn't sit down much and so the rocking motion puts her to sleep.  Yeah, you don't do a lot of sitting down with 6 kids.  

I told her that I have a lot of acid problems and it keeps me up at night.  Sometimes it makes me wake up to throwing up and choking several times a night.  It's not fun trying to cough up acid out of your lungs the next day.  She recommended Prilosec instead of Tums and said its way more effective.  Also, that'll help with the nausea.  

My dad holding me

We had such a fun time and afterwards Charles I ate at Red Lobster for a date.  It was fun but we were actually happy to sit there quietly and eat rather than chat away.  The waiter probably thought we were mad at each other but we were happy to just share bits and pieces here and there.  It's really nice getting away every now and then but we always miss the kids when we are gone.

Appreciating the Craziness of Children

Anyway, I'm hoping Juliet turns on her own before 36 weeks but in case she doesn't I will have to go to the hospital and have her turned.  I found a neat video that shows how they do it. It doesn't work all the time because the doctors tried it on me with my 3rd child and it didn't work.  However, at the LAST minute before I was to have a c-section, Kyle turned and BOY did I feel it.  He was my biggest kid.

Housewife Dilemmas: When Kids are Away

Today my boys are at an all day birthday party at a game place so there are only my two girls and baby Caleb at home.  So many ideas run through my head of what to do to fill in that time.

Should I clean?  As much as I've decluttered the kids just seem to have messy as their middle name.  So many remind me that I have little ones and I will have to still constantly train.  However, I expect my 10 and 11 year old to start showing me what they've learned.  Have they?  Noooo, they've just gotten really good at doing their chores when it's chore time.  Well, that leaves a lot of time before next chore time they can make a mess.  Is this normal?  I don't know.  I will not and refuse to act like a perfectionist mom because that's not who I am and I've come to the realization that I don't ever want to be like that.  However, I don't want to raise my kids up as pigs lest their future spouses hunt me down.

Should I nap?  I haven't been sleeping well AT ALL and now that baby Juliet in my tummy is reaching inside my rib cage, I'm always feeling uncomfortable.  At least most of the time.  Sitting in church is the most uncomfortable because I have to sit for so long and I feel bruised by the time it's over.  Juliet is so gentle in my tummy so it's not like she bruises me with kicking or anything.  It's just she's discovered her new found space that's much higher and she's loving the extra room.  I'm only 30 weeks along so I'm wondering how much more painful it's gonna get.  Also, at night I've been throwing up acid and then inhaling it in my sleep.  I'll wake up and have to run for the TUMS.  I wake up about once every 1-2 hours so sleep is something I'm longing for.  However, and I'm not joking when I say this, I feel like it's great training for having to get up in the middle of the night to feed a newborn.

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Should I read and feed my soul?  Right now I am washing clothes and have been reading several books on my iPad Kindle.  <--- This has been my favorite right now because it's really nourishing to my wounded self esteem.  I haven't felt like the best housewife in the world lately but that's mostly because I've gotten behind greatly on laundry and on my chores.  I truly, truly put my focus on educating my kids and sometimes I don't get everything done around the house.  There is not a lot of support for stay at home or homeschooling moms so often we have to go online or read books to receive encouragement.  I have so many friends that are against blogging and Facebook.  I say, "Are you serious?  That IS where I get 98% of encouragement for homeschooling and being a homemaker."  Kinda sad but true. We mommies need to stick together.

Once we are done schooling and with chores we usually allow neighbor kids to flood into our house.  Kids LOVE coming to my house because we have 5 computers they can game on, trampoline out back, about 75 costumes to dress up in, lots of toys, bikes, skateboards, skates, and they looove playing on my iPad.  There are kids of every age up to age 11 here so there is always someone to play with.  As long as they are around my kids age and they are respectful they are welcome here.  I only have six kids of my own but often I have an average of 10 kids running around.  I even got them set up on Skype so their moms can get a hold of them and see what they are up to anytime with video chat.  Also, they use Skype at their house to send me a video chat asking if they can come over.  :)

I settled on reading and feeding my soul.  I rarely have time to read so I'm gonna take it.   Of course I always HAVE to be doing something productive so I'm washing clothes also.  I can never get myself to waste time on fiction books unless it's Janette Oke otherwise it's usually books that encourage like Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe, Simply Homeschool: Having Less Clutter and More Joy in Your Homeschool, or from other blogging mammas. :)  

Taking a Real Break Since Spring Break is Here

So this is the start of spring break for most kids and we decided to use the break too.  My husband has the week off also since he works for a school district.  Well, we want to explore!  How much exploring will we be able to do with our van not working?  Well, we'll find out.  :)   We started off by swimming at Nana's on Saturday.

Chaz 11

It's the first time we've swam since last summer so the kids were excited.  They had a pool that is heated and so it wasn't painful getting in the water.  However, as time went on it wasn't as hot outside and so getting out was hard.  The little bit of breeze made drying off seriously freezing.  :)  We had fun though!  My dad swam with us.  I really love my babies.  

This is the first time Caleb wanted to be in the water.  Caleb is 2 1/2 and he had soooo much fun splashing everyone and laughing.  That means it's time to get him a vest like we did the other kids.  Chaz, Ryan, and Kyle know how to swim so they don't wear theirs anymore.  Thankfully, it get passed on to the younger kids.  Ivy knows how to swim but I make her wear hers since there are so many of us in the pool and she's only 6.  Caleb needs one for his size so I'm gonna have to purchase it.  We only get the ones that are US Coastguard approved and they are very comfortable to wear.  It's even helped all my kids learn how to swim.

My dad is such a hard worker but truly a kid at heart and the kids love swimming with him.  The kids played chicken fighting in the pool. We matched up the kids according to weight.  My dad had one and Charles had one on their shoulders and you had to see who could wrestle each other off and make fall into the water. LOL.  

When we first showed up at the pool there were four people there drinking beer but respectful.  It was so nice, quiet, and peaceful for them.  Ahhhhh...... till we showed up. I showed up first with my dad and three kids.  They were totally cool with it till I warned them that this was just half my family. When the rest of everyone got there the people cleared out within five minutes and we had the pool to ourselves. I think for fun I'm gonna make some daycare shirts for the kids.  

When it Rains it Pours

  

Just another one of those days.  Our transmission in our van is not an easy one to replace so we are still not able to use the family van.  Today I waited for Charles to get home from work in the morning so I could take the kids to their Friday school day.  On the way there while driving on the freeway I lost the tread from one of my tires.  I pulled over to see the damage and figured since I was so close to the school I would drop them off.  I picked up new materials that were needed and then called my husband to give him the bad news that he wouldn't be able to go back to work today.  H recently got over the flu and hated that he had to call in from work yet again.  I drove home with my hazard lights on really slow hoping I would make it without getting a flat.  My husband is getting a new tire right now.  Argh.  This is his work car but it's been our secondary car since our van can't be used.  However, we are not able to go anywhere as a family since we don't all fit.  I'm so wishing we just had two small cars right now to get around so we'd not only save in gas but we wouldn't have to worry about such costly repairs.   I know life happens.  It's just frustrating when things happen all at once.  When it rains it pours, huh?  At least his car just needed a new tire and it's an easy fix. 

On a sweet note I've been dealing with some really cute girly stuff.  Girls can be so emotional and cry about what I think are the silliest thing but it's not to them.  Ivy has really been soaking up compliments on character.  I've learned that although it's nice to compliment a child's looks, it's better to point out beauty in character.  Last night I was tired, finishing up cleaning the kitchen, and washing clothes real late, Ivy walked up to me and had big alligator tears rolling down her face.  She said that Ashley complained about her princess pillow she got for Christmas and Ivy thought that wasn't grateful. I told her that it was a gratefulness issues but maybe Ashley was just upset about something else and she could talk to her about it.  Ivy went in to talk to her 4 year old sister about it and I guess they worked it out because Ashley came out holding her princess pillow and hugging it.  

How to Train for Less Sleep with Newborn

Yesterday I took Kyle and Ivy in to see if they needed glasses.  After waiting in the waiting area for an hour (whyyyyy?) they finally get called back.  Turns out they both need glasses.  Both have a hard time seeing their schoolwork in front of them.  However, Ivy's is much worse and she also has stigmatism.  What???  I asked, "are you serious?  Do you think that's why she's struggled so much focusing on her schoolwork?"  She said a BIG yes.  Well, Ivy went a full year of kindergarten not learning much of anything.  She just seemed to be in lala land most of the time.  She'll get her glasses next week and I'm SO CURIOUS to see if it's gonna help her to concentrate.  I really, really hope that has been the issue all this time.  

How to train for less sleep with newborn baby? Here is how.  I could hardly function most of yesterday because I haven't been sleeping well.  The night before I could sense the dog wanted to be let out to potty which means I might as well check on the kids.  I like to see if anyone looks cold, put them back in bed if they rolled off, get myself a drink, take those vitamins I forgot to take, use the restroom, let the dog back in, notice he has no water in his bowl, remember to turn down phone so it doesn't wake up kids in the morning, pick up a couple of things off the counter and put away on my way back to bed, check that the doors are all locked, remember that I forgot to transfer clothes from washer to drier before I laid down earlier, take some TUMS because of heartburn or acid is killing me, then finally make my way back to the bed.  By that time it'll take me some time to fall back asleep.  Then, I woke up every half hour because I was worried I wouldn't hear the alarm clock for the appointment the kids had. I sleep right through alarms or sometimes they don't go off.  Argh!  My sleeping is just crazy and this routine can happen at least a few times in one night.  Although, on a positive note, it is training for having a newborn wake up all night.  (Grin)  Okay, then it's worth it.

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The good news is my friend and I signed up for the homeschooling convention that's happening in the summer!  WHEW!  We are so excited and can't wait.  My favorite people of all time will be there.  The Boyers have 14 children and were some of the first to homeschool their kids in their area.  Talk about pioneers of homeschooling! They didn't have all the whistles and bells you can buy now.  I really admire what they have done and how they've stayed true to their faith, family, and raising their kids up in Christ. They didn't just talk about Godly values, they lived it.  Well, they are coming to the convention this summer and they are the first people I'm gonna look for.  I read this book back when I had maybe 3 kids.  They definitely were a big influence on helping to change our thinking about children and having a large family.  I read about this family before I knew anything about the Duggars.

Ashley playing ballerina

Here spring break is coming and my van is out of commission.  Whyyy?  My husband doesn't work all week and we've come up with all kinds of great ideas.  Swim at Nana's heated pool?  Visit the zoo and have a picnic since we have a membership?  Go to the mall during the day while all the teens at home are all sleeping in?  Visit a really neat museum?  Go the airstrip to watch planes land and take off?  Go to Christian skate night at the nearby skating rink?  We have tons of fun ideas.  Wellll, I guess we'll have to get creative and hang around at home.  Phooey.  :)