Guess what I've been up to?
Gardening again! Lately I've been struggling with some bad morning sickness and the only way to cure it was to go outside and get some fresh air. Well, I needed a reason to go outside so I got the kids out and planted some seeds. We worked really hard on breaking up the ground, laying new soil down, making rows, planting, and watering. Well, we planted some tomatoes, cilantro, squash, beets (we eat the leaves in butter but not the beets), and something else but since we didn't mark it, we'll be surprised.
I used to always escape outside back when I had a garden but I hated how my garden was on the other side of the house where I couldn't see it. This year I can see it right outside my patio. It's gonna be so beautiful to see.
The only thing missing from the window was some pretty flowers that will grow with little maintenance and will grow big. So we got two Bougainvilleas and planted them on either side of the canopy we sit under. It's gonna be so pretty! I'm so excited to just be able to open my window and see it all. When everything gets a little bigger I'll post a picture.
The chickens are still on the other side of the house which is good since no neighbors are on that side. I have 3 laying hens so it's really nice to go get an egg whenever we need one.
However I do have miniature chickens out by the patio area and I'm just waiting for my neighbor to complain since the two roosters have crowing competitions at 4am every single morning. I really want to video it for you so you can hear how hilarious they sound. Imagine a rooster's crow but a miniature one. It's high pitch! It's so funny.
The eggs are a really good size and even sometimes are X-large eggs. We usually collect them all week long and then by Saturday Charles will make eggs for all of us along with bacon and toast. Such a treat.
Tonight I had nursery at church with the babies, toddlers, and 4's and 5's. Being that I have so many the same age, I always think about what life might be like for people that have like quintuplets or septuplets. Haha. I think, "Man, their days would be sooooo busy!" Haha. Then I go home to my nice quiet house of seven kids. Seriously, it IS DIFFERENT. I have kids from the ages of one to 13 so, yeah, it is different. One or two in diapers at a time. Not all at once. I wish I could take pictures of all the cute little kids in nursery but I definitely have my favorites. A little redhead boy that's a live wire is definitely one of my faves. He's like a ball of energy. Kind of like a super hero with coffee in his system. Just a dash of mischievousness. Love him! My little Juliet is the known escapee of the group. We have to have the door shut AND a baby gate put up for when she gets past the door. You thought we had chain locks on all our doors at home to keep the boogie man out huh? Nope, it's to keep the little curly blond in the house.
I added something into our day that really kind stretches me to my limit. I seriously don't think I can mentally afford to do any more than what I'm doing right now. When I say mentally afford I mean, if mommy can't teach and raise kids with joy, then whatever it is that is making mommy a grouch butt has to go. Whether it's an outside activity or a time consuming person not part of the immediate family. I don't know whether to rejoice or wince at times. (It's kinda half and half depending on the day). There is a church almost next door to us that does a fun after school program, complete with learning and bible study. Well, that's double dose for my kids because we already hold our own bible studies at home every morning. I just thought it'd be neat for my kids to meet other kids in the neighborhood. Plus, they have the opportunity for volunteer work and gardening. Once a week they are teaching them baseball and another day basketball. They are having so much fun. However, we have to really be on the ball to get bible study, homeschool, and chores done before 3:30pm when they leave. Four kids choose to go which means I usually have only one teen and two little ones napping during that time. For 2 1/2 hours I can either choose to sit and sip coffee with a good book, mop the floor, or just work on dinner or chores. I mean, seriously... 2 1/2 hours of options! Haha. Yes! However, it's made my day tighter for the other waking hours and I have to stay on top of things big time.
