Family Weekend

Tonight we were off. And it felt really good! The last 3-4 Friday nights we've done a Bible study with some folks. That is really, really important. But tonight, several folks couldn't come and with Little Bit still getting over being sick, we begged off.

And had a night at home--just us! We watched a movie from the library (FREE!) and relaxed together.

Tomorrow--because it's a Saturday--we're going to the beach.

 It's finally off-season and we don't have to rush down there just to find a parking place. I love it when we get our beach back. I realize not everyone lives in Texas and some of you might be thinking, "The beach? In OCTOBER?" But tomorrow the high is 83 at the beach. We'll take the girls' long-sleeved rash guards and call it a day.

And--squeal!--we have to get all our camping gear out and organized and get ready for our camping trip! I can't wait. It's been a whole year since we went camping, due to a little addition to our family in May when it was perfect camping weather.

Yes, S tried to convince me to go in my last month of pregnancy. He's very funny. Actually I would have loved to have gone, but couldn't see how it was possible to duck and climb into and out of the tent or to get up off our air mattress. And the getting up to go to the bathroom in the night? Ug. Wasn't worth it.

Last year when we went I was really nauseated and remember being pretty grossed out by some of the food. Plus I was completely exhausted. I'll be more help this year. Able to lift things, and hey, maybe even take a few pictures. That one above is one of the only ones I have from last year's trip. We were pretty organized but now the Holiday family and we are going to be planning this from 2 different states. We'll see how we do.

We've never camped with a baby. We started camping when Little Bit was 2 or 3. Bee will be 5 months old when we go so this will be new territory for us.

But we got this:

There's no way she will fit on the air mattress with us all night. I think I can pull her on there to feed her in the night but if we want to be able to move at all, she needs a place of her own. Plus, when one of us rolls over the other one lifts up in the air. I could just see us launching Baby airborne in the night!
I wanted her down on the ground by us and not have to stand up and then bend over a pack and play to get to her. This little bed is just perfect. It has it's own air mattress and everything. I think she'll sleep well in it.

So there will be some "get ready for camping" prep this weekend too. But that's fun. WAY more fun than unpacking and cleaning up once we get home!

And looking back over this post I realize we sound kind of outdoorsy and adventurous and not at all like people who sit around in their living room every night. Ahem.

Summer School

Last week we started to finish the school year. Got that? We had a little over a month off what with all the babies being born and the fun hospital visits and it was time to get 6th grade finished up.

I got a glimpse of how this next school year is going to be.

This quickly resulted in....

You know, because the baby squeaked out an unhappy sound. And we can't possibly allow the princess to be unhappy! But I was proud of Sweetheart for continuing to work. This baby is a great distraction, I'll tell you.

Sweetheart is just doing her school work three times a week. Little Bit and I start with some new math curriculum today. And of course we'll all continue to read as we can fit it in.

I have 2 doctor's appointments this week and I cannot WAIT to be done with all these doctors!! I started really, really feeling good Friday night/Saturday morning. In fact, we went to the beach for Baby Bee's first trip (on the outside) early Saturday morning.

We tried her sunhat on the day before. She wasn't sure we knew what we were doing.

But when we got there, she had no problem relaxing.

No problem at all...

Probably because she doesn't have to do summer school work, huh?

Desperate and Tired = Desperately Tired!

Twenty-seven days left and I'm feeling that desperate "I've got to get this over with" feeling already! Well, I was last night anyway. I think I was just really, really tired.

I'm still tired today, by the way. Thank you, thunderstorm at 4 am.

Sweetheart went with me to the grocery store yesterday. I was really glad to have her there too as she pushed the basket for me. (buggy, cart) Ug. I can't imagine I have to go weekly grocery shopping three or four more times!! It's so tiring. (Are you sensing a theme here? Brenda is tired!)

I hope to have the "nursery" complete this week and post pictures. I have several other things I would like to have "complete" this week too. Heck, I would like to complete anything! I feel like I have 400 loose ends all the time. Which makes me feel....never mind.

We did have fun this weekend! We had so much trouble finding a parking space at the beach last weekend, that we decided to get up early and go on Saturday. So at 7:00am we rolled out of the driveway. It was incredibly windy and rough at the beach, but we had the WHOLE place to ourselves minus some surfers and people walking their dogs.

Yeah...the lens was incredibly dirty. Salt water + wind.

Then, on Sunday morning, S went out to put the potluck casserole in the car and smelled gasoline really badly. He opened the garage door and wow! The smell about knocked you down. It took about 20 minutes to find the source (because there wasn't really a puddle on the ground). Turns out one of his lawn mowers was leaking. The dangerous part was our hot water heater is located in the garage. I had a friend whose house blew up when painters left the door open to the utility room where their hot water heater was. Blew the roof up and set it back down. And, since we like the current location of our roof, needless to say, we were very late to church.

So. A little fun. A little excitement. It's all good.

Did I mention 27 more days?

We're Back Baby!

Sunday was the first time we've been able to go to the beach. Mind you, we've been going to the island all winter to eat lunch after church (at least once a month) and grab some ice cream. And sometimes walk around. But this was an actual, real, bonafide beach trip.

There was sand digging.

And ball throwing.

And lots of boogie boarding.

And I had a new chair.

...in all my glory! ha!

The End.

My Monday Brain

*This new schedule of school-in-the-afternoons is really working for me. I go back to bed after S leaves. I feel guilty about that so I actually googled "how much sleep do you need in your 3rd trimester?" this morning. Yes, I was looking for justification.

*We have (miraculously) kept the house from looking like a complete Hoarders episode. I mean, it needs some work, but it hasn't been AWFUL. I say "we" because without the girls' help, I fear I would end up on A&E. (Is that the right channel?)

*If you arrive to your prenatal massage 5 minutes late AND the lady has to leave the room for a few minutes to get pillows for you in the middle of the massage.....the massage will still be over exactly at the next hour. Which means you did, indeed, NOT get a 60 minute massage. Sigh. She talked too much also. But I was still thankful for it!

*S bought me a new chair for the beach. It's a lounger with a footrest. It's actually patio furniture but it worked so nicely at the beach. It will work nicely when I am not pregnant too, but instead nursing a baby at the beach. It was SO NICE to be back at the beach!! And apparently several thousand people agreed with us yesterday. Crowded!

*Keeping up with a 12 year old is a full-time job. Wanting someone to be responsible and independent in many areas is hard work for the parents!

*We own too many books.

*I don't want to go grocery shopping anymore.

*The kitchen needs a lot of work. Why must the bottom cabinets be so...low? (While my belly is so...big?)

*I have so many things I want to get done. My brain is going 90 miles an hour all the time.

*My motivation does not match my brain.

Have a great Monday everyone!

The Pregnant Brain and Some Other Things

#1
So....I've lived here my whole life. I mean, technically we lived in another city for 7 years but that city is only 15 minutes away so...it's not like I really moved far.  I currently live on the same block I grew up on. I attended the same church for nearly 40 years of my life. That's the church where we are having my parent's 50th anniversary celebration.

And yet, inexplicably, I managed to put the wrong zip code on the invitations.

And then last night we had breakfast for supper. I put the ricotta cheese on the table instead of margarine.

Help me. Can I really chalk all this up to pregnancy brain? Please???

We went to the beach Sunday after church...

#2
Our church is reading through the Bible this year. They have provided each of us with a chronological Bible. Very handy and already dated for you. On Wednesday evenings, our study will revolve around what we have read that week so there is extra motivation for keeping up. Last year I made it through April before I fell off the wagon. This year Sweetheart is also doing the reading. She's doing great right now but I dread when we get to say...Leviticus. We may have to do the reading together at some point. Genesis is all enjoyable right now. Our extra incentive is at the end of every month, if we are on target, we will all go out for frozen yogurt. Little Bit will be involved also but I am using the Egermeier's Bible Story book* for her. It's what she already uses for Bible in school. I told her if she listened to her story every day, she could have frozen yogurt at the end of the month. The point is to get us reading every day. I think I need to make a sticker chart for her. And maybe one for me too!

*I'll have more to say about this book in tomorrow's post!

 I'm thinking the water was kind of cold! 

#3
Getting every subject done in school is very hard. I just read a friend's blog where she listed as one of her goals for the year was to only have school 3 hours a day. Her old pattern is to try to hit everything, have school last 6 hours or more, then burn out and take several weeks off. I quite agree that smaller doses, but regular doses, is healthier. I expected school to start taking longer the older Sweetheart got. I knew the glorious days of 1 elementary-aged student and 1 pre-schooler would not last forever. You know, where we were done by lunch no matter what? I just find it hard to get back at it after lunch. By then, we've been sitting and doing for quite a while and we all want a break. The dishes and laundry are calling to me. The backyard is calling to the girls. Then I find it hard to call us back to order. I guess I'm admitting a personal weakness. I know, wah wah, right? Public school kids go to school for 8 hours. It's just hard and next year I will be making some changes to help fix this issue.

Which was really funny!

#4
Tomorrow I will be 5 months pregnant and will have exactly 4 months until my due date. FOUR MONTHS!!! Do you realize what all has to happen in those 4 months? (breathe in. breath out) OK. A lot, is the correct answer.

• finish the school year
• paint our bedroom
• purchase some baby things
• plan and have my parent's anniversary party
• organize several areas of the house
• hopefully go on some type of little vacation
• get some meals in the freezer
• make some menu plans that the girls' can make or help make the first few weeks
• clean the carpet
• finish the girls' quilts (my sewing machine is in the shop for a week right now!)
• get the girls' pictures made

I'm sure the list will get more ludicrous and detailed and crazy (see point #1) in the next few weeks. I think I need to start a new spiral notebook so I can cross things off and keep track of all my crazy. 

That's all that's going on in my brain today. How about you? And do you have any freezer meal ideas for me? That don't involve death-inducing pasta for my diabetic husband? (I really miss pasta.)

Christmas 2011

Like that original, eye-catching title? Thank you. I came up with it all by myself.

It's over and I don't want to take down the decorations. Usually I'm stopping myself from taking them down the very next day, but this year I'm kind of not caring how long they stay up.

Christmas Eve we had S's sisters and their families over for a little party. We said "5:00" but apparently to the younger generation, that number was arbitrary. (Our niece and nephews are all adults on that side of the family.) They showed up sometime in the 6:00 hour. Hmm. Pretty sure that makes me old, but I would never have done that at their age. But we went ahead without them so no big deal. This is me probably listening to my brother-in-law tells some big story. I was really tired by the end of the evening but I think everyone had fun.

 We had to hurry and get the girls in bed (late) by the time everyone left. Had to make time for a story, though.

 This year, Sweetheart let us sleep until 7:00am. Well, 6:51....but that's good because it means she understands rounding. Then they tore open their presents.

 And we got ready for church. (Yes, I wore the same shirt, OK?)

 Look! My husband was there too! This picture was taken by Sweetheart and is far more centered than the one taken by Little Bit. Also, there is less looking up our noses. Little Bit maybe should stand on a stool next time. :)

After church, we all went to my parents' house and ate lunch and opened presents. I don't think we got any pictures from then, we just enjoyed watching the kids. We were blessed with some really cool gifts though. We got the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper from my parents, which I really wanted.

We also got a beach mat and a personalized soft-sided cooler with 4 water bottles and sandwich holders in it. Can't wait to get back to the beach!! I got some maternity shirts and my mom and sister couldn't resist buying little things for the baby. I don't have anywhere to PUT little things for the baby yet!

So S and I are feeling the pressure of 4 and half months left before life changes and took advantage of yesterday to do some cleaning/clearing out. He worked in the garage and shed and back porch and I worked in the laundry/sewing room. Today I will do the desk/office type things. I feel better already having those areas that were bad, organized again. And since I'm completely not ready to think about school, cleaning sounds better.

Hope you all had a blessed Christmas with your family!

My Ridiculous List Has Been Checked Twice

This week's to do list is completely insane. But it is made, and I shall joy in scratching things off as we get them done. Lots of running, lots of doing, lots of going. And somehow we have to fit the basics in for one last week of school.

Our "Names of Jesus" chain has been really fun, although we most often sit down and do 2 or 3 at a time rather than one every night. We are hanging the ornaments on a little bitty tree I found on sale at Big Lots.

The girls have heard and recognized several of the names of Christ in Christmas carols on the radio since we started this. Little Bit told me she had always heard one of the names in a song and wondered who it was. :) Now she knows!

There's our chain hanging up. That's how many days until Christmas!!!

I sat down Saturday morning and did  my first-ever online shopping marathon. It was glorious! I got everything off of Amazon and most things qualified for free shipping. The few items I had to pay for were more than made up for by NOT spending gas money and running all over town and going through the drive through for snacks during shopping, etc. I was only shopping for the girls, but I feel much relieved after I get theirs done. The rest of the family is not so hard. We don't spend a lot of money on gifts and will be making most of them this week.

I told S what I wanted for Christmas---our bedroom to be painted. It's the only room in our house that we have not painted since we moved in (5 years ago!). Since we will not have a nursery for the baby, but rather a corner of our room, I'd like our room painted nice and fresh before the baby comes. Of course I have a pinterest board that I shared with husband and he's on board and I am very happy about my Christmas gift!

See, I did paint that one wall green since we moved in. It's wallpapered and someone had already painted over it and I wasn't about to start peeling paint and wallpaper! Who knows what's behind all that? We have a special plan for that wall! And that's my side of the bed, there. Where you see the desk, that will be where the baby bed goes. Where you see my dresser, that will be where the dresser/changing table goes. That's it. Baby's whole nursery!

Yesterday, we went to our beloved beach. But this time we didn't swim, or surf, or even set foot on the sand. Instead we walked around the historic downtown district and ate ice cream and window shopped.

Mmm! Candy store. My 12 year old is very tall. And I was wearing heels. 

But it was nice to be back at the beach. But enough fun. Sent husband off to work, and I'm about to get started on this 3 page to do list.

Exhausted..Still

I wouldn't mind a prayer or two if you think about it. I have been trying to get more sleep but you know how it goes....I'm a mom. I rarely have a night of uninterrupted sleep. And counting up all the hours you slept doesn't seem to work out if you have to subtract the hours you were awake in the middle, you know?

We've been running a lot on the weekends. I have a small infection my body is fighting. School has been going on for 6 weeks and it's tiring. Add other normal issues (Is that better, K?)  I suppose all of this could add up, huh?

I'm not thinking I have a major medical condition just yet. :) I am thinking I need to work hard this week to get lots of sleep, eat well, drink a lot of water (or tea....flavored water!), etc. Just take care of myself in general.

In good news, it's our first week off on our "Sabbath Schedule" (6 weeks of work, one week of rest). So I plan to sleep in, get some things done around the house, and make plans for the next 6 weeks. But I have all week to do it and I don't have to be in a rush. For this week at least, I DON'T have to worry about being "on time" and "getting getting started on time" and "hurry, hurry." That in itself is a rest!

Tomorrow I will have a review and an announcement about a giveaway! Looking forward to that AND my week of rest.....

The Place Where We Relax

Oh I love going to the beach with my family.

 S just instantly turns into a relaxed person at the beach. He smiles.

He doesn't have that "I'm rushed and thinking about many things" look he has on his face so much of the time during the week.

And me? About half way down there I can't wait to get my feet in the sand and the sun on my skin. I love the beach.

The girls love it too. They are right at home there.

Wanna see what they are looking at?

Can you see the sand crab? He was tiny!

This was their second time surfing.

They did great.

They make it look so easy.

I'm already dreading when it gets too cold to go. NO! We are just going to do what Masto Mama's family does and take hoodies and hats and blankets and still go!

'Cause it's where we belong!

And that little crab we caught? Totally counted as science.