Ok, Son....Enough Now

First the head, now THIS....



Got his thumb jammed in between some folding chairs. What you can't see from the picture is that it is about twice it's normal size. It's so swollen, that the black nail looks like it's going to pop off any second (and I've been told that it probably will). The underside of the thumb is reddish and badly scraped.

He's using the hand (to climb, no less!), but not the thumb. And as long as you don't touch it, he's as happy as a lark.

OH! So, the thumb was on Sunday, and on Monday night (the day he got the stitches out) he busted his head open AGAIN. Same place. He fell and it started to bleed again. Thankfully, it only looked like the scab had been displaced a bit, and not another deep gash.

It's been a bad week for Stinky.

Time Flies When You're Spitting Up

Gabe is 3 months old today.

He's huge. 24.5 inches long and over 13 pounds. That's really big for one of my kids. I'd have to look up the others to see where they were at this age, but I just can't believe any of them came anywhere close to the baby elephant that is Gabe Micah.

He just FEELS big. My arms ache after holding him for a while. His legs are scrunched in the side of the rocking chair when he nurses. He's wearing 6-9 month clothes. Where did this baby come from? His Dad and I are roughly the same size--SHORT. Like 5'3" short. Both of us. He's going to tower over us by the time he's 10!

Gabriel has a very sweet disposition though. A very laid-back baby. Easy to please. Sleeps through the night. He's teething like crazy, but you wouldn't know it by his demeanor.

You would, however, by looking at his clothes.

Because he drools.....like crazy.

He's very often, at any given moment, chomping on his fingers ferociously; blowing bubbles until he looks like he's foaming at the mouth; and/or saving his breakfast on his shirt for later. All which provide for a very drippy kid.

So I change him.

And change him.

And bib him.

And change him some more.

But poor thing, he just soaks through everything. It doesn't help that he's been congested too. Which means goopey eyes and snotty nose. He's really just a mess most of the time.

But he's my mess, and I love 'im.

***

So here's some pics I haven't posted yet. Some are from today, his 3 month b-day.

But don't worry. I cleaned him up before taking the pictures. ;)

Tinny What?

Tinea Versicolor
(ti-nee-ah ver-si-color)

***

That's what Boo has. Some sort of yeast growth on her that creates these salmon colored spots.

Flares up when it's humid. Can be itchy, but not necessarily.

Generally, a common side effect of living in skin.

Can you believe it? My Boo's got something relatively normal? Ha! Amazing!

***

The dermatologist gave me some cream to put on it to make it go away. Honestly? It doesn't bother her in the least, so why fuss with it? I mean, it's not like it's some rare skin disease or something. This is something we can actually LIVE with! I don't even HAVE to give her the medicated cream if I don't want to!



Just let me revel in this for a while, ok? I'm savoring the experience.....

Never A Dull Moment

Fell on blunt metal object. Thought he broke his neck. Ended up splitting his head. Bled profusely. At Toyota dealership service garage. Had all 6 kids. By myself. Call 911! Went to ER. Got 4 stitches. Was his normal, happy self.




(semi-graphic pictures........be advised......)










Mama loses 5 years. Gains 6 new gray hairs.

Roots

Unfortunately, St. Patrick's Day is considered to be a day set aside to:

A: Walk in a parade
B: Get drunk, or
C: Walk in a parade, getting drunk

Now I realize that most people who celebrate this holiday do so with wearing green clothing (like Irish people dress like leprachauns or something....), tacky shamrock earrings, and eating corned beef and cabbage. But, to REAL Irish people....

...those who honor their heritage.....

....and actually know something about where they came from....

...and remember their Grandfather's stories......

...and the hardships their ancestors endured before coming to America....

...and the hardships they endured AFTER coming to America....

St. Patrick's Day is probably a day to meditate on how wonderful it is to have such a strong family, and generations worth of memories, and deep........



roots.

At least, I do.

I am proud to be a third generation Irish American. I'm as green on the inside as they get.

Yummy/Healthy/Easy

I have been trying to lose some weight now that I'm "done" having kids. Actually, I could stand to lose about 50-60 pounds, lower my cholesterol, increase my metabolism, and do my heart some good. I need to change some old habits, and make some new ones. In particular, I have to get out more and exercise. That's hard for me, but I think I've found a slot in my day when I can get out and get some air and bring my heart rate up a bit.

Part of my new regimin will be changing our eating habits. Notice I didn't say, "My" eating habits. We all eat "not the greatest" and can all stand a little overhaul in our diet. I've changed it before, when Michaela had diet restrictions, and I know we can make it work again. The hard part is paying for the Better food. It's more costly to buy fresh veggies and leaner meats. But we're gonna try. I know HOW to eat healthy, I just have to make it happen.

A friend of mine posted a "recipe" (actually, it wasn't what you'd consider a recipe, just a list of ingredients) on her blog recently, and we've come to love it. It's can be really healthy (especially if you eat it with lean meat), and very yummy, and it makes me feel good to feed it to everyone. So, I'm gonna post it here, more in recipe form, and you can all tell me if you like it.......thanks Rebecca!

Rebecca's Pasta

One bag of frozen peppers (the tri-color and onions mix)
One bag of frozen cut-leaf spinach
2 cans of italian diced tomatoes
1 pound of pasta (your choice--we like Barilla's Penne Plus)
1 pound of meat (again, your choice--we like smoked sausage)
2T Olive oil
Minced garlic
Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper

Cut meat into bite-size pieces. Using a large pan, saute garlic and meat in olive oil over med-high/high heat until cooked through (eliminate this step if using sausage). Add all vegetables. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions. Add seasoning and spices to vegetable/meat mixture according to taste. Let simmer on medium heat until vegetables are tender and meat is heated through. Drain cooked pasta and add to mixture. Serve with salad and/or fresh bread. Serves 8 (approx.).

Our whole family eats this dish, and we still have a good amount of leftovers to spare. I think 8 adults could share this if they had the sides with it.

Oh, and if you couldn't tell, it's VERY easy to make. I've made it on Sunday afternoons after church, and it doesn't take very long to put it together at all (we're all starving after church, and hate to wait!).

Also, I love all the color in this meal! And from what I hear, that's a good thing when you're eating vegetables. A healthy combination that tastes good--who woulda thunk it?

Does anyone else have any other yummy/healthy/easy meals they want to share? I'm looking for some more good ideas!

They Make This Too Easy

There are two times in the year when I shop for clothes for my kids. I know, I know, that sounds impossible---especially with 6 kids---but it's true.

Like I have time to scour God's green earth for the latest in size 5 pants (navy blue), or a church dress for Michaela that doesn't make her look like she just left a nightclub.

Speaking of which....

What in the world is WITH little girls' clothes these days???

Oh, DON'T get me started! Arrgghghgh! Ok......that's a whole other post.......

By the way, notice the "Moms for Modesty" button on the side-bar? Yeah, that's me: A MOM FOR MODESTY.

MO--- DES--- TY. Ya know, where people actually have some shame? Yeah, thaaaaaat.

This ain't no "show off what God gave ya, Honey" blog. Nope. We wear CLOTHES around here people!




Ok, rant officially over.....

***

Anywho, like I was saying. I went clothes shopping for my kids today.

I only go twice a year because that's when the big consignment sales hit my area. Imagine department store sized buildings with nothing but oodles of kids' stuff that people are trying to sell. And not just clothes. Toys, books, baby furniture, bikes, you name it. If it has to do with children, you'll probably see it there. And the clothes! Rack upon rack upon rack of NICE STUFF. We're talking brand name. All for a fraction of the cost (well, it is if the seller actually wants to sell it--otherwise it'll just sit on the rack if it's too pricey).

Not that I couldn't get stuff like this at yard sales, but I don't have time to search yard sales for all the clothes my kids need. Not when Noah just grew like 4 inches in the past month! No. These consignment sales are my thing. I go with a list for each child, and I find everything I'm looking for. If something's not there, then I look in the next sale that's coming up. If I still can't find it, then I try a thrift store. THEN, if there's still some holes in someone's wardrobe, THEN I might try buying it at Walmart or Target.

Needless to say, when I plan right, I don't hardly EVER buy my kids clothes at retail prices.

Are you kidding? Not with 6 kids in the house. There's no way we could afford to dress them even half way decently if I didn't shop the consignment sales. Just no way. And not to mention, all the TIME it would take for me to clothe my brood if I had to check every store in town for what I was looking for.

And the modesty thing is a big part of it. Even Walmart has so much flimsy, floosy, show-off-ey, type clothing that I can't possibly outfit my kids shopping there. At least at the consignment sales, I can find ALL kinds of clothing from many different brands. That's a whole lot less time consuming than shopping at individual big name stores, AND I have plenty of modest clothing to choose from. Even if an article of clothing is last year's model, I'll still have a chance to buy it if it fits into what I'm looking for.

I know some people shuddder at the idea of used clothing, but honestly, how long do kids wear this stuff? Not long. In fact, a lot of people could look in their closets right now and even find stuff with tags on it. They've never worn it, and they never will. Their loss is my gain. I got Gabe some nice Carter's rompers like that. Carter's. New. 4 bucks. Cha-ching!

So I did really well this time. I found a lot of what I was needing for the kids' summer wardrobes. The things I didn't find, I know I can get pretty easily and cheaply somewhere else. And I got a bunch of brand name stuff too, for dirt cheap! That's a good feeling.

I like getting nice stuff for my kids, and I like not paying a lot for it.

Things like this help keep life wonderful (as opposed to stressful), ya know?

She's Got Shoes (She Knows How to Use Them)

Michaela loves shoes.

If for no other reason than, SHOES=OUTSIDE.

She's often trying to put shoes on her feet, in a desperate effort to make a break for the great outdoors. And really, it's not even the yard she's totally interested in. The van is an acceptable substitute (and that often also means, McDonald's to her). She just wants OUT of the house. This girl's got the worst case of chronic cabin fever you've ever seen.

So she shuffles in and out of her room, with this pair (not necessarily matching) and that one, trying hopelessly to get them on her feet. The only trouble is, is that most of the time, she's picked out a pair of LIBBY'S shoes.

When she's really serious about going out, she'll even get herself a pair of socks.

And believe it or not, she CAN get them on.

Now, I wouldn't say she's comfortable in them, the way she gets them on there, but she does it. She's that determined.

Unfortunately, the shoe/sock combinations generally don't get put on in a workable way, and she's left to falter around the house. Trying to convince us that, shoes HAVE been accomplished, and therefore OUTSIDE must now commence.

She scoffs at rain.

She scoffs at cold.

She scoffs at the street too.

And that's what worries me.....

***

This morning, Michaela and I were going through her normal getting-ready-for-school routine. I got her up, took her to the bathroom (if I put her there, she will often go, but she doesn't do it on her own), got her dressed, got her her medicine, brushed her teeth and washed her face. In order to keep her from waking everybody in the house (who's all still asleep at 6:15 in the morning), I don't put her shoes on until it's close to when the bus comes. She shuffles her feet horribly, and that makes a lot of noise on my wood floors.

We went to the living room, where she sits on the coffee table, and I sit on the couch to put her shoes on. She lifts up her leg and props her foot on my lap. I go grab a shoe and start opening it up to put it on her foot....

"No, that one." she says.

"Yeah, I'll do that one in a minute."

After I get the shoe ready to put on, I notice I've picked up the wrong one. It fits the foot on the floor, not the one on my lap. And it dawns on me, Did she just tell me that I had the wrong shoe? Does she know which shoe goes on what foot? So I decide to test it out....

"Boo, does this shoe go on this foot?"

"No. That one."

I switch the options.....

"Does this one go on THIS foot?"

"Noooo. THAT one!"

Hmmmm......

"OK, Boo, which foot does this one go on?" Holding up a shoe.

"That one, right there. Right there."



She was right.


Go figure.

***

It's little things like this that make my day. I don't know how many people WITHOUT a handicapped child can appreciate something little and mundane like that. I don't know if it would've stirred ME before Michaela came along. But I now have learned to enjoy these little streams of sunshine that burst through the fog in her mind. Some days, she just seems so UNABLE. And then she pulls a stunt like this, and I realize just how ABLE she can be.

I'm thankful for the ABLE days.

And for a kid with an obsessive shoe fetish.