Babies Don’t Keep

My fifth child is 2 months old now. How can that be?   She likes to cuddle and snuggle and rock. So that’s what we do.  As I look around my house- the floors covered with crumbs, dishes piled in the sink from the weekend- I think about a few poetic lines about dust, cobwebs, and rocking babies my mom had embroidered in a frame on the wall when I was growing up.

My mom actually told me recently that these lines were actually part of a longer poem called “Song for a Fifth Child.”  How appropriate!  I hunted down the poem and what do you know?  The whole poem was written for me!  A mother with her new fifth child- a baby girl.

Song for a Fifth Child

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing and butter the bread,

Sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shoppings not done and there’s nothing for stew

And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo

But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

 

So I’m not worrying about the fact that my dishes don’t get done every day or that the floor gets swept only when company’s arrival is imminent. Instead, I am enjoying my baby’s soft skin and sweet breath and squishy, cuddly body as I hold her close and rock her.

And I think, as I rock her in the dark stillness of night, of my mom’s words of wisdom that she bestowed upon me when my first was born, “Make friends with the night.”  I enjoy the peace and quiet that rarely reigns in my home and think that these moments are fleeting and this season will pass far too quickly.  So I am content.  To sit and rock my baby, for babies don’t keep.

 

Welcoming a New Baby Sister!

My hands and heart are full.

My hands are full of blessings. My heart is full of love and joy.  God has been very gracious to me.  Children are truly a precious gift from the Lord.

Baby #5 has arrived!

Dimple!

She did not exactly arrive as I had planned.  With her breech presentation and my preeclampsia, and after an unsuccessful version attempt, she was delivered 2 weeks early via c-section- my first baby to arrive in this way.  It was a completely different experience than my other births and honestly, it was a little scary.  However, I rested in the knowledge of God’s sovereignty and love.  He was not taken by surprise.  This was the way He had ordained for her to enter the world.  Furthermore, He is faithful and never leaves me nor forsakes me.

However it happened, we ended up with a healthy baby and a healthy mama.  That is all that is really important.  Then, while my husband, the wonderful man that he is, took care of me and the four older children, I spent the next week resting and recovering and snuggling her.  Baby snuggles!  The best thing for recovery after a birth of any kind!

My older children are over the moon with excitement about their new baby sister.  They are also really enjoying the break from school they are getting as I recover and we adjust to life with the new baby.

Redheads Unite!

She is beautiful and cuddly and sleeps like a baby!  (That is to say, she sleeps in short intervals of 2 or maybe 3 hours- if I’m lucky- at a time.)

One Week Old- Time Flies when you are snuggling a newborn!

 

Homeschooling is Awesome

Because you can totally declare your oldest son’s birthday as a holiday.

X-man turned 8 and we declared a day off of our regular school schedule.  We celebrated and made fun memories instead.  He went out to breakfast with his dad.

Then we went, at his request, to our local Children’s Discovery Museum.  The kids played with the water tables, caught and released (plastic) fish in the creek, had snack under a tree, painted and built structures.  And did a lot of exploring and wandering.  It was a nice morning and then we left just as it was getting hot.

With all of these awesome activities, I’m totally counting this as a field trip.

Then we went to Grandma’s house for a lunch birthday party.  Daddy came too!

And because it is what you do on your birthday (or on your brother’s birthday), they all made sure they exited the vehicle via the window.

Happy X-man Day!

Me & my oldest baby 8 years from the minute he was born

My Three Step Process for Tackling the Tough Stuff

I hate cleaning my house.  I wish I could have Mary Poppins’ snap cleaning powers.  That would be awesome.

I know there are plenty of people out there who enjoy cleaning.  Or who find the result of a clean house so motivating that they are willing to put forth the energy frequently enough to keep up with the housekeeping.

I am not one of those people.

I do have a level of cleanliness need- I absolutely hate crumbs under the table.  That is sufficiently motivating for me to sweep once, maybe twice a week.

Another highly motivating strategy is to invite someone over.  I definitely find myself in panic mode the night before company is due.  I’ll whip this house in shape then.  But other than that, I have a hard time getting up the energy and motivation to clean, de-clutter, pick up, and do all those household things I really should do.  I’d rather plan out my scope and sequence for my children’s schooling for the next 12 years.  Again.

Part of the problem is that three years ago, I birthed child number 4 and then I moved that summer and every summer since.  Around that same time, I began this homeschooling journey as my oldest entered Kindergarten.  Trying to clean and go through things to get rid of excess stuff when under time constraints with moving (while trying to manage four children and trying to stop them unpacking every box you pack and writing on every surface with the black permanent markers), and with homeschooling, and settling into to a new church and a new area is extremely challenging!

Another part of the problem is me.  I get overwhelmed by the mess and the clutter and then I berate myself and hate myself for my laziness and absolute failure to keep things tidy.  Not all that surprisingly, this does not lead to a more joyful, hard-working approach to my household tasks.  It ends up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.  When I tell myself I’m lazy and a failure, that is just what I become.  I know I need to have grace for myself (“Cleaning the house while the kids are growing is like shoveling snow while it’s snowing,” after all), but I also know I need to be faithful and hard-working in my God-given tasks.

In my ponderings on how to solve this motivation problem, I’ve been thinking about something Charlotte Mason quoted in her Original Homeschooling Series (Volume 2), “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”

It starts with sowing a thought.  That’s all I can handle right now.

So here is my three step process to sow a thought (well, three thoughts I guess) to motivate myself to tackle my housekeeping.

#1:  “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Romans 8:1  I quote that to myself first, to remind myself that I do not do dishes to save myself.  God does not condemn me for my laziness or discouragement.  There is no condemnation.  I am free.

#2:  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Philippians 4:13    I admit to myself that I cannot do this.  I cannot face my dishes, my sweeping, the toys and the clutter.  But Christ, who lives in me, can.

#3:  “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,  knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”  

With these thoughts ringing through my mind, I find the strength to get up and get to work.

Where on Earth Have I Been? Moving. Again.

It has been three months since my last post.  Where have I been?

Well, for the third time in as many years, we moved.  Our new place is about 7 minutes away from our old place, but it was still a whole lot of work.  We put all of our stuff in boxes, borrowed a truck, hired some guys to give us a hand and hauled all of our stuff around the corner and down the street.  And it is amazing how much stuff a sentimental homeschooling mom of four accumulates.  SO. MUCH.  May I just take this time to say that I am so very, very tired of moving.

Thankfully, we have good reason to believe that this will be the last move… for a good long while, at least.

Anyway, I spent the first half of May sick with the flu- the seasonal, high temp, cold shakes, achiness, crippling fatigue for two weeks kind of flu.  And then I spent the second half of May preparing for this move- packing our stuff, painting the new place (with my wonderful cousin who came to help me out for two weeks and without whom I do not know how I would have managed), figuring out where stuff would go and cleaning the old place.

My cousin & I painted the new place and it was SO MUCH FUN!

We moved the last weekend of May and spent the first few weeks of June in our new place without a working kitchen and managed to get very tired of take-out.  However, we kept working at it and with the hard work and help of my husband’s parents, we slowly have made great progress.  There are still boxes around (what else is new?  This has been my life for the last three years), but things are finally feeling more settled.

Our First Day at Our New House

Some school happening in the chaos… and the chaos of bedtime on the first night

Our Beautiful New Yard

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately.  I am looking forward to getting back into my normal routines.  I am excited to post pictures of our house’s transformation and our various outdoor outings and adventures from this summer.  Soon!

A Tale of Two Journeys: The Return

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”  

Charles Dickens, in A Tale of Two Cities

Last week, I shared the tale of my flight to Virginia with four small children.  That was the worst of times I’ve flown with children.  It is time to move on to the best of times I’ve flown with children: my return trip.

Mind you, it was still hard.  But the difference was figuratively (and literally, as it happens) night and day.

#1- The day of the week.  When I flew out to Virginia, it was Saturday, a busy travel day.  When I flew home, it was Tuesday.  The security checkpoint line was absolutely empty.  So instead of feeling pressured and rushed to get all of my things unloaded and on the conveyor belt while trying to keep my children from running to who knows where, there was no one in line behind me.  No pressure.  I was able to take my time and had 5 TSA agents around  to guard all exit points and keep an eye on the kids.

#2 I was much better prepared.  I was more careful with what food I packed and I had a plan of action for which toys and activities I would bring out at which times. When we got to the gate, we had about 2 hours before our flight was scheduled to leave.  So, we started with a snack.  Then (since I really didn’t want to unpack their backpacks and have their stuff spread throughout the gate waiting area), we used the iPad (see #3 below) to watch a show.  Next, we took a field trip to the family restroom nearby.  Then it was time to board the airplane.

My happy toddler

#3 My sister’s iPad.  On the flight from home to the East Coast, as I evaluated my options, I kept vascillating between moving to Charlotte (so I would never have to get on an airplane with children again) and spending my life savings purchasing a handheld electronic device for each child and perhaps a few spares as well.  A few days after I had arrived in Virginia, the stresses of the day had faded a little so that I was a bit more reasonable.   But still, I did talk to my husband about the possibility of purchasing some sort of handheld electronic device for the flight home.  My sister later asked me, “Are you wanting an iPad for good, or is this just for the flight?  Because if you just want something for the flight, you can borrow mine.”

Oh, what an amazing gift that was!  Sacrificing her iPad for a few days for the sake of my sanity.  How MUCH my sister loves me!

I did end up borrowing her iPad and we downloaded a few episodes of a few shows my kids enjoy.  There were also a whole battery of kid games my sister has downloaded on her iPad for her neefs (her brilliant abbreviation of neices and nephews).  While at the airport, they watched an episode or two and then after the restroom trip there was time for the older two to each have a turn playing a game of their choice.  Then it was time to board the airplane.

The magical iPad

#4 Many, many angels God sent to help me on my way.  On the way to Virginia, God did provide several very helpful people to carry my carseat or call ahead and hold the flight.  But it was crazy how many people He sent on the way home.  I wish I could properly express to them how significant their help was to me.  Perhaps they saw it on my face.  I hope that God richly blessed them on their journeys.

It started at the end of the bridge as we were boarding the first airplane.  I had dropped off the stroller where I was supposed to (so that I might pick it up to get me to through the next airport) and had the diaper bag, the leash, the backpacks and all.  I hefted the car seat up to rest upside down on my head (which trick I discovered on the way to Virginia) and behind me I heard a few men speaking, “She’s superwoman,” and “She’s just making us look bad,” or some such nonsense like that which nonetheless, I appreciated.  Then a kind man stepped forward and asked if he could carry my carseat.  I gratefully accepted the offer.  He then gave up his seat, which was the aisle seat directly across from my children and took  the window seat I was supposed to sit in.  I’m sure everyone was grateful for his sacrifice.

Puzzles, mazes, coloring, and other fun activities

Z-urchin then took his turn on the magical iPad while the older kids pulled out their various fun activities from their backpacks.  Shortstop promptly fell asleep (Hallelujah!) and Z-urchin’s iPad turn pretty much covered the whole hour flight to our connection.  I found that this worked really well in keeping him seated.  And it worked as motivation for him to keep his seatbelt on as well, since I told him he couldn’t play the iPad unless his seatbelt was on.

A very long iPad turn

The same man from before carried the car seat to my stroller at the end of the bridge and then Angel #2 came and made my connection possible.  He had four children too, though only one was with him.  But he understood and very kindly offered to carry my carseat to the gate (his connecting gate was nearby mine, which was quite a blessing from the Lord).  Then, about halfway there, Z-urchin dashed the opposite way down a moving sidewalk.  He dropped everything and rushed after him.  Then this very kind man carried both Z-urchin and my carseat to the gate.  I really wish I could send that man and his wife a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant.

I barely made it into to the airplane before they closed the doors and once on, my children and I were such a sight that all kinds of people surrounded us to help us.  A man from first class carried my car seat to my seat, a kind and experienced mother installed it while I arranged my children and stuff.  A man gave up the seat next to his wife so that my children could all sit in a row with me.  The wife, a new grandma herself (her grandson is an extremely fortunate little boy- she’s amazing!), sat by X-man and chatted with them.  They were full of chatter about their trip and their Auntie Suzie.  “Oh! My name is also Suzie!” she exclaimed and trust between them was instantly developped.

So the older two took a few turns with the iPad while Z-urchin and I did a sticker book.  I handed out sandwiches and snacks for dinner and helped Shortstop color and play with a few toys.  Then the kind Suzie read the older two Frog and Toad while the young woman in the row behind me begged to hold Shortstop for awhile.  She colored with him, fed him snacks and chatted with him for an hour.  She told me he remined her of her adopted baby brother whom she missed. My heart overflowed with thankfulness.  I was even able to use the restroom by myself!

I tell you what, when I grow up (or you know, travel somewhere without children), I want to be just like these angels God sent to me.

#5 We flew at night.  Our first flight took off at 4 and our second flight left at 6:30.  That meant that about 2 hours into the flight, the kids got very sleepy.  Only this time it was a good kind of sleepy.  Not a cranky sleepy which is what you would expect.  The kind of sleepy that made my daughter say, “I’m tired, I think I want to go to sleep.”  And she did.  And then so did Z-urchin.  And then when I took Shortstop back, he fell asleep too.

Blissfully sleeping

This left only X-man awake.  I handed him the iPad and he played Angry Birds Star Wars for the remainder of the flight.  I hardly knew what to do with myself.  I figured it out pretty quickly though.  I took a nap and then read several chapters in my Georgette Heyer book.

What in the world?  Wow!  Such a difference from my last trip!

Finally, the flight was over.  The man who had given up the seat next to his wife for me carried my car seat out of the plane and all the way to the baggage claim.  Suzie held X-man’s hand while I pushed the stroller with the other three kids (and backpacks, blankets, diaper bag, and doll) all piled into it.

My husband met us there with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.  Everyone there cheered him on and an awesome woman from first class told him, with quite a bit of attitude infused in her voice, “That’s right.  You better have gotten her flowers.”  Another woman chimed in, “And a key to a hotel room for a night by herself!”

 

 

A Tale of Two Journeys: The Departure

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”  

Charles Dickens, in A Tale of Two Cities

Three weeks ago, my grandfather was admitted to the hospital.  Two days later, surrounded by family and friends singing hymns and sharing memories, he slipped quietly into eternity.  My mother, the middle of his three daughters, had been caring for him and my grandmother in her home on the East Coast for the past year.

She called me in tears to share the news and my heart was ready to do whatever she needed from me.  Somehow, a mother’s tears have magical motivational properties.  At least, my mother’s tears do.  They must.  Because it turned out she and grandma wanted me to come for the services and bring my four young children across the country.  And I agreed.  What in the world?

They found a secret bench in the airport

Before really thinking it through, I scoured the internet for some reasonably priced tickets from California to Washington D.C., found a good deal, and purchased them quickly.  Only then did I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and visions flashed before my eyes.  Airport Security.  Busy airports.  Bathroom breaks on tiny airplane facilities.  Young children sitting for 5 hours on an airplane.  Carrying a car seat (with which hand exactly?).  Short layovers.  Snow storms.

Two days after that, my husband took me and the kids to the airport, helped me check my bags, helped me get everyone to the bathroom and walked me right up to airport security.  He could go no further.  From now on- for the next 10 days- I would be on my own.

Thankfully, the Lord provided a couple right behind me who were about to become grandparents.  Bless them, they helped me wrangle children through security and then carried my car seat to my gate (before it had been wedged in the back seat of my double stroller -I do love my Joovy Caboose!).

I did get a lot of comments from parents taking fewer than four children through the airport: “Wow, you have your hands full!”  (Yes, quite literally) and “You are so brave!” (Yes, I heartily agree).

While at the gate, the kids watched the airplanes take off and land, ate snacks, colored, played with their toys, cried for water, tried to go down forbidden stairs and attempted to enter locked doors.  Meanwhile, I talked to the airline employees to try to arrange my seats so that I would be sitting by my children.  I wasn’t too worried though- I figured even if it didn’t work, once I got on the plane, no one would want the children sitting by anyone but me.

A great place to watch the airplanes

When it was time to board the airplane, a very kind man carried my car seat to the front of the line and then one of the flight crew carried the seat onto the plane for me.  The flight attendant worked out all the seating arrangements so that we ended up with one whole row- three seats on one side and three seats on the other- to ourselves.  I was very thankful.

X-man and Princess K spent the next 5 hours happily coloring, doing sticker books, and playing with their toys they had in their backpacks.  I spent the next 5 hours trying to keep Z-urchin from climbing over the seats and running down the aisle and unbuckling his seat belt when the light was on and trying to keep Shortstop from crying and kicking the seat in front of him.  Snacks worked for awhile.  Shortstop liked to color.  But almost nothing helped Z-urchin for long.  I’ve blocked much of those 5 hours from my memory.

Playing with Ace, the Talking Dog Pen

What I do remember is crowding Shortstop and Z-urchin into the airplane bathroom when I had to use the restroom.  It worked better than I expected.  I remember that Shortstop did not take his nap at his normal hour and then when he finally did fall asleep, Z-urchin thoughtfully woke him up so his cries filled the cabin for a short- thankfully- while.

I also remember spending all of those 5 hours worrying about making my next flight.  Due to airplane repairs and the snow storm that had hit the East Coast the few days before, my first flight was nearly an hour delayed.  My layover in Charlotte was only 1 hour long.  The next flight up to D.C. was at 7:30 in the morning.  We would arrive in Charlotte at 11 pm.  What was I going to do with tired cranky kids in the airport?  Certainly not try to go to a hotel for 4 hours. And also I worried about how on earth I was going to get off the plane with four children, four backpacks, four blankets, four coats, a doll, a diaper bag, and a car seat?

The two older are happily engaged with their toys, the younger one is wiggling more than coloring

The pilot’s voice was finally heard over the loudspeaker, “We are beginning our final descent.  Prepare for arrival.”  Immediately, Z-urchin takes off down the aisle.  He gets halfway up the airplane when I call his name.  He looks back and says, “What are you waiting for?”

My answer: “The plane to land, you crazy child.”

Once we touched down, I noticed that would have about 15 minutes to wait for our gate-checked stroller and make it across the airport to our next flight.  There was no way we were going to make it.  The flight attendants had requested that anyone not trying to make a connection remain seated to let those who were get off the plane first, so I decided to be one of the ones who waited.  Me and the four children would only slow everyone down.

So, I took the time to get everyone’s coats on, backpacks on, Shortstop’s monkey backpack leash on, their blankets wrapped around their necks or in their backpacks, and made sure Princess was holding tightly to her doll, Rose.  I got Shortstop out of his car seat, put my own backpack on, and then hoisted the car seat upside down over my head.  I felt a dusting of cracker crumbs land in my hair and trickle down my back, but I was in a hurry and didn’t even care.

With one hand holding Shortstop’s leash and the other hand holding a diaper bag, I followed my running children (whom I could not see due to the car seat hat that covered my eyes) down the aisle and out of the plane.  I was the object of many laughing cheers.  I was quite a sight for sure.  I would have laughed at me too.

When me, the four children, and all of our junk loaded up on the stroller arrived at the gate, I breathlessly asked, “Where is gate 26?”  A very kind pilot surveyed the scene in front of him (cracker crumbs in my hair, children running circles around me, a stroller loaded with carseats, backpacks, and blankets) and took pity on me.  He walked me over to the computer screen and directed me to my flight.  When he saw what time it was scheduled to leave (only 5 minutes from then), he told me to start running and he would call ahead and see what he could do.

I started running.  They held the plane for me.  When I boarded the plane, sweaty and out of breath, I was never more thankful in all of my life.  I would not have to manage any details with small children trying to escape and I would not have to try to get my children to sleep on airport benches.  Praise the Lord!

That second flight was actually much better.  For one, it was only an hour.  Two, Z-urchin was actually sleepy.  He laid down across two seats and dozed.  Shortstop was not, but he happily colored on a drawing pad.  My other two were happily occupied again.  Though my daughter was very loud with her delight at take off.  It is like a roller coaster, apparently.

Once we landed and reached the baggage claim, my brother and sister were there to greet- and help- me.  My checked bags had not made it, but I didn’t even care because we did.  That was a victory right there.

Playing in snow for the first time

Outside, in the parking lot, there was snow.  My two older children squealed with delight as they stomped in the snow, covered by jackets my sister had borrowed for their use. ( We got to play in the snow for the next few days and it was a lot of fun!)

We took two cars to get my brood to my mom’s house.  My Grandmother’s delight in seeing her adorable (if I do say so) great-grandchildren- some for the first time- did not wipe the memory of the day away, but it made it worth it.

Great-Grandma O and her great grandson watching the snow fall

Stay tuned for the next installment of my Tale of Two Journeys: The Return.

Trip to the County Fair

We’ve been in our new home for two weeks now and we are still plugging away at unpacking and organizing our home.  Still, we’ve found time to explore our new area.  On a Saturday, our second weekend here, we visited the County Fair and had a blast.

It was a glorious day and we started with eating the lunch we packed and taking a ride on the Merry-Go-Round.  The kids had fun choosing exactly which animal they wanted to sit on.

Merry-Go-Round

The kids really wanted to keep riding rides, but we decided to dangle that carrot ahead of them in exchange for some good behavior while we explored the rest of the fair.  So we visited the Hall of Flowers where the theme this year was “Backyard Blossoms.”  The displays of flowers were spectacular.  The kids- especially Z-urchin were fascinated by a bright and sparkly little train zooming around one flower exhibit.  They also laughed and laughed at the man made all from garden pots and sitting on a bench.

The Flower Show

Next, we decided to go on a mission: Find the Clover Stornetta booth and obtain our free ice cream cones!  My husband remembered having free Clover ice cream cones when he came to this fair as a kid with his parents, so we decided to discover if this tradition had continued.  Much to everyone’s delight, it has!

Free Ice Cream and Silly Kids

We then found a building with a bunch of baby animals.  We saw a baby calf, a bunch of baby piglets romping around, baby chicks and ducks and some grown up cows and horses.  We also hung around the beekeeper’s tent much longer than I thought I would be comfortable with (I have a bee-phobia; my husband claims it is due to the fact that I have never been stung, but I’m not so much afraid of the sting as I am of the fact that part of the bee would remain and then I would have to do something about it).  It turns out that this bee stuff was really interesting.  The beekeeper told us all about the life cycle of the bee , how bees know where to go and the fact that a single bee makes only 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its entire life.  Wow!  We bought a few sticks of honey- both wildflower honey and orange blossom honey.  It was very interesting to taste the difference.  The kids definitely liked taste testing that honey!

Finally, it was time for rides!  The older kids chose to go down a monster slide together (though the ride required closed toed shoes, which Princess K was not wearing, so she had to wear her little brother’s shoes which are, coincidentally, the same size) and then go on a speeding circular ride.  My daredevil daughter especially loved that one.  Z-urchin chose to ride on the train ride, then a truck ride, and then a bouncing truck ride!  They had a fantastic time!  The rides were so exciting and I am so glad we saved those for the end.

It was a beautiful and lovely day at the fair!

 

Baby Food Independence

When Baby Shortstop turned 6 months old in November, I started him on solid food- his first taste of food happened to also be his favorite- butternut squash.  I have a Baby Beaba- a little device for steaming food and pureeing it all in one little perfect sized spot- which I love.  So, that month, I got some green beans, some butternut squash, some peas, some apples, some sweet potatoes and such and I froze little ice cubes of pureed food.   He liked it, and it is such sweet, adorable fun to feed a baby at first.  But, after awhile- especially with baby #4- it becomes a chore and even at times, a battle.

By January, I ran out of those ice cubes.  I was just starting to think that I should probably have another baby food cook day when I ran across an article which led me (I often find myself getting lost wandering down the rabbit hole of clicks and links on the internet) to the website Baby Led Weaning.

The “essence of baby led weaning,”  is that starting at around 6 months, “You just hand them the food in a suitably-sized piece and if they like it they eat it and if they don’t they won’t.” 

I wasn’t too interested in any theory behind it or any study claiming this or that… but I was struck by the thought: My baby is ready to feed himself?  No more waving spoon airplanes in front of baby’s tightly closed mouth? Sweet! I don’t need to have a baby food cook day after all!  I get out of some work!  The lure of a life of ease- or at least a little bit of an easier life- hooked me.

Thus our fourth-baby self-feeding adventure began.  It has been wonderful.  I give him some of whatever is appropriate from the meal I am feeding everyone else.  And I just don’t worry about how much he eats- if he wants to eat it, great.  If he doesn’t, that’s alright too.  Though I don’t really have to worry at all because he is like a vacuum.  I plop some food on his tray, turn my attention to my other children for a minute or two and wow!  His tray is empty.  Thankfully, there were a few times I was able to get some pictures and boy is it cute!  Messy, but adorable!

I started pretty simple- banana, sliced cooked apple (steamed in that Baby Beaba), and cut up baked sweet potato.

I Like to Eat, Eat, Eat Apples and Bananas …and Sweet Potato

Then blueberry oatmeal, which is quick oatmeal I made for the older kids anyway, mixed with frozen blueberries- which cools the oatmeal off nicely- and a dash of cinnamon and sugar-

Little Boy Blue

Then I started feeding him from whatever we were eating- like chunks of baked potato-

Potato Smiles

A frequently requested lunch at my house is quesadillas and avocado and he managed pretty well with that.

Delighted to Munch his Lunch

Then he seriously inhaled the Shepherd’s Pie I made for dinner- browned ground beef, frozen mixed vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes and baked-

Messy Man

He also loved the mac n’ cheese mixed with the frozen veggies (I love these- I love that they are already chopped for me and that they cool off hot meals so quickly! I use them alot!)

Stuffin’ his face

One of his favorite foods is strawberries.  He also likes pancakes.

Breakfast time!

Other things he’s enjoyed- Santa Fe Chicken, spaghetti with mushrooms and sausage (all chopped up), steamed baby carrots and asparagus, chopped up cucumbers and pears, mandarin oranges, pita bread with hummus, toast.

One thing I did not expect- but should have- was that once he had his first taste of independence, that was it.  There was no going back.  He now must hold the metaphorical or literal utensil.  He waves his arms madly around trying to grab any utensil I might be holding- to say, attempt to feed him some of the oatmeal so as to avoid some of the mess.

In conclusion, on the one hand of this baby-led-weaning is mess.  On the other hand: freedom!  And I sure do enjoy the freedom.

I do have to add that I still use those little squeezy pouches of baby food when we go out.  Ah, they are just so easy and Shortstop likes them, as long as he is the one holding the pouch.

The 12 Days of Easter

Every Christmas, I have an Advent House that we use to count down the days until Christmas.  Kids awake each morning to find nuts or treats and a little card that tells us what special activity we are going to do that day.  It is so much fun.  I feel strongly that since the story that started at Christmas comes to a spectacular and staggering climax at Easter, I want to emphasize this holiday just as much as I emphasize Christmas.  With that in mind, I started “The Twelve Days of Easter” two years ago.  The first year, we did all kinds of fun crafts.  This year, we did fewer crafts, but still managed to get the important parts in.  Here’s what we do for the 12 Days of Easter…

The 12th Day Before Easter

Creating a Countdown Chain

On the 12th Day Before Easter…

An Easter Basket was waiting on the kitchen table in the morning.  A card read, “12 pieces of chalk to draw and play remind us that Jesus is the way.”

Right before breakfast, when all the kids were awake, I sent them into the living room to find one Easter Egg each.  When they brought them to the table they found a leaf, a little donkey (from my nativity set), and a little coat (from K’s Calico Critters).  They were told to look for these things while I told the story.  I read them the story of the Triumphal Entry (using flannelgraph) while they ate breakfast.

That morning, they took the chalk outside to the patio and had fun drawing princesses and eggs and all sorts of pictures.  Later, they each made a countdown chain to hang in their rooms so they could count down the days until Easter.  Two years ago, we acted out the story and I’d like to do that again.

The 11th Day Before Easter

On the 11th Day Before Easter…

An Easter basket was waiting on the kitchen table in the morning.  A card read, “11 sticks all glowing and bright remind us that Jesus is the light.”  They immediately took these glow sticks into their closet.  It was amusing to hear them and see them when I peeked my head in the closet- all three stuffed in there, waving their glow sticks around.

We did not have a story this day because we were headed to Wednesday Morning Bible Study and didn’t have time.  I would have liked to have the kids paint or make a light catcher for the window, but I didn’t get that far this year.  Maybe next year.

The 10th Day Before Easter

On the 10th Day Before Easter…

An Easter basket was waiting on the kitchen table in the morning.  A card read, “10 Balloons that float like doves show us He is from above.”

They were again sent into the living room before breakfast to find one egg each.  In them, they found coins, feathers, a little sheep (again from the nativity set).  They looked for these things in the story of the Cleansing of the Temple I read to them while they ate breakfast.

They were so excited to play with their balloons that morning!  What fun we all had!

On the 9th Day Before Easter…

An Easter basket was waiting on the kitchen table with an Easter Lily plant inside.  “Beautiful blossoms, fragrant and white remind us that Jesus is the life.”

In their eggs, they found hair (a little pink braid that you can clip in your hair), a cotton ball of perfume, and a table (from the Calico Critter set- it fit in one of the jumbo sized eggs).  They looked for these as they ate their breakfast and listened to the story of the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet.

On the 8th Day Before Easter…

Honestly, we did not do anything on this day.  We were very busy getting ready for my mom’s arrival and did not manage to do anything but that.  However, the plan was to have an Easter basket waiting on the table with a card: “8 packets of wonderful seeds for you to plant in the ground.  Jesus is the resurrection.  In Him true life is found.”

Next year, I’d like to take this day to do Easter Egg spin art or make a paper mache tomb, or start our garden.

On the 7th Day Before Easter…

This is Palm Sunday, so our basket was presented at dinner time.  In it they found 7 baby animal stickers and an Easter egg for each kid with 7 little sweet tarts (baby chicks, bunnies, ducks) inside.  “7 baby animals having fun remind us that Jesus is God’s own Son.”

This is the day that we went to the “Journey to the Cross,” hosted by a nearby church (where we attend Awana).  We went last year and it was a wonderful experience.  It was a beautiful time that Scotty and I got to spend with our children, literally walking and talking them through the truths taught at Easter.

On the 6th Day Before Easter…

They found an Easter basket with little sheep snuggling 6 eggs with treats inside.  “Little sheep caring for 6 eggs. ‘I am the Good Shepherd,’ He said.”  They were delighted with their treats which they ate at once.

The story this morning was about Jesus washing the disciple’s feet, so the boys each found a washcloth inside the egg they found.  K found a little bowl and pitcher (from her Calico Critter set) in hers.

Later that day, I traced their feet and they sponge painted them, as we’ve done for the past two years.  Whenever I’m able to track the last feet down, it will be neat to see how they’ve grown.

On the 5th Day Before Easter…

An Easter basket was waiting on the table for them, with a card that read, “5 slices of bread, a tasty treat. ‘I am the bread of life,” said He.”  We then used them to make French Toast.

The story this morning was on the last supper, so each child found a cracker in the egg they found.

This wasn’t officially part of our Easter celebration, but we did attend a field trip with our homeschool group- we went to the Compassion International event that a local church was hosting- “Change the Story: The Compassion Experience.”  We support a little boy and a little girl through Compassion International and I thought it would be a good experience for my older two children to see what our support does.  This was truly an amazing event.  It brought tears in my eyes to hear the stories of these children whose lives were changed through the Compassion program.  It happened to fit with our day’s theme- Jesus really is the bread of life.  Even for children who do not have enough bread.

On the 4th Day Before Easter…

An Easter basket was waiting for them on the table.  “4 clusters of grapes on which to dine remind us that Jesus is the vine.”

We were off to the beach that day (for my mom who has missed the Pacific Ocean), so we didn’t have time for a story, but we did take those grapes to the beach with us!  They sure were tasty.  Until my kids took the box with them as they played.  Then they sure got sandy.  Ick.

On the 3rd Day Before Easter…

They found toothbrushes in their Easter basket this morning with a card that read, “Here are 3 brushes to clean your tooths and remind you that Jesus is the truth.”  I have never seen my kids brush their teeth more often than they did on this day.  I had to go kick them out of the bathroom at one point.  Apparently, a Darth Vader or Stormtrooper or Princess toothbrush is quite motivating for small children.

In their eggs this morning, they found a toy soldier, a little bear figure praying, and a little cup (from the Calico Critters).  They looked for these things in our story on the Garden of Gethsemane.

On the 2nd Day Before Easter…

They had to find two doors in our house behind which were marshmallow peeps.  This is to remind us that Jesus is the door.

Our story today was on Jesus’ trial and crucifixion.  I read the story from the Bible, but did not use flannelgraph or have them search for eggs this day as we had to get out that morning to get my mother to the airport.  Next year, though, I could use nails, a piece of a sponge, a bowl.

Last Day Before Easter

On the Last Day Before Easter…

I read them from the card, “For a splashing good time find a toy out of which water will burst. Jesus is the living water. Whoever finds Him will not thirst.”  They searched the living room and found a sprinkler.  They did have a great time that afternoon playing in the sprinkler!

We also watched the Veggie Tales movie Easter Carol, decorated eggs and cupcakes on this day and a great time with those activities as well.

Easter Egg Decorating

Delicious Bunny Cupcakes

On The Day of Easter…

We woke early that morning and went outside to sit under our canopy (it was sprinkling) on a blanket with cups of hot cocoa.  We sang songs and read the story of the Resurrection!  He is risen!

We went inside to discover our decorated Easter eggs missing!  The kids had fun searching for all 12 eggs around our house.

Then we sat down to a truly amazing breakfast of baked French Toast (soaked overnight- wow- it was really more like dessert!), Easter eggs, and strawberries.

We went to church and Princess K laid flowers at the cross on stage and bounced up and down over and over when she spotted us watching her from the pews.

After we got home, they found their hidden Easter baskets and had fun with those as I made our feast.  They received in their baskets: socks, a box of fun character bandaids, a lollypop (A princess one for K, Lightning McQueen for the boys), and a slinky.  Baby Shortstop received a little hungry caterpillar teether, which he really loves.  For our lunch feast, we had ham steaks, baked pineapple, asparagus, and rolls.  We talked about Jesus, Easter Sunday and how much fun we had with Grandma T this week.

Easter breakfast

Easter baskets

It was a wonderful holiday!