Queen of Hearts

Now that we have 4 children, sometimes people ask how that is going--mainly middle-aged women who remember having 4 very young kids or young moms like me who have 1 or 2 kids. I haven't come up with a good answer yet, but I think part of the answer is this: 4 kids 5 and under means I have had to re-visit all my expectations of myself, especially regarding the cleanliness of my home. Like today. Monday is the day I clean my house. But today I had a 2-month well-check appointment for Madeleine right in the middle of my morning. [11 lb 10 oz (75th percentile); 23.5 in (85th percentile)] So Avery, Madeleine and I got ready for that, went and when we came home, I decided that in the remaining hour I had before I picked up Warren and Abigail from school, that Avery and I would just hang out together reading the books she kept bringing to me and swinging on the porch swing. So the house stayed crazy. I planned to clean it when the kids napped, but Madeleine had rough afternoon--crying even when I held her--and the only way I could get her calm and napping was to have her lay on my chest. So naturally, I took a nap, too. So the house stayed messy. Tonight we made yummy french toast for dinner, cleaned that up and moved on to family night. Then we took the kids on a stroller ride around the neighborhood, even stopping at my Aunt Julie's house to "carol" to her. When we got home, the kids were happy and the house was still a wreck. I think now that I have 4 kids, I am starting to believe all the sweet old ladies who tell me, "Enjoy it while they are little--they grow up so fast," or some other variation of that sentiment. That thought has entered my mind a lot lately as I make the little decisions that make up my day and create a life. So I may not be the queen of any castle, but I'm working on being the queen of their hearts.
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Warren Lost a Tooth!

Warren got a real badge of honor in his eyes this morning: he lost his first tooth. He's been pondering over it for a few weeks now, telling me how he was "the only" kindergartener in his class who hadn't lost a tooth. Turns out, "only" meant that out of 7, 3 kids had already lost teeth. Either way, it is a big deal for him. He's so excited for Mom-tooth-fairy money, despite the fact that the weekly allowance he'll also get today exceeds that amount. I guess money just isn't as exciting if you don't "earn" it--even if earning it means pulling out your own tooth.

MelindaJennings.com

My mother-in-law is an artist. Go check out her website--it will make you smile just looking at the pictures pan across the screen. MelindaJennings.com

The first picture is my family last July in front of a door at Da Vinci's home in Amboise, France. The second is a painting in progress that Melinda did the year before, based on a photo she took while she was there.

Earth Day

I have a new take on Earth Day this year, touted as a day to take better care of the world, or the environment. Sometimes this causes me a lot of stress. I am one who doesn't buy disposable dishes, won't run the dishwasher unless it is entirely full, turns off the water as I wash my hands and often gets stressed out if my kids play in the hose. I fret and feel guilty about driving walkable distances for convenience, or if my kids flip the lights on and off repeatedly, leave the water running for even a short time or do something that seems to "waste [water, electricity, gas]." I used to use a manually-powered lawnmower, you know, the kind with no motor except you?
While my intentions are good, the outcome isn't always admirable. Usually I am frustrated and angry and my kids are bummed. So this year I am vowing to take care of my environment, my world. If it helps me keep my kitchen clean to run the dishwasher, I am going to run it. If my kids leave the water running, I'm not going to get upset. And I'm going to let my kids play in the hose and run in the sprinkler this summer.
I'll still use cloth diapers, and my recycling bin will still be more full each week than my trash. I'll still water my flowers out front with my dishwater--but mainly because it reminds me to do it, not because I'm saving a few gallons of water. I still will combine errands in the car or walk--but mainly because it saves me time or keeps me healthier. Most of the kids drawings will still be done on paper that has already been printed on the other side. But I'm not going to try to micro-manage the world anymore. It leaves me feeling helpless in the face of forces that I largely cannot control. Instead I'll manage my world--a place where my actions do have a big impact.

Abigail drew this during church on Sunday. She explained it was "that day in France when it rained and we were at the park with so many puddles and we had to under the slide to get out of it." Good memory. I'm sure Natalie will never forget that day either...

Happy Madeleine at 8 weeks.

Love for Madeleine

I have strep throat. I'm almost over it, thanks to Walgreen Take Care Clinic, antibiotics and lots of sleeping in--thanks Andy. The whole experience leaves me feeling a little behind on life (hence, a few pre-dated blog entries). I love fresh starts, though, and even getting over being sick seems like a fresh start. But I am worried about Madeleine. I don't think she is sick, but I wonder if my medicine is bothering her. My usually cheerful and delighted baby is sad, sad, sad. She started sleeping through the night 3 nights ago, but now I am concerned she is not stimulating enough milk production. Today she nursed every 1.5 to 2 hours, so hopefully that helps. Otherwise I'm going to do the unthinkable and wake myself up just to pump in the middle of the night. Blech. That sounds as awful as it is. So keep little Madeleine Rose in your prayers. Not only did I have strep throat, but my kids school had an outbreak of the chicken pox. Both W & A had that vaccine, but they can still get it, especially since one of the kids we carpool with had them. I know chicken pox are nasty, but I don't mind if my kids get them, but I do mind if my newborn gets them. That is bad news. She'll probably be fine on all accounts, but still, it's on my mind.