"Some people call dandelions weeds.
Don't they see the flowers?
Everyone should have a girl to show her the flowers
when all they see are the weeds."
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Seeing the Flowers for the Weeds
There is one blog I frequent that has given me some very good food for thought. Elizabeth and her daughters were having a day focused on dandelions complete with a recipe for dandelion syrup and pictures of the girls picking and measuring the blossoms for their creation. But it was what her daughter said when being tucked into bed that got me thinking:
Another Week of too much!
It has been another busy week this past week. Monday started with me slicing my thumb because I was thinking of all the things I needed to do instead of watching the recently sharpened butcher knife chop a slippery onion for a pot roast served Beef Burgundy style via crock pot. All the activities came to a screeching halt as I let out a stop your children dead in their tracks "Aaagghhh". I am not good with blood to begin with, why Lori is the nurse and not me, but at least I was thinking clearly enough to not drive anywhere until I got the blood to stop. With a bruised pride, and heavily wrapped thumb, we raced out the door to gymnastics, soccer, etc. On Wednesday came another fever, but by Friday I was planting the remaining seven orchard trees which had arrived two days prior. Karl has been very busy this week getting a boat certified for sea making his evening arrivals close to evening activities or bed time!
Saturday morning I awoke to find Karl still at home. He decided to skip his men's study group to get a few extra hours of sleep. After a big pancake breakfast with the kiddos, we set off for the boys to get their hair cuts, kiddos soccer games, and the trash run. Both teams had good games but I missed Isabella's since it again fell at the same time as Anton's game. Isabella played goalie for the first half and she beamed with her exclamation that she stopped all the balls from scoring except the one the girl kicked out of her hands which is an illegal kick, so the goal did not count. Anton's team was more heavily loaded with skill and talent than the other, so we pulled the "let's keep it fun" plan. By putting our defenders in as forwards, warnings of being pulled if they ran the score too high and promises of Caravel if they could complete 10 passes in a row before loosing the ball kept it fun without ruining the morale of the other team. After the games, we were able to rest for a short time before heading off to a Birthday Party for one of Karl's classmates at the Academy. On the way, we made a detour to a local winery to pick up a couple bottles for a gift. As luck would have it, it was wine tasting time, so we ended up with a few extra for ourselves.
By the time Sunday morning came, Karl and I were not too awake. We opted for the later church service following our CCD time verses the earlier one we usually attend. After mass, I had to regretfully step out of the plans for the Cub Scout April Surprise. I needed sleep! The extra energy I exerted from having to pick axe through a couple inches of gravel for the trees was catching up to me. Karl took the kiddos to the Olympic style event. They had fun!
But now it is another week and we are trying to just stick with our usual routine of schooling, gymnastics, soccer, horseback riding, choir, piano, and prayer group. Oh, since Anton's team has a buy this week, Karl is taking his scouts camping. I guess there will be something extra. One day I will do nothing, when is still to be determined.
Friday, April 2, 2010
The Latest News Here!
It has been a long couple of weeks here! Sorry about the late blogging!
Our camera is not working very well, Karl is promising to get it fixed. It is taking forever to load pictures and reset to take a new one. It is also taking them very dark or very light and I have to spend time fixing them. So no pictures for awhile!
We have been fighting sickness here off and on for weeks. One day after riding lessons, the kiddos and I stopped by the library to pick up our reserved books. I had a few more errand to run, but began to feel very heavy and tired all of a sudden. A couple hours later, Isabella and I were running fevers and I had a large pot simmering home made chicken noodle soup with lots of garlic. Since I knew I was getting sicker, I did not trust myself to know when I had enough spices/seasonings. I asked my garlic loving son to tell me if it smelled right. It was good but we all smelled like garlic the next day! After a few days, we were back to normal. Another week it was Anton who had a sudden urge to sleep all day and was totally fine the next day.
Then came the allergy test prep - no allergy medicines for 5 days before the test. Anton continues to have Sinus Rhinitis but could be developing Asthma. He has an inhaler to try 15 minutes before soccer practice and games to see if it helps him. Basically he has allergy reactions but not real sure what sets him off. Isabella has good and bad news! She is no longer showing a sensitivity to wheat or grass. She did have a reaction to birch and beach trees, dust mites, hamsters, and a sensitivity to feathers and mice. Oh dear, no rodent pets in this house! My test proved I need my allergy meds, have an inhaler as needed, and keep my eppi pen. Within 5 minutes of being stuck, my eyes started to itch and swell, I felt light headed and had to lie down, my nasal passages were swelling, and I was having difficulty concentrating. Apparently my histamine was so swollen, it was on the back side of my arm where I could not see, the doctor started to ice it down. However, none of my spots were showing up with huge swelling, just red. I have rhinitis also. But the eppi is for the spiders and she gave me a portable carrier to take with me. She asked me questions about other insect bites, sensitive skin, and food I have had physical reactions towards like watermelon and soy.
Horse Back Riding - the kiddos have graduated to their own mounts. Anton is now on Bob who is a bit taller and broader than Isabella's mount. Isabella remains on Scooter but solo. Anton tacks on his own except for swinging the saddle on top of Bob. Between the saddle being heavy and Bob being larger, he just needs a bit more muscle to get it in the right spot. They have been on trails and next week they start driving. After nearly a full hour of trotting their muscles are tired out.
Lego/Cooking Club - Anton has been attending a Lego Club with boys near his age where they display and explain their creations. Imaging eight very eager, very excited boys sitting patiently while listening to their friends describe their creation, what their ideas were and how it was accomplished. Then the other boys ask questions and make lots of "Oh Cool!" or "Can it Shoot?" comments. With the help of two moms who also have girls, I started a Cooking Club last fall. While the boys meet for Lego Club, I take the girls into the kitchen and we make something. Remember, the age of these girls are 4 - 8 and I have 5 of them. We have made pies, Carrot Cake, scones, cookies, and granola bars. Now when the boys are finished sharing, they come wandering into the kitchen to see what they can eat. Then the kids play and the moms chat. Before we know it, Karl is calling my cell wondering if a.) I am bringing some of the goodies home, b.) If he needs to pick up a pizza on the way home or do I have everything to make one from scratch (We always meet on Friday which is our family pizza night), and c.) will he beat me home from work. It is a lot of fun and everyone looks forward to the day. OK, maybe I am scrambling a few hours before wondering if I have enough tasks for each girl and ingredients to make several of whatever we are making for that meeting, but in the end, it turns out great.
Soccer - the season has started. Anton returns to the Lions and I as assistant coach. David is the coach, played for Penn State, and has a great attitude about teaching the boys soccer and not focusing on win, win ,win! Strangely, it works! Last season the team lost only to one team and it was really close. The boys listen, treat each other well, and are respectful to the adults. They actually beg for more practice time and get really upset when practice is cancelled for some reason, usually lightening or overly soaked fields. Anton still prefers defender, but does end up as mid fielder on occasion. Isabella rejoins the Lady Leopards with her friend Mary Claire. Her team did not do too well last season but most of it was the sudden change in field size, players on the field, and now able to drive the ball into the goal instead of stopping at the goal line and kicking. The girls started using goalie/keeper last season which was new for them. But Isabella is actually pretty good at it. She likes forward and goalie.
Schuberts - we had to let go of some thing and Isabella decided this was just too much for her right now. Last Winter season, she did amazingly well. The choral group learned to sing in 6 languages, including Latin, Hebrew, German, Spanish, and French. She is welcome to return at any time and at 8 she really does need to have some down time to just be 8.
We have also continued with their gymnastics (I want to switch to swimming but am having a hard time with a place), piano, boys nights and girls nights. Isabella is still involved with 4-H and Anton with Scouts.
Spring Yard work has resumed here with prepping some raised beds for planting vegetables and the front beds with more perennials and herbs. With the oncoming rains, it has brought more worry with our Connecticut House. Karl had to take off to the north to repair the basement from some water damage due to the floods in the area. We count ourselves fortunate with only 2 inches of water, which came from the floor/foundation gaps and not the walls, when many have unplanned indoor swimming pools, washed out bridges, and mud slides forcing evacuations. I did stay here to take care of the house, dogs, kiddos so as not to intrude too much in our renter's privacy. We are hoping Karl can return for Easter, but it is looking doubtful.
The Dogs - Katie continues to be her bull headed self. She now must watch from the windows as we let her more behaved sister go outside off leash and fetch balls. Blossom is still battling with her fear of all loud noises. I have been working to desensitize her to these things. Like taking her for long loops down the street as our neighbor cuts his grass with a riding mower or forcing her to stay in a "relaxing down position" during a thunderstorm. She does want to please and make me happy, but those terrifying jets make her bolt for cover. If I can get her to fetch while the jets are going, I could be close. She is obsessed about her ball. She will dance for it. A Golden Retriever on her back legs hopping. It is a funny sight. Katie is doing better with her independence and she is listening better. But when I tell her to do something she does not want to do, she actually does it but snorts loudly to show her displeasure. Oh my, she is in the teenage years! Then there are times when I am typing away on the computer and she lays her head on my lap and looks up at me pleading for a scratch.
Karl has switched jobs at the Navy. He no longer runs the International Rescue Sub but now oversees all of the Virginia Class Subs coming into fleet but post construction. Just as I was starting to understand what Karl does, the Navy has to change it on me. UHHMMM! We have always said the Navy keeps us on our toes.
Until Next time!
Our camera is not working very well, Karl is promising to get it fixed. It is taking forever to load pictures and reset to take a new one. It is also taking them very dark or very light and I have to spend time fixing them. So no pictures for awhile!
We have been fighting sickness here off and on for weeks. One day after riding lessons, the kiddos and I stopped by the library to pick up our reserved books. I had a few more errand to run, but began to feel very heavy and tired all of a sudden. A couple hours later, Isabella and I were running fevers and I had a large pot simmering home made chicken noodle soup with lots of garlic. Since I knew I was getting sicker, I did not trust myself to know when I had enough spices/seasonings. I asked my garlic loving son to tell me if it smelled right. It was good but we all smelled like garlic the next day! After a few days, we were back to normal. Another week it was Anton who had a sudden urge to sleep all day and was totally fine the next day.
Then came the allergy test prep - no allergy medicines for 5 days before the test. Anton continues to have Sinus Rhinitis but could be developing Asthma. He has an inhaler to try 15 minutes before soccer practice and games to see if it helps him. Basically he has allergy reactions but not real sure what sets him off. Isabella has good and bad news! She is no longer showing a sensitivity to wheat or grass. She did have a reaction to birch and beach trees, dust mites, hamsters, and a sensitivity to feathers and mice. Oh dear, no rodent pets in this house! My test proved I need my allergy meds, have an inhaler as needed, and keep my eppi pen. Within 5 minutes of being stuck, my eyes started to itch and swell, I felt light headed and had to lie down, my nasal passages were swelling, and I was having difficulty concentrating. Apparently my histamine was so swollen, it was on the back side of my arm where I could not see, the doctor started to ice it down. However, none of my spots were showing up with huge swelling, just red. I have rhinitis also. But the eppi is for the spiders and she gave me a portable carrier to take with me. She asked me questions about other insect bites, sensitive skin, and food I have had physical reactions towards like watermelon and soy.
Horse Back Riding - the kiddos have graduated to their own mounts. Anton is now on Bob who is a bit taller and broader than Isabella's mount. Isabella remains on Scooter but solo. Anton tacks on his own except for swinging the saddle on top of Bob. Between the saddle being heavy and Bob being larger, he just needs a bit more muscle to get it in the right spot. They have been on trails and next week they start driving. After nearly a full hour of trotting their muscles are tired out.
Lego/Cooking Club - Anton has been attending a Lego Club with boys near his age where they display and explain their creations. Imaging eight very eager, very excited boys sitting patiently while listening to their friends describe their creation, what their ideas were and how it was accomplished. Then the other boys ask questions and make lots of "Oh Cool!" or "Can it Shoot?" comments. With the help of two moms who also have girls, I started a Cooking Club last fall. While the boys meet for Lego Club, I take the girls into the kitchen and we make something. Remember, the age of these girls are 4 - 8 and I have 5 of them. We have made pies, Carrot Cake, scones, cookies, and granola bars. Now when the boys are finished sharing, they come wandering into the kitchen to see what they can eat. Then the kids play and the moms chat. Before we know it, Karl is calling my cell wondering if a.) I am bringing some of the goodies home, b.) If he needs to pick up a pizza on the way home or do I have everything to make one from scratch (We always meet on Friday which is our family pizza night), and c.) will he beat me home from work. It is a lot of fun and everyone looks forward to the day. OK, maybe I am scrambling a few hours before wondering if I have enough tasks for each girl and ingredients to make several of whatever we are making for that meeting, but in the end, it turns out great.
Soccer - the season has started. Anton returns to the Lions and I as assistant coach. David is the coach, played for Penn State, and has a great attitude about teaching the boys soccer and not focusing on win, win ,win! Strangely, it works! Last season the team lost only to one team and it was really close. The boys listen, treat each other well, and are respectful to the adults. They actually beg for more practice time and get really upset when practice is cancelled for some reason, usually lightening or overly soaked fields. Anton still prefers defender, but does end up as mid fielder on occasion. Isabella rejoins the Lady Leopards with her friend Mary Claire. Her team did not do too well last season but most of it was the sudden change in field size, players on the field, and now able to drive the ball into the goal instead of stopping at the goal line and kicking. The girls started using goalie/keeper last season which was new for them. But Isabella is actually pretty good at it. She likes forward and goalie.
Schuberts - we had to let go of some thing and Isabella decided this was just too much for her right now. Last Winter season, she did amazingly well. The choral group learned to sing in 6 languages, including Latin, Hebrew, German, Spanish, and French. She is welcome to return at any time and at 8 she really does need to have some down time to just be 8.
We have also continued with their gymnastics (I want to switch to swimming but am having a hard time with a place), piano, boys nights and girls nights. Isabella is still involved with 4-H and Anton with Scouts.
Spring Yard work has resumed here with prepping some raised beds for planting vegetables and the front beds with more perennials and herbs. With the oncoming rains, it has brought more worry with our Connecticut House. Karl had to take off to the north to repair the basement from some water damage due to the floods in the area. We count ourselves fortunate with only 2 inches of water, which came from the floor/foundation gaps and not the walls, when many have unplanned indoor swimming pools, washed out bridges, and mud slides forcing evacuations. I did stay here to take care of the house, dogs, kiddos so as not to intrude too much in our renter's privacy. We are hoping Karl can return for Easter, but it is looking doubtful.
The Dogs - Katie continues to be her bull headed self. She now must watch from the windows as we let her more behaved sister go outside off leash and fetch balls. Blossom is still battling with her fear of all loud noises. I have been working to desensitize her to these things. Like taking her for long loops down the street as our neighbor cuts his grass with a riding mower or forcing her to stay in a "relaxing down position" during a thunderstorm. She does want to please and make me happy, but those terrifying jets make her bolt for cover. If I can get her to fetch while the jets are going, I could be close. She is obsessed about her ball. She will dance for it. A Golden Retriever on her back legs hopping. It is a funny sight. Katie is doing better with her independence and she is listening better. But when I tell her to do something she does not want to do, she actually does it but snorts loudly to show her displeasure. Oh my, she is in the teenage years! Then there are times when I am typing away on the computer and she lays her head on my lap and looks up at me pleading for a scratch.
Karl has switched jobs at the Navy. He no longer runs the International Rescue Sub but now oversees all of the Virginia Class Subs coming into fleet but post construction. Just as I was starting to understand what Karl does, the Navy has to change it on me. UHHMMM! We have always said the Navy keeps us on our toes.
Until Next time!
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