Back to reality

***It has literally taken 4 days to write this post!***

Finally, I'm back to reality. LIFE got in the way for a while "PHEW"
So much has happened and so much is going on... I have so many blog posts brewing in my head right now!
I don't even know where to start. First, do you like the "new" look? I am trying to learn how to create and modify templates... Bear with me!

The last few weeks have been a real blur. I was scheduled to return to work on the 20th, but as I said "LIFE" got in the way. All was good with the world, I was dreading coming back to work. Let me explain. While there was a point in my life I said I could never be a stay at home mom... That was then, and this is now! I spent 4 amazing months home with my kids... I LOVED EVERY minute of it! (Even the, er 110 degree days, 9 months pregnant with no a/c) I was even searching the internet for ways to be a WAHM... I just couldn't see leaving my babies (er, girls) we had so much amazing time together. Then, just after Labor Day our eldest began to get sick... little did we know what was in store for us. (Preface, while her illness was serious, so serious she could have died, I don't want anyone to think for one minute that I'm trying to make this bigger than what it was) Ahem, moving on (or rewinding back to September 10,2010) Drea came home from school with a headache, infact she was in tears it was that bad. (This is the child who has such the high pain tolerance that at three she was asking the doc for a Rocephen shot so she didn't have to take Amoxil)
We gave her the usual dose of Motrin and on we went... minutes later she was vomiting.The next 5 days she continue to have this dibilitating headache, vomiting, and a fever in upwards of 104. On the 5th day I took her to our local ER.... MISTAKE BIG MISTAKE!!! Although their claim to fame is that they are a Top 100 Hospital, I think not! After a lengthy (insert sarcasm here) 12 minute visit, she was diagnosed with Migranes and sent home on anti-nausea meds... REALLY? Even I know that migranes don't bring on 104 fevers for 5 days! The next day I took her to our family doc... She said sinus infection, I wasn't convinced, but it was something and we were on an antibiotic so I was a little at ease. Three doses of meds and 48 hours later her fever kept getting higher so we elected to go to Children's Hospital, THANK GOD! Literally, I have been on my knees thanking God daily, sometimes hourly! To think we were literally hours from loosing our first born just days before her 8th birthday. After a battery of tests the ER doc didn't know what was wrong, but wasn't sending her home either, so they admitted her. Another few hours and we had a diagnosis: Encephalitis and Aeseptic Menegitis.... While there isn't treatment for either, had they not provided supportive care through IV fluids, IV pain medications, and IV anti-nausea medications our 44 pound 8 year old would've slipped away from us... Like I said, definitely not terminal, but a few more hours and I'd be writing a totally different post. We have our little love back to normal and quite frankly that's all that matters now!

I am now back to work and actually loving it. While working from home would definitely be my preference. I have to say I love my job, and you know what I am really good at it! I have always had drive and  that need for success... In whatever I do. That's just who I am. It's nice to walk into my office where everyone knows your name, and not because they "know" you, but they "know" who you are from the things that you accomplish.

The kids have returned to public school... a new public school and they are really advancing. This was definitely the right decision. Until my husband or I can knowingly be home full-time homeschool just simply isn't an option.

I have many upcoming posts. Please stick around because there is going to be a lot of information coming your way!

In His Love,

Amanda

So that is what it's like... Interesting

Yesterday I had the opportunity to head off to the grocery store with one sleeping infant...and that was it. It was crazy. I made my list, packed up my tiny little bundle of joy, and off we went. I have a sad obsession for the grocery store. There are a few reasons, the first being that I love, love, love to cook and secondly I love to find a good deal. Normally a trip to the grocery is somewhat of a three ring circus and usually ends with the desire to drink a glass of wine by the time I reach the check out. Let me be clear, I love that I have 5 daughters, and I own the fact that I have 5 beautiful children, the chaos that we create in the grocery however does wear a person down. Drea and Payge like to touch things and really want everything, Sera roams and in the off chance that I can get her in the cart she tends to climb out. She is almost 5 so I don't expect her to sit in the cart forever. Josey, well lets see she has to be "in the mood".  I've started to collect creative ways for her to get through the grocery without incident...

I had the privilege to explore the produce section. I got some beautiful greens to make a nice salad, I located shallots and shitake mushrooms that I didn't even know that were in our store... simply because I would make my list, stick to the list and b-line to the next department. From produce we headed to the meat department, I viewed the fresh meat case. I am really wanting to get some fresh sea scallops. I still can't bring myself to pay $12.99 per pound for anything, maybe when they go on sale. :) I strolled through the store marking things off my list and it was so relaxing.

I often forget what it was like to have one child... I wouldn't go back to that, but realizing that spending time with one was just crazy to me. I guess it is something that I need to be more cognizant of.

On another note, Payge, our pretty pretty princess has taken a liking to pageantry like her mother. We have been working on her routines, boy people are right, other peoples kids are way easier. :) When I was coaching I simply said, do this or that and they did it... With Payge she doesn't seem to want to listen. The competitive fire has gotten into me I may have to get a coach for her.

Oh Monday, Monday...

Typically on Monday's I like to participate in the Not Me Monday blog carnival, however this Monday was a bit special and I honestly needed to share... Warning, if you thought you had a bad day continue reading... You will definitely get a little chuckle out of our Monday.

With a brood of 7 our house ALWAYS has some sort of chaos... some may be organized, other not so much.

Today started like a typical day. Alarm at 6:30, snooze twice, feed the baby, shower, get dressed, pack lunches, get kids clothes ready, wake kids, dress kids, feed kids, hair and teeth... awake hubby to let him know that I am leaving to take the big girls to the bus and that the little girls were in his chair watching Sprout. I loaded the oldest two and Lybertei into the van and away we went... Here is where it begins to get interesting.

Friday I called the bus garage of the new district to make busing arrangements, we were all set... WRONG! As we waited anxiously for the bus we watched as the bus flew down the hill like a bat outta haitis, completely missing my girls, so I loaded the three of them back up and took them to the school. While waiting a received a text from my husband that said: "Grrrrrr can we trade them in?" I laughed and figured they were being rambunctious like usual.

Off to my 6 week check up we went... Yay, NOT! First off we all hate that appointment, and secondly that just reaffirms that in a few short weeks I will be returning to work. I love my job, I'm just really going to miss being home with my kids. Good news is Doc gave me a clean bill of health and said after Lybei turns 1 we are free to have one more baby! (I know you think I am crazy! It's ok most people do!)As I was leaving my husband sent me a text stating that the bathroom had been mopped...So I decided I better call home. Apparently my husband dozed back to sleep when
I left, Sera our 4 year old came to wake him and said the bathroom floor was wet, he told her to get a towel and dry it up, she replied, "I've been trying there is too much." Abruptly he jumped from our bed and... the bathroom and hall were completely flooded. Our darling 2 yr old decided to flush her pull up. (hehehe glad it was him and not me)

I decided that since I was in Zanesville I would venture to the Health dept and see if they had Lybertei's birth certificate ready yet... That's another story. "Nancy" you know the cell phone GPS Nazi... got me lost in Zanesville, she wanted me to turn onto roads that weren't there and turn the wrong way up one way streets. Err I finally found where I was going. I walked into the nice complex and was next in line... yes I'll be in and out in no time... WRONG it took an hour, REALLY?!?!?!?!? To print a piece of paper! I guess I got my $22 worth. While I sat there, oh the "things" that I saw...

I ran to the BMV and into work... both were uneventful. When I got home Josh and I worked outside while the kids napped. I loaded the three little girls into the car to pick up the big girls, who were supposed to be on the bus... Oh yea I called the bus garage again and they said they would make sure they were on the bus home and picked up in the mornings... I was holding my breath... Yay they got off the bus! I took all the kids to let my husband unwind even though he was running this evening.

Once home we prepared dinner, did homework, etc.... After I folded 9 loads of laundry, twice, thank you Josey! It was time to clean out the bathtub where my husband threw everything while tackling the earlier bathroom mess. I left the bathroom to grab a towel and cleaner.... I returned to Josey (are we seeing a pattern here?:)) I came back to her sitting on the potty and she said I peed, YAY... except, she said no mommy I peed and pointed to the huge puddle on the floor, so I sent her to bed and cleaned up the mess and remopped the floor, while doing this she then proceeded to pee on her floor... Seriously! Ugh

After giving all 5 baths, I ran to my grandmas to fix her air conditioning and then came home to finish the dinner dishes... Now here we are. I hope these allows for some laughs, because truly if you can't laugh it makes for very long days! :)

How do you?

I am frequently asked, “How do you do it? How do you stay so calm with young children? I would go crazy with five so little!”

The answer? I’m not entirely sure.I think part of it is just how God made me. I have always felt that I was fashioned to be a mother. The Lord knew before the dawn of time that my husband and I would be blessed with many children. And while I certainly have my faults, I will say that I tend to be calm with our children. Patience is something the Lord has blessed me with, and I am so thankful. And in a rarity as needed a fine wine to relax never hurt anyone. Even though that is true, there are also times in my mothering when I stay calm in the midst of chaos because, frankly, it’s better than the alternative. You know, the whole I’m laughing just to keep myself from crying thing. Yeah, that. A shrieking mama going ballistic over a slammed door, spilled milk or baby woken from his nap by an older sibling is not going to make an already stressful situation any better for anyone concerned. So, for the most part, I stay calm, trying not to escalate any already challenging moments. And believe me, our family has plenty of them. For some time now, my focus has been on attempting to be in the moment with my children as much as I can. I don’t always succeed, yet that is always my goal.

As I said, a beautiful bit of inspiration descended upon me a little over three years ago. Right during bathtime. It was an inspiration which changed my parenting from that day forward. I’m not exaggerating or being facetious.


In times like those, I can stay calm, being grateful for my children even when things are stressful, because I remember that I’m gonna miss this!

Let me begin by setting the scene. My husband was away at boot camp. (I HEART MY SAILOR!) I had three toddlers 4,3, and 18 months... and we were expecting number 4. My house was in disarray, DFAS  (Defense Finance Accounting System) had messed up my husbands pay, did I mention I had three toddlers and was expecting number 4?! :) I quickly learned that stressing myself only stressed my children and a stressed momma + 3 stressed toddlers= one unhappy household in an already stressful situation.

Working full-time in addition to running a household alone became a reality. While I was taking care of some basic daily chores I thought it was a good idea to allow my children to have a pre-bath snack in the kitchen watching a classic SpongeBob episode... I could hear them giggling so I continued to pick up... little did I know what I was going to find... Two children COVERED in a jar of peanut butter... Our last jar of peanut butter. I immediately began to stress, I just wanted to cry. I can't possibly do this I thought, and then as I stripped them down and plopped them into the tub and viola it hit me... If I stress about this, these weeks being a single mom are going to drag on, I'm not going to enjoy my children and before I know it they are going to be all grown up.  It was that revelation that made me a better mom... That revelation that in it's own way made me grow. Everyday that goes by I grow along with my children. Everyday I watch them grow and I realize that they are getting older and albeit that truly I'm going to miss this. (So the day that they had the food fight with Cheerios on my hardwood floors... Piece of cake! :))

I've taken a new perspective, my house may not be the cleanest...C'mon there are 7 of us, we have clutter! , I may spoil my children with unnecessary items (eg: a bag of silly bandz for my eldest today because I drug her through store after store shopping today) , or I may hold and wear my infant 90% of the time and more if time would allow it... but that's just fine, because soon enough, I'm going to miss this.

Another reality that has made some of this set in... My oldest child is in third grade in a new school... while I was allowed to walk her to her room for the first week... She looked at me and said "Mom, I know where I'm going, I'll be fine..." (insert tear drop here)

Truly I'm going to miss this! So remember momma's... when you are overly stressed looking at the mountain of laundry and the valleys of dishes... relax, pour a nice glass of wine, and reflect because truly you are going to miss this...

God bless and good night!

Amanda

Diaper Dilemma and such

We are full force of adjusting to baby #5 and daddy being home. We have tried cloth with our newborn however she is still so small it's really not working... Not even the few XS Customs that I ordered from Cow Patties... So until further notice we are using disposables with Lybertei. There is another dilemma that we are facing though...She is getting too big for the newborn diapers but the the size 1's are ginormous on her!

On another note... The Babyland cloth diapers that we ordered are working well for Josey. She doesn't wear them except for at night but they are working quite well.

I wrote several blogs... on paper... on our long car ride home from Chicago a few days ago. I will be posting them soon.

I finished school shopping for the girls today. I am still trying to get Sera into preschool. We have lost half of our income because my husband is not working, however they take the previous years income... Seriously, a year ago we were doing amazingly well... not so much right now. It's just frustrating...

Well until next time... God Bless
Amanda

So much to do... So little time

iWell... Little (or shall I say Big) Miss Lybertei is getting sooooooo big! I took her for a check up today. At 3 weeks old she has gained 2 pounds and 1 ounce! She's a little piglet for sure.
I am having mass drama with regard to getting her birth certificate. I am hoping we are able to board the plane Sunday. Sunday we are heading to Chicago to watch Josh graduate and bring him home!

I really want to catch up on blogging, it is a nice release. Hopefully once hubby is home I'll be able to do tbat! Lately I've been cooking up a storm. I am hoping to visit a few farmers markets and do some canning before the fall.

I have recently found a new cloth diaper maker that I really like! Shout out to Cow Patties Cloth Diapers, she is also on Facebook. Cow Patties is owned by a WAHM... I am hoping to soon be a WAHM... I am opening Faith Bebe Boutique. The Boutique is going to feature an array of custom clothing for children and a few adult pieces. We will also be carrying activity kits, menus, bags, etc. Please check it out soon!

Check back soon for many more updates!

Life, Love, & Lybertei

Well 8 short days ago we welcomed our little bundle of joy Lybertei Jaimz into this world. She,like all the rest is absolutely perfect... I do have to say though, since Ondrianna was born almost 8 years ago, Payge 6, Sera 4, or even Josalynne 2... This mommy has grown so much. I am learning to be more patient with my children, I am learning to cherish EVERY second... every smile, every tear. I don't know if it is age or what exactly it is, but over the past few months I felt myself changing... growing.

I believe there are things people don't know about me. I believe I am beginning to turn into a semi-crunchy kinda momma. Crunchy Beach Mama had a post a few days ago defining Crunchy Mama... I got to thinking hmmm a lot of these things are who I am and what I believe... Urban dictionary defines CRUNCHY MAMA as:
Mother who supports homebirth, breastfeeding (CHECK) , baby wearing (CHECK) , cloth diapering (CHECK), co-sleeping (CHECK) , gentle discipline (CHECK), etc. One who questions established medical authority(SORTA...Mainly Vaccinations); tends to be vegetarian and/or prepare all-organic foods( It's more I make it all from scratch, not necessarily organic, including baby food). I should say it's not that I don't support home birth, it's more that I am unable to have a home birth... my body is physically unable to support a natural birth.

My hubby will be home in a few weeks, for a few weeks... I love the military life...kinda... My husbands contract is up in three years, thankfully when he reenlists we'll be able to enlist as Active Duty instead of Ready Reserve. I'm so ready to move and get a new start somewhere...anywhere else.) I love small town Ohio, but I believe we are destined to be somewhere else.

Back to "things" Lybei is breastfeeding well... I forgot how much I missed this... That one on one time, skin to skin... It just warms my heart. I got my "sentencing notice" I mean return to work information in the mail today... I know in this economy I should be forever thankful that I even have a job, but I really just want to be home with my girls... We'll figure this out one way or another.

I am looking for a new sewing machine. A friend of mine took mine a few months ago to see if she could figure out if it was operator error or if it was something with the machine... She still hasn't figured it out so I'm thinking I am going to call it a wash and buy a new sewing machine. I have some SERIOUS craft bug crawling in me right now... Some I want for me and my girls... Others I plan to sell at a couple local craft shows and online.

Pre-baby I froze a lot of food... Now I am thinking that I am going to clean out two of our four freezers and refill them with frozen dinners for when I go back to work... I need to get on that... But FIRST... This house is getting a complete overhaul in the next week or so... I needs to be done BEFORE I pick up my husband on the 17th... I can't deal with it ANYMORE!!! I am still trying to recover from my surgery, but by early next week... I am on a mission... Room by room it WILL be done!!!

I will post photos of baby Lybei soon.

God Bless,
Amanda