Something new

Hello. Its been awhile,it usually is as you well know if you are any kind of a regular here.Lets see...Since last time Ive written, our littlest family member had his first anniversary of his birthday, our oldest became a teenager and our only princess reached double digits. We had a nice Thanksgiving and with fall being Birthday season in our family, I definetly have plenty to be thankful for, and I am, very thankful for each of these four unique people that I love so much. I am very proud to say that my little Gabriel since he has turned two just a few short months ago has potty trained,weaned from the bottle and graduated to a big boy bed! This momma sure is proud(of both of us) *chuckle* I have been thinking and have decided to try something new here and see how it goes.You see, I am one awesome organizer,not just when it comes to things but also most areas of family life and am getting better all the time now that it really counts with a big family. So my goal is to start sharing some organization tips here with you. Whether you have 1, 2 or many children, I'm sure these things will help you be better organized. So today here's my first for ya. Do you find your childrens things/ clothes at random places around the house that they don't belong? I know I do and it can be quite an annoyance. Here's a way to pick it up quick but at the same time still hold them accountable to put their things away. What I do is I purchased 4 canvas bins about two feet high, a different color for each child or you can label their name on whatever container you choose. In our house I set the bins in the foyer next to the staircase.Currently we have 3 bins, one for each of the 2 older children and 1 for our stuff and the little ones. When I find random things ie socks,books, electronics etc, I toss it in their bin and each child knows to grab their bin on their way upstairs to their room's, put the stuff in its correct place and return the bin to the foyer.(We do the little ones with our stuff but are teaching them how to do it as well, they like it!) This has worked well. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Really nice day

Today was a really nice day. It began with a picnic with my mother at a great park with a splash pad.I really like the fact that they are free and just perfect for the little ones. Olivia still enjoys them too. Rome not so much, but hes a good sport about it. The weather was beautiful and the kids really enjoyed themselves. Last night the two older children and I visited Romes new school and I cant tell you how excited I am for him to go there. The school is in the same community as the amazing elementary he attended and has an outstanding record for top test scores, the best sports programs and great parent involvement among many other things. A rare thing Rome and I got to do this afternoon was go shopping together, just him and I. I let him splurge and get lots of good stuff for school and he was very happy and thankful.I was glad I did and glad we got a few hours together just us, to talk,joke around, shop and eat together, where I was able to give him my undivided attention...it was nice. I cant believe on Tuesday my oldest child is starting Jr high and a month and a day after he'll be an official teenager. Seems like just yesterday I brought him home from the hospital, a teenager myself without a clue. And now almost 13 years later I'm proud of the young man he is. Kind, strong, confident and still mama's boy (shh) Good Luck on your first day buddy, your going places and you'll do great

Raising Organized People

One of my biggest pet peeves-Messes, clutter, and unorganization. I think that teaching my children to clean up after themselves and be organized is one of the most annoying things I have faced in parenting. Olivia already seems to like organization and clean space but she definitely has a long way to go. Romeo on the other hand I swear could live in a landfill. He is very messy and careless, I'm sure part of being a boy, but still. I think its funny how he is that way but when he goes to a messy house of a friend or someone else he lets me know he really dislikes it. Another hard thing is having them do their daily routine and little chores without being reminded. They only have a few things to do but somehow seem to forget quite often. Its crazy because they say that repetition is the best way to remember things but you'd think each day was the first time they were told to brush their teeth or take a shower.

This past school year I made them both weekly charts of their daily routine and they had to check off each thing that they were suppose to do in the morning and then report to me when they were done. No nagging on my part at all, they had a certain time to get it all done by. That worked out quite well. Of course once I stopped doing these charts thinking they had it down, noone could remember a thing. So here we are, back to charts because I hate asking them to do things more than once and constantly nagging for things to get picked up.

I talked to my mother the other day about this and how much it bothers me because it puts a lot of extra stress on me and I, a good amount of the time just end up doing everything myself. My mother said, " I have been telling your brother Dan for over 20 years now not to leave his shoes in front of the door and he still does it when he comes to visit to this day." She said," Sometimes they never get it! I remember her saying to me and my brothers when we were younger that she wonders how our houses would look when we grew up because we made such messes.

Funny thing is, is that all of us are neat people, and my brother Dan well, he never leaves his shoes in front of the door at his own house so we must have learned something even if we didn't show it living with her. Maybe its just the comfort of her and knowing she could take care of it and did it well, not knowing how much she did need us to do our part. Maybe that's how my children feel. Thing is though, I don't think I can stand to see if it happens until they move out, especially with another child on the way. I guess its a work in progress as is everything else when you are raising kids but for now charts it is!

This and that

It's been awhile. Been so exhausted I could barely function. Nausea, driving kids to and from school, taking care of a baby, house,animals and much more in the midst of the first trimester of pregnancy has been alot. I am finally starting to get a little bit of energy back (just a little) and the nausea is definitely getting better.

We celebrated Prob's 33rd birthday on the 15th and we got a rare night out alone to one of our favorite places, Mancini's restaurant, it was a short date but it was nice.

I was the parent volunteer this past week at a girl scout meeting for Olivia's troop. The girls came up with ideas for a community service project and then voted on their favorite. Helping out at the humane society was the top choice. Gabriel came with and he was a big hit with all the girls. Olivia however did not like sharing her baby brother and was so worried about the way the girls were holding him.

 I have been so proud and happy lately when I watch the kids with Gabriel. Olivia especially. She has always been such an overachiever, good helper, rule follower, amazing child and definitely wise beyond her years. Since Gabriel has been born she has been an amazing help and wonderful big sister. Today she was giving Gabriel a massage. She is always making him things, the latest being a book dedicated to him. She knows how much he loves smiley faces so if she isn't making him one at school she is pulling up an image online when he is fussy while playing lullaby's in a separate tab to keep him happy while mommy is busy doing something else. He loves her so much already. When he sees her his whole face lights up and they already have an amazing bond, even though they are 8 years apart. She is something else and is the kindest person I know. I love all the children so much and am so blessed to have them.

Feeding her baby brother



Spring break this week for the children, which is very nice when I don't have to drive them to and from school. It is supposed to be nice and the children have really been enjoying being outside so hopefully they can get alot of that in. The snow has finally melted enough too so that the dogs aren't walking over the fence which means they get to be outside more too, which is much needed.

That's just a little bit of whats been going on around here, haven't been taking many pictures because my cameras aren't great, my new phone actually has a better camera on it then my camera. A new one is in the plans soon but I want to do alot of research before we  buy one so we'll see, sometime before baby #4 is born, we have some time.



BEST FAMILY EVER!

What I want to be when I grow up

Most people when they are young, women especially, have a dream of what they want to be when they grow up. Naturally those things change many times as people grow and develop but most people end up having a pretty good idea where they are headed by the time they are in high school. Whether it be to go straight to college after graduation or to take a few years off to have fun and then go back, to go straight to a job or just slack off and party.

 As a young girl there were only 2 things I could ever remember saying I wanted to be, first was a veterinarian because I loved animals so much. Secondly though I'll never forget when my aunt asked me when I must have been about 8. My response was, I want to have a baby. She asked," have a baby and get married"? No I said just have a baby. I don't know why that was my answer but it was. She was shocked and made me tell her group of friends that day what I had said. I wondered why that was wrong of me but everyone wondered why in the world as a young girl that was my dream. I of course got lectured how I should do everything "the right" way first.

After that I really never thought about what I'd like to be. I never dreamed of marriage or a house with a white pickett fence or going to college to be somebody. My life once I was old enough was going to school and taking care of my little brother while our single mother worked to support three children and on her nights off hanging out with friends to try and have somewhat of a life and outlet. All I really wanted as a child was for my mother to be home with us, to have time to spend with her, to snuggle with her, to be loved. She didn't have time for that though, not because she didn't want to but because she didn't have time.

My brother and his girlfriend said today that they aren't sure if they ever want children and I definitely respect that. Children aren't for everyone and I commend people that know that. I never really knew what I wanted or maybe I did and that's why I had my first child at 16. Or maybe I was just looking for love in all the wrong places. Maybe with present parents, I would have grown up to "be someone" instead of being a teen mom. Maybe if I didn't have a third child I would have continued with school to be a nurse, and maybe if I wasn't now pregnant with my 4th I would have gone back soon. Maybe...

Now seeing Gabriel, the result of a vasectomy reversal after we thought we were done after two and the shock of a 4th so soon, all I can think of is that this is what I was meant to be, a mother, a good mother, a present mother, a mother that never has to burden her older children with the responsibility's of her role, a mother that always has the opportunity to snuggle with my children, to put them to bed every night and to make and eat every meal with them. A mother that doesn't have to work because my husband happily does to support his children and wife, a mother whose children will never have to feel alone because I am here...gladly

So I might not have dreamed this life for myself and I might have been trying to please everyone else by somehow trying to become something better than what I am. But I realized something. This is who I grew up to be, not by accident but because God knew I needed the love a family, a whole family. This is who I am and it fits me well, I never regret it nor would change it nor do I care what anyone thinks.  It may not be your idea of success but it is mine and I can be just as proud of my role as if I had graduated with a college degree. Maybe in the future I will be a nurse, someday when my children are grown and no longer need me.

Right now though I realize, this is the best job I could be doing and I am thankful that I am able to be here for every boring board game, every meltdown and sibling fight, every explosive, up the back poopy diaper, every goodnight mommy, your the best. Yeah this is what I wanted to be when I grew up, I finally know for sure (:

Our little handful

When Romeo was a baby, he was spoiled. That was him in one word. I blame us and our close family but mainly us. Most people will say that it was because we were young but even though that was the case that wasn't the reason he was spoiled. We were very good parents for being so young but like most first time parents we were just guilty of being inexperienced and letting him get away with everything. My grandma told me that she read somewhere that your first child is your learning child and that you should be able to throw that one away and start over (obviously a joke). Other than being spoiled he wasn't a "hard baby".

When Olivia was born we did things a lot differently. She was on a feeding schedule, slept in her own bed and was such an easy baby you could have had ten of her and wouldn't even have noticed. She just had such an easy going demeanor from birth.

This time around has been different and I would have to say Gabriel is our little handful. The first few weeks of life he was pretty laid back but after that things got hard. First with weeks of pain from his condition he was extremely fussy but when we found out what he had been going through it all made sense. After his surgery we thought that things would change since he was feeling better. He has changed in the sense that he noticeably feels better and we can actually put him down and console him when hes fussy but he still is our fussy little guy and does so quite often. I have taken him to the doctor a few times to rule out other things since surgery but with a clean bill of health the doctor says she thinks he has been suffering from colic.

Colic is defined as an otherwise healthy baby that cries for 3 hours a day for 3 days in a row for at least 3 weeks consistently. They say babies with colic ball up their fists and pull their legs up to their chests and wail in the early evening hours for hours and then are fine...That's not Gabriel, he doesn't do any of that so I really wouldn't label him colicky. Instead I think that he just had a rough start and is trying to figure things out in this new world and fussing is his only way to communicate right now. So while hes doing that I don't get a lot done during the day which has been a little hard for me to not be able to just march to the beat of my own drum like I used to. I'm getting used to it though and realize that its just a stage and that he will grow out of it.

If it is indeed some form of mild colic though the doctor assured me that at 100 days old it goes away. Well tomorrow he is 100 days old so if that is the case we will have a whole new baby in the new year lol. You know what, it really doesn't matter, I love him so much that he could cry every second of every day and I wouldn't trade him for the world. Besides that Prob and I are a great team and we just take everything in stride. Gabriel is out to prove me wrong though because since I have been writing this he has been contently playing under his baby gym...go figure (:

Welcome back sleep...we missed you

"You will live to sleep again". That was something I read in a parenting book and thought was pretty funny because I knew it was true but sometimes you feel so exhausted with a new baby that you do feel there are days that you won't make it. For about the last four nights we are sleeping well once again. Gabriel is only getting up once at night now and Prob and I take turns so that each of us is now getting a full nights sleep every other night. It's wonderful to wake up feeling refreshed and have the energy to be productive. I have a lot of things to tackle that I haven't had the energy for, like a mountain of laundry, cleaning the basement so that our new freezer has a good spot and just general cleaning. I am a very neat and organized person and the fact that I have been slacking on these things really doesn't sit well with me because I feel like if my house is messy and unorganized, I feel messy and unorganized.

Also on the list, ICE SKATING since every day I get asked about 100 times when we are going again and yesterday we got the children's skates sharpened so I can't use that as an excuse not to go. The one thing I did get done already was that I put away all the Christmas stuff already so I'm glad to not have that to do.

A day in the life of an elf and The birds and the bees

This afternoon we took the children to the holiday display "A day in the life of an elf" at the Macy's in Minneapolis. We had seen it a few years back but decided we'd like to see it again. At the end of the adventure we saw Santa.

On our way home while stuck in traffic we decided it was a good time to have the birds and the bees talk with Romeo.(Olivia and baby were sleeping) We had been going back and forth for quite some time about if it was the right time and how to initiate the subject. I had read an article in the Parents magazine about the right age and how to go about it so that was helpful information.

When I found out I was pregnant, the children were still under the impression that the stork drops off the baby or thought that the doctor just cut it out. I decided then it was time to tell them the truth and it went very well. This conversation also went well. Olivia woke up while we were explaining things to Romeo so we talked with her as well.

One of our reasons for wanting to talk to them about it now is because we figured with all the things on television and in songs and boys and girls starting to notice each other in school that they probably knew something about it already. To my surprise they really didn't know much.

We didn't get into too much detail but told them the basics. Olivia thought it was gross and Romeo was a little weirded out. It was much easier than I expected though and I think it went well overall. I think it was a good icebreaker for future questions they may have.

For now they didn't have many questions about it but with Romeo approaching the age of liking girls and puberty, I just wanted him to know that he can talk to us about anything. I want them both to always feel comfortable coming to us with their questions whether it be about sex, friends, school, whatever it is because that's what we are here for as their parents, to guide them and to be there for them through everything.  I want us to do the best we can because we are shaping the future and that is not to be taken lightly, that's something I always keep in my mind and so far I think we are doing a pretty good job.

Babysitting and New Teachers

Today the children and I watched my best friend of 20 years daughter who is 14 months old. She is such a little sweetheart and my children always get really excited when we get asked to watch her. We haven't watched her since she has been able to walk until today and boy did that remind me how much work they are when they are that age. I did have a lot and I mean a lot of help from my children though and it made me happy to know that they will be wonderful to their new brother when he arrives.

 I also got a chance to see that my dogs really aren't very comfortable around a baby which was something I have been worried about since they have had no experience with babies considering we got our oldest dog when our youngest was 6. I guess they will adjust with time but we are going to have to be extra careful at first when we bring our new baby home.

This evening was also the time that we got to go to school to drop off all of the children's supplies and meet their new teachers for the year. Olivia was happy with the teacher she got and one of the big reasons was because they get to have desks instead of tables(I thought that was a funny but cute, definitely not unimportant reason when you've never had a desk lol). Romeo wished that he could have been in one of the male teachers classes because he has not ever had a male teacher but he ended up in the female teachers class, oh well, she seems nice and after meeting her he is excited to start back to school next week.
 I am excited for them too, because every time I go to their school it reminds me why I decided to sacrifice to drive them 15 minutes there and back 2 times every day in traffic rather than just sending them on a bus to a school nearby. It's because when I get into the neighborhood its like a community exists that is untouched by all the bad things in the world, where everyone has a smile on their face and everyone greets everyone with a sincere hello, its a place where family involvement is important and children remain innocent.When you walk into the school it has a certain feeling of safety and peace, and all these things are exactly what I wanted in a school for my children. I couldn't be happier!