What a Weekend!

This has been one long weekend. First, my oldest didn't have school Thursday and Friday because of kindergarten testing. The teachers were testing the incoming children. So he had a 4 day weekend.

My hubby only worked a half day on Friday because it was considered a holiday. It worked out though because we ran some errands when he got home. We stopped in Freeport and checked out the Children's Place. I found a couple cute dresses for our niece's birthday. They were marked down and on sale.

On Saturday, I met up with some ladies from the playgroup and we made chocolates for our children's Easter baskets. There was a lot of chocolate made and fingers being licked. We had so much fun. That evening we had the 5th birthday party for our niece.

On a sadder note, my Great-Grandmother passed away. She was either 94 or 99. We have to find out her birthyear. There seem to be some discrepencies on that note. We found out from the ER that she passed away from neglect. She was in a nursing home. She had a couple major sores that spiked her fever. She slipped in a coma. I worked in many nursing homes here in Maine. I took a CNA course and worked hard to care for my residents and clients. My certificate could not be transferred to California because they require so many more hours and are "stricter". She would have most likely lived until we got there at Christmas. My oldest is the only great-grandchild she ever met. At Christmas she would have spent time with 5 great-grandchildren. I just remember when she met my son. All she wanted to do was stare at him and hold him. We have a picture with 5 generations. She had a look of pure joy on her face. Just so you know, I'm crying as I type this.

My grandfather, her son, went in to see her Saturday morning. He spoke to her and told her to stop fighting and let go. She was a fighter. He went to visit his wife and made a quick stop. There was a butterfly that flew into his open window. It was red with yellow markings. The butterfly rode in the back of his car for part of the way. When he stopped at his next stop, the butterfly flew up and landed on his finger. It flapped its wings a couple times, then flew out the window. That was at 2:35 PM. A few minutes later he got a call from the hospital that his mother had passed. The time she passed was 2:35 PM.

Sunday was Easter. The day we celebrate our Lord raising from the dead. I'm so glad He did.

This morning was also eventful. I was awakened at 4 AM to the smoke alarms going off. We are all ok. We know that the smoke alarms work. It all had to do with the fireplace glass breaking. I went in and ordered a new one. It is a good thing it is warming up here. So no fires until it comes in.

I'd better go. Lots to do.

Today

Well today promises to be busy day. I'm meeting the mom's group today to make candy for Easter. The group has been up and running for about a month. I've had 1-2 ladies and their children show up. I was starting to get down about the number. Well for this scheduled event there are 10 ladies coming. We did have to get people to RSVP cause we had to plan for snacks.
Then afterwards, I will be going to the gym to work off the little "nibbles" that I take. Of course, they will only be nibbles. This evening we have a birthday party for my niece. At some point today, I need to work in alterations and creating.

I'm working on a cute teddy bear blanket. I'll post a picture when the parts are done.

Yesterday, we went to my parent's house and started doing some outside, "prepping" for planting. I undercovered the stepping stones from the grass growing over them. I had the boys help me look for "surprises" aka worms. They thought that was great. It was nice to get out and moving.

Since I've started working out, I've had a lot more energy. The boys and I do so much more together. I had a hard time after this last baby with the post-partum depression. My children didn't need to see me like that and I didn't enjoy it either. I guess that is what scares me most about if we have another. Post-Partum. Drugs would have been a last resort. I had no desire to be dependant on medication. Just getting out and playing in the snow (when we had it) or walking helped improve my spirits so much. My midwife encouraged me to join a PPD support group. The number was sitting in my pocket for weeks. It was nice to know that I had it, but I never used it. I probably should have.

Well, I've had my 2 cups of coffee. I'll probably splurge and get a 3rd. Dishes are calling.

An overview of yesterday

Yesterday was a busy and exciting day in the life of this mom. I got up and took my boys to my mother-in-laws house. The oldest didn't not have school because the teachers were needed for kindergarten testing of the incoming children. My mother-in-law usually has the 2 younger ones on Thursday anyway. This enables me to volunteer at the school. I asked if she would mind taking all 3 boys so that I can go to the gym. She agreed which surprised me as she is busy in the greenhouse.

I got to spend a whole hour at the gym and I didn't have to wait for machines. I went Tuesday night. It was crowded. I joined a gym closer, but it doesn't open until May 17th. So we are allowed to use the "sister" gym until it opens. I was able to do 10 min. on the treadmill (I had to stop cause my shins HURT). Then I did 10 min. on the eliptical and another 10 on the bike. I got about 20-25 min. of weights in. So here is my weight: 219 lbs. I'm working to get it down. I do have to say that I have a LOT more energy since working out.

When the boys and I got home, I fed them lunch. Then we went outside and started putting together the trampoline. My arms were burning from putting the springs on. That is a definite workout. I'm still a little sore this morning from it. So if you have a friend putting together a trampoline or tearing one down, volunteer to help.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Can we have a limit please?

I'm not talking about credit cards, weight or toys (though there should be a limit on those too!). I would like one on the amount of questions a 4-year old can ask in one day. They should get a dial to tell how many they've asked. Once they reach it, no more questions allowed. "Mommy, where are we going? Why are we stopping here? What are you doing?" Some of the questions they come up with are pretty funny too.

Here is one conversation I had with said 4-year old a few months ago.

child: "Mommy, where are you going?"
mom: "Crazy."
child: "Where is crazy?"

He is starting to get the concept of the city/town, state and country. I'm just waiting for him to ask if Crazy is in the USA.

I can just see this city. There will need to be one in every state and some states get two. These would be full of moms. You could stay anywhere from 1 hr. to a few days depending on how "crazy" you have become.

One day I was speaking to my uncle on my mom's side and he asked me how it was going being a stay-at-home mom of 3. My reply was, "It is a good thing I don't drink. There are some days I'd never be sober." He thought that was funny. It is just hard work to take care of children. The moms who work outside of the home are some strong women. I used to work outside the home, but that was only when I had 2. My home is not perfectly cleaned. It probably won't be until all the children have moved out. The dishes will still be there later, but your children are only this age once. I'm just trying to enjoy them at the age they are.

With that being said, it is time for the baby to have an afternoon nap and wearing out the other 2 outside. I hope everyone has a great day. Get out and enjoy the sunshine!

Super Mommy!

Here we are another day in the life of me. I watched an Oprah show yesterday. Before you get the wrong idea, I don't just sit around and watch TV all day. I was folding clothes while watching. Anyway, the show was about the things they don't tell you about before you become a mom. I was laughing. My boys would laugh when I did, but had no idea why. I thought that I was the only one to take shortcuts and would get so frustrated when I didn't get everything done.

So right now, I have a couple loads of laundry to fold, floors to sweep, a birthday gift to finish, alterations to do and at some point today, I need to get to the gym. I'll get as much cleaning done as I can, but I won't stress over it. I will get the floors swept just cause I have OCD and I don't like to step on dirt inside my house.

I have also started taking my boys for walks almost daily. (1) It wears them out and (2) It is good exercise for me and them. You can only imagine how frustrating it was when I GAINED weight after 3 weeks of walking. We would walk 1.5 to 2 miles daily. We have started bringing along bags to collect cans and bottles in. My children know what alcohol bottles are, but they also know that we don't have them in our house. People have asked us about cashing in the alcohol cans/bottles. My hubby and I reply with the same response, "If the drunks don't want the money, we'll take it." It just amazes us that 80% of what we find are alcohol containers. Makes me nervous to go on walks with the boys. Also, in 1 week of walking, my boys made approximately $30 from the collections. I told my hubby that we have a bit of a fiend on our hands. Now we will be driving down the road and hear from the back seat, "There is a bottle!" The boys get the money. We are teaching them about saving and spending.

There are too many people in this world who have not grasped the concept. We were speaking to one person about finances and they made a comment. I thought my hubby was going to have a coronary. We asked this person about why they don't just pay something off or why they bought something. I don't remember. (We are close to this person. We would in no way ask this of a stranger.) The comment we got was, "All our bills are paid for the month, so we can afford it." This is unfortunately the thinking of most people when it comes to money. The problem with the economy is not because of the President or the stock market. People just need to step up and take responsibility for the choices they make. Now I'll get off my soapbox. There is so much more that I could say on this subject, but I'll save that for another day.

I joined a gym on Sunday. They were having a $1 registration fee. I loved the gym when I was part of it before my 3rd son was born. I just felt comfortable and accepted there. I stopped my membership when I stopped working, because I figured we couldn't afford the monthly cost. Just within the last couple months, I have started taking better care of myself. I heard somewhere that it doesn't do any good for the family if the mom doesn't take care of herself. I thought how true that is!

I just fed an entire loaf of bread to the birds. Last night I was trying to stay up while I let it rise. Then I just went to bed. I was tired and it was late. I left a note on it for my hubby to bake it in the morning. It was half-baked. So this morning my son went to school with a lunchable-inspired lunch. So now I need to make a new loaf.

Guess I'd better get back to work. I'm done preaching for the day.