Two years

A lot happens in two years.  I forgot completely about this blog, until someone asked a question that made it all come back...
I still can't believe my oldest two have graduated and will both be off to college soon.  Number  three will be starting her senior year.  I still remember being "underwater" with the five under ten.  The crazy ADHD kids that I had that left me little sleep and constantly on the go, are now all self sufficient.  Thankfully they still love each other and go to movies, play games and hang out together.  I am glad they have each other.  I think of the time that Paul and I are gone...and they will have each other.
I hope to get back to blogging.  Facebook is more annoying than enjoyable right now.  Everyone who has an opinion thinks they have the right to express it, even when not relevant or warranted.  I've taken to hiding posts from annoying people, just so I can get a moment's peace.  Facebook for me was relaxing; was a way to unwind and "hang" with friends in a virtual world....now it is anything but.  So save the drama!  I have enough drama in my own life to keep me stressed enough as it is!
Blogging allows me an outlet and also to keep family on what is up in our world, when they are so very far away....
If this is your first time here, peruse the history and enjoy the stories!  Until we meet again....

Enough is enough!!

My clothes were too tight, my energy too low and my irritability at everything was at an all time high.  I just didn't feel well and knew I had to do something.  I tried striking out on my own.  I'm old enough!  I know how to do this!  Yeah, five more pounds later and I thought I was just forever to be fat.  My whole body ached and I was depressed and didn't want anyone around me...even the kids.  Before you think...wow this is really sucky to be having to read this, let me continue...

I was listening to the radio and an ad came on for Diet Center.  I've heard about them for years, but with my challenges (celiac disease) it is just plain hard to always be able to follow a plan.  I emailed, I called, I went into the local branch and found out....many of their items ARE GLUTEN FREE!  Yay!  I started with much anticipation...yes, I wanted to rewind the clock twenty years and get back to the weight I was when I only thought I was fat...not like now; now I KNOW I am fat!  

Because my life is so caught up in 8 other people (not including friends),, thinking ahead is not always easy.  Having this diet plan that says, "7:30 water enhancer, 8:00 breakfast with shake..." has been extremely helpful!  I don't have to think and because of that, the pressure of putting together food is no longer a stressful challenge!  I actually lost 6lbs my first week AND FEEL GREAT! Apart from not sleeping as much I am no longer the bloated sloth that couldn't get out of bed--hence the blog journal entry ;)  I'll keep you posted on my journey.  I have to weigh in and meet with my counselor 2xs a week *privately*.  For me this is better than WW--which I've attempted three times in the last twenty years and coming close to being successful only once before getting pregnant again...yea, that is one thing I don't have to think about anymore.  Anyway, this is more for me than anyone else, and I think that makes a huge difference as well.

Kids are doing well and everyone is enjoying Katie being home for the summer!

The terrible threes

It has been a hellish day.  For the past several days, I don't know what has gotten into me, but I have been utterly exhausted.  I have a difficult time waking up and have been sleeping rather hard.  Now I am up because a certain two year old, who I must say is ushering in her terrible threes with such gusto that I fear we will not survive it, awoke with such screams of nighmarish fear that my blood was pumping from all that adrenaline.  I rushed to her door in time to hear her pleading with her big sister to get her (they sleep in separate rooms, so I assuming she was in her nightmare).  The poor child was dazed and visibly shaking.  She didn't even recognize me when I bent down to pick her up.  I sat with her for awhile, til she nodded off and then put her back to bed.  But now, I am awake.  Oh, and the three teen girls who were up giggling at midnight, yeah, that sent my blood boiling too.  So, here I sit updating once again...hey, I asked for more time to blog, and now I have it; I shouldn't complain!
As I mentioned before, I am having a tough time waking up.  I am not usually much of a coffee drinker, but seem to need at least two cups lately to get me going.  This morning was no different.  Except I couldn't even see straight, so I poured out two bowls of cereal (as my menu planner clearly did *not* state) and flung myself on the couch.  I proceeded to fall back to sleep while the two youngest talked to each other and ate their cereal.  Time flew by.  The next thing I know I am hearing a sandpaper sound and it stirs my brain enough in my sleep to make me wake up.  "The sound" is coming from the dining room.  I come around the corner of the living room to see Roni bent over and throwing something in the air.  Kimmi is "skating" on  this whitish substance on the floor.  I don't have my glasses on, so I ask, "what is this?"  Bending over and touching it, I realize it is sugar...that and a quick glance on the floor I see a half empty storage bucket of my six month supply of sugar....all-over-the-floor....that we.just.spring.cleaned!!!!!!!!!!!!  Seriously!  If you've ever lived in the south you know just how hard it is to stay ahead of the bugs; this was a serious setback!
After the paddling was handled, it was time to throw two kids in the tub and get the sugar up off the floor of the kitchen, dining room and hallway.  That done I told the girls to stay in their room until I tell them to come out...then I go in and make coffee as my non-morning-person husband showed up mid clean and stood staring at me and then the coffee pot, then me, then walked away as to stay out of my way...smart man!
Better breakfast made, two cups of coffee down, I decided to catch up on emails, laundry and grocery list.  We use cozicalendar, so it takes a little time to get the meal planning, recipe lists and grocery list made.  Once that is done I go downstairs to find Little Bit had not stayed in her room, but had gotten out, went outside into the garage, and promptly broke 2.5 dozen eggs on the garage floor.  This cleanup takes up all the paper towels I have, bleach and kills the shopvac in one fell swoop.  Honestly, the smell of bleach and a burning motor are far better than lukewarm eggs on concrete in 90 degree weather.  Another paddling, another bath...yeah, you are getting the hang of it!  But wait, there is more!
I make sure this time to assign Lauren the task of watching her while I go take the older girls for a driving lesson.  An hour later, we walk in to find the sugar ONCE AGAIN on the floor...not as much this time, but it was still there nonetheless!  Great!  This time more kids are awake, so I assign #1 to sweep and vacuum, while Roni gets her third bath of the MORNING.  After that I decide I need to get to the store.  Two kids come with and the rest are informed of the need to have eyes on Roni AT ALL TIMES!
Shopping trip done, come home, now, yogurt is on the garage floor! Seriously?  Repeat above steps, only this time, Lauren has to clean since she failed to watch her.  I should have done it though, as she got a towel soaking wet and promptly went outside to clean up the cement with it....I threw a new roll of paper towels and a plastic bag at her and told her not to use my good towels and went and hid in my room.  There has been more messes, not nearly as dramatic as the above, and yes, the yogurt went from one little carton to six in about 15 minutes as Roni got past her sisters and managed to escape the house while I was hiding.  I give up!  I forgot what trouble three year olds can be.  My last one wasn't ever this bad...the first two definitely kept me running, but I am older now and I'm not enjoying this at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

UNDAUNTED

This was the title of a blog post I read a month ago and it has been swirling through my head for the last month.  What a great one word description of my life!  I have continued to press on "undaunted" by life events...but enough about me, now on to the kids.  So much has been going on it is hard to pin it all down to just one writeup.  I keep promising to get better about blog writing, but time does get past me!
Katherine is struggling with decisions...real grown up decisions.  Her courtship relationship is getting harder to keep separate from school and family, which I have to remind her is normal.  That is the way God designed it.  She is very torn between him and going to school and the accompanying frustration of knowing they can't be together yet as they would be poor as church mice.  So for now, the daily grind and monetary commitments push the wedding date further into the future.  We did all have a wonderful time on our family vacation this year...to Kitty Hawk, NC!  It was cold, but fun!
We thought it would even get better if we brought boys for Stephen to hang and play with...and we were right!  Two of his friends who are used to being part of a big family came along, as well as their big brother, Katie's intended.  So Paul and I, undaunted, dragged ten children 15 hours east for a week at a beach house we'd rented.

(There are so many pictures I am going to have to inundate you now with loads of beach footage)

and that's a wrap!
(btw, we found a pelvis bone of some animal, heavily toned in ocean water...that is what Paul is holding up)

Catching up on the madness!

The older I get I realize that most everything loops back around...whether fashion trends, diet trends, hairstyles or life in general. Remember hating your mom and talking back? Well, have kids and you get it all back again. Well, around here, it hadn't been that bad, but seemed to reach a crescendo last winter, then we *ALL* had a huge wake up call. I was diagnosed with cancer. It came as a complete shock and took me awhile to digest what it meant. The lab results came just about two weeks before Christmas and seemed to linger on everyone's mind the entire Advent season. Now after weeks of waiting and more trips to the hospital for yet more tests, I am cancer free. The doctors are still wanting one more surgery, but my peace is in not having another surgery and just getting back on track with my life and monitoring my body in the time frame the doctors have given me. Supplements and losing weight are top priorities for Lent. Discipline has been severely lacking in my life and this was just a wake up call to get myself back into leading a more disciplined life.
Katherine is thriving at her new college. Feeling a part of something for the first time in her life, even if it means living nine and a half hours from family and friends; and Kyle!
Megan is finally starting to leave her teenage angst behind her and becoming more mature and responsible as the days go by.
Rebecca is entering teenage angst...need I say more...
Stephen has been a bag of bones for about a year now...we check him occasionally for a pulse.
I noticed yesterday that Lauren is beginning to get accepted into the fold with the older girls. This is a new one. At Church, she sat with the "big" girls without them pushing her away or getting annoyed with her. Friends of ours used to call this "herd mentality." I see it clearly now. The little minions still prefer to be on mama's lap and occasionally getting attention from the other kids, but Lauren has now shifted into the next phase.
Kimberly still wants to be babied and really fights growing up. Veronica is the bain to my existence right now. Demanding, whiny, and all sorts of disagreeableness exist in that child. I guess it is good she is pretty...but reminds me a lot of Scarlet O'Hara...and that shall be her nickname! I think there is even a similarity there! Blue eyes and all!

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me

Ok, Cari @ Clan Donalson told me to do this and link it to Rambling Follower, however, the first thing I have to admit is:

#1 I am a complete computer idiot. In college, I worked three jobs at one point to pay my way through school. One job used two different computers, another one used yet another type and the third job was at a dry cleaner (so no computer). I have seven children and my brain stopped working around the time that number six was born ;). Therefore, I have no idea how to link anything unless it pops up by itself.

#2 I am the oldest of three girls and spent much of my growing up years being accused of being too controlling, bossy, and mean to my sisters. We fought all the time (driving my mother batty). Seven children has cured me of that--now I am more laid back and silent more often than not.

#3 I am terrified of driving over bridges. When we lived in Haughton, I had to drive over the Mississippi River on a daily basis. My heart rate increased and I would sweat, imagining the whole time how I would get the kids out. Came up with an idea for floating child/infant carseats that would propel them up to the surface if the Suburban went down fast and I could only undo seat belts...or would I just drown with them, therefore making it fair? Who could I save?
#4 I love portraying myself as competent knowledgeable and cool. The fact is, I am the opposite. The older I get I seem to be going downhill.

#5 In high school, my mother used to refer to me as the poster child for MTV as I dressed like a cross between Boy George and Madonna.

#6 I never dreamed I would be married and have seven kids...I always thought I'd be a Lobbyist/Lawyer working in Washington D.C.

#7 I love my children more than I ever dreamed I could--and that love is exponential with each child. I still wish I could have more. The dynamics of a large family intrigue me immensely.

#8 My college degree is in Pre-law/Government and my minor is in English (see #6).

#9 My parents divorced when I was in sixth grade and I never regretted their decision. Some people are just better off apart--far apart.

#10 I love to travel--but not to busy places..I am not a fan of big cities!

There, done, now Cari, how do I link this thing?

It is fixed!

I cannot believe after MONTHS of not being able to get on blogger, I have finally managed to fix all the problems and get back on. It all came back to when we changed internet providers and snowballed from there!
This photo became our Christmas card for 2011. The main reason why is because it so aptly captured the personality of our kids. I took this in Springfield, MO when I was picking up Kat for Christmas break at a friend's house. Chances are we won't be going that way again since she now owns her own car and can drive back and forth from school. Thankfully also, she has a daddy who is a pilot and can escort her and fly back.
This past month has been filled with trials in tribulations, which I will not go into at the present moment because I have already wasted too many hours already on this computer and I fear I've lost the children's motivation to be productive today. So, be assured this blog will be updated and hopefully pictures added so everyone can catch up in the busy lives of the Mississippi Harpers!
Love,
Kris

Mother's Day

Last year I got zilch, zero, squat for Mother's Day; or at least from anyone but me! No one wished me a "happy mother's day" except for Rebecca, my artist, who made me a card. So they all knew they had to do something BIG this year! And thus, my garden is born...

Stephen and I found this fountain on sale at Lowes and an inspiration for the "bare spot behind the garage" finally emerged. Keep in mind we've been here four years and I had not the foggiest idea what to do with that space. We'd yanked out an overgrown cherry tree three years before and left a big weed overgrown space for years. My neighbor blessed us a we

Save Now

ek or so ago by bringing her kids over and hosting a weed pulling party in my front yard. But now I had to put something in its place! That is where the fountain and a hundred dollars in plants and topsoil came in....
BEAUTIFUL!

Proof that babies snore

I recently had to undergo a radical hysterectomy and surgical repair of damaged tissue and muscle when I got home 48 hrs later, Veronica had a 102 fever and really didn't want to do anything, but lay in bed with me...here she is in her favorite position, snoring away. By the way, I am now a little over five weeks post op and I feel really good. I started back to the gym this week and I've been able to do more and more every day.

A Lesson in Humility

Humility is an important virtue, not humiliation. Many people confuse the two. Humility means to put others first and yourself last. True humility comes from realizing God's greatness and allowing His greatness to shine thru our weaknesses.
Children are a great example of forcing us into humility. Just when you think you have something down pat, they prove that there was something you never considered; therefore, you don't know as much as you think you did. You'd think after seven kids I WOULD know a lot about raising kids and life in general, but the more I have the more I realize I don't know!
Recent events have taught me much in the way of humility. Being at the mercy of others for my care, nutrition, health and *sanity* have been very good for showing me what control I've exhibited over others for so long that lines blurred and how much pride was exhibited in having said control. This has created a whole new dynamic between myself and my husband, as well as the kids and their dad. It is amazing what happens when mom doesn't butt into and run everything in the home! On another note, I don't think my house has ever been messier! Kids just don't have the same qualification on "clean" that mom does ;)

One, Singular Sensation, every little move she makes...

Veronica is 18 months old. In her short life, she has kept all of us busy. She is the only one to have 1) broken a bone; 2) swim in the toilet whenever she gets the chance; 3) put away silverware quite ingeniously (I will have to shoot a video tomorrow so I will have it to jog my memory when I am in the old folks home); 4) ride in an ambulance; and finally 5) have to stay the night in a hospital...oh wait, Katherine was born in the hospital, so she did stay two nights in the hospital because that was before they kicked everyone out at 24 hours...military hospital = 3 days!

Her most recent escapade had us all in stitches. In one of her "empty the cupboard" moments, she found a potty chair and began to cart it around. She then turned it into a game of peek-a-boo. Til the bowl got away from her! Thankfully it had been cleaned and put away after its last user was done with it...umm but Kimberly used it in a much different way!

I just wish we could figure out how to keep her out of trouble without leaving marks....I think they really discourage parents from using ropes to tie their children down!

Oh, and if any of you are wondering why I complain about this child so much....these smiles are for the camera. This is the most disagreeable, unhappy child I've ever known, well, except my friend Kim. We were due very close, but Dominic couldn't wait and came early. He, too, is a very cross and unhappy baby. Maybe it is just a July baby thing.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

We drove to Texarkana on Friday, so we could attend the Koebel-Stewart wedding on the 1st in Bossier City. Amid threatening tornadoes and horrendous storms, we set out hoping to head it off before it hit, too badly. We had nothing to worry about....I've seen and drove through much worse!
Little did I know, the most challenging part of my weekend, was yet to come. I go to check in and the desk clerk informed me that some woman just came in looking for me-by name?! I hadn't told anyone we were coming as our family health has been a little unstable and I didn't know if we'd even be going until the last minute. When we left, everyone was doing fine, except I wasn't feeling well, but I figured I'd gut it out. Anyway, the strangest thing was "she" apparently said that she needed to catch up to me since I had her kids?! Weird.
We then go into the elevator...Stephen let V walk in...she promptly went over and pressed the emergency call button! Ugh! I had to run back to the front desk clerk and have her cancel it as I couldn't cancel it in the elevator. I got "the look."

Our room was cheaper than anything in Shreve/Bossier and much nicer. Clean, two queen beds and a pull out couch, with a kitchenette and big bathroom...we were in heaven! Kat and Paul weren't there as work filled their schedules, but the rest of us got a nice dinner @ Applebees and two hotel rooms--yes, I said two, because we had to switch at 9pm when Kimberly 'accidentally' locked the bathroom door and no one knew how to unlock it. After all the excitement, I decided that letting them stay up to ring in the new year wouldn't be all that bad, so we settled in our beds and turned on an old Twilight Zone....mom would have been so proud! When that was over, I noticed Kim & V were sound asleep, on me-and they were feverish (great!). The kids soon realized that going from 2010 11:59 to 2011 12:00 wasn't the big deal that they thought it would be and everyone said goodnight and fell fast asleep, except for the youngest two who woke up to their second wind right as the others dozed off....ahhhh, the life of mom.
The next day went smoother and we were off by 10...in plenty of time to reconnect with old friends for lunch and hit the church in time for the wedding. Grace was beautiful and revisiting with the bride's family and also the Grete's was the icing to our cake! I was so glad we'd made the effort and the kids, while a little bored as they didn't remember everyone (we did move three and a half years ago) had a good time.
Now, for the next wedding on the 8th, we're hiring a sitter, so I can actually enjoy the wedding!

Christmas 2010

I love Christmas, but this year it has really been a struggle. It has been one illness (setback) after another. The day after Thanksgiving, Veronica developed croup & coughed and cried her way through the next several days (first dr. visit, Prednisone to help her breathe). Within a few more days the kids each fell to strep throat and after a week of my natural cure-all they weren't any better and Lauren's pustules in the back of her throat appeared to be filled with blood and she looked absolutely horrible. So back to the doctor we went! After arguing with the doctor that the kids HAD strep (he doubted my diagnosis until the swab came back positive), I left with two prescriptions for Augmentin. Calling the pharmacy a few days later I said I needed more and they refilled it...for the third child (unbeknowst) to them. Three days later, Kimmy appeared at breakfast a bit spotted...looked like prickly heat. Thinking it was scarlet fever we returned to the doctor, who doubted my diagnosis as she never had a high fever, but was perplexed as to what it could be...by the next day we knew it was an allergic reaction when she had some difficulty breathing and was covered from head to toe with huge hives (the tiny spts gathered together in the night to gang up on her). I called the doc immediately and they wanted her to finish the baby's Prednisone, take Benadryl by the handfuls and then called in more Prednisone...she was on that for five days. 24 hours later the first child began to feel sick. A violent stomach virus invaded our home and kept us captive for the next several days. Thankfully each of us only had it maximum nine hours, but it was hard! Two of the kids broke blood vessels in their faces...yes, they'd thrown up that hard! Paul came home and got it...then a friend came to play a week later; he got it within 12 hours. Friends came to help out after Veronica got into the medicine cabinet and we were transported by ambulance from the ER to the children's hospital and had to stay a fitful night of monitoring...those friends got sick! I feel like putting a quarantine sign up on the front door! Amidst this, Advent passed quickly and quietly. Before we knew it, it was just a few days from Christmas and we'd done little to no preparation.

I quickly sounded the troops and we got a tree (sadly without the whole family, but daddy was sick, Kat was working and well, it just didn't work out for us this year). Thankfully I'd done my shopping quite early this year, so that was almost all done. But baking would have to be content to wait a year. We did a few things, but not nearly what I usually did!








We still managed to pull off Christmas successfully! The kids had a blast and we got to enjoy family and friends over the holiday! We missed those who are far away from us, but know that the coming year will be full of excitement with two friends daughters getting married, Katherine graduating and entering college next fall, Megan getting a driving permit (heaven help us) and continuing to compete in swimming. Stephen has his calendar filled with scouting events and Veronica has us all running around trying to keep up with her (and keep her safe). Hope everyone has a joy filled Holy-day!

no pics?

Okay, some of you may be wondering 'why no pictures?' Well, there is a very good reason for that. I have seven kids and a few have cameras...my memory cards keep disappearing and for some reason, my camera has become strangely attached to those things. Other reason is my card reader that I used to have for the computer was dropped into the toilet one day, then rolled over by the office chair the next, so that isn't working. Finally, Paul is a computer hog. He bought me a laptop two years ago so I could sit with the kids while homeschooling and use it as a teaching tool, as well as keep up with the gradebook better...I wouldn't be hidden away in an office for hours grading papers and entering grades while the kids ran amok. IN THEORY, this all seemed like utopia, right? What really happened is Paul decided he needed to "borrow" the laptop to take with him on the road (or air if you want to be technical about it) and I've barely seen it since. It is always strangely attached to his lap. On those rare moments when I do get to steal on for a bit, you will know because there is actually a lot more activity on fb and there were pictures because I could use the card reader in the lapbook.
About a month ago we had a storm of monsoon proportions...it happened to catch him right as he was exiting his car to walk to the terminal for work. His computer got soaked (as he did). It took several days to dry out, but it still works-just not well. I'm assuming now that Paul has finally purchased a new "netbook," that he will lovingly bestow, umm return, the crappy lapbook back to me...we'll see.

To trust in His love and Mercy. God is good; all the time.

Been fighting off tears all day. A friend of mine, not anyone that one might call "best" in a childlike sense of the word, but one whom I "connected with" instantly is moving in three weeks. Not anywhere close, either...from Tennessee to Alaska-It will be quite an adventure for their entire family...all 14 of them! Yes that is right, 14. They have 12 children with no sign of slowing down ;) I admire their dedication and obedience to God and all His gifts! In my weak moments, in those moments when I don't think I can stand being in the same house with my kids or husband, Kim has always told me what I needed to hear. Sometimes it is just, "I know, I've been there and other times she has a kernel of wisdom that only comes from years of similar struggles. She is younger than me, but with more children than me, her loss of patience, frustration and tears probably outnumber mine. Kim isn't someone I get to talk to often or see that often, but like that old pair of shoes in the back of the closet, you take them out and put them on every now and again because they are comfortable and good for your spirit. Kim, if you are reading this, I don't consider you like an old pair of sneakers because you are smelly, dirty and stained, although I have seen you postpartum, lol! I will miss Kim because those moments will be gone. I probably should have been a better friend, but well, too late for that....
Another friend was in for her yearly MRI of her brain. She has a history of a brain tumor and actually had one removed 15+ years ago, but nothing had really developed or changed since then, until now. Lorrie is my neighbor and truly like that loving, picking on, chiding sister way. She smokes, I drink and we sit outside letting mosquitos eat us up while we share our frustrations, joys and of course laughter, lots of laughter. Our kids almost always get along, our husbands get along, and they live close by, which all makes for a convenient friendship. Sometimes I feel like we are both fumbling around in the dark for the lightswitch to illuminate our busy lives. They have four children and she works full time on the weekends...and by that I mean two 12 hour shifts. Tomorrow she is seeing a research doctor regarding this new MRI. After that she is seeing another specialist who does a gamma knife. Right now she knows not what her fate is and she is very concerned, as well all are. I went by to see her today, shared a glass of wine and thought, "what would Todd & the kids do without her?" I don't like to go there. I don't verbalize it and I know her computer is broken, so she won't be reading this anytime soon. But, the worry, stress and pain that she is going thru is immense. She keeps saying, "I trust in God, I trust in God..." and funny enough that seems to be my issues with God as well (must be the control freak in me). Pray for Lorrie, pray for their family; pray that the multiple meningiomas stop growing, that they aren't cancerous and can be operated on, pray for healing.
Pray also for my friend Kim and her family as they embark on a cleansing and trust in God in an entirely different way. They are moving to AK in the hopes of a better future for the family, without a thing to weigh them down, except what can be stuffed in a suitcase. This must be freeing in some ways, but scary in others and I pray for God's will in all things. Amen.

September brings change....

Well, today I am feeling a bit "writerish" so I figured I'd do a monthly update...stop laughing, I really am! We'll see how long this lasts before I am interupted by a small child getting into something they shouldn't. I can't put in pics because my "thingy" stopped working and the laptop is on its way to Omaha with Paul (which is how I usually get the pics in the computer).
Veronica reminds me a lot of Katie when she was this age. Into everything and climbing! We go to Church and she is trying to wriggle out of arms and over pews; balancing on the sides and backs of chairs in the cry room. Climbing onto the dining room table, back of the couch, piano and even onto kitchen counters. Difference being, she doesn't necessarily WANT something, but does it just to do it. The sense of accomplishment is written all over her face! Due to this fact, last night I poured over toddler climbing/sliding/playsets and finally decided on one that I think would be just the thing..should be here by the end of the month. I've given up on Paul ever building the big kids the outdoor playset they've been begging for ever since we moved here three years ago...maybe Christmas will bring them a substitute...still contemplating my rebellion.
Kimberly, ah, Kimberly...Paul and I decided that if her personality could have been infused in all the kids, we would have 15 by now! She is the most easy going, obedient, loving child in the house. Easily corrected and easily disciplined...she makes my life so much happier (most of the time). She is learning to write and is working on phonics. She already knows colors, basic shapes and can identify value and write her name...she's been a willing and eager student.
Lauren. Lauren celebrated her birthday the end of August. The big 9 year old is just as distractible, if not more, than Megan. She also is an eager student, but half the time can't remember WHAT she is doing from one moment to the next. I had her a stack of clothes to put away and 10 minutes later I go up to find out where she went. Clothes will have dropped from the pile until the pile is gone, 2 ft from her room and she will be laying in her room reading a book or playing Littlest Pet Shops with Kimberly...totally forgetting about the clean clothes that were to have made it to the dresser drawers. Even her friend's main complaint is that all Lauren likes to do is play piano and read...really? I have no problem with that aspect of her personality!
Stephen has hit a speedbump in life. He is now a sloven, lazy mess. He used to be the neatest child. Always, always had a clean room...not anymore! I think if he has his way, he'd have one outfit AND THAT IS IT! Cuts down on laundry thought, right? He rushes through his schoolwork to get it done for the week, then sits back and reads...drives me batty! When I try to come up with more work for him, he totally rebels and says that he doesn't have to do it. (I mean this boy will be in hysterics just trying to avoid doing anything more than what is necessary). He is already my height and his feet appear bigger than mine...and he's only 11...can't wait to see what the next year brings!
Rebecca has become a social outcast. She remind me a lot of Audrey Hepburn...artsy, quiet, shy. She prefers to isolate herself from everyone else...except occasionally coming out of her shell (when forced) to engage in social activities or pal around with her friends or sisters. She is excellent with young children and will make an excellent babysitter!
Megan turned 15 in June and is finally starting to learn some skills to overcome her ADD from a clinical psychologist. I kinda lost all hope for that child and we sought out help in order to deal with some issues (gorey details aside, I'll just leave it at that). Every family has their struggles, some are transparent and out there in the open for everyone to "see," others' struggles are hidden, behind closed doors and you never know about them, until something happens to throw the door open to the public....I learned that years ago. Some of us live our lives looking up to families we see as "perfect" and "wish we could have kids like that," and I've learned that things aren't always what they appear and I pray daily for friends and families and their own personal daily struggles.
Anyway, back to kids, Katherine turned 17...I still can't believe it! 17! She passed her drivers test in July and Paul and I are wondering how we made it until now! It has been such a help to us! She can drive and go out on a shopping errand, drive kids to school, allergy shots, etc. A week before school started, she also decided to home school her senior year. The public high school was messing with her schedule and we tried since May to meet with her counselor to try to get an appropriate schedule set up...they never returned our calls at first, then wouldn't meet with us, then Katherine finally got them on the phone and they said to wait until classes start! Ugh! It was so frustrating because at the time we were trying to get her into the local community college and needed to set up her schedule so we could schedule her college classes. Paul finally just let slip, "why doesn't she just homeschool?" Kat heard that and did her research to figure out if it would mess her up or not and approached us...a week before school was to start, she approached us with her "proposal" and well, we consented.
The oldest five are attending a la carte classes from Lighthouse. Kat is getting Physics, Trig/Pre-Calculus, Macro/Microeconomics and her 4th year of English & Lit. Her classes are TOUGH, so we decided against the college coursework for now. She is about 90% sure she wants to attend Benedictine next fall, but Paul and I are making her look at a few other colleges, just in case. The others are taking a variety of courses like science, writing/grammar and Megan and Stephen are both in Destination Imagination, which may bankrupt us in the end,but is inspiring them to "turn their brains on!"
Okay, the kids received a VHS player from grandma on her last visit...followed by a bunch of videos and the kids have rediscovered our videos that have been packed up and "Veggie Tales" is distracting me, so the words are not coming as freely as before. Have a blessed day!!!

summer has gone so quickly!

Wow! I cannot believe so many months have just flown by! I'd had totally forgotten about my blog until scrolling down through facebook and noticed it's link right under my kids names...realization hit! I have failed to document some really interesting stuff about our family!!! So let's see if I can remember it all.

Let's see, I think I'll go down by person and not be month.
Paul worked almost constantly in May, until the Air Force decided they'd run out of money to pay him for all his hard work. I think it is now the end of August and they still haven't paid him for one or two weeks he did the end of May. All through the summer he seems to have been home more...which is good and bad. We love seeing him, hate his self denial of laziness that is thrust upon the rest of us. No sooner had I announced we were done with school for the summer, than he had the entire second story (minus the bedrooms and office) cleared! Ceilings were scraped, light fixtures and carpet removed, filling of cracks, scrapes and holes and then the sanding, priming and painting! After all of that, new carpet and light fixtures...oh, and I had to replace the bottom stair step as we expanded its size. I love the new classroom/den, but oh, vey I need another break!
I finally sought out drs for various ailments over the summer. Found out 1) My plantar faciitis is better, however due to compensating on how I walk/run, I now have tendonitis and feel like the top of my foot is being severed slowly and painfully...solution: I get to wear a foot brace as much as possible to protect the tendons and allow for healing. Pain still there, but at least it is better. 2) Nothing wrong with my heart that isn't related to hormone fluctuations; i.e. nothing to be done about it and 3) The location of my fibroid tumors are creating some discomfort and physical/medical problems and will probably need to be dealt with in the next six months. But on another note, school is going very well for all the kids this year.
Katherine decided rather last minute that homeschooling is what she'd prefer for her senior year. Although I had my doubts, thus far (3 weeks in) it is proving to be the best decision we've made in a long time. She is TONS happier and loves being challenged and being around homeschool kids. We had a surprise birthday for her and she was truly overwhelmed with emotion and well, *we got her good!*
Megan is enjoying school as well. Some other stuff is going on with her right now, but hopefully life will get better/easier/more enjoyable in a few months.
Rebecca, well, actually Rebecca, Stephen, and Lauren are all doing well at the 'new' school. I like this 'a la carte' type of school, where you pick and choose what you want to take and then you are free to home school what you want for the other subjects. Teaching Textbooks has been wonderful for the kids and they love doing their lessons and listening to lectures on the computer.
Kimberly is now home with mom (well, and Veronica) on Tuesdays! She is loving having some one on one time with me and few distractions since V naps for several hours during our time together. Preschool has been very easy for her. I guess that is what happens when you have older siblings!
We are all enjoying the new "clean" upstairs! V seems to have the only problem. Kat fell down the stairs with her on her hip about two months ago. Breaking V's leg bones at the ankle. She was in a hip cast for three weeks and then a smaller cast for another three weeks as the boot they went to put her in was too big. Now she is back to her normal self and climbing and getting into all kinds of trouble.
The end of summer means back to normal, and for one I am thankful!

Discovery and Diagnosis

Veronica is ten months old and growing like a weed...mainly "out," but busy as ever--running, not walking and eating anything she can get her hands on--whether edible or not!


Kimberly is finally dry all night and no longer in pull-ups! Those things cost a small fortune so that is going to save us a ton. She is wanting to learn "preschool" and is working with me and Rebecca to complete a preschool workbook. She is the most diligent child I have and constantly wants to clean her room or complete various chores around the house, so she can have Wii time or computer time. She's also picked up her older sister's singing talent.


Stephen will be presently making his final bridge to Boy Scouts...that ceremony is tonight, so I'll post pics of that later. I honestly don't know who is more excited...Paul or Stephen. Paul is living vicariously through his son, everything he ever wanted to do....at least it is a short list. Stephen and Rebecca are basically done with their homeschooling, except for their standardized tests Monday. Stephen & Rebecca had birthdays, but I didn't get any pics of Becca's due to no camera...here are two of Stephen's. He actually will be celebrating his birthday next weekend with a party.

Katie is in Chicago for her choir trip this year. I think they have one performance tonight and then various activities planned. Mrs. Norris sure knows how to keep her students busy...therefore out of trouble! They are a good group of kids though and I know Katie will surely miss it next year. Her senior year she decided to just take three classes and get off at lunchtime so hopefully she can get a job or do some dual-enrollment. She has been so busy lately that her head is swimming! She took her ACT and got a 31. She is trying to decide if she wants to take it again and this time actually study for it. Although I have reminded her that 31 out of 36 ain't bad and is good enough for scholarships and any school she wants to go to. Her top interests right now (I think) are Benedictine, Belmont Abbey, Franciscan University and Creighton University. She wants to combine Computer Science with Science and these all looked promising to her. I think Belmont Abbey actually even had Biotechnology as a major. She has yet to visit three of the four schools, so no final decisions have been made. She also had her first boyfriend this year, but the relationship turned out to be more platonic than romantic and ended well. They are actually good friends...actually his whole family is good friends of ours so thankfully nothing went sour. I think this was a major stress for his parents, as much as it was for us! She also took a driver's ed class to help her get over her fear of driving....it didn't work, but we've been working on that more and hopefully she'll be ready in the next few weeks to get her license.
Paul has been working a lot in Nebraska and has kept him out of pocket quite a bit. The neighbors are all so sweet to look out for us. This stress is probably what has contributed to my recent medical issues. A friend has been praising Dr. Daniel's abilities as a doctor for a year now and I'd been pretty much putting off going to the doctor after my last bout with a podiatrist turned out to be a painful mistake. Anyway, I'd packed on about 15lbs due to the fact that my stomach was hurting ALL THE TIME. The only time I had relief was when it was full...so I kept munching all day long...Joined Weight Watchers and lost 10 lbs, but then it stopped and my stomach pain got worse, so I finally decided it was time to go to the doctor. He is a personable smart man and immediately requested my medical records from my cardiologist and set me up with a gastroenterologist. The gastro dr. wanted to do an EGD...long story short, the final dx was Celiac Disease, which wasn't what I expected. I also have a mild hiatal hernia, which explains the difficulty eating solids when pregnant (it worsens with lack of space) and problems swallowing at times (food often gets stuck and I have to throw up to get some relief). Basically CD is an inherited autoimmune disease that is triggered by stress or childbirth (gee, do you think I qualify?). I cannot tolerate wheat, rye, barley or oats. This answered a lot of questions for us and I was somewhat relieved with the dx. Paul was thrilled that there is finally an answer and has been extremely helpful and supportive. My diet has changed dramatically and I am dropping weight again. Although I cheated and had some of Stephen's birthday cookie cake...took me two days to feel well again! CD is not a diet you can cheat on! It is a learning process, but eating Gluten free is helping me to feel tons better! After almost two weeks, my premature "age spots" on my hands are decreasing & getting lighter, my arthritis is tons better, my depressive mood is definitely lifting, I am sleeping better, and my abdominal pain & swelling is gone. Things that I had no idea were related are! The kids were sweet and for Mother's day made me gluten free cupcakes...they don't want to eat *my* food, but they will make it for me! Well, my morning is getting away from me so I'd better cut this short.

April update

Spring has sprung and with it POLLEN! I can usually make it about two weeks when it begins to warm up and then allergies go through the roof! We are all sneezing and red eyed over here. We are winding down with school and the kids have spring fever. Kat is gearing up for her AP exam in two weeks. She took her ACT on the 10th and received notification of successfully making "National Merit Scholar's" first cut. Her life is spinning away from us far too quickly. Funny how I wanted her to "hurry up and grow up" because she drove me batty as a young one, but now I want to hold on and she is so ready to move up and on with her life. Thankfully I think we are still good friends and that she talks to me just about everything. Don't get me wrong, I'm still "the mom," but I'm a friend as well...kinda like the relationship I had with my mom as a teen...although at that time I never appreciated it and fought her a lot more than Kat fights me. She'll be 17 in August and hoping to graduate early in order to get on to college. We'll keep you posted on how that goes.
We are starting to understand Megan's learning disabilites farrrrrr toooo late! You'd think the amount of time that Megan has had in school, that someone, anyone who is more experienced with MANY children and MANY disabilities/backgrounds would have caught it. This is one child I feel a lot of guilt over. I cuddled and loved her so much when she was a baby and then she hit 2 and she changed and became the biggest challenge...yes, bigger than Kat. I honestly didn't know how to handle her and it left me a little numb after a bit. I know she CAN be successful, but I'm not sure she wants to. A few of my kids seem to lack the drive, motivation, the "umpf" to do schoolwork, chores, anything really. They'd much prefer to read, play the wii or on the computer. We'd started Dave Ramsey's kids program and they were doing so well until greed and envy kicked in and I had to stop it. We might restart it with some new ground rules as soon as I can stop single parenting!
Rebecca continues to be the artsy fartsy one in the family..always drawing, creating and now add to that cooking. I will have to spend some time with her preparing meals, not just cookies! Rebecca just turned 13 and has hormones now....wow three teen girls....not a happy place for about a week out of each month...maybe that is why Paul is working out of town so much these days?!
Stephen is bridging over to Boy Scouts in a month. Paul is so proud....he is living vicariously through his son and it is working well for both of them at this point. He really enjoys his friends and school and life is pretty good for him, even if he suffers from the "Harper Umpf."
Lauren's newest is that she is now on allergy shots. She is taking it in stride and is not nearly as stressed as she was when the allergist announced this was our next move. I'm glad we started before allergy season as it has had time to make a difference. Her skin is better and no more keeping her up at night itching...funny enough, her extremely dry chapped hands are gone. Makes me think that was allergy related as well. She is still in the studious student stage and loves to finish her work everyday. But the child is a horder and we find apple cores EVERYWHERE, empty boxes, etc. I've had her tested for anything that would explain the compulsive eating and skinny as a rail, but the dr. just told us that is just the way she is for now and there were no medical issues! Darn...can't fix it!
Kimberly has turned into a nightmare as far as being quiet, still or calm...she is now none of those things. Another Darn! I thought THIS ONE will be calm and easy for me...I haven't had one of those since Becca, although Stephen wasn't so bad....
Veronica is FINALLY sleeping through the night and is teething four teeth on top. So during the day she is whiny and wants to be held by only me. She has been trying to walk and is up to about five steps before sitting down, but the determination is so in her face that it is just a matter of time. She is still kinda pigeon toed, so that isn't helping either. She will be 10 months May 2!
Well, I've been up for an hour and I think the allergy meds kicked in so I can go back to sleep...sneezing and runny noses are no fun and impossible to sleep through! So this is it for the April update!

Gulf Shores, the seven child odyssey (or oddity, depending on who you ask)...

WHAT WAS I THINKING????

I wanted a nice, calm, relaxing vacation to the beach. I wanted to feel the warm sand in my toes and hear the roar of the ocean waves...what did I get?

(In the house b.v. (before vacation officially began)...

"stop eating all the food...I bought it for the trip!"

"get your laundry done or you aren't going to have any clean clothes!"

"clean your rooms, we don't want to harbor pests or odors while we are gone!"

"pack!"

"yes, you do have to brush your teeth when you are on vacation. With toothpaste!"

"yes, you will need underwear and lots of it..."

"shampoo, soap still needed."

In the car:

"are we there yet?"

"how long before we stop to eat?"

"I'm bored!"

"roll the window up!"

"roll the window down!"

"seatbelts!"

"when's dad coming?" (Paul had to stay behind to wait for Kat to get out of school, Stephen also chose to stay behind, so I really only had five with me for the drive down).

I should have chosen the sleeping site better, yes, we had a washer and dryer and were on the ground floor, however, it was a dump! Clean but, well, dumpy. The curtains were threadbare and didn't keep the sun out at all! We finally hung towels over the curtain rod and put the beach mats in the windows to help us sleep just a little better. It was cold and windy, so having the indoor pool just 20 ft away was nice, but the arcade was a nightmare as the kids quickly found the candy machine and hung out there gorging themselves on sweets until they were near a diabetic coma!!! Of course, there is never a vacation for mom, it is still cooking, cleaning, wiping of snotty noses! Add to this having to watch Kimberly as she'd broken her arm the week before we left. The break is too high for them to set and the bones weren't "off" so the doctor just said to immobilize it for three weeks...ha, ha!! It was easier when she wasn't moving it, but now she is moving it, just not putting any weight/pressure on it. I was so worried she'd fall on the sand and hurt it more! We all had to watch and help her a lot. All and all it was a good trip, just exhausting! I'll try to get pics on as blogger allows...