Christmas

Well, the Christmas tree is up...no lights or decorations, but it is up! I unpacked my grandmother's nativity set that my mother shipped to me last summer and the kids were just amazed that something that old was "still around?!?!!" My mother came across it cleaning out her mother's house.
I had gotten ahold of a crayon when I was probably about four or five and wrote "Krissy" across the top of the box. My mom believed it to be truly prophetic and so mailed it to me. I am also the only "religious" person in my family, who has her own home...so it just seemed to make sense. I've been just sitting and looking at it every morning reminiscing upon past Christmas's. Bicycles, stereos, great-grandma's knitted slippers, big Christmas eve dinners, etc. swirl thru my mind. I still can't believe I will be forty next August. Before ya know it I'll be dead and the kids will be all grown with families of their own! Life goes on...
Okay, that was depressing as hell...Saturday, Kimberly decided to empty a box of that packing popcorn (that I had asked one of the kids to put in the attic...she didn't) and the kids decided to have a "snowball" fight in it...they were not happy when mom and dad found them and made them all stay up to clean it up. Paul was heading up to send them to bed when the deed was discovered. The entire upstairs AND stairs was coated. I came in with the hair spray and it soon became much easier to clean it all up. They did finally get to bed close to 10pm. I hope it was worth it!

Katherine's Choir Christmas Benefit Concert

Last night was the Benefit Choir (no charge, but donations accepted for the Hope House, a support facility for women and children with HIV). I have a brief video that shows Katherine in the middle and then I pan down to show everyone (well a portion). The kids were surrounding us around the church. I wish I could've gotten more!

So I am in the office printing out week 2 advent stuff for their lapbooks and I hear Paul telling Megan that she needs to hurry and get her homework done as we are leaving in 90 minutes to go to Mass.
Megan, "It's Monday! Didn't we just go yesterday?"
Paul, "Megan, it is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a Holy Day of obligation. you need to get homework done and eat."
Megan, "Eat, what are they serving?"
Paul, "what?"
Megan, "You just said it was a feast..."
me...giggle, giggle!

So yesterday, I took Lauren and Rebecca to the school performance of the Nutcracker. Both of them took friends and for the first time we actually got to see the whole thing...thanks to daddy who stayed home with Kimmy and Stephen! It is nice to go to the school performances as they are a little more laid back and helpful. Someone comes out at the beginning to introduce the story and help the kids with their "ballet manners." He then returns at Intermission to answer questions. Lauren's friend, "Did the sleigh really fly?" Answer, "no, it had special wires that carried it up to a special platform behind the stage." Lauren (asking me as her voice did not carry as well as Lotus'), "how did they get it to snow inside the theater?"
Rebecca and her friend thoroughly enjoyed it. They enjoyed seats that we really wouldn't have ever been able to afford had we seen this ballet on opening night. Mezzanine and almost on top of the stage...the girls really had perfect views! We kinda had a whole girl day as afterwards we went to eat lunch at Cracker Barrel and then I took everyone home. I was utterly exhausted and fell into bed when I got home...sleeping for almost two hours!
Today will be another out of the house day as we have First Friday activities today and I still have to make my potluck meal. We leave in two hours so I'd better get my b*** in gear! Have a blessed day!

Stephen's prayer

So Stephen was given the assignment to make up a prayer thanking God for all the gifts that He gives to us...here it is (dad told him to take up half the sheet of paper):
Thank you God for all the bushes, roses, flowers, trees, stars, the moon, the sun, life, mankind, grass, leaves, branches, rain, snow, hail, atmosphere, Earth, water, food shelter, clothes, eyes, nose, ears, mouth, hair, eyebrows, cheeks, backbone, chin, stomach, organs, long intestine, short intestine, knees, feet, toes, toenails, belly button, arms, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, fingers, fingernails, palms and necks that you have willingly and lovlingly given us.

Advent Preparations

Since I feel like I've been whiplashed into Advent, I ordered some lapbooks for the kids to make during Advent. Here is day 1:
The kids seemed to really enjoy it...even though it was a lot of cutting! I also didn't realize this would involve more than one folder, so I was busy cutting and gluing the folders together correctly! I kept loosing them as a Christmas show was on tv last night, so that is why you don't see Rebecca! We were having so much fun, I forgot I had wanted to hit confession last night! St. Paul's is offering confessions to be heard Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays during Advent! Have to hit it up next time!'
Have a blessed day...and yes, I did get more sleep last night!

What is it about kids that they have to leave evidence of their existence everywhere they go? We super-cleaned before Thanksgiving, down to the steam cleaning, dusting, taking down curtains and washing those and scrubbing blinds. I now cannot tell any room was ever clean! The den has scattered DVD cases, paper, crayons and clothing. The classroom, thank goodness is pretty tidy apart from the stray paper and pencil here and there. We won't even speak of what the bathrooms look like. I'm thinking of installing permanent dressers in there as it seems that is where all the clothes end up anyway!
Okay, I am complaining, but it is exhausting cleaning a room and turning around and having it destroyed. I feel like I have six "Pig-pens" living here; remember the character from Charlie Brown? Plus, I am just plain tired! Kimberly for some reason is finding it difficult to sleep in her own bed. She makes her way into our room every night. Sometimes I am so out of it I don't even realize she is there, but last night she came in, wet so much it leaked through her waterproof pants and soaked me. I changed her and put her back to bed, then she came back at 3am to say she had to potty, but I soon discovered it was too late as the second pair of pants were soaked. Second change and put to bed...only to crawl in with us about 45 minutes later, just as I was nodding off...so then I laid there for awhile, dozed A LITTLE and woke up at 5am. Figuring I'd just get up so I could make some scones for the kids for breakfast and go back to bed, I just got up. Got K and M up for school, prayed for them, fed them and sent them out the door. Did a load of dishes that we were to busy to finish last night and laid down on the couch...up comes Kimberly 30 minutes later..."wake up, PLEASE!" So here I sit in an exhausted stupor trying to get on with my day...
I just realized this blog is morphing into me and less about the kids, sorry! So I guess I'd better talk about how great they are now, right?
um........not much in the mood for that! Okay, they aren't that bad, but I have nothing to really speak of except little things..
#1 while dressing Kimberly yesterday, Becca came in the room and just started laughing uproariously..."mom look at Kimmy's bum!" I turned her around and her whole bum was exposed as the seam in her undies was ripped clear across...we all started laughing so hard she passed gas then giggled more about that!
#2 Stephen is doing very well with scouts and they are preparing to be in the parade this weekend.
#3 Lauren is doing much better on her allergy meds. She is compliant and helpful and less annoying than usual.
#4 Becca hasn't been feeling well and suffered from a horrible migraine last night. She ended up going to bed right after dinner...but then I had to get her up to go with us to choir practice at Church. I didn't make her get up, but got her a coke and some Tylenol and she started to feel a little better. I'm taking Becca and Lauren to the Nutcracker on Thursday.
#5 Megan is not being helped by the public school system like I thought she would. I thought I'd fought enough to get her the assistance she needs, but obviously after the progress reports I've seen, she isn't. It doesn't look like it will get any better. I am praying hard about her situation as I don't see homeschooling being an option that I can handle. I'd have to send everyone else to school, just to ensure that she is getting all the attention she needs in order to be successful. At this point I honestly have no idea what to do and feel quite helpless with this child.
#6 Katherine is doing very well, but I do notice her having some difficulties this semester with keeping it all together. I don't know why. She slipped from an A to a B in English and another class is an A- that she had a solid A in last quarter. She is getting excited for their pancake breakfast this weekend, parade, Christmas choir concert and upcoming trip to NY in January.
Paul has been home a lot this year. I'm used to not seeing him from Nov-Jan and he's been home more than not.
Well, I need to get the lazy ones up....
Have a blessed day!