Sunday Project: Operation Baby Rescue

Today was a very productive day.  We went to church, tidied up the house, played a family game, and I rescued a poor pathetic excuse for a baby doll.

 Yesterday our family went to this cute little shop down the street from us called "The Dam Garage Sale".  I have been dying to check this place out and finally my husband agreed to pull over and let us take a look around.  Josephine immediately was drawn to this metal shopping cart that was just her size and a baby doll that had definitely seen better days.  She was in LOVE with this baby and wouldn't give it up, even when we tried to show her a much nicer baby.  This was her baby.  So, we haggled a bit for the shopping cart and they threw the baby in for free.

Well, we left the store and headed home where immediately Josephine decided that the baby needed a blanket and clothes and let's just say, an attachment was formed.  Later in the day we had to head to a Fine Arts Festival for the boys.  Of course, baby had to come too.  Not only does baby have some seriously crazy hair, she also had a VERY short dress and no diaper or anything to cover up her obviously private areas!  I was embarrassed to drag this baby doll around!  Out of all the cute dolls she has, she had to take this one!

Finally after about the fifth comment from others I decided that baby was going to be my project!  I scoured Pinterest for ideas on how to fix baby's hair and clothing situation.  SUCCESS!  I used this tutorial to repair her hair.  I first wet it down with a squirt bottle and then combed it out.  She immediately looked better, but I decided to do the hair repair because she had a bit of a musty smell to her.

I only let her sit for about an hour in the solution because her hair wasn't in that bad of shape and mostly I was doing it to help with the smell. I used 1 cup of Downy and 1 cup of water...that was pretty strong, I think next time I could reduce it a bit. I used the medicine syringe to wet her roots with the solution so that her head wouldn't fill up with soapy water.

While she was enjoying her spa treatment I started to work on her outfit.  I used the diaper pattern found here.  I just saved the picture of the pattern and printed it in word so I wouldn't have to subscribe to Scribd.  Then I made her a dress from the patter and tutorial found here!  I am not a skilled seamstress and this entire process (including winding a bobbin after fighting with my bobbin winder, tucking kids into bed and hassling with my sewing machine) only took me about an hour and a half!  Not too shabby for a beginner!

After the clothes were sewn I rinsed baby's hair and dried it gently with a microfiber towel to get as much of the water out as possible.  Then I worked the comb through her hair and got it back into pigtails!  I gave her bangs a quick trim as they were a bit uneven from the tugging.  And she is ADORABLE!  I can't wait for Josephine to see her in the morning.  I hope she loves her.  I really enjoyed making the doll clothes!

My grandma told me that when she was little she would put her dolls out before Christmas and on Christmas morning they were back and fresh and clean and with new clothes.  Her mother worked to make each doll a new dress and freshened them up.  Maybe that tradition will have to continue.  I definitely felt like today was a productive and relaxing day.

A Week of Mummies!

For the month of October we decided to pick a spooky for each week leading up to Halloween.  This past week we studied mummies!  It was amazing!  We had a BLAST!

We started our week as we usually do, going to the library and checking out TONS of books (fiction and non-fiction) on our topic.  Then the fun really begins.  We spent the week reading our books and discussing a little bit about ancient Egypt (just so we could get some background as to why we even have mummies), the mummification process, and all the gross stuff boys like about mummies.  Let me tell ya, the boys think it is AWESOME that they pulled the brains out through the nose with a hook!  The BEST book we read was "You Wouldn't Want to be an Egyptian Mummy! Disgusting Things You'd Rather Now Know" by David Stewart.  There is a whole series of these books and they are GREAT!  They are simple, lots of pictures, fun facts, and not too daunting for a kid while also not being too simple for an adult.  You should definitely check them out.  

We also spent a day at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  The boys had their monthly classes and during our classroom breaks we checked out their AMAZING Egypt exhibit!  We could have spent an entire day in there, but with baby sister in tow, that wasn't possible.  The boys got to see real mummies, touch papyrus, look at hieroglyphs and see lots of artifacts.  

We used learning packets that I found at a website called 3 Dinosaurs (I picked through and only printed what I wanted) and also a packet that I found at Royal Baloo.  These were amazing assets to our learning unit.  I think we could have spent a whole month (or maybe even a year) on Egypt.  We ALL loved it.  

We also decided to conduct our first REAL science experiment.  We got the idea from a blog I follow and we carried out our own experiment.  We mummified apples!  It was REALLY REALLY cool!  The boys spent time drawing up observations and creating a hypothesis.  At the end of the week we unwrapped all of our apples and the results were pretty gross! (Perfect for boys)  Who would have known that vinegar was that good of a preservative!  

Preparing our experiment

The apples were ready to be stored

In their "tomb" for the week (guest room closet)

Time to unwrap!

Our Results

Control Group

Vinegar Group

Baking Soda Group (EWWWW!)

Salt Group

Sugar Group

Proud little scientists

The final write-up

Alex also had to write his very first book report this week!  He chose a book from the library, read it (we did some of it together because it was a bit daunting, but he handled it really well) and did a small write-up about the book and presented it to the family.  He did an amazing job.  The book he chose was "The Curse of King Tut's Mummy" by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld.  I will definitely be looking for more of these books too.

We had a great time together and I really felt like we were learning alongside each other this week.  I know not all weeks can be this cool (I just don't have the energy for it) but I am grateful for the time we have together to have amazing weeks.   We all learned a ton this week, and I would say that this week was a total success.  

Why I Won't Be Washing My Mirror Any Time Soon

This school year we are trying very hard to create habits and schedules and sticking to them.  I truly feel that this is the only way that we will be able to function with all of our schooling, activities, clubs and other things that keep us going.  Since we have moved into our new home, this has been a whole lot easier.  Every morning the kids and I gather around the table for breakfast and scripture study.  Then, we adjourn to get ready for our day.  At this point the boys run upstairs and wash their hands and face, brush their teeth and get dressed.  Baby girl and I have a routine all our own.  First, I head up the stairs and call for her to follow me.  She then quickly makes her way up the stairs usually laughing the whole way.  Then we head to her room where she selects her clothes (or I give her a few choices and she picks).  After she is dressed she puts her clothes in the hamper and her diaper in the trash.  She then makes a quick stop by the boy's room to check in on their silliness and then we go down the stairs, step-by-step as she learns that climbing down stairs is a bit more complicated than going up.  Then we proceed to my bathroom, this is where the fun starts.

I swoop her up and plop her on the counter with her little toes in the sink.  I prep her toothbrush, which involves my turning on the water so that her toes get wet.  I brush her teeth, and then she takes over the brushing while I move on to brushing her hair.  We chatter back and forth as I tame her very short and thin red mane and place a bow on her head.  We always take a step back and admire ourselves in the mirror and then she toddles off for 30 minutes of TV.  This morning, she did something that took my breath away...

Once we were ready to step back and admire ourselves, she stood up in the sink and plopped the biggest slobbery kiss on the mirror!  She giggled and did it again and again, then looked at me and said "So Pretty!"  in her precious 16 month old voice.  Then, she left me to reflect on this moment as she toddled into the living room.  There I stood, facing myself in the mirror.  I am dressed for the gym, yoga pants and an old shirt with my hair pulled back.  Let me be honest, I rarely look in the mirror.  Mostly, just when I absolutely HAVE to.  I have always been terribly self conscious, and it has only gotten worse as I have gotten older.  I just don't like to see myself.  Here I have the most adorable baby girl who is rejoicing in her beauty!  She doesn't notice that her forehead has the biggest mosquito bite on it that it looks like she will turn into a unicorn at any moment, she doesn't notice a single flaw, she just knows that she is "So Pretty" and she is loved.  I want to be like her.  I want to rejoice in ME.  Today, I will rejoice in ME.  I will rejoice that I have a body that works hard to meet my daily demands.  I will enjoy my blue eyes and round cheeks.  I will smile because I am ME.

I will also leave those slobbery smudges on my mirror as a reminder that I am "So Pretty".  I will pray that I will be confident enough in myself so that my daughter will never be afraid to look in the mirror.  That she will know that she is loved, important and that she is worth more than gold in HIS eyes.  Today, my role model and hero is my baby girl.  She loves me for me, and doesn't see my flaws as flaws, but as part of who I am.  I am blessed.

My Little Leaders

I told you that I would post about Eric's Pre-K and my thoughts on it all so, here it is as I promised.

Three years ago I was looking for a Mother's Day Out program to put Alex in.  I checked at a number of places locally and wasn't having much luck finding something that felt right.  Then, a friend of mine mentioned that she had her son in a program at Woodland Place Baptist Church called Little Leaders.  Her exact words to me were, "If I didn't belong to our church, I would go there in a heartbeat."  Well, that is saying a whole lot, so I went and checked it out.  The price was definitely reasonable and the people were super kind.  So, I enrolled Alex for Pre-K.  There Alex blossomed!  He had two amazing teachers that I couldn't thank enough for how amazing and loving they were to my boy.  I was in love with these people and I wanted to continue to have them in my life and in my family's lives.  I had cried, laughed, smiled, cheered, and found so much joy when with these devoted women.  We became friends, good friends.

The next year I decided to enroll Eric in the three-year-old class.  I am not sure if I was doing it for him or for me...really I couldn't imagine missing a year with these people. Once the school year started they asked me to teach at the school in the Pre-K class.  I have NEVER loved a job the way I LOVED this job.  I was in an environment where the Spirit was always present and the support and love were never ending.  Each morning we prayed together.  We prayed for each other, friends, family, students, tests, teachers...anything that was brought to our meetings.  It is here that I learned what it meant to pray.  I saw miracles and witnessed mighty changes in heart.  I grew so much as a Christian.  I learned to fellowship and share the love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father with any that were willing to hear.  I became friends with my co-teacher, not just pals on facebook, but sisters in the eyes of the Lord.  The year was amazing and as I get further and further along in my pregnancy with Josephine, they took care of me.  There were many times I often wondered what the heck I was doing bringing a child into such a tumultuous world, but then I would see the good that there is and all my fears would diminish.  THIS is what it felt like to raise your child in "a village".

Well, as baby girl came along and Alex left the public school system, I stepped away from my teaching roll and went back to being the Room Mom.  Eric was blessed to have Mrs. Fran and Mrs.Kristi, the same teachers Alex had for Pre-K.  What a year it was!  These teachers faced some serious issues as they stood up for what they believed and stood by their director as her job was brought to the attention of the church.  They dealt with budget issues and restrictions like they had never had before.  Still, they greeted every parent and student with a smile and a genuine kindness and compassion.  The love for their jobs shined through constantly.  My Eric struggles with his emotions and is a VERY tender-hearted boy.  They constantly made him feel loved.  When he had melt downs, they didn't scold him or ignore him.  They prayed with him, hugged him tight and told him he was loved.  Eric needed that very much.  He often would tell me that he had to tell his teachers something, or show them something, and each time that he talked to them, they focused on him and acted as if he was their entire world for that moment.

The last few weeks of school were hard.  News came down from the church that the Mother's Day Out program would be CLOSING.  I literally wept for days over this, and I still get a little misty eyed when I think about it.  After this year, it would be over.  OVER.  What would I do without this program?  I know the boys had outgrown it, but I had always just pictured Josephine going there too.  I don't know all of the details, so I don't want to point fingers or assign blame.  I do know that the teachers stood up for what they believed and didn't back down.  They had the students, parents, teachers, and church's best interest at heart.   They displayed true friendship and loyalty.  They are true examples of what it is to be an upstanding Christian woman.  The school year ended as it always did, class parties, graduation, the children singing and lots of hugs.  I wept as I drove to Eric's final Pre-K program.  I was a bit sad that my sweet baby boy was growing up, but I was heartbroken to watch the end of such an amazing program.  I didn't want it to end.

Now, a month later, I sit in my kitchen and I still cry.  I know that these women will go on and continue to touch the lives of others and to bless the world with their kind hearts.  I know that my children will look back on their years in Pre-K and remember all of the joy and giggles.  Most of all, I know that I learned a whole lot about myself, my children, my personal faith and how to be a Mommy in those short three years.  I learned what loving a child looks like and feels like.  I learned what it meant to "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).  I want to carry on their legacy with my children.  I want them to know of God's love for them, no matter what.  I want the to see the good and be the good in the world.  I want to live so that when all is said and done, I will be counted among those women as noble and true Christians.

I honestly couldn't say it enough.  I love the friends I have made through this program.  I am grateful that we live in a small enough community that we will cross each other's paths every now and then and that technology allows us to keep in touch.  

There may not be a Little Leaders program any more, but in my heart, my boys will always be Little Leaders.

It's Been Rough

Let me be honest with you, and with myself.  It has been rough.  These last weeks have been like a roller coaster for me emotionally and I really just wanted to shut everything out and not even think about it.  I keep trying to decide if I am depressed and if I should talk to the doctor, or if it is just situational and I will work through it.  Most of the time I tell my hubby that I have issues with "other people".  Most of the things causing stress in my life are not within my control and I HATE IT!  I am a control freak, I will freely admit it.  When things are going on that affect me, but I can't do anything about it I get really frustrated.  I guess most people probably do, but it is really starting to wear on me.  I am working on letting go and letting things come as they may, but then when I do that I get bombarded with super sick baby, sick four year old, sprained ankle, moody seven year old and PMS!  And that is just TODAY!

Well first I had to deal with my baby boy graduating Pre-K.  It was EMOTIONAL for so many reasons.  I will do a separate post on that soon (not now because Josephine will be crying to get up any minute now).  Then our house being on the market is a roller coaster ride all on its own.  Part of me thinks that these emotions, anxiety and stress are normal, but another part of me says it can't be or nobody would ever sell their home twice.  Then we had to get through the last few weeks of homeschool, which really weren't bad and in fact, I am smiling as I think of all we have accomplished.  Then, my wallet was stolen.  This turned into a fiasco and has caused me to have an insane amount of anxiety to just go shopping.  I literally didn't go to a grocery store for two weeks because I was afraid of other people.  No, it wasn't a violent act or anything, but I trusted someone and was kind to someone and in return they chose to steal from me.  Grrrr....frustrations.  Frustration with the store it was taken from, with the police (well a specific officer that thought intimidation and threats would shut me up), with the DMV, with money, with banks....everything.  And I still need to get my temple recommend sorted out.  Then more frustration as our family deals with my husband's job that has been VERY demanding of his time and energy.  I know many don't have jobs and I need to be grateful for his work and pay, which I am.  However, it doesn't make home life any easier nor does it make us miss him less.  Then pile on any other daily stress that might come my way and I am just tired.  I know it will get better, it has to....IT HAS TO GET BETTER!

I also feel as if many people are down right now.  With the situation of our country and ALL the MANY MANY MANY issues that are flooding us, how can you not feel a bit discouraged and disheartened?  I am determined to make this a great summer.  I want to enjoy many moments with my kids as they are only getting bigger and I don't want to miss a thing.

I am not looking for sympathy or anything with this post, just need to get it off my chest and move on.  I CAN DO HARD THINGS.  I ask your forgiveness for my lack of posting lately and I will try to be better.  I know I already have two more posts that will come out hopefully this week.  We are under house arrest by doctor's orders until baby girl is feeling 100%.  Hopefully we will be able to get into the fresh air by the end of the week.

Houston, We Have a Reader!

I know it has been a while since I updated, but no, I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth, things are just...different right now.  However, I feel like writing today.

 I am literally doing the homeschool mom happy dance lately.  First of all because Alex and I BOTH survived this school year and I think we came out shining!  I am actually looking forward to next year!  The biggest milestone I think we have hit is Alex's LOVE of reading!  All of the sudden he is BLOSSOMING!  The boy always has a book in his hands...or a Lego.  He takes books in the car, to bed, to church, to the gym, to meetings....everywhere.  Last night we started a new Magic Treehouse book and he read me a chapter all by himself...only a few promptings needed.  Then he BEGGED me to read just one more chapter, but it was WAY past bedtime already so I told him he could read it in bed.  When I went to wake him up this morning, he was already awake and reading in his bed!  The boy read three chapters all by himself.  I'm a skeptic so I read the chapters over and then asked him about what had happened and he could almost recite every detail!  I am seriously down right giddy about this.  I honestly believe that knowing how to read and loving to read opens endless doors and opportunities.  You can do ANYTHING if you can and are willing to read.  I pray that I can continue to encourage his love for reading and that this will not end up being "just a phase".

I read this quote to Alex and he wants it on the wall in our school room when we move :-)  Just makes my mommy heart happy.

This is ME Monday (Hahahahaha! I am doing it on MONDAY!)

Week 12: When have you helped brighten someone's day, and how did it make you feel?

In all honesty I can't pinpoint when I have truly brightened someone's day, but latey I am trying to serve more and be mindful of others.  I know that when I do find a way ti serve someone and I follow through, I feel better about myself.  I often will forget the problems I was having or realize that it could be a whole lot worse, or I recognize the blessings I have.  I also feel as if I am helping to move the work of the Lord further, especially in the right direction.  I once gave a talk on the topic "Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?"  I really enjoyed this topic and I spent a whole lot of time pondering this whole idea.  A lot of times we feel that we need to do something big to serve, but I honestly feel that it is in the everyday things that we do the most good in the world.  There is a song that I love by Steven Curtis Chapman that has a line that says:

Little stuff

Big stuff

In between stuff

God sees it all the same

While I may not know you

I bet I know you

Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all?

Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long

As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you, 

Cause he made you

To do

Every little thing that you do 

To bring a smile to His face

Tell the story of grace

With every move that you make

And everything you do

The song is "Do Everything" You can listen to it here

This reminds me that it is in the things that I do that matter.  I need to make sure that the world knows who I am and that I am a daughter of God through the things that I do and say.  I want everything I do to be in His name.  I made a covenant to stand as a witness to Him at all times and in all things and in all places.  I know that the days that I remember this principle, the better my day goes and the more empowered I feel as a woman and as a daughter of God.