Bon Appetit

As a mom of six spirited children, I've learned to tune out most of the chaos that fills our home on a full-time basis. This includes, but is not limited to: smoke detectors' low battery alarms, door knocking, crying kids, phones ringing, and children fighting.

For this reason, I'd like to ask all the members of my household to please remember this: when the oven timer buzzes, please either turn it off and remove the contents, or come find me and tell me the baked goods are done.

Whatever you do, please don't assume that I heard it and turn it off.

Mayday

A few years back, I came to the realization that December has been outdone. Everyone always talks about how busy December is. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with it being a doozy- we even have a birthday thrown in there. But May trumps it by far.

This year, I have had the luxury of no PTA duties and STILL have a full month. Every time I turn around, money is needed for a fieldtrip, someone needs a ride, and I need to be in 4 places at once. Throw into that: TWO birthdays, Stake Girls Camp to plan, end of year school projects, concerts to attend, and a busy as ever husband, and I desperately need that elusive maid.

We even cancelled all sports three years ago after this:


In anticipation for our busy night tonight, I thought ahead. As in, last night Randy and I talked about the events happening tonight. We talked (OK, more like I talked while he tried to brush his teeth) about different scenarios and the best plan of action.

I had my day planned out, and things were looking good. It was time to take Hailey to the school for her choir concert. She needed to be there early and I took Tyler and Hannah along to save seats with me. Casey stayed home with Nathan and Emma and I told them Randy would be home soon to bring them to the concert.

I felt great about the 10 seats we snagged on the third row and waited for the gang to arrive. Grandma and Grandpa got there not long after I did. The director stood up to begin the concert just as Randy walked in. Without any kids in tow. A brief exchanged of words revealed the mix-up: out of all the possible you-go-here-I’ll-go-theres, neither of us could remember what we actually decided on.

No harm done. But I’m ready for June.

Mom Slash Maid

I had a great Mother’s Day. Randy and the kids spoiled me with homemade meals, cards, flowers, and love.

We sat around most of the morning watching the Brady Bunch. My kids get a kick out of the opening credits and identify with which one they are….Casey is Greg, Hailey is Marsha, Tyler is Peter, Hannah is Jan, Nathan is Bobby, and Emma is Cindy. So of course, I am Carol, and Randy is Mike.

Emma was quick to point out that we don’t have anybody to fill Alice’s middle square, “Who will be the maid?”

She pauses, “I know, you can be the maid slash mom slash!”

She’s also quick to point out my role in the family.

Hard Headed

Yesterday I took Nathan with me to the store. It is nice to take the kids one-on-one. I enjoy the time and I learn a lot about their day they might not share otherwise.

As I got into the car, my elbow bumped Nathan’s head, “I’m sorry, bud.”

”That’s OK. I have the strongest head in my class.” he assured me.

“You do? How do do you know? Did you test it?” I sarcastically replied.

“Yeah.”

In disbelief I answered, “Really? Like how?”

“We bumped our heads against each other, ” he said matter-of-factly.

“And you won?” I was in total awe at this point.

“Yep. One by one, they all lost to me,” he was proud of his status.

Without skipping a beat, he proceeded to show me the two BandAids on his arm. “I fell off the slide today.”

“I’m sorry, did it hurt?” I asked.

He looked out the window, “Yeah….it was fun.”

I was confused now. “I thought you said it hurt.”

“The falling was fun, but not the landing.”

All boy, that kid of mine.

Tell Me I’m Not the Only One

Last week’s wet snow and ensuing run-off wreaked havoc on our house.

Thursday- Monday was our spring break. It snowed 9 inches from Thursday- Tuesday. Last I checked it was April, but that doesn’t mean much these days.

Having six kids cooped up in the house for 5 days is not a good idea. Normally, we wouldn't have let the bad weather keep us in, but we are somewhat home-bound for 6 weeks. So inside it was.

We passed the time with puzzles, blanket forts, hot wheels races and lots and lots of Suite Life of Zach and Cody and the Cosby Show. 

I also passed the time with nagging, wiping spills, and picking up trash.

Needless to say, I was ready for: a.)a sunny day or b.)school to start

So Monday evening, after a much-needed wheelchair excursion to the dollar theater, I opened Emma's door and was greeted with a lovely mildew-y odor. A nice bubble of water under the paint had made its way down the length of the wall and soaked everything in its path. The bookcase hutch, 30 or so books, and a large section of soggy carpet fell victim.

I couldn’t even think about it that night so I decided to walk away and deal with it when my house wasn’t hopping with 6 feverish children (cabin fever, that is.)

Tuesday morning, I got the kids off to school, and came back home to move furniture and tear back carpet. So much for a relaxing day ahead of me.

But first, I had to find the floor. As if the rest of my house wasn’t bad enough after spring break, I also got to clean the room of the messiest one in the bunch! I quickly made piles of dirty clothes, toys, books, and garbage.

I got all that put away and I pulled the bed away from the wall, only to discover more. Really?! I mean, how does it even get under there?! Is she training for the World Cup? Maybe she’s the next Walter Wick. If I can’t teach my kids how to pick up after themselves, they could at least earn a living not doing it.

I spy a stretched out slinky, 2 blue cars, some chocolate chips and a lone U-N-O card.

By that point, I was tired decided it was best to leave her masterpiece alone. Everything, including furniture, was pushed to one side of the room and her bed was piled high with un-damaged books. I opened the window, turned on a fan and shut the door.

It has taken all week to reclaim parts of my house, ie: the family room, kitchen sink and fridge. The carpet and pad in Emma’s room is dry now, but the room remains in shambles.

I have no immediate plans to remedy that.

Grateful.

Randy took Casey and Hailey to the Warren Miller Film late last year. The admission price includes a lift ticket to a nice ski resort in Park City.

They have been dying to use them, but haven’t had the time. Randy has been really busy with work, and it is hard for Casey and Hailey to miss school. And then Randy badly sprained his ankle. He anticipated the day it felt good enough to hit the slopes. Slowly it got better, and it seemed they’d get to use the tickets after all. We planned for them to use them today as the kids had the day off school.

So early this morning, they packed up their boards and off they went.

I stayed home with the younger kids and had plans to take them swimming later in the day. After Emma got home from preschool, we did our chores and changed into our swim suits.

When we got home a few hours later, I had 13 missed calls. Most of them were from Randy. I knew immediately something wasn’t right. I said a quick prayer, that things were OK. I called Randy and he didn’t answer. I said another quick prayer and the phone rang. I sunk to the floor in the kitchen, preparing for the worst.

He sounded upbeat and asked me how my day was. And then he broke the news that Tyler had broken his leg. OK, I can handle that. It was ‘bad,’ was all he said. I knew he was down-playing the situation for my sake, but it could have been so much worse.

He was at Primary Children’s and they were preparing him for surgery. He put Tyler on the phone so I could talk to him before they took him to the OR. I could tell he was exhausted as he told me that he had hit a tree, he was a little scared for surgery, and his leg hurt a little. Thank goodness for morphine.

Randy said he’d call me back and I called my parents and put them on-call. I waited.

When Randy called back, I got more details: They had found the perfect run and were boarding close to the trees where the powder was the best. Randy glanced over his shoulder to see Tyler in the trees. As he was about to tell Tyler to come out, Tyler hit the tree. Thankfully, Tyler turned enough to avoid a head-on collision. I am grateful Randy was right there.

Tyler rarely cries. But this was the most pain he (or I am sure I) has ever felt. He started screaming. It scared Hailey more that he wasn’t crying, but she hurried down the mountain to alert the ski patrol. I am thankful she was so brave.

When ski patrol arrived on the scene, all Tyler said was that his leg hurt. They promptly cut his snow bibs and pants off to reveal an already swollen leg.

He took a ride down the mountain on the toboggan where an ambulance was waiting. I am thankful for the quick response and capable hands.

They loaded him into the ambulance for a trip to Primary Children’s. Tyler was scared, but in good hands. Randy, Casey, and Hailey followed behind all the way to the hospital.

They X-rayed his leg and hip. An obviously broken femur. The poor kid. I have heard that is the most excruciating thing. Thankfully, it didn’t puncture the skin.

The surgery went really well. He will get the rods out in about 6 months. Until then, he will set off every metal detector he goes through.

It is late, and I am here with Tyler. Randy took Casey and Hailey home, and my parents have the other three. I am here by his bedside, and will be all night. Hopefully we can go home tomorrow. 

He is still pretty tired, but otherwise doing really well. He is in a little bit of pain, but he is in the best place possible. I am so thankful he’s going to be alright. While I wish he wasn’t hurt at all. I am glad it wasn’t worse. It could have been so much worse..

I have so much to be grateful for.

Half-Pint

The third grade put on a ‘Wax Museum"’ last night. They have been working for weeks on researching, writing, and memorizing the life of an important person.

At first, Hannah said she was going to be Christopher Columbus. While I don’t disagree he was an important person, I hadn’t yet caught the vision of this project. “Really, Hannah? You wanna dress up like a man?” I felt bad for making her question her decision. I really did. I hate it when I do that.

The remorse ended as soon as she decided on Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are BIG Little House on the Prairie fans at our house. We own several seasons on DVD and have even approved them for Sunday viewing.  When Casey was younger, he proclaimed that he would vote for Pa if he ran for mayor of our town. Me, too, Casey. I realize the series is only loosely based on the books. But the books aren’t completely autobiographical, either. Nonetheless, they give an accurate portrayal of life in the 19th century. Hannah is the perfect age to start reading the series, so I dusted off my old set that had been sitting on Hailey’s shelf since she read them at the same age. Hannah fell in love. It became real to read the words typed by Laura Ingalls Wilder, herself. And that is what this project was all about.

I had a vision of what I wanted her costume to look like and for the past couple weeks, tried to make it happen. I spent the better part of Tuesday sewing her dress and bonnet. It was well worth it, wouldn’t you think? My little Half-Pint looked so cute.

Hannah wrote a short summary of Laura’s life (no thanks to me this busy time of year) and memorized it all on her own. She wouldn’t perform it for me until the big event because she wanted it to be a surprise.

At the door, we were given tokens. When you drop one into a student’s jar, they come to life. Our first stop was, of course, Hannah. I was not prepared for what was about to happen. As she recited her memorized speech, I became very emotional. I contained the tears and congratulated her on a job well done. This became the routine for the next hour. We’d drop a token in, watch the person ‘come to life’ and I’d fight my emotions.

I was so proud of each of these kids. They worked hard to learn about someone important in history. They made them real to themselves and each of us lucky enough to be a part of it.

Listening to a nine year-old talk in the first person about someone who has lived a full life and accomplished great things, made me realize the potential inside each one of those little bodies. They have so much ahead of them. What great things are in store for these young people?

Half-pint? I think not.