Weekly wrap

It's time for another weekly wrap. I'm sure you all are just sitting on the edge of your seats to read of our happenings. {grin} I'm sure it will be fun for me in years to come to look back and read the little trivial details of our lives.

Well, potty training isn't going so good. Claire WAS doing really well.  She hadn't had any accidents in weeks. She started keeping her diaper dry at night and at nap times.  The only thing we hadn't gotten down was going #2 on the potty but we were working on it.  Well, within the last week or so Claire has regressed. Ugh! She pees on the floor all the time now.  I haven't figured out if she just doesn't care anymore or just gets too busy to want to go. Whatever the case is we had to put her back in pullups. {frown} We have concluded that maybe she just isn't ready?  Although she is for sure smart enough. I don't know, it's pretty frustrating. We are working on it, and I remind my self that she won't always be in this stage.  I just have to say though, potty training is my least favorite stage.

Katy seems to change daily. I don't remember if I mentioned last week but she laughs now.  It's so cute. And when she smiles you can see her big dimples on both sides.  I changed her feeding schedule this week. I was feeding her every 3 hours but it seemed like she wasn't really wanting to eat much so I decided to have her go every 4 hours.  She is sleeping and eating so much better.  It amazes me! She is such a happy baby.  feeding every 4 hours has given me a little more freedom with my time.

I noticed this week that my hair is starting to fall out.  I was wondering when that was going to happen.  This has to be my least favorite part of after having a baby...well, that and the 25 pounds I have to loose {smile}. Now I will need to start cleaning the shower daily (maybe I should be doing that daily anyway hahaha) so the hair doesn't build up, yuck!

Thought I would jot down what our Our daily routine consists of.

~Alarm goes off at 6:20 am.
~I get up at 6:38 {smile} and shower
~Out of the shower a little before 7 am
~Get the kids up at 7 (although Anna is always up around the time I am so no need to wake her)
~Wake Katy and feed her at 7 am
~Anna and Ryan head out the door at 7:20 to get on the bus
~From 7:20-7:50 I get the other 3 kids ready for classes
~Bill and I head out the door usually at 7:55 and head to class
~Our first class of the day starts at 8:00am.
~At 8:40 I leave class to take James and Claire over to Preschool and Toddlers (They have to be in their rooms by 8:50)
~From 9am to 12 pm we have classes ( have to take a break during classes to feed Katy usually around 11).
~We pick the kids up at 12 (or a little after if the teachers go late) and head home for lunch
~Between 12-3 pm we have lunch and naps for the little ones.  Sometimes I am able to slip in a little nap right after lunch until I need to feed Katy at 2:30pm.
~I try and have my quiet time at 2:30 pm when I am nursing Katy
~James and Claire are often up from naps around 3
~Anna and Ryan get home around 4
~I greet the kids, give them snack and we take about their day.
~They usually head out to play for a little bit until supper time.
~I aim to feed my family around 5:30
~After supper the kids do their chores, Anna clears the table, washes the dishes and washes of the table. Ryan picks up the living room and sweeps the floors.  James has the shoe chore.  He lines up all the shoes against the wall. And he has to clean up his room.  Claire has the job of cleaning her room.
~After chores Bill does Bible study with the kids (usually while I feed Katy)
~Bedtime starts between 7:15-7:30 the kiddos are usually tucked in by 8.  I read to the boys (right now we are reading the chronicles of Narnia picture book) and then I read to the girls (we are reading Elsie Dinsmore book 2)
~Bill and I sit down and start homework
~I get Katy out of her bed around 10:30 and nurse her 1 more time for the day.  Bill and I usually use this time to relax together. We either talk or watch a DVD.  Right now we are working our way through the series HOUSE M.D. season 1.
~We go to bed and get (never enough) sleep only to wake and repeat it all again the next day!

I talked to a friend here who's daughter has a ton of food allergies.  She was so encouraging.  She offered to help her go grocery shopping to show me where to get the right foods.  She has been such a good resource.  She is going to lend me a cookbook too that has all kinds of recipes I can use for James.  I am excited about that!

We have made Friday nights family night around here. With the week being so busy and the kids in school all day, I often feel like we need time to just do fun things instead of the normal routine. We played a new game (that I got for free) with the kids on Friday. It was called "Learning to Listen Pizza Game" it's made by Noobleboro. It was a hit.  Technically the game is for 2-3 players but we made it work for the whole family to play. Bill and I took turns ordering the pizzas and then we rotated who played. James and Claire would make the pizza's then Anna and Ryan would go. We all laughed and had fun in the process (of course there were a few tears shed by a few of the younger members of the fam...they are still learning about taking turns. {smile}).  I think it is a good character building game...or at least we turned it into that.  Without the kids knowing we were teaching them about sharing, taking turns, considering others, etc. Family nights have become a thing that the kiddos all anticipate every week now. So far we have usually watched movies but Bill and I are trying to come up with other options then just movies. We always had Friday family nights when I was a kid and I am excited to be implementing it with our little ones.

I LOVE Saturday mornings.  Even though our weekends are usually busy due to family time and homework, Saturday mornings are just relaxing around here.  We sit around in our jammies.  The kids play with their toys on the living room floor, we read books, I drink my coffee. We are not in a hurry for anything. It's a much needed change of pace from our hectic week.

Another great thing about Saturday mornings is taking a shower. Sounds funny, but it is the only day of the week I can actually enjoy taking a shower.  I am not in a hurry to get ready for the morning so I can just enjoy the silence.  I enjoy talking to God during this time, just me and Him pouring over what is on my heart. It is so refreshing. I always have so many things in my heart, so it's good to have a concentrated amount of time to be able to converse with Him.  I know I can do this anytime (and I do) but Saturday morning showers are just special. {smile}

A funny conversation I had with the kids on Saturday:

Anna- do you know how bees turn nectar into honey?

Me- no I don't.

Anna- does anyone know?

Me- Yes, I'm sure scientist do

Ryan- I want to be a scientist when I grow up.

Anna- That's dangerous.

James- I want to be a cyborg.

LOL LOL  I have no idea where cyborg came from!

Well, I think this has gotten long enough. I think I better wrap this thing up!

Until next week...