Us Five.

Ahh...the dreaded family photo. Pure torture. We did it ourselves with the tripod this time, but it was still exhausting.

Heading down

So I'm going down to the coast for my Oma's funeral today. It will be a quick trip down and back as I'm going with my brother who needs to get back to finish a job. I am glad to go and get a little breather from the boys. I have been so tired just trying to keep the boys busy for 12 hours that when they head to bed, I'm ready to go too! The weather is still slightly miserable to be outside, so we're already getting a little bored of our movies, playdo and card games. Shea is LOVING his daily swim lesson and asks me every morning if he gets to go. I realized it is the first thing that has ever been for him. Typically it is he and I sitting on the bench watching the "big boys" do something. Finally it is his turn and he is so tickled. He is doing great and has a perma-grin on his face the whole time. He is going to love preschool next fall.
So anyway...I'll be back soon and hope to take some pictures to share with you.

Later:

Finishing the generation

It has come...and not too early. I have been lucky enough to have 5 generations of family til now, as my great-grandmother made it to 99 years old. She just passed on to a much better place this past week. Not many kids can say that they had a great-great grandmother, but mine did. In fact, Oma had 13 great-grandchildren and 9 great-great-grandchildren (those 9 all from my parents)! I didn't spend a fair amount of time with my Oma, but I remember visits to her house when I was young, and all the neat things she had at her place. The porch swing, the glass ornaments, the yummy food. She had a wonderful smile and laugh. I'm glad I knew her and was able to experience those small memories with her.

Here's some quotes about grandmothers that I thought were sweet...

"A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do."
Lois Wyse

"The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is that they have a common enemy." ~Sam Levenson

"Grandmothers are just antique little girls." ~Author Unknown

"We should all have one person who knows how to bless us despite the evidence, Grandmother was that person to me." ~Phyllis Theroux

"Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete." ~Marcy DeMaree

"And even to your old age I am He; and even to gray hairs will I carry you;
I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you."
~Isaiah 46:4

Self Esteem

You've heard me compare myself to the "Old Woman who lived in a Shoe"? (She had so many children, she didn't know what to do?) Ya, that was referring to those moments where I feel SO outnumbered. I really honestly want to do the right thing with my kids, and meet their individual needs, but sometimes being pulled in three directions makes it seem impossible. I want to help them problem solve and not lash out in anger. I want them to feel loved, happy and important. I want them to feel appreciated and heard. I want to help teach them things and give them good eye contact and learn social skills. But alas, I often feel like I'm only able to give each of them about 30% of me while the rest is shared with their siblings and other jobs I have going on at the same time.
I've been talking to a lady who was sharing some info with me that I thought would be important to share to you other mothers out there.
"Ten Caring Ways to Connect with Children Each Day"

1. Compassion: Honor all of your feelings, and listen with empathy to each other.

2. Clear communication: Express your emotions simply, and speak from the heart together.

3. Creativity: Try new things, be playful, and invite the unexpected.

4. Consistency: Do what you say, and say what you mean each day.

5. Challenge: Approach problems with positive expectancy, and learn from the challenges.

6. Cheerfulness: Embrace the day with lightheartedness, and learn to enjoy life.

7. Confidence: Trust and believe in your own talents and in the abilities of others.

8. Calmness: Breathe and live from a calm center within yourself each day.

9. Clear agreements: Create clear agreements and rules that everyone understands and feels good about.

10. Commitment: Be committed to being true to yourself and honest with others each day.

That's a good challenge, isn't it.
Then eventually, over time...we might be able to take after the book "Positively Mother Goose" and change our rhyme to...
"The Bold Woman Who lived in a Shoe"
There was a bold woman who lived in a shoe. She had many children and knew what to do. "You all are so lovable, with special gifts", she said. She hugged them all fondly and tucked them in bed.

35!

This is Greg. He's the "daddy" around here. We love him and are glad he's ours.
Happy birthday honey!

Party it up

I won't apologize for the lack of posts, as I've been doing you a favor and sparing you the boring details of my life! My days have consisted of baking, laundry, cleaning, shopping, disciplining, exercising and the usual. Such an exciting life I lead!
One fun thing is that it is birthday month!
Tomorrow my middle son turns 7! Wow. It goes so fast. We rented him the multipurpose room at the ice rink, where he and 7 friends and his 2 brothers will have cake and go skating. I've never had a party for Liam outside our house before! so this is new and fun for all of us. I am trying to think of all the food things and decor I have to bring with me. Here's the cake...

I'll take lots of pictures of the actual birthday kid tomorrow!
He is growing so much this year. He is doing great at his reading, writing and math. He seems comfortable with everyone in his class but still is rather shy to speak out or perform! Not at home though! He informed me yesterday that he wants to sign up for break-dancing. I guess I'd better look into it, as most other sports he is rather ho-hum about!
Greg has his birthday this week, as well as my brother, nephew and niece later in the month. We will have a big family birthday party on the 20th to cover those ones!
Partay!

Bootcamp

Here is a sample workout that my bootcamp instructor gave us to take home today...

Warm up (5 min): Do these exercises on the spot:jogging, skipping rope, running with knees up high, jumping jacks

Repeat the following sequence 1-3 times. Try to do a little more each time you do it.

1 minute skipping rope, toe tapping on a step or jumping jacks
10 burpees, with or without squat thrust
1 minute skipping rope, toe tapping on a step or jumping jacks
10-20 situps (imagine you are lifting an object to the ceiling- you can add a small weight)
1 minute skipping rope, toe tapping on a step or jumping jacks
20 pop-squats (like a jumping jack, no arms, jump into a squat position)
1 minute of skipping rope, toe tapping on a step or jumping jacks
10 push ups
1 minute of skipping rope, toe tapping on a step or jumping jacks
20 stationary lunges, alternating legs
1 minute rest
Repeat 2-3 times

Thought you might be interested in doing your own fitness bootcamp at home and could use some ideas!!
I really had to drag myself to bootcamp this morning as I stayed up late with my girlfriends. We went out for a spontaneous drink after Awana, which meant I was up til midnight. Yikes. So I'm glad I didn't give in, as I feel much better now that I went.
Unlike most health club fitness classes that you go to...ours at the church requires that you wear a name tag and get to know everyone's name. She puts us in partners quite a bit, and really encourages you to talk to each other and spur each other on!
It's so much easier to work out with other people. My initiative to work out on my own at home doesn't last very long, so I am thankful for this class!
Now start losing weight Sarah, darn it.

:)