And the Work Days Just Get Longer...

It is spring. Matt has been working long hours. Out of the house really early. Home really late. The children always miss him terribly when he has long days. Normal bedtime 'round these parts is between 6:30 and 7:30pm. (I know that sounds early, but all four of the children wake up at the same time, every morning, regardless of bedtime the night before.) But with these late work nights, the kids haven't been able to spend much time with their Daddy...which is just plain not o.k.

So I kept them up late last night. And then realized that there was a reason I normally put them to bed early. They began running around the house, up and down stairs, shrieking at the top of their ever-loving lungs. "What in the world are you doing?" I asked calmly. "We are playing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!" As I explained to the children that this particular scene never actually occurs in the movie...this whole screaming and running thing...I looked at my offspring...blank stares.

Suddenly, and without warning, all four took off like rockets. "Ahhhhhhh! The BAD QUEEN! She's gonna make us do more chores!" yelled one dwarf. "And feed us bad apples!" bellowed another. Grumpy and Dopey ran along with it, at a good clip, hollering the whole while.

"That's It! I'm DONE! Do something quiet! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY!" I cried, over the din.

Silence from the other room.

1 minute later, after a glass of ice water and 2 Tylenol, I found this. 

Thank you, Jesus! Just breathing for a couple minutes while they all worked on the Space Shuttle puzzle really helped my energy stores. After the puzzle was completed, we wrapped ourselves up in aprons and made Strawberry Bread, in anticipation of Matt's arrival.

Cutting the strawberries

Buttering the pans

Reading the "dir-structions"

Matt came home just as we were finishing up and caught the boys off-guard

Measuring the strawberries that are about to be added to the pans

Post-tickle fight with Tom Boo, who apparently played in the flour mixture

Books

For Christmas each year, Grandma Schwalm gets all the great-grandchildren gift cards to Barnes and Noble. It took me a little while this year to get organized enough to do something with the cards, but...

Joseph started reading 3 weeks ago. We picked out some Step 1 readers for him.



Nathan with "Big Machines".



Thomas with "Rockets and Spaceships".



Joseph and "Brickbeards Treasure".



Sarah with "A Day in the Life of a Builder".



Thank you so much, Grandma! We love you!

A Good Case of the the Smilies

Not to be outdone by his older brothers, Nate Dawg dons a helmet.

How fast these children grow! No more baby swings. Matt surprised them this week by bringing home two new swings.

I wanted to get a good shot of my big kids on their new swings. Thomas insists that this is his best side. There will be no close up of this picture.

  It all started with Joseph. When he struggles with behavior or attitude, he uses a phrase called "change your face". This sentence, spoken by Matt or myself, frequently gives him immediate calm and he can turn a frown into a smile. "I made a good decision", he tells us. 

The other children have implemented Joseph's strategy.
Even Nathan.

Yesterday, he was throwing a full-blown tantrum at the top of the steps. I asked him, calmly, if he could please make a good decision and change his face. The result? This under-bite smile with a hint of 'tude.

Is he mocking me? Most likely.
Do I care? Well, I took a picture.

Mother's Day, in Pictures

Word Pictures

Sarah is all-upons when it comes to describing things. Sometimes I call her the Adjective Queen. I was really getting eager for the end of the school year, knowing that I would be introducing her to descriptive and creative writing. Not only will she get an opportunity to explain what the world looks like to her, but I don't have to sit next to her and explain rules! This is all on her! A break! Yes!

First Assignment: Paint a word picture of your father.

"Oh! How sweet! I love being able to read how you see your Daddy! What a perfect word picture!You must love your Daddy very much!"

She was spot-on with her assessment and description of Matt.

Second Assignment: Paint a word picture of your mother. 

WHAT THE WHAT?!?

~Honestly, I was flattered by the whole cook thing. All who know and love me do not do so because of my cooking skills.

~I do like playing games.

~Church really is one of my fave places. Her explanation was that it MUST be one of my favorite places, because I am always making them go there.

~Pickles? Really? I guess, in Sarah's defense, I have been pregnant for like all her life... and pickles are the base on the pyramid when I am expecting.

~Her explanation for my favorite book being school books was very similar to the Church answer: because I am always making them do school work, so they MUST be my favorite.

~Let me take a minute to reflect on what "Mommy music" is. We are in the car and have listened to Wide Mouth Frog by Tales N' Tunes a grand total of 6 times, which has also spanned the duration of our trip. Mommy switches to the radio..."80s music...90s music...Frankie...Dean-o...anyone! Save me!"  Crying from the back seat. "We want Wide Mouth Frog!" Sarah settles the boys by saying,"Once Mommy's music is done, then she will turn the good stuff back on."

I always wondered how my children saw me. Now I know.

And I wish I didn't.

Week in Review

I know it's only Thursday, so I technically shouldn't be doing a week in review. Buuuuuuut: I am tired. SO I plan on doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the week and will, therefore, have nothing extra to post. ;)

I read another parenting book! This particular one was given to me by our parish priest, so I HAD to! When Father Jim gave me this book on Holy Thursday, he told me he picked it up especially for me while he was on a retreat. I was so touched. Then I got home and saw the front of the book. There is a picture of a pot, boiling over on the stove, with the title SMART MARTHA: A Catholic Guide For Busy Moms. Should I have been offended? Did Father Jim think I couln't get my act together? Then I started reading. And I realized that I really couldn't get my act together. I began implementing the techniques from the book the very day I finished it...decluttering, simplifying and altogether driving my husband insane. "You are giving WHAT away?!?!?! But that's mine!" Receiving a Smart Martha Book, spring cleaning and nesting should never coincide. Matt got lucky.

Anyway. Guide for Busy Moms. Right. Take them camping, Smart Martha says. Take those beautiful children camping! Out to appreciate nature! So I punch Matt, as he's sleeping in the bed next to me. "Matt! Did I wake you? We need to go buy a tent!" Matt, always the party pooper realist, says, "Anne, I have said that for years. And now you read it in a parenting book and you have to do it?!?!"

"Yes", I say. And I mean it.

So he does. That husband of mine. He buys us a tent.

Appreciating nature in the playroom.

Note to self: bring books on first camping trip.

This week we also had a very special visitor! Erika came over to hang out for the afternoon! She brought giant coloring/sticker books for the children. They were a huge hit! The kids (and adults) sat and colored for a while. Then Erika played five million games of My Little Pony Memory Cards (without cheating). She did a dinosaur puzzle with Buzz and concurrently played ponies with Sarah. She broke up 2 fights, fixed 47 train wrecks, wiped tears off faces, problem solved, made three different train layouts to prevent more fights, dealt with 4 meltdowns and kept ME company! And she brought me a bag of ground coffee...which I am carrying around on my person, hoping the caffeine travels through me by diffusion. Rainforest Crunch is also a welcome substitution for my regular perfume: eau de toothpaste/baby powder/laundry detergent/vanilla yogurt.

Sarah, so pleased that she has an Erika to play with!

Tiny Tom, able to fit in the tent box.

Joseph, trying to do the monkey face that Erika taught the kids.

Thomas, trying to do the monkey face. He looks more like Kriss Kross.

Thanks, Erika, for such a great afternoon!