Not so bad

Last week Craig and I had to make some decisions about our future. Nothing to go into here because it's all up in the air but it got me thinking. And I decided I really like my life. I guess I knew that before but these were all the little things I like and would miss if they had to change for some reason. Plus the big things that won't change :-)

I love being a SAHM. I love reading a good book in the sun while the kids ride their bikes and the chickens peck around us. I love baking with my kids even though it makes a huge mess. I love them watching me taste the cookies to see if they are good. I love a cup of fresh milk with my cookies. I love sitting down to tea time with some tea which sometimes is more milk than tea, reading poems and looking at art and hearing little opinions on which is their favorite. I like having my life back. This has been such a long, hard, emotional few months but not being able to fully be a part of it really did make me appreciate it.

A decent mother's day picture! 

Could be worse

Growing up, one of our family's favorite books was "Could be Worse." I haven't read it as an adult. I'm a little afraid that it won't hold up to my expectations. That's always the risk. Ferdinand the bull was as wonderful as I remember it being, The Berenstein Bear - not so much. But I probably should try it because we liked it enough that "could be worse" quote was one my mom used to use a lot around us kids.

I was thinking about that expression a few nights ago. Because you know what's worse than having insomnia?

Having insomnia when you are pregnant and sick and exhausted.

What's worse than having insomnia when you are pregnant and sick and exhausted?

Lying in bed watching your husband sleep peacefully and getting all the rest while you have insomnia when you are pregnant and sick and exhausted. (I won't say I thought bad thoughts about him that night, but I won't say I didn't either)

What's worse than lying in bed watching your husband sleep peacefully while you have insomnia when you are pregnant and sick and exhausted?

Lying in bed watching your husband sleep peacefully getting all the rest while you have insomnia when you are pregnant and sick and exhausted - and trying to distract yourself by thinking of a song or hymn but being unable to get "Give Me Oil in my lamp" out of your head. You know...

Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, burning, burning

Give me oil in my lamp, I pray

Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, burning, burning

Keep me burning 'til the break of day

Now, I like singing Hosanna as much as the next gal, I just prefer to do it after a nice nights sleep and this felt a lot like my subconscious was mocking me.

Oh well, could be worse.

The things they say

We've been working on asking mom, not telling mom, to do things. It's a work in progress. But it kinda explains this conversations:

Me: Lucy, here is your rag, go wipe off the table now (that's her table chore).
Lucy: Uhm, that was telling me! Not asking me!
Me: Yep, I'm the mommy. I get to do the telling.
Lucy: oh

Another late night Jonah conversation. He gets more and more hilarious as we get farther past bedtime. If only I was in the mood to appreciate it at 9:45pm.

Jonah: Mommy, why are we here in bed?
Me:   Because its time to sleep.
Jonah: No, no, no. Why do we need to sleep?
Me: So we can have energy for playing. Our bodies need sleep so we aren't tired and cranky tomorrow.
Jonah: But why?
Me: Because that's how God made our bodies. So go to sleep!
Jonah: Why do we need to eat? Because God made tummies?

I'm lying down next to Jonah in his bed. It's a twin. We are sharing a pillow.
Jonah: Mommy, we aren't close enough.
Me: We are right next to each other. Can't you feel my arm next to yours? (While thinking we can't possible be closer than we are right now)
Jonah: No, you put your arm on my back and I'll put my arm around your neck. Now we are close. This is better. 

A few days later
Jonah: Do you like me? Do you love me?
Me: Yes, I like you and I love you!
Jonah: They why are you so faarrr away.
Me: I'm right here. 
Jonah: Your face is away.
Me: Well, I have a cold and I'm coughing a lot so I want to keep my germs on this side. But you can snuggle up right against my back.
Jonah: Okay, but I like you and I love you so I will sleep here and put my finger in your ear. (And he laid there with his finger in my ear!)

Kids playing outside with Craig...
Jonah: Mommy! I need a cup! I found nature!
A couple minutes pass
Lucy: Mommy! Jonah dropped a birdy egg in his cup and it broke and now the baby bird will never live again!


Lucy: Can we have popsicles?
Me: Yes, but we only have a few flavors left so no complaining. I hand her a banana flavored popsicle.
Lucy: This is banana? It's a little...looks at me...interesting.

Me: How is your snack.
Lucy: Oh, it is divine! (Note: It was not a banana flavored popsicle :-)

Mother's Day book - It's May!

Wearing - Maternity Clothes. I broke them out this week. I've actually got very little and need to go shopping. I thought I was up for a little shopping last Saturday but that ended up with me holding a plastic bag filled with grossness on our drive home so perhaps I'm not quite ready for that much adventure yet. But even with the lack of nutrients going in, my body has still managed to put on a few pounds and this week I went from "I know I'm pregnant and can see a belly but I think other people just think I have a mummy tummy" to actually looking pregnant. It's a nice change.I still haven't taken a single belly shot and I do want to but it just hasn't happened yet. Alas. Also, I always think maternity clothes are cute until I get pregnant and have to wear them. Why is that?

Reading - All the books. I was in the middle of three books already when two ILL books arrived days of each other. Ack!

Watching - My kids play outside. I love spring and felt like I was missing it this year but I'm finally able to go outside with the kids. We aren't hiking or visiting parks yet but we still managed to get in 27 hours of outside playtime last week. And I am able to do more reading while sitting outside than I am inside because I have less fight breaking up to do which helps with the above "problem." It's also nice to be able to enjoy their company and remember that I do actually like them and they aren't just bouncy loud nausea inducers which is kinds what they had been.

Eating - A fairly regular diet. I still can't get off this stupid zofran but I'm down to just one pill a day and with that I'm able to eat almost anything again. I've not tried a full salad but I did have lettuce wraps with kimchi which was a bit risky but worked out. And Jonah was really excited to have kimchi again after several months of it being not allowed in the house. I love watching the kids with these little chopsticks. He doesn't use the finger positioner at all but he's still pretty good

Planning and Preparing - For the new arrival by working on our morning routine. We had one but the last few months have lost that and Jonah was often in his pajamas until, well, it was time to put clean pajamas on again :-) The first few days were "torture" with lots of "why don't you ever let us play! We just have to do all this stuff and never have time to play!" but I stuck with it and its coming along. It's pretty simple - eat breakfast, clear table, table chores (I need to pass Lucy's to Jonah and give her a new one soon), get dressed, make bed, brush teeth and hair then go play while mommy does bible time. As you can see, I'm obviously a slave driver who never gives her children free time. I still need to do each step with Jonah to keep him on track but he's getting there and Lucy is almost independent - as long as she knows I'm paying attention. I'm thinking 6 more months of practice and they should both have it down.

Doing - A teensy tiny bit of preschool. Mostly we've been outside but between lunch and nap we have been able to sneak in one thing a day - either table time or reading or math. We've all missed this so it's nice to add it back in. I'm sure we'll do more once it gets hot and we don't want to be outside during the middle of the day but for now, I'm just enjoying the spring!

Classics Challenge - Three Men in a Boat

I read this back in January and really thought I had reviewed it as my Humorous selection for the classics challenge but I guess I was mistaken. My brain really is having trouble working these days* so we'll see how much I can remember for this review.

Three Men in a Boat is classic British literature. Recounting the travels of Jerome, his two friends and his dog Montmorency, as they float down the Thames river, it is much more about the descriptions of the events than what happens itself. If you like this sort of Jeeves and Wooster stuff, you'll appreciate this book, and will probably read the whole thing in a Hugh Laurie voice. If not, try looking elsewhere for a laugh. I happened to love it. I didn't read it fast though, just a short chapter before I went to bed to move my mind from the heavier or more intense other books I was reading. It's really a great type of book for that sort of thing.

One side note - the last chapter (or two?) when they are off the boat and telling ghost stories just didn't seem the match the rest of the book. It wasn't bad, just odd. But maybe I'm missing something, like Diana when she thought Anne should drop the cake baking scene?

*A while back someone asked me the name of my church and I couldn't remember. We've gone there since Lucy was a baby! I knew the town and the letter it started with but I just kinda looked at them for a few minutes. Luckily she is another fellow pregnant mom so I'm thinking she knows the feeling.

Three Men in a Boat is my Humorous or Satirical Book selection for the Back to the Classics Challenge. Visit Books and Chocolate to learn more about the challenge.