My New Home?

By | Posted October 28, 2012

Posted in parenting, Random | 4 Comments »

I have eight friends I can think of without trying that have four kids, (and over half aren’t Catholic), so five kids doesn’t seem like much to me.

People make comments all the time..but it’s not a big deal.  I like order, and generally, we have it.  At the very least, I can keep a really clean house which gives me the illusion of order.

I had convinced myself that things are relatively easy.  Sure we’ve had some issues transitioning back to school this year, and I’m not talking about me…overall, easy, easy.  Give me another kid.  In fact, let me have another boy.

Then came the ER.

Two visits: less than one month.

First, Squirt dislocated his knee cap in wrestling.  The screams coming through the phone were horrible to hear.  Thankfully, he was walking the following day.  He milked it for all it was worth, even getting a coach to give him crutches when the hospital refused.  He seems fine, and we’re praying his MRI shows that he can get back to wrestling.

Saturday, Baby Hulk was bit by a dog.  On his face.  Yes, his beautiful face.  (The first thing everyone said was “not Baby Hulk, he’s so handsome!”  And then rushed to say how adorable everyone else is, but well, you know…Baby Hulk has old school good looks.  It’s true.

And he still does.

For a slightly hyper sensitive kid, he handled the bite really well.  Sure he cried for about five minutes, but stopped before we were even at the hospital.  And sat there texting his father while waiting for stitches.  Because of course, this happened when Lance was out of town.  BH doesn’t get to play with my phone so he was pretty happy and even tried to use his trip to the ER today in an effort to mess with it again.

I’m not the calmest person by nature, but I have to say I’m great in an emergency.  And really, I knew he would be fine.  Things happen.

That said, I’m not sure I’m ready for more trips to the ER.  And this is where having several kids might not be such a positive thing.  I should start taking bets on just how many times Snax will end up there.

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Read To Me

By | Posted October 23, 2012

Posted in Snax | 4 Comments »

This stack only took an entire hour.  And he still wants more.

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The Saint That Found Us

By | Posted October 21, 2012

Posted in saints | Comments Off on The Saint That Found Us

Today we have a new saint!!!

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha was canonized, and  I couldn’t be happier.

She is an American and the first Native American to be canonized.

When Squirt as 7, we used to read this little book about saints each day.  He would practice writing, (in what I would now consider narration but didn’t know that’s what I was doing at the time), and tell me about the saint.  We loved her.  I can’t explain why, we just did.  He still has that little notebook of narrations.

When I was pregnant with Goose and Snax, I prayed that I would deliver on her feast day.  I considered Kateri as a name for Sunshine.

When I had Super Saints, we studied Blessed Kateri.  Of the many crafts we did over that year, Goose kept his cross.  There’s just something about her that draws us to her.

And recently, when I ordered Sunshine those sweet little peg dolls…I ordered Kateri.  In fact, when I placed the order, she was still Blessed Kateri.  I informed the artist of her impending canonization just in case he put names on the peg dolls.   My package arrived this week with Saint Kateri in it.

It turns out that my uncle is working in New York for the year and is close to her shrine.  What are the odds?  I’ve asked him to visit for us and take lots of pictures, which I’m sure he will.  But maybe, just maybe we’ll get to visit as well.

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for us!  And Congratulations on your sainthood!!!

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Five For Friday ~ The Family Edition

By | Posted October 19, 2012

Posted in Five For Friday | 3 Comments »

:: What is it about 3rd grade?  For a child that has never had a problem with school, 3rd grade seems to be kicking some ass.  And by kicking ass, I mean we’re not making easy A’s.  We have 100’s and then we have a 50 coming home.  My favorite, the 56 in science lab because he was farting around instead of working.  I mean, wth???

And not to put our business out there…but how is it that Lamar High School doesn’t give lower than a 50 in high school even when there is literally no work to grade, but Goose gets what he earns.  So that 42 on a ridiculous worksheet?  No corrections allowed, no grade adjustments, no nothing.  It brought him down to an 89 in language arts.  He’s never had anything below a 97 in language arts.

This morning, I tell him he must get a 100 to bump that grade back up to an A.  He can do it, it’s a spelling test, Mr. Spelling Bee has never made anything below a 100 except for that one time in first grade when his teacher took off 2 points the first month of school for the wrong heading.  So a 100 was in the basket.  Except he made a 95.  Why?  Because he decided to write in cursive instead of print.  His teacher couldn’t read his writing.  And to be honest, he could have failed the test because his cursive is extremely questionable.  And I know, I know, it’s 3rd grade.  But let’s be real, when he brings home a low grade it’s because he isn’t paying attention not because it’s difficult, and that is what makes me so frustrated.  Sometimes math is difficult, but he has a 95.  So again, wth???

:: I’ve been going to boot camp for a few weeks.  It’s great.  I’m working out in a much different way.  Generally, I like it except for the whole people cheering you on bit.  In fact, I hate that part and would much rather everyone just not worry about me.  It doesn’t help me or inspire me one bit.  Despite that, I’ve been excited about it and the other day thought I might have lost a bit of weight.  Nope.   Then someone from boot camp said something about my legs.  It took all my might not to be a witch and say my legs were never the problem.

:: Sunshine has learned to climb~ the other day I was putting away clothes and heard something.  It was just her on the top freaking bunk.  So scary.  And just now, I caught Goose teaching her to climb the playhouse in the backyard.  You have to love those big brothers.  I’ll have to remember this when people tell me how helpful older siblings are.  Sunshine loves the outside, and I do too, but I wasn’t ready to be outside with her the entire time.  Now I have no choice.  She climbs.  And she’s fast.

She also made a little girl cry today.  Not her finest hour.

:: Baby Hulk has been in school for 9 weeks.  He has not come home with one piece of paper I have kept.  Now I know I’m all about throwing things away, but I’m the person who framed Goose’s stick figure drawing of the family.  The mom who has all of the lunch notes she has written to her sons, (because now Squirt will bring them home too) and wouldn’t it be really shitty to just throw these notes away?!  Seriously, what do I do with them???  And seriously, how is there not one. single. thing. to save from Kindergarten.  Oh, I know, because it is useless.

:: And lastly: My dear husband, he is heading to college station this weekend for the LSU game.  He’s going with an Aggie.  Some of our closest friends are Aggies.  I have a separated at birth sister who is an Aggie.  So I have a love for them despite their choice of school.  That said, if my husband wears an Aggie shirt to the game, even a white one, I can guarantee there will be no more Zierleins coming from this marriage. Not even the slightest hint, not a twinkle in his eye…nothing.

Have a good weekend.  I’d like to say it can’t get worse than last weekend.  But I know I just jinxed myself.

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Purging

By | Posted October 15, 2012

Posted in Random | 2 Comments »

I did it.

In the ultimate act of letting go, I popped my fitball and threw it in the trash.  Despite the fact that it’s so easy to use~ you can work your abs and watch television.  Despite having a friend that teaches fitball who would willingly give me her routine, I had to finally concede that I will never, ever use it.

Ever.

We’ve had this ball for at least four years.  First, it was in the corner of the room.  It made it’s way to the closet over the last two years.  The boys bring it out to play with fairly regularly.

The past week I’ve had to move it several times to find something in the closet and enough was enough.

I found a pair of scissors and stabbed it.  It felt great to stab it a few times.  Have I mentioned I’m uptight lately?!

Getting rid of this ball helped me realize how much I have slacked in getting serious about getting rid of the crap.  Making hard choices about what we need and don’t need in our lives.  I see areas where I have done well, but many where I’ve failed.  (No new clothes for Sunshine since last spring, meaning no fall clothes!  WIN)  (New saint dolls Sunshine had to have for her birthday. Fail…)  Books that I feel are worthy for the home library, even though I can check them out from the library, WIN and FAIL (?!).  It’s always a challenge to take a hard look at yourself and your habits.

It’s hard to live with less, especially in this country.  Yet it’s important to remain detached.

I’m in a bit of a funk with this new schedule of Lance’s.  In theory, we should have the same amount of time together.  In reality it is much different.  I need to figure out a new routine that works for me and the kids.  And then we’ll purge again.  A sort of fall cleaning to get ready for Advent.  See?  I’m giving myself until Thanksgiving to purge.

I have promised myself I won’t buy any new Halloween decorations, but instead use natural items.  (A bag of gourds from the grocery does not count as a new purchase.)

And Christmas decorations?  Another fail already, I purchased the Snoopy ornaments for our main tree in September.  BUT…I am going to try and make a nativity decoration this year so there’s that.  Of course, with my recent attempt at making a fall banner a huge fail, we’ll see how that goes.  I might be calling on some of my more crafty friends for help.  Before Christmas shopping, I’ll reread Simplicity Parenting.  Such a great book that brings all of this into focus for me.

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Field Trip

By | Posted October 9, 2012

Posted in Baby Hulk, Happiness, parenting | 2 Comments »

Today was Baby Hulk’s first field trip of the school year.

And he stayed home with me.

 

Yes, it makes me happier than anyone can probably realize that he wanted to be with us rather than go on a field trip.

After lunch today, I caught him looking at  me through the rear view mirror.  “I love you, mom.”  Then “thanks for letting me stay home with you today.”  And that sweet, sweet face of his with such a serious look.

Heart melt…Another “if I cried moment”.  (This is why I blog, to record that I have actual feelings about things.)

I’ll be fair: he seems happy most of the time at school.  And I’m glad.

I am.

I don’t want a miserable child.  That said, the fact that he wanted to spend a free day with me made me so happy.

He planned the day: we went to the Audubon and had a unit on Owls.  He charmed the docents while there and told them he’d try and return, but that he was in school now.  He requested Double Dave’s pizza buffet with my parents.  They must miss him too because there wasn’t a complaint about how far they’d have to drive for a pretty quick lunch.  He came home and we read, played and made a journal entry about our time at the sanctuary.  All too soon it was time to pick up Goose and Squirt which meant our day was coming to an end.

And end it did.  His lunch is packed with a sweet note for him to read tomorrow.  He’s sleeping after having several stories and ending our night with a poem about owls.  I cherish this time.  How I wish I could hold that sweet look in my heart forever, remember the trust and innocence on his face.

I had a couple of parents let me know they didn’t agree with my decision to keep Baby Hulk home from school today.  I will never force my kids to attend a freaking field trip.  I’m fine with my decision to let him stay home today.  In fact, it was an easy decision to spend a day with my son.  We both learned more today than had he been at school.

So today, I’m thankful for a chance to have a field trip with my son.

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Day Job

By | Posted October 7, 2012

Posted in Family Life, Happiness | 10 Comments »

Outside of raising my kids and running this home, there are few jobs I could actually see myself doing.

My life goal, the job I am positive I would be amazing at is private detective.  I’m too nosy for my own good, see through lies easily and love figuring out a puzzle.  I used to tease Lance that I would take Goose on outings with my camera.

Over the last few years when I heard people complain about their homes being disorganized, I figured I could be a professional organizer.  Go through closets and toss out junk.

But now, I realize there is one other job I might have been made for…children’s librarian.

I love children’s books, a side effect of having a troupe of children.  I still recall the first time I realized that Squirt could read, really read…we were driving down 59 and he read a bill board.  I remember discovering Jack and Annie with him.  Going through the Percy Jackson series, him giving me the first three books because he wanted me to read them.  He still reads, though not as much as I want!

Goose has had a love of books since the day he came home from the hospital.  We’re six weeks into school, and the note already came that he isn’t paying complete attention in class because he is reading.  He sneaks a flashlight into bed at night so he can keep reading.  It can be any book, a picture book, Magic Tree House or his favorite, Goosebumps.  Honestly, he should be reading more difficult books, but what’s the rush?  The more intense the books become, the more things I have to explain, the more he learns about that I might not want him to know about just quite yet.  So while I want him to have a bit more meat in his reading, I’m okay with him taking it slower than his actual abilities.

Baby Hulk didn’t start out quite like Goose, which kind of worried me.  I expected the exact same love of books.  Once it hit, though it hasn’t stopped.  He gets mad when we don’t read at night, has a huge stack of books from the library and has certain books that are most definitely him.  (If that makes sense.)  He also complains daily that he isn’t reading in school.

Even my rough and tumble kid Snax has finally found his groove with books.  Finally. I thought it would never come.  Each day after lunch we read a huge stack of picture books.  He has his favorites and is showing small signs that reading on his own is on the horizon.

And the girl…she trails me around the house with a book in her hands, shouting, “read, read”.  I LOVE IT!  It makes me so happy that she loves hearing stories as much as the rest of the family.  She has her personal favorites already…Prayer for a Child, Angels, Angels Everywhere, a Saints Board book and Horn to Toes.  The fact that one of her favorite books is a Tomie DePaola book thrills the boys since he is our favorite author.

 

The kids have enjoyed comparing Caldecott winners and figuring out why certain books won and others didn’t.  They don’t understand why some books have never won awards.  I like that they are paying attention, checking out the details.

I guess in a way, I’m a librarian to my own little class at home.  I truly enjoy finding new books for them and seeing what makes them smile.  We have a wonderful collection of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Saint books.  We’re slowly collecting books on seasons, BH’s love, and nature books.  It’s hard to stop buying books, yet, we have to make sure not to buy too many, there is always the library right down the street.

I plan to start volunteering at the school library once we’re settled into a routine.  That way kids don’t go home with books that are most definitely out of season, a huge pet peeve of mine!

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Running in Circles

By | Posted October 6, 2012

Posted in parenting | 1 Comment »

Lance and I took a trip for our anniversary, and my mom stayed with the kids.  She took them up to the YMCA to play and get a rest.  There the ladies told my mom how different I was from the other moms.  That yes, I was up there Monday through Friday, but I was present and involved and into my kids.  They could tell by how I talked about them, the things we did together and the fact that they were always with me.  They felt qualified to say that because they saw lots of moms who weren’t like that.  I admit, it made me feel great.  And I’m sure my mom must have had a sense of pride in her heart to hear something great about her adult daughter.

I wish I had some of that mom pride swelling in me.

Last night I took the boys to a party.  It was at a restaurant, and my boys certainly livened things up.  They ran, started a game of chase.  Served enormously inappropriate amounts of food and were rude when I tried to sneak some to Sunshine to make sure none was wasted.

Then one stole a cupcake from the arrangement.

We hadn’t sung Happy Birthday.  Or blown out the candles.  Generally those two go together.

Nobody else was eating cupcakes.

The hostess was gracious.  I was a bit miffed, the kid isn’t dumb, he knows how these things work.

It went downhill from there.  One had a meltdown because I took another to the bathroom, then another meltdown when I didn’t take off enough cheese from his burger.  He’s not my child with a dairy intolerance.

During all of this, Sunshine kept walking over to the food stand and stealing buns from the sliders.  Leaving a ton of sliders without tops.

While speaking with the hostess, her son ran up and was clearly upset.  Some boy was trying to steal the cupcakes.

You know that feeling when you just know it’s your kid?  I had it.  I knew it.  The cupcake thief was at it again.

Whether or not he actually took another cupcake, I can’t be sure of.  What he did was to torment the boy and another girl it turns out, and act like he was, touched several of them.

Another mom came over and pointed him out as the cuprit and didn’t hear me speak up that I would take care of it.

Becuase she was too busy calling him a “horrible kid.”

First things first.  EFF HER.

I’ll admit he acted like a shit, but her behavior of calling out a kid, my kid, was more disturbing.  She didn’t realize other people could hear her?

We see kids act like jerks all the time.  And yes, we talk about it.  But come on…as an adult, steer the kid away, tell his mom.  Then on the drive home, tell your husband about the kid.  (I myself don’t drag my husband to kid parties.  I’m cool like that.)  Don’t make a stupid comment like that in front of a parent you don’t even know.  Cause as it turned out I was parent of horrible kid.

That said, I don’t think I’ve felt more down about my children.  Ever.  It’s been a really crappy year so far.  I’ll not divulge my children’s business online, but the three in school have not started off their school year in a manner that beams pride.  When the best thing you can say is that one has straight A’s that’s not much.

I came home last night and handed them over to Lance.  It’s not something I generally do.  But I knew that if I took care of showers, I would yell at them the entire time.  I’m exhausted at kids who don’t listen at all.  I’m exhausted due to kids that are irresponsible.  And I won’t tolerate a kid who teases another child to the point that the kid has to run to his mom.  I hate bully moves of any sort.

I’m exhausted in general.  I think we’re all adjusting to Lance’s new schedule which in theory has the same hours, but gives us less time with him.  Even while I was doing everything with the boys in the afternoon, he was still here.  I could leave Sunshine napping, someone playing.  That’s not the case any longer.  Naptime isn’t happening the right way.  The transition doesn’t seem to be going well for any of us.

I’m ready for a new week.  Lance had the boys come in to apologize for their behavior and Baby Hulk came in and said, “sorrryyyyyy….I don’t know why I’m here again.”

I sent a text to my best friend and another about the incident.  Two very different people.  Both had the same response.  “Fuck Her”.  Not to be sappy, but I love my friends.

And my kids.

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On St. Francis

By | Posted October 4, 2012

Posted in pictures, saints | 3 Comments »

I may have just jinxed myself.

We blessed the dog.

Yes, the dog that runs when the gate is open, is an annoying barker, digs, and sheds…what’s beyond trifecta?

She’ll probably live until she’s 20 now.

And I will have nobody to blame except myself.  And that beloved saint, St. Francis of Assisi.

You don’t have to be Catholic to know St. Francis.  He’s the one in the brown tunic who has birds by his side and talked to wolves.  I’m not kidding, he talked to wolves and they listened.

Any Catholic child knows that St. Francis is the patron of animals, among many other things.  So today, we made beautiful pictures, had an Italian meal and blessed the dog and frogs.

Snax, Sunshine and I went to mass this morning, and the priest said that St. Francis frightened him.  My ears perked up, I mean, really?  How can this Saint of all the Saints frighten you.  It was his radical love for Christ.

Yes, St. Francis was pretty radical.  In a world where people only seem concerned about themselves or those they love, it’s a hard concept to accept.  St. Francis, a man from a wealthy family, loved in a way that I wished I did.  He didn’t scoff and tell  anyone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.  He gave.  He loved.   And often he did without himself for pure love of Christ and his brothers and sisters.

 

It makes me sick to think how selfish I really am.  I don’t have to give away everything and become a beggar myself to show my love for Christ, my vocation in life is much different than his.  But no less important.

I’m a mom.  It’s my job to show my children that every single person counts.

It’s not my job to judge anyone by what I think they should be doing to make their life better.  It’s my job to help them in any way possible, even if it’s just saying a quick prayer and giving them the dignity of my eye contact when I see them on the corner.  That’s what a real person does instead of avoiding them.  It’s my job to help and to show my kids that there are things they can do to help others and that they should.  That the very religion into which they were baptized into demands that of them.

So for today, St. Francis, bless me, bless my family and bless those less fortunate.  Help me to discern exactly where I can help.  Help me never to be so selfish that my petty concerns over money seem serious in the grand scheme of things.  I know they aren’t.  It is my duty to give and not when it’s easy, but when it’s hard.  I fully admit my donations overall have decreased, but has all my spending?  It’s hard to face reality, but I will do it.

St. Francis of Assisi, bless my family always, and kind of bless Lola.

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My Newest Student

By | Posted October 1, 2012

Posted in homeschooling, pictures, Snax | 3 Comments »

They say every child is different.  I know this.  Down to my core, I know this.  And yet, I am still surprised at times by just how different this one is from the others.

Some days, I think he is as lazy as a teenager.

Others, I think he may be my smartest kid ever.

He definitely learns differently than the others have.  They picked up a lot on their own with my guiding them along the way.  He learns fast, but only when he wants.  Which is why he still can’t recognize numbers very well.  In all honestly, I try not to let it bother me.  What he does and doesn’t recognize isn’t a reflection of how smart he is or what I’m doing as a parent.

That said, I do wish he were a bit more cooperative.

Today I asked Snax to count to 50.  (A warm up of sorts.)  He said he only wanted to count to 1.

Yes, 1.

You have to love this kid.  He keeps me on my toes.  Everyone loves him and how could they not.

I already know how this story ends…he will learn.  And learn well.  Then someone else will get him all day long.  And that’s when I wish I hadn’t read the ending already.

And yes, there are some days when we school in PJ’s.  We’re cool like that.

 

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