Anybody know what I did wrong?

I have absolutely NO idea why that photobucket notice is up on my blog. I am at a loss. Anyone know what I did wrong?

UPDATE: I think it's got something to do with the extra background I had on my blog. It seems to be gone now, and I can't find the code for it so that I can erase it. grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Any idea?

Look who's here!

Introducing our newest family member, Joseph!

The OR scale was off, so he was approximately 7 lbs 3 oz and 19 1/2" long.

The picture doesn't do him justice. His features are small and perfect, like a little china doll (he's going to hate that description later on, but that's the best I can do!)

Yes, I'm already in the babymoon phase, and loving it!

His arrival into the world, however, was not as problem-free as I would have liked for it to have been. I am thrilled to report that I never once experienced any panic attacks (thanks be to God!), but I had (and continue to have) serious issues with low blood pressure and anemia, which is making this an interesting adventure. 

How does 76/37 sound for a blood pressure reading? Yeah, the doctors and nurses were loving it, too. Kept checking me over... and over... and over again to make sure they had those numbers right. Yes, they did and no, I wasn't passing out. 

The anemia is the big problem, however. It is making everything difficult at the moment, and just sitting up is proving to be more of a challenge than one would expect. 

Still, he's here... I'm here... and in spite of the difficulties, we're doing well. My dh, as I expected, is doing a phenomenal job running the house and homeschooling the kids. All of the children are pitching in and taking over many of the household duties, as well as lining up every few minutes or so for another chance to hold the baby! As dh told them over supper last night, "Mommy's job is to feed Joseph and get better. Our job is to do everything else." And they are doing it well!

I couldn't finish this post, however, without issuing a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has jumped in to help, from The Wanna Be who watched my kids Thursday through Saturday and somehow managed to drive them to the hospital to meet their new brother, take them to a water slide, feed them, etc (she's amazing!)... to Malia and her son who came to visit me (and bring Indian food!) in the hospital

and watched my children on Sunday so dh could bring me home... to Maureen for setting up a calendar of meals, and to all of the "church ladies" (as we call ourselves) who have signed up to feed us through August.. to Perrin and family who took my children in so I could get last minute stuff done... and the list goes on. GOD BLESS YOU ALL! I am so thankful to be able to call you friends.

And now, back to bed... I'm feeling a bit light-headed, as is to be expected.

He's here!

I'm thrilled to report that Joseph arrived safe and sound at 11:26 am! He weighs 7 lbs 13 oz and is doing great!

I'm typing this on my iPhone, and obviously can't get up to take a lot of pictures. Just know I'll post them as soon as I can!

Thank you all for your prayers. I was VERY calm in the OR, which was a pure gift from the Lord.

The Final Nesting Moments

I think the nesting urge is slowing down now. I'm sure my children are rejoicing, because I've had them hopping these past few days, decluttering just about everything they can. We've purged toys, clothes in closets, books, etc. You name it, we've probably covered it. We did a massive clothing "swap/hand-me-down" thing this weekend as well. I'm feeling better about the house I'll be bringing this little one home to, but I'm still feeling somewhat cramped.

I'm not sure if this is an invitation for us to "suffer" the inconvenience and grow in holiness, or the opportunity to say, "wake up! This house is way too small for a family your size!" Guess we'll just have to see... *grin*

In the meantime I can be thankful that we managed to get so many things "off the list" before I go in to the hospital:

--I wound up making 3 batches of strawberry, 2 batches of blueberry, and 1 batch of peach jam. I feel like such the pioneer! *grin*
--I ground wheat and made two loaves of bread this afternoon (it's been awhile since I've made any!)
--We decluttered the girls' rooms and the boys' room.
--Thanks be to God and St. Anthony (for his intercession) we now have a real twin mattress for Thomas, who was able to relinquish his crib mattress (I know... the poor guy has been sleeping on one on a trundle bed....) to the baby. At least now everyone has a place to sleep!
--Clueless one here managed to squeak in a quick hospital preregistration.
--My dh has been getting so many of those little projects around the house done, AND managed to clean up the yard (which was on my "I'd love to get this done list" but never shared with anyone)
--I'm washing my last load of baby clothes this evening.
--And we've managed to pull off a decent 1/2 week of homeschooling so far (I'm only having them to half a day's work... they'll do the other half next week when dh is home taking care of me).

Whew!

I still don't even feel close to being emotionally ready for a new baby... OR a hospital stay... but like it or not, the time is almost here. I'm not one of those women that bond instantly with their baby. I never have. (and, truth be told, I never liked babysitting either. Hated it, actually... that's what makes it so funny that God decided I needed to be a "Mom of many.") At the end of the first day, I'll hold him in my arms, look him straight in the eye, and say, "Well stranger, I'm your mommy. I guess it's time we got to know each other a little bit." By the time I've been home for a few days, however, I'll start feeling those maternal instincts kick in, and then I'll start drinking in every feature, and go through that babymoon period.

I will do my best -- when the time comes -- to post some pictures from my iPhone to my blog. If that doesn't work, I'll have dh post at least a picture or two.

As always, thank you for your prayers. I will be praying for all of you while I'm on the table, offering up that experience for any intentions you may have. Lord willing, you will hear from me soon after his birth!

The countdown is on!

In a little less than one week, my children (God willing!) will meet their newest sibling.

I can't say I'm excited about going into the hospital again. (For those who know me IRL or have been reading this blog for awhile, you know that the thought of panic attacks striking again in the hospital is enough to set me on edge). Still, it is exciting that we're going to finally meet this little guy, and I'm going to have my body sort of shrink down to its normal size again. I've reached the point where I'm tired of being huge.

[picture taken on Sunday after Mass]

I'm all "funned out," in other words.

The kids are beside themselves with excitement, talking about holding the new baby, playing with him, even changing him! They are looking forward to the whole experience all over again. God love 'em! I've got a whole household full of eager helpers! Grace in particular is quite excited over the thought of being a "big sister" to someone. I'm so thankful that so far we really haven't had any problems with the youngest child feeling usurped by the new arrival. Each time the youngest is made to feel extra special as he or she "graduates" into the world of the big kids, and they see that it's someone else's turn to "be the baby" for awhile. I pray that Grace will continue to feel special and will cherish her new role.

People keep asking if we're all ready for the baby. You know, with first children, you spend a lot of time getting everything just right -- setting up the nursery, getting the furniture just so, etc. By the time baby #8 comes around, the process is cut down substantially. I figure we'll finally get around to going up into the attic and getting the crib and baby car seat down a day or two before. I have washed the clothes and put them into the bureau, but that's about it (bad, bad Mommy).

If God brings me to mind, please say a prayer that all goes well with the delivery (and the hospital stay), and that our baby is born happy, healthy, and whole.

One of the best questions I've ever been asked

Marie came in to the kitchen yesterday, holding a stuffed rooster, and asked:

"Mommy, how do roosters say 'cock-a-doodle-doo' when they don't have any lips?"

(I did NOT laugh, believe it or not. I thought that was actually a very insightful question, and I told her that I think that is the best question I have EVER been asked.)

Anyone else inspired?

I am thrilled to see that Money Saving Mom and her dh were able to buy their first home WITH CASH. I think that's one of the most inspirational financial success stories I've heard in quite some time! Many congratulations to MMM and her family!!!

Over at Grocery Shrinks, there is a great link to a tutorial (from Little Green Notebook) on how to convert those cheap ugly blinds into Roman shades. This is exactly what I needed! I've got fabric on roller shades right now, but I'm tired of having to replace the rollers every two years or so, and I think turning that fabric into Roman shades would work wonderfully well!

My only "inspirational" bit to contribute is that I was able to make 2 batches of blueberry jam this weekend. My family is LOVING IT. The taste is so much better than store bought I have to say that I think I've permanently spoiled my family. I can only hope that somehow we can save some of this jam I've been making for the winter! (I've got 29 jars of strawberry and blueberry jam tucked away in the pantry. The only other fruit I want to try to make into jam is peach -- living in South Carolina, it would be almost a sin not to, doncha think?)

I wish my garden would produce enough food for me to learn how to can vegetables but alas, it's just not going to happen. We have way too much shade in our yard -- a good thing for South Carolina summers and keeping our house cool, but totally wrong for trying to grow a fabulous garden. I seem to be able to grow peppers (jalapenos, that is) and some herbs small containers, but that's about it.

I Can Dream...

I am thankful for our baby #8 who will be making his grand entrance sometime soon -- I really and truly am.

But may I just say that I'm more than a bit unsettled that this little man has NO WHERE to go? I'm not kidding. He's going to be in our bedroom until...

I can't see how we'll add on again, or how we'd pay for it if we could.

My husband and I have spent more years than I care to admit having to sleep on blow up mattresses in our own home while our small ones got our bedroom. For over a year our "bedroom" was our living room. Doable, but really not fun. We had to pack everything up every morning and stow it away, and then take it back out and sleep on couches and such every night.

If God ever sees fit to bless us with some way to add on, I would love, love, love something like this:

Bunk rooms over at August Fields.

Wow... isn't that just beautiful? Her kitchen is amazing, too. Take a few moments to poke around her blogsite and enjoy the amazing home she has created for her family.

Now before I lapse into self-pity, which is NOT what I'm trying to do here, I have to say that God has already shown Himself to have our best interests at heart. A few months ago a friend of mine replaced her water heater, and offered us her basically brand new "old" one. My husband wasn't too excited about the prospect of replacing ours at the time, so I didn't take her up on her offer. A few days ago, however, my husband asked me to PLEASE get a plumber to look at a leak he had noticed around our water heater. Turns out it was almost rusted through and was ready to burst. Said friend still had her "old" water heater to give us, and voila! We now have a 50-gallon heater rather than our old 30-gallon one, all for the price of installation.

He filled the need we had before we ever even knew we HAD a need, in other words.

If He can do that, He can certainly take care of all these other things.

I tried to remind myself of that when I went to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament this morning... to THANK HIM for all He's given us, and not to freak out and worry about what He hasn't. He knows all my hopes and dreams, all my fears, and my frustrations. I must trust that He will take care of all these other things as well.

Still... I can dream, can't I? *wink*

Further Shopping Success

This morning I was able to buy:

2 more Cascade gels                            (for $1.91)

3 packs of wooden pencils
3 packs of mechanical pencils
3 packs of Bic pens
1 folder                                                (for $0.14)

6 children's books
(Witch of Blackbird Pond,
a pirate book, The Shakespeare
Stealer, Island of the Blue Dolphin,
and 2 Little Bear Books)                    (gift card. Free.)

and one Frappuccino                          (gift card. Free.)

Grand total                                        $2.05


When money is tight and I start worrying about finances, I need to remember days like these!

Couponing Success Story

It's been awhile since I've shown a success story, so here is mine for this evening:

2 Cascade gels

2 Dawn dish soaps

1 pack of Little Swimmers

1 pack Duracell AA batteries

1 Gillette Proglide razor

2 Covergirl mascaras

2 Covergirl eyeshadows

(not shown: Free Dove candy bar that I ate on the way home! *grin*)

Total out of pocket that I spent this evening: $15.95

Total ECBs that I got back: $16.50

In other words, I earned $0.55 buying all this stuff.

For all those in my neck of the woods (the Southeast, that is), I highly recommend going to the Southern Savers website. Jenny makes it SOOOOO easy to print off everything you need for a round of grocery store shopping. May God bless her richly for her ministry to us moms!

Of course, The Thrifty Mama and Money Saving Mom are two others sites that I check out several times a week. Don't pass up the opportunity to shop for next to nothing! You really can do this!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Grace was very upset that the cat wouldn't get out.

Verily, he is a noble warrior, but his steed... alas... is not.

Two sweet little girls cuddling up on the couch.

Weekend Wrap-Up

1. DH took everyone (except Grace) on a trip this weekend. Praise God, everyone made it back, safe and sound. There's nothing quite like seeing your life... your heart... get into a van and drive away. You better believe I tossed up prayers for their protection all during that time!

2. The good side to the trip is that I had the wonderful opportunity to spend time alone with Grace. Granted, I can't say I enjoyed being asked to play "Little People" or "My Little Pony" over and over again, but still, it was a Heaven-sent gift to spend time with my little girl. We went shopping, played, read stories, went to First Friday Mass, played some more, ate together, and talked. It's easy to fall into "pack mentality" when you are the mom of many children, and it's crucial to take the time to get to know each of them individually. This was a blessing for me as I'm getting ready to give birth to #8 to have this time with Grace. I hope she remembers all the fun we had this weekend.

3. Along those same lines, being with Grace also reminded me how incredibly hard it is when you have just one or two children at home. They expect you to be their everything.. the source of entertainment... their sole conversation partner... their companion through all parts of their day... and it is exhausting. I remember the days when I only had Sean and Reilly, and I was exhausted in a way I had never experienced before.  I think many people, seeing how difficult it is during those years, freak out over the thought of having any more children because they can't possibly imagine that adding MORE kids to the mix would make their lives easier.

PLEASE believe me. It gets easier the more children you have. They play with, support, entertain, and help each other to make up for any "lack" on your part. It is a blessing that I wouldn't necessarily have believed myself, but it is true. I remember crying out to God for a break... a serious break... only to find out I was pregnant with baby #4. I thought God must hate me to give us another child so close to baby #3. Couldn't He see how overwhelmed I was? Turns out #4 (Christopher) turned the tide for DH and I both. It was then that we finally learned that we couldn't be all things to all kids all the time, and the pressure lessened substantially.

4. And that lesson is being driven home to me again as I (1) wait these last few weeks for baby #8 and (2) get ready to start week #2 of homeschooling at our house. The kids have adapted SOOOO well to the new way of schooling. I was trying so hard to be this wonder-teacher, formulating lesson plans that magically meshed grades 1-6 together. It took hours every weekend and I was totally burned out. (usually a good sign that perhaps I'm not doing something God's way... that I'm trying to accomplish something through my own power, which fizzles out rather quickly.)

5. The first reading at Mass today was incredibly appropriate for me, seeing as during that reading, I *was*, in fact, comforting a small child on my lap while keeping my other arm around Thomas, who was desperate for some Mommy time after being away for two days. I knew the love I was feeling for those children during that moment, and to think of God loving us the same way was a thrill for me.

May you all have a safe and blessed 4th of July... and may God bless America!

Happy 4th of July!

May God bless America!

And happy birthday to my friend Malia and happy anniversary to my brother and sister-in-law! I love you guys!

Yesterday was a fluke

I assure you! I do not normally rush around like a madwoman, accomplishing a ton of things. It was a sudden burst of pregnancy hormones that drove me all day yesterday.

In my defense, however, I must say that there was a reason to all my scurrying around. I don't buy flour, so any flour I use has to be ground by me. To do this, I have to get the wheat grinder from my neighbor (we both own it, but it "lives" at her house).

This is a pain in the rear end, so I try to do as much as I can at one time, so I only have to get it once a week.

My kids had eaten the two loaves of bread I had made on Monday, so I was stuck having to make more for lunch. I also had a bag of ripe bananas sitting on the counter that were starting to attract tiny little fruit flies, so I was determined to get those bananas used up THAT DAY. Two loaves of regular bread plus the 4 loaves of banana bread were going to take up about a batch and a half of wheat.

THEN, I wanted to fill up the flour canister for any other baking that might be needed. There's another batch. I wanted to give the kids the cookies as a nice treat to start of their homeschooling week, so that was more flour. Finally, I had squash that I had bought at the farmers' market a week ago because I wanted some quiche, and I was afraid if I put it off any longer, they would go bad. That was the last 1/2 batch of flour.

And there you have it. The perfect storm of things needing to be made... should be made for my kids... and all the grinding that had to accompany that.

By 9:00 pm, I was a crying mess, complaining to my dh that there was no way I could get everything done before the baby gets here. Pretty typical behavior for me 3 weeks before the baby arrives.


Today was much more normal. We homeschooled, everyone made their own lunch, and then I spent the afternoon cleaning and doing homeschooling paperwork (I hadn't written down anything in my planner for three days, so I had quite a bit of catching up to do). I still have a load of laundry sitting on my bed that, alas, will probably be dumped into the laundry basket and conquered tomorrow. It messes with my chi horribly to do that, but I've gotta be realistic. It just ain't happenin' this evening.

Before the three weeks are up I'll probably go on another rampage, deciding to paint something... or throw away everything that I deem to be clutter... or rip up the carpet that has driven me nuts for years. Who knows?

Anyone have any fun nesting stories they'd like to share?

All those who think I'm nesting, please raise your hand...

6 kids homeschooled. Check.
3 batches of wheat (approx. 36 cups) ground. Check.
3 pie crusts made from scratch. Check.
3 squash quiches made. Check.
2 regular loaves of bread made. Check.
4 loaves of banana bread made.Check.
1 batch of gingersnaps made.Check.
All the baby clothes I received at the baby shower washed, dried, folded, and put away.Check.


One pooped pregnant mom who is running on about 4 hours of sleep.Check.

So, how did it go?

Let me tell you, my kids were eager for school this morning.

In fact, Kathryn lit CANDLES and placed them on the dining room table (our homeschooling area), and everyone was sitting down ready at 8:15 this morning! (we normally don't start 'til 9:00 am, but we got going earlier today, obviously).

I couldn't have asked for a better start. Thank You, Jesus!

I think the work will take a little getting used to... especially for Sean. This 7th grade syllabus does ask quite a bit from him, and I need to remember that and extend some grace. If they really do their absolute best, then I can better judge if something is too much for them, or simply a matter of not wanting to do the work.

Still, I think they did an amazing job. Marie was so excited about her first day of kindergarten, and we jumped right in where we had left off with Teaching Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. My other children went through this book earlier, but for some reason Marie just didn't seem to be as eager to read as the others were, so I tried not to take it personally and backed off earlier this year (I have to remember that she is only 4 years old, and her not reading at this stage is NOT a sign of colossal failure). Her biggest problem seems to be not catching on to the whole concept of rhyming, which is a complete mystery to me. She loves poetry and can recite it just fine, but when asked to come up with words that rhyme, she seems stumped. We've made progress -- I play rhyming games with her when she helps me in the kitchen, and she really enjoys it. She's catching on... slowly... but since this is a new one for me I'm trying to take it slow and see what she needs to me to do in order to teach her well.

Thomas jumped in right where he left off in Saxon 2 (he's on lesson 88) and was just zipping through adding 3 two-digit numbers. What can I say? The kid just takes to math, and numbers make sense to him intuitively. He also enjoys reading, but only if he can read to me. I have to remember that my time is not my own, and that sitting down and listening while he reads the Magic Tree House books to me is NOT wasted time, but time well invested in the well-being and education of my little guy.

Christopher is an amazing kid who just blows me away with his great attitude. He doesn't get flustered often and tackles every subject equally well. I usually find myself in awe of the way he approaches life. What truly stuns me, however, is his understanding of the Faith at his level. He makes connections and observations that I know I would never, ever have gotten at his age.

Kathryn jumped in just like I thought she would. She tackled everything with enthusiasm, needed little to no help from me, corrected her own mistakes and understood where she went wrong, and went to the next subject. No fuss, no complaints. God bless that child!

Reilly did a really good job as well. She was just as enthusiastic, and seems to handle what is asked of her just fine. As always, she expects to be able to do everything perfectly and crumples a little when she can't, but still, I have great confidence in her ability to get through this year well.

Now, on to day 2!