Several years (and two kids) ago, our family joined the YMCA. It sounded like a fun place to be, and that getting free & cheap classes for the kids might be a more affordable option than park and recreation sports, and well, everybody else was doing it.
Let me tell you - this is one time that I’m really glad I followed the crowd! When I tell people that the YMCA saved our lives, I’m not really joking! It certainly has saved our sanity over the years, as our family has grown.
Number one lifesaver: free childcare. 2 hours of free childcare. As in, I could stand in the steaming hot shower for 2 uninterrupted hours if I wanted to. Or exercise. Or read a book. Or do absolutely. nothing. at. all. Need I say more?
The free kids classes have been a biggie for us, too, which were included in our membership fees. Community education or park and recs sports can be a great option, but I found that with several children, it ended up being cost prohibitive, made my schedule extra crazy, and it was difficult to do with a sometimes-cranky toddler (or two, or three …) in tow. Again: free childcare.
The opportunity to exercise pretty much whenever it’s convenient for me, knowing that there’s great options for each of my kids while we’re there, well, what more could I ask for? The frequent (free) fun family activities or use of the pool with the kids - it’s just the kind of thing to help bring our family together, keeping us healthy and connected to each other.
In all honesty, I am a YMCA employee…but I was a member first. It’s been an ideal place for us to participate as a family as well as for me to serve the community.
I think that in these tough economic times, aren’t we are all looking for ways to relieve the stress, be budget-savvy and stay connected as a family? At the YMCA we’ve been able to do all this and more.
Check it out!
Yup, that was the title of a book from some years back and it certainly describes me. Name the countries and capitols of Scandinavia, couldn’t do it. Name the countries of the former USSR, hmmm, well, probably not. Even if they came to my mind, could I actually pronounce the names of them all? Not likely. But that is changing!
Does this sound like an infomercial? It is okay if it does, because this is a great product and it must be shared. Audio Memory’s Geography Songs CD is a great resource! Our family has been listening to it in the van and improving our geography knowledge. The songs are catchy and fun to listen to. If you, like me, “don’t know much about Geography” and your kids are ready to learn in a fun, creative way, then this CD is for you!
In a house full of boys there is rarely a day when there is not some kind of mess to clean up. Sharpie/marker/crayon/food smeared on walls, mud caked on the back door, grimey prints along the banister, unidentifiable nastiness on the walls. Magic erasers have saved me countless hours of scrubbing. I mean, what else gets SHARPIE off walls without damaging the walls…or my manicure? So Mr. Clean, I thank you for your valuable contribution to society. I thank you for making it possible for me to hand a two year old an eraser and tell him to clean baseboards…not that I do that or anything.
LaShawn
Frazzled LaShawn
The nights around here tend to be as exciting if not more so than the days. Here’s an example of a night I experienced and posted about on my personal blog just last week:
Last night was one of those nights. You know the kind where you think it will never end. Then it does rather abruptly and you’re devastated. It started with Boo. Coughing and coughing and hacking and hacking. Not really sick so to speak just congested enough in the chest to be miserable when laying flat. Finally I had no choice but to hold her in a semi-upright position while she slept soundly on my shoulder. All the while my body was begging me to lay down.
After a great deal of time in this position I attempted to roll her onto my bed and it was a successful drop. She snuggled in, I covered her, and slid in thankful to be on my way to sleep at last. Just as I was about to drift off the kitty came into the room and jumped on the bed purring like a lawn mower. Seriously I have never heard an animal weighing less than a pound make this much noise. The neighbors probably heard her. Of course this woke the baby who sputtered and coughed and reached for me. Thus beginning the cycle all over again.
By the time I did the second roll and drop I was delirious. It was again successful and this time I remembered to shut the kitty out. I snuggled in and had nearly fainted when I heard Midge crying in her room. I ignored her for about half a second and then mustered up the strength to go check her. Her left big toe was hanging out of the covers and apparently covering it was a job she saw fit for only me. I covered it stroked her hair and she smiled sleepily. She’s a little manipulator that Midge…
Back in my own bed I checked the clock. By now it was 4 am. Good 3 more hours left until the new day would be upon me. Who would’ve guessed that in that 3 hours we would have: a bad dream, much more coughing and sputtering, purring that sounded like a jet taking off, and one more “my big toe is cold” incident. Now I can’t say that this is a typical night. It’s not. Usually the kids are down at 8 and I follow around 11 and we see each other again in the morning. Which is hopefully how tonight will go. I can hope, cause darnit I’m tired….
Cross posted at The Dauk Is In
When I thought about what to write for my “A Day in the Life” post this week, I decided not to break down everything that happens in my day to day world. Because mostly, my days are fairly repetitive, with the odd drama, or hallmark moment thrown in.
Instead, I thought that I would share the reasons that I keep going day to day. Because it isn’t always pretty, and it isn’t always fun, and on more occasions than I can count I do wonder what the heck I am doing. I think about these things a lot right now as we embark on yet another journey to child #6.
And it boils down to this, I could have more money, more free time, a less demanding schedule, less gray hair (I think), or time to sit down on a Sunday morning a do the crossword puzzle in bed. I could have stopped at the standard 2 or 3 kids. But I don’t and I didn’t, instead I have a 10 month old baby who wakes up in the morning jabbering to herself, who grins the biggest grin just for me when I go and pick her up, a 12 and 10 year old that I have taught to be self-sufficient enough to take care of their needs in the morning. A 5 and 7 year old that make me laugh but have absolutely no idea how to get themselves ready. I get big fat open mouth kisses everyday from my 10 month old and have a 7 year old son who thinks that I walk on water. I have a 12 year old who still wants to share her day with me and loves her baby sister to the moon and back. A 10 year old boy who thinks his dad is a hero. A 5 year old princess that refuses to let me pick her clothes and even looks beautiful in orange, green and pink together.
Which of these things would I give up? These are the real things that my days are made up of. In 50 years when I look back on this time, I will not think I wish I would have had more money, more free time, etc. No, I will remember all of the wonderful moments and the dramas will fade. How lucky I feel to know this now. When the day to days get a little to repetitive, I can imagine myself wrinkled and gray (but still hot) surrounded by everyone I love and forcing them to listen to me “remember” the past. Not for all of the time or money or crossword puzzles out there would I give this up, nope, no way.
Those are my days, everyday, how lucky am I?
Jillienne (www.imminent-chaos.blogspot.com )
Only it wasn’t really manic. Magnificent? Marvelous? Much-ado-about-nothing?
My littles like Mondays because I usually drive them to where they meet the crossing guards. My son and I go to Bible Study at our church Monday mornings (I attend the study while he works his childcare job) and since we’re leaving at the same time as the girls, it’s easier to just drive them. I’m driving my older daughter to school each day, too, but she needs to leave earlier … generally right when I’m, say, just stepping out of the shower, helping someone with homework and foaming at the mouth with toothpaste (yes, usually all at once).
After Bible study, we made our near-daily stop at the library on the way home. Between homeschooling, my secret fascination with chick-lit and the books I pick out for my kids at the Y each week, I keep those dear librarians pretty busy. I’d put a documentary on the Suffrage Movement on hold - watching and discussing that was about the extent of our “school” for the day.
After the girls got home from school, we all went to the YMCA so I could work out, then picked my oldest daughter up after swim practice. She had a little down time between practice and her FCA group, so it was fun to have her home on a Monday night for supper (bbq pork which we’d made the previous day in the crockpot). I drove her to her group then, which consisted of a whole bunch of highschool athletes going “trick or can” - collecting food for the local food shelf. She said later that they collected a lot of food and had a lot of fun.
The rest of the evening I spent hanging out with the other kids - a little homework, a little Dancing with the Stars, a little end-of-the-day-meltdown, a little reading and snuggling in bed.
So really, hardly manic. Magical, really.
As requested, here is my tried and true lentil stew recipe.
1 tbs olive oil
1 1/4 c chopped onion
1 c chopped celery
3/4 c chopped carrot
1 garlic clove, minced
4 c chicken or veggie broth
1 c water
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 c dried lentils
3/4 c instant brown rice (regular brown rice works fine - just cook it longer)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Heat oil in large pot over med-high heat. Add chopped vegetables; saute til tender. Add broth water and tomatoes, bring to a boil. Stir in lentils, simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in rice, simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in seasonings.
Last week when I made this, I did it in the microwave and crockpot (the new stove has not yet been hooked up). I sauteed the veggies and oil in a glass baking dish in the microwave and then cooked the stew all day long in the crockpot. The other modification I made was to use a large can of tomato juice + a little water instead of the can of crushed tomatoes.
Viola!
My oldest two went away this weekend. That left four at home, so I guess we still qualified as a larger family. My friend Tammi, who has eight sent five of hers on the same retreat. She hardly knew what to do with herself with just the three little ones!
I knew before the kids left that it would be a working weekend for me. I am used to putting the bigger kids to work. I spend my days saying things like, “bring me the baby,” or “start dinner,” or “what are you going to make for lunch?”
But this weekend, my oldest child went from 16 to 8, so if the baby was awake in her crib, I was the one to get her. Note to self: those stairs are rough on the knees!
If the baby was hungry and I was cooking dinner, and the 4 year old was in the potty asking for help, I was the dude. I even managed to get the refrigerator cleaned out with my pint-sized helpers. It was much different from what I would have done with the older children home, though. I would have delegated the whole job–amidst many complaints and resistance. I may have even put off the odious task another week.
It was surprisingly quiet in the house without the low roar of a deep-voiced 13 year old, or his older, almost grown sister.
I knew I would be coasting by doing all the work until Sunday. Sunday was the true test of my mettle as a mother. I took the four little children to church. Each had to go to a different room, and I’m used to having the older two fetch the walking children, while I concentrate on the baby. I wore flats to make it easier on myself.
I raced out of the sanctuary as soon as the service was over, and made my rounds to pick up the kids. What had I been so worried about? It was a piece of cake! I was quite a sight carrying the baby, everyone’s coats, and barking orders to the littles. “You carry the bottle, ” “You hold his hand, ” “You stay with me. . .”
I am spoiled by having my built in babysitters. I don’t usually have to take four children to ballet rehearsal. And you know what? It worked out just fine.
I guess I got my mommy practice in there somewhere along the way.
I’m just not in a hurry to send those big kids away anytime soon.
Having four children can elicit some interesting comments. Sometimes I get asked legitimate questions. For example, at the grocery store the other day I had all four children hovering at my side in the check out line. A young woman with two small children politely smiled and asked, ‘how do you fit four car seats in your car?’. Valid question. I don’t drive a car. Obviously she doesn’t drive a SUV or minivan.
But it blows my mind how often complete strangers are well, rude. There must be a script floating out there prompting people on what to say to mothers with four or more children. It’s bizarre because no matter where I am the comments are always the same. It never fails. And it goes something like this:
Stranger: Wow! You sure do have your hands full.
Me: (silent smile and head nod)
Stranger: Did you mean to have so many kids or was that little one there a surprise? OR this variation is very popular too. You do know how that happens, right?
Me: (head tilt with an affected laugh)
Stranger: Are you finished or are you going to have more?
Me: (shoulder shrug with affected smile)
I have so many thoughts on this ridiculous conversation I’m actually going to save it for its very own special post. For the point of this post however, and I swear there is one, let’s just pretend one day I fly off the handle and respond like this:
Me: Well, you know the reason I have all these kids don’t you?
Stranger: Why on earth do you? Please tell me.
Me: So they can clean the house and cook for me, of course.
So now you know why I really created Kids Cook Night! And since it’s Wednesday, it’s time to put those little urchins to work, dontcha think? Tonight the children prepared a very tasty quiche. For Husband and me, naturally.
Indentured Servant Quiche (or Broccoli, Ham & Cheese Quiche)
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
1 cup grated cheese (we had Babybel and parmesan on hand tonight)
1/2 cup chopped ham
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
4 large eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Layer ingredients into pie crust starting with cheese, then broccoli, then ham. In a bowl, lightly whisk eggs and milk until combined. Add salt. Pour over broccoli, ham and cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until solid. Cool for 15 minutes until set.
Originally posted by saucymomma at The Schell Cafe. Kids Cook Night is a weekly tradition at the cafe which allows the Littles to cook a meal of their choosing. They love experimenting in the kitchen which truly warms this momma’s heart.
FYI: A reporter from the Chicago Tribune is looking for an affluent large family to interview. If you or anyone you know fit the bill, shoot me an e-mail at largerfamilies at gmail dot com and I’ll give you her contact info.