Effort

We have many Christmas traditions.  Many of which revolve around food.  One of which is Christmas cake.  I've been making this cake for 21 years.  It was on the cover of the December Southern Living the year I got married.  It was beautiful and I decided I should try it.  It was a hit and a tradition was born.

This year.  One of my girls made the cake.  I was busy doing other things so she offered to bake the actual cakes.  Then, when it was time to make the frosting, I asked if she could make it and I would frost it.  She asked to do the actual frosting and I agreed.  She started while I was out running an errand. I wasn't there to offer support and advice.  

Y'all this is a hard cake to frost.  It is a red velvet cake with a white frosting.  It is very easy to end up with pink and red frosting.  That happened today.  She was sad.  And disappointed.  And frustrated. 

But y'all she made a three layer marbled red velvet and white cake with peppermint cream cheese frosting. She did it.  She persevered.  Is it the most beautiful cake you've ever seen?  No.  Is it the best Christmas cake you will ever eat?  ABSOLUTELY!  And you know what? Next year she will do better frosting it than she did this year, and the year after that, even better.  I'm proud of her.  Not because she made a magazine cover worthy cake but because she went all in and gave it her best effort.  And because she did so to allow me to get other things done.  

The cake that will be on the table tonight for six families to enjoy will not just be a cake. It will be the sacrifice of her own time, her caring of others, her hard work, her expectations, her love and a whole lot of  hope.  And I can tell you now it will be beautiful.  And it will taste even better. 

I have a daughter with a big heart for others and I love her dearly,

Jenn

Shoe Shopping Observations

I took the bigs to get their back to school sneakers this week.  Rehm started band camp this week and Charlotte has dance team camp next week.  I always wait until the last minute to do this shopping to make sure their feet are as big as possible, hoping they will be able to wear them a little bit longer before I have to replace them.

This is why I have not taken the littles yet.  I'll take them in about two weeks.  It is driving them crazy that their siblings have gotten new shoes and they have not.  Tough!  Your feet might grow in that two weeks.  And the way Eliza Claire has been growing lately that is a very real possibility

Anyway, it is hilarious how differently my son and daughter shop for shoes.  Each was given a $50 budget.  Anything over that comes out of their own money.  In the time  it took Charlotte and I to run to the restroom and measure her foot, Rehm had picked out shoes.  Not only did he have shoes, he had found a pair of his favorite brand that were originally $90 on sale for $40.  My guess is this is the only pair he even tried on. He asked if he could get some new socks.  Since he was  under budget I said yes.  He grabbed those and was done.  Bam!

Don't you love the "Are you taking a picture? and Why?" look?  Actually, I think he asked both those questions.  Silly boy.  He should know by now that his mother takes pictures of everything.

Charlotte.  Had to look at every shoe in the store.  Try on a half a dozen pairs.  Realize she needed a whole size bigger.  Have a minor melt down because she did not want shoes that size (a 10).  Her brother thought this was completely ridiculous.  Come to terms with her new shoe size.  Try on several more pairs.  Debate a bit.  Pick a pair.  At least they were in her budget.  But she had to buy her socks she decided she needed with her own money.

Yes, she is enjoying the process way more than her brother.  This was pretty early in the process.

By the time we left Rehm was beyond annoyed.  Part of that was because he had to sit around Academy for an extra 30ish minutes and part was because he was exhausted from day 1 of band camp. I keep reminding him these experiences will make him a good husband one day.  Or they will make him decide to never get married.  Either way.  He will know what it is like to live with a girl and know what he's getting himself into.

And once Charlotte had picked out shoes she was bubbly and super talkative and in the best mood ever!  I thought her brother was going to come unglued before we made it home.

Its never boring around here,
Jenn

Tonsillectomy Review

Charlotte is about 90% back to her normal self.  She is talking and eating again.  Her voice doesn't sound quite like her yet, but it is close.  She is still taking some Ibuprofen a couple of times a day but that is it.  Today she went to church, lunch, worked out at the Y, and finished the day attending a swim party for her friend Lexi.

On the way home from Chuy's still munching on a tortilla this was Day 6 post surgery

At Chuy's

Here are some of the highlights of the last ten days.  Charlotte slept in my bed for the first week.  That meant Michael got her room.  It also meant I got to watch marathons of America's Funniest Home Videos.  Oh man.  I despised that show  when it first came out when I was a kid but I really, really, really despise it as a sleep deprived adult at 11:00 pm at night by the third episode.  I thought I was going to go insane.  That show is 1000 times worse than anything on the Disney channel.

Watching TV - Day 2

During the night when Charlotte would wake up and need medicine, she would growl, "medicine!" at me.  I would jump out of bed grab her medicine and bring it to her.  When I would try to hand it to her the first couple of times she knocked it out of my hand, all over me and her.  Then I learned to not get quite so close and tell her I had her medicine.  At that point, she would "tell me to talk to the hand"  as we would have said in the 90s and a mean look.  She would hold that hand up for several minutes while she worked up the nerve to be able to swallow.  That left me standing there, holding her medicine, sleep deprived, waiting.  Luckily, I found this scenario funny and didn't get too impatient with her.  Most of the times when the hand and look would happen it would start laughing and then she would at least smile.  I'm glad she didn't get mad at me for laughing, because that could have easily been the outcome.

One of our boredom busters - dyeing hair.  You can also see her cute gown I made her.  I picked the fabric because it has bunnies on it and Charlotte has always loved bunnies

Once she was back in her room, she came in to ask for medicine.  I walked with her in my bathroom to get it.  When I reached out to hand it to her, she took it immediately.  I was shocked.  Then, I "told her to talk to the hand" and gave her a mean look.  We both burst out laughing.  Again, I'm glad she found my antics funny and did not get offended.

She and I were both worried about her getting bored and grumpy during the recovery process.  She is not one to like to stay home and needs to be entertained.  I was very surprised by how well she did entertaining herself and that she never got frustrated with feeling bad, not being able to talk or able to eat.

The other really funny part of the experience was her trying to communicate with me.  Often, she would write notes in a cute little note pad she carried with her everywhere.  She had no clue where her phone was for over a week but she was glued to the note pad.  Sometimes though, she would decide to use sign language.  Mostly she would use the ASL alphabet.  I know the sign language alphabet but do not use it often and Charlotte and I are both dyslexic.  Many, many times I would have no clue what she was signing.  I would get letters wrong, or not be able to figure out what word those letters were supposed to be making.  She would get so frustrated with me.  I finally told her that she needed to significantly lower her expectations.  That I could not decode as fast as she could sign and then I had to process with my dyslexic brain.  That was not a fast or easy process and she needed to be more patient with me.

Writing me a note at lunch at PDQ 

About a week after surgery she was still communicating by sign.  I told her at some point she was going to have to talk.  That she could not sign forever.  I told her to imagine a couple of years from now that she was signing to someone and them asking about her hearing loss, only to have her tell them she wasn't deaf but had had her tonsils removed when she was 12 and never started talking again afterward.  She laughed and actually said, "that would be really silly!"

I really enjoyed spending so much time with her.  She was a great patient and was very appreciative of my efforts to take care of her.  At one point she told me "I've enjoyed spending time with you," and at another "thank you for taking care of me, I love you so much!"  It made it all worth every minute of it.    

I am so glad she is feeling and acting much more like Charlotte now.
Jenn

Blast from the Past

I happened to read our individual descriptions on the left side of the blog and realized they were just a little bit out of date.  I have updated them to better reflect everyone's current interests.  However, I realized it was fun to look back on where we were.  Here are the old descriptions.  The best I can tell they are from the summer of 2011. This means the kids were 10, 7, 4, and 4.

This is what happens when two math geeks marry and have four kids!

Jenn
I no longer work outside the home. This is a new endeavor as I spent the last five years working part time for my church. I love to cook, take photos and blog. I hate doing laundry and dishes. I love a good novel, but am not much on non-fiction or literature. I love my kids and being a mom. 

Sam-I-Am
Our firstborn who died at birth. He was our sweet red-headed baby boy. He may not be with us on earth but that makes him no less part of our family. We miss and love him very much.

The Grinch
Our oldest son Rehm. He is my walking encyclopedia. He loves Harry Potter, the ocean, space, science, Pokemon, Phineas and Ferb and anything that has a screen. He loves to know why and how things work. 

Cindy Loo Who
Our oldest daughter. She is the most empathetic girl I know. She loves school, playing with her little sisters and all things social. She is as stubborn as her mother, especially when dealing with her mother.

Thing 1
Our feisty second daughter. She is very dramatic. Her world is one of extremes. She loves to dress up and to play Barbies. 

Thing 2Our cautious third daughter. She is very sensitive and likes to do things in her own way and own time. She loves to play sports and loves cars and tracks and seeing how things work together. 

It's Been a While

In fact, when I opened blogger I wasn't sure I even remembered how to do a blog post. I've been missing blogging and my family has been missing my blogging, which is kind of ironic as the reason I stopped blogging was because they didn't like stuff about them being on the blog.  So we are going to give it a try and see how it goes.

To help the process along I am the proud new owner of a new laptop and a new camera.  Neither is fancy but both were missing and needed for blogging to be easier.

In other news, Charlotte had her tonsils removed on Friday.  She is such a trooper.  I am so impressed with her.  She has been the model patient.  I was a bit worried, as was she, as she is a very social person and gets bored easily.  We were both scared she would go stir crazy in no time.  So far, so good.  We have gotten out of the house each day for something.  Today it was a trip to Ulta to purchase yellow nail polish.  Yesterday, we went to lunch with the family and ran to target for a pair of sandals.  We also dyed her hair yesterday.  She is now sporting a purple under layer.  She is thrilled.  Typically she can't have hair color as she is in the pool 6 days a week and color lasts no time.

Now if the battery for the camera would charge so I can play with it.

Jenn

Happy Eleventh Birthday Charlotte

What a special girl I have! Miss Charlotte is eleven. She is such a sweet, funny and sassy girl.

For her birthday this year we decided to redo her room. The last time it was decorated was when she was 2.5 years old. Her only condition on redoing the room was that I would keep both the quilts Cici made so she could use them for her own daughter one day! That was a very easy request to honor.

Charlotte approved the bedding and picked out the paint colors. Once it was time to get to work, I locked her out of her room until it was done. I wanted her to have something to anticipate for her birthday.

Things took a bit longer than planned. The big reveal happened tonight instead of this morning. She agrees it was worth the wait. And, she had forgiven me for forgetting to bring donuts to her class today.







































I love the finished product and so does she!

Charlotte requested a baked potato bar and hot fudge brownie sundaes for dinner. My sweet girl did most of the preparation for her dinner while took her sister to Volleyball practice and finished up her room.

I think she had a great birthday. I sure hope so because I had a lot of fun putting it all together.

Jenn- Posted from my iPhone

Therapist List

Charlotte was complaining about having to let the dogs out. Ruby tells her, "Don't worry, I'll put it on your therapist list!"

I asked, "What do you mean?"

Ruby: I'm sort of her therapist. Every day we go in my room and make clay projects and work through stuff. Like, not yelling so much and stuff.

Where does she get this stuff?


Jenn- Posted from my iPhone

Stealing Her Joy

Last week Charlotte and Ruby decided they were going to build hammocks in the back yard with some old sheets. I was completely fine with this idea. I thought it was fun, creative and going to allow them to use their problem solving skills. I know, it is shocking that my first answer wasn't "No!" I was completely on board, even if I did not think they would be successful.

Ruby came in to get duct tape. Their plan was to tape the sheets up. I told her they could t use the duct tape on the sheets. A few minutes later they were braiding duct tape to make a rope. At this point, I very clearly told them, "no duct tape, at all." It was my only rule of this project. I went back to making dinner.

About 30 minutes later they came in very excited. They had made a hammock! They were very proud of themselves and I was very proud of me for sticking with the project and making it work. Until, I walked outside and saw...



Yep, that's a whole lot of duct tape holding up that hammock. I sent my daughter to her room for willfully disobeying. She was furious. When she tried to yell at me I told her she could write her feelings down and share them with me but she was not going to yell at me.

She returned a bit later with this:



After we calmly discussed how creative and determined she was, we addressed the willfully breaking the rules. She conceded that I did have a point. Then she and Ruby skipped back out and made two more hammocks with no duct tape! Ironic isn't it?



My guess is that duct tape will never come off of the swing set

Jenn

Fourth Grade Field Trip

Today the fourth grade went to Inner Space Caverns. They were supposed to go earlier this year. The original trip had to be rescheduled due to falling on a no school fur to ice day. 

Charlotte informed me before the originally planned trip that I had never been on one of the field trips. Further, she pointed out that I had been on more than one field trip for each of her siblings.I assured her that I was sure I had been on at least one prior field trip of hers. She went through the list and sure enough I had not attended a single one! Bad, bad Mommy! Poor middle child. 

Today was field trip day and I had to go even though I had a couple of things on my calendar that I really wanted to attend. I'm now behind on my 100 Modern Blocks and I missed my father-in-law's Holy Week sermon today. 

I like going to caverns. I like spending time with my daughter. I do not like field trips because my children tend to insist I come and then completely ignore me. I get that they are having fun with their friends, but why is it so important that I be there if you are not even going to come over and say hello? Ok, I'm done complaining. 

It seems I've been going on the wrong child's field trips. Charlotte spent a good deal of the time with me. In the cavern she held my hand and talked to me through most of the tour. It was lovely. It truly was. 

I'm very glad I went, but I don't promise I'll go on any others this year. 

Field trips always mean a completely disposable lunch. This is one part of field trips I have come to enjoy. It gives me an excuse to make a milk jug lunch box. These are quick and easy to make. I love the milk jug lunch box because they keep my child's lunch from getting mashed flat when all of the lunches are put in the bin to be transported. No chip crumbs and flat sandwiches for my kids!

Jenn - the horrible, awful Mom who doesn't like to go on field trips. 

I'm so Proud of my Girl

She brought home her certificate for having read 10,000 minutes so far this school year. People, that is 167 hours of reading!




At the beginning of 2014 she had just 3500 minutes. Since starting to use Learning Ally her time reading has become more enjoyable for her. Not all of her reading is assisted by Learning Ally. She has become a much more independent reader.

Apparently there is only one other student in her class that has read 10,000 minutes or more.

I am so glad Charlotte has found the joy of reading.

Jenn- Posted from my iPhone

Finding the Positive

Ruby and Eliza Claire just came downstairs abuzz about the bags Charlotte is making for them. Ruby's is to hold her "detective stuff," and Eliza Claire's is for her "science stuff."

When asked what fabric Charlotte was using I was told she
Had gotten it from my stash. I have a drawer full of fabric specifically for their use. They are free to get anything in it, at any time, without permission.

If they want fabric from my stash they have to ask first. That way I'm sure they aren't using something I have plans for or one of my more expensive fabrics, you know the ones from a quilt store.

The fabric she chose was not slated for a specific fabric - positive. It was from a quilt store - negative. She was sewing on her own - positive. She was making something for someone else - positive. She felt confident tackling a project without help - positive. She disobeyed the rules - negative.



My gut reaction was to get mad and give her consequences. Luckily, I had 10 seconds to evaluate the situation before she got downstairs. I decided it was already sewn and the positives outweighed the negatives and gently reminded her of the rules and complimented her on her work.

Honestly, my fabric is more modern and bright that the stuff they have access to without asking. So my fabric loving self totally understands her choice.

Jenn- Posted from my iPhone

I'll Show You!

This is what happens when you insist on a child emptying the dishwasher when she really doesn't want. Notice the plates on the bottom left and the bowls on the top right. Yeah, that really showed me. Last I checked all the dishes are in the cabinets and the dishwasher is empty. I'm sure this tactic even made the chore take extra time. I wonder if she thinks it was worth it.



Jenn- Posted from my iPhone

Ruby and Rawleighs

Cici, I remembered the Rawleighs tonight. Ruby was hilarious! She kept repeating, "Is it really, really cold or is it burning?"

I told her that Granny would have sworn that Rawleighs would fix any bruise, cut or scrape. She wanted to know how it worked. I told her I didn't know but Granny was usually right about things like this.















As you can see she could not hold still for a picture. And yes, her shirt is wrong side out and backwards. I didn't bother mentioning it. She would have just shrugged and told me she didn't care.

Charlotte, later, complained about her carpet burn on her knee from Saturday's basketball game. I told her Rawleighs would fix it right up and slathered some on her,as well.

I told Charlotte that you bought me my can when I went to college. She wanted to know if I would buy her her own can of Rawleighs when she went to college. Then she asked where you could buy it. I told her maybe Websters.

Jenn- Posted from my iPhone

No Sleep for the Weary and other Sunday Happenings

Ugh! I just left Charlotte's room. She had a horrible time falling asleep tonight. She was stressed over not being able to sleep which just makes it that much harder. She kept falling asleep, snoring or talking, then waking and swearing she had not been to sleep at all, yet. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! We've got to find a better solution.

In the morning I have to decide whether to wake her at her regular time or let her sleep and then freak out when she wakes and realizes she is late for school.

This morning I left everyone the same message in their hearts. I hid them in their seats at the table knowing that everyone doesn't usually sit down to eat breakfast together on Sundays.



Ruby had breakfast first. She came back upstairs with a twinkle in her eye. She snuggled up to me and asked if she really was my favorite. I assured her that she was. She gave me the biggest smile and hug. It was adorable.

All went well until we came home from church and Charlotte found her heart. Everyone just happened to be in the kitchen, Charlotte read hers aloud, to herself. Immediately there were multiple exclamations about each person having that message. Eliza Claire declared that she found hers first so clearly she was the favorite. Ruby informed her that she had found hers before Eliza Claire and was therefore the favorite. I assured them all that they are all my favorites. Luckily, they all took it in good humor and today's message did not backfire.

Ruby's head is looking better today and is bandage free. Still a bit bruised but healing, I just realized that I forgot to put any Rawleighs on it before I sent her to bed. My Granny swore by this salve for everything, but especially bruises. Mom even reminded me today when I talked to her and I still didn't do it.



It was such a nice day that Ruby asked if we could eat dinner outside. She offered to clean and set the table. It was a lovely evening for dining outside. It's a good thing we got that end before the next arctic blast this week.



Eliza Claire has decided that since I am hiding surprises for her that she should hide surprises for me. Being seven she can not wait for me to find them. She always comes to give me a nudge in the right direction. Tonight, she left these treasures for me.



Her note says, "You're my star." She really knows how to make a mom feel special. Maybe, I'm her favorite!

Jenn - the favorite mom

Why is it?

I took Charlotte to the doctor today because her cough is still horrible five days after our initial visit. She coughed all the way there. She coughed all the way home. She did not cough a single time while we were at the doctors office. Argh! I swear she did it just to make me look crazy. Of course, I coughed the the whole time we were there.



Hopefully the new medicines will give her some relief and she will be up to going to school tomorrow.

Jenn

Overheard from the Backseat

But stealing is more fun! ~Eliza Claire

What?! It seems Ruby was telling Eliza Claire that she should ask to borrow Ruby's socks before taking them.

Meanwhile Charlotte was doing a neb treatment for her wheezy cough that just won't go away.



Given our afternoon of appointments. I was glad she could do the treatment in the van on the way to the dentist.

Jenn

Why?

Please tell me why my girls can not use toothpaste neatly? It is constantly all over the counter and sink, caked on their toothbrushes, on the floor, on the cabinet fronts, everywhere. I noticed yesterday, while laying on the bathroom floor with Ruby, who was mad about something and refusing to go to bed, that there is even a spot about the size of a pencil eraser on the ceiling! It is just gross, disgusting, and drives me crazy!



I'm seriously considering taking away the toothpaste and making them just brush with water for a while.

Jenn

Bingo

We had lunch with the grandparents today. Bingo was the pre-lunch entertainment.









Everyone was enthralled. You would have thought they were playing for prizes or money. They weren't.

I love continuing my family's Sunday family lunch tradition. I think it is good for all three generations involved.

When we left it was raining. This is how my kids reacted.








In other happenings today, I was very proud of Charlotte. She helped Michael lead worship at the 8:15 service. Getting up in front of 60 or more people can be daunting. Charlotte read the call to worship and the prayer of adoration. These are not easy things to read when you are ten and have a learning disability. She totally rocked it.

Eliza Claire came through the house practicing her zombie walk. According to her the key to an authentic zombie walk is dragging your right foot. Dragging your left foot is a dead give away that you are a zombie imposter.

The girls spent the entire afternoon running around outside with the neighborhood kids. I love that Texas winters typically allow for lots of outdoor time. I guess it partially makes up for the six months of the year that being outside is unbearable.

Jenn- Posted from my iPhone

Friday

Today has been another fun and laid back day.






I've officially lost my mind and started a block of the month quilt at a local quilt shop. I didn't know what has possessed me. I hope I'm not in too far over my head. At least I'm trying something new and getting out of my comfort zone.

Shoe shopping with Rehm was not torture today. I'm so glad he has settled on a brand he likes. Now we can be in and out in half an hour. And they didn't cost a fortune.

Ruby told Cici at lunch "to be responsible" when Cici asked her to do a cartwheel in the restaurant. Of course, Cici was joking.

Papa took Charlotte and Eliza Claire fishing today. Eliza Claire caught her first fish. At least, she says it is her first. I think she has caught some before but if so,Nashe doesn't remember. If the anglers are anywhere near accurate (truthful), the fish was a two foot long carp. Charlotte was not so lucky. She didn't even get a bite!

Papa called Charlotte "Cheese Bob" this afternoon when she was wearing a stool on her head. He meant Sponge Bob but didn't come up with it. Charlotte is now calling him "Cat Head" because Phineas is sitting on the back do the chair he is sitting in.

Jenn

Overheard in the Van

While driving around this afternoon, the girls were talking about school. Charlotte mentioned playing Jeopardy in math.

Ruby: What's Jeopardy?

Charlotte: It's a game show on TV that old people watch.

Grandpa, I think she may be referring to you. And I guess Rehm has been old since he was a toddler. He loves that show.

Jenn- Posted from my iPhone