I Can Explain! (An Answer Me This post)

1. Any big plans for the summer?

Gonna have to go with a no on that one. Last summer (We celebrated 20 years of marriage by taking a trip to Europe without kids.) is going to be our "big plans" for the next many summers. The only thing we'll be doing as a family is taking our 12th annual, week-long vacation with our friend from high school and his family. This year we're heading to Traverse City, Michigan.

2. What is the strangest thing you believed as a child?

I believed that horrible criminals who were trying to get revenge on my policeman father would come to school and kidnap my siblings and me. I had an exit plan and everything. For some reason, the kidnapping would be dramatic, with the bad guys storming into the Wednesday all-school Mass. While they waved guns and yelled and demanded obedience, I'd crawl under the pews (Thankfully, our church didn't have kneelers, so this was possible.) to collect my three siblings, and we'd escape through the side doors. I just KNEW it was going to happen and I'd have to save my (apparently) incompetent sister and brothers.

3. What is your favorite amusement park ride?

Whichever one I'm on. I love, love, love amusement parks. Unfortunately, in my old age, the wooden coasters are getting to be less fun, seeing as how they whip the riders around so much without any head and neck protection. It seems my brittle, old bones now need some support. (This does not mean that I won't try a wooden one once, though.)

4. What's on your summer reading list?

I don't have a summer reading list. Whenever I finish a book, I just go looking for one that looks good. Now that I've figured out our library's newish ebook checkouts, I'll be reading more free books. That's all I know. (Got any suggestions?)

5. Have you ever fallen asleep in public?

So, here's the thing. On Saturday morning, we were up at 4:30 to get Buttercup to the airport. I didn't get a nap before Bryan and I went to hang out with a group of our friends. We were having so much fun, we didn't realize how quickly time was passing. When someone finally looked, it was after 1:00 in the morning! And then! Cuckoo woke us up at 7:00 on Sunday.

The family went to 11:00 Mass, but I went at 5:00pm by myself (I was a Eucharistic Minister). It took everything I had to keep my eyes open. Sadly, I failed. Many times, I actually nodded off enough to have mini-dreams/halucinations during Mass! I was in the 5th pew. Who knows how many people saw my head drop and snap back to attention. I'm just gonna say that everyone assumed I was deep in prayer, not sleep.

6. What is your favorite smell?

Hmmm...freshly cut grass...hyacinth...garlic cooking in butter...chrism...Bryan...chlorine in an indoor pool...

I can't choose a favorite. (You long-time readers probably knew that was coming.)

How would you answer these questions?

Feel free to head to Kendra's to read more or link up your own post. (It's open until Tuesday.)

Have a lovely day!

New Experiences, Hollow Legs, Taking Breaks, TToT Week 104

Ack! Another week has gone by already?!? Summer is going too fast!

I am going to apologize now for any and all grammar or odd wording in this post. We had to be up before the crack of dawn (For all of you with a family full of Don's (like mine), feel free to insert the preferred play on words of buttcrack of Don) to get Buttercup to the airport. As in get up at 4:30 to be at the airport by 5:45. AM!

1. My girl is on her way to work on her first mission trip. She's headed to New Mexico to work on a reservation. (We wouldn't mind some prayers for all of the folks headed out on this trip.)

2. They aren't allowed to wear shorts on the reservation, so we were thrilled to find some pants at Goodwill that had the yellow tags for 50% off yellow tag day. Three pairs for $9.

3. Travel soccer season is over. Our weekends will be completely clear as soon as Turken's baseball season is over next week.

4. Soccer tryouts for next year were on Monday. Those are never fun. Thankfully, Giant (the only one who tried out this year (since the other kids will be playing at the high school)) is really, really good at soccer, so he had plenty of options as far as a team goes. We let him choose, and I am happy with the one he made. (Not the best team, but a fun group of boys from families I enjoy, and only 8 minutes from our house.)

5. Summer storms in the country are so different than in the suburbs or cities. We can see them coming miles away, and we can see the wall as it bears down.

It's coming...

getting closer...

aaaaaand...

BOOM!

6. I took the kids bowling. I got game. We'll leave it at that.

7. High school soccer pretty much obliterates dinners with the entire family. Last night was the only night all week the 8 of us got to sit down together, and I was able to make a meal everyone enjoys (chicken Parmesan). Sure, the conversation took a serious downturn after Cuckoo brought up a commercial he had seen that had a blueberry tooting to make a smelly marker, but we were all there together.

In case you are wondering, if you've never seen the commercial of which Cuckoo spoke (I hadn't):

8. I am so thankful that Bryan has a good job. The children never stop eating. Never. And that much food costs a lot of money.

9. There are 6 (SIX) different grocery stores on one road in a span of less than 2 miles that I pass by almost every time I leave the house. Compared to most of the country, food is inexpensive, and that helps with the feeding of the children.

10. Buttercup and I spent an hour with Jesus this week. Our church (along with many Catholic churches) has a Perpetual Adoration Chapel, which means 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, someone is there praying. Yes, I can pray anywhere, anytime, but it is marvelous to be able to go to the quiet chapel and just be there with Him. There are always so many things swirling through my head. And with social media (Facebook especially) it feels like people are constantly yelling at me to think a certain way, believe a certain thing, or embrace a certain idea. Taking time to listen to what Jesus has to say helps me stop the swirling and figure out what I believe and what ideas I'm going to embrace.

And there you have it. Ten thankfuls all before 6:15 in the morning.

How was your week? What good happened to make you say thank you?

Link it up or let me know in the comments.

(I apologize now if your comment gets eaten. It seems people are having trouble, and I don't know why. Might I suggest copying it before you hit publish/post/whatever it's called, just in case?)

Have a lovely day!

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A Fly on our (Chicken Coop) Wall, Amycake and the Dude, Considerings, Finding Ninee, Getting Literal, I Want Backsies, The Meaning of Me, Thankful Me, Uncharted, The Wakefield Doctrine

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Soooo, My Kids Don't Know Me Nearly as Well as They Should

All the cool moms did it.

Dyanne, Sarah, and Kenya did it, too.

Quiz my kids so they can point out my failures and prove that they don't know me at all? I'm in.

Note: Only four kids answered the questions. Phoenix was sleeping and Star was not interested in participating. These things are not surprising.

Another note: The kids were asked these questions while the others were out of the room. They did not hear each other's answers until we were completely done.

1. What is something I always say to you?

Buttercup: "How would you feel if.." or "Is that the kind of person you want to be?"

Giant: Eat a fruit.
Turken: Eat your food.
Cuckoo: Clean.

2. What makes me happy?

B: Being alone.
G: a clean house
T: when we be kind
C: I don't know.

3. What makes me sad?

B: My kids doing things and proving that they are growing up, like doing the live stations of the cross.
G: towels not getting hung up
T: When we do something without asking you first
C: When I go to kindergarten. When you're alone.

4. How do I make you laugh?

B: You make me laugh?
G: You tickle me.
T: You tell a joke.
C: I don't know.

5. What was I like as a child?

B: I don't know. I'm guessing a tomboy. OH! And you had ugly clothes.
G: the bossy one
T: I don't know.
C: I don't know.

6. How old am I?

B: Forty....um...45?
G: 43
T: 43
C:43

7. How tall am I?

B: 5'7"
G: 5'7 1/2"
T: 5'8"
C: I don't know. Can I weigh you?

8. What is my favorite thing to do?

B: Read. Weed.
G: Blog.
T: Weed.
C: Play games with us.

9. What do I do when you aren't around?

B: You're never without kids.
G: Blog.
T: Do chores.
C: Pay checks. Is that right?

10. If I become famous, what will it be for?

B: your blog, although I don't know if it's fame material.
G:
T: For being on TV
C: I don't know what that means.

11. What am I really good at?

B: Cleaning, cooking, nagging.
G: weeding
T: blogging
C: You ran and didn't know you won.*

12. What am I not very good at?

B: Playing soccer
G: Picking a channel to watch
T: Playing soccer
C: Basketball

13. What do I do for a job?

B: stay at home mom
G: Nothing.
T: Help your kids.
C: Watch us.

14. What is my favorite food?

B: mushrooms...peppers...anything gross...NOT sweet potatoes or peas.
G: (It's totally peas. he said with a grin) Eggs.
T: Mac and cheese?
C: potatoes

15. What makes you proud of me?

B: When you unclog a toilet.
G: You know everybody.
T: When you make my food. I really like food.
C:

16. If I were a character, who would I be?

B: I don't know.
G: Mrs. Everdeen
T: Squidward
C: If you were small, Piglet.

17. What do you and I do together?

B: shopping, watch Downton Abbey
G: Drive and talk.
T: Ride in the car.
C: Play games when everyone is at school.

18. How are you and I the same?

B: We're both stubborn.
G: We have blue eyes.
T: We're both people.
C: Blue eyes.

19. How are you and I different?

B: You're older, and I'm younger.
G: I'm more athletic.
T: You're a girl. I'm a boy.
C: We don't have the same hair or teeth.

20: How do you know I love you?

B: You say it.
G: Because you say so.
T: You take me places.
C: I don't know.

21. Where is my favorite place to go?

B: to bed
G: You don't go many places you like to go...the Train concert
T: to bed
C: a restaurant with Dad

22. How old was I when you were born?

B: Well, I NOW know you're 43...28?
G: 30 or 31
T: 43 minus 7...36!
C: 34?

Well, that was fun. Kinda.

Dare you to quiz your kids!

*The last paper Turken wrote for school this year was about me winning the state meet in high school. He had to interview me, and Cuckoo had listened in. Guess that was the last time I was good at anything as far as he is concerned. :)

Have a lovely day!

Today Marks TEN Years on the Farm! (Yes, There Are Photos.)

I had never heard such silence.

I had never been in so much darkness.

The only light came from the sliver of moon and the millions of stars I could see above me.

Once I managed to unlock the front door, I stepped inside.

It was even darker inside.

I was never a big fan of the dark, but that night, in that dark, I was scared. Heart-racing, palm-sweaty, scalp-tingling kind of scared.

I groped around for a light switch. All I could find were windows and empty space. A space that had looked so pretty in the daytime was now frightening. In my haste, I swumg my arms about. I couldn't even find a wall, let alone a switch on it.

After what seemed like 20 minutes, I tripped on a step and found a wall. My fingers found the light switch and I threw it on.

Better. But it's still mighty creepy.

I unloaded the van and got out of there as quickly as I could. Back to my husband and sleeping children for our last night in our home.

The next morning, we were starting a new adventure. One that completely changed our lives.

******************************

Ten years ago today, we moved our young family to the farm.

We did not set out to be farmers. We just liked the house. It has been an adventure we never would have dreamed we'd be taking when we exchanged wedding vows.

TEN YEARS! It just blows my mind. It is officially the longest I have ever lived in a house, including the years I was a kid living with my parents.

Exactly one week after we moved in, we did this:

Star turned four years old.

That child will be starting high school in the fall!

We have seen and done so many things in these 10 years.

For a couple who actually discussed which of them was going to be allergic to animals in order to get out of having a pet, we've come across a whole lot of animals!

Both the expected...

Buttercup with one of the cats that came with the house. This was taken the second week in the house.

Our first pigs, with Buttercup and Giant.

Star and Giant holding the kittens that came with the house.

and the unexpected

One year we were in the migration path of the butterflies. Hundreds of them descended on our property and stayed for a few hours.

Nine puppies from the dog we thought was fixed.

Woodpeckers abound at our house!

We were shocked to find a bald eagle in the field across the street from our house.

The chores my kids have are vastly different than the chores their friends have.

Giant helping Bryan fix the barn roof that blew off in a storm.

Turken putting the eggs away.

Giant collecting grass clippings for the garden. (I have no idea why he is doing this chore with his church clothes on.)

Cuckoo helping Bryan plant the garden.

Yes, there have been some struggles.

OK, lots of struggles.

The pigs alone gave us more struggles than we ever envisioned.

It's also taken lots of money we didn't expect to keep this old house not only comfortable, but inhabitable.

New septic system. We had to start from scratch, since the old one was just a pipe leading out to the field.

I sometimes wonder what life would have been like if, 10 years ago, we would have stayed in a "normal" neighborhood in a "normal" house. But despite the problems and headaches and driving that living here has caused, it has been a marvelous adventure.

Our kids have grown up in fresh air.

Phoenix and Buttercup

They've gotten filthy dirty while having good, country fun.

Star on our (broken) rope swing.

We've made memories they will hold onto their entire lives.

(No, not just memories of dead animals!)

with our best friends. These kids spent 7 years of their lives growing up almost as one family.

The big kids were so young when we moved here. Giant only remembers our old house because close friends still live next door to it.

Giant playing on a tree that fell across the driveway

Our family has grown, mentally, physically and in number.

Turken and Cuckoo playing in the rain in their pajamas. Both born after we moved to the farm.

10 years 6 months ago we couldn't have predicted the direction our lives would take.

I'm not even going to try to predict where we'll be in another 10 years.

But I do hope dead pigs, wolf spiders, and bats will not be involved.

I'm linking this up with Jessica and Katie at Sweet Little Ones. I just learned about their Tuesday Talk link up and thought I'd give it a try. Feel free to join in!

Have a lovely day!

Why Do People Run and Other Things, TToT 103

The soccer season always ends with our home tournament. This year, we've got 11 games and 6 volunteer shifts. Throw in Turken's baseball game, a graduation party, and Mass, and we have a fuuuuuuuullllll weekend.

So this is gonna be quick.

1. A couple of weeks ago, I was included in a group FB message asking for prayers. Since then, the same group has been called in to pray for some other special intentions. I am glad that one, people are turning to prayer for help in a situation, and two, that they are comfortable asking me to join them in that prayer.

2. Despite the fact that my now-sore calves are cussing him out, I am thankful for Clark's new 2 mile run ...initiative...blog idea...whatever it is. He has decided to run 2 miles every day (except Sundays), record his time in a photo, and invite all of his friends to join along. While I'm not running every day, I did join in on Friday with my first run since the knee surgery. I'm still not a fan of running, but it did show me that my knew really and truly is better and my work the past many months has paid off.

3. Giant ran those 2 miles with me, and even though he was a big fat showoff, running backwards, speed walking, and not breathing hard while I sucked wind and almost died, he kept me running the whole time. I doubt I would have made it without him.

Probably shouldn't wear a shirt with our school's name on it when I run. The poor school didn't do anything to deserve such bad publicity.

4. The weather for the tournament has been marvelous. We've had years when it was blazing hot, pouring rain, or freezing cold. A breeze and warm temps has made the tournament almost enjoyable.

5. We got all sorts of stuff done in our first week of summer break. It makes me ridiculously happy, and the kids haven't complained once. (Did you read my last post about how we organize our summer days for maximum productivity and maximum fun?)

6. In related thankfuls, we also had a fun afternoon when the kids decided to put together some scavenger hunts. Good family fun right there.

7. I took the non-soccer kids to a graduation party Saturday afternoon. It was fun to catch up with many people I don't get to see very often.

8. After the graduation party, some of the adults got together for a nice, relaxing evening to end a busy day. We need to do this sort of thing more often.

9. Pretty things to see while doing things I don't want to do always help to lighten my mood.

Sunrises on my way to early morning workouts

New lily blooms while we work outside

10. I'm going to end with my family. I adore them.

What made you smile this week? Let me know or link it up!

Also, there's still time to join in the contest to design our new TToT button. Make one and link it up with this little linkie thing.



Have a lovely day!

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How We Do a Summer Day in Seven Easy Steps, 7QT

Pretty sure I mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. I love summer.

Love, love, love it.

And this summer is turning out to be even better than the last few. (Except for the trip Bryan and I took to Europe last year. That was pretty much perfection.)

Not one child is signed up for any day camps. Star is the only one going to camp, and it's overnight Boy Scout camp. Buttercup will be leaving next week for a mission trip to New Mexico, but that's (obviously) overnight, too. And I don't have a ripped-up knee to keep me immobile.

Our days a free until soccer practice in the evening.

Wide open time I can fill up any way I want.

As far as I'm concerned, the perfect summer includes a combination of getting projects done and having lots of fun and giving everyone a chance to kick back and relax.

Without any fighting, arguing, or general discord.

For us, that means a schedule. I know, a schedule seems counterproductive to relaxing and having fun, but for a family with this many people, a schedule is the best way to go.

This is how we do a summer day in seven easy steps.

Good morning!

I let the kids get up whenever their eyes open, to an extent. For some, that means between 7:30 and 8. Others like to sleep in later. Unfortunately for those kids, I am the kind of person who gets anxious and jittery when people sleep in. All I can think is, "You're wasting the day! You are totally wasting the day!" My limit is 9:30. At that point, all remaining sleepyheads are yanked from their slumber. All breakfast is consumed, beds are made, teeth are brushed, and kids are dressed by 10:00.

Completely reasonable, I think.

Chores!

The kids know that each day will come with a project of some sort. Each day is different, and it usually depends on the weather. Each morning, I gather my work force and let them know what we will be doing. It may be mowing, raking, and getting grass clippings on the garden. It may be cleaning the outside of the windows. It may be cleaning floors. Or going through dressers to cull the extra/ill-fitting clothes. It could be organizing the basement. So many options that no one wants to do, but no one complains, either.

Yes. You read that correctly. No one complains. And here's why. This is very important. It's the key to this whole operation going smoothly.

Every day (so it is as expected as much as eating is) I let them know what the expectations are for that day's chore, and once it's done, they will receive no more extra work that day. 

For example, I may have cleaning the basement on the day's agenda. I will tell them that if everyone works diligently, we will work for 30 minutes. If I have to keep reminding kids to get back to work, we will work for 45. I will even set the timer. They know that when the timer goes off, they are done. They can trust that I will not come up with something else for them to do later that same day.

If we're weeding, I will say something like, "I want these four rows done this morning." We'll all get to work, and when those four rows are done, the kids are free to go.

This takes some planning on my part. I have to prioritize and be patient. Yes, I'm excited to have time to get all of these things we've put off done, but I have to remember that the summer is supposed to be fun, too.

Note: The kids still have their normal animal chores to do at some point during the day. These are chores that take no more than 5 minutes, and they are part of the daily routine all year long.

Fun!

Once the chores are done, the kids can do whatever they feel like doing. Reading, playing games, doing scavenger hunts, playing ball, and working on crossword puzzles have been the activities of choice this week. Sometimes I'll play with them, sometimes I'll keep working on the yard or laundry or some such thing.

Lunch!

Lunch goes one of two ways, depending on the evening's schedule. High school practices are a pain, and for now, Turken's baseball practice is right in the mix. If it is a full night in which I won't be able to make dinner, we will have dinner at lunch time. The kids will then each make their own lunches at dinner time. If I will be home, then the kids fend for themselves for lunch, making soup, sandwiches, quesadillas, or leftovers. Add some fruit and they are good to go.

Video games!

I've been very clear that I am not a fan of video games, but I'm also not a fan of my children hating me for banning video games altogether. If I only had one or two kids, I wouldn't be so tyrannical about it all, but with 5 boys who like to play, I have to be. Besides playing their own games, they like to watch when the other boys are playing. Each boy gets half an hour, simply because if they each got more time, they'd be in front of a screen for 5 hours straight.

I chose this time of the day for practical reasons. It can get darn hot outside, so we stay out of the sun at it's harshest time.

More fun!

Play, run, build, whatever, until it's time to leave for practice.

OR

I decide it is a beautiful day and we need to go somewhere. I drop the chores, we pack a lunch, and we go to a park, the zoo, a children's museum, an amusement park, the pool, or some other fun place I find.

That kind of day is our favorite.

We are one week into our summer break, and this system is going strong once again. I'm happy because we're being productive. The kids are happy because they have plenty of time to do whatever they want. Win-win all around.

So, how does your family do summer break? Loosey goosey or completely scheduled or something in between?

I'm linking this up (so late in the day!) with Kelly's 7 Quick Takes. Feel free to hop over and read some others or link up your own post!

Have a lovely day!

Scavenger Hunt!

When the big kids were little, I made a point of coming up with all sorts of activities to keep them busy and focused. A house with four loose and wild little kids, each a year in age apart from the next one, is no fun for anyone. We did crafts and games and plays, all without the help of Pinterest, seeing as how the world wide web had yet to be invented.

One day I took a bunch of close-up photos of objects around the house. Things like a button on a coat, the pattern on a curtain, and a leaf of a plant. I had the photos developed (It was pre-digital photography, too!) in duplicate and used them to do a scavenger hunt with the kids. Each team got a stack of photos and had to find the objects. Apparently, they liked that activity enough to remember it, because this afternoon, I came downstairs to find each of the big kids in an area off to himself, coming up with clues for a scavenger hunt. Buttercup made two; one of close-up photos for the little boys and one with written clues for all of us.

We spent an hour today doing all of the hunts. Not surprisingly, the clues each teen came up with very much resembles his/her personality.

First up was Giant. He is methodical. He is detail oriented. He likes to make things a bit of a challenge. He made a set of drawings for each person/team. We were each given the first clue at the start, and each location had the tiny pieces of paper stuck somewhere. Once someone found it, that person could head off to the next location.

He made us run all over the property!

Star is much more about getting work done quickly instead of neatly. He likes to make things challenging for others, so each clue was different, and each was designed to make us use our noggins. He only made one of each clue, so everyone at the same location had to share.

Only 2 of the 5 clues. 

The third clue was a complicated cryptogram that held us all up. Buttercup got it first. I never did.

Buttercup's hunt was next up. That girl is organized. She thinks things through. She has a heck of a memory, and she uses it. When we gathered at the start, she had the first clues ready for us.

She had thought ahead. Knowing she didn't want us to be able to simply follow each other from clue to clue, she labeled each one. We each went to the same places, but at different times. But only if we used our brains and figured out what the clues meant.

Twins, 9 years apart. 

For example, "they're coming to get me" refers to a kids' song we've heard on the radio. It goes "The leftovers are coming to get me", and the clues were in the fridge, on top of the container holding leftover chicken and noodles.

Phoenix was next. He is too bright and clever for his own good. He knew it would take us forever, so he took his hunt off the table. I later saw his clues, and I am glad he came to that conclusion. :)

Once we were done, Cuckoo asked if he could come up with one. But of course! He went with the same clue tactic as Giant. While Cuckoo is also detail oriented, he's only 5. His details aren't quite so clear all the time. 

Phoenix is the only one who managed to figure out that the first clue was the dog house.

In case you're wondering, the other drawings are the van, a chicken, and a tree. 

Summer.

It's the best.

(My next post will be all about how I organize our summer days, including how I get all of the kids to do big daily chores without huffing and puffing.)

Have you ever done scavenger hunts? How did you do it?

Have a lovely day!