How-to of the Month: How to keep sane through a gimpy week...

So, this week my foot still hurt. I could tell it was getting better because every day I was walking less like that creepy street-sweeping guy on Home Alone and more like a slightly gimpy version of myself. The pain changed, moved around, decreased a day at a time. So, I just did a lot of deep breathing, pretended I was a pioneer pushing forward through the rocky mountains of toddler energy/short attention span and tried to keep us busy while ignoring incessant throbbing and taking it easy here and there when I could.

Here are some things that kept us busy and yet less mobile than normal:

1. coloring on cardboard boxes we could find around the house

2. making homemade granola bars (may become a weekly happening around here...)

3. eating meals in random places throughout the house...balcony, playroom, etc. Just to change things up a bit to aleviate some boredom.

4. balloon dancing - - the kids like to turn on music (Move It, Move It music, of course) and run/dance/bounce around the room with a blown up balloon to hit at each other, bounce off each other and throw in the air. It's a pretty good time if you ask me.

This time I stood still and just took pictures.

I may have danced a little. 

Then, I thought how much more JC would make fun of me if I hurt my foot even worse in the same way I hurt it the first time.

So...here are the kids dancing and running. But not me.

I just bounced a little.

James started playing tag with the camera again. We like this game.

Ben slow danced with a friend.

Cute girl.

Bethany is the most vigorous when it comes to chasing the balloon.

And with bopping it high into the sky. Such an action shot!

More running for James

Something happened to upset Bethany and she checked out for a while. See the balloon, still mid-air?

Since Ben is usually still just a little too slow and small to really keep up with all the balloon bopping, he sweeps in at this opportune time to claim his turn while Bethany is out of the picture.

Then she discovers this and thwarts his plans.

Thwarted.

5. Sitting and huging my baby when he feels thwarted. This actually happens a lot. He can almost  keep up with the big kids. ALMOST.

6. Having a lot of reading time. Read to the kids while keeping my foot up. When they got otherwise occupied (they learned a lot about being self-motivated and imaginative when it comes to playtime this week.), I picked up one of the books that Polly lent me recently. It's a series by Anita Stansfield. The first book is "The Sound of Rain" and then something about thunder...and the third one is something about "Winds of Hope"...? I think. Anyway, I read the series this week. Though I understand there is a fourth book out now. I had the same experience I did with Twilight. I disliked the storyline and the author's style at first but just kind of wanted to know what happened to the characters so I kept reading. And eventually got a little obsessed!  So, all in all, a good series. I'm really glad I read them. A storyline that started out gagging me with its cheesiness ended up being extremely relatable, very raw and real. I cried a little. I recommend the books if you want a casual read. Pretty darn good.

7. Feeling super restless and getting a bit overwhelmed with my house getting out of control while I could only just sit and look at it for the most part. I was still able to get some stuff done but it left my foot throbbing and then I still just felt horrible about what I wasn't doing. Like cooking, for instance. Oh, the eating out that happened this week!

8. Going to visit a sweet little baby...our good friends had their second baby boy this week. A sweet little Braydon boy. Oh, I could have held him forever. It just so happens I love babies. And he is CUTE!

9. Thanking JC over and over in my head (and hopefully enough out loud) for his willingness to step it up when I'm less than helpful in a lot of situations. And ask me how I'm doing. I like stuff like that. :)

10. Feeling well enough/cabin-fevered enough to have a last-minute date night thanks to a willing grandma (thank you, Teri!) and JC knowing it was needed.  We saw the Wolverine movie. Surprised myself by not only liking it (I actually really like the X-Men movies but sometimes have a hard time with all the action-y stuff so I was worried I wouldn't enjoy it like I wanted to) but loving it. I think I'm getting a little less picky with my movies...which is a relief for both myself and JC. :) I also recently saw "Australia" which had a LOT of stuff in it that would normally make me run the other way, crying. Okay, so I still cried. BUT, I also loved that. ...Wait...maybe Hugh Jackman is the key...? Haha...

11. Getting some action items checked off my preparedness planning list. I overplan, overthink and overwhelm myself when it comes to this kind of stuff. But it's how I operate at this point in time. And when I pray to have my mind cleared so I can simplify and not stress out about something as simple as making a 72 hour kit or planning escape routes from our home in case of fire, I am able to feel more focused and less worried...but still inclined to be super detail-oriented and borderline OCD about the whole thing. So, I just embrace it. But when I get really focused on the details of something, I also have to break things down into very small baby steps or it would become all-encompassing and I would never eat or sleep in between one project and another. Enough about my tendencies...

We udpated our house in terms of fire safety and installed some new smoke detectors. A small baby step but still a really good thing.

JC gave me the "Are you always going to document everything with pictures?" look during this project.

I had very little else to do. Well, that I could actually do. So, we followed him around the house and I watched him work and played ref for the kids (unless it required quick moving, then he had to take over. I did my best to not feel useless.)

12. Watching the kids enjoy each others' company. They play together well now that they're getting older. Well, I'd say that when they join forces to do something together it's eight percent fight and twenty percent play. That is just how it goes at this point! But, here they are playing with James' little play laptop together and were having a really good time.

13. Baking strange new snacks.  I started ordering from this neato local place that gathers, grows and delivers locally grown organic produce. It's like a farmer's market came to your door. SO worth it. It's called Boxed Greens.

Anyway, the delivery I'm signed up for comes once a week and it's two big boxes just full of produce! It's all locally grown and fresh so it's all seasonal which is...new for me. This is one of the reasons I love it. Besides getting good quality produce and being confident in the source, I need to get used to using the kind of stuff that I will hopefully grow in my garden someday. But it is becoming quite clear to me that I have little experience with the produce of the summer thus far! Kale (which makes for a fantastic Zuppa Toscana),

green chard, and LOTS of squash! I was completely prepared for the cilantro, the salad greens, the watermelon, carrots, etc. But some of this stuff I have rarely heard of, let alone used. So, anyway, when I got two giant acorn squash last week, I got to searching for recipes and I found that people quite often eat squash much like candied yams. So, I followed a really simple recipe and we had baked acorn squash the other day. The kids even helped. I am starting to have them help with more and more things in the kitchen. And it's fun for all of us.

They're waiting for it to be done.

(They did give up eventually because it took over an hour to be done.)

And this was the end result! It was actually really good. The texture was one I had to get used to but it was very yummy.

And pretty.

Hence, the picture.

14. "Window-shopping" on zappos.com for shoes I don't need while I wait for my pictures to load on this post. :) It soothes me. I'd lie about it and say I don't care about stuff like that...accessories and the like.  I used to go ahead and lie about it. But, you know what? I could go sit down in front of the tv for a half-hour or so like everyone else does (and me too sometimes, don't get me wrong) for veg-out time and wouldn't be any better off than looking at pretty shoes.  At least I know my online shoe store won't surprise me with anything off-color or disgusting like comes out of the tv so often...so I allow myself to be soothed by one of the many things we cannot take with us out of this life...haha...

15. Reading out of Helaman (not Alma...finally!) and laughing to myself about certain parts of the story that stick out to me now that I've gotten used to reading it like a story (because of the kids).  Like, after Moroni and Helaman and Pahoran have all died ("gone the way of all the earth"...?) after the wars are kind of said and done for the meantime. Everyone is so stinkin sick of war and fighting and discontent that the minute Pahoran Jr's brother, Paanchi (unfortunate) puts up a fuss about Pahoran Jr being voted chief judge and not himself, stirring up people to have a little rebellion about it all, the people just have him put to death. Just like that. I can just see them like "HEY! YOU! Do you not remember how crummy the last twenty years were while we were fighting? What's your problem, man? Just keep your mouth shut, fall in line and please don't make a fuss...hey! HEY! Are you listening? Are you-- ugh. You know what? Nevermind. We can't even deal with this right now. We've had it up to here with the stirring of the people up to discontent. Just...just...off with your head!"

Okay, that is probably not how it happened. But it's how I pictured it and I was laughing. 

While I was reading the scriptures. 

Just like I laughed the other day when I was reading Moroni and Pahoran writing back and forth with all their misunderstandings and thinking the other had run out on their people, throwing their little (understandable) fits...yeah...it's probably not supposed to be funny. But, I think irony makes me laugh.

That is quite enough from me. Time to go put my foot up and watch a little tv with the hubby. (Yeah, window shopping online and tv in one evening. Don't judge me...I finished that book series and have no other downtime activities that seem feasible at the moment.)

It was actually a pretty good week. It's going to be June tomorrow. I'm excited.

The Last Month!

The world's favorite season is spring. All things seem possible in May. 

- Edwin Way Teale

I found that quote and quite liked it. Though our May has not held anything grand...not exactly dreaming the impossible dream around here...there is a very still and quiet moving forward, progression in its baby phases, learning in its constant round...a lack of blogging in general as well. :)

But, this weekend I have caught up. Largely due to an injured foot that forces me to take it a little easier than normal. Though I've stayed somewhat busy, I am taking more time to just sit down considering that when I do attempt to walk, I do it rather gimp-ily and am left with a sore foot. So, in moments here and there, I take that sit-down time at the computer and have been catching up! 

What happened to my foot, you may ask?

As I explained to my friend, Carrie, in an email...

"I still maintain that the best way to get a one-year-old into a minivan when he doesn't want to is to do some sort of chicken-like dance and sing some goofy "let's go bye-bye" song while moving blindly backwards.

Even if it makes you lose your footing when you almost run over one of your other kids and do a strange twist trying not to land on them and fold your foot in half with all your weight on it."

Yeah, that about sums it up.

Painful.

Livable.

A little embarassing.

But still painful! 

Anyway, that is where I find myself and perhaps it was a blessing in disguise because I have gotten a lot more rest this weekend than I've gotten in a long time...especially with the week of horrible up-with-Ben nights we've had in the last week! Oh, teething, you horrible monster you!

So, I've created a few posts about specific moments of our month down below and here I shall give a quick glance over our general doings. 

The things we have found to be possible in May, if you will.

First and foremost (and not only because it is chronologically the first happening!), we made homemade bread!!!!  I have always wanted to make our own bread but it just seemed so out of reach. I pictured me slaving away in the kitchen, making a huge mess and wearing myself out only to have the kids crying for my attention...and one day I decided to just DO IT.  And to alleviate my worries of alienating the kids while I worked, I simply enlisted their help!  (Which takes five times as long as doing it myself and makes five times the mess...well...maybe...)

All set up for the big day...ingredients and recipe...

Oh, also, once I decided to attack the bread making as a family, I thought that perhaps one other thing I had long been unable to fit into my schedule without neglecting the kids could use a new perspective and family effort...

Mopping the kitchen floor. Yikes, this never gets done...and anyone who has spent time at our house can tell you so. It's so sad, isn't it? But, anyway, I decided on a new method...

I soaked a bunch of towels in the bathtub, wrung them out and then, with the kids' help, laid them out over one area of the kitchen floor after sweeping it.  No soapy water making it slippery for the kids, no "don't walk through here!" yelling while I work...just towels on the floor, soaking through old pieces of cereal or old juice stains that have embedded into my beautiful floors.  After a while, I (and the kids) scoot all the towels together, scrubbing as we go, gather up the towels and run a dry towel along the freshly washed area. Ooh, I also run the wet towels along the baseboards as I pick them up. Double duty.

Here are my old towels, hard at work.

Meanwhile, we worked on bread. James takes a closer look at what we're mixing.

That's great, just stick your little nose right in there.

The boys liked the kneading.

And Bethany really liked playing in the flour when we were all done!

She became really helpful with picking up the towels and moving them to other spots...she's a natural at this new mopping thing!

And, later, we enjoyed some yummy yummy homemade whole wheat bread with our dinner. It was a great day for me! Who knew it was possible to make homemade bread, mop my floor AND keep my kids happy??

Another May day we added to our list of new possibilities by doing another project as a family! I know, look at us!

We had our misting system installed (thanks to JC's hard work) and found that on our balcony it made the wood floor quite slippery. No good. So, we shopped around for some sort of something or other to lay down. Found some cheap indoor/outdoor carpeting and gave it a whirl!

Turns out it was the perfect thing.

Ben helps JC lay it down...

and gets a high five!

Bethany gives it a shot and proves to be a handy little girl.

And, of course, then James got his turn. We're so lucky to have such willing kids! Who knew it was possible to take on a project, go shopping, find the perfect solution and put it all together as a family within two hours!!!

As a present on the last day of school, Bethany's teachers gave her a little sunflower growing kit and I thought she was adorable getting it all planted and ready to go (grow?)

She did the whole thing by herself! She surprises me every day with what she's capable of doing...things both large and small. She's growing up so much.

To celebrate the end of the school year, our ward had a primary activity day at a greenbelt near our home. Now, if there is one thing that has not been very possible in the past couple of years it's attending anything like this! Large crowd, lots of attention on the kids, lots of stuff they don't especially appreciate...and two parents who end up rather frazzled and run ragged by trying to keep up, trying to keep the kids happy, talk to people who are trying to talk to us, be clung to and climbed on by three little ones, etc. SO, since we're slowly but surely growing out of all that (for the most part), we decided that it was worth it to get Bethany to one of her first primary activities...so, off we went as a family.

Didn't go so well. 

Started off wrong when the older kids in the ward decided that small children clinging to their parents apparently need to be chased down, poked at and teased.

Yep. Thanks for that.

All three of our kids turned to melt-down mode...but we still gave it a shot. We managed to get them to play one of the games set up!  Now, granted, we were the only ones at this particular area which helped immensely...but here they are attempting a sponge relay race!

JC tried to give them the general idea by running back and forth and showing them how to squeeze the sponge to let all the water out into the bucket.

James started catching on to the sponge thing.

And Ben liked the running part.

They actually kept at it for quite a while and had a good time!

Ben even tried the big slide that was set up.

After that, things sort of fell apart again and we headed home.

They played on our front driveway with the hose.

Equally fun, apparently. At least for now.

But we actually attempted a social event and it went...okay. :) Who knew that was possible?

The kids have taken to welcoming JC home from work by enticing him to play in the ballpit with them. Which, I think, he enjoys as much as they do! Here, he has just sent Ben sailing across a cushion of balls...that open-mouthed expression you see on Ben's face is glee, not horror...in case you were wondering.

What I'd like to state about welcoming JC home from work that fits into the "anything is possible" theme is this: 

For a while, just having JC work a part time job was really hard on those of us left at home. With so much change over the past few years and so much adjusting, hard work and pure survival we've been experiencing, it was hard to have anything to give to anything outside of this house.

BUT, JC has been consistently working twelve hour days for weeks, maybe months, now and we are doing FINE. We miss him a lot when he's gone and boy does he work hard but we are FINE. It's nice to be in a "normal" place and know that even when he is gone a lot or when I have something extra going on that takes me away from the house...we are all FINE. Who knew that was possible? :)

Next thing we've been up to...we have a standing playdate with our little friend, Rowdy. Rowdy comes with a mommy named Heidi and the six of us have had a great time hanging out together over the last while.  It's great to have something to look forward to on a Monday morning!  And, you know what? Monday mornings tend to be the day my house is in the worst shape ever. The weekend kind of tears our house apart and leaves a lot to be desired in the way of order of any sort! Yet, every Monday morning, I welcome our friends over and though I may make an occasional comment, I, for the most part, am fine with Heidi and Rowdy seeing my house in near disaray.  Who knew THAT would ever be possible for me and my perfectionistic tendencies?? Haha...but having some friends to chat with and play with gives us what we need at the beginning of our week so I swallow my pride and let them step over toys, find pieces of food on the floor and witness us in all our glory. :)

On this particular Monday, Bethany discovered that an office chair makes for a great ride for the boys. And started to spin them.

James had fallen asleep during a little movie and, poor guy, missed all the fun! I can't believe he slept through it all either!

Then, Bethany and Ben got a turn together...

with Rowdy doing the spinning!

How cute is that face?

Then it was back to the boys...just chillin together.

After this, there was some more spinning.We joked that we were surprised none of them had lost their breakfasts!

And, later that afternoon, I heard from Heidi...

Rowdy had thrown up in the car on the way home.

I felt so bad.  

They still come see us though. :)

But we have not played the spinning game again.

But we did play the mopping game again another day! We moved the kitchen table away from its spot to this area...

and the kids knew the drill!

Well, James was more content to just watch and play with his dragon.

That's okay though because two out of three kids involved in helping with chores around the house? Wouldn't have guessed that was possible with toddlers and preschoolers. Woohoo!!

In addition to bread making, for some time I have wanted to make our own dried fruit. We eat it as a snack so often and it would be nice to save a little money, be a little more self-sufficient and do it ourselves!  Well, the time finally came and we got a dehydrator!  I can't wait to use it over the next few years, especially once we have our own fruit growing well enough to have extra to dehydrate and save!

We got a bunch of fruit cut up...

and the kids placed it all on the trays themselves!

I don't have an after picture but they turned out pretty darn good! I can't wait to try it again. In fact, tomorrow I think we're making beef jerky!  That sounds like an adventure!  

So, here we are...working together on chores, projects, cooking, growing in the ways of provident living, social interaction and normality. :)

I'd say I like May.