Waiting For Wednesday… March 5, 2008

Waiting for Wednesday…My stomach doesn’t hurt enough, pain always is the sign….  I’m waiting for Wednesday…No proof of mine exists so I don’t have to take it back…

Lyrics from a Lisa Loebsong.  I always thought it was a funny song.  Talking about breaking up with your boyfriend but waiting to make sure you start your period first.  Ummm… that doesn’t sound like fun to me.  The main reason I listened to Lisa Loeb was because people thought we looked alike.  Maybe 40 pounds ago. She’s pretty cute. Actually looking at the photo on her site I’m thinking so a bit.  Anyway, totally not the point of my current ramblings.

I’m waiting to start my period.  Any minute now.  It’s Wednesday.  I got my Diva Cup in the mail early last week.  Is it wrong that I’m so excited about using something, cheaper, reusable and environmentally friendly for my ummm…you know.  The Diva Cup is an alternative to the same old nasty pads and tampons that we’ve all been using for years.  It creates less waste in the landfills, less environmental impact to produce and it’s just downright better for your body.    Tomorrow I’m going to post my first ‘article contribution’ from another author who has been journaling her first experience with the  Diva Cup to contribute to ‘Momstinct’.  Make sure you come back for that!

So, the other wrench in the plan.   I do research studies as often as I can, so last month I was so excited to be included in the perfect study.  My husband and I were going to get paid for sex! Nothing dodgy.  We were given a supply of condoms for a month and were to journal our ‘opinions and experience’.  Totally appropriate.  We’re married.  Best job I’ve ever had.  Free condoms for the month and $125! Now, the concern is that one other couple  got a little more than the $125.  Two lines on the pee strip, if you know what I mean.  They’re great parents and make gorgeous kiddos.   Number 5 sounds like it’s very welcome!  As for me, I was waiting for Wednesday… still waiting.

Wouldn’t be a bad thing.  We’re certain that our family needs a #4.  We’ll revisit the issue after than and see what God wants us to do. I don’t see myself having 10 like my mom, but who knows?  My sister is on 6 and clearly not done.

  I already have an OB lined up for my VBA3C (That’s a vaginal birth after 3 c-sections. YES IT IS TOTALLY DOABLE!  (Click that link right there.)  I just had the ‘intentions’ to lose some weight first.  I decided this morning that I’m going to rejoin Weight Watchers, but now I don’t want to start until, well… I start. Now that I think of it, last time I ‘decided to rejoin’ was the week we found out we were expecting with Lucas.  Obviously, I didn’t join…oh now that’s funny.  Hadn’t thought that one out yet.

And of course, I’m over focused, just for the fun of it.   Every time I go to the bathroom I think, “Am I peeing more than usual?” Always the first sign for me.  Wait, was that a cramp I just felt, or a little gas?  Silly,  I’m certain I will start tomorrow or Friday, my body holding out with it’s typical sense of irony.  And then I will be able to use my wonderful Diva Cup!!

For the moment, I just accidentally drank Margo’s tea instead of mine. Yikes, good thing I can’t get pregnant from drinking after her, right? She’s finding out tomorrow what her bun-in-the-oven is.  Wow.  The cheese factor of this post is off the charts.  I’m going to go give the whole brood a bath. In the meantime, tune in tomorrow to read!

The Business of Being Born On Netflix!! March 1, 2008

So for those of you who read my post on birth and the video ‘The Business of Being Born’, it is now available on Netflix!!!! GO GET IT!!!!

Crunchy Granola February 11, 2008

So, I guess you can call this my recipe.  I tried a few and then mixed them all together to get to something that we love.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a large bowl toss together:

1 c. coconut

1 c. chopped almonds or Brazil nuts

2 c. whole wheat flout (we use spelt)

1 c.wheat germ (or more spelt if you’re us)

6 c. rolled (not instant) oats

1 c.  raisins

Now in a smaller bowl stir together:

1/2 c. water

2 t. vanilla

1 c. honey (or agave nectar)

1 c. oil

Pour the liquid over the dry and mix until it’s all even.  Spread it out on 2 cookie sheets and bake at 325 degreed for  1hour 15 minutes.  Be sure to ’shuffle’ it around on the cookie sheets with a  spoon a few times so that it gets crispy uniformely.   It should smell like heaven and have a beautiful golden color when it’s done.  when you pull it out be sure to shuffle it ’round one more time. Let it cool completely before putting it in airtight containers. 

One batch usually fills two of my 1/2 gallon jars and will feed all 5 of us for about 8-9 mornings mixed with yogurt or keifer.  Recipes for those two later…

Counting Blue Cars… January 25, 2008

Yes, I’m going to use song titles for all my car posts. You know you like it!

This morning I woke the the sound of a a stampede down the hallway as Jacob rode his ‘horse’ in pursuit of a wild mountain lion named Selah. At 6:15am. Lucas was still out, so I took the rare opportunity to get some cutting done before I had to make breakfast. I threw together a batch of Jello to prepare for Jacob’s 24 hour clear liquid fast. And of course, I confiscated the horse and the cheetah print sweater… Sleep is crucial when you’re 18 months old.
I prepared for my Rethinking Reusables class by rummaging through my trash and recycling bin to find examples of all seven types of plastics . It was pretty simple to find the first 6, but try as I might, I couldn’t find NUMBER SEVEN! It’s the most toxic, I’ve heard, and ironically it’s used to make those unbreakable water bottles like Nalgene bottles. Brilliant, huh?
I printed up my materials on how landfills work and had them ready to go. I packed snacks, backpacks and a laundry basket full of ‘trash’ for us to work with during class and off I went to pack it all into my lovely ride. The well in the back of the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan is huge. I fit everything in there nice and neat without a problem. As I loaded up the back I pushed the buttons for the side doors to open and by the time I was ready to buckle in the munchkins, the whole crew had climbed up and were ready to be restrained. Life can be so simple when the kids are latched down…
Before we headed to co-op we stopped off at our ’spiritual home’ to visit at the mom’s play group for a bit. I grabbed a cup of coffee and couldn’t help sharing the van with some friends and showing them all of the cool features it has!
Kathrine, being 6′2″ was just as excited about the button to adjust the height of the floor pedals as I was! Although for opposite reasons, since I’m only 5′4″. It works for anyone’s height to be comfortable! Do you know how many times I’ve gotten toe cramps, pressing the far-away pedals on road trips? Ugh..

Eventually I had no choice but to kick Kathrine and Harmony out of the van so that I wouldn’t be late for out homeschool Coop. On the way there, enjoying the luxury of pedals I can reach, I decided to give the cruise control a shot. And it was good timing, considering that every time I looked down on the smooth ride up 75, I found that I was already going 80! So, although I was already on the freeway, I decided to go for it as a precautionary measure against a speeding ticket. I glanced down to find that the controls were completely different from my 2006. No worried though, just like everything else they were better. Simple to control without looking at the owner’s manual. Once again, not having to stop what I’m doing to dig up instructions is always an extra perk.
I pulled up to Coop right on time and jumped out of the driver’s seat as the doors were all doing their job and opening at the touch of a button. I popped open seat belts for little ones and grabbed my laundry basket out of the back. As we all walked away, I pressed the buttons again and all of the doors closed and locked. Ahhh… so simple. I suddenly realized that Dodge and I are in the same business! Finding ways to help moms without surgically attaching a third arm.
Coop went smoothly, although assembly cut my class time in half. We rushed through the seven types of plastics and talked about ways to recycle plastics. I ditched the landfill info to use next week. No worries we had a great class even if it was rushed. I taught all of the kids how to cut their plastic grocery bags and make them into PLARN, which we then braided so that next week we can coil them into bowls. It’ll be great.
After class let out for break time I headed to the car with my basket and found a few guys from the upper grades who were most interested in checking out the stadium seating on the van.

Oh yeah. I think this van just gave me “Hey, Miss Talitha is cool!” status.

I headed back to what is called the ‘Chit-Chat’ room to get to know some of the other homeschool moms. I’ve always wondered how I would fit in with homeschool moms in general. I’m not the average one. you know. First of all, I was homeschooled my whole life, so I have a completely different outlook on it. Also, I do believe I’m the only one there who enjoys being a driven business woman, and loves tattoos and nose rings. I was worried that they wouldn’t know what to do with me at first. Kind of like people who don’t know what to do when a mother is sitting there breastfeeding in front of them. They get all fidgety and nervous, not knowing what to say or where to look. But I’ve realized that the discomfort is typically there when someone is putting forth an image, or a show. Mothers who are breastfeeding in public to make a point put out a vibe of challenge. The vibe is what makes people uncomfortable. I’m happy to say that I’m quite comfortable with my nose ring, and have no intention of giving off a vibe.The fact that I will openly speak of sex with moms who may have never said the word, only spell it is not a challenge. That’s where they are at and I respect that. I don’t have a mission to challenge them. It’s ok. I’m happy to say that I feel like I fit in well, yet stand out all the same. I’m really enjoying my time with the homeschool moms.
Anyway, conversations turned to the van again so a few of us headed out so we could see how adults would feel in the back captains seats. Super comfortable of course, and thrilled that they’re heated along with the front ones!

After the second hour of classes let out I wrangled some of my students together for a photo. Quick pop quiz…How many homeschoolers do you see in this van?

And just for kicks, and since I had the chance to not be behind the camera for a moment…one with me and a ridiculous amount of sun..

My kiddos got jealous of course, since it is their van, so they took a pic with some friends.

So, after a lovely day I headed home. I need to write about Jacob’s testing. I’ll get to that for tomorrow. For now let me say that keeping an active 3 year old on liquids only is a hard thing to do. Thank God for Jello.

Here Comes The Ride! January 23, 2008

And at around 3:30 it came. It was a gorgeous color they call ‘Modern Blue Pearl’. My first thought was that it must be a just a Caravan, because my Grand Caravan is quite noticeably longer. Nope, Grand Caravan it is and the differences between the two vans are night and day.

There’s no way I can tell you about all of the features at once. Now I know why they gave me a whole 6 days with it! For today we just decided to take it out for a bit to get to know it. So I wrestled the car seats in and off we went to the post office. Putting the car seats was simple enough. I saw immediately that the swiveling captains seat were fabulous for helping Mom maneuver in the back seat. Jacob even got to sit in the back seat, which he was thrilled about, since I knew I would be able to reach back and buckle/unbuckle him easily. So, in they went and off to adventure…

Unfortunately, I left my camera at my parents house last week so I wasn’t able to take photos. The drop off at the post office was quick and easy. I jumped back in the van and threw it in reverse. I was totally surprised to see the touchscreen in front of me suddenly change to show a clear view from the back of the van!!! No one told me about that one! I can’t tell you haw many times I’ve thought of those stories where parents accidentally run over a child. Ugh. Yes, this is a good feature.

On to pick Travis up from the Marta Train station. Oh… his face when I drove up in my Pimpin‘ Mom-mobile! We headed up to Home Depot but decided we needed to measure some things before loading the van up. Not quite a waste of time, since we priced stuff. And we swung by Hannah and Dennis’ apartment to pick up my camera!

We decided to let the kids try out the dual video screens so we popped them down easily and tuned to Serius TV Cartoons. They were mesmerized and Selah wanted so much to try out the wireless headphones. I figured we’d save that, since I wasn’t quite sure what they were watching back there. Note to self, grab some DVDs.

This is almost as cool as those old conversion vans everyone raved about! Minus the tacky striping and oddly shaped windows. I much prefer the sleek sophisticated lines of the Dodge Grand Caravan, thank you very much! Travis was enjoying the smooth ride and commented more than once that it drove ‘like a dang race car’. That’s my southern boy

Of course, as an Audio Visual Engineer, he absolutely loved and appreciated all of the dodads and hooplah of the center console. He’s always loved pushing buttons and this thing has ways to control everything you could ever want. Does everything but whip your, well, anyway…

We decided to think of a way to try out the table. I don’t know why I’m so excited about that dang table. It’s really not the most usable thing with how young my kiddos are. I suddenly had an ‘Aha!!” moment. What better place than the Varsity!

We’ve lived a few miles from it for several years now and not gone once! There are good reasons for that, but overall it’s an experience. We decided to brave it and have our food ordered from the van and brought to us to enjoy at our little table. So from the comfort of our plush leather seats, Travis made the order.

I must say the tray balanced perfectly on the do or. I wanted to roll down the window in the back doors and have the tray there. Trav wanted it all to himself so I acquiesced It was cold out anyway.

The kids thoroughly enjoyed the novel idea of dinner in the van without seatbelts. I sat in the back with them and it was seriously comfortable. I enjoyed being turned toward them and the table is at the perfect height. If only they were old enough to play poker we could have an amazing road trip!

And there was, of course, plenty of room to eat and play, regardless of it being shorter than my 2006

As is typical in this house, no pictures of me but the ones I take myself. But I have to say I love this one. The reason is that I was really not so sure that this van would be much better than mine, on the basics level. Sure all of the extra options are great but what if you’re only interested in the basic? Well, this is a very simple basic feature but something that I have sorely missed in my 2006 Grand Caravan. The Oh Crap Handle is back!!! Yes!! I know I can’t be the only woman who relies on this to keep my sanity when my husband drives.

Another favorite for today is how simple the LED touchscreen is to maneuver for a mom with no time to read a 900 page manual to learn now everything works.
So, with full bellies we had shy children ready to get out, even of this fabulous ride.

Through Atlanta we went, home again and ready for more adventuring tomorrow. Maybe we’ll see how those headphones sound, or how many backpacks for coop can fit in the stow and go storage…

Middle Road Mom January 23, 2008

So, I’ve been thinking about what the first post for this blog should be about.  Originally, Momstinct is a book that I’ve been working on.  It’s in hold for now and I thought this would be an easier outlet in the meantime while I’m still in the throws of little kids.

 My purpose is to share my thoughts and experiences, but also to find other moms to bring into the mix by interviews and articles written by others.  I’ll post everything from my wacky recycling crafts to budgeting ideas.  I’ll share about candid conversations with my kids, homeschooling, working from home and product reviews.  Anything that I can hope will benefit someone.  Maybe you?  I don’t know.  We’ll see how it goes.

I consider myself  a middle road mom on most topics.  I always seem to find the good and the bad.  Maybe I’m a little over analytical?   But I tend to  thinking everything through then following that little voice inside.  The one that can so easily be buried by outside information.  You know that one? That’s the Momstinct that can get buried in fear. I’m letting mine loose.

Who Likes Sex and Cars? January 22, 2008

I’ll have both today, thank you. I sound like a nympho and a maniac, huh? Well, I got accepted to do a trial survey on condoms. With Travis, obviously. Can’t talk about details because it is confidential, but I just had to brag about getting paid for sex. I think we just became prostitutes. Can’t wait!!

I also last week did a survey on our auto, and was one of 50 women selected for a 6 day test drive of a new 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan!! It comes tomorrow and I’m going to be in the van every minute!. Just kidding. Yes. we are testing the van and condoms… but never the twain shall meet… ahem…
….

Ok, so last week I never got around to telling you about Jacob. Never took the time to sit down until I got sick myself, I guess. It started over the weekend. He’s been complaining off and on for months that his bottom hurts. I’ve checked it and it seems normal. No bowel issues to speak of. We took him to the pediatrician a few months ago and they redid the Celiac blood panel to be sure that it wasn’t that. Sweet guy didn’t‘ flinch when his blood was taken. Just said “Look momma, my blood is in my hand now! It’s not in my poop any more.” Sad reality of a little 3 year old. He did just as well last week when they took is blood for some more testing. And this time she ordered a barium enema at the Children’s Hospital. I’m so not looking forward to taking him to this. How do I keep a 3 year old on liquids only for 24 hours beforehand? Ugh… And I’m so worried that he’ll be traumatized. My little man.
Tonight as I was giving him his bath I just looked at his perfect little body. It’s so painful to see him writhing in pain. It’s terrifying to see blood coming from him and not being able to figure out why. It could be something so small, but what if it’s a huge problem? I just need to know my baby is ok.
I noticed this afternoon that he also has a rash on his bottom and I’m wondering if maybe he has a yeast infection? Lucas has gotten those a few times, but from breastfeeding. I’d be so thrilled if it was such a simple answer. I’m taking Jake back to the pediatrician first thing in the morning so they can check it out.

So, not much interesting to report today. Tomorrow will be busy. I have the DR appointment at 8am. Dentist appointments for all 3 kids at 10:50 and then THE VAN!!! It should be delivered between 1 and 4. Busy day ahead, must…. go… sleep…

The Bitter Homeschooler January 22, 2008

My Husband just emailed me this list and I couldn’t stop laughing. Bitter, no… People are stupid and speak because they don’t think. And I doubt this is a publication I would bother with…But yeah, I heard most of these growing up.

Enjoy…

The Bitter Homeschooler’s Wish List
By Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling Magazine, Issue #1, Fall 2007

1 Please stop asking us if it’s legal. If it is — and it is — it’s insulting to imply that we’re criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?

2 Learn what the words “socialize” and “socialization” mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you’re talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we’ve got a decent grasp of both concepts.

3 Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.

4 Don’t assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.

5 If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a “reality” show, the above goes double.

6 Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by homeschooling. You’re probably the same little bluebird of happiness whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you’ve ever heard. We all hate you, so please go away.

7 We don’t look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear they’re in public school. Please stop drilling our children like potential oil fields to see if we’re doing what you consider an adequate job of homeschooling.

8 Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.

9 Stop assuming that if we’re religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.

10 We didn’t go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.

11 Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn’t have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don’t need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can’t teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there’s a reason I’m so reluctant to send my child to school.

12 If my kid’s only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he’d learn in school, please understand that you’re calling me an idiot. Don’t act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.

13 Stop assuming that because the word “home” is right there in “homeschool,” we never leave the house. We’re the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it’s crowded and icky.

14 Stop assuming that because the word “school” is right there in homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours every day, just like your kid does. Even if we’re into the “school” side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach — we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently, because we don’t have to gear our lessons to the lowest common denominator.

15 Stop asking, “But what about the Prom?” Even if the idea that my kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do go to school don’t get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I’m one of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow somewhere else.

16 Don’t ask my kid if she wouldn’t rather go to school unless you don’t mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn’t rather stay home and get some sleep now and then.

17 Stop saying, “Oh, I could never homeschool!” Even if you think it’s some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you’re horrified. One of these days, I won’t bother disagreeing with you any more.

18 If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class, you’re allowed to ask how we’ll teach these subjects to our kids. If you can’t, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn’t possibly do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better one.

19 Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child’s teacher as well as her parent. I don’t see much difference between bossing my kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about everything else.

20 Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or loud because he’s homeschooled. It’s not fair that all the kids who go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood.

21 Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because she’s homeschooled.

22 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I homeschool my kids.

23 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I homeschool my kids.

24 Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won’t get because they don’t go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.

25 Here’s a thought: If you can’t say something nice about homeschooling, shut up!

From http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschooler.html

Free Sample- Quaker Simple Harvest January 21, 2008

I’m a steel cut oats kinda girl, but I’ve heard this is really good. Just thought I would share the link to a free sample

Free Quaker Oats Simple Harvest Sample

Misery Makes a Visit January 18, 2008

I woke yesterday morning quite miserable. I was in no way interested in missing the first day of the winter quarter for our homeschool coop. I’ve been anticipating teaching my ‘REsourceful REusables‘ class to the 3rd-5th graders for weeks. (I’ll tell about it when I have the energy.) So, like the martyr that I always am, I went.
I made it through teaching my class, but just barely. Half way through I started feeling feverish and miserable. By the end of the class I just wanted to go home but I was waiting for a friend to meet me to pick up her Sugar Tai. So wait I did, as the misery spread. By the time I got home I had a fever over 102. Every inch of my body ached, down to my eyelashes. During the night I was wearing two long sleeved shirts, jeans, doubled up on socks and three quilts. Yet I was convulsing uncontrollably with shivers. I still felt chilled although I was drenched with sweat. At one point I distinctly remember thinking, half asleep, “How ironically stupid that I have waited until this week to apply for life insurance. I’m going to die and Travis will be broke.” (don’t worry, we already had him covered).
Today Travis actually stayed home to take care of the kids and I. I’ve NEVER asked him to do that EVER. To be quite honest, I didn’t ask him today. He just stayed. My prince charming served me chicken broth and saltines and made lovely whole wheat pancakes for his children. He was a hero to more than just me, this morning. He called and made an appointment for me to see the doctor, knowing that I wouldn’t do it myself. The appointment isn’t until later today and I’ve been ‘quarantined’ to the peace and not so quiet of our room. I didn’t leave the room, but ultimately there’s no quite with all hardwood floors and 3 little ones locked in all day.
I’m taking the opportunity to finally read a book that, I’m ashamed to say, has sat on my shelf for 3 years. Maybe to the day, now that I think about it. Hmmm… off to sleep and read some more.