Dear Julianne

To My Favorite Niece,
I was beyond thrilled to find out you were coming to stay with us for a couple days. Your little brother was in the hospital having several procedures, and you were supposed to stay with Gramma and Granddad. A few days before you went to visit your grandparents, Granddad found out he had a small tumor that needed to be removed. I suggested that I keep you for a few days so Granddad and Gramma could talk to the doctors without boring you -- since you are only four, sitting still in the hospital that long would be quite dull for you. You can't imagine how excited I was that you were coming to see us!

On the ride to our home from picking you up, you talked non-stop with your four cousins. All of you were just as excited as I was. When we got home, they gave you a tour of the house while I started dinner. Everyone ate very well -- it was macaroni and cheese with meat and veggies added. After dinner, all the kids went outside with a popsicle, and when you were all done, you played in the yard with the club house, swings, and frisbees. The day before you came, I told Gramma to make sure your parents gave me written permission to seek medical treatment if needed. Who knew I would actually need it?

Somehow, you stepped in a fire ant mound that had popped up since the rain the night before. The nasty ants were all over your feet before you knew it, and when they started biting, you screamed. You ran to the porch, I picked you up and sat you on the bench while Uncle Allen turned the hose on and sprayed  your legs. You continued to cry as the swollen bumps turned red and I covered you in baking soda. Most of the bites were on your feet and ankles, so I make a cool soda bath in a bucket for you to keep your feet in. I gave you some Benedryl and one of the other medicines your parents asked me to give you. Your feet throbbed, and you started getting hives on your arms... then your tummy and back... then your feet. I was getting worried because I knew you didn't have any bites above your knees, but you were swelling everywhere. I was wondering if I should take you to an emergency room. You started to cough and then I knew I needed to get to to the ER. I grabbed my keys and Uncle Allen put you in the car. You continued to get redder, then your lips lost color, and you fell asleep. I yelled at you to wake up, not sure if you were just tired or passing out. All the way to the hospital, I yelled at you to stay awake. You were so groggy I had to carry you in, but you were mad at me for ruining your nap.

As soon as we signed in, I looked around the ER and realized, with a dozen people sitting in the waiting room, it might be awhile. Then you threw up a bit on my shoulder and the nurse let us go back. Before I could put you down, you threw up again... and again. A total of four times, three of which were on me. I didn't realize at the time, but that is all it took to get us a room immediately. Some kids throw up if their throats start swelling shut, and though there were lots of reasons you might have been sick, there was swelling in your neck and you told the doctor your throat hurt. I held you close and bit my tongue (someday, you might learn how hard it can be to not be sick when someone pukes on you.) I struggled to stay calm... or at least let you think I was. I carefully wiped your face clean and pulled your wet shirt off you to wrap you in a clean blanket. I took your shoes off and cleaned your feet, wiped your legs, and did my best to help you get cleaned up. After you were cleaned up a bit, I went to change into a hospital gown, rinse my hair out, and get the macaroni out of my sandals. I knew you were scared, especially since your parents weren't there. I was scared, too, but I tried not to let your daddy know that when I told him what was happening.

We stayed in the ER together for a little more than three hours. Uncle Allen had a friend stay with your cousins while he brought us some clean clothes. After we both changed into those, we were both a lot more cheerful. By then, the Benedryl was working and you weren't so swollen. The doctor was worried about you, but wanted to let your tummy calm down a bit before giving you medicine. That worked out well since you weren't getting any worse. I told you this would have to be the start of our adventure story, and you weren't sure you liked this adventure. We had both been talking to your daddy quite a bit, and you loved playing games and taking pictures with my phone. The doctor did eventually give you a steroid to help some more, and everything worked out just fine.

On the way home, I told you I was sorry you got hurt and sick... that I had promised your parents I would take good care of you. You told me, "You did take good care of me Aunt Sarah!" and I nearly cried -- maybe from exhaustion, but probably more because I was worried you would be upset with me. I am thankful you are okay. I am really thankful for those sweet moments, when we were both feeling better, when we could talk and giggle and share jokes, without having to share each other. We got home around 10:30pm, I gave you a bath and a snack to keep your tummy from being upset by the medicine. When you went to bed, Maddie woke up and you two talked and laughed and talked some more. Thanks to the steroid, you had a new burst of energy that the nurse warned me about. I gave up shushing you two girls a bit after midnight.

The next 36 hours sometimes seemed like you were challenging us to keep you alive -- you took off on a Maddie's bike without knowing how to stop, a music box fell on your head, you tripped at the zoo and pulled me over you. But, we did keep you alive, and I think you even had fun with your cousins. We had fun having you here with us for two days, and I do hope you can convince your parents to let you come back again sometime.

The night you went back to Gramma and Granddad's you talked to me on the phone. You told me you had fun, but that you didn't want to come back until Uncle Allen killed the darn ants in the yard. You said you would do another adventure with me if it didn't hurt so much. I really do hope we have a fun adventure soon! I love you, sweet girl!

Love,
Aunt Sarah, adventurer

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Just a warning, I am finally finding time to try out many of the recipes I've found through Pinterest, an online bulletin board full of ideas. I will likely be posting our favorite recipes soon, even though its been a long time since I've put some on the blog. I often make some substitutions to others' recipes so  the food on our table is as healthy as I can make it and still keep it tasty. Here is a casserole that I assumed I'd have left overs, but the kids fought over the last bites. They loved it! I loved it! Even Allen, who usually doesn't like spaghetti squash, enjoyed it. The original recipe is here, but I changed a few things, and I'm adding it to my list of recipes because I know I'll make it again and again.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 1 small yellow onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• ½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

 

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Place in a covered dish with a ¼ inch of water and microwave for 10 -12 minutes. In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper and thyme and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color. Salt and pepper to taste. Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a small bowl. Combine the squash, onions, sour cream and half the cheese together and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Place into a 375º for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown on top. My tummy is growling just typing this recipe.

Birds and Blooms

I love the garden in late spring. God surprises me daily with beautiful blooms, dainty butterflies, buzzing bees, and little sprouts. Just in case I forget what an artist He is...

  

Summer Tradition

Allen's schedule has been so hectic, that we decided not to wait for Father's Day weekend to do our annual blueberry picking (just in case he had to work at the last minute.) He had a free weekend that happened to also be a cool weekend, so just before going to bed last night, we decided to head for the patch first thing this morning. Each year since the first, our blueberry trip is something our kids talk about through the year -- remembering egg muffins for breakfast in the car, remembering the big red barn, remembering eating as much as they wanted, remembering who filled the baskets the quickest, remembering the melt-in-your mouth blueberry muffins and cool sweet frozen yogurt we eat for our second breakfast, remembering the dry sandy dirt they covered themselves with, remembering the special hats they've worn each time. We feast on the memories all through the year, and I can't imagine ever NOT picking blueberries. Just as we have the last four years, we had a blast. We made more memories. We came home with lots of sweet berries. We took long afternoon naps. We talk about doing it again next year. And we smile.

The End of an Era

The end of an era -- the end of this lifestage for me -- I am no longer a mom of babies... or toddlers... or preschoolers! My kids are now all school-age, and it's still feels strange rolling from my tongue. Ben, Maddie, and Jon are now done with preschool, but it didn't quite end as planned (by now, you'd think I'd have planned for the unplanned...)

Since they have had the same teachers at the same preschool that Will did, I knew I would need to plan some time to make end-of-the-year posters for each of the kids for the preschool graduation ceremony. Knowing it would be tough to fit craft time in, I asked their teachers for the boards at spring break (about a month and a half early) so that I could start working on them. I made them all so that I could pull the papers off the poster and put them right into their scrapbooks. Though the layout and design of the three are similar, I tried to choose colors, patterns, and designs that represented each of the individuals. I let them help choose the papers and tell me some of the things that made them happy. Ben's poster is covered with his favorite papers -- rockets, planets, and stars, and a bright orange sunshiney sheet, but I chose lots of different fonts for the list of what he likes. Maddie's favorite colors are pink, purple, and orange. Her poster has hearts and flowers and doodles and lots of sparkles (though the glitter didn't show up in the picture). Jon's poster -- lots of straight lines, a variety of tropical prints (like his favorite clothes,) and a nice neat checklist. Here are their posters:

The day I turned these in, the teacher sent home a note that I needed to send costumes for the program. The request specified that each child needed to wear a costume that represented what they wanted to be when they grew up, but no Disney or superhero costumes, nothing that they would have to carry, it had to fit over their clothes, and please bring it within the week. ARG!! Timing was awful for that, and I struggled to not be bitter about it. I didn't want to spend a lot of money if they would wear the costumes for ten minutes, but I also didn't want the kids disappointed. Jon wanted to be a fireman, Ben wanted to be a dinosaur bone scientist, and Maddie wanted to be a princess. I convinced Maddie that she should choose a back-up in case she couldn't find the right guy to marry. She insisted if she couldn't find a king to love, she would settle for a prince. The conversation took a few days, but she finally decided she could be a florist. I spent a couple dollars on the flowers, but already had the apron. I bought the hat for Ben, but used Will's vest and some felt I had in the craft box. I bought the hat for Jon, and we used Will's red winter coat. I was thrilled to come up with three cute costumes that we assembled for less than $9 total! Our florist, paleontologist, and fireman:

But, as soon as I finished it all, the fevers started...and kept going...I felt like I was at a fever auction... 101 for Mama. Do I hear 102?... Goes to Maddie. Next up 103 for Ben. 104.5? Anyone? Yay, Jon wins this round. We spent a week passing around the virus, and sadly, the kids missed their preschool graduation ceremony, and the poster display, and the song and dance with the costumes. They did make it to the last day of school and had a blast at their Hawaiian Luau party -- Jon was thrilled to see so many friends in tropical prints like he wore every day. Now, preschool is over. I won't be writing checks to Southern Oaks anymore ... and I've been doing it every month for the last five years. These three are ready for "big kid school!" (Photos were taken for a slide show a few weeks before graduation - Ben, Maddie, and Jon).

Second Grade: Done!

Will finished his last few lessons and assignments, and we are calling it all DONE! The last ten weeks have been quite an experience for Will and me -- shorter school days, but more learning; exhausting, but fun; wearing thin our patience with each other, but bringing our hearts closer. I am counting it successful!

Since we began homeschooling with little warning, and not much time for planning, I went with a curriculum that had everything planned for me (except for math). We chose to use Singapore math; I ordered the textbook and workbook and hoped we would get all the way through it even though it was meant for whole semester (and we were only schooling for half a semester.) Surprisingly, we got through two sets of books -- one full year of math topics, in ten weeks! If we ever homeschool again, we will use Singapore math again because it teaches logic before it has the child memorizing facts. I love that Will was understanding how the concepts worked together. We still need to help him strengthen his mental math (no paper, or finger-counting), but Allen has been playing board games with Will to encourage him to think of shortcuts to calculations. Over the summer, Will has agreed to do math workbook activites weekly to keep his skills fresh.

As for the rest of the curriculum, after several weeks following the guide book, I started to break away from it and incorporate some other lessons. We read a few extra AWESOME chapter books because we finished the others early. We cut out some of the writing activities geared toward much older children, and focused on a few related activities that could also be checked off of his Scout electives. When Will seemed interested in particular Native Americans (tribes, foods, homes, heros) we took more time investigating them. I didn't like the way the curriculum handled Bible lessons, so I found another book that taught him how to study his Bible. I blended a few different art lessons and drawing lessons. Art lessons at the end of the lessons were often the carrot that encouraged Will to work quickly through his "boring" lessons.

People have asked me many times how homeschooling has gone for us, and it is often a difficult to answer quickly. I have to put my rose-colored glasses on before I begin to answer. When he was in school, he was often in trouble. He realized that trouble at school often meant more trouble at home, so he usually came home grumpy... really grumpy. We would walk through the front door at 3:30pm, and he would start yelling or picking on his siblings. I usually gave him a snack and some time to cool off, but then he needed to work on his assignments.... which he hated.... which led to more grumpiness and anger.... for both of us. Around 5:00, he would be done with his work, so he would go play while I worked on dinner. By the time dinner was over, it would be time to start heading for bed, so we really didn't have much happy-time after school. The next day, I would have to pry him from bed, and he often got up on the wrong side. Even if it was a cheerful morning, it wasn't long till he was out the door, heading to school with Allen.

Since he has been home, several things are the same, but many are different. He still started lessons at 8:00am, but since he didn't have to go anywhere, he got another 45 minutes of sleep. Usually, he woke without help and overall, he seemed to be in a better mood. Now, I'm not going to lie -- he hated the math worksheets and hated writing paragraphs. Getting through those assignments was TORTURE -- for both of us. BUT... it lasted about an hour, nearly every day, but then the crabbiness was done. I have so much more patience at 9:00am than I do at 4:00pm -- don't all moms? So, even though we still had the same disagreements over who would get their way, it was over early in the day. That left the rest of the day for us to learn together, read together, paint together, laugh together, talk together. I was blessed with several hours of (mostly) happiness with Will each day, that I didn't get when he was in school. I was in a position to explain more of the whys that busyness interrupted before -- why do I believe in God? why do I want him to learn to write well? why do I love Daddy so much? why is this one of our rules? There were some great benefits to schooling at home. When Allen went to long hours at work, we packed up the books and headed to Gramma's and Granddad's for a week or two. I wasn't as worried about bedtime and we did some things I wouldn't have considered on a real school night. Staying out late to watch a play signed for the deaf, staying up longer to go to an opera and get to talk to the performers afterward, going to Legoland on a school day when no one else is there, taking a day off to go spend a day with a friend whose dad passed away, spending a day fishing with Granddad, math and giggles at Starbucks -- all these would've been missed moments had he been in school. I loved the flexibility of doing our lessons when we needed to, where ever we were.

There were a few things that I was unprepared for, though. For most of the ten weeks we did home school, I was unbalanced -- or rather, my life was. The basic chores got done around the house, but there was always a layer of clutter (school books, papers, etc.) that taunted me. The younger ones still expected a lot of attention, and some days they were home, I felt I was being pulled to pieces. I still had appointments and grocery shopping that needed to be done, and that cut into learning time more than I liked. I didn't really figure out how to get the important things into my days: my Bible study, exercise, and personal down time. In fact, I had a lot of trouble getting some "down" time worked into even the weekends. That, for me, is life unbalanced. Too often I felt I was on the virge of being overwhelmed completely.

Will and I are glad to have a few more days to ourselves before the little kids finish school, and he is thrilled to be finished a couple days before he would've been done with "real" school. It doesn't look like we will do homeschool in the fall, but now I have a different kind of confidence about choosing a school for Will. I have a better idea of how he learns and what makes him tick. I have confidence in myself, now, and if the new school doesn't work out, no big deal -- we can do school at home again (but a bit differently than this time.)

Peek-a-Boo

I got a few giggles watching this sunflower bloom. The big, happy flower already brought a smile to my face, but it really seemed to be playing peek-a-boo with me, and that made me smile even more.