treehouse!

Last weekend we were out in our back yard hanging out when I scanned the scene, taking inventory of projects that needed to be tackled to spruce up the place. I concluded that the overall picture was sad and neglected. As I mentally perused the landscape, my eyes rested on the huge sycamore right next to the back of the house and I commented nonchalantly, "Ya know...it would be kind of cool to have a tree house in that tree..." It was one of my "dreamings" which Bryan is very used to hearing me verbalize, and most often filters out due to time or finances (or possibly annoyance :P). But he perked up at this particular idea. He's become a bit of a handy man since our humble DIY beginnings as newly marrieds. Over the years he's installed a bathroom, remodeled a kitchen, installed siding, laid tile, and accomplished lots of other feats involving carpentry, plumbing and electricity. He's often itching to tackle a project, especially a building one, but time is at a minimum these days.

The mere mention of a tree house seemed to push an "on" button. As soon as the kids got wind that there was even TALK of the subject, they latched on and there was no turning back. Simon especially has asked about it every other second. Even at a wedding last weekend, (the day after the idea was mentioned) he asked in the middle of the ceremony if we could go home and start building. And he has decided that it belongs to him, but that he will share with his sisters.

Bryan has been online doing research, looking at architectural drawings and budgeting out materials. He even went old school and checked out a book from the library. Today was building day.

We all pitched in, though Daddy and Papa (Bryan's dad) did all the carpentry work. The kids and I, along with Grandma, did a lot of yard work, weed pulling, raking, trimming, cleaning, mulching, arranging bricks, etc. Much of our efforts focused on removing English ivy which was used as ground cover on a lot of our property before we moved in. I have decided it's the Devil's weed. It is such a nuisance and is so invasive. It covers most of the trunk of the hefty sycamore that the tree house is being built into, and as we removed the vines, most of the bark came tearing off at the same time. Grrrr....

Working together, we had one of the most productive days around the house we've had in a long while. I tidied the whole back yard and am so pleased with it! And Bryan completed the  first phase of building (framework of the floor plan and supports). The next phase will involve building the ladder and laying the flooring. We hope to have it complete by the end of April! And, Oh. My. Goodness...The kids better play with it every day until they leave for college.

Anyone out there have tree house experience? I always wanted one, especially after watching the movie Swiss Family Robinson.

Floor plan view. Also note my nice black mulch around the tree in the back? Pay no attention to all the bald spots where grass should be growing...that's the sad and neglected part. Grass will not survive back here!

sippy cups and silk

Remember the scripture in the Bible where Jesus tells us we can't serve both God and money? Well the same goes for loving children and loving fancy vintage furniture. I know that's what Jesus really meant, right?

I've been on a whirlwind vintage kick lately and in the midst of finding some amazing deals on gorgeous unique things, I've sold much of our old furniture which always seemed too big for this city dwelling. Finally, after living here for five years, it's starting to feel like the furnishings suit the house and fit within the nooks and crannies.

In the midst of my thrifting, I stumbled upon this GORGEOUS mid century olive green tufted sofa with wood detailing. My heart was all aflutter. I go nuts over nearly anything tufted! So I swiped it up even though the realist in the back of my mind said, "Don't get too attached. Silk and sippy cups cannot coexist." Or something like that. But the price was right, the style was insane, and so I promised myself I would hold it lightly.

Within the first couple of days, there was an oily residue left on one of the cushions by somebody's little grubby fingers and I contemplated selling the sofa before it got ruined. But then, I reminded myself that I paid next to nothing for it and if it got ruined, it wouldn't be a huge loss, as long as my heart was not attached.

Shortly after, I bought two cans of scotch guard and doused the thing from head to toe. I tested the stain resistance with some water and it beaded up and rolled off and my mind was at ease that maybe sippy cups and silk CAN coexist. Folly? You may be right.

This morning I should have known better than to be productive first thing out of bed because, as I was downstairs putting in a load of laundry, I heard cries from upstairs that Josie had thrown up...On. The. Couch. And it wasn't just regular old throw up, it was a belly full of grape juice. It might as well have been sulfuric acid, or blood, or a flaming kebob of oily cheese. By the time I was able to get to it, it was still beading up, but had soaked in enough to leave a very noticeable stain. I cleaned and blotted and wiped for a half hour or so, fighting off frustration and irritation. But all in all, I'm not that upset. Surprisingly. I love my kids more than I love fancy vintage furniture, and I don't even mind if God wants to keep checking me on this one. I say, if I ever get close to loving stuff more than people, I'll be looking for a boatload of grape juice vomit to come my way.

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

scattered

Today was a bit of a scattered day...I was meant to take Josie to her quarterly eye appointment (it is recommended she be examined every three months as a preventative measure for a rare complication called iritis that sometimes occurs in JIA patients) but the doctor was out due to a death in the family. So, while I was in the neighborhood, I made a quick thrifting stop at Salvation Army (one of my favorite spots.) No awesome furniture to be found but I got a lovely little round, tufted pillow in the perfect shade of pink. It pops just right against the olive backdrop of the sofa! And you can't beat $1.99!

I also picked up some tshirts for Simon to make it through the spring and summer. Since I've been frequenting the thrift store circuit over the last couple of months, I just don't think I'll ever be able to pay full price for kids' clothes again. This is a good thing!

I also got Ella an illustrated Children's Bible from the mid 70s. It's one that I remember having at our house as a kid and I always loved looking at it. She's very interested in the Bible and has outgrown some of the more basic versions and is really more drawn to the actual text which we read together every morning after breakfast. I thought this one would be a great middle ground for her and the illustrations have a certain retro charm!

Ella and I then crammed in about a half day's worth of school (we hit the books pretty hard at the beginning of the week in order to have a light day today) and Simon went to school while Josie napped. Then all the kids headed over to our sweet friend Shannon's house while I ducked out to the annual St. Louis Homeschool Expo. Since this is my first year as a homeschooler, I have never been to an event like this and I have heard it can be overwhelming. I actually had nightmares last night in anticipation...Mommy guilt doubles when you homeschool, I think, as one can question whether or not she's doing enough for her little ones. I was afraid I would enter this homeschool world surrounded by a hundred vendors selling various appealing curriculum, and begin to get shaky in my current plan.

However, I did my best to prepare. I brought a suitcase on wheels so I didn't get a sore back lugging heavy books that I might buy. I fixed myself a large coffee in my most favorite insulated thermos, and I had a very specific list with online prices marked in the margins to make sure I found the best deals. And you know what, it really wasn't very overwhelming at all! I left feeling confident in what I'm doing and really pleased at how much Ella is learning. (Gosh, she's an amazing student.) I even got to meet up with a dear friend while there and talk strategy for next year as well as just be comforted by the familiarity of a friend I love :) I bought all of my curriculum for next  year except for the big Sonlight order which involves the bulk of our reading materials and is a huge box of books! But I got a coupon code for that order which is reason enough to attend the Expo on it's own! A bonus was that I came home with an art curriculum that I plan on doing over the summer with both big kids and a cursive curriculum for free.

When I walked through the door with my suitcase, Ella met me, bubbling over with anticipation. She peeked through the materials and ran around giddy and silly. She was very excited for next year's science workbook (Botany) and exclaimed, "OH! I could just start RIGHT NOW!!" She's a nerd in the most beautiful way!

We capped the evening off by relaxing and hanging out in the living room watching old Spiderman cartoons which were ridiculously entertaining. And then, surprisingly, the most amazing thing appeared in the sky outside our window:

We scrambled out on the front porch to capture this photo. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. Ella suggested we find the end of it and dig up the gold. And I remembered what it felt like to really believe there was gold at the end of a rainbow, if I could only get there before it disappeared!

It was a scattered day, but I'm still smiling at day's end!

on maturity

Overnight I am stunned by how the kids are growing, maturing and becoming more independent. I can't even count how many times I think to myself, especially about Ella, "Are you really only 7 and a 1/2? Really??" It's not only the way she talks, but it's her natural interest in contributing and being a part of things.

As I mentioned in my previous post, bedtime with Josie can be a long process and last night, I had some phone calls to tend to and wasn't able to be as involved as usual. So Ella stepped in willingly to save the day. She said to her daddy as he tried to console Josie, "I can lie down with her. I WANT to!" So he gave it a whirl and we didn't hear a peep from her the rest of the night! Yesssss!

And this morning when we woke up, Ella got up with Josie and changed her diaper before I even got out of bed. Whaaat? I wasn't that self sacrificing and responsible in my early twenties. For reals.

On Sunday, Ella wrote on her communication card that she wanted to serve in the toddler room. She ended her request with an all caps "PLEASE?" I think it's a really grand idea and she'd be so helpful as an extra playmate for the littles.

All this growing up spurred me to ask the question of the kids today, "What do you want to be when you grow up." Ella said, "There are a bunch of things I want to be. Can I be more than one thing?" To which I replied, "Of course!" Then she listed off all of the possibilities, "A salon girl, an artist" and that got her onto a tangent daydreaming about where that could take her. She said, "I want my art to hang in Hollywood or something!" I think she's under the impression that anything famous must come out of Hollywood. I asked, "You mean, you want it to hang in a gallery somewhere so people can buy it from you?" "Yes! I would sell each painting for five dollars!" Well, I thought I needed to let her know she could aim higher. "You know, Ella, lots of artists sell their paintings for much more than that, maybe hundreds or thousands of dollars because they put a lot of time into each one." That got her dreaming..."Ok. Well, maybe I'll sell one of mine for 6 billion dollars and then every person in the world could put one dollar in." But that idea presented a quandary. She paused and reasoned, "No. That wouldn't really work because who would actually get to take the painting home?"

At bedtime, I asked Simon what he wanted to be when he grew up. He didn't hesitate and answered, "A pastor." "Really?" I asked. "Why do you want to be a pastor?" to which he replied, "It sounds fun." "What would be the most fun about being a pastor, Simon?" His answer was simple. "Telling people about Jesus." Yes. So I prayed for him that God would give him the passion to tell others about how much Jesus loves them. And he snuggled down to sleep. That's my boy.

Seriously. These kids blow my mind. They bug each other and fight and do all the things kids do, but then they show their hearts and I marvel. God, make their lives great for you!

the baby whisperer I am not

I've always struggled to sleep train our kids, though, I feel like I sort of figured out what works in a decent amount of time with the first two kids. Both of them seemed to get their major issues settled by about 14 months and were in their own beds, sleeping through the night and not really getting up or making too much fuss at bedtime or during the night. Back then, I felt like I wasn't a very good mom that it took me so long to get it sorted out when many moms I talked to had their babies sleeping all night by six weeks! But now my perspective has changed and I think I was doing pretty well! Josie has really given me a run for my money and just when I think this sort of thing should be old hat, she has me scrambling for sanity!

We've had various issues with Josie that have made it hard to follow the "rules." She's been smaller in stature all along and, in the first year, I felt I should feed her whenever she was interested. Early on, she just slept for longer periods if she was near me and I couldn't bear to be sleep deprived when trying to keep up with all three kids during the day. So we were in survival mode for awhile. It worked just fine.

But then I hit the threshold after about 16 months where I was ready to have our own room back and felt it was time for her to fly the coop. At that point, she was in her crib for all her naps and a good portion of the night so we moved her crib into Ella's room and started the transition. But she didn't like those plans. She cried and carried on and it wasn't the kind of "crying it out" we were able to do with the other two at this point in their lives. Her crying was sustained, desperate and unrelenting and was very stressful on Ella which felt unfair. So for awhile, everyone got shuffled around in the short term so that Josie could work out her self-soothing and sleep issues. But then that got EVERYONE out of routine and added more chaos than resolution.

During that time, she began climbing out of the crib in desperation. Like I said, her version of "crying it out" really didn't work. So we gave up on that and went back to rocking her to sleep which often took long periods of time. Then we hit that time period with the arthritis where her whole demeanor was off and she was a much crankier version of herself. She also slept horribly in general and was up several times a night again.

After her second birthday, we took the crib down and transitioned her to the bed. That was ok, though a big commitment as we never felt we had achieved sleep training with her like we did the other two by this time...certainly before we ever moved them to a bed. She doesn't seem to realize there are rules about staying put at bedtime. She still needs quite a bit of soothing to fall asleep although rocking has gotten pretty tiring. We're back into a stage where she takes about an hour to settle down at night.

It's a strange thing to behold now, watching her try to fall asleep. I will rock her for a few minutes to give her the message it's time to quiet down and then I lay her down on her pillow. She hates being covered up but she likes to snuggle so I put her blanket beside her. Sometimes I'll lay on the floor next to the bed just to give her the comfort of knowing I'm there but that I'm not going to hold her. I really want her to learn to soothe herself. But it's so tiring to watch her for the next hour. She flips, then she flops. She turns horizontally, then sits up. She grabs her blanket and tries to thoroughly cover herself. Once covered, she kicks frantically to get uncovered. Then she snuggles the blanket. Then she pulls at her pant legs. She finds a different pillow and moves it in order to lay on it. Then she flips and flops again and it starts all over. She kicks her legs and I wonder if she is actually trying to keep herself awake or if she is just restless and doesn't know how to settle down! It's maddening for me, I don't know how it isn't for her!

Sometimes I get so frustrated, I have to leave the room. I think, "I'm just going to have to be firm and keep directing her back to bed." But I've tried that several times and she will literally get out of bed 50 times one after the other. I'm at my wits end!

But.....there is good news. Once she finally falls asleep, she sleeps all night now. Sometimes till 7:30. That is a very big victory.

Are there any other moms out there with these issues??

camping trip & date night

Spring hasn't even started and it's felt like summer the past week! I don't know whether to feel thankful or afraid for what the real summer holds...

In honor of the balmy weather, Bryan took Simon on an overnight camping trip with Uncle Dwight and cousin Cody. It's a dude's getaway with fishing and campfires, mud and junk food. Probably a ride on some ATVs too. I like it when Bryan spends one-on-one time with our kids...I think it is very special and I'm almost always up for sending one of them off. The happy flip side is that I end up doing what I can to get a date night with whichever older kid is left behind. (Josie hasn't quite hit the age to enjoy a night on the town. But her day is coming!)

Last time Bryan went out of town with one of the kids, it was Ella who got to go and Simon and I watched the latest Chipmunk movie and went to Burger King (his pick.) We played on the indoor playground and he was so TALKATIVE! I really enjoyed that time together and so did he...he has requested multiple times since that we go out again. But when he heard I was taking Ella out on a date while he was away, he decided that was "weird." I guess moms are only supposed to date the men in the family.

Tonight Ella and I splurged on the full date treatment! We started with a 3D movie (The Lorax) which she was over the moon about. And after, we indulged in the fast food delicacy that is Culvers. Ugh. It was amazing, delicious and disgusting in the most wonderful way. Ella got chicken tenders and french fries and especially enjoyed using the cool ketchup dispenser where you squirt your own dollop of ketchup into a serving sized container. (My kids don't partake of fast food much...these types of things are still magnificent to them.) I don't know what it is about chicken in a "tender" or "nugget" form, but that's all they ever request when we give them a vote. One of these days, I hope one of them requests seaweed salad. But I digress...

Ella upgraded her drink to a shake to which she added Twix bits AND peanut butter cup chunks. Wowza. But my meal took the prize...A cheeseburger called "The Single BUTTERBURGER" (so healthy!) and onion rings and I even drank a diet soda. And THEN...I got a custard concrete with Reese's peanut butter cups too! Gasp! It was an insane treat and we loved every minute of it. But we promised we'd exercise tomorrow.