Cereal For Breakfast

We had cereal for breakfast this morning.

Simple: Cornflakes with frozen blue berries, topped with whole milk.

I used to love daily cereal, but now we have it more infrequently.

Yes, it is quite convenient in the breakfast-in-seconds experience.

However, with several small children, I have discovered that cereal is one food that ends up all over the dining room floor, and requires more clean-up then other breakfasts.

Furthermore, the price of cereal (I like specialty cereals) is not as economical as a nice pot of oatmeal or a platter of pancakes.

Do you do breakfast regularly?

Finger Paint is washable

I would love to say Thank-you to whomever made finger paint washable.

Today was the first time in a few months that I got finger paint out for my children to do a good, hands-on craft activity.

At first, it was my 6 yr old.
Then, it was my 6 yr old and 2 yr old together.
Wow, they had fun!
Then, as often it happens - this mama had to go out of the room, to go get 11 month old...
Upon return to the kitchen: there was finger paintings strewn about the kitchen, and they both had sheets oozing with finger paint, and were making foot prints on fresh sheets of paper. Needless to say, it took a bit of washing (but finger paint is washable!) to get the whole floor clean, but it got done.
It took a little washing to get the two kids clean, but it got done.
Then 8 yr old walks in the room: he is jealous. but, this mama says he can also finger paint, so fresh paper was given, and he was able to paint.
And wash, again.
Now, here is the problem: 5 yr old was sleeping through this whole occasion.
2 yr old felt bad that 5 yr old didn't get to paint, so the venue was changed (no longer on easily washable linoleum floor). And, 5 yr old (and 8 yr old, and 2 yr old again) got a chance to paint.
But, this time it was on the wooden table. And, guess what? Since finger paint is water-soluble, it gets absorbed into our wooden table! EEek.
Ok, but kids wash up just fine (as does the floor) and 2 yr old ends up in third outfit. Everything is fine.
This mama is too busy getting ready to go out the door for dinner at church, that the minor detail that got missed before got missed again: taking the paint away and hiding it.
8 yr old decided to do "Indian war paint" on his cheeks.
That's ok. Finger paint is washable.
This mama got the 11 month old in a new outfit.
And, ready to go out the door discovers that 2 yr old has decided to dunk arms (up to her elbows) in finger paint. That's ok, finger paint is washable -- and this time, it didn't get on the table, but it did get all over the church outfit.
So this mama washed the child up again, got to church late (missed prayer, but there still was food there).
Now, it's time to do a load of laundry, before the finger paint sets in clothes.

I got the kids in bed - on time!

So, here is the story:

I have five kids: ages 8, 6 (almost 7!), 5, 2 (almost 3!) and 11 months.

As I type this, upstairs in the main bedroom, four of my five kids are asleep, and it is 8:24pm.

I aim to "start" bedtime routine at 7pm. (Which, now with it being light later, means telling them to get pj's on, and brush teeth).

I then aim to have lights out by 8:30 pm.

Yes, I have an hour and a half for "bed time". The beauty of the 7pm start, though is that at 8pm, I can say "an hour past bedtime"!

Why am I blogging this tonight? Because the plan doesn't always work, and sometimes it is a struggle. But, here is a record that plans (sometimes) do work!

Now that the house is full of peace and quiet, I get to go do my evening routine (Which tonight includes loading the dishwasher, doing laundry, and much more).

one step forward, one step back, two steps forward

It feels good: the house is cleaner than it often gets.

How did it happen? We had company.

Although the house wasn't completely CHAOS(Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome), it was below the "company presentable".

This time, I played a game with my kids, similar to Jeopardy: there were fun things (read a few pages of a book; play computer game for 5 minutes) and mini chores (wipe down the fridge with windex and paper towel) and bigger chores (mop kitchen floor) and part of a chore (pick up 8 things from living room floor). Amazingly, we worked through 5 different "rounds" - with 3 to 4 kids participating.

Result?

1) It took this mama a lot of effort, but the house feels much better than it often does.

2) It gave this mama motivation to not neglect house chores to the extent they sometimes get neglected.

Virtual Interaction

Over thanksgiving, I listened to arguments against the ever-so-popular social networking sites like Facebook.

"Privacy", "replaces genuine relationship", "permanence" were the cons discussed as to why these individuals refuse to participate.

Yes, the one-sentence blurbs of twitter and Facebook might be pithy statements. However, the opportunity to connect to friends, family, and associates at one's own schedule has many positive features that are worth being considered.

I have found true community with many of my "facebook" peers. I have friends (and family), most of whom live in different states, but they have similar parenting scenarios as myself. It is refreshing to read that we aren't the only ones experiencing certain adventures of life.

Example: Just the other day, I discovered shampoo in my fridge. Of course, this is the sort of entertainment that can be communicated in one sentence, that I updated my status with. It was refreshing to hear that other people have had similar experiences (such as finding cream in a cubbard instead of the fridge) brought out by children "help"ing put groceries away.

Adventures of Sitting Up

When our five-month old Baby learned to sit up from a lying position, it was fun - there are so many toys that a five-month old can hold and play! A baby, sitting-up in the middle of the floor, gets much more social interaction with older siblings than before this novelty surfaced.

Now that this skill is practiced and perfected, a new adventure has begun: falling asleep! Since Baby can sit up when put down, baby doesn't stay lying down for long. And, when baby sits up, it is MUCH harder to fall asleep.

As a mom, I know that "this too shall pass". However, it is tragic to watch a baby crying - because "someone" keeps enforcing a sitting position - but baby is tired and wants to sleep! Since I know the different cries, the "I'm tired and want to sleep and I can't figure out why I can't go to sleep' cry mandates that I reluctantly watch the trauma unfold.

After many many attempts to lie down, sit up, lie down, fuss, fuss ... the baby falls asleep.

Unwanted consequence: the drama has put mama in a tired state too! What happened to baby just falling alseep and mama catching up on work before mama's bedtime?

Getting Kids In Bed

The house is quiet.. and it's not even 9pm.
Five children are asleep.
Silence.
Peace.
Four children were asleep by 8:15pm
Quiet.
Calm.
All children were awake at 7:30pm.
Noise.
Shouts.
Attitudes.
Grumpiness.
Tired children made sleepy children.

My prayers are that I have energy for the routine tomorrow ... and that tomorrow night will be another good night of having everyone in bed.