Halloween

Well despite the horrible weather and how very sick I was, we had a nice Halloween anyway. The girls dressed up, watched a kids Halloween movie, ate popcorn and the treats we bought for the Trick-or-Treaters that didn't come because of the weather. I surprised them by having the house decorated when they got up which thrilled them all. Princess Belle was thrilled and Princess Magpie announced that it was a Halloween party. She ran around pointing out all the decorations. It was too sweet.

There will definitely be pics to follow.

Wow, how awesome!

This blog has been nominated to the Top 25 Canadian Mom Blogs list on Circle of Moms!

Saturday PhotoHunt: Broken

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The theme broken was pretty easy for me. I thought immediately of the lovely broken down fence in our backyard. So here are some pics I took of our BROKEN fence.

Balancing

I am having issues trying to adjust my diet, balancing my carbs and proteins while finding vegetarian ways to fill my nutritional needs while battling the morning sickness that eating the right balances seems to bring. UGH, sickness sicks.

Princess Belle

I took Princess Belle out to a neighbors today. She has a homeschooled daughter who is 2 years older than Belle. They had fun together. They even went to a group this evening where they played games, did crafts, and sang songs. She will definitely be going again.

Out

I had a nice night out with some of the mother's from the homeschool group. It was just a few homeschooling moms out for a coffee and it was really nice. I am so enjoying putting myself out there and making some connections here in town.

Wordless Wednesday - My Girls Hanging Out

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Princess Snifflefritz

Princess Snifflefritz has finally started sleeping through the night. At least until about 4 - 6 am. If she wakes then, I go in change her diaper, give her a drink and she goes right back to sleep until about 8:30!!! It took a little while of me keeping her from sleeping all day and trying desperately to keep her from crying outside her bedroom door, as she tried desperately to put herself to bed. There were lots of cuddles, lots of heartbreakingly sad faces, but she usually got over it quickly and now she is as happy as can be and sleeping better. It was tough, but I just figured that with a new baby on the way, I really only needed on baby keeping me up at night. And Princess Snifflefritz was keeping me up at night for 4 and 5 hours at a time and with the other girls keeping me awake all day, this poor pregnant momma was tired and figured that had to stop.

here is the face that was begging me to go back to sleep. Isn't it so pathetic? I just want to go through the screen and cuddle her.

Meeting

I had a meeting with the homeschool association tonight. It was nice to get together and talk to the moms. The best part is just getting support from other moms who homeschool, bouncing ideas off of each other, and just having a little time out.

Thoughts

I am having a moment where I can hardly believe that in a few short months, I will be holding a brand new baby in my arms. I look around at my house filled with love, laughter, adorable little faces, and little arms that wrap around my neck (or my legs) and hold on so very tightly, little hands that pat my back in a hug and I wonder how I got to be so very blessed. No matter if this lovely little person growing inside of me is a girl or a boy, I know that there will be joy unbounded when he/she arrives. The fact that I get to love and care for four little people is so special that I can't even believe how lucky I am. I may not have any money, but there is not one person in the world who is richer than I am.

Belly Pic

This is really bad taken in my awful bathroom in the mirror, but here is a belly pic. I had a hard time staying completely sideways and taking the pic, I kept turning into the pic a bit and that makes my butt look GIGANTIC!

Woohoo!

I am totally doing a happy dance right now. I felt the baby kick! At first it was gentle and I wasn't sure, then it was a little more firm poke in the same spot and then it was a third time and there was no mistaking it. I was sitting with my knees up against my belly and I guess the baby was crowded!! I LOVE it!

Quick Update on prenatal appointment

Well, I went to the doctor today. There was a delay because he had been up all night delivering a baby and he was behind. So I went next door and did something to make me feel better. My hair has been bugging me for a while, I hate dealing with it when I am trying to get comfortable in bed and it was really hot on my neck, so I CHOPPED off all my hair. I have a pixie cut. The hairdresser was scared to do it because my hair was down to my waist, but she said that she really liked it and that it really suited me. Prince Charming and the girls seem to agree. Princess Magpie kept looking at me in awe and saying, "You are Mommy!"

And on to my baby check-up. We couldn't detect the babies heartbeat because the baby was too busy jumping around and doing acrobats, but I figure if she/he was feeling good enough to be jumping around and dancing, she is good enough for me. I am in my second trimester, I am no longer bleeding and my baby is active. I am good. The bad news is that I have Gestational Diabetes. When I had the test, I stopped by a coffee shop and had a coffee and a little sweet after it was over and it seems that sweets on top of that awful sugar drink they give you was not good for me and when I thought my sugar was low and making me feel really confused and foggy, it was actually really really super-high. So it looks like it is Gestational Diabetes again for me.

I would also like to point out that I am in my SECOND TRIMESTER!!!! Here's to better days with less fear of loss!

Wordless Wednesday - Princess Magpie

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It has been a stressful, long day. Everyone is fine, the baby is fine, but I am so stressed. I really don't like days like this. But, on the upside, I have three beautiful kids that I adore, I am pregnant with a fourth and I have a brand new baby in my baby. I will focus on that and try to relax about the rest.

giggles

Random thoughts

Princess Magpie is kind of funny sometimes. There are a lot times when she talks that it is a lot of gibberish with a random actual word thrown in for good measure. When she is upset, she goes on and on and whines and whines and I am desperately frantically trying to figure out what is the problem. I am listening to her go on in some language I don't understand thinking to myself, "Oh come on, just let me buy a vowel, just one actual word and I will be on this for you!". Then in the midst of random sounds she is making I hear a word, an actual word and I jump all over it, "Foot? You hurt your foot? Is something wrong with your foot? You want me to rub your foot? You are looking for your dolly's foot?" Grasping at anything and everything to do with that one word I actually got, until I hear the magical, shaky "okay" and am rewarded with a smile from a tear stained face.

She is too cute with her baby sister though. She loves her and is convinced she is HERS. Thus yesterday, in a demonstration of the fact that she does have some language skills, she says, "Where's my Princess Snifflefritz? Where's my baby?" And when Princess Belle handed her a doll she snorted and said, "No, Sisser! That's a dolly! I will find my baby." and she jumped down and went running into the room where her little sister was.

On a side note, I am finally feeling better. I am 13 weeks pregnant now and even though I was spotting for a while, but it has stopped now. I do have to watch my activity level because it seems to be related, but as long as I take it easy, I don't spot at all.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Public

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This theme was easy for me. There is nothing more perfect for Public Pictures, than pictures taken a day of fun at a Public Park.

Kid funnies

The girls are really funny these days. Prince Charming and Princess Belle (age 9) were outside and she said she smelled something bad. He asked her what it smelled like and she said, "Egg dust". He was completely baffled, "egg dust?? What do you mean Egg Dust?" She explained by saying, "You know that smell our van had after the pipe fell off." Then the lights went on, "Ooooooh, Exhaust!"

Today, Princess Belle built a "Thing-a-ma-jigger" (vehicle from The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That). She took a box, decorated and then she put Princess Magpie in and pulled her around and around and around the house. All the while, Princess Magpie was singing her own mixed up version of the song in the show, "Here We GO! GO! GO! on an adventure! Here we GO GO GO! *mumble mumble mumble* and AWAYYY!" I have to say it was the cutest thing I have ever heard!



Princess Snifflefritz has taken to running across the floor and yelling, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" when she has something she wants me to see, then she strides off very purposefully across the floor to continue her own little adventures. And I love that although she has very little language skills, she still attempts to sing the alphabet, Twinkle Twinkle, and Itsy Bitsy Spider (all the words are unnecessary if you have the right tune, you just repeat the ones you know over and over again with great enthusiasm! LOL) . She even tries to count, "One, two, three, two three TWO!"

Homeschooling update

Well, the homeschool meeting with the officials who approve us went well. I actually didn't go. I was worried about having to walk down there with my pregnancy issues, so I got a package of information ready and sent Prince Charming in my stead. He did well, I am proud of him. I should hear something in the next couple of weeks. Wish me luck!

UPDATE

I just wanted to update you guys on things. My pregnancy seems to be going okay. The bleeding has stopped and I am taking it SUPER easy. I had been having a stressful, busy couple of days and it is possible I was over-doing it. So, no more of that. I intend to relax, enjoy my kids and not stress about the things I can't get done as much as possible.

At this Moment (part 6)

My girls are supposed to be sleeping, but I am listening and smiling as I hear them.

Princess Belle (aged 9): 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . 1o! Ready or Not here I come!
Princess Magpie (aged 3): *Giggling* *silence and then more giggling* I FOUND ME!!!
Princess Belle: *Giggling* okay, now you hide and I will find you. 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . .

(repeat, repeat, repeat)

Now this whole thing just had me giggling myself. I LOVE to hear them playing, I love that Princess Magpie so obviously didn't get it but was having fun anyway, and I love trying to imagine where in the world they could possibly be hiding in such a tiny room. I am imagining piles of blankets.

Pray for me.

Had a scare last night. I was bleeding and I went to the ER to get checked. My cervix was closed, the baby's heartbeat was strong and the baby was active and moving around. They said all that was a good sign. I am worried, but it has stopped now and I am taking it easy. So keep my baby in your thoughts and prayers guys.

Sunday Six

1. I finally got Princess Magpie to believe that there was a baby in my belly. It was too funny because then stuck out her belly and was convinced that there was baby in her belly too.
2. I had to take Princess Magpie out of Princess Snifflefritz's room. I put her in with Princess Belle. Princess Snifflefritz was keeping her up and night and it wasn't fair to her. Since I took her out of the room, Princess Magpie has slept through the night every single night. (Now if only I could convince Princess Snifflefritz to do the same!)
3. I changed living room today. I needed it to be better organized. When Princess Magpie got up from her nap and came out, she looked around, took it all in and said, "Mommy! Great job! You cleaned up!" In her little mind, the organization and the moved furniture were simply a result of the extra cleaning I must have done.
4. Princess Snifflefritz still has her schedule messed up. I am working on it, but it is exhausting to try to figure out a way to fix it.
5. The best thing about the change in the bedrooms is that Princess Magpie is sleeping so much better! And in the mornings, I can hear her and Princess Belle playing and giggling together before they come out for the day.
6. I went to a warehouse store the other day. I really like it a lot. I will definitely be going back.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Waiting

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This them was perfect for me. When I saw the results in the pic below in August, it began the long wait for a wonderful prize that will arrive in April.

Awful Day

Rather an awful day today. The pregnancy is fine, everyone is fine, but it was an awful day and I have no words to talk about it at the moment.

My Girls

Princess Magpie and Princess Snifflefritz didn't sleep last night again. Ugh, I need to get them sorted out. It is exhausting.

On the good side, I talked to Princess Belle about homeschooling. We talked about relaxing and having fun and not making it a stressful experience. Then when we did our homeschooling, it actually went so much better. Every once in a while, I have to remember to not stress myself out, not to worry about doing enough for her. She is a smart girl, she will learn what she needs to and we are doing fine. I have to trust in our process, trust in us and remember that there is no point in doing this if I am going to make it just as stressful as public school is.

To that end, we have a meeting with the officials who approve our homeschooling for this year. I am always so stressed about these meetings. I know he is pro-homeschooling, but I am basically on trial, I am proving that I am going to do everything that they think I should for my girl.

Wordless Wednesday - My Babies, and I get to do it all again!

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Princess Belle - 2002

Princess Magpie - 2008

Princess Snifflefritz - 2009

funny!

Monday Musings

Last night the girls were once again up for half the night. I am hoping it is just a fluke and tonight they will sleep through. These girls are killing me I swear!

A funny thing Princess Magpie has taken to doing is laying on her floor of bedroom and calling out when she is supposed to be sleeping. I listen and hear, "Hello? Is anybody out there? . . . . "Hello! Hi!" I tell her to go to sleep and then I hear whispering, "Hellooo . . . Hi. . . . Hello". She just cracks me up.

I am getting a little too stressed and serious about our math again. I need to relax and have fun and realize that this curriculum is not supposed to be stressful. That is not how it is done. So even if mommy is tired, grouchy, and over-tired, I need to relax and not bring stress to our homeschool.

Snifflefritz Adventures

My girl Princess Snifflefritz (aged 21 months ) is funny sometimes. She eats better than her big sister, Princess Magpie (aged 3 years), but Princess Magpie is very territorial when it comes to her plate. So, Princess Snifflefritz has developed this sniper routine that cracks me up. When Princess Snifflefritz has cleared her plate and Princess Magpie has moved on to other things leaving her plate unattended, Princess Snifflefritz moves in on the attack. She darts as quickly as her little legs can carry her over to the plate, grabs food in both hands and takes off running before Princess Magpie can notice and get upset with her. I laugh at how she moves so quickly she is unsteady on her feet. Princess Magpie has no interest in the food, she would just pitch a fit if she noticed Princess Snifflefritz touching her plate.



Now on another note, my girls are NOT big on change. They don't like it AT ALL. So when it comes time for them to move on to the next stage of development, they don't do it without LOTS OF resistance. So it was with great trepidation that I decided it was time for Princess Snifflefritz to give up bottles and move on to sippy cups. I went out and bought her pink, soft-topped sippies and purple, hard-topped sippies for Princess Magpie (they need their things to be differentiated.) During the day, I handed her a sippy instead of a bottle. She fussed but I cuddled her and she got over it and drank from it. But there was another step I was worried about. My girls like to take a drink of water with them to bed.

Just a note about my girls, when you change things for them, you have to do it cold turkey. Slow transitions over a few days leads to days of unending crying and they don't transition, they just keep crying. I have to go cold turkey. I have to put up with one day of hellacious tantrums, I have to just get through it and hope that the next day will be better.

So back to the sippy, I put her to bed with a sippy and closed the door. She SCREAMED! I left her for 10 minutes and then I went in to comfort her but when I left the room, she cried even harder! It was HELL, I was so upset that I was sick. But I knew that if I gave in, I would have to go through this again the next day and I just couldn't do this again. This continued all night long until about 2:30 in the morning when she finally fell asleep.

There was one silver-lining to this awful, grey cloud of doom, She slept through the rest of the night until about 9 the next morning. The next day, I gave her her breakfast of peanut butter toast, strawberries, and banana's AND . . . her new sippy. You know what? She said, thank you and ate her breakfast and drank from her sippy. At naptime, I handed her sippy and hoped for the best and . . . . she said thank you! That was it, no more crying over the bottles! The best part is, she slept through the night again last night!

So it seems two problems were solved in one night of hell.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Covered

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As soon as I started looking for "Covered" pictures, I decided to look back at pics from earlier this year. I came across pics of girls with their heads covered and pics of them with their faces covered in army makeup from the celebrations in town. It was fun to look at them again!