Communication

I think everyone will agree that communication is a very important thing in relationships. This includes marriage, children, friends, work, etc. When we don't communicate correctly or at all, it can cause problems. My husband and I are having problems communicating about the home improvement we are doing. All week I thought we had been planning to do 2 things- paint the outside of the house and build some stairs for our new back door. I offered my help with painting and this morning I told him I was going yard saleing and when I got back we could paint. I get back, change clothes, and he gets out the paint. Miriam and I then paint around the edges of the back of the house. when he comes back I say, let's finish painting and then go get some lunch and buy the wood for the stairs. Painting shouldn't have taken much longer with the big roller he has. He tells me he has to caulk all the seams on the back before he can paint and that will take a while. So then I ask what I can do. He tells me to paint the window & door trim. So I get out that paint, wash my brush and go to start. Then he tells me I need to scrape all the loose paint off first. Now, I have already dipped my brush in the paint. So I put that aside and scrape off some of the paint I can reach. Now I'm writing this while I wait until I can paint. Plus he told me he wouldn't get around to building the stairs today. If he could have just told me what had to be done first and when I could paint, I think we would be further along today. Plus I have something to do this afternoon so by the time he is ready to paint, I probably won't be here. One thing I know about my husband is that he prefers to work alone. I am the opposite and will ask for help so the job will get done faster. I just want this house finished so we can put it on the market. We started this over a year ago and it is still not ready. I am trying not to put blame on anyone. I'm just ready to move and it has to be before this baby is born.

Menu Thursday

Some people post their menu's for the week on Monday's, but I grocery shop on Thursdays and plan my menu starting Thurs. I thought I would start sharing because I have gotten ideas off of other's menus. I get a lot of my recipes from Rachel Ray and other food magazines. Here is what we are having this week:
Thurs- Cheesesteak Sliders
Fri- Coconut Mango Chicken
Sat- Linguine with Artichokes
Sun- Loaded Baked potatoes
Mon-Grilled Pork Chops
Tues- Shrimp & Sausage Skewers
These are just main dishes and I usually add a vegetable and a grain.

Hair Cut

We did get our hair cut. I forgot to post that we did this. Last wed., Miriam and I went. On the way, Miriam was very nervous and on the point of tears. This was her first major haircut. She went first though and did well. I think she looks gorgeous and a few years older with her haircut. I will clarify also that I really did not get my hair chopped off. It is still shoulder length. I just am not brave enough to go much shorter. Plus I just don't have time to fix my hair so I have to have a cut that is easily maintained. Here are a couple of pictures.

I also had an appointment with Debi yesterday. Everything is going well. We heard the baby's heartbeat very strongly. That sure did make me feel good. I had been a little worried although I had no sign that anything was wrong. I just don't feel like I'm pg. I feel like myself and I'm not very big yet, but yesterday verified that the baby is in there and doing very well!

Home Improvement

This long weekend, my husband and dad have been working on my house. Where I have had a plywood window in my bedroom for over a year, we now have a french door. It will allow easier access to the backyard, but I really wouldn't choose to have a door there. They have pulled all the shingles off the backside of the house and are putting up siding today. There are times that I am really happy not to be a man! Plus being pg right now gives me an extra excuse not to help out too much. I'm supposed to be doing some things in the house this weekend like packing boxes and cleaning. I've been a little lazy though and haven't done much. Hopefully our house will be on the market in a couple of weeks so I do need to get to work.
Yesterday, my mom threw a little Kindergarten graduation party for Miriam. She got an ice cream cake and we put Miriam in a cap and gown. She really enjoyed her surprise. I probably wouldn't have done anything myself, but mom had the cap and gown left over from my nephew. Where is my party for teaching her this year???

Blogging to blog

I was told by someone that I don't blog very much. I thought I was doing pretty good to post twice a week with everything else I have going on. Plus my life is really boring sometimes so I think no one wants to hear about our normal, boring lives. So today I am writing just to have a post. We did finish our home school year last Friday. We had a great time at our homeschool group's picnic too. I am so glad to have nothing I have to do, but that kinda bores me too. Today I was trying to think of something to do. I did some stuff around the house, ran to the grocery store, and went outside with the girls. I really don't feel like I did anything though. I am just not the relax around the house type person. I am not a homebody at all (my husband is). The only time I would want to be home is if I have a good book and no kids around. Maybe if I had a nicer house I would want to be home? We'll see when we move. I hope to post pictures again soon. I just haven't done that since we got the new computer. maybe I'll do a wordless wed this week. I am getting my hair chopped off this week and Miriam is too. I'll be sure to post those pictures!

Baby Moving

I believe that I have felt this baby move. It is a little early, but I usually do feel it early. With Miriam, I felt her at 15 weeks and both Josiah and Lily I felt at 14 weeks. I think most women probably feel movement this early, but it is just not strong or often enough that they even think about it. Anyway, I have felt a little kick a few times over the past couple of days. Sometimes I think it is just wishful thinking, but it doesn't feel like gas or a normal tummy rumble, it feels like a kick. Anyway, I'm glad I am feeling this, because for the past couple of weeks I didn't even feel pregnant. I felt good no queasiness or anything and I didn't feel like I was getting any bigger. I wasn't really worried, but I just didn't have any signs that I was pg. So I'm glad now that I'm feeling some movement. When I'm not pregnant this is the part I miss most. It is just so miraculous to feel the baby moving inside you. I love that feeling. I'm one of those women who always have easy pregnancies so I always really enjoy being pg. I've been saying this is my last child, but if this one goes as well as my previous ones, you never know.

Looking Forward

Yesterday, the girls, mom, AJ, and I went to Cleveland TN. We walked around the historic downtown and looked at the shops. We ate at "The Spot". We had a pretty good day and I get to count it as a field trip for school. Of course, next week is our last week. It is nice to be winding down. Bowling League is over, Kindermusik will be over in 2 weeks, and no school. It will be so nice to not have to do anything for the summer. I do plan to let the girls take gymnastics and we will still be working on the house for a while, but I'm hoping for a relaxing summer.
Our realtor came by for the first time today. She thinks the house will sell fairly quickly and for what we want. She is coming back in a few weeks when we have finished the work to take pictures. We also got our rebate check today. We get to pay off one bill and almost all of another. We are really trying to work on lowering our debt. I would rather save the money towards our trip to Disney World, but if the bills are paid off then I can save that extra money each month. I have been saving all the money I make as a doula for Disney World and am about half way there. I hope we can go early next year.
Today I have been cleaning house. We are having company tonight and tomorrow. it was a total wreck, but I am always amazed at how much I can get done in a day if the kids are gone. I wished I kept on top of it daily, but I'm just not in that habit. I will have to be soon if we are listing the house. After I get rid of half the stuff in our house, that will be much easier!

My Lillian

So I've been thinking that I need to blog, but I've had nothing to blog about. My life seems pretty boring sometimes. Then I was thinking of all the things Lily has put me through this week. You know how people say that if they had the second child first, they wouldn't have had any more kids. That is how I feel although I am pg again. Lily is sweet, smart, and funny and I love her to death. She is extremely curious and fearless also (both of which can be good and bad). I don't mind so much cleaning up her messes or having to keep a close eye on her, it's the moments when she scares me that I don't like. So these are a few things she has done this week which are both funny and scary.
Miriam got some real fingernail polish (we normally have the play stuff) and had left it out where Lily could get it. I was away from the Living room 2 minutes at most and I come back in and smell polish. The polish was left on a table and it was still there, but I picked it up and the top was a little loose. I look at Lily and she has some smeared around her mouth. She must have thought it was lip gloss, but quickly realized by taste and smell that it did not go there. So I clean her up and worry that she swallowed some. Then, Saturday we were doing baths and Lily was out first and was left alone for a few minutes. She comes running into the bathroom with her tongue hanging out and she had gotten and chewed up one of my prenatal vitamins. It is a childproof bottle so I don't know how she got in it. So again I had to worry if it would hurt her. This morning I was getting dressed and she came in from the kitchen with that look on her face. I asked her what she was doing and she told me "I drank it". I asked what she drank and she couldn't tell me. I let it go, but later I was in the Kitchen and noticed one of my little maple syrup bottles had been opened and some was missing. So I guess "she drank it". Today also, we went to Buddy Bear's. Some mom's came over to me and told me she was stuck so I rush over. She had gotten out by the time I got there, but apparently she climbed up under the plastic at the ski ball machine. How she fit or why she did it, I don't know.
So these are just a few things she has done in the past week. I wish she was not like this sometimes, but she always makes me laugh and she really is a great kid. I just hope she survives long enough to outgrow this!