Christiansen Chronicles

 We had church this morning.  Then a relaxing afternoon of naps and playing with the Hex-Bugs.

At dinner time I somehow dropped the cookie sheet and dumped all our dinner all over the oven.  Wade manged to save some.  I can't believe that Thanksgiving is this week.  I actually turned on the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas station on Pandora while making dinner.  After dinner I turned off all the lights and we watched The Nativity.  We watched it once and  the kids ask questions and talk.  Then we watched it again and I asked everyone not to talk.  For 5 minutes we all sat, watched and took in the spirit.  It was heaven.

After that I turned the music on that is on the same DVD.  Gage requests this every single year.  I think this is his all time favorite Christmas song.  It takes me back to our first year in Iowa, Gage was itty bitty (Eli looked strikingly similar tonight). We would dance to this every day during November and December.  We bought him a little tikes basketball hoop that year.  The missionaries would come over and crack up at his dancing and shoot hoops with Wade.  Good times.


Hot chocolate and marshmallows followed our Christmas dance party.  I am looking forward to having many more of these in the weeks to come.

Happy Sunday.

You only need to use one tablespoon per load.  I tried it today and felt better using 2 Tablespoons.  The little scoops that came inside the oxyclean actually worked best to measure with. (That silver one sure is cute though!)

I washed 3 loads today and so far so good!

I found all the ingredients at Walmart and the total was $15.17.  I usually go through one large container of Kirkland Free and Clear Laundry Soap in a month.  That costs us around $14 a month, assuming I can get it to last all month.  The girl who's blog I found this on does around 8 loads a week, and this lasted her 9 months.

I do more than 8 loads a laundry a week, but I still think that my $15 will be a great deal in the end!

Now...if anyone could figure out a way for my laundry to do itself.....

Two things I am thankful for today.  Avery, and answered prayers.

A couple months ago Wade and I sat down and went through all our bills and looked at our budget.  We wrote down what we make, then listed every bill.  Let's just say we looked at it (felt a little depressed) and came to the conclusion that there was no wiggle room.

We couldn't figure out what to cut.  The only thing we could cut would be internet - and that is something we weren't willing to do.  Besides, Wade needs it for work.  Food is the only bill that has a variable, and I wasn't sure how to really reduce our grocery bill either.  I don't have time to coupon.  I menu plan and I think that does save us money.  (remember this post?  I wish I could say I still spend the same amount of money.  But 6 mouths to feed....)

So anyway, we talked about it, we just decided it was what it was.  (I then ranted and raved about how residents should be paid more for the insane amount of time that they work, the amount of debt school costs, blah..blah...blah)

It was a couple hours later I remembered what I had forgot something on our list of expenditures...Diapers and Wipes! (capital because they are THAT important)

Seriously, with two in diapers we were spending so much on diapers and wipes.  When I told Wade I had forgot to add that to the list, we sadly we agreed...it would somehow have to come out of the grocery budget. I wanted to cry.  That was equal to one whole week of food.  I wasn't sure how I could manage that.

So I prayed.  I wasn't sure what the answer was to our problem, but I just prayed that that we would be alright.  I prayed about it ever single day.

~
It was probably two weeks later that one Saturday morning Avery woke up and while Wade was changing her diaper she announced...."I want to go potty Dad!"  Wade helped her and she went!  We couldn't believe it!

I know she is 2 1/2, but I waited till my boys were both over 3.  Almost 3 1/2.  I waited with them and they were both ready and really easy to train when they were older.  I was going to wait till she was 3.  I was really wasn't expecting this.

We didn't have many plans that Saturday, so we ran with it.  She had a few accidents but did really well!  By the end of the day she was telling us to leave the bathroom and that she could "Do it MYSELF!"

Miss Independent.

The next week was the week before Super Saturday.  I had a lot of errands to run. I felt so bad, because she was in pull ups most of the week, but even then she did really well.

It's been over 4 weeks and I am amazed.  No more pull ups or diapers and she is such a big girl.  (It might have also helped that during the process she eared the Dora pillow pet she loves so much.)

Sure, she made up her mind and was ready, but it really was the blessing I was looking for.




I am thankful for Miss Independence.  She wants to do everything herself and if she can't, she will keep trying until she shows me she can.  Yesterday she spent 20 minutes buttoning her own coat.  It was a long 20 minutes, but in the end, she did it.  She will dress herself in things I would never put together.  (picture taken today - she walked to the bus stop this morning in blue leggings, Dora tee-shirt, Tinkerbell costume, purple socks, pink sparkle shoes, a pink puffy winter coat and a pink knit hat on her head.  But she did it all herself and waited patiently by the door while I kept reminding the boys to get ready)

She will try and fix her own hair and wear a silly flower every single day of the week.  She will stand at the counter while I cook dinner and tell me that she can do it too.  She rarely accepts help.  She totally gets that from me.

~

So today, I am thankful for two huge blessings in my life.  Avery and all the spunk she adds to our family, and a Heavenly Father who answers our prayers.   I wasn't praying that Avery would potty train, and while our budget still is what it is, and I still have to buy diapers and wipes for one, it sure helps a lot that I don't have to buy for two.

And that is an answer I am am thankful for.
~

A friend of mine shared this on her blog the other day. (click for the link).  I had a good laugh when I read it.  It is entirely so true. I would LOVE to see my favorite Food Network stars handle my kitchen at dinner time.

This is how one hour of our eveing went tonight:

Last night I went to bed with a migraine.   Today I woke up with one.  Somehow I made it through the day and since it is Wednesday early out, I almost got a nap this afternoon while the big boys played Lego's and Avery played games on my phone.  Around 3 I decided I better take a look a the menu board and see what options we have left in the week.  I had options, but not many that I was feeling up to making with the beast headache. Pay day isn't until Friday so ordering a pizza is out, and so I checked out the freezer and the pantry to see what other quick and easy options I could come up with.

I decided I could manage pasta salad.  Easy enough, right?

I bust out the play dough and a snack for the kids to get us through the 4-5 o'clock hour, took another Tylenol and sat down to play with them.

My started prepping dinner at 4:45.  I could have made things half way easy and turned on a movie for the older 3, but I don't like using that every night.  My choice.

I pulled out the pot and started boiling some water.  I took some bacon out of the freezer and stuck it in the microwave on defrost.

I took the play dough of out Eli's mouth for the 50 millionth time.
I took Avery to time-out for breaking Gage's Lego Navy Battleship that he spent all afternoon making. (They had a Veterans Day Assembly today, he is ALL about the Navy now!)
I helped Gage put back together his Lego ship and reminded him he didn't need to scream at everyone in the house when it breaks.
I asked Avery what she did wrong.  She said, "nothing."  I told her she could sit on the stairs longer.
I listened to her scream more.
I found Eli with a crayon coloring on the bench.  Took that away.
I asked Avery what she did wrong again.  She said something that sounded a little like Gage, but not really, but I had her say sorry to Gage and move on.

I got the frozen peas out of the freezer.  I left the door to the freezer open  because it entertains Eli to look through there.  Anything to keep him occupied for a few minutes.

I put the pasta in the water.
I set the timer.
I told Noah he couldn't eat any more oranges, dinner would be ready in a minute.  He stomped off.
Avery found her Princess Belle boo-boo cold pack in the freezer and repeatedly tried to shove it in the back of my shirt to hear me squeal.
I took Eli out of the freezer and shut the door.
I took the cold pack away from Avery and gave it to Eli to chew on.  It makes his teeth feel better.  He was very mad I had closed the freezer, and he threw the cold pack down and screamed.

I took the bacon out of the microwave and put in in the frying pan.
I see Avery is hiding under the table eating frozen peas from the bag I got out of the freezer.  Nice.
I tell her she can't have the whole bag, but put about 10 in a bowl for her.  She goes back under the table.

Eli is clinging to my legs screaming.  Gage and Noah are sitting at the bar and drawing pictures of things that start with "F" (Noah's letter of  the week in preschool).  Then things start to turn funny.  Next thing I hear they are drawing pictures of birds pooping on people, fish sticks walking, french fries, and frogs jumping.  Someone draws a butt and they laugh.

I get out the cheese to grate.  Then I remember I have a bag of grated cheese.  I open the refrigerator and Eli is already standing there underneath me playing with the stuff in the refrigerator door and drawers.  He loves to find the tiny bottle of green Tabasco sauce and play with it.  I take it away and tell him he can't have it.  He screams some more.  Some day he will regret playing with it!

I remember the bacon.
Avery is out of frozen peas and wants more.
Gage drew on Noah's paper.  Noah drew on Gage's paper.  They are both mad at each other.
I tell the boys to go up to their room and that they can't come back down stairs until they are happy and friends.

Avery and Eli are still mad.  I still have the bacon.  The noodles have 3 minutes left.

I remember that I have some balloons.  I grab a couple (making sure that I have at least one pink) and blow some up.  Eli and Avery are happy.
I throw in the peas with the noodles.
They finish cooking.

The boys come downstairs and yell "Balloons!"  They start trying to sit on them and pop them.
I tell them that they can come down stairs only if they play with Eli and the balloons.

I remember to take out some plain noodles for Gage's lunch tomorrow.  Put that away in the fridge.

I start to assemble the salad.
Eli is back at my legs crying.  I take off his shirt and his pants.  He tugs at his onsie, wanting it off too, but he seems happy enough.  I open the Tupperware container drawer and let him go to town.  He loves emptying and filling that drawer.

Avery tries to drag a chair across the floor to the island so she can help me make dinner.  It gets stuck and she screams.

I fix her chair and giver a spoon.  She stirs the noodles and peas.  I try to catch the ones that are flying out of the bowl.
Wade calls.  He is on his way home, but stuck in traffic.  I tell him we are cleaning up the house and will have dinner for him when he gets home.  He has scouts tonight and will only have enough time at home to change clothes and eat dinner.

The boys have popped most of the balloons.
I look around out our messy house.
I laugh inside about how I used to love to vacuum every day before Wade got home.  I loved having those vacuum lines.  I must have been nuts.

Then I remember the Halloween candy.  The gross stuff that no one really wants to eat is all we have left.  I tell the kids I have a game.  For each item they pick up and put away in the RIGHT place they will get a piece of candy.
They are off and running.
SCORE!

I finish the salad.  I pry the spoon away from Avery and tell her it is mommy's turn to stir.
I put in in the fridge and get the stuff out for the table.
Noah sets the table.  And gets everyone water.  I cross my fingers he won't cry today when he has to sit by Avery because (gasp!) she is a girl.

I unload the dishwasher. Eli tries 5 times to stand up on the open dishwasher door and 5 times I take him off.

Gage yells "I've picked up 37 items Mom!  That is a LOT of candy!!!"

Wade walks in the door.


~~
The hours from 3-7 are by far the hardest hours of my day. I don't really write this to complain, but that "Cooking with Katie" really just struck a chord.

Today wasn't my worst day, it wasn't my best.  Sometimes I just think I should document it or else someday I will look back and won't believe that I actually did it. (like yesterday, when after dinner I cut all 3 boys hair by myself, somehow managed to get all 4 bathed and ready for bed before Wade rolled in the door to kiss them goodnight).

Dinner tonight made all the craziness worth it.  Gage prayed for the families of the missionaries that were killed in Texas, and he said he was thankful for and loved his "whole, WHOLE family."

We've been using the conversation cards at dinner.  Everyone answers a few questions.  Avery always comes up with crazy answers and we all laugh.

Wade wrestled with everyone after dinner.  Eli giggled.  Avery laughed.  Gage and Noah ate a bunch of candy - but no where near 37 pieces -  before they said they said it was all gross and that they were done.


~~
I might not be cooking show worthy.
But one thing is for sure,
things never get dull around here.
And I love it.