Ok, so I admit that my updates have been sporadic. Life with four kids is so unpredictable. Coupled with that, my laptop crashed so my internet time has been sporadic as well. However, over the last few months I have had so many friends and family write me for updates on the kids. I’ve realized it would benefit many if I would update more frequently even if it’s a small update. So I am taking the 30-day pledge…and for the next 30 days I will attempt to post a kiddo update everyday. We’ll see if I can persevere on this one! 
It’s getting easier. Keeping up the pace that is. School started approximately two weeks ago. While other mom’s were partaking in the “Boo-Hoo Breakfast”, I was skipping merrily to my car. I had to really think about what kind of mom I am when I have reached the point of looking forward to school starting. To some, I am sure it doesn’t reflect very lovingly. I do in fact love my children very much. All of them. I am consumed with my children from the 6am time slot up until well beyond 9pm. During that time, I am engaged and involved with my children. I don’t sit on the computer chatting or surfing, I don’t put my kids in front of the television to occupy them and I’m don’t have them enrolled in Mother’s Day Out or preschool programs. Not that there is anything wrong with any of those options. My point merely being…I give my children 110% of myself from the moment they rise until the moment they fall asleep. So do I look forward to a partial break while they are being educated? Any Mom would be lying if she didn’t say “yes”.
Since school has started, our routine around home has begun to normalize. I am spending a lot more one on one time with Caira and Phoenix during the day. In the evenings, i am spending a lot more time with Cassidy and Micah. And from dinnertime onward, I am finding it easier to spend time with all four of them collectively.
I have begun to structure my own day a little more. I am working on a home management notebook as well as meal management. I am trying to reduce our grocery bill and plan a little more effectively what we will be eating from day to day. Some days, i have no time to do this, however, I would like to get to the point of planning meals ahead a week ahead of time. I am still trying to find time to take inventory of our pantry. I have had this on my “to do” list for a couple weeks now. I’m getting there.
We are also more involved with “going green” now more than ever. To some, the process of “going green” is no big deal expense wise. For us, however, we have had to make changes a little at a time because the cost of changing your whole lifestyle can be a little high. I am very proud of where we are now and I see us being “completely green” within the next few months.
I owe a large part of my success in going green to Shaklee Corporation. I have been using Shaklee product my entire life, thanks in part to my Aunt. She has been a distributer for as long as I can remember. It was only in the last decade that I began to pay attention and learn exactly what “going green” means. The first step for us, was ridding our home of dangerous personal and cleaning products. It blows my mind that some of these companies can get away with selling products stocked full of chemicals. Some of them even slapping the word “natural” on the label. Folks, just because something says it’s natural doesn’t mean it is. If what your family is putting on and in their bodies is important to you, please educate yourself a little more as to what ingredients certain products contain. I went years and years trusting labels that said “Natural” and have only recently discovered a lot of them are exchanging words for profit. A good comprehensive list of all products can be found at Greenpeople.org.
Farmers Markets have also been a wonderful resource for us to obtain locally grown and organic vegetables. It has been a wonderful way to meet other like-minded parents. I recently became educated by a generous vendor on how cucumbers are grown from start to finish. I have grown tomatoes in my backyard but never ventured beyond that because I felt intimidated. Thanks to this very sweet vendor at one of the markets, I actually think it is is something I can attempt to do next year. If you are in the Louisville area, you can find a great comprehensive list of farmers markets here.
Hope you all are having a great weekend!!
This weekend is a crazy one. Jamie’s parents are in town until Monday. They arrived Friday morning and will stay the weekend. Sunday we are hosting a fairly large cookout to celebrate mine and Caira’s birthday. My birthday is on Monday and Caira’s is on Tuesday. My little girl is going to be 3 years old. Thats so wild! I don’t know where time goes. Caira is maturing so much. She is growing out of that puppy stage…the “toddler on the loose” stage, ya know? She is growing into such a beautiful and sweet little girl. Anyway, today we went to the zoo with Jamie’s parents. It was wonderful spending time with them. The last time they came to see us, was over a year ago. So it was nice to watch Caira and Phoenix form a bond with their Grandma and Grandpa. It made me a little sad that they don’t get to see them more often, but I’m grateful that they have an opportunity at all. Our trip to the zoo was nothing short of how the whole weekend has been….crazy. Micah was somewhat grumpy because he was tired. Cassie was in a great mood but entered into her “100 question” mood LOL. Caira was Caira and Phoenix was all smiles the whole time. We had to cut the trip short because Jamie had to come home and get ready for work…but it was such a fun trip.
Jamie’s parents hung out with us for a while and watched the kids so I could go do a few errands. My parents ended up showing up and they all hung out talking for a while. It seemed like everyone dispersed all at once. I was really hoping to spend some time with Jamie’s parents but they were tired and wanted to go home. I don’t feel like I have ever had an opportunity to get to know them very well…and it does make me sad because I really do like them. Tomorrow is the cookout slash party and they leave on Monday.
I haven’t ran in over a week and I am seriously feeling it. As soon as Tuesday rolls around, I am getting back into a regular routine. I am now sure how yet, given that school is now out for the summer…but one way or another I am going to find a way to get back into my routine. My stress levels really need it and I can feel my anxiety levels climbing too. I have just had so much on my mind.
Here is a wonderful picture of Micah, posting with an Orangutan. I love this picture because it shows Micah’s true personality!!
I love how cute Phoenix is when she gets mad. She starts off by scowling at you a couple times. Then she makes a very loud grunt. Then she starts trying to slap you as gently as she can. The hitting part isn’t going to be so cute when she gets older. If you don’t attempt to redirect her anger in positive ways (”Oh Phoenix! LOOK it’s Elmo!!), than her anger turns into tears..tears turn into meltdown…meltdown turns into throwing herself on the ground for a tantrum. Redirecting her, often results in laughter, smiles and hugs. Why don’t more parents realize it takes very little effort to turn that frown upside down?
I love when I lay Phoenix in her crib for her nap. Unlike Caira, I don’t have to lay down with her to get her to sleep. I just wait until she is more than ready for her nap and I follow the same cues each day. Her airblower must be on, shades pulled and lights off, and her blanket and favorite stuffed dog ready to put into her arms. Once said blanket and dog are handed to her, she is off to dreamland. She sucks her thumb and rubs her blanket on her cheek until she is out cold. I love this simplicity.
I love when Phoenix hears the little poodle next door bark. She lights up and starts yelling her baby babble. The poodle’s name is “Julie” and she lives with an elderly woman who is very protective of her. Anytime Phoenix is outside, and Julie comes out…Fifi runs over to the fence as fast as she can to talk to her. If Julie ISN’T outside, sometimes Phoenix will still run over to the fence and stand there until the lady lets her out. I think the longest she has stood waiting was about 20 minutes. Phoenix LOVES dogs more than most kids do….I have never seen a kiddo become so excited about dogs. Good thing we are dog people.
I love when Phoenix wakes up in the morning. She is half asleep and tries to stand up as quickly as she can…often losing her footing in her crib. She tries to grab her blanket and dog and hand them to me while she reaches her arms up to me to pick her up. Once I safely have Phoenix in my arms, she likes to cuddle with me with no more than 5-10 minutes. Then she is off to explore her day.
I am always reminded that with spring, brings new life. I feel like my family has been hibernating in a hole for the last 6 months. As the days get longer, the sun shines brighter and the world around us is blooming. Simply put, it’s gorgeous outside. We have shed any indoor activity and have been spending every possible minute outdoors. As an artist, I am finding new direction…new inspirations…and a lot of motivation. My creativeness has been muffled over the last year and at times, I did worry about my future as an artist. As I watch the world around me become vibrant and colorful, I am feeling my artistic core being awakened. At the same time, I am watching my kids, all of them, discover new things about themselves and the world around them. When people say spring is the season for rebirth, they aren’t kidding. It’s a trickle down effect. With the warmer seasons, longer days and blooming world around us….comes a rebirth of our soul. I think everyone feels this, old and young alike. Spring does not discriminate against age and thus comes marching in our lives leaving a profound awakening within . As nature blooms all around us, so do our hearts bloom within us recreating that childlike love for the simplicity of what belongs to every living being on our great Earth. Nature at it’s finest.
I took Caira and Phoenix outside on Sunday and watched them both marvel with all the “new” things to explore. It was a never ending exploration of life. Caira was enthralled with the ants marching and the insects flying around. Up until this point, she has been extremely scared of anything with more than two legs that crawls on the floor. Especially Ants…which she calls “crickets” because they resemble the food we feed Buddy, Micah’s gecko lizard. She pointed to dozens of things boldly asking “whats that?”. Her desire to understand her world around her is amazing. She doesn’t forget a thing so each time we have been back outside, she revisits what everything is and tells me their names, as if she is educating me. Which I guess, in some ways, she is. Phoenix was just happy to be outside…to have room to run. She spent most of her time running back and forth on the driveway and trying to climb the stairs on the deck. Occasionally she ventured into the grass, which at the moment is more like a swamp because of the mass amounts of rain we have.
I have been determined to begin a garden for almost 5 years now. This year, I am determined to make that happen even if it’s a small one. I will, of course, provide updates to this as I have now publicly made myself accountable for this. I have no idea what to start with or if I am too late to get going. I rely on the internet to educate me on the things I am not skilled in myself. I have spent nearly five years wanting to learn and understand gardening….and well there is no time like the present. I think it would be a great learning experience for Cassidy, Micah and Caira too!
Today we are going to have lunch with my neighbor Becky. She is wonderful new mama to Phoebe. I didn’t realize when they moved in over a year ago, that we would have so much in common. The more I talk with her, the more I learn little similarities. I am looking forward to spending more than a few minutes in passing with them today. I only hope Caira and Phoenix cooperate and don’t make things too crazy. Phoenix because she is so excited to explore everything around her, and I do mean everything. And Caira because she just has endless amount of energy and hasn’t learned how to channel any of it, yet.
Today was the first day of spring! And after days of torrential downpours and cold weather…we finally got sunshine and a little bit of warmth topping out at 60 degrees. This was the conversation in the car this morning….
Caira: Mommy, no rain outside this MORNING?
Me: Nope…it’s not raining!
Caira: It’s very Yellow outside.
Me: Yellow?
Caira: No rain…it’s yellow everywhere.
I looked around and realized that she was trying to say…it was very SUNSHINEY outside. These little things she says to me are so adorable. I am really enjoying her twos!
Okay, so I have neglected updating this blog. Well, neglect no more…I am back with bells on. I realized tonight that I’m letting precious memories slip through my hands. Everyday, I experience a moment that I want to preserve with the hopes of remembering it decades from now. My children, each in their own way….grow more special on a daily basis. It’s very neat how each one is at their own respective point in growth. I’m experiencing parenting on a wide spread scale. It’s very difficult to think of Caira and Phoenix being as old as Cassidy and Micah are. But, I know it’s going to happen one day. Anyway, my point is that I am committing myself to writing at least several times each week. And I am also committing myself to adding at least one picture each week.
I found a great website that I wanted to share. I haven’t reviewed the entire thing yet but I was really excited by what I did have a chance to read. It has all kinds of topics regarding the development of children. It was the articles on the importance of Art that really took effect with me. There are a couple you will find if you poke around but I will link you to the one I liked. This is a plethora of answers given by parents when they were asked what the importance of art was in their children’s lives.
Thank you so much for reading my blog. I am always baffled by how many blogs I stumble upon online, who never take the time to tell their readers who they are. I am a mother to 4 vibrant children. I am 33 years old and my husband, Jamie, is 32 years old. Cassidy is my oldest…she is 9 years old….about to turn 10 yrs old in April. Micah is my only boy…he is 7 years old. Caira is my spirited kiddo….she is 2.5 years old. And Phoenix is my baby….she is 1. We are a blended family as Cassidy and Micah are from a previous relationship. Jamie and I share two children together as well. He has been in their lives for many years now. The four of them are about as close as children can get. It’s amazing to watch their relationship grow!
This is ME with Cassidy and Micah at the zoo! This actually wasn’t that long ago…just a couple weeks. I rarely wear hats. 
And this Caira and Phoenix in the infamous wagon. You will hear much more about this wagon. It was a Christmas gift for Phoenix but it has become a favorite of all the kids. 
And last but most certainly not least, is Jamie. This was taken on our wedding night. Ok…not so much. But this is what he looked like the first time I saw him. 
