It's a beautiful thing....

...when they learn to entertain themselves without needing my input every few minutes. We had very little to do this weekend, which is good, because I'm just about out of $ until payday. On Saturday, soccer had been cancelled due to the rain. Marcie had dance until 11:30 and then we came home for lunch and stayed in the rest of the day. I was anticipating a rainy day but the sun came out and stayed out for the rest of the day. It did look beautiful outside. The kids didn't even ask about going outside -- I guess they knew it was too wet. They entertained themselves with the TV, computer, DSs and DVDs all day. The only request they made was for me to make Charlie's favorite chocolate cake (egg free) and brownies (have eggs in them). So, I made the required foods while doing about 10 loads of laundry and running the dishwasher. I was tired last night but glad the laundry bags were totally empty (except for one toddler bed sheet and some hand washables) for a few hours. After bathtime, the kids' dirty clothes from the day went into the previously empty bags, but at least they weren't full to overflowing again! I actually also folded the clothes and put most of them away. I wanted to get more done, but ran out of steam after supper and baths.

Today, after church and then lunch, I read for a little while (still trying to get through Sarah Palin's book which I am really enjoying -- she really articulates well her philosphies about government and the will of the people; and you get a real sense of a mother's heart when she talks about her children). Then, I had to search for Charlie's DS which has been lost again for a few weeks. After not finding it in the living room, I went back to his room to look under his bed. I had looked there previously but didn't really move the toys, etc. He also went under his bed to look but didn't find it. So, today, I took the sheets off of his bed and propped the mattress against the wall. That view was horrifying to see -- candy wrappers. old, chewed gum, sucker sticks, broken candy cane, pretzels, amidst tiny toys, game pieces, flash cards, crayons, toy cars, you name it, it was there just about. So, I tackled it while the kids were watching TV and alternately playing with the McDonald's play set (unfortunately, it is just about always about food in this house). You might ask why I didn't make Charlie do it. There are 3 reasons: 1) he would never have completed the task because he would have been too overwhelmed and he would have started coughing from the dust; 2) he would never have wanted to throw away the little junk toys ("happy meal") and other scraps of paper he has doodled on; and 3) I didn't want to listen to the whining plus I knew I could do it faster. Well, I've been back and forth between that and the computer because I needed the distraction. Anyway, it is nice and neat under there now and I just have to put the sheets back on. The kitchen trash can is half full of "stuff" that I'm sure would have been meaningful had he seen it again. Okay, I know what you are thinking, he takes after me. I am hopeful that now the kids are old enough to need less of me for entertainment I can do more around the house when they are here. My dilemma has always been that I spend very little time in the house without them and I don't think it's right for me to totally ignore them on the weekends and spend all of my time cleaning. That's almost what happened this weekend. Next weekend, we will have soccer and dance and I will try to spend more time with them then. At least for this weekend, I have accomplished a few things!

Now, I need to fix supper and plan when I'm going to take the Christmas tree down.

Drama kids

My kids definitely have a flair for the dramatic...except, when they are performing. Actually, they do pretty well performing on a stage but their performances soar to Oscar-winning levels at home. Last night, I was in the usual nightly battle, well, persuasion to get Marie to brush her teeth. Usually, I just remind her what someone with bad teeth looks like and she will go and brush. Or, sometimes, I give in and brush her teeth for her. (Not often). Last night, she was moaning and groaning about it saying she didn't feel like it. I said, "do it anyway" and then, she said, "but I might fall over!" I never anticipated that one, and laughed so hard it got her started. I said, "this, I gotta see," and went with her to the bathroom. She kicked me out, though, and when she was done, at least her toothbrush was wet.

Last weekend, at dinner, or maybe lunch, we got on the subject of baby names. We were talking about Joanna's Chinese name, and then Marcie asked if she had a different name. I reminded her of her birth name. Kyle asked about his and I explained what his birth name (first name) was. He replied, "was I a boy or a girl?" Do you know how hard sometimes it is to keep a straight face?!!!

This morning, Charlie got himself dressed and came out of his room to go to church, with a St. Patrick's Day hat on his head. This is a tall hat with a big shamrock on it and a black strap to go under the chin. He looked adorable, and yes, he was serious about wearing it to church. When we were in the car on the way, he said, "Mom, tell them my name is Leprechaun." When I explained that I would say that but his name tag would still say Charlie, he replied, "Okay, but don't call me Charlie." Of course, everyone greeted him by his name and I did tell a couple of people that he wanted to be known as Leprechaun. It didn't last long....as we were outside the door of his 3rd grade Sunday School class, the hat came right off of his head. They must've enjoyed it in Kid's Church, though, because he was wearing it when he came out. I don't think he could fool anyone into thinking he's Irish, but I have Irish in my ancestry, so maybe he can be by association!

Back to Normal

From last Saturday on, we have been "back to normal." The kids had their Saturday activities as scheduled (Marcie -- dance; Charlie -- basketball) and we were able to get back to church on Sunday. And.....there has been a full week of school!!!! Tonight is Family Fun Night at their elementary school beginning at 5:30PM. It will be a full evening of activities with performances by various groups in the cafetorium, vendors in the hallways, table activities, activities in the gym, and food. I didn't buy the tickets for the "dinner," which were $5 per person. I bought the arm bands for the activities and 1 free snow cone, popcorn or cotton candy. Kyle's class won the PTA membership contest so he got a game armband for free and I got a $5 refund. Guess I'll apply that to the cost of the class picture for him.

Wednesday night on the way home from church (Royal Rangers for the boys and Impact (formerly Missionettes) for the girls), the kids were talking about various things. Marcie's friend, Carly, said she heard a story about a man (then she said Jesus) who walked on water but she didn't think it was true. So, I explained the whole story but she just couldn't wrap her head around it. She insisted that it must've been a ghost because "how can people walk on water?" It was really cute!

Oh, And By The Way,

I woke the kids up on time to get ready for school and there was only a little bit of snow on the driveway. The road looked wet....couldn't tell if it were icy or not. So, the kids were all ready and I was about to pack lunches when the school delay was announced. They have simply been wild most of the morning. They've been good through all of the snow closings but the good has run out! After I threatened to make them write sentences, they finally settled down. Marcie finished her valentines for school. Now, they are watching cartoons. I think later I'll send them out to shovel the driveway. That should help them expend a little energy! I will be staying home with them today. Pray for me. :)

Crazy Winter

Good grief! Another snow event! I'm putting my request in now for how I think the weather should function. Really, if it's going to be enough to cause havoc, could it please do so before 3AM so that decisions regarding school closings could be made before people leave for school? Or, work? Fortunately, for me, Chesterfield announced a 2 hour delay for elementary and middle schools before we had to leave, and then they announced the decision to close before I even went out to clean off the car. Some of the school systems that were open and had kids already in school announced they were closing and then wanted the parents to come pick up the kids....while it was still snowing and the roads icy and covered with snow...no chemicals yet on most of them. I don't understand that -- the forecast is for clearing conditions and snow exiting the area by 10AM. I would think that they would keep the kids in the schools until the afternoon when the roads could have been treated and anyone driving would be better able to get to the schools. But, nobody asked me. Then, of course, the forecast originally was for 1 to 2 inches at the most and "shouldn't cause problems" because of the rain last night and temps weren't expected to get low enough for long enough to cause major issues in the metro area. Wrong! So, maybe the school officials thought they couldn't trust the forecast for today (that it would be getting better). Guess that's why the schools closed and the parents had to get the kids. So, I'll say it again, Good Grief!!!!

Family Game Night

The good thing about being snow bound and not having been on the go all day on Saturday is that we were not too tired to enjoy an evening of games. Of course, I made the mistake of letting them pick Hullabaloo -- they got so rowdy! But, everyone won several times and about 9:15, I realized that we were going to have to stop playing or they would never go to sleep. So, we started a rousing game of UNO. They were absolutely so funny until Kyle got whiny because he was the victim of a couple of draw 2 and draw 4 cards. I told them we would quit about 9:45, so that put a limit to the game. Magically, Charlie was out of cards at 9:47.

After we had started playing UNO, Charlie would apologize each time he played a card that either skipped me, reversed play away from me or draw cards. He was cheerful about it, saying, "sorry, Mom, but I had to play that card" or "I had to do it." I told him that he didn't have to apologize each time, that that's the way you play the game. After awhile, I would exaggerate being upset when I had to draw more cards ("Oh, noooooooooooooooo") which would get them giggling, even Kyle.

During the evening, I think Kyle learned sportsmanship, well, maybe a little. Marcie learned not to be so bossy, at least when I'm around. Joanna learned not to show her cards to everyone and Charlie just had fun!

Today, they (for the most part) have been playing well together. Kyle has been in time out a few times for aggravating the other kids, but I guess that's the job of the baby of the family. I think all in all, God has blessed me and protected my sanity during this time of being snow bound with kids. We have food, heat, electricity, and the kids are behaving reasonably well. Thank you, Lord!

Did We Move To Alaska?

Okay, that may be exaggerating a bit! It has been snowing since this morning -- heavy at times. Actually, when the wind gusts, it looks a bit like a blizzard outside. Yesterday, we had snow in the morning, changing to sleet and then rain in the afternoon. Overnight, it rained pretty hard. Now, it is snowing again. We have at least 3 inches on the ground now on top of what was not washed away last night. It's supposed to be 14 degrees overnight tonight and may not get above 32 degrees tomorrow. So, we are staying put.

I don't mind, really. We don't normally get snows like this and I love watching it snow. I also like to go outside in the evening and listen to how quiet it is when it snows. Kyle only asked once today if we were going outside (we haven't yet). I guess they got their fill of sledding last weekend.

They also seemed to enjoy going back to school on Thursday. Schools were closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...and, then, again on Friday before even the first flake fell. I thought they might go half day on Friday but I guess the officials didn't want to risk the busses having trouble after it had started snowing. I know people were frustrated with the closings earlier this week, but, honestly, I know why they did it. The far reaches of the counties are so rural that I know the roads probably still had some ice on them, even Thursday. Heck, my road, which had been plowed 4 times in 2 days last weekend, still had large, frozen patches of snow and ice on Wednesday. I've already seen VDOT on my street twice in the last 2 days. Now, the sand is covered again. I would rather my children be safe at home than stuck on a school bus in a ditch! That said, it is a little frustrating to have to pay more for day care when there is no school.

The kids have enjoyed internet sites -- Webkinz, iCarly, nick.com, etc. At least, Marcie really has. She's such a good reader that she's been able to figure out what she's supposed to do to enjoy those sites. The other kids have been entertained by ds games and SpongeBob on TV. I've done countless loads of laundry, and even read a magazine article or 2. Later today, I'm going to try to figure out how to get pictures from my cell phone on the computer and try to post a picture or 2.

Enjoy the natural break from life that nature is giving us. It will all be over soon enough and we'll be complaining about the heat and humidity! Hot chocolate just isn't quite as tasty in the summer, is it?