Change...Leviticus 27:33

I don't think this revelation is truly blogworthy, but some folks seemed rather surprised by it, so here goes. G is now wearing cloth diapers. M wore them when he was a baby whenever we were at home. J, S and A wore them occasionally, mostly when the disposable stash was getting low and it didn't look like we would be able to make it to the store.
Since the nearest place to buy diapers is over the mountain (which isn't too far except in a snow storm), I decided that G would predominantly be in cloth diapers. I'm not a glutton for punishment, so I decided to wait until now when all of our holiday travels were over. Also, since the diaper bag stays in the vehicle for the most part, we'll do disposables when we venture out.

I still have all the cloth diapers I used with M and the others, so the only thing I needed was a few covers to replace some of the ones I had. Time isn't kind to elastic. I'm also using disposable at night until we get the new covers. Our old ones aren't reliable enough for long-term use.

I ordered this product * late Tuesday afternoon. I threw in another item so I would qualify for free shipping. Wow. It was sitting on my table Wednesday evening. That is blogworthy considering where we live. I don't think we have ever had a package delivered the next day without paying massive shipping charges. It took The Man less than five minutes to install it on our toilet. Why didn't they have these things when M was a baby? Please don't tell me they did and I just didn't know about it. I'll cry. No more dunking diapers for me!

G hasn't complained a bit about the switch to cloth. I think they make him look like a Weeble.

*This wasn't meant to be a commercial, but I do have a code that can save you $10 off any purchase of $49 or more. E mail me for details if you're interested.

Wait patiently...Psalm 37:7

Still waiting! We all are getting anxious to meet the new little one. Even The Man has started nesting.

Last week The Man assembled the little bed for the baby. I found this neat bed online, but I didn't think this particular design would work with our bed (not to mention that I found the cost exorbitant for the few months it would be in use). I sent the link to my dad with all the changes that I wanted made. Last summer he designed and cut out all the pieces and sent it back with us when we visited. For the past 4 months,the pieces have been patiently waiting in the corner of the bedroom. Now it is assembled and installed on my side of the bed, just waiting for the baby! I would like to prime and paint it first, but The Man thinks it looks great as it is. I may get it done, but it is not a priority right now.

This morning The Man attached the supports that fit snugly under our bed frame to keep the baby bed from tipping or moving away from our bed. He also attached a top to some drawers in our bathroom...now we have an official changing table!

Yesterday The Man cleaned out the chimney so we are using our wood stove for heat now. He also installed the new sliding glass door that we purchased. I really wanted it done so that I wouldn't have to be the one to open the door for the kids when they bring in wood. Yesterday was the first perfect day that we've* had for the job. The frosts that we've had have killed off most of the bugs and and it wasn't too chilly during the day to have an 8-foot opening in our living room. He still has a bit of trim work to finish up, but I'm really liking the new door!

Last night a church member brought a few bushels of apples for us. The Man and children are excited about making some apple sauce this afternoon. I better go start washing some jars!

*I did give my opinion a few times, and even helped steady the door during installation, but I left the hard work to The Man and boys.

Such water...shall be unclean...Leviticus 11:34

Don't assume anything, especially when you hear water splashing in the bathroom. After a minute I finally went in to tell whichever child was in there to quit playing in the water. HA! No child was there, but water was running over the edge of the toilet bowl and there was 3 inches of water behind the toilet on the "low side" of the bathroom. It is times like this that I'm thankful the floors in our old house slope a bit!

I immediately shut off the water to the toilet and yelled for someone to bring me towels and the mop. I would have gotten them myself, but my socks were wet from getting over near the toilet to shut off the water. M brought me two towels. NO! TOWELS! LOTS OF THEM!!! You would think they would learn that when I yell for towels AND a mop, that mama needs more than two measly towels.

I got all the water sopped and mopped up off the floor. That bathroom is officially out of order until The Man gets up from his nap (tonight he is working his last shift in the ER until after the baby is born). I cleaned up the mess so I'll let him make sure it won't happen again.

This is not exactly my idea of nesting, but at least that bathroom floor will be nice and clean!

The money...2 Chronicles 34:17

I'm doing much better today. I ended up sleeping on the couch again last night because it was just so much more comfortable. I am going to try the bed tonight. The Man is working overnight in the ER so I won't have to worry about keeping him awake with my tossing and turning...I'll let his patients do that!

I spent most of the afternoon updating Quicken with all of our credit card transactions since...well...basically since I got pregnant. The Man took over paying the bills around that time. I continued to reconcile the bank statements (not promptly, but I did do it), but the credit card statement was just looked over to make sure all the charges were legitimate, the bill was paid, and the statement was filed. Since we do like to keep up on how much we actually spend on certain things, and since I anticipate being quite a bit busier between now and the end of the year, I finally got around to catching up on that chore today. I could only do one month at a time since it hurt my back to sit in the chair at the computer desk (that made me realize why I spend most of my computer time with the laptop on the couch), but they are all caught up now.

We started using Quicken years and years ago (remember back before Windows?). We were forced to upgrade in January of 2000 due to a Y2K date problem. That has served us sufficiently the past 8 years, but it is so old that we can't link with our online bank accounts, credit card, TurboTax, etc. We are now considering upgrading to the newest Home & Business version.

What do you use for financial budgeting & tracking? Just your bank? Quicken? Some other program? Mattress & envelopes (which I'm beginning to think is the safest way to go)? Please tell me about what you use and why it works for you.

It shall be clean...Leviticus 14:33

The Man said yesterday must have been a slow news day if I had nothing better to blog about than toilet tissue. Hey, sometimes boring is good! I did get a chance to try out my new toy yesterday.We bought our very first new vacuum cleaner about a year after we were married. Not long after we bought it the zipper holding the bag split open and thereafter, every time we changed the filter bag, we had to duct tape the bag closed. Nice. But it worked just fine. When we moved to this house, the sellers left behind the barely used vacuum that we've used the past five years. It works ok, but I can't use it very well since it is so heavy. Once upon a time it was supposedly self-propelled, but that feature doesn't seem to work. Now that I'm at the point in my pregnancy when ligaments seem to be stretching every which way, pushing that vacuum around just isn't a fun option. Oh, and the little latch that is supposed to hold the vacuum upright when not in use has been broken for a few years.

Sunday while we were shopping at the warehouse store up in the big city I looked over the selection of vacuums. The deciding factor for me was that this one was the lightest. Since I got it cheaper than what Amazon is selling it for in the link above and there is no sales tax up in the big city, I was very satisfied with the purchase.

I put it together yesterday morning and vacuumed the living room. Ewwww. I showed The Man the dirt that had accumulated on our carpet since the vacuuming on Friday (32 extra people plus a shedding dog can really add the dirt). I emptied the dirt cup (so easy) and vacuumed the hallway and entryway. I again showed The Man the dirt. At that point he thought I was enjoying it all a bit too much.

Someone once told me that carpet should be vacuumed 1x/week per person or pet in the household. That means that our carpet should be vacuumed 7x/week. That's never happened, but I will be vacuuming more with this fun new machine.

Sometimes boring is good.

Assist her...Romans 16:2

I walked into the kitchen this morning and saw that the breakfast dishes were still on the table.

"Someone needs to come clear the table!" I called.

Immediately 2 pairs of feet came running to do the job. Thanks, but ummm...no!

Down to the floor...Ruth 3:3

Tonight I decided it was my turn to mop the floor. Since the former owner used a walker, there are parallel tracks worn in the finish of the linoleum. Every few months the floor needs more than the kids can handle to clean up those paths.

After I put the kids in bed The Dog hid in his crate. I started cleaning the kitchen/dining area floor about 8:30. Three hours later I was done. Sort of. Vacuuming the floor, mopping the floor, going over the worn spots with a Magic Eraser, and finally a coat of Future.

In the morning I'll move the table to the other end of the room and put some Future in that area. I need to call The Man in the morning before he leaves the ER to ask him to bring some more home from the city. I'm not sure there is enough left in the bottle to finish the area under the table. I've never used Future on this floor before, but the finish is pretty much gone.

The Dog is hiding in his crate. I got one of those combs the other day that is supposed to drastically reduce the amount of hair that he'll shed. I tried it out for a few minutes the other day and he didn't complain about it. He rolled over and let me brush him, but as soon as I paused he ran to his crate and wouldn't (willingly) come out for anything. I put the comb away and spent the day calling him to me and petting him. He is still leary, but he is coming around a bit.

Oh, we got snow today. It's been raining for the past day or so. This morning it turned to light flurries but the temperature was about 34 and nothing was sticking. About 3:00 as we went outside to do some chores I noticed the temperature had dropped to 33. The light flurries turned to near-blizzard conditions. By the time we came inside at 4:00 the snow had stopped and we had over an inch of snow on the ground. It was a lot prettier than the mud!

Off to check if the floor is dry so I can get to the utility room to throw some clothes into the dryer before bed. Good night!

In all labor there is profit...Prov. 14:23

Last month I mentioned our chore chart/laundry system. Considering it was used one week, we went on vacation, we used it one or two more weeks, we went on vacation, and we're starting our 2nd uninterrupted week (which includes a holiday), we're still fine-tuning it all. Before I show you the photo I will say that I had an idea in my mind what it would look like. I was wrong. It wasn't until I was taping up the pockets that I realized how h-u-g-e this monstrosity was going to be. And...colorful...blindingly so. I had ordered 4 packages of the library pockets from a homeschool supply company that will here remain nameless since I'm very aggravated at them right now for this and various other reasons. I received 2 packages of one color scheme and 2 packages of a slightly different color scheme.It is in a handy place, on the side of a kitchen cupboard, that is only visible if you're coming from the computer or the utility room. It consists of 4 sets of cards (one for each child) with 3 cards each for Sunday through Friday. The card for Sabbath mornings is something quick such as making sure the previously-cleaned entry or bathroom is straightened before we leave for church.

What I like about it:
1) It is flexible. When vacations are coming up or I can see that the trash will really need to be taken out tomorrow instead of Wednesday, it is easy to switch a laundry or trash card to the day it actually needs to be done instead of what was scheduled on Sunday night.

2) It doesn't get lost. Previous chore charts have been too portable, which meant they were prone to being buried in a pile of paper.

3) It has been helpful to me that the chores (such as laundry) are spread out over the entire week instead of me doing marathon sorting/washing/drying/sorting/ folding/putting away laundry all day on Friday. Each child has his or her own hamper and on his laundry day he removes the sheets from his bed and those along with his clothing make a good-sized load. He adds the clothes to the machine and is able to fill the cup with detergent. I help the younger two turn on the machine, but they stay and enjoy watching the water fill the machine. Mid-morning I'll remind him to switch the laundry to the dryer (I switch A's) and before supper he puts the clean clothes back in his rolling hamper and takes it to his room where he will fold and put away the laundry and make his bed.

I've adjusted some things to make it as easy as possible for the kids to take care of their own laundry. As they were outgrown or got holey I phased out all white socks for the boys. With the way S & J tend to "lose" their boots outside it was impossible, even with bleach, to keep them white. I have bought a bunch of dark colored socks for the boys so we don't deal with bleach. J and M both have a dozen pairs of identical black socks. The most "unmatched" from any load is one sock. It is simply thrown back in the hamper and will hopefully find a mate the next go-around.

The chart is a lot "fuller" now than it was when I first put it up. I purposely didn't fill in every slot because I knew I would think of other jobs that the kids were capable of that needed to be done on a regular basis. Now the dog gets brushed (almost) every day and mouse traps in the garage are checked 2x a week. Before it was just whenever I happened to think about it.

It is hard to see in the photo, but just to the left of each child's set of cards there is a plain 3x5 card taped up with daily morning activities such as get dressed, put away pjs, brush teeth, make bed, etc. Then, each child has up to three jobs that day. There are other things that I'll ask them to do or help me with, but these are things that need to be done on a regular basis and assigning them here just keeps me from having to remember to tell someone to do it later.

We're still working on a regular "chore time," but for now, whenever a child seems to have too much time on their hands they can be reminded to check their chore list for the day and that usually keeps them appropriately occupied.

That's all for now. I may think of more once we've actually had a chance to use it for more that 2 weeks straight...and I just had a shocking thought...could it be that we've never had more than 2 "normal" weeks here? Off to ponder...

How long will your journey be? ...Neh. 2:6

A's dolls are all loaded up and ready to go. I wish I could say the same for the rest of us.

All the laundry was finished yesterday and the science experiments from the refrigerator were given to the chickens. Most of the kids' clothes have been packed. I still need to go to town today and get some food for our journey and make a list for our house/critter-sitter. We're leaving the house at 3:30 in the morning (yawn) to drive to an airport 4 hours away. Eight or nine hours later we (hopefully!) will be at our destination to relax for a week with Grandma & Grandpa. Then we get to do the journey in reverse.

The children are doing all of their own laundry. A needs a bit of help, of course, but the kids' new chore chart was a smashing success last week. They each have a different day to do their own laundry—washing, drying, folding, and putting away. I feel so free!

We took our school pictures on Tuesday. The air has been so bad due to fires, so I hadn't wanted to spend much time outside. Tuesday we finally got outside and spent 1 1/2 hours taking 217 shots of the kids. Only about 20 were worthy of being uploaded. Email me if you would like to see the album.

They washed their clothes...Exodus 19:14

It has been very busy around here the past few weeks. The hay needed to be cut, but The Man was occupied with more important things. I decided that I was perfectly capable of cutting hay, so The Man took the equipment to the field for me. The cutting was fairly boring and uneventful...except for the irrigation line wheel that I got a bit too close to and the broken bushing. We do have a spare wheel that we can swap for the one I munched and the bushing was only $14 to replace (that was probably due to the old equipment and not my driving). I had noticed the mower started making a louder-than-normal banging noise, but since it always makes noise, I didn't stop to investigate until the cutting-thingie quit cutting.

So, while trying to catch up on all the laundry from the recent backpacking trip I noticed the dryer was making a weird noise. Suspecting rocks left in little boys' pockets, I emptied the dryer of clothes and rocks. Even running empty, the dryer was still making noise. Since I had to make a trip to the local Fluff & Fold to wash the sleeping bags in the commercial washers, last weekend the kids and I loaded up every piece of laundry and $30 in quarters and set off to the laundromat. Three hours later we were home with many baskets full of clean, folded clothes.

One of the sleeping bags was unwashed and one load of clothes wasn't dried since my quarters ran out and the coin machine at the Fluff & Fold was empty. As I was showing M how to hang his clothes on the clothesline at home M handed me the quarters left over from when he was helping load the machines. I thought my $30 had disappeared very quickly!

I washed 12 loads of laundry, but the little machines only hold about 1/3 of what my machine can handle, and there were only 3 functional dryers. After spending 3 hours there with four kids, I was inspired to take apart my dryer later that day. More rocks were found. The dryer only makes drying noises now. I hope to never return to the Fluff & Fold. Although the lady that runs the place did tell me that Coca-Cola will remove oil from clothing. It has to be the real stuff, not generic or some other cola. I probably never would have discovered that on my own. Now I know!

After spending the morning in the laundromat with the kids I spent a quiet afternoon in the field raking the hay I'd already cut. I got most of that done before the rake started making a horribly squeaky noise. Given my recent history with the equipment, I quit while it was still functional. The Man & S greased all greasable parts yesterday, so I hope to get the remainder raked today. The kids are all doing well. Above is one A's favorite drawings. She's been drawing quite a few of the example on the left. "This is you, Mommy, when you get out of the shower, before you get dressed." I finally asked if she could draw one with clothes. I find it fascinating that not only does my body and hair change color when I am dried and dressed, but I look taller also.

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered...Matt. 10:30

Game: Laundry Relay

Equipment: 3 empty laundry baskets and 2 loads of clothes belonging to J, S, and A (M does all of his own laundry by himself)

Rules: Start at empty baskets. When Mom says "Go," walk quickly down the hallway to the pile of clean clothes. Remove an item that belongs to you, fold it, and place neatly in your basket. If you cannot find one of your items because there are too many of your siblings' items on top of yours, fold and put away siblings' items until you find another one of yours. Earn double points by placing matching shirts/pants in basket together.

Winner: Everybody!

I thought it was a fun game, but the kids haven't asked to play it since I invented it last week.

Here are the dirt babies the kids made at the county fair a few weeks ago...

Back row, from left to right, the ones made by J, S (hidden, up close pic below), and M. A's is on the plate in front. It is smaller than the others and the face is hidden when she is in the cup. They are made from a length of stocking tied at one end, grass seed added, then dirt, other end tied off, and decorated by the kids with wiggly eyes and foam pieces.

They've been sitting in their cups of water on the kitchen window sill for the past few weeks growing their hair. J has been begging to give his a haircut, so today is the day. We may even try to extract the weed growing up the front of M's baby's face. eww.

For some reason S's grass seed didn't sprout on top yet...just on the top of ear and around the back of the head. I think it is because the person at the fair put in too much seed. It is well-loved in spite of the pattern baldness. He will probably get a haircut today also.
Foot update...sore but functional. Since I only have 2 pairs of sandals that I can comfortably wear, I'll just be grateful it is still summer.

School update...going along quite well. We are still gradually easing into everything. I saw this morning that the company that I ordered most of our new books from charged the credit card, so I'm hoping that means the order has been shipped and is on the way to our post office. I can't wait!

Even a child is known by his doings...Prov. 20:11

It is Friday…time to mop skate on the kitchen floor. One bucket of sudsy water + four eager kids + eight holey socks = more fun than should be allowed in the house. My floor is (somewhat) cleaner. The kids had fun. That’s what counts.