Camping

I am off to go camping. Wish the kids could come too but this trip is for adults only. I am looking forward to seeing the stars, sitting by the fire, and swimming in the lake! I will post more when I get back.

Children Experiencing Death

Yesterday, I was reminded about explaining death to children.
Through the local triplets group, one of my triplet mom friend
sent an email out asking for help as her father has just passed
away and she is not sure how to explain death to her children. 
I replied to her email and I was surprised at how much I had to
say. I have wanted to post about our experience this summer with
GG Del passing but I could never find the right words and the
wound in still to fresh. However, after I wrote this email, I
decided I wanted to post it to this blog so my kids can have
this someday.  I will warn you that this is long but something
that I have wanted to post about for awhile.

As you know, my Grandmother passed away this summer very quickly
from Liver/Bone Cancer. My kids were very close to her as was myself.
My husband and I were very concerned about how to handle this
situation with our children.  Jon did a lot of research on how to
handle death with young children and what we learned was that it
is important to be very honest with the kids.  When it was time to tell
the kids what happened to GG Del, I could not do the talking,
Jon did all the talking but I was present and there for hugs if needed.
A lot about death has to do with what your religious beliefs are but
for us we talked about going to heaven.  The kids seemed to grasp this
well and as someone pointed out to me later, Kids are closer to death
than adults because they accept that you can just "go right on up to
heaven" where as adults we question it more.  We told them that
GG Del wasin heaven now but that she would always live in our hearts.

Jon and I had a plan with how we were going to handle the kids with
the wake and the funeral.  However, as kids always do they switched
things up on us.  We were not even going to take them to the wake with
us but then my Dad has requested that they be there.  There was two
separate rooms at the funeral home so our intentions were to not allow
the kids to go into the room with the body.  Jon’s parents were there
for support as well as my entire family so we felt comfortable that there
would be enough people around to help us out.

However, they all wanted to view the body so after much thought we
took the kids down to the body.  I am amazed at how well it went
and how it did not seem to bother them at all.  E was a little spooked
but she just left the room.   Jon just explained that when someone dies,
there body stays here on earth but their souls go to heaven.  They were
okay with this and asked to get closer to the body.  It almost brought
more peace to my heart that day knowing that they were “okay” with
all of it.

The funeral was much harder.  The kids were so well behaved but they
certainly felt the sadness and cried right along with all of us. As
we were leaving the church after the funeral, K grabbed his heart and
said "Daddy, I can feel GG Del in my heart right now".

As I have said, death is a hard topic for kids but I do believe that
giving them the facts and your beliefs (go to heaven or another place)
and just being honest about the situation is so important.  I think
as parents we try so hard to protect our children from sadness and pain
but when you are dealing with death there is no way around it.  I know
that we should all celebrate that whoever has passed on has gone to a
better place but sometimes it is hard to get past the "never see
that person again".  I know that we are all still grieving around
our house as just this morning I was talking to a friend of mine who
went to a funeral yesterday and it surfaced all of those memories and
feelings like it had just happened yesterday.  I know that my kids
experiencing death at such a young age was a good life lesson but it
is hard.  I think the hardest thing I have dealt with yet with my kids.

One more thing I want to share with you, GG Del (Grandma) is still
talked about everyday in our house.  Please be prepared after the
funeral is over and you get back to your "everyday" life that Grandpa
will be talked about.  Sometimes when my kids bring her up it hurts or
reminds me of my grief but I do know that this is healthy for all of us.
Also, we read that death can temporally change children's personalities
and habits.  They might start to wet pants/bed, have mood swings, act up,
ect.. We did not see any of these changes with our kids but we were
warned it could happen.  K often asks me when I will go to heaven. He does
have some fear that I will go away like GG Del but I just tell him that
hopefully we all won’t go to heaven until we are older like GG Del. 
It is really important that I watch what I say too.  Just after a jog
a few days ago I was being sarcastic and I said “WOW, I am tired and
I feel like I am going to die” immediately K started to ask questions
about death and asked me if I would die when I was really OLD.  It was
a good lesson to be careful about what I say right now.

This is still very hard for me and I can only imagine how hard the
holidays will be for all of us this year as this is the times that
we usually spent with GG Del. I miss her as I am sure all of my family
does and will for a very long time.  I am so grateful that I was able to
have the relationship I had with her and I am also so very grateful that
my kids got to know her too.

Just wanted to share this.  It has been on my mind.  I guess you
never know when something you post will help someone else.  God Bless.

Wordless Wednesday - Farmers

Fair Going

Yesterday, the five of us headed to the Fair. The kids were so excited to go see all the animals, eat some yummy food and hang out. We spent about 6 hours at the fair and the time just FLEW by. It was very exciting. We pet a newborn pig, sheep, and cow. We also got to see a Lamb show (not very exciting but they were judging the best Lamb). We saw lots of roosters and chickens and the big pig but it was not all that big this year so not very impressive. We also met a horse named Sam. He was very handsome and the kids really enjoyed petting him. He sniffed KJ's hand and then he made some funny noises so KJ thought that was really funny.
We also met up with our friend the B Triplets and we hung out with them for awhile. Daddy J pulled them around in our wagon. After that we got the kids Icee's and they were kind enough to give us three small cups and charged us for one icee. Then it was Jon and I turn to get some food. We headed over to the food building where Jon got his cheese curds and I got my Deep Friend Pickles. YUMMMY!
After we ate it was then time to walk again. We headed down to the Little Farms Helping Hands. The kids really enjoyed this. First they planted seeds, then they got corn, then the drove mini tractors, fed the chickens, cows, and sheep, picked apples and the went to the market with all their food. In the end they get to pick one item from the grocery store. I tried to talk them into a can of green beans but they all picked a small box of cereal. Oh well.
After the little helping hands farm we met up with the S family and went to see a Dog show. The kids loved this. Lots of dogs would run through obstacle courses. We then headed over to a log show and watched that for awhile. After we walked around some more with the S family, we then decided it was time to go home. We did get the kids each a corn dog for supper and then some mini doughnuts for the ride home. We all ate well! It was a fun day at the fair.

Challenges

Once in awhile, a bad day comes your way. Today was one of those days for me. I got a call this morning from the Director at the Church that my children were to attend Preschool. He informed me that the Preschool would not be open this fall. I then asked him if he was kidding me? No this is for real. The Preschool that my THREE children were to attend has been closed. Yup...a week before school starts and they make that decision. He tried to comfort me by telling me that he could send me a list of Preschools in the area that still had openings. I then asked him if he realized that I had THREE children to find spots for? He was very apologetic and told me that he would not want to be in my shoes. Huh...Thanks I think?
Anyway, we are without preschool. Jon's response when I called him was "Good, we can teach them at home"! Then I called a handful of other people that are close to my children, along with some good friends that are teachers and they all said exactly what Jon said...you can teach them at home. Preschool is to socialize your children. Now, I need to pray to God to give me the gift of teaching. This does not come naturally for me and I am scared to death. However, no one ever said parenting would be easy and this is just something that I need to learn how to do. So now I am going to research what I need to teach my 3-4yr olds so I can make sure that they do not fall behind.
I was nervous today to tell the kids that they won't be going to school. I explained that they would not be going to the Preschool that we have talked about all summer. A said "Good I don't want to go to that school" and of course K said "Why did it close mommy?" and then continued with about twenty more why questions after that. Then I asked them if they wanted Mommy and Daddy to teach them at home. They all replied in a loud cheer "YEAH"! So they are not upset at all. Now I just need to get over my anger and move forward. I have a feeling that this is exactly how things are supposed to be. We will survive this road bump and who knows maybe I can learn to be a good teacher or at least a more patient person.
Also, when it rains it pours. When I was in the mist of figuring out all of this Preschool stuff today. My sweet baby K told me that his ear hurt and asked for an ice pack. I spent about 45 minutes laying on his bed with him and reading books. When he still was not feeling better I then decided it was time to call the doctor. We went in this afternoon and my little guy has a DOUBLE ear infection. Poor fella!! We now have our antibiotics and ear numbing drops and it seems as though he is feeling MUCH better.

Some days can be so challenging. However, after I heard the news about a triplet mom who lost all three of her babies. I hug my kids tight and know that even my challenging days could always be worse...way worse. God bless my family.

T-Ball Champs

Our 2008 T-ball season has come to an end. The kids really enjoyed learning how to throw, catch, field, and hit the ball. They also really enjoyed running the bases and playing with their friends. I am still in amazement that my sweet babies are now "KIDS" and they do things like T-Ball. Amazing how fast childhood goes, if not your own that of your child.I love the picture above. It really shows what 4 yr old t-ball is all about. You have one little boy going for the ball, you have one little girl playing in the sand. You have A who is not even paying attention to the game, and then E who is thrilled to be running the bases but has no fear of getting out because that just does not happen in 4 yr old T-ball. LOVE IT! KJ was a ball hog! He would run clear across the field to get a ball. He was really into playing T-ball.
A & E liked T-Ball too. They were just not as aggressive about it. That is probably just the difference between most boys and girls. The most important factor was that they all had fun. I would like to say that we were successful at that. They all got a medal and they were THRILLED! Oh what fun.

Wordless Wednesday-Winter in August

Lakehome Adventures 2008

We spent this past weekend at the Lake Home of the T family (Jon's sister and family). We all had a great time and the kids (and adults too) just love to be at the lake. We did some swimming, boating, Wii, camp fire, and we even took in a Rodeo (or a radio if you ask the kids). It was a great weekend and as always it is sad to see it end.
Below is a slide show of a few of the pictures Jon and I captured throughout the weekend. The rodeo was not only the kids but also my first time being at one. It was fun to watch and I am amazed at how brave those cowboys are!!!
I think we all enjoyed the Wii but the nice thing was that the "cousins" E & E helped to teach our kids how to play some of the games on the Wii. Jon and I tend to lose our patients when teaching them so that was nice.
The food was great and the quality time together was exceptional. Thanks T family for an awesome weekend!!

Look A Likes ~ Wordless Wednesday

He Feels Good

Jon is going to kill me BUT I could not resist....

Never A Dull Moment

Wow...this weekend was a whirlwind. We had a 12 year old guest with us again. C came back for a visit. We did not think this would happen again this year because C broke her leg in May and she has been recovering all summer.
However, we were lucky to have her come. The kids just love having her around and we all had a good time. Friday we headed to a beach to visit my cousin and her kids we stayed all day and she was even nice enough to make dinner for all of us. Saturday we went to another beach in the morning and then swimming at Sue's house in the afternoon. Sue was nice enough to feed us all lunch and snacks. Saturday night we all went out for dinner with our friend Jane and she treated all of us! Talk about being spoiled.
Sunday the kids were invited back over to Sue's to do some more swimming. It was a busy weekend but we all had a great time. Sadly, C had to go home on Sunday. We miss her and the kids are still talking about her.

On The Look Out

We were over at our friends house last night having some dinner and letting the kids have a play date. When we were outside, KJ announced that he had to go to the bathroom. I asked him if he had to pee or poop. He said he had to poop so Jon took him inside to use the toilet.

Here is what Jon reported when he came back outside.

KJ: "I'm all done daddy"
Jon: "KJ, you only went pee, I thought you had to poop?"
KJ: "No daddy, I guess my poop just wanted to look out my butt but it didn't want to come out"

Wii Are Family

After the long month we had with my Grandma and her passing, I told Jon that when we got home and settled, I wanted to get a Wii. I confirmed this when we were visiting Jon's Sister in July and we spent the afternoon playing Wii. It was so fun.
My wish came true last week when we found a Wii and bought it. Then for my Birthday last week, my dear parents gave me Wii Fit. It took me a few days to find the time to get it all set up but now that it is all I can say is "IT IS SOOOOO COOOL"!
The first day I spent 1.5 hours playing with it and I am still sore. Jon just roles his eyes at me but I am sore. That means that it is working. There are interactive games and also Yoga, Strength training exercises along with running paths (Personal Favorite) balance games, skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, soccer, oh and so much more. It weighs you and calculates what your BMI should be. It is like your own personal electronic trainer.
The first day I set it up, I did so as I could not get to the gym that morning. KJ came down stairs when he woke up and he sat in the chair and just watched as I played balance games, ran, and did some strength training. He then became my coach telling me that I did not do so well or that I should try harder next time. He would also give me the high fives when I did something well. It really is a lot of fun and I enjoy that the kids like it just as much as I do. They are still a little young for a lot of the games but one they really enjoy is the baseball. One morning, KJ hit 6 home runs in a row! He was bouncing off the walls with delight. He is always upset when the computer or his daddy beat him at Baseball but I think it teaches him to not only win but how to lose too.
We all really do enjoy the Wii and the Wii Fit. Jon and I are now playing each other in sports and fooling around with the Wii Fit at night. It sure beats sitting in our recliners watching TV!
(I have lost the cord to my camera but once I find it, I will download some fun pictures.)

303

This is the number of posts that I have written. First let me say that I love to BLOG. I know people think I am nuts for doing this but I like to document our daily (sometimes weekly) activities.
So in honor of my 303 post, I thought I would answer this questionnaire.


What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was living with my parents as I had just finished my undergrad degree and I had moved home to take my first corporate job. It paid decent for my first job out of college. My parents were in the middle of a full kitchen, family room, and dining room renovation/addition. We were eating all of our meals in the living room out of a very old microwave. We were doing the dishes in the bathroom sink! It was sure nice of them to start the project right as I moved home!!! Jon and I had been dating for about 9 months and things were going very well. I was also busy helping my friend prepare for her wedding. I was the maid of honor and we had a shower and bachlorette party to celebrate. It was a fun time. I was so far from a wedding and kids. It is hard to remember what life was like.

Favorite Snacks
I love nuts. I am into Almonds and I typically will eat a handful before lunch and/or dinner to help fill my tummy before the big meals. One of my favorite snacks is a cliff bar. I love the taste. I also like to munch on chex mix, baked Cheetos, chips with cheese sauce, and string cheese.
I used to love diet coke on ice but I have given up pop (most days) so now I settle on ice water with a slice of lemon.

To Do List
I have to confess that I write these lists but I am not sure I ever follow them. I seem to like to write the list but then that is where the action stops. I need to get my life more organized as I feel that things are a little hairy right now. I do use a Franklin Covey planner and that has been my life saver to document stuff for both home and the kids. Thank God for Franklin.

Jobs I Have Had:
First job aside from babysitting, was a concession stand "girl". I would sell hot dogs, pop, freeze pops and other stuff at the local pool/park. The next job was a Locker Room attendant at the local pool and I think this was the easiest job I have ever had. I just had to sit in the sun and direct people in the right direction. Once in awhile I had to take some money but it was a simple and boring job. I also worked at a dry cleaners, day care center, bagel shop, payless shoes, men's retail store, interior design firm, and an internship at Cargill. Now I am working in Health care as a Project Manager and I never thought I would be in a job like this.

Bad Habits
Snacking more than I should
Internet/Emailing
Not using sunscreen
Using way to many minutes on my cell phone
Impatience
People Pleasing
Caffeine
Impulse purchasing

5 Random Things People May Not Know

I had a lovey until I was 29 years old.

I am a water snob. If it tastes bad, I will NOT drink it.

I have the same exact feet as my Grandma and my dad. My girls have these feet too. Let's just say they are not are best quality.

I rarely "read" books anymore but I do listen to them on tape.

I am a DVR junkie! LOVE IT!


CDs I would want if stranded on an island:
Jack Johnson, Paul Simon, John Denver, Indigo Girls, Alison Kraus

What I'd Do if I Were a Billionaire:
Buy a bigger home for all of us and then pay someone to move us and get us organized. I would hire a personal chef, trainer, and massage therapist. I would buy my hubby that airplane that he has always wanted. I would take my entire extended family on a trip. I would give money to the MS Society to help those who live with MS and also help find a cure. I would also give money for cancer research so we could find a cure for that nasty disease.