How to Be Like Me

**This is a sick update first**
Ace now has the fever.  Liam is still a bit feverish but that doesn’t seem to slow him down for long.

Now to the fun stuff:

This is for my blogging friends so if you don’t want to know about HTML, you might want to pass over this.

Frankly, I know nothing of HTML.  But I do know how to read.  I looked at a friend’s blog this past weekend and thought I’d click on her link to blogger backgrounds.  After doing that, I selected one, and then realized it wouldn’t work because of my header and it didn’t have a matching header.  So, I went to the link provided to look for the e-paper to make my own header but was unsuccessful.  Thus, having royally messed up my blog, I decided to design my own blogger template.

I found Blogger Buster website which details steps on how to do a basic header/background and went to work.  There are other great articles on this blogsite too.  However I used the one titled, “A cheat’s guide to customising blogger templates.

I already knew how to make a header using a basic publishing program (or you can use Photoshop or Gimp…the free version of photoshop…but I didn’t have time to play around with Gimp so I went with my already well known program).

I found an absolutely awesome digital scrapbook site called AhhhScrap, where I found a very cute kit, Bug a Boo, to use the papers/elements with.  Now, it’s important to note that I do not sell ads on my blog nor do I make any money on the blog, therefore, per the owner of the kit, I am using it for personal use.  These kits are made by different people and I’m guessing if you do sell stuff/make a blog profit, you could contact them to get permission to use and such.  After finding this website, I’m seriously considering going to all digital scrapbooks!  Any suggestions on where to get them printed after I finish them?

Anyway, I just followed the directions from the article and ta da…a new blog look.  I like it, although, I would like to put the bugs on the background but irfanview is being ornery about it.  Maybe later, as this little escapade took all morning to finish.

Next up, a blog button!  Wait for it…wait for it (it may be a while with all the sickies)

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A Little Bible Trivia for Ya and Liamisms

**UPDATE**
Josiah’s fever broke last night (it was a nasty scene too).  Liam was fine this morning but then complained of being tired at lunch and quickly went to lay down in my bed.  Yep, he’s got it now!   I’ll also note that this is the first time he’s been sick in over a year and a half.  NEXT!!  Oh, and Zoe’s not thrown up again…complained of a little tummy ache on Monday afternoon but that’s it.

What’s the second book of the Bible, Liam?

Liam:  Secondus
 *****
Liam to Papa:  Papa, I need to tell you somethin’.  God loves you.

*****
On the way home from church.

Liam:  Daddy, I’m tired.  So, I don’t need to go to rest time.  I need to stay up and play.

*****

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It Just Keeps Getting Interesting

Tuesday, I took Ceili Rain in for an ear re-check and to basically have the doctor tell us she had an ear infection.

Yesterday:  We picked Josiah up from Sunday school only to realize about all the way through worship that he was running a fever.  Let it be known that a family of seven can not leave a service without leaving with flair!  Although no children caused a scene imagine seven people getting up (well six, since Ceili Rain can’t walk) and trying to sneak out right before the pastor’s invitation.

Anyway, after some discussion with Mark, we decided I would take him to the after hours clinic.  Two hours later, I left with what I needed since he had an ear infection in his right ear and came home to eat lunch, er, I mean, supper, um, a very late snack.  Oh, and nurse Ceili Rain (who is feeling much better).

Next, Zoe’s been complaining about her stomach the past two days.  Typical for her to complain one day, especially if she is not eating her fruits and veggies like she should.  Anyway, two days in a row is odd.  Usually, she can go to the bathroom and be fine.  So, while I sat in the living room trying to eat quickly and trying to figure out if Zoe can go to Awana, she turned her head on the loveseat and threw up…then looked at it and started to run…then threw up…then stopped and threw up…then ran to the bathroom after we started trying to tell her to go in there and threw up on the toilet seat.  All the while, between “episodes,” exclaiming, “I’m so sorry.  I’m so so sorry.”  To which we had to explain it wasn’t a problem…not to worry…and that she was definitely not going to Awana.  She said her tummy didn’t hurt when she “released” her stomach contents, but I’m just hoping that was the reasoning behind the stomach pain.  We shall see.

Three down…two to go…NEXT!

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High Maintenance & a New Poll

I was going to put “spoiled” as my title, but realized that I am not left alone to rot…so that wouldn’t work…High Maintenance fits.

This week has been looooonnng to say the least.  Mark left Monday afternoon to go on a business trip.  Before he left, we mused over who would be sick during his absence.  As, I don’t “do” night time parenting, that would be my lot.  We both came up with Ceili Rain and were right.  In all fairness, she was getting a bit stuffy.

So, Tuesday morning I called and got her an earlier “re-check on her ears appointment.”  A blessing came in that the appointment was in the afternoon and Papa and Grandmere were coming in for Grandmere to help me sew costumes.  They got here, we said hello, and I took Ceili Rain to the doctor.

Turns out, her left ear which was infected was clear but her right ear not so much.  Dr. R., who we had to see because Dr. B has been out for awhile with an injury (long painful story for her), was shocked when she saw the ear.  Back on antibiotics, and scheduled another re-check for a couple weeks later.

Wednesday, Grandmere and I hit the sewing machine whilst Papa entertained littles and taught Zoe and Ace (no small feat mind you).  My goal was to get Zoe’s & Josiah’s done.  Still not quite there with Josiah’s (it’s the little things) but I’m close…Since Grandmere worked on Zoe’s most complicated one and got the big stuff done, I put the finishing touches on it today.

Mark came back home yesterday morning and to say I was counting down the minutes is an understatement.  I’m so excited that he’s home again.  He had yesterday off (since he took the red-eye in) and today and then Saturday and Sunday.  Wooohoo!  And I get to get back to my pampered self.  I miss my team captain when he’s away and I miss all the help he provides.

Now on to wondering what the kids are going to be for “Halloween!”  I haven’t done a poll in a long time, so check out the side bar and vote for what you think their costumes are going to be!

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A Full Foliage of Fall Festivalllnnneesss

Trying to figure out if that title makes sense…hmmm.

Anyway, our church hosted a fall festival this past weekend and we survived delighted taking all of our children to it.

First, we caged them.


Then, we spun them around until they got sick (not really…no one got sick that we know of…our kids have excellent inner ear abilities, including that you can spin Zoe around a ton and she comes off walking straight as an arrow…probably because I spun her one too many times in the office chair when she was a toddler).

Thirdly, we stuffed them full of cotton candy…
…as big as their heads.

Josiah decided to save some for later! And this picture and the videos below made it all worth it.

Look at the Lights! from justabunchofcharacters on Vimeo.Next up, more spinning!

Attacking siblings from justabunchofcharacters on Vimeo.And then set them to attack each other.
After that, they crashed, hard, in their beds dreaming of all the candy they had in their sacks!

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Pumpkin Patch

For your viewing pleasure…our field trip to the Pumpkin Patch…in pictures (with a little narration from moi).

This was pretty much his demeanor the whole trip. Lovely huh?! The boys’ behind us were part of a group who’s moms pretty much let us parent them. One little boy tried to throw a very large rock at some of the children before I told him (several times) to put it down.

Craft time! Lots of glue and small wiggly eyes. The kids enjoyed it and I had plenty of “glue skin” to play with the rest of the trip.

See? Happy Josiah.

Hay ride time!

Almost a smile!

This sweet little one has two older siblings who were with us. She thought the straw was awesome! Later she somehow managed a Cheese Nip down her onesie (saving it for later).

Most of the gang. Notice Josiah is absent.

He finally perked up when he found a granddaddy long legs (spider).
He is our boys’ boy.

And now we have our pumpkins that were not really picked from a patch…more like they bought pumpkins and threw them in this little area…the children, none the wiser and still enjoyed picking out a pumpkin.

Zoe’s BFF, Laura, came along even though her little brother was sick…they piggy backed in my van…cuz’ it’s a cool ride.

Ace’s BFF, Jack, who is Laura’s brother. He had a good time!

Liam enjoyed picking up the pumpkins, getting me to take a picture and the subsequently throwing them down.

Finally! A smile! Josiah was smiling because he was picking up the pumpkins and throwing them down (wonder where he saw that??).

Ta Da! Josiah loves getting pictures taken. We survived and had a great time! Thanks Kristina for letting me borrow your two!
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Review: Bubber & Other Goodies

Here’s my disclosure (before I forget): This is a Mama Buzz review. The products was provided by Timberdoodle.

Now before I talk about this really neat product that they sent us, I just need to say that when I receive a Timberdoodle catalog, I feel like a kid looking for Christmas toys. In fact, I received a homeschool catalog with the review product and read it cover to cover getting excited about our curriculum choices for the new year (what can I say? I’m a nerd).

That being said, I knew I had to jump at a chance to review one of the products they sell when the offer came up.

And boy did we get some good stuff! Here’s the list of what we received:
One 4 oz. tub of Bubber
One Mirett
One Spoon-Knife
One set of Castle Molds

Now, let me tell you about this new product called “Bubber.” When the box arrived they all started making up little jingles about Bubber. Unfortunately, when it arrived we were extremely busy and it had to sit on the kitchen counter for a few days. I think Zoe read the package two to three times and they all enjoyed guessing at what exactly Bubber is.

And now, I’ll tell you what Bubber is, having experienced this fun squishy stuff first hand. Bubber is a moldable, bendable, tactile learner’s dream! Created in Sweden it resembles other moldable products…but only in the fun name and modability (is that a word?). It’s very light and a 4 ounce tub, although it sounds like very little, contains a lot of bubber. And, unlike some of the pliable kids’ products out there, does not leave your hands ooey gooey and sandy. All the Bubber stayed on the table or in the containers I put it in. It’s soft enough that even Josiah enjoyed it. Typically, with other products like this (can you tell I’m trying not to mention any names) he’ll lose interest or try to eat it because he can’t bend and shape it. Not so with Bubber, he enjoyed squishing and shaping and using the tools we received.

Joy from Timberdoodle warned me that the tools they were sending along were not put out by the same company as Bubber, but when they used the Bubber at conventions and other areas, children flocked to the tools. The mirett is a sculpting tool. I was a bit hesitant to hand it off to my three and four year old as it looked as if someone could poke their eye out. However, they wielded it just fine and used it for its intended purpose…to shape and cut the Bubber, which it did quite easily. The spoon-knife and castle molds were also a big hit. Especially the molds. Now I will put in this disclaimer that I received: Please note that the staircase and the brick wall mold, though included, are not designed to work with Bubber as Bubber is not heavy enough to release from the mold.

I will agree that using the molds with the Bubber did not make a sturdy stick straight product, however, my kids were able to nudge the Bubber out with no problem and Zoe even created a castle!

Even Liam,t he impatient one was able to get the Bubber out of the castle staircase mold.

The other tools included with the castle molds were fun and it was neat to see how creative the kids got with them! There was no need to force the Bubber with the tools…they were able to cut/slice/and push through the products with no problems.

The only problem I noted, and wish I had gotten a picture of, was the Bubber explosion on my kitchen floor. Now, you will note in the pictures that there are pie plates and bowls the kids were supposed to use to keep the Bubber in. However, that just didn’t happen too well. After clean up and a quick sweep with the vacuum (Bubber doesn’t stick to the floor or multiply into little pieces which makes clean up with the vac a cinch) I declared that Bubber would be a good outdoor toy from now on.

To learn more about Bubber, head over to Timberdoodle. Bubber sells for $10.50 for 4 ounces (plenty for my four little ones hands). And now for the tool prices: Mirett ($2.25); Spoon/Knife $.95; Castle Molds $4.95.

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Aha!


This week, I’ve been busy, as I said before, implementing ChorePacks. I really want to write more about those and how it’s worked (let’s just say lifesaver!) but have to find the time (maybe this weekend) to do so…But, I wanted to share an idea I came up with and implemented as well. Ace is a typical boy/kindergartner and therefore, has trouble focusing on what he is doing. And Zoe, well, Zoe’s a smarty and when I’m working with Ace or a little with Liam, Miss Firstborn just has to chime in with the answer. So, I grabbed these “tri-fold display boards” when I ran to the craft store last weekend and made this:There are five pockets on the boards that hold each days work. That way, if they want to work ahead, they can. The pockets are made of 12X12 scrapbook paper that was folded then taped onto the board. Although Ace’s is having a hard time staying on so we may have glue them on. On Zoe’s, I also laminated paper that I taped to the front of each pocket. That gives my firstborn (overachiever) her “to do” list for each day including her reading lessons.

This has been awesome to say the least. Ace really has benefited from it. Although he can still be distracted, it doesn’t happen quite as much. Now, I need to call these things something…right now, I just say, “Grab your divider, thingy, pocket, holder…” Any suggestions?

Not a bad deal for $4 each!!
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How to Potty Train a Boy

Okay, so this isn’t really on how to potty train a kid. I will say, though, that each child is different and so is each family. So, potty training is different for everyone. We typically start each child off the same way (at least after Zoe) in putting them in undies at 2 and then setting a timer, taking them every 10 to 15 minutes, giving them juice, and giving them a treat when they go. After that, I gradually move into where “I’m” the one potty trained and take them at certain times during the day until they get the hang of it. As I mentioned here, I didn’t have to do that gradual thing with Josiah. He (along with lots of cheers and praises and examples from his brothers) did it himself. So, what is life like with a twenty seven month old potty trained little boy? I give you Josiah, the undie boy!


I told him to put them on and then watched as he stuck them on his head and said, “Ho, ho, ho.” Then, when I pulled out the camera he said, “Take picta of me mama.”

As for potty training books, I would recommend Potty Training in One Day along with any potty videos or kids’ books. I was going to post a link to this book but I’m not sure which one it is. I borrowed it from a friend when Liam started training. And, honestly, I didn’t follow it to a ‘t’ but I did use some of the activities with Josiah and with Liam. Liam was fully potty trained at 2 1/2 (as was Zoe and Ace) A children’s potty book was passed down to us from somewhere and that was staple while Josiah sat on the potty. That book, The Little Engine that Could, and two animal books got us through many trips to the potty.

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Ceili Rain’s Seven Months Old!

I can not believe this little girl is through half of the first year of her life. Shes adorable, lovely, and super cuddly. She also can’t sit still in your lap for more than a split second. She wants to wiggle, squirm and move all over the place…and she does it very well. Although her friend is starting to crawl, she is just content to sit and play. In fact, when I put her on her belly or laying down on the floor she fusses pretty quickly. She’d rather be up and watching what’s going on. Today she started making, “Dada” and “ni-ni” sounds. Like I said, she’s adorable.

And I’m a bad mom because I haven’t gotten any pictures lately besides the ones already posted. I’ve also been busy as we’ve implemented our ChorePacks this week and trying to get those going has been something else…and rewarding all at once. I’ll post about that when we’ve got a few more days under our belts.

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