The Morning Breakfast Woes...Calgone Take Me Away!

I have locked myself in the office for five minutes to gain my composure...
I am taking deep breaths... in through the nose... out through the mouth...
closing eyes...

My day will eventually begin when I decide to make it a good one... come what may. Really? Are you ready, Nicole? Because today, I can tell by the Morning Breakfast Woes, is going to be a challenging one.

Backing up for a minute, I had a minor breakdown around dinner time yesterday. I called my husband who was studying at school. "What time are you coming home?" I asked him. All the while, Nicolas was screaming in the background, Daryl and Corey were both talking to me at the same time while I was on the phone and Lilly just woke up which meant she was crying too in the other room, Spencer unknown to me at the time was destroying a floor plan I was working on earlier in the day as part of my "Me Time" activity. Darrel's response to the chaos was "Are you okay?" I was very short. "I'll talk to you when you get home. BYE!" I have done this before and the scene when he arrived home was not good. So guess who walked through the door 40 minutes later? We talked, so that I could vent and he (experience has taught him) just listened. All was well in my world for that moment and I was able to make it through our bedtime routine.

Fast forward to this morning... "Mom! I'm hungry!" The usual morning exclamation. So, I make oatmeal. I also burned it a little (while multitasking) but, I tasted it and it was okay. HOWEVER, the kids complained," This oatmeal tastes funny. It smells! I don't want it!" My response, "Eat or starve" as I smile and walk away. And now I am here.

Calgon, take me away!

I think the stress of Anesthesia school is getting to me.
I think the stress of having my mother-in-law with us and not knowing her future is getting to me.
I think the stress of being pregnant is getting to me.
I think the stress of entertaining five kids all day is getting to me.

My ability to cope with my life varies from day to day and since yesterday was a low point, I think I am going to need special care if I am going to make it through the day.

I may be back later for another Mommy Time Out.

P.S. Lately Daryl has expressed that she would be more happier (we are working on her grammer) if she just ran away.

I'll just let that Trace Adkins song, "You're Gonna Miss This" run through my head or Kenny Chesney "Don't Blink".

I have to "enjoy" them because they grow up so fast! I'll have to laugh out loud if someone says that to me today.

Okay, this was more than five minutes.

Caribou

cariboumaine.net

We drove five and a half hours north Saturday morning to a place called Caribou. Our neighbor gave us a strange look as we told him where we were on our way to. "Why are going there?" he questioned, "There's nothing up there!" But for us we had a purpose and that's all that mattered.

Carey Medical Center is an enrichment sight for Darrel's clinical rotation. It is a possibility that he may spend two months there. If so, we wanted to check it out and see what it was like.

The first thing is that the ward makes ALL the difference. We spend a lot of time at church and with church members. So, in going to Caribou we chose to go over the weekend so that we could attend church. Good choice on our part. It was great! The kids loved it and we enjoyed it as well. The people were very friendly and outgoing. People introduced themselves to us and made us feel very welcomed. I walked away feeling uplifted and fulfilled. Always a good thing. Daryl was disappointed that we had to leave because next week they are giving out seeds in Primary. She was heart broken. She asked, "Can we send Daddy back to school so we can stay here a little longer?"

Second, thanks to our friends for having us over for dinner. We had a great time. Great food, great company and a great memory. I love making new friends and getting to know people. We discovered some cool connections of people we both know. It really is a small world in the Latter-Day Saint culture. I am always amazed at how you can be anywhere and somehow meet someone that you know or meet someone that knows someone who knows you!

In addition to a fun time with our friends and church, the selling point for the kids was where we chose to stay. We lodged in a little two bedroom cabin that had BUNK BEDS! After the first night Corey exclaimed, "Mommy, I love Caribou!"
This morning he asked, "Mommy, when are we going back to the cabin with the bunk beds?"


cariboucabins.net

I have bunk beds on my list of "Things to Acquire after Graduate School" but, I was starting to debate whether or not I really wanted them. After seeing their excitement I know that one day, their wish to have bunk beds will come true. It was so fun watching them climb up, climb down and play games together from the top and bottom bunks. You would have thought we had an amusement park or a playground inside the cabin!

We traveled to Fort Kent Sunday afternoon. Wikipedia:

Fort Kent is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,233 at the 2000 census. Fort Kent is home to an Olympic biathlete training center, an annual CAN-AM dogsled race, and the Fort Kent Blockhouse, built in reaction to the Aroostook War and in modern times designated a national historic site. Principal industries include agriculture (particularly potatoes and forestry) and textiles. Fort Kent is the northern terminus of U.S. 1 and the ending point of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. It is also home to a battle which took place in the Aroostook War or the bloodless war which took place in the 1800s.
The town is economically and culturally linked to the Canadian towns of Clair and Saint-François-de-Madawaska, both in Madawaska County, New Brunswick, directly across the St. John River. Most children on the Canadian side attend French-speaking school while their American counterparts are taught mainly in English.
Sixty-two percent of the residents of Fort Kent are habitual speakers of French. The variety of French spoken in Fort Kent and most of the St. John River Valley closely resembles the French spoken in Quebec and New Brunswick. It is referred to as "Valley French" or "Brayon". Many residents also have American-Canadian dual citizenship.

We also discovered Northern Maine Medical Center, another hospital that we can add to our list of possibilities. Since most people speak French, it doesn't look as if Darrel and I will get to use our Spanish very much but if we were to move there, I bet we would attempt to learn a little French.



The entire drive from Caribou to Fort Kent was inviting. Now, if you are not one for authentic WIL-DER-NESS, you probably will not agree and that's okay. Sorry I do not have any pictures to illustrate my points. I currently have no camera and am not sure when one will grace our presence again. I'm thinking 2012? But that's another post for another day Note: Wish List: Camera.


Cross Lake


eaglelaketown.org

So... it was a great trip. The kids did great in the truck to and from. Our only true drawback was when we stopped in Bangor for a bite to eat on the way home. Spencer threw up in the restaurant. So far, no trip is complete without Spencer throwing up all his food contents after a meal when we have eaten out. With Spencer's food allergies the bottom line is - we can't eat out. EVER. There's nothing like watching your two-year old up chuck his food and then look utterly miserable afterwards because 1: it's not fun to throw up and 2: you were hungry before and now you are still hungry but have no desire to eat. It's so easy to stop and get a bite to eat somewhere unless your child has a milk, egg and soy allergy. Then it's easy to get sick and better to just eat at home even if it means eating cereal for five and a half hours on the road. Once again another post for another day Note: Spencer's Food Allergy - Quest to Eating Safe Foods.

We'll see when we visit the "Frozen North" again.
Until then, au revoir!

Oatmeal for Breakfast

While I was getting ready for the day (aka in the shower) my four-year old, Corey, comes in and says,

"Mom, I'll be very careful... I'm making oatmeal for breakfast".
"Okay", I reply.

I'm almost finished and I really want to finish my 3 minutes of ME time. HOWEVER... when I emerge from the warm waters I can hear Corey coaching Nicolas on how to operate the microwave. I am hidden and out of sight and peeking to make sure it's only a microwave safe bowl and no utensils are included inside the household appliance. I also witness Corey happily eating his already self-made bowl of oatmeal at the table.
Nicolas inquires,

"Corey! What button do I push?"
"ONE!" Corey answers.
"Then What?" Nicolas continues.
"One again".
"Now what?"
"Start"
"Where is that?"
"Down!"
"Here?"
"No, down."
"Here?"
"Yes"

Suddenly, the microwave starts to cook the oatmeal. In exactly eleven seconds the microwave beeps and Nicolas proudly removes his oatmeal.
"This is going to be tasty!" He exclaims.

Clover Day

I love holidays. Any reason to celebrate is wonderful to me. For this year's Clover Day celebration, I prepared by cleaning the kitchen (my kitchen only gets cleaned on special occasions which is why I should have more of them), and set out our green paper products for breakfast (easy clean up). At each place setting was a green, mini gum ball machine for each child. The gum ball machine is a distraction as it keeps them occupied until I am ready to pull myself out of bed since I was up late cleaning. It works! When I did finally get up at 7 a.m. I made green pancakes, green eggs and bacon with orange juice. This was their first time seeing all the green food and it was a breakfast table filled with lots of "ooohs and aaaahs" After the troops had eaten, it was easy clean up (LOVE it!) as everything went in the trash and the cooking utensils fit in the dishwasher since I didn't have anything else to fill it with.

So far, it's a fun start to a great day!

Kiss me I'm Irish! Really.

Say... CHEESE!

This Photo was taken at the end of July 2009.



This photo was taken at the beginning of January 2010.

Mega Family

I wouldn't say we have a mega family (yet). Five Children? (the pictures are missing Lilly). Well, recently I have been "dealing" with various things going on in our life. I must say that between Darrel, myself, and our children... our life is good. We have the normal family strife (related to those mentioned) ... kids cry and complain, the house is a disaster on a regular basis, laundry piles come and go and come again, we've been sick, we've been well... all pretty normal.

The following cut and paste sums up some recent dealings:

The Joy of Large Families

Big Families of All Sizes Welcome Here!

If anyone has ever said to you, "Are they all yours?", "Wow, how do you manage so many?", or "Are you Catholic or Mormon?", then you officially have a Big Family.

Resources, tips, practical help, support, and encouragement from parents with just as many children as you have (or more!). Large families have to do things differently. They experience higher highs and lower lows. Life is just more intense with lots of children.

When the package feeds 6, and you have seven.
When you feel overwhelmed.
When the laundry pile is bigger than the laundry room.
When each of your kids requires a different teaching strategy.
When you face unkind attitudes over your just discovered (and wanted) pregnancy.
When your older kids leave home, and no one understands why so many kids at home now feels like so few.
When you are frustrated over being told how to manage your large family by people with one or two kids who just don't have a clue.

With respect to the Freeman Family... this particular situation has gained popularity:

When you face unkind attitudes over your just discovered (and wanted) pregnancy.

It's a small number of people who have been unkind but, those few... really make me sad. :(

"You're crazy!"
"OMG!"
"You don't have to populate the entire world by yourselves you know"
"What, are you trying to win some contest...?"
"Are you trying to be like that Duggar family?"
"So, how many do you plan on having?"
"Hasn't anyone told you how to prevent that from happening again?"

And the ultimate comment that really sends me reeling...drum roll please!

"Was this planned?" I really dislike that question and if it is a thought... please... don't verbalize it.

So... we are expecting baby #6 in July...
and we're happy about it!

The vast majority responds this way:

"You are blessed!"
"Congratulations!"
"You've earned your angel wings!"
"God Bless you!"
"They are all so beautiful, you are one lucky lady"
"That's wonderful!"
"Wow, you guys are amazing"
"If you need anything, please let me know"
"We're so happy for you!"
"That's great!"

Each of our children have come one at a time (including Corey and Nic, they were born 4 minutes apart) and we have welcomed each of them happily. They are not a lump sum as if to say "We want 6". They are not accidents or mistakes. They have brought us joy and we feel blessed to be their parents. A gentleman in my dance class was so excited for us to have another child. He said,

"We only had two and they are 27 and 25 now but, I had the best time with them... I loved it! When they were home, those were some of the best times of our life."

I love talking to people like this who are so positive about their families and grateful for the experience of parenthood. Did he have to tell me all the troubled times and difficulties? No. We all know they exist. He chose to express his overwhelming love for his children and the great experience it was to be their dad. There are moments like this that give me a boost. Just as the Megafamilies.com states, it is overwhelming at times but, I would not trade any of it!

Two nights ago after putting the kids to bed, Darrel had been upstairs and he had several fun and funny conversations with the kids before they fell asleep. When we came downstairs he said, "I love our little family".

Me too.

How does that go again?

During snack this morning Daryl wanted to confirm the following, she says, "So...female means girl and bemale means boy, right Mom?"

This is a picture from the summer. Daryl's creative, fashion flare!