Raindrops on Roses

My Lauren got stung by a bee today on her hand.  :-(  It was so sad.  She kept telling us, what we thought, that she got stuck.  Rudy said where did you get stuck, and she kept yelling “in me, in me!”  She finally got her thumb over to me and I saw the sac.  OH… She got stung!  She was screaming so loud that our neighbor even came out to check on her, thinking that she had fallen from a tree or something.  Very kind of her.  In fact she gave us a little recipe to apply to the bite and it seemed to help Lolo.  Sigh.  It’s the worst when they get hurt.  Jade and Ben have a dentist appointment at 4pm today too.

I guess I have to somehow get used to my sweet loving children fighting with each other constantly.  One moment they are screaming and the next moment they are laughing and playing together.  I try very hard not to get involved and just know that siblings fight, but on the other hand… I feel that since I am here with them, maybe I am supposed to say “don’t say words like that..etc.”  Hubby says to just leave it alone unless they use violence… such as hitting each other or pushing or walking by and “accidentally” pushing one down.  lol  By noon I’m exhausted!  I can’t believe I ever had that much energy!  Today I’m trying to make a schedule that actually incorporates “Fighting time.”  I think, I hope that this will make us all laugh about it, rather than argue about the arguing.  I wonder what the kids will say when they see a schedule that has time for fighting.  lol  I’ll let you know.

Today didn’t go as I had planned.  Days rarely do.  It’s Wednesday.  I had big plans for school because yesterday I didn’t feel well.  Jade woke up today sick and crying.  She’s been mopey all day.  :-(  On top of that Benjamin basically refused to do school if Jade didn’t.. and I had no energy to fight him, which means day off to everyone and double work tomorrow assuming no one gets sick.  Lauren, my precious Lauren was happy all day.  She couldn’t stop singing, which I absolutely love and well… get tired of at the same time.  And of course the unmentionable things that just happen day to day.  I was kind of frustrated and feeling overwhelmed and shouted from my room, “Lauren it’s nap time.”  She, without one complaint, went to her bed and laid herself down.  I went up there and their room was a mess so I start tossing everything in the vicinity that it should go, getting more and more frustrated.  I finally give up and sit next to her and she makes that sweet little “mmmm” and cozies up next to me.  I smile at her and her joyful spirit she maintains all day long and kiss her cheek.  Cuddled up next to her my frustrations begin to melt and she says “I love you mama..”  I was so blessed.  This little happy girl is a gift, and I’m her mama.  Sometimes just remembering that type of thing makes it easier to be patient and kind.  :-)  Jade is feeling a little better.  Benjamin is happy and been extra kind to Jade.  Rudy is on his way home and I am truly blessed and frustrated today!  lol  It’s okay to be both.

Jade just came in on her lunch and asked for a bag because she wanted to pick up trash around the neighborhood.  lol Then she asked, “Mom, have you ever gone to the beach just to pick up trash?  That sounds fun we should do that.”  Um, No thank you!  Ask her to pick up trash in her room and she’ll huff and puff.. pick up random strangers trash at the beach however sounds fun!  Kids!

I went online to look at chain covers for my chandelier.  I was stunned to find out they sold from $20 to $48!  Lame!  I knew I could make it for super cheap.  Well, how about free?  I found an old piece of fabric that were the colors I wanted and make it wide enough to cover my chain.  It’s hard to get the full effect with a picture of a square of my house, but the color did add so much.  I love it.  Not only that, Jade was impressed and said, “Why would anyone buy one of those when it didn’t look hard at all to make?”  Those are the moments I love they get to see throughout my days with them.

We decorated for fall on Sunday.  Jade is now 11 and did so much of it on her own.  She is needing less and less direction from us, which is sad, and of course good too.  We have so far this fall cooked pumpkin muffins and pumpkin bread… smells so good.  I want to make a pie with Jade, that is our own family recipe.. but I don’t know how or what to make, lol.  The kids put fall leaves all over their school room and bedroom door.  Next week when it’s actually October, I’ll start having them make holiday crafts.  I’ll post pictures.

The years are going by so quickly.  I know I say that all the time, but really, they do!  Each year we look at pictures and the kids faces are younger the year before.  We think they look older now and then next year… we’ll look back and they will be small to us.  I want to make more of an effort to make holidays and seasons more fun for them.  I think today we will go for a walk and take pictures of any trees that have leaves changing.  I had a tree in the garden that I thought was losing it’s leaves and my husband found that it had actually been attacked by hundreds of tiny caterpillars.  YUCK!  One or two is “awww how cute, kids come look” but hundreds is just scary.  A nightmare!  But we all had a good laugh at my idea that my tree was losing it’s leaves in our 90 degree weather.

Please comment with fun things you do in the fall to make memories and traditions.  We’d love to try something new!  :-)