A penny saved is a penny earned!

My advice to new parents? (or a young couple contemplating parenthood...)

Don't even bother having nice things until your kids are out of the house. There just isn't any point. If you just had a new little one, and are thinking you should replace that old couch or table, etc, force yourself to wait. 18 years. Truthfully. If you already have nice stuff, sell it quick while it is still functioning and resembles it's original state and put the money in your savings account! How's that for a money saving tip?!

Or are my kids just more ____________   (fill in the blank with your own word choice)-
Rowdy, energetic, "creative", destructive, exploratory, messy, curious, clumsy, "artistic", daring, crazy, busy, exhibistionists, dirty, accident prone- than the average child?

Balancing (or toppling over, whichever you prefer)

Blogging has just not fit into my life lately. But I miss it! Even on a good month I only manage about 3 or 4 posts, and only write a small fraction of the thoughts I mentally blog about. Having time to sit and process thoughts, muse and emote is just such a rare thing... And, being the possessor of so little selfdiscipline as I am, if I let myself get on the computer for one minute, even just to balance my checkbook, it's pretty much guaranteed that an hour later, I will suddenly realise that I manged to catch up on all of the BBC, Facebook, and blogging world latest, but in that time, all my past week's work has been entirely undone by my WONDERFUL, creative, numerous kids. So I have been trying to keep some semblance of restraint lately, and actually DO the things I'm supposed to do, WHEN I'm supposed to do them. (After all, that is the mantra I am pounding into the young, impressionable minds that live in my house... ) Which means blogging has joined many other lovely things in my life, such as journaling and writing personal letters, up on that  dusty, top shelf of my priorities; the one that's up so high I can't see what's on it and need a step stool to get something off of it. There are just different phases of our lives, where the things that feel important shift places for a while. I love to write randomness for my own off loading and perhaps for the mild amusement of others at times too, but for a while at least, those moments may need to be few and far between so I can function more effectively in the areas that demand more of my presence. But unpredictable and inconsistent IS what this little blog is all about anyway. Which if you follow, you know, I'm not joking when I say, you never know what you're going to get here... So now that my left arm is asleep from holding my 27 pound, sleeping baby boy, and I have written this entire post one handed, I am going to excuse myself to go climb a mountain... the one waiting for me down in the laundry room. (Not quite as fun and exciting but JUST as hazardous!) Thanks for always stickin around and being willing to take what ya can get! :)

5

I've come to the conclusion that 5 is my checkmate. 5 kids. I now seem to have peaked in my capabilities as a mother.

I used to be on time or early pretty much every time. Now, I'm lucky if I'm only five minutes late.

I have never lost a child in a store before. Now I can add "left store without a child" to my list of parental faux pas. (thank goodness it was only for a minute, but I still had a heart attack.)

 I literally have to count on my hands to keep track of my kids now. "OK- two little girls out on the neighbors trampoline, one little boy playing video games in the Living Room, one 2 year old putting an entire roll of toilet paper in the toilet, and one baby sleeping. Good. 5 children, still alive!".

I have also realised that when Zaria arrived, I was still able to keep up with pictures and blog updates and baby book entries. In fact, as the label cloud below attests, I posted a lot! It didn't hurt that we'd just gotten a new camera that I didn't know how to use but with Van's arrival I am seemingly incapable of accomplishing ANYTHING! I'm doing good if I get one thing checked off my getting seriously long To-Do list in a day, so posting pictures or blogging and the baby book are getting sorely neglected. Which is a shame because Vanden is soooooo fun and might I say, extremely cute!

I am hoping this is all just a stage... I have a toddler. And a baby. AND 3 older kids who each have 2 hours of homework a day. And it's winter. It takes 20 extra minutes to just walk fall out the door. So, I'm just trying to be ok with it. Because in six months, hopefully, I will look back and be able to say, "Whew! Glad we got past that one!"

And this stage has it's benefits too! I love where each of the kids is at. I have no desire to rush through these moments with them for the sake of convenience. I will never get a chance to be in this moment again. And I wouldn't miss it for all the punctuality in the world.

Funny enough-

-the last 8 words of the previous blog were written an hour after the rest of it, because I had to go clean up a baby who just randomly threw up. Ah the life I lead! And I actually love this!

Thank Goodness...

...for friends who will tell you when you have a diaper stuck to your jeans, hanging by the velcro, from your butt! At least it was an unused one...