Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2016

Sven Speaks

SVEN: We're Mormons and Mormons don't eat with their fingers. SCOTT:  So when Soren scrapes salad dressing from his plate with his fingers, he's not a Mormon anymore? SVEN:  No.  That's not the way it works.  He's still a Mormon, he's just not a good Mormon.

Soren's 9th birthday

Kids get older.  That is a fact of life.  But it still surprises me every year.  Soren is nine  now. I remember the day he was born: how I pushed for three hours with no idea how to get him out; how Scott got back from a final exam to see me deliver the placenta; how cute our little stranger was after he'd been cleaned up and dressed in a Christmas stocking; how alert he was, with no intention of closing his dark eyes and missing anything. Now he's a pre-teen.  Whoa. Here's what we did to celebrate: 1. I got up very early in the morning to buy foods he liked, then I wrapped them up like presents.  For breakfast, he unwrapped a box of fruit and cream instant oatmeal!  (It was Monday and we usually have oatmeal on Monday--usually the plain kind that you make on the stove.)  All the kids were excited about birthday oatmeal. 2. Grandma and Grandpa sent him a guitar.  I told Soren that when he was nine, I would support him in developing his talents by paying for and dr

More than Just Making It

Goals for Soren: * focus on his own schoolwork while Mom is helping other kids * stay quiet during lessons and adult conversations * keep his bed dry at night Goals for Carl: * obey instructions cheerfully * play nicely with Sven Goals for Sven: * stay in bed at night * finish potty training * follow reasonable instructions given by his older brothers Goals for Leif: * eat some of what we are having for dinner * no shrieking! * regular naptimes and bedtimes Goals for Carolyn: * finish writing novel * pray for missionary opportunities daily Goals for Mom: * attend to positive behaviors, reconnect when things are going well * start school promptly in the morning and don't multi-task * supervise tooth-brushing morning and night

The Best Things about Soren (at 8 years)

1. He loves a good pun. 2. He can do the dishes. 3. He is curious 4. and makes interesting connections between the things he is learning. 5. He wants to be a peacemaker, both in our home and in the world. 6. He is cheerful 7. and friendly. 8. His handwriting is improving. 9. He is teaching himself computer programming and makes up his own programs. 10. He is passionate about environmental conservation. 11. He makes (and performs) up his own piano music and some of it sounds pretty cool. 12. He also makes up (and sings) accompaniment/harmony/sound-effects for primary songs and hymns. 13. His brown eyes look like Scott's. 14. He can tie his shoes the awesome way . 15. He expresses sincere gratitude whenever he feels it. 16. He has a strong desire to choose the right 17. and help others to do the same. 18. He is learning to play the harp!  (It's more difficult than he thought it would be.) 19. He has a vibrant and active imagination. 20. He talks easily about

A Fable: The Good Mother

A certain child was working on a project that he couldn't complete himself.  He felt so frustrated and discouraged that he wailed and cried and beat his fists against the table. And by chance there came down a certain mother that way, and when she saw him, she passed by on the other side. And likewise his teacher, when she saw him the next day, came and looked on him but had no time to help. But a certain family friend, when she came to visit, came to where the child was, and when she heard about his project, she had compassion on him.  She went to him and sat down beside him, pulling the work between them and took the pencil in her own hand and helped him. And later, when she departed, she told the child that she would love to help him again if he ever needed it. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was mother to that child?

Michaelmas 2016

Yesterday was Michaelmas, the holiday that (as Soren put it) "no one celebrates but us."  I think that's one of the things I love about it.  Since no one I know celebrates Michaelmas, there is no commercial pressure attached to it.  That means that the only expectations are the ones we create ourselves. I asked the boys in family council on Sunday which traditions were most important to them, so we could be sure to meet their expectations.  Thankfully, no one said "presents!"  So there weren't any.  The traditions that were mentioned were:    1. checking out dragon books from the library    2. decorating the house    3. making dragon bread    4. sharing the scripture story in Family Home Evening We did those things so--hooray!  Expectations met. I have my own personal expectations, of course.  I like to tell my Kindergarten story of St. Michael and the star children.  I like to sing songs about spiritual warfare.  And I always hope there will be ti

Carl's 7th Birthday

This year, I turned thirty.  And you know what?  I am really happy about that.  I feel like I have been doing "thirties" stuff for a long time and that I have totally earned the official promotion.  I'm thirty.  It sounds a lot more mature than twenty-nine.   Although, I'm not sure how "mature" it is to worry about how mature you sound.  And right on the tails of my big 3 - 0, Carl turned 7.  The jump from six to seven seems almost as huge to me as the jump between twenty and thirty.  Seven is approaching big kid territory--and Carl is totally ready for that.  He's learned so much  in the past year.  He can now do chores without being reminded, read, carry his youngest brother, make meals, and drum up his own neighborhood playmates.  This year, he made the transition from being a fully dependent member of our household to being a very helpful contributor.  It's awesome. To celebrate: 1. His Grandma, Grandpa, and Mother Johnson all came

Midsummer 2016

Oh, how I welcomed Midsummer with open arms this year!  I was ready for summer: no school means time to write, time to plan, time to swim, and time to rest.  The kids went with wide-open eyes into our media fast and I had a plan to teach them lots of skills and chores.  I love that summer is unique in all the year; at least for stay-at-home moms and kids, it is a gift of time large enough to explore different skills and new ways of being. And, of course, we kicked off summer with our traditional camping trip.  Here's a recap: 1. We went somewhere new this year: Lake Le-Aqua-Na.  It's a man-made lake in Lena, hence the silly name.  I find it ironic that even though I associate Midsummer with the desert, we will probably always camp near water now that we live in Illinois.  The fun thing about choosing a campsite this year was that we made it an item of business for our (newly-formed) family council.  We voted not to return to Apple River, then a sub-committee was formed t

Carl Speaks

CARL:  When we get home, can we sit in the fridge? MOM:  No.  The fridge is for keeping food cool. SOREN:  And you could freeze in there! CARL:  But you don't understand how hot I am! I am as hot as a toenail on fire! MADDY: I know; I was almost cooked to a rotten chicken.

Carl Speaks

The boys are all eating breakfast together in the kitchen.  (Today it's eternal bowls of cheerios.)  I'm studying the scriptures in the other room, wondering if I should move to sit on the vent, where it's warmer.  Then I overhear this comment, from Carl: CARL: Some people are so poor, they don't have any brothers.  They are so unlucky.  But we've got exactly the opposite of that.  We have a lot of brothers!

Easter 2016

I have been blessed in the last year by many experiences that are spiritual in nature.  My faith in God and His miracles has grown as the voice of His Spirit has testified to me.  I know better than before of the reality of an unseen world and the love that reaches out to me from that place. Because of that growth, Easter held extra meaning for me this year.  Christ's triumph is real  to me--and so is the hope I felt this season.   Hallelujah . Our family's celebrations this year included: 1. Soren and I kicked off the season by watching the world's largest virtual Hallelujah chorus , a project produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  That was an amazing way to get into the celebratory spirit. 2. This was our first Easter in our own home.  We set up the Easter table in the dining room.  This is one of my favorite traditions: we decorate a table with symbols that remind us of Christ and keep a candle burning there in the week before Easter.  On

Sven Speaks

I am sitting outside the door of Sven's room, listening to him play with duplos.  He has three little duplo people, two boys and a girl, that he has decided are a family.  I can hear him playing with them, making them talk and driving their little car across his hardwood floor.  Here are some of the things he is saying: "Mom and Dad are getting married!" "Dad is taking us to the temple.  Where is the temple?"  (He says this in a higher voice.  I guess the "Mom" is talking.) "It's too far away."  (This voice is deeper.  Must be the "Dad".) "Hooray!  It's general conference temple!"  (Now his voice is normal.  Does that mean this is the kid?) "Beep, beep."  (That must be the car.) "I'm making a ham and cheese sandwich."  (Then all the duplos get dumped out.) And my personal favorite: "Carolyn, you can call me Scott."  (How romantic.)

The Best Things about Leif (at 15 months)

1. How he sits on my lap to listen to a board book.  He likes to turn the pages. 2. He also likes to "read" to himself.  His babbling noises are charming. 3. The way he puts his head on my shoulder when he is tired. 4. How ticklish he is. 5. That he can come down the stairs safely all by himself. 6. How pleased he looks when he is wearing Daddy's glasses. 7. That he has learned not to play with the chess pieces. 8. His enthusiastic toddle. 9. The way he smiles at his brothers. 10. That he will eat almost anything--but only if he sees you eating it first. 11. How much he loves Nan.  When she comes, he pants with excitement and practically jumps out of my arms. 12. The way he squeezes his hand to sign "milk". 13. Giving him raspberries. 14. That he likes animals.  He gets excited whenever he notices the cat 15. and enjoys getting licked in the face by Poppy's dog. 16. His smile. 17. And his laugh.  That's really the best. 18. How warm he

Soren Speaks

Soren was assigned to read Helaman chapters 10 and 11 (of the Book of Mormon) in school this week.  This is the story of Nephi receiving power from God to do practically anything.  (He prays for a famine, hoping that it will teach the people humility.  It works.) After reading the story, Soren gave me a great narration: SOREN: In this chapter, Nephi receives root permission.  He can do anything.  The root user can even destroy the whole system with just six commands.

Sven's 3rd Birthday

Sven has been talking about his upcoming birthday for two months.  He knew it was in March and asked me almost every day how far away March was.  And when March came, he became even more impatient. 1. We ended up having an unbirthday the Monday before to hold him over.  He had woken up that morning, very upset that it was still February and that his birthday was so  far away.  So I sang him the unbirthday song and we made cupcakes for Family Home Evening. 2. His Grandma and Grandpa came up the Friday before and took us out to Monkey Joe's for pizza and jumping.  That's always a good time.  It was especially fun because Grandpa was passing out quarters for the arcade games.  The boys jumped for hours while I talked with my parents and we passed Leif around.  I loved watching Sven run after the big boys, jumping where they jumped and sliding where they slid.  He has gotten so capable in the last year. 3. My parents bought a headboard for Sven's bed which was delivered o

Milestone: Walking

Leif made the switch this week.  You know: the switch to walking. He took his first steps in January.  I didn't see them; I was teaching Sunday School and he was with his beloved Nan.  But he was happy enough to repeat the feat given marshmallows as an incentive. After that, "walking" became a game Leif and Scott would play almost every night while I made dinner.  But Leif would try to get away with as little walking as possible.  He would crawl to Scott, then climb up his pant legs and try to reach the marshmallows from the safety of that grip.  It usually worked so he didn't have much reason to improve. The cutest thing about the process this time was watching the way Sven and Carl responded to Leif's attempts.  Carl liked to playing "walking", too and would offer whatever bits of snack might tempt our little toddler.  We would all laugh whenever Leif clawed up Carl's pants; it seemed like they would both knock over!  As Leif got better, Sven

Just Enough is More

They say that later-born children have skinny photo albums.  While parents lavish attention on the firstborn (making certain to record every milestone and in both print and pixels), later children are forgotten and neglected.  So the common wisdom goes. Maybe its true.  There are certainly fewer posts on this blog about the younger boys than there were about the older ones.  And there's no doubt about it: fewer photos are taken now-a-days.  I don't even want to talk about videos.  Poor neglected Leif.  According to the records, he's hardly even a presence in this house. Except that's not true. The paucity of posts and pictures does not reflect an absence of affection.  It does not speak to my feelings about living with children at all.  I find them no less delightful and amazing than I did eight years ago when I first began my mothering journey.  If anything, the little ones delight me even more now.  I know better how to enjoy them. And the best way to enjoy th

Sven Speaks

Toddlers make me smile.  One of the really fun things about them is the things they say.  They imitate the big people in their life and for some reason that's funny.  (And endearing, which Scott would say is a survival mechanism.) Sven has been in rare form lately.  He's always listening but he doesn't always understand what's going on around him.  It comes out later, which gives me insight into the aspects of family life that are most salient to him. What he has revealed shouldn't surprise me: our family life revolves around our homeschool.  Even though a good portion of schooling happens during his independent playtime and his naptime, Sven still uses the lingo.  He wants to be a part of that most demanding part of my life and it makes me smile. Some of the things he has said: * while coloring at the table: "I'm doing my math." * after a bedtime story:  "Mom, can you give me a narration for that story?" * commenting on his brothers

Christmas 2015

I have been looking forward to Christmas at my parent's house for months.  My mom goes above and beyond when preparing to welcome company and, as a result, her home is the most comfortable place in the world. While looking forward to our visit, I was reminded of a very old talk given by Neal A. Maxwell that reminded me of my mom.  He said that "When we return to our real home, it will be with the 'mutual approbation' of those who reign in the 'royal courts on high.'  There we will find beauty such as mortal 'eye hath not seen'; we will hear sounds of surpassing music which mortal 'ear hath not heard.'  Could such a regal homecoming be possible without the anticipatory arrangements of a Heavenly Mother?" Yeah, my mom makes coming home feel like that.  And since it had been five years since I'd gone home for Christmas, my excitement for the holiday this year was almost as great as when I was a child. Here are some of my favorite mem

The Boys Speak

I fried SPAM for the kids this morning.  Unfortunately, I fried it a little longer than they like.  It was slightly toasted on one side, which is perfect for me but is "burnt" to them.  They know they are not allowed to complain about the food but Carl always likes to comment anyway.  He used his most cheerful voice to pay me a false compliment: CARL:  Wow!  This SPAM is really well cooked! SOREN:  Yeah, it has carbon on it.  That's because SPAM is organic. Thanks, boys.

Soren's Eighth Birthday

When I was a girl, my mom would settle disputes between my brother and I by arbitrating a guessing game.  She would pick a number between one and ten, then invite each of us to guess what the number was.  Whoever guessed closest would win the dispute.  This was her way of choosing who would have the first turn at a game, with a toy, or in the kitchen.  Randomness was, supposedly, more fair. The only problem with this game was that my mother always picked the same number.  Patrick knew it and so did I.  So rather than having these inconsequential issues resolved randomly, victory always went to the quickest contestant.  The first person to blurt out mom's number would win. That number was 8. When I lost the blurting contest, I would whine.  "That's not fair.  You always  pick eight." My mom would smile--how could she smile when life was so unfair?--and say that eight was her favorite number.  "You can get baptized when you are eight," she would remind

Leif's First Birthday

Babies don't know that it's their birthday.  No amount of singing and being excited on their behalf will change their disposition. So it shouldn't be surprising that Leif was upset this morning.  In spite of all my good cheer, he was cranky as all get out.  He didn't like breakfast, he didn't want to play with toys, and he didn't want to have any of his brothers make silly faces at him.  He just wanted me to hold and nurse him, which I could only do so much of because I was getting everyone ready for church. He was the maddest about the drive to church.  It was bitter cold and he wouldn't let anyone warm up his hands.  It wasn't until Nan gave him a granola bar that the day started to look up.  But only moderately so, because being one is mostly frustrating. Here's how we tried to make the day special: 1. Sven was really excited about Leif's birthday.  He wished him a "Happy Birthday, Leif!" just about every time he saw him.  Th