"It's Too Late To Apologize..."

6:03 am

Reese: Mom I forgive you.

Meg: {still making a feeble attempt to sleep} huh? For what?

Reese: For when I peed in my bed this morning.

Awesome.

"Another Flouresent Night..."

One of my favorite things about Summertime in Arkansas are the lightening bugs. If you've never had a chance to sit outside on your porch and watch the fireflies appear while the sun sets, you are truly missing out on a neat experience.

I tried to catch them on video, but only about 1/3 of them showed up on film because it was so dark outside by the time I thought to grab my camera. The buzzing noise is a ucombination of crickets and cidadas chirping. By the end of July the locusts come out too, and it is as loud as a buzzing alarm clock outside! That gets annoying, but the lightening bugs are pretty cool to watch. I only wish you could see them all. Enjoy a little taste of our Summer!


PS- if you squish one in your hand, your skin does glow. If you catch one in a jar it will NOT light up! So annoying, and not like the cartoons and books at all. You lie, Disney! Also, fireflies are more like a moth, not a fly...which is probably why they call them lightening bugs here where they actually have them and know what they look like.

Don't You Just Love It When...

...someone stops by your house to get the mail that you've been picking up for the past week, and that's when you remember that you were supposed to be picking up their mail for the past week?


Neighbor of the Year.
(sorry Carl. I'm on very little sleep.)

"It's Just A Little Too Late, A Little Too Wrong, and I Can't Wait...Boy, You Know The Right Things To Say (you know it's just a little too late)..."

I received a $300 check in the mail from an insurance company.
SWEET! FREE MONEY!

um wait (says the voice in the back of my head)...money isn't free...where did it come from?
The fine print read the name of an insurance agent I had the following conversation with last week:

Meg: Hello?

Insurance Guy: Yes I've just received a claim from a Ross____ about damage to your property. Can you verify that damage has been done?

Meg: Sure

Guy: What is the damage and how did it happen?

Meg: Um...my neighbor shot my back window out with a BB gun. It was an accident.

Guy: OH {laughs} he told me a rock flew off his lawnmower.

oops.

Meg: Hmmm...yeah he's a nice guy, soooo...sure. Yeah, a rock from the lawnmower that sounds good.

DING DONG!!!

Meg: Can you hold on for a second, there is someone at my front door...

Ross: Hiya Babe

Meg: Hey Ross, I'm on the phone, can I come by when I'm through

Ross: Oh DEAR...is that my insurance guy?! I came over to tell you he might be calling you soon. I want to get that window fixed for you asap.

Meg: yes this is him, I'll call you when we're through

Ross: {trys to whisper, but is actually speaking LOUDER than he was before, only now he has a hand cupped to the side of his mouth and is crouched forward} I TOLD THE GUY THAT IT WAS A ROCK FROM MY LAWNMOWER. {smiles} HE MIGHT ASK-----

uhhhhh a little late for that one, Ross.

Meg---it's fine, Ross, no problem... um, I'll call you when we're done.

Ross: ByeBye dear

Meg: (to insurance guy waiting on the line) Okay, sorry. I'm back.

Guy: (laughing) Was that Ross? Was he trying to whisper? That is the funniest thing I have ever heard.

Meg: so you heard that huh?

Guy: go over and have a laugh with Ross and let him know your window is still covered either way, but I have to report what you told me, now that I know the real cause. See if you can take that BB gun away while you're at it, unless you're in the market for another window replacement.

When I told Ross he was a little late in getting "his story" to me, he laughed, "I didn't care so much about the coverage, I just didn't want the insurance man to know what a damn fool I am!"

At least he admits it was stupid.
The new window should be ready to install by Wednesday (finally!)
(Ross better hope that window really costs less than $300, or I'll have to call his insurance guy back)

"Hello, Hello-o, Hola!"

Should I take our blog public again? I am sooooooo (x 1000 more "ooo's") sick of having to re-invite people all the time. What a pain.
Does anyone still read this? Stupid Facebook...no one updates their blogs or leaves comments anymore.
I know, I know..."waaa waaaa"...

"Cuz It's Gettin' Harder and Harder to Breathe.."

Hello Mr. Treadmill,
So we meet again, old friend.
Friend? No. Not really. I kind of despise you.
Last night we had a short, but excruciating encounter.
My 6 weeks were up and I felt the need to hate you again.
Notice how dusty you are. That is your fault.
If you weren't so awful to me you might have had more use in the last 9 months, aside from the 3 days I abused your evil powers in an effort to induce labor.
...where you failed miserably, leaving me pregnant still...and just as sweaty and uncomfortable as always.

It's time we spent more time together...but not for another 6 days. You FOOLED me into thinking 6 weeks had passed, but it had indeed, only been 5. What a sucker I was to come running back to you so eagerly. I will take my 6 more days and enjoy them. Guilt free.

You can remain in the corner of my living room, collecting dust, while I remain curled up on the sofa, stuffing my face with ice cream and watching the people on TV sweat.

In 6 days you will have your chance to mend our relationship. You were not kind to me last night. I don't appreciate the joke...and a joke it was-that was the longest mile of my life. Please be good to me. I promise to wear deodorant and bring good music.

Until we meet again...
Meg-o

Teach Your Child To Read in 101 Easy Lessons {lesson #1}

Several months ago, I purchased this book online (I know-I ACTUALLY made an online purchase independently...look at me, I'm growing) which uses the DISTAR method for teaching reading. I used to be pretty anti-DISTAR myself, because it is HIGHLY structured, and offers little variation in instruction...not really how I roll. I use a more existential approach in teaching and raising my children. I want them to feel free to explore the world around them and learn though experiences, rather than seated, versed instruction.
WHY? Well because it is more fun, of course! I do believe in flash cards, but why use only flash cards to teach a child about letter "F" when you can take them to the Fire station, play with a plastic Farm or read a book about Friendship? Flash cards only teach that F says "ffff", and it pretty much ends there until the child begins to put sounds together and recognize words.

My problem with DISTAR is not with the material itself, but HOW it is presented to the child. It is basically a phonics method-which is great, but based on the principle that reading is a learned skill and ONLY comes through seated instruction using fast paced, scripted lessons and immediate correction of mistakes. I feel like the love and fun of learning is left out of the process and children aren't allowed to grow from any personal experience other than a memory of sitting with the individual who taught them to read. Where is the excitement there?

But Reese wants more. She LOVES the trips we take and activities to do, but she is ready to start reading and writing. While I think my approach has served my children well so far, I feel something lacking with Reese. She craves structure. Her desire to learn and be taught is there and she WANTS to sit and be instructed.
I want her to be able to gain knowledge from every situation she finds herself in, whether it is through exploring and building with sand at the park, or at a desk with a workbook. Both can be effective methods of learning. I am all for structure, I just want to make sure my kids are enjoying the learning process, not dreading and loathing it.

I've decided to inroduce reading lessons into Reese's schedule. I chose the DISTAR method over a few other phonics methods because of the attention paid to detail. I think Reese will do well with this. Other methods leave children guessing a lot, or only able to read words that all rhyme and look alike (ex: mAtt the cAt is mAd at the bAd rAt). As long as she is craving the 1 on 1 structured lessons where I pump her with information and she spits it back out and is doing it with pure joy and enthusiasm...I'm going to go with it. She feels good about herself Why deprive her of learning because I don't care for the "Sit and Listen" approach? I am a stay at home mom for this reason-so I can be the one to raise my children. I have the time to do just that, if SHE wants it, she can have it.

My goal is to do a few lessons a week, and continue on with our regular activities and fun "mommy stuff" that we usually do. I am hoping that the crazy scripted (YES, it is actually SCRIPTED. I read the red text and only the red text out loud, and add praise for successful effort) immediate correction approach will somehow integrate nicely with our hands on crazy fun that my children are accustomed to. Hopefully, Reese will grow from the good parts of the DISTAR method and learn to love a classroom setting, increase her attention span and ability to focus and stay on task-rather than losing interest when the task becomes difficult, and of course...learn how to read-or at least get a head start.

Lesson 1 went well today. I can say that there are already a few things I don't like about the program, but Reese is eating it up, so I'm going to give it a go. I realize it will get more difficult for her at some point to remain patient with herself, but as long as her frustration does not cause her to dislike reading, we will continue.
Here is a sample of her hard work:
If she is learning and happy, then I am happy.

"I Think That I Am Damaged, Damaged, Damaged. So How You Gonna Fix It, Fix It, Fix It?"

A few weeks ago, Quincy's thumb got stuck in a bent position. (see photo below) She was hysterical. Screaming. Freaking out. We thought it was broken at first, but there was no swelling, and it happened when she was just playing with her dolls. But she was crying and screaming like it hurt. I grabbed her hand to take a closer look, and her thumb "popped" back into place.
Crying stopped immediately. "You fix-it my thumb? Oh thanks, Mom!" and off she ran, happy as can be.

This happened a few more times over the course of a few weeks, and now the frequency is increasing. From once a week, to once every few days to every day, and now 4 times TODAY. She no longer screams and cries, but it still freaks her out a little.

She'll run up to me, show me her bent thumb and say, "fix my thumb, Mom! It's not working!" I'll pop it back (yes, it takes a small amount of pressure/force...but it does go back) and off she runs.
What is wrong with my kid's thumb? This is the thumb she sucks when she sleeps...could that be related to the problem? Has something similar ever happened to you?

Fruits of our Labor

Picked fresh today! And this was after I gave several away to the neighbors. Don't you wish you lived next door?

Baby Gear 101

When Reese was born we bought a bouncy seat.
WHY?
Because when you have a baby, you are supposed to have a bouncy seat, right? It's on the "list" of items you need when you have a baby: Car seat-check. Stroller-check. Swing-check. Bouncy seat-rush to Walmart.
We went with the fancy pants Fisher Price model, because it has little "sensors under the feet that vibrate to soothe Baby, and are also motion activated so Baby can be entertained with stimulating lights, sounds and music."

And also because we were suckers.

So far, THIS is what all of our babies do in the bouncy seat:
And that's all they do in the cradle swing, the travel swing, the stroller, the pack-n-play, the travel system, the front carrier, the floor gym, and sometimes even the high chair.

3 kids later and I guess all I really needed was a crib.

"It's Getting Hot In Here...take 2"

It is 11pm and STILL 85 degrees inside.
I am officially adding "melted to death" to the "Top 10 Worst Ways to Die" list.

No way was I cooking tonight. No way in Hell...and my house is hot enough that it feels pretty close to Hell temps right now.
We met for a quick dinner at a local pizza place, because Aaron had a home teaching appointment to be at by 7.
I was hot.
the children were hot.
the pizza was hot.
we were very very sweaty.
it was gross.
Nursing a sweaty baby in 100* humid sticky nasty heat is really REALLY gross.
Especially when said baby pukes down your shirt.
Then ALL OVER the restaurant floor (doc says I'm crazy to think my little guy has reflux. I have come to terms that all doctors are rotten evil, and probably live in homes as hot as mine...or are at least headed for one.)
It was a LOT of baby puke. I slid the high chair over a few feet to cover it up and avoid a scene.
Quincy pointed out the baby-spit up puddle to everyone in the restaurant, along with anyone in ANY restaurant sharing an adjacent wall.
We came home to find that the house was now hotter than 10 Hells.
Do you know what happens to children in Hellish heat?
They turn into little Tazmanian Devils.
Horns appear in the foreheads.
Skin turns red with anger as tantrums brew.

I finally told Reese to "Simmer Down Now" then laughed at my own joke.
She did not think it was funny.
Note to self-introduce kids to SNL classics.
Everyone is finally asleep...or perhaps heat stroke has taken over.
HVAC Service Man comes tomorrow.
I'll be sucking on Sonic Ice and calling all of my friends to abuse their pools/air conditioning until then. It's not even supposed to cool off tonight. Ew.

***UPDATE***
A/C man came today.
The capacitor was busted and warped.
$125 and 5 minutes later...COOL AIR! Wahoo!
It has been pumpin' for about 4 hours and we are down to 81* inside.
Sadly, 81* feels wonderful compared to temps earlier today.
We should be at a normal temp within' another hour or two.

I survived.

{Jockey}

Giddeup.

"HOT as a Hairdryer in Your Face, HOT as a Handbag and a Can of Mace..."

Or how about, "It's Geting HOT in Here..."
"I am gettin' so hot, I wanna take my clothes off..."

Current Temp Outside=93 degrees.
Current Humidity Outside=80%
Current Temp INSIDE My House=83 degrees
Current Humidity INSIDE My House=probably 100% since I'm sweatin' so much.

Yep.
The Air Conditioner is BROKEN.
....Why?! Why today? It is SO HOT outside, and I am so very schwetty.

...It does not feel good.

1 Month

He just looks so big in photographs...
The Milk Coma.

"If I keep it open like this long enough, eventually someone is bound to stick some food in there..."
Corbin had his 1 month check-up.
All that round-the-clock eating sure shows!
Corbin weighed in at 10 lbs... what a little chunker! I love it. Reese and Quincy were SO tiny for SO long that I just felt like they might break or something. Corbin is still tiny, but it is so foreign to me to have a baby that is closer to the "normal" range on the growth chart, that he seems enormous! He is still only 21 inches long...we are thinking that most of his weight is in those cheeks. I kiss them at least once every time I pick him up. I can't help it.

Corbin is such a sweet baby. Reese and Quincy love him so much. Just yesterday, I put him on his playmat to look at himself in the mirror. When I looked at him a minute later, he was not in the same place I'd placed him. I asked Reese about it and she replied, "well he had a little bubble and was starting to fuss, so I burped him and he spit up a little, but he's fine now."

???!

"burped him, how?"
She then showed me how she put a burp cloth up on her shoulder, picked Corbin up perfectly supporting his head, held him to her chest exactly the way I do, and patted his back. He burped again!

My little babysitter! I was so proud of her natural mothering instincts. Of course, I also freaked out a little and had to remind her that she must ASK to hold her brother and can't be picking him up when I turn my back...but still, what a good sister!
Having an infant in our house has been the BEST thing for Reese. Corbin brings out the loving, nurturing, thoughtful, side of Reese that we would all love to see more of. Today, she told me "You're the nicer Mommy I've ever seen in the whole world" I wanted to stick that Reese in my laminater and keep her that way forever.

Quincy loves to rock her baby in the swing, and gets mad when we don't rush to his side every time he squeaks, grunts, or basically if he does anything other than sleep. If Quincy does something that makes us laugh (which is often, she is such a tease lately) she will go sit in front of Corbin and repeat what she said or did, just in case he missed out. Luckily, Corbin is still in that "stare into space" phase, Quincy is delighted to have a captive audience.

We just love our little Cheeto. It is so fun having a baby boy in our home!

"I Was Born...To SING For You..."

Some little girls make up cute little songs while they are deeply engaged in a pile of Polly Pockets "getting ready for the ball".
Some little girls sing "Once Upon a Dream" or "Part of Your World".
My little girl sings The Killers.
At least it's something I can stand to listen to.
And the lyrics DO have the word Cinderella and Castle...so it's not that far off.
Right?
She realizes I am recording her after a line or two and starts to get shy.


My kid is awesome.

"Momma's Still Cookin' Too Much For Supper, and Me-I've Been a Long Time Gone..."

Dear Dad (ahem, I mean Elder Lawrence),
I purchased a watermelon yesterday.
I'm still not sure where I went wrong.
I thumped and thumped...just like you do.
Even when I took the first slice, when the "watermelon knife" (yes, of course we have one) made contact with the rind, a noise erupted from the surface that gave me great hope.
It made that perfect "popping" noise that always make you smile and exclaim, "a-HA! It's a good one!"

It wasn't the same.
The flesh was cracked and dry.
The color was an unsatisfactory pink.
The texture wasn't mushy...but close enough to mush-status to be considered "sub par" by my sophisticated palate that has been well trained to discard a watermelon of this caliber.
Wish you were here.

We are so proud of your service to the Lord in bringing His children closer to Christ. We are blessed to have your fine example of selfless sacrifice and love for your maker. Thanks for being my dad. I love being your daughter, I love being the baby...and I love being your favorite even more ;o) I can't wait to introduce you to your newest grandson. I look forward to after your mission, to when you are here to give Corbin his first grape popsicle.
Happy Father's Day!
-Mugs

"Castles In the Sky Sit Stranded..."

Tonight we took the kids on a "Big Adventure".
Quincy loves, and I mean LOVES the Barbie and the Diamond Castle movie, so we went on a quest for a Diamond Castle of our own. The girls were SO excited for the search.
There is a little glass chapel tucked away in the woods about 2 miles from our home. The church has a little trail that goes around it, overlooking a lake (not sure which one, Lake Norwood, maybe? Lake Rayburn?). We went for a walk, enjoyed the luck we have in being able to live in such a beautiful place, and took some pictures.
That is the lake glistening through the trees. Breathtaking (not in a Seinfeld way-but a "WOW, that is beautiful" way.When we got to the chapel, Quincy slapped her hands on her face and said, "Look Daddy!" Reese covered her mouth with her hands with excitement. It IS a beautiful building-a piece of art, really. ...but the reactions on my kids' faces was too funny. You'd think they'd just happened upon Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland.
If only I'd thought ahead to let them wear their princess dresses, the scene would have been complete!

"I Was Born, I Was Born To Be With You..."

I'm sure I brag about how wonderful Aaron is often enough.
But just in case I don't...

He is amazing.
Father of the Year-and I don't mean that in the same way I mean it when I call myself "Mother of the Year"-I mean it like in a good way... GREAT way. He is such a good father.
He is a good example to our children.
He attends tea parties, puts hair into ponies, and plays with Polly Pockets.
He gives big hugs and kisses, and accepts chocolate covered hugs, and sticky, syrupy, and sometimes snot covered kisses back.
He reads them good books.
He teaches our children to have good manners, love, gratitude, and respect for their Mother, and he leads by example.
He is a FUN Daddy.
He works hard and gives us the best he can give.
He loves them and he tells them he loves them.

Happy Father's Day, Aaron! I believe I did well in selecting you to father our children. I am inspired to be a better parent by your optimism, enthusiasm, and steady example of patience every single day. We love you so much and are so grateful and appreciative of everything you do to maintain a spirit of happiness, safety, and contentment in our home.
With Gratitude, Your Family.

"Oh-Oh-Oh The Sweetest Thing!"

I canned my first batch of homemade syrup this weekend!
I was nervous about the canning method, since I had never done it before, it turned out to be much easier than I'd thought it would be. I hope it tastes as good as it looks!

The recipe I used is from the Ball Canning Cookbook:
2 quarts blueberries
6 cups water, divided
1 TBS grated lemon peel
3 cups sugar
2 TBS lemon juice
wash berries and make sure there are no stems left on any of them.
crush berries
combine berries and 2 cups water and lemon peel in medium saucepan. Simmer 5 min.
Strain berries. (check out the cool strainer my down-the-street neighbors Doug and Gloria gave me! They gave it to me and said, "Here, take this, we want jam. Make some" ....will do, Gloria, will do!)
Combine sugar and 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Boil to melt sugar. Add berries and Boil 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice.

Ladle into sterilized pint sized canning jars. Heat canning lids in small saucepan of simmering water until gummy. Wipe edges of the jars with a damp, clean rag. Put lids on and secure with rings. Turn jars upside down and let sit on counter top for about 10 minutes or so. The heat from the syrup will sterilize and help seal the lids.
Turn back over and let cool. Remove rings to wash and reuse. Store on shelves, don't forget to Label, Date, and Rotate your Jars! Enjoy!

Got Pancakes?

"Pack Up Your Babies and Crabby Old Ladies, Cuz Everyone Goes..."

Aaron woke up for work at 4:30 this morning.
Reese and Corbin also woke up at 4:30 this morning.
There was ZERO chance either of them planned on going back to sleep by the time Quincy would be waking up. What to do?
Between being up late with one child, up early with another, and up for 2 middle-of-the-night feedings of another, I have had 12 hours of sleep in the last 3 nights.
Total. In 96 hours.
Not ready to face another morning totally exhausted, I decided to give up on trying to sleep and just get up and get going.
Then, I remembered that some friends of mine (holla!) were going to go pick blueberries at 6am at a farm about 30 minutes from here.
2 out of the 3 kids were up anyway, so we threw on our shoes and headed out the door.
SO MUCH FUN! I had no idea how much the girls would enjoy this activity. It was SO worth getting up with the sun.
I'm going to go check "Blueberries For Sal" out from the library this afternoon!

We picked a gallon of blueberries!

I'm pretty sure I ate a gallon while picking.
I KNOW Quincy ate a gallon while picking.
Reese inspected EVERY berry that went into the bucket to make sure that they were "blue enough" and free of any stems, wrinkles, bugs, etc. (Reese, I'm so sorry you inherited my OCD, someday, I hope you'll turn the curse into a blessing and thank me for it).
This Little Blueberry slept angelically in the stroller the entire time while we filled that bucket to the brim.
A gallon of blueberries + hours of fun for my kids and visiting with my friends= $10.
Bad morning turned wonderful + blue stained fingers and lips=priceless!

...Anyone have a recipe for blueberry syrup?
Wanna teach me how to can blueberry jam?
Call me! If I don't answer it is because all the children are SLEEPING,

...and so am I.

"These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things..."

The Queen Ann's Lace is blooming!
I look forward to this time ALL YEAR long.
It's probably a weed, and full of chiggers, but I don't care.
...because the shoulders of every road in town is peppered with them, and my drive home from anywhere I go looks like this:

I LOVE IT.
Summer is here.
What are YOUR favorite things about Summer?

Who Says....

...that you can't grow anything in Arkansas?
This year, we hope to harvest Green Beans, Jubilee Tomatoes, Big Boy Tomatoes, Zucchini and Yellow Straightneck Squash, Cilantro, Basil, Lime Basil, Green Peppers, Red Peppers, Jalepeno, Chili and Habanero Peppers, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, and Pumpkins.
Only time will tell which survive the storms!
Our garden is flourishing! Tonight we will dine on the first pickin's of the season: steamed yellow squash-yummy! The REAL feasting will be over the next couple of weeks when the tomatoes and peppers are ripe, and the zillions of 3 inch zuchini and straight neck yellow squash are ready to be cut. The girls are so excited to be able to pick the veggies they have spent so much time watering and caring for over the past several weeks.


I'm quite pleased with how well the self-watering containers are working out for us. The plants are much smaller, but they are still producing, so I will definitely use them again. I DO love that they are pretty much ZERO maintenance. No weeding, no remembering to water. I have only refilled them THREE times so far. Really. That's it. It's a shame that the containers are such an eyesore. I do feel all "Green" and earth-friendly-tree-huggery for using recycled products to make them. But I do still shave my armpits and wash my hair and use disposable diapers, so I guess I'm not THAT granola after all.
Tomatoes via Sam's Buttercream Frosting buckets. Oooh! Wouldn't it be a DREAM if you could GROW buttercream frosting?! Talk about self-reliant. I'd never leave home.
What? You don't love the 5 pots of green beans next to my front door look?
Classy, I know.
I'll bet the neighbors are dying at the sight of it, but Oh-OH WAIT-I don't care. There is a pink flamingo in the backyard and I still have a broken window. (it takes 3 weeks for a tempered glass order). I'll bet they won't be complaining when I start delivering the fruits of my labor to their door, either!