An Update, The Short Version

To say the last few days have been hard is an understatement. To say that I'm doing ok seems generic. It is true though, I'm doing ok. A lot has gone through my mind, a lot has gone through my body, and I am still processing everything, both mentally and physically.

The short version (at least as short as a wordy woman in love with run-on sentences can tell it) is this- After spotting last Thursday (Christmas Eve) evening, more on Friday (Christmas Day, and day 3 of the blizzard that moved in on Wednesday), after almost needing to run Dazzle to the ER in the wee hours of Friday morning due to her asthma taking a nasty turn, 5 hrs in the ER & Urgent Care on Saturday as the bleeding continued, laying low with another migraine on Sunday (my recent migraine flare-ups are now making sense as my hormones are going a bit whacky right now), waiting in a back room at the clinic for an hour on Monday before walking out annoyed and asking if I could be seen Tuesday morning instead, I headed home. How's that for a long sentence?

Once home things began to pick up, which ironically, is what I was hoping for at that point. I had been dreading the need for a D&C like I needed after my first miscarriage and turned out to be one of the most miserable experiences of my life, for so many reasons. The bleeding got heavy, the cramping got painful, the miscarriage became very real, no room for questioning or hoping beyond hope. Right about the time I was beginning to get concerned about the amount of blood I was losing, my husband called to tell me his car broke down on the way home from work. Seriously. Not even kidding.

Our brother-in-law went down to rescue him (thanks, Nate!) and help him try to fix it, and ended up bringing him up north and loaning my husband his truck so he could get to work on Tuesday. I ended up not passing out from not losing too much blood and not needing to call an ambulance because my husband wasn't home to drive me and our 16 yr old hasn't had driver's training yet. I did however stay up very late as I was afraid to go to sleep, lest I just up and die right there in my bed. I worry like that.

Things has slowed down by Tuesday morning, and I was getting ready to head to my make-up appointment (remember I walked out the day before?) when we discovered the van (that I drive) was dead. Ka-put. Completely. It was very cold, like 7 degrees, I wasn't up for the 10 mile jog down the highway. (Ok, pretty sure I've never jogged 10 miles anywhere in any temperature.)

I finally made it to an appointment, thanks to a new battery in the van (and my husband's car is still being worked on, or should I say is being worked on again? It died 3 times on the way home from the mechanic's... $400 later...)

I usually see the midwives at the clinic in town, but then, I'm usually having uneventful pregnancies. I was handed off to the OBs, only one of which I'd ever met, so, I met a new doc, and she was lovely and as sweet as can be. We both think that things pretty much took care of themselves (such a weird way to talk about it) on Monday night, and she had me schedule a follow-up ultrasound next week to just make sure everything looks all clear, and then some bloodwork 3 weeks out, just to make sure that my hormone levels all get back to where they should be.

All in all, I'm saddened by the realization that there is no longer a baby due July 20th, and there is no longer a point to wondering how long to wait to let people know I'm pregnant. There is nothing I can do to change that. There is only to carry on, time to put one foot in front of the other and just "do the next thing".

Really, that was the short version! The Lord has been so good to me, to us, I don't know if I can even begin to explain it, I don't even know if I can't understand it all, no, I'm pretty sure I can't, but He has been. It's in His nature. Things have been, or maybe I should say could have been, overwhelming (and I haven't even mentioned how our youngest two have had these croupy coughs that have been sounding rather concerning as well, 3 kids sick, 1 mom sick, and both vehicles dying in one week, sheesh!) but we just keep resting in His goodness.

I'm in full-blown planning for the new year mode, excited to share some of our plans with you soon! Much of my down time has been spent focusing on the future, one day at a time, something I was planning on using this holiday vacation time for, regardless of all of the issues that have arisen...

In closing, I do want to say a heart-felt thank you for those that expressed concern and/or sent up prayers on my behalf, and for those that have shared their own story of grief & loss- it's not something I ever wanted to have in common with any woman, but it sure is something that I'm glad I'm not alone in. Thank you all, and thanks be to God, my comforter, my shield, my rock, my friend.

Multitude Monday 151-175

151. the loving embrace of a husband sharing a moment of grief
152. the assurance that "He heals the broken in heart, he bindeth up their wounds"
153. Hershey Kisses to share with my children
154. 'smooth dark chocolate with real coffee' to share with my husband
155. time to myself to think
156. time to myself to cry
157. time to myself to pray
158. a house full of children to return to
159. a cozy bed to curl up in
160. another asthma flare-up settling down
161. the two youngest's croupy coughs settling down as well
162. leftover turkey for many a sandwich
163. Mr. Extraordinary taking care of the turkey roasting while I was at Urgent Care
164. a mound of creamy mashed potatoes
165. children who usually eat all of their vegetables
166. candy canes for a seasonal special treat
167. sticky kisses after a candy cane
168. another cup of cocoa
169. Vivaldi's Concerto in G minor for 2 Cellos
170. listening to good music on my phone while waiting...
171. the beauty of fresh white snow
172. rosy cheeks on children after playing in snow
173. clearance priced sweet wooden toys
174. an impromptu meetup with both of my sisters
175. finding a favorite coffee on sale

A Sad Weekend

It's been a sad holiday weekend here. After some spotting and then more bleeding, it was confirmed yesterday that I am in the process of miscarrying twins. I have a heavy heart, but I do know that "He heals the broken in heart, he bindeth up their wounds" Psalm 147:3. It's going to be ok, we're going to be ok, I'm going to be ok, even though right now I'm just so very sad.

I do have 7 absolutely incredible blessings to keep my mind very, very occupied through this time. I am so thankful for them as I am reminded what gifts they truly are. May I never take a single one of them for granted.

And A Little Croup to Boot

As long as the asthma's flaring up, why not make it interesting and throw in a little croup? That's what the triage nurse thinks is happening here, after describing, and yes, imitating the sounds that I was hearing through the stethoscope placed on Dazzle's back this morning. While she does have some typical squeaks and high pitched wheezes, a lot of what I was hearing this morning was a different noise, known as stridor, which is indicative of an upper airway obstruction, something along the lines of croup.

Hoping to avoid oral steroids, which I commonly refer to as "the big guns", we're upping her pulmicort to 4 times a day. As she doesn't have a fever, she is probably not developing a pneumonia, at least at this point, though we were urged, as usual, to head on in if she spikes a fever. I know that. They know I know that. They still have to say that.

So the plan is to keep up with the nebs 4 times a day, more often if needed, with both albuterol and pulmicort, for 5 days, and then ease back if she seems to be over it. If it does the trick, then, yay! No oral steroids! Have I mentioned how I don't like putting my babies on oral steroids? Yep, I thought so.

What else is going on around here? (What? You mean life doesn't come to a stand-still when one of our children is sick?) Well, regular schooling is in light mode this week, and next. We may not actually celebrate Christmas ourselves, (uncommon, I know) but with friends, family, & Daddy! having several days off of work, there will be some fun visiting going on, just because we can. We've been doing some rearranging (our bedroom!!) and cleaning (our bedroom!) and there are some pictures to hang and maybe even a little painting to be done soon and very soon!

I'll be using this week and next to plan and plot out the rest of our homeschooling year, and to revamp our daily checklists and schedules, for they are always changing- does that make them living, breathing, documents? Just curious. I may also tackle a new monthly menu and accompanying grocery list, inventory the pantry and freezer, and some more baking. Yep, I just started salivating at the thought of my favorite cookies, there should definitely be some more baking.

Asthma Again

Dazzle started to cough a bit Saturday morning. That cough. Not the little tickle in the throat cough that comes with a bit of a 'common cold' or a touch of hayfever. She started coughing the cough of another asthma flare-up. It began mild and infrequent, yet she got a neb treatment with albuterol, rather than a quick puff on the inhaler. I just knew. Sure enough, she continued to cough over the course of the afternoon, and the cough grew rather reminiscent of the times she has developed pneumonia in a matter of hours. The nebs came every 2 hrs and pulmicort was added before bed, and again Sunday morning (and will be added morning and evening until this flare-up is good and passed).

We stayed home from church Sunday morning. Her O2 level had dropped down to around 89-91% in the night, but came up to a nice 96-97% after a neb, so she was able to avoid a hospital visit*. She perked up a bit through the afternoon, even tolerating 3-4 hrs between nebs, so I'm hoping we caught this one in time and the frequent nebs have kept the airways open enough for her to cough it up and out and keep things clear. I've actually lost track of how many times she's developed pneumonia, crazy, huh?

*below 92% means in the hospital on oxygen for her...

Her overnight O2 didn't seem to dip as low, when she came down this morning and we checked first thing, she was at 94%, so she seemed to have had a much better night than the previous one, though she told me that she had woken up coughing and then heard herself wheezing in the night. I reminded her to please come down and tell me when she's wheezing in the night, so she can use the inhaler or get a neb treatment in the night. I don't dare just leave the inhaler in her room for her to grab when she needs it, as she shares the room with her 8 yr old and 4 yr old sisters, the 4 yr old obviously more of a concern. She's a curious one, and a quiet sneaky one at times, and I just cannot bring myself to leave strong meds around where she could get into them. Dazzle just needs to learn to come down and get meds when she needs them. The coughing I can hear sometimes (I am a very heavy sleeper, but you know how you just wake up when the baby cries or a kid is sick...?) but the quiet wheezing at night, it scares me that I cannot hear that.

She's playing pretty normally today, though she continues to cough. At least her energy levels seem good. If she is developing another pneumonia, it looks like a mild case. I'm hoping and praying that keeping up with frequent meds another few days will keep this one at bay and that we can make it through without any doctor visits this week or next.

Here's hoping the rest of the week only gets better!

Oh, and PS- my husband and I met the MckFamily last Friday night! They don't live very far from us and they opened their beautiful home for a lovely party. I just have to say that they are genuinely warm and open people and their children are just as special and cute up close and in person! Thanks again, Jennifer and Isreal!

When 9 Degrees Feels Pretty Good

Yesterday's high was supposed to be 3 degrees. At least they meant 3 degrees above zero, it's rare, but we do get some of those days when the temperature never does make it up to zero... I don't know what it actually got to, but any low single digit is just cold, and today's 9 degrees, that's almost double digits, felt quite comfortable, well, ok, I didn't go for any walks today, but dashing in and out of the grocery store wasn't even painful.

Maybe I'm still numb from yesterday, as we did venture out in the bitter cold and dry air, to make it to our last homeschool co-op day of the year. This was the 1st time our older children, or any of our children for that matter, participated in a white elephant gift exchange. That was interesting. I tried to explain the concept to them, and they just didn't seem to believe me that the ridiculous ruled in this play. They understand now. One lucky child was the recipient of a Belly Button Cleaner (note card with a little ball of fluffy yarn , yeah, nice), and another received a 2-pack of AA batteries ("toy not included" was written in the card). There were bags of toy soldiers, footy pajamas, giant plastic scissors, and who knows what else. Good times. And no, we were not the bringers of the Belly Button Cleaner- just wanted to make that clear.

I've been carrying inhalers and epi-pens (we've never had to use our epi-pens, but we've come close, and after September's episodes, well, I don't want to be caught unprepared), watching and listening to breathing, and while there are some runny noses around here, there has been NO wheezing through this arctic blast- praise the Lord! I even let Dazzle and Sparkler out back with the rest of them this afternoon for some trying out of the thrifted cross-country skis. Yes, they're going downhill, but it's not steep enough to gain any speed, which is a bummer when they're sledding, as it has to be really slippery snow to get zooming on the sleds out back, but it works out nice with newbie skiers. Yes, I know that was a long sentence. Yes, I love long sentences. Yes, I speak like this in real life too. No, I don't start every sentence with yes.

Just think, our children could have been stuck in a classroom, working on some worksheets, practicing walking single-file and waiting in line, and learning that they evolved from primordial ooze. Instead they read some books, played some violins, had some deep discussions, and got out in the sunshine and fresh air, arctic air though it was. We may have some long & hard days on this homeschooling journey, but I wouldn't trade this for the world.

Now, if we could just get some more snow, and a few more degrees to give it some moist stickiness, then we could get our yearly snowmen made, maybe a snow fort or too, and then spring could come, in my opinion. Of course, this is the Frozen Tundra, and it is only the middle of December, and we all know that spring is a long way off...

In the meantime we'll be eating quite a few bowls of chili and plenty of hot cider and cocoa, carefully!

Multitude Monday 101-150

101. freshly fallen snow
102. a husband safely arriving at work on a slick-roads kind of day
103. time to make cookies
104. the aroma of cookies baking
105. the taste and feel of a warm freshly-baked cookie
106. eating all of the duds right away
107. another cup of coffee to wash another cookie down
108. little hands reaching for "one more, please?"
109. a clean kitchen after cookie-making
110. time to write out a grocery list
111. a husband who will stop for a few things on the way home
112. the silly songs a 4 yr old sings
113. a danish in the morning
114. a fridge full of honey wheat bagels
115. bags of fresh juicy oranges
116. plump grapefruits as well
117. old cookie press for making the old favorite Spritz
118. an easy frozen food supper now and then
119. sale prices on frozen turkeys
120. $0.99 butter, even if there is a limit of 2
121. remembering to use the cranberries before they go bad
122. late evening urges to bake more
123. cranberry orange bread for tomorrow's breakfast
124. another child mastering counting by tens
125. a child looking up and learning a new word
126. white elephant gifts
127. the wonder and excitement of children cracking codes with their Caesar Cipher Wheel
128. soft 1-ply yarn
129. a scarf growing as I knit
130. time for knitting while sweet breads are baking
131. tiny wire hangers for tiny hand knit sweaters for winter decorations
132. soothing piano playing my favorite hymns
133. a quiet home full of sleeping healthy children
134. 2 months with no asthma episodes
135. flashcards with more first words
136. 3D Paper Snowflakes and children eager to make more
137. big fluffy puffy down-like comforter
138. a wonderful gifted new-to-us coffee maker
139. taste tests with the new machine
140. cheese & crackers, shared with my husband
141. a husband who doesn't mind if the floor didn't get vacuumed today, again...
142. alarm clocks
143. snooze buttons
144. newly turned 3 yr old waking early and coming downstairs quietly to wake up Mommy with her sweet "good morning"smile
145. smelling the fresh orange zest, an hour later, aaahhhh...
146. capturing pictures of baby and Daddy playing with new computer gizmo
147. children excited for home school co-op tomorrow
148. like minded friends
149. being able to stay home when the weather outside is frightful
150. a fire that's so delightful

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Winter

It's about time. Really. I mean, I'm not even a fan of winter, oh yes, it's pretty and all, I'd even say beautiful right after a snowfall, but I don't like being cold, not one little bit. Ever since that time, way back when, that I spun across 3 lanes of 35W in freezing rain, only to be hit by an oncoming car, right at my driver's side door (at least it wasn't the dock truck that hit me, he swerved and missed), leaving me stunned but uninjured and able to drive home, well, ever since then, I'm not a fan of winter driving either. Seeing as I was 18 and I didn't get my license until I was 17, I've pretty much never liked driving in a Minnesota winter. I do it, every year, but I don't like it.

My winter issues aside, it really doesn't seem quite worth it to live in Minnesota and have a year like this. The middle of December and our first real snow? First lasting cold snap? There was that frozen apple weekend, but then it's been beautiful, sunny days even, most of the time since. I had one child that needed new boots, and we didn't get them until this week. A couple more weeks and we probably could have found them on clearance. Oh, and I just bought an ice scraper for my windshield, in mid-December, because I haven't needed one yet!

Well, winter may have finally hit outdoors, but it was time it hit indoors as well! Move over autumn decorations (my favorite!), it's time to bring on the Winter Wonderland at the Ordinary home!

These 3D Paper Snowflakes are so much fun to make. Our 4 yr old was able to make some of the parts, with guidance, and the 6, wait, she's 7 now, 8, & 10 yr olds couldn't get enough. Our precious little 2, wait 3 year old, these recent birthdays haven't fully sunken in, played with extra paper and some decorative scissors and pretended to make some flowers...

They're easy fun, seriously, they're not nearly as complicated as they look, and there's essentially no mess, unlike the confetti-fest you have to vacuum up after when making traditional paper snowflakes. Trust me, if you're making more than one snowflake, that difference is a big difference.

If you can't get through this season without cutting tiny bits and pieces for a traditional snowflake, try this virtual snowflake maker- you'll love it. Seriously.

A Close Call With Hot Cider

Safety is of the Lord (Proverbs 21:31) I truly believe that. While I don't understand* why the Lord allows some of the things that he does, I do believe that the safety of my family, safety that I too often take for granted, is truly of the Lord. Accidents happen, we've had a few, 2 children with some stitches, one with a broken toe, and more falls, bumps, scrapes, and bruises than any of us can count, but we've been fortunate enough (blessed enough!) to have not had anything serious.

*I don't have to understand it all, I could never understand it all, that's part of faith.

With 7 children in our Ordinary family, statistically speaking, we have a greater likelihood than the average 2.5 household to have about any sort of accident, or illness for that matter. There are just more bones to break, more lips to split, and more germs to spread, in our home.

That being said, last night we had our 1st scalding. Praise the Lord, it was very minor, and could have been much worse.

This being the Freezing Time in the Frozen Tundra, warm beverages are a common drink of choice around here, last night being no exception. A big pot of apple cider, loaded with cinnamon sticks, was not only filling our main floor with a wonderful aroma, it was filling our bodies with warmth & goodness. Daddy had just filled another cup for 4 yr old Hope, and she had just set it down on the table to cool for a bit. She walked away and Baby J, currently 13 months old, walked right on over and reached for it.

I was sitting about 10 feet away, saw the reach and sprang out of my chair, reaching straight for him, while semi-calmly saying "No touch!", but he was determined and down it came, fresh off the stove hot apple cider, splashing the left side of his face and chest. I peeled his shirt off so fast it was almost simultaneous with the splashing, picked him up and headed straight for the kitchen sink, grabbed the hand towel, quickly soaked it with cold water, and applied the cold wet towel to the pink blotches developing on his shoulder and chest, not noticing right away the blotch of pink on his left cheek.

The initial shock from the heat wore off fairly fast and he was soon more irritated with my trying to hold a cold wet towel on his bare chest and shoulder, which stayed pink for a while, but showed no signs of blistering- thank the Lord! With no blistering, we quickly determined that it was, at worst, a very mild 1st degree burn, emphasis on very mild. The pink on his chest and shoulder faded over the next hour or two, while the blotch on his cheek became more obvious. Being overlooked in the immediate response, it didn't have the cold applied right away, and must have stayed hotter longer, though it also showed no signs of blistering, and was starting to fade by the time he was put down to sleep for the night. It was pretty completely faded by morning- again, thank the Lord. It could have been so much worse.

When Googling (yes, I do believe to Google is a verb) burns and children, we learned that scalding is bay far the most common type of burn on young ones. Doesn't surprise me one bit. What does surprise me, is that in this coffee loving, tea drinking, cider & cocoa consuming family of 9, this was our first scalding. Seriously, my husband and I have been devoted coffee drinkers for years. I make up big batches of bulk cocoa mix that is enjoyed most every Freezing Time in the Frozen Tundra day around here. With all of the hot drinks and all of the little hands in close proximity over the years, it's rather amazing that no hot liquids have landed on little people over the years.

I'm still just so thankful that yesterday's accident wasn't worse. I went to sleep thanking the Lord for our sweet Baby J, for his incredible smile, and for his safety- which is truly, of the Lord.

Enjoy your children, and enjoy your warm drinks this cold season, just watch where you set them and whose hands can reach them!

A Far From Wordless Wednesday

Ok, been a bit busy and a tad drained, ready to jump back in with both feet- back into a whole lotta life and a bit of blogging to boot.

I just have to start off by saying that, although Mn/DOT was reporting some 600 accidents in the Frozen Tundra alone, we were not among them. I paced part of my morning away, secretly hoping our violin teacher would call to let us know he wouldn't be heading to his northern lesson location due to some very bad roads. He didn't call, he's bound and determined, and kind of like the post office when it comes to weather events. Not wanting to be the wimp that I know I truly am, I managed to get the troops bundled, packed into the van, and a few towns over on time even. Impressive, I know. The roads weren't as bad up here as the reports of a few miles south, but they were bad enough in town to feel the anti-lock braking system show us what it's made of. We made it there, we made it back, and I'll be hunkering down drinking hot cider for a while, thank you very much.

Asthma & Pulmonologist Appointment Update:

The girls are doing peachy! Grace (just turned 7) did better than well on her PFT (pulmonary function test), pushing more air and faster than an average 7 yr old of her height and weight, which means that her asthma is under control. After she took "a puff" of albuterol (a bronchodilator) her numbers remained essentially unchanged. If she had shown significant improvement, that would've meant her asthma wasn't under control when she walked in the door, follow?

This was excellent for more reasons than one. It was and is excellent because our darling needs to breathe, and breathe well, but more than that, it is excellent because they didn't have a need to pressure us into putting her (and her sister) on more maintenance meds day in and day out for the chance that she might have a flare-up every couple months. I was not comfortable with the level of daily medicating their initial doctor had wanted to see, combine that with the very uncomfortable feeling that I got as she asked about our homeschooling, sized up my children and said "I guess they're doing okay, they seem happy."

I wish there was a way I could convey the tone in her voice, and the looking down her turned up nose way in which she watched my 4 girls play in her office. It was weird, and I decided I was done seeing her, and by proxy, the girls were done seeing her too. Not all people are going to agree, I know that. Not all people are fond of homeschooling and/or our right to do such a thing, I get that. To each their own, but we don't have to keep seeing someone who so obviously disagrees with a very important lifestyle choice of ours, when there are so many other doctors in their practice who seem so very homeschool friendly, or who at the very least are not so condescending. Sheesh, enough complaining.

We saw one of the docs that we met when the girls were in the PICU at St. Paul Children's a couple months back (time flies when you're having fun, eh?). He was fabulous with the girls and he handled things so well when 4 yr old Hope tried to melt into the corner. She had been terrified ever since I mentioned last Friday that we had an appointment with the doctors down by Children's on Monday... she immediately started crying, and when Hope starts crying, it takes her a while to regain some sort of composure. She had the weekend to recoup, and then it started all over again the minute Dr. P pulled out a stethoscope and started listening to Grace's breathing. It took some convincing, but she eventually consented and got a good report herself. We don't need to go back until spring allergy season, at which time she'll be 5 and able to try her first PFT.

It was cold on Monday, but not single digit cold (I think it was in the low 20s). I'm glad we got our appointment in before this winter storm moved in. I most definitely would not have enjoyed the trip down today, and I most certainly would not have walked several city blocks with 3 young girls (I brought just turned 3 yr old Mercy with as well, to make it easier on the babysitter) to stop at a St. Paul landmark pizzeria for some afternoon food and fun and almost 1 on 1 time with my children.

3 to 1 is better than 7 to 1. It just is, and it's cheaper, at least it would've been if I would've stuck to buying pizza. Cosetta's may have some of the best pizza in town, some of the biggest slices around, and even serve some great baklava, but unless you've got plenty to spend, I'd suggest getting some ice waters to wash it all down. Let's just say that I'm glad I only ordered 2 chocolate milks for the girls to share, and a can of Coke for myself, a can, nothing special. After getting our food and managing to get the girls up the many stairs to the upper level seating, and after managing to find a table, get settled in (coats off), and remind the girls not to touch the little oil candle that was lit right there on our table, my math mind kicked into gear and I started to wonder how our total had ended up $8 more than the price of our pizza, with 3 little drinks. I pulled out the receipt for a closer inspection, and was slightly shocked to see $5.70 for the 2 chocolate milks, and $1.55 for my can of Coke. Seriously?! I just paid $1.55 for a can of Coke?! Whatever, eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we starve, or something like that. I wasn't exactly thrilled about the $2.85 a piece for the chocolate milks either, but that's what I get for ordering without reading the fine print. Oh, well, special occasion, right?

It was special, the girls loved it- the restaurant, the walk in the big city, the people watching, and the Bing Crosby singing his ever so loverly and mellow White Christmas piped in nice and loud, causing Gracie to sigh a big silly sigh and exclaim "this must be a place where people go to get in love." and then start smooching the air around her. Good times.

Our girls can eat, but they were no match for those slices of pizza. Hope came the closest to finishing, but in the end there were 3 partial pieces for leftovers. Who doesn't like leftover pizza?! If for some reason you don't like leftover pizza, first- shame on you! second- I'll have yours, there, problem solved. Ok, maybe I'll arm-wrestle my teenager for it.

So, to make a long story short, the girls are doing great, Cosetta's is a Twin Cities must, and so is knowing the drink prices before you order...

Guess whose piece this is?

I just watched the temp on my little digital weather station thingie go from 7.9 to 7.7 and back to 7.9, I'm guessing there was a cold gust of wind? At any rate, it's below 8 degrees outside and not scheduled to get any warmer for a while. I'm thankful for the 68 degrees in my house, for the wood burning furnace that keeps us cozy, for the husband who installed it, and for the teenage son who keeps the fire going these days!

Big pots of soup, hot cider and cocoa, and warm cozy sweaters abound in the Ordinary home- how are you staying warm this week?

Brrr... It's Cold Out

Well, it's finally arrived, winter that is. Weather.com says it's a balmy 10 degrees outside our doors. Most who know me, know that I am a certifiable cold wimp, and one fo those mother's who will send her children off to don another sweater "because I'm cold". And yet, today would be the day that I scheduled the girls' follow-up visit with the pulmonologist down at Children's Respiratory & Critical Care Specialists, that's a mouthful.

The homeschooling life is busy. Life in a big family is busy. Life in a big homeschooling family is always busy and then add in the visits to various doctors for girls with asthma and allergies (and a Mother with allergies and migraines, sigh) and it seems that I am always trying to get back into the swing of things, back to a routine. It seems that way because it is that way. We're used to it, it is what it is, rolling with the punches and all that.

So, anyway, today, with an expected high temp of 21, I'll be wandering te streets of St. Paul with 3 young girls (nope, not taking everyone today, not in this season) and plenty of kleenex. I was hoping for a crystal clear totally healthy not a thing to worry about kind of appointment, but another head cold has hit our house and the snot is flowing freely- we're hoping and praying that the colds do not set off any asthma symptoms, especially not today.

After today's appointments & errands, our week fills up fast with 4H and violin lessons, and a winter storm to boot. Fun, fun. Hopefully, we can find some time for some math, some reading, and maybe a little history and science thrown in, and dishes and laundry, there are always more dishes to be washed and more laundry to be washed, dryed, folded, and put away. Oh, the laundry... Good thing my older children are becoming such capable little people- there is a good chance that all of the laundry will be done by thetime I get home. Put away even. What a blessing.

Time to get the bag ready and make sure to-do lists are up, then it's off to "the big city" for the day. Will try to update tonight or tomorrow. Have a wonderful Monday everyone!

Enjoy your children!

Wordless Wednesday