Yoga Day 4

          Since it's Saturday, I got the privilege of trying to do a Yoga workout with 5 kids in the house... fun stuff that. Luck for me, 2 of the 5 take a nap at 10:30, so after ensuring they were truly asleep, I told Tortoise, Elephant, and Zebra they could try to do Yoga with me if they wanted to stay in the back of the living room and away from the rug and my Yoga Mat - that way there's no chance of me accidentally hurting one of them. They were super enthusiastic at first! As I went to get changed into workout clothes, Elephant kept asking "Are we gonna go Hoga now?" LOL "yes, Elephant, we will do Yoga when I get changed." 
           They were singing a different tune about 10 minutes into the 70 min Vinyasa Yoga Workout! *evil grin* For starters not a single one of them could hold the Downward Dog Pose for more than a few seconds, and kept falling over with each Lunge... so they were constantly readjusting themselves behind me while I moved from Downward Dog  to Vinyasa to Lunge To Warrior Poses . It was hilarious! I wish I had pictures! Alas I was interested in my workout, so no pics today... maybe I'll take a video of it tomorrow, if they *laugh* still want to try.

          15 mins into the workout, only Tortoise and Elephant were still even partly making an attempt, while Zebra sat back and stared at all of us with a look in her eye like "You guys are stupid, why did I even want to try that anyway?!" Tortoise quit after another 5 min, and Elephant hung in doing nothing but 
Upward Facing Dog and Child's Pose for another 10, then he fell out too. They were great supporters though when the workout moved to Triangle Tree  and the various Squatting poses such as these   Tortoise particularly thought the Happy Baby Pose: was hilarious :) SO All-in-all it was a great (full!!) workout today and the kids had fun too!!

Chores

             I'm a little ashamed to admit I skipped Yoga for day 3... I did think about it... a lot... but every time I got up to actually DO it, my Sciatic Nerve in my right hip screamed SIT DOWN YOU IDIOT, so I gave in and skipped the day. :/ 

              Instead I spent the morning finishing Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire on my Kindle then we went to town after picking up Zebra from school and got groceries and new shoes for Tortoise and Elephant (THANKS Mom and Dad!!). Tortoise's shoes turned out to be too small, so I will exchange them for a size Youth 4 (!!) Monday. Elephant's Youth Size 1s were prefect... when did they get so BIG? *sigh* Zebra will be 5 on Friday... wow. anyway!! 

              After Kindle, Grocery and shoe shopping, and picking up Tortoise and Elephant from school on the way home (they were elated not to ride the bus); we cleaned up and Tortoise got to make Mac and Cheese for Dinner (mostly by herself!!). She boiled the water and cooked the shells, drained the shells and stirred the cheese in! All *I* had to do was to remind her to keep checking the pasta (she tends to forget what she's doing) and cut the Velveeta to put in the pot with the cooked pasta to melt. T ever stirred it in and served it!! I'm ever so proud! She's growing up too fast (sometimes it seems not fast enough, but mostly I'm amazed at the amount of help she is in the home, and she complains very little considering most of her friends at school don't even have chores! -- really, not kidding!!). All of my kids - beginning at age 5 - have chores (I define Chore as something done over and above picking up toys in the common rooms of the house). Can't imagine this household running anywhere resembling smoothly without them picking up after themselves - crazy that T's friends (at 9 and 10 years old) aren't required to so much as pick up their own toys.

            Just in case you think I've enslaved my kids LOL, here's a list of their current chores - all children - regardless of age - are required to help to pick up toys in the common areas of the house:

             Tortoise - Fold Kids' Clothing, Put away hers and Vixen's folded clothes, Load and start dishwasher, sweep, Keep Girl's Room clean, & help with keeping Playroom clean

            Elephant - Put away folded clothes - and help little brother as well, Vacuum Living room rug 1x/week, unload clean dishes from dishwasher - with help for large or fragile things, keep Boy's Room clean & help with keeping Playroom clean

            Zebra - Put away folded clothes, help to keep Girl's and Play Room clean 

            Monkey - put away folded clothes, help keep Boy's and Play Room clean 

            Vixen - try to stay out of the way and NOT undo the chores of others - trust me this is a BIG chore for Little Vixen

           So that's it on the subject of chores... we won't get into what *I* do, as that seems silly, and redundant cause anyone who's a Mom can figure that out pretty easily: meaning if it ain't listed above it's all me. :) 

PreNatal Yoga Day 2

Well, the second PreNatal Yoga DVD was very disappointing. It consisted entirely of still poses with no flow from one pose to the next, and left me feeling stretched but NOT exercised... SO, after an hour of that boring lunacy (The one shining part of the "workout" was an extended Kegel Exercise section) I moved on and did ANOTHER 30 min of Vinyasa Yoga.
         Maybe I ought not to have done that. :) I discovered halfway through the 30 min program that I was tired, and could not complete some of the poses properly. So, maybe that other DVD wasn't a complete waste of time after all. I had intended that it be used as a "light" exercise day with 1-2 miles of walking after. Instead of following through on my plan, I jumped right in to overdoing it. That is so ME. *sigh* I did not get to the walk yesterday, due to being overworked with the Regular Yoga followed up with 30 min of Vinyasa.
           90 minuted of exercise yesterday, and my back is still quite sore today. Of course, when Lion got home, I also did a small amount of his P90X Yoga Program with him too.. very small mind you, but still. Half of his "YOGA X" (P90X Yoga) is Vinyasa Yoga (with constant movement - flowing from one pose to the next with little to no break between) and the other half was the more traditional "still" Yoga poses. He did NOT seem to enjoy the Vinyasa, while I have decided I do NOT enjoy the traditional "still" Yoga. To each their own I guess. So today, I plan on doing a 45 min Vinyasa Yoga Program to even out the work from yesterday, and get back to my regularly scheduled Plan tomorrow with the Traditional Yoga and a nice long walk with my Boxer Puppy. We'll see if I can stop myself from overdoing it again.
           On a side note: YAY ME! I've been drinking the proper amount of water for a whole week now!! -- funny thing that the dizziness has receded quite a bit, I was a tad worried trying to complete Yoga with the low blood pressure and dizziness issues I had had prior. But Stork informed my on my last PreNatal Visit that dehydration might have been my major problem and while low blood pressure is quite normal for this stage of pregnancy, the dizziness might be somewhat alleviated by drinking LOTS more water. Of course, she was right!!

PreNatal Vinyasa Yoga Day 1

WOW I had no idea how intense yoga could be!! And *silly me* I thought I would be all relaxed and calm when the "workout" (I put that in quotes because while I was intending to use it as a form of exercise I never once thought it would getting me sweating) was over. Man was I wrong! While I wasn't pushing myself to the limit - like dear hubby Lion on P90X - I did work up a good sweat and pushed my pregger body into positions I didn't even know it was capable of. And never once did I feel like baby Koala was in danger, as all the positions were shown with modifications for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Trimester. I ended up doing a lot of them in 1st trimester (at the beginning of the workout), a few in 2nd (around the middle of the workout), and (at the end) ALL in 3rd Trimester modification. Which is great, cause I AM 3rd trimester!! 27 weeks- another 11 to go (as 5 out of 5 full-term pregnancies were delivered right at 38 weeks). So In the next 11 weeks it will be my goal to alternate this Vinyasa Yoga workout with a more relaxed Pre-Natal Yoga workout (on the days I do the less intense of the 2, I will walk 1-2 miles). That way every day my body is used to physical activity. :) 
          After 1 hour of Vinyasa (a form of Yoga where you "Flow" from one pose to the next with no breaks in between- the Amazon.com user reviews showed that it was a more extreme type of Yoga that "beginners" like me should probably avoid-- but, of course, I wasn't gonna listen to THEM, and bought it anyway -- good thing too cause it was great!)  where was I? OH! After 1 hour of this: I KNOW these are tiny, so If you're really interested, click on the link

I feel that every muscle in my body has been stretched and PUSHED to it's limit without actually pushing ME to MY limit - leaving me feeling limber and slightly sore all over... my back, shoulders, legs, and arms especially (like that leaves much else!). Not so sore that I wanted to take a nap mind you, but with the relaxation thing at the end, I think that was the objective (some campy breathing exercise where you lay down with your eyes closed, listening to the narrator telling you to breath deeply while imagining your whole body relaxing... yuck). I just skipped that part and took a shower instead. :) I KNOW how to breath for Labor, so that was completely wasted on lil-ol-me. I am excited to try the partner exercises with Lion maybe this weekend, and will give the other (according to the reviews - less strenuous) PreNatal Yoga tomorrow with a nice long walk after. Again, my goal is NOT losing weight, but having a more toned, physically fit, me would be awesome! 

I Guess I'm Just Not That kind of Girl

           3 days ago, I spent some time prettying up my fingernails. I had purchased white and clear nail polish for the proposed French Mani that was supposed to make me feel so pretty and girly. *sigh* It did! for less than 24 hours anyway!! Then I cleaned out my very messy van, and had to take apart a large portion of my dashboard in order to clean out the AC unit, and lo-and-behold I chipped 2 nails and messed up the polish on 3 others. Geez. I guess I'm not the French Mani kind of girl. 
            Oh well. I AM the kind of girl that will take apart her dashboard in order to fix a problem! Didn't know I was that kind of girl until the moment that it became necessary. I am the kind of girl that will unclog a toilet, fix electrical wiring, install a ceiling fan, paint walls, sew a dress, bake a cake, cook breakfast lunch and dinner from scratch, design a floor plan for a home or addition, plant a tree, pick up puppy poop in the yard, pull weeds, push the kids on the swings, "forget" to do the dishes, actually DO the dishes, and a million other things... SO I guess I'm OK not being the French Mani Kind of Girl. :) 

Exercise!!

       Starting Monday Lion  is starting P90X, a 90 day workout and nutrition program, with the express intention of loosing weight and getting fit. I will be completing the nutrition portion of the program with/for him while I begin a PreNatal Yoga Program (seeing as how I'm 26 weeks preggers and there's no way on God's Green Earth I'm gonna try P90X!!). 
       The nutritional plan side of the P90X Program is intense! and requires that I make all his (our since I've decided to do it with him) meals and snacks in advance so that he can take them to school/work with him and stay within the diet guidelines. This will be a pain, but is well worth it if he can get to a healthy weight (and me too after little Koala makes her appearance). I AM a bit worried that it will be too much for him, what with Full Time School, Full Time Work, a wife and 5 kids!! But I'm willing to do my part to help - I'll cook the meals and make sure he takes them with him, I'll keep track of his nutritional info on the spreadsheet he has provided me, I'll even get up super early with him and watch the workouts if it'll help. And while he's off at school/work, I'LL start my Pre-Natal yoga program with Complete Prenatal Vinyasa Yoga & Short Forms - 

and on alternate days PreNatal Yoga with Shiva Rea. 

MY intention is not to lose weight, but to get my body more prepared for the delivery - not that I'm worried as the last 5 deliveries were not complicated and I have never received medication. However, I'd like to be in better physical condition, pregnant or not! It's downright crazy that grocery shopping exhausts me. Even if I have a cranky nearly 2 year old and a hyper 3 year old with me, I still shouldn't get home and only want to go to sleep.
             Just in case Stork is reading this: I am currently keeping a pitcher of water in the fridge so that I know how much water I have drank during the day - I refill my cup every time I get up, so I'm FINALLY drinking enough water. AND the P90X Diet should help with the weight loss. -- for those of you out of the loop, I have yet to gain weight this pregnancy. 26 weeks in and I'm DOWN 5 pounds, and throwing ketones. Stork told me (lectured a bit really - but obviously I needed the lecture) that I wasn't drinking NEAR enough water. She said that losing weight during the pregnancy when I'm already so overweight isn't really a problem, but not drinking enough water could be the major cause of the high ketone levels and maybe my low blood pressure - thus the reason I'm so dizzy. If I were a healthy weight going in, or underweight, then not gaining could be a bad sign. And she and I have discussed MANY times in previous pregnancies the importance of exercise, so I doubt that she'll object to my current plan. Especially since I've spent the last few days researching the best program and ensuring that it's safe for my overweight pregger self. :) Both Yoga programs are specifically designed by Yoga experts and pregnant women, and the more intense of the two was designed and is instructed by a practicing doula. 
            So here's to losing weight and getting healthy!!!  HOO-RAH

Giggle's Zoo Concert

I apologize that it took 4 different videos, but I was using my cell phone, 

and it would only allow 60 seconds per recording... 

I have NO idea what happened to the sound... :-(

Rest in Peace - Our Fallen Citizens and Our Fallen Military Men and Women

       Today we remember the horrors of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001. Nine years ago today 2,922 civilian men and women (excluding the 19 hijackers) and 55 military men and women in the Pentagon were killed in dastardly attacks on our way of life. Since then 4,749 US service men and women have been killed in the line of duty (in Iraq and Afghanistan) protecting us from further attacks. God Bless our Fighting Men and Women, and their families on this day, as on all days... and may we always remember that:

It's the Military, 

not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press.

It's the Military, 

not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.

It's the Military, 

not the politicians that ensures our right to life, 

liberty, 

and the pursuit of happiness.

It's the Military 

who salutes the flag, 

who serves beneath the flag, 

and whose coffin is draped by the flag.

Be who you are and say wat you feel, for those who mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind. - Dr Seuss

I received an email for the umpteenth time yesterday, but the poem therein always makes me think about the people I have left behind, and the ones I have yet to meet:

There comes a point in life when you realize 

Who matters, 

Who never did, 

Who won't anymore, 

and Who always will. 

So, don't worry about people from your past. 

There's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.

     I have spent a considerable amount of time the last month thinking about friendships: why they work, why they don't, why some friendships don't last, and some do. Why, for the the most part, most of my friends are family. Why I allowed so many friends from my home state to drift into my past. 

      Some of these questions are easy to answer. My family (via Lion) are my friends because there is little we don't share with the group, little they don't know about what is going on at Giggle's Zoo and me personally. Maybe we miss things, but the family in general is very close-knit, with everyone in everyone else "business". This concept may bother many people, but it works for the various enclosures of Giggle's Zoo. Since everyone is usually kept abreast of family events via the Giggle Clan Grape Vine, it's not awkward when we get together (and the get-togethers are frequent and always a blast!)-- granted secrets are HARD to keep in such a family, but that only makes it that much more lovely. And I *know* that I can go to any member of the family for advice or help, a shoulder to cry on, or a helping hand. I never have to worry about leaving my children in the hands of strangers, when there is an emergency (or I just need or want a day - or a few hours - to myself or out with my hubby) there's almost ALWAYS someone willing and able to take one or two - or all 5! -  kids off my hands (usually this someone is Aunt Penguin, but several other family members have stepped in during emergent situations to care for the little ones). I only wish MY side of the family were the same way. My mother is the only exception, as she and I talk about everything several times a week :) Unfortunately, the rest of my family is spread out all over the country and only keeps in touch through Facebook. I miss my family, and wish we could be closer, but it is what it is :)

              As for why so many "friendships" have drifted into the past, well... some are easily explained as one or two have done or said something in the past that made it impossible to maintain a friendships with them. One once told me to abort my oldest son because that person didn't think Lion and I should be having any more kids and refused to back off. I refused to tow the line, so that "friendship" was forced into the past-tense. Most aren't that easy to explain away. I joined the Army, I got married & became a Mom instead of maintaining my "freedom". I grew up. Some never did. The ones that I have kept in touch with that I knew in High School are mostly friends of my dead brother and sister. One of these even named his first son after my brother... very touching. And some are people with whom I wasn't friends in HS, but got to know better in the years after. Back in the day, we ran with different crowds, but for whatever reason have found common ground in adulthood. I'm sure if I ever moved back to my home state, these would be very good friends, but it's difficult being so far away.

           To be completely honest, I am a very internal person, not very outgoing. So I find it hard to get to know people without other factors playing in... my best friends now are people I have met through Lion. His best friend, Hedgehog... Hedgehog's wife Wombat... Lion's buddy from childhood's wife Seahorse... and Lion's friends from work Dolphin and her hubby Manatee... that's about it... except for family :) family are the best friends! 

         As I get older I find that I have less tolerance for trying to mold myself into what other wish me to be. I did this a lot in my younger years, allowing others to influence me in countless ways, and changing me in ways I would not have without their influence -- this is the nature of friendships though, each and every one changes you in ways you can't foresee. So the title of this post finally comes into play:

"Be who you are and say what you feel, 

for those who mind don't matter 

and those who matter don't mind." 

-Dr Seuss-

          Over the last 10 years, I have found that I can be ME, not who "they" want me to be, and whomever sticks with me because - or in spite - of it are the people I REALLY want in my life. Everyone else can fade away into, or stay in, the past. I am okay with this, as I know that the ones that really matter will always be with me. I love you guys!! Thanks you for tolerating me so well!!! 

         Okay, now I'm wondering if it's even possible for me to post anything SHORT! 

Phases 2 and 3: All Girls Together

       :) it took a solid week, but I finally got the flooring laid in the Girl's New New Room, their beds moved, the playroom flooring laid in the "new" playroom (Vixen and Zebra's Old new room), and all the toys moved into the Playroom... here are pictures of the Playroom:

       The toddler bed is only in there temporarily as I thought it would be a good reading couch for the kids until Baby Koala needs her Toddler Bed (but that'll be over a year from now, since she hasn't even been born yet!!). The castle on the wall in the last picture will be moved to the new mural wall in the Girl's Room, as well as the other girly decorations in there (that I deliberately did not photograph). I plan placing decorations in this room over the next month or two and I'll post pictures when and if I get around to it. :)

     Next: Pictures of the current configuration of the Girl's Room:

The Top Bunk is Zebra's and the bottom is Vixen's

She moved from a toddler bed to a FULL SIZE!

Tortoise's bed -- the set was a gift from Grama Eclectus and Grampa Tiger

Handprints of everyone but Lion, as he wasn't home. :( 

The new Mural Wall.. the Castle from the new playroom will go on top of the hill, then I'm painting clouds and placing fairies on the clouds - this will incorporate Tortoise's previous Fairy Decor, and Z&V's Princess Decor all in one! – I still need to paint the sky blue and add clouds, but you get the gist

     
             Here are the Fairies I plan on putting among the clouds that have yet to be painted:

                One of the first questions Tortoise asked once her bed was moved in was "Where is Baby Koala's Bed going?" at which point I had to explain to her that the 2 Full size beds currently in the room don't leave enough room for another bed for Koala, so unfortunately, Tortoise will have to give up her pretty bed set – put in storage until either there are too many girls for one room or she moves out –at which point she can take her furniture. Tortoise pouted for a moment, then I showed her the bunk beds below and explained that she would get a top bunk, and probably share with Koala. SO, When Koala moves out of the Nursery into the Girl's Room, we will need to get 2 twin size bunk bed sets – I LOVE these:

And matching chests of drawers for their clothes – maybe something like these, but –obviously- matching the colors in the beds

Of course, if the Girls are all getting new bedroom furniture, *I* think it's only fair that the boys get it too, lucky for me the bunk beds I LOVE are gender neutral!! So we would ned 3 sets al together plus 6 (!!) chests of Drawers… better start saving now (cause THAT is gonna be EXPENSIVE)!

Phase 4 Begins maybe next week, during that Phase I will clean out Tortoise's "old" room, repaint it, lay new flooring & move all my scrapbooking and crafting things in from the current "craft room". Phase 5 should complete the project. In the final Phase, the "old" craft room will be transformed into a permanent Nursery for little Koala (and any other babies God chooses to give us). I plan on doing a Zoo theme such as Fisher Price Rainforest… I am VERY excited about finishing Phases 4 and 5!!

JOY!

The

JOY

on

these

faces

puts

JOY

in

my

Heart!

I love each and every one of you, FOREVER and always.

Phase 1: All Girls Together Now!

From Left to Right: Vixen, Tortoise, and Zebra

           Today begins Phase 1 of All Girls Together!! Since Koala will be joining us in just a few short months, and there is no room in Tortoise's room for a baby crib, and it's not completely "fair" to put 3 girls in one room while Tortoise gets her own room all-to-herself... they are all moving in together!! We recently completed our 1,000 sq. ft. addition in which we made 2 new bedrooms (one for the boys and one for Vixen and Zebra, while Tortoise got an "old" bedroom all to herself), a HUGE playroom, an all-new living room, and a very small room that I had claimed as a craft room. The brand-new playroom will become the all-new Girl's Room, the not-yet-finished craft room will now become a permanent nursery for our babies, the brand-new room that Z and V were in will become the "new" Playroom, and Tortoise's "old" room will become my all-new Craft Room! The girls are VERY excited about the move.. surprisingly they ALL wanted to share their room with Baby Koala. :) Yay for Baby Koala!! 

Tortoise and Zebra shared a room before Vixen was born,
and all 3 shared one 10x10 room until the addition was done
the room was WAY too small though, and T and Z were usually at odds

I am excited that T and Z are looking forward to rooming together again.

               So Phase 1 begins!! During this phase of evolution... lol... all 5 kids are currently in the playroom sorting out toys.  A bit ago, I went in the room and dumped ALL the toy bins on the floor, then told them to sort out all the toys into individual piles by who-they-belong-to. When the toys are all sorted out, they will get their toy bins back and must pick which toys they want to keep. I explained that the rule is: "From now on, if a toy does NOT fit into YOUR toy bin, YOU must pick a toy to give away." -- the fact is, these kids have WAY too many toys... so today is dedicated to thinning out the piles into their bins (they each have a toy bin with their name on it). If they can't get a toy into the bin, then they must figure out what needs to go to make it fit. Anything that isn't in the bins when the day is through gets donated. :) THEN, when they go into the playroom each night before bed to clean up the mess, the theory is that it will be a quick job because everything will fit into a bin, and nothing will remain on the floor. :)

My Girls

            When Phase 1 is complete, we will load up all the toys designated for donation and take them to town... then we will go to the park!

What beautiful artwork!!

            Hopefully, Phase 2: Finishing Brand-New Girl's Room will begin tomorrow... during this phase, I will -finally- paint the window trim in the room, hang the curtains, and lay the flooring in the room. Phase 3: Moving Day, will begin hopefully next week... on that day we will move all the girl's beds and dressers into the new room, and move all the Playroom flooring into the new Playroom and assign spots for toy bins and books. Phase 4: the Nursery and Craftroom will come after that... I have 3 months in which to paint, lay flooring, set up the furniture, and get everything ready for Koala and I. :) I'm excited!!

Changes at Giggle's Zoo

I spent all day yesterday thinking about yesterday's post of self-image... Why does my daughter think that being thin is so important? Why do her friends have more sway over her than I do as her mother? Why is Vixen always misbehaving? Why do Monkey and Elephant whine so much? Why is Zebra so withdrawn? ...... the answer is the same for all.... Because I - as their mother and primary caregiver - allow it.  That's why. *sigh*
       Lion and I have discussed this before, but somehow I always seem to forget. If I am not consistent in their discipline, in their level of care, in my responses to their requests, to everything, then they can't possibly know how to behave consistently. 
       Vixen behaves like a brat because I CALL (usually jokingly, but not always) her one, and because sometimes I think the things she does are funny. If I rewarded her sweet and kind behavior and disciplined her "bad" behavior more consistently, maybe she wouldn't misbehave as much. She is ALWAYS a delight when one of us takes her to town by herself.. I have often wondered about why that is... but the answer is obvious... because she is getting one-on-one attention with no distractions from her 4 older brothers and sisters. She is far more likely to misbehave when we are trying to do something that requires our attention - thus taking our attention off of her and her needs. She may, in fact, be TRYING to tell us she needs us for something before she misbehaves, but we fail to see it because our attention is diverted to something - or someone - else.
     Tortoise thinks that being skinny and looking good in front of her friends at school is all important because I have not CONSISTENTLY told her that looks count for little next to personality. That if she wants to be like for WHO she is, not WHAT she shows people, then she needs to stop caring so much about the external. -- I'm NOT talking about hygiene. And start showing others the kind, considerate, beautiful girl she is on the inside. Who chooses to be her friend because of this is a TRUE friend and not one that will drop you and betray you when you gain a few pounds, wear mis-matched clothes, or don't have the newest trendiest outfits.
      Monkey and Elephant whine because they are not getting consistent, GOOD attention from their mama. If I spent more time outside playing with them, or inside reading to them, or including them in the daily activities,  and less time reading and playing online, mayhap they wouldn't need so much "negative" attention.
       Zebra is withdrawn due to the fact that her personality isn't as outgoing as the others, and therefore she gets overlooked. She doesn't seem to need as much attention as the others, so she doesn't receive it. This is a side-effect of having many young children.. not a good one, mind you, but a side-effect none-the-less. She needs, and deserves, as much personal time as each of the others, but fails to get it because far more often than not the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  
      Maybe when they come in from getting a boo-boo, my response SHOULDN'T be "are you bleeding" - jokingly or not! There will come a day when I will miss patching up their boo-boos - imaginary or otherwise. There will come a day when they DON'T want me to play outside with them anymore - and I will have, for the most part, missed it. There will come a day when they DON'T need or want to hold my hand or sit in my lap, or want 5 more bed-time hugs, or for me to read them stories (certainly not "just one more"). As MckMama says "I WILL MISS THIS". (click on link to see her post) I will miss bath-time, and playtime, and tummy-time with babies, and nursing, and being pregnant, and story-time, and help-me-bake-cookies-time, and the multitude of other things in a mom's repertoire. And if I'm not careful, I won't even have all the warm, wonderful memories to look back on with happiness. I will wish I had spent less time looking forward to nap and bedtime (the time I spend wondering when I'm going to get some time for ME), and more time enjoying my wonderful children while they still want me around. :)
      The first step is admitting you have a problem. The fact is *I* am the problem. I am not giving my children the positive attention they need to thrive. Instead of spending the day thinking about what *I* would like to do, I should first determine what my family needs. I don't IGNORE them, mind you. I'm not one of those parents that locks their kids outside all day and tells them to deal with it. I don't not bathe them on a regular basis, I don't let them go to town or school in dirty filthy unwashed clothes- I DO let them play outside and make a complete mess of themselves and sometime not allow them to change just so they can go outside and mess up yet another set of clothes. I make sure their hair is brushed, or cut properly in the case of the boys. I make sure their homework is done and that they practice their spelling every day after school. I help Zebra get her "sharing" (like show-and-tell) homework done and in her backpack for school on her sharing day. But I also spend 2-3 hours online every morning. Is that beneficial to my kids? or to me for that matter??? Is setting Monkey in front of the TV for this entire time good for him? Maybe Vixen misbehaves so much during this time because she is feeling neglected, and seeking attention. maybe. 
     SO! Here's the plan: I will NOT call Vixen a brat - or any other names, nor allow anyone else to do so either - anymore. I will take time every day for each of them one-on-one. I will read to them every day, regardless of the level of today's headache. I will come outside and watch their pretend baseball games and the "new" trick they learned on the swingset. I will push little Vixen on the swingset, as well as any of the others who wish it. I will paint Tortoise's nails, and Zebra's and Vixen's, so that they are pretty, WHILE I tell them how little  outward appearance matters in the long run. I will kiss every boo-boo, imaginary or otherwise. I will not spend all day lamenting how overweight I am. I will take the puppy, and all the kids that wish to go, out on a walk every day. I will enjoy this pregnancy, for it may be my last - it may not too, so I will enjoy EVERY pregnancy that God chooses to give us. 
       :) time to implement the new plan and take puppy, Monkey, and Vixen out for a nice long walk. It may have the added side benefit of reducing the frequency and severity of my constant headaches as well. :)

Young Girls' Self-Image

I apologize in advance for the nekkid doll pictures, but it was the only way to illustrate my point.

This morning, as Tortoise was getting ready for school, Vixen brought a nekkid Belle doll out of her bedroom and sat on the couch next to big sis Tortoise. I have no idea who undressed Belle, but it's irrelevant to this post anyway... here is the doll as Tortoise saw her this morning:

          When Vixen got up and wandered away, she left Belle on the couch next to Tortoise. Tortoise picked her up looked her up and down and said "Belle is fat." then put her down.  

           I looked at Tortoise with shock... "Why do you say that Tortoise? Belle looks perfectly healthy to me. She's not Fat.". Tortoise picked Belle back up and showed me Belle's side view... and the small curve of her belly...

Side view of Belle's nekkid tummy

Tortoise then pointed at the curve and said... "That's fat.". I must have looked at her like she was crazy or something cause she started to get defensive... "Isn't she fat, Mama? Her belly... it's not...." she couldn't even put it into words, but in her mind, Belle is fat. I know I'VE never taught her this nutty concept that you are "fat" if your belly isn't perfectly flat... I have teased skinny Tortoise on occasion -that she's too skinny and that we need to bulk her up some so she looks like a member of the family... and teased her about the sheer amount of food she can put away and not gain a single ounce. But not once have I or her daddy indicated this insane view of what is fat. She isn't allowed to watch the TV shows that the other girls her age watch, so she couldn't have picked it up from TV. I'm frustrated that she will go through life thinking she's fat if she's isn't a size 4... or God forbid a 2!! Tortoise will never be a 2, or a 4, and be healthy... 

           I remember being a teenager, 5'9" and 145 pounds size 8... and I didn't think I was thin either.... why??? why why why??? As the mother of soon-to-be-4 girls I am worried about their self-image. If  Tortoise has this crazy idea that this doll is fat, then what will my other girls think? How do I prevent this concept from getting such a strong toe-hold on them that they can never be happy with their very healthy bodies? Of course it swings both ways... 

          take the TV show "Drop Dead Diva"... the actress in that show is content with her body... content isn't the right word. Calling herself a "diva" isn't content. It's no more healthy for my girls to see that TV show than it is for them to be inundated with posters of models that are so underweight you can see every rib, every vertebrae. I want my girls to be healthy... 

          but girls today have idiotic ideas on what is healthy.. 

           Drew Darrymore is beautiful! When she played in Charlie's Angels she was a healthy wieght and gorgeous.. but paired up with very thin Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz, the newspapers and entertainment industry labeled her as fat. FAT!? NO WAY! Since then she has dropped a good 20 pounds.. pounds that she probably couldn't have afforded to lose and be truly healthy, but that's what she had to do to maintain a good image with the entertainment industry... she's even in Cover Girl commercials now... and -to me anyway- she looks dangerously thin. I found her much more attractive in Charlie's Angels than in those commercials.... *sigh* 

           How do I stop this crazy cycle?? How do I get my girls to understand that they are beautiful? TELLING them how beautiful will only go so far... I know this. What other options do I have?? any ideas?

Home-birthing Part 3: my 4 Home-births with Stork

Wow, what I had intended to be a simple, not-too-long post on home-birth certainly has turned into an ordeal!! I really didn't think I was going to have to break it up into 3 days worth of posts, and certainly didn't expect it would take over a week to compose! *sigh* Hope those of you that wanted me to blog about home-birthing really wanted all of this info, cause geez, it's been - well, can't think of the right word - getting it done. ;)

Lion and I during Elephant's Birth

ANYWAY! On to the topic of this blog post, and the reason I began this 3 day blog excursion into home-birthing...

Me in Labor with Monkey

My 4 Home-Births With Stork

Clockwise L to R: Stork tending Elephant, Me, Eclectus, Mt Goat, Hedgehog holding baby Raccoon, and Stork's helper -- also in the room: Meerkat and Eclectus was on the phone with my dad Tiger

Since I've already explored all the reasons I chose to home-birth the first time (with Elephant), I guess I'll just jump in with the hows and whys and what-happened. 

Me with Elephant just after the Herb-bath

Elephant is our second child, and our first boy. I saw Stork at her home office every 4 weeks for the first 7(?) months, got all the usual pregnancy checkups, bloodwork, and a sonogram every checkup to check heartbeat. Got an ultrasound mostly for the heck of it ;) (actually that turned into a tiny ordeal cause the doctor that did the original ultrasound thought little guys' head was too big for his little body and sent us to a peri-natologist for another in-depth ultrasound to ensure there was nothing wrong.) Long stork short, he was great, just had --has-- a BIG head, and that he is a boy! At 7(?) months I began seeing Stork every 2 weeks, checking his delivery position, a discussing what I did (and didn't) want in terms of medical interventions (do I or don't I want a 28 week Rhogam shot -- as I have Rh negative blood, do I or don't I wish to be tested for Hep B, do I or don't I want baby to get the Vitamin K, Hep B,  and eye ointment after birth... etc), as well as getting the Birth Kit ordered from her supplier (contains the medical supplies needed for the birth as well as additional tests for determining baby's blood type --if he had Rh positive blood, I would need Rhogam to ensure the health of future babies-- and the herbal bath mix. We also talked at length about me, about birth, about family, about possible positions, about the Giggle Clan, about politics, about life... gee, about everything really!

Lion with Elephant just after his Birth

At 36 weeks, Stork met me at our house
there area  few reasons for this:
1. She would know how to get there before she NEEDED to get there
2. So that she could be introduced to any family pets - like a dog that might need to know a person before letting them in the house - not a consideration for us at that time
3. So she would know where the supplies are, and ensure that the Birth Kit had arrived, and that everything was accounted for
4. To find out where I keep things like extra towels, sheets, dishes, pots and pans, coffee etc
5. Make sure she knows the bast place to park, and where to put her birthing supplies
-- I'm sure there are more reasons, but that's the basics

Lion and I get our first good look at Zebra

2 weeks later -- right at 38 weeks, I went into Labor at 12 noon -- at Church. :) no kidding. I made it through the service, but went directly home to call Stork and report that contractions had begun, had not ceased, and were getting more regular. She asked if we wanted her to come right away and be there for the whole process, or if we (not she, WE) wanted her to wait till it heated up a bit more. We opted for the later option, thinking most everyone wasn't there yet anyway, and that when the contractions got closer together we would call and have her some check on progress. In the meantime, we called everyone who wanted to be there for the birth -- at the house -- not in the room with me :) I'm weird but I'm not into voyeurism. LOL When the contractions became more frequent, we called Stork and asked her to come, and was with us until well after little Elephant made his appearance. 

Meerkat holds Zebra

When Stork arrived, she checked on me and progression first, then made the rounds saying hello and catching up with those that she knew and getting introduced to those that she didn't. When the Labor progressed to being too uncomfortable to bear within polite -or impolite- company, Lion, Eclectus, Stork and I went into the bedroom to get ready for the final stages of birth. The rest of our Labor Party Guests began to watch a movie... or was it play X-Box... well, something! 

Lion & Lemur play X-Box before the real fun of Zebra's birthing begins

Let me tell you.. I was expecting another easy, mostly pain-free, fast birth - like Tortoise's... I got one wish... it was fast. From 6 cm to babe-in-arms was less than 2.5 hours. Elephant was born 10 hours from the onset of contractions. And it was NOT easy, or pain free. WOW was it NOT pain-free. Mt. Goat even commented that he had never heard a woman scream that much - and he was in another room! Turns out Elephant wanted to be born like Superman must have been... flying!! -- his left arm was delivered first... and his left shoulder came with the afore-mentioned MASSIVE head. And, here's the scary part... the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck... many times. My little boy was blue. Not pink or even red like typical newborns... no, my little superhero was purplish-BLUE. He thought for a very short time that breathing was optional. Lucky for us, we had chosen Stork. 


Stork didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a second... before I even knew anything was wrong - even before I had delivered the rest of his itty-bitty body- she had the cord cut and unwrapped from Elephant's neck. Seconds after the final push to deliver the rest of his blueish-purple body she put him in a newborn oxygen mask.  When I finally did clue in that something was wrong (in reality this was only seconds... but seemed like an eternity) and started having a tiny panic attack, she had him breathing... and pinking up. What could have been a tragedy, in a hospital or otherwise, was quickly and efficiently taken care of. And little Elephant suffered zero long term effects. His 5 minute APGAR was 8. 8! After being born not breathing! Thank God for Stork! She didn't panic.. not once... not when everyone else in the room was thinking "Oh My God!", no she just did what had to be done for my little boy. God Bless You Stork.


deep breaths Mama Roo... it still makes me a little shaky.

Lion and I hold hands during the rough parts

SO!! Stork watched over little Elephant and me while the final oh-so-fun parts of labor and delivery were completed, then let us have a few minutes of bonding and breastfeeding before I decided I was ready for my herb-bath... WOW... if you're a mom, and never had a herb bath after birthing... you REALLY should give it a try... amazing how it eases pain and relaxes your tired self... and baby gets to take the bath with you too... wonderful things - herb baths (I had never had one before). *sigh of contentment*    After the herb-bath, and a change of clothes for me, Stork did a newborn exam on little Elephant... checked his heart, measured his length and head, then weighed him and recorded it all for his birth certificate. Then, because of the possibility of Rh incompatibility, she tested his blood type. If I remember correctly, he was Rh negative as well, so I did not require a Rhogam injection. After all of this, I was exhausted, so was Elephant... and Lion, and Eclectus, and Meerkat, and and and... since it was coming up on 11 at night, Stork packed up her things, asked if there was anything we needed, and said she'd be back in the morning. 

Monkey moments after birth.

The next day Stork dropped in to check on my postpartum symptoms and make sure baby Elephant was nursing well, check his bilirubin levels (his were normal), and filled out his Birth Certificate info. :) Asked if we wanted to file for a Social Security Number... Little Elephant was official! A week later we had another checkup, Elephant was doing great.. and so was I! 

Lemur was Stork's birth helper for my last 3 babies... here she is helping me through a contraction... she was WONDERFUL

So that was my first home-birth experience... all-in-all a WONDERFUL experience that I, obviously, opted for 3 more times (and going on 4 now). Essentially Zebra, Monkey, and Vixen's visits with Stork were all the same. The births themselves were all unique of course, but the process always remains the same, and Stork was always, always, wonderful! Of course, this birthing stuff couldn't have been done without this wonderful man: my husband and the father of all my gorgeous kiddos is a wonderful birth helper!! See below!!

Those 3 are of Monkey's Birth

this one with Vixen

And the Moms -Eclectus & Meerkat- have been with me through every Labor and birth (Meerkat unfortunately missed Tortoise's bc we lived across the counrty).  They have been AWESOME as well.

Meerkat and Dragonfly (holding Mt Goat and Platypus' newborn Ladybug) during Monkey's Labor Party

Zebra was my largest baby - at 9 pounds 13 oz, but was by far the EASIEST to deliver... still can't figure that one out. She also required bili-lights to alleviate her newborn jaundice... lucky for us, Stork had bili-lights (!!) so she did not get as bad as big sister Tortoise, and was able to undergo her treatment at home. 

Lemur and my good friend Bobcat with me during the Labor Party for Monkey

Monkey was fast and easy as well - he also had a cord complication and was delivered like "the Thinker" with his left fist up next to his chin... but he was less blue and recovered even faster than his big brother. His birth was equal to Toroise's in pain-levels, an easy delivery.

Vixen and I just moments after her birth.

Vixen's birth was equally as difficult as Elephant's but I was more experienced (LAUGH) and handled the pain alot better... she was lethargic the day following her birth, so we called Stork with our concerns with her not waking to nurse, Stork advised a blood sugar test, and then advised a few ounces of sugar water, which perked her right back up. :) yay Vixen! She also had a touch of newborn jaundice, but a good dose of sunlight fixed her right up - she didn't need Stork's bili-lights.

Lion greets his newborn son Monkey with a kiss