Little Miss Independent

This is our Fourth Darling. She has just turned seventeen months, (for those of you who don't count kids by the month - that's a little more than a year and a half). As you can tell by her fashion choices, it's cold here, but you can also see a streak of independence, no? The sweater is GAP, the dress underneath is MaryKate&Ashley, the pants are Carters, the shoes are Koala Kids, and the hat is by Pooh Bear. She's quite the fashionista.

Last night I was out for awhile, and when I returned, the darlings were in bed, all except the little Fourth Darling. She met me in the kitchen wearing nothing but her brother's pull-up. Wow - what a bod. I think her measurements are 18", 18", and 18". She's been trying to potty train herself lately, and according to Darling Man, she's opted NOT to wear her diaper (as evidenced by several she had ripped off repeatedly) and insists on the pull-ups. While trying to put four monkeys to bed with no help, he happily agreed to her demands for underpants options. I can't blame him. It's survival.

Gee - Little Man is finally taking me seriously that I want him to use the potty regularly, and here's little sis showing him up. Oh well. Maybe everyone will be out of diapers by Easter! Fourth Darling's insistence on her own choices so early, kind of scares me makes me wonder what the next decade will bring.

A Bunch of Stuff

I just rolled myself out of my daughters' bed. We had two tall children, a grown-up and a dog jammed into one twin bed. Before you think we're living in squalor, we have several beds that are available, but apparently for the two oldest girls, none of them will do. It's much more fun to have a "sleep-over" with your sister every night. This night I gave in to their requests to join them. My reluctance has been that if I get my whole body horizontal, I'm instantly asleep. Even though it's bedtime for them, I've got laundry stuff to do. If I let myself fall asleep...it's all over. So here I am. Doing stuff. I should be a grown-up and get some chores done, but this is fun.


I have also come to realize that I think my life is on a lopsided cycle. I think I write this blog like I do laundry. I'm really good at keeping up with it for a wile, then something breaks, blows up, gushes water happens and I play catch-up for the next month. Don't give up on me though...I'm sure Christmas will be chock full of ca-ra-zi-ness.

True Toddlerhood

My Fourth Darling has officially entered toddlerhood in full force. She kicked it off in Chick-Fil-A yesterday with a full blown kicking, screaming, drooling and snot flying temper tantrum. I wouldn't let her take her juice box (vile creation) into the play area. Well, she slightly disagreed with my decision, and unfortunately, when her little fists of fury balled up, her juice box was in them, so apple juice spewed forth like a fountain.

Of course I was mortified, but only for a second. I ripped the spouting juice box away from her, plopped her in the play area and shut the door. I could still hear her screaming from inside the plexiglass area. I thought about taking her and leaving, but my my other three darlings had been so good. I didn't want to cut their fun short just because the little one decided to freak out. She cried and cried, and e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y calmed down and played with her sibs.

I wonder if the fact that her fit didn't really bother me is a good sign that I'm okay with stress, or is it just exhausted resignation? Well....whatever. I did have the epiphany that I just CANNOT go Christmas shopping with any of my children. Too many X-factors, as my Darling Man likes to call them.

After Chick-Fil-A, we ran into a nearby store to pick up one gift. She was not interested in sitting calmly in her stroller. No....she needed to scream and arch her back until she could get down and look at all of the crap they keep at eye level.

Ho. ho. ho.

Power to the People

Most of you probably haven't even heard what's going on in Maryland, but I would suggest that you check this out.

In Maryland, parents are being threatened with jail if they don't vaccinate their children. Are you kidding me? Since when does the state own one's children? Apparently since so many of our fellow citizens have rolled over and let them. One thing to note: look at the picture in this link. That's a policeman with a police dog. Now think.....where have you seen armed police with dogs?...... From reading accounts of people who were there, this was not the only officer with a dog. What were they expecting? or more accurately, what were they trying to impress upon those who were there?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/17/maryland.vaccines/index.html#cnnSTCText

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'd be one of those parents on my way to jail while my children were being secreted out of the state. Reason number 999 why we homeschool our children.

If you're interested, click this link to a blog by the president of NVIC (National Vaccine Information Center) for more details about Maryland's forced vaccination incident: http://vaccineawakening.blogspot.com/2007/11/
police-with-dogs-vaccinating-kids-in.html

It's Alive!!!!!

I don't know how it happened but some- how, my dead little digital camera has resurrected! I was cleaning off my horribly somewhat cluttered kitchen window sill, when I realized I had to get rid of it. One last try - I turned the dial to "on" and it sputtered to life (no doubt draining half the energy from the battery). But, it works!!!! Yea!!!! I think it got what I've been needing....a long, long, long vacation.

I have included this picture of Little Man that I have taken with my newly healed camera. Someone, and I'm not mentioning names, Second Darling, has clued him in on the "I need a drink before bedtime" routine. He's three now, so I guess his sisters decided to break him into the "gray areas" surrounding bedtime. How can you deny your child water? It's such a basic necessity, but oh, I find the strength. In one hand I was holding the camera, in the other....the notorious spanking spoon. (One day I'll tell you more about it...it's more legendary than it is used). One drink - then off to bed, and NO MORE GETTING UP!

What do you think?

Is it a sin to make your one-year-old dance for food? Our Fourth Darling has learned that she loves bananas, and when she sees them, she gets so excited that she does the cutest little dance. Those chubby little baby feet can move! Now, I look forward to those little dances. I'm actually planning on when I can give her another banana. (Is it possible to give a kid too many bananas?). After four babies, the budget gets pretty tight - so I get my entertainment where I can. It's okay though, I know she'll have me and Darling Man dancing quite a jig by the time she's a teenager.

Back to the Dark Ages

Ugh. Our digital camera died. Actually, I think it committed suicide. One day I snapped it on and then it just said "No. I can't do this anymore." It's actually been about six weeks now. All of these cool/precious/funny/extortion-worthy photo ops keep passing me by! I have my good 'ol film camera - which I love, but for everyday stuff I need my technology fix! Maybe Santa will bring me one. Probably not though - I think I saw him trying to dig loose change out of the couch the other night.

I was told that digital cameras aren't worth fixing. It's just cheaper to buy a new and updated one. You know this is how the nerds are screwing us, right? All of those high school years of torment are coming back to haunt us...just think about it. Everything technology based "isn't worth fixing." They're exacting their revenge by making us cough up even more money for technology that we don't even know how to fully use.

So for now, my millions six readers are going to have to put up with clip art and stuff off the web until I actually get a digital camera. How dull!