Fire Truck Parade

May 29, 2011

Despite the weird housing market in my neighborhood with people moving in and out, we have been fortunate to have some pretty cool neighbors.  Our next door neighbors invited us to a fire truck parade and festival in Rochester today.  They rebuild fire trucks and participate in events where they can show the fruit of their labor. We accepted their invitation because I knew for sure the boys would be excited about riding in a fire truck AND being in a parade. Jorja and I just went along for the ride!  We all had a great time and can’t wait for the next event in Frankenmuth.  I will let everyone know the exact date and I encourage anyone with children to attend, especially since my neighbors said that the Frankenmuth show will be even better than Rochester!

Jake, Jorja and Jagger hang out inside the fire truck.

Jagger got to ring the bell on an old fire truck with the help of a retired fire fighter

Jake gets a special spot to sit in during the parade.

The kids were pooped when we got home.  We had planned on seeing a free “Strength Team” show in Lapeer in the evening, but the kids were nervous about going out in the storm, so we hung out at home.  I love those times when we can just sit around and relax without having to plan anything or run around.

These are the kind of moments I cherish the most!

After dinner, I had a surprise for the kids.  You know how every kid is alway curious about what beer tastes like and wants to try some?  I know my mom always let me have some of the foam, but I decided to give the kids more than they bargained for!  Earlier, I bought some cream soda that was in brown bottles and collaborated with Jamie to play a great prank on my little rugrats.  Jamie had his beer for the evening and, of course, the kids noticed.  So, I gathered them together and told them I had a surprise for them.  I brought out the cream soda and told them they had my permission to drink as much beer as they wanted!  Ok, I DEFINITELY do not sound like any kind of supermommy right now, but when you have four kids, you have to find your own way to have fun! And, anyone who knows me well knows that this kind of stunt is right up my alley! Jake was the first to respond with an emphatic “NOOOOOO!!”.  Jorja just kept looking at me like “at what point will she say she is kidding” (she knows her mommy pretty well!). And Jagger…well, he just grabbed the bottle and slammed it! (why am I not surprised). Once Jagger paved the way, Jorja did not hesitate to gulp hers, but Jake firmly denied the offer to drink the “beer”. Eventually, he figured out the trick and drank it.  I made sure to tell Jorja and Jagger that this is definitely NOT what beer tastes like and we reviewed the legal drinking age!

This was their initial reaction to being offered "beer".

 

Jake and Jorja giggle nervously as their little brother chugs the "beer"

 

At this point, they all know it's cream soda...it's STILL funny to watch them drink what looks like beer!

 

Jagger drinks Jorja under the table!

 

Jemma's reaction when we told her that her siblings were drinking beer!

Gettin’ my garden on.

May 28, 2011

Today, Jamie offered to give me a “mommy’s day out” given that I’ve been cooped up with four little monsters…um, I meant to say precious darlings : ) I took the opportunity to go to the spa, get my hair done, went clubbing with the girls, got an online degree in Italian and started my own ice cream shoppe in town.  Or, maybe I’m just kidding and I really spent my one day off to go to the new Menard’s in Davison, bought garden supplies, went grocery shopping at the exotic Meijer in Lapeer and then came home to clean out the fridge and then outside to work on the front yard!  So the latter is not as exciting to most people, but when your goal is to be a full-time stay-at-home mom and super wife, prancing around in mulch that smells like cow dung can be quite refreshing! It really felt good to get my hands dirty and do things with my body that I haven’t been able to do for the last 10 months. Sadly, it’s taken six years of us living here to finally get our front yard looking decent.  I suppose having the neighbors across the street build a pond with a fountain in their front yard within their first year living here kind of lit the fire under our hostas!!

“Before” Photos of the Front:

“After” Photo of the Front:

Just a lazy day.

May 27, 2011

So, I am pretty sure that one of the chapters in the mommy handbook says we all deserve a lazy day. I chose today!  It wasn’t dry enough to send the kids outside, and too gloomy to organize a project of the day. So, I did what actually turned out to be one of the funnest things ever…I just hung out with the kids.  I watched them play and tried to involve them in the mundane things in my life.

 

Jorja picked out Jemma's outfit and helped me get her dressed.

 

Jake and Jagger played Legos together.

 

Jake feeds Jemma while I get afternoon snack ready.

 

Around lunchtime, we decided to call Grandma Marcie to ask if her refrigerator was running (kidding).  We actually called to setup a play date for 2 pm with Grandma, the kids and me!  Right after getting off the phone with her, I heard Jagger opening the front door. When I asked what he was doing he replied “Grandma Ma-cee coming”. Poor guy didn’t get that she wouldn’t be here for another 2 hours, but that didn’t stop him from waiting for her like a little puppy dog. Grandma Marcie, this little boy sure does love you!!

Jagger waits patiently for his Grandma Marcie.

 

 

Sensory issues? Hardly.

May 26, 2011

During my years working with children who have autism, I had to learn a tremendous amount of information on sensory processing.  I  suppose that is why  I assumed  sensory issues were the reason Jagger wouldn’t eat new foods…I thought the poor boy had a sensitivity when it came to oral sensory processing. So, I did what any good occupational therapist would do.  I never forced him to eat foods that he didn’t like, I tried to decrease his sensitivity by brushing his lips, tongue and cheeks with the toothbrush (with more pressure than with plain old toothbrushing because deep pressure calms the nervous system)…we also played little games at the dinner table to help build his tolerance to certain foods at his mouth.  First phase was “Jagger, just touch the broccoli with your finger”, then it was “Jagger, just give the broccoli a kiss”, then “Jagger, just lick the broccoli”…we never got past licking the broccoli…UNTIL…mommy and daddy figured out that little Jagger was smarter than the both of us!!  He had been manipulating us all these years (well, technically months since the kid is only 2 and hasn’t really been eating for years).  The day we had dinner at Culver’s, Jagger wouldn’t eat his chicken tender.  This was just annoying to us because he’ll eat chicken nuggets and fish sticks…and for heaven’s sake, Jagger…the chicken tender was breaded so what do you care?  Well, I had to put my foot down.  Absolutely no dessert until that chicken tender was chewed up and digesting in his stomach!!  Oh, but little Jagger’s Polish stubbornness emerged and he turned his little body away from the table, averted his eye contact and I’m sure if he knew how to fold his arms across his chest, he would have done so!  That continued until the custard hit the table.  I made sure to exaggerate how delicious (or “wishous” as Jagger would say) the custard was.  Next thing we knew, the chicken tender had disappeared from the plate…and there it was in his dimpled little fingers, actually making it past the licking phase and into the biting, chewing and swallowing phase.  It was funny how the eye contact hadn’t resumed, almost as if he was trying to tell us he was still in control.  But, that chicken tender was gone in a flash and Jagger earned his custard (ahh, the power of that custard!).  That was the day I realized that my sweet, baby Jagger had been playing me. Either that or I am a miracle-working occupational therapist!.

Well, I used the momentum of trading an empty dinner plate for dessert, and today Jagger ate salmon, mashed potatoes and broccoli!!  You may have won the battles Jagger, but mommy won the war!!

The first empty dinner plate Jagger has ever had!

In other news…

Daddy is finally getting over his strep throat and ear infection and was able to snuggle with our little angel!  Hooray for antibiotics!

Jemma stares lovingly at her Dada

Rolling in the dough…too bad it’s just for bread!!

1 cent per load…really!!

May 23, 2011

Today I made homemade laundry soap.  It’s something I started doing a while ago after I realized how much crap there is in regular laundry soap and after I got sick of paying so much for “eco friendly” or 100% natural laundry soap.  This recipe has 4 basic ingredients (one of which is plain old water).  It is easy to do, but it’s not something the kids can help with because you have to use hot water.

Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe

Equipment Needed

I bought a starter kit at the Amish Store around the corner from my house, but most of this stuff is easy to find.

Ingredients:

1/3 bar of Fels Naptha Soap

1/2 cup washing soda

1/2 cup Borax

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.  Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts.  Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket.   Now add your soap mixture and stir.  Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.  Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.  You use ½ cup per load.

After the soap cooled down, Jagger helped put the caps on the containers!

Meanwhile, Jorja spent some quality time with Jemma!

Project of the Day

This one was a no-brainer.  Jorja and Jagger worked on these little kits I found at the Dollar Store.  I got them so that Jorja could decorate her new “butterfly” themed room and I didn’t think Jagger would be interested but he did a great job.  The craft consisted of putting circular glue dots onto a designated spot on the picture.  Then the kids had to attach sequins to the glue dots.  This was a spectacular task for fine motor, visual motor and cognitive skills.  We talked about colors and patterns and even threw in a conversation about bumble bees and butterflies (the themes of the pictures).  I just realized how lucky I am one of the pictures wasn’t of a bird…I’m not ready for the “birds and the bees” conversation quite yet : ) !! I will be honest, I was a little amazed at Jagger’s attention span and perseverance on this project.  Those sequins were very hard to pick up (even for me).  He also did a great job placing the sequins on the glue dots and following the color patterns.  I suppose we are all amazed at our children!!

Such focus!

The finished project...great addition to Jorja's newly decorated room.

From camping theme to garden room.

I’ll be honest…I was too lazy to even think about painting over those darn trees!  I figured we could just tie in some flowers and butterflies and Jorja would be happy.  I haven’t decorated the other side yet because Jagger is still sleeping in the crib.  Oh, and if anybody sees a green “A” in the craft section of Meijer’s, please let me know…I have been to two Meijer stores and called 3 others and they are all out of green “A”s!!

Custard–enough said!

May 22, 2011

Had a lovely time visiting Culver’s for our 7th anniversary dinner!  The custard there is phenomenal (more addictive than McDonald’s Caramel Frappe’s).  Thank goodness there is not a Culver’s within 15 minutes of us or this baby weight would never come off…in fact, it would turn into toddler weight and then preschooler weight until I had the weight of four teenagers on my body and then I would have to go on “The Biggest Loser”.  And I just don’t have time for that.  At least not with my mother and Babcia lighting the fire for me to finally get that church wedding that THEY have always dreamed of me having with Jamie.  I have three more years to look like I did when Jamie and I got married in Las Vegas.  Geez, I guess that means that Jemma really is our last little nugget!

Papa Kimber (who had the custard on his way home from classes and now is hooked!)

Mama Kimber (who gained 10 lbs. just by looking at the custard)

Jake (who finished his custard in one fell swoop)

Jorja (who fell into a custard coma after the first bite)

Jagger (whose fell prey to the custard and ate an actual piece of chicken just to get his own cup)

Jemma (who slept through the whole thing but whose poop sometimes resembles custard)

The way we were (pre-custard)

And I thought THREE was a crowd…

MAY 20, 2010

Whew!  It’s amazing what having one more kid home will do for the mix.  Jake doesn’t have Kindergarten on Friday’s and this is the first Friday since I have been home that I had all four kids all by myself.  The day actually started off too good to be true.  Jemma slept five hours straight through the night, I woke up feeling refreshed, each kid ate breakfast without a single complaint, Jake and Jorja finished their morning routine independently and Jagger woke up as happy as a kitten with a freshly scooped box of litter. And then it happened…Jagger needed to pee right in the middle of Jemma’s feeding, and then while I was getting Jagger to the bathroom, Jake decided to shake Jorja, who started to cry, which startled Jagger, who peed all over the floor, then I freaked out at Jake, which made Jemma cry.  At one point, I don’t think there was a single calm individual in this house.  But as quickly as all the drama started, it stopped.  Jemma calmed down when I came back with her bottle, Jagger and his empty bladder snuggled up next to me (thumb in mouth, my shirt in the other hand), Jorja found a Barbie she had been looking for and I let Jake play some Nintendo DS.  And mommy took the deepest breath of her life.  We had a couple more rough spots during Project of the Day, but it was nothing that a stern look or binkie couldn’t handle and we all ended up having great fun!

PROJECT OF THE DAY

Today, we made our own play dough.  I found a great recipe on this website:

http://www.playdoughrecipe.com/

Traditional PlayDough Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups of baking soda
1 and a half cups of water
1 cup of corn starch

Directions:
Mix with a fork until the mixture is smooth and boil until thick. Takes about 4 minutes.

Jagger is becoming a pro at pouring things!

Immediately after this picture was taken, Jorja decided it would be fun to lick the baking soda. Still oral sensory seeking, eh Jorja?

Jake stirring up something OTHER than Jorja's temper!!

Meanwhile, Jemma’s adventure consisted of being snuggled in tight to mommy with a home-made wrap.

                    
The kids told me the cooked play dough looked like mashed potatoes, so we added some food coloring to each of their sections.

Trading project of the day for breast milk

MAY 19, 2011

Funny how three hours for a doctor’s appointment can totally mess up a day.  I had to go to my 2 week check to make sure my c-section incision is healing (which it is…I didn’t need a doctor to reassure me).  The whole process of getting there, getting checked out and getting home took only three hours, but by the time we got home it was time for naps (not that I’m complaining about naps), then cleaning up the house, dinner and then Jake’s T-ball.  Not much time for fun, crafty things with the kids, but I’m happy to report that I was able to find time to pump out 3 ounces of breast milk!  I really wonder how much good I’m doing Jemma considering I drink about two pots of coffee a day, which I have to do because I’m getting up to feed her about 3 times a night.  Would that be considered irony?  Funny, I’m 31 years old and still don’t know the accurate use of the word “irony”.

Anyway, in today’s post, I want to celebrate my children’s talents and I want them to know how proud I am of them.

JAKE

Jake did an amazing job in T-ball today.  He was pretty much the only kid on his team that followed directions–with the exception of some moves that resembled a six-year old’s attempts to breakdance…on the field…in a mud puddle…while a ball whizzed right by him–ok, so I never said he was perfect at T-ball!

You can't tell me this isn't a Tiger!

Hmm, the next Justin Verlander perhaps?

HOME RUN!!! (not really, he was just the last batter so he got to run all the bases!)

JORJA

Jorja is officially part fish (part Polack, part pollock–man, where do I come up with these?!).  She has moves in the pool that I don’t think Michael Phelps could compete with.  The girl has no fear or inhibitions as proven by her ability to jump off the highest diving board without hesitation.

It's the Polish Pollock (personally, I STILL think it's funny)

Jorja learns to dive!

CANNONBALL!!!

JAGGER

He is my real-life mamma’s boy!!  My little Jagger will snuggle with me, dance and sing with me, wear makeup with me (just kidding about the makeup part–Jamie would divorce me if it ever got to that!).  But really, he is the most helpful and selfless of all the kids (sorry Jemma, but the spitting up all over the place and pooping at 3 in the morning–not very helpful).  Jagger actually gets excited when it’s time to help set up for snack or meals.  And he is so smart!  I have him count out the snacks for each kid.  My two year-old can count to 10!

"One, twooooo, free!" (he must get his pronunciation of the word "three" from my side of the family)

JEMMA

I’m so proud of Jemma for NOT crying during her first actual bath in a tub!  In fact, she seemed to really enjoy it.  I am also impressed with her calmness while surrounded by the commotion of three other children (and their mother).

Rub-a-dub-dub, baby Jemma in the tub!

Rain, Rain Go Away

May 18, 2011

It’s kind of hard to be super when the weather is rainy and dreary, but I did my best.  Luckily, I re-implemented the visual schedule and visual rules for the kids.  One of my goals on the path to becoming “super” is to be more patient.  That’s where the visuals come in.  Jake and Jorja have become very fond of schedules and lists (not unlike their mother).  And, most importantly…they work!!  I do a lot less nagging when Jake is getting ready for school and during dinner.

PROJECT OF THE DAY

Today we made “Flaarp” otherwise known as “Gooey Gunk”…a fun alternative to play dough. It was a great way to work on math skills, science with some good old fashioned sensory time!!  Jagger tends to be a little sensitive when it comes to anything weird on his hands. We used the following recipe:

Solution A:
1 cup water
1 cup white glue (Elmers works best)
food colouring

Mix all the ingredients for solution a into a bowl and stir well.

Solution B:
1 1/3 cup warm water
4 teaspoons Borax

In a separate bowl, mix ingredients for solution b until Borax has completely dissolved.

Slowly pour solution A into solution B. DO NOT MIX! Sort of roll the combined with your hands until a solidified, loose, jelly like dough has formed. Lift the jelly like dough and place on the counter leaving the liquid in the bowl. Knead on the counter. Gunk will be very loose at first but will firm up. Store in a sealed container.

I also found the visuals I used with  kids the help them follow directions when I worked as a school-based occupational therapist.

Jagger works on bilateral motor coordination.

Jorja uses her visual to find the right size measuring cup.

Jorja tests out the final product.

I'm pretty sure that right about now, Jagger is wishing his mom is not an occupational therapist!

Having fun with the final product.

Meanwhile,  my littlest princess sleeps amidst all the sensory fun!