March and April recap

March was pretty uneventful for our household. It was nice that for a few weekends we did not have any plans and it was really a month to settle down and to relax after our crazy basketball schedule. The kids also have a few little bugs, Lindsay and Nathan had a fever for a day and Mallory got a full-fledged flu, we think. She threw up different times for two days, had a high fever for a few days and had a hard time recovering from her stomach sickness. I think this was the same flu bug that I had a few weeks ago. I never threw up but I had a fever, aches and chills. It lasted about 2 days and it was not fun. My throat also hurt and I thought that maybe it was strep throat but knew that since I had a little cough that it was probably not strep throat. I have not had “flu” like symptoms for a long time. I really can’t remember the last time I had a fever. So it was not fun but it was also nice to chill out for a while and relax a little. So I think that Mallory had the same thing just a different version. It is funny because Dwight and Julianne had a similar bug in December, which we never got. When we were sick this past month Dwight and Julianne never got sick. So it must have been the same bug just different versions. I do think that Mallory had the worst version of it. She has a hard time getting over a stomach sickness. She was technically sick for 5 days. So that was the longest time anyone was sick.


The weather in March was crazy.  It would be cold and snow then be in the 60's within a few days.  Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying a snow bank in warm weather. 





Easter was also fun and cold/raining.  So the egg hunt was taken inside to avoid wet clothes. 

Kids love bubbles.  You can always bring out the bubbles and amaze a two year old for a few minutes.  She had a blast and it was great to see her enjoy the wonder of bubbles. 
Mallory is also going through a separation anxiety phase. She is having a hard time separating from me and from our house. She is sad every time I have to leave to go to work and always asks when I am going to see her. She also has a hard time going to soccer practice. I have to drop her off because I have to pick up the other kids at different activities and she really just wants me to stay with her. Her soccer practice is kind of far away and she is on a team with other surround school district kids. So it is neither within our community nor with any classmates. She had a few weeks where she would call me from school really crying and sad. She also did this a few times she went to a friend’s house. So we are working and talking through it. She is doing a little better and I just took her to softball practice yesterday, the first of the season, and she did not cry or ask if I would come back and pick her up. I asked her about it later and she thinks because she knows friends on her team and it is “close by”. So I think that may be the difference between taking her there and to soccer. So we will see. I hope she gets over this because she is way too young to be anxious over leaving me and her house. The good thing is that she still participates in different activities she just cries a little before she leaves. So I think it is just a phase and one she will outgrow.

Mallory's class performed a Green musical and she had a great time.  My pictures did not turn out well but this picture shows her enjoying herself. 



We have begun soccer season again. I have already watched two of Julianne’s soccer games and it is great to see her and her team playing so well. She plays the middle field position so she runs around a lot and gets to handle the ball a lot as well. Her team is also getting the concept of staying in their general position and passing the ball longer. Nathan is also starting soccer again and this time we are still coaching his recreation league team but he is also playing with the local national soccer team. This second league is more competitive and he does not dominate with his skills. The recreation league that we coach him in are 5 and 6 year olds and most of them are still learning the game. Our first game last week, we put Nathan in on offensive and within a minute he scored a goal. Then he scored another goal a short while later and we have to move him back to the defensive position. He did the same thing the third quarter. So he is really good for this league but I know that once he gets older the kids will even out. Plus the other league he plays in he does not score as many goals so the other players have more soccer skills.

My Mother’s Day was great, relaxing, duty free except for a 5 hour stretch where I felt like I was going to throw up. Another stomach bug has surfaced within our house starting with Lindsay, Julianne, Nathan and then me. Luckily this time I did not throw up but I still had that yucky feeling. I realized this morning that I was somewhat relieved that I did experience some symptoms because now I know that I will not get it again. I can now kiss my kids on the lips, stop trying to clean every surface and somewhat living in fear, not really, but pessimism that I will get the same bug. For some reason I am prone to stomach bugs, I rarely get the flu (except this year) and I never really get sick. But if someone gets the stomach bug I am 90 percent sure I will get it. So it is the anticipation that sometimes drives me nuts, like I can avoid it if I worry that I might get it I will avoid it. Oh well, I will not miss the day when I will constantly be exposed to these bugs. D was once again a great help on Mother’s Day, it was great to not be responsible for all the bickering, questions and duties of being the first parent to be asked to solve a problem or answer a question. D would love it if they would come to him more often but since they are used to asking me it becomes their first reaction. We have to remind them that D is home today and they can ask him. I know this is a common issue within families and ours is not in the exception.

With spring arising, I am reminded of my continuous dream of living on a sustainable farm. It is generally called homesteading and I would love to become a homesteading family. All the blogs that I regularly view are about families living on farms, large but mostly small and manageable sized, raising chickens, pigs, bees, etc. I am envious of them actually acting out the way the feel about farming and living off the land. It seems like such a simple life, definitely not easy, but simple, the way we are supposed to live and use the Earth’s resources. It is simply about living off the land and providing food for our families. It is also about getting the kids connected with nature, how crops are raised, farm animals are fed and general nature depart of concrete, sewer systems, perfectly maintained grass, etc. But how can I uproot my kids and leave my job to pursue a dream that I may not really love once I get into it? How can I push my dream onto everyone else in my family even though they may not share in the same vision? I don’t know, I am content here but I may always wonder what it would be like. My dream is that maybe when the kids are older and out of our house it will be my time to pursue my dream, or maybe it will not be a dream of mine anymore.

The high school prom was a couple weekends ago and our favoriate babysitter senior attending her first prom.  It was great to see her dressed up and to take part in her moment.    Things I am grateful/thankful for: -not feeling like I am going to throw up. -cool mornings -my seedlings ready to be planted, they did great this winter -A wonderful taken care of Mother's Day