Laundry - Real Life Wednesday

It's the one chore that I have a love/hate relationship with. Laundry. I hate doing it but I love having clean clothes. Along with the rest of my family. But do you have any idea how much laundry there is to do in a family of 6?? Do you really? There is a TON!

I wish that I could say that I was one of those stay at home moms who did a load of laundry every day. Nope. I tried that and I either forgot about it in the washer and had to wash it again. Or I forgot about it in the dryer and it got all wrinkled.

I typically do laundry twice a week. I usually try to wash, dry and fold all the laundry in one day. I know that sounds crazy but it works for me, most of the time.

So I bet your curious how much laundry there is with a family of 6?? Here's a few glimpses in my laundry world.

This is what my hallway looks like on laundry day. 

I make my own laundry detergent using these 3 products and  refill my Purex bottle in the background.

All the laundry done.
(I think there was still a load in the washer and dryer, but it's all off the floor!)

All the laundry folded, waiting to be put away. 

I'm linking up with katef from Picklebums.com for Real Life Wednesday

No Tech Tuesday

Have yever felt that there's just too much technology around? Kids today have so many gadgets to entertain them. Their imagination gets surpressed and they can miss out on being a kid.  I remember playing a lot when I was little. I either played outside or I played with toys in my room. We had a Nintendo and a computer, but I don't remember having to play it everyday. We did not have cable at our house, just basic TV. And the stuff on TV today really isn't worth watching in my opinion. 

Today was the first of what I'm hoping will be a weekly thing. No Tech Tuesday. Meaning no TV, no PS3 and no computers.  I am happy to report that all the children made it through today. Even Mommy made it through. Only had to say no a few times before they found something else to do. They weren't really happy at first but then they got over it. 

So here's what happenes today:

Phillip and Mommy reading Fly Guy.

Patrick drawing.

Annabelle being a cutie pie.

Trevor and Phillip playing boats in the bathtub. 

Trevor holding Annabelle

Playing Monopoly Champion.

Taking a walk before dinner.

This certainly isn't everything we did today but just a few highlights. 

Phillip's Big Break

I just realized that I never published this post from last summer.


What was supposed to be a lazy pajama day at home turned into quite an adventure. I was working on my sister-in-law's birthday present while the boys played in their room. Then all of a sudden, Phillip was screaming! I went in their room to find Phillip laying on the bed holding his leg, crying in pain. The first words out of Trevor and Patrick's mouths were, " Mom, we heard a crack." Oh boy!

I quickly checked Phillip who was laying very still and not wanting to be touched. I called Steven and told him what happened and that I was taking Phillip to the Emergency Room. Next, I called my mom and asked if I could leave the older boys with her while I took Phillip. I tried very hard to hold my composure in front of the boys, who were crying and very upset. I told them, "Stop crying! It's not helping the situation."

Putting a diaper on Phillip and getting him into the car was very difficult. He was begging me not to touch him or pick him up. I remember pulling in my parents' driveway, the boys getting out, and then leaving right away. I cried most of the way to the ER, between calling church members, my in-laws and Steven.

When we arrived at the ER in Apex, Phillip held onto the passenger seat so tight, refusing to be picked up and carried. Once he was put onto a bed and he was left alone and could watch cartoons, he seemed ok. Steven met us at the ER and later his parents came too.

Froggy and his blue blanket make everything much better.

Once the x-ray confirmed that his right femur was broken, it was a waiting game to find out what would happen next. We did stay at the ER for several hours. Finally, we got the word that he would be needing surgery and would be transferred to Western Wake Children's Hospital. My emotions were such a roller coaster that day. I cried every time Phillip whined. Watching them put his leg in a traction for transport was impossible to do without crying. He is my baby and I couldn't to anything to help him.  

 He was transported to Western Wake Children's Hospital by ambulance. I rode too, but had to sit up front due to their policy. I was able to view him on a monitor. The nurses told me that he did great and slept most of the way.

 The nurse gave him another shot of morphine before they began to move him out of the ambulance and into the hospital. Once we were in our new room, the doctors had confirmed that he was having an allergic reaction to the morphine. He had developed a rash over most of his torso.

Last picture, before he was taken back for surgery. The orthopedic doctor had told us there were possibly 2 options for treating Phillip. The first was a hip-spica cast. The second was to put pins into his leg. Unfortunately, he was underweight to have the second option. They explained to us what the cast would look like and that it would take about 1 1/2 hours to do. 

That 1 1/2 hours was the longest time period in my life. Steven and I went to eat dinner in the cafeteria, his parents later came and joined us. As we were finishing our dinner our pager went off. I was so excited!! Phillip did great! He became more aware and talkative as he was moved to a patient room on the children's floor.

Once we had settled into the room, Phillip said he had to go potty. I called the nurse and she said that he'll just have to go in his diaper. I knew Phillip would not do that. He was potty trained. The nurse proceeded to tell me that there was no way that he could sit on the potty with a hip spica cast. I was very nervous that he was going to take a huge step back in being potty trained and would have to learn all over again. We soon learned how to help him when he had to go potty. 

The next morning he was checked again by the doctor and we were given the ok to home. WooHoo!! Deanna and Andrew met us at the hospital to drive Steven's car home since one of us had to sit in the back with Phillip. We went to MawMaw and PawPaw's house since it was family day.

Angela let Phillip blow out the candles on her birthday cake. He loved the hat she got too. He was a pirate!

I missed this smile!!

Here's some pictures of how Phillip managed with his cast. The cast didn't knock his spirits down at all, once the pain went away he was back to his old goofy self. 

Blowing bubbles at Grandma's.

Ms. Janna brought him a balloon (only balloon she could find was happy birthday). He LOVED it!

Chilling in the car eating goldfish.

Watching a movie on the iPad.

BOWLING!!

Building Marshmallow towers

Watching his big brother

This is how he got around until he learned to walk in the cast. 

Walking. The only problem was he couldn't pick stuff up off the floor. 

Happy Boy!!

Nite Nite Sleep Tight

I think sleep is important. Getting a good night rest is the only way that I am able to function and manage all that we do. I make a point to go to bed every night around 10:30; 10:45 the latest. I am NOT a night time person. I am definitely a morning person. I am trying to be more consistent with the time that I wake up, but right now it all depends on when Annabelle wakes up.

Being a homeschool family allows us flexibilty when it comes to having bedtime routines. Philip's bedtime is between 8:30 and 9:00 most nights. He will read/listen to 3 books with his MeReader. Then it's 3 kisses and 3 hugs because he is 3. Annabelle is usually ready to eat around 9pm and then it's bedtime for her after some rocking and snuggles.The older boys go to bed between 9:45-10:00 pm.

Managing the Madness

Since the arrival of my sweet Annabelle 7 weeks ago, I've had several people ask me "How do you do it?" Meaning: How do you manage to homeschool a 3rd grader and a 4th grader with a 3 1/2 year old and a newborn while still keeping your house clean, getting meals prepared and going to several extra curricular activities?

To be quite honest, I'm not sure how I get it all done either. But I think I'm managing pretty well. We all have clean clothes and full bellies so I guess I'm doing something right.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1.

This season of my life is all about being the best wife to my husband and best mom to my kids. Everything that I do is for them.

The next several posts I'll share how I try to manage the madness.

Annabelle 1 Month

1 month!

3 days old

This month has flown by. I can't believe that my sweet baby girl is already 1 month old. She is such a beautiful baby that has brought our family so much joy. Annabelle was 7lbs when she was born and weighed 6lbs. 10oz. when we left the hospital. It's normal for babies to lose weight, no big deal. The doctor wanted to see her the next day to check her weight again. Due to the icy weather we were unable to make that appointment. So, we went on Monday. She still was losing weight and needed to be seen again later the same week.

1 week old

I had decided during the pregnancy that I was going to nurse Annabelle. She had trouble latching at the hospital but the few times she did, she did great. So we kept going when we got home. She struggled to latch but when she did, she nursed for about 20 minutes every 2 hours or so. I thought she was getting enough because there really is no way to measure how much they eat when they are breastfed. She consistently had wet and dirty diapers. Unfortunately she still wasn't gaining weight. Her weight dropped to 6 lbs. 2 oz. The doctor was concerned. She told me to supplement with formula. The nurse sent us home with a few sample cans to get us started.

2 weeks old

So I continued to nurse Annabelle, then gave her a bottle afterwards for each feeding. I didn't think it was going to bother me giving her formula but it did. I sat with her and cried as I nursed her, then gave her a bottle, then pumped. That took 1 1/2 hours! And then I had to do it all again in another 30-45 minutes. All the while I could hear my boys in the living room arguing with each other. I really struggled with the decision to stop nursing her and just give her formula. I had posted on Facebook my struggle and had an out pour of support from my friends. One comment really brought things into perspective for me.She reminded me that God gave me a healthy, pregnancy, an uncomplicated birth, and a beautiful healthy baby girl. He didn't however give me the capability to nurse my children. I made the decision that was best for Annabelle, for me and the rest of my family. Even with this new precious baby, I am a mom to 3 boys who need me.

Valentine's Day

Now that Annabelle is a formula fed baby, things have returned to normal. Normal? Wrong word. Things have settled down as we all adjust. Annabelle has reached her birth weight and then some. At her 1 month check up, she weighed a whooping 8 lbs. 7 oz. She's getting to be a big girl! She eats 4 oz every 4-5 hours and has slept for about 5 1/2 almost 6 hours at night now that she is swaddled. Maybe next month she will move to her crib in her room. 

Welcome Annabelle Joy

January 23, 2013 @ 9:48 am Annabelle Joy Knott entered the world and completed our family.

Here's her story, it's quite the adventure!

I woke up at 5:45 to the pain of a contraction. The contractions were about every 5 minutes. Now, all the baby information says to wait until you have contractions every 5 minutes for an hour before calling the doctor. Are you kidding me?! I called right away, knowing my previous deliveries happened very quickly. I simply informed the operator that I wasn't waiting and I was going to the hospital now. 

I woke Steven up and told him it's time. He quickly showered and got dressed. I called my mom and Steven's parents to let them know we were going to have a baby today.  I woke up the boys and told them to get ready, I paced around the house knowing that mine and Annabelle's bags were already packed but I had nothing ready for the boys. I packed clothes for Phillip, crayons and coloring books, VSmile and his Whizz Kid. The boys were very excited knowing that their sister was going to be born.

We all got in the van that very chilly morning and headed down the street. I heard a noise coming from my van  as Steven drove. A familiar sound but not a good sound. We got to the gas station by the house and found we had a flat tire. WHAT?! So Steven filled the tire and we drove back home to get his car. Contractions were still every 5 minutes and very uncomfortable. We drove back home, unloaded the van and quickly got into Steven's car to find out that the gas light was on. We had to stop again at the gas station.  

From our house to Wake Med Cary is about 16 miles. On a normal day it takes about 20-25 minutes to get there driving up Hwy 55 and over US 1. This morning we got stopped at almost EVERY red light between home and the hospital. I think we went through maybe 1 or 2. 

We finally made it to the hospital. Steven walked me inside and I went to registration. He went out to park the car and bring the boys in. Since we had come in the week before, almost all the paperwork was complete. I never had to go to registration before. I was always taken back to a delivery room. 

I got settled into my room at 6:55. I was told that Deb was the mid-wife on call. I had no idea who she was, never met her before. I was checked and was told that I was between 5-6 cm. I really hadn't made much progress from the week before when I was discharged at 4cm. I was hooked up to the monitors and was told to relax. My mom and Steven were both with me. I was given the option of sitting in the bathtub. I had never done that before and thought it would help me through the contractions. The hot water felt great but I think to caused things to progress more quickly. 

At 9am I was 8cm. This was the longest labor of all my children. I had opted not to have any pain medicine. I wanted to have a natural birth again. I had felt the urge to start pushing. 9cm @ 9:18.

The urge to push was getting greater. I was told to start pushing at 9:30. My mom and Steven were both very encouraging and helping me through the pain. All the pain was worth it and ended at 9:48 when she was born. Ten long little fingers, ten long little toes. She was perfect!!

Steven and I used the phone and did FaceTime with the boys to introduce them to their new little sister. They were not allowed to come back and see us due to hospital policy during flu season. They were so excited!!