Dusting Off The Cobwebs

I feel like I'm yelling into the void here, wondering if anyone is still reading this poor, neglected, lonely little blog of mine. Over 3 months without a post. I'm slightly ashamed!

However, the neglect hasn't been without good reason. I last posted on September 29th and on September 30th, this is how I was spending my time.

We welcomed our 5th baby (and 4th girl) into the world. Jill Elizabeth was born via an emergency c-section at 5:30pm on September 30th. We were both perfectly healthy, she just opted for sitting upright instead of hanging out head down.

Isabelle, Alex, Olivia and Grace were thrilled with the arrival of their new sister. And considering how they still beg to hold her, I'd say that excitement has worn off yet.

The time with a newborn sure flies by quickly though. She has gone from that tiny little thing to this pretty little girl.

She's three months old and getting bigger every day. Her smiles are the best. They go all the way to her eyes - her BROWN eyes. Jill is our first brown-eyed baby and Eric is so excited to finally have one with his eyes.

So other than that...life has been great around here. We've been busy living life and enjoying each day.

Believe it or not, I have big plans for this blog. I'm hoping to post several times a week once again. I can't wait to get back into it!

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KNOW Magazine ~ For Science Crazy Kids

For years, science related matters have been a frequent topic of discussion in our house. It began when Isabelle was about 5 and really started taking an interest in nature. Over the years, her initial interest grew into an avowed obsession with the weather. Her dream now, as it has been for the past several years, is to become a meteorologist one day.

So maybe it's because they idolize their big sister, or maybe it's just because the weather or other science-related topics are so frequently discussed, but Alex and Olivia definitely show an interest in all things science as well.

This is kind of a shock to me considering science was probably at the bottom of my list of enjoyable topics when I was a kid. And honestly, I've learned to love it now and to research when needed, but I'm just not a science person. It's a good thing the kids can discuss and teach amongst themselves.

However, I am smart enough to know that I'd be missing out on a huge opportunity if I didn't do everything in my power to encourage this interest in our kids. That's why I'm so excited about KNOW Magazine.

KNOW describes itself as "The Science Magazine for Curious Kids." Yep, sounds like a perfect fit for my kids! It is geared for children ages 6-9. Since Isabelle is 11, Alex is 6 and Olivia is 5, my thought is that this will be a perfect magazine for them all to read together. Isabelle can do most of the reading (for now) while Alex and Olivia take it all in. They'll each get turns with the magazine to look through it at their leisure and then they can discuss it together even more.

If you have science-minded kids (or wish you did), I definitely recommend checking out this awesome resource. You can read over lots of sample pages from KNOW Magazine at their website. Like me, I think you'll be impressed with what you see.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Mad Science and received the products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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The End Of Summer

I can not believe we have one day left of our official summer vacation. It feels like it hasn't even yet begun, and here we are getting ready to send the oldest 3 kids to school on Tuesday. How does this happen? Year after year it seems that summers are just getting shorter and shorter.

Every summer, we have a list of must-do items that we'll accomplish over those short months. This year's list was extremely shortened compared to most years due to our move and my pregnancy. But we did do pretty good at getting most things crossed off the list.

However, there was one big item still on that list as we headed into our last week of summer vacation - a trip to the Detroit Zoo.

Since that last week also coincided with our need to start our earlier bedtime and morning routines, we purposely chose a day when we would all get up with our alarms and be out of the house at the same time we'll have to leave for school. In fact, this little plan worked so well that we've decided to make the timing of the trip a yearly tradition. (Although Isabelle did request that we try to not go on a 90+ degree day next year.)

Why is that we can separate the kids and get some great pictures of them either in a small group or one-on-one?

But put them all together and we end with a series like this...



I am thankful that they seem to lose that little habit when we try to take the very rare family photo though.
And if the kids had it their way, this little fellow would have become a part of that family photo too. He joined us for lunch, got up close and personal and even brought a few friends for a visit.
This was the highlight of the whole day for the kids. I think we'll be talking about our lunch with the peacocks for years to come.

Now to enjoy our last day of this amazing summer. I may not be ready for school to start again, but I am definitely ready for the crisp, cool days of sweater weather!

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Not Ready

I am not ready for school to start back up in two weeks.

I am not ready for this baby to be born any time soon.

I am not ready to give birth again.

I am not ready for Isabelle, who just turned 11, to become so fashion conscious.

I am not ready let go of the hand of our third child as she walks into school for the very first time.

I am not ready for my current baby to become a big sister.

I am not ready for a son who can do work around the house that I don't know how to do.

I am not ready to give up this blog just yet, although it may have felt as if I had for awhile there.

I am not ready to get back in the writing groove just yet, but be patient with me. I've missed it and I'm working on it!

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