Trampel Tales

This and That

2012-02-13T14:07:00.000-08:00

We spent the last week and a half with a phlemy cough and fever moving its way through the kids. That meant there was always someone crying. It was a very. fun. time.
So, when we were feeling pretty good we called the grandparents and said, "Save us!"

We spent the afternoon at their place, far, far away from ours.

There was plenty of playing to do as well as gaming on the wii.

Driving and suckers is always a good time.

I have to say, it was wonderful to get out of our own house, not to mention that it was good company.

This Is The House that Dad Built - Bathroom

2012-02-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

There was only one bathroom in the house that I grew up in. This actually worked to my benefit when I went to college and was supposed to share a bathroom with 5 other girls in a suite. The other girls really struggled with this, but I thought, "What's the big deal?" I was used to having to wait for people to be done. We did have the rule that you were not allowed to do your hair and get ready in the bathroom, so we all had mirrors and or hair supplies in our bedrooms so we could get ready there. This, of course, was not an issue until we were teenagers when even my brothers (well, at least two of them) because concerned about the proper amount of gel in their hair.
When I was just over Twinkle's age, we moved into this house. I can still remember setting up our little people before bath with my younger brother so they could get flooded out by the faucet. Then we would move them to the ledge of the bathtub. Inevitably someone would fall in and need to be rescued. Such exciting times.
My second brother would pretend that he had fallen into the toilet and scream in a high pitched voice, "I've fallen and I can't get up!" We, listening from the hallway, thought this was hilarious! So, as the comic relief in the family, he did this often when I was in Jr. high.
In high school I would do various exercises while showering. Talk about using my time wisely. Leg lifts and squats happened between latherings. I worked up a sweat while washing it off. It was most effective.
My parents redid the bathroom around the time that I got married. I can't even remember what it used to look like now. Everything stayed in the same place, but the color scheme changed and the counter is new.
My favorite thing about it is that when it is clean it actually looks clean! Every place we rented during our married life had stains in the bathroom. So, even after I had just scrubbed everything down it still looked dirty. It was most discouraging. I love walking into the bathroom now and having a place for everything and no stains on the floor or counter. It leaves one feeling somehow centered.

This is the House that Dad Built - Hallway

2012-02-09T19:43:00.001-08:00

I know you wouldn’t think that I have many memories of the hallway in the house that I grew up in, but there are actually a number of them. There wasn’t a book case in it then, not really even many pictures on the wall. But some nights when we were tweens or teenagers my parents put a tape recorder in the hallway to play the Bible on tape so we would calm down and go to bed. One would feel sac religious when we were rowdy and it was playing.

One time I slammed the door of my bedroom – the first one on the right- and my dad removed it for a week or two. It was torture because we only had one bathroom in the house to get dressed in.

Sometimes my younger brother and I would lay with our heads in the hallway and talk to each other from our rooms (which were right next to each other).

When we got home late from a school event or a date, we would walk down this hallway and see my parents’ room open a crack. I can’t remember if we whispered through to tell them we were home, but I always remember their door closing after I was in my room for the night.

We would also put the tape player in the hallway when we were doing chores together. Saturday morning was usually when we kids had to do chores. I specifically remember when my brother Dan would have to clean the bathroom. He would sing falsetto to whatever song was playing trying to be as ridiculous as possible. Pretty soon the rest of us joined in from our various rooms of cleaning. The hallway would resound with our voices.

I rather liked chore time.

Caps for Sale

2012-02-09T19:26:00.001-08:00

This week we did a little with Caps for Sale. Gobey enjoyed stacking hats on the monkey’s head in the same order as the book and then counting them.

He also enjoyed hamming it up for his sister’s entertainment.

Twinkles also “sold” Gobey hats. He counted out the correct number of pennies to buy them. They really enjoyed this exercise. We got this from Homeschool Creations again.

We also played Simon Says several times while I nursed the baby. Gobey is hamming it up once again. You can tell that this was when he was feeling pretty good during his bought with the crud virus.

Cough, Cough

2012-02-09T19:14:00.001-08:00

Ahh, all that lovin’ happened before the kids came down with a phlegmy cough/ cold combo. It started with Big Daddy, moved to Gobey, then Twinkles, and now little Rocky has it. The two kids had temperature of 104 that would come and go over a couple of days. Thankfully, Rocky has not had to suffer with that. Now Twinkle Toes has an ear infection. She woke up the past few days saying that her ear hurt but then went through the day without mentioning it. When she mentioned it again today, I knew it was time to bring her in. I thought I was going to be told that it was a little red but not bad enough for medicine since she was getting better and was much more herself today. However, the Dr said she definitely has an ear infection in the right ear. She also looked quickly at Rocky and said that his breathing was OK, which is good because she has seen several cases of walking Pneumonia in the past couple of weeks. She instructed me to use saline drops in his nose.

This evening the ear started bothering her more, so I distracted her with a Leonardo DaVinci special on PBS and warm tea. Hopefully the medicine will do some magic over night.

This Is The House That Dad Built - Living Room

2012-02-07T21:47:00.000-08:00

My dad worked hard on this house. He didn't actually build the walls or erect the roof, but he did keep it up in immaculate condition. Its a sturdy house, nicely painted, and even updated. In a strange turn of events we bought the house from my parents a couple of years ago. We were so thrilled to get it. People often ask me what its like to live in my parents house and I always say, "It feels normal. It feels just like home."

So, I have decided to start a series called "This is the House that Dad Built" and write about memories from each room.

The living room is the room that has remained mostly the same over the years. We always took our family pictures in front of the fire place. There was really only one place to put the couch, so my couch now sits in the same place as the one we used to sit on for our bed time stories.

We heard about pioneers and patriots by the dim light of a lamp that sat on a small side table. In the drawer of the table was some tracts. Across from the couch was a small chair. That chair changed a couple of times but it was always in the same place. It was in that chair that my brothers and I would stay up late to talk. I would sit in that chair at times to listen to worship music or read a good book. I specifically remember reading The Orphan Train Quartet while sitting there. That was the first book that I remember not being able to put down. My Dad and I took a picture in that chair before a father-daughter banquet, and it was in that chair that he rocked me before school for a few weeks when I was having a hard time in school.

It was also in that chair that every morning we would see our father sitting (if we got up early enough). He would be wrapped in a yellow, woolen blanket and his Bible would be in his hands. He read his Bible there every. single. day. And, I am sure it is because of that very thing that our house was so strongly built. It is because of that memory that I start my house tour with this room. It was because of what happened in that chair that I always felt like I had a solid foundation growing up.

Classical Conversations Sites

2012-02-05T15:48:00.000-08:00

Through links fellow CC members have shared, I have come across some blogs that are great helps on this Classical Conversations adventure. These are mostly for older children. Nonetheless, I find them inspiring and encouraging. It is great to have these women who love God and learning share their experiences for others to learn from.
Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood is an excellent site. She gives a run down of the free things they use as well as shares their learning activities.
Wisdom and Righteousness has some lapbooks you can print for a nominal fee.
Homeschool in the Woods has some great history resources.

Stuff 2

2012-02-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I catch a session of Shark Tank. I really enjoy the show. I am interested in the inventions people come up with and which ones the investors jump at. The past two episodes I have seen have had people from the South who are wanting to manufacture their invention in the U.S. Their line is, why do I need to make absolutely every penny of profit possible when I can bring jobs to my friends and neighbors? Some of the investors seem confused by this logic. I say, "Good for you!" Do you really need 2 million when 1.5 is possible, too? A little less greed would go a long way.

Tonight we took Gobey to the Dr's. I called the nurse after hours to report a fever of 103.7 and 104.3 in different ears. It had been at least 45 minutes since I had given him children's tylenol. The nurse had me watch his ribs, and since it looked a little like there was caving in between his ribs when he breathed, I was instructed to take him to the emergency room in the fear he might have pneumonia. Thankfully, she realized that the after hour clinic for "sickies" was just about to close. Big Daddy zoomed across town with Gobey and Twinkles (who ran out the door after them). They had to wait around for a while before seeing the Dr. Poor little Gobey was glassy eyed, runny nosed, and flemmy coughing all day. Sometime he would burst into tears and say, "because, I am just crying because I am sick!" I waited for an hour with a gassy baby at home before getting the call that it was just a virus. When they got home Gobey came crying into the room, "They stuck somefing in my nose and I didn't like it. So, I cried." He said. They had swabbed his nose to make sure his fever wasn't from the flu. It was not a fun experience. He asked to go to bed soon afterward.

The Plan

2012-02-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Our plan for the weeks after Rocky's arrival worked very well for us. I went into labor the end of the day that I had cleaned the whole house and even changed our bed sheets. What perfect timing! Big Daddy's parents watched the oldest two while we were in the hospital, and then my parents took the kids for an extra day and a half afterward so I could have one night at home with only the baby. When Twinkle Toes was born I had a steady stream of visitors at the hospital. This meant that I was went into labor at 9 pm and then was up all night and all the next day with no rest. The second day in the hospital I had a lot of people as well, so there was no time for naps. It was sweet to have so many visitors, but it meant starting off completely exhausted. This time I had family come for only a couple of hours at a time and one friend stopped by. This meant that I had a lot of down time to sleep and recover. That was so helpful! Also, Big Daddy had to go to work and so he slept at home at night and would come to see us in the late afternoon.
I also absolutely loved having so much time to admire my new baby. There was plenty of time to drink in every little detail of this new little person. His smell, his soft skin, his sounds, his tiny little parts.

When the kids came home I only had one afternoon with all three before Big Daddy was home for the weekend. Friends brought us food the first week and then it was Christmas, so I had time to not worry about cooking. (praise God!) I had rolls in the freezer so if it was something my kids wouldn't eat, they could at least have rolls, cheese, and salad. After that I had a couple of people surprise us by wanting to bring food by. I also had a freezer with at least a week's worth of dinners in it. This meant that I had about 4 weeks of minimal cooking. During this time I also didn't have our homeschool group or BSF at first. Those were added in slowly as well. It worked out so that we slowly added in responsibilities: church, cleaning, cooking, homeschool, errands, BSF and AWANA.

It was also helpful to have things stocked, such as TP, diapers, and Gobey's juice, so I didn't have to run errands for a couple of weeks.
The most wonderful part was how well the kids accepted the baby. I really thought there would be more jealousy than there was. The first week he was home Gobey would randomly say when he was in trouble, "I'm not the big brother!" To which I would reply, "That is fine, honey, but you still have to obey Mommy." After the first week, this didn't come up again. Even then, Gobey wanted to hold the baby, as did Twinkle Toes.

I also got a 6 week break from the pet conversation. An added blessing. The first few weeks the kids were absolute saints. Twinkles especially was so thrilled with the baby that she was more than pleased to do what she was told. "Yes, Mommy, I would be happy to!" was such a nice thing to hear. Week 7, however, showed some attitudes from both children that took a lot of "addressing." It can't all be sunshine and roses I supposes.

Addition and Subtraction

2012-01-29T20:39:00.000-08:00

The addition of #3 has been fairly smooth. However, one thing I am realizing is that the length the sleep deprivation is going to last will be significantly longer. Rocky slept through the night once already, but both kids woke up that night and attacked us at separate times. The odds are simply greater now. This means my brain may not be plugged into the rest of my body for quite some time.
The second thing I am realizing is that there will be no time for exercise, unless I want to wake up at 5:30. I can assure you, that will not be happening.
Lastly, I learn that Mama needs a haircut. One would not want to look at one's self looking like this for too long.
If there is anything else I am aware of, it slipped out the cracks in my foggy brain.

To Read a Book

2012-01-28T16:54:00.001-08:00

We have had a reluctant reader lately. I believe that the attitude has stemmed from discouragement. “This is hard. I don’t like sounding out words.” “I don’t like reading!” “In school today, we don’t have time for reading, right?”

So, I decided to change it up a bit. This will also help Gobey be more of a productive part of our school experience.

So, now we focus on one picture book a week. This past week it was Blueberries for Sal. We read the book at the beginning of our school session and then do activities related to it.

Here the kids are picking “blueberries” otherwise known as buttons and putting them in their buckets. “Kapunk” said Gobey, just like the book does. Then we did some worksheets that I found at Homeschool Creations.

This helped to get our school off to a better start.

I also decided to do some review to build fluency and confidence. So, we pulled out the Bob Books. It has been a while since we read any of them. They are easier than Twinkles is capable of, but really helped to give a boost to her morale. She was very excited as she read these announcing, “I am going to read every night!”

We still have some resistance to the reading. But, I hope that as she builds confidence, Twinkles will enjoy reading more.

Growing

2012-01-24T18:37:00.000-08:00

One month Old

Rocky is now 6 weeks old. He smiles when talked to and even coos in response. He is quite alert and has hour long wake times now. He likes to kick his legs. Sometimes he cries just to have you pick him up. I keep waiting for the kids to get bored with him, but they still want to hold him and give him a lot of kisses. In fact, today I had to keep shooing Gobey away because he was overly affectionate and Rocky tired of the kissing. He slept from 10:30 until 6:30 one night, but I did have to get up with his brother. Most nights he still wakes up at around 2:30 or 3:30. He wake times vary in the morning. He may wake up anywhere between 6:30 an 8 AM.

Grin!

2012-01-21T14:33:00.000-08:00

Little Rocky is one loved little fellow. I have to say that I am thoroughly pleased with the kids' response to their new sibling.

This morning Gobey eagerly showed Rocky how to play the "yeepster".

The kids like to gather around Rocky and talk to him. They play peek a boo or tell him "I love you so much!"

Often, lately, they are rewarded with a smile. In fact, this past Wednesday, Gobey sat down in front of Rocky's bouncy chair after breakfast and said, "Hi baby!" and Rocky gave him a huge grin for the first time. Gobey was thrilled! "He yikes me, Mommy!" He hollered.

Now the kids make it their mission to elicit smiles from our youngest member.

To Catch a Fish

2012-01-21T14:19:00.000-08:00

We have had our goldfish for OVER a YEAR! Can you believe it? I think that wins us the title of goldfish experts. So, here are our instructions on the care and upkeep of goldfish.
Once every couple of weeks I hand the kids a cup and tell them, "Go catch a fish!"

They love this!
1. Scoop the fish out of the bowl with a cup.
2. Throw the old water in the bowl down the toilet.

3. Put fresh water that is room temperature into the bowl.

4. Pour some of old water out of fish cups.

5. Pour the fish back into their bowl.

6. Feed the fish. The fish only need to be fed a few times A WEEK. We actually had one fish before this that ate itself to death. It would come to the top of the bowl every time we came into the room, so we thought it was hungry. We fed it about 8 times the first day. The next day it was floating bottom up. This is the MOST IMPORTANT thing about caring for goldfish: Do Not overfeed them!

7. Wash hands thoroughly.

8. Fill jug with tap water.

9. Put 10 drops of water purifier into the water. Then, put water in storage room so it is room temperature for the next time.
That is all it takes. The kids do most of the care themselves. I only occasionally remind them to feed the fish and help them pour the water in, other than that they are in charge.

Overheard

2012-01-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

Twinkle Toes "Gobey, I think I might grow up to be an artist."
Gobey "I might grow up to be a monster!"
Twinkle Toes "Well, Gobey, you can't stay what you are. You won't be a kid all your life."
Gobey "I must be a daddy!"
Twinkle Toes "Oh. . . I don't know"

(Picture is from a year ago)

Leap Frog Printables

2012-01-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the great Leap Frog DVDs? If you have a preschooler, you probably have. We love them at our house. Now I discovered some free printables to go along with the Letter Factory DVD. Hop on over to leapfrog. com and you can print off a coloring page for each letter. You can also find a couple more here.

Great Fun

2012-01-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across this great invention this week. It is such a fun idea for some lucky kid's backyard! It is called a Treepee

. It functions as a trampoline, teepee and tent! What could be more fun?

Kisses

2012-01-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

This picture is supposed to be horizontal, the way that I have it saved on my computer. Weird.

Chubby Cheeks and Pig Tails

2012-01-09T20:05:00.000-08:00

Rocky and I sat cheek to cheek in the leather chair and gazed out the window together today. He was alert. Watching. I am not sure how far he could see, but I know he was trying. I just enjoyed his soft cheek against mine as well as enjoying his alive presence beside me. He is a little person who is now becoming aware of his world.

When he is nursing he will stop and listen to a sound now. Tonight I was sure he was trying to talk to me. I would say something and then he would respond with breathy coos in return, his eyes watching me. Then he grinned! Wide, gummy, and a touch of the divine. In that moment he completed the task of utterly and completely wrapping me around his little finger.

Today was our first day back at CC (Classical Conversations) so we got to show our little guy off. Everyone oohed and ahhed. Twinkle Toes told a few of the adults her brother's name when asked but then instructed them not to tell anyone because he was " a secret baby". (She was going to use him as her presentation)

The tutor instructed everyone to put their presentations behind their backs and sit in the circle. Twinkles said, "I can't put mine behind my back because its tiny." She could hardly contain her excitement until it was time for presentations. Then she proudly sat in front of the circle, her legs crossed, arms cradling. She wore her "Big Sister" shirt and Rocky wore his one that said "Little Brother".

"I want you to guess his name." She told her classmates. One person guessed "Wiper". She told them that she enjoyed being a big sister because she could bring mommy diapers and hold the baby.

Boy, does she ever love holding the baby!
Tonight she wanted me to lay by her as she went to sleep, just like I do every night with Gobey. At first I said no. I had a mile long list of things to get done to be ready for this week, and my energy was almost completely depleted. I was thinking about the need for groceries and my lack of a menu for the week. There were dirty clothes in the bathroom, worksheets to be printed, and piles of things in my bedroom to be put away. But, I knew that when she was 13 and 17 and 32 that I would be glad that I had lain by her and stroked her hair and listened to her questions about swimming in the deep end of the pool. I knew her love tank could only benefit from some extra time with mom. So, I climbed in next to her.
I might have used up the last of my motivation while I lay there admiring her glittering eyes and sweet smile, but I gained a lot more than a finished check list would have given me.

Smitten

2011-12-30T17:04:00.000-08:00

Taking Flight

2011-12-21T18:13:00.001-08:00

We received a package from Pennsylvania. Twinkle Toes turned the box into a plane. Here she is flying to New Zealand.

Gobey brought up the big box we keep in the basement and the two “fixed” it with his tools before he was able to fly it as well.

This project took a great part of the morning.

In the afternoon they got to go to the new frozen yogurt place with my parents and then to see the butterfly garden. On Tuesday they got to go to the cousins’ house for a few hours. They are enjoying all of these fun times, and I have enjoyed catching a short nap or catching up on laundry/dishes.

Sweetness

2011-12-21T14:57:00.001-08:00

Here is our new little guy in his daddy’s sweater and bonnet. (Let’s not give Big Daddy too hard of a time for wearing a bonnet, he was a baby after all)

Isn’t he just the sweetest little guy? I am completely smitten.

The kids thought it was great when Big Daddy had them exercise with him. Big Daddy is wearing his painting shorts.

The kids are pretty smitten with the new baby as well. They both enjoy holding him. Gobey thinks it is hilarious when the baby wacks his face.

Fatherhood

2011-12-21T14:43:00.001-08:00

Now Big Daddy has 3 people to tackle him the minute he walks in the door. (Don’t worry, Gobey isn’t mad, he is just trying to be tough for the picture)

Precious Gift

2011-12-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

Our newest member arrived this week, on the first day of Christmas. He is truly a gift.

When the kids returned from the grandparents, the first thing they did upon bursting into the house was yell, "Where's the baby?" and then they sat and watched him. Gobey turned to me and said in his sweetest voice, "Thank you mommy for having a baby!"

I guess we all feel pretty blessed.

A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

2011-12-16T19:41:00.000-08:00

First Bath at Home