MamaBloo » big families

Will You Marry Me?

Kari at MamaBloo — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:04:42 +0000

Through a strange series of questions and topics while snuggling in bed with Ty last night, he informed Dave and me that he plans on marrying his little sister, Emme.

This doesn’t alarm me at all — I know that this is totally normal as kids grow up and explore family relationships and love. Often times a kindergartener will want to marry the parent of the opposite sex. Ty used to want to marry me, but I have been ousted for the new and improved model…little sister.

“Oh, Ty, I am so glad you love Emme so much.” Even as I say this I am envisioning the torment she put him through only hours before. How no matter what he wanted to play with, she snatched it out of his hands and ran off with it. Not really an inaccurate foreshadowing to marriage, but still…

But just to be silly I ask Ty, “Why don’t you want to marry Lily?” One of his older sister-cousins.

“Because, Mommy, she. wants. to. be. a. dentist!!!”

Of course, this makes perfect sense to me.

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Click here to learn more about why I don’t like the dentist.

Thankful

Kari at MamaBloo — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:06:07 +0000

Recently, we went to Trader Joe’s and Emme took her “I Am Thankful for … _________” sticker that they handed out and put it right onto her nose and then walked around the rest of the morning smiling at her own ingenuity. She wore that thing for hours. And each time I looked at her, I knew exactly what I would put in the blank spot on the sticker.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Number Five

Kari at MamaBloo — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:37:27 +0000

So, I have enrolled Emme in a baby movement class. It is a class designed to let one-year-olds move around on mats, jump over things, and crawl around. She loves it.

So, during our last class the instructor — who is young and skinny and way way too into this class — asked us what we hoped our kids would get out of it. What did we want from this class? The first mom talked about how she wants her daughter to experience peer interaction. The next mom mentioned a sense of structure. The next socialization. And so on. It sounded like a John Gottman seminar. As I listening, I realized that all the mom’s had only one kid — the kid in the class.

When it got to me. I looked the instructor right in the eye and said, “I just want her to be tired when we’re done.”

And that is what happens with number five.

Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk

Kari at MamaBloo — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:00:06 +0000

In our house we have an epidemic. As much as I love each and every one of my kids, they spill. Like, a lot. So much so that we have a title that we pass around almost nightly. The title? The Spiller.

It goes like this. Izzy knocks over her milk and it spills everywhere and someone announces, “Izzy is THE SPILLER tonight!!!” She smiles. Ah shucks. I get to be THE SPILLER ? Cool.

We spill so much around here that also have an expression that immediately follows any spill. The glass goes over, water goes everywhere and I shout, “Mobilize the Spill-Unit!!!” Upon this command, Jade runs for paper towels, Izzy grabs plates and other gear out of harms way, Lily grabs napkins and goes low — mopping up the drips that are already hitting the floor, and Ty… well, we are working on him. Usually he helps Jade. I coordinate. In this fashion we get spills cleaned up and everything back in order in less than 90 seconds and dinner continues. We are a well-oiled machine.

Except for the time that Lily overwhelmed the Spill-Unit with FOUR back to back spills. No sooner had everything been put right when.. bloooppp… over went another glass. She spilled Jade’s milk, Ty’s milk and her own milk…twice. It was epic. We still talk about it when the conversation lags. Hey, remember that ONE TIME when Lily was like the Spiller-Extraordinaire? Oh yeah, we all say, that was epic! Then we sort of chuckle. But the chuckling doesn’t last because another spill is iminent and we have to be ready, on our guard for possible spill-unit mobilization.

Usually the SPILLER is Izzy. That girl could enter the Olympics if they had a SPILLER event and bring home the gold.

Last night Ty was the spiller.

The night before it was me. Like I said. It is an epidemic.

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Click here to see Emme and me during a Me Ra Koh photo shoot (last November) for her upcoming book!!!

The Highlight of Their Morning

Kari at MamaBloo — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:57:42 +0000

Having a big family comes with its share of the traditional ups and downs. I mean, having two teenage girls and a baby means that feeling rested is really just a memory. But as I have mentioned before, the big family thing comes with its share of sweet moments. Sweet moments that are really more like a suprise, something I never anticipated.

My two oldest — Jade (14) and Izzy (13) — get up and ready for school on their own. ( I try not to feel too much guilt about not cooking them omlettes every morning – my energy isn’t endless…). Each morning they pile their backpacks and instruments next to our front door and wait for the HONK that signals the carpool is waiting outside. About the time they get their shoes on and switch into “hang out” mode before the carpool arrives, Ty, Emme and I mosey on down from upstairs to start our day.

But when Ty and Emme lay eyes on those two big girls, they go absolutely crazy with joy. If Dora and Anakin and Buzz Lightyear all showed up at once, they wouldn’t get the kind of reception that Ty and Emme greet Jade and Izzy with every morning.

The next 10 minutes is a carinval of love from my two youngest to my two oldest. Still in their jammies, Ty and Emme practically mob Jade and Izzy demanding the last few seconds of their attention before leaving for school. Lego catalogs come out to be delved into, toys materialize, the itsy bitsy spider and twinkle twinkle little star is sung…over and over… oh, and over and over… sometimes it is an imprompu game of hide-and-seek as Ty jumps under a blanket and instructs “come find me.”

Final snuggles are given and plans for their return in the afternoon are made (“If you don’t have a lot of homework, Izzy, will you play Wii with me?”). When the HONK comes Emme and Ty both run out to give one final goodbye to their big girls as they drive off. Ty shouting his BBYYEEE!!!!! and Emme blowing kisses with a MWAH ..MWAH.

It is only after all of this that I can change Emme’s diaper, make breaksfast, and get our morning focused on Kindergarten drop off and baby music class.

But I wouldn’t change it.

Jade will be heading off to college the year Emme enters Kindergarten — only 4 years away. And it is the time they have together now — even those few minutes in the morning, or maybe especially those few minutes in the morning — that will part of their relationship forever. There will be a day when Emme will run out to blow Jade a kiss and she won’t be coming home until Thanksgiving.

So, until then, I will enjoy that the highlight of their morning is with each other.

Spoons

Kari at MamaBloo — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:30:56 +0000

When I was a kid, my parents marvelled at my one, true talent. Hanging a spoon from my nose. It seems it runs in the family.

Family Word Challenge

Kari at MamaBloo — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:00:45 +0000

One of my good growing up memories of my father is when we would lie on the big master bed in the big master bedroom at our house in Glendale, California. We would lie there on the turquoise and brown bedspread (hey, it was the 70′s) and he would teach me words in Spanish or repeat huge vocabulary words and have me say them and then teach me the meaning of those words. I must have been about five or six at the time. I have to say that it introduced a love of language that I still have today.

A few years back I introduced my own version of the vocabulary game.

Each year, I pick a word or phrase that is organically grown out of our everyday language at home. By this I mean, that I actually have used this word in front of my kids and then said kids look at me askance, wrinkle their browns, and say,”huh?” Anyway, I pick a word and challenge them to use it when speaking to an adult in their lives. IF they can do so, they win the game. At first I thought about delivering some sort of prize to any kid who can pull this off. But, soon it became apparent that the legendary status that comes with using the yearly challenge word appropriately with a teacher or coach is reward enough for my sweet little nerds.

So, a few years back the challenge phrase was “CARTE BLANCHE” — you should have heard the story of Jade going up to her then 5th grade teacher asking her for “Carte Blanche bathroom priveledges.”

In case you were wondering, the answer was “no!”

Last year I picked a phrase I heard Dr. Phil use one time, “No matter how flat you make a pancake, it still has two sides!” Seriously, the kids had to weave that into a conversation with a grown up? Yup. The winner? Izzy. She used it in a book report over the book Swindle
when the protagonists had to break the law, but for a good reason — her 6th grade teacher was there, so it counts. Well done, Izzy, well done.

This year the word is REMISS.

I mean, THAT is a great word.

Think of all the real-word applications. “So sorry, I have been remiss at feeding my fish and, thus, it has perished.” “Excuse me, but I have been remiss in informing you that I need a ride to soccer practice tomorrow.” “Mrs. Smith, I fear you have been remiss in giving me that grade I deserve.” Okay, maybe not that last one.

Or maybe the example I just used moments ago when talking to Izzy, “I have been remiss in telling you that this year’s word is… remiss.”

Nevertheless, my kids will be out there looking for reasons to use the word REMISS. Watch out, they could be looking for you! So, try not to judge them too harshly when they point out that you have been… well… remiss.

Twas The Night Before Kindergarten

Kari at MamaBloo — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:00:27 +0000

We made our peace a long time ago that Ty prefers to sleep with mommy and daddy.

I think in Ty’s first week of life, we realized that this kid may sleep with us until he goes to college. No joke. College.

It complicates certain issues, surely, but, it also has its perks.

Last night I turned the light out and turned toward my sound asleep little boy who was starting kindergarten the next day. I looked into his slumbering face and marvelled at his perfection, his long lashes, his scraggly hair. I thought about how I was probably NOT going to cry when I dropped him off the next morning at kindergarten — really — but right now in the moonlight I wanted to memorize his face, what he looked like the night before. I cuddled in, I felt my heart swell.

My heart swelled just in time for Ty’s right arm to swing around and punch me smack in the nose.

His eyes then fluttered open and he said, “Oh, sorry mommy, I thought you were Lily.”

Holding Up "K's" For Kindergarden

Follow that Potty!!!

Kari at MamaBloo — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:00:15 +0000

Recently we went to my hometown of Yakima to visit family and enjoy the blistering dry heat and desert sun. Going from the Seattle area to Yakima requires going across a mountain pass. The condition of “The Pass” is forever a source of discussion in the state of Washington. Is it snowing? Is there construction? Are there avalanches? Is it backed up with traffic? Upon entering The Pass there is very very very little in the way of civilization until Ellensburg (smack dab in the middle of the state) and some people might argue that Ellensburg does not constitute real cililization.

So, on late Sunday afternoon we headed back, hoping that the kids would rest, the baby would sleep and we would make it home in time to order take out and watch some DVR-ed shows. Most people who travel The Pass stop “at the top” to take in the beauty, stretch, and use the state provided bathrooms. As we passed that last rest area before “the top” I realized that I was cutting it a little bit close in terms of that state provided bathroom. But, hey, I have a teacher bladder and I am sure I can make it.

Then we hit traffic.

Bad traffic.

Backed up for miles, bad traffic.

I am sure we’ll be along shortly. We all thought.

So, to pass the time time (no pun intended) and to take my mind of the every-growing need to pee, I pulled out my camera.

Here is Jade’s vote for our Christmas picture 2010. What is clear to me, is that we need a bigger car.

Entertaining the baby.

After a while I noticed that there were children playing on the freeway. I then started to fear for my bladder.

Facebook updates informed us that we were looking at 10 miles of backups and a possible 2 hour delay.

I looked to my right — only to see a sheer rock face. No hope for a behind-the-tree emergency potty break

I looked to my left — only to see tons of oncoming traffic. This is the one are of The Pass that does not have a center median. No relief there.

I spotted possible salvation parked behind us.

This is one of those times I don’t think I am going to be able to talk Dave into helping out. There is no way he is going to walk up to that camper, knock ont he door, and ask if his wife can use their bathroom. Besides, it might have a serial killer inside, or really mean outdoorsmen.

Luckily, 90 minutes after we stopped, the lane next to us starting moving. The camper pulled in next to us, and then pulled ahead, and as I saw my last hope drive off I shouted, “FOLLOW THAT POTTY!” And we did.

I made it just in time.

Even teacher-bladders have their limit.

A Small Lament

Kari at MamaBloo — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:20:15 +0000

I hear all the time, “How do you do it with five kids?” And the honest answer is this: It is really not THAT hard. I mean, there is certainly a ton… a ton… of energy expended in kid-care, but there is also a synergy to a big family that makes it work. All the kids have playmates, a few years back we got two built-in babysitters, chores are spread out over more hands, there is always someone to laugh at your jokes, the whole family is perfect blog fodder … the list goes on.

But, perhaps, the hardest thing about being in a family with 5 kids spread over a 13 year age span is that we really don’t fit in anywhere.

Here is what I mean. We have friends with school-age kids slash teens and we have friends with preschoolers… but we are the only ones we know that have both. And this amounts to an incredible feeling of not fitting in… of isolation. One might think it would be the oppposite, but it really isn’t.

We face teenage issues about making good choices, fights with friends, and hormones right alongside potty training, learning the ABCs, and well-baby check ups.

We are never in the “Same Place” for long.

Add to that and I am not really a throw-the-baby-in-a-sling-and-climb-a-mountain type of gal. I am a stay at home read-a-book-while -snuggling-on-the-couch-eating-take-out type of gal and it gets pretty lonely.

I try to look at it this way: My adventure IS my family, IS my parenting, IS how to get the laundry done, IS how to stay within our budget and so forth. And I am actually happy with that arrangement. But there are times when I wish we could throw ourselves into just one place and live our life in that place for a while…but we can’t. So, we watch… a lot. And work hard. And sleep when we can.