Our Family Jots and Tittles

My apologies that this week's family update is so late! We'll call these - "Tardy Tittles"



Sunday- Chazaq on the climb
Chazaq is climbing EVERYTHING. (Tubs, chairs, table, couch, cupboards, stairs, dog, cats, my skirt...I mean everything!) The kids help in the kitchen and use chairs and stools. This is a HUGE attraction to my little climber. He wants to "help" and see what he is missing. So he climbs up their legs while they are washing dishes, as he tries to race up to get his hand in the water before mommy can intercede from across the room. He is keeping me busy in this area of training. He is trying on tantrums in the process...especially if the kids correct him. He does it less and less with me. So we are progressing. (Halleluyah!) As trying as this time can be when you are trying to get something done....I love it!


Monday- My newest little reader

Gideon is reading! He will be 5 next month. Gideon is one of those kids that never ceases to stop surprising us. He is impulsive and bold and loud, like a bull in a china shop. Yet, he is tender and gentle and timid in some cases. He thirsts for attention and will act up to get it. (We're working on that! You might think we are feeding him red die number 5 with Coke chasers sometimes...but that could not be further from the truth!) However, what we are really seeing in the past year is that he is very bright little boy. His cognitive abilities are strong, he has an amazing sense of humor, he picks things up very quickly and remembers the most amazing things in details from when he was 2 years old. Without being taught, he just "gets stuff". (He takes after his Mamma. ;-) HA - HA!) Reading is now, one of those things. I only recently started spending time with him reading and giving casual instruction. And that is only because he keeps reading and and bring his books to me with questions! Before, I didn't give him enough credit for his attention span. (tisk) Ever since Naomi (6) became a good reader (which happened very quickly too - but was a really rough in the beginning) he decided it was something he thought he aught to do to!


Even though, we are in the very beginning stages, he is picking it up quickly and is very motivated! It is very exciting for us...because this helps with more places to direct his high energy and active brain. Maybe he has just been too smart for his own britches all along. :-)

Tuesday- Chim Chiminey Chim Chiminey Chim Chim Churoo
Ben spent most of the day working on the chimney. We had a chimney sweep come last Thursday, and that helped, but he didn't get it all. The resin started falling and clogging up the shaft again...so Ben had to take matters into his own hands. We were thankful for the chimney sweep, Ben learned what needed to be done. He only charged us a portion of his call too, because he was leery that he didn't get it all. It was night time, and he didn't want to take the chimney apart. Ben however ever, did it in the day time and did take the bottom portion of the stove pipe out to get in there. He saw there was a cold front coming in again and knew that we would be in trouble and from our experience the two weeks prior...we were quite OVER the clogged chimney situation. So this momma was thankful that he jumped in to "get'r done right"! It works like a dream again. No more smokey chilly house.

Wednesday- Back to Cloth

I have gone back to cloth diapers. Today was our first official day. All the kids love to giggle at Chazaq's particularly round rump now. I gave all my Motherease diapers away couple years ago. I am keeping it much more simple this time round. We are using all in one Kushie's Ultra Light. I also have a few Antsy Pants in the mix. We have been using them for some of our toddlers at night time for the last couple years. In the interim, I bought organic diapers, but I am trying to be more frugal with our budget...I still have some in the barn (I buy them wholesale by the case for the discount). We'll save those for travel. I still by the organic wipes, but used to do my own cloth wipes...so I plan to get back to that too. I like to use flannel for my wipes. I have a bunch to cut up, and finish the edges, but my sewing machine pedal just broke (while we were trying to sew my curtain for my new bathroom closet)...so that project is on hold. Some day, it will be replaced with a treadle machine - but that is a whole 'nother post! I was also kind of waiting to finish my quilts, so I could just sew what was left over instead of finding myself wishing I hadn't cut into my quilt fabric! So...those three projects are currently on hold. The budget was hit hard early this month...so I have to wait until our tax rebate comes in to get the sewing machine pedal or our next paycheck, whichever comes first.

Thursday - Cream Cheese Tips

You soften your cream cheese the way you like....I'll soften mine, the way I like!

I don't know when it first happened, I am guessing it first happened one day when my precious daughter was persistent about helping me with something in the kitchen, so I asked her to warm the cream cheese for me. Now it is an "official job" in our kitchen, exclusive to her. (Gideon, smashes it because he is so heavy and Naomi thinks its "a joke".) As you can see, she loves to do it.
Friday- TP Earlier this week papa picked up toilet paper while he was out. With the tighter budget and only having one car, we got uncomfortably low. I usually have it stocked and he doesn't have to deal with it. He brought home a big pack of the quilty soft two ply stuff, I used to use BC (a long time ago BEFORE CHILDREN). Upon my first use, I realized...we were entering into a danger zone...I came out and explained to my honey (because it was likely it could happen again) that next time we want to be sure to get the scratchy, thin, single ply, 1000 sheet roll - Scott Tissue. We need to keep an eye on the kids and explain to them about the using less...or we are going to have trouble. He said, "Do you really think so? Does it make that big of a difference?" I said, I hope I'm wrong, but I think we're asking for trouble. THAT night..."Dad, come quick, the bathroom is flooding!" (Eliana, my 4 yr old pictured above, had just come out) I said, Eliana, honey - was their something wrong with the toilet. She said "yep", When you when did it not flush right? She said, "Yep". I said, "You need to tell mommy and daddy if anything ever breaks so we fix it right away...OK?", "Ok Mommy" (Frantic clean up noises in the back ground as daddy and Eliana go into bio hazard clean up mode. I was pretty bad and we were actually sitting at the table having our Friday evening Shabbat meal when it occured!) She was so carefree about it. Which was actually refreshing (and kind of funny), because she can get emotional very emotional when she is being corrected. Needless to say, we will be blessing someone with a large case of fluffy, quilted super soft TP. It felt like a spa for a half a day. :-)

Shabbat - Went for a hike It was a beautiful day. We decided to go to Horton Sate Park. Is was a WONDERFUL park. We will go back for sure. It is a nice park with trails on the Duck River in TN. We had fun exploring Yah's Creation in the crisp warm air. We listened to Torah Class to and fro. It was a nice relaxing family day.

Much Love,

Ben , Pamela and the Tribe