Ebeth's 4 and no more

So, this is what my husband is telling my children I am. "Did you just hear the lioness roar?" he asks them. Course, this mind you when all 4 of them are supposed to be accomplishing their chores prior to Halloween weekend full of candy and fun. As much as I make light of having four kids under the fire of onlookers judging comments I have to be willing to admit the obvious that it is a challenge from time to time. There are fleeting moments when they all move in unison making for heaven on earth. But those are few and far between. Their aging leads to more independence and less control making simple tasks like getting in the car become a 15 minutes event. How odd it is that I wished for the day when they could open the door, climb in and buckle on their own. I have it, well x3 anyway and whew I miss the days when I could lift them and put them where I wanted with minimal effort. I love that Mike and I have figured out a "teasing" way to poke at each other usuall...

My youngest son is the sweetest thing there ever was. Man he knows how to make his mommas heart melt. Likewise it won't be long before he can melt more than G-ma and mine. I will rue that day but for now I am gonna live every blessed second of it. For example allowing him to stay up 15 min later than normal because during prayer time he decided to play, then brush then style my hair. He even gathered several accessories to finalize my beauty. Thanks Daddy for not mentioning that is the most masculine thing to do, but then again what female doesn't love her hair brushed anyway????

Over the many years of parenting bedtime has evolved from simple, to organized, to chaos, to methodical. I have always tried to build in tenderness and love. From my first days when I rocked #1 to just before sleep every single night without fail until the ripe age of 3, until now when I make my way room to room spending moments with each child individually. Lately we have begun praying as a family rather than just them and I in their room. This makes much more sense considering the scripture Matt 18:20 Where two or more are gathered in my name, I am in the midst of them.The prayers are priceless and innocent, such as #4 praying that #1 would not be late tomorrow, ha! The best part of this time was that we all were squished together on the couch rubbing each other's back and each touching everyone. How 6 people can fit in a circle laying like that I will never know but it was awesome! #4 still heads to big sis' room to play and snuggle until I appear and swoop her up to her ...

If you have been to my house this calendar year then you have seen the green sticky man on the ceiling in the living room. It always makes for interesting conversation as I forget about it being there until someone says, "Do you know there is something stuck up there?" My response always is #1 threw it there. Not a lot else has to be said if you have ever met my oldest son. God love his creative brain that is nothing like mine. I told him not to and I wouldn't retrieve it but he did it anyway. It fell about 3 months later only for him to promptly throw it again. There enlies the stupidity of boys!! Seriously, he really didn't get that it would stick again? It is no wonder men are so frustrating! Anyway, yesterday I offhandedly left these sticky hand/shape items within reach before I headed to work yesterday. I went straight from work to the circus and got home at 11pm. As I sat down to go to the bathroom I glance about and my eyes stops on something green and gooe...

It is no secret that I am a deep thinker, one who naturally is introspective. After an amazing message at church and the general peace that comes from the corporate anointed found at church my mind began to wander. The thought bubble quickly popped, not from the 4 children I had to wrangle to the car but from another parent. Mid conversation our children (hers and mine) went from tame to wild pack of starved lions crazy. I layed the smack down on mine who knew better than to argue and climbed in the car. Hers on the other did nothing similar. It was when she offhandedly said, "My kids don't listen to me", I stopped. I mean really...really how can people say something like that, mean it and not see the giant flashing light in front of their face? If your kids don't listen to you at 11 and under nothing good can come ahead! The sad reality of people so lost is everywhere. I see it at the grocery store, (not just Walmart lol), restaurants, parking lots and on. The worl...

When I was a young girl my mother ensured I knew all there was to know about the human body, specifically the female body. I could explain in detail menstruation and on in my elementary years. Kids would come to me with their questions. I do not remember the "sex" talk as much as the redundant because of the amount of time I heard "sex bad" talk. Every source of media was scrutinized for its ability to encourage or discourage sex. MTV was brand new in all that time and I felt so abused by missing out on that. I get a lot of that now especially mom being an older teen when she had me. TV is way worse now then it was then. But back to the topic.. The kids have talked before about the human body but mostly in relation to having babies. When I was pregnant with #2 and #3 I watched the show "A Baby Story" a great deal and clearly left an impression on #1. He would say babies come out of the mom's butt and they scream a lot, ha! Somewhere over time with #...

In my youngest son, #3's room are 4 square mats in primary colors. These things have made there way all over my house from time to time. Tonight was no different. I arrived home from dance with the girls only to find them in a disheveled heap on the living room floor. In the past I would have been bothered by the mess so close to bedtime but lately I have relaxed enough to let creativity rule. 30 minutes before bedtime the entire family gathers together to read, wrestle, play and pray. On this occasion #3 wanted to show us his "moves" which courtesy of tumbling class have morphed away from hip hop and completely to gymnastics. After 3 or so minutes #4 had to join in. She did a forward roll managing to make it such a show you couldn't help but smile and applaud. #2 sensing the crowds interest and feeling like we were infringing on her territory dashed in to prove she could do all that and even more. #3 tolerated the momentary interruption and took his rightful pla...

#4 has taken to telling whomever she is with that another person said so. Tonight at dinner when she was being trouble and climbing out of her high chair to "visit" me I informed her she would be in trouble if she didn't stop. Of course she did not so we headed to the restroom. When we got there she told me, "If you spank me Daddy will be mad at you!" Now how in the world was I supposed to not crack up? Also at dinner the Chinese calendar which sits as a place mat was a topic of interest. This is not the first time they have seen it, but always feels like it to the 3 big kids. For the first time we went through each and every family member, even some friends like Amy were discussed from #3. #1 who seems to turn EVERYTHING into a competition was desperately trying to find someone ANYONE in our family and then branching out to friends who was the same as him. It was to no avail. This is the same child who was sad about G missing grandparents day not because of...

Tonight post niece and nephew play date with Eva and I, post book fair pack up and pre Fall Fest game gathering I snuggled with #1 to watch Star Wars. I missed the beginning in order to complete the task and enjoyed the last 10 minutes. He beckoned me several times to come in too and mommy guilt kicked in. Thankfully this child quickly forgets once the wrong is righted and he filled me in on what I missed. Shortly, #4 followed by #3 spotted me still and dove in with both feet. This episode was interesting enough and his banter is enjoyable in moments like this. Typical for all tv there came a commercial break. As I watched along I found myself mentally noting the items to buy in the future. One was a new twister game hoopla or something, beyblades (though not ok for the show but the toys are very cool), and something else that I have managed to forget. WOW. No wonder my children beg me for everything they see. I became one of them! Back away from the tv and no one will be financial...

Last Sat at M's bday the kids met Bev, Pa-pa's "friend". It has been 3 years since Ma-ma died and this is a very good thing. Truthfully I have not really discussed dating with my kids. #2 has chatted about who hubby and I have kissed besides each other. All of the big 3 know how a baby is born but not how it begins. But it totally caught me surprise when this concept popped up tonight. Here goes: #1- "How many people are coming to my grandparents day?" Me- "4." #1- "Who is the 4th person?" Me- "Bev, Pa-Pa's friend, remember her from Sat?" #1- "Is Pa-Pa dating her?" Me- "Yes." #3- "Ewwww!!!" Me- "Why eww?" #3- "Because that means they kiss and stuff." The car was quiet for a moment. I really wasn't sure if I needed to say more. Do they understand it doesn't mean he loves Ma-Ma less? I asked them what they think about it. They said it was ok. Then #1 asked w...

Reflective Highlights from the weekend since I often think in random statements and rarely can bounce from one to the next without losing the quickest of minds I will spew it here. Where you can reread if you are confused:) The Good: +Watching #3's excitement as he opened presents that he truly loved +Sitting near a warm fire on a cool night +Watching the spectrum of colors from red, oranges and yellows as they danced is mesmerizing +Going to bed with a house put back together after party #1 +Aunt L who kept the kids busy playing doctor while I cleaned is more than sweet +Boogie down party where every body stops and dances, where else can you have such pure fun but with family? +Teaching older kids at church that actually can answer thought provoking questions +Eating leftovers all day Sunday where 3 out of 4 kids can serve themselves +Having hubby home ALL weekend +Starting off the weekend at dinner with moms and my boys +Baby girl who managed to wear underwear al...