Mums of Many - It's February already!

[orangefoot]

There is no UK icon so I thought I'd spell mums how we spell it here. I hope you don't mind.

February brings our family two birthdays and the anniversary of dh proposing to me (aka Valentines Day). By next weekend I will officially be the mum of two teenagers. That makes me feel a bit old.

What is in your month ahead?

[4JMJ]

Subbing
New here, just into'd myself on the last thread!
We have a 4-day weekend trip coming up mid-month to go to Myrtle Beach. Probably won't be very warm, but still excited to go!

[mommajb]

subbing in... may post more of an update soon. I need to collect my thoughts.

Oh I'll just try to do it on the fly.

February:

Ian is still homeschooled but Alice has been in school. Helen started today and I think is having a bit of a difficult time. I asked the principal to email me updates and they aren't good or bad so I think she is trying not to worry me. Helen will be 7 in two weeks. Charlotte and Linus are enjoying the day with a little bit less running around, one less sister to parent them all day and generally ran themselves ragged playing unchecked.

We have a couple other birthdays in the family that don't stress me out.

Dh and I have never been good at holidays but I am finding more and more that I do want him to do something for me on all these stupid days (like Valentine's Day). I just want to be appreciated outwardly. I've tried telling him so only time will tell. The other part of the problem is that I feel I should do a bit for him and I have no ideas.

A relatively uneventful month unless we get snow.

[Drummer's Wife]

I'd love to join! I have four children, soon to be turning 3, 5, 7, and 9. We are TTC #5, so I hope that qualifies me.

For Feb. we have the kids' valentine's parties at school, a date night for DH and I to celebrate our anniversary, and a birthday on the last day of the month (that starts the craziness of all four b-days between then and March 30th ). That's all that comes to mind for this month -- except getting our tax refund. Very excited about that!

[rajahkat]

February! Well, obviously I've got a baby coming sometime! And Durian turns 2 this month. It's weird because I've never really been sentimental before about the "baby" getting ousted from his place, but I'm having a hard time with Durian not being the baby anymore! Maybe because he is such a sweetie, very loving and affectionate and I hate the idea of him growing out of that.

Other than that, we're busy with homeschooling. I'm loving the history curriculum we're using. I'm doing history odyssey and it's so much fun! Great too because Banyan (5) & Alder (8) can do the same level together. Banyan is in a wanting to learn to read phase again, so I'm focusing on that with him.

I personally love Valentines Day, and would be pissed if it slipped by without some sort of little acknowledgement! Though it normally runs to toys & racy lingerie, and as that won't be happening this year, I don't know what we'll do.

Take care everybody!
Kat

[arcenciel]

Definitely subbing....
Haven't been on here for ages but realised I needed something. I just don't think I'm coping with 4. My youngest is 2.5 today (ds 11, 9 and dd 6) and I thought it was getting better now I'm not sure. I let them have cereal for tea tonight because I wasn't organised enough to have anything else...and the place is a mess.

Please tell me it's going to get better???

[baltic_ballet]

Subbing

Thanks for starting the Feb thread Orangefoot, here in Australia we use mum too.

Good luck Kat with your birth, I hope everything goes as safely and smoothly as possible

[baltic_ballet]

Originally Posted by arcenciel

Definitely subbing....
Haven't been on here for ages but realised I needed something. I just don't think I'm coping with 4. My youngest is 2.5 today (ds 11, 9 and dd 6) and I thought it was getting better now I'm not sure. I let them have cereal for tea tonight because I wasn't organised enough to have anything else...and the place is a mess.

Please tell me it's going to get better???

Could you get your older kids to help you clean up some of the mess? at 11, 9 and 6 they are old enough to help sort clothes and put things away.

[pixiekisses]

Sam, from the previous thread, I'm sorry about your nephew, hope he gets better, and well.
And I know the feeling when they move out, tough.
How's Sophia and Nate doing? (Do you call her Soph?) And was it Bronte who had to get used to them? How's that going? (Sorry if I remember wrong.)


My little miss cotton ball button is healing really well from everything she went through, she's walking again, with a little limp, but the physio. is pretty sure it'll go away.
Tiny is being weaned to her new foster (adopting) home, finally (for her, she's so big already). It's a wonderful home, and they are friends of us, who adopted our last emergency care baby too. We get to keep in touch, so that's awesome.
And everyone else are well!
We're going for a better month than the last one here.


Jenny, Helen, when you pop in, how are your little ones doing? And the rest of the family?

[wildmama]

Intro

Hello Mums,

Introducing myself...I have 5, ages 12, 9, 8, 8, and 10 months. Somehow I thought things would be calming down now that the baby is getting older, but it's just chaos all the time! Doesn't help that he doesn't sleep much at night yet!

As for the month, we have a birthday party on Saturday for the girls (one just turned 8, the other's about to be 9.) Valentine's parties and the requisite box making beforehand. Also, my dad who is on the infirm side and has been living with us since summer has a birthday this month, in addition to a hearing on the 19th regarding his house being sold at auction for back taxes. And finally, it's still basketball season around here, so we have games every weekend.

I think my kids do too much. I want them to be involved, but with 5 it's tough getting them where they are supposed to be and in all the right uniforms, etc. But I suppose that is a topic for another thread.

Anyway, glad to meet you all!

[baltic_ballet]

Originally Posted by pixiekisses

Sam, from the previous thread, I'm sorry about your nephew, hope he gets better, and well.
And I know the feeling when they move out, tough.
How's Sophia and Nate doing? (Do you call her Soph?) And was it Bronte who had to get used to them? How's that going? (Sorry if I remember wrong.)

Sophia ( yes we call her Soph) and Nate are doing really well I can't believe their nearly a month old already! Bronte is doing better with the twins, she can be a bit rough with them and she's not happy with twins getting to nurse and not her (she has tired a few times to nurse but she having trouble with latching and I think my milk tastes different). I would love to nurse Bronte again but i am exhausted and not sure i have the energy and patience to try which leaves me with bad mummy guilt

My nephew lives in another state and at the moment I can't visit with so many little ones so other than regular phone calls i am feeling pretty useless


I am so please to hear little miss cotton ball is doing well I've been thinking of you.

[mclisa]

Feb is a great month. My oldest turns 9 on the 13th and then it is my birthday on the 14th. DH and I will be going out to dinner.


What are your best travel tips?

[crittersmom]

Zoe's birthday is also on the 13th, she turns 4.My Inlaws and FIL's sister are coming on the 22 and spending about a week.I'm excited about that because I actually like them even though I've gotten in some arguments with my FIL ( he says I'm stubborn). I'm getting over a yucky head cold and I lost my voice and I can't stay awake for more than an hour ( yay first trimester) so the kids are getting away with all kinds of naughtiness.
Sam I am sorry that you can't be with your nephew but I am sure that your phone calls are really important too.I never got to see my grandma after she was diagnosed but I called her every day and it was good for both of us.Nursing three is very very very tough, I nursed all three of my youngest and i felt like a bone.
Wildmama I am curious about how you wrangle and shuttle to various sports, does each child have different one?so far we have just put our oldest two in soccer at the same time and I would like them to have activities so I am curious how a mom of many would do it.
Mclisa After driving back and forth and up and down both coasts of the US, I like driving at night with the kids but if we day drive we stop off at a fast food place that has a playland to get the wriggles out of the kids.We also really like our portable DVD player.I also have lots of snacks and drinks that are healthier than the road food and airport food.Are you flying or driving?
Woohoo! Kat's having a baby this month!!! Easy labor vibes to you and I hope you get lots of rest.

[Kidzaplenty]

[mommajb]

That' a lot of Feb 13th! If I had known this 7 years ago I might have been better prepared for a new dd and a blizzard on the same day. Luckily dd came first but my mom took over 9 hours to get to our house from the airport 1+ hours away.

[~bookcase~]

Originally Posted by arcenciel

I let them have cereal for tea tonight because I wasn't organised enough to have anything else...and the place is a mess.

you know, there are sometimes phases like that. older ones should be able to help out, but when i'm feeling 'scatty' or unsettled: they act it.lol. can they make sandwiches though? but cereal is a treat every now and then
we also do 'raw' meals when we just open/ peel whatever is handy and eat it as a jumble iyswim.

Originally Posted by baltic_ballet

I would love to nurse Bronte again but i am exhausted and not sure i have the energy and patience to try which leaves me with bad mummy guilt

Go easy on yourself. It's a success to be feeding the two and you risk 'touched out city' if you do much more than your comfort zone. I think with nursing especially, that once a mother has had *enough*, it doesn't make sense to continue because you end up essentially feeding all those negative emotions/ irritation along with the milk. I fed my second for longer than I felt comfortable and really had to pick up the pieces later with him once I'd dealt with my resentment and guilt.

and sorry about your nephew healing vibes going that way....

February so far. Hmm. This new house has been hard from go. We lost our beloved rabbit to a fox. I'm so much more devastated than I ever thought I could be. He was the sweetest, most lovely character. We miss him so much.

[zonapellucida]

Hello all! I am uncomfortably awaiting number 10 and am so very ready to meet another blessed little soul.
'
wildmama: I had to giggle because I haven't noticed anything calming down in my house. Any tips anyone has for improving quiet, I am all ears.

subbing

[mataji4]

Quiet? Oh, I think I notice that in the middle of the night when I wake up. Maybe I'm just waking up to enjoy it!

When all the kids are here it's often chaotic with yelling, crying, screaming, what have you. ugh!

[pjs]

subbing

feb- busy making up for the month of homeschool vacation we took for baby #4's arrival/birth back in the fall

trying to keep the grocery bill manageable, house cleaned and kids fed!

Have to figure out what to give up for Lent

[carmel23]

Hi mamas,

I'm carmel and I'm working on a project that requires that I interview mamas (and papas) of large families (these days I'm saying that is 3 and/or more children) who are ecologically focused/ concerned, etc.

Please PM me if you are interested! It is a relatively short email survey, and I can explain more answer more questions if you email or PM me.

Thank you for your help