1-5

1) What do I do with her while I am working on school with the other kids?

I keep this one (and Stryder) at the table with us as much as possible. It's only when they can not stand one more minute of sitting-stillness that I let them go off and play, or maybe watch Sesame Street or one of the Leap Frog DVDs. While they are in the school area, I have lots of little hands-on activities they can busy themselves with - beads and strings, beans and egg cartons, alphabet magnets, monkeys in a barrel, coloring books, scissors and paper, whiteboards and markers, preschool pages, etc...

I have found that they absorb an astonishing amount of educational material through osmosis. Simple proximity to the learning that is taking place is an extremely effective teaching tool. Tyden is my best example of this. The boy knows far more than a kindergartner would be normally taught. It's only because he is taking in what Jayla and Onyx are learning right along with them.

**This year, Stryder and Clover have also enjoyed some play time together while the older kids are doing school - and it is very sweet for them - so I do try to allow it too. But they are also prone to getting themselves into mischief (and smear entire new bottles of hair conditioner all over the floor.) So, my "keep them at the table" approach may have dual motivations. ☺

2) We joined a gym. A brand spankin new, great big gigantic one. It's in Colorado Springs, so it's a bit of a trek for us, but they have 3 of these:

And if you live in this neck of the woods, you know pools are not necessarily easy to come by unless you dwell in a neighborhood that has one as part of their community. *Hugely surprisingly* Sticksville (where we gleefully abide) does not happen to offer such amenities.

**Although we primarily joined the gym for pool access, I was oh-so-pleased to discover this facility allows 2 hours of free child care per day while mom and/or dad work out. Hello! If I am soon in the best shape of my adult life, you'll know why.....

3) Speaking of getting in shape, I have decided that since no baby seems interested in climbing aboard my woefully vacant womb at this moment and my new gym has 2 free hours of child care per day, I will now devote myself entirely to promoting a rockin hard body excellent physical health. This seems a good alternative to hosting a (wee precious) baby who would only cause me to grow bloated, large, and full of all manner of undesirables (such as stretch marks, heartburn, loud unladylike belching, and varicose veins.) Yes, I am all about fitness now...as I throw my Easter candy wrappers away.

**Perhaps this will help with the embarrassing, uncontrollable, spontaneous sobs that erupt every time I see a Bountifully Blessed pregnant woman.

4) My husband just finished building a 16 x 24 foot barn. With his own 2 hands. This endeavor propelled him far into superhero status among myself and our children as well as increasing his hotness exponentially in his wife's admiring eyes.

**Never underestimate the power of a handyman to make the ladies swoon.

5) I asked Stryder what kind of cake he would like for his birthday thinking he would suggest, "chocolate" or "funfetti" or "white." Instead, he dared utter the (dreaded) word "Batman." Um. Well. Clearly, this dear child does not yet realize the limits of his mother's *modest* cake decorating abilities. If it's Batman my (teeny-tiny-little-bitty-infant-who-couldn't-possibly-be-turning-5) boy wants, it's Batman he gets.

** Excuse me, while I go look up the phone number for the Bakery....