Friday, January 22, 2010

Hello... is anyone still there?

Must. Write. On. Blog.
Must. Form. Coherent. Thoughts.

It's been a little while since I've written, and probably nobody cares except me. I am okay with that, but I've missed the process of putting down my thoughts. I do have a good excuse. Here it is.

I am pregnant. Some may say "Hooray"! Some may say ,"Are you crazy?" Some may question how many children you can legally put in the same bedroom. Just for the record, I am in the "Hooray" camp.

I am about 13 weeks along, due the first week of August. I think it will probably be the end of July, so let's just say July because it seems a lot closer than August. I have experienced my smoothest first trimester to date. I felt pretty crummy in the evenings, but my days were great and that is a real blessing because I don't exactly have the luxury of lounging on the couch all day.

I tend to get a bit depressed during pregnancy, but feeling better has definitely helped my state of mind so far. That being said, I am really going to try not to let the "fog" cloud my thinking too much. I found I wasn't really feeling a desire to write on this blog very much, which is usually something I really enjoy, so I figured I should just do it. Already I feel a bit better. Also I took a happy nappy on the couch this afternoon, so I have a bit more wakey-time at night after the kiddos are in bed. They are outlasting me in the energy department these days.

A few thoughts to share:

*I'm reading "The Lightning Thief" and it's great. Clark got the series for Christmas and he's really enjoying it. I needed a lighter read. "Atlas Shrugged" was killing me. Can you say, downer?

*We have no pretzels left in our house. Nor shall we for a long time. It turns out Bethany was able to be SO picky about food because she was stashing baggies of pretzels around the house to subsist on when the food I prepared was unacceptable. Abe declared a "pretzel fast" and hid the big Costco bag in our closet, which was subsequently discovered and the pretzel sneaking continued. Their was also some dishonesty involved, but I won't go into that. The punishment for the crime? The girls had to carry the big pretzel bag to the big trash can outside. Too harsh or responsible parenting-- you be the judge.

*After much howling and gnashing of teeth Clark and I finally came to an agreement-- WE HATE THE K12 MATH PROGRAM and will be ordering the next Math-U-See book.
Note to my fellow homeschoolers: If what you are doing is working for you- DON'T MESS WITH IT. Lesson learned.

*Abe has decided to play basketball with the church team. He's so happy he is old enough to play on the "vets" team because "there is less running". Well, there would be less running, unless you kill yourself trying to prove to yourself and your team-mates that you've still got the skills you had when you were 19. He has his first game tomorrow, which we are all excited to go and cheer for.

*Clark is also playing basketball. He tells us he has "mean, jerk-coaches". Always yelling at the boys what they should have done. He is not that far off base. They are pretty jerky, but Clark is handling it pretty well. The coaches want the boys to be more aggressive and foul more. He came home from practice tonight and said it was their most aggressive scrimmage yet. By the end of practice three boys had blood and the coaches were really happy. Hmm. Do I need to write a letter to someone?

*Softball sign-ups are coming next week. I find myself fantasizing about spring time and going to the park for games. I think I might be more excited than Elinor. It's been a very cold, gray, blah winter so far.

*I tried to make refried beans the other day in my crock pot. It sounded really tasty to me, so I doubled that batch. Why did I do that? The flavor was good, but the consistency was too thin. Now I have a LOT of refried bean soup in my fridge. On that note, does anyone know a recipie that has a base of refried beans?

That is about all I have to talk about tonight. Glad to be back.

11 comments:

Melissa said...

Congrats on the pregnancy! (Are you the only one, or are there others in the family right now?) Oh, and here's a recipe that uses refried beans as a base. Russell and I love it, but the girls are so-so. But then, they're picky. (Way to go on the pretzel war, btw.)

Ali said...

Welcome back ... missed you!

And I agree on the pretzel thing. I think that is definitely good parenting!

Inspiration Station said...

I noticed and missed hearing about your days. Such wonderful news Betsy! So happy for your little on on the way.

Mothership said...

Ike is in reading the third of the Percy Jackson series right now. I have to finish two other books first, but I plan on reading them. He has devoured them.

Glad to have you back. Glad you are feeling better. Good to know about the K12 program. I keep writing my own curriculum--it fits with our family, but it is a lot of work for me!

We have no baby coming, but I'll let you know right away when we do. . .

Abe Fox said...

Melissa, Mary is also pregnant - due later in August.

Betsy, I love it when you blog......you're in such a great mood when you come to bed. Could you start blogging every night?!!

Amy F. said...

Congratulations on your pregnancy!! It is always good news when another Fox is on the way! I'm glad that your first trimester is over and you are having a better pregnancy so far. I get depressed when I'm pregnant too. It's worse than the morning sickness!! Anyway, I also have a recipe with refried beans in it, but it's from my box, so there's no cool link like Melissa's. :)


Mexican Lasagna
1 lb ground beef (you can use 1/2 the meat and put more beans in, my kids like it better that way)
1 can (16oz) refried beans
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 jar (16oz) salsa
2 cups water
16oz sour cream
1 can (2 1/4 oz)sliced olives drained (optional)
4 oz. Shredded mexi-blend cheese (we use cheddar)
green onions to garnish
-------------------------------
In skillet, cook beef over med. heat until no longer pink, drain. Add refried beans, oregano, cumin & garlic powder; heat through. Place 3 uncooked noodles in 9x13 baking dish coated with Pam. Cover with 1/2 meat mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles. Combine salsa & water; pour over noodles. Cover and bake immediately 350 for 60-70 min. or until noodles are tender. Spread with sour cream. Sprinkle with olives, cheese & onions. 9 servings

McKenna said...

congrats! That is way exciting.

Love ya!

McKenna

Sariah said...

I'm excited for you and also glad you're back blogging! I enjoy your posts. That ever allusive goal is for me to put something on my page too. Keep inspiring me!

Katie Fox said...

congrats Betsy thats awesome!! I read the percy Jackson series and they were awesome, kind of like a mild Harry Potter, I really enjoyed them.

The clarkes said...

So happy for you and your family!! And happy to be receiving your blog updates- we missed you :)

camfox said...

Congratulations Betsy! You're an awesome mom, and I love peeking into your life. Thanks for blogging.