A Week with the Tummy Flu

This week in the Haner home, there was lots of throwing up! It started Monday when Wyatt threw up every 15-30 minutes from about midnight on. Then everyone seemed fine all day Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wednesday night, Kya started throwing up around 9:00 PM and Wyatt again around 10:30 PM. They alternated (which I thought was nice of them--simultaneous vomiting would have been difficult to catch and clean up. LOL!) every 30 minutes. So we set up their little mattresses in the living room surrounded by towels and I slept on the couch nearby hoping and praying that daddy Scott could get some sleep in the bedroom (and that my pregnant belly would fit on our couch (it did!)). All was well all day Thursday and Thursday night and Friday day.

Then we decided to go to dinner at Mimi's cafe (LOVE their honey oat bran muffins!) for a family night out to celebrate the end of the tummy flu and Wyatt promptly upon being seated, threw up all over the table and booth. GROSS! Poor little guy. So, since he is usually OK for about an hour in between spit ups, we cleaned him and the booth up, changed his clothes, and stayed for a nice dinner.

A few hours later, Wyatt threw up some more and Friday night was spent much the same as Monday night, but just he and I in the living room. Today is Saturday and so far so good. We are excited to try some oh so yummy Pedialyte popsicles for dinner tonight! YUMMO!

A Sad Goodbye to a Good Friend

Tonight, we came home to find that our beloved dog and friend Maggie had died.

Maggie girl, we love you so much and we are so sorry we could not be there with you in your final moments. We have had many priority shifts since you first joined our family in November of 2002 and we have not always been the best owners. For that, we are so full of regret and sadness. You always had a loving tail wag or sweet little nudge waiting for us when we arrived home and were always so excited--especially to see daddy Scott. You would stay right in our yard and never leave our home without first checking with us. What a good dog you were.

As we say goodbye to you with tears falling, we remember the good times and pray we can learn much from your forgiving nature and sweet submitted personality. We will remember you always. Rest in peace our faithful friend. -Your Family

Learning, Enduring and Becoming A Patient SAHM

So, one of the few things a stay at home mom does that is "measurable" is keep house. A measure isn't really necessary, but for my personality, I just want to be able to look around and SEE something I did. Kids don't really work that way...Sometimes I can smell that they are clean after a bath or observe that they have learned something I taught them, but it's not the same. No one ever really looks at my kids and says, oh Tara must have done X Y and Z today.

In my previous life, everything I did was measurable, by praise from superiors, bonuses, salary, grades on tests, etc. This life is very different and I think about that a lot. I like to have something to show for my day. Parenting requires a selflessness I'm not sure I will ever possess though I am learing every day to sacrifice more of myself and actually enjoy this. I am not quite there yet.

Lately, in my enlarged state (only one more month!!!), I haven't been keeping up with housework and it has really been bumming me out...so much so that last night after husband's well-meaning comment, I sat in the garage (for surely no one would look for me there) and cried. Why did I cry exactly? The well-meaning comment indicated something along the lines that he was glad we had gotten to a point where we were "OK" with a lower standard of cleanliness in the house--this after he spent some time at a neighbor's "spotless home" (did I mention she has two children under four as well?). He couldn't have known I have spent countless hours this month scouring books, magazines, and blogs for helpful hints on keeping a home organized with little kids, or that I had just that day made a cleaning chart (AGAIN) to help keep me on track with laundry, meals, and household cleaning. He couldn't have known because I don't like to tell him when I am feeling unworthy or subpar--I just reasearch and fix it.

Only, this time, I have been researching and trying to fix it for a loooong time...without much improvement.

Here are some of the selfish thoughts I had while I was crying:

1. I have been trying to figure out this balance of cleaning/household management/parenting/playing/teaching/menu planning/ministry/time for "self"/time for God as a stay home mom for over three years. I am NEVER gonna figure this out;

2. I am hopelessly lazy and undisciplined and will never be able to keep house like my friends;

3. How in the world am I gonna ever get better at this with THREE little babies running around the house? I just got used to two!

4. Why am I the only one who feels like this?

So, after my little pity party, I realized that most of these questions are not all together rational and that I am nine months pregnant and probably a little hormonal and that I need to cut myself a little slack. But I also got some great perspective as I scoured the kitchen til 11 PM.

Kids make messes. I can help them learn to clean them up, but I can't prevent them. If I did prevent them, I would not be a very good parent and my kids would be terrified of playing and enjoying themselves. I don't want that. But, I also don't Wyatt to someday tell his wife what a horrible housekeeper his mom was...so I am looking for balance.

I am no longer crying about it. Scott let me sleep in this morning (until 7:45!!!) and I got a nap...and it's cooler outside. But I still want the house to be clean, and I'm still gonna work on getting better at balance...and realize that these issues in the scheme of "troubles" are pretty minor. We have our health, a house, our family and friends, financial stability. This is when the reader should say, "Quit your moanin' and get on with it!"

Thanks for reading.

Isaiah 40:28-31 NKJV Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. {29} He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. {30} Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, {31} But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Is it a Farm or a Zoo?

Nope, it's just us, the Haner family. Lately, our family has enjoyed more chaos than usual though which lends much more of a "zoo feeling" to our household. We are not sure why...for what is God preparing us? The third baby, that's what I think! I have had more than a few household/family/memory/computer/electronic gadget mishaps lately that have been preparing my heart and mind for, well, complete and utter CHAOS! I'm pretty sure God is allowing me to see that the world will not stop because I can't control every little detail around here. Good thing too because soon there will be two toddlers and an infant reminding me of this daily! Prayers appreciated!

The Finished Chicken Coop

Scott finished the coop a couple of months ago, but I hadn't posted all the pictures. Some of you chicken fans out there have been inquiring, so here it is. Pretty impressive for a math teacher eh?

The Gilmore Girls--Seven Seasons in Six Months

OK, so it may seem silly, but I have watched all seven seasons of the Gilmore Girls (on DVD) in the past six months. Anytime I sew or clean or do pretty much anything in the kitchen, that's what I have been watching. I feel like a little part of me is over today because I watched the final episode of season seven, the final season. It is like reaching the end of a great book. Some of the characters on the show began to feel like old friends. Anyway, I had to pay a little tribute to my Stars Hollow friends by putting up a little blog ode to them. What a fabulous witty show. I will miss it.

Below is the Wikipedia info on the Gilmore Girls:

"Gilmore Girls is an Emmy Award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated; American comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The series made its debut on The WB on October 5, 2000, and it ended on May 15, 2007 in its seventh season, which aired on The CW. Time Magazine named it one of the top 100 television series of all time.
The show follows single mother Lorelai Victoria Gilmore (Graham) and her daughter Lorelai "Rory" Leigh Gilmore (Bledel) in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, a close-knit small town with many quirky characters, located roughly thirty minutes from Hartford. The series explores family, friendship, generational divides, and social class.
Gilmore Girls features affected, fast-paced dialogue, with frequent popular-culture and political references. It also features social commentary, which is manifest most clearly in Lorelai's difficult relationship with her wealthy upper class parents."

Visiting Uncle Sean and Aunt Julie

We just got back from a lovely visit with Scott's sister's family. We spent time running around their beautiful farmland, playing games, and just chatting. It was such fun and we are so thankful for their hospitality.

Kya's Third Birthday

Pictures from a very fun and festive princess party. Special thanks to Debbie Rosenlieb for making the princess cake! Yummers! Kya got the most wonderful presents from everyone. They will keep her busy for a very long time. Thank you all so much who came and celebrated with us.

Going Green with Melaleuca

In our efforts to "go green" we are in the process of changing all our household purchases to environmentally safe products. This means natural, non-toxic ingredients, less packaging, and more concentrated formulas.

One of the ways we have found to do this is by getting nutritional supplements, household cleaners, bath and body items, makeup and more through an environemntally conscious company called Melaleuca. We find their business model and mission impeccable and are currently enjoying our third month of membership. Although we did pay a fee to become members, we now buy most all items previously purchased at Target or Walmart through this company and have them shipped right to our door (so I don't have to lug the kids around as much as I used to).

Because they do not advertise other than by word of mouth (one way they keep costs down and are able to share revenue with customers), I thought I'd brag on them a bit here on my blog.

In addition to excellent products, Melaleuca is also a revenue sharing company which means that just for referring customers, I get a check each month. For instance, I referred just one customer last month and got a check this month for $19.15. Pretty neat, huh? That covers a big chunk of my purchases from them for the month! Target doesn't do that! :)

You can check out some of the cleaners at http://www.melaleuca.com/ps/index.cfm?f=ps.productList&l1=1&l2=8&l3=1216&sCatId=1216. You can also click on the product store http://www.melaleuca.com/ps/index.cfm to browse some of their 300+ product offerings.

If you want to enroll, the one time membership fee is $29 and you can enroll as a 35 product point member or 75 product point member. That just means you will spend that many points each month. There is no risk because everything has a 100% money back guarantee. PLEASE email us to enroll (hanermom@hotmail.com). This company is truly fabulous!

And GIRLS, the Nicole Miller makeup is FABULOUS! You have to try it even if you don't give a lick about the environment! Her non-toxic long wearing formulas are to die for.

A New Haner Man

After a very fun and lovely ultrasound experience, we found out today we are adding another boy to the Haner fam! We are very excited and thankful. Our prayers were definitely answered!

The Haner Farm Update

Corn, sunflowers, and squash
Rosemary, Basil, Fruit Salad Tree
Peas, eggplant, tomatoes, and corn
First ears of corn forming
Green Beans, peas, and squash

Baby chicks before their house is lined with newspaper, straight from The Round Up.
The babies after being lined with the news and introduced to their new feeder and waterer.
Blueberry patch

Strawberry and Tomato gardens
Another tomato planter
The first cucumber flowers
Zuchini plant

We got our first chicks today. We got two Rhode Island Reds which are "all purpose" birds. They are solid in color and very sturdy. Hens are fantastic brown egg layers and can lay up to 255 eggs per year. We got two Americaunas which are known as the "Easter Egg" chicken. They lay green, blue and pink eggs! They are energetic and very easy to raise. Every Americauna looks different as an adult, so you never know. And finally, we got two Black Australorps which have shiny black plumage with a purple-green sheen as adults. They are fairly large birds with a great egg laying record. As many as 300 a year per bird. They also make good fryers though we'll never know. ;) They won't need a coup until they are several months old and ready for laying, but Scott is already busy designing his masterpiece.

Lucy Barbie Joins the Haner Fam

Today we picked up our new baby kitten from our friends the Wentworths. They had already named her Lucy, and although we gave Kya the option of changing her name to anything she wanted, she chose Lucy. "Lucy Barbie" to be exact! :) L.B. is such a love. She is very patient with the kids and enjoys playing as well as cuddling with us. She has yet to be introduced to our whole zoo (we are waiting to see what the dogs and Cliff the cat think until after Lucy settles in). She is scared of Wyatt because his approach is a little aggressive--he screams at the top of his lungs in a very high pitch and runs toward her like he's been shot out of a cannon. I'd be scared too! This will be a good lesson in gentleness for him, eventually.

She is the spitting image of Cliff when he was a baby with her fluffy fine grey and white hair; this unfortunately violates the entire purpose of getting another cat, which was to have a cat who didn't leave hair everywhere and who we could allow on the furniture from time to time without getting out the vacuum. Oh well. The more fur the merrier! (Is that how the saying goes?)

First Night with Grandparents McQuerrey at the Beach House

The kiddos quickly made themselves at home at this fabulous beach house rental on the water in Morro Bay. Kya lounged on the beautiful leather couches and Wyatt began to feast on the myriad of treats Mom and Dad bought at the grocery store. Grandpa Mac rejoiced in teaching, loving, feasting and cuddling with the kiddos.