Danger in the Chicken Coop

For the past week, BuBu hasn't slept through the night. (I can't keep track of names...so, let's go with the most current version of their nicknames, ok? BuBu is 1, a little girl, and just about as sassy as they come.) First she woke up at 4am for a few days, then midnight for a few days. She doesn't take a nap, most days, and falls asleep between 9 and 9:30pm. Unfortunately for me, I'm a night owl and use post-bedtime-time to rush through chores around the house or things to be done on the computer that require the use of all of my attention. This means, I fall asleep around midnight, get woken up at some point (staying with her between 45 minutes and two hours), and then the alarm goes off at 7:30am so I can get my Kindergartner off to school on time. (My resolve to let him finish the year in the public school system wanes by the day. MAMA NEEDS SLEEP.)

Last night, as we were turning out the lights, I joked to Lo Gung, "I wonder how long I get to sleep before she wakes me up??!" With the prospect of interrupted sleep looming, it took me a while to settle down...but, eventually, I did.

At 4am, I was jolted awake. I lay there, but couldn't hear any crying. Then I heard another noise. A sort of screaming and chuckling sound. I realized several things very quickly. 1) It was my chickens making that noise. 2) It was 4am, and they had no reason to be awake. 3) They only make that noise when in mortal danger.

I jumped out of bed, threw on a sweatshirt and socks, and ran down the stairs. I flipped on the backyard lights and looked out the window. I couldn't see all my chickens, but I could see a large possum in the corner of the run, calmly examining the fence and trying to find a way out.

I ran back to the kitchen to find a flashlight. My children love flashlights so, of course, there were no real flashlights to be found. However, I did find the laser thermometer my father brought over a few months ago. That'll do. Laser gun in hand, I dashed outside, shoved my feet into my filthy pink Crocs, and ran across the deck. I whipped out the laser (thermometer) and...put a tiny dot of red light on the possum's back. He was still sitting in the corner, calmly looking for an exit, oblivious to my red point of hate shining on his backside. I waved it a bit, and the dot landed on the ground next to him. He glanced down, and then noticed me on the deck. He must have sensed my anger, because he turned and waddled back into the chicken coop. By now, I had located all four of my "girls". One was in the run, looking a little crazed, and three were still in the coop.

As the intruder lumbered up the chicken ladder to the upper portion of the coop, where the girls sleep, they were completely oblivious. I saw his glowing eyes appear over their shoulders and hurried into the run, letting the dazed Welsummer out in the process. I grabbed my less-than-bright chickens who were standing inches from the animal who wanted to eat them, threw them to the ground, and quickly shut all the coop doors.

Now, I had a large, lazy, slow possum...trapped in my chicken coop. I returned to the house, found a head lamp, stowed my "deadly weapon", and went back outside. This time, I grabbed a broom. First, I went into the yard to look for the Welsummer. I found her against the gate, waiting for me. I carried her back to the run, and tried to figure out what to do about the animal in the coop. I opened one of the doors that would let him out into the yard, instead of the coop. He didn't take the bait. Apparently, freedom isn't as inviting as a dark wooden box that smells like dinner. I tried banging the side of the coop with the broom. He didn't even flinch. I then carefully eased one of the upper doors open and stuck the broom handle inside, hoping I could encourage him to hop out the open door. He simply looked at me, as if he owned the place, and backed up a half an inch.

Harumph. Insufferable, lethargic, lethal creature!

Finally, I had to admit defeat. The girls were safely locked out of the coop, the possum was locked in, and he had an escape route. I left all the yard lights on, and turned on the chicken run light for good measure. My hope was that, as a nocturnal creature, at 4:30am, he would seek out darker places to hide out.

I went back to bed. (Lo Gung, it should be noted, was wide awake when I got there, and asked me all about the ruckus outside. His decision to not join me in battling for our stupid chickens' lives must be a testament to his confidence in my ability to handle the situation. Yeah. And yes, the chickens really are stupid. Heh.)

After explaining everything to Lo Gung, I laid back down and tried to settle myself for sleep. Eventually, it worked, and I began to dream. I don't remember much of it except the very end. A very large young man, part of a secret group of super heroes, had just given himself his 'super hero shot' that would grant him his super powers to go tackle whatever mission had recently been assigned him. As the medicine kicked in, he grabbed his hammer (now he's Thor?!), and jumped off a bridge. A really high one, apparently. The medicine failed to kick in right away as it was supposed to, and he narrowly missed hitting the tail of a jet in his descent. He then proceeded to land on the windshield of a black sedan, filled with a very surprised Japanese family. All while still falling through the air and still very far from the ground. Just as my mind was struggling to come up with a reason for a perfectly sound sedan to be a mile up in the air, I was jolted awake. Again. This time by a toddler calling my name. It was 6am.

I again grabbed my warm things and disappeared into her room. I wrapped her up in her favorite blanket and stretched out in the chair next to her crib, trying to get both of us back to sleep. I gave up on me sleeping after about 20 minutes, and pulled out my phone. Hey, scripture study done before 7am! This has to be a new record for me. Around 7am, she was still awake, and quietly asked for Daddy. Knowing his alarm would go off soon, I shushed her and shuffled across the hall to our room. I tucked her into the bed between us. She quickly got comfortable, rolling up against me, arm flung around my neck, and face pressed into my nose. (This, incidentally, is why I refuse to co-sleep with the child. Co-sleeping implies that both parties sleep. In our case, the sleep is very one sided..and it isn't on my side.)

By 7:30am, she was asleep. My alarm went off, and I carefully eased out of bed. I woke Siu Jeun (the kindergartner boy) up, went outside to check on the chickens (all four alive and accounted for, and no sign of the possum), and set about cooking Siu Jeun's morning egg.

Then I decided this night's story was one for the blog. Happy Friday, y'all.

PS - The Kindergartner was out the door at 8, I was on the computer to type up my story by 8:10, and BuBu was awake by 8:30, a good hour earlier than normal, and about two hours earlier than I expected to see her after her morning wake time of 6am. Good morning! 

Homeschooling, Day 11

(The 3 munchkins sitting on a table. The 2 younger are waiting for Miss Home School to finish her daily online quiz.) 

Homeschooling is going...well. Actually, MUCH better than I really expected. Ming Wai is an absolute joy to have at home all day, and I don't think I could have said that a few years ago. I'm grateful for the time she had in Public School up to this point. She has matured a lot, and (yes) learned to sit in a desk and just "get 'er done." I just love teaching this little munchkin.

Forgive me if I sound a bit scattered. My in-laws (read: daily 3pm reprieve) are out of town, and I'm a bit tired.

A normal day for us goes something like this.

7:15am : Mom wakes up
7:30am : Wake Siu Jeun up, help him get breakfast and get packed for the day
8:00am : Siu Jeun walks out the door to meet a neighbor for the walk to school
8:00am-ish : Ming Wai wakes up, finds her breakfast. (Interesting to note - for several years, I have mandated a protein filled, balanced breakfast to keep her fueled for school - grain, protein, fruit. Her natural rhythm is NOT the one I had set for her for her previous schedule. She is happiest if she can wake up, munch a Babybel cheese round while sipping a glass of water, and then begin her studies. It is a much more spartan breakfast than I am used to seeing her eat.) 
8:30am : School starts! Usually math first, then reading/spelling/composition, followed by Social Studies, Science, and/or Art
(Baby YingYing wakes up at some point in there, and eats her breakfast while I guide Ming Wai through her books.)
10:30am : BREAK. Everyone, who wants to, gets dressed.
10:50am : load up the car to pick up Siu Jeun from kindergarten
11:10am : We are home. The kids watch a cartoon while I get lunch together
12:00pm : If Ming Wai still has school work to do, we do it. Otherwise, the rest of the day is for play/chores/errands

Not every day is "normal", obviously. Wednesdays, I teach piano lessons before AND after school. Every other Tuesday, Ming Wai heads back to the elementary school for art with her old class. One Monday every other month we make time to put together a dinner for a women's shelter and drop it off. Things happen. But, thus far, my track record for stodgy things like Daily School and Finishing Today's Lesson is 100%!

I did the math as soon as the lesson manuals arrived. If we take NO days off, we will finish school the last week of May. Fairly impressive, given that we started almost two months into the school year! *phew* That said, I'm sure there will be days off. Like, oh...Christmas. New Years. Thanksgiving Day. (Although the jury is still out on Thanksgiving. I REALLY like nice round numbers and natural ending spots. The idea of being done with school on the last day of the last week of a month is VERY appealing. Poor Ming Wai.)

So. That's us, checking in!

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

FYI - We are using the 2nd Grade curriculum from Calvert School. It includes all of my lesson plans, manuals, test keys, online resources (including games and videos for nearly all of our subjects), and some specialized paper for things like writing and drawing. It is not the cheapest option, but it IS an all-inclusive one. Dummy proof, if you will. Which is perfect for a Stay At Home Mom trying to keep a toddler entertained AND a house up and running while still helping a bright young girl learn to love math again.

Homeschooling

This blog has been quiet lately, but if you follow this blog...that isn't news to you. Today, I need a space to journal, and I want this journey to be one that can be visible to others so...here I am.

The baby is sick, so we are eating lunch while watching a cartoon about crayons. She's 20 months, so this is just about her level. When we were sitting on the couch together, I kept feeling her hand behind my back, pushing me up. "Go! Go!" Apparently, I was supposed to retrieve the anthropomorphic crayons for her. Silly girl.

Monday this week was Columbus Day (or Indigenous People's Day, if you are in Seattle), which means there was no school. Having barely returned from an international business trip, Lo Gung decided to work from home that day as well. Having everyone home while someone is trying to get work done is always interesting, to say the least. At one point, Lo Gung came out for a snack. He turned to Ming Wai, and lobbed a math question at her. She flippantly replied, "I don't know!" Well, see...that just doesn't fly here. There is so much loaded into that little phrase. And so much frustration in her parents when she won't try hard things. (I'm sounding extra harsh here, but I don't have time to edit myself right now. We are what we are. I expect a LOT from my kids. Their parents were top of their class, and honors students, all the way through school. What we expect is not impossible.) It suddenly popped into my head that her education wasn't ENOUGH. We moved to this neighborhood specifically to attend this elementary school. One of the best in the state. Before Kindergarten, math was Ming Wai's favorite subject. Since then, her interest has waned and been replaced with dislike. Where she used to revel in unraveling complicated math puzzles, she now simply stares at the ceiling mumbling.

Since school started in September, we have been supplementing after school with Mom-Assigned homework. Math, piano, reading, writing. Up to an hour, depending on how fast the kids worked. School from 8:30-3, plus homework, plus a few evening activities...Ming Wai was down to VERY little time to just play, and her interest in learning hard things was drying up. I got the overwhelming impression, as strong as any answer I have ever received, that homeschooling was the next step. It would mean giving up my quiet mornings while the baby sleeps. It would mean giving up my gym routine, at least for a while. It would mean butting heads as we learned each other's style.

But it would also mean that my girl could work at her own pace. Pass off, quickly, that which she already understands and take her time with things that are confusing. We thought about it, and polled all family members who had earned a say in the matter. On Wednesday, I placed my order for the 2nd Grade Curriculum through Calvert School (out of Baltimore, MD). It is the same program my mother used with my brothers, and the same one my twin sister currently uses with her three kids. It is a year in a box, from the manuals to the pencils, crayons and paper. I decided to go with the classic Calvert Math. I have a hunch that the issue with math isn't math...it's the new Common Core approach. So, we will use our own approach.

Already, we have sat down and passed off the first 9 lessons in math. I am optimistic that this year will go smoothly. We turned in our paperwork this morning, and she will officially begin "home school" on Monday.

Writing to her teacher was hard. The school year is still new, and I had only contacted the teacher a handful of times...mostly to get advice on Ming Wai's flagging interest in math. It is her father's favorite subject, so it was the one that most frequently came up around the dinner table. Telling our neighbor was hard. Our girls are the same age, and walk to and from school together every day. They play at recess every day. Little K may be the thing I miss MOST about public school. Her mother and I have hatched a plan to put a sort of a mail box or locker in the woods between our houses, so the girls can be pen pals, along with planning a semi-permanent weekly play date.

I talked to the school office this morning - we want to see if Ming Wai can continue the every-other week art lessons with her class. The office said it might be impossible, my homeschooling sister says they don't know what they are talking about, and I just want this transition to go smoothly.

For now...those are my thoughts. I am excited, I am nervous. I am scared, and second guessing myself just a bit. The second guessing doesn't last long, though. If the Holy Ghost's impression hadn't been as strong, then...maybe. But this answer was every bit as strong as any other major life choice I have made. For now, it is enough.

A Quiet Weekend

(The following is a slightly edited version of an e-mail I sent to my father this morning. With the rise of social media, and the ease and flow of tiny electronic tidbits of my story via Instagram and facebook, my blog stays fairly quiet. However, it has value as well, so I am here occasionally to update and write longer stories. The e-mail was edited to change proper names to our bloggy nicknames.)

All is well here! The big kids spent the night at MaMa and YehYeh's on Friday night. They also kept Baby BooBoo while Lo Gung and I ran out and did errands. $250 at Costco later, it was time to come home before we did any more damage. ;-) 

We got Lo Gung to the airport Saturday morning, and I got home just as the Cantonese speaker was coming on in conference. (That was WAY cool by the way. I switched to the Canto channel so I could hear it first hand, instead of seeing his mouth move and having the English voice-over. I can always listen to conference in Cantonese, but the translations are really hard to understand, because the talks are originally English, and the Chinese never sounds quite genuine. Hearing a talk in Chinese brought back fantastic memories.) 

At lunch time, I drove down to McDonalds to meet the grandparents and the big kids, but Baby BooBoo fell asleep on the way, so I just hung out in the parking lot until the big kids were done eating. 

We watched the afternoon session, and then tried to get some chores done. An hour into chores, I realized I had a $50 coupon to spend at Gymboree that expired Sunday night. Yipes! The prices online weren't great, so we took off for the outlet malls. We arrived at 4:45, and stayed for an hour. Quick trip, but I had promised my sister I would babysit after Priesthood. (I was REALLY happy with what I found. All the kids have BEAUTIFUL new church clothes, for less than the price of just one of the outfits full retail. The girls have matching blue satin dresses - stunning.) 

We came home, got dinner together, and waited for my nieces and nephew. While we waited for them, I heard a commotion from the chickens. By the time I got out there, whatever had gotten into the run was gone, and so was my smallest chicken. *sigh* 

My brother and his girlfriend came over to grab some oils from me last night for Mom, and I started Baby BooBoo's bedtime at 10. She was up again at 5, just screaming. Stinker wouldn't eat her snack last night, so that's to be expected. I gave her a bowl of applesauce, and she fell right back asleep, but because it was technically morning already, she wasn't deep enough asleep to put her back in her crib. I held her until 6, when I was able to get back to bed. 

We all slept in until about 8:45. Such a nice morning!! Pancakes for the kids, and conference playing on the laptop at the breakfast table. Pretty sweet. 

The kids are upstairs playing now, and Baby BooBoo is playing her favorite games on my iPad. 

August 18, 2014

Something in this pantry just doesn't belong...

This is the year the kids are learning more chores. I am letting our housekeeper know, and the kids will be doing a lot more around the house. It means a lot more work for me, of course. I know the kids won't see it that way, but...that is the nature is kids, is it not? 

"I can reeeaaaach!!!"

She found a mirror. Don't pretend you don't do the same thing when no one is looking...

August 12, 2014

Pulling into Manson- a smoky sunset over Lake Chelan. The wildfires have cast a permanent haze over this part of the state. 

Yeah, a picture of my lunch. I was trying an elimination diet, to pinpoint some tummy troubles. My sweet husband told me he would pack me a lunch and bring it along when he met us at the beach. He concocted this super yummy salad, full of local greens and fruit, with a delicious vinaigrette he cobbled together from items in our rental's pantry. Love that man! (Also? Wheat and I are not on speaking terms right now. Lame.) 

Post dinner baseball practice with uncles and friends. 

Boo Boo and Siu Jeun, getting their Chalk Artist on after dinner. 

My love and I, at the beach. 

Boo Boo, in her happy place. 

Boo Boo at sunset. 

August 7, 2014

What a day. Considering how busy it felt....you would think I would have a lot more done!! We are preparing for our annual Family Reunion, and that means I need to prepare my family of five to live Elsewhere. For a week. 

I spent all day working on this project. Am I packed? No. Did I do the laundry so I COULD pack? No. Did I check what the kids "packed" days ago? No. 

I invited my sister over and made her kids empty out my fridge. I mentally packed and re-packed my bags, so when it was Go Time, I could FLY. And I made enough side dishes to feed an army (in an attempt to empty out my crisper drawer) for a reunion of a different sort! 

When I was a wee lass, in kindergarten, my family played host to a young man from Japan. Shoichi was one of our all-time favorite exchange students. And today, 27 years later, he was able to return and visit! It was not his first visit in all that time, but the last time he was here was about 8 years ago, so he had never met the bulk of my off-spring. His 9 year old girl was a bit shy at first, but after a belly full of KFC, and a small romp with some neighborhood dogs, she disappeared with Ernie (9), Ming Wai (7), Mimi, and SJ (both 5). Literally. They were playing hide and seek and none of the parents could leave the park. Ha! 

Such a fun evening - his wife and baby boy are also ridiculously wonderful - and a fantastic way to end a breezy summer day. 

8/6/14

Sometimes, unplanned days are the best ones! The kids were sniffly and sleepy this morning, so we didn't go to my Wednesday Zumba class. Instead, we went to the library to return books, and then I made a spur of the moment decision to take the kids to the children's museum. I LOVE our little local museum! 10 minutes away, small enough where nobody gets lost, and the exhibits are always changing. Today, we got extra lucky- a neighbor (Ming wai's best friend) happened to be heading to the museum today as well! They have a little girl BooBoo's age, and all five kids played together happily for about an hour before I had to leave to give BooBoo her nap. My neighbor asked if she could keep Ming Wai with her, and I agreed. 

I took SJ home, and let BooBoo take a nap. SJ and I had lunch (turns out he hates spinach and mushroom omelets. Who knew??!) and I got some work calls done. (I've just started as a Health Coach. Best job, ever.) 

By the time Ming Wai came home a few hours later, it was time for dinner. I tried to get fancy tonight. It was SUPPOSED to be brown rice, cauliflower "tater tots", Kung pao shrimp, and dry fries garlic green beans. 

Dinner would have been better if I hadn't named the recipes first. 

The rice was good. The "tater tots" were tasty, wouldn't hold their shape and ended up just cooked in a pan, like scrambled eggs. The shrimp was nothing like Kung pao, but was everyone's favorite dish. The green beans were practically raw, and had no garlic flavor, but fresh beans are nice too. 

So. Oh well. I tried! 

After dinner I ran out the door to meet Lo Gung at the temple to do Sealings. 

All in all, an excellent Wednesday! 

8/4/14

Busy day today! But then, summer days seem to be like that. Zumba in the morning, followed by a quick meeting with the instructors to plan Ming Wai's birthday party. As soon as I was home, I called one of the instructors back, for a scheduled training call (she is going to be a Health Coach with me!). I paid the two older kids to watch the baby during my call. $6 well spent. 

After a shower, we ran to Costco for our groceries, then picked up Ernie and Mimi (cousins) on the way home. The big kids played while BooBoo baby napped. I spent the afternoon contacting clients and answering questions. After the cousins left, it was time for the big kids to do their chores, and me to cook dinner. 

The kids and I had a serious talk this morning, as a result of a serious chat I had with Lo Gung last night. We talked about what I want my kids to learn. I will use a broken pen and a broken toy to illustrate. 

If a toy breaks, Siu Jeun will happily throw it away, while Ming Wai saves it as a treasure. If I offer a broken pen to them, as a gift, Ming Wai will refuse it while Siu Jeun would accept it as a treasure. 

Ming Wai hordes everything while Siu Jeun collects and desires all he sees. There is a difference there, one that I am trying to address. 

To help Siu Jeun, the Daddy Shop is closed. (This is a shop we created to help control where and how the kids spent their weekly allowance. Daddy keeps the shop stocked with small toys of our choosing, and it opens once a week for business. The kids get the same weekly allowance. As of this morning, Ming Wai has $45 in her wallet, as she usually buys nothing. Siu Jeun has $1.50 in his wallet, as he spends his money as soon as possible.) So, the Daddy Shop is closed. It will not re-open until it is easy for Siu Jeun to put money in his wallet and leave it there. 

Ming Wai is more difficult, but an opportunity came up tonight that helped her. A new toy came in the mail, one sent to Lo Gung to review. It is similar to one Ming Wai already has, and Lo Gung had already told her it was coming and that it would be hers. Instead, I asked her to take the package upstairs to give to her visiting cousin, Taylor, who had come for dinner. I explained to Ming Wai that this was a great opportunity to practice being generous and sharing. She agreed, grinning nervously. Afterwards, I asked her how she felt. "Weird." Happy her cousin was happy, but still a little sad to give something away. Which is about right. We will keep practicing. 

In other news, I'm also on a mission to help my kids learn more life skills. Namely, how to clean. They are all a little older, and ready to learn. I am going to talk to my house cleaner and either cut her visits in half, or do away with them completely. I haven't decided yet. Today, Siu Jeun cleaned windows and mirrors while Ming Wai polished all the bathroom sinks. All in a day's work! 

(Cooking dinner with a monkey on my back) 

(Siu Jeun polishes windows) 

August 3, 2014

Hanging out on a friend's boat, in Lake Washington, watching Seafair! 

We had prime seats, watching the Blue Angels and other aeromautic trams right over our heads. 

Poor Sh- the excitement was too much for him. While we waited for the show to start, the kids and I jumped in the lake for a swim. I tired him out! 

Ming Wai, as we were docking. 

Boo Boo and I, at MaMa and Yrh Yeh'd house, after a yummy Sunday night dinner. 

The weather Saturfay morning was so very bizarre. The sun was streaming through the windows, but there were fat drops of rain pelting the roof. 

We had a great time with the Wong family, watching Seafair. The Blue Angels were incredible. 

Just Write: Consequences

Her baby took 90 minutes to settle down and fall asleep for the night. The resulting late bedtime meant that Mom was pleasantly surprised when the baby didn't wake up again until 3, two hours later than her usual mid-night rendezvous. Her pleasure was short-lived, however, as it became increasingly clear that the baby was not settling back down quickly. In fact, it soon became obvious that the baby was tired, but cheerful and quite awake!

At 5:15, the tired Mom finally returned to bed. By then, her side of the bed was completely cold, so she carefully scooted her pillow over next to her husband and curled up, back touching his, trying to warm up enough to fall asleep. It was a slow process, as the birds were already awake and chirping happily outside her window. She catnapped until 7:30 as the house began to stir around her.

She could especially hear her rambunctious son, giggling and running around. She groggily lurched out of bed. "Ssshhhhh!! Baby is still asleep!!" she urgently whispered. The noises downstairs quieted. A bit. She pulled on some clothes, and came downstairs. No energy to chat, let alone smile, she carefully set about getting her breakfast and packing her older daughter's lunch, shushing the other children as needed. When her husband left for work, he kissed her on the cheek. "Bye, grumpy pants." *kiss* Ouch. But she couldn't deny it was true.

As the children tripped over themselves, tiny feet pounding on the floor, to get to the garage to say goodbye, she told herself, "It's fine. Their breakfast can wait. They have time." When it was obvious they had found a game to play in the garage, she told herself, "It's fine. Their breakfast can wait. They have time." When she heard the crying, she simply stood still to listen.

Her rambunctious son, the one she had shushed and ordered and directed, had found a box of thumb tacks. "I was just looking at them!!" he wailed. He had forgotten he held one in his left hand when he momentarily lost his balance reaching for something behind him. He buried the tip of the tack into the thick muscle at the base of his thumb. "Owwwww" he cried. She stoically brought the kids back inside, with only the smallest "I told you so."

She marched them through the rest of their morning routine, and thought about the situation. This happened so often to her sweet son - he ignored directions, pleas, and suggestions until he ended up in tears, either hurt or holding something that he accidentally broke. She tried to explain - Heavenly Father loved him very much, but she was pretty sure He was going to continue letting him get hurt, or break things, until he eventually learned to follow directions and suggestions from his parents and leaders. He nodded, and seemed to understand. They carefully cleaned out the small prick mark on his hand. "Mom, can I watch my morning cartoon?" "Sure, hon. Sure."

March 27, 2014

Dear Journal,
Hi. It's been a while, yeah? Well, see...life. And reasons. But mostly Baby Ying Ying. Bedtime is back to being tough, and most nights I'm just too tired to put together anything witty or pretty or fun for posterity.

Having a toddler is tough, you know? The other night, she woke up in the middle of the night and was awake, fighting me and/or crying, for two hours before I gave up and threw her in the car. She screamed for a good 20 minutes before we could turn around and come home. That was a long night. The next night, she was only awake for 2 hours, and there wasn't nearly as much fighting. She has a nasty cough that is keeping her awake. I'm trying different essential oils to try and help...last night, it was Lemon (to break up mucous) and lavender on her chest (to calm airways) that finally did the trick.

Anyhow. Life, right? The kids are doing great, baby is awesome (aside from the anxiety-ridden nap times and bed times). Lo Gung is fantastic, and a complete rock star with the kids.

That is all. Just thought you'd like to know.

Sincerely,
LoLo

Hanging with the Chinese Peeps for Chinese New Year 2014

Ming Wai and MaMa in their finery.

Ming Wai and Mia, all ready to "baai lihn", or go on official New Years visits. 

We made sure to make a stop at my sister's house. Her girls had dug through their piggy banks and put together little homemade red envelopes for everyone in our family. Totally adorable! 

According to Ying Ying, it is the year of the Viking...

My three kids kind of blend in, right? 

Later that night, we were invited to a Chinese New Year celebration at a friend's house. We love going to the Wong's house. There is always plenty of friends, chatting, and FOOD. 

(Potlucks at the Wong's house are no joke!) 

My offering for the night - homemade pineapple tarts! 

Sleeping Princesses

Sometimes, if Ming Wai wakes up grumpy in the morning, I'll pull out a picture of her asleep. I like to snap pictures of my girls when I think their sleeping habits are...entertaining.

My Day

Inasmuch as this blog serves as a journal for me, and inasmuch as these are the years when I get very few 8-hour stretches of sleep.....there are a lot of details that I will forget if I don't get them down. So. Here is my collection of thoughts for the day.

For reasons unknown, SJ was in my bed at 12:30am. He hasn't climbed into bed with us in the middle of the night in nearly a year, so to say we were confused would be an understatement. I must have been dreaming about eating (ha!), because when I noticed him there, my first thought was, "Oh...FINE. He can stay until he finishes chewing, but then he has to go back to his own bed!" He must have "finished chewing" soon after that, because I could hear Lo Gung shoo him back to his own bed. *clap* My bedroom door was pulled shut. *bap* His bedroom door was pulled shut.

*waaaaah* The baby was awake.

OH MY GOSH. AS I WRITE THIS IT IS 10:05PM AND MY 7 YEAR OLD JUST CAME DOWNSTAIRS TO TELL ME ONE SIDE OF HER NOSE CAN'T BREATHE. What on earth am I supposed to do about that, child?! She just stares at me expectantly.

(Oh, I talk big, but I always give her what she asks for. I snuck into the sleeping baby's room to grab the Breathe oil blend that will help her, well, breathe. Baby didn't wake up, Big Sister can now breathe, and all is well.)

Where was I? Oh, right. 12:30, fed a really confused baby. She wasn't really hungry, because she'd only been asleep for three hours, but...she was awake. And that means Snack Time. So, snack time, back to sleep...until 8! Way to go, child. (Much better than the 6:30am wake up time of the past two days. Your schedule is a moving beast, isn't it??)

Breakfast with the kiddos. All was well, until I informed my children that I expected them to do a few To Do List things today. Practice piano. Get dressed. Make their beds. Get some time in on the iPad on Reading Eggs (an app we subscribed to to help them with their reading confidence).

Today's whining officially started at 9:12am. "But Mooooooom!! I already did the quiz on my level, and it didn't work, and they want me to do it again!!!!" We have been through this conversation several times, and I have even offered to sit with her and take the quiz with her, to just get it over with. (It is at 15 question quiz.)

And thus it went, on and off, all day. (They never did get anything on that list done, incidentally, beyond getting dressed and taking care of their rooms.)

I had the crazy idea to organize another cupboard in the kitchen, to forward my agenda of Total Domicile Organization over Mid-Winter Break. Genius that I am. So, I unloaded the cupboard where I keep all sorts of random pans, bowls and small appliances. No sooner had I spread the whole mess out on the floor when the baby starts clawing at my neck to get to the blender, SJ is picking up random bits and bobs and asking if he can keep them, and Ming Wai is surreptitiously trying to get to the cupboard where I keep the chocolate, to get a handful for Mommy. (She does that, whenever I get stressed or have a headache. I LOVE THIS CHILD. A handful of chocolate chips and a glass of cold water. Bless her.)

Anyhow, as you have probably guessed, Operation Organize didn't go well. At all. After a few minutes, I scooped the baby up under one arm and stomped upstairs, ranting about how I will NEVER get anything done. Ever. Again. Ever. (I'm slightly dramatic. Just a little.)

Not 5 minutes later, my two oldest kids come running upstairs and burst into the playroom where I am laying on the floor, watching my toddler dismantle her siblings' Lego sets. "Mom! Mom! Come downstairs! We have a surprise for you!" They had put everything back. All of it. No more Cupboard Contents, barfed all over the floor. These kids CAN be absolute sweethearts, and they really DO want to be good. I love them to bits!

Around 11:30am, I announced to Baby Ying Ying that she was ready for bed. I dumped her into her crib, and hid in the hall. The big kids had decided to have a bath, so I just sort of lay there, listening to all of my offspring.

This afternoon, I RE-organized the cupboard. (Now that I knew what was there, and what I was keeping, it only took about 5 minutes. Phew!) We took a trip to the library, too. Ming Wai is really getting into reading, and the library is one of our favorite places to go. The kids have it down to a science. We run in, grab the first 10 books that look good to each of them, check them out, and get back out. 10 minutes, tops. Baby gets frustrated quickly in a room full of books that she isn't allowed to rip devour mutilate read.

Dinner was a simple, but tasty, stew. I chopped up a few carrots, some leftover chicken patties, and some leftover baked potatoes. Added some seasonings, and let it simmer away. Everyone but Ying Ying seemed to really enjoy it (but she doesn't enjoy ANYTHING these past few days). Afterwards, we surprised the kids with a quick trip to the local frozen yogurt place. (Ying Ying didn't even want fro-yo! Something must be up.)

Oh, and just for the record - I added a carton of whole milk to our milk order this week. This is huge, because Ying Ying hasn't been able to really do well with dairy. She's big enough now, though, and I've been testing her with some cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. She seems to be ok with dairy! Hooray! I'm hoping some whole milk during the day will keep her a little fuller than just snacking on cereal and crackers. And also jump-start the weaning process. (Did you catch the part where she doesn't really like to eat? WHOSE CHILD IS THIS?! Her mama certainly loves to eat.)

Anyhow. There's my report, y'all. *mwah* It's 10:34, and I think my last child just nodded off.

Baby Ying Ying Kinda Loves Our Chickens

My chickens have a fenced in run on one side of the yard. And that is where they should be. Except, they don't always stay in there. On this particular day, I had left the gate ajar because I felt bad for the one hen who always seems to find her way out, but can't find her way back in when she sees all her "sisters" digging into fresh treats. Well, I have no idea if she made it back in, but the rest of the flock certainly found their way out! It's winter, and nobody is playing on the deck, so I let it slide. The girls wandered around, finding invisible bugs in tiny puddles of water, and carefully de-weeding the rest of the yard. It's not such a bad deal, after all! 

Baby Ying Ying, especially, enjoyed their adventures. She calls them "kuk kuk" and just loves watching them wander around. (In the picture, you can see my cuckoo maran "Lightning", and my buff orpington "Rosie". They are from my first batch of chicks. Chicks from the second year didn't get names - we just call them by their breeds.)

Trying to get a shot with Baby Ying Ying

If Baby Ying Ying sees the camera come out, your chances of getting any more snuggles pretty much drops to nil. But believe me when I say, her snuggles are pretty cute.