Zoo

Monday was St.Patrick's day. The only St.Patrick's thing we did was wear green and eat Lucky Charms. It's not one of my favorite holidays. That morning we skipped homeschool because we were watching Mariah's oldest 3 kids. We watched them so her and Jeff could figure out what residencies he should apply to. (Spoiler alert- he has ended up taking a family medicine residency in West Virginia) Watching their kids went really smoothly. They played with Legos for a long time and then watched an ambulance, fire truck and police car that came to Christy's house across from us (apparently she thought she smelt a fire but thankfully everything was ok). We did lunch, colored and then watched a little bit of "Frozen". It helps when my full focus is on just entertaining them all and I don't have other tasks to accomplish.

That afternoon Ruby refused to fall asleep for her nap. She spent the whole time- just about 2 hours- playing in her crib so I let her be since she wasn't crying. I tried to sneak a picture of her playing when I finally came in to get her but she caught me. I don't know why she didn't sleep- Mimi and Claire were over so maybe she thought everyone was having fun without her? Or maybe daylight savings or maybe sleep regression or maybe...?

Here are Ruby and me decked out in our green outfits....

Tuesday at nap time Ruby played in her crib again. This time she played for almost an hour and a half and then fell asleep for a half hour. When I came in to get her, this is how her room looked... She was apparently messing with her pictures.

Tuesday evening Ben had his driving class and driving lesson so I just dropped him off. He did much better driving this time and the instructor's only complaint was that he needed to slow down at train tracks and listen for trains. That night I went to Grace's house. We had lots of good conversations- about faith, trials, and even trivial things like what I could do with the extra space in the boys room. She helped me finally make some decisions for their room.

Wednesday while the girls were at school, I took Ruby to the Detroit Zoo. Not my favorite zoo but with just the two of us it was a pretty good time. I brought her car stroller so she was happy to be in it and also it was easy to get her in and out of it but it also created jealousy. There was one little boy who ran up to us and followed us for quite a bit before his Grandpa pulled him away. He really wanted a ride in it. Since I didn't have any other kids to complain about walking too much we managed to see most of the zoo. She spent a long while by the camels eating her sandwich but I think that she was more fascinated by the geese that were in the pen with the camels. The snakes were less exciting because they were all well camouflaged. She seemed to be fascinated by the monkeys, gorillas and giraffes. She loved the random peacocks and ducks that crossed her path. After we saw all the animals we played a the playground and then headed out to pick up the girls. Ruby got a little car nap on our way there.

Wednesday night Ruby, Penny and I hung out in Novi during Ben's class. We stopped by at a couple stores and then went to the mall and played in the play area. I think we are all bored of the mall. I am so gratefull there is only one more week of driving classes.

Thursday morning Ruby decided to hop in the shower before I got her undressed. She is such a booger. For her nap she played for a half an hour and slept for the rest. This was her pattern for the rest of the week- even when I tried putting her down later to see if that would help. She just really likes to play in her crib. I wonder if I need to take the dolls out.

Thursday while Ben was at drivers school I got some time to myself. I strolled a couple stores and enjoyed the quiet time. After driving school we had to meet Steven, Tyler and Ruby at the boys' archery banquet. We were about an hour late. We missed the eating part but came just in time for the awards. The boys both won academic archer awards and Steven got the best scores in 3D and Bullseye for 11th grade boys....because he was the only boy in 11th grade on the team. He still does well for himself. Tyler got recognized for being a super funny and dedicated coach (as did all the other volunteer coaches). They gave him a $30 giftcard to Krogers. A bit random but we will take it.

Friday Tyler and I had a super exciting date to Costco where we spent a lot of money on really boring stuff like water bottles and chicken nuggets. That night the kids and I watched "Superman Returns". Apparently the dvd was all scratched up because it kept pausing and made a really long movie, even longer. Ben got super frustrated but insisted we keep watching it.

Saturday morning Ruby, Penny and I went to Lizzie's baptism. I have knowm that girl her whole life which is honestly a bit crazy to think about. She was super bouncy and happy and everything went real nice. Ruby was pretty squirmy but made lots of friends with the older people around her. She loved giving them her books and having them read with her. Penny got a bloody nose which was a bummer because she was wearing a white dress. Only a few spots got on it though. I think I made a poor choice in wearing a bright red sweater though because in the pics Caroline took I stuck out like a sore thumb;)

While we were at the baptism, Ben had a drive with an instructor and continues to improve. I am happy to see him feeling more confident. That evening I watched the "The Hundred Foot Journey" which was a little slow for the kids but it's a good one. This seems to be a pretty consistent theme, kids are just used to more faster paced movies than the movies and shows we grew up on. 

Also I have gotten back into puzzling and am enjoying having that back in my life. I finished this fun Lego Succulent puzzle. It was tricky so it took a long while to finish.

Outside

Sunday the clocks moved ahead an hour which means we lost an hour during the night. Since we don't have church until 11am, this just meant that we all woke up at 8 instead of our usual 7. With homeschool the next couple days for the girls it took them a few days to get back to our usual times. The boys had to adjust quickly with seminary. 

Monday the weather was amazing. Julie sent me a text asking about dropping by with Asher to play outside. Ruby was taking a bath but I am always wanting to socialize Ruby so I quickly got her out of the tub so she could hang with Asher. They hung out in our yard for a bit. Mostly they played nice but Ruby yelled at him when he tried to get in the wagon with her *sigh* When Julie had to head home, we walked back with her part of the way. It is nice having a friend in the neighborhood. The only problem is Julie is friends with everyone so she is harder to make plans with. I think she rotates through us. Anyways there was lots of outside time for us Monday. Ruby thought it was fun to get on her belly in the sand box- so messy!

Monday evening I was mean and made the boys help make room for their new bookcase and I made Tyler make the bookcase. No one was happy about these things. They all wanted a relaxing evening and I ruined that. I am glad it got done though, and I think it looks nice. The only thing is the bookcase is already full so what are we going to do when they get new Legos? We really just need an entire room dedicated to Legos...

While Tyler was busy building the bookcase, I took Lucy, and Ruby to a park to meet Lucy's friend Claire. As the sun went down it got cooler than I would have liked but I can't object to my kids getting outside time.

Tuesday evening Ben was back at drivers ed so I was back to killing time in Novi. Lucy, Penny and Ruby all joined me. We made a stop at Five and Below so we could some gifts for birthday parties that the girls had. We also made a stop at Bob's Discount Furniture because I am still trying to figure out a couch/chair to put in the boys room. Bob's discount was not enough of a discount so I will probably continue searching on Facebook Marketplace. After the furniture store we went to Lakeshore Park. We had an hour left to kill and again it got cool as the sun set and we regretted going to the park. Lucy got bored pretty quickly and ended up in the car reading. Penny and me hung out with Ruby and followed her around. She just hops from thing to thing- she even tried a tall slide but she did not love it. We were all glad when the hour was up and it was time to get Ben.

After we got back home, I made the boys go through their bins that they had been keeping under their beds and now no longer fit under their low bunk bed. We got rid of stuff that was trash, packed away things that were sentimental and would probably not be touched for ages and put the things that they use every once in awhile in the cupboards in their bookcase. It felt good to dejunk but I was also exhausted by the time we were done.

Wednesday the girls had a dress like your future career day. Lucy dressed like an author and Penny dressed as a homeschool mom so basically they looked normal, lol.

While the girls were at school I ended up just having a chill day at home with Ruby. That evening I was actually able to leave Ruby at home with Tyler while I took Ben to his class. That meant it was just me hanging out in Novi. I ended up going to a piercing place in the mall and getting my nose stud replaced with one with a shorter pole and gold plating. It was a nice place and not too expensive. Hopefully I can just leave this one in for a long time. Then I sat in my car and watched a show until Ben got out. It was a much needed chill evening.

Thursday Ben had his first drive with the instructor. He was super nervous and it showed. His instructor's comment online was "You need to find a way to relax and try to stay a little calmer." Easier said than done. Hopefully now that he knows what to expect, he will be able to feel a little calmer next time. Since he had his drive and then went straight to his class (a total of 4 hours) I did not hang out in Novi but went back home. This week was much better with the driving school since I did not have to be stuck in Novi with Ruby 3 times. It also helped that because of daylight savings, the sun was still out when we drove home so no driving blind.

Friday was another great weather day. Claire came over after the girls finished school and all us girls went to Scarlet's Playground. Ruby loves to wander and play on all the things. Penny followed her and Lucy and Claire mostly just talked and played with their volleyball. That afternoon I took Penny to Salvation Army to help her find cute jammies for her sleepover that night. She ended up with a Barbie shirt and black and pink star pants. She was very excited with her thrift store finds. That night everyone had things except Ruby and me. Penny had Laura's birthday sleepover, the middle three went to the temple for Baptisms and Tyler had to coach volleyball (without Lucy since she had baptisms). While it was just us, Ruby played outside and then I introduced her to "Tangled". After she went to bed I watched a chick flick until the kids all came home.

Saturday everyone was busy with things again. The boys all went to the state archery tournament in the morning in Lansing. Steven got a 258 and Ben got a 243. Steven has kind of plateaued with archey since he won't put in more effort and Ben got better with each tournament- this was his personal best. While they had archery, Lucy and Penny went to Luna's birthday party at Skyzone. Lucy seemed to have more fun than Penny. I don't think Penny does well when her friends are in large groups- she prefers one on one hang outs. But so do I... The day ended with the boys helping Mimi's family move and Mimi hanging out at our house. 

Ruby still struggled some nights and ended up sleeping in our bed. She is not great to share a bed with- she loves to either kick or push her face in yours. I wonder if she will ever grow out of needing us at night. She is lucky that she is adorable.

Drivers Ed

This week for homeschool Lucy decided it was her turn to be a crabby learner. It is so frustrating when they get grumpy on me. We have decided to go back to Tuesdays and Thursdays next year which I am not thrilled about for some reasons- not being in charge of curriculum, Ruby's nap being disrupted twice a week, more online stuff to track- but I will be happy to have two days off teaching the girls.

Tuesday Ben had his first session of Drivers Ed out in Novi. It's at the worst possible time- 5-7pm- right during dinner time- so we've been eating dinner super early. It is also a 20 minute drive out and I hate to waste gas going back and forth so that means killing time in Novi. That would not be so bad if it was just me, but Tyler has to coach all the nights that Ben has Drivers Ed so that means Ruby goes with me too. Tuesday evening Penny and Lucy decided they wanted to tag along as well so it was all us girls. We spent our 2 hours at the mall. We looked at the puppies, played at the play area, and walked the mall. It was a pretty good time but also a looong outing. At the play area Ruby enjoyed telling other kids "no" if they got too close to her. She loves that word too much lately.

Wednesday while the girls were at school Ruby and I went to Joanne's with Grace. It's going out of business so Grace and I wanted to see what was on sale. We were not impressed. Most things were only 20% off which didn't really feel worth it to me- usually I use a 40% off coupon when I shop there. I only ended up getting ribbon (to put in hair). Grace got a few craft sets. It was still nice to get out with my friend even though we had less of life conversations and more of what to buy conversations. Ruby was pretty good besides being a klepto- she would grab anything that was in her reach and since the aisles are narrow there was quite a bit in her reach. She also liked to "Oooo!" at everything and that was cute. After our shopping at Joanne's Ruby and I got outside for a bit since the weather was warmer- still had a cold wind though, I swear that wind never goes away. Ruby had some fun splashing in the puddle in front of our house. She loves puddles.

Wednesday night Lucy had volleyball and Penny wanted to game to the game (Lucy's team won!) so it was only Ruby and I hanging out in Novi during Ben's class. Hanging out at the mall was less fun this time around. At the play area she wanted to carry her snack around and threw a royal tantrum when I wouldn't let her- she threw herself on the ground and cried. I am not enjoying this entry into the tantrum phase. I ended up taking her out and walking around and that was less fun because she kept trying to book it up and down escalators by herself (I had made a poor choice not to bring a stroller, thinking the walking would be good for her). She is fast but thankfully I am faster. We took many trips up and down the escalator (which makes me nervous with a squirmy toddler) and the elevators. Later we went back to the play area and there was a group of kids playing tag and she ran around after them giggling like crazy. They were definitely not playing with her but she sure thought she was playing with them. It was actually quite cute.

Thursday after the kids finished homeschool I decided to go through the clothes in the attic. Ruby ended up climbing into a plastic bucket that had some clothes in it. When it came time for me to root through those clothes she was not happy about me taking them out and kept trying to grab them back and she was totally messing up my organization. That incident ended up with her throwing another epic tantrum. After she finally calmed down from that and was back in another plastic bucket, she ended up tipping it into the boys bed and crying about that. It was a long morning.

Thursday night Lucy and Penny decided to join Ruby and I in Novi again. We went to Marshalls and Five and Below first just to stroll. We ended up with some candy and a little toy I am going to give to Ruby for Easter. Then we were at the mall play area again. It was super crowded with kids. At one point a little boy randomly pushed Ruby over. Not cool. As we were leaving the mall, we happened to walk by a man with a dog and the dog decided to lick Ruby in the face. She got a really grouchy look on her face after that, she did not appreciate the lick. Driving Ben home from his driving school this week has reminded me just how bad my night vision is. I probably should not be allowed to drive when it's dark- especially when it is raining. Good thing Ben is learning how to drive ;)

Friday I figured out how to get my nose stud off and thought I could clean it and be smart enough to put it back in. I could not for the life of me find the "exit" hole and could not get it back in. I ended back at the piercing shop and for $10 I got it back in. She said it was too big and I needed to come back to get a shorter rod. I wish she would have just done it then. I am irritated and don't really want the studs they have there anyways. I am going to probably just have to find somewhere else with a better jewelry selection who will swap it out.

Friday Tyler was nice and took Ruby to Costco to pick up pizza so I had a little break from her. She has just been so much late and I feel like she's just always around to drive me crazy (even at night she is in my bed at least once). Friday night we all watched "Cheaper by the Dozen" and I decided 5 kids is more than enough.

Saturday morning Tyler gave me another needed break from the monster toddler. Then that afternoon I was a good friend and helped Caroline with her daughter, Lizzie's, birthday party (her husband was out of town). It was as crazy as I expected. She planned cute things- making art with dried flowers and a fancy "tea" party with dolls- but not any activities that helped with getting wiggles out and these 8 year old girls (and one boy) were very wiggly. I had to come up with things to entertain them as they all arrived and as she set up things- it was super fun. We matched doll shoes, played "duck duck goose" and played "I Spy".While I was doing that fun task- Ben and Tyler will building the new bunk bed. Their room is still a wrek because the bookcase still needs to be built but I am happy with the new bunk bed. It fits really well in their room. That night to celebrate getting through another day, Tyler and I went and had dinner at Culvers. It was a good way to end the day.

Baby Shark and Ikea

Last Sunday I had a little girl tell me once again that she did not like my new hair color. She is 8 and I feel like she should know better than to say someone's hair looks ugly but whatever. I would say I am not offended because she's just a kid but...I was offended. 

Monday was a rough start with homeschooling. Penny had some major meltdowns and lost some privileges. Getting in big trouble seemed to be the kick in the butt that she needed though and she did much better the rest of the week. Despite the rough start, Monday was a beautiful day weather wise and that seemed to awaken me out of my winter hibernation. We actually got outside and I went on a major cleaning binge that lasted over the next few days- I went through my clothes,and dusted the Lego shelves in my room, I cleaned the walls, baseboards, fan and under the beds in the boys' room, and I cleaned in between furniture and walls and under the bed in the girls' room. I even washed everyone's bedding which is something I hate doing. It felt quite good to do some "spring" cleaning. 

Also Monday I had a Kohls order to pick up and while we were there, Penny found a baby shark pajama shirt that I had to get for Ruby. It was on clearance and I had a coupon and somehow I think I got it free? I bought the shirt and a dress for Ruby but when I looked at the receipt later, it only showed the dress. Did I steal it?? I sure hope not. Ruby absolutely loves her shirt,even if it is a boy's pajama shirt. I also trimmed her mullet this week and I think it looks much better but now pig tails are a little more tricky to do.

Wednesday while the girls were at school I took Ruby to the Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit. It was nice to just have one child to follow around. She is often an observer but she did love climbing up a slide (no one was around so I allowed it) and then sliding/falling down. She also liked playing in the kitchen area and stacking all the fake food. She got a little possessive of the food when some other kids sat at the table. She is not good at sharing. At one point during our visit, I thought I could handle taking Ruby on the stepping stones in the river but I was wrong, she somehow got a whole leg in the water. Of course I had no extra clothes and had to try to squeeze out the water on her pants so she wasn't totaly soaked but, all in all it was a good time.

Thursday, after we finished our school work, I decided to take the girls to Ikea. After cleaning the boys room, I realized it needed a revamp. My first thought was just new mattresses because their mattresses are so bad- you can feel the springs! Steven being contrary said he didn't need a new mattress though and I almost want to not give him one because of his dumb attitude. But new mattresses led to me wanting new everything and hence my trip to Ikea. I wanted to check some things out and get some inspiration. The girls really enjoyed the outing. Checking all the things out, sitting on all the things- it was fun and we ended the outing with some ice cream for lunch. Ruby was nice and shared hers with me. Although I did not buy anything, I ended up figuring out what I wanted to do their room and I am excited for the changes. I ended up ordering everything from Amazon- low twin over full bunk bed, book case with cupboards (for all the Lego things) and still looking for one, but we're going to put a small loveseat in their room.

Friday after homeschool work, the girls went on their last hurrah to Chuck-E-Cheese- our passes have expired now which is a bit sad. Ruby still loves her police care the best, sitting with Chuck-E and a space invaders game where you shoot alien ships. When we finished, the girls ended up getting enough tickets to get a tiny Chuck-E-Cheese doll and 3 lollipops.

Friday night Caroline came over to puzzle. I am liking these one on one hang outs better. They are more calm and we can delve into things better. Although I did realize that lately my conversations with Caroline have been very her-centered and if I want to chat about myself I just have to initiate. 

Saturday morning Tyler and I did a day date and went and got breakfast at the Filling Station. I got some delicious chicken and waffles. Afterwards we strolled Lowe's and talked about his plans to remodel the upstairs bathroom- his bonus hit his bank account so it is finally time to fix up that awful bathroom. I am feeling excited about the changes.

Saturday afternoon I took Lucy, Penny, Geli, Luna and Claire to Target. I was feeling irritable so it wasn't the best outing for someone in a crabby mood. I let the older girls go off on their own and sometimes Lucy was not so good at answering my texts and that was frustrating. The girls had fun shopping though, even if they only bought some candy.

It seems that every time the weather changes, Ruby has a rough time sleeping and she ended up in our bed for a majority of the nights this week. She also had some particularly crabby days where she just whined at everything. Sometimes she is so good and plays independently and is just a happy baby and other times she is just mad about everything. Toddlers are exhausting.

Mid Winter Break

We had snow Sunday morning so they decided to cancel church. I spent the morning working on my memory books for the kids (which I finished!), Lucy and Penny hid upstairs playing with their stuffies and the boys were up in their room being lazy. I think this made Ruby feel neglected because she started getting pretty fussy. Tyler decided to take her to Lowe's right before her nap time, just so she could get out of the house. Ruby enjoyed getting into things at Lowe's and apparently even set off an alarm a tool had. She is such a  toddler. That afternoon the kids all got outside and played in the snow. I decided to send Ruby out with them but she only lasted 5 minutes before she wanted back in. She doesn't like to put on gloves so she ended up with just one on and her one mittenless hand got super cold.

 This past week was mid winter break so no homeschool and the boys were home from high school- Steven still had his college classes though. I have been low energy these days and trying not to spend monies so we didn't do too much. It was a very low key week. Monday our only outing was to Five and Below so the kids could spend the Valentine's money that Grams had sent them. Steven didn't come because he just wanted the cash. He's so lame these days. Ben was very decisive- he knew he wanted candy. Ruby was less decisive. She picked a ball, then a horse, then a baby shark coloing book, then she was back to the ball and in the end she decided on a giant orange rubber duckie. I think that's the last time for a bit that I allow her to choose. Penny of course chose something Stitch themed and Lucy took almost as long as Ruby to choose but ended up getting candy. 

Tuesday I ended up taking all the kids (except Steven) to Chuck-E-Cheese in the morning since we still have our passes until March. We had been away for long enough that it wasn't awful to be there. Ruby was less focused on the same 3 rides and actually wandered around quite a bit trying to "boop" the card on different things. She was actually really into skee ball for part of our visit- she liked to roll the ball and then I would get a turn and throw it for her. Near the end we realized we were close to 2000 tickets (which is what the better prizes cost) so Ben who is the best at earning tickets focused on getting us to our goal. The "Monster Smasher" game was his top ticket earner and we achieved our goal. They ended up getting a stuffie that looked like a bag of animal crackers. They got it for Ruby but also because the girls thought it would be fun for the "games" they play with their stuffies.

Tuesday evening I took the middle 3 to see "Dogman". I really did not want to see this movie and the kids fighting on the way there did not help my attitude. The kids ended up disappointed with the movie because it was different from the books and I was not super entertained by it so it was a bit of a bust for all of us.

Wednesday the girls still had their classes at Renaissance and after I dropped them off I picked up some stuff the girls were buying from Facebook Marketplace for their dolls. One of the things was a doll jeep and it did not dawn on me until I saw it in person how big it was. It takes up so much space but I was letting the girls lead the way on this. They shoveled snow to gather the money, searched the FB Marketplace listing for what they wanted, added up the costs and then I just made the contact and picked up. After we got back from picking up the stuff, Ben, Ruby and I ended up making another trip to Chuck-E-Cheese. Ruby got super excited when we pulled up and walked in- lots of squealing. Ben earned some more tickets for Ruby and got her a ball and he got lollipops for both of them. It was a really nice outing with just the 3 of us.

Wednesday night I went over to Grace's, just me, to hang out. She knows my favorite snacks and we had a good chat. She told me her 15 year old daughter wants a tattoo because her friends are all getting them. Of course Grace is not going to let her get one but what is wrong with all these parents? Letting your 15 year old make a permanent decision like that? Nope.

Thursday morning I took the girls to the library and struck up a conversation with this lady that had twins Ruby's age. I really wanted to be weird and ask her for her number because I could see us doing toddler playdates together- we just got along so well- but I chickened out and didn't. Ugh, making mom friends with kids Ruby's age is going to be so tricky. I don't know what is acceptable behavior when it comes to making new friends, lol.

Thursday afternoon Lucy's friend Jenna came over for a sleepover and her mom, Stacey, stayed and chatted with me for a couple hours before leaving. I enjoy our chats but think we have very different tastes in movies so I should probably never give her recommendations, ha. After she left, I took the girls to the Dollar Tree to get some crafts and treats and Ruby ended up getting a little chick toy, a Steve Minecraft figure (she has become obsessed with Minecraft Minifigures lately) and a Daniel Tiger book. She is spoiled. Then that night they watched "Stargirl" because the girls had listened to the book but, once again, the movie didn't really align with the book and the kids were disappointed. I also think Lucy found it cringey because the main character was awkward and didn't care about being herself BUT that was the point of the book as well so she should have known that theme would be in there.

Friday, Jenna was here until lunchtime and her and Lucy made cookies. Lucy is a little hopeless with cooking sometimes and I think added too much flour but they were alright. That evening the older 3 went and did baptisms at the temple.

Saturday I had a Ministering Interview around lunch time. We drove to the house of one of the ladies in the presidency and then they came out with a treat (cinnamon roll and hot chocolate) and chatted in the car with me- asking about the sisters I minister to and about me. It's always nice to chat with grown ups and get a treat. That evening we babysat for the Jones family. They mostly watched Ben and Andrea play Minecraft and watched a little bit of Octonauts. Ruby was a big bully and hit Maverick before I could stop her. I told her to be nice and had her hug him. While hugging him, she stole his toy. Ugh. She is such trouble but on the other hand, she was really cute with Wesley and belly laughing at things he did. The next day (Sunday) the Jones came over again and Ruby immediately "petted" Maverick and said "nice". Maybe she is learning? 

One of Ruby's favorite activities this week was putting her barbies in the holes on her little xylophone toy. She is so weird