Thanksgiving 09

7

I found out on November 11th that I was expecting our seventh child. Wow. It was quite a surprise- just as much as the first 6 were, if not a little more. You see, I guess I had talked myself into believing I might be too old to get pregnant again. So I wasn't even considering pregnancy at first. But after I woke up nauseous a few mornings in a row, and my lower back started aching (among other things), I gave it some serious consideration and raced out to Walmart to buy a pregnancy test.

I paid for the test and then went immediately went into the restroom - I couldn't even wait until I got home. The result- positive. I was shocked- I mean, by now I pretty much knew it would be positive, but I was still shocked. I ran home and showed the test to Paul. You would think that after six kids, he'd know what a positive test looked like, but nope. I showed it to him and he said, "Well, I don't know if it's positive or negative!" I said, Have I ever showed you a negative one?? And then the realization hit him. It was a good thing he was already sitting down- he might have fallen over.

7 children. It seems so much more than six. I still can hardly believe I'm pregnant again; however, reality is sinking in pretty quickly. I am nauseous 24/7. I've only gotten sick once, but came close many, many times. The house has pretty much fallen to pieces and we are so behind on the laundry I don't know if we'll ever catch up. But, that's not true- I know we will catch up, it may just take a little time. And the house will still be here when I feel better in a few months. (!)

I know this will pass- I just forget every time how wearisome it is to feel queasy all. the. time.

Yet, on the other hand, I welcome the nausea. The nausea pretty much tells me the baby is doing well. I miscarried in 2003, and the first symptom (which I didn't realize at the time) was the loss of nausea. So, while I may get tired of it, I also welcome it.

I'm sure you've all watched the video of Thanksgiving when we told Paul's family. (If you haven't, you need too!) They were shocked and the reactions were priceless! We told the kids a few days after we found out- all except Samuel. We knew he would not be able to keep that secret! I forgot all about the fact that he didn't know on Thanksgiving and didn't even give him a thought with all the goings on about the baby. We started eating and about 5 minutes later, he was by my side, tapping me.

"Mom", he said. "Are you going to have a baby?" I felt so bad I hadn't told him. Yes, I said. Oh he replied with big eyes! He came back to me several times during the meal, telling me that he couldn't believe I was going to have a baby. It was so cute!

So, I covet your prayers. I'm no spring chicken- I'll be 44 when I deliver this baby next summer. And I have high blood pressure that rises slowly over the course of a pregnancy. And, as I have already mentioned, I miscarried a few years back and that is always in the front of my mind. So your prayers for my health and well being and also for the health of the baby are much appreciated!

PS- We're praying for a girl! (But would be just as happy with another boy)

Our Thanksgiving Surprise

Surprised? We were too, but now we're just thrilled!

Random Thoughts

• I've kind of been in a blogging slump. Nothing much to say, if you can believe that!
• Seems amazing to me that the day after tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Where did 2009 go?
• We're having about 27 people here for Thanksgiving. When we first moved here, we were without any family. So we decided on Thanksgiving, we would invite everyone and anyone who had no place to go. That first Thanksgiving, we had another family of 4 and 2 much older couples. We loved it and a tradition was born! Of course, we now have family included in that, so our numbers have grown by leaps and bounds, but our motto is the more, the merrier! It will be interesting to see how everyone fits this year!
• We all split up the cooking so no one person has to do it all. For me, as long as I don't have to do the mashed potatoes, I'm great!
• I'm making my traditional dishes I've made for years and years: broccoli casserole, sweet potato souffle and green bean casserole with chocolate pie and cream cheese pie for dessert.
• I'm making a new pumpkin dessert this year. It sounds good- I hope it doesn't disappoint!
• We have been blessed with several deer in the past few weeks and our freezer is full to the brim with venison! What a blessing. I am not a country girl, but I will eat venison. And, really, it's not that different than ground beef, other than it has no fat.
• Our stray dog (TJ) has found a new home, thanks to the diligence of Anna. When she found out that the pound would put him down because he was part pit bull, she was having none of it!
• So now we're back to 2 dogs. Sweet little Schnitzel and Big Wild Sheba. Enough!
• Good night.

Wright on Time

Wright on Time by Lisa Cottrell-Bentley was sent to me for review by the author for review for MamaBuzz.

What a cute book! The author was very creative in coming up with a series of books for "middle" kids to read and enjoy. This book, book 1, takes place in Arizona with the Wright family, a homeschooling RV family who travel across the country. Therefore, subsequent books will take place in all 50 states. The author is very careful to add in detail about each state, so while your child is enjoying the story, he/she is learning about each state.

My daughter Ellie, aged 10, read this book in about an hour. She enjoyed it even though it was a bit below her reading level. Once she started reading, she couldn't put it down.

It is always nice to be able to hand my children a book about homeschoolers, children they can relate to. I appreciate this book for that alone, but when you add in the educational value and the enjoyment they derive from this book, you get a winner!

Feel free to check out the Wright on Time website for more information about this book and the other books in series. You can purchase this book at the website or on Amazon for $12.99.

Ultimate Cloth

"The Ultimate Cloth is an eco-friendly solution for homes as well as a time and money saver."

I was given a chance to review the Ultimate Cloth and went to the website to check it out. I had my doubts because I had tried many various things over the years to save time in housecleaning. When the ultimate cloth arrived, I was a little surprised. It seemed like a thick paper towel, and I almost laughed outloud. I did not think it could do the things that the website claimed it could do.

I got it out, and showed my daughters, who were eager to try it. (They are like their mother- anything to get the housecleaning done quicker!). So, we ran it under warm water and went to work on the hardest spots in our house.

First up, the laundry room door. This door gets washed periodically, but it seems it is always dirty. Anna tried the cloth, and, amazingly enough, it worked. I had her try it on the bottom where it was most dirty and it even worked there. Then we went to the back door. The back door is a french door, full of window panes. Because of the little children in our house and the dogs, the windows are always dirty and the white paint is dingy. I took the cloth and tried it and within a few minutes, with some elbow grease, I had part of the door back to white and a few windows clean. Hmmm. Maybe there was something to this miracle cloth.

Oh. I think I forgot to mention that you need no cleaners with this cloth. No harsh chemicals- only the damp cloth. Next we tried it on counters and the front of the refrigerator. No problems cleaning those. Anything we tried it on, it cleaned, all without cleaners. It's a big cloth, so you can fold and refold to get the most surface area to clean with. And when it gets dirty, you throw it in the washer, to be used again. I think that's my favorite thing about it- it's reusable. And affordable- you can get 2 for ten dollars.

The Ultimate Cloth reminded me very much of a magic eraser. It worked in the same way, cleaning things easily that generally are hard to clean. However, the ultimate cloth is reusable and is not filled with chemicals, like the magic eraser. The people at the ultimate cloth are so sure you're going to like it that they are giving them away for you to try. If you follow ultimate cloth on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook, you will find information to receive your free cloth. Try it- you've got nothing to lose.

This is a mamabuzz review. This product was supplied by Ultimate Cloth America for review.

Benjamin Working Hard