Moon Dough

Moon Dough.

This is what it looks like on the box:

And this is what it looks like in my kitchen:


This is what Rae requested for Christmas, and she and Ruby both LOVE it.


I, on the other hand, have a love/hate relationship with Moon Dough.


I guess it's the smiles on their faces that make it worth it. Most days. ;)

Upswing

I'm happy to say that Ruby is on the upswing. She is back to her old self, smiling, laughing, and picking on Rae. She still has mild diarrhea, but not as severe as before, and she's eating and drinking plenty.

Rae, on the other hand, spiked a fever of 101.6 last night. She didn't eat her dinner, either. I gave her some Tylenol and put her to bed. This morning her fever was down to 99.6 and she seems to be feeling better. She has complained of a tummy ache a couple times, but nothing has come of it (puking, diarrhea, etc.).

Rosie is oblivious to it all and as happy as can be! We're still praying the rest of us avoid this nasty bug.

Rosie living the high life

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In other news, I've started Jillian Michael's "30-day Shred." She's the lady from the TV show "The Biggest Loser." I'm probably crazy to announce this, because now I'll have all of you to hold me accountable. That's normally a good thing, but since I've never completed any sort of work-out commitment in my life, it could be a bad thing! It's really going to be more like the "60-day shred" since I'm only holding myself accountable to working out every other day.

My ideal goal is to drop 20 pounds, but I'd be happy with 15. :) Honestly, I don't keep a scale, because I have a history of obsessing over the numbers, so I'm really just going to go off of how I look, how I feel, and how my clothes fit.

I remember after Rae was born, the weight came off so easily. She was born on a Saturday, and on Wednesday I went to church in my regular jeans. I still own those pre-kid jeans. If I can fit into them comfortably, I'll be happy.

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Speaking of weight, Rae & Ruby went in for checkups a couple weeks ago. Rae was 41.2 pounds (87%) and 45" tall (99%). Ruby was 31.2 pounds (82%) and 35" tall (68%). They are growing so quickly.

I got highly irritated when the nurse told me that Rae was "at risk of growing up to be underweight." Funny thing is, last time they told me she was at risk of growing up to be OVERweight! If you ask me, SHE'S FOUR, PEOPLE. She's not at risk for anything yet. It's called a growth spurt. Kids have them. Leave mine alone.

Rae just had a growth spurt. She was in 3T clothes for a very long time, then she zipped right through 4T and is now in 5T. I swear, she only wore 4T for about 2 months. Now Ruby is in 3T and has millions of clothes, and Rae only has a few things that actually fit her!

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Rae just woke up; I'd better get back to being a mom!

Ruby is Sick (Warning: this post contains TMI)

Poor little Ruby has caught the stomach bug that has been going around. It started Friday with some loose stools, then yesterday (Sunday) she woke up in the morning with puke in her bed.

She puked again before lunch, ate barely anything, then went for a nap around 1:00 pm. I finally went in to wake her up at 6:00 pm! Unfortunately when I got to her room, I noticed that she and her bed were covered in diarrhea.

Into the tub!

Later that day she started small fever. She went to bed early and woke up today clean and dry (whew!). She still had a fever, so I gave her more Tylenol and she basically just sat around all afternoon. She had one scrambled egg for breakfast and didn't want lunch, but nibbled on some crackers. Sadly, she woke up from her nap covered in poo AGAIN. This time it was also in her hair. DON'T ask.

Back into the tub!

We watched Toy Story 2 and sat around some more. I thought we had made it through the day without throwing up, but then she started back up around 6:00 pm.

Please keep her in your prayers, and also pray that nobody else catches it. It really is heartbreaking to see Ruby this miserable and sad. I don't want the other girls to get it, and JP and I simply cannot afford to get sick right now.

Happy Valentines Day from the Charlebois!

Status Updates

Audra is...

...working on 2010 bookkeeping so we can file our taxes. This would be easier if we had done any bookwork at all the entire year.

...freezing because we had to open up all the windows today when the smoke detector went off. I had set the oven to "clean" and it got pretty bad. The house still smells.

...taking B Complex vitamins daily. It's supposed to help you deal with stress and winter blues. Cabin fever!!!

...needing spring to come A.S.A.P.

...making reservations to visit a planetarium with the kids.

...researching home school curriculum. We're starting Rae in the fall.

...attending the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators conference in Duluth (for the first time) in April.

...cutting back on sugar for myself and especially for the kids. It's easy for me to tell them "no," and harder for me to tell myself!

...hoping the new Cinderella alarm clock I got for the girls will help keep them in their beds (or at least in their room) until the appropriate time in the morning.

...dressing Rosie in 9-12 month clothing!!! She's so LONG she needs the bigger sizes, even if the sleeves end up getting rolled a bit.

...thinking about getting another hair cut, this time with some bangs (not drastic).

...researching weight loss programs. Weight Watchers -- what does $20/month tangibly get me? Fitness Centers -- how on earth can I schedule 3 visits per week to get the insurance compensation with three kids? Curves -- why don't you have child care? Liposuction -- why can't I afford you?

...admitting: Today, February 5th, we finally took down our Christmas tree. It's been undecorated for a long time, just not taken down. Don't judge!

What's on your mind?

My Ruby

Happy 4th Birthday, Rae!

Today my baby girl turned FOUR. All I can think about is how wonderful she's made our lives.


We didn't have much planned for the day until our friend Etta asked if she and Rae could do some baking. Rae decided on a flower cake, and it turned out great!


It's hard not to get sappy and cliche on a day like today. I just can't believe how quickly time is flying by. I look at pictures from even just this past summer and she looks like a baby. She's so big, so thoughtful, so smart, and soooo funny. She is helpful and caring and loving.


Happy birthday, sweet Rae Rae. Mommy loves you with her whole heart.

And now, here are Rae's "Fourth Birthday Favorites."

Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Food: Mac & Cheese
Favorite Drink: Berry juice
Favorite Princess: Cinderella
Favorite Show: (currently) Bubble Guppies
Favorite Book: Princess Bible
Favorite Song: Fruit of the Spirit song
Favorite Treat: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Ice Sculptures

Drawing inspiration from a display we saw outside the Maple Grove Community Center...


...the girls and I decided to make ice sculptures.


We learned about mixing colors, how water freezes ("see, the top is frozen, but if we jiggle it you can see bubbles underneath!"), and how salt will melt ice. They had fun learning!


Plus now we have some beautiful artwork shimmering in the sun outside our window. That was a fun project.