Rie's News and Views: Hello, hello!

5 months

Y'all! Baby brain is a real thing! I don't know how mothers who have multiple children survive. Wait! I do have multiple children. Hmm...

Diana is now five months older than she was when I last wrote anything. I find my mental abilities returning, slowly but surely. Many times I'm writing things in my head but don't have the means to actually write them.

Thinking about mothers with multiple children... usually they have a daughter or two to take over when Mom can't think. I told my sister there are times when I'm in a half-awake state that I think, "Mama will take care of it." Then I'm wide awake and realizing I AM Mama and there's no one to take my place!

Our sons do well with helping around the house but there are some things that are solely mine to do. I thought I would train a couple of them this past school year to do the meal planning and grocery shopping but we didn't get very far.

She sits here contentedly while Matthew plays.
It makes me nervous.

I've been hiring my nieces to help me one day a week and that really gives me a boost. They got seven meals in the freezer on Saturday and now I'm free to write a little.

It has been so long since I've written about life here at the Lapps that I hardly knew where to start. That is why I ramble a bit here. I'm getting started. I'm hoping to write more regularly again but don't hold me to it.

Diana is here beside me in her highchair, devouring cold, canned green beans. It is so good to see her enjoying good food. She had a half banana earlier and then a scrambled egg. She still nurses a few times a day.

I learned, from a mother of many, to give baby as many finger foods as possible. That cuts down on the time I need to spend feeding her. I cut bananas into little pieces, cut up eggs and beans (or any food that is possible to eat with fingers) and she feeds them to herself from off the table. It is so handy!

It also keeps her entertained and cuts down on the amount she eats. When I would mash her food and spoon feed her she seemed to have no stop button. I just had to decide when it was enough.

The guys all do their own laundry. I do Thomas' & mine, Diana's and the dress clothes and that's about all I can handle. Of course, there are the dish towels, blankets and etc that need washing as well, and I take care of those.

Christopher turns 15 this month and he is taking his turn on the job a bit more this summer. When Melvin is home, he works on the gardening and if Christopher is here he helps Melvin some. Otherwise, he mows lawn, takes out trash, helps with kitchen work, does animal chores or works on any of his multiple personal interests. Today I have him installing a new (used) dishwasher that I hope will save me even more time.

Our other dishwasher quit functioning well, some months ago. Some days it feels as if I spend most of the day in the kitchen. I finally figured out a way to include Diana. She can stand on a chair beside me while I wash dishes. I put another chair (back) beside her to safely pen her in.

Enough rambling for one day. Till next time....

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