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Poll: who thinks I’m pregnant?

THE CASE FOR PREGNANCY:

• I am 17 days late.
• I’ve been slightly queasy for 3 days. I always get morning sickness, usually even before I realize I’m late.
• I have always been pregnant before the baby reaches The Boy’s age. This is already our longest gap.
• I have been eating like a pig like a horse like a cow more than usual.
• I have been noticeably more tired than usual.
• In the past, my suspicions have nearly always been accurate.

THE CASE AGAINST PREGNANCY:

• I haven’t been regular since The Boy was born.
• I failed a pregnancy test when I was 7 days late (10 days ago).
• Most of my children are sick, so it’s entirely possible that my queasiness means I caught their bug.
• I stayed up later than usual several nights last week, which would easily explain my tiredness.
• I have failed at least 7 pregnancy tests in a row.

Leave your vote in the comments.

It’s Monday.

updated to add: Don’t forget to bid on our Liberty Doll. The “auction” ends today – just leave your bid in the comments on the original post here: Liberty Doll for sale. She is currently at $40 with free shipping.

It’s Monday, but I won’t tell you how bad my house looks and how many of my children are vomiting and/or feverish, and my suspicion that I am sick too (but my secret hope that I might be pregnant instead, though I can’t find out yet because I used every single one of my stockpiled pregnancy tests over the last two weeks).

Instead of whining about all that, I’ll just tell you what happened to me last week.
I was sitting at the table, happily typing away on the laptop when I felt The Boy playing with my toes. I giggled and pretended to kick and struggle, squealing, “My toes! Help, he’s getting my toes!”
He chuckled maliciously and tickled me even more. The game continued until one of the girls looked under the table and cleared her throat nervously.
“Umm…Mom? He has a marker.”
I looked down and here’s what I saw:

Liberty Doll for auction HERE

update: Alaskamommy is the winner. Congratulations!
Since you don’t have a blog or email attached to your profile, please email me your shipping address (call her blest at gmail dot com).

My daughter Kittykait is selling a Liberty Doll. She had intended to list the doll on Ebay but she thought it might be fun to auction her here instead.

The Liberty Doll has hand rooted hair can be brushed and styled like real hair. You can even use a curling iron on her! She has a cloth torso, and her arms can move up and down. She can stand on her own, her eyes are brown and open and close when she lies down.

If you have American Girl Dolls, they are the same size and can share clothes.

This doll has been very gently used and looks brand new. She has been an obedient little girl and kept her hair net on so that her hair stays neat and clean. She wanted to do some work while she was with us, but we told her she might get her dress dirty and then she wouldn’t look new.
After that she was content to rest quietly in her box. She will travel to her new home in her original box.

The bidding opens at $40, including FREE shipping. The winner can pay by check, money order or Paypal, and Kittykait will ship the doll as soon as she receives payment.

To place a bid, just leave the amount in the comments. Bidding will close on Monday, October 15 at 11:59 PM, CST. Please make sure we can contact you!
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Incidentally, if you have a doll from Vision Forum that is in need of repair, Wee Maidens does most repairs for $30. This includes return shipping. This business is run by 2 young ladies who were personally trained by a representative of the German manufacturer.
They also design, make and sell a wide variety of beautiful clothes for these dolls, ranging from historical costumes to cute and modest modern styles.
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P.S. We also have an ebay auction that might be of interest to readers.
I am selling a Kelty Kids baby carrier, like new. The Kelty is well-designed with lots of storage and other features. One very nice option: the baby can face toward mama or outward – this is the only thing I miss in my Ergo. The bidding starts at $24.99 with free shipping included. You can see the auction here:
Kelty Kids Kangaroo cobalt infant carrier FREE SHIP!

Too good to keep to myself

We finished most of the big switcharoo last night: moved beds, dressers and hanging clothes from one bedroom to another. It was a big job (esp. on a Monday and grocery day) and there are still many small details to finish, like the mountain of clean laundry that accumulated on the couch while we worked, and the mountain of dirty laundry that pulled the same trick in the kitchen.
The children will still be shuffled a bit between their two rooms, but since they have matching dressers and bunkbeds, those switches should be very easy: “Hey you! Grab your drawer, your pillow, and your hanging clothes and go to your new room.”
There was no sign of our errant tarantula, though Kait did feel a suspicious lump under the carpet.
Last night hubby and I spent our first night in a bedroom with a ceiling (long story) and it was lovely. I slept well and got right to work on finishing the job.
Wait. No, I didn’t. I stayed up too late, read my Bible through bleary eyes and planted myself in front of the computer.
And here I sit.
Like a fool, I’m cleaning out my links instead of facing the real and looming mess about me.
These links have been languishing in my bloglines folder for far too long, much like the pile of clothes to be mended, which is hidden in my closet.
It’s high time to get the stuff out into plain sight. Maybe I’ll drape the mending over my rocking chair where it can mock me publicly until I take care of it. After we clean up some other messes, of course, beginning with my bloglines folder.

• Pastor McDonald has some good thoughts on unity. I especially appreciate the joke that opens his post. It’s so easy to find yourself on either side of that picture at one time or another. The closing line has become a laughing catchphrase among the children and I for when we’re being too nit-picky or divisive.
• His wife, Stacy McDonald is giving a sneak peek to the book that she and Jennie Chancey are collaborating upon, Passionate Housewives Desperate for God. update: the book is finished and will be available for sale in 2-3 weeks. Crystal is hosting a giveaway of 10 copies!
• Also from Stacy:
  Later this month, I will be interviewing the Botkin sisters; and in a way, so will you! Starting today, I’m inviting my readers to send in their questions regarding the Botkins’ book, So Much More. In addition, if you have questions regarding the everyday lives or beliefs of Anna Sofia or Elizabeth, this is your time to ask them!

  All questions should be sent to me at Botkin Interview Questions by October 23rd. Please note, questions will be compiled, integrated, and edited as needed for space and brevity. Please keep your questions direct, brief, and gracious. Questions will not be accepted during or after the interview. Please send your questions on or before the aforementioned date.
• While we’re talking about the Botkins, the film is finished and sneak previews are happening around the country. It looks like I’ll have to wait for the official premier at the SAICFF, but I can live with that. I’m sure it’s worth the wait!
• Cindy at Dominion Family is on a rant. First she rants about billboards, then breasts.
• I have long admired the writings of Nancy Wilson. I was delighted to discover that she has a blog. Here is my first bookmarked post from her blog, one that I sorely need: Checkpoints for the Tongue.

Excitement not involving a tarantula

I just received a call from the producer of the Take a Stand radio show, asking me to answer few questions on air for Adam McManus – in 7 minutes!
He wanted to talk about a USA Today article on working moms and whether they should stay home. I barely had time to send the kids out with drinks and a water hose, skim the article and then we were on!
That was 30 minutes ago and I’ve had my 10 minutes of world fame, but my heart is still pounding. I’m not exactly sure what he asked or how I answered, but my friends are assuring me that I sounded very unruffled and articulate. That’s what friends are for.
Here’s what I told hubby on googletalk as I hung up:

i was terrified for the first few minutes, then my brain just listened helplessly as my mouth took over. I was silently begging my mouth not to do anything stupid.

i felt like bill murray and what’s-his-face in What About Bob during the tv interview. Bob was my mouth and what’s-his-face was my brain.

See? And I still can’t think of what’s-his-face’s name.
Tarantulas hardly ruffle me, but live radio interviews send me into a tizzy.

Romance is in the air

I was working outside yesterday afternoon, and looked down just in time to see this guy casually sauntering making a beeline straight toward my foot.

The quarter gives you an idea of his size. Males are typically significantly smaller than females and this one is no exception. He’s just a little guy, much smaller and slimmer than Shelob.

What’s that? You can’t see the quarter? Oops. That’s because he’s COVERING THE WHOLE ENTIRE QUARTER with his small, slim body. But he really is much smaller than Shelob. You thought I was teasing about that, didn’t you? Nope.

Apparently the males are also more athletic than the females. When we went after him with a jar, this guy had none of Shelob’s leisurely demeanor. He’s a man with a plan and he moved with startling speed.

I found a very informative article online and learned that our guest is definitely a male, probably mature and hunting for a cute girl. From the article, So You Found a Tarantula:

Most species are nocturnal, and if one shows up in or around your house, it is just because he is trying to hide out during the day to return to his search at night (or maybe you have female tarantulas living around your house).

Yup. Give him a dozen roses, and he’s ready to go.
So now we’re thinking that maybe we should tie a string around one of his legs and let him loose in the house. What do you think?

Calm down; now I’m kidding. Do you really think I want trade in my daddy longlegs for baby tarantulas next year?

a saunter through the September archives

Last month’s review was so much fun, I’m going to do this again. Here are my favorite posts from previous Septembers.
In ‘05, I was brand new to blogging. I started my blog on a whim on August 31, so September was my first full month.

Highlights for September ‘05

• We bade our trusty old Suburban farewell, and welcomed our new-to-us 15 passenger van, purchased off of Ebay.
• I blogged my very first vomit story, the first of many. And my second.
• I compiled a list of You Might Be a Large Family If’s
• I introduced the mail fairy.
• I gave my philosophy on handling budding young chefs and their messes, and tips on shopping with a lot of little ones in tow.

By September of ‘06 I had a new baby and was spending a lot of time nursing, so parenting tips were heavy on my mind.

Highlights for September ‘06

• I offered various uses for receiving blankets, which led to the infamous Blanket Training post, which was recently revisited here. I also posted about Training The Will, which is really the underlying principle in blanket training.
• I also offered a second round of tips on keeping young children under control in church. (The first was in August). I did a third post on the topic later in the same month.
• We learned an important lesson about a lovely local wildflower.
• I answered your burning questions about pottytraining.

Over the last month I seem to have blogged mainly about issues, from arachnids to feminism. But don’t worry – the obligatory vomit story was in there too.

Highlights for September ‘07

• I battled daddy longlegs, guerilla tarantulas, whininess (in my traditional vomit story), and feminism.
• Doug Phillips fought gossip and slander. So did we.
• We discovered the joy and wonder of Paperback Swap. As if we needed more books.
• I offered tips on getting your kids to be glad for whatever slop you drop in front of them eat what is served with a grateful attitude.

Ballantyne library: and the winner is…

Can we have a big hearty round of applause for:

Laura @ Laura Williams’ Musings

Congratulations, Laura. Thank you for entering! Email me your shipping address to claim your Ballantyne Christian Adventure Library.

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