The Meservy family Rules!

Okay, well, we made some rules up, anyway.

So, I went to see my counselor last Thursday, and we worked on solutions for some of my overwhelming parenting stress. And life change #2 was to sit down as a family and come up with a few rules that are very important to 1. me and Royal and 2. the kids. Then, we decide on simple, easy-to-implement consequences for each rule. Then, we post them in a prominent place. So, every time a rule is broken, the “perpetrator” is taken to the fridge, read the rule and consequence, and given the consequence.

Here are the 7 rules/consequences we've come up with so far:
For Children

1. Must come and go when ordered by Mom and Dad
Consequence: 5 minute timeout and Re-enact desired scenario 3 times

2. No lying
Consequence: Spoonful of vinegar

3. No touching Mom or Dad's stuff
Consequence: Timeout and Replay

4. No screaming or talking mean
Consequence: Spoonful of vinegar and replay

5. No Inside toys taken outside
Consequence: Gunny bag eats toys (they will be returned within a week)

6. No touching door locks
Consequence: Give up favorite toy to Gunny Bag


For Mom and Dad
1. No fits of uncontrolled anger (No Angry Mommy fits)
Consequence: Spoonful of Vinegar, Timeout, and Replay

Okay, so that is a lot for you to read, but there is more. There is still left to tell the tale of our first day of posted rules.

So, it is a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and our freshly posted rules are glistening in the sunlight. The next thing you know, Sienna is screaming at Grace. So, I take her to the fridge and read the rule/consequence. Then, I measure out vinegar in a Tablespoon (I didn't fill it all the way.). She asks if it is medicine, and I tell her it is naughty medicine. She drinks it without blinking, and she says, "Mommy, is it sour?" So, I assume the stuff is pretty benign. (I don't remember the last time I tasted straight vinegar.)

An hour or so later, the girls and I are out spreading wood ash on our freshly tilled garden plot (Thank you, Mr. Farmer!!!) for fertilizer. As I lean over the wheelbarrow, Sienna slips and hits me over the head with a spade full of ashes.

"Aaaaaggggghhhh!", I scream, as I throw down my own spade, and try to shake off most of the mess.

"Uh, oh!", says Grace, "No Angry Mommy fits! Let's go look at the chart..."

And, the next thing you know, I'm looking for a medium sized spoon and filling it with clear vinegar. No big deal. (I do have a throat already raw from coughing, BTW.) I confidently tip up my spoon, and then...

I am gagging, and sputtering, my throat is on fire, and I'm grabbing for a glass of water to make it go away! I might as well have swallowed a spoon of Clorox! Holy Cow! That was the nastiest, most disgusting thing I remember having to swallow! My throat didn't stop burning for a full minute!

When I am done choking, Grace is looking quite upset and she says, "Mommy, I don't want to have that as a consequence for lying. Can we change the consequence, Mommy?"

And I'm saying to Royal, "That's it! I AM DONE!! I am NEVER going to throw another MOMMY FIT again! NEVER! That was NASTY! That was horrible! That was awful!"

"Really? That bad?" says my beloved.

Yeah, so, now I say, the prisons might not be so crowded if only a few more Moms had known the secret power of Vinegar. Yuck!

Global Warming Will Cause a Fungi Invasion!

And an increase in teenage drinking . . . and nuclear war. There are actual new stories blaming global warming for a laughable list of things. We can thank that eccentric Conservative Glenn Beck for the list. Here is just a small part of it (link to full piece below). I guess GW is the new boogeyman for all things.

(the list is alphabetical)

"All the things that global warming cause. You ready? Here we go.

"Acne, African aid threatened, Alaska reshaped, American dream end, amphibians breeding earlier and then not breeding at all, anxiety, asthma, attack of the killer jellyfish, avalanches reduced, avalanches increased, Baghdad snow, bananas destroyed, bananas grow, beetle infestation, better beer, no beer, blue tongue, boredom, bridge collapse in Minneapolis, brothels struggle. By the way, I just want to point out these are actual -- there are stories attached to each of these that because of global warming brothels may struggle. That may make me for global warming but then I see the next one, the bubonic plague. Buddhist Temple threatened, bridge collapse, camel deaths, cancer deaths in England, cardiac arrest, cave paintings are threatened, childhood insomnia. Yeah, because they are watching all these stupid shows on TV saying, you're all going to die. Cholera, circumcision in decline. I was trying to figure that one out. It is so hot. If I just had a little extra shaved from a little extra -- I mean, what is, I don't -- how is that... civil unrest, cockroach migration. Oh, I told you we needed the fence. Coffee threatened, cold spells, cold wave, Cougar attacks, Crumbling roads, bridges and sewage system, Darfur, hemorrhagic fever, which is the Ebola, dermatitis, diarrhea, early marriages.... "

Here's the rest of the funny Glenn Beck piece on this.

And here's the complete list (with links to all the news stories)

Hatching Adventures, Part Two

So This morning, in my overly excited state, I was mentally pouring over how we could possibly get some chicks out of this situation.... And I came up with a plan! Which wouldn't work. And then, I came up with another plan! Which was too complicated. And then, I came up with another plan! Which was too expensive. And then, I came up with another plan! Which might just work!!!! So, here it is. (And I must mention here that Royal has been very happy lately, and overly accomidating to all my crazy, overly excited ideas. He is the best husband ever.)

Our full-size hens may not be laying fertile eggs, but I do know a place we might be able to buy inexpensive, fertilized, fresh eggs. 5 miles down the road is a small Amish community where most of the families have their own hens.

This morning, Royal and I, and offspring, headed to the Amish community. We stopped at the saw mill to find out who might be selling eggs. Then, we got 2 dozen eggs from Rhode Island Red hens (an excellent breed.).

When we got home, we set up a box for the one hatchling. Then, we marked the 1st dozen eggs, and Royal stuck them underneath the still-sitting mama hen. She seemed very pleased. Then, he stuck his hand underneath her and kidnapped her one hatchling. She didn't even notice.

Now we have a banti chick in our storage room with warming lamp. It has been loudly peeping all morning, except when the girls are sitting by the box. It is eating and drinking well, and seems comfortable. I hope it lives, but even more I hope that our chicken can stand setting for another 3 weeks and give us some Rhode Island Red babies!

Wish us luck!

Hatching Adventures Part One

Our Hen sat on way too many eggs for too long. So, last Sunday, we went into the nest to get rid of all the bad eggs she kept sitting on. And, in there we found that the one mini-chicken egg she sat on was hatching and peeping away. The other 20 eggs were no good. (Turns out they were never fertilized. Our roosters are both Bantums- and didn't fertilize the full-size hens.)
Well, Sunday night we had one fully-hatched, half-wet chick under that determined black hen. And, I just prayed it would live til morning so the girls could see the little miracle. I can't write with enough emphasis how amazing this tiny event was for me! I had decided all hope was lost for us to have any successful hatching. And, then, that tiny, wobbly ball of fur peeps away under her mother. It is just beautiful! I long so much to have more contact with animal raising/tending! I hope I can find a way to weasel my way into helping our Amish friends on their farm sometime soon. I wish so much to touch a horse again. Or milk a cow. Or, heck, I'll take just weeding a garden! I need some farm chores. The chickens are just too easy, I guess. Maybe I should try to raise some more fish. (See September 07 posts)
Now, Tuesday morning, it is still alive and very healthy, but the Hen doesn't want to get up. In fact, she takes all the eggs the other hens lay, and sits on them!

Joys and Pains

This week, we have had the loveliest weather imaginable- for me! About 65, sunny, windy, with light clouds. It truly felt like Spring, with all that that implies. (New life, new vigor.) We are seeing more flowers than I have ever noticed at springtime before. Every tree is blossoming, and gardens are springing up. We have relished every minute of the warmer weather.

But, last night it rained, and today it was cold again. It was dreadfully cold. And, I realized I've gotten used to the beautiful weather already. Now, with the dreadful cold, my gratitude for the Spring is renewed. I will be even happier when fair weather returns because of this cold, rainy spell.

Isn't that a nice gift from God?

A girlfriend said to me the other day, "I don't know why things get dirty so quickly. Laundry, the bathtub, and everything. Things are dirty almost the moment you are done cleaning them! God must have something important to teach us from having to clean everything so often."

The Birth of Our Newborn Baby (by Grace)

Hi! It's me, Grace! Would you like to hear a story about how my newborn baby was born? Well, here it is:

One night my Mommy woke up. She was in labor so she woke up my Daddy. So she called a friend of us named Miss Priscilla. She got us up in the morning when I was still in bed. She opened the door and I was surprised 'cause Mom was gone. Skip to the next part.

Then we (in a little while) went out for breakfast at McDonald's and we got a sausage biscuit hamburger, but there weren't any kids meals out for breakfast. And I got an orange juice and Sienna got an orange juice, but she spilled it all over her bottom.

Then we ate our breakfast while we were driving, and after we were done waiting to get out, we got out, and we went into the hospital, and we knocked at Mommy's door, and Daddy opened the door, and Mommy was in her bed, and there was the little baby on a little table with rolling wheels.

So, then we went back to Miss Priscilla's house. We ate lunch with her, then after lunch with Miss Priscilla we got to watch more of the movie (and then in a little while) and then in the middle of the movie captain hook was crying on a big broken tree that only you could sit on with a few people. In that middle part when Jane was talking to him, that was when Grandma came and she took us to see the baby. Then in a little while, me and Sienna and Daddy were hungry so we went off to the cafeteria. Now it had St. Patrick's day balloons up in it, but no glittery words that went up like a birthday word.

Then in a little while (while I was eating my plain cheese pizza) Grandma was here and she got her lunch and she beat me on my lunch. Then in a little while, we went back to the room where the baby was. Then Grandma took me back to our house and then Mommy and Daddy came back in a little while. Actually, after we got there we were going to watch Peter Pan and we watched the whole movie of Peter Pan and we got Grandma sleepy on that. Anyway, in the morning, Mommy and Daddy were back at the house.

(Phew! That was good!)

The End.

(Faithfully transcribed and only very slightly corrected by Royal.)

My Imaginative Girl

Grace loves to play pretend with her toys. But, she often finds herself short of some essential prop or toy for the needed imaginary scene.

One example is a scene from our favorite movie: Howl's Moving Castle. She needed a fire, logs, a frying pan, eggs and bacon to fry, and a magical "searing" love note for howl written in ancient sorcery symbols. So, she went into nap time armed with markers and a stack of blank typing paper. She emerged with a magical Fire (named Calcipher- from the movie), a stack of firewood for burning, and all the needed cooking implements drawn to specification. The love note was particularly impressive. She even made a fried egg, which she promptly crumpled into a ball that would fit into a plastic egg, for more realistic play. (She could "crack" open the egg, and let the fried egg fall into the pan.)

She has also drawn

• paper laptops, (several, depending on what she needed on the screen)
• a birdcage window with the bird inside showing through,
• a puppy for Sienna,
• a complete set of makeup (made from other odds and ends such as bits of a drinking straw, cotton ball, etc.) including lipstick and mascara,
• and, most recently, an ATM cash dispensing machine with separate "credit" card

She basically draws whatever toy she needs, and then colors it and cuts it out. I am so interested and amazed by the things she thinks up, and then makes come to reality!

Royal's Deep Dark Culinary Secret

There is one thing which I bet none of you know about Royal. He has an undeniable flair in the kitchen. That's right! You heard me! When necessity forces that handsome devil into the unfamiliar realms of the kitchen, miracles come out.

It is a strange phenomenon, which I have now observed dozens of times. Actually, I'm trying to remember a time he made something that didn't taste amazing.

And, I'm NOT talking about frozen pizza. I'm talking about whole chickens baked with weird spice combinations rubbed under the skin (including crushed mint.). I'm talking about ramen "stir fry". I'm talking about fruit salads with things that aren't fruit.

He always uses spices and ingredients that I dread tasting. And, they always taste great. Now, to find a way to get him to want to be the primary cook....

(PS: We did not get our house. We were outbid. Still looking.)

Royal's Randomnoughts

I tried to help Elizabeth through the labor and delivery of each of our children. I think I was more help with Sienna's birth than Jim's. I guess I'm out of practice, because I couldn't really remember what to do to help. There was a nurse there that came to the rescue, though. Heaven bless nurse Jenny. All turned out just swell, but I'm pushing for E to get an epidural next time, if at all possible. I just don't like seeing her in so much pain, even though I love the fruit. (he's so cute!)

The house, if we get it, will definitely be a blessing. It's a mix of a trailer and a separate addon. It's going to need some work, though, so I've been trying to "improve" it in a 3d program called Sketchup.

We love you all. We're hoping that our friends and family will forgive our inability to keep in touch without mass correspondence. We jsut ain't built that way.

Something interesting has happened to me recently that I'd like to mention, too. It might sound a bit strange, but I feel like I've been sleeping for a long time and have finally awakened. I'm beginning to understand so much more of the scriptures in a way I never have before. I feel the power of the atonement in my life and really do want to go back to the sacrament table again and again for healing. For the first time, I'm anxious not to be late to church. It's really cool to be happy again. I'll probaby write more about this change again.

A quick note before Nap

I have so many things I want to write and say.

Here is a summary:

The birth was very hard. It was the most painful so far.

I love little Jim. He is the most congenial baby we've had yet, and that is quite an accomplishment on his part. He eats well, and he takes at least one long night period (4-4.5 hours) during which I get a little sleep. He never cries, except when we change his diaper. He is just very agreeable.

I am working very hard to make sure I don't do anything requiring much effort so I can fully recover as soon as possible. I am overly eager to return to a way-too-busy way of life with way-too-many goals. My goal is to rest as fully as possible for 2 weeks. I have one week to go. So far I feel good and get about 3 one hour naps/day. (Royal's been home to watch the girls.)

We found a great deal on a house. We made an offer yesterday. As long as there isn't something seriously wrong with the house that shows up on the inspection, we hope to move in June-ish. (close at the end of May, and then fix it up for a month or so.) The bank has a week to respond to us, so it may be a while before we know.

We'll find out next week if they accepted our offer.

Announcing our New Arrival

Please Welcome with us

James Michael

born at 3:44 AM
8 lbs and 8 oz
dark hair, and all the right boy parts

Royal at 2.5 months

PS: we're still pregnant.

PPS: Isn't he cute as a blonde?

Royal at 2 1/2 years old

(I restored the colors a bit. If I had a better scan I could do more. -R)

The value of thrift

You know, the science of spending less money but living well is just so personal. Not only does appropriate thrift depend completely on your personal values, but appropriate thrift also depends greatly on your individual situation.

Here's an example of the first principle: (thrift depends on your values)
When we were attending SCAD, our main goal in life was 1. stay married and 2. Get Royal through college. So, we didn't value embellishing our home, for instance. We didn't spend much time or money improving our home decor. A great carpet sale would not have "saved" us any money.

Now, on the other hand, our main goal in life is 1. Keep growing a stronger marriage, and 2. Enjoy our life as a family. So, beautifying our home, and obtaining an appropriately sized home, is a greater priority. We've spent much time, mental power, and money toward the goal of getting a beautiful home since we moved here. We are almost ready to buy a home, and a great sale on carpet could save us a lot of money!

Here's an example of the second: (Thrift depends on your individual situation)
We live 5 miles from a small Amish community. We now buy 2 gallons of raw milk from an Amish family every weekend. It costs us $1.50/gallon, plus transportation expenses. In that 2 gallons of milk is 4-6 cups of cream. So, we get about a pound of butter, 3 cups of fresh buttermilk, and 1.75 gallons of milk every week for $3 plus gas (about $1.50/week).

Any other time in my life so far, raw milk would have been either unobtainable, or prohibitively expensive. Not to mention the organic butter and buttermilk.

By the way, Raw milk tastes like milk, only better. And its a whole lot better than homemade soy milk. (Another thrifty alternative to storebought cow's milk) But the main reason we love it so much is that our lactose-intolerant daughter has no problems digesting it.

(bytheway, we're still pregnant.)

Still Pregnant

What else is there to say?

Whine, whine.

Complain, complain.

Get busy and pretend that having a newborn is easier than being 9 months pregnant. (Hahahahahaha....)

Try not to think about it.

I did take pics at the shower, Bytheway. But, they are on film. So, chances ofyou seeing them in the next 3 months are remote. Just thought I'd let you know. But, if any of you have a good digital camera lying around, just send it our way. We won't be offended. ;-)