Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Just Because - Swim Wrap and Recap




Short course - which is actually a longer length of time than long course swim - wrapped up a few weeks ago. Short course is yards; long course is meters - who knew? It’s been a great season especially given covid. Meets with distancing and fewer swimmer for warm ups have been successfully pulled off and kids have put lots of time and effort into swim.

The season wrapped up with the state wide (but divided into three regional Y meets) Y meets. Last year the big Y meet was the weekend before everything changed. So it was good but weird.

Weird because times were stacked against kids who weren’t swimming right next to each other. Weird because there weren’t a few hundred cheering parents. Weird but no complaints.

Es overall season was marked by coming up literally seconds short of her goal of getting to Age Group champs. It was frustrating to watch but also interesting because I think she really finally ‘got’ sprinting in a race. She had a great last meet and being top of her age group helped her cause.

R saw lots of time improvements over the season. The only event she didn’t do super great in was 200 IM and I probably wouldn’t do so great in it either. Breaststroke is still her favorite. She’d probably rather be playing soccer to swim and claims she daydreams during practice some days - I think mostly she has a good time. I was so happy that her (and Es) relay won 3rd so she wasn’t the only Kibbe without a medal. She’s got a bad bday for short course and ages up 6 weeks before the season ends so she’s one of the youngest swimmers by the end of the season but proved she can hold her own.

M. M. What can I say? She’s probably the funnest of the kids to watch race. She was not at the top of the 7-8 age group but raced like it. She had to race against another 7 yr old who was definitely taller than her and usually didn’t beat her but ended up talking to her and decided they were friends. She is crazy determined and her 50 fly time rivals her oldest sister - but we try not to compare times amongst family members because it just leads to feuding. 

Since masking WAS required for spring soccer up until last week we will likely be sticking through long course unless major developments happen in summer league. 

We are so appreciative of the countless hours and energy and effort our coaches have poured into our team and kids.

Linking up with Rosie... just because

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Quick Takes - Stomach Bug, Green and Pascha

Linking up with Kelly ... for almost Holy Week

---1---

I believe I left off with the stomach bug. Ultimately everyone got it - including Lee. It hit him Friday night late and he didn’t get out of bed until Sunday morning. So the Stomach Bug of 2021 will go down in the books as something that got us all - not even Lee’s Flu of 2019 and the 2017 Flu can say that. So contagious you’d think it might be covid - I’ve been dared to get an antibody test but I’m not convinced.




But the Stomach Bug of 2021 didn’t end with Lee. It had the final word with R - a full week after she had been sick and four days after she was seemingly over it. She had been to school and swim all week but she wasn’t right. She was tired and her position of one of the better eaters in the house had been moved. Thursday when I got home from work - they had a half day - Lee said she would eat and she was in bed. We were ready to have R back to normal so I called the dr and went there and then we got sent to the ER to check for stomach ulcer or appendicitis - which it was neither. After a bag and a half of fluid and and ultrasound and MRI - and no I haven’t seen the hospital bill yet - we were on our way home. Not without a stop for milkshakes and chicken nuggets at 11:30 pm. Thankful it was dehydration but amazed what that can do to a kid and tucking this experience away in the I wonder what I could have done differently file.




---2---
St Patrick’s Day came and went. A won the kid who was totally into all the green possible. Lee cooked an Irish feast for take away fundraiser meal for the girls school which was a big success. 



The kids got the scraps of a few leftovers desserts - which was a Lent treat - and Lee picked up burgers because he won’t eat what he spent days and hours prepping. We also splurged and did burger pick up this week for Annunciation so that was a treat after we did vespers here. 



---3---
It’s hard to believe Holy Week is upon us. Covid kept us from all church services last year and this year I wish we were returning to our pre covid church arrangements but we aren’t for a variety of reasons






It will be strange but not a weird as last year I assume. 

---4---

Somehow J turned 18 months yesterday 

Two boys who need Pascha haircuts...


And if he keeps up not walking he won’t own a pair of jeans without holes in the knees



---5---

Progress on the house is going well. February it seemed liked nothing would be done because it was perpetually wet and we could do anything to keep the pier holes free from water. 

Sand pile fun pre nails


They ended up pouring them late on Friday afternoon after a day of sun and then it rained again that weekend but the concrete held of course. 


On the slate for next week is removing the wall between the existing mud room/laundry room and the addition. Fortunately we should be able to use the washer and dryer in the new laundry room because I told them I can’t be without for several weeks and fortunately we only do wash on the weekends and fortunately we’ve been through the stomach three weeks ago so we shouldn’t need to wash unexpected laundry at all days and hours of the night.


It’s neat walk through and it’s finally feeling more real. I’m excited for the kids library/study room the most I think. We added a bay window at the last minute and it’s going to be a quiet hideaway space for reading and homeworking and entrance will not be open to everyone : ) 


---6---

A and C have been entertained by the geese in the pond by school. They feed them whatever snacks scraps they can find and scream with delight as the stale goldfish and crackers are eaten. It provides just enough entertainment to pass the minutes between big school drop off and preschool drop off.
 

 

---7---

Lee and I have been rewatching Downton Abbey on prime on the weekends. We are nearing the end of season three which I when I gave up on the show when it was airing. Hopefully I’ll power through to four. We aren’t much show enthusiasts - he’ll watch Chopped or Lydia with the girls and we watch Bringing up Bates with the kids - but past that we really don’t tune in or record anything. Summer is upon us so I doubt we will get into a new show because he’ll be getting home later and later and be less inclined to stay up to watch anything.

Monday, March 22, 2021

Just Because - car seats



Two weeks ago when we were driving to get the girls from school the stomach bug reared it’s ugly head - in the van, via people strapped in carseats. 

ICK!

Carseats normally collect tons of crumbs, dirt, rocks, treasures and trash but when you are trying to clean up from someone getting sick in them, if you are like me you probably just wish you had the money in the budget to toss them and start fresh.

But if are like me you probably don’t have the disposable income to just trash 250 car seats so we are stuck unstrapping them, fighting with the padding and tossing them in the washer - but that probably voids the manufacturer warranty- but it’s pretty much nearly impossible to spot clean so VOID away.

Then there’s the straps which are impossible to clean. And they are the place that I have found is center stage in the stomach illness department. The straps are made into the seats so you cannot take them out and wash them so spot clean it is and clean they’ll never get.

And the icing on the cake is that you probably forget there’s no padding on the seats until you are ready to brave the world again post stomach bug and then you’ll be late as you fight to get the padding back in place and the seats back in position.

Linking up with Rosie just because 

Thursday, March 11, 2021

7QTs - Lent and the Last Man Standing

Linking up with Kelly ... for Lent

---1---

Lent started... 


So we had BIG DESSERT night the Sunday before. We did not have any ice cream so it was anything and everything you wanted from the treat box


A is the boy after his mama's heart and pulled out as many chocolate candy as he could find. He can C lasted the longest at the table and finally we told them enough was enough after about 20 minutes because they might have gotten sick. 


C loves a DumDum and of course was double fisting them. 

Now the constant topic of conversation is when is it going to be pasta? Pascha - I ask - so you can have dessert? It will be a little be longer : ) 


---2---

Backtracking to January... 


On theophany/ January 6, we blessed the house. Or I guess Papa did. Prayers, chalk, holy water.


---3---
Kibbe Swimmers - The Next Generation!


I've taken A and C to the rec pool while the bigs have swim practice a few times. J hangs in the stroller so I don't want to push my luck. Since masking is required for soccer they won't be playing this spring so maybe I can suit up J for the pool and we can all go. 

---4---

How we Roomba...


With big siblings entertaining him.



J has to be contained when Roomba runs around. Sometimes he’s in his chair and other times he’s in a basket 


---5---

Valentine's Day, so you know what that means...  


Flowers for the girls, balloons for the boys, heart shaped muffins and a swim meet for E 


---6---

With the girls I did lots of matching pics...
 

 
So here's one of the boys who desperately need haircuts. I think I'm going to have to breakdown and trim up Js. 

---7---

We are in the throw of the stomach bug. I thought just half the kids had it because we had a pretty quiet day at home but this afternoon me and R succumbed to it and then E and A weren't far behind. Papa appears to be the last man standing. We'll see if that holds. Praying he does.  

We've been battling it since Tuesday afternoon. Fortunately the weather has been nice so the non sickies can go out. 







Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Just Because - kids and cups

Raise your hand if you love plastic cups. 

Raise your hand if you love all the dishwasher space they take up.

Raise your hand if your kid(s) ask/want/need a new plastic cup for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and outside 




We finally kicked the can on all the plastic cups a while back. I couldn’t stand it. Everyone needed a cup every meal and some people - Lady C looking at you - would take them outside and they’d get buried in the sandbox and put in the dishwasher 25 days later and there’d be dirt and sand in the dishwasher. People would lobby for pink or green or orange and they took up gobs of dishwasher space and cabinet space.

I asked for 10 oz Yeti tumblers for MY bday because I was totally fed up with the cup situation. 

It was one of the most practical gifts I’ve asked for in my 30+ years of gift receiving.

I had someone cut out each kid’s initial in their favorite color. Each kid has one cup and one lid. It is glorious. I wished I had done it years ago. Cups are rinsed or washed after each meal depending on the contents and there’s no fighting and if you can’t find you cup - you better go remember where you left it.

Now we only use the plastic cups for friends or to get ice to pour into water bottles for school or sports.

If you have frequent plastic cup users and it bugs the mess out of you like it did me and Lee - save your pennies, get each kid a Yeti, put their name on it and BAM. Once less annoying thing in your life : )