7 Quick Takes: The Sibling Edition

Joining the hilarious Kelly for another episode of 7 Quick Takes...

Ah, Summer! 

The season which gives parents an abundance of time to observe their offspring in an unstructured and relaxed environment. (Translation: Dear Lord, please send an angel to drag my teens from their beds before dinner and then takes my younger kids on many amazing field trips so that I do not have to hear the fighting. Amen and amen.)

But fo' rilly rills, I do love summer and I love having all my kids under one roof for a few months. Sometimes, they like it, too! 

With that said, here are 7 quick-ish examples of how my 7 kids are dealing with this season, so far:

1) Killian. Thanks to college schedules, he's been on break the longest. A couple of weeks into his break, he had his previously scheduled shoulder surgery (Bankart repair) and will start physical therapy soon. This is the first summer since he was 13, that he hasn't worked and we can tell it's driving him a little crazy. He and Joe are "leveling" in size and maturity and I love that they hang out together so much!

2) Joe. Joe is gainfully employed at the same silk-screening company he worked at all last school year. He is a night owl and really resents when Maeve goes out for a late-night ice cream run with her aunt and "forgets" to invite him and Killian. This occurred again last evening and Joe expressed his displeasure in a letter which he read to Maeve upon her return:

"Dear Maeve Sophia Dempsey,

I am writing to you today to express my utmost and deepest disappointment and anger towards you and your decisions, regularly neglecting to either invite or perhaps forward an invitation to Killian and I to accompany yourself and one Kathleen Regina Shea to procure delicious frigid air products. I request your most immediate and expedient deliverance of an invitation, either from you or one Kathleen Shea, with the liable consequence of failure being the possibility of an abrupt termination of your sentient animation.

Sincerely,

Your Deeply Offended Brother, 

Joseph E. Dempsey"

Joe likes ice cream, I guess...

3) Maeve. Maeve obviously ignores her brothers' eloquent threats and is busy teaching an art class twice a week and babysitting on the weekends. Between times, she works on developing new looks for her and Faith.

She also had a pretty darn good freshman year (she's the one in the front middle in orange and blue):

4) Jack. At 12, he's finally realizing the full potential of his ability to sleep through any kind of chaos. Other than shooting hoops in the yard, he is spending epic amounts of time reading any book that Joe recommends and trying his hand at cooking meals for the family. He "moved up" from grade school to middle school last week and left behind a beloved teacher.

His boating skills are probably the best in our family, too.

5) Eamon. How do you know you're dealing with a Montessori kid who has never received homework? He's the child who is jumping up and down with joy over the "homework" his speech therapist assigned him to practice over the summer. (It's not "summoe" anymore; it's "summerrrrrrrr"!) He has also perfected his layup, slam dunk and 3 point shots. 

He made his first communion at the end of April and every Sunday, when we walk to the car after mass, he says "I just feel so good now! I didn't know what I was missing!".

6) Faith. Nothing reminds me more of my own childhood summers than long hours spent hanging upside down off the couch and reading library books. Faith is having that kind of summer!! Her reading exploded this year and she's devouring chapter books with very little difficulty. She's also turning into a very mature young lady who asks big sister for fashion advice.

7) Will. As the oldest, I never fully realized the benefits the youngest reaps when all his siblings are present for most of the day. Will is almost never without someone to play with or read to him. He's also very good at making his likes/dislikes known ("KILLIAN! I am NOT Mr. Bing Bong!!!" Or "This is the best dinner EVER!!). It's really good for his older siblings to see him developing into a "big kid".

7 QTs: School, Schedules, and Schports.

Joining Jen this crazy-busy week...

1) All the schools for all my kids are back in full-swing this week, and it makes me feel like a drunk on a nonstop roller coaster. So. Many. Things. All. The. Time. 

Credit

(Possibly related side note: we are out of beer AND wine.)

2) Will is in school and loving it!! Our kids attend a Montessori school through 8th grade and all of them have started at the ripe old age of 2-2.5 in the Toddler class. Truly, it's more like a twice-a-week play date for them; especially for Will because his cousin is also in the class and the teacher is our good friend. The mornings that he isn't scheduled to go are quite painful for him as he watches his older sibs exit the car: "I wanna go to 'cool!!!". 

I like the 2 mornings a week schedule because it gives me just enough time to get errands run alone but still have all that time with my little guy. :)

"Look, Mama! I Kristoff! I Sven!"

3) My high school kids' schedules are ramping up. Between play practices, prolife club, French club, SciFi-Fantasy Club, retreats, discernment programs,  homecoming games and dances, they have me scrambling to remember pick-up/drop-off times and who is going where with whom. Their schedules, alone, have turned my whiteboard organization on it's ear and it's been replaced with reminder "pings" from my phone. But, they're happy and involved and that's exactly what we want for them!

4) From the scarce communications, I believe Killian is enjoying Ave Maria and his classes there. Again, if he's thriving, happy, and involved, I am totally OK with the big pauses between communications. 

5) A few years ago, Kyle and another dad from our grade school ran an after-school basketball camp for the 2nd through 8th grades. It was fun, but life got more complicated for both families and they had to put a hold on it for a while. The last couple of years, we've signed Jack and Eamon up for the park district basketball camps, but last year's camps were a 6 month long fiasco of parent coaches who were living vicariously through their 1st graders and parent referees who would unashamedly ignore fouls on their kids' teams in order to ensure a win. (Don't bother complaining to anyone in our village; most of the coaches and refs were directly related to trustees and heads of departments.) So, Kyle and I decided that we would start up the old basketball camp at our grade school and Jack and Eamon are so excited! We are, too!

6) Faith is trying to convince me that she "is really REALLY interested" in gymnastics and will happily go to a class every week without complaining. "REALLY!". She does need her own "thing", so I'm trying to make it work with the rest of the schedule and budget. 

Caught in the act of Chair Vaulting.

7) This year, I feel like Fall rudely intruded on what was a simple, sweet summer and I will admit to being a little miffed. But, having a routine is good for me and the change of seasons always forces me to take stock of where our family is "going". I don't know about you, but that's always a good thing! 

Requisite First Day(s) of School(s) picture!

Have a great weekend!

7 QTs: College Road Trip!

Hitching my wagon to Jen's  wagon train (get it? Road trip? Wagon?)

1) Waaaaaay back in December, my mom mentioned to me that Ave Maria University had decided to lower it's tuition by $5000 for the following year. This school had been on the very furthest edges of our periphery during Killian's senior year in high school, but, for various reasons was eliminated early on in the decision-making process. Given the fact that we were in the throes of a polar vortex and Killian wasn't having the most fun living at home and attending UIC, Kyle and I suggested to him that we visit Ave to "just check it out". (Yes, I was dying to get the heck out of Siberia)

2) Much to our surprise, Killian was on board with the idea and my dad generously paid for the airfare for Killian and myself (and lap-child, Will!) to visit at the end of January. Long story short, we were very impressed with the gorgeous, brand new campus and encouraged by the enthusiastic and well-educated faculty. Killian decided to apply.

3) Fast forward to this past May: Killian was accepted, all his credits transferred, and was awarded 2 scholarships! All-in-all, it was only $1500 more a year to live at and attend a better school! Winning!

The Indianapolis Speedway

The Grand Ole Opry!

4) And, so, we decided that most of us would make a week-long vacation out of the trip down to Florida to drop off Killian. (Joe and Maeve stayed with my parents, as their high schools had already begun the year. I hated that part.) You learn so much about your family on road trips. Things like, some kids are good at going long stretches without using a bathroom and some kids are good at sleeping for long stretches. Both of these qualities are seldom combined in the same child.

5) Killian's dorm suite is IN.SANE. 6 guys,  4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 huge study room. Pretty sure he's on vacation with a side of academia.

6) WE SWAM WITH WILD DOLPHINS! Apparently, a couple of the public beaches in Naples/Bonita Springs have regular visits from wild dolphins and manatees. We didn't quite understand how intensely cool this was until we were playing in the water with the kids and a pod of dolphins came to play with us! They got as close as 2-3 feet from us and splashed with their tails, swam around us, and played hide and seek! I am not ashamed to say that I had tears streaming down my face. 

7) Our last night in Naples, we took our oldest baby out for a farewell dinner. As good as we feel about Killian being at Ave and as much as he seems to be loving it there, it still wasn't easy to hug and kiss him goodbye. Some of the younger siblings really struggled with their emotions. Huge change in their very small worlds. 

We are so happy for and proud of Killian as he takes this really big step in his life! 

7 Quick Takes for 7in7: LUCKY YOU!

Giving you a double dose of Jen today! 

1) Yesterday was Kyle's 40th birthday. Yes, he's nearly 8 months younger than I am, but who's counting? We celebrated with ribs, Portillo's Chocolate Cake, and an iPad Mini as my gift to him. Welcome to the world of Apple, my darling!

2) Tomorrow is the day we celebrate Will's 2nd birthday. My Leap Day baby will NOT be deprived of a birthday celebration just because he doesn't have an "official" day on which to celebrate 3/4ths of the time. In fact, my second gift to Kyle is honoring his request to take the entire family to Wisconsin Dells for Will's birthday!

3) Have you ever been to the Dells? It's like Vegas, but for families. Just once in your life you should go. We are staying at a resort which has a few indoor waterparks, so the older kids can wander off on their own while we wrangle the little ones. Rumor has it that a swim-up bar was installed, so don't feel too badly for us. ;)

4) I really need a new pair of winter boots and now is the season to get a great deal. Any suggestions for comfy, but cute , boots?

5) Have any of you caught the 90s BBC show Ballykissangel? It's on Amazon Prime right now! I'm only just beginning season 2 (after finishing Season 1) and it really like it! It's all about a little Irish town, it's Catholic priest and all the townspeople. Each episode highlights different characters and their stories, using the priest as the common thread weaving them all together. If you get a chance, check it out!

6) Upon the recommendation of some very wonderful women, I recently purchased a copy of 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael E. Gaitley. My wise friends suggested it as a great book for Lenten reading, and I can't wait to get started!

7) Don't forget to buy your paczki on Tuesday!

7 Quick Takes: Catching up & Christmas

Joining Jen for some quick takes this week....

1) Last week, our furnace broke.

    Twice.

    While Kyle was out of town.
   
   In the middle of a crazy cold-snap (windchills of -25 degrees).

This is pretty much what the entire family did for 3 days. Brrrrrr....

 Fortunately, we have a couple of emergency space heaters and my brother "has a furnace guy". Two days, three major parts, and $1000 later, we are fully heated again! Merry Christmas to us!

2)

Thanks to Cari Donaldson for mocking up this awesome graphic for me at a moment's notice!!!

Sometime back in January, Kyle realized that he hadn't yet eaten any McDonald's food in 2013, and so he decided to make this "Kyle's Year Without McDonalds". I'm sheepishly proud to report that with 11 days left before 2014, his goal is within reach. Being that Kyle is extremely "frugal" and that McDonald's food isn't that appetizing, I don't think he struggled a lot with this endeavor. But, Shamrock Shakes are his favorite milkshake and March was a sacrifice for him. Won't you all join me in congratulating Kyle on sticking to The Man (in this case, Ray Kroc?)?? He's planning on breaking his fast with a McRib. Help.

3) This past summer, we gifted  our 25 year old pontoon boat with a motor that actually functions. Our boat guy (who lives across the lake from our lake house) had not been able to contain his delight every time he saw us broken down on the lake -- he knew we'd break down eventually and buy that new motor. So, when Kyle, Killian, and Joe arrived to pick up the boat after the motor was installed, he took their picture and put it into his latest newsletter. 

Kyle wants it framed and hung up in the lakehouse. Also, Maeve will only refer to Killian and Joe as "and sons".

4) As of tonight at 6pm, every member of the family will be on Christmas Break! Besides trips to the zoo to sing Christmas carols to the polar bears (for real!), we also have frantic birthday (Jack!) and Christmas gift wrapping, baking, and celebrating to do! As expensive and hectic as this season can be, it still remains my favorite time of year. 

This is pretty much how it is 24/7 during Christmas Break.

5) Oh! Tonight is the 2nd Annual Elf Live-Tweet Event hosted by the mashup of Dwija and Cari! Just begin watching Elf  (DVD, AmazonPrime streaming, etc) and search #clanunseen on Twitter beginning at 8pm CDT! It's a fun family event! (Until Cari starts in with the language... "Son of a nutcracker!")

6) This week, I took this quiz to determine what magical Tolkien creature I be (arrrrgh). First result: "boring" Human.

THIS is BORING?! I don't think so, Zimbio!

Second result: "greedy" Dwarf.

I got nothing....

Perhaps you'll have better luck.

7) From our home to yours, we wish you a blessed Christmas and a peaceful 2014!

7 Quick Takes: More of the mundane...

Joining Jen and her insane ideas that I will possibly consider...

1) We are 3/4ths of the way through our Summer Birthday Season! After next Tuesday (when I will officially become the mother of 3 teens and my descent into un-coolness will increase), it will be only 4 months until we begin Holiday Birthday Season! Saving all my pennies starting now.

2) Why is summer moving so quickly? As a child, I couldn't wait for my July 9th birthday, but afterwards,

I wanted summer to sloooooow down.

As an adult, I use July 4th as my official

"Summer Can Slow Down" point. I'm definitely getting that "put on the brakes!" feeling lately. So many plans, so little time left to execute....

3) My new favorite late-night show is Continuum. It's on Netflix and I'm not quite sure if my standards are sinking, or that the premise of this show is that good -- because it ain't the acting talent of the main character. The show centers around a group of terrorists from the year 2077 who, just as they are about to be executed for their crimes, transport themselves back in time to 2012. One of the female police officers from their time is also accidentally transported back with them. The episodes have plenty of flashbacks (flashforwards?) to the main character's life in 2077 and what the world looks like then: world government that is corporate-run ("Corporate Congress"), artificial food, no animals, electro-static makeup application! Check it out!

4) Oh my gosh, you guys! I made this awesome (and really healthy!) coleslaw recipe this week! It's supremely good on these really hot summer days and even my resident cabbage-hater (read: Kyle) liked it. Bonus: it's probiotic!

5) I'm really missing being up at the lake. I was supposed to stay up at the lake for most of July, but then Joe's school scheduled his drivers' education class to take place from 7/15-8/9 and that means Mama can't just up and leave. My plans included getting a lot of use out of the new motor on our pontoon boat. Tubing is one of our favorite pastimes.

6) I'm sure some of you already use and have probably blogged about the RunKeeper app, but I just started using it a couple of months ago and I really like it. I'm not a runner and never will be, but I love walking. RunKeeper has been a surprisingly big motivation for me. I love the feedback and the accurate tracking of my speed and mileage. It's available on both iOS and Android, which is another bonus for Kyle and I as he had a Droid and I have an iPhone. Check it out!

7) No big plans for this weekend, which is actually a good thing after the last few cuhrazy weekends we've had. Of course, being an extrovert, I'll probably try to create a social event for us. My closet-extrovert will probably grumble but secretly love it --- right, Honey??

7 Quick Takes: Busy, busy, busy!

Joining Jen for another episode of As The Week Turns (in 7 Takes)...

1) We arrived home Sunday from our one-week family vacation at the lake. The 4th of July on the lake is where it's  AT, my peeps! Pretty much everyone tries to out-do everyone else with the fireworks and The Dempsey Family is no exception. This year's pyrotechnics were pretty impressive, but not as good as the year my dad came up for the 4th and spent all day wiring different fireworks while I created a specially timed CD of patriotic music. That year, we stole the show: massive amounts of impressive fireworks timed to explode in sync with songs by Neil Diamond and John Phillips Souza! BAM!

2) Tuesday was my 40th (that CAN'T be right!) birthday and we had really nice day. We opened gifts before Kyle left for work and the kids gave me a set of car-washing equipment along with 6 (bar-coded!) coupons for a Dempsey Kids' car wash, a gift certificate for a pedicure, a gorgeous watercolor of my fave flowers (Lily of the Valley) painted by Maeve, and a pretty necklace. Then, Kyle took my breath away by giving me a gorgeous ruby and diamond ring. It doesn't fit. I have huge fingers. My fingers are so big, that the ring can't even be sized up that big. So, we will be returning it and getting another ring. Probably from the Men's section.

3) Which brings me to ANOTHER awesome thing the very best husband in the world is doing for me this weekend: THROWING ME A 40th BIRTHDAY PUB CRAWL!! I'm beyond excited! I've talked about having one for my 40th for 3 years now, and Kyle really came through! 4 hours of pub crawling, followed by a catered party at the fifth bar! And....NO KIDS!!  I love my kids. I spend all my days with them. They are great kids. But, they demand attention. A few hours of partying like it's 1994 (the year before I had any kids) will be a nice break from the last 18 years. (OK, fine. Will is probably going to have to nurse during some portion of the time away, so he'll make a BRIEF appearance)

4) Killian is going to Philly! Today! Our graduation present to him was airline tickets to visit Kyle's brother, Conall, in The City of Brotherly Love and this is the weekend! Killian's only been on a plane a few times, and always with us, so part of the adventure will be navigating airports all on his own. I'm praying for a safe and fun trip with lots of good memories.

5) Speaking of Killian... He bought himself a car! A 1992 Cadillac Fleetwood! He has been caddying since he was 13 years old, and has been saving up for a car since he was 15. Last week, on vacation, he finally found the perfect car, had it checked by a mechanic, negotiated the price, and bought it! He did such a great job. Kyle has been bursting with pride ever since! So, now Killian drives the Caddy's Caddy!

6) We are in the middle of our major birthday season (we have a couple of smaller birthday seasons) right now. From June 23rd until July 23rd, we have 4 birthdays in our house, and we're half way finished! Next week is Eamon's 6th birthday, followed by Maeve's 13th birthday 5 days later. It occurred to me that 2013 will be the year that I have 3 teens, 4 kids in double digits, a child at every level of education (pre-school, grade school, middle school, high school, college) and only TWO kids NOT old enough for grade school and above! When did this family get so OLD?!

7) Joe is starting Driver's Ed next week. He's muy excitado (I diga bueno español), especially since Kyle took him for a couple of practice drives on the country back roads in Michigan. My heart doesn't know if it can handle having another kid driving -- sending for my smelling salts and my nitroglycerin pills now.

Have yerselves a muy bueno weeko!

7 Quick Takes: When March Comes In Like A Lion

1) Even though we probably still have another 2 months of winter weather ahead of us here in the Midwest, when the calendar says "March", I breathe an audible sigh of relief.

2) Pretty excited to be going to the hair salon tomorrow! It's been 18 months since I colored my hair, and while it's been exciting to see what my real hair color looked like after 14 years of dyes and highlights, the silver strands have increased considerably. My favorite hair stylist and I are going to make the decision together. Or, she will just tell me for the umpteenth time that I can never go platinum. Whatever.

3) I shopped at the coolest toy store yesterday! It's the kind of place that makes you wish you were 8 years old again. While I was waiting for them to finish wrapping up Will's birthday gifts (for freeeeeee!), I wandered into their craft section and found felting wool for wet felting. Thanks to Amanda, I now know what it is and I want to buy all the colors!!!

4) Anybody care to share the Spring and Summer fashion trends? Throw in a few polyvore links?

5) Easter is coming!!! I'm planning out the girls' Easter outfits and working on finding coordinating clothes for the boys. Gone are the days when they would let me dress them in matchy-matchy get-ups. But, that's not gonna stop me and The Mister from arriving at Easter Morning Mass in matching ensembles!

6) Getting verrrry-close-too-close to a certain someone making a final college choice. Well, the money will make the FINAL decision, but...geesh! I'm still in shock that I have kids in high school! This cannot be happening. But. It. Is.

7) Gearing up for ANOTHER long weekend with my youngest five. I'm pretty sure their school hates me and wants me to die.

Hop like a bunny over to Jen's!