The Mergenthaler Family

So you broke your femur, huh? Now you're in a Spica cast. You can't walk. You can't sit up completely or even really lay completely on your back. There is a bar connecting your two legs, so you can't even wear pants, for goodness sake! Well, don't throw up your hands in despair because I, Andrew Mergenthaler , have some tips for you! Really, surviving containment in a Spica cast for four weeks isn't as bad as it sounds. Actually, it's kind of like being a baby again. Remember tummy time? Well, it is very important. My mom makes sure to rotate my positions every few hours to avoid bed sores. I don't mind it too much. Being on my stomach also makes it easier for Mom to change my diaper. Who wants to sit there with stinky pants? Oh, I mean a stinky diaper because, like I said, I can't wear pants. Another tip--minimize trips in the car as much as possible. Because you can't sit up or fit in your car seat, getting in and out of the car is a BIG pa...

Just the other day I was thinking, "I haven't written much on our blog lately . . . Oh well, I guess there just really isn't much to report. I'll wait until I get back from visiting my parents in Utah for my birthday to share how the trip went." Well, unfortunately, no birthday trip to Utah for me or the kids. But, I suppose I have news to share--bad news, but news nonetheless. On Monday morning, I was rushing around getting the kids ready for school. It was picture day, so I wanted to make sure the girls had the help with their hair that they wanted and that every body's outfits were decent enough for pictures. At about 7:30 a.m., with about 1/2 hour to go before I had to get the kids to school, I was downstairs making lunches when I heard a loud thump. Ricky and the girls were supposed to be upstairs showering and getting dressed for school. I knew Ricky and Andrew were messing around in Ricky's room instead of getting ready for the day. I planned to ru...

Rick stayed home with the kids Monday morning while I went to get the $1.99 summer clothes at the mall. We had our ultrasound today. I am just on my way to school to eat lunch with the kids and to tell them if they are going to have a new brother or sister. When I get back, I'll tell you which clothes I will be taking back to the store. Clue: Andrew knows which outfits are staying. OK, I just spent 2 hours at the school to catch three little students' lunch breaks. Did you figure out if we are having a boy or girl? Let's just say, " Boy , do I have a LOT of little girl clothes to take back to the store." All of us were taken by surprise on this one. We thought this little papoose was a girl, but we are glad to welcome another handsome baby boy into our home. We can't wait to meet him! Just two minor problems: 1. Our last 2 boys were born in May in Seattle, so that means all our boy clothes are in the opposite seasons and Iowa winters and summers require very...

Getting good produce for decent prices around here is tricky. Unlike the great state of Washington, there are very few berry patches and the peaches grown here are downright nasty looking. I made a couple of batches of strawberry jam back in May (when strawberries were on sale), but we have already run out. Our children are jam and jelly snobs because they rarely will eat the store-bought stuff. Homemade just tastes so much better. So, I had to figure out a way to get my hands on some inexpensive strawberries in large quantities. In one of the grocery ads, I noticed a very small side note advertising 30 pounds of frozen strawberries for $34.99. So, I decided to give it a try. In fact, I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I bought 60 pounds. When I went to the store to get the strawberries, they brought out two large food storage buckets. On top of the buckets was this thick layer of frozen sugary stuff. I thought, "Uh, oh. How am I supposed to make jam with syrupy berries?...