4 BOYS ONLY!

We're BACK!!!!!

2011-09-15T09:22:00.001-04:00

So, We are officaly homeschooling again. Forrest (now 16) is enrolled full time at the local community college. He is in the Bio Science program. this will be for his jr and possibly, senior year of highschool. So far he seems to be really enjoying it. His plan from there is to possibly find a five year masters program and go on to medical school. another option is Colby College which has an amazing scholarship program for Maine Residents. but, plenty of time to make these decisions.

Gaynor(13) is working on Thinkwell Algebra online. he really loves this program and it is very affordable. it is also the same program the Johns Hopkins center for talented youth program uses, at a fraction of the cost. Gaynor also earned a scholarship to take a course of his choice at the local university through the CTY program. He is very excited and looking into Biology. other than that he is working on Chemistry with a lab (High School Chemistry in your Home) French I (Rosetta Stone Homeschool), for LA he is working on a story about dragons and a rigorous spelling program to prep for this year's spelling bee. He is really hoping to get to the state level again. I on the other hand am not sure if I can handle the stress again! i think for history we are going to work with liberty kids again. something easy and laid back with his other more intense course work. Gaynor is super easy to teach at home. very motivated and self led. quite a change from his older brother. He seems to have eased right into homeschooling again after an entire year of public school. he does miss his friends and his teachers but i am sure he will be seeing plenty of both in this small community.

Harland (7)is doing much better this year (so far). it has been much less of a struggle to get him to do "work". we are working with the Oak Meadow 6th grade curriculum with adjustments to make the writing more age appropriate. i guess basically we have just adjusted the expectations to what he is capable of. He seems to love the content in both the Basic Life Science and the Ancient History curriculum. I love that nothing is graded and it is very much hands on. Today he is learning about the Scientific Method. He went outside to collect items from nature and used different observation techniques to recall as much as he can about the items. He is now sketching them in his science journal. I know he is engaged as he has barely noticed that his little brother has been watching "clash of the dinosaurs" with out him and this is one of his favorites. His reading is quite remarkable. He has finally realized that books are as good (or maybe even better) than television. He has a special book light to read in his bed at night and comes down each morning excited to tell me what world he went to. He is currently reading the Charlie Bone Series and we are reading Guardians of Gahoule together. He has also been reading aloud to me from the Bones Poems book.

Indigo(4) is deep into the world of imaginary play. lately it has been a lot of dinosaurs and trucks. he does occasionally ask to do school work. I have a Brain Quest work book that he works in. He keeps telling me he wants to learn to read! so when he is interested, we do letters and sounds but i have no interest in pushing this. he is so young!
I think I am much more laid back this year too. After sending my boys to public school last year I quickly realized just how far ahead they are! So now, no more stressing out. We do 1-4 hours of "school work" per day, never more and sometimes less. We take Friday through Sunday off, and we treat all aspects of life as education! In fact, Harland is going to Auntie's house to learn all about bull frogs and their environment, hands on, mostly by catching and observing! While I don't think unschooling is right for our family, I do very much understand the importance of free time to explore interests and just hang out! My boys appreciate it as well.

I have been trying to make some order of our small house. We brought everything here from our storage unit and there just is not enough room in a 1ooo sq ft house for six people two dogs, and a whole lot of stuff! So I am just weeding out a little at a time. We still only have one car which is good, and bad. It has been a challenge for me, but not having to spend that money has been great.

In other news, Our family had quite an adventure in small business this summer. Mike and Forrest made and sold Devil Sticks (Juggling sticks) at the local summer festivals. I joined them doing Henna tattoos. It was a good time and we made a little money too. I am currently back working at the Cafe. The owner, a good friend, has broken her foot and is unable to work. So I am filling in as needed. I actually really love it. Going in early, alone,and cranking the pop music while I bake all the morning pastries, bread, quiche and soup. Then opening and talking with customers. It is a nice break from being home full time. The money doesn't hurt either. I am also taking an Adult Hip-Hop class. Soooo FUN! It has been a long time since I have done something by myself just for fun and it is awesome! I highly recommend it.

I, unfortunately, will be blogging with out pictures for a while. My old camera has finally died for good and I am saving for a new one. I know it's not the same but it shouldn't be too long. Did I mention how happy I am to have my boys back home with me? Since we have gotten back into a routine, they are all getting along so much better and the stress level and fighting has gone way down. Seems like it would be the opposite, but they really do enjoy each other's company when they are together. This alone makes it all worth it. I may not feel this way come mid February however!
So how about all of you, are you easing back into a fall routine? Any one homeschooling? tell me what you have going on!!

SEESOFAR.......

2011-01-11T11:15:00.000-05:00

Our first week of having Harland back at home has not gone exactly as planned. I got the flu! Bleck! Seriously awful! Luckily Mike was around to do......everything, as i could barely get out of bed. There has been a little more tv time than i would like to admitt. However, all they will watch is Dinosaur documentaries and Liberty Kids....so at least it's educational. I am finally feeling better today and have decided to allow the boys to have some "decompression time". Just time to do whatever. I have discussed with Harland the things I would like him to work on and made tools available so that he can go ahead with it if he so chooses. He did want to do a dino-color by numbers math sheet today. He loves them, weird, I know. Yesterday we cleaned and organized their room. Harland was a huge help and we made up a rhyme to help them keep it clean. I can't share it with you, because my 16 year old poetry expert has critiqued it and well, it's not good. The point is, the littles love it and it may help. So shhhhh Forrest!

I am working on making room for all that is in our storage unit so we can stop paying for it. At that point I will have all of my school and Art supplies back at the house. I am most looking forward to our Wet-on-wet water coloring and hand work.

Forrest has been so much happier since he left public school. That being said, he doesn't seeem to want to work on Chemistry or Geometry. This is where I feel so torn. He is super bright! Not super motivated, at least not in these text book subjects. A part of me really wants to just let him run with what he is doing. Currently he goes to Advanced Bio-tech, every other day for a half day, He has nordic ski practice 5 days a week. He is on an amazing poetry writing kick, he truly has a gift( I know I'm his mom but still) He is also working on a blog and a short story. He has been making devil sticks or juggling sticks, with his dad to sell. He has plans to learn to make steam bent taboggans with a local artist. He is reading lots of basket weaving books and researching materials and He is making plans for an herb garden to make herbal medicines using a wonderful book he found. He volunteers for the local Recreation department maintaining their little ice rink. Oh and he just participated in a poetry out loud contest. He is truly doing so much but i still worry. He has high hopes for a competitive college. He also has two more years. I think I just need to relax. Any school would be lucky to have him, he is an amazing young man. I guess I need to follow my heart and trust my child. It is just sometimes easier said than done.

Gaynor is still in public, per his choice. I wish he would come home. for so many reasons, but that is another topic for another time

Indigo.......his behavior has changed DRASTICALLY since I left my job to be home with him full time. Thank GOD! now I can keep him....ha ha! he was really out of control and miserable and I knew in my heart all along what he needed. Financially it was a horrible decision as Mike has not yet found work, but honestly, we are still a happier family. The money will work out.

On a side note....is that not the craziest wall paper you have ever seen??? It has boats and trains and Victorian houses on it. So weird. Obviously not much work has been done to our new house, money is super tight, we will get there eventually.

We Are Back!!!!!

2010-12-26T15:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone! we are celebrating so much here! After a few very difficult and sad months, we have gone back (mostly) to our old plan. I have left my baking job and now have 3 of my 4 boys home with me,Homeschooling again. (My 12 YO has chosen to stay in school. it is a wonderful school and it is, at this point, his choice) No more tears (well ok that might be reaching) and no more broken hearts. I will try to post again on a regular basis. We are very excited about our first lesson unit. it will be dinosaurs.(hmmmm who chose that one??) We will be sticking with a somewhat Waldorf style. lots of creating, lots of rhythm lots of gentle loving days. Indigo is beyond happy. This is truly where he wants to be...ME TOO!! My husband is so wonderful to change his plans. I guess seeing his family so unhappy was too much. For the next week we will be playing and knitting,and resting and decompressing. I would love to know what you all have planned for your new year. I have truly missed my internet friends. I just felt I had to remain quiet until I again had something nice to share. I want this blog to be a happy space. So... We are home......It's been too long. Thanks for sticking with us.-paula

Trying to adjust

2010-10-13T14:25:00.000-04:00

I don't think things could be much more different here. Mike is in school full time so I am working early morning. I work 4 days 5:30 AM to 11:30 am. I bake for our local coffee shop. It's really the perfect job for me. I have a good amount of creative freedom with what I bake. The cafe is super cute and the customers, for the most part, are awesome. The problem is that I just feel a bit overwhelmed with trying to balance everything. I am also a little sad about not being home full time and homeschooling the kids. The three oldest seem to be adjusting very well. My six year old tells me constantly he "loves school!" So that is good. My little guy is at a little Montessori pre-school. It's great. His behavior at home however has been steadily declining. I just know its because of the constant going going going. The fact is there is nothing I can do about any of it right now. This is how it has to be for a while. Job options aren't plentiful in Rural Maine and I am very lucky to have what I do. I don't think different hours would make a huge difference any way. I've done the night thing before. It's really no better. To top it all off, Mike rolled his van a few weeks ago (he is absolutely fine, thank God) so we only have one car. Luckily I can walk to work and the schools, Everything else is 25 minutes away. It is just virtually impossible to be here (rural Maine) without a car. Ya know, just to add to the chaos. This whole thing is a means to an end and will not be forever. I just have to keep telling myself that.

Now that the whining is through.....We had a pretty great year with our little bitty new garden at the new place. Tons of tomatoes and carrots. We have just brought in the GIANT sunflowers to dry. The boys can't wait for the seeds. And there are just a few more bunches of carrots to grab. Next year we will go bigger. Our yard is huge so plenty of room.

The view here is amazing right now. We are at peak foliage here. The mountains across from our house look gorgeous. I still look out constantly and state how lucky we are to live here. People come from all over the world to see this view. Leaf Peepers, we call them. But we get to see it every day.

We are making apple butter in the crock pot today. Smells so good! We have also found an awesome source of local raw honey. Like right here on our street local. I am fascinated by the variations in the honey from season to season. Both in color and taste. Pretty remarkable what those little guys do. We are contemplating getting hives next year. It will just depend on how "under control" things are around here.

We have started some minor work to the house. We pulled out the hearth and woodstove. We just don't have room in the house right now. We also had an energy audit and a ton of insulation and weatherization done. Should make a big difference in our heating costs. We have also started painting rooms and are planning to build new front stairs this weekend with the recycled bricks from the hearth. I am excited about halloween. I am just a little nervous about getting everyone's costumes done.

I have also been knitting a little. I started a little Stitch and Bitch group with some other girls in the area. We had our first get-together last night. It is likely we did more eating than knitting but I really needed the girl time. Working at the cafe, I have met a ton of new, wonderful, people and I am thrilled to be able to hang out with them when I am off the clock.

All right then. I Would love any advice from you working Mom's out there. Any moms really. How do you do it all? Do you sleep? Maybe that is the problem? Now I am off to do some laundry so as not to send the boys to school Naked tomorrow.

We've Moved!!

2010-07-30T14:25:00.000-04:00

So, Sorry sorry sorry! Things have been truly nuts here! We bought our first house! (more on the house later) Then the week we passed papers, my husband was unable to find work and was out of work for 3 months!! he's self employed and it happens, but the timing really sucked! So, i guess i had nothing good to say and chose to spare you all and keep my mouth shut! Things are better now. Still behind, but at least he is working. So much has changed in just a few months. We moved to an amazing little town. We are within walking distance to everything downtown which has been so different and really great! The boys love it! The dogs....not so much. I don't think I realized how the isolation was affecting me until we were moved. We have a huge yard, around an acre. lots of garden space. no, it's not 186 acres, but it is ours and comes free of dealing with others and all of their issues. Our payment is also less than our rent! The other big change may come as a shock to many. My boys are going back to public school this fall...........It's a big one, I know! My stomach flips just thinking about it. We spent a lot of time investigating the local school. It's 4 doors down from our house. The principal spent 2 hours with us answering all of our questions. He is really awesome. the average classroom size is 15!!!!!!! just 12 in Harland's class. I could go on and on trying to explain why, but, it just feels right for now. We have big future plans which involve two parents as full time students, So I would not be here next year any way. Honestly, we have cut all possible corners, and, well, we are barely getting by. I need to work for a while and finish my nursing degree so I can make a little money. We may go back to homeschooling at some point. I still love it and am a huge supporter! We ultimately left the decision up to the boys and they are very excited. I feel nervous, like nauseous nervous, but i won't tell them. I am also feeling mighty sad, but i will keep that to myself as well. We are giving this a shot and will take it one day at a time. I'll keep you updated.
Forrest (15) has been away for the summer at Upward bound. It's a summer program at the local college for bright, college bound kids. He loves it! He does come home on the weekends, but i still miss him terribly.
Gaynor(12) got braces! he has a major issue with a tooth not coming in so they are working to fix that. He looks so grown up. He will be taking both drum and steel drum lessons this fall as well as skiing with school. He has been placed in the advanced math program and is talking about joining the high school math team. He definitely did not get this math gift from his mother! His only question is how he will find enough time to read a novel a day like he does now! ha ha!
Harland(6) got glasses, he tells everyone he looks just like Harry Potter! He is also wearing a patch on his strong eye for a few hours every day to strengthen his weak eye. It was a challenge at first but going fine now. Harland is very very excited about the first grade. this will be his first time in public school. He will also be skiing twice a month with school this winter. He has been super into skate boarding lately and seems to be a natural. Imagine how happy his dad is!
Indigo (3 in 3 weeks) is growing up way WAY too fast. Potty trained in 3 days! This is soooo unbelievable to me! 2 of my other 4 were very challenging to train so this was a huge gift for me. I am working on his birthday sweater and crown (will post pics at some point). One good thing about public school is i will have lots of one on one time with my buddy. something we almost never have. The boys are at camp this week so I got a glimpse at how my days will be this fall. Honestly, I am all ready reminded of how I hate the morning rush!!! I am working on a plan to cut down the stress. Other than that, I have to say, so far, having just one is rather breezy! I imagine my house might actually be clean for a minute. Too Quiet, but clean! Ok I'm off for now. I am going to my sister's this weekend....ALONE!!!! to make soap and deodorant and toothpaste. I missed you all and I'm back to stay. Tell me what you all have been up to!

It's Official!

2010-05-12T15:16:00.002-04:00

Ok so crazy hectic but, I wanted to share that we have purchased our first house! We are in the process of moving and will be off line for a few. But, when I get back, I'll tell you all about it! I'm excited, scared, happy, nervous you name it! See you all soon

Breastfeeding Welcome Here

2010-04-05T08:58:00.003-04:00

Saw this article on Yahoo this morning and couldn't resist posting it. As a Lactation Counselor, fighting big business at ever turn while trying to help new moms nurse their babies successfully, I am secretly thrilled someone is finally relating Successful breastfeeding to saving money on a large scale! its about time! Sad that it takes this to initiate big changes, but I will focus on the "big changes" and ignore the $$$$$$$.

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer – 1 hr 53 mins ago

CHICAGO – The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women breast-fed their babies for the first six months of life, a cost analysis says.

Those startling results, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are only an estimate. But several experts who reviewed the analysis said the methods and conclusions seem sound.

"The health care system has got to be aware that breast-feeding makes a profound difference," said Dr. Ruth Lawrence, who heads the American Academy of Pediatrics' breast-feeding section.

The findings suggest that there are hundreds of deaths and many more costly illnesses each year from health problems that breast-feeding may help prevent. These include stomach viruses, ear infections, asthma, juvenile diabetes, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and even childhood leukemia.

The magnitude of health benefits linked to breast-feeding is vastly underappreciated, said lead author Dr. Melissa Bartick, an internist and instructor at Harvard Medical School. Breast-feeding is sometimes considered a lifestyle choice, but Bartick calls it a public health issue.

Among the benefits: Breast milk contains antibodies that help babies fight infections; it also can affect insulin levels in the blood, which may make breast-fed babies less likely to develop diabetes and obesity.

The analysis studied the prevalence of 10 common childhood illnesses, costs of treating those diseases, including hospitalization, and the level of disease protection other studies have linked with breast-feeding.

The $13 billion in estimated losses due to the low breast-feeding rate includes an economists' calculation partly based on lost potential lifetime wages — $10.56 million per death.

The methods were similar to a widely cited 2001 government report that said $3.6 billion could be saved each year if 50 percent of mothers breast-fed their babies for six months. Medical costs have climbed since then and breast-feeding rates have increased only slightly.

About 43 percent of U.S. mothers do at least some breast-feeding for six months, but only 12 percent follow government guidelines recommending that babies receive only breast milk for six months.

Dr. Larry Gray, a University of Chicago pediatrician, called the analysis compelling and said it's reasonable to strive for 90 percent compliance.

But he also said mothers who don't breast-feed for six months shouldn't be blamed or made to feel guilty, because their jobs and other demands often make it impossible to do so.

"We'd all love as pediatricians to be able to carry this information into the boardrooms by saying we all gain by small changes at the workplace" that encourage breast-feeding, Gray said.

Bartick said there are some encouraging signs. The government's new health care overhaul requires large employers to provide private places for working mothers to pump breast milk. And under a provision enacted April 1 by the Joint Commission, a hospital accrediting agency, hospitals may be evaluated on their efforts to ensure that newborns are fed only breast milk before they're sent home.

The pediatrics academy says babies should be given a chance to start breast-feeding immediately after birth. Bartick said that often doesn't happen, and at many hospitals newborns are offered formula even when their mothers intend to breast-feed.

"Hospital practices need to change to be more in line with evidence-based care," Bartick said. "We really shouldn't be blaming mothers for this."

___

Where did she go?

2010-03-20T13:33:00.002-04:00

ok so it may seem as if I have fallen off the face of the earth. Not true. You know how when you have something important and big going on, you find you can't talk (or think) about anything else??? Well, that is why I shall remain quiet for a few more weeks. Just send my you positive energy, it can't hurt.

Fiber LOVE................

2010-02-03T12:03:00.005-05:00

So many ideas for this gorgeous gift of yarn from South America.....but i think i need to go with Sarah's idea of a lap blanket. We all snuggle under blankets when we watch movies or listen to stories and this will allow everyone to share and enjoy our gift. looks like it will knit up pretty quick. can't wait to see it finished.

One Small Change,,,,,,,,or a few small changes

2010-02-01T09:33:00.009-05:00

So it's time to tell about our family's change for February. It has ended up we have made a few changes here so I will talk about them all. First, I will again warn there will be words about feminine hygiene products, not interested? skip this post.

So first off we bought an awesome drying rack for clothes.(did you notice the tarp with all the dirt? pretty awesome huh? try not to be jealous. Here in Maine we had 6 straight -yes literally, weeks of rain this summer. This has made for some wet fire wood. We have to bring grips of it indoors to dry before we can burn it. As a bonus, when we first bring it in, we are blessed with usually about 10 mosquitoes, as if all the bugs in the spring and summer weren't bad enough) we normally hang clothes to dry in the good whether. But lets face it, cloths dry rather slowly when its below zero outside. So, basically my dryer runs all day. I imagine it is a huge chunk of the electric bill. Drying racks have never before entered the picture for two reasons. one, they are tiny and I do three loads of laundry a day, really they would be pretty useless here. Also, I see one and immediately think "that thing is so flim-flam, it will be broken within the week. Sorry, but things break here. 4 boys, 2 puppies! Well we found a giant GIANT Maine made high quality one at our local small time department store. I love it! it fits about 2 loads of laundry at a time. And thanks to the wood stove, they dry quite fast. It also helps add moisture to our house. The wood stove makes it very dry. I have not run my dryer since Friday. I think this should make quite a difference in our electric bill. Next month we will likely buy a second one and that should eliminate all dryer use.

Next, I started the family cloths. I did cheat a little and purchase them, but I knew if I had to sew them, it would never happen. So I went to my trusted Cloth diapering site and bought organic cotton terry wipes. Only 20 for now. They are not cheap! I also made it optional. They are there for those who choose to use them. I'm guessing that will make 4 cloth wipe users(one during diaper changing) and two toilet paper lovers. I can understand. I likely would have run away if my mom tried this when I was 15. I think they will come around eventually. I also explained that if we end up building a house and using an outhouse, they will have to use them. If you want more info, click the one small change link to the right. Basically for us, we keep a cloth washable water proof bag(also from that site) in the bathroom for used wipes. Then, I will take the bag, dump it into the wash with the diapers (the bag as well) and wash it up. I do one cycle cold cold no soap (I sometimes add 1/4 cup baking soda) and then one cycle hot/cold with my o-nature-l detergent. This is the only "hot" wash I run here.

While on the Nurtured Family Sight, I also bought cloth menstrual pads. They are almost too pretty to use! They too will go right in with my cloth diapers which I wash about every other day. I have been using the Diva cup for about 6 months now and am very happy with it, but wanted these to supplement it's usage. This diva cup is pretty awesome. I'm not going to get into detail of its use, but do check it out. It takes a little getting used to, but other than that it's pretty great.

So those are our February changes.

On a side note, our good friends returned from their three week honeymoon to South America and brought us the best gifts! Totally unexpected, and totally loved! I will show some fiber love later this week. Damn we missed those two! Seems like it was three months!

lest you think i haven't got anything under control

2010-01-29T12:00:00.011-05:00

.............living with less and using what you've got.

so i have a lot i want to do, but there are some things i have been working on for years. At this point, we are trying hard to pay off all of our debt. It's been tough, a lot of ups and downs, but we are getting there. Ideally we want to buy a home with out a mortgage. But, that is a post for another time. Today I will talk about the raising kids on a ultra tight (that's an understatement) budget.

There are the more obvious things, cloth diapers, cloth napkins, everything homemade and from scratch. This is where you see how "green" and "frugal" go hand in hand. We also buy in bulk and are trying to buy more this way. The first thing for us was oats. we eat oatmeal every day for breakfast, all six of us. When I get too many complaints, I make granola, but they eat twice as much. So we buy 50lb bags of organic rolled oats. We bought food grade barrels with lids to store it in. We also buy 50lb bags of Maine grown organic whole wheat pastry flour. The pastry acts more like an all-purpose, we do still mix for some recipes. We also are lucky enough to have an awesome health food store that will order just about anything in bulk at a 10% discount. So we get cases of Silk yogurt, we eat about 4-6 quarts a week. A yogurt maker is in our future but the art of making soy yogurt has yet to be perfected. We also now buy our laundry detergent in bulk. A 3 gallon bucket of an all natural bio-degradable cedar smelling laundry detergent made by a local family of 7. it works out to I think about 15cents per load. It's called o-natur-l and it was designed by this mom for her baby with extreme exema, so you know it's gentle. I love it, does great with diapers too. this week I will be ordering Chick peas, lentils and black beans. The bonus, along with savings is not running out of food. The weather can be wacky here. Its like -12 right now and then there is the snow. You don't want to get caught with a storm coming and no food.

Now for entertainment, here are the boys bean pictures,

and here is indigo playing in the left over beans like a sand box. Use what ya got and get creative. Check this out....
ya we eat a lot of yogurt and our town won't recycle the containers, i can't bare to throw them out.
We are trying to cut way back on videos so we have been borrowing books on CD from the library. AAAHHH the library, the most frugal, green entertainment ever. We try to get to story time every other week. and books come home with us, lots of books. Ok so here is a list of simple easy things to get you going on the greenugal (ya, thats green and frugal, I know! I am quite clever) road to a better life.

cloth napkins and rags (seriously, how many paper towels do you think a family of 6 would go through!) we bought ours at thrift store over time, quite an ecletic collection! I have also made them as gifts pretty quick to sew up

cloth diapers, even buying a few and trying part time would make a huge difference

no plastic bags (like ziplock sandwich bags) we use containers for everything, trash free lunches for mike when ever possible.

high quality long johns or "base layer" if your young and hip, did this one throw ya? Well clearly this is only if you live in a climate like mine, cold! and about six months of it! but i really REALLY like to be warm so in order to cut down on the wood we burn, i wear long johns, I mean a silk or wool base layer every day. The boys wear high performance synthetic (it's cheaper and washes very well, someday I will step them up to wool but the budget does not allow it right now)

So there are a few things we do here that you can try. so many more and so little time My next post will be my February One small change post. Please, be prepared for some over sharing! If you don't want to talk Feminine hygiene or worse, steer clear. until then here is a pantry minestrone recipe. sooooo yummy!

2 onions chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic pressed or minced
3 tbls olive oil
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
3 carrots chopped
1 can kidney beans
1 1/2 cup small shell pasta
1 tbl oregeno
1 tbl basil
1 tbl thyme
fresh ground black pepper
salt to taste
1/2 of a 120z bag of frozen chopped spinach
64 oz of veg broth or water

saute carrots, onions and garlic in oil in large stock pot until soft, add spices saute for 3 more minutes add all ingredients except pasta, simmer for 30 minutes to 3 hours, add past and cook until pasta is tender, about 10-15 minutes serve with homemade bread. n

you could make this in the crock pot too, just wait on the pasta until about 30 minutes before serving

how it's going so far..... and Goal # 4

2010-01-16T09:26:00.006-05:00

Well, The de-cluttering is going great. I find it easier and easier to part with things. Honestly, the hardest part is what to do with it. Let's face it, some of it is just junk. No one wants it. I hate to throw anything away. Socks! this has been the biggest one. I have simplified by buying each child many pairs of the same socks, each child's socks are different from the next. This way I don't pair anything, I just stack them, or put them in a basket. No more matching. But, unfortunately, I went through several different types of socks before I found ones that would stand up to my boys. So I have about a billion stray socks, many with one little hole in them. Lets just say, we have plenty of rags now. I have 3 full trash bags of clothes to go to one of the three local non profit thrift stores. We have recycled or burned sooo much paper. Paper is a real issue here. I am looking for suggestions, homeschooling and drawings are our biggest problem. I was thinking about slates, like little house in the prairie? but realistically how many math problems can be done at a time. I have started to limit how much drawing the littles do. They love it, but they are not very mindful of how much paper they go through at 2 and 6 years old. Truth be told, they would just assume play in the sink or draw in salt on a tray.
goal # 2, inner peace. It's going quite well. ok, a good amount of the time it is. Still a long road ahead, that is for sure. I am trying to have 5 minutes to sit quietly in the AM. unfortunately, I am pretty convinced my sitting up, silently, on my bed, sets of some type of alarm in Indigo's head ( he sleeps in the next room mind you, not with us). Then the shouting starts, "MOM, MOM! M O M!". This makes it tougher to "concentrate on the breath". Its a work in progress.
Goal # 3 ...I am pretty proud of myself here. Probably seems silly, but it is really hard for me. I have realized I have three addictions, The computer, Sugar and raw carrots. Clearly raw carrots is one I can live with, 2 lbs a day on average and haven't turned orange yet, The sugar, I am working on it, But the computer, I have only slipped twice with the no computer before 1:00 pm rule, and it started with turning it on to pay a quick bill, or check the balance in the checking account. then comes downward spiral into "Wait....how did i get on this web page?" and an hour has gone by. But then I get right up and shut it off. Two days this week I did not turn it on at all. Can't wait to see if my electric bill goes down.
I have been cooking more on the wood stove. On sunny days I really can't. It just gets too hot in here. Not really complaining, as it is often below freezing outside and 72 inside!

Now for goal #4...........Saying YES. I just seem to say no so much. I will still be saying no to TV and Wii and computer usage in the middle of week days. But hopefully I will get back to a place where I say yes to playing, yes to having help with all things in the kitchen, even by a two year old, yes to a picnic in the snow,

yes to helping build an igloo, "A REAL IGLOO" and yes to more stories and games. That is the idea.

On a side note, I am feeling neglected in the comments area! I can see that I am getting lots of visitors, but not many messages. Ummmm, I have no shame here in saying, "talk to me" What are you up to at your place. And if you are new here, introduce yourself, I want to know who is out there! I want to check out your blogs! Dare I declare anti-stalking day!!! come out from behind your computer and say Hello!

Goal # 3...

2010-01-13T10:48:00.004-05:00

One Small Change

this is an idea that some moms put together to get us all hopping on the green wagon. I think it is an awesome motivator. Lots of other families making small changes, one at a time to improve our world and our lives. So I got all excited, then I couldn't think of anything to do. Most of the suggestions listed are things we are already doing. Bringing bags to the store, cloth diapers, composting, etc. Family cloths is something that is going to take a little convincing here, especially with a teen and tween, who already looked at me like I had 3 heads when I merely mentioned the idea. I'm hoping to make this our February change. So, what to do, what to do. Well here is what I came up with. It might be cheating, but I came up with a way to incorporate this into my goals for the new year. So in the spirit of halving our clutter, I will be halving our computer time. This is our one electric vice, More often than not, we turn it on in the AM and shut it off before bed. It is our music, our way to pay bills, how we communicate with friends and family, my sometimes baby sitter, (Bob The Builder anyone?) We use it,,,,,,A LOT. So, starting today, during the week (Mike may not cooperate on the weekends) We will not turn the computer on until 1:00 pm. I will also try to find two days a week to not turn it on at all. It's small i know, but huge for us. And, lets face it, this is going to do big things for our family and my lack of time. As a bonus, I will be trying to cook 1/2 of all meals on and in the wood stove. This is sometimes tough as I usually make dinner around 3 pm and that is when the sun is strongest and warmest in the house and we don't usually burn wood at this time. Breakfast should be no problem if I get my butt (or mike's butt) out of bed to stoke the fire before oatmeal goes on. So there it is, Goal #3 and one small change. Click the link and join in. Let me know if you get on board with this.

Goal # 2.......

2010-01-07T17:06:00.007-05:00

Bring Back My Inner Peace. There have been two stretches of time when I felt like I really had it together. One of which was when we lived in Tennessee. As I mentioned, I'm sure part of the reason for all the peace was the great lack of "stuff". But I also had a sort of calm there that I have never had before and haven't had since. I was meditating almost daily(this might mean 3 minutes, and sometimes I was lucky to get that with 3 home schooled boys and one on the way) and I spent a lot of time focusing on my new found spirituality. I have searched and researched and tried all sorts of forms of religion or spirituality and finally felt something click when I discovered Kabbalah. It just made sense to me. I am a firm believer of "to each their own" I am very happy for, sometimes even envious of, my friends and others who are so sure and solid in their faith. It seems to be harder for me to find it and stick to it. Any way, the point is, I need that feeling back.
Some things have been going on here. not quite ready to discuss them out loud, but lets just say circumstances that our out of our control are beginning to have quite an effect on our lives. It is taking a toll on me mentally. I suddenly have headaches almost daily and the mere mention of certain people and or situations starts my blood boiling and brings on the anger. This is really not like me. And quite frankly, I hate the feelings I am having. The worst part is, it effects my home live and my interactions with my boys. Mostly, I just feel like I am not fully present in what we are doing, and, ok, I am yelling a lot more. It's stinky. So....It needs to go. So I dug out my Kabbalah books and cds and have started at the beginning. I already feel better but I have a lot more work to do.
Its a big one, but so far so good. I just miss being able to recover from bad feelings quickly. I still can't keep other people's issues from interfering with my family's life, but I can stop it from sending me into a downward spiral that can last a day or longer. I can keep it from taking my focus away from what I am doing at the moment. I can help to send the tension away from our home quickly and quietly. I have come across this sign multiple times on blogs in the past few weeks. I think it should be another new mantra around here. I have also got my, often angry, tween reading The Celestine Prophecy and listening to the Power Of Kabbalah, I hope he can get something from it. I'm afraid he is heading down a long and cranky tantrum filled road. Maybe I will glue the above sighn to his forehead? hope you all are finding peace in the new year. We are searching hard here.

Goal number one.............

2010-01-04T11:07:00.007-05:00

Cut our "stuff" in half! Yes HALF!

A few years ago, when we moved from Massachusetts to Tennessee, we had to transport everything ourselves. This led to a mass purge of stuff. It was strangely freeing and fun! We set up a table in front our home and gave it all away. yes, for free! It was great entertainment and felt good. My only regrets...the big television, I'm still not sure how that happened. The pogo stick, this has been a sore spot with a certain child ever since. It was an accident. And lastly the big furniture I actually left at the apartment. My kitchen set, it was a steal at $50 and I don't think I realized how pricey they really are! My TV table, mostly because Mike made it for me and I loved it! And the Ethan Allen living room set mike rescued from a fire rehab job. It was awesome! The fact is, these things just wouldn't fit. Other than that, the "stuff" I don't miss a thing! I've been thinking about it a lot, then seeing photos of a certain SIL's spotless and "stuff free" home was the the straw that broke this camels back! So it's time, time to do it again. This week I cleaned the big boys room with them. We put the bunk beds back together and moved the dogs crates into the room. We set up good work spaces for school and are working on a simple clothes system. I am thinking 9 or 10 outfits hung on hangers, everything else goes? these are boys remember, they would wear pjs all day if i let them! Does any one else have something that works for them? I will admit to being frustrated all ready as they simply refuse to pick up after themselves. But, if I pause and think back to My bed room and Mikes, during our teenage years, ummmm, I guess I have nothing to say. I just want more peace and less chaos for them. I truly understand how hard it is to concentrate with all that crap, I mean stuff everywhere. So I am working on a control journal for them. Its a fly lady thing. Check lists of basic things to do in the morning and at night to keep it all under control. They are less than thrilled, but it should help. They were great about getting rid of stuff. We packed up the books in boxes(book hoarding is a family disorder and I don't expect them to just change their DNA) we are just storing them for now. less distractions ya know? Thew were able to part with posters, endless paper and even Lego creations (this was a hard one) they went back into the Lego box with a deal of one creation on the desk per week. It took all day, and nothing else got done. Luckily we have MRS P to keep one kid busy, the other little, well, he took advantage of the absence of supervision to dump out anything and everything he could get his hands on.
Next I worked on the play room. I have been working towards truly simplifying this area. So I ousted the remainder of the plastic toys with a few exceptions. All train sets stay. I packed them into crates in the closet. I also kept the plastic animals, these are a favorite and the wooden versions are absolutely out of our budget for the time being. Then I hit the books. Why is this so hard for us? We go to the library weekly! I boxed up about 3/4's of what was in this room. I kept our favorites and special gifts. We listed our toy storage shelf free on craigslist and were able to find a local teacher who was thrilled to get it. She is also taking the books and toys. That makes me happy. I know just how much teachers have to buy out of their own pockets and these are good toys. They will now have a good home. The kids are loving all of the space and there were no complaints about the missing toys. Interestingly, even with the few toys available, they still can completely trash the place, and fast! The good news is, everything has a place, so they can also clean it up!

Today, I will tackle the art/school shelves. I am trying to work towards each child having their own high quality pencils and crayons in a homemade case. This will help them to appreciate them. It will also help with the constant stream of broken and lost crayons, pencils and markers all over the house! so my new mantra ....LESS IS MORE LESS IS MORE LESS IS MORE.
What are you all working on for the new year? Does any one else feel that January 1st is officially, "start over day"?

2009-12-28T08:16:00.009-05:00

We had a lovely Christmas. It was a little crazy trying to get all of the gifts done, but....We did it! The kitchen came out awesome.

It still needs a few details, burners, a faucet and some hooks but the boys don't even notice. When it is complete, we will make a beeswax finish and have the boys polish it up. Mike stayed in the basement for two days straight working. He also helped the boys make gifts for each other. Forrest made blocks from the cherry tree mike and Andy cut down. They came out awesome! He even carved the letters of their names into some. Gaynor made a finger hover board for Harland and finger skis for Forrest. You Velcro them to your fingers and do tricks on furniture. Pretty neat! The best part was that they were more excited to give each other the gifts them made than to open their own. That is what it's all about. We changed a few things this year. We asked Santa to bring something small and the more substantial gifts were from Mike and I, with the exception of Gaynor's pocket knife. But Gaynor is hip to the ways of Christmas.

Mike and I got to bed at our normal Christmas Eve time...1:30 am! We wouldn't want me to consider wrapping anything before then. I watched "A Christmas story" and drank hot cocoa while I wrapped and Mike worked down stairs. It was kind of nice, but I am still recovering. I did have to let some things go, its always a good lesson for me. And, no Christmas cards again. To be honest, I had the picture super early, and the cards are pretty cheap themselves....its the darn stamps! I just can't afford it. It's almost $.50 per card...40 cards equals $20 just can't try to make all the gifts and justify $30 spend on Christmas cards..sorry.

It was a wonderful weekend. Mike, home for 4 full days!! Harland had his sixth birthday.
I made my first birthday crown and it was a huge hit. (yes i realize some one is "digging for treasure" in this photo, but this is my life. I photograph it how it is!) I started a new tradition of laying out the crown and gift (a pot holder loom, he loooovveees it!) at night to be discovered in the morning. Much easier than trying to put them off all day for cake and ice cream at night. We played jenga...the totally awesome edition, a gift made by S&A....so fun! And generally spend the day doing what Harland wanted to do. What else could a kid want? So all in all, the weekend -Good friends and good food and plenty of playing with the kids. But I am somewhat relieved it is mostly over. We have family coming this weekend and then the tree comes down and I get this place back on track. I am looking forward to our normal daily rhythm which has been working wonderfully here. I am also looking forward to some deep cleaning, purging, simplifying and rearranging. I am working on my lists of goals for the new year one of which will be moving...Again! not my dream come true but it has to be done. I seem to have raised gypsy children who are weirdly excited about the idea of moving. More on this topic over the next few months. I will be talking about my plans for a garden during a move and my goals for maintaining some sanity during this move. I will also be posting about our new concept of a daily rhythm and what that means for us as well as how moving towards a Waldorf way of raising my boys has all ready meant great and meaningful changes in our home. I hope you all had an amazing holiday!

SOOOOO BUSY!!!!!!

2009-12-21T14:56:00.007-05:00

MAKING GIFTS, NO MORE SLEEPING UNTIL AFTER CHRISTMAS! BUT,, i THOUGHT YOU MIGHT ENJOY THIS. NOTHING LIKE A LITTLE FAMILY FORCE 5 TO GET THE MORNING STARTED!!! i know there is no sound, still pretty cute though

When You're 15....................

2009-11-14T17:25:00.007-05:00

I'm sure this isn't as crazy to you as it is to me, but, Forrest turned 15 on Wednesday! he's old enough to get his permit now! We threw a little surprise party for him with help from our friends Sarah and Andy. Forrest went to work with Mike for the day which made it easier. The boys made a banner for him with dragons and blue hair. (Forrest dyed his hair blue) Then we set up a big bonfire and made luminaries to light the way. For dinner, chickpea spinach curry and Sarah made a super yummy cake for dessert. He was indeed surprised. The stars were glorious, even shooting stars! The fire was roasty toasty! We didn't even realize temps fell below freezing until we tried to put out the fire with the hose...Frozen! We gave him a book light and S&A gave him a hatchet. Can you guess which was his favorite? He is so excited about this hatchet! I'm sure it has something to do with this book, one of his favorites! Sarah made a little blade pouch that goes on his belt. I actually had to tell him to take it off in the house! Do you think he would have gotten this gift if we still lived in Suburban Massachusetts instead of rural Maine? Any way, even with the blue hair, he is still a pretty amazing kid. Super kind and generous, polite, intelligent, compassionate, giving, loving, and a fantastic big brother. Happy Birthday Forrest Brewster!

What can you do with two inches of snow?????

2009-11-06T11:02:00.004-05:00

build a snow gnome! At least you can when you have a field to use. Imagine what they will make when we have 5 feet!!!!!

Here is my attempt at capturing a Christmas Photo. Like 4 boys wasn't hard enough I had to add in 2 puppies! None are great but which one is best? The boys say I should let you all vote!

What a weekend!

2009-11-05T10:42:00.010-05:00

So trick or treating was wonderful. We went to a different down town area this year. Lots of people and lots of fun. One home even made their entire first floor into a walk through, kid friendly, haunted house. Indigo thought it was just about the best thing he had ever done. He would not let me help him with his basket at all. "I DO IT!" was all I heard. We had a brief run in with a super creepy Michael Myers, as in Halloween the movie, but it was brief and funny in a weird and creepy way.
The switch witch made her first visit to our home and it was a huge hit. She took the candy (the boys figure she will use it to give trolls and ogres belly aches) and left little knitted gnomes and dust pans and brushes. What can I say, they love to help to clean. The gnomes have become the new bed time buddies.

Saturday, we went here! It was a short but steep hike. The view was spectacular.

We went for this.

Ya! pretty amazing! We really love these guys. Who else would I allow my legs, to burn and wiggle like jello the whole way up and down the mountain and then flat out refuse to work at all for two days for? Ok, i'm slightly out of shape. Any way, the wedding was gorgeous! The hall, decorated with gourds, pumpkins, leaves and lighted branches with leaves made from pictures of the couple. The food, all home made local goodness, soups, breads spinach salad, yum YUM! Quite possibly the best wedding we have ever attended. We had a great time celebrating with one of the sweetest, most hard working, hard playing, and enjoyable couples we have met. Congratulations S&A!

AAAAACCCHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2009-10-30T16:08:00.007-04:00

I think I might be coming down with something!!! could it be this????

Perhaps my little friends can help me get my house work done so I can rest

ha ha! Actually I feel great, Happy Halloween!

What we have been up to

2009-10-27T08:20:00.009-04:00

lots of knitting, mostly for our family and one gift for a far away friend and her new baby. I found a hat pattern that I love on Raverly. Directions for sizes from baby to adult large. easy to make and looks great. Its the one Harland is wearing and the one on the needles.
A 99% recycled material(only the screws are new) desk for Gaynor(Mike ROCKS), one end will be for their computer. It seems to still be in my kitchen. That is dangerous because it is a great sewing table.
And yes, that is a cat having a bath. A baking soda, peroxide, Dawn dish detergent bath to be exact. I wish you could hear the sounds that were coming from her. She spent the rest of the day in the sunny window by the wood stove sleeping and drying. Maybe, just maybe she will stay away from skunks now.

oh, our mini vacation to Massachusetts was wonderful. Relaxing and fun. Just what the doctor ordered. I, however did not bring my camera. Sorry. Think man in a Paul Revere type outfit walking through the streets of Boston shouting, Mike being a good sport about being a tourist in a city he basically grew up in. Yummy, REALLY YUMMY vegan food, board games and knitting. It was great.

Ocotober 13th and ummm.........................................

2009-10-13T09:32:00.009-04:00

2-4 inches??????? That is what the Weather Man Said! I have been digging out boots and snow pants and trying to settle down crazy wound up boys. I don't know how I feel about this. The dogs aren't sure either. First snow they have ever seen. They have been smelling, licking and staring. Cracking me up.

These are the pictures I had planned to show.

Lots of school being done every where. Forrest took the littles across the street to collect leaves to press into Harlands Science book. The orange hats kill me. Safety before style I guess. It is moose hunting season after all. The weekend was glorious. Crisp air and falling leaves. The boys played in the hay fields for hours then moved to the tall grass and woods for hide and seek. I still feel nervous(quietly of course) when they are out. We have had more bad bee luck. Harland was down in a ditch on our land (he is absolutely not allowed down there) and stepped in a yellow jacket hive. He tried to run, lost his shoe and still had to climb out of the ditch with the bees all over him. Gaynor was with him as well. He had about 16 stings. He cried for over 6 hours. That is two times in two years this has happened to him. I slept with him that night, he whimpered and swatted bees away in his sleep all night long. It was horrible. He is a pretty strong kid, but one can only take so much. So now they always have a phone or a two way radio with them.
Any way. This weekend is just another reason I love Maine. We finally lit up the wood stove. I love the smell and strong heat. We moved our circle time to just in front of the stove so as to start our morning roasty toasty. We went to the ski sale and picked up cross country boots for two boys and new downhill boots for Forrest. He seems to have grown a foot this year. We are hoping to outfit the entire family in cross country skis. We will set up the covered sled to tow a little one and hopefully have some fun outings.

Gaynor has been using his calligraphy pen to write out the 10 commandments. He seems to be really enjoying his work. Forrest less so but he is plugging away. I'm not sure about all this hard course work with no real guidance. I never took chemistry and Algebra and I, well, are not good friends. His Bio-tech teacher at the Technology center is also a chemistry teacher and has been helping him out which is wonderful. Ok well I'm off to make chocolate covered pretzels and cocoa.

2009-10-09T09:06:00.010-04:00

Here are some recent pictures of the pups. The bigger they get, the more I suspect they are not Great Pyrenees. They look more sheep dog, or wolf hound to me. But we will never know and it really doesn't matter. We made the pony/donkey enclosure into a dog wonderland. The big animals have found a new home. We miss them terribly but their owners had a lot going on and didn't have enough time for them. Any way, the dogs really love it out there. It's great. gives them and me a break. They have a barn to go in and a huge pen to run and play in. If they are inside for too long, they "politely ask" to go out to their pen. The boys are still walking them twice a day for 45 minutes each time. The morning walk is now at 5:30am and in the pitch dark because of our new schedule. I bought them headlamps so they could see. My boys are so hardcore. unfortunately, dogs don't understand that it's not a school day or that its the weekend so the latest they will sleep till is 6:00. Just think what great training this is for my boys for their future.

Sarah and Andy came this weekend for our first annual Garlic Shucking/Movie Night. We watched Monsters Vs Aliens and shucked all of the garlic to be planted at Marble Family Farms this fall. We then, of course, ate yummy food and had plenty of desert including cowboy cookies and mocha cake.

This is my very first time "putting food up" for winter. I have over 30 cups of shredded zucchini, 12 cups of frozen corn kernels, a ton of chopped celery, processed basil, chopped kale and so far, 12 cups of pumpkin (more to come this week). Then in the pantry I have a quart of condensed tomato soup and a quart of salsa, a bunch of honey spiced peaches, apple sauce and apple butter. None of the jam actually lasted long enough, we ate it all right up. But any way, I'm feeling pretty proud. I should mention none of it would have happened without Sarah. Sarah totally rocks! and she can do anything. We processed most everything together. A good portion coming from her farm. She also showed me how to can. I was always too scared to try. Thought I would screw it up. It's really not hard if you have the right equipment, and a good teacher of course. The apple butter recipe is for the crock pot, super easy and you can find it here. If you don't want to can it, put it in the fridge. I doubt you will have any problem eating it all right up.

Its a big weekend in our little corner of Maine. Last year we rode the lift up Sugarloaf Mountain and hiked down. Way harder than you think! The view was amazing but the little kids didn't love it. This year we are doing something just for them. Down the rode from us is and old Narrow Gauge Railroad. They are having a "Ghost Train" this weekend so we are going for a ride. You may know, my little boys are obsessed with trains and are going to have a great time! We are working on a little late-fall festival to have here at our home. I'm thinking bonfire, luminaries, making music and telling stories. Any other suggestions?

Next weekend is my big vacation to Boston. That really sound so weird. Me, vacationing in the city I grew up 30 minutes from. But seriously I can't wait! Imagine how much knitting I am going to do on my 4+ hour car ride with.......NO CHILDREN!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Our very first nature table

2009-10-06T10:52:00.002-04:00

We collected leaves and acorns on the library lawn in town. Sort of funny since we live on 186 acres here. But we had some time to kill while we waited for the library to open. The little "masks" were the craft at story time. We purchased the roving for our "tree" at the Common Ground Fair. I sent the boys out for the branch with Forrest, I am still looking for something bigger with more branches.The pumpkin, is of course, from Sara and Andy. I think it's called Cheese pumpkin? we will cook it soon and make cookies and muffins, but it was so darn pretty! The kids really loved putting the table together. Indigo loves taking it apart even more though. I am finding acorns and corn kernels everywhere!

Changing Pace

2009-10-01T08:45:00.008-04:00

As you many know, last year we purchased a "Waldorf Based" Curriculum for Gaynor and we Love it! This year I purchased one for Harland as well. I decided to go with a layed out curriculum because we are so new to the Waldorf ways. I also struggled with purchasing the Kindergarten set instead of the first grade set. Harland is only 5 but pretty much reading and writing(all on his own). Waldorf schooling does not start reading until first grade. But they feel very strongly about not pushing the child but giving them plenty of time to develop in other ways as well. So I purchased the kindergarten. Well, so far it is wonderful. It has been so great for me to focus more on the little kids. We do circle time daily and lots of drawing and painting. We have also changed our evening routine quite a bit to include more stories, songs and a bed time snack. It seems to be just what the doctor ordered for these boys. We were having endless fights and tantrums. Things have gotten much better. The boys do chores with me, fold laundry, make beds, wash dishes, sweep and bake.

The one thing I am struggling with is finding a consistent rhythm to our day. As much as I want this, it is very tough for me. We are working on it.
Handwork is a big part of the Waldorf day as well. Harland has learned to finger knit, and I taught Gaynor to knit this week too. He picked it right up and will be busting out winter wear and toys before you know it.

The fall is in full swing here. The foliage is glorious, the air is brisk, and it seems to have given new enthusiasm to everyone. My Brussel sprouts, cabbages, kale and carrots are going strong. Everything else has been killed by the hard frosts. Tuesday we saw a moose, right across the street. She stood there forever just staring at us while we stared at her. It was amazing! You just can't understand how huge they are until you see one in real life. Crazy! I know the picture is horrible but i was so excited and my camera is not great but i posted it anyway. It appears smaller than it was too. I think it was a young moose but still pretty giant in my eyes.
Our favorite meal right now is taking advantage of the last of the delicous fresh heirloom tomatoes we will have this year. English muffin pizzas. So SOOO yummy!

I am looking forward to getting our nature table set up. I'm thinking pumpkins, fall leaves and acorns to start. I have also started working on some new knitting....See so far.....

All this and tent making too.

Hope you are all enjoying your Autumn!

Fishing(for imaginary fish), The Common Ground Fair, and new beds........for the dogs I think?

2009-09-28T10:56:00.007-04:00

mmmmmm what to do with all that zucchini

2009-09-03T09:32:00.003-04:00

Even in my weed riddled garden I had tons of zucchini. Sarah helped me shred and freeze it in 4 cup portions. Now I can make these all winter long. Oh, did i mention i got about 3 gallons of wild blueberries, ya, they are in the freezer too. I made almost 3 dozen muffins yesterday and there are 4 left!

Banana Zucchini Blueberry Muffins

or

Blue-Ban-Zuke muffins

this will make about 1 1/2 dozen big muffins

2 very ripe bananas, smooshed well
2 cups zucchini shredded (you can use carrots and zucchini too)
1 cup oil
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsps vanilla
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsps cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1-2 cups blueberries (we like lots)
mix oil and bananas together, add sugar, zucchini, vanilla then the dry ingredients

bake 350 degrees for 12-18 minutes, I use a stoneware muffin tin so its about 18 minutes, just check the center with a knife

i sprinkle raw sugar on the top before baking
you can also add craisins, raisins, nuts etc if you like

muffins freeze well. If you can hold off the vultures, make a double batch (or triple) and freeze some.

Check this out!

2009-09-03T08:18:00.007-04:00

It's a bike, The bucket has a seat with two seat belts! Wonder if I could even pedal it with two kids in it???? I promise to put helmets on them! They are giving a bike away every week. EVERY WEEK! It's not just for kids, they have other models, for stuff. Help me out and click the darn link please. I want one!

Flying in a rented furnished house

2009-08-31T15:33:00.007-04:00

So much going on today. The boys started back on their school schedule. At 1:00, their teacher (me) declared early release to help mom (me) with chores. I had spent the entire morning working on the littles room and now the rest of the house looked like a bomb, (or 4 boys left unattended for 4 hours) hit it. The morning went well though. I have decided to use Gaynor's blog as a place to log his school work, and projects. He will also be adding thoughts and ideas here and there as well. later this week, click on his picture to the right and see if i actually followed through and then call me out on it if I did not!

I realized part of my problem with getting my house under control was actually out of my control. We rent, and the house was furnished when we moved in. I literally stuffed all that i could into closets and the cellar but they are all full now. There is clothes, bedding, dishes, artwork, and books, as well as furniture. This was their vacation home and also a vacation rental before we moved in. There is nothing I can actually do about it, so i just need to get over it and move on with the mission. I am getting rid of a ton of stuff since there is no place for it. Here is what I did today.

Clothes storage is a major issue in our family of 4 boys. I keep it all to hand down to the next, but with the big gaps between ages, it means a lot of bins full of clothing. but organized, its not bad. I put most of the bins in the other bed room, under gaynor's bed and the rest in the corner.
I know we need curtains! The floor is just a sub floor, not pretty but no worries of damage from boys and puppies. It honestly doesn't bother me other than that i can't really wash the kitchen floor. We actually have a floor to put down in the kitchen and eating area this winter. I also need curtains for the cubbyholes above the dressers. I was thinking about making these for the big blank wall. not sure what they will say. but curtains first. wish i had taken before pics of the playroom, lets just say....um......it did NOT look like this!

behind the green curtain is our TV, hidden away and barely used these days. Especially now that the computer monitor is larger than the actual television and since when we do watch, we usually stream what we are watching any way, it ends up being everyone gathered around the computer. We are working on making it more functional/comfortable before Lost and Heroes start back up.
Tomorrow I am working on the computer/school room/dining room. If i finish, i will post pics. I do have to grocery shop and run errands, so bare with me. Tomorrow is Forrest's first day at Foster Tech! I think Mike and I are equally as excited as he.

Our two WHOLE weeks of summer have come to a close, and I'm thinking about Christmas????

2009-08-29T10:25:00.004-04:00

Sorry, it was just a little complaint. But honestly 2 weeks is about all we got. We had a nice 3 day vacation with my family in nearby Rome, Maine. My parents did all the cooking and meal clean up helped with the boys (forrest and Mike stayed home) so it was unexpectedly restful for me. I took a kayak ride with my sister, and even got some knitting done.

It's just about time for our first hard frost here in Maine. As sad as I am about our non existing summer, and my barely existing garden. I am very much looking forward to fall. The Common Ground Fair is coming right up, an Organic Maine Tradition. Columbus Day will bring our trip up Sugarloaf Mountain to see the amazing fall view of the mountains and hopefully our Christmas picture. And we are planning another "grown-up" vacation. I know the last one didn't actually happen, but i have a plan this time! We will be going with our good friends Sarah and Andy. Now other people are depending on us to pull through, so Mike can't talk me out of it. We are swapping houses with my parents (oh ya, they get 4 boys and 2 puppies with mine ha ha!) and site seeing in Boston and on Cape Cod. Kind of funny since I grew up there, but I have never done the FREEDOM TRAIL or biked the Canal at the Cape. It's going to be a great time!

Our school year starts Monday. I have made up the boys schedules and posted them on the fridge. Forrest has been excepted into a half day(every other day) technical school as a "Bio-Tech" student. He is sooooooo excited. It's going to be a little crazy trying to work "school" back into our school day. Luckily they are going to let him take the bus and drop him down the street on their way back to the regular high school. This will save me close to two hours of driving time daily. His days will be busy if he wants to complete all the courses he has started but i know he can do it. Sometimes I find, the busier you are, the more you get done.

Gaynor will be continuing with his Oak Meadow (Waldorf based) curriculum and Math-U-See plus Rosetta Stone French. Harland will be playing and working on his reading and writing. He has stared writing phonetically on his own, making lists of characters from books and movies.I am still amazed to see this child, who has never been exposed to a traditional school model, learning all he needs to learn, basically on his own. My older ones were not this way when I took them out of school. They still feel they need a curriculum and "work" and that is fine, it is just very different for Harland. I am secretly looking forward to a more scheduled day. Although, I am quite sure Indigo has other plans.

My house is slowly coming back to me. The play room looks awesome. I got rid of tons of toys. Our school area is more organized, there is still work to be done though. I have lots still to do but I am happy with the results so far.

I have all ready started holiday knitting. I am hoping for a homemade/local Christmas. We have not followed through on this plan yet, maybe this will be the year. It really is totally mental for me. I need to get over the idea of my boys having tons of gifts to open. Quality not quantity. It just continues to be harder than expected to wrap my brain around this change. Sarah has convinced me to work on developing new traditions for the season and the big day. Maybe if I start planning now I can accomplish this goal. Got any advice for me? Bring it on! What type of non gift traditions do you have for Christmas day? Games? Meals? I would love to hear what you are doing. Yes, I realize it's still August.

Beach Compromise and plans to "get it under control"

2009-08-20T11:36:00.005-04:00

Yesterday Sarah and I headed for the beach with my three youngest. We had originally planned for the ocean, but alas, common sense got the best of me. It's no longer a free day of fun when We have to drive around two hours to get there and two to get back. Have you seen the price of GAS????

So, Instead Sarah suggested Dummer's Beach or "Dummahs Beach" if you are a true Mainer. I am an ocean girl, but as far as fresh water goes, it was lovely! It's at a campground so we payed $5 to get in. It is a small but sandy beach and the lake is big enough to produce some little waves, but shallow enough to walk way WAY out and still stand. Plus you really can't beat the view!

Indigo, my fearless child, ran right out into the water several times ending up under water before I could grab him. He didn't care in the least! I finally convinced him to stay on the shore and dig in the sand. Plenty of Snacks and sandwiches with homemade bread and homemade jam alah Sarah made the day complete. And only a 20 minute drive! We might even get back before our very very short summer is over.

New Plans on the home front. I am kicking the FLYLADY thing into high gear this week. Sarah is trying it out too. So I decided to post a little about the system, my thoughts on it, and my progress over the next few weeks. It is, after all, almost fall and I need to get this place under control before we start up school work again. For the real deal though, go to www.flylady.net. let me know if you get on board.

Baby steps is what this is all about. Starting with a shiny sink. I have been down this road before and when i think back to what my life was like while full on FLYING I have visions of peaceful days full of fun, yummy dinners prepared on time and waking up to a clean kitchen, coffee made, breakfast dishes laid out. I need this back!

Shining your sink is where it all begins. Mine has been truly shining for 3 days now. It really is amazing how just a clean sink can change you attitude. Flylady gives full instructions on how to get really clean and you don't even have to wash all those nasty dishes first!

Day two of baby steps is dressing to lace up shoes! I fought this one big time my first time around. I hated the look of sneakers. 6 years later, this is pretty much all I wear. Her theories have proven true. You won't kick them off and you will truly get more accomplished. My feet thank her every day. As far as just getting dressed. It can be tough as a stay-at-home mom especially in the winter when i have no place to go. But, pj's equal lounging and I am a professional! The simple act of putting on clothes, even fresh clean work out type clothes (not frumpy sweats) help me to treat my life more like a job that needs to be done and done properly. It has also saved me many times from running to my bedroom when someone shows up on my doorstep unannounced.

This is where I am at so far. yup, just day two. But I all ready feel better. It's like when I was a kid and my mom would send me to "clean my room" I would cry and even fall asleep there with out doing a thing. I just litterally had NO idea where to start. i am simply not a BO (Born Organized) or even close. I need it broken down and then it is no problem.

The most interesting thing, I think, about the Flylady system is that it is not just about cleaning your house. it's about taking care of yourself first! FLY stands for "finally loving yourself" it's not implying that your a depressed or needy but let's face it. As mom's we often, VERY often put ourselves last. She compares FLYing to putting on your oxygen mask before your children's. Makes sense right? Trust me, give this a try with me! You will love it!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Tomatoes!

2009-08-18T20:36:00.007-04:00

Man, All I can think about is tomatoes! Not gross grocery store tomatoes but yummy, local, organically grown goodness! I happen to have tomato plants, but no tomatoes in my garden. Six weeks of rain and my inability to garden in the rain contributed to this. So sad, but........These wonderful people have some of the most amazing tomatoes I have ever EVER tasted. Black Krim, Orange Banana, Striped German, Green Zebra, the list goes on and on. So, what to do with tomatoes.

Well my all time fave is a mile high tomato sandwich, with veganaise, fresh basil and salt. but here is a recipe I love for dinner its super easy and you only have to cook the pasta so no hot kitchen.

Summer pasta

no measurements here. you have to make enough for your family and it tastes great the next day too. Here is an approximate for a family of 6

6-8 large tomatoes chopped to bite size chunks
2 cloves of garlic pressed (this is the best way)
a good solid drizzle of olive oil (don't be afraid, its good for you)
about a cup or so of balsamic vinegar( you want a good amount in the bowl to drizzle on the pasta)
a few good fist fulls of fresh basil leaves chopped well

mix it all together and let it sit covered on the counter while you cook your pasta

in my non vegan days, we added fresh buffalo mozzarella diced just before serving, not too early because the vinegar can pickle it.

dish out pasta, something with lines holds the vinegar,
drown in tomato mix, salt generously

mmmmmmm, seriously delicious!

This next recipe has been requested and it does involve tomatoes so here goes

L&J's Tofu Sandwiches (for my sister, its originally her's)

1 pkg extra firm tofu drained and pressed for an hour **see below for pressing inst.
tamari
sesame oil
canola oil
1 haas avocado, peeled and sliced
1 big and juicy local tomato sliced
veganaise (or mayo)
Dijon mustard
balsamic vinegar
toast slices, something wholegrain and yummy

slice pressed tofu thinly into rectangles
coat slices well in tamari to marinade (just for a minute or two is fine)
heat a cast iron skillet on med to low heat
add a few table spoons of canola oil and a drizzle of sesame oil
fry tofu until well browned on bottom and flip, ( i like em crispy like bacon)
place on paper towel

if you have a splatter guard for your pan, use it! I use a giant oven mitt and extra long tongs! ha ha!

make a little dressing with dijon and vinegar

stack up a good fatty sandwich with mayo on both side, drizzle with dressing and some salt(yes I like-a-the-salt)

makes at least 4 sandwiches, probably closer to 6 if Mike is not eating at your house

enjoy! tastes like a fancy BLT for all you non tofu eaters, even my kids like it!

***pressing tofu****

new to tofu? this is an awesome recipe to start with! just slice it nice and thin and let it get good and brown Bacon, I SWEAR!

pressing tofu

take two plates and a 2 piles of about 10 paper towels each ( I have been known to use dish towels or cloth napkins to be earth friendly but i compost my paper towels too)
fold up the piles to the size of of the tofu
place one pile on a plate
put tofu on top
place next pile on top of tofu
put another plate on top of that and top it with a nice heavy cast iron skillet and leave for 30 minutes, check and replace towels if saturated, leave for 30 more minutes
the idea here is to squeeze all the water out to make room for the marinade. trust me, its well worth it!

let me know if you try these!

Look Who's Two

2009-08-17T07:43:00.007-04:00

I know there is no sound, i took it on my regular camera, He is saying "Happy BEE BEE, TWO! Its the best I can do!

Today is Indigo's second Bee Bee (that's Birthday to you and me). We had a little, and I mean little, party yesterday but it was quite nice. Sarah and Andy came over and we ate like pigs for hours. I feel like my younger two get jipped when it comes to Birthday parties. When the older two were younger we threw crazy parties. We have had carnivals which included jugglers on stilts (mike and his plastering stilts) Halloween birthdays with cauldron cakes and Dinosaur parties with a giant plaster skeleton of a T-rex buried in the sandbox waiting to be excavated by little paleontologists. They were a blast. But we have moved away, have far fewer friends and are much more careful with our money. Anyway, my idea was to make it as much of a "party" as I could even with only two guests. I think it went quite well.

It was um like 90 degrees or more but I am definitely not complaining because, you know, this is the very first, VERY FIRST weekend that it has not rained at least once all summer!!!!!! S&A brought their easy up and we set up a nice table outside.

I cooked like 30 people were coming but we made a good dent in it. It was delicious.
Indigo slept through most of lunch but when he woke up he opened his presents and was so excited. All he talks about is BAHHHHNNNNS! So we got him a Melissa and Doug red barn. He LOVED IT.

Indigo and Harland started playing with it first thing this morning

Sarah made an absolutely adorable bag for Indigo. I was super impressed. A Quilt top with needle felting and cross stitch! Adorable. I think it will make a perfect library bag for Indigo's library selections. Inside the bag were new sneakers, and just in time!
Please note this is the end of the day, hence the sticky dirty watermelon face! I always say you can tell if a kid is having a great time by how dirty they are.

The boys also gave him a gift the day before the party. Forrest was leaving for his trip to Massachusetts. They gave him a little cutting set from Melissa & Doug. Too cute. Indigo cut fruit for hours!

After presents, Mike and Andy took the boys swimming in the river, we have a great little swimming hole right on the property. Sarah and I stayed to clean up and play with Indigo and the barn. It was a lovely day with great friends.

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Peace is.......................

2009-08-12T07:21:00.003-04:00

Peace is,

an almost 2 year old with his first buzz cut. Love rubbing that head!

still finding vegetables like treasure among the waist high weeds

20 minutes of yoga without any fighting, crying or yelling

sunny days after 6 weeks (yes literally) of rain

Ends meeting

Great new friends who feel like great old friends

local tomatoes

mountains, swimming in morning mis, just outside our window

getting on a bike for the first time in over 15 years!

laying quietly watching my babies sleep

knitting gifts for a far away friend's first baby

lilies lilies everywhere

coffee in the morning all alone

What brings you all peace. Lets hear it!

see my boys in action!

2009-08-01T17:51:00.003-04:00

here is a little ad Forrest and Gaynor did years ago for Kaiju Big Battle. They never got back to do the voice over so the voices are not theirs but the acting is 100%. I could watch it over and over. Cracks me up!

Minion Munchies Commercial

What the heck is going on?

2009-07-03T11:18:00.017-04:00

So, I have barely been posting and I'm sorry for that. I have not felt too inspired with the entire month of June being a wash out....Literally! 1 day(and not even a full one) of sun in over 3 weeks. My house is a mess, my kids are being rotten, the puppies are stir-crazy and I am sick, and of course cranky. I am actually feeling better today. trying to dig out from taking two days to lay on the couch. The sun is not out, but....it's not raining so that is making me feel better. So I though I would let you know what has been going on.

My vacation to P-town....didn't happen. Those who know me will not be surprised. My husband is self employed and work was slow which means no extra money and careful budgeting in case no more work comes. Also, our friend the tattoo artist had a lot going on that weekend so we have opted for better planning and a fall trip instead. I was sad, but I am over it.

My garden, tons of snap peas, about 10 strawberries (not bad) and lots lots more coming. Ya, I'm sticking with the positive as to not cry here!

Mike got word on work that should last through the summer. The rain is causing some problems (its outdoor work) but at least we know it is there.

Forrest has some great things happening! He is no longer working at the farmer's market(just wasn't working out) but he has been back at Marble Family Farms helping out when needed. He is very happy there. We also just learned our local technical school accepts home school students. They work with the local high schools (quite a few) but are a technical school only. This means the students do their academics at their own school and travel there every other day for technical school. They are offering two new awesome programs, bio-technology and alternative energy. So, we are filling out applications and he will be going for tours and an interview. It is just what I had always hoped for but never though would happen. Maine seems to be much friendlier to homeschoolers than Massachusetts. We also discovered Maine has a "free laptop" program for children enrolled part or full time in participating schools so he may qualify. Which is awesome since his second computer from overstock.com just broke and is being returned AGAIN! poor kid. He would be getting a Mac Book if he qualifies...I'm soooooooooo jealous! Forrest has also been putting some hours in at the house mike is working at and is saving for a car......can't even go there right now......Seriously! wasn't he just born? yikes!!!! He also joined a book club for kids his age at our local book store and has most likely already finished all 5 books he is supposed to read over the summer. he kills me!
His school work seems to get done in spurts. The rain has helped him get a bunch done as there isn't much else to do. He should be finishing his bio course this month, so far, looks like an A! good boy!

Gaynor is loving his new curriculum. We went with Oak Meadow, a Waldorf inspired curriculum. This will cover all subjects except math where we are sticking with Math-U-see. The curriculum is planned out by the week and involves lots of creative projects. This is perfect for our little artist. He has made cave paintings, a coil pot, he is drawing a free hand map of the world one step at time, he is making an ancient Egyptian game and he is only into week 4. He will be learning all about different religions and ancient civilizations. lots of creative thinking and writing and very little-to no busy work. Just what he needs. Gaynor will be hopefully volunteering at Marble Family Farms one day per week for the summer. It is an awesome experience and S&A and are such great mentors and friends I couldn't ask for a better place for him to be. He will likely be spending 2 weeks at summer camp up by Sugarloaf Mt. It's an outdoor adventure camp they all attended last year. Awesome times for a super reasonable price. He is looking forward to it.

Harland is in Massachusetts for a week visiting with my family. He was a little sad before he left. He was really going to miss........the dogs! Gotta love him. so far he has been there for two nights and has spoken about 8 words to me as he is far to busy to talk on the phone! I miss him more than I expected.....it is startlingly quiet here. Harland will also be attending Adventure camp for at least a week. He has also made a great friend in the land owner's son and we are hoping to see them more this summer. I am considering the Oak Meadow curriculum for Harland this fall. We would be starting him in their 1st grade curriculum as he is beginning to read. It is pricey so we are waiting to make sure we truly love their product with Gaynor. Harland has enjoyed the rain the most i think. He will get all his gear on and play in the puddles for hours at a time. Thank Goodness!!!!

I am posting this pic because I think it is hysterical! move over Tom Cruise! I can handle the fact that my house is clearly beyond trashed here and that mike is going to kill me for posting it. Not his best photo, but, just yell out, "just take those old records off the shelf!" and pretend you can't see the back ground! love it!

This cabinet usually holds our 50lb bag of oats. We ran out.....what fun!

Indigo, I can't believe he is almost 2! He is talking like crazy. He seems so happy that we all understand what he says and what he wants. He has taken to repeating everything. He yelled "LIMA BEANS!" all through the market last week causing him mom and brothers to hysterically laugh the entire time and causing everyone else to think we were completely crazy! He needs a hair cut but i am stalling. i love the little curl in the back. He is sleeping through the night most nights and now i just have to worry about the dogs. I am hoping to do some potty time this summer (feeling ambitious) and mike is sure we should loose the binky like NOW but me and my "full nights of sleep" are fighting this one to the end!

Stella and Donovan are getting HUGE! and it's not even close to being done growing! We are having some minor behavior issues and are having a trainer out this weekend. Mostly cat chasing and car lunging (Donovan) and counter/highchair jumping (Stella) I just want to have them listening well before the can pull me off my feet which will likely be soon. I still think we are doing remarkably well for having two puppies, especially with all this freaking rain!!!I'll let you know how the training goes.

We did manage to go straweberry picking on the one day of sun this month. We pick 15 1/2 pounds of berries and ate them in 4 days! We just went again with auntie and picked another 15 /12 pounds but the flavor is not as good. i think we will make jam this week.

Off the cuff homeschooling

2009-06-17T08:30:00.006-04:00

UMmmm, i started this post last week but I'm going with it!!!

Yesterday we had one of those great moments that made me remember why I love homeshcooling. (yes I do forget sometimes) We had stopped by Sarah and Andy's place to pick up some delicious spinach and basil. When we pulled up to the farm, Gaynor shouted, "MOM! look at the BEES!" At first all I saw was the traditional beehive by the barn that has always been there. Forrest and I both rolled our eyes and began to explain how it has always been there. Gaynor, said "NO, LOOK!" The bees were everywhere. We guessed they were swarming. A dream come true for owners of a brand new Top Bar Hive!!! I went to find Sarah and Andy came up and the kids showed him. Andy and Forrest got the new hive, and andy suited up in a bee keeper suit. I moved the van closer and put all the kids inside with with windows up and A/C on. If you don't allready know, my boys are petrified of bees. Last fall, the three oldest stepped on a nest and were stung multiple times. More importantly they were tramatized which is one of the reasons I really wanted bees. Any way, I got out to take pictures. I still kept away. We had no idea how it would go! I'm not going to go into detail at this point. Mostly because I don't want to spoil the blog that I am sure Sarah and Andy are going to post on their page. But, It was amazing to watch! I was so exited. The hum of the bees was so loud! We all feel much better about bees in general, especially the boys. They even came out of the van to take a closer look when all was said and done.
The point is, if they were in school it never would have happened. Literally. S&A most likely would have missed it as they were very busy getting ready for market. It was Gaynor who first spotted it. Also, not being in a rush to get anywhere certainly helped. We just stayed until it was finished. How many children know how to catch a swarm of bees and place it in a hive? What Fun! i was so excited! ok, click here and go to Marble family farms and see the pics! pretty amazing!

I will try to post again this week. The sun has come out for the first time in about 2 weeks and i need NEED to be outside. bye bye! enjoy the sun!

Rainy Day Activities

2009-06-14T08:06:00.005-04:00

It rained for about 3 or four days this week. This drove everyone to some serious silliness. The big boys were making lunch and being goofy. Harland played outside for about 3 hours!!! He had a great time. Just a Miso container, two "old school" little people and a rubber duck. oh, and a giant puddle. Indigo was painting. He absolutely loves to draw and paint. Especially on himself and/or the furniture and toys.

Yesterday was mostly sunny but the bugs were so out of hand I couldn't work in the garden much. I did get some weeding done before I ran for my life from the snacking black flies. I have also finally caught up on my Mt Washmore. I am on a mission to get this place under control before we leave for Massachusetts. I hate coming home to a messy house.

I GOT PERMISSION!

2009-06-12T08:22:00.008-04:00

Forrest has generously allowed me to post this, and ONLY this, Picture of him before the Semi-formal. The theme was "Hollywood" I think, which we didn't even know before we dressed him all "American Gangster". He looked awesome. He is so cool! don't tell him I said that.

Here are two pics Forrest took of Stella. It is funny how different the puppies' personalities are. Stella can dish it out but can't take it. She always starts wrestling with her brother only to start the whimpering and crying when he gives it right back to her. She loves to be brushed as she is a girl and understands the importance of good grooming. She is very food motivated! She fetches the squeaky toucan toy and brings it back to me. She hates her crate. She has an awesome passive aggressive way of letting me know I'm not really in charge, when I put her on her bed "PLACE" she waits until I walk away and then moves 2 feet over to the hearth and lays back down.

Its been raining all week. Great for the garden, less so for four boys and two rambunctious puppies. Mike spread the "poo tea" on the garden, everything seems to be doing much better now. Thank goodness for my wonderful husband. I have never EVER smelled anything sooooo awful! I was gagging the whole time and I didn't even do anything but tell him where to put it. Seriously nasty. but free and effective. We planted acorn squash, cucumbers, zucchini, and butternut, This weekend it will be two kinds of pumpkins and all the tomatoes, maybe the melon as well. The potato plants have popped up, the beets and new spinach and chard are all up, The weeds are trying desperately to take over, we are doing the best we can to hold them back. I will be paying a certain 14 year old to weed the strawberries and onions this weekend. I will take some pics too, I promise! I am also hoping to get the new kitchen floor laid down. It will be nice to have a floor that can be washed, all though I do like the "character" of the tongue and groove sub-floor.
Mike turned 36 Wednesday. I love the six months a year I am married to an older man.

How crazy is CRAZY?

2009-06-05T08:39:00.008-04:00

I normally try to keep the blog positive as it gives me peace to go back and read it all. However, this morning Mike told me I have "had my angry face on for weeks." What does that mean? Is it possible I have taken on too much? NAHHH. The puppies are wonderful and yet a bit kuku. They are into their toddler years now. Think terrible twos in a puppy times two.

I bought them some new toys and puppy teething bones. It made a big difference. They are learning to play fetch, well, they will chase the ball (usually tackling each other mid way) but they don't bring it back or even usually pick it up. You would all be so proud of me, I cooked and cut up a chicken!!! I wanted treats for the dogs, they are omnivores, not vegetarians but i wanted healthy, organic, local goodness for them. So I got a rooster from Sarah and Andy they had processed and in their freezer. They raised it so I know it lived a healthy happy life. Then I covered it in garlic and baked it. The kids were VERY grossed out. I even cut it up into bite sized pieces and froze it in containers. I have never cooked a chicken in my life. I had to ask around for cooking times and temps. Everyone laughed at me. But, its done and those adorable furry babies love it. They also went to the vet last week. They did have worms so they are on meds and have to go back to finish vaccines after they are better. They were very well behaved other than Donovan hated the shiny floor.

Forrest has been working a lot. Two full days with mike this week, staining a guest house and shed. Today is his first day working the Farmer's Market. He will be selling baked goods for a women down the road. I hope it goes well. I have to admitt I miss him terribly. I am so spoiled and used to having him here. He is great company and amazing help. Its different not having an extra set of hands. His school work is going kind of slow but I think its the time of year. He has met a friend in town and is going to a Semi-Formal with her and some of her other friends. I am so happy for him. He is finally meeting kids his age here in Maine.

The garden is frustrating me a bit. Deer track all through my carrots and radishes. We did have a salad, the radishes are delicious. I pulled out the trellis Forrest was working on for the peas. He just doesn't have the time to finish it and the peas are starting to grab the weeds and each other. I went to walmart and bought ugly 8 foot white metal garden borders. It works. That is all that matters. I decided not to go over there for a couple of days in hopes that plants will be bigger. Mike picked up some fertilizer from S&A (don't you love them!) we will be "side dressing" with chicken poo tea as mike calls it. Not my dream come true but the plant are just not growing. I think years of hay has just depleted the soil. Mike assured me he would make the tea this week end. It is seriously stinky stuff. I cooked the chicken, he can make the tea.
My "HONEY DO" list is long enough to roll out across the floor. We are having a working weekend with eight hour days as of tomorrow. Things need to get done!

I also hopped back on the FLYLADY wagon this week. My sink is shining! (as long as no one gets near it). I need order and routine in my house again or I will just drown in dirty laundry and toys. If you have never heard of her, check it out. The last time I surrendered to Flylady, my home was amazing and organized and I was relaxed and peaceful. I swear it works if you really do it. I have come to the realization that there just are not enough hours in the day. I also gave in to some quick and easy meals this week. Including chili dogs and pasta with (GASP) jarred sauce!

To top it all off, check this out.

YUP, Poison IVY! I had to take him to the Doctor's because Mike and I have never had it. Poor kid is miserable! Him and Forrest were camping out by the river. They were fooling around and Forrest accidentally pushed him down right into it. I am choosing to believe it was unintentional. He is on a regimen of hydro-cortisone, colloidal oatmeal and calamine lotion, with just a hint of benedryl. This kid has had more topical allergies, irritations, bug bites rashes and itches than I have ever seen. We call him itchy scratchy! The pediatrician said the variety that grows along the river here is particularly evil. She also mentioned something I never would have thought of. The puppies. It seems the dogs will get the oil on their fur and then the kids can get poison ivy from touching them. SOOOOO puppy baths are in order. We bathed Stella last night, it was exhausting to say the least. We will do Donovan tonight as two puppy baths in one evening is way too much for Mike and I.

So what have I done to combat the seemingly permanent angry face you ask? I planned a mini vacation, with NO CHILDREN!!!! I know! CRAZY! Mike's birthday is coming up so that is my excuse. We are going to Mass, dropping off 4 children and two puppies with my wonderful parents, and heading to Province Town for exactly one night! WHOOO HOOOO! I think there will be a visit to a good friend who just opened an Art Gallery/Tattoo shop, and yes I believe I will come home with some new art work and hopefully a new attitude. I need this in a big way! Then I can get back to planning our adventure in organic strawberry growing, fiber sheep raising, honey-bee caring vegetable/herb gardening life.

Its a learing experience.

2009-05-28T07:33:00.004-04:00

It has been crazy busy around here which is why I have all ready yawned 6 times and it's only 7:40 AM. The puppies are doing great. we are working them hard and they are learning fast. We have watched every clip of Victoria Stilwell and Ceasar Millan available on the internet. We love them both.
There are a few new animals on this property besides Stella and Donovan as well. The wonderful people who own this beautiful farm we'll call them M&A and their son E for now, are in the process of moving back on to the property. They have brought their three cats, their, pretty and sweet collie and their miniature donkey Chloe and pony Dorri.

It has been pretty wonderful having all of them here. The children love the animals and we are looking forward to seeing more around here. Our idea is to work towards a cooperative living arrangement with M&A and our families. So we can share this amazing farm and all it has to offer.

The garden has proven to provide me with all kinds of challenges and learning experiences. We have rototilled the empty areas again. (thanks S&A) The grass had gotten so out of hand i joked we were growing hay. The onions and strawberries look amazing, they are mulched heavily with straw and not too bad with weeds. The peas are growing like crazy and Forrest is building and awesome trellis out of sticks and vines for them to climb. The mixed greens, (what didn't wash away as seed) look so yummy, Harland keeps snacking when ever we are out there. The radishes (also far less than i planted originally) are also looking splendid and taste sweet and peppery. I think we will have a big yummy salad once the rain stops. The spinach didn't do so great, only a few plants survived. The lettuce plants are tiny and a few died, they, along with the kale, cabbage, brussell sprouts, and broccoli, don't seem to be growing. I think we need to add fertilizer or compost. I will check them again after the 5 days of rain we are having.
Watering without rain is proving to be a total night mare. We have to lug the water across the street and down the dirt road in buckets and it takes many trips to bring enough for everything. We are working on getting a spigot over there. I also planted swiss chard, more spinach, beets, sweet potatoes and a hand full of potatoes just before the rain started. i can't wait to see if they germinate over the next few days.
Our farmer friends will be so proud of me, i planted them in actual coherent rows this time. This is a new thing for me. I always did patches. The problem is the weeds. They are so crazy and in a patch form, it's harder to tell exactly what is a weed and what is a sprouting plant. I think rows will help. I will plant our next carrot planting this way too.
Speaking of carrots....ARRRGGGGG! If you know me, you know these are my life line. I quite literally snack on raw carrots all day. But, they have now become the challenge of a life time. They are teeny tiny little fellas when they sprout. The grass and weeds grow much faster. then when you try to pull out a weed,.....out pops 20 carrot plants! Hopefully rows will change this drastically. I NEED CARROTS!
Now lets talk tomatoes. Not a single seedling made it. I had three trays and probably 12 or so varieties thanks to those wonderful friends S&A. I killed them all. To be honest, some are still alive, kind of. They are tiny bare stems with one or two minuscule leaves on them. It is sooo sad. I think i over watered them. In my defense, this is the first time i have ever done tomatoes from seed. I have always purchased plants. But, Sarah and Andy to the rescue again! I quite honestly have no idea what we would do with out them. Andy had a few tomato plants he never put into the ground and he was generous enough to throw them my way. hopefully I won't kill these.

Sarah came for lunch last week and went over a giant list of questions I had. There is really a ton to learn and she was very helpful. We are talking about the possibility of having organic strawberries as our niche crop, apparently they are very hard to come by and i think they would do great, if we don't eat them all. I borrowed a new farming/garden book from M. So far I really like this guys ideas. The vegetable gardeners bible its called. Between planting, weeding, planning, dreaming and learning, this farming thing is taking up a ton of time. I guess that is why no one has clean underwear. I am very excited about the possibilities for the future. I have never been so happy to be so over extended and exhausted.

Things I have learned so far.

There is a weed that looks soooo much like a radish i have pulled out more than a few weeds only to find a perfect pink radish at the end.

Slugs are the enemy

Carrots don't love me as much as I love them

Rows do matter(I really fought this one)

Straw is wonderful but way too expensive

I enjoy spending time alone, even if its weeding

starting pumpkin, cucumber, squash, and melon seedling are far more rewarding than other plants because they are so darn quick to germinate and grow at an alarming rate.

Farmer friends are invaluable both for their friendship, and help

Clean laundry and coherent meals are over rated

Farming can be extremely dangerous!!!! if you don't believe me just check out what happened to ANDY!

2009-05-19T09:55:00.005-04:00

Stella and Donovan are adjusting well. We are wearing them out if you can believe that. Yesterday they went exploring in the woods, worked on sitting and coming, walked on leads quite a bit,played in the hay fields while we worked in the garden and went to town to the farmers market and to run errands with us. The kids really enjoyed showing them off in town. They were great. Even off the leads they stay right with you. They were so tired that when mike and I tried to walk them last night around 7:00 they refused to walk. They kept laying down. So we ended up coming home. They got right in their crate and settled down quickly and slept until 4:45. out to pee then back to bed until 6:30. I'd say that is a pretty great day with two puppies. They are remarkably calm. Of course they have their moments. They rarely bark and they love to love. we have had only two tiny pee accidents and one poop but that was the first day and it was my fault, i waited too long to take them out. I am a bit tired but its really not too bad. They have figure out the stairs (with help from treats) and are fine now. The only other issues we have had is that Donovan is afraid of the dishwasher and barks at it. We fixed that with the help of treats in front of the running dishwasher and his sister who is just fine with it. Also they got into some burs yesterday out back. What a nightmare with their thick fluffy fur. It looks like they are helping each other out with them though. This morning one had puked up some burs and the big chunk of burs next to Stella's ear that i was planning to cut out today is gone. What a good brother! so here are some pics for anyone that is interested. I will post some non doggy news later today or tomorrow.

Babies Babies Babies!

2009-05-18T07:31:00.004-04:00

We have been discussing the possibility of puppies for a while. We knew we wanted good sized dogs, and two so they would have each other. The two breeds I have been very interested in are Great Pyrenees and Border Collie. They are both farm dogs who need a lot of exercise but are also very intelligent. We were also sure we wanted shelter dogs and babies. I never thought it would all come together. Any way, imagine my surprise when I pop onto Petfinder.com and saw rescue pups coming to NH that were border collie/Pyrenees mix. I'll fill you in on the details and the wonderful work that Victoria and Ross and all of the others do in the next few days. Things are hectic right now as you can imagine. Any way here they are, 10 weeks old cute as can be. Donovan and Stella. They are settling right in. The only issues we have had so far is they are petrified of the stairs? It took 15 minutes to get them to go up or down the stairs in and out of the house. They are catching on. So until later, Thank You Victoria and Ross, Thank you Mark and Anna. We love them!

FIDDLE-HEADIN-MAINE-IACS

2009-05-08T13:17:00.004-04:00

Tuesday, Sarah and Andy sold all 5 1/2 lbs of fiddle heads the boys picked! They were thrilled, Today we dropped off over 13 lbs with them. The boys picked in the rain on two different days. We washed and stemmed fiddle heads for hours last night. I am so proud of them, such hard workers. I hope they all sell today! If not, we will pickle the rest. I wonder if the kids will get another week out of it. I hope so.

Exhausted

2009-05-05T07:33:00.006-04:00

So, yesterday, I ran errands including two weeks of grocery shopping, then came home and worked in the garden for three hours, made granola, baked date bars, made dinner, and almost fell into bed. It was a long day. Normally, grocery shopping is plenty for me in one day. It is a project! We also run all our errands so as to only drive to town once per week. It is going to be an interesting spring to say the least.

I weeded and mulched some more. There seems to be a whole lot of onion plants missing. What eats onions? Mike said a woodchuck. That would be our luck as a neighbor offered to come and kill some and I said no....thank you. We covered a huge section not currently being used with a blue tarp. We are hoping to kill some sod. It is popping up everywhere! It just won't go away. I can't help but think of all the times we tried to grow grass at other homes, and had such a hard time. Now we can't kill it! I started mulching in the onions with leaves. It makes me laugh to be raking leaves out of the woods! But it works wonders. My sister has always done this and she has the most gorgeous gardens. As the onions grow taller, I will add more. It will help keep the moisture in and the weeds out. My plan is to mulch the paths with straw and the veggies with leaves. Mostly to give a visual for the kids of where they can and can not walk.

The strawberry plants look awesome! They are already growing like crazy! mmmmmmm. I know you are not supposed to let them fruit the first year but we are going to. I just can't do it. We love strawberries!

I hung pie plates around the garden to try and deter the deer, but, I think I am going to take them down. I feel bad for the fox and her pups right next to the garden. She actually came out yesterday and didn't run, but walked up the hill, maybe she is getting used to us. I just can't imagine them having to deal with all that loud clanking. They don't eat my veggies!

I am knitting my first pair of socks. I hope it works out. I would love a whole bunch of pretty striped socks!

The first set of beehives is pretty much completed. Andy and Sarah have one and we have one. Mike still needs to drill the hole and make a top. Then I will rub the inside with bee's wax and drip some citronella on it and hope for bees. If that doesn't work we will purchase bees from our neighbor. I would like at least two hives this year. Once it has legs and a cover, i will post some pics.

Andy offered to sell fiddle heads at the market for us. So I told the boys it they picked they could keep the money. They were thrilled. they picked for hours yesterday. There are still plenty left. So today we will drop them off and hope for the best.

Science and Nature

2009-04-27T15:14:00.019-04:00

The last few days have been full of amazing weather and loads of fun. My BIL and SIL and their two boys were up for a visit. We tried out our SOLAR BAGS from Stevespanglerscience.com They are pretty awesome! giant 50 ft trash-bag-like things that demonstrate the concept of hot air rising. Basically you fill them with air on a cool clear morning and wait for the sun to heat the air inside the bag. Then the bag rises..... It can get pretty high. The boys (all six of them) were pretty excited! One shouted, "It looks like a brontosaurus!" People kept slowing down to look at what was going on. The only problem is they rip very easily. Not extremely user friendly when dealing with multiple children under the age of 6. All in all, a really fun time.

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Unfortunately, a few of our seedlings have fallen victim to the Indigo-Blue Bug. It is a crazy monster that just comes and yanks them right out when no one is looking....and even when some one is, but is too far to reach him....I mean it! gotta get the poor guys grown and out where they only have to worry about the deer, birds, and rodents. ha ha!

We also spent lots of time working in the garden. It is really starting to come together. Peas, carrots, mixed greens, spinach, radishes, and tons of onions are in and growing. We also started to plant our strawberry plants which just arrived. I ordered WAY too many, S&A said they would gladly take a few of them off our hands. This week we will add more. I went to check out the raspberry bushes to see just where we would trim. My plan was to cut paths through so we could pick more. However, As I was standing there, An adorable little furry face popped up and looked at me from the center of the patch. Fox pups! 5 of them! sunning themselves from the top of their den.....Smack dab in the middle of the raspberry patch. Mike and I stood and watched them for a while. What hysterical cuteness! We immediately decided not to trim. Momma red fox clearly picked that spot for safety, and really what could be safer than the center of a giant patch of briars! So we will leave well enough alone. We can pick from the outside for this year and see what next year brings. I am in awe of just how red, red foxes are! It was, and will continue to be a treat for us to see them.

We also spotted moose tracks coming right up the dirt road through our fields. I can not believe I haven't seen one yet!! Deer tracks in our garden too. This one does not thrill me. I am hoping there will just be plenty for everyone, us and the deer. I priced fencing and it is just not an option.

Today we tried out the "mentos gyser" from Stevespanglerscience.com. it was a free gift with my order. What great fun. An explosion of diet soda with a lesson behind it. What more could a mom ask for.

The goats are a no go, for now anyway. The owner has sold them. That is fine. I was sort of looking forward to meeting them and making them part of the family, but at the same time, I might not need something else to do and/or keep track of. There is still the possibility of a donkey and a pony. Also, we are still seriously considering adopting sheltered, farm animals though we are just in the talking stages. We still need to bring the hay barn up to animal home standards and we are very busy right now.

We also went out to the river to look for fiddle head ferns. A Maine treat! They grow wild in the flood plains around the river. My sister used to bring them to us so we are no stranger to their yumminess. We picked quite a few. Its really quite fun, like treasure hunting. We had to practically run home as monster dark clouds were rolling in fast and we had to cross acres of fields. We got home just as it started to rain. Cute little suckers aren't they. we cooked them up in stir-fry and tomorrow we will have more with black eyed peas and BBQ sauce. yum! gotta eat them up, they only grow for, like two weeks!

.

We have just been going, going, going! I am loving it. The best is falling in to bed at 8pm exhausted and sore. The hardest part is finding time to do all of my "regular" stuff. ie, laundry cooking cleaning. How did those darn pioneer women do it? heck, it can wait until it rains, right?
This week it's beehive building, barn repairing and ripping out walls in the cellar. Oh and of course more planting! Did I mention we have to lug water in 15 gallon barrels in the wheel barrow across the street and down the road to the garden. Then fill up the little watering can over and over to water.... Hope it rains soon! This is supposed to be the wet season! until next time!

Making Progress in the garden

2009-04-22T09:49:00.007-04:00

Monday we planted out in the garden. Onion sets, carrots, radishes, baby greens, spinach and peas. I only planted a small patch of carrots as it is still a little early. We were out there for about 5 hours all together. It can be slow going when you have all that "help" from a 5 and 1 year old. I thought having all that space to roam would make it easy. Indigo seems to need to be right under me. There was a lot of stepping on what i just planted! Harland and I planted peas together. My row is soooo very crooked. I was a little distracted. I don't think I'll be judged on how straight my row is though. Harland woke up this morning and said. "Mom, I can't wait to get over there today and pick some peas!" ha ha! We only planted about 1/2 of the almost 400 peas we have. I'll plant more in a few weeks. I also planted 1/3 of the greens and 1/2 of the spinach. Hopefully it will spread out the harvest a bit.

We got a ton of rain yesterday. Good and Bad. Of course we need it, but I'm concerned some of my seeds may have washed away. I guess we won't know until they start to grow....or don't.

The tomato seedlings have popped up and are leaning towards the sunny windows. They look great and MAN! we are going to have some serious tomatoes! We also planted cabbage, lettuce, kale, peppers, hot peppers, and some other things i am sure i am forgetting. They are all in the other southern window and have also began to sprout up. It's all very exciting.
We did decide to buy some straw even at $6.50 a bale! Which I think is sooo outrageous considering it is a by-product of grains! But with our garden being in a well established hay field, we really need to mulch like crazy to try and keep the grass and weeds down. We will add leaves as well. Mulch-a-mania! That's what it will be!
Friday I plan to trim the raspberry bushes. They are thick and we need to cut paths through so we can pick in the middle. They don't do much good if you can't reach the darn things.
I woke up this morning quite sore. Laugh if you must, but hoeing is hard work. (no crude jokes please!) I am sore all through my belly and back and shoulders. It is going to be great for me. I kind of like that sore feeling, means I actually did something!
So, It looks like the goats are not coming. I believe they have been sold. I am a little sad but I really think it is just as well. There is plenty of time for animals later down the road. I still want a dog, or two but I will need to convince mike. I think we will wait a little while on this too. It's just about puppy season so we might even get lucky and find puppies at the shelter.
Next weekend we will be building top bar hives. I am really excited about the bees. We may also purchase a traditional hive to "compare and contrast" as the kids say. A man right down the road has a bunch of hives for sale with bees. Again, this is still being decided. But the top bar hives are a go!

Ok so that is all for now, I will leave you with these photos of my little destructo! he just lovessssss to dump things out!

All before 9:30 AM. luckily he is so darn cute! I guess I'll keep him.

BIG BIG Giveaway!

2009-04-21T08:34:00.004-04:00

The Meanest Mom is having a huge giveaway in honor of Mother's Day. There are tons of different Items and pretty much something for everyone. I especially love the no whining pendant and the Name Meaning Sign. Go and enter....NOW!

The Meanest Mom

Knitting and Planting

2009-04-13T10:51:00.004-04:00

This is the original booty I made for a friend's new baby. They were way to big as I Make it a point to pay no attention to yarn weight and or gauge. So I am knitting the match today and they will be slippers for Indigo. He loves them

These are for Baby Ryan, I finally broke down and paid for a pattern for booties from Etsy. It was only $3.50. They are easy and super fast. I may make more to donate. I am trying to use up my yarn stash and these are perfect.

Planting, it was too cold outside for wet muddy hands so we improvised. Three whole trays of tomatoes thanks to the generous seed giving from the Marble/Winslow family. Mike is still tilling! It is taking forever to get through the hay roots but he is making progress. I am amazed at how well drained the soil is. It is Maine after all, we are in "Mud Season" but our soil is remarkably dry. This is a good thing. Fencing for the goats is arriving this week and work on the barn should be starting soon. I'm not exactly sure how Mike plans to get it all done and work. But I'll just feed the machine and do what I can to help....Ya know, from inside where it is warm. JOKING, JOKING... as long as it is 50 degrees out, I'll come out and watch.

Tilling.....

2009-04-10T09:43:00.002-04:00

So much to say, so little time

2009-04-09T10:36:00.006-04:00

I have put off posting about our would-be- farm up until this point. When we found this place, our original agreement with the land owner was until May 15th. Since then we have talked with her many times about the possibility of staying and this week we got the word...We are good until next spring, at least. I am relieved, and thrilled. We really love it here. We are working very hard to become debt free, at which point we may be able to buy into this land and stay permanently. But for now, all that matters is that I don't have to pack and move AGAIN!
So, now I am ready to share our plans. Homesteading and self-sufficiency are our main goals. We are planting a huge garden with tons of different veggies as well as melons and strawberries. We also have rasberries and apples on the property. We are also building 3 top bar bee hives for honey. Also, part of our arrangement to stay involves us caring for some dairy goats. I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first but I know we will care for and love these animals as we have always done with any animal and I think that is really important. We have always said that vegan ideals clash in some areas with our desire to be self-sufficient and eat a completly homegrown or at least local diet. This is central Maine after all. To be honest, the vegan verses homestead debate is something I will save for another time. So, We are mending and preparing one of our barns for the animals. There may also be a donkey and a pony coming as well. I am considering fiber sheep from an animal shelter that need a good home for life as well as a dog or two, also from a shelter or rescue. We are huge animal lovers here and really enjoy their company.

Our idea is to provide our own family with as much food as we can. This will not only be the healthiest (and yummiest) way for us to eat but will save us a ton of money. If we have a surplus, we will sell it at the local farmers market. Next year, we intend to progress to actually farming for a small income. This year will be our learning year.
We have some amazing farmer friends who I have mentioned before. Sarah and Andy, we love you! They have been sooo helpful. It makes a huge difference to have someone to ask questions to or bounce ideas off of who are already farming, the way we want to.
Here is our garden spot.

Here is view from my garden spot

Those are our raspberry bushes under the trees. So what we are doing over these next few weeks is; Mending our barn and modifying it to make some goats comfy. Building a fence for the goats, tilling our very large garden, trimming raspberry bushes, building a utility shed( our garden is across the street) building bee hives, starting seedlings indoors and..........NOT MOVING!!!!It is going to crazy and exhausting, but fun fun fun! I feel like we are really on our way here!

On a side note, I took these pics today and needed to share. What an awesome school my son attends where he can sit on the porch at 8:00 am doing school work and enjoying the sun and birds and fresh air. Oh and the 1/2 cup of coffee he conned his mom into letting him have.

This is the "art" Gaynor and Harland made. It was originally on top of snow.

Indigo out enjoying the sun (finally) at 8:30 AM

he's putting rocks in what was my coffee!

We hid the TV from our toddler

2009-04-06T07:40:00.003-04:00

Indigo has been obsessed with the TV for a few months now. However, it has become an increasingly larger problem these last few weeks. He can reach all of the buttons. He just turns it on himself. He will change DVDs adjust volume, he even takes out the dvd and breathes heavy on it to wipe it on his sleeve. (This is quite a site to see, much like him taking games out of the old leapster and blowing the dust out of them) If there is a DVD on top of the TV, he just climbs up and gets it. We started unplugging it all but this just led to him trying to plug it in. We have had more than one day with hours, yes HOURS of crying over the darn TV. So, last week while he was in bed, we hid it. We emptied the closet in the play room. We found a table with wheels and put in the tv, and dvd player. We hung a new curtain up on the doorway and placed a chair in front. It is so well camouflaged he will never know!!!! It has really worked out pretty well. We are also very careful not to to say any of the "danger words" including, Pablo (backyardigans), elmo, video, show, or TV. Each week we watch one movie and two TV shows streaming from the computer. We just put Indigo to bed and pull out the TV. Out of sight out of mind. I have even let Indigo watch a few videos. We just have to move the TV in and out during naps or when he is outside playing. He doesn't question it.....so far. I have to say, I really like having the Tele put away.
We also had to move the computer which has had an unexpected effect. We need the computer close to the TV so we can stream the TV shows onto the TV. we placed the computer on a little table just outside the playroom. The most amazing thing has happened. The kids actually play IN the playroom. I know! It is sooo CRAZY! IN THE PLAYROOM! Really! Because when I am on the computer, I am right next to them. Trains have been set up. Puzzles have been done. Books are being read (in boxes...see below). Cars are being raced. AMAZING! Who knew kids could actually play in a playroom. Here I was thinking it was a place to store toys and to send them as punishment when they are under your feet.

Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potatoe Fries

2009-04-03T07:37:00.004-04:00

Here is a recipe for black bean burgers. I modified the original from Veganomicon.

This recipe makes enough for 6 with plenty of left overs for lunches (about 12 burgers). you can freeze the cooked burgers as well. you can 1/2 pretty easily if you are not feeding an army.

4 cups cooked black beans (or two 15 oz cans drained and rinsed)
1 cup wheat gluten (or vital wheat gluten)
2 tsps cumin
4 tsps chili powder
2 tsps ground coriander (optional)
1 small onion chopped fine
1 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup water
4 tbls canola oil (plus more for frying)
4 cloves garlic pressed

mash the beans with a fork until no whole beans are left don't go crazy, just no whole beans, add oats, gluten, spices, onion and garlic, mix with a fork. add ketchup and water, and oil, mix again, then knead with hands until thoroughly mixed. the gluten will start to form strings. put aside while you make the yummy fries

make patties, you can divide into 12 equal parts first if you want. squish it into a good ball and then flatten to a patty.
now heat a cast iorn or non stick skillet over medium heat. i use below medium with a cast iorn because of smoking. when hot, add thin layer of oil to pan. fry burgers about 5 minutes on each side. press down with spatula before flipping and again after.
we serve them on wheat toast

these are great any way
mexi style with sliced avocado, salsa, lettuce tomato and onion
or straight up, ketchup, mayo (veganaise) mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato onion
my boys like to put sweet fries right on the burgers

these fries are a top ten food with everyone here especially indigo! he eats more than anyone else.

sweet potato fries

2-5 sweet potatoes
garlic powder or granulated garlic
salt
black pepper
canola or olive or grape seed oil

peel and cut sweet potatoes in half and then into basic fry shapes, don't be too picky
place in a bowl
douse with a good amount of oil you want them to be well coated, fat is good for you! and especially good for growing children.
sprinkle with liberal amounts of spices (to taste i guess, we like a lot)
if bowl has a good lid, lid it and shake and swirl until well coated
or just stir it but way less fun.
place fries into glass baking dish and bake a 500 degrees until tender stir every 10 minutes or so. I like to see some browned edges but they are quite soft at that point. just test them. you can't really do it wrong. these are great heated the next day too.

let me know if you make these and what you think

No Post Today

2009-04-02T11:28:00.002-04:00

Click HERE. Enough Said

Taking the Curriculum Plunge

2009-03-26T18:12:00.007-04:00

So as I told you at some point, Forrest has been doing a Biology Correspondence Course through Keystone Highschool. It is an online accredited school. We chose the correspondence course because it was cheaper but also secretly because i didn't want him hogging my computer all day. there, i said it. Any way, he loves it. Its tough and thorough. Exams all have at least 3 multiple part, essay questions and he must complete two term papers. They do have an open book policy but I know from experience that doesn't really make a huge difference. All it really means is that if you are unsure of something and you know where the info is in the book you can check. Otherwise it just takes a ton of time flipping back and forth. It is so much better to just study and learn the material. Forrest agrees. Any way, he got his first two exams back 88 and 91 and he really loves it. Or as he said, "as much as you can love school work".
We have been a little unsure of Forrest's next move lately. He was considering going back to public school for high school next year. Mostly because we have recently moved here to VERY rural Maine from Massachusetts. Forrest doesn't have any friends here and it's proven tough to meet kids his age. He doesn't play sports and there just isn't much going on outside of school. I met a mom of two teens at the ski lodge one day. She used to homeschool her kids. She sent them back for the same reason, a recent long distance move, no friends. Her advice to me was to find "any other way for them to make friends, she very much regrets putting them back into school". I have been more worried about his education. We have basically been winging it for a long time now. We have always used a Math curriculum, but everything else has been all over the place. We recently purchased Rosetta Stone French for homeschooling. It is wonderful! The kids are really learning french! Forrest is very bright and articulate and reads more than any person I have ever known. He can even read in the car with out getting sick! A gift! He also really enjoys writing and writes very well. But, I just felt like it was time for him to get serious about school. He wants to graduate early and he wants to be a CSI. So we chose some classes and ordered a full course load through Keystone. If he completes enough credits through them he will earn a true diploma. They will even evaluate and transfer credit for any other curriculum he has used. This means his Rosetta Stone French will count as credit through them. Because he is going to be a science major, we decided to squeeze in as much science as we could. So, here are his course selections. Chemistry, English I, World History and Algebra, these along with finishing his Bio, he is about 1/2 way through, and his French. It is a lot! yes, but even at 5 hours a day it is still less than a typical school day and with no commute. I did ask him not to get a job until he was well into this year and could judge better whether he can handle it all. His goal is for him to finish this in 6 months and move on. We will see.
Forrest voiced that he would really like to do some of the courses online. I just didn't see how this could work with one family computer that is out in the main living area. Distractions are a huge problem for forrest. That is why he has a desk in his room. He came up with this; He had $175 saved from shoveling this winter and another $175 in the bank ( I strongly encourage (force) him to put half of what he makes away for his future). He has already researched and found a laptop for $360 online. Would I let him use his savings to purchase the laptop. He would use it primarily for school and he would never try to use his savings again, he promised. How can I say no?
So we ordered the laptop, And the curriculum, two online two correspondence. He will now be able to work in his room. I still have to purchase a wireless router and I had to fork up the extra money for the online courses. But, Forrest is very happy, so I guess it is worth it. Of course, he hasn't actually started the work yet.
When Forrest's laptop arrived we had some issues. It is re-furbished. Mike had some issues with multiple drivers being uninstalled. I have no idea what this means other than he could not connect to the internet. Then the battery kept dying. Mike called Overstock.com and they told us this was unacceptable. They sent a replacement computer right out, along with a label to send back the old. I was very happy with customer service but Forrest was disappointed he would have to wait again.
I also had an issue with Keystone. They never processed our order. When I called days later, they apologized and processed and shipped the books 2 day. I realize mistakes happen. Besides, they allow interest free payment plans and an awesome return/refund policy so its not a big deal. Besides, we still don't have the new computer so he is in no rush for the curriculum.
The best part of all of this is that I am sort of "off the hook" or so to speak. Forrest has teachers to answer to and to ask questions of. I think we both agree, he needs this. A little positive pressure can be a good thing. I can still help him with the science if he needs it and I will help him with his organization, scheduling and time management. He does have deadlines and these are tough for him. All in all, I think it is going to be great!

OMG A Bald Eagle!

2009-03-23T15:41:00.003-04:00

We were just sitting down to watch Ocean's 11. It was dusk. Out of the corner of my eye i saw a shadow just outside our huge picture window.....Oh My Gosh! It's A BALD EAGLE! Everyone looked. It was so close to our house and then it landed in a tree directly across the street. All I could think of was a Pterodactyl! It Was HUGE! We all jumped out of our seats. Everyone was yelling and laughing and..ooooops the baby was in bed. Oh well. It jumped up a few branches and then flew away. WOW is really all I can say. My heart was pounding! How exciting! I have seen them in Zoos but never in the wild. Let alone outside my window! Harland had to call "every one he knows" to tell them today. Clearly he was as impressed as I was. I think I feel a unit study coming on! AWESOME!

This is why I live in Maine!

2009-03-20T20:04:00.002-04:00

I don't even think you can really appreciate it from the picture. Rangely Lake with all the mountains behind it. It is amazing. Harland actually took these. The sun actually sets right over the lake. At some point I'm sure I'll get a photo of it.

We also went back to the ski mountain today. It wasn't easy but I convinced Mike to take a half day and meet us over there. He took Harland on a few runs, This was the only photo I could get. Indigo kept trying to run away from me in the lodge and there are stairs everywhere. It may be his back but it's the best i can do for now. Mike changed to his snowboard and spent the rest of the afternoon with Forrest and Gaynor. I took the littles home. I am so glad they have this to do together. All of them really enjoy it.

It still strikes me as pretty amazing!

2009-03-20T07:58:00.002-04:00

There is a pretty substantial gap in age between our second and third boys. 6 years to be exact. The funny thing is that its just enough time for me to forget certain happenings and events. Like learning to read. I taught the two older boys to read. I do remember that. I also seem to remember having more time to do so. Time to just sit with them and read books and sound out words. Harland has been ready to read for a while now. I just haven't had as much time as i would like to really sit with him and work on it. He is very busy too so you have to time it just right. He needs to spend most of his time moving and doing, moving and doing! Well after a day of skiing, his energy was just right. Indigo went into bed early and we were making "second dinner". It's a bit of a tradition with Harland my little hypoglycemic kid. He needs to eat again before bed so as not to wake up shaking uncontrollably due to low sugar. So there we were preparing our oatmeal and we grabbed some books. At first he didn't want to try and sound out a word. "I can't, its too hard" but then it happend. ddddd oooooo gggggg dd oo gg d og DOG! DOG! DOG! and then ANT and then FROG. SO EXCITING! that look, that look they get when they realize they are really truly reading! I wish i could bottle it. its a bigger broader smile than usual. The pride! The glow! Its the beginning of an amazing adventure! That night, now that he is "reading" he slipped into bed with Eragon. i asked him if he was sure that was what he wanted. there are no pictures. His reply "mom, i don't need pictures, i can read now!" AWESOME! it will probably help that we just finished listening to Eragon on CD. Now, as i sit here typing this, I can hear him sounding anything and everything out. He's hooked! He's gonna fit right in here. Pretty soon he'll be just like his brothers, reading more than he sleeps! Congratulations Harland!

Fun Fun Fun and what a view!

2009-03-19T07:24:00.002-04:00

I took the boys skiing on Tuesday. It was beautiful! 5o degrees and sunny! Not even a speck of wind. The mountain got a little busy in the afternoon. A huge local school group was there ( I am really amazed at how bratty other people's kids are and I have convinced myself that my children would never act that way, even if i wasn't around....delusional? possibly) and it was spring break in Nova Scotia. But it was still pretty quiet compared to vacation week. The big boys have moved on to Intermediate trails and are really loving skiing. I wish I had taken them more. Harland took a private lesson. He got to ride the lift twice and did ok. I guess I just thought he would pick it up faster. He enjoyed it this time so i guess that is all that matters. I just had it in my head he would be able to take a few runs with his brothers. But i think it is the ski lodge for this kid for the rest of the season. Maybe mike will find a day to take them . He has just been so busy with work. I would love to put him in another lesson but they are sooo pricey and really not even close to being in the budget. I sure hope his skis and boots fit him next year! He is only 5 so I suppose the fact that he is skiing at all is pretty great. After all his 10 year old and 14 year old brother are also skiing for the FIRST time. We decided the way to cut costs for next year is to not buy Mike a season pass. He really didn't get to go enough to make it worth it. The boys are very reasonable and Harland's is free. I didn't get any photos of Harland because when it was time for his lesson, Forrest had taken my camera to the top of the mountain to get these..........

pretty amazing! They just wanted their non skiing mom to see the view and the lake and how short the trees are up there. funny! we are heading back there again on Friday. Season's almost over, gotta get my money's worth!

A recipe to ensure my entire family eats until they can't move

2009-03-13T11:27:00.003-04:00

and then even fight over left overs. Yes, literally. We got the recipe for Cheesy Bean Enchiladas on vegweb and have had it almost weekly ever since. it is so delicious. We had some friends over (not vegetarian) and had this for dinner. A week later One told me he was still thinking about this yummy meal. yes it is that good! I use canned beans and even let myself buy tortillas and enchilada sauce at the store...YIKES! The fact is i need a few meals that don't take hours to make. We very often eat this on shopping day. I hate cooking on shopping day! Ortega makes an enchilada sauce with no MSG. We use 4 bottles and add 1 cup of hot salsa to the beans as the sauce is mild. I serve it with my yummy coriander rice.

in a sauce pan saute one med onion chopped in oil until soft
add 2-4 cloves garlic and 1-2 tbls whole coriander seeds crushed. You need to use the whole seeds and crush it yourself or it does not have the same flavor. I just wrap it in a cloth napkin and beat it with an ice cream scoop. saute for one more minute add 2 cups brown long grain rice and 4 cups water. bring to boil, cover and simmer until done about 40 mins.

I am currently stuffed from leftovers of this meal. sooo good! we also use the cheese sauce recipe for nachos! good stuff!

Almost wordless Wednesday

2009-03-11T18:18:00.002-04:00

I will admit I painted on the second eyebrow. but the rest was all his doing. i just thought it was so hysterical i wanted him to have a matching one!

School and a some sickies

2009-03-04T11:50:00.010-05:00

First, Thank You Soule Mama for your inspiration. We busted out the water colors. Lovely! Gaynor finally did his oral presentation on Ramadan, Hanuka and Kwanzaa.

We got busy and forgot. Forrest will do his this week. It was terrific. He has asked to do his next report on Chimpanzees an endangered species. We are listening to Eragon on CD. its great. Its amazing to know it was written by a 15 year old boy! Gaynor is working on a series of fictional short stories based on working on a(our) farm. I will post his first on his page this week. If you click on their individual pictures on the right, they will take you to their pages. They are not current but will be soon. Forrest is loving his Biology Curriculum. He received his first test back from his teacher. 88. Mostly because he transposed answers when copying them to the answer sheet. I think he will be more careful next time. His essays received almost full credit, minus 1 point. Pretty Great! The Math-U_See curriculum is going very well. I am very happy with it. Gaynor is still having a tough time dividing fractions so we will go back together tomorrow and work on it. Other than that they are both doing very well. The boys watched "The Future of Food" yesterday. I think they have a new appreciation for our effort to grow our own food as I do. We found a form letter to send to US Senators about keeping organic foods and seeds pure from GMO's and we will send out 3 per week. Forrest is working to start a Harry Potter Alliance group here. Its a really great way for kids to get together and work to make a difference with current events and issues. One of their major issues right now is Darfur and the Genocide happening there. They sort of relate current issues with issues Harry deals with in the stories. Really Interesting. We still are not doing history. This is so tough. I feel like so many history books are jaded and honestly it's not my favorite. Mike has agreed to try and take it over. I just don't know how he will find the time. Any ideas are welcome.
I have jinxed the health of my family again. I mentioned in a comment to Jillienne that my kids have been healthy all winter. So, now, of course they are all sick. Well three of the four so far. Indigo first. He has a bad cold with a terrible cough. He is cranky but eating, drinking and sleeping fine. No high fevers either. So it could be so much worse. Forrest and Harland starting coughing yesterday and are looking progressively worse as the day goes on. So nice we don't have any where to go. We will sit and listen to our story and drink tea, and knit, and paint and rest. oh and wipe noses and cuddle. Maybe i will cuddle with my face pointed in the other direction. Or does that even matter since he sleeps with me with his face less than an inch from mine?

Yummy happy Weekend!

2009-03-03T07:09:00.007-05:00

We ran into our farmer friends, Sarah and Andy at the grocery store on Thursday. It was really kind of weird. I had just said to Mike that I wanted to have them over for dinner again. We were walking in as they were walking out. It was fate. Really! What are the chances of us being there at exactly the right time. Anywho, We invited, and they came for dinner Friday. We always have a great time. Sarah made the chocolate zucchini cake (the kids request) with the peanut butter frosting on the side this time so i could have some. yumma! They are so super helpful too. We have so much to learn about this farming thing and we definitely need all the help we can get. They brought lots of seeds to share. Tons of varieties of tomatoes plus carrots and kale and lettuce. I am thrilled. Andy also said he would help us find our maples so we can tap them. Normally you identify them by the leaves, except, um its winter, no leaves. This is really exciting. Yummy maple syrup. We also discussed some other really exciting ideas. As usual, we were having such a good time gabbing that the time got away from us. They left around midnight. If this was a few years ago, that would be pretty early for me. But, alas, I am old now! So Saturday consisted of us lounging around all day. Honestly, aside from the mess. It was wonderful. After breakfast we broke out into a full-on drum circle jam. The sun was beaming in the windows, it was so fun. The kids loved it! The baby thought it was the greatest thing. He was playing his maracas.
We then watched Penelope, gotta love instant netflix, I made a big lunch/dinner. I made tofu scramble and These Delicious Sweet Potato Pancakes. They were sooo very yummy. It took forever to shred the sweet potatoes by hand. I need a new food processor! But so worth it in the long run. We omitted the eggs and added 1/4 cup arrow root powder and 1/4 cup water. I think you could use cornstarch or potato starch as well. I also used sweet onion instead of red because that is what we had. They were so darn good! Some ate them with salsa, some with ketchup, I ate them with just a little salt. They were a huge hit here with all six of us and I'm sure we will be having them again soon!

I am sharing these photos with you on the basis that you will promise not to notice how horrible i look(never looked in the mirror or got dressed) or how messy it is while we are cooking. It does not normally look that bad.

We were so stuffed we immediately sat down to watch Beverly Hills 90210 the original pilot. So fun! the kids were frightened by the style! Then we listened to Eragon on CD and I worked on my knitting. I'm making these. It was a lovely day. Even if it did mean tons of cleaning to catch up on Sunday, all worth it. Yes this has officially thrown our TV limits right out the window.
On a side note, Mike and I watched "The Future of Food" last night. It was truly disturbing and eye opening. Honestly if you have even the slightest concern about GMO's , or I guess especially if you don't, you need to see this film. It is available for instant viewing on Netflix. The boys will be watching it as their science assignment today. You should really check it out.

I forgot about baths....

2009-02-24T08:37:00.002-05:00

Every other night, mike gives Indigo and Harland their "tubby". This gives me a break, well, really a chance to run around and pick up the house, and him some time with the littles. It has been this way since Harland was about 2 and I love it! I lay everything out and Mikes does lotion, diapers and jammies. I don't get many breaks these days, which is really ok, i just truly enjoy the ones i do get. Well, Indigo has a horrific diaper rash again! To be honest, it is a staff infection. It keeps coming back. I feel horrible. It truly baffles me how this happened in the first place! We quite literally leave the house once per week on errand day. No baby sitters, no daycare, just us. Where on earth did it come from? Any way the doctor said basically it has colonized in him. so any irritation will end up staff! What a nightmare! Now here i have a baby who poops more than any baby EVER! like 4-6 time per day. I'm pushing bananas these days! His favorite thing to do is go into his crib for a nap and poop. He stays pretty quiet and sometimes even goes to sleep. So he sits in it. How do i stop this? Wait, I was talking about baths.
So, i wanted to give him a bath to soak his sore little butt. My point is, I forgot how much fun bath time is! He loves the tub! All my kids did but I just don't see Indigo in the tub. He dumps the water right over his own head and laughs! Mike has got this one trained well. Maybe the other kids irrational fear of having water dumped over their heads was my fault? I'm glad mike has this special time with them. But maybe I'll peak in once in a while.

I have so many blogs i want to write....

2009-02-17T07:17:00.006-05:00

But, I'm only allowed 20 minutes on the computer per day. Not enough time to go off about the hostility towards a certain mom of 14. Not enough time to write about our plans for this farm. Not enough time to talk about how i taught myself to knit and am sooo proud of myself so here is just a peek at some pics.

This was a delicious thrown together from what i had on hand meal. Black eyed peas over brown basmatti rice with back yard barbecue sauce and kale with onions and garlic. it was delicious!

Indigo hard at play. He loves this rocking horse. He gets going so fast the the boys always get worried he is going to tip it over.

Reading very intently. I love that the book is upside down!

It's a race car....

now its a bed(while daddy is working on his room and he can't take a nap)

Here are some before and after photos of the room. we did not get any accessories as we are on a strict "no spending" diet while we work to pay off our debt. I will make curtains and possibly a quilt next month. Oh, I love the color now! Plus it is amazing the difference doors and moulding can make!

This is a birthday gift for an adorable one year old so i can't show you much more but, Ya, I am pretty proud of me!

Times are a changin

2009-02-09T08:08:00.003-05:00

So we had an intense family meeting this weekend. We made some long awaited new house rules. (day with mud, i laughed when i saw your family bill of rights post today) the biggest of which is the 20 minutes per day computer time per person! HELLO! I can't even check my email in 20 minutes! We also limited TV to 2 hours per week, cut down our netflix membership and decided no computer, TV, Wii, etc etc on the weekends! WOW! We got soooo much done this weekend! So, no time to blog, but here are our latest photos. Do you think we are going crazy due to our new time limits......just look at what mike is wearing! It is pretty hot though! At least i would have thought that back in jr high! Oh, and the children are not actually watching anything, just being silly. All right, the computer Police (in the form of a 14 year old child) is standing over me! Busted, got to go.

What happens when you put ivory soap in the microwave????

2009-01-30T15:48:00.002-05:00

The Weaning Story

2009-01-29T11:25:00.006-05:00

So I have been wanting to post this but haven't had time. First off, for those who don't know me, some back ground. I am a certified lactation counselor. I nursed my oldest for 6months(i was 21, had some issues nursing that i was uneducated about namely birth control drying up my milk) I nursed my next two boys for 2 1/2 years. This was the right amount of time for us. I assumed Indigo would be about the same. I was so wrong.
Everything started off normal. He wasn't a great nurser, had some tongue thrust issues but nothing i couldn't handle.(um, I'm like a professional!) He did nurse all night long. That was tough, I wish he would nurse all night long now.
This past summer, just before his first birthday I started to give him vanilla soy milk in a bottle. I had a wedding to go to that was five hours away. I would have to be gone all day and most of the night. Indigo would not drink pumped milk out of a bottle. My theory was if it tasted yummy enough, he would drink it. He did. He also started to take the pumped milk. I was thrilled. After the wedding, and his first birthday, i introduced the sippy cup. Pretty standard. I was also desperately trying to get him into his own bed.
I honestly don't mind babies sleeping with us.Honestly, I love to cuddle with them. Mike loves it less, but usually does not complain. Forrest and Gaynor slept with us. Gaynor until he was four. Harland loved his crib and slept so much better there.(this made me sad too) Indigo seemed to want to be in our bed. The only problem was he writhed and kicked and hit and kicked and (my favorite) head butted us, litterally all night long. No one was sleeping. I even bled a few times! Nothing like a fat lip at 3 am. So, i, in desperation, purchased "THE THREE DAY SLEEP SOLUTION" It comes with a money back garuntee, how could I go wrong! I followed it to the T. Don't let any one tell you different, this IS the Cry it out method. It took two nights and he was sleeping, no binky, no more up in the night....GREAT....RIGHT? Not really.
Indigo was furious! He was awful all day long! clingy, cranky, angry. He immediately associated nursing with going into the crib and refused to nurse, period! This went on for about 5 days, i thought it would get better. He was after all sleeping all night long, in his own bed. Well, it did not. I gave back the binky, stopped the whole process, took him back to bed (head butts and all) and returned the program and got a full refund!
Phew......no, i believe the damage was done. He still would rarely nurse. He just kept asking for a cup. By November, he had weaned completely. I even tried taking the cup away. I was pretty upset.
Mike was confused, "Isn't it ideal for a child to wean himself?" Ya, i said, but at like two, not one! Sad Mamma.

So now, months later, here is how it goes. I am super inconsistent. Like that is any big news. In my defense, so is Indigo. He always takes naps and goes into bed at night with no tears and no problem. (yes he still has the binky in bed only....I'm weak and I'm guilty) He wakes up at night usually just as i am starting to doze off. I swear he has some type of alerting system! ** I sometimes take him into our bed and he will go right back to sleep, all is well. Sometimes I take him into our bed and he beats us up all night. Sometimes I super nanny him, which works really well. I go in to his room, lay him back down with binky, elmo and grover, and sit on the floor near his bed with my head down. He occasionally cries for a minute but usually settles right down. Once he is asleep i go back to bed. Some nights I do this once or twice, all is well. Sometimes, on like the third or fourth time i find myself about to freeze my butt off sitting on his bedroom floor. I just take him to my bed. See ** above. And so the vicious, inconsistent cycle continues.
He has also had staff infection. NO IDEA how this happened. But not one of my "I am the best mom" moments. He continues to get killer diaper rashes often. I even tried disposables, no change. I of course, attribute all of this to him no longer nursing. Yes, I have guilt. It is especially hard on me as this could very well be my last little nursing monkey. I miss it terribly.

Chess (or chest) and Icey window

2009-01-29T06:53:00.003-05:00

Harland playing "his own version of chest" (please pay no attention to the half dead tomato plant (not allowed to throw it away) or the lovely spray foam insulation, there will be trim there soon.)

not sure what is going on here, forrest took this one.

This is the ice on the INSIDE of the big boys bed room window. it was 26below zero on this morning.

I'm still not sure

2009-01-27T10:25:00.003-05:00

its hard to photograph the color. although we do have daylight, the room is north facing, its cloudy, and there is nothing in the room to contrast the color against. It seems to actually photograph lighter than it is. It is dark. Darker than I would have picked. Here is how not to pick a paint color. Show husband pictures online of the color you want. Send husband 40 minutes away to hardware store with 5 year old to find a matching color using only his memory. It is the right color, just about 7 shades too dark. I'm gonna leave it and see what i think once the room is back together. If its not right, we will paint it again this spring. I think it will either grow on me or I'll hate it. Once the room is back together, i'll take more pics.

Ummmm See how brave I'm feeling?

2009-01-26T16:36:00.001-05:00

WARNING......WARNING!..................GROSS PICTURES

2009-01-22T07:37:00.006-05:00

Alright, Here they are everyone. Sorry Darcy and Conroy, you have been out voted. My sister thinks maybe an owl or hawk. I thought it was really strange that what ever it was, ate it right in the driveway, directly behind the car. We were home and every thing. I guess as long as it is not a bear, I'll be fine. The critters are loving the compost. Tracks of all kinds going in and out. It has become more of a "feed the critters" pile as opposed to a compost pile. Oh well.

Keep in mind this is a Raven I think. They are quite large! I was amazed at how the flesh was picked off the skeleton, but the skeleton was not disturbed. We say it was a bird of some kind because there were no tracks in or out.

Ok Here you go, enjoy, I guess.

These Are The Days....

2009-01-21T15:45:00.009-05:00

Mike was home again today. I decided not to think about what that means in terms of money. He is going to work Saturday. Mike got the trim on our bedroom door and the littles' bedroom door done. I can't believe what a difference trim makes. He also sprayed insulation in around one of the big front windows and the french doors off the play room. Progress is being made. I washed sheets and comforters and made dough for 8 loaves. Indigo has been really rotten(in the cutest way possible of coarse). He is obsessed with the television. What have I done? He cried for literally hours today, starting from the minute he woke up. This is one persistant baby! It was so ridiculous but I will not give in! We need to cut back. I finally manged to distract him but i had to sit right in the play room with him while he played with trains. So, I worked on my new ">wristers.
He did take a little nap from 10-11:30. Then we had lunch and the tantrum started all over again. I just keep reminding myself this "persistence" will be a brilliant quality when he is an adult! So I bundled everyone up and we went outside to play. Nothing like 3 feet of snow as a distraction. He loves that darn sled. we just took turns pulling him around the driveway while the rest of us built rad snow forts. I made stairs up the back of a 6 foot snow bank and a sled path down the front. For a quick escape in case of attack. Sorry I didn't take any pictures today. I was too busy playing.
We came in for hot chocolate and would you believe he forgot about the TV for like 1 whole hour!!! I finally let him watch a movie but not because of a tantrum. I needed to cook dinner and Mike took Forrest to his guitar lesson and to run errands. Gaynor was down stairs playing his drums and Harland was downstairs riding his scooter. I was on my own. Indigo kept getting into the trash, the tools, the bathroom. So Madagascar, my best babysitter went in. I really do wish we didn't have a television, then i wouldn't be able to use it!
For dinner, roasted veggies (sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, beets with garlic, salt, pepper, tarragon and nutmeg) brown rice, sauteed baby spinach and onions and bread of coarse. should be ready soon.
I love days like these, even with the tantrums. I will fall into bed tonight! But will probably work on my wristers a little more after falling. hee hee.

Hats Hats Hats

2009-01-20T11:54:00.004-05:00

The reorganizing of the house is going ok. It's made slightly more difficult by a 1 year old whose favorite past time is dumping things out, everywhere! It honestly took me 30 minutes to sort out hats and gloves today. It is not the first time this season either. I think I need to purchase work gloves for the boys. I was slightly annoyed to find brand new ski gloves with dirt caked to them and the cuffs full of splinters from getting wood. I also moved the crates inside to be more carefully monitored. The porch is wonderful but if i'm not right there, hats and gloves get tossed in the general direction of the crates, and certainly not the right one. Ask me how many frozen hats I found today. they were tossed soaking wet "near" the crates. Guess frozen is better than mildew. We have decided to pull everything out of our bedroom except the bed. This way we can paint, do the trim and closet shelves and door. I will put our dressers in the boys rooms for now. Our plan is to go room by room and finish everything except flooring which will have to wait until last. As a reward for myself,I will make a quilt and curtains to match when it is complete.
Just wanted to let you all know the citrus fast was out the window at noon time on the first day. i can't possibly bake scones for every one and only have a grapefruit my self. NOPE! Can't do it! We are all eating plenty of citrus though. I bought a case of oranges and a case of grapefruit.
I am going to a knitting workshop in a few weeks. In the meantime i have been crocheting up a plethora of hats. here are some i have made. I also made monogramed neck warmers for the boys. I wish black wasn't everyone's favorite color. This is the only time i wish i had a daughter. BLACK! Blah!

Could work actually be more fun than feeling sorry for myself???

2009-01-19T12:29:00.008-05:00

7:00 am, up with indigo. he's been running a fever so it was a tossy turny kind of night. no symptoms just fever, could be the 4 eye teeth he is cutting
7:15 big boys are up and dressed and starting school work! WoW! I sit right down to research nursing school, daycare, etc. (it is mid winter, people! time to totally re-invent my life!)
8:00 sit down with oatmeal and new Mother Earth News. feeling inspired! I will pretend i didn't see the editors letter which included population control as a necessary means to fix our over consuming issues!!!! URRRRGGGHHHH! don't even get me started!
9:00 laundry, dress littles(mom that little sweater is so stinkin cute!)clean kitchen, empty and reload dishwasher, switch laundry, check boys progress, change video for Indigo......6 times! this is his new thing!
10:30 write myself a letter reminding me why i moved to maine....must stay focused, school needs to wait another year.
10:45 Make bread dough, enough for 6 loaves.
11:00 take gaynor out to get wood. discover our plow guy has unknowingly plowed in our path to the wood barn. dig through a 5foot high, 5 foot wide wall of snow!! drag and unload sleds full of wood!
just realized this picture makes it look like forrest did the shoveling.. NO! I did it! just asked him to stand there for picture.

12:00 in for hot chocolate and lunch.
12:40 Indigo in for nap, boys out to play me out to do more wood! its a balmy 30 degrees out must get wood done before -26 degrees comes back!!!!
1:20 came inside to blow my nose and Indigo was screaming. Guess he's not actually going to take a nap. We did get a few more sled loads in though.
2:00 Make yummy french lentil soup from Veganomicon
3:00 Bake two loves of bread, quick pick up of house fold 4 load of laundry put more in, sit to blog and blog-stalk

I got a little kick of motivation/inspiration today. Its time to get working on this house! we need to get it finished before spring. It's also time to seriously downsize the "stuff"
Wrote out a house plan today. room by room. Also a plan for what we will be growing this spring so i can start ordering seeds. Getting wood was tiring but kinda fun. It was beautiful out side and it was a nice change from the never ending laundry/cooking battle. Mike worked 5-4 today and has to be in at 7 tomorrow. Guess it beats no work at all. Forrest has a Doctor's appt tomorrow to look at his swollen lymph nodes. I think if its nice we'll go out on the snow shoes and see what kinds of tracks we can find. I have these crazy gross pictures i may post. Something picked apart a raven in my driveway. It was really gross but really weird. Are you up for it. I'll put warnings up before i post it. In the mean time here are some pics from today.

this weird marking is from a big bird i think. It's at our compost pile. Either a turkey or a Raven.

some pics

2009-01-15T15:45:00.010-05:00

Who every thought I would be eating (let alone making) Vegan Nachos MMMMMMMMM

roasted winter veggies, sauteed spinach and brown rice. YUMMA!

yoga in pj's

even though it was below 0 outside it was over 70degrees inside in the sun. we didn't even have a fire mid day. i love this well-insulated, south-facing house!

Sunning ourselves in the window

The end result of our mask making morning while the big boys were skiing.SCARY!

Did Anyone See the Moon Last Night?

2009-01-11T15:00:00.006-05:00

So the moon has been unbelievable lately. So bright, it is honestly as bright as daylight out there. With shadows and all. Last night was the "biggest moon of 2009" due to it's proximity to the earth. As everyone was getting into bed, I stepped outside to take a look. I was considering going snowshoeing but, well, let's face it I'm not that motivated. In my defense, Indigo had all ready been up once. When he wakes up he freaks out if I'm not there. Mike handles it just fine, I just feel bad. Anyway, I digress. The moon, right. It was amazing! So amazing in fact i ran in to collect all boys and men to see it.(except indigo). I even woke Harland and wrapped him in a blanket. He was less than excited about being outside in 0 degree weather. The moon was high in the sky, so not as huge as it had been in the early evening. But, what was amazing was there was a huge rainbow ring all the way around it. It was stunning! I have never seen anything like it and may never again. We tried to take pictures but, um, well lets just say i am lucky to have a camera at all but still used this as yet another reason to get my REBEL. So much more to say, but Mike is making yummy vegan pumpkin waffles and the drool is getting all over the keyboard. Here are some pics instead.

he was angry. i made that little hat for him, more on my amazing hat making at a later date.

the boys watching TV on a chilly morning. Please note Harland is pretending to pick his nose, not actually picking it. He saves that for the car so he can try to hand me giant boogies while I drive.

he really loves to vaccume. He asked for the apron but ripped it off a second later.

My little Artist. He colors every day. In the high chair now. i caught on to his game of walking by his brothers and "accidentally" writing on them.

Hunkering Down

2009-01-07T09:32:00.002-05:00

It is snowing again here in the mountains of Maine. 6-10 expected by tomorrow AM. Mike has to be in to work at 4 AM, Forrest can work too but 4 AM? I'm not sure about that. Mike just called to say he would take me grocery shopping when he gets home. He knows i hate going out in this, even with all wheel drive. Honestly it is other people and their crazy lack of snow driving skills that makes me nervous. It always snows on shopping day. The big grocery store is over 30 minutes away with no snow. We do have a tiny one near by, but it is very limited. Luckily, i have been working on stocking my pantry and i think i have it under control. Plenty of beans, flour, 50lbs of oats and 25 lbs of sugar. Tomatoes, pasta, brown rice, and every spice under the sun. i can do this. Mike will pick up soy milk and bananas on his way home, i think that should do it. We have to have soy milk so as to prevent sippy cups of water being hurled at our heads. Plus we will need to have hot chocolate for after snow play. It is only for 2 days or so.

I'm am having major camera issues. Have been for a while. I am coveting a "real" camera. A camera that i totally can't afford or justify purchasing. But i do love to take pictures. my current camera is becoming obsolete. can't find memory sticks that work in it without updates and still issues. A girl can dream can't she. so any way, probably no pictures for a while.

I have been working on crocheting, i made two hats for mike, one for indigo, one for gaynor, monogrammed neck warmers for all boys and a lovely one for me. today I am starting fingerless gloves for me. i vow to use up all yarn i have before i purchase more. I am on a roll. The computer is still sucking up too much time. I did switch to tea this weekend. so far so good. Mike switched as well. mostly because he can't be bothered to make coffee. I am loving my SIL for her care packages of organic tea. I'm going to get good herbs to try my tea ball this week. Enough random thoughts. i need to get things done. Fly lady is going well, school, um, not so much, i did order new curriculum i hope that gives a boost to the boys. I'm picking up my case of grapefruit and case of oranges next week. Bills due and payment schedule posted on wall next to calender, so far so good.

Easy vegan dinner to please

2009-01-06T11:00:00.002-05:00

I tend to make elaborate meals and bake a ton. Everything from scratch of course. This leaves me spending hours in the kitchen each day. I having been trying to fit more sewing and crocheting/knitting into my life. Somethings got to give. So I thought i would let you in on my fastest vegan meal to feed six, with left overs. Nutritious??? not really but not too bad i guess. So here goes,,,, this one is for you mom, A meal from my childhood, modified to be vegan.

"Chuna Macaroni Salad" (as in chick peas for tuna)

1 lb elbow pasta
2 cans chick peas (or equivalent cooked chick peas)
1/2 small to medium onion chopped
veganaise
dill relish (didn't even know they made dill relish YUMMY!)
dijon or brown mustard

cook pasta, rinse thoroughly with cold water (untill cold)
in a large bowl mash chick peas with fork or potatoe masher untill most or all whole beans are gone
add onion
add veganaise(maybe about 3/4 cup to start and more if needed at end)
add relish, to taste i use alot probably 4 heaping tables spoons
add mustard to taste I use about a tablespoon
mix together
add pasta and mix
add more veganaise if needed

serve with salt and pepper and potatoe chips

the kids love it! (All though a three year old guest took an enthusiastic big bite and spit it right out with an adorable "what the hell is this" face- thanks elijah) you can omit the pasta and use as a salad for sandwiches, just like tuna salad the whole thing takes about 15 minutes to prep ...15MINUTES! not two hours like the meal i made last night. as i said it's not the most nutritious thing we make but we don't eat fast food EVER so this is ok once in a while maybe i'll get to sew!

Back on Track.....well at least inside my head

2009-01-05T07:23:00.004-05:00

So today is the first day of the rest of my life! All right so maybe I'm being slightly dramatic, but, I am hoping to change a few things around here. Flylady is back in my life. Honestly the only time I can remember really having it together was when i was religiously following her plan. So flylady is step one. Step two, finances. I really need to get back on track here. All though in general it is easier to pay the bills when you have money to do so, i can still keep better track of what has or has not been paid. Won't it be nice to not have cell phones get shut off or get disconnect notices for the power. Budgeting is not my strong suit. I really do try. I am great at getting costs down. I usually grocery shop for under $150 per week which i think for a family of 6 is pretty darn good. However, I am really bad at the actual paper work. In my defense, Mike is self employed. This means he never makes the same amount of money. Some weeks are great, some are not. Trying to balance it all out when you have no idea what is coming in is where my frustration lies. I guess it still isn't a good excuse to just leave the envelopes unopened.
School is our next area for change. Yes, AGAIN! Forrest has decided he really wants a structured curriculum. He has realized it is too hard for him (super unorganized, wonder where he gets it) to be self led. He also wants to shoot for graduating at 16. I said i would try. So we are ordering some courses. I am a little concerned. The work we can afford, correspondence courses, are straight forward, but boring. He is going to have to focus. I am choosing a different math curriculum. Math-u-see i even understood the algebra, and it got excellent reviews. Gaynor will also be using this curriculum. For the rest of Forrest's course work i think i will be going with Keystone High School. We will start with Biology, history, English Lit and maybe add art history. We are still using Rosetta Stone French and love it. All to the lovely tune of $800 ish, maybe more if we go with AP or Honors. YIKES! I guess compared to private school it's cheap but we would never be able to afford private school so how can we compare. Gaynor will be staying with an eclectic mix of subjects and curriculum. He seems to do just fine with what ever comes his way. I am going to try and step it up a bit with him though. He is definitely capable of so much more. We will also be adding music to the mix now that the boys will be in lessons. Each is expected to practice their instruments (electric guitar and drums) for a minimum of 20 minutes per day.
The next big change will be schedule. We decided on a 7-11:30 am school schedule. This was Mikes Idea and it seems to be working for the most part. I would never want to work this way, I like to break things up. For Mike and Forrest, however, constantly changing direction is a giant distraction. Gaynor is so flexible he could go either way. He has decided to try Mikes Idea so as to be finished at the same time as Forrest. Now all we have to do is get our butts out of bed! I'll keep you posted on how it is going.
As far as the littles go, i am getting them more involved in chores. Harland has been down right defiant in this area. He simply says "NO" when i ask him to help. I have been finding what chores he enjoys because clearly picking up toys is not one of them. He loves to vacuum out Indigo's highchair and around the cabinets. He also loves to sweep and will usually fold and sort laundry. Getting dressed is an other story. Indigo loves to do laundry and run the big vacuum. He also sweeps but watch out for your heads.

I am also debating losing the binky this weekend. Have to wait until mike doesn't have to get up at 5:00 AM. I think it could be a long couple of nights. He only has it for bed but he really shouldn't have it at all. I sometimes think it keeps him up. I was so happy to finally have one child out of four that would take a pacifier. Now I wish I had never given it to him. I wonder if it contributed to him weaning himself??? A long and sad story for another time.

I have so much more to talk about but part of my new plan is not staying on the computer all day! I do need to post Harland's birthday day letter, Sorry dude, yet an other way you get screwed having a December 27th birthday. I also wanted to tell you all about skiing, but i'll get to it at some point. Hope every one's holiday is starting off great. I'll leave you with some little things i hope to do this year.

A citrus fast, january 10th-?
adding to my apron collection via sewing
learning to knit (anything besides a scarf)
making more and buying less,
learning to re purpose
growing most of our food or at least half
less sugar (in theory any way)
quiting coffee (don't get too excited I'm only switching to tea, baby steps!)
sleeping baby ( can i actually plan this? probably not but i am hoping)

Snowshoeing and the best darn sled eva!

2008-12-30T13:10:00.003-05:00

We went snowshoeing with auntie today. It was really fun. the snow is so deep and crunchy on top it's impossible to walk in. the snowshoes work great! it's actually a lot easier than i had expected. the weather here was beautiful today too. not too cold and no wind. My mom sent me this rad sled for Indigo! (thanks mom we really love it!) I love it! it has a back and a buckle and an enclosure so he doesn't get the wind. He actually fell asleep today while we were out. We saw plenty of tracks, turkey, deer, and fox we think. we didn't make it to the river though. the boys were too tired. Still a great time though.

Some people ask what we do for fun up here in Maine, just grab a pair of giant googly eyes!!!!

Our First Maine Christmas

2008-12-26T09:06:00.011-05:00

It was lovely! Really! Mike and I got to bed at a record early time this year. We actually had everything wrapped before hand! We only had one put together item and then just set up. 10:45 pm in bed!! Crazy! last year with the drum set and electric guitar it was hours of work for mike. I wrapped gifts last year for three hours on Christmas eve!

Ok so i was up at 5:30 crawling right out of my skin wanting someone to wake up! Of course this would be the day even the baby slept in. 7:00 Harland and Indigo got up, so we woke the bigs and into moms room for stockings. They shared stockings this year because our baskets are still in MA. Next it was out to see what Santa brought. SKIS! for the three older boys skis boots and bindings. And a ride on toy for Indigo. Clearly Santa is not have a rough financial year like us! But with season lift tickets all ready purchased what choice did he have really! Santa also slipped awesome new boots under the tree for me. Interesting since i clearly told santa no gifts for parents we just couldn't afford it and i didn't get him anything but i did need the boots and i love them. They feel like slippers and i haven't taken them off yet. Too bad i have to wear them outside!

Indigo instantly had a tantrum because he couldn't make the truck move, so we quickly moved on. Blankets next! We made thomas tie fleece for the littles. We left the skull blanket kits unfinished so the boys could do it themselves. they are too small tied so we were thinking grommets or something. Indigo loves his! We had our usual oatmeal for breakfast while the cinnamon bun dough was rising.

Presents went remarkably well. I was concerned this year. It gets tougher and tougher to keep things "fair" with ages ranging from 14 years to 15 months. The Bigs are just so much more expensive. It worked out fine. I think the littles had like 1 or to more gifts than the bigs. I cut the words "Guitar and Drum lessons " into letters and gave the vowels to one and the consonants to the other. It took 45 minutes for them to get it. They are thrilled.

The biggest hits this year were the thomas tunnel, the card board house you color yourself, and as usual, they all love their little lego sets i got them.

The day was awesome quiet and fun. I didn't cook, we had veg turkey, stuffing and cranberry subs, so i could play and relax. As you can see here i also didn't clean. We did honestly do several pick ups but the aftermath was still pretty bad. I'll get to it today.

So right now mike is at the ski shop getting bindings set so we can go to Saddleback tomorrow. They will all take their first lesson and hopefully be on their way to an awesome winter of skiing. Harland says its a cool way to spend his 5th birthday. I can't wait! I know they will love the music lessons as well once they get started.

My only sad note was that i really wanted to do mostly homemade. I did do the blankets and capes for the littles, but no desks or kitchen set.

The fact is we started to late and don't have enough time. We spent a bloody fortune per usual. My kids really do appreciate it and are very grateful but we need to plan better for next year. You can't live on a strict budget all year and then completely blow it on one day. Even if it is a blast! watch for my new years post. I have big plans for changing things around here. we'll see if i actually follow through.
Merry Christmas to everyone! We love and miss you all!

Let it Snow!

2008-12-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

While we were away, i wrote this while we were off line

2008-12-26T08:47:00.004-05:00

Winter Epiphany shattered with two words (Friday December 12, 2008

So If you read my past blogs you know how excited I was that we would be all set during a power outage. We have that amazing wood cook stove. No Problem! OK well Thursday night Mike came home from work with the weather report. See we have no Internet or Television so no weather report. Mike tells me we are expecting a bad storm, not sure of the details but Ice and freezing rain was mentioned. No Problem....the STOVE!!! Well as mike is talking to the true Mainers he works with one asks him if he he has oil lamps. “Ya, we have one, and a battery lantern.” he also tells them about our wonderful stove and how for the first time ever we can heat our house and cook if we loose power. Here it comes. “Ya, but you have no water.”he said. “last time we got an ice storm the power was out for 14 days” NO WATER! What? How? We have a well, that means an electric pump, no power, no water. We are so city, DIR! So that settles in and then I start to think........no power for 14 days!!! no way to clean diapers, batteries in lantern gone! Oil in lamp gone! Sun goes down at 4:30! NO WATER... No WATER!!!! we are screwed! So we click into high gear. We eat dinner, make a list and split into teams! Mike and Forrest went to the store, 35 minutes away. Gaynor and I start filling any and all available containers with water and prepare to bake 2 dozen muffins and cinnamon buns. Have to be prepared and what would we do without cinnamon buns? Mike said the store was dead, so funny, plainly these people actually prepare ahead of time, not like in MA! Long story short, the power only flashed, although we are not in the clear yet, it is all going to re-freeze tonight. But now we know, we need to get our act together.
On a lighter note, what an amazing scene. Everything (I mean everything) was covered with ice, trees, ground, cars, power lines, everything. These pictures don't even do it justice. It looked like the trees were made of glass! Even the pines were glowing in the sun. The entire mountain looked like it was made from crystals. Truly amazing. The pictures would be even better without the power lines and/or orange cones. But in my defense, once the sun came out and lit it all up it also started melting off the trees soooo fast it was literally disappearing before my eyes. I was trying to hurry before it was all gone. Also, enjoy the fruits of our snow flake making frenzy!

Still here........

2008-12-01T16:43:00.007-05:00

so obviously the internet has not shut down yet... however, i called the cable company to get broad band installed and the earliest date they can come is DECEMBER 24th!!!!!!!!!!! so hopefully there will be a cancellation before then. In the meantime i'll have lots o'time to get going on Christmas projects. here are some last minute photos.

Mike working on the roof

Chipattis, oh how we love thee We eat this Indian flat bread 2-3 times per week!

Laundry basket races, an every day occurance here. i have even found a way to get them to clean up like this.

This is how the boys were keeping Indigo busy while i made the phone call to the Cable company. too cute!

OFF LINE!

2008-12-01T06:35:00.002-05:00

So we'll be off line for a few days at least. The contract for the satallite where we live is up so we are switching to cable. be back soon.

Settling in to a Maine Winter

2008-11-30T09:50:00.003-05:00

I wonder if i will continue to enjoy winter. So far So good. I have lots of sun and a toasty stove. Seems to make a huge difference. Today I moved the extra rocking chair over by the stove. I plan to set the sewing machine up here as well. Must be toasty whilst i create. The boys are love loving the snow. Especially Harland! They were all out for hours yesterday. They did an awesome job getting wood from the barn and stacking it in the porch. It is a lot of work because the barn is far away, but they took some sleds and made an assembly line of sorts, it worked great. They will be at it again today because it is best to get it done when it is not 5 degrees outside.

Mike is working again today. They had a major ice over snow mess at the mountain and needed some extra help so he has been at it all weekend. He did have Wednesday and Thursday off, but now he will work 7 days in a row. YUCK! he never complains, and we need the money. What a guy.
I was recently considering a parenting mistake i have made. "Why have I raised my kids to expect so much at Christmas???" Now please understand my boys are not spoiled, by any means. But I am trying to downsize this holiday considerably. I really think they will be fine. to be honest they couldn't even come up with things they wanted....AGAIN! But still, they are used to opening great and grand amounts of things. I will fully admit it is my own fault. I just hope they aren't disappointed. I guess it's all in what you make of it. I mean really, they are getting ski passes! Any way, less is more, right? I know i don't need any more STUFF to find places for!
Harland and Indigo had a little camping trip in the play room. Too cute. They love these darn blankets! (thanx gram) I just bought some Thomas fleece to make bigger one's for them for Christmas. How can i not they are so stinkin easy to make. I'm planning to make a tiny one as well for Indigo to take in the car. He was with me when i bought the fabric and he had to hold it the whole time we were in the store. I know he will love it!

Winter Epiphany and other tales

2008-11-28T07:11:00.005-05:00

So Wednesday marked our first official snow. Of course i had to go into town, but i have all wheel drive. By the time we were on our way home, 10:00 ish it was really coming down hard. I could tell the roads were starting to get slippery. The kids were so excited! We got home, brought the groceries inside and put the snow clothes on. Harland would honestly stay out all day if you let him. They came in for lunch soaking wet and freezing. I now know exactly whose coats are water proof and whose are not. In the mean time I called Mike to let him know it was getting bad. He was up on sugarloaf. The snow was so bad there he actually had to leave his van down at the entrance and get a ride to where he was working. Guess we are buying 4 studded snow tires this week. He left right away. It took him over two hours to get home! He did take the longer, less hilly way and there was a minivan flipped over. The kids went back to play in the snow around 2-3:30. By this time it had started to turn to rain. Only one child minded...guess which one. So here is what we know. We aren't prepared! we only have one snow shovel and no salt or sand. Mike's van sucks in the snow. Waterproof boots aren't always totally waterproof. Mike fixed the leak in our bed room! We have a new leak in the play room. no big deal except the roof is too slippery to get up there. We have a wonderful neighbor who is going to plow for us. Yay! Our driveway is huge! 6+ inches of snow + frozen solid ground + heavy heavy rains all night long = big giant muddy then icey mess!
That is not the epiphany. Here it is. For the first time, since mike and i have lived together, i can still heat my house when the power goes out. no more power outage panic! Not only that, I can also cook! On monday our power was out for almost 3 hours. it was like 15 degrees outside! we were toasty and i made dahl and rice for dinner. no problems! how awesome is that! I Love that wood stove! no worries!
We got some amazing news this week. Anna, our land lord said we can farm some of the land this spring. just 1/2 acre but that is plenty to get us started. we probably won't do a greenhouse yet but maybe before the season is up. i am so excited! so are the boys. At the absolute least we can cut our grocery bill way down. we are planning to sell at the farmer's market as well. we have some big ideas, we will see if we can pull them off.
Thanksgiving was great. we had dinner at home, just the family. i made tofurkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, Tssimes( sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, prunes and sweet cinnamon broth) gravy, cranberry orange sauce, collard greens, and rolls. lots of work but lots of yum! We were all very much stuffed in true thanksgiving spirit. The boys also did the oral ("oro") presentations. Very impressive. Gaynor's was for Maine studies/History. He did the Abanake Indians. Forrest for history did Leaf Erickson and the true discovery of the Americas. He chose to do a power point presentation. Harland did Dinosaurs. It is too funny how he does everything just like his brothers. Their next assignment will be due Christmas day and will be on three different celebrations. The rules are, no computer, must be 3 minutes long and contain 3 visual aides. should be good.