When I am not directly schooling the Boy Scholar, I have been cleaning and decluttering in 15 minute timed sessions. While he reads or does a Grammar lesson, I tackle the Girl's room, or the bathroom. As Patty says, "You may get overwhelmed if you try to do something for an hour, but anyone can do anything for 15 minutes." Both of us are making progress.
In the studio:
I recently read Organizing your Craft Space (I linked to an excelent review) by Jo Packham, which lead me to another of her books, Where Women Create. In this book, Ms. Packham shows the studios of many different artists, and how their spaces work for them. I am lucky to have the space in which to create, but I still need to keep going on the organization. There is one more round of plastic drawers to purchase, and one more layer of boxes of cards I can consolidate. I still need to put label tags on everything. But even then, it is much more organized than other parts of the house! My biggest problem is putting projects away. I think if I do another round of organizing down here, there will be room for another table- I have umpteen different projects all happening at the same time!
The rest of the Basement:
Tons of work to be done here- lots of stuff to be donated or recycled. Decisions need to be made about keeping magazines, beta videotapes, albums, school-teaching supplies, and toys. Good news is, I have a whole wall of shelves, bad news is, they need to be decluttered first.
The mudroom/laundryroom/pantry: This room was filthy, but I am making progress. All laundry that can be done has been, rest is in baskets. I have found the floor, swept it, and taken out garbage and recycling. The Shelves need to be organized, and the microwave, washer and dryer need to be cleaned. I can't find my duster, but there are some big ol' cobwebs in here, too.
The Girl's Room: First layer of stuff off the floor. Filled two bags with clothes for donations, and another with garbage. Re-organized clothing in closet and drawers. Lots more to do in here, but I have 2 more weeks!
Our bedroom: I have gone through all my clothes, and re-organized my part of the "closet". All linens are washed and put away. This big room is where my paper hell is- I need to go through a lot of paperwork, chuck most of it, and file the rest. There is potential room for a writing desk and chair up here, but lots of junk and clutter do be rid of first.
Okay, that's it for that.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Chicken-sitting
Taking care of the Girl's chickens has been good. This is hard work! I think we will be visiting the Seattle Titlth Garden as soon as she gets back. The day PG is due home, they are having a chicken/garden fair. We will miss that, but I think it will be good for her to have her chicken interest to offset the intensity of her piano work.
Ok, so here are some pictures of the mean and nasty blueberry blossom eating chickens. Not really mean and nasty, so much as dusty, but that's okay.THis one is either Goldie, or Chicky-Boo, and no, I can't tell which one is my bird, and which one is the Girl's. They are both golden-laced Wyandottes that look the same to me. Anyway, which exact chicken it is of not the issue. The issue is that she is underneath my blueberry bushes- the bushes my family has been giving me for the last 4 years, on my birthday.
This one is Lucy. Miss K, from our nature study group named her. Lucy is a white-laced wyandotte. Look at the way she is just sitting there, like she owns the whole bed, not just this one poor, berry-less bush. Darn birds.
Now this darn bird has a story to tell! This is Ida, who is some kind of white chicken. (Yeah, Yeah, I know the Girl would know her breed.)
She was out wandering the yard on about Tuesday, and when it came time to put the chickens in, she was no where to be found. The Men took to the road, and I searched the back yard. All we came up with were feathers rom a pile two houses down the road. We thought for sure she had been carried away. I wondered how I was going to tell the Girl I lost a chicken on my watch. Anyhow, the Boy and I slept in the following morning, so I didn't get out to the chickens till about 10 am. Who is waiting at the gate, but Ida. I picked her up, and it looks like she is just missing one row of feathers right down her breast bone- no blood, no teethmarks. Whew! Boy did I luck out- now I have a cool story to tell the GIrl, rather than an admission of guilt from the chicken-sitter. And again, I say, "Whew!".
TTFN,
LB
Tidbit # 14? Hi there!
| Hey all. It has been a weird week for me, but I want to do some updates, and the Boy is gone, so I can use "his" computer without him breathing down my neck. He has been working on learning study habits this week. We started back at 15 minute timed sessions, he schooling, me cleaning. By this morning, he was working for 2 30 minute sessions witha five minue break in there. Not too shabby. He is still struggling with writing and grammar on a daily basis, but he is making an effort. The one on one is good for him. I still struggle with his constant noise making. At some point the child will get that silence is a good thing evry once in a while. Hopefully he will get that life lesson before I did. Sigh. It's all good. So while you go get your tea or java, I will load some pictures, and let's play catchup! TTFN, LB |
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
tidbit #13- busy!
I'm here, just been doing stuff instead of blogging. My goal is to have catch-up posts on all three blogs by Wed. Hopefully by then I will have lots of pictures and even a letter from the Girl!
Thanks for all the kind comments lately- I have been in the studio, have cooked and cleaned, been chicken-sitting, and teaching. It was a lot easier to do a lot of blogging when all I was doing was sitting on my bum in the recliner, with the laptop and a cat.
TTFN,
LB
Thanks for all the kind comments lately- I have been in the studio, have cooked and cleaned, been chicken-sitting, and teaching. It was a lot easier to do a lot of blogging when all I was doing was sitting on my bum in the recliner, with the laptop and a cat.
TTFN,
LB
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Random musings
Every Sunday, I get the Joggles Newsletter in my email inbox. Every Sunday, I read the wonderful descriptions of new products. Every Sunday, I put a bunch of art supplies on my Joggles Wishlist. But I haven't been creating anything. I don't feel like an artist- I feel like an artist wanna-be. I am not better than my son. I am constantly telling him if he wants to be a scholar, he needs to work- hard. He struggles daily with this. Are we inately lazy? What aspect of our selves (specifically those little voices in our heads that don't seem to want us to be successful) are we letting stop us? What does it take to be a doer, and not a gonna-do-it-someday-er?
One thing stopping me lately are these damn allergy headaches. I am okay during the middle of the day, but by the time I go to bed, my head is jut throbbing, and no amount of over the counter drugs seems to help. When I wake up, the pain is dulled, but it doesn't seem to ever ease up. It has been a month now of daily allergy symptoms/ headaches, and it is slowing me down. I feel extra cranky, too.
Now, I realize in the scheme of things, that this is an excuse for not creating, and making things happen. Whether my head hurts or not, if I want to do/be something, I have to do/be it. Onward and upwards.
The Papa Dude is fetching my Mama right now, she will be here any minute, and will be raring to go. There is a huge pile of clothes on the couch waiting for her, and lots of laundry still to do. It is misting outside, so we will be giving my poor, sad, tired excuse of a dryer a workout insted of hanging the clothes on the line today. There will be no lying in bed for me today. I best stop thinking and complaing, and get on with it. I am alive, and that is a good thing to be.
TTFN,
LB
One thing stopping me lately are these damn allergy headaches. I am okay during the middle of the day, but by the time I go to bed, my head is jut throbbing, and no amount of over the counter drugs seems to help. When I wake up, the pain is dulled, but it doesn't seem to ever ease up. It has been a month now of daily allergy symptoms/ headaches, and it is slowing me down. I feel extra cranky, too.
Now, I realize in the scheme of things, that this is an excuse for not creating, and making things happen. Whether my head hurts or not, if I want to do/be something, I have to do/be it. Onward and upwards.
The Papa Dude is fetching my Mama right now, she will be here any minute, and will be raring to go. There is a huge pile of clothes on the couch waiting for her, and lots of laundry still to do. It is misting outside, so we will be giving my poor, sad, tired excuse of a dryer a workout insted of hanging the clothes on the line today. There will be no lying in bed for me today. I best stop thinking and complaing, and get on with it. I am alive, and that is a good thing to be.
TTFN,
LB
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Me/Not Me Meme, part 3
Last one for awhile, I promise! So far, it has been fairly materialistic, this meme. I honestly think most of you knew I am not a diamonds kind of gal, anyhoo. Let's move into the kitchen, shall we?
Not me.
Me.
Not Me. (Damn allergies!)
Me.
Not me.
Me.
Not Me. (Damn allergies!)
Me.
Okay, the men are ready for supper and so am I. Later Gator.
LB
LB
Me/Not Me Meme, part 2
Hey! You came back! You must be ready for round two! Hey now, what did you expect me to be doing while being anxious about my traveling child? Work in the studio? Or do the dishes? Nope. Not me. I am too busy engaging in mindless entertainment- just for you!
Not Me.
Me.
Not Me.
Me.
Not Me.
Me.
Not Me.
Me.
Thus ends round two of the Me/ Not Me Meme. Do I have time for one more round before my menfolk take me out for fish 'n chips? I think I do. Are you happy or sad?
Me/Not Me Meme, part 1
I recently saw this done over at Debra's Design Studio. It cracked me up. She was able to do the whole thing in one post, but Blogger will only let me have five images per post, so I will do it in fits and starts.
Me
Could have been me.
Not Me. Ever.
Not Me. Ever.
Me
Could have been me.
Not Me. Ever.
Not Me. Ever.Gee-willakers! Now wasn't that fun and revealing look into the psyche of a woman who calls herself Needleroozer?! Aren't you just so glad you stopped by? Stay tuned for part 2!
She's there!
None of her luggage is, but that's okay. She sounded so grownup and excited. I guess I should be posting this to the Piano Girl blog. I will do that tomorrow. Right now, I am just going to be glad she is there and her adventure begins!LB
Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.
The Piano Girl text-messaged me at 2:30, and said she was at O'Hare, but I haven't heard from her since. Waiting, waiting, waiting.
I am sitting here, paralyzed with mother worry, unable to move from my recliner. The cat wrapped around my feet doesn't make it easier. So, I have spent the last 3 hours visiting new blogs and adding them to my sidebar. I now have 75 blogs listed. Good Lord, what have I done?!
More when I know she is safely ensconced in her cabin at Interlochen.
TTFN,
LB
I am sitting here, paralyzed with mother worry, unable to move from my recliner. The cat wrapped around my feet doesn't make it easier. So, I have spent the last 3 hours visiting new blogs and adding them to my sidebar. I now have 75 blogs listed. Good Lord, what have I done?!
More when I know she is safely ensconced in her cabin at Interlochen.
TTFN,
LB
Friday, June 22, 2007
Friday night update
Well, the suitcases are packed, and by the front door. We have washed her hair about a gazillion times, and it looks fresh and shiny. The shoulder-length cut suits her. She fell asleep in both her Papa and my arms, while I sng all her fave lullabies. She woke about an hour later, when Papa began to snore heavily. She is tucked into her bed now, anxious and excited all at the same time.
Papa and the Fine Young Man fixed a beautiful steak dinner, but she barely touched it. She burst into tears at one point, and sat on my lap for awhile, before she could finish eating. Funny- sometimes she seems so big, but not tonight.
The Boy and I are doing better now, though he seems more somber than usual. I think he is really going to miss his sister.
My alarm is set for 5 am, her plane leaves at 8:30. I will update again in the morning. Right now I will go do my best to sleep, though it feels far away at the moment.
TTFN,
LB
Papa and the Fine Young Man fixed a beautiful steak dinner, but she barely touched it. She burst into tears at one point, and sat on my lap for awhile, before she could finish eating. Funny- sometimes she seems so big, but not tonight.
The Boy and I are doing better now, though he seems more somber than usual. I think he is really going to miss his sister.
My alarm is set for 5 am, her plane leaves at 8:30. I will update again in the morning. Right now I will go do my best to sleep, though it feels far away at the moment.
TTFN,
LB
Aaarrrrggghhhh!!!!!!
The Girl and I are trying to get everything washed and packed today, while she is feeling anxious. She needs lots of attention and help doing things today. The Fine Young Man seems to be at a loss for something useful to do on his own, and I think he is a bit jealous of the attention the Girl is getting. So, I have had him clean the kitchen, and the bathroom.
I sent him out to mow the lawn, and he comes in telling me there is a problem. He poured oil into the mower, then thinking it wasn't the right oil, he dumped it out onto the driveway. Sigh. Now what oil there was in the mower is on my driveway, and he can't mow the lawn. And now, he took litter from the cat litter pan, to put on the huge oil slick in my driveway, and there are cat turds on top.
I find it hard to believe that in primitive and past societies, he would be considered an adult at the age of 15. Sigh. Someone tell me he will grow up. Please. And someone tell me the Girl will be fine traveling on her own and won't puke in the lap of a flight attendant.
I wish the Dude was home. Good Lord, help me get through this day without saying the F word- again. Yes, I admit it, I freaked when I saw the oil in my driveway. I am such a bad mom.
LB
I sent him out to mow the lawn, and he comes in telling me there is a problem. He poured oil into the mower, then thinking it wasn't the right oil, he dumped it out onto the driveway. Sigh. Now what oil there was in the mower is on my driveway, and he can't mow the lawn. And now, he took litter from the cat litter pan, to put on the huge oil slick in my driveway, and there are cat turds on top.
I find it hard to believe that in primitive and past societies, he would be considered an adult at the age of 15. Sigh. Someone tell me he will grow up. Please. And someone tell me the Girl will be fine traveling on her own and won't puke in the lap of a flight attendant.
I wish the Dude was home. Good Lord, help me get through this day without saying the F word- again. Yes, I admit it, I freaked when I saw the oil in my driveway. I am such a bad mom.
LB
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Allergies, hairballs, and cupcake wrappers, oh my!
Hi. I'm not sure what is up with me today- all day I have felt run-down, lethargic, and exhausted. My allergies are really bad, I think that is part of it. I think part of it is anxiety about PG traveling in two days, and no, I am not ready for her to go. We haven't started packing yet, but now have some suitcases (borrowed from PG's piano teacher) to use for the purpose.
I need to be in the studio, but it is just such a mess, I am quite uninspired. I haven't been down there for weeks, what with all the PG projects I have been doing, and unfortunately it shows. There are about five big piles of stuff that need to be organized or donated. The floor is a mess, needing to be vaccuumed thoroughly. And I have decided that Amy is right- in order for the kids to do a better job at scooping the cat litter and keeping the area around it clean on a regular basis, I need to move the litter into one of their rooms! The downstairs pantry/storage closet doesn't have doors yet, and is in an alcove right near my studio.
The other issue is that various people and felines come into my studio unbidden, and leave messes in my space. There are cat hairballs under my sewing table, cupcake wrappers and the cupcake bottoms (you know, the part without the frosting) laying on the floor, as well as loose Lego and KNex pieces. A certain young man I know is going to be spending a great deal of time this weekend helping me clean up these messes!!! I am planning on spending the whole weekend (you know, while I am worrying Saturday while my baby Girl is in the air) down there cleaning and getting ready for Monday.
I have been hearing a great deal about two particular ladies who help organize studio spaces, or have amzing studios. Here is one, Lois Hallock at Clearview designs, and the other is Carol Taylor. Check out Carol's studio. I saw it in this new mag I picked up- Mark Lipinski's Quilter's Home. This is a wierd publication- not sure I will pick it up again, but it was worth it for the glimpse into Carol's studio. I am inspired, and hope I can get my studio space to work as well for me as hers does.
That's all I got for now.
TTFN
LB
I need to be in the studio, but it is just such a mess, I am quite uninspired. I haven't been down there for weeks, what with all the PG projects I have been doing, and unfortunately it shows. There are about five big piles of stuff that need to be organized or donated. The floor is a mess, needing to be vaccuumed thoroughly. And I have decided that Amy is right- in order for the kids to do a better job at scooping the cat litter and keeping the area around it clean on a regular basis, I need to move the litter into one of their rooms! The downstairs pantry/storage closet doesn't have doors yet, and is in an alcove right near my studio.
The other issue is that various people and felines come into my studio unbidden, and leave messes in my space. There are cat hairballs under my sewing table, cupcake wrappers and the cupcake bottoms (you know, the part without the frosting) laying on the floor, as well as loose Lego and KNex pieces. A certain young man I know is going to be spending a great deal of time this weekend helping me clean up these messes!!! I am planning on spending the whole weekend (you know, while I am worrying Saturday while my baby Girl is in the air) down there cleaning and getting ready for Monday.
I have been hearing a great deal about two particular ladies who help organize studio spaces, or have amzing studios. Here is one, Lois Hallock at Clearview designs, and the other is Carol Taylor. Check out Carol's studio. I saw it in this new mag I picked up- Mark Lipinski's Quilter's Home. This is a wierd publication- not sure I will pick it up again, but it was worth it for the glimpse into Carol's studio. I am inspired, and hope I can get my studio space to work as well for me as hers does.
That's all I got for now.
TTFN
LB
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tidbit #12
For Pamela:
When I googled sunshine, I came up with this blog, For the Birds. Her name is Jen, and although she hasn't painted for some time, she has some old ones on her blog. I think they are just beautiful.
LB
When I googled sunshine, I came up with this blog, For the Birds. Her name is Jen, and although she hasn't painted for some time, she has some old ones on her blog. I think they are just beautiful.
LB
Wow! Wednesday already?!
This week is going fast. I don't have much news, just more of the same. Yesterday, we got all the paperwork and checks mailed in. I touched base with the good folks at Interlochen. We folded a couch full of laundry. The real fun was when a friend of mine stopped by last night, and we all sat around the kitchen table till midnight eating strawberry shortcake and chatting. I had a hard time falling asleep, even with 2 Benedryl, and am up early after about 3 hours of rest. Sigh.
Today we do what is hopefully the last of our shopping for Piano Girl, then we start packing. That's it. That's the plan. Hope your day goes well.
TTFN,
LB
Today we do what is hopefully the last of our shopping for Piano Girl, then we start packing. That's it. That's the plan. Hope your day goes well.
TTFN,
LB
Sunday, June 17, 2007
New post up at Piano Girl
Just thought I'd let all y'all know I posted over at Piano Girl. I'd like to know what you think. Thanks again for all your support! Love you.
LB
LB
I Hate Shopping
Golly, do I hate it! 4 hours in the mall, with oodles and oodles of people who all look like they do this for FUN! Yuck! But our neighbor gave us some monies for clothes, and the Piano Girl does leave in less than a week, so we needed to get some stuff.
We bout 4 pairs of shoes, including our families first pair of Crocs, the 2 most modest swimsuits we could find ( tough job!), 2 pairs of navy blue chino pants, and 2 of chino shorts, a navy blue skort, a green tshirt, 2 pairs of gym shorts, 10 pairs of undies, and a pretzel (had to be the worst pretzel I ever had) and lemonade for sustenance.
We still have lots of stuff to buy, but I think we will be ordering it from Interlochen. Polo ans sweatshirts, etc. all with Interlochen plastered all over them. I will make sure to buy them huge, and she can just wear logo shirts this fall!
My wonderful Dude told us he was going to just drop us at the mall, and run errands and then go home. Instead, he was at our sides 30 minutes later, and stayed the whole four hours! He carried our packages, helped me find the right sizes, and kissed me on the forehead to keep me calm when I started to get cranky with all the nutso people who seemed to be enjoying themselves walking directly in front of me as slowly as humanly possible.
What an amazing man he is! Those who know me know we don't celebrate mother's or father's day here, but instead choose to acknowledge each other whenever given the opportunity. But I told my Dude I give him 3 gold stars for all his help today.
TTFN,
LB
We bout 4 pairs of shoes, including our families first pair of Crocs, the 2 most modest swimsuits we could find ( tough job!), 2 pairs of navy blue chino pants, and 2 of chino shorts, a navy blue skort, a green tshirt, 2 pairs of gym shorts, 10 pairs of undies, and a pretzel (had to be the worst pretzel I ever had) and lemonade for sustenance.
We still have lots of stuff to buy, but I think we will be ordering it from Interlochen. Polo ans sweatshirts, etc. all with Interlochen plastered all over them. I will make sure to buy them huge, and she can just wear logo shirts this fall!
My wonderful Dude told us he was going to just drop us at the mall, and run errands and then go home. Instead, he was at our sides 30 minutes later, and stayed the whole four hours! He carried our packages, helped me find the right sizes, and kissed me on the forehead to keep me calm when I started to get cranky with all the nutso people who seemed to be enjoying themselves walking directly in front of me as slowly as humanly possible.
What an amazing man he is! Those who know me know we don't celebrate mother's or father's day here, but instead choose to acknowledge each other whenever given the opportunity. But I told my Dude I give him 3 gold stars for all his help today.
TTFN,
LB
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Art Content- Fabric postcards and a book review
I found this list of tutorials and how-to's all on fabric postcards courtesy of Sharon over at In A Minute Ago. I have just recently discovered Sharon's blog, and am loving it. There is always some good conversation going on there, or good art or a new blog to look at. I love that it is a mixed bag of stuff- lots of art content, which I love, but lots of other good stuff, too.
Anyhoo, I keep saying I am going to do art daily, but then I make excuses that my busy life (ie: these gol-durned kids, specifically) gets in my way, and I let that story stop me. I need to be creating, and can really tell this is missing in my life. I am so less cranky when I am making art! So, this summer, I am challenging myself to spend a couple of hours and make a small piece of art (fabric postcards and ATC's are nice and small and easy to do) daily, starting June 25th.
Books:
It had been my intention to read through and do the exercises in The Artist's Way, but even with AmyJo as my integrity buddy, I didn't do it. I think I will just finish reading it and not worry about the exercises.
Robin over Quilt Antics blogged a couple of quotes from the book, Marry Your Muse (see the Hana post a few posts down) . When I read the description of the book, it kinda sounds woo-woo, even for me, but I would like to check it out. I haven't been buying any books (or anything else for that matter!) as every spare penny has been going to the Piano Girl project, but if money were no object, I think my cart at Amazon would be filled with art books. There are a ton of fun artsy quilty books out right now.
What I *have* been doing is working through the exercises in The Art Quilt Workbook by Jane Davila and Elin Waterston. Once I have photo -posting capabilities again, I will post some of the things I have been working on. I absolutely love this book, and the exercises are simple and not overwhelming. Many of the assignments are small 9 x 11 sized quilts- small enough to actually finish! At the end of each chapter is a list of links to modern as well as classic artists whose works utilize the concept focused on in that chapter. I love this feature and find it inspiring to see how differently artists interpret these concepts.
So, once we have Piano Girl safely delivered to Interlochen the end of next week, I plan on spending a good portion of of my days devoting myself to my own art and education. Yay for me!
TTFN,
LB
Anyhoo, I keep saying I am going to do art daily, but then I make excuses that my busy life (ie: these gol-durned kids, specifically) gets in my way, and I let that story stop me. I need to be creating, and can really tell this is missing in my life. I am so less cranky when I am making art! So, this summer, I am challenging myself to spend a couple of hours and make a small piece of art (fabric postcards and ATC's are nice and small and easy to do) daily, starting June 25th.
Books:
It had been my intention to read through and do the exercises in The Artist's Way, but even with AmyJo as my integrity buddy, I didn't do it. I think I will just finish reading it and not worry about the exercises.
Robin over Quilt Antics blogged a couple of quotes from the book, Marry Your Muse (see the Hana post a few posts down) . When I read the description of the book, it kinda sounds woo-woo, even for me, but I would like to check it out. I haven't been buying any books (or anything else for that matter!) as every spare penny has been going to the Piano Girl project, but if money were no object, I think my cart at Amazon would be filled with art books. There are a ton of fun artsy quilty books out right now.
What I *have* been doing is working through the exercises in The Art Quilt Workbook by Jane Davila and Elin Waterston. Once I have photo -posting capabilities again, I will post some of the things I have been working on. I absolutely love this book, and the exercises are simple and not overwhelming. Many of the assignments are small 9 x 11 sized quilts- small enough to actually finish! At the end of each chapter is a list of links to modern as well as classic artists whose works utilize the concept focused on in that chapter. I love this feature and find it inspiring to see how differently artists interpret these concepts.
So, once we have Piano Girl safely delivered to Interlochen the end of next week, I plan on spending a good portion of of my days devoting myself to my own art and education. Yay for me!
TTFN,
LB
Friday, June 15, 2007
I'm here!
I'm here, and things are better today. I will try to post later today- I have a bunch of photos, but the photo program is on the FYM's computer, which is not working at the moment. Lots going on today- lots of Piano Girl work to get done.
LB
LB
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Sun and Storm
This was me yesterday. Totally me. Not what had happened, not what was said, but me. I was choosing to be an angry, nasty, emotional storm cloud who spewed out hard, fat hailstones and sharp, pelting rain down onto those closest to, and unfortunate enough to be the earth people around me. Everything and everyone was wrong. I wouldn't look inside myself to see what was triggering the storm- I just became one.
As the night was ending, the storm cloud that was me had spent itself and I had begun to clear the air with the earth-people around me.
When I awoke this morning, my sky was beginning to clear, still some dark clouds; and there was a great deal of debris around my house to be cleaned up.
All day, I thought on my life and my choices. I was open to the possibility of a muse, maybe in the form of a bright sun cloud to help me clear the air. The storm clouds stayed at bay, but the sun was behind drab grey clouds The storm had subsided, but the remnants still remained. I lived a day filled to the brim with life errands, kept company on my car rides by gentle wind, reminding me of all the earth and sky people who love me. I thought and breathed.
When I picked my son up from school this afternoon, all the thoughts of the day became words. I poured out my heart to him, owning that I had been a raging storm, and sharing how fierce and protecting a mother has to be when given a new sky baby. She keeps them safe and shows them how to weather out a storm. After a time, though, the sky baby learns the ways of the earth for themselves, and wants to begin traveling on its own, whatever the weather brings. Sometimes it is hard to let go- you forgot your umbrella. No thanks, mother, I like the rains. I may also chase storms once in a while.
Mothers can't help but want to make the world safe for their babies, but all babies grow up and learn how to handle life's storms by themselves. I realized that the eye of yesterday's storm, the calm, scary spot in every storm, was that I was struggling with letting my baby grown up and make his own choices. I was trying to control what he did and what happened to him. I realized this is not empowering for him or for me. As hard as it was, I had to give him his own life. I will watch over him, and support him all I can, but he has to start living his own life.
As I finished telling this child, who is still my baby but a young man at the same time, how much I loved him, and that I was ready to let him go, the sun came out from behind the clouds. As my son smiled at me, the bright rays of the sun came out and warmed us. Upsets and storms happen, but if we are willing to look hard at ourselves, and are willing to let go of stories behind them, we can see the powerful people we can become. And we can choose to let our own inner light shine as bright as the sun, instead of choosing to be a hurtful storm cloud.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Tonight my name is Alexander
This is how I feel today. It just went from bad to worse, then got a bit better, then went terrible, then went horrible, then bounced back up to bad, and now it is bed time. I have to admit to looking forward to sleep so I can wake up and do it with much less upset tomorrow.
LB
Monday, June 11, 2007
Wallace Falls
Saturday, we went with a group of friends (my fellow coaches in the Self-Expression Leasership Program I was involved in for the last 3 months) up to Wallace Falls. It was a tough hike for me, I was huffing and puffing, and really struggling with shortness of breath most of the way up, but it was lots of fun, and it really made me realize how much I miss hiking, and that it would be a great goal to plan another hike near the end of this summer, and to actually be in better shape so I could really enjoy it more, and go farther!
It rained the whole day, but it wasn't a big heavy rain until we were almost finished, so we didn't mind at all. We do live in a temperate rain forest, after all! Rain comes with the territory.
Here is the view of the falls from the bridge that is about a half-mile from the first of the three levels of the falls.
It rained the whole day, but it wasn't a big heavy rain until we were almost finished, so we didn't mind at all. We do live in a temperate rain forest, after all! Rain comes with the territory.
Here is the view of the falls from the bridge that is about a half-mile from the first of the three levels of the falls.
Here is the view from the first level. There is a picneic shelter there, and this is where I stayed while the kids went with a bunch of other folks to the top two levels. I sat and ate yum balls, drew in mysketchbook, and enjoyed watching chipmunks, and talking to the other woman who didn't climb to the top. It was serene and beautiful.
Here is a picture one of my friends took from the third level of the falls. The kids were so proud of themselves for making it all the way to the top!
So, they hiked a total of 11 miles, and I did a total of 5. Not bad for the first hike of the season!
LB
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Yum Balls
Disclaimer: I typed this at midnight, without my glasses on. I will check for spelling errors tomorrow.
Hey there!
First of all, I just wanted to thank you three for commenting on the bus ride post. I know that my son is 15, and there are lots of 15 year olds out there doing things with a lot more responsiblity than just aking the bus into town, but for him, it is a huge deal, and I wanted him to be successful at it. Thanks for your support!
The hike was great- I did 6 miles, the kids' did 11 miles!!!!! We ate lots and lots of yum balls.
Yum balls.
First of all, let me start with the disclaimer that this is one of THOSE recipes- it is more of a concept, an idea, and it is easy to run with it. THe quantities of ingredients, and even the type of ingredient is a very rough estimate here, ok? They will taste different depending on the type of nuts and fruits you use- I just use what I have, and what works for our particular dietary needs and allergies. If you have a question about the "why" of any ingredients, let me know.
Yum Balls-the ones I made yesterday were made of the following:
I use my big food processor for this recipe, and it works best to do it in stages, so you don't burn out the motor.
I filled the bowl of the processor about halfway with almonds and cashews (3/4 to 1 lb. of nuts total I am guessing). More almonds that cashews. Grind till chopped very fine but not into nut butter. Put them in a large bowl and set aside.
Next, put in your processor about 1/2 lb. pitted dates, and 1/4 lb. unsulphered apricots. Puree' till they clump up in a large mass and are galumphing around the processor bowl. You may have to stop it and mush them around the bottom again a few times- you want them really smushed into a thick paste with no super big chunks. Leave them in the processor.
Next, I added about 3/4 cup white sesame seeds (for calcium), 1/2 cup rice protein powder, about 1/4 cup raw honey, 1 to 2 TBSP vanilla (Covers any telltale taste of the protein powder- cinnamon works, too.) and about 1/4 cup (probably a little less) oil*. Blend this for a bit to mix it up, and then add some ( 1 cup?) of the nuts, and a generous 1/2 cup coconut**.
Here is the tricky bit- You just kinda play with how much of each thing to add- if it is oily, you need more nuts, cocnut, or sesame seeds. If it is dry and flakey, you may need more oil. What you want is a pliable, stiff, sticky but not too sticky dough. Most of the time, my processor wimps out, and it isn't mixing all the way, so I end of dumping it in the big bowl the nuts were in and kneading it by hand to finish the mixing process. Yesterday it seemed stickier than usual, so I kneaded in more protein powder. It will stick to your hands a bit, don't sweat it, you can lick it all off when you are all done!
Then, in a tupperware, dump about 1 cup of coconut, and/or some more of your chopped nuts, and/or sesame seeds (my kids like a mix of the three.). Take a walnut sized bunch of the delicious sticky dough, roll it into a ball, and drop it into the coconut mix. After rolling 15 - 20 balls, put the lid on the tupperware, and shake and roll them around so they are coated in the coconut mix. Keep going till it is all in balls. This makes a generous amount of yum balls(think I got about 5 to 6 dozen yesterday). You want to leave the extra coconut mix in the tupperware with the yum balls- it doesn't always stick to the balls so this way, they are always covered, and you get lots of coconut in each bite.
After the yum balls are done, you can reuse the coconut mix by either just making a new batch, and rolling them in it, or what I usually do is use that coconut to put IN the next batch, and grind fresh nuts to add to it, and to roll in. Sometimes the kids just scoop it up and eat it right there!
Variations. You can use dried cherries, raisins, or any other fruit of your choice. You can add ground flax seed ( I grind a bunch of it at a time and keep it in the fridge, so I can just add some to this without having to overthink it) , sunflowers, and use any nuts at all. We avoid peanuts, but have used all the other nuts I can think of. Sometimes I make them very cinnamon-y and skip the vanilla. Sometimes I add a tiny bit ( a teaspoon at most) of Torani's caramel flavored coffee syrup. A little goes a long way with that stuff, but it goes well with the vanilla.
*I like to use a lot of nut oils here- sunflower, almond, walnut, etc. Flax seed oil or safflower work well, too. Olive oil is not a good choice for this recipe. Ask me how I know!
** I buy Bob's Red Mill's unsulphered, unsweetened coconut. It is already finely grated, so works well for rolling in.
Do ask any specific questions, hopefully I got it all down accurately.
Let me know what you think- and did no one else think the momsense video was funny?!?
LB
Hey there!
First of all, I just wanted to thank you three for commenting on the bus ride post. I know that my son is 15, and there are lots of 15 year olds out there doing things with a lot more responsiblity than just aking the bus into town, but for him, it is a huge deal, and I wanted him to be successful at it. Thanks for your support!
The hike was great- I did 6 miles, the kids' did 11 miles!!!!! We ate lots and lots of yum balls.
Yum balls.
First of all, let me start with the disclaimer that this is one of THOSE recipes- it is more of a concept, an idea, and it is easy to run with it. THe quantities of ingredients, and even the type of ingredient is a very rough estimate here, ok? They will taste different depending on the type of nuts and fruits you use- I just use what I have, and what works for our particular dietary needs and allergies. If you have a question about the "why" of any ingredients, let me know.
Yum Balls-the ones I made yesterday were made of the following:
I use my big food processor for this recipe, and it works best to do it in stages, so you don't burn out the motor.
I filled the bowl of the processor about halfway with almonds and cashews (3/4 to 1 lb. of nuts total I am guessing). More almonds that cashews. Grind till chopped very fine but not into nut butter. Put them in a large bowl and set aside.
Next, put in your processor about 1/2 lb. pitted dates, and 1/4 lb. unsulphered apricots. Puree' till they clump up in a large mass and are galumphing around the processor bowl. You may have to stop it and mush them around the bottom again a few times- you want them really smushed into a thick paste with no super big chunks. Leave them in the processor.
Next, I added about 3/4 cup white sesame seeds (for calcium), 1/2 cup rice protein powder, about 1/4 cup raw honey, 1 to 2 TBSP vanilla (Covers any telltale taste of the protein powder- cinnamon works, too.) and about 1/4 cup (probably a little less) oil*. Blend this for a bit to mix it up, and then add some ( 1 cup?) of the nuts, and a generous 1/2 cup coconut**.
Here is the tricky bit- You just kinda play with how much of each thing to add- if it is oily, you need more nuts, cocnut, or sesame seeds. If it is dry and flakey, you may need more oil. What you want is a pliable, stiff, sticky but not too sticky dough. Most of the time, my processor wimps out, and it isn't mixing all the way, so I end of dumping it in the big bowl the nuts were in and kneading it by hand to finish the mixing process. Yesterday it seemed stickier than usual, so I kneaded in more protein powder. It will stick to your hands a bit, don't sweat it, you can lick it all off when you are all done!
Then, in a tupperware, dump about 1 cup of coconut, and/or some more of your chopped nuts, and/or sesame seeds (my kids like a mix of the three.). Take a walnut sized bunch of the delicious sticky dough, roll it into a ball, and drop it into the coconut mix. After rolling 15 - 20 balls, put the lid on the tupperware, and shake and roll them around so they are coated in the coconut mix. Keep going till it is all in balls. This makes a generous amount of yum balls(think I got about 5 to 6 dozen yesterday). You want to leave the extra coconut mix in the tupperware with the yum balls- it doesn't always stick to the balls so this way, they are always covered, and you get lots of coconut in each bite.
After the yum balls are done, you can reuse the coconut mix by either just making a new batch, and rolling them in it, or what I usually do is use that coconut to put IN the next batch, and grind fresh nuts to add to it, and to roll in. Sometimes the kids just scoop it up and eat it right there!
Variations. You can use dried cherries, raisins, or any other fruit of your choice. You can add ground flax seed ( I grind a bunch of it at a time and keep it in the fridge, so I can just add some to this without having to overthink it) , sunflowers, and use any nuts at all. We avoid peanuts, but have used all the other nuts I can think of. Sometimes I make them very cinnamon-y and skip the vanilla. Sometimes I add a tiny bit ( a teaspoon at most) of Torani's caramel flavored coffee syrup. A little goes a long way with that stuff, but it goes well with the vanilla.
*I like to use a lot of nut oils here- sunflower, almond, walnut, etc. Flax seed oil or safflower work well, too. Olive oil is not a good choice for this recipe. Ask me how I know!
** I buy Bob's Red Mill's unsulphered, unsweetened coconut. It is already finely grated, so works well for rolling in.
Do ask any specific questions, hopefully I got it all down accurately.
Let me know what you think- and did no one else think the momsense video was funny?!?
LB
Friday, June 08, 2007
Bus ride
I have been wanting to train the Fine Young Man to take the bus to the high school by himself all year, but just haven't got around to it. Well, the brakes on the van are squealing and sound like metal is rubbing on metal, so I have been doing my best not to drive it. So today, the three of us walked the probably 1 mile to the bus stop, and rode into downtown. Once we were down there, I instructed my FYM on where and how to get back on it for the ride back, and then the Young Miss and I set out to do some errands.
First we went to the bank, and deposited all the monies and checks from the Piano Girl Recital. We also got a bunch of coin rolls so we could work on that here at night while watching the telly. Then we had lunch at Qdoba, an okay fast food chain. We both had mango chicken salads, with no cheese or sour creme, so we at least ate healthy. But I wasn't very impressed. For one thing, I just really have this problem when restaurants charge me for guacamole when I don't get sour creme and cheese, but that is just probably me being cheap again.
Then we hit the grocery store, stocking up on everything we need to make some healthy snacks for our group hike tomorrow. We are headed for Wallace Falls. A friend of mine will pick us up at 8 am. So don't count on a blog post till later tomorrow.
There is an optometrist in the grocery, so we stopped there to fix my blue glasses- I woke up this morning, put them on, and the arm-thingy on the right side just broke off in my hand. So they were nice and put a new screw in for me.
Then we headed to the bus stop, and yes, when we got on, the FYM was on the bus. Yay! I know he is fifteen, but he is such an absent-minded professor when it comes to some things, that I was a tad concerned. We walked the mile home, and are all now complaining of tired feet! Wonder what tomorrow will bring!
Taking the bus made for some interesting conversation about how to be safe out in the world. I have never been one to give my kids the generic "do not to talk to strangers" line, but rather to go with your gut and your sixth sense- you know, the one that makes you want to cross the street when you see a particular kind of person walking behind or in front of you, etc. We ran into an obviously mentally-challenged man who repeated every word he said, a young drunk man who was drinking right out of a bottle in a brown paper bag on the bus, and the kind of young men who all sit together in the back of the bus being loud and obnoxious. We got to talk about all kinds of safety issues with just one bus ride. It kind of freaks me out, but I have to let go to him a bit, and give him some freedom and some control over his own life. He is so much more sheltered than I was at fifteen, but then, a lot of the responsibilities I had at that age were forced upon me. So all is good in the end. He will be fine.
The who trip only took an hour and a quarter longer than if we had taken the car, and we all got some reading in, so that blows my main excuse for not riding the bus. I also got at least 3 miles of walking in. I do think I need to track how far we really walk to and from the bus stop, so I can count that much walking!
Ok, time to go make some yum balls (ground nuts, dried fruit, honey, coconut, sesame seeds, and protein powder all rolled into balls and rolled in more coconut. A good source of protein for hiking!), and then scrounge up something for supper.
TTFN,
LB
First we went to the bank, and deposited all the monies and checks from the Piano Girl Recital. We also got a bunch of coin rolls so we could work on that here at night while watching the telly. Then we had lunch at Qdoba, an okay fast food chain. We both had mango chicken salads, with no cheese or sour creme, so we at least ate healthy. But I wasn't very impressed. For one thing, I just really have this problem when restaurants charge me for guacamole when I don't get sour creme and cheese, but that is just probably me being cheap again.
Then we hit the grocery store, stocking up on everything we need to make some healthy snacks for our group hike tomorrow. We are headed for Wallace Falls. A friend of mine will pick us up at 8 am. So don't count on a blog post till later tomorrow.
There is an optometrist in the grocery, so we stopped there to fix my blue glasses- I woke up this morning, put them on, and the arm-thingy on the right side just broke off in my hand. So they were nice and put a new screw in for me.
Then we headed to the bus stop, and yes, when we got on, the FYM was on the bus. Yay! I know he is fifteen, but he is such an absent-minded professor when it comes to some things, that I was a tad concerned. We walked the mile home, and are all now complaining of tired feet! Wonder what tomorrow will bring!
Taking the bus made for some interesting conversation about how to be safe out in the world. I have never been one to give my kids the generic "do not to talk to strangers" line, but rather to go with your gut and your sixth sense- you know, the one that makes you want to cross the street when you see a particular kind of person walking behind or in front of you, etc. We ran into an obviously mentally-challenged man who repeated every word he said, a young drunk man who was drinking right out of a bottle in a brown paper bag on the bus, and the kind of young men who all sit together in the back of the bus being loud and obnoxious. We got to talk about all kinds of safety issues with just one bus ride. It kind of freaks me out, but I have to let go to him a bit, and give him some freedom and some control over his own life. He is so much more sheltered than I was at fifteen, but then, a lot of the responsibilities I had at that age were forced upon me. So all is good in the end. He will be fine.
The who trip only took an hour and a quarter longer than if we had taken the car, and we all got some reading in, so that blows my main excuse for not riding the bus. I also got at least 3 miles of walking in. I do think I need to track how far we really walk to and from the bus stop, so I can count that much walking!
Ok, time to go make some yum balls (ground nuts, dried fruit, honey, coconut, sesame seeds, and protein powder all rolled into balls and rolled in more coconut. A good source of protein for hiking!), and then scrounge up something for supper.
TTFN,
LB
Thursday, June 07, 2007
See what I mean?
What was it I was just saying about missing adult company and conversation?
I just went in to kiss the kids, and the Boy asked me, "Mama, wouldn't it hurt of someone cut off your eyelids?" Umm, yeah, I think it would. Sigh. My Dude will be back soon.
LB
I just went in to kiss the kids, and the Boy asked me, "Mama, wouldn't it hurt of someone cut off your eyelids?" Umm, yeah, I think it would. Sigh. My Dude will be back soon.
LB
I'm bored
I am so bored. I miss my Dude. I love the kids, but frankly, they wear me out. I don't have any grownups to talk to, and I don't feel like doing any of my chores- yeah, I know exactly where my kids get this tendancy from! Ok, so I don't want to do anything productive. I could be doing something creative, like sketching, or working in the studio. I could be reading, or writing. I could even be sleeping, but the bed seems so lonely. Funny, his snoring drives me nuts most nights, but I sorta miss it. Only sorta. I miss the idea of his being upstairs snoring, and being able to hear it down here in the living room. Ok, so I don't miss the snoring, but I miss him being here.
Not much else to say at the moment. I am going to go kiss my big babies, and head off to bed, minus my sweet snoring Dude. Talk to you tomorrow.
LB
Not much else to say at the moment. I am going to go kiss my big babies, and head off to bed, minus my sweet snoring Dude. Talk to you tomorrow.
LB
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
For Pamela
Pamela has asked on several occasions, "What is a meme?" Here is as good of an answer as I could find.
TTFN,
LB
TTFN,
LB
Feeling Much Better Now, and Some Homeschool Talk
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the well-wishes yesterday. They help!
The headache really peaked about 4 pm yesterday, but I didn't let it stop me. We headed over to my Mom's, so the kids could spend the evening with Gramma and their cousins while I went to my Classical Ed. meeting. I got home around 10:30, and thought my head was going to explode. There *used* to be a bottle of hydrocodone in my Mom's medicine cupboard, so I didn't bring mine last night, and the bottle was *GONE*! My little sister loves the stuff even more than I do, so I will be having a talk with her soon about sharing. ;-)
Update: My sister says she is innocent, so that means the Blind Mama must have put it somewhere. What a good waste of head-helping drugs!
So I lay on the couch, my head throbbing, watching the interesting pictures in my eyelids and trying not to barf; listening to Piano Girl breathing deep in her sleep, and finally got to sleep around 3 am, only to be woken up by my Mom coming in to turn the heat on (It's June for heaven's sake!). Fell asleep again about 3:30, and then woke again to Mom turning the heat off. Sigh. After about 2 hours of sleep for me, we all got up at 7 am and walked the Boy Cousins to school. The head feels a bit better, back to the manageable headache stage, but I am plum tuckered out.
Mom's Dr. appt. went well. I so love her Dr. He handles her crabbiness so well, and doesn't take offense. He is one of the few people I know who can make jokes about her (lack of) humour to her without her becoming offended. I had to advocate for her a bit with the ladies behind the front desk- I didn't go into the blood lab with her last week (you can bet I will from now on, regardless of her insistence that she is fine alone), and they had her sign a paper without reading it to her. Wasn't a big deal, but they made it one, focusing on which form she had filled out instead of just getting that I wanted the words "Blind lady-tell her what she is signing." written across the top of her charts. We finally got it straightened out, and I think it is good practice for me to be an advocate for her without making anyone wrong.
The good news is that her cholesterol is down quite a bit. It was so high in January, I was constantly worried about heart attacks or strokes. Dr. says it is still high, and wants me to focus on buying/making her healthy foods. If it is not even lower in 4 months, he is going to increase her Lipitor script. She hasn't been experiencing side effects, but gets crabby just having to take it, so she may be willing to work with me a bit more on the diet/food end of things. Her thyroid levels are also in range for the first time in 6 months, so that is good too! I guess the last 6 months of forcing her to get into the routine of taking her pills daily has paid off a bit.
Back to last night:
Even though my head was exploding, I really enjoyed the meeting. We had a guest speaker from New Albion Academy come and talk to us about keeping a classical eye open when shopping for curricula. It's funny, I think every woman in that room could have sat and listened and discussed forever, had we the time. The most intriguing discussion for me was the topic of the trivium (Grammar, logic, and rhetoric) as subjects, not developmental stages of learning (per Sayers or the WTM, for example). It was a fascinating subject, and gave me lots to think about in the ways our school has been successful in the past, and also some insight into why it isn't going so well now.
Two things I heard again last night that seem to be a recurring theme (I think the universe is trying very hard to get this message through to my cute little brain!) lately, is that "The teacher is the curriculum." and "The best teacher is an enthusiastic student." I remember getting this message when I read A Thomas Jefferson Education a few years ago as well. At that point, I promised myself I would read the same books the kids did, and teach myself latin alongside them. I held myself up to this ideal for a very short time, and I can really see where this has harmed our student/teacher relationships, and stifled much of the success and joy that used to be a part of our school. Time for me to poop or get off the pot as my Mom would say.
Anyhow, I think this talk will help me focus when attending the WHO convention next weekend. And for anyone local who reads this, and is planning on attending, I could use a ride this year!
So we are home now, and I am going to get a bunch of stuff done before I crash. If the strawberries and peppers are still alive, I will put them in pots, and it is on my chore list to tidy up the living room. The kids are going to mow the lawn, and mop up whatever that sticky stuff is. I don't want to know what they did to make it sticky, I really don't. I just want them to clean it up!
Oh, Papa Dude, if you are reading this, I want you to know how much I appreciate you and I know how hard you are working for us- sorry about last night, thanks for hanging in. We should both know better than to try to have a conversation when my head is exploding. Love you.
I plan on being in bed by 9 tonight, as we have piano lessons bright and squirrelly tomorrow morning. If the kids don't go right to sleep it won't be my problem- I have the whole bed to myself, and I am going to sleep right in the middle tonight! So only 8 hours to go till I can sleep.
TTFN,
LB
Thanks for all the well-wishes yesterday. They help!
The headache really peaked about 4 pm yesterday, but I didn't let it stop me. We headed over to my Mom's, so the kids could spend the evening with Gramma and their cousins while I went to my Classical Ed. meeting. I got home around 10:30, and thought my head was going to explode. There *used* to be a bottle of hydrocodone in my Mom's medicine cupboard, so I didn't bring mine last night, and the bottle was *GONE*! My little sister loves the stuff even more than I do, so I will be having a talk with her soon about sharing. ;-)
Update: My sister says she is innocent, so that means the Blind Mama must have put it somewhere. What a good waste of head-helping drugs!
So I lay on the couch, my head throbbing, watching the interesting pictures in my eyelids and trying not to barf; listening to Piano Girl breathing deep in her sleep, and finally got to sleep around 3 am, only to be woken up by my Mom coming in to turn the heat on (It's June for heaven's sake!). Fell asleep again about 3:30, and then woke again to Mom turning the heat off. Sigh. After about 2 hours of sleep for me, we all got up at 7 am and walked the Boy Cousins to school. The head feels a bit better, back to the manageable headache stage, but I am plum tuckered out.
Mom's Dr. appt. went well. I so love her Dr. He handles her crabbiness so well, and doesn't take offense. He is one of the few people I know who can make jokes about her (lack of) humour to her without her becoming offended. I had to advocate for her a bit with the ladies behind the front desk- I didn't go into the blood lab with her last week (you can bet I will from now on, regardless of her insistence that she is fine alone), and they had her sign a paper without reading it to her. Wasn't a big deal, but they made it one, focusing on which form she had filled out instead of just getting that I wanted the words "Blind lady-tell her what she is signing." written across the top of her charts. We finally got it straightened out, and I think it is good practice for me to be an advocate for her without making anyone wrong.
The good news is that her cholesterol is down quite a bit. It was so high in January, I was constantly worried about heart attacks or strokes. Dr. says it is still high, and wants me to focus on buying/making her healthy foods. If it is not even lower in 4 months, he is going to increase her Lipitor script. She hasn't been experiencing side effects, but gets crabby just having to take it, so she may be willing to work with me a bit more on the diet/food end of things. Her thyroid levels are also in range for the first time in 6 months, so that is good too! I guess the last 6 months of forcing her to get into the routine of taking her pills daily has paid off a bit.
Back to last night:
Even though my head was exploding, I really enjoyed the meeting. We had a guest speaker from New Albion Academy come and talk to us about keeping a classical eye open when shopping for curricula. It's funny, I think every woman in that room could have sat and listened and discussed forever, had we the time. The most intriguing discussion for me was the topic of the trivium (Grammar, logic, and rhetoric) as subjects, not developmental stages of learning (per Sayers or the WTM, for example). It was a fascinating subject, and gave me lots to think about in the ways our school has been successful in the past, and also some insight into why it isn't going so well now.
Two things I heard again last night that seem to be a recurring theme (I think the universe is trying very hard to get this message through to my cute little brain!) lately, is that "The teacher is the curriculum." and "The best teacher is an enthusiastic student." I remember getting this message when I read A Thomas Jefferson Education a few years ago as well. At that point, I promised myself I would read the same books the kids did, and teach myself latin alongside them. I held myself up to this ideal for a very short time, and I can really see where this has harmed our student/teacher relationships, and stifled much of the success and joy that used to be a part of our school. Time for me to poop or get off the pot as my Mom would say.
Anyhow, I think this talk will help me focus when attending the WHO convention next weekend. And for anyone local who reads this, and is planning on attending, I could use a ride this year!
So we are home now, and I am going to get a bunch of stuff done before I crash. If the strawberries and peppers are still alive, I will put them in pots, and it is on my chore list to tidy up the living room. The kids are going to mow the lawn, and mop up whatever that sticky stuff is. I don't want to know what they did to make it sticky, I really don't. I just want them to clean it up!
Oh, Papa Dude, if you are reading this, I want you to know how much I appreciate you and I know how hard you are working for us- sorry about last night, thanks for hanging in. We should both know better than to try to have a conversation when my head is exploding. Love you.
I plan on being in bed by 9 tonight, as we have piano lessons bright and squirrelly tomorrow morning. If the kids don't go right to sleep it won't be my problem- I have the whole bed to myself, and I am going to sleep right in the middle tonight! So only 8 hours to go till I can sleep.
TTFN,
LB
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Sigh. It finally got me.
Well, the low-level headache I have had for the last 6 days has finally decided to turn into a migraine. I have given in and am tucked up in bed, and will only be going out to take the Boy to school and pick him up. If I knew the bus schedules better, I would just have him do that, but it takes too much energy to look them up.
I will try to post later, but right now, I am just curling up with my favorite quilt, two cats, and some hydrocodone. The Boy is sitting over at Papa's desk, supposedly writing the second draft of a paper. Gotta shake this, as I am spending the day with Gramma tomorrow. I know from experience that a headache and a needy elderly lady don't mix. Think calm, healthy brain thoughts, ok? The last thing I need with the Dude away is one of those scary-daddy migraines from two winters ago!
LB
I will try to post later, but right now, I am just curling up with my favorite quilt, two cats, and some hydrocodone. The Boy is sitting over at Papa's desk, supposedly writing the second draft of a paper. Gotta shake this, as I am spending the day with Gramma tomorrow. I know from experience that a headache and a needy elderly lady don't mix. Think calm, healthy brain thoughts, ok? The last thing I need with the Dude away is one of those scary-daddy migraines from two winters ago!
LB
Monday, June 04, 2007
Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan
Funny how life gives you what you need if you are open to it. This morning I was over at In a Minute Ago, and read this perfect quote for today:
"A dream is a dream
A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline."
Sharon was writing about how she plans, manages her time, and gets things done. She is writing from her perspective as a fiber artist, but I think her suggestions work for whatever it is we are trying to accomplish. For example, I think she hits the nail on the head (for me, anyhow) with this paragraph. It really spoke to me- I really struggle with focus these days.
"Women are particularly good a multitasking and often during the child rearing stage of life they have trained themselves to be so good at it that they forget is how to focus. There are times to multi task and times to focus on getting what ever it is you want to achieve done. Some things are easy to multi task such as putting a load of washing in and letting it run while I attend to mail but other things are single task activities such as designing something. This sort of task requires me to focus on the task at hand, in a sustained manner in order to actually get it done."
Why this blog post struck a cord with me on this particular morning is that the kids and I are planning out the next three weeks of our lives today. We each made a list (thanks, Amy) of everything we needed to do around the house, in categories of chores, school, and self (self-care,bedroom maintenance, and personal goals). Then we made a schedule page, and penciled it all in. So at the moment, our days are scheduled from 7 am to 10 pm. Sounds drastic, but we need this focus right now. We have a lot of work to do this summer, but still want to have some fun- planning our lives seemed the easiest way to go about it.
Another quote from Sharon's blog:
"Mile by mile, life’s a trial.
Yard by yard, life is hard.
Inch by inch, life’s a cinch."
Gotta go, I am determined to be a mom, a housewife, a teacher, and an artist today. I will try to post a photo of the day later.
LB
"A dream is a dream
A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline."
Sharon was writing about how she plans, manages her time, and gets things done. She is writing from her perspective as a fiber artist, but I think her suggestions work for whatever it is we are trying to accomplish. For example, I think she hits the nail on the head (for me, anyhow) with this paragraph. It really spoke to me- I really struggle with focus these days.
"Women are particularly good a multitasking and often during the child rearing stage of life they have trained themselves to be so good at it that they forget is how to focus. There are times to multi task and times to focus on getting what ever it is you want to achieve done. Some things are easy to multi task such as putting a load of washing in and letting it run while I attend to mail but other things are single task activities such as designing something. This sort of task requires me to focus on the task at hand, in a sustained manner in order to actually get it done."
Why this blog post struck a cord with me on this particular morning is that the kids and I are planning out the next three weeks of our lives today. We each made a list (thanks, Amy) of everything we needed to do around the house, in categories of chores, school, and self (self-care,bedroom maintenance, and personal goals). Then we made a schedule page, and penciled it all in. So at the moment, our days are scheduled from 7 am to 10 pm. Sounds drastic, but we need this focus right now. We have a lot of work to do this summer, but still want to have some fun- planning our lives seemed the easiest way to go about it.
Another quote from Sharon's blog:
"Mile by mile, life’s a trial.
Yard by yard, life is hard.
Inch by inch, life’s a cinch."
Gotta go, I am determined to be a mom, a housewife, a teacher, and an artist today. I will try to post a photo of the day later.
LB
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Sunday Update
I posted an update about how the benefit recital went over at Piano Girl. To be honest, having invited 400 people, I was hoping for a ton more people to show up, but was amazed at who did.
People who have loved me (and my family) for the last 26 years. Many friends from high school, family members from both sides, and from my homeschooling community came, and that was so fantastic. It was great to see everyone, and to delight in their support of my Piano Girl. Thanks again to all who showed up and showed support. I love you guys!
Our Papa Dude left at 5 am this morning, and will be gone until next Monday, so I get to practice my solo-parenting-of-two-hormonal-crabby-mouthy-teenagers this week. We will be focusing on character lessons a great deal. The house is a mess, and we start a new school term tomorrow, so I have a lot of cleaning to do today. Wish me success in enrolling the kids in the idea of working together as a threesome to get it done quickly and efficiently! If I can get the house looking ship-shape today, I can spend some time in the studio tonight- I still haven't even started the 15 fabric postcards I wanted to have done by tomorrow night. Sigh. I also seem to be in the middle of a several-days-long headache as well. Hasn't hit migraine levels yet, but just won't go away. I think it may be allergy-related. Thank goodness for hydrocodone!
TTFN,
LB
People who have loved me (and my family) for the last 26 years. Many friends from high school, family members from both sides, and from my homeschooling community came, and that was so fantastic. It was great to see everyone, and to delight in their support of my Piano Girl. Thanks again to all who showed up and showed support. I love you guys!
Our Papa Dude left at 5 am this morning, and will be gone until next Monday, so I get to practice my solo-parenting-of-two-hormonal-crabby-mouthy-teenagers this week. We will be focusing on character lessons a great deal. The house is a mess, and we start a new school term tomorrow, so I have a lot of cleaning to do today. Wish me success in enrolling the kids in the idea of working together as a threesome to get it done quickly and efficiently! If I can get the house looking ship-shape today, I can spend some time in the studio tonight- I still haven't even started the 15 fabric postcards I wanted to have done by tomorrow night. Sigh. I also seem to be in the middle of a several-days-long headache as well. Hasn't hit migraine levels yet, but just won't go away. I think it may be allergy-related. Thank goodness for hydrocodone!
TTFN,
LB
Friday, June 01, 2007
Yay! I found some!
Update on the table cloths:
I found some! Party City came through for me. They still cost me more than if I had been able to get them at Costco, but at least I know of a source now. Plus, we got them in nice bright green, instead of the white they sell at Costco. How fun is that?
I found some! Party City came through for me. They still cost me more than if I had been able to get them at Costco, but at least I know of a source now. Plus, we got them in nice bright green, instead of the white they sell at Costco. How fun is that?
Freaky Friday
Ever wake up feeling mentally great, but physically ill at the same time? That is me this morning. I am in a great humour, but feel a summer cold coming on. My nose is runny, my head really hurts, and I have a tickle in my throat that I know will be a cough soon. Darn it! I need my voice tomorrow- couldn't the cold wait till Sunday morning to kick in? I will be running to the store to get some Cold-Eze soon.
Everything is ready for tomorrow's recital, except for the minor detail of disposable table cloths. Last year, we bought those long rectangular plastic tablecloths, and cut them up and taped them together to cover the large round tables in the fellowship room at the church. This covered the tables, but looked really tacky, and took time to do.
When we were at the church yesterday, the kids' Godfather (GF) showed me the kind they used, and told me they had them at Cash N Carry (a really wierd store where you buy things in even larger quantities than at Costco) or Costco. We found the CNC store, and they had the tablecloths, but they were $5. each. We have to cover nine tables, I just can't see paying $45. for something I am going to use for 2 hours and then throw away. (I know, I know, I am cheap, but you knew that!) So I went all the way back to my Mom's and drug her to the Costco (she has the membership card, we haven't shopped there in years) near her house, only to find that they didn't have the round tablecloths there. Sigh. I know it isn't a big deal, but I just want everything to look perfect. We shall see what I can come up with today, without it taking up my whole day. We left the house at 8 am yesterday, and did not get home till after 9 pm- I do not want another day like that!! Wears me out just remembering it!
Once I actually get my sick bumm out of bed, I have to get down into the studio today. I have got to get those fabric postcards started. I couldn't get to sleep last night, so was looking at this great blog, FaeryDi's. I watched her Flicker slideshow- she has some great examples of fabric postcards there. So I have some inspiration, now to get down there and do some stuff of my own.
Ok, that is the plan for today. That and listening to the Piano Girl practice for several hours (lucky me!;-). She sounds great, but needs a bit of finesse on just a couple of spots in a couple of pieces. I hope we see you there tomorrow!
TTFN,
LB
Everything is ready for tomorrow's recital, except for the minor detail of disposable table cloths. Last year, we bought those long rectangular plastic tablecloths, and cut them up and taped them together to cover the large round tables in the fellowship room at the church. This covered the tables, but looked really tacky, and took time to do.
When we were at the church yesterday, the kids' Godfather (GF) showed me the kind they used, and told me they had them at Cash N Carry (a really wierd store where you buy things in even larger quantities than at Costco) or Costco. We found the CNC store, and they had the tablecloths, but they were $5. each. We have to cover nine tables, I just can't see paying $45. for something I am going to use for 2 hours and then throw away. (I know, I know, I am cheap, but you knew that!) So I went all the way back to my Mom's and drug her to the Costco (she has the membership card, we haven't shopped there in years) near her house, only to find that they didn't have the round tablecloths there. Sigh. I know it isn't a big deal, but I just want everything to look perfect. We shall see what I can come up with today, without it taking up my whole day. We left the house at 8 am yesterday, and did not get home till after 9 pm- I do not want another day like that!! Wears me out just remembering it!
Once I actually get my sick bumm out of bed, I have to get down into the studio today. I have got to get those fabric postcards started. I couldn't get to sleep last night, so was looking at this great blog, FaeryDi's. I watched her Flicker slideshow- she has some great examples of fabric postcards there. So I have some inspiration, now to get down there and do some stuff of my own.
Ok, that is the plan for today. That and listening to the Piano Girl practice for several hours (lucky me!;-). She sounds great, but needs a bit of finesse on just a couple of spots in a couple of pieces. I hope we see you there tomorrow!
TTFN,
LB
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Busy day
Well, we have a busy day planned today. First off, I was up at 3 am, to make sure the Papa Dude woke up, and said goodbye to him. Crawled back into bed for a couple three hours, and now I am back up- way earlier than my body wants to be.
Today we head over to the east side of the lake. First stop is Gramma's house. The kids will stay there and do a bit of school while I take her to the Dr.'s for a blood draw. Then we will visit for a bit. We will stop by the B. family's house and feed/water their chickens, and gather eggs. Then I stop in at Crissy's to pick up the banner.
We will get lunch somewhere, then head to Unity of Bellevue, where Piano Girl and her piano teacher will have a lesson- one last run through before Sat. While they are busy, the Fine Young Man and I will get to look after her little son, Abe, and also deliver some eggs.
Then we head back over to our neck of the woods, and I have to get the strawberies and peppers planted in their pots. I also have 15 fabric postcards I need to make before Monday (which I haven't started yet, sigh.) and also get some more school in.
Busy day. I do have a picture to post for today too. I have to go use the FYM's computer for that.
TTFN,
LB
Today we head over to the east side of the lake. First stop is Gramma's house. The kids will stay there and do a bit of school while I take her to the Dr.'s for a blood draw. Then we will visit for a bit. We will stop by the B. family's house and feed/water their chickens, and gather eggs. Then I stop in at Crissy's to pick up the banner.
We will get lunch somewhere, then head to Unity of Bellevue, where Piano Girl and her piano teacher will have a lesson- one last run through before Sat. While they are busy, the Fine Young Man and I will get to look after her little son, Abe, and also deliver some eggs.
Then we head back over to our neck of the woods, and I have to get the strawberies and peppers planted in their pots. I also have 15 fabric postcards I need to make before Monday (which I haven't started yet, sigh.) and also get some more school in.
Busy day. I do have a picture to post for today too. I have to go use the FYM's computer for that.
TTFN,
LB
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
About Picture of the day #7
So Dy and Pamela want more info on the motorcycle picture.
The beautiful man holding the bike up is Mr. R. He is one of the Dude's new co-workers. He is a delightful man who loves to ride. He was at our house at the beginning of May, and offered to take me for a ride.
I hadn't been on a bike since before Piano Girl was born. If I did one of those "7 things you don't know about me meme's", #1 would be that I absolutely love being on the back of a motorcycle. When I was young and dating, that was one of my first questions when seeing if I wanted to go out with someone..... "Do ya' have a bike?"
Of course, now that I am grownup and have kids, I rarely get the chance, but when I do, man, I am so in heaven!! I swear, I am so not the person I used to be. She is hiding in here, but deep.
I was thinking just Monday, how different my life would be if I hadn't had children. I am glad I did, and I am also glad I had a bit of time before I did, to be a bit wild. Sometimes I miss the chick who wore leather and loved dudes with Harleys. Not too often, but sometimes. Now she just shaves her head and works in the studio.
So there you have it. Why LB is wearing her Dude's leather jacket, sitting on the back of a stranger's bike, with a sh*t-eating grin on her face.
LB
The beautiful man holding the bike up is Mr. R. He is one of the Dude's new co-workers. He is a delightful man who loves to ride. He was at our house at the beginning of May, and offered to take me for a ride.
I hadn't been on a bike since before Piano Girl was born. If I did one of those "7 things you don't know about me meme's", #1 would be that I absolutely love being on the back of a motorcycle. When I was young and dating, that was one of my first questions when seeing if I wanted to go out with someone..... "Do ya' have a bike?"
Of course, now that I am grownup and have kids, I rarely get the chance, but when I do, man, I am so in heaven!! I swear, I am so not the person I used to be. She is hiding in here, but deep.
I was thinking just Monday, how different my life would be if I hadn't had children. I am glad I did, and I am also glad I had a bit of time before I did, to be a bit wild. Sometimes I miss the chick who wore leather and loved dudes with Harleys. Not too often, but sometimes. Now she just shaves her head and works in the studio.
So there you have it. Why LB is wearing her Dude's leather jacket, sitting on the back of a stranger's bike, with a sh*t-eating grin on her face.
LB
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Piano Girl Update
Just FYI, there is a new post up over at Piano Girl. There are only 4 days left until the concert evdent of the season! If you live near us, I hope you join us. If not, there are a couple of ways to help. GO check it out if you haven't been there in a while. We thank you for your support.
Now back to your regular blog posts.
LB
Now back to your regular blog posts.
LB
Garden update
Well, after reading about everything that KathyJo and Ernie are up to on their new farm, I started feeling bad that I haven't got my garden in yet, so I really focused on that this weekend.
We had our garden party last weekend, and came home with tons of plant starts that needed to get into the ground. Got a bunch in this weekend.
In the ground now are large and small pumpkins, green zucchini, pattypan and yellow squash, green and lemon cukes, watermelon, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, eggplant, chard, and a few basil plants.
We only got in about 30 toms instead of the 45 or so we had last year. This year we are focusing on the squashes- should have tons of those! I am hoping the melons grow this year. I had only one watermelon last year- it only got as big as a softball, and never ripened.
Going into pots tomorrow are strawberries and peppers. Also need to plant the celery and cantelope starts.
Still need to get in beans, greens (lettuces and spinich), radishes, carrots, and beets. All the beds are worked up, though they need some horse doo asap.
I could have easily killed and had for supper one of the Girl's chickens. She has been getting out of the run and sleeping under my blueberry bushes. I would not mind this, but she ate all the tender little white flowers off 2 of the bushes. Now, the deal is, I haven't had to share my blueberries with anyone in my family- they all know how much I love them, and the bushes are always my birthday presents. So to have her dingbat bird eat the flowers off was just untolerable. Good thing I don't have a gun, because I just might have used it on this bird!
We have baby plums this year, and my baby fig tree has 13 figs on it!!! This is the first year it has given me fruit! I love figs as much as blueberries, so this is very exciting.
I have seen a few baby pears, but not as many as I was hoping for.
Tons to do in the garden, but thought I would give a bit of an update as to what is done.
TTFN,
LB
We had our garden party last weekend, and came home with tons of plant starts that needed to get into the ground. Got a bunch in this weekend.
In the ground now are large and small pumpkins, green zucchini, pattypan and yellow squash, green and lemon cukes, watermelon, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, eggplant, chard, and a few basil plants.
We only got in about 30 toms instead of the 45 or so we had last year. This year we are focusing on the squashes- should have tons of those! I am hoping the melons grow this year. I had only one watermelon last year- it only got as big as a softball, and never ripened.
Going into pots tomorrow are strawberries and peppers. Also need to plant the celery and cantelope starts.
Still need to get in beans, greens (lettuces and spinich), radishes, carrots, and beets. All the beds are worked up, though they need some horse doo asap.
I could have easily killed and had for supper one of the Girl's chickens. She has been getting out of the run and sleeping under my blueberry bushes. I would not mind this, but she ate all the tender little white flowers off 2 of the bushes. Now, the deal is, I haven't had to share my blueberries with anyone in my family- they all know how much I love them, and the bushes are always my birthday presents. So to have her dingbat bird eat the flowers off was just untolerable. Good thing I don't have a gun, because I just might have used it on this bird!
We have baby plums this year, and my baby fig tree has 13 figs on it!!! This is the first year it has given me fruit! I love figs as much as blueberries, so this is very exciting.
I have seen a few baby pears, but not as many as I was hoping for.
Tons to do in the garden, but thought I would give a bit of an update as to what is done.
TTFN,
LB
Anna Quindlen article
Funny how the universe works. Everything is so interconnected.
My Fine Young Man and I were playing with PianoGirl's music teacher's son (let's call him Abe) this morning. He is 21 months old, and in the year I have known him has really grown- he has learned to walk, to talk, to play, and interact. Today we were joyfully playing "I'm gonna git you", the FYM and I taking turns, one of us running after Abe, the other "protecting" him from the one doing the chasing. We had a hilarious time, and I was struck by the memory of playing this game with the FYM and then with his sister. My how my kids have grown! How amazing they are! My 15 yr old boy, scooping the baby up and planting kisses all over his face, was once my baby.
Then when we got home, I hit the computer, and was visiting my usual blogs, when I found this, over at Frieda's blog. Thought you might enjoy it. As Dy would say, "Kiss those babies." They don't stay babies forever.
LB
Anna Quindlen, Newsweek Columnist and Author:
All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like. Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past.
Everything in all the books I once poured over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach, T. Berry Brazelton, Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, have all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories.
What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations --what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all. Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far a long, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout. One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2. When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing. Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow.
I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China . Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.
Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the, "Remember-When- Mom-Did Hall of Fame." The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, "What did you get wrong?". (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking? But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less. Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be.
The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over the top. And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.
My Fine Young Man and I were playing with PianoGirl's music teacher's son (let's call him Abe) this morning. He is 21 months old, and in the year I have known him has really grown- he has learned to walk, to talk, to play, and interact. Today we were joyfully playing "I'm gonna git you", the FYM and I taking turns, one of us running after Abe, the other "protecting" him from the one doing the chasing. We had a hilarious time, and I was struck by the memory of playing this game with the FYM and then with his sister. My how my kids have grown! How amazing they are! My 15 yr old boy, scooping the baby up and planting kisses all over his face, was once my baby.
Then when we got home, I hit the computer, and was visiting my usual blogs, when I found this, over at Frieda's blog. Thought you might enjoy it. As Dy would say, "Kiss those babies." They don't stay babies forever.
LB
Anna Quindlen, Newsweek Columnist and Author:
All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like. Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past.
Everything in all the books I once poured over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach, T. Berry Brazelton, Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, have all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories.
What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations --what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all. Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far a long, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout. One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2. When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing. Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow.
I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China . Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.
Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the, "Remember-When- Mom-Did Hall of Fame." The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, "What did you get wrong?". (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking? But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less. Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be.
The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over the top. And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.
Monday, May 28, 2007
The long awaited wedding meme from the gal who didn't have a wedding
OK, I promised that I would do this meme on our anniversary, which is today. Not sure how it will work, to answer a wedding meme when we didn't have one, but I will do my best! You may want to get a cup of coffee or tea- this could take a while!
1. Where/How did you meet? We met in 1986. I had just started a new job at an immunodiagnostics lab- we made cells and supplies for path labs, and shipped them out every week. I was in the lunchroom, filling out my W-2 forms, when in walked the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He was wearing a white lab coat, jeans, and a flannel shirt. He had piercing blue eyes, and long hair pulled into a ponytail. He sauntered up to me, looked at what I was doing, and told me I should claim x many deductions. He then poured himself a cup of coffee, and sauntered back out of the lunchroom. I said nothing out loud, but thought to myself, "Who the hell was that nosey, beautiful man?"
2. How long have you known each other? Almost exactly 21 years to the day.
3. How long after you met did you start dating? I will try to make a long sordid story much shorter than it is: We didn't really date- we worked together for about 2 years. He was married when I met him, and I became good friends with his wife, too. We ate lunch together, and I played softball with he and his wife, etc. We often worked in the same lab, so we got to know each other well.
Then, after 2 yrs of working at the lab, I decided to travel to Europe. I stayed with not-yet dh and his wife before and after my Europe trip. Shortly after I got home, 2 things happened- I started having seizures, and his wife left him for someone else. Not-yet dh and I became platonic roommates for the next two years. During this time, I supported him as he worked on emotional healing, and he supported me as I worked on physical healing. I was also dating. It is wierd now, that dh knows all of my dating past. During this time, I fell so madly, deeply in love with him, but didn't think anything was ever going to happen between us.
I was dating a guy whom I knew was my second choice, but I was trying to make it work with him. It was a long-distance relationship, and he was not supportive or helpful when it came to my health problems. I broke it off with him, and decided I was never going to be happily married to anyone.
4. How long did you date before you were engaged? After being platonic roommates for 2 years, not-yet-dh and I became not-platonic, but he was still scared of commitment and love. In May 1991, he went on a month-long trip to see his 9 siblings in Southern Cal. While he was gone, a very nice man asked me to go out. He was VERY interested in me. To be completely honest, although this man was very kind and handsome (and rode a motorcycle), I knew I was never going to love him, as my heart was already taken with not-yet-dh. But when he asked me out, I said yes, just to make N-Y-DH jealous. Luckily, it worked. When N-Y-DH called home to check in and heard I had a date, he asked if I was going. I asked him if there was a reason I shouldn't go out with this nice man, who was obviously taken with me and not afraid to show it. There was silence on the phone line. I went out, and only had an ok time. My heart really belonged to N-Y-Dh.
5. How long was your engagement? After going out with this man twice, it was very apparent that he was serious about me, and wanted a relationship. I didn't go out with him again, not wanting to lead him on, but didn't tell N-Y-DH. I decided to be brave and be true to my heart. When N-Y-DH came home from his trip, I met him at the door with a piece of paper on which I had written 2 pages of what I now refer to as my vows to him. He burst in the door, insisting on talking first, and started shoving a piece of paper at me.
Turns out, most of dh's brothers and sisters are on their 2nd (one on her 3rd) marriages, and have children, and are very happily married. They showed him he could have a happy life after a divorce, and made him realize how much he wanted me (I still say knowing someone else was bringing me roses and telling me how beautiful I was helped a great deal here.) to share his life.
6. How long have you been married? Right then and there, we exchanged vows, and pledged our love. It only took me 5 years to marry him! 16 years today.
7. What is your anniversary? It was May 28th. We got pregnant that very night, lost that one, and were pregnant again at 3 months together. In hind sight, I probably would not have done it this way, but this is what happens when you are a "fertile Myrtle" like I am.
8. How many people came to your wedding reception? We didn't have a wedding- were never even going to actually get married, but did get legally married when I was 7 months along with the Fine Young Man. The health insurance we had at the time was going to demand a heel poke of the baby to prove paternity every time we made a claim (sucky insurance!!), so we found a justice of the peace, and he came to my mom's house. My best friend from high school, her husband, her mother (who was like a mom to me), our future kids' Godparents, and my mom were our witnesses, and the two of us, stood in my mom's dining room for the "ceremony".
When the J-O-T-P asked us if we had vows to say, I basically ran off some of the ones I had written down, and then when he turned to dh, he said, "Ditto." We still say that today when one of us says I love you.
We don't celebrate this day as our wedding day, but I do remember it was sometime in February.
9. What kind of cake did you serve? No cake, but it would most likely have been white, with coconut. And fresh flowers dripping down and around it. In other words, this is what it will be if we get our anniversary party some day.
10. Where was your wedding? Exchange of vows took place in the 16 X 20 ft A-frame log cabin we were living in at the time. Pseudo wedding at my mom's house.
11. What did you serve for your meal? No meals.
12. How many people were in your wedding party? See # 8.
13. Are you still friends with them all? Yup. Love them, love them, love them.
14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony? Nope.
15. Most special moment of your wedding day? Honestly? Just knowing that all my patience with this man, not pushing, etc. had paid off. At one point, I thought I was going to have to settle, or to never be married, and then to have him decide he wanted me, was so wonderful.
16. Any funny moments? Just both of us standing there, in the doorway, trying to talk at the same time, and get the other to listen to us declaring our love.
17. Any big disasters? Although I guess (honestly, I am not sure it would ever have mattered- we have always been committed to each other) I am glad we ultimately got legally married, it really made me mad that we had to- I felt forced into it with the whole insurance thing.
18. Where did you go on your honeymoon? Just before we did the legal wedding thing, we went to Port Townsend, and stayed at this beautiful B & B, where they had a tower room, "dripping with lace" as the brochure stated, and there was a big clawfoot bathtub in the room. It stormed and was beautiful to watch from the tower. THere were these cute teddy bears and teddy mooses on all of the beds, and dh bought me one. The Fine Young Man still has Randy (for dh thought he was a randy-looking fella of a bear) on his bed.
19. How long were you gone? A weekend.
20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change? Well, we were really too poor to have a wedding, even if we had wanted to. What I want to do, is at 20 years, have a huge anniversary party, and do it up right. An off-white (I look sick in pure white) simple dress, lots of dancing, and 400 guests.
21. What side of the bed do you sleep on? THe right side, due to neck injuries, I have to sleep on this side, and that way, I can still spoon with dh.
22. What size is your bed? Queen. Dh has been saving these gorgeous redwood planks, and someday will make me a king-size 4 poster bed. Someday.
23. Greatest strength as a couple? Humour and devotion. We have been through some tough stuff, but we are committed.
24. Greatest challenge as a couple? Starting right off with kids was hard. Making time for the two of us, and making our relationship important has been hard in the past, but I notice the more we do this, the closer and stronger we are together.
25. Who literally pays the bills? As Jess said, "Whoever gets the cut-off notice! haha." This has been an issue in the past, but at the moment, we are both working together on them, and that makes it easier.
26. What is your song? Don't have one. There are many songs we both love, and when we have our huge anniversary party, I am going to play them all!
27. What did you dance your first dance to? n/a
28. Describe your wedding dress: When we met with the J-O-T-P, I was wearing black (maternity) slacks, my teal silk shirt (still have it, don't fit it), and a floral blazer, which didn't button over my little baby belly.
29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding? n/a, but they would have been roses, probably the Peace variety.
30. Are your wedding bands engraved? We didn't have rings (always had the story we couldn't afford them and didn't care anyhow) until our 8th anniversary. Dh surprised me with a beautiful ring- Celtic designed 4 strand unbroken braid to represent the four of us. Not describing it well. I found the site, but couldn't find our rings, but you can get the basic idea from looking here.
31. How old were you when you got married? I had just turned 26, and dh was 36, almost 37.
1. Where/How did you meet? We met in 1986. I had just started a new job at an immunodiagnostics lab- we made cells and supplies for path labs, and shipped them out every week. I was in the lunchroom, filling out my W-2 forms, when in walked the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He was wearing a white lab coat, jeans, and a flannel shirt. He had piercing blue eyes, and long hair pulled into a ponytail. He sauntered up to me, looked at what I was doing, and told me I should claim x many deductions. He then poured himself a cup of coffee, and sauntered back out of the lunchroom. I said nothing out loud, but thought to myself, "Who the hell was that nosey, beautiful man?"
2. How long have you known each other? Almost exactly 21 years to the day.
3. How long after you met did you start dating? I will try to make a long sordid story much shorter than it is: We didn't really date- we worked together for about 2 years. He was married when I met him, and I became good friends with his wife, too. We ate lunch together, and I played softball with he and his wife, etc. We often worked in the same lab, so we got to know each other well.
Then, after 2 yrs of working at the lab, I decided to travel to Europe. I stayed with not-yet dh and his wife before and after my Europe trip. Shortly after I got home, 2 things happened- I started having seizures, and his wife left him for someone else. Not-yet dh and I became platonic roommates for the next two years. During this time, I supported him as he worked on emotional healing, and he supported me as I worked on physical healing. I was also dating. It is wierd now, that dh knows all of my dating past. During this time, I fell so madly, deeply in love with him, but didn't think anything was ever going to happen between us.
I was dating a guy whom I knew was my second choice, but I was trying to make it work with him. It was a long-distance relationship, and he was not supportive or helpful when it came to my health problems. I broke it off with him, and decided I was never going to be happily married to anyone.
4. How long did you date before you were engaged? After being platonic roommates for 2 years, not-yet-dh and I became not-platonic, but he was still scared of commitment and love. In May 1991, he went on a month-long trip to see his 9 siblings in Southern Cal. While he was gone, a very nice man asked me to go out. He was VERY interested in me. To be completely honest, although this man was very kind and handsome (and rode a motorcycle), I knew I was never going to love him, as my heart was already taken with not-yet-dh. But when he asked me out, I said yes, just to make N-Y-DH jealous. Luckily, it worked. When N-Y-DH called home to check in and heard I had a date, he asked if I was going. I asked him if there was a reason I shouldn't go out with this nice man, who was obviously taken with me and not afraid to show it. There was silence on the phone line. I went out, and only had an ok time. My heart really belonged to N-Y-Dh.
5. How long was your engagement? After going out with this man twice, it was very apparent that he was serious about me, and wanted a relationship. I didn't go out with him again, not wanting to lead him on, but didn't tell N-Y-DH. I decided to be brave and be true to my heart. When N-Y-DH came home from his trip, I met him at the door with a piece of paper on which I had written 2 pages of what I now refer to as my vows to him. He burst in the door, insisting on talking first, and started shoving a piece of paper at me.
Turns out, most of dh's brothers and sisters are on their 2nd (one on her 3rd) marriages, and have children, and are very happily married. They showed him he could have a happy life after a divorce, and made him realize how much he wanted me (I still say knowing someone else was bringing me roses and telling me how beautiful I was helped a great deal here.) to share his life.
6. How long have you been married? Right then and there, we exchanged vows, and pledged our love. It only took me 5 years to marry him! 16 years today.
7. What is your anniversary? It was May 28th. We got pregnant that very night, lost that one, and were pregnant again at 3 months together. In hind sight, I probably would not have done it this way, but this is what happens when you are a "fertile Myrtle" like I am.
8. How many people came to your wedding reception? We didn't have a wedding- were never even going to actually get married, but did get legally married when I was 7 months along with the Fine Young Man. The health insurance we had at the time was going to demand a heel poke of the baby to prove paternity every time we made a claim (sucky insurance!!), so we found a justice of the peace, and he came to my mom's house. My best friend from high school, her husband, her mother (who was like a mom to me), our future kids' Godparents, and my mom were our witnesses, and the two of us, stood in my mom's dining room for the "ceremony".
When the J-O-T-P asked us if we had vows to say, I basically ran off some of the ones I had written down, and then when he turned to dh, he said, "Ditto." We still say that today when one of us says I love you.
We don't celebrate this day as our wedding day, but I do remember it was sometime in February.
9. What kind of cake did you serve? No cake, but it would most likely have been white, with coconut. And fresh flowers dripping down and around it. In other words, this is what it will be if we get our anniversary party some day.
10. Where was your wedding? Exchange of vows took place in the 16 X 20 ft A-frame log cabin we were living in at the time. Pseudo wedding at my mom's house.
11. What did you serve for your meal? No meals.
12. How many people were in your wedding party? See # 8.
13. Are you still friends with them all? Yup. Love them, love them, love them.
14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony? Nope.
15. Most special moment of your wedding day? Honestly? Just knowing that all my patience with this man, not pushing, etc. had paid off. At one point, I thought I was going to have to settle, or to never be married, and then to have him decide he wanted me, was so wonderful.
16. Any funny moments? Just both of us standing there, in the doorway, trying to talk at the same time, and get the other to listen to us declaring our love.
17. Any big disasters? Although I guess (honestly, I am not sure it would ever have mattered- we have always been committed to each other) I am glad we ultimately got legally married, it really made me mad that we had to- I felt forced into it with the whole insurance thing.
18. Where did you go on your honeymoon? Just before we did the legal wedding thing, we went to Port Townsend, and stayed at this beautiful B & B, where they had a tower room, "dripping with lace" as the brochure stated, and there was a big clawfoot bathtub in the room. It stormed and was beautiful to watch from the tower. THere were these cute teddy bears and teddy mooses on all of the beds, and dh bought me one. The Fine Young Man still has Randy (for dh thought he was a randy-looking fella of a bear) on his bed.
19. How long were you gone? A weekend.
20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change? Well, we were really too poor to have a wedding, even if we had wanted to. What I want to do, is at 20 years, have a huge anniversary party, and do it up right. An off-white (I look sick in pure white) simple dress, lots of dancing, and 400 guests.
21. What side of the bed do you sleep on? THe right side, due to neck injuries, I have to sleep on this side, and that way, I can still spoon with dh.
22. What size is your bed? Queen. Dh has been saving these gorgeous redwood planks, and someday will make me a king-size 4 poster bed. Someday.
23. Greatest strength as a couple? Humour and devotion. We have been through some tough stuff, but we are committed.
24. Greatest challenge as a couple? Starting right off with kids was hard. Making time for the two of us, and making our relationship important has been hard in the past, but I notice the more we do this, the closer and stronger we are together.
25. Who literally pays the bills? As Jess said, "Whoever gets the cut-off notice! haha." This has been an issue in the past, but at the moment, we are both working together on them, and that makes it easier.
26. What is your song? Don't have one. There are many songs we both love, and when we have our huge anniversary party, I am going to play them all!
27. What did you dance your first dance to? n/a
28. Describe your wedding dress: When we met with the J-O-T-P, I was wearing black (maternity) slacks, my teal silk shirt (still have it, don't fit it), and a floral blazer, which didn't button over my little baby belly.
29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding? n/a, but they would have been roses, probably the Peace variety.
30. Are your wedding bands engraved? We didn't have rings (always had the story we couldn't afford them and didn't care anyhow) until our 8th anniversary. Dh surprised me with a beautiful ring- Celtic designed 4 strand unbroken braid to represent the four of us. Not describing it well. I found the site, but couldn't find our rings, but you can get the basic idea from looking here.
31. How old were you when you got married? I had just turned 26, and dh was 36, almost 37.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Aack!
Aaacckkk! I am here, guys. I am alive, but I have been busy. We have had illnesses ranging from the vomity flu to lice, to the cold that will never end (is that you, Pleghm?). We are also at one week till the benefit recital, my husband has been traveling, the kids have been being teenagers, and my mom has been my mom.
I am hoping to post the wedding meme for Dy and everyone, as Monday is our 16 anniversary, and I have over 200 pictures to download and post.
I will try to be better here, but who was it, oh yeah. Amy told me she always knows when I am busy living my life because I don't blog about it. 'Bout says it all.
TTFN,
LB
I am hoping to post the wedding meme for Dy and everyone, as Monday is our 16 anniversary, and I have over 200 pictures to download and post.
I will try to be better here, but who was it, oh yeah. Amy told me she always knows when I am busy living my life because I don't blog about it. 'Bout says it all.
TTFN,
LB
Friday, May 04, 2007
Mornings
Mornings. My favorite time. not.
It is 8:12, here in the lush Pacific Northwest.
One kid (and her waist-length hair) is in the shower, taking water away from the fishies. The other kid has been getting out of bed when an adult walks into the room, and then crawling back into bed for the last 20 minutes. He is now in his pajamas, scooping out the litter, with a scowl and an attitude.
And me? Well, I would love to still be dozing in my bed, half-listening to NPR, with a sketchbook, and a pencil, and a pot of plain green tea which I didn't brew sitting on the table near the window.
Gotta run- the 15 yr old just finished the litter and is back in his room, and I gotta go save some water for the fishies.
On to my morning. The one I am living right now.
LB
It is 8:12, here in the lush Pacific Northwest.
One kid (and her waist-length hair) is in the shower, taking water away from the fishies. The other kid has been getting out of bed when an adult walks into the room, and then crawling back into bed for the last 20 minutes. He is now in his pajamas, scooping out the litter, with a scowl and an attitude.
And me? Well, I would love to still be dozing in my bed, half-listening to NPR, with a sketchbook, and a pencil, and a pot of plain green tea which I didn't brew sitting on the table near the window.
Gotta run- the 15 yr old just finished the litter and is back in his room, and I gotta go save some water for the fishies.
On to my morning. The one I am living right now.
LB
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Pecan Delite Surprise
Hey Dy,
Since you posted your yummy sounding recipe, I will post mine. It is even more vague than yours.
It came from the food bank, and at one point had a piece of paper with a recipe on it near the bag of ingredients. They include crust, filling and pecans. I added coconut milk to the crust ingredients, and put them into the oven. While that was cooking I cooked down two big granny smilth apples, then mixed them with cinnamon.
Then I opened the filling bag. Sugary caramelly yummy stuff. I added the creamy part of the coconut milk.
After about 10 minutes, I pulled the pan out of the oven, poured the apples on top of the crust, and the caramel filling on top of the apples. Then I cut open the bag marked pecans, and poured them onto the filling.
Cooked about 25 minutes. I just pulled it out. THe caramel apple part reall did brown up nice, and the dough part cooked up and through it, kinda like a puff pastry.
I served it with the fatty part of coconut milk, whisked with caramel syrup (the clear kind you put in coffees). It is as close to whipped cream we get around here.
The kids are still dong math, and starting to collapse around me. I may actually turn to tube on, or read to them.
LB
Since you posted your yummy sounding recipe, I will post mine. It is even more vague than yours.
It came from the food bank, and at one point had a piece of paper with a recipe on it near the bag of ingredients. They include crust, filling and pecans. I added coconut milk to the crust ingredients, and put them into the oven. While that was cooking I cooked down two big granny smilth apples, then mixed them with cinnamon.
Then I opened the filling bag. Sugary caramelly yummy stuff. I added the creamy part of the coconut milk.
After about 10 minutes, I pulled the pan out of the oven, poured the apples on top of the crust, and the caramel filling on top of the apples. Then I cut open the bag marked pecans, and poured them onto the filling.
Cooked about 25 minutes. I just pulled it out. THe caramel apple part reall did brown up nice, and the dough part cooked up and through it, kinda like a puff pastry.
I served it with the fatty part of coconut milk, whisked with caramel syrup (the clear kind you put in coffees). It is as close to whipped cream we get around here.
The kids are still dong math, and starting to collapse around me. I may actually turn to tube on, or read to them.
LB
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Tidbit #11, Girl humour and Boy Birthday
The Piano Girl/Young Miss was scrambling eggs this morning, but got caught up with chatting instead. I came over and reminded her to stir the eggs, so they didn't become rubber. They turned out yummy perfect. The Fine Young Man asked her recipe. The PG/YM replied, "Salt, pepper, and a tich of negligence." Good one!
We're on our own, the Dude just left for Nevada? I think it's Navada for a company wide meeting. Work continues to be a challenge for him, but is providing the opportunity for all four of us to have breakthroughs in the area of family community. He is committed to having this business be a success, and is working hard. I am so proud to have him be my Dude.
We spent the whole weekend celebrating with our FYM his fifteenth birthday. Lots of good stuff there, and three whole days in a row with Papa Dude.
The kids and I have recommitted ourselves to the Green Dragon Academy. As it stands, I am finding it hard to fit it all in, and I would rather just be dedicated to my life's work. I am also being an enthusiastic teacher, and bringing that to my school.
I have discovered I feel calm and feel loving when I get time in the studio daily. Luckily for me, the kids' window cubbies are in the other part of the basement, so I can monitor independant study time ( I live for the day when it does not have to be monitored, and is done joyfully.) and make art at the same time. I make myself available, and have a couple of chairs pulled up to the woodstove for impromtu tutoring sessions.
I have been working in the studio, but haven't taken pictures. I want to be there more. I need to take pics, and let you see what I have been doing. It really is my happy place.
I have pictures from three different nature study fieldtrips I have yet to load up and show you!
I am leading my Classical Ed group meeting tonight, so will have to cart kids to Gramma's later, and fit in a giant double shopping trip. I also need to teach Classical Writing and light a fire under the FYM in regards to his reading of the Illiad (should I let him skip the introduction?).
So I am here, and alive. I miss talking to you, but the good news is the Dude gave me a headset for my phone! Yay!
LB
We're on our own, the Dude just left for Nevada? I think it's Navada for a company wide meeting. Work continues to be a challenge for him, but is providing the opportunity for all four of us to have breakthroughs in the area of family community. He is committed to having this business be a success, and is working hard. I am so proud to have him be my Dude.
We spent the whole weekend celebrating with our FYM his fifteenth birthday. Lots of good stuff there, and three whole days in a row with Papa Dude.
The kids and I have recommitted ourselves to the Green Dragon Academy. As it stands, I am finding it hard to fit it all in, and I would rather just be dedicated to my life's work. I am also being an enthusiastic teacher, and bringing that to my school.
I have discovered I feel calm and feel loving when I get time in the studio daily. Luckily for me, the kids' window cubbies are in the other part of the basement, so I can monitor independant study time ( I live for the day when it does not have to be monitored, and is done joyfully.) and make art at the same time. I make myself available, and have a couple of chairs pulled up to the woodstove for impromtu tutoring sessions.
I have been working in the studio, but haven't taken pictures. I want to be there more. I need to take pics, and let you see what I have been doing. It really is my happy place.
I have pictures from three different nature study fieldtrips I have yet to load up and show you!
I am leading my Classical Ed group meeting tonight, so will have to cart kids to Gramma's later, and fit in a giant double shopping trip. I also need to teach Classical Writing and light a fire under the FYM in regards to his reading of the Illiad (should I let him skip the introduction?).
So I am here, and alive. I miss talking to you, but the good news is the Dude gave me a headset for my phone! Yay!
LB
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Paypal link up over at PianoGirl
It took almost a week, and several tiring phonecalls, and nasty emails from both the Dude and I, but we now have a PayPal button in the sidebar over at the PianoGirl blog. We are now accepting donations! Get your name on our glorious banner. Head on over, make a donation, and become one of Piano Girl's KEY supporters!
Now, about this blog- sorry for another week of now posts. I have been working hard, and really living life fully. When I am truly integrity in all the areas of my life, blogging really slips to the bottom of the list. But I am here, happily plugging away, smiling while I do laundry, taking care of my kids and my mom, supporting the Dude in his new job by hugging him whe he is home, and not grumbling when he is not, trying to get some school in now and then and planning our summer term, teaching Nature Study, helping the Girl with her egg-selling business, and occasionally getting in the studio. I am still very busy, but doing more family related things, which feels good. I am behind in gardening, and school planning, but hope to focus on some of those later this week.
We are also preparing for the Fine Young Man's 15th birthday. His actual birthday is Monday, but both the Dude and I have evening plans we couldn't change, so the Boy lucks out and gets a 3 day celebration this year. I'd tell you our plans, but it wouldn't be a surprise for long, would it?
I'll talk to you soon,
Now, about this blog- sorry for another week of now posts. I have been working hard, and really living life fully. When I am truly integrity in all the areas of my life, blogging really slips to the bottom of the list. But I am here, happily plugging away, smiling while I do laundry, taking care of my kids and my mom, supporting the Dude in his new job by hugging him whe he is home, and not grumbling when he is not, trying to get some school in now and then and planning our summer term, teaching Nature Study, helping the Girl with her egg-selling business, and occasionally getting in the studio. I am still very busy, but doing more family related things, which feels good. I am behind in gardening, and school planning, but hope to focus on some of those later this week.
We are also preparing for the Fine Young Man's 15th birthday. His actual birthday is Monday, but both the Dude and I have evening plans we couldn't change, so the Boy lucks out and gets a 3 day celebration this year. I'd tell you our plans, but it wouldn't be a surprise for long, would it?
I'll talk to you soon,
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