My Journey - Raising Free-Spirits One Day at a Time

Celebrating 7 Years as a Mommy

2010-04-06T12:41:00.001-07:00

My oldest son is turning 7 on Friday!
To say his birth was life-changing would be a vast understatement. I was 36 years old had been living on my own for more than ten years and in a committed, but not domestic relationship with his father (we each had our own home about 30 min apart).
Prior to the birth, I had the optomistic expectation that I'd have this baby and life would pretty much continue as normal; and that I'd deliver natrually, nurse my baby and have the time and energy during my brief (6-8 week) maternity leave to plan a "mid-summer's eve" wedding.
Well, I had a cesarean section and my breastmilk never came in. I spent several weeks/months trying to breast & bottle feed - which took most of my time and energy and never really worked anyway.
There were many times in the first two months that I looked at this little crying or cooing bundle in my arms and wondered how I'd ever survive to his adulthood.
Blessedly, he did start sleeping from about 11pm-5am at about 2 months. I took the night feeding and his daddy took the daybreak feeding and we both got enough sleep so that we had the energy in July to start to plan for a September 6 wedding. And that little angel who we shared our love and committment with on that September day, loved us so much, that he started sleeping from 7pm to 5am shortly after.
By December we figured we had the parent thing down pat and were ready to think about having another....but that's another story.

This boy has had a history of wanting very active and involved birthdays (he and his mommy that is). Two Blue's Clues parties at 3 and 4, a CARS party at 5, an INCREDIBLE Super-hero party at 6, and this year...we're doing WALL-E....or rather "RRRON-E". It is a rather elaborate party as described below:

“RRRon-E’s Eco-Adventure” at (Our Local) Park will feature the following:

Letterboxing:
An outdoor adventure pastime started in England.
See www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.org for more info.

We will have 3 letterboxes hidden at the park – the “box” will be old wipes containers re-purposed for containing a hidden stamp kit (Stamp, stamp pad, pen and logbook).

Each child will receive an “adventure kit” which will include their own personal initial stamp carved from a wine cork…Decoder ring from milk & oj carton tabs and a couple other things…. The kit will be contained in cleaned out, cut down milk cartons covered with old road maps with a strap threaded through so it can be carried over their shoulders…
Following the party, we will be hiding the party letterboxes in other local parks; if you are interested in continuing the adventure look for them at the above websites in May/June timeframe or email and I’ll provide a clue-sheet.

Wall-E style relay races:
*A race with a plant in a shoe
*Trash/treasure hunt
(The kids will be given child-sized gardening gloves that they can take home with them)
And More

Hot-Dogs and cupcakes will be served on recyclable or re-usable plates and don’t require utensils
Chip bags & drink pouches will be recycled through terracycle.net
All will be bulk-purchased to reduce packaging waste…

Old cereal/cracker boxes will be turned inside-out, decorated and used for goodie bags.

RRR = Reduce/Recycle/Reuse
RRRon-E’s adventure will be doing that in the following ways:
Reduce waste:
Buying party food in bulk reduces the amount of trash created
Not purchasing single-use goodie bags
Not using disposable plates & utensils; using a multi-use table coverings instead of single use party table coverings

Recycle:
Chip bags and drink pouches will be recycled through terracycle a New Jersey business I support through brigade collections. For more information see www.TerraCycle.net.

The goodie boxes are recyclable cardboard/paper. Please place them in your household recycling when your child is done with them.

Re-Use:
Wipe-containers will be reused as our letterboxes
Plates
Milk-cartons; pull tabs, corks, old roadmaps and cereal/cracker boxes

Both the Adventure kits and the cereal/cracker box goodie bags were ideas inspired by Maya*Made.

I'll try to post some photos of both the party and the craft projects.

Happy Birthday Ronnie! I hope your birthday party is as fun and exciting to live through as it has been to plan for.

Post Script...
Over the last few silent months I had planned many a post that obviously became less important than the day-to-day workings of our lives as a family.
I hope to fill in the blanks over the next few months, but I make no promises.
I have been a hap-hazzard blogger at best, and when life is as full as it is at the moment I can't commit to a daily or even weekly edition.
I HOPE to continue to write so that I have a record of my thoughts and life's goings on...
Blessed Be

I LOVE my CSG!

2009-11-02T11:49:00.001-08:00

This was the bi-weekly distribution from my CSG (Community Supported Garden) last Friday.

WOW!

We got 2 Acorn Squash, 1 1/2 lbs potatoes, 1 1/2 lbs carrots, 2 Daikon Radish, 1 head curly endive, 2 heads radiccio (there were other options on the salad front - those were my selections)

a head of chinese cabbage(again there were options), a green pepper, broccoli shoots, a small head of cauliflower, 4 radishes, 1 1/2 lbs onions, a head of garlic, and 1 1/2 lbs of cooking greens - I chose .5 lb of kale, .5 lb Collards and .5 lb of braising greens, 6 turnips with their greens, and fruit!

Yes, again we got apples & paw-paw - which I'll be turning into fruit sauce at my house....

AND my favorite autumn treat - hearty Kiwi!

They are a PYO item and WELL worth it.

The orchard is on the hill behind the distribution house and is BEAUTIFUL.

I can remember the first time I picked kiwi...with Ronnie in the snuggli 6 months old.

The memories just make them sweeter!

This time Evan was with me - running around the orchard and exploring the paths.

The CSG is awesome because even when we get one veggie that doesn't do so well - this year the tomatoes - generally there's something else that balances it out. This year we've been getting truckloads of greens. Over the winter we get to try all sorts of root veggies. Sometimes it's hard finding ways to use it, but soup is usually a good fallback :)

I could never grow the variety we get from the farm in my own home garden...

Over the past couple of years additional pay-in items have been appearing on the CSG shelves....we were bequeathed an adjacent property...another small farm...and with the additional space, our farmer has been busy!

We can now purchase WW flour grown on the farm and we can purchase eggs from our own hens! We used to be able to buy eggs from another farmer who would bring them on distribution days...but this is even better!

We've already eaten half of the eggs. They are quite delicious!

Blessed Samhain!

2009-11-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

Hope this weekend found you and yours happily dressing in otherworldly garb...or at least role playing as a super-being/hero.

We had a whirlwind of activity over the 3 day holiday. My eldest son is in 1st grade and had his Halloween parade on Friday. He had been vascilating between going as a pirate this year or wearing the Buzz Lightyear costume one last time. The younger boy's pre-school doesn't do Halloween...so they learned some autumn flavored songs and had a little concert complete with sign language interpretation of the songs.

Following the pre-school concert he and I went to pick up our CSG farm share - another appropriate activity for the final harvest holiday.

On Saturday there was Soccer a friend's birthday party and TRICK or TREATing! Ronnie stayed with the Buzz costume and Evan became a SPIKEY DRAGON RAWR! He had been Woody for his dance/gymnastics class earlier in the week, but one of the favorite aunties had brought both boys Spikey hats with tails from her summer trip - and suggested that they were DRAGON hats. Evan decided that was way cool and needed a costume to go with it...so Auntie D made him a pair of fleece pants with a spikey dragon tail built in! We addd a black sweatshirt and away we went. If he decides he wants to re-play this costume next year we may add a chest piece and shoe covers, but it was a last-minute operation this year - and it was WET anyway.

On Sunday - more soccer and the BIG EVENT for me. Our Samhain Supper.
This ritual has been a tradition of mine for 12-13 years. I had participated in it with dear friends who eventually moved far away. I have continued it with my friends and family. The group has swelled and diminished over the years, as I have come to the conclusion that the smaller and more intimate the group the better for this ritual. Our current group is 7 adults and my 2 kids.

The ritual is basic; performed around the dinner table with a candle-lighting portion where we remember our beloved dead, then we use the symbols of pomogranate and apple to talk of about their path and ours. It is short and child-friendly. This year, my eldest lit the candle to remember our Uncle Ray, who died a couple of months ago. Ronnie and Evan had come with us to visit him in the hospital a couple times before he passed, so Ronnie had clear memories of him. Ronnie also helped perform the pomogranat and apple ceremony. Evan, on the other hand still didn't quite understand...
Directly following the ritual we had a pot-luck-supper that we shared with the ancestors, and ate by the light of the candles we had lit.

Blessed Samhain all. May the memories of your ancestors warm your hearts this season.
Blessed Be.

Buy Hand for the Holidays Challenge

2009-10-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

* This is cross-posted on all my sites. It seems I've been busier on them lately than here...

When I was a child, I was so excited by Christmas and gift giving. I loved finding what I thought was the 'perfect', gift within my limited means, to give people I loved. As consumerism has become rampant and it has gotten more and more difficult to find and give a meaningful gift I have been more and more unhappy with holiday shopping and gifting.

About 10 years ago I went through a financiallly rough year and gave hand-made toilettries for the holidays. Some people liked them more than others, but the desire to give and receive "consumables" not dust-catching gifts from the $20 and under or $10 and under tables so pervasive in the malls, has spread throughout my group of friends.

For many years now, this group of friends has exchanged gifts that you can't buy at the mall; and some years I've extended that and given hand-made gifts to family as well.

Sometime things that have been given are: concert/event tickets, home prepared meals, jar mixes, toilettries, jams and jellies, home canned salsa, pickles, hand made clothing, quilts, and much more.

Well, this year Deanna over at Crunchy Chicken has posted the Buy Hand for the Hollidays Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to have you do one or more of the following:
* hand-make your gifts
* buy your gifts that are handmade by someone else (like from Etsy or a local craftsperson)
* buy it used either at a thrift store, yard sale, Craigslist or Freecycle, etc.
* barter for your gifts

I'm going to attempt it as much as possible, and I invite you to do the same. To add your voice and officially join the challenge, just click the picture in my side bar.

I personally LOVE home made gifts, and I know my friends do as well....so far, even though my kids do want all the "usual" stuff for the holidays, they also like receiving gifts that were made "just for them".

Let me know if you sign up for the challenge, or if this is something you already do.How do your friends/family receive these gifts? Happily or not?

Saying Good-bye to Uncle Ray

2009-10-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post...sorry about that. I'll try to catch up over the next few days.

Late-summer was a whirlwind of activity of all kinds, but one thing that made us stop and think was Uncle Ray Yaros, my husband's uncle.

When my husband and I met, both his parents had been gone for quite some time. So, when he introduced me to Uncle Ray and Aunt Eve, it had the same kind of weight as "meeting the parents". At the time, Uncle Ray was in his 70's but looked and acted far younger. He still had a 14' fishing boat that he took out on the bay to fish...by himself, he still had a decent sized garden and cooked regularly.
In 2003 Uncle Ray and Aunt Fran (his twin sister) turned 80. That was also the year Ronnie was born, Clark and I got married, and Clark's cousin (Uncle Ray's granddaughter) was married.
Then, between Christmas and New Year, Aunt Fran died, and soon after, Uncle Ray started his down-turn.
Over the course of the last 5 years he had several small strokes, falls, and generally a down-turn in his health and according to him, his quality of life.
We hadn't seen Uncle Ray and Aunt Eve regularly for a while, they had made it to Clark's 50th birthday party, but not Clark's niece Missy's wedding.

We got a call Memorial Weekend, that Uncle Ray had had another fall, and was in a rehab center recouperating and could we come visit. Of course, we did. We brought the feisty boys with their leapsters and a ton of photos and visited.

Uncle Ray was sad, depressed really. There was nothing wrong with his memory, he told me clearly how much turning 80 had been a terrible thing. Dispite having been able to witness granddaughters' graduations from college, weddings and two great-granddaughters' births. He was tired of living with the pain, and with the physical limitations.
It was not an overly optimistic visit, but neither was it overly pessimistic. We figured Uncle Ray would be home in time for his July birthday and we'd go have a nice dinner with him.
It didn't work out that way.

He did go home, but only briefly.

Clark called the house to wish him a happy birthday a day or so after the date. Aunt Eve told him that Uncle Ray was back in the hospital, so we decided to go for another visit.

What Aunt Eve left out, was that Uncle Ray was on a feeding tube and was mostly not with us anymore.

Clark and I don't want to overly sheild our boys from death. It is a part of life and it is good for them to understand it. But, I think we probably would have left them with a sitter for this visit, had we known. We did give our love to Uncle Ray; held his hand, spoke the words, smoothed his hair...
We did get a couple of moments of eyes opening and clearing as if in understanding.
We went home understanding that Aunt Eve was already alone. After 65 years. And just wanted the pain to be done for her lover, her friend, her life companion.
We lit 2 candles in the window every night for two weeks with clarysage, lavendar and rosemary. One for each of them....asking Bridgid to heal, to love, to embrace.

Uncle Ray passed from this realm on August 6. We said our goodbyes on August 9 & 10.

Ray Yaros - a good man, who lived a good life. 2 great-granddaughters, 2 granddaughters, 2 sons, 1 wife for 65 years, and an assortment of nieces and nephews. The last of his siblings to go (I think there were 5 or 6).

You will be missed, you will be remembered, by Clark and I of course, but even more importantly, by Ronnie and Evan.

Happy Harvest!

2009-08-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

August 1 or thereabouts, we celebrate the 'First Harvest'. Symbolized by the harvest of grains (corn/wheat etc), but certainly represented by any harvest ocurring now (early vegetables...beans, zucchini, cucumbers etc).

This year, however, mama nature and the spirit of the maple had an additional harvest in mind at my house.

This was about 1/3 of the canopy that came down...but it is highly likely that the whole tree is too diseased to stay.

He came down on Lammas eve ( overnight Friday - Saturday). My husband and I were awakened by the crack and swoosh...

Funny thing is...that when I heard that crack/swoosh I recalled having heard it the previous night too...but my husband doesn't have that same recollection. I wonder.....

Anyway, when we were looking at the photos we had taken, we found this....

Look closely at the bare wood...and see the sad old face.... so we thanked the tree for its shade, its witness over the passage of time and for the harvest of wood it would be bringing us.

My oldest had a harvest of his own this weekend too...his first "naturally" lost tooth...

Happy harvesting!

The Summer Music "Tour"

2009-07-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

So, in the past, I've mentioned our family tradition of compiling a list of free summer concerts within easy driving distance...this is our third summer of concert going, after attending one or two free musical events/festivals the summer of 2006.

Some of the concerts take place at historical sites....like this colonial manor:

(Shippen Manor, Oxford,NJ)

This site hosts Sunday evening concerts on the terraced lawn. In the past the programming has been primarily olde timey and blue grass. This year they seem to have branched out a bit...still with traditional music, but they have some other ethnicities represented.
We attended a Celtic performance.

This venue is the most "serious" we've attended.

It is - as I said - at a historical site, so there is no playground...the kids attending do run around, but it is not as accepted as at other sites.

Many of the concerts take place at local parks that have band shells, gazebos or other small shelters to use as performance spaces. Most of these also have play areas close by.

This is one (above) that we go to frequently. The kids love this park and the play area. It's very family friendly, close to a small lake, and you can see the whole park from wherever you sit.

This play area is at a new venue for us this year. The band shell and play area are close together, but the town planted big bushes between the "viewing" area and the play ground, so you can't watch your kids AND the band.

Sometimes the boys even sit and listen to the music- while multitasking coloring or playing with matchbox cars, of course! Especially if we are at the Sparta concerts where the playground is at least 50 feet away, behind the viewing area, through a grove of trees....

There are so many wonderful things about these concerts:

Exposure to all kinds of music...the kids don't care how good the performers are, they just like dancing to the music!
Outdoor dining opportunities!

Making new friends at every turn....

Interacting with nature...hot weather, cool weather, sunset time changing, fireflies lighting up the dark - and sometimes crawling on our fingers (above pic).

In the past 3 weeks we've seen 10 FREE performances at 7 different locations, and the concert schedule for the coming weeks is full.

Will we see all of them? Probably not, but what a wonderful adventure!

If you're looking for some other good reasons to go check my first post about this family tradition.

Water Conservation - Serendipity

2009-07-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

I always love it when things come together in mysterious and magical ways.

Earlier this week, it felt important to me to write about water conservation this week. Enough that I had 2 or 3 posts worth of information that I wanted to write about. And that's a lot for me.
And, when I started to write my first post I almost stopped, because it seemed weird to be writing about water conservation during a month-long deluge.

Today, I had an oppertunity to listen to one of my favorite NPR talk hosts interviewing Robert Glennon who has written a book called Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It .

He was talking about many of the things I have concerns about, but certainly did not touch on everything. You can listen to the podcast of the interview HERE if you are interested.

Water Conservation - If it's Yellow let it Mellow!

2009-07-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

Ok...I've got two young boys so potty humor is at an all-time high in our house.

Truth be told, though, when it's just the four of us at home we definitely try to conserve water by making multiple uses of the water in the bowl - as long as it's yellow - before flushing it down.
It started as an overnight noise curtesy, but we don't have the most modern water-efficient fixtures and really can't afford to replace what we've got at the moment, so it has evolved into a water conservation habit.
And besides, even if we had the 1.5 gallon per flush fixtures, why waste 1.5 gallons when all four of us need to go at the same time

BUT, with the kids being little, getting it across to them, that when we've got company the multi-use rule is NOT in effect, is sometimes problematic.

Also, since implementing the multi-use rule, I've come up with some additional corollaries about single use flushing:
* If you use an upstairs bathroom and no one else is immediately using it, FLUSH.
* If you use the downstairs bathroom and we're leaving the house, FLUSH.
Because, letting it mellow all day long is just too yukkie for words and means more frequent cleaning will be needed.

Along with intentional flush frequency reduction, I have collected a number of links which use grey water or rain water for feeding a toilet. Some are quite ingenius! Enjoy!

Rain Barrel to Toilet Installation - a practical how-to guide
I really want to do this someday!

Grey Water Recycling systems for the Bathroom
and
Sink-Toilet Combination fixtures

Here is a system available for collecting grey water from the kitchen sink.

There are also systems available for washing machine and shower water...just google Greywater System or Greywater Recycling.

Water Conservation - Washing the Veggies

2009-06-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start a weird topic for my area this week....Water Conservation.
This June has been one of the wettest I can remember. I don't think we've had more than 1 or 2 days where we didn't get at least 1 shower, and most days were completely grey and rainy.
Gardens are waterlogged, Lake Hopatcong is actually full...when on Memorial Day there were many lamenting how empty it still was from the winter lowering.

So, before June, we were in a drought.

And, summer drought has become common in our area in the last 10 years, I've heard announcements about lakes and reservoirs being at record lows frequently. And the building boom of the late 1990s and 2000's has not helped.

I have posted on my garden site about wanting a rain-water capturing system that we just haven't been able to afford yet, so that I don't have to feel nervous about watering our garden from our well. Nor have we been able to find a source for clean used barrels...

We've never had a problem with our well, and as far as I know, no one around us has either.
It's just that when you think about the dryness around, lakes lower, less rainfall in the highlands, etc it makes you take note, so I'm going to blog about conserving water, even after a month with 10+ inches of rain.

We get most of our produce from the biodynamic Community Supported Garden (CSG) at Genesis Farm.
Some of it comes home pretty dirty, and for years I was washing it all under running water.
For the past year or two, though, I've been trying to do as much as I can with less water.
I start by putting the veggies in a big bowl or use the salad spinner and letting it fill half way, scrubbing the veggies using the water from the bowl; setting aside each scrubbed veggie until the dirt is off and I have a bowl of brown muddy water.

Then I use that water to water plants, and get the benefit of all that biodynamic soil, rather than letting it run down the drain along with gallons and gallons of water....
After getting rid of the "mud", I give the veggies a final rinse, now free of most of their dirt, it only takes a slow stream of running water, again captured in the bowl...and use that for the plants too.

There have been times when I've been "too busy" to do it this way, but when I don't capture the wash water and let it run even a little, I feel guilty.

Water is a precious resource.

Summer Music Season 2009

2009-06-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

This will be our third year of doing the summer "Music in the Parks" scene.

I have been busy this week making the tour of local town websites to put our calendar together, and the excitement begins this friday night!

In the past two years we have enjoyed dozens of free musical performances...some exquisite and others just average, but under clear skies and with a picnic dinner and fun-bag for the boys all have been wonderful family experiences.
Some towns do outdoor movie nights as well...we saw Madagascar that way last summer....although that was a tad later as it required full-dark to get going. The musical programs usually start around 7.

Some towns don't have their calendars out yet, but some do - enough for us to get started!!!

Look for these programs in your town or nearby towns. They are almost always free (or very inexpensive) and child friendly.

Yippee!

Learning to Drive on my New HHR

2008-08-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

In June I traded in my 2003 Subaru Outback for a Chevrolet HHR
My Subaru had been to our mechanic for a serious repair and before that repair could be done the mechanic, a good friend of ours, found another, more serious problem...a head gasket leak......
So...to avoid that costly repair - while I was still making payments on the Subaru, we decided it would be better to just trade it in on a more efficient, new car.
The HHR, while not in the MOST efficent category (most of those are generally unavailable these days - or WAY too costly) is rated at 24 MPG City 30 MPG Highway...and I have been seeing those estimates hit in real life.
I also got a NO interest loan...which made it really affordable...and not only that, but it is COOL too!

And, little did I suspect when we bought this beauty, but she's teaching me how to drive again.
How is this possible when I have been driving since I was 16 1/2? Let me tell you how...
This car - as many of the Chevrolet/GM models do - has a driver information center that gives the driver a whole lot of information...most importantly an INSTANT fuel usage reading and an average fuel usage reading.
I am using the instant readout to learn how to drive more efficiently...and let me tell you that in the 6 weeks I've owned the car my driving has changed signifigantly. One big thing is simply taking my foot OFF of the gas pedal, it's former default position.
When doing that going down a hill the following readout is possible

So, in general I have been averaging 25-27 mpg over all - not terrible when considering the amount of traffic I have to fight if I take the main highway to work...the number of stop lights on the back way to work. On the rare occaision the highway is clear I have averaged more than the advertised 30MPG for the duration of the trip. How do I know this? I reset the Average reading as I pulled onto the highway when I saw it was clear!

True North

2008-08-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

Wow! Another post from FoodShed Planet really hit home today.
Finding True North really spoke to me.
Sustainability - Eco-conciousness - there have been so few for so long trying to bring awareness to the myriad issues of what we are doing to the environment & our food supply and what it is doing to ourselves. But it seems that the tide has finally turned.
People who, not 5 years ago would never have been heard talking about "local" or "organic" or even thinking twice about eating another meal from a cardboard box have modified their lives at least a little.

Some use canvas shopping bags - or better yet - homemade bags.
Some hang laundry.
Some mow with a reel mower and muscle power.
Some join CSA's.
Some buy local.
Some drive smaller cars.
Some turn off lights/appliances.
Some use fans instead of air conditioning.

But it is out there in the collective concience now.
Blessed BE!!!

Inspiration - Add 2 More

2008-08-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

Inspiration comes from many places......
Nature, reading, music, my boys...
Lately a lot of my inspiration has come from bloggers.
My daily favorites being:
FoodShed Planet, Wisdom of the Moon, and Farmgirl Fare.
There are others as well, but I find these three to be a great daily dose of inspiration.

And a couple of nights ago I had a dream which seemed so real that I tried to google the idea that it spoke of.

Pattie of FoodShed Plant, and I have had some dialog about things we have committed to doing being hard, or getting difficult. And it's true. Sustainability and living in an eco-concious way can seem difficult and in fact can be difficult in the certain contexts.

In my dream my idea was to get people "on board" by getting them to Add 2.
Just Add 2 things to your lives that will make a difference.
If you are already doing things to be more sustainable and they have become habit, a part of your life...stretch yourself to Add 2 more. If you haven't started yet, pick 2 things that are doable for you.
You could try re-using your plastic grocery bags/ double them up so they don't tear so quickly and instead of dropping them in the recycle bin on the way into the store, (I know you recycle them :) ) use them again...and again...and again.
Or when you wash your produce you could wash it into a basin or bowl to catch the wash water and re-use the water to water your indoor or outdoor container plants.
Or anything that fits closely with your lifestyle. The idea is to just start somewhere...and then to keep it going.

My current challenge is to find a way to reduce my fuel use. That's one of the Add 2 that I want to focus on next. I need to find people to car-pool with and make a concerted effort to do that. I do already trip-chain and try to shop weekly or bi-weekly instead of daily...but I need to find driving buddys to take it one step farther.

What will your Add 2 be??

Welcome to Chaos!

2008-08-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to start this thing for a long time now.
It is very easy to think about what I want to post and get so overwelmed with ideas that I feel I can't get them down.
I've also wanted to bring over my archives from Yahoo360 which went up in smoke almost a year ago now.
It's been easier to segregate my food journal from my garden journal from just life, but I am going to make a concerted effort to get everything in here - including the archives...so this may end up being just another post amid many (I hope)...but at any rate, WELCOME to my home on the web.

Mothers Day 2008

2008-05-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

Last year a friend emailed me a mother's day greeting that said something like:Happy Mother's Day - you know, that holiday where your family pretends to give you the day off and you pretend to take it.

Well, that's pretty much been my experience up to this year - not to say I didn't do ANY housework today - I still had laundry to do and had to assist with the dinner, but.....
let's start this explanation with yesterday(Saturday). RC has been getting up regularly at 6:30 for several weeks - yesterday was no exception - and it came up in conversation that I said to him he might want to try to "sleep in" on Sunday.
He answered "No Mommy, I need to get up early tomorrow to make you a special breakfast" I really didn't put much thought to that - thinking he probably meant he'd be pouring me a bowl of cereal in the morning....

However, I woke up this morning to rustling noises in the kitchen, then a slamming cabinet dooor...then the smell of coffee...
My 5 yo son RC got up at 6:30 and made the coffee himself - he had "helped" daddy and me make the coffee so many times in the past that he knew just what to do.
He also "prepared" breakfast for everyone. Breakfast was some almonds, yogurt raisins and for daddy and brother ER a whole unpeeled banana each, and for mommy a whole unpeeled grapefruit - "because that's your favorite, Mommy".

After my scrumptious breakfast I got to GO SHOPPING (for my own Mother's Day plants) ALL BY MYSELF and got to pick out exactly what I wanted.
THEN - I got to come home and PLANT THEM!

After supper - which as I mentioned above, I did have to help with...I got to put my boys to bed.

It was the best Mother's Day ever!!!!!!!

First Letter to Santa

2007-12-20T13:47:00.000-08:00

R.P. (First & Last names spelled out so santa knows who it's from)
Dear Santa
I have been good.
Please bring presents.
Thank-you, Santa

Catching-up Some - Potty Training

2007-11-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

OK - I was looking back over my older blog posts (yeah I've got a few minutes on my hands as I wait for 110M files to save) and I was realizing I hadn't kept up with a few topics.
POTTY Training for one.

Well - except for a few accidents here and there let me just say WE ARE DONE WITH POTTY TRAINING - YAY!

We started trying with ER again over the summer. Actually - HE started going on the potty at school - and WE would praise him when we saw it marked off on his day sheets.

The first week that he had "potty success" almost daily on his sheet - we tried for it over the weekend but he wasn't interested. After the second week of success at school - we tried over the weekend and he did GREAT! And, on Monday morning while getting dressed he asked to wear big boy underwear - so I packed a bag full of extra underwear and pants and off he went to school!

It took about a month more before he had the poopie under control - and many soiled undies - though he was sometimes more civilized and went in his overnight pull-up. But by the time of his third birthday party the accidents were very far and few between!

We're still doing pull-ups overnight, but after our vacation, when the pull-ups run out NO MORE DIAPERS FOR US!

YAY!

Budget Season

2007-11-20T13:42:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons my writing has been so sporadic over the past month is that it is budget season at work. AND to complicate matters we've been working with 4 financial systems.The General Ledger system (PeopleSoft) and three management reporting systems: Hyperion Essbase which we went live on in August and have been Parallelling since then; Khalix - which my group has been using for several years and are looking forward to moving off of; and Hyperion Enterprise which the folks in the Corporate Reporting department have been using for MANY years and are looking forward to moving off of.

Managing the data flowing between the systems, the what/where/when, has depended on me for 3 years now. One of my reasons for looking forward to the new system is that ALL of the reporting would come from it and my job of manipulating the data from system to system would become less involved.

Unfortunately complete adoption of the new system did not happen in time for the beginning of the budget season. This meant frantic creation of processes to move data from the new system ( which we were using for budget) to the old systems ( which corporate was still using).

It also meant that many nights I had to come home, feed the family, get the kids to bed and then log back on and do work until 10 or 11. AND it also meant that my Holiday (Halloween) and VACATION days were interrupted by work calls several times and that I had to work from 8pm to 2AM on the last vacation day - HALLOWEEN - due to a last-minute budget call due Nov 1.

Thankfully over the past week - things HAVE calmed down a bit...Corporate is now using the new system...and I'll be trying to play catch-up with blogging.....except that, well, I go on my first REAL vacation in 5 years in 4 days!

DISNEY WORLD HERE WE COME!

Samhain 07

2007-11-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

Since Halloween fell on Wednesday this year, and the boys are still little enough to be pretty cranky if you try to let them stay up late....especially if its a mostly adult thing they're staying up for....we celebrated Samhain on Sunday.

This year's group was back down to "the usual" friends/family- a gathering of 9 including the kids. Not the extended group we had experimented with last year. It had just gotten too crazy.

Samhain is one holiday I have maintained tradition with for about 10-12 years now. I use the same ritual every year - it's one that the friends I started celebrating with had adapted for use with their kids. It's short and to the point - and everyone gets to light at least one candle to represent the people/pets they want to remember. The celebration uses the symbols of the apple (death with the promise of rebirth - star inside when cut crosswise) and the pomegranate ( life who's shadow is death - seeds kept Persephone in Hades).

This ritual is also closely linked with dinner - so things usually go like this :
I'm busy preparing dinner and I ask my husband to print out the ritual - I know it's the one we always use, so I haven't even looked at it since last year. I run around picking the ancestor pictures from among the others around the house; try to find candles and other things we'll need for the altar...folks start arriving.
We get the ritual going around the dinner table and are calling directions when I remember that South and West are switched from the way we usually call the directions and think - "Oh well I'll fix it for next year".
I get choked up on reading about remembering family and frieds who have passed through the veil.
Someone inevitably has trouble lighting a candle - this year it was DH who commented that his ancestors probably wanted to tell him to pay them more attention!

This year we replaced the usual candle altar - I've used an old vanity mirror/tray and free-standing votive candles for a long time. It was great if you wanted to try and scry in the patterns of the candle wax - however it was a MESS to deal with. Several years it "leaked" the candle wax onto the tablecloth below it and last year the mirror cracked when I was trying to clean it up. It's still in my holiday bucket, but this year I purchased a candle chandelier which can hang or sit on the table - each candle is enclosed in glass. We sat it on the table during ritual and then hung it from the ceiling while we moved on to dinner.

We set the usual ancestor spot and gave them a little of everything we were having...Turkey, stuffing, pasta primavera, and cranberry apple pie. A bit more traditional than the Morroccan style Mabon celebration!

As usual it was good food, good friends and a celebration of the season. Right now, the boys don't participate much - even as far as listening to the stories of their grandparents & great-grandparents, but it is good practice for years when they will finally take an interest and ask questions about those who have gone before us and who played such an inportant role in making us who we are today.

Another thing to mention in relation to the holiday, serendipity etc...
We had recieved a forecast for the first frost - for Sunday or Monday night, so - appropriately - I went out Sunday with the ladies and we harvested the last of the tomatoes and peppers in the garden - two large baskets of green and lightly-colored tomatoes and a couple of bell peppers.

Blessed Be!

Jack-o-Lanterns!

2007-11-11T21:16:00.000-08:00

I know - usually these wonderful, magical, carved creations are made BEFORE Halloween and used to light-up Halloween night.

HOWEVER, have I said lately that things have been just a bit CRAZY here??????????

I did take vacation days Halloween week with the intention of picking them up early Monday or Tuesdayand doing this activity with them then....we had purchased one LARGE pumpkin and two smaller ones on Sunday ....then ER came home with another small one partially cut on Monday.

On Monday after I did the music class in the morning - I got involved doing some projects at home that require small curious boys not be present! and didn't finish up until too late to worry about pumpkins - and I had really thought Tuesday would be better anyway....
Then TUESDAY around lunch time I emailed DH and asked him where he had stashed the pumpkins...they were still in his van....oh, well so much for that....and of course we didn't have time ON Halloween....what's a mama to do????
Well, we just carved on Thursday. I left work on time (haha) which felt early, came home, laid out the newspapers and we carved.

DH had a warm, glowing, pumpkin-y greeting when he arrived home from work!

We don't get any trick-or-treaters where we are, so it really didn't matter that we were a day late...the audience was the same as it would have been a day or two earlier.

Halloween!

2007-11-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

Ok - I know this is overdue - but I'm trying to catch up!!

So this year Mommy was A WITCH - ok - not much of a streatch I know....
And I was going to re-cycle costumes for the boys, but then...I went to the Disney store with my mom and found 50% off BUZZ and WOODY costumes and just couldn't pass them up - the boys looked AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This year I continued the tradition of bringing music to the daycare as part of the Halloween celebration...and the teachers were involved too!

At the begining of October - RC's teacher asked me to be involved in this year's Halloween party, so I put together a list of kids tunes with Halloween words and the teachers each picked their 2 favorites. The Wednesday before Halloween I took a day off and taught the kids the songs.
On Halloween week I had Mon-Wed off, and went in to the cent again on Monday to go over the songs and have extra time with the kids. As with the other times I've gone in, each kid had a chance to help me "play" the violin...they really love that!
On Wednesday when I got tot he school for the party they told me I would also be "leading" the children's parade - unfortunately I was NOT prepared for that - and had to figure something out on-the-fly - it was kind of rough at first, but I found a groove that worked and went with it.

We all had fun!

For trick-or-treating we met up with the boys cousins again this year, and went to the local development and let the kids walk around for an hour or so....

The big YUCK this year was that I had to get on a conference call during trick-or-treating and then had to work from 8-2am after...and yes, on my VACATION DAY.

And...Daycare AGAIN!

2007-10-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

WOW - I guess I should just be happy we had over a year of daycare with NO complaints before having some issues...but really..sometimes it's just crazy the things that make sense to you yet are issues for daycare.

One of the mom's I'm friends with and who has brought up the security issues with the "management" of our center has been FIGHTING with the center recently and I was all set to jump in - here's the situation.

Her son is newly potty trained...meaning he will go on the potty...but has not yet learned to do a good job wiping. Almost 2 weeks ago she stated picking him up with HEAVY poop stains in his underwear. When she asked about why she was told that it was center policy that once the kids were in underwear the teachers were no longer allowed to go into the bathroom with them or assist them with wiping. SO the poor kid sat in poop all day. She brought up the issue with the center's Asst Dir. who said she'd follow up and find out where the policy came from and if they would be able to change anything or NOT.

So, upon first hearing this - my thoughts were - geez when a PARENT leaves a kid in dirty underwear it's called NEGLECT....when a nursing home leaves a person in dirty underweare it's called NEGLECT. Why is it that a day care center can call it "policy" and it's OK???
It doesn't make any sense.

Then the next day I pickup my kid - and guess what - he's in DIRTY UNDERWEAR. The issue actually dragged on for a week and a half before they decided that it was a stupid policy and they'd go ahead and change it.

In the meantime my friend's son sat in poop almost every day for that week + and my kid came home at least 2 more times that way. She had fights with the teachers, assistant director and director almost every day during that time and sat at her desk crying many days due to frustration and concern for her son.

The good news is that the policy is now to assist the child after they've made an attempt themselves. The bad news is that it took so damn long. Is there NO ONE out there with common sense any more??????????

Quote - by Ronnie

2007-10-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

Mommy, it's so cold the leaves are shivering on the trees!! -Ronnie 10/12/07

What A Weekend!

2007-10-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Wow! Way to pack a weekend! Our niece got married by the bay close to Atlantic City this weekend. So we made a family trip of the event.

Saturday morning we packed the van with instruments, suitcases, toys, kids and grandparents.
We made our way to PointPleasant to visit the aquarium at Jenkinson's boardwalk.
This was our second time visting the aquarium - it's a great place for kids...small enough to take in without tiring...big enough to have some diversity of species and to make an impression on the kids.
We spent a few minutes with our toes in the ocean and the sand....then we were off again to Galloway Twp - for the wedding rehearsal...Clark and I were scheduled to play some classical tunes for the ceremony.
It was the kids' first time staying in a hotel room - away from their home or G&G's for the night. They did pretty well...

Sunday morning we got up and went to the Cape May Zoo - Our first Zoo outing...that was also really nice! Again not too big, not too small. The big excitement was the Giraffes - the boy giraffe was getting pretty frisky! Then the boys spent some time burning off energy in a park. After Lunch we went back to the hotel so Clark and I could get ready for the wedding....

The Wedding was BEAUTIFUL! The ceremony was on the 2nd green of the golf course among the marsh grasses and overlooking the bay...they had to bus out the bridal party and guests...
The cocktail hour was under an outdoor pavillion and was scrumptious!
For the reception the food was also good - but many of us were pretty full on the appitizers - which were actually better than the main entree...
Over the years as Clark and I have attended the weddings of friends we've come up with the "Perfect" wedding....Yummy appitizers...followed by or interspersed with some dancing...followed by vienese dessert hour.... No sit-down meal...just yummy stuff you don't get very often....
Anyway - it was a very nice wedding and we enjoyed it a lot!

On Monday we packed our bags back into the van and made our way home...to all the tasks that went undone...and to my own wonderful bed...

We learned a lot of lessons to hold onto for the Disney trip coming up in November...
The kids can't go much beyond noon (attention wise or energy wise) unless you want to start seeing some unhappy behavior...
The pause in activity must be accompanied by a nap.
Strollers are GOOD!
When away from home - let the kids eat what they will eat - don't force the issue with "healthier options" - this is especially true if they are TIRED....so Lunch and beyond....Push the healthier options at BREAKFAST or you WILL be sorry.

Daycare Again

2007-10-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well - I was going to post this last week - or even the week before but time got away from me.

First week at the new daycare center synopsis:
No one "in charge" was there the day to give us our pass codes or introduce us to the center and the routine. Even $$ wise, no one who was there first thing in the morning knew anything about what we needed to do. Found out on the second day that the director works 9-6 every day - so Clark will never meet her.Finally saw the owner at pick-up time on Wednesday.Every day when I ask Ronnie what he did today - he says "nothing".The take-home sheet with lessons indicates that they are learning about the letter "A" and numbers 1-3 this week. No wonder Ronnie thinks he's don nothing.By end-of-week Ronnie has pee'd on himself 3X during nap time. Something that only happens when he's really upset and not talking about it.I've had an uneasy/unhappy feeling all week.

Second week at the new daycare center:
Well, only Ronnie was going during the second week...due to Evan's Pneumonia...Monday - when I picked up Ronnie at 5pm they were watching TV. (I was aware of the TV and not extatic about it, but had been told that it was a 5:30 and beyond activity)Tuesday - Picture day - actually several things happened - Hubby found out when he dropped Ronnie off that Pre-K photos had been taken the day before, when he asked about a re-take since we had been unaware of that the teacher was a bit snippy with him. He also tried to drop off Ronnie's nap pillow that morning and was rudely told that it was NOT ALLOWED.The fact that the center uses only the state minimum employees:child ratio became a problem when several staff called in sick over the course of the week.The director was working in the classrooms daily and no one was "up front" in the office all week.There were several additional incidents as well as continued bed-wetting at naptime....but you get the picture.
By Wednesday last week I was strongly regretting taking the boys out of their old place....so I picked Ronnie up at 4pm and we went visiting - and fishing for information on whether we'd be welcome back there again.

Third week at the new center:
Monday - I called the old center to ask if we could come backTuesday - I met with the new director of the old center to discuss the issues involved etc, and gave notice at the new center.Wednesday - Ronnie's rude teacher was actually nice to Clark this morning and actually took time to talk to him about Ronnie.
Wonders will never cease.

Happy Birthday to EVAN! My little guy is 3!

2007-10-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

Months ago, when asked what kind of birthday party he wanted this year, Evan responded DORA! DIEGO!

So, Mommy of course, complied...heck, we've been thru 2 Blue's Clues parties how hard could it be???

HMMM...

So, last Friday I took the day off to get ready for the teaming hoards of young people who would invade on Saturday and wrote the great DORA adventure!

Party highlights:
It was a BEAUTIFUL fall day and the kids played outside a LOT! YAY!

We did go inside to do the big craft event - T-shirt decorating...

Toward the end of the decorating "Swiper the Fox" showed up and stole Backpack, but left "The Map" behind.
Map told us that our BIRTHDAY ADVENTURE would be to go Thru the Bounce House, Rescu Backpack in the Garden, and come To the Canopy to find Evan's Birthday Treasure!

Unfortunately, during the adventure some of the girl party guests had some meltdowns due to fear of Swiper....(Played by Auntie D).

We went back inside when Pizza arrived and had Pizza and Cupcakes...
Then back outside to play...

All-in-All while I wouldn't call it a TOTAL success it was a pretty good day - especially for the BIRTHDAY BOY!

Pneumonia

2007-09-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

If it's not one thing - it's another.

I've been home 3 days this week - no - not enjoying the wonderful sunny autum days - nursing a sick boy....

Evan came home sick from the weekend with Gram and Gramp on Sunday. He'd been telling them he didn't feel so good all weekend, and Sunday he started running a fever. He seemed ok overnight Sunday, but I took him to the doc on Monday morning just because he's our sneaky ear-infection boy...and she kept listening to his chest....She sent the nurse in with the nebulizer and did an albuterol treatment in the office. When she re-checked his lungs - they still sounded congested and she sent us for a chest x-ray. Sure enough the little tyke had a touch of pneumonia.

So, Monday was spent in and out of medical establishments. Yesterday and today we've been staying close to home. He's not running a fever any more, but he's still not well either. Poor little guy!

Happy Anniversary!

2007-09-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

WOW!
Last Thursday was our 4th anniversary!
We started celebrating at dinner time on Wednesday when Clark got home - each boy got to bring mommy a dozen roses! And daddy brought her sushi (YUMM!).

On Thursday, the actual anniversary day I presented Clark with a yummy fruit basket - did I mention that the traditional gifts for 4 years are fruits and flowers?!?!?
Auntie D babysat for us that evening while we went to dinner on the Lake.

It was a wonderful day!!!!!!!!!
As one of my cards said "To the journey...to the joy...(to the boys...) happy anniversary.

Toxic Synovitis

2007-09-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

On August 29 Ronnie woke up and told us he couldn't walk.
After trying to move through the morning in the usual way we ended up at the doctor's office and the lab for blood work.
The doctor asked us - wasn't he sick recently? - to which we answered no.
He said he thought it was Toxic Synovitis, a fairly common virus that causes hip pain, but was sending us for some tests because TS was usually preceeded by a really bad cold virus.
The symptoms in the links below described Ronnie to a T.
And to keep you from worrying unnecessarily - he was walking again by evening and running the next day.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000981.htm
http://www.drgreene.com/21_1212.html
http://www.drhull.com/EncyMaster/S/synovitis_toxic.html
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/special/bone/181.html

Daycare

2007-08-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months, I've mentioned daycare woes.Let me start at the begining on this one.

We officially started full-time daycare in January 2006. Prior to that we had done as much home-care as we could and had done some part-time day care at two chain-centers (Goddard School and Lipton Corporate Child Care). Neither of those was financially viable as a full-time option - and even if they had been, I would not have chosen the Goddard School we used again.

We ended up at a local community run daycare, loosely associated with our public school system. From the first day there, we LOVED the center. The teachers were good, friendly and LOVED the kids. Included in the price, the kids are served breakfast (some days hot items) with fruit and milk, Lunch (almost always hot) with veggie, fruit and milk, and snacks. It was close to home and convenient for drop-off/pick-up. I got involved in the Parent Association immediately and Clark joined in a few months later.

In November of last year, the Director of the center, who had been there for more than two decades resigned. She took a position as a kindergarten teacher in the township.Since then, things have been in a slow crumble. The day-to-day care has continued pretty well, but we have gone LONG periods of time with no director; we had one for 6-8 weeks (Feb Mar time frame) one "acting" Director for 6-8 weeks (June-Aug time frame) and now have another. In addition, a new Asst Director was hired in April and the old one left in June. There have been long stretches of time with no leadership - no point-person - no one who had ALL the information about what was going on - no one who was totally RESPONSIBLE.

The parents association started bringing this up as an issue (along with other items) at the March meeting - by June we had all been labeled as troublemakers. I really didn't think too much of that until late-July/early August when the following happened:

I had been keeping loosely in-touch with a former center staff member who sent me information about how the parents association had been presented to the acting director and what actions were going to be taken.
1)The acting director was told that we had written to the board of directors with our issues without "going through channels"; and that we were being unreasonable about our requests - we were requesting staff coverage of the front entrance for all hours of business.
2)Further, the parents association was going to be disbanded and new parents would be hand-selected who were "committed to the center".
3)Then, one of the main teachers in Ronnie's classroom went on vacation. A teacher who loves him very much. The whole time she was away, I was told every day that Ronnie had had behavior issues. As soon as she returned the issues vanished. It really made me wonder about what was going on in that room...what the teachers were being told etc.

At the begining of August I had half-heartedly begun looking for other places. For reasons 1&2 above, and because we're starting to worry about kindergarten...our town only does 1/2 day and the before-and-after care associated with the school has a bad reputation. So one of our requirements if we were going to "bail" from the current situation was for the new center to have kindergarten offered. I went to and/or called at least a dozen centers between home and work. It was CRAZY - in the sort-of affordable price range - there was no one that offered everything you'd want. Of course for 300-800 more a month per child....one place even had a swimming pool.We settled around 3:
#1 we're on the waiting list for - and has almost everything we'd want - the drawback for this one is that it is associated with the Catholic Church and closes the month of July.
#2 is in a strip mall - the classrooms have half-walls separating them from each other and the play area is across the parking lot. This one is a single-proprieter who has one other center. Plusses are that they do the nap-time laundry as well as food. In addition to offering kindergarten they also offer before&after care and our town will bus to them.
#3 is a brand-new facility but is corporate-owned and has that "by-the-book" feel. They have a wonderful in-door play area as well as a decent outdoor area. BUT - they do not offer food in the price or even as an add-on.

Then item 3 happened - and that brought back memories of having seen some things happen with the pre-school classroom that weren't to my liking...and one of those was hammered home by the child of a friend being asked to leave the center and labled ADHD.

I became convinced I had to have the kids - esp. Ronnie OUT of there. So, last week, I paid the "enrollment" fee at #2 and scheduled the kids to start there in a couple of weeks.

I gave notice last Friday at our current center - and still have mixed emotions about the whole thing. Clark asked me on Friday "What are we gaining by doing this?" and one thing is kindergarten and a presumably better before-after-care program, but besides that? I don't really know. All I know is that I'm not comfortable with the current situation anymore. What makes it harder is that I loved it so much for a while.

Breif Update

2007-08-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Haven't had much time to blog lately...so update on life:
Work - project my department has been working on for a year has gone live and we're shaking out the bugs....so work has been unpleasant. The big "sport" at my company is finger pointing. Although there are errors and missing details in every area - we can't possibly work as a team to make it right...we have to spend as much time and energy as possible pointing out the other guy's flaws.
Home - garden is still pretty much as stated in the last blog. Squash Basil and tomatoes coming in - tomatoes did take a hit in a particularly nasty storm. They had grown over top of the cages and the storm knocked them down a bit....but they have finally started to ripen. LARGE bunches of basil and 2-4 med squash are being picked 2-3x a week. We had a great play-date with an old work buddy of mine ( we were preggo together twice so kids are same ages). She decided to stay home after #2.
Kids - Daycare - NIGHTMARE - I will actually need to devote a WHOLE post to this subject in the next week or so. For now just let me say I've visited 8-10 places this week....before work, after work, lunch time.....hence no time to blog.
More later.

Harry Reed Interfaith Hero - Found on the Net

2007-07-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

Harry Reid, interfaith hero:
For the first time in history, a Hindu clergyman delivered the opening prayer for the United States Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev, had invited Rajan Zed, the director of interfaith relations at a Hindu temple in Reno, to deliver the opening prayer to begin the session on July 12. It is common for chaplains and clergy from various faith traditions to be invited to say the opening prayer at the start of each Senate session. However, most of the time it is delivered by a Christian. It's a shame that the voices of intolerance and ignorance spoiled this special occasion. As soon as Zed began to speak, he was disrupted several times by Christian Right activists who objected to a Hindu prayer being offered on the Senate floor. Three people were handcuffed by police and charged with disrupting Congress, which is a misdemeanor. This saddens me, because I don't see how anyone could possibly object to the following words in Chaplain Zed's prayer: "Let us pray. We meditate on the transcendental glory of the Deity Supreme, who is inside the heart of the earth, inside the life of the sky, and inside the soul of heaven." These are beautiful words and certainly consistent with the Christian belief that God is omnipresent. In addition, Chaplain Zed ended his prayer by saying "peace, peace, peace be unto all." This was appropriate, because after the prayer the Senate was going to resume debate on President Bush's Iraq war policy. So I have to ask those who objected to Chaplain Zed's prayer: What's the problem? Why did you object to this? Did he say something that was so different from your Christian beliefs that you felt America was threatened and that it would bring down the wrath of the almighty? If so, I did not hear it. Chaplain Zed's prayer embodied what I so frequently refer to as the common moral beliefs and values that most faith traditions share. One of the protesters said that he was a "Christian and patriot." Now how can you claim to be a patriot when two of the founding principles of this country are religious tolerance and diversity? I am proud of Harry Reid for inviting Chaplain Zed to pray. He's my hero of the month and has done a lot to promote interfaith education as a solution for community and peace building by using this highly visible, symbolic and powerful venue to highlight America's religious diversity. Sen. Reid, who is a Mormon, said, "I think it speaks well of our country that someone representing the faith of about a billion people comes here and can speak, in communication with our Heavenly Father, regarding peace." Yes, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is not only a hero but also a champion of interfaith. He's a shining example of how we can use religion as a tool to build community and not divide it. You know there are these voices of fear and intolerance in this country that perpetuate what I call a state of enemy thinking, in which it's us against them, or Christian against Muslim, Muslim against Jew, black vs. white, gay vs. straight, rich vs. poor, etc. In other words, if he or she doesn't look like me, worship like me, or vote like I vote, then he or she is absolutely wrong and I am absolutely right. We should not let these voices of intolerance and fear prevent us from honoring the beliefs of others and accepting that there just might be another point of view with some validity. And you know what - when we peer beyond the labels that the voices of fear and intolerance use to divide us, we just might find a lot in common. I am not a Hindu, and I found Chaplain Zed's words comforting and consistent with my beliefs. Thank you, Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York . You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website or at harmoniousday.webexone.com. His email address is jayspeights@newseminary.org. © copyright 2007 by Jay Speights.

Nature is The Art of GOD - Dante

2007-07-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

Think about it....If you were GOD and you created HEAVEN out of nothingness ... and you created beings to live there and enjoy your creation - your HEAVEN... how would you feel about what's been done to it? Some of that having been done in YOUR NAME?
We admire the works of Monet of Ansel Adams of Georgia O'Keeffe - but the original artist was "God" "Gaia - the living Goddess" or name any of the myriad "Creation God/Goddesses".
"Judgement" for the sins of pollution, waste and hatred is happening every day. The climate is changing; garbage gets thrown carelessly everywhere; hate causes everyone to live in fear - with locks and walls.
And again : You MUST BE the change you wish to see in the world. No one is perfect; but how can we increase "walking the walk"?
I have a friend who just recently brought my attention back to an issue close to her heart: water. "WOW, as a family of 4 you must use (waste) a lot of water. I can honestly say that I try to be aware of this consumption. I make sure I run a full dishwasher and full washing loads. I turn the water off while I'm brushing my teeth (which we never did as kids). I use soaker hoses to water the garden when it hasn't rained for a while. So, I feel pretty good about myself....however I could do better.
Sometimes I use a large bowl to wash veggies in - sometimes I use running water.Sometimes I use the veggie wash water to water plants - inside and out - sometimes I dump it down the drain.I NEVER turn of the shower while I'm soaping up or washing my hair. And sometimes I let it run longer than necessary to come to temp.I sometimes let the water run while rinsing dishes and loading the dishwasher.
And that's just water.
I also heard a news story this week about plastic recycling. There are several industries which grew up around USING recycled materials as raw materials for their products; newer carpet factories are one.
Well - they can't get enough raw materials - and in-fact 75% (3 of 4) plastic bottles (soda/water etc) used in this country are NOT recycled even though there is a demand for them. Why? Because there is no HANDY recycling container. Sport/Entertainment arenas are a big culprit. What can be done about this?Letter/e-mail writing campaigns - to law-makers and to the centers themselves. Encourage/Demand easy recycling access or ask for fines to be levied.If you attend these events - TAKE YOUR CONTAINERS HOME to recycle.
And the biggest thing you can do is THINK. Think about - "what if everyone in the world did what I am doing; treated people as I am treating them" - what kind of world would we leave our children - our grandchildren?
THINK - AND DO - AND CHANGE.
Peace!

LOMB - Year 4

2007-07-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

The Land of Make Believe 2007!

Ever since Ronnie was just over a year old we've been doing a day-trip per summer to the Land of Make Believe.
And this year is no exception.
http://www.lomb.com/

It is always a wonderful experience - and Ronnie - at least is starting to remember it from one year to the next. He's been asking about when we'd go this summer for weeks now.

This year's trip featured both boys being able to ride the rides - we spent the first hour going from one to the next to the next...
The FAVORITE was the bi-plane ride.

After lunch we headed for PIRATES COVE - and we were better prepared this year with "training suits" for both boys - full-body flotation bathing suits.
Even though the water in the wading pool doesn't even get to knee high on an adult, it's a lot easier watching active boys when they have floaties on.
Ronnie LOVED the pirate ship - with it's water cannons and slides best, and it was difficult to get him to come away from it at all.
Evan just wanted to keep jumping in the water - as if it was a big puddle - preferably while holding on to an adult hand or two. Of course, that was not too comfortable for said adult who felt like their arm(s) were being yanked out.
After spending a couple of hours there - we made our way over to the lazy river and went three times around.
After all of the water time it was time to pack-up and go home. Another great trip to LOMB.
And I think Evan is going to start remembering it now too....he's already asking when we're going to go back!

Doin the Summer Music Circuit with the Family

2007-07-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

Ok!
We've got:

1) The activity bag - complete with bug spray; diaper & wipes; crayons and coloring pages for each boy; plenty of hot-wheels cars; magnetic drawing pads; goodie bags etc...
2) The cooler - with picnic supper and drinks
3) The camp chairs
4)The activity mat (aka Blanket)

We're ready to GO!
The past few weeks have seen us getting into the swing of the summer music scene! Music- in-the-parks - FREE MUSIC - scene that is.

So far we have been to 4 locations 2 very close to home; 2 a little more of a drive.
We have heard:

- an independant local singer/songwriter

- a swing band

- a couple of duos doing OLD standards (20's - 50's mostly) - and doing them nicely!

- a traditional bluegrass group

And we're ready for more.
Each of the places we've been has more concerts planned - and we're going to try to catch as many as we can.
As musicians, my husband and I are eager for the boys to be exposed to as much live music as possible. And the variety offered in these concerts is amazing!
The summer concerts are a GREAT way to expose young children to music in a setting that is child-friendly, parent friendly and FREE.

Heck - if your 2 year-old starts a tantrum - there is the possibility that no one will notice - and even if you do feel the need to pack up and go home - you are out NOTHING.

And, hey, you might get lucky - as we have for most of the ones we've attended, and get to really have a nice time listening to some decent music under blue skies, picnicing and relaxing with the whole family - invite some friends along and make it a party!

PLENTY of communities are hosting these concerts this year.
I highly recommend it.

Some good search words to find concerts in your area:

Music; Park;Concert;Summer+name of town etc.

Courting the "MUSE"

2007-07-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

This Moon's theme is "The Muse" - As we have progressed in our study this year it has been amazingly affirming how frequently our We'moon calendar has corresponded with the monthly theme - and how frequently our own lives have taken us along for the ride.

The book we are using as our 'study guide', "Ariadne's Thread" by Shekhina Mountainwater, though frequently irritating in its datedness (it was concieved of and written in the 70s/80s), usually has some tidbits to learn from.

This month we are pondering "The Muse" and once again We'moon has some treasures:

Sometimes, the Muse
this poem
flung out of my pen
one day.
the ink wanted to go
like that.
excerpt Marni Norwich 2005

Volunteers she called them
Volunteers she called them,
my eighty-five-year-old friend Dorothy,
those flowers that appeared mysteriously
in her Ohio yard
without her planting them,
sown by the wind
or perhaps by bird droppings.

Volunteers, I call them,
those poems that appear
in the poet's dooryard,
unsought,
of uncertain origin,
gifts from the bounty of the universe
Karen Ethelsdattar 2005

Several weeks ago as I was writing in my We'moon calendar and reading the current offerings, I decided to visit their website - to see what the '08 theme was going to be. Once there I found that the 08 calendars are indeed on sale, and they are still accepting contributions for '09. The theme for '09 will be "At the Crossroads" and I just happened to have several pieces of my own that were in keeping with that them which I have now submitted...again a chance happening which goes along with the monthly theme - honoring the MUSE!

I have also found that I am particularly verbose on my blog this month.....where usually I think of things I want to write about but don't ever type them in.....

Carbon "Footprint" - How do YOU help save the planet?

2007-07-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday I took the "Live Earth" carbon footprint test -http://www.earthlab.com/carbonProfile/LiveEarth.htm?ver=10 .

I can't find my emailed result right now but I think Iremember it being 250.

The national average for the USA is 350 - so my family is doing a little better than the rest of the nation...but there is a lot more that can be done.

I also signed the "Pledge" http://liveearthpledge.org/answer_the_call.php.For me this is more than just a "nice to do" for the environment.

This is saving MOTHER EARTH, GAIA, The Goddess - and making sure there's something of the NATURE I knew growing up left for my kids and my kid's kids.

What I do currently:

Recycle all paper and cardboard, plastics, glass, metals - curbside

Recycle batteries at the recycling center - approx annually

Compost vegetable materials from the house and garden

Most of the time:

turn off lights /equipment when not in room/or in use

Use dishwasher/washing machine only when full

Keep temps higher in summer (hardly use personal air conditioners at home anyway)

Keep temps lower in winter

Grow/purchase produce that is "locally" produced for the most part.

Freecycle unused household items http://www.freecycle.org/

What I am committing to do going forward:

Re-use plastic store bags as frequently as possible - currently we use these for garbage recepticals as well and do not purchase separate "kitchen" trash bags.

Install more compact flourescent lights and replace some multi-bulb fixtures.

ALWAYS turn off lights/appliances when not in the room

ALWAYS turn off my monitor when leaving work

What do you do currently?

What can you pledge to do going forward?

Thoughts on Mortality

2007-07-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

(Not morality - morTality)
"Having children can change the things you think about." -That's a no brainer you say??

Well, one day while I was driving home I think I took it to a new level.

I have a close friend who's mother died before she turned 4, her mother left not only her, but a younger brother and an infant sister as well. Within a year, my friend's father had remarried (I imagine in self-defense, it was the early 70's Mr Mom was over a decade away). My friend grew up with this new person being her mother. Her birth mother did not abandon her, was not legally separated from her, but was ripped away from her by some sort of brain hemmorage. Her maternal grandparents lived many states distant and she grew up not knowing them - it was never clear whether this was by their doing or by my friends father and new wife. Her father and "mother" did keep photo albums of her mother and momentos of her early years locked away, and the facts were NEVER allowed to be spoken.I have known this story since our college days. It has always bothered me when I've allowed myselfe to think about it. But other than the one or two times my friend needed to get it out of her system and talk it remains a secret garden - hidden/overgrown/forgotten. She has only hints of memory of her mother...more of the chaos sthat ensued after her death than any concrete memories of the person who gave her life.

My children are similar in age to 2 of the 3 left behind by this mother. My connections to them are so vibrant, but what would happen if I wasn't here any more? Would they remember the times we've snuggled for hours? Would they remember the silly faces and giggling? Would they remember how much I have loved them?

I hope those questions never need answers.

Now, I GET IT!!!!!

2007-06-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was driving home I had an a-ha moment. Actually, I had 2 but I can only remember the content of one. Anyone who has 2 kids less than 2 years apart can probably relate.

This particular a-ha moment was music related. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have been a musician practically since I was born. My primary instrument was violin, but over the years I had lessons on recorder and piano, and viola - which almost became my primary instrument during my highschool years.
Most of my musical experiences up to high school were pretty much fed to me by my father. He was a dance-band and orchestral musician, so Classical music was the biggie with Montovani and the like a close second.

One summer when I was in High School, my brother and I went to sleep-away music camp for 3 weeks. I got in on a viola scholarship, which meant I had to play viola in most of the groups I was scheduled to participate in. They did let me play violin in one quartet. However, to my GREAT disappointment, the music that was selected for that quartet to play was (horrors) a MODERN selection. With "MODERN" being spoken with the same disgust as a dirty word. It was dissonant and had a meter that constantly shifted. It wasn't the Mozart or Vivaldi I was used to - that I knew I could play.

I despized that piece of music - I was depressed that the only chance I had to play the violin was compromized by my lack of appreciation for the "ear-shattering" dissonance of the piece. I don't even remember who wrote it. I do remember that it was a brand new piece and that our little quartet would have been only the second formal performance of it. I say "would have been" because the four of us disliked it so much that it was never performance ready. Our coach - who picked the piece and LOVED it - was highly disappointed in our obvious disrespect and disdain.

That summer, I was introduced to another idea. The idea that music was linked to or could draw out our emotions. I heard one of the counsellors comment that the Brahms trio my brother's group was playing "made them cry" it was so beautiful....

That was new for me. I had always looked at music as a very mechanical thing. You played the notes on the page - with the inflection required by the composer - loud/soft/fast/slow etc. That gave me something to think about, and aspire to. But I didn't connect any of that to my dislike of the "Modern" quartet.

Years have passed - about 25 now - and I've been through a lot. Relationships have come and gone. My life philosophy has undergone stress and modification. I understand and appreciate everything from Gregorian chant to Heavy Metal. I don't ALWAYS want to have to listen to either, however. AND - my big a-ha moment - I LIKE music with"tight" harmonies. AKA dissonance. I frequently prefer it, in fact, and have for many years now...

Jazz, folk, rock, "Modern" classical.... It resonates deep within my heart and soul.

It is about emotions, it's about fear and loss, it's about getting to the other side.
It is about LIFE.
And Modern Life is not always - or even usually - harmonious.

Peace & Enviromentalism Continued

2007-06-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

You must BE the change you wish to see in the world.

Mahatma Ghandi

Continuing to stand on the soapbox I got up on yesterday...
Peace and ecology go hand-in-hand. A lot of things are really about "have"s vs "have not"s.
If we can each make a smaller impact on the world around us it can only help the planet and all of mama earth's citizens in so many ways....
What Ecological footprint are you leaving?
http://www.reuseablesolutions.com/ - Reusable Solutions

Summer Solstice 2007 - Dreaming of Peace

2007-06-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Ours is a SMALL planet, but this planet is essential to us.
We cannot yet survive independent of it. We need its fresh air and water... we need the warmth of its sun filtered through its atmosphere...we need its gravitational pull on our bones. There is enough potential for Mama Earth to throw us off her back -all on her own - violent earthquakes - waves - monster volcanic erruptions.... We need to stop fighting each other and Her and live like the family we are. Sharing our resources; finding ways to stop laying waste to the fields and oceans; doing what's right for humanity.
We're all connected - in oh, so many ways........
http://www.unesco.org/cpp/uk/ - UNESCO's Transdisciplinary Project "Towards a Culture of Peace"
http://www.the-peace-project.org/index.html -The Peace Project
http://www.sadako.org/ - World Peace Project for Children
http://www.worldpeace.org/peacepoles.html - Peace Pole Project
http://www.worldpeace.org/wpps.html - World Peace Prayer Society
http://www.everestpeaceproject.org/ - The Everest Peace Project
http://peaceproject.com/info/links.htm
http://www.earthday.net/
http://www.thinkearth.org/
http://www.nrdc.org/

In anticipation of Father's Day

2007-06-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

I was forwarded the following in an email - not sure who it is attributed to - but it is great!
10 Commandments of Daddy
Fatherhood, you might argue, is too complicated to be reduced to capsule form. But complexity only adds intrigue to the quest for guiding principles. And do we need guiding principles. After all the emotions, all the yelling, and all the laughter, I have distilled the duties and demands down to a decade of Dad dicta. Herewith, on behalf of all God's children and their male parents, the 10 Commandments of Daddy.

1. Hey, Dad, be big
In spirit, that is. Consider some of the big guys who have gone before you: Father Time, God the Father. You can't give this role a walk-through. You've got to play it. The kids expect stature from you. You're the anvil on which they hammer out their deal with the world. Be a presence in their lives-and in their minds.

2. Hey, Dad, be small
Yes, this contradicts the first tip. Don't be so big that you suck all the air out of the room. Give your kids space to move around in, to test their thoughts and strengths. Take a backseat three or four times a week. Say, "Maybe." Say, "I don't know." Now and then, tell the kids you're sorry-assuming you behaved badly. You'll feel brand new.

3. Hey, Dad, come home
Lots of fathers have two jobs. If that's your situation, God bless you, pal. You'll get no heat from me. But if you can pay the bills without working double shifts, get home when you can. Nothing good can happen until you do.

4. Bob and weave, Bubba
Stay light on your feet. Don't make too many hard-and-fast rules. Don't insist on having your way with the kids just because the rest of the world isn't always overly interested in the sound of your voice. There is a difference between authority and power. Have the first; don't abuse the second.

5. Never dance in front of their friends
Remember the cautionary legend of the father who once picked his kids up at a junior-high dance and actually went into the gym and did a few seconds of the Hully Gully with Margie Costanzo. His adult children still have embarrassment nightmares.
(Renee's addendum: This one depends on the execution - if it is appropriate to dance and the embarasement comes from NOT dancing then it needs to be done.)

6. Save your money, big man
If you're not careful, the kids will send you to the poorhouse three dollars and twenty-nine cents at a time. Think college tuition. Think down payment on their starter homes. Although it's true that money can't buy happiness, it can buy lots of other stuff.

7. Spend your money, tightwad
F. Scott Fitzgerald said the sign of a first-rate mind was the ability to have two opposite opinions at the same time. You're a first-rate mind, Dad. So spring for the glowing monster trading cards. If you've got the money, pop for the musical princess crown. What are you saving your money for, pal? College? Hah! You can't possibly save enough. There is the future, and then there is now. This is it.

8. Never go on a ride with the word whirl in its name.
Especially the Space Shuttle Whirl at the Great Escape near Lake George, New York. It's tougher to be a good father when your nervous system is permanently compromised. Stay on the ground and wave.

9. Let 'em be-they're not your second chance
We become most upset with the kids when they remind us of... well, us. Help them follow their own path, not your road not taken.

10. Love their mother
Hug Mom. Often. In front of the kids. Sure, sometimes marriages end, but the obligation to a woman doesn't. Be grateful to her. Speak to her with respect. Try to make her laugh. Listen. Even if you're not married to her, figure out how to love her.

(Renee's addendum: same goes for Moms)

Mommy, Did we Loose Missy?

2007-05-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have SO MUCH to write about - things going on that are making me CRAZY!
BUT - Last week one night my big boy had a bit of a melt-down and as he was calming down from it he asked the cutest thing....
"Mommy, did we loose Missy?"
"Which Missy do you mean, honey?" I asked. I only know one Missy, but he goes to daycare, so you never know.
"You know Mommy, Missy & Julie"
Missy and Julie and Lizzy are our adult nieces, and Missy moved to Maryland last summer. We really haven't seen too much of her since then. She's been back north a few times, but schedules haven't really meshed. I explained that she lived far away now, but that we would see her some time, hopefully soon. But Ronnie was really upset, so I asked him if he wanted me to help him e-mail her.
"No, Mommy. Can we call her?"
Thankfully I still have her cell phone number - so we dialed it - he pushed the 'send' button.
We left Missy a message telling her we love her and miss her.
It is so easy to loose people, people we care about, people we love - unless we take the time to reach out to them.
Don't forget to connect with those you love today!

Happy May Day!

2007-05-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

Our family has been celebrating the coming of SPRING for the past two weeks.
With frequent evening as well as weekend forrays outside, much garden/landscape sprucing and even dining al fresco.
The kids have been intoxicated by the breezes running and playing and "helping" with the gardening.
Sunday they helped fling grass seed and chanted words of welcome to the season.
Now that spring is officially here we wish everyone a happy WARM (not HOT) season to enjoy the birds and the bees , outdoor activity and relaxation!
How do you celebrate the season????

Found on the Net

2007-04-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

Rules for LIFE

1. You will receive a body.
You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours the entire period.

2. You will learn lessons.
You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school you will have
the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons.
Growth is a process of trial and error: experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."

4. A lesson is repeated until learned.
A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end.
There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

6. "There" is no better than "here."
When your "there" has become a "here," you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."

7. Others are merely mirrors of you.
You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.

8. What you make of your life is up to you.
You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Life is exactly what you think it is.
You create a life that matches your beliefs and expectations.

10. Your answers lie inside you.
The answers to life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

11. You will forget all this.

12. You can remember it whenever you want.

April 22, 2007 - Song for this Earth

2007-04-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

as the waters rise
and take back
dry land
while the sun still attracts
our planet
as we spin
round her core

and as the layers
that protect us
are vanishing

I sing a song
for this earth

as our friends the mammals
the fish, the bees, the snakes
all sea and land creatures
all things furry and
with legs and wings
in whose eyes
there is a knowing
far deeper than ours

are threatened
in their specieshood daily
their millennial existence
annihilated in our split seconds

I sing a song
for this earth

~Mary Steel 2005

BLUE'S CLUES 2 - Birthday Partying with Blue

2007-04-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

Well, the 4th birthday was a BIG success!

Everything was ready when birthday guests started arriving...The boys had taken naps!!!!And everyone arrived "on time"- around 4pm.
So party games were able to start together...
Blues Clues "Notebooks" were passed around and Blue explained that we were trying to find clues to figure out what the BIG PARTY SURPRISE would be.
We all made Blue's Banana Pops for a nice snack to keep us happy while we did other things.The 1st CLUE was discovered as clean-up from the pops was under way - and everyone drew a WALL in their handy dandy notebook.
We quickly morphed into CRAFT activities of bug building and t-shirt painting.Blue's 2nd clue was discovered out the window, as that activity became less interesting and everyone drew a SLIDE in their notebook.
As the party was making it's way to the play room the 3rd clue "bounced" in to the room and everyone continued on to the "Thinking Chair"
My niece Rebekah was the first to figure out what the BIG SURPRISE was and then there was a mad rush to the door!
The kids had a BLAST on the Bounce House! Played on it and the other outside structures for quite some time....got them back inside with calls of presents and pizza....and then it was all over.
I'd call it a BIG SUCCESS! The kids were always focused on an activity - there was no fighting, no crying - just FUN!!!!
YAY!

Birthday Party Eve

2007-04-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

Well - Tomorrow is the big day.
As hard as it is to believe, Ronnie turned 4 on Monday, but tomorrow is his PARTY! He requested another Blue's Clues Party several months ago...and everyone is set for a fun-filled afternoon.
Last year I was SO prepared for the Blue's Clues party - this year I've got A LOT more to do in the next 24 hours and I'm a little worried.

I have to go shopping today for a bunch of stuff...and put together goodie bags...and straighten the house...and figure out how to keep 7 sets of fingers from banging on the Piano tomorrow. (YES we have a piano now- will blog more later.)
The clues this year will be leading to the bounce house pictured above. I had started thinking about getting one of these SEVERAL weeks ago and hesitated to spend the money. SO, I got to the Tuesday before the party, yes 4-10 and still had no idea what we were going to do. On Wednesday I started calling everywhere I could think to call to see if anyone had any in stock to pickup - NO LUCK. So I went on ebay to try to find a local place - NO LUCK. So I called one of the ebay stores and asked how much it would cost for 2 day shipping....the lady said it would double the price. BUT she also said that normal ground delivery from her (Illinois) to New Jersey should only take 2 days. So, I ordered it and started praying!
Thankfully someone was listening - it is right now sitting on the UPS delivery truck ready to be dropped off at my house.

Unfortunately my prayers did not include weather wishes...and it is kinda iffy for tomorrow.
I do have a bunch of activities lined up so that if the bounce doesn't work for this party - at least we'll still have fun stuff to do.
T-shirt decorating....with special fabric markers and beads...

Banana Pop Creations - bananas with PB or Yogurt dipped in crunchy toppings YUM

Egg Carton Bugs...

Pin the pawprint on Blue

And of course playing BLUES CLUES!!!
More to come....

Ten of Cups

2007-04-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

Last night some friends and I met to do some divination work.
We shuffled the deck of tarot cards thinking about all the myriad things we are in the process of doing, all of the things we need to do, and all of the things we want in our lives.
We laid cards (face down) to represent each thing. And then - instead of picking a card/cards from the bunch and selecting something - we removed cards - eliminating things. We left ourselves with only one card - and each of us had a powerful message.
Mine was Ten of Cups. I wish I had the exact card image to display...I might try to get it and scan it to post later....It is a beautiful card with a rainbow and ten golden chalaces - calm waters and happy, satisfied people.
Here are the explanations I have found on the 'net...

10 of Cups: Count It All As Joy (c) Cheryl Lynne Bradley 2006
Joy is the will which labors, which overcomes obstacles, which knows triumph. -William Butler Yeats
The excursion is the same when you go looking for your sorrow as when you go looking for your joy. - Eudora Welty
Capacity for joy Admits temptation. - Elizabeth Barrett Browning Aurora Leigh (bk. I, l. 703)
We live in a world which is increasingly difficult to understand and to navigate. Morals, ethics and justice seem to be taking a back seat to greed, rampant consumerism, hatred and misuse of power on a global scale. The problems facing our world are all products of the corruption and self-destructive, self-absorbed lean of our society and our increasingly pessimistic view of what the future could hold. It doesn't look promising at all.when we see how many people in our world don't get enough to eat, don't get proper medical care, live in battle zones or have known nothing but war, unrest and persecution (real or perceived).
The 10 of Cups in the Tarot is a happy card. It contains images of happy families, rainbows and gives us a sense of joy and emotional fulfillment. Wouldn't it be wonderful if life could always be this full of happiness and contentment. The reality is that life is hard and sorrow is always plentiful. Our situations can change quickly, without reason or rhyme. As I always say, people can be cruel and disappointing far more often than they can be compassionate and supportive. Sometimes I think people are bored with their own purposeless lives (and so boring) that they have nothing better to do than be mean, petty and hateful. This card tells me that the people depicted have chosen to count only joy.
I believe that this card is telling us that no matter what is happening in our lives, no matter how difficult the situation we are in, that we have to count and consider it all as joy. We have to learn to fill ourselves up on the beauty of the past and the hope of the future, and to keep only these things in our heart. It is easy to get stuck on thoughts of what might have been, what could have been, what should have been and what we wanted it to be. It is much harder in some situations to accept the reality of what was. It is difficult to be clear and in the present when we are dwelling on events in our past that cannot be changed, but that may have been deeply devastating or traumatic for us. It overshadows any of the joys we may have experienced in that same past, but those joys were there, they did occur and they deserve to be remembered.
http://members.tripod.com/TarotCanada/10CupsCountItAllAsJoy.html
I do not see the 10 of cups as completion, (10 Fish in the Merlin Tarot by RJ Stewart).
I read the 10 of water as fertility it's self, (this is key). Emotional openess equals vulnerability and fertility. This is the type of vulnerability and openess that precurses pregnacy. (note:pregnancy is not an end result, quite the opposite actually). The Ace of Fire penetrates the 10 and we have conception, conception of an idea, an action and or a life
In this, the 10 of water stands as emotional history and the perception of that history and it's not repeating. Not knowing what to expect leaves one feeling vulnerable, (to say the least) regardless of how positive the difference. Simply being open to new experience leaves one with feelings of vulnerability and various levels of fears, but not locked into any one particular state. The 10 shows the openess, the movement, the changeability and most of all, the fact that there will be movement out of the 10.
The 10 is not as much about the current state as it is about how the current state can and will change.
http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/247414
With the 10 of Cups as your Daily Tarot Card... (This is the ACKNOWLEDGMENT card! It says: I appreciate what I have!) Today you ought to count your lucky stars, and revel in your good fortune! You have something to be happy about, so why not allow yourself to smile and enjoy it? Take the time to acknowledge whatever it is that is so good in your life now, for this is a day to take a break from the challenges of life...and stop to smell the roses instead!
http://www.tarotscopes.com/10cups.html

Spring is the Thing!!

2007-04-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't written much lately - it's those conflicts of work vs motherhood again.I'll write all about it once the conflict (ie the work) has settled down to a manageable level.

On a brighter note - SPRING HAS SPRUNG! - below are some thoughts on these two topics...

For the love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies, but always grows and grows to an enduring and ever increasing source of happiness. Gertrude Jekyll

Spring Cleaning
Time for tulips, worms, resurrection
The tulips open and close, open and close
Like breathing wings
Testing the possibility of spring
Time for dawn to lick out the last
Of that rich dark bowl of night
And bleed her own colors into the world
Branches that were bare just last week
Shoot volleys of blossom in the sun
And green wood on the apple tree takes off
Like an arrow into the sky
Even old beams in the house begin to softly sing
Of leaves and the fresh arc of wind
Time to take a spade and shove sharply
With your heel in its old rubber boot-
TURN OVER YOUR LIFE
See what survived, shake out the bugs
Get some air in the roots
Throw out piles of papers,
Unfinished projects
Like layers of old mulch
In the morning your heart is still
A cupped leaf holding dew
If you can match that stillness
And look into the sweet water of your own heart
You may catch the wild promise, a goddess just waking
The magic of your own rebirth

Miriam Dyak 1996

There Is a Need to ROAR
So, where do we go to ROAR
Where do we stand and stomp and shout
Where do we clench our fists and bubble like lava
There's no place to ROAR but this white flat page
(which chars at my touch)
To ROAR with such power and rage and anguish
That people run, windows break
Rocks leap, and trees grip the earth
To ROAT with such ferocity and fangs and spit
That the jagged ripples wreck and wreak havoc
Sidewalks split, buckle and grind to dust
Cars flip and collide like toys, asphalt melts and returns
To its prehistoric liquid pit in the earth
To ROAR and vibrate with every angry molecule who already
Exists aching for expression
Summon volcanoes and earthquakes
Tidal waves and tornadoes who wait for just this moment
Join the universal burn
The need to ignite, to change, to start over, to cleanse
Open your mouth wide
Because there is a need to ROAR

Elizabeth Kelly 2005

Being the Mommy I always wanted to be

2007-03-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

I think every mom must start out with ideas of how she wants to be and the kinds of things she wants to do with her children. I know I did.
And then you have your babies...and you love them and you cuddle them... but everyday life crushes in on you. The house cleaning and maintenance , the laundry, feeding your family - and for a large number of us full or part-time employment. And that's not even taking into account the sleepless nights with sick babies - teething babies or babies who just won't sleep.
I always dreamed of being the perfect mommy; patient, letting the kids help with everything, teaching them all sorts of things about nature, music etc.
I certainly don't have the level of patience I thought I'd have. In fact - when I stop and look at my own behavior sometimes I'm amazed at my LACK of patience. I get so frustrated when the boys are boys and talk back, when they make messes with their food, when they won't go easily for naps or bedtime or when they won't clean up after themselves.
I don't get to do nearly as many activities with the boys as I'd like. I've been wanting to start Ronnie playing the violin....I've been talking about making pine cone bird feeders with them all winter....the weekends are always too short.
And I'm not alone, not that I've spoken with a ton of other moms, but the ones I know feel the same. They don't measure up to what they wanted to be. EVEN THE STAY AT HOME MOMS say they don't have as much patience with their kids as they'd like to have.
I know that at least part of the issue for me is sleep deprivation. I have caught myself yelling at the boys at the drop of a hat when I'm down on sleep (ie when Evan isn't sleeping well). When I'm regularly sleeping through the night I have a little more patience.
But that is certainly not the whole issue. And neither is not working outside the home. It's also not a lack of love and affection for the kids. I just adore my boys and love snuggling and doing things with them.......
So, what is it? Is it a normal part of motherhood to feel you don't measure up? To loose your cool completely on occaision?
I know that just being able to sit back and observe myself helps sometimes. I try a little harder the next time to have a little more patience...
And like I said I think that things have gotten a little better since Evan has been sleeping better. I just hope that I can keep it going in a positive direction; have more of the positive attitude that I'd ALWAYS like to have with my boys.
And so the quest continues.....to find the inner mommy, to find the patience I used to have for nieces and nephews and children of friends.......

Moving Again...

2007-02-26T11:59:00.000-08:00

No, no, not houses - rooms.

Boyz rooms to be exact.

Last weekend DH and I moved three rooms of furniture - blessedly almost all of it was already on one level.
When we moved into this house we designated the two smallish front bedrooms as the boys rooms. The center room, closest to mommy and daddy was the office/guest room. Well, about 3-4 months ago, neither boy would sleep through the night, so we did some experimenting and Ronnie ended up moving into Evan's room - which made Evan's room quite crowded... Around the holidays we decided that when Evan was done with his crib we would move both boys into the middle room and use the front rooms as guest and office. And about 4 weeks ago, Evan gave up his crib....kicking and screaming....so last weekend we moved and moved and moved.

So...now the front three bedrooms are:

1) Boy fantasy land - Cars, Knights and Dragons

2) The Celestial Suite

3)The Library aka office aka craft room

And Mommy and Daddy's room is still in great need of cleaning and sprucing....hmm I guess some day there will be time for that....maybe when we've caught up on all of the lost sleep...

BRRRRR Enough Already!!!

2007-02-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

OK...we're definitely NOT done with CHAOS yet.
This week has been frustrating - at least work wise - so much so that I'm starting to review my old books on Feng Shui again. Time to get some energy moving in the career direction! Without getting too much into the details of the situation - I worked in the office 8:30 - 8 yesterday, then went home and worked from 10 - 3:30 am.
Outside of work - the home stuff is chugging along without a lot of focus. The boys are stir-crazy from being inside too much due to the cold weather (It just broke 30F for the first time all week).
The light is really noticably returning - and waking the boys earlier and earlier but I'm just plain TIRED. I'm not quite sure why it's becoming so dramatic again....but I need to get some energy quick!
One highlight this week is that I spotted a FOX trotting across our patio a couple of days ago! And we actually managed to get the boys to the window before he disappeared! It was very exciting for all of us!

Music for Tykes

2007-02-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

The boys have been in daycare for a year now. It has been a learning experience for us all.

We chose a community run daycare center for several reasons - location, cost and food. Yes food - our daycare center serves breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks a day - and usually the breakfast and lunch are hot meals. What our center lacks is extras like the "special programs", music & sports offered at the pricey daycares (which don't serve meals or charge mucho extra for that convenience).

Since then, I've been a mom with a mission! I have music experience! I have experience teaching music to young folks, I enjoy being goofy...my only obstical is WORK. Last year when I first thought up the idea of going to the daycare and offering special music days I was still working for Atilla the Hun, but I was in the midst of a transfer. And yes now I work for better folk, but it is still Corporate America and asking for a few hours off once a month (which was my original thought) is like asking for the keys to the corporate bank accounts. (Not that they have any problems asking you to work extra hours on a weekly basis). So, I haven't quite gotten up the gumption to ask....yet.
What I have done is to do it on my own time. The first one was last Halloween. I used some vacation days to have a long weekend over Halloween - with the intent of doing some extra things for the holiday with the kids and doing some extra fall housecleaning. I also offered the daycare a special music program for the kids ....
I figured I'd bring my violin and do the usual nursery rhymes etc - then the director asked me what my "Program" was going to be - which forced me to really think about it. Thank goodness! I went in with a plan.
At the time, my boys had been listening to one of my chant cd's in the car and LOVED the song Grandmother Moon. They would call to Grandma Moon during full moon nights and sing along with the chant. So...since at Halloween the dark hours are growing - I decided to do Moon and Stars - Our friends as the theme.
I had Twinkle little Star, Grandmother Moon and a couple of other songs, a book "The Moon Comes Home", and in a couple of the rooms I used Elaine Silver's "Half Moon Rising" . Beyond that I did Happy Birthday where appropriate, and kids favorites. I played in the rooms for each age group - and had a different wonderful experience in each room. One thing that did stay the same - from 12 mos up - each kid had the opportunity to help me play the fiddle.
My next opportunity came on MLK day. Miraculously my company gives this as a holiday, but daycare is open. This time I went without a theme - and it was OK. Having lived through the experience once - I knew what to expect from the age groups. I must say, that the pre-school teacher is one of my best friends when I do this. She would really LOVE it if I could do this REGULARLY and build on what I'm doing. She has repeatedly offered to do prep lessons or followup lessons with the kids.
I guess I just have to get up the gumption to ask for a few hours once a month from my boss...it really wouldn't cost him anything. I already work overtime....

Happy Imbolc! Spring is almost Here!

2007-02-01T09:24:00.000-08:00

IMBOLC

The feeling in this still dark, unstable, muddy time
that the light at the end of the tunnel is my own soul
staring back at me on the inside
and I'm blind as a mole pushing through
some primal unseen path
with my stubby little snout and inexplicable will
If winter is a wide ocean of night
January is the hollow point, the trough
that holds visions too deep to fish up into morning
it is a cave too far down for light or even hunger
life hibernating in me suspended, waiting
and the mind floating free of the body now
like something promising but unborn
I want to lean over my own self to see if I'm breathing
I want to regress into a world of fur and blood
I am as slow as a stone's pulse
Into this no place, no thing
Imbolc comes at the end of forever
and the begining of all time
Suddenly there is one fiercely yellow crocus open
dreams pierce dense and soggy layers of sleep
right up into the thin clear air of day
just like the red torpedo shoots of peonies
pierce the ground by my back door
carrying all the courage that weeks later they will need
to unfurl those painfully delicate new leaves
I am asking for that courage, Mother
I'm ready as I'm gonna be
nothing more to wait for
just hold my hand while my eyes stumble into light

Miriam Dyak 1994

Catching Up - OR - HOLIDAY FRENZY!!!

2007-01-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

Whew! It's been a CRAZY RIDE!

The holiday season just blew by us this year - but not without much activity and sharing joy with our kids and family and friends.

Early in December our town hosted a "Pictures with Santa" event. This was the first year that "SANTA" had meaning for both boys...so, we took the boys and watched Santa arrive via Fire engine. Then we waited in line for our turn to talk to Santa and have our picture taken. When it came to our turn Ronnie didn't even hesitate this year - and because Evan does EVERYTHING Ronnie does - he paused only a couple of seconds before joining his brother. This was the first time we actually heard that Ronnie had a definite 'Wish List' and there was only 1 item on it - a tunnel...from that point we had a mission - to find out what he meant by tunnel.
The answer came during the next week - after grammy paged through the TRU catalog with him - it was a TRAIN TUNNEL!

Over the course of the next couple of weeks we had several cookie baking sessions - some which included small boys, and some which did not. Ronnie is a MOST ENTHUSIASTIC participant in kitchen activities, and was VERY proud of his cookie efforts! As this was Mommy's first year in a LONG time to actually bake, it was time very well spent! And MUCH appreciated by Daddy!

We celebrated the Winter Solstice as a family, by noting how far to the south the sun rose (it was to the right of our LARGE pine tree) - and trying to remember where it rose in the summer(much farther to the left over our greenhouse we think). As observed from our kitchen's bay window, this is a VERY wide arc of rising points. In the evening we celebrated by extinguishing all of the lights in the house to symbolize the dark time - then we began to bring back the light by lighting a small candle for each one of us -we then went through the house turning on all of the lights to help us remember that the darkness won't last forever and that the sun's course has changed to bring back the light again.
We bought our tree - in our family's tradition - close to the last moment - Dec 23 - and brought it inside. We decorated it on Christmas Eve when we had another small housefull of guests - Grammy, Grampy and Auntie Jill. The boys were exstatic - and VERY excited! Ronnie set out the cookies for Santa - and both wanted Grammy to put them to bed, but the excitement was so high that it took Mommy and Daddy to do the job that night! Then we had to stay up getting the train table setup and the presents under the tree!

Christmas day was AMAZING this year! The boys loved opening their gifts - were SO happy with everything they got - which was A LOT! And SO happy to play with it all. Nap-time was non-existant - there was FAR too much excitement for that!

We had our dinner at my brother's new house this year. It was delicious and the kids had a blast....all 4 of them running like crazy people around the downstairs hallways!

The boys' daycare closes for the 'week between', so I was home with the boys all week. We got in some play time with friends we don't see very often which was very nice. It was my intent to have Evan pottie trained during this week, but he had other ideas....
And then all too soon, it was New Year's Eve. Again, this year, we played dominoes with a couple of friends - a quiet and relaxing ringing in of the new year.

Hope every one had a wonderful holiday - however you celebrated - filled with family fun and magical moments!

To Grey or not to Grey - THAT is the question

2006-12-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

In the week since I wrote my last entry I've mentioned the grey cover up and wanting my greys back to several people.
The first was my friend Terry....she was all for it.
Terry expressed that she looks for them and is excited by them - they are her badges of honor.
Apparently she, and I, are in the minority here.
Every other woman I have mentioned this to has had the following to say:

"OH NO! COVER THEM UP!"

"I'm NOT taking them siting down - I'm going kicking and screaming!"

and combinations of the above.

I don't have a problem with hair coloring per sey, heck - I've done quite a few auburn color washes - just to have that red that I've always wanted...it's just that I don't have a problem with accepting grey hair as a mark of your years, and wearing it proudly either.

Isn't it better to have lived long enough and interesting enough lives that we got the greys?
Anyhow, let me know how YOU feel about this.

The view from 40

2006-12-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

Ok...I'll admit it. I've been having a mid-life crisis - for about a month.

I never thought my age would bother me. I have given out big fanfares for more people than I can count because "age is a badge of honor" "we have made it to this place in our lives".

I believed it then; I believe it now.

BUT all of the sudden - it was NOVEMBER 2006.

It snuck up on me like a laughing pixie. I noticed every grey hair (which I had thusfar refused to cover with"permanent" dye); felt every ache; felt tired when my little ones wanted to play....and felt AGED.
The weekend before my birthday was probably the height of the crisis....during the kids' nap time, instead of doing all of the things I regularly do, I sneeked up the back stairs to the master bath and pulled out the box of "emergency" hair dye" - the permanent kind.

I took a deep breath cut off the seals and colored my hair...no one even noticed. Not at home, not at work.
Then came the day....my husband had the kids sing me happy birthday...gave me a gift...had my parents watch the kids while we went to New Hope and Lambertville for the day....when we got home we had ice-cream cake with my parents and the kids. It was a very nice day, but TOTALLY ANTI-CLIMATIC.

In the week that followed I got over the crisis...realized that I didn't really feel any older than I had 20 years ago and I went back to living my normal hectic life; trying to comfort a sick husband... trying to work-from home with a sick child... making plans for the coming winter holidays... making plans to get together with friends...
But if still felt as though another shoe was about to drop --
On Thursday night my "big" present came - hubby had gotten me a new dell laptop with wifi and the upgraded battery pack...this baby can go anywhere - no wires - YAY!! Seems he thought my current home computer was a bit out-dated (I bought it in 1997).
So it was over, right?
Well, Saturday, as I was walking into a Chili contest Clark had entered - SURPRISE! Family and friends old and new had gathered.

Dad and"uncle" Jerry were playing music, many had brought food and drink, and Donna had made THE MOST INCREDIBLE/ BEAUTIFUL/ MAGICAL CAKE! It was wonderful!!!
BUT, With the way the past few years have had me flitting in and out of people's lives, I felt unworthy of all of the love, affection, and attention. And especially unworthy of the hugs the little folk - some who barely knew me - dispensed freely. But the other shoe had indeed dropped.

On Sunday evening - after an afternoon of "Simply Cook It - the home version" with a couple of friends - I was finally back to where I started, but my friend Terry expressed it so much better in an email on Monday, so I'll share her words:
As far as I'm concerned, we've worked hard to get where we are. We've more than put in the time and the effort. We've earned every year and we should all be proud.

Ok - where's the remover? I want my greys back!

Giving Thanks

2006-11-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

As the kids are taking their nap I'm taking time to sit back and reflect - ....I think I spent too many years on my own with the ability to have things "just so" to have things stay cleaned up for more than a couple of hours...etc - in those days I was sad - because I didn't have anyone to share life with. And now I get aggrivated every day with all of the little things that pile up - that need to get done over and over and over because of little messes.

The fact is - I wouldn't change any of it. I love my kids, I love my husband, I love the process of keeping the house, and the garden...I even really like my job - ok mostly - The problem is that there is just not enough time to do it all well...to take my time with it and enjoy it in the moment as much as I'd like.

This year has been a year of settling in - to the house, to the marriage and being together all of the time, to the kids - now that Evan is more of a participant....

My goal for next year is to stop worrying about what can't get done - and to enjoy what can be done more. To be in love with my life as much as I love my life - so that I show it more to all of the people I love.

This year, I am thankful for:

My children they are bright active and fun...healthy sassy and LOUD! They make life exciting and wonderful!

MY husband -who is the best daddy I know, loves our family, works hard making our house a home we can be proud of, allows me time for myself and accepts me for who I am.

My parents - who helped us make it through the year. From staying with us when the 4 of us had a stomach virus to keeping the kids for several weekends and Shakespeare evenings so Clark and I could do things as a couple.

My spirit sisters - for being there and listening and understanding and sharing life's ups and downs.

Grammy, Jill, Leana, Donna, Kim and Lizyy for emergency childcare!!!

Leana & Clyde for MANY evenings of dominoes, tea and chocolates!

My job - that I got a new one with a decent boss and moved to the Morristown office.

Blaize - for all of the years of companionship and love and loyalty and mouse hunting.

Halloween Fun!

2006-11-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a BIG event at our house this year.
I took Monday and Tuesday off so that I could do more with the boys, but the festivities began on Friday night!
Friday night was the day care center's Halloween Party - and they went all-out!!! The entry had a smoke machine and the lights in the whole building were dim to start...each of the offices/rooms was decorated and the staff were dressed up and handing out treats. Then there were refreshments in the cafeteria. For this event the boys dressed in last-year's costumes - and were "SUPER BOYS"!
Saturday we had a gathering of family and friends in the late -afternoon/ evening to celebrate the late harvest and to honor those who have gone before us. It was a rainy day, so the pumpkin soup I made was well received! We also feasted on pieroghi casserole with mushroom sauce, spinach casserole, chicken and beef satay, rack of lamb, sesame noodles, stuffed butternut squash, fresh bread and apple desserts. It was YUMMY!
On Sunday we held a tie-dying session - the first since just after our wedding....although it was cold and windy MANY items were dyed. Ronnie got to dye his beach towel for next summer and it came out nicely! Next time we'll get the boys more involved in this - when we remember to do it in warmer weather!!!!
Monday I cleaned house - it needed it after the weekend!!! And picked up the boys early from daycare to carve our jack-o-lanterns. Ronnie was definitely into it more than Evan. He directed the carving - The big pumpkin was to have triangle eyes and nose and some teeth! The smaller one needed circle eyes and nose and a "scarey mouth".
Tuesday I spent the morning at the day care center - violin in hand - doing some musical activities with each of the rooms. My theme for the day was "Moons and Stars" who keep us company through the dark time of the year. I played "Half-Moon Rising" (from one of Elaine Silver's cds), sang "Grandmother Moon", "Twinkle Twinkle" and I told them the story "The Moon Comes Home". The older kids loved the singing and dancing...the younger kids were just amazed at the violin. I let ALL of the kids(12 mos to 5yrs) take a turn helping me play! In the afternoon Grammy came to visit and we were all joined by Aunt Julie and Uncle Jim and cousins Caity Fiona and Seamus to go trick-or-treating. This year Ronnie clearly told me weeks in advance that he was going to be "BOB the BUILDER" and Evan said "Fireman"!!! So, that's what we were! Of course Mommy dressed up like...."a Witch"!
It was a wonderful holiday!!

Pumpkin Picking 2006

2006-10-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

It was a COLD October day!! We got up early and went to the farm.
The boys had a great time climbing over the pile of straw, riding the straw animals and visiting the petting zoo. It was harder to pick out a "shared" pumpkin! Especially since this year's crop was not too wonderful!
Mommy and daddy picked out some apples and local honey and made the farm happy with our purchases.
Later that day was jelly making with the ladies!!!
This year we made: lavender, mint, rosemary garlic and hot pepper jellies.

BOY ARE THEY GOOD!!!!

Let the Potty Training BEGIN!

2006-10-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

It is with MUCH angst and gnashing of teeth that big brother Ronnie has become potty trained. And we still deal with accidents and last-minute catches - which will of course go on for some time yet.
SOooo with Evan wanting to do everything big brother does - we have begun the ordeal with him as well....
Yesterday morning after a night of coughing in my ear and kicking me in the ribs, Evan woke me with the words every mommy longs to hear "Mommy, Pee-pee, Pottie" So, we jumped out of the warm covers and into the cold bathroom where said child was disrobed and undiapered and put on the pottie....to wait, and wait....and wait...."Mommy, DONE, wipe" since the aforementioned diaper was BONE DRY I insisted...."No, Evan, not until you pee-pee"Finally the reward came - a nice stream of early morning pee!!!
YAY !!!!!!
Of course today - by the time we got to the pottie - the diaper was sagging....Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Evan is "2"!!!!!!

2006-10-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Well - Evan is now 2!
It is hard to believe he hasn't always been a part of our lives. Unfortunately he got an extra present in the form of an ear infection...Hopefully we won't start the trend of back-to-back infections again!!!
We had a fairly low-key celebration on Saturday with family and a day-care friend...

Our First Visit to the Beach!

2006-09-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

On Sept 17 we finally made it to the Jersey Shore with the boys!
Along with Auntie Jill, Auntie Julie and cousins Caity, Nona, and Shay-shay, we visited Jenkinson's Aquarium in the morning and had a great time there!
http://www.jenkinsons.com/aquarium/index.cfm
Then on to lunch and some time for the kids playing in the worlds BIGGEST SANDBOX!!!that was soooo much fun that the boys almost didn't want to go to the water....but once they did, the waves and "bubbles" were such a hit that even the promise of ice cream couldn't tear them away!
Ronnie keeps asking mommy to tell the story about his day at the beach!