Saying YES 2 Boys and Life

Drummer Happy

2012-01-19T08:43:00.000-05:00

For the past three winters I have helped coordinate a co-op. It is always with the consent of the kids who live with me; they help me write out the description of what the co-op will include. We then send out an invitation to everyone in our local homeschooling area and see who wants to share their passions with us.

I wasn't sure they would want to do it this year. The older one is pretty set in his schedule and his friends. He plays online games, his Xbox, goes to gymnastics and ice hockey. The younger one is more social and is craving more friend time. I thought maybe I would be creating it just for him.

But they both decided it was worth setting up. As we discussed the possibility, we went over some of the past presentations and concluded that each year we have had interesting experiences. We have learned things from people who are interested and interesting!

Yesterday, a mom who is brand new to the co-op, did a FANTASTIC music presentation. She had rhythm sticks, triangles, rain sticks and drums!

The group of 16 kids (newborn to 13), made some very loud and lovely music. And at the end of the jam session, she told my youngest that he could take the drum home, as he was so intensely focused on playing it while we were there!

Here he is at home, enjoying a little late afternoon sun and drumming it up for us!

Enjoying a moment with the drum.

Today we are going to check out some YouTube videos and see what we can find there. I will pull out the keyboard and the electric guitars, maybe invite some friends over and see if we can get some music in this house.

This is why I make the effort. Don't wait for someone else to do something you think might be a good idea. Just make it happen. I read a quote somewhere yesterday that stated "Be the person you want to meet". I love that. I have no idea who to give credit for that precious nugget. It is a good one.

Be curious. Be open. Be present. And then, you will be happy.

Yoga At My House

2012-01-10T07:26:00.000-05:00

I bought new mats, blocks and blankets!

I am progressing on my journey toward becoming a yoga teacher. I have been teaching a small group of friends and neighbors each week, trying out my yoga voice and preparing the space. The first few weeks I borrowed mats and blocks from my own generous yoga teacher, but this week the props I ordered arrived, and we practiced on the new goods.

My living room a.k.a. my yoga studio.

I didn't let on to any of my students that the new props had arrived, so I had a chance to enjoy their expressions and exclamations as they entered the space and took in the view. It was fun to see how excited they were to get on the new mats and start practicing.

We had an excellent class, although a bit of a slippery one. My brand new mats had some sort of film over them which became slick with the teeniest amount of sweat. I have now washed them all down and they are good to go for next week.

During class, we focused on getting our side bodies long (from the top of the hip bones to the hollow of the armpit, long, expanded and full), and we also focused on Attitude. Attitude is the inner state of mind that compliments the outer body being present. Attitude allows us to tap into our inner strength, and brings us deeper into a pose, and more willing to be present in the moment. I believe attitude allows yoga to be more than just an exercise class. It is why we come back, again and again, going deeper, connecting to ourselves in ways that are difficult and rewarding. When we come to class open to our own potential, rather than with a plan for how it should go, we often find that we are stronger, more steady, and more calm than we thought possible.

What is your attitude?

Can you stop resisting what is and allow yourself to be present today,

whether it was on your agenda or not?

The Doctor!

2011-12-30T12:51:00.000-05:00

December was a busy month, and I have many things to share, but one event that deserves its

OWN SPECIAL POST

is my little sister's graduation!

Step-Dad, my Mom, Baby Sis, Sister Doctor, Bro-in-law, Me

She's a DOCTOR now!

So proud to share the day, all smiles!

And because this is an unschooling blog about me and my unschooled kids, it should be noted that my sis just got her Ed.D., that is, a doctorate in EDUCATION!!!!! Higher education, specifically.

And she has no worries about her two nephews getting into college someday, if they so choose. My sis had a non-traditional education, spending most of her time on ski slopes rather than in a classroom, so she completely understands how following your own passion, doing what is right for you,

works out in the long run.

Each turn opens up a new opportunity,

just give your all to the present turn (like that little ski racing analogy, wink wink).

Congratulations DOC, we love you.

Nothing New In 2012

2011-12-28T06:47:00.000-05:00

I have a new blog! I am not abandoning this one, well at least not intentionally. But I have a new blog which I am excited about, because it has a challenge in it. Nothing New In 2012.

Can I go a year without buying anything new for myself? What sorts of challenges will this bring? How on earth do I curb my well-established need for instant-gratification? Are there ways to get stuff that I want without buying new?

Obviously I believe I can do this, or I wouldn't start. But how hard will it be? I am just starting the process, so if you would like to follow along and point out all the ways that I am cheating (like can I buy 2 pairs of new running sneakers now, before the first, so that I have them when I need them next year), stop on by and leave a comment or even join in on the adventure.

And on a last note, please do a snow dance for me.

Keeping Busy

2011-12-02T16:39:00.001-05:00

Carrot, apple, lemon juice. Be warned, if you try one you will want one every day!

Renting downhill ski equipment for the winter. We will go pick up the tuned and fitted skis tomorrow. Now we need a bit of snow.....

Today, we went to the Vermont International Festival. This was a game we hung out and played several times. There were two big die, which you threw to move forward, you then had to answer trivia questions related to history, geography, food or languages. The winner was the first to the sun at the center. I was actually amazed at how well this game was being run. All the kids who played did well.

Learning how to play GO, a Chinese game, although other cultures play it as well (I believe).

Here I am getting my very first henna tattoo! It is awesome, I am so excited:)

Life is full and balanced for me right now, except for the blog-keeping. I am just so ready to climb in bed and read each evening, rather than blog.

I am not going to let it drag me down, I will just make time for writing as I feel inspired and free to share. It is no fun to feel pressure to do something you enjoy. Be gone fun-sucking pressure!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Thoughts From the Yoga Mat

2011-11-30T16:40:00.001-05:00

I'm Teaching Yoga!

Sort of. In my living room, to my close friends. They are so kind for showing up and letting me practice on them.

I have been so nervous about getting my own yoga class going. I have such an amazing yoga teacher, and the thought of trying to do what she does has paralyzed me. Inaction. Procrastination. It had me stuck.

So about two weeks ago I had a little talk with myself. It went something like this: "You don't suck, just do it, stop being a dork". I, being insulted by my own behavior, quickly shot off an email to 5 of my friends who have been bugging me to teach them some yoga. Just to further prove what a dork I had been being, all 5 promptly responded that they would be coming to my class!

My first class consisted of 4 willing yogis rather than 5, due to a last minute cancellation, and that was just fine with me. My theme was Openness. Openness to a new practice (yoga), trying new poses, new chants (Om), and being open to all the things in life that are there for the taking. The class was 60 minutes long, and other than the fact that I needed more props, nothing went terribly wrong.

This past Sunday I taught my second class. I had one new student and 3 others who came back for a second dose. I felt a bit more relaxed and I tried a few new things, and all in all it went smoothly. I even borrowed some props until I get some of my own (they are ordered). The theme for the second class was Balance. Being that it was a few days after Thanksgiving and all of us had overindulged in something, it seemed like a good theme. We balanced excessive eating with exercise, excessive talking with some quiet mediation, excessive time giving to our families with time for replenishing ourselves. It was quite lovely.

I am planning to teach again this Sunday. I took a walk about an hour ago and thought about my theme. I have invited two additional ladies to my class this week. My living room can't really hold everyone that I have invited, but I figure not everyone can make it, and if they do, wow, what an abundant life I have!

I will let you know how it goes. Namaste.

Unschooled Life

2011-11-17T11:32:00.000-05:00

Life here is good. We are in the flow of our daily ongoings, with little thought about "educational opportunities" anymore. We have signed up for things that interest us, and let go of many opportunities that seem, well, not suited to us.

This fall, the boys have really started to show their own interests independent of one another. I know, who would have thought they would ever be apart? But they are, for almost all of their activities now. My older son is interested in gaming, gymnastics, theatre (well, only because his best friend is there, but he enjoys it some), reading, and did I mention gaming? He decided a few months ago that an XBox was what he wanted, so there have been many new games, new technology to figure out, and new accessories to make the experience as good as possible. He is so independent these days, needing lots of alone time, lots of sleep, and then when those things are complete, he is happy to climb in my lap and cuddle. That is how our early mornings start; we cuddle on the couch for as long as he wants. The fire warms us, the dog joins us, there is no talking, just quiet time to be together. Today, we snuggled for about 30 minutes before Modern Warfare 3 called him away.....

The youngest man in the house is so different, and so wonderfully himself. I think that his expression of himself is so much more flowing because he has never been in public school, and the private K he was in didn't crush his spirit at all. It has been amazing to see how he just IS. He loves soccer, all things electronic, and although he is a gamer himself, it is just one of the many things he may choose to do in a day. Yesterday, he decided he wanted to get Skylander, so of course he is playing it like crazy, and has a friend over to play with him today. It is a funny Wii game with little figurines and a portal of power, well, I will not get into the details, but it is kind of cute.

Our Days
Having the ability to go out and run my own errands without the boys this year has been huge. I can feel that freedom flow out of me and into them, and we can all get our needs met so much more easily. I do do a lot of driving here and there. If each of the kids has one activity a day, then I am out dropping them off and picking them up for what seems a good chunk of the day. Yesterday, they each had TWO activities, so I REALLY was just running around without much to do myself except coordinate where I was suppose to be. My role as facilitator of interests has meshed into being the driver for all interesting activities. I am making peace with it, because it is good. What a cool thing to have the ability to go see friends, participate in soccer, practice lines for a play, do an all-day outdoor program or build robots with awesome robot loving dads. My rewards are subtle. A smile, a hug, a thank you, a happy skip out the door.

At the end of the day, we all relax and read a book together (Fablehaven series going on here right now). We recount the important events of the day, and fall asleep when each of us is good and ready. And for now, good and ready is pretty early, because the days are so full of interesting things, and tomorrow has good stuff in store as well.

Gluten-Free. Raw. Vegan

2011-11-16T08:13:00.000-05:00

My diet has changed significantly over the past month. I would never have thought that I would consider a vegan diet. But here I am.

This is my new favorite snack. It is absolutely yummy. I have been stacking up on these so that when I get that afternoon craving for something sweet, I have one available.

Lunch. I tried this simple Apple Cucumber Salad yesterday and other than the onion breath, it was a hit. The recipe is from the Clean Program website. I love simple recipes that don't require exotic ingredients.

Apple Cucumber Salad
1 apple, cored and diced
1 small cucumber, peeled, chopped, seeds removed
1/2 small red onion
1 T apple cider vinegar
sea salt
Toss together and serve!

No, the rest of the people who live in this house are not eating as I am. And that is fine. We are all on our own path, exploring our own food options. I am trying something new and different, they ask alot of questions.

We have almost daily conversations about health, choices, illness, and local food. I make them french toast with organic local bread, our own eggs, local organic milk and maple syrup from people we know. I buy organic pizza, cereal, ice cream sandwiches, yogurt and fruit. But they also love Pringles, Pizzaria Uno, Dominos, candy of all kinds and Sprite. They get all of these as well. I do my very best to deal with my food judgements as I am dealing with all the other judgements in my life, and that is to release them. Who knows better than me what I need to eat right now? Only me. And the children I spend my life with are in charge of their own food choices. When I head to the store, anyone can add any item to the list. Often, I am asked to pick up Canada Mints, Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and maple candy. I put all of these treats out there right along with cantaloupe, strawberries, pretzels and leftover Halloween candy.

Do you have any vegan goodies you enjoy?

Home After Yoga Teacher Training

2011-11-09T07:51:00.000-05:00

YOGA
What a week! I spent 5 days enjoying the company of 22 other aspiring Anusara Yoga teachers, with Todd Norian and Ann Greene, as well as 5 fabulous assistants. Our days were packed full of information and asana, with little time to think about home or the outside world. By the time day 5 rolled in, I was sort of lost in it all. And exhausted, and full, and ready to come home to my family. It was quite a process to go through. As a stay-at-home homeschooling mama, I have a pretty relaxed and slow life. It is a good life, and one free of stress and schedules for the most part. To throw myself out into the world of schedule and all-day activity was a jolt. It took me two full days to recover.

I feel like myself this morning. It is a GORGEOUS autumn day here in VT. The temperatures are above normal, the sky is clear, the warm sunlight is pouring through my southern facing windows as I sit here and greet the day. Moments like this just cause me to pause and wonder how I could ever be anything but happy and grateful for where I live, what I have, and for the world in general. I am a nature lover, that is clear to me now more than it ever has been.

Eating Clean
Amazingly, I was pretty much able to stick to the CLEAN diet while at my yoga teacher training. I had most of my food with me for day 1, and by the end of day 1 I had located a juice and smoothie bar in town! I headed there every day to get a Smooth Talker smoothie (almond butter, coconut milk, banana, ice and probably something else I am not remembering). And then I had them make up my current favorite juice, carrot, apple and lemon, yum!! I may have to buy myself a juicer. I am resisting it, I do not like kitchen gadgets that take up space. I have also heard that they require a lot of cleaning, so I am certainly resistant to that!

I have also (amazingly) stayed away from coffee and alcohol. I did have half a cup of decaf coffee Monday morning, and while that first sip or two really tasted delicious and wonderful, I had also ordered myself a big fresh squeezed OJ, and that by far rocked my breakfast. Coffee was forgotten, went cold, and I declined a topping off.

And bread. I have stayed away from my beloved bread. I had a little sourdough yesterday, and it made me crave wine, which is really strange. Luckily I had a delicious hot tea all ready to go and that kept me out of the wine cabinet. I have cut my simple sugars and full-blown carbs down radically, I feel so much more even throughout the day. My afternoon snack was hummus, carrots, cucumber, and then I made a mix of almonds and dried cranberries. It filled me up and kept my mood even. I love that. I also found some delicious rice crackers that have all the crunch I crave. I dip them in hummus or guacamole. I am slowly replacing my old habits with new ones.

All this writing about food is making me hungry. Off to make my morning smoothie. I think it will be the Favorite Green Smoothie from the CLEAN website recipes: spinach, blueberries, flax oil, maca powder, spirulina, dates, almond milk.

Enjoy the day as it is.
Find beauty everywhere.
Hug your kids and don't let go before they do.

Halloween

2011-11-01T06:30:00.002-04:00

It was a most lovely evening to send the kids out into the neighborhood to collect candy.

My older son, Minecraft Creeper to the right, and his friend, made their own costumes and were very proud of all the comments they got on them. I think the homemade part appealed to people who didn't even know what they were (which was pretty much every adult).

Minecraft

My younger son, far left, ghoul with green bag, had a fantastic time with his merry band of candy seekers. They covered more ground than I thought they would, and the candy haul with substantial. I would guess that green bag weighed over 7 pounds when he got home. He said his arm hurt:-)

Despite the fact that much candy was collected, my younger son did not have even one piece all evening. When I said goodnight to him, he still had not eaten any of his candy. His older brother had maybe 5 pieces. My husband, well, that's another story.......

I had an idea on how to enjoy Halloween with the kids this year, despite the fact that they did not want us to follow them. My husband and I lugged the fire pit out into our driveway, set up chairs and a picnic table, and invited the adults to come enjoy the evening with us.

We all had a great time. The kids could easily check in with us, the adults stopped by and hung out, and we handed out candy by the fire. I think we will do this again next year. And we will keep the fire pit out front where we can be more social with it. I am imagining the snow falling while we gather around the fire pit and roast marshmallows.....

I hope you had a fantastic Halloween.

The End of the Cleanse

2011-10-29T19:41:00.000-04:00

Here it is, the book I have been reading and the cleanse I have been doing these past two weeks.

What I wild ride it has been. I am amazed that it has been almost a month since I have had wine or coffee. It feels great to not HAVE to have any of these foods. I feel in control of my cravings, and I haven't seen any decrease in my energy. I have been going to yoga, taking my hour-long walks, and hiking on Sundays. I probably exercised more than I was suppose to. I also had two massages, which were divine. I lost myself in the second one. It took my like 3 hours to come out of my massage bliss haze.

So, if you have been paying attention, you will remember that this is a 21-day cleanse, and I am only on day 14. Which means I am ending early. I mentioned that I am heading to yoga teacher training this week, right? And for that, I need to get my body ready. I am going to need more than one solid meal a day to get me through long days of yoga, meditation and teaching (yikes)!

Here I am having my own special creation earlier today. Adding spirulina really puts the GREEN in a green smoothie! This particular one has chard (still from my garden), coconut water, pineapple, flax oil, ice, spirulina and water. I keep adding water until it is the consistency I like. I have really taken a liking to coconut water. I am not sure the flax oil does much for the taste, but it adds some fat, and with only one solid meal a day, I need some fat.

I am getting bunny ears. He just thinks this is SOOOO funny right now. Look how happy it makes him.

So how does one ease out of a cleanse with grace and finesse? Well, I have a lovely neighbor who invited me to come over for a glass of wine. I think I will be heading over shortly, and with that, I will move back toward my own special diet.

Time Flys...

2011-10-27T20:07:00.000-04:00

I really meant to blog throughout this entire CLEAN experience, but I have been busy. Busy in a good way, but BUSY! I am not used to being busy, our days have taken on a gentle, slow pace over the past few years, so to suddenly have things that need to be completed is a bit unnerving.

What is it that is keeping me so busy? Well, I am getting ready to head to my Anusara Teacher Training next week!!!! Yeah me! I am so excited and I have so much homework and practice and reviewing to do to get myself ready. Two friends that I met during the Immersions last winter/spring are going to this training as well, and we are going to have such an incredible experience. Five full days of yoga and teacher training. Here is my schedule, the first five days are next week, then, I come home, practice, do homework, practice teaching, and then go back in March for another five days, and then the final five days will be in May. I will be a real-life certified yoga teacher. Very cool.

I am also getting ready to teach a workshop at Evolution PT and Yoga this weekend. I get to hang out with some brand-new mommas and help them re-connect to their abdominal muscles. For those of you who have had full-term pregnancies, you know that the first couple of months with the new baby and your slack tummy can be tough on the back, so I am going to help them figure out how to tone up, connect and live more lightly. The workshop has a limit of 8, so we will get personal.

And because everything has to happen at once, the homeschool newsletter that I put out 4 times a year is due to come out Nov. 1st, so I have been busy getting it together, collecting all the local events and running to the printer. Tonight I fold and stamp, so hopefully it will be in the mail and on it's way to all of the locals by tomorrow.

My family has been nothing but supportive and excited for me. They are all pursuing their own passions, and we are always on the lookout for new adventures to try. The weather is rapidly changing here, although no snow today, which was a big disappointment, as much of VT did get snow. And with the weather change, winter sports are right around the corner. New ice skates and skis are in the very near future.

What passion have you been exploring?

Sunday

2011-10-23T20:16:00.000-04:00

CLEAN
I did it! One entire week of the CLEAN program. I have had no caffeine, wine, sugar, wheat, dairy, or eggs. Some of the other things that I haven't had, which I at first thought I would have, are oranges, strawberries, bananas, grapes and tofu. Pretty limited diet, I have had to buy alot of new ingredients, which has sort of been fun. But I don't really like the mid-day meal. What I really don't like is the preparation of the mid-day meal. It screws with my schedule.

I am still fighting a cold, and although I am on the mend, I am tired and my body is exhausted.

Hiking
We did do our Sunday Hike. A short hike this week, just up Mt. Philo, with our friends and their two boys, but this week my sister and her husband joined us as well, and our friends brought a cousin. Our group is growing. We also had two dogs. Of course, the kids beat us all to the top, and then played a game at the top which involved running, and then they ran down the mountain and beat us to the bottom. It is very fun to see the kids so active and energized by being together and hiking so confidently. And the adults have had a great time as well. We don't often get to talk uninterrupted with other adults for extended periods of time. The conversations that happen when you exercise together are always interesting and funny. A great way to bond and strengthen friendships.

What Have We Been Up To and CLEAN Day 5

2011-10-21T10:31:00.000-04:00

What have we been up to?
So much and so little. We are now in the fourth year of our experiment in life learning. Lessons have been learned, mainly: don't over schedule stuff your kids aren't really interested in. There are many opportunities to participate in activities, and it has been good to learn how to say no to many of these activities. I have lost the desire to participate in pre-packaged "enrichment" activities that the kids "should" be exposed to. It has started to feel manipulative. And ridiculous.

I haven't always felt this way, and I think the combination of having done this for three full years AND having kids who are now 9 and 11 makes a big difference. If you open the world of learning up to young ones, they start to embrace it whether you really want them to or not. They are wise to the way adults talk to them in certain settings, and even I notice how "talked down to" they can be in certain classes or situations. And now we just simply stop doing that activity.

So this year, true interest rules the day. My older son loves gymnastics. We stopped going to group lessons that seemed to be more about crowd control and behaving than actual gymnastics, found a serious coach (an older man who has a thick middle eastern accent), and he is now in a semi-private lesson with another homeschooled boy who is also serious. It is AMAZING to see how much the two boys progress in this unique and passionate environment.

My younger son is still figuring out his passions, but soccer seems to be pretty high on his vague list. He had a great fall season and is now ready to move into the indoor winter season, the first time he has done this. It is powerful to see him choosing activities that his older brother is not doing. I LOVE watching him develop his independence and confidence and move out from under the older brother influence.

Some other nuggets:

Minecraft and Call of Duty Black Ops wrapping paper

Both of the boys are big gamers. Minecraft has been a favorite around here for several months. They have been hitting us up to go to MineCon in Las Vegas next month, but it is a pretty big financial commitment, so I think we have to pass. I would love to go, I can only imagine the level of excitement and passion that we would see and feel there.

Northeast Unschooling Conference

Back in August, we went to the Northeast Unschooling Conference. I had a great time connecting with some parents that I hadn't met before, and some I was meeting again. I think I may have enjoyed the conference the most. I was in a state of relaxation with my kids there, that I rarely get to experience. I didn't have to explain anything about what we do (or don't do) for three entire days, while my kids met other kids, talked freely about gaming, and made their own plans for meeting up without any adults interfering. It is an amazing place to be yourself, unquestioned.

Here is my younger son at the Northeast Unschooling Conference this fall. He was so excited to win the auction for this Land Before Time collection of videos. He may be on the verge of turning 10, but he LOVES this series.

And here I am with my auction win, I Know Why The Skylark Sings and my older son won the most desired item in the entire auction, the: Gerbils In Hats Calendar!

CLEAN

Day 5 (Thursday) was a tough day physically. But I did start it off with a massage! Oh, my sister gives the best massages (everyone should have a sister who is a massage therapist). I was planning to take a picture of her space, but I was a bit off, so I will next week.

The music was soothing, the smells were just right, and she was gentle with my tender body. I called her beforehand to let her know that I wasn't feeling well, and she left it up to me to decide if the massage would help or hinder my detox program. I decided it could be beneficial, since I didn't know if this was a normal part of the detox cycle or if I had the flu.

Turns out I am probably just sick. But the massage felt fabulous. And I stuck to the CLEAN program, but upped the liquids a bit by adding an extra smoothie into my day. I did not take any medications, which is pretty normal for me. And I skipped exercise, as walking up the stairs seemed like an effort.

What do you do when you are feeling under the weather?

The New Girls and Clean

2011-10-19T20:16:00.000-04:00

The New Girls
Here they are, the new girls! Aren't they lovely? And best of all, I got 3 eggs today, yippee!!!!

The 3 new additions to our flock!

In case you ever have to add chickens to an established flock, the night thing seemed to work pretty well. Everyone sort of wandered around and checked out the surroundings today, but there was minimal pecking. I think adding 3 big chickens to a flock of 5 sort of kept the balance. I was hesitant to take on 3 more, but after today it definitely seems like it was the right choice.

I did keep the chickens busy also. They got a big bale of straw to kick around, and I brought the dog in to play with them as well. My younger son helped me trim a bunch of tree branches that had grown up around and in the coop, and we cleaned up some leaves. The new chickens didn't mind being near us, even while we were throwing tree limbs around. That is a good sign.

CLEAN
I don't feel well today. I may be getting a cold, and I think it may be because I am stressing my body. We'll see. I took it easy with my exercise today, because I don't think I am repairing tissue while on this cleanse. My body hurts all over, and my muscles feel tight. I took a day of rest. We will see how I feel tomorrow.

It is strange for me to ignore my body. I am one to eat when I am hungry, stop when I am full, exercise daily, and rest as needed. This cleanse feels a bit like screwing with my natural rhythm. I can't eat the full serving of lunch, it is just too much food, so of course I am hungry by mid-afternoon. I can't say that my sleep has been very good at all. Probably my growling stomach is waking me up!

I think some of these sensations are normal, so I am sticking to it for now. My probiotics arrived today, as well as the shake mixture that will relieve me of some smoothie making duties.

I think I should blog about the kids and what we have been up to for the past few months. Maybe tomorrow.

Day Three Clean and Chickens!

2011-10-18T20:40:00.000-04:00

Clean
I was tempted by pizza.

It is true. I went out to pick up pizza for my kids and their friend who is spending the night, and driving home, surrounded by the delicious smell of cheese and bread, oh my mouth watered and I was tortured for a full 5 minutes.

Luckily, I had my Blueberry, Carob and Almond Milk smoothie waiting when I walked in the door. I had prepared it before I left to get the pizza. And it was very good. It is powerful to feel the determination of sticking to a plan and not really be tempted to veer off from it. I have spent so much time planning my meals that I really won't even consider eating something like pizza, not until I am done.

I got in my hour long walk with my walking friend this afternoon. Walking in the fall is such a different experience than summer. We peel away layers with each lap around the 'hood, stuffing our outermost layer into the mailbox as we move past, we crunch leaves underfoot, we notice all the bare trees and increased views. We start out faster just to warm up, and wonder why the heck we were cold as we finish our final lap. And I think we encourage others to come out and walk as well.

Chickens
I just got 3 chickens! I will take pictures tomorrow, if they aren't pecking the heck out of each other. We are trying the introduce the new chickens into the coop in the dark method. Supposedly, the chickens will all wake up, look around, and say, hey, I sort of forgot these three chickens live here. I will let you know if this method has any merit.

We got to have these lovely ladies because they were laying eggs that no one wanted to eat! I have not had that problem, I even had to buy eggs last week, and that was painful. The boys didn't want to eat anything that those "store" eggs went into. I don't blame them, the yolk color was much different. Even those organic free-range eggs we bought at the health food store didn't compare to our eggs.

My lovely ladies have been molting, so egg production is down, way down. One egg every other day at best. So I am very excited to have three more chickens that will potentially up our egg total.

And my final thought is: Barn Envy. The hens we just added are going to be very disappointed with their new accommodations. They had a nice big barn, with many animals and total free range. I may have to do something about that. Honey, could you build me a big barn?

Day Two CLEAN

2011-10-17T21:12:00.000-04:00

Day two of the CLEAN Program went well. At least everything up to the time I ate the garlic. The fam says I smell. I don't see it that way, but my mouth is pretty uncomfortable. Toothpaste didn't do a thing. And I still have that two tablespoons of olive oil to choke down. But before that, things were good.

My morning smoothie went down easy, as it was not a new flavor this time. I embraced the algae and enjoyed it. I was REALLY hungry for lunch, but wanted to wait as long as possible before eating, as I knew the afternoon was likely to be even worse. But it wasn't. I went to yoga at 6:30, so I had my dinner smoothie beforehand. I am not usually hungry after yoga, so things are good this evening. I am missing my Americone Dream a little, and my wine, but the garlic takes all desire to eat anything else away. Lucky me.

I scheduled my massage for Thursday, and I am pretty excited about that. I have a fabulous person giving me my massage, so I am looking forward to getting three over the next three weeks. I'll let you know how good it was.

Did you get some exercise into your day today?

Be well.

Day One and Stowe Pinnacle

2011-10-17T06:52:00.000-04:00

This is how I chose to kick off my 21-day CLEAN program; a beautiful hike with my family and friends. Nothing beats fall hikes in Vermont.

Top of Stowe Pinnacle, 10/16/11

Clowning around at the top!

My two boys are the furthest to the left, the other three are friends that came along with us. They were having a great time goofing around at the top, although it was quite cold so we headed down once lunch was devoured.

Sunday was my first day doing Dr. Junger's CLEAN program. It went well, no real problems or issues at all. I actually was much too full to finish my lunch, the one meal I was suppose to eat (liquid breakfast and dinner). My morning smoothie (Berry Smoothie with Coconut Milk and Cinnamon) was more than enough to fill me up for our hike, and my dinner smoothie (Favorite Green Shake) did as well. I wish I had taken pictures of the smoothies, maybe today. My evening smoothie was quite a new taste. It was green, but man, it tasted MUCH different from any of MY green smoothies. I added spirulina, which I have never used before, as well as flax oil and maca powder. These added ingredients really changed the flavor of the smoothie, although there was still plenty of spinach, which I am used to. I actually thought the smoothie was a bit too sweet, and I didn't even add the sweetener that was optional.

In keeping with the daily recommendations of the program, I ate a clove of garlic between apple slices. It still was intense, and it seems as though I am going to have garlic breath for three weeks. I also choked down two tablespoons of olive oil before bed. I don't know if I can stomach that for three weeks. I will take it day-by-day! That was by far the toughest thing I had to do.

What kind of exercise did you get in today or yesterday? Did you take a step toward healthier eating?

See you tomorrow.

Getting Ready for A Cleanse

2011-10-15T17:09:00.000-04:00

Top of Mt. Mansfield, 10/8/11

But first, here we are, on top of Mt. Mansfield last weekend. What a great day, what a great hike. Roundtrip it is a 6.6 mile hike. The boys had no trouble at all. It's not that I had trouble, but I was pretty sore the next day, and they all got a good laugh at me as I took the stairs one at a time and diagonally! We went with friends who have two boys the same ages as ours, and all the boys really showed off their agility and stamina. I showed off my ability to laugh at myself.

So, it's been a long time since I've spent any time on this blog. I feel ready to have a go at it once again, as I have some exciting and scary stuff (scary good) going on.

Tomorrow is day one of my 21 day CLEAN! If you have ever thought about getting all of the toxins and other "stuff" out of your body, you may want to try it. I bought the book, CLEAN by Dr. Alejandro Junger, about a week or so ago, after a friend recommended it. This past week, I have been reading and getting ready to dive into the entire "detox diet" by eliminating some of my favorite comfort foods, get ready: coffee, wine, ice cream......be gone.

I've been without coffee, wine and ice cream for 9 days. Yes, it is true, I have taken a big old break from my beloved coffee, which has been painful. Not in an emotional way, but in a very physical one. I had a terrible headache for three days, and I was a bit of a grump. It felt a bit counterproductive to be popping Tylenol and Aleve to get rid of the headache which I had because I gave up coffee to do a detox diet. But, after three days, the headache really went away. Hot water and lemon now start my day. And sometimes my afternoon needs a bit of hot comfort as well.

I do admit to having about 1/2 a glass of red wine after the hike last Sunday, and a bit of Americone Dream as well, but other than that, it has been a good week of cleaning up the diet.

And I feel really good. I can't see huge changes, but I do notice the morning puffiness around my eyes is almost gone. I didn't expect that. And I think that the knowledge that I am in control of what I am putting in my mouth has been powerful. I was stunned and appalled at how unwell I felt without coffee. I am not one to be controlled by anyone, so coffee be gone!

So today I went to the health food store and loaded up on all my ingredients for the next 4 days, getting ready for my two smoothies and one lunchtime meal. I had to ask for help at the service desk as I had never bought spirulina, cardamon, or probiotics before. I actually didn't end up buying the probiotics, I plan to order them from the CLEAN website, as I will know I am getting what I need that way.

I plan on blogging through the entire process to help keep my in check, and to be able to look back and see how it all went. My day one is going to be a busy one, as we are planning another big hike, although the weather isn't going to be quite a lovely as last week. That is what fall in Vermont is all about, the ups and downs of temperature, the coming of winter. It excites us! I thought I saw a snowflake today.

There are some more exciting things going on, and I will share them over the next few days or weeks, as I feel inspired. I did make an interesting new smoothie today, which will be my breakfast tomorrow. It is the Berry Smoothie with Coconut Milk and Cinnamon. Thick, and filling.

See you for day one tomorrow.

15 Pounds of Blueberries and 2 Large Creemees!

2011-08-01T07:32:00.000-04:00

The blueberries are abundant and ready to pick.

Thank You Charlotte Berry Farm!

On the way home, we stopped at Uncle Sam's for some large creemee's. Not all creemee stands make them this big!

The afternoon was spent playing in the pool and playing with the neighbors.

Pretty much what we have been doing all summer.

Some Summer Thoughts

2011-07-29T18:28:00.000-04:00

Summer is beautiful and inspirational.

Heard this on NPR, and had to sit in my car and listen to the very end. It was powerful.

Just finished Water For Elephants, and loved it. Of course, I read it on my Kindle!

Before that, I read Cutting For Stone (on my Kindle), and it is even better than Water For Elephants!!

The kids have been playing Settler's of Catan every time the weather turns, and the competition is getting fierce.

If you like a nice glass of red, you might like this. Having a glass right now, ahhhhh....

We have had an incredibly busy summer, with baseball, and soccer, and lakes, and birthdays, and cookouts, and camps that were interesting and fun. I have taken surprisingly few pictures, and thought about my blog even less.

Not sure what that means, so more wine while I ponder. Enjoy your weekend, get in some walking and some yoga, stop and smell the flowers, ignore the weeds.

Deck Yoga

2011-06-19T21:12:00.000-04:00

I had some fun on my deck today. I haven't practiced outside before, so it was exciting, and a little confusing. I kept losing my balance, which I attribute to so many distractions, like birds and wind and warm sunshine.

I hope you got in a bit of yoga today as well.

Saying YES to Yoga

2011-06-03T07:31:00.000-04:00

Today
I got up early this morning and attempted a 15 minute meditation session. It was ended prematurely by my older son, who seems to know when I am meditating. He quietly came up behind me, put his hand softly on my shoulder, and then slowly climbed in my lap. Of course, all the while he whispered that I should keep meditating, he doesn't want to disturb me.

I can chose how to respond to this. The initial annoyance of wanting to have just 15 minutes to myself for some early morning intention setting, needs to be released. The reason to begin a meditation practice has nothing to do with carving out space for myself, but it is about control of thoughts. My sweet son was sharing his love with me, and he wanted to start his day by saying hello to me. I consciously chose to be present to what was actually happening (sweet son giving me love) and not get stuck on what I thought was going to happen (quiet meditation for 15 minutes). Shifting is not always easy, and sometimes it is not only hard, but impossible for me. I am meditating for this exact reason. I want to be more steady in my life, less emotionally reactive. I want to see what is happening and give up the story in my head.

Isn't that where so much of our unhappiness comes from?

So we snuggled for a few minutes, while pushing the dog away and trying to get her to lay down, as she thought she should be in my lap as well. I got up from my meditation spot and decided to be fulfilled by my 7 minute meditation session. I then had some coffee.

Tomorrow
I start the final weekend of my level 3, Anusara Immersion. I am excited, and sad. I have begun to lean on my intense weekends, holding on to the knowledge that soon I will be with a group of dedicated, interesting people who share my love of yoga. If my yoga practice gets a bit light in between sessions, I rest easy knowing that in a very few days, I will be intensely practicing again, and pushing my limits. I am not sure how I will keep my level up once the immersions are over. I will need to create a local yoga support community. Perhaps start teaching. All this yoga is meant to be shared, right?

Be present.

Appreciation

2011-05-25T06:18:00.000-04:00

Sleep with wild abandon.

Stretch.

Levitate.

Life is good around here.

So much yoga, so many green smoothies.

And lacrosse, and gymnastics, and guitar.

Maple cremees and chocolate cremees.

The smell of cut grass.

And lilacs.

Filling the pool, listening to frogs.

Buying flowers.

Savoring our time together.

This is what we have been waiting for.

Be sure to stop, smell, listen, taste

and love.

Mother Nature's Child - The Movie

2011-05-19T06:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to watch this beautiful film, and thought I would share the information with all of you. Mother Nature's Child is, for most of us homeschooling, Vermont mommas, nothing extraordinary. But those of us lucky enough to live in this beautiful state, and spend so much quality time with our kids, running around outdoors, shouldn't be naive and think that we are the norm. As evidenced in the film, not all kids get to touch a fish or explore a decaying log.

An ongoing debate about whether or not to limit our kid's time in front of media becomes a mute point for many inner city children in this country. If there is no "nature" to go explore, no park to play in (and by park, I am referring to an outdoor natural area, not an enclosed play structure), and no safe place to navigate alone, what choices do these kids have? The film notes that the average child spends 40-44 hours per week in front of a screen.

The film also points out how suburbia is no better, and perhaps even worse, when it comes to cultivating curiosity and awareness in young people. The overdeveloped landscape or sameness is mind-numbing. I think of the song Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds when I see these neighborhoods.

So check out the link, see if there is a screening near you, and let me know what you think. The filmmaker, Camilla Rockwell, lives right here in Burlington. Many of the scenes showing the natural world were shot here in VT, and the urban landscape were in Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. There were even a few of our homeschooling friends in there!

Enjoy. And go outside, explore, and set your children FREE!

Meditation

2011-05-05T08:32:00.000-04:00

I think I have mentioned here before that I am a bit loud and a notorious big mouth. Which is of course why I was drawn to yoga, and now meditation. Seriously, I have a hard time not expressing my every thought the minute I have it, and making sure that all the people around me know my opinion. Of course, this has slightly improved with age, and with kids, but I would like to purposely improve my relationship with my emotions so that I can listen more, be quiet more, and most importantly, not ever feel out-of-control with my mouth, even when my triggers are activated.

No easy task, but certainly not impossible.

My Anusara yoga immersions have helped. Each weekend I have been at one, we have spent time meditating. And I really enjoyed it. I even slipped into the actual goal, very momentarily, a few times, I think. Mostly, I thought, Hey, I am doing it, and of course that brought me out of it.

But a home meditation practice is proving to be a bit more challenging.
Where can I meditate?
When can I meditate?
How long should I try and sit?
What if my kids show up in the middle of my attempt and I can't finish?
What if the phone rings?
Where should I put the dog?
Do I really need to do this?
I am sort of hungry.

And so the list goes.

So here is what I came up with. I am going to meditate in the morning. I am going to sit on a pillow in front of my fireplace (which I turn on with a remote), where it is nice and warm. I am timing myself with my favorite iPhone app: ZAZEN Lite. My dog is going to join me, and I am going to have to learn to not be distracted by her breath or her tail. I am not going to get annoyed if the kids wake up and come down the stairs while I am doing this, because that sort of defeats the purpose of trying to be present, mindful and in control of my emotions.

I have a few books to help me figure this out. Real Happiness by Sharon Salzberg, and

Meditation for Beginners by Jack Kornfield.

Both of these books have CD's to listen to and guide me. I love that.

And to end on a blissful note, here is my adventurous kitty, who has spent 2 nights outside now. When he comes in in the morning, he has one thing on his mind.

Where is the best place to fall asleep for the entire day?

Do you meditate? When do you find time to meditate, and where do you do it?

Thoughts From the Yoga Mat: Imperfection

2011-05-02T23:06:00.003-04:00

Have you ever gone to a yoga class where you had to hold, and hold, and hold, a pose in a precarious position? Or have you ever tried to balance on one leg for for an extended amount of time? How about balance and move your arms out to the side, or overhead, while continuing to keep your balance?

What did you focus on? I bet it wasn't the clean white wall or the unblemished ceiling.

Most likely, if you are anything like me, you found some imperfection, a scuff mark, a dead bug in the light bulb, a chip in the woodwork, or a spot on the floor to focus on and stare at. And concentrate on, hard.

It is essential to find that blemish, that mark, that imperfection, in order to hold steady. The clean white ceiling, the spotless floor, the perfect trim, was not of any help when the time came to dig down deep and go to a steady, wonderful place.

Isn't that interesting? Perfection doesn't help at all!! We need something different, something flawed, to get us to the next level. This mistake is what helps keep us focused enough to get stronger, helps us find our balance where we did not have balance before. A mistake! Something not in the original plan.

I have had this thought more than once, during several extremely challenging practices. I realized, I grow the most, am brought forward in my thinking, and excited the most by the imperfections in the people I know.

Why should we strive to be perfect?

It does not help us, and I don't think it helps those around us either. We all stumble, we shake, we laugh when we aren't suppose to (I do that alot), and we make mistakes. We fail to follow the plan, and yet, when we allow these things to happen, and we accept them, we can see that they really aren't imperfections at all. These mistakes, the things we fear because they were not in the plan, are the gems in our lives, they are the doors opening for our beautiful, unique, and inspiring journey. They are the invitations to go further than you thought possible.

Breath deeply.

Open your heart to yourself. You really are perfect after all.

Muddy Cob Oven

2011-04-28T08:33:00.001-04:00

All of the snow melted,

and then it rained.

The weekly outdoor group had plans to build a cob oven. The campsite was underwater.

The guidebook.

So much mud to work with (or throw).

The end of the day. Covering up the day's work, because the forecast says More Rain!

Cleaning up at the end of the day. Clean hands are very important, so he says.

Once home, he jumped right in the bathtub (clothes and all), and then we headed out for maple and chocolate creemees! The day was HOT for us here in VT, I think it actually got to 80!

This hot weather really got me thinking about summer smoothies, especially since just the day before I had planted chard, kale and spinach! I will most likely be trying another dandelion smoothie again this spring (remember me trying one last year?). I am going to try and make it a bit less bitter this year.

Wherever you are, have a lovely day.

Breath deeply, feel the ground beneath your feet, and open your heart.

2011-04-25T21:27:00.000-04:00

So you have probably always wondered what kind of parent raised an unschooling inclined, ski-loving, non-traditional, exercise loving, outdoor enthusiast type of parent (you know, someone like me)!

Well here she is, my mom,circa 1966 (before me, anyway).

I wonder who is going to tell her I put this on here?

Spring Happenings

2011-04-20T14:18:00.000-04:00

My older son started lacrosse this year. He has never played before, but so far, it is going well.

Our kitten continues to amuse us. Here he sits, staring into the oven, trying to connect with the elusive kitty on the other side.

Our molting chicken. Poor girl.

The chickens are much happier than they have been in months! The coop is finally devoid of snow, and the girls have been out wandering the yard. They also get more visitors now that all that snow isn't in the way.

I wonder what this chicken is thinking? All three eggs were warm when we collected them. I love warm eggs! (Yes, there is a golf ball in there, this seems to keep them focused on where the eggs belong. I removed them for a while, but the darn chickens started laying eggs all over the place.)

Finally, some flowers in my yard!

Today is rather rainy and cold, and the kids have school friends over (it's school vacation week), so it looks like a yoga practice at home is in order. I will be heading into my yoga space with my iPhone, listening to a podcast from Elsie's Yoga Kula. This is the link to her beginner and intermediate classes, but go on and pick from whatever level you are.

Have fun, and let me know how it went.

I Am So Full

2011-04-16T17:06:00.000-04:00

Spring in Vermont.

This picture melts my heart.

Complete momma bliss.

I hope your weekend is as full as mine!

Warriors and Erin Hunter

2011-04-13T21:34:00.003-04:00

This is an event we have been waiting and waiting for.

Erin Hunter came to our local bookstore!

The event actually had to be moved to the Town Hall, as the number of fans far exceeded the capacity of our little bookstore. I wish I had remembered to grab my camera on the way out the door, but I didn't, and the pictures are pretty lame. But still, we had a great time listening to Erin Hunter/Victoria Holmes and I don't think pictures would have captured the funny stories she told, or the crazy questions she answered.

I have to say, her responses to all the questions were quick and funny and to the point; I don't think this was the first time she had heard any of them.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of young gals that were at this book event. For some reason, I had it in my mind that this was a "boy" book. It's not. Girls like it too. Some of the young girls wore funny hats with kitty ears on them. Adorable, and funny.

Overall, a great afternoon.

Thoughts From The Yoga Mat: Let's Be Honest

2011-04-11T21:25:00.006-04:00

Can I be a good mother, AND have kids who say no to me in front of other people?

Can I be a good person, AND have a sink full of dirty dishes?

Can I be happy, just the way I am, with the people around me, being just who they are, right now?

Is that all there is to it?

Be gone "I will be happy when......" and "I am a good mother only if......".

How does it feel?

Close your eyes and see yourself without those conditions.

Sit with it for a minute.

You are a good mother AND you (fill in the blank with something your kids did that sort of upset you).

You are a good person AND you (fill in the blank with some condition you think needs attention).

I am happy AND I (fill in the blank, with anything that is still eating up your energy).

Let me know how it feels.

Pretty good, right?

And it was right there, all along.

Anusara Immersion Part 2

2011-04-10T21:04:00.000-04:00

Anusara Yoga
I had a lovely weekend full of yoga, once again. I moved on to the Level 2 Anusara Immersion this time, and the heat was on! No, not literally, the room was a normal temperature, but the discussions and the asanas were taken up a notch, and the intensity was good. Much like the Level 1 immersion, I found myself trying to get into poses that I had never attempted before, and I did have a few breakthroughs. As I sit here tonight, many muscles in every part of my body are reminding me of the repeated attempts I made.

One reason I enjoy going to intense yoga gatherings, is that they last so much longer than a yoga class. After doing hours of repeated poses and resting some too, I am more flexible and warm, ready to go to the next level with people who are also interested in taking it up a notch. The energy of a room of dedicated people is different than an evening or morning class, where you are either coming down from a busy day or gearing up for a busy day. When your entire agenda for the day (or weekend) is "do yoga" the energy is different and the expectation is that you will be challenged.

And I love a challenge.

I do have more to say about all this, but mental and physical fatigue is quickly taking over. I have a mind full of yoga sutra translations and sanskrit words, proper alignment and inner spirals, but I think I need to rest and let my mind settle.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. And YES, I did bring green smoothies with me to my yoga immersion, and I even brought a few extras for some new friends. They got to taste my super-green, spinach, fresh pineapple, coconut milk, raspberry, water and ice smoothie. Oh, it was good after a long morning practice (and by long, I mean we started at 9:00 and went until 1:30). Mine went down fast!

Have you had a good yoga practice and a green smoothie lately? If not, you should!

Homeschooling Here, Is Here To Stay

2011-04-07T06:38:00.019-04:00

Posting about my homeschooling doubts and fears was powerful. I had so many great comments, emails and in-person conversations with so many wonderful people. I was caught off-guard for many of the conversations, as the future fears I wrote about resonated with moms who had kids in school, as well as homeschooling mamas. It seems that anyone who has taken time away from their career has these worries, not just me. I guess that it isn't surprising, but when you are in your own cycle of doubt, it is hard to see the rest of the world.

But now, things are good. My husband was the first person to reign me in and say that the kids are happy at home, and that he didn't think school was a good idea. My sisters both chimed in, and my homeschool mama friends did as well. I have amazing support for what we are doing. My heart always goes out to people who mention that their extended family, and sometimes even their spouse, aren't supportive of the home education choice. I am very lucky to have a family so willing to go against the grain. Bunch of rebels, we are.

But support was not all that turned the tide. I chose a rather bizarre way to do our required end-of-year assessment this year, standardized testing. Eeek, I am sure you are utterly dismayed with this choice, (and in retrospect, so am I) but it seemed like a good idea at the time I placed my order.

Here is what I learned: My kids are darn smart, especially in the science and math areas that the rest of the country is struggling with, my kids are not strong spellers, but their vocabulary is kick-ass, the tests are outdated and quite silly (I have so many examples I don't even know where to begin), testing stifles learning, and I quickly found myself falling into the category of teacher-teaching-to-the-test! About 3 hours into this experiment, I found myself taking notes on stuff that we had not seen before (because really, where the hell would my kids run into a card catalog??? and how would they know why Sally wanted to spend $10 on a record - what the heck is a record, and why are they so cheap???). I had to stop so many great conversations during this crazy experiment, it was disheartening. I can only imagine how hard it is for a grade school teacher to constantly "refocus" a class. I really struggled with this aspect of the testing. My kids are so used to engaging in a conversation about something they don't know, and we can go on for days on a topic. Here we had an opportunity to learn some cool stuff, and I had to shut them down.

The plus side of this was the test-taking skills my older kiddo learned. He was so strict with the time schedule we had, and refused any assistance from me. He wanted to know how much he has learned, and it was quite sweet to see him working so hard on this silly test. My younger one, well, I am pretty sure that this has ruined any future test taking for him. Third grade is just too soon to start testing.

So it was a positive/negative experiment. I will send the test in for scoring, although I feel pretty certain how they did. I feel very confident that they are doing EXTREMELY WELL, despite our non-traditional approach to learning.

Here is what I learned: My kids are getting a solid education.

Satya

2011-03-31T11:22:00.017-04:00

From my yoga teacher, Heidi's website:

"Satya, the Sanskrit word for truth is a truth that is deep and sometimes raw. It takes great courage to look at your life with the eyes of Satya – to see that you are pretending your way through life, putting up a good front, strong, impenetrable, always searching for answers outside of yourself - in books, people, classes, and church. "

I had been told that my yoga immersion could stir things up. Things I would rather leave alone, but that are unresolved, buried deep, purposefully forgotten. I have found this "stirring up" to be true. It has been a tough month, and this week, in particular, has been hard. Some would say that I am going through a period of growth, and they would probably be right. My observation of it is that it is uncomfortable, annoying, a bit hostile, and hard for others close to me. I am restless and unfocused. My always questioning mind is in overdrive. I am awake at night, thinking and getting frustrated. My desire to do nothing is almost as strong as my desire to do everything. I pick up three books and get settled to read any one of them, only to sit and stare around the room looking for something more pressing to do. It is only with tremendous effort that I pick one thing and set a very strong intention to do it (like make some dinner) that I have actually done anything. I am going through the motions of feeling all this stuff in the healthiest way possible. I have been taking walks. I have avoided alcohol. I have eaten as healthily as I can, including green smoothies and a vegetarian diet.

One of the biggest areas of discontent and questioning has been around homeschooling. I have been admitting to myself, out loud, some of the doubts that I have suppressed for a long time. I have been actively looking at local schools, trying to see them clearly, see the benefits of having a class with a teacher other than me, see where I am perhaps missing something.

Oh man this makes my heart hurt to try and get to my truth. My fear is huge. The friendships I have are sure to rearrange themselves, once again. My desire to do something for myself, daily, has been suppressed for three years now. I do not enjoy the label "stay-at-home mom". I never wanted this. I am a career gal, through and through. I have had one or two jobs at a time since I was 15. I don't like crafts. I cringe when anyone mentions scrapbooking or knitting. Give me a fast-paced, loud, adrenaline pumping atmosphere, and I am happy. I love for time to fly by, I love to get lost in my busyness. Doing dishes sucks, and so does cooking. I love going out for dinner, and breakfast, and lunch! I love conversations about tiny details in muscle fibers and neuronal pathways that affect pain, I love going to conferences and talking about the latest research in pain management and meeting the people doing the studies, around the country and around the world! I feel so far removed from where I was three years ago. And at the end of this homeschooling adventure, where am I? I am left far behind the current low back pain research. I am left out-of-touch with the local providers who will no longer remember me, and certainly will not want to hire me. I am left without a career that I spent so long, so very long, creating. Did I spend all those years in school, in the clinic, in the research lab, so that I can prepare hot dogs and crescent rolls, drive kids around and around and around all day, and in the end have no money, no retirement account, and no social network? How do I make peace with this? How do I meet the needs of my children, who are happy at home?

I am not blind to the stress the schooled children around us are under, and I really have no desire to be in that chaos. I remember very well the nightly stress of homework, colds, and exhaustion.

So here is where I need to find my bigger YES, and say NO to some of the things that are nagging at me. I need to give up that front of strength and control, and let the light in. Shining light on my questions will help me see them more clearly, and with this clarity, my own truth will shine through. I am not there yet.

For now, I just need to be honest. Honest with a rawness that hurts. The sun shines in on me, and I welcome it.

South Carolina

2011-03-23T07:03:00.005-04:00

I love his smile. The boys had a great day out on the ocean.

We all enjoyed the fresh catch.

Sunsets and alligators.

Grandma and a very green parade in Savannah.

I want to go back and see more of this city when there isn't a green parade in town. Cobblestone streets, steep stairways, hidden alleys, spanish moss, I love it.

And most of all, our time in the south was spent on the beach finding treasures.

We are back home now, enjoying the sounds of birds, and starting to see the first glimpses of spring. It will be a while before I am having margaritas on the deck here.

Grateful and Completed

2011-03-06T20:04:00.014-05:00

It is Sunday night, and I am feeling wonderful after my 2nd weekend long, Level 1 yoga immersion. I have hips that are so open I can hardly believe the positions I got myself into today! I can tell you that I cannot quite get into a split, but I can get my leg over my shoulder and lift my entire body off the floor, balancing on my hands. I can get my legs up into the air for headstand, and I can balance for tree pose. I enjoy putting myself into these wild poses and trying new poses, pushing the limits of what I think I may be capable of doing. I may be, gasp, 42, but I am not giving up on pushing myself to new limits.

But what this post is really about is my gratefulness. My family gave me up for 2 entire weekends, financed this adventure of mine, and they were all so sweet and curious each time I walked in the door after a long day (one of which involved driving in a snowstorm, once again). Coming home meant that I was walking into a place where I was missed, but where their love for me and their desire for me to follow my passion was more important than their own needs. For this, I am grateful.

This weekend we talked a bit about commitments, and relationships. These are sometimes things that sound binding, negative, limiting, constricting. But here is what I learned: these commitments I have made to my family allow me to be free, to be a better me. I have a foundation that is solid and supportive. The alignment of my life is right where it should be.

I hope your weekend was as delicious as mine was.

How my Intention went Down the Toilet

2011-03-04T05:52:00.015-05:00

Have you ever thought you were making positive changes in your life, only to find that all the work you had been doing came undone in an instant?

I had an evening like that. I actually had a very nice, pleasant evening with 4 girlfriends that I don't see much of anymore. And there lies the problem. I quickly and easily dropped back into the personality and habits of the time-period that I established with them many years ago. It was a time when I was working too much, stressed about my oldest son's school experience, and generally struggling with what was best for me and my family. Last night, I slipped comfortably into complaining, negative conversation that I have tried (sometimes successfully) to get away from. I hardly recognized myself by the end of the evening. I couldn't believe the way my thoughts and mouth ran away.

So I did what any normal person would do, I tossed and turned and beat myself up about it all night. I wondered if I am actually capable of change, if I can really embrace the philosophy of my yoga practice and bring it into my everyday life, or if I am all talk, and no change.

Then, early this morning, after getting up exceptionally early, I took a deep breath, remembered the feeling I have after my yoga practice or quiet meditation, and I realized:

Change, real change, change that rocks you to the core and breaks old ways of thinking, is hard.

And it requires practice. Every time I move away from what I am trying to align with, I need to breath in, check my position, move slowly, breath out, and get back to center. And then do it again. And again.

Just like my yoga practice.

I managed to get myself WAAAYYY out of alignment this week. Now, today, I need to set my intention, open my heart to the possibility of transformation and then do the work. Negative thought patterns are going to happen. I need to be able to stop myself in the moment, recognize the way my mouth is flowing, and consciously change direction. This is so much easier to write about than to do in mid-conversation with 4 gal-pals who are drinking wine and catching up.

I am so lucky to be heading out for another weekend full of heart-opening yoga. I need the support and challenges of my teachers this weekend. I can feel the layers of resistance that I have built up over the years pushing against me, and I am going to need help getting through them. As I do push through them, I know I will become more fully aligned with who I want to be. I need to be soft with myself as I go through this process. Let yesterday go, let today unfold, be in the moment.

Namaste.

Diverse, not Divided

2011-03-01T06:21:00.013-05:00

Vermont, like every other state, has financial problems that need to be addressed. It is only a matter of time before the home study office, which employs 3.5 people, gets downsized. This could be a good thing; dare we dream about less regulation, less paperwork, and more notification only?

Who knows.

In the meantime, the homeschooling community seems to be at odds with itself. I find it hurtful and sad, and possibly self-defeating. I realize the word homeschooler describes an incredibly diverse group, and I love that. I love that I have homeschool friends who do this home education thing so differently than I do. I don't want a group of same/same.

Anyway, what I am trying to say, not so eloquently, is that we are stronger together, we are more compassionate when we open our hearts and let go of judgement, and we can continue to grow right here along with our children. I am not here to judge you. I am here on my own path, and it is so much more interesting a journey for me if you are here on your own unique journey.

I have recently read some judgemental posts. I felt my heart tighten, my pulse race, my teeth clamp together, and thought, "How could he/she dare to write that?". I explored my reactions, and tried to figure out what it was that got me so off-balance so quickly. I walked away from my computer, I went to yoga, I held on to that peaceful feeling I had at the end of class, and I came back to reread the posts and see if I could read without reaction.

It was amazing to find that I could expand my heart and find a new place for understanding that hadn't been there before. I found that I could image myself standing in a circle of homeschoolers, holding hands with the two people at the center of the argument, and I could find a soft spot for each of them.

I hear you. I feel your fear.

We are here together, diverse, but not divided. I will find a way to let go of my judgements, I will find a way to show compassion.

Vacationing in VT

2011-02-24T13:08:00.012-05:00

We took a mini-vacation in our own state!!

So many people come to Vermont to do cool winter things, but since we live here, we don't always get out and enjoy the things just down the road, well, up over some mountain. But we did this week!

We spent two nights at the Lake Morey Resort in Farilee, VT.

The kids had a great time, even though it was bitter cold. There was actually a zamboni for the lake! It was quite amazing. The "rink" was large, plenty of room for hockey, but there was also a loop around the entire lake for a long skate. It was too cold for me, but the day we left, we could see people heading out around the lake. So cool.

A great big pile of snow in front of the resort made for fun butt-sledding. I could watch from the lobby, ahhhh.

There was pool playing. And ping pong. And an indoor pool, with a nice HOT TUB too.

Ice fishing. I am not sure if the ice fishing was as much fun as the ride out onto the lake in the back of this truck. These kids haven't been in many vehicles without 3-5 straps holding them in, this was pretty liberating!

My oldest liked carrying the auger from hole to hole. They drilled five!

Scooping out the excess ice. Everyone got a turn, and once your boots were covered with slush, they were much slippier. Lots of whooping and laughing as they all crashed around.

Once the holes were done and the little fish were down the hole, the hard part began:

stare,

and wait.

It ended up being a tough fishing day, no bites. The temperature for this whole ordeal was maybe 8 degrees, and out on that lake, it was probably even colder. I held out for as long as I could before heading inside and getting back in the hot tub!

Our last night there, we headed out to the marshmallow roast. We are experts on roasting marshmallows, so we all got the job done quickly and headed back inside for ping pong, (because once again, the temperature plummeted down below zero for this outing) but it was fun watching some of the other guests enjoy this treat.

Our room looked out over the lake, and I was content to sit and read and glance out every once in a while. I brought my book Eat, Pray, Love along, so that I could re-read the Pray part. I enjoyed it even more the second time around. And while vacationing and playing, I made time to get in my alone time in the fitness room. I did about an hour or so of yoga and the recumbent bike each day.

I hope you have been enjoying your week as well.

Next up, meditation. How does a restless gal like me embrace quiet sitting??

Kitten

2011-02-17T21:15:00.000-05:00

Kitten takes on houseplant. Kitten wins.

Valentine's, My Way

2011-02-15T07:59:00.007-05:00

I'm not a big "Valentine's" type of gal. I don't know why, but all the red stuff annoys me. But, I do like chocolate. And my boys know that! They went to Snowflake Chocolates and filled up a big red heart just for me. Then they picked out an edible dark chocolate heart and had that filled up with more handmade VT chocolates. Needless to say, I am enjoying some good, dark, VT made chocolate with my coffee this morning.

And the best part of my Valentine's day? I convinced my husband to come along to yoga with me! My lovely yoga teacher invited all of us regulars to bring our loved ones along for an evening class that would open our hearts (and our hips, and our shoulders). Twenty-eight like-minded people showed up for a blissful class. It was very special for me to have my husband there with me sharing a yoga class. When the teacher asked him if he had ever been to a yoga class before, we sort of chuckled as we remembered me dragging him to an ashtanga series years ago, before kids. So it had been a while. Regardless, he seemed to remember more than I would have thought.

Oh, and I got a new vacuum cleaner!! Yes, I asked for it and I got it, and I am darn happy about it! My old (like only 3 years old) vacuum had become so loud that I had to wait until everyone was gone before I could vacuum, and even then, I had to wear ear protection. I kid you not, that thing was louder than my Shop-Vac! And I was OK with the loudness as long as it did a good job, but last week it started ejecting more dust and dirt than it was picking up. So yesterday morning when the boys all asked me what I needed done for the day (I work on Mondays and they do the boy thing while I am out), I said "PLEASE go get me a VACUUM for Valentine's Day". And they did!

Yoga Space

2011-02-12T19:12:00.018-05:00

Remember this?

It now looks like this:

I still have work to do, but I am really happy with the way it turned out. My sweet husband even got the heater going in there so it is toasty warm!

Last summer, a friend of mine who is currently living in Kathmandu, Nepal, gave me some Tibetan incense. I can't really tolerate incense, but I felt like I needed to change the energy in the room , and this lovely incense did it. I couldn't do yoga with the incense burning, but I will leave the holder in there to sort of remind me of the smell.

My loving dog keeps curling up on my yoga mat. She thinks she is really helping me out. That is what you get when you have a dog who is by nature a herder. She is constantly under my feet and in my way, but don't tell her that, she thinks I need her watching my every move (and I mean every move)!

Thanks Macy, lookin' good!

Some Winter Thoughts

2011-02-09T06:18:00.011-05:00

Chickens
The chicken died. She died on Sunday while I was off yoga-ing. My sweet husband took care of her. I didn't ask for details, he didn't offer much. It wasn't pretty.

I am relieved that she is dead. Sad, isn't it? It was getting to be quite a drain to go out and check on her several times a day, wondering what kind of awful scene I was going to find, and constantly trying to decide if I was making things better or worse for her. And the snowstorms, they just kept coming and dumping more and more snow, so the chickens were confined more and more. More worrying for me.

For the moment, I seem to have six healthy chickens. I have had 5 eggs a day for the past 2 days, yum! The one chicken who previously had a peck mark on her rear still seems to have it, but after some rearranging of the coop perches, I think the chickens are less likely to keep up their naughty behavior. It is wait and see. I will continue to increase their protein until they can get out and roam more. At present, I can hardly get out to the coop, there is just so much snow!

Bees
I finished up Beekeeping class last night. I am so glad I took it and learned about all the diseases, and mites, and starvation the bees are likely to encounter. Maybe my chicken experience has soured me on new animals, I have little enthusiasm for getting another project that I have to check on for problems so often. It sounds like the chances of losing all your bees is pretty big.

Of course, there are some really wonderful benefits to being a beekeeper, the most obvious one being the collecting of delicious honey! The idea of being a successful beekeeper who makes yummy honey and helps pollinate all the lovely flowering trees and gardens in the neighborhood is quite tempting. But maybe not this year. The friend I took the class with has ordered her equipment and bees, so maybe I will just help her and learn for a year or two!

Homeschooling
Nothing has really changed around here in our little homeschooling environment, other than the amount of time we don't seem to be home. It has been really busy. There has been skiing, and plays, and origami making, and reading. And a whole bunch of fort making in the huge snowbanks around the neighborhood.

Green Smoothies
I made a delicious green smoothie yesterday. It had spinach, pineapple, an apple, water and ice. The cold, white winter seems to make my green, green smoothie even more necessary.

Did you have your healthy green smoothie today?

My Yoga Homework

2011-02-07T12:09:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, after my 17 hours of yoga bliss and a bit of bodily pain, I was given my yoga homework (I go back and do this again in 4 weeks). Here is my assignment:

Set up a space. Clear it, clean it and organize it. Hang a picture, have a candle, or do something that makes it your sacred yoga practice space.

I have other homework as well, but I think this is the most important, and also the most challenging. Carving out a bit of sacred space in a homeschooling home is REALLY hard!!! It feels like every inch of our house is dedicated to the collection of more "resources" to enrich the lives of our kids.

But I have found an underutilized spot, one that we ALL avoid! It was once the center of our computer life, but the laptops make "the office" a forgotten space that now holds, well, it holds a great deal of crap!

Can I turn this pile of crap into sacred yoga practice space? The challenge is on.

Anusara Immersion Day 1

2011-02-05T06:00:00.010-05:00

I began a journey yesterday afternoon. On a beautiful sunny winters day, I headed out of town (just a little ways out of town) to begin a yoga immersion with 31 other students who have found Anusara yoga and are interested in delving into it more deeply.

I was so anxious for it all to begin, I could barely calm down enough to listen through the first hour, which was mostly welcoming, philosophy, and logistics for the weekend. But I managed to sit still and absorb a small amount of what was being said, and in no time at all, the 3 1/2 hours had passed and I was heading home.

I am up early today, eager to head back and start day 2. My legs are a little tired, my shoulders are a bit heavy, my back had a good workout, but my mind feels open and ready. When I arrive today, all of the people who were strangers yesterday, will seem like old friends, and by tomorrow they will be treasured yoga friends whom I will never forget.

The anticipation of doing something you love is so enjoyable, so delicious. I want to bask in the memory of my excitement, my anxiousness, my readiness.

Eclectic Homeschoolers, I Suppose.

2011-02-04T06:43:00.011-05:00

I am giving up the unschooling label.

Yes, it is true.

It is a hard thing to do, admit to everyone that I no longer feel strongly about unschooling. But at some point, it stopped being a term of freedom and choice, and started feeling rigid, a set of rules that I had to follow. Every decision I made, or didn't make, had to fit within the confines of "is this how unschoolers do it?" Somewhere along the line, I stopped listening to myself, and my kids, and my family.

Well, enough of that, already!

So here I am; here we are. Comin' clean. Doing our own thing, in our own way.

I am SAYING YES to me, my authentic voice, my heartfelt self.

I feel better already.

The Egg

2011-02-02T15:42:00.001-05:00

Well that answers that question.

She Is A Fighter

2011-02-01T17:40:00.018-05:00

My two injured chickens. The one on the right is healing nicely (you are looking right at the former wound). The girl on the left is no worse than yesterday, which is more than I could have hoped for. She is the pretty Silver Laced Wyandotte I was so worried about.

Last night

I stayed up late last night. I read everything I could find about injured chickens on Backyard Chickens.com. I read, and then I reread, and finally I came up with some potential answers for why my chickens were injuring each other, and then figured out some strategies for fixing the problems.

My conclusions: I had bored chickens, and probably protein deficient chickens as well. Not a good combination. But an easily remedied one.

Today

I headed out to the coop bright and early with hot water, hot dogs, cat food (the smelly, wet variety), and extra straw to put in the run. I then headed to Guy's Farm and Yard for Blu-Kote. I had never heard of this particular animal wound product, but I kept seeing it pop up in every chicken discussion I came across last night. It is a funny thing, this Blu-Kote. It is literally a blue coat. It looks like I spray painted my poor chickens rear bright purple-blue! .

My poor chicken, she didn't enjoy the process AT ALL! She saw that little yellow can and flapped and squawked and did everything she could to get away from it. At least she has some energy in left in her. I was able to go back out to the coop several times and re-apply, and each time I checked to make sure the other chickens were behaving.

I don't know how the night will go, and with 10+ inches of snow expected, it is hard to imagine how I will keep the chickens entertained and out of trouble. I have an extra bale of straw to put in on top of the snow tomorrow, and I bought two cabbages, which I hear the chickens like to chase around and peck at. I also have a one-pound package of spinach, and more wet cat food to feed them. Oh, and I hung old CD's on string and tied them up in the coop, where they can spin in the sunlight. I read that the chickens like to watch the sunlight reflections.

I think I may be sounding a little crazy right about now, so perhaps I should stop writing about all the things I did for my chickens today. I did pay my neighbor who plows our driveway, with a dozen fresh eggs, that isn't so crazy, is it?

No Photos of the Chickens Here

2011-01-31T22:13:00.005-05:00

I love my chickens. I have tried to take good care of them, but I am a novice, and novices make mistakes. I didn't recognize the signs of boredom.

A few days ago, I noticed that one of my araucanas had a pecked spot on the far end of her back, right at the base of her tail feathers. This was my warning. Actually, I think I had a warning last week; two other chickens seemed to have lost most of their neck feathers overnight. No blood, just bare necks. This recent back-sided pecking had produced a small wound. I was worried about it.

This morning, I went out to check on the girls and bring them their hot water. I checked on my araucana, and she looked pretty much healed! I couldn't believe how quickly she had recovered. My hopes for a full recovery soared. And then I saw blood on the coop ladder.

My poor little silver laced wyandotte was pecked. I won't go into details, because I am a science person who overly explains things that gross other people out without knowing it. But because I am a science person who has treated more wounds than the average person, I know that this wound is serious. I don't see how she can recover.

I did my best to distract the rest of the chickens and find ways to entertain them, but even so, it is very cold tonight. The chickens will be restless and under exercised, and I fear that they are going to damage more than just the silver laced wyandotte. No one told me about this part of chicken keeping - winter boredom and death by your other chickens. I guess I thought my first lost chicken would come from another type of animal getting into the coop, or disease. It never entered my mind that my chickens would kill each other.

The girls are in their coop. My silver laced has cornstarch on her back, and the other chickens got lots of straw, scratch, spinach and some silly distractions to try and tire them out, fill them up and help them forget about pecking each other. The snowstorm that is on it's way is probably going to be the end of my pretty chicken.

Bees and Soap and Boys

2011-01-27T16:20:00.010-05:00

The Bees
Bee class went well. I was surprised by the number of people who were there. The class was suppose to be limited to 25, but I am pretty sure they went over. I knew three people there, two of which were a homeschooling dad and his 8 year-old daughter! I was so bummed that I hadn't brought along my older son, because he had sort of been interested.

Betterbee! What fun to browse through. It just makes you want to order up all the equipment and start beekeeping.

The Bees and The Soap
Not too long ago, I blogged about my interest in making soap. That interest hasn't gone away. I have slowly been collecting the supplies I will need to do it right. I have a book, a pot, and a digital scale. One supply I had run into problems acquiring was the lye. Where to buy lye?

Here is where I am going with this, and tying it into the bees. As I was browsing through my new bee catalog, going over all the equipment with the kids, we came to a section on soap making supplies, and right there in the middle - LYE!!!

Soooo excited to have found a place to order a small amount of lye. And just to make you all very jealous, to top it all off, in the mail today, I received the Feb/March issue of Mother Earth News. I can't wait to snuggle up in front of the fire and read all through it.

The Boys

Last evening, I got a knock on the door. Look what I found in the driveway.

I have to say, this is where kid fun and adult fun vary considerably. This looks like torture to me, but he thought it was the funniest thing ever!!

Argh, he's alive!

The boys are outside again tonight, so I anticipate more snowy snow clothes, more pink cheeks, and more silliness.

Oh, and a friend asked me to go on a very adventurous weekend with her, one that is making my older son jealous, jealous, jealous. I will let you know if I say YES to this one!

Things to do when it is REALLY COLD

2011-01-24T21:52:00.006-05:00

A friend called and asked if I wanted to take a bee keeping class with her; of course I said YES. It starts tomorrow, I am quite excited, although I am not convinced that I would make a good beekeeper. I am willing to explore it and find out.

A friend called and asked if I wanted to go to yoga with her tonight; of course I said YES. The class started out rather mellow, but quickly picked up. It is great to generate heat and take off some of these layers when the temperature outside is dropping well below zero.

The schools in the district we live in were all cancelled today due to failure of buses to start in double-digit below zero weather. Can't say I blame them, poor old buses. So there were kids playing around here, and even a bit of outside play, some bowling and some Wii. Winter Wipeout is the current TV show of choice (we watch on the computer). It is pretty darn funny if you care to check it out. I can't quite figure out why people agree to be on the show.

Oh, and my mom called to ask if we plan on joining them down south for a while in March. Of course, we all said YES to that!

Bitter Cold Inspiration

2011-01-23T15:54:00.024-05:00

Exercise is as important as ever in the middle of a cold spell. Today, zero degrees. And going down. Twelve hours from now, the forecasters say it should be a brisk -17. My chickens are not happy.

But, all this cold air does bring with it bright sunshine. Oh, the beautiful sunshine that streams through the windows and lands on the cuddling creatures!

That is the new kitty. He is almost 4 months old now.
He sleeps alot. And in the dog bed. And when he isn't sleeping, he is getting in trouble.
That WAS my spinach. It is all gone now. Poor spinach, never got to be blended up in my Vitamix and consumed as a green smoothie. Nor did it get to grow enough for the chickens to peck. It died a terrible death, full of kitten rage.

Back to exercise. It was very cold this morning, and I knew I needed to get myself kicked into healthy gear, as it was going to be extremely easy to fall into comfort foods. So first things first, I blended myself a big spinach, pineapple and filtered water smoothie. So good, so green. I bought the pineapple the other day in anticipation of needing something tropical to look at. It is really quite an effective pick-me-up.

My kids are still resistant to the absolute green smoothie, so for them, I left just a splash of green smoothie in the bottom of the Vitamix, then added banana, frozen strawberries (picked last summer), more pineapple, an orange, and more filtered water. It was almost pink (their preferred color), very sweet, and it was consumed rapidly. Temperatures this cold call for extra hydration, so it was a good way to start the day.

My Sunday walk was a bit challenging. At zero, my hat alone was not enough to keep my head warm. I had to dig into my ski bag and get out the head thing that I wear under my ski helmet. It worked wonders. Walking up a hill and getting those large leg muscles pumping immediately was the key for a long walk. My toes were initially a problem, they were a bit cold. I bought new sneakers today, and I thought that perhaps they were not going to work out. But after about 30 minutes, my blood must have warmed up enough to reach even those distant appendages, and I was warm. The new sneakers were just fine.

I have been busy delving into things that are of interest to me this month, and plan to continue throughout the year. It is sort of a new year thing. I am still doing yoga, and plan to get into that even more, very soon. My first yoga assignment (yes, I have an assignment!) is to set up a designated yoga space, where I can practice every day. All homeschooling moms know, it is very hard to find a place in the house that is not constantly in use. We are home, we experiment, we build, and we save what we build, and we invite others over to share in our experimenting and building and socializing. I will let you know what I come up with.

I blog off with this to think about: non-judgment. Wouldn't it be nice? And how hard it is.

It must be the middle of winter....

2011-01-16T07:00:00.004-05:00

It must be the middle of winter, because.....

the fun of snow has sort of worn off,
animal chores are increasingly annoying,
my static filled, fly-away hair is bugging me,
I keep watching movies set in the tropics (Mama Mia again tonight),
I check the daily temperature report from Phoenix,
I haven't seen my legs in months,
all of my relatives over the age of 65 have left the state,
red wine suddenly goes with everything,
I pick restaurants based on the availability of easy parking,
I don't remember what color my car actually is,
I spent over $15 on three 1/2 pints of fruit, and it was eaten is less than 5 minutes,
I am painting rooms, which I don't really enjoy or do well, but there isn't much else going on.

How is your winter going?

More inspiring post to come later, promise. Exercise and green smoothies still going strong.

Winter Magic

2011-01-08T08:26:00.008-05:00

Bonfire. Sparklers.

And fireworks.

The New Year

2011-01-06T06:02:00.010-05:00

I don't punish my kids.

Just wanted to get that out there. Here, at our house, no one loses privileges, no one is grounded or kept from their favorite activity until some other chore is done. No one has chores. I don't reward for good behavior or manipulate to get them to do something they don't want to do. I ask for help when I need it, I help them when they need it, and we have discussions, many, many, many discussions about our choices in life, consequences, and mature decision-making.

I have had a few interesting questions come to me in the past month or so, and I thought I would share my responses, these are expanded responses.

Andrea, what do you do when you boys swear at each other?

Honestly, they have never done this. I have heard other brothers do this, quite violently. I don't know why they were doing it, or why mine don't, but I have some ideas. When my older son first figured out a few choice words, I told him that if he wanted to use those words, he should do it here, at home, get it out of his system and be aware that if he used those words in front of other people, they might be offended. I also cautioned him that if he got in the habit of using those words, he might let one slip out sometime and embarrass himself.

That was over two years ago. In my opinion, my kids rarely swear. And if they do, I let them. They know what the words are, how to use them correctly, and if they choose to use them, that is their choice. They have never used inappropriate language in front of their grandparents or young cousin, and when they get on each others nerves, foul language is not their power play. Of all the people that live in this house, I am the one most likely to come out with the "bad word".

Andrea, all he wants to do is play Pokemon all day, what am I going to do? (I swear, these questions came from two different moms)!

We have had some serious Pokemon months. Pokemon has been a presence in my life, pretty much daily, for almost three years now. Just this week, I have listened to one Pokemon movie (in the car, on the way to the ski area), seen my kitchen table disappear under Pokemon cards, found myself in Gamestop looking at the new pre-order Pokemon DS games that are coming out Spring 2011, and looked online for some cheat codes for the DS games we do have. I also think the Pokemon Wii game was on yesterday.

I try my best to embrace this passion. I struggled with it ALOT at first. I found it very hard to see my kids do the same thing day in and day out for a week. I spent many hours right here at the computer getting ideas on how I needed to get through this. The kids didn't need help, I DID! The kids were happy! And when I helped them find a new game, or asked questions, or asked to play a bit, they were even happier! And when their friends came over and talked Pokemon and I could join in the conversation, they didn't tell me to be quiet or go away, my kids and the friends were excited to see that I understood what they were doing and was up-to-date on the latest developments in the game. I like going to Gamestop and talking to the people that work there, they are some of the only adults who talk directly to kids and take them seriously. That store ROCKS, really it does.

See if you can let them do whatever it is they want to do, for just one full day. And when you get all tight in the chest, take a deep breath, and see if you can just keep your mouth shut and let it go for another minute. And when that minute passes, do it again. And again. And again. And when your mouth really wants to get involved, pull out my favorite saying "Shut mouth, open heart." I have no idea who to credit for that little gem, but I love it. I think it helps with ALL my relationships: kids, mother, husband, sisters, friends, homeschool moms.....

Today's Plan: pick up clay projects from an art class the boys took, go to Gamestop to get a Pokemon you can download in-store when you bring in your DS, go to ToysRUs to see if Ninjago Lego sets have made it off the truck and to the shelves yet, and then on to our co-op class.! Can unschoolers participate in co-ops?? Of course they can, but mom (me) might have to be the one who sets it up and therefore sets the tone. More on that some other time.

Hello, Sunshine!!

2010-12-30T20:45:00.006-05:00

We knew it was going to be a great day, right from the start. My older son and his friend. It is hard to keep up with these two.

Like the skull goggles?

These pictures hardly show the beauty of the mountain or the fun we had today.

We are home now, and exhausted in the best possible way. The ski bags are unpacked, the outerwear is all hanging in front of the fire, and what little food didn't get eaten, has been put away. In the morning, the ski bags will be packed, the dry clothes will go back on, and more food will be found to restock the lunch bags, and so goes our winter!

Sledding, Northern Style

2010-12-26T21:53:00.010-05:00

Find yourself a big, long driveway, preferably half a mile long or so. Grab your brother and some sleds.

Go as fast as you can.

Laugh and yell.

Make a big finish.

Try and outdo yourself each time.

Try and outdo your brother, each time

Have a driver and warm vehicle following you. Instruct the driver to return you to the top.

Repeat.

Guaranteed fun, every time.

I'm Dreaming of a Green Smoothie.

2010-12-19T15:42:00.006-05:00

I can tell you this, an hour long walk and a green smoothie did me good! The day had started off with a bang.
And oh, too much chocolate.
Frosting on everything.
And it was good. But it left me feeling grumpy. All I wanted to do was get outside and breath fresh air, see sunshine and then make myself a VERY green smoothie.

Today's smoothie: spinach, 1 Roma tomato, 2 clementines, a handful of raspberries, alot of water (3-4 cups) and ice, and then more spinach after a good initial blending.

A brisk, hour long walk mid-afternoon, and I am feeling much better and healthier now. How about you, what are you doing to keep yourself healthy this season?

Ski Day Number One

2010-12-11T17:43:00.010-05:00

I couldn't wait to get to the slopes this morning. The first day out for the season. My youngest son agreed to join me. We had a very special day together. The two of us have never done a ski day alone before.

There were many families out there today, lots of young kids with tiny skis and parents who did a lot of carrying and not a lot of skiing. I used to be one of those moms. I can now look back, grateful that I did it. Sometimes my ski workout consisted of getting both kids and all their gear, plus mine, on them and onto the slope. Some days it didn't seem worth it.

But today, as my son cruised on ahead of me, and I skied behind him (just in case I was needed to pick up the pieces after a fall) I felt nothing but happy. It was a great day of skiing, sharing an activity that I enjoy with my son.

And then we played in the snowbank.

Parenting Stuff

2010-12-09T05:59:00.004-05:00

Feeling crappy? Losing it with the kids? Feeling terrible for losing it with the kids?

Head over and see what Heather is writing about at Swiss Army Wife. Go on, check it out, you will be glad you did.

Thinking about our reactions in new/different ways is part of the whole life learner/homeschooling experience. Why get rid of school but keep all the same parenting ideas? Challenge yourself to broaden your own perspective. I am constantly playing with my automatic responses and asking myself if I am reacting to what I think I am, or if there is some other story in my head that is rearing its superior head and making me miserable (and my kids too). Is my happiness really dependent upon a clean kitchen table and a laundry room devoid of dirty clothes? Or is my true happiness found in seeing all the different ways my kids have glued Popsicle sticks together with the glue gun, and watching their imaginations and creativity shine through (I did spend quite a bit of time scraping glue off the table, but the stuff they made was awesome)! Happiness is a feeling, not a household condition.

Another site I visit when I find myself acting in ways I think I could improve on, is here. The random page thing is great, I always find something to think about (I just got detoured, always something good over there).

Enjoy.

A Soap Thing

2010-12-08T07:43:00.017-05:00

I have been a little obsessed with soap. I stumbled across this blog, The Soap Bar, and from there, I just got carried away. I have been watching videos on how to make soap, thinking about kitchen supplies I will need, figuring out the best place to cure my soap, and dreading all the soap I will surely ruin with my inexperience. I remember trying to make soap in high school chemistry class, and it didn't go well.

A few weeks ago, I bought some local soap at a holiday craft fair. It smelled so good, I couldn't resist. I think I had the intention of giving it as a gift.

This one smelled like summer, a good thing right now.

Here is the Vermont Wildflower soap opened. I love the look and feel of it.

The Peppermint isn't as interesting to look at, but still feels nice.

The temperatures have been downright freezing here in Vermont this week, and with that, my hands and lips have been suffering. I thought perhaps switching to this local, handmade soap would give my hands some nourishment. I tried the Peppermint this morning, and even after the first hand washing, I noticed a difference. I can feel the oils gently moisturizing my skin, rather than my store bought industrial soap which strips my hands of all moisture.

I am a little concerned about the scents. I am extremely sensitive to smells, in that I have many allergies. The Peppermint does seem to be causing my nose to drip a bit, which I am bummed about. I know many people will tell me that pure essential oils won't cause allergies to act up, but I am here to tell you, you are wrong! If I ever manage to actually make soap and get to the point of adding scents, I will be extremely picky! Allergy sufferers such as myself look to the shower as a safe haven of escape from an allergy attack, not a place to add irritants.

Have you ever made soap? Any disaster stories to share? I love disaster stories.

The Chickens Teach Andrea a Thing or Two

2010-12-06T20:37:00.023-05:00

Remember this? Chickens scared of snow and huddled in the tree? Today we had our first real snow, not enough in my opinion, but that is not what this post is about. Once again, I had to go out and get the chickens off their perch and down into the snow. They seemed pretty hungry, so I guess they had been up there for a while. As far as I can tell, once I got them down and into their coop, that is exactly where they stayed for the rest of the afternoon, not wanting to touch that fluffy white stuff with their feet.

Keeping chickens in the winter has had a few challenges. First, the daylight. My husband was kind enough to run an extension cord and power strip out to the coop (and attached it well above the chickens perch), so that the ladies get a few extra hours of light each day. This is suppose to keep the eggs coming. That first light set-up lasted about 4 days. The chickens managed to break the light AND dislodge the light bulb adapter from the power strip. Set-up number two is set even higher in the coop, and the light bulb is in the fancy brooder light bulb set-up thing we bought when we first got the baby chicks. It has two bars across it, so I hope the girls will not destroy it. It's wait and see with these chickens.

So I mentioned the potential decline in chickens laying eggs during this dark, cold winter season, and I really thought some had stopped laying late last week. Each day, the egg count seemed to be going down, until Saturday, when I had just 3 eggs. And only 6 chickens (there should be 7)!

Panic set in. I quickly looked for a breach in the coop fencing (there wasn't any), I looked for a potential hole in the netting over the run, (again, none), and finally, just any signs of a struggle. Nothing. Chicken disappearance of the alien kind. Vanished, without a trace. Where could she have gone?

I enlisted the help of all my boys, and it took them perhaps a minute to locate said chicken, UNDER THE COOP! Yes, there was an opening on the side of the coop that chickens could easily fit under, and there she was, proud as could be, waaay back there under the coop, sitting on SEVEN EGGS!

I was so happy to have found my missing girl, and to discover that my chickens were indeed laying all the eggs they should be laying. The opening under the coop was quickly remedied with bricks, and today, I brought in 5 eggs.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++(those plus signs are from the kitten walking across the keyboard). Here is the culprit checking out her new challenge.

The next chicken challenge is the water.

I am going to have to come up with a better system than this. I have been bringing it in at night to de-thaw, and bringing fresh water out in the morning. But the water is quickly freezing.

Ideas are welcome and appreciated. I seem to work best at trial and error. Lots of error.

The Tree

2010-12-05T20:23:00.010-05:00

Into The Wild

2010-12-03T06:18:00.019-05:00

Life with boys is a wild adventure that always keeps me on my toes, but this morning, this momma is having a particularly stressful and wonderful time simultaneously! My babies, my little,tender, sweet, boys decided to spend the night in the woods in an uninsulated, rustic cabin! Eeek! It was 28 degrees, brrrr. Here they are showing me the shelter that their mentor intended to spend the night in. OK, that means no adults in the cabin, right? Who would be monitoring for hypothermia, chasing off wild animals, checking to make sure my babies were breathing?

And this is the long house, or more accurately the round house, they have been building this fall. It is sturdy enough to climb all over, as demonstrated.

A very cool bench next to the fire. I think this is where dinner and breakfast were to be served. But what would my kids eat? They have never tried soup, and only like mozzarella cheese. I hope there is plenty of bread. Will anyone check to make sure they got enough?

The group of boys were eager to show me all the games they have come up with. This is a balancing game, physics lesson prior to playing not required.

Human sling shot?

This was my favorite. The boys have found all these things in the woods, strung them up, and now they throw stuff at them. I think this is as good an example of what boys like as anything I have ever seen. They got to scavenge around, climb trees, and throw rocks. Boy bliss. Oh, and it is a competitive game too. A string further back marks where you stand to get your distance right. Grrrr.

So after much procrastination on my part, I departed. I quickly made dinner reservations at my favorite restaurant, called my husband and headed home to enjoy the house all to myself. I thought perhaps a glass of wine would calm my nerves, but then worried that I wouldn't be safe to drive and get them when they called to come home, too young to spend a night away. So I switched to water. And read my book, and checked the clock.

At 10 pm, in my warm bed, I decided to keep reading, as I wasn't tired enough to sleep. At 10:45 pm, I turned out the light. I turned and twisted and counted back from 100 about 9 times, checked the clock and decided I should have kept reading, as it was 11:33 pm. I did nod off until 1:45 am, when I quickly picked up my cell phone (which I kept next to my pillow) and saw that there were no messages. Still no messages at 4:44 am, and the kitten was ready to eat. After pushing the kitten off the bed about 7 dozen times, I got up. 5:12 am is a good time to get up, right?

So I am now in my kitchen, alone. I don't think I have been alone in the house on a weekday morning, since before I had kids. The pros, because I know lots of moms who long for alone time, are that I have the radio playing quite loudly while I sit here uninterrupted sipping my coffee. I don't have to be quiet! I don't have to wonder how much longer I have until someone comes stumbling down the stairs looking for their morning hugs and some breakfast.

But, it is darn hard, this wondering how the night went. This next chapter we have suddenly started without warning, once again. My babies are growing up. They are confident, wise, curious, adventuresome boys who will keep this momma up MANY nights to come.

So I take a deep breath. I remind myself that they asked to do this, it was their choice. I go over all the little decisions I let them make and assure myself that this was the natural next step. I let go, just a tiny little bit, and wonder what interesting things are ahead for me, as they slowly break away and test their wings.

December

2010-12-01T06:34:00.019-05:00

It must be December 1st! The Advent calendar was out before I even had a cup of coffee! Yes, it is a Lego Advent calendar.

I am (finally) feeling better. What a week it has been. My kids did so many things that I didn't participate in, but I did sneak in a few pictures here and there.

Here they are snuggled up playing some music for me. At times it was a bit loud, but overall, it was fun to listen to them being creative and spontaneous.

My oldest son hung out with his grandfather for a while, doing what boys like best.

And today, WIND. These two grabbed a sheet and set out to see if they could achieve lift-off. Branches were flying, power was out all over the state, and my two were clowning around, as usual. By the time they were finished, 4 sheets were out there, and it was raining. A large pile of wet sheets now lives in the mudroom. Yuck!

It snowed, just a little, over the weekend, and these silly chickens didn't know what to do. They stayed up in this tree for hours! I finally went out and coaxed them out with a handful of scratch.

I planted some spinach. I am thinking green smoothie ingredient.

Oh, and I am turning into a crazy cat person. I just can't resist, he is just so darn cute!

Exercise is on my to do list!

Well, At Least We Had Pumpkin Pie

2010-11-27T05:56:00.008-05:00

I have been sick all week. There you have it, a holiday plan totally disrupted by momma being down and out. I knew it was coming on late Tuesday afternoon, and I knew that by Thanksgiving Day, I would be no good. I was right on.

Thanksgiving plans were cancelled, we stayed home, and no one cooked. My husband went out and bought a pumpkin pie, I had chicken noodle soup, and we made hot dogs and crescent rolls for the kids. It was sort of pathetic, but it was just what I needed.

I was very thankful for my comfy couch, my kids who entertained themselves (for the most part), my cat and dog who have taken to racing around and around the house, and all the chicken eggs. My husband made multiple trips to the video store to get me all the Glee he could find, and I talked to my sisters and mom multiple times to get updates on what everyone was doing.

Thanksgiving was not about the perfectly set table, the overstuffed turkey, the travel or the decadent desserts. Thanksgiving was about doing what I needed to do to get well, and being 100% supported by the people I love.

Now don't go thinking I didn't make an attempt to keep up on my green smoothies and exercise. I made some super C smoothies to help me get over this cold, and pulled off a couple of walks. I feel exercise is a great way to stimulate the immune system, and the cold fresh air is also a welcome change to a stuffy house full of germs. My smoothies had more oranges, mango and water than usual, and they felt perfect.

I am looking forward to feeling more like myself again soon. I am a bit of a grumpy sick person. I need some pictures on this blog, it is looking too wordy for my taste. So here is to health, to exercise, green smoothies, rambunctious kids, families that work in the strangest ways, and animals that give more love than we deserve.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Exercise and Green Smoothies - Again!

2010-11-22T21:58:00.006-05:00

Weekends are easy for me, exercise wise. This past weekend, I walked with my neighbor both days. I say walked, but we were not strolling around the neighborhood. We got our heart rates right up there and kept them up. We have a good sized hill halfway through our loop, which really helps to push us, and we try to hit it at least 3 times. Although these walks are fun, we enjoy each others company and we chat the entire hour or so we walk, our main goal is always to get our exercise in and push each other to go a little faster and a little further.

Mondays are also good exercise days. I have a yoga class that I have been going to for over a year. It is in a beautiful building, with a lovely teacher, so it is a treat to go and be there every week. I rarely feel like skipping class.

Now Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, these are the days I struggle with. I am not sure what I will manage to pull off tomorrow, but I will let you know. Perhaps the treadmill. Perhaps the hula hoop.

Green smoothies have been delicious. Today, spinach, 1/4 avocado, 1 pear, 1 orange, a carrot and water/ice. I can't decide if I like the avocado in there or not. It makes it a bit creamy, and I don't think I care for creamy smoothies. But I have a few left, so I will be adding them for the next few days. I am almost out of spinach, and I am really looking forward to having either kale or chard in my smoothies later this week. Chard = YUM! And another pineapple too.

Wanderings on Sunday Morning

2010-11-21T06:15:00.015-05:00

I love to follow the adventures of non-traditional parents. I am fascinated by the courage and love these people have for their children, and for life. I am inspired to do a little more, a little differently, when I read about someone doing something a bit daring.

Lately, I have had no problem finding these kinds of parents. I thought I would share some blogs I have been reading, as hitting the road, or heading out on some sort of adventure, is what all these people are doing.

This blog was perhaps the first one I followed through the process of complete change, The Organic Sister. I continue to find their journey fascinating. And from here, I found this blog, The Happy Janssens, where I now check in on a regular basis. I love the pictures of their "rigs".

Friends of ours from here in VT announced their ambitious plans for the 2010-2011 school year last winter, and are now doing a world tour. Well, maybe not the WHOLE world, but a heck of a lot more of it than I have seen. I have been having so much fun following the Browning Family Travels. If you ever wondered what some of the challenges would be going from country to country with three kids, check out their blog.

And now, it seems that one after the other, the unschool mamas I hang out with online, are getting ready to pack it all up (and out), and hit the road! I am very excited for them, by the way. Oh, and here is another mom I "met" online who is also planning to do this adventure on the road as well.

I can't say that the idea of selling it all and travelling has never crossed my mind. I think I even blogged about it earlier this year, here. I gave myself a 4 year timeline, whew, I still have loads of time. Clearly, we are not there yet, as I don't know which way of travelling would work best for us. I love the idea of an RV, but I fear it may limit us to places that we can easily drive. I love what the Brownings are doing, but I am not sure the constant uprooting would be a good match for us either. Another option, would be doing what Gutsy Writer Sonia did a few years back, with her family (they moved to Belize for a year).

For now, I will explore the world from our grounded, rooted place here in Vermont. Instead of exploring new places, we will delve into what is here, right in front of us. Maybe going deeper can be just as eye opening as going further.

Entertainment

2010-11-20T20:47:00.005-05:00

The kitten has found the hamsters. And he really likes them.

Sleepy kitten. A Midsummer Night's Dream, my lovely young Pan.

Pan, Puck and Oberon.

My younger son was not interested in the spotlight, but in making sure the spotlight fell where it was suppose to. There is a place for everyone in the theatre.

Exercise and Green Smoothies

2010-11-18T13:01:00.006-05:00

Update:
Monday - yoga (1 1/2 hrs) and a green smoothie.
Tuesday - hooping (1/2 hr.) and a green smoothie.
Wednesday - oops, just half of a green smoothie and no exercise.
Thursday - 45 min. run and a green smoothie.

Although I am not reaching the 100% mark, I am good with it. Why? Because I am really making an honest attempt to increase my exercise each day, and eat just a bit better. I am achieving these goals, and if I miss a day, I don't want to expend energy beating myself up, but rather, I want to spend the energy figuring out how I can fit in exercise the next day.

Hula hooping worked out really well. I didn't have to do much prep, I just pushed a table out of the way, pulled up iTunes and cranked some music. Before I knew it, half an hour had gone by, and the kids had joined me.

Have you increased your exercise lately? It is a hard time of year to find extra time, but go on, challenge yourself to up your level just a tiny bit. You will be glad you did.

10 Week Old Ball of Love

2010-11-15T17:38:00.008-05:00

What can I say? Opportunity knocked.

Meet Teddy. Teddy came with his name, and it seems to suit him. He was a stray that the local pet store was hosting. I got an email from the pet store last Friday announcing that they would be hosting cats and dogs that needed homes. I put off going over until today, as I wasn't sure I was ready for another cat quite yet. But once we saw Teddy, and held him, we knew he was meant for us.

He came home and made friends with Macy within an hour, much more quickly than I would have ever guessed. They were sharing food and chasing around the house.

Teddy wasted no time finding a perfect perch from which to spy birds and small critters.

He is already bringing so much energy and fun into the house. I haven't had a kitten in decades, so I can only imagine the mischief he is going to get into. But right now my heart is open to seeing such adventures and relishing them. He sees every object as a toy, something to play with and explore. I think I have a lot to learn from this kitten. He is currently chasing his own tail. I can't quite figure out what I can learn from that.

Wonder if he sleeps tonight?

Weekend Recovery

2010-11-14T18:03:00.008-05:00

After a long, mentally exhausting week, we had to find some ways to have fun this weekend. Saturday morning I helped my younger son come up with a scavenger hunt for the neighborhood crew. The kids had fun running from point to point finding the hints I left for them. The final treasure was small, but no one cared, they just had fun finding it. I hid one of the clues in the chicken coop, under a chicken. The kids collected 4 eggs while looking for their clue. Today, we had our record, 5 eggs!!

Saturday night atomic goo project. The thing about unschooling is, there are no limits on experimenting at any time. So if the interest is there, we go with it. Science has no limits here.Steve Spangler Science likes us almost as much as we like them!

Once the atomic goo and worms were made, the boys retreated to the mudroom with the black light and had tons of fun playing with the glowing globs.

And today, Sunday, was spent playing with friends, fishing, walking and drinking green smoothies. It was easy to fit in exercise this weekend with the very mild November weather.

Tonight, Guinness Book of World Records are being considered. My youngest son is trying to break the record for having 16 spoons hanging from a face, and I am fairly certain that I can break the record for eating only 6, yes, 6 Ferrero Rocher chocolates in a minute. I think I can eat 6 of them in a minute without even trying. It must be a typo.

And I am currently arguing with my 10 year old. He wants to go to bed, and I am insisting that 6:30 pm is much too early. He doesn't care, he wants to go. And there you have it, we are headed upstairs to get ready for bed.

I told you we had an exhausting week:)

Peace, at last

2010-11-12T01:53:00.008-05:00

It was a hard week for us. Our cat, Kay, started acting really wrong last Saturday morning, and nothing really went right after that. Cats aren't suppose to fall down.

Here is what I know. We did our best to be with her all week, and comfort her at every turn. She had the most yummy cat food, the warmest dog bed, and lots of attention, both in person and online. She also had failing kidneys, hemorrhaging, loss of vision, hearing and sense of smell, and finally seizures. The seizures did me in. They started around 11 pm, and at midnight, I called Burlington Emergency & Veterinarian Services and asked if I could bring her over. Twenty minutes later, I was there, being attended to by a vet and a tech, and Kay was given Valium to stop the seizures so I could actually think. It was an easy decision.

The afternoon had been tough. After a blood transfusion and a Vitamin K shot, she came home to us around 4 pm, blind, deaf, confused, angry, and unrecognizable as the cat she had always been. I think I was OK with the blindness, but the lack of hearing and sense of smell took away her alternative resources. I don't think she could find anything recognizable in our house, except the dog bed, which she finally retreated to, and slept in, until the seizures started.

Here is how I found her Thursday mid-morning. Her vision was failing, so she found a sunny spot to sit in. She sat here for a long time. She stopped purring a couple of days ago, but she looked as content as she could.

I know she is more content now, and purring.

Top 10 Nature Sights, and Life

2010-11-10T18:04:00.015-05:00

Melynda, over at Your Wild Child, asked her readers to blog about the Top 10 Nature Sites (you would like to visit). I am a bit behind on posting these, but here they are:

Top Ten Nature Sights (in no specific order, just as they come to mind):
1. Galapagos Islands
2. Victoria Falls
3. Alaska
4. Be far enough out in an ocean to see stars without light interfering
5. Hawaii, volcanoes
6. A rain forest, perhaps in Costa Rica
7. Great Barrier Reef
8. Acadia National Park
9. Africa (a Safari)
10. Oh so many to pick from, I shall leave my 10th spot open!

My choices seem a bit more vague than other people's. I think I am usually after a feeling, rather than a spot. And in many ways, I am just happy to explore new places. There is so much beauty in unexpected places.

All this talk of favorite nature sites gets me thinking about my favorite natural wonder: the Grand Canyon. I have hiked into it from both the south and north rim, I have slept on the bottom over a dozen nights, I have rafted through it for 7 days, I have viewed it from many, many vantage points, and I have stayed in the lodges on both rims. It is a marvel beyond compare. When I finished PT school, I seriously considered taking a job on the south rim, helping all the people who manage to injure themselves there at the canyon. I am really getting off-topic here. But I can't imagine another place that is quite as wonderful and full of magic like the canyon.

And in other news

The cat is still hanging in there. Tomorrow I plan to bring her to the vet for blood work to try and determine just how much kidney function she may have left. Confession: my younger son asked me to take him to the humane society so he could look at the cats this evening. I found it difficult; he was pretty excited about a new kitty. It cheered him up anyway.

I had my green smoothie, but I had trouble digesting it. I had stomach pain for about 2 hours, and then it just went away. I dumped the rest of the smoothie, for fear of going through that again. I will make another tomorrow.

Exercise. Should I lie? I haven't done any yet, and I AM enjoying my glass of wine. There is potentially time to walk on the treadmill, but I don't know.......

Daylight Savings is Kicking my BUTT

2010-11-09T22:01:00.003-05:00

I am tired tonight, so I will do a quick round-up of what happened today.
The cat is still alive. I poked myself with the IV needle that we are hooking the cat up to twice a day. I made a really good green smoothie, and I got in a short walk on my treadmill. Most of my exercise really came from lugging the treadmill around and getting it set up (and dusted off). I finished off the soup I made yesterday. I brought both kids to gymnastics and the older one to fencing. I bought spinach seeds and a large planting tray. The chickens laid 2 eggs. I ran out of milk and made french toast with half and half. I dreamed about having a glass of wine at the end of the day, but it is now the end of the day, and I am too darn tired to bother drinking a glass of wine. I took a bunch of pictures throughout the day, to put on my blog post tonight. I am going to get in bed and continue reading the latest Alison Weir book, Captive Queen, 'cause I am never too tired for English Royalty!

Monday: Up. Down. Up. Down.

2010-11-08T21:23:00.017-05:00

Monday, oh Monday. What a day of highs and lows.

Low, the weather.
It was cold, windy and the rain was a mixture of ice, snow and sleet. There were accidents, and trees hanging with ice. Tonight, it seems to have passed, well, all but the cold, that will be around for a while.

High, a recipe I tried!
I bought this cookbook last summer just because of the Butternut Squash recipe. I made it this afternoon, and wow, it was so delicious. I can hardly believe I cooked it!

The light creamy color you see is the maple creme fraiche, which is stirred in right before serving. Oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about this soup!

And low, very low, my kitty.

Our cat seemed to visibly age at least five years over the weekend, so first thing this morning, we took her to the vet. He thinks she ate poison (possibly anti-freeze, but we can't figure out how she would have gotten into that). He offered to put her down right then, as she was in severe kidney failure. I asked if we could take her home, get her comfortable, and say goodbye. The vet (who is a friend of mine) was great about sending us home with the IV and fluids to at least try and allow her to recover, although he gave us only a 5% chance of coming through.

We did our first IV for her about an hour ago. My husband did the needle while I held her and got the scruff of her neck ready, and my oldest son held and squeezed the IV bag. We got all the recommended fluid into her. Even the dog behaved while we did all this. She is feeling so tired and something is obviously really wrong neurologically, but she did eat some food and drink some water, so we are happy we brought her home. She is now curled up in the dog bed, which is strange, but hey, whatever kitty wants, kitty can have!

And high!

I got in my green smoothie, and my exercise: yoga class. I was so happy that class wasn't cancelled due to the crappy weather. If it had been, I had no idea how I was going to get in my exercise so late in the day (class starts at 6:30). I was thinking I might have to pull out my noisy old treadmill. Thankfully, class was not cancelled, a small group of us showed up, and we had a great time. With fewer of us there, we got through more, and did some more advanced stuff. Very nice.

How about you? Did you try a green smoothie yet? And did you sneak in a few minutes of exercise just for you?

Hula Hoops and Exercise

2010-11-07T18:58:00.017-05:00

First things first:
I managed to get my exercise and my smoothies in each day this weekend. Today, a brisk walk, by myself, followed by the smoothie I made yesterday. Yesterday, I was able to drag my neighbor out for a walk. She is my walking buddy. We walk fast, talk, and sometimes forget how many times we have done our loop. I walk farther and faster when I am with her.

Remember my first day, Friday, when I ran? I have been so sore from that run I have had to return to walking. I hope by the end of this 30 day thing, I can run without next day pain:)

Now the fun stuff.
I am not very crafty, but I know a project I can handle when I see one, and am also able to evaluate the return I may get from my project. My boys are not the type to be engaged in cute painting projects, or felting, or, well, you get the picture. But hula hoops are right up our interest alley!

I don't know of many people who can ask their spouses if they have any 3/4" PVC tubing hanging around, but my hubby is one of those people. He just walked out to the garage and came back with exactly what I needed. It was just a little dirty and had some water in it, but other than that, it was good to go.

Other materials (I had to buy): electrical tape, couplers and a ratcheting PVC cutter.

We cut the hoops to the size we thought we would like, and then warmed the ends in front of the fireplace, pushed them together, secured with a piece of duct tape, and that is pretty much it.

My older son got right in to the decorating. He is the artist.

My younger son was the official tester of all the hoops. Did I mention this was our daylight savings time evening activity? It really helped us stay up a bit longer. We all like to go to bed early.

The living room is completely rearranged. The couches are pushed to the wall, coffee table is gone, kitchen table is pushed almost into the sunroom. The three of us needed alot of room.

Today, outside with the hoops. We made hoops for the neighborhood kids so they could all hoop together.

Puppy Hoop?

Walking and hooping. He is getting good already.

Now, go make a hoop and join me on my weekday quest for exercise. This might get a little tricky.

'Tis the Season for a Challenge - Exercise and Green Smoothies

2010-11-06T07:39:00.014-04:00

Oh, do I love this time of year! I love the smell of leaves, the need for mittens, the warmth of the fire. I also love Peppermint Mochas and all things sweet, chocolaty and infused with coffee. But after only 3 or 4 days of these decadent drinks, and a week full of left-over Halloween candy, I am feeling a bit unhealthy (is that a new wrinkle next to my right eye?).

So yesterday, I hit the road. I put on my sneakers, and ran in the rain, the cold, the impending darkness (I haven't run in months, maybe even a year). Upon returning home I made a big blender full of green smoothies (spinach, strawberries, pineapple, ice and water this time).

What I realized was how much I needed this exercise and this burst of healthy food amidst the impending holiday season. And I thought, perhaps others are feeling this way, maybe someone out there would like to get a bit healthier with me, maybe you??

So here it is, the challenge. With cold air and dark days, it is sometimes difficult to find the inspiration to get outside and exercise. Exercise with me.....every day. I will share with you my challenges and what I manage to pull off each day, and you can share your journey with me.

I will also drink a green smoothie a day. A full serving of vegetables in a glass. So join me, drink up some health!

How long should this journey last? 30 days? That gets us past Thanksgiving, but stops us abruptly in early December, when we may need support the most. 60 days? That lands us in the new year, perhaps too much of a commitment. Let's go with the 30 days. It seems doable, realistic, fun (really, it does sound fun, believe me).

So come along, kick-start or increase your exercise routine, get some healthy eating in there, and laugh. I love to laugh. I am actually laughing right now, because it is snowing, and that means it is cold, and I really don't like being cold.

More on today's exercise later. What is your plan for the day? Exercise and a green smoothie for sure!

Green Smoothies and Frost

2010-11-03T17:42:00.007-04:00

Halloween was fun, but the treats have left me feeling a need for greens. Ahh, the return of the smoothie. My green smoothie went down fast. I made enough for two, and I am so excited to have another one later. This one had spinach, banana, strawberries, and water/ice.

I think the need for greens has something to do with the season quickly changing. The frost was heavy this morning. But so beautiful.

The chickens are always trying to get out of their coop. They follow me around the yard, and eventually end up under the pine tree. They dig and dig, fluff, and settle in. It is quite a procedure they go through to get themselves comfortable. I wish I knew what they were doing, but I just sit back, watch, and appreciate their dance.

I still have just one chicken laying eggs. I have been getting one a day. I will be very excited when I find two eggs in the box. Until then, I appreciate the one.

Finger Food, whaaahaaahaa

2010-10-31T09:01:00.009-04:00

Creepy Witches Fingers .

My sleepy ghoul.

I forgot to take a picture of my fruit kabob before all the scary kids got into it.

My little Ninja enjoying some fruit kabob.

The gang enjoying cookies and Ghostbusters.

Halloween is a weekend long event around here.

I brought a creepy looking bottle of Owen Roe Sinister Hand, as a hostess gift. Very Halloweenish and very good, too.

Fishing, cont.

2010-10-30T16:13:00.003-04:00

Heading out to Lake Iroquois, cold and wet, but determined. Success. Chain Pickerel.

My happy boy.

Halloween Treats and Fishing

2010-10-30T08:40:00.004-04:00

I made the eyeballs! They looked great, they were easy, and they were yummy. Thanks you to everyone over at Frog Creek for the ideas and inspiration!!
There is a new passion brewing around here. I can't complain, it is exactly the type of pastime young boys are encouraged to pursue. Fishing!

The thing is, we don't live next to a brook, stream or pond, so the practice sessions are taking place in the backyard.

No worries, the boys don't seem to mind at all. They have managed to get tangled in the trees a bit, but I think that just makes them more determined to find water.
We have been spending a great deal of time locating all the local fishing and tackle stores, and although I have never been to many of these stores before, I like them. I like all the gear and conversation that goes along with them. I come from a long line of Vermont hunters and fishers, so it feels like home to me.
The chickens aren't so sure about the fishing.
It is a big weekend around here. Parties to go to, candy to eat, fish to catch and pools to close. Yes indeed, the pool is still open and needs to be emptied of many, many, many (many) leaves. Wish it were a bit warmer......

Early Morning Fun

2010-10-24T16:59:00.009-04:00

Having chickens laying eggs makes getting out of bed a bit easier on these dark, cool mornings. It is so much fun to go out to the coop and see if any of the girls left a present for us. Got one (number 3 really)!

Here she is, the proud egg layer, Goldilocks A few others look ready as well.

The chickens do this funny chicken sitting thing, which seems to indicate the eggs are coming out. Three, maybe four of the girls are now doing this. They don't move, they just stand there, and raise their bottoms up in the air (the pink part is the vent, sorry if that is too much information).

It is just a wonderful experience for us to see all of the changes these chickens have gone through in the past 5 months.

We all love the chickens. This one, named Ashley, looks almost ready to lay an egg. She is the favorite of my older son (and also one of the few who actually has a name).

I still have kale and chard in the garden, and the girls get some every day. They also like getting the tops off of strawberries, and their favorite treat is Annie's Organic Mac and Cheese.

I am nervous about how I am going to continue getting water to them now that the mornings are near freezing, and I also need to run a light out to the coop so they continue to lay eggs during the short winter days (they need at least 8 hours of light to keep the egg laying going).

I haven't been able to give away any eggs yet, but I can't wait to have enough to share. I have been collecting egg containers for so long, I am ready to fill some of them and get them out of my sunroom.

Chickens really are love.

VINS and See Science Center

2010-10-22T19:43:00.012-04:00

We just got back from a great two day vacation. Some school friends who happened to have a couple of days off, asked if we would like to go explore some places we hadn't been before.

We headed for Manchester, New Hampshire to the See Science Center. Although there were really cool science things to explore, this is not the main reason we went.

The See Science Center happens to have the Lego Millyard Project. What is that, you ask? It is the largest permanent Lego installation in the world! It was built with approximately 3 million bricks! It is truly amazing.

We had a ton of fun wandering around looking for interesting scenes:

On the way, we also made a stop at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, aka VINS. We have been reading the Guardians of Ga'Hoole books for a while, so it was exciting to see some of the owls in real life. My pictures didn't come out well, as it was a rather gray day, and raining, but I did manage a pretty good picture of one of the bald eagles.

On our way home tonight, there was snow in the air. We are happy to be home, and excited about the upcoming ski season. I think it is about time to get that ski stuff out!

EGGS!

2010-10-21T08:06:00.008-04:00

Wahoo! Our girls left us a present in their nesting box this morning. I have been checking their boxes each morning for about a month. I had golf balls in there so they would know what goes there, and it worked! The beautiful brown egg was just sitting there next to the golf ball, precious as could be.

I am actually surprised that it is as big as it is. From all my chicken reading, I had been led to believe it would be quite small. I think this is quite an acceptable size for a first egg.

It was even a bit warm, which was also awesome.

Some other stuff going on. The onions. The kids harvested my very first onion crop. It was a beautiful fall day, and the kids had a great time helping me with this chore. The onions are small, but so strong and delicious, who needs a big onion?

Someone didn't want to come have dinner with us, so he left us a reminder so we wouldn't be lonely. So thoughtful.

I am being kicked off the computer right now, because Lego Universe is the hot new massively multiplayer online game that both boys are playing. We need another fast computer.

Giant Pumpkins

2010-10-10T18:02:00.013-04:00

Another gorgeous weekend in VT, and another funny pumpkin festival to attend.

I really don't think there is much to say about these guys. They have gotten themselves in giant pumpkins, dressed up in funny costumes, and are racing each other around the waterfront.

The water was a balmy 56 degrees.

Believe it or not, I think this pirate ship stayed afloat.

The red baron and a cowboy?

I believe most of the pumpkins were well over 800 lbs.

A viking?

Be sure to look beyond that hair, and the chef, and notice the beautiful Adirondack Mountains in the distance.

The boys liked this dragon the most.

The bounce house was hugely popular with the gaggle of boys I had in tow. I tried to take pictures of them in there, but all I managed to snap was an occasional foot or fuzzy arm.

The gang.

Fall In VT

2010-10-09T07:32:00.007-04:00

Bumper Sticker. Hiking Mt. Philo, with friends.

Railing at the VT Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival at Boyden Farms, designed and built by my dear hubby! Do you need a railing at your farm?

The American Chunker, see the tiny white pumpkin coming out of the end? That's OK, I couldn't really see it either.

Measuring the trebuchet pumpkins with beautiful Green Mountains in the background.

Pumpkin flying through the air.

Back home, a pumpkin from our very own garden, doomed to be catapulted.

The set-up.

The result. I have some great video of this, but I can't figure out how to load it. It looks like it is loading, and it seems to get to be 99% loaded, but never finishes.

I haven't been blogging much, and I am not sure why. We are busy this fall, not in an overwhelming way, but in a way that feels very grounded in the homeschooling community. We always have friends around, activities we are planning or participating in, projects we want to get going. We have found our groove.

Bye Bye Rooster

2010-09-20T19:14:00.011-04:00

After a month of noise, a month of searching for homes, a month of watching this monster rooster grow, I have found him a home. Tomorrow morning I will attempt to get him in a box and drive him 45 minutes away, where a very nice woman with a small farm is going to welcome him. I am very excited to have found a place for him to free range and make his voice heard. We will miss him, at least a little bit, but my nerves have been on edge for much too long, waiting for my neighbors to call the rooster police and have me arrested. Here is a pretty picture of one of the girls.
Not all things around here have to do with chickens! My youngest wanted his face painted. I have never done any face painting, and I don't consider myself very artistic, so I was pleasantly surprised when my attempt at face art didn't bomb too badly. In fact, my son was quite happy with the result.

I have a feeling there will be more face painting again soon.

Many changes have happened around here, and perhaps I will be inspired to write about it all sometime soon, but for now, I will just say we are quite busy, quite happy, and doing our own thing our own way.

Quick Update From Cape Cod

2010-09-01T20:48:00.006-04:00

We are here in Cape Cod, having a very good time, doing all the things you are suppose to do! We have been to the beach every day. We have been eating out, and eating seafood.

I have been drinking beer.

And the men went fishing.

We still have some things on the vacation agenda, but we are not sure if we will be able to finish our plan, as that darn Hurricane Earl is headed straight for us!

So tonight we go to bed exhausted once again, full of seafood and ice cream, and hope when we wake up tomorrow that this hurricane has headed out to sea and decided to let us finish our vacation.

Welding and Swords or The Apprentice

2010-08-26T20:47:00.008-04:00

He went at it again. Another full day at the welding shop, perfecting his sword making. Take a look.

I will have pictures of the finished product later. I will just tell you this, it is good, and he is proud.

I have funny thoughts about him someday going to high school and signing up for metal shop. Can't you just see him taking over the class and teaching the instructor a thing or two? I am sure he would get into all kinds of debates. This is just an imagined scenario in my head, but it does make me chuckle....

More Summer Fun - Pico VT

2010-08-20T18:05:00.005-04:00

I thought we were going to ride the Alpine Slide, here, but the power jump took over my plan. As you can see, no fun was being had!

I think he did three somersaults in a row at one point.

My younger son opted for the more relaxed activity. And still, no alpine slide riding!

A very fun afternoon. I will go back again and try and get someone to go on the slide with me.

Men

2010-08-17T19:59:00.009-04:00

First things first. This is clearly not a hen! One of my girls, well, she doesn't appear to be a girl. We are sad about this, as roosters aren't in our plan. He is a proud guy. And so far, he has been relatively quiet. We are hoping to keep him around as long as we can, looking for a home rather than a final resting place.

Now on to the other events. As you can see, we have a new weapon here. This weapon was designed and built by my sweet 10 year old.

He is extremely proud of this, the weapon he made at the welding shop with all the men.

Razor sharp.

Our boys need to be given responsibility and the opportunity to be a bit dangerous. Does this make you uncomfortable? If so, why?

Unschooling, Family, Welding and Passions

2010-08-16T09:56:00.010-04:00

I am not immune to the doubts of unschooling. I have posted here before about my lulls and how I have managed to turn them around. I often have to let my mind go down the road to where we would be if we were to return to school. I let my mind wander to thoughts of buses, lunch lines, recess, homework, assigned readings and new friends. I think of meeting new parents in our very own community, of becoming part of a parent-in-the-classroom group, helping out in any way I can. I go down that road of preparing lunches, getting the kids in bed, having to wake them up, stopping their endless questions that wander off topic so quickly. I follow the thought to parent-teacher-specialist meetings where we discuss how we will accommodate my child's need to always be in motion, to testing to see what category each of them falls into, and then the inevitable conversation of medications. That is usually how the discussion in my head goes, and I give myself about 3 months before I pull the boys out, totally frustrated with myself for having ever imagined that this could have been a good idea. And I am back at square one, homeschooling, and realizing that unschooling suits us best, and that I didn't get here on a whim.

For me, a big part of our unschooling life is figuring out how to help my boys follow their passions. They don't have passions like, oh say, baking. They have passions like, build and design cars, rockets and remote controlled space ships. I don't tend to have the necessary equipment and technology on hand to easily follow these passions.

But today, my husband is helping our older son follow a passion and I can't wait to see how it turns out. My 10 year old wanted to go to work with my husband, his dad, today. Work is a metal fabrication/welding shop where about 15 men use big machines, make lots of noise and little kids are not usually running around. My son's goal: make some weapons. His grandfather is going to come along to work today to help as well. A family thing, everyone getting in to this project of his.

My younger son and I are hanging out here at home, waiting for the phone call to come and get my older son, as a full day at the shop will probably be too much for him. At least that is my expectation, but you never know! My son got up at 5:00 am, had his clothes all ready, I heard him brush his teeth and head out. He even left me a note reminding ME to feed and take care of a fish he caught yesterday!

So what I am talking about here today is unschooling at its best. A schedule and family free to accommodate and support a passion for going to work with dad. A grandfather dropping his plans to show up and help. A mom and brother on hand to relieve everyone if things don't work out, or if something comes up unexpectedly. A 10 year old with an idea, a passion, and a plan to follow this passion. Monday morning, summer vacation, and he is off working at a welding shop, learning more this morning than I can imagine. I can't wait to hear about his day, his experience, and his next plan!

Roadtrip

2010-08-06T20:57:00.008-04:00

I took the boys on a road trip. Nine hours in the car, across a border and into Canada, along a lake and through Toronto. Final destination: my friend's house outside of Toronto. It is good to have friends in places all around the country (and in other countries) so we can visit and experience new things. For us, that new thing was Marineland.

It was REALLY hot in Toronto this week. Vermont gets hot, but it almost always cools off at night. We were really feeling the heat in the city this week. Lots of ice cream helped!

I love these Belugas.

Whenever you mix boys with couches and pillows, the pillow fights begin. I was quite pleased that nothing appeared to get damaged while we were visiting (and quite surprised, my jaws still ache from all the clenching I did).

This picture is for me. Macy's in Flagstaff, AZ holds so many good memories, hence my dog who is named Macy! My dear friend and I spent many mornings in Macy's ordering lattes before heading off to class. She was smart enough to buy a mug, and has kept it all these years. At least I got a picture:)

After several days of visiting and getting to know the area a bit, we headed out. We decided to head back to VT by way of NY rather than back through Canada, which put us right in Niagara Falls. It was spectacular.

It is sometimes hard to stop and see really cool things once you are on the road and headed toward a destination, at least for us. But I knew this would be a sight worth stopping for, regardless of how hot and tired we were.

Of course we were in awe.

The power of the water is unbelievable.

We got our fill of Niagara, jumped back in the car and headed back home.

It was a long drive home, but the temperature slowly lowered throughout the day, and our last pit stop, in Lake George, NY, was refreshing and cool. Although we still had 2 hours to go, the windows were down, the smell of cows and cut grass filled the car, the speed on all our single lane, back roads returned to 50 mph, and we were filled with a sense of peace.

Salad Spinner Centrifuge

2010-07-20T08:04:00.005-04:00

I love reading articles like this: Salad Spinner Centrifuge: A Cheap, Ingenious Health Care Tool. I read it to the boys this morning, I couldn't wait to share with them how 2 young people, given a challenge, solved it with something we have right here in our kitchen. I particularly like that two young women did it, but either way, it is cool.

Camping at Lake Dunmore

2010-07-14T20:30:00.013-04:00

We are home after 3 days of serious Vermont summer fun. Lake Dunmore is a beautiful place to camp and have a true Vermont summer experience. There are quaint cottages, small roads, clean water, mosquito's, cotton candy and beautiful mountains.

Kayaking.
Canoeing.

Hey, we're Vermonters, of course we have VT canoes! Check out the wheels on this thing, one person can move this all around easily!

Paddleboating (beautiful green mountains in the background).

The kids had fun at the campsite. All they needed to entertain themselves were a few key things: a cinder block (carefully lugged out of the water, across the entire campground, and to our site), a mallet, and bikes.

Oh yeah, a slingshot, too.

Oops, I forgot to mention a hatchet. This was extremely entertaining.

Dessert time. Bananas and chocolate chips. This was then wrapped in foil, placed in the fire, allowed to melt, and eaten. The kids thought it was awesome. It looked better uncooked.

S'mores.

Just about done.....

I brought along my brand new caste iron skillet. It proved to be fantastic for cooking bacon, eggs and french toast.

It did rain the last night, which makes packing up a much longer process than if things were dry. Here is an emerging pile of camping gear, carefully balanced so as not to fall on the wet ground.

We had a great time, and although we all love camping, we are all excited to be in our own soft beds tonight.

Camping Prep

2010-07-10T15:42:00.021-04:00

I like to camp, I really do. But the prep time sometimes feels longer than the camping trip. So here I am, 2 days before our 2 night camping trip, planning out meals, sorting through gear and figuring out activities. Now the activities pretty much take care of themselves - for the most part. We would like to take along our kayak, but truth be told, I don't know that we can fit it once the van is loaded. Maybe we can, but it will take, you got it, PLANNING!

So here I am, thinking about food, snacks, water, bug spray, and a whole bunch of other things, when I realized how much of this camping stuff is either made of plastic or packed in plastic. Really, I don't know if we would have any gear or food to take with us if we eliminated the plastic. Which really stinks for me, because I have been trying to get rid of as much plastic stuff as I can!

The next dilemma I have is meal planning. I am, at best, a mediocre cook and meal prep person. I wing it, alot. It is often 5:45 pm before I start thinking about what we might want for dinner at 6:15 when my husband gets home. So camp cooking is really, really hard for me. Planning that many meals, without a kitchen, is hard.

Luckily for me, some very sweet and organized people have posted camp meal menu ideas online! And although we don't generally eat these items, I think I may just give a few a try.

Melynda, over a Your Wild Child, gave me the idea for tortellini. I don't know if my kids will actually eat tortellini, but I am going to give it a try. Update, I have bought the tortellini, have it ready to pack, and the kids have vowed never to eat "that stuff".

Camping Blogger also posted some kid-friendly camping menus. I think the calzones look promising, so I am adding some of those ingredients to my list now. (My list looks like this - pizza dough, cheese, sauce. My kids wouldn't dream of putting an onion, pepperoni or diced olive in their mouths.) Update, kids have also vowed never to eat a calzone.

So we leave in the morning, fully loaded with plastic and menu items no one plans to eat. I am having a gin and tonic.

Kid Smoothies

2010-07-06T22:33:00.004-04:00

It is hot, darn hot. August hot. The pool-is-almost-90-degrees-hot! Unbelievable. And, the heat just makes eating a challenge. I don't want to cook, no one really wants to eat, but we need to stay hydrated. So I made smoothie popsicles. They are probably the only popsicles in town with cucumber and tomato (the kids don't know, they just know they are cold and sweet).

My younger son found the smoothie while I was preparing the popsicles, and proceeded to drink the entire smoothie.

I hope you are staying cool wherever you are. We are in for another day of heat tomorrow.