Hearth and Home

New Blog

2009-02-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone who has faithfully followed this blog for over 2 years! after an important psychological breakthrough moment, I have consolidated all 4 of my blogs into one, called HouseFairy. Please join me over there for continuing discussions of ALL things Homeschooly, Birthy, Homemakingy, Fashiony, Rock n Rolly, and all things intelligent happy sad funny cool unique dreamy inspiring supportive contemplative and beyond!

Click here for the new blog!

Warmly,
your Housefairy,
MamaJoy

Small space chic

2009-01-10T06:22:00.001-08:00

I am currently checking this cool site out. I have always had fun ideas about using bright color, but we are not good at furniture arranging and end up with the stuff all around the perimeter of the room. I go to IKEA and marvel at how much style they pack itno tohose teensy little "show-rooms" but I forget how to do it once I get home.

I use IKEA's website to look at ideas for home decor and arrangement. If you let the website show you its features, they have dozens of bedrooms and kirchens and dining rooms and living rooms to scroll through, from plain and dark to bright and childlike.

Any small space design tips to share?

2009

2009-01-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

I did not make New Year's Resolutions this year, per se. But since I am at a hugely transitional time in my life, it was only natural that some changes came about once the Holiday Bustle settled down. So, although this was never intended as resolutions, per se, it has become a wonderful new 2009 already. Here are some of the changes and plans and we are all feeling it and it is good:

Managing Time:
Use wind up clock and egg timer for some basic daily events. Lunch at 12. Nap at 1. Get up at 3. Clean the house (tidy for Daddy) at 4:30. Start cooking at 5. Casey to bed at 7. Mama go on a walk right afterwards (only twice so far it has been sheer ice and I am afraid to fall) Greta and Mickey hang out free time 8pm. Charlie to bed 8ish. Greta and Mickey to bed 9:30.

Certain Days for Certain Events:
Use charts (I hate that word but I made a poster for each day, careful not to overload it with minutae) as guides. Monday serious schoolwork, Boy Scouts.
Tuesday Girl Scouts, Greta and Mama go out for girl-date.
Wednesday pretty open so far but might become reading/library/homemade "book club" of sorts...laundry day.
Thursday field trip or visiting, Daddy works until 8pm so we have casual dinner ie grilled cheese on a blanket or something "fun".
Friday is our new Homeschool Co-Op at a church across town and the kids are enrolled in amazing classes all morning. (Tell you more when we start up, tomorrow!)
Saturday family fun, make menu
Sunday Daddy and Mickey go grocery shopping at 10 am, relaxation and housework, prep for the new week

Simple but very full. This is all we can muster for now and the kids will need some time to really trust me regarding this new rhythm but it REALLY feels right.

I am secretly and slowly cutting back on TV and Video Games but for now I am able to do so in a way that doesnt feel punitive. Do not get me wrong, I am not afraid to upset the little darlings, I just feel like the current amounts are ok. Someday I will lay out my personal opinions of tv and video games and how our family uses technology to work FOR us and not let it take us over! I am also very aware that there are seasons of my mothering and nursing/crawling baby in the dead of Michigan winter is a very distinct season indeed, one of long hours and no car most days.

We are also massivly downsizing--for a hopeful move to the beloved tiny house across from the scrumptious park--but even if we stay here. We are really enjoying being together, and living free uncluttered lives.

I am also cutting WAY back on meat. I was a vegetarian from Nove,ber 2000 until November 2007 but then went overboard in bacon cheeseburger land and now...its like 2 times a week chicken breast and the occasional smoky link at breakfast.

Making menus and only buying those items.
Recycling everything. No we did not and now yes we do. (Got cute little bins and everything.)
Ordering pizza Friday nights and that is the only thing we eat out, ever. Not one single Tim Hortons timbit in the car, nothing. Challenging ourselves to try all the little pizza places in hopes of discovering a special one, and using COUPONS!

Still growing the back of my hair as I keep cutting my bangs....not bleaching so it stays healthy enough to grow....not gonna give up on the dream of high (blue!) ponytail within a year or two!

Simple Lving/Escaping Affluenza

2009-01-02T06:28:00.001-08:00

So, as you may recall, about a year and a half ago, Summe/fall of 07, I was heavily into the downsizing, simple living thing. small house society, all of it. and then I got pregnant, and everything stopped on that front. We did move into a smaller house, but WITHOUT a real switch in our mentality at all, we kind of just crowded about 80% of our STUFF into a littler place. I was 9 months pregnant when we moved, and semi-paralyzed with a separated pelvis and numb hands from water retention induced carpal tunnel syndrome... I was a useless whale who was grateful to watch my hubby and a couple of our friends hauling in all of the STUFF and furniture into the new littler place. but like I said, we didnt change our selves, we didnt change our mentality.

right now I am looking at a house that is across the street from a glorious park, one that has mjor significance to our family. but it is little. Way too little for your average persons' taste for a family of 7. But I cant get it out of my mind. it has 3 beds/1bath just like we have had for years...but it is small. and cheerful. and across the street from a foresty park. and one mile from the hip downtown of our favorite town. So its all realistic and stuff.....

So I got back on the old websites. the simple living and the frugal livin and the google searches have alot more hits than they used to--people are embracing this 'lifestyle' more than they were 1 year ago, if the amount of google hits is any indicator--and I like it.

What is this really about? Well, for one thing, on our modest income, our kids are still acting and seeming very--shall I say it--SPOILED. Maybe it was Christmas. Maybe it is cable tv. Maybe it is busy nursing Mama letting them have entertainment as their main life's activity for far too long. But all I know is that "things have to change" is still true. I see the people with their big big houses and their Mall and S.U.V. lifestyles and their credit card debt and their solve-it-with-shopping attitudes and I know that I do not like that--but we arent doing that much different than them. and I KNOW I do not like that. So its time to change. For me, moving (again) IS important, IS necessary, IF a special house came up and it has. If we dont get that one we will keep looking while we simplify while we are still here. I know I ranted on and on about how FAB this place was and how GREAT the neighbors were but well reality has set in and--just trust me-- there is another side to this coin.

Steve and I know what we want, we just have not done a whole lot to get there. Little new babies can stop life in its tracks and we get that, understand that, embrace it. But talks have resumed. Priorities are being re-discussed. What do we WANT for our kids? What kind of people do we aspire to be, to become, what do we want to model for our children, how do we want to live, and why, and where, and how?

I would love to have little, want less, and have activities and outings and reading and writing and visiting with friends and traveling be what we do. I want my kids to help others and to feel pride in their work, have a thirst for knowledge, and great social skills. I want them to be responsible and polite, humble and honest, free thinking and unique. and I feel pretty sure that if we don't peel them away from the situation they are in, those goals might never be attained. Right now there is FAR too much time spent on these activities:
Griping about the house is a mess
Griping about being bored
"Cleaning" in the form of shuffling and reshuffling our crap all day
Desires to buy more stuff (often cleverly designed as "solutions")
Eating junky food
"I cant find_____xyz___" you name it, its "lost"
Feeling like we are sucky humans because the house is "messy"

I'm done with it all. We have too much stuff, nobody asked for all this, it all came from good intentions, creative toys, fun games, but it is all too much again. And there seems to be no time for:
Playing in the leaves
Walks
Reading for hours on end
Farmers Market
Baking
Long Talks
even the board games that are my husbands huge hobby, we dont seem to "have time for" which is insane!

When we went on a trip last October to a friends' tiny cottage/mobile home in Ludington, MI, I was all abuzz with the simple living kick. Every moment of that vacation I was obsessed with we could do this we could totally do this this is what I want for my life this is perfection --it was 4 adults and 4 kids in a 2 bedroom mobile home with a little washer dryer combo in the bathroom and I was in heaven. Here are a few things I LOVED about that little place:
When you did a load of laundry, you had to take it right into the front room and fold it and PUT IT AWAY right then and there. With no space for procrastination, you just dont.

With one TV, you had to really cooperate and share and decide to watch A PROGRAM. It was unbearable to have it on all day so we watched Iron Chef (cool cooking show) before bed and all 8 of us enjoyed it and then it was over and we turned it off.

Even though it was in the low 40's, we went outside ALOT. "On a walk". "to the park". "On another walk". "To town". you had one coat/mittens/boots set and you knew where it was.

Like my Grandma's house, when you made a meal, you immediately cleaned it up afterwards, down to the last crumb. Or else where would you sit? At Grandma, around the dining room table WAS where you hung out. (Even though she had a large living room and a basement, you sat around that dining room table and there was scarcely room to scoot your chair back but thats where you hung out and discussed things. I love it.) I like having to deal with messes because you HAVE to.

I guess what I am really after are some physical constraints. I have seen that for me and my little kids and maybe my personality tendencies, a big old place is not for me. Its just more housework, more places to have undone piles of stuff, and more to worry about when we are out. I really have a curse and a gift of constantly analyzing lifestyles and social commentary goes through my mind on overdrive, I devour TV shows that highlights "lifestyles"-- from the Duggars and their 18 kids, to the family that lives in the RV, to reading about homesteaders and apartment dwellers and houseboats and people who live in caves and water silos and have dreamed and fantasized about how this would and could pertain to me and my family. some ideas have turned out differently than I had expected. (Some dreams are just dreams--some are just daring until/unless I am sick, pregnant, incapacitated and then wow "go play in the west wing you filthy brats" can seem really tempting!)

I watch these shows with my kids, and we are very fond of Extreme Home Makeover. this is one where they help families who have a a special needs child or situation usually and they make them these amazing state of the art facilities. and they are always ENORMOUS, like 4000 square feet sometimes. and we ooh and ahh over the stylish color palates and the elevators and the jetted tubs....but we only "get jealous" when we watch the show about the people who live in a camper, or have a couple of chickens, or have a million children, or a Daddy who works from home. So that shows me that me and the kids are on the same page. Very cool to know.

Well, we will look further into the house across from the park. And we will re-start the decluttering process and cease all purchases for a long time. We have enough stuff to last a million lifetimes. Now I want to put all that aside and have walks and reading and cooking and laughter and fun and adventure. And I dont want to be worryin all the way home from the museum about "the mess" awaiting me back home.

try a google search of the various things and see what you find:
Simple Living with kids
Small house large family
Small house style
Frugal living large family

Its very exciting and inspirational to me! More soon....
Housefairy

Water Bill

2008-10-25T07:52:00.001-07:00

We just got a $700 water bill for three months. My mom says that is really high and something is wrong. But we thought that at our old house.

We run the washer all day and all night, 24/7, yes its true. But (sorry to be gross) nobody around here gets a daily shower, I would say Steve and Greta take the most and neither of them lingers in there like I sometimes do. We dont have a swimming pool or a "leak"--but man o man do we run that dishwasher. 3 or 4 times a day.

So I think in the interest of flat -out-cash, I am going to go buy a huge huge stockpile of paper plates, paper bowls and paper cups. I know its bad for the Earth but so is running water, etc. Then I could wash only pots and silverware. I really want to try it for 3 months and see what happens cuz this is so bad!

rural/urban ramblings for parents

2008-10-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

First of all, lets suspend all "realities", ok? Cause thats boring.

Now, I want to tell you that I have a huge thing that I obsess about, a yin-yang, a black-versus-white that I always think about: Rural versus urban. What do I want? What is better? What is cooler? Where do I really want to live? (again, we live right here and we arent moving. this is about vibes and dreams)

I think that fresh air and simple living absolutely and totally ROCK. Vermont, trees, no raking leaves, burning firewood, making a big huge cauldron of soup for little kids who wear moccasins and sleep in trundle beds made of logs, digging and playing with shovels and rocks, rosy cheeks, goodness, anti-consumerism, back to the land, hearty healthy goodness and pure human existence, that is what I LOVE. A little patch of unspoiled land, wood smoke and oak leaves, wool sweaters and hearty grog, a chess set, an old truck, books and maybe radio reception. A garden, a real garden that you live on, a drive into town being a big deal, popcorn made in one of those metal roasty-things, tree houses, you know. EXCEPT: Actual living in the actual "country" seems to actually mean bored angry hicks on crystal meth, nothing to do except get wasted and shoot things, high unemployment rates, scary trailer people, loneliness, lack of access to 911 service. I picture me and Steve sitting under the stars...and then I picture the kids growing into adulthood "wanting to get the heck out of this retarded hell-hole" and leaving me behind with the chickens and the neo-cons. sucky, right?
Ok, so urban dreams: Some gorgeous walk-up apartment , maybe a brownstone, in a vibrant community, jazz music fills the air, people of all colors hanging out, museums, concerts, markets wafting the incredible smells of far away delicacies into your window, writers, musicians, all coming to call, a truly eclectic lifestyle, all inclusive, open, lots of eating at the sidewalk cafe, lots of coffee, bagels, and colors. Vibrant, full, rich, human. NO shortage of experiences, ideas, liberal paradise, intelligent companionship, gorgeous mid century modern furnishings, old and new and poetry slams. EXCEPT: actual living in the actual big city seems to actually mean gun fire, crime, exorbitant rents, no fresh air, no quiet, no peace, no solitude. Materialism, shopping, exhaust fumes, no stars in the sky, no animals besides pigeons, electronica invading all manner of daily affairs, kids not even knowing what a treehouse is, let alone having the space to actually build one, things like creeks, bogs, and swimming-holes all replaced by chuck e cheese and the indoor splash zone at the 300$ a night hotel, chlorine-burns included.

SO what do I actually hate? Suburbia. God I hate suburbia. But so many of us live in it, and the attempt to have it all is actually at its highest possibilities in a suburban setting, I guess. Depending on what metropolis you are a part if, if you are at all, we could feasibly have our creek and our museums, too. But at what price? Isnt there a hollowness in making a tree house from neat and tidy pressboard from Lowe's? Isnt there a hollowness in growing a garden just for fun, and not really bothering to care if it goes bad or gets eaten by suburban bunnies, because, really, we are just gonna eat at Red Robin anyhow? Isnt there a strange irony or something about our gas guzzling treks to "vacation" in the over crowded cement-pads we call camping, or for that matter, our gas guzzling treks to the city to get our lil' cultural groove on and have a night of Greek food and open mic in that part of town?

I have no solution, really, and I do not think I am onto anything new here. People in NewYork flock in droves to Central Park, and people in rural areas crave and demand the same shopping opportunities as their city neighbors. So, what? the rich, they have more than one house-bam-solved. The trend is also to maybe move away to a little cabin by the lake when we are old, when the kids are grown--which brings me to my real existential dilemma, if you will: How and what is the best way to raise our kids? Is it fair to keep them out in the country when they are trying to navigate the unsteady waters of puberty and the only other kids they ever met were at the truck stop and whose dark circles under their eyes told of glue huffing and sexual abuse? Is it fair to keep them in the high rise apartments, away from nature, away from the sounds of our planet, the birds, the trees, the rhythms of the sun obliterated by the billboards' glare, never growing familiar with an old Oak, never "knowing" a creek or befriending a squirrel, never "building" anything that wasnt made of red and blue plastic, or eating anything that wasnt lovingly prepared and preserved for ultra shelf-life from the flickering fluorescent aisles of megamarket incorporated? Would your toddlers have heart attacks if your cable tv went out?

Luddism?... Love it. Hate it. I know all about it. Its the reluctant feeling that we sort of laugh about in our family as I kind of pretend in an earth-mama/maternal feminist leaning that I dont know how to hook up the DVD player, or "work" the Ipod(s).

Our circle of friends has done smashingly well at straddling these lines, in inner ring suburbs, with intelligent/artistic/liberal leanings, love of technology and real camping, love of coking over the fire and wearing clothes that they certainly did not sew themselves. (But they could!)

Maybe this is where we really are, gen X, embracing all we have inherited, appreciating the arts, the quirks, the things our dual income parents in the shoulder padded 80's thought they had to eschew for us, maybe this is exactly where we are and maybe the only thing that has to change at all is the guilt and the dissatisfaction.

We have friends who like to call themselves Urban Homesteaders, raising rabbits, honeybees and homeschooling, right in a regular neighborhood, on a regular block. I like that idea. We have friends who are amazing cooks and hikers but hire out all of their yardwork. We have friends who are musicians, repairmen, repairwomen, blue collar, white collar and all sorts of family situations. But none of us lives in the actual city or the actual country and none of us are suburban jerkos, obsessed with our lawns or going to the mall.

We are choosing to raise our kids right here because of the neighborhood. It is amazing, a truly supportive community, with activities and friends and a real sense of kids first. Yeah, lots of those kids you never see--they go from school to lessons to dads house to moms house to daycare to grandmas to school to lessons to camp..their little feet rarely stepping out of the car. But for all of those poor little souls, there are tons of kids who really do play with sticks and mud and who run run run until their cheeks blaze pink and it has nothing to do with tokens, flashing lights or high fructose corn syrup, bless their hearts.

We have a unique opportunity and burden raising kids right now. Too many choices can be a burden, but such an opportunity, as well. Read up, learn alot, and follow your hearts, parents. Then put down all those books and just be with the kids. Watch them, listen to them, see what feels right, see what brings out their best, see what does not. Build your lives accordingly, as finances will allow, remembering all along the vast majority of people on Earth who do not have any such trivial "choices" to make at all!

confessions/new ways

2008-10-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

So I have been working EXTREMELY diligently on this whole new realm of running a proper family. As in, the budget. The menus. The daily tasks, the weekly tasks, the activities.....its alot!

How can I, in my 13th year of marriage, just be starting this? In my 12th year of motherhood, with 5 kids? I do not know.

Maybe in my rebellious way I thought being a "soccer mom" with an electronic pda in my well groomed hand was too repugnant for my rock n roll sensibilities and so I was stuck in the quagmire of being in my 20's, a wifey and yet just a girl, a mother and a homeowner and yet more than satisfied with the promise of a little taco bell on a friday nite with my friends and my husband....yeah it was hard to pay the bills, but hey man, bills are bullshit, right? Pay the mortgage/rent, get some groceries, the rest works out....

*ahem*

it is not cute anymore. It never was, but there was no one to show me any different. I had myself convinced that we were kinda middle class--we had cable and a car, right? anyhow, we hit rock bottom tons of times. Didnt even phase us, really, to have no money, negative money, etc. It was like a dream, just a weird low level stress dream, and there was always that vaguely self-pitying fantasy that "we didnt make alot of money" and that we should be "proud" that we lived at all on such modest means, and with no debt!

Well, in our family pregnancy is expensive. Not babies. Not kids. Pregnancy. The cost: Loss of One Adult--Mom! What does this mean? This means that I, the Mom, will kind of make meals and will do the homeschool lessons, but thats about it. No budgeting, no menus, no grocery shopping, no bill organizing, no saving, impromptu restaurant purchases daily, special herbs, special comfort items, special drinks special pillows special movies clothes shoes music books bedding support garments AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

But we are done with pregnancy. And my husband tried his darndest. He is an astonishingly helpful person, but he works all day, he's worse (read: optimistic/in denial) with money than I am, and well, he ran the show 5 times, and I am now officially considering myself being in an intense period of maternity since 2002 (See other blog for explanation).

I came to my mom, who is incredible with money, and begged her for advice AND money. And she did. She helped us out, but better than that, it helped us learn to do this on our own now. I had the worrysome task of presenting her with ALL the information, and flat out asking her if we were delusional or if we could actually live on what Steve makes. I thought there was a higher than 50% chance she would say "get a job, deary" but she came back with great news: we could do it, and save, too! So we made good trial "worksheets" and several attempted budget plans, but they still didnt seem right. They seemed un realistic, too simplistic, what was the problem, exactly? Why didnt mom's little sheets about "Gas, Electric, Groceries, Cable, rent" seem to have anything to do with wherever it was that the money was going? We had sworn off restaurants, gifts, new clothes, slurpees, drivin around whatsoever, Steve eating lunch out, electronics, entertainment....so where the hell was the money going?

ahem. the martyrous and virtuous ME, buying the martyous and virtuous MISCELLANEA, is where. To WalMart Corp, thank you. How embarassing! Was it knick knacks? Candles? Throw pillows? No, no, no, none of that would have passed my new frugal standards of acceptability--it was just--miscellanea! Nothing exciting! Stuff we "need" that was "super cheap here at walmart so I better grab it". Tape. (do other moms, homeschoolers or otherwise, buy as much scotch tape as we do?) Sandwhich bags. Straws. Kleenex. I dont know!!!! But I buy ALOT of it. Grab grab grab throw it in the cart its only 2 bucks its only 3 bucks its only 4 bucks holy crap why is my bill 80, 90, 120$ what did i do its nothing exciting at all i might as well have bought some gorgeous new shoes and took the whole family camping in them, this SUCKS!

So THAT is the part 2 of this new me, this new organized penny pinching me. Part one was Mom gives us money and we are forever grateful and we pay all our bills and swear to stop spending on anything exciting fun or tasty. Fine. Got it. but part TWO is where the real deal begins, facing my apparent addiction to putting flibbety flub in the cart. and its never ever anything cool, thats what kills me! Its never Halloween decor, its never little socks with whimsical patterns on them, its never raspberry body spritzer or curtain rods with little glass balls on the ends of them! These are the thingies I proudly ignore when I shop at the insideous walmart---but its the lesser stuff that is still killing us.

I am in full charge of the bank account online. I also write it all down, even though its all right there almost instantaneously online, I write it all down. And I have goals. Pay the bills, by the food, gas up the car....but THEN I want to save up for a real van. A Full Size Van. We are unsafe in our minivan AND its horrid to all be in it.

I am also staying home tons more. If we want the car for the day we have to drive Daddy to work and of course go pick him up. I am thinking alot more before we just do this randomly. If I have no car we will not drive about spending gas. We will not shop. We will more likely be home doing our habits and rhythms. There will be a much higher chance of me cooking the planned meals. THEN I can go out in the evenings, (with the baby unless its a real quickie thing) to get away get a break get my head on straight, have a time where I am not being asking a trillion questions or breaking up fights or wincing in pain from the screaming/squealing noises of our household as of late. I like the library for something like that, and have to make sure my library -bound car doesn't head for Target or Walmart instead for some innocuous 90 dollar toilet paper instead ;)
Mom, if you read this blog, (does anyone?) I already told you this but you saved our family, for reals. Thank you.

To everyone else who kinda knows they need to cut back and kinda knows how but gets sort of stuck at those cute recipe idea areas of those cute frugal livin websites---maybe you are just buying too much damn flibbety flub at walmart. Its worth checking it out! Maybe you dont have to bake your own saltines or sew your own winter coat. Maybe thats not for you right now. Maybe just a hiatus from all shopping whatsoever. Im trying.

Organize our schedules

Plan menus and do not stray from them

Organize and plan for our income

Keep working on finding a rhythm for our housework

Keep up the good new homeschool routines

Stick to bed times, naptimes

Make and keep special days for special events--make things meaningful and instill the fine art of waiting for something in the children

Less spontaneity

Keep on top of it all daily

Make time for fun as well as time for work

Value our time and see the worth in organizing it

Value our money and see the worth in budgeting it

Special days of the week for certain activities

Bedtimes for grownups (!!!!!!!!!!!!!! uncool!!!!!!! panic!!!!!! but always worth it!!!!!!)

: )

2008-10-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Did I mention how much I love our dear little new house?

It is just right. Truly-- in the way the Mama Bears chair was too soft and Daddy Bears chair was too hard but Baby Bears chair was just right--- that is this house.

Sure we could use more bedrooms, sure we could use more bathrooms, sure the kitchen is minuscule...but I love it love it love it.

It is a cozy cabin to me. It is easy to clean. It gets warm about a minute after you turn the heater on, and cool the minute you turn the a/c on. It is sunny and sweet and I dont think I want to move for a long long time--very unlike me, not that I am a dissatisfied person but more than I am a wanderlust person.

I just love our dear little house. There are a million trees, a nice little winding path, golden wood floors, it is just absolutely perfect.

Chemically induced bliss

2008-04-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

LOL great title, right?

Well, lemme tell you about something I am quite excited to do today, lil' miss housewifey that I am full time again ;)

I saw a commercial for Mr. Clean with Febreeze scent and I immediately sent Daddy and the kids out to get some! now, lest any greenies try to tell me how bad that stuff is, I am going to interrupt you; this hippie mama has been using White Vinegar and Dr Bronners to clean her entire world for over 10 years....floors, diapers, bathroom, glass....but ya know what? I want to smell something other than old salad today! And that is why I am going to do all the dishes, pick up all the toys, and make up a big hot bucket of Mr. Clean with Febreeze scent. I am opening all the windows and this place is going to be Y-U-M-M-Y! I am doing floors, walls, and all surfaces and hopefully some little kidlets will want to join me in the scrub and sniff fun.

With 2 rabbits, a cat, a diaper pail, 6 people's garbage, and a house whose windows have been shut for SIX months, this is going to be a big, big improvement! Hooray!

Joy's Carpet Cleaning service

2008-02-27T05:19:00.000-08:00

Last summer, I was faced with a little dilemma: to throw out or to professionally clean a beloved rug of ours. The thing is, it was only about $40 to start with, and I did not want to do either thing, but it was FILTHY. It had been rolled up for months, and there was dried smashed banana on it, and general grime--I think even some cat barf.

So, I tried something that would not hinder my options to still get the thing professionally cleaned or to of course throw it out.....here is what I did.

I made a big bucket of hot water with a little splash of Tide in it. I took the rug out to the driveway, and got on my hands and knees and just crawled all over this thing, scrubbing and scrubbing every inch of it with an old wooden bristle-brush. I scrubbed and scrubbed it with hot detergent water, soaking it, and the bubbles were grey, and I wasn't sure if this was working at all...but on I scrubbed. My knees hurt, my back ached, and I felt like I looked ridiculous to the neighbors with my big ole butt in the air in the driveway--but there was no where else to do this!

then I hung the heavy soaking wet soapy rug up over the fence, draping it over both sides, and just blasted it with the hose for a long, long time. Filthy water poured off of this thing, but eventually went from grey bubbles to grey water to clear water. I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed it with the hose nozzle set to the harshest spray level, and then left it there to dry in the sun. It wasn't even that hot (or sunny!) of a day, but there was nothing else to do with it.

I went out to check on it after about 2 hours and Lo and Behold it was clean! Really, really clean, and the pile was as fluffy as the day I got it. It was also almost dry, and so I flipped it around to get the rest of the day's sun on the other side.

Like I said, this thing was only about 40 dollars, but I saved it and I learned a great technique in the meantime. I even considered cleaning other people's rugs for them, for maybe 15 bucks?

It is very IKEA-ish but it was originally from KMart. I remember distinctly the night I ran to Kmart for a quick errand and came home with the big polka dot rug...it was just so cute that Steve understood right away why the random purchase. I am so glad we didnt have to get rid of it!!!!!

a lament

2008-02-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

I read this today on Mothering, and it was a cute story, but it made me really sad....because I, a life-long Michigander, have alwasy been the one to "stick up for" winter. When people heard that there was a forecast for snow, I was always the one to think "Yippee!!", and to tell anyone within earshot what horrible scrooges they were for bemoaning and begrudging the beautiful and fun and inevitable S-N-O-W. I vowed I would never become one of these wierdos, obsessed with spring and summer--I loved to sled and skate and I have even skiied as a teenager and LOVED it.

but....but...but....its just over for me, now. We are always sick in the winter, and I mean always. there is no sledding, there is no skating. There is Daddy too sick to shovel and Mommy too sick to buy healthy groceries, and a whole lot of outrageous heating bills and pizza and misery. Hacking coughs that take our breath away, cancellations of every winter party, Valentines party, St Pattys day party and usually my own birthday party (April 3rd!) I have very few memories of not being extremely sick on my birthday.

So, even though paintings of "Up North" types of scenes, with little Cardinals and Squirellys and White Pines make me so happy, and even though I have idyllic visions of sitting on my log couch in my log cabin high up in the woods, curled up with my Woolrich red plaid blanket, Sipping on some decadent chocolate coffee, just looking and looking and looking at the birds out in the white expanses of snow, (maybe even a little notebook at my side to write down that mister bluebird came today, or Rose breasted grosebeak came back to visit) this plan is slipping out of my grasp as something that is possible for me or my family anymore, and I am really sad.

We are getting better now, but I dont dare take us anywhere. The baby is still having such harrowing, gasping coughing, and I am still getting really dizzy and wiped out when I try to do much of anything around the house, let alone dress us all for some "outing". I just feel so sad about this, and dont know if we honestly need to move somewhere else, an old fashioned notion of "delicate" health, I dont know. I just don't know. but almost 1/2 the year now is being cancelled due to this syndrome, and I dont think it is any way to live. Please dont write to me about Echinacea or garlic, we have spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on that stuff, and it never ever helps. :(

Super Steve

2008-01-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

My dear husband is a much under appreciated superstar at his job. This is the job where I call him screaming about "Where is the ketchup?!?!" and "How do you get Mario to the shine sprite level?!?!", and such. Well, through all of our unappreciation, not ironing his outfits, not making him breakfast, griping about his hours, grumbling about him smelling like "oil" when he gets home (arent we a horrible bunch?) he sold ONE MILLION dollars in auto parts in 2007. (He works for Volvo)

He got a presidents' club award and an invitation to a very VERY ritzy dinner gala event in which he was honored along with a roomfull of other super stars from around our state. He of course, got to bring a guest and it was me, old meanie! He had to wear a suit and tie and looked hotter than I have ever seen him. My paperdoll-baby, I was so proud to even sit by him, man is he adorable dressed up like that. It was kind of outrageous. I scraped together some hideous black sweater and long skirt thing but it wasnt my night and there was nothing else to do. Some women were in actual honest to goodness formal wear/prom dresses and some had on pants and some blouse thing. so I was fine, even though I felt pretty gross and under dressed.

This was not some weird banquet hall with mostaccioli over burners, this was a 5 course fancy meal and we had a blast. We got to carpool with an extremely silly and outrageous (anyone watch Jackass on MTV? too fun) guy from his work who is about 24 and his really funny and cool wife, and they had us cracking up and feeling young and childless all the way there. We sat with them and had the "fun table", it was alot like our wedding-- I was actually thinking that mashed-potato sculptures or worse would end up happening once the alcohol got flowing, but mostly funny stories about work and life were flying fast and I laughed all night long.

The EXTREMELY rich and powerful owner of the entire "collection" of dealerships (over 100 in Michigan) was there, and he ended up coming to our table more than once (like I said, we were the fun table) and he talked to me about my hair!!!!!! I handled it super well, it was all fun and good, and he very good naturedly pretended that maybe he would "go green" LOL. He was super nice, the whole thing was just so fun. We even had desserts and ice creams and joked that we needed valets to roll us out the door we were so insanely stuffed.

THEN the honorees all got a paper that had about ten choices of really nice gifts they could decide upon; leather briefcases, wooden poker sets, fishing rods, crystal trophies, and a funky McHammer jacket that the silly guys were joking about getting matching ones.....then the "dates" (me) all got LITTLE BLUE BOXES FROM TIFFANYS I do not kid about this kind of stuff.

It was a silver bracelet, very cool and normal looking. I couldnt believe I actually got something from Tiffanys! First of all, if Steve ever got me something from there I would want to take it back and have the money for other stuff! Secondly, I like to think I dont care about brand names---but it was still so cool, right??

We never did get pictures of our dear hotty Steve as he took that suit off the second we got home, greeting our amazing friend Trish, and the kids, in the hustle and bustle of all that, I never took a picture of him...Thank you dear dear Trish who babysat so cheerfully and for so late on a weeknight...

But here is my blue box and my bracelet. I am so proud of Stevie and am going to be alot more supportive and alot less selfish and ridiculous to him from now on.

cooly house

2007-12-28T08:29:00.001-08:00

Of all the styles I like, of all the things I find beautiful and cool and awesome and exciting, I will have to say that the log-cabin is the number one for me. Do you know that store, Outdoor World? It is this giant mega mart of fishing and hunting crap, crazy tents and grills and boats and acorn shirts for Grandmas, but the whole thing in there just gets me so excited. I want to "do" my house up like that. I want a bed with big huge logs for the frame of it. I want log couch, too. Log walls. Wood floors. Massive amounts of money spent on feeding and enjoying and listening to the birds, identifying them, recording it all down, encouraging them to nest and stay all year. On my log couch with my special sitting nook and coffee coffee coffee and tea tea tea and yeah hell yeah the new agey tribal flutes Cd, too-- all of it. The Oak leaf fleece blanket on my slippered feet. A mountain retreat?

Ok so what about the high rise and IKEA and pink neon plastic JPop ornaments and Chinese paper star lanterns and the Bubble Chair and post modern modern 3 story deluxe apartment in da sky? I don't think they are mutually exclusive. At all.

So the closest to my dream would be the kinda stuff you see on maybe Extreme Homes or something, even though none of it is very crazy. I want beauty and peace and woodsy modernism. Like Cardinals and acorns but drawn in a cool way.

Birdie

2007-12-26T06:53:00.000-08:00

http://www.zacandzoe.com/misc/zzonebird.html
See this? Why is it so expensive? i think I want to make some cutey little calico birds for decorations/toys and I might use these for inspiration. Cute, right? Rediculous what some people will pay for things.

So cute new blankies

2007-12-23T18:20:00.000-08:00

I have a thing for winter-symbolism. Snowflakes, especially. Any time of the year, the darling and precious snowflake on a plate, a cup, a sweater, a hand towel, or a BLANKET, and I am just giddy. So adorable and appealing are the pictographic images that surround not necessarily Christmas, but winter, and I am just ga-ga.

So guess what I got? The yummiest, fluffy-puffiest, deep and warm and utterly GORGEOUS bedding set from Target last night! My sweet sweet people from the Friday night gang at work chipped in and got me a Target gift card--such an unexpected surprise, especially the nice thing they wrote in the card--sniff! sniff!-- and I high tailed it to the nearest Target and bought this fantastical thing. Comforter and 2 pillowcases. Flannel. Coolest color scheme. SO thick--did I even know I wanted a thick quilt, per se? Well, lemme tell ya this bed is SICK now, how it beckons me! I really cant even look in my room when I visit the bathroom oh so many times a day because like a magnet, this "new bed" SUCKS ME IN with its soft and fluffy beauty.

Thank you, sweet curling club Friday people, and thank you Target for selling something so high quality and gorgeous for $29.99. My bedroom is so glorious now, I am going to go jump in immediately! G'night! Off to puffyville!

Seasonal complaints

2007-12-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

My whole family is drying up! They are thirsty and have the driest skin. I chase them around with lip balms and ice waters and bought super expensive cracked-skin cream. Arggg. We need a humidifier but I picture it not working and the little ones dumping it or drinking it or worse. Winter can be a pain. I like it, alot, in theory, but it is just a PAIN. In summer, it is hot and you always feel sticky and gross and flithy, but at least there isn't all this huge MAINTENANCE the second you wake up, you know? In winter, t is just so much WORK to feel like you have it together. It is the opposite of relaxed-island living.

I wake up and immediately I am FREEZING and have to put on a huge outfit. Long sleeved shirt, sweater, jeans, socks, shoes, and then run to go pee! My lips are split and I am super thirsty and cold. I cant bear the idea of going out to the kitchen shivering and tense, and all the household chores seem much harder. The kids don't want to get up, and when they do, they seem to always be barefoot and i pester them to get some socks on, NOW. I HATE seeing their little red feet with crumbs on them--- YUCK. I want everyone to be totally dressed, even down to shoes. I get uptight when it is cold. It is my parenting/protecting thing coming out. I feel much less tolerant of relaxed/lazy stuff and want hot meals to be eaten properly, at the table, and then cleaned. No summery treats all over the place. If my kids liked this stuff, it would be oatmeal for breakfast, soup for lunch, chili or stew or lasagna for dinner, cocoa for bedtime. Baths for all children, slather them all from head to toe in the expensive medical cream, pass around the chapstick, 4 sippy cups of ice water, and in footie pajamas asleep by 7:30pm. Too bad I'm never even home anymore at night.

So what is it about winter that I supposedly like? It is pretty. when we have what we need in the house, which feels like never, we can be cozy and safe. We can sled, in theory, but we don't get deep snow like we used to, and it is an ORDEAL to put it mildly. Maybe this year Steve can come with us--but we never have boots of our own, only the kids do....last year Charlie couldn't walk so I concluded that he was too little to sled so he stayed home with Daddy.

We could ice skate but we don't know how and it seems difficult/impossible to teach 4 kids to skate at the same time if i cant skate. This would be a good situation for a helping adult friend. We have an ice arena very close by....

In theory we could have jaunty laughing friends over for jaunty laughing hot drinks and movie nights....this one does sound quite good....

I like to wear big cozy clothes that make me feel cute and not like my lard is spraying out. Summer time is a gross time of armpits flying out and hyper leg hair maintenance and dry-spot-on-your-foot-shame marketing pressure and i resent all that. That stuff ruins summer. In winter I can wear my jeans and long sleeved t shirts and look cute and feel nice and protected, not like I am in some swimsuit competition everytime I go to the grocery store.

I like to cook and bake and have it be a good thing that the oven heats up the whole kitchen, not a torture fest.

I guess all I am actually trying to say is winter and summer suck and I like fall. Taking care of four children in extreme temperatures is much much harder than when it is nice out.

Battling the brrr

2007-12-01T15:56:00.001-08:00

Wow, did we ever get close to doing something rather hasty. We were --this close-- to moving just because we have some ideas about simple living and thought that we HAD to live in a tiny tiny cabin to live simply--and mostly, because our gas heating bills were so high last year and we thought with our big, old, inefficient furnace, and our long, big (for us) drafty house, there was no hope. But we can do simple living here, and we have made lots of strides in this area, even if all the work has been majorly curtailed by me working most nights, we are still on track. It costs about $2000 to move and we dont have it. Plus it is really really really alot of work to re-set up a home life. With little children, it is so much more than just unpacking stuff when you can. It is major disruption of schedules and lots of negative fallout as a result that takes months if not longer to recover from. Sounds kinda like a nightmare right now.

So here is my new stance on the heat-bill thing: The Man cant chase me from my home. Can I honestly say we did EVERYTHING we could last year to keep the bills their lowest? No.

The new plans:

We will discontinue all use of our "3 season room" which connects our driveway to our home. You can park in the driveway but then you have to come to the front door. There is no overnight parking on our street, so oh well. Walk 100 feet and get over it. (These mean words being directed at myself not my visitors!)

We will lock and put down blankets/towels in front of the door that leads to this room and will not go in there unless extremely necessary. For those of you who remember me saying it was going to be our homeschool gym, well, we just cant afford any play toys at all although we got a slide a few months ago, we can put it in the kids' bedroom and be "fun-parents" until spring.

We will put on the storm windows AND the blow-dryer plastic treatment on EVERY window in the house. We will put down rolled up blankets in front of every door that leads to the outside. We will lay down rugs and wear shoes and socks or slippers from the time we wake up until bedtime.

We are going to start using space heaters, as well. These are not dangerous as people are lead to believe, they are small and cheap and efficient and they all have no-tip sensors inside so they instantly turn off when and if they get knocked over. We only use 2 bedrooms for sleeping, so we could theoretically turn the heat OFF at night, or way down. Daddy gets up early to go to work and, like the olden times only much much easier, he could be the one to turn on/up the heat.

We could theoretically use 4 or 5 little space heaters at different times and not use gas heat hardly at all. I already use cold to wash clothes and we don't have a dishwasher. So it would be heating our baths and showers only, and somewhat our home. We are on a "payment plan" with the electric company anyhow, we pay $104 a month so we could use the electric space heaters without too much worry.

I think back to what people used to have to do in the mornings in the way of chopping wood out in the snow, using outhouses, milking freezing cows and goats, lighting fires, and I think we are wimpy pathetic people nowadays. I have no interest in "freezing" all day, nor wearing hats in the house or anything so sad or extreme. But with the money saved from not living the way we did last winter, we could definitely afford six pairs of slippers or a fireplace guard (we only do fires at night because Charlie can walk right into our fireplace, it is right at floor level.)

Thank you, Mom for helping us out last year when we got our gas bill for $800. It won't happen again!

Peeping tomgirl

2007-11-29T06:56:00.000-08:00

Ahh, winter. Time for Cocoa, fireplaces, big cozy sweaters, and peeping into people's houses.

HUH???
;)

Yes, I am going to admit here that I LOVE it when people leave their window shades open when it is dark outside and they are home with lights on. Am I trying to see some family dispute, a torrid love scene, something titillating? Well, no-- unless, like me, you are completely enamored with home decor, which can be quite exciting!

It gets dark around 5pm now, and I drive to work around 5:30. My favorite part of the drive is seeing in all the houses! I am so intrigued by the paint colors, the furniture choices, the layout of the rooms, and the actual architecture of houses, it is a wonder I stay in my lane. I hope for red lights so I can look in and at the houses. I love the tiny houses that have upstairs. I love the Brady-Bunch "modern" slab houses with the funny little carports. I love the big old farmhouses, and I love to hate the random huge new-construction homes that pop up in the middle of modest streets and never seem to sell, forever vacant with their oversized garages and no yards and no lawns and no trees, and their for sale signs out front, eventually replaced by for lease signs. I love to see how many people have a television as the ONLY thing in their living rooms besides a recliner, and I love to see funky kitchens with brown or green refridgerators and a hundred pictures of grandkids on the walls interspersed with kitschy needlepoint blessings and half hearted collections of all kinds. I love the ugly houses that look like hip IKEA showrooms inside, and I love the gorgeous homes with nothing in them. I just love it all.

I always close my curtains, maybe because I am so keenly aware of how easy it is to see everything inside a lit up house when it is dark outside. I am not some sicko, just a very curious person who finds so much of human behavior absolutely fascinating, especially when it comes to artistic choices. If I had a dog to walk, I would probably be more subtle in my peeking. I have babies to walk, but when the weather is nice enough for that, it is usually light out until way past bedtimes...So for now, I will limit my peeping for the carride to work--and if the idea of people looking in your house freaks you out, then for goodness sake-- close your curtains!!!!

Laundry talk

2007-11-02T11:28:00.001-07:00

We found a dryer on craigslist for 20 dollars!!!
We are going to go pick it up somehow tomorrow!

The nightmare of no dryer might be over. Can u even imagine, such a vital part of big family living, just interrupted? It has been horrible. BUT, soon we will be dryin up a storm, I hope.

What I want is two washers and two dryers, but I would settle for 2 washers and one dryer. anyhow, for now, that is only a dream.

We have new system, and I know big families are constantly in search of systems, so here is what we do:

We have 6 baskets, one for each person. I lay them all on the couch and then tkae huge mounds of clean clothes and toss them unfolded into their person-basket. then Daddy and the kids take them off to their appropriate rooms and, with some assistance for Charlies cloths of course, they get folded and put into the drawers and you have to bring Mama back the baskets. Somedays I will refill 'em, somedays that is all you have to do. I shouldnt say days, it is an evening chore.

What do you do to get the clean clothes back to the drawers, if you do at all? ; )

My first time

2007-10-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

We just had to do what I think alot of parents had to do way before I ever did: completely LEAVE the grocery store without completing the task of obtaining the food, due to toddler spaz attack, level 4, code crimson.

It was actually quite funny and liberating! We have needed to grocery shop for days and days now, and even though I can get better prices pickin' and choosin' at the farmer's market and the produce store and Sam's Club and Wal-Mart and the little grocery store near the house, ummm its not my big life to shop with four kids all day everyday. I am tired, we have one car, we have limitations on alot of things, and so Kroger it was decided.

I don't know if these store names are familiar to anyone living outside of the midwest, but Farmer Jack was a big store that recently went out of business, leaving Kroger and Meijer as our only local "Big Grocery Chain Stores" and the competitive pricing has gotten less competitive and stuff is just getting so expensive! I had a bad feeling when I saw $2.49 a pound for red onion and $2.19 a pound for apples. APPLES! In October! In Michigan! no. then I wanted a small bag of almonds and they were 7 bucks. Frozen Salmon was $8.99. Pop was like 4 bucks. It was stupid.

But back to the toddler meltdown.

So we got one of those fun carcarts, and Casey and Charlie rode in the carpart. Knowing that this would only last so long before they beat each other or started to climb out the window of the car or whatnot, We also brought a stroller which Greta and Mickey pushed, empty. I had some ridiculous image in my mind that Charlie might "rest" in there, like he is 6 months old or something. So I brought a blanket and a pacie and a water. Thoughtful of me, right?

While we were still in the produce section, Charlie started up his high pitched demand of "I COME OUT. I COME OUT. I COME OUT! I COME OUT?! I COME OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I COME OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I! COME! OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ok, ok, there are like 12 grandmas staring at me like they never saw a mom before, and so in my best, best super patient "lil' buddy" voice, I said ok, honey, lets try the stroller" and I put him in the stroller. He was screeching before I could even buckle him in. Of course, I am over 6 feet tall, bending over our piece of crap broken stroller with some sweater on that only a few minutes ago felt cozy and jaunty but now was strangling me to death and threatening to roast me/give me heatstroke/itching, bleeding hives and so, I was pretty much high blood pressuring out and we weren't even in aisle one.

"There you go, hun" I smashed the little clicker into its receptacle.

"Greta, please push him around so I can pick some things"

Mickey has chosen this moment, like so many other high pressure moments, to chitty chitty chitty chitty chat and vaguely beg for weird things. I completely do not answer him. ?If he missed the 15 minute prelude speech that I gave in the parking lot about how we are only buying what is on the list and if you beg for other crap you will not go trick or treating then that isn't my problem, and besides, who could hear anything right now with Charlie SCREECHING.

I put a tiny bag of $4.99 a pound sugar snap peas in my cart. I have no idea why.

We get to the end of the produce and Casey is climbing out of the window of his race car cart and Mickey pounces onto the roof of it and screams "BOO!" and Casey starts crying, a bit fake, but nice and loud. So now I have 2 boys crying. We enter the beginning of aisle one. Some woman in a Kroger uniform walks over to Greta and the strollerfull of screaming Charlie and sticks a purse that is in the shape of a dog in his face and says "Look! Look! Look! Who's this? Is this doggie? Is this doggie?" and I said "Please, don't. Excuse us, please"

but over the din of Charlie's crying, neither of us really heard each other and I made a head-bobbin motion for Greta to just push the baby away and go on a walk, which she did not get and started getting frustrated with me. I decided to "pull over" and "regroup", and so I squatted down to Charlie to decipher what it was he was screaming. "I WALKIN" is what he was saying. He wanted to walk. As in, like a person does in a store. Like you see little girls do in stores, but not so many little boys. (Call me sexist, but then go do some field research and get back to me. I got 10 years in the field and I know what I know. 2 year old girls are capable of straight-line walkin now and then. 2 year old boys....they got about 5 or 6 more years to go before walkin can be achieved without some major glitches)

So, in the same delusional universe that decided to wear the wool sweater, that decided to go with the car-cart, that decided to buy snap peas, that decided to pack a little blankie in case he wanted to REST, I unbuckled Charlie and thought maybe he could walk with us.

and then he was gone. for a moment I thought "ahhh silence" but--no, no that's terrible--"Stay here, guys!" I briskly walked around the corner , fully expecting to see a tiny little person and when I didn't, I felt horrible. I ran to the next aisle and the next aisle--where he was about halfway down the aisle, trotting pretty fast. (Oh, how I wish for his birthday tomorrow I could rent him an empty grocery store and let him free!! No glass jars or staring grannies, please) so I jogged up behind him and said "Hey, baby! You can't just run off like-----"BOOM! He bucked back and headbutted me in the jaw. I dropped all facades at this point and put him under my arm like we all do when hoity toity grannies are not looking. I marched back to aisle one and told the children "We are leaving. We are not buying the food right now. It is ok. Lets just leave"

That's all I needed to say, right?

No. Mickey and Casey were SO confused and really, weren't we all? They thought that perhaps here, in this burning inferno sweater, in aisle freakin ONE, holding a 30?40? pound child who is completely tantrumming out and screaming SO hard he was turning FUSCHA. that I should explain in 100 words or more exactly what was happening.

"WE ARE LEAVING, GUYS. NOW. LETS GO!"

I grabbed our sticky gross pop cans, my purse, and ripped off that damn sweater, and threw them in the empty stroller which Greta thank goodness had the sense to just push and not question me. Mickey and Casey were blathering on: what about the apples and what about the peas and fortunately for us all, Charlie was just too loud to really be expected to hear anything.

And so, calmly, swiftly, mainly just just determined to hold my head up high---I channeled all the stories of all the mommies who ever "had to leave" , and they enveloped me in a good, rightful, strengthening, refreshing harmony as we made our way out to the car. I felt brave, in control. I didn't want their rip off food anyways, nor did I want to see another evil rich peach haired old lady for a long, long time. I felt really, really much better as soon as we got out of that store.

Or maybe it was just taking off the sweater.

We'll get some other groceries from other stores someway somehow along the way over the next few days, we always do, and we have stuff here tonight to eat for dinner, (along with what I can only hope are plenty of Butterfinger bars and dark chocolates from trick or treating!!!) Of course not every trip is like this, in fact, it really hardly ever phases me to shop with all the children.

Happy Halloween!

Compacting continues

2007-10-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

*The only homeschool stuff we need for DAILY use. the rest is on bookshelves or in the shoe-holders*

We have found so many cute houses online now, I guess nobody wants to move in the fall--so awesome! Places that are 3 or 4 HUNDRED dollars less a month than where we are now, plus smaller newer home means smaller heat bills, which we simply MUST have.

I am doing all kinds of behind the scenes things to prepare to move, things that, even if we didn't move, are of great benefit to our home. I have been downsizing, downsizing, downsizing our clothes and books and toys, getting closer and closer to the goal of having very few things that are beloved and well taken care of, and that have a place where they go. Our linen closet, (which you used to need a hard hat just to risk opening), now looks like this:

There is only soap, towels, and a tupperware of ALL medicines we own. The towel pile is so small because our dryer is broken again and we have to hang them out to dry, but it rains everyday it seems and so my towels are wet wet wet. This pile was washed by my best friend--thank you!!!!!

I have plowed through our toy boxes, baskets, and bags and plucked out all of the good toys, the wooden toys, the complete sets of toys, the long lasting, high quality toys that we love and use, and have displayed them on some of our newly-bare bookshelves, in reach of the children, easy to clean up, and find.

I have gone through our homeschool stuff, and done this: only the curricula that we love and use, only paper and crayons, only the best of our manipulatives and tools are going to clutter up our lives. No more puzzles with missing pieces, no more 80% filled in preschool books from the grocery store from 1999, no more drawings smashed in with white paper, and a big huge outside-type garbage can sits right in the middle of the room now. I even nailed up some of those "shoe organizers" (5 bucks, wal-mart) right to the wall!
Each child has a drawer (not Charlie) for their notebooks and for their "WORK". this can be ongoing projects, special drawings, 1/2 done fingerknitting, etc. It is all there. I cannot see how any parent, even of pone child, let alone 4 homeschooled kids, could live with the constant "Mama!? Where's the Pikachu I drew in the car that one time? Where's my super bracelet I was working on? Where's my chart of the fruits we did? Where's my old list of ideas I did for my birthday party next year?..."

It is in your drawer, because hopefully you put it in there, my dearie, is what I say.

Stuff like super balls and mini yo-yo's and stickers and all other gumball machine types of things that children seem to accumulate even if you haven't yourself put a quarter into a gumball machine since the 1980's--this goes in their "special drawer" in the kids' lounge. Another cheap, cheap find at any store, but of course it could be anything, a cardboard box, anything!

I hope we can find a new smaller home quickly and can easily pick up these things and move. I hope this is the last house that we haul pounds of flim flam to, that's for sure. As I learn more and more about the decluttering movement, the simplicity movement, I am learning tons more and more about what it is that our family really wants and needs.

With lower house payment, lower bills, and me working, maybe we can get back to a place where we are the fun, on the go family that we used to be--with a tidy and simple home, and some actual money, we can have a savings account and go places like we used to almost daily--far away libraries, hands on museums, science centers, nature centers, visiting relatives and friends, --we are so broke right now that the gas and the food alone to do anything is prohibitive. It might sound really cute to say "pack a lunch!" and believe me, we do--but lunch for 5 or 6 people gets pretty tricky to pop into a stroller under-bag, and I think my husband works damn hard enough for me and/or him to get huge hot coffees when we leave the house with 4 little kids by 8 am on an outing, call me exorbitant, but I have spent all of my adult years bringing nasty burnt homemade coffee in leaky spilly "travel mugs" wherever I go, and it just sucks. (For some women its a Prada bag, I just want a fricking coffee from a drive thru, and I don't even want to think it over if I want large or Grande or whatever-- didn't I eat enough kroger macaroni all week to garner this expense?)

Some people want a huge home and to be broke all the time. We are done with that lifestyle. We would like to have a VERY modest home and to feel like we aren't going to die every time we get a flat tire or the kids need shoes. Living without credit cards is a blessing and one that we are very proud of, but it of course, makes the "paycheck to paycheck" a 100% reality, especially since my husband took about a 45% pay cut this past spring unannounced and for no reason.

Wish us luck!

:)

2007-10-17T10:02:00.001-07:00

http://www.paperlanternstore.com/

I am going to get some of these someday. So dear.

Gettin started on downsizing

2007-10-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

We like to change our rooms around. Through various ages and stages, wants and needs of our four children, through fads and phases and theories, we have made some choices that have ranged from perfect to absurd to weird to impractical to genius.

Well, this is what we did yesterday: We took all four of the kids' beds, and put them into our smallest bedroom. All lined up like a little storybook cottage. Nothing else in there, no dressers, no toys, no flim flam. Just 4 beds, a nightlight and a fan for white noise.

In the other bedroom, our biggest one, we made it into a sort of super fun kids' lounge. 2 TVs, a couch, a little table, video games, lamps, a few toys, open ended stuff like little cars and blocks, and some throw pillows. They got to hang every crazy poster they collectively owned, The Beatles, Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter. Spongebob, and all the drawings they ever wanted to tape up.

Then the third bedroom is for me and my husband.

There are boxes and boxes of flibbety flub for us to go through and to get rid of/sort/and distribute. We told the kids that this is going to be a fun hang out for EVERYONE, and so it cant be all delicately decorated with Charlie on the prowl. I told them they will each get a shelf about 4 feet up to lay out their display items such as jewelry box, little trophies, special trinkets.

The Mom-secret to all of this is that all the stuff that is crazy and hodge podge can be in the their kids lounge, and I can have my nursery-decor urges fulfilled by the sweet and peaceful little sleeping room they share.

I think back to how we used to fret about what "people" thought back when Greta and Mickey--gasp--shared a room when they were little tots. I laugh and shake my head at how much I cared what relatives who came by twice a year (if we were lucky!) thought about our life. Silly old 20-something Joy. I remember how excited Greta was when baby Mickey started sleeping in her room and not with mama anymore, and how much fun they all have had in various room-sharing combos over the years.

Now we have 4 kids sharing a room to sleep happily and we got this amazingly cute and fun kids lounge room out of it. They have proclaimed me to be a genius and were jumping up and down and screaming how much they loved it. Cool!

Maybe it will last and maybe not. But it was fun to do and I think it will solve alot of small issues we were having. For example, Greta likes to stay up later, but me and Steve are kind of "done" by about 8 or 8:30. So, we told her she can stay up in the kids loungey room and read for a while, watch an approved show that her brothers are too young for (she likes Animal Cops, a scary true show about animal rescue squads in different cities: pretty graphic images about abused dogs and such--she also likes Goosebumps, a mildly "scary" show written for her age that is too scary for Mickey that comes on at 8:30-9pm)

So we put Charlie to bed first, around 7:30 and let him fall asleep. Then Casey around 7:45 . then Mickey around 8, then Greta later. It worked last night, hope it continues.

I keep learning so much from these small house people, and this is good practice for us. As Greta put it yesterday when we were setting up all the beds, "Mama, there is room for 4 bunk beds in here! That's 8 people!"

That's my girl! She and I have been pouring over this site for days now, looking for inspiration. We have a tentative plan to declutter, compact, and scale down over the next few months so that we can begin to look for a new more simple and small and cozy and affordable home in the area in January. I must admit I have already been peeking and poking about online on craigslist and realtor.com and there is lots of stuff out there at a fraction of what we pay now. We are looking for something with a small cottage like inside and a fenced yard. Other fantasies include a kitchen with some kind of half-wall so I don't feel so isolated in there (found 3 online already but I'm not supposed to be looking yet!! arg) and just a simple, cheery vibe. I want NO ceiling panels and NO upstairs with dangerous stairs. I also really do not want carpet--too many bad memories of stained crusty grossness at the old house.

Today: going through the schoolroom and leaving ONLY what we use and love.

(This is so fun!!!!!!)

Learning about the Small House Society

2007-10-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

I want to move to a teeny, tiny house. Am I crazy? Do I love punishment or suffering? Have I forgotten our old place and how cramped it was?

No, no, and no. You might want to start here, at the small house society

You see, I have been a non-practising admirer of the simple living lifestyle for about 3 or 4 years now. A lurker, if you will, in magazines like Ready Made and Simple Living, a flybaby on http://www.flylady.net/ and contributing somewhat to a few discussion boards on Mothering.com about getting rid of all of our junk and becoming free. I am a huge fan of Walden. I choose a tent over a fancy RV, outdoors over indoors, etc.

I want to simplify. We are getting rid of our things. Each weekend we are giving away clothes to the goodwill and salvation army. We are purging our house as the first step to freedom from our possessions. We are discussing special trips for Christmas instead of more toys. We have pared our schoolroom down and down and down to what we really actually use and need and love. We have been trying to have hearty, simple meals such as just baked potatoes with toppings, soup and crusty bread, granola and milk...We have gotten rid of tons of dishes, and the children each have one special spill proof cup. We each have 2 sets of sheets and one comforter for our beds. (the babies have more sheets)

But its not enough. I want to move to a tiny tiny house someday. Look at this website. Type tiny houses or small house or simplify or declutter into Google and see what you get. I fantasize about being forced to have less stuff.

At our old house, it was a bit of a hellish nightmare. We had a "normal" (American) amount of c-r-a-p, but no garage, no attic, no basement and miniature closets. And so things like sleds in the kitchen and clothes in Rubbermaid containers in the living room made for a home that looked completely filthy and gross and chaotic almost all the time. We werent knowledgeable about simple living and so the smaller house was just a nightmare. We were slaves to the shuffling, cleaning, distributing, resdistributing, arguing about, and "organizing" a giant landfill amount of CLUTTER.

So we moved to this big house, near to Daddy's work, and we love it in many ways (1800 square feet 1950's brick rental, long L-Shaped ranch, one story, garage, no basement, lots of closet space) and it can look really neat and tidy whenever we need it to--company coming, etc. even with four homeschooled kids home all day long. But its a total sham. We still have WAY too much crap. You cant even open our garage door without mystery flim flam spraying down on top of you.

So, here are all the ideas I would want for a tiny tiny house with a family of six. Everything I want to own on this Earth. This is my actual list of what I would want to keep in our lives. (Then I am going to get to work on it!!!) I think being in denial that this is right for us has kept us back all these years.

Bunk beds. Custom made, if necessary, for more than 2 children. (Triple bunk!!) In the tiniest of rooms you can still fit many bunk beds. They are cozy and private and fantastic.

One bike for each person, hung from ceiling or stored somewhere clever.

Basic toiletries: Shampoo, Conditioner, mild soap, mild lotion

Towels+washcloths

Bedding

Big pot

Little pot

Frying pan

Pitcher

2 Mixing bowls

Spatula

Ladle

Tongs

Toaster

Teapot

6 Plates

6 Bowls

6 Cups

Silverware

One container for each person of "special possessions"--jewelry or trinkets.

Drawing Paper

Pens/pencils/crayons

One curriculum box for each child

One computer (laptop would be so cool, and save space but we don't have that)

2 Hampers

One giant garbage can, one little one for the bathroom

Our favorite books, the ones we really want to read and refer to, (not just the ones that seem cool to own or display)

Our favorite DVD's

Portable DVD player

One boombox type radio/CDplayer/Cassette player-recorder

Ipod

One sled for each child

One pair of boots per person

One pair of snow pants per person

One winter coat per person

Seven t shirts apiece

Seven long sleeve shirts apiece

Seven pants or shorts apiece (I don't even have this now)

Seven socks apiece

One pair of tennis shoes

One pair of dress up shoes apiece

One bathing suit apiece

One pajama set

Seven pairs of undies

Seven sweaters or sweatshirts

Full set of cloth diapers (the one size fits all kind would be ideal)

2 hats (baseball and snow)

2 mittens

One scarf

One large Rubbermaid box of old photographs

One couch (possibly a hideabed for mom and dad if it was a one bedroom cabin)

Refrigerator

Stove/Oven

Minimal toys: music toys, wood blocks, multitasking toys such as Lego or a wagon

Large family tool box with hammer nails screws screwdriver drill level pliers wrench and ratchet. Also in here could be magnifying glass, funnel, scissors, flashlights, batteries, tape, stapler,glue, hole punch, needle and thread and buttons, and measuring tape and magnets.

Sewing machine

My makeup and hair elastics

Extreme minimal first aid kit: herbal and regular medicines, bandages, peroxide

Coffee maker (or french press using boiled water from teapot)

Recycling bins (even if I had to take the stuff into a different town)

Kitty+supplies

Bunnies + supplies

Rugged jogging type of stroller for lots of walking and not using cars.

Camera

Lamps and candles

Bleach-vinegar-borax-baking soda-natural washing soap

Mop+bucket

Broom+Dustpan

Beloved board games

Wristwatches and clocks

As far as toys: my older kids love their gameboys and pets, and my littler kids love their traintracks and matchbox cars. We all play with blocks and EVERYTHING else we could go enjoy "in town."

I have left out a few things that I love and use daily but could live without and am actually a bit curious to see how I would do:

TV (Love it/hate it/would rather go outside with my kids)

Washer and Dryer (love it but some tiny houses aren't equipped and would be willing to laundromat as a weekly event)

Microwave(convenient/dangerous and scary)
__________________________________
Well, that's it. That is all I would bring. this list might have been incredibly boring to read, and I apologize--but it was really fun to write and it took me a long time. Tell what you think!

Currently reading: Simplify your life with Kids and Simplify your Christmas, both by Elaine St. James. So far so good, although she she doesn't have kids and doesn't refer to or even seem to know about homeschooling, these are both nice reads so far.

***Mom gets to keep more shoes as a gift for being so fabulous :)

***Mom reserves rights to extraneous undies :)

Please check this page for tons of info and great links and pics!

Click this to see an amazing home that you wont believe the pictures of the square footage :)

I will need to whittle down my list but if I really got to the point where everything we had in this house was that list, then maybe we could look into making some kind of huge amazing life changing move in the future--a few years down the road.

Cool Wife 101

2007-10-07T18:14:00.001-07:00

I am happy to say that I am a cool wife. Yep. By this I mean that I am neither a doormat nor an evil shrew. I don't take no abuse and I don't give any. If I ever do by mistake, you had better believe I apologize and I mean it and I make darn sure it doesn't happen again and I expect the exact same from my husband. I try to enjoy life and spread the joy around, and the number one person that I love is my husband, and so, when you love someone, you want them to be happy, and making them happy would feel good and that good vibe would bounce right back at ya and there you'd have it, a happy scene, a happy home. It is totally ok to open yourself up to love giving and love receiving and being COOL to someone! Don't be sucky! Don't allow yourself to be treated wrong! Speak up immediately, immediately, immediately, say HEY! Thats not cool AT ALL! and explain. Be able to hear the same from your partner. BE COOL TO OTHERS!

Allow me to extrapolate: I do not get pleasure by seeing to it that my husband is deprived or beat down or depressed or feeling lower and/or crappier when I am around. I do not degrade him, diss him, hate on him, roll my eyes at his jokes, boss him like an evil substitute teacher, treat him like a servant, rain on his parade, ignore him, berate him, isolate him, control him, embarrass him or do passive aggressive manipulative stuff to him. Sick! Would you like that? YUCK!

Common decency starts from the moment you wake up. Throw everything you ever read in the women's mags and all the demented stuff you learned on MTV and Doctor Drew and Doctor Phil and just start by being a good roommate. Then move up to friend. Then maybe youll get promoted to lover--teehee. Remember who you love and why you love them and above all treat others the way you would like to be (and deserve to be!) treated.

If you do not love them or all you can do is sit there and huff and think "he needs to read this, not me" then you need to go to counseling or consider splitting up. Its 2007, it happens!

I repeat the bit about a decent roommate, because here is what decent roommates do that so many long term couples still cant seem to handle: SHARING and CARING! Yes, people, you are only 50% of the little bubble that is coupledom, and that means 50% of the housework, the back rubbing, the helping, the alone time, the active listening, and the REMOTE!

Work out deals. Constantly. "If you do the dishes Ill do the folding"...negotiate
"If you get that crap put back in the garage I will bring in all that crap from the attic and we can go through it together"...negotiate

"If I do this entire horrible bathroom will you go get us sundaes?"...negotiate

"If I get to sleep in tomorrow, you can on Sunday"...negotiate

"What shows would you want to watch if you had the house all to yourself? This is what I would watch...lets work something out..." negotiate

"I seriously cannot plan one more menu. Please help me think of food to buy and I will help you with your___ that has been driving you nuts"...negotiate

"Can we cut a deal regarding me not doing these dishes tonight?" (sexy wink) LOL

I could go on and on. But seriously! Why and when did being super mean and distant and or/evil and power mongering and controlling and seething become the standard year 2 until death or divorce way of treating each other?

I am a *cool wife* because I see how happy my husband is to be with me, to live with me, to hang out with me--HELLO--what about the fine and simple art of HANGING OUT?

There are no excuses for not trying this. There are no lack of babysitters, because you want to know another secret of me and Steve? We have a special date night almost every night. We celebrate e v e r y t h i n g. We celebrate things such as:

Its the weekend!
I worked late tonight!
Its halfway through the week!
I think my cold is getting better!
We didn't bounce any checks!
I love my new haircut!
I love your new pajamas! Go put them on for me!
We have leftover pizza AND pop AND ice!
I TiVo'ed something ridiculous on VH1 for us!
Lets do a fire in the fireplace!
Survivor is on tonight!

I don't like to reveal quite this much about my private private life. It feels a bit freaky. But what I don't like even more are all these lovebirds who are being so bad to each other. Life's short, folks. Find happiness in yourself, and spread it on. It really is ok to be a cool partner/roommate/spouse. In fact, its totally contagious ;)

His Majesty: The Scarlet Oak

2007-10-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

I adore Oak trees, there is simply no other tree that can match its awesomeness. I love the leaf shape, I love the straight trunks, I love the precious, darling, amazing little acorns, I love the history and symbolism of Mighty Oak, King of the Forest. But the Black and White and Pin Oaks around town, as cool as they are, and as much as I appreciate each and every one of them, just do not do much in the way of exciting color display come autumn. The vast majority of our Oaks around here turn a very UPS brown, the poor dears.

But.., there is an Oak tree so awesome, so ridiculously beautiful in the fall time, that if you happen to luck upon one you will be forced to rub your eyes and squint at it, scarcely believing it is real--and that is the Scarlet Oak.

Scarlet Oak leaves turn an absolutely pure, fire, cardinal red. No hues of yellow, no bursts of pink, I am talking R-E-D. It looks fake! The first time I saw one, Casey was a new itty bitty baby, 2 months old, mid October 2003, and we were trying our hand at homeschool outings with three kids--so we went to a nature center about 20 miles north of my house, and we saw these gorgeous red trees. Upon closer inspection, I saw that they were Oak leaves, and I was so excited! I started piling them into our car, into the stroller basket, into my bag--there was just not a single one of these trees anywhere in town. I would have noticed for sure. I thought it surely must be a "Red Oak", but when I got home and did a little research, I found out that it was the one and only fabulous SCARLET Oak--a perfect name for this color.

If I ever buy a home where I really am going to stay for years and years, I would immediately plant dozens of Scarlet Oaks around my property. I imagine people coming from miles around to stare at my cinnamon-cherry forest, kids picking up the leaves as fast as they could fall, folks taking photographs of their frolicky dog jumping in the bold red piles....

So, look around for any Scarlet Oaks near you! (And whatever you do, don't call it a Red Oak! Those are lovely too, but they are not the same.)

Red Oak; Not the same.

A few gaming pics

2007-10-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

Dada and Charlie, playing Baby Bird Game.

Charlie contemplates his next roll.

Keeping an eye on Dada, so he doesn't try to pull any funny stuff.

Heroquest, the game Greta and Mickey love to play with good old Dada.

Coca Cola Blak -c'est tres delicieux!

2007-09-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

This is my new special treat. I got one once in a gas station last winter and I LOVED it. But then I didn't see it for a while and assumed, like so many things I like, that it didn't take off and was discontinued. But not so--I got a 4 pack today from a local small grocery store--hooray!

Although this is what the official website has to say, I would describe it more as a very dark and luxurious chocolate/caramel/coffee Coke. It is decadent, like Godiva chocolates or something. It is amazing. It only comes in little glass bottles and that might make it more special. (In fact, I know that that makes it more special, because just imagining drinking it out of a plastic cup makes me feel very sad.) So yes, the little glass bottle adds to the whole thing.

If you like Guinness, espresso, or dark chocolates, give this a grown up, sultry, big sister of Coke a try. I think you might just find that its awesome.

Big Wheel link

2007-09-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a link that I got by typing "Big Wheel Tricycle" into Froogle.com

http://www.playthingspast.com/em701.html

With an adjustable seat (no tools required, just lift it out and pop it in wherever you want) it can be shared with more than one kid.

If you don't know about Froogle, oh my gosh-- it is a service linked on the google main page that price shops for you! Try it out! Save hours!

The Bald Cypress

2007-09-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

The seed

The leaves
The crazy roots
The bark
The "knees"

The body shape
Seed again
Swamp livin'
One more pic of the gorgeous fruit.

There is a tree that I love, called the Bald Cypress. I could have copied and pasted something off the net here, but that just isn't my style. So lemme tell ya about this cool, cool tree.

It kinda looks like an evergreen at first glance--it has needley looking, feathery leaves. It has a main trunk that is tall and thin, like a pine. But, if you get lucky enough to get close to one, you might find yourself thinking "huh?" You will see that has a very, very peculiar fruit, which looks like a lumpy little globe! They are fantastic, blue and brown and bizzarre.

The trunk has a very rosy hue, and is shaggy and flaking off. This may or may not catch your eye--but hands-down, the neatest thing about the Bald Cypress are its' knees! It has these roots that bulge and grow upwards out of the surrounding areas, all around the tree and far , far away! These have come to be known as their knees. They really do look like knobby, bumpy, scary knees of an old creepy tree person. These could be really bad for your home's plumbing, I am thinking, if you had a Bald Cypress in your yard.

This tree is supposedly unheard of where I live--it is a swamp tree! The knees are usually pictured as protruding up out of the swampy waters of Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, the Carolinas. But we had one by our old house, and tonight, out walking with the boys, I discovered one by us! I was so happy! I wanted the people to be out in their yard, so I could talk to them about their Bald Cypress, and they could think I was a freak, and I would not care. And maybe they would start to love it, if they didn't already.

Maybe you have one near you, and you didn't even know it. Tell me if you see one, ok?

Big Wheel bliss

2007-09-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

There are few things in the world of childhood more awesome and right-on as a low rider, Big Wheel bike. Trike. Three wheels is a trike. Whatever. You know exactly what I am talking about...that rumbling sound, the determined way that a kid has to wriggle their whole body to really make it fly---priceless, such a snippet in time, such a CLASSIC. Any other words escape me. Gertie from E.T.? That kid from The Shining? Everyone you knew in the '70's and '80's?

I don't like these tiny versions of big kid bicycles that the stores are promoting nowadays. I think they are inferior, unstable, dangerous, even. It's a very new invention, these itty-bitty bikes with the little training wheels--and ya know what? I am going to go so far as to say SCREW 'EM! I hate them. It is a big ploy to sell you more and more itty bitty __itty little bikes, and helmets and pads, too--'cuz you know what? A Big Wheel, a genuine Big Wheel, can last your kid from age 3 to 8 or even longer. In this disposable age, wheres the "value" in something that actually lasts more than 2 minutes? Those tiny tiny bikes with the 10 inch wheel diameters suck. They tip over, and if your child is that tiny, to ride a ten inch bicycle, then they are pretty young and tippy themselves. Why add more misery?

Kids on Big Wheels can FLY. They can SOAR. They are steady and sturdy and stable and strong and powerful and mighty and awesome--exactly what the big corp's do NOT want for our kids--its a conspiracy, I swear it. I swear it. I swear it.

Children! Parents! Friends! Stand up for big wheel tricycles! Get them for our girls especially. They will have enough low quality tipping and teetering thrown their way as they grow up. Let 'em soar.

YO GABBA GABBA!

2007-09-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

OH MAN!!!

I just got to see my first episode of Yo Gabba Gabba on Nick Jr--I knew I would like this thing, I had heard alot about it, but I LOVED it, if only stylistically.

With its myriad Atari-Generation references, sparse and uber-hip techno soundtracks, totally Gen X graphics and "look", I almost want to say it is like a Wonder Showzen for toddlers. Except that is really, really bad to say. Because Wonder Showzen is terrifying in its over the brink insane irony and painful humor--but if you get it, you get it, and you will get me when I feel a connection.

The first episode featured some ska, Tony Hawk, Biz Markie, a furry hatted DJ, some haunting Nintendo-esque melodies, and just heaps of great 70's and 80's fonts, graphics, puppets, kids doing the robot, and just total Pee-Wee's Playhouse, indie-rock aura.

Is it a bit stupid? Yes. Is it a bit annoying? Yes, the puppets giggle too much. But in the sea of faux-educational programming out there, this is a COMPLETE breath of fresh air. This one feels like your film student friends had a baby and now they made a show for kids, if only to make parenting more pleasant and tolerable for the artsy-wonderfully-intelligent-enough-to-know-that-its-more-than-ok-to-just-freak-out and-shake-your-rump-ah crew of Gen X-ers who are having children who really cannot stomach much more Dora or Barney.

Click the link and you will see how !Brilliant! this thing really is.

It's baaaaaack...

2007-09-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well, for a while now we have had no satellite TV service. We have existed perfectly well with just the shows that come from the air. PBS, CBS, and occasionally a few others "come in clear". It was summer, and I wanted to be ____ somehow lofty or good or thrifty or highbrow or low tech or what have you and not watch TV very much. We were gonna do other stuff, and all that, remember?

Well, when Steve told me that for TWENTY DOLLARS LESS than we currently pay for Internet and Phone, we could have Internet, phone, and cable TV as well, I was curious and irritated and excited and mixed. but the others "won", and the cable is here!

Look, if you don't want your kids to watch TV, turn it off. But if and when you are gonna watch TV, I'm not gonna be fake and say it isn't awesome to have Animal Planet and Nick Games and Sports and Noggin and Discovery Health, History Channel, Discovery Kids, Nickelodeon, National Geographic channel and Sprout rather than static-y Sesame Street and Price Is Right.

We get to watch sports again now and I don't even dare think about Comedy Central and all that stuff---tonight I will check out all the channels we have, it seems like alot of really good ones! YAYAYAY !!!!!!

My Internet seems faster and they switch the phone in a week or so.

I am really glad. My little sick kids are completely festing out with the new shows, and they are laying still and drinking ice water. So I blog and fold clothes and switch laundry loads, and all is calm.

sometimes a pat on the back has to come from yourself

2007-09-10T09:04:00.000-07:00

Steve and I were on track to probably each bring in $40,ooo a year, give or take. We could have had all of the outward trappings of modern-day middle class "success". 2 new cars, a stainless steel fridge, perhaps matching couches or a TV that was thin. Gutters and gutter covers. Go golfing, I dunno.

But then we had a baby and we wondered how it would all work out. Was the baby as important as the fridge, the gutters, the golfing, the flat screens, the couches? What about if we wanted more than one baby?

... then we heard about this fantastic invention: it is a person who lives at your house, full time, and does it all. She cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She does all your grocery shopping, staying within budget, making healthy choices, catering to the various needs of all the family members. She cleans and cleans and cleans, even if you don't have a dryer. She does laundry and she gives the kids baths and brushes their teeth and hair and takes them everywhere they need to go. She makes appointments and keeps track of who needs what when and where. Throughout the day, she will feed your pets and clean them, too. She does toilets and stains and organizes closets and garages. she keeps up on your pool and your mail and your outside birds. She can take your kids to their schools and keep up with all of their school needs and expenditures and activities and field trips and friends and teachers and grades--or--for slightly less cleaning and slightly more money, she can teach your kids right in your own home--freeing you from worry about shootings and shunnings and failings and flunkings and lack of education and also the need for 4 minaiture trashy wardrobes. She entertains your children and keeps up with your work schedule so that you will have a hot meal ready when you walk in.

The only problem is, she costs about $40,000 a year to hire, give or take.

So we got the brilliant idea to just eliminate the middle man and have me do this job.

I don't care one bit if this post sounds sexist, in our family it was a MOM that we needed as a couple, and we both agreed that we wanted me to do this. In many families it is a DAD. In many families there is only one parent. Or two moms. Or two dads. Or Grannie and Big Ben and a dog. Whatever, I wanted to write this today instead of just cutting and pasting yet another one of those articles that claims how much what I do is "worth" in dollars. To Steve and I, me doing what I do was worth exactly one full salary of one person with a bachelor's degree in Psychology.

What is in store for our future? Possible midwifery, possible travel/relocation. Possible Dad does the homeschooling. Possible live in a camper and make our fortune doing some kind of internet based thingy which so far eldues us. House boat. Log Cabin. Downtown Loft. Who knows. But right now, I am a suburban mom, albeit a progressive one--and I know in my heart that the way we do things and the actions we make are much more real than any labels might make me or our family sound on the outside.

Two loads a day, weather permitting

2007-08-28T16:55:00.001-07:00

Our dryer is broken, and the landlord couldn't seem to care less. So, I tell myself, at least it ain't the washer, right?

I like to hang clothes out to dry. I like the zen and the meaning and the conscious and purposeful work that is involved. I like that it is slow, and I like how much it makes us appreciate each piece and article that much more.

Except, it has been raining here alot, and if it isn't raining it has been humid and cloudy. Crappy for hanging out my zen clothes, for sure.

When it is warm and dry, though, I can wash and dry two loads--big loads--in one day. If we had more clothesline I could do much more.

One of these weeks we will scrape together the money for a new (used) dryer, and possibly take that amount out of the rent. Before it is cold out, etc.

For now, wish me sunny breezes and children who don't spill so much

The Salmon and Salad diet, day three

2007-08-21T12:07:00.001-07:00

I sent a bunch of my friends an email which contained a link to a "diet" (HATE that word) which is, in essence, extremely low in sugars. Its nickname is the Salmon and Salad diet, and it has alot of sound wisdom and information on the website, confirming all the things my body and my research have shown me to be very true.

This was a weird weekend for us, with my husband being out of town, unseasonal pouring rain, and of course, almost no money--so I did not go buy anything very special, but did decide to implement this new --you know-- D WORD as smoothly and as mindfully as possible, without fretting too much about going off of it. I cant tell you how excited I am to go buy a bunch of beans and greens from farmers market this weekend.

Here are the changes I have made since Sunday: I will start from waking time and end at bedtime.

Coffee with no sugar or delicious poisonous powdered creamer. Yeah, black. Shudder. Woulda went down better with a donut, but alas, that would be sugar ;) I am switching to tea someday soon...

Eggs and fake sausgage, but with no toast. So yeah, you guessed it, that means no cinnamon sprinkles, no strawberry jam, no nutella.

For me, eggs are pretty nasty without a sweet drink, and so I had some DietPepsiMax with this. Pepsi max has ginseng! I know, I know, carcinogens, yadda yadda, Im tryin, here, folks. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Tons of water, just because.
I like lemon water--and squirt a big squirt of reallemon in my water. Tastes less like city sewage and more like something sparkly. In case you didn't know this already, I love sparkly foods, and this adjective is the highest honor I can bestow upon a food.

Sunflower seeds to munch on, as well as cheese cubes.

No more sandwhich for lunch, instead I had salad. But dont think iceburg-ranch-and a crouton, more like dark greens, feta cheese, black beans, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, onions and olives.

Hummous to eat would be good and I want some soon.

No candy, no ice cream, no popsicles, and no regular pop!

We had mexican food last night, and while it might not have been on the "diet", what I had was really low glycemic index stuff. Black beans, cheese, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, pinto beans, jalapenos and more diet pop. I had a few tortilla chips but not mountains of them. I passed on the tortilla soft shells and the dessert which the kids enjoyed.

So, now comes my annoying born-again pushy part:

I feel like a new person and it is only day three.
No sleepy feeling after breakfast
No falling over after lunch
No evil mood swings which cause my children to look at me and wonder which mommy they will get this 5 minute interval

No sweats
No shakes
No temper tantrums
No confusion
No nothing, really!

The two greatest things so far:
No "IM SO HUNGRY! OH MY GOD! I GOTTA EAT RIGHT NOW OR I WILL PASS OUT!"

AND
No feeling like I got hit by a Mack Truck in the morning. My late night carb freakouts were causing my sugar to crash while i slept, making my awakening 7 hours later feel like a herculean task. No more, and this is the greatest gift I can think of. Yeah, it sucked a little when Charlie cried at 5:50 am. But I went and got him, and we went out in the living room, and that was that. I made my pot of black coffee and started up some eggy-wegs for me and him and was a normal girl.

It is 3:40 pm and I have not had ONE episode of hypoglycemia today. Casey left most of his pb+j on white bread on his plate and I did not jam it in my mouth. I put it in a ziploc and poured myself some more lemon water and had a handful of sunflower seeds.

Small victories!

"compacting"

2007-08-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

http://leighsteele.wordpress.com/2007/08/15/eco-groove/

Check this out and tell me what you think!

We are looking into/talking more again lately about simplicity and de-cluttering, but this time I dont mean buying $100 worth of cute containers.

morning snack

2007-08-14T07:11:00.001-07:00

As we tackle all the obstacles in the way of us having harmonious times this school year, I am analyzing just exactly what it means when our days feel like they have, for the most part, been whiney and bad.

Today's subject to tackle: mid morning snack.

Invariably, just as the breakfast mess is starting to congeal, I will hear a voice or two saying "Hey Mama!? Im sooooooooooo hungry."

I havent been too nice about this, but it isnt about then not being actually hungry, it is about my frustration with what in the heck to give them, especially if they have had a sugarish breakfast.

Here are some high protien, or at least not sugary things I have come up with, that they CLAIM they like:

Peanuts

String cheese (not Mickey)

Those cheese-n-peanut butter crackers

Pinconning cheese

Wheat thins

Cheez its

Carrots

So, if they eat at 7:30 am which they did today (so much for Mickey sleeping in!! yikes!! its all falling part before it starts!!! breathe breathe its all ok) they cried and begged for more food at 9:45. So, a couple of hours. which now makes our 11 oclock lunch rediculously early AND Greta is still asleep, so is she going to waste away as she misses one of the three meals each day?

ARGGGGGGG

this seems hard today.

I know I could tell them no, or I could go get Greta up. But, feeling both extremely exhausted myself today, AND knowing all about needing to eat ASAP, I dont have the heart.

We need a more accessible kitchen, more snacks that they can get themselves, and all sorts of other solutions that I am too tired to think of right now.

Night time bliss

2007-08-04T07:09:00.000-07:00

Camraderie
Comfort
Closeness
Closure

Late evening bliss

2007-08-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

Kids all in pajamas, teeth brushed
I read the baby a story while they get their ice waters ready
Baby nursed and put to bed in his crib without a fuss
Daddy reads the older ones a bit from a chapter book while I start the laundry
We put them to bed together; kisses all 'round
Older kids read to themselves for 1/2 hour on the bell-timer
Casey goes right to sleep
______________________________
Steve picks the CD: Iggy, MC5, Dylan, the Black Lips and more
We talk while doing 1/2 hour of power straightening and tidying
Laundry in the dryer
I lay out the next day's school work
I use the computer while he showers
He does the same while I shower
Meet up on the couch, 9:30 at the latest

Early evening bliss

2007-08-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

Children helping with setting the table, making the meal, or watching the baby
Supper hot, ready when Daddy walks in the door
Gratitude for our nourishing, colorful, seasonal food
Nobody tells me it is gross
Everyone puts their plate in the sink
Daddy and the children go to the park, or in the backyard, or play a game together
I do all the clean up in the kitchen
Brazilian Girls on the CD player
Small pot of coffee just for me when I am done

Afternoon bliss

2007-08-04T06:35:00.001-07:00

Breakfast and lunch dishes soaking in the sink
Chalkboard and dry erase board covered in writing
Homeschool lessons finished and put away
Stereolab's Margerine Eclipse on the CD player
Baby asleep in the crib
Children outside; running, talking, jumping, climbing, digging, laughing, solving, being
or
Children inside; reading, playing, coloring, building, gaming, researching
Mail brought in; letters, bills and junk all divided and sorted
Receive a phone call from a friend
Chop up dinner while we chat
Fold the couch clothes
Finish dishes/lay them out
Get my baby up
All go for a walk

Morning bliss

2007-08-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

The house all tidy and freshly scrubbed
Sunlight pouring all over the wood floors, the glassware, the toys and the kitty
The Magic of the Harp playing on the CD player
French roast coffee in my tummy and in the pot
Me, wearing a clean outfit, shoes laced, showered and clear headed
The day's homeschool lesson plans all laid out
Empty the dryer's contents onto the couch
Love and gratitude in my heart

Introspective cravings

2007-07-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

Food has vibrations, vibes, if you will. All things have vibrations. For some of you, this will be a Truth that rings obvious. For some of you, this will sound like hippie nonsense, or science misunderstood. But I don't care.

Take coffee, if you will. It has a very specific vibration, which cannot be replaced by a jumble of similar things. Coffee in the morning does something different to you than, say, a caffeine pill and a juice box.

This past week, I have been honing in on my cravings for foods of a very specific vibration; things such as brown rice with lentils and feta cheese. Roasted root vegetables with sour cream. Pumpkin soup. Tabbouleh and hummous by the pound. Lemon water. The kinds of things on here.

These foods symbolize comforting times of nesting, such as mid autumn, new babies, rebuilding, strengthening, growth and introverted introspective change and healing.

They are not things that we have in the house right now, nor are they classic July fare in anyway. I am under the strong belief that all these mothering blogs I have been fortunate enough to be swimming in and wading in now are shifting me back into this mode.

I am definately going to indulge, and I will keep you updated on how the ingestion of these specific foods affects me.

Everyday objects of profound beauty

2007-07-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

These little glasses, warm and clean and shiny in the sun.

Secret

2007-07-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

If you have ever ordered Little Caesars' $5 pizza, also known as Hot-N-Ready, I have a cool secret to share with you. We did it because we don't eat pepperoni, but you might want to try it just because I said so!

You do not just go in and pick up a pre-made pizza. you call them, and here is what you say:
"I would like to order a Hot-N-Ready pizza, but instead of pepperoni, I would like my one topping to be extra cheese, please."

You have to say it this way. If you just order a "Cheese pizza" you will not get the free extra cheese and you will instead get the cardboard and ketchup regular hot n ready you are already used to. But if you do the secret tech of ordering it exactly the way I have described, you will get a really decent pizza that is definately worth more than $5.

Try it!

Calmoseptine gets an A+

2007-07-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

You have to own this product if you have a baby. It is the ONLY cure for severe, wierd, sleep-stopping, life-stopping diaper rashes of all kinds.

I got it from the pharmacy at Rite Aid. You don't need a prescription, but you have to ask for Calmoseptine at the pharmacy window. It cost $6. Even if the baby has horrificly wounded skin, they instantly stop crying and the skin is totally protected from further pain of wiping and poop and pee...while it heals---really quickly! Like, in one diaper change. Unbelievable. I am giving this out to anyone who has a baby ever again.

I am certain there are good uses for this for adults as well. It is marketed for things like bedsores and wound sites and drainage tube sites.....yikes! (But shows you how big-time this stuff is. )

The ointment itself is pink and smells funny and minty and medicinal. It is sticky and THICK.

mega menus, mega shopping

2007-07-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

Going to Sam's Club might not seem the same as catching a big game, or gathering nuts and berries in the sun, but it fills me with a surprisingly palpable sense of security and good feelings that Farmer Jack, Kroger and Meijers never seemed to capture.

I worry if I am crazy, if I am a pawn in the consumer treadmill when I feel this good driving home with my minivan full from Sams Club. Is it demented to want to take care of your family, to stock up? I was never never never one to have 48 toilet papers "just in case", but I am starting to get it more lately. Its not some OCD fear of "what if we run out?!", but more like a sense of order and peace and organization that I am finally growing up into a real woman/wife/homemaker/mother/adult and finding not to be lame or antithetical to being spontaneous or artisitc, but rather, freeing me to have more space in my heart for this kind of "cool"stuff when I dont have to worry about what is for dinner at 730 pm when the kids should be getting off to bed not starving and crying.

I understand how to shop and how not to shop at Sams or Costco now. I get it now. I know what is a good deal for us and what is not. I know how to supplement the bulk purchases with regular ones to make good meals and to avoid "running back to the stroe" all week. How we hate our precious weekday time being used this way! After Sams club, meijers and farmers market, I still went to Walmart last night---for a cordless phone and scrubbling bubbles---but I dont want to do this! We share one car, traveling on little errands is somewhat of a chore with 4 little ones, and like I said, it just isnt frugal time management.

So
What we did get at Sams this week that has so far (Wednesday) been really a hit were:
Croissants (all sandwhiches are now so yummy and special)
Little bags of chips
Mega Feta cheese
Mega lettuce
Mega carrots
Mega barilla plus pasta (thrilled to see barilla plus now at Sams Club!)
Mega shredded cheese
Mega buttermilk pancake mix
Mega granola cereal mixed with Mega peanuts (and dried cherries from our friend)as trail mix
Mega bandaids
Mega mayonaise
Mega pickles
Mega sour cream
Mega Pierogis

So far these have gotten the most use this week. I love having stocked pantry and stocked fridge and menus. This has been a nice week.

Meals this week planned:
make yr own pizzas
pierogi + salad
ricotta-spinach-noodle-bake
mexican stuff
baked eggs with potatoes
salmon and veggies
tofu-rice-peapods

and ok, a few scooby doo macaronis to keep Mickey alive :)

Cleaning Team!

2007-07-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well as I have been reporting, we are makin plenty o' changes to our lifestyle in preparation for a sucessful school year. We are working on chores and what this means, and how we can take the anger and negativity out of taking care of ourselves and our home! I do not like nagging and I do not like having to follow each child around and tell them how to do everything in life. The charts take it off of me and onto them and they can take a chart, go do it, then come back to me and say Mama! I'm done!

I have immensely enjoyed making little charts for us all, because I adore making simple drawings and I adore making instructional types of things. I am going to laminate these all once they are perfected and have them up in the hallway in a pocket folder or something.

We are also thinking about having jurisdictions, as swiped from the Duggars (the family on TLC that has 16 children--whether you think they are sickos or heroes, they do run a nice home!) which would be specific jobs that one child has that they always are in charge of. I am using the charts and overseeing the children somewhat, and am taking mental notes of who really seems to shine (haha) at certain tasks. Greta did 8 loads of laundry yesterday and seemed extremely into it, so even though we have a laminated chart for this chore, she might just end up being Laundry Person. We will see.

Since I was brilliant enough to buy "Scrubbing Bubbles" last night, which I remember from my own childhood as being absolutley as thrilling as whipped cream to spray, doing the bathroom was super fun this morning and Greta, Mickey, and Casey scoured and sprayed and shined for 45 minutes---without any squabbling, they even did the walls and floors, too! Toxic fume fun! (Yes,we opened the windows and stored out of reach)

whats cookin

2007-07-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

This week the theme is muffins and cupcakes. I bought 3 muffin tins for the kids' birthday party and now I want to go muffin-tin-crayzee.

We bought little Jiffy mixes as well as cake mix--(did you think I meant make, make? No, not quite that adventurous right now) and enjoy putting cool whip as well as jam and butter on them. Our friend went up to NW Michigan and brought us back some dried cherries, which I never buy for the high cost, so I am certainly going to be adding those into the muffins, as well as some chocolate chip-n-cherry cookies! Y U M

Wal-Mart is where I have been buying more and more of our groceries, it really is astoundng how much lower the prices are than any other grocer--we even got a big pack of frozen Salmon fillets for $3.95 which I am making tonight with stir-fried yellow and green zucchinis from the Farmer's Market and baked potatoes.

Steve makes us black beans now from dried ones, and seasons them up and stores them in big ziploc bags in the fridge and freezer. They are on the world's healthiest foods list, and we adore them.

I bought a large bag of frozen fruit from Sam's Club about 3 weeks ago, which I had been a bit stressed over seeing as it was $8, but lemme tell ya, this thing has alot of fruit in it! We have made so, so many smoothies with this fruit and the bag is STILL hugely full. I made a smoothie for my dear pregnant sister which was so health-packed, I bet the little baby grew a pound and 20 IQ points right then and there when she drank it!
Protein Powder
Frozen fruit
Bananas
Oats
Flax Oil
Soy Milk
V-8 Splash
Ice

Our journey to a fair and balanced housework thingy

2007-06-27T05:51:00.000-07:00

For any of you who feel overwhelmed by the household duties, whether you have children or dogs, homeschool or not, I must have full disclosure and tell you that my partner, my husband, cleans ALOT. A L O T.

I cannot even imagine what kind of desperately falling down sty this would be without his infectious energetic spirit, his famous "cleaning attacks", his openmindedness to moving rooms around, to seeing the bright side of forts (I found my missing thing under the couch!!) and stains and spills and dish-mountains.

This awesome teamwork we have in running this home has been 11 years in the making--12 if you count the year we lived together before we were married. He used to be a clueless young guy who thought food came from the nice lady (his Mom), clothes came from the dresser, and dirt, grime, scum, and clutter were just unheard of. I used to be a typical young girl with closets full of crap I had to keep, clothes I had to keep, and who would look at a small pile of stuff and just fall to my knees in confusion and fear and stuff it into the closet. I knew how to wash clothes and do Windex/paper towel kinds of things. I was pretty good with the foamy stuff you spray in the bathroom to shine the taps, but thats about it. Seriously. I think it took us 3 weeks in our first apartment to even get it that garbage HAD to go all the way to the curb EACH week or else bad badness would occur.

We didnt know about "sour" washcloths, not putting corn cobs down the disposer, or rinsing out pops and beers before you stored them in a big bag to take to the store for the 10 cents. We didn't know about bleach alternative, carpet sprinkle powder, or how to "air out" the apartment with opening windows on both sides of the building. We didn't know about not taking the Christmas tree out the door by scraping it through the house, and then we didn't know something as natural and innocent as pine needles could destroy a vacuum. We didn't know you didn't need 5 inch roofing nails to hang up a little calendar, or anything about how to find the studs in the walls. We didn't know about primer such as Kilz, and were dissapointed when lavender paint didn't fully cover dark orange paint in one coat with 99 cent brushes. We didn't know about flipping the mattress, sweeping under the stove, or the power of vinegar. We didn't know how to take turns, or what was "fair" as far as housework. We both had full time jobs, and I was in college, taking both day and night classes. We didn't want to be sexist or weird about delegating jobs, and in fact, we didn't really even know how to discuss it. We knew it was gross and messy and we didn't really know what to do besides to proclaim every two weeks that "THIS PLACE IS NASTY/THIS SUCKS/ I WANNA MOVE OUT!"

We learned e v e r y t h i n g together. It was the perfect recipe for either disaster or equality and harmonious friendship. We ended up with the latter, I am happy to say. Luck, Love, Fate all may have played a part, but lets be frank here, I would never have seriously dated nor ever married some guy who was a wierd chauvinist freak or a lazy mutt or any kind of scary, jerky lazy or evil dude who sucked or was yucky. Duh!

So if that makes me a magical wise woman, so be it.

I hated his Magic cards and CD-ROMS everywhere, he hated my trinkets, papers, makeup, books, and general clutter. We didn't know how to grocery shop at all, and I am MORTIFIED and angered to admit that we would often spend 2 or even $300 dollars---for two people! In 1995! What in god's name did we buy?????? That is my budget for two weeks for SIX people now. I know our technique was to go to whatever store we felt like, and to wander up and down every single aisle and think "Ooh-ooh that looks yummy!" and to pop it into the cart. Coupons or bargain unting were unheard of, as was any sense of reality regarding produce's shelf-life, menu planning, or anything, really. We gained like 35 pounds, both of us almost immediately-and this is before any baby came along.

We didn't know how to manage our money whatsoever-and before you scoff and think "they still don't"---we actually had money back then. Our rent was $395 a month, no I did not leave out any digits, 3-9-5, and we both worked full time and were insured by our parents. Gee. Now we live on one budget, have a huge house payment, four children, 500 pets, and are the tightest penny pinchers. Sigh.

ATM cards had just gotten invented, and so we would run to the ATM like it was a drinking fountain--yay! yay! yay! the money machine! Yay! Its Las Vegas! Yay!

Despite spending a small fortune on groceries, we also ate out constantly. Fast food, once a forbidden treat when we lived with our parents, was now available, and chow we did. Coney Island, too, along with Dairy Queen, Olive Garden, Red Lobster--it really is a testament to our genes that we didn't end up 500 lbs, dead serious.

I won't even get into how we put the whole wedding on a Hudson's credit card, because this blog is supposed to be about cleaning, but wow.

When I got pregnant with Greta, in our second month of marriage, I got sick, real sick. I couldn't even open my eyes most days, and I lived in a haze of vomiting and vertigo for 4 months. Steve started cleaning alot, as I would cry about "smells". He loved me, I was suffering, and he did what I would have done for him in a heartbeat. He took care of me, and tried to make our nest something that was suitable for his wife and baby-bean, and pleasant for us both.

We ate alot of restaurant food, as going to the grocery stores made me die, and after simulataneously vomiting all morning and afternoon while creating an entire human from scratch, I was understandably ravenous by evening, and we would eat Subway and things like this. At least the kitchen stayed cleaner.

When the dear baby was born, of course the house fell apart, as it does and should, in the normal newborn way: piles of tiny baby clothes and milk flooded bras and shirts and sheets that needed laundering (we had no washer or dryer) teetering out of the hampers and onto the floor, soaps and creams and lotions and various pain killers and pads and cloths and diapering supplies and double-gulps of gatorade all piled around my permanent encampment in the bed with baby...mail stacked up, rotten everything in the fridge as we blearily ordered another pizza...but soon newborn days gave way to happy baby days, and we started really cleaning up the place so she could crawl on the floor. We vacuumed tons, and Steve was doing more and more, because the only thing that would keep the little angel baby from meowling and crying was to be with Mama, Steve was starting to do more and more--and cheerfully! We would go grocery shopping together and he would say things like "you go on upstairs and nurse the Katy-Kate, and I'll bring this food all in". Cool! "you go give her her bath and I will run the vacuum and then we can all watch the movie". Awesome! "If you take her on a walk, I can get these clothes put away real quick" Sweet!

We had some rough times, too, our first year and half of parenthood, and we decided to get out of that pit-hole one bedroom upperflat and move to a nice 2 bedroom brick flat in Grosse Pointe. Steve went from a good dad to some kind of uber-sensational magic dad, and our marriage really turned from good to spectacular in that move. We were SO happy to be in this nice city in this nice house with our little tot. I wasnt working anymore, so we had to learn in a hurry to live on one income, with a bit higher rent, and a little kid to afford. She had a proper nursery, toys, high chair, stroller, and we spent our days caring for her, all the while Steve working...

When I was pregnant with Mickey, I was even sicker than I was with Greta, if that is possible, and this time it lasted 7 months. I knew my body better, and threw up less than I did the first time around--but this time with no "rest", only a 2 year old to care for all day instead, Steve stepped up even more with the grocery shopping, garbage duties, and once I got really big and slow, the lifting and food prep as well as bathtime with Greta.

Fastforward several months of C-section sadness and pain and infection riddled recovery/colic HELL to me at home with a 3 year old and a dear baby boy. I was getting around town with my 2 little ones, having dinner on the table at dinner time again, and gettin' laundry done. I was doing great, really a golden era for us all, Greta was old enough to not be a baby, Mickey was the happiest little piglet in the world, and Steve was making good money. We became vegetarians, and got very into healthy eating with our kids. I made homemade babyfood, used cloth diapers, and was in a group of other stay home moms who all had 3 and 4 year old girls and a new baby. I would walk them in the double stroller all over the town, and we would spend our weekends playing and enjoying them together. I was doing the vast majority of the housework, and I was happy to after so much time of not being well enough. We had friends over, and before bed Steve and I would always clean up the beer bottles/board games/empty bags of chips so it would be nice in the morning for the kids. We had food in the cupboards, and nothing in the fridge was rotten. We had a kitty, and you didnt smell that when you entered the house.

There is still a long road ahead to buying our first home, making the decision of homeschooling, three years of me babysitting, and two more baby boys born in as many years. The patterns of giving and taking, have ebbed and flowed along with our money situations and our changing roles. but one thing has remained a constant: Steve is a good, good man who wants to have things nice and clean as much as I do. He knows how hard it is to do it all, and we know how hard he works all day at his job. He is realistic, cool, normal, and just does not live in that clueless rediculous jerky jerko world that so many of my friends' hubbies and partners seem to.

No, we dont have the tidiest house in the world, nor do we have the messiest. We arent the richest folks, nor are we the poorest. But what seems to be comepletely missing from our home is that low-simmering anger that seems to prevail in so many other houses--that resentment and bitterness that comes from feeling used, unnappreciated, and under-supported. For this I rejoice. I am grateful for the journey we have been on so far, and how we came to this.

I dont know if I have advice for anyone, or if this post will inspire anything besides angry tear-filled "must be nice" thoughts.

Our latest Zen-Housekeeping role model: Rabbi Shmuley from Shalom in the Home, on Discovery channel. Although this is not a show about cleaning, it is a nany-911 type of thing, his spirit is what got us through last night's 2 hours of dishwashing, complete emptying of the laundry room, cleaning the gross rabbit cage, taking apart the vacuum and doing 3 loads of laundry as well as mopping the dining room floor on hands and knees, giving 2 baths, cooking a really good dinner, reading to the kids, going through the mail, cutting and dying my hair, and running to the store. All between 530 and 1030 pm, with the digital temperature in our airconditioned hallway reading 85. Thank you Rabbi Shmuley for your great attitude and wise words, and thank you Steve for being so super mega awesomely cool!

Smoothie

2007-06-05T06:21:00.000-07:00

Pineapple juice
banana
vanilla extract
honey
ice
1 TBS of Tang powder (dissolve in a dash of warm water)

This is seriously an Orange Julius. SO good! Invented by Greta and I this morning.

Tonight

2007-05-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight the kids and I made mini boboli pizzas again.

Mickey: Pesto sauce and mozzerella
Greta: No sauce, Mozzerella, greeen olives, pineapple, tomatoes, canned mushrooms
Casey: Pesto sauce, mozzerella, olives, tomatoes and pineapples, with goldfish crackers (!)
Me/Charlie: Pesto, olive, pineapple, mushroom

I used to walk by the Boboli crusts in the grocery store and see the price and have this little flash of thought in my head of "Thats as much as pizza from a place! Screw that!"

But thats not the point at all. The kids LOVE to make their own, LOVE. It takes up a large amount of time, and on Daddy-work-late-night, thats a gooooood thing. They take only six minutes to cook, and they are really, extraordinarily good.

I want to try more sophisticated toppings soon like goat cheese, roasted pear slices, carmelized onions, spinach....actually those four are the exact pizza I want :)

We had water to drink. We made one up for Steve and put it in a big ziploc in the fridge so he can cook it when he gets home. Now we go do some elaborate "FunBath" and boom its bedtime!

No more Thursday night Survivor, so I guess we will clean and maybe listen to some jams. Steve did not ride his bike today, as it is 91 degrees and I did not want the car.

Wednesday dinner

2007-05-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

We had Daddy's famous baked egg omelette, hash browns, biscuits, veggie sausage patties and orange juice.

I did not approve these activities yesterday

2007-05-31T12:16:00.000-07:00

But I did manage to grab the camera once I discovered them :)

healthy dinner, soft enough for hurt mouth-ed Mommy

2007-05-29T19:06:00.001-07:00

Salmon fillets cooked in lemon juice, pickle juice and pepper
Barilla Plus pasta, corkscrew type
Trader Joe's balsamic roasted vegetable blend mixed with a can of corn and black pepper

Serve with parmesan cheese shaken all over :)

Homemade lemonade (1 cup sugar, 1 cup lemon juice, fill the 2 quart pitcher with ice water)

magic baby

2007-05-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

I never got to post this one, but here was what Greta and Casey did one day recently, in a Harry Potterish kind of mood:

It's Itsy Bitsy Time!

2007-05-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, I gently try and shake this blog-curse and submit some good news, cautiously:

There was a TV show called It's Itsy Bitsy Time on television when Greta was a wee little thing. I could not even tell you what obscure network it was on, maybe discovery kids or some Canadian station. It was a collection of weird canadian-esque, European-ish little cartoons, claymations, puppetry and such. When I say "shorts", some of them were verrry short, like a minute or so. We were hooked!

I have such, such fond memories of living in our little flat, being pregnant with Mickey, and just watching hours and hours and hours of tv without one inkling or iota of "shame" or guilt whatsoever (I didnt know about all that crap yet, I really just hung out with my kid and we enjoyed life together, no shoulda-supposed ta nothing! such bliss!) we ate food and blared the air conditioner and had quilts and blankies and we loved it! It's Itsy bitsy time was just one of those ones where the songs were really really catchy and oftentimes way better than the little weird shows. Greta was 2, and she would get all excited for the songs, and then kind of phase out during the shows...but I was hooked and I think she saw how much I was jamming out to the show that she liked it even more. Did I mention quilts and non stop eating? God it was awesome.

Well somehow it was just poof-off air. I looked it up online and there was nothing to be found. I thought I was crazy! If it wasn't for Steve and Greta remembering it, I would have pretty much believed it all to be a pregnant delusion. but tonight, I found a crazy website that knows ALL SHOWS and it told me this about its itsy bitsy time. Its coming to FOX? I cant believe it! SO cool and so weird...I worry that it will be all different. I don't want new ones.

The other magical and weird and long gone shows we watched back in the day, me and little baby Greta, were Pappyland, Sharon Lois and Bram's Elephant show, and Busytown, a show my the famed illustrator Richard Scarry.

I am cruising around Amazon right now to see who has this crap on video--vhs--whatever. Casey Mickey and Charlie must not be without the weird and wonderful world of canadian/british broadcasting!

The Modern Kitchen of Today

2007-05-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

HOLY MOLEY!

We have a dishwasher, one of those funny little kinds that you have to wheel out and hook all up to the sink. We tried it once when we first moved here (last August) and it made terrible noises and sprayed water all over the floor and so we wheeled it back and have been hand-washing ever since.

BUT for some reason tonight Steve tried to re hook it up and IT WORKS

DO I even need to explain how much this rocks? I want an "I heart technology" T-Shirt tonight. But I will settle for an I Heart my Husband one.

just my 2 cents

2007-05-15T05:02:00.000-07:00

The old saying goes; Don't let the sun go down on your anger---

Meaning, don't go to bed if you are in a fight with your partner. But I say HOGWASH. For me, the phrase should be something like:

Don't start some giant paintrain "talk" at 11:30 pm when you are exhausted. Instead, hit the hay and it will look alot more reasonable, approachable and in proportion after you are rested.

a little salad

2007-05-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

My yummy fresh salad tonight:

Spring mix with herbs (a prepackaged thing, tasted like dill and cilantro were in it for sure)

tomatoes

chick peas

bacon bits

shredded cheese

apples

croutons

Craisins (or dried cherries)

Small, small amount of Roka Blue dressing (Kraft) mixed with Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette and lightly drizzled over the top

It tasted fancy and colorful and all of it was cheap--even the craisins, less than 2 bucks at walmart.

10.99 special

2007-05-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Run-don't walk- to Panera.

For TEN NINETY NINE, you get a huge box of deliciousness to feed the gang all day long.

You get 13 bagels, any variety--and two tubs of cream cheese, any variety.

Do you know what it would cost to buy 13 bagels with cream cheese on them outside of this deal? I think bagels with cream cheese are like $2.15--- so $27.95!!

$10.99
It is called a BagelPack. Go get one! My personal fave: Asiago cheese bagel with sun dried tomato cream cheese.

dispose

2007-05-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

It is SO about paper plates. And paper bowls. And plastic utensils. And paper towels.

It is 2 in the afternoon and instead of dripping oozing tipping stenching mountain of dishes filling the sink and covering every surface in the kitchen including the stove, there is only a coffee cup, the blender, and 2 sharp knives. Because of the disposables.

It may seem bad for the Earth, but hear me out: How good is it for the planet for me and Steve to stand there from 10-1130 everynight washing dishes until our backs seize up? How much water does that use? How much soap? How much time?

We had a barbecue party here this weekend and so I have lots of leftover disposable stuff. It has made more of a difference than I anticipated. Instead of the hour+ dishathon tonight, I will be free to cut loose and fold laundry ;)

People have absolutely no inkling of what is involved in being home all day living and caring for 4 children. No concept of the cleanup and prepwork in being vaguely presentable as a crew in public. Ahhh to teach in a public school and have the kids only from 8-3, to have a crew of cooks and janitors, lunch breaks, after 3 pm to sit at my "desk" in the quiet and plan things out...all the kids the same grade level, summers off...
haha

But yeah its hard to do all this homemaking. if paper products help me then hallelujah.

home sweet home

2007-04-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

I had a mild mental freak out last week, quite possibly hormonal, and started looking online for a new house. RANDOM. But if you know and maybe even love me enough to follow my blog, you will not be that surprised. Im kinda impulsive? Well anyhow, it didnt hurt anyone and was free and interesting. So.....there was one online that claimed to have 5 bedrooms, garage, basement, yard, 1800 sq feet, very nearby alot of our friends. WOW, right? Maybe we are paying too much, maybe the market has changed, yadda yadda.

OH MY GOD

It was so sick. The guy showing it was so sick, scary, rediculous in his red sweatpants, dirty hands, and disgusting demeanor. I was greeted with "Which one are you?"....excuse me? "Which one are you, the 6 or the 630?" oh, I am the six thirty, sorry im a few minutes early..(?) "Well lets move fast, I gotta get back to Indiana" ....and I care because....???

So the house was nasty, miniscule, smelly, laid out almost exactly like our old place but...worse. Tiny living room, then tiny dining room, one tiny crooked-y bathroom off to the right with two tiny smelly bedrooms with "closets" with no doors on them, scary white and brass ceiling fans hung about 5 foot 6 inches from the ground...tiny rotten kitchen with creepy stairs behind the kitchen steeper than our old staircase, going waaaaaay up into the tiny tiny tiny 3 bedrooms upstairs. The front bedroom I couldnt stand all the way up in, the ceiling was so low. The basement was so low ceiling-ed, I politely declined the tour. The garage was waaaaay back in the yard and looked about to fall down. The "grass" was just patches of dirt. Yer Not Gonna Put up Some Big Bullshit Gazebo or Some Shit Back Here, Are you? was the jovial backyard conversation that tickled my ears from mister no name. Um, no, no gazebo, sir.

We ended up back in the dining room and I manage to say something about the little random built-in china cupboard being cute, to break the silence. This prompted mister man to say "You have no idea how much work we put into this place. no idea. you wouldnta even recognized it before we out all this work into it. New roof, had to redo it all...some really messed up shit went on in this house, really messed up." (please dont go on.....) "The mom was all messed up on drugs, you know, and once he left (WHO????????????) there was something really bad goin on in this house. You dont even want to know the half of it (youre right! stop!) They had locks on the outside of these doors right here, and right here, there was some child abuse or some shit, there was blood everywhere, on the walls, on the ceilings...."

this is what you tell your suppossed tenants!!!!!!!!!!!??????

He went on to tell me that a "Lady cop" lived next door but he severely doubted whether she was on the up and up " (?????????) that the people across the street were kind of wierd, the lady next door aint doin so good, but shes nice, and so on and so on

He randomly screamed at me "And dont ask me no questions cause I dont have no answers! You have to take that up with my old lady--shes the boss, shes the one, so dont ask me nothin and i aint guarnateein you nothin! I gotta get back to Indiana tonight! Im so tired, tired of all this shit, you know, we wanted to flip this house, I didnt want no parta this--and look at us now, were big landlords now, huh?"

I was slowly sliding out the front door....

His demeanor had gone from vaguely bushed to irate over the five minutes we shared, and I was starting to feel very very homesick and disoriented and not scared so much as really really silly and out of place.

My unease quickly tunred to happy happy joyous relief as I drove home to our awesome house.

I hugged the kids and strongly considered kissing the floors when i walked in.

I might always be the kind of person who likes to look, but I will never again pretend that this place isnt great. Wowee wow wow.

rooming in

2007-04-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

Our daughter and son share a bedroom. Have for years. even in the old house which had five (miniscule) bedrooms, they shared a room. Like Mary Poppins, Nanny McPhee, Peter Pan, and all of history, mixed genders in the nursery is nothing new, or wierd, or aghast. They have a bunkbed that can be used as two twin beds. The bedroom is so huge I could have all four of the kids in there, dressers and all, so the options are endless for arranging things.

Recently Greta said she wanted her own room, and we wondered if "it was time"...if she wanted privacy (we almost exclusively change clothes at bathtime, so the nudity thing is not an issue) or to go crazy with pink lace decor.....we told her we would talk about how it would work out for the rest of us, and she said no hurry. I worried so much about Mickey being crushed---after all, two crying babies are hardly the roommate of cool Greta and her late night tales of Harry, Hermione, and Hogwarts...shadow puppets, whispers of "whadda you want for your birthday?"....I dreaded telling him some corny tale about "girls want to be alone"...and the whole thing kind of didn't feel genuine. I didnt get any vibe that she wanted away from Mickey...

Today I felt the opportunity to discuss with Greta what exactly she wanted to do or get out of her girl room, and she looked rather surprised that I was automatically thinking of it as a Girl Room Thing. she said "I just want to hang up Harry Potter stuff and have a writing desk. I want to read late at night and not have to worry about keeping up Holl. Over my friend N's house, she had a harry potter room and I loved it. thats all."

!?!?!?!?
So.
For now, it isnt about girl room. We bought a clip on lamp for her bed for late night reading, and we found some Harry Potter curtains on Ebay for $2.50. We are goingto put her bed waaaay far away from his and have them decorate their regions a little more seperate. I know he wanted to do hot wheels and she wanted to do Harry Potter, and so somehow they compromised on homemade spongebob drawings, which was very diplomatic. I am looking forward to the new set up.

Someday soon, maybe within the year, Casey will be less of a crying baby and more of a car-buddy. Greta will want actual privacy, and Charlie...well maybe we will move by then or do a giant 3 boy room or who knows what. But for now, all she wanted was clearance to go solo on the decorations. Bless her heart. And phew to me and Steve and still getting a little bit of sleep at night. I cannot imagine Casey and Mickey together "sleeping" at this stage...jumping, screaming, beating....

maybe someday we will need 4 bunks---looks so cute in the pictures!

2007-04-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

yum

2007-03-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

Bought tons of produce from fruit market and Sams club

Played a touch of indoor football with mini watermelon

Sliced up the stuff until past dark

Put it all into happy little bags for easy on the go healthy snacks! I even looked up online what a "serving" really is for a child of 1, 3, 6 or 9 and it was smaller than I thought--especially for a baby like Charlie it is a tablespoon for a serving of vegetables. Hooray!

I know that the reason we eat so much crapola is because it is easy to open the bag of chips and start mowing---well now it will be easy to open a bag of sliced strawberries and carrots.

whadda you know!

2007-03-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

The cardinal actually came! To our cheerio thingies we made! Hooray!

This is not a magazine

2007-03-14T14:36:00.001-07:00

Please know that some of the biggest mistakes in my life have come from being fake and acting fake to impress people who cannot be impressed, who should not be impressed, who would not like the real me anyhow, who are incapable of liking themselves, of loving life, of seeing truth or beauty in anything... I will never get those hours back or all that energy spent but there is always the Now.

I love art and beauty and color and form--light and shadow and hue and tone...I love taking 27 pictures of myself and then posting the one where my nose looks straight...but there is a very bad thing that can happen when we all worship artifice, live in miserable insecurity and useless competition, self conciousness and shame...we are divided against one another, our humanity altered and our senses and our psyches can suffer greatly.

This is not mySpace, and I am not about trying to edit crop cut paste or feed any more fuel to the Mommy Wars. I dedicate this entry to reality--more beautiful than anything else. The truth will set us all free, even in photography! (I hope!)

I have another blog for the super fun and the super cute and the stylishly E-D-I-T-E-D versions of things. www.freshmamaworld.blogspot.com But this home life is perfectly imperfect just the way it is! Finally I can say that and mean it.

Drop me a line and tell me your opinion...

bird treat project

2007-03-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

We strung cheerios onto pipe cleaners, melted peanut butter, poured it all over the strung-O's, then put them into a large ziplock bag of birdseed.

We hung these birdy treat "bracelets" out on top of our bird feeder.

We are trying to encourage a great variety of birds to come to our yard this year, and Cardinals are who we studied last week. So we hope they nest here. If they do, we'll post pics for sure!

Precious oldies

2007-03-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

These are from 2004. Mostly June. Casey age 1 Mickey age 4 Greta age 7.

*sniff*

They're all so plump and babyish! I thought they were so big! Sigh.

I am addicted...to photosoftware

2007-03-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

I have always known about photoshop and stuff like this. But I never wanted to take the time, or effort, or money, to figure out some weird software. Yuck. Frustration and rage is all I pictured.

But for some reason we have this program, called Nero, which my husband downloaded as a free trial for something else, and IT ROCKS. I have been playing with it and I love my (cheapo 3.1 pixel 99 bucks three years ago xmas kodak) digital camera again--or, more truthfully, for the first time!

So, I guess Hearth and Home is as good place as any to post these rock dawg fun pics. I couldnt be more pleased with the fun effects and how much I can go in and fine tune. I had so much fun tonight doing this. Thats what happens when The Baby Sleeps for a Little While Without Nursies. (What, was I suppossed to go do the dishes or something?)

M a g i c !

YOU CAN RED-EYE REDUCE A ZIT. THAT IS THE LEVEL OF FUN I AM TALKIN' ABOUT HERE, PEOPLE.

ENJOY! AND P.S. IF YOU DONT THINK NAKED CASEY ON A SPONGEBOB POTTY SEAT WITH SPECIAL AGING AND COLOR-DESATRUATION EFFECTS IS BRILLIANT, YOU REALLY REALLY MIGHT NOT BE HUMAN.

Sams Club

2007-03-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday i made the decision to go back to Sams Club. To renew the membership and try again to do the whole thing. The theory is amazing and sensible: to buy in bulk at a discount, to store properly, to be well stocked, to not run to the grocery every day, to make large quantities of food and freeze it, to get real about how big our family is now, to plan and list and use our brains to make our dollar and our TIME work for us. To feel like if friends dropped in, we wouldnt have to run to 7-11.

I spent alot of money, but got amazing deals. I took these pictures to show the nice, full, organized fridge, cupboard, pantry and chest freezer.

I bought a box of four boxes of 52 gallon ziplock bags. After 2 1/2 hours of shopping, (alone! yay!) we all worked for 2 hours doling out almost everything into the ziplock bags for storage, freezing, and freshness. I do not want any of this food to be stale, freezer burned, spilled, or forgotten. It was really really fun scooping the dry pasta, frozen waffles, crackers, bagels, shredded cheese, tomatoes, pretzels, frozen fries, and more into the huge bags and putting htem all away. the kids were impressed. they kept saying HOW MUCH DID ALL THIS COST?! And I said "alot". Steve looked pale, but really I spent 2 weeks grocery money and got hopefully 4-5 weeks worth of food.

I didnt buy a single decadent, wasteful, non-food, overpackaged or luxury item besides a cookie dough tub and a huge dry-erase board.

why families with little ones really do deserve to order pizza many times a month.

2007-02-28T12:09:00.000-08:00

The resources it takes to just EAT sometimes are overwhelming.

You need a car to get to the store.

You need either someone to babysit your kids or the vehicle and moral fortitude to take them with you.

You need money.

You need recipes AND a menu or plan so you dont buy only fritos.

You need all the dishes to be washed and so someone to watch the babies while you devote your hours to this or some kind of drug habit to stay up till 3 am doing it alone while they sleep.

You need counterspace.

You need prep time.

more babysitting....

then you serve the magic meal.

3 out of 6 family members would rather eat poo and they say so.

But you make the meal. The healthy meal. It is hot on the table at 630pm

Nobody really liked it too much, but you tried---and now you have leftovers, clean up, dishes, floors, table, counters, and baths to give. It is 7:00 pm.

Since baby is climbing out of the highchair and the lentils are tumbling everywhere and he is stepping in them and he has also pooped out of his diaper you get to rush him into the bath, leaving the whole meal and his clothes and the beans and the other children all behind you. Tot needs a bath so he runs in, leaving a little clothes trail behind, and in some more beans.

You do the bath, the shampoo, the toys the games the flooded bathroom floor, the drying the lotioning the diapering the dressing and now it is everyones bedtime---keep the tot out of the beans mess! Keep the baby clean! Some are begging for dessert! They cant be expected to eat at the destroyed fallout dining room table with that diaper still stenching in its pants in the highchair....so they get to eat dessert on the couch. They spill it all and surprise you by cleaning it for you. (Are you gonna be the mean guy and tell them that maybe the vacuum hose doesnt do ice cream bars so well?) Can it really be 8:15?

Put baby to bed. Put big kids to bed. Rigamarole involving people fake having a nightmare and fake having to pee again.

Time to go clean the whole dinner. Poo, food, clothing, dishes, its all so gross, so cold. you pile the dishes up, throw away a full garbage bag of filth, starta load of laundry, take the poo garbage bag out to the garage, why are you so tired? Werent you gonna do all this STUFF tonight? Why is it 930?

Do dishes until the hot water runs out. About 1/2 of the dishes in other words. Sweep the floor. Crawl around on hands and knees and get up all the wet things on the ground. Now your only jeans have juice and beans and sour cream on them. And the toes of your shoes. Feel your back wrenching. Why is it 10:30?

Wipe down the table and the chairs. Spray the high chair trays with clorox. Get a drop of it on your jeans. Stare at the pink spot forming a little too deeply and start to nod off....why is it 11?

Put the clothes in the dryer, put your jeans in the washer with all the beans-clothes, put some wierd maternity pants on from the floor. (Why are maternity pants in rotation? your baby is 15 months old.) Check if hot water is back. It is. You finish the dishes. You are physically starting to black out. Dont you deserve a beer? but it is 12:15 am thats kind of weird or alcoholic to drink a beer on the Next Day, isnt it? Decide on one beer.

Sit down on couch. As the chocolate ice cream starts to seep into your undies through the fabulous maternity pants, you hear a distinct sound....wahhhhh.....You didnt lay out all your bills. You didnt email all your friends. You didnt take a shower or color your hair. You didnt fold the laundry. You didnt do an overdue yoga video from the library which is somehow missing its case even though noone watched it yet. You didnt organize your closets. You didnt watch any of the shows in your TiVo. You didnt call grandma back. You didnt make snacks for scouts or print out schoolwork for the kids tomorrow. You didnt do 10 sexy secrets to your husband. You didnt take your new vitamins nor do you know where they are. You didnt do your nails, eyebrows or zit removing mask. You didnt vacuum or dust or blog or download songs that you underlined in the magazine you get to read only on the toilet. You didnt turn that unused cupboard space into a handy loft, nor did you brush your teeth or hair. You didnt show your pet some quality time and you didnt go clean out the car.

You made a gross-ish rather expensive dinner and that is all you did. Wondering how and why it is 1245am, you go to sip that beer but the baby starts crying really hard now---he is gonna wake up the toddler if you dont hustle your chocolate pant-ed booty in there to go get him.

The brown glass bottle, full of beer, will sit on the floor next to the couch until morning, waiting for you to kick it over on your way back to the kitchen to start it all over, at 6:15.

Rosemary

2007-02-28T11:39:00.000-08:00

I love rosemary. I love the word rosemary, I love the smell and flavor of this darling herb. Why is it so nice? Why do I worship it in bread or on potatoes? It is so so so so so comforting and kind. I wonder if it would make a cool perfume or if it could work out in a potpourri?

Rose

Mary

What a sweet little name.

I will go warm another piece of rosemary bread with butter.

February around the hearth and home

2007-02-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

this weeks menu 2-19-07

2007-02-19T08:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday dinner: Betty Crocker Easy Egg Bake

Monday Breakfast: Cheerios
Monday Lunch: Peanut butter/Nutella whole grain sandwhiches cut into hearts, SunChips
Monday Snack: Carrots pretzels and cheese
Monday Dinner: Betty Crocker Roasted Vegetables with Quinoa

Tuesday Breakfast: Pancakes and veggie sausage
Tuesday Lunch: Refried beans/soft tacos
Tuesday Snack: Raisins, popcorn and cantaloupe
Tuesday Dinner: Pasta with pea pods and broccoli

Wednesday Breakfast: Kids make Fruity Quinoa with me
Wednesday Lunch: Peanut butter/Nutella whole grain sandwhiches cut into duck shapes, oranges, Almonds
Wednesday Snack: Gogurts and cheese crackers
Wednesday Dinner: Betty Crocker Macaroni and Cheese Pie, cold cucumbers tomatos and carrots

Thursday Breakfast: French Toast For Fort Day
Thursday Lunch: Grille Cheese and alphabet soup
Thursday Snack: Little ice cream cups in the fort
Thursday Dinner: Hardshell Tacos made with veggie meat

Friday Breakfast: Cheerios
Friday Lunch: chili or whole grain pasta if u hate chili
Friday Snack: Gogurts and cheese crackers
Friday Dinner: Baked Potato bar

bunny nursery

2007-02-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

Casey and Charlie now have a Bunny/Squirrel themed nursery. It is so cute!

Caseys bed has a bunny quilt, bunny pillowcase and bunny sheets. He has a bunny/lamb mobile hanging hi above his bed on the ceiling (he cant reach it) and I cut out a big Squirrel Nutkin and Peter Rabbit from an old book we had and put them in little frames on his wall.

Charlies crib has squirrel sheets (Martha Stewart kmart from baby Greta!!), sage green blanket, orange blanket, same bunny/lamb mobile as Casey.

I moved our loveseat out of the living room into the nursery and put our sage green couch cover on it.

I found lots of rabbit, squirrel and lamb stuffed animals digging through Greta's HUGE stuffed animal collection and set them all up on top of the curtain rod.

I gave them my 1970s pastel bunny lamp.

Its really cute in there now!

We all have cute bedrooms now! Its a miracle.

bla

2007-02-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

I do love this blog, and imagined I would write more in it than I have. Things have been very home-bound and yet I get it in my head that my blogs have to be positive essays and glorious tales of positive events and ummm this has not been what is happening in my life right now so I dont write because I dont have a precious recipe or darling craft to talk about.

We eat crappy noodles every minute. Our water tastes funny and I want a Pur or a Brita or a WaterMan or something soon.

I have no secrets to reveal, honestly, about homemaking whatsoever except that we may need to go to the laundromat ASAP just to catch up!

Oh, I do have one recipe:

Put some cream cheese and some caramel on a plate.Do not stir.

Warm it up a little.

Stick granny smith apples into this.

Enjoy!!!

Courtesy of Karen's mom

One Cup-simplicity at work

2007-01-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

I want to invite us all to talk more about something that I have been sort of dodging and darting around for some time now, but that is really as firmly entrenched in my values-system as homeschool, homebirth, etc, and that is this:
There are spiraling advantages to simplicity, and as the true meaning of the sentiment known as "appreciation" becomes more a part of people's lives, WHETHER OR NOT DUE TO VOLUNTARY OR INVOLUNTARY FORCES I.E. POVERTY, LACK OF RESOURCES, the results are the same.

Peace. Freedom. Calm. Power. Strength. Purity. Clarity. Insight.

To me, these words embrace and embody the very highest levels of human achievement, the upper eschelon of our journey here. There is a very strong goodness and wholeness that comes from all of this, and there are infinite ways to apply it to our lives, and so I will start with the example I like to call One Cup. It goes something like this:

If you had only one cup, regardless of why, (if it helps, try to imagine camping or a time when you were in financial constraints such as being a college student or something) it would be your Cup. That is your cup. You drink from it. When it is dirty, you wash and dry it. If you were to lose it, you would be out of a cup. If you were to break it, you would be out of a cup. So, by this postulation, you would know where it was. You would take care of it. It is, after all, your Cup. Thats what you drink out of. You might even grow a bit attached to it, a little sentimentality in the name of Value would then be involved. It would no sooner be left in the sun to rot or forgotten at the beach than would, say, your car keys, and if and when something like that happened, it would be a Big Deal.

But somehow, someway, in the mystery machine of Capitalism, and its twin sister Materialism and its evil son Greed, has come a WORLD of people with so many cups, that are not special, that are not cared for, that are not unique, that are not appreciated, that are not VALUED....and still we crave and yearn for this feeling. So we try so wrongly, so ironically, to stop this bad feeling, this feeling that nothing has meaning, by buying more cups, then better cups, then different cups, then Antique cups, why isn't it working? Why can't that feeling come back? Retro cups? Re-issued Retro cups? Vintage? Perhaps a new whole set of cups, and an armoire to hold them all in? Anyone?

This of course goes way beyond cups and you can fill in what you may. Look around your home. Look in your car. I'd even say Look in your Mind, but that might be getting ahead....

What is all that crap? Who bought it? and W H Y? What are we so afraid of, that we pretend we "Like to stock up"? What empty holes in our hearts are we trying to fill with all this crap? Which local mega store chain's current slogan do we silently chant until we believe there is ANYTHING behind it besides profit? SIX dish scrubbers? Really? ELEVEN ladles? Really? EIGHT shampoos? Really? SEVENTY red nail polishes? Really?

We have four kids and they each have a spill proof cup. One. Because when they have One Cup, it is the most cherished thing in the cupboard. When we had a giant drawer dedicated to sippy-cups and their lids and stoppers, they were ALWAYS LOST. Because no one cared. There was a big drawer of them, so who gave a damn? Nobody, thats who. And it was bad. And we changed it. We have two small cupboards and they have enough dishes cups bowls and plates in them for our family. If it is dirty then wash it. Your sink will not fill up because six bowls never filled a sink, but thirty sure does.

What if you had 65 cars, and one got stolen?
What if you had 3000 husbands and one died?
Did I lose you just then?

To be in such a priveledged nation that we have to do little things like "teach appreciation" is kind of grotesque in itself, but we do, and even on our modest salary, we make a concious effort to do this kind of stuff all the time.

Does thinking about it make you nervous?
Do your possessions possess you?
Who are you without all the stuff?
Would you be willing to practice?
What do you look like straight out of the shower, white t shirt and jeans?
Do you like it?
Do you feel the way I do, that the people on Survivor become so beautiful by the end game that to see them on the reunion show (or even the jury) is almost nauseating? Is it the tan, the weight loss? Or something so much more?
Is it the way they gleam of Pure Living has been replaced with pancake makeup, slick chunky hairdos, and a puffy sweater? Is it so wrong to eat fish, fruit, and rice, to drink water, to sleep outdoors and to get in battles of mind and body each day? To take a nap or two? To sit by a fire EVERY night? Not only when the power is off, not only when you are camping, but purposefully, to do something human?

I frequently seek out experiences and activities that, in my modest understanding of history, are historically traditional to being Human. To smell wood burning. To share food you have prepared from whole ingredients.. To discuss and debate. To run and play games. To laugh and cry. To sing. To wonder. To explore. To spend vast amounts of time outside roaming and researching. To love. To mate. To birth when it is time, and to then rear young in the way I see fit. To cherish the older generations. To include the children. To keep animal companions. To set up and take down each day and night. To tell others about what I feel. To be how I am.

cookie afternoon

2007-01-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

Today we made some delicious cookies. We modified the Quaker Oat "Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies" recipe by using store brand oats and adding dark chocolate chunks. they turned out great, and I would love to make them even more healthy somehow because I already feel that eating them is akin to eating oatmeal and eating oatmeal is good stuff.

Maybe adding flaxseeds or nuts, dried cherries or other grains?

Cooking is one of the themes for Winter 2007, so, inspired by Steve and Paul, here we go!

Cloth Diapers

2007-01-11T11:52:00.001-08:00

Right now our dryer is broken, meaning, it just spins and blows regular air. Its kind of odd to me, that air outside dries your clothes, but yet the dryer can tumble all day and night and they don't seem to ever dry. I have hung up clotheslines all over the laundry room for the laundry to soak up that nice stale smell and turn so rock hard it could cut your skin. Our normally "cool" Landlord has been really slow and shifty about replacing or fixing it, and we plan on mailing him, in lieu of a rent check, a little friendly letter this month! But my point: all this hangin' stuff up on the line has got me really sad for cloth diapers again.

It was around this time last year when I spent $130 dollars on 13 cloth diapers and covers for then 3-month old baby Charlie. He only nursed back then, no food, and so the poo was not very gross at all, and cloth diapering was a snap, a breeze, and something I loved doing. The diapers were so cute, we had yellow, blue, pink and green (A mixed lot bought off of Ebay) and they would come out so fluffy and soft and he never got rashes. I love cloth diapers, and we used them full-time for Mickey, mostly full-time for Casey, and only somewhat for Charlie. They are too small for him now, of course, and a pain in the butt---but not for the reasons you might think. It is not gross, it is not difficult. But what it does do is take up your washing machine, alot! Example: I try to do the wash all day long. as much as I can possibly remember to, in between lessons and spills and meals, as much as I can possibly sneak away for 5+ minutes for, I am changing the loads. I take clothing from the dirty-mountain and put them into the washer. I put the washer clothes into the dryer. I put the dryer clothes onto the floor. then at night, we takes great scoops of clean clothes and fold fold fold them on the table or couch or wherever. Repeat times infinity. BUT WAIT! When you are using cloth diapers, when and how do you wash those? Unless you can afford to have ALOT of cloth, which I did when Mickey was about 1 due to tons of hand me downs from my old neighbor J, you have to be really careful you don't "run out"! EXAMPLE: Say you have 13 diapers. Okay. Baby uses them and at the end of the day you might have, say, 6 or more dirty diapers in the pail or the pile or what have you. If you just wait another day to wash, then you will have a bigger load, justifying the water, sopa, and TIME YOUR WASHER IS BEING USED FOR SOMETHING OTHER THAN CLOTHES! YIKES! But, if you wash them right then, a small load of six, then it might seem like you are on track. BUT, hear me out, cause this is where I ran into trouble: So you have six in the washer, one on the baby, and five in the clean pile. Then you have to hang-dry the covers. So in the meantime baby has 2 more dirty dipes. there is One clean, three dirty, six wet and clean....it is day two! You NEVER have 13 clean in a little fluffy pile ever again! And when you go somehwere, you put the dirty thing in a plastic bag in your car--and if you leave it in there on accident, then it might be ruined, due to the ammonia (pee) destroying the fibers. So you lose a few. And again, when do you wash your regular clothes? Well, I need two washers. I have seen it on TV, it isnt a big deal. Some friends have cautioned me that two washers would overload the wash-basin, but I wonder if that is true. So maybe we will use cloth and maybe we won't. But I really really want to make it work!

the wood floors

2007-01-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

In the old house, with its carpet-under-the-only table we ate at and schooled at and baked at and crafted at, clean-up time was one of misery, frustration and woe for me and Steve. Cottage cheese, paint, and anything else you can think of got kind of crushed "away" by the trusty old vacuum, so gross, yet what else could I do?

Now we have not only wood floors under our dining room table, but a whole other room and table to use as an alternate for eating and schooling and everything else. Such a blessing!

Clean-up after a lunch like we had today, which was make your own black bean nachos, goes something like this:

Take all the chairs away. Tip and shake the high chairs onto the floor and take them away. By away I mean to another room. Put up the Giant Purple Babygate to "lock" everyone away from the area to be cleaned. Or send them all into a bedroom for a few minutes to play with Casey and Charlie. So then I pick up all the things that go back in the refrigerator, and take the giant push-broom (the kind you use outdoors for leaves and grass) and work all debris in the way of cheese and beans and rice into a big pile in the corner. Then I wipe down the table, wipe down the chairs, and scrub out the high chairs. I replace all the chairs and vacuum the rug which is in part of the dining room that sometimes gets a bit of miscellanea on it. Then I take the vacuumhose and suck up all the beans and stuff! I can now safely take down the baby gate and hear them beg for DESSERT!