Itty Bitty Garden Review

I haven't blogged much on the garden thing but it was treading along, growing and mostly thriving all summer. I was satisfied with the results of my first true garden. We harvested a little bit each of:
Zuchinni, until the plant mysteriously died.
Lettuce
Radishes
Carrots
Potatoes
Tiny unimpressive red and green peppers
Cherry tomaotes - which mostly got picked daily and eaten by Will right next to the garden, never making it to the kitchen.
One teeny tiny onion!!!!

We harvested lots of:

Tomatoes. Well, green tomatoes. I had to pick them early or they were turning bad.

Calendula. Lots of it, all summer! I enjoyed growing this. We've made salves and lotions, put in in soaps, and just kept the flowers in a vase on the table.

Basil - lots, and lots of basil! I made pesto and have plenty for the winter, well, plenty if used sparingly.

My green beans didn't make it at all (rabbits) and I had a pumpkin vine growing up until we left for camping in September and it didn't get watered (my dad watered our garden for us but the wild pumpking was growing behind the compost bin - only I knew to water it!).

I am most proud of how well the basil and calendula did. We are digging out now for an herb garden for next year. I will start thinking soon about what I want for next year.

It is so much fun to be trying to think about what to make for dinner, knowing there is nothing in the fridge but just walking out your back door and picking this and that to come up with a great meal. Goodness!

What DID I do today?

Nothing that I planned.

But I:

Went to the chiropractor.
Did my morning chores.
Soaked some pinto beans for cooking this weekend.
Tried on various costume-y type clothes to try to decide what to be for Halloween.
Gave up to the fact that Jack was not going to nap and instead -

Ran errands - picked up my shoes from shoe repair shop, went to Target in a never ending search for diapers that Will won't leak thru (even cloth won't work), returned library books. FInally returned dream shoes back to Zappos, went to bank.
Washed some sheep's wool that we got from Lake Farm School. My house smells like dirty sheep and I love it! This will take several rinses, then we'll start picking it (and hope to eventually card it). Its drying over the playstands now.
Made an ax out of wood (for the handle) and cardboard (for the ax - smart mama) for Will for what should be his Fireman costume, but now it seems he wants to be a Wood Cutter. We'll see. He was so excited.
Cleaned and vacuumed out my messy car.
Made breakfast (oatmeal, yogurt and honey), lunch (okay, leftover chicken and rice) and dinner (bowtie pasta with pesto and spinach) for my family,
I have a clean kitchen now. Mark has promised to empty the dishwasher. Place bets now.

And of course add the various mothering tasks of changing diapers, nursing, wiping bottoms, changing clothes, putting on shoes and coats half a dozen times (an hour), and cleaning up spills, and tending to boo-boos. But now both my boys are in dreamland.

What I really wanted to do was just sit down and have a few minutes to ... think.
That is usually the one task that never seems to get accomplished each day. : )

And now, I am too tired to do it.

Why does everything perfect have to be so expensive?

I would love the boys to have woolen pajamas - the zippered kind. Will loves these kinds of pajamas and its hard to find in his size. But $70 a piece???? $140 for pajamas????? Its just crazy - the economic disparity of how humans live their lives on this earth. I feel guilty. And jealous.

ETA link of pricey jammies: http://www.nordicwoollens.com/big/16244706.jpg

Funny.

I was just looking over my blog and see tht last Thursday I was going nuts. Its been so pleasant around here for the past several days... I would say since last Saturday (Lake Farm School has that affect on us).

Highs and lows are so extreme these days. : )

But now its 7:30 and the kids are hanging on me and not going to sleep... must tend to this....

Coffee lovers?

I need/want a new coffee pot. I am SO done with my french press for many reasons.

Anyone out there still reading my blog? Can anyone recommend a good coffee pot for me?

Mother Love

I am awestruck by all of the amazing women I have met since becoming a mother. We are all so strong and intuitive, and when we slow down, we know our children like no one else ever will. I am connected to all these smart women thru the commonality we all share - heart soaring, heart wrenching love for our families. I watch my mama friends and how they are with their children and am so impressed. I know ALOT of smart mothers! I soak up the knowledge around me. I'm a sponge. I have learned from every woman I have ever met and I love you all.

Day Redeemed

Mark came home and cleaned the kitchen after dinner so I could take a bath - ALONE! We spent the evening outside by a fire with the boys who fell asleep in our arms. Its a beautiful, clear, starry night. There is nothing better than being together in front of a fire.

Hey Julie Mama

My kids are destroying our house. I have yelled more today than ever before. Its so frustrating that Will is a total angel the entire time Jack naps, but as soon as he wakes up... hell breaks loose again. Blah, blah, blah, same old, same old. But man, they are so cute when they are sleeping. : )

Seeking Confidence

One of my biggest (I believe) downfalls is lack of confidence in myself (and bitching too much at my husband). I'm not sure why that is.... and what I can do about it. Daily affirmations, I suppose. But I feel so silly saying those - I think of Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live.

Well, actually... somedays I am bursting with confidence with how I want to live my life. But then its the how I am actually doing it that makes me falter. Anyway, been thinking about that.

Today, though, is good. We made play dough this morning and the boys played with it along with oregano, zuchinni strips and shreds, and cookie cutters. I made a chocolate zuchinni cake while they did that. Its in the oven now.

Off to do the morning routine as we're behind a bit so I could get the cake done and in the oven. The boys have been up since 6 am so its been a full day already.

Dinner? Ratatouille made by mom!

Soapmaking kind of day

My mom and I are making soap. I found olive oil based clear glycerin at Hobby Lobby so we'll try that instead of the cucumber. The cucumber is more milky white - the clear will be fun to try out. We have dried flowers, including calendula from my garden. Also I am going to try melting beeswax this time to add to the soap. I am looking forward to making a lavendar/beeswax/honey soap!

I would like to make some chaptstick for winter too - on Friday a friend and I are attempting lotions and salves. If I can pick up some lip stick containers maybe we can give it a try.

What the...

I keep writing posts and they don't post.

Today:
A.B. Bananas with lots of bouncy blow up things for the kids to play on.
Dinner at Hy-Vee and it was absolutely disgusting.
Mark is at Late Night in Lawrence and got to eat at Free State. Mmmm. Beer.

I wrote a (couple) long drawn out posts about our morning and evening routines. Damn.

Lets see if this boring post goes thru. Of course it will.

ETA: WHAT THE???????? LOOKS LIKE MY POSTS ARE BACK!

House Rhythm to Help a Mommy.

Okay, I hate posting this, I wish I could make it protected because it sounds so bitchy. I don't know what to do to get thru to Mark... and I have to think this thru so here goes...


Morning routine for Daddy:

1. Pajamas either go in the laundry basket, or are to get folded up and put back away. Same with work clothes.

2. Snack dishes are to go back downstairs to the kitchen.

3. If anything gets peed on, it gets cleaned up or put in the laundry room for Mommy to wash later.

4, Take your robe with you to the shower, use the towel in the bathroom and hang back up. Bring any laundry back up to the laundry room.

Evening:
1. Work shoes are to be taken off in the garage.

2. Dinner dishes are to be rinsed and put in the dishwasher. Wipe down table.

3. Beer bottles are to be rinsed out and put in recycling - not left on counter.

4. Dishes in basement are to be brought up every night and put in the dishwasher.

In General:

On Mondays, go thru the WHOLE house and collect trash before taking to curb.


Evening Rountine for the Family:
4 pm - Mommy will go thru and do a house pick up.

5 pm Dinner for the kids, and I'll have a dish ready for Daddy for him to eat when he gets home.

Bedtime routine:

6 pm. Bath.

6:30 play with Daddy, bedtime snack and waters.

6:45 Brush teeth.

7 pm Mouse story, read books. Will sleeps, Jack nurses and lights out.

After Boys are asleep:
Mommy and Daddy do another quick house pick-up.

If Mommy isn't home, dio the bedtime routine up to the reading of books and see how it goes. I

ZZZZZzzzz.

Beyond tired. Between my all night nurser and my insomnia there was no sleep for me. I spent the whole night being pissy with Mark for not cleaning up the dinner dishes and for not putting the lid on my cornbread muffins and drying them out. It that a total chick thing to do or what? Still... I could go on.

Today I started the day feeling very homeschooley unschooley with a trip to the shoe repair shop, and a trip to the hardware store to make keys. The kids love watching "worker guys." Its their passion. heh. We also went to Children's Orchard and got a fireman costume for Will and a bumble bee costume for Jack. They also got new suits for Christmas, and TIES. They are pumped.

We've started digging out for our herb/rain garden. Will dug all day yesterday - and loved talking about what we will plant and where.

But I am ending the day counting down bedtime. Neighbor kids are here now, and soon bath and the whole bedtime routing.

We had the structural engineer come and are happy to learn out house is not falling down. No structural issues at all, whew. So now I am awaiting a quote from the contractor on what its going to cost to re-vamp our basement. Too much, I am sure.

I hope I can sleep tonight.

I bought two pairs of dream shoes:

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/11860674/c/69375.html

and

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/15370446/c/6.html

But I am returning them both. Instead I took my old Clark's to the shoe repair shop and although the heels and soles are beyone repair, he's sprucing up the leather so at least they will look good. They are very comfortable.

Time.

Every so often I get that panicky feeling in my stomach when I realize that my babies are growing up and that this time right now - with the chaos, the exhaustion, the cuddles, nursies, laughter, stories, bed jumping, messes; the time when I am so incredibly lucky to be the center of my children's world... is nearing its end. In the scheme of life it doesn't last very long but at the same time... in the scheme of life, it IS LIFE. To its fullest. I on occasion need to wake up and remember this. I have so much love for my family my heart aches.