A Lesson In Compromise

2011-10-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

Might be back. Might not.

Avery

2011-09-04T05:21:00.000-07:00

Glissading at Lassen Volcanic National Park

2011-08-27T11:18:00.001-07:00

I'm going to try to share some vacation photos but they'll be in a very random order since I know I'll not ever organize them! Today's photos are from after we hiked Bumpass Hell Trail at Lassen Volcanic National Park. On the drive "home" we stopped to play for a bit.

I went first as a trial. There was a 20' drop off at the end with boulders and a fast moving road at the bottom. I just wanted to be sure stopping was manageable.

Logan liked to ride on his feet.

Avery was nervous about the speed and distance so she went on my back.

This was more Avery's speed after all!

This was one of our best active days on vacation. The hike was snowy and everyone walked there and the little girls napped on our backs on the way out. The fact that there were warning signs about how dangerous the trail was helped to keep Logan and Avery's motivation high. It was snowy and slippery and muddy but also 75F and sunny. Once we got to the main event (the mudpots and active thermal areas) the kids could have cared less. Plus we had run out of food and they just wanted to get back.

The glissading was really exciting. The perfect grade and distance to get up enough, but not too much, speed. It was the only day of the entire trip that our rain gear got used.

Playing Catch-up

2011-07-05T17:01:00.001-07:00

We've rode away from school for the summer.

We celebrated birthdays.

Graduated from 3 year old preschool.

We celebrated another birthday.

Finished 2nd grade.

Ended a soccer career.

Made Bee Hotels with SVT.

Went on his first overnight trip with school.

We've also been fighting with raccoons smarter than us and the chickens, searching online for hours for car rentals and open flights to SFO that don't require a 12 hour sit in DFW. We've been swimming at the lake, fishing, and eating too much ice cream at our dairy. Heather has been swimming with people from Boston Tri Team, running with people from Triumph and generally getting her ass politely handed to her on a platter. Cathy heads to DFW for training and has one last trip before we leave.

Logan thinks our house is a hotel but does come home most nights for at least 7 hours sleep. Avery's pals (aka "the giggle girls" according to multiple teachers at school) are all left or are leaving for the rest of the summer in the next week, so she is getting in as much time with them as possible. Not surprisingly the 4 "giggle girls" have been split into two classes next year. At some point my children need to friend other children who do not have second (or third!) homes.

We have one week to pack everything we need for 43 days of camping in 62" bags not weighing more than 50lb, clean the house enough that things don't mold while we are gone (I never claimed to be a good housekeeper!), clean out the fridge and instruct the chicken sitter in all the new things needing to be done to keep them out of the raccoons grasp.

Then I'll be ready for a vacation.

Race Report- 1M OWS

2011-06-25T17:51:00.001-07:00

Swimming is weird. It never gets really painful like running or cycling. And even though you are surrounded by black-suited bodies you are very much alone. Even while someone is swimming half up your body and you elbow the guy next to you. Very much alone. And I like that.

I can easily imagine doing a 3M OWS. I'm not sure I can fully comprehend the 55F temps I'll encounter next month. 70F felt cold today.

28.16, 36th overall, 7th age group. I'll get total number of swimmers OA and AG but in the meantime I would guess 289OA, 77AG.

Next race is THE race. Well until the other race. The fun ones in the middle don't count.

No More Teacher's Dirty Looks!

2011-06-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

End of School Time=Hell

9.5 more days of school
15 birthday parties (and counting...)
1 birthday party for two of my kids.. please have decent weather
2 more field trips
1 more talent show
1 soccer game
4 end of the year class parties
2 books to type out for 2nd grade
1 field day
1 art show (for all 4 kids)
1 more day in the photocopy room
unknown gifts needed for-classroom teachers (6), specialists (8), admin staff, the janitor, the bus driver, the classroom aides (while not assigned to my kids I think they help everyone) and the school secretary, who is also a neighbor who drives Logan to school most days.

During that time I'm scheduled-
to run 47 miles
swim 4 times (Walden twice and Lake Boon twice)
plus I'd like shower on a few occasions and possibly sit down while I eat.

Wish me luck!

Girl Scouts

2011-05-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

I think she had fun on her first "camping" trip.

This jumping rock provided hours of entertainment for my troop, much to the dismay of the other troop leaders who wouldn't let their kids climb on it (or pick up sticks, or run!)

Personally, after a year of being a troop leader GS programs are slowly growing on me. Now if I could just get past their oath, their promise and their extreme fears of legal action I'd be jumping in with two feet like Avery.

Impressed

2011-05-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Finley can't pedal yet, but there is still hope. Watch this!

Freeride Kid

13.1 Race Report in which I make excuses, blame other people and generally bitch and moan

2011-05-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

Sigh....Where to begin?

Perhaps a pre-race day dinner of take out mexican and far too much watermelon wasn't ideal. It seemed salty so I didn't take my daily dose of 2T of salt (which thanks to my cardiologist's suggestion has almost fully eliminated my light-headedness and passing out at inopportune times by raising my blood pressure to a more normal level.) But my belly revolted a bit and I wasn't properly salted. One the positive side there were porta johns and real bathrooms all along this route since it was in tourist area.

Perhaps with the fact that every kid seems to be having more than normal amounts of bad dreams which necessitates me sitting by their bed during the night. So I was, as normal, tired.

I won't tell you too much about the yeast infection I realized I had too late pre-race day night to treat. Bleech.. scratch, scratch....

The weather was overcast, 70% chance of rain, but a comfortable 57F. It didn't actually rain but I heard thunder from about miles 5-8. It poured on the drive home.

So that is the background information.

Now to blame people. (everyone except myself of course!)

*My parents didn't give me beauty, brains or athleticism.

*Avery broke a glass, didn't tell me, and I had a sliver of glass in my big toe that required a fair bit of digging to get out. That cut blistered up.

*All my children share some responsibility for the state of my saggy boobs, but I mostly blame Meryl and Finley for the bloody raw spots under my bra. (My breasts have served me and my children well during the past 11 years. Now could they please go back to what they were like when I was 25!)

*Cathy for having a work schedule that doesn't give me regular times to run.

*I'm sure there are other people to blame whom I've missed. Don't worry I hold you accountable for my pathetic time too!

Random info-
*I was 10 minutes off my goal time. But my goal time was just something I pulled out of my ass, since I've done no prep for this race.
*I ran past a runner getting CPR at the 10 mile mark. I hope she is still living.
*My feet hurt and I'm going to try running barefoot more, which has been working well for me.
*I think my next half will be July 31 at Mammoth Lakes, CA. Since I do oh so well on those hills!

Things I've learned-
*I shouldn't use an ipod on race days. I can't hear myself talking to me.
*Don't drink the post race beer on an empty belly. Wait till you get home. But even then be careful of the post race beers. I think my metabolism was much faster than normal.
*Maybe my physical and mental fitness will never be where I want them to.

Blogging while beer is flying through one's metabolism may not be ideal either!

Library Day

2011-04-28T07:00:00.001-07:00

Simply 10 Good Things

2011-04-25T07:20:00.001-07:00

*Nap time on the trampoline.

* Music on the stairs.

*Logan and Avery happily playing Monopoly for hours

*children all sleeping in children's rooms

*spring like weather

*striped shorts on skinny little girls

*Cat Stevens/Yusaf Islam playlists coming from the kid's bedroom

*running chickens

*kids reading books I loved as a kid

*a clothes line that holds two big loads

idea from soulemama

Annual Egg Hunt

2011-04-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring

We dyed our brown and blue eggs this year. I just couldn't bring myself to buy white eggs. Some colors worked better than others, but it is possible.

My First Trail Race Report

2011-04-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

I learned a lot today. I knew I had no idea what to expect from a trail race. Only 250 runner split between a 3 mile and a 10 mile course. Overall winner gets a loaf of banana bread, age group winners get cookies. This race is part of the TrailRunner Trophy Series so the parking lot was full of out-of-state license plates and rental cars. And 45 year old men with the twiggy bodies of 8 year old girls. In gear. The cool kind you see in magazines. Anyway, it was my first 10 mile race. And my first trail race so I didn't have any competition. Just me. Starting at the back of the pack. First off, a trail mile means nothing. I ran 7.5min miles and 17 min miles during this race. Water was available at 2.2, 5 and 7.2 miles. Always at the top of a hill! They should give water at the bottom of a rocky, steep section so you can walk and drink. Just my experienced opinion now that I've done one race! People should puke off to the side, not on the trail. Be respectful of those behind you. Please. I really don't like hills. Up or down. Give me a nice level dirt road any day. I know my next race needs to be a half-marathon on the road. Or perhaps a rail-trail would be nice. Oh and another important thing I learned- Those 45 year old twiggy men don't smell like 8 year old girls 10 miles later! Edit- I don't know where my paragraphs have gone or how to get them back. Ah well.....

My Day

2011-03-18T18:10:00.001-07:00

I crawl out of bed not being able to open my eyes or breathe freely thanks to my mild but irritating head cold. Gotta get ready for Avery's birthday party today! Yee-haw!

Breakfast for 5. Brush 5 sets of teeth, comb 4 heads and put pony tails in all of them. Tie 3 sets of shoes. Get 4 kids to school on time! At school I talk to the secretary (more money for Avery's lunch account), the principal (pajama day again?), pto president (yes, I'll help harass the town about recycling), the school nurse (tick time) and the classroom teacher (Have fun!).

Off to the Natick library for "The Suite Life on Deck" for the mock-sleepover. They don't open till 10. Off to the fabric store for new waistband for Meryl's skirt. They don't open until 10. Wait. Make my $.39 purchase at the fabric store and head back to the library. Call the pedi about Logan's once again swollen knuckles. Get a noon appointment. Pick up girls and Logan from school. Teacher says Finley's ear has been bothering her.

Pediatricians with the kids. Logan needs to see a specialist. TODAY. Finley has an ear infection. Cathy gets the little girls while I take Logan to the specialist. I get lost. We are late. We wait. Did I mention the "Specialist" is a dermatologist? This "specialist" thinks we should see a rheumatologist TODAY. Huh? This is swollen knuckles that have been going on for 8 months. Not an emergency in my opinion. We do, however, have time to stop at dairy queen! First ice cream of the summer! But we eat it in the car. Hey- I've got eight 8 year old girls heading to my house. Drop Logan at school for the last half-hour. He needed to get his basketball for the weekend, not any books mind you.

Head home. Frantically clean and set up the scavenger hunt, Oreo pinata, laser games, etc. The bus arrives with a gaggle of chaos. 4 hour party goes great. Not a single hitch. Well, I spent $100 on Chinese take out and pizza. Most of the girls then requested plain pasta with butter. I could have save $98.71 and just bought a box of farfalle. Who knew?

Parents pick up their kids and it is at this point that I notice-

I am wearing two different shoes!

My shoes don't match. They didn't match all day. And how many people did I talk to? Sigh...... I did throw one mad crazy eight year old party though.

RTB

2011-03-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

So I just signed up for something that will be a challenge for me. I like my sleep and I don't particularly like people. So why am I doing this? Haven't a clue! But wish me luck.

The Sound

2011-02-26T16:42:00.000-08:00

Dog and Vanessa

2011-02-25T14:03:00.000-08:00

Dog chose ribs and french fries. I cooked the ribs (my first time) and they came out looking fine and the kids ate them all, so I guess it worked. For dessert he asked for "big chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven" and again I was successful.

Vanessa (Avery's dog, who sometimes answers to the name Rivers) chose Wonton soup with ice cream cake. The soup was pretty lousy. Did you know "wonton" means "swallowing a cloud"? I did take photos but they are still on the camera and the camera is currently in Guilford.

Meanwhile, I am child free for another 15 hours during which time I am supposed to do the taxes or clean the house or do something useful. But I think netflix may be calling my name and then I plan to sleep for 12 hours. :)

2011-02-21T13:46:00.000-08:00

Moose's 10th Birthday

2011-02-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

School vacation week has begun! And amazingly enough, each child has one stuffed animal who will celebrate a birthday this week. Today we planned the menus and took care of the shopping. The first birthday- Meryl's moose. She is 10 years old. She chose tuna noodle with peas and chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

The candles were difficult to blow out for a moose, but eventually she got it. Tomorrow is Finley's lamb's birthday. The menu is PB&J with apple wedges and Rainbow Jello. Better menus follow with Avery and Logan's animals.

A moms gotta do what a moms gotta do to get happily through winter vacation!

PS- Please don't ask Moose about the band aids on her antlers. 10 can be an awkward age for moose.

Roses are Red....

2011-02-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

Roses are red

Violets are blue.

You are the best mom

I ever have knew.

I guess its the thought that counts!

Heart pancakes for breakfast. Although Finley insists they are mickey ears.

Heart shaped marshmallows in the morning ovaltine.

And the kids came home with tons of candy, plastic junk and pencils from school! Call me crazy but this holiday has gotton out of control. Finley and Meryl had exactly one child in their class make home made cards. Logan had one child. Avery didn't have a single one.

I like this woman's view on the holiday!

*ZWH is intriguing to me but feels like false advertising. No home can be ZW. If you drive a car there is waste. Not just in emissions but in parts like replacement wiper blades, tires, filters, etc. If you eat food and breathe there is waste. I'd like her so much more and not be a 'hater' if she called her home a Low Waste Home. LWH has a nice ring!

Happy Valentine's Day.

Cold?

2011-01-25T06:02:00.001-08:00

We check on the chickens several times a day and bring in the eggs regularly. But with the current temps in the negatives the eggs are still freezing faster than I can bring them in. This makes for neat cracks along the eggs and a little wait time before you can use the egg.

Avery likes to play with it as it thaws.

It also means the water heater can't keep up with the cold, so the water is freezing anyway. And yesterday the plastic was too cold and brittle and simply cracked. Ugh.... Who's idea was this chicken project? Off to spend more money on these little birds.

To do list

2011-01-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I need to

1. Teach my children to shut the car door and

2. Clean out the car.

Then this might not happen. It kinda stinks to be driving to school and hear your 3 year old say "I smell chicken poop." Pun intended.

I said I never would

2011-01-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

But I'm going to.

We are taking a family vacation to (gulp) Disney World with my parents. Honestly, I think it will be fun. (ducking my head in shame.)

We are introducing the bazillion characters to the little girls and trying to watch some of the movies with the older kids. (If they ever get tv privileges back!) But the dilemma it is creating for Meryl is amusing. Meryl just can't decide which character to hug first. She likes Mickey Mouse, but his clothes are yucky. But she doesn't like Minnie Mouse even though she has a beautiful dress. Sigh... what to do, what to do.

2011-01-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

Hello? What? This hasn't been updated in a while? Well look at that lovely winter scene on the mantel above. Isn't that sweet? My kids did a nice job. Just don't think about the fact the photo has been there since late fall of 2009. Okay? Okay. Have a nice day now.

If only...

2010-12-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

they were always this peaceful! When I left them for nap they were each in their own bed. After they'd been quiet for a while I checked and found this-

When I went to wake Meryl, I found this-

End of a Season

2010-11-22T11:42:00.000-08:00

Avery's soccer season has come to a close. It was our most successful organized sport thus far. It was fun to watch her run and smile with abandon. No self-consciousness, just a focus on the job that needed to be done. But then she'd break into a skip during a lull in the action. Avery doesn't smile like this all the time.

The right time and place for aggression.

Battling the same kid, who also happens to be a friend.

Her coach was amazing. Personal emails after every game telling us how awesome Avery is! Very intense but enthusiastic and positive. I think maybe every parent got a personal email in addition to the group email!

Finley and Meryl enjoying the final game! The slept through the entire thing.

Morning

2010-11-07T12:11:00.000-08:00

Indian Summer?

2010-10-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

Bring it on! The weather is amazing today. Shorts and tee's all the way! Finley trying to steal some of Cheo's ice cream.

Finley, Cheo, Alden and Meryl

Maybe I need to get these girls some friends their own age? Nah....

Nickled and Dimed and Fed Up!

2010-10-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

My children attend public school. PUBLIC. As in Free for All. But it is so damn expensive. Just this week-

-Food Pantry Day- If you bring in at least 3 boxes of cereal you can wear face paint to school. That's 12 boxes of cereal! Just so my kids can paint ($3 for face paint!) their faces like everyone else.

-Pennies for Books- On Monday you bring in lots of pennies. On Tuesday you bring in lots of nickles, on Wednesday, dimes, Thursday quarters and on Friday, you see where this is going, bills only. The class that brings in the most money gets to have their photo taken with the Assistant Principal dressed like Pippi Longstocking. Yeah, well. Except she weighs about 300lbs, so not exactly Pippi Longstocking. On that one the kids had to use their own money, thank you very much.

On Saturday we skipped the school "carnival" where it was encouraged that each student buy tickets in advance. $100 per kid being the recommended amount so they can participate in many of the activities.

You can't opt out of the book fair because it takes place during the school day when the kids attend library! Heck- Didn't we just send in "pennies" to buy books for said library? Again, I refused and the kids had to use their birthday money.

Sadly, the Friday night Pasta Dinner sold out before I got tickets. Boo-hoo. This is a fundraiser for the 5th grade. Generous tips are appreciated for the servers since the meal *only* costs $7 per person. I've heard parents dropping $100 bills for their children to serve them over cooked pasta. Jeez, it's about time the kids did some of the work!

Instrument rental is about $250/year but you buy the music books and stand. I'm sure he'll need more appropriate clothing come performance time.

For the little girls, the parents take turns brining in snack. This week is Finley's turn. This is the grocery list I was given-

2 packs 1 gallon zip lock bags
2 packs small bowls
2 hand sanitzer (of which we sent some in at the begining of the school year!)
4 packs of forks
4 packs of spoons
100 5 oz cups (For this price we could buy a set of coringware plates, silverware, cloth napkins and real glasses. Wouldn't that be 'using our resources wisely?')
2 packs of paper napkins
2 loaves of bread
2 red peppers
2 cans pineapple
1 jar applesauce
1 bag oranges
2 boxes each of graham cracker, ritz crackers and teddy grahams (Are they even still around?)
4 cans of non-frozen juice concentrate
1 tub of raisins

Cha-ching! $$

Oh, and $15 for image making day, $12 for the field trip to the museum and another $15 please for classroom supplies. Don't forget to send in two pumpkins per child and extra apples please for using in painting. It drives me batty. And we aren't even talking about the hours spent volunteering for things that I always thought the teachers did. Photocopying, laminating, cutting and stapling, measuring beans and corn, shelving library books, cleaning rooms and organizing supplies. (I'm not bad mouthing the teachers here. They have their hands full too. Heck, they've got my kids!) I guess I should be happy I can do these things, but today, I'm just feeling broke. And overwhelmed.

And frustrated when I learned that a neighbor just asks the school to waive all her fees and got free tickets for the carnival. Isn't it great that the school will support her in her time of need. NO! Her family takes two all-inclusive vacations a year where she proudly says she pays the extra money for a nanny so they can take advantage of the free drinks. She shops at the hoity-toity grocery store in town. I shop one town over where it is much cheaper, but you schlep your own groceries to the car. Her vacation consists of packing her kids off and enjoying the warmth of the beaches. My vacations consist of camping with the mosquitoes at Storyland.

Bleh. I am feeling pretty disgusted with my town, my neighbor but mostly with my miserable attitude about it. Sigh.... Thanks for letting me vent.

Quiet House

2010-10-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

While I know the level of noise and chaos in my house are pretty typical for a house with 4 kids (and friends) I still love the times when it is quiet enough I can notice things like this:

Finley is reading a Hanukkah book to her doll and dog. She gets the ideas correct "some put a penny in, some take a penny out" and "when it drops I win" and has the tune somewhat correct. It is nice to catch them they don't know I'm watching.

Family Weekend

2010-10-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

It's not often that Cathy is home for a full weekend. This weekend she was home both Saturday and Sunday. We took full advantage of this by not doing a dang thing around the house. The chickens continue to have only small 6'x3' section of outdoor space to escape from the rain. (Well, they could also go in the coop of course!) The grass did get cut but the basement floor still needs to be bleached before it can be painted. The basement walls are framed and the "lovely" wood panelling has been cut to size but still need electrical outlets, heat vent, etc holes cut before it can be put up permanently.) So what did we do?

Well. Saturday was this.

Lots of hula hooping. Lots of good music. Lots of garlic foods, mostly local. I had a great spinach burrito with hot salsa and roasted garlic. We all tried garlic ice cream. We had popcorn that had been grown by a group of 4-h type kids. It was "safe" as Logan said, "from garlic."

Eyeing the wares.

I seemed to end up carrying these two an awful lot. Everyone but Finley got their face painted. Meryl was insistent she be spiderman. The people doing the face painting tried to talk her out of it (this was the sort of place where commercial cartoon characters are frowned upon. Just the fact that she *knew* about spiderman showed just how awful I was doing as a parent!) but she held her ground. I was quite pleased with her stubbornness in this situation.

We finished the day with everyone zoning out in the car with their non-organic, non-locally harvested, full of food coloring lollipops. No garlic in sight!

Sunday was this. First annual event in which I hope we can participate for years to come. Avery rode her bike to the event with the rest of us but participated in the event in my bike with the little girls. She then rode her bike home the event just fine. Go figure. The kids were just happy to have skipped going to the parish house for services.

The afternoon was Avery's soccer (Her team was slaughtered, but since they don't keep score it doesn't matter. She had a grand time but is getting frustrated that she isn't the best on the team. And she is not the best. The assistant coach has a kid who is far, far, far beyond where Avery is. I think it was better when Avery couldn't tell who the good kids were. But Avery is far better than most of the kids. This is a situation I've never been in as a parent. Usually I've got the pathetically miserable kid who doesn't have a clue. It's more fun to be good!), playing with neighborhood kids and an unexpected visit from my parents.

Life is good. It would be better if the chickens were dryer and my basement was done but it's okay. Plus I've got plans to eat some chicken with a lot of garlic in my near future.

Training Wheels

2010-09-08T17:49:00.001-07:00

Meryl gave up the tricycle today. And after a few run-ins with parked cars and trees she even figured out the brakes. Watch out world! (and watch your ankles!)

We also got our first big egg today. Lo and behold, it was a double yolk. We had scrambled eggs with dinner tonight with the 6 (!) eggs we've gotten in the past few days. The chickens don't know where to lay. 4 eggs were found in the nesting boxes and 3 out in the pen. And the egg I put in a month ago as a hint, is now gone. Bleck. I really don't want them to develop a taste for eggs. I'm sure we've got a few eggs lying around the yard somewhere since they spent all day out of the pen. I'm going to try to keep them penned in for a few days and hope they develop a habit of laying in the nesting boxes. I figure just as it starts to get colder they'll be in full laying mode.

Climbing From Hell

2010-09-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

On a last minute recommendation we checked out Purgatory Chasm. Very cool place for kids ages 3-whatever. Lots of fun climbing, hiding, scrambling, sliding, etc. Average number of deaths per year? Only 2.

Little green Avery speck on left, red Logan speck on right.

Fat Man's Misery
I'm sure you couldn't name something that today!

I kept thinking I should get ahead of them to get a photo of something other than their behinds. Just wasn't going to happen. They never stopped moving.

Mandatory rest break.

Checking out the Devil's Corn Crib.

Oops. Starting to get blisters (not barefoot ground here) and tired. She has got to learn to wear shoes.

(See Cathy in the photo?)

Logan and Avery went off for more hiking while I hit the very cool playground with the babies.

(Yes Mom, I called them the babies. I'm allowed to do that if I want.)

We all napped on the way home. Well, not Cathy, who drove.

Home to a lovely dinner. Except our table didn't have enough room for the adults. Very sadly, we got to eat alone inside!

(I've always said I want my house to be a gathering place for my kids' friends. Lately it seems to be happening for neighborhood kids. So I won't complain(much) and will continue to serve loads of pasta, peanut butter sandwiches, juice and ice cream if it means I get to see who my kids play with and, more importantly, HOW they play.

1st Egg!

2010-09-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Finally! We got an egg! The little one in the middle. The others are from more established layers and are probably L or XL in a grocery store. Logan was the one who found it when heading out to fill the water and let them out for the afternoon. He has first dibs and has asked for scrambled. We'll be watching for more. :)

My tomatillos and ground cherries are also coming ripe. I guess they aren't tasty for groundhogs. We've been having a lot of green salsa and I plan for some enchiladas, but I haven't come around to eating chicken yet. Preparing it for the family, yes. Consuming it myself, no. The ground cherries rarely make it home since I eat them on the 5 mile drive home from the garden. (Nope, no biking to the garden. Takes too long and that is my precious alone time, so I don't waste it by being "green." Everything can be justified!)

1 down

2010-08-31T13:26:00.001-07:00

Everyone was cheery and ready to go. Don't ask who left homework and supplies at home. (um, Logan AND Avery!)
Finley thought she was a big kid at the bus stop.

The bus stop crew. See the tiny little girl (3rd from the left)? She is in Avery's class! See the big girl on the far right? She is in Logan's. Don't judge a kid by their size is the lesson I take from this.

The thermometer when I went out to meet the afternoon bus.

Survivor! 181 days to go!

Processing

2010-08-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Today I volunteered my time, energy and the contents of my stomach for these people. I doubt I will do this again, but I am still processing my experience of working the MPPU. The learning curve was quick and by my 4th or 5th bird I felt pretty good about my final product. As the day warmed and the odors increased I started to struggle. After bird 32 or so I lost my breakfast in the horse field. Not fun. I did get back on the line but then only pulled off another 7 or 8 birds before quitting. Photos show only the first birds going through. Imagine the blood, feathers, shit and viscera after 400 birds have gone through. Buckets of heads and feet, buckets of steaming livers, neck, gizzards and hearts. In the heat. I've showered and brushed and scrubbed my body but can still smell fresh, raw chicken.

I admitted my defeat to Jen and scrubbed up to leave only to hear her announce to "Finish your bird and we'll break for lunch. A lunch provided by Verrill Farm. Darn. So close to a lovely meal. But now, 6 hours later I'm still slightly nauseous. An experience I'm glad to have but I don't think I'll repeat.

Corn

2010-08-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

Something continues to ravage the garden. Now the corn stalks are being knocked over. The cobs are left intact, but the stalks are chewed up just a tiny bit. So the unripe cobs sit on the ground. Ala Jen's cuke blog I thought I would show cob sizes. The cobs on the left are pretty large and should be colored more than they are. Maybe saving hybrid seeds doesn't work? The cobs on the right are Larry's. As in seed he sent from Hawaii. That is the entire crop of Hawaiian corn. The germination rate was poor and the varmint appeal was high.

The chickens enjoyed the meal of fresh corn.

Finley (aka Fittin' Finley for the tantrums she throws) is always angry that Avery can hand feed the chickens and she can't. Perhaps, Finley, if you stopped screaming for more than oh, say, 34 seconds, they might come closer to you.

I Quit!

2010-08-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

My garden is a failure. It started off well (doesn't it always?), but I have battled a groundhog/woodchuck and lost. My fencing is no match for him/her. An eaten butternut squash.

A row of soybeans chewed down. He doesn't touch the pods, just the leaves.
3 bites out of a cuke and then left to yellow and rot. Can't it just eat one damn cuke and not take one bite each out of 30?

Another poor squash.

When I left the rental plot I was pretty depressed and decided I would go home and pull up some potatoes as a pick me up. This is what I found at home.

A tomato plant that the day before had been full and lush and covered in almost ripe tomatoes. Now- stripped bare. Deer? Can Rabbits get that high? I don't know. And the potatoes? A little too close to the hose so the kids often "helped" me water them. Lots of large potato skins full of rotted, fully liquid potato. Sigh....

Clearly we don't *need* this food, but it is frustrating nevertheless. The kids are enjoying my neglect as I brood. This is how they would spend their lives if permitted.

wii

Braiding

2010-08-08T07:51:00.003-07:00

My first attempt at braiding onions. I have another 30 or so drying and another 50+ still in the ground so I'll have a few opportunities to improve! It seems a pity they'll be stored out of sight.

Face Painting

2010-08-05T04:44:00.000-07:00

The Babies

2010-08-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

The day we played at the Alpine Slides and Mountain Coaster the babies visited a petting farm.A pump just like the one at our garden. Except this was fun and the one at the garden is work.

And the highlight of the entire vacation- A kitten!

Finley is sad because it wasn't her turn with the poor kitten.

More Vacation Photos

2010-08-02T14:25:00.001-07:00

Heather's favorite part of vacation- The naps!

Robert Vacation Photos

2010-07-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

These are out of order but I wanted to let Kathie and Gill see them and let Robert share what he was doing. If I wait to organize them it will never happen. Robert was tentative at first with the actual climbing, but seemed comfortable right away with the gear. As he went along the climbing came more naturally for him.

This looked easy, but you had to re-clip multiple times. This is where Avery quit. She climbed comfortably but couldn't handle the gear very well.

DONE!

He did every course available for people under 16. He finished in about 2.5 hours and then went back and did a beginner course again.

I think he is on the 3rd level here, with one or two levels above him.

Oops. One of Avery.

This was near the beginning.

"Training." About 4 minutes of instruction.

Elevator photo! :)

Robert's first zip line run.

Robert was great to have with us, even if he did make my kids look bad, what with his good behavior and all.

Sparklers

2010-07-22T15:54:00.001-07:00

In 2006 we bought sparklers in Millinocket. We've been having fun with them ever since. New Year's Eve. 4th of July. Random nights after dinner.

" No, don't let that be the last one."

She was cautious at first, but quickly got the hang of it.

And, why, yes. She is wearing only underwear. It was dark. Get over it!

Avery was always tenative and never got the hang of it.

Meryl has been on my lap while I post this and is quite confused. She had a fever for one day and was sleeping while we had fun. "No party me? Where me? Me no sleep again." Bedtime should be fun tonight!

Thirsty?

2010-07-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

It seems I can never find a water bottle when I am ready to head out and need water and a snack packed. I know the kids are pretty bad about bringing things in from the car. Actually, I'm pretty bad about bringing things in from the car. But today, I discovered the real reason:

BOWLING

In Avery's room. Roll up the rug, grab a variety of balls, a variety of bottles and you are good to go. Who needs summer camp?

Baby Lion is Hungry

2010-07-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

Baby lion was very hungry.

Meryl is starting to understand that she can't play in the yard naked. So she covered up and gave him a nice meal.
I never actually said she had to have clothes. I only said she couldn't go naked! Smart kid, huh?

Why?

2010-06-06T15:53:00.001-07:00

Why has it been a month since I updated here?

Why do my kids play so nicely when I want them to be heading to bed? Or out the door?

Why do I continue to eat the leftovers on plates? It is just as wasteful on my hips as in the trash.

Why are chickens so much easier to care for than mice? Mice infest houses without our assistance but I can't keep them alive as pets. When was the last time you had a chicken in your wall? Our are healthy and happy and very little effort.

Why is a runway still closed at JFK? Why does ORD have to be so far away?

Why does my child pick the cello? It isn't allowed on the bus. Doesn't the viola sound lovely?

Why do the chipmunks love my strawberries so?

Why don't my toddlers use the toilet more regularly? My house smells.

Why do we get middle aged bodies without middle aged wisdom?

8 full and 2 half days left 'til summer break. 74 days of summer break! Many more whys during that time I'm sure!

No Vacuuming!

2010-05-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

Today, for the first time since March 12th I did not wet vac the basement. There are no puddles! WooHoo!

FEMA did their inspection of our house yesterday and the guy said our house was the first he's seen in a long time that still has the sump pump going constantly. Not really a distinction I want. The road in front of our house is still a puddle from what we are pumping out of the French drains, but the basement floor is dry.

(Well, except where Finley peed, but that is a whole other story.)

Not Biased. No Way!

2010-05-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

Meryl is in such a fun, but stubborn place these days. She is so quick to laugh off her own stumbles or mistakes, incredibly caring and cruel to others and in general, just a spitfire!

Just check out that fashion sense. What every good chicken farmer wears!

More kisses.

"I'm not holding her. She was getting out."

Wake Up The Earth

2010-05-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

The helmets are ready.

Meryl is not so sure.

They may be wierd but they are all I know so I'll hold close.

Hey- This might be fun!

This is fun.

Again, again.

Ice cold lemonade.

Awesome day.

Peace, Quiet and Reading

2010-04-24T17:14:00.001-07:00

This has been in the makings for a long, long time. Logan loved books so much at a young age but reading did not come easily to him. I get a little thrill now when I have to nag him to put. down. the. book. Reading for Avery came much easier and she will read just about anything. Logan is more particular. Meryl loves her books and will sit happily for quite some time. Finley doesn't really care one way or another. This video is hard to see because of the dark but it is Finley and Meryl in bed (supposed to be sleeping) but looking at and discussing a book.

I love the peace (okay, the quiet) that comes over the house when everyone has their head in a book.

One Week

2010-04-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

They hatched last Wednesday. Currently they live under the fireplace room table. It is getting harder for Meryl to keep her hands off. Wish me luck. I need it!

Scientific Study

2010-04-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

This won't change anyone's behavior.

Anyone need childcare?

2010-03-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

Keeps your kid confined, safe, happy and gets her clean. What more could a mom want?

TODAY.....

2010-03-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

I flushed my toilet!

:) It is the simple things people!

7:12 am the septic man came. He was wonderful. Some women may swoon over the handsome men. I swoon over the one with the snake and the pump and who smells like crap. The basement stopped taking on water this morning. Life is good.

It is raining again, but lightly and I've got a system in place in case we take on more water. I'm ready for anything!

Happy Equinox

2010-03-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated the arrival of spring and the rebirth of the earth. (In between trying to keep the basement dry and pumping out the yard.) It was a summery day, perfect for our egg hunt. Meryl thought the whole thing was great. She has such a positive, easy going attitude.

Enjoy the bounty of the hunt.

Logan and I did some spring time decorating after the girls were in bed on Equinox eve so they would be greeted by this coming down the stairs.

Doesn't that just make you want to put sunscreen on?

Logan was pretty pleased with himself. And it does look really nice.

Match, Match!

2010-03-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

The girls have been enjoying having matching clothes. So when I was looking for a baby gift for Charlie I ran across a great deal on organic cotton clothes. I had to pick some up for them too. I love the colors and think it would be a blast to see the 3 girls together wearing them, which won't happen, but still.

They've looked at baby pictures of Charlie and Evelyn and think they are one and the same and named Abbee, which is the doll's name we sent to Charlie. (Actually, I realized the package has not been sent but is still sitting in the back of my car. Someday. They clothes are big so there is time!)

They so enjoy matching and it makes me sad for Charlie because she will miss out on that. Granted, most of us never have it, but she did for a short time.

Crazy

2010-03-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

So, if it hasn't been insane enough around here, what with

-no septic system since it is still underwater. This means nothing goes down the drains. Just use your imagination. :)

-car repairs for both cars due to an accident and recalls. Plus the fully replaced brakes seem to not be working. Yikes!

-Head lice. With no septic, when I'm supposed to be doing linens daily.

-4 spoiled, entitled, demanding, rotten brat children. Oops. Can I say that out loud??

-the new resident mallards who have taken up in the back yard. Not always quiet.

So we added to it. By spending $75 to bring into our house something most people pay to get rid of. They stink and are noisy. They bite and draw blood. The kids are thrilled. I'm a wreck!

Waterfront Property

2010-03-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

The rain has been falling for a few days. It has never seemed to fall too heavily but it has been building up.

The canoe has seen much use the past few days. The neighbors behind us (in the green house) have their sump pump pumping directly into our yard. The hose is propped up on rocks so that not one drop lands in their yard but all in ours. We also own a "poop scoop" because of these same neighbors. (Well, because of their dog!) Educated, responsible people. Founders of the local charter school. But the rudest folks I've ever met in this neighborhood.

Our house is mostly dry. The septic system is underwater so if we try to put too much water into it quickly it backs up into the basement. Fortunately, we discovered this after the babies took a bubble bath. Some water and copious amounts of bubbles ended up in the basement. It could have been much worse!

Tomorrow calls for sunny and 50. I'm thrilled that tomorrow is a free afternoon because I can imagine a whole crowd of kids playing in it! This may be the last time we have waterfront property.

Happy Birthday, Little Girl!

2010-03-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

Seven years have gone so fast! From a hideous little baby, to a sweet toddler to an obnoxious kid to this. I think 7 should be a good year for her.

Waiting for the cake.

Arrival.

So many candles.

Counting said candles. She is old enough not to trust me.

Contemplating the wish.

Making the wish.

Cutting the cake. (It wasn't that stale, honest!)

The cake.

Still Here

2010-02-26T11:22:00.000-08:00

What happens after your kids spend time at AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com

Committed

2010-01-29T09:20:00.000-08:00

Today we put down the deposit for Finley's and Meryl's preschool for next year. Each kid's tuition is more than I paid for a year of college. Yikes! And they only go 6 hours a week!

The school is over 9 miles from our house. That doesn't seem like much until you add it up. Two round trips a day (drop off and pick up) twice a week is 72 miles a week. And it is in the opposite direction from the grocery stores, post office, library, etc where I might be able to piggy back errands onto the drive.

But despite all this, I'm really excited for them to be able to attend this school. I think it will be a great experience and hope that they enjoy all the outside time, the animals and farming portions.

Jokesters

2010-01-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

The book

The Page
The Prop

The Other Prop

The look on Avery's face after the argument about

snacks that resulted in Logan eating the contents of a diaper found in the bathroom?

Awesome! (and not captured on camera.)

Avery was great. Logan thought himself an amazing actor. And I had a lovely snack (the poop was a most delicious treat of cocoa and brown sugar, oatmeal and crushed corn flakes with copious amounts of butter.) perfect for dipping in my tea the next day.

Unedited and Uncensored- by Logan

2010-01-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

I have more than 50 erasers. They can com apart and go back togather. Most people in my class have around 10 or 20 and thay want alot to. this week I bought 30 more some are erasers that are new from the website and some are not.

For Cathy- re: Monsanto

2010-01-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

Since you've got so much spare time these days (joke, joke!) I thought you might need a little light reading while waiting for a van to the airport/study center/whatever. This tells about 3 Monsanto FDA approved gmo corn varieties that have been attributed to organ damage.

I know you think I'm silly regarding keeping my distance from Monsanto (which really is pretty much impossible if you shop at any mainstream grocery store, including whole foods, etc) but I think it is worth the extra $1 per seed pack to do so. My tiny little impact makes no difference to anyone but me.

Thanks for humoring me!

Hot feet.

2010-01-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to get Meryl on video singing a song from Annie. Sometimes she really belts it out and it is so funny because she doesn't have the verbal skills to keep up with the lyrics but she has so much emotion in it. This video was a failure at catching the diva, but watch Finley near the end. I didn't notice while it was happening but she lifts her shirt to nurse her baby in the sling. Smart kid!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T05:20:00.000-08:00

I listened to this show yesterday and found it very interesting. Cathy and I (well, me really) have struggled with how to celebrate the major christian holidays in a way that feels comfortable to me spiritually and socially. After listening to Greg Epstein it appears that I can wish you all a Merry Christmas without being a hypocrite. And I do wish everyone a day of family, friends, gifting, enjoying good food, and feelings of warmth and wellness during these dark days.

A bathroom in every room.

2009-12-22T10:58:00.000-08:00

The reason most people don't encourage potty learning in the winter is because of clothes. That isn't an issue in our house because they are so rarely fully dressed. But man, getting them to use the bathroom, then get dressed, then put on snowsuits, mitten, hats, boots, etc only to get outside to hear "I peeing" is so frustrating.

They don't want to wear diapers so I have to try to plan our day around enough bathroom stops. However, several times a week I have to take them out of their beds asleep and put them in the car. Then they are stuck in the car for about 35-40 minutes while I pick up the older kids and drive to their afternoon activities. Then it is too late and we have a puddle. In the car seat (where it freezes) or the waiting room at gymnastics or some other not so ideal place like the grocery store entrance.

But they are doing great, expect when they are not. They've never had an accident at school, so that is good. And by summer, they'll be experts.

Oops, I hear "I pee on rug. On rug I pee." sigh..............

Happy Solstice!

2009-12-21T12:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Solstice. Today we celebrate both the rebirth of the sun and the babies' half birthday. Winter was shown the way by a lovely snow. Yesterday was spent on snowy adventures- snowboarding on our ramp, failed attempts at x-c skiing (wrong type of snow), snowshoeing and building forts.

Then we warmed in the house and decorated the tree, made solstice cookies and played with glitter and glue.

Avery, through a haze of falling snow. Just for the record, she has a sheer summer dress on under the snowsuit. "Because it is so pretty!" Life with her as a teenager is going to be a challenge.

Finley was fearful of falling. Our new driveway produces the most lovely black ice. She crawled most of the day to be safe.

Meryl, who just takes it all in stride.

This morning I discovered just how competent and independent my two youngest can be. When I was upstairs helping Avery with her braids (now worn daily to keep the lice away! It is out of control in her school.) they got the paints, took off their clothes and got in the tub to start painting! I'm fine with this, but not in the middle of the morning rush.

What I found.

What it turns into.

Still Here

2009-12-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

Busy with not terribly important things.

We made some sugar cookies.

The kids worked pretty well together. Logan and Avery have become more competent at rolling out the dough.

Meryl did not eat any.

Truly. Not one bite went in her mouth!

We bought packaged gingerbread houses again. More fun with no work. Avery had a new friend over after school this week. I gave them the box and went away to entertain the babies. Two six year olds had a blast, consumed way too much sugar, and had something to display at the end. I spent my evening chipping away at the dried up frosting on the table. I figure now we have a good excuse for inviting this kid (who Avery thinks is just the bee's knees, and now I agree) back again during school vacation. To eat it!

Jealous Much?

2009-11-25T06:41:00.000-08:00

Look what I'm getting for Christmas. (Repeat three times in a sing-song voice!)

First- Cathy is getting the fridge of her choice, not the one I'd prefer. And with the cost difference I am getting this!

Then on Saturday I am picking up this. That first egg is going to be very expensive!

They say things don't bring happiness. They lie. I can't wait to toss the old mildewy bike trailer. Only now I need a new shed to keep this in!

eta- Of course the fridge is being delivered and installed with the old one being hauled away. This is NE. They know no one would pay for such a thing so it is worked into the cost of the fridge!

Guest Blogger- Fairy Houses by Logan

2009-11-15T04:27:00.000-08:00

This post is brought to you by Logan. He built the fairy houses and took the photos. His teacher is concerned by his lack of keyboarding skills so this gives him a chance to practice. Of course I had intentionally kept him away from a keyboard so his handwriting would be better.

I made a litel (long) bridg that conected from a biger
house

this is a close up of the house above.
I made this fairy house on the top of bloe hills

this is the mane house.

this is a close up of the mane house.

Dining room

This is a plase to sit.

Mane house.

I think of this as a old wizards house.

Snowy Hike

2009-11-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

Waiting for the babies, who wanted to walk. Logan and Avery were quite patient.

At the top.

Fairy Houses

Shadow play.

Snow!

(At the bottom of the ski slope!)

The actual hiking was great. The top was fun, what with screaming inside the watch tower, building fairy houses and having a snack. Getting into the car to drive there? Driving there? Getting out of the car, to the bathroom, getting everyone on the trail awake, with shoes? Not so much fun. Sadly Havasu is still a few years away, even with a donkey!

Screen Time

2009-11-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

I'll give you one guess as to what they are watching!

I've been had!

2009-11-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

Finley and Meryl wear diapers. But we have potties floating around the house and they understand the general concept, I think. They also know that if they make a deposit they get a chocolate chip. But we haven't done any serious attempts at getting out of diapers and I don't have any current plans.

But for a few weeks now Finley has been bringing me a tiny bit of pee in the potty and asking for chips. Fine. Usually this is after dinner and before bath. And she often ends up peeing on the floor while she eats the chocolate. Whatever.....

Today she asked for the potty and then asked for a cup of water! "Like Lolo" (Lolo is her name for Logan) She pours the water in the potty and presents it to me for the chocolate.

I've been duped and can't wait to talk to "Lolo" about this scam of his!!

EDIT- PS- Logan insists that he gives her warm water to put her hand in. Although sometimes, if she is naked, he'll run the warm water down her back. I don't know, perhaps it is all legit.

No Nap

2009-11-05T12:38:00.000-08:00

Meryl decided not to nap today! Note the droopy eyes.

Instead she put her fisher price animals in alphabetical order (following the zoo map that has pictures) and played at the table with paper dolls. Then I found animal families lined up around troughs of food. 1 little zebra and 2 big ones at the basket of apples. Two hippos and a rhino at a bag of grain. Such grown up play! I need to find a way for the two little ones to play alone more often.

Halloween

2009-11-03T12:03:00.001-08:00

So I guess I am supposed to post cute pictures of my kids in costume. Or the jack-o-lanterns glowing. Or the kids passed out in a sugar coma. Nope, not happening. I didn't get a single photo of Logan in costume.

But we had a full Halloween schedule. ToT in the commercal district the next town over. (Doesn't anyone make costumes anymore?) The neighborhood pots and pans parade to scare away the ghosts. (Doesn't anyone cook their own food anymore? Not a single homemade item on the food tables, unless you count chocolate covered marshmallows homemade! Ugh) The literacy night at school where you were supposed to dress as your favorite literary character. (3rd grade is too old to dress up?) And of course the regular ToT. Beautiful warm night, light off and on drizzle. 400 kids knocking on your door for candy. (Yes, our neighbors kept count but ran out of candy at 400.) Kids who didn't even put a hat on and call it a costume. Kids who knocked after every light in the house was out. Oh, and someone stole Logan's bag of candy after he finished ToTing.

Bah hum bug.... I am becoming such a scrooge.

Insert some witty segue here.

We've been missing the morning bus a lot recently. The bus used to come at 8:07ish, but the route changed and it now comes at about 8:25ish. We had never missed it until it started coming later. Go figure.

Sad kids waiting for me to drive them.

Picking nose kids waiting for me to drive them.

Waiting for me to drive them!

Closing in on the end of the season

2009-10-26T17:08:00.001-07:00

Sadly, the last of the carrots were pulled today. Also, sad is the fact I did not pull the last of the rutabagas. Ugh..... how did we end up with so many rutabagas???

This is a nice time of the year to be in the garden with the babies. Anything above ground is dead and can't be destroyed, so they can climb around without me cringing or telling them to stay off the growing plants. We had a nice morning taking our time.

Where was I?

2009-10-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

So I've come to a place where I am not very comfortable nursing both girls in public. Partly because in the US so few people nurse past one or two years. Partly because I have stomach flab that I would rather not share with the world. (Sorry about the visual there.) Then I saw these things on the same day.

Nursing in Mongolia

Bumper sticker

Gandhi- and no I didn't see him, obviously. It was a lecture/sermon about him. Basically the message I got was "if you're gonna talk the talk you need to walk the walk."

If that doesn't tell me perhaps I should just suck it up and do what is best for my girls AND get in control of my eating and exercise, I don't know what will. I loved the article about nursing in Mongolia. It is so true about nursing solving the problem 100% of the time. I can talk about taking turns or I can get two of the same exact toy, but that doesn't always soothe things over. But if I were to just lift my shirt and say "Who wants it?" I can pretty much guarantee that I'd have two kids running over. So what did I do at the playground today when Finley was having a tough time and needed to nurse. I let her. But when Meryl also wanted to nurse. Sorry. Time to go home or nurse in the car.

Sigh......

Weekend Round Up

2009-10-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY-after school

Leaf Ride

FRIDAY-
Topsfield Fair

Crazy Bus

SATURDAY and SUNDAY-

At Grandma's House- the big Yew tree is always a hit.

This was the first time the babies spent the night in the barn. It went suprisingly well. The main house is not toddler-proof in the least, but the weather was great and the newness of it all kept the babies busy. The house was a disaster when we left though. I think Grandma will be cleaning up peanut shells for a few weeks.

Grandma has cats, but we never see them. This guy got a lot of attention from Finley.

On MONDAY we hired a babysitter to take the babies to the new SMILE playground. For 2.5 hours Cathy and I just cleaned/organized/picked up the house/yard. It felt good, but hardly made a dent in the chaos and mess in which we are now used to living. I think the babies had fun out on a scavenger hunt and at the playground.

All in all a lovely long weekend, even if we didn't go to St. Louis.

2009-10-10T06:02:00.000-07:00

Before- During-

After-

School Holiday

2009-10-02T11:40:00.001-07:00

Monday was a school holiday so we headed into the Boston Children's Museum.

The Peep water area was a hit for all 4 kids, which shocked me. Someone did a good job designing a play space that can be enjoyed by a 9 year old as well as a two year old!

Meryl enjoyed the hand air dryer the best.

The walk to the parking garage was really, really long thanks to Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz filming and taking over the entire area. We had to stop and take a break. This was the first time I intentionally left the ergo at home and I normally don't take the stroller. Oops.

Next week we have a 4 day weekend and Cathy will be home. We had hoped to go to City Museum in St. Louis again but the flights don't work. Topsfield fair and a trip to Grandma's will have to suffice.

Full Sentences

2009-10-01T04:19:00.000-07:00

Meryl's and Finley's increased vocabulary has me cracking up this morning.

Finley: Poopy head Momo! (Her name for Meryl)
Meryl: No me poopy head. Ninley poopy head!
F: No mine poopy head. Momo poopy head.
Followed by a stuck out tongue and a raspberry blow!

I tried my hardest not to laugh, but failed.

Bathroom names and insults already? The tongue blow? How? Where? Logan and Avery are past that. It was just so classic. I'm sure it won't be so funny after the next dozen or so times.

Denial

2009-09-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the local twin group's yard sale. I got great deals on clothes for the babies. 8 pairs of fluffy, fleecy pjs at $1 pair. (Still soft but washed enough that most of the flame retardant is washed away, I hope.) 7 pairs of pants and 13 shirts at $.50 each. All the same brand, all compatible so that they should match even on days they pick out their clothes. Awesome! Until I get home and realize that they don't fit my babies. My little tiny babies. Who no longer fit in 2T but need 3T. How can that be? They are such babies!!

Anyone have some extra 3T pjs to sell?

Motley Crue

2009-09-20T06:06:00.000-07:00

The Night Life

2009-09-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Our evenings end pretty early around here since we are up and down all night long with the kids. All of a sudden though Logan has activities that keep me out well past my bedtime. He's only in 3rd grade! Yikes! What will it be like in middle school? His basketball ~~tryout~~ assessment goes until 9pm. He is typically in bed before 8 and asleep by 9. I guess his tryout will go poorly, they'll expect very little from him and he'll only look good by the end of the season? Who knows................ Yawn...

First Day Jitters- NOT!

2009-09-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

Finley and Meryl attended their first day of "school" today. An hour and half drop off program at park and rec. The only problem was around how to get there. Both girls knew they wouldn't take the bus, but that Mommy would drop them off. But Meryl thought she would still take her scooter, since the older kids scooter to the bus stop. Once we got that confusion cleared up it all went smoothly. They had a blast at "school." Phew.......

Please, let this be a sign of things to come.....

2009-09-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

Logan came home with his first spelling test. He got 19 out of 20 correct. I'm thrilled. (grand. He spelt it grant which might have something to do with his teacher's accent? Maybe? Looking for excuses.) He is ticked that he got one letter wrong. I just hope he can keep up the enthusiasm. He comes home from school and breaks down crying most days. I think just from being tired. Then he doesn't complain but dives into the homework. He is even doing the 25 minutes of reading without complaint and actually read a few paragraphs of Inkheart to himself while waiting for me to come read to him.

Today I had no clue what we were supposed to do with the math stuff. Not a glimmer of an idea. For example- Michelle's game piece was on 58. She used these cards to capture a chip. (+2) (+30) (+2) Write out your equation. Logan says they haven't played any games trying to capture chips.

School is exhausting and I don't even go.

One step forward, two steps back!

2009-09-10T14:23:00.001-07:00

This is what I get for trying to use the bathroom alone. 30 seconds can be a long time!

They make messes faster than I can clean them up. I'm not sure if they are out of control, just two years old, or if it is because there are two of them. Everything feels like a challenge.

Take story hour. We leave with plenty of time to spare. Fight one kid into a car seat while hoping the other stays in the yard and doesn't head out into the street. Get to the library. They can't hurt each other in the car because they are in different rows. Hey- I'm not totally stupid! Get into a parking spot. Unstrap two kids but (attempt to) keep them in car until I have the book bag (with diapers) ready. Open door, if they haven't already. Hold hands. Try to hold hands. Carry the cooperative one while chasing the other. Whew. At the sidewalk. Get them going in the right direction. Flowers are for our eyes and nose, not our hands. Don't touch. Don't pick. Just smell and look. Don't touch the frickin' flower!!!!! Leave the dog poop alone. Yes it is very interesting. Yes, he did eat red string but we still aren't going to touch it. Dog poop is for our eyes and nose only. Not for touching. Don't pick it up. Don't touch the damn poop!!!! When these girls finally learn to talk they'll be able to put any sailor to shame.

At the library door. Another hurdle crossed. Now to get through the adult section and into the children's area. Now to get both girls into the story hour room at the same time! Quick close the door and get the show on the road. And that is just 20 minutes of the morning. The rest of the day is just as dull and frustrating.

Naked Play

2009-08-12T11:11:00.001-07:00

Finley sleeping with baby dean and her rubby.

When will this poor child learn to keep her clothes on when playing outside. This is fall out from landing on one of the sappy stumps. I was worried that we would have a few days of tough times, but it only bothers her when she catches a glimpse of it in the mirror. Because of course, she is still naked all the time!

Happy Birthday!

2009-08-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today our foster baby J turns 3!

3 years ago she was born and I didn't know she existed. On August 22, 2006 I learned about her. I spent until Sept. 11, 2006 driving into Boston almost daily to visit her in the hospital. To hold her, bathe her, snuggle her, feed her, clip her nails, etc.

Happy Birthday Little Girl. I hope you are happy and loved.

Provincetown

2009-08-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

There were plenty of toilets!

We stayed at the quietest campground I have ever been in. Usually there are people up until all hours of the night but we were by far the loudest people. Tiny little sites, but the people were so very quiet. Lots of childless couples who didn’t want to pay $250 a night for a hotel room. Snooty Canadian lesbian couples who were very anal and clearly horrified by our loud (but happy) dirty, half dressed children. Cathy says everyone from Ontario is like that. And then many other families like ours who were out of the campground by 7 am and not back until half an hour before throwing the kids to bed. It was nice to park the car and travel only by bike all week. Avery ended up riding in the cargo hold of the bike trailer. The two babies (27 and 28 lbs) and Avery’s 47 lbs were easily handled and a lot faster than waiting for Avery to get up or down hills on her own bike.

Playing on the jetty at 6am in our pajamas.

The babies and Logan napped every day on the beach. One day they all napped. The water was cold and clear. The crowded beach very rocky but full of all types of families. Kids from every continent running around with their two dads or two moms. I, of course, ended talking mostly with a straight woman who was there photographing the colage week. She'd left her breast-fed 18 month old home and this was her weaning trip. Each day I’d inquire about her breasts. I got to wander Commercial Street early in the morning with the babies. Good window shopping, I got to know the trash guys who entertained the babies and I didn’t have any crowds to deal with at 6am.

At Herring Cove.

Logan, Avery and Cathy went on a whale watch. Logan and Avery visited the candy store daily. We wandered the jetty and explored under the rocks. Each day was full of lots of nothing. Perfect.

***

Then the first day back was Logan’s first trip to Fenway Park. We ended up getting to hang out on top of the Green Monstah. Awesome! I’d never been up there. (Okay, I’d also never been to the park sober before, so the whole thing was a different experience.) And we ended up on TV when a ball hit the wall right below us. The Paw Sox lost. We are going to McCoy Stadium in two weeks so maybe we’ll get to see them win then.

It's All Good

2009-08-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

We've been very, very busy. The park and rec concert series has been a hit for everyone. The lake is loved by everyone except Logan. He has a blast if there are enough kids to make up wiffle ball teams but doesn't have the confidence to play out deep in the water with them. I've started feeling confident enough to swim out to the rafts with both babies. I think I make the life guards nervous but I feel safe.

This summer has been so much easier and more enjoyable than last summer. The babies don't eat sand. When we are out and about they are mostly too busy to nurse. They can wander away from me, play, and then come back on their own. They make friends with other small people.

Today we saw the polar bear, which Meryl and Finley were really looking forward to.

Waking up full of excitement.

Waiting.

Here she is!

She is really an amazingly graceful swimmer. 25 years old and she's never been out of this pool. She lives alone since her mother died. The kids are amazed and thrilled. I feel a little sad.

Tomorrow we are packing up to head off to p-town for a week of camping. Logan insists there will be bathrooms everywhere in this town. (Took me awhile to figure out that logic. If you get it immediately you have the brain of an 8 year old boy.) It is Family Week but we haven't registered and I doubt we will. It might be nice to have more family families around though.

We have a whale watch planned, hope to get a permit for a beach fire, may attempt a drive in movie and Logan really, really, really wants to play mini-golf. I hope we don't get too much rain (Did it rain everyday in July?), that the mosquitoes are manageable and the babies sleep reasonably well. Keep my expectations low and all will be well!

Rock on!

Swinging in the Summer

2009-07-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

The new tire swing is a hit. With my children. Avery had a friend over who was too fearful to ride on it. And most of the babies' friends are still in baby seats or experimenting with regular swings. I'm not worried about anyone falling off but Finley did get clocked by it the other day and it knocked her to the ground before she even knew what happened. Avery likes to stand up and close her eyes. She feels like she is flying.

I love this photo of Logan. He is so patient about pushing everyone on the swing.

Keep your volume low. Finley is hammering in the background. Meryl can do this all day.

Feed The Children

2009-07-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

She truly does get at least one solid meal a day along with a bath. But she fights wipe ups, detests shoes, loves dirt and stares at *everyone* who passes by. Sometimes I'm so embarrassed by her ragamuffin appearance.

30 Minutes

2009-07-16T03:48:00.000-07:00

It is going to be quiet around here. Logan complained that I get more than 30 minutes on the computer and that is *just* not* fair! If they only get 30 minutes of screen time (ds, tv, computer) a day then so should I. So I'm trying to do all my screen time in 30 minutes. I spent at least 20 minutes signing Logan up for his basketball league. I think it should come out of his minutes, not mine.

Yesterday our family learned a lot. 7 miles can be really long on the way home. Slugs have great mouth feel if you are Finley. Rabbit poop does not. The lego store doesn't have as large of a selection as toys r us. Logan ate 4 different fruits and two servings of vegetable in one day and lived to tell. Now he is all set for the month. Meryl was stung by a bee and I didn't believe her for about 20 minutes until we could see the sting and her finger swelled up. Hey, she uses the word bee for every insect! Sometimes the quiet, no-plans-days are the best.

I still want to show pictures from City Museum but that will have to wait. I want to check the weather forecast and the minutes are ticking.......

Lyme, again

2009-07-10T11:19:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure what else I can do to prevent this. The girls even poke through one another's hair playing "tick check." This is Meryl's belly. She last had Lyme in April. Logan only has 6 more pills to take and I'm sure he will continue to complain each time. Maybe I'll buy that dang wii he wants and lock my kids up in the house until the first hearty frost. Until then, I'll keep supporting our local independent pharmacy!

Random

2009-07-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

-I’m not sure that Finley and Meryl have ever seen a baby being bottle feed. But we acquired a toy bottle. Meryl loves it but isn’t quite clear on the whole concept. She still unbuttons her shirt, puts the doll to her chest and then adds the bottle to the whole mix. I’m sort of glad she doesn’t know how it works and I’m not about to teach her.

-Remember the camping trip of green foamy poop? And the 3 hour flight that included 8 poopy diaper changes? Yesterday Meryl pooped a butterfly wing that was once attached to Avery’s toy. And Finley’s diaper included multiple foam stickers. Today I asked Finley what was in her mouth. After a big fight she eventually spit out about 16 beads of various shapes and sizes. I figure that a few will come through tomorrow. Gee, I wonder why they have upset bellies!

-We’ve had a zillion trees taken down in the past 3 days. Sadly a few came down that we had hoped to keep. One tree that holds up our swings had to come down. We've had many hours of fun on these 3 swings and they will be missed.

And we lost the tree that holds up one end our hammock. This tree was healthy but in the way of the trucks getting past. Personally, I prefer to lie on the hammock alone but I can't say I've ever done that. Usually I have a kid (or 3) for company.
But we have a new rope swing that is about 37 feet high and will be great fun once we clear out some of the small shrubs in the way.

-Finley doesn't need pockets.

The Flight

2009-07-04T09:13:00.001-07:00

These photos are for Larry who I thought might be interested in cockpit photos from the flight to St. Louis.

Avery and the resident pigeon under the captain's foot pedals.

Logan trying out the fo's seat. As you can tell maintenance has fallen behind a bit.

Just kidding!

This is the Embry Air that Cathy's flies, but not the plane that took us to stl.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity, Jig

2009-07-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

Great trip, but very busy. The highlight of the trip was City Museum. More later after a few loads of laundry and a night's sleep!