"At Home" Day

Today we're having what my kids refer to as an "At Home" day... Annabelle really enjoyed Theater Camp, but it did turn out to be a ridiculously busy week, and so today we all just needed a little break. My 6-year-old said it best this morning, after our leisurely pancake breakfast, "To tell the truth, Mom... I'm kinda glad we don't have to go anyplace today. It's nice to just sit around and read my book". And so here we are, all very much enjoying our day off! The kids have been reading and playing legos, and while I puttered in the garden they played in the yard. I've spent many blissful hours in my kitchen today, baking 3 kinds of bread, and cooking up tomatoes and squash from the garden to freeze for winter.

Unfortunately, I also need to deal with a few less-fun tasks like laundry and the cat box, as some of these household chores fell by the wayside this week, but overall I'm feeling happy and content to be puttering about at home, surrounded by my babies! There is no place in the world I'd rather be.

Autumn approaching

We are mid-way through an exhausting week! My oldest in attending theater camp this week, so we've been out the door by 8am all week (not a big deal for most people, but for Homeschoolers, it's something!) While Annabelle is in camp, the boys and I have been entertaining ourselves puttering around Cambridge for four hours looking for free stuff to do. The first day was FUN!!! the second day was Fun! and the third day was fun... I'm hoping we can sustain for two more days! Annabelle is thoroughly enjoying the Theater Camp experience, though... she has done it before, and little ham that she is, she really does love it!

In other news... we are all getting very excited for the start of the new Homeschool Year! September has so many great things to look forward to... The "Not Back to School Picnic", the restarting of Book Group, Homeschool Day at Old Sturbridge Village, Games Day, and more! We're also looking forward to some of our other favorite fall activities... apple picking, leaf peeping, hayrides, and baking pies! Although I always mourn the end of the balmy days of summer, I do love autumn in all it's bright crispness, and I can't wait to share the joys of the season with my kids!

Ticks!

I live in fear of ticks. Seriously. My kids always tell me I'm a "worrywort about ticks!". And I am. Whenever we spend time in wooded areas, I turn into a complete lunatic, "TICK CHECK!! Check for TICKS!!! WAIT! Is that a tick?! Oh. A freckle. WAIT! Is THAT a tick!??! Oh. Another freckle." They think I'm completely ridiculous and paranoid, since we have never ACTUALLY found a tick.

That is, until this morning... when I found one on ME. A teeny tiny deer tick, which had fed itself quite nicely there on my abdomen, and was all engorged and firmly embedded in my skin. Now, if you had told me that this was going to happen to me, and had asked me what my reaction would be, I'd have predicted a complete and total FREAK. OUT. But oddly, I remained fairly calm throughout the whole experience, and even removed the tick myself. Calmly. Without freaking out. I'm still not sure how I managed that.

Little do my kids know, that although I remained cool and calm during my tick experience, I will NOT be any less paranoid about the creepy little blood suckers. If anything, I will be MORE careful, as this particular tick did not find me while I was hiking in the woods, but while I was gardening in my own backyard.

TICK CHECK!!!

Making Time for ME...

This will be a short post! We're having a yard sale tomorrow, and I'm quite busy preparing everything! The kids are even going to have a Lemonade Stand! Good times.

Things have been a little busy around here, but this week I managed to squeeze in a little "me time"... I keep trying to get myself into the habit of having a "Mommy's Day Off" once a month, but I haven't really been able to manage that. I have managed to carve out time for myself roughly every 2-3 months... I feel it's important, so as not to burn out completely! This time around, my Dad and step-mom had given me a gift card for my birthday, with instructions to spend on it me and me alone! I took my card and went on my way on Wednesday! I had 3 goals... to spend time with friends, buy good yarn and hone my knitting skills. All three goals were accomplished!

Brothers

Right now, as I type this, my 6 year old is getting my 3 year old dressed. It's the sweetest thing, listening to them... "OK, Harry... let's put this over your head." There has been a very definite shift in their relationship, lately. Up until fairly recently, most of their interactions involved the older one yelling/scolding/growling at the younger one for touching his stuff/being annoying/saying the wrong thing. While there are still several of those incidents each day, the "sweet" moments are finally beginning to outnumber the "sour" moments. He's been reading to him occasionally, getting him snacks, and earlier this morning, they were sitting together, Theo's arm around his little brother's shoulder, just hanging out. Sweet.

While my daughter has always had a very strong bond with her littlest brother, Harry has really had to earn Theo's affection. When Theo was 2 and we first told him we were expecting a baby, he told us, "We're NOT having a baby! I'M the baby!", which pretty much set the stage for their relationship... so it's been all the more precious to see him becoming so nurturing and kind to him. And it's wonderful for Harry, as he has always looked up to Theo. He often says, "Theo's a good big brother!" And he is.

My Cuisinart

Christmas of 1995.... My roommate and I had started an accidental relationship some months before, making the shift from friends to lovers, so although we’d spent several Christmases together over the years, this was the first one that we were a couple. He gave me several gifts that year, but the last one I opened, the “Big Gift”… was a Cuisinart Pro Custom 11 Cup Food Processor…the very one I had been coveting for years. I burst into tears of joy as I tore open the paper and saw what it was. For me, it was a turning point in our relationship… this person knew me well enough to know that a Cuisinart Pro Custom 11 Cup Food Processor was the ultimate awesome gift for me. We had many happy years together after that, both me and the guy and me and the food processor. We eventually bought a house, got married and had 3 babies (the guy, not the food processor) We made lots of doughs and slaws and pureed soups (the food processor, not the guy). In recent years, things started to get a little strained…sometimes it was tricky to get the switch lined up just so, to make the Cuisinart run. Things didn’t always line up just right in the marriage, either. This past year my Cuisinart broke for good, the plastic on the safety latch snapped right off, never to be able to be repaired. This past year, my marriage also broke beyond repair. I am now facing a divorce, something I never expected I would experience.

I faced the end of my Cuisinart knowing that one day I will buy a new food processor and I will chop and puree and slice once again, just as I did before. I wish that I were facing the end of my marriage with that same degree of certainty, but I’m not. I am certain that this divorce is the right thing to do, but as for what my future holds, for myself and for my kids…I have no idea.

Fairy Houses

Last night Annabelle and I had our monthly "Girl Culture" gathering. We had a ridiculous amount of fun! Our group is made up of the most incredible group of women and girls... we're so blessed to have them in our life!
For last nights adventure, we went to Breakheart Reservation, where we read a book about Fairy Houses, and then set off to build our own! The rules of building fairy houses are that you can only use what you find on the ground... you cannot use anything living or artificial... so we wandered about gather bits of fallen bark, sticks, leaves, pine needles, etc. Next we searched for the perfect places to build our little fairy abodes... places like tree stumps, between stones, or in the crook of an old tree. The sun was setting as we completed our houses, so we walked back to the gazebo by the lodge to make s'mores, read more about fairies, and do a little fairy craft!
Annabelle and I both enjoy this group so much! We're very much looking forward to next month's gathering!

My Boy and Baseball

My son has big plans. He's going to start his own baseball team. But not just any baseball team. He wants to make the baseball version of the Harlem Globetrotters. He's put some serious thought into this. The team is to be called the Wakefield Whoopies (as is "Whoopie Cushion" because he is a 6-year-old boy) The team mascot will be a clown and the teams gloves will be made from... yup, you guessed it... Whoopie Cushions. You know, so they'll make the noise when they catch the ball.

But that's not all... Theo's also going to invent his own Baseball League . Rather than having Little League, Minor League and Major League, Theo wants to invent "The Growing League". See, you join a team in The Growing League when you're a kid, and as you grow you get to stay on the team, until eventually everyone grows up and then it's like a major league team. The team grows up together... "The Growing League". Kinda sweet, really.

Muffintop!

Let me start this post by saying I'm not the kind of person who is obsessed with having a perfect body. I used to be, back in my teens and 20's, but the wisdom of my 30's has taught me that life is too short for that crap. I just try to stay healthy and relatively fit, but I don't go out of my way to do so. I eat what I want to eat (everything in moderation) and I don't "work out" as such. I will never, ever have washboard abs because A) I've given birth x3, B) Ab exercise are horrific and torturous, and C) I really love cookies. As long as I can zip my jeans and I feel good, I'm happy.
Well, lately I haven't been taking care of my body as I should, and as a result I haven't really been feeling good, and my jeans are getting a bit snug. I'm blaming it on my soul-sucking night job, which makes me a little sleep deprived, and so my body compensates by craving sugar and caffeine, which boosts me for a bit, then crashes me back down, so I crave sugar and caffeine to boost myself back up... see how this vicious little cycle works? So I'm eating much more than a moderate amount of sweets, and I'm tired enough that I'm not as active as I might otherwise be, and thus I'm getting a little bit "doughy". I'd promised myself a couple of weeks ago that I'd start paying more attention to my health, trying to cut back a smidge on the sweets and get out and move a bit more. I've been sort of half-heartedly attempting to be more conscientious, but not really. That is, until yesterday. I was out walking with my kids, when I passed my reflection in a window. My shirt had ridden up slightly, and there, at the waist of my jeans was A MUFFIN TOP!!! EEK!!! At first I thought I was peering at someone else through the window, then I realized it was, in fact, me. Whoa! Now there are two cures for muffin top... one is to buy bigger jeans, which I can't really afford to do, and the other get off my arse and get some exercise, which I'm thinking I can't really afford NOT to do :) Plus, I need to stay strong and healthy to keep up with my three energetic kids!

Now where did I put those cookies... ? (kidding!!)

Reality Check.

I've always believed myself to be a generally clean and tidy person. My home is usually relatively neat and organized, and I do take some pride in that, in having a nice clean house. It makes me feel good. But recently, I got a reality check on that one! The other day I moved the sofa and loveseat in in my family room, and realized I'm not quite so clean and tidy as I thought. Oh my goodness...what I found under there!

several missing puzzle pieces
3 toy dinosaurs
7 toy cars
5 books
4 playing cards
12 lincoln log pieces
various legos
a couple of marbles
3 fisherprice "little people"
1 felt gnome
a comb
5 socks (dirty)
a toy giraffe
assorted hair clips, barrettes and ponytail holders
a flip flop
countless bits of paper scraps
a few bits of pretzel
lots and lots of dust bunnies

My ego is now back in it's place. Apparently I'm NOT such a clean and tidy person. Though I'm trying, and hopefully that counts for something!

How we spent our Rainy Day....

Cold and rainy days draw me to my kitchen... when there is a chill in the air I need to get my oven going... surrounding myself with warmth and good smells. Yesterday was that kind of day. We had pulled some zucchini out of the garden the night before, so I baked two loaves of fresh zucchini bread! While it was baking, the kids and I made fresh, homemade butter! It was really fun and incredibly easy. We'll definitely be doing it again!

There are lots of ways to make butter... in a food processor, with a hand mixer... or the way we did it, by shaking the cream in a small container or jar... pretty much any method that beats the heck out of the cream until it's separated into butter and buttermilk will do! For kids, the "shaking" method is neat because they can do it all by themselves.

Ours took about 20 minutes or so of shaking... the kids took turns, shaking until their arms got tired. When we poured off the buttermilk, Theo just HAD to taste it... "Not bad," he said.
When it was all finished and the bread was baked and cooled, we had the most delicious snack!
It's funny, but when I woke up yesterday morning I was dreading the day... so dark and gloomy it was... but really it turned out to be a wonderful, cozy, homey kind of day. In addition to our butter and zucchini bread adventure, we also made homemade playdough, did some crafts, tap danced, played on the computer and read books. I was able to sneak in some housework and even managed to do some painting while the kids were entertaining themselves playing dress-up! We've been really enjoying being out and about on all our summer adventures, but I think that every once in a while, an "at home" day is a good thing!

But, now, today... we are back out the door! Off to run a few errands and to the library for new books!

When The Student Becomes The Teacher...

I'm so proud of my middle boy right now. He was on the computer doing BrainPop a great educational website, which has little animated videos explaining various topics... each one followed by a little quiz. We just subscribed last week, and my kids love it! Well... my son was watching one about the beginning of the American Revolution, talking about Washington crossing the Delaware and taking the British troops by surprise on Christmas, etc. Theo was quietly watching and listening, when all of a sudden he sat up straight and said, "They didn't fight the BRITISH troops in that battle! The fought the HESSIAN troops! The Hessians were HELPING the British! SHEEESH!!" I just sat there and blinked. "Really? Hessian? Hm. In school I was told British, too." And then my boy... my adorable, sparkly intelligent boy said, "Well, Mom... your teacher didn't know much... " and then proceeded to explain the entire battle to me in great detail.
One of the very best things about Homeschool is how sometimes the kids end up teaching me. I am a product of the public school system, and I moved a lot as a kid, so my education had some very big holes in it. It's kind of neat that those holes are being filled, now that I'm a mother and teacher, by my children! This isn't really anything new... I've always taken great joy in learning along with my kids. If they ask a question that I don't know the answer to, we look it up and learn together. We explore our world together, asking questions, seeking answers or sometimes just observing. They never cease to amaze me with their endless curiosity!

What do Moms do?

"Moms help their kids.
And they snuggle their kids.

And they clean up."

Harry, Age 3 1/2

You like me!! You Really like me!!

Apparently there is a little bloggy lovefest going around the internets... and I have been nominated x2, by both Leigh and Fairiemom! Thanks, Ladies! Such an honor that there are people out there who like my blog!

The rules once you receive an award are:

1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Be sure to add the link from the person that sent it to you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Be sure to add those links to your blog, too.
5. Leave a message on their blogs so they know they are nominated.

OK... so here are some blogs I like...

Tea and Honey bread another homeschoolin' Mom and artist.

Plant Impossible Gardens Unschoolers in Oregon

MamaV a fellow Etsy seller who Cracks. Me. Up.

Fishflopper tales of living with chronic illness, eloquently written by a smart, funny, brave woman.

Catherine Newman I've been following Catherine's adventures since around 2000, when she used to write for another parenting website

Cherries' Blog Another Etsy seller who has a funny blog