Apr 2, 2009
Apr 1, 2009
Day 1
Of all days to begin with no TV. Couldn't I just say April Fools I was just kidding about not watching TV or using facebook? I am thinking that I should strengthen my resolve and unplug the computer for a few days. I definitely use these mediums to curve boredom, insanity, and mental clutter. I have had a long day. Teilee has shown her skills in defiance and Landis is refusing sleep. Usually I could tune out and turn on the TV. Clearly I must develop better coping skills for these situations;)
Yesterday the kids and I were in the car headed home when Teilee informed me what it would be like if she "ran the world".
The sky would be white, the clouds blue, the lakes green, the snow purple, the trees would have purple leaves, pine cones would be green, the grass would be rainbow, and the mountains would be red in the fall. Houses would have a "wee bit of green on them". Everyone would have 1 cat and 1 dog. Everyone would have the same stuff so no one would ever be jealous. There would be no cars, no motorcycles, no gas stations and we all would have bicycles. Lastly school would only be for one day in the winter.
Even though I was driving I scrambled to write this all down so that it would not evaporate from my memory (as so many things do).
I am headed now to read a book while picturing a rainbow world full of bikes and void of jealousy.
Yesterday the kids and I were in the car headed home when Teilee informed me what it would be like if she "ran the world".
The sky would be white, the clouds blue, the lakes green, the snow purple, the trees would have purple leaves, pine cones would be green, the grass would be rainbow, and the mountains would be red in the fall. Houses would have a "wee bit of green on them". Everyone would have 1 cat and 1 dog. Everyone would have the same stuff so no one would ever be jealous. There would be no cars, no motorcycles, no gas stations and we all would have bicycles. Lastly school would only be for one day in the winter.
Even though I was driving I scrambled to write this all down so that it would not evaporate from my memory (as so many things do).
I am headed now to read a book while picturing a rainbow world full of bikes and void of jealousy.
Mar 30, 2009
This week I'm Mama Bear
Hello all,
So most of you know that we are participating in the no TV challenge for the month of April. I am including a ban on facebook for next month but have decided to allow my blogging. This way I can keep my journal going and not feel like I will have to catch up in the month of May. April couldn't be a better month for this. I have so many projects that need my undivided attention. First we need to plant seeds and prepare the garden, I want to repaint the kids room, finish decorating the living room, start on an overall house purge, have a garage sell, begin fixing up the garage for my craftroom/classroom, find a wealthy land owner to donate land to the up and coming Raintree Charter school, work on the backyard landscaping, and oh man gotta catch up on cleaning, laundry, and sewing. I don't know if riding myself of couch surfing will actually contribute more to my available time to do those things but it is certainly exciting thinking that it will!
Here's what I am giving up: The kids typically watch 1-2 hours of TV on one day a week. Usually that day is Friday but not always. I usually watch TV when I am not feeling well, after the kids are in bed, and when Nick is home. I check my facebook account 2-3 times a day usually not for more than a few minutes but enough that it is an interruption (a welcome one) to my day.
I don't know if anyone has read the "Bearenstein Bear's TV Habit" book, but I am hoping the whole thing will go something like that! Who know's, maybe the month will allow me to strictly limit our TV even more throughout the year. Wednesday (April Fools Day) is the 1st and that is the day that the power goes out, well at least on the boob tube!
So most of you know that we are participating in the no TV challenge for the month of April. I am including a ban on facebook for next month but have decided to allow my blogging. This way I can keep my journal going and not feel like I will have to catch up in the month of May. April couldn't be a better month for this. I have so many projects that need my undivided attention. First we need to plant seeds and prepare the garden, I want to repaint the kids room, finish decorating the living room, start on an overall house purge, have a garage sell, begin fixing up the garage for my craftroom/classroom, find a wealthy land owner to donate land to the up and coming Raintree Charter school, work on the backyard landscaping, and oh man gotta catch up on cleaning, laundry, and sewing. I don't know if riding myself of couch surfing will actually contribute more to my available time to do those things but it is certainly exciting thinking that it will!
Here's what I am giving up: The kids typically watch 1-2 hours of TV on one day a week. Usually that day is Friday but not always. I usually watch TV when I am not feeling well, after the kids are in bed, and when Nick is home. I check my facebook account 2-3 times a day usually not for more than a few minutes but enough that it is an interruption (a welcome one) to my day.
I don't know if anyone has read the "Bearenstein Bear's TV Habit" book, but I am hoping the whole thing will go something like that! Who know's, maybe the month will allow me to strictly limit our TV even more throughout the year. Wednesday (April Fools Day) is the 1st and that is the day that the power goes out, well at least on the boob tube!
Mar 20, 2009
My Girls
We recently entered into the realm of chicken ownership. What began as a simple quest to have eggs, has become a full 'fledged' effort to educate our kids and enhance our lives. We began with 1 tiny fluffy chick and attempted to have it inside. Unfortunately the dangers inside were far more concerning than the cold outside. We have since increased our numbers to eight and have varying ages from a week old to almost 3 weeks old. They are so fluffy and cute, peeping whenever we are near.
Nick nearly completed two coups last weekend with the help of one of our neighbors (one for us, one for them). I quickly realized that the size of our flock and the size of the coup would not mesh. We are deciding to either enlarge the current coup or make a new hen house. Regardless, Nick was able to create these coups in one afternoon with the use of free scrap materials that we have accumulated. If the current coup is deemed useless we will sell it. (This could be another great way to earn some extra income.)
I am on a quest to beautify and simplify my life. My backyard and kids areas are one of my top priorities. It is my desire to redesign our backyard to create play nooks and areas to inspire creativity. In the next month I will build a sunflower house using natural materials (logs, sticks, bark, twine, sunflowers, etc..), also a deep open sandbox, plant some large growing grasses, plant our garden, incorporate more natural toys into our outdoors play areas, and many more projects. Of course it just so happens that almost all of these projects require absolutely no funds. Yes, I am getting very creative!
We considered my goal in our desire to have eggs. This is why our flock of gals is varied and diverse. We wanted a variety of color in the hen house as well as in the eggs. This is certainly a benefit of being able to buy one of each variety of chicken and not having to order them from a dealer. Kudos to the legalization of backyard chickens. I am loving the process of raising chicks and it has become a focus in the kids daily life. I may not have the ability to live on a farm but I can experience a small part of farm life through our chickens.
My friend Sharon took pics of her flock and posted them on her blog. I absolutely loved the idea. I also think it is a great way to remember what kind each chicken is and to capture their youth. After all, they have changed dramatically in only a week! Here they are:
First our beautifully colored Speckled Sussex, Dahlia. This is momma's bird.
This is our Buff Brahma Bantam, T-Rex. She was the original chick and has been with us from the begining.
Our Buff Orpington named Velociraptor. She is very mild mannered and docile.
This is our unknown chicken, Cauliflower Compsognathus. She is most likely a whiter version of a Maran and we will know by how dark her eggs are. This one we left at the store and I just couldn't stop thinking about her. After two days we went back and she was still there. I am just so curious about what she will be!
This is our Maran, Hazel Saltapus, and as you can see she is definately darker than the other.
This is our White Leghorn (pronounced leg-urn, and make sure to say it with a southern drawl). Brachiasaurus is definitely the brute of the bunch. She is a production layer and will have white eggs. She tends to dominate the group and is the 'chick in charge'!
This is one of two Americana's. She is named Blackbird (a name Landis chose after his favorite song). We got them today and I absolutely love them. These will lay a variation of green to blue eggs.
This is Archaeopteryx Cadbury our second Americana, she has such beautiful back markings I just had to show off. She is much lighter with more yellow than the other Americana. Both of these birds will be uniquely colored when they are mature.
Teilee holding Archaeopteryx Cadbury.
As you can see we shall have a colorful group of chickens and eggs. We are so excited!
I thought I would show you one of the coups made. I am thinking this is most likely a four chicken coup.
This really is exciting to be able to provide ourselves with our own eggs. Now all Fort Collins needs to legalize is having a goat;). A large garden, edible landscaping, and chickens, we are becoming more self sufficient and healthy everyday! Happy Spring!
Nick nearly completed two coups last weekend with the help of one of our neighbors (one for us, one for them). I quickly realized that the size of our flock and the size of the coup would not mesh. We are deciding to either enlarge the current coup or make a new hen house. Regardless, Nick was able to create these coups in one afternoon with the use of free scrap materials that we have accumulated. If the current coup is deemed useless we will sell it. (This could be another great way to earn some extra income.)
I am on a quest to beautify and simplify my life. My backyard and kids areas are one of my top priorities. It is my desire to redesign our backyard to create play nooks and areas to inspire creativity. In the next month I will build a sunflower house using natural materials (logs, sticks, bark, twine, sunflowers, etc..), also a deep open sandbox, plant some large growing grasses, plant our garden, incorporate more natural toys into our outdoors play areas, and many more projects. Of course it just so happens that almost all of these projects require absolutely no funds. Yes, I am getting very creative!
We considered my goal in our desire to have eggs. This is why our flock of gals is varied and diverse. We wanted a variety of color in the hen house as well as in the eggs. This is certainly a benefit of being able to buy one of each variety of chicken and not having to order them from a dealer. Kudos to the legalization of backyard chickens. I am loving the process of raising chicks and it has become a focus in the kids daily life. I may not have the ability to live on a farm but I can experience a small part of farm life through our chickens.
My friend Sharon took pics of her flock and posted them on her blog. I absolutely loved the idea. I also think it is a great way to remember what kind each chicken is and to capture their youth. After all, they have changed dramatically in only a week! Here they are:
First our beautifully colored Speckled Sussex, Dahlia. This is momma's bird.
This is our Buff Brahma Bantam, T-Rex. She was the original chick and has been with us from the begining.
Our Buff Orpington named Velociraptor. She is very mild mannered and docile.
This is our unknown chicken, Cauliflower Compsognathus. She is most likely a whiter version of a Maran and we will know by how dark her eggs are. This one we left at the store and I just couldn't stop thinking about her. After two days we went back and she was still there. I am just so curious about what she will be!
This is our Maran, Hazel Saltapus, and as you can see she is definately darker than the other.
This is our White Leghorn (pronounced leg-urn, and make sure to say it with a southern drawl). Brachiasaurus is definitely the brute of the bunch. She is a production layer and will have white eggs. She tends to dominate the group and is the 'chick in charge'!
This is one of two Americana's. She is named Blackbird (a name Landis chose after his favorite song). We got them today and I absolutely love them. These will lay a variation of green to blue eggs.
This is Archaeopteryx Cadbury our second Americana, she has such beautiful back markings I just had to show off. She is much lighter with more yellow than the other Americana. Both of these birds will be uniquely colored when they are mature.
Teilee holding Archaeopteryx Cadbury.
As you can see we shall have a colorful group of chickens and eggs. We are so excited!
I thought I would show you one of the coups made. I am thinking this is most likely a four chicken coup.
This really is exciting to be able to provide ourselves with our own eggs. Now all Fort Collins needs to legalize is having a goat;). A large garden, edible landscaping, and chickens, we are becoming more self sufficient and healthy everyday! Happy Spring!
Feb 28, 2009
Two in one night, what's up!
So I decided that most of my writing is dark and often dreary and I wanted to change it up. I began thinking about the wonderful times had with my children at our local park. What started as a lovely piece on the wonders of our playground, turned into a short essay about poop. I don't know how I do it?:) This one is a work in progress but when it has been progressed I think I might post it at our local park.
Here is that essay:
The grass all but crunched beneath my feet. If it weren’t for the melting frost the grass would cease to squish and would burst into flames. Never have the blades been so parched for moisture. The ground counts, in drops, the iced dew that dabbles on the ragged grass. I step swiftly sideways to avoid the droppings that are quite certainly from a dog whose owner could not lazily stroll to the plastic bag receptacle to obtain a much needed and almost always provided baggie. Occasionally I reminisce about the rumors of coyotes in this area, somehow the possibility that this pile could be that of a wild animal makes it much more palatable. If only that were coyote poop I could excitedly show my children the wonders of wildlife. However, being highly trained in the identification of scat, I can correctly identify it as that of a negligent pet owner. This is a destination location. There is not a dog owner that visits this park that does not understand what their pet intends to do there. Clearly my children’s feet need not to tramp confidently, carelessly through a field. We are apparently undeserving of our soccer field, and kite flying meadow when a dog’s bowel is needy. We are accustomed to the inability of rolling down a hill at a moment’s notice. We are educated on the way in which to step nimbly over the obstacle. Do these dogs not head home with smears on their paws? Do they not recognize their own consequences and suffering? I wonder if the owners, noticing the dry ground, believed that their contribution to our park would provide earthly nourishment. Of course my justifications are only another sign of my ability to see half full.
Here is that essay:
The grass all but crunched beneath my feet. If it weren’t for the melting frost the grass would cease to squish and would burst into flames. Never have the blades been so parched for moisture. The ground counts, in drops, the iced dew that dabbles on the ragged grass. I step swiftly sideways to avoid the droppings that are quite certainly from a dog whose owner could not lazily stroll to the plastic bag receptacle to obtain a much needed and almost always provided baggie. Occasionally I reminisce about the rumors of coyotes in this area, somehow the possibility that this pile could be that of a wild animal makes it much more palatable. If only that were coyote poop I could excitedly show my children the wonders of wildlife. However, being highly trained in the identification of scat, I can correctly identify it as that of a negligent pet owner. This is a destination location. There is not a dog owner that visits this park that does not understand what their pet intends to do there. Clearly my children’s feet need not to tramp confidently, carelessly through a field. We are apparently undeserving of our soccer field, and kite flying meadow when a dog’s bowel is needy. We are accustomed to the inability of rolling down a hill at a moment’s notice. We are educated on the way in which to step nimbly over the obstacle. Do these dogs not head home with smears on their paws? Do they not recognize their own consequences and suffering? I wonder if the owners, noticing the dry ground, believed that their contribution to our park would provide earthly nourishment. Of course my justifications are only another sign of my ability to see half full.
Old Poem
I wrote this a while ago, I may have already shared it. I don't think I considered it complete at the time and so there is no title. Here it is in all its graphic strangeness:
You exist on the scraps of my soul,
Feeding hungrily on the carnage that was me,
Like a wolf ravenously devouring the remnants of kill,
You have so bathed in the blood of my death.
What I was, what I could have been,
I am but a shadow,
A fragment of bone in the grass that was once a majestic and prized pelt.
The whispered rumors of strength and beauty are all that remain.
You have stolen the future.
You exist on the scraps of my soul,
Feeding hungrily on the carnage that was me,
Like a wolf ravenously devouring the remnants of kill,
You have so bathed in the blood of my death.
What I was, what I could have been,
I am but a shadow,
A fragment of bone in the grass that was once a majestic and prized pelt.
The whispered rumors of strength and beauty are all that remain.
You have stolen the future.
Feb 18, 2009
I can't even keep track of myself!
I have written about a dozen blogs and not published a one of them.
We have had lots going on and most of my blogs have had tons of boring, blah, often negative things that I really don't think you want to hear.
We really have had a lot going on so this will be my sorta journal update!
The Low Down:
Landis will not stop singing Wagon Wheel. It's first thing he asks for in the morning and the last thing he wants to hear before going to sleep at night. We are Wagon Wheeled out! I have tried to get him interested in other songs only to have those become obsessions along with Wagon Wheel. At least he is expanding his repitoire, but please Landis no one wants to hear the same song a million times!
Here he fell asleep while with me at the computer!
Nick is now in school 3 nights a week. He is working a day job, and a night job. On the nights he has school he goes to his night job after class. He has expanded and is now pursing two home businesses. They are BeatNick Audio and a new woodworking business building solid wood kids toys. He is home 2 hours in the late afternoon, these are precious hours.
I am partaking in a home school co-op, and also working in my spare time on helping to establish a Waldorf inspired Charter School. I also have been working hard to find as many fun and fulfilling activities that I can. I am part of several different groups: A birth activist group, a book club, and a monthly singing group. All are just fun and fabulous for me!
Teilee has had several orthopedist visits and I finnally found a doctor who recommends getting orthodics to stabilize her foot and add in calf stretching exercises, then wait to see what happens. Basically all the research I have done says the same thing and I am happy to have found an experienced doctor. The only problem now is getting insurance to pay for it. Unnecessary surgery they will pay for, but they won't help with the much cheaper and more helpful orthodics.
Teilee has been a vibrant little helper these days and has even assisted in putting Landis to bed and in tending to a sick mommy. Her in depth knowledge of dinosaurs grows along with her curiosity. She has resorted to telling mommy and daddy the hip type of each dinosaur. I have no idea if she is right, I don't have that kind of memory. I have got to get this child to the Denver museum. I believe they have a free day next month and I intend to take her. She has also stated that we need to travel to Canada, Australia, and Germany to see certain
dinosaur fossils. She was concerned though that if we traveled for longer than a day that we would have to sell our house, get rid of our cats, and move there. Of course I just thought that was so sad that she has never had a real vacation or even a visit to grandparents that involved both Nick and I for longer than two days. She doesn't understand the concept.
She is in the barrel in this picture. It was an elaborate pulley system that she a some other kiddos came up with. They would climb into the barrel from the bridge and then lower each other down to the ground.
We are still struggling financially, but have had a ton of support lately that has made me feel so positive about the future. It is still difficult that when I need a new bra, or the kids need a new pair of shoes that these things have now been deemed unnecessary and quite frankly just not possible. We are headed in the right direction though so hopefully this will be temporary (if you don't count the last 4 years).
We have recently begun our house re-vamp/spring cleaning/decorating/finishing projects. We tackled the living room last weekend and discovered our need for shelves. I didn't want to spend money and knew that I had some extra books so this happened........
They work great for all the little knick knacks and it looks like the books are floating on the wall. I love it and they were free!
Then I kept working......
We took another bookshelf, chopped its legs off and put them inside the bookshelf as shelves. I brightened up the paint and hung it vertically instead of horizontally and walla, insta shelf (on the right). Then I painted the mirror red over a pastel green and scuffed it up. It turned out great too. I intend to paint the red doors, accent walls, and all of the trim in our house white, then next month we will paint our kitchen cabinets white. Then either our appliances or our counter or something fabulous will be red. I am so ready to get our house in shape and am excited to flex my creativity. As long as I can keep it free or almost free I am sure I will be able to do almost everything that I want to. Thank god for freecycle, and craigslist and my already abundant supply of decorating, painting, remodeling gear!
I am craving some creative writing so be prepared for something in the near future that does not include journaling or updating.
Busy busy busy and I have only included a portion of our lives I wish you had time for all of it......I wish I had time for all of it!
We have had lots going on and most of my blogs have had tons of boring, blah, often negative things that I really don't think you want to hear.
We really have had a lot going on so this will be my sorta journal update!
The Low Down:
Landis will not stop singing Wagon Wheel. It's first thing he asks for in the morning and the last thing he wants to hear before going to sleep at night. We are Wagon Wheeled out! I have tried to get him interested in other songs only to have those become obsessions along with Wagon Wheel. At least he is expanding his repitoire, but please Landis no one wants to hear the same song a million times!
Here he fell asleep while with me at the computer!Nick is now in school 3 nights a week. He is working a day job, and a night job. On the nights he has school he goes to his night job after class. He has expanded and is now pursing two home businesses. They are BeatNick Audio and a new woodworking business building solid wood kids toys. He is home 2 hours in the late afternoon, these are precious hours.
I am partaking in a home school co-op, and also working in my spare time on helping to establish a Waldorf inspired Charter School. I also have been working hard to find as many fun and fulfilling activities that I can. I am part of several different groups: A birth activist group, a book club, and a monthly singing group. All are just fun and fabulous for me!
Teilee has had several orthopedist visits and I finnally found a doctor who recommends getting orthodics to stabilize her foot and add in calf stretching exercises, then wait to see what happens. Basically all the research I have done says the same thing and I am happy to have found an experienced doctor. The only problem now is getting insurance to pay for it. Unnecessary surgery they will pay for, but they won't help with the much cheaper and more helpful orthodics.
Teilee has been a vibrant little helper these days and has even assisted in putting Landis to bed and in tending to a sick mommy. Her in depth knowledge of dinosaurs grows along with her curiosity. She has resorted to telling mommy and daddy the hip type of each dinosaur. I have no idea if she is right, I don't have that kind of memory. I have got to get this child to the Denver museum. I believe they have a free day next month and I intend to take her. She has also stated that we need to travel to Canada, Australia, and Germany to see certain
dinosaur fossils. She was concerned though that if we traveled for longer than a day that we would have to sell our house, get rid of our cats, and move there. Of course I just thought that was so sad that she has never had a real vacation or even a visit to grandparents that involved both Nick and I for longer than two days. She doesn't understand the concept.
She is in the barrel in this picture. It was an elaborate pulley system that she a some other kiddos came up with. They would climb into the barrel from the bridge and then lower each other down to the ground.
We are still struggling financially, but have had a ton of support lately that has made me feel so positive about the future. It is still difficult that when I need a new bra, or the kids need a new pair of shoes that these things have now been deemed unnecessary and quite frankly just not possible. We are headed in the right direction though so hopefully this will be temporary (if you don't count the last 4 years).
We have recently begun our house re-vamp/spring cleaning/decorating/finishing projects. We tackled the living room last weekend and discovered our need for shelves. I didn't want to spend money and knew that I had some extra books so this happened........
They work great for all the little knick knacks and it looks like the books are floating on the wall. I love it and they were free!
Then I kept working......
We took another bookshelf, chopped its legs off and put them inside the bookshelf as shelves. I brightened up the paint and hung it vertically instead of horizontally and walla, insta shelf (on the right). Then I painted the mirror red over a pastel green and scuffed it up. It turned out great too. I intend to paint the red doors, accent walls, and all of the trim in our house white, then next month we will paint our kitchen cabinets white. Then either our appliances or our counter or something fabulous will be red. I am so ready to get our house in shape and am excited to flex my creativity. As long as I can keep it free or almost free I am sure I will be able to do almost everything that I want to. Thank god for freecycle, and craigslist and my already abundant supply of decorating, painting, remodeling gear!
I am craving some creative writing so be prepared for something in the near future that does not include journaling or updating.
Busy busy busy and I have only included a portion of our lives I wish you had time for all of it......I wish I had time for all of it!
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