Taking it Easy

My friend, Janice, was with us for the last two weeks. Two glorious weeks of peace and tranquility. I say that because while she was here there was so much less fighting between the kids because she was on hand to entertain and intervene when the going got tough. Cooking dinner without people yelling is so much more enjoyable. That is if you consider cooking enjoyable, which I don't. I like to eat and it gets the job done.

While Janice was here we mostly stayed around the house. She and I watched 2 movies, went shopping twice and out to lunch once. I'd say I've hit my quota of girl time for the year. Sadly, there just doesn't seem like enough time in the schedule to do things like that. The kids were happy too because they had someone new to dote on them.

I interrupt this post to explain that Stella is hiding her face from the sprinkler. Good luck with that one, girl. Love the nakeness and her lilac cloth diaper.

Sweetness and light is still not saying very much. She's gotten really good at answering questions with a "no" and a vigorous nod for "yes". I think she could negotiate a peace treaty with her style of communication. It's pretty effective for someone with such a limited vocabulary.

Janice brought with her presents for the kids and by far, after the Spin Art, the Bendaroos were the favorite. She and the kids sat for hours bending, winding, and cutting these little pieces of wax covered string into cute little things like these:

I loved having someone to keep me company while Mark's away. It should be mandatory for airline pilots to have added to their salary money to provide a companion for the wife left home alone half the year. And by that, I don't mean another "daddy". :)

Yesterday, when I went to get Luke from his room after rest time was over this is what I found. He was lining up a his favorite cars into two rows. He told me matter of fact that we need to go to another garage sale to get some more. I love the way this kid thinks. I'm doing something right if he saying "garage sale" instead of "Toys R Us". And sadly, before I know it our fall community yard sale will be upon us. We've received one box of school books in the mail yesterday and I'm waiting for two more. I don't want this summer to end, but for now we're just trying to take it easy.

For you, Dad...

Last Friday I invited myself over to my parents for dinner. I can do that since they like me and are glad they don't have to waste gas driving to my house. It's fun to go to their house in the summer because they have a very fun backyard with a big deck, a swing, a hammock, a huge shade tree, and last but not least, a garden.

Last week I was complaining about our garden and this week I'll continue because while we have two cantaloupes growing in our garden, they are a little bigger than softballs and well, this picture speaks for itself.

How does something that large even stay on a vine that's growing up a fence?

Sure, mom. We'll stand here and let you take our picture, but we'll smile like losers and probably won't look at the camera. That's at least what I imagine is going through their heads anyway.

My sweet friend, Janice, visiting from Houston, kept saying how lovely the weather was. Mind you it was at least 95 and the rest of us are sweating our butts off, and she wanted to bottle up this wonderful weather and take it home. Granted, there was a breeze and living in Houston is like living in the rain forest, but not quite so pretty. We humored her and stayed outside for an hour or so before we went inside to eat dinner. I flat out refused to dine outside even if she, the guest, wanted to. I'm selfish like that. :)

Brooke and Luke were all over my dad, following him and trying to pick corn just like he does. They struggled, but persisted and in the end, my dad was very patient and they were thrilled.

It must be the shed that helps his garden thrive. Maybe if we had a shed, our garden would think we were serious about gardening and therefore produce a better harvest. No? Just a thought.

Kids, are you in there?

This is the second year my dad grew corn. I like to say it was a group effort because I found out from the farmer whom we buy corn from (which was the best I've ever eaten) which kind he grew. Then my mom ordered the them off the Internet and then my dad planted them. It's a family affair really. I mentioned above that the corn from our local farmer was the best I've ever eaten because there's a new winner in town. The corn that came from my dad's garden is the best corn I've ever eaten. Tiny, sweet kernels that pop off the cob are the ideal and that's just what we had. MMmmm... It's too bad my father was hoarding the rest for himself or he might have let me bring some home. :)

White corn, not yellow, is the best. This kind is called "Silver King" and king it is. It's too bad I'll have to pay the farmer around the corner for the second best corn I've ever had since I'll likely have to wait until next summer to have some of my dads. Corn. It's what's for dinner.

A Mulligan... or Do-Over

Gone are the neat rows of anything in our garden. What's left are our raspberries, 2 slow growing cantaloupes, a lone pepper plant, and our tomatoes. It's been said that we are too busy for a garden, and that is why the weeds are overtaking our patch. They may be some truth to that explanation, but I will accept that as a reason to not have one at all. This is why I keep watering it and Mark weed eating the weeds (true story!) and I let the kids pick the tomatoes.

I've been saying all summer that there has got to be a better way to garden, and when my neighbor let me borrow a book called All New Square Foot Gardening, I knew I'd found what I was looking for. Right now I am biding my time, enjoying the tomatoes and raspberries, waiting for a time when we can tear all but the raspberries down and start fresh. I like a fresh start now and again, unless it has to do with the upcoming school year...Long Live Summer!

In a Blink

I blinked and this week was over. How did that happen?!! Part of the reason it went by so quickly is due to the fact that I've been elbow deep in books. Planning which school books to order, planning with a friend the class we're going to teach for co-op come September, and planning for the upcoming MOPs year. In between all the planning and books, we did go to the lake last Monday for the day.

My mom came along too. Always a smart choice considering she's not only a good conversationalist, a lovely distraction for the kids, but she always brings good food like Rice Krispie treats and such. We could have spent the night, but Mark and I really didn't want to deal with Luke freaking out at bedtime like he has been ever since we've been in Michigan.

It just doesn't even seem possible that this sweet boy could be such a pain. He needs to be at home where the lock on his bedroom door (or the basement guest room) helps him to fall asleep much faster. When he won't rest quietly in his bed while he's waiting to fall asleep, locking his door prompts a furious fit, which ends in about 15 minutes. It results in him being so exhausted that he climbs back into bed and goes right to sleep. The sleep fairy then comes along and unlocks and cracks his bedroom door and everyone sleeps peacefully. The end. It's hard for the Sleep Fairy to work her magic when away from home. I'm hoping that this nightly ritual will pass quickly so that we can go visiting friends before the summer's over.

Stella wanted to "drive" the boat with Mark (really I think she likes to blow the horn) and he wouldn't let her. She did the only thing she could do in this situation which is throw a fit. The poor thing lost. One turn is enough, but she and Mark weren't seeing eye to eye on the issue.

When we came back from our boat ride Brooke wanted to jump off the boat and swim to the dock. Every so often, I am reminded of how quickly kids grow and change. She also got up the nerve to jump off this platform that's on the dock. It's not quite like jumping off the high dive, but it does require some guts for a kid to jump off.

So last week we got back from MI on Thursday. Went to The Jerrys Farm on Saturday. Mark took the kids to a church festival by our house on Sunday. Monday we went to the lake for the day. Wednesday I picked up my friend, Janice, who's visiting us from Houston. Friday and Saturday I was at a MOPs retreat. And today I think we might go back to the lake. Whew! I've come full circle. I'm a little tired as you can imagine.

The picture above shows the prizes the kids brought back from the festival. Stuffed snakes are better than goldfish. Brooke and Luke tied ropes around the snakes and drug them around outside at the lake. Isn't that where all snakes belong, stuffed or real? :)

Some time in the middle of this past week Stella's two little pink blankies were "missing". Mark and I looked EVERYWHERE for them. I prayed that God would reveal them to us and was waiting patiently when Brooke says to me, "Mom, did you look behind Stella's shelf?" Um, no. I never expected that God would answer my prayer by way of a lying 5 year old. Brooke must have hid them there a few days before and neglected to share that tidbit of information with us. She's been going through a rough patch lately with talking back and not being honest. It's a really disappointing combination. I'm hoping we can move past this... at least until she hits 12.

The kids have been up to their eyeballs in art projects. When Janice comes to visit she always brings the kids presents and this time she brought crafty things. The spin art thing lasted for hours until they ran out of paint. They love that stuff. It's a good thing Mark was gone because I think he would have been really stressed out by the mess.

I mentioned earlier that I went to a MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) retreat this weekend. We drove an hour south to Carrolton, KY but really it felt like Deliverance. The church where I attend MOPs shares a camp with a few other churchs and this camp was empty for the weekend so we took over. When I say empty, I mean empty. Creepy empty. Drive out into the middle of no where empty, down a gravel drive, through a locked gate empty. Why would 8 women want to stay by themselves in the middle of the woods empty? I'll stop now, but really it was extremely isolated and the distractions were few...except for the things that went bump in the night. :) I am a member of the "steering team" and we were all meeting to plan for the upcoming year. It's theoretically still the middle of the summer, but all this planning makes me feel like summer is as good as over. Stop the bus! I want to get off!!!!

We really did have a good time in the wilderness. We slept in bunks (without any kids!) and stayed up late. We thought we met our end when at 3:30 in the morning, a huge storm rolled through. Think metal building and hail. I am thankful for the invention of cell phones with Internet. A friend was able to check the weather to see that we weren't likely going to perish. It was just 60 MPH winds, quarter size hail and lots of lightening and thunder. I was so relieved...and tired when 30 minutes later another storm rolled through. I did sleep in and we really had a lot of fun when we weren't worried about bears or serial killers.

I need to stop time for about 2 days to get the laundry done, errands run, and the house organized. Okay, maybe that would take a few more days, but it would help tremendously. Being busy leaves little time for restless boredom, but in the absence of boredom is craziness. Hopefully, it won't take me so long to get back to blogging this next week. If not, just wait longer. :)

The Jerrys Farm

Yesterday we took a little field trip about an hour and a half southeast of here to The Jerrys Farm in Flemingsburg, KY. The purpose of our trip was to meet the farmers (The Jerrys...2 guys both named Jerry) and get to know them and their philosophy on their land and the way they care for and then ultimately "process" their animals. We are searching for a farm where we can purchase all our meat from, therefore not having to buy our meat from Kroger, which comes from factory farms. You can check out the catalyst for this decision here.

Stepping foot out of our car and onto the farm was a little like a time warp. The Jerrys have owned the farm for a little over 6 years, but the farm house was built in the 1870's. There are a few original out buildings and the result is that the place has a rundown appearance. The funny part is that the Amish farmers that live around them consider the way Jerry and Jerry farm to be old fashioned. Their farm is over 150 acres and their knowledge of the land and plants living there is mind boggling. They are mostly self-taught and in their community are seen as odd because of the holistic way they run their farm.

After spending about 4 hours with them, I grew to appreciate their views on the connection between health and the land and what we feed our bodies. They read old literature (The 1918 Guide to Farming) and do extensive research to continually gain more knowledge to better their farm. I felt very at home here and feel they are a perfect fit for our family's needs.

With that said, we hiked up this big ridge which is how I got the first picture posted of the farm. Stella was in the backpack carrier and the rest of us had to fend for ourselves. On this hike we got to see the natural spring on the property and the solar powered water pump that pumps 800 gallons of water a day. (Their herd of cattle drink 400 gallons in ONE day!) We also saw their crop of organic tobacco which they grow strictly for the income.

As a side note, they used to help a neighboring farmer harvest his tobacco and they would get sick. People would say that they were allergic to the nicotine, but when they had to touch their organic crop, they didn't have a problem. It turns out it was the chemicals on the tobacco making them sick. They did research and found that now cigarettes are 500% more deadly now then they used to be! Some people mock organic foods, but really when will we learn that what's good for our earth is also good for our bodies!!??

When we got to the top, we got to see the cows. I forget what kind they are, but I know you probably don't care either. After our tour, the Jerrys cooked hamburgers for us on the grill. I'm not a huge fan of hamburgers, but really the flavor was dee-lish. They explained to us that while they love their animals, they made a decision not to name the ones that would eventually become dinner. I can understand that.

It was hot while we walked and Stella decided she was done. In a desperate move to buy more time, we let her out of the backpack. Once she tasted freedom, she was off running...away from us. This was not a happy jog, it was get me the heck out of here, I want some water and lunch tantrum.

Just like Alan Jackson says, "in the country there's a lot of front porch sittin'." The kids were entertained by a lovely young lady named, Alex, who was an intern from another farm in Lexington, wanting to see what was happening at The Jerrys Farm. She was sweet and the kids found her very fun. The porch was shady and the conversation was good.

Just like camping, if bugs and dirt bother you, farming is not for you either. Brooke was so excited about the friendly butterflies lurking around the place.

The Jerrys also have chickens. These are young "layers" that will eventually be released to roam about the farm. The animals that are in pens/cages get moved about the property every day to ensure there is fresh greenery for them to munch on. This farming thing seems like so much work and then some. They don't even own a tractor or a lawn mower!

One other little gem on their property is this creek. The name of their road "Three Mile Run" is named after this very creek. Stella loved it the best and therefore, got the wettest.

Mark and I could have stayed and talked with the Jerrys for 4 more hours (or days), but the kids who had been excellent, were growing restless and tired. We packed up a few flies and headed home. In a few weeks we will be placing an order for 1/2 a cow, some chickens, and a hog. I've gotta get on Craigslist and find a deep freezer and Mark needs to work a little more to pay for all this. :)

For the Love of Camping

We are back from our trip with loads and loads and loads of dirty laundry. Camping was a huge success. We all loved it so much that Mark and I are talking about taking the kids camping in our neck of the woods in September when the weather cools and we are also dreaming of next summer when we can go back to Petoskey State Park. We went so far as to drive around the campgrounds scoping out the best sites so we know which one to pick next time! I have to say though that our site was about as perfect as we could have asked for...on the end, close to the bathroom, and plenty of room for our tent.

So the tent. I have to tell you that when we pulled into the town of Petoskey, it was raining a little bit. When we came out of Walmart after getting our groceries, it was raining even more. Thankfully, God had mercy on us and the rain stopped in time for us to set up the our tent. I was a little concerned that Mark and I would end up not speaking to each other by the time the tent was set up, but considering it was still in the original packaging when we got it out of the car, I'd say things went really well. It helped tremendously that Brooke got in trouble in the car on the way there and her consequence was that she had to stay in the car while we put the tent up, therefore keeping Stella, who was watching Elmo's World, company.

After it was all set up, I was relieved to find enough space for two twin air mattresses, a queen air mattress, and a pack n' play. I ended up sharing the queen with Luke instead of Mark which probably worked out for the best considering Luke needed to be attended to every night when he woke up screaming. He wasn't worried about the wolverines in the woods (that's a joke although I suppose there could be some since it is wolverine and elk country), but rather he was exhausted from staying up until 10 PM or later, when it finally got dark.

I was mostly worried that the kids would cry and disturb the other campers, but besides Luke's little episodes, that wasn't an issue. I was also worried that the kids would wake up at 6 AM when the sun came up, but that didn't happen either. They slept in past 8 both mornings. I was also concerned having to take people to the bathroom in the middle of the night, but the only people that had to pee were Mark and I. We both lived to tell after our short walk to the restrooms at 4 AM. It's very dark in the woods at that hour. Thankfully, we had plenty of flashlights and didn't come across a single predator. :) I was also worried that the campground would be really noisy with it being so full, but it wasn't. Gosh, it appears that I worry a lot. It comes with being a control freak.

So the fire. We got to our campsite later than we expected and so by the time we ate dinner it was close to 7 (which is very late for our crew!). I was glad our dinner of leftover pizza wasn't hinging on the fire, because it took some time to get it going since it had been raining a little and the wood was not completely dry. See that tiny yellow shovel in Stella's hand? When the fire was just getting started, Stella threw that shovel full of sand right into the fire pit. Smokey the Bear would have been proud, but Mark was not so thrilled. Just when I was lifting up our fire issues to our Heavenly Father, a little girl appeared from another campsite with an arm load of really dry and small pieces of fire wood. I told the fam that I had just been praying when the little girl showed up and Brooke yells out, "Mom, God answered your prayer so quickly!" Praise the Lord for that because we were all pretty tired at this point.

I realize that camping is not for everyone. You have to be resigned to a few things: mosquitoes and dirt. If you have issues with those two things then you need to stay at the local Holiday Inn instead. Mark was so frustrated at first that the kids were so dirty. He asked me several times if we should clean Stella off. See the dirt on her legs? That was mild compared to the dirt under the kids' toe nails. I felt free from wiping them off since we were camping and this is one time you are expected to get dirty. Not only were we dirty, but we were covered in bug spray. The mosquitoes were everywhere since it had rained. Thankfully, there are many non-chemical versions of this available which are less disgusting to me. Then at the end of the day, there are showers. Blessed showers to get all the ick off.

Mark and I kept joking about our styles of camping. He was a Boy Scout and I, a Girl Scout. Brooke kept saying, "Dad is this how the Girl/Boy Scouts do it?" Mark was impressed that I remembered the powdered sugar for our french toast. There was an electrical outlet so we were not suffering by any means. I brought our electric griddle so we were able to make pancakes and heat up some Skyline chili in a pan for cheese coneys.

We had to put Stella on lock down to eat because she wandered around dropping food and stealing stuff off other people's plates. Don't get me wrong, she ate her fair share of dirt, but apparently, when it's been dropped in the dirt it takes just as good as when it's not.

The kids had a ball. Since we were on the end, they had extra space to explore and more treasures to be found. Mark and I voted and the results indicate that Luke had the best time of all. Stella followed in a close second and Brooke was out of the running because she had a pretty bad attitude 70% of the time. Instead of waking up and crying in the middle of the night when she's tired, she just gets mean. I wonder who she gets that from?

If the excitement of camping wasn't enough, this piece of paradise was at the end of the little road our campsite was on. This is the Little Traverse Bay, not to be confused with the Grand Traverse Bay we swam in in Traverse City. Don't let that get you in knots, it's all Lake Michigan. :) The kids had so much fun swimming in the lake! They had an excellent time in the ocean this summer, but this was much more suitable for little people with the absence of giant waves to knock them down. The water was colder, but the weather was unusually hot while we were there so the water temperature wasn't really a factor.

The kids loved that they could just walk right in and keep walking and walking because you had to go out really far for the water to finally get deep. Luke surprised me with his bravery.

The beach was b-e-a-u-tiful. There were stones galore and the sand was nice and the trees on the shoreline were the icing on the cake. I think my allegiance has shifted. I would say that given the choice I'd trade the beach on the Atlantic Ocean for the beaches of Michigan in a heart beat! Michigan is like crack. One time and you're hooked. That's hypothetical. I'm not the type to dabble in drugs. :)

This was Stella's pile of stones. She LOVED picking them up and stacking them or just carrying them around. I brought my pile home. Seriously, some of the stones were so amazing I'm convinced that people that manufacture counter tops get inspiration from them. I think I'll put mine in the living room somewhere out of Stella's reach.

Sister Sue and her dirty face too! She was really good despite the fact that she didn't take even a thirty minute nap for two days.

I want to go back!

Do you see why Stella looked like she had been wallowing in a mud puddle?

This crazy little monkey was doing tricks in her bed before she fell asleep. Mark and I were trying to stifle laughs as she twirled around in the pack n' play and then would fall down like a drunkard (all the while laughing like a maniac). In her defense, it was really funny. No matter how early we tried to go to bed, the kids did not settle down until it started getting a little dark in our tent at 10. She was a trooper to be able to remain relatively pleasant on so little sleep.

Mark was in charge of breakfast and s'mores. Mmmm...s'mores. Yet another good reason to go camping again.

I was not surprised when Stella was offended that I'd make her hold my hand when we walked down the road to the bathrooms. She wants to do EVERYTHING by herself. Speaking of bathrooms, did you know that 5 people can fit into one shower? Mark and I decided the most efficient way to get our whole family clean was for us to all go into one shower together and for me to do the washing and Mark to do the drying and dressing. The showers were very nice with a pretty good size bench and dressing area too. I can only imagine what the other campers thought when they heard so many voices/kids fussing from one shower! It's like traveling with the circus I tell you.

Next summer, why do you have to be so far away?

Look, Mom! Brooke and I were pretty far out and my belly button wasn't even wet! You may have noticed that Brooke is not featured in many pictures. That's because the 30% of the time she was being pleasant, I didn't have my camera out. Harsh, but pretty accurate.

I know this post was really, really, really long but I have to record the details of our camping trip so when I get around to scrapbooking it next year, I'll remember what happened. :) The moral of this long saga is that camping was a hoot and a holler and we can't wait to do it again as soon as possible. The end.