I write my “to do” list, and everything else, on a window shaped mirror in our kitchen.

It works great.

The mirror has a central location, it’s easy to change and highly visible.

The down side is that sometimes when I feel as though my list of things to do is overwhelming, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror with the chores imposed over my face and see that it might be true.

French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon

May30

I’m not saying that I read this book, had a huge epiphany and now my kids eat everything.

Not- even- close.

Recently, the current six year old has chewed her food, spit it back out and then told me she couldn’t possibly eat any more because she didn’t like the parts she had already chewed on… French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon

But, I will say that my kids are eating slightly more of everything – and that’s not bad.

Would I recommend it? It’s a parenting book, I don’t recommend them on principle. My kids are not your kids, my style is not yours.

That said, I am glad I read it. While there were things about the book a didn’t like, I have attempted to be mindful of her “10 simple rules” and my kids did eat “yummy chard pie” for dinner tonight. Something that I doubt was coincidence!

A Little After Dinner Entertainment

May28

To entertain six adults and one child after dinner.

Take one can of whipped cream……apply to one small child’s hand… ….watch… …laugh… ….repeat!

Eaten by Lions

May26

As it turns out I’m an old slow zebra, and the rest of my family… lions.

Also, tag is not my strong suit.

My problem with tag is multidimensional. First off, I know I can’t catch John. Unless he were to fall in one of the many pitfall traps, I mean dog holes, which are hiding in the long grass (because, yes, our lawn mower is broken again but that is an entirely different story), it’s pretty much hopeless. Then there is the part where I have to seriously work to outrun Ivy. The girl is fast. Clara, spent most of the time either strategizing about how she was going to “spear” people or getting a ride on John’s back. It’s possible that she is neither lion nor zebra and instead a native hunter. Jane, the only family member of mine I might have a chance of out running was already sleeping for the night. So it was me against the spear wielding, fast running lions.

Which brings me to my second problem, the giggles. I can’t help it. I try to catch John, it’s not happening- I get the giggles. Ivy lets me get close out of pity- giggles. Clara shows me how I should spear people instead- giggles. I attempt to outrun John who is carrying Clara and fail- giggles. I attempt to out run Ivy- giggles. All those giggles lead me to my third problem.

My third problem I’ll spare you the details but it involves too many giggles while running after giving birth three times. Also I would like to say that it’s totally unfair when you get tagged while you are “hiding” behind a bush. Clearly, I was “On T” as, apparently, they say now.

All this ended with me tripping while running through the lawn with a terrible fit of giggles and having my family pile on me as they informed me that I was an old, slow, zebra and they were the lions come to eat me.

Tomorrow we are playing baseball.

This Moment – Sisters on the Bridge

May24

A Friday ritual . A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman

May22

Would I recommend it? If you came over to visit and share a cup of tea with me this evening I’d pick this book off the table where it is sitting and send it home with you. The Midwife of Hope River by Patrica Harman

Before I placed it in your hands I would probably check to make sure that you didn’t have issues reading about childbirth- it’s a book about a midwife after all.

But, if you did have issues with that sort of thing, I would tell you the story of the birthing class I went to before Ivy was born.

All three of my girls were born at a birth center staffed by midwives and when I was pregnant with Ivy we attended the requisite birthing class. In our first class they told us their intent was to turn us into “mini-midwives” and teach us as much about the process of childbirth as they could in the few Saturdays that we had. Which they did with the help of videos. Many, many videos of childbirth that we would watch and then discuss. On the last day we were given the opportunity to share any thoughts we had with our classmates. One of the husbands, in a room full of very pregnant, first time mothers, spoke up and told us that watching the videos was sort of like watching horror films. That they are awful at first but then you get desensitized to them.

And then, I would give you the book anyway.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Escape

May20

Weekly Photo Challenge: Escape road

Back in February I wrote that the line had been redrawn and that the highway construction on our road would also involve the demolition of our home.

Since then we have had, as expected, many meetings, phone calls, e-mails, appraisals and offers but we are severely lacking in the decision department. As of today, we have 88 days (not that I’m counting or anything) before the DOT buys our and house we need to start deciding.

But, weighing the options of something we never wanted to do in the first place has been hard. Do we buy, build, rent, stay local, move away? We talk ourselves in circles everyday and leave our conversations with a vague feeling of nausea but no closer to a real decision.

Today, after a morning of looking at properties and an afternoon of feeling ill when faced with the options and decisions before us John called me from work and told me we needed to think positive. Then he told me a very long paragraph worth of stuff that he is going to remember when he gets frustrated. It was all nice, happy stuff and I’m sure it will do wonders for him.

As for me, I had spent the afternoon cleaning up cheesy, toddler puke. My attention span is short and I’m much better at, as John would say, “mustering the hate” than thinking up long, flowery, positive statements. I needed something a bit more concise and it didn’t take me long to come up with a nice, short, memorable phrase of my own.

No matter what, we are escaping the road, life will be good.

Not only is the road the source of our current trouble but ever since the first Monday we lived here and the shock I had when the first semi’s started flying by I have hated it. I have hated the cars, the trucks, and the semi’s. I have hated the man with the barking dog that used to go by every day at 3:30, the way we live in the country yet are always on display, the heart stopping feeling of seeing any of our animals out on the road, and the fear that the semi behind us isn’t going to stop and wait as we turn into the driveway- again. I have been mustering the hate for the road for a long time.

So, when I am next faced with the overwhelming decisions before us I believe that I will have no trouble remembering…

No matter what, we are escaping the road, life will be good.

Then John called back and told me a confusing story about a 50$ bills in a urinal and how he should buy me a goat to make the move easier.

Yeah, I didn’t get it either.

But, I’ve always wanted goats and so I’m not questioning it. I just told him a goat always needs a friend and changed my phrase a bit…

No matter what, we are escaping the road and getting goats, life will be great.