Showing posts with label just for fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label just for fun. Show all posts

Sunday, February 16

The Week in Review

We had Snow Week!

 Not just a day, but four days of snow and fun, cold fingers, wet pants, snowball fights and gimpy snowmen. It was wild, and wonderful!

Then Friday was so beautiful we were still able to get out and hike with friends! (The hike also involved cold fingers, wet pants, and a fairly awesome 11th Doctor snowman. But it was warm enough that we only needed light jackets and t-shirts. Double bonus, if you ask me.)

This coming week of school is going to be... hard. We're all sort of girding and trying to find a way to not cringe when we think about it.

Jacob had his second week of communicants class. I ran some errands to get ready for small group, and so missed most of it. Of course, this was the night they asked some pretty in-your-face questions about church membership (and we don't plan to join this church, but it's a somewhat nuanced position that's challenging for a 40yo to explain, let alone a 10yo...) JakeRabbit sounded like he'd handled it fairly well, though. He's cool like that. And he enjoys the class, overall.

Our small group also had its first gathering. That was, oh man, so nice. Good discussions, a lot of laughter, and some very real conversation about things that matter, and why. I'm glad we're in this group. Hopefully, we won't be the weird ones. (Or if we are, maybe it will be in an affectionate way...) There aren't any teens in the other families, so James sat in with the adults. He may be the one to pull up our average score from the judges - such an insightful kid, and so thoughtful.

So now, it is with a good deal of gratitude, wet clothing, mud on the floors, and wood chips in the foyer that we head into another week. I can't complain. (Obviously, I can't clean, either.) Right now, it's all about the Good Stuff.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy


Saturday, February 1

We got out!

So, remember my concern that Jase wouldn't take kindly to the whole Hiking thing? I didn't know there would be rocks:
Gorgeous rocks! Big rocks! And they were everywhere! I knew we'd picked a winner when Jase filled me in on what I'd missed (in the short time it took me to take off my own pack and go climb with them):

"It was huge and slippery and kind of scary, but James helped me get up there! And then John helped me jump over the hole near the edge. And then we climbed some more. And Mom :inhale deeply: THANK YOU for making us come! This place is awesome!"

I even got a hug for my efforts.

James and John got in on the action. Emily could happily spend days on the trail, seeing all there is to see. And Jacob? He was amazing. We hiked about 1.5 miles, but covered a lot more than that with segues over the rocks, vertical coverage, and other miscellaneous distractions (including a stop at the creek). I'd estimated we would hike "not nearly long enough for the 10yo, but a little bit farther than the 5yo will willingly go", and that turned out to be just about right. I'd brought chocolate for that last leg. One square of chocolate will buy me about 30 yards of complaint-free progress. 20 yards if it's steeply uphill.

That said, we have got to go more often. The two littlest aren't quite as... adept at scrambling about on rocks as the older ones are. (That's entirely my fault - when I only had two or three, we went somewhere every week, and they learned to scramble shortly after they'd learned to walk.) You have to have a good relationship with your own center of gravity to be comfortable on rocks, and you can only really develop it by getting out there and exploring it. So, we'll go. I spent too much of  our time on the trail trying to control my own breathing, catching myself from yelling, "Watch out!" by making weird squeaking noises and clearing my throat a lot. We went with new friends; I'm sure she thinks I have a verbal tic and a nervous condition.

Jase wasn't daunted, though, and he did a fantastic job!

(There's a 40' drop on the other side of that rock. If this were video, you could hear me squeaking to myself when he got to the top.)

I'll follow his example. It's a good one.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Monday, January 20

Shortened Attention Spans and Gifts

Between Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, my attention span deteriorated quite a bit last year. That was embarrassing, if visually stimulating. This year, I determined it would be better to seek balance and set the example for our home, by bringing life (particularly the bigger chunks and meatier content) back into focus.

We also decided we'd actually do some of the projects we've pinned on Pinterest. The boys insisted we photograph the outcome. I'd love to think they want a record of the fantastic projects we make together, but the truth is they're hoping for something they can submit to PinterestFAIL sites.

Our first project, however, was a total win. We made these adorable play tents for the Littles of some very dear friends:


EmilyGirl handled all the sewing - from threading the machine and ironing the fabric, to sewing the hems and sewing on the ribbons. The guys did the woodwork, which was quick and easy. We sealed the wood so that the tents can be used outside without rotting by August.

The tents are sturdy, but they break apart so that for travel the boards lie flat on the fabric, you roll the fabric around the boards and secure with the ribbons at the corners. They'll fit in the trunk, on the floor behind the seat of the car, or in a footlocker.






I tried to get a picture of the littles inside them, but they moved too quickly. Here, Little M had just chased JakeRabbit out of hers and gone into it when she saw the camera, stepped out to pose, and then her brother had something fascinating to show her. My phone isn't the best camera, and I suspect I'm getting old, with slow reflexes. But the picture was sweet, and it's the only one that shows some detail on the tents without being blurry.

They loved them. EmilyGirl is now ready to make ALL THE THINGS. The boys are on board, but I suspect for different reasons... we'll probably have a little Win and a little Fail this year, but we'll have fun doing it together.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Wednesday, May 22

They did it.

The Bigs: 25 mile route on the Tour d'Arsenal. They were the youngest riders on that loop, and they didn't come in last. (That doesn't really matter, as this wasn't a race, and there were people of all fitness levels and cycling experience on the ride. But it did feel kind of good for young men testing their mettle.) They were all a bit shocked and awed (in a good way) when they got buzzed by a group of septuagenarians about the mid-way point in the ride, though. I guess it was pretty impressive and left quite an impressions on four young men, sucking wind up a hill, when the whirr-whirr-whirr of fast bikes comes up from behind and whoosh~~~ there they go. Good stuff.

Jacob: 18 miles. The youngest rider in the Tour. (The next two youngest being the Bigs.) It didn't even dawn on me that kids wouldn't do it. Didn't dawn on Jacob, either, until he ran out of steam at about the 15 mile mark. He'd done everything right, really - he was well-rested going into it, ate well before hand, and was staying hydrated. But it was hot-hot-hot and sticky beyond belief, and I think that got inside his head and made him question everything from the origin of the universe to why we didn't hire a rickshaw and take a scenic drive. We slowed our pace, I asked a few questions and then just listened as he talked his way out of his own head. He took a few deep breaths, and you could just see this kid center himself and refocus on his goal. It was amazing, and humbling, and uplifting all at once. The other riders were fantastic and so very encouraging with a kind word and a cheer of encouragement as they passed.

One lady, in particular, offered to share an energy drink packet she'd brought. I checked the label and it didn't have anything we'd find objectionable in it, so I said yes. By that time, Jacob had decided he could see this through and enjoy it, but the psychological boost that gave him -- both the generous gesture and the idea that he was getting a beneficial drink -- he flew the last few miles and could have happily gone another round if only it had been under 90 degrees. And burritos. We had burritos in the car for the riders. He said he felt great when it was over. "Probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but it felt good." I... have no idea where he gets it, but am so glad he's got it!

James wrecked near the start of the ride. Poor kid - he went over the handlebar over the weekend, too. Anyway, best I can make out from their stories, he and John needed to veer around an obstacle, but someone came up on James' right so he had to veer back left and they (James and John) collided. They must be pretty proficient at bike repair and first aid, though, because they got it fixed, treated their wounds, and were back on the trail before Jacob and I could catch up. We only heard about it later. There were a couple of more gnarly wrecks later in the ride, but thankfully nobody was seriously injured (and we weren't a part of those).

For Z and I, it was a great experience. Of course, you can tell we're not hard-core cyclists. When they start down a slope, they lean on the handlebars and streamline their forms. It's serious business. When we hit the crest of a hill and start back down, we put our heads up and our elbows out to catch some air. If you listen really closely, you might be able to make out a faint, "Weee!" I hope we're still doing that together 40 years from now, wherever we are. And that the kids will still want to come with us.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Tuesday, May 21

While I wait for the phone to finish backing up,

I watched YouTube videos on how to fix a laggy phone.

I read a couple of articles on the dangers of sleep deprivation.

I stared into space for a little bit. (Kind of confirmed some of what I'd just read. Weird.)

Then it hit me, "Hey! Nobody's up! I could blog!"

Which is not to say that I'm blogging anything I don't want them to read. It's just that I'm not good at holding multiple thoughts coherently in my head. Funny, you'd think I'd be better at that by now. That, and getting to bed at a decent time. But, no. And no. Ah, well.

Tomorrow (today) we ride the Tour d'Arsenal. (There will be napping before hand, seeing as it's already after two in the morning.) It's a neat cycling tour of the Arsenal that goes through some of the older, more historic parts of the area. We've pretty much milked the liability waiver for all it's worth. (The boys, in particular, thinks it's hilarious that I won't let them sky dive, but have no problem sending them into something that requires I acknowledge in writing that they could DIE in the process. Of course, they could die doing anything; I'm just acknowledging that if they die doing this, it's their own fault and my responsibility. Plus, if your bike malfunctions, you get road rash. Order of magnitude in the different probable outcomes.) But we're stoked. It'll be fun.

We rode the Alabama section of the Natchez Trace this past weekend. We didn't have logistical support for the Littles, so Z and I split up the trek. I rode the first portion with the boys, with Jase in the child seat on my bike. He's a fun cycling buddy. I'm going to be a little sad when he's too big to ride along like that. We stopped at a ferry and fished for a bit, then Z took Em on the trail-a-bike and rode with the boys for what turned out to be the entirely uphill portion of the trail. Didn't see that coming. He's so good-natured, though. Jacob and I drove past them on our way out of the park - going up this steep, steep incline - Em was standing on the pedals of the trail-a-bike, just pumping her legs as hard as she could to help get them up the hill. Of course, she was whipping that thing side to side and you could see the back end of Z's bike flailing left and right. It probably felt like trying to climb a mountain with monsters shaking him by the ankles. Yet as we drove past, Jacob and Jase waved and cheered them on, and Z had a smile and a wave for the boys.

Jacob rode 17.1 miles of the trail on a 20" bike. Holy cow, that kid is good-natured... and wiry! He didn't complain at all! Even when he collapsed in the grass and announced that he felt like that was a pretty good ride and he was done, thanks - still, no whining. Z and I were exhausted just watching him. (Well, and because we're old and out of shape.) But he loves to ride with his brothers, and they love to have him along, so we bought him a bigger bike this weekend. They've already taken him on an inaugural ride to the square and to Gina's for a soda. He was all smiles as he explained that he's just as tired, but he goes a LOT faster.  He can hardly wait to do this next ride with the new wheels!

It has rained and rained and rained. When it's not raining, we're outside working on the house or the meadows. Then it rains and we come back in and watch it rain. As quickly as the grass and poison ivy are growing, I'm rather thankful we don't have kudzu. We'd have to hack a path to the car and defoliate the drive just to get to town. It's crazy. We've lived here eight years, and still I'm awed every Spring by how quickly things grow here. It's so green and lush and just beautiful.

We're about three days away from kicking into full-on Summer Schedule. Math, Foreign Language, Reading. Call it a day. It's just too beautiful to stay inside. We'll get down to business in August, when it's not so beautiful anymore. Right now, though, it's time to be outside, digging in the garden, building things in the meadow, and playing in the creek.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Saturday, December 1

Eggs!

The hens aren't using the nesting boxes for anything other than naps, so these were a pleasant surprise.


James came back from putting up the chickens and announced, "We have 18 chickens, and FIVE EGGS!" It took us all a second for it to sink in, but then we were excited.

Unfortunately, the roosters are all pretty into doing their jobs, and we have no clue how long those eggs have been there... so we'll have to crack them outside, in case they're bad. Still, it's exciting to have some progress.

(This was last night. Jacob found another one today. We don't know who is laying, but they're all in the same place so far, so that makes it easier. How exciting!)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Monday, October 8

A Day Out

The Birmingham Zoo hosted its annual Tiger Cub Safari today. We'd not been before, and we realized that none of the younger three have ever been to a zoo, and the older two don't remember being to one, so we decided to go and make a day of it. Zorak decided to put off home projects for the day and come along, and I'm so glad he did. We really, thoroughly enjoyed the day.



The weather was a bit chilly, but the day itself was gorgeous. After working hard the past week, we were all ready to get a little goofy and have some fun.



The kids are really the best. I love traveling with them. They not only pose willingly for goofy shots, but suggest some fun ones, too.


Of course, by the time we got home, everyone was bushed, so the kids hit the hay and Z and I got some time to sit and watch a movie, make plans, and drink coffee. It was like ending the day with a fun little mini-date. I'm glad we went for it, and look forward to maybe making it a tradition to have a day out, just doing something fun together, every couple of months.

I wonder if we'll be ready to get back to work tomorrow, or if we'll want to lounge around, thinking up new places to go?

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Sunday, September 2

Doing.

Doing things.

The boys' Troop rode last Monday. The plan was 3.5 miles, but they were nowhere ready to stop at that point, so what do you do? You point down the trail and say, "Go for it." And they did. They'd have happily ridden farther and longer, but this was a test run, to see how their bikes were after their repair/maintenance meeting. One boy's bike still necessitated getting off to change gears manually. (Um, obviously, we'll work on that.) John's bike dorked up right after the start and he rode the whole thing in seventh gear. He wasn't thrilled about that, but he muscled through and got it done. All things considered, it went amazingly well, and the boys were fantastic! We'd hoped to ride again tomorrow, but the general consensus is that "severe thunderstorms" aren't conducive to safe riding. So. I don't know. We'll see when they can go again. They're building up to a big ride later in the year, and if this crew can keep their great attitudes, keep improving the condition of their bikes, and keep learning as they go, I think it's going to be One Fantastic Adventure.

We hit the annual Civil War re-enactment on Saturday. Two years running. I'd like to say we're getting the hang of staying abreast of things, but it was actually a lady from the homeschool support group who posted the dates. Bless her, and the many other people who take the time to say, "Hey! There's something going on this weekend!" If it weren't for them, we'd be hermits. Not intentionally, but that's how it would pan out. Anyway, we went with friends, the weather was significantly better than last year, and EmBaby got her pickled eggs. (She was hoping for pickled quail eggs, but settled happily for regular old eggs when no quail eggs were to be found.)

Meanwhile, Zorak and I rode this morning. We figured we'd get out and put four or five miles behind us. We ended up going 13 miles, roughly broken down to three small hills, two huge hills, six tiny dogs, four big dogs, almost an hour of gorgeous scenery and hard work, and one wipeout there at the end (that would be me, Grace - I'm keeping the title, thank you - and the Dermaplast). It was great! Except for the dogs. I could do without being faced down by brazen growlers who take their stand in the middle of the trail when there is no other avenue available to me. :-\ On the upside, I'm pretty sure my cardio levels ramped up a time or two!

Today we also worked on the Shack a bit -- window trim and cleaning. Not so much for the exciting words, there. Wood putty, delightful as it may be, doesn't lend itself to poetic interpretation without a good deal of hyperbole.

And now, we have rain. What a beautiful way to end the day!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Wednesday, June 6

Scheduling Mishap

I'd hoped to send a care package yesterday to the boys at camp. (I'm not GOOD at it, like a friend of mine is - hers are themed and full of awesomeness. Mine are invariably thrown together at the last minute, and vaguely reflective of the fact that their mother can't quite get it together. Still, I like to think they don't mind so much... I do pull up shy of sending socks and underwear, at least. Although I did include waterproof bandages for James' broken thumb.)

However, with the whomping total six hours of sleep the Littles obtained from Thursday through Sunday, we were bound to have a halt on the assembly line at some point. Jase went down Sunday around five, slept til ten, got up for a bite and went back down until eleven Monday morning. Jacob and Em seemed fine. Weird, but I'd thought that was it, and began congratulating myself on producing superhuman robot children. Ah, no. (Which is good, because that whole concept is a little scary. But I was looking for a silver lining and, well, that's all I had.) EmBaby hung in there long enough to get in a day at the water park before coming unraveled on a cellular level. And when she went, she went quietly and deeply. Snuggled in Monday night at 8, and slept straight through until well after noon yesterday.

So we stayed home and did laundry. And checked on her occasionally. But even for us, there's only so much laundry to be done. By about eleven, we were just having fun with it. Here's how you can use a mirror to see if someone is breathing. Listen to her back. You can hear her heartbeat. Cool, huh? Want another cupcake? If we gave her weird dreams, she never mentioned it. She did pop out of bed a little before one, fully rejuvenated and ready to take on the world again!

We got the box put together, then missed the post office by about four minutes. But it's ready! It's together! (I'll take it up there and leave it in the office so they'll get it with regular mail call. It's just not the same if your Mother hands it to you at camp.)

Do you send care packages? What do you like to put in them? I'm always looking for ideas! Not that I'll get on them ahead of time, but every little bit helps. I've got three more coming up the line!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Friday, February 10

Alice, and Wonderland

We took the morning off to see the Grissom High students put on a play. It was a lovely way to spend the morning. They performed Alice in Wonderland, and although it was a two-hour production, the kids did just fine. (We sat on the aisle, in case one of the unpredictable ones did something... unpredictable. They were fine, though - wholly engaged and delightful.) The older ones are already comfortable with theater etiquette, so they're enjoyable on many levels. (They're also a reminder that it's worth it to take the time when they're little, even if you have to sit by the aisle for a while. Someday, you won't have to. And you may get a bit sniffly about that when you glance over as the great big manboys, behaving without prompting, on either side of you.)

We stopped at Sonic for a little Something after. Sadly, both my breakfast protein and my GABA had given out about 30 minutes before we got there, so that part was not as easy as the rest of the morning had been. (Why must Sonic offer So. Many. Choices?!? Even if you narrow the options to "soda," or "slushie thing", the flavor options, alone, are enough to send the most mild-mannered of children into a choice-induced frenzy. Five children make it exponentially more... interesting.) We got out without incident, tears, or aggravation, though, and then home for some protein and water. Yay! Yay for Home!
The Bigs have both taken training to serve as Den Chiefs for the Cubs. I can't tell you how helpful that is - not just for running a Den or Pack, but also for helping your young men to realize they *are* The Big Kids, and that the little ones can/do/will look up to them. At our last Pack meeting, our Cubmaster invited them to come teach knots to the boys. They built frames for making the knots, so they could show the Cubs the knots in context (pitching a tent, tying down a load, ceremonial knots, cinching a sack, etc.). It was a good experience, and I'm glad they jumped in with both feet. They've been asked to meet with the Webelos next week, to go over Arrow of Light material. I think they're working on this knot to teach the Webelos. (The plan then is to turn the finished product into bookmarks for the boys' mothers for Valentine's Day. That'd be cool!)



And now, it's the weekend. We've been working on the little projects that have been whispering for our attention. It's the 15% of each project that got neglected in the first big push, as soon as it's "usable", or "for now," but we're veering out of the realm of Temporary, and into the kingdom of Wow, You People Really Live Like That? So, time to get cracking.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Thursday, January 5

Too Pretty To Stay In

We thought about staying in today. Then the temperature rose above 35. And then I saw that our homeschool group had a field trip today that sounded like fun. So, we spent the morning finding everyone two shoes that match. Each. Then it was time for lunch. I'm giving serious consideration to buying everyone one pair of shoes, and everybody gets the exact same style. Then I'm putting some kind of homing device on each and every shoe, just to be sure.

We got distracted, nailing down the details of this term's reading lists and missed the field trip with the group, but didn't want to waste a fully shod opportunity. Before anybody could kick off their shoes, we bolted out the door and headed into town.
It was beautiful today! I think the high was 63F, which is just about perfect. It's cool enough that you have to keep moving to be comfortable, but not too warm for fuzzy scarves and warm sweaters (if one is perhaps insistent, as I am. January is the only month I can reasonably wear warm sweaters, here.) The energy-emitting youth wore t-shirts and short sleeves. It's okay. They move more quickly than I do, so they never had a chance to get cold.
And yes, those are crocs. With black socks. That wasn't intentional. He wears them as house shoes, and forgot to switch shoes when we prepared to leave the house. Oddly, that's one I didn't think to check. However, he has two, and they match. Plus, he's funny and helpful and sweet. Those count for double. We called it Good.

The museum has a delightful exhibit by artist Michael Liu (a quick Google search seems to indicate that that's a shockingly common name, even when you narrow down for "artist", and I still haven't found his specific site). The Carnegie Visual Arts Center has a little information on him, and one of his pieces featured on their page of current exhibits, but if you have the chance to see it in person, go. Do it. Wow. What you can't see online is that the paper pieces are so intricate and multi-layered - and that's all paper! It's truly magnificent in person. The pieces on display currently include paper cutting, some phenomenal collage, charcoal, and graphite. Jacob says he likes Mr. Liu's charcoals the best. We were all enthralled.We spent over an hour in this display, and I didn't even have to restrain Jase. much. James had found this zebra image during his research of Mr. Liu. It was in the exhibit - in person, it's entrancing. Also, we all think it's fun when you see a piece of art in person that you'd previously known in books, online, or through some other medium. That's always a treat!

From there, we wandered over to the music shop to get new strings for the guitar. I love the people at the shop. Not only did they put the strings on, then and there, but they took John behind the counter and taught him how to do it properly - what each step means, and why it's done. He got some hands on experience. If I weren't worried about scaring people, I'd have hoisted myself up over the counter to hug both of them for that.

Also, I found out why the boys haven't lost all their guitar picks. They keep one in the guitar! Yep, just drop it down in that hole when they're done, and shake it out when they want to play. And here, I just thought they'd been using the pocket in the case. Well, whatever gets it done. (Although I am very glad to know that rattling sound wasn't something that had broken off in there!)


Before we knew it, the day was done. Time for home, supper, and bed. I'm so glad we didn't stay in, though!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Friday, September 2

That's Done

I saw the doc today, to have him check out this cough that's not going completely away. He said it's normal to have a residual cough for up to six weeks after having pneumonia. I guess I looked a little queasy at that thought, because he was kind enough to assure me that's the outer edge of normal. (Then he not-so-encouragingly added that after about 12 weeks, it shifts from "acute" to "chronic" and then you have to start looking for other things.) I put in my vote for residual and acute, grabbed my prescription for more prednisone, thanked him profusely for his time, and got out of Dodge before he could think of anything else to share.

Then I came home and mopped the floors. Something had to give. If we ever win the lottery, I'm going to go hog wild and do crazy things, like hire contractors to finish the work I'm just too tired to spool up on, and pay someone Very, Very Well to come mop the floors once a week.

We missed the homeschool skate today - because I'm not the only person who holds off on seeing the doctor all week, then, when things don't clear up by Friday, decides it's better to go in *now* than risk an ER run at some point during the weekend. Bless the doctors who are open on Fridays, and deal with the backlog so gracefully. But the kids who lose out are also appreciated, and we'll try to catch the public skate tomorrow, after the Battle for Decatur. It's a Civil War display, and looks to be very interesting. I love historic re-enactments, regardless of the era. But I could never participate in them because of the attire. These things are always hosted in the dead-on heat of summer, and have you ever noticed the clothing for the dead-on heat of summer is *the exact same clothing* they'd wear - comfortably - in the stark, cold middle of winter. The kids love the presentations and lectures. I miss out on them, though, because of the monologue running through my head...

"You are so, incredibly, unbelievably tough... My word, but you've got to be dying in that thing... how many layers is that? Wow... I wonder if they've experienced spontaneous combustion at one of these things?"


And so on. Until I'm ready to go steal a Squishee machine and haul it to the field. FREE SQUISHEES FOR EVERYONE IN COSTUME!!!

The ice skating rink will be a lovely reprieve after that. The kids will love it! Maybe I'll try to steal a few of the participants, too, and buy them Squishees at the concession stand. They had Squishees in the 1800's, right? ;-)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Friday, July 15

Milestone Fun

Last night we joined approximately half the population of Northern Alabama in attending the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. This was big for us, as we usually only see one movie in a theater in any given year. But added to that was that this was the first time Jacob had seen one of the Harry Potter movies in the theaters (he read all seven books in the last year, and then started over, just so he wouldn't forget anything important). And the first time any of us had gone to an opening showing of the HP movies. It was really great. For them, it was probably great for different reasons than it was for me. I so enjoyed spending time with them, doing something we can all enjoy together (so, not Victorian literature *or* video games). JK Rowling, for the win! Thanks!

We made wands at the last minute, thanks to an instructable a friend linked. You can find it here. And these are the wands they came up with:

From left to right: mine, James', John's, Jacob's, Emily's, Jason's. (The bigs helped design Em's and Jase's. The Littles picked their own colors.) Not bad for 40 minutes' work! Go teamwork!

The boys all created their own costume ideas and we managed to cobble them together without stressing out much. James, with his blonde hair, fair skin, and thin build, is just a natural to go as Draco Malfoy.

Jacob rounded up the much-used, much-loved Harry robe and accoutrements from the basement to reprise another round of Harry. His longer, wild hair was perfect for it this time. Zorak chipped in with an old pair of glasses (minus the lenses) when we couldn't find any in the thrift stores (and I'd bought what Z informed me were "not cool round Harry glasses", but were in fact, "thick nerd glasses". Huge difference. Funny, coming from the man who reads in a Ben Stein monotone, just to get out of ever having to read Harry Potter books at all. But when it really matters, he can nail it.)

John was going to go as Ron Weasley. We had this maroon sweater and had planned to switch out the 'G' for an 'R', a'la Mrs. Weasley's Christmas Sweater. One afternoon, John commented off-hand that it's too bad we couldn't do the ear or he could go as George. I remembered then that one of our friends does the special effects makeup for the haunted houses every year, and thought if anyone could do it, she could. So I got with her and asked if she could do it. She graciously said yes, and she. was. AMAZING! In less than fifteen minutes of work, she took off a good portion of John's ear.

We drove home from her place in a raging thunderstorm, and all I could think was man, if we're in a wreck I hope this ear doesn't cause any problem getting him diagnosed and treated! We made it home without incident. (Yay!)

Because of the last minute wand making, we were a couple of hours behind our planned schedule, but still set to be there early enough to get in line and have a shot at good seats. The storm set us back an additional hour, though, and we arrived at the theater only an hour before showtime. So our seats were not *great*, but that didn't dampen the experience.

The place was full of great costumes, happy people, high energy, and a fun mood. Some of the costumes were really fantastic. I wish I'd thought to take pictures. Luna in her roaring Lion's head, Mrs. Sprout, a snitch (he made several laps through the theater while people waited), Cho Chang, Voldemort, Neville... it was so much fun to see the creativity that went into people's costumes.

And the movie. Ah. Well, yeah. This is the first time I'm not the last person I know who sees the movie. I'll return the graciousness of those who just smiled and said, "Oh, you'll have to see it and then let me know so we can talk."

So. You'll have to see it, and then let me know so we can talk about it. ;-)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Saturday, January 22

Something New

One of the things the kids wanted to do this year is take more family outings. They like the intentional living concept, and they love time together, so a combination of the two makes sense. Zorak heard about a little place not far from here, where we could go skiing and be home for dinner. He loves to ski, but we haven't gone since about a week before we learned of James' pending arrival. In the 13 years since, we've had neither the time nor the energy to pull it off. I'm not saying we have more energy, now, but we've realized this is probably as good as it's likely to ever be again and we'd better run/amble/hobble with it. So, that's what we did!

We took burritos and warmed them on a camp stove - that was awesome. We didn't take hot chocolate - that was not so awesome. The staff at this place is amazing, and the slope is a lot of fun. The weather was gorgeous - calm all day, then turned to snow as we pulled in the driveway at home.

James, once he figured out the math behind it, was fearless and amazing. He did all the jumps and wiped out much. Twice, I fully expected to see blood and have to call the dentist for an emergency surgery. Nope. Turns out the kid's not much of a bleeder.
.

John muscled his way to competence by sheer will power. He was in heaven, and had a fantastic, wonderful, laid-back time of it. At one point, he just ran out of steam, but he was still 2/3 of the way up the hill. So he laid back on his skis, spread his arms out and rode the hill down that way. Got a burrito and a coke, and hit the slopes again. I may be able to stop worrying about him. (No, I won't. But it's fun to say.)


Jacob fell and fell and fell and fell, and got up smiling every time. (He's either incredibly optimistic, or batsnot crazy. Still unclear. I suspect this kid's glass is not only half-full, but that he's brought other glasses in a variety of sizes so he'll have his bases covered.) He finally mastered the skiing part, and got the hang of the rope tow. Happy, happy, happy child. He was one of the last off the slope at the end of the day.


Emily could not get the hang of the rope tow, but she so enjoyed the skiing that she side-stepped up that hill all. day. long. just so she could ski back down. All. Day. Long. She just took the run of the place. There are pictures where you can see her in the background, skiing back toward the office to get a drink or another burrito, all by her big old self. When did she get so big and self-confident?

Jase was an angry, angry elf. Poor kid. Didn't like his snow boots b/c they were "too slippery". He finally came to terms w/ them, and then we got there and he had to put on ski boots. He stood up and slipped on the concrete floor. "Too slippery!" So what did we do? We put him on skis and set him on an icy surface. Yeah. I can totally see how, from his perspective, the day just went from bad to worse. Thankfully, he'll not have any concrete images upon which to hang his vague, nebulous fears in the future. So we can blame some total stranger, right? (We took his skis off, and he had a wonderful time climbing the snow residue at the edge, and eating Cheetos by the fire inside the office. He's fine. Really.)

Zorak had a blast. He loves to ski. Today, he got to ski with his children. He was so happy.

I... hurt like you would not believe. Dear heaven above, it's like someone woke me from a coma and made me run a marathon. But, it was a magnificent day! I'm so glad we went. :-)
Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Thursday, January 20

Dhoom, Machale!

Yeah, so. On a Bollywood binge lately. My poor family. It wouldn't be so bad, if I could sing. Or dance. Or speak any of the languages of India. But no. They get me, in all my genetic and cultural limitations. And I subject them to this. There's an entire movie, but this is my favorite part. And no, it has absolutely *nothing* to do with the rest of the movie, as far as I can tell. Didn't matter. After watching Hrithik Roshan dance, I happily watched the entire movie, and enjoyed it.



Seriously. This guy makes the entire cast of Fame look like bumbling oafs from Dr. Frankenstein's School for Dance. If I could get my body to listen to my brain even half as well as Hrithik Roshan does? (A quarter of that dexterity, even. Forget about the actual movements - just to be that limber without owing my chiropractor another chunk of change.)

Oh, the things I could do! And eat. Because that kind of muscle control takes a lot of energy.

More to write, but I have to go help make burritos. I'll explain later.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Tuesday, January 11

Oh, did we get a treat!

We got snow. And not just our regular 1/4" at a time...
We had enough to sled...
To build snow forts...
To sled some more...
To have snowball fights...
And to stump a toddler!

It was beautiful! We had about 8", here at the house. Beautiful, fluffy, cold, thick snow. We've been at it for two days. Tomorrow, it'll be mostly ice. We'll probably play in that, too.

Happy New Year!
Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Thursday, October 21

First Family Canoe Trip

James' Scout Troop took a canoe & camp trip earlier in the fall, and they had so much fun Zorak called from the tent that first night to give me a heads up that "we've gotta do this, together, sometime!"

Granted, "sometime" can have vastly different meanings. I was thinking, "after everyone learns to swim, gets Lifeguard Certified, holds security clearances, and we own our own equipment". Thankfully, Zorak doesn't spend all day in damage control mode, so he's got a better grip on things. He meant, "before the canoe rental shops close up for the season". I suppose one of the perks of having kids who aren't likely to do dumb things, like shove someone out of a boat, is that you can do fun things, like get on a boat. (But don't think I wasn't a little bit nervous. We have a couple of wild cards, still...)
So, ok, here's the van. It's a sweet setup. You park at the base, they haul you and the canoes to the drop point, give you a landmark to look for at your out, and send you on your way. I think the van ride is my favorite part. These folks are serious about the term Utilitarian. Check out the duct tape, the improv seating, and the foam wallboard insulation sheets on the sides. The roof liner is shower wallboard. The kids were bummed we hadn't thought to bring dry erase markers. I was bummed we hadn't thought of buying something like thing a dozen lost sippy cups ago.
Here are Em and Jacob, picking out the Best Paddles. Yeah, they're the same size. But there's a difference, I'm sure of it.
Jacob ran point for us. He got the hang of navigating. Jase just sang to himself the whole time. Very happy and content, that one. He got his water legs quicker than anyone, too. Thankfully, he didn't use them for evil.
Much like getting the first scratch on a new car, Em and I very generously got stuck first. You know, so nobody else had to worry about being the first to get beached. (Yeah, you know, in this picture, one has to wonder just how we didn't see that coming... but trust me, there were four year old, erm, I mean forces at work that don't appear in the photo. That, and my reflexes are slow, like an old lady. An old, blind lady who doesn't get out much.)
We ate lunch in a neat little cove. The river was pretty low, which made for a nice stretch on this point. You can see the boys, off in the distance, checking to see if a channel they found is canoe-safe. They really got into the spirit of the thing. That was fun to watch.
Jase got a little restless after lunch. Thankfully, everything he dropped overboard floated, but eventually, we gave him a paddle and turned him loose. He's still singing to himself, even as he works, "paaa-ddle, paaa-ddle, fwim, fwim, fwim" (can't quite say "sw" yet).

AND, we finally got an updated family photo, with all of us. Sadly, the camera is in the throes of death. Sometimes it won't turn on. Sometimes, it just won't focus at all. Sometimes, like here, it'll focus on what-the-hell-ever-it-wants, thank you. So, the picture is a little blurry, like a Yeti family gathering. But those leaves in the background? Lovely.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Tuesday, May 4

Keeping Up


I need a supercomputer video and snapshot system installed in my temples. That way, I might get better pictures than this. But the pictures in my head are lovely, and this was a fun time, up there. What with the feet in my face, and all. Really, it was.

We're waiting for the custard to finish. SO excited. I mean, unbelievably, thoroughly, and wholly excited about having custard in the middle of the day. *happy sigh* The kids are worried that I'm going to call it "lunch", though, and not feed them properly. It's almost as though they think that by acting like they'd hate it, I'll do it, because I never do that, and yet, they always go straight to that conclusion. Bunchaweirdos.

The chickens are doing fantastic! We've only lost one! I have pictures, but they were all taken when the chicks were in a wheelbarrow, and... well, I'd like to get some shots of the actual brooder box, just so nobody freaks out and thinks we're raising that many chicks in, you know, a wheelbarrow. I'll get some shots today. Promise.

Oh! The custard is ready.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

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Sunday, April 18

We're on the road...

Oh, it's been a crazy-busy weekend. Even by Baseball Season standards, yesterday was a blur that I'm still not able to think about. And although we'll slow back down for the rest of the week, it's still a bit busy. On the road we travel, Baseball Season weekends are a detour down a side road with good company, nice scenery, and bad food. Come tomorrow, though, it's back to our regular road...
To scientific advancement,

Mathematical mastery,
Literary prowess,
and, evidently, Shambala.


Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Wednesday, April 14

On Changes, Food

Ok, so Emily and Mere wanted to know more about the nutritional changes we're making. (But y'all need to share yours, too! Learning is more fun, together!)

I'll be upfront: I hate change. Really, I do. Sometimes, it's necessary, and good. Then, I can handle, at times, even embrace it. Most of the time, people want change for the sake of change, with no regard to whether it's a change for the better. When that gets foisted upon me, I loathe it even more. That's what re-arranging the furniture, or coloring your hair, is for. Not for major life changes.

So, when we do decide to change things up around here, it's usually done with a fair amount of thought, research and planning before hand. That's not to say we have all the answers. We're pretty sure we don't even have most of the questions yet. It just means we've taken stock and decided that, for this house, and this family, at this point, this is what we're going to do. And sometimes, in case those aren't enough qualifiers, we don't end up able or willing to pull it off at all. Yep, just drop your pocket change in the therapy jar as you enter the foyer.

One last caveat, so that nobody confuses me with a "professional" in any sense of the word, I'm a gleaner. Gleaning has saved people from dying off, and from making poor choices whole hog, for centuries. Any process that provides that much consistent return is worth looking into. So, when I say I get a lot of insight from Nourishing Traditions, (and I do!) that doesn't mean you'll be able to pry the pressure cooker from my cold, dead (and potentially malnourished, since I keep using the danged thing) hands. I still believe the pressure cooker is the procrastinator's crock pot, a little technological gift from God so that we don't have to choose between eating our food raw and not eating at all. (Yeah, I know, Jess, but I will probably always cook at least some of my food. Love me where I'm at, right? *grin*) Gleaning means that I get why that's not the best way to go about getting food on the table, and I'm willing to work toward an ideal. Or to incorporate those bits that seem to mesh with the above mentioned legwork, meow meow, study, meow family. Meow. (tried to find a link to Daniel Striped Tiger's talking, inserting "meows" in, here and there, but, um... wow. the word "meow" has been taken to an HNL in the past few years. no video for you!)

So, the nutritional changes, we've actually been making slowly over the last year or so. It began with raw milk, spread to soaked grains, moved on to my quirky affair with kefir, and so on. Then, due to logistics, we let the raw milk slide. Life has a way of not letting things slide, however, even when you think it'd be easier to do so. And this was no exception.

John's had a bit of health trouble the last six months or so. We got most of it ironed out, except one: stomach pain. We checked the wheat, we tracked his diet, we flipped his mattress, upped his water, tested eighty gallons of blood, blah-blah-blah. The kid's been a tough little lab rat the past six months, lemme tell ya. Then, one day, while a friend lovingly let me freak out to her about scheduling a visit with a neurologist, it hit me: in John's nine years on earth, the ONLY time he's been free of stomach pain has been when he was on raw milk. That includes the wheat-free years. He's never been free of stomach pain. He had a lovely reprieve last spring, and then, *bam* it was back. Right when we went back to store-bought milk. Hmmm.

So, we found a closer source. We got him spooled back up last week, and within 72 hours, the stomach pains diminished significantly. Within another 24 after that, gone. From 3-4 episodes a day, to nothing, in a week. Guess what's going on our regular grocery list, now? We've made some other changes, too - not all at once, but bit-by-bit.

~ We're pretty much a juice-free home, now. Zorak occasionally buys orange juice. But I don't schedule it into our regular diet. The kids eat fresh fruit several times a day, and they drink water both at meals and throughout the day. They have access to the milk whenever they want, as well.

~ I've cut my coffee consumption exponentially (not exaggerating), replacing that with water, as well.

~ We've moved our Big Meal of the day to an earlier spot in the day, and added in a few smaller, but more intentional meals.

~ We eat breakfast and lunch outside, whenever possible. The atmosphere can't be beat!

~ Oat groats, instead of rolled oats, go farther, are more filling, and have more nutrition. Larger upfront investment, if you buy through a co-op, but an enormous savings, overall - not just financially, but in health benefits, too.

The savings from eliminating juice (and other peripheral beverages), and reducing the coffee consumption, alone, freed up money to spend on local, free-range chicken eggs and fresh, thick, clean milk.

And some changes aren't changes. They're things we've always done, and still feel are the best choice for our home. We still use lard. We still eat meat - red meat, white meat, wild game, you name it. We still have pintos (or some kind of bean) available every day. I've got the boys convinced lentils are cool, but they're relegated to lunchtime only because Zorak thinks they're puny and lacking in body, much preferring the noble pinto. We skimp on junk food and keep a good supply of veggies in the fridge.

The boys are cooking with us more, too. Now that Jase can get up onto the counter and back down, he's pretty, erm, "involved". Em dons her fairy wings and mixes or pours. James made a fantastic guacamole to go with lunch, today. They made a dutch baby (new recipe) and a recipe for German pancakes the other day for breakfast (they did a comparison - and the verdict is, it's the same thing. We ate it all.) Jacob's venturing into the kitchen for a little one-on-one, and learning the ropes as he goes. These are always excellent kitchen happenings!

I'm sure there's more we can do. Probably more we will do. But right now, for this home, and this family, at this point, this is a good place to be.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy