Video recorder + kids

I handed the six year old a kids camcorder today at quiet time. I figured he'd, you know, film lego battles. Or hotwheels.

Nope. Budding rockstar. And wow...he remembered the lyrics better than I do.

the six year old channels smashmouth from Aaron Backer on Vimeo.

Long Overdue

I am so glad that I don't have to pay fines for being overdue in posting to the blog. I have been absent for close to 2 months. Ooops!

We had a birthday in November, Caleb is now 8 years old! wow, super out of focus!

Maggie turned 6 months old - wow that went fast!

Sorry about our photography - the boys letft the camera outside overnight and the condensation dried inside the lens (?) causing a cloudiness. Can I get this cleaned at a camera shop?

We just got this camera this summer after an accident of tossing the old camera across the room. It didn't survive the impact after flight experience. Not that this camera was great it was the most affordable at the moment- and it took decent pictures. I don't know if we can get this camera cleaned but I can't go buy another camera. Parenthood does have its expenses.

So b-i-l Ron came and took some family pictures for us. His old-fashioned film camera did a beautiful job, the color and lighting are so nice.

hope to post again, really soon! Need to get some video of the little bug that can scootch everywhere!

Advantages to losing the hair

Top 5 bald benefits:

1. When lost in the wilderness, built in signal mirror
2. Can rub own head for luck
3. Good excuse for wearing hats. (drawback: still look dorky in hats)
4. No more shampoo! (drawback: turtle wax is pretty spendy)
5. Great sound when doing the "I could have had a v8!" slap.

Pre-emptive strike

I mean, if it's leaving anyway...why not help it along?

I'm too sexy for my hair...too sexy for my hair...to sexy for my ["EEK! What *have* you done!"]

Brief stint as a Mr. T stunt double. It didn't work out.

About FACE! Nope, sorry soldier, you're washed out...sorry 'bout the haircut.

Implements of destruction.

Ya missed a spot there, dad...

Shiny!

channeling Seth Godin.

It is to laugh

The family is currently coming out of a 100% "sick person to well person" ratio.

Ok, that's not entirely accurate as it would involve dividing by zero.

In short, we're all sick. Every. Last. One. Of. Us.

Why, you ask? Let's do a quick run down:

Janey: Looking pretty good for being the walking dead. Still operating with batteries at 40% charge.

C: Coughing and hacking. (mostly) into his elbow/shirt. Occasionally all over lunch preparations.

J: Snotty. Dripping. Everywhere. I pull out a kleenex and instruct "blow!"....3 tissues later I've extracted a metric litre of snot.

Me: Low energy. Sore throat. No voice. Which makes makes hollering instructions at the kids challenging. The usual thundering: "Stop poking your sister...and you - you do NOT kick your brother because he called you a...never mind. Just get over here!" comes out sounding like a 13 year old with his voice cracking.

G: Generally low key (which is very unusual for our Hanna Montanna/Margret Thatcher cross) she's not happy that she actually has to start getting dressed now.

Baby: I'd forgotten how frustrating it is (for all involved) to have children that can't "blow on demand". Of course, the great thing is when you try and wipe her nose she reeeealy doesn't like it...and then blows all the snot out in a huff of indignation.

So we're just passing germs back and forth. "I'll see your flu and raise you a cold!" Laughing hollowly when various media outlets claim "the flu season really isn't all that bad. It's just a government conspiracy!"

Conspiracy my cold, wet, sore, dripping, nose.

J (now 6) asked me yesterday what I was going to dress up as for halloween.

"Oh, I don't know. I think I could maybe pull off a tired 30-something dad. What do you think?"

"Oh dad, you should go as a dead man!"

Yeah. That'd work.

"Or maybe...a zombie!"

I could do that pretty convincingly too.

The 7 dwarves visit...

Benedryl works wonders for dripping noses and (correspondingly) sore throats.

Of course, that then raises the question...which of the 7 dwarves are you?

Sleepy, Dopey, and Happy....or Sneezey, Grumpy and (maybe visit the) Doc..?

Fluey!

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

Right.

So when life gives you the flu what do you do?

That's right, it's that season again true believers! Time for the gift that keeps on giving. At this point it's hit the nine year old, the six year old, the seven year old (twice now) and me with its "up all night throwing up" symptom set. Yeah, I know. Too much information. (but you'll notice I only mentioned one of the...variety...of flu symptoms potentially enjoyed)

So I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself, sipping chicken noodle soup and being generally pathetic. (ask Janey, she'll agree). Musing on the nature of the universe and grateful for netflix's wide selection of streaming-on-demand movies.

Blech. Sorry. No more of that. I'll go back to my anime-brain-vegetable marathon now.

Life

Well this is weekend v4.2 for us. That means 4th weekend to have the flu, and 2 people have it.
ugh, I want our life back!!!!! I am the only one that has not been knocked out by it and some of them have had it twice or for a very extended time - yuck, yuck, yuck!!!

Meanwhile, we have had a few 2-3 unsick days between the weekend breakdowns. So here is what we are doing:

The mamma is "dealin' diapers" (as daddy terms it) on line to clear out the stuff we have outgrown. I want to sew up the exact style, fabric, etc that we like and I can do for a tiny fraction of buying them used! I have made 4 sales so far and still have many things listed.
So these covers are up for sale and hopefully will be heading to new homes next week. I am perplexed about the most affordable way to package and ship them - any advice????


We now have a 6 year old at our home. We had the easiest birthday celebration ever. Just 2 guests, though I kept 3rd impromptu. This is the "party" having ice cream sandwiches with candles. It is so much more fun for everyone to get a candle!!!! J's 6 candles knocked his sandwich over and created a frenzy of side burning candles. No one got hurt and nothing was burned but candle wax. I think that this was my first birthday celebration without another adult present. btw - soak up miss Muffin, that is the only shot I have for this post.

It was an all out LEGO birthday, he is now the proud owner of 15 Lego people. Hopefully this will bring more peace to our home.


ahhhhh, this is older, but I am not rearranging the order. We got homemade tamales. And 2 of the kids LOVED them. Is 5 tamales a normal serving for a kid this size?

I am not at the capacity that I dreamed of (see v4.2 explained above). I had hopes that I would have 40 quarts each of canned green beans and tomatoes. However I have made up about 16 pints of raspberry freezer jam. And my dear mother/guardian angel helped with the other raspberries that we flash froze on foil, then put in ziplocs to use for smoothies this winter. Sadly the strawberry crop was frosted so we have NO strawberries or jam in our freezer.

I was blessed by a friend with her tomatoes and squash. So the squash is sliced and frozen in bags. And I made a large batch of salsa with the tomatoes, it is now 8 pints frozen for later.

Next I am hoping that I will get to pick my very bountiful crop of basil and make mondo batches of pesto sauce to add to the freezer.

Oh and I am planing to make grape jelly tomorrow with the AMAZING concord grapes that my friend also blessed me with! This jelly I will can, my freezer is pretty full (HINT) - honey, I really could use and fill a second freezer.

AND I also roasted my own garden grown chili peppers today. Set them over the gas burner of my stove and blackened them all over. Then they rested in a paper bag. I need to rub off the loose skin, but I have no gloves. And due to v4.2 I have not been able to leave the house to go to the store. Then I will freeze them in little baggies to be used in place of the canned green chilis that I would BUY at the STORE. I am now my OWN STORE - yippeeee!!!! Especially if I had a second freezer, oh the potential savings and convenience - such are the dreams of a homemaker!

Demographics

this is a fascinating video on world Demographics

Arrrgh! Don't ye be forgittin now...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/09/18/talk.like.a.pirate/index.html

Tomorrow be the official, the one and only, talk-like-a-pirate day!

So don't be answering yer phones with yer regular swaggish "hello". Pick up that their talkin piece and let loose with an appropriately swarthy aphorism. (one appropriate for the ears of wenches and babes, of course)

I fer one know that my kids won't be doing chores else receiving correction...they'll be swabbin the decks or walkin the plank.

"Finish that there bilge cleaning or I'll plumb keel-haul ye!" I'll shout with gusto. "Arrrrgh!"

Doubtless my children will end tomorrow very confused and/or requiring therapy. But it'll be all worth it doncha-know...hoist the jolly rodger and dust off your best piratey-voice and celebrate!

What We Have Been Doing

We have had a busy few weeks, here is a pictoral view:

Got new cups for the kids to have their own specific color and never forget what cup they are drinking out of, every day it will be the same cup; thank you Lori Gammon! http://www.lorigammon.blogspot.com/

We assembled a metal shed kit that we bought back in Jan or Feb.

It is right between the garden shed and the trampoline.


Here is the crew, it was a day project.

We also celebrated my dad's birthday after all the work.

Do you see those jars of raspberry freezer jam?

That is one of our favorite things to make.

Here is grandpa with Miss Maggie

Been trying to declutter via Craigslist and I sold this last night,

woo-hoo one dionsaur out of the house!

Sorry, I can't help but have to share this cutie pie

This girl was home recuperating, somehow the dog got a make-0ver when she visited the infirmary. Notice that Gretchen is also sporting very colorful nails.

Purple claws - oh how stylish!

And a fashionable tank in pink - she doesn't seem very happy.

The boys got to go to the Lego NXT Mindstorm project day with dad.

It was HOT, see their red faces?

oh, here is another shot of that Muffin, you aren't tired of seeing her, are you?!?!?

I was told that Magdelena means Muffin in Spanish - cute!

She found her feet this week and loves to catch then during a diaper change.

Someone snapped this, she is looking a little uncertain.

A BOUNTIFUL harvest, from our garden:

yellow crook neck squash, green chilis, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers

I thought it was a banana bell pepper, until I taste tested it -- quite warm!

This is the third year to grow basil and I finally have a great crop.

Fresh basil and tomatoes, pure decadence!

Do you see the heirloom variety? It is pinkish colored, still trying to get use to the odd color.

God is good and the garden is such a blessing!

Lambs, Exersaucer, School Days, Documentary!

I hear that there is need for a new post.....please comment that you stopped by - I love to know that people actually look at this site!

We all love this sweet hooded towel. It is chenille on the inside, with the cutest lamby on the hood. Someday Miss M will love the lamby too!

Patiently holding her hands for her picture.
Trying to capture those cute thighs.

Okay, now we can see some rolls and chub. And such strength!

Whew, it was just such work - must take a break!

Discovered toes and feet on Monday night.

"Where did these things come from?!?!"

A photographer was helping me here.He was having fun with his sister.

ahhhh, here are the newest students at the Cotterell Cottage Campus,

ummm, I like alliteration. But the principal isn't voting for that school name.

The kindergartener

a 4th grader

the cheer/squeal squad

ahhh, the budding photographer, the 2nd grader

And here is his latest documentary:

Some new thoughts about an old concept

that after adolescence is young adulthood. Where did the term "teen" come from?!?!?

Thanks to my East Coast sister I got linked to this article:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200703/trashing-teens

and I think that it makes sooooo much sense! Give your input, what do you think? I certainly felt frustrated, limited as a youth and by far enjoyed my jobs and internships as truly valuable opportunities for me to participate in society.

Did you know?

Bed time last night:

[snipped discussion of the esophagus, trachea, and small and large intestines, and solid waste]

Daughter (9yo): "So daddy, where does the liquid waste go?"

Dad: "The kidneys filter that out of the blood."

Daughter: "Oh, that's right. Daddy, did you know that the kidneys filter, like, 100 billion gallons of blood a DAY?"

Dad: (how do I respond to that?!) "Really? Wow. That's a lot."

Daughter: "Or maybe only 100. Maybe it was only like 4000 or 100."

Dad: "Yeah, that sounds closer."

Bathing Beauty

Sorry, but I love these and I had to share!!!

Here she is, graduated from the bathroom sink to the big tub:

Big brother was a very good helper to keep her safe and he loved her splashes and joy!

This is my other "baby" and "pride and joy"

My garden is so enjoyable - messy and wild but I love it!

Sunflowers, carrots and cucumbers. I am trying to get the cucumber to climb up the sunflowers, is this a bad idea? They seem strong enough!

These are the pole beans climbing up the "no-step" horse fencing that we found on the property and were free for experimenting. So far so good! The spinach is bolting and I just pinched the flowers off of the basil so that it will grow leaves rather than seed.

This is the full view of the garden - it is a wild place, the weeds are very invasive and lush. But it has been a very enjoyable first year and I am so glad that we made the effort.

oh my that is a lot of weeds, if I have any OCD friends please feel welcome to come help tidy up this jungle!