Wednesday, April 25, 2007

I never have anything to contribute to the weekly "Works for me Wednesday" over at Rocks in my Dryer, although i do always get some pretty good tips there.  But this week, I have a great little tip to share with all of you. The best part is...it's environtmentally sound!

There are several organizations that you can sign up with to get rid of your junk mail. You've all heard of the "Do Not Call" list?  There is a "Do Not Send" list as well, and here is where you sign up for it. It's free!

Another great organization that does this AND plants a tree every month for every customer that signs up with them (it's $36/month), is Greendimes.

Get what you want in the mail, and save/plant a tree at the same time! Visit other Works for Me tips here (every Wednesday!)

 

Wednesday, April 25, 2007 12:05:13 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
 Saturday, April 21, 2007
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The earth is the LORD's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.
Psalm 24:1-2


we finally enjoyed a full day of sunshine and warmth today. what a way to celebrate earth day this weekend!

before you go snickering about how earth day is just a way for tree-huggers to get their own (recycled-only, please) hallmark holiday, i'd like to point out that there is a lot of good that comes out of observing good earth-stewardship practices.

for instance, and i'm not saying i'm a big fan or anything, but OPRAH dedicated an entire show this week to environmental issues, and how the average household/person can make small changes in their daily lives to make a big impact. Oprah is watched by millions of people. Surely more people will begin recycling and reusing, now?

there are also earth day celebrations in many cities and towns across the country making people aware of the need for change in how we live. so how did you ring in spring by observing earth day this year?

we were so excited to be outdoors (on saturday) where it was sunny and warm. i spent the morning washing and line-drying all of our bedsheets (our room smells lovely - i can't wait to crawl into bed!). the boys helped kenny clear out the area around the firepit at the base of our yard (old dead leaves and lots of weeds. we plan to plant grass, have a few big rocks to sit on, and plant wildflowers and other indigenous plants). we planted a few plants that may or may not live (easter hydraneas and lilys...probably hothouse flowers, but it's worth a try), and picked up sticks that fell throughout the winter all over the yard (hundreds and hundreds of sticks and small- to medium-sized branches)

kenny and i walked around the yard with the boys making plans for the flower beds (the previous owner had HUGE flower beds with just about every flower imaginable. i'm incredibly intimidated by these overgrown and weedy beds. but they need help), the shrub garden (yes, a garden of shrubs. it's becoming an eye-sore and i've never really liked it. we're getting rid of it by replanting the shrubs elsewhere in the yard and planting grass) and the vegetable garden. (kenny is currently starting heirloom vegetable seeds that we received as a thank you gift from our friend serina to plant out in the garden by the end of may). i also began the change-over to completely natural cleaning products and cleaned our laundry room bathroom with water, baking soda, and vinegar.

but we did spend a good part of the day frustrated at the lack of recycling recepticles in our county. in fact, we spent a good part of the day looking at neighboring counties and admiring their recycling programs. i am planning on calling the recycling department monday morning to get the skinny on the lack of recycling in or area. goodness knows, we don't need everyone burning their plastic containers every saturday this spring and summer (since everyone in the country seems to burn their garbage).

if anyone reading this knows anything about starting a recycling "system" in small-town america, please give me your best advice. not that i'll be doing it, but i can at least make a lot of noise.

we ended saturday by cleaning out the chickens brooder's bedding. we've done this a few times already since monday and we are just shocked at how quickly these little chicks are growing. their wings are starting to get bigger and they stretch them out and mock-fly around the brooder. rowan begs to pick them up about 400 times a day.





tomorrow is a picnic lunch at moraine state park after church!
enjoy the sunshine!
Sunday, April 22, 2007 3:57:03 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
 Thursday, April 19, 2007
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during snack time this morning, rowan looked at me and said, "are you hammered, mommy?"

all i could do was laugh. when mama laughs, everyone laughs (which is probably why when mama is cranky, everyone is cranky!). and then after about 2 minutes of hearty laughter, rowan asked, "why did you laugh, mommy?"

back up a few hours when i was getting the boys dressed this morning. i was leaning over our bed, dressing adam when rowan started walking around the bed hammering imaginary nails with an imaginary hammer into the perimeter of the bed. when he got to me, he "hammered" my legs to the bed and i pretended that i couldn't move. i told him to use the back of the hammer to "un-nail" my legs from the bed. he thought this was hilarious.

so i guessed that was what he meant. i answered his question: "i just thought your question was funny because clearly, i'm not stuck to the bed right now!"

to which he answered, "that was funny mommy! you were hammered to the bed!"

eventually he'll see the other funny side of the story. but not for a long time, i hope.

Thursday, April 19, 2007 8:44:53 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
 Tuesday, April 17, 2007

it was FREEZING yesterday. add to the cold, it was WINDY. when we ordered our chicks back in early march, it was 60 degrees. i imagined us picking up our chicks donning shorts and t-shirts, sunshiny day and all. the sun met us in ohio, but pennsylvania was hidden under stormy clouds all day long (and we were in ohio all but one hour).

so it didn't REALLY take 10 hours. but we left at 10, met kenny at 12:15, and were on the road by 12:30. it took us over two hours to get to the hatchery in polk, ohio, which was really quite nice and not at all what i expected. we parked the car, got out and stood next to a penske delivery truck with literally thousands of chicks in boxes inside, waiting to be mailed. it made me happy that our little chicks were to be riding home with us, and not the noisy 1000-other chicks in the truck.

it was a long day, but totally worth it. the chicks are loving their new little home in their brooder in our laundry room under warming lights. the boys step up on their stools to be eye-to-eye with the chicks and they all run over to the glass to see the boys.

a few things we've learned about chickens from observation already:
 - when they are one-day-old, they suffer from narcolepsy. they walk from the water to where the light is warmest and stop mid-step, eyes begin to close and then fall flat on their face. or they fall asleep with their head still in the food dish. it was really quite entertaining for kenny, my mom, and i to watch after the boys were in bed last night.
 - they'll peck ANYTHING. they especially like to peck at harder things, like wedding bands and screws in the walls of their brooder.
 - they've stopped chirping so much and now when we hear them chirp, we wonder if something is wrong.
 - today, they all seem to fall asleep together, for about 45 seconds each. they've all had about 89 naps already since this morning.
 - just as a newborn infant, they'll keep you up all night. kenny came down to check on them (and their temperature) at least three times last night.
 - three brooder lamps shorted on us last night, even after checking them out last week. we have two normal bulbs in there now, keeping it at around 85-87 degrees (it should be close to 90 the first day, and down a few degrees as they grow).

adam, sitting in the middle seat with me:
 

the boys, with their new chick friends in between them in the back seat:




rowan, gazing into his new little friend's eyes. his friend wondering if he's her mother?


kayle, the tabby is "interested"


where the boys went the minute they woke up this morning:
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Tuesday, April 17, 2007 8:13:33 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
 Monday, April 16, 2007
what a day. i have NO energy to blog about our 10-hour trip to ohio...but my goodness, are these chicks freakin' adorable. seriously, it's like the energy and exhaustion right after giving birth.

i'm off to bed, but here is a few pictures of our baby egg-layers. :)







 |  | 
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 4:12:57 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
 Sunday, April 15, 2007
tomorrow (monday) is the day!

our 15 little chicks are still growing in their shells in the hatchery somewhere in ohio. they will be "induced" early tomorrow morning, and fully hatched by mid-morning. we pick them up in the afternoon and drive them home to their new brooder which has a fresh layer of pine shavings, a nifty new lamp to warm them at 90 degrees farenheit, and eager little boys who can't wait to smother them with love all over them.

pictures will follow once the excitement has died down in the household.

 | 
Monday, April 16, 2007 2:33:48 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
 Saturday, April 14, 2007
on the other hand...i get tulips, hyacinth, dandelions, and little purple flowers picked just for me each and every day. straight out of our flower beds. and the boys, with a little help from daddy, bought me an easter lily last week.

so there is definitely sweetness, and not all potty humor, in raising boys.

Saturday, April 14, 2007 8:23:46 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
 Friday, April 13, 2007
what is it with boys?

for the past few days, i think i've heard the words that describe bodily functions or body parts more times than i care to hear outloud. even if they are coming from my innocent children's mouths. and not once or twice a day...more like 3 or 4 times an hour.

i am told everytime they toot. today, as rowan sat on my lap while we were driving the tractor around the yard he told me "i tooted on your leg!" followed by an, "is that okay, mommy?"

i've overhead conversations between rowan and sawyer:

rowan:"do you smell something bad, sawyer?"
sawyer:"yes!"
rowan: "i just tooted."

and then...

sawyer: ooooh! i p**ped in my diaper! i'm STINKY!

and even...

sawyer: my toot didn't make any noise, mommy. why?

and at a restaurant, when kenny came back to the table from using the facilities, rowan said in his VERY loud voice, "did you already pee, daddy?" and when his question wasn't met with an answer (we were trying hard to tell him to quiet his voice) he repeated it and we tried again to "shush" him to no avail. the waitress laughed, poured our coffee and said, "i remember those days."

there are a few other contexts in which these subjects have come up. but i'm almost embarrassed to blog about them, so they will remain in the family. like what sawyer was saying (yelling!) over and over and over as he was jumping on the bed. and the hysterical laughter that happens when these boys say a particular word.

who taught them this???

perhaps we'll tape record them and make their future girlfriends listen to them over and over and over.



Saturday, April 14, 2007 3:46:07 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
...for the wintertime blues?

ours? one part gin to two-and-a-half parts tonic and a slice-o-lime. on ice. with dinner. it's only the classic summer drink, and if it doesn't feel like summer outside, we can make it taste like one inside!

is anyone else suffering from "this-winter-is-getting-OLD" syndrome?


Friday, April 13, 2007 3:08:22 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
 Wednesday, April 11, 2007
 #
 

sunday evening, sawyer started talking about underwear:
"i want to wear underwears!"
"i want to potty-train."

kenny and i dismissed it at first (afterall, we didn't even think about training rowan until after he was 3, and sawyer is just 2 1/2. but when he repeated himself, we wondered if we shouldn't be ignoring him.

monday morning, he said to me again, "i want to wear underwears, mommy." so on our weekly grocery trip, i headed over to the infant and toddler section (we needed diapers any way) and sawyer picked out two packages of "underwears" - nemo and cars (he has no idea who either of them are...he DOES know who diego and spiderman are, but he passed right over those ones for whatever reason).

we talked all about potty-training. he told me he wanted to use the little potty, NOT the big potty. he couldn't wait to show kenny his new "underwears" when he got home from work. when we were putting him to bed that night, we told him to "sleep well" since he had a big day tomorrow and he knew exactly what we were talking about.

tuesday morning, he awoke and when i said, "good morning, sawyer- welcome to your BIG DAY!" he said, "potty-training!" he knew what he was in for after all our discussions and he couldn't wait to put his first new pair of underwear on. he had a big cup of milk with his cereal and after breakfast, we changed him into his first pair of Cars Underwear. he danced around and showed them off, then put his sweat pants on. we got the potty all rearin' to go and 15 minutes later, we sat him on it.

nothing.

after a few minutes, we let him play again. not 3 minutes later he wet his pants. we changed him and a few minutes after that he messed his pants. but after he messed his pants, he asked me if he could "p**p on the potty." it was when i was pulling his pants down that we noticed he'd already gone. then he asked for his diaper back.

sigh.

rowan totally spoiled us by potty training in one day with only one accident. two total in his underwearing-career. and i KNOW that's not typical. maybe we should wait until after sawyer turns 3 in september?  or do we jump on his interest in it, even though he's not as physically ready for it? afterall, he's practically begging to train. he wants to wear his underwears, darnit!

what do we do???
Thursday, April 12, 2007 2:37:53 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
 Monday, April 09, 2007

my friend april is hosting this contest at her blog, in honor of the 100th day of the year (4/10/07). please go and read the entries, and participate if you want. the prize is $10 at amazon!

and while you're there, read some of her archives. she's one of my favorites!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I have lived..."

      ...pregnant, three times

      ...on my own, across the pond

      ...with roommates and without

      ...in the city

      ...in the country

      ...below the poverty level, briefly and by choice

      ...without a microwave for 5 ½ years

      ...with two cats

      ...as the only woman in the house

      ...as the only daughter in the house

     

    "I have witnessed..."

      ...birth

      ...hypocrisy in myself

      ...learning abilities in my children that blow me away

      ...random acts of kindness by total strangers

      ...a miracle

      ...a demon

      ...a robin and her babies go from eggs to baby robins hopping around our yard

      ...the changing of seasons in larger than life detail under a country sky

      ...the ominous, dark skies during a tornado

      ...the effects of consuming too much alcohol

 

    "I have heard..."

      ...a pileated woodpecker so close to our home

      ...really, really bad karaoke

      ...music that made me cry (in a good way)

      ...the sound of a rooster (in my head)

      ...U2 in concert

      ...the Cranberries in concert

      ...Duran Duran in concert

      ...James Taylor in concert

      ...Sarah McLachlan in concert

      ...the sweet sounds of my boys singing

 

    "I have lost..."

      ...pounds since birthing our third baby

      ...a stack of quarters in my old room and I still think it's hidden under the carpet

      ...contact with a few friends I'd like to catch up with someday.

      ...a very large check from our closing company

      ...many important documents that my husband needs and I think are garbage

      ...clothes

      ...paper money

      ...track of how many times I’ve messed up already today. J

      ...my taste for shrimp

      ...my need for bubble teas ona weekly basis.

 

    "I have found..."

      ...my soulmate

      ...peace in Jesus

      ...quiet comfort under the country sky

      ...my selfish side since becoming a mother

      ...three incredible little souls in my boys

      ...that lamb isn’t so bad…if it’s a bit underdone

      ...that very large check from our closing company

      ...gardening to be fun

      ...consistent, healthy cooking to be a challenge, but a healthy one

      ...liturgical worship to be healing

 

    "I love..."

      ...my soulmate

      ...my three sons

      ...hot baths after the kids are in bed

      ...reading in bed

      ...being warm. not cold

      ...chickens

      ...Jesus

      ...coffee. in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

      ...dark chocolate. The real stuff

      ...red wine. The dryer the better

 

    "I can..."

      ...birth a child

      ...make a mean loaf of honey whole wheat bread

      ...drive a manual transmission

      ...write poetry

      ...roll my tongue

      ...lay hardwood flooring

      ...make a mean pound cake (thanks to a recipe from my grammy and aunt donna)

      ...painting a room with 9 ½ foot ceilings

      ...create a (really cheesy looking) web page

      ...eat medium rare meat now, and enjoy it!

 

    "I loathe..."

      ...my easily angered soul

      ...really slow drivers

      ...really fast drivers (really people…a happy medium is just slightly above the speed limit)

      ...the current administration

      ...when people don’t “get” my decision to not work outside of the home

      ...weeds and weeding

      ...mushrooms

      ...eggplant

      ...fishy-smelling and tasting fish

      ...really bad christian media (aka “Pastor Greg”)

 

    "I hope..."

      ...the war ends soon (and VERY soon)

      ...the next president is the exact opposite of the current one

      ...my children will always know Jesus

      ...people become more concerned with the stewardship of the earth than of “getting the enemy.”

      ...kenny and i live old enough to retire together and enjoy our “golden years.”

      ...kenny and I live old enough to love and spoil our grandchildren

      ...to one day write a book

      ...to one day (soon!) travel to ireland with my husband and boys

      ...to paint every room in our house very soon

      ...to get a handle on the weeds in our lovely flower beds this spring

 

    "I am trying..."

      ...to feel totally at home in the country

      ...daily, to be a better momma

      ...daily, to be a better wife

      ...to bake bread at least once a week

      ...to make our house more "green"

      ...to get so much more organized

      ...to do one load of laundry a day

      ...to be content living with really bad carpeting

      ...to trust God more

      ...to love my neighbor as myself. and, wow, does that seem impossible.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007 1:21:51 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
 Sunday, April 08, 2007

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once, upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss, Alleluia!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and since Easter is a big photo opportunity....









...i couldn't decide which one to post.
Monday, April 09, 2007 4:28:03 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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