What I did today!

My day always starts in the kitchen (like most) I unloaded dishwasher and dishrack, made grandma dip-dip for the kids (soft boiled eggs with toast fingers to dip) got the kids dressed, fed, teeth brushed, sun tan lotioned. Cleaned out Stick bug cage (Ok we have like 35 stick bugs now.....) and attached Painted Lady Chrysalis' to the side (ordered them online, they came in the mail as tiny caterpillars, munched their way thru their food, got big and now are all in about to emerge as butterflies!). Next, headed outside - fed pigs, dogs and watered Hostas (150 of them in our greenhouse for sale during strawberry season) transplanted some greens to new garden, weeded tomatoes a bit and organized to plant a few more, planted 10 200 foot rows of pickling cukes and 3 200 foot rows of heirloom fodder beets for the pigs later in the season (using a earthway seed planter, awesome gizmo, we use it for all our veggie planting!). Came in and made lunch, cleaned up, played with Holdy, hubby trapped pigs in their house, we moved their fence. (They now have a huge field. It was hilarious as at first they wouldn't cross the line where the fence had been......) We sat and watched the pigs for a while then I had to pick up a new WWOOF from the train station, Kate from New Zealand. Stopped at store - got groceries and picked up large cardboard veggie flats (we sell our strawberries in them) came home made hamburgers, headed out to fertilize the new plantings. Helped hubby pullout 40 foot aluminum irrigation pipes from whereever they were stashed over the winter (ditches, long grass, against fences). Yep, 2 weeks with no rain and HOT weather, we will have to start watering! Then came in cleaned up kitchen, readied dinner. Put kids in bed - went out to help Don set up irrigation, I got there JUST as he finished - great timing! (But then he decided we needed one more lateral, so I did have to set some up....) We did a "flush" to get the wasp and mouse nests out and have it ready to go in the morning. Then we came in and I made lasagne for tomorrow's dinner and cleaned up. Phew! I'm sure I missed some stuff in there.....as for my kids??? Hmmmmmmm they were playing around in the ditch for awhile, helped with the pigs, played at the neighbors and did kid stuff. I really don't know what they did all day....but they were exhausted and ready to crash at bedtime, and I'm ready to crash now. We plan to get up at 6 to set the overhead irrigation going. Strawberry blooms are extremely susceptible to botritis and shouldn't be wet, which is why we plan to water first thing so the flowers have the whole day to dry, not exactly best for water conservation. We're starting to think that season may start earlier than we had thought.....we've got some big green berries showing up.....WAHOOOOOOOOO! This is my life these days!

I give up!

I have finally figured out how to clean my house and have it stay clean for more than an hour....wait til the munchkins go to bed and A) It goes WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY quicker, and B) It stays clean for more than 2 minutes!! I'll have to take a picture of my kitchen floor. I give up, really. Farm. 3 Boys. Bare feet. Dirty Dirty floor. I don't even want to think about what's in my carpet. (Which I want OUT!)
Ok, here I sit tonight after my cleaning frenzy last night and the floor OFFICIALLY looks like I haven't touched it in weeks.....I GIVE UP!

Webkinz

My boys still like their webkinz....and in fact August was quite distraught when his account was winding down and he had to get another one or he wouldn't be allowed to play! (Great marketing, but cheaper than PenquinWorld!) Anyways we got a new Webkinz - the fantail Godlfish, very cute. (And very cute that my boys sleep with them and Pooh Bear in a tight grip!) When I woke up this morning I could hear voices yakking away. I wondered what they were doing and when I finally got up they were both up on the top bunk. I asked what they were doing. I was told they were having a Webkinz Party! Then I watched. Sawyer said, "August, my guys need to meet your new Webkinz" So August put forward his goldfihsh, "Hi, I'm Shiney!" Sawyer marches his Penquin Forward, "I'm a Penquin and I eat fish" *chomp chomp chew chew* and the Penquin tries to eat the Goldfish! I had to laugh!

How many hours of fun??

How many hours of fun?

Random Photos....

Made Circuits (Sawyer 'found' this kit downstairs, HOURS of fun......) Oooops, posted this before I was done......Playing with Picassa and "Blog this" and trying to make my writing go around my photos.....


















I am obsessesed with their curly tails, they really DO have curly tails....

Bottoms up Mama Hill Billy!

Busy Busy Days....

Three little boys finding tadpoles a couple of days ago....














Onions and Leeks....

















August's Transplanted Sunflowers...He spend HOURS yesterday digging up "volunteers" from the strawberry patch (where sunflowers were growing last year) and placing them in two rows at the edge of our garden....
Not a brilliant photo, but wait for it, when they are up I'll get a beaut!












August and Sawyer were dressed and "checking" the sunflowers when I got up this morning. Then August made a sundial...and they played with an electronics kit....all this was by 8:15 by the sundial....

Bedtimes....and Mommy Mess Up

My kids go to bed sometime around 7:30 -8:15 the goal being 7:30. My oldest son REQUIRES a set bedtime as he wakes up with the early birds no matter what time he goes to bed and if he hasn't had enough sleep we suffer endless pointless meltdowns all day that are completely unsolvable.....see me gritting teeth. (Keep in mind that we are flexible....if someone really "can't sleep" they can read a book in bed.) They are usually asleep within minutes of lights out - something to do with an active outdoor lifestyle I suspect. Recently he asked a couple of times when their bedtime was gonna change, so I made a change. I said we would follow the same bedtime routine (PJs, Pee, Teeth, books.....) but then they could leave their lamps on and read themselves until 8 or 8:15......Which works as I'm usually with Holdy in our bed singing and lying with him while he goes to sleep anyways.....So last night was the trial run.....and today August was weepy all morning......I'm hoping it wasn't the new "bedtime" but my total mother screwup.....
I was making my raspberry pancakes for breaki and said "August can you get the plates out?" Meaning of course "get the plates out!" and he said "no" which ticked me off, mostly because I knew I'd misworded my request and secondly because he was wanting me to go downstairs and find him frozen berries to eat and now I didn't want to do something for him.....When I asked Sawyer to get out the cutlery and he said no I was even more ticked. I inherit this nasty little way of manipulating from my mother. You know the old "Do you think we should add salt to this gravy?" or "do you think we should light the fire?" to which I always answer "No I don't" and it wasn't really a request....So you see my boys come by their NOs honestly. It ticks me off NO END when my mother starts with her commandrequests.....So why do I do it? ARGH!!! So when August said "Are you going to look for the raspberries now?" I snottily answered, "No I don't feel like it." I can be a really bad parent. He left the room (looking hurt) and I presume looked for himself. Don gave me a nasty look. And I felt bad bad bad. And 5 minutes later he came and got the plates out. Talk about mommy manipulation. And August was weepy the rest of the morning.....it would have been easy to blame it on the bedtime eh?

Creamer in the Water

Went for brunch last week with my sister and her family. The kids were given an activity pack with crayons, something to color and some "magic potion" to add to their water.....I think it was some kind of koolaid, hubby thinks it was something that changed colors....Nevertheless upon reading the ingredients we didn't want them to put it in their water.....My sister's daughter proceeded to add it, and some jam, and some creamer, and some salt and pepper to her water. We had a activity bag with us and our kids were entertaining themselves well without this extra diversion and we didn't 'let them' make the same potion. I've thought on this and discussed this with a likeminded mom and here's my take. My sister's daughter is very very very high maintenance, very very precocious and very very intelligent. My sister is not really allowed to have an adult conversation ... She is constantly side tracked by her daughter who demands her mother's complete and utter attention. It has been like this since day one. I decided that it was easier for my sister to allow her daughter to play with her water than try and "control" it. It gave her a couple of minutes to talk with my husband. I think my sister made a conscious choice to allow her daughter to make the potion. Fine. So what was the harm of a potion water? "EXACTLY" said my friend when I relayed the story, "What is the harm?" She wanted to know if we had strayed from our "unconditional" parenting philosophy. Now I've been pondering this thought too. Here's my take. It's our job to teach our kids how to behave. Mostly we do this by modelling. I try super hard not to punish and threaten but to teach instead and lead by example. I try and talk to them calmly about expectations. Kids aren't to write with pens on the walls (except well, in their bedrooms if they so choose), they are to pee and poop in the toilet not on the floor (exept if they are outside, then fertilizing the garden is ok), they help mom clean up after dinner by putting their dishes on the counter when they're done dinner (when they're old enough and when they remember), they are not to hurt other children, they need to wash their hands before eating and after toileting....blah blah blah. I guess my point is I'm not a psycho mother, I don't have "chores" for my kids, I have 'rules' or 'behavior expectations' and I try and model expectations. If we clean their room, we do it together as a fun activity.....I don't demand stuff of them. Making a mess and a potion at a restaurant is not ok with me. HOWEVER, next time I'll make sure they know that they can make a potion at home.......I'm not sure that I'm being clear on what I'm trying to say that is where do we draw the line on allowing our kids "freedom" in their behavior and teaching our kids about something that is generally not acceptable??

Dancing on the moon!

Look! Mummy! We're dancing on the moon!











The undies finally came off and a damn was built....it is an ongoing project every day.....I guess I can tell their teacher/facilitator they know about water flow, damns and lakes....











Budha and Holdy!

How much longer?

I have dreams of a long trip across the country camping and seeing the sights. Of course, after a 3 hour drive from Victoria (broken up by a short ferry ride and a Cosco stop) and hearing after 30 minutes "My butt hurts!" And "I want to get out!" I realize that my dreams might not be a reality. My kids go non stop. Today when we got home just after 4 they hunted for frogs, checked out their mud dam in the muddy ditch (argh), did something suspicious out in the greenhouse, built balloon getters from tinkertoys (helium balloons up on the roof) and flew paper airplanes folded out of a new book....

Did I mention that we have our piggies? Yep Hambone, Porkchop and Bacon are here! They are 12 of the funniest little pigs I ever saw. Ranging in color from pink - orange - black to all sorts of spotty combinations and little, they are soooo cute and WAY too easy to identify. I think I liked it better when they were all pink with no way to become attached to one or another. They are also very happy in their pasture....they run around in circles like like puppies..... Happy pigs=good healthy organic meat. Food, Inc. is being released soon....Should be an eye opener for a lot of people....

Highway to ....

Yes they are all caterpillars, much fun and excitement for HOURS.....too bad they turn into gypsy moths!

Yep, went to a family bbq (to celebrate my sister's graduation from Med School) in Victoria that threatened to be a family blow up. My mother, wonderful that she is, just can't contain herself sometimes. Instead of being thrilled for my sister and happy and excited it turned into a big drama about her. Once on the road we couldn't help but laugh when Holdy kept telling us we were on the 'Highway to Hell' - oh the innocence of children. My mother has now informed us not to invite her to any more events (birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter....) where my father is going to be. Great. Some say that's her choice, invite her and if she chooses not to come great. I mean really what am I supposed to do, abandon my dad? My sick, blind, deaf, elderly father? Does she really think I wanted to take him to the doctor on my birthday? (Don't even ask me about her blow up and storm out at my birthday dinner that my dad wasn't at......basically because he never remembers it's my birthday....but also to appease her somewhat.....) It's based in jealously. She does sooooooooo much for us - canning, cooking, planting, babysitting and etc and he is just my dad. She feels he doesn't deserve us. I think. My theory. We do what he needs doing because that's what one does when one's parents get older....and when she needs help, I'll be here. Simple or should be.
I was reading "Cat and the Hat" to my kids, again. And the kids had nothing to do but to sit sit sit sit, because it was raining. Sawyer says to me "That's kind of dumb, why would they just sit all day?" Ok, I've read this book my whole life, hundreds of times, and never vocalized this thought.....

Priceless Early Morning Faces

Note to self: When you decide your kids really have forgotten their chocolate easter bunnies and that you can eat them late at night, be sure to put the chopping board, bunnies and any other evidence away before you go to bed.........picture three very upset boys waking mummy up very very very early.......

Blogger copier

I find so many neat ideas on the blogs I follow...like the rhubarb compote here - I made it today, of course I doubled the recipe, added a cup of frozen strawberries and had to add extra honey .....It is DIVINE with vanilla yoghurt.....I have a HUGE rhubarb patch (over 120 plants we put in last year - I asked an old local farmer for some of his - I wanted 60, 200 plants later we were a bit overwhelmed......), we are hoping to sell rhubarb with strawberries.....so now I have to harvest it ALL now, so that it grows again to be ready with the strawberries......good luck! Rhubarb anyone???

And I found fried Dandelions here - I did the sugar version yesterday and called them Dandelion Doughnuts......they were well like Dandelion Doughnuts, and as one small guest said "they're good except for the yellow stringy things," which would be the dandelions of course ;) I suspect they may be a once yearly tradition.....I've been told they detox your liver....I also found a recipe for and made Dandelion Massage Oil here......Do you think there's any money in Dandelions?? The farmers field down the road is a yellow carpet.........My kids beg me to let them at it but they only get .02 cents for dandelions picked on our farm!!!!

So now I need to come up with something original to pass on.....and I have it....but it's the wrong season. Make your favourite pancake recipe. Get 1/2 to 3/4 cup of frozen raspberries out of the freezer. Smash them up in a ziploc bag, still frozen. Really really smash em up. Add to your pancake batter. Cook pancakes. Add maple syrup. Swoon.....

Darn Pescatarians...

Heard recently at a family meal......
"My kids don't eat Beef" says lofty holier-than-thou pain. in. the. butt. FULLOFPROCESSED vegetarian food um er much loved sister...
"Neither do mine..." says my hubby (Way to go dude! I would have come up with that quick comeback sometime in the middle of the night.) I think she missed the answer though as her daughter was pouring creamo ,sugar and jam into her koolaid....
Did I mention we eat almost entirely hunted (ergo organic) or farm raised meat?
FOODINC. and TOP TEN TIPS TO GET INVOLVED! It's going to be a shocker!

PS I have nothing against veggies or pescies!!!!!

Head Down Full Speed Ahead

Some days I don't feel like being friendly. I just want to get done what needs doing. Get my errands done, get home to the family. I've been accused of being pushy. Well after 10 years in Hong Kong NO SHIT. I mean in Asia people push to get in the elevator the minute the doors open, and noone's off yet, same with the subway....bank machine line up? No such thing....just push.....Rainy day downtown??? Put your head down, hold umbrella slightly in front of you and motor, if you make eye contact with anyone YOU will have to move......So there I am with my sister in a mall in Ontario. We motor thru Walmart and when we get to the exit and are walking out to the car my sister says to me "You're awfully pushy you know..." I laughed. I can tell Asian asians, if that makes sense. They push by you on the ferry, on the street, in the shop. So on those days when I feel grumpy I revert to my grumpy head down HK persona. Great. I feel myself pushing...then I have to pull back, stop myself, make eye contact, smile and let the others go first. But what if I don't wanna????
August read the first chapter of his first chapter book by himself today!!!! YAY!!! (I hate to admitt it was a Junie B. Jones...... :)

Residual effects...

So I'm out weeding strawberries - the story of my life these days - and Holdy is sitting beside me digging in the dirt looking for either a ladybug or a worm, whichever comes first and he says to me "it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll" (Trust me AC/DC is huge around here, can you say " FRONT ROW TICKETS FOR AUGUST 29????" and then later that day the TV was on during supper with some sick mma on, which is a couple of dumbos kicking and punching the crap out of each other. So the two older ones start "wrestling" on the floor together.....
There never was any question in my mind that their little er big brains are huge sponges absorbing everything, and I mean everthing that is going on. I notice now that August, 7, is asking for clarification when I'm muttering under my breath at Don about something that has bugged me.....big ears.......NO WONDER I am such a filter for my kids, I don't want them exposed to the big mean wild world......please stay happy, joyful, innocent, naive and beautiful, curious, wonderful forever..........
What an example we must set for our kids.....