fall in the air (aka "why are my kids so sick?")

aaarg.
the school year is here, we've finally transitioned into the "montessori way", and the leaves have turned and begun their descent groundward(i know i made that word up, it even looks funny). last season we had the occaisonal cold and a few bouts of tummy upset, but NOTHING like the crud that has crept around thus far. my kids have been "under the weather" literally since school started. i've hit a wall with this. my breaking point? yeah, it's here, it's now, and oooohwee is it gonna get UGLY.
i can come down fairly hard on myself in the parenting department. ever since i decided i wanted to stay home with my kids i have viewed it as my "job" and come at it whole-hog...surprised?
health, hygeine and happiness are my mission (impossible)on the homefront. these bouts of rundown, chronic crap are my nemesis. my kids don't eat crap, they get to bed early, get excercise and fresh air, and take multi-vitamins, fish oil, and vitamin d DAILY. where have i gone wrong? hopefully, new school, new kids, new germs is the culprit, not some horrible oversight in the mothering department.
this too shall pass.
if not, and this blog lapses longer than two weeks time, please come pull me out of the corner.
that said, we did get out briefly for some lover-ly maine fall leaf frolicking.
enjoy!

sometimes i make stuff

posted some new things in the etsy shop. i've been sooooo bogged down lately. i feel as though i'm barely above water sometimes and the other time i'm just floundering around. i'm at a crossroads for sure, putting tons of new ideas and stuff out there into the world and getting really positive feedback has been wonderful and well, scary, to be frank. i'm getting close to where i want to be with owning my own business and creating and selling and all that and its giving me the heebie-jeebies. i feel like its now or never and the what-ifs are getting the better of me. with holiday craft shows, loads of custom orders, and new business props on the table i'm questioning everything. will i be gyping my kids? at what price will the fulfillment of my dream come? will i have to lean on my husband for extra time and favors, thereby cutting into his time for his business? will i fail my customers? will i get tired of producing and become uninspired once the goal is attained?

and i wonder why i can't sleep? any advice? c'mon folks, help me here.

metamorhosis

so much change

every day

stretching our wings

seeking

finding

flight

the kickoff

oy.
our kids started at a local montessori school this year. we are ecstatic so far, and have only the highest hopes for their continued adjustment and happiness. both phil and i are "sporty" types under our somewhat crunchy facade (he more so than i, but i was quite the all-out athlete in school where he still needs his weekly hockey fix). despite our excitement at the new environment for the kids, i could almost see phil throw up in his mouth a little bit when they told us they did not have a phys-ed program or a sports program. so, being the forward-thinkin' mama i am, i volunteered us (suckers) to start a soccer program 2x a week after school.
why do i think i'm qualified to do this? what makes me think i can come up with anything fun or motivating for these children to do? why am i stretching myself so thin always? what the hell am i doing blogging when i have 20 minutes before i have to leave for our first practice?
like i said...
oy.

olive

i have stated many times in the past years that there seems to be a growing trend towards having a new baby every two years. it seems everyone in our circle of friends adhered directly to the "two year rule". having such a unique family (having my oldest daughter and my stepson be 8mos apart was a lot like having twins for a while so we waited until they were 4 before connor came along and connor was 5 when olivia was born)i always thought that i'd rather have a lobotomy than a 2 yr old and a newborn. it just seemed so hard.

okay y'all, i get it now. not that i'm thinking of having any more anytime soon (then a lobotomy would be in order) but i'm seeing where the urge to reproduce again stems from. over the past few months my baby has stopped being a baby and i think it's so clear and almost painful to watch this time around because she's so very much the baby, her closest sibling is almost 6 years older!
i find myself lately wanting to do all those things that parents do as their babies become more and more like little people and less like babbling mini-humans. i watch her sleep, i smell her soft (and oh -so -sparse) baby hair, i cry when she ballet dances with her big sister, i kiss her toes, listen to her sing, and rock her to sleep whenever she'll let me (she's a slippery little bugger). phil and i joke she'll have to go to kindergarten with a note in her lunch box reading," please excuse olivia jane at lunch today, she will be going home to nurse". i just can't get enough of this kid, you guys. she's moving out of babyhood and on to independence and individuality and it pulls my heart in so may ways how she needs me soooo badly one minute, and can't race away fast enough on her radio flyer the next.
our lives are hectic and in constant motion around here, and with 4 kiddos its easy to feel like you are missing something that someone is doing. my goal is to try harder to celebrate the NOW with my children. being the ocd personality that i am, its easy for me to be more of a human doing than a human being. olivia brings me back to center. back to the place where i need to be.here.now. and hug and laugh and cherish a just watch.
what an amazing and crazy thing to be able to create life and know that this being is not ever really your child at all, but her very own person, entrusted to us by some magical, mystical thing. i will watch you grow, olivia, i will let you be you and thank you for giving me so many opportunities to reflect on the true meaning of life.

solar shower... the final frontier

so here it is, minus a few small things that need minor tweaking. the hubby broke her in last night, but sorry guys, those pics are for me only! haha...

i think this(picture directly above) is my favorite part. i had some scraps left over from boarding up the sides (yes, folks, i did that. i dragged scummy old boards out from under one of our outbuildings, cut them and screwed them on)and i made this shampoo/soap shelf. the holes drilled thru the sides will have hemp strung through them to create kind of a net so the items don't fall out. it's the little things that make a girl happy, ya know? i'm also thinking of putting the curtain on the inside, but it was blowing so much yesterday that logically it seemed better to have it outside. this is where hubby steps in and asks me why don't i just weight the bottom? oh, yeah.

whaddya think? i'm really interested in getting some feedback or comments on this project and here what other families are doing to be a bit more green... i'd love to share it with my family.

building an outdoor shower (semi tutorial) part deux

this is what the sky looked like yesterday in the morning. apollo was not being a cooperative fellow ,to say the least. but by 10 it was sunny and the wind was blowing a gentle 25 miles per hour (or so it felt). regardless, we started our project. i'm an "instant gratification" kind of gal, and i'd been waiting weeks to cash in on some of the hubby's time. i finally had him, and he wasn't gonna slither away...

we also recruited some strong young fellas to do the grunt work (seen here spreading out the drainage rock over the weed barrier) unfortunately our older daughter got herself a case of the stomach ickies so she couldn't help, but she was bummed, being a real die-hard junior environmentalist-

these fir beams were salvaged from a house my husband's crew rebuilt (note to ladies: if you are a diy kind of gal, you can't do better than to snag yourself a carpenter/woodworker in the way of freebie slave labor and materials. just a thought...) and we cut them to size (about 71/2 ft) and leveled them, and braced them, and did it again when they blew down (almost severing said carpenter's foot)

we then notched the tops of the posts in order to fit the top frame into place (yes, that is my youngest son, he's been chopping dovetails that would make bob vila jealous since he was about 3)

we re-set the posts and fit the top frame and cross-braces (notice: you must be wearing just a carpenter's vest contraption, have tattoos, and flexy muscles to perform this task)

then 2 more beams to span the top and set the watering can between (screws in the handle

barrel went up and was strapped w/ ties (winds were gale-force by this time)

and the "plumbing" was installed ( black short length of hose from barrel spigot , on/off tap between, and then into watering can)
the effect is sooooo cool! it's still not quite done- needs siding (insert neighbor's sigh of relief here), a pallet/ platform floor, and of course, a linen curtain (which you can find in my shop, too, excuse the shameless plug!) i'm sure finished product pics are to come...

the day looks like this today(look familiar?)

so action shower-shots are not in the forecast... but rain is!