Elsewhere

Hi all,

Since I have access to my computer more evenings then before I've decided to devote more time to my family blog. Most of you regular readers have that address (it is not a publicly listed blog so sorry to my one non-friend and relation reader). Perhaps I will rejoin this part of the blogosphere at another time, but with a hubby starting grad school in the fall it may not be so...

We'll see.

I enjoy reading your blogs and appreciate the friendship I've found with you via blogging. I will continue to drop and read your blogs so this is not goodbye it's just a pause on this part of my blogging life.

Fairies, Food and Fossil Fuels

I have a lovely garden in my backyard. It's so lovely that a new plant shows up every year. They like to move in without filling out an application. Last year it was wild strawberries. This year I can't even figure out what the new plant is.

I'd love to spend more time out in the garden, but it gets frustrating. The girls still need quite a bit of management when we are out there. When we first moved it was fairly overgrown. My mom helped me get it under control. Then I got pregnant and took to feeling exhausted and nauseated all the time. Then weeding out in the hot summer made me feel like passing out. So it got out of control again. Then I had a new baby. Not much gardening happening then. Once I had a toddler I got out and about again. You can see how she could even help out a bit! I kept the jungle of weeds slightly at bay. Then I got pregnant again. Back to the jungle.

Now I have a wee tot and a preschooler and gardening is seeming almost possible again. If only Sweetpea would learn to go down the toddler slide by herself! Peanut and I wacked down the weeds and pulled up the grass growing in the garden bed. I have dreams of planting a beautiful fairy garden for Peanut. She would love nothing more.

However, for now I've chosen to plant some food. One reason is that, as stated in this CNN article by Rachel Oliver, "Eating ethically is no easy task these days." I've been challenged by my friend and also one of my favorite cookbooks to really think about the food I eat. So I decided to start small and see what happens.

The above quoted CNN article sites, "To feed an average family of four in the developed world uses up the equivalent of 930 gallons of gasoline a year -- just shy of the 1,070 gallons that same family would use up each year to power their cars."

I can't really live in constant fear about Peak Oil, but I can probably grow my own tomatoes instead of getting them driven in from across the country. So far I planted some lettuce and beans and plan to plant some tomatoes and basil next. Fairies probably like beans too, right? I'd also love to grow garlic, but don't want to get overwhelmed. We'll see if we can keep the bunnies away...perhaps the fairies can help with that. I am told I need to plant marigolds and nasturtium to deter them. Any other advice about bunnies in the garden?

If you Meet a Fairy

Peanut has begun to speak in "Fairy Language" about 40% of the time. If you ask her what she wants for breakfast the response is likely to be, "Mee na sal." At first I thought she was just spouting nonsense so I would repeat myself, "Peanut, can you tell Mommy what you want for breakfast?" She would simply answer, "I just did."

When playing with her she will chatter away like usual but then also throw in all kinds of fairy words. For example, "Come over here! Mee na seely pa on top. Then we spin around."

If she gets grumpy her voice drops and becomes gruff, "Mee na ta pa.Sho go la!" She storms off and crosses her arms.

I keep looking for patterns in the words so that I can perhaps learn to speak this mysterious language. So far all I've really discerned is that "Seely" means "Thank you." Oh, also my current findings indicate that fairies may actually count in plain English.

So, if you meet a fairy will you please ask her if she knows of any good English-Fairy dictionaries. Perhaps she has email and could tutor me in the ways of Fairy culture? And, please remember to tell her, "Seely!" for all her help.

Rocking

We have a little toddler rocking horse that my Dad gave to Sweetpea forher birthday. She LOVES to rock on it and gets it going fast enough to just about tip over. Peanut also loves rocking on the horse and it is a great indoor pass time considering earlier this week we had cold rain and flurries here.

We have also discovered another great use for the rocking horse. Peanut who has incredible trouble sitting still (we think she may possibly end up with a diagnosis of ADHD later in life) can not abide sitting through most meal times. She is not a big fan of chewing either which doesn't help, but mostly I think that having to sit through a meal is almost unbearable. She will try to eat and then gets up and plays or climbs all over her chair until she falls out and then we coax her into taking another bite and we go through the acrobatics again.

Recently I've been letting her sit on her rocking horse at a low snack table for lunches. She almost always finishes her lunch without getting up and without complaining! She rocks away as she snacks. I may do this for dinners too.

So....if you have a wiggly little one who is old enough to keep herslef or himself on a rocking horse, to not ready to sit through a meal maybe you can give it a try too!

Earth Hour

Well, I did not plan on spending Earth Hour alone, but Daddy-O received an invitation to go out with the guys and that's always a worthy cause. He is super extroverted and really comes back refreshed and energized from being with his friends. It's always good for him and for our family if he gets time with his good friends. I used to be really jealous of his time, but as we've settled into our marriage I've chilled out and learned to value his time with his friends almost as much as he does. Plus, that means I get to have a quiet night alone! Ah, being alone something that's not possible for even one minute during the day now that I am a mom. I get to go have nights out with my friends too so don't worry about that.

Alright, this is supposed to be about Earth Hour. Anyway, I had other plans in mind for our hour in the dark(you know the kind involving the husband's help), but since plans changed I didn't really know what to do with myself alone in the dark for an hour (go ahead and insert your own joke about helping myself out a little).

I lit a candle and wandered around for a bit. It was funny how little I could really see. You know in period films when a character walks down the hall with a candle and everything around them glows--or they read in secret by candlelight....nope...not like that at all. I realized then the importance of putting things back where they belong...in the dark you trip over all kinds of stuff.

I finally settled on reading a bit of my Bible Study by candlelight and praying. It was too hard to read which was good for me since I have been avoiding concentrated times of prayer (alone prayer anyway). It was at first uncomfortable and then refreshing to go before God alone, vulnerable in the quiet and dark. He always meets me when I come.Why do I always hesitate?

Our household's Earth Hour was more like Earth 45 minutes as my prayer time was interrupted by the sound of "No, no pony, up here! Now we cross the river.....watch out! Ahhhhhh!" I guess Peanut hadn't gone to sleep. She had turned her light on and had been playing quietly until the above mentioned crescendo. So much for quiet, alone and dark. Took me a while to get her settled down again.

Random thoughts---not many lights in my neighborhood were out. That disappointment me.
I thought Google's hat tip to Earth Hour today was super cool.

Did you participate? What did you and your families do for the hour?

Getting a little Green Help

When I got pregnant with Peanut I had already been educating women about pregnancy and taking care of their bodies for a while. And yet when I got pregnant it ALL hit home. Everything I eat the baby eats. The baby breaths what I breath. The baby drinks what I drink.

I was barely into my second trimester when we discovered some problems with our our heating/ac system including a hole in the venting around it. We were warned about the risk for carbon monoxide leaking out from the hole in the venting. Daddy-O was pretty calm because we have a working carbon monoxide detector and he was confident he could do the repairs himself over the weekend. I think it was only a Thursday or Friday though. I freaked out. Carbon Monoxide? Who cares about me or you babe (no offense) but the baby! What if the baby is more sensitive (they are so small)? Daddy-O obligingly found a way to seal the hole temporarily and then did an awesome job replacing all the venting over the weekend. I still have no idea if my fears were rational, but there was something in me that rejected the idea that a small risk to us in our home was not a big deal for the baby.

I think during my pregnancy is also when I really started to get even more into being environmentally conscious . I was aware that I wasn't just doing whatever I could to protect my baby in utero or in my home, but also in the greater world in which she would live. I was recycling more, using less chemical cleaners, eating more organic foods. I've continued to take small steps over the years to keep moving forward in those efforts.

I've had so many questions and concerns on this journey though...

• I read this other cool book and started to wonder if I am increasing Peanut's risk for ADHD envrionmental hazards in our own home.
  
• If my home environments impacts my child's risk for a learning challenge then what else am I putting my kids at risk for?
• I don't want to spray my lawn with chemicals, but my neighbors poo-poo my yard upkeep and yes, the weeds are out of control.
• Are those new light bulbs really that great?
  
• How can I make my own green cleaner that doesn't stink like vinegar so badly that Daddy-O will actually use it?

Someone out there finally answered all of my questions! I think I may have actually found my 'Going Green Bible.' Healthy Child, Healthy World by Christopher Gavin isn't a feel good self-help book, it's a book that when you read it as a mama you cringe at many of the things you read and you change things, even small things that same day. At least that was my experience.

I think if all of this world of environmental hazards and risks and cautions was brand new to me I would be overwhelmed reading this book.Yet, I wish it had been around earlier! I might have done some things differently...I might have had some questions answered sooner.

As this experience taught me we can't control everything that happens...no matter how hard we try. For some horrible and unknown reason parents sometimes outlive their children .and sometimes never even meet their children. We do everything we can to protect them and sometimes it is just not up to us. Yet, I still want to do everything that is within my control...I want to try my best and do whatever I knowingly can do to indeed give my children a healthy and safe place to live and grow...however long I am blessed to have them with me.

Of course it gets overwhelming trying to make green changes. Sometimes it seems impossible to make a difference or to change my habits. I could drive myself nuts and that wouldn't be helpful for my kids either. Sometimes it's WAY easier to drive through Arby's then to pack a lunch with two kids plastered to my knees. That's why I love the "parent blogs" in this book where contributors (including Michelle Obama, Gweneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson and Brooke Shields) tell their stories and then all encourage the reader NOT to PANIC and to just take small meaningful steps. Phew! Thanks Mrs. Obama--I needed that reminder!

I also have to say I love the wealth of resources and information all compiled within this one book. No more surfing around endless websites and trying to keep track of it all in my brain. The info I am looking for is very likely at least touched on in this book. Another great relief for busy me.

There are many practical little tips and recipes for alternative/green products you can make yourself. The cleaner I use is no longer ultra stinky! Check! Now onto some new questions...

• Could Sweetpea's endless cycle of colds really be related to environmental allergies?
• Can I improve Sweetpea's sleeping conditions, breathing conditions, nutrition?
• Is low iron really a risk factor for ADHD?
  
• Should I get Peanut tested for low iron?
  
• Will castille soap really kill pests and weeds?
• Can we really make a lasting difference for good on this planet?

I'd love to hear from you...what are your favorite resources for going green? What are your favorite tips? How do you teach your kids about green living?

This has been part of a Mother Talk Blog Tour. To read what other bloggers are saying about the book go to Mother Talk's Website and enjoy!

Mama Drama (True Peanut stories part 1)

Setting: Ballet class

I drop her off. She exuberantly skips over to the teacher, chats her up then sits on her spot beaming and wiggling. I settle Sweetpea in the Ergo. I peek in the class window. Peanut is dancing, smiling, giggling, playing with the other ballerinas. I go walk the track, which is just down the hall, with Sweetpea on my back. Come back to the window and see Peanut still having a ball. I ask a nearby mom who's been waiting if all went well (she graciously comes and gets me on the track if Peanut has a problem). No problems.

Class ends. What seems like dozens of pink legs and tutus swish out of the room into waiting arms. Giggles, greetings, demands for drinks and potty breaks resound in the hall. The Mommys all say, "Hello ballerina? How was ballet class? Did you have fun?" Little heads nod, little voices say, "Yeah!"

I welcome Peanut who runs right past these loving arms with a mischievous grin on her face. I catch up with her. I still do my duty with a smile on my face, "Hello ballerina? How was ballet class?"

The response?

"I just didn't really have a great time. I was pretty grumpy. I just didn't Obey Miss Sandy. I cried and cried."

Scene.

Why

I've never really been very involved or informed about politics. What little I knew or looked into always frustrated me. In the past I've chosen to abstain from political conversations and even voting because of feeling, well just "Blagh" or yucky about it all.

However, I have taken more interest as I've entered more fully into adult roles. Yet, I would never have dreamed of being so excited or passionate about a candidate as I am now. Why is that?

Well, I really respect Senator Obama. Why?

Below you'll find one great reason:
If you haven't read or watched this speech please do. Even if you aren't an Obama supporter I encourage you to listen. It's about 30 minutes long. If you can get to 15-16 minutes into it I think you will probably be interested in hearing the rest too. His humility and openness about even his faults or mistakes continue to take me off guard in a refreshing way.