What's Happening With The Smiths

2011 "Newsletter"

2011-12-25T20:36:00.011-05:00

Season's Greetings & Happy Holidays!

This is my first time putting my "traditional" newsletter on my blog, mostly due to the little angel, named Aunt Sally, sitting on my shoulder reminding me to keep up with it! Thank you, Aunt Sally! <3

It has been at least a couple years since I've put together my seasonal wrap-up of the previous year, so I'll try to fill in the gaps - my apologies for anything I miss (though you're welcome to ask me in the comments and I can answer! :) ) The best part about doing this on the blog, though, is that I don't have to worry about postage! So, I can write as much as I want and include as many pictures as I have!

First off, one fill-in is that Dave has been unemployed since August 2009. It's been a long 2+ years. Fortunately, he qualified for unemployment. Unfortunately, the job market is terrible. Along with exhaustive job searches, we've been trying to put together several options for us to make some money at home, hoping we'd have something up and going by the time unemployment ran out, to keep us above board. Unfortunately, unemployment ran out the 3rd week of December and Dave's handyman business is not as thriving as we'd thought. We're working on setting up an Etsy store, and I'm trying to set up a little writing online income. Fingers crossed.

Dave also lost his mom to cancer last May (2010). It was pretty sudden and no one had time to prepare - luckily, everyone had time to say goodbye. Dave's dad has had some complications from diabetes, too, but we think we've got him on the road to recovery, now.

Another thing that needs mentioned is an Art History Class for our local homeschool group. That was autumn 2010. I do a little "lecture" type talk at the beginning, with some digital "slides" to show the kids. Then Dave has an art project related to whatever we've covered that week. It is really fun for Dave and I, and we've gotten lots of good feedback from the kids and parents, too.

At the same time we started the (weekly) Art History Class, we also started a homeschool LEGO Club - lots of creative stuff! And hanging out having fun with other unschoolers and a few schooled kids, too.

Storm got a mowhawk in August 2010 and it keeps growing! He has a love-hate relationship with it, because it takes time and effort to put it up (as a high-energy kid, he doesn't always have the patience to wait, and as a sensitive kid, the brushing and "pulling" of his hair tends to be highly uncomfortable to him), and because he often gets called a girl, because of the length of the center of his hair. He's not really ready to cut it all off, though... Here's a pic of it in August 2010, right after he got it cut (on the 5th) and put up for the first time (on the 6th):

...and, of course, the obligatory "pose":

Both boys have Facebook accounts, so if you want to stop over and say hi or just check out their photo albums (for the ones I couldn't add in , here!), you'll have to "friend" them, first, because their photo albums are set to "friends only". Wyl: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1560643598&ref=ffl Storm: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000471201415&ref=ffl

Okay, I think that takes us through the basic "catch up", but if not, I can always scroll back up and add it in! :D

I'll go ahead and start in December 2010. Wyl as either A) The Statue of Liberty, B) The Statue of Wylberty or C) The Statue of Wiiberty:
Yes, we're still homeschooling - and we love it! They're always welcome to go to school if they choose, but so far, they're both happy at home, too.

Our tradition is to spend Christmas Eve with my (Denise) parents and brother, then Christmas Day with Dave's parents and brothers & sisters. Last year was tough, because it was the first one without his mom. This year has been confused, because of moving Dave's dad to a new place 2 days before. Hopefully, things will settle back in to a regular pattern, soon. Until then, the boys are learning a lot about how to be flexible and bits of details on how to take care of family and help out when parents can't do for themselves.

Here's some of 2010 Christmas at the Flowers':

More to follow...

Who knew?

2011-08-15T03:47:00.002-04:00

I wanted to be a mommy from early on. There were many loves and desires wrapped up in that goal, but I always knew I'd be one. I spend more time planning my parenting skills and daydreaming about how I'd handle certain situations and what I'd name my kids and how many were enough than I spent planning careers - and there were *many* different hats I tried on in the career department!

It is so funny... I was *sure* I knew pretty much how parenting would go, how it would be... Almost all I imagined was so far from the truth as to be almost inconceivable. Then there are the things that never occurred to me...

I would have been the first to tell you, 13 or 14 years ago, that you were crazy, if you'd have told me what kind of parenting I'd be practicing today! I had my ideals and they were nowhere near then what they are today. I had planned out how I'd handle the "tough" stuff... never even dreaming that those things might never come up, and was totally blindsided by other things that I'd never considered: like my 5 year old being terrified of death and dying and his parents dying and not really being able to wave a magic wand to make that fear disappear in a motherly wave of compassion and gentleness.

I fully believed that a parent should not be a friend to their child, and today I am thrilled to count my kids as my friends; they are awesome people and I'm glad they consider me to be their friend, too.

I had no idea that my kids and I would enjoy the same kinds of music - even having the same favorite songs! It never entered my imagination that we would regularly ride along in the vehicle, singing happily together... Nor could I have imagined the peace, joy and contentment that would bring me. Tears-in-my-eyes happiness. Granted, they're often telling me to, "Turn it down, Mama!" - gee... who'd've thought?!

I couldn't have dreamed up a first-born kid that could catch me off guard with his quirky, smart humor - to the point that I spew laughter unexpectedly. :~D

I'd never have conceived that my almost-teen son would not only still want to hug me, but snuggle with me, want his head kissed, want me to tuck him in - preferably laying down with him for a while.

I still find it almost incomprehensible that I have a youngest kid who routinely, *daily*, runs around sing-songing, "This is the best day ever. This is the bestest day ever. This is the best day *ever*." It seems to be his mantra. How incredibly awesome that each subsequent day is the *best* day! And when I think about it, he's right! It really is!

I've been thinking about how I started learning about partnership parenting, lately. I know I've told the story so many times, but I still am kind of awed by it. Reading about unschooling on the radical unschooling boards elicited strong reactions from me. Things like,

"They're CRAZY!"

"Oh, that's just stupid."

"Well, that would never work *here*!"

Very strong, adamant responses - almost to the point of being shocking. But, the other things I read with those "crazy" ways of doing things was about results. About kids and parents who wanted to be together. Who shared with each other. Who *listened* to each other. Most amazingly, though, were the teens - teens who *wanted* to hang out with their parents, who were kind and thoughtful and open and *talked* with their parents openly, who came to their parents first and right away when there was a problem. Families who *trusted* each other. I knew teens. I'd been a teen. This concept was totally foreign to me. I wanted this - and the more I read about it, the more I wanted it. I was not easily convinced that being a partner to my child would end up with those results, but I grudgingly, slowly accepted that the alternative rarely got those results (and never the trust spoken of, that I knew of), and so I dove in.

At one point in my early struggles to grasp the concept, I "threw in the towel", thinking that it wasn't "working", and decided I was going back to traditional parenting! Within a day, I knew I could never be that parent, again - if I ever had totally been that parent. I found that once you learned how to respect someone, you couldn't ignore that and treat them with less value, with less honor just because you decided so. For a day or so, that had me desperate and flailing. Eventually, I found it strengthening - it backed up the ideas I so loved and wanted for my family.

When you find something that makes your heart sing with joy and makes you radiate sunshine and happiness, you want to share it. You wish everyone could be as happy as you are. As I look back on conversations that happened online this week, I see the enthusiasm with which people share these ideas of partnership... I can sometimes get a infintessimal glimpse at how some others might perceive the rush to share as intolerance for other ideas that don't mesh with partnership and respect. I still don't see the threat, though. Even though I experienced a little tiny bit of that when my ingrained ideas were challenged, I had no sort of "fight back" kind of reaction. Maybe I'm just tired, but even after all these years, I still am a bit baffled by the vehement reactions to unusual ideas - to ideas that challenge one's assumptions and ingrained societal "norms"... Is it because it is parenting? Is it because it is personal, rather than a difference in the workplace? When does something change from being two differing viewpoints to an "attack"?

I thought writing it out might help me process it, but at this point, it hasn't. I'll let it stew in my brain for a while.

Today has been music, games, movies, good food, hugs, laughter, learning, idea-bouncing, helping each other - the best day *ever*!

Milestones

2011-07-28T00:45:00.002-04:00

Storm's tooth has been loose for a few weeks, now. We've been keeping an eye on it. Not very loose, but last week, it got a bit wigglier. Tuesday night, after his teeth were brushed, we noticed a big difference in the movement - it was really loose! Wednesday afternoon, he'd come to me occasionally with how wiggly it was, testing it, chatting casually about it and really just touching base with me about his tooth. Toward late afternoon, he was wiggling it a lot and I jokingly said something about him pulling it out. He immediately grabbed it with his index finger and thumb and... well, anyone who's ever tugged on a slippery, smooth tooth knows how well that works. I offered the information that he could use his shirt tail for better grip, if his fingers were slipping, if he wanted to. He had a hard time getting his shirt in his mouth and something caught his attention and he was off.

Now, mind you, in all these weeks - heck, all his life - we've not mentioned the Tooth Fairy. I had issues with TF (as I've been calling the Tooth Fairy this week) when Wyl was little, but overcame those with good advice and wonderful stories from other folks. Since we've come to a more balanced, trust-based relationship with our kids, I've also quit telling them all about things - especially legendary things like Santa, TF, Harry Potter and Hogwarts, Thor, etc. I like to answer questions they have with "What do you think?" And wait for more specific questions for which they don't have an answer or opinion before I give information. Even then, I like to give general information and include lots of different things I've heard, so they can decide what to think, what to believe.

Wednesday night, right before heading up to prep for bed and snuggle together for sleeping, Storm was coming in from the little pool we put up in the back yard, shivering, and talking about his tooth. He said something about wanting to pull it and I suggested his towel. I think the towel was too big. He couldn't seem to get a grip on it. He turned away and a moment later he was quietly saying with wonder, "My tooth is out!" (Again, SO different from Wyl - my oldest would have been shouting and yelling and giddy. :~D ) He had been wiggling it back and forth and it just popped loose! He inspected it. He gave it to me to inspect while he felt the hole in his mouth. He showed his brother his hole and his tooth. He showed Daddy his tooth. He brought it to me and said, "We need to put this under my pillow tonight for the tooth fairy!"

Uh... Okay... ! So, I'm scrambling to figure out how (since it has been a few years since I last had a tooth under a pillow to deal with) much the going rate is (posted to Facebook), trying to find the half dollars and silver dollars I had stashed for Wyl, while Wyl is kindly helping Storm get ready for bed. I'm thinking I *have* to do this right after he falls asleep, or I'll forget! Which means, I need to find the stuff and take it up with me, in moments...
In the middle of my scramble, Storm comes down and says he doesn't want to put the tooth under his pillow tonight, because he wants to keep it for a while more. While I'm relieved I have some extra time to work it out, I'm also intrigued. I don't think I would have thought of that, as a kid. Things were done by a certain structure and with specific rules and I learned to know those rules and follow them without question, so I didn't miss out on anything.

We talked today (thanks, Meredith!) about where he learned about the tooth fairy, what he knew (he thinks the tooth fairy "... brings random amounts like $20.58 or $50.10" I'm not sure if he thinks it is actually that *high* of an amount, or if he was just using nice, round numbers to clarify the change... We talked about what she wore, if she had a wand, if she had wings, if she glittered... I loved hearing his take on the TF! He told me he wanted to write a note to TF, telling her he wanted to keep the tooth for a while, and at first, I thought the note was a "substitute tooth", where he'd put that in place of the tooth and get his money. As I talked with him, though, I got this urgency feeling - like he felt he needed to let her know before it was "too late"... like there was a deadline. He also wanted to leave the tooth *in* the envelope with the note as "proof" that he'd lost it, and wasn't just writing a note to get money. I *really* don't know where he got that idea... I told him that he was an honest person and I'm sure the TF would believe him, but he could put the tooth in there, too, if he wanted.

So, tonight, when it came time to write the note, he told me he decided he wanted to keep it another day. (He loves that tooth! He loves the hole in it and the bloody stump and everything! He is amazed by it and really thinks it is cool... ) So, we wrote a note (he dictated, I just moved the pen):

"I lost a tooth but I have decided to keep it a day longer and I hope you trade it in for cash like you're supposed to , if you are real.

And I hope you get this.

FROM STORM

TO Toothfairy"

(The all caps are his writing) Then, he put "FS" on the envelope and told me, "That means 'from Storm'" and zipped upstairs to put it under his pillow.

I brought the note down with me, after he fell asleep, because my memory is pretty bad, and I wanted to answer it, but I left the envelope under his pillow, just in case he woke and felt for it. :~D I put together 2 brief rough drafts, trying to disguise my handwriting, then the one that was supposed to be the *actual* note, I wrote too big on and ran out of space, and then reverted to cursive on the last word, so I had to do it over. :~D I settled for plain, white paper with purple marker writing... but I REALLY wanted to go all out, with purple paper and glitter and stickers and beautifully printed font... Ahh, alas... the disappointments of a procrastinator.

Anyhow, I replied (in beautiful purple marker and handwriting from my teen years - minus the circle-dotted "i"s... ):

"Dear Storm,
Thank you *so* much for your note! I am happy you'd like to keep your tooth for a while longer. I like teeth, too!

If you ever decide you don't want your tooth any more, you can give it to your mama and she can figure out what to do with it.
From ToothFairy"

Then, on a different envelope (why don't I have purple envelopes?!), I put FTF. :~D We decided on one Susan B. Anthony silver dollar and one presidential gold dollar. Still coins, yet more than a quarter.

I really love doing little things like this for my kids. I don't really know if they enjoy it or not... I don't know if it will ever be one of those "keepsake memories" for them, as they get older... But, I enjoy it. Even if they don't enjoy these little things individually, specifically, they are all small ingredients in a happy childhood, a happy life. I like butter in my chocolate chip cookies and a bit of salt. I like to add coconut, chopped nuts and bourbon vanilla. I like to make sure there's a *wee* bit more chocolate chips than the recipe on the bag calls for. Some people notice, some don't. I do it because I like to, and because I like them that way. :~) You could probably leave that teaspoon of salt out of the chocolate chip cookies or use vanilla flavoring instead of extract or use shortening instead of butter and they'd still be good to eat. But, little snippets of this and that can make what would be a regular cookie into a wonderful, delicious experience that makes someone say, "Wow! I had a wonderful cookie! I don't know what was in it, but *man*, it was great!" My kids will know they had a great childhood. They may not be able to pick out the specific little tidbits or ingredients that made it so or they may; it doesn't matter. The "what" is vastly more important than the "why", for me.

Listening

2011-07-19T00:11:00.004-04:00

Funny how ideas about parenting change after becoming a parent. I thought I would be teaching my children to listen to me... funny. Turns out, one of the most important things I could learn as a parent was how to listen. Sometimes, I still have occasions where I struggle to shut my mouth and listen, but I am always better off when I do.

I am naturally an impulsive person. I struggled long and hard to pause before jumping in with full gusto or speaking without considering my words first. In my eagerness to share my knowledge with people, especially my kids, sometimes I forget myself and jump right in with both feet. Knowledge is often a good stew: something that is better when bits and pieces are added as needed, and stirred and left to simmer and bubble for a long time.

I've learned to not answer a question immediately, to pause and let it hang in the air a bit, sometimes. I've learned to stop launching into an immediate instructional "rant", and offer small bits and wait for them to be incorporated before checking to see if more might be needed. One of the most valuable things I've learned is to ask, "What do you think?"

So often, when my kids ask me a question, it is their way of opening a dialogue, of getting something started so *they* can tell *me* what is on their mind. Questions like, "Do the people who work in the store stay there all day - do they sleep there?" and "Do bunnies brush their teeth", get amazing answers if I ask, "What do you think?", and I often learn a whole lot about the subject and my kids.

Last night, while lying down with Storm, we had the DS on for light. On the hour, it gives a little chime, which Storm really likes (I do, too!). After it chimed for 10:00, he sat up and looked over to it; the face of the DS was turned away from the bed, but the radio alarm clock was facing us. He laid back down and after a pause asked, "Why does the DS have a 12 when the chime happens, but the other one says ten oh oh?" (Storm can tell time on an analog clock, but has difficulty with a digital and Wyl can read a digital but not an analog)

I explained about how the "analog" face on the DS showed the hour by not having "minutes after", and that if we waited a minute and the hand clicked one dot, it would be a minute after, but the hand being straight up at the 12 meant that it was exactly 10, with no minutes after. He immediately chimed in with, "And when it is a minute after on the other clock, it will be ten oh one! -Look! It *is*!!"

So, I thought I'd go a little further with the time thing and said that there were 60 minutes in an hour and he seemed to have known that, but maybe forgotten it. I asked if he knew what half of 60 was. He thought, "Half of 6 is 3... so 30." Pretty good for a 6 year old, I thought. I said, "Some people, when it is 10:30 or 9:30 or 3:30 will say it is 'half past' or 'half past the hour', because 30 minutes is half of the 60 minutes in the hour."

He digested that for a bit and I asked, "Do you know what half of a half is?", trying to figure out how to get to "quarter after" in a way he'd understand. No pause, he *knew* that, "A quarter". Wow. I had no idea he knew that! I find it is way cooler to find out my kids know stuff this way, rather than being "instructional" and rattling off facts and information like an encyclopedia and having them huff at me and say, "I KNOW that, Mama!" and roll their eyes. Way cooler. So, I asked, "Can you figure out a quarter of 60? Half of the half?" while I'm digging around in my head, trying to figure out if I can relate that to him and how...

"Well, half of 3 is one and a half..." What?!! My six year old knows fractions?! Who the heck knew?! So, as one of us mumbled something about 30 and 15, I was trying to jump-start my stunned brain into function again as Storm said excitedly, "I'm going to count as high as I can in math!" And proceeded: "Two plus two is four. Four plus four is eight, eight plus eight..."

That is so often how discovery and learning happens in my own head: main question, supposition, smaller questions, ideas, more questions, "ah-ha!"... so I guess it really isn't that surprising that it works externally as well, and is very much more satisfying to have a back-and-forth dialogue with my kids, rather than me spouting off and them being quiet and *possibly* listening while I get on my soapbox and "generously" hand down my knowledge. I suspect it builds a better relationship, as well.

Growing...

2009-02-24T01:31:00.002-05:00

I haven't been keeping up, have I? Sorry about that! It's been a busy year for us so far. The holidays, the online school-we're done with that, now (thank goodness!!)-Dave's crazy work schedule, traveling, snow.... LOL We're without high speed internet while Dave is gone, so that means no pictures. I might get back to add some when he's home, but we're usually too busy when he's home...

It never fails to amaze me how much my children have grown. Here I am, beside them each day, all day long most days and yet, when I take a moment and look back... Wow.

Wyl stood up for a friend a few days ago. Neighbor boys from a couple houses away were over along with the gal next door. The neighbor boys were being rather rough with our stuff and throwing bricks around. Wyl told me and I had them stop throwing the bricks. A while later, he came in and said it was getting too cold outside, and I asked if everyone got home okay. He said only the gal next door had been playing and that the neighbor boys had gone earlier. I asked why. He got very animated and told me with no little amount of disgust that the boys were being mean to the girl and threatening her. He warned them to stop or they had to go home. They didn't stop. So my 9 year old son made them leave our yard and go home! I would never have done such a thing at his age... I am indescribably happy that my kid(s) are so strong and certain of themselves and unswerving in their judgement of what is right that they *can* do the right thing! He didn't have to do it on his own-he knew he could come to me and I would do it, but he took it upon himself.

Wyl is recently helping in little ways. Surprising ways. He loves to make the beds. I know he prefers his to be made, so when I think of it, I'll make his for him. But, he'll happily make *everyone's* bed! He's been washing a few dishes, occasionally. He scrubbed the toilet the other day. Storm, of course, loves to clean. He has quite a fixation on cleaning the bathroom sink! :~) He's been asking to clean the toilet, too, but since he's only 4, I asked him if he could wait a few days-that way I could pre-clean it and get the germs under control (at least in *my* mind, they'd be under control...) Wyl does little things here and there... organizing the cereal boxes, lining up the coffee mugs, straightening the medicine cabinet. All are so surprising that it is like a little gift every time I see one-I should tell him that!

Both my boys have been snugglier than "usual" this year... It is really nice. I guess I kind of thought they'd outgrow it at a younger age, but I'm glad they haven't, yet!

I got to visit my great aunt last week, who is my last connection to her sister, my grandma. She lost her husband at the beginning of December and is quite sad and lost without him-they'd been married for 60 years... She was a shell of her former self, gray and fragile when I got there. Once the boys warmed up to her and she felt they were comfortable enough, she played with them and laughed with them and her color started coming back and she seemed more her old self. It was lovely to see. She talked about going back to teaching little kids like she used to, years ago, and I can't help but think it would be so good for her. I hope she finds reason to keep going, because she still has so much to share and I'm not ready to let her go!

It has been a week of surprises, reflections and interesting things and people. Life is pretty darn good.

Where was I?

2008-09-14T02:10:00.007-04:00

I don't remember what direction I was heading for my next entry, but homeschooling is on my mind, so I'll go that route.

We got back on Monday late (technically Tuesday *very* early) from an 8 day trip for a homeschooling conference (complete with a masquerade ball-thanks to James for taking the great picture!!). It was incredible. Unfortunately, lots of people together in one space brings lots of germs together. Lots of activities and less sleep than usual leaves the door wide open for susceptibility. And we succumbed. The boys were less affected than Dave and I, and over it more quickly. Mine decided, yet again, to settle in my lungs, so I'm the bronchitis queen again for who knows how long. Dave, as usual, heals much faster, and is on the route to recovery now.

On a sad note, he's been babying his cat, Pewter, this evening, as he seems to be on his last legs. :~( He still has his voice, but his ability to walk seems to be gone. We're just kind of waiting to bury him, I think. He's been with us since he was born. His mama was Cocoa, and delivered him and his 4 (orange) siblings in the spring of 1991, so he's 17 years old. His mama and all but one of his siblings went off to other families and his brother, C. C., died a few years back. I still miss him. Pookie died a year or so later and he was 18, I think... or 19...? He was my wedding gift from Dave. So, it seems we're soon to be down to 3 cats-a number this family hasn't seen since about 1990!

Anyhow, back to homeschooling. Wyl decided he wanted to try out an online school this year, so after a bit of research, we went with OHDELA. I hate it. Don't tell Wyl that, but I do. It is a pain in the butt and a huge waste of time, In My Opinion, but Wyl is having fun exploring the online learning games and quizzes and tests. He's also enjoying looking through the books and workbooks that came with it. Monday starts a week long "episode" of testing-supposedly to find out where the kids are at, academically. Personally, I'm hoping his fascination with the whole thing ends quickly and we can get back to our "regularly scheduled" stuff, but for now, he's enjoying dabbling.

Me, I'm still a bit adrift in the homeschooling world. The "organizer" in me wants to schedule stuff and make neat lists and create order, so I'm finding other outlets for that. Like organizing our local homeschool group's calendar of events. LOL And starting my own Yahoo homeschool group. Maybe I should channel that more toward finding balance...

Last night, when I was completely miserable and couldn't sleep, I came downstairs to take some supplements to help fight this "ick", when I found a note from Wyl. On top was a "fun size" Almond Joy candy bar and a yellow slip of paper. The note says, "Enjoy your prize" with a big smiley face and an arrow pointing to the candy bar "for being a good mama" and then below, with an arrow to the yellow paper, "Plus(highlighted with squiggles and lines) Mr. Frezz Free Coupon". And the yellow paper was a hand-made coupon for a free popsicle. Made my day.

And now I'm off to organize all the paperwork (and find a folder somewhere in this mess-why can't I organize my home and have it stay that way??) for *school*, so that I know what we're doing next week. And sleep, so I can heal.

A bit of catch-up

2008-08-27T02:12:00.011-04:00

Wyl and Storm's gymnastics are over for the summer, but they really enjoyed them. At one point in the spring, with make-up classes and 2 regular classes a week, Storm was going to gymnastics Monday, Wednesday AND Thursday, and was *still* asking when he could go to gymnastics when we were at home! Wyl took gymnastics when he was younger-he started around 2 years old and went until he was almost 5. Then the coach he really, really liked had to leave and Wyl just didn't want another coach, so he's returned to gymnastics after 4 1/2 years away. He's run hot and cold on it, but liked it well enough to agree to continuing in the autumn, so I'm hopeful he'll enjoy it again.

They both run and climb and tumble like crazy at home, but there's an added dimension to the coached gymnastics. Wyl likes the unpredictable and loves to goof or fall funny to make everyone laugh. Storm likes to practice something over and over and over again, seeming as if he's in his own little world and completely unaware of all the other people in the gym with him.

Storm and Wyl had chicken pox earlier this year-not at the same time, though. Storm caught it first and then Wyl did. Wyl definitely got it worse (though not horrible by any means), and scratched/picked some and has a few scars on his face.
I'm hoping some of that scar cream will help, but at the moment, he doesn't seem to mind. Wyl felt poorly the first day or two, but then he was up and going like normal. They were both crankier than usual and Storm seemed to have copious amounts of snot running from his nose, but neither of them seemed sick at all. It was kind of rough, having to avoid public places and folks who didn't want exposure to the pox, but it wasn't too bad, since we had folks who didn't mind (or actually wanted exposure) that we could visit with. Shopping was tough, though.

There has been a lot of digging in the mud this year. We made a spot at the end of last year on the side of the yard that is just for the boys for digging. They wouldn't leave my garden alone! So, there's been a volcano there, a pirate lagoon, a mud factory and many other things. Sometimes it's hard to rein in my frustration when they go play in the mud and they have thier jammies on still or they've just taken a bath, or they've got "good" clothes on or we're getting ready to go somewhere. Why on *earth* does dirt and mud collect under fingernails?? It seems like it gets ultra-concentrated, black as a permanent marker and anytime they get within 10 feet of mud, it magnetically zips across open space to adhere semi-permanently to the undersides of their fingernails. Thankfully, we don't very often go anywhere that it might be a problem, so most of the time, it's easy to see the creativity and joy. And there is LOTS of joy in that dirt/mud/digging area!! I am not entirely sure what was going on with the knight costume (too long ago for this gal's memory-June 19th!), and I know he had a fondness through the summer for those fuzzy, winter boots. Crazy kid... Crazy like a fox, usually. His logic is different than mine, but quite good. I know I can count on him to bring in a different viewpoint or come at a problem from a unique angle if I need help with something.

Actually, we've done quite a lot of stuff over the summer, but it's getting late again, so I guess I'll have to catch up some more another time. I should be baking muffins, but it's supposed to rain tomorrow afternoon, so I don't know how many folks will be at the market. I'd hate to have a surplus...

Titles confound me...

2008-08-26T01:49:00.007-04:00

I never know what to put in the Title spot... The date seems to be the thing to title it, but the template wants more... :~)

I haven't been keeping up with this like I wanted to, but it *has* been a busy couple of weeks. We've started participating in the Barberton Farmer's Market, since we can have a spot for free, we bring our own table and some baked goods and see if we can come away with a bit of gas money. Wyl has had a lemon-lime ade stand since we first started going (3 weeks ago, I think) and I daresay he's doing better business than I am! He is expanding to bottled water as well, this week. We'll also have a few tomatoes to sell as well-whatever we don't sell, we'll probably bring to the Nutters' birthday bash as our "covered dish" or give them away. We just can't eat all those tomatoes, and unfortunately, just don't have the time right now for making and putting up spaghetti sauce. Or making salsa, which is what Dave likes to do. :~)

(We grew a little tomato that has a "6" scar on it! Not sure if it is from the fence or from the nasty hail storm we had a few weeks ago...)

Storm got *really* upset Monday right before nap, because he couldn't go to Grandma and Grandaddy's house *right* *now*. We have plans for them to pick him up on Wednesday, since he gets bored pretty quick at the farmer's market, and we just seem to not get as many customers when there's a whiney, upset child in our "booth"! Wyl was okay with it and Storm was happy to have a choice, so I guess we found a win/win/win!

Monday was a pretty good day. It was mellow and cheery. Wyl and I spent some time going over "rules and regulations" we needed to sign. Storm spent a good half hour to an hour scribbling on those tablets of paper you get from the politicians in the parades, and coming running to me, waving it in his hand saying, "Mail for you, Mama!" :~) I still have a huge pile of mail on my desk *at this very moment*. It makes me smile every time I have to move it to do something. Wyl made a really cool "pirate island" in the back yard today. A huge hole dug beside the sidewalk, lined with a red plastic sheet of some kind (a tarp?), rocks and bricks placed strategically around the edges, the hose brought over and running gently in the "pond". He told me all about the island and the sand and the mud and dipping your feet in... Oh, shoot. I still have to settle up with him about the lemon-lime ade stand. We bought him his cups and lemonade and he needs to reimburse us from his profits and he decided to use those profits to buy more. I got more -ade while I was at the store the other day, and we had talked about bottled water as well, so I picked up some of that as well. He probably has money left over, but we have to figure it all out to see. Plus, I still owe him allowance from... March? I think. He's going to have a major windfall when Dave gets back to work, I tell ya'!

The "back to school" bustle kind of throws me for a loop-even moreso this autumn, for some reason. Our daily lives kind of feel like summer break all year round-all except for about a month before school starts. I *love* the back to school sales, where I can get pencils, crayons, paper, pens, erasers and folders for cheap or *free*, but the rest of the "what are we going to do this year" scramble leaves me feeling disturbed. off balance. a little jittery. I'll be glad when it's over and we can go back to our mellowness. :~) I can only imagine how hectic it is for those going back to school or doing school-at-home! I wonder if it lasts all year until June...? Ugh. I hope not!
The boys both wanted to hear tonight about when they were born. I wrapped Storm's up with "... and then we brought you home." to which he snuggled up tight to me and he said, "Awww! That was very thoughtful!" Wyl's story I didn't even get all the way through-he asked a lot of questions and I got sidetracked. Plus, I was chilly, lying right in the breeze of the fan and needed to move!

I got a little farther in the hallway. It's kind of hard to move on to another section when I don't feel like I'm finished in one area... but paint is kind of a luxury at this point-we'll just deal with the woodwork being scrubbed and I'll ignore the scuffs and paint peels. It's starting to take shape, though-the shoe shelves REALLY seem to help, thank goodness. I'm hoping big and crossing my fingers that one of us will get a job soon and be able to get a good, solid storm door on the front and a replacement window for the hallway near the bottom of the stairs so that we might actually be able to keep that hall area heated/warm this winter. The kids really need the space.

Yikes. Two AM-I'd better get myself off to bed for some rest before baking muffins tomorrow. Probably most of the night. LOL Oh, yikes... I have folks I need to write back, too... More to clean...

This Weekend

2008-08-11T03:44:00.004-04:00

Wyl and Storm went with "Grandma and Grandaddy" Saturday. They played for a bit at the folks' house, then went to a movie and dinner.

The visit was good, from what I could tell. They came home excited and full of energy even after most of the day away from home. Wyl wanted the folks to come in to see his room and Storm couldn't seem to leave the side of the car! He kept thinking of more things to say as they were trying to leave.

Dave and I got a lot done this last week-Dave got a lot more done than I did! We no longer have a storage unit we need to keep paying on and we got some cash for recycling some old washers and dryers that were beyond repair.

I'm still working on the hallway. It's looking well, but I can't do much with the darn north wall... that wallpaper is just not "spruceable"... so, now I'm considering painting it and doing some sort of "welcome" or "hello/greeting" design on it... Wyl came up with a good idea for a curtain on the front door window: the lacy/sheer curtains on the window in the north wall are far too long, so he suggested cutting off the bottom and using that for the front door! Good idea-they'd match and I'd get more light in there. The floor is done except for the doorway, I got all the shoe racks in and put screws in the coat-hook-shelves for mittens and such. Now I'm working on putting up the corkboard and putting hooks on that for keys. I still have to get the grime off the cabinet, but I found a natural degreaser at Mustard Seed that will do the job quickly and easily. Then, I just have to get the play area organized.

The garden is doing nicely-mostly recovered from the hail storm a couple weeks back. We lost one watermelon that was not quite quarter size and a lot of blossoms on that vine, but it is still growing. The leaves of the corn shredded a bit, but it is still thriving. None of the rest seemed much affected. We've gotten 3 tomatoes so far, a few sprigs of broccoli and a handful of wax beans. The watermelon we have is about 6", but Dave forgot to check the size it was going to grow to, and apparently threw out the seed envelope...

This Wednesday, we're hoping to take some baked stuff down to Barberton's farmer's market to sell... We'll see how that goes. We need to figure something out, since it looks like Dave's unemployment will be ending this week. Looks like we both may have to work temp jobs on opposite shifts to get by until one of the "good places" gets around to hiring. That in itself is a long story, so it will have to wait until another blog post another day, since it is 4 am!! I just couldn't let the blog get started without one post... :~)

The New Blog!

2008-08-11T03:35:00.002-04:00

Well, here we go. I have been thinking about this for a long time, now, and my guilt for not keeping up with my yearly newsletter has been hounding me. So, I'm starting a blog to take the place of the newsletter. Unfortunately, pictures will be few and far between until we get high speed internet connected, since it takes about a half hour to upload one picture with dial-up. On a good day.

So, for Aunt Sally and all those other folks who like reading about what's happening with us-enjoy! It is so much cheaper than sending pages galore through the mail and I don't have to worry about what's important enough to cram in, nor about using so much paper that some folks may not even be interested in... I can just send along a link at the bottom of my cards and folks can peruse for as long as they want.

Welcome to the digital age! LOL You're more than welcome to leave comments on the posts, or if you want to e-mail, I have 2 accounts: Dsmithfits@aol.com and Dsmithfits@gmail.com

Welcome!