iGot my Mojo Back

Outside my Window:  It is just about dusk after a very busy day working outside in the gardens.  Although it was sunny and clear until afternoon, the clouds are moving in just in time to hopefully give my new seeds a nice rain during the night.

What's on my Mind: End of the school year activities: Spring Sports Banquet, 6th Grade Graduation, Middle School Honors NIght, wondering if Ethan will make All-Stars, and booking a variety of appointments for all.

Thankful for:  A fun day at the Feast of Ste Clair with the boys and my good friend and avid history buff.  It was a beautiful day and we learned a lot as we made our way through the encampments and amid the traders.  Ethan tried weaving on a small loom.  I was impressed by the officer's quarters.  Ben blew some of his hard earned money on some homemake cream soda that was yummy.  I sprung for the refill so we could try the homemade rootbeer.  It was also scrumptious, we brought it home and made floats!  There was great music: drum and fife core, Native American, string ensembles, a men's acapella group, and more but the highlight of the day was the battle reenactment.  Very well done with the British, French and Colonists.  I took tons of photos but I'll only share a few here.

 

 

Creative Endeavors:  ???

Lastest Project:  Still working on gardens.  Fox helped today and we cleared out the Herb Garden, I severely divided back the Tarragon, rediscovered the Garlic Chives and plain Chives, planted French Thyme, and some Dill.  Putting a salsa bed in by the herbs, planted tomato plants and seeded in peppers that we propagated ourselves.  Alex stopped by with some girlfriends and they helped me get the Veggie Garden in: two rows of Davers Carrot, three rows of Blue Lake Bush Beans, a row of beets, a thick row of Swiss Chard, a row of Edamame, four rows of Super Sweet Corn, and five mounds of Tricolor Zucchini.  Need to find a place for some pie pumpkins and watermelons also.

My 3 Sons:  Fox got the results from his x-rays and there is no tearing on the tibia, fibia or anywhere at the knees.  Recommendation is better shoes and a script for Ibuprophen 600.  He is running very little right now, taking the meds, and icing his legs to recover before our school's Cross Country Camp.  He has different shoes and some really good insoles which have been helping.  Theory is that the problem stemmed from him trying out 0 lift shoes during his winter training....not a good thing for his pronating feet.  Hopefully he's on the mend and back on track.

Ben will be going on his class trip to Lansing this week.  I am not chaperoning this one but will be subbing that day.  Soccer is done and we're lightly discussing how we should proceed for next year but no decisions have been made yet. 

Ethan has a few more baseball games left and on Sunday we will be going to a Loon's game in Midland.  Grades are looking good, all As except for Math which is at a B but he's thinking with these last few grades he can make it an A.  He just learned how to do showmanship at rabbit club and is supposed to be working with his bunnies.  Bugsy is a real poser as you can see.

The first Born:  Alex has gone complete vegan and her boyfriend is now vegetarian.  It is extremely restrictive, I don't totally get it but wish her good luck.

Employment News:  I've been subbing a lot lately and have resigned myself to the idea that this is the best work situation for me right now.  It is nice to be able to bring the boys up to school or home after with me and also to stay in the loop with what's going on in their schools and classes.  The only bummer is no pay in the summer but I can always supplement with things as I've always done.  Still open to a new situation should it present itself.

Hoping to Improve:  Not being so crazy throughout the summer, having just the right amount of down time and busyness.

Food for Thought:  When nutritious food feels satisfying and exercise feels like play, there will be no soldiers left in the battle of the bulge.  ~Ten Habits of Naturally Slim People

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iHear the Sounds of Summer

Outside my Window:  Birds singing, geese honking, tadpoles swimming, pigs snoozing, no breeze, perfect temperature, it's a beautiful thing.

What's on my Mind:  Summer plans for the boys and what I hope to accomplish around the property. 

Thankful for: Time.

Creative Endeavors:  Campfire skits.  Our theme this year is "Larger than LIFE" and everything is about games, for the evening skits we're going with "Are You Smarter Than a Counselor?" and "Cabin Feud".  Alex is going to be my coordinating assistant.

Latest Project: Weeding gardens!  So far I've gotten through the Gramma Garden, both Hosta Gardens, and made significant progress on the Perennial Mix Corner in front of the house.  Still have two jungle areas to tackle plus dismantling an entire perennial holding area, shifting all plants to other beds.  Fun times.

My 3 Sons: Fox took the AP World History exam and felt pretty good about it afterwards, unlike many of his classmates, not sure if that's a good sign or not.  He also told me had the highest score on the Psych pre-test and the second highest on the post-test.  Hhhmm.  Still struggling with discomfort in his legs. He opted out of Regionals to give an underclassman the chance to run who had been having a better season.  We've been to the doctor and got x-rays hoping to get things under control soon.  He will run at the last TVC on Wednesday.

Ben has been getting some decent time out on the field, scored a couple times, and assisted a few.  The coach is not always organized about how he rotates players which causes some bad playing at times.  He had fun for the most part though, we'll decide what to do for next year later.  Last game tonight!  Friday his Environmental Science class went on a field trip to Kettering University to participate in the Flint River GREEN Student Summit 2013 which "provides youth the educational opportunities to understand, improve, and sustain the water resources in their communities."  Schools from Lapeer and Genesee county participated, each doing a class presentation in the morning and then attending breakout sessions throughout the day such as Sewer CSI, Meet the Macro-Intertebrates, Being a Bee Keeper, Chevy in the Hole!, Incredible Edible Plants and Paddling the Flint River.

Ethan has some pretty intense coaches for baseball this year.  At first he felt quite humbled, going from playing all the infield positions and doing some pitching last year to basically being put in the outfield.  We talked about it, and knowing that he's playing with a team made up mostly of last year's All-Stars, he needs to look at it as a chance to bring his game up.  No matter where he plays he plays his best and has definately gotten recognized for it.  He's shown some hustle and helped get the out on many plays plus the batting is starting to click in and he's gotten a few out there to get on base.  They brought him in for short once too. One of our NB-JV players helps with the team and has been very encouraging to all the boys, he's given Ethan some tips that really got great results.

The first Born: Making plans to shift to a two-bedroom apartment when their lease is up. Adding a roommate will bring down costs for all, they've been negotiating house rules....

Employment News:  No comment.

Hoping to Improve: Recently I stumbled onto a show called Eco Company.  It's a youth oriented show about environmental activities around the country.  This has brought me back to thinking about reducing our trash.  We do recycle but plastics of many kinds are what challenge our ecological future, make that product packaging overall.

Food for Thought: We are all quite willing to learn the fuel and maintenance requirements of a new car. Why do we resist learning the fuel and maintenance requirements of our own bodies? If your car falls apart from neglect, it can be replaced. Your body can't.  ~Ten Habits of Naturally Slim People

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iSee the Sun

Outside my Window:  A fantastic sun shiny day!  Perfect temps. Just lovely.

Pig pick-up and tagging went well this weekend. 

Above: Ben & Fox  greet their gilts and settle them into the Piggie Palace. 

Below: Sunny Girl getting to know the new arrivals.

What's on my Mind: Getting in the groove with all the outside projects and duties.  Rob has been working to get the push mower and tractor ready and running.  Fox did some push mowing this weekend.  The peas and spinach are just starting, need to get a plan for the rest of the garden.  List of tasks is to long to post, just need to take it one day at a time.

Thankful for: My awesome neighbor who has been there to help us out so many times in so many ways.

Creative Endeavors: Kind of creative....I framed out an opening in the back barn, extended the wall, and made a new door, turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

Latest Project: Getting my mojo on for 4H Camp and coming up with some fun stuff to make campfire time more memorable.

My 3 Sons: Fox is taking the AP Psychology exam today and doing some grade clean-up before it's too late.  Can not stress the importance of GPA to him when it comes to applying for college and scholarships.  The last track meet he only ran the 1-mile and was dealing with some shin splints still.  Meeting with the doctor later this week to see what we can do to help him through these training pains.

Ben is having a great time playing soccer with his school buddies and the team does really well together.  They have two strings that take turns playing and both are very strong.  This is the best passing team I've watched play in a long time.  So far they've won one and lost one.  Ben had several goal shots this past weekend but none went it.  Doh!  Hopefully today's game he'll put some in the net!

Ethan did a great job getting sponsorships for the Swine Department again, not sure if he'll win the prize this year but he was glad to help out and generate some funds to go toward all the expenses at Fair.  His first baseball game will be on Wednesday, he's not a huge fan of his coach right now but I'm hoping things will turn around.  When it comes to rec sports and volunteers it's like a box of chocolates....you never know what you're going to get. 

The first Born: Not much on her lately, she's just looking forward to having a week long PAID VACATION in July....going camping with the Grandparents.  It's tradition!  Nice to see her and the bf at the LCCC "Cinema Sinfonia" concert yesterday.

Employment News: Nothing new on my end, have been getting a decent amount of sub jobs, was in the high school three days last week.  Fox and Ben are going to get two more weekends in at the Vineyard which is great because that means they can totally fund their swine project themselves and keep all profits after auction.  Ethan is already thinking about where he would like to work when he is a bit older, while he was out procuring sponsorships for the Swine Department he kept in mind that these would be good contacts for references and possible employment.  That kind of mindset makes me smile.

Hoping to Improve: My leadership and delegation skills now that, by default, I have become the President of the Lapeer County Concert Choir board.

Food for Thought: Every time you eat according to your natural instincts, it is an act of love and respect.  When you begin to recognize your body's needs and take the utmost care in satisfying them, the feelings of self-connectedness can be awesome.  ~Ten Habits of Naturally Slim People

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