Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Boys and Housework

I have been amazed when moms of girls talk to me about how the housework "works" at their house. As the mother of boys, I have asked, begged, pleaded, cajoled, haraunged, threatened, begged again and somedays just given up on getting the housework done. I take a deep breath before I enter their bedroom. I sigh when I leave it. Somedays the announcement of, "I am getting a garbage bag" finally motivates the 9 and 5 year old to get their areas picked up. All of my children know the sound of a garbage bag being filled with air when you snap it upside down to separate the sides of plastic. And they run to get their precious junk.

I recently purchased shelves for the boys room. They are pretty cool. They are slat boards from a store front that went out of business. They have plexiglass shelves that can be put in just about any space they want and the shelves show off all those beloved lego creations. They have hooks to hang up their clothes. They have brackets for bookshelves. It is organizing heaven.

I went into their room this morning. The shelves are emtpy. The stuff is on the floor. The beds are unmade-some of them without sheets. I am watching their father, my beloved huband, friend and lover, and know that really they are little men. They are just not hardwired to be a generalist. They have a hard time multi-tasking and making all those minute decisions that cleaning their bedroom requires.

I am accepting this and giving up. No cajoling today.

Monday, June 22, 2009

it is almost done

the project list is getting smaller and smaller. The garden is in, it is growing like mad (yeah!), the watering system is installed, the electric fence is up, the chickens are in a coop and we have a few roosters. They were cock-a-doodle-doing. we only have the trellis system to put into the garden. The system I decided will also be able to support plastic sheeting so I can have mini-greenhouses in the fall. The chicken coop needs some work but the chickens don't seem to mind their sleeping arrangements.

Unexpected chores of country life: before company comes over we have to wash the sidewalk-chicken poo from those free-range chickens. If they are free-range, they will range on your car, IN your car if you leave the doors open (ask Margo) and leave evidence that they were in your car (ask Margo). Another unexpected chore has been critter control. #2 has been put on critter control-he and his .22 with several live traps. After the critters are dead, they get tossed over the back fence and the turkey vultures get a good snack.

Today I will harvest the first of our own homegrown strawberries. We will only get a few this year because we got the plants in late. But we are getting some! The onions and potatoes are doing well. The pinto beans I planted from my pantry are doing surprising well. I was just happy they sprouted. Rhubarb is a miracle. I had some rhubarb plants from Meijer in a plastic sack for 4 weeks before I planted them. I thought for sure they were goners. I was out this morning and I see leaves making their way to the top of the garden bed. We will harvest rhubarb next year. Corn is growing, I have to remind myself it looks just like grass when it is newly emerging. I almost pulled my corn plants today. Beans, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes are going crazy. It is a beautiful site. The tomatoes in the kitchen garden are flowering and starting to set fruit.

We are eating salad almost nightly now. The lettuce is sweet and delicious. My library book choices this week were: Blue Ribbon Preserves and heirloom vegetables. When the snow flies it will be back to fiction.

#3 is at Cub Scout Day camp this week. We have an unusually busy week with youth conference for #1, #1 and #2 doing an orienteering course and rescue training for their scout badges, temple trip for #1 and 2, we have 10 young men from church staying the night on Friday night (our church building is the stake center so we are the host ward for all the youth), Aubrey is home and will probably come over, my roommate from before DH is in Michigan and I pick her up and spend time with her and bring her to the airport on Friday and Saturday AND it looks like we will be renting our old house. DH is there today doing some repairs and people are planning on moving in this week. (can we spell relief?? We have been making double mortgage payments for this whole year.)

Life is good. We are all healthy. We have enough to eat and a roof over our heads. We love each other. Life is plain ole good.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

guess what we had for dinner?

mmmmmm, it was delicious.


strawberry shortcake



there has to be some days were I earn cool mom points, right?

Monday, June 8, 2009

NOW LISTEN UP!

All you beautiful friends of mine!



IF you are comparing your garden to mine-STOP.

Heavenly Father told me we are supposed to do this. Heavenly Father will tell you what you are supposed to do.

STOP.

Listen to Him for YOUR instructions.

It isn't contest.

Don't compare.

Do what YOU are supposed to do.

I love you.



and be ready in August to come pick some tomatoes.

:)

Thursday, June 4, 2009

My computer is limping

My laptop's hard drive is on the fritz. I can use some of the applications but cannot access the internet. I am typing from boys' (and now my) computer. DH is trying to fix it but with all the other things I just told him, "It's okay. I spent too much time surfing anyway." (I did last week.)

We are building an automated watering system for the garden. It is made out of pvc and we are drilling thousands of little holes for the water to come out of. Really, thousands. #1 and #2 are perfectly capable of building it themselves but mama is needed to keep them going. It isn't exactly automated-I will still have to go out and open the valves but it is better than dragging a hose around and watering each individual bed.

Fencing-last week after getting all those tomato plants in the bunnies had a little smorgasbord. #2 has been shooting them with his .22 as often as we see them. We have live traps set and if we catch one we drown it. A few days last week were spent pricing the fencing for the garden. We decided to go with electric netting. It turned out to be cheaper and easier. It should only take about an hour to put up the fence versus days of post hole digging and stringing fence.

Today I did the grocery run. Do you know how much food $500 will buy at Aldi? When will these children learn to photosynthesize??? It was about 4 cart loads.

I am pooped and going to bed.

Texas

The days are so different. Instead of mess and homeschool teaching I have a DH working from home and quiet until 2:54 when #6 (who is 10)...