All ideas in place, just missing the bits to put together

I have two places in which I write; my regular desk top computer and my iPad. Usually I'm really good about importing changes from one into the other, but I see I haven't done that recently, so I can't update my current story. I guess I could add my ideas at the bottom, but I know my recent changes were rather complete and detailed, so to continue on without being able to check back on those changes leaves me feeling that I shouldn't touch anything further yet. Sounds like a lame way of not writing, so I thought I'd not cheat on the writing and finally update my blog. It's clearly been way too long.

It rained and snowed all day yesterday leaving a good six inches on the ground this morning. Since then, it's been a steady melt, melt, melt. I mean it's rather mucky slushy out there. The fact that my 5 year old opted out of hitting the slopes today meant an excuse for me to get some things done here. Despite a lazy morning at first (I contemplated going back to sleep, but figured my 5 year old wouldn't really go for that idea), I do like to organize when I see a light at the end - why does my desk not give me that same feeling?

Hard to believe that the school year is coming to a close. It makes me sad knowing that my lil' guy will be heading to kindergarten this year. Going to hold onto all I can to make my time with my littlest last. We have egg decorating on the agenda this week. I'll be picking up some stickers, to help make designs while dying our eggs. Not sure when we will be able to do it so that my 9 year old can join in, but we'll try, since I know he'd like that, too.

And now for a current Flickr pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/57827617@N04/6890252338/in/photostream

Cheers and I hope I forget to update my writings again, so that I can update here again soon.

Summer lovin'

It's all about being laid back and taking it day by day.

Summer has the same feel as it did when I was younger, only now I get to see it through the eyes of my boys. And I think I love it even more, because I get to see them living freedoms that they often don't get as they move from school to an activity only to have to get home and do homework before bed and then do the same routine over again the next day. I never had the structure they have when I was growing up, but it's hard to avoid it during the school year now.

It's summer! These months are for us all to just decompress, step away from those routines and remember what it's like to just live each day as we want. Those long days extending out give us time to be creative and think about more than just lists of to do's. It's all about getting outside as much as possible. My kids are easily pulled from the "screens" as the chance to play with the neighbors knocks, hit the local park or make some waves in the pool or local body of water.

Even food becomes simpler. It's about what we have on hand or making the most of the grill and enjoying the late evening sun. Oh, the neighbor children are out "come on over, I know I have something that everyone can eat". Just having whipped up some smoothies for all the kids, a very easy snack; they're raving about the yumminess and I'm smiling about the goodness their bodies are getting.

For the past few years, since my eldest first started really participating in life, I've made a point of spending several weeks on the East Coast to visit my parents and the property where I grew up. It's on the water and each day the boys fill up on fishing, boating, swimming, crabbing, biking, exploring or just lazing however they'd like. It's the perfect arrangement. I get to catch up with my parents and see my kids enjoying something that they otherwise don't get to do. My brother even brings my niece over several times during our visit, so that the cousins get a chance to be play together while he and I catch each other up with our own lives.

Feet are padding into the kitchen. Guess it's time to check the pantry and get mine and the neighbors something to nibble.

Until next, which I won't make as long...

"To Do" Party

A friend of mine invited me to a most creative party the weekend before Halloween. It was a "Have Some Fun and Get Stuff Done Party". One need only bring a project or chore that they'd been delaying on and she provided the food and cocktails along with whatever we may require to assist us in our completing of our projects. She even supplied helpful ideas of projects or tasks that we might consider.

To me it was a no brainer. I had to be there! Someone actually asking me to complete a task whilst being social. Obviously, I needed to be selective about my project. It had to be something that wouldn't require me to focus my full attention, I mean the whole idea was to also be amongst friends and to make new ones. Leaving my short story group readings behind (I only had two more days before our next meeting, but this was not the time to start evaluating others writing). I grabbed up my materials and headed to the party. Then arrived to an Autumnal Sangria which was just being served. Snacks of prosciutto, fig, cheese and bread with wafting aromas of a divine "not your child's" Mac & Cheese.

We ate up a few snacks then headed into the dining/design area. Each of us were carefully selective in choosing our projects. There were Thank You's for a wedding last Spring; files of photos to go through and keep, hold or discard; a hat needed a refitting; files being deleted from a hard drive; children's pants needing to be cinched in more properly. I placed my material on the table and just as she stated in her invite sewing supplies were on hand. We each talked about our project (great ice-breaker!) and immediately started on socializing and working.

We took a break to delve into the delicious meal of pasta and salad, fill up our drinks and just chat while we let our work wait a moment. I knew less than half the attendees, but by night's end I felt like I knew each of them very well. It was a fantastic party and I came away with my project off to a great start. I completed one pair of clown pants and it was enough momentum to get me to complete the rest of the outfits before mid-week. Well ahead of my usual Halloween planning schedule (uh, last minute anyone...?).

Thanks Alison for your creative endeavors. I'm certain I'm not alone in that thinking.

I'll leave you all with a photo of my creations:

BPA free me!

We know that we are living in a time when toxins abound and it seems on a regular basis we are confronted with new ones that have been surrounding us since long ago. Myself, for example grew up on a plot of land that was formerly asbestos riddled as well as being a pig farm (which eventually became a pig graveyard). My parents built a marina there. From the time I was three I can remember climbing upon giant hills of sand, dirt, mud, clay and whatever else was dredged from the nether regions below the waters surface in order to create slips that would fit sailboats that needed sufficient water depth in order to fit into their slip. I count myself lucky to have been able to live in such a creative mass of dirt to play in as I wished. I can recall collecting dozens of bottles from times long ago and cleaning them up to give to my mom. She has a beautiful collection of blue,brown and clear glass bottles/jars that line the marina’s office window. I became quite adept at creating some of the best mud pies! Did I come into contact with toxins? Highly likely, but nobody thought about stuff like that and I’m glad that I had the freedom to play in that gunk. What didn’t hurt me made me stronger, right? Okay, it’s yet to be known, but why dwell on what possible contaminants I came into contact with back then. Move ahead several decades (not gonna say how many).

My husband remarked the other day about how we should eliminate plastics from our home in order to ensure BPA (the newly discovered evil) won’t be a part of whatever else may be affecting us. To be sure we have plenty of others, but if we can do without - why not! Sure the wireless router is likely causing plenty of damage alone, but that one we really have become dependent on and presently can’t sever ourselves from it’s hold on us. Baby steps, right? The Guardian News reported on cancer being a modern day disease and stated that it’s likely due to something that WE created. I can believe this, thus all the more reason to become more aware of our surroundings and how we may be ingesting things that could truly be affecting or infecting ourselves. I’ve always been somewhat cautious of new gimmicky food trends and diets that eliminate whole food groups. I also, am slow to change at times. But when my husband brought this up I looked around me at the numerous plastic food related items and thought “yeah, right!” Half our kitchen is made up plastics”; for cooking, storing, drinking, eating from - you name it, we probably have it. Granted we don’t just have plastics, but with kids the likelihood of using plastics went up by double at least. “They can’t use glass or porcelain! It’ll break and then they’ll get hurt!” Okay, first up, they can use melamine or bamboo. Second up, my kids are certainly at an age where if they can’t use it now should be learning to care for their cups and plates and feel special enough to use what the grown ups use. It’s not like I use my wedding china every day at home. Simple Ikea (code word cheap) ceramic plates that if broken can be replaced.

So, we went to Costco yesterday and while going through the aisles I kept this new thought in my head and was overwhelmed by all the plastic that surrounds us. Both my husband and I agreed; plastics are such a big part of our lives that extricating ourselves from their use entirely may be impossible. Take freezer storage for example. I shop at a butcher for meats, so I don’t get as much plastic as grocery stores may package their meats, but once I get that home I have some meats that I’ve bought for a later time - I don’t want to have shop at the butcher on a daily basis. You could say, become vegan! Well, we’re not ready for that step yet, like I said I take change slowly sometimes. So, I do have to freeze some of my meats and I use plastic freezer Ziploc bags. I know the main issue is the BPA leakage during heat exposure, but why couldn’t this happen in other temps, too? What is BPA anyway/ Clearly I have much learning still to do and some reviewing of our cooking and kitchen prep needs. I have already pulled out a bunch of things that we can live without right now, but there’s a lot more that can still go.

Anyway, I’ve got some work cut out to do yet and I’ll be sure to keep you updated. It’ll inspire me to blog more, since I’ve been remiss on that for so long already.

Stay tuned...

My Latte Experience

I was never much of a coffee drinker. My first taste of it as a youth was squinched faced after the bitterness of my parents' adored beverage.

I fell for tea. The cleanliness of it: water & leaves. So simple. Add some milk and it becomes something smooth. Occasionally I'd have a coffee just to see how it would appeal to me at that moment.

When I lived in London, my neighbor and I shared the art of tea as we'd have our 3 o'clock get togethers - letting our recently napped toddlers play while we'd chitchat over a perfectly brewed tea with some milk and yummy biscuits (the triple chocolate ones from Waitrose were our favorites).

While we were living in London, every day my husband would stop off to buy a latte to have on his walk/tube ride into work. He realized how much money he was spending on that daily necessity and decided to buy an espresso maker. He started out brewing his one shot lattes and heading out. I'd savour the aroma that he'd impart within the house; that lovely roast of the cafe bean.

One day I decided to try it and loved the smooth froth of the milk that blended so well with the coffee. Since he was making one he could easily make two, because he had a double espresso attachment. Ah, perfect! I was forever held in this milk/cafe tango. We actually brought the espresso maker back with us from London thinking a simple adaptor is all we'd need to convert it for US usage. Not so. That simple adaptor was as large as the machine itself. We passed it on to someone else that thought they could put it to use. Then we relied on the old Italian stove top espresso maker for a bit. Not the same without the lovely steaming of the milk. Then one Christmas my parents thought of the best present for us: an espresso machine. Now whenever my husband brews his latte I get one, too.

I chose not to learn how to make it, feeling this is one thing he loves to do and appreciating the effort in his making them. When he's out of town I go back to my tea ways. Taking a break from the cafe bean for a bit. But when I get my latte.... Oh, how I enjoy every sip.

The above picture was the treat that was left for me upon my return from taking my eldest son to school one day. My husband had to head off to work early, but he left me with a fabulous surprise.

Missing library book

Now that I have two voracious readers (one that loves being read to, another that will read his chapter books practically without putting them down) we come away with quite a handful of books. Thirty-five in all this last time! When I get the emailed library return reminder, I gather all the books to determine that we have them all. Those email reminders are wonderful in that way, since we rarely hold onto the check-out receipts. All but one accounted for. I explain to my eldest the importance of looking for his chapter book. It was the favorite this time (Wimpy Kid series book).

The task this weekend: search high and low for the missing book.

Guess either way a lesson will be learned here.

I'm glad libraries are still around and we'll certainly do our part to keep them.

Taskmaster? Oh my!

What to do with a child that refuses to complete tasks?

I've started to feel like I've reached a brick wall. My seven year old son started out life as this fabulous easy-going kid that would try anything, help anytime, and would sit and listen as well as give his wonderful ideas. Granted once he started Kindergarten and homework became a requirement getting him to sit and complete it felt like I was going to have to drive nails into his clothes to keep him in front of it. I'd sit with him initially to assist as needed (which was rare if ever), then I'd head off to do things that I needed to get done. I'd turn around and he'd be next to me asking "Can I help with that?", so I'd ask "Did you finish your work?", "No." This would happen every time so it got that I would just sit next to him and read the paper or make lists, but then he'd be diverted again and ask what I was reading or suggest things I should add to my list.

Now he's in second grade and recently has been off chatting with friends who have completed their school work and when the teacher asks for the completed work he'd race back to his desk to try and do what he can before handing it in. That explains the work that's returned on a weekly basis incomplete and my husband and I having to talk to him about it each time. He is easily distracted, as most children his age are (albeit in front of the t.v. when you can't get him to even hear his own name being called), and likes to create his own distractions.

Last Thursday after discovering that this issue is not going away we're intervening. So, now he's having to do a Positive Behavior chart which the teacher recommended and that we're also doing at home to assist on homework completion.

Usual after school on campus play has been put on halt along with possible play dates. We came home immediately and after eating I stated that there would be no fun activities until work is completed each day. Reading in English and Spanish (he attends a dual immersion school and we speak Spanish at home), writing and math. His response was throw a fit and waste an hour by doing nothing and when asked to do work scream "NO!" Yikes, let's get this kid turned around quickly please.

Once seated he completed everything in half an hour. That's what really amazes me about all this. He knows what he's doing and can process what's needed quickly, but if someone requires it of him it's like taking something from him.

We're a week into this and it's still a daily struggle. I'll post to update as we go and hopefully I gain some good tips.