tales from a mama in the midwest

The Weekend Thus Far.

2008-07-05T19:03:00.004-05:00

So yesterday we spent the day at the Rockford Children's Museum, which was great. The kids all had a fantastic time. We headed over to my brother's house after, to barbeque and watch fireworks. Tonight we were to be camping. However, this morning S. yelled out from the living room, "Peanuts puking. Oh Gross! He just keeps puking!" So of course I run in, throw a blankie over his puke covered body (chocolate milk and toast makes for a disgusting combo, by the way) and whisked him away to the bathtub, leaving Hubby to deal with the puke covered couch. Peanut was pale and shaky and a bit gaggy until after noon, so we opted to set the tent up in the yard, and take the kids fishing today. Sticking close to home seemed like a better idea than trekking an hour or two out into the wilderness with a puking 3 year old. So thus far, not quite what we had in mind, but we're winging it.

Just an interesting tidbit for your viewing pleasure.

2008-07-05T14:03:00.006-05:00

PO Box 301301, Boston, MA 02130
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 'CONSCIOUS CONSUMING' LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR AMERICA'S "U.S. NATIONAL DOWNSHIFTING WEEK" FROM JULY 7-13TH

Americans will soon be celebrating National Downshifting Week, a voluntary simplicity awareness campaign sponsored by the non-profit Conscious Consuming. U.S. National Downshifting Week builds on the work of Tracey Smith, the founder of National Downshifting Week in the UK. U.S. National Downshifting week is scheduled for July 7-13, 2007 and is designed to help participants "Slow Down and Green Up." To downshift means to cut out unnecessary expenditure and cultivate a simpler lifestyle (and leave a lighter environmental footprint) with time to do more of the things you want to do. Data from the mid-90's from the Trends Research Institute shows that about 10% of Americans identify with downshifting, voluntary simplicity, and simple living. Duane Elgin, author of several books on voluntary simplicity, calls this a "conservative estimate." Many Americans are cutting back consumption this year due to higher food, health care, and fuel prices. According to Nan Mooney, author of (Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents, "The share of family income devoted to "fixed costs" like housing, child care, health insurance, and taxes has climed from 53 percent to 75 percent in the past two decades, " while real median incomes are lower than they were in 2003. The freefall in the housing market has also been a factor in reducing consumption, as home equity credit tightens and people feel the crunch. The recession cloud has a silver lining, however; according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, our personal savings rate over the past year has inched out of negative territory and currently hovers between 0.5- 0.7%. Instead of feeling down about buying less stuff, many Americans celebrate their decision to downshift. Smith says, "A positive approach to living with less helps you re-think ways to enjoy time with your loved ones without reaching for your wallet; changes to your spending habits should happen because you want them to." Donohoe notes that the dates for National Downshifting Week (July 7-13th) were chosen to coincide with the birthday of America's most famous downshifter, Henry David Thoreau (born July 12, 1817). "Modern downshifters don't have to move into a cabin in the woods to simplify their lives. Happiness depends on knowing when you have enough, and finding ways to do the things you love to do without spending a ton of money," says Donohoe. "Downshifters can live deliberately, leave a lighter footprint on the earth, and have even more time with their families and friends." For further details see http://www.downshiftingweek.com/ and http://www.consciousconsuming.org/
Contacts:
Susan Donohoe
Boulder, CO
Co-founder, Conscious Consuming
Tracey Smith
Somerset, UK
Writer and Broadcaster, Sustainable Living
You may reproduce this press release in on your website or in your
publication. For additional interview comment, contact Tracey Smith
or Susan Donohoe

It's Late.

2008-07-03T23:29:00.002-05:00

I'm not entirely sure how I manage to keep staying up later and later. How at 11:30 I still hear giggling kid sounds. The wildness of summer is upon us. Bedtime isn't even considered until 10pm, and even then, there are fireflies to chase, flashlight tag marathons to be had, falling exhausted to sleep after many whispered stories and giggles. Chuck E Cheese today, the pizza is actually much better than I remember. The children's museum in Rockford tomorrow, barbeques and fireworks. The summer finally feels underway.

I Think I Would Like to Keep ALL My Stuff.

2008-07-02T23:11:00.003-05:00

Today was a day I have been putting off for a month now--organizing Peanut's room. His room is the smallest in the house, and he seems to have the most stuff. Now that we've switched out his toddler bed for a twin bed, well, the room is just too full. Peanut is also facing a birthday in just over a week, and well, that means more stuff. So today I went through the toy box, the numerous canvas bins, the Rubbermaid containers, etc.. Peanut came in about half way through, as I was trying to separate things into keep and don't keep piles. I thought perhaps he would be able to see how great it would be to actually have room to play in his room and be happy to part with a few things that he hasn't touched in over a year. "So, Peanut what do you think we should take out to make some room in here?" I asked. "Well..." he pretended to ponder, "I think I would like to keep ALL my stuff." Hmmm...not exactly what i was looking for. In the end, I did manage to clear a space on the floor, and even pulled out a bin of stuff, that I will keep for a week or so, just to be certain that it wasn't something he will miss.

Jam for breakfast...Jam for lunch and dinner.

2008-07-01T20:31:00.003-05:00

OK, not that bad--especially since half my jam actually didn't "jam". I have several jars of strawberry syrup, which N. assures me is simply fabulous on ice cream.

Registered the kids for school today. Searching for the "perfect" preschool for Peanut. I can't believe it's already July. The summer is passing by far too quickly.

Changes and a bit of a rant--sorry in advance.

2008-06-30T22:19:00.003-05:00

Are you changing? Little changes; hesitating perhaps before you hop in the car to go somewhere? Not popping down to spend the weekend with your family out of town? Maybe you're buying a few less organics at the grocery or (gasp) shopping at Super Walmart and clipping coupons. I hear moms talking at the park about how they have $20 left to feed their family for the week, or that they're not running the air conditioner at all this year because the utility bills are too high, even without the air. What the hell is happening in our country? I have made a few changes, trying to conserve a bit, here and there. Thankfully, I can still feed my family, put gas in the mamavan, run the air when it hits that really uncomfortably humid state. I really sympathize with those families that are making really tough decisions right now. I hate getting online and reading those fricking articles and blog posts by smug bastards that live in the city and say "Good, with gas so expensive, less people will drive, more people will support public transportation." How convenient when you actually have public transportation. No bus comes to my neighborhood. No train takes Hubby to work. So no, probably if you live in the city and make a very good living, economic strains aren't so bad. But, getting on your environmental high horse about how this is "good" for society is bullshit. No, I'm not even going to provide links, just a bit of a rant, from a mama who tries to be environmentally conscious, but not sanctimonious.

Holy Field of Mosquitoes Batman!

2008-06-29T10:21:00.002-05:00

We took the kids to watch fireworks last night in Madison. There have been "warnings" about the incredibly high volume of mosquitoes in the Midwest right now--I know, go figure, lots of water, lots of mosquitoes. I've always opted for natural bug sprays when necessary for the kids. So I sprayed up the kids with this, which is what we are currently using. Luckily, Hubby had Off poison bug spray from his ventures in the woods, or the children would have been feasted upon. I kid you not, the whole field was a swarm of mosquitoes. So we quickly sprayed the kids with poison, in an effort to save their lives. Peanut actually buried his face in my chest and screamed as a swarm of mosquitoes dived at us. Creepy. I sprayed more bug spray, and a bit more as we watched the fireworks, which were only slightly obscured by a tree. OK, so it wasn't a great night. The kids seemed to have fun, playing catch with the football, wrestling, pooping in the woods...Good times, good times. So this mornings check only resulted in a few bug bites, but I warn you, don't go out after dark.

It's a Big World.

2008-06-27T20:01:00.000-05:00

A video for your viewing pleasure. Yeah, it's a kids song, but really, it's for everyone. I "discovered" this children's band last fall and unlike every other children's music bands I've heard, I loved every song. Yep, it's on my I-Pod, so I can listen to it whenever I want. Oh, Peanut likes it too. Check out Renee & Jeremy.

It's not summer without some strawberries.

2008-06-26T21:58:00.005-05:00

We went strawberry picking today. Thankfully, they didn't weigh the kids as they went in and out of the field. Peanut ate at least a basket of berries. Needless to say, it took us over an hour to fill 3 baskets. We froze one basket, made jam out of one basket, and are feasting on the third. I'm debating whether we want to go again this weekend, to stockpile berries for those cold winter months. Honestly, nothing tastes better than a fat, red strawberry, warmed by the sun, freshly picked and popped in your mouth.

Those last few boxes.

2008-06-25T21:09:00.004-05:00

This is what happens when I ask N. to do a chore, but fail to follow up periodically to check her progress. We are trying to unpack those last boxes in the garage. There was one full of shoes and I asked N. if she could unpack it, assuming the shoes would at the very least, end up in the hall closet (that they are pictured directly in front of). But no, apparently she just dumped the box out and went on her merry way. Gotta love that 10 year old work ethic. Or does this reflect negatively on me as a mom? Don't answer that.

The News.

2008-06-24T22:43:00.003-05:00

The 10pm news is pretty depressing. Hubby and I have decided to skip it in favor of The Daily Show. Jon Stewart is just funny. Not so sure about that Stephen Colbert, but we do usually watch both. It just seems better to end the night with a bit of laughter than wondering WTF happened to the humanity in the world.

Boy in a box.

2008-06-23T23:02:00.004-05:00

See those wee Puma feet sticking out? Peanut wore that box for quite some time--crashing into things, falling down. Good times.

Hubby set up the tent for the kids to sleep in tonight. Their cousin is here for 2 weeks, which for whatever reason, makes them create lots of PLANS. Tonight it was camping in the backyard and smores and lots of bug spray. They spent the afternoon making a horror movie---despite the fact that every line of the script made N. giggle maniacally. Peanut came in this afternoon and said excitedly, "Mama, I got to be an evil minion!" The kids are 10,11, and 12 this summer, their movie plots have definitely evolved. Peanut occasionally fits in there somewhere, but at 3 he is still a bit too young to follow them everywhere. Tomorrow we're having a friend from our old neighborhood to visit, playgroup friends. Peanut will have a little 3 year old love--hopefully he won't try to make her his "evil minion".

Sunday wrap-up.

2008-06-22T20:35:00.004-05:00

These may not look like much to you, but to me it means the living room floor is FINALLY finished! Yeah, thanks Luke--who used part of his vacation to fix my house.

And--my aloe had tons of aloe babies. I finally got some replanted; they have been sadly neglected in our move. All of those aloe plants were in ONE pot. Peanut also got his big boy bed this weekend. Not that he's actually slept in it yet, but it's a twin bed, so hopefully it's more to his Majesties liking--his toddler bed was "too small" he said, to sleep in. Peanut will be 4 next month, and I'm hoping to have him in his own bed by then. All of my kids have co-slept, but S. was in her own room at 3 and N at 2, so Peanut has definitely had his share of snuggles. Hopefully he'll find it very exciting and his room is right across the hall from ours, so it's not too scary. To a 32 year old mama anyway--I have no idea what lies in the mind of an almost 4 year old boy. Though I'm sure chocolate milk, trucks and fart humor are high on the list.

Peanut.

2008-06-19T21:43:00.003-05:00

Peanut is a walking boo-boo. Both knees are scabbed over, not just in one place, but in several. This morning at the park he decided to take a running leap into a wall--no, I don't know why. He fell to the playground floor (which luckily was the squishy recycled tires stuff). "Oh, I think I broke my pee-pee." He says as he holds his crotch. "But, my boys didn't fall off." Ummm...Well that's good. Right?

Sucking away.

2008-06-18T19:54:00.003-05:00

Here is a bit of what I've been working on. The family room is painted--finally. It's a fabulous shade of orange. The days seem to be sucking away. I glance at the clock and realize it's time to make dinner already. There are still so many things left to do on our house. I'm getting a bit burnt out, I just want it to be done already. I know--poor me. My sorrow seems petty. I did shell out almost $70 to put gas in the mamavan today, is that more relevant? Lest you think I've only subjected my children to construction work, the girls are busy with swim lessons, Peanut and I have discovered a really fabulous park and my sister came up for the weekend, fleeing the flooding and water restrictions in Cedar Rapids and we did her piles of laundry and took the kids to the zoo. I feel all off kilter though, our schedule is totally non-existent, so I need to work on that. And maybe wash this orange paint off my elbows.

Two Days of Painting--Two More Coming.

2008-06-13T20:58:00.003-05:00

We spent the last two days painting--the dining room, the hallways. S.'s new carpet was installed today, so she is officially out of the family room. That means this weekend we are painting the family room. I hate painting now. I used to love it. I actually spent many summers painting dorm rooms for my summer job at the small college in the town I grew up in. Maybe I'm just burnt out. We've painted all 4 bedrooms, the kitchen, the dining room, the hallways, S.'s bathroom, and S.'s bedroom furniture.

In other news, Cedar Rapids, where much of our family lives, where both of our girls were born, is flooded. I talked to both my brother and sister today, and both are dry, but still freaked out by the fact that much of the town is under water. We've had crazy weather here in Southern Wisconsin as well--tornadoes, flooding, thunderstorms. Hubby drove home 15 miles from a tornado yesterday. He called and said "Hey--I think there's a tornado a few miles from here, will you check the weather?" Sure enough, a quick scan of the radar showed he was a short distance away from a tornado headed TOWARDS him. "UMMM..drive fast, really fast, south, east. Don't look to the west." Of course, he did make it home, but WTF is with all these tornadoes? I'm totally over it. Thankfully we're not super impacted by flooding, though there is flooding expected in the city we live in, none of it is near us. And we still have no leaks. Which is good to know. Still, it is very "end of days" kind of crazy.

With all the rain, I did have some flowers burst out in front of the house. I'm not sure what they are, but they are very pretty.

A Flurry of Activity.

2008-06-11T20:03:00.003-05:00

So I did get my new drivers license today, and bought the kids their pool pass and signed them up for swim lessons. We also trekked to the library and got our new library cards and finally, some new books to read. We also signed up for the summer reading program and got gobs of info about all the summer activities our new community has to offer. Now the kids want to join every camp and club listed. Limits are good. I didn't end up signing Peanut up for swim lessons yet. I want to watch a few of the lessons first to see if he will be able to do it and not freak out. There are two choices, neither of which seem quite right. There is a "Tot" class for toddlers and their parents. It's not really swim lessons, it's more an introduction to the pool, parents hold their kids the whole time. The other option is Level 1 swim lessons, for kids 4 and up, which Peanut will be in less than a month, so could take the second or third swim lesson sessions. This class might be too intense for him though--going underwater, opening their eyes under water, wearing life vests, learning to float and swim on both their bellies and backs. I need a nice medium, or at least to check out both classes before I commit. He did love our new library. Our old library was very small, and didn't have a children's room, more like a children's corner. Our new library has an extensive children's section with little reading nooks and magnetic games and blocks and lots and lots of books and videos. Peanut was in bliss. Even S. was thrilled. They have a Teen section, and all the books S. has been wanting to read. She checked one out this afternoon and has already finished it. I guess she's been deprived this last week. N. has made a new friend. I should be happy, but it's "the friend you hate to have over" child. She is incredibly loud, runs a lot in the house, is sassy not only to S. and Peanut, but to me as well. I had to kick them outside this afternoon, as I was about to pop from not commenting on the nasty girl. They are still out playing, but I fear that I will have to have a chat with N. tonight, and hope that with our new activities she makes more friends quickly. Back to painting tomorrow--we decided to not today, but tomorrow we must.

The Garden.

2008-06-10T19:32:00.002-05:00

So this is still the state of my garden--basically a big mud hole.

These are tomatoes, though a sad sorry lot. I also have some pumpkins to plant, but the garden is slow going at this point. The move, and the horrific weather have left my garden status in pretty sad shape. Hopefully we'll dry out a bit and by next weekend I'll have some better pics to share. Back to painting tomorrow. Hopefully a trip to the town pool, too. I still haven't signed the kids up for swim lessons--slacking mother that I am.

Crazy weather, crazy people.

2008-06-08T21:38:00.002-05:00

It's been 2 days of insane thunderstorms here in the Midwest. We heard the tornado sirens for the first time since we moved back to the area. Yesterday late afternoon we sat in front of the TV, watching the warnings and radar as wave after wave of storm came through. After what seemed to be the last wave, we decided to go eat--stress makes us hungry. We packed up the kids and though Hubby's vote was for Mexican, I had to veto, we've already had a food poisoning episode involving take out from "Del Taco" since we moved. So we headed to Olive Garden. We had a really good meal, a few drinks, a bit of dessert--the kids were a little wild, but Hubby and I were pretty mellow and feeling relaxed. Until---a couple was seated next to us. You know when you go to a restaurant and there is a person that thinks they deserve a free meal? Like something unpleasant occurred and their dining experience was ruined and they don't want to pay. Well this happened to the woman next to us. The waitress sort of tossed the straws down onto their table and the lady was like "Did you just throw that straw at me?" and the waitress assumed she was joking, because of course, it was so incredibly ridiculous to get insane about. So the waitress was like "yeah, I guess I did." but she was saying it in a joking way. The scene escalates as the dinner progresses and after the soup the lady wants to speak to the manager. At this point we're finishing up dessert and Hubby is drinking a cup of coffee. The lady is telling the manager that she isn't satisfied with her service...wants an apology...isn't going to pay....And the manager is apologizing and saying that there was a misunderstanding...and then the ladies dinner companion comes out with this "Do you know what it means when you throw a straw at an African American Woman?" and everyone in the restaurant falls into silence. What does it mean? I mean does it mean something different than when you throw a straw at a woman of another race? Obviously the manager stated that Olive Garden does not discriminate on the basis of color.....Anyway, by this point the argument was getting out of hand and I was getting a sour taste in my mouth, so I made Hubby chug his coffee so we could flee the scene. As we were hustling the kids out to the mamavan, S. says "What DOES it mean when you throw a straw at an African American woman?" and we had to somehow explain this insane woman's reaction by trying to defend a person's right to be shown respect and all people deserve respect, even crazy ones.

Friday.

2008-06-06T19:37:00.002-05:00

I know--I should be posting about the amazing book I'm reading and the incredible picture books that Peanut is obsessing over. I don't have a new library card yet. See, to get a library card you have to have a driver's licence with your current address. I did go to the DMV to get a new licence. I stepped right up to the counter, amazed that despite the large number of angry looking individuals waiting in the room--no one was at the counter! I cheerfully told the lady behind the counter that I had just moved and needed a new licence. She looked not at me, but at my 3 cheerful children. "Ummm..."she began (which is never good at the DMV by the way) "the current wait is 1 hour, 15 minutes. Would you like a number?" What? Why was there no one being helped at the counter? Hello? I briefly considered, then looked at Peanut's already twitchy eyes, as he inwardly contemplated all the things he needed to touch and climb into. "Yeah, I think I'll not today, but thank you." So we left, no current ID for me. Who in their right mind would give up more than an hour of their life to sit in a stinky, dirty, room with 50 angry people. And surely not with 3 kids. You would think there should be a better system at this point in humanity. Maybe I've just lived in small towns for too long. When you go over to the DMV and a genuinely happy face asks you to smile for your photo--and you do. Ok, not hubby, but he's jaded from big city life. I guess I'll try again next week--we'll eventually have to get a library card.

This is why...

2008-06-04T19:25:00.004-05:00

Can you guess why my camera batteries died? Between the pictures my daughter took of her eye, and the 57 she took of the cat sleeping in a box--well, let's just say I had a lot to delete.

But, here are a couple pictures of my appliances, all filled in. Yes, my picture quality is sadly quite below my daughters, so you'll have to bear with me.

2008-06-03T21:18:00.002-05:00

HA, HA! I titled that : stove stinks, but didn't include the story of how the stove stunk up the whole house with it's poison chemical smell. Apparently when you buy a new stove you have to do the "burn off"--where you cook off all of the factory sprayed chemicals--eewww. So I opened all the windows, even though it's like 50 degrees or something, and my house still smells. I must be crazy from the fumes.

The Stove Stinks!

2008-06-03T21:09:00.003-05:00

SO--my appliances came today--yay! I would take a picture to show you my fridge hole filled in, but well, my camera needs batteries, I can't find my battery stash, the rechargeable batteries or the charger, so , well, no pics today. OK, I did find a picture of the fridge we bought, but, we bought a black fridge and here is a picture of the white version. It's been a long day, work with me here. I'm feeling less ambitious about getting shit done. I'm hoping to wake up tomorrow with a bit more inspiration. It was rainy and cold, and Peanut couldn't play outside all day, and he needed to be held. A lot. But tomorrow is Wednesday, and I'm excited to bake something in my new oven.

Finding my way.

2008-06-02T21:19:00.002-05:00

I've previously mentioned that I hate to drive. I have anxiety issues about driving in a lot of traffic, in "weather", far distances... With Hubby almost an hour away now, and living in a town with not only a lot of traffic, but everything is off of the interstate, I'm driving. I had errands to run today--beginning with the fact that there was no milk, or cereal or fruit, in my house this morning. So I set off with my kids and "Bridget" (the voice of our British GPS) who guides my every move. Mostly she just says "recalculating" when I miss my turn, or turn the wrong way, or whatever other thing I do that is not the way she thinks I should do it. Anyway--small victory today--I got groceries, went to the bank and the DMV. Yay me! I can see the floor in most rooms today as well, so we're making progress. Oh, and we had vegetables for dinner--shishkabobs on the grill. Progress.

A Real Meal.

2008-06-01T21:04:00.002-05:00

We had dinner at my brother and sister-in-laws house. She made salad, spaghetti and bread. My kids were practically falling all over her for finally cooking them "home made" food. "Oh, thank you Aunt C. Mom has fed us nothing but pizza and doughnuts for a week. We're dying of malnutrition!" I don't have a frickin' stove!!! You can only microwave so much. Besides, kids are supposed to love pizza and doughnuts. My kitchen appliances are set to be here on Tuesday. The kids already have a grocery list a mile long--we want homemade bread, and eggs and pasta and chicken stir fry and cookies and muffins and asparagus and... We'll all be happy to have our kitchen back. We're just not a family that eats out a lot. Sure we do pizza a couple times a month, the occasional Chinese take-out, but really we like to cook, and we really like to eat. I have been sneaking in green smoothies every day, S. asking with a weary eye "is there spinach in this?" as I assure her that there is nothing green involved--maybe a teaspoon or two of greens powder, but who can tell? All in all, my kids will surely not suffer from malnutrition. We were however, very grateful for a home cooked meal.