Everyday Life for Four Seasons

I would say that I have a pretty fulfilling life. There is definitely far more happiness than pain. My time is spent doing things I truly enjoy, for the most part. I spend a lot of time with my children, and since Jeff and I try to live [ecologically] lightly, I spend a significant amount of time engaged in domestic work - preparing food, making household products (such as the laundry detergent I need to make tomorrow), and using my energy in place of electric energy to finish tasks (such as hanging out the laundry and using the kiddie pool water on the garden). I also volunteer at my church, exercise, sew and read, take my girls to classes and for outings to museums and fun places, and on occasion, I work.

When 'A' was a baby I did much more website application work than I do now, but there are times now when I have some work to do. I love it. Working has the effect of engaging my mind in a completely different way and it fulfills me even more. The only problem I have when I work, and this is a good problem to have, is that I have trouble balancing all of the fulfilling things I like to do each day.

I have a pretty good work ethic, and I used to think that I had to take a job so seriously that it meant shutting out areas of my life that were enjoyable. "Work before play" was my motto. I've aged a bit and changed my perspective. If I only work - and by work I mean do the jobs that either earn me money or that impact other people, such as church volunteer jobs - then I burn out fast. I wind up feeling exhausted and resentful. I've found that I need to keep exercising, keep crafting, keep reading for pleasure, keep canning those pickles and making salsa with the produce that's on my countertop.


With that in mind, I'm going to take the girls to the farm this afternoon to pick up our vegetables, head to the gym to row 7,000 meters, prep the cucumbers for pickling and the tomatoes for salsa-making, and when I can take a break, I'm going to do the work I need to do.

All in moderation.

Rope swings, wading through the river behind my sister's house, canning tomatoes, lots of meals with friends, and some warm, comfortable family time. That's what we've been up to lately. We're going to have a rainy start to the week, and I'm welcoming the rain and a light schedule. I need some time to stay home and organize my life. Laundry needs to be put away, mail needs to be opened, library books need to be enjoyed, and a few computer projects need to be worked on.

This is the hornworm (?) that ate some of my tomato plant. Can't see it? Neither could I for a while! I had trouble removing it from the plant, it's feet were so sticky! And this is what it did to the plant...


I'm working at max capacity right now. Life is good, very good, and full, very full. It's just full enough. I have web work to do, volunteer work to do, mothering to my girls, my plants and my cats, and canning and pickling to do. We've been busy these past few days with my niece, visiting the Saratoga Racetrack, taking in the art at The Clark, attending art class, picking up our vegetables at the farm, shucking corn, and making cookies, among other things. She goes home tomorrow, and although it will be nice to slow our pace down, I have enjoyed every moment of having her here. There girls get along wonderfully, and she is so easy-going. I'll see you back here on Friday.

:: 'A' enjoyed theater camp very much... especially the part where she took a bow with the other kids (she's second from the right).


:: Her lizard t-shirt costume was wonderfully done! I love the colors.


:: A tomato harvest for the day. We are soooo fortunate.


:: Local, organic watermelon from our CSA farm.


:: After laying on our backs, looking at the stars for a few nights in a row, Jeff and I decided to get out the tent and sleep in it one night. We haven't done that together since our pre-kid days! It was different. Definitely bearable. Fun? I'm not so sure about that. It felt right, but not glamorous.


:: Turnips from our garden.

I'm here, definitely behind the camera, but not in front of the computer as much as I'd like to be. I've been doing some very important things these past few days such as:

* watching the Perseid meteor shower all evening long, for a few nights in a row

* spending time with one of my longest-standing friends

* clapping loudly at the end of the play that 'A' put on after a few days at theater camp

* enjoying time at the racetrack with my sister and her family

* having my niece here for a few days

* feeling at home with the UU congregation

I'll be back soon!

Today was fun - I took the girls to a bubble activity and they spent an hour making big, beautiful bubbles!

Is it August already? Where has my mind been? It's been full, I'll tell you that. I have a lot going on right now. Some of things I want to tell you about are:

How quickly children grow. They're babies one minute and big kids the next. How does that happen?

Work. I get energized by work so, so much! And at the same time, it throws me off my rhythm, my schedule. I do programming & web work but not much anymore, so when I do some work, it puts me into a different routine.

WordPress. Did you know that it's much more than a blogging site? You can create websites with it and make use of so many of the plugins that people have created! Wow. This is big!

Local nectarines. I bought a big bag at the farm today for $3.00 and we all would be happy to do nothing but sit and watch them soften up over the next few days.

Sewing books, like Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner and Small Stash Sewing. It makes me want to deviate from my plan of sewing a shirt for myself, some epi-pen cases, and a skirt at my September sewing class (in that order!).

The Perseid meteor shower. It's coming to town in full force (at least for us Northern Hemisphere folks) tonight and tomorrow! Look outside at night and you'll likely see a "shooting star" pass by. I'll be out there, wrapped in blankets to keep the mosquitoes away, laying on my back, facing the northeast.

Weight Watchers. I love it! It's such an easy plan to follow. And it's true that when you (um, let's be honest here - when I...) eat less, I am bound to lose some weight. Before long I'll be back into my pre-pregnancy clothing :)

And last but certainly not least, living with food allergies. Actually this is a whole topic unto itself and I'll post about it soon. I've come to understand that dealing with food allergies is dealing with an invisible disability. It looks like it's simple to live with, and as long as there's no episode (and there usually isn't), it seems to be a non-issue. But for the parent or person dealing with life-threatening allergies, daily life is anything but easy and stress-free. I've thought about this topic this week because 'A' started a half-day camp where snacks would be served. Snacks! Oh my! It's all working out okay, but before the camp started, I was a wreck. Most parents don't start the day wondering if today is the last time they'll ever see their child. Like I said, it's an invisible disability.

Have a great night. Life is good here. Busy, but good.

Mom's okay - whew! The tomato had Early Blight, so into the garbage can she went, along with a second one and three summer squash plants that had squash borer (again).

My sister came for a visit on Friday and we had fun moseying around Saratoga Springs with her. On Saturday, Jeff and I took the girls to Silver Bay on Lake George for some kayaking and swimming fun.





Silver Bay...