Everyday Life for Four Seasons

Thumbs up if you like skiing lessons! If I had been in that photo, instead of sitting behind the camera, my thumb would have been raised up as well. I took snowboarding lessons while the girls were learning to feel comfortable on skis. I haven't touched a snowboard in several years. I wasn't a very good snowboarder back in the day. I fell a lot, cried, and then, when I finally started to get the hang of it, I saw how much fun it can be. On Sunday, when I met up wtih my snowboarding class, there were again a lot of falls, but no tears, and I'm happy to say that the feeling of success came back strong and fast. What a great feeling it is to slide down the hill! I was nervous before the lesson started. Would I be able to keep my balance on the board? What if I couldn't do it? Would it hurt if I fell? It turns out I had nothing to worry about.

I was also wondering how 'A' and 'H' would like skiing lessons. Would they be too cold? Would they cry? Would the lesson be too long for them? They loved it, and they can't wait to go back. Every Sunday afternoon for 5 more weeks. This is family fun, and it's wonderful!

So... eight months later, her tooth fell out!

It happened just after I finished this adorable little pouch to keep her tooth safe under her pillow. The thought of the tooth fairy searching for that little tooth under her big pillow made my head spin, so I whipped this up today. Now she can keep it safe and the tooth fairy can find it with no trouble at all.


It snowed today, and we're enjoying a cozy evening while the snow continues to fall. This mama isn't looking forward to waking up tomorrow morning and hauling boxes of vegetables into the farmer's market in the snow, but it is fun to watch it come down.

If you were to ask me about my homeschooling approach, I would tell you that I try to follow my children's lead and let them learn what they want to learn, at the pace they want to learn it. I introduce them to new concepts and topics all the time, and I wait to see which ones pique their interest. I pay attention to the way they interpret the world around them, and step in to teach and guide along the way.

There is one concept that is critical to the success of this philosophy, and it's not easy to always remember and respect it:


It's important to have trust in the learning process, trust that my children will be open to learning, trust that I'll know how to help them learn what they want & need to learn. There are times when I lose sight of that sense of trust and I wonder if I'm teaching them the right things, and enough of those things. Too much? Too little? Wrong topics? I start feeling lost and out of touch with the process. I doubt my abilities to teach them. And then something happens that puts it all back in perspective for me. I learn how to trust again.

Today I rediscovered that sense. 'A' was counting up to one hundred... past one hundred... and she stopped at "one hundred forty nine!" Then she ran to her paper and pencil and wrote out the number one hundred forty nine: 10049. I heard her thinking it out as she wrote. "One hundred has two zeros..." Then she proudly showed me her work. It was then that I had my "Aha!" moment and knew that it was time to teach her how to write 149. She let me know that she was ready and interested in learning about it.

She made sets of ten with the colored tiles; counted them by tens; wrote out equations showing how she added 10 to each set; and finally she practiced writing numbers higher than 100. And when she felt she was done, she scampered off to play "Laura and Mary" and exercise her brain in a completely different way.


'H' is almost 4 now and is ready for some informal instruction as well. She loves to scribble "words" and she's even starting to write the names of all of her family members. 'H' has a special issue: we don't know yet if she's right handed or left handed. She scribbles with both hands (equal amounts too), and when I look at her scribbles, it appears that her right handed scribbles are neater and more uniform than her left handed scribbles. I started to think she was right handed.

Today I sat her down to practice writing a few letters, and every time I asked her to trace my sample letter and be neat, taking care to make straight lines, she chose to use her left hand. She just couldn't do it with her right hand.

Maybe she's left handed?

One thing is for sure: we don't know yet. She isn't comfortable writing letters with either hand yet. Trusting that this process will unfold on its own when the time is right, I put away the handwriting paper and I'll pull it out when she's ready.

It's a new year! I'm not really one for New Year's Resolutions. It's always seemed so strange that people wake up one day and decide to change so many things which, up to that point, have been really hard to change. Doesn't it seem like a recipe for failure?

This year I'm celebrating the fact that the new year has begun and I've got a few positive changes already in the works. I'm also celebrating the fact that the busy-ness of the seasons has come to an end (by that I mean summer (garden), fall (garden) and the Thanksgiving/Christmas celebrations), and now I can look forward to a few months of focusing on new things.

One thing that's *new* for me is the return of the paper calendar. I've had it less than a week and already I find I use it so much more than I used my Outlook calendar. I keep track of my time better and it's already become an information-hub for me. In four days. I wonder how long I'll keep up this level of enthusiasm? I say this as if I've never organized my time before, as if it's all new to me. It kind of is. I used to have an organized life, back before I had children, and come to think of it, I did keep a fairly detailed calendar when they were younger, but that was all part of a different life. We entered a whole new world this past year and it was a calendar-less, time-less world. It's a world everyone should have a chance to enter and explore at some point in their lives. It was a world in which it was okay to not have plans set in stone, to dilly-dally half the time, to not look at the clock at all during the day, instead relying on the hunger in our bellies and the sounds from the birds to tell us the time. It coincided with an overall move toward "opting out" on our part: opting out of school; opting out of the Standard American Diet; opting out of consuming. Instead we opted into other things: staying at the library until we all felt the urge to leave; watching the birds come and go at our backyard feeder, waiting for the elusive white-breasted nuthatch to return; admiring every inch of our tomato and squash plants; and creating new works of art whenever the urge struck, "just because."

I still have one foot firmly planted in that world, but the time has come to get a bit more organized. It's the grown-up thing to do, I guess. And it feels right.


The other things I feel good about are... yes, the same thing that's on everyone's list: I'm feeling better about my eating and exercise choices. Well, let's be honest, after spending November and December eating holiday junk and not exercising much at all, wouldn't any amount of healthy food or exercise make me feel better? Yes. I'm enjoying (again!) my workout and enjoying the feeling of eating to feel satisfied but not over-satisfied. It's been a while since I felt that way, and it's a welcome treat.

Lastly, I'm looking forward to picking up the Dave Ramsey book on CD from the library this week and listening to it. My sisters are also looking forward to a report from me and want to know if they should listen too.


The girls are back at art class (they love it and so do I); 'A' is earning her allowance and learning about the value of pennies, nickles and dimes; and we are all waiting with excitement for 'A's first tooth to fall out. It's been loose for months now... months. Finally it's wiggly and moving front and back with ease. She's completely freaked out about the fact that it's going to fall out. This is the same girl who freaks out about getting a new coat or a new pair of sneakers each season, so I'm not surprised. What does surprise me is how excited I am to have the Tooth Fairy visit our home! I haven't given much thought to her in about 30 years. Big stuff!

We're off to a good start this year. I can't ask for much more. Happy New Year to you!

I'm checking out the links on the Dark Days Challenge page and I like what I see!

Check these out:

Looking for vegan slow cooker recipes? (who isn't?) Go here: Healthy Slow Cooking

If you want some delicious recipes alongside mouthwatering photos of food, go here: Morsels of Happiness

Thoughts about a 100-mile diet: Backyard Food

More thoughts about eating locally: Making MY NY Home and EatLocal365

I'll share even more with you when I have another chance to sit down and peruse. Enjoy!

As if I don't think about food enough, now I have another reason to think about it. I love this "Dark Days Challenge" hosted by Laura of Urban Hennery. It's a great challenge, and had I found out about it earlier, I would have entered. The rules are on Laura's blog. Essentially, you make a local meal 4 times a month until mid-
April. It makes you really think about what goes into your cooking, and where it comes from. I love that! Here's something else to love - look at all the people who have signed up. I can't wait to learn more about them and how they choose to eat locally.

Bon Appetit!

I've been enjoying these slow winter days. I've had some time to think about things that need thorough consideration. Like an allowance for 'A'. I feel like it's time for her to learn about earning money, and I've been tossing around different ideas for a few months. Finally I've come to the conclusion that if she's going to be paid for work done around the house, I want it to be work that makes a difference to me. She makes her bed every day, which is great, but it doesn't really make a big difference in my daily life. She clears her dishes after breakfast and lunch, which does make a difference, but I don't want to pay her to do it. She lives in this house and she dines at the table, and she should help clean up. It's common courtesy to clean up after yourself.

Hmmm, where does this leave us? There are two jobs that I am willing to pay her to do, and when she does them, I'll appreciate it 100%. One is to wipe up the kitchen floor after I sweep it. She'll put a damp washcloth on the swiffer mop and go! She loves to "swiffer." The other job is to take a damp washcloth and wipe off the bathroom countertops and sinks. I clean the bathrooms regularly, but it doesn't hurt to wipe things down between cleanings. It makes me happy to see a clean sink.

I like these ideas because they only involve water and some elbow grease, and they are fairly simple jobs to complete. The next questions are when to pay her, and how much? Jeff and I have agreed on $.10 per sink washing and $.10 per floor washing. She can do it once a day at most. We have three sinks and one floor to clean, so at most she'll earn $.40 a day. Since we homeschool, there's ample time at home most days for her to clean. If she doesn't want to clean, she doesn't earn money. If she wants to, she will earn some. It's that simple.

The final angle is that she'll add some of her earning each Sunday to her children's offering to the church. We send her with an envelope now, and we'll continue to do so, but she'll have to choose how much of her weekly earnings she wants to give in addition. She can give a penny or the whole purse. It's her choice. I want her to see how it feels to give different amounts. See how it feels to give.


Erma is headed to her biopuncture appointment tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. It's making her feel better in ways I never knew possible.

Have a great day.

This is what we woke up to today - fresh snow! Here in upstate New York, we were just on the edge of the blizzard that hit the Northeast. We received perhaps a few inches. Nothing like the 2 feet my sister was due to receive in Massachusetts. Soon I'll bundle up the girls and we'll head outside to play, to shake off the bird feeder, and to look for fresh tracks coming from the woods.


Our home has been visited by all kinds of fairies as of late. 'H' has suddenly grown into a big girl, a big helpful girl! She's been getting ready without dilly-dallying and holding us all up; she's been making her bed; clearing her dishes from the table; cleaning up her toys; and doing it with the most cheerful disposition. Yesterday she even pulled herself out of the room when she felt grumpy, sat alone, and came back a few minutes later with a smile on her face. Who is this child? I can hardly believe she's the same girl we've known all her life.

A few weeks ago, 'A' was given colorful little tent cards at a Daisy meeting that say "A Daisy was here. She was friendly and helpful without being asked." 'A' leaves them around the house when she does something helpful. Well you know, the girls spend so much time together and they share everything so eagerly... 'A' was excited to share her cards with 'H', and 'H' was excited to learn about being friendly and helpful. But 'H' is not a Daisy, and the cards weren't entirely appropriate for her, so I made her some of her own. She decorated some of them and was so pleased to use them to mark her own friendly and helpful deeds. What angels they are!


Although life couldn't get any better than this, it did. Jeff contacted Erin to purchase one of her wonderfully handmade gifts and for Christmas I received the most beautiful camera strap. I love it!

*****

This week I'm looking forward to:

Checking out snowshoe prices so we can take advantage of some wonderful activities at Moreau State Park (and elsewhere) this winter.

Buying a 2011 calendar so I can keep myself organized (I would love to use my Outlook calendar exclusively, but without a fancy phone, I can't make plans and stay organized when I leave my home!). The paper calendar is back.

Planning our trip to Disney World (more to come!)

Working on some special crafting for the girls and with the girls

Taking Erma to the acupuncturist for a treatment (she's doing great, by the way)

Seeing Jennifer and Emily, my sisters; my niece and nephew; and my dad and Marilyn for a late Christmas celebration in Connecticut, and stopping to pick up some Wild Hive Farm flour on the way.

Saying goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011!

What are you looking forward to?


These last four photos are of some of the goodies I received in my fabulous gift bag from the From Scratch Club. Missing are the treats we had to rip open and try right away, such as the peppermint bark, the fudge, and the cookies. You know, I had to make sure it was fit to serve at my Christmas dinner. And it was.

December has just about come and gone. It's such a fast month for me, and for many, many other people I'm sure. So much happens in December, and before I know it, it's over.

A lot of fun things happened here, including:

Trips to our town nursing home to sing for the residents (with 'A's Daisy and 4-H troops)

Christmas cookie-making galore!

Trips to the library where we left with our bags full of books, including Almanzo's story, Farmer Boy

I won the most wonderful gift bag giveaway! The From Scratch Club women (Alexis, Amanda, Christina, Leslie & Sarah) spent the month of December making a collection of edible gifts, and I was lucky enough to win them. Yum! Check out the FSC blog - it's chock full of good info.

Relaxing and laying low, which explains why I haven't been posting

Fighting off a fast-moving chest cold

Gathering gear for ski and snowboard lessons, starting in January

Feeling the Christmas excitement!


Looking forward to January. Definitely.

I cannot say it enough - the love and support we've received about 'A's allergies has been wonderful. Now I just need some advice about how to help her process the ER visit. She's so tough and stoic, but it's time for her to be vulnerable. She has woken up with bad dreams every night since we left the hospital. She never has bad dreams. She barely talks about it, and when she does it's only because I ask about how she's feeling. It was a scary experience, even for me and Jeff, and we're responsible adults! I can't imagine how scary it was from her perspective.

I did a little internet research and found out that the doctors at Johns Hopkins are doing some pretty amazing things to treat food allergies. That gave me the idea to take 'A' to Children's Hospital in Boston for a consultation (a closer drive for us, and I have relatives who live nearby). Who knows what kind of research they've been doing and what help they can offer us. I'll find out in January, when we go.

Here are some other things we've been up to:


Knitting fingerless mittens! I've got a deadline - Saturday morning - and these HAVE to be done and ready to wear. Michael has got us outside at the Farmer's Market on Saturday and it's going to be quite chilly that morning. I'll need the mittens so that I can help people pick out vegetables and make change and still keep the circulation in my hands going. I used a super-easy pattern and they knitted up fast.

I entered Christina's giveaway and am crossing my fingers that I'm the lucky winner. I would love a new cookbook bible! And check it out, she blogs about life with a food-allergic child.

Speaking of cookbooks, today I received my copy of A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen: Easy Seasonal Dishes for Family and Friends by Jack Bishop. I love this cookbook! When I first checked it out of the library, I thought it was too heavy with the cheese and egg recipes but overall I love it. Jeff and I have started eating small amounts of dairy and eggs and I don't mind making a delicious, separate dinner for us once in a while. And so many of his recipes are vegan or can be veganized easily.


I used this recipe for these cookies and tomorrow they'll be frosted and brought to a local nursing home for 'A's Daisy meeting. Mmmm.... cookies!

Finally, I took Erma back for some more acupuncture today and she started her biopuncture treatment. She's such a good cat.

On our way home from our Thanksgiving trip on Cape Cod, we stopped at Kemp Pottery to see if there was anything beautiful for sale. And there was. A serving bowl, which I'll receive as a Christmas gift in a few weeks, and two new mugs, perfect for a big cup of tea. We gave them to each other tonight.


Jeff and I talked about 'A's food allergies at church today and were overwhelmed by the love and compassion that so many people showed to us. Best of all (well, it's not actually a good thing in the grand scheme of things), we found out about a few people who have been dealing with life-threatening allergies for years and have successfully navigated the waters. Those are the people I want to connect with. They can show me the way.

I've been growing increasingly frustrated with life as a mother of a child with food allergies. This feeling isn't something I think about a lot, but sometimes it creeps up on me and catches me off guard. To put it most simply, the allergies 'A' deals with seem to be invisible to the rest of the world, but for our family, they define much of our life. Sometimes I feel like I live in a house of mirrors. My reality doesn't match up with how it looks from the outside. The things that many people take for granted aren't options for us. The way I spend each day - cooking from scratch, homeschooling my girls, socializing in non-food situations - is set up to work around 'A's allergies. As I write this, I feel like I'm whining. I don't need everyone in the world to be thinking about 'A's allergies every time she ventures out, but I do want a little more understanding and compassion.

Enough of the whining. After Thursday's trip to the emergency room, Jeff and I understand that we need to be more proactive in protecting our daughter. I wrote up a list of some of our new ground rules.

Rules for Dealing with Food Allergies

* No more snacks and meals at a table with other children who are eating dairy. Young children are energetic eaters and food ends up on or near other children's plates. Even that one tiny shred of cheese that ends up on her plate is enough to send her to into anaphylactic shock. Sitting at the same table is not an option.

* Speaking of eating at the table where cheese and milk are served, we're starting to wonder if there is a connection between 'A' irritated eyes and the presence of dairy. We're going to start documenting it to see if the connection is real.

* No more playing with children who have just eaten cheese, eggs or peanut butter if they haven't washed their hands and faces after eating.

* No more eating trusted foods without carefully reading the label each time.

* No more eating at restaurants and trusting their dishes, even when they say something doesn't have dairy, eggs or peanuts in it.

Those are enough rules for now. They are not negotiable. They're here to keep our daughter alive and safe.

:: After sitting by the stove for 2 months, too fragile to move, Erma picked today, a downright chilly day, to venture outside. Go figure. ::

Today was a slow, easy day... wake up late, watch the girls eat a leisurely breakfast, exercise my rear end off, make gingerbread houses, cook dinner, watch The Polar Express for the first time ever, and tuck the girls into bed.

I needed an easy day after last night's saga. We went to the Victorian Streetwalk in downtown Saratoga Springs to see the sights (including 'A's gingerbread house that was on display with all the 4-H gingerbread houses). I bought 'A' and 'H' some chocolate candies that I have been buying for a few years now and assumed they were still dairy-free. As it turns out, they've changed the recipe. But I didn't know that. A few seconds after eating it, 'A' had an anaphylactic reaction to the chocolate. Hives, throat closing, breathing troubles... the whole thing. I had never administered the epi-pen before and was too scared to do so on Broadway last night. I had no idea what to expect! We were minutes from the hospital, so we drove there. I pulled out her epi-pen at the ER and the doctor suggested I give it to her "for practice." It went exactly as I thought it would. I held her arms back, to keep her from fighting me off, and injected it into her thigh. Her oxygen level shot right back up to normal and she was fine after that. Now I know.


We stayed at the hospital for a number of hours last night. I was thankful that we were all there together, that Jeff had seen the whole situation unfold and was there with us. It's a family issue, and we faced it as a family. It was just as it should have been. Except it shouldn't have been.

Today she's fine, physically and emotionally. Well, for most of the day she's been fine. As I was putting her to bed tonight she let a little vulnerability show. She's a tough cookie. What I fear most is that one more layer of trust and comfort has been pulled away from her. What she experienced - the physical feelings of not being able to catch her breath, and the emotional trauma of watching a number of medical professionals poke her with needles and work on her body in the ER - is too much for a little girl to process. It's too much for me to process too.

This is not the food allergy rant I alluded to yesterday, although it certainly fits into that category. That rant is coming soon.


I needed this slow day, this day to stop and enjoy my children. Tomorrow I'll be working at the farmer's market and I'll have some time to think about other things (vegetables!). It'll be Jeff's turn to hold them close.


:: The gingerbread houses the girls made today ::




:: art in Saratoga... ::


:: ...and music ::