This year's garden

Here is a quick post on my gardening experience so far this summer.
I dug ditches this year hoping that I could water by flooding the garden - not working for me.  We tried a drip system last year that did okay, but I went back to sprinklers this year.  It is easier to tell if it is working.  I put in some more strawberries this year, a new raspberry bush (chickens killed mine last year), I started a corner for herbs, and planted a variety of vegetables that we like.

Broccoli looks great! This is the biggest I've ever had!

Comfery is doing great too!  I am using it in my mint tea and green smoothies.

Onions look happy, but the beans to the right look sad.

Tomatoes are very sick looking.  I've had great tomato plants in the past, but this is the second year they look sickly.

Another look at my sad beans.  (I have a bigger patch in another location that is doing better)

I tried to grow strawberries and a blueberry in containers, but we (the kids helped) killed them. I think we over watered.

Now that we are done with schooling for the year, we can spend more time outside in the garden.  Yesterday all five kids and I went out to weed the corn and beans I have.  They did great and had a fun time, and I lost only four bean plants.  They are begging to go weed again.

One of "those" days

Ever wish you could start your day over? Well today I do. It started about 4 am with Beth kicking me. She was restless, and didn’t want to nurse. Gabe’s alarm went off and he got up. Abby started coughing in the living room (She sleeps everywhere, but her own bed when given the slightest chance). I told myself maybe I can get a lot done this morning and then nap when the kids nap (ha, ha). So I got out of bed before 4:15! Abby and Beth played on the floor while I fixed Gabe’s lunch and breakfast, put the laundry in the dryer, and unloaded the dish washer (Abby helped put away some dishes). I was off to a great start.
At 5:15 I sat down to eat breakfast with my husband before he left for work. After he left at 5:30 I tried to read the Bible and pray in between Abby’s questions (Can I play the computer? Is it Thursday? When can I go to Heaven? Can I eat a cookie? on and on). Next, I was interrupted by Josiah who woke up at his usual 6am, and asked for his usual peanut butter & “yelly” sandwich. Then Abby wanted one. Somewhere in all this confusion Beth was nursed and went back to sleep. Josiah took his sandwich to his usual spot on the recliner, curled up and ate it quietly (sometimes he goes back to sleep). Abby took two bites of her sandwich, left it on the table and went to sit on the sofa. She asked if she could go back to sleep. My answer, “YES!” I peacefully read another chapter of the Bible, took laundry out of the dryer, hung up items that needed hanging, and was thinking about sleeping again myself. It is about 6:45-7:00, Beth woke so I nursed her and napped a bit, Josiah crawled in bed and began playing with Beth (my napping was over). Then Abby woke up and pucked all over the sofa – YUCK. I feel her head; she has a fever. I clean her up, change her clothes, and clean the sofa. After laying down a towel and getting her a bucket in case it happens again, she went back to sleep. I started the washer full of pucked on stuff, left Beth and Josiah in the play room, told Rueben to keep and ear out of trouble (he was awake, but not out of bed), and went to care for the chickens.
I lost three chickens Sunday to dogs while we were at church. I put the month old chicks in with the remaining hen, Red. So they were all in the same cage I was keeping and eye on her because she seemed to pick on them a lot. Yesterday I had let her out to roam in the usual chicken yard, but I can’t let the chicks out. We have a hawk around here that last year came and sat on my chicken coop. I’m sure he would love chick for lunch.
Anyway, I cared for the chickens, and told myself that I should let Red loose later so she doesn’t pick on the chicks too much. I hurried back into the house knowing that Rueben wouldn’t do much if the kids were getting into trouble. Washed my hands and checked on the kids. Everyone was fine so and Robert was up and playing too. I then loaded the dishwasher. At 8 am I did our usual Bible time with just the boys. You should hear Josiah quote scripture. I marvel that a two year old can memorize like he does, but then he is a little sponge and is soaking everything up that I do with the older two. Next I fed the boys their breakfast, set Beth in the high chair, cut up a banana for her to eat (she refuses to eat anything mushy like baby food and she doesn’t like anyone putting food in her mouth), and I cleaned up more of the kitchen mess since I had already eaten.
Rueben needed help with his school work today. After a few weeks of his “Dynamic Bible Living” subject, we have switched what we are doing. I don’t like what they are trying to teach him on how to live a Christian life. The book makes it confusing and hard. The final straw was a sentence that said memorizing the Bible was not meditating on the Bible. "Memorizing generally is sounding or saying words and then forgetting them." I would like to know how you forget something you memorized. They are trying to teach some strange knowledge process that he is to use to learn how to have a "dynamic Christian life". So instead of doing the complicated, confussing work in the book I have him listening to preaching from this site and writing what he learned from the sermons (two per week). I listened to the sermons with him (while folding laundry, making woopie pies - a promise I made yesterday, fixing lunch, checking on sick one, nursing Beth…), so we could discuss what is taught and help him write down points. If I had to sit still and listen to the sermons, I would have fallen asleep. I love the preaching, but my body goes to sleep if not doing something, especially when waking up at 4 am. I have the same problem on Sunday mornings. That is why I help my husband in children's church where I can stand, more around and stay awake.
After lunch I looked out my window at the sink and noticed that there was a problem at the chicken coop. I had forgotten about Red! I rushed out of the house and left the kids in Rueben’s care to check on Red. She had killed the smallest chick. The one I got that was going to set (hatch eggs) and my favorite.
Right now is quiet/nap time, but since Abby has been sleeping off and on all morning she is awake and fussy. I am not going to get a nap myself, so I will continue drinking tea, and other things with caffeine to keep myself going. I will try giving Abby a ginger-bath. I tried earlier, but discovered that the hot water heater needed to be relit. By the time the water was hot again, I had forgotten and Abby was back to sleep.
Thanks for listening to my ramblings and complaints. I love being a mother. It is much, much better than being a single school teacher. However, there are days that I would love to have two of me to get more done. I am blessed with four great children, a great step son and a hardworking, wonderful husband. What more could any woman want?
In case you are wondering, I did not write this all at the same time. It has been written over the past few hours in between other tasks, but I just had to “tell” someone. My friend, who has five children under five, lost her cell phone (it is on vibrate so she can't find it by calling it), so I can’t call her to share problems. Some how “telling” makes me feel a bit better about the things that didn’t go my way today. No day ever goes completely the way I want it, but that is part of life. I’m not the one in control. God is. So I should get off the computer and go get more things done instead of sitting here ignoring them because they make me feel so overwhelmed some days. I will never get everything done, but I will keep trying to.

Abby is feeling better now that she finished her ginger-bath (1 Tbsp of ginger added to bath water). She is eating, asking questions and being her normal self – except for her cough. Hopefully the food will stay down.

Hair Care

Back in the spring, I started using baking soda and apple cider vinegar for my hair instead of store bought shampoo and conditioner. I was a bit skeptical of how it would work since my hair is quiet long and thick. However, after a few tries, I decided it worked alright and I could do it since it would defiantly save money. Another unexpected benefit of this switch has been my hands. For years I have struggled with dry cracking hands that didn’t seem to be helped by any lotion or oil or supplements that I took. Amazingly my hands are all cleared up since I quit using shampoo and conditioner. For those who are interested it trying this hair wash, I use 1 Tbsp baking soda in 12 oz cup of warm water for my “shampoo” and 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar in another 12 oz cup of warm water for my “conditioner”. Don’t mix them in the same cup – unless you like science experiments or foaming messes. I just pour a little at a time on my hair and work it in until I have used up all that was in the baking soda cup, rinse it out and then do the same with the vinegar cup. I have to wait until my hair is dry before I try to comb or brush it. It doesn’t get as smooth as the store conditioner makes it, but once the hair dries it is manageable. I really love having my hands back to normal. I can do things I used to avoid, like making fry bread for my family or shaking hands at church.

When it rains, it pours

I have been busy with the new baby, keeping things running in my home, and trying to come up with a new routine/schedule that works around nursing. When I am not busy, I am sleeping. Since the birth of Elisabeth I have not had much energy for doing extra things. Even some of the basic house cleaning has been slipping. My wonderful husband does help out in the evenings after he comes home. This past week and a half has been especially rough.

Rueben had all four of his wisdom teeth removed a week ago, so he was sleeping and not feeling well. I miss his help. Usually when things get out of hand I can count on him to get a child or two out of trouble while I take care of another situation. I try not to interrupt his school work too much, but it is great to have some back up when I’m busy with one and someone else has an emergency.

Yesterday he went back to have his follow up appointment. His left side is infected, and they lost his chart. He had to get antibiotics for the infection. I am glad my mother-in-law was able to take him. He was there over three hours already, but that is what you can expect from government run health care.

The day after Rueben’s surgery, Abby woke up complaining of a headache. I didn’t take her seriously at first. I thought she was trying to get attention like I was giving to Rueben. I had plans to take all the kids to the local museum which has a great play area for toddlers. I tried to encourage her to get her chores done so we could go, but then she threw up so I knew she was serious about not feeling well. She spent the next two days laying on the sofa and throwing up anything she ate. I did what I could with natural remedies to help her feel better, but I was trying to help Rueben remember to put ice on his cheeks to reduce the swelling, and get him to eat.

About the time Abby was starting to feel better Robert started complaining about a headache. He had it only one day since I had figured out what helped Abby, I started Robert on it right away. Believe it or not teething tablets helped them with the head ache, and a bath with a few tablespoons of ginger helped the fever. Then the “Baby Love Toy Trains” DVD kept them entertained or put them to sleep. Watching toy trains go around and around with classical music, is a great way to fall asleep. It always does that to me, but the kids only fall asleep if they are sick.

Josiah woke up this morning crying with a fever. I gave him his cup with mint tea and teething tablets. By 9:00 he was feeling fine and asking for “moat-meal”. He is the one who is still cutting teeth. He has been having “teething” symptoms for a month now. I did get him to open his mouth so I could check his teeth. I had Abby and Robert open their mouth so I could “count” their teeth, then Josiah let me “count” his, too. I saw one tooth part way through, but he still has another tooth to cut.

Not all has been bad, but it seems to have come in one big bunch. And I believe we are through the toughest part of sickness and teeth problems.

Elisabeth is almost one month old. All the kids love to smoother her with attention. When she is awake she enjoys sitting in her swing or seat and watching the activity around her. She is healthy, eating well, sleeping well, and growing.

The kids are waking up from their naps, so my quiet-time for writing this post is over. :)