Remember When I Said I Wish I Could Really Live on Wii Fit Island?

This is the new windmill near our home. Its .34 of a mile from our Sleepyhouse and so far, I'm not noticing any effects. I'm all for alternative energy, but I had my concerns about strobe effect, noise and the effect on wildlife.

This windmill isn't too large, and we didn't find it noisy when we walked by. Today though, the breeze is calm. We didn't see wildlife near it, and I didn't notice any shadows. I'll need to find out more about it, but I believe this windmill's purpose is to provide energy for our village's new waste water treatment plant.

Now if I could somehow banish cars and trucks from our neighborhood, I'd have the perfect place to walk around, like in the virtual Wii Fit Island world.

My walking is coming along nicely. I'm at the point where I find myself wanting more time to take walks. It doesn't feel right taking a shower unless I've walked first. I'll tell myself, I can't shower before I walk so I might as well get that walk out of the way first.

My body is responding. I can feel more strength to go farther and the saying, "a body in motion stays in motion," is very true. I can't sit for long without wanting to get up and move around. I'm craving more protein too, so I must be making muscle.

On the down side, my RLS is the worst its ever been, which is ironic. I thought more activity would help. I have daily issues with my RLS now, where as before it troubled me every once in awhile or when I was over tired. I'll keep walking though and hope it gets better. I'm getting plenty of calcium and watching my salt intake so its not related to that.

Time is definitely another issue I struggle with. I want to walk more, but the housework isn't done, I should work on this, on that...., but I'm accepting that its okay to meet my needs first for a change.

Walking is an investment in my well being. It's  horrible to say this, but when I see people struggle to move, I feel grateful I can walk. I want to be able to stay mobile for all the days of my life. You don't see too many power scooter chairs off roading through forest trails. Every step I take now will ensure I'll be enjoying my lifestyle for many years to come. 

Ants are invading. It must be midsummer. They come in every year around this time, strangely in the bathroom, although this year we also have a group who discovered Yumi's cat food bag in the pantry. I'm going to try storing her food in a canister now. I really don't want to nuke the yard, but their numbers are increasing. I'm trying borax sugar poison, hoping that will take care of the unwanted visitors. You place a few drops on a piece of paper. The ants drink it and bring the poison back to the nest.

Miracle Sugar Snap Peas

I went out to do a little weeding and discovered 4 sugar snap peas, ready to enjoy. We've had so much rain the vines are all yellow and don't appear to be thriving so I wasn't expecting to see these 4 sugar snap peas. Each member of our family gets to have one. LOL! Hopefully, more will appear soon.

I also caught cute little Benjamin bunny trying to pull down the rabbit fencing from around our carrots. He had just about gotten it low enough he could have hopped over if I hadn't spooked him, naughty bunny! I did not find his blue coat left behind.

I haven't had much time to work in the garden and that has me a little bummed. I should have planted more earlier. I am shocked my cilantro has grown so quickly, its now going to seed! The basil is ready but I'm not. I wanted to make pesto, but don't have enough olive oil. There are a few bites taken out of it, so I'm thinking of starting over with the herbs and see where we end up by summer's end.

DS11 and I are into watching the game show Lingo. You have to know your 5 letter words and think fast. Watching the show with him affirms to me how well he can read and spell. He's been quicker than me to guess some of those words.

Another word game we're playing lately is good old fashioned Scrabble. I'm in a Scrabble game on Facebook that is getting competitive and after playing over my shoulder the past few weeks, the boys expressed an interest to play me in real life. I realized there's no reason why we can't keep the board out, taking turns throughout the day, so that's what we've been doing today, using our real Scrabble board game rather than the computer. I surprised them and played the word "sex." DS11 protested saying he could have played that word but didn't think it was appropriate. :)  I'm such a bad mom! LOL!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies- #11 for the100 Cookies Project

Description:
Peanut butter, chocolate, need I say more to convince you to try these?

Ingredients:
1 C flour (could use pastry whole wheat)
1/3 C cocoa powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1/2 C butter softened (1 stick)
3/4 C smooth style peanut butter
3/4 C sugar, plus 1/4 c
1/2 C brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375

Mix the dry ingredients together.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars. Add in the vanilla and egg. Add in the flour mixture and stir.

Scoop with a cookie scoop or use spoons to form balls of dough. Roll each ball in white sugar.

Bake on a silicon baking sheet or parchment paper for 11-14 minutes.

The cookies are delicate when they first come out of the oven. Carefully move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes

Description:
I love easy and I love healthy. This 5 ingredient recipe is both!

They came out fluffy even though they were made with whole wheat. I used pastry whole wheat flour. Pastry Wheat is made from softer wheat berries. I grind our own flour, but you can buy pastry wheat in health food stores and coops. It doesn't bake up as heavy as regular whole wheat. Pastry wheat is great to use for pancakes, muffins and cookies when you don't want to use white flour. Always store your whole wheat flour in the freezer.

Ingredients:
1 C non fat plain yogurt
1/3 C vanilla almond milk
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 C whole wheat pastry flour

Directions:
Simply mix the ingredients in the above order in a bowl. Heat a non-stick griddle and use a little bit of butter or Smart Balance so the pancakes won't stick. Pour in the batter to the size and shape you like. Wait for the edges to firm up and light bubbles start to break the surface. Flip your pancake to brown and cook the other side.

Serve with syrup or other toppings and enjoy!

Friday Five- 6/25/10 Five Sounds Of Summer

Wow! This month has just flown away in a big ol' hurry.....I've really had a good time fiving with you each Friday...and before I pass the baton to the Donut Lady I will ...if you'll allow me...take my final bow until we meet again for another five....We've smiled, listed things that stood out for us....and partied by the pool...this week let's list Five Sounds of Summer!!! All right now put on your thinking caps for this one! Thank you for playing our game each week...I loveyouallandmean it...Love, Queenie     PS As always leave your link so we can read what you hear in the summer!

1. Birds- Baby birds are squawking away for mama and papa birds to feed them. I find it very interesting to watch them bounce around the yard demanding to be fed. We always know when the sun's about to come up too, because the chirps get loud outside our bedroom window.

2. Crickets- I love the sound of crickets. I find it very relaxing. Did you know their rhythm depends on the temperature? My mother always told me a cricket found in the house was a sign of good luck.

3. Children playing- Whether its my own or the neighborhood kids, its great to hear outside games being enjoyed.

4. Lawn mowing- This one I don't enjoy. I think lawns are over rated. They use up too much water and mowing pollutes the air.  A veggie garden is better because you don't have mow it and it gives you nutrition in return for watering it. I wish my neighbors could all coordinate when we mow our lawns so we didn't have to listen to the constant buzzing all day long.

5. Thunder- I love a good thunder storm. Summer storms bring great sky shows too. 

"Melted Ice Cream With Pulp"

I asked DS11 to try some pineapple banana smoothie I had made for breakfast. He is a very picky eater, but I've asked him to at least taste new things, hoping he'll eventually find more to add to his usual menu. I thought the smoothie was very good. I used plain non-fat yogurt, frozen banana, fresh pineapple and almond milk. DS11 said it tasted like melted ice cream with pulp. 

My $15 new sundress arrived. I wanted something light weight and cotton for when we take our family reunion trip to hot, summer Kansas land. Of course the penny pincher in me didn't want to spend a lot of money. Now I just have to get used to seeing myself in a sundress. Why is it I can like an article of clothing, but when I'm wearing it, feel so self conscious? I'm really not the generic person my usual clothes reflect. I need to start dressing the part.

I'm so happy Friday is here, I'm not allowing myself to worry about what the mechanic will find wrong with our car. I drove DH to work and I'm looking forward to picking him up later and grabbing a bite to eat to start our weekend together.

He's got two full working weeks under his belt now and although we miss him, I feel better being on this path right now. I'll never have the same attitude when I sit down to pay bills now. Just being able to pay them feels good. That is something I'd never thought I'd feel.

This weekend I hope to finish off the last of our square foot garden frames, really just to have a place to move the last of the dirt from the driveway. I'll plant some herbs and probably more salad greens. The Romas now have baby tomatoes so I'm happy about that. We'll have to cage them up before they start tipping over. I never did get the sunflowers planted, but there's always next year.

I'm also hoping DH will help me build a better bird feeding stand, something squirrel proof.

Well, I better get my walk in before it gets too hot. Plus, there is a smoothie critic over my shoulder wondering when it will be his turn on the computer. Have a great weekend! 

Thoughts Before Our Computer Crashes Again....

We're still adjusting to not having DH home with us. The computer will act up and I can't call out, "Honey, will you fix the computer?"

Its been raining pretty much everyday. I think our sugar snap peas are a loss but everything else seems to be tolerating the wet conditions.

The humidity is making it uncomfortable. I did my first walk inside on the treadmill and hated it. I'd much rather be outside.

Most of yesterday, I felt a stomach flu sick coming on. I wasn't sure if it was something I ate, delayed muscle aches from my fall, too much exercise in the heat, a bug bite, a chemical reaction or just a virus. I dragged myself to work and amazingly I started to feel better. How ironic is that? I'm just thankful it didn't turn into a full blown illness and it appears to be gone today.

Its been a challenge to try and not let the negativity around me effect my well being. I can't stand seeing the ones I love hurt and finding forgiveness for those who offend me has been my personal challenge this week.

I used to mourn the fact we couldn't make our family larger, having come from a larger family myself, but now I realize its not about the quantity of family you have but quality. I take comfort in knowing my boys will always have a close bond. 

A part of me really wants to say to certain people, "Look, you are really screwing up this relationship!" I don't say it though. I keep my mouth shut. You can't change people, nor can you make them understand you correctly if they choose to judge you first.

I want to live my life in peace, not stress. I can't mandate others do the same, but I can turn my back, choosing to face the positive influences instead.

More pests- we had our first bushy gray squirrel visit. Yumi lunged at the glass door and we looked out and saw a well fed fellow hopping around. He ended up on the bird feeders, enjoying his snack. I guess the trees have gotten big enough around here, we now have this type of squirrel invading. Our ground squirrels and chipmunks always left the feeders alone. We'll have to figure out how to squirrel proof a bird feeder in addition to wasp proofing.

Anyone know how to keep wasps away from a hummingbird feeder? I've also discovered the nasty buggers trying to build a nest INSIDE of our Nyjer seed tube feeder. I don't know how I'm going to clean that out without getting stung.

Father's Day Fun

Our first holiday spent together without the unemployment cloud over us! Yeah!

We decided to take DH out for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. We're never disappointed when we eat at Mi Cocina, and today DH said it was the best meal he's ever had there. He had grilled steak tacos, while I enjoy the grilled chicken tacos. DS14 had ground beef tacos and DS11 went American on us and chose a hamburger and fries.

After lunch we enjoyed a round of mini-golf. DS11 shot a hole in one, and the rest of us got close a few times. Its crazy how in mini-golf you can do very well on one hole only to have it all fall apart at the next.

Around the 15th hole clumsy me fell. I had on my birkies of course, but lost my footing while trying to step off the playing green. The fall was awkward because I had the golf putter in my hand and my instinct was to lean against it like a cane when I started to go over. Of course, balancing on a putter is not like leaning on a cane. I continued to timber and I remember thinking, I'll impale myself if I fall on this! I chose to move it out of the way at the last minute, and I fell to the rocks. DH said I fell in slow motion. Of course we were all cracking up! I wasn't seriously hurt, just some sore arm muscles from catching myself. Thankfully we weren't near a water hazard!

After mini-golf we brought DH to a Goodwill store to buy him some ties. Isn't that the typical Father's Day gift? Since DH is required to now wear a shirt and tie to work, he enjoyed stocking up. We had priced them the other day at JCPenney's, and we were amazed it cost $30 for a new tie. At Goodwill, they were $1.00. We found 8 silk ties at Goodwill, including a vintage Frank Lloyd Wright print, made in Italy. Its very cool!

We also found some great used board games and trivia games. Not that we have room in our game closet for them! I'll have to purge some of our younger kid games out to make room. 

We did salads and sandwiches for supper after enjoying such a huge lunch. The sun, the fun, the shopping, it was a full day well spent.

We can now add Blue Jays to our list of regular bird visitors. A few days ago, we had one hop right up to the glass door and check us out as we were checking him out. I thought he would peck at the glass! This morning he was back, with his mate, enjoying some seed and some beak grooming while perched on our swing. Keeping your yard chemical free, buying bird seed, its all worth it when you are treated to nature shows right before your eyes.

Friday Five 6/18/10

"Hey Fivers!!!! We have a lot to celebrate this weekend .....remembering our daddys and the first day of summer...oh and Bren and Tom's first anniversary...wow! So much going on...we'll just have to throw a great big ol' pool party at the palace....LOL Sooooo...for your Five this week...Tell us......1. What would you add to the buffet..... can't have a party without good food!! 2. Song you would like to hear on the jukebox...a party is not a party without some good tunes....3. Choice of beverage....it's a hot summer day....you'll need lots of this......4. Would  you prefer a float or a lounge chair..... 5. I'll leave this one for you to tell what else you would bring to our little gathering....it could be a gift for the blushing bride....btw...year one is paper....or something for Daddy...or anything else that comes to mind.....so kick back, relax, and enjoy yourself.....just leave a link so we can see what you are bringing.....but to me the most important thing would have to be YOU!! Loveyameanit...Queenie"


1. Watermelon

2. Tones Of Home by Blind Melon

3. Iced peach tea

4. A float please :)

5. Cameras- so we can all take photos to post on our Multiply pages :)

Tick Removal Tip- I've recently read if you goop up a cotton ball with lots of liquid soap, hold the soap saturated cotton ball over the attached tick for 20 seconds, it will cause the tick to let go, making for easier tick removal. Could someone try this and let me know if it works? It sounds too good to be true.

There's Not Enough Chocolate....

to help me deal with life's disappointments.

I can't believe its raining AGAIN. The garden is soaked and we have non-edible mushrooms growing in the lawn. I'm tired of it being so wet all the time. I don't think we'll ever get to use all that rainwater we collected. I should have planted rice.

Day 2 of missing DH, and I'm not doing as well distracting my loneliness. The boys are watching day 2 of E3 so I'm feeling a little unneeded.

We will lose our Badger Care health insurance because DH's new contract job pays too much. (Insert uncontrollable sarcastic laughter here) If the temp agency DH technically works for offers health insurance, we have no choice but to sign up for it. I'm sure the health insurance option with the temp agency will be basically no health coverage at all. They can't explain the coverage until we begin paying the premium. How messed up is that??!

It will be interesting to see if after paying health insurance premiums, and paying more for gas due to a daily commute if we'll come out ahead of what unemployment provided us to live on.  

I remember having to shop for health insurance last year, before DH was laid off. Most family monthly premiums were around $1200. That's unrealistic for a middle class family with a mortgage.

I once heard two men complaining about the new proposed government option requiring families who make $50,000 to spend about $500 a month on premiums. Personally, I want to know where can we sign up!! That's sounds like a good deal to me!

I know I shouldn't stress about it, but I got a copy of the medical bills when I had that UTI last month, while still covered under medicaid (Badger Care in Wisconsin). In total my infection cost $419 to treat. You see numbers like that and you don't want to go without health coverage. I saw one physician's assistant for about 3-4 minutes tops and peed in a total of two cups. How in the world can that translate to over $400???!!!

I know tomorrow I'll feel better. I just have to vent today.

I need to count my blessings.

1. DH is working and earning a wage that does pay more than unemployment. I shouldn't worry about counting those chickens coming from these eggs, insurance or not.

2. We all have our health and are taking steps to continue that, literally. (Walking has really helped me deal with this stress!)

3. I have two fine young men who continue to grow and thrive learning at home.

4. Bills are getting paid.

5. We have enough to eat.

6. We have shelter.

7.  We found wrinkle free shirts I can hang directly from the dryer!
 (I have zero ironing skills and DH now is required to wear a tie daily.)

Missing Him....

Today is DH's first day on the job after an 8+ month lay off. He found a contract position in his career field, with a company who makes high end appliances, for the next 6 months. Although its not a permanent placement, it will pay more than unemployment, and that will help us catch up. Hopefully when the contract is up, he will have found something else permanent.

The Sleepyhouse feels empty without him, but we're trying our best to distract ourselves from the sadness of his absence.

After dropping off our car for service, DS11 and I walked home the 1.5 miles. While we walked, he made up a really exciting scary story about a 14 year old boy who discovers a secret about the town's mechanic. He's an escaped psychopathic who is murdering misbehaving kids with the help of a trusted town figure!

DS11 told me seeing the service garage gave him the inspiration! LOL!  I'll have to be sure and thank our mechanic and give him a copy of DS's story when its finished. 

When we arrived home, I helped him type up a rough draft of his story. His brain was thinking of interesting story twists and details too quickly for my typing to keep up! He's beginning to outline an entire murder mystery series around his main character.

It was very exciting to be able to witness my son's brain storming. I was amazed at how his creativity really brought interesting details into his story, and I shared his excitement as one thing led to another.

This afternoon the boys will have friends over to watch E3. They look forward to hearing about all the new games and technology being released. We enjoyed this last year and this morning DS14 made a remark on how he can't believe its been an entire year. Tell me about it!

I'll walk up to the grocery store to buy them some popcorn and pick up something for supper. Being without transportation means I'm logging in extra steps which is good for my sadness as well.

I'm hoping to have a big meal ready for when DH walks through the door. I'm sure this will be a long day for him as well after being home for so long.

The hummingbird feeder is hanging but so far I haven't been able to catch anyone drinking. We came close today. Sitting by this computer I could hear the buzz. I slowly turned my head and saw a hummer contemplating taking a taste. I remained still, but he still didn't drink. He just eyed up the feeder thinking about it, and then flew off. Do you think he'll eventually come back and actually drink from it?

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

Description:
Yum- enough said

Ingredients:
3/4 c butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 c brown sugar
1 L egg
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 c milk
1 1/4 t baking powder
1 c flour
2 c oats
1 1/4 cup of chocolate chips


Directions:
preheat the oven to 375 and line a 8 x 8 pan with foil, sprayed with non-stick spray

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg, the vanilla and the milk. Stir in the baking powder, flour, oats and 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Press the mixture into the 8 x 8 pan and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and toss the remaining 1/4 cup of chips on top of the bars. As the chocolate melts, spread over the bars.

Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

Thinking About Why I Stressed Out Yesterday

I'm sitting here, in the quiet of an early Sunday morning, listening to the birds and watching the baby bunnies eat the clover in my garden. I need this peace.

I'm still trying to figure out why I had such a reaction to a stressful day yesterday, and I think its mostly because my nutrition was lacking and I'm too hard on myself.

I worked all morning helping my boss represent our pool at a Safety Saturday event. It took place outside, next to Madison's famous farmer's market. It was a great morning, the rain held off, but after 4 hours I was feeling a little spent.

I was looking forward to getting some healthy lunch and recouping, but when I returned to my car, I had a flat tire. I had just paid the garage ticket too! I knew there was no way I could get the spare on in less than 20 minutes, so I ran down to the garage office and told them I'd need a new ticket.

For a moment, I thought, has someone slashed my tire in the hopes of making me a parking garage victim? I scoped the area, no creepos around.

I remembered what my dad had taught me about changing a tire. I can do this. I removed the spare, put together the jack, and started to work on those lug nuts. My body couldn't perform what my spirit could. Those nuts were on too tight and would not budge.

I ran down to the garage office once again and called a tow truck. Thankfully I didn't have to wait too long. He helped me get the spare on and even allowed me to follow him to the next gas station so I could hit the ATM to pay him in cash, giving me a discount, and he made sure the donut spare had enough air in it.

Then the stress started to kick in. I think I felt bad that I couldn't get those lug nuts off myself. I could think of so many things I'd rather had spent that $40 on!

I began to worry about how I'd get to work Monday, knowing I shouldn't drive far on this donut. I tried to stop and find a tire store on the way home. One was closed, the other wanted way too much and didn't have 4 new tires in stock. We knew we needed new tires and now that DH is starting work on Monday, we had discussed buying new tires before our trip to Kansas.

I drove home, stopping at Subway to pick up a sympathy sandwich. I treated myself to their new low fat chicken salad on a 6 inch wheat. It was a very late lunch, and I realized my emptiness hadn't helped during this stress event.

I basically ate my sandwich and planted roots on the sofa. I was tired and had a headache. DH came home from DS's Yu-Gi-Oh event, and I was happy to hear they had a great time, but I needed taking care of. DH took over, and I finally decided to take some Advil.

This morning, rested, I can see things more clearly. The flat tire was not my fault. Being too weak to get lug nuts off is nothing to be ashamed of. I did make it home without another flat. We had to put off buying tires because DH was unemployed. Who's to say even if we had new tires, I still wouldn't have had that flat? DH starts work tomorrow so we can spend the money on needed new tires now without much worry. As for work on Monday, they'll do fine without my help. I'll be able to catch up later.

I'm still disappointed in myself for basically couch crashing after I got home. I had zero energy and a throbbing head. This is our last weekend together before DH goes back to work. I don't want to be a party pooper.

Today has been given to me to make it a better day. Rested and fed, I'll take this morning to once again thank God for helping me through yesterday's unplanned stress. I'll make THIS day what I want- a day shared with my family, stress free.

The hummingbird came back and once again I was wearing red. As soon as I moved, he flew away. We have since cooked up a batch of nectar and hung our hummingbird feeder from the flower basket, but no one has returned to dine. We're still hopeful we'll see him again soon.

5 for Friday - 6/11/10

"This week I bet you can name Five things that have happened recently either in the news or in your lives that stand out for you in some way...they touch your heart, make you want to throw a fist in the air and go "YES", or maybe just leave you feeling thoughtful."


1. A job offer for DH after 8 plus months of unemployment! Its only a limited term contract position, but still, it will help us catch up and give him something to do while we continue to look for something permanent. Who knows, maybe this company will even decide to hire him after the contract expires. We're going to miss having him around the Sleepyhouse, but with nearing the end of unemployment benefits, this is a huge blessing to us right now. 

2. New work projects for me! After attending a "webinar", I've learned a bit more about our scheduling software. I'm looking forward to using my new knowledge to improve our scheduling management system at the pool I work at.

3. After living in our Sleepyhouse for almost 9 years, we have finally cleaned out our gutters thanks to DMIL and her awesome ladder and hose attachment. 6 tennis balls, a football and a few shuttlecocks- its a safe bet our gutters will now work much better after clearing all that out! But how will I collect rainwater for our containers now? Hmmm..maybe we'll be able to afford the materials to make a real rain barrel?

4. I can walk 3 miles in a workout! Since I began Dailymile a few weeks ago, my goal was to be able to walk 3 miles a day. I've been able to walk 3 miles and soon I'm hoping I can manage that distance on a daily basis. I feel so much better when I have the opportunity to walk off the stress.

5. The first harvest from the square foot garden is ready! I'm planning on picking the baby spinach and other early lettuce, adding some strawberries and having a fabulous salad!

want to join me in the Friday Five? http://fridayfivegroup.multiply.com/

Square Foot Gardens 2010 Growing Season

An album to record our gardening progress

Sitting by the window I thought I heard a low growl. I turned my head thinking someone's dog was in our yard, and to my surprise there was a hummingbird staring me and my red shirt down. I was nervous she was going to hit the glass, but she decided not to go for my red shirt and turned to check out my inpatients hanging in the basket on the porch. She was the first hummer I've seen this year. I had given up thinking they were coming back.

Better Rice Krispie Treats With White Chocolate

Description:
The white chocolate really makes these amazingly good.

Ingredients:
3 T butter
10 ounce bag of marshmallows
1/2 C white chocolate chips
1/2 t vanilla extract
5 Cups of Rice Krispie cereal (Not the 6 the recipe on the box says! It makes a difference with the consistency and texture.)

Directions:
Line a 8 x 8 square pan with tin foil and grease or spray the foil with non-stick spray

Melt the butter over low to medium heat in a large pot

Add the marshmallows and white chocolate chips and stir until they are completely melted

Remove from the heat source and stir in the vanilla and Rice Krispie cereal

Pour the cereal mixture into the prepared pan and with wet, but not dripping hands, press the cereal into the pan. I rinse my hands, shaking off the excess, and this way when I press the cereal into the pan, nothing sticks to my hands.

Harvesting Sweet Rain Water

"Mom, are you harvesting the rain?"

"Yes! You could say I am!"

This is how you collect sweet, sweet, un-chlorinated water for your garden when you can't afford a real rain barrel. For weeks I've been watering our gardens with water tapped from the city and I've worried about chlorine contamination. I really wanted a rain barrel, but we can't afford to buy a ready to go model, and I've been too busy to try and make a homemade version. When it started to pour, I grabbed our empty plastic storage containers and started collecting.

To my surprise, they were filling up really quickly. I ran and grabbed our grain buckets and pulled out our bags of wheat berries.

When those filled up, my husband- the BEST HUSBAND IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE- cleaned out these old cat liter buckets. They no longer had clean liter in them, but rather, well, I'll spare you the horror.

Now I'm out of containers and buckets and I'm eyeballing all our containers still containing toys from years gone by. Dare I empty out the Hot Wheel bucket? Where can I put the gazillion Happy Meal Toys?

Wait! I just remembered! We have an old artificial Christmas tree stored away in a giant container!!!  (photo now added) 

We're Moving!

My whole family has began exercising more, and I'm very happy about that. I was hoping this would happen as I renewed my commitment to exercise. The boys have made a goal to run a mile each day on the treadmill and DS14 this week increased his goal, running 1.5 miles a day. My DH is back to his running routine too and also often walks with me.

I can remember back in high school gym class groaning about having to run the mile. We only did it once or twice every two weeks or so, but it was the dreaded day of P.E. "We're running the mile today, ugh!" Usually we tried not to sweat. LOL!

Now here I am as an adult and I feel blessed to be able to walk a mile. I WISH I could run like I did back in my thinner youth!

My boys have a completely different outlook when running on the treadmill than I had at their age.  Maybe that's because for them its about fitness, and they don't have worry about being sweaty and smelly around their peer group? Plus, they get to watch TV while they run, or if they walk with us, they know they have our undivided attention to speak their minds.

DS11 will also tell me, "This will make me a better cop one day, being fit." To him, the exercise is a way a meet his goals. To me back in high school, running the mile felt like a punishment the gym teachers demanded of us. 

This is another example of how self-schooling (unschooling), is so much better than trying to force something on someone. You have to decide to want the change, growth, advancement, education, etc. for yourself. You make that personal commitment to do it for yourself first and no one can ever take that away from you.

I want my children and husband to be healthy, but it would be wrong for me to say to them, "You need to exercise, You're out of shape and unhealthy, " and expect them to want to change. I would only be passing judgment on their choice of lifestyle.

I have learned a better way is to first do it yourself and wait to see if others will be inspired by you and follow. By nature, I believe God made us to be monkey see, monkey want to do too, and if we "be the change we want to see" it will work to bring others closer to sharing your world.

Because we self educate living in a family dynamic, we also are aware we are setting an example for those we love, not just acquaintances. This makes a difference because due to the strong bonds you have with loved ones, you want nothing but the best for them. You also want to be the best you can be FOR them as well.

The family environment is designed to support and lift us up as we work through life's obstacles. This effect cannot be duplicated in any other social network. Our family loves each other unconditionally. We've created the perfect safe place, our sanctuary, for inspiring and learning from each other and the world around us.

Training Log for Running, Cycling, and Triathlon | dailymile

http://www.dailymile.com
I've been having fun logging in my walks. I really enjoy the weekly report of how far I've walked, and being able to create and map out different routes. If you feel like joining me, please let me know and we can "friend" each other for support.

Food Diary- Monday 5/31/10

Breakfast- English muffin with peanut butter, almond milk w/chocolate sryup

Lunch- leftover chicken from the cookout on whole grain bread

Snack#1- walnut bar

Snack#2- cherries

Supper- McDonald's hamburger, small fry, sweet tea

Snack#3- graham crackers with nutella and peanut butter