PROUD TO BE COUNTRY

Not so Restful Winter

2012-02-02T09:33:00.000-05:00

Where has the month gone??
Although it is supposed to be winter around here, and things were supposed to have slowed down, I can tell you that right now things are anything but slow.

When we are farming full time, it will be our goal to take the months of December and January off. The animals will be cared for, but that will be it!! Feb 1st will be our start date.

So what have we been busy doing??

I've been painting the trim in our living room, trying to complete my winter house project. Do you know HOW MUCH trim is in a 150year old Victorian room?? A LOT!!!!

We have been reading, reading, and reading some more. To be honest, I've been reading so much about sustainable farming, permaculture, and beekeeping, that I don't have much left in my brain at the end of the day to write!

I've begun training for my first marathon in May. Running 50kms a week takes time.

We have been trying to spend more time with the kids tobogganing, and hanging out.

My husband still works a 60 hr a week day job AND works the farm.

We are also busy planning our 2012 season. This year we are hoping to find ourselves at the farmer's market, and I'm about to attempt a much larger garden than I've ever done before...so I need to plan seed purchases and sow them!

Our chickens will be out on pasture, and we would like to purchase our first swarm of bees, which means construction of a few things as well.

I have to admit that Adam and I are super excited about the future around here. We are patient and are taking one year at a time knowing we can just snap our fingers and have the farm the way we would like it. We are all too aware of the reality that we need to be living completely debt free in order to make a living as a farmer and to live off the land. We have a plan to get us there in 10-15years, but I'll tell y'a. That feels like a VERY long time right now.

All in due time I know. It is so hard having a dream and a plan however and watch my husband go off to work outside of the farm. Our hearts are here and I can't wait until the day we are fully 'home' full time.

So that is it for now. I am going to try to chronicle what I'm up to. Today you will find me in my pj's reading the 'Barefoot Beekeeper', and 'You Can Farm' while keeping the babies quiet while Adam sleeps (he is working nights...oh how I hate nights)

Till then,
Alyson

As a side Note: My spell check did not recognize the word permaculture which goes to show you how non mainstream we are trying to go.

I need your Support

2012-01-18T10:07:00.000-05:00

Please take a second to read this. At the end if you don’t care about supporting Mito Canada and my friend, then will you please support ME by helping me raise the money for Mito Canada? Every dollar will make a difference. Would you also forward this to someone else that may be willing to help me?

So here it is….

Running has helped me overcome obstacles in my life. In fact, I believe it is running that has helped me overcome my addictions. I run for stress relief. I run for the adrenalin. I run for the fitness. I run to prove to myself that I can do it. I run for me.

Training for my marathon is about MY goals. MY dreams, and well…me. But I don’t want life to be all about me me me. So how can I take a passion of mine and use it to help someone else? After all, I believe God calls us to use our talents and passions to help others. So I am trying to use my passion just that way.

I am running the Ottawa Marathon, May 2012. Training for a marathon is done one step at a time, one km at a time. In fact, marathon included, I will be running 1125kms to train for the event.

My goal is to raise one dollar for every km I run. The marathon is a journey, and I want every step of the way to be about something greater than myself.

I decided to raise money for Mito Canada for 2 reasons:

One, because my friend Sarah has a son with Mitochondrial disease. I can’t be there to help her with her daily struggles, and I can’t fix her son. So what can I do to show her that I care?? I can raise money that will go directly to her family and other families in Canada that struggle with the same thing. Since the money raised will not only go towards desperately needed research, but also help her directly, this is my way of telling her that I care.

The second reason is because of Mito's slogan "running for those that can't ". After becoming paralyzed from a tumor that was crushing my spinal cord, and doctors telling me that I may never walk again, I can't tell you how grateful I am every time I step out the door to run. God gave me back the use of my legs and using them to help others seems to be a good way to say thank you.

Running has always cured my ailments, and it is my prayer that my running can in turn cure someone else.

Thank you for taking the time to support not only me on my journey, but also Team Mito. Every little bit of support helps to make a difference in the lives of those affected by this terrible disease, and some of them are in your neighborhood.

Please…If you could support me on my journey I would really appreciate it. Donating is EASY. Just click on the link that I provided. Donating is done on line and is secure. You even get a tax receipt. If the link below does not work, simply go to Mitocanada.org, find the donations page and type in Alyson McNish to link up with my page.

Thank you for helping me.

Alyson.

Click here to access my donation page

Winter on the Farm

2012-01-13T14:39:00.001-05:00

Sooo.. The pictures from the previous post were taken two days ago. Notice the lack of snow and inclement weather?? lol Yesterday the freezing rain came and fell with a vengeance. In fact we were beginning to prepare for Ice Storm 2012. For those of you that remember Ice Storm 1998 you will understand. For those of you that don't, google it. Anyhoo, this morning was above zero and raining on TOP of the ice covering all the trees and ground.

The kids were ready to head to school this morning in slushy pants and rubber boots when THIS happened..

In like 10 minutes.

Snowflakes began falling the size of my face. O.K maybe not my face, but the size of my nose for sure, and I have a big nose.

Notice the slushy mess still on the lawn?? I'm pretty sure yesterday you could skate on that. Notice the chicken coop? I bet the chickens are pretty happy to be 'stuck' inside. They are spoiled I tell you.

I would not be surprised if we lost power today. Look at my beautiful Hydrangea bush. The picture on the left is what it looked like all encrusted with ice and just as the snow began to fall. The picture on the right is two hours later taken at the same angle. Notice how much lower than the tree in the background it is now? If that snaps I think I will cry.

Anyway, I'm not complaining. The temperature is AMAZING (tomorrow will be a different story when the temps hit in the sub teens). I was missing the snow, and the fact that is flooded yesterday means two things:

1) Good skating for the outdoor pond
2) Tobogganing!
3) The start of our snow pile/hill at the end of our driveway. Oops that's 3. Whatever.

I love winter. I don't love it when the temperatures hit the -20's, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE a fluffy, sunny, wintery day. It is just so pretty out, and as long as you plan to start your car earlier, and drive super slow, the country drive into town in amazing.

Besides...having a mild winter reminds me of all the spring 'to do' lists that happen around here. I am glad to be able to forget about them for at least another month.

Winter Chickens

2012-01-11T15:09:00.000-05:00

I have not talked about my chickens in a while, so I thought I would show you what they look like this winter.

When the weather is above zero I let them roam the yard. This year, because of the VERY mild winter we are having, they have been out much more than usual. The grass is no longer growing, but it is still there for the pickings. The only problem is if it rains on them and then freezes at night. This is super dangerous because they will get pneumonia on me. Today it is rather mild, but because there is a chance of rain they are once again 'cooped' up. lol

No worries about nutritious snacks however. In this picture they are fighting over Audrey's left over toast from this morning. We through in leftover grains and vegetables for them as well as fresh hay to munch on. A They love to spend the day pecking at a nice organic cabbage.

This is the new window made of plexi glass that my amazing husband put in for me today. Two weeks ago there was a real window left over from times past here. Apparently when chickens peck at it enough in cold temperatures it breaks. The girls can been seen checking it out here. Peck away ladies... The 'window' on the left hand side is closed for the winter. In the summer it is a screen to allow as much air as possible in the coop.

Just LOOK at the light coming into the coop today! Not only does this allow the ladies to soak up ample Vitamin D in the winter, it also heats up the coop. This is so important when the temperature drops below -10C.
The bedding in the coop is now about 18 inches high. It is a perfect mix of carbon and nitrogen. Did you know that if you mix the two properly (poop with wood shavings), it actually COMPOSTS!!! Do you know what that means??? It means the composting bedding CREATES heat from the ground up, AND it does not smell in my coop. In the spring, I plan on bagging this stuff as it will do wonders for your garden.

The chickens also spend their time scratching it and eating any bugs that may feel like emerging. It is so clean in my coop now, you could eat lunch here. Seriously.

That red heat lamp is for when the temperatures drop to -10C. It helps keep the water from freezing, and brings the temps in the coop up a few notches. If the girls are spending most of their time conserving heat their egg production drops. Frankly, I think it is just more humane that way as well. The white light was substituting for our window until we could get the new one in. It was almost pitch black in the coop without it. Artificial light is good but certainly not as nice as the real thing.

So needless to say I have cooped up but happy chickens right now. I am learning a TON about SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. I can't wait to show you what crazy things we are going to be doing in the spring with the meat chickens.

Who says this farming thing can't be fun.

Marathon 2012

2012-01-10T13:57:00.000-05:00

Where is winter? Not on the farm apparently. I suppose I should be happy since we are getting so much accomplished on the farm due to the NO SNOW! I have farm news to share with you, but for today I wanted to let you know about my Marathon Goal for 2012. I'm running my first marathon and need YOUR HELP! I am trying to raise a dollar for every km I run, so would you consider helping me?

To check out why I am doing what I am doing you can click HERE to access my donation page. You can also keep track of my progress via my FIT MOM blog if you like.

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaase consider helping me. Pretty please???

2012..So busy

2012-01-02T15:57:00.000-05:00

As you can see, we are very very busy here on the farm today. We put those cross country skis to good use ;)

Got D?

2011-12-29T13:07:00.000-05:00

Animals need sunshine as well. In fact, I can guarantee you that my eggs and chicken contains a lot of it. Happy, healthy animals deserve the sunshine. It was -20C this morning and the chicken's were NOT happy. As soon as the sun shone on the coop I opened the door and threw out the hay. They loved it.

We also bundled ourselves up and soaked up the sun...Nothing like a little Vitamin D to get rid of the winter blahs.

and yes we were all still in our Jammie's ;)

2011-12-29T09:39:00.000-05:00

Who needs snow gear when you have jammies. We are enjoying our break together, and today there is enough snow the grass is no longer poking through the snow.

Adam and I have been busy reading about family friendly farming and dreaming of the years to come. We are excited about our decision to farm the land of his ancestors and looking forward to what God has in store for us.

The learning curve is steep but worth it. Just making the decision has left a calm and joyous feeling on our hearts knowing we are doing what we were meant to do.

I've also began training for my first marathon. I'm running with team Mito this year and excited to start my journey. All things worth doing are difficult and take time. One step at a time we will farm. One step at a time I will run 43kms. One step at a time we will enjoy life.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T08:23:00.000-05:00

This year my husband worked from the 23rd to the 28th of December (on nights right now). He ended up missing out on a few things while dealing with people not having a great Christmas, but that is the job of a police officer and consequences of being married to a hero ;)

I don't mind really. He was able to show up several times, and frankly I like seeing him in uniform. Merry Christmas to me ;)

The last few days could have been quite stressful, but I'm pretty sure this was the most relaxing Christmas I have ever had. By the time Christmas came, and dinner was prepared I seriously just sat back watching my kids play with their new toys.

Although I was annoyed the kids were in school until the 23rd, and most of the baking was done by me alone, I think having the kids in school this year allowed me so much more time to be prepared.
My Christmas list was finished in October, most of the presents found (via used sites) by November, and all of my shopping was complete by the first week of December...stockings and all.
It was great. That left me enough time for decorating, cookie baking, devotions and extra time to enjoy with the kids. We even fit in a dinner party and two date nights.

Here are a few things I did that work really really well:

1) I keep a Christmas/birthday list on my computer all year round. Anytime I go shopping or see a toy or have an idea for the kids I write it down. This saves my brain. This also allows me to know what kind of toys are out there.

2) By September/October I have a really good idea what the kids want/need. I start to search the net for the items and begin price comparing. I've also bought a few items throughout the year that I knew they would love.

3) I find what I can gently used, or homemade via etsy.com. I also price compare for weeks.

4) We save all year long for Christmas starting in January. This way it is not such a blow to our account.

5) I sell toys the kids have outgrown to help with the budget.

6) I don't go overboard. Each child gets 2 things just for themselves. The rest is for all the kids to play with together.

7) WE FOCUS ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT. We spend extra time together and I remember to enjoy the time we have together. This week is the best present. We are just going to hang out together in our pj's, play board games, build train tracks, and pray for more snow so we can test out our cross country skiis purchased on kijiji of course ;)

I hope you all had a merry Christmas. I certainly did.

School Projects and Other school stuff

2011-12-19T08:54:00.000-05:00

This week completes our first semester in our year long school field trip ;) Things have gone well for the most part. I've been disappointed with a few things, but also pleasantly surprised by others. All in all, the kids school is a wonderful school...for a school.

What I am not adjusting to is this final week leading up to Christmas. You see as homeschoolers we can do what we like when we like. Normally we are finished school in early December. This gives us time to attend special activities, make cookies, and have the time for all the extra projects we started. And do it all at a nice calm HAPPY pace.

For some reason, my children's school board thinks it is a good idea to do school until the 23rd of December. I'm bothered because we are finding it hard to do all the simple things like baking, and attending special events AND finish the school projects.

Kind of annoying. O.K REALLY annoying. I miss my babies this week. If they did not have to hand in the projects, and some other stuff I think I would pull them. Hmmm...I think I'll pull them anyway on Thursday to go skating. Oh wait, they have an ENTIRE week after January to do that. You know, when all the Christmas fun stuff and special events are OVER.

Anyway, that is what I get for joining the 'system'.

So here is a picture of Lara's medieval project that we have been working on. We have yet to complete the dragon, but that will be for our own amusement. I know what you are thinking.. 'OUR' project???? Have I become the mother I said I wouldn't be? The one that does the project for the kid??? No. I promise you that she did just about everything. She now knows how to sew and use the sewing machine. But she is 9. I have to be there to help her cut some things and show her how to do it.

It was 'our thing', because I got to teach her and work with her a little more this past month and that is time I will treasure. I'm not sure how she will see it though. I'm not the most patient person in the world and frankly not crafty...so this was a wee bit like a thorn in my side BUT it is done, I THINK Lara is proud of it, and not too many tears were shed ;)

Now if we still home schooled this could have been done an hour a day in the afternoon during quiet time. Not after a long day of school and on the weekends when there is a TON of special Christmas stuff going on and other homework and activities. I'm just sayin'. I guess I'm still a homeschooler at heart. Perhaps some day again.

The Stockings are hanging

2011-12-15T09:49:00.000-05:00

Can you hear the fire crackle?? I can't either, but do you think if I do this every year someone will feel sorry for me and build me a fireplace???

Siblings..Part Two

2011-12-14T09:46:00.000-05:00

I never had a sister. I had a best friend but not a sister so it is hard for me to relate to my two eldest daughters. However I did have a big brother. Watching the dynamic between these two makes me laugh. Peyton is quite like my brother, and Audrey is well...more like me ;) They can be so mean and pick on each other, and then be the best of friends. I love how my life now reminds me of my life back then. I love that I can look back on my childhood and my family and smile.

Siblings...lol

2011-12-13T09:45:00.000-05:00

I can't even begin to explain how funny this picture is. I'm pretty sure you can see the look on her face. She KNOWS exactly what she is doing. Lol. Poor Peyton.

10 Years of Memories...Letting go and holding on

2011-12-12T07:44:00.000-05:00

The other week I purchased a new set of bunk beds off kijiji for the girls. This allowed more room in Lara and Erin's room, and Audrey her own big girl bed with mattress.

Yesterday my husband drove off with the crib, the change table and all the bedding and supplies, as we sold IT on kijiji.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE used sites? So practical, and really the most environmental way to shop. We were able to purchase exactly what we were looking for. We just needed to be patient until the right product came up for sale. I also love that I don't need to go driving around town looking for the best bargain.

Enough about kijiji though....my point to this post is the absence of the crib. A crib my father lovingly found for us 10 years ago when we were first married, pregnant and broke. A crib that has held 4 babies and has been a fixture in our home our entire marriage.

I don't hold onto possessions as it is just stuff, and I am so grateful to have found a couple just like us that needed baby stuff at a low price. However the absence of the crib is a reminder that our family is moving on and growing up. Insert long drawn out sentimental Sigh..........................

I love my babies. I love that one of them pee'd her big girl bed last night because that means she is not too grown up yet ;)

I love that I have 10 years of wonderful family memories that when I look back on I smile and my heart pumps a little harder.

I love that I have many years of memories that are ready to be made.

Our Website is Up!!!

2011-12-09T07:55:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to announce today that the website for our little farm is Up!!!!!!
My husband and I have been working on a vision and today I feel like we are one step closer to being on our way.
Check us out!!!! We are Officially Elm Valley Farm. We will probably tweak things for the next few weeks, but the fact is...we are our there.

Also, as a Christmas present to ourselves ( thanks Dad), we ordered some great books to immerse ourselves in over the winter months. We ( ahem... I), have a LOT of reading to do. By the spring I believe I will have read enough to call myself a lunatic farmer.

And to think that only 10 years ago, I stood on the field with my husband and told him I was never EVER going to live on the farm :)

Our Jesse Tree Journey...More Celebrations

2011-12-06T08:09:00.003-05:00

I've been searching for the perfect Christmas devotional for a few years. I wanted something that teaches the meaning of Christmas through scripture, tells the stories, is written with children in mind, can be done in under 10 minutes, and MOST of all, sets our hearts and minds on Christ.

For a few years I have read the Christmas story to the kids on Christmas Eve. You know... the one told in all the Church pageants growing up. But I've been wanting more. I've been wanting something that puts together all the old prophecies and explains why Jesus IS THE MESSIAH.

After finding a few good things on line, the last few days I have read two of my friends blogs. Both Suzin and Tammi have been talking about a Jesse tree and I finally took the time to read their posts about it but also to find the FREE down loadable version on A Holy Experience's blog.

It is EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR!!! YIPEE!! AND IT'S FREEEEEEE!!!!

It contains a daily devotion from Nov 29-Dec 25th, with printable ornaments you place on whatever you make as your Jesse tree. Our Jesse tree this year will be our actual Christmas tree, and since we are starting 7 days late we have a bit of catching up to do, but it will be worth it.

Here is my printed version. The girls helps me cut and past, and the red duo tang in the background holds the days devotions.

And there is our first Jesse tree ornament hanging on our tree. Right next to Dora, because as much as our tree celebrates our life with Christ, it also celebrates our lives and I love that.

Every day we will hang a new ornament from bottom to top, and Christmas day we will be able to sit and look at our tree and see a tree of worship for our Christ the one we have come to celebrate.

The BEST PART????

This sooo makes me look crafty and I'm soooooo not ;) lol

Celebrations....

2011-12-05T08:54:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I LOVE December!!! I love the party's and get togethers and the fun. I also LOVE the chance to get together with friends, and laugh until our cheeks hurt. Once a year I try to host a dinner party to celebrate life with my friends. Although hosting a dinner party takes planning, it is so much fun for me. Secretly it is selfish as I LOVE to set a fun dinner table! Perhaps it is the years I spent watching my parents entertain, but seeing a well set table give me goose bumps. I will confess that when I was little I used to sneak into the dinning room all the time and look at all the fancy stuff in the teak unit. I never really thought about it until now, but maybe entertaining makes me feel closer to the times when my parents were together?? I think it reminds me of fun, family and friendship, something my childhood was filled with. It makes me happy that it is now my turn, and perhaps the kid in me gets a little excited knowing that all this fancy stuff is now mine!!

Anyway, I realized last night that I really should do it more often. It is cheaper than a restaurant, more intimate, and we can be as boisterous as we wish!
I love my friends. As an adult I have amazing friends in my life that I can celebrate and set a fancy table for. I am so grateful that I have the 'adult' life that I always wanted. Some of my friends I've known almost my entire life.
I can't have everyone I know in my dining room at once so I can raise a glass and toast them...
So this is my way of saying thank you to all my dear friends that I see seldom see, or see often, and to those whom I've known forever, and to those I've just met.

ALL of you who are in my life know who you are and I just wanted to say thanks for being my friend. Although I can't have all of you at my dinner table, you are all cherished and loved by me. I appreciate that you know who I am and yet accept me anyway, and I recognized how lucky I am to have so many people in my life....and if you EVER want to come for dinner just give me a few days notice so I can set a fancy table o.k??? lol

What time is It??

2011-12-04T15:05:00.000-05:00

What time is it Mr. Wolfe??

Lunch Time!!!! Raawwwrrrr !!!

As I mentioned before, December offers a lot of special events and it is a time for our family to reconnect from the busy activities of the fall. We keep extra activities to a minimum in December, unless they involve our entire family together.

This past weekend we attended a Country Christmas to Remember in Spencerville Ontario. The town does an amazing job at simple and family oriented. The kids have a BLAST shopping in the kid ONLY shopping emporium, coming out with presents wrapped up for each other. After that we usually do a wagon ride, craft show and church lunch, followed by absolutely nothing but hanging around ;)

As you can see there is still no snow. Chilly as it was, the sun was shinning. I think I could get used to this December weather, although a little crunchy snow under foot WITH the bright sunlight would be amazing.

Kids don't take much, but they do take your time, and when we take the time to focus on them and have a little fun it is TIME WELL SPENT ;)

I love our life, but because my husband has two jobs (regular and farm), he does not have much spare time to just chill out with us for a day. When we are all together as a family, I truly think I am at my happiest.

Until next time....

Alyson

Our Guiding Light

2011-12-03T08:54:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love the month of December. I love the lights, the extra snowy fun (when we have snow), the parades, the cookies, the music. I love that we have an entire month to celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and I love all the tradition we are creating within our tiny family unit.
Although we love to get caught up in the fun, in our home our focus is on Christ. It is a wonderful opportunity to dig deeper with God. To teach our children the meaning of Christmas. To practically live out our faith and to live out loud a little more.
Yes December is fun for a lot of reasons but for me it is best because I get to be who I am just a little bit more, or at least have a little more freedom to do so. In our house we are not focusing on Santa Claus. Our focus in on Christ and discovering once again why he is the Messiah. Why he fulfilled the prophecies. Why we believe what we do.
This Christmas season, why don't you look deeper into why you do what YOU do and what is the guiding light in YOUR life.

Now...I have a birthday party to plan!!!

Alyson

What you have missed...

2011-11-28T21:52:00.001-05:00

Being done all my Christmas shopping, having nothing else to look up on the computer and there being nothing of interest to watch on TV while my husband works nights has freed up a little more time for me to upload a couple of pictures.

Doing so I just realized how MANY many..many pictures I have taken since Audrey's second birthday, and all the events and life that has happened that I have not shared with you! It is interesting the amount of pictures taken with a blog in mind, but I supposed I just never got around to sharing my thought with you.
So here is a few pictures taken over the past few months that are blog worthy but a picture and short blip about them will do.

This is also for my Dad who is now in Texas (by his own choosing if I may add), and so will not see the grand babies until the spring.

So here you go...

Audrey and Lara....Could they look more alike? kind of creepy.

See? I really do exist. Hi there!

Audrey wanted to say 'Halo'

Erin reading to the babies while pretend to be doing something important. like take pictures.

Our first and only snow fall of the season. Have I mentioned that it was 15C today? and that my driveway is now a mud pit? Of course not...I haven't been blogging. Well it is, you will just have to trust me.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE watching the kids wait for the bus? no not because they will be leaving for the day. I just love watching them hang out together.

Oh ! and while I was gone my other baby girl turned 7, and I just realized now that we completely forgot to write that thank you card to her Aunt Andrea for picking out her dress. Shoot. Well thank you Andrea...she loved it ;)

Ah yes. This is my cake pop disaster. I would tell you that it was a piece of cake and I'm the best baker ever but both of those would be a lie. Seriously though, why can't my baking projects EVER turn out like the picture!!!!!! like just this once???

Ah yes. The trench. I completely forgot about that. Well forgot to blog about it. Who can forget about a 10foot deep trench stretching across the entire driveway and that it rained for 4 days after my husband had to dig it, and that it is the reason why my driveway is a mud pit since it is 14 degrees outside! I can't forget I tell you.

I DO love watching my husband get all dirty doing man's work. I DO love watching from the sidelines because I 'have' to 'watch the babies'

Oh...Can't forget to mention the wagon rides and family time!!! And Halloween!!! Hello!!

Last but not least my chickens and ducks. That big white rooster we kept from our meat hens. He is big and mean....like really mean, but he will make us little meat hen babies...and then we will eat him. (insert evil laughter). That white duck to his right is ping. She is laying eggs now and in the spring will give us cute little duck babies. I'm not sure what I will do when my husband tells that they too may not stay. :(

o.k that is it for now. ttyl

The Plates are Still Spinning...

2011-11-27T15:15:00.000-05:00

I know what you are thinking. Why have I stopped blogging?

I would like to come up with something profound and inspiring to say but the words are just not there. I would say that I have nothing to blog about but that is not the truth. Life has changed since I put the three older babies in school this year. I am getting things accomplished and spending a little time searching within myself and looking up to God for guidance on a few things. I think I've just become a little more introspective lately and have not felt like sharing my inner dialogue with everyone.

As for an update, school is going well. It is not without its challenges but as I knew before, it was the right decision for our family this year.
My husband and I have been focusing on the every day, not worrying about making big plans for the future. Instead we are trying to be the best stewards with what we are given today, and resting knowing that God is in control of the future.
In fact, hopefully by the end of this week I will be able to present to you our new farm website. It is just a small part of what the future holds for us.
As for me, I'm doing O.K. The first few months of school were a little rough emotionally. I do enjoy having more time to plan and execute the household duties. In fact I believe this is the first year I've been prepared for the winter weather and the Christmas season. There is a peace knowing that I have more time to breathe.

The little ones are growing too fast and some days I feel as though I am watching it all happen without participating in the joys of life. I'm working on enjoying the moments I have...which I think is also why I have been spending MUCH less time on the computer to write down my thoughts.

So for now, know that I am still here and that I'm doing as well as can be expected. So far this year the plates are still spinning and that is as much as I will expect.

Alyson

Our Baby is Two

2011-09-22T08:54:00.000-05:00

Audrey Margaret Anne McNish. Our fourth child. Our baby. The girl that completes our family. She is two today and I am enjoying every second of it. I'm not missing a thing and I love that. Happy birthday hunny. You complete us ;)

Peyton's First Day

2011-09-16T05:02:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures from Peyton's first day of junior kindergarten that I forgot to put up last week.

He did great and loves the bus. I worry about him only because he is so little but so far he seems to enjoy it. His favorite parts are lunch and recess (go figure). He only goes for part of the week and I like it that way. I need to hold Audrey back every day from getting on the bus with them. She calms down when I remind her that now she can run inside and play with all their toys ;)

Time for Great Discoveries

2011-09-15T06:51:00.001-05:00

Since I am on the subject of time this week, I thought I would share with you another reason I am glad to have some extra time during the day.

You see...I now have more time to do the basic picking up and organizing of things. I can now be a little more thorough instead of stuffing things in drawers and closets.

Like having more time to investigate funny smells coming from Lara and Erin's room......

Apparently I need to have a chat with the girls about stuffing things in drawers and closets. I guess I have been leading by example...lol

To answer your question ( because I know you are wondering)...

No it was not Audrey
Yes it smelled
Yes I bleached it for days
No I could not get the smell out
Yes I threw the drawer away
Yes the kid responsible got a 'What were you thinking??'
No I did not get a good explanation
Yes I am still saying things like 'Really?'

Yes I am glad I now have more time for discovery of such things ;)

Days of Joy and Sorrow

2011-09-14T06:38:00.002-05:00

Having the extra time to breathe and fix up our home has been wonderful, but it is the time I now have to devote to my babies that is the best part. Before I felt so torn between them all that I could not FOCUS on the babies. I would get them set up doing something but I never seemed to have a moment to help, encourage and sit down with them. ( I DID but not for as long as I would like)

Watching the look on Audrey's face today as she completed a puzzle that Lara did 7 years ago was priceless. I felt like I turned the clock back 5 years today as I spent the day being mommy to two little people again. I was able to feel the joy and simplicity of the day and soak in every moment.

Chores were done, but also Sesame Street was watched, Play d'oh was played, Puzzles were completed, train tracks created, snacks and naps were taken, and the sand box was pee'd in. Perfect :)

Ultimately it is just nice to feel a little joy again. My heart is still aching every day and a piece of it feels like it is missing when they are at school. I miss them TERRIBLY and I'm wondering when it won't hurt so much anymore. Regardless I know that we made the right decision and I just need to go through a period of adjustment. I know that it is o.k to feel pain if it means the healing of our family. So worth it.

Catching up

2011-09-13T13:38:00.000-05:00

I have been nesting. Preparing for the school year seems to have put me in organizing and task completion mode. I think part of the reason is to occupy my mind now that I no longer have lessons to plan. I'm alright with that. Things are getting done around here and I'm loving that.

The chickens are in the freezer and my coops are being cleaned out. My vegetable garden will soon be fully harvested and coated with chicken manure. The laundry and chores are complete for the week and my drawers are more organized than EVER before. Thanks Mom for noticing ;)

Remember that dresser I bought for 20$ in the summer?

It now has a coat of fresh paint ( I let the girls pick the colour), and has found a home in Lara and Erin's closet.

Some of you who frequent my house remember there used to be a counter on top of this wall with 3 bar stools. We removed them in the spring leaving a towering dark wooden wall. It just didn't look finished so I finished it. All by myself if I may add ;)

Now when you look into the kitchen from the dining room is just looks brighter and cleaner.

That same day I managed to fix and nail this corner piece of moulding back on....by myself. I also painted and freshened up the rest of the wainscoting...by myself.

Completing small projects that have been bumped to the bottom of my to do list for the past 2 years has been so satisfying.

Of course, so if blogging during the day in silence while the babies nap upstairs ;)

It's Worth the Effort

2011-09-08T06:21:00.001-05:00

It is chicken processing day here at Elm Valley Farm. It is an early start, a late finish and a lot of work, but worth every effort.
The above video is super cute and explains a little bit about why Adam and I have decided to do what we do. We feel strongly that one day he will quit his day job and we will farm full time. We are not sure if we can make a living doing things the way we do. As it stands, this year we will be taking a slight loss on our chickens , but it is worth figuring this whole farming thing out. We will just make adjustments next year and move on.

It is worth it. Farming is not what is used to be and modern practices have given the beef and chicken industry a bad name. We want to do it for the earth, the animals, and our bodies.

Watch the video...
The end ;)

Our first day of school in pictures...

2011-09-06T20:04:00.000-05:00

It was a great day for everyone. The girls had a wonderful time on their new adventure, and I had pretty much as perfect 'mommy' day as I could have asked her. I was reminded how much I love to be home with and for my children, and that I truly am my children's first teacher (and I love it)

Today was healing for our family, and for the first time in a long time I feel as though I can breathe deeply and rest that God will fulfill his promise to us that 'He will be with us Wherever we go'... Joshua 1:9 NIV

As Ready as I'm Going to Be

2011-09-05T19:40:00.000-05:00

You are going to laugh at me which is fine because I've been laughing at myself lately. You see, I've organized every cupboard and sharpened EVERY pencil possible in this house in preparation for the first day of school. I told Adam that I feel like I'm nesting. I feel the exact same way I did preparing for the birth of all my babies. I remember with Lara I just HAD to have cotton balls. I could not sleep or sit down until I had those cotton balls sitting on her change table. For the record I think think I have EVER used a cotton ball on any of my babies ;) lol

I've realizd that it is part nervous energy, but preparing for school in August is what I have done for the past 5 years of homeschooling. Exept homeschooling takes MUCH more prep work. I think that is why I've gone overboard with the little prep the teaching actualy need me as a parent to do.

Whatever...Nothing wrong with keeping sharp pencils around the house. Actualy I think my ultra preparation skills may have a teensy bit to do with what I used to do for a living.....

lol...I found that picture of me the other day and thought I would share it. My lesson that day was not to smile when trying to hide from enemies in the bush.

I'm ready and have enough time left over tonight to blog a little. The bags are packed and the schedule is up.

I have a feeling the schedule will be as 'useful' as the first homeschooling schedule I made. It all looks great on paper until life starts to happen. We will see how it goes!! I DID have myself waking up at 630am to feed the chickens before waking the children...After a good laugh I realized that I will just fit all the other stuff in there as soon as I can.

For fun I thought I would show you my children's chore chart. It is not as slave like as it may first apear. They do a PART of the bigger chore, rotates between children, and they don't always have to do all the chores on the chart.

So That's it folks! Tomorrow's the big day. I feel prepared as I will ever be.

Good night

Small Town Schools...

2011-09-03T06:37:00.001-05:00

One of the things that is calming my nerves about sending the kids to school in a week is that we live in a small town. A very small town. The bus driver lives down the road and drove my husband to the same school. She is the eyes and ears of the bus and knows most of the families personally. I love that she did not hesitate to call me yesterday and invite us to become familiar with the bus and climb all over it. I love it that if there is a problem she will phone me directly. I love that she cares about how nervous I am, and I love that she cared enough to talk to me about it.

There is a sense of community around here and I love that. I always thought that when we moved into the country I would feel lonely since our neighbors are so far away. It is the complete opposite and I love that. Everyone waves, will drop what they are doing to help you, and are the eyes and ears for us when our children are not a home.
I have heard amazing things about the school we are going to become a part of and I'm finding out quickly that it is the heart of the teachers and families that makes it such a great school.

We can do this. We are ready. I am ready. The backpacks and supplies are all labeled and ready to go. The school lunch food is in my cupboard and the daily routine is on the wall.

And now I have 3 days to calm down and pretend to love every moment of this ;)

Our Year long Field Trip...School

2011-08-29T07:11:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite picture of the summer. That was a good day. A REALLY good day. In fact this summer was filled with a lot of REALLY good days and for that I am so grateful. It was a summer of rest on so many levels and I will never forget it.
We are ready for school to start next week but I must admit that I am having serious mixed feelings about it. I know we have made the right decision about putting the kids in school this year, BUT unlike the annoying commercials, I don't think this is 'The most wonderful time of the year'. I love my babies and love being here to watch them grow.
They are nervous/excited about school. I told them to think of it as an extended homeschooling field trip and adventure, or a covert undercover operation into the school world. that seemed to get Lara excited.... lol
Today I am calling the school to find out if they can meet the teachers before the year begins, and to introduce Peyton to the play yard. I just need to stay focused on the positive to come. The good year ahead..right???

8 Days....

2011-08-28T06:20:00.000-05:00

I'm alive and well!
We have returned from our amazing Alberta trip. Back to farming life and preparing for our school adventure in 8 days.
I have a LOT to say and pictures to share but all will have to wait a little bit longer.
We are busy as usual but to be honest I am more busy holding onto every minute with my girls before school. I'm not stressed out. Just getting prepared and starting to think of a routine that will work for us.
I think now that the sun sets around 8pm and the girls are going to bed earlier than 930pm I will have a little more time in the evenings to collect and share my thoughts.
Enjoying ourselves has not left a lot of room in the day for me to sit and contemplate life. There will be MUCH more time to do that in 8 days ;)

So hang in there (Dad)...I'll return to the blogosphere soon enough ;)

Vacation...

2011-08-15T09:28:00.000-05:00

I'm out west in Alberta with Lara and Erin visiting my father's family for my Grandmother's 95th birthday.
It has been a wonderful trip. Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Calgary, and soon Banff.
I could live out here. I feel at peace here. Maybe because I'm on vacation and have not cooked or cleaned anything in almost a week...but I like it here. I like the wide open spaces.
I miss my babies and my husband terribly. I wish they could enjoy this with us but this trip has been healing for me and the older girls.

More to come later. Off to Calgary we go!!!

2011-08-08T20:15:00.002-05:00

I'm alive I PROMISE!!!

Week of Camp,
Week of my brother visiting,
Week of painting, cleaning, sunning, beaching, chickens and other stuff all on Sudafed due to Head Cold
And now we are off to Alberta!!!!

So....Sometime at the end of August when I'm freaking out about sending my kids to school o.k???

My summer Staycation continues

2011-07-29T07:03:00.000-05:00

Last week I was at camp with 3 of my babies. I did not stop moving from 7am-10pm. This week my brother is in town from Vancouver and I would be lying if I said I have done much more than this ;)

I hope I don't bore him to death but I am rather enjoying doing nothing right now. I think I've taken this summer vacation thing quite literally. I suppose that at some point I may have to cook and clean again or bathe my children in something other than my mothers pool ;)

Till then...I can be found at my mother's poolside....

'Fruits' of our labor

2011-07-26T07:20:00.000-05:00

We are back from camp. The laundry pile is washed and put away, and I think we are actually caught up on our sleep again. Summer has been HOT HOT HOT these past few weeks. So hot that weeding my garden other than at 4am was just not happening. Frankly getting up at 4am to weed it was not happening either. SO needless to say that I've allowed the weeds to take over. Just yesterday I looked at my garden with disdain and contempt trying to convince myself that I no longer care what grows.
Since it is raining today and I was outside chasing 106 baby meat chickens out of my flower beds and back into their pen (ahem), I thought I would bravely take a peek at what was, if anything growing in the garden.

AND VOILA!!!!!!

zucchini, potatoes,onions, and carrots.

Very cool. I also have corn, tomatoes,butternut squash, basil and lettuce.

It is a great feeling to see the 'fruits' of our labor. The girls will be very excited when they see this! It actually gives me the incentive to find the energy to get out there to weed and prune. It is worth it.

We also have 3 new baby chicks incubated from our own eggs. My friend did it for us as a homeschool project and look what we have! So much fun. We decided that we will be keeping some of the meat chickens and roosters this fall and try to incubate them in the spring. It would be cheaper AND more fun to hatch the chicks ourselves. I really HAVE become a country farmer haven't I ????? ;)

Vacation

2011-07-17T06:56:00.002-05:00

I'm off to camp with my babies. A break from all forms of electrical communication. I am looking forward to unplugging for a while.
See you in a bit!!!
Alyson

Why not

2011-07-15T19:48:00.000-05:00

...I had pictures for you today but my camera is charging. Besides...This is funnier.

Why I signed my kids up for School

2011-07-13T20:47:00.019-05:00

I have given this post a lot of thought. I have written and re written (mostly in my head) the explanation for why my 3 oldest babies are headed to school September. Lara in Grade 4, Erin Grade 2, and Peyton JK.

My decision is complicated and personal and I was not sure if I wanted to share my heart or if I can explain it all properly. But I think it is important to be honest about what is going on in my head. I think it is important to be real here. Maybe if I share it will help someone out there...

I will start by saying that my decision has almost nothing to do with homeschooling itself. It has to do with me as wife and mother.

I realize now that it may take a couple of posts to explain myself. The reasons I have chosen to homeschool my children are numerous, complicated, and wrapped up within each other. So are the reasons why I have decided to send them to a public education system for the year. Do I feel the NEED to explain myself to all of you? no. But just like how I want to share my life and thoughts about homeschooling with you all, I also want to share with you the reason for my decision. I figure if I am real about who I am and what makes me tick, then I just may help someone out there who feels the same way.

I think it is very important to say that I still believe wholeheartedly in homeschooling. It is a part of me and I am feeling quite emotional about letting it go for a while. Only other homeschoolers will be able to understand this. No offence to my schooling mom friends, but there is a reason why I do things differently. We are different and believe different things, and feel differently about the school system. No big deal. We are all entitled to feel how we want in life and about life's choices. That is why I love you and you love me ;)

But this post is not about why I love homeschooling, or why school is fine, or why school is not fine, or why homeschooling does not work for everyone. This post is about why I signed my kids up for school and the emotions and thoughts behind it. Perhaps after reading this my friends will be more understanding when I freak out in September or cry every once in a while even though I am confident in my decision.

In order to understand me a little better I need to give you a little background...

When I married Adam 10 years ago, having children was not yet on my radar. So you can imagine my surprise when I became pregnant on our honeymoon. It was a HUGE shock and something I was not prepared for. I always joke that it took me 9 months to be happy about it. I had to work REALLY HARD on WANTING to be a mother. When there was no possibility of 'returns' what choice did I really have anyway? I figured if I had to be a part of this mothering club then Gosh Darn it I will be the best mother I can be. It took a while for me to get the hang of it, and before I knew it I could not imagine, nor did I want to imagine my life any other way. I never wanted to give up trying to be the best mother I could be for my babies. I wanted to do a great job, and to be honest, I started to LOVE BEING A MOM! (so glad that God knows better what is good for me)

I haven't given up, and most of the time life has been wonderful. My kids are learning, they are fed, they are having moments of joy. In fact for the most part I would say we have a pretty fabulous family and I've experienced Joy and love like I've never felt before.

But....As it turns out, just being there and not giving up, doesn't completely count as really wanting to be a mother. I've spent the last 9 years embracing this motherhood that I never really wanted. I have done everything that I thought I should want to do. There are times when I have been happy. In fact I think perhaps even years, but there are also other times where I don't recognize the person that is Alyson beneath my mothering skin.

There have been some incredible times but too often as of late there are moments I am ashamed to admit. There have been moments when I didn't want to keep being myself. When I was so low and so miserable with the person I was inhabiting, sitting locked in the bathroom so the babies wouldn't see me so broken, that I didn't know where I would find the energy to keep being who I was. When this happens I get worried. I want...no I NEED to be a good wife and mother for my family.

It is for THIS reason that I have signed them up for school. For THESE DAYS that have come all too often in the last 2 years. I did it to save my babies from their mom. I did it to save them from growing up with a mother that is too tired or busy trying to keep it all together that I don't have anything left for them at the end of the day. I did it to hopefully prevent them from experiencing the days when I just don't want to be me anymore.

Now the REASON for THESE days vary but after much prayer and reflection I'm pretty sure of the cause;

Ever since Audrey was born (Sept 2009), I have been so incredibly busy that I feel like I'm going to burst at the seams. I must admit that I did not think adding a fourth child would be THAT much more work than 3. But oh Moses! Most days I feel like I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off. The chickens, the farmhouse, the groceries, laundry, appointments,activities, supper, an active toddler AND a crazy baby AND trying to find the time for my running, the older girls, organizing and planning for school, my husband,friends and church. I just can't take it anymore. As wonderful as our life is and as good of a job as I think I am doing, something has to give.

I know that sending them to school is not going to solve all issues and expect that different ones will come. I just want to miss them. I want to have a little more energy to do the things I need to do around the house and greet them at the end of the school day. I want to be their rock in times of trouble and not the cause of it. I want them to come home to a safe and loving home with the open arms of a mother who adores them and wants to hear about their day.

After many hours of talking and praying, my husband and I decided we'd rather have our kids in school (at least for a time), knowing our marriage is healthy and Mom is healthy, than homeschool just because it is our 'ideal' or because it is what we have always done.

I am admitting that I just can't do it all anymore and that I just need a BREAK, and that I've failed at the things that are most important to me. I've failed at being the mother and wife my children deserve me to be and it is time that I fix it before the relationships can no longer be repaired.

I've tried creating space to breathe while homeschooling, but it is just not working out. I have found it so hard to juggle the babies and the two oldest girls. They are two separate groups and I'm ready to admit that I am not doing the best job at making sure all four kids get the best of me.

Some days are AMAZING...but it is the days when the girls need my help with school, the baby is standing in the toilet, Peyton wants to play a game, the laundry needs hanging and folding..ect ect ect, where I just feel like a failure to them. I get it all done, but in the midst of it all I yell too loudly, I'm too harsh with my words, and my children just don't feel loved by their mother who adores them so so much.
For me it is just not worth 'keeping it all together', if it is affecting our personal relationships with each other, and their spirits.

I need to have faith that God will be here with us. That he HAS been here all along and will continue to be there alongside us no matter what. I need to believe that HE is bigger than the method of education we choose for our family.
I need to believe that our family can still become the God honoring family I know He wants from us while entering a world that is not so 'ideal'.

I want to ENJOY being here with my babies. I want to be able to BREATHE. My oldest daughter just turned 9 and soon my other babies will follow. I don't want to be SO BUSY that I miss all the joy there is to be found being with them.

I have help, a supportive husband and my own hobbies. It is not that I am so overrun by JUST the kids that I just can't take it anymore. It is everything adding up that makes it overwhelming.

My cup overfloweth with goodness but sometimes it is just too much all at once for me to enjoy it.

In order to keep doing everything I want to do without losing my mind or blowing up something has to give. Homeschooling would work if I had very independent and motivated learners. perhaps some day that will very well be the case. OR at this point it would work if I only homeschooled Sept-end of April taking the month of December off. Maybe if I took a bigger life learning approach but until they have their ABC's and 123's down I don't think that is going to work.

So we are going to try school. I will be sad when they can't share in some of the learning that happens here on the farm or other opportunities that will arrive.I will be very sad not to be able to share in their day as much as we do, or do the wonderful things we have the privilege of doing because we are home. But we can't have it all or do it all and we must do what is important for the greater good. Right now the greater good and the greater good is a mother who is happy with her role and ready giver her all to the people that matter.

It has come down to this: My mental health, my marriage and my relationship with my babies is all suffering. I am exhausted, grumpy, losing it regularly, and, it comes out toward the people I love the most: my husband, and the kids I am trying to give such a wonderful life to. I have been so focused on “keeping the plates spinning” that my insides are rotting. Irrational as it sounds, I have been feeling angry ALL THE TIME because I have been feeling there is “no way out.”
What good would it do if I homeschooled, but lost my marriage and relationships with my children in the process?

In fact if you ask me point blank I will say that yes I do think that homeschooling or alternative education is a better option than what is currently available in our public school system. That is just my opinion and I'm entitled to it. Offering my children a different choice was ONE of the reasons I homeschooled my kids.
But this is not about my opinion of homeschooling. Nor is this about education at all. This is about me explaining my decision to change directions for a while.

Lara is turning 9 this year and Audrey is 20 months. I know now all too well that the years are racing by. I feel like it was only yesterday Lara wore those same shoes that Audrey is now wearing. I don't want to miss it. I don't want to be so busy trying to juggle EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME that I miss THAT. I don't want to regret. I don't want to wake up 20 years from now and regret the time I wasted away with my children.

I am so busy trying to remember appointments, thinking of what to take out for supper, and what the girls need to work on next, that I've MISSED out on the simple beauties of being a MOTHER. I MISS sitting in a park while my babies play. MISS having time to draw and snuzzle. Well that time in our lives is not over and I'm not going to miss another day of it.

There are some INCREDIBLE women around me that CAN juggle the household responsibilities and homeschooling. Frankly, perhaps I should say the same about my amazing friends that also balance having a job and keeping their kids and house together.

But I am not them and I need to eat my humble pie for a while and recognize that it is just not working out for me right now.

It could be burnout, depression or just plain don't want to do it anymore. Whatever that cause or reason I am o.k accepting that homeschooling my kids is just not for us next year.

...And I am finally for the first time in too long looking forward to what that may look like.

The Short of It:

I FEEL like for the past 2 years I have been running constantly in different directions and not doing anything as productively as I should. I feel as though I've gone through the motions and have not been present with my children.

The days are going by so quickly and my lists are so long that I CAN'T stop to breathe. I just...can't...breathe and I want to take a deep breathe so so badly. I want to take a deep breath to hold and nurture all four of my babies.

So I'm taking a year off of homeschooling and taking some deep....deep breaths. Once I've had a break we will go from there.

***Update...It is now July (I wrote this post in May)....I am already feeling better about life. Was I just burnt out? was I depressed? Who knows. All I know is now that our school year is over, and I have taken the time to enjoy being a mother again, our family life is once again thriving.
Part of me thinks that all I needed was a break, and that I would have been refreshed again for another homeschooling year in September. But the other part of me is o.k with seeing how things go. I want to CONTINUE having enough energy to love my kids at the end of the day. If sending my children to school is what I need to do to maintain my sanity than so be it. Only time will tell !!

Time well Spent

2011-07-12T14:11:00.004-05:00

We had things to do today. My chickens need their fence mended so I can allow them out on the grass in their natural environment. We REALLY want to get it done.
However as it turns out, our little man woke up feeling needy and wanted Daddy. Although he could have come outside to watch his daddy work, he just needed to cuddle.
So here I sit taking a break while waiting for Audrey to wake up, and there is Adam watching Thomas the Train with Peyton.

My husband has a full time job, he farms part time, and we have a lot of stuff that always needs to get done.
But all of that is pointless if our family does not have our priority. The fence can wait another hour. Frankly dinner can be late as well. We are blessed that Adam works shift work and is home during the day more often than not.

Today we have chosen the babies over our To-Do list of never ending chores. Time Well spent and not wasted.

*** This post was originally made a month ago. Apparantly I forgot to press Post ;)

In my Happy Place

2011-07-11T19:29:00.000-05:00

I stained my deck and pressure washed my windows (first cleaning in 4 years). I love how accomplishing some things on my to-do list makes me love this place all over again.

That is it. Loving that I'm Liking being here in the place where God put us.

Our July so far

2011-07-10T15:15:00.000-05:00

So far July around here has consisted of sun, pool, beach, sun, pool, a little more beach time, and some more sun.
I'm loving doing farm and house chores in the morning, eating lunch, putting my feet up while the babies nap, and then heading out to either the beach or my mom's pool.
This weather does not last very long here in Ontario so we might as well soak it up as long as we can before the chilly weather returns.
Besides...the beach is the PERFECT spot for a very very busy and curious toddler and her mommy.

The berries are also in season. We have a TON of wild Black cap raspberries growing on our property. I would make a pie or something but the kids spend most of their spare time searching them out and eating them on me.

I'm liking country life once again today. I REALLY liking the fact that I can hang laundry, stain my deck, and feed chickens in my underwear and there are no neighbors to see me ;)

July Staycation

2011-07-03T14:29:00.000-05:00

I've had a wonderful few days hanging out in pools, the beach, with friends, and just enjoying the sun. For the first time in a few years I've even been able to sit in the sand or by the pool and be a little more 'hands off', and be able to enjoy myself as well.
I have 2 months to spend every day with my babies before school is in session. I'm trying not to think about it. Instead I'm cleaning less and chilling out more. They are growing up so incredibly fast and before I know it they won't want to hang out with me anymore.

So cheers to summer!!

Happy Canada Day!!

2011-07-01T05:43:00.002-05:00

Happy Canada Day!! We are all decked out in Red and White. Up early and off to the Canada Day kids Fun Run. Sun is shinning and the heat is on! We started the Day with a Canada Day Family Run, will be swimming this afternoon with friends, and tonight the girls will see fireworks for the first time!!
I love a good excuse to let the chores slide and to have a little fun. I'm proud to be Canadian Eh!

I'm a Proud Country Mama

2011-06-27T21:36:00.000-05:00

The above picture is my vegetable garden. Notice the onions,lettuce and carrots growing all nicely and in symbiotic relationship? I'm pretty happy about it. For the first time I planted my garden organically, planting things beside each other that help.
This is the best year yet. Probably because the older girls shockingly have been WILLING and enthusiastic about helping me weed it.
I'm confident that some day I'll have a huge garden and be able to feed the world ;)

Here are my meat chickens at 4 weeks. They are Heavy duel purpose. The brown ones are the females and the white are the males.
Like my vegetable garden, I'm pretty happy with my choice of bird this year. They eat less and have more personality than the white rock chickens I've had in the past.

As for the ducks... They aren't they just adorable?? And no I'm not eating them.

At 4 weeks they are ready to be out on grass to explore their environment and be able to fully enjoy their 'chickeness'.

I feel really good about the way we raise our animals. I am proud to be able to say that we raise healthy chicken who are able to spend their days being treated the way they should be. They eat bugs and grass, and soon will be on fresh grass every couple of days. I've learned so much since moving here 4 years ago. I am a proud country mama today. Proud of the small difference we are making here.

Today was a good day. I cleaned two chicken coops, weeded a garden, hung laundry on the line, folded it, made muffins, took care of my babies, made a fabulous fresh supper, went for a family bike ride, and enjoyed a wonderful evening with my husband.

I like my life today, and I like that I like it ;)
That's it. Just thought I would share a part of my day.

Chicken Killers??

2011-06-24T14:07:00.000-05:00

This is the night camera picking up an image of a raccoon taking the tuna out of the cage and not getting trapped. This is AFTER I lost 12 chickens in the past week to something VICIOUS and EVIL. I am still not convinced it is this raccoon.
The first few nights the evil culprit came in through a small hole, dragged 6 egg layers out, killed them and left. This raccoon seems quite incapable of squeezing through the hole. As you can see it looks like we have been feeding it very well.

It is war around here. I'm thinking it is a weasel. All I know that whatever it is must die. Mama's nest has been disturbed and she (that would be me), is in defense mode. Mess with my babies...Mess with me.

Ping and Pong Venture outside

2011-06-23T14:07:00.000-05:00

Amidst our 107 meat chickens are 2 Peking ducks named Ping and Pong. They are the same age as the meat chickens but 4 times the size.
We got them for our amusement. O.K for MY amusement.
They are 4 weeks old now and just had their first taste of the water. It took them a little bit but their duck instincts clicked in and they began swimming and enjoying the water.

For those of you who are wondering, NO chickens do NOT LIKE WATER. Yes we tried testing that theory ;)

Farm Life

2011-06-18T07:10:00.000-05:00

I've lost 9 Egg Laying Chickens this week. 2 yesterday, 1 the day before, and SIX this morning! The first one was found in a tree, the second 2 were found in the outside cage of the coop AFTER I closed them in for the night.
Yesterday my husband patched the two smaller holes we thought the animal was entering, and I made sure I closed them all in last night.

This morning it was as if the horrible animal was mocking our efforts. Not only did it kill and eat one chicken entirely, it was like it killed the other 5 for the sport of it. It pushed right under the chicken wire that my husband had patched up yesterday.

So frustrating. I am almost convinced that it is a FISCHER. A nasty little weasel type animal that I'm pretty sure is living in our tree line.

Tonight we will completely shut the chickens in the coop with no chance of escape and set a very nasty trap.

We have to do what we have to do...

The joys of farming life.

My new project

2011-06-14T14:37:00.000-05:00

I love kijiji. I also love finding things for cheap and when they fit perfectly where I need it. This will go in the girls closet. More drawers for their socks and stuff and all their clothes will hang over it.

I always find secondhand things so satisfying. It is the ultimate in Reduce/Reuse/Recycle. Good for the environment, good for my wallet, and great for my spirit as I gain personal satisfaction fixing it up and making it our own.

I'll show you when it is finished. May take me all summer but eventually I'll get it done. Of course I do still have some junky looking lawn furniture that was last years project still sitting there. I have a feeling it will become campfire soon. Whatever...this is still my new project.

Good to Know

2011-06-13T14:32:00.000-05:00

It's good to know that when the toilet overflows upstairs that all the water will then run towards the dinning room chandelier and onto the floor. It may take 5 minutes to get there, but it will eventually come and keep flowing until all toilet water is drained.

At least it does not pool anywhere????

Our Treeline...A LOVE/HATE relationsip

2011-06-12T14:31:00.000-05:00

Our tree line. It is not very big, but for our children it is a magical place filled with fairies and hideouts. It is one of the things I LOVE about our property. It is also one of the things I HATE.

Hate the treeline?? Yes. Especially when it causes my daughter to develop a rash so bad that her eyes swell shut and we have to rush her to Emergency. How does a beautiful tree line do this you ask??

Simple. Poisonous plants in ABUNDANCE.

This is poisonous parsnip in its first year. The effects of this nasty plant are similar to poison Ivy. The difference is that when the oil touches your skin and your skin is exposed to sunlight, it is as though your skin has no barrier whatsoever to the UV rays and so you get a nasty nasty bubbling burn. This is what Adam rubbed up against 2 summers ago. We thought we pulled most of it out, but apparently it will take a few years because we pull all the seedlings.

The doctors at the hospital seem to think that Erin has poison Ivy and NOT parsnip, so I went in search of it in the tree line. After looking at hundreds of pictures on the Internet and comparing them I THINK I have found it.

I had NO IDEA that poison Ivy could grow into vines or tall bushes. I always thought it was low to the ground.

Here is a great shot of what I THINK is a mature poison Ivy Plant.It has the classic pointy 3 leaf groupings and the flowers.

Here are a few other pictures I found...

I'm pretty sure this last picture is right. I'm not positive about the few before. There are just so many plants out there and in the forest. Feel free to tell me if you think I'm right or wrong.

What to know the REALLY FUNNY (well not really) part of all of this???

I spent 8 years in the Ontario forests as an Army Cadet, Reservist, and Regular Force Medic. I have treated A LOT of Poison Ivy and have been 'trained' on how to spot it. For some reason I need to look it up every year and never saw it in our tree line the 4 summers we have lived here.

Apparently the new hideout my girls created at the opposite end of the treeline this year was/is pretty much covered by it.

New lesson...If it comes in 3 let it be.

A Girly Party...Just Because

2011-06-11T13:22:00.000-05:00

My girls decided to put on a tea party for their friends just for fun. They did EVERYTHING from the planning, the invitations, deciding what food they wanted, setting up the table, and the planning of the games and activities.

It was so much fun to be the consultant and not the planner for once and such a joy to watch my girls entertain their friends.

There was pin the cherry on the cupcake, dance party, and a dress up and nail station.

They had a wonderful time and they learned a lot about entertaining. I think they acquired an appreciation into how much thought and preparation goes into a friendly get together. I'm all about allowing my kids to learn and do things on their own. I think too many leisure activities are controlled by adults. They were supervised today yes, but the flow of things certainly was not controlled. I have to admit that it was fun to be able to step back and watch how they interact with their friends. I love it when I can see the confidence bubbling from within them.

A very Random Post...

2011-06-11T06:31:00.001-05:00

I'm a LONG way from being Anne or a Mennonite. I don't like to sew, and I'm quite lazy when it comes to weeding my garden. I also LOVE the Internet for its access to information. Maybe I should just stick to living in this 150year old house with its modern amenities, hang my laundry, raise my chickens and wear my aprons.

I suppose I COULD do it if I had to. After all, back then people helped each other with certain things. The women did not do it ALL on their own. They shared their resources and what they were good at. So maybe a modern colony IS what I need?

A MUST for my colony???

Perennial Flowers that bloom from Early Spring until LATE Fall. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE flowers but I'm cheap. Annuals seem like a waste of money. I'm all about watching different flowers come up at different times of the year.Lilac season has come and gone but now it is Peonie time!! I'm lucky in that in the 4 years we have lived here I have managed to steal/sever a bunch of plants from the neighbors to enjoy on our own property. Why is it that when things are free they are sooo much more enjoyable??

That was the entire point of this post...To show you the peonies on the table and how they make me happy. I suppose I could have just said that. I think I've had too much coffee. Anyway, off to feed chickens and smell the flowers.

I wanna be a Mennonite??

2011-06-10T06:31:00.000-05:00

It is hard to appreciate how much laundry is on this line. My clothesline is easily the size of a school bus and not only was it filled, I still had socks left in the basket. The amazing part is this is all from ONE LOAD of laundry.
Done before peak Hydro rates with a front loading He Washer, with Eco Nuts detergent, and hung on the line to dry.
Who said being cheap and environmental don't go together? Yes it takes a little time to hang the clothes, but I've learned to only do one load a day in the summer and that sun dried smell is AMAZING. ( I've also learned not to hang laundry on poop spreading days).
This way I can have the entire load washed,folded and put away at the end of the day.

Easy peasy and sooo worth the effort and extra money in our pockets.

Most of you know how much I LOVE the 'Anne of Green Gables' lifestyle and it is similar to the Amish/Mennonite ways. In fact, I watched an Amish documentary the other day and it reconfirmed some of the reasons we hold our children a little closer to us than others. I'm pretty sure I could become a Mennonite if I could dress is slightly prettier dresses and pluck the hair off my face. However, there is one thing I could not live without. OK maybe several, but I do love my High efficiency washing machine.

Maybe I could start my own 'Anne of Green Gables' colony with my own set of standards and rules?? Anyone wanna join me?

My 'Darla'

2011-06-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

Audrey sometimes reminds me of Darla. You know the dentist's niece in the movie Finding Nemo?? The one that pokes at the fish tank and shakes the fish to death? That one.

She is MUCH cutter than Darla but when we see her coming we tend to hide everything. She has this search and destroy mentality and just doesn't STOP!! This is the look I get when I say no to her lol. Notice the foot up on the side of the chicken box? That is her little rebellious protest.

God love y'a Child...God love y'a ;)

Chicken Broth Anne of Green Gable Style

2011-06-08T13:09:00.001-05:00

I put chicken broth in EVERYTHING. Well not really, but I do use it to make soup (obviously), potatoes,noodles and rice. You could also thaw it to stir fry vegetables and really anytime you need to add a little liquid. Not muffins though. That would just be gross. It is FULL of nutrients and all that honest to goodness good for you flu bug killer stuff.

It is EXTREMELY SIMPLE to make. I thought I would share my secret recipe.

After roasting chicken (bone in skin on), I place all the bones in a pot. I add carrots, celery, dash of salt, broccoli stems ( I cut them and place them in a freezer bag to save for this purpose), garlic and chunks of onion.

Add Cold water and let sit for 20 minutes or so. ( I do all this as I'm cleaning up from our roast chicken supper).

Turn the stove onto medium high. As soon as it begins to bubble I turn it to low and let it simmer FOR HOURS. I put in on the lowest setting all night.

In the morning I strain it into another bowl and place in the fridge to cool. After a few hours the fat will accumulate at the top. You can choose to skim it off but I leave it. The fat adds amazing flavor and overall it is not that much 'fat' in your dish. It also contains lots of good stuff. Think about how much butter you add to mashed potatoes. This just saves you a step.

When cooled the broth should look like slightly underdone jello. The jellyness of it is the marrow taken from the bones. This is the stuff why 'Grandma's' chicken soup was the answer to the common cold.

I separate the broth and put it in used yogurt containers. I usually get 3 servings out of it.

That's it! It is really that simple.

Nuts For ECO NUTS

2011-06-07T13:01:00.000-05:00

It's a natural and renewable plant. I got 4 boxes of this for 34$!!! from babyhalfoff.com. You simply put 4-5 nuts in a bag and put it in with your laundry. NO FABRIC SOFTENER needed. I like this because it cuts down on cost even further and reduces chemicals used and produced in a factory.

I tried them on my first load of dirty laundry and hung the load on the clothesline to dry. The clothes blew out soft and smelling great.

Oh!!! Oh! Oh!! The BEST part is that you can soak the nuts in water and use it as an all purpose cleaner!!

I am very happy eco-friendly and cheap mama.

Tree Trimming by Adam Scissorhands..

2011-06-06T14:45:00.001-05:00

This house is affectionately known as 'The Cedars'. It could have something to do with the giant Cedar trees found around here. Just a guess.
Anyway, the cedars have grown a little out of control and when a wicked wind storm bent one of the cedars (where Adam is) over and threatened my gorgeous hydrangea tree I decided our house was getting a trim NOW. See the cedars on the right hand side?? The ones on the left were just as tall. I tell y'a, when that wind comes it bends those trees like a.....bendy straw??

So up onto the tractor loader my husband went with chainsaw in hand. He hates it when I take pictures of him doing work around the house. I on the other hand get A LOT of amusement out of it.

When it came to the cedars on the left we were not sure how far down to trim them. We figured we would take just a little off the top.....

I can't tell you how hard I was laughing while taking this next picture.

I think we should have left it just like that for a while, but there ALWAYS seem to be someone watching you around here...

One of these things does not belong here.... Three of these things are kind of the same...

2011-06-05T19:45:00.000-05:00

Now It's time to play our game..

On that note, I've just been informed that at summer camp this year one of my duties is to PUT ON A GAME SHOW for the kids as an ice breaker the first night. I can't tell you HOW EXCITED I AM!!! Some of you may recall my incredible excitement about being on stage to ring the buzzer on the cruise? The only difference is I am NOT going to make anyone sing. That was just a disaster. But what happens on the cruise stays on the cruise...
I digress...

Game show whoot whoot!! I'm thinking Cabin Feud, A helmet with buzzer attached as the dinger thingy...oh the plans!! Got any cool and fun and CLEAN ideas????

Country Mama...Here me ROAR!!

2011-06-05T08:34:00.001-05:00

Having baby chicks and farm animals around is a wonderful experience for myself as well as my babies. However...with life also comes death and when a 3 year old falls over onto a baby chick and mom (that would be me) has to scoop up panting little chicken with it's guts hanging out is not such a great experience. I must admit that when my husband is around I CAN DO ANYTHING!!!
I am country mama, here to protect my babies from TRAUMA.
" nothing to see here folks!!"

Now to go Vomit..

She is Perfect

2011-06-04T08:50:00.000-05:00

Happy 9th Birthday Lara!! My oldest. The artist. The athlete. The Brainiac. You are Perfect in every way just the way God made you.

She will be dancing to Pink's "perfect:" song at her dance recital next week. I could not think of a better song for her. I'm a proud mama and I'm pretty sure I will be the mom in the audience SOBBING while watching my beautiful baby girl on the stage. I want her to know that she is perfect in every way, and that she is loved just the way she is. Nine years have gone by so quickly as I'm sure will the next nine. Being a mom is not easy but watching them grow and develop into the little people God created them to be is just amazing.
Although nine years ago I was not sure about this mothering thing...I'm certainly blessed to have been given the opportunity.

Moments Like This

2011-06-03T13:07:00.000-05:00

It is moments like these I find myself stopping. I take a mental picture of the moment. I want to remember it. These are the times to remember. The times when we are simply together. I want to cherish it. I want to cherish the insignificant moments that are greatly significant in so many ways. I want to look back at my life 30 years from now and feel confident that I took to time to enjoy their littleness. Their innocence. Their love.

Invited Guests

2011-06-02T13:03:00.001-05:00

After a lot of tears and whinning I let them keep a chick for the day. Why not. Pick your battles right?

Running Around Like Chickens

2011-06-01T11:55:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again here on the homestead! 109 (they give you extras just in case a few don't make it), 31 turkeys, and 2 Ducks ( These are completely for amusement purposes)

The ducks are soooo cute! We named them Ping and Pong.

For the life of me, I can't figure out how to rotate this picture....

Anyway, the saying is don't count your chickens before they hatch (for good reason), but it is VERY important to count them while taking them out of the box. Last year I forgot to do just that and I'll tell you....Trying to count chickens moving all over the place is no easy task. Futile really. So I counted. There is 109. And if 2 or 3 die? well then I will have 106/107 then won't I? See how easy that is?

Anyway, I've spent the morning counting my chickens and vacuuming the windows to allow the amazing breeze to blow through our house. Time for a nap.

Who Turned up the Heat??

2011-06-01T06:02:00.000-05:00

The last two days have been SCORCHING hot! Where did THAT come from? Not that I'm complaining but the temperature difference is hard to adjust to so quickly.

You see we live in a 3 layer brick home. There is no insulation and no we do not have air conditioning. I'm pretty sure if we did we would shut down the entire power grid trying to cool this home down.

Normally if we keep ALL 23 windows shut tightly and covered we have a 3 day window before the outside temperature equals the inside.

Well it has been so hot and humid the last two days that our inside upstairs temperature was 80F last night, not including humidity..blech. I normally don't complain about weather but it was a little adjustment to the 60F we slept in two nights prior.

This is me DYING on our front porch attempting to hang laundry. Did you know that if you put a porch into an L shape, line it with brick and face the direct afternoon sun you create and OVEN? I'm not joking when I say the thermostat on the window behind me read 42C!!! I'm pretty sure I did not sweat that much running my Half Marathon the other day ;)

Oh Anne of Green Gables would have been proud of me yesterday. After all...they did not EVER have air conditioning options. Or my mothers fabulous Salt Water pool that we tested out yesterday ;)

Bring on Summer! Me and my straw hat can endure :)

I've been busy

2011-05-29T20:20:00.002-05:00

For those of you that have yet to discover my Proud To be a Fit Mom blog, I have been training for my first ever 1/2 Marathon.

Today I completed it! For all the Details please head on over there.

Now I will have MUCH MORE free time to devote to the 100 meat chickens,30 turkeys and 2 ducks that are about to arrive on the farm in 2 days.

Generations

2011-05-24T14:25:00.000-05:00

This house was built in the 1860's for one of the original 5 brothers that came over from Scotland. The other homestead is 400meters down the road.

This picture was taken in 1924. The little girl standing on the wagon is my husbands Great Aunt. The little fella sitting on the wagon is her cousin who lived in this house and raised his family here.

This is us in 2008. Notice difference in the trees, cedar trees and hydrangea. The sunporch is the same minus the roof terrace,but it leaks like crazy.The backside of the house is changed. I'm pretty sure the first picture is showing the entrance to the root cellar that is no longer. Now there is a deck there and so that is why you can see the 'garage/summer kitchen' in the background.

This is our home now in 2011. Two of the giant Maple trees are hollow and the cedars need to be trimmed. That old garage will also come down at some point and we will do a wrap around porch. Of course the sun porch is brand new and usable

It is really cool to live in a home inhabited by 7 generations of my husbands family. Some things have changed but the solid foundation on which this home was built is standing strong. It is a reminder that what we do today makes a huge impact on the generations to follow. The choices we make really do determine how the next generation lives. I love being a part of it. O.K and I also love that if I close my eyes I can picture how they lived..Anne of Green Gables style, because the remnants of it are right at my doorstep.

May Day

2011-05-23T13:57:00.003-05:00

May has FINALLY arrived on the farm. April showers turned into a wet and soggy May, but alas! We have warm weather and 'funshine'!!

Bring out the freezies!!

and Lilacs!! and Construction projects!!

And hours of sandbox play and tire swinging!

We will just ignore the daily thundershower

and take pictures of cute baby calves

And sell tomatoes on the side of the road

and then sit in my sun porch with the blooming flowers as the kids play for hours on end with the neighbors

We can ignore the plants in my 'garden' as they once again prove to me that I don't know a thing about transplanting perennials. Seriously...will someone not save me from myself? I'm sure there are rules about planting things in clumps.

Ah yes. What May Day would be complete without soccer gear that is cleaned and ready to go.
(please insert extreme sarcasm).... Oh soccer, how I've missed you!

Victoria Day Happiness

2011-05-22T08:41:00.002-05:00

Happy May 2/4 Weekend Canada! For you Americans, it is Victoria Day weekend around here. For those of you that don't know, we call May 2/4 because it sometimes falls on the 24th of May and a LOT of beer is consumed. And our beer comes in cases of 24. Hence the 2-4. Get it? Eh?
Are there even any Americans reading my blog? Besides Carey?? Hi Carey ;).....Can anyone tell I've consumed WAY too much coffee this morning?

I digress....

Yesterday was the first day in what feels like FOREVER,that the sun came out. If there is ANY weekend to see the sun it is THIS one. There are gardens to be planted, garage sales to peruse, bonfires to be had, and beer to consume. VERY IMPORTANT business if I do say so.

I seriously don't think yesterday could have gone any better. My garden was planted, Grandma took the kids to the fair and then the girls played ALL day with the neighbors. the lawn was cut, I got a new whipper snipper, I got to lounge outside in the sun, and play with the little ones. To top it off, we ended the day with a neighborhood bonfire. I just loved watching the kids all play hide and go seek in the hay field. I was reminded of my own childhood playing kick the can with ALL the neighborhood kids.

It was a good day, and today promises to be just as good. I am so grateful for days like this. It will make getting through another week of rain a little easier.

Our life. It is simple and weird.

2011-05-21T07:31:00.005-05:00

My husband...The cow whisperer. At the end of the day everyone just wants to be loved.

My big girl is MUCH braver than I am or will ever be.

This is Henry the llama. We are trying to sell him to a loving family who will shear the poor fella. I'm pretty sure he is the only one around here loving the rain. I bet he won't love it so much when the sun comes out and the humidity takes over. I also bet that he is actually a skinny dude under all that fur. I bet he will look mighty funny after he is shaved. That's our house in the background.

The below picture makes me laugh. I'm not sure what Peyton was prepared for but he is ready! Who am I to tell him that if one of the heifers decides to knock him down that helmet won't stand a chance. Ignorance is bliss right? ah he...he ah he... (that's nervous laughter if you didn't catch it).

Going for a family walk in the country and not suburbia there is one difference. Instead of looking in the neighbors windows wondering what they are up to and how they decorate, we check cattle.

At the end of the day we are just a regular family living next to bovine.

Since we are on the subject of cattle....Cows eat grass and need space to roam around. When they do this they are happy. They are also healthy and healthier for you. Did you know that a cow grazing on grass only has a higher content of Omega 3's?? Did you know that cattle are NOT MEANT TO EAT CORN? 'Grain fed' means corn by the way (most of the time) Did you know that if cows are fed grass only there is NO ECOLI RISK???? Did you know that most cattle are jammed into feed lots and fed corn to fatten them up before processing? Did you know that then and only then do things go very very wrong?

My point..... Eat grass fed beef directly from a farmer. We are out there. Just take a 10 minute drive into the country. And yes our beef is inspected. My goodness...we don't 'process' them on our front lawn!!!!

Hands down the BEST MOVIE/DOCUMENTARY to watch, be entertained and informed is FOOD INC. It will change your life and the way you look at your food forever.

UPDATE: To be more specific, MOST if not ALL large FEEDLOTS in the USA finish beef cattle on CORN. As does ONTARIO. Alberta Canada finishes their beef with BARLEY.

Vegetable Garden 2011

2011-05-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am SO happy to present to you my Vegetable Garden of 2011. It has been 3 seasons of blood, sweat and A LOT of tears ;) To get it this way.

In 3 years I have learned:

1)Plant in rows and mark them so you can tell what is a vegetable plant and what is a weed;

2)If you watch the weeds grow they won't go away. In fact they may grow taller than you and will grow in such abundance that you walk away and cry;

3)Weed in the morning to avoid black flies mosquitoes and a LOT of sweating;

4) Weeds grow all season long;

5) If you don't kill all the weeds SURROUNDING your garden, those weeds will seed and those seeds will blow into your garden;

6) Weeds grow between wood chips and when the wood chips breakdown they take nitrogen FROM the garden;

7) Old manure is GREAT for the garden. Just remember there are seeds in the manure and you may grow corn and grass is you don't WEED it;

8) Fresh chicken manure kills the plants AND chickens LOVE vegetables;

9) If you build it..They will come. And come I mean spiders, bugs,birds, snakes, skunks and raccoons.

10) Certain plants to NOT like to be grown next to each other. Others love each other and will help keep certain pests off each other. ( This one I will do this year. Very very cool and I'll post about it later)

11) Patience is important. Veggies take time and a little TLC. But it is SOOOO WORTH IT!!

Ta Da!!!! This is what my weed free (for now) garden looks like 3 years later.

The soil is so rich and soft

The BEST part is that THIS YEAR The girls have been more than willing to help me plant it. I have help! yay for help!

O.K so maybe my help has com in the form of THIS BEAUTY. It is not quite as Anne of Green Gables or environmental but who cares...I'll take all the help I can get a this point ;)

I'm a Cow Girl

2011-05-17T06:37:00.000-05:00

Oddly enough this is the EXACT spot I stood 10 years ago as I told my husband I would never ever move to the farm.

Then I was in a wedding dress. And now? What can I say. It was practical for what I was about to do.

You see, this is me inching my way under the electric fence that keeps the cattle from standing on the road in front of your car.

This is me leaving all four kids in a field (one with a camera), as I make my way into cow valley to help my husband wrangle a newborn calf sleeping in the tree line. Have I mentioned yet how TERRIFIED I am to be next to any animal larger than myself?

And this is us returning from weighing, tagging and banding a 90pound newborn calf. O.K my husband did all that while I feebly attempted to pin down the little fella. Still I think this qualifies me as official farmer/cowgirl/crazy lady ;)

Shockingly my children survived being left alone. You would be surprised at all the horror that awaits a child in the middle of a hay field.

Time Well Spent

2011-05-16T06:01:00.000-05:00

We did not get much 'school' done this week. It does not bother me one bit for a few reasons.

1) The girls are almost finish their curriculum for the year and so we can afford to take a week off.

2) I believe wholeheartedly that learning does not need to happen in a textbook. In fact I could argue that it works even BETTER when combined with a practical activity. I love that homeschooling offers us those opportunities. If I had it my way ALL schools would be 'environmental schools'. How exciting would it be to go to school every day and get the opportunity to see knowledge at work! How empowering and rewarding that would be. Anyway...moving on.

3) The kids were able to help with the garden, a play structure, and time was spent with loved ones this week.

It is raining today and will most likely continue to rain for a few days. I am SO glad we took a week off to do other things and take full advantage of the late spring sunshine. It was a reminder that there WILL be time to get it all done. It just can't all get done at the same time. Nor should I ever try.

Our homeschooling journey is about to end for a while. Although I am confident in my decision to take a break, these are the days I am grateful that we chose the life we did. I like that we can do what we want and when we want. I am also grateful for the reminders that we are all doing o.k.

Grace like Rain

2011-05-15T04:54:00.003-05:00

The rain is falling and watering my newly planted corn, potatoes, and onions. I'm glad for the rain because is means that I will not be burdened with the task of watering my vegetable garden. Any relief from extra tasks around here is welcomed by me.

Although it is damp and dark the rain needs to fall sometimes. I think sometimes it needs to fall so I appreciate the sun that much more when it shines down on me, and sometimes I need to remember that there is a time and a season for everything.

Lately it feels as though my world and the people that are in it are falling. Just like the rain, I know that it is temporary and that better days are just a few sunsets away. I need to hold on to that hope. I also need to remember that Grace....just like rain....NEEDS to fall. It needs to fall FROM me just as I need it showered upon me.

Just like the Rain, everything has a time,season and REASON. And although I may not always see past the hurt, the pain, or the trial, I have hope that I'll be o.k.

Grace Like Rain: Todd Agnew
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see so clearly

Chorus:
Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing Your praise
Than when we first begun

The Other Man in My Life ;)

2011-05-13T12:32:00.002-05:00

It's my little man's 4th birthday today. My only boy. My only kid with blue eyes. My biggest baby weighing in at almost 9 pounds.

This kid has proven to me that boys are born a separate breed from girls and that yes it is possible to clone your husband.

Happy birthday little man. May you ALWAYS be my little boy even when you tower over me ;)

xxoo Mom.

Through Their Eyes

2011-05-10T19:57:00.000-05:00

Erin LOVES pictures and LOVES it when I let her borrow my camera for a while. I like digital cameras because she gets to click away and I get to delete the HUNDREDS of snapshots.

What I REALLY love are the pictures that end up on my camera. I love to see the world through her eyes. Sometimes she captures a moment like this one of Peyton pushing his baby sister. I'm ASSUMING one of the older girls put her in there.

Then there are the random pictures of things. I think this is Erin's way of letting me know that I need to sell more eggs ;)

And then there are pictures like this one...

Kind of takes that warm and fuzzy feeling away you know?

AMAZING GRACE

2011-05-09T20:06:00.004-05:00

Today did not start off so well. It was cleaning day and my husband worked a night shift last night and needed to sleep. My routine was off and the days tasks felt daunting. I messed up with the kids and it was NOT GOOD.

I felt horrible. I was filled with remorse and guilt as I appologized to my kids and to God. I let go and readjusted, kicked up my heals and carried on.

Then as the day went on tasks got completed. In fact not only did we manage to clean the house, I somehow rearanged the kids rooms, took out seasonal clothing, weeded some of my vegetable garden, planted a few trilliums, cleaned chicken eggs, hung laundry out to dry, fed my kids a real supper, read them some books and snuzzled, AND played with the kids outside.

AMAZING

What started out as the worst day EVER, when I look back turned out not to be so bad after all. It was filled with sunshine and play, grace, forgiveness, laughter but MOST OF ALL....LOVE.

This morning I was POSITIVE that I wouldn't get ANYTHING accomplished. I was POSITIVE that my life sucks as it is filled with endless crappy servant like chores. THEN God reminded me that He is IN CHARGE. He reminded me that MY life is OVERFLOWING with Goodness.

HOW AMAZING IS THE SWEET SOUND OF GRACE

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T06:00:00.002-05:00

I never thought I would have children. Especially children that were so smart, loving and cute. They remind me every day about what is important. They have taught me what love is and for that I am grateful.

Spring on the Homestead

2011-05-04T06:49:00.004-05:00

These pictures are from two weeks ago. It has rained SO much over the last week that now the grass is long and lush. We had a wicked wind storm the other day and so branches are EVERYWHERE. As soon as this rain lets up we will continue with the clean up. Until then we are kind of at a stand still.

Meanwhile here are a few pictures...

Here are my egg layers in all their chicken glory. It is amazing what happens when you allow your animals to act the way God designed them to be.

They are dusting themselves. They eat all the bugs and vegetation in an area turning it 'dust like'. They dig down deep and fluff their feathers with the dirt. Chickens do NOT like water.

Here you can see our portable fence. I love it because this year it has successfully kept them away from my Tulips and I can move it onto new grass. June 1st 100 Meat chickens, 30 Turkeys and 2 Peking ducks will join them.

Last year it rained in the fall and so we were unable to find the time to mulch up all the maple leaves. That makes for a HUGE mess in the ditches. I'm not looking forward to this task but it looks like this year I have some help ;)

Seeds are planted and growing nicely in the sunporch. Right now I have tomatoes,herbs,broccoli and beans growing nicely.

I declare this the year we take back our lawn and tree line. The amount of noxious weeds including thistles and poison parsnip is OVERWHELMING. Not to mention the LAYERS of garbage that works its way up to the soil surface. I am determined to clean the tree line. This wheelbarrow is full of THISTLES I just pulled from the back lawn.

This is a pile of old Burr bushes. Burn baby Burn away!!!

If we have to do so much labor we are also determined to enjoy ourselves. Two birds with one stone and if I yell Bonfire! the kids are more than happy to find junk to throw in that fire.

The 'furniture' there was my summer project last year that I never completed. I think I just may throw them in the fire and buy new ones ;)

Of course what bonfire is complete without plastic pool floaty.

There you have it for today. We are busy living and working hard to create the home we want both physically and spiritually.

We have made some drastic decisions that we feel will help us. I will post about those another day. Until then we are continuing to seek God's will in our lives.

Why I'm not Blogging Much

2011-05-02T07:10:00.002-05:00

This picture pretty much explains how busy I am. I have 3 other kids I'm homeschooling, a giant dust producing farm house to clean, chicken coops that need need cleaning and a garden that needs preparing. Oh, have I mentioned that I'm also training to run a 1/2 Marathon,doing the shopping and running the kids to and from their activities ??

I have a bunch of pictures and thoughts to share but I don't have much time during the morning afternoon or evening to sit down for 1/2 hour to write. I just uploaded a bunch of pictures and I've left Audrey now for 10 minutes to her own devices.
The above picture was a result of me allowing her upstairs for 5 minutes before going to get her.

I would blog at night but I would much rather flop on the couch or talk to my husband.

So there you have it....My life ;) It's fun and exciting and I'm happy. Just busy. Feel free to call me and chat. I can do sooo much more while on the phone!

love me ;)

A Fresh Start to Spring...

2011-04-22T06:51:00.003-05:00

I'm alive. I have just not felt like taking the time to sit and blog my thoughts. I'm doing fine for all those worrying. Sometimes I sort things out on my own and sometimes I just don't feel like writing. My priorities do not lie in bloggyland and that is just fine with me.
I DO have a bunch of country farm pictures on my camera for you. Perhaps after this EASTER weekend I will post them.

Easter weekend for us is sacred. More sacred than Christmas as it is the cornerstone of our faith. I am happy to say that my husband is off work all weekend and we are going to spend it with family and friends and our Christ.

10 Years ago this Easter Sunday I walked into church on drugs and accepted Christ as my Saviour. I've mentioned before that this year is an anniversary year for me in so many ways. This one is special to me because it changed my life completely. I am forgiven and am in right relationship with God because Christ took MY punishment. He took ALL OF OUR PUNISHMENTS. I am so grateful and this year I am filled with gratitude and reflection on the last 10 years of my life.

I like Easter because it is a reminder of fresh starts. If God can give me a fresh start then I too can forgive others. I too can let go and show mercy and grace to those that have hurt me. I too can have a fresh start with those I care about. That is the LEAST I can do for my God.

So Happy Easter. Happy Spring. Happy Fresh Start.

Like a Butterfly...

2011-04-10T06:31:00.004-05:00

Spring has sprung. The gardens are being cleaned up, seeds are being planted, the laundry is being hung, the kids are spending most of the day outside, and the sun is warming up the crisp air.

Once the mud has dried spring is my favorite time of the year. We are finally emerging from our cocoons. Ready to spread our wings and fly. Judging by all the comments on facebook yesterday I would say that is how most of us Canuks feel.

It felt like a long winter this year and I'm ready for metamorphosis in several areas of my life. ...

I'm READY.

2011-04-06T06:38:00.002-05:00

My busy baby has had the flu for days and is now spry enough to start pulling stuff apart again. I'm not sure which I prefer. Cuddly (and stays put) and sick, or healthy and crazy busy. Maybe a little of both.

Update....

2011-03-30T09:14:00.002-05:00

Heart Melting.....Not so much. Not when she rips a bible, pulls DOWN the baby gate, drinks out of the toilet, climbs up on the piano, gets up on the computer desk and writes on my papers,throws a plate and breaks ANOTHER tea pot. No I don't leave these things in reach and yes I watch her. She is QUIET, QUICK and moves furniture to suit her purposes.

Why?

2011-03-30T06:09:00.000-05:00

Why does watching this kid get into EVERYTHING melt my heart so much???

Run WITH me!

2011-03-29T09:02:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone. I am training for my first ever 1/2 Marathon on May 29th.

Running has helped me to overcome a lot of things and I am on my way to accomplishing a life goal.

Training for this Half has taught taught me in a very practical way that life is about the Journey and I want my journey not to be a selfish one.

Although I am running alone I decided that I don't want to run for myself. I would like to know that every painful step I take out there is for someone else. After all...life is not about me and neither should my running be.

So...I could really use your support out there. It would be nice to know that while I train you are 'running with me'. It would also be motivating to know that every km means one more dollar for a child.

So will you help me? I would like to raise 366 Dollars. One dollar for every km left to go...race included.

I set up a page at www.CanadaHelps.org with the charities I chose to run for. It is a VERY SAFE AND SECURE website and the money goes TO THE CHARITY. Not to me. I just get to see the total given.

To give just go to www.CanadaHelps.org and go to GIVING PAGES. Search Alyson McNish. or try the following link http://www.canadahelps.org/gp/11649

Thank you in advance for helping me with my journey...and thank you from the kids you are about to help!!! Alyson McNish

Spring Prep Begins...

2011-03-29T05:53:00.002-05:00

The sun is out and the ground has thawed but for the end of March it is still quite cold. This year I'm trying to get a head start on my garden. I read that if you place black tarps over your garden for 6 weeks before the planting season begins it will prevent the weeds from rooting. We have a SERIOUS burdock root problem surrounding our garden and I'm pretty sure there are enough burr bush seeds in my soil to velcro ourselves together. Being cheap I used old tarps. I have a feeling I NEED a black tarp so the soil warms up a little more. We will see. I don't mind experimenting if I don't have to spend money.

This year I decided the girls are to be involved in EVERY aspect of this garden. I enjoy watching them work together and learn with me. Besides...Why have so many children if I don't employ them to help me with crazy ideas I come up with??

April 1st we will plant our seeds in the sun porch in hopes that by the end of May they will be good and ready for the garden. This year I'm taking a more organic and organized approach to my planting. I did alright last year but made some big mistakes.

I'm also hoping to try garden sharing again this year. My dream would be for someone to come over and build a bunch of raised beds, tell me what to plant where, come over and help weed, and then we eat and be merry. We could give the left over food to the food bank!?!

Anyone? Anyone? Please?

My littles....

2011-03-18T14:05:00.000-05:00

These two continue to make me laugh. I feel like I have twins. They are always together and getting into mischief...TOGETHER! I'm pretty sure they have a secret language that only the two of them can understand. They make me laugh. I would say they make me angry at the chaos they create but how can I stay mad at THESE faces??

Their cuteness really does save them. Also now that their older sisters are now 8 and 6 and I know just how fast the years move along, I am soaking up every minute of their craziness and loving it.

Homeschooling

2011-03-17T13:47:00.000-05:00

I like that homeschooling allows us to learn the way we want to. You don't need anything super fancy to learn about the world. In fact I believe using the world is the best way to learn. I also like that we can be flexible about the where and how that we learn. For example...

Math.

English.

Ummm Math ??

Science.....

Mmmmm Maple Syrup.

I also like that I learn right along with them...

Like how to look good boiling sap ;)

Spring has Sprung

2011-03-16T13:29:00.003-05:00

It's March break around the farm and it is raining today. The warmer weather brings with it....

Maple Syrup! We have 9 buckets on our trees this year and we think we will end up with 6 litres of syrup for our family to enjoy. So much work but so worth it.

Window flies. Thank you to whomever invented fly window tape...I love you.

Mud,mud mucky mud. Children love it. I hate it. Washing machine is working overtime.

Chickens that run past me out of the coop as soon as I open the door. I'm hoping the ground thaws enough to put up the chicken fence to keep them from eating my tulips...AGAIN.

Yesterday was coop cleaning day. I tell y'a. There is NO SMELL like cleaning out a FOOT of chicken poop. Good for winter insulation. Not so good for your nostrils in the spring.

Spring is busy on the farm. Eventually it gets done but for now the cleanup begins. I have learned over the last few years that most things are not all at once and eventually all is complete. I like the rhythm of things and as long as we are prepared we do just fine. After Maple season and spring clean up comes garden preparation and llama shearing. Then berry picking, meat chickens, weeding and preserving. All things have their 'season' and I'm grateful for a God that knows not to give them to me all at once. I'm glad HE knows what He is doing.

24Hr Kid Free StayCation

2011-03-05T16:34:00.002-05:00

We dropped all four kids off at Grandma's for 24 hrs. I have to laugh because I'm not really sure what to do with myself. Being a homeschooling mom and having my husband work shifts, I am used to being surrounded by people ALL the time. Most importantly people that make messes and need attention.

So what to do with ourselves? O.K besides the Obvious ;)

I have to laugh because the FIRST thing I REALLY wanted to do was clean the house. I wanted to clean it and have it stay clean and tidy the entire 24hrs! I don't think I've been that excited about housework in a long time! I mean seriously....the bathrooms are sparkling, the floor is vacuumed and EVERYTHING IS IN ITS PLACE! As I type this I even have CANDLES BURNING...like on the end tables...like beside the couch!!

I can hardly contain myself I'm so giddy. I know it is weird but when you spend the majority of your life with little people walking behind you undoing all your effort this is a treat!!

So once the house was cleaned Adam and I decided to head in to town for a coffee date and some errands. Who knew that when you have no children in tow and no reason to head back home you could spend 5 hrs wandering the city and taking your time doing nothing?
Oh that's right we did...10 years ago when we were dating.

Obviously we are home now and have a few hours before our dinner guests arrive. Now what? The house looks the same as when we left and I don't NEED to DO ANYTHING. Well isn't this nice! I don't have a spare moment...I have a spare few hours ;) yipee!!!!!!!

What is weird is that someday IF all four kids were in school and my husband was off during the week this would be NORMAL! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm......

More Natural products for You

2011-02-27T12:55:00.000-05:00

I've made some discoveries and changes that I've yet to tell you about. As always the motivation for my changes are 1) To save money, 2) To limit the amount of chemicals in/on my body 3) To help the environment by not buying factory made chemical things and 4) To help reduce waste

As always some of you will think I've lost my mind. Before you comment say to yourself 2 things. What did they do before there were chemical factories and What does the rural part of most of the world still do?

So here you are: I've eliminated Shampoo (The Net calls it Going Poo Free), Face cleanser and astringent, body wash, scrubs, and MOISTURIZER!

For Shampoo you can look it up on You Tube (Going Poo Free). I use the two big bottles at the back. One has baking soda and water in it. The other contains apple cider vinegar and water. These I use in my hair and my nether regions.

The square container contains olive oil and salt. I use this as a body scrub. It feels amazing.

The two smaller bottles contain apple cider vinegar and water in one ( I use this as a facial cleanser and zit prevention) and the other Olive oil. This I use twice a day every day on my face.

I have to admit that I was PETRIFIED to use oil on my face. I get breakouts and was positive I would have oily disgusting skin. NOT THE CASE AT ALL.

In fact...since using olive oil on my skin I have seen an improvement in my pores and skin tone. In the 3 months I've been doing this I seem to only break out right before my period.

Keep in mind I have never invested in extremely expensive cleansers and can only compare my skin to what it was before when I was using Dove soap bar on my face. But whatever....it is cheap and seems to be working and I love the fact that it is healthy. Apparently Olive Oil is the European 'secret' but I don't know if that is true or not. I know that cosmetic company's can't market or patent olive oil so why would they promote it?

I was skeptical about it all until I took the plunge and tried it. I'm glad I did.Feel free to look into it if you like.

I find my hair gets dry going completely poo free. I also find that I like to do conditioner instead of the recommended olive oil treatment once a week. I did find this all natural shampoo bar sold by a local company via Wendy's Mobile Market. It seems to work well so far and claims to be conditioning, but I have yet to go conditioner free.

Hope you enjoyed the post. If you want more detail just look it up yourself! There is a TON of information out there.

My next step: Finding DISH soap alternatives and Switching to Natural Soap for my Laundry. Any suggestions?

Last but Not Least

2011-02-26T12:47:00.000-05:00

The littlest. The busiest. The craziest. The most daring. The lightest sleeper. The earliest talker. The most stubborn.

Is it o.k that one of her first words is Barbie?

This is a picture of me trying to gently take them away. "no take BAAABIE!!!!"

Is it normal that I thought this was absolutely hillarious?

Is it normal that I took pictures of it?

Family Fun Day

2011-02-25T10:27:00.000-05:00

Cheap Free and Easy things make me happy....I'm noticing a theme in my blog lately ;)

We escaped to Winterlude 2011 in Ottawa the other day. I think I've mentioned before that just the IDEA of taking all four kids anywhere 'special' makes me tired.. But I love my family and so every once in a while (and with my husbands help), I will do it for them.

It was great. I prepared in advanced and expected to hear I'm hungry,I'm tired, I have to pee, I'm cold and are we there yet a MILLION times. I also packed a HUGE lunch WITH water and wet wipes....so I was prepared. I also drank enough coffee to keep me warm and happy for a few hours anyway ;)

I digress...It was fun. It was free. It was sunny.

....And watching Lara try downhill skiing for the first time was worth all the effort. I have such fond memories of skiing with my family and watching Lara experience it was great.

I'm glad I went and did not give myself a chance to 'Be Tired'

Want to Come for Supper?

2011-02-24T09:33:00.000-05:00

I LOVE it when I can make the small changes to my house that I've been wanting for a while. Living here for over 3 years I know what I want to do. Nothing big. Just small changes that will make this house work for our large family. O.K finishing the attic is kind of a BIG change, and I suppose tearing down the old garage and building a new one is also a large task. But other than those, most of the changes I want to make are relatively small and cheap.

This is what you now see when you walk into our kitchen....

This week we removed the bar stools and counter top that when along the island. As fun as it was to see all 3 big kids sit at the counter every morning, with the stools AND a kitchen table, there was just no room to move around. I was constantly tripping over the NINE chairs in this little space, when we sat as a family at our little table we were SQUISHED, and I just NEVER sat at my own kitchen table.
We removed the counter with relative ease and were VERY PLEASED to find the wall at the end not completely torn up. We found the perfect harvest table for 50$, and the chairs were all FREE!
We are planning on wallpapering that big brown wall with fake wainscoting and painting it white. I think it will just tie everything in a little better.

The kids were a little miffed at us for taking away their bar stools so we let them each pick their own colour for and have their very own chair.

Simple...Cheap and everyone is happier. I have to admit that I LOVE sitting at my own kitchen table now, and when we have friends over for supper we now have a kids table AND and adult table!

Want to come over for supper??

When it Works It Really Really Works

2011-02-23T08:46:00.002-05:00

I love the great homeschooling days. Yesterday we had one of those. The girls worked well on their assigned school work and ended up doing 'extra' stuff on their own. Peyton decided he wants to do 'school' with them. He is only 3.5yrs so I have yet to do anything formal with him.

He does however know his numbers from 1-10, can count to 20 and knows most of his alphabet just by regular living and playing. Today he spent a good half hour playing with a retro toy my mom saved from my childhood. It is PERFECT for him.

Audrey also manage to occupy herself for a while (which is a challenge when I'm trying to teach the older girls). Here is a shot of all four of them. Audrey is playing playdoh...she has FINALLY stopped eating it ;)

So yes. Yesterday was a good day. We even managed to get all our chores done AND the sun was out!

It is 9am right now and I'm typing this while still in my jammies so I'm guessing that today won't go quite as well but who cares... I have yesterday ;)

TV Via Internet...Sort OF

2011-02-20T07:35:00.002-05:00

There are a lot of things about this changing modern world I'm not into. I think there is a point where you can be 'connected' too much. Too much noise in the ear all the time, too much stimulation from an electronic screen.

That being said I'm SUPER happy that I can now watch TV on the Internet. One income, four kids and trying to become debt free (minus mortgage) by 2012 means that we need to be creative with our money.

First we dropped down to the basic Satellite package bringing our bill with taxes to just under 50$. Then we got rid of it all together and bought an 80$ Digital Antennae, reducing our bill to 0$ a month. With this we managed to get PBS, Global, CBC, ABC and a few others. I could still watch the big shows and the kids still had cartoons and some amazing PBS specials so I did not mind it at all.
Then something happened on our rooftop this winter to our antennae that we have yet to climb up and figure out.

We had been watching movies on the DVD, borrowing from the library until a little boy of 3 broke BOTH DVD players.

So now what?

We then discovered some free sites on the Internet that streamed ABC,CBS and NBC....Then the US Government Shut them down ;)

THEN I decided to check out these stations online and discovered you can watch the shows on their website! Unless you live in Canada :(

So THEN I checked out the Canadian channels and discovered YES! WE CAN WATCH TV!

So.....

Between CBC,Global,City TV,TVO, and PBS We now have TV again.

Until...My computer freezes 20minutes before the end of The Bachelor and forces me to watch it from the start all over again.

Then I go pick up a Book ;)

Why I love Kids...Today

2011-02-18T20:46:00.002-05:00

One of the reasons I love my kids is because they make me laugh. They remind me that life is sweet. I love how simple they are. I love their innocence, their ideas and their honesty.

My Grocery list
Children are a reminder that life isn't about me and that is just fine ;)

Toboganning Country style

2011-02-15T19:54:00.003-05:00

We had 2 feet of fluffy snow. Too deep and fluffy for tobogganing. Then yesterday it rained. It hard packed the snow but that makes it too sinky and sloppy. But last night the temperature dropped thus freezing all that sloppy snow, and TODAY the sun came out just melting the top layer and crusting it oh so nicely.

All that magical stuff created the perfect sledding day.

This is our hill. The picture below gives you an idea of the slope and magnitude of our fun.

Thank you Peyton for posing for the picture...I guess I'll get the sled later ;)

Something about this picture just seems wrong.

Do yo SEE how far Adam Erin and Audrey are?

I'm pretty sure this picture was taken just moments before the next one ;)

I'm just kidding. This last picture was after his sister rolled on top of him after she decided to take him down. I refer you to the third picture in this series to gauge the amount of caution and care she used. Lesson learned...When taking little brother down on GT racer don't stand like daddy did in picture number five.

Snowy Entertainment and Random Pictures

2011-02-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

It is SUPER snowy on the farm. Time to make forts, snow shoe, cozy up to a movie, wallpaper a hallway and take the time for random pictures......

I love her little cloth diapered butt, and watching Audrey interact with the big kids...

Finding some old wallpaper to add some colour to our hallway is a treat. And cheap.

Expensive toys no....boxes yes!

I think these two could have been twins. I'm sure my mom has similar pictures of my brother and I.

Lara the Explorer....

Completely random picture of Audrey blowing bubbles in the bath. Love it.

I love that they spent hours outside today. Can't wait to find cross country skis.

Random picture of the chickens all cozy and warm in the coop.