Amost over............

I am so ready for summer days when we have no obligations. The boys love playing baseball and I love watching them but both of them having two games a week has been a lot. We have had a few overlap and the running around is crazy. School is just a whole other subject. I love my kids and I LOVE to be with them. That's why I had them........to raise them..... Me.....not someone else...... Me. I want to home school both boys next year. I've got to get my act together and start preparing. So anyway, I am over running around, working on other peoples schedules, planning parties, buying snacks and gifts, all of it.....done! I used to tell people to screw off a lot and now I don't as much because I am usually trying to keep the peace everywhere, but I am over it. I am tired of sacrificing my own happiness for other peoples. (adults) I am going with the idea of learning to tell people to screw off politely. Yeah that's good. Can't you just feel the built up repression. I think the best times happen when there is freedom of time and expression. And if you don't, I don't give a crap! No I'm kidding.....well kinda.
Matthew with Coach Daddy and Coach Wayne.
Handsome Max doing his rain forest play.
Max and his team. They ended the season third in their age division. Max had some killer home runs and really grew a lot. He got several game balls and for his last one his coach said " Max put us in the game, and he kept us in it." Bragging??? Yup. I am so proud of him.
You have no idea how fun it is to be in my house and how cute/funny my kids are. We laugh so much and my heart melts everyday. Don't you just want to snuggy them both? Oh, there goes my heart again.


One last thing...... I promised one of my friends this website a while ago and haven't posted it yet. It is a great resource. I sat down with my boys and went through each picture of the "offenders" in our area. www.familywatchdog.us

coming up next - how I shop for food

You Gotta at least listen.....

Then you can decide....... you care or you don't........but ignorance sucks!

www.storyofstuff.com

also.....

This video is inspiring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyVNAgrbQz4&feature=related

The peakmoment series is very interesting.

All of the seeds we planted this spring have sprouted! Our herbs especially smell delicious.

Mother's Day

What a special Day..........Mother's Day. My mother and I live eight hours apart and see each other only a few times a year. Yes, I do say things now that my mother said and sometimes I'm just okay with that. Happy Mother's Day Mom!

I baked four loaves of bread this week, butterscotch, butterscotch chocolate chip, banana chocolate chip, and banana cinnamon chip. This morning I made fresh butter and baked a Berry and Buttermilk Cake from Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook. My morning request was for everyone to sit at the table with me, eat my yummies from this week and drink mint tea.
My sister is my best friend in the whole world. Hands down she's just the best. She was 6 when I was born and she was my little mommy. When I got pregnant with Max our relationship really blossomed. I have learned so much about being not just a mom, but a good mom from her. She has five beautiful children who are all so unique and special. When I got pregnant we both moved to the same state for the first time in several years. She guided me through pregnancy and breastfeeding. Now 11 years later we live 20 hours apart and talk on the phone daily. Sometimes I sit and think about how crazy it is that we don't spend more time with the people in our lives that mean the most to us. Not people we see out of obligation, but the people that we really enjoy, who bring out the best in us. We are apart for many different reasons but in the end those things won't matter. I always use the death bed example......Do you think on your death bed you will wish you had worked more??? No I bet you won't. You'll pine for more days with the ones you truly love. My brother-in-law and two oldest nephews have never met Matthew. Yes, that's right never met him and he's FOUR! My sister made me this apron for Mother's day. I LOVE it! The best thing about it is that it smells like her house. A mix of patchouli and incense. What I would give for a day with my sis. She also made a matching bandanna for CoCo. Super cute! (she wouldn't sit for a photo) This is a cute picture of her from the other day.
The boys bought me the cutest card for Mother's Day. It plays "Your unbelievable"

Matthew has been telling me for weeks that he was going to get me pink flowers, and he did. This is my new butter bell with the butter I made this morning in it. Yeah baby....Goodwill $3. Joey's parents came for a visit this afternoon. We sat outside and went for a little yard tour of all of our new plantings and sproutings. Of course we had potato soup for dinner. I baked haddock fillets and topped them with soup for fish chowder The Porthole style. (great little place on the wharf in the old port in Maine) Paired with cheesy garlic biscuits and a honey raspberry ale.....just fabulous!

So to all of the mothers in my life that I have learned from and admired and all of the littles I have cared for over the years that helped me prepare to be a mom, thank you.

Sights of Sunday

Along the sides of the trail there were dainty little flowers and wild strawberries.Sometimes I find comfort in things that are so old, enduring, and firmly rooted. Lately trees have been on my mind.I am strongly affected by my surroundings, which I attribute to growing up in Maine...... A beautiful place. I miss it ....... the people, the mind set, the honesty, the sights, the smells, the places, the food, the familiarity. I could go on and on. Anyway, sometimes I catch a glimpse of something and it takes me on a mind journey. Sometimes to places I have been, other times to places I imagine and the story just rolls out in my mind. These stairs were magical. They can lead anywhere your mind wants them to go. Isn't it wonderful.There again places I've been and places I dream of. Peaceful. I love this spot.




We built a fairy house. It is hard to see all of the detail in the picture but it was well thought out and built with care.


Two hours of playing with only nature as our toy. Not a single complaint or spat from the boys. We over stimulate our kids all to often. Their minds and hearts grow when things are simple.

The next time the day just seems too beautiful to go home, don't go home. Go somewhere you can enjoy the quiet and be happy. But remember, you won't be happy unless you decide to be open to it.

Our Faces on Sunday

As we drove home from Joey's parent's house the day was just to beautiful to go home. We went to the lake to play and watch the sun go down. It was so soothing.

We got out of the truck first to do a little exploring together. It is so amazing to watch your children grow and mature. His thought process is changing daily, he is intelligent and imaginative. He is still so shy and sweet. He loves his Mum, and boy do I love him!
pitter-patter....pitter-patter....... Wicked cute huh?
How can he possibly be this big. Some days I wish I could go back 10 years and cradle him in my arms one more time.HAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! There is no better sound in the world than a real belly laugh from a little one. He couldn't be any cuter.A little play time with Daddy before bed.

Sunday's Animal Friends

After a delicious dinner at Joey's parents house we had cute after dinner entertainment. We bought Paw Paw (that is Joey's dad - for my northern friends)a squirrel feeder for his birthday and our squirrel friends are so happy we did.
Is there any beings that don't think peanuts (peanut butter in our case) are just the best thing going?
I love to watch families of all sorts relate to each other. The way they communicate, move together, watch each other, and care for each other. I think people today spend entirely to much time worrying about how other people say they should handle their children instead of doing what comes natural. As most of you know I am a big advocate of breast feeding, and there is nothing more natural than having a child who will root around until they find your breast where you have the perfect nourishment for their little bodies. There are companies trying to duplicate what our bodies know to make to care for our young. Breast milk is best......it's a fact, not just my opinion. There are very few cases where a woman can not nurse her baby. Lots of excuses, but very few real reasons. People need to ask for help and others need to be willing to give it. It is a huge commitment, even can be painful at times, but why wouldn't you do what is best for your baby? Because it isn't convenient for you? Because you have more important thing to be dedicated to? Because you think it is weird or you don't want to make other people uncomfortable? Put your children's health first. So nurse those babies as long as they want. My youngest was three and a half when he was ready to stop. The next time you see a woman nursing her baby give her a big smile and help her feel comfortable doing what is natural and best for her baby. Natural instinct is a wonderful thing. I encourage you to always listen to yours. Listening to mine has literally saved my children's lives. There is no one in the entire world who knows what is better for your littles than you. Trust yourself. All of that from ducks. Yes, that is the way my brain works.
The lighting was wrong but admiring came before pictures yesterday.

Touch-A-Truck

Every spring one of our neighboring towns has a "Touch-a-Truck" day. The day is for all of the littles to climb and play in and on work trucks. This has been a favorite of our family since we moved here.
2008 in the scoop. It's a tradition.
So handsome.......... in a cement mixer.
WoooooooooHoooooooooooo. Being completely out of control is kinda scary, but really fun.
(Sorry, your going to have to turn your head because I don't have time to figure out how to rotate this)

Uh Oh, His Dad informed him this will be the first and last time this should ever happen.

Just a side note..... hand cuffs are made differently than they used to be, there is no longer chain in the middle, they are attached. They still carry a pair of the old ones in the car for the "larger people". You should have heard the cop fumbling for a word with that one. We only had a short time to play there this year as we had two baseball games in the morning, but we couldn't miss it.