Takin' care of business.......

I truly hope that when you read the title of this post you sang it. If not please go back and do so.
So that's what I've been up to. I am feeling lucky to be feeling well enough to have accomplished as much as I have in the past week. Our CSA will be taking a few weeks off in about a month, so I have been working on preserving a few things for that time. With much thought, research, and discussion we have decided to homeschool the boys. I always wanted to but wasn't at a place in my life where I was confident in myself and REALLY making the changes in my life that I wanted. That's a whole other post that may come soon. Any who... that is no longer the case. We spent much of last weekend at the Atlanta Homeschool Expo. I was mostly looking for activities for the boys to take part in this year. I found several things that I think will be fun for them. Pretty please let me continue to feel well so I can take them to these different activities. (two to three a month) We have chosen to use Oak Meadow curriculum. I am pretty excited about being able to spend so much time with the boys. I like being with my kids. There were so many days that Matthew and I would say we wished Max was there with us for one reason or another. School always felt mean to me because it took my kids away from me. I am sure I will face some resistance and criticism from several people, but I don't care. They aren't their kids. I feel like I am doing the best thing for my children. Max is very intelligent (straight A's and in the gifted program) so most people would ask why? Because he is board and not excited about learning because he spends so much time waiting in school. I think when we stop learning, we stop growing. I see so many adults that think they know it all. They know a lot of old information. Old information is good, but new information is vital. Like everything else.....balance. I want them to love learning. I love learning. I have my first appointment with the midwife tomorrow. I hope it goes well, that again will be another post.

I have a valid excuse.....

I know I have been slack about posting. My sister always deletes blogs from her favorites if they they have long stretches in between posts. So for anyone still here, I have a good excuse. I AM SO TIRED!!! We took our first adult weekend away and while we were gone we found out it will be our last for another 5 years. We are so excited and couldn't wait to get home to share the news with the boys. So guess what guys???
We're going to have a baby.
They were so excited. Matthew asked "Where did you get married?" I say "In a church." He says "So what church did you go to this weekend to get this baby?" Joey and I laughed so hard. I told him the baby has been in my tummie (yes, ie) for a while we just didn't know. I am pretty irregular and just thought I was having a long cycle. Very long. He thought for a minute and then asked, "Where is that baby going to sleep?" I say "With us." He says "No, I sleep with you, its going to have to sleep on the floor." Its a good thing we have a while to work on that.

I showed very early with Matthew and got so big so quick everyone thought it might be twins. My clothes are already getting tight, but I haven't gained any weight. Go figure??

I had a thought today and it was that when Max is 21 the baby will be 10. He is already talking about how he can help when the baby comes. He is such a good boy. I don't want to rush this and I am trying to enjoy everyday for what it is, but oh I can't wait to kiss baby soft skin and smell breast milk breath again. I love having a baby.

Whats been Cookin'

I am loving getting my CSA baskets. There is always tons of fresh organic veggies for us to enjoy. The boys favorite is still raw green beans and their long standing favorite...cucumbers. Joey and I love patty pan squash on the grill with a little olive oil and italian seasoning. We have gotten so much squash I am actually having to try and come up with different thing to do with it. This was baked zucchini breaded with italian style bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. They were very crunchy and good dipped in tomato sauce.
I made a big batch of salsa with all of our tomatoes. I packed some to take with us this weekend on our adults only weekend away. (first one since having Matthew 41/2 years ago) We didn't eat any of it and I ended up throwing it all away after seeing the warning about fresh jalapenos. They were the only ingredient I had to go to the store to get. Bummer! I love knowing right where our vegetables come from and not having to worry about recalls. We are thinking about going in on buying a grass fed, antibiotic and hormone free cow with a few of our friends. We would have enough meat to last us a year.
Carrot soup......oh yeah. So good. The seasoning is nutmeg, cinnamon, and mint. It would be great in the fall or for Thanksgiving.

Water Logged

Our trip to Florida was full of sand, sun, water, and fun. The ocean and pool occupied our days, showers and movies our nights. There was quite a bit of bike riding with their grandfather also.
The beach is nice but being from Maine I am used to the water being refreshing instead of hot bath water. The seagulls in Florida are out of control. They will literally come and take your food right out of your hands. There was a boy sitting behind us who had two sandwiches swiped out of his hands. I packed the boys containers of raw veggies and dip that luckily they were not interested in. We collected shells for our nature table and then decided to head for the pool where I could cool off.
There was a request, ok down right begging for flippers and snarckles. So cute, they will forever be snarkles to me.
We had a nice visit. The drive home was very long and rainy. An eight hour trip turned into ten. I was exhausted and my bed felt so good when I finally got there.

Tarpon Springs

I must first start by saying that I am eating cinnamon raisin rice pudding with whipped cream and oh my............ it's bowl lickin' good. So there is a little town close to my parents called Tarpon Springs. It's a quaint predominately Greek fishing town. I love visiting the Sponge Docks. Google it and learn about the sponges and culture. If you ever get the chance to visit, put on a pretty sundress and big hat and go for a stroll. Buy some sponges & olive oil soap, have lunch at Mama's and desert at Hella's. The Tarpon Springs Aquarium is inexpensive and fun. If you go to www.spongedocks.net there is a map and coupons for the area. I was trying to stay still to take this picture.I am most afraid of Alligators. I touched one the other day. I faced my fear and it felt so good. I really didn't put much thought into it, I just did it. Like now or never. Definitely now.
Max making friends with a baby alligator.
The shark feeding show is great. Matthew's favorite part of every aquarium is the diver guy.
Feeding the little sharks. One jumped and hit its face on the cage. We got wet but it was cool, just a few minutes outside in the sun and we were good as new.

Florida

The boys and I (and my puppy COCO) decided to take a spur of the moment road trip. My Mom and Dad live in Florida so we packed our bags, supplies, and snacks and headed out last Monday. We left around 3:45 - because that's just the way we roll - and got to my parents around 12:45. The boys were so patient. There were a few tears the last hour on and off, but on the whole they did really well. I bought Shrinky Dinks a while ago and they made it in the bag. I love doing crafty stuff with the boys. Even though they are six years apart they both enjoy it. I remember being given a Shinky Dink in first grade by an admirer. They were fun to make when I was little and they still are now.
The noises they made were like they were watching fireworks.
Salvation Army retail therapy prescribed by my Mom. Oh treasures!!!!! I mean some serious feel good stuff. Joey was born in70', I wasn't born until 75'. If I could only have found the Butterfly Gold salt and pepper shakers. I would have jumped up and down like I did when I found my butter bell at goodwill. Thrifting is so exhilarating.

Confessions

My name is Cindy and I'm a Horizon chocolate milk-aholic. There I said it. I have NO control. I think about it when I have moments of quiet..........mouth watering, heart racing. It's not fat free and it's not cheep without a sale or coupon but it is obscenely good.
Confession #2 I jerked the plate away when my kids came near and said I wasn't sharing. I had been drinking coffee as I cleaned all day and I waited way to long to eat. My sugar was low and I was a little out of sorts. Usually it would be "one and then scoot", but not this time. I love chips and cheese. Doritos this time. (buy one - get one to boot!) I have simplified my house over the past year and every time I dust I am so glad I did. Cuts way down on time.
There is no confession here......just love. He's almost always in costume.

Today's CSA Basket

Having a kitchen full of delicious organic veggies is so wonderful. The boys have been eating green beans like crazy. I think part of the fun is snapping off the ends. They had cucumbers and bananas for breakfast.
I am going to try and find time to make salsa with the tomatoes.
Salad for dinner
I made soup today because I had hamburger that needed to be cooked. I am not a recipe person .(or a pattern person) It just leaves room for error. I am more of a wing it kinda girl. If I make it up it's always right. There are pros and cons that go along with being that way. I can make a meal out of just about anything, but I can't usually make the same thing twice..... similar...but not the same. I just put together what I think would taste good and be balanced. So the basic idea of the soup was olive oil, onion, hamburger, water, onion soup mix, carrot, green beans, yellow zucchini, summer squash, cabbage, chick peas, diced tomatoes, corn, and beef bouillon. My boys love chick peas so I add them to everything I can.