Yellow Ladybird

We just put our broccoli plants in the garden this week and already they are being devoured by snails.

Normally, we rely on our chickens to deal with problems like this, but because we don’t want them to scratch up the seeds, they are in temporary confinement. 

I’ve heard of a few different solutions that “may or may not” work, but I wasn't sure the plants would survive another day of snails, so I decided to just remove them myself. Alexandra happily joined me when I told her we were preparing a snail snack for the chickens. We picked them off the plants and out of the soil and served them up in a dish. 

The chickens were delighted.

Eight hours later the plants are still (pretty much) snail-free, but I bet they’ll be back by tomorrow morning. And as much as I loved collecting snails, I think I’ll get some copper mesh to put around the plants. Apparently the copper reacts with the snail slime and gives the snails a shock.

I’ll be glad when we can let the chickens roam again!

The previous owners of our house were wonderful gardeners, and in addition to the huge (overwhelmingly huge!) vegetable garden beds, they left us several flower gardens. We moved in mid-July last year, so we didn't get to see the spring flowers. Now that spring is finally here, we are experiencing what I call "Garden Surprise." Here are a few pictures… more to come!

I love biking…and way back when I used to ride my bike quite a bit. Then kids came along. I still managed to bike when it was just one, but couldn't really figure out how to do it with two little ones - especially in the city. But now we have miles and miles of lonely dirt roads AND two of the three kids can ride (i.e., go at a reasonable pace, move aside when a car is coming, and brake on the steep hills), and the third is still little enough to ride on the back of my bike. So today we went on our first family bike ride. A new era of family life. 

I found a rhubarb pie recipe online and it was delicious. In fact, it was so good that I made another one again the next day. We didn't eat it all ourselves - it's not chocolate cake, after all - we had lots of friends around to share it. But there is still some left, maybe it is a pie-for-breakfast kind of day.

Despite the prediction for rain all weekend and the rainy start on Friday, yesterday ended up being quite nice - alternating rain and sun, rain and sun, sometimes both at the same time. So in addition to pie, we had a Saturday night bonfire. We never intended to make s'mores a weekly thing, but everyone loves it so much. There is something about sitting around a fire in the evening with kids running through the woods, sticky and happy.

Today holds lawn mowing, pumpkin planting, wood chipping, a visit to a local farm, a mother-daughter bike ride if we can squeeze it in, and maybe more pie with friends.

Happy long weekend!

PS. I woke up this morning realizing that I forgot to post yesterday… I made it 24 days in a row, and then simply FORGOT! I'm going to just let it go. Dave's comment: FAIL! Try again next month. 

Ha.

I'm on a roll with pictures, so here are some from around the yard. Spring is in full bloom now and the garden is coming along. While we're at it, why don't we play a little round of "Which one of these pictures doesn't belong?"

If you are a cup-half-empty kind of person, you might feel indignation at the sight of a burning wood stove in late May. If you are a cup-half-full kind of person, you might think, Hey! Best of both worlds: flowers in bloom and cozy fire!

Which one are you?

I've been pretty lazy about posting pictures here, so I figure I'm due for a big old photo dump. Auntie M and cousin J visited this weekend, so I happen to have dozens of adorable kid pictures. As you'll see, the weekend was full of gardening (or rather, watering), biking, expanding the chicken coop (with a very patient Dave), walking in the woods, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows, and bedtime sillies.

Mom, this post is for YOU.

Earth who gives us all this food
Sun who makes it ripe and good
Dearest Earth and Dearest Sun
We will not forget what you have done.

I decided to try out an A.L.M. Writes prompt for today’s post, and for May 18th the word is “Reverence”. This word is timely for me. The concept of reverence has been on my mind, stemming mainly from a parent evening on the role of Christianity in Waldorf education.

I love Waldorf education – no need to go on and on about that here – and one of the aspects I love most is the thorough study of world religions, both historic and present. The curriculum does not provide a Christian religious education, but it was developed by a Christian philosopher, and the concept of reverence, especially for nature, is woven into all subject matter.

The question I have been turning over in my mind as I think about the role of religion in Waldorf education is, where is the line between reverence and worship? I am comfortable with reverence. I am not comfortable with worship.

Reverence is defined as deep respect for someone or something. Worship is the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. So it seems to me that the underlying feeling or act of reverence and worship is the same, but in the case of worship, it is directed towards a deity. 

What is a deity, then? In addition to the typical “god or goddess” definition, deity can also mean “one exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful”.

I don’t personify the sun, water or Earth, but I would categorize them as supremely good and powerful. They are good in the sense that they allow for life; yet they hold amazing power, both constructive and destructive. In other words, I find in them that same balance of good and evil that exists within every society… and every human.

Therefore, the fine line between reverence and worship hinges on whether the sun, for example, can be characterized as a deity.

I love the simplicity of the snack time verse our children brought home from school; it has also become our dinner blessing. We feel it is important to teach our children respect for nature and gratitude for all that we have.

But I’m not sure if our blessing is an expression of reverence or worship.

This month at VTmommies I write about the transition into settled life… Anyone else feeling this shift as well?

As the dust settles around our latest (and hopefully last for a long time) major life decision — moving to Vermont — it is hitting me that I have entered a new stage of life. It is no longer about forging a path, but rather, living the chosen path. This is it. This is our house. This is my family. This is my job. From here on out, any big changes will be unexpected, and if there is one, there is a good chance it will be unwelcomed. For the first time in my adult life, my life as it is now is what I hope it will be for many years.

Read the whole thing here!

I like to try to mark the changing seasons inside our home… nothing extravagant, just a few toys and books, and some nature items. Even though it is subtle, the kids notice and are now starting to ooh and ahh over the treasures that reappear for only a month or two each year. This year, especially, I found it refreshing - therapeutic, even - to pack away the winter objects and bring out the spring, even before spring actually got to us. A needed reminder that it was on its way.

Right now, we have this as our centerpiece,

as well as my favorite flowers, of course.

I try my best to stay on top of rotating the monthly poem from John Updike's, A Child's Calendar, although we had April's page well into May.

And the seasonal table. It's a dark picture because the only time it looks neat and tidy is at night when no kids are around. These treasures get used for all sorts of things. This week, Alexandra has been packing them (and many other things) into the cooler and lugging it around on pretend picnics. 

I'd love to hear how you mark the seasons in your home!

I love "Around the Garden" posts, but since we're a bit late here as far as spring goes, more interesting than the empty (but prepared!) garden beds are the flowers around the yard.

Happy Spring… at last! 

My kids have been fighting a lot lately. I blame it all on my mom, I’m pretty sure she’s been wishing fighting children on me since the days (years) I spent torturing my sister. Even if it isn’t actually my mom’s fault, it isn’t really any one kid’s fault either. Based on my observations, there are two typical scenarios. 

One is when Clara tries to play with Katherine when Katherine doesn’t want to, usually because she is deeply involved in a complex, seven-year-old craft project. Upon being rejected, Clara starts teasing Katherine in a singsong voice: Katherine doesn’t like chocolate. Katherine, who LOVES chocolate and can’t bear the thought of anyone thinking otherwise about her, reacts in a loud screech: I DO love chocolate! Stop saying I don’t!! It just escalates from there, with the chocolate theme being quickly replaced by the poop theme, Katherine and Clara getting physical, and little Alexandra imitating all the bathroom words, delighted with the commotion.

The other scenario involves fighting over some common object, such as a stick. One kid wants the exact stick the other kid has. There is screaming, tugging, pushing, crying - over a stick that is exactly like the thousands of other sticks at their disposal. From my adult perspective, this is so ridiculous I almost can’t bear it. I have to remind myself that it is about the interaction, not the stick. They must really want, or even need, to fight. Maybe it is a developmental process they have to go through in order to learn the social skills they’ll need throughout life.

In the first scenario, I think my role is to help preserve Katherine’s space to do her own thing, by herself. After a full day of school, she needs some down time. Clara, who really wants to play with Katherine, needs a little redirecting. Perhaps an art project of her own.

In the second scenario, though, I think I should back off and not assume my role is to prevent the fighting, or try to impose my adult logic onto their developing kid logic.  Besides, my logic seems to wash - unheard - right over them, (Me: “Kids! There are thousands of sticks right there! Why don’t you just find another one?” Them: blank look, followed by “No! I want that one! I had that one first!”)

So my new strategy is to step back and let the bickering run its course, staying just close enough to it to make sure no one is scared or getting hurt. Maybe if I give them space, they can find their way through and develop those social skills a little faster. Even if they don’t, it will probably be more pleasant for me to be on the sidelines rather than throwing myself into battle.

In addition to stepping back, I'm going to start focusing on the moments of harmony. It's easy to  overlook how much fun they do have together. If I look at it objectively, I might find there really is a nice balance. 

See? Two pictures of happy sisters right off the bat.

TV-free week is over. We made it through. I wondered if my productivity would increase given the extra time, but sadly, I have to say it didn't. I got about the same amount done each day and still stayed up just as late. I would say the same was true for Dave, and his office did not get cleaned and organized.

We also missed our end-of-the-day time together watching the characters in the teen dramas I love work out their complex life problems within 40 minutes. Instead, we spent it each at our own computer trying to catch up on work/email/writing/reading. Maybe to really get the benefit of TV-free evenings, we'd have to actually go computer-free. I'm not sure we could pull that off, though, since we are committed to keeping screens off while kids are around. 

But maybe we can cut down to just a few nights of TV a week. It's all about balance, right? Besides, if I can get into the habit of getting into bed a little earlier on non-TV nights, maybe I'll manage to read more than two pages before falling asleep - and actually enjoy reading a whole, entire book for a change… Teen drama and chick-lit, of course.

I think Mother's Day should be renamed Mother's Day Off. I am really grateful that I get to spend most days with my kids. But I have to admit, I struggle with the pressure to spend Mother's Day with my children. All week long people have been discussing their Mother's Day plans… Oh, we're going to brunch and then for a family bike ride… Every year we spend Mother's Day together in the garden, as a family… My kids are going to surprise me with a special outing… That all sounds lovely - mothers spending a delightful day basking in the presence of their children - but honestly, what would make the day really special would be to have time to myself.

I didn't feel this way last year; I remember wanting nothing more than to spend all day with my kids - but I was working full-time then. I can also imagine wanting to spend all day with them in a few years, when time together might be little rarer. But during these early years when I am home with them, a day off would be nice. 

However, I have a hard time saying this to my family, especially when the kids are excited to make the day special. So we spent the morning working in the garden, then went to our local bakery for coffee and cookies, and headed to our favorite picnic spot for lunch. I did manage to break away for a bike ride by myself during rest time, and we finished up the afternoon working on the chicken coop. Dinner was a cookout over the bonfire, with roasted marshmallows for dessert (of course). The weather was perfect - another beautiful spring day.

Except for the bickering over a swing on our picnic (note: there were four swings and three children) that resulted in a four-year-old tantrum and made the day feel annoyingly like every other day, it really was a lovely day, even if it wasn't a day off. 

And now, because tv-free week is OVER, I get to go watch T.V. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Today I am sharing a few good reads from around the internet. Weekend reading, if you will. Enjoy!

In response to the article by Tal Fortgang,  Kristen Howerton wrote an important post on the concept of White Privilege, what it actually means, and why we should take time to understand the concept. Here is an excerpt of her piece:

Being told to check your privilege has nothing to do with apologizing for being white. It has to do with being insensitive to the life experiences of others. “Check your empathy skills” might be a better phrase, but nonetheless, it’s not an attempt to shame someone’s race, but rather to point out that someone is refusing to acknowledge privilege differentials.

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Another interesting read is this piece about addiction to the internet (thanks to Shel for sharing it!). I don't consider myself an internet junkie, but I sure could relate to a few of Glennon's responses to the list of addiction warning sign questions. I will be thinking twice about the time spent at my computer. Here is an excerpt:

Are you preoccupied with the substance?

     Yes. I feel fidgety and unfocused whether I’m with or away from my phone – I feel unable to be present in the moment.

After your involvement with the substance, do you feel badly about yourself?

     Yes. After time on my internet/ social media accounts I often feel empty, competitive, anxious, icky, untethered, somehow “less than.”

Is your involvement with the substance negatively impacting your relationships with others?

     Yes. I find myself tuning my children out to “check” my social media accounts. I often choose to scroll through strangers accounts rather than engage with my husband.

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And I am especially proud of this. We can and will improve gun safety in our state and our country. If you are local and want to learn more, let me know. 

… a year-old group, called Gun Sense Vermont, has launched what will likely be the most well-organized, well-funded push yet for gun reform in this state. It’s the same group that was behind the passage of three gun-related charter changes in Burlington on Town Meeting Day. And the group’s president, a Brattleboro mother named Ann Braden, says Gun Sense will bring the same organizational prowess to passing legislation that gun-rights groups will bring to defeating it.