My apologies to the UPS man

Seriously, he will be here every day for the next week, maybe even more than once a day

At present (haha), I am waiting on shipments from:
1. Old Navy
2. Lands End
3. Best Buy
4. Wal-mart
5. Amazon
6. another Amazon shipment (wait there will be more coming)
7. Etsy
8. Diaper Junction (this is just dipes for the baby-she is outgrowing some of hers)
9. My school store (free sweatshirt, small perk)

Seriously, that is a lot of shipments!

I still need to go to Justice, order a few more things from Amazon and some things from eToys plus pick up some Site to Store at Wal-mart. Such is holiday shopping with many kids, if all goes well, I will only purchase gifts at Justice and a few stocking stuffers actually IN a store.

O Christmas Tree

We scrapped the plan to go to the museum today and instead loaded the kids up, went to lunch and then went and cut down our Christmas tree. We love that there is a tree farm nearby, and while it was muddy, windy and cold, we think the tree is very pretty. I also did a lot of shopping for Christmas, from the couch, and we ordered a new camera since something happened to ours last weekend when we had company and the LCD screen is smashed Thank goodness for Black Friday deals, old gift cards and store pick ups.

Thanks for giving

Ah, today is the day we are all to sit and reflect on what we are thankful for this year. I find I do that at least once a week as it keeps me humble and makes it easier to get through the tough days, but here is just a partial list of some of the many, many things I am so lucky to have.

1. My glorious husband and children
2. A comfortable home
3. Stable jobs
4. Good health for myself, Ryan, the children and our parents
5. Loving and supportive friends
6. The ability to afford everything we need and much of what we want
7. Time together as a family
8. Freedom and free choice

Hold your loves close today and every day, and enjoy taking an extra moment to share your favorite things to be thankful for.

Powerless

Today was trying to say the least. Our power went off last night at around 10 pm, after calming the screaming masses, I ventured downstairs by the light of my laptop to locate the flashlight. Then I began the search for the plug in phone, which was not where it should have been, so after quite a while of frantic searching, I finally located it. Used the phone to call my husband who had my car and my cell phone, and asked him to call the power company. They informed us that the power would be on by 2 am...needless to say, it was 2 PM that it came back.

After the long day of bored kids and the inability to get anything I needed to get done, I made up for lost time. As of right now, the mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes are made, as is the stuffing. I have a beautiful pair of cinnamon raisin Challah bread loaves rising by the fire and the house is not completely trashed. Tomorrow morning I will finish the dinner and hopefully even get to chill with the family while watching the parade.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve :)

Slow down!

Today is going slowly and I am not complaining! I have a few tasks on deck, but nothing too major, so I am enjoying a little quiet time with Teagan and Grayson. This morning we baked some turkey and pumpkin cookie cut outs for Thanksgiving. I also made a huge batch of bread since we need it for dinner tonight and for Thanksgiving. I have a few loads of laundry to wash, some vacuuming to do and I need to load the dishes, but other than that and dinner, we are really just snuggled inside on this chilly day!

I love these days, when I don't feel rushed or frantic. I am excited about my sister coming on Thursday and I am not stressed at all. I am looking forward to family time Friday and Saturday, and happy that we will be together. Next weekend my parents come and we will go see my niece in The Nutcracker, she is playing Clara, so the kids are super excited about that as well.

The semester is winding down, I am feeling relaxed, the kids are happy and the house is relatively clean and organized. Ah, this is the peace and joy in all those songs :)

Nearing perfection

Today was a good day, even with minimal sleep last night, it was a calm day all around.

After getting the older three to school, I came home and cleaned up, did some laundry, showered and organized. Headed out to grab Gray and stopped to get some tortilla soup on the way since it was kind of rainy and nasty out. Gray had a great day at school and was happy on the way home, fed him lunch and then he was off to play. I worked a bunch, made some sugar cookie dough for tomorrow, played with the baby and made tacos for dinner. Everyone ate, and we are cleaned up and are ready for tomorrow with lunches and clothes prepped for the morning.

Now the kids are off to bed, the baby and I will hang out a bit longer, and then we will turn in as well. Nearly perfect.

It went well, and now it is quiet

The visit with Ryan's dad and brothers went well, much less stress than when his mom is here which was nice. The one thing was, they eat SO much! I seriously thought I had prepared this time and bought enough food, but we still didn't have enough. Three people devoured a really big roast chicken one day and the other day they ate 3 lbs of sandwich meat, and Haven, Ryan, his Dad and I hadn't had any! It is crazy how much they eat, but I am happy they came and that the kids, Ryan and I all had a nice visit. They were enamored with Teagan and played with Gray and the girls, and everyone visited and enjoyed.

Now they are gone and the house is mine again for a few days. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving, the turkey is defrosting and I am all ready to start the cooking on Wednesday. I love the holiday season!

They made it

The in laws are here, it is going fine, but I am exhausted and just want to nap.

Thankfully i get to escape to my room a few times a day to feed the baby, sweet, quiet, relief.

So tired, so excited, and so thankful

I am dead tired tonight and really need to hit the hay. The father in law and crew will be in late tonight, so tomorrow I must play happy hostess. I also have a ton of work to due this weekend, so I am not sure how it will balance out.

I am also excited that this week I have no PT school so I can hang around the house and enjoy the calmer existence. My sister and her family come for Thanksgiving, and I am looking forward to cooking the feast.

OK, too tired to think anymore...

Clean dshes abound

It happened. The new dishwasher came today and it is a glorious sight. After over 4 months of hand washing, I am happy to report that I have a dishwasher running right now in my house. It amazed me to take the sink full of dishes, put them in, and hit start. No more washing four times a day and no more giant dish drain taking up residence on my limited counter space. It was a long day full of mishaps, but the dishwasher is now running and there is a sense of calm in my house,

That being said, my father in law and the rest of them are due tomorrow around midnight, so I really need to clean the rest of the house. Tonight we will steam clean the living room and playroom, and I already dusted and cleaned the downstairs bathroom. Tomorrow while I am at work, Ryan will clean the upstairs bathroom and steam clean up stairs. I will stop at the store on my way home and then will come home, and mop the house after the kids go to bed. Then after this crazy weekend, I am hoping the weather will hold up so my husband can powerwash the house for me. Then bring on Turkey Day!!!

Will they, won't they

My inlaws make me crazy, seriously. When other people complain about their inlaws I am actually jealous since the relationship is so much better than the one we have with Ryan's parents. No joke, they are the WORST parents and grandparents ever, how Ryan turned out the way he did, and is such an amazing father, is beyond me.

Here is the situation. His father is supposed to come visit this weekend, to see Teagan, you know, the FOUR month old! He hasn't see the other kids in a year and a half and only saw them for a few hours that time. He hasn't been to our house in nearly three years. Did we have a falling our? Do we not get along? One would think so, but no, he is just a selfish ass. You may think he lives overseas or at the very least, across the country. Nope, he is in NY, a mere 7 hour drive or 45 minute flight.

Anyway, he has been telling us he is coming since the baby was born. In fact, he was supposed to come two weeks after she was born. Didn't happen. Supposed to come in September, didn't come. Now they were supposed to come this weekend, and now they are not sure they are coming because Ryan's nearly 30 year old brother may not be able to get off work...seriously!

I am so tired of the way they treat my husband. He is such a great guy and they are losing out on a relationship with him and our fantastic kids...not to mention the wonderful wife :)

Enthralled

Teagan is totally and completely enthralled with her big brother, and he with her. I was worried about how these two would get along, whether Gray would embrace his big brother status or miss being the baby of the family, but it has gone better than expected. Grayson loves Teagan so much. He talks to her, plays with her and tells her all about what is going on. He tells her many times a day that he is her big brother and won't let anything happen to her, which is so incredibly sweet.

I love the moments when siblings come together, it is one of the reasons we had such a large family. I love that the kids are close, and that they seem to love one another unconditionally. In a house with many different personalities, it is amazing how this family blends together to become one.

Belly laughs

We have been anxiously awaiting Teagan's first belly laughs.....and today she finally did it....for Maggie and Grayson!!!

Let the craziness begin!

This week is the kick off to holiday craziness. Some of the upcoming events are wonderful, special and important, other more mundane but necessary.

This week we will be running around like mad! Monday isn't too bad, Tuesday I have to run a work call, Wednesday will be a juggling act with early release, conferences and work, Thursday I have two work calls and the baby has a check up and Friday I work and Ryan's family is coming. Ry's dad, brother's and his brother's girlfriend are finally coming to meet Teagan. Being that his Dad hasn't been here in over 2 years, almost 3, we are a bit shocked they are coming at all! I need to somehow get the house in order this week, but since it is the hubby's family, I know he will be happy to help!

Next week we have Thanksgiving and my sister and her crew are coming to celebrate with us. The day after, my family is going into DC to see an exhibit at one of the Smithsonian's and if all goes well, we may even go to the drive through light show on the way home. That Saturday, we will get the tree and I will decorate the house for Christmas.

The next weekend my parents are coming because my niece is playing Clara in her dance school's nutcracker performance. My kids and I (Ry has to work) will head there with my parents to celebrate with Jessica, we are SO excited!

The weekend after that is an event at the kid's school and Haven will be performing!

The last big event before Christmas will be on Christmas Eve, which is also Ryan's birthday. We are hoping to go to The National Harbor to see the water skiing Santa and then we will take Daddy out to dinner!

A morning out

We decided last night that we would all get up and go out to breakfast this morning. Normally my kids wake up around 7:30 and need to eat right then because they are STARVING!! Waiting to go out would be a challenge especially since their father is not known for moving quickly in the a.m.

Well Grayson, Teagan and I were up around 7 and I ran through a shower while Britt was waking up. Then Ryan got ready and we were on our way. The kids were really excited and really hungry, but they were so well behaved. It makes the outing so wonderful when they are good.

There was this really nice old man sitting behind us who kept complementing the children saying they were so well behaved and beautiful. He then went on to tell me that his grandmother had 14 kids and his mother had 7 and that big families are so great, etc. He gave us some butterscotch hard candies for the kids and left saying more gorgeous things about the kiddos. I have to say, it filled my heart that that gentleman commented so kindly about my children and that my children behaved in such a respectful way when we were out. Small glimmers that all the hard work we do as parents is worth it!

Being grateful

There are so many things that I am grateful for on any given day, but today I am especially thankful for my job(s). I LOVE what I do, I love seeing my students grow, I love talking to them and hearing their plans, ideas and thoughts. I consider myself so lucky to get to so something I really love, not many are able to.

Swapping Out

Swapping out kids clothes has to be the worst job ever. I did my older girls a few weeks ago and today I went through all of Grayson's clothes, took out what no longer fit or was too summery and put in all the new clothes. Thankfully we get a ton of hand me downs from my niece and nephew which keep up overloaded with options!

I then had to do Teagan's clothes. She is firmly out of 0-3 and is in 3-6 and some 6-9 month clothes. I hate doing baby clothes, they wear them so little and they are so darn cute, I hate packing them up. Needless to say we will not be selling them or giving them to goodwill since there is always a chance that either we, or a friend, may need them.

Wednesdays are my Mondays

I really have come to dislike Wednesday and this week it is all the more terrible.

Usually it is a little rough, I get the girls to school, drop Gray off and then come home and clean up. I have a work call at 11 every Weds and Ry usually gets Gray and then the big rush starts, I have to get ready for work, make dinner, help the girls with homework when they get home, clean up, nurse the baby, etc.

This week everything is compounded by the fact that the girls and Gray have no school AND we have parent teacher conferences! Then Ry got home late and my call ran over! Needless to say, I have to clean up from lunch, vacuum the house, get dressed, prep for class tonight and get the husband up at 4:30 for conferences and then order a pizza for the kids. After conferences, I need to drop Ry off and head straight to class I know that class will be late tonight too. Argh I HATE Wednesday!

Trying to keep up

Gosh the days go by so fast!

Today is my quiet at home day and it is after noon and I still have a long list of work. Seems that the days fly by!

Today Ry found out that his schedule will probably change at the start of the year. I am excited because it means he will be home overnight and in the mornings and that we won't need the adjustment day for him to get extra sleep. He is less excited but I still think it will be good for the family. The down side for me is that I will have to do dinner and bedtime all alone, but it is worth the trade off!

I also got the info on my big trip to Pittsburgh. It will be in May this year, which is OK since it is the week I am already off PT school. We are hoping to juggle Ryan's schedule, use the sitter and maybe a friend to cover the kiddos, or if need be, we will have my parents come up to watch them. Two weeks after that trip, I need to be in Atlanta. We are going to try to make that into a mini family trip, although I will be in meetings most of the day, Ryan and the kids can do some exploring and enjoy the hotel pool, etc.

When did life get so complicated?

Such a rip off!!

On my way home with Grayson and Teagan from preschool, he was chattering on about his day. See, he didn't want to go to school this morning, but as it turned out, he had a fantastic and fun day! So on and on he rambled and then all of a sudden he said...

"You know what Mommy? There is this game on Sesamestreet.com and it is such a rip off! It is a coloring game, but they don't let you color everything in, and then Elmo comes out and finishes it and it won't let you do all the coloring. You know what that is Mommy...that is a RIP OFF!"

OK, where does he get these things? I am pretty sure that Ryan and I do not use the term "rip off" often if at all. Kids are funny!

What's big and loud and green?

That would be our family!

I was going to save this post, but as we were moving through our day, I decided to write it since I had a moment and all my thoughts were clear....that rarely happens! As I was taking some cookies out of the oven and debating what time to put the rolls in that I made earlier for dinner, my kids were busy taking the never ending pile of recycling out...that got me thinking.

A big criticism of large families is that we are helping to over populate the earth, use up resources, increase waste and in general, we are not environmentally friendly. Being that the mass majority of my research revolves around green products, eco-friendly consumer buying habits, green manufacturing, green families, etc. I would say that I am pretty well versed on these thing. Many families are choosing to have less kids, or no children at all, at higher rates than ever. The incidence of larger families is still low, historically speaking, therefore overall population is not being that strongly affected by those of us who have a slightly larger family.

Are we more stressful on the earth? Sure, I guess some large families are, just like lots of small families and even couples are. What is unique to the larger family is resourcefulness. Most are not independently wealthy, so they find ways to be frugal. They cook more at home and from scratch since it is less expensive, but in turn this reduces waste from packaging, emissions from traveling out, restaurant waste. Large families often use hand me downs within the household on many items including clothing, bedding, toys and baby gear. By using an item multiple times for multiple children, these items are kept out of landfills longer. Many larger families have gardens to help support their family's needs. This again reduces waste, and if the family cans their own food and grows organic, they are feeding more people with a minimal negative impact on the earth.

In my home, I would anticipate that our carbon footprint is much smaller than that of most of our neighbors with much smaller families. We recycle and compost. We reuse whenever possible. We manage our heating and cooling and try to keep electricity use as low as possible. We cloth diaper and hang them to dry whenever we can. We heat with wood in the winter. I cook from scratch using as many local ingredients as possible and can surplus whenever we have it. We use green cleaning products, belong to a CSA and I order free trade organic coffee beans that I roast here at home. Aside from my SUV, I would say that we are very eco-conscious and green.

So, if you are opposed to large families, I would think about whether it is really due to the environmental impact... we are lean, mean, and green and I am raising even more people who will take care of the environment!

Is the goose fat yet?

Christmas is rapidly approaching, and while I am thrilled that my favorite holiday, complete with shiny decorations is coming, I also need to get the Christmas shopping done. Most years I am nearly done by now, but finances this year have made waiting until the end of November a necessity. Thankfully, I finalized the list for the kids today and while the cost of it all is still a bit shocking, there are four kids getting presents.

This year I made a choice to give two group gifts to the kids. One is a new swingset which is what is pushing the Christmas spending way up, but it is really needed. The old swingset is almost 6 years old and is falling apart. My kids use it almost daily and we need to remove it in the next few weeks before it becomes unsafe. We need the new swingset to replace the old one, simply because I need the kids to keep playing outside. The other group gift will be a huge array of craft items. They all love to do crafts, so I decided to buy a big bin and fill it with beading stuff, bendies, paper, foam stickers, shrinky dinks, and various pom poms, pipe cleaners, fabric etc.

The kids will get a few toys, a few practical items and a few individual special requests. I am also going to make each child a flannel bed warmer filled with rice and lavender oil. They will be able to warm them by the fire or in the microwave and put them in their beds on those chilly nights. I am even making a small one for Teagan :)

I cannot wait for Thanksgiving to come and go so that the Christmas celebrating can begin!

My Saturday Night Date

Cute isn't she :) Teagan is rocking her striped leg warmers and cloth diaper, finished off with an adorable toothless grin. She is my chubbiest baby by far, weighing in at just shy of 13lbs last Sunday at the ER. Love her chubby thighs and toes, baby toes are the cutest thing ever!

Thoughts on mommyhood

I have four kids aged 9 to just shy of 4 months old. There are three girls and one boy in the mix and their personalities are all very different. In my experiences as a mom, through mom's clubs, friendships, blogs, twitter, family, facebook, coworkers, etc. I have found that there are so many styles to parenting and that moms are so very tough on themselves and each other.

I don't think I judge other moms, with the exception of those who CPS should be called on for beating, starving, abusing their kids...and really, in those situations who can blame me? With the other moms I encounter along the way, I really don't like to judge how they approach their role for a few reasons. The first is that I don't know their kids and/or spouses, even with good friends and family, I don't KNOW them in the way that someone who lives with them every day for years on end does. I also don't know what they have tried, what works for them, and what they refuse to try. We all have to make hard choices in raising our children, and most moms don't like to talk about the many failures we all encounter on the path to finding what works. I only know how to raise my four kids to the ages they are. I have never had any kids other than these, so I am still learning as I go, and while I have had a nine year old girl, I have not had Brittan and Teagan as nine year old girls....yet. Finally, I don't know how these moms were raised, with the exception of my own sister, and even she and I had very different experiences growing up in one household.

So here is the thing. Use all of these other folks in your life who approach mothering as an opportunity for you to grow and expand your ideas. Rather than judge what they are doing, look at what choices you have made and try to determine where you can improve in your own life. Be open minded and listen to each other, you never know when that idea you shunned suddenly becomes the best and only choice you have left to try.

Friday lacks luster for us

Since we live on an alternative schedule, Fridays are not that exciting for me. While Ryan is off, I work and get home at dinnertime. Then tomorrow Ry will need to go to sleep in the afternoon and I will again be alone with all four kiddos....did I mention Britt has a birthday part a half hour away?

So unlike the masses that rejoice on Fridays, I secretly loathe them. It means another weekend when all the other mom's have help and relief and family time, and I just get two extra kids home from school and a lot more noise.

Digging in the dirt

Today I decided to dig up the small garden bed we have right outside the back door. We created this bed this year as a trial area for root veggies and unfortunetly we had a number of heavy, flooding rains that killed off most of my onions and garlic. Today I dug out the garden and was thrilled to see a bunch of small carrots! While the bed did not do as well as hoped, I was happy to get something out of it!

Next year I am hoping Ryan will build raised beds on the far side of the creek. I would like to put potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, garlic and onions there. Also, if possible, I would like another bed for pumpkins, acorn squash, spaghetti squash and butternut squash. This will leave the main garden for beans, cukes, lettuce, and tomatoes.

One Stylin' Mama

Style is a funny thing. When I was younger I never wore dresses or skirts unless forced to...literally in elementary school my mom MADE me wear a dress or skirt every Thursday!

As I grew up, had kids and my "mom" style began to evolve I learned one thing...i LOVE skirts! I wear those long hippie skirts almost daily. They make me feel feminine, and dressed and comfy. They are climate controlled as i can always hike them up as needed. They flow well and swoosh and generally make me one happy mama.

For me, the ability to pull on a skirt, put my still very long hair into a pony and run out into the world makes me like I am put together. I don't wear my skirts because I am old fashioned or feel I am "supposed" to, I wear them because they are so freeing and comfortable.

My goal is to learn to sew my own skirts. I have a few favorites that are the perfect length and have a skirt that is just the right fullness. I would love to be able to mimic this style and learn to sew them myself. I am hoping to go to the fabric store in a few weeks and get some material. I want to make matching skirts for the big girls and I and once I master that, I may even try a dress for Teagan :)

Head counts needed

I have had a post in my head for awhile discussing larger families. We have what most would consider a larger family, with four kids and the potential for more either naturally or through foster/adoption. Here in Virginia, many folks we know have three kids, but four is more unusual and more than four is very unusual. Growing up on Long Island, almost everyone I knew came from a two kid house with just a few three kid households.

I find it odd that complete strangers find that they have a right to comment to parents of larger families and to ask very personal questions.

I get asked a lot if we have a large family for religious reasons. I understand that many families do have more children based upon their belief that God determines their family size. I respect their beliefs, but being that I am in no way religious, and lean more towards a belief in multiple gods, I am not putting my fertility on that :)

Folks with lots of kids are often asked if they know what causes it, or if they plan more, and why they have so many. I find this so strange as most would not walk up to someone who has no children or only one and ask them if they know what causes pregnancy...what happens if they say no?? It seems that as fertility and births rise, the need to be respectful of others privacy drop! I actually had someone at my children's fall festival ask me if I was having more, how many more, why I have so many, what I do for a living, etc and she was someone I had never met, didn't work for the school OR have kids AT the school! Does that seem a little much to anyone else? Why does she care?

It is also assumed a lot that I don't work or I am uneducated....imagine the surprise on people's faces when I explain that I am getting ready to finish my doctorate and I am a professor. There are large families where the mom stays home full time, and ones where mom works....as long as the family is happy and functioning well, does it matter what goes on in the household?

So here it is, this is why WE have chosen the family that we have.

I really love my kids, I think they are fun and interesting and they fill my life up in a way that nothing else can. I really enjoy having a house full, I love that they will have siblings to grow up with, to share life experiences with and to depend on. I have made this family my priority, the people on this house come first before anything else. The next thing in line is my job, because it brings in income to support all these people I love, and then whatever is left I give to people outside our family. I don't have a lot of friends, I really don't have the time nor the inclination to deal with the drama that often occurs when others are in your life. The friends I have I treat like family, I love them, care for them and would drop anything for them....that is why I only have a few of them!

I believe in fate, and I honestly believe that the children Ryan and I have been given are the ones we are meant to raise. For now, we are meant to have these four little people in our care and we have CHOSEN not to do anything to permanently remove the option for more children. Being that I am not even 35 years old, the idea of Ryan or I removing the possibility of more children just doesn't feel right to us, and we know that with that comes the possibility that we will have another child. Health wise, I need to be sure that I can handle it should it happen, but that is between me and my doctors, and should they determine that another pregnancy would be a danger to my health, then and only then would be remove the possibility.

I will discuss the environmental impact and "green" factor in relation to larger families in another post this month :)

Thanks for the new ER, we love it!

I cannot express how thankful I am that the new hospital opened in our town earlier this year, we have already used the ER there three times, with the most recent being last night. If we had to go to the other hospitals, it is a good half hour each way, and the one I prefer is a bit farther but nicer, the other hospital is the one I delivered at but would not take my kids to.

Last night around 7:30 I went to feed the baby. She had been really sleepy all day and had a lot of dirty diapers, but she is really young and they do that. I had checked her temp earlier as she was extra fussy, but it was normal, so I didn't think much of it. When I went to feed her, I noticed she was hot and that she was gasping and holding her breath. To a mom of four with two kids with breathing issues, this was a red flag. I turned her upright and could see she was having some trouble. Checked her temp and it was 102 and he feet and hands were cold which meant she was having some issues moving her blood through her body. Called Ryan down, we checked her over and saw she was retracting in her chest (pulling in when breathing) and holding her breath then gasping. She then vomited everywhere and that was that. Being that she is only 3 months old and has a heart condition, the severity of which is not yet clear, we were headed in.

I really like the ER. They were quick to get us back and were so good with her. The staff is wonderful and they worked to find ways to make her, and me, more comfortable. After a chest x-ray, blood work and exam, it was determined that she has the flu and an ear infection and that her lungs looked good (whew!) She was not keeping fluids down, so they hooked her up to an IV to rehydrate her and gave her some anti nausea meds and antibiotics. We left with an antiviral and antibiotics and a very tired and yucky feeling baby. Hopefully her little body will tolerate the meds well and she will not develop any other infections while fighting this flu. Poor thing just looks terrible.

National Blog Post Month

So expect to see a daily post each day of November. I will try to keep it interesting.

Making the most of extra time

Daylight Saving Time is upon us and I am trying to make the most of my extra hour today. It is now just before 10 am and I have finished canning 4 pints and 2 quarts of sliced apples packed in a light syrup. I will probably can another 8 pints today and that should take care of most of our apples and leave just enough for eating enjoyment. While I am a little sad that we had less apples this year and we will have less canned, I am also relieved as I am not sure how I would have processed them all having just had the flu.

Today Brittan has a birthday party to attend, so after we drop her off, the other kids and I are off for a post-Halloween annual event....the pumpkin purchase. We will go to the local nursery where they clearance all their pumpkins the day after Halloween. We will buy a bunch that will then be boiled, pureed and frozen to be used in pumpkin muffins, breads, soups, etc. While regulars pumpkins are not as sweet or pumpkiny as hubbard squash or pie pumpkins, they are a nice squash and give great flavor to different recipes. We also keep some frozen in chunks that I roast with carrots, butternut squash, parsnips, sweet potatoes, etc as a yummy winter side dish.

Busy day ahead!