Here's the thing

when people are sick, and you actually care, you call to see if they are okay or need anything. That is what I do.

Fry ups, fires and bellyaches

So Grayson seems to be feeling a bit better this morning, he has been drinking some tea, but hasn't eaten yet. His personality is back, and for that I am happy, the crabby crying child from yesterday was not my baby. The girls went off to school happy and content, I am hoping that they stay well through trick or treating tonight. They were so sad about not having the party tonight, so I have a few things up my sleeves to take the sting out.

The forecast says it will warm up today and be beautiful, but right now it is so chilly. Ryan just made me a gorgeous fire, and I fried up some potatoes, onions, leftover farm sausage and an egg for breakfast. Usually I don't eat in the morning, but today I really wanted a good old fashioned fry up. Now I must go grade papers, start a pot of applesauce and apple butter, maybe we will finish off the last of the apples today!

Let's just call the whole thing off

Since Gray is sick, I decided it was best to inform the RE head at church since I am supposed to help in class this week. In addition, our Halloween party, and all of the goodies I had planned, is canceled due to potentially ill kids, and I am guessing we will just skip Saturday's activities as well since we wouldn't want to share the germy wealth. So if you are looking for us, you will have to wade through the Lysol, we will be here until Monday.

Sick kid

So while busily baking cookies for the parties tomorrow, Grayson decided it was a great time to come down with the stomach flu. He has been sick for a few hours and the poor thing looks just terrible! Knowing people who have just had this, I know he will feel better tomorrow and will be able to enjoy Halloween, I just worry that the girls will get sick tomorrow :(

Bad Teacher/Good Mom

So, I decided to let my Friday class have the day off. They were only meeting with me to go over presentations, so they can send that information via email, and I can save myself the Friday traffic nightmare prior to trick or treating.

Tomorrow all three kiddos have parties. I am baking some ghost cookies for the girl's classes, and Grayson's class is getting carrots (I signed up for the healthy snack). Gray will wear his costume and the kids get to go trick or treating around the high school where the preschool is located. The teachers get so into the little one's coming and fill their sacks full, I swear I have never seen one small child with so much candy!

As is tradition, we will have a themed dinner tomorrow and the Fallon kids will come and eat with us, then go trick or treating. I also have saved a movie for them for after they truck through the neighborhood.

Tonight I have some grading, posts and a call to make, but then I will get some down time.

Falling behind

The last few weeks have been overwhelming, and I feel like I just keep falling further behind. I still have three to four batches of apples to dry and the house needs a good going over. There is plenty of clean laundry, but none is folded or put away. I have been working to get the basics done each day, dishes, vacuuming, laundry, gathering up the general mess, cooking, work and errands, but there is so much that is looming and it is making me very overwhelmed. Living in a house that is disorganized is frustrating for me, and while I KNOW what I need to do, I just never seem to have enough time when the basics are done. Right now I am halfway through grading for FT school, and I need to finish today. I am still not feeling well, not that anyone at my home would care to notice, and I still have to cook dinner and go to PT school tonight. Tomorrow doesn't appear to be any better, since I need to bake cookies for the girls parties on Friday and wrangle something up for Grayson's party. I need to layout Halloween costumes since I work Friday afternoon and won't be home until dinnertime, and I must fold the kid's clothes at least. I am waiting for the guy to come put in the water heater and I must get on a call at three, so when am I supposed to get it all done? If I could, I would get another five hours in the day, and maybe I could get on top of this heap. Did I mention that the curtain rod in the family room is falling down and I need to go get a replacement and paint for this room?

The day just gets yuckier

So, the new water heater is ordered and will hopefully be installed in the next few days. Thankfully the old one works, it is just leaking, so we can still be clean. Ryan's dad is in a bad way as well, he lost a big client and isn't going to pay alimony, to his mom who has no job and is facing foreclosure. Sounds like fun huh. So we, the only remotely stable people, have been trying to figure out what to do. We have asked her to come live here, and while that may seem like fun to some people, lets just say my MIL and I are polar opposites. She never has a plan (evidence for my life here), is erratic, a blamer, doesn't own her choices and mistakes and is very, very critical and passive aggressive. Visits with her can be tough and I bite my tongue a lot, but if she lives here it will have to be different. This world we have built is strong, stable and grounded for the kid's. They know who their parents are, our beliefs and our goals. While we always knew she would end up with us someday, I was hoping it would be after we moved and bought a house with an apartment or inlaw suite. I am very stressed about what is to come, and it is taking its toll. I am feeling very sick, I think I have a fever working and I just want to go to bed. As I am a mom, I am supervising homework and making dinner in spite of my yuckiness.

Another note on home ownership

When you own a forty year old house, and it needs a repair, it is just a mess. Needless to say, we have one quote for 1400 and one for 600 but we aren't even sure a new water heater will fit in the space of the old one! Apparently codes have changed, and we need an expansion kit, so who knows what that means.

Joys of Home Ownership

So as the kids were getting out of the bath, I was in the laundry room and noticed that there was water dripping in. Called Ryan down and we saw that the pipe was dripping. While looking at the pipe, we noticed water on the other side of the room, seems the water heater decided to spring a leak too. So tomorrow the plumber comes and I am guess we will be getting a new water heater. Lets just hope that the whole thing doesn't decide to bust a leak tonight and flood the house, that would be unbearable! Again, like the tires, I am taking it as a blessing that we can actually afford the repairs, a few months ago this would have pushed me into a stress overload, but so far I am ok, as long as there is no flood in the morning.

There is a chance of SNOW???

Holy schmoly! I just looked at the forecast and on Wednesday they are calling for rain/snow showers in the morning. Now I know it has been cold, and I have been enjoying it, but we live in Virginia and it barely ever snows at all, and never before December! I would love if we had a white winter, we desperately miss snow, but come on, it is October.

Mondays keep me hopping!

This morning the crew and I made it out the door with no real hiccups. Britt had her field trip and it is very chilly, so I am hoping they went and she stayed warm! Tomorrow Haven and Grayson each have field trips.

After dropping Gray at school, I ran home and did some work, then back out the door at 10:30 to get the CSA which is in the opposite direction of preschool. Got the CSA bag (we will eat well this week!) and headed off to preschool. Grabbed Gray and Maggie, ran to the grocery store to get juiceboxes and bread, no canteens on trips :( The kids were really good at the store and even helped me scan some of the stuff we were getting. The I ran home, fed the littles some lunch, made a fire, finished my work, sliced some apples to dry and vacuumed the lower level. Now I can relax for a bit, enjoy the warm fire and do a little web surfing. Tonight, as requested by my smallest child, we will be having tacos and spanish rice.

CVS is my friend

All I can say is, my stuff ran up at over 130 dollars, and I paid $6. Yes SIX DOLLARS. Bwhahahhahaha!

Church and graniola

We thankfully made it to church today, no sick kids, no flat tires! They held a pagan ceremony, it was really interesting and I enjoyed the message it sent. Grayson's class is using Dr. Seuss to learn morals, today he came home with a quote from Horten Hears a Who in a bug plastic egg, it was really fun to see how they have worked the message of giving your word into something a four year old understands. Brittan's class focused on the changes in nature and the symbols of harvest, and Haven's class focused on the ceremony of the chalice and using creative listening.

After church we headed over to the new Lowes to use our coupon and buy a new inflatable for Christmas. My husband for years resisted the blow ups, and we always decorated the house very classically, white lights, wreathes, etc. Last year Grayson was so sick and all he wanted was the blow up Santa in an airplane, so we got it and placed in an area in front of the garage. It looked a little bare, so we added a train, a blow up snow man and lights. I managed to keep everything to the one area, and the rest of the house still had the classic decorations, so hubby was OK. Well, now we have the big polar bear and he will be over by our big tree in front of the house. He's holding a wreath, do you think that will help? I figure the kids are only little once, and they get so excited every night when we turn the lights and decorations on. So come on Thanksgiving, I am ready to decorate!

After Lowes, we headed home, I made the kids stromboli with the cheese I made yesterday and I have a batch of apple raisin granola in the oven. I must run out to the store tonight, all three kids have field trips this week, so I need drinks and paper bags.

Off to stir the granola.

Families are stressful

We have been dealing with some issues with my mother in law for a few months now, and have been trying to convince her to come and live with us. A few weeks ago we found out that my father in law lost a bunch of important clients (he owns his own company) and that he may not be able to pay his alimony. Mother in law is unemployed now, and owns two house, one that was just rented out and the one she lives in. My husband's brother just called to tell us that she may be losing that house, which was our biggest fear. We had been trying to get her moved out for months so we could go in, pack the house and rent it out, covering most if not all of the mortgage. Now it is a crisis and we need to figure out what to do, because if she keeps sitting there, all of her stuff will be on the curb.

Fire and Cheese....

So the first fire of the season is going and I am very excited! The ONLY reason I let Ryan have his way and get this house was because of the fireplace. Now I have fallen in love with lots of things in this house, although I could do without others, but that is another post.

I also made cheese for the first time today and it was so easy! We have had an abundance of milk, so I needed to get rid of some extra. I made mozzarella today and it took less than a half hour from start to finish. The process was very easy, and I have enough supplies (excluding milk) to make at minimum of 30 more batches. I also ordered yogurt cultures that are sitting in my freezer, so now I have something I can do when I have too much milk :)

As anyone who knows me or reads here knows, all I want in land and animals. The economy being in the toilet is not helping me make that dream come true, but I know it will happen someday. I am trying to hone my skills now so that I will be ready for the farm when we get there. As I plan to grow lots of our food, as well as raise animals both as pets and food sources, it is important to practice skills now. Here is to hoping the economy will rebound in two years when I am done with school!

Dressing Three Kids

We are a fortunate family in that we get loads of hand me downs that are in awesome shape from my niece, nephew and Declan. The kids always have too many clothes, especially since their mama splurges on some cool duds for them. Not having to buy all their clothes allows me the luxury of picking and choosing what I do buy for them, and it makes it so much more affordable.

When my girls were little, before the little guy came along, I used to get their Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter outfits at this gorgeous little boutique. My favorite outfits were from the year Brittan was born. Haven had a tapestry swing top with pants covered in tiny little cream colored pom poms. Britt had a dress in the same tapestry pattern and a proper bum cover to match Havey's pants. They were so precious in those outfits, but they set me back a pretty penny! Since adding a boy into the mix, we have become creative in holiday outfit choosing, and I have been pleasantly surprised each year when I find something I love, that is a good deal (well for dressing three kids).

Last year the kids wore Hanna Anderson for Christmas, and I loved the outfits, full of snowflakes and rich reds. This year we have chosen Gymboree for Christmas, and they will be wearing matching outfits with plaids and Scottie dogs. Haven, who is ant-dress a lot of the time, is wearing a plaid skirt, cream sweater with a Scottie dog on it, Scottie dog knee highs, hair ties and a matching bracelet. Brittan is wearing the Scottie Dog dress with matching tights and beret and will carry her Scottie dog purse. Grayson has a plaid button down, red sweater vest and argyle socks which will be paired with black cords. Thanks to super sweet Emily who had Gym Bucks to share, the kids will be decked out with all the accessories for $40 per kid!

Since Christmas was taken care of, I then decided to focus on Thanksgiving. Last year I put the girls in brown corduroy knickers, with cream sweaters, tights and brown ballet flats (trust me, it was so cute.) Gray had a sweater to match and they were all quite adorable. We are unsure of where we will be on Thanksgiving, but that doesn't mean the kids don't need to look spiffy. I love using fall colors for Thanksgiving, and was so happy to find brown sweater dresses at Old Navy for the girls, on sale for only $10 each!!! I then purchased each girl a pair of patterned leg warmers to match, and hoorah, two kids dressed for under $50 bucks! Grayson already has a brand new pair of brown cords, so I am on the lookout for a sweater that will work with the girl's outfits, I love him in orange or rich golds, so maybe something will show up soon. Maybe I can dress all three for only $25 per kid.

So while non-parents can not understand the desire to have your children dressed up and looking snazzy for the holidays, and just how expensive it can be, parents know that this is quite the feat!

Settling in

It has been chilly and I can tell winter is around the corner, so we have been settling into the new routine. Today we had a cord of wood delivered, depending on the winter, we will use at least a full cord, sometimes two. We also had a family night, ordered pizza as I got home late from work, and we all watched a movie. Ryan loaded some wood into the garage since it is supposed to rain tonight, and we tarped the rest to be stacked after the rain has passed. Britt is supposed to have a soccer game, but if it rains, it will be canceled, and I have to say I won't be disappointed.

Tomorrow morning I am hoping to cook up some of the sausage I got from the farm to have with yummy pancakes and apples. I also got my cheese and yogurt making supplies, so I can make some fresh mozzarella tomorrow as well. If it is chilly and we have a fire, I will use the whey to make some delicious bread. Should be a cozy day.

Its chilly

It has been a busy day lots of little things were accomplished, and I never left the house!

I know I cleaned the house up, rehung the curtains, did some laundry, dried two batches of apples, played with Grayson, argued with husband, did lots of dishes, worked, did schoolwork and made dinner. I have done all I can for the day, and being Thursday, I am making some tea and settling in for some tv time....under my warmest, snuggliest blanket.

Grading, yucko!

The classes I am teaching this term are a BEAR to grade. I am sitting here at PT school giving an exam and trying to grade.

Double yucko!

Today is overwhelming

So, it has been a bang up day. Gray decided he didn't want to go to school, and his mama allowed him to skip just this once. We grabbed Em and ran a million errands, then came home to find Ryan just getting home from work at almost 1 pm! He decided he was just staying up today, which means he will be a total grouch tomorrow, and helped me bring stuff inside. Then I decided I would quickly run out, make copies for tonights class and get the hangers to fix my curtain. Ran to Lowes and while there, husband called to tell me that the dog got out and some nice lady two blocks over had her. He then needed to wake Gray up, and go get Rosie, then he promptly tied the gate shut! After Lowes, I ran to see my favorite chiropractor, and I must have looked crappy since he offered a hug....me, not a huggy person. Then leaving Dr. Tom's, husband called that Gray was screaming for milk and we were out of rice milk. I swore we had more (we did), but said I would stop and get some. Then stopped at Staples and quickly made copies, then to Bloom to get a few things. Got lots of rice milk, the shrimp they had on sale buy 1 get TWO free, some brie and crackers and grapes. Went to check out and the stupid thing wouldn't take off my free shrimp (24 bucks worth!) So I had to go back, get different shrimp, then come back and rering! Then home to do dishes, clean the kitchen, do some work, vacuum the house and help the girls with homework. In an hour, I will get in the car, and go to campus. My class has an exam, so I will be grading during that time. See...overwhelming.