Life with Boys

Never a dull moment with 3 boys in the house.

Happy Thursday!

For Such a Time Desings

Do you like silverware?

Real silver silverware?

How about re-purposed silverware?

I have the perfect little Etsy shop for such a thing.

For Such a Time Designs

Aly makes the most fun, conversational, and unique silverware I have ever seen. I'm pretty sure she hunts high and low at antique stores, garage sales, good will, etc. to find the perfect silverware and personally hand stamps a fun, loving message on each one. You can even have her make a special order. For instance I have a pair of dinner forks that say KING and QUEEN on the fork part, and our anniversary date on the handle. I'm waiting to give them to Jeff for our anniversary. 

Here is something I am looking forward to putting in my cart when she opens up again.

Aly's store is closed for the holiday, but she will be open again in the New Year. You can also like her Facebook page and check out some of the amazing things she has created.

Go check it out!

iPads and iPods

Each of my kids have one. Against my better judgement they have one. The oldest can live without it which is nice. The middle one depends on it as if his life is over if it ever disappeared. The youngest loves it, but can do without it.

If the oldest and youngest lose the device they will live. They will find something else to do. The middle? He rants, raves, gets mad, cries, screams, and is unable to think of anything other than how he can earn it back. Why are some children sooo dependent on these stupid things?

What did you allow against your better judgement?

P!nk

These are my girls. They bring me lots of love, laughter, friendship, and joy. I love these girls. We all got together for a night out. We went to see P!nk. What an amazing show.

Before the show we went to Amy's house, she is the nutritionist, Iron Chef teacher, PE teacher at the boys school. So with that said, anything she makes is very tasty. She was ready for us with some appetizers and wine.

After appetizers we went to the show. However we couldn't tell you who the opening act was because we went to the bar and had more wine. They look like little shot glasses, but I assure you there was a bit more than that in each cup. 

Once we heard the opener was done and P!nk was going to be on stage soon, we left our perch at the bar and found our seats. P!ink puts on an amazing show. She is very refreshing. She loves what she does. She is vibrant, energetic, and appreciates each and every one who is part of the band, as well as each and every one in the audience. 

P!nk dances, sings, and does these amazing stunts on stage and throughout the arena. There was a big cage ball that she was climbing in and around above the stage. She looked so incredibly comfortable doing it. Not a fear in the world that she could fall. She even flew around the arena and did acrobatics while flying through the air. Loved. Her. Show.

I was also impressed with her constant praise of the band, the backup dancers, and backup singers. She took the time to introduce each and every one of her people and did it enthusiastically. I could watch and listen to her all day. Hell, I'd love to be one of her backup dancers (clearly THAT is a long shot). 

Thanks for such an awesome night!

A Month of Thankfulness

November

November is probably one of my favorite months. One reason is because my birthday falls in November. Another is that Thanksgiving falls in November. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It involves family, friends, and lots of good food. I also love that there aren't any gifts or commercialization of it. It's all about being together and spending quality time as a family.

These are the things I am Thankful for:

1. My boys, all of them. Jeff, Luke, Trevor, and Adam I love you all to the moon and back.
2. My dog. She puts a smile on my face each and everyday no matter what kind of mood I am in.
3. My health.
4. My mom, sister, and sister's family. Sadly, I don't see my sister and her family nearly enough, she lives in Australia. I live close enough to see my mom, but talk with her more than I see her.
5. My In-laws. They just rock!
6. My friends. I have the best people in my life, they inspire me, give me perspective, lots of laughs, and lots of love.
7. For the men and women who fight for our country and all our freedoms. Thank you, you are all very appreciated.
8. That I get to stay home and be here for the boys.
9. Hot coffee on cool Fall days.
10. The laughter of my boys when they are getting along.
11. Flowers that brighten a room.
12. Dessert, there is always room for dessert.
13. For where we live. 
14. Good books.
15. A hard workout.
16. Changing of the seasons.
17. Plumbing and electricity.
18. A hot summer day.
19. Beach days.
20. Nieces and nephews who bring me humor.
21. That Jeff is crafty, handy, and has the ability to make anything work.
22. That Jeff is so patient with me.
23. That I am able to grow a garden.
24. That my dad taught me how to can vegetables from the garden.
25. My boys like to bake.
26. Small town living.
27. Country living.
28. Another Thanksgiving with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Day I Started Blogging

 #14 The Day I Started Blogging

It isn't a glamorous story.

 It's not a fascinating story. 

It's not even a suspenseful or intriguing story. 

The day I started blogging was a quiet, cleaning kind of day. It was a beautiful Winter Day, sun shining, warm out and we were cleaning the Jeep. THAT is when I decided to start the blog.

My SIL was recording events, family events, pictures, and funnies on a blog. Perhaps you have heard of it? Our Simple Life?

I had been reading hers for a while and she convinced me it was a great idea. 

I thought long and hard about it. 

I'm not one to say a lot so I was worried I wouldn't have much to share. 

I took the plunge. I started a blog. This one here.

My first post wasn't fabulous, but its a story the kids can look back on and remember. 

It's about our Jeep.

Gotta start somewhere right?

I still feel as if I don't have a lot to say or share. 

Which is probably why I haven't been posting much in the past year or more.

I guess everyone has a writer's block, I think I have sharing block.

I just need to remember that it is a forum to share with my family. 

Maybe some day the boys will read it and laugh uncontrollably about some of their antics or some of my frustrations.

Summer of 2013 - Top 10

1. Enjoyed a few days at the local water park. Can't beat a place that is all water all day. Water slides, the lazy river, water play structures, etc. Especially on a really hot day.

2. Enjoyed a few days at the local theme park. This was a bit more challenging. I have 3 boys and one of them is not a fan of roller coasters, makes him feel sick. Fortunately we went with some friends who also has a son who is not fond of roller coasters. We sent those two off to do the mild rides while the younger kids did the big roller coasters. The theme park also has a water park within the theme park. When the boys were done with the roller coasters they would go hang out in the water park.

3. We enjoyed a few days at the beach. The weather was warm, the clouds were at bay, the water refreshing. Lots of holes to dig, baseball games to be had, and friends to enjoy.

4. We took a week long vacation with 2 other families. There were 3 moms and 8 boys. That was fun. We stayed in a cabin and enjoyed the fresh air. We spent a day at the local logging pond and another day at a much bigger lake. The boys experienced rock jumping and loved it. Three of the boys fished and each caught a blue gill. They even had the pleasure of cleaning, cooking, and eating it.

5. We spent 4th of July at a friends neighborhood park where they rent a giant blowup water slide every year. It is a great way to spend the hot day. Lots of food, friends, drinks, and best of all fun for everyone.

6. Trevor spent a few days with his Nana. It was peaceful at home and he got some one on one attention that I feel he needs. Nana and Trevor had a good time together, but I think they were both happy to go back to a "normal" routine.

7. We went on a zip line.

8. The cousins from Montana came for a visit......TWICE. They were in heaven. The boys love their cousins and miss them very much.

9. There was lots of dirt bike riding. They rode with their cousins, some friends, a local cop, dad, uncle, and a Supercross pro who placed 13th.

10. Lots and lots of pool parties.

Summer was a blast! Now it's time to get back to school.

The Day I Left Home

I have been out of the blogging world for a bit of time, mostly due to lack of content. There are many things I could blog, but I'm not so sure it would be reader worthy. I follow Fat Mum Slim and she has a list of many topics that I intend to explore.

#4 The Day I Left Home

When I graduated high school I went to the local Jr. College......for too many years. I had no idea what I wanted to do so when I got my AA I continued to attend the local Jr. College. I had applied to a local college, was accepted but didn't attend. I felt it was too close to home. My mom was also attending the school and I didn't really want to attend the same school as my mom (no offense mom).

 

I ended up taking Child Development classes for a semester just to take classes and explore my options. I loved the classes! That semester I received a letter from a school I had applied to the previous year asking me to fill out one sheet of paper, send it in, and I would be accepted. No application necessary. I had gotten in the previous year but wasn't ready to make my way in the world yet, I was comfortable.Well I sat on that letter for months and decided to just do it. I sent it by Fed Ex and then called the admissions office everyday until they told me they received it and I'm in. I basically had a week to get myself organized to make the drive and check out the campus.

 

The college I attended was about 2-3 hours from my home town, close enough to home but just far enough. It also had a great Child Development program. So I jumped on it. I didn't have a place to live, or a job in the area. I crashed classes and got into the 3 classes I was hoping for but kept my job in my hometown. So I was almost out of the house. 

 

My schedule was a bit crazy for the first semester and I didn't officially leave home until that semester was over. My classes were on Tuesday, Wedneday, and Thursday. After class on Thursday I would head home and go to work. I would work Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, again on Monday. Tuesday morning I would get up at 4AM and drive to be at class by 8AM. It was crazy busy, but I did it. Well I eventually got a job as a teacher in a Child Development Center, and after school program, so I was in my college town more that my hometown. So I worked at the after school program Monday through Friday and then went to my hometown and worked at my other job Saturday and Sunday. More craziness.

 

Whats worse is I didn't have a place to live for the first semester. I spent 6 months bouncing from couch to couch, studying, and working. The apartment I had applied to was in the process of being built so I was stuck. It was challenging but I did it. I managed to make it all work until my apartment was ready to move in to.

 

The day I officially left home was 6 months after I initially left home, if that makes sense. I moved into my apartment and was pretty much on my own. No parents, no sister, just me. My dad helped me pack up my stuff and take to my apartment. He helped me move my furniture, which was all my bedroom stuff, and get it all organized. It was a bittersweet moment. I loved that I didn't have to check in if I didn't want to. Don't get me wrong I had all kinds of freedom when I was living at home, but this was a whole new ball game. 

 

I actually had to go grocery shopping for myself, find a way to do my laundry (fortunately my roommate had her own washer and dryer), save money so I could go out once in a while (I called it my rainy day money that I kept in an envelope by my nightstand), save enough money to buy my books (thanks mom for lending me some money when I was short), apply for student loans, pay my bills, really watch my spending, and just make it all work any way I could. I still wonder how I managed with the craziness, but I have learned that if you want it bad enough you can make anything happen.

 

 

 

Internet

I am happy to say that I have the internet on my computer again!

I know we live in the 21st Century, but I happen to live in the boon docks where internet is not so prevalent.

But I have it, thanks to a wonderful device called the Jetpack.

It's perfect and it makes me happy. I AM my own wi-fi hotspot!

Now I can do my work that involves the internet without having to lug my computer and papertwork to a wi-fi hotspot. 

Life is back to normal. Or as normal as it can be in the boon docks!

Until next time....

The Bees Knees

Last year I had one hive. It did fairly well and I was able to get 6 pints of honey from that one hive. It was a season of learning and growing as a hobby bee keeper. Sadly my hive swarmed in mid September.

A few months ago I got in touch with an apiary that was looking into downsizing their work production and sell some of their bees. I was eager to help them out. I bought 5 Nucs from them. The Nucs would eventually be full blown hives if the queen and colony was strong.

These are the Nucs ready to make the trip to their new home. A Nuc is a smaller hive of 5 frames. It is a great place to start when there is need to split a colony or when several queen cells are being produced.

 

Here the Nucs are on top of the hives they will be moved to. As you can see there is a lot of activity. Some of the bees are already checking out the hives they will move into.

They certainly are busy.

The bees transitioned quite nicely into their new home. I have had them for about 2.5 months. One hive has already swarmed. I am not sure why, but it could have been a sick, injured, or absent queen. 

I have been checking them for activity about every 2 weeks to make sure the queens are laying lots of eggs. So far so good. It looks like they are doing well. I am keeping my fingers crossed since bees can be hit or miss.

I am hoping the other 4 remain with me and give me lots of lessons and lots of honey.

Back At It

Last August I tore my ACL. With in a week I had surgery to replace it. That put my life of exercise on hold for a while. No soccer for at least a year from surgery, no running until I was cleared/finished with physical therapy. For me, no exercise is hard on me.

In the interim I discovered The Dailey Method, stretch and flex as my husband calls it. It was a perfect segue back to my world of exercise. I have been doing that fairly consistently since Halloween. I think I have sort of burned out with that regimen. I am still going at least twice a week, but feel like I need more.

Today I ran, not far and not long, but I ran. It is the first day since I had my knee fixed that my knee has felt good enough to run. It felt so good that I intend to put another mile in before I pick the boys up from school. This is progress! Running isn't my favorite thing to do, but it keeps me sane, it's easy to do, and fairly inexpensive. It always makes me feel good after I finish a run, my mind is clear, my heart is open, and my soul is calmed.

It's nice to be back at it.

Ladies....

In my town, there is a billboard that has been up for the better part of a year. It has stirred up conversations among us Ladies. Even the kids quiz us about this billboard. What are they advertising? What is the purpose? Who is put this up? What does it mean? Moms and kids alike were asking these questions. Now, it is just a part of our commute to and from school and we still don't know what the purpose is. Sadly it has been tagged by some of the youth in and around our community.

Wouldn't it be fun to have a group of ladies to jump up there and get a picture? Believe me we have been tempted to do it. However daily like tends to take the front seat and sometimes the fun and crazy has to take the back seat.

So, what are your thoughts on this billboard? What do you think it's purpose is?

A Day In the Life....

We Have Moved....

Moving really stinks, especially when you have one week to move 11 years worth of accumulation. Accumulation of a household items as well as a shop. Accumulation of clothes, toys, nick knacks of 3 young boys. Not to mention walking 5 acres to make sure nothing is left behind.

In all actuality the move was much needed. It was time to move on. The 5 acres served it's purpose for 11 years. Some good memories, some challenging memories, some pretty down and out memories. Memories that we will carry with us for a lifetime.

We are now in new space. We are in a larger, yet smaller space. I like to say we are embracing our inner Hillbilly. We moved to 40 acres of land, but we are managing our home life in a camp trailer and an office trailer. It's like camping, but not camping. The boys are LOVING it. The husband is LOVING it. The dog is LOVING it. The birds are LOVING it. We are all in a good place and you can't put a price on that.

The beauty of it all is that it is quiet, peaceful, beautiful, and it's home.