Messy boys

Yesterday, I agreed to help clean out the empty boys’ rooms. Empty in the sense of being unoccupied. I was late anyway, but when I got over there, I was totally unmotivated. Megan and Jennifer (our awesomely super helpful caring and kind guest) were at it full on, going strong. I had Eowyn in one arm, and kind of looked in each of the rooms. “Who lived in here?” I would ask at each room. Why I did this I don’t know. It’s like I wanted to know so I could be mad at them for leaving such appalling messes. I ended up emptying the drawers from one dresser, (the one Megan wouldn’t touch because of the moldy bag of rolls inside) then walking away gratefully to put the baby down for a nap. I returned after a while, and some pitiful prayer, in the same unmotivated mindset as before – maybe worse, and ended up bringing a basket full of stuff to be dispersed to it’s rightful home. I don’t really know why I was having such a hard time. Maybe because I’ve cleaned up after so many people for so long, (seven years to be exact) that I’m really just burnt on it. Yesterday contained a lot of me blaming things on guys, but I’ve cleaned up after girls too. (Though not as often, but then again we’ve never really had as many girls here.) I suppose I am tired of making things beautiful, seeing them destroyed, and then doing the same job over….and over….and over. I guess I’ve finally hit my limit. It's good for me to look at where people are coming from. I don’t want to over analyze the fact that people may just be slobs, but it may be because of the way they were raised. Which means they need to be taught and loved. I have come to learn that I expect a lot from people who may not even really know how to do what I expect from them. Not everyone is wired like me – too bad. Ha ha. But I really do love cleaning. Even other people’s rooms after they leave. It’s so fun to find the junk they leave - treasures for me. Things are changing. It’s a new day – literally. Awesome Meggers is coming up with ways to see that people don’t leave crazy messes when they leave – yeah! Now it’s just a matter of follow through, follow through, follow through. Oh! I almost forgot to give a shout out to Jaime, the first guy to leave this place, come back, get his stuff, and clean his room! There is hope!

You asked for it!

Since my post about pregnancy tea, a couple people have asked about tips to have more energy. I guess I'm pretty energetic, but then with a son like Jed I suppose I have to be, or be taken over! I read alot about health too, but some basics never change. First of all, anyone who knows me knows I am a die-hard firm believer. Yes, there is an actual term 'firm believer'. It is my favorite workout series in the whole world, and I recently found some awesome new workouts by the company on DVD. No more cheesy music and leotards either. I totally think regular exercise is sooo important. I feel awesome after a good sweat, but I also think it is probably something your body gets used to. I try to think back to when I started working out, and I'm pretty sure it wiped me out at first. Even just 20 min. ofwalking a day is so good for you. I've heard that speed walking (around a mall....not!) is one of the best things, because it elevates your heart rate, but doesn't put strain on your body. I also believe that some sort of weight training is important. Your muscles support your skeleton, need I say more? But one thing at a time here. Besides excercise, it's important to get those vitamins (prenatals or the tea, mommies!) and to eat well. I know, I know, listen to me, Miss Sugar America. But really, I'm trying (kind of) to do better. Sweet potatoes are one of the best things you can eat. I've heard this from various sources as of late. Tons of vitamins, and a low glycemic index. (I sound smart, huh?) Anyways, eat good - veggies, lean protien, and whole grains. Oh yeah, how could I forget, drink LOTS of water. So simple, so important. At one point I would drink a gallon a day. I've slipped a bit, but am working on it, some days I make the grade. At least 8 cups. At least. And please don't buy this silly coca cola slogan 'every drop counts'. I'm talkin' water. Clear, pure, water. I drink coffee too. In fact I love coffee, but I don't count it into my daily water intake. Coffee consumption should not exceed 5 cups in a day - so I hear. Five 6oz cups, that is. I have one mug every morning, but it is 3 cups. My greatest concern when people drink alot of coffee, is that they're drinking it instead of water. Now what could we be forgetting? Sleep! When? Who has time? I say at the very very least, six hours will do, but it is much better to shoot for seven to eight. It may seem hard, but that means you can go to bed at midnight and wake a 7 or 8 and be fine. (This is my latest schedule.) But hey, everyone's different. Naps can be good for some, (I don't do naps) but I just read that they shouldn't exceed 20 min. or they can interfere with nighttime sleep. Speaking of sleep, it's getting to be about that time. Please know that I have no qualifications that should make anyone listen to me. Just two kids, a passion for excercise, and enough energy to go around.

What I do

Often times when I tell people I live at the Land in a christian community, they ask what I do. I usually reply something like, "Oh, I do the bookeeping and some cleaning and organizing." Somehow, this always leaves me feeling like there should be more, and I ask myself what I am really doing. This morning I woke up at 8:30 with a sore throat, and woke Curtis up. He had to leave right away, after over sleeping, or would be late for a doctor's appointment. I was going to prepare a deposit for the ministry before he left, but had to nurse Eowyn first. I fed her and ran up to the big house, promising it would only take two minutes. Curtis pulled up with the car as I ran out the door, handed him the envelope, and kissed him goodbye. As I'm walking back down to the cabin, Jed meets me halfway, in pajamas and boots, freaking out because I left without telling him where I was going. After calming him, we headed down, but this event set his mood for the morning. Oh joy. Change a diaper, breakfast, balance the checkbook. (I need more checks. Where in the world are they?) Wash the laundry from Jed wetting the bed last night, sweep the porch, make the beds. Make tea for my throat, deal with Jed's attitude and stop him from making believe his sister is a bird, and pulling her arms back while she's on her tummy, calm Eowyn down from attack of the big brother. Think about making candles, working on the books this afternoon, the rest of the laundry, giving Jed a bath, posting stuff to sell on the internet, and brushing my teeth. Then I write a blog. (Only because Jed is confined to his chair until he eats his oatmeal.) All in an hour and a half. Then I realize, this is what I do.

Pregnancy tea

This evening as I was trying to rip the tag off of my mother's milk tea bag and some of the leaves fell into my tea, I was reminded of daily straining good ol' pregnancy tea. It was recomended by my 'midwife' November back when I was first pregnant with Eowyn. I ended up being persuaded and drank it religiously from about two months into my pregnancy. It consists of alfalfa, nettles, red raspberry, and oat straw, and tastes pretty much like something a horse would eat. All the stuff in it is supposed to be really great for you, tons of vitamins, helps nausea, helps you sleep, gives you energy....and the list goes on. It actually really did work, and that is why I recomend it to every pregnant friend. There are only a few minor setbacks. The first is that you're supposed to drink a quart a day. Four cups of horse feed drink a day-ughh. All I can say is pinch your nose and chug. Actually after a while you get pretty used to it, and can put other kinds of tea bags in (good earth)to help it out. Second thing is that the best deal to last you through pregnancy is to buy from this bulk herb place (I love them) where you have to buy in one pound increments. To make the tea mix, you need two parts of a couple different herbs, so you end up ordering six pounds total. If you have not ever owned six pounds of tea, let me tell you, it is quite a bit. You have to mix it all together too, which is only possible in something huge, like a garbage bag. Then, where to store? Some air tight large container. I guess a five gallon bucket would work-maybe. The last thing is the best, because no one else seems to have had the problem-or maybe they haven't mentioned it. It was so wierd. Like it happened over night. We were in Oregon helping Derek's family move, and I thought my teeth looked kind of brown, but then I thought maybe it was just the light. I mean, it couldn't have really been my teeth - the same teeth I always get complemented for, for their whiteness. So I forgot about it. Then I saw Curtis, and he asked me why my teeth were brown. Aaakkk! It was true! I had brown teeth! Eeewww! I was mortified, seriously, my life was over. I would never smile again. Elena without smiles is like christmas cookies without sprinkles. Then, as we were driving home, I looked in the little mirror on the visor, and kind of scraped at my tooth firmly and.. viola! Scratched the brown right off! I couldn't understand it, cause I had tried brushing them pretty hard when I first noticed the color change. So I got one of those extra firm toothbrushes (Who really uses those anyway? Captain iron gums?) and after a little while of scrubby scrub, thank God, I had white teeth again. Wierd huh? Almost changed my whole life. Never had the problem again, but I do still have left over tea.

When Rachel watches the kids

Today was my day to watch Jed and Kai while Rachel worked. We have started to alternate days so we could both actually get something produtive done during our free moments (babies napping). We were leaving our cabin to go and make green cookies for St. Patrick's day, when Jed stopped and ran back into the cabin. "I forgot my voice!" "What," I asked, "your voice?" "Yeah, my voice." He ran over to his boot, reached in, and put it back in his mouth. I just stared at him. Where in the world did this come from? "So, when did you put your voice in your boot?" "Last tuesday." All this was very non chalant, like it was totally normal to keep your voice in your boot for a few days. And where the heck did tuesday come from anyway? In Jed's world everything, no matter when it happened, was 'last night'. I was telling Rachel the story later, and apparently, at her cabin, they leave their 'outside' voices in a bucket by the door. I just cant figure out how it got from the bucket at her place to the boot in our's.

Rice Cereal

Good and Faithful

Today was one of those days where everything annoyed me. It’s so hard, because my frustration usually comes out at Jed, and then I feel so bad because I love him so much. The last thing I want to do is hurt the little guy’s feelings, even when he is driving me nuts. But today, he was just being a normal four year old, whining that too many books were falling off the shelf. I yelled, and he just looked at me through his tears, and said “Mama, you can’t yell at me.” It just broke my heart, but kind of in a good way. It’s such a blessing that he, in his unknowing way, reminds me of things about myself that I know need to change. My greatest desire lately is really just to be the best mama I can be, and it makes me so sad when I fall short. Every day I realize a little more that he and his sister are my little number one’s and I’ve go to give them my best. I suppose any and all of this can only be accomplished through God’s grace. I am truly thankful that He is good and faithful to complete the work He has begun in me.

Frannie Rannie Doodle

Eowyn Frances. The love of my life. Everything she does makes me smile. Well, almost everything. I love that she has just a little hair so her head is soft, but not completely bald. I love that she has such tiny cute feet that she likes to grab. I love that she’s such a big part of our family yet is the littlest one. I love that Curtis and Jed are totally in love with her. I love her big hot cheeks after she eats, and her cold ones after a nap. I love that she already sleeps through the night. I love that she sucks her left thumb just like Jed. I love her chubby thighs. I love when she talks to herself in bed. I love putting her in dresses. I love putting her in PINK! She can put a smile on your face in your saddest moment. It is nice to not be the only female in this family any longer. Her little sweet strawberry tongue and big blueberry eyes… oh man! She really just gets better every day. I may be her favorite person in the world when it comes to milk and cuddling, but she truly looks up to Jed. He is the coolest person to her. She’ll just lay contentedly and watch him play. He’s the one who can make her laugh (and cry). He even nicknamed her Little Frannie. It’s true she hasn’t even made half an effort to roll over, but I don’t care, she could lie on her back cooing at me for the rest of eternity and I would be content. Today we decided to try cloth diapers. It’s been interesting so far - definitely different than disposables. We’ll see what happens. A few days ago we started feeding her rice cereal. I was so sure she was starving. About three feeding attempts later I came to terms with the fact that she just isn’t ready. I fully realized this after she 1) choked on it 2) wouldn’t open up 3) blew raspberries with it in her mouth, and 4) wanted to talk about it. It’s kind of sad and a relief at the same time. We’ll try again in a couple weeks. I would have wonderful pictures here, but I can’t upload for a while. I know, so sad, but stay tuned for the upcoming Frannie Rannie fashion show!

Your mom said poop!

When the hope of snow appeared yesterday, I decided that if it didn’t melt, I would take Jed and his best friend Kai sledding. It seemed to be cold enough this morning, so I told Jed my plan, in the hopes of using it as a bribe for good behavior, which ended up kind of working. Then I convinced Renee to come with, and by late afternoon, we were on our merry way. A little ways down the road, I was discussing some...umm...personal things with her, and the boys in the back seat only overheard one thing- poop. I really think the two of them must have poop radar, because I swear I could have been whispering, or better yet just thinking the word, and they would be on to me. Next thing I hear, “your mom said poop!” followed by hysterical laughter. We’ve kind of been going through this thing lately. It seems that whenever the boys are together, something brings them back to poop. Is this just normal boy stuff? I don’t have any idea. I was never a little boy. On the way back home, something set them off again, but this time it kept on going. One would say something, and then the other would, just setting each other off. I would have stopped them saying, “okay, that’s enough” or “we only talk about that in the bathroom” or “Jed if you say that again you’re gonna be in trouble” or tried to explain the proper time and place thing in some wonderfully adult-like manner that would totally go over their heads, but we’ve tried all that, really. So my latest theory, is that maybe they just need to get it out of their systems, and see that no one else is laughing, and it’s really not that funny. I have a feeling I may not be correct, as I listened to their poop jokes for 20 minutes straight (trying not to laugh myself) all the way home.

A Day In The Life

Today’s Unexpressed Thoughts

The water is out again?
Can I eat instant oatmeal like the rest of my family?
If I go to town without Eowyn, and the mountain slides, what will she eat?
Snow Maybe we can go sledding tomorrow
Rain Maybe we can’t.
What season is it in India?
Is the mail here yet?
I can save 15 seconds a day.
Why does Eowyn seem most chipper at bed time?

Turn into Today’s Average Day

We woke up to, of course, the water being off again. After Curtis finally conceded to going up to the waterfall once more, I decided to make him some hot oatmeal and coffee to return to. He actually didn’t eat it until it was cold anyways. I got to thinking about how Curtis has been eating oatmeal lately - an amazing fact considering not too long ago, if there was no cold cereal then he seriously could not fathom what else he could possibly eat for breakfast. I usually eat oatmeal for breakfast, but only the old fashioned kind - I am rather particular when it comes to this. The thing is, we are running out of the O.F., but have an abundance of instant, so I guess I could ease up and eat what we have.
Then I decided it would be a good idea to go to town to run a couple errands. If I left soon enough, then I wouldn’t have to bring Eowyn, just Jed, and she would be able to get a good unbroken nap in, and I could ultimately come and go faster. The only thing is that there is a certain mountain in between us and town that tends to slide every so often when it rains. I just had to hope that today wouldn’t be the day. I ended up being rather lucky, on the way both lanes were open, and on the way back, one lane only, but I hit the tail end of it and drove right through, eliminating any wait. When Jed and I got to the slide area, he started yelling, “SNOW! SNOW!”which he continued to yell for the remainder of the drive. I looked up, and there it was, just a light dusting on the higher areas of the mountains, yet it was there. Maybe at even higher elevations there would be more. This was confirmed when we got to town and saw about 3 inches on cars that had come down from the mountains. Then it started raining, and of course, rain melts the snow. So I guess we’ll see if we can find out the snow status tomorrow. At the thrift store I found a little pair of red and white striped footie jammies. Whenever I see that pattern it makes me think of Candace, because she once expressed that she thought red and white stripes were cute. The jammies were size 6-12 months and maybe would fit her daughter, but would it be the right season for footie jammies in India, their current home? I got them just incase.
After lunch, the big huge excitement of mail came. What might be in there for me? Turns out Jed got his new sneakers. After wearing out the velcro on his others, and the risk of one falling off mid-stride always present, we decided to hook up a new pair on our new best friend, ebay.
So then comes time to workout, followed by a shower, followed by lotion. This is when I realized I could save 15 seconds by putting lotion on both legs at once instead of one at a time. What an amazing revelation, why hadn’t I thought of it before? What wonderful news for a power multi-tasker!
Bedtime comes for the kids, and Eowyn has once again picked this time to be the happiest - and cutest. She just loves to have you jump all around her, especially on the bed, which we’ve had to ban for fear of breaking it. I know this can happen because my brother and I broke my bed back in the day. So for now, we’ll just put her on the floor in her bouncer and act like frogs. She is so sweet lying on her back grabbing her feet, cooing, not getting tired when she should. How could I possibly put her to bed? But I did, and alas, I am writing. Just and average old day.....

Curtis and Marc's heavy burden

After two lovely sunny (yet sometimes frigid) weeks, the rain is officially back. Along with them comes the awesome responsibility of keeping our running water flowing. This means almost every time it it rains heavily, a couple people (basicly always Curtis and Marc) must hike up the waterfall to our water source and fix it when air or debris get in the lines. This has happened two times in the past 24 hours. One day about a month ago I had been in the mood to write after one of these incidents, and have been looking for the opportunity to use it. Perfect timing.
I wake up this morning to Eowyn calling for her breakfast. I roll over and check the clock as I grab her out of her bed. 7:50 - pretty good. Last time I was up was at 4:30 for her midnight snack. I get back in bed and assume the position to start feeding her. A minute later I hear a familiar tapping at the door. “Curtis, it’s Derek.....Curtis get up, Derek’s at the door.” He gets up wanders over, and opens the door a crack. “Hey wanna go for a morning hike?” Curtis looks at him blankly. “I just felt like going for a hike this morning - hey, could you get me a glass of water?” Now I found this very random, yet it didn’t really phase me because that’s what we have come to expect from our dear brother. It apparently didn’t phase Curtis either, because he made his way to the bathroom to fetch our early visitor his H2O. He turns on the tap and....nothing. Oh. That’s what he meant. How clever. Curtis walks back over to hear Derek’s cheesy laugh. “Ha, ha...can you give me a few minutes?” In other words, water is out, so they’ve got to hike up to our water source at the top of a little waterfall. At least Derek and Curtis are around this time. The water was out around new years and they spent 6 days without water. Running water that is, for this is northern California, it is the winter, and oh is there water. I try to look forward to the summer, because I know that because of the excessive rainfall, it will be more beautiful. Things will stay greener longer, and the river will stay higher with less algae growth. Even though there is no water now, it doesn’t really concern me, because I know they can fix it. We had a little problem with our water in our cabin recently. The pressure was way down, so you could hardly take a shower, which meant I would have to lug all my stuff to a different shower. In the rain. And oh yeah, where am I supposed to put my kids? Well long story short, Curtis the handyman fixed it. But he did come out all muddy and bleeding (just a little). You come to realize how dependent you’ve become on conveniences in this country. So the whole time I’m frustrated about the water being low ( it was VERY low) I’m also frustrated with myself for not being tougher, or more thankful for what we do have. I mean people in some other countries don’t even have running water or electricity (something that hasn’t gone out this winter which I really am thankful for). Anyway, it’s winter, and it’s okay. I have two beautiful children and a great husband.

In the kitchen with Rene

Lately, I've been spending alot of time obsessing over the organization of the kitchen. It's been a great time hanging out with our "head" cook Rene, and getting to experience her taste for music and ...you guessed, food. Rene LOVES 80's music. Need I say more? All I know is I keep singing 'tularula' or 'tainted love' over and over in my head. Although I do absoloutley love 'video killed the radio star'. As for food, we actually have very similar tastes. We love healthy food and want to eat healthy food, yet often succumb to the call of sweets. Rene likes to cook alot of beans and lentils, and I think that Curtis really hates her for it. It all started with this great idea to eat lots of beans, because 1)they're good for you 2) they're cheap 3)we have a motherload of pintos downstairs-which I will now refer to only as 'the dungeon' 4)we need to be thankful for what God has given us 5)it's all Rene has mastered in cooking 6)we're missionaries so why not eat like we are? 7)we're reaching hippies so why not eat like they do? The reasons keep coming as I sit here, so I'll stop, or I might just start defending the little guys. The truth is I really like beans, or maybe I just really like when someone else cooks for me, and the fact that I'm not picky helps. Anyway, it seems since I've been up there giving my two cents, there hasn't been a bean abroad in days! (okay, i skipped the pea soup the other day) I found myself suggesting that Rene actually cook lentils. I had become so used to eating some kind of bean that when we visited our folks over Christmas, I was taken aback by how much meat we were eating. I had to ask Curtis if it was normal to eat meat every day, and he assured me it was. Don't get me wrong, it was great! (Especially for Curt, he is THE meat eater in our family - maybe that's why he hates Rene so much) But I suppose there is a greater reason for our slight shift in diet, and it's not only because I found the ancient 50lb. box of turkey in the bottom of the chest freezer. Which brings us back to my organization. I have (almost) succeeded in my plan to bring all the food in the dungeon upstairs. The goal is to use up everything that has been sitting down there since the dark ages, that the skunk hasn't eaten yet. Alot of it has proved very useful, especially the ice cream cones that I baked cake in, and taken the edge off our tummies - you know what I'm sayin'. I'm not really sure how brave Rene or I am though when it comes to the millions of cans of government pork that Brian got back in the day to feed us after Y2K. I guess we could use some good matzo farfel recipies as well, considering we have a few large cans of it. I am sure the matzo is Derek's doings, as are so many things we have had, and still have sitting in the dungeon. All I can say is teriyaki eel anyone? Or how about some pre-cooked licorice beef. I remember the cooks trying to rinse it off in a strainer to rid the flavor. The reason we have had so many random items, is that we used to get our food from the S.F. food bank, and random is it's middle name - if it isn't Derek's. Since we have been 'off' the food bank, I must say, we have really been blessed, and God is totally providing all that we need and more. Alot of this I must attribute to Rene, who I honestly can say, is doing a better job in the kitchen than anyone I have seen since I've been working in and around it. She gives us balanced meals, and doesn't let food go to waste, and drives the 25 miles to town each friday to pick up a food donation. I love her, and am glad she is my friend. We got to have some fun the other day with a bunch of unlabeled cans I found in the dungeon. My plan was to open at least one can a day and figure out how to use it in some meal. So we opened the first can. Mixed vegetables. No problem, easy to use, then Jed comes in and wants to eat some-cold. He doesn't care, just loves canned veggies. So I put some in a bowl and let him at 'em. I turn my back and he's dumping more in his bowl. We're just a little more curious, so we open another can. Mixed veggies. And another - mixed veggies. Six cans later, we decide that they are all mixed veggies, and we'll have turkey pot pie (yes with the turkey found in the freezer) for dinner. So much for the daily anticipation of opening the can. We get entertainment from what we can around here, which has included- riding a bike down a hill, up a ramp and flying into the raging river, climbing up a mountain and sliding down on your butt at alarming speeds (which ripped the bottom out of Curtis' pants), watching several guys that don't know what they're doing try to get a 200lb. pig into a truck(one guy ended up riding him like a bronco), shooting toothpicks out of straws like darts, and my favorite, every day at about one thirty...the mail. I'm the mail lady here, and I take my job seriously. Don't mess with the mail...man...ha, ha. Ahh, life at the Land.....