When I went to look in on them, this is the sight that greeted me.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Aaarrggg.
Paul and Julia were playing quietly upstairs after their naps while I was working in the kitchen. Maybe a little too quietly.
When I went to look in on them, this is the sight that greeted me.
When I went to look in on them, this is the sight that greeted me.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Oktobeerfest '08 Prep
After a good bit of work Saturday morning, the barn's looking better than ever. We cleaned up some trash and got the tables down from the loft. I also got the pig roaster moved over to its brat-cooking location, and got the mower put away. We moved a bunch of stuff around to make more room on the floor. That'll be especially nice 'cause it'll make a lot more room inside the barn for folks to watch the blues jam.So now I just need to get the floor where the band will be leveled a little better & get the whole place swept out real good.
Dad had managed to get over during the week to update some electric, too. So hopefully we won't be having the breaker issues we were having last year.
Its looking like its gonna be a nice crisp night on Friday, too. Fall is finally here!
We're up to 94 RSVPs (+24 maybe's) so far, but we'll need to get a firm count by Wednesday morning so we can get enough brats. We'd hate run out like we did last year. So if you're planning to come, please let us know as soon as possible. We hope to see you Friday night for Oktobeerfest '08!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Congratulations Petr & Ida!
Throughout the English Camp this summer, we all saw this coming...at least, we hoped & prayed for....
So it is with great joy that I get to announce that our friends Petr & Ida are officially engaged to be married! Apparently Petr presented a large bouquet of white roses & popped the question this past Sunday (Sept. 21).
Congratulations Petr & Ida! We praise God for both of you, your love for Him, and your love for each other. And we pray that God would bless your union as you continue to serve Him together.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Praying for rain
In Ohio, a day or two of sunny weather with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid 50’s is like heaven. Two weeks of it in a row, and Steve starts saying, “It looks like we live in San Diego.” Two weeks of it in a row after a dry spell is a drought. Instead of turning red, orange, and yellow, the leaves are just shriveling up brown, and falling off the trees.
I’m really grateful to God, that our property has such great water. We have a spring head near the barn that always has at least a trickle coming out of it. In the springtime, water is seeping out of the ground all over the place. We have never had to worry about not having enough water from our well for our demands.
Nevertheless, I know that when we use more water, some of our neighbors have a harder time with their wells. So I’m trying to conserve a bit. I’ve got a list of water conservation ideas below. I’ll let you try to guess which ones we actually employ, here at the Kuhlman Farm.
Turn the water off while brushing teeth.
Turn the water off while soaping up our hands.
Conserve toilet flushes.
Cool the pasta water and use it to water the house plants.
Scoop up the dish water and use it to water the tomato plants.
Turn off the hot water so that the showers area really cold.
Bath the kids together.
Clog the drain in the shower so that you have to take a really quick shower or else the water will spill over the shower basin onto the floor.
Turn the shower water off while soaping up.
Only shower every other day.
Let the little guys pee on the lawn, thereby conserving flushes, and keeping the front yard watered.
Use the light cycle on the dishwasher.
Wait until you have a full load to run the dishwasher.
Wait until you have a full load to run the clothes washing machine.
Instead playing in the sprinkler or the wading pool, fill a 5 gallon bucket half way up and give the children a couple of squirt toys.
Save the clothes washing water in a cistern and use it to water the garden.
Give the children water to drink in open cups. Spot mop where they spill.
Use disposable floor and surface wipes instead of a pail of water and mop or rag.
Drink beer.
I’m really grateful to God, that our property has such great water. We have a spring head near the barn that always has at least a trickle coming out of it. In the springtime, water is seeping out of the ground all over the place. We have never had to worry about not having enough water from our well for our demands.
Nevertheless, I know that when we use more water, some of our neighbors have a harder time with their wells. So I’m trying to conserve a bit. I’ve got a list of water conservation ideas below. I’ll let you try to guess which ones we actually employ, here at the Kuhlman Farm.
Turn the water off while brushing teeth.
Turn the water off while soaping up our hands.
Conserve toilet flushes.
Cool the pasta water and use it to water the house plants.
Scoop up the dish water and use it to water the tomato plants.
Turn off the hot water so that the showers area really cold.
Bath the kids together.
Clog the drain in the shower so that you have to take a really quick shower or else the water will spill over the shower basin onto the floor.
Turn the shower water off while soaping up.
Only shower every other day.
Let the little guys pee on the lawn, thereby conserving flushes, and keeping the front yard watered.
Use the light cycle on the dishwasher.
Wait until you have a full load to run the dishwasher.
Wait until you have a full load to run the clothes washing machine.
Instead playing in the sprinkler or the wading pool, fill a 5 gallon bucket half way up and give the children a couple of squirt toys.
Save the clothes washing water in a cistern and use it to water the garden.
Give the children water to drink in open cups. Spot mop where they spill.
Use disposable floor and surface wipes instead of a pail of water and mop or rag.
Drink beer.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Mystery Fruit Update
I wrote a week or two ago about a mystery fruit in our garden. The big question was: melon or squash? As I said at the end of that post, I was pretty much ready to declare it a pumpkin/squash. The verdict is: Amish Pie Squash. As you can see from the picture, this is pretty much a pumpkin. Here's the description from SSE where we bought the seeds:
"(Cucurbita maxima) Heirloom variety obtained by James Robinson from an Amish gardener in Maryland. One of the best processing pumpkins we have ever grown. The slightly pale orange flesh measures up to 5" thick, and the largest fruits weigh 60-80 pounds. Firm moist flesh is excellent for making pies and for freezing. 90-105 days."
We've got a couple good size squash on the vines & several smaller ones that are still growing. So if you wanna come over sometime next month to help make pies, let Sarah know.
Productivity
I got to go on a women's retreat last Saturday. It was lovely and refreshing. And perhaps even more exciting, was the fact that I got home and Steve had gotten a ton of housework done while watching the kids.
He watered the saplings, did several loads of laundry, vacuumed Paul's room, cleaned up the kitchen, harvested some peppers & tomatoes from the garden, collected eggs, fed the chickens, made homemade salsa, ran the kids around well, and got them to take excellent naps.
I thought I should leave him home with the children more often.
He wondered why I don't always get so much done.
sigh.
Well, okay, let's look at yesterday.
9/22/08
00:00?
Julia wakes up from a bad dream. "Spiderwebs, mommy! Spiderwebs."
And I think to myself that she is living in the wrong house, if she's going to develop arachnophobia.
She tries to convince me to bring her into bed with daddy and me. I gently deflect her, and we all go back to sleep.
03:30
Steve and I awake to hear the dog vomiting in her crate. Rats.
I carry our puppy outside. Steve and I are both too groggy to countenance cleaning her bed out at that hour, but the smell is so gross that Steve puts the crate out on our balcony. He brings the kitchen crate upstairs for Maggie to finish the night.
05:00
Alarm clock goes off.
05:15
We start struggling out of bed.
05:40
I walk Maggie.
06:00
Paul wakes up from a bad dream. At first he tells me there is something scary in his room. I look around and tell him it is gone now. Then he tells me, "Mommy there was an earthquake two days after we moved from the new house."
Uh-huh.
We talk a little bit, and I coach him into saying, "Boy, I'm glad that was just a dream."
His bed is dry, which is good because he had already wet through one set of sheets the night before at 22:00 hours.
07:00
Paul wakes up. His bed isn't dry anymore. Rats.
07:05
Julia wakes up. She's in diapers for the whole day, so her contributions to the overall excitement of the day are limited.
07:30
We smell something nasty and discover a dog pile in the dining room. Rats. Clean it up.
07:35
Breakfast
07:50
Leave to take Paul to pre-school
08:50
Start a laundry load of two sets of truck and train-themed bedsheets, some pajamas, and doggy bedding.
9:50
Take Julia to Grandma's house.
10:15
Pick Paul up from preschool early.
11:20
Mommy's dentist appt.
12:10
Paul's very first official dentist appt. Whoo-hoo! He did really well.
12:45
Eat a hatchback picnic lunch with Paul.
13:35
Paul falls asleep in the car on the ride home.
13:50
I discover Maggie has been stuck in our not-so-doggie-proof utility room during our absence. I don't find any obvious damage, but I wonder what she's been eating. I take her for a walk and feed her some lunch.
14:12
I hang the sheets, pajamas, and dog bedding on the laundry line.
14:15
I lay down for a nap in line of sight of the car, where Paul is still dozing.
14:17
Paul wakes up.
14:21
Maggie vomits in the living room. Rats. I clean it up.
14:30
I decide I am too tired to see straight. I set Paul up with an episode of Dora the Explorer while I doze on the couch.
15:00
Paul and I decide to walk to Grandma's house to get Julia. I change him out of pants and into shorts, and then I go upstairs to do likewise.
15:10
While we are putting our shoes on, Paul tells me that he is a stinky-boy. Huh? He repeats himself, and elaborates that he went poopie in his underwear. I verify. Rats. I start to berate him, but when I open the toilet to set him on it, I discover a large quantity of poop there. Mood swing. I am now very pleased with my little boy, because such a small percentage of the poop went into his underwear. I think he just got to the toilet a little late. We change his underwear and leave for Grandma's house. It's a pleasant walk and we talk about why grasshoppers jump so well and why baby skunks grow up.
16:00
We spend the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa, who have been furiously unpacking boxes. Steve picks up wings for supper.
19:00
Steve drops us off at home, while he goes to a meeting at church. We agree that Maggie should probably skip her supper tonight. I start bathing the children. Julia looses her bath bucket privileges, after pouring too much water on the floor.
19:30
I start a VeggieTales video for the children. Usually I like to sit and watch with them, but I know I've got to make Paul's bed. So I let them watch by themselves, bring the laundry in from the line, make Paul's bed, and put Maggie's crates back where they belong.
20:30
We have finished our TV show, brushed teeth, and are sitting down to read a couple of stories. I observe Maggie pee on Paul's bed. Rats.
Practically screaming, I scold Maggie and put her outside.
I remake Paul's bed. I am on the verge of either laughing or crying.
I move Maggie indoors so that I don't have to worry about coyotes or neighborhood dogs harassing her. I shut her in her downstairs crate until I'm done tucking in my children.
21:00
I take Maggie for a walk and close up the chicken coop. I pack clothes for the next day and clean up the kitchen. I give Maggie about 8 kibble to eat.
22:00
I tuck myself in bed and Steve comes home.
22:10
We hear Maggie vomit in the cage. Rats.
He watered the saplings, did several loads of laundry, vacuumed Paul's room, cleaned up the kitchen, harvested some peppers & tomatoes from the garden, collected eggs, fed the chickens, made homemade salsa, ran the kids around well, and got them to take excellent naps.
I thought I should leave him home with the children more often.
He wondered why I don't always get so much done.
sigh.
Well, okay, let's look at yesterday.
9/22/08
00:00?
Julia wakes up from a bad dream. "Spiderwebs, mommy! Spiderwebs."
And I think to myself that she is living in the wrong house, if she's going to develop arachnophobia.
She tries to convince me to bring her into bed with daddy and me. I gently deflect her, and we all go back to sleep.
03:30
Steve and I awake to hear the dog vomiting in her crate. Rats.
I carry our puppy outside. Steve and I are both too groggy to countenance cleaning her bed out at that hour, but the smell is so gross that Steve puts the crate out on our balcony. He brings the kitchen crate upstairs for Maggie to finish the night.
05:00
Alarm clock goes off.
05:15
We start struggling out of bed.
05:40
I walk Maggie.
06:00
Paul wakes up from a bad dream. At first he tells me there is something scary in his room. I look around and tell him it is gone now. Then he tells me, "Mommy there was an earthquake two days after we moved from the new house."
Uh-huh.
We talk a little bit, and I coach him into saying, "Boy, I'm glad that was just a dream."
His bed is dry, which is good because he had already wet through one set of sheets the night before at 22:00 hours.
07:00
Paul wakes up. His bed isn't dry anymore. Rats.
07:05
Julia wakes up. She's in diapers for the whole day, so her contributions to the overall excitement of the day are limited.
07:30
We smell something nasty and discover a dog pile in the dining room. Rats. Clean it up.
07:35
Breakfast
07:50
Leave to take Paul to pre-school
08:50
Start a laundry load of two sets of truck and train-themed bedsheets, some pajamas, and doggy bedding.
9:50
Take Julia to Grandma's house.
10:15
Pick Paul up from preschool early.
11:20
Mommy's dentist appt.
12:10
Paul's very first official dentist appt. Whoo-hoo! He did really well.
12:45
Eat a hatchback picnic lunch with Paul.
13:35
Paul falls asleep in the car on the ride home.
13:50
I discover Maggie has been stuck in our not-so-doggie-proof utility room during our absence. I don't find any obvious damage, but I wonder what she's been eating. I take her for a walk and feed her some lunch.
14:12
I hang the sheets, pajamas, and dog bedding on the laundry line.
14:15
I lay down for a nap in line of sight of the car, where Paul is still dozing.
14:17
Paul wakes up.
14:21
Maggie vomits in the living room. Rats. I clean it up.
14:30
I decide I am too tired to see straight. I set Paul up with an episode of Dora the Explorer while I doze on the couch.
15:00
Paul and I decide to walk to Grandma's house to get Julia. I change him out of pants and into shorts, and then I go upstairs to do likewise.
15:10
While we are putting our shoes on, Paul tells me that he is a stinky-boy. Huh? He repeats himself, and elaborates that he went poopie in his underwear. I verify. Rats. I start to berate him, but when I open the toilet to set him on it, I discover a large quantity of poop there. Mood swing. I am now very pleased with my little boy, because such a small percentage of the poop went into his underwear. I think he just got to the toilet a little late. We change his underwear and leave for Grandma's house. It's a pleasant walk and we talk about why grasshoppers jump so well and why baby skunks grow up.
16:00
We spend the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa, who have been furiously unpacking boxes. Steve picks up wings for supper.
19:00
Steve drops us off at home, while he goes to a meeting at church. We agree that Maggie should probably skip her supper tonight. I start bathing the children. Julia looses her bath bucket privileges, after pouring too much water on the floor.
19:30
I start a VeggieTales video for the children. Usually I like to sit and watch with them, but I know I've got to make Paul's bed. So I let them watch by themselves, bring the laundry in from the line, make Paul's bed, and put Maggie's crates back where they belong.
20:30
We have finished our TV show, brushed teeth, and are sitting down to read a couple of stories. I observe Maggie pee on Paul's bed. Rats.
Practically screaming, I scold Maggie and put her outside.
I remake Paul's bed. I am on the verge of either laughing or crying.
I move Maggie indoors so that I don't have to worry about coyotes or neighborhood dogs harassing her. I shut her in her downstairs crate until I'm done tucking in my children.
21:00
I take Maggie for a walk and close up the chicken coop. I pack clothes for the next day and clean up the kitchen. I give Maggie about 8 kibble to eat.
22:00
I tuck myself in bed and Steve comes home.
22:10
We hear Maggie vomit in the cage. Rats.
Blues Jam Practice
After an exciting day at home with the kids on Saturday, I got to go out with the boys that night for...blues jam practice. We went to Mark's sweet music room in his basement and setup for a good evening of musical fun.It seems that every year we end up picking up more & more songs, while only repeating a relatively small portion of the songs we've done in previous years. This year is no exception...we've got a bunch of new songs we're on. We also got to run through some of the old ones we'll be doing and were surprised to find out how much we remembered. Very cool, especially considering most of us haven't touched these tunes since early last October.
We had most of the group there, though our keyboard player, Jim, who also does some of the vocals, wasn't able to come up from Virginia just for a practice. Oh well, we trust he'll be ready...and we all get to practice together the night before the big party.
By the way, Oktobeerfest is less than 2 weeks away, so get your RSVPs in now...it promises to be an excellent party once again.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Kuhlman War Paint
At Paul's urging, the kids and I broke out some leftover face paints.
Alternate Titles for this blog post that I considered included:
William Wallace is our Family Hero
Steve said, "Sarah, you look like a victim!"
It stains?
It was late and we were bored
Monday, September 15, 2008
Hurricanes in Ohio
We're doing remarkably well. Our power was only out for a few hours. I had planned to come in to work today, so Grandma has both kids and I think she's helping our friends find room for some of the stuff from their freezer.
We lost some tree limbs, a few shingles, and Steve's grill blew off the stoop and got smashed. Nothing too serious at all. Steve is bored silly at work because the power is out there and he has to take a shift babysitting the office. The local schools are closed.
We drove home from my folk's house yesterday afternoon, and all this was a surprise. Driving through downtown at about 4 pm made me seriously tense, but we made it through unscathed.
Paul and Julia were impressed by the wind and going to bed by candlelight and flashlight. Neither of them were too scared, but they were very meek when I pulled them out of the car to get into the house. Our power had been out for about 2 hours and we had lit a couple of candles before Paul realized he couldn't turn the lights on. He was indignant.
We lost some tree limbs, a few shingles, and Steve's grill blew off the stoop and got smashed. Nothing too serious at all. Steve is bored silly at work because the power is out there and he has to take a shift babysitting the office. The local schools are closed.
We drove home from my folk's house yesterday afternoon, and all this was a surprise. Driving through downtown at about 4 pm made me seriously tense, but we made it through unscathed.
Paul and Julia were impressed by the wind and going to bed by candlelight and flashlight. Neither of them were too scared, but they were very meek when I pulled them out of the car to get into the house. Our power had been out for about 2 hours and we had lit a couple of candles before Paul realized he couldn't turn the lights on. He was indignant.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Oktobeerfest 2008 Invite!
Fall is in the air. The days are getting shorter. A slight chill is on the breeze. The nights are getting cooler. The trees are beginning to turn. The birds are gathering in preparation for their journey. It's almost time for the fourth annual...
OKTOBEERFEST
Make plans now. You will not want to miss this beer-tasting event, where there will be:
- Beer
- Bratwurst
- Bonfire (notice a theme here?)
- Blues Jam
Mark your calender (and RSVP)
- When: Friday, October 3, 2008
- Where: Kuhlman Farm
- Time: 6:30pm - ???
- Details: The party is outdoors and in the barn so dress appropriate - including shoes that can get muddy!
- WE supply the Barn, Brats, Bonfire, & Blues Band.
- YOU bring a 6-pack of a carefully selected beer for the tasting (homebrews & rootbeers welcome!)
- You leave one bottle at the judges' table and put the rest out to share.
- There will be token prizes awarded for the best beer in several categories, but mostly it is an opportunity to sample some beers you might never have tried and to have a good time with friends while doing it.
RSVP BBQKing95@aol.com
In praise of beauty
The kids I and were winding our way through the grocery store last Monday, when Paul started saying, "Mommy did you see that cute little girl? She was sooooo cute. Oh, what a cute little girl. You have to go see the cute little girl!"
I hesitated for just a moment. What would the cute little girl's mother think?
But then I reasoned that most parents are delighted to hear people call their offspring cute. So we swung the grocery cart around to go back and see the cute little girl.
She was probably just under 1 year old, and was wearing a little pink ballerina dress.
"See mommy! Ahhhh, she's so cute."
The mother looked up at us questioningly.
"My son is just gushing about how cute your little girl is." She smiled appreciatively. The baby girl really wasn't stunning. She wasn't odd or ugly, but I don't know that I would have paid so much attention to her. But I wasn't about to stifle Paul and Julia's praise. All little girls are princesses. Everybody should feel beautiful sometimes.
It was a small grocery store, and we were just picking up a few things. Even so, the rest of the way through the store we kept bumping into the mother and her very cute daughter. Each time we saw them, Paul and Julia both commented on how cute she was. The mother started laughing over the whole thing.
Close to the end of our visit, I recalled that Paul uses the exact same tone and phrases to describe any little animal that catches his fancy. The other night he was playing with a toad. "Ahh, it's so cute. Daddy, do you see how cute my toad is?" Fortunately my better judgment kicked in, and I did NOT mention Paul's admiration of toads and cicadas to the girl's mother.
I hope I can figure out how to nurture this free flowing appreciation of beauty that my children have now. Life tends to squelch it. We're stingy with whom and what we call beautiful. And even when we see beauty, we're not loud with praise. There's this wonderful passage in "Perelandra" by C.S. Lewis, where the main character is horrified by the approach of a huge insectoid creature. A moment later, he sees the creature as foreign, but lovely. I'd like to culture that type of vision.
I hesitated for just a moment. What would the cute little girl's mother think?
But then I reasoned that most parents are delighted to hear people call their offspring cute. So we swung the grocery cart around to go back and see the cute little girl.
She was probably just under 1 year old, and was wearing a little pink ballerina dress.
"See mommy! Ahhhh, she's so cute."
The mother looked up at us questioningly.
"My son is just gushing about how cute your little girl is." She smiled appreciatively. The baby girl really wasn't stunning. She wasn't odd or ugly, but I don't know that I would have paid so much attention to her. But I wasn't about to stifle Paul and Julia's praise. All little girls are princesses. Everybody should feel beautiful sometimes.
It was a small grocery store, and we were just picking up a few things. Even so, the rest of the way through the store we kept bumping into the mother and her very cute daughter. Each time we saw them, Paul and Julia both commented on how cute she was. The mother started laughing over the whole thing.
Close to the end of our visit, I recalled that Paul uses the exact same tone and phrases to describe any little animal that catches his fancy. The other night he was playing with a toad. "Ahh, it's so cute. Daddy, do you see how cute my toad is?" Fortunately my better judgment kicked in, and I did NOT mention Paul's admiration of toads and cicadas to the girl's mother.
I hope I can figure out how to nurture this free flowing appreciation of beauty that my children have now. Life tends to squelch it. We're stingy with whom and what we call beautiful. And even when we see beauty, we're not loud with praise. There's this wonderful passage in "Perelandra" by C.S. Lewis, where the main character is horrified by the approach of a huge insectoid creature. A moment later, he sees the creature as foreign, but lovely. I'd like to culture that type of vision.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Zoo
We made it to the zoo on Saturday. The kids did great. We didn’t bring a stroller or wagon this time, and they still lasted for about 4 hours. It is fairly telling that most of our pictures of the children, involve them climbing on statues of animals. They liked the animals themselves okay, but the children don’t have too much of an attention span yet.
Paul rushed us past several other exhibits to see the rhino. “Let’s go see the rhinoceros. I want to see the rhinoceros. That’s not a rhinoceros. Let’s run to the rhinoceros.”
He saw it. One, two, three. “I want to see the tigers. Where are the tigers?”
It was good fun. We did slow down a bit for the manatees and the goats in the petting zoo. Grandma Kuhlman came too. Both children got to feed and pet the goats. I think the silverback gorilla impressed them.
It made for a full day. Julia fell asleep in the car before we left the zoo parking lot.
Paul slept a little bit in the car, but he woke up at home right when I was hitting exhaustion. I ended up putting Julia in bed, and setting Paul up on one of the couches with a DVD of Dora the Explorer. I crashed on the other couch, and there are significant stretches of the TV program that I don’t remember hearing.
Later we did some painting and ran Maggie around to give her some attention. Paul and I were running in circles in the yard while Maggie played keep-away with a stick. Julia was up by the porch with her baby. At some point I walked over to see if she wanted to join us, and she said no, that she was happy with her baby. A little bit later Paul went over to talk to her. I don’t know what he said, but the next thing I knew, she was running down to the yard with the rest of us, carrying her baby, and joining the fun.
raw deal
Friday morning our playgroup at the park was canceled on account of rain. So instead we went to a medical lab to have some blood drawn from Paul for a screening. That’s a terrible switch isn’t it? I called ahead to make sure they took children, and was assured that the technician working had been doing this for 20 years and was really good at it.
After the phone call, I told Paul where we were going and why. I reminded him of the blood that was drawn from me just a week or two ago. As the last words came out of my mouth, I remembered reading advice that you should not tell children when they are going to get pokes or injections because the anticipation will make the event even worse than it might have been. I saw the fear creep into my son’s eyes. “Mommy, I don’t want blood.”
I understand the point the article was trying to make. And if I were afraid my child would work himself into a tizzy, I probably would not have told him in advance. At the same time, I want my children to be able to trust me, to trust that I will tell them what is coming. I don’t want them to be afraid every time they go to the doctor. They can know that sometimes we go and get pokes, but most of the time not.
I told Paul it would sting a little bit, but it wouldn’t hurt very long. I also promised him a reward of a piece of chocolate when it was all done. I made it a nice reward too, because I had some Ghirardelli squares stashed away in my freezer.
Paul was especially quiet on our rainy ride into the lab.
I have to say that he and the technician did a tremendous job. She had him sit in my lap and showed me how to hold him. She warned me about how strong unhappy children can be, but Paul didn’t struggle. He cried and kept repeating that he didn’t like it, but he didn’t fight us. And the technician was quick! In, out and done, and she even drew a smiley face on his band-aid for him.
I thanked her for her good bedside manner on the way to the lobby, then doled out the chocolate.
My eye stopped twitching after the procedure was done, and Julia behaved really well, so we each got a piece of chocolate too.
After the phone call, I told Paul where we were going and why. I reminded him of the blood that was drawn from me just a week or two ago. As the last words came out of my mouth, I remembered reading advice that you should not tell children when they are going to get pokes or injections because the anticipation will make the event even worse than it might have been. I saw the fear creep into my son’s eyes. “Mommy, I don’t want blood.”
I understand the point the article was trying to make. And if I were afraid my child would work himself into a tizzy, I probably would not have told him in advance. At the same time, I want my children to be able to trust me, to trust that I will tell them what is coming. I don’t want them to be afraid every time they go to the doctor. They can know that sometimes we go and get pokes, but most of the time not.
I told Paul it would sting a little bit, but it wouldn’t hurt very long. I also promised him a reward of a piece of chocolate when it was all done. I made it a nice reward too, because I had some Ghirardelli squares stashed away in my freezer.
Paul was especially quiet on our rainy ride into the lab.
I have to say that he and the technician did a tremendous job. She had him sit in my lap and showed me how to hold him. She warned me about how strong unhappy children can be, but Paul didn’t struggle. He cried and kept repeating that he didn’t like it, but he didn’t fight us. And the technician was quick! In, out and done, and she even drew a smiley face on his band-aid for him.
I thanked her for her good bedside manner on the way to the lobby, then doled out the chocolate.
My eye stopped twitching after the procedure was done, and Julia behaved really well, so we each got a piece of chocolate too.
monkeys
I’m so proud of Julia, because she has mastered the “rock wall” on the way up to the slide. She’s quite the little climber. Friday evening I saw her sitting on the little table attached to the pig roaster. Steve was right beside her. I asked if they were having a pow-wow. Steve answered, “She climbed up there all by herself.”
I was impressed.
She not only climbed up there by herself, she was able to climb down all by herself too. Little monkey!
I was impressed.
She not only climbed up there by herself, she was able to climb down all by herself too. Little monkey!
Monday, September 08, 2008
A Brew, A Pig, & A Mystery Fruit
Here's a "quick" update on recent farm doings over the past couple weekends:
New Brew: I got to brew over the Labor Day weekend...only my 2nd of the summer. (I'm obviously too busy!) I went with a recipe titled "Amber Waves of Grain" largely because I could use a bunch of my home-grown hops. Also, I and most of my friends really like ambers. The brewing went well and I'm hoping to rack it tomorrow. That'll put me bottling it as early as the 20th so it might just be ready for the Oct. 3 Oktobeerfest (more details on that soon!).
Pig Roast: This past weekend David & I got to roast our 3rd pig for the annual Diversipak Wiffleball tournament in Cincinnati. Another great pig, another great party...what more needs to be said.
Melon or Squash: At one end of the garden we planted watermelon, cantaloupe, & pie squash (pumpkin). Unfortunately, I don't really remember which seeds were planted where. So when we only had one vine come up at that end of the garden, we nursed it well to try to get something. Last year we lost the couple of watermelons and pie squash we had to the bugs really early, so we've never successfully grown them past about apple-sized. We've managed to get a couple pretty good sized fruits going on this vine, one's probably about 12" across, and the other's about 15-16" across. Until a couple weeks ago I would've sworn they were watermelons. They were dark green, and had some light green lines on 'em. But a couple weeks ago we took one of the little ones that was shriveling up and disected it. It looked more like a squash or a cantaloupe inside...orange flesh with seeds all in the center of the fruit. So that narrows it down a little. But within the past week they've started to turn a bit more pale green-yellow, and they've gone from a smoother outer rind, to the more typical ridges of a pumpkin. So I think I'm about ready to declare them officially pumpkins...cool!
New Brew: I got to brew over the Labor Day weekend...only my 2nd of the summer. (I'm obviously too busy!) I went with a recipe titled "Amber Waves of Grain" largely because I could use a bunch of my home-grown hops. Also, I and most of my friends really like ambers. The brewing went well and I'm hoping to rack it tomorrow. That'll put me bottling it as early as the 20th so it might just be ready for the Oct. 3 Oktobeerfest (more details on that soon!).
Pig Roast: This past weekend David & I got to roast our 3rd pig for the annual Diversipak Wiffleball tournament in Cincinnati. Another great pig, another great party...what more needs to be said.
Melon or Squash: At one end of the garden we planted watermelon, cantaloupe, & pie squash (pumpkin). Unfortunately, I don't really remember which seeds were planted where. So when we only had one vine come up at that end of the garden, we nursed it well to try to get something. Last year we lost the couple of watermelons and pie squash we had to the bugs really early, so we've never successfully grown them past about apple-sized. We've managed to get a couple pretty good sized fruits going on this vine, one's probably about 12" across, and the other's about 15-16" across. Until a couple weeks ago I would've sworn they were watermelons. They were dark green, and had some light green lines on 'em. But a couple weeks ago we took one of the little ones that was shriveling up and disected it. It looked more like a squash or a cantaloupe inside...orange flesh with seeds all in the center of the fruit. So that narrows it down a little. But within the past week they've started to turn a bit more pale green-yellow, and they've gone from a smoother outer rind, to the more typical ridges of a pumpkin. So I think I'm about ready to declare them officially pumpkins...cool!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
90s in September
I don't have much good to say about the weather right now. Hot and no rain. We can make it without turning on the AC when the highs are in the 80s, but when they get into the 90s, our house just doesn't cool off enough overnight, and it turns into an oven.
On the bright side:
The clothes line dries thing faster than the electric dryer.
I can fully justify giving the kids popsicles before lunch and ice cream after supper.
Steve doesn't have to spend so much time on the tractor mowing our lawn because it is brown and crunchy.
Sauna? We don't need no stinkin' sauna.
I have fewer loads of laundry because we are not wearing sweaters and bulky pajamas.
Some people pay good money to go places where it is this hot and sunny all the time.
This weather makes me look like I've gotten a perm.
By the end of the day, I am almost weeping with gratitude to God that we can afford to own and operate two hefty window unit air conditioners, which keep our sleeping areas cool.
One lap around the yard completely wears out the puppy.
I consider it a blessing that Paul delights in spraying me with the hose.
Come January, I seldom ever complain about the cold.
On the bright side:
The clothes line dries thing faster than the electric dryer.
I can fully justify giving the kids popsicles before lunch and ice cream after supper.
Steve doesn't have to spend so much time on the tractor mowing our lawn because it is brown and crunchy.
Sauna? We don't need no stinkin' sauna.
I have fewer loads of laundry because we are not wearing sweaters and bulky pajamas.
Some people pay good money to go places where it is this hot and sunny all the time.
This weather makes me look like I've gotten a perm.
By the end of the day, I am almost weeping with gratitude to God that we can afford to own and operate two hefty window unit air conditioners, which keep our sleeping areas cool.
One lap around the yard completely wears out the puppy.
I consider it a blessing that Paul delights in spraying me with the hose.
Come January, I seldom ever complain about the cold.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Paul's first day of school
Today was Paul's first day of pre-school.
Last year, I wasn't ready to send him off to school yet. I don't think he was really ready either. It seemed like he still needed time with his toy cars and the wide open spaces of our backyard.
This year he is SO ready. When we went in to visit his teacher last week, he tried to duck into some of the kindergarten classes that were already in session.
This morningI tried to get a picture of him beside the car with his brand new backpack on. He wasn't cooperating.
In the first picture, he is hiding behind Julia.
Don't be fooled by his frown in the second picture, that was purely for my benefit.
You can see in these last shots what his attitude really looked like. Julia thought these shots were funny too.
This preschool program is designed for children with a certain range of developmental delays. Paul is in as one of the "typicals." I had told Paul before that he needed to be kind and gentle with the other children. Mostly I just want him not to tackle children with physical developmental delays. At least, not without their permission. So on the way to school this morning, I asked him if he remembered how he needed to treat the other children.
He gave me a long suffering sigh and answered, "I need to be patient with the children who feel afraid."
Oh yeah! We had talked about that too. We discussed that being patient meant things like giving nice touches, plus our standard list of, "No hitting. No kicking. No name-calling."
Since I was way early, we parked away from the school and walked a couple of blocks to get there. Paul was very excited to go into the school. It was good. Once Paul's teacher came out to get him, we said goodbye, and I picked up Julia and walked quickly away. It took pretty much all of my willpower not to turn back to see how he was doing, and I felt my throat tighten up.
As soon as we were away from the school, Julia insisted on being let down to walk. She quickly moved into Paul's normal role of chattering about what she saw around her and asking me questions. I think Paul's absence is going to be really good for her.
I kept it together. When I took Julia to our normal babysitter's house, she is the one who lost it. She clung to me like a starfish and howled, "Mommy, I want to come with you!"
I think she was a little stressed to be there without her big brother.
Steve picked Paul up after class. Traffic was a little tricky, but I guess everything worked out okay. Steve said that Paul chattered the whole way to the babysitter's house and is eager to go back tomorrow. Perfect!
Last year, I wasn't ready to send him off to school yet. I don't think he was really ready either. It seemed like he still needed time with his toy cars and the wide open spaces of our backyard.
This year he is SO ready. When we went in to visit his teacher last week, he tried to duck into some of the kindergarten classes that were already in session.
This morningI tried to get a picture of him beside the car with his brand new backpack on. He wasn't cooperating.
In the first picture, he is hiding behind Julia.
Don't be fooled by his frown in the second picture, that was purely for my benefit.
You can see in these last shots what his attitude really looked like. Julia thought these shots were funny too.
This preschool program is designed for children with a certain range of developmental delays. Paul is in as one of the "typicals." I had told Paul before that he needed to be kind and gentle with the other children. Mostly I just want him not to tackle children with physical developmental delays. At least, not without their permission. So on the way to school this morning, I asked him if he remembered how he needed to treat the other children.
He gave me a long suffering sigh and answered, "I need to be patient with the children who feel afraid."
Oh yeah! We had talked about that too. We discussed that being patient meant things like giving nice touches, plus our standard list of, "No hitting. No kicking. No name-calling."
Since I was way early, we parked away from the school and walked a couple of blocks to get there. Paul was very excited to go into the school. It was good. Once Paul's teacher came out to get him, we said goodbye, and I picked up Julia and walked quickly away. It took pretty much all of my willpower not to turn back to see how he was doing, and I felt my throat tighten up.
As soon as we were away from the school, Julia insisted on being let down to walk. She quickly moved into Paul's normal role of chattering about what she saw around her and asking me questions. I think Paul's absence is going to be really good for her.
I kept it together. When I took Julia to our normal babysitter's house, she is the one who lost it. She clung to me like a starfish and howled, "Mommy, I want to come with you!"
I think she was a little stressed to be there without her big brother.
Steve picked Paul up after class. Traffic was a little tricky, but I guess everything worked out okay. Steve said that Paul chattered the whole way to the babysitter's house and is eager to go back tomorrow. Perfect!
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