A day in the life: Vomit edition!!

As a mom of 5 kids you have to juggle and learn to roll with it. Things never go as planned.

Today:

7:00 AM woke up to find my boys out of bed already which really bugged me, I wanted at least 30 minutes to myself while I enjoyed my less than perfect cup of coffee (currently on week 1 of Whole 30.)  Just a few minutes of being awake Papa bird started asking me a bunch of questions about stuff that I already told him, many times before!~ Irrintating!

Trying to get everyone fed and out the door with snacks packed because I was not planning on being back home until 4PM

9:00 am Out the door 15 min. later than planned because I took the time to make eggs for Duck and Owl.(They are a super food and they do not always eat them so when they want them I comply) They were especially good today ~ yummy farm fresh!

9:08 Crap, I forgot that  I NEED gas. I rushed home last night after Robin's riding lesson due to an emergency (2 year old locked in her room while 15 year old was watching her!) and never got gas.

9:27 Got Falcon to his last Exam, just as I pulled away from the University Canary started throwing up....Crap! Crap! Crap! We are already late to a much needed 2nd opinion at a Denist for 3 of the kids. I cleaned her up as best as I could~ kids were gagging in the car it was so bad ( so was I!!!)

9:40 Papabird  met me at the new Denist he could not fill out the paperwork because he does not know our children's DOB's...WHAT!!!!! ( I am not even going to get started on that one,) So he sat outside with Canary while I went in with 2/3 of the kids that needed to be seen. ( we missed the first appt.)

Conclusion from Denist: my kids have cavities in half their teeth...WHAT??? How? WHY? We eat so clean!!! Owl even needs a baby root canal!! Lost of stress and issues here, crappy insurance no one in our plan will work on kids. This new Denist will not do the work on kids!!! I need to think about that later.......

10:30 Off to  Papa Bird's office to get some paper work we need to get notarized at the bank. 

* Canary  BTW is still reaking of vomit she has been wiped down with baby wipes but still soaked!! Now off to the bank with my vomit covered child. Did I mention this all had to be done today due to a past due deadline that was already being extended for me!

The bank gave the kids crappy suckers  ( their teeth are already rotten , what the hell!)

11:22 Dropped off paper work on opposite side of town...Whew at least that is done!

* it is beautiful outside today 68F slight wind, sunny skies,  trees are blooming. Although nothing is going right I am able to take a deep breath to enjoy this beautiful life that I have on this beautiful planet.

Here is when I had planned to go back and get Falcon, run some Errands then have a peaceful lunch out with my favorite little people ( All my baby birds) But now I need to head home because I need to clean up Canery. I only had an extra set of panties and pants in the car ( newly potty trained) no extra shirt.

11: 50 Home again, Got lunch ready cleaned up Canery and observed her for awhile to see if she was going to be sick again or if we were good to go to our planned feild trip, This time I packed plastic bags in the car with 2 complete sets of clothes for Caneray, just in case. 

1:30 Picked up Falcon from School.

1:45 Arrived at field trip 15 minutes early ( just how I like to be). The kids are doing part 2 of a pioneer/homesteading workshop. for 2 hours.

2:00 I got to enjoy the next 2 hours walking around a Botanical Garden with my youngest and my oldest. 

3:15 Maybe Canary is sick, she fell asleep in the stroller.She never falls asleep in the stroller, she never even likes riding the the stroller, but not today. There was no way I was going to babywear today and risk having throw up down my back, I only have extra clothes for her not me!

4:15 heading home.Goodies the kids made, they later became my Mother's day gifts!

4:40 Arrived home got some of the kids settled and headed of to the grocery store to get some last minute items for dinner. I planned to put together shish-kabobs but am running out of time. I guess I will make that tomorrow.

5:45 Got home, prepped  burgers for dinner. We are having Burgers with chips and grapes.

6:15 I realized my cranky crying Canary has a fever and just wants me to hold and nurse her. I guess I will not be sauteeing peppers and onions for my burger tonight.

6:30 Dinner was not so enjoyable for me being on whole 30 without the time to prep my other side dishes because I was holding baby Canery. So it was just a plain burger for me.

Rocking....

Rocking....

Rocking....

Enjoying these moments  that I am needed and cuddled and rocked Canery watching Private Practice on Netflix.

8:00 Did the nightly tick check- Found one on Owl ( life in the woods) pulled it off bagged and dated it  (they can check the tick faster than you if you develop symptoms). Made sure teeth were brushed and flossed then gave kisses and hugs and off to bed went the 3 of the kids.

9;00 Put Canery to bed

Took a moment today to reflect: life does not go as planned sometimes you just need to take a deep breath acknowledge that change happens on try not to dwell on what would have made a perfect day and realize that every breathing moment on this planet is a precious one and learn how to spend it wisely

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Mating Toads and injured birds

Springtime on our pond is always exciting.

( I did not take this picture of a spring peeper it was pulled from a google search. I have seen them a few times but they are quick and super small)

We have had  spring peepers mating all evening for a few weeks but this week brought a new sound.

It is the American toad: they are land dwellers but come to the pond in masses to mate and lay eggs. We found one section of out pond to be the mating section.

There were 50 or more toads mating in some cases we saw 3 boys on one girl. When Duck went to pick up a mating group of toads the poor mama toad squirted out her long black chain of eggs onto his hands. Robin freaked out and thought it was a snake. I felt bad for poor mama.

Toads lay eggs in long chains frogs lay eggs in clumps. So we did what every homeschooler would do, we scooped up some pond water and brought some eggs in the house to watch them hatch.There are tons all over the pond.

Then off to the library of course to get some corresponding materials.

Later that day the boys found a poor Robin ( Not my 9 year old whose blogosphere name

 is Robin, A real American Robin) all wrapped up in some blue twine. Of course my kids wanted me to save it. After cutting all the twine from the birds wings, neck, and feet it looks as if the wing is broken.

Rehabilitating this bird, I believe was beyond my knowledge so I took him to a nature reserve that helps hurt animals and releases them back into the wild when possible.I really did not feel like going. It was  real inconvenience to my day........

But, I thought for a moment what if someday I am really sick or hurt and the person who could help me did not want to be INCONVENIENCED that day. So, I jumped right in the car with 4 of my little ones and took the bird right away.

I was especially not thrilled about the drive in the rain. I hate the driving on the highway in the rain. The kids and I were excited to receive a case number to call back and check on our bird friend named Jack.

If Robin has flown into your life;

Robin signifies stimulation of new growth and renewal in many areas of life. He teaches that any changes can be made with joy, laughter and a song in your heart. This bird shows you how to ride the winds of passion within your heart and become independent and self reliant through this change. The energy of this bird will teach you how to move forward with grace, tenacity, perseverance and assertion. Are you letting go of personal dramas? Ones that no longer serve your higher purpose? Are you exercising compassion and patience in mental, spiritual and emotional areas? This creature will teach how to incorporate new beginnings with faith and trust in the process. It is time to believe in yourself and use the inspiration that is given. Listen carefully. It is time sing your own song for a new period in your life

Spring into summer studies

I wanted this school year to be more relaxed as it nears an end I realized it was - maybe a bit too much. We did school but on a slower scale. A good thing? A bad thing?  No need to label it we moved forward. It was hard to get into the swing of things after Falcon started College full time this year at the age of 14. His first Semester he  received 3 A's and 1 B. Pretty proud mom! 3.8 GPA!! As his final Semester is finishing up it looks as if he will get 3 A's and a B again.

Over the school year I finally got mostly unpacked in the house but not all cleaned out. There are still areas of this house that are unfinished and still dusty, dirty and full of  items from  Steve and Julie (people who built this house in 1968 that I have never met.)

This was a year of learning for me- I feel good on how it went and look forward to stepping up our education a little more as we move into spring an onward to summer. As most  homeschool moms  are feeling burnt out by this time of year and ready for a break I am feeling refreshed and ready to start my new school year and farm adventures this summer.

I usually school year round just lighter in the summer.

My spring/summer plans are to rise early to beat the heat! I am not fond of hot summer days. So I plan to get up by 6;30 get breakfast going and start farm work until lunch time.

After lunch will be when school starts and Canary naps. planning to school from 12-3 daily.

4pm will be reading time

6 dinner.

8 inches of snow just a few weeks after spring! That was a first! I was excited though I LOVE snow and was thrilled to see it one more time. What was especially strange was hearing the spring birds chirping while trudging through the snow!!

 Unfrozen pond and loads of snow~ strange!

I thought the snow was a thing of winter not spring so the hammock came out and so did the bikes!!!

The new Pekings from TSC, I hate taking care of messy ducklings but they are sooooooo adorable they make it worthwhile.

The Cricket in Times Square

Read Aloud for November:

We all really liked this one, a very fun easy read.

We took a field trip to an Asian food and gift store. We were not impressed, It smelled horribly like dead fish. It was literally so strong It made me want to leave. Here are a few quick pictures I took before we left.

 Canary loved the  the live fish, I do not think she minded the dead fish smell.

 Um, interesting find! No other comment on this tea!

This was not nearly as neat as we expected or as interesting as the shop in the story.

Robin remembered from watching Mulan how Crickets are good luck in China but we never knew the folktale behind it until it was explained in this book.

Super cute candy cane mice we made.

We listened to some of the music the cricket imitated at the newsstand. A Little Night Music by Mozart was a favorite.

We watched videos of a New York Subway train om Youtube.

Papa Bird sent us an image of an airport news stand while traveling to Australia. We discussed that there were news stands still around and that people will read them when commuting to and from places.

Commuting: A new vocab word for all

The kids wrote down foods they discussed in the book and we made a menu to have a special lunch.

This is Robin's list

The little boys made one too, but I could not find theirs for a picture.

If there is a movie based on the book we  for school we watch it when we were done and compare and contrast.

 This time we watched the new Annie movie instead. It is set in  modern day New York so I thought it may be a good movie to reinforce the setting of this novel.

During the movie Duck says to me,"I sure would love to be rich and famous!"

I respond;" Did Chester like it in the story we just read?"

  I do not want to give his answer away if you have not read the book but it was nice to bring to life a lesson  from the book we just read in the story.

Some of the foods we ate during the movie that were mentioned in the book. We had BLT's too but ate those too fast for a picture.

Some other books we read.

The Art project we did this month tying in a character from our story. I wanted the kids to make life- like mice but they had other ideas! 

And just like that it was winter.

Well, it is not winter officially yet but in my world I really consider the first snow that sticks, Winter!

 I walked outside at 9am to see this just outside my door, it is going to be a magical day!

 First time the ducks saw snow and they cared less they just waddled right to the pond. They were more  concerned with the water being partially frozen.

The chickens on the other hand did not like the snow. They ran right out of the coop and huddled under the awning  at the back of the barn.

 Sun shining through green leaves not quite ready to admit it is winter!

 Blissfully happy this afternoon taking care of the animals. It was so beautiful I walked out to the back of the forest with just the dog and no phone leaving the little birds inside the house wondering what took me so long outside.

Bright blue sky, warm sun, pure white snow. So enchanting. I must have stared up at the contrast of the bright blue sky and the glistening snow for 10 minutes.

Snow dog having fun, she was tracking coyote prints.

* These picture were taken with my son's $100 camera not my nice one and not edited in anyway that is how beautiful a day it was.

So how do you poo? Do you sit or do you Squat?

You all have heard of the squatty potty right? Well, if you are a crunchy mama (these hippie folks who like to use all natural treatments of everything) you already know. But if you are a mainstream mama (most of society just following the heard and doing everything deemed 'normal') you may not know.

So I am here to enlighten you today  below is a WONDERFUL and hilarious clip. MUST WATCH

A family member has been using a stool to get  their legs up in a squatting position for as long as I can remember. I never knew why until 2 years ago when I was first introduced to the squatty potty on one of my crunchy/hippie forums. I have been using a stool since then, but now that I am  having kids with constipation issues I think it is time to invest in a squatty stool.

I have these on my amazon wish list, hopefully Santa sees this and can make my Christmas wish come true.

Check out this amazon review:
"I never thought I would ever review my morning constitutional but this product needs to be taken serious. I had seen an article many months ago about how we doody "wrong". I thought it was a bunch of bunk until one day I was walking and suddendly was in a very uncomfortable situation where I was nowhere near facilities, modern or otherwise, so that I might take care of the increasing pressure building up in my butt and at 62 years old I could not depend on the sphincter to not give out before I could get home, so I did what anyone would do and ducked into some dense bushes before I exploded and had a heavy load to cart home in my britches. In a matter of seconds the deed was done and I could not believe the size of the prize*....which got me to thinking more about the squatty potty. Before I purchased this product I would return to the Loo 3 or 4 times a day but now it gets done all in one squatting. I am a short person (4'9") and the 7" is a perfect size for me. In fact, a taller person could use a shorter one if they were made available. I gave the 9" to my son for his children to use and they have not had the problems with elimination that they were having before they had this great little stool. I recommend this for anyone who does not feel total relief after their daily doo.
*I did return to the scene of the incident and did the responsible thing by picking up what I left behind"

Now since we are on the topic of  pooping let's talk pee as well. When I was pregnant I came across THIS link my a favorite blogger of mine "mommypotapmus"  that says woman have week pelvic floor muscles  because in the U.S we do not squat when we pee.

So there I was wiggling and dancing as I painted the chicken coop all by my lonesome. I was drinking a lot of water because I was hot and working hard!!My mother in law was inside the house watching my sick cranky kids. I knew if I walked back to the house it could take 20 minutes just to pee because I will be bombarded with questions and have the sick clingy toddler who will not want me to go away. So I remember how good squatting to pee really is (Thanks  mommypotamus!) and I remembered that my good old friend Buffy told me not too long ago peeing around your coop can help keep predators at bay.( Double win!!!)

Side note: we have 6 missing birds right now and lots of feathers left behind ( my favorite green egg layer is gone too!)

So I pulled my pants down, ( no one can see anywhere on our land. Maybe I drank a lot of water or maybe it really was the squatting action that relaxed my muscles fully but I peed FOREVER!!! Two minutes later (give or take I wasn't counting) and I was back  to painting again. No lost time and .....maybe .....just maybe helped deter some predators away from my lovely hens.

                                             (The coop all primed on 4 sides by me!!!!)

Another win for the squatty potty.

More on pelvic health? Here is another great read. 

Happy, content, warm...

"I am rich today with autumns gold" -Gladys Harp

It is that wonderful time of the year here in the Northern part on the US that  the trees turn beautiful shades if crimson, magenta, golden yellows, flaming orange and the leaves drift slowly to the ground. That sound of the wind tossing leaves from the trees, leaving theme swirling on the porch where they creep lazily into the house.

(Little Baby C's toes)

Crunch, crunch go the leaves under  my  feet!  Ahhhhhhhhh the wonderful smell of dead decaying leaves, it smells like fall! It really is a wonderful smell, it brings: warm sweaters, snuggles, bonfires, s'mores, football games and warm pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin, it really is my favorite. Anyway you spin it =  Delicious: pies, muffins, cookies, smoothies and if course who could forget the overpriced yuppie Starbucks  pumpkin. Spice Latte.  Try it breve with whipped cream, yum!

It is a cold fall night in the nest tonight. I still refuse to turn on the heat. I try and wait longer and longer each year trying to cut costs. I am  freezing tonight after eating a  slightly  warm bowl of chicken soup left on the stove from dinner 3 hours ago  and drinking a cup of mostly hot peppermint tea that I forgot I made myself. I just could not warm up. So I jumped in the shower to let steamy ribbons of  mineral rich  well water warm my body. I finally emerged and dressed in fuzzy pink pants, an old grey sweatshirt, my blue knit hat and wool socks I am finally laying in bed...... toasty  warm.  Nestled in my cozy cream flannel sheets, a pink and white shabby chic quilt and a brown/gold/red comforter on top.

Some of my little birds are sick tonight with fever and headaches. Fall brings viruses too!

I lay here ...... happy, content, warm!