Well, Minimal Monday didn't work out this week. There was just to much going on and we ended up needing to use the hairdryer and the computer and then mom-in-law decided to join us for dinner since we were bbq-ing. Can't have company sitting in the dark.

So we had a lesson in alliteration and came up with Wednesday Without Watts. Had I know it was going to be so darn cold, I would not have agreed to this little experiment. But the kids were so gung ho, they had all the light switches taped down before I even got out of bed. We fried apples and had oatmeal for breakfast, soup and sandwiches for lunch and turkey soup for dinner. We did get a lantern to light up the living room. The kerosene lamps were just to smelly. We couldn't find two boxes that fit together right, so no oven. We have a can for a hobo stove, but haven't built it yet.

When the thermostat hit 61 in my house, we lit a fire. All their little noses were icy cold. They all grabbed their sleeping bags and huddled around the fireplace. They looked pretty angelic, all quiet and still. Spending all day outside in the cold and rain tuckered them out.

Minimal Monday

Another summer project that we started this week started after listening to Farmer Boy. It is called Minimal Mondays. We started this week with not using electricity. We taped all the light switches and hot water taps so that we couldn't use them. We restricted the opening of the frig to three times. (There was much moaning when one of the children accidentally opened it for no good reason!) I shouldn't have to say it, but we didn't use the furnace either. Our weird weather made that a little harder than we thought. The kids had a great time. They enjoyed most heating the water outside and cooking on the propane stove. They grilled dinner and washed dishes by hand in water they had heated. It was amazing how having no tech gave them more time to play outside. We did projects and finished school. We had made bread the day before so it was a bit like Almonzo's dinner. We had grilled chicken and potatoes and corn cooked outside. We made soup and sandwiches and ate lots of fresh fruit. All the kids thought food tasted better cooked outside. When my sweetheart came home, he was a little disappointed that we wouldn't let him use the hot water. So we used the big pot that came with the turkey frier to heat water. Amazingly, that was enough hot water to make a very nice tub. The rest of us bird bathed with the canning pot full of water. We all appreciated running hot water by the end of the night. We used the kerosene lamps to light the house once the sun set. They were pretty smelly and didn't light a very big part of the room. The hardest part for all of us was the lack of light. We didn't realize how dark our house was. The kitchen was particularly dark. I think I want a solar tube now. Even during the day, the only room with truly adequate light was the living room. The kids didn't even like using the main bathroom because it was to dark and would go to the restroom upstairs. Come to think about it, they didn't mention the outhouse in the story. We learned that when we do this again, which they are all excited to do, even my sweetheart, we want to get a few things. First of all we need batteries, we had no radio and only one of the flashlights had any battery left. It happened to be the cow flashlight that mooed every time you turned it on. We also want a lantern. Something bright enough to light up the main room. The kids have a list of things they want to try to go without. They want to try no running water, staying outside all day and not using the frig at all. So it will sorta be like camping here at the house. (If anyone knows me, that is as close as I would like to get!) They then want to try it for 2 then 3 and then more days. I'm not so sure how that will work. We are going to make an oven and try cooking in that and using a solar heater if we ever get any sun. We also read about a hobo stove. We want to try that just because it has the word hobo in it ^.^

Seattle Art Museum

So summer adventuring has started. Last Thursday we went to the Seattle Art Museum on FREE first Thursday. And we got cheep parking to boot. The kido's had a surprisingly good time there. I thought for sure that I would be ready to kill them all by the time we left. The best part was the electronic tour guide that came free. As you wandered around the museum, some of the exhibits had numbers on them. You type in the number and there was a description of the piece or the artist. We gave it to the youngest and it kept her busy the entire 2 hr visit. We liked most of the exhibits. The biggest question was what was with the naked people. Not sure how to explain that. The biggest impact piece for all of them was the coat made of dog tags. That is the postcard we picked for this visit. Andy Warhol was showing their. The consensus there was that he was weird. We did put our pictures on the exhibit with all the photos from the photo booth. They said they we would be able to find our pictures on the website at the end of the week, but they exaggerated. We did have fun in the photo booth though. Over all it was a good trip that we will probably take once a year. On FREE first Thursday of course.

my addiction

This is the story of my addiction. I didn't know how bad it was until this past weekend. Because I wasn't paying attention, I didn't get my order placed in time and had to go four days with out my sweet desire. It was sad, very sad. I tried to replace it with coffee. Coffee is nasty. No matter how much sugar, creamer, flavoring I added, nothing made it taste good. And then, it didn't work the way my lovely energy booster worked. I would get a big spike of energy that made me a little twitchy and then I would crash and not want to do anything. All weekend, I felt off. I would start to ask for some of my yummy goodness and then, with a fallen heart, I would remember that some people got a four day weekend and I was out of luck. So Tuesday morning, as the doors opened, I was at the warehouse. I must not have been the only one. The lot was full and coming out to every car were multiple cases of grape, citrus and tropical goodness. My order wasn't quite ready, one case of water was missing so I had to wait, my addiction just a shelf away, whispering promises of happiness to me. The inner workings of the warehouse are quite amazing. There are lots of boxes traveling down rolling paths and beeping forklifts. There were a few of us waiting for one more box. All the shelves of filled orders were getting fuller and fuller. WHERE IS THAT WATER? Then I saw it, but the guy was now with another person. I just kept smiling, but inside I wanted to hop over the line and grab my stuff. Finally the guy said, "Here it is!" and I grabbed everything and put it in the truck and pulled out to let another vehicle pull up and get their things.

And then, before I left the parking lot, I cracked open a box and pulled out the Citrus Blast XS that I had been craving for four days. The can went kracoosh and the little bubbles started bouncing out. Ooh sweet XS I missed you so, with your 4900% of B12 and adaptogenic herbs. Now I can be awake and happy. I know many will scoff at my little can of energy. How can that be good for you? But it is just what I need. No sugar, no carbs, eight calories. It not only wakes me up, but it never lets me fall, I just wear down normally. It doesn't keep me up hours after bed time, for I know when to drink my second can to give me that afternoon boost (who, with five at home has time for a nap?) and get me through the evening. Once it has gone through my system, no residual caffeine that I had to deal with with that nasty old coffee. And it tastes so good. There are fourteen flavors to fill my every mood, but it is the Citrus Blast that works its magic for me.

So as I sit here this morning with my little can of happiness next me. I have dealt mentally with the idea and realization that I do have an addiction, and I'm okay with it.

Grandma's kitchen

4 Generations

I remember when I was about 10 visiting my Grandma and Grandpa on the farm in Kansas. It was a wonderful, memory filled time. One of the things I remember is how much Grandma cooked. She got up early and would cook a full breakfast for the men and the rest of us. Eggs, potatoes, bread, bacon in piles and piles. The men would head out to the fields and Grandma would clean up. Then she would start lunch. I think she called it supper though. Again, another full meal including cookies and cakes. I remember making crescent rolls for the first time, only hers were not from a can. She would drive baskets of food and cases of soda out to the fields, come back and finish cleaning up. And then there was always a full dinner with dessert. I remember one time she made home made noodles for chicken noodle soup. After they were cut, she had them hanging all around her big country kitchen. I remember her potatoes augratin with ham under it. I remember her fried chicken that she butchered and "let" us help clean. And as much as I remember her in the kitchen, I also remember her cleaning and sorting eggs, doing laundry and going to work occasionally at the hospital kitchens. I also remember her and Grandpa watching Lawerence Welk Show in the evenings.
Grandma is almost 90 now and I haven't been back to the farm in ages and ages. I almost don't want to so that I don't mix up those memories. I have seen my grandparents here in the northwest a few times since I have been married. My dear Grandmother has had a number of strokes and isn't able to do much any more. I love her dearly and always think about her when I start feeling like I am on a hamster wheel in the kitchen of my own home, serving cereal and pbjs. I'm not complaining, I love being home and being a mom. But sometimes, it does get a little monotonous. And then I think about how little I do in comparison to this dear lady and I am all better.

Bad Mom?

I know we shouldn't have laughed, but man did we laugh. We have the stomach bug here at our house and it is pretty amazing. It involves much moaning and groaning and pooping and crying and vomiting, lots and lots of vomiting. One started on Sunday. My little drama queen. She moaned and groaned for hours and then pooped. I think she had one vomit. I know, your asking me, why are you sharing all this. Well it is all a set up for why we were busting up last night.

Next day my big girl came down. She must be part vampire cuz she went white. There was a little moaning and she is sensitive to the sound of vomiting so I kept asking her if she needed to VVVOOMMMITT. It would make her smile and then moan some more. I then took my healthy girls to dance. When I got home, number three was down for the count. He doesn't do well with sickness of any sort. He did his one vomit and laid down and moaned and moaned and moaned. My last two healthy girls thought it was great to take care of them and to pick what they wanted for dinner since the others weren't eating. Cheesy egg omelets with salsa. Do you know what's coming next? About eight thirty my little one who we have to shove into bed every night with much screaming and hollering, tells me she is tired. Then it happened. All Over. She runs to bathroom and it was like that scene with Eddie Murphy in Daddy Daycare. This child spewed Everywhere. That is when we started laughing, The baby is crying and we are chuckling it up. What else can you really do when the whole house smells and there is "stuff" everywhere and there is lots of tears and you just know that you are next. Little man is getting mad at his stomach cuz he just wants to sleep. And yelling at it. Okay, that is funny. Ever seen a thirteen year old yelling at his stomach? Poor fellow was up til two thirty yelling at his stomach. I just laughed. At least I stayed up with him. That was a good mom thing. Even if I covered the sofa with a water proof sheet and told them all that no one was allowed to be sick on my new furniture. And I kicked off the one with the least vomiting and told her to go find another bed so I didn't have to share a sofa with a sick kid. But I emptied buckets and wiped heads and mouths. So I think I evened out.

The Day After

Must say I'm still kind of numb today after all the activity yesterday. The party is over, my family is gone and all the "stuff" is back at the house. I would have to say this whole experience was quite amazing. My first thought when I woke up was...it is done. My second thought was Dear God, how will I make it through three more?!

I learned that I am not a good estimator of food. We will be eating tacos for days, even months! I learned that I am not looking forward to weddings. I learned that making something memorable is a lot of hard work and to start early. I am glad we had prepared so much prior to the actual day.

I also learned that a good friend is always there when you need them. I could never in a MILLION years thank all the people who helped pull this thing off. Thank you to everyone who helped me figure out what I was doing and helped by bring pies. Thank you to Josh M. for standing by my son and husband as they prepared Joshua's portion. Thank you so super duper much to the Jediot and their families who kept me on task and organized and took the reigns for me and kept everything moving. For all the young people who directed traffic and served food, I will be forever grateful. To my congregation that shared in the joy of the day and made all our guests feel so welcome and were so generous to my son, I thank you with all my heart. To all the guests and family who came either in person or on dimdim I would like to thank you for joining us on such and important day.

Last night Josh hugged me and said "This was the best day ever!"

His dad asked him this morning what was the most important thing he had learned. "That if I stick with something long enough, I can do anything."

He also asked what was the most memorable part. "Standing over the Torah and reading my portion."

I think we did good.