So I'm not Dead

Just lazy.

Spring is coming and I am so excited. After buying my first home last year, I finally have a small piece, 400 SF, of backyard to work on. Yes, it is super tiny. I have always wanted to be a gardener, surrounded by beautiful plants. Now I just have to learn how to garden. It is not as simple as one would think.

My first goal is to use lots of native plants. It makes a big difference. Native plants provide food and shelter for local wildlife. As you know in more urban areas our native Virginia insects and animals are evicted during construction development.

I see this in my brand new subdivision. I hope to help a little and replace some lost habitat. I am also looking into some "guerrilla gardening". The land behind by townhouse could use some wild flowers and food producers. I'm thinking of planting the Virginia native, Passion Flower.



Did you ever know Virginia had such a beautiful native growing plant?










The fruits can be eaten by animals, including us.

Check out gorilla gardening at http://www.guerrillagardening.org/ and using native plants here http://www.claytonvnps.org/

Happy Spring!

Virginia Native Joe-Pye Weed. Butterflies love them!

Coupons

So I have a new passion - Couponing. It started with double coupon Wednesdays at Farm Fresh. I started saving $10 to $15 dollars a trip. So I started looking around on the internet for couponing advice. Well, I will tell you there is plethora of help out there. Blog after blog of coupon match ups and great deals.

One of the great blogs I subscribe to it "For the Mommas (and Dads too)". Shannon has so many great deals and giveaways. Check it out at http://www.forthemommas.com/.

It Is Insanity

Ours is a culture that has long used physical pain as a punishment for unwanted behavior not only in children, but in adults. You actually kill people to get people to stop killing people.

It is insanity to use the energy that created a problem to seek to solve the problem.

It is insanity to repeat the behaviors you want to stop in order to stop them.

It is insanity to model behaviors all over your society that you say you do not want your offspring to copy.

And the highest insanity is pretending that none of this is happening, then wondering why your children are acting insane.

Friendship with God
Neale Donald Walsch
Pages 129-130

Summer Fun

Summer always seems like a busy time. I probably plan too much every weekend, but I just love being outside. Our summer has been filled with canoeing, camping and a couple of festivals.

We also went to Disney World with my family. Now that was an adventure!

Aidan and I relaxing at Blizzard Beach in Florida.

Being a Single Mom and Non-Toxic Paint

So everyone knows I am a single mom. Aidan's dad lives far away, so Aidan is with me all the time. No weekend breaks for me. So I have had to learn to incorporate a 3 year old into my activities.

One example. Painting. I have a gold bookshelf which I am planning on putting in Aidan's room. I bet I could of painted the thing green in less 30 minutes, add a toddler add an hour.


He did a great job, and really didn't get much paint on him. I am an "after the fact mom". I didn't think about changing his clothes until after he had paint on him. Oh well, I guess.

I didn't worry about him getting paint on him, because I found Mythic Paint. http://www.mythicpaint.com/. It is a zero-VOC (volitile organic compound), zero-carcinogenic line of latex paints that I found. You can buy it at ACE Hardware. Lowes and other home improvement places didn't carry it in Williamsburg.

Regular paints which contain lead, mercury, formaldehyde, formaldehyde precursors, crystalline silica or other known toxic materials "gas off" after you paint them. What is scary is that they can "gas off" for anywhere from 1 to 3.5 years. More Info Here. That is a long time to be breathing low level toxic fumes. Thankfully, I don't have to worry it. Mythic's paint tag line is Safe for People, Safe for Pets, Safe for the Earth. You know I am all about that.

Moving In

Well this is the after closing glow from buying my first home. It was a great spring day and I had the sun roof open enjoying the mild weather.


So after 6 years of wanting to own my own home, I did it. This is me jumping for joy in my new bedroom. Yippeee!!!!

What I have to unpack?!? After several days the thrill is kindof gone. Actually not really, but the realization of the work ahead sets in. This room is now the offical storage room. My living room and Aidan's room is pretty good, no boxes. I realize now I don't know where to put all this stuff. I am going to have to invest in a lot of book shelves. I have so many books. IKEA here I come.

Home Closing

I will closing on my first home purchase tommorrow - 3/31 at 3:00. I am very excited. I have been packing for a week and am completely tired. No matter what I do, I am a least 15 minutes late for work everyday. I am going to try to be in bed by 11 pm tonight.

I haven't posted for a while, because blogspot keeps giving me an error when I add pictures. I decided to just leave them out until I can figure what's up.

The weather is turing warmer and I am coming out of hibernation. I can't wait for Aidan and I to start spending more time outside.

It is getting closer

Well here is my kitchen. It is finished now, but I keep forgetting my camera every time I go by. The whole house is actually completely finished, but I have had some problems posting, so these pics are old.

I will be closing tommorrow, 3/31 at 3:00.

I am so excited! The weather is turning warmer and I will be in my new home soon. Heaven.

MarsCon and a Haircut

Before I had Aidan I did so many things. I was an avid volunteer starting from 8 grade on. I was always ready to go. I love going places. Gradually I have been going more and more places, but having a toddler in tow just doesn’t work out sometimes. I really wish I could find some volunteer work that I could bring Aidan along. I know it will have to wait a while.

But I have been attending more and more festivals. Aidan and I went to the 19th Annual Williamsburg MarCon last Saturday. It is a science fiction, space, fantasy conference.

Me and a Storm Trooper

Aidan trying to catch the mad scientists vapor bubbles.

Aidan dueling with an older boy. He kept telling him to give up. It ended in a draw. We spent most of our time at the lego table. Even though I didn't get to go to any games or programs I had a great time and so did Aidan.

Also last week I got my hair cut with bangs.

It has been some time since I had them but I like them.

Christmas

Aidan at Christmas.

The only thing he wanted was a Castle. So "Santa" brought him. "Santa" also spent about an hour putting the whole thing to together the night before.

Aidan making cookies for Santa.

Well after all the Christmas celebration I got sick. I was already tired and haven't got back into the groove of things, and now I have a cold. I still haven't unpacked from visiting my parents over Christmas. And my car is a mess. There is something about winter that just shuts me down.

I refuse to make resolutions in January becuase it simply doesn't fee like a new year to me. I feel new and refreshed when Spring comes around. That is my resolution time.

So I look to the new year with lots of great expectations. I will be in a new house soon and for the first time will get to decorate and paint the walls. I am very excited.

Happy New Year

A Nicer version of “Darn It".

So Aidan says “darn it”. Well, at least it sounds like “darn it” and I pray it is not “damn it”. It is still hard to tell. So gently I remind him not to say it just is case it is “damn it”.

Background: Aidan carries around match box cars almost everywhere he goes. His latest dilemma, he doesn’t have a toy man small enough to fit in one of his trucks.

This morning the topic came up again.

Aidan: “Momma I need a little man to fit in my car.”

Me: “I’m sorry Aidan I don’t think they make men small enough to fit.”

Aidan: “A man fits in my dump truck.”

Me: “The dump truck man is big. Your car is little. He doesn’t fit.”

Aidan looking at his car: “Oh Pickles!”

"Oh Pickles", I love it. He told me he heard it on a cartoon. I hope it sticks.

Home Sweet Almost Home

Well, my townhome is coming along. The target date for closing is still Feb 28, but it looks like a house now. Aidan and I stopped by on Thanksgiving morning, and workers were putting on the siding. My current living space is starting to burst at the seems. Sharing a bedroom with a three year old is starting to wear me down. Moving from 1 room to 1200 sf is going to be pure a luxury.


The upstairs windows you see are Aidan's. Below is a view from his bedroom. There are going to be dozens of other single family homes built to the treeline.

The clouds are so beautiful in this picture.

Christmas Gifts

So I have never really been an early Christmas gift shopper. Not that I wait to the last minute, but Nov, Dec shopping was usually my thing. Not this year. I started looking for presents months ago.

I have to admit I still engage in "shopping therapy" when I am down. But as I get older, I find I don't need anything. So as I would be walking thru a store trying to find anything I might remotely want, time after time I would leave empty handed.

So, I also have to admit I have this thing with trying to find the perfect item. Example, I needed a business card holder recently. Most people just go to Target or where ever and pick one up, no, no, not me. I spent maybe two weeks canvasing every store in Williamsburg and searching online. It is not a frantic search. I just slowly work a visit to different stores into my schedule. I used to just buy the cheapest. Then I started realizing my stuff wore out and most of it I just really didn't like. I did finally find one card holder that was perfect. And I fully expect to keep it until I die.

So what does this have to do with Christmas? Well, I just transfered my "perfect item shopping therapy" search to Christmas. Why didn't I start this years ago?

While I am on the theme of gifts, I wanted to pass on the website "Mama to Mama". I am going to make some newborn caps to be sent to Haiti. If anyone sews and has some unwanted t-shirts that need to be reused this is perfect.

http://www.soulemama.com/mama_to_mama/

Quote and Link for Tuesday

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
- Dr. Howard Thurman

Letter from mother to children on reasoning behind her Tuesday vote.

http://www.lawyermama.com/lawyermama/2008/11/a-letter-to-my.html

Music Search

I remember the first cd of music I ever received. It was my birthday. I was 16 years old and the album was the soundtrack from the “Bodyguard” from Whitney Houston.

Back then cds were an emerging technology. I remember talk about how they were indestructible. You could throw one across the room and it would survive, while that is true, I later found out they were easily scratched and ruined. Apart from that cd and a couple of music cassette tapes (my last cassette purchase Michael J. “Dangerous”) I really didn’t get into the music scene.

That means, I just listened the radio. What ever was playing I mindlessly listened to. In college my music horizons were broadened by my roommate Lindsey and college in general. But still I made no effort to obtain music or even get to know artist or album names.

But after during my divorce I got a myspace account and everything changed. With one click to an acquaintance’s page and I heard something different. A song by a little band from Texas, their name “Ghostland Observatory”, the song “Sad, Sad City”. Check it out here

I am not quite sure what happened to me. I had to buy the cd. They didn’t carry it in stores, so I had to search it out. Actually it isn’t hard with the internet. I hadn’t bought a cd in quite possibly 5-7 yrs. Actually at that point I don’t remember when I had last bought one.

Anyway, I then started searching out lesser know bands and popular ones for that matter. In this search I have found music to fit my mood, the weather, a feeling I want to remember, music in remembrance of far away friends or just music that made me feel good.

The latest cd I am waiting for is by Chairlift from New York.



So I may be behind in my music education, but I am catching up. I had been missing out for a long time.

"Bunny Rabbit"

Sometimes Aidan calls me “bunny” or “bunny rabbit”. I have heard his friends calling each other bunnies. I don’t know if it is good or bad in his mind, but I love it. So last night during our nightly bedtime reading Aidan says:

Aidan: “Bunny”

Me: “Bunny”

Aidan: “Momma, call me a dinosaur”

Me: “Okay, dinosaur”

Aidan: “Bad donkey”

Me: “What?!, Did you just call me a bad donkey”

Aidan: “Yes, donkey”

Needless to say I almost fell off the bed laughing. I think he had the whole exchange thought out before hand. Because, he was totally looking at me for a reaction when he said, “bad donkey”.

I think I have a jokester on my hands.

Aidan's 3rd Birthday Party

Aidan's 3rd Birthday was blast. I think everyone had a great time. The "Thomas the Train" cake turned out all right. I wasn't thrilled about the chocolate cake taste, but I don't think anyone suspected it was made out of entirely organic ingredients.

Now I just have to write thank you notes for all the gifts Aidan recieved. Aidan's party last year was so much work I totally neglected the thankyous. Yeah, I know my mother raised me better than that. No excuse's this year. I am writing them in the next couple of days.

I have so many things to write about

I really do. But they seem to be piling up. I have birthday pics and townhouse building pictures to post.

So they are all coming, stay tuned. Until then, for all you parents of young children here is a great parenting advice article that I read often.

Calm-Mom-5-Ways-to-Be-a-Present-Parent

I Still Love Mr. Rogers

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The Scottish Festival

Aidan and I went to a great Scottish Festival last Saturday. I had planned on staying maybe an hour, but we were there for almost five. My mother’s family is Scottish with the surname Buckalew. The Buckalews’ are a part of the Scott Clan. So Aidan and I spent along time at the Scott Clan tent and I learned so much.

We watched highland games including the caber toss. Not really a toss if you ask me.

Aidan and I spent the most time listening to the bands.

Albannach (AL-ban-ock),
Rathkeltair (rath-KELT-ur),
Barleyjuice
Poisoned Dwarf

All were really good. Aidan loved Albannach, they had really big drums. He sat on my shoulders and kept asking me to get closer.



So I am still vegetarian. I was scared for a while, every food sign I saw at the festival said, “Meat Pie”. It took some looking but I found something delicious.

Aidan’s birthday is coming up. I am having a party for him this Saturday. So that means I have to bake a cake Friday night. I am envisioning a ½ sheet with picture Thomas the Train. We will see how it goes. I haven’t decorated a cake is quite some time.