Well that was a mistake. I browsed around yaaps. I had left there last fall after the Halloween candy and trick or treating thread was my final straw, but would still visit occasionally to read and keep up with certain people's lives. Somebody stop me! I just wasted far too much time reading the current thread there about the cost of eating healthy and about unschooling. I find the grad school condescendion of certain posters to be irritating and frustrating beyond belief, and the complete thickheadedness of others to make me want to bash my head into a wall. The unschooling thing gets rehashed about what, once a year? It's always the same thing, Robin (along with a few others) saying what she believes and most everyone else acting like she's passing some sort of judgement upon their life choices and invalidating their children's learning experiences. Puhleeze, how about just archiving the thread and bumping it up for everyone to read once a year? As for the healthy food thread, people make the choices they think are right. Everyone has different beliefs they hold to different degrees. Someone who thinks that non organic foods or those grown in evironmentally irresponsible ways are lesser foods are entitled to their opinions.

For me, things like this illustrate the limitations of internet societies. They are why I've been withdrawing from the online world and taking a more acive role in the real world. People have things they feel passionate about; everyone has their BIG issues. If I feel passionate about healthy eating, it doesn't mean I am passing judgement on those who do not. If I feel passionate about homebirth, I'm not passing judgement on those who have chosen to birth in a hospital. Conversely, I have a responsibility to realize that people who are passionate about things I'm not are not judging me or invalidating my experiences. They have simply made different choices, and I have a responsibility not to get defensive and read into their words. If people are able to discuss these issues calmly, without defensive "But my kids do that too" or similar comments, they can really learn the other point of view and come to a true understanding. I think this is something that plays out better in the real world. We have friends who are passionate about conserving the earth's resources. Sure, we reuse and recycle, but nowhere to the extent of these friends. Yet we can all go to a fair and not feel judged for using the disposable plates provided when our friends pull out their picnicware.

Is this making any sense? I've lost my point in this ramble.

Geez, not only have I wasted my time reading these long conversations, now I've just wasted it by writing about and wasted your time reading this. Time to turn off the computer and go weed the garden. We are having an impromptu picnic this afternoon with the HS'ing group that I've been working to organize. Should be a fun time!

We had a well planned weekend go completely awry, but it was still very nice. This past weekend, we were supposed to go to Dubuque to the Mississippi River Museum with my father on Saturday, then spend Sunday at the beach with friends. The funeral for my aunt's boyfriend was Saturday morning, so we attended that. While it was heartbreaking to see my aunt struggling and sad to say goodbye to Ron, it was still nice to see family we don't get to see often, nice to give my aunt a huge hug and watch the girls hug her while they made plans for the next tea party, and nice to talk with a cousin I have see far too little of over the years. Life is a circle, and in our community each funeral is followed by a luncheon to visit and remember.

After the funeral, we stopped by Madison, since we were so close. We had two merchandise credit cards to use up a couple of stores. Kohls was having 50% off most of their summer stuff, so I actually *gasp* bought some clothing for myself. We then stopped by the IL's house, so they wouldn't come down on Sunday. MIL had talked with Luis earlier in the week and told him that they were coming down on Sunday. After Luis told her we had plans, she got all huffy and told him we *had* to be there.

We got home to find out that our friends had a sick child, so would not be coming to the lake with us on Sunday. We took the boat and went out for a while; the girls had lots of fun and Vincent didn't scream. :) We went to the beach for a while afterwards.

It was an unplanned weekend, with some very sad points, but it was all together good and a pleasant time together as a family.

I'm back again

Last night we had an impromptu picnic potluck with some friends. Luis was going over there to do some handyman work, so the kids and I tagged along with a casserole. Add in some pasta and salad from our friends, along with fresh picked strawberries and raspberries from their extensive garden, eat under the sky, and it was a good evening. I watched the kids while Luis worked, and John and Lisa got some stuff done without their son underfoot. Our kids are sleeping late today because it was a late night.

It's so hard to enforce the normal 8 pm bedtime with the late evening sunshine. I guess the days will be shortening now, as Summer Solstice was a few days ago, but the lightening bugs won't be out until 9ish, and how mean of a mama would I be if I don't let the kids chase the lightening bugs sometimes? :D If only Isabella wasn't such a grump when she stays up late.

Speaking of Isabella, she is getting better about not lashing out hitting when she's upset. She is finally using words most of the time. I was watching her this weekend while we were camping. She definately is like me in a new social situation, unfortunately. I'm very shy and hang back on the edges, watching others. Joining into a new situation with new people is almost impossible for me. I want to, I just can't do it for some reason. People sometimes think I'm a snob or stuck up because of it. Isabella is doing the same things. I wish I knew how to help her overcome it. I feel for her so much.

My aunt's longtime boyfriend died last night. He was mowing lawn and had a heart attack. He was only 56, a year younger than my dad. My aunt must be hurting so much. They were together 15+ years. He was so young. Go in peace, Ron.

Taking another break

I'm getting a very negative feeling online lately, so I'm going to be sticking to email only for a while.

Quiet Time

It's 11 am, 3/4 of my to do list is done and the kids are playing happily. I'm taking a quiet moment.

We spent the weekend at our friends' cabin with them. It's such a peaceful spot. You literally can't see anything civilzed from the property; it's surrounded by farm and woodland. Abigail and Isabella got to try their first real fishing in the pond. They both caught a number of panfish, and Abigail even caught a small mouth bass. Isabella does an amazing job of setting a hook, especially considering she's only 4. I think she does better than me! We all took long walk down a nearby Amish organic farmer to buy some tomatoes (they grow them in a greenhouse) for dinner. Abigail was so funny on the walk, tracking horse prints in the gravel road. The kids also had fun splashing around in the outdoor shower.

It was a restful, quiet weekend, just what I needed after last week. We are hoping to go back in later summer or fall with them, if they have weekend without a rental that works for all of us.

Speaking of our friends, I finished reading their newest book. It was a great read, for those of us who long for a life closer to the earth and outside of the fast lane. It's got two thumbs up from me.

Update

Long time, no post, eh? I just haven't felt like being on the computer much. I've been withdrawing from the cyberworld over the course of the last year, and I'm spending less and less time online these days. The wonderful spring and summer days are also contributing, of course! I've been trying to plant the garden amid the raindrops. I have all of the tomatoes and peppers, along wiht lots of flowers, ready to plant, but the garden needs to dry out enough to make digging in it feasible.

Our chickens arrived about a month ago, and they are so fun to watch. They were about 8-10 weeks old then, so they are about 6-8 weeks away from laying now. We had two sick chicks with all the rain and dampness, but they are doing better now. Thank goodness! Abigail was so upset at the thought of her Annie being so sick.

I'm starting a new homeschooling group locally. There is only as extremely Christian group here. We obviously don't fit in, and we've discovered others locally who are Christian but don't fit in. So, we are starting our own. I hosted an informational gathering last week, and there were four of us there. Not much, but a start. We are gathering next week for a potluck and are planning some potlucks and park days for the summer. Just something to get the word out to others and see if there aren't more people who would be interested in our version of a homeschooling group.

No news yet on the house front. :( My sister moved out over the Memorial Day weekend. Her boyfriend graduated, and he has gotten a job at the same hospital she works at. They moved in together. I really hope for her sake it works out. Living together, working together. Long story as to the details, but Luis and I (as well as my brother and a few other people) have some concerns for the relationship. I really hope her boyfriend has matured and grown up over the last few years, for her sake.

Luis is on a kick to buy a new (used) car. He is currently driving to work a '91 minivan with 214K miles on it. He says the engine will make it to 300K miles, but he's not sure about the body. He also wants to get something with better gas mileage. He's eyeing a 2000-2002 diesel VW Jetta, about 50 miles/gallon. If he can find one around here, the payment would only be about $150 added to our budget, what with the savings on fuel. However, on a tight budget the thought of adding a payment is FREAKING me out. Short of taking on second day care child (NO INFANTS, even just our friends baby has added so much more stress to my day), I don't see how we could do it right now. Since selling the diaper business, PBK is much more seasonal and I need to build it up more to take on the responsiblity of adding that as well. If only the house would sell and we could get something about $50K less. Then we could definately handle a car payment.

On the knitting front, I've been on a sock kick. Monday we drove to Madison, drove around the city for a bit doing errands and drove back. I cast on a sock for Isabella as we left Monroe and was working the toe decreases as we pulled into the driveway. I told Luis it was clear evidence that we'd been doing too much driving that day. :) I've made her two pair of socks for next fall so far. I love the crazy stripe Regia yarn for her. This last pair was a great green colorway that I want for myself! :)