As a parent, I certainly want my children to appreciate differences, appreciate what they have, and reach their full potential, but often think how do my husband and I do that?  For me, it starts with having a plan that captures what you want to teach your child (e.g., values, morals, beliefs, experiences, etc.). While my husband and I had similar upbringings (two parents, small town upbringing, etc.) we didn’t have identical ones. When I was pregnant we both thought about things we wanted to incorporate from our own upbringings and things we didn’t (I think this is common for many new parents or parents-to-be to do). We took it a step further and wrote down things we wanted to teach our children and things we didn’t independent of each other and then compared notes. That’s how we started our plan.

The plan is dynamic and will change as our children grow and as we grow as parents. It requires inspection—are our children learning appreciation, for example.  If so, how?  If not, what do we need to change?  Our busy lives can leave us a bit drained at the end of each day, and weekends can feel like “catch up” time for all the things we weren’t able to get to during the week.  I find that I have to carve out time to ensure I am able to evaluate, with my husband, how we are doing in our parenting journey. Most nights we find some time after the kids have gone down. It takes work, it takes thought and it takes commitment.

While I want my children to reach their full potential and appreciate their talents whether they come to them naturally or they work hard to gain them. I want to reach my full potential as an individual, and as their parent. It’s hard to conceive that achieving that goal is possible, but I’m not going to stop trying. Thankfully I don’t have to master my skills to defeat an evil dark lord, but I do need to master my skills gain confidence in myself, and in my parenting journey.

How are you helping your child reach their full potential?  How are you reaching yours?

Our reply was simply “that’s great, but in reality, we spend SO much money on you regularly that you don’t even pay attention to, that we feel it’s fair for us simply to have these expectations of them.”

(And this is where it gets really good my friends) Their reply? “How about, y’all stop giving us money for things then, and we just use our allowance?”

It was as if the heavens themselves opened up and rays of sunshine fell upon our dinner table. The hubster and I, who–incidentally–has requested I refer to him as ‘Copenhagen Fella’, could not get our words out fast enough. In fact, we might have fought to climb over the table to look them eye-to-eye and say “Done!” And “no take backs!” and “Please sign here at the dotted line.”

Then we pointed and yelled “What’s that?!” as we high-fived when their heads turned away.
To further seal the deal, I even followed up with “we’d be willing to pay $7 a week for that deal.”

The kids, bless their little non-money-valuing hearts, said “Done! And No take backs!”

Court was not impressed with that. As he calculated $7 per week, x 3 mini-me’s x 4 weeks in a month, I hear something like, “Lady, you know not what you’ve done!”

“Go with it.” I said.

So thus became week one of a new agreement NEVER (as if) again to give them $ other than their allowance.

We all went to bed feeling rich that night. And calm fell upon us as we drifted off to thoughts of what we would be able to buy with all this (as if) wealth.

Think about this my dear friends. And stay tuned for the results from week one.

Do your kids get allowance? Share your thoughts here!

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.“
Charles Dickens

Oh March, how we have been waiting for you! Welcome, welcome.

Spring can’t be far behind. Does it tell you how desperate I am to get away from the snow that I’m actually looking forward to the spring chicken coop muck-out?  It’s always an annual event of epic proportions (and that offer of free fertilizer still stands for anyone who is interested – bring a container and take what you want.)

On a personal note, Chick #2 goes back to college on Sunday and Chick #1 comes home for his Spring break today. The rest of the chicks all return to school on Monday – that’s me giving a tiny sigh of relief.

We’ve got FIRST (robotics) competition this weekend and another gymnastics meet. Time doesn’t stand still and neither does this family.

I’ll be back next week with a long awaited update on our house bird (who is now a coop bird) Charlie.

***

See you next week.

As always, happy weekend everyone, health and happiness (and safety) to your flock.

***
Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at Wendy@SimpleThrift.com

Also, join me on Facebook to find out more about the flock (children and chickens) and see some pretty funny chicken jokes, photos of tiny houses, and even  a recipe or two. 

Carrot and Stick? I say “Punch and Punch.”

My son is 7 years old.  He forgets that toilet paper shouldn’t be totally unrolled for fun.  He forgets that tennis balls shouldn’t be hit against the side of the house right next to the kitchen windows.  He forgets that feet aren’t allowed on the top of the dinner table (at dinner time).  It’s no big surprise he has a hard time remembering his reading glasses even when he’s got a book in his hand.

My son has a hard time distinguishing an “e” from an “o” in certain fonts but he’s a 7-year old boy.  He doesn’t seem to notice it.  But we all know it’s impossible to understand a story (let alone learn a fact or two) if you think the “pantry” is a “party” and a “horse” is a “home”.  But I don’t want to be a nag.  My son already wears hearing aids.  He’s wonderful about them.  Nagging about glasses… well, it just seems so unrelenting.

Don’t get me wrong.  I loved nagging when I was a full-time, stay-at-home Mom.  Nagging was a way to pass the day (and to pass on my frustration and stress).   But as a working Mom, there’s the “ratio factor.”  I’m not around my children as much and thus, I need to pay attention to the quality of our interactions.   The good news is that I have my own company so I make my own hours.  I take off from 5 – 7 pm so that I can be home with my children (and return to work 8 – 11 pm).  Although I spend most of that “quality” time running multiplication drills, pushing the attributes of cauliflower and arguing that the eraser was invented for a reason,  I don’t want to harangue my son about his glasses.

I needed a carrot and stick.  Reward and punishment.   But what kind?

Punching.

Yes, my son loves kicking, punching, poking, whacking and tearing at things.  I’m guessing it’s a boy thing.  But I’m a modern Mom.  I’m here to manipulate my kids without them knowing it, into doing what I want them to do, all the while they’re thinking they’re doing it because they’re motivated.

Here’s the deal I struck:

• If my son remembers to put on his glasses without any reminding, he gets to punch me (or my husband) in the arm
• If I have to remind him, I get to punch him in the arm.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking.  How hard can he punch?

Oh, don’t worry.  I’m not training the next generation of abusers.  I’m as staunch a feminist as you’ll find on the westside of LA.  My son created the rule that he couldn’t punch me hard because I’m “… a girl and Dad says we have to treat girls like flowers.”  Like all good feminists, I like a box of chocolates from time-to-time.

Guess what ladies?  It’s working!  The thrill my son gets from doing the forbidden has gotten him to wear his glasses nearly 90% of the time, without any parental prompting or jaw-jamming.  And we’re only 3-days in to our deal.

Now, if only I could figure out how to get Congress to sit down and balance the damn budget.

By: Chelsea Lemire

When you were a little kid, chances are you had some pretty wild dreams. You probably thought you were going to grow up to be the best thing since sliced bread (how did people survive before sliced bread, anyway?).

But then, something happened.

There was a point in time where we all dreamed of becoming ruler of the free world, or a rock star, or a princess, which is all fine and dandy when you’re in kindergarten. But then, as we got older, we were told that we need to think of what we “really” wanted to be- what “real” job we wanted. Bit by bit, parts of our wild imaginations are torn from us (unless you’re a writer, then you’re all good). They try to force us to conform to what people say we’re “supposed” to be, and think the way we’re “supposed” to think.

We’re told to sit in our desk, shut up, and be taught whatever the government decides is important for people these days to know.

Unless you go to a wonderful alternative school (and unfortunately, those are few and far between), chances are your teachers believe that there is only one right way to do something, and that all people learn the same way. This could not be further from the truth.

More often than not, we are told that the right way to learn is to take notes while being dictated to. For a majority of students, that’s a struggle.

-If you have problems learning that way, too bad; which is rather ironic, really.

-Children are told that they are all different and unique, until it comes time to learn something.

-If you have problems with the way you’re being taught, you’ll probably fail.

Now, I’m not saying that we should be walking on eggshells when it comes to education. What I am saying is that if we want successful workers in the future, we need successful students. Something that needs to change in order for that to happen is the way students are being taught. We need to accept the fact that children learn differently, and we should be experimenting with new ways to teach.

-If someone is a visual learner, provide the same class, but with visual stimulants.

-If someone is a tactile learner, try a hands-on approach.

Some people may see this as a way of babying students, but I disagree. If students were offered a way to learn the way they do best, chances are they would be less frustrated, and would cause less students to drop out of school for academic reasons.

Of course, some kids do need a kick in the ass, and I’m not saying that they don’t deserve it. Some people just don’t want to learn, no matter what you do. The point I’m making here is that more students would excel if given more than one way to learn. Unfortunately, we can’t save everyone, but shouldn’t we try to help those who want to be saved?

The current education system proves this quote to be true: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

“It’s the circle, the circle of life.”

Lion King

Yesterday I talked about how I would rescue mice from the Biology lab at my college, keeping them safe in my pocket, until I could get outside to set them free.

Which is why, this little video clip pulls at me so strongly.

The humane way to release a mouse

That could have been me.

***

See you next week.

As always, happy weekend everyone, health and happiness (and safety) to your flock.

*

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Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at Wendy@SimpleThrift.com

Also, join me on Facebook to find out more about the flock (children and chickens) and see some pretty funny chicken jokes, photos of tiny houses, and even  a recipe or two. 

“May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night and a smooth road all the way to your door.”

Irish Blessing

We’ve had freezing, blizzard condition weather followed by warmer spring-like temps which are now melting snows piled up, it seems, just yesterday.

The problem with widely swinging temperatures is that moisture is released and when cooled down again the result is cold combined with damp – a horrible combination under the best of circumstances.

For those of use with aches (I’d like to say that it’s an old football injury but in reality, it’s an old biking injury) this type of weather hits us right in the joints.  We shuffle for a bit after rising from a chair until our legs get the kinks worked out. We reflexively put our hands on our lower backs after we’ve stood for too long.  We dream of dry heat and summer beaches.

But as we all know, the only way to get through is to get through.

And that means moving our bodies and taking walks in the slush piled up on the sides of the street.

But then there are those of us who prefer an easier path.

Not only is that my reading chair but it’s also my electric blanket.

Ah, the life of a dog.

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By the way, at the West Point meet, Trevor received 2 medals the first day and qualified for the Pommel Horse finals the following day where he placed 7th overall.

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See you next week.

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As always, happy weekend everyone, health and happiness (and safety) to your flock.

*

***
Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at Wendy@SimpleThrift.com

Also, join me on Facebook to find out more about the flock (children and chickens) and see some pretty funny chicken jokes, photos of tiny houses, and even  a recipe or two. 

Audrey coming off an epic weekend of dramatic encounters of the third kind, was still in the midst of trying to control those nearly five-year old emotional outbursts. Before I had a chance to take a sip of my lukewarm coffee this morning, we had endured screams about having to wake-up, her toast was cut into four squares instead of two triangles and then I made the mistake of asking her to get dressed to leave for school. Both girls seemed to have left their listening ears off  as they sauntered downstairs albeit dressed and proceeded to ignore the hot breakfasts I had placed on the kitchen table in favour of discussing when spring would arrive and planning where to place their newly acquired fairy door.

Raised voices later, as I tried to get Jacob ready hoping the girls would rally and get behind me in conquering Monday morning, they proceeded to argue over something. Elizabeth fully dressed egging on her younger sister and distracting her. Exasperated with both of them, I pulled the zippers down on their knapsacks, removed the popcorn money I had carefully placed  in their knapsacks and envelopes containing their Scholastic book orders the night before and informed they as of right now, they had lost all such luxuries until such a time I saw a huge improvement in their listening abilities.

Finally with all three bundled in the van, Audrey was ten minutes late for school. The ever calm Ms. M (best ECE teacher ever) took my crying girl inside nodding as I explained she was upset as she lost her popcorn money for the day. Calmly explaining that Mommy was right, she had made poor choices in her behaviour that morning, she smiled at me telling me it was okay to leave. Kissing Audrey’s sweaty curls, I told her I loved her and I was going to be at the school volunteering later that morning (for popcorn day actually) and I would check in with her then. She did not even look at me.

After another lecture to Elizabeth en route to her school on the importance of listening in the mornings and not bothering her siblings on the way to her school, she nodded solemnly saying, “Yes Mommy. You’re right Mommy.” like a robot on auto-repeat.

Debating whether an automated response system was better than actual emotion, I chose to let things be and finally with Jacob’s little voice echoing in the quieter van, “my turn?” I took him to his school where after many “hold me tight!” proclamations I finally made it to my volunteer position at Audrey’s school.

From that moment forward, the rest of the day sped by with delivering popcorn, rushing home to put the crock pot dinner on, picking up Jacob, lunch, nap and domestic chores while packing up skating items and prepping Jacob’s snacks and dinner for the babysitter.

Yes,  a babysitter! After many searches, we are trying out a successful candidate who did not run at my rambunctious bunch and seems to be a very kind, patient and general good person. She also does not charge an exorbitant amount. (See Desperately Seeking Resonably-Priced Babysitter)  Booking her Monday nights for the next couple of months while I take the girls skating seemed to be a lightbulb idea. The last few weeks taking Jacob have been nothing less than exhausting, manageable but exhausting keeping him away from random skate blades and ruining his attempts to get onto the rink yelling, “my turn!”

Catching up with Mr. L after the house is tidied, everything is prepped for the next day, dishes are finally done and lunches packed I relayed a rather elaborate story Elizabeth had shared in the van on the way to skating about a possible bullying incident on her bus. Concerned as this was her second time brining up being picked on by older boys, at the time I reminded to use her “Stop it! I don’t like that!” phrases, then tell an adult and finally that perhaps a note to the bus company/driver and Vice-Principal at her school would be a good idea. She resisted the idea coming up with her own plan on how to deal with the issue. Letting it sit for a bit, I checked the information to discuss with Mr. L later to get his input. Right away he seemed suspicious.

“How does she colour on the bus?” he asked.

Thinking for a minute, it dawned on me. Heading to our mud room to look into her knapsack, there was no paper or pencil crayons (or anything to draw with) both items that had been integral to her story. It appeared as if I had been duped.

“Wow,” I said to Mr. L returning to the kitchen. “She may have made it all up.”

Expressing our mutual concern over this new information, we decided to question her in the morning on where was the artwork she had been diligently working on seated in a bumpy bus. But part of me felt a little betrayed by my eldest daughter. If she had lied, not only had she made up an elaborate untruth, but could have potentially and inadvertently (as I do not believe she thought out the repercussions of such a lie) had me storming to her school’s office demanding they address the bully issues on her bus. Bullying is a serious issue and one which should not be taken lightly. Foolishly I had believed she had listened when we and her school had discussed bully issues. Well, perhaps she listened too well to the stories.

Mr. L although gravely concerned about her possibly lying, he was more concerned about the “Boy who cried wolf” factors rather than the lie itself.

“After all,” he proclaimed, “I lied as a kid all the time to get my parents attention and my Mom to fawn all over me.” Looking at him in shock and realizing you do indeed learn new things about your partner all the time, I huffed back,

“Well, I never did that!”

So, a glass of wine before bed tonight seems warranted as I marvel at the wonder of parenting and all that we have to manage. Tantrums, emotions and even tall tales. Learning how to tune into one child and manage them to attempting to teach another a very important moral lesson all while fighting a two-year old to put back on the shirt he has somehow managed to pull down to his hips because he is “too hot!”

It seems like there are just days when siblings can’t stop pushing each others buttons.  One hits the other, the other hits back, or name calls back.  At our house the kids are usually warned, and then if the problem doesn’t end a time out of some sort it usually given.  Once things have calmed down, then an apology is given and a hug.  Generally teaching the basics of saying sorry isn’t too hard.  Although, it’s a little tougher to teach what being truly sorry is (and what truly forgiving is).  Young kids especially have tender hearts though.  They are usually quick to forgive, and quick to feel bad for things that have happened (at least once they’ve seen they’ve hurt someone else).

What can we do as parents to help them understand the importance of telling someone else they’re sorry?  I believe that it goes back to the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you.”

Let’s go back a second.  Have you ever had a day where the kids are pushing all of YOUR buttons?  They know just what to say to make any patience that you may have had left, disappear?  I may or may not just put myself in time out some days.  Lol.  Sometimes I just have to walk away, and calm down a bit.  I usually go sit in my closet.  :)  Then if they do end up in my room (if I don’t get the door locked), I still have a moment longer until they figure out WHERE I am in my room.  I take a moment and collect myself try to muster up some more patience and confidence in myself to keep going, to finish the day … the hour even.

There are times in these moments, before I take myself to time out, that I sometimes say things (maybe in loud tones … ), that I shouldn’t have said.  Maybe I should have been more understanding, less judgmental  more loving, and less harsh.  It is in the moment that I try to put myself back together and remember that I’m the mom, and I’m the one that is supposed to be the example to THEM that I remember, I still can be.  It is in this moment when I need to go back to the child or children that I’ve been impatient with and say that I’m sorry, and give them a hug and ask forgiveness   Then be more gentle in explaining things the way they should have been done in the first place.

I believe that is the best way to teach our children to say sorry to their siblings, their parents, their friends.  We need to be the example.  Saying sorry and that we did something wrong is HARD, even if the child is only 2 or 3.  If we can show them that we are wrong sometimes too and that we sometimes don’t make awesome choices or say our words in kind ways, I think that in turn, they will learn to do that to others.  They may need to be prompted, to cool down, to gather their thoughts or themselves back together before they can do it.  We all need time to calm down and asses the situation we’ve been in.  I also think that when our children tell us sorry, we need to be quick to forgive.  Loving them is so important.  They need to feel safe in our home.  They need to feel that love from us.  There can still be consequent for their actions with love and forgiveness involved.  I don’t think they should get off the hook for doing something awful … but we still need to be an example of apologizing, forgiving, love and safety in their lives.  If it isn’t with us, they will find it somewhere else … and that could be somewhere that won’t teach them the right.

I happened to run across this article that was on the same topic, from a teenagers point of view of his father apologizing to him and the positive effect it had on him.  I loved it.  Take a moment to read it.

“The pine stays green in winter… wisdom in hardship.“
Norman Douglas

School was cancelled last night, the kids are still sleeping and the adults are all sitting around holding our breaths.  It’s just started snowing here early this morning – Nemo (seriously?) is on his way. The perfect winter storm, they’re all calling this.

See the dark purple region on this map?

That’s where we live. It’s hard to imagine what it means, numbers like that just don’t make any sense. Over 2 feet of snow – from one storm? Inconceivable.

We’ve been getting “Severe” alerts (Extraordinary threat to life or property) since about 10pm last night. They want us off the streets. They want us to stay put in our houses. They want us to have food and water stored up for a few days. They want us not to be stupid.

It’s a little disconcerting because it’s only snow. Snowfalls in New England are beautiful and everyone loves their gentle beauty right? But to poo-poo this storm, after what we saw with Sandy is to be nothing short of foolish.

With new emerging weather patterns, no one really knows what is going to happen.

We’ve got our flashlights. We have enough food and water for the kids, chickens, and dog. And I have a few good books lined up to read by candlelight if necessary.

Now we just wait.

***

See you next week.

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As always, happy weekend everyone, health and happiness (and safety) to your flock.

*

Tell you what, if you want that chicken and egg garland at the top of the page, leave a comment and I’ll choose a random person on Monday.

Why not spread the chicken love, right?

Make the kids sit around in a circle. Give each kids some piece of paper. (You can also use old printed sheets that are no longer used).

So, why the frugal living?  After some consideration I have concluded that in our modern, high tech, always available world we are losing the knowledge.  I don’t want my twins to think that carrots and potatoes come from the supermarket.  I want them to know they come from the ground. I want them to eat a carrot freshly dug and washed, eat peas right off the  vine and carve the pumpkin that grew in our yard.  I want them to know how much work it is to grow those things and understand how those veggies got into that bag at the grocery store.

As a stay-at-home Mom I think I have a responsibility and the ability to teach these fundamental basics.  Last summer we grew that garden and will do so again this summer.  Of course, this year the girls will be three and will understand so much more. We are just now finishing up the frozen and canned veggies from our garden and aside from tasting really great, our grocery bill was reduced.

With the heaps of laundry that I do, it was not a surprise when I attempted making my own laundry soap.  Promises of mere pennies per load lured me.  I discovered that not only is it easy to make but the quality is comparable to the name brand laundry soaps I had been using.  My septic tank thanks me and our grocery bill was again reduced.

Everyone I know loves the smell of homebaked bread.  I started off making the occasional loaf of homebaked bread and decided to stop buying bread all together.  Now I make 2 loaves of homebaked bread a week and it covers all of our bread needs for breakfasts & lunches. Best of all, my daughters get to help make it.  Yes, it’s cheaper to make your own bread so our grocery bill was reduced – again.

Yesterday, I happened upon a blog that talked about not using store bought shampoo & conditioner.  Shampoo would be 1 tbsp baking soda & 1/3 cup of water.  Conditioner would be 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar & 1/3 cup of water.  I have long curly hair that is prone to dryness and tangles.  I go through tons of conditioner to make my hair soft, manageable and tangle free.  I’m brave and I gave it a try.  OMG! It works!  I’m not going to say anything to my hairdresser..I wonder if he’ll notice.  While I am still in the trial stage of this experiment I can say that if this is a keeper our grocery bill will be reduced.

I’m going to continue hunting for make it yourself, DIY ideas to teach my girls and reduce our grocery bill.  We’ll probably spend the savings on something fun our family can enjoy together.  Who knew that reducing our environmental footprint could be so much fun!

Do you go to any effort, for any reason, to make it from scratch or DIY?

The kids had a blast, thanks to the wide variety of activities we planned. They started each day in a regular class environment of 8 kids per class where the teachers worked on specific English concepts and communication. Then the kids participated in all sorts of engaging activities: crafts, music, reading clubs, games, dance, yoga, aerobics, theatre and puppet show productions, and art…ALL IN ENGLISH!

See for yourself:

Melody, our talented English teacher and artist, worked with the kids on two different murals – one for each week!.

Brittany and Manuel did some fun crafts – making puppets, masks, castanets, bean art, and guitars out of recycled materials!

Reading is so important, so we set aside time every day for it. Here they are reading with English teacher Greta!

The kids loved playing the piano with Bethany in the student lounge!

Overall, we are very pleased with the results of Kid’s Camp. Students made significant progress in their English speaking abilities…and had a lot of fun doing so! We plan on having Kid’s Camp again in July when kids have a short break.

What is infectious about their story to me has little to do with the Super Bowl today, but their openness about how much they want each other to succeed, how much they admire and respect each other, and how much they love each other.

I’ll be watching the game this Sunday with my own family. I’m expecting the game to be interesting, the commercials entertaining, and time with my family fulfilling. The Harbaugh’s story is an inspiring one. It’s a story about the love of the game, and a love for each other. What a great example they are setting for us all.

Go Harbaughs!

Download: tumblr_mhlyvmQGyv1s4mriw?plead=please-dont-download-this-or-our-lawyers-wont-let-us-host-audio

From Saheeh Al-Bukhaari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 590:

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas:

The Prophet used to seek Refuge with Allah for Al-Hasan and Al-Husain and say: “Your forefather (i.e. Abraham) used to seek Refuge with Allah for Ishmael and Isaac by reciting the following: ‘O Allah! I seek Refuge with Your Perfect Words from every devil, from poisonous pests and from every evil, harmful, envious eye.’ “

What To Say When The Evening Approaches – Compiled by Abbas Abu Yahya by Mountainofknowledge

The Adkhaar For The Morning and Evening by Mountainofknowledge

“Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition – in having put forth the best within you.“
Henry J. Kaiser

***

See you next week.

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As always, happy weekend everyone, health and happiness (and safety) to your flock.

*

***
Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at Wendy@SimpleThrift.com

“I’m lucky. Lord, I’m lucky.“
Carroll O’Connor

Chickens, chickens, chickens. Let’s face it, chicken people like chicken things.

Every year as a fund raiser for the Northeastern Poultry Congress, they hold a huge raffle. Honestly, I think that I sometimes go only for that spectacular event. It’s one of the most amazing raffles I have ever seen. You get to place your tickets in hopes of getting piles of toys, books, complete bedroom sets, kitchen items, nick-knacks, Halloween and Christmas decorations – you name it, it’s there.

Oh, they also have chicken supplies like egg cartons and feed but that’s for the pros. I’m here for the out-of the ordinary stuff.

As admission is not charged for the Congress, I always buy raffle tickets to support the cause. This year I purchased $10 worth of tickets and I ended up winning 3 separate auctions.

Among the things I won were:

• That pile of toys mentioned above. I had wanted one toy in the pile and so I took it and gave the toys to the first little kid I saw in the audience. This pile also included a baby monitor which I kept to give to a friend.
• Kitchen supplies including a vintage elephant pitcher, enormous amounts of fake-display vegetables, a shelf, chicken decorations, books, and an electric mixer. Most of this stuff has already been sent to Savers with the exception of the fake vegetables which has been delivered to a local preschool.
• An entire pile of classics – Mark Twain, Hemingway – the kinds of books that everything thinks they should get to someday and I will read them…someday.

While it certainly was fun winning, (who doesn’t like to be a winner?) it was even more fun finding homes for the things I won with the exception of this little guy who is going to be living in my office right near Fatti-Madi from now on.

Any suggestions of a name for our newest addition?

***

See you next week.

*

As always, happy weekend everyone, health and happiness (and safety) to your flock.

*

Tell you what, if you want that chicken and egg garland at the top of the page, leave a comment and I’ll choose a random person on Monday.

Why not spread the chicken love, right?

“Listen earnestly to anything [your children] want to tell you, no matter what. If you don’t listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won’t tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff.”― Catherine M. Wallace

This morning was my volunteer time at Audrey’s school. I took on helping with their snack program when Elizabeth was in kindergarten and try to get in at least once a month. A wonderful program, it ensures at least twice a week the classes are all provided a healthy snack during their first nutrition break. The lady who has been running it since I started, pregnant with Jacob, is someone I admire. She has two kids, went back to work part-time, co-ordinates a few different programs at the school and still looks very unfazed when I see her rushing to drop off one thing or another in between work appointments. I sometimes wonder if she sleeps?

I wish I could do more at each of my girls respective schools, but juggling three different school schedules right now, this is the only thing I can commit to. Jacob is not the type of toddler I can have tag along to my activities. He can barely sit still at his own activities. I’ve seen other Mom’s bring the younger siblings along for the ride and admire the organized backpacks of snacks and activities. I wonder how they can get their children to sit still while they get their tasks completed. Bringing Jacob along (which has been suggested) would only be hard on me, Jacob and those around us. Thus, I plan my volunteer time around Jacob’s visits to nursery school with the hope that before too long I’ll be one of those parents who can come and spend a morning at my kids’ schools.

It is always enjoyable visiting the classroom and letting my daughter know I’m at the school. It’s also a rare chance to chat with some of the other parents at the school and Audrey’s teacher. Today she told me that she couldn’t believe how quickly Audrey was bringing back her reading club books. I just nodded and smiled saying, “I’m not sure what I’m going to do with her if she keeps this pace up!”

This is round two of our kids with this particular teacher. Mrs. R had the distinct pleasure of teaching Elizabeth for two years who became the Queen Bee in the classroom and Mrs. R was very good at recognizing Elizabeth’s need to have individual projects when she finished her work and helped build her presentation skills. We were thrilled with her as a teacher.  Audrey on the other hand is less of a show boat and takes a bit longer to warm up in a large group. Their class also has an increase in students this year, twenty-eight little children ranging in age from three to nearly six. At her fall meet-and-greet,  I actually had to point out to the teacher that Audrey could read most of the words on the word wall. She looked surprised and said, “Really? She hasn’t said a word!”

“No, she wouldn’t.” I replied reminding her how different she is than her sister. A week after that meeting, my four-year old was enrolled in the kindergarten reading club which was something typically only introduced to the majority of the students closer to the end of their first year of junior kindergarten. She hasn’t looked back.

One thing I am quickly learning as a parent is that you have to try to be as visible as you can to your children’s teachers and in their schools. Being involved as a parent and communicating with your children is also extremely important. I have a fairly good understanding of how each of my kids schools work, what the staff is like and just based on the simple questions like, “What was your favorite part of the day?” glean an abundance of information from my children.

When Elizabeth started school, we implemented a little chat time when she arrived home. Even when I was working part-time, usually from our home office, I would stop whatever I was doing to sit down with her for a few minutes to hear her answer to two standard questions, “What was your favorite part of the day?” and “What was your least favorite part of the day?” We continued that tradition and will continue it with all three of our children no matter how busy life gets. What better way to wind down an afternoon than with a cup of coffee listening to my little ones chatter about their days?

Today, after they are all home, we sit down at our long kitchen table that overlooks our backyard and a majestic maple and have a snack before homework time. It can be tricky to pay attention when one is telling me about a boy who pushed her on the bus and another is excitedly shouting about the snow crystals they made in class while Jacob wanting to be part of the conversation starts shouting to be heard. A steady flow of information is presented to me from these chats about their social interactions, school work, what the teachers were doing that day to how they loved I put a treat in their lunches. Two questions become a steady stream of conversation that I try to absorb and relay advice, encouragement or just listen when needed.

Being a Mom of three or more requires very precise listening ears. You need to know when one child needs a hug or another wants to be told again how smart she is and one just simply wants to be part of the conversation. All while dispensing snacks, trying to drink a last cherished cup of coffee for the day and attempting to organize the kitchen before dinner. Some days it feels as if I’m being pulled in three different directions, but I try my best and hope, as they get older we continue these types of conversations.

The three kids off to school.

“You’d better not.”

Marc

Tomorrow I will be going to the Northeastern Poultry Congress.If you haven’t been to a Poultry Congress and don’t know what to expect, just think of it as a giant candy store for chicken people.

Last year was the first time I had ever gone to an event like this and I was astounded. The variety of birds on display was breathtaking – large, small, dappled with different colors, wearing feathered hats, standing on stilts for legs, it goes on and on. Although I had seen photos of some of the more exotic chickens, to see them in real life was amazing.

Is there any wonder that people who own chickens are happy people indeed? Be prepared for lots of photos from the show in the next few weeks.

Not only does the Congress have an exhibition hall where birds are judged, but it also has a seller’s hall where crate upon crate of birds are available for purchase. If you have a few dollars, you can go home with a chicken, goose, or duck. They couldn’t make it easier.

Last year, if you recall, after assuring Marc that I wouldn’t come home with a chicken, I ended up bringing home day old Charlie, our Black Copper Maran. Charlie, who needed foot surgery, ended up living in our house for the next 6 months.

I know, I live in New Hampshire, it was January, I had no business bringing home a baby chick, but I did, and we actually had many adventures with a chicken as a house pet.

No worries though, this time I’ve assured Marc that I won’t come home with a baby chicken. Really, I’m not going to bring one home. I’ve absolutely promised this time.

A few of us chicken friends will be meeting up at the Snack area at noon. If you happen to be there, do stop by and say “hello” – I’ll be the one with the blinged out stuffed chicken.

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See you next week.

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As always, happy weekend everyone, health and happiness (and safety) to your flock.

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.”
Steve Jobs

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Making creative connections is the way of life in our house. One event blurs into another leaving items and decorations remaining out and in view, where, in a more organized household, they would have been put away long ago. I like to think of our way of living as being one of “organized chaos.” It’s a messy way to live, but oh, the ideas we come up with.

I know that having this kind of a cluttered lifestyle drives some people insane.  They can’t stand the messiness of it all and they can’t stand not being in control of everything about where they live. As for me, I see it as an opportunity for creativity. New combinations previously overlooked are formed from within our gathered piles.  It’s kind of like living inside of a life-sized “I Spy” puzzle – the combinations of discovered items are simply endless.

See those Easter chicks? They were the perfect size to fit into this year’s nativity scene.

Finally, we had our chickens represented at the manger.

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See you next week.

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As always, happy weekend everyone, health and happiness (and safety) to your flock.

It comes down to butt in chair.

In my travels I’ve bumped elbows with some very talented authors. One particular author, Hilary Weisman Graham  who knew I was working on a book-length project recently sent me an invitation to be part of a writers’ tour – I accepted and that’s what this post is about.

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This post is part of a blog tour where writers share what the “Next Big Thing” is. The writer who tagged me is Hilary Weisman Graham over at http://www.hilarygraham.com/index.html Hilary has written Reunited which is a terrific Young Adult book about teen girls and the value of true friendship.  Hilary is also a screen writer and was on the Mark Burnett/Steven Spielberg-produced reality show ON THE LOT: THE SEARCH FOR AMERICA’S NEXT GREAT DIRECTOR (which aired on FOX primetime, the summer of 2007) – which is pretty cool.

Thanks Hilary for tagging me on this tour.

Other writer friends of mine who are working on projects include:

Gina Rosati – the fabulous writer of the YA book Auracle and who is working on a new story that revolves around historical fiction.

Lauren Scheuer – the fabulous chicken writer and responsible for Once Upon a Flock – Life with my soulful chickens. It’s the story of living with her gentle flock of chickens.

Jamie Wallace – the fabulous to-be writer who is working on a project and if we all nudge her just a little might make some significant progress on it this year.

Lisa Jackson – no, not *the * Lisa Jackson, this is another Lisa J who lives in New Hampshire and who also needs a kick in the butt to get her started because she is fabulous.

Chris Bohjalian, Meg Cabot, Jodi Picoult, and Judy Blume – yeah these are the big guys and all of them have been kind enough to be interviewed for this blog (and have chickens named after them.) They are always working on new projects. Go over to their websites and check out what they have in store for us.

Ten Interview Questions for my Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book?

The Hope of Feathers (after much going back and forth)

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea came as a direct offshoot of this blog. While I have enjoyed our chickens tremendously, I had no idea that they would be so instrumental in teaching me the valuable life lessons I needed to learn in order to care for my flock of 6 children.

Having chicks in the coop is a full time job. Every mama hen has to spend much of her time teaching the life skills needed so that each baby can eventually leave the nest and live on his own.

Basically, us mamas are laying the groundwork for our most prized possessions to leave us.  It’s bittersweet on a good day, and nothing short of heartbreaking on a bad one, especially when chronic illness in one of the chicks enters the picture.

But we understand on a very deep and visceral level that not only is this the way it’s supposed to be, but that no one benefits (you or the chick) if there is no growth. And without independence, there is no growth.

Still you worry.

So, you continue to teach throughout the years, being careful to demonstrate family values, to explain what being a flock member means, and what it means to truly look out for each other. You pray it sinks in. You pray that your chicks will have the knowledge and compassion one day to lift not only their wings but the wings of others’ as well.

And you pray that you will have the strength to watch as they fly away.

What genre does your book fall under?

Memoir and Chick lit

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Ha! A movie? Wow, haven’t really thought that far. I’m not sure who would play the members of our family (perhaps Rambo for Trevor?) I only know that if it’s going to be made into a movie then Daniel Craig gets to play the part of my husband. (I can dream can’t I?)

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m hoping to get it published by an agency. I have the attention of a literary agent, now I just need to finish the damn thing.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

This book has been in progress since 2005. It’s really only in the last year that I’ve begun work on pulling this specific aspect of the story together.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I think the best way to describe my books is to say that it is a “Marley and Me, but with feathers.”

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I’m a writer. I teach by writing. What I have learned with having chronic illness in the house and yet wanting that member of my family to be independent enough to leave the nest someday, is a story that all parents (especially mama hens) can relate to and which needed to be told.

It is the strength of my children and the way they support each other (just like flock members do) that inspired me to capture this story (and let’s face it, some help came from a little chick with orthopedic problems that ended up living in our house for 6 months who showed me I am doing no one a service by thinking I am protecting them from life by keeping them in the nest.)

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

There will be Lyme disease, disability, medical emergencies, flock stories, and of course Charlie, our house-chicken, will also play a big role in it.

My plan is to have the draft of this book finished within the next 3 months. There, I said it, now it has to be done.

Just like my 6 little chicks and, even though my kids are well on their way to becoming young men and women, this is exactly how I think of them. The chicks under my care.

What makes this card even more special is that it comes from a classmate of mine from High School. (Hi Michael) we’ve connected through Facebook and have become friends again. He knows I write about chickens and sent the card thinking I would love it.

I do.

You want to know another great thing about having chickens? When you have chickens, you’re constantly reminded that, in the end, we’re all really just members of the one big giant flock that’s out there.

And that’s a great feeling.