wordless wednesday::my monkey making music

my monkey making music

baby-baby

I would like to have another wee rotten.

I KNOW.

When I tease Steve about this he rolls his eyes and plants his feet firmly.  The answer is no.  Which is, in all honesty, ok.   It really is.  It makes sense NOT to further populate the already crowded and strained earth.  It makes sense to concentrate on Phase II (or III or IV depending on where you start numbering Life Phases).  It makes sense to stop and soak up the awesomeness that is Right Now with three healthy, happy, and seriously awesome little beings that I share my days with.  Besides, I’ve given away all the baby stuff.

Still want another.  Can’t help it.  Maybe we’re hardwired that way.

I could probably stamp my feet and whine and carry on and get my way but babies aren’t usually something that you throw a temper tantrum over to convince the other person (especially if it is the other person responsible for providing the food and shelter for said wee rotten).  Instead of stamping and whining I decided to be adult and take a hard look at my reasons for More!Babies!.

They’re pretty lame, to be sure.

1.  Babies allow you to check out of life.  It’s like this get-out-of-dealing-with-the-real-world pass, like a bathroom pass but better.  It’s the bathroom pass where you meet your boyfriend in the bathroom and then make out for 15 minutes.  That kind of pass.

2. I really dig this life.  I mean, my life totally rules.  Steve has prefaced many sentences with “I know you don’t want anything in your life to change but…” and he’s right.  This life, right now, this second?  AWESOME.  To be fair, that is also part of my personality.  The cup is half full, usually with wine.

3. Not working becomes me.

4. I don’t think there is anything else in life that matters more than the relationships we keep.  I really like people.  I really like kids.  I really like the idea of this big, crazy, loud, ridiculous and annoying family.  I like the idea of a community and in theory I should be able to get this from my community.  The truth is, I’ve never had a community that was - I don’t know what the right phrase here is - that fulfilling?  that true?  that comfortable?  I never fit in 100%, which I imagine no one really does because we’re all people and we’re all different and for some reason that is really hard for most people to accept so there is always this push, albeit a subtle push, to conform.  To change to be more like the group or the community.  People, as a general rule, aren’t that great at just accepting but we’re REALLY good at passing judgement.  Plus, I’m kinda weird.  Families have a way of embracing the weird.  Friends don’t have to be as tolerant, and generally aren’t.

5.  I have this romantic notion of homeschooling my kids (another blog post, I’m not talking out of my ass, I’ve done the research.  Besides, this is a great community to do that, there is a huge homeschooling population that is very supportive so socially you wouldn’t be holding back the rottens), raising and growing my own food, sitting on the front porch in the evening playing the banjo and singing to my chickens. For some reason I think you need a lot of children to do this.  At least 4.  Maybe even 6.  I mean, think about it.  AWESOME, yes?  I knew you’d think so.

6. 3 is an odd number.  4 is even.  Things should be even.

It really is a mystery why Steve doesn’t just jump on this bandwagon.  I mean seriously, right?  RIGHT?

wordless wednesday::downpour

downpour

wordless wednesday::beaches are the bestest

beaches are the bestest

summer love

summer love

When Steve decided to build a frame for the hammock to hang from, I envisioned lazing around with an ice cold cooler and a book.  Sometimes I’m stupid.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmas.  I know.  Weird, yes?  I casually came across an old blog post about Buy Nothing Christmas.  I didn’t even read the article, but it has got me thinking about doing Christmas without buying anything.  Or rather, buying minimally.  How do you do that, and still make sure that the kids don’t feel cheated.

My kids are pretty good about it all so far, because they’re 4 and 3 and 4 and 3 year olds are pretty good about most things.  They get excited to get fake mail they intentionally left for themselves.  Fake mail with scribbles on it.  They’re an easy group to please.

There is always relational giving and I think in the spirit of Buy Nothing that could work, especially if the gift is a service (snow shoe rentals and a weekend with Papa, say or a fishing license and a set weekend to go fishing).

How else do you envision a Buy Nothing (minimally, realistically I don’t see it ever being Buy Nothing until the end is near)?  I’m looking for ideas.

I have also been thinking about Christmas because I’ve been finishing up a lot of the handmade items I had started last year but never quite got around to finishing in time for Christmas.  Some showed up at Easter.  Some just showed up.   If I’m going to be making things, I need to get on it and that means thinking about the winter just when summer finally starts to roll in.

I’m toying with the idea of making (possibly with thrifted materials) the kids quilts for their bed for Christmas this year.  Don’t worry.  Santa will bring something better than that for them. I’m thinking a spread that would bring their room together but could still be gender specific.  They are very big on their genders these days, and there are very set boy and girl colors.  This is reality.  I have choosen not to make too big of a deal out of it except to point out that yes, in fact, a girl can wear blue and a boy can wear pink.  The world will not end.  I promise.