Lest We Forget…

Memorial Day. 

Yeah, our family might have a picnic, and work in the yard, buy something on sale, but we are not going to forget what today is really about. 

Mud Monster Mayhem

Mayhem might be an appropriate description of the month of May in our home. Lots of good mayhem and some bad as well. I apologize for being so absent (in more ways than one) over the past 18 days.

Tonight I’m breathing a huge sigh of relief because the garden is Planted! All of it! Done! Whippee! Just in time for the rain. It’s nearly triple the size it was at it’s largest. I promise some before and after pictures soon. I realize the work isn’t done because no sooner have the plants started poking their tender shoots out of the ground then the the weeds start rearing their ugly tops as well. So I know it will be a long haul but I’m totally invigorated by the thoughts of constant dirt under my nails. Maybe the farm girl in me is awakening after all.

My girls loved working in the garden with me, boys - not so much. Little Hope took every opportunity she could to play in the dirt, and when lucky, the mud puddle as well.

Some of the other frantic stuff that’s been happening in our neck of the woods is, well, rather frantic. A little over a week ago (in the middle of the night) I had a proper scare when I discovered my sleeping Hope not breathing. I snatched her up and she immediately started breathing again, but it nearly put me into shock. I couldn’t sleep the rest of the night as I was hyper sensitive to her every breath. She would stop breathing for periods of 5-8 seconds (an eternity to a worried mom), twitch, then start breathing again. Who ever heard of a three year old with sleep apnea. I took her to the clinic the next day and we’ve now got her scheduled for appointments, sleep studies and possible tonsillectomy. The doctor said she had some big-uns that could be obstructing her airways while sleeping but we won’t know for sure until after the studies. Oh, and he told me not to worry – that’s been hard to do. I must check on her 4-5 times a night I’m so paranoid.

Princess flunked her well child eye exam with the doctor and so today we visited the eye doctor and lo and behold the darling needs glasses. Far-sighted little sweetie might actually be able to read now. She’s tickled pink that she’s the first kid in our family to get glasses.

I finished my six week Helga workout and survived. Completed every challenge.

Good news – I lost 10 lbs of fat!!!

Bad news – I gained 8 lbs of muscle :(

Only 2 lbs for six grueling weeks. T-rev did it with me and won one of the prize drawings. Get this – Exercise your kiester off and they put your name in a drawing to win fabulous prizes. He won tickets to a movie theater and a Domino Pizza certificate. I think they want him to enjoy those certificates so that he will have to continue to come in to lose the weight he’ll gain participating in those yummy activities. Smart marketing?

I got a plaque saying I survived the fitness challenge – All umpteen categories of the challenge.

So much more happened - maybe I'll come up for air and tell you about it sometime. Right now I'm just going to sit back and listen to the rain patter on the roof and windows, and envision all those juicy veggies popping up out of the ground.

May Day Fun

‘…sometimes on a sunny day it began even to be pleasant and genial, and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which freshening daily, suggested that Hope traversed them at night and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.’

from Charlotte Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’

I love May Day. Gardening, Spring Flowers, going outside after a long wet winter. This is only the second year our family has really celebrated May Day, but I can only see the tradition getting stronger.

This year we did everything we did last year. From the flower crowns, to taking around May baskets to our neighbors.

You know to thank them for putting up with us, the screaming kids, and our messy yard for yet another year.

Who cares if they were delivered barefoot. It was a gorgeous day.

I really wanted a May Pole but I wasn’t willing to cut a live tree down. I’m still waiting for one to fall naturally that I can save and decorate. Next year – maybe.

This year I added a bit of whimsy that I found in this fun book.

The writer talks about knowing two old ladies that collected the first morning dew of may and used it to keep their skin flawless.

Yeah, I know it’s a bit Looney, but I’ve found the best way to encourage my darlings to do something drab and boring, like washing with soap, is to add a bit of the fantastical to the chore.

So bright and early this morning I set out to collect some May dew.

Just got a tiny bit.

Found my sweeties some bud vases at Target, bought some cork tops at the local craft store. I let the girls decorate the tops with glue, gems and flowers. Each vase held a couple of drops of May dew to which I added some body wash.

What better way to get them to wash often than to add some whimsical magic to their routine.

I Love Spring! and cherry blossoms, and flowery scents.

I have to admit it’s finally here. I even got some peas finally planted in my garden. I know I’m a couple of weeks late but considering spring was a few months late I’m hoping I’ll be o.k.