Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Handmade from Cuba

A woman that my husband works with recently went back to Cuba to visit her family for a couple of weeks. She returned with a small gift that was handmade in Cuba. Her son is the same age as the Boy, which prompted her to pick this out. The best part is the wheels work, so the Boy can play with it.



Tuesday, March 25, 2008

In the Garden

I was feeling a little bit down this weekend, and add TMJD to the mix......a trip to the plant store was in order. I tend to pick simple plants out. Usually these plants are ones that will grow under Florida conditions, and are fairly drought tolerant. Sometimes, I feel I should bring one of each home with me. It has been so relaxing and gratifying to garden.

Here are some photos from the backyard garden. Some of these are not new, but I am so happy to see them when I step out back in the morning. This "hobby" called gardening is quite addictive.

~Tomato Plant~



~Green Bell Pepper~


~Caladium~



~Caladium~



~Squirrel in front of new croton hedge~

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Bald Eagle Nest

We are very lucky to have a bald eagle nest not too far from our house. We've been keeping an eye on it over the past few months. My husband spotted the babies not too long ago. It's just exciting to see, and of course the Boy loves it.

Times like this, I wish I had a better camera. Actually, even a stronger lens would suffice. So, I apologize that the pictures are not better. I tried. I've noticed that every time we go out there to stare at these beautiful birds, we are not alone. Everyone is so excited, sharing binoculars and stories about "our baby birds". It's a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.



Thursday, March 13, 2008

Spring is here

I'm still not used to Florida seasons. But, there are changes. Lately, we've been enjoying the not so subtle spring changes here. Our tomato plant has a lot of tomatoes on it, and the largest one is just beautiful. The bell pepper plant that was attacked by the peacock is now filled with teeny tiny bell peppers. And, the birds are nesting. Something I have always enjoyed, and am especially enjoying sharing with the Boy. Along with spring here, comes the mosquitoes. This fact is not something I enjoy. It is a long battle with mosquitoes here, because we are a deet-free family. I won't end on an unhappy note though. The plants are just thriving right now, and that is something I can enjoy even through the windows.



Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Cat



Our cat is back to his mischievous self. After a rough time of it with an upper respiratory infection, then troubled with some major tummy issues which we can assume are from the high doses of antibiotics, we are thankful he recovered. He'll be 11 in April......which also means a pretty significant birthday for me too. I'll be 30. Wow. Life has a way of flying by, and I'm reminded time and time again not to rush any of it.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Smoothies

We've started having smoothies every morning. We've been doing this for about a week and a half, and I noticed many blogs that I read have been making smoothies as well. Ours is fairly simple, but I've noticed it keeps me full well past lunch time. I used to have a bowl of steel cut oats with my coffee, or perhaps toast with avocado. Neither of which gave me the energy that I feel since drinking these.

We blend(for a family of 3):
1 cup soymilk
1 soy vanilla yogurt
3 rounded teaspoons rice protein, unflavored/unsweetened
1/2 block Pure Acai pulp, unsweetened
1 banana

This is so tasty. And, I've found that my body cannot tolerate wheat very well. It's been an ongoing battle, because frankly I don't want to have to go gluten-free. But, when I avoid wheat my body just feels and works MUCH better. I'll be writing more on this, but for the moment I'm going to enjoy my blue smoothies.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Shavasana

I haven't been able to find a lot of time to practice yoga in the years since the Boy was born. Maybe I should rephrase that to I haven't made much time to practice yoga. Because, it really is about me making the time.

So, for the last week, the Boy and I have been practicing every day together. He has been exposed to yoga since he was a baby, and like most children thrives while doing the various poses. It just comes natural I think.

While in Shavasana, the Boy reaches over and holds my hand. It makes all the struggles and frustrations melt.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Hokey Pokey

For some reason, I just couldn't sleep last night. So, while I was trying to force sleep upon myself, songs started coming into my head. And, of course, the first one was "Hokey Pokey". For some reason, the only songs I could hear were kids songs. First thing this morning I found a fantastic website that gives tons of children's song lyrics as well as music for the songs. So, the Boy and I have been doing the Hokey Pokey for over an hour. We're both fairly dizzy.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Calenders and Time

The Boy has been really interested in what day it is, what month it is, and of course what time it is. This has opened a lot of dialogue about clocks, calenders, the sun, the moon, the ocean, the earth, stars, planets, letters, numbers, and space. Somehow, they have all intertwined and made for some fun learning.

We've talked about the different months and days of the week many times before, but he hasn't show a whole lot of interest in them. He always understood Saturday meant Bubba was home, Sunday meant Daddy was home, and Monday meant Grammie was home. Other than that, our days are so changing he just went with the flow.

So, we took a trip to our local library to get some new books. It really is fun to see his eyes light up at the fact he can choose any books he'd like out of all those shelves. I added some of the ones we picked out on the sidebar.

Sometimes I question if I am made out for homeschooling. I wonder if I can keep up with the constant influx of questions, ideas, and debates that come up on a daily basis. The thing is, when all is said and done, I realize this is exactly what I need to be doing. This is exactly what is working for our family right now, and the Boy is thriving. Sometimes, I just need to take a step back and watch what is happening right before my eyes.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Here and There

There are many times when I find myself debating between sharing the good and the bad in my life on this blog. So, sometimes it is just easier to wait until I have a moment of clarity, and don't feel like I'm going to become a blubbering mess here. I find it is easier to focus on all sorts of things at once, stressing about them and trying to find solutions, then to actually deal with what I really do need to focus on.

So, moving on from that, I wanted to share the visitor in our backyard this morning. It was beautiful, and inspiring. Also, some photos of my hibiscus before our visitor decided they were quite a delicious breakfast.