Forced Hiatus

The good news is that we are all alive and well!  The bad news is that I am blogging from the library, yikes!  The computer lightning damage I had about 5 months ago was obviously not repairable for the long term, and my beautiful Mac is dead in the water.  I have an older Mac in the kids' room that I may be able to get up to speed enough to hook up to internet and do photos but it's guaranteed to be very slow.  For the foreseeable future my blogging will probably be done from the library, as a new computer is definitely not in the non-existent budget right now.  Things always seem to happen in waves with us, and this fall has been no exception.  We are having to find the money to repair odds and ends around here since the house is on the market, I have the heatpump repair guy coming over in a bit (oh, joy), and the kids' activities are sucking up every available cent there is.  Good thing hubby insists on riding his bike everywhere, since his car has been in a parked state for months needing repairs.  


Ok, are you still with me?  Every now and then I need to vent so I can see the good side of things!  We are warm, dry, family is healthy and together, so shame on me!  But I honestly don't know HOW to function without my computer, the thought of paying my bills from the library is making me anxious already.  Ugh.


I am reading all of your blogs on hubby's phone (oh, did I forget that gem?  My phone died the day Steve Jobs did, sadly), although you might be interested to know that I was still on a 1st generation iPhone, woohoo!  No money to upgrade that, either, so no cell phone for me for awhile, either and it figures the day it went out OF COURSE the school nurse was trying to get ahold of me.  When it rains, it pours.


Anyway, it's hard for me to comment on hubby's phone on your blogs, but I will try when I'm on my library computer days!


Otherwise, we are doing well, doing some fall cleaning of the closets and such, just enjoying the weather!  


Man.... another light bulb just went out!  

Running ragged!

It's the kids' fault, but how can I possibly say "no" to extracurricular activities like this?

I just haven't quite figured out how to balance all of it and still maintain family dinners together, homework time, reading time and a decent bedtime.  I don't believe in "overscheduling" kids, in reality it's just swimming and music lessons with monthly garden club stuff, but I am in awe of moms who seem to be able to do this all and maintain a job outside the home, as well.  Hats off to you gals!  I think the secret might lie in doing a better job of preparing freezer meals and crock pot type stuff, but it's hard to remember far enough in advance to get something going.  From the moment they get off the bus, it's rushing through homework and heading off for 2 hours of swimming Mondays & Wednesdays, or music lessons on Thursdays.  We don't get home until 7 pm so dinner 3 days a week now involves quick bean burritos at home or my favorite quick dinner, eggs & toast!  I refuse to drive through fast food restaurants for dinner so it's becoming difficult.  For the past 12 days or so hubby hasn't even made it home before 7 pm so poor him... he's left to fend for himself whenever he rolls in!  I need advice in how you gals handle it all!  I can't say "no" to swimming - Loch is really good at it, at 8 he's already doing a pretty good butterfly stroke and gets a lot of confidence from the sport, and that's really important for these types of kids - (read:  little genius but has 15 left feet, can't catch a ball, etc...) - at his age he is subject to teasing about being a "nerd", etc but wow most kids his age can barely swim, let alone to his level. Sooooo, if you get what I mean, as a mom it's all important that he has this "thing".  Music, hey it's a lifelong skill and pulling them out would seem a waste of money at this point since they would forget everything, and... they like it!  Now they have expressed interest in Boy Scouts, and Loch came home last week and said he wants to run for some student government thing... come on, ladies, tell me when to yell UNCLE!  

So that's what's been keeping me from my evening blogging lately, I'm hoping to develop some kind of schedule that includes myself this week :)

A glimpse of our evenings lately...

This is Loch's school garden.  He got picked with about 30 other kids to participate, and they were planting broccoli and lettuces when I picked him up the other night.  They also got to hear a talk by a local organic gardener, CSA grower and honeybee farmer (that's him in the beige shirt).  What I want to know is why I can't seem to get the neighborhood kids to all posse up in my garden like this, ready to work!

On to swimming... seriously.... it's a madhouse in there!  For those of you who wondered, this is where I try to get my knitting done but the other night the A/C wasn't working and it was about 105 in there and my yarn got all wet LOL...

The other day Finn wanted hubby and I to have lunch with him at school... here we are looking for the white milk...?

  

Don't get me started... this is why my kids take lunch from home.

Luckily they do a pretty good chef salad, and after finding a couple of white milks hiding below the sugary ones, we sat down to eat.

Here's a random moment that struck me as funny.  The other night hubby was trying to show the kids how to tie a tie, but the kids were still having trouble so he brought it up on YouTube and they all commenced to be entertained for about a half an hour like this.  I'm thinking this would make a funny scrapbook photo :)

Once again, Finn is on duty outside for the ladies.  Here he is removing the training wheels for his little friend.  She rode right up and asked if Finn was home and could he come outside and "work on her bike", LOL....

Managed one decent comfort food dinner the past week... our own potatoes, mashed with sausage and onions and some of our peppers.  It's our own version of Bangers n' Mash, and everyone seems to gobble it up with no complaints.

If you have any advice as to how you keep "family time" and "family dinners" while running kids around, I'm always appreciative!  Especially you Judy, of Full Freezer... I know you are still knee deep in it! :)

Next activity up for today:  kids' haircuts!  They are already moaning and groaning about it.