Another Day

Yes...yes... it has been two years since I posted to this blog.  One would think I forgot about it, but I do believe I mentioned it to others more than twice in these two years.  I obviously felt the guilt of the started venture not realized.  But, in my own non-judgmental, defensive way, I have to admit, life has been busy. Very busy.  Priorities took over and things are put away for Another Day.

That day has come and I'm back and I hope to speed this up some with shorter posts that are more frequent...if not more varied of topic as well.  I tried organization and it just made me stress about it.  Throwing off the blue monster of judgement and moving forward with the catharsis.

Welcome back.

Progress and Bounty



New trellis and bird defenses... 

 The GARDEN is growing!  Our strawberries and a little birdy must love them, because they are eating them allll!  That is why I cut up the mylar streamers from the twin's birthday party and hung them around the garden spaces.  It is kinda pretty too.  Sparkely.



Lettuces - in the ground one month (4/12/11 - 5/9/11)

 The lettuces are out of this world. 
I worried that the SFG beds were too hot in May for this season to work out, but they have been amazing!  Such flavor and the greens are prettier than any flower I could have planned.  So delicious and fun to go cut a salad from the backyard 3 minutes before I eat it.  Wow!


Out tomatillos have done magic!  The purple was planted last yet is twice as tall as the green now.  There are many blooma and they are just beautiful.



Purple tomatillo - can't wait
to see the color of salsa this baby makes?

 

 

Green Tomatillo - such a sweet little flower


And the best surprise yet:  our first tomato has formed!

Sharecropper's first tomato.
The twins found this.  I thought there must have been a snake with all the screaming.
Then, I got just as excited.  Delight!

The herb garden is looking like a real garden.  Now, to just figure out how to use these hebs???


Stevia, Pineapple Sage, Greek Oregano, Sweet Basil, Spearmint, Flatleaf Parsley, Potpourri Lavender

 Thank you, God, for rain and mosquito repellant!

Poop and Plants!

Our gardens are growing!  We decided to move one of the boxes to a more sunny spot, so that meant we had to sacrifice some of the backyard.  Since we were already doing that, we committed and built two more beds from a kit.  Now we have FOUR 4X4 beds to grow whatever we want.

Next, we needed soil, so with the help of a friend and a barter arrangement, I got a load of compost dropped into the driveway.  Smelled like chicken poop!  (*probably because it is*).  Antonio moved the poop and we added topsoil and peat moss.



Mixing soil is very labor instensive, but we had a lot of "help".



After all the beds were full, I added some baby plants and watered them well before we called it a night.

Lettuces, cabbage, parsley and one cucumber.



Our salsa garden:  Jalapenos, red peppers, early red peppers, cubanelle peppers, gold medal tomato and heritage tomatoes.  And one blooming tomatillo for a salsa verde.... MMMmmmmmm.  We also have two more slicing cucumber plants in this bed on the back side to train them to climb, hopefully.

We still have a LOT of space to go.  Our first garden visitor has asked to be a "share cropper" and brought over two patio tomatoes which we added to the low end of the double bed.  The high bed has 4 onion plants which I know very little about.  Should be interesting to see those develop. 

Next, to get MORE plants and pray for a good, gentle rain shower to fully saturate the beds and keep our veg hydrated!  Then, on to the next project!

3D Kind of Day!

First 3D Movie and they boys were so cool in their shades!

 
Gnomio and Juliet with Issac. 

Then we went out to lunch and for a few rides.  It was a nice morning.  Nick got cranky and tired so we left.  He was asleep before we left the parking lot. 

Too cool for me!

In the Gap again!

No, we are lot looking for overpriced plaid shorts~  we went for Baby Boy's autism assessment yesterday.  It was a draining 2.5 hours of questions about development, milestones, communication, gestures, attention, language, therapy, and tears.  Nick got to play for that time and I only heard him scream once.  :)  Lunch break, then a 2 hour conference where they delivered the full verdict.

The verdict... Nick is NOT autistic, but has autistic-like language, sensory and self-regulation patterns with the possible diagnosis of ADHD.  (guess I need to add that one to the blog's tags, huh?)  He is not tantrumming, he is losing control of himself.

We discussed some potential techniques to help him at home and other places, but once again, he is off, but not off enough.  There are options, but they are expensive and we are not poor, but not wealthy enough.  He's difficult, but not difficult enough.  GAP!

Bad News:  his language skills will continue to be an issue and while he is doing well with his peers today, he will begin to stand out and differentiate from them in the future making him less social.

Good News: they think my attitude about this is very healthy.   I simply had stated that we are still in the gaps so I will keep working to find our way through the valley of dysfunction and support and love him all the more.  I guess many parents are responding with self-pity and miserable feelings about how their child is such a burden.  Nick is not a breeze by any means, but he gives me so much love back that there is no way I could blame him, resent him or do any less for him in the future than I do today. 

Spring Fever!

Happy Spring 2011!  Been loving the matching weather!  Had a delightful weekend last week.  The boys (all of them) and I went outside to fulfill my current whim of Square Foot Gardening.  I am following this book. 

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It seems easy, so we'll see.  I am from a family of row gardeners and expecting the same amount of produce in a fraction of the space seems improbably, but I love the concept and have become comfortable with challenge.

The project's already a success as I have enjoy working in the yard with my boys.  (Yes, the constant interruptions are a distraction, but they love being outside.)



Measure twice, cut once!



My crew!

I have had a lot of help! 














Results To Be Determined!

Decisions, decisions, decisions... Anyone got a coin?

So, I have to make a decision without all the necessary details...  Oh, and time is NOT on my side!

Do parents keep their child in the safe, known place that they suspect just a little less direction, less of a stretch, less of an experience.... OR!  Do we push them into the world, where there are strangers and opportunities none of us can predict? 

I hear the unspoken, vulnerable voice of my boys' ego:

Mom, please make a decision that will set us up for the best path to learning, to a future, to opportunity, to a lifestyle where we will be self sustaining and successful.  Set us on a course that will make us strong, powerful, competent men, proud men, good husbands, good fathers and good people.  Choose our futures.  Watch out for the consequences.  We love you.