{this moment}

Joining amanda and friends in "this moment". I just loved plucking these juicy tomato hornworms from their cozy spot on the tomato plants at A New Leaf Farm.  Capturing a moment from the week that I want to cherish and hold onto.   

Have a great weekend!

balance?

I can learn a lot from Ava about balance!

You may (or may not) have noticed that I haven't posted in this space for about a month.  Oh, you might say to yourself, "it's summer and she is probably out having fun with the kids at the pool or busy doing something creative with the kids".  NOT SO! Well, not completely so. While yes, I have been at the pool or being creative with my babes, it has been in such small increments that I don't even think it counts.  

I have been busy with the busyness of "making do".  In the last month I have taken our simple family challenge and kicked it up to crazy and unrealistic proportions.  

For the last month I have been trying to::

keep the house clean...while trying to constantly de-clutter,

keep groceries to a minimum.... i.e. be creative and make do with what we have,

throw a birthday party and re-docorate Ava's room within the confines of our challenge,

help out at the farm 2x/week,

be a mindful and present parent,

find free and fun activities for us to do as a family,

blog (it fell right off the list but i thought about it a lot),

cook ALL meals (it started to look like a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches),

keep convenience foods (crackers, chips, granola bars) to a minimum,

be fun and spontaneous,

have dinner parties and friends over to hang out,

try new activities with the family,

keep up with sewing and ongoing projects...new dress and duvet cover for Ava's birthday,

keep calm despite the increased bickering and horrid attitudes of Ava and Anthony,

keep Rao life fresh and exciting,

be a model of gratitude and appreciation for my family 

This weekend my list came crumbling down on me.  

The kind of landslide that left me in a heaping, crying, flailing mess on the couch (leaving Sri dumbfounded!).  Feeling like I was failing at every aspect of my life.  Feeling sorry for myself.  Guilty that I have dragged my kids into this insanity.  Angry at "our challenge" and angry with myself for turning it into this ridiculous and unattainable list of rules.  How did "hey, lets try to live more simply and live off of what we already have instead of buying more" turn into me running around like crazy to try and create a modern Little House on the Prairie life  while trying to juggle everything else.  

I need to sit down with my family and redefine the guidelines of this challenge.  I need to simplify the challenge to simplify within my own mind and not be so black and white about it all.   Any suggestions?  I would be happy to hear your opinion about how to make this process a little more enjoyable.  

a quick review of month TWO

the laying ladies... not all mine of course!

best soap EVER! (sorry for the blurry pic)

week 1 CSA boxes full and delicious

post haircut

trying to carry an egg on a spoon while getting shot with a water gun

This month we....

  *  have stuck to one big grocery shop a week...with a detailed list

  *  did not buy any non-consumable items

*  did purchase FIVE laying hens ($7.25 each) from the farm auction.  We are currently not permitted      to keep chickens in the city so they are living at A New Leaf Farm where we visit them weekly and

     collect their delicious eggs

*  spent $6 on a falafel sandwich (totally worth it) at La Luna restaurant where my book club was meeting.... we determined that one night out/month was a mental health NEED!

* traded some handmade baby clothes for some amazing handmade soap

*continued to volunteer labour hours at A New Leaf Farm in exchange for a weekly CSA box (awesome experience!!!!)

* found a free morning camp for the kids to attend for a week

* found a friend who was willing to cut Anthony's hair for free

* have been taking advantage of free picnics in our community 

* Ava went on class trip to African Lion's Safari for $20 but did not bring any money for trinkets and food...her choice.

I am so proud that we are finishing up month two of our twelve month challenge.  On the whole, this month was a lot more challenging than the first one.  It seemed we had more opportunities to spend and bring non-essentials into the house.  We really pulled together to try and make decisions as a family about these issues.  The kids have loved having a say and making the distinction between want and need....actually to the point of irritating me a bit!  I asked the kids if they thought I should get a tattoo and Ava came at me with "is it a want or a need mom?", obnoxious yes but I guess she's getting the point. Next month I think I am really going to try and focus on using up supplies that we have lying around the house and what is in the freezer.  Perhaps I will  be able to use this to cut groceries down to every other week for a while....we shall see.  

P.S if you are interested in a weekly CSA basket of delicious organic produce, check out a New Leaf Farm (Facebook page), they still have some spots available and THEY DELIVER and they are awesome!

literally too exhausted for words

Hagersville Antique and Livestock Auction

James St N Art Crawl

A New Leaf Farm

Hamilton Air Show....as seen from A New Leaf Farm

just that kinda weekend

I'm so glad that we had a lazy, laid back, Guns & Roses kind of weekend because this upcoming week is going to be a killer.
Besides our usual social engagements (lunch at my grandma's), playdates and our day at the farm, I have made a to-do list for myself a mile long.  I need to prioritize, I know, but am overwhelmed at this point to even do that properly.

On the top of my list are:

                    1. find out why this red cabbage sauerkraut that I made as a gift went moldy

2. figure out what kind of frog/toads we have been watching grow from tadpoles in our little aquarium and what the heck do we do with them now?  They are so teeny tiny and the kids are a bit obsessed with them.  I have to admit they are a lot of fun to have around.

3. make myself a jersey dress with big pockets to wear over tights to work on the farm.  I'm thinking this would be the most comfortable outfit PLUS it would put me one step closer to actually being Laura Ingalls Wilder

4. make Ava's birthday invitations so that they can be hand-delivered on Father's Day.  I have pinned a few that I would love to make but don't have the supplies already in the house for.  The challenge is going to be making a great card from my craft stash.  

5. work with the kids to make Sri's Father's Day gift.  They already have some ideas but I am uncertain how they will actually work out.  Their ideas start off great but quickly deteriorate into the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.  

Wish me luck!

the loop hole

As a family, I think we have handled the challenge of not buying/bringing anything new into the house wonderfully.  We have the odd bump in the road but for the most part it has been a smooth ride for the last month.
Where we struggle is the food portion of our challenge.  When we laid out the "rules" for our up coming year we specified NO EATING OUT or buying food treats unless absolutely necessary.  We knew that this was going to be a hard one for us.  We typically ate one dinner out during the week (usually a Tuesday night at Fishers) and one meal on the weekend.  We all loved these meals because it was exciting and it gave me a break from the kitchen....which was a bonus for all involved!  The first week was a tough one and THEN we found a loop hole....of course we did!
Consumables were allowed!!! Groceries became our new friend.  Treats were added to the grocery list. Items we had never bought before were being put in the cart.  I have tried to gently discuss this with my partner in crime but he isn't really listening (do you blame him?).  I have three changes that I am going to make to try and solve this little problem.
1.  I am going to make a very specific grocery list.... instead of just writing "lunch treats" I am going to name them
2.   If I have time I am going to do the groceries myself.... that is half the battle!
3.  EXCITING NEWS! As a family, we are going to participate in a workshare at A New Leaf Farm.  We will receive organic produce in exchange for some labour around the farm one day a week.  We are all very excited about this and hopefully it will keep us a step further from the grocery store!  YAY!

Here are some pics that Anthony took of the farm today...our first visit!