Annie's been here!!!!

And she was kind enough to hook me up with some color. Here's the new look!

Cuties

Yes...my kids are cute. Especially when they are enjoying themselves. This time, however, I'm talking about these boxes.





I have enjoyed making origami with Kade. He's made something similar, but this is my first time making these. It might have helped me fold if it was actual origami paper, too, instead of scrapbooking paper. But I somehow made do!

And for those waiting for cute...or at least news of what we are doing...here's just a moment.

Guatamalan worry dolls...

Kade found this craft on activity tv.



We didn't have the trash bag ties (can you say Ginger's too hippy?) but we did have pipe cleaners. This makes them a tad bigger than they were on the show...but still well worth the effort.


These two were made by Kade's hand. After he finished these, he was done and asked if I wouldn't finish his 'family' for him. He wanted two more. A girl and a Mama. Here's how they turned out.





I did a few for myself and hope to get back to them soon.




I also finished gifts for Annie...she is wearing the belt of bells, so I didn't manage to get a picture of that. I did, however, get to take a picture of her new hat! I made it out of cotton. The colors look weird on the camera - it really is raspberry and lime. Too cool. I may have to make one for me!





Annie is officially 21! I'm so happy for her!

Maybe it's a great time for those worry dolls, after all! Life is so big and full. The kids grow up so fast. Now it's time to meditate and try and keep up!

Inspired

Yes.

Inspired by Ronnie to eat more of those fabulous greens...here is my counter


Here was last nights dinner.


Included : Romaine, green onion, red bell pepper, snow peas, parsley, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes and


this great dressing that Jeff selected...



from this book.



Breakfast yesterday morning was a smoothie of strawberries, bananas, almond milk and romaine. I think I like kale better in smoothies. Can't wait to try this one!

If I'm not here...

then I'm working on my Etsy stuff, or playing with friends, or doin' stuff with Jeff and the boys.

Just know, I'll be back!

Victor Borge with Auntie Mary.

We went up to see Auntie Mary a few weekends ago. The boys generally like to go up there. She is always ready for us. There's popcorn made and drinks chilled. Kade and I went down to the pool for a bit while Kai and Auntie Mary talked. When we got back from the pool, she mentioned she had saved a few things for us to watch with her. Up comes Victor Borge. One of my all time favorites. The boys say they don't want to watch, at first. Then slowly they both come into the room and enjoy this show with us. Here is one of their favorite parts...and one that I would have to listen to it over and over to actually follow the whole story.



I love that they heard great music artistically interpreted.

Adventures...and ghost hunting.

I know I have been absent. However, that is mostly because we have been busy. Aside from the trip back East to see our family and friends, we have been visiting friends here and also visiting places.

Today we went to the Whaley House in old town San Diego. We arrived a tad early and were able to see friends before we went into the museum itself. Part of the joy was bumping into the man behind the Old Town Ghost Tours and Secret Haunted Places, Mike Brown. He volunteered to take us into the cafe and use some of his equipment to interact with one of the ghosts there. Of course, we said, YES! John, the ghost, is apparently stuck in that room. He did come down and make the machine sound off. John stays near the ceiling, so that is where we looked first. It was amazing as well as a bit creepy. Definitely worth every second.

Then it came time to tour the museum. Bill, our incredible docent, and another wonderful young woman, were very helpful and informative. He told us all about the history of the house and answered Kade's questions with humor and respect. Kade, of course, wants to know if he makes money being a docent and if Kade can wear the costume.

It was a wonderful tour. The grounds are beautifully maintained as well. There is a lovely gazebo the boys enjoyed playing around. Kade said there was a ghost woman who was there. He said she liked watching them play. Too cool.

After the Whaley House, we headed down to the El Campo Santo Cemetery located two blocks south. The boys explored a bit. Kade was able to roam freely. Kai said he felt heavy and 'not well' while we were in the cemetery, itself. Once we were out, he was fine, though. One of the unusual things about the El Campo Santo Cemetery is part of the cemetery was taken over by the expanding town. There are markers, now, that show where grave sites are. Like the Roseline metal markers, these grave identifiers are numerous along the sidewalk and some are even in the street.

Overall a fun day with friends. We came home, made lunch and rice crispy treats. What could be better, I ask?

OH! Oh, oh. Forgot to mention. C saw Thomas Whaley on the upstairs balcony while we were listening to the docent up in the theatre. She thought it was just someone working at the museum until she came downstairs and was looking at the pictures in the country store. She gasped and said, "I saw this man, Thomas Whaley, upstairs!!!!" Too much fun.

I redid this slideshow and added a few pictures from our friend. Also, this one has music, so you may wish to pause the music on the side bar. Enjoy!

Whaley House and El Campo Santo Cemetery from Beachbum on Vimeo.

Alzheimer's

I'm posting this song...done by this artist...as part of my trying to deal with an old friend having Alzheimer's



I don't fear death. This year has been challenging for me to handle the people that I have been losing. I still have yet to really cry all my tears. But, to loose someone to Alzheimer's is like loosing them twice...and sometimes even many times over, as they flicker in and out of memories of their loved ones. While I don't have to care for a loved one with Alzheimer's, I have friends who are. Although not directly engulfed by the whole process, I still will miss Paul and the connection we had. And yet, he's still with us...

Birthing questions...

I wanted to keep this somewhere...and what better place than here on the blog.

I received this note from a friend's daughter:

Hello! I am doing a project for my women's studies class. The topic is, "putting the natural back into birth". I wanted to ask you a few questions for my research, about your experience with home births and hospital births if you have had any. If there are any questions you do not feel like answering that is fine or if you have anything else to add, any feedback is great! Also if you know any mothers who would feel comfortable answering a few of these questions who have had a home birth or two that would be excellent!

What are your experiences with birth? At home or at the hospital?
What was most effective for you?
Did you have good experiences with a midwife or midwives?
Do you stay in touch with your midwife?
How did you find out about home births?
How did you find your midwife?
Did you have support during your birth/births?
Would you change anything about your birth/births?
Why did you decide to have a home birth?

Thank you!
Take Care!
Natalie Crevola-Miller

--

In response, I sent this:

What are your experiences with birth? At home or at the hospital?
Our first, Kai, was born in the hospital. Mainly, it was there because we were in the Army when we got pregnant and Jeff was still in when it came time for the birth. We didn't look into options at the time because we thought it would be really expensive to homebirth and because Jeff was very much coming from the main stream thought on health care. However, we agreed on finding a OB/GYN that was a single practice guy and who would support our natural birth choices. What we learned when we had our second, Kade, is how my body carries and births. What we didn't know when we had Kai is that my water breaks and 12 hours later I start contractions. This long lapse was not welcomed in the hospital. Both of our babies stayed really high until the contractions started, even though I was dilated and effaced. In the hospital setting, this was cause for constant monitoring to make sure the baby wasn't stressed. Even when he didn't show any signs of being stressed, they still insisted on monitoring. When I asked to walk, they told me the cord would wrap around his neck and would cause a lot of complications. This effectively scared us into doing whatever they told us to do. My OB/GYN had assumed things were going well and didn't get there until 9am (8 hours after I arrived at the hospital and 9 hours or so after my water broke). He was questioning why we hadn't walked...to help with the labor. Then when I wanted to walk they decided it was too late and that it was necessary to induce. We went with Pitocin and the labor still didn't start. At the second dose, things really started happening. This is two fold. My body (and Kai) decided at that magic 12 hour mark to start working on the labor. This was also when the second dose of Pitocin kicked in. My contractions and Kai's stress started to rise. I was not able to combat the pain of the double/triple peaked contractions and asked for pain killer. After hours of labor, Kai was out in 2 contractions. A healthy beautiful boy!

Kade, our second, was born at home. It was like night and day - our experience with each. For Kai we did the whole technical pregnancy. We had several ultrasounds. We were poked and prodded. With Kade, we opted for the midwives. We had charted our cycle, so were pretty involved in the process. I had taken Jeff down so many paths to a more natural way of dealing with health. Stopping the vaccinations, cloth diapers, co-sleeping, making our own baby food are a few of the changes he adjusted to. When we finally chose the midwives, I emphasized how close the hospital was how much quicker we would be treated if we came in than if we were already in the hospital. I also made sure we talked about the experience we were getting with our midwives. I especially loved the fact that Claudia had, as part of her midwifery journey before she moved to CA, the extra experience that came with having Amish clients. I know Jeff was concerned about the whole process, and am thankful he trusted me to know what I needed. So, in contrast to Kai's many ultrasounds, Kade had none. We heard the heartbeat (Kai did, too, as he was there for all appointments) and trusted that everything was well. When the water broke, I was ok with it all. I spent the time walking and rocking in the kitchen (the only uncarpeted surface in our apartment at the time). We had the living room set up to accommidate the birthing tub. I was pretty sure I would want to have a water birth. It was totally the right decision. Contractions started in around that 12 hour magic mark. At 1pm or so, Claudia arrived to check on me. I requested the water. This led to a check and I was still only 3cm. I still wanted the tub, so the Claudia trusted it. Once in the tub, labor really began. Kade's shoulders got stuck, and that was the only painful moments I remember. He made it out, but wasn't breathing. The midwives were right there with us, prompting everything. We held Kade and talked to him while they got the oxygen. It turned out just fine. I don't remember being deeply aware of the seriousness of the situation as Jeff was. I do believe that if we had been a hospital, we would never have seen Kade...and I honestly don't know if he would have made it without the comfort of our voices, our touch and our warmth. After the birth, the midwives cleaned everything up and and made sure we were comfortable. They fixed our first meal with a candle to celebrate the birth. At that moment, I knew I could birth this way 1,000 times and be perfectly happy. The water birth was the best.


What was most effective for you?
I was far more comfortable at home than in the hospital. I think this is true for two reasons. First, it was our second birth and we had an idea of what to expect. Second, I wasn't going to let anyone else take charge of our birth. It was going to be me and the baby. I trusted that millions of women had done this before me and that my body knew exactly what to do and that it was in constant communication with our baby.


Did you have good experiences with a midwife or midwives?
I *love* my midwives. We had a team (Birthstream in Davis, CA) and it made us feel safe. At different times throughout the pregnancy we connected more with one of them. In the end, they were incredibly supportive and the birth of Kade was an experience that I'd repeat in a minute.


Do you stay in touch with your midwife?
I have one of them as a friend on facebook...and she is listed as part of my family. So, yes!


How did you find out about home births?
My step-daughter was home birthed. My mother and her siblings were home birthed. I don't enjoy the MD world, so have always searched for the alternatives. After Kai, I was far more motivated to find those alternatives. I found information on water birth from Waterbirth International (http://www.waterbirth.org/) and was a reader of Mothering Magazine.


How did you find your midwife?
Early on, we looked at a birthing center. We heard of Birthstream Midwifery via word of mouth. A woman from the park day I attended mentioned them. We researched a couple midwives, but in the end went with the one that was most comfortable. As a bonus, they were the closest and had great referrals.


Did you have support during your birth/births?
Jeff was with me the whole time during each birth. His support was paramount in it all. I have to admit, though, that I don't remember him really being there except for a few minutes throughout the birthing processes when we were home with Kade. I think this is partially due to me being so confident and certain my body and our baby knew exactly what we needed to do. With Kai, I remember Jeff being there the whole time. He was my focus and the one who got me through the whole ordeal. My mother was at Kai's birth, too. At the time it seemed right. Looking back, I was trying to keep up appearances (both with her and the hospital staff), which I feel helped make the hospital experience the not so perfect experience it became, even though nothing truly horrible happened. With Kade, there were four of us there : Jeff and both midwives. I felt their presence. My focus not on them, but instead was on birthing.


Would you change anything about your birth/births?
I would never go back to a hospital birth. I would have a ton of home births, though!

With Kai, I would have preferred to be more assertive in waiting for the natural process and not have given in to the hospital staff's recommendations. Things the staff mentioned and said were just not anything like I had wanted to do. One nurse was just plain rude. When my doctor did get there, he was asking why we had not done the things we had intended...and it was mostly because we were of the mindset that if the staff was despotic then we really had no choice. I would never have stayed in bed and been monitored all the time. I would never have induced labor. I would never have taken pain killers. I would have requested they let me hold him before they cut the cord and cleaned Kai. I would have asked to be nearer him when they did all the cleaning and tests. Jeff was able to be there, so that was good, but not my ideal. I would have left sooner. There are things we did right, though. I'm glad I chose to keep him with me when they wanted to take Kai away to 'let me sleep'. I'm very happy Jeff stayed in the room with me, too. I'm glad we had the doctor we did. For even though we didn't do everything we intended to do, he was still on our side for the most part. I'm glad Jeff wore the bunny ears all through the labor. I wouldn't have my mom with us...and didn't for Kade.

With Kade, I would have made more space for me to be comfortable with the fluids draining out...and that would have allowed me the space to walk more. I would have taken more pictures after the birth...I don't think we have any of us actually holding him right after he was born. I would have made a point to have Kai there and/or had him home earlier. The things we did right : had a wonderful trusted team and chose water birth.


Why did you decide to have a home birth?
I think I answered this in what I have mentioned before. I was looking for an alternative to the mechanized birthing process found in hospitals. I wanted a path that was more in tune with what I believed - that our bodies, as women, know exactly what they are doing. I didn't want 'what if's to govern my care, but instead wanted a more trust based experience. I looked for practitioners that made sense to me and with whom I felt comfortable. I found all these in the midwifery and water birth options.

------

Natalie, thanks for letting me be a part of your research. If you need more from me, let me know. If there are more details you need, ask for those, too.

Hope you are well.

Slideshow of our trip to NM...

Trip to NM - October 2009 from Beachbum on Vimeo.

Here is the video of Kai on his bungie ride. Sorry it's sideways...try not to get a strain in your neck.

Bungie ride at NM Ballon Fiesta 2009 - Kai from Beachbum on Vimeo.

Videos of the White Sands sledding, too!

White Sands with Alaina - Kade sledding October 2009 from Beachbum on Vimeo.

White Sands sledding October 2009 from Beachbum on Vimeo.

Yes...it may be true.

This happened this morning. There were no pauses in the conversation, just a rapid exchange of words.

Kade: Good morning, Mama.
Me: Hey, Baby.
Kade: You know what's amazing?
Me: What's that?
Kade: When I get up I'm really awake.
Me: Yes, that's true for you. You've always been that way. The rest of us, not so much.
Kade: I think it's because I'm a kid.
Me: But Kai's a kid, too.
Kade: No, Kai's an alien.

Today

Well, we are rarely just sitting around...as you may already know. Those days are few and far between...at least in the summer. Now it's time to *do* things.

This morning was a slow start (as many of us stay up till the wee hours of the morning...)(as I type it is 1:00 am and both boys are still playing together)...so we started today around noon. Jeff and Kade went on a bit of a shopping spree. Kade is really into his tie up shoes and they are getting a wee tight. Today he came home with a snazzy new pair of Nikes. Jeff was on the prowl for new work clothes. He nicely bought shirts that are 'iron free'. (Can you see me dance a happy dance?) and was really stoked that Kade was truly helpful at the store. I think Kade was helping the salesman and maybe even another customer. Anyway, they were having a great time together. Meanwhile, Kai and I were hangin' together. Jumping from computer fun to tv fun as he tried to conquer and unlock all the characters in this one game.

Once Jeff and Kade returned, it was time for some Kai and Jeff time. Kai had asked for it since we are planning on going to see Harry Potter tomorrow with Annie while Jeff and Kade stay home.


Well, Kai asked to bike downtown to Jamba Juice. So after Jeff got some grub and changed into some comfy clothes, the bigger boys headed out on their adventure downtown. They ended up finding a great little market I'm supposed to check out. They also peeked into the used book store.

Meanwhile, this left Kade and I alone.


Naturally, we made cookies! Kade had taken the butter out last night, too late for cooking (the oven is right next to the room we sleep in, so would potentially keep Jeff awake) so today was the day.


He chose cookie press cookies. It's been forever since we've made this kind. Having only wheat flour can make cookies a bit thicker and a different color than white flour does. This is especially true for ours, today, since we also put in a bit of almond flour.


We melted some chocolate to put on top. Of course, this led to some wanting them to have faces...smiley ones at that. Here is what we came up with...


Kade's favorite.


My favorite.

After the cookies, we realized that the guys had forgotten to take the gate key with them. Kade suggested we gather a few blankets and head down to the gate to wait for them.


We gathered a few things and headed down. It was such a beautiful afternoon, too. Perfect. So we settled in and I started a henna design. Kade was having fun getting ready to hide once he saw them coming down the road...all the while talking with me without stopping to breathe...or so it seemed. I thoroughly enjoy his his banter as it lets me see a bit of what is going on in his mind. Anyway, the boys did arrive. Kade hid and was found. Then Jeff stayed a bit with Kade as Kade rode his turtle. So much fun was had!





The videos are still downloading on vimeo...so you'll have to come back to see them here... (tahdah)

Turtle fun July 2009 part 1 from Beachbum on Vimeo.

Turtle fun July 2009 part 2 from Beachbum on Vimeo.

Turtle fun July 2009 part 3 from Beachbum on Vimeo.

Once the henna was done, this is what I ended up with. Happy Mama, I am.


Inside we chilled for about half an hour. Then the boys played more on the Mario game they are borrowing from friends. Jeff agreed to join in after Kai and he had a sock war.

Before we knew it, it was time for Jeff to head to snooze land. Kade stole a book reading or two with his Daddy. I got to tuck my love in and come out with the gang. Now it's been a few hours of catch up with the blogs I haven't been reading.

And I guess I'm ready to post my own things again!

LIFE is Good 2009 Unschooling Conference

I've been trying to figure out how to write about this experience. Words don't do it justice. And the pictures we took were few. So, with permission from others, I compiled a slide show. It gives the feel of the conference, at least a touch of it. The LIFE is Good Conference is far more - and more fun than should be allowed. The Vibrations and Amy Steinberg actually gave a concert...so having their music a part of the video is a must. Here we are:

LIFE is Good Unschooling Conference 2009 from Beachbum on Vimeo.

Here is one that is more personal to our family and friends from home...it's a bit shorter, too... I've included some pictures from our stay with friends in Corvallis, OR. We were able to stay at the Gold's house for 5 days! We saw the Hessels, Cabatics, Golds, Lugos, Waynsforths (before they headed home to England!), Diana and Hayden and Scott, and the Holcombs (at the park before they went home to CO). Anyway, good times.

LIFE and our days in Corvallis from Beachbum on Vimeo.

Well, here it is!

I decided to paint flowers...as you can see. So it is now bright and happy for this bright and happy soul.



Meanwhile, Kade painted his own wood. When he finishes it, I'll ask him if I can take a picture of it.

Getting smarter.

Kade comes into the kitchen and says,

"I'm getting smarter by the hour? No. More like by the minute. By the second. By the millisecond."

Little does he realize he is exactly right!

And from Kai:

"I've got your ticket, Mama. I know exactly how you work."

What's a Mama to do?

More later...

Jeff and Annie

had a go on photo booth, too. We all ended up joining in on the fun!

slideshow time

Here are the pictures Mandy took yesterday...


Fun at Mandy's 18Mar09 from Beachbum on Vimeo.

A Kite to fly by...

So we went inland to Mandy's house today. We met Renee and her crew, too. These are the three about to be 10 kids...Violet, Kai and Robbi. We have a great time with our friends. We were talking about how they can play for hours and hours and still be going strong. It's tough for Kade to leave this home...and so we are making plans to spend more time there. We all like it there!

While there we talked a bit about the birthday things. We made a few of these cool kites, too(which we had to play with today!).

Materials:

8.5 x 11 paper (we love color, so use construction paper)
Pencil/pen
ruler
tape (we use box tape)
skewer (trimmed to 8". We have found pruners to work best for the trimming)
string (10 feet - more or less depending on space and the size of kids)
a plastic bag (cut in a circular long single piece. Put knots in the bag every foot or so. Measure out 6' for the tail.)
small piece of cardboard (we used a close pin)
hole punch

1. Fold the sheet of paper in half widthwise. Place fold to your left.
2. Keeping the paper folded, measure 1" in from fold and mark it (A). Measuring along the bottom of the folded sheet measure in 2 1/4" from right (the open edges side) and mark it (B).
3. Place the ruler so that it connects (A) and (B). Using the ruler to help guide the crease, fold the top piece of paper over. (This leaves one half unfolded and the folded part as an angle.)
4. Tape along this new fold, securing the fold and making a lip underneath.
5. Place the skewer perpendicular to the taped fold and connecting the two corners. Tape into place.
6. Tape plastic bag tail to the bottom of the kite.
7. Flip over the kite and fold the flap back and forth until it stands straight up.
8. Fold a piece of tape over the flap about 3" from the top of the kite. Punch a hole through the tape 1/4" from the folded edge.
9. Tie one end of the string through the hole.
10. To make the string winder, tie the other end of the string around the middle of the cardboard, securing it with a strip of tape. (We just tie it to the clothespin and wind it on there.)
Take it out for a spin!

Pictures to come..,

Changes

Well, this one is personal, so if you aren't into that kind of thing...skip to the cool post about the Original Egg Game or the one about the San Diego Conference.

For a few years I have been noticing things changing in my body. It started with the hot flashes and night sweats. Not every day/night, but enough for me to say - WAIT! Now, I'm not sure if the weight gain is from not being able to exercise forever or if it is due to this process my body is now going through. I have noticed other signs as well, that are probably too much for the www, so I wont talk about those.

I am one who doesn't mind growing older. I welcome the wrinkles. I don't mind the grey (although you can't see it anyway, for which I am slightly bummed). This new stage of life isn't one that I dread or fear.

What I didn't expect, though, and don't particularly enjoy are the massive mood swings, the full blown weepy days and the hazardous absentmindedness that I definitely go through. I am not fond of being a hazard. I don't like being in the car and forgetting where I'm driving to and have to drive along hoping I remember before I get to the exit at which I'm supposed to get off. OK, so that may be a tad exaggeration, but not by much. I definitely forget what I'm saying in mid conversation. I definitely have to think about where I have put things. Not good. I also feel that the mood swings from elation and joy to rage are also huge. Sometimes I can even feel my face flush with the power of my emotion. So far, I have not focussed this on the kids or Jeff, and rush into the bathroom or outside to breathe a bit. However, my voice can still be heard by those precious ones and the tone is not very pleasant. I also find I'm not reacting to things well. This can be hurtful, too. Now, thankfully, it isn't often all day or even every week. But enough for me to take a good look at myself and say, girl you gotta get some help!

So, if you know me, you will know what a huge step this is. I did end up at a Naturopathic's office. Thankfully, Jeff is willing to go with me. This is grand because he has the outsiders view to offer. He also can remind me of things I meant to talk about (see afore mentioned absentmindedness of the previous paragraph!) and he can help me in my quest to do what Dr. Dunn suggests.

I have other things going on, but have found out they may be all interrelated a bit. I have lower body temperature, which implies thyroid stress. I know because of the RSD my body has been under a ton of stress and if my memory serves me right the adrenal glands are incredibly active during times of stress...as well as produce the bodies natural form of cortisone. So, my adrenals have been under massive usage for a long time. Now with hormonal changes, they are being asked to do even more...and they are not responding as well as they might.

All is better, now, though. There is a great little cream I'm using. I still go through times of major trouble keeping on task and staying focussed. But at least I am not all over the page as far as moods go.

This has caused me to not write here much. I am most sad of this for it means I don't have what we've been up to. For life truly doesn't stop because my body is going through some adjustments.

We have had friends over and we played as well as made a cool heart pizza. I have made more food than I can even talk about. The three kids and I have gone to park day and frozen our tuckies off. While there we played some games, chased some kids and did our best to stay warm. We have celebrated a birthday of a good friend and enjoyed the celebration with Cameron's big family. We have made experiments with everything imaginable. We have brought home yet more cool rocks. We have dressed up and pretended to be all sorts of crazy things. We have won the Lego City part of Lego Star Wars on the Wii. I was able to help do it! Then we made a new record of doing it...and are trying to get to under 30 minutes. We have played the DS, Wii and a couple of board games. We have colored and played with clay. We have spent some time together swimming and being a family. We have had Rus here to have fun with. We have had hair dying in our home and look awesome! And...Jeff and I went on another date. How cool is this? Very.

There are thoughts and plans to see family this weekend coming up. There's a trip to NM via a stop in AZ in April. There's a conference coming up in May. Let the busy travel time begin!

PLUS, who could forget that Kai is turning 10! We are going to celebrate on the beach with 2 other friends who are also turning 10.

Could life get any sweeter?! I don't think so...

A better picture from Flo...

Here is a better view of the face work I did for the Mardi Gras party. Thanks, Flo!!!