Everyone have a safe and happy 4th. Enjoy those picnics, ballgames, and firework displays, but don’t forget what it is we’re really celebrating. 232 years ago great men and women fought tyranny for our freedom and today they still fighting and dieing today to protect his great nation. Please take a moment to remember them in the midst of your celebrations. Without them, we wouldn’t be the greatest nation in the world.

Yes, this is unabashedly patriotic, and I don’t really care what anyone else thinks about it. I am only speaking to the truth of my emotions.

So I don’t really have much of an answer to that question. I come up with ideas to blog all the time, but by the time I’m near my computer again, they’ve faded away. To be honest I’ve spent very little time online in general the past couple weeks. I’ve been trying to focus more on family-time. I’m not sure how successful I’ve been, but I’ll keep trying.

What I have managed to accomplish though is crossing several more items off my list. Most notable, to me anyhow, is one of my freebies. I’ve long wanted to recycle more but it was made difficult that the county recycling program only collects plastic. Sure it’s great to recycle all that plastic, but what about everything else like paper and aluminum? However, the city has finally started putting out collection bins for these items as well. They may not be collecting at the door like the do plastic, but they are making it much more accessible for everyone else. So much so that my husband thinks I’m recycling everything in sight. I’m feeling pretty good about myself for even remembering to bring home my recycling from work (ie, boxes from my snack crackers and granola bars).

I’m also hoping to cross another item off my list tomorrow. I’m not sure which one yet, but it’s likely going to be either “attend a gallery opening” or visiting Fallingwater and/or Kentuck Knob. You see Monday is my seven year wedding anniversary. Since both my husband and I will be at work Monday, we decided to celebrate tomorrow instead. It’s not quite clear what we were doing. Initially my husband was going to plan the day out and surprise me but apparently none of his ideas panned out, so we’ll be discussing some ideas once he gets home from the hockey game (which the Pens won 5-4, overcoming a 0-3 deficit!). Regardless of what we decide to do with our day, it is certain to include lunch or dinner at the Melting Pot, our favorite romantic meal location. We didn’t make it out there at all last year, so I’m really looking forward to it. A nice dinner and a child-free day. What could be better.

Okay, so that last statement sounds really bad. It’s not to say I don’t love every moment I get to spend with my boys. I cherish everyone of them. Even the not so pleasant ones when Maks is screaming because I’m not feeding him quickly enough or Nikolas is smarting off. But, it’s good to get some adult time. And a whole afternoon alone is a big improvement than the few minutes we’re able to snatch between the time the boys go to bed and we shut our own eyes.

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to bring your attention to a worthwhile cause, taking place today, Earth Hour 2008. It is designed to bring attention to climate change and it’s a n easy thing to do. You don’t have to go tie yourself to any trees, start riding a bike to work, or even start buying organic food. Simply turn off all your electronics and all your lights for one hour today, starting at 8 PM local time. One hour is all it takes to make a powerful statement that you are ready to make a change, that you are aware of a dangerous crisis that effects every single living thing on the earth.

Several cities across the globe have pledged to join in and will plunge themselves into darkness. Started in Sydney, Austrailia in 2007, it has grown exponentially over the past year. This year in the United States alone Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Atlanta, among others have agreed to participate. Don’t you think you should to?

“Mommy wait! I need to see myself.” Steps on stool, looks in mirror, “I look good.”
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“I’m a funny kid.”
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Me: Sorry, I took so long. Traffic was a bear.
Nikolas: There was a bear in traffic?
Me: Yes. A big one. He was scaring everyone so no one was going anywhere.

Rest of the night…
“Mommy, where’s the bear? Is he at Danny’s? (gas station). I don’t see him.”
“Mommy! There’s a bear on the roof. I’ll scare him. RAWR!”
“Mommy, is the bear inside Giant Eagles?”
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Gary: I’m going to drop you off at the door to pick up the diapers, and then we’ll go to the liquor store and you can get me a drink.

Nikolas: Me too.
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That’s a picture of mommy and daddy when they got married. When I was in mommy’s belly.
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Nikolas (pants lying discarded on floor): Mommy why does it stand up?

Me: So it doesn’t fall off.

Nikolas: I don’t like it!

Me: Then don’t play with it.
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Nikolas: Mommy, can I feed Maks?

Me: No honey, you can’t do it. He needs special Mommy milk.

Nikolas (pinching his nipple): Yes, I can. See!
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Nikolas: Daddy, were are we going?

Gary: The moo juice-store.

Nikolas: That’s left. Right?

Gary: That’s correct pal.

Nikolas: Mommy, was I right?

Me: Yes you were.

Nikolas: I’m a genius.
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Nikolas: Damma, do you have the stuff to feed Maks?

Damma: Yes, punkin. I’ve got the bottle right here.

Nikolas: No not that. That! (points at her chest)

Damma: No, I can’t feed him like that. I give him a bottle.

Nikolas: Then why do you have them.

Damma: For decoration.

Nikolas: Can I see?
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While listening to Taylor Swift’s new song “Picture to Burn…”

Daddy! She said stupid. But that’s okay. She’s my girlfriend.

I can hardly believe how quickly time goes by. My little lion is already six months old. In honor of that, we got Maks a cake to celebrate. And boy did he lick it up. Literally. He’d already been eating solids for about a month, so we figured that we’d let him “play” with his food some and he had a ball. Really we all did.

We had done this for Nikolas too when he was Maks’s age, but he wasn’t nearly as interested in playing with the cake as his baby brother. Nikolas didn’t even want to play with his cake at his one year birthday. I’m sure Maks will be a disaster when that day arrives. But I’d rather not think about that for now, and just enjoy him as he is. My tiny little lovable Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde. He has no in-betweens when it comes to his mood. He’s either Mr. Gigglesworth, all smiles and coos, or he’s the screaming mi-mi, Mr. Grumpypants. Of course, when we take him out in public, he’s always on his best behavior, and everyone only sees his adorable dimples. Such a flirt this one is, just like his big brother. As my husband says, it’s like being with rock stars every time we take them out. We’re stopped constantly by people telling us how adorable they are (and I’m not saying this to brag, seriously, it would be nice to go out grocery shopping just once without the constant interruptions.)

I don’t know how we’ll keep them under control as they get older. Nikolas is already “married” to his preschool sweetheart, Bailey and has a girlfriend on the side. And all this at only four years old.

In the fall, he’s going to be starting kindergarten. Kindergarten! I’m not sure whether to be excited for him, or to cry. Both of them are growing up in front of my eyes. It seems like just yesterday I was bring Nikolas home from the hospital, and now here he is in skating lessons and on the verge of starting school, helping mommy and daddy take care of his baby brother. Does all of it go by so fast?

One of my favorite things about my new apartment is the view from my porch. I love it in the summer when the creek is running high, the trees are green, the grass is lush, and the wildlife abundant. However, I find that I like the winter view even more. Yes I can now see the road on the other side, and the lights from the cars hit the wall at night, but after a fresh snow it’s just so peaceful. I wish I could have this view everyday.

Of course the view indoors is pretty peaceful today too. It’s been an indoors, hang out in the jammies and relax sort of day. We don’t have too many of these anymore, but I really enjoy them. In fact I might just mandate that we do this every Sunday. Of course it’s not as good when you have to institute it. Maybe I’ll just gently push everyone into it. Despite the fact that we’re all relaxing, I’ve managed to get quite a bit of work done. The laundry is sorted, waiting for a free machine, the kitchen cleaned and awaiting some chocolate raspberry chocolate cookies and pureed banana’s and avocado. It’s been so peaceful that Maks even napped for us. That’s something we can never get him to do. It was pretty short, only 30 minutes or so, but it was nice to see him actually sleep for a change.

If I get the chance and he’s amenable to another nap, I may go shut myself in my bedroom and try some meditation or prayer. My spirituality that is something that’s been abandoned lately and with Imbolc around the bend, I feel the need to renew my faith. Even though technically speaking the Gaels celebrated the new year at Samhuinn, Imbolc has always felt more like the new year to me. Something about it just feels so fresh and new. I know for most people they find February to be the darkest and coldest month, but even now I can already see that it’s starting to stay light a little longer and that is enough to tell me that winter is on it’s way out, even if it will still hold us in it’s grasp for a bit longer. And with winter ending, it means spring is just around the corner. Time for new life, new beginnings and second chances.

Just a random post that really has nothing to do with anything.

1) I suffer from OCD. No not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It’s far worse than that. Obsessive Closet Disorder. Seriously. I have to have my closet (and my son’s and husband’s) obsessively organized. My pants and skirts are all color coordinated. My jackets, blouses, and dresses are not only color coordinated but also hung by use and sleeve length. It really does make everything easier to find. No really.

2) I like bad jokes. Correction, I love bad jokes. More than I like good jokes. I may not laught at your good joke, but I’ll definitely laugh at a bad joke. I also like to tell bad jokes. They just amuse me more.

3) I color coordinate my underwear with my shirt. The only exception being if I’m wearing white pants, when I of course wear white underwear. Otherwise it must somehow match. If I’m wearing a green shirt, I’ve got to wear green underwear. I don’t know why.

4) I don’t put the Christmas tree up indoors. When I was living with the in-laws we put it on top of the jacuzzi framed in the dining room window. Now that we’ve moved into the apartment it’s on the balcony. It just looks good that way and you don’t have to rearrange any furniture.

5) I don’t like banana’s but my favorite ice cream treat is a banana split.

6) I’ve helped butcher a deer. My dad was driving home from work one night at four am and there were a couple bucks fighting in the middle of the road. He had to wait until they were done before he could move on. So when the fight was over, he shot the looser as it clearly wasn’t going to survive, drug it to the side of the road, went back into town to get permission to take it home and then woke all us kids up to help clean and dress it. A lot of fun in the middle of the night, let me tell you.

7) I want a taser gun. Really. Ever since I heard about taser gun parties being the new fad I’ve been dieing to get one. It would be for protection. I promise not to abuse it.

8) I won’t eat fresh tomatoes but I love just about any food prepared with cooked tomatoes, with the exception of marinara sauce. But ketchup, salsa, white pizza with tomatoes are delic.

9) If my husband has been drinking beer I won’t kiss him until he’s brushed his teeth and gargled with mouthwash. I can’t stand the taste that much.

10) I don’t read books more than once. Even my favorite books have only been read once. I’ve tried to read them again and just can’t bring myself to get more than a couple chapters in before I have to put it down because I can’t stand that sense of knowing what happens. But I’ll watch movies over again with no issues.

So Maks has recently started eating solid foods. We started out with rice cereal just because he was already getting it in his bottles to help increase his calorie intake, as he wasn’t putting on weight. Even with the cereal in the bottle he still wasn’t gaining so I decided to start introducing solids. I started with the cereal as I said and then moved on to sweet potatoes which he very much enjoys. We next tried bananas which has been another hit, though I noticed that when I mash them up myself as opposed to give him jarred baby food he much prefers it. I’m next going to try avocados. I’m honestly amazed by how many people recommend avocado as the first baby food instead of refined cereal. I knew it was healthy, but didn’t realize just how healthy. For instance it has 60% more potassium than a banana which I had always been told was the go-to food for potassium deficiency. I even learned that it makes an excellent sandwich spread, and is obviously a much healthier alternative to mayonnaise. In fact with as much as I learned about avocado’s this morning I’m going to make sure we all start eating more of them in general, not just the baby. I love avocados, especially scooped right out of the peel with a little salt. Yummy!

So based upon the nutrition aspect and of course the money factor, I’ve decided that instead of jarred baby foods we’re going to try making all our own foods. It seems to be relatively simple. All you need is a pot to steam or simmer the food and a food processor to puree it. Then simply freeze in an ice cube tray for up to two months of storage. Check, check, and check. It’s so easy I don’t know why more people don’t do it. Better for the environment, better on the pocket book, great way to introduce food into babies diet just like mom and dad eat, and most importantly more nutritious. So for anyone out there who has experience preparing their own baby foods, any tips or suggestions for someone just starting out?

Well, my hopes for the year have clearly been dashed. All of my good intentions to start paying attention to my blog again were an utter failure. I sometimes wonder if it’s worth keeping the blog anymore or if this is all just an exercise in futility.

What is evem the purpose of a blog, of my blog? Are people who keep blogs innately ego-maniacs who are full of themselves and think the rest of the world cares? Or is there something more to blogging. So many people do it keep in touch with family or to be a part of a community, but at the heart, is it just so that they can leave something behind? I see this a lot when reading about blogging. It keeps a lot of people from blogging apparently. I used to be bothered by the fact that I don’t have a large readership, but the more I think about it, the more I begin to realize that I don’t do this for the attention or for other people. I do it for myself. It’s a way of chronicling my life. Even the gaps in posting tell a story a thing. It tells the story of someone out living and not on the web pretending to live.

I think my blog is reaching a corner. Before I always felt it was directionless, not having a real direction. I couldn’t decide if it was a so-called “mommy-blog” or a spiritual blog or a crafting blog or a 1001 blog. Now I know it’s all of those things, because I am all of those things. We are all all of those things. No more am I going to wonder what this is about. It’s about me. It’s about life. And that’s all that matters. I’m not going to keep promising to post more often. I’d like to, but why keep making promises that I don’t know if I can keep. I’ll post when I can, when the mood strikes, nothing more, nothing less. If this blog is going to be for me, then really I’m going to make it about me and not put pressure on myself. I do that too much as it is. Life does that enough. So here it is. Take it or leave it. But this is the new direction of my blog. Of my life.

In the words of Sally Brown (for those of you who don’t get the reference - Charlie Brown’s little sister in the Peanuts comic strip) ” ‘All is well’…that’s my new philosophy…”