New Blog

I decided to start a new blog for my attempt at being creative daily.  You can check out my posts at thecreativelifeproject.blogspot.com

Hopefully, I will be able to meet my goal of at least 1 creative project completed per day.

Julie and Julia

I just watched this movie last night and was so impressed with the blogging idea and how it gave Julie something to write about.  I absolutely love to journal and to blog.  I do love my hand written journaling, but really like the online world of blogging.  Sometimes though, I don't always have something to write about.  This is the reason that I have absolutely loved Wishcasting Wednesday.  It gave me ideas on what to write about.

Now that I have watched Julie and Julia, I am thinking about writing on this blog daily.  I am thinking that I can write about my creative life.  I have a book of 365 creative ideas.  I am thinking about doing something creative every day and writing about it.  I am considering using this book for ideas when there is a creative block.  I want to make sure that I do something creative every day.  This means, scrapbooking, make jewelry, sewing, knitting, card making, and even cooking something new (not some recipe or a variation there of),  or even creating some new home health product with herbs or aromatherapy.  I will still write on my thiscrazylife-amy.blogspot.com but will use this one daily.

I actually am questioning if I should start a new blog for this reason.  If I start a new blog, I will make sure that I  write on this blog so that there is a direction to read what is happening.

Wish me luck on my daily creative adventure!

Amy

Pork chops and new Christmas craft

We had pork chops for dinner.  I needed to find a new way of cooking them.  I was tired of having pork chops under the broiler or on the grill.  I found a recipe from Rachel Ray on Foodtv.com and decided to tweak it somewhat given the ingredients that I had on hand.  I made a sauce with Zinfandel wine, chicken stock, onions, craisins, and goat cheese.  I wasn't sure how it would come out, but I loved it.  I never tweak recipes.  I pretty much follow them word for word with maybe a small decrease/increase in the amounts of non major ingredients or maybe swapping an ingredient that I don't have, but not anything major.  I was so proud of myself with this recipe.  I will make sure that I write down what I used and the approximate amounts.

I also found a great new project.  On http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/2009/12/homemade-christmas-gifts-redwork-hand.html I found my newest craft project.  I traced all 3 kids' hands and will be embroidering the outline of their hand along with their name and the date.  It seems like a simple project that shouldn't take too much time, yet something that will mean so much when they are older.  This may even be a gift for someone or maybe a couple of people, but definitely a project for me to keep.

The other project is making cookies for Christmas gifts for the neighbors.  I think I am going to make the 12 days of cookies for these gifts.  I am really looking forward to baking.  I love cooking/baking and am definitely enjoying making food for my family.

I am loving being a SAHM.

Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday

Today at @ http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/wishcasting-wednesday-december-2, Jamie asks "What is your wish for the winter season?"

I wish for snow!  You may think I'm crazy, but here in MA, it can get pretty cold and miserable through the winter.  For me a winter without snow is just grey and cold and miserable.  As much as I hate driving in it, shoveling it, and plain old getting around in it, I love watching the snow fall.  I love being out in the new fallen snow, and now that I have kids, I want them to love playing in the snow.  For me, snow makes the winter bearable.  Winter can be long and tough to deal with, but at least if there is snow, I am a much happier person.

Amy

Christmas Crafts

My latest creative endeavor is that of making Christmas stockings for the 3 kids.  I am currently embroidering on the embroidery machine with their name and maybe even their 1st Christmas year.  Eva Rose is going to have a Christmas Tree with presents underneath and I'm not sure what the boys will have.

I am also trying to think if I can make things for gifts.  First of all I have so many supplies that it will be good to use up some, it will be good not to have to spend money, and it will be nice to have things that are handmade.  I just now need to think what to give everyone and figure out if I have the time to complete things.  I have 4 necklaces that I will be giving to some family that I hope will have special meaning behind it.  I am also thinking that there are some other jewelry projects that I can make that will also have special meaning behind them.

I also want to start the tradition of making things for the kids each year.  They'll get other things also (store bought), but I think it's nice to have something special that mom and dad have made with their own hands. I plan to make a doll for my daughter and a blanket for my older son, and i need to figure out what to make for my youngest son.

Also for decorating for Christmas, I was thinking if I could make some ornaments that are not breakable for the lower half of the tree that would be awesome.  Then the tree could be fully decorated and safe with 3 babies on the move.

On to working on the stockings!

Amy

Getting Ready For The Christmas Season

It will be a very simple Christmas this year.  Mainly shopping for the kids, not really the adults.  I plan to do simple gifts and handcrafted gifts this year for most people, it's the teenagers in the group that I am nervous about making things for.  I told my husband that I want us each to make something for the kids for Christmas.  I want him to make the kids a wooden car each and I want to make Eva Rose a doll, Michael will get an Elmo blanket,  and I'm not sure what Thomas will get.  I would love to start a tradition that every year the kids get something handmade and in time get them to make things for others.

I am looking forward to continuing my steps to being healthier.  My goal is to eat less meat and more fruits and veggies.  I got a comment on my vegetarianism post that really has me thinking.  I will never go 100% vegetarianism or worse vegan, but I will decrease the amount of meat, especially red meat and maybe even go for more organic, better treated animals.  I would also like to start eating more beans and ethnic foods.  I want to eat healthy, but also have some really good flavors and I think that eating ethnically helps with flavors.  Getting ready for the holidays, means that eating healthy to be even more important and more difficult.

For Thanksgiving, I made spiced nuts and candy bark.  It was so good and so much fun to bring something different to people's houses.  I loved that people actually asked me where I got the nuts and were surprised when I said that I made them.  It's always so much fun to make something and have people not realize that it is homemade, yet be really happy that it is.

We need to decorate for Christmas.  This year should be interesting, since we have 3 kids under 2.  I am looking forward to decorating and celebrating Christmas now that we have ids, but I also need to ensure that the kids are safe!

Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday

This week, Jamie Ridler at http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/wishcasting-wednesday-november-25, asks "What steps do you wish to take?"

After reading a couple of other people's wishes, I realized that I have recently started taking steps to become a healthier me and hopefully a healthier family.  So far they have really only been small steps, but baby steps get you to where you want to be.  I have started cooking more at home instead of getting take out.  Don't get me wrong, we still get take out and we still have way too much junk food, but like last night we had salmon, broccoli rabe, and roasted yukon gold dreamer potatoes.  I am so not a fish eater, but I know salmon is much healthier than the red meat that I love to eat and I know that my husband really likes salmon and wants to start eating it more often and my 20 1/2 month old really ate great at dinner last night.  I think I may be cooking Indian Dal (lentils) for dinner tonight.  This is another dish that my husband really likes and it's a great dinner for the whole family to be able to eat including my 10 month old twins.  I also want to eat at our kitchen table, not in front of the TV.  This means keeping the kitchen clean so that I can cook and we can eat at the table!

Along with eating healthier, we really need to start exercising more.  My husband plans to set up his bike in the basement once his brother leaves Friday.  I plan to walk more often.  Even though it is getting cold, and I unfortunately didn't take advantage of the mild fall we have had here in MA, I plan to get out with the kids and just keep them bundled.  It won;t hurt them to be out in the cold weather as long as I have them bundled warm enough, plus it will be good for them to be outside.

Another way for me to be healthier is to make sure that I try to be creative every day.  I get on a roll, but then I tend to stop.  I think it is better for me to do small projects rather than large ones because with 3 kids completing large projects takes so much out of me.  I also need to be better at time management.  I can't not wait to the last minute to complete things, like I have done in the past!  This just ends up causing more stress and I don't enjoy being creative.

The last way that I want to be healthier is by journaling.  I love my blogs and Jamie has given me lots to think about.  I love blogging at thiscrazylife-amy.blogspot.com, since it is about my life with my family.  I do want to continue to journal in a paper journal though, because I believe that, at least for me, hand writing my thoughts and feelings on paper feels much better sometimes than blogging and it is much more personal.

What steps do you wish to take?

Amy

Cooking for Thanksgiving

This year, Thanksgiving will be a little different.  We will only be going to 1 of our family's house this year.  Usually, we do brunch with my family then we have dinner with my husband's family.  For the last few years that has meant Mass and either Conn or Maine.  I have also had the benefit of cooking the main course for brunch.  This year all I have to do is make an appetizer.  There will be other appetizers that sound yummy and I don't want to take away from them, but I want to make sure that what I make tastes good and is also seasonally related.  I went on-line and found a huge amount of recipes that all sound so good.  I think I decided on spiced nuts and candied bark.  I am really looking forward to making these new recipes.  They seem easy enough and maybe even can be made ahead of time so that I am not rushed Thanksgiving Day.  This year, even though we only have to go to one house, we have 3 small kids to get ready.  I am so looking forward to the holidays now that we have 3 kids.  With Christmas coming, I am looking forward to taking them to see lights and maybe even sing Christmas carols, never mind Santa.  I know that they are still way to small to even know what is happening this holiday and maybe even next year, but I know that Tom and I will have the memories of this first Christmas with our complete family.

Now I have to figure out what container to use!

Amy

The Joy Diet: Connections

What a well needed topic for me to write about.  Given that we are going into Thanksgiving week, I am thankful for the connections that I do have.  I have a wonderful husband who I feel extremely connected to and 3 beautiful children who I know I'm connected to.  I have a wonderful loving husband who loves me for who I am and all my faults that go along with me.  My 3 beautiful children are only 20 1/2 months and 10 months (twins), but I can feel the connection when they look at me and when I hold them.  I can only hope that this connection continues as they grow.

As a stay at home mom (which I love and am so thankful to be able to do), I sometimes feel disconnected with other adults.  I belong to a twin group, but for some reason, every time I think there is a connection, it ends up that I am wrong.  At this point in my life, I haven't been able to find many connections with other adults.  I need to look at myself and try to figure out what I may be doing to have a disconnect in my life.  I'd like to find a connection with other moms and with others in the creative community.

So as I finish writing about connections, I give thanks for the connections that I have and I plan to work on finding connections with others

I am thankful for the topics that have been brought up on wishcasting wednesday and also for the topics from The Joy Diet.

Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday

This week, Jamie Ridler asks what do you wish to embrace? http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/wishcasting-wednesday-november-18

I wish to embrace my confident self.  For what ever reason, I tend to lack confidence in many areas of my life.  From my creative expression to my relationship with my husband to my work as a mother.  Many times, I tell myself that what I create is good enough, but I'm not sure that I truly believe it.  I know that I often wonder why my husband has been with me for so many years.  I have to stress that this is my own issue.  He has never done anything to make me think that he doesn't want to be with me or thinks less of me.  If anything, he is probably one of the few people that truly loves me unconditionally.  I often wonder why he loves me like he does.  He is a wonderful man and is amazing as a person, husband, and a father.  I just lack the confidence to believe that someone like him could love someone like me.  I am the mother of 3 kids 20 1/2 months and 10 month old twins.  They are the best kids, I just hope that I am doing all that I should be to make them grow and develop as they should.

I know that some where deep inside of me there has to be a confident person.  I wish to find that person and truly embrace her and embrace that confidence every day of my life!

Wishcasting Wednesday has truly allowed me to think about things in my life and is probably one area where I truly write my feelings down with only a little censoring!

Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday

Jamie Ridler from http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/wishcasting-wednesday-november-11-2009 asks what do you wish to dare.

I wish to dare trusting myself.  Mainly this has to do with being a mom.  I have 3 kids, a 20 month old boy and 9 1/2 month old girl/boy twins.  It's amazing how things change when you go from 1 child to 3 in under a year.  With my older son.  I pretty much did what I felt was right.  I did succumb to trying out others suggestions, even though I knew that it wouldn't work for me and my situation.  But, ultimately I did what I thought was best.  Now with 3, I seem to be looking everywhere but within me for the answers to caring for my kids.  I belong to a twins group and as helpful as they have been, they are not the be all and end all to taking care of children.  Sometimes I remember to trust myself, but not always and unfortunately more often than not I tend not to trust my instincts.  Fortunately when it matters, I do trust my instincts, like when my 2 weeks old premature son was sick I knew something was wrong and he ended up in the NICU at Children's Hospital Boston, then a week later my daughter started to experience the same symptoms, my husband  and I knew that she needed to be admitted also.  Both were extremely sick and all the nurses and doctors praised us for trusting to know when our children were sick.  As crazy as it sounds, sometimes it's tough to know these things.  So I wish to trust my maternal instincts, listen to others advice, but only take what I need and not accept that everything everyone tells me is gospel.

On the same vein, I also wish to dare trusting my judgement when it comes to choosing my career path.  2 years ago, I got my MSW and now I am thinking of doing something different.  Something more creative.  I have thought about going back to school for a certificate in art therapy, but with 3 kids that may not be so doable.

I really wish to dare to trust myself in all aspects of my life!

Amy

Going Vegetarian

I am considering going vegetarian.  Maybe I'm crazy, but I really need to start eating better.  First of all I eat way too much junk food.  I realize that becoming a vegetarian is not the answer, but I think I eat way too much meat especially red meat.  I am not a major animal rights person with regards to being a vegetarian, but eating less eat would be a great way to start doing better with regards to animal rights.  I really need to start eating more veggies.  Becoming vegetarian or at least a semi-vegetarian would definitely help with that.  The other thing is that I don't deal well with too much fat in my diet.  Don't get me wrong, I love fatty food, it just makes me sooooooo sick!  Red meat is so high in fat and calories, plus if you believe the blood type diet, I should be eating more vegetarian anyway.  Plus, I really should look at the Body Ecology diet since that is a really healthy way to eat.  I really should at least do the food combining.  That may make things better for me health wise.  I think becoming a vegetarian will help with my belief that we need to start thinking about our impact on our planet.  I think the best way for me to do this is to start by cutting red meat out of my diet.  Then I can cut out poultry and fish.  I don't think that i am against eggs and dairy, but I definitely think that I want to cut down on those too.  Maybe I'll look into a vegetarian book.  I should never have gotten rid of my Moosewood cookbook.

My goal is to be the healthiest I can be, for me, my wonderful husband and my 3 beautiful kids!

Wish me luck!
Amy

handmade body products

I have slowly started to add handmade products to what I use on a daily basis.  It started with handmade pomade, then moved on to some simple household cleansers.  My biggest love is my deodorant.  I found a recipe for coconut oil, baking soda, and corn starch along with essential oils.  I hated using the store bought kind that would leave me feeling dirty and filmy no matter how much I washed.  I even tried natural store bought deodorants, but they either didn't work or still had stuff I didn't want in them.  I have been loving what I have been using.  I am at the point where I think I have cleaned out my system enough that if I forget deodorant, it doesn't really matter.  I will still be using my handmade deodorant every day, but feel better knowing that I will not stink if I run out with out.  My husband was just saying the same thing and he just started using it.  I have just started, within the last couple of days, using castile soap watered down with jojoba and essential oils for a facial cleanser and so far I love it!  I don't have that greasy feeling after a couple of hours, yet I feel really clean.  The other thing I am trying is a tiny bit of castile soap, avocado oil, water and a drop of german chamomile and lavender essential oil used with flannel cloths for diaper changes as well as corn starch and the same oils for powder.  So far I love it.  I also tried just water and german chamomile and lavender and flannel cloth and may stick with that for home but the other for when we are out as it is more portable.  One day, I 'll try my owns soap.

Attempting to live a more natural life, but not always doing the best!

Amy

The Joy Diet: Play

Jamie Ridler of http://tnc-thejoydiet.blogspot.com/ talks about play in Martha beck's book The Joy Diet.

I think this is a great topic to write about and I have really enjoyed reading other people posts on this chapter.  I think as adults we don't play any where near enough.  We are taught from too young of an age, especially lately that play in not good.  We should be more focused.  More focused on our career, getting good grades, keeping a clean house, being a good parent (having well behaved, smart focused kids), and many more things that take away our creativity and play.  I have read fairly recently in our town's newspaper that they have taken away recess from elementary age ids so that they can have more classroom time.  Isn't play just as important in learning as literal school work?  I think so.  Could this be why there is so much ADHD?  We are expected to be so focused and we can't dream or have many different ideas and desires at once.  I know from my own past that I stopped art classes after 67th grade because I should focus more on school work.  I wish that I had kept up my creativity instead of waiting til I was in my 20's (thankfully it was only my 20's and not later)  I am the mom of 3 beautiful kids and I hope that I can encourage them to play what ever that means for them.  I hope that I can continue to play with them and on my own.  I so want to look back on my life and be happy with the way I lived.  Not to look back and think everything was perfect, but that I lived the best I could at the time, loved as much as I could, and enjoyed life to it's fullest.

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth."
— Mark Twain


Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday

Jamie at www.jamieridlerstudios.ca/experiencewish asks what you wish to experience.


I wish to experience my dreams.  I dream of traveling around the United States with my husband and children.  6 years ago, my husband, who was then my boyfriend, and I traveled cross country all the way to Oregon.  It was the best trip of my life.  I wish I had been able to spend more time in many of the places we stopped and even to get to travel to places that we didn't on that trip.  With in this wish I wish to experience the beauty, peace, and wonderment of our beautiful country!


The other dream I have is to use my creativity as a way to provide for my family.  Right now, I just don't have time with having 3 kids 19 1/2 months and 9 month old twins.  I have ideas on how to do this.  Maybe go back to school to be an expressive arts therapist, maybe just sell things that I create, maybe learn ore about aromatherapy and create a line of natural body and cleansing products.  So many ideas, so much fear of failure and so much procrastination.


Thanks to Jamie for helping all of us think about things for ourselves!


Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday

Jamie at  www.jamieridlerstudios.ca/treatwish asks what treat you wish for.  I wish for time.  This is probably something that everyone would wish for.  I don't wish for more time for things like housework and boring things like that.  I wish for more time to relax, be creative, have fun, read a book, sleep as long as I want when I want, and travel.


Tomorrow it will be a year that I went on bed rest with the twins.  It was a very trying time since we were afraid that I would go into labor and have them way too early.  Thankfully I had them 12 weeks later.  But I had 3 months of having to do nothing (I hated it then and probably would hate it even now that I want time), but I didn't really utilize it the best I could.  If I could go back and do it over, I would have done things totally different.  All I did was sleep and watch TV.  I would have read more, still slept, watched less TV, created more, relaxed and meditated more, etc.


One day this may happen!

The Joy Diet: Risk

So I have been commenting on the Joy Diet chapters on this blog for a couple of weeks.  Risk is not something that I am good at doing.  I am not a risk taker!  I fear failure!  Unfortunately I am a perfectionist and if I don't think that I can do something, I very rarely try it.  That is one of my biggest faults.  I may have a true desire, but I don't attempt it due to fearing failure.  For me, it's amazing how the 3 topics have melded so well.  The first thing that I wrote about was desire.  One thing that I think I desire is using my love of creativity and my professional career choice of social work to provide for my family.  That also contains some of what I wrote about with regards to creativity.  I am so afraid that I will make a fool of myself by failing that I don't  want to take the risk.  One thing that I have been thinking about doing is combining journal making with journaling (as a job) so that I can be creative and also utilize my degree which I worked so hard for and actually do enjoy.  I am taking a professional workshop in journal in December and hope that it will help me be able to take a risk and move forward with this dream.  Even if I don't truly act as a social worker, but can just show people the benefits of journaling, I think that I will be happy, especially if I am also helping them to create the journal that they are documenting in.  Along with this I think that I would love to do more with soul collages.  I experienced this during a social work class and never really did anything with it.  Lastly, I am interested in aromatherapy and am slowly learning on my own.  I would love to take the risk and do more with it.

So I definitely have risk that I want to take, and maybe I am slowly moving forward to actually taking them.  I am at least trying to learn more so that if and when I do take the risk, I will have more knowledge, which will hopefully make me more comfortable!

Wishcasting Wednesday

I'm joining in again with http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/ for wishcasting Wednesday.  I love these questions to get your thought going!

What do you wish to say yes to?

I want to say yes to my true, authentic self.  What is that?  I am not totally sure, but I think I am someone who wants to always learn new things, things that aren't always the mainstream culture.  I want to say yes to being more spiritual, more natural, more creative.  I want to say yes to trying new things, to trying to use my love of creativity and natural health to help provide for my family.  I want to say yes to using my social work experience along with all of this if possible.  I will be learning more about aromatherapy (unfortunately through books and not classes) and will be taking a journaling class in December.  I wish to use this new information in all areas of my life.

I also wish to say yes to blogging about my true feelings without holding back.  I am realizing just how much I love blogging, my form of electronic journaling.  I still like to keep a handwritten journal, but I am finding my blogs to be more accessible at times.

Amy

The Joy Diet: Creativity

Last week's post was about desires.  One of my desires related to this week's topic: Creativity.  The only problem is that given that I am a SAHM to 3 kids under 2, I have very little time to fulfill my creative desires.  Since we are down to only one income, lack of free funds also limits my creativity since I am unable to try out al the new creative ideas that are out there.

When I think about my life, I think that I have always been a creative person.  My favorite Christmas gift as a child was the large box of craft supplies that my grandparents would get us each year.  I loved learning to sew, knit, and crochet from my grandmother.  I loved going through her scrap yarn and material.  I loved playing in my dad's woodshop.  I loved doing ceramics with my mom.  Then I became a teenager and dropped all the craft things that I loved for friend and school.  The one creative thing that I did keep was music.  I remained active in the school's music dept and was able to enjoy it, but when I look back, I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed my other creative endeavors.  Once I graduated from college and started working, I started to pick up being creative again and loved trying out new creative ventures.

I recently have had a very busy 3 years.  I now don't have the time and even the energy to be as creative as I would like.  Thankfully, I am able to be creative because I want to create things for my 3 kids.  I was able to make them simple Christening outfits and need to start on their Halloween costumes.  As much as I am grateful that I am being creative, I wish that I was able to create for the fun, but not just for the end product.

My wish/goal is to find time everyday to be creative.  It doesn't have to be a grand activity, actually it can be something small as long as it fulfills that creative part of me.  I believe the act of being creative vs the end product of creativity is what is important.  As a social worker, I believe that creativity is an important way to feed the body, mind, and soul and someday I'll find a way to combine the 2.

Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday

What do I wish to let go of?  I'm joining in with http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/ for Wishcasting Wednesday.

Unfortunately, I think I tend to hold on to thing longer than I should.  Even when I think I have let go of different issues that come up in my life, I find that sometimes these issues come back to haunt me and I realize that I have just forgotten for a moment, but did not really let go.  Right now I think that the thing I need to let go of most is my frustration with my brother in law.  We have had issues in the past, and I have to admit that things are much better this time around, but things are still stressful with him as I'm sure he feels they are with me.  I think, no I know that I need to let go of things in the past with him and move forward on a more positive note.  I know that one thing that I need to let go of with him is the fact that he could make a living with his passion and he does not use it that way.  I think I know my passions but I don't think that I could really make a true living at it, at least not with a family.  I am trying to find a way to use what I am passionate about in a career setting, but I don't know if I will ever be able to do so.  I will continue to search for a career where I can be passionate about what I am doing, but I will really try to let go of my jealousy/envy of those who could have this but don't seem to want to use it.

Amy

The Joy Diet:Desire

I found this blog that talked about The Joy Diet, a book from Martha Beck and decided to join in.  The current topic is desire.  I think when we first think about the word desire we think more about sexual desire, but for me right now desire is what do I most want out of life.  I desire to have fun with my 3 kids, I desire to have a happy, healthy life and home, I desire to be more creative, and I desire to ensure that my husband and I have time to share with each other!  I pretty much am able to ensure that all of this happens, but I am no where near as creative as I would like to be.  With 3 kids 19 months and 8 1/2 months, it is difficult to find time to meet all of one's desires.

I think that there is one desire that I am no where near fulfilling.  I want to find what I want to do with my life.  What is my passion?  What can I do for work that will allow me to provide for my family while stimulating my desires and passions and make me happy?  I know that being creative in my life's work is very important, I just haven't found how to do that!  One day I will find my true passion and a way to make it work to help provide for my family.

With the next chapter being creativity, I plan to start a new creative endeavor this week!  I still need scarecrow decorations for the yard.  I was going to buy them, but they just looked so cheezy and cheap.  I have all the supplies to make them, but I haven't yet.  I plan to create them on my own, not following a pattern.  I then need to sew halloween costume, make a guest book for my sister's wedding, and finish writing out thank you cards for the kids' Christening (I already have made the cards).  Lots to do to keep up my creativity.  I just need to make sure that I maintain my enjoyment of creating and not let it get to be more of a chore than a pleasure.

Next time, Creativity!

Amy

Going Green

Well my plan to go green has not been going well at all.  I started out doing great when I started this blog, but now that Tom is back in school, it's crazy how busy I am.  Things are much busier and we haven't been able to get to the farmers market as much as we were during the summer.  I still try to cook more than doing take out, but we are doing take out more than I would like.  I am also spending more time in my car, which is definitely not green.  I have not been walking like I wanted to.  My goal was to shop daily by walking to the grocery store with the 3 kids.  That way, I would be buying what we needed, not using the car as much, and getting some exercise.  Unfortunately I have not been doing this.  I was actually going to start today, but it is raining and I am not taking 3 kids for a walk in the rain.  Thankfully I had bought most of the stuff for a crockpot version of butternut squash soup.  I believe that the crockpot (slow cooker) is a pretty green way of cooking.  Not only can you save energy this way, but I can get dinner started in the morning and not have to worry about it for the rest of the day.  So far I have made 2 new recipes in the slow cooker.  Tonight is the squash soup with no dairy.  Supposedly it's just as creamy as other versions that are ladened with cream and fat.  We'll see how it turns out.  I did buy a new slow cooker cook book that I will be trying out often (I hope).  I hope to get back on track with my going green!  I am still trying to recycle, but still need to work better on not driving as much, cooking for my family, and trying to eat either locally or what's in season!  Also I need to continue to eat healthier, exercise and use green cleaning products!

Go Green!

Christening outfits

I'm almost finished with Thomas' outfit for Sunday.  I can't believe that I still have 1 more to make and maybe even making the hats and finishing Eva Rose's sweater.   I can't believe how quickly this Christening has come about.  We are having all 3 kids Christened on Sunday.  Then we are having everyone back to the house.  I can't believe that we are having a ton of people back to the house, but it will be fun to have everyone together.

Eva Rose's outfit

Michael wearing his outfit that is not quite finished.  Thomas will have the same one!

Off to work on the finishing touches to Michael's outfit!

Amy

Creating

I love to be creative!  I just don't have the time right now.  I am still working on Eva Rose's sweater for her Baptism and then to actually make the boys outfit!  Thankfully the patterns are simple.  Hopefully, they are going to look good and will look enough like Christening outfits.  Then I have to make a guest book for my sister's wedding and hopefully she'll like it.  Then I need to make halloween costumes for Eva Rose and Michael.  Hopefully, Thomas will be able to use Michael's from last year, but I am afraid that I will have to make one for him also.  We are planning on the kids all being characters from the Wizard of Oz.  I have a scarecrow and need to make Dorothy and either another scarecrow or lion, maybe 2!  Then there are the multiple scrapbooks for my wedding, and all the kids, never mind wanting to learn to make soap for the family!

So much to do and not enough time to do it!  I will try to find time to be creative and enjoy it not to just do it!

Amy

Cloth diapering and creating

I am mainly cloth diapering my 3 little ones and have for the last couple of months.  I do sometimes out them in disposables, but pretty much only my twins.  My 18 month old is always in cloth since he has such sensitive skin.  We have a decent amount of PULs and pre-folds, but I am considering making my own wool covers or fleece covers, even my own pre-folds.

I miss creating.  I want to make things for my children.  That has always been my wish, to be able to create things for my children and maybe at the same time make money creating.  Even if I can get myself to a point where I have the energy to create, that is my first goal.  I still still have to make the boys their Christening outfits and my daughter her sweater for her outfit.  I should actually stop writing this blog and start working on the sweater.  I also need to complete my sister's guest book for her wedding.  I am so looking forward to making that.  I love paper crafts.

There are so many things that I need/want to complete.  I am off to work on that sweater!

Amy

Way Back When-esday

I decided to join in on the fun with way back When-esday

Thomas and Eva Rose just days old

Thomas and Eva Rose now!

Ok, so not so way back, but such a change!

In just a little over 7 month these little guys have grown and changed so much.  They went through a lot to get here and then went through some sickness early on, but now they are healthy and strong.

Amy

Natural products

Here I am trying to be good and by products that are good for you and I end up buying things that still contain things that are harmful for you. I went to Whole Foods tonight and bought shampoo that I thought would be good. I should have listened to my instincts and put it back. I read the ingredient list and had concerns over some of the listed ingredients. I went home and looked up some of the ingredients that I had concerns over and I was right. How do you know when you are buying products that are safe. There is so much out there, but you don't know if it harmful or not! One more reason to make my own!

I did make some massage oil for my husbands legs. Hopefully this will help him when they are achy and he can't sleep or maybe this will help him not have achy legs. We'll have to wait and see!!

Hopefully I will be able to make my own products and hopefully I will learn more about aromatherapy!

Amy

Newest concoction

So, the handmade deodorant is going well. I love that there is no film left under my arms, yet I don't stink. I have been using baking soda and salt with some peppermint oil mixed in for my toothpaste. I never thought that I would use baking soda or salt as toothpaste, but I am and I am actually enjoying it. I need to start ordering some things to make creams, soaps, and various other necessary household things. I also made some floral smelling oil from Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles. I did switch out the rose oil for bergamot oil, yet it still seems to work. I need to learn more about essential oils/aromatherapy and then I can hopefully make my own blends. I will also be trying my hand at natural housecleaners. Hopefully thy'll work well and I won't have to have dangerous concoctions around with the 3 kiddos.

Oh, I also started knitting the sweater for my daughter's christening outfit. The dress is sleeveless and the Christening is in Oct. Now I still have to make my sons' outfits and also 2 halloween costumes!

Stay tuned for more natural and handmade things.

Amy

Update

I made the natural deodorant and was not expecting great things given my past experience with natural deodorants. I was pleasantly surprised that this actually worked. I wore it all day yesterday and after taking care of 3 kids and doing errands all day, by bedtime I was still smelling just fine. I even made my husband check to see if it was working and he said it was. This has definitely spurned me on to making more of my own natural products. I need to find out more about essential oils and maybe try my hand at actual soap making. I have heard really good things about natural soap and how much better it is for your skin. Then there is always the cost benefit from making your own never mind using the best products that you can find vs leaving up to other to decide what average or below average product they want to use. So at this point I have made my own hair wax and my own deodorant and am on to making my own cologne.

Wish me luck in this endeavor,
Amy

http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/03/quick-stick-deodorant.html is the website that I got the recipe!

Tuesday

I have been so tired trying to find a deoderant that works,yet doesn't leave a wicked film under my arms. I have tried so many deoderants and anti-perspirants, from that regular secret type drug strore varieties to the totally natural salt crystals. I decided that I would try to make my own. I found what seems to be a decent recipe consisting of baking soda, cornstarch, coconut oil, and lavender oil (tea tree oil also works supossedly). So far so good, but I haven't attempted anything during the day yet. Tomorrow will be the true test of how it works. I hope it works since I love the smell and can only imagine that it is going to leave my underarms feeling much better than the drug store varieties!

I have so many projects to work on! I wrote down what I need to complete over the next couple of months and can't believe what I have to do. I love making things, but can't seem to find the time that I would like to have. I guess that is what happend when you have 3 kids under a year and a half. I have to say though, I wouldn't change a thing about my life. I have the best husband and the best 3 children anyone could ask for. My husband is so supportive of my wish to be more natural and more holisitic.

As a family, this summer we have gone to so many farms and farmer's markets. Tonight for dinner we had a chicken from Tendercrop Farm in Newbury, purple potatoes from a farm in Hamilton, and Amaranth greens from the Hmong Farmers. Such a good dinner, even Michael my 17 1/2 month old liked everything. My plan is to continue to cook most of our food myself. With winter coming sooner than later, I guess we'll go back to buying food from the grocery store.

I'll post how thge deoderant works and any further natural things that i do.

Amy

Baptism

We need to have all 3 kids baptized and I am attempting to make all their outfits. I have started cutting out the pattern for my daughter and have actually completed the embroidery on the front top. I think I may be crazy to attempt this, but they are going to be very simple cotton outfits and I am so excited to be able to have made my kids baptism outfits. I can't wait to have them completed and see what they look like on the kids.

Once that is completed I need to sew 2 halloween costumes. We will all be a character from the Wizard of Oz. I have already made Tom a scarecrow and me Dorothy many years ago. Last year I made Michael a scarecrow which will become Thomas' costume and Michael will either be a scarecrow, but bigger or the cowardly lion and Eva Rose will be a mini Dorothy! Crazy but awesome

Amy

BTW- Cloth diapers are going great so far. Not too difficult when you use a combo of disposable and cloth!

Newest Changes

Well I broke down and decided to go for it. I am doing a mixture of cloth diapers and disposable for all 3 kids. We started with the oldest first since he was having skin issues. It has certainly seemed to help with his rashes. I'm sure cloth diapers for 3 is not going to be easy, but I feel like I really have to do something to change my carbon footprint and the effect my decision have on this world now and in the furture. I was saying to my husband today that I don't know if this is an early midlife crisis that is making me question my ways of daily life and what I am doing to harm the future of this planet, but I think that questioning this is a good thing. What even small changes can I do to help keep this planet a healthy place for my kids and future generations of kids. I want to eat local, buy local, use service people local. I have actually been feeling this way for quite some time, and now I am actually acting on it. I also want to ensure that I am doing things that are healthy for my body, my husband's and my kid's. I plan on using natural soaps, eating better, making my own baby food etc.

Now let's see if I can maintain thses changes. I am well aware that with 3 kids, there is only so much I can do and I am willing to not be so cut and dry with what needs to change.

Amy

Blueberry picking

Yesterday we went to Tendercrop farms in Newbury MA. I think it was the first hot day of the summer. They had a buffalo and llama that Michael just loveds to look at. I loved that he is finally interested in animals. We saw that they had blueberry picking and decided since Michael loves blueberries so much we would pick some. We had the most fabulous time and got some great blueberries. It's amazing how much different they taste than the grocery stores variety. We then went to the market that they have at the farm and bought chicken, hamburger, and a buch of vegetables and flowers. Everything that we bought was raised at the farm. We grilled the chicken tonight and what a difference from store bought chickens!

Today we went to Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, MA. It was again, a perfect day. Michael had fun and it was so nice to be out in the fresh air enjoying summer without a bunch of crowds, like at the beach.

Newest Changes

Well, we decided to try cloth diapers, at least with our oldest. It's probably really crazy to want to attempt cloth diapers with all 3, but I really would feel great if they were all in cloth. Neither birth went the way I wanted it to and I was unable to nurse like I wanted to. So I hope that I can at least do some things that are more natural and better for them like cloth diaper and natural products that hopefully will be better for their skin. It's a work in progress and i have to say, my oldest's skin is so much better looking after 2 days with mostly cloth.

We also started planting flowers in the front of the house. They are mostly cutting from other people's gardens. I really like that most of the plants are not from big industrial chain stores, but from other's back/front yards. Yes, I am well aware that they all probably started at those big chain stores, but I like not propagating the use of chain stores when I can hlelp it.

Wish me luck with the changes that I am making and hope to make in the future!

Amy

The handmade life

Am I crazy? My goal is to be less dependent on stores for made items. I want to buy the raw material and then make things on my own. I have already started with some hair wax. So far so good. I have been making my own jewelry for sometime now and have also made a few things, like curtains, for the house. I hope to teach my children the value of being less commercial and more community sustaining, along with creating handmade things yourself. Since I have a son 16 months and girl/boy twins 6 months, I am undertaking a huge task. At this point though, I feel like I need to start somewhere. If I can't do all I want now, then I can start small and do more as things in life hopefully get easier. This blog is to document the trials and tribulations of attempting to be less dependent on the large commercial stores and items. I'm sure there will be ups and down like all of life, but I feel that it is important to try and support either handmade/home grown or your community. There will be certain things that I will still be buying commercially, but I hope to decrease it's amount.

Wish me luck,
Amy