Check out this awesome scarf I made for K. I am certainly not a seamstress. So, I am very proud of myself for completing this scarf. And isn’t the fabric great!! It’s so cute!! K hates it! 🙂
Author Archives: Maria
heart ache
I feel like an absolute, humongous pile of shit when I have to discipline K! I really hate it! She is having issues with biting me when she gets too excited. Putting her in her room for ‘time-out’ seems to be the only thing that gets her to calm down and stop biting, for a while. Tonight, she was running around the kitchen while I was doing the dishes. She ran up to me and bit my leg. I grabbed her up and went straight back to her room, placed her inside and closed the door…for two minutes. Two minutes that still leave me enough time to open my rib cage and tear my heart out while she sits behind the door crying. After two minutes, with my saggy heart in my hand, I knock on her door, “K, can you please try really hard not to bite mommy anymore? Please??” I open the door and she slowly walks out with her sweet, little head hung low. She walks up to me, turns around and sits in my lap, as if asking for forgiveness. My heart starts to dissolve. And if that wasn’t enough, she lets out a few of those half breaths that you make when you’ve been crying so hard that you feel like you can’t breath and then she leans her head onto my chest.
You’re killing me, kid!!! Killing me!!
Let Freedom Ring!
So, I have finished my last exam and given my final presentation. Yes, I know I was only in school for one semester, but it sure feels nice to be done! I have so many other things to keep me busy. Plus, I can always go back to get my Master’s degree some other time, right? Well, maybe… some of you may know that in 1998, I was supposed to start at Emory to get my Masters in Midwifery. But, I decided not to one month before school started. At least this time, I made it through a full semester. So, the way I figure it, I will need 2 more possibe degree options and then one final real one to finally get a masters if I keep doing it at this rate 🙂
On another note, I am having some problems with Suki (the dog). She seems to be very happy that K is walking now. Because, as Suki sees it, that means she is free game to chase and stomp on. Whenever we are all outside, Suki charges K and knocks her down. So, now I have to keep Suki in the house when K is outside. It sucks! But, yesterday when we were all inside, Suki charged at K and pushed her down hard, then stepped on her. I said a few choice words to Suki and tossed her outside (well, more like slowly shoved…she is 65 pounds you know??) I’m not sure what to do. It’s going to be years before K is really big enough to defend herself and, though Suki is extremely smart and knows that she isn’t supposed to chase K, she can’t seem to control herself. I think Suki needs a playmate. But, one – She is an akita and very unfriendly to other dogs and two – I don’t know that I want to take on another dog right now!!
Hot Porn Tree
We have cut up a hardwood tree from the front yard and it is ready to innoculate with shitake spawn. I did a little research and figured out that it is an Eastern Hophornbeam. So, I yelled this fact across the living room to Toby, who was in the kitchen washing his hands…”What?? A Hot Porn Tree?? Awesome!!” he said. He is very excited to see what pops up out of this tree:-)
She’s a mean one, Mrs. Grinch
So, I decided to play the grinch today. We (Toby, K and I) are supposed to go back to Asheville on the 10th for Toby’s Office Holiday party, and then back to Asheville again 2 weeks later for Christmas. I told Toby today that I would travel for one of those weekends but not both…and that means K would only be traveling for one too. Here’s why…of the past 4 weeks, we have traveled 3 of them (to NY for the Marathon and to Asheville, twice), with, let me emphasize, the 17 month old. During this time, we have had to find someone (and it was a different person every time, poor animals) to watch the animals, the house has become a complete wreck, and none of the stuff that we were supposed to have done before winter has gotten done. We still have 75 trees to take down in the front before our house can get any solar heat, I still have to sew up the insulating curtains, and let’s not forget about Christmas cards!!! I know, bitch and moan, but I decided that I have had enough. I almost popped yesterday (that’s popped, not pooped!) after tripping over the stroller, in the middle of the living room. So, since I am a little tightly wound (is that how you spell it?), I decided not to go to Asheville on the 10th. And since I don’t want to wean K yet. Toby will make the trip by himself and I will have the house, and K, to myself. At first glance, you might think it is harder to have to take care of K by myself, but I actually think it is easier. Because we don’t have to worry about anyone else’s schedule, or clean up after anyone else…I’m not saying that Toby is a needy pig, but you now what I mean, it’s just easier by yourself, even with a toddler in tow. So, once next week is over and school is done, maybe I will have some time to put my feet up and chill…I hope so!
On a happier note, I talked with my mother tonight and she said that the Herbal Ulcer Syrup that I made for her has her feeling 95% better! It’s always so good to hear when things work well. Even though I know what these herbs are supposed to do, it’s nice to hear good feedback.
What I’ve been up to this past week that I haven’t been blogging
-Researched and ordered shitake mushroom plugs for the trees that we took down in the front yard.
-Mourned the trees we took down in the front yard, but am very happy for the warm sunlight that we are now getting on our house.
-Still working on my new product line…I’ve already ordered ~ 20 pounds of different herbs…mmmmmm
-Visited family, step-family, family-in-law, soon-to-be-family.
-Took all the Thanksgiving turkey frying oil from my brother and put it in my car! (Yup, the Jetta can run on turkey frying oil too!)
-Finally finished my last school project.
-Tried a good bit of goat milk to see if I can drink it without getting all gassy…so far, so good. (You wanted to know that, right?)
-Taught K how to say “wierdo”, “fuzzy”, “papaw”, “super duper”, “booty” (as in ‘pirate’s booty’ the smack), “bling bling” (as in her Aunt Carla, now called aunt bling bling, since she was trying to get K to say bling bling instead of thank you! That’s what you get for trying to teach my daughter inproper inglish!)
-Spent some time trying to figure out how to be a good mom and wife without losing my mind. I need a week vacation at some seaweed mud spa!!
Happy (almost) first day of December!
Oh, who knows…
Toby had a rough day today, so I took him out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant we had never been to before. (Whose spirits aren’t lightened by a ton of chips and salsa and greasy cheese??) After dinner, our little tornado (aka-K) decided she didn’t want to get into the car. She has just recently realized that she is mobile and doesn’t need to be carried everywhere. So, since it was a fairly nice night out, she decided to take a stroll. Toby and I followed her around while she waddled around the block, powering her locomotion by a flailing right arm. She is such a total cutie!! We probably walked around for 20 minutes…which is a lot for her!! It’s easy to remember what a wonderful life I have when I look at her.
On another note…The photographers from Kiplinger’s came down for the photo shoot on Friday. I was expecting a snooty group of people who would throw their noses in the air and complain about how unphotogenic we are. But everyone was completely wonderful. Neither one of us likes to have our photographs taken and we were in front of the camera for ~3 1/2 hours, but they made Toby and I feel very much at ease. I believe the issue will be coming our early next year. It will be the 2005 Best Mutual Funds issue. I’m so not a wall street woman…it’s wild to think my face will be on the cover of the magazine. SOOO I have started working on the re-vamp of my business (I really hope it does get mentioned in the article). Here are my ideas for new products:
SOAPS
- Peppermint/Poppy Seed
- Gardener’s Scrub
- Cinnamon/Oatmeal
- Lavender/Rose
- Coffee ‘Morning-Pick-Me-Up’
- Jewelweed/Poison Ivy Soap
TEAS
- Rooibos Daily Tea
- Lover’s Tea
KIDS
- Immunity Blend Glycerite
- Respiratory Health Glycerite
OTHER
- Green Sea Goddess Facial Scrub
I would love some feedback…would you use it, catchy names, anything (this is where I need you lurkers to speak up!! Maybe you’ll get some samples!)
Potty training intensive
Somewhere hidden deep in my family tree, one of my ancestors had sex with a storm and they had offspring. Those genes have been lying dormant in my child until just recently, when K put on her cape and turned into The Great Tornado, whirling through the house at break-neck speed, able to trip over small cats in a single bound. I use to be able to keep up with her, keeping the house in a state of clean, some-what. Now, God help me!
This evening, I just couldn’t take it anymore. So, K and I locked ourselves in the bathroom (the only room in the house that hadn’t been ransacked by the Great Tornado, yet) and had an evening class on Potty Training 101. K is only 16 months, so I have not really tried potty training with her yet. But, she has been showing interest – saying and signing ‘potty’ when Toby or I go to the bathroom, patting on the toilet and saying ‘potty’. taking her diaper wipes and trying to clean the cat’s unmentionables (except, I just mentioned them). So, since K insisted on being naked this evening, I thought we (she) would be naked on the potty. It was a very successful evening. We learned that butt’s and yoni’s go in the toilet, not your feet, or mommy’s shampoo. We learned that once you put the toilet paper in the toilet, you don’t take it out and use it again, and you certainly don’t put it back on the toilet paper roll. It went so well, and K was so mentally exhausted from learning about crap, that she went to bed at 6pm!!
Now, to clean the house before tomorrow’s forcasted tormado hits!
Favorite Moments
My favorite moment of today:
Driving to school, alone in the car, music blaring the local 80’s station, singing at the top of my lungs…”Been around the world and Ieeeyaaeeeyaaee, I can’t find mah baybeh…”
NYC Marathon
The race was amazing!! I’ve been in big crouds of people before, but there is no way to adequately describe the feeling of watching 35 thousand people from 100 different countries running in New York City, surrounded by over 2 million cheering spectators. It was electrifying! We had a blast!!! Even Toby, who is currently hobbling around the house discussing how he will be sore for a week, had a great time! He ran 26.2 miles in 4 hours and 46 minutes, and that includes the times he stopped to take pictures, eat an orange, and stand in line to pee! I’m beeming with pride for my man. Here are just a few shots I took for your viewing pleasure:
Mile 17, Toby stops for an orange and a picture. That’s my sister to my right. She flew up to NY to visit and watch the marathon.
This is the sea of runners after they have crossed the finish line in Central Park and were given their medals and warming blankets.
Four More Years
Four more years of his macho, take over the world, bullshit! Four more years of lies! Four more years of support for the rich! Four more years of destroying the environment! Four more years by scaring this country into feeling like we can’t live normal lives without constantly looking over our shoulders! Four more years of forgetting about the children! I know that Kerry is not the end all-be all, but he’s certainly better than what we’ve got now!!
I am depressed. I am sad and disappointed. I am scared for this country. I am scared to see what is going to happen in the next four years. I am more worried about four more years of Bush and his crew than I am about terrorism, that’s for sure!! Toby joked about moving to New Zealand if Bush won…now, I am seriously thinking about it!!
I don’t want to believe it. Please, somebody wake me up!!
Me, A Cover Girl!
OK, so ~2 months ago I wrote an email to Kiplinger’s Magazine asking them some financial advice. I wasn’t really expecting much of an answer, but I thought, what the hooey. Well, I got not only an answer, but a phone call from one of the big wigs at the magazine. We talked for ~40 minutes and he ended by saying that he may call on me sometime if he needs to write an article about mutual funds for short term investing (which is what we talked about). Long story short, we are not only going to be in an article, we are going to be on the COVER of the magazine!! AND we are not only going to be on the cover, but we are going to be on the cover of the “Best Mutual Funds” issue, the best and most popular issue of the year!!! WOW!! All because of a little question. So, now they are sending down photographers to spend the day with us, do our hair, buy our photo clothes and get shots for the cover and one for inside the mag. Isn’t that crazy!!
So, since my business might be mentioned in the article, I’ve decided it is time to do a total overhaul to the website, product inventory, etc. If you have any suggestions for new products that you might like to see, or anything else, please let me know!
Hoop Class
I took my last of four hooping classes tonight (a nice little break from listening to the poll results). I’m getting more fluid with moving the hoop around and still really enjoying it! After class Julia did a fire hoop demonstration.
That’s me in the middle
Hooping blindfolded
The offer is still open for anyone who wants to learn to hoop…I’ll make you one for free!!!!
Halloween 2004
We had a jam packed weekend with parties, family and friends visiting, and soap making! On Friday night, we went to a Halloween costume party being thrown by the Biodiesel Co-Op that we are a part of. Toby actually went dressed as one of the head-honchos of the Co-Op and it was hysterical!! He put on glasses, brushed his hair down and wore a Biodiesel t-shirt. That’s Toby on the left 
I was a Flower Fairy and K was a bumble bee. 
Here she is with her cousin Meredith at the local Halloween Carnival.
Before the Sunday festivities, Toby and I made some soap. We haven’t bought soap in over 4 years!! Our favorite recipe is Pepermint-Poppy Seed Soap. MMmmmm Although, sometimes we put a dash too much peppermint essential oil and it gets a little too tingly for those ‘special’ areas 🙂 I am thinking about making a coffee soap…for those of you out there trying to cut back on your caffeine. Just shower with the coffee soap and the smell with perk you right up!! Like those ‘zest-fully clean’ commercials.
Grandma’s girl
This post is for grandma…who hasn’t seen her baby girl in far too long…
Heaven or Hell?
Have any of you wondered what little Mikey Seaver has been up to in the last 20 years?? Well….
I took the Ten Commandments survey and discovered that I am definitely going to hell!!
Winter Medicine Making
Every Fall, I try to prepare for the cold and flu season by making some herbal remedies to help get me through the winter. I always make some Elderberry syrup and maybe a garlic tonic…things to nip a cold in the bud. This year, I thought I would invite some people over to share in the fun of making medicines. So, I had a small group of people at my house today for a winter herbal medicine making class. It was a blast! We made a huge batch of Elderberry syrup, some nutritional vinegars, and some herbal cough drops. They all turned out very yummy! Here are the recipes we used if you are interested in trying them out.
Laura smelling the cooking Elderberries.
Rachel straining the Elderberries.
Andrea stirring the cough drop tea and supporting her back (She’s due anyday! :-))
The nutritional vinegars with Astragalus, Ginseng, Shitake mushrooms, and Umboshi plums.
Fall fun
Aside from the mental tribulations of how to best lead satisfying lives, we had a wonderful weekend!! On Sat. we went to a friends house for pumpkin bread, lentil soup and apple cider, followed by pumpkin carving! It was great to be out and social! Sometimes I feel like we are stuck in our house doing chores all the time (if max would just learn to poop out side, we could get rid of that stupid litterbox!!).
Then on Sunday, we drove out to Silk Hope for the Shakori Hills Music Festival. Toby was helping at the Biodiesel table, while K and I roamed. She loved the music. Especially the woman singing in spanish…she was mesmerized. There were also lots of people doing face painting and henna. So, of course, K needed to get a painting…
Dazed and Confused
Well, Toby and I have been talking at length (my mouth is dry!!) about our goals and priorities for our family and life. On our way to Raleigh today we wrote down our priorities. Here is my list, in no particular order:
-
Have time to spend with my family and my friends(what’s the point in having a family if you never get time to spend with them)
Raise my family (meaning I don’t want to have to put K in daycare or have someone else be the mother figure to her so that I can spend more time at work)
Creating a healthy family (I want the time to make cook healthy meals for the family and make herbal medicines for them, etc.)
Work toward self-sufficiency and a sustainable home (homesteading) this one is a biggie!
When I read over my list I realized that no where in there did I mention anything about being a librarian or getting my MLS degree. And any jobs that I think I would enjoy doing after graduating probably wouldn’t even require an MLS degree. So, I am really trying to hash out why I am in this program and if it is beneficial to my goals or just a side step. I am really enjoying it. The intellectual stimulation and the people are wonderful. But that’s no reason to pay thousands of dollars. If what Toby and I want is to live more simply, more sustainably, to work the land and to get the word out to other people about living more gently on the earth, then what will an MLS get me? Contacts, yes, knowledge, yes, but I could also be taking classes at the CCCC that are directly related to sustainability while still developing contacts and gaining knowledge. I just don’t know. I know I will ultimately be happier if I get out of this rat race, but I grew up in this society and it’s hard to get rid of that little voice that keeps saying “make more money”. “buy more things”, “you need recognition from your job”. Being a mother and living simple and healthy lives gets no recognition in the society. Plus, I know that there are many things that I could learn from this program and I feel like a failure when I think about quitting, but, like I said, I feel like I am taking side steps instead of walking a straight line. Usually there is some over riding factor that makes it easier to make a hard decision like this, but there is nothing here. I just don’t know which decision would be more beneficial for everyone involved. I’d love to hear your thoughts… (if it’s too much to put in the comment section, please email me directly
Cooler Weather
Wow, what a beautiful day! The sky was blue, the air was crisp…
I took K out to run some errands and she fell asleep in the car seat before we got to the store. So, I took her out of the seat (we were in Carrboro, by a nice, green patch of grass) and we laid down under a willow tree while she slept for a while. I’d almost forgotten what it was like to have her sleep on my chest. I love to kiss her head while she sleeps…
With the cooler weather, it is time to move some of my plants indoors. This usually makes the house feel a little more crowded. But, also, more like a little tropical paradise! Here’s the bedroom:
Check out the banana. It’s only one year old! I’m hoping it will fruit this next year.
Weekend accomplishments
Accomplishments this weekend:
Saturday – diddly-squat!
Sunday – Planted 7 mums, 3 echinacea, 2 horehound, 2 rosemary, 2 catnip, 2 st. john’s wort, 1 bay laurel, 1 mugwart, 1 stevia, 1 ginkgo, repotted some aloe, started setting up my cold-frame for fall plantings, mowed the lawn, took out the recycling, cleaned the house A/C filter, and blogged. I’m tired! I’m going to bed!
My car is a vegetarian
We did it!! This weekend, we finished the engine conversion and we are now running our Jetta on straight vegetable oil!! Well, we actually start the car on biodiesel, and once the engine is warm enough, we flip a switch that changes fuel tanks and it runs on vegetable oil. We are talking with some area restaurants to see where we can get some waste oil from. Then, we just filter it and put it in the car. Toby is working on a website detailing the experience. I’ll let you know when it is up.
Autumn Equinox
I hope everyone is enjoying the first day of Fall!! In celebration, I made some apple cider, with fresh apples, cinnamon and ginger. Mmmm, Mmmm, good!!
Here is a picture of K from last fall. It’s one of my favorite pictures, so I thought I would decorate my blog with it today. Have a good one!!
Solar Dehydrator
So, after a rainy summer, overcast weather, and two hurricanes I have finally had a chance to try my home-made solar dehydrator, and it worked great!! Our yard gets very little sun right now…lots of trees. But, the dehydrator was out in the sun from 11 AM until 3:30 PM. I tried drying apples and bananas and in only 4 1/2 hours the dehydrator heated up really well. The fruit was about half dried by 3:30 (when the sun went behind the trees). So, if the dehydrator could gotten more sun-hours, I think it would have been quicker to dry the fruit in the sun than with my electric dehydrator!! (The rack of fruit sat inside the upper box while drying.)
Hooping anyone??
OK, who out there wants to hoop?? I have all the stuff it takes to make them (the big adult hoops, not the little flimsy kid ones), cool colored tapes and everything, and I will make you one, FREE. Here’s the deal…You have to come and hoop with me!! Yes, I am lonely and desparate and I want a hoop friend! Here are a couple more sites to get you interested!! I’m serious…Free hoop, just be my hoop friend!
Corruption of the child
I’ve been reading this book, Born To Buy by Juliet B. Schor, and it is making me furious. Schor talks about the commercialization of todays children and the changes that have happened in the last few years. Because of todays marketers directly targeting infants, toddlers, children and teens she states:
“at age one, [the average american child] is watching Teletubbies and eating the food of its ‘promo partners’ Burger King and McDonald’s. Kids can recognize logos by eighteen months, and before reaching their second birthday, they’re asking for products by brand name. By three or three and a half, experts say, children start to believe that brands communicate their personal qualities, for example, that they’re cool, or strong, or smart. Even before starting school, the likelihood of having a television in their bedrooms is 25 percent, and their viewing time is just over two hours a day.”
Or what about the fact that elementary and middle school kids are now asking for (and getting) cosmetic surgery, including aesthetic enhancements for eyes, lips, chins and ears!!! That’s insane!!! What happend to just being a child, playing in the woods and making forts out of cardboard boxes, or just playing with your moms old make-up if you wanted ‘aesthetic enhancements’??? This makes me so angry I could scream!! Who gave these marketing companies the right to tell my child that she isn’t pretty enough if she doesn’t wear Donna Karen, or that she isn’t cool enough if she doesn’t have the latest Happy Meal toy crap, or the newest cell phone, TV or car??? And why are parents letting this happen?? Yes, I know parents are working more so that they can provide a better life for themselves and their kids? But, maybe we all need to step back and re-evaluate whether the money is worth the real cost to our kids lives! If we don’t have the time or energy to monitor all this junk that is entering and influencing our childrens lives, who will? And if we don’t step up soon and fight for our childrens right to have an uncorrupted childhood, what is going to happen in the next ten years???
First Steps
K took her first steps (on her own will) today. We had been standing her up and trying to get her to “walk to mommy”. But this time she was standing by the couch and just turned around and walked to me!! It was awesome! What a great feeling! (K got really excited and you could tell she was proud. But, man, I’ve been smiling all night long!) We caught some walking (a few minutes later) on video (it’s really grainy, but cute all the same).
Hooping is a dangerous sport!
Last night I was trying to learn how to keep the hoop going around my knees! Check out my bruises! (Maybe I need to start taking my vitamins :-o)
Miracles
Well, we’ve perfomed a miracle! Just call me Saint Maria 🙂 My precious, frequent-patron-of-Mama’s-All-Night-Dairy-Bar daughter slept through the night the past two nights!! From 7:30pm until 6:30am, K slept without nursing!!! For those of you that don’t know K, this is an amazing feat! We have been co-sleeping since she was born and if mama, let me rephrase that, if the boobs are in bed with her, then it means she needs to be on them!! Especially in the wee hours, when she would nurse continuously! So, I bought a twin mattress and put it in K’s room. My plan was to get up from the family bed when she started getting boobie needy, leave her in there with Toby, and go sleep on the bed in her room. If the boobs aren’t in bed with her, she sleeps fine. Well, Toby was taking a nap in our room the other night when it was time to put K to sleep. So, I nursed her to sleep on the bed in her room and planned on just bringing her to our bed when she woke up. But, she didn’t wake up until the next morning!! So, we tried this again last night and it worked again! We are floored! Yeah, we miss snuggling next to our sweet baby, but hey, I don’t even notice she’s gone, ’cause I am actually asleep!! Novel concept, eh?? Sleeping in a bed!!
Sand Play
We headed down to the beach this past weekend and had a blast!! It’s probably been 20 years since I’ve really played in the sand. (I think we should all have a mandatory week of playing in the sand every year!) K was scared of the waves and doesn’t like the feeling of sand. So, I just sat down with her on my lap and let the waves run over our legs. After a few minutes and was playing in the sand, too! She even started her own shell collection. 
It was a wonderful break from our structured lives.