How does your garden grow?

Sarah, Sarah, How does your garden grow?

Technically, it is OUR garden, but somehow it keeps being labeled MY garden. Since it is thriving right now, that's okay with me. Back when the entire thing had to be dug up, unsodded (is that the word?), sprinklered, manured, tilled, weeded, lined, weeded again -- it was better that it was "ours" because Allen did most of the hard work. (Thank you, My Love!) What did I do? I think I designed it, asked for help, and stood around scratching my head and pointing while Allen and Dad did the hardest parts. It has been several months of a lot of trial and error, and although I've lost a lot of plants to the heat, over-watering, bugs, snails and slugs, many of the plants are thriving and several have seasoned some tasty meals.

We have enjoyed many dinners with fresh chives, mint, oregano,Thai basil, and sweet basil. I love walking out to the garden in the afternoon, harvesting the herbs, then washing and eating them, knowing we grew them ourselves. Sadly, the tomato plants seem to be strong and thriving, but there haven't been any fruits -- none. The orange watermelons I planted have taken over a good part of the garden. In fact, the vines were growing so quickly (2-3 feet a day) we had to let them have part of the lawn. A few weeks ago, Allen and I counted 20 baby melons and just as we were wondering if we needed to thin the fruits, the plants took care of that on their own. Right now we have five or six that are growing fast -- almost doubling in size daily. My two butternut squash plants each have one large fruit, and I'm already dreaming of the delicious soup I will make if they do well. I was hoping to have some fresh tomato sauces, but maybe we'll try again next year. I was also hoping to make some delicious fresh-carrot meals, but the joke was on me. I had big leaves so I expected big carrots; when I pulled up the carrots, this is what they looked like.

Some of the plants that didn't survive include the tarragon (cooked in the sun), pink hydrangea, lilac, and arugula (but it may be making a come-back.Here are some of the healthy plants:

Green bell peppers (I saw the first fruits this morning!)

Orange watermelon and butternut squash

Lavender (it flowered briefly in the spring)

Oregano

Sweet basil

Thai basil (the black-purple blooms are beautiful)

MintChamomile (hasn't flowered yet)Balloon flowers (lots of white ones, just a few blue/purple) Monarda (the white flowers were just as pretty as the purple, but my photos didn't look right, and now the white ones aren't blooming) Jacob-Cline Monarda (just starting to bloom)
Wild romance asterBlack Knight Butterfly bush (the blooms are quite a bit darker now) Petunias (they started as a scrawny, preschool mother's day gift)
Marigolds surround the herbs and veggies
Amethyst astilbeShasta daisy Butterfly blue scabiosaMorning gloryClustered bellflowers

Bright-eyes tall phlox (just bloomed yesterday!)

This adventure has been exciting. Every day Allen and I got check on the fruits to see how much bigger they are. Every day I see something new sprouting or blooming. Since we planted perennials that will bloom in different seasons, we still have many that are doing well. Some that haven't bloomed yet but seem to be alive are the All Summer beauty hydrangea, Amber Wheels Gaillardia, Autumn Red Daylily, Belladonna Delphinium, Campanula Blue Clips, Cloth of Gold, Desmond Carnation, Keys of Heaven, Lemon Fluff, Pink Canterbury Bells, Pink Coneflower, Tenor Tall Phlox, and White Obedient Plant. It will be interesting to see which ones make it to next year.

Not fast enough

I had "Find a way to keep the fridge and freezer locked" on my list of things to do, but I didn't get to it fast enough. I came downstairs after changing Jon's diaper and found that Ben helped himself to a snack.

He proudly showed me what he called his "cheese block" but was actually a frozen stick of butter. Yes, he was chowing down, enjoying every bit of the frozen grease bar ON MY COUCH!!! Needless to say, the rest of the stick went into the trash and I rigged the appliance so they can't get in it (I hope.)

Morning shift

Just as I imagined it would, the tornado watch alarms began just hours after Allen got on the airplane for a business trip. I was glad that we didn't have more than rain and a few rumbles of thunder, but it's just a (little) bit humorous that everytime Allen leaves, the weather alerts start.

Allen has only been gone one night so far, but I can tell he's not here, and I'm ready to have him back home. Usually, Allen gets up early and plays a game before getting ready for work. Most of the time he's awake when the kids start waking so they stay out of trouble. On the other hand, I am a late riser, and not much use without some coffee in me. Now we get to the problem. . . the kids woke ME up.

Last night around 1:30am, someone was pulling the covers off me. I woke up startled that someone was in my bed staring at me. Once I determined it was Will, I sent him back to bed and was awakened 20 minutes later by his complaining that he couldn't sleep. The next time I woke up it was still dark, but there was a weird shuffling noise in the kitchen. Since I'm already on edge when Allen isn't home at night, I was a bit nervous until I realized it was already morning, just dark because it was rainy. I found Ben rearranging the freezer. He and Jon have learned how to open the refrigerator and freezer this week, and he obviously thought it needed to be cleaned out. I creaped up behind him and sternly said, "You get out of there, mister." He turned to me, wearing only a diaper and a huge smile, and cheerfully greeted me with "Good Morning, Mama! I'm hungry!"

This is why this makes me nervous. . . the triplets, as a group or individually, find more trouble and make bigger messes than Will did at the same age. This is what Will looked like at that age after he figured out how to open the fridge.

It wasn't long before Jon joined us in the kitchen while Will and Maddie played upstairs. When I went to check on the two upstairs, I didn't find Maddie until Will told me she was in the tent in the toyroom. I found her with a pile of Balmex diaper cream sample packs. She had opened one of the bodywash samplers and was smearing it on her toothbrush. No huge messes yet today, but I may set my alarm for early tomorrow.

No More Charmin

On the days I update my blogs, crazy things happen. Yesterday we learned that half a roll of Charmin is flushable. Today, I learned a double roll of is not flushable. . . . well, he flushed it, but that made the toilet overflow. Ah. . . the delight of finding my Ben swimming in the bathroom, so proud that he went potty by himself. Ugh!! No more questions of "When are you going to update your blog?" None. Nada. Zip.

It Starts So Sweet

The kids played zoo this morning. They used tents, shelves, and boxes to house a variety of stuffed animals. Some of the children became caged animals. Will claimed to be the zookeeper. This is how bickering and tears begin in our house. . . it all starts out so sweet.

Will: Maddie, do you have a question for me? I'm the zookeeper?
Maddie: I have B question for zoopeeper.
Will: What is your question?
Maddie: C question?
Will: WHAT IS YOUR QUESTION!?!?
Maddie: D?
Will: Mama! Maddie is not cooperating. She won't ask me her question?
Mama: Will, I don't know that she knows what question means.
Will: Maddie? Do you know what a question is? (back to a sweet voice)
Maddie: Cush-chun ABCDEFGHIJK? Yay! (oh, so proud!)
Will: I HATE this game! WAHHHHHHH!!!

. . . and for more info on what we've been up to, I have been updating my Project 365.

An Interview with Will

I got a kid questionnaire and decided it would be fun to know Will's answers. Here is how he tells it. . . for now, anyway.

1. What is something I always say to you?
Um. I love you.

2. What makes me happy?
Ben, Maddie, Jon and Will being happy and quiet.

3. What makes me sad?
When the children pull other childrens' hair.

4. How do I make you laugh?
Tickle me.

5. What was I like as a child?
You watched movies that we watch like Heidi.

6. How old am I?
33 (not yet, but getting there)

7. How tall am I?
This big (tapping the top of my head)

8. What is my favorite thing to do?
Watch us play

9. What do I do when you're not around?
That's a hard one. You've told me, but I forgot and I wasn't around to see. Let me guess. . . celebrate Mother's Day at a brunch.

10. If I become famous, what will it be for?
Because you want to be.

11. What am I really good at?
Spanking.

12. What am I not very good at?
Things I, Will, can do.

13. What is my job?
Your job is to keep children in bed at night and at naptime.

14. What is my favorite food?
Egg whites. Good guess, huh?

15. What makes you proud of me?
Because I love you.

16. If I was a cartoon character, who would I be?
Well, that's an easy one. A really easy one. Uh ... um... you'd be Winnie the Pooh or Spongebob. You pick.

17. What do you I do together?
Without the babies or with the babies? (Without) We go letterboxing and eat lunch out with Daddy.

18. How are you and I the same?
We have the same skin and little bit the same eyes and we go swimming.

19. How are you and I different?
We don't have the same hair color.

20. How do you know that I love you?
Because you kiss me a lot.

21. Where is my favorite place to go?
I don't know. I just don't know, but I think your favorite is to go eat with Daddy.

Completed by Will, age 5 1/2 -- July 2009

My Life According to Songs

Here is a quiz that I had fun answering. I wanted to save my answers to compare life now to another time in the future when I happen to revisit the quiz. Yes, it was challenging, but I enjoyed it.
Choosing only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. You can't use the band I used. Do not repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think!

Pick Your Artist: Neil Diamond
Are you a male or female: Lady Oh
Describe yourself: I am I said
How do you feel: Practially Newborn
Describe where you currently live: America
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: African Suite
Your favorite form of transportation: Reggae Strut
Your best friend is: Comin’ Home
You and your best friends are: Amazed and Confused
What's the weather like: I think It’s Gonna Rain Today
What's your favorite time? Deep in the Morning
If your life was a tv show, what would it be called: Surviving the Life
What is life to you: Beautiful Noise
Your current relationship: Mothers and daughters, Fathers and sons
Your fear: Fear of the Marketplace
What is the best advice you have to give: Everything’s Gonna Be Fine
Thought for the Day: Just Need to Love You More
How I would like to die: Love Potion Number Nine
My soul's present condition: I’m a Believer
My motto: The Good Lord Loves You

Everything I need to know

I'll admit a few days this week haven't been great. They start out calm and cheerful, but defiant kids and no naps turns me into a bit of a monster. We've read a lot of Magic Treehouse this week, and managed to keep the television off for the most part, but Wednesday I gave up. I needed a little peace, so I popped Mary Poppins into the DVD player and the kids and I watched it. I don't know if it's the singing and dancing, the dreamy scenery, or the perfectly-kept house and kids, but I LOVE MARY POPPINS and enjoyed every bit of it. When it was over I was completely cheerful again, (except for the little bit of sadness I feel when the credits roll because I hate that its over.) Afterwards, I couldn't quit thinking about what a great nanny MP is and I decided to look up a list -- the "Everything-I-need-to-know-in-life-I-learned-from-Mary Poppins-list." Sadly, I couldn't find one no matter how many word combos I put through Google. So I did the next best thing and made up my own. If you find one out there, please let me know. And if you can think of more to add to the list, add it. This may very well end up being right behind my Bible for parenting guidelines around here.

Everything I need to know I learned from Mary Poppins:

• Draw what you like, and like what you drew (Bert)


• Our daughters' daughters will adore us (Mrs. Banks)


• Have character that is spit spot spic and span


• Be unique


• A great purse can hold a lot


• Wear sensible shoes


• Be beautiful in a silly hat


• Smile when you look in the mirror


• Don't be too stern


• Have a cheery disposition


• Play games


• Be witty
  Be sweet and fairly pretty


• Sing songs


• Never be cross or cruel


• Find fun in mundane tasks


• Have a merry tune


• Never think of pressing your advantage


• A little spontaneity keeps conversation keen


• Feed the little birds


• Be well-educated, yet willing to learn


• Be clean


• Be honest


• Be kind


• Don’t be tender when the going gets tough


• Read stories without a big fuss


• Life doesn’t have to be fair


• Laugh (Uncle Albert)


• Kick your knees up (The chimneysweeps)


• Dirt washes off


• Never smell of barley water

Weekend updates

Thursday at 9:19am - Heading to story time at the library then lunch with Allen. I'm looking forward to getting out today!

Friday at 8:55am - It's been a long day . . . and it's not even 9AM yet. I am praying Ben isn't getting sick -- I can't figure out why he hasn't quit crying all morning.

Friday at 1:06pm - I vacuumed!! Well, half the house anyway. That is a huge accomplishment since I am crazy about sorting the toys as I put them away. Allen will be surprised. Ever since I was preg. with the 3, he's done 99% of the vacuuming. Ben crashed first -- the little guys must be tired.

Friday at 3:01pm - I found piles of sort and perfectly folded laundry on Will's bed. The problem? Instead of napping, he folded all the dirty clothes in the hamper. When I asked him to fold the clean clothes instead, he said, "You have to pay me to do that. And it can't be quarters, the babies might choke on the coins. You have to pay me dollars." That kid is way too smart and he sure knows what my buttons are.

Friday at 7:35pm - I sat down to check my email and was invaded by four 25-40 pound jumping, ribbiting "frogs." I'd better help get them in bed; we're rising with the sun to get more blueberries in the morning.

Saturday at 12:34pm - Out the door and buckled in carseats before 6:30am on a Saturday. What was I thinking? Actually we had a great time picking berries this morning, but Jon kept saying he wanted to pick brownberries, and Ben said he wanted to go to the beach. They were both happy -- rolling in and eating sand. They were covered head to toe in dirt and looked like the chimney-sweeps in Mary Poppins. We didn't take the camera and we haven't figured out how to get the photos off Allen's phone to share or print.

Saturday at 4:12pm - I am taking a break from chopping -- making honeydew salsa to have with grilled chicken. Following that with homemade lemon sherbet with blueberries if everything works out right. Mmmmmm. . . .

Saturday at 8:29pm - I am very,very frustrated that our Netflix movies are AWOL somewhere in this house. Either I'm losing my mind or little fingers helped them walk away.

Sunday at 11:13am - Allen and I have torn the house apart and still can't find those movies. We both swear they were by the tv, so we are afraid the little ones may have put them in the trash. We are usually good about keeping them in one of two places.

Sunday at 4:24pm - The kids napped and swam this afternoon. Will was asked not to sit on the side of the pool and when he did, he got time out. He insisted he wasn't "sitting" he was just "squatting."

Stop the Music

On the way to the library yesterday, the kids turned up the tunes. Nope. Not the radio. Will donned his shiny blue sunglasses and held his fist up for a mic.

Will: Here, Ben, you take the air guitar. Maddie, you play drums -- play rat-a-tat-tat-tat rat-a-tat-tat-tat. Jon, you can do the keyboard.
Jon: No. I'ant guitar!
Will: Ok. Ben, you have bass. Let Jon have the guitar. I'm going to sing. Loud. . . . I can't sing any longer. Ohhh. I can't sing any longer. Ohhh. I can't sing. . . Ben! You're holding the air guitar backward. Do it this way. Ok. Good. Hey, Maddie, I can't hear you. . . . Ok, guys. Let's try it from the top. One. Two. One. Two. Three. Four. Wawawa. I can't sing any longer. Ohhh. I can't sing any longer. Ohhh. I can't sing any longer. Ohhh. I can't sing any longer. Ohhh. Gimme some more sound! Hit it! I can't sing any longer. Ohhh. I can't sing any longer. Ohhh.

The volume continued to rise. Mostly from Will as he struggled to be heard over the road noise. In the mirror, Maddie watched out the window while she twirled her pig-tail. Jon kept a great beat on his lap-drum, and Ben kept right on playing the air guitar backwards with no sound. When I stopped at a red light I realized how loud they (or rather HE) were.

Me: You guys need to turn the volume down please.
Will: We can't. We're a band, not a radio.
Me: You will turn the noise down or I'll make you turn it off.
Will: The music won't stop while there is still an air guitar. We will be quiet when you break the air guitar. I can't sing any longer. Ohhh. I can't sing any longer. Ohhh.

Now I need some ideas on how to break the air guitar or how to teach more lyrics. . .

Celebrating the Fourth

I just love the fourth of July. I love the family-time together and that it is often spent with extended family. I love the way the community and country celebrates together. I love the barbecues. I love seeing Old Glory proudly displayed everywhere. I love dressing up in red, white, and blue and not feeling strange that my kids and husband and I are all a little bit coordinated (clothing-wise, anyway.) I love hearing the Star-spangled Banner. I love watching the parades, even when it is a shade-less 100+ degrees outside. I love the fireworks. I love watching the kids' amazement at the colorful sparkles against a late-night sky and hearing everyone ooh and ah in harmony. I LOVE the fourth of July!

This year, we spent the long weekend with Allen's family. We drove to Melissa Thursday evening and somehow got SO lucky! We managed to need to exit at a closed exit. When we continued west, the exit we needed next was blocked by five miles of four lanes of unmoving cars. And to make things even more special, our little car had about a dozen loud kids in it (so it seemed.) I was glad to make it to the Kaisers' before midnight, and although it seemed MUCH longer, it only took about 30 minutes more than normal.

Friday was fun. We had a few minutes to spare before we were to meet Jason and Jenn, and the kids were restless, so we went to hunt some nearly letterboxes. We ended the morning finding the two we set out to find, and in the process we introduced Randy and Shelley to our hobby, and let the kids explore a cemetery. Then we went to the pool for swimming and a barbecue. With six adults to four kids, it still was exhausting, but we had a wonderful time together. There was a small kids pool that Ben gleefully jumped into. Although he could stand in the 18-inches of water, when he jumped, he'd sit on the bottom then spring up out of the water. It continually scared ME, but he'd wipe his face and hop out to do it again. Other times, he'd just lunge through the water on his tummy, sink to the bottom, and happily repeat the process just to frighten me. After awhile I couldn't tell if he was enjoying the "swimming" or the making-Mama-jump-game, but either way, he is definitely getting comfortable in the H2O. The kids and I napped all afternoon, and it felt great -- why do I always sleep so well after spending time in chlorine and sunshine? That evening, Jason & Jenn, and Allen & I spent hours trying to decide what to do -- we ended up at Barnes & Noble, so I had a great time.Saturday was the Fourth, so I woke up excited. Have I mentioned how much I love Independence Day? After we got the kids dressed, we took our family photos before the kids could get messy. It was fun comparing the changes over the last year, and I hope we remember to take these same posed pictures every year. It sure takes a lot of patience to get four kids to sit still and smile all at the same time. After almost 100 quick pictures, we ended up liking the first photo the best. Within moments of starting the photo-shoot Jon was playing with his shirt, Maddie was pouting, Ben was running around (or away), and Will was making silly faces. Welcome to my life behind the Nikon and thanks for the help Nana & Papa!We tried to get the kids to take an early nap so we could have happy kids for the community parade, but they didn't snooze too long before we had to wake them up. It was ridiculously hot and sunny for a 2:30pm parade in July in Texas, but we went anyway. Randy, being on City Council, was in the parade, and he managed to get Will tucked in the convertible with him. Will was thrilled to be part of the parade, and he waved happily to the bystanders even though they couldn't see him through his sunhat. The little kids, Allen, Shelley, Jason, Jenn and I sat on the sidewalk waving at the parade, collecting the goodies, and trying to stay cool. Ben, who seems to love to see firetrucks, ambulances, and police cars, also loves to imitate the sirens (contributing to my and Allen's lack of hearing.) However, when the real vehicles creeped by with siren blaring, Ben couldn't hide fast enough. Many of the photos I took don't show Ben because he was behind Allen terrified. Maddie cowered by Daddy, too, but from what I remember, Jon covered his ears and stood his ground shouting, "WOUD, MAMA! WOUD!"

We went back to the house because it really was insane to be outside in the extreme heat. After a while, Randy went back for some ceremonies, then Shelley and Will went back to the park for the inflatable gyms and carnival games. Allen and I did our best to get the little ones to go to bed early. Again, it was a struggle to calm the kids so they'd rest, and it wasn't long before we woke them again. This time, we were taking them for their first fireworks show. I had some idea of what the little ones' reactions would be, and they didn't surprise me. When we were getting in the car, some neighbors were setting some off. With the first whistle and bang, Ben raced into the back of the car. Maddie cowered behind me. Jon said "Wow." When the real show started three hours after their bedtime, they were excited. Jon copied the crowd with his "Oooh! Pretty!" and later with "I want more! More fireworks!" Maddie was restless, going back and forth between the protective arms of Papa and Daddy. Ben snuggled with me or with Allen, and seemed to enjoy the beauty of the fireworks, but not the noise. As soon as he could, he started asking to go home to his bed. Was it worth it to wake them? I think so -- they are still talking about "Pretty fireworks in da sky!"

Sunday we woke up to lots and lots of rain.The heat-relief was welcomed, but the house seemed small with four busy kids, so we let them play outside. After the kids got over the shock of being in the rain, we all enjoyed it. Nana brought out an umbrella, sidewalk chalk, riding toys, and balls, and we all had fun. That afternoon, Allen and I ran some errands and visited the used bookstore. Last week on the way to the beach, I read one of the Magic Tree House series to Will, and we loved it. I was on a mission to find some more of the series, but we left the store with a lot more than just the kids' books. The long-weekend seemed to end too quickly, but it was definitely a fun way to spend three days.