Family Time!

I really need to vaccum and steam clean the carpet but everyone in the house is napping but me and the fish and I am not so sure they aren't napping too! So I am sitting down to post about Mother's Day.

But today was a blast! and I need to blog on that first!
We had a busy busy day today! Madhava painted ONE fence post before his arm was going to fall off (from pure boredom).Took longer to prep him to paint then it did for him to get tired of it LOL! Then he took on the job of entertaining Shraddha while Roger and I painted the fence posts. I still think entertaining Shraddha was a much harder job, but more fun. They were playing in the sprinklers and in the kiddie pool. Madhava was trying hard to keep his head above the 1 foot of water while Shraddha the Shark clobbered him. Then after they ate all the watermelon they could stand and were completely waterlogged they rode trikes. That was great fun until Shraddha got too frustrated and demanded Bubba push her around the property in her stroller. 4x4 hopping bumping stroller ride around our gofer holes and dog dirt mounds was screaming fun! The sprinklers that were forgotten were just too tempting for big brother and we ended our outside fun when Shraddha, self strapped into the stroller, was stuck out in the sprinklers. But I was very ready to be done painting fence posts anyway LOL!

Here is Shraddha waking Madhava up after naptime so they can go swing together with Daddy, notice her mouth is open wide so she can scream really loudly - just in case Bubba thought he could go back to sleep.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day May 13th, 2007
I haven't had a chance to post about my Mother's Day until now. After a nice French Toast breakfast by Roger, we all went outside to play. Ok well, Roger went out to bring our property up to fire code by doing some bushwackin' while Shraddha and I picked wildflower bouquets.

The weeds were so high and thick that we couldn't get to the flowers until a path was cut down at least not without stepping on any snakes! Shraddha was so excited to see the flowers... there were so many that the surrounding hillsides looked purple.

She was even more excited to get a chance to cut the flowers herself.


We broke out the Playdough and our new Mr. Playdough Head parts. One of the best toys we have ever bought! This is serious playtime as you can see, it goes on for almost an hour! The novelty still hasn't worn out she plays with it everyday that we are home.

Shraddha had to try the nose on herself just to make sure it was going to be a good fit.

Mother's Day Orchids!

Playing Opossum

Madhava was telling me yesterday that he would really like to see a opossum. I explained that they were sure to live out here but that I haven't seen even one. Then, of course, tonight I open my front door to see what the dog is barking at, to find a baby opossum hanging on the fence we put around our lilac tree.

Cutest little thing hissing at me and showing me his/her? 50 teeth when I got too close. But somehow decided it was ok to let me put it in my hat to bring in the house and show Madhava. I just now realized that those huge city sized rats that the dog/cat have been leaving at my front door were not really rats. It seems this opossum's siblings probably played possum and the dog/cat had their fun. This one here was the only one smart enough to climb UP!

Why was this little guy in my yard? I was thinking it was the dog food but since the first "rat" showed up we moved it. But our yard has a plethora of slugs, grasshoppers, frogs, lizards, mice and vegetation. A regular 'possum smorgasbord!

Here is the little marsupial in my hat and everyone but me the cat and dog are asleep. Check out that cute little prehensile tail.

Here are a couple other visitors that are not playing possum. A skink and blue belly lizard.

More posts to come.... Mother's Day pics, Mr. Play-dough Head, More on Potty training.

What am I doing today?

Well, besides spending lots of playtime and cuddle time with Shraddha, I broke out the paints and started on a picture that has been developing for some time. Shraddha enjoyed watching and painting with me. She went on and on about "Mama paint, Baby paint...MORE PAINT!!!! sigh.... I am cleaning the kitchen, the bathrooms and I hope to get to vacuum and do some yoga oh and finish planting my strawberries and herbs in my strawberry pot... nice and safe from gofers HA! but not babies LOL! I had to turn the A/C on it is HOT in here at 6pm 82 degrees and the sun shinning right in! - usually if I can make it thru 8pm I just need to open the windows.

This week I plan on...

1. hitting the gym - I even have a list of yoga classes.

2. Returning those library books for the kids - would have been cheaper to buy them by this point LOL.

3. Finding some time to play with my yarn.

4. Last and certainly not least.... make sure I have some structured meditation time every day. I certainly am meditative and receive much intuitive info during those times but it isn't structured where I can go deeper into meditation.

Funny how relevant this is with some conversations I have been having lately.

Sai Baba thought of the day...

Evil qualities like desire, anger and hatred may arise in you at times but
they should not be allowed to take root in the mind. When someone comes to your doorstep with his baggage, if you receive him and start exchanging pleasantries, he will immediately enter and settle down in your house. On the other hand, if you ignore him completely, he will seek lodging elsewhere. Likewise, when evil thoughts arise, just ignore them. On the other hand, if you entertain them, they will rule over you. When you come across something evil, do not look at it, talk about it or listen to it; just ignore it. You should permit entry into your mind
only that which is sacred. Do not allow evil to enter. Only then can you attain peace. - Baba

Good Job Shraddha!

Shraddha pooped in the potty! Whoo HOOOO! I will spare you the pictures on this one.
But if you could just see how proud she was and her beaming smile. Funny how poop can make a mom's day a little brighter!

I gave her a big hug and two stickers. Where did she stick the stickers? Right on her diaper of course.

Family Time!

I just finally uploaded my pictures to the computer. I had this post saved as a draft since Monday!

Another Big Family Weekend!
May 5 & 6, 2007
Saturday:

Roger cleared out some high grass and made room to get the truck out and room to plant some trees! The grass was so thick and so high that you couldn't see if there were snakes. So it was totally inaccessable to us. And I have had enough of chopping up rattlesnakes for this month!

We purchased some trees that we have been wanting since we moved here!

Fuji Apple, Asian pear (Apple-Pear), Almond, Pomegranet, Cherry and Apricot. Redwood for the front yard.

I still have a bunch of herbs and strawberries to plant and even have some sunflowers starting to pop out of the dirt. I was just thinking it was getting late and I really wanted to get some basil planted when I noticed that all the little weeds where the basil was last year are actually basil seedlings YEAH! I have a TON!

We also went to a carnival for Centerville. I met a friend I haven't seen in 4 years! And remembered why it had been 4 years. Somthing about her husband being my ex's best friend. That is a little hard on a friendship. I think I was the one that just let it go. Plus she abruptly ended the conversation with a patronizing pat on my shoulder when she asked if I was working and I said that I was only working a few hours a week b/c I really wanted to be home with my baby. It is amazing to me how you can be so close to someone and have many of the same values and common interests - until you have children and go in opposite directions.

I am very lucky and happy to have the opportunity to surround myself with moms and friends that are supportive and that have the same parenting ideals that I have.

Sunday:

We went to play at a garden center and purchased some more plants and gofer bate. Blueberry Misty and Thompson seedless grapes YEAH! and chocolate mint YUM!

We decided we want a tree for shading the roof and the front yard but haven't picked it out yet.
Chinese Pistachio, Liquid amber? Ginko, Aspen? Silverdoller eucolyptus? maybe something that flowers? or a ornamental purple red plum? - ah maybe not by the front door. And we want a kumkwat tree and a meyer lemon! roses, jasmine, and gardinia.

I just could barely get the laundry clean and hung out to dry and all the meals (but breakfast) and all the dishes cleaned as well as watering the plants. between all that and babytime and time at the nursery.... I still didnt get the laundry folded. and I am stealing my sleeping time to get caught up on emails some peaceful time alone and blogging.

Ok, time to fly

That's right, I'm going back to making lists. I've got lists for everything. Nothing seems to get done if it isn't on a list. And why create a list when one has already been made. So, Flylady, hear I come!

I'm also working on a time log so I can figure out where all my time goes. I feel like I bust booty all day sometimes just so see that it looks I did nothing all day.

And I absolutely need to get back to yoga, working out, a regular meditation time and knitting and crochet . It is absolutely amazing how much creativity comes back when your house is in order. (Now to just keep it that way) I keep thinking about getting back to painting and already have the picture in my head.

Oh and blogging. LOL I need to update this page - I still have a snowy pic up there. And believe me it is NOT snowy here right now. Had the A/C running this past week! Tons of wildflower pics and beautiful yellow hills. Have to upload those tomorrow.