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Aug. 5th, 2009 01:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
altarflameYesterday Ananda and I loaded up on sunblock, chugged a couple of glasses of water each, and rode our bikes to Aunt Laura's house to exchange dark chocolate (packed in ice) for HP and the Chamber of Secrets. Annie finished the first one and #2 is the only one we don't have here in the house. Anyway, she called Aunt Laura up first to seal this deal and then we went. It is her first bike ride involving a shoulder on a road with no sidewalk, or walking the bike for crossing major streets. It was about 6.5 miles roundtrip. We stopped halfway there, and halfway back, just to get sips of water and pour water on our heads before continuing. We also spent about 15 minutes at my sister's house before turning around, during which time she fed us whole fruit popsicles and frozen mango chunks. Because hello, weather.com was saying "93, feels like 102".
It was really good. There were quiet neighborhood streets we could ride next to each other and talk, as well as plenty of times we had to be single file in louder areas with me turning to check on her every 30 seconds or so. This is not something I could do with Aaron by any stretch of the imagination because his SID makes traffic safety sort of impossible. We take long rides, but sticking with the quiet neighborhood streets where I can yell things to him and staying on sidewalks as much as possible.
I took one of those neighborhood long rides with the two of them the day before, with Elise on the back of my bike. It's getting easier and easier to take really long rides, even with her or Jake on mine.
Sooner or later my metabolism has to take the hint.
There are so many school-type lessons I am psyched about. We've been laying kids down on this big newsprint we have a giant roll of, one at a time, tracing them, and having all of them color them in - hair, clothes, everything. Then we cut them out and put them in the hallway. Two are up so far, one is ready for trimming and hanging, and we'll do Annie and Aaron later.
I got SUGAR CUBES for our afternoon tea. Raw demerara (sp) sugar cubes. Coolest thing ever.
They're all into bees, bees dissapearing, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). There are a lot of documentaries about this available online.
We'll be heading up to Barnes and Noble soon to trade one of Annie's forms in for a free book, through their summer reading program. Aaron is getting there, too, I think he has almost a whole form filled out. She's working on her second one.
And I got wooden letter blocks last night to start using with Elise. We had a ton of these before that have gradually dissapeared. None of them really moved with us. I think she needs it. We've also downloaded extensive episodes of Sesame Street to turn on for the little kids whenever they are watching TV. I think these sorts of supplemental everyday things were pivotal in Ananda and Aaron learning to read and need to be here for the new crop of preschoolers, too...
I like it.
We are loving this new organic co-op we're a part of. It's AnniesBuyingClub.com for anyone who is interested and they are all over Florida, as well as expanding.
We picked up a huge box of stuff yesterday, and then Grant went out to meet with a new client who runs a farm that provides raised garden beds to people, as well as selling their own harvests to the public. She sent him home with many clear plastic containers of micro greens and a huge plastic bag of longans that the kids have been devouring.
Today Shaun and Ian, who work for the University of Florida's local agriculture extension, brought over part of a huge jack fruit for Grant.
I think we're gradually approaching the point where we don't shop at grocery stores anymore.
I have a feeling I am about to become drastically more involved with birth advocacy. This is good, because it provides social outlets and generally makes me happy. One of my friends who was helping to lead the non-profit I'm involved with is going through some personal stuff and isn't really in a position to keep up her end of it, for awhile at least.
And Grant is reading Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic now, which makes me really happy - he doesn't exactly have free time for reading right now between his main job, his side clients, US, and trying to keep up with the yards during rainy season. But he's doing it and I am really grateful. No matter how good I feel about Catholicism, I don't feel at all good about dragging the whole family into it behind me based solely on my own research and discernment.
I actually don't think it would be right to do that, even if Catholicism was obviously right for us. So yeah. I am glad he seems to be moving in the same direction I am and am eager to hear more of his thoughts. It's really priceless to me that he is strong enough and respectful and trustworthy enough that I feel like I have a man who can actually lead the family - that's not something I was exposed to at all growing up, my mom was in charge of all budgeting, all discipline, all moves and final says on everything, because she seems drawn to very weak, wishy washy sorts of guys who don't have anything remotely resembling work ethic or standards - and/or are jerks who will be abusive if allowed to be. I'm grateful every day to have a man I'm comfortable with as a real head of the household because he's considerate enough and loving and intelligent enough for me to feel completely safe stepping back from some decisions and control. I am definitely someone who would naturally make all decisions and hold all control. It's almost a rush for me to be submissive on any level.
Anyway the point is just that I don't want to jeopardize that dynamic. So we shall see what he has to say about the theology and history I've been reading, and what he thinks it means for us, and go from there.
It was really good. There were quiet neighborhood streets we could ride next to each other and talk, as well as plenty of times we had to be single file in louder areas with me turning to check on her every 30 seconds or so. This is not something I could do with Aaron by any stretch of the imagination because his SID makes traffic safety sort of impossible. We take long rides, but sticking with the quiet neighborhood streets where I can yell things to him and staying on sidewalks as much as possible.
I took one of those neighborhood long rides with the two of them the day before, with Elise on the back of my bike. It's getting easier and easier to take really long rides, even with her or Jake on mine.
Sooner or later my metabolism has to take the hint.
There are so many school-type lessons I am psyched about. We've been laying kids down on this big newsprint we have a giant roll of, one at a time, tracing them, and having all of them color them in - hair, clothes, everything. Then we cut them out and put them in the hallway. Two are up so far, one is ready for trimming and hanging, and we'll do Annie and Aaron later.
I got SUGAR CUBES for our afternoon tea. Raw demerara (sp) sugar cubes. Coolest thing ever.
They're all into bees, bees dissapearing, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). There are a lot of documentaries about this available online.
We'll be heading up to Barnes and Noble soon to trade one of Annie's forms in for a free book, through their summer reading program. Aaron is getting there, too, I think he has almost a whole form filled out. She's working on her second one.
And I got wooden letter blocks last night to start using with Elise. We had a ton of these before that have gradually dissapeared. None of them really moved with us. I think she needs it. We've also downloaded extensive episodes of Sesame Street to turn on for the little kids whenever they are watching TV. I think these sorts of supplemental everyday things were pivotal in Ananda and Aaron learning to read and need to be here for the new crop of preschoolers, too...
I like it.
We are loving this new organic co-op we're a part of. It's AnniesBuyingClub.com for anyone who is interested and they are all over Florida, as well as expanding.
We picked up a huge box of stuff yesterday, and then Grant went out to meet with a new client who runs a farm that provides raised garden beds to people, as well as selling their own harvests to the public. She sent him home with many clear plastic containers of micro greens and a huge plastic bag of longans that the kids have been devouring.
Today Shaun and Ian, who work for the University of Florida's local agriculture extension, brought over part of a huge jack fruit for Grant.
I think we're gradually approaching the point where we don't shop at grocery stores anymore.
I have a feeling I am about to become drastically more involved with birth advocacy. This is good, because it provides social outlets and generally makes me happy. One of my friends who was helping to lead the non-profit I'm involved with is going through some personal stuff and isn't really in a position to keep up her end of it, for awhile at least.
And Grant is reading Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic now, which makes me really happy - he doesn't exactly have free time for reading right now between his main job, his side clients, US, and trying to keep up with the yards during rainy season. But he's doing it and I am really grateful. No matter how good I feel about Catholicism, I don't feel at all good about dragging the whole family into it behind me based solely on my own research and discernment.
I actually don't think it would be right to do that, even if Catholicism was obviously right for us. So yeah. I am glad he seems to be moving in the same direction I am and am eager to hear more of his thoughts. It's really priceless to me that he is strong enough and respectful and trustworthy enough that I feel like I have a man who can actually lead the family - that's not something I was exposed to at all growing up, my mom was in charge of all budgeting, all discipline, all moves and final says on everything, because she seems drawn to very weak, wishy washy sorts of guys who don't have anything remotely resembling work ethic or standards - and/or are jerks who will be abusive if allowed to be. I'm grateful every day to have a man I'm comfortable with as a real head of the household because he's considerate enough and loving and intelligent enough for me to feel completely safe stepping back from some decisions and control. I am definitely someone who would naturally make all decisions and hold all control. It's almost a rush for me to be submissive on any level.
Anyway the point is just that I don't want to jeopardize that dynamic. So we shall see what he has to say about the theology and history I've been reading, and what he thinks it means for us, and go from there.
