~October Pagan Parents Circle~ - Page 4

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by DaughterOfKali I was reminded today of just why I'm having this surgery.  I got my period today.  Again.  Yep, a 17 day cycle.  Even though I'm on progesterone.  I was wondering why my back hurt so much the last couple of days.  Now I know.  17 days!  That means, my last period started 17 days ago and lasted 7 days.  So yeah, I've only gone 10 days without bleeding.  My poor, confused uterus.

See, there are things to be grateful for, and a bright side to look at

I just had the house cleaned-- I got a Groupon for it. It was a really good deal, but I don't know what those women used in here-- it stinks! Major toxic, EW. I'm glad it's relatively warmish out, as I have all the windows open. I hope it stinks less by the time I get ds out of school in an hour and a half.

It's supposed to rain all this week, starting later tonight. We haven't had any in awhile, so that's a good thing. We have another appt. at ds's school on Wednesday morning, with his counselor, about his behavior again. They want to see if he's eligible for special ed-- only they're calling it now "exceptional children"-- freaking political correctness. I'm not fooled, buttholes. Grrr. But anyway it would afford him a one-on-one, WITH the school, and it's free, so I'm not complaining, really. I want help for him and I want him to, you know, be one of the crowd just a little bit, be able to behave the way other children do, the way he's supposed to. I don't want a trouble-boy. He's acting the way kids do when they're teens, really, and I am VERY worried. He's only 10! I want him to be able to take responsibility for his behavior and stop making excuses.

For instance, at church yesterday, he was throwing some sticks or something, and the teacher told him to put them down. So he rather violently threw them at a shed next door. When she said "that's someone's house!" he said "it's only a shed, what difference does it make", or something like that. That's what I mean by excuses. How about "Yes ma'am" or "I'm sorry, it won't happen again" or something? That's all I want. He's always blaming and deflecting.

Anyway-- Wednesday is the meeting, then I've been checking out this Bible study at the Catholic church   I figure I ought to at least know the book, eh? I haven't really read it, and when I do skim, it makes no sense whatever.

Thursday is my AA meeting, and Friday thru Monday ds has no school. Friday the realtor is coming over to help me plant mums and pansies-- what a gal, huh? How cool is that?

And Thursday night my friend S's dd L (ds's best friend) is coming to spend the night, so she'll be here Friday too. And Saturday, ds has a baseball game from 12-2, then we have to hoof it away from the house all the rest of the day, because the realtor's holding an open house, AND it's the Homebuyer Education Tour of Homes and my house is on it. AND the realtor is making cookies and mulled cider, here at my house, for it all! She rocks, really she does.

AND, oh and, mamas, did I tell you? I got the PERFECT tix for going to see M!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going up on the 23rd of November, and I will be able to drop ds off at school myself. A friend whose ds is in my ds's class is picking them up at the noon dismissal, then Caregiver is picking him up at their house. Then on Tuesday when I get home, my other friend will be picking ds up from school and holding him till I get home, which should be about an hour. I'll watch her toddler at some point, in exchange. So yay!!! I'm so excited. I can hardly wait M is going to pick up a turkey breast for me to cook in his crock pot for Thanksgiving dinner. And then we'll probably eat off it the rest of the time

[Maiasaura]

BUSY week coming up:

Tomorrow, make soup for ds's class on Wednesday, a thing I volunteered for

Wednesday get up earlyearly for meeting with school people at 7:50am: teachers, counselor, about ds's eligibility for special ed *sigh*, bring soup, Bible study class after, guy coming later to do yard work

Thursday, my best friend of yore, her DH, and their 2 kids (3yo and 4mo) are coming to stay overnight, ds's Fall Family Night at school, ds's best friend is coming to stay the night.

Friday, my friend, her DH, their kids, ds's friend here, and the realtor is coming at 9:30am to plant flowers with me.

Saturday, ds has a game from 12-2 and we have to stay away from the house till after 6pm because there's an open house here, AND the Homebuyer Education Tour of Homes is coming through.
Ye Gods, I'm going to implode, after all that!

[vydalea]

Originally Posted by Maiasaura 

BUSY week coming up:

Tomorrow, make soup for ds's class on Wednesday, a thing I volunteered for

Wednesday get up earlyearly for meeting with school people at 7:50am: teachers, counselor, about ds's eligibility for special ed *sigh*, bring soup, Bible study class after, guy coming later to do yard work

Thursday, my best friend of yore, her DH, and their 2 kids (3yo and 4mo) are coming to stay overnight, ds's Fall Family Night at school, ds's best friend is coming to stay the night.

Friday, my friend, her DH, their kids, ds's friend here, and the realtor is coming at 9:30am to plant flowers with me.

Saturday, ds has a game from 12-2 and we have to stay away from the house till after 6pm because there's an open house here, AND the Homebuyer Education Tour of Homes is coming through.Ye Gods, I'm going to implode, after all that!

I'm exhausted reading this!!  and your post before detailing all of your activities!!

Today is my birthday.  The weather was spectacular - I was able to go on a nice long hike with DH and felt so so blessed.  

DoK:  17 day cycle?  Oh, sweets!   When is the surgery, again?  

clay:  how did the weekend go?  sounds like you got to enjoy movies - did the kids AND dh enjoy the wedding?

[witchygrrl]

happy birthday, vydalea!

maia! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this tour works for you!  I want you up here already:)

DoK, good gods. That is awful. I hope this one isn't nearly as long, and then the surgery can bring you the peace you need.

Sorry to have been so absent. I decided to quit the online job. It's not enough money for too much aggravation. I figure I can make it up by subbing and this assessment project I've been given at school. I just felt like I could never enjoy my beautiful family or get my work done for my other two jobs.

We *think* we found a good program for DD on the days she isn't at the forest school. It's in a neighboring town, it's large and spacious, it has the structure she needs, AND we can enroll her in a Spanish class. I really really really want her to learn another language, and now is the time, rather than later. i've been feeling the clock tick as I want to move to a town with dual language immersion (there are a few around me) by the time she hits kindergarten. DD is 3 now.

in terms of spiritual stuff, it's been so weird lately. The spirits definitely seem to be clamoring for attention, like they can't wait to have the veil down, but the weather is well, summer-y. gah!  But the leaves are changing, nonetheless.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by vydalea Today is my birthday.  The weather was spectacular - I was able to go on a nice long hike with DH and felt so so blessed.  

Happy Birthday!! Did you get to have cake? How old are you? Woohoo! Mine's coming up next month.

Originally Posted by witchygrrl maia! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this tour works for you!  I want you up here already:)

The spirits definitely seem to be clamoring for attention, like they can't wait to have the veil down, but the weather is well, summer-y. gah!  But the leaves are changing, nonetheless.

I want me up there already, too! I hope it works, as well...I'm so freaking busy (see earlier posts) I wanted to do some magicky things, but I don't think I'll have the time. I did go out and get "magnet tape"-- a roll of magnety material that you can cut off just what you need. It was only $1. Maybe I'll put "buyer" on a couple of them and stick them around.

Clay-- what was it you said about religious icons behind pictures and other things? I can't remember. But I can jam on printing some things off the 'net, and doing that, too. I will have some time tomorrow between, say, noon and 3pm.

I have heard, witchy, about your weather! Ye Gods, in the 80s? Really? It's only like 50ish here, today. We've flip-flopped, it seems.

Now, on top of that schedule, it turns out ds has a field trip on Thursday. But it's to a local farm and they have a ton of veggies and apple orchards, and they process their own meat, sustainably. So I called and found out their Polish sausage and their Bratwurst don't have sweeteners in them so I am sending ds with the outrageous amount of money to get some. I love sausages of all kinds, and I guess I'm willing to pay out the wazoo for a treat now and then. I wish to heck I could find a breakfast link without any kind of sweetener I LOVE breakfast sausage.

[revolting]

Originally Posted by wombatclay 

Revolting- There is a nice dvd called "The Art of Knitting 4 Kids" that teaches even really little kiddos how to knit.  And the book Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick is nice too.  Though YouTube rocks, and there are these little "flip books" (where you flip the pages quickly and the images "move"... I have the how to purl one and it's genius!  Just a close up of the needles as a person does a purl stitch) that are amazing.  DD1's waldorf school started finger knitting with the 2-3yo, then started the kiddos preparing to knit when they were around 5... they gathered wool, spun it, made their knitting needles, and all that.  Then they started knitting as their "math work".  So I've seen plenty of 5yos knitting.  That said, I've never taught a 5yo to spin or knit sooooooo.... it's an adventure!  My mom taught me to weave on a floor loom when I was 5 though, and I learned to spin a few years later.  Knitting didn't happen till I was in grad school though and I can't crochette to save my life!  There are some wonderful drop spindles on etsy, but you can make one with a piece of dowel, a hook, and a big bead.

That introduction to knitting sounds pretty awesome. Maybe I'll try to do something like that for my eldest in January. Report back about how it goes with your kids!

Originally Posted by vydalea 

Today is my birthday.  The weather was spectacular - I was able to go on a nice long hike with DH and felt so so blessed.  

Happy birthday to you!
 

Originally Posted by witchygrrl 

in terms of spiritual stuff, it's been so weird lately. The spirits definitely seem to be clamoring for attention, like they can't wait to have the veil down, but the weather is well, summer-y. gah!  But the leaves are changing, nonetheless.

It's so abstract about how close we are. But I generally get into the mood by crafting...

After we finish the leaf wreath, I think my eldest and I are going to make a family tree like the "Make a Tree" on this website: http://www.ehow.com/info_8004734_family-tree-projects-kindergarten.html. One neat thing is that my eldest took an interest in the civil war after we saw a battle re-enactment. We know that at least on of her great-great-great-grandfathers fought for the confederacy and a few stories about his time in service have been passed along as family stories, so my hopes are a bit more high that she might have a little more interest in hearing about her ancestry this year.

[Valerie.Qc]

Happy Birthday Vydalea!

Maia, I pay big price for GF sausage; they're also hard to find.

[wombatclay]

Happy birthday!  :)

maia/icons... the Feng Shui book I have suggests putting images of "helpful people" in the appropriate section of the home.  Anyone that feels "helpful".  And it's ok to tuck them behind/inside things.  I hope the week is peaceful and the house selling vibes productive!

dok- hang in there!  Get as much iron as you can... I've had hellish cycles all my life and if I don't pound the iron and hydration I end up anemic and dehydrated (and, back in high school, in the hospital more than once).  RRL tea can help (a little) with cramping.  And nettle tea too for cramps/iron.  I know the surgery will suck, but hopefully you'll gain SO MUCH... it's going to be ok.

wedding- they had fun!  I'm exhausted, and honestly now that the insane chaos is back I'm not sure I'm up to it... I can't put Tiel down for a minute without Tor jumping on her, and with DH at work most of the day I'm just running in circles.  So while I'm loving having everyone back, I'm rueing it too.  LOL   Photos here:  

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150328893568621.352729.514118620&l=109893905f&type=1

 

We went to the big book sale... Tiel slept in the moby and we left an hour later ten dollars lighter and three fabric shopping bags of books heavier.  We got a bunch of "egg" cookbooks since the chickens are providing us with ~35 eggs/week.  And I got a few books I'd seen reviewed in older Mothering magazines.  One book I grabbed though isn't much help... it's called "When you feel like screaming" and it's supposedly a "practical" guide to help moms stop yelling at the kiddos.  But the "practical tips" so far have been more or less useless, and sometimes flat out contradictory.  Like, "be more organized" or "plan ahead" or "accept stress"... and then a suggestion to "get up an hour earlier to prepare for the day" coupled with a suggestion to "get more sleep".  LOL  Not exactly what I was looking for, but at 50 cents not a huge waste either.

 

On the down side... the baby and the fact that she arrived nearly a month later than expected has shot our budget all to heck.  Well, that and the fact that I lost my work from home position a few months ago and we've been losing ground financially since then.  We can pay all our bills at the moment, but just.  Right now we're spending roughly 100 dollars a week on food and I need to get that down below 75.  And DH has to go through the sheds and find things we can sell.  I don't know what we're going to do once dd3 starts eating "real food".  It's crazy, but it seems like every time we get above water something happens to knock us back down.  Bleh.  and Blah.  and Penguin Poo.  I jsut hope no one developes a problem with eggs because right now the fact that we have "free" eggs is the only food budget thing we have going for us!  Eggs, rice, beans, potatoes, oatmeal, and apples.  Yogurt and soy milk will be more carefully rationed out now... we had been going through 1.5 gallons of "milk" and two tubs of yogurt each week and hopefully I can halve that.  And cheese had started creeping back into our diet... that's gotta go too!  It's just scary when you start adding everything up...

 

Dh and I have put aside some time this weekend for budgeting.  Though it's tough... there are a lot of projects that need to be finished before it gets really cold, we still haven't purchased our wood for the winter (and we'll need at least 3 tons of pellets this year), there is a birthday party and a girl scout field trip this weekend, and I'm not even three weeks postpartum so I'm still prone to overdoing it.  The booksale was a blast, but it was only the second time I'd left the house since Tiel arrived and man... it wiped me out.  My back is killing me, my lochia is back full force, and my prolapse is letting me know it's not amused!  Time, and more importantly time alone with DH, is in short supply and thinking about spending that time working the budget is yet more yak spittal and penguin poo.  LOL!

 

 

[Valerie.Qc]

(((Clay)))  I know your schedule is full but, could you do your own yogourt to cut the expenses?  I know making my own (with organic full fat milk) is cheaper than buying a good quality already made - and by letting it sit in my dehydrator for 24h, it's virtually lactose free. 

[revolting]

Originally Posted by Valerie.Qc 

(((Clay)))  I know your schedule is full but, could you do your own yogourt to cut the expenses?  I know making my own (with organic full fat milk) is cheaper than buying a good quality already made - and by letting it sit in my dehydrator for 24h, it's virtually lactose free. 

My MIL tried to make her own yogurt, and her experienced scared me off of making yogurt. How do you do it?

Anyway, I've been experiencing a lot of stress lately: just the typical, day-to-day chaos of parenting little children. However, tonight is the full moon, and we'll be going to the last fire jam of the year, and I'm just so, so excited to see the moon rise over the lake with a few hundred other people...I just know today is gonna be great.

Have a great full moon, y'all! Blessed be!

Edited by revolting - 10/11/11 at 12:42pm

[Valerie.Qc]

Yogourt: I warm my milk, don't let it boil. Let it cool till it's body temp. Add the bacteria powder. Pour in jars (2 x 2cups + many 1/2 cup). Close lids. Place in my dehydrator at 115°F for 24h. Transfer to fridge and let it cool/set for at least 6h. Eat.

:-)

[Maiasaura]

Clay-- just a thought-- were there any kid books in that bunch of bags you scored? Because books make great gifts, even used ones. Every time I ask ds what he thinks of getting <insert person's name here> for a gift, he says "A book!"-- and the funny part is, I've often not even thought of it Also, if you can spare $4 and you have some time on your side, half.com has wicked deals on new or nearly-new books.

I printed out a St. Joseph card and prayer. I can't think of any other "helpful people"-- do any of you know any gods or goddesses specific to house sales? How about traveling ones, would they work? Hmm...just brainstorming, here. Which again is the right place in the house for those? My house is set up weird...I wish I could draw a picture for you!

OK, I'll try to describe it. It's a perfect rectangle. One of the short ends of the rectangle is the living room. If you place that end of the house at the top of the page (Imagine an 8x11 piece of paper), and draw a line across the page parallel to the top and bottom end, about 1/3(? maybe 1/4, but I think 1/3) of the way down, the top 1/3 is the living room. The front door is on the right side of the living room-- which would be the top of the long side of the house, really.

Then, if you draw a line from the center of the line you already drew, in a T formation to the bottom of the rectangle, that's the hallway. Off of the hallway, on the same side as the door, is my son's room, then my room is the bottom corner. The other bottom corner is the 3rd bedroom. Then, coming back up the other side of the house towards where you started, is the bathroom, then the kitchen, which has a door to the outside also.

Does that make any sense? I tried

[DaughterOfKali]

Surgery is Tuesday, October 18th.  

[vydalea]

Thank you for all the birthday wishes, mamas!  

Originally Posted by Maiasaura 

Happy Birthday!! Did you get to have cake? How old are you? Woohoo! Mine's coming up next month.

I did get to have cake.  Many cupcakes, actually.  My sister found this WAHM who does these incredible gourmet cupcakes so sissy picked up some TIMELESS TIRAMISU which were insanely delicious.  I mean, seriously, any time I can have dessert with espresso built in I'm there.  I am 32.  

I was able to get to our local store, Imagicka, which (as you can likely tell from the name) is full of awesome pagan/wiccan/faerie/buddhist treasures.  I want to create a family altar and got a really beautiful moon goddess statue.  When we walked in the door there was this breathtaking statue which read something along the lines of "the soul of nature who gives life to the Universe" a goddess sitting on a primitive looking throne...it seriously took my breath away.  I am really not explaining it well but I want to go back to the store and just stand there and stare at it.  After googling it I see it's part of the "charge of the goddess" - is anyone familiar or have further resources?  

Originally Posted by DaughterOfKali 

Surgery is Tuesday, October 18th.  

DoK:  I will be sure to send extra healing thoughts and energy your way next Tuesday!  

Clay: I love the pictures from the wedding.  Looks like it was gorgeous - weather, love, people. Budgeting stinks!  It's exhausting  - I hope you and DH get through it quickly and can spend a little QT together.  

revolting: firejam sounds amazing!!!  The moon here was hiding behind the clouds last night.  

witchygrrl:  being able to enroll your daughter in Spanish is great!  I also love the description of the school being "large and spacious" - I love imagining that kind of program for children to have room.  Some places can have such a tight feeling.  

Does anyone have an full moon rituals they would want to share with me? 
 

[Aeress]

Clay- Stretching the food budget, I hear ya. The older kids are really starting to eat a ton of food, and Bella doesn't care for beans. We are up to 100 a week again, when I was at 75. I can't think of anything you aren't doing that would help could it down. And dd1 is gluten free, right? Are you getting your SCA share still? If so, swiss chard in an egg casserole is good. Do you eat potatoes? I found adding those to soup is helpful. How about tater pancakes? This uses up eggs.

Happy Birthday Vydalea!

[wombatclay]

dok- HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maia- the interior set up of the house isn't "important" in terms of the feng sui grid.  The feng shui grid is a square, three blocks by three blocks (so 9 blocks total).  The order/meaning of the blocks are:

prosperity       fame/reputation      relationship/love

family             health                   creativity/children

skill/info          career                   helpful people/travel

If you draw a picture of your house, just drop this three by three grid over top... the front door lines up with the "career" block... to find out what part of your home corresponds to each section.  If the shape of your house "cuts out" a section then there are tricks for "fixing" that, and similarly tricks to reduce thet influence of a section that "bumps out" (like a big bay window or something).

Maybe put images of the city/town where you want to be?  A map of MA?  A ticket stub traveling to MA?  Pictures of you there?  And then images that say "helpful people"... maybe a fairy godmother picture, a real estate agent in MA picture from the web, the dalai lama (for cheerfulness/hope despite adversity and the "finding a new home" aspect)?

Valerie- I used to make our yogurt but stopped... it only made financial sense if I used the least expensive bulk powdered milk.  It /was/ less expensive then buying premade yogurt, and I liked being able to keep out the sugar/ick they put in conventional yogurt.  But it was still conventional milk and since it wasn't saving us much I got out of the habit.  (Revolting- I use a similar technique... rehydrate milk, heat but not to boil, add starter from an existing batch of yogurt, pour into clean glass containers, keep warm in a "cooler" overnight.  To heat up the "cooler" I'd rinse it with boiling water and add a hot water bottle on top or along side the jars of yogurt).  I should reprice things though.  Right now we spend ~6 dollars/week on low sugar/organic yogurt.  I'm not sure what the organic milk costs these days... thanks for the reminder!

Today- ds hit me in the face and broke my glasses.  :(  Actually, he'd already broken my glasses a few times, but this time is pretty final.  The plastic earpiece is snapped (just exposed wire over my ear), a nose piece is is missing, the wire rim is bent, and one lens was knocked out.  I've sort of bent it back into shape, but it's pretty pathetic.  I don't know my 'script so I can't use the online vendor, bleh, but I guess we'll be adding glasses to the budget.  Thankfully I rock the "selma the librarian" look (heavy black plastic cat eye type frames) and those are usually pretty cheap frames.  I may see how much it costs to have the 'script read from the lenses (instead of an exam) though.  Honestly though, ds is starting to scare me a bit.  He is SO physical and SO...well... he's big, and strong, and 2yo and the end result is he is pretty destructive.  Much more so than dd1 or dd2 were at his age.  He has given everyone in the family black eyes, he bites dd2 (draws blood) and pulls her hair (as in, pulls out handfuls of hair), he kicks and scratches and screams and throws stuff.  Which is mostly totally normal 2yo stuff.  Just he does it "harder".  He also snuggles, kisses, hugs, shares, sings little songs, gives funny presents, and so on... he's a real sweetie 75% of the time.  I just don't know how to help him address and modulate that 25%.  But especially with the baby, we HAVE to find a way to help him channel this energy into something that doesn't hurt people.

Vydalea- familiar with the Charge of the Goddess or with that statue in particular?  :)  It sounds stunning!  If the language and sentiment of the Charge speak to you, check out other things by Doreen Valiente or explore Gardnerian Wicca.  And maybe explore the Reclaiming tradition of witchcraft if you haven't already since Starhawk was/is a big fan of the Charge (Gardnerian tends to be more "traditional", Reclaiming tends to be more "liberal" when it comes to social/political issues).  I was a member of a Reclaiming group for many years and still find a lot in common with that tradition (the book Circle Round was written by/for Reclaiming members), but it's not for everyone!  Though it sounds like that statue is for you... is it something you could consider purchasing?  Or could you make something similar yourself?

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by wombatclay 

Maia- the interior set up of the house isn't "important" in terms of the feng sui grid.  The feng shui grid is a square, three blocks by three blocks (so 9 blocks total).  The order/meaning of the blocks are:

prosperity       fame/reputation      relationship/love

family             health                   creativity/children

skill/info          career                   helpful people/travel

If you draw a picture of your house, just drop this three by three grid over top... the front door lines up with the "career" block... to find out what part of your home corresponds to each section.  If the shape of your house "cuts out" a section then there are tricks for "fixing" that, and similarly tricks to reduce thet influence of a section that "bumps out" (like a big bay window or something).

Well, then that puts the front door in one of the corner spots. It's not in the center of any of the sides. I don't know which side would be the "top" of my house (or grid) and...with your grid, would the "top" be the prosperity/fame/relationship side? It could be construed as in the helpful people side. I can put those helpful people pictures  in the livingroom, which is where the front door is. Think? And how about the magnets...every and anywhere? Just hide them around?

[Valerie.Qc]

Rainy day... I feel meditative...

The talk about statue is inspiring me... Think I will take a moment this week-end to play with clay and see what comes out.

[vydalea]

clay: thank you for all of the resources.  a great place to start.  the babe is at her grandma's tomorrow and it seems like i'm going to take that time to do some more in depth research and also begin to figure our altar.  i didn't even look at a price on the statue.  it was 3 feet tall - i'm sure it was far out of my price range.  i also have a feeling as though that statue is almost not meant to be owned.  do you know what i mean?  oh!  i'm still so moved by it even thinking of it now.

I've known some students in my preschool class who sound like your son.  Like you said, they just needed to get the energy out.  I filled a small suitcase on wheels with wooden blocks to make it about 25 lbs and tried to have those students push and pull the suitcase.  We also did "tug of peace" where I filled a milk crate with heavy objects and they had to try to pull it over a line.  Also filled a stuffed animal with beans to make it about 5 lbs. that students could carry and toss around (in safe places, not like you want to give your DS heavy artillery!!) -- This was mostly for students (3yo) who acted out due to sensory overload but I know it helped some of the students with extra energy find places to do so.  It's interesting, my friend is having a similar time with her DS but he is older, 7.  He also just had a baby sister, his first sibling.  No idea if there is a correlation, just an observation.  

valerie: i am also feeling very meditative and on the cusp of some kind of creative...burst, i think i would call it. 

maia: When I think about the magnets I'd put them at the front door to attract people and the kitchen to draw them to the place where family gathers.  At least in my family.  It's always the kitchen where everyone ends up - never the big family room where there is plenty of space and seating! ha!  Did you get the mums planted?  If so, are there pictures?  I will definitely be sending you happy home selling energy this weekend!  

 It's kind of gloomy here today but I'm feeling all cozy and kind of loving it.  I'm thinking potato soup for dinner.  

 

[pampered_mom]

Originally Posted by wombatclay 

On the down side... the baby and the fact that she arrived nearly a month later than expected has shot our budget all to heck.  Well, that and the fact that I lost my work from home position a few months ago and we've been losing ground financially since then.  We can pay all our bills at the moment, but just.  Right now we're spending roughly 100 dollars a week on food and I need to get that down below 75.  And DH has to go through the sheds and find things we can sell.  I don't know what we're going to do once dd3 starts eating "real food".  It's crazy, but it seems like every time we get above water something happens to knock us back down.  Bleh.  and Blah.  and Penguin Poo.  I jsut hope no one developes a problem with eggs because right now the fact that we have "free" eggs is the only food budget thing we have going for us!  Eggs, rice, beans, potatoes, oatmeal, and apples.  Yogurt and soy milk will be more carefully rationed out now... we had been going through 1.5 gallons of "milk" and two tubs of yogurt each week and hopefully I can halve that.  And cheese had started creeping back into our diet... that's gotta go too!  It's just scary when you start adding everything up...

 

Dh and I have put aside some time this weekend for budgeting.  Though it's tough... there are a lot of projects that need to be finished before it gets really cold, we still haven't purchased our wood for the winter (and we'll need at least 3 tons of pellets this year), there is a birthday party and a girl scout field trip this weekend, and I'm not even three weeks postpartum so I'm still prone to overdoing it.  The booksale was a blast, but it was only the second time I'd left the house since Tiel arrived and man... it wiped me out.  My back is killing me, my lochia is back full force, and my prolapse is letting me know it's not amused!  Time, and more importantly time alone with DH, is in short supply and thinking about spending that time working the budget is yet more yak spittal and penguin poo.  LOL!

 

I know the feeling.  Having a surprise third child really threw my budget off course and my six year old ds eats like there's no tomorrow.  Given how slim he is, I don't know where it's all going.  WIth all the car repairs this year plus the clothes for the kids (sometimes I think all my son has to do is look at a pair of pants and they get a hole in them) and the food to keep them running and it seems like it's one thing after another.  Our van repair ended up a couple hundred less than I thought it would be which is good because I now have to replace the windshield (in this case, thank goodness for insurance).  I have been toying around with some version of the Hillbilly Housewife emergency menu since there are things on there I know our family will not eat.  I need to do something to get the food budget cut so that I can get on top of some other things.  

I'm jealous of your eggs, though.  DH and DD are both sensitive to eggs which has really put a cramp in some of my cheap-er meal ideas.  I hated meal planning even when I had one kid.  Now that there are more of us I hate it even more.

Originally Posted by vydalea 

Thank you for all the birthday wishes, mamas!  

I was able to get to our local store, Imagicka, which (as you can likely tell from the name) is full of awesome pagan/wiccan/faerie/buddhist treasures.  I want to create a family altar and got a really beautiful moon goddess statue.  When we walked in the door there was this breathtaking statue which read something along the lines of "the soul of nature who gives life to the Universe" a goddess sitting on a primitive looking throne...it seriously took my breath away.  I am really not explaining it well but I want to go back to the store and just stand there and stare at it.  After googling it I see it's part of the "charge of the goddess" - is anyone familiar or have further resources?  

Happy Birthday (late)!  Though I like our local store, yours sounds wonderful.  I think the statue sounds intriguing.  Any way you can snap a picture? 

Originally Posted by vydalea 

 It's kind of gloomy here today but I'm feeling all cozy and kind of loving it.  I'm thinking potato soup for dinner.  

 

I love potato soup!  If I hadn't already put honey lentils in the crockpot for dinner I'd be heading to make some myself!

I've been reading along, though haven't had the time to post.  I've really enjoyed the responses to how out people are about their beliefs as well as the beliefs/practices of others on the thread.  It's been incredibly helpful in gaining confidence to be more open about our beliefs.  Just coming out as not a xian is going to be a huge step when we do.  DH and I have been working our way through the Higginbotham's intro book which has also helped me untangle myself from long-held beliefs that no longer make logical sense, but still hold unwanted power over m.  Some of it was incredibly enlightening to say the least.

I still need to work on my ancestor altar, although I do have a picture in my mind of what I want it to look like.  I'm thinking of borrowing a few ideas from a craft book I found at the library for El Dia de los Muertos.  There are so many ideas swirling around in my head that I just need to get started on something.  :0)

I know that I have missed several folks - but the little one is now up from her nap and we need to get ready to go to the YMCA which is really becoming my second home.  I'll try to catch up later!