Vegmom Moments

MORE SNOW DAY FUN AND A GATOR

It started snowing again so Veg and I decided to go back out for a bit... once it began to get dark, we just turned on some outside lights... A little darkness won't keep us from having fun... No Sirree!!  We both did some sledding in the yard, and built some more stuff.

Eventually he went in, and I kept working on his fort.... I think in total we spent 5+ hrs outside today.   Such a fun snowy day.... And thankful we didn't have to be anywhere....

So here is the story of our late night snow adventure:

This is Snowy Gator.... I felt creative tonight, he was not made by the hubby, or he would be much cooler.

This one was all me... with Mud for eyeballs, leaves for nostrils and twigs for claws....  This Snowy Gator is Environmentally friendly :-)

One of his eyes kept falling off, and his mouth is really open, but you can't tell in the pictures.

Another drive in the car before dark... More snow fall, made it seem bigger.

Veg had to adjust the mirrors before he could go for a spin.

 

 

Do you ever just lie in the snow, with no one around, look up at the sky and be still?

Or am I the only one that does this??  Don't answer that!!!

Seriously the most peaceful moment.  And all you can hear is the snow falling (if your quiet enough) and the trees crackling...  It doesn't even feel cold (if wearing waterproof clothes).  Its like you really transported away from everything.   And so quiet... The snow around you makes the sounds so different.

Been many years since I had the opportunity.   And tonight, I took the opportunity....Funny enough, I had to have laid there for the longest time, because at one point the neighbors were looking out their window wondering why I hadn't gotten up.  (they were watching me shovel the fort)... ha ha..

But my own family didn't even come looking for me...  They know I'm just odd.  But I doooo love those moments.  Even if they are odd.... So peaceful...

Fort complete.....He's going in..... 

Yeah, so what if it's dark outside!!  That's what lights are for...

Some windows to the fort turned alien eyes when a light was put in side...

A cool side effect and nothing planned :-)

Hubby has agreed this is now labeled "Swan"...  :-)

Now I must go take a burning hot shower to thaw out my body parts... That fort building is hard work, but I'm positive the temp dropped in the process.... Brrrrr!!!

SNOW CAR...VROOM VROOM

When we woke up today there wasn't as much as expected but there was a BUNCH of snow/ice.  There was enough to shovel for real...

See:   And we shoveled lots... our driveway, our neighbors, driveway... even had to loan out the shovel to people that didn't have them.... There was quite a bit of the heavy wet stuff.

It was even raining while we were out, but we didn't care... I'd say 2hrs at least.

Hubby and I made it a tradition to make a "sculpture" every time we are around snow since we got married.

Some times we made forts.  But mostly tiny snow men, and sometimes if lucky we'd get enough snow for something cool.  Like a Car, a Ship, a Dog, Turtle... The list goes on.

Hubby broke tradition recently when he decided he would no longer partake!  UNTIL TODAY!!!

This my friends is a Turkey!  I say it looks like a swan, you be the judge:

 

 

And this.... THIS... is the masterpiece of the day!!!  Hubby got his touch back, that is for sure!

My job is to shovel piles.  Hubby makes the coolness out of the piles.....  Here we have Herbie the car and his Veg Driver:

 

Then it was Veg's turn to build a "sculpture"...

Here he is gathering snow:

 

And his Masterpiece with Lava rocks and all....  Welcome to Mount St. Tofu...(he said the rocks looked like tofu, hence the name).... Mount St. Tofu is erupting......   RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

As you can tell it was a fun morning here at the Veg house.  Hope you are having fun wherever you may be!!

ITS SNOWING!!

Real, live, blanket covered, wonderful, beautiful, playful Snow....

Earlier I made this guy... I was feeling silly, and he made me happy!

 

But he didn't like to be inside much....  A little to warm for him.

 

They are saying we will wake to bunches more....  as in inches, and inches....

Could it be so???  We shall see!!! 

CHANGE OF PLANS

Because this is a year of no plans, it leaves a lot of room for changing plans!  *smile*

On Saturday after our kids run, we ended up going out to eat... It was a beautiful day so we ate on the patio which we Never do there... But hey, why not?

Then a friend wrote to say they were going ice skating!!!  Well of course we will go!!... And we did! 

Something happened to our kids between this visit and last visit.. Something called Confidence!  My young one was skating off by himself, trying turns, learning how to fall, get up, and catch himself... Her young one was not afraid AT ALL and didn't want to stop skating with his Momma!

They brought me the coolest book that her Hubby picked out filled with Natural remedies and other house fix it things.. It also gives directions on how to kill livestock, but his sweet note in the front told me to ignore that part!  The rest is really good!  I promise!!  Will post more about that later.

Then Sunday it was supposed to be a cleaning and shopping day.. Nothing else planned!  Veg asked if we could "play school"  I agreed, but only if I could work on the "craft lessons".   He set me up an area to do crafts... SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!  Got to make a Birthday card :-)  Am I sneaky or what??

He then asked to go ice skating again?  I told him NO because I had lots to do.... Well after some house chores, all our grocery shopping, and a couple other stops in the pouring down rain, I thought to my self?

"Self?  Why not go ice skating again"  So I checked on the times.... Called ahead for Veg to be ready by the time I got home with groceries, and took him to the rink with only 30 minutes left to skate!!  He was Soooo excited!!  And 30 minutes was plenty.

Then Monday night, I had tons to do (make up for Sunday not doing) ... instead I felt tired, and so I went to sleep!!

Isn't it fun when plans change??  Everything else will get done!  But enjoying your kids, and taking care of yourself, that is the most important plan of all!

Even if I didn't get to post lunch box pictures... coming soon I promise!

BACK TO THE 80'S

Do you ever wake up and think.....  Lets do something different today?  Well I do that lots, but this time I was on a mission...  Taking the Vegman Roller Skating.. But finding a roller skating place was harder then I thought...

Until I realized there is one not too far from our Favorite Veggie eating place!  BONUS!!!!  Yummy Food, and some skating!  How perfect is that??

So off we went on our mission...

 

And we found it... And it took me back to the 80's in a big way.. I almost think the skates were still from the 80's but people were even dressed like it.   Torn jeans and the hair and the sweaters off the shoulder... I was like "Did we just time warp??"......  Then the song "Thriller" came on and I was like... "Yes, we have certainly gone in to the time machine"

The Vegman LOVED our adventure...Thankfully, Hubby walked on the skating floor, and kept Veg up right (mostly) while I enjoyed skating around and getting my rolling feet back.  

Been many years, since I set foot in 4 wheel skates... THINK Bonaventure?  Is it still there??   Hubby was pretty impressed with my ability to stay standing.... ha ha... Took me a little while to get my footing back, but then I was swooshin around, and gliding like it was 1988 :-)

By the last time around, Veg finally GOT it!  We used NeeNee's "Focus" trick... goes like this... Find something to look at and try to get there... Focus on that spot and you won't fall.  It seemed to work... For the most part.

As long as he "stayed focused" :-)

 

Tons of Skating fun!!!  Another great day with no plans for 2010 *smile*

ICY FUN

Sure, the ice is dangerous.... Sure, it is Darn cold out... Not just cold, but DARN cold... But I have a mission.. and a little ice won't get me down... No Sirreee!

So I met my walking buddy for our first Saturday walk toward our 1/2 Marathon goal.  Today was a 4 mile trek and across the icy trail with out ski's on was quite tricky... Our Walking shoes just didn't cut it, but we did good and finished without hurting our selves.

After a warm up at home, the boys and I went to a yummy Veggie lunch and then a stop off for some Icy Fun..

Being from Michigan, Hubby had lots of fun on or near Icy Lakes... I however was a chicken and as far as I remember, never ventured out on to one... (I don't think)  Anyway.... Hubby had the great idea to show the Vegman what it is like to throw rocks on icy patches of water and see what they do.

So we found a cove of a lake that was totally iced over... And spent lots of time with the rocks...  Poor Fishies under there thinking "What the heck was that?"

The rocks either slide on the ice or plop through and the holes close up quickly. It was a great lesson in freezing/water and different sounds too. We had so much fun.

Also showing why its so dangerous to walk on water that you think may be froze.. Not so much underneath.  "If a rock can penetrate, what do you think would happen to you"  Very good lesson!!

And how the temp changes as you get closer and further from the water.

Then we looked for snow drifts that had higher then normal snow, so he could stomp around and see what that feels like!

It was a Great Fun and Icy day!

 

WE GOT SOME SNOW!!

Can we have snow without a snowman???  Um?  NOOOOOO!!!

And so here I introduce you to the most cutest snowman of all time...

 

Hubby got in on the Angel Action:

 

And he made a Butterfly, which I think looks like a bumble bee!

You be the judge?:

 

There are no Veg creations on this snow day, because well, lets just say he made some choices that weren't conducive to getting what he wanted... Playing in the snow was something he wanted....  Different choices needed to be made for that to occur....

Maybe tomorrow the choices he makes will be better ones and maybe tomorrow there will be Veg snow creations... We shall see!

DINNER AT THE TABLE

I was talking to a friend today about eating meals together at the table.  How some people have rules about all eating at the table and no one leaving till everyone is done.  I actually know a lot of people that follow this.  And was thinking about that tonight while Veg was eating his dinner, I was putting groceries away and Hubby was taking his shower.

I like the family meals sometimes.  But other times, I just do what I have to do.  Veg is hungry, he can eat while I'm putting the groceries away for example.  He shouldn't have to wait because I'm late getting home (is my thought process)

And when he's done, he has things he wants to do, I won't make him wait till I can sit down to eat.  As long as he's not being a bouncing bean.  Once he's up, he's up, can't go back and fourth and disturb others.  So I do have some rules *wink*

But While reflecting on this tonight with a smirk from my earlier conversation, I realized why I'm not much for the more strict model.  Because I am my Mother's child.  Its Simple.....

When she and my Father were married everyone had to eat at the table.  Meanwhile, they couldn't stand each other!   So here they were at the table annoyed that they were in the same room with each other let alone at the same table together, and I remember tension so thick, you could cut it with a knife. 

My Dad was a little Snap'ish to say the least at us kids, while my Mom would zone out in to her own little world trying to avoid conversation with him.  We called that "Mars"....  "Yup, she went to Mars again" .. I remember thinking how nice it would be to be able to LEAVE the table.  And when I got old enough to understand, wondered why they even had that silly rule in the first place.

Fast forward to post-divorce And I don't think we ever set at a table again... She had TV Trays (still does) and she would bring our food to us where ever we were, (she still does)  Bedroom, couch, chair, floor,  

"Your hungry, Eat"  Heck she's been known to bring food to the bathroom before if the situation arose.  There has NEVER been a set dinner time since I was 10 years old, and we ate when we were hungry... That is pretty much how we do things in our house now....And how she still does things in her house. 

It is funny how what happens early in life shapes who we become.   Even something as silly as where we eat our meals.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE

Can you tell I'm catching up on Blog posts tonight?  Sorry for the mad rush, but I just have so much to say!  :-)

(what else is new?)

Anyway----  We had an AMAZING Day today....  Here is the break down!

1st - Wake up to a sweet Veg asking for Game Boy time... Bad Mom that I am, wants more sleep.... "sure, you can play game boy"   bad bad bad Mom...

2nd - Hubby gets up and Makes Veg his Breakfast... Thank you Hubby... I get more sleep... did I mention, bad bad Mom.... Oh, but it felt soooo Good!   In fact I didn't roll out of bed until 9:30am... REALLY!!! 

3rd - Family Yahtzee and Smoothie Goodness...  Veg won Every game.  And he handles his own score now, which is really nice. 

4th - We met friends for Ice Skating... OH SO FUN!!!!   For never being on the ice before they did great.. And Veg was much more confident this year then years past. 

He fell quite a bit today, but that was actually progress.  Before, he was so afraid to fall that he wouldn't let go of me or the wall.  But today he was flying solo.  And falling was OK...

This picture is Soo funny because he was skating great, and as soon as I clicked the button down he went mid shutter speed... I had no intention of catching him mid fall, but you can see all the action as his skates are in front of him and he's about to slam the ice...  Had I predicted this was going to happen and if I was closer, I would have caught him instead of snapping a picture.

He actually loved this shot though, and said I had to post it on the blog since it didn't show his face... So here you are, Dragon hat and all....:

5th - Gift Exchange... Our friends gave us each a gift....  Hubby's was my favorite...He got this t-shirt... How perfect is that??    Sadly it is just the right size and Hubby likes it, so I won't get to steal the shirt.

 

They also got Veg a book which he LOVES And Hubby LOVES :-)  I'm not sure who will use it more actually.  hee hee.. They've already done a couple of the activities... and they got me a shirt...

Now, there is a story about my shirt.... while I really really really like the shirt, it is Junior size.  And While I'm flattered that my friend would think of me as able to fit in a Junior fitted shirt... The fact is... I could fit in it... I really fit in it....Or I should say It FIT ON ME....which was quite amazing..  And hubby had all kinds of "Oooh La La" words to be said (or lack of words, just Ooh la La and the like) 

I can't imagine that I will be able to pull off that cutest thing and keep my stomach tucked and chest out (because my chest doesn't really go out these days.. it kinda just flops down)  As does my belly actually.. So I may have to take that shirt back... Against Hubby's wishes... by the way...

Hmmmm, maybe I can get me a God Recycles one??  Oooh La La!  :-)

Oh and the bestest part of our gifts was the packaging... My friend made the comment that she doesn't wrap.  Well neither do I... So our presents came in this perfect Package... A Perfect Recycled Package... It was just perfect... As in better then perfect... Did I say PERFECT???

6th - Early Dinner with just Veg and I... the place was decorated so pretty, and we had a peaceful quiet light Veggie lunch.. Although I do have to rant about the lunch place...

We walked in and I said "two please" and she said "Does that include him?" and points to my Vegman? 

"NO, It includes the Invisible person standing behind me?"  What the heck kind of question is that??? 

Nothing annoys me more then people acting like a child doesn't exist....OK, Rant Adjourned.

Then we went to the Pet store to get our Pup a Christmas Gift... He ended up with a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day gift... What?  They were on sale... I couldn't help myself. 

7th - Back home, the Vegman and I built Hubby a Gift out of Legos.  We played more family games, spoke with the Inlaws, Opened our Christmas Eve gift.. Played with the dog and his Christmas Eve Toy.

We made some Banana Ice Cream for Dessert...

The Boys read some of the Bible for Christmas Eve Bed time... And once Veg was fast asleep we wrapped all the presents...

Did I mention, we had a GREAT DAY!!!

I hope your day was wonderful where ever you are...  And have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

SHE'S STILL KICKIN'

We went to visit a relative on Hubby's side of the family in the Fall, and she wasn't doing well.  As in much older then the last time we saw her and you had to make an appointment to visit. 

When we arrived, we found her frail in a rented hospital bed thing and unable to move.   But she was still as Feisty as ever.  I've always enjoyed talking to her, and seeing her that day was no exception.

She told us that she wouldn't go to a doctor, never been on pills, etc.  And a few months prior she finally went at her Son's request.  Long story short, The doc told her she wouldn't live till Christmas and put her in the hospice program.

She looked at us and said.....  "I'll live till Christmas and send him a card too, no one has ever told me what to do, and he won't tell me when I'm going to die"

Well she was right!! *smile* 

Today I got a Christmas Card in the mail to say she was Still Kickin', in her own hand writing and her home return address.. I was so excited to get that card.  And now I just hope she is well and comfortable...

She may be older, and she may be stubborn but she sure is lovely...

NEE NEE VISITS THE VEG SPA

We always say that NeeNee coming here is like visiting a health spa for her!  She gets off the plane with a smile, and leaves our house feeling refreshed and rejuvinated (except when she leaves with a cold, but we won't talk about those trips)

There are no cigarettes around the Veg house, no TV except a kid movie or comedy show.. Very little noise at the Veg house, except laughter and chatting...  Lots of board games, book reading, building, etc. 

Food in the house is prepared by me (except for salad dressing and famous NeeNee soup - she gets a break)... Food out of the house is good nutritious and even vegetarian where possible...

Our shampoos, soaps, etc. are all non-toxic and animal free and friendly.... Good for her skin inside and OUT.   Apple Cider Vinegar is available in abundance to help with arthritis, aches and pains.  A Veg boy will gladly fetch everything his NeeNee needs so she can avoid the stairs when needed.

There are no toxic cleaners, no known chemicals, 100% cotton sheets, blankets, and pillow cases... All clean and ready for her arrival.  No Down pillows, no feathers of any kind actually... (except the poor bird that found its way in to the grill of my car, but we aren't talking about that)

The food is mostly organic, and you won't find any HFCS or Artificial anything on our ingredient labels.  She gets a full Detox when here... nothing going in or on her body that could cause harm.

When outside in the yard, only the sounds of birds chirping and occasional dog barking graces our ears... Our lighting in the house stays on only in the room being used and mostly dim or open curtains. 

Computer use by NeeNee is kept to a minimum, she stays mostly unplugged while here.   Chores are left to those that live in the house (even if that doesn't get done till Nee Nee Leaves)

Puppy kisses and child hugs grace every day.  There were no child tears, and no dogs barking (now that Chelsa has left us).  Silence can be found during a NeeNee visit.  Lots of sleep (even naps) are had by a NeeNee when she visits.

Coffee is made by Hubby and waiting NeeNee's wake up.  

Except for those hugs and holding 100 books for reading and playing 5000 games of connect 4x4, she really doesn't have to lift a finger.  And it makes a NeeNee trip most enjoyable (for all of us)

I enjoy seeing a Relaxed NeeNee... And a Healthy NeeNee... All of which happens when coming to the Veg house! 

We had lots of these:

 

And these:

 

And these:

 

Some of this (vegan pilaf):

 

And this (veg spinach artichoke dip)

Oooh and these... (raw vegan brownie bites)

But when NeeNee leaves... Healthy, Relaxed, or NOT.... We all pout...

Especially the Spunk-Meister... He doesn't like when NeeNee leaves... and this is him, ignoring me..

He's annoyed at the whole thing... this is Spunky Pouting!  Poor Guy!

And so there ya have it...  Why a NeeNee visit is like a weekend at the Spa!

Come back soon NeeNee and keep up that Green Goodness!!!  *smile*

MOM MOM IT SNOWED!!!

That was my wake up this morning... "Mom, it snowed, it really really snowed"...

By Golly By Gosh, He was right!

Here was my first peak outside...Good Morning Snow.....

 

Ah, it was a Winter Wonderland... A surprise of a Winter Wonderland:

Just Beautiful!

Spunkman came in with something on his nose, and it was hilarious because he had no idea it was there.  He LOVES snow...  And since we don't get it often, he went CRAZY this morning...  He kept that piece on his nose until it melted.   Like he was trying to save it or something.

Veg and I played out side for a LONG time... As in 3+ hours..

 

Hubby brought us out Hot Cocoa:

 

I Love Hubby:

 

Veg made the Perfect Snow Angel:

 

With the grass standing out, it really showed up:

And there was A LOT of snowballs going around....  Watch Out!

 

What a wonderful way to start our Saturday!!! 

And start to our Winter... Wow... haven't had snow this early in like 13 years I think.  Of course the sun is out as I type this and we shall say good bye to the snow for now.  Going to be 70 by midweek... Go figure!

Bye Bye Snow!

Hope your having a great day where ever you are!

PAUSE BLOG FOR SLEEP

This has been an amazing week and I haven't found time to blog about it because I was sleeping.. or working... or playing games.... or printing organic whole food coupons.... or keeping up with house chores to give me a weekend break.... or sleeping.... did I mention SLEEPING!

In bed Every night before 10 even before 9 on some days... All work still got done, And I FEEL GREAT!!  Refreshed and ready to take on this Friday.

Ya See, Hubby went out of town for a few days.  Veg and I had tons of 1on1 time.. and we made the best of it..  Started and Finished a game of Monopoly (he won, I had to go bankrupt.. stinker)

He played me some music, and doodled me some letters... we made our meals together, had huge green smoothies every morning and yummy lunches/dinners.  I exercised 3 days and Veg joined in.

He explained to me what an Atom was and how it was made up of Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons... And then went on to tell me how Helium is created and which elements are poisonous... These conversations help me to know what he is learning at school.  And I can tell you that it still boggles my mind. 

We played and cuddled with our one and only Pup... Veg went to bed Every night on time without any stalling even.  He was up and dressed before I had to wake him....The Pup even did good considering he spent his first whole day alone in over 8 yars. It has been a GREAT WEEK!!! 

Hubby is back now and had a nice trip visiting his side of the family... Hoping for an equally good weekend.

And some more blog posts, maybe with pictures...

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

FALL HIKE 2009

We headed into the mountains today for our first Fall Hike of the season... The leaves were at their peak, but with the sun and shadows, the pictures were hard to get.  I have a few to share though!!

The drive .. Just love this pictures:

Them Mountains:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hiking Companions took some breaks:

 

Them rocks skipped far!




The Snacks.. For both raw and non-raw enthusiasts...Thank you Mr. Tiffin!!

 

And there ya have it... A beautiful Hike, a beautiful Drive, A beautiful View... Some nice companions, And some very yummy snacks...

What more could a girl ask for??

11 YEARS AGO

Over 11 Years Ago we moved out of Apartment life and in to our first home owning house...A dog found me while I was visiting the local pound and she became mine in an instant...

After all, who could resist this freckle face nose:

 

I didn't have any of these bundles over 11 years ago:

And would have NEVER thought this was possible back then:

 

Blogs were not heard of, I didn't have a computer, and still had to buy film if I wanted to take pictures.

The thought of carrying an Ipod would have been laughed at, as we didn't even have a CD player then.  Cassette Tapes and the Radio... And a Gigantic Walkman... were the options in our house... We were broke, to say it nicely. 

9/11 hadn't happened then, Flying on an Airplane was fun and you mostly got to your destination on time.  Our Jobs were very different, Gas was much cheaper, I was driving a Ford Aspire... HA... now that's funny!

If you told me 11 years ago that I would be a Mom, let alone a Soccer Mom, I would have laughed at you in a big way.

I didn't have any nieces then or a sister-n-law for that matter.  My Bestest Michigan Friend wasn't even married yet (let alone with 2 kids)..

A LOT can happen in 11 years, I tell ya!!

Do you ever wonder what will be different in the future?  What new things we'll have 11 years from now?

All I know, is that We may only have one Canine Baby now... but something tells me, the next 11 years will be just as great..... 

What were you doing 11 Years Ago?
 

RAW FOOD LUNCH AND LOTS OF HUGS

Today was intended to be a "Visit three different Grandma's" Day.  This means driving all over creation during normal circumstances.  But add in some Yummy Raw Food Goodness and a Cider Mill... and our driving continued to be all over creation....

YES, RAW FOOD!!!  We found a restaurant on happycow that I think Melissa suggested we go to a long time ago... (whom just had a baby... Congrats Melissa)..

Called the Red Pepper Deli in Northville Michigan.. (sorry can't find website)... It was a TOTAL Deli, as in small tables for eating in, but mostly a carry out place.  And the food choices, juice, smoothies, desserts, almost all RAW, and Vegan.... OH MY YUM!!!

We Dragged NeeNee with us to this delicious little eatery....  I walked in with my Giddy Self, and told the lady at the counter "They don't make these places where I come from!"  And she said "Then how do you know to eat this way?"  :-)  Blog land!  hee hee

My Raw walnut Taco, was soooo good and filling, even had to bring some home, so I could save room for dessert:

NeeNee got a Raw Pesto Pasta... I had to explain to her that there would be no "PASTA" in the Pesto PASTA... that it was going to be Zucchini noodles.. MAN was it good!!!

NeeNee Liked it too... But don't tell her because she won't admit it.  I have proof though... she ate every last bit...

Veg's lunch was quite Yummy too, while not raw, it was brown rice and raisins, and butternut squash soup along with some dehydrated pumpkin seed crackers (at least I think they were pumpkin seed):

We got some Cashew (dehydrated) Crackers to go for our trip back, along with some Banana Leather... OH MY YUM YUM YUM!!!  I'll have to make these with Mr. Dehydrator at home.

And then I saw Mr. Vita-mix times 3 behind the counter and HAD to order a smoothie.  I was FORCED to do so.  It was calling me, I couldn't control myself....  I went with the Coconut/Pineapple concoction.. 

Well, Veg wanted a nut free dessert.... And they happened to have something that fit the bill.

Raw Coconut Cream Pie:

 

He had bites before I could even snap a photo...  OH, WAS THIS GOOD!!  I will be trying this at home for sure!

So while it was true that we drove all over creation......It was sooo good... Veg and I both got lots of hugs from different loved ones today... not the kind of hugs that bother my germophobe self.. These were nice friendly family hugs that are worth a million bucks.    We also got some good pictures, to keep these memories strong for my Vegman.

I'm so glad that he is at the age where he will remember this trip forever and always... And because of that, I'm throwing in some extra special goodness... He has requested 4 Cider Mills... and 4 we shall do... After today we are at #3...  And so there was raw food goodness... Three Grandma Visits.... AND A cider mill with Play area... A perfect day!

And Yet again for the 4th day this week, my little Luv Bug took a car siesta between stops... I really really really wish he did this at home...  Something about the cold air... Yeah, thats it! :-) 

And did I mention it was Ccccccooooooooollllllddddddddd...... I'm talkin' December weather cold in October kind of Cold!

But were loving it!   Every Single Bit!!!

HOT AIR BALLOONS A GLOWIN'

There are a few things I LOVE about this time of year....

• Temps start to cool down
• Leaves begin to turn
• Fall Festivals are in bloom
• Produce is amazingly good

But one thing that makes this time of year Extra special... Is that the Hot Air Balloons stop by for a visit.... And they Glow... to music... at night.... ITS AMAZING!!!

This year was by far the best ever... I'll stop typing now... See for your selves....  (sorry for the fuzzy zoomed shots)

Note - Trying YouTube for my videos... lets see how they do...

First the Dueling Banjos

My favorite, the patriotic part of the show....The middle balloon floats up with an American flag.... sooo cool....

And some still shots, with some more fuzzy zooms...

And the boy with the silly hat (guess who?) got to climb a rock wall, thanks to some very nice Army National Guardsmen....  We were sure to thank them for ALLL they do.... 

Our Friends made an appearance also, and they had a try at the wall.  Even waited in line with us for the LONGEST time....  It turned in to a wonderful night.  Even if Hubby has a case of the Grumpies.... (oops did I just type that)

SHENANIGANS

I was talking to my MIL tonight and we were talking about all the Apples I want to get up there in the Fall so I can dehydrate them when I get back home.. 

"Since when do you Dehydrate?"  She asked

<Well I don't yet, but plan to start, so we'll have lots of fruit snacks through the winter>

"OK" she says in a stumped voice...After all, I don't live on a prarie and could really find produce out of season if I needed.

So I eased her mind by saying... "Just when you thought I couldn't get any weirder, I'm on a raw food kick now"

"OH NO"  She said "I don't put anything past you any more... You and your Shenanigans... You passed weird along time ago"

Ha Ha!! 

Me and my Shenanigans... I didn't bother to tell her about the body brushing.... We'll just keep that between us!

A DAY OF REPEATS

Wake up --- Exercise by foot

Home before storm

Cool down

BODY BRUSH

Shower....

Afternoon --- Exercise (unintentional) Hubby wanted to go for a walk.. He NEVER asks to go for a walk... Veg was NOT having it... Compromise, we go for a bike ride and Veg gets to lazy daze in the Burly. 

Take Veg in Burly up to the Post Office...  (Me pulling burly with bike)  Drop off mail....

Hubby made a comment about the slowness of said Burly....  So I let him pull on the way back...  Hubby made it half way....  Hubby stopped, put down kickstand and laid in the grass.....

Needless to say, I rode the Burly Up all the hills and back home while Hubby walked his bike up all the hills...

Hubby will NOT ever say a word about slowness of said Burly ride again.

Get home with sky going dark and thunder rolling just before second storm.

Cool down

BODY BRUSH

Shower....

Can anyone guess what my favorite part of this Double Day was???

STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER

We got out some old games over the weekend... and Veg is learning them so quickly.  This is the perfect age for them.. I forgot how many we had...  And I'm NOT talking about the "computer kind"  I'm talking about the sit around a table, with pen and paper and boards and cards/tiles/dice.... The real stuff...

His Favorite... YAHTZEE!!!  The counting, the recording score, Adding big numbers, all his favorite things...  Can't believe I didn't think of this one sooner.

And this one Rummikub... Did anyone else ever play this???  I used to play it with my Grandparents... maybe it was just me... But now Veg is carrying on the tradition...  It can be a long game too, so the fact that it keeps his interest is just great!

We have agreed to play one family game EVERY night at least through the summer... 

I should say, Veg and I have agreed... Hubby is playing along... Don't tell him that he is having a good time or he may stop...   Shhhhhh!!

HAPPY EASTER

Hope you had a wonderful day where ever you are!!

We went to a park that we never knew existed near by...  Had a nice lunch and a nice walk and some frisbee family time.... Best of all we saw signs that Spring has Certainly Sprung...

Lots and lots of those signs of new life....  Such sweet and cute and cuddly signs....

We also saw a small Dam at this park.. Veg wanted to know why it wasn't called a waterfall... I told him he could call it that if he wanted, but Hubby insisted it be called a Dam...

Veg set him straight by explaining... "The water is falling from a higher place to a lower place, and although it may look like a Dam it is really a waterfall"

I can tell you that conversation went on way too long!  Personally, I would agree with the Vegman!!!

And don't forget about tomorrow.... In approximately 2hrs, it will be NO JUNK FOOD TIME!!!  For those of you taking this journey with me.....  Don't forget to check back with your results... HOW MANY DAYS COULD YOU GO??

FAMILY BIRTHDAY UPDATES

We have Lots of Birthdays this month...Did I get a SINGLE Card sent??? NO!!!  What is up with me?  Really. 

I have them all made, all thats needed is an envelope, address and stamp.  But do I get it all done?? NO!!   Bad Bad Me!!

So in case you were wondering:

Only my brother could Go Skiing, Run in to a Tree, BREAK THE TREE, (as in knock the tree down) and Ski away without even a bruise.....  Which is a Very good thing or his Birthday may have not gone so well.... Happy Birthday Bro.... And Ummm... Watch out for trees!!

And Grandpa L ---- I promise Veg isn't getting you a Camper Toilet for your birthday, even if the one you have in the camper is too noisy for him, and this is the ONLY thing he wants to buy you for your Birthday. I have convinced him to stay away from the Sewer pipes also...  Happy Birthday Grandpa L... We Love ya!  (Even if Veg only wants to buy you a toilet for your birthday)

Little Miss D - Ooooo What a princess she is!!  I wish I could personally give her the biggest hug of all time, but instead I can only say HAPPY BIRTHDAY Miss D....  You make this Aunt very proud!

Grandma H --- I found this great gift basket for Grandma H and her gardening self.... The ordering was easy, the delivery was fast, on time and great packaging.  My MIL LOVED this basket and said all the Natural'sh snacks were all to her liking.  I like that this Gift Basket Company also provides organic and fruity'ish options.  I will Definitely order from them again!!

Grandma B --- As with everyone else, your card is coming late, but not because we love you any less.  In fact it is because I'm just a really huge slacker and a horrible person and I have no other excuses... I'm sorry... Your card will be in the mail... I promise!!! 

Happy April Birthdays Everyone!!  (even if your not in my family, happy April Birthday... and by the way, even if you were in my family, I'd probably still forget to send you a card, so don't expect anything)

OH ---- And to a new Mommy PW... Congrats on your little April Baby!  He'll be hiking the mountains by Fall, I'm sure of it!!!  Hope his animal siblings are being kind....  Happy Birthday little baby C....

GETTING THINGS DONE

At the beginning of this month, I stated that this was the year to "Get things done"  Meet goals, and feel good about Accomplishments.... 

Work wise, I'm already getting Pooped out!  But we have accomplished so much, Something that we originally quoted would be done over a 6 month time frame, is now half complete in less then a month.

After this week we will have 7 of 13 projects done.  I'm so proud of the people I work with.  As for my self... Just Pooped!    But the faster we get done, the faster we can take a break.  OK NOT really, but I'm pretending as it makes me feel better!  (Not to mention we don't really have a choice to finish early, and so we will be done early...as in 4 months ahead of plan)

I got both my big closets, craft and toy areas cleaned out, and am 1/2 way to my 13 mile goal, by getting in 7 miles already... Veg completed his first 1 mile race and is totally pumped now to do activity every day for his Exercise Log.

We are finishing our first month of using no credit or debit cards, and cash only with our envelope system. Because of the accountability of cash, we've been able to sock a little away in our first month.  So I can see a light at the end of our Credit tunnel.

Veg has decided that he is more interested in reading then math (he made that decision on Wednesday of last week) since then he's put the math a side (his teachers call that being saturated with a subject and naturally moving to the next) And has moved up 3 steps in the reading cabinet in 3 days.  To many kids this is no big deal.. But to my Vegman who sometimes sees letters backwards or out of sequence, this is a HUGE deal...  

So many exciting accomplishments, in such a short time, I'm looking forward to more posts like this... Sometimes things get so negative, it is great to look at the positive!

CASH ONLY PLEASE

Hubby and I have decided to go back to Cash and the Envelope system this year..  Many years ago when we stuck to our envelopes, we saved enough to pay all our debt.  But that was many years ago.... The system failed after having a child and some other problems that I won't get in to.    We have gone Debit Card crazy for way too long. 

We figured out a good amount for groceries, family fun/eating out, and a little bonus for him and myself each week to eat out at work or save for something we want.  Oh and a tad for House needs (garden stuff, paint, etc.) 

Each week we will fill our envelopes, a little money will get added to our Savings account, and the rest will go to paying bills and paying off credit...  Or the extra would be things like family gifts, charity, Vacation etc.  As the pendulum shifts, more will go in to savings then paying off bills. (in theory)

My hope is that, Big Purchases and real vacations won't happen unless we have the cash saved to cover the expense.  But in an emergency charging something won't be so bad, when the balance started at zero. 

Grocery shopping, will require some thinking, because if I don't have the cash, then I have to put items back.. The whole Needs Vs. Wants Conundrum.  I also can't just go on a whim, because I'll have to remember my envelope that contains the cash, grocery list, and coupons... (so I shouldn't forget those again, in theory)

For all realistic purposes we don't spend much compared to some, and our debt is fairly low.  But with only one main income, private school and regular expenses, we seem to still be catching up from a couple years ago when Debt was our middle name.

I'll be happy to say GOODBYE to that burden, and be able to actually save again for later needs instead of just sending off every big sum of money to a bill. 

The trick is remembering to take the cash, and one of us remembering to get it out of the bank, and blah blah blah...

The benefits are not just savings... I will no longer have to enter 500 receipts in to my checkbook. Balancing will be so much easier.  And I'll be saving on the security concerns of credit fraud and identity theft.  The more my card stays in its pouch, the less trouble it will cause.

So we are hitting week two of Cash only, and we both agree that we kind of like it.  At first I thought I would be annoyed that everything was now monitored and accounted for.  And I thought the inconvenience of needing cash every where I went would be a burden.  But now, not so much.... I'm content with how things have gone and have no worries at all...

Here is our first FUNNY though...While at the store today, Hubby tried to sneak in a video game to the grocery stash.  Knowing he'd already spent his money for the week, I was curious how he planned to pay for it.  At the check out line, I kept the video game toward the back of the cart, and I asked him how much money he had for the game.  He looked at me with this priceless expression (sooo busted)

He explained that we were getting groceries so it could come out of the grocery envelope..... Um, Really?  So you would prefer having a game over your son getting lunch food.... HA HA!!  Oh did he feel about two ounces big.... And then he said the "Truth" that he would be trading in 3 games this week, which will cover the cost of the game and he will put that back in the grocery envelope for next weekend....

OK - that is a deal!  We Agreed!  And guess what!  We still had grocery money left for me to hit the health food store this week.  I'm pretty sure we planned well on the expenses.  So we shouldn't fail..

In Theory!

NEE NEE'S KNEE - UPDATE

I've had many people ask about my Mom's Knee from this post  so I wanted to send an update...  Looks like no surgery will be needed..  But she's pretty much stuck with the cyst that formed from the injury..  They can lance the fluid, but just the word "Lance" makes me cringe.... or she can do cortisone shots for the pain... Frankly the words Shots in the knee cap also make me cringe!!

Either way, she will not be climbing stairs very much anymore or running after grandkids.....Walking Maybe... Running, NO!  Her goal is to keep the swelling down and the tendons happy...

Note to self:  Don't get a knee injury... EVER!

Anyway, it could be worse, so I'm thankful it wasn't... And wanted to thank those of you that emailed or called with concern.  I know she will appreciate that too!

SILLY APPLE PUMPKIN DAY 2008

And so our Second Annual Silly Apply Pumpkin Day of 2008 comes to a close....  Veg ate his dinner at about 7:30 excused himself from the table and said "I'm going to bed, its been a long day"  AND HE DID!!!  Out cold... Fast Asleep.... No Muss No Fuss.....  But what did we do on this day you may ask??

First, there was School.... The kids got to carve a Pumpkin.  When parents arrived they auction off the pumpkins... Its all for fun and all proceeds go to the school... Did my guy CARVE a Pumpkin???  NOooooo!  He didn't want to "RUIN" the pumpkin!!  Wish I would have known that at 10pm last night when I was running around the city looking for a kid friendly carving tool..... And so he painted it!!  A beautiful masterpiece.  Notice the skeleton in picture 2:

Hubby brought Veg home after the auction, while I went back to work.  Upon getting home, I find my little Vegman in his usual costume attire... the same thing he's been for the last 5 years.... and I gave him his outdoor surprise...  The silliest pumpkin of ALL time... One that BOUNCES!!!  Really Really High!!  In fact so high, that it took off down the street and I was running very quickly to catch it before it got slaughtered by on coming traffic.  That was fun!! 

Here is Spidey, showing off his new friend!

And of course there were Leaves... Lots and Lots of Leaves... And finally one of my trees decided to turn pretty before the season ended:

After raking and jumping, raking and jumping, then playing our version of Dodge Ball and blowing bubbles.... OOH forgot to write about the bubbles....

While out last weekend, someone at a store gave Veg some bubbles.  Hubby wouldn't let him have them because they were "Halloween" and Hubby doesn't want Halloween celebrated...  Well... I say they are BUBBLES......  So tonight, I wrapped a little jar with happy pumpkin and apple stamped paper, then made my own bubbles....  Dish soap, Water and Sugar... I made it really really really soapy, so the bubbles were GREAT.  We found an old wand, and blew the most wonderful bubbles.

Ok, so after bubbles, leaves, bouncing ball and fun...  We came inside.....Bobbed for Apples!  Veg is much better this year then last year, but we all had some great laughs.  Hubby got his on the first try... SHOW OFF:

Then it was hand out candy time (to each other)  The candy I chose for Veg, was Organic all natural Candy Canes.... Afterall,  What is more silly then Christmas Candy in October???  Just love this box!!

Veg was soooo excited "Thanks Mom, this is the best candy ever"  BUT - he says... "Remember last year when you made me a really nice bowl for my candy?  Why didn't you do that this time?" 

Well Phooey!!  He remembers the one thing I forgot.... So I get him in the shower then run around to find a decoratable container...  Thanks to my Crafty Friend.. I had some recipe boxes lying around...

One of them is now officially a Silly Apple Pumpkin Box:

With candy canes inside:

Eventually it is time for dinner.... I was so busy with everything else, that I didn't bother to make a good dinner, but I had to make something that was Silly! and something that was Apple'ish..... 

Fried Apples did the trick, although didn't come out as good as I imagined they would, Veg really liked them... He said they were chewy like gum.. ha ha... Not exactly the texture I was going for:

And this Guys name is Chief Silly Face:

I also made these.. Peanut Butter and Chocolate bars but they are cooling in the fridge right now...  Those aren't really Pumpkin or Apple'ish, but they sure do look good!!  ha ha... And they will give Veg some "Peanut Butter Cup" type candy when he wakes in the morning, to show him that not going trick 'o treating isn't so bad after all....  Ooh is he excited for those.. (so am I, by the way)

And so our Day comes to an end!!  My Veg Man went to sleep as happy as can be and just before heading off he says.. "I know we don't celebrate Halloween, but I'm sure glad we celebrate Silly Apply Pumpkin Day"

Sheww... Mission Complete!!!

POMEGRANATE

 NeeNee Surprised us with our Yearly Pomegranates.... I just love this time of year..

In case you were wondering about our Pomegranate tradition... See Here!

CIDER MILL HEAVEN

      You may have wondered why I haven't posted in a few days...Well I will tell you why??  We went to Cider Mill Heaven.... Yesirree....  To the Great State of Michigan...

Alright, maybe its not the best State, but they do have the best Cider Mills in all the Land.... Along with a cider mill, there are donuts... There is cider...  There can be corn mazes, and hay rides, but also play areas, barns, and many upon many amazing photo ops in the great outdoors... 

This is my favorite time of year, but to be in Michigan visiting family during this time of year made it even better!

Here is a photo Montage (minus people- because you know I just do that to ya) during our Cider Mill Frenzy...  

We only went to one that was planned, the rest were spur of the moment... Going to Commerce to visit my Dad - Yup, there is a cider mill there..  Going to Brighton to visit my MIL, YUP, they have one too...  Ah, I was in my glory...

Oh oh oH... And Veg did not get sick from eating the Donuts!  YAHOOO!!!  I know they are not Vegan... I know they are not healthy... But it is his first Ever Cider Mill donut and I wasn't going to keep him from trying one....  With some of the not so good ingredients, I thought for sure it would trigger his food allergies, but NOPE!  All Good!!!

The Vomiting Gods were smiling on us.  And by the way, so were the weather Gods.. Or should I just say GOD, but we only had one gloomy day.  And if you know Michigan weather, you will know that only one gloomy day, is a rare thing!!

OK - Back to my pictures...

Here is the first one we went to... Spicer's --- I had to get a picture of Veg in front of this sign, because we have the same one back home at one of the Corn Mazes.

 

See the sign below... Line 10.... OH YES, on a normal day they have 10 lines of people waiting for Donuts.  We were there on an OFF day... And that was a good thing!  

Verdict.. Spicer's Donuts were pretty tasty, their cider was just like I remembered Michigan Cider to be.  We didn't check out their corn Maze but did enjoy their play area, and watching the animals...

This place was pretty covered in Bees so if there is an allergy, I wouldn't hang out too long at this one.  They also have pick your own apples, but we didn't do any of that.  My MIL did bring us some to the hotel from here though and they are yummy!

I was playing with my camera setting, and got this flower picture at Spicer's.  The flower was actually purple, but I inverted the colors.  Thought it was kind of cool.

 

If you look really close, you'll see a Rainbow over this windmill.  There was no rain, but there was an amazing rainbow just the same...

 

Then we went to Long's on Day 2...  The best donuts so far.  Not too greasy.. Cider was perfect (not to sweet, no after taste, just plain good)...  We went through the Corn maze at Long's... Well Sorta!!  We only got through half... You'll see why in the next photo.  They didn't have much of a play area yet, still building it, but they had a cool Goat area and awesome Picnic section.  With NO BEES!   (at least while we were there)

So here is the Corn maze... Grandpa L. had never been in one before, and was quite hesitant that we would ever find our way out...  Think he was right... About 2 feet inside my Veg says "I think we are lost Grandpa"  Ha Ha Ha  Yeah, ya think... It is a 5 Acre maze... You get out at the 1/2 way point and then go back in to finish... We stopped at the 1/2 way point... *smile*  If Hubby were there, we would have finished, I'm sure of it!!

If you look closely, you'll see Herman the Stuffed Spider... He has traveled from Michigan to Utah and several states in between... He was passed down from Grandpa to Veg... And This is his first Corn maze Experience....We will try to take good care of Herman and take him on many more adventures, before passing him on to the next family member.

 

Just Yummm.... OK People, there is Apple Cider everywhere, I get this... But fresh Cider Mill Cider is just DARN GOOD!

 

And then on day 3 there was Three Cedars Farm... Good Donuts (not hot like the others, but good).. I went for hot cider this time..  We went on a hay ride at this one, which took us to a small corn maze.  Just right for NeeNee's first time inside one. 

The play area at this one, was by far my favorite.  They also had a neat little candy shop and general store.

 

I think I liked their Donuts best because they weren't fresh/hot... I mean they weren't greasy at all.

Hubby and Veg liked the hot ones better, but then I'm always the odd ball.

Well obviously if I have this many photos without People in them, you can only imagine how many I took with People...  I was having a blast with my camera this trip....

Did I mention that I love Michigan Cider Mills.... AH!  so glad we went in October!!!  Mmmm Good!

BALLOON GLOW 2008

This has become sort of a tradition at the Veg House... Some years it is GREAT, Other years it has been Rained out completely... This year it was a little of both!

It was great when we arrived, but when it came time to GLOW, some of the Pilots decided not to participate.    I'm not sure if it was the threat of Rain or Wind that deterred them.  But a few lit up and put on a good show.

One of our friends came, so Veg was so busy playing, I don't think he even saw the Balloon Glow.  We found a booth with Veggie Burgers to eat.  Also saw some friends from school.  It turned in to a great night....

When we got to the Car Veg said "This was SOOO Fun" and then he fell asleep.  The little guy just can't stay up past 9 any more.... Kind of funny!

My camera battery died, just in time to take a bad photo (above) and a video that I can't post from this machine.

Family fun is the best kind of fun!  Even if it doesn't go as planned!  *smile*

LACK OF POSTS THIS WEEK

Sorry for the lack of posts this week...  lunches were pretty much the same as last week, nothing exciting to report anyway :-)  The weather has been AMAZING and the sun rise/sun sets have been a great way to start and end each day.... 

This was a week where plans went out the window and survival kicked in... However, knowing this in advance I was able to get Hubby to do some morning drop offs and we shared Pick up duty.  I got my exercise in at the beginning of the week and will pick that back up tomorrow.  And although I didn't get much sleep for several days in a row, I did make up for it last night...

Also Veg and I got some special "eat out" time along with Reading, Math and Magnet play time in between work stuff. 

The house work did NOT get done, so I'm not totally balanced!  But clean underwear was available, groceries were purchased, bills were paid, and most essentials were completed....  So I'm as balanced as I'm going to get and that will have to be good enough!

So all in all the week was successful.  Can't Complain.... And looking forward to this weekend... Lots of fun coming our way, and a good chance to catch up on anything missed.

So to that I say.... HAPPY FALL.....  And hopefully I'll have something funny or interesting to post soon enough!