First Fruit

It’s been a busy few weeks here.  Kids getting out of school.  Our little ‘trial week’ of ‘homeschooling’ with the girls (we are thinking about ‘homeschooling’/’unschooling’ for next year).  Sending the girls off to spend most of July with ‘Baba and Grandma” for summer camp – they are so excited…  I hope they don’t kill my parents – or vice versa.  Watching my crazy little boys run around the house naked, giggling hysterically as they juggle their boy bits, splash in the kiddie pool, and pee on the grass together.  They are just too funny.  Playing board games with my three (almost four) year old and having him thrash me – and being so grateful to God for how well he’s doing given his rocky start as a newborn with IVH/PVL.   He’s such an amazing joy.  Helping new contacts evaluate labels on ‘natural’ (semi-natural) products.  Helping new team members get up and rolling.  Starting to train for a 5K “Zombie Run” in the fall – and falling off the bandwagon with the heat.  Beginning to make a more tangible shift from our current church body (which we love) to the new church plant body that we’re a part of in our hometown (which we also love).  Preparing for our trip to Ukraine in early August to serve a local church there with English language camps.   Beginning initial plans for a major work event at the end of August.  Trying to figure out where to squeeze in a vacation trip with some dear friends.  Fireworks – both man-made ones, which were impressive, and the most amazing God-made ones which were way more impressive.  Crazy cool lightening show, like I’ve never seen before.

One of the other great joys of this past week has been picking the first fruit from our garden.  A small handful of cherry tomatoes and three big cucumbers.  We first did a garden in 2009 and just did tomatoes.  Then we got overly ambitious in 2010, and it flopped.  Didn’t do a garden last year because it was just too much with the baby.  And this year, I think we have a nice little balance of fairly easy to grow foods that we definitely eat.  A few varieties of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, carrots, onions – and a strawberry patch for next year.

Fred has really been enjoying weeding the garden barefoot and has written an awesome poem inspired by the activity – maybe he’ll let me share it with you on my blog?  I’ll have to ask him.  🙂

So anyways, yeah.  Been delinquent on posting.  Have some ideas kicking around in my head though…

Of course, as I was explaining to someone I met online recently, I am NOT a hard core blogger.  Not aspiring to be one either.  I love to write, but I’m so nit picky about details that I just don’t have the time, energy, or desire to really write lengthy, well researched, and precisely written posts.  I am trying to consciously limit my computer time, not increase it – and use the time I am on it as efficiently as possible.  I love to do the research, think critically about these things for my own family’s choices, talk about this stuff with people, and share what I’m learning, but I confess that I just don’t have time or desire right now to really hard core blog.

My blog is really more of just a place, as I said way back when I started in September of 2010, for me to chronicle some of my thoughts and experiences as a work from home mom on a journey of sustainable living – personally (our own practices at home), professionally (through my work as a consultant and business owner), and spiritually (as it is all rooted, ultimately at the core, in my faith) – and interact with anyone online who might want to chat about these various topics.

So, we’ll see how ‘the Spirit moves’ in the next few weeks and what posts come out first.  I’m open to suggestions if anyone wants to read/discuss one thing more than another.  🙂

Some of my thoughts/ideas include…

A post about creating life, not ‘making a living.’

A review on some amazing coconut oil I recently had the privilege of trying.

A review of a new book by one of my current favorite authors, Nancy Sleeth – I’m about halfway through so far.

A brief explanation of different types of milk and why it really matters which one you choose.

A post on the somewhat misleading ‘no animal testing’ labels on personal care products.

A post on some the ethical questions surrounding product choices with certain ingredients.

A post on sustainable network marketing – how it can be very beneficial for society if (and only IF) done properly (as in, not at all like what you may have experienced in the past with stereotypical network marketing or MLM hype).

A post on ‘failure-proofing’ home business ventures.

My recent adventures into yogurt making.

My stinky water kefir mystery – help wanted!

Our ongoing efforts to purge stuff.

My back and forth thoughts on homeschooling.

My back and forth thoughts on maybe going gluten-free.

And now maybe a post with Fred’s latest poem.  🙂

 

Too many ideas, not enough time.  Gonna go play with my kids.  Will try to get a post out next week sometime on one of these topics.

Any votes?