Broken...let it stop at 3

so how is it possible I am blessed with beautiful kids, and beautiful spring weather...yet jinxed at every turn! I am hoping the old saying bout things coming in three's is true, cause if one more thing breaks down around here...I am selling the house and moving back into a trailer. Nothing major has broken really?? First it was my toaster, ok so no pr0blem for this cheapskate..only one side burnt out..ya just flip the toast. Except when you r busy on the puter...forget to flip and have to cook four extra (burnt)eggo's to feed the kids a couple each for breaky??!!! But then it was of all terrible things...a catastrophee.......my freak'n glasses had an arm fall off!!! Confession time...this Saturday it will be a month since this Loon has been walking around with one armed glasses!!! Makes picture taking tricky cause now I really do have a "good side!" Its pathetic really...I am pissy cause the damn things are less than a year old...I am cheap and I can still see thru them just fine...and have discovered wearing a bandana or beanie keeps them sitting better........so no I have not yet ordered new ones. And I am that lazy that I haven't called the cheap place to see if these can be repaired (not to mention still angry over losing the sunglasses!!) But I still get a chuckle cause in the last month, there has been atleast half a dozen times that people have commented on how much they like my frames!!! LOL It was ten years ago that this happened to me last..that time however was due to Nishka in her puppy years...I told people back then it was the new fashion frame...to only have one arm. Then I fixed the situation when I cleaned out the lost and found at the hotel I managed and found a similar pair of frames, switched in my lenses...and voila! (yes I am that cheap!!)
But the final kicker last night...hopefully the third and final disaster for the coming daze.......MY CHAIR! my favorite chair that I have dragged around for well over ten years. While sitting cuddling with my poker junkie last night I heard a subtle crack! Hubby stood up and I went toppling over to the floor. Now this chair is not just any chair...it is the ultimate comfort zone!! Large like a round birds nest, light weight..easy travelling (ie back in the day out into the yard in the sunshine to recover from say...the night before....when I am mama and cuddling with the babes all around me for a snuggle etc) To find these LARGE round chairs these days is like finding a needle in the haystack. We had another one...which I made hubby pullover once to grab off the side of the road??!!! but it took a beating camping one summer and is retired to the farm now. So I am on a mission ... hoping the good old trusty duct tape will repair what is broken...cause if not there is going to be a poker junkie in trouble...I told him not to move my chair!!! (it was afterall the place I fell asleep at night waiting for the poker junkie to lose his chips)

Looking forward to the weekend!! Time to do some serious cleanup..I ordered my birds!! 30dayold chicks to arrive May7!!! farminal season will begin again!!!! But also time for Daddy to decide on ...
"to build a tower or not" Much to his dismay....last Sunday we were informed by one of the neighbourhood moms that apparently "B" and "A", normally the inseparable best buds biking all over our block each went to school last Friday, dumped their girlfriends (the kids are 7 & 8..LOL) and declared to all that Aspen Jane is now their new girl??!!! This has resulted in two things so far (note: NO ONE has told Aspen this info yet ...lmao)

1. The two young chaps are now in a tussle over who really has dibs on Aspen...and learning a life lesson and best friends and girls
2. Daddy has informed EVERYONE who will listen that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL ASPEN EVER HAVE A BOYFRIEND because Daddy intends to build a forty foot tower for his princess to live in........
(I sense another life lesson on the way!!!!!!!!!!)

Sunday Post??? Important for all the Mama's!!!

OK...so confession time again...I am a sunscreen freak when it comes to my kidlets. Any given day in the summer time there R multiple tubes or bottles floating around the acres, vehicles, beach bags etc. I am considered the family "lotion expert" because I have been known to apply it to twenty children in less than twenty minutes at the family picnic every summer. So no matter not ...my kid or someone else's when Loony shouts "lotion time" everyone better get in line...including the Mama's to learn the best techniques cause it doesn't need to be a long ordeal!!!

I AM MAMA AND A LOTION PRO

So now that its early spring, this pro was already prepared with my "winter tube" cause those cheeks need protected on the hill. What I was prepared for was

1. that damn dog named Daisy to decide to chew(EXPLODE) my tube on the kitchen floor
and
2. that there would not be one freak'n store outta the five I went to over the course of two days...Friday and Saturday to purchase new lotion.

I dont know who the hell is watching the calendar at the multiple grocery, drug and big box store...but there was very few tubes or bottles on the shelf this weekend. and what was there??? Great for the blonde bimbos looking for the perfect bronzing oil???!!!(no offense bimbos!)
Should they not be prepared for this season??

I realize I am picky...I still use the baby faces 50 protection on my kids....I trust more in the zinc ingred. factor in that lotion...and will admit I will not buy 'no name generic"(cheapskate me) brands for this product!!!

but the only option above bronze tanning and level 15 this weekend was the NEWEST thing on the market...the 'spray on lotion' level 30!!!

HERE IS THE WARNING MAMA"S

if you have children that play and say get scraped on the sidewalk, a tree, ya know normal kids stuff.......application of this new spray on technology includes alcohol to activate fast drying...AKA...torture for the kidlets for approx. 5-7minutes while the sting goes away.

I can say that the kidlets did not get sun burns following my application like clock work every four hours...but! (zinc/babyfaces lotion is good for six..minus extreme swimming) ) The bottle that cost the same as everything else...Loony estimate $10.00 incl. taxes!!!! is basically EMPTY following this mornings first application???!!!
And Aspen who has (knock on wood) never had any form of skin reactions.....has a rash on her inner leg that was not there yesterday before the lotion???!!!

Needless to say, Loony has been given some decent lotion by our friend "g" as I wait for the store shelves to be replenished.................and I will be spending part of my Monday Morning using my strategic phone bitching skills to complain to 1800-NEW LOTION SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If all goes well....they will be replacing the TEN BUCKs WORTH OF CRAP I purchased yesterday!!!!!!

1800-BEARWISE

so it has started.....finally spring, and now alerted by the local news BEAR season. Featured last night and this morning, the local ministry of natural resources explaining the do's and don't of being bear wise, reporting that there has already been a couple of sitings in and around our Bay. So here we go...right away hubby sits the kidlets down to ask them if they remember the bear safety tips from last year, right away he turns to me and says........THEY (kidlets) DONOT go outside without Nishka......NISHKA is not to be tied up right now at all or EVER!!!

We had a spring bear drop in for a visit last year when Daddy was away, outta town on a job. He hung around the house for over an hour, lurking thru my berry bushes looking for some goods. One thing about the Acres, and the previous owners, the borders of the property are filled with berry bushes, and rhubarb. I read in my books an old school way to feed the wildlife before they enter the real gardens. But the spring bear last year was right outside my door. So I have to chuckle at the girl on the news, advising us in the public to call 1800bear wise or 911 in the event of a bear on your property. HA HA the joke was on me last year when I called, and was very politely told 'they only come out in the event of property damage or the bear threatening a human' hmmm and wtf I said??? he was standing up looking in at me and the kids thru the patio door in the kitchen...should i wait to call for help, wait for the bear to decide to bust the door down?
so be prepared reader of the blog...there will be some issues i am sure. I have found that Nishka is staying on the property, and not venturing to the cemetery to harass??? visitors ONLY if i keep Daisy tied up. Alone they behave...together and free bad girls LOL. But I will be damned if I keep the only thing that RID the Shoeless Acres of the Spring Bear last year tied to a tree while my kidlets play in the yard. Lets just hope we are BEAR FREE this year!!!!!!!!!

I really must get working on my new sign for the road....
EXTREME NANNY ON DUTY.........!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally SPRING!!!!!!!!!!

ahhh............so loving the sunshine today. Kids out the door at 8am playing, and me hanging the clothes on the line....oh how I have missed my line!!!
A Great Day for Many Springtime first on the Acres

My first day in the garden. One of them that is, the biggest one, the one that takes the longest to dig up and bring back of course. Dig dig dig....I made it about eight feet outta thirty. And now have a pea sized blister on my palm to show for it, the first of many I am guessing (and remembering) But there is nothing I love more than sitting in the dirt, plucking weeds and searching for new growth.......the start of dirty hand, feet, and faces for a while.......24-7.

Our first of many future trips to the creek out back. I am not sure what has happenned, but it is a whole new world down there this year!!! Once the water covered everything, now a still wide flowing creek runs thru, leaving alot of land, and old beaver damns for us to wonder and explore. Nishka even went for her first dip today too!!! The kids loved it, collecting muck, and searching for frogs. Poor Ryki was disappointed to see there were none. But excited to hear that we can wait and keep our eyes open for tadpoles (one of my all time childhood memories.....collecting tadpoles at the creek!)

On the wildlife front, I am currently on the hunt for a good photo of one of two great blue herons nesting in the back pond, sadly so far with not much luck. Our cats have finally begun to move on out to the outdoors again......the boys out all night bringing home their first rabbit yesterday, and what seemed to be a bird (seagull like?????) last week. And as they come inside in the morning to find a place to sleep for the day...Mamakat heads out, she prefers the daytime hunting hours???!!! i wonder if they make little kittykat revolving doors???? perhaps a good question for a top notch glazer that I know.

so i am guessing my time online will dwindle from here on out, spending most of my daze in the garden, preparing for the new farminals...gotta order my chickens still, just not sure how many to get??!!!

FINALLY SPRING!!!!!

Let the Poker War begin!!!!

ahhh...Monday morning and the sun is shining!! After a weekend away it is a refreshing sight! But, as of noonish....the beginning of the Poker War here on the Shoeless Acres. We will be having company from Toronto arrive for a stay until Thursday (no taxes for me this week hee hee hee) Aunt Stix is coming for her holidays and bringing along cousins Crystal, and wee man Chase...woo hoo!!! Except for the fact that Crystal is, like my love a poker junkie too!!! So while I had to give up my 9-5 time with the puter (within reason of course!!!) to entice her to come, I am guessing that things will not be so easy b/tw the two junkies are sharing time.

It is also a bit of a DARK Monday for me though in my own junked out world as the NHL finals begin this week................NO CORNATION STREET nightly at 7pm until June???? WTF!!! I hate this time of year. My show will only be available Sunday mornings now...which is somewhat nice I suppose...but damn ....waiting all freak'n week to see whats up on the cobblestone street is not easy for me.

Our Weekend Home.........woot woot it was fantastic!!
started with my nieces fourth bday party Saturday......beautiful weather, beautiful children running playing and rediscovering the fun of mud and puddles. Even Daisy was a well behaved princess!!! We opted to keep her at the party cause she was being so good, staying on my sisters property (within reason) playing with Toby the dog...who really should have been named big galute I think!!! He forgets how big he is sometimes ... but Daisy doesn't and had no problem tellinghim so!!! LOL I didN'T feel sorry for the city weekenders(Neighbours) though when their pretty little white and well groomed dog showed up for some afternoon fun...staying for a couple of hours only to have his owner come to retrieve him in their fancy Cadillac LOL....the little dog was no longer pretty and white...hahaha. My BIL claims thats how the dog goes home everyweekend like that. But fun fun fun and tonnes of cutie pie kidlets.

We stayed at the farm after the party for the night. Great Visit with Uncle Fred, great to see all the snow melting, but holy flooded rivers batman!!! The kids were out the door before seven AM to play outside, taking with them the goose caller, standing on the deck to see what they could call, dragging Uncle Fred with them to share his expertise. Fifteen minutes later the giggles and the screams began "Mama holy crap it worked!!!" "Mama come and see" Sure enough there were two Canada Geese standing in the garden!!!! A little disappointed Aspen was when she was told the ground was tooo wet for a bulldozer ride/ Uncle Fred has taken them, and most times let them drive??!!! for the past few years now, so it is always on the list of favorite things to do at the farm.

And to end our weekend home, we were treated with an invite to Uncle Bob's for breakfast........mmmmm toast eggs and venison steak!!! such spoiled brats we are sometimes. Looking forward to the May Longweekend now, where we hope to join Uncle Fred and Uncle Bob for a visit to Lost Channel........one of our most favorite places in the world....woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Final Notes on Our Spring Wildlife seen this weekend.....
On our way ... a car smoked a deer on the highway...deer looked fine, but can't say that for the poor lady's car.
A Great Blue Heron!!!!!!!!! first one of 2008
Canada Geese...lots
some kinda falcon
groundhog...which Daddy didn't hit!!!
Wild Turkeys (which daddy would have liked to hit!)
3chickens @ Uncle Bobs...the weasel just ate the rooster named Fred (grrrr)
On our way home....eight deer....augh...driving the highways at dinner time is now crossed OFF my list of things to do!!!!

sun...still snow, and lotza melting

Well the sun is shining brightly today...actually the sun is shining brightly most daze here, which is one of the reasons I love living here soooo much! But the melt is amazing! The creek is now a river widening and flowing like crazy, and slowing there is more grass popping up every day. I can just now see the shape of my flower garden...or one of them anyways.

I can't wait for the snow to be gone now, and begin our outside season again. The kids are excited too, knowing it is going to be time for new chickens and gardens and outside play time ...ALL day long. Our skewlwork will continue of course, but once the warmth hits we R learning outside most daze. And the great debate is on now, as Ryki has decided only laying hens will do...because they get to live and not go to the butcher! I hate to disappoint my little man but we will be getting both, cause I for one enjoyed our weekly chickens this winter out of the freezer...minus the big price tags that comes with one from the store.

but two more sleeps and we R off to the bday party for my niece on Saturday. A long drive for an afternoon play, but worth it I suppose to see the little ones playing together and all the smiles that come with it. I still have to get a present...nothing large my sister says, their house is only soo big, and they have sooo much. Something crafty she can do, but not beads yet as her little sister tends to chew them...LOL. I have enlisted the help of Gramma though, when I found out she was having issues decided on a gift. My choice as the best gift, sadly not in my price range this weekend when you throw in the gas bill for the 8hours of driving we will be in for.........The Aquadoodle Mat. We were lucky enough to be given this toy years ago when the kidlets Aunt was given one following a job interview. Amazing things these mats. They come with the mat, and a couple of "markers" that you fill with water and start your art!!! When you are done playing...hang the mat to dry and begin again!!!!!!!!! No paper used, no markers to dry out, no paint to clean up!!! One of my all time favorite toys. And since we have had our mat for a few years, and the markers are no where to be found....grab a paintbrush, qtip etc...and ya still got unlimited colouring time to go on and on. (I think they even sell kits with extra markers, stamps and trinkets...but I am of course the cheapskate and use alternative things LOL)

so this morning I found the following link through an unschooling site I lurk, makes sense to me, and I thought kinda fits with the ending of my last post.....
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514