Classy Chassis

Over the last few months I have begun to see a shift in the thinking of my oldest son. For the longest time when you asked him what he wanted to do when he grows up he would tell you that he wants to be a scientist. More recently he has begun to tell me that he wants to be a farmer. I have to guess that the changes we have made in our lifestyle are contributing to this. I really don’t care what he chooses to do in the future as long as it is honest work. I would admire him if he became a farmer or if he decided to look at healthcare jobs instead. My biggest hope for him is to grow up and be a happy and independent person who contributes to the world in a positive way. I do love that for now he considers farming to be a job that is a worthy goal for himself. Our world needs honest and dedicated farmers no matter what big business would tell us. I would be equally proud if he were a garbage man or a physician.

Last night we sat on our porch in the dark and watched our neighbor. For some reason she is the type of person who doesn’t do anything in the light of day. Instead she waits until it is dark. For example she recently had a yard sale. Instead of setting the sale up in daylight she decided to do it around 10 pm at night. She was out there with a flashlight setting up tables and whatnot. You would think that she would then start her sale first thing in the morning but she did not. Her sale didn’t start until about 4 pm in the afternoon. She then sat outside waiting for shoppers until well after dark. Last night we really couldn’t tell what she was out in the yard doing but it didn’t stop us from watching her. By the light of day today it is clear that she is packing up to move elsewhere. She has only lived in that building a couple of months which leaves us wondering why she is leaving already because she just unpacked her stuff. I guess we will never know. It should be interesting to see who moves in there next.

This is a holiday weekend and that means we have family visiting us. I always look forward to these visits despite the fact that we don’t always see eye to eye on most things. My in-laws are people who have a very different outlook on the world from mine. They do not “make do” with what they have. When something breaks they just throw it out and replace it. Right now several of my electronic gadgets are dated or not working. My father-in-law has been very quick to tell me I should just go buy an Asus and be done with my current computer issues. That is all well and good for him but I am not ready to go into debt right now. We just paid off our credit cards and are trying very hard to only buy things with cash. We have several big expenditures that we have been saving for and are just going to have to make do until we free up more cash. I can certainly appreciate their point of view but wish they could try to see ours. We are trying very hard to be really responsible with our money and show our children how to do the same. Our hope is that our children grow up realizing that living with less can be a beneficial experience.

One of the many things we planted this year was potatoes. Our potatoes ended up being a fairly expensive investment because we decided to grow them in garbage cans. It is becoming clear as we look at our potatoes that they are not going to yield anywhere near the amount of potatoes that we had hoped for. I am not quite sure what we did or didn’t do that caused them to not thrive as they should have. I am speculating that it had something to do with either too much water or too little. Luckily potatoes are fairly cheap from the farm stand down the road so I will be able to get some to put away. I am disappointed though to have spent so much money in cans and whatnot to get these potatoes to grow. Next year we will try a different approach with hopefully more favorable results.

Over the last year I have found myself shopping significantly less. I rarely if ever go to a mall or big box store to buy anything. What things I do buy tend to be from local merchants or food producers. The things I can’t find locally I buy online from a handful of merchants. I almost always look for coupons for discounts or free shipping when I make these purchases. I love the convenience of shopping online. I do consider any purchases I make online carefully to determine if it is absolutely necessary and of benefit to my family. I believe that too many people don’t think through purchases enough before making them. We recently paid off a huge amount of debt and it is very important to us to not ever get in that predicament again. I buy things that I absolutely need and cannot get locally from reputable online companies with business ethics that I support. I really wish more people would direct their spending dollars in this way because we might see a real shift in the way business is conducted.

I am looking forward to this week for many reasons. The biggest highlight of this week is the fact that it is the first time all summer that I don’t have to shuttle one of my children to a camp or a class. In looking back at this summer I realize that we signed up for way too many activities. It has created the feeling in me that summer just flew by in the blink of an eye. Even my older son said that he thinks we should sign up for a few less things next summer. The truth is that we are a family that likes to play things by ear. Having to be somewhere each and every day just puts us all in a tizzy. Our home life is structured but this structure evolves from our own natural routines. Having to plan our day around the schedule of other people just throws our routine out of sync. I am very much going to enjoy easing ourselves back into our school routine and our less hectic pace of life.

This morning I decided it was time for us to begin thinking about getting ourselves ready for the new school year. We are expanding the number of students in our house from one student to two students. My youngest son will be starting what is called “K4″ this year. K4 is essentially kindergarten for 4 year old children. Both of my children are enrolled in cyber schools and attend school at from home. Online Schooling suits our family perfectly in so many ways. There is simply no comparison between the quality of the education that my children receive now as compared to our experiences with traditional public schools. I am so thankful to live in a state where we have a range of educational choices available to us. In fact each of my children is enrolled in a different cyber school in order to meet their particular learning styles. How cool is that?

What is it with young drivers and needing to drive as fast as they can? Our house sits on a portion of a dead end street. This would make you think that there is little concern for people driving too fast but this is not the case. Despite the road being well less than a quarter of a mile long the teenager that do drive on our road seem determined to make the drive as quickly as possible. I seriously doubt the extra 30 seconds they might spend due to slowing down a bit would make a bit of difference in their lives. We are going to put up a sign indicating there are children at play on this street but my impression is that it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.

Shopping is something that I once derived great enjoyment from. After making the changes that I have in my life, over the last year, I no longer feel the same way about buying and owning more stuff. When I do go into a store I look for what I came after and try to depart as quickly as possible. Nothing drives me crazier than finding what I need and not being able to locate the price for it. I really wish that they would put a barcode scanner in every single isle of the store or at least every other one. I can’t tell you how much time I waste wandering stores looking for those hidden scanners in order to find out what the price of something is. It just isn’t right to have to stand in line and have the cashier scan something to find out the price. It puts too much pressure on you to buy it because you have it in hand. Is it too much to ask for accurate pricing on the shelf or at the very least a handy nearby scanner for customers to use?

Last week we decided that we would get some chicks to raise for eggs. After clarifying the city ordinance in regards to chickens we placed and order for 3 chicks. The place we ordered from then informed us that we really needed to order more chicks in order to ensure they would be warm during transport. After mulling it over we decide that the number of chickens was more than we could handle and we canceled the order. We have since researched our options and have decided to travel to the hatchery to pick up the number of chicks that we originally wanted. We are simply going to make a weekend adventure out of it and make picking up the chicks the last stop before we head home. I feel much better about our decision to not overwhelm our space with more chickens than we can handle. It should be a fun adventure for the entire family. I am looking forward to fresh eggs sometime after the beginning of the year.

This summer seems like it has flown by and we have yet to go on a formal vacation. I have been running my older son from one summer camp to another almost every week. I don’t really knwo what possessed me to enroll him in so many camps this summer. Typically he gets to choose one camp and that is it. We would love to be able to take an Orlando vacation trip but it just doesn’t look like it is going to happen this summer. Near the end of September my husband and I are going away for a weekend alone. It will be the first time in almost 11 years that we have spent the night away without the children. Can you guess just how much we are both looking forward to it? We have rented a cabin in the woods and plan to attend an event that interests the both of us. Otherwise we are just going to enjoy sitting and soaking up nature. September can’t come soon enough in my book!

I finally feel like I have found my niche or my area of interest in this world. For a long time I have felt like there just wasn’t a hobby out there that really suited me. When I started making changes to our lives to make us lead a more sustainable lifestyle it felt right. I was drawn to learning everything I could about living a green and sustainable lifestyle. After a year I feel like we are well along this path and right where we should be. We now have a season of gardening under our belts and a freezer and pantry full as a result. Chickens will soon be joining our family to provide us with fresh eggs. My weekly routine involves tons of baking and cooking from scratch but I love it! We are slowly incorporating homemade personal care items and cleaners into our lives. Next year we will plant some apple trees to provide fruit for our family in the coming years. I have mastered so many skills and just finally feel like I am right where I was always meant to be.

In February my husband was in a serious car accident. The driver that hit him had fallen asleep at the wheel. At the time of the accident we were contemplating changing car insurance companies and had begun to read auto insurance reviews. After the accident I decided to stay with our current insurance company because I did not want to complicate the settlement process by changing companies. Here we are almost 6 months later and the claim is still not settled. I can really be sure if this is normal for a serious accident or not. It is a bit frustrating not to put this all behind us and mover forward but I try not to dwell on it. I am just hoping that this delay is typical and that everything will ultimately be taken care of. Until it is there isn’t much I can do except wait and focus on other things.

For quite some time I have been tethered to the idea of having a couple of chickens in the backyard. I currently get my eggs from a friend but the price is quite steep compared to those in the store. I also hate having to ask someone if they have eggs for sale. The eggs from the farm are so much better tasting than those from the store. I cannot stand the way that factory farm eggs are produced and the way animals are treated in these setting. We recently found out that chickens are allowed in our town and after much debate have decided to go ahead and order some. In late October we will be getting 4 chicks delivered to us. I think this will be a good family project and a great experience for my two sons. Children today have no idea where food comes from or how it is produced. This should shed a little light on the subject and give us a nice steady supply of fresh eggs each day.

For a few weeks my husband and I have been messing around with trying to make and outdoor hot water heater. This was goal of ours to make our camping trips more luxurious. There is just something about a good shower that takes the dirty feeling away that camping gives you. Our shower relies on propane to heat the water. I admit I am nervous about propane for whatever reason. I wondered for awhile if we needed to look for the best term life insurance in case our project were to backfire. Thankfully, it did not! Tonight we were able to get the heater to work without a hitch and adjust properly. I am so very much looking forward to the end of my cold and dreary showers while camping! It will make other tasks like doing the dishes even easier as well. I love that my husband is so smart when it comes to building and making things.

Over the years our older son has attended many different types of summer camps. We have tried music, theater, basketball, outdoor and many others. He is drawn to outdoor and nature camps. His nature is to be inquisitive about the world around him. For years we have sent him to a nature camp that he loved. The problem was that every year the price went up and up and up. This year I put my foot down and explained that the camp was no longer in our budget. I found a camp at our conservation district that was 1/5 the price! I had my doubts about how good the camp would be considering the cost but I was sorely wrong. My son said the camp was the best experience of his life. That is coming from a kid who doesn’t say much about anything. This shows that not everything that is cheap is “cheap”. I need to write the camp a letter thanking them for the experience on behalf of my son.

Our dog is a miniature schnauzer. She is an adorable little dog and ever so sweet. I have to admit though that her breed probably wasn’t the best choice for our outdoorsy family. You see this type of breed need quite a bit of grooming. We tend to let her coat grow pretty long before we take her in for a clipping. This isn’t to say she is dirty or nasty but just long haired because we do keep her washed and combed out. I do love when we get her back from the groomer’s because she always looks like a brand new dog. It is as if she had been on some quick weight loss program because she always looks slimmer and prettier. I wish that when I went to the hairdresser my result was as miraculous as it is for our dog. Right now she is in one of her shaggy states and I do wonder at times what she sees from beneath her long eye brows. Fortunately, she is scheduled for a trim in the near future and her world should look considerably different. It makes me wonder about what the world looks like to dogs that permanently have long hair in their eyes?

In the last couple of years I feel like I have finally come into my own. I no longer feel the need to keep up with the latest styles. I no longer think I need to think like the people around me to be in the group. My world is a happy one and I am content with it. I grow things and make things and live a creative life. This isn’t to say I am an artist but I have a creative outlet. I feel truer to who I originally was as a child than I ever have. My role as a wife and a homemaker is good. I work but not for someone but rather for myself. We are rich but we aren’t in debt. Today a friend paid me a compliment that I hold dear. She called me interesting. I have never been called interesting and have always considered myself a fly on the wall type of person. I am happy to be interesting or even curious. I don’t need to be an oddity but I would rather not be boring. Interesting is good enough.

There are moments in time that I feel this need to just be alone with my thoughts. This isn’t to say I am not happy with my life. My life is often focused more on those around me than myself. Most people with families or children can understand this. There are clothes to be washed, lessons to be supervised, bills to be paid, and work to be done. In the in between moments I am thinking about my children and what they need or things about them that concern me. I often forget to think for a moment about myself and my own needs and dreams. In the quiet moments of the day that are all mine I often just sit and mindlessly stare into my backyard. The quiet of it all wraps around me. It is then that I think about where I am in life and what I want. Sometime I just read a magazine or book. It doesn’t have to be anything particular. Trust me I even would read a clinislim review if it took me out of the here and now just for a moment. Those little moments alone away from my present world are ones I treasure. They allow me to return to the here and now with better focus and patience for my family. I am learning to tuck my children in and take those moments for just me because ultimately it is better for them as well.

In our house when it comes to technology I am the one that handles things. My husband I am quite sure could handle setting stuff up and maintaining it but I prefer to handle it. I am a person who sets out to do something and does it. I read this week that you could stream Netflix to a Wii. Since we have a Wii the idea interested me greatly because it just sits there collecting dust. Our children just don’t get that into playing video games. Being able to use the Wii for something else is awesome. The process of setting up the system was pretty simple and Netflix zoomed a disc to me in record time. The children are not watching tons of videos that they love and I am loving that our investment in the system is now paying off!