About Me

DECEMBER- 2013
So, you want to know about the crazy lady with the kids who lives in "the sticks" and takes pictures?

CONFESSION

Let me start with a confession. I like to write, but I'm not the sort that likes to write about myself directly. It makes me uncomfortable. Either I feel like I'm bragging, complaining, or boring. None of that is good. I'll do my best to tell you about me, but forgive me if I fall into one or all of the aforementioned categories as I try to.

WHY I BLOG

First, why do I blog? I find it cathartic and therapeutic. It is a much-needed creative outlet. It is an escape from my isolation and the mundane daily duties of a wife, mother, and teacher. This blog, is for me, a kind of lens through which to focus on the little things in life, much like snapping photos helps me to take note of the bits of beauty that I might otherwise gloss over. Blogging helps me to crystallize my viewpoint and reactions to things so that I can achieve some clarity by viewing them from the "outside." It is a reason for me to focus on beauty and to be more aware of the good things in my life. Basically, it gives me a higher level of appreciation for what I experience. 

MY FAMILY

Second, I'm all about family. So let me tell you about mine. I'm married to a loving, intelligent, hardworking, dedicated guy. He's worked in the networking field for the past 16 years or so. He thinks big. He dreams big. He gets excited about his job and  gives it 100%.

I have five smart, stubborn, loud, lazy, and amazing children. Three are boys. Two are girls. There's a 14-year spread between my oldest and my youngest. 

MY DAY JOB (morning, evening, and night job)

Now, I'll tell you a little about what I do in a highly abridged way. I stay home with the family circus. I'm one of those old fashioned mothers. (Before that I briefly had a career as a software test engineer. I worked for a large manufacturer and service provider of diagnostic medical ultrasound systems that generated, displayed, archived and retrieved ultrasound images and patient data. I spent most of my time in the test lab, and occasionally did software builds. But I gave that up, along with many other things, to devote myself more fully to family shortly before my first child was born.) 

Speaking of which, all of my gargantuan children were born at home with midwives, except for a daughter who was stillborn at the hospital, and a child that I miscarried early on in pregnancy. My first child was 10 lbs. when he was born, and my second boy was 11 lbs., 4 oz.! I nurse my children and cloth-diaper them for most of the time that they are infants. I have had at least 1 kid in diapers for 9 years running now. (Nope, I'm not good at getting my kids to use the toilet, despite the amount of practice I've had.) 

If you haven't picked up on it yet, I have a bit of a green streak. I concoct most of my own cleaning products. I avoid as many toxins as is reasonably possible. I cook the majority of the food I make for them with nearly all-organic ingredients, doing my best to avoid artificial colorants, chemical additives, flavor enhancers, preservatives, and over-processed foods, etc. We even owned a pick-up truck that runs on recycled fryer oil until a year and a half ago.

Oh, and now is probably a good time to mention that I educate my kids myself. Yup, I'm a crazy "homeschooler" too! Basically I run a very small private school (with a very small daycare/preschool on the side.) So I spend a great deal of time picking materials, giving spelling tests and oral exams, overseeing science labs and arts/crafts projects, teaching kids to read, grading schoolwork, reading aloud, entertaining little ones, etc. etc.

The upshot of all of these lifestyle choices is that I'm busy. I do lots of laundry, lots of cooking, and lots of cleaning up. I ferry kids to lessons and activities. And there's always lots on my "docket" here at the hobby farm too.

WHERE I LIVE

Since I mentioned the hobby farm, I should get to that. If you've read my first blog post, you know that my family relocated in 2011. We used to live on an 157 year old farmstead on a couple of acres in a semi-urban area. The house was quirky and beautiful. The grounds held a plethora of flowering plants. I kept chickens and a goat, tended an organic garden and the flower beds, harvested apples and cherries from our trees, made maple syrup, etc. And we were involved in an endless string of home improvement projects because the home had been let go for a while before we purchased it. I loved the place and spent 12 happy years there, but we grew out of it- literally. It was very hard to leave it though.

We moved to a neglected farm on 30 acres with a much larger home in a much more rural area. It has lots of potential, but it will take a handful of years to get it back into shape, and the grounds require a ton of maintenance if we don't want to live in a woodland jungle. Our land is adjacent to 150 acres of classified forest, and everything that surrounds it is woods, pasture, farm, or pond. We're in the wilds, but there's a small town a short drive away.

Speaking of wilds, I lost my flock of chickens one and two at a time to varmints after we moved here, despite using the same hen house. The very last hen was taken last August. There are lots of predators here that I've seen, like hawks, eagles, foxes, coyotes, 'possums, 'coons, and other sundry critters. (Luckily the goats have not been harmed.) I see deer nearly every day.

I'm still trying to carve out a yard, play space, and a garden spot. We're still working on refurbishing the dam, clearing the 1/4 mile drive, repairing fences, building a predator-proof chicken coop, and reclaiming the edge of the hay fields that the woods have encroached upon, etc. etc.

WHO I AM

So that's my life. Here are some details about me, the person. I am middle aged, passionate, tenacious, detail-oriented, loyal, introverted, generous, and kind. I am a hard worker. I am a "night-owl" and a poor sleeper living with night-wakers and early-risers; I am always tired. I think a lot. I am Catholic, 100% Catholic. 

I am fond of words: I read; I write. I relish nature. I savor sound, especially music. I appreciate art. I look for beauty. I have a thing for light. I enjoy snow. I find it satisfying to cook and feed people good food. I take pleasure in the little, simple things. I love babies and children, especially my own. I like to take pictures, lots of pictures. I am blessed. 

So there you go- too much information, but you asked for it! :)