Return of the lost...

Yes at long last I am making a post. What can I say? I took a blogging sabbatical and I'm not quite sure that it is done.

But since I use this primarily for me as a way of remembering what has gone on in my (our) lives, I thought I'd better add a few things before the memories lost me.

So without further adieu... you can find my

May 2011 Recap here

and my June 2011 Recap here.

Crazy.

Over a month without a post.

So what have we been up to?

In few short words - it doesn't look like a lot but it feels like A LOT!

I can say that I LOVE my ipad but it is just not good for producing.

Blog material that is. I can type back emails etc but I find it hard to add links, difficult to type longer portions of writing and in general it is easy and portable but not good for production.

I think I heard that somewhere - great for consumption but not production.

They are right.

So talking about CONSUMPTION....

I have definitely been consuming. In fact the kids can attest to the fact that every time I see them on the ipad they are pretty much kicked off. I have discovered a few more blogs that have become very inspiring on the one hand and yet have added some incredible frustration to my life on the other.

Those that know me understand that I have always had a passion for the environment and getting right down to the root of it, feel that as a Christian, we have a responsibility to "keep and till the earth" (Genesis 2:15 " The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it." Contemporary English Version) I have always felt that we have been doing our part within reason. And I still do. For the most part.

I have also been exploring more natural ways of eating, eating more local food and cutting down on the processed crud we eat (I do confess that I am a candy and chips and chocolate junkie). Well one of the blogs I discovered linked to another and another and the consumption continued.

So these new blogs have put me over the edge.

I don't even know what took me there in the first place.

I am firmly entrenched in stage 3 of this new "process"? (aptly described in this post at The Zero Waste Home), although I do dip back and forth in some of the other stages.

"Action boost and trial : I need to do something! and fast! Deciding to do something about those environmental issues if not for myself at least for the future of my kids, meant doing a little research and jumping on the learning wagon..." I already DO do a lot but of course there is more. Some more extreme measures, some experimenting, some definite learning curves. Oh and first and foremost, learning to REFUSE ( more on that some other time).

Currently I've been going to the store and I think,

Am I buying this for the "naturalness",

for the packaging

or for the "localness"?

Ahhh!!!

Let's say it is all very confusing.

Which brings us back to the previously mentioned post.

I am where I am and I know that at some point I will come to decide on my own position.

I spent basically this whole past month reading the entire zerowaste blog from beginning to today.. That led me to listening to the beginning (6years old) and current podcasts over at More Hip Than Hippie. I also linked up with 100 days of Real Food and am reading about the prcoess (and the recipes) this family have gone through to eat zero (yes 0) processed food.

I have become reacquainted with the blog family at Simple Mom, Simple Kids, Simple Organic and Simple Bites and more as well as Kitchen Stewardship and Keeper of the Home. Plus most of these bloggers are Christian! Bonus! Thank goodness that Mitchell is still nursing quite sporadically and that their posts are short.

Who knew the world wide web had so much information?????? lol!

As for the rest of the gang....

Now that the kids are out of school and are at home we have been busy making summer plans. We have a list of "Summer Goals" - places to go, things to do etc. Many are repeats but easier done in the summer. Much to my dismay (!), the kids were totally devastated that I didn't want to do Summer Bingo again this year. I succumbed though and we have had a successful week 1 of bombardment. Isn't it supposed to make my life easier? Being the overachiever that I am, it appears that I have put a lot of squares on that require "checking" in with me. Oh well, live and learn. Some rules have been added and changed, some new rewards and compromises have been made (less junk food this year, more financial incentives) and less days. I have daycare kids M, T, and Th of most weeks and a few W but not on Fridays so it will be a 4 day Bingo, with the last day to just be us and chillax. We have been so enjoying the pool (M3 particularly - so cute the way he throws himself in the little blue pool - I think he may be our fastest swimmer - we will see).

Soooo, sorry for the loooonnnng rambling post. I hope that this means that I will be back more frequently to update but I can't promise. Office time is limited and there is lots to do while M3 sleeps. I have lots that I want to document for our family but unfortunately most of it remains in my head and not in concrete form. Such is life. But it is a good one!

Since M3 is still sleeping and M2 wants to paint....(and M1 is away at baseball with Drew for another tournament) I shall be off while I can!

Oh and maybe some lunch!

TTFN!