Surprise!

We've been busy this week, bringing in hay before it rains, re organizing the kitchen cabinets, and other stuff I will post about later. Farm work is hard.

Childhood is harder. Isaac is 2 and a half and has never had a day in therapy. He's dleayed in many gross and fine motor skills. Other families and children with similar delays are in daily or weekly Occupational, physical, and speech therapies. We've opted out for now.

Why? He makes progress on his own, on his own time. Many folks we talked to said their children blossomed when they took breaks or even quit therapy. That maybe therapies did less for the child than people thought, and more for the parents state of mind, the feeling like you have to be doing something.

We do something every day. It is called living. We play hard, we work hard, and we are very active and connected. I bought text books on the therapies and have no problem understanding them. I realize that this is not the case for many folks. I am not judging you or your choices. I could also see and justify to our specialists the many reasons we should keep doing what we are doing. We live rural. We'd have to drive 65 miles to the place to get private therapy. That much more time in the car could instead be spent playing outside, actually using the muscles we are trying to work. (I know there are government services that will come to our house, but the whole idea of that makes me upset and freaked out. I read too much sci-fi......, plus we are rural (limited services) and if we NEEDED that, there are better experts 65 miles away. I am willing to drive if it is necessary. In addition, we homeschool and if we get "in the system" they have to give us permission to homeschool. Not kidding.)

I created our own "therapy" gym in the living room. I did floor exercises with him. He gets to ride on a horse semi- regularly. Park day. Sunshine. Massage. Good nutrition.

Still, I could see over and over the pre-walking signs and skills. 2 months ago Isaac walked across the room to grandpa, turned around and then did it again!

Then he refused for the next month to stand or walk, even holding someone's hand. Slowing we got him to walk holding two hands, then last week he started doing it holding just one. He also insisted on walking like this all over the house. I was excited, but I also knew that we could be at this phase for a while, given his pattern of learning.

I was starting to doubt my plan. I was starting to think I have failed him. That maybe we should have him in orthotics and daily work at the child services facility 60 miles away. That all my theories about education and happiness and stress free play learning were bunk?

Then yesterday, he just walks into the room and yells, "MAMA!!" and claps his hands!

He spent all day walking the circle of our floor plan, walking back and forth outside on the flat bed trailer, and walking around the kitchen!

Of course he spent most of the night crying and refuses to even stand this morning. I am not sad. This is progress! This is fantastic progress. What we are doing is working. It is working not just for Isaac but for all of us. Just like with the hearing and ear surgery crisis, waiting, and working with longer acting natural options does work.

Happy works.

Easy and Cheap Week Night Dinner

Polenta cakes. I am sure I could have made actual cakes that were fancy and formed. Whatever. Mush up log polenta with a fork and mash in butter and shredded asiago cheese. Add a lot of salt. Polenta erases salt, so if you want kick, 1/2 t. of seasoned salt EACH. 350 in the oven for 20 minutes. Take out and let cool slightly.

 

 Start with a log of frozen pork sausage. Why frozen? I never think of this in time to thaw it. I have mastered the art of quick thaw while cooking it up. I use butter and cover the skillet with the lid, open it up and push off the cooked meat from the frozen stir it up and repeat until all thawed and all is cooking.

 Then I add bell pepper and onions. This part is totally optional and where you can play with seasonal vegetables. Add celery, carrots, even mushrooms. I like peppers and onions.

In season you may have your own canned up crushed tomatoes. I'm out. I've been out for 2 years. Last summer I didn't can anything at all. Not one single jar of anything. Anyway, I order organic online because it is delivered to my farmhouse door and I don't have to give the local grocer the stink eye when I am faced with no options and overpriced organic stuff shoved in a corner of the newly remodeled store. Grrr. I like Muir Glen. The flavour is bright and sassy. I like sassy. Add the can (the big can) to the browned sausage and veggies. Since there is more meat than tomato we call this ragu.

 

At this point I was looking at my little polenta cakes and small pan of sauce. 5 hungry people? I need something else too. I found a bunch of asperagus in the fridge. Lemon, salt, and olive oil. 10 minutes to table? Stick it in the broiler.  While I set the table and wrangled small children into washing their hands before helping me bring forks out to the plate, it was sizzling away.

And ta da! Fancy dining servings on tea saucers! Ha! 

 

Just kidding. Check this out. Fancy schmancy healthy dinner on the table in 30 minutes from frozen. I rock. Kid approved. Really really good. All three food catagories met (meat, green veg, starch) plus some extra. Gluten free (for fun, not because of diet).

 

Ingredients for 5 BIG servings:
Log polenta 4$
1 lb Italian sausage (pastured pork is good) $5 retail but $3.50 if you bought bulk from our farm
1 bell pepper $0.50
1 onion $0.50
1 can of organic crushed tomato $2.75
1 bundle of asperagus $3
6 T Irish butter $1

$16.75 for the meal for 5 people, 30 minutes
Way cheaper than eating out. 

Making Time for Each Child

In a special needs family the child with extra medical needs gets a lot of the attention. It is already a difficult task to balance each child's needs and individual relationships but when a child that demands extra time and attention because of real medical needs the entire balance is thrown up into the air.

We have 3 children. They each have needs, even if they are not medical. It is all about relationship.

Now that we have lived our way through a transition, we can redirect and make sure each child gets their needs met. Homeschooling really helps with this dynamic. Special moments can be caught on the wind and held for a moment, sometimes it is while washing dishes or at bedtime, or while one is running full speed on the way to deliver swiped Popsicles to her siblings.

I love you. I love watching you play.

I love watching my children fall in love with the art of their choice. For Lily it is clay work. So much clay work. We are taking mother daughter classes together at a local art studio. I am terrible at pots but I a fiercely good at loving Lily. Lily told me that she dreams of having her own studio and decided not to rent one in the building. No, she wants the whole building and she'll rent to others. Ah, my little dreamer.

For Holly it is ballet. The first time she walked into the studio, her foot touched the hard wood floors, she lit up like I have never seen before. That enthusiasm has never once waned. She LOVES ballet. Everyday. Always. Loves.

At her recital she was a ham. At the end of her class's dance she walked out to the front of the stage for a special, only Holly, with flourish bow. Because of course, she was the star ballerina in her mind. That is what she saw the lead ballerina do at the Nutcracker.

I read to her and cuddle her every chance I get.

Isaac is still letting us know what he loves. Apples. Climbing. Playing his piano. Cuddling mama.

I know these things will change and evolve. I will be here for all of it. Right here. Loving every moment, every smile, the stolen glances, the goofiness and joy. I will tell them how much joy they bring me just being in my life. I will nourish their relationships with us and with each other.

I have witnessed such tenderness that my heart has burst into tears. These people have made my life better by just being in it. Why should I hold back telling them that every single day that I am able to?

It gets complicated. Complicated to work, take care of a home, take care of their physical needs and on top of that nurture them and their passions. I prioritize. Housework, beyond basics, come last. I actually pay for someone to help me get to that. My work is online and I make the schedule around the kids and their appointments. Prioritize.

On top of all of that I make time for them. Daddy daughter night, Mama takes one kid to tea, firefly walks with flashlights with just one kid. Ballet camp and class allows me to connect with the child not in class. We talk. They take turns helping me with dishes and I tell them our heritage stories so they know the magic that they have been born out of.  I make time.

I value the outputs of their passions too. Holly's dance pictures are framed. Lily's ceramics get used. All three children have their art framed and hung up in public view. 

I value the things they make and that matters. Some houses you walk into and you know they have children but there is no evidence of children. In our home, there is mess and chaos and you KNOW we have children the minute you pull up in our drive. Our house is filled with love and joy and the joyful noise that comes with a happy, vibrant childhood. Part of that is also that we have a full range of musical instruments, both real and toys, accessible to the children.

We live a different life. I understand that. Different does not mean bad though, it means magical. When they are honoured as individuals and humans in the world, it becomes less of a challenge to make time for them or for ourselves. We are always true to what we are. They see that.

Last month Lily had a friend over and we asked her if she planned on staying up all night and complaining about her parents. She looked at us confused. Later she asked about what I had said to her. Do kids really do that? I brought them a snack and heard her telling her friend about all the amazing adventures we have and then saw me and instead of clamming up, she asked me to join their conversation.

I know it won't always be like this. Maybe? I hope that nothing ever dulls the shine of joy and curiosity from their eyes. That is my priority: to feed their faith, their curiosity, their love for each other. When that is the goal and we put all we have into that, then time is made. Time is cherished. Time slips by way too fast. I also try and make time together special so they see me honour each of them, so it is not a competition.

I try and bring the children, all the children, to at least some of Isaac's appointments. We don't hide his needs from them. Sometimes it can be scary. The reason is that if something happens to us, the parents, even in their adulthood, they will still have each other. I want them to have the kind of relationship that this is a natural part of their lives, that they would welcome it. We don't know if Isaac will be able to be independent. Right now it looks like he will. Anything can happen to any of them between now and the unforeseen future. If we make time for them, will they make time for each other later?

It is all about relationship. 

Sheep Shearing

In Iowa the summers are hot and sheep are covered in wool which makes them very uncomfortable. We shear them in June, later than I'd like, but our Springs are wet and muddy and that makes it difficult to get a good clean shear, and our shearer really prefers not to work in knee deep mud. I agree with him on that, very much.

He's really cool by the way. Throughout life we often, though not too often, encounter individuals who know something about everything and can share that in a not pompous way. This guy is one of those fantastic people. We look forward to lunch and chat with him after shearing too!

We have tried sending the wool off to process, but that was expensive. We have decided to just sell raw fleeces. When I did that with the fall lambs fleece, I sold out in a month, while I still have the processed roving from Spring of 2012 left in inventory. Granted, I do not really market or push our farm wool, I have no etsy shop, I often forget to bring it to market with me. That will improve as I get more practiced at market set up. I hope.

Anyway, here's more pictures of the process for anyone curious!