guy thing

Am I right? This is a man thing. Could you lie down on the couch in the middle of the family fray and be asleep within seconds? Passed out cold?

I hope your weekend is relaxing....conducive to this sort of behavior.

xoxo

tropical mountain get-away

In the heart of winter I start feeling it. The ocean, from half a continent away, starts licking at my ankles. This week I have been indulging the call of the blue. In shared school, (that's where I teach home schoolers who come to public school two days a week) we are studying the ocean and in particular, whales. It's a lovely unit. A part of this unit is also service oriented, as we look at the different types of whales and their dwindling populations, and try to do our part to make a difference.

We decided to 'adopt' a Right Whale mother and her calf and had a bake sale to raise the money. Right Whales are thusly named because at one time they were the 'right whale' to kill. They are slow moving, swim close to shore, and float when dead...making them an easy acquisition or the 'right whale'. They live in the north Atlantic, off of the Eastern Seaboard and are now primarily killed by boats and nets. Our adoption money will go towards legislation to help change shipping routes and greater education for fisherman who fish their waters, in order to protect their habitats. We get photographs and an actual, tagged Right Whale, to track and follow. Is that awesome or what? There are so many ways to learn and help and get involved.

How was the bake sale, you ask.

Welcome to Durango, home of the vegan, organic, gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, dye free, Whale of a Bake Sale!  We raised enough money to buy a damn whale pod, thank you very much!

Here is Della desperately trying to save a whale via cupcake inhalation. Do you see those super-bad (as in good) bobby pins on her head? You can help my darling friend Ko adopt a BABY, if you hop on over to her blog and check out her shop!

In other fishy news, we spent more time than usual underwater this past weekend. Lewis inspires us all to dream big when it comes to the ocean and all things marine related. I would highly recommend embracing your children's passions. Lewis loves the ocean. This love is a gift that he can share with the whole family. We all went scuba diving this weekend as a result of Lew's interest and curiosity. And we are hooked. It was a free Snowdown event, which explains the odd costumes.

Max (age 13) was registered for the adult session and was vehement about not wanting to go. Adamant. Yelling at me.

"This is Lew's thing, not mine." he said.

We discussed his reasons for objecting. I found them to be lacking and insisted that he try it. Sometimes it's my job to push through the resistance, because I'm an adult and all, and sometimes, believe it or not, I have insight that may be useful and a bit more comprehensive. I said that we'd do it together. If fear was an underlying factor then there I was....although I didn't think this was the case.

Guess what? He sprouted gills and we haven't seem him since.

He loved it. They all did. They are ready to go again.

A few more words on supporting your children, if I might. Children are awesome. They are wide open and so receptive to the world around them. Sometimes they latch on to things like a pit bull and when they do, it's an opportunity. Let's take Lew for example. And the ocean. We live in the mountains. The ocean is far, far away and we are not made of money. We can encourage and talk and investigate. Matt ordered him this book. When your dad orders you a book and it comes in the mail it means something. It's a small thing, but powerful.

Last year we got him a snorkel and fins for his birthday. I would love love love to take him here. Who knew that there was a warm spring, beehive crater in Utah that is perfect for scuba diving? Our instructor this weekend told us all about it. Wanna meet us there?

What I'm saying is this. In small ways we can lift our children up to their dreams and show them how to press on in the right direction. He may forget the ocean by age 12, who knows, but hopefully he will remember that there are simple ways to delve deeper and learn more about whatever it is that intrigues him.

What else? Della says to read this book.

More ocean. More whales. A little magic. I love this book. It talks about clam chowder and oyster crackers, neither of which have I ever fixed for my kids. And so I did. Very cozy and rich, and they thought the crackers were genius...especially after they got a starring role in the book.

And lastly, we just finished a wonderful family read-aloud that I would highly recommend. For the past few weeks, on the couch, by the wood stove, in south west Colorado, we have journeyed to Rass Island with the book Jacob Have I Loved. It's the story of a girl who doggedly finds her way through disappointment, wartime, self doubt, and the limitations of poverty. She works on a crab boat. She wins. It's beautifully written. I'd say that it's for older kids (10 and up), but Della loved it, too.

Coincidentally, Rass Island is in the Northern Atlantic, probably surrounded by Right Whales.

In the book, the heroine's dream is to move to the mountains, islands unto themselves. She does.

Do you believe that everyday life is like poetry?

I do. 

geek girl

This past week was Snowdown, Durango's very own holiday. There is always a theme and it is a CRAZY week. No small thing at all. Our version of Mardi Gras or Carnival or perhaps more like Halloween on crack. Everyone drinks their fair share in hopes of invoking the snow gods. There are fun and wonderful events all week long. The theme this year was 'Geek Out' and everyone dressed the part. 

Including Della.

For the photo.

me: Try to look thick.

Della: How's this?

me: Wow. That's REALLY good. Scary thick, really.

Della: Yeah. I could feel it.

This girl is getting a sense of humor on her. She had those pants pulled up to her arm pits and loved every second of it.

xoxox

Parenting philosophies vary greatly. I'm not sure where I fall in that vast spectrum, but it's probably somewhere out in East Jesus. My gut responses aren't usual. More often than not, I am intrigued rather than horrified by the shenanigans my spawn can perpetrate. Probably because they are MY spawn. And because I'm cozy with my own inner child. Should she be doing that? Hmmm? Will the top shelf hold the weight of my 13 year old man/child?...

Here's the story. Firstly, I do not love to grocery shop with my children. Too many questions, too many wants, too much whine-ese (a language that I understand all too well). But I'm not the type to be so ordered as to avoid it, and it's not that big a deal. In general, they usually do their own thing and we meet up at the check-out and carry on.

So. I walking from produce to dairy and out of the corner of my eye I saw something sailing through the air above the aisles. My first thought was that this probably involved my children. I kept shopping. A few minutes later I am in the back of the store gazing around and waiting for my pastrami and notice something unusual. My youngest child's apricot head is bobbing along, high above the fray, very earnestly looking for something. She is walking down the top shelf, straddling two aisles.  WTF.

I head over. I remember my camera is in my pocket. Her brothers are right there giving elaborate directions.

me: Um. Excuse me. What. Are. You. Doing?

Max: The top shelf won't hold me.

me: (Blank look)You tried getting up there, too?

Lewis: (with anger and urgency) Mom! Max threw my spitfire hat over the aisle and it completely disappeared...he has to buy me a new one.

Max: We were playing a game! It was an accident. It is seriously gone, though. There is a vortex between the aisles.

A woman pushes her cart down the aisle and I pretend she doesn't exist. I pretend that Della is invisible up there on that top shelf. And where the hell are those 250 City Market employees that incessantly ask me if I'm finding everything I'm looking for?

Because can't they see that we need a little help finding something?

That there's a vortex between aisles 4 and 5?

me: OK. Max, get your sister down.

Della: I like it up here.

me: I'm sure, Honey, but it's probably not recommended.

After twenty minutes of serious searching, I found the hat. The kids were one aisle over, still looking.

I sail it over.

They collectively scream for joy.

me: Did the vortex relinquish your hat?

them: That was awesome!

And that was that. Should I have had a safety talk? Should we have discussed better choices? The truth is this.

They've got moxie.

And they're not afraid to use it.

And my hat's off to them.

{I know my dad reads things like this and breathes a deep sigh of relief that we live twelve states away.} :)

nestle down

If I were the type to name my house/property, I'd name it Nestle Down. It would be painted on a board and nailed to a fence by the mailbox. No fancy-ness, no pretension, just a guarantee that you are going to be cozy when you walk through the door. I don't own a house on which to bestow a moniker, but now that I think about it, what the hell does that matter? Every house we've ever lived in has been a "Nestle Down". It's a state of mind, if I'm not mistaken. So guess what? A sign is going up. In the space of a paragraph, I've fulfilled a life long yearning. Della and I will get right on it after school and that sign will travel where 'er we go. That's what I love about the internet. I sat down a few moments ago with nothing but a vision of coziness and a name that I've carried around in a soul pocket for probably 20 years, and now we have a damn family estate. Almost instant therapy. Writing it down helps to make it clear and I get to drag along you sweet people for some checks and balances. You are all formally invited to Nestle Down.

Which brings me around to....Do you LOVE your bed? You should. I do. Ours is on its last leg and I'm not looking forward to replacing it, but this weekend at our clothing swap I had a tempur-pedic epiphany. My friend Natalie is house-sitting and we had the swap in the lovely lair of a single dude. Right when we got there Natalie ordered us to his bedroom. Get in that bed, she said. OMG was created for such an experience. We are probably over his age limit, but he should be pleased that so many women were moaning in his bed. I'm not even going to google the price (actually I did, it's in the above link...gulp) because the thrift gods stepped in with an almost perfect solution. A fat temper-pedic mattress pad...brand new, king size, thank you Tracy, my thrift scout.

Down comforters, lots of patterns and pillows, a heated mattress pad, vintage wool throws, a candle, some hot tea, a good book, a cold winter night....it all adds up.

To Nestle Down.

P.S. Also, I am TWO cashmere sweaters richer, thanks to the clothing swap. Talk about cozy!

awol

The weeks are flying by. We have hardly come up for air and we certainly haven't done any laundry, scrubbed any toilets, or washed any dishes. There is no end in sight, so I am popping in real quick like to say hello and let you know that all is well. 2013 has found it's groove and we are just riding the wave. Here is a quick look at our days.

Skiing, skiing, skiing for work and for pleasure. I am proud to be a mediocre skier at best. I do it for fun. As a kid I loved jumping and the tree trails; as an adult I love jumping and the tree trails. You won't find me out to impress with my curt little turns and mogul prowess. You will HEAR ME...screaming through the trees. My back side is black and blue with my over zealousness.

Destination Imagination. Do you know what that is? It's a fairly elaborate competition of problem solving through extreme creativity. I remember sitting in the assembly last year when the DI co-ordinater was telling the kids all about it. She was talking about the level of commitment and dedication it requires. My only thought was this....SOUNDS AWESOME, but I SURE AS HELL wouldn't want to be the team coach. Guess who the team coach is? When middle child asked, I of course, said yes. And we are loving it. We have a workshop this weekend.

There are two kids playing basketball with practices and games, more sleepovers than I can count, birthday parties, disco dances, potlucks, clothing swaps, a fun product launch in the works, and Matt and I are converting to Catholicism.

Right this minute I have to stand up and walk away from this computer and take thirty children snow shoe-ing.

I WILL be back.

Hope your weekend is full of love and laughter.

3/52

I will be joining the 52 weeks project at Che and Fidel to document weekly, in photographs, our ordinary life. The button is in the sidebar if you are interested in following along. At the end of this, I hope to have a fairly comprehensive look at the year 2013 in the lives of my sweet children.

At age ten, Lewis still loves legos and I love his darling friend Foster.

Della and I raced the mountain all day. She won four out five times with her extreme tuck mode of skiing. Mountain Safety Patrol gave her the whistle a few times and I didn't claim her, just skied on by.

Max says and I quote, "Skiing is my life. That and music"

she who works

Scraping ice, schlepping big boxes of firewood up the stairs and into the wood bin, cooking, cleaning, letter writing, uber-crafter,.....all willingly with vigor and panache...she should just be in charge.

I'm not sure that there is anything nicer than a seven year old girl.

Have a lovely weekend, my friends.

dinner for grown-ups

In Colorado, folks are all over a pot luck. We will have a potluck at the drop of a hat. Why not, you know? There's very little work involved. Clean the house a little and let your friends do the work. I can throw an awesome pot luck and basically that just means that my friends are great cooks!

Honestly,  this is the first REAL, sit down, dinner party I've been to (excluding my in-laws, who can host a serious throw-down) in the ten plus years that we've been here. It was fabulous. But with Jill, that's what I would expect. She is my breath of fresh air, my peak at big city flair in our sleepy mountain town, my reminder that good humor and a big heart are the primary ingredients of a good life. We can skin squirrels, sauté placenta and lip gloss on the same stove-top, AND dine like royalty. That's what I look for in a friend. Diversity. Full freedom of expression. The ability to host a dinner party.

So when Jill is entertaining it feels just right to wear a tail. And I put the heels on. See?

This was a lovely and bawdy crowd.

No one got naked, but it could have happened. Do you have those folks in your life? The ones who could potentially strip down and do something strange to the bread pudding with whisky sauce?

This is an open question. I'm just wondering. Seriously.

What is the craziest thing you've ever witnessed at a dinner party?

Lay it on me, please.

Thank you, my dear Jill.   

resolutions

It's a little late to be spouting resolutions, but I'm going to lay it on you anyway. I made two. They are big as hell, so sit down.

Number one, I'm going to start dressing sexier. You weren't expecting that I bet. In Colorado, most women dress very poorly. Sorry girls. It's true. We are utilitarian. We are sporty. Collectively we need help. I vow to wear more high heels and skinny jeans. Done and done.

Number two isn't even about me, so I don't feel too terribly convicted, but I'm going to try to encourage. I thought it would be fun if everyone in my family came up with their own signature dish. Easy, difficult, sweet, savory, no matter...it just has to be 'your own' and you have to be able to prepare it, start to finish, all by your lonesome.

Lewis jumped right in with a perfect 'ten year old boy' recipe and he wanted me to share. It's fun, simple, and quite tasty.

Check it out...Tiggy's Rollo Cookies

pre-heat oven to 200.
A bag of Rollos
A bag of small twisty pretzels
Pecans

Lay pretzels on a cookie sheet and top with Rollos. Put in oven for 3-4 minutes. Take out and immediately smush a pecan into a Rollo, pushing it down flat into the pretzel. Our pecans were toasted, but this is not necessary. Let cool and eat! So easy. Lew has made them twice already...they don't last long around here.

His other goal is to make a lasagna that tastes 'just like that frozen kind, not like home-made.' I'll get back to you on that.

green and a whole 30 update

as you eat, the next meals are growing all around you.

1000 cranes. it's worth mentioning, all photos by della(7) and kalina (5)

a sour pea...yummy.

Raw, vegan, local, fresh. All in the dead of winter on a frigid snowy day. Walk through the doors at Turtle Lake Refuge's in town location and that's what you get... all tucked away in a back alley in a residential neighborhood. Peel off your layers and sit in the sunny, plant filled dining/sprouting room and wait. There's no ordering. They just bring it on. A bright green drink, (almond) milky spicy chai, salad, zingy ginger carrot soup, raw and vegan pesto pizza that defies description and even dessert...raw brownies with a cherry chia icing. It changes daily. The kids love it...the fresh and the green. There is a guitar and singing. (For a fun video about TLR go here.)

Did I mention that this is all free?

Thank you, Katrina! It is Turtle Lake's 13th birthday and she celebrated by offering Durango a beautiful and free lunch. Normally, it's by donation and this is still a great gift for such rich, whole food. Do try it, if ever you come our way!

Are you wondering about me and the whole 30? Of course you are. Those last few days were dark, I tell you. I was feeling overwhelmed with desire. Overwhelmed? Desire for what? I think you might be surprised. When all was said and done, the thing that I missed the very, very most was the feeling of luxury that comes at the end of the week with the Friday night meal and it's accompanying glass of wine.

There was no proverbial letting down of hair or kicking off of shoes, because there were so many food details to be accounted for. It was easy enough to grill a nice steak and bake some sweet potato fries and toss together a hearty caesar salad, and at first we were all roses and sunshine in our discipline and devotion, but by day 20 I was weary in my devotion. I am not a big drinker. I got it all out of my system in college. I really like one glass of wine or one cold beer, and about halfway through the second one, I'm done. I quickly came to realize that in our fairly spartan life, we (Matt and I) have very few pavlovian cues signaling 'time to chill'. The glass of wine is just that. I don't particularly love the taste and I can't tell a five dollar bottle from a vintage one - it's just the act of opening and pouring and taking a deep breath and sitting by the fire and looking at my sweet husband and accomplice and being done with the week, if only for an hour or so. (Because we're never really done, you know.)

So I missed four lousy glasses of wine over a thirty day period. Without deep longing or despair I also missed potatoes and beans and thought it silly that they weren't allowed, but I now fully understand why they aren't. They are both foods that can be overdone. When one cooks beans, one cooks a huge pot and eats them all week in a myriad of combinations because they are hearty and filling and cheap. Same with potatoes. They can sidle up to most any meal in one form or another, and I never grow weary of them. They are both excellent filler that would have taken the place of lots of other greener more vegetal choices. TMI, I'm guessing, but I did miss them..french fries, in particular.

What else? If there had been a bar of dark chocolate tucked up in my top shelf hidey hole, I'da nibbled at it like a rat. Otherwise, the missing sugar posed no problems.

All in all, it was wonderful and absolutely shifted the way I see food. Before the the whole 30 I was bored with food. Cooking, cleaning, making sure the whole family is fortified, is never ending and I was worn low with the effort. The whole 30 peaked my senses and taste buds and calibrated my nutrition habits. I am forging ahead with it, after a nice little respite. I have amended it just a bit, to make it more sustainable long term. You knew I would. I knew I would.

Here it is. Sunday thru Thursday, I'm all business. No grains, no dairy, no potatoes, no beans, no sugar, no wine, no nothing. Only vegetables, fruits, and meat. On Friday and Saturday, I am a reasonable, normal person who may or may not have pizza or some fries and yes, a glass of wine and a twinkle of whatever lovely dessert is being offered. So there.

I have been blown away by the number of folks who have joined me on this! Always feel free to chime in with comments and complaints and lamentations. This has brought to the light many of my lurkers and I have loved hearing from you!

Be well, everyone!

defender of kittens

When my babies were babies I imagined that surely the overwhelming love I felt for them would dissipate a wee bit as they aged, if only because they became a bit more independent and less demanding of my undivided attention. Now my attention is wildly divided and I even get to consider myself some these days, but the love is still overwhelming. They get to an age where you can no longer snuggle together in the morning or pick them up when they are hurt, but there you are, still just as excited for every step forward and just as eager to bundle them in hugs and kisses as they move further out into the world. 

Kids change. And fast. The truth is, my work is mostly done with this one. He is who he is. His character is formed. His heart is open and full. His brain is ready and willing. Of course, there is plenty of reminding and fueling and teaching and fortifying to be done...that goes without saying, but at 13, I can clearly see the man inside this boy. And that's weird for me. 

One of his greatest concerns, and he asks me about ten times a day, is what college will look like for him and how will he survive. Really. We talk about logistics. Dorms. How will he make himself wake up for an early class? What ingredients are in his favorite sausage pasta dish, so he can make it on his own. Will there be a cheap Thai restaurant near his college that he can walk to? How will he work on the weekends and be able to study and do parties start later in college? Yes, they do honey. And they last much later and that's a topic for another time. 

Right now there are kittens. Matching damn kittens.

"Cats love me." he says. 

"Will you be the defender of cats and kittens at college, when other mean boys are thinking it's funny to torture them." I ask him. 

"That's stupid," he says. "Of course I will."

"When they put them in the dryer and turn it on, you will get them out, and punch them in the stomach (the boys, not the kittens) and then you will take the kittens and any girls present (they will definitely want to go with you) away from this bad apartment, back to your place (after grabbing some kitten chow and a litter box at the grocery store) and you will maybe watch a movie and order some Thai takeout and play with the kitties, you and the girls. That's what you'll do, right?" (I said all that.)

He just looks at me. And nods slowly. 

"You're weird." 

"That's already been established." I say. "I'm just doing my job, which now that I think about it, is nowhere near done."

"Get out." he says.

I am not at all used to being told to get out of his room.

"Please leave, Mom" I say.

"That too." he says, with a smile.

****

The kittens are not ours. We have a kitten timeshare. We have partial custody. We have weekend visitation. They live next door and we just go get them when we need them. Our neighbor is good with this because she's not a big cat person and only got them to reign in the mouse population. She feeds them and cleans out the litter box and they poop in her houseplants and we provide the loving socialization and use them for blog inspiration. 

You should try it, it's awesome.