Hello All!

Yesterday was a fabulous spring day here at Casa de Peaceable Kingdom. Maestro had a half day of school, Little Red has no school on Fridays, and so we decided it was a great day to have an adventure. Music Man reminded me that we wanted to get over to Plum Island, and so that's where we headed. Though we had heard about birds galore this time of year, we didn't get to see very many at all. That part was a little disappointing, but we had a wonderful family day just the same.

We particularly liked the boardwalk loop trails that let us go right into the marsh habitat. I know in the summer, it's probably just unthinkable with the mosquitos that I'm sure just fester there, but this time of year, pre-skeeter season, it was fascinating. We got to see some beaver damage where they had cut down trees that they had absolutely NO hope of ever moving, the brush is incredibly thick there, but try they had. We also walked up onto a dune on the boardwalks, climbing stairs that were pretty steep in some places to come to the top for a wonderful panoramic view of the Atlantic. We could even see the Crane Castle in Ipswich across the inlet, which is where my dear friend Michael was married. Very cool day indeed.

Though we didn't get to see many birds, we did spot two grand white swans, and a multitude of ducks. We checked out the bird blind where you can go to observe the tidal salt marsh and all the birds that inhabit it. It's great because you can do it without disturbing the birds in their nesting territories.

We know we will definitely be checking out Plum Island and the wildlife sanctuary there again soon. It was a great experience for the boys to get a nice view of some nature they don't see that close to home, and we enjoyed the walking and photography opportunities. Above you'll see one of those, all my guys watching the birds and salt water...a fine day indeed.

If you're in the area of Plum Island, Massachussets, I highly recommend taking a walk through the sanctuary, it's well worth the $5.00 per car it costs to get in. Take a picnic and some binoculars and spend a day with someone you love enjoying all the sites of coastal nature.

Salt marsh and boardwalks to you, ~Peacemom

More bits of Spring!

As a dear friend of mine says.."Aren't they cunnin'?" Whenever she sees something she is particulary enchanted by, so I'll leave that quote to these flower and let you decide...."aren't they cunnin'?"

New life in your yard to you, ~Peacemom

Oh my....

I'm sorry, I know, I'm shamelessly bragging, but...could he be ANY cuter? This picture makes me tear up as I can see the boy he is becoming. He's lost so much of his little boy look in the last 3 months, and is getting his big boy looks...time's going by too quickly, the boys are so big already.

When we were in the throws of misery with them when they were infants and screaming most of their waking hours, it seemed like it would never end. Those first 6 months with Maestro-sick, skinny, us not able to comfort all his deep and unending pain-were the longest 6 months in my life. They felt like years every day. And when Little Red had the same problems at birth, well.... I knew the first night he was with us that he was in the same pain as his brother. We knew how to comfort him better, he was on prescription formula instead of breastmilk much sooner, so his discomfort didn't last as long and wasn't as severe as Maestro's, but the hours and hours of walking around with them on our arms just enduring the screaming...it was all we could do to help them, just hold them and let them know they were loved in whatever way we could. Those days were eternities.

Now, I look at them both and realize that in a moment the last 7 and 5 years have passed instantly. Little Red has changed so much this year, his new school is really blossoming him into a wonderful young man. He has his challenges still with his temper and patience, but he's learning to play together with others and his teachers adore him, which is so amazingly special for him. He's just flourished there and we know we made the right decision for him to be where he is. The day care that he was at when I first went to work was okay. It did not afford him the individual attention that he dearly needed and so he really didn't like going there. Each time for drop off, he would cry or just sadly walk away from us. In his current school, he's out of the car like a shot, heading in the door with a big smile on his face with hardly a glance back at mom or dad. He just loves it there and we are so very thankful that he landed in a place where they love him back. That sort of thing doesn't happen every day, and we don't take for granted just how much that has meant for his self esteem. If anyone out there is looking for an amazing preschool experience for their child, Chester Preschool and Kindergarten is definitely IT.

Well, I'm gonna stop writing now as I've put a lot of posts on here today. I just wanted to take a moment to remember Little Red (and Maestro, too!) for the wonderful little person he is. I love them both with all my heart.

Blessings to your little people, ~Peacemom

Don't get it on the patio, or Alice will kill you!

Above is a picture of a really awesome volcano errupting that Maestro built. How cool is this? He had to mix the plaster, put it in the mold, let it harden, take off the mold and WAIT 24 hours (that's the hardest part for him!) to paint it, which he did, then waited to dry (more waiting? What?) then he put baking soda in the middle, added dish soap (which the chinese directions called "washing up soap") and vinegar and watch the erruptions commence! It was a bucketload of fun.

Wishing you your own fantastic lava experiments, ~Peacemom

Wolf Scout

Last Friday was our "Blue and Gold" banquet for Cub Scouts. Here is our proud Tiger Scout, about to receive his new neckerchief and manual to become a Wolf Scout. We are very proud of him and Music Man is having a blast with him working on getting his badges and experiences in life. They have done a bunch of fun stuff so far which even included a trip to a local radio station where they all got to be on the radio! Fun times!

Wishing you your own badges of fun, ~Peacemom

Spring has Sprung!

Hello All,

This is a picture of the beautiful flowers that are blooming in front of our house. Aren't they fetchin'? I love the deep color of the petals, I am becoming very fond of these little flowers. I'm pretty sure they are a type of crocus, but look different then the other ones that I posted previously. The green leaves look similar, though, so I think perhaps they are the same family.

We are planning a walk on Plum Island off the coast of Mass. this Saturday. We've read in the past that it's a wonderful view of all the migrating birds, and we should see some really great ones that perhaps we're not used to seeing here. My mother-in-law also confirmed this for us as she's gone out during the springtime as well.

I was thrilled this past weekend to see a bluebird on our feeder. We don't see those on the feeder often, and in fact, this is the first one I've ever seen on our feeder. We also got some purple finches, NH's state bird, feeding there as well. So many of the spring birds are arriving here, we've had goldfinches, cardinals, grackles, starlings, a cow bird, red wing black birds, blue bird, purple finches and many different types of hawks and a big 'ol turkey vulture. Since we have robins here all winter long, my testament to spring is the arrival of the turkey vulture. That's my true "spring's here!" bird. Music Man and the boys also sighted a great blue heron last weekend. It's a little early for some of these birds, so it's exciting to see them all arriving here in our neck of the woods.

On a bummer note, our basement has not stopped running water in over a month. Music Man likes to say he's going to just embrace it and put in a water feature down there. But seriously, it's causing big mold issues for all of us as we're all allergic to mold. Since the root cellar has a dirt floor, it just smells gross over it when it's wet- over it happens to be our bedrooms. The boys are on two different allergy meds to try to help them get through...it's not much fun. So, unfortunately, we'll be looking for a new place to live again. Not looking forward to moving again, but we don't feel like we have a choice with the health of our children at stake. Not very many rentals in Chester, so that's causing us some concerns, but we're trying to make it work here.

Hope you're all enjoying your spring. Take a moment and notice the birds and natural wonders around you.

~Peacemom

Happy Birthday, Music Man!

This week was Music Man's birthday...and lobster was on special and is local! Perfect combination for a delicious meal. And since his birthday falls the day before St. Patrick's Day, and with it being one of his all time favorite beverages of the grain, Guinness was also in order. Maybe it's his Irish heritage, maybe not, don't know, but he sure enjoys one every now and then. I, myself, even with the Ire in my lines, do not enjoy it at all. I liken it to road tar. But I am not a beer drinker, so that may have something do with it also. And I do like the way it pours into a glass, the whole foaming of bubbles sinking in the pint glass before rising again, that part's kinda neat. I even splurged a bit and got some asparagus (though to be honest, felt wholly guilty that it was from Peru :^( ). We also had his favorite cake, Boston Creme Pie, we all feasted in his honor that night!

The asparagus is the furthest away vegetable I've purchased since last spring, so not too bad, I guess. I even found that Hannaford's carries tomatoes from Maine in the dead of winter. There's a place with a greenhouse there that grows year round, so I'm very happy about that. And they aren't even mealy and gross, they actually taste vine ripened and are firm, cocktail sized ones. I have to pay $2.89 for 8 tomatoes, but they are worth it to me on many levels. And 8 of those babies can be stretched well here as Little Red won't eat tomatoes, Maestro will eat about 1/2 before he's all set and I use them for Music Man and I. They are large enough to have to use only one per salad if I cut them right. Yummy for winter here in New Hampshire, and I'll take it! I made a conscious effort to try to not buy as many fruits and vegetables from away the last couple of years. I did fairly well until citrus season arrived, I have bought a very few this winter...I have to admit, I LOVE fresh citrus. That may be having spent the first 10 years of my childhood being able to walk into my grandparent's back yard and have my pick of oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, bananas, figs and tangerines. There may have been more, but those are the ones I remember. And we had an orange tree in our back yard as well. But, when we moved to NH in 1978, I discovered apples...and these were apples like I'd never had. And to this day, I adore apples. And in fact, up until last month, we have been buying apples and pears from our local orchard. They store them all winter and sell until they run out. It will be interesting to get to September without apples, but I'll do it.

It makes the tastes of the season so much more amazing when you actually eat them only in season. I find it interesting in our time that we are unable to fathom that generations before us didn't have access to fruits from all over. In fact, children would get oranges in their stockings as a gift from Santa because they were uncommon and wonderful and a divine treat to people living in the dead of winter (there's a reason they call it that!) in New England to procure an amazing, glowing orange orb (is it just me, but why do they seem to glow in the winter time?) with such succulent juiciness and sweet/tart taste. Nothing tastes quite like a fresh orange picked from the tree...just as the same can be said for an apple you've twisted from the branch. In our day and age it seems almost perverse to some people that I reserve buying fruits out of season for very, and I do mean very, special occasions. Like, my dear husband's birthday, and this wonderful meal was his gift as we're on a tight budget right now.

There are a growing faction of people that are beginning to come around to thinking more closely about where their food comes from, how far it has to travel to get to them and the deep environmental impact that process has on our earth. And more people are thinking about overfishing in the oceans (a great article on sustainable seafood in this month's Cooking Light is proof of that) and the health of our oceans (DOUBLE BRAVO for the folks in the Australian city that have BANNED plastic water bottles! The residues from these are killing our oceans, not to mention our own bodies). I see progress. It may not be as quickly as I'd like, but progress is happening. Education, forethought and a little planning can pretty much negate the use of plastic water bottles (stainless steel refillables and tap work much better and learning about what the plastic residues can does to the endocrine system is scary enough to make some stand up and take note).

Not eating Atlantic farm raised salmon because not only is it not as healthy for you being farmed and fed man made food rather then the natural diet that increases all that healthy Omega 3, but it's terrible for the environment. The use of antibiotics, man made food and when the farm raised "frankenfish" escape and breed with wild salmon affects the health of all wild salmon population. When we eat salmon, it is now shipped from clear across the country from Alaska because it's more sustainable. I'm so saddened that we had a very viable salmon population right here on our own coast, that has been degraded so much that they need to dye the food pellets so that the meat will be the pink color we've come to associate with salmon.

If we don't buy the Atlantic farm raised salmon, then of course the way they are provided to us will change. Speaking with your dollar is the most powerful tool you have as a consumer, and I for one, even in our challenging financial situation, still speak with that dollar. Yes, it means we don't get to have oranges in July, or strawberries in November (unless we're eating the ones I've frozen from last summer's picking!), but it also means that we go back to eating in season. Which has many benefits of connecting me to the season and the natural cycle of it so much more. I have made a conscious effort to gear the food I prepare for my family more in season with things like pumpkin in fall and winter, with soups and stews which are more comforting for a long winter's night. With more salads and cooler foods in summer when the weather is warmer and our appetites aren't as big. I've tried to listen more to the tune of my body, and nature and it's really brought me to feeling more in tune with that cycle of life. Because if we don't do this, and sooner then later, we'll have a planet too badly degraded to support our grandchildren. It all starts with one dollar spent at the farmer's market and NOT the grocery store. Or deciding that the mangoes in NH are just not worth the sacrifice that will affect the health of our future generations. There's a Native American saying that is something like this: We have to live in a way that will ensure the next 7 generations will have an earth that is like our's for themselves. I'm really trying to do my part to make that happen.

Wishing you the joys of eating in season, ~Peacemom