The End Has Come

I have decided to go ahead and pull the plug on Ol' Olive Juice.

Thank you so very very much indeed for checkin in on us over here...and even reading some words every once in while. It has been a VERY fun ride..and I am so happy that I kept up with it as timely as I did. However...I just do not have the gumption to keep it going. I have decided to start a completely anonymous blog. Sweet freedom here I come :)

Bless you for coming here.

There will be no more updates.

Peace Out

Back Home

Here we are...back from another big adventure out East. Ahhhh...tis good to have a flexible schedule. Grant had an amazing time visiting his Nana, Papa and other various family members. It was all good indeed.

I had to rush home today to look at a house my husband was just thrilled over. It is cute....and across from a park AHHHHHHH. However the rooms are pretty darn small...and I did not fall in love with the place.

Gotta run...but I wanted you to know that I am back. Thanks for your patience. I do have some big news....and blog suicide is the theme.

Beautiful Eggs

I find the homogenous white eggs at the grocery store a bit creepy. Not only are the poor mothers of those eggs Sad, miserable and pumped with antibiotics and hormones..the eggs themselves are less than delicious.

Here are some beautful eggs....each unique in size, shape and color. Some have a little hey sticking to them. Most importantly....their chicken mamas are happy little birds...scouring the yard for insects and having the life a chicken deserves. These eggs are SO delicious too....its like happiness adds flavor. Doesnt hurt that they have no antibiotics or hormones added...so the health of the egg is passed on to my family. AHHHHHH.

I always seek out farm eggs wherever I roam. These gorgeous specimens are delivered weekly at the affordable and luxurious price of get this.....$1.50/dozen!!!!! Could we be any luckier? The nice lady has 20 chickens and just allows us to enjoy her bounty. I encourage you to ask around and find such a chicken lady of your own. You will be SO glad you did.

How old is too old to breastfeed?

I attended my first ever Le Leche League meeting the other night. Funny how it took 2 years to make it. I questioned my rational for going.....is it even for me at this point in the nursing relationship? However...I am SO glad we attended (Grant and I). I was surprised how many questions I had...about night weaning etc...and how many questions I had input on for others.

The group had varying ages of children....all the way from a tiny 2 week old....to an almost 5 year old...ALL still nursing. So Grant was not the oldest...and that was a great added value for me. I realized that the pressure I have been getting to wean had been weighing on me...and being around other "sustained breastfeeding relationships" was encouraging and intriguing. I checked out two books from their lending library.....one is Nursing Toddlers and the other is How Weaning Happens.

My nursing toddler is begging for attention, so I must go. However.....this topic is on my mind...and I really want to blog about it. I know that the average person is estranged from long term nursing...so there is no doubt a curiosity about it. I myself have hang ups....how old is "too old"? I certainly do not see Grant nursing at.....well I used to think 3 but now I am not so sure. The more I read and research and learn and grow as a mother....the more I question my breastfeeding ethics...my breastfeeding rules and regulations.

Gone Camping

So Saturday morning we serendipitously headed out on a camping expedition 1.5 hours after our weary heads rose from the pillow! How is that for spontaneous?

I must say that we did NOT rough it however. We borrowed my very generous brother in law's adorable little TAP (camper) and rolled on out of town with our king size bed in tow. I failed to get pictures that truly captured the fun of Grant's first camping trip. He did make up a camping song that proved to me without a doubt that he LOVES camping hehe. It went something like this:

la la la, la la la, CAMPING (claps)
la la la, la la la, CAMPING (claps)

It was SOOOO cute. Wish the camcorder would have been going for that one.

We enjoyed a fire (hotttt....moke as Grant noted), a gorgeous view of the lake from our camp site, a suprisingly comfortable outdoor temperature, Grant's first ride on a Sea Doo (jet ski), swimming in the lake, picking up lots of sticks and rocks, a conservation program on animals that come out at night, using flashlights (BIG hit right now!!), cooking on the fire (although it was really just heating up a stromboli sandwich) and lots of socialization. It was a great time.


See the Tab in the background? Thats a sweet little camper I tell you.


Made good friends with kids in the neighborhood "Moke" in his eyes

White Boys Can Dance

Grant LOVED his first day at dance class. He did a lot of standing around but did participate plenty. His skip was actually the best....and you should see his splendid tippy toes walk (with arms in an arc over the top of his wee little head...so cute). Notice his tap shoes??? Aren't they adorable. Tiny boy shoes are all but impossible to find! Even the studio manager was in awe of these itsy bitsy shoes.

Somehow I had managed to mess up the start date...so we showed up to NO class. Fortunately they were SUPER sweet and invited us to participate in the 3-5 year old class that had just started. I was so relieved...because I had been tempting him all day to dancing with kids..and I hated to lie of such wonderment.

The funniest part was when I saw a little girl whisper repetitively in Grant's ear..."You're a boy....you're a boy". Grant just SMILED the biggest grin. It was hilarious.

Tonight we actually start his real...toddlin twos class. The "mess up" seems to be working to our advantage because tonight he will not have the extreme newness that kids have the first class. It was SO much fun to watch him interact and sometimes follow directions...and most importantly have a GREAT time. Who knows if we will actually sign up for another month...but for now...he is experiencing something new.

Ugliest Birthday Cake Ever

As promised here is the cake I made with love for Grant...and his cousin Kate's birthday this past Monday. It was red velvet with vanilla icing...and get this....Swedish fish for accent. Yes I thought fish would be a theme Grant would enjoy...and my love of the chewy things had nothing to do with it (by the way...Swedish fish with icing is WAY good). If I was an overachiever type...I would have loved to make him a drum cake......but obviously I am NOT.

Child Development Manager

I do not think "stay at home mom" accurately reflects my present situation. We are movers and shakers over here...taking adventures by foot, car, train and wagon. The region is our oyster and we are bound and determined to learn our way through it. Every little detail of the day can be an exciting lesson for a just turned 2 year old!

Changing the bed sheets for example...not only did he help (and take off all the pillow cases) but we talked about the pieces that make up a bed...the bed, pad, sheets and pillows. Then he helped me load them in the washer...and later dryer..and then of course making the bed hours later. The school of life indeed.

I find myself really getting in sync with my son and the rhythm of being a "not employed outside the home" mom...a 'full time care giver"....a "career mama". This lifestyle suits me just fine and I would not trade these moments for a million dollars.....seriously.Things are starting to settle down and I really love where we are right now.

Happy 2nd Birthday Grant!

In Nana's garden.

Can it be that 2 years ago today I was having my first early labor contractions? I was at work and noticed that my lower abdominal "cramps" were happening over and over...maybe I should start noting the times. After lunch I decided to stay home...I was feeling strange and those darn cramps were not going away. By 5PM I wanted to call the midwife and check in. She told me to go to the movies. By 6PM I was in active labor.....translation...IN MADD PAIN. The contractions turned from tolerable to HOLY SHIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT. We still needed to shower and pack...so that took awhile. It was not until 9PM that we stumbled into the birth center. I was 9 cm ! Grant was up high so I had lots of pushing to attend to (which started on the drive :( ). He was born at 10:56PM!!!!!


Will post the birth story as soon as I find it!!! grrrrrr.

Happy birthday dear son Grant Paul!!!!! You rocked my world and turned it upside down! You are gorgeous and smart and sweet and funny....I love your idiosyncrasies and oddness...I even love your rebellious spirit. Thank you for making me into a better person...and a mother. Life will never be the same again. Ok...off to write him a letter. (each year I archive a birthday letter to Grant..and will give them all to him someday...either his 18th...or when he moves out...haven't decided yet.)

Have a great seven seven.

Here is Grant finger painting with flour/water/food coloring paint. I think he would rather use brushes....so guess what he is getting for his birthday? (well besides the balance bike)

Zen moment sitting on basketball (that he can dribble now)
Birthday dinner at Serras (yum) ...first candle of the birthday
Mixing his birthday cake with mom on the kitchen counter (that is his smile for the camera...isnt it hilarious) Oh and the cake turned out hilarious too!!Will post pic tomorrow. It is the UGLIEST cake ever. Hope it tastes better than it looks. Note to self...practice cake decoration.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture! Is that not the cutest face? The garden is nice too :)

Contemplation
Putting the birthday wagon from Nana together. So intent!
My cherub (ya right)
All dressed up to attend a wedding...another posing smile ...as you may notice
Thanks for visiting. Peace out

|Happy |My| Favorite| Number |Day

"Raising children is like being pecked to death by chickens"

I read this on the register at a local diner....and it makes me laugh everytime Ithink of it