momosarah

Magic and Motherhood

2011-12-06T02:46:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of talk about magic around these parts lately. 'Tis the season, after all: The season where a carrot in a shoe can turn into chocolate; dancers on a stage turn into mice, fairies, nutcrackers, and a whole kingdom of sweets; siblings who often can't be in the same room together spend hours making a gift for another sibling; adults turn into 'right jolly old elves' in spite of themselves; a time when mere ingredients such as flour, molasses, egg whites and sugar turn into a house fit for a fairy tale; a time when the lights on the neighborhood houses make everything sparkle; a time when a kind word and a polite response to the people who are in our every day means even more; a time when I say yes to adventure, late nights and silly requests more often. And really, why not? I tend to spend a lot of time with the mundane details of motherhood: laundry and grocery lists, taxi-like service to and from dance, fencing and horse riding, reminders to practice those precious instruments, to be kind or quiet or careful again.... and being in this season of light reminds me--I can be magical, too.
I had a massage when I was pregnant with Forest and worried about how to mother this passel of kids I seem to have acquired. The massage therapist told me, "Remember that you are magical... that's what they need from you." I spent some time wrestling with that in my head--the practical mid-westerner in me (oh yeah, it's still in there somewhere) said, "Ha! Magical! Ha!" and then the free-spirited forest dweller said, "She's so right" Guess who won? Both. Neither. It's still a wrestling match. Some days I feel too wiped by the aforementioned mundane details to be very magical. The laundry piles up, no one likes what's for dinner, the baby pinches and bites and hits me, homeschooling is a fight and no one played their instruments. And then I remember that I am magical and powerful beyond my wildest dreams in their lives, simply because I am their mother. And, I can use my magic to sprinkle just a little more fairy dust into their lives before they slip out of Neverland forever (the baby teeth are nearly gone, and each one lost is rejoiced over!) Or, I can be the wicked queen who pushes my agenda on those in my realm. Gee--it's a tough choice. Actually, it is not always easy to choose to allow them to follow their dreams and feel their feelings fully---it makes for a lot of noise and mess, and sometimes I just want my fairy godmother to come in and offer me a spa trip and a massage--I'll be back by midnight, really, I will.

I hear my mama friends out there wishing for it all to slow down, and even stop--because the Christmas machine starts early and runs full tilt until the end of the year. I feel it too. I have to avoid getting sucked in and burnt out by it, too. This year, my tactic for that is to remind myself 'remember the magic.' What I mean when I say that to frantic me (and you?) is: Remember that they are only small for a short time and that all of the little traditions are what make for good memories. Remember that if it is feeling stressy and not fun, to just let it go--that tradition has lost a bit of it's magic and may return another year, or not! Remember that the connections that we have to each other are where the magic grows and lives and is carried beyond this season and into the others. Remember the magic of gratitude every day.

{this moment} a la soulemama

2011-12-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

In Gratitude

2011-11-30T02:34:00.000-08:00

It has been a month of gratitude, a month of yoga, a month of partying and fun with friends and family, and I am so grateful to have so many awesome people in my life who make for so many great experiences. I haven't blogged forever--life has been so full of settling in and making a house into a home again, but now that we have had several gatherings and much of my family has seen our house, and more family to come this weekend, I feel like I can breathe and start to post little bits of our life here on Shadypeak. I am also going to stay in this place of gratitude for the next month or so, so that I don't careen off into that other place. Today's sweet memory is that of my sweet Lucy who sat right down and started to play out of the new piano book and then sang with me as I poked out a few songs from my new copy of The Reader's Digest Christmas Songbook (the library was a bust--I guess the Beavertonians are more hip to checking this thing out for the month of December than the Corvallis folks!) Ahhh... music! Forest thought it would be a good idea to stand on the piano shortly thereafter and so I had to stop playing. Oh well!

Wee wee wee all the way Home!

2011-08-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

We made it, just like that last little piggy. All the way to our new home in Beaverton, OR. We did not travel by prairie schooner, Conestoga (or Calistoga as R. often says), covered wagon or on foot. We had only about 97 miles to go, rather than a couple thousand. And, it's a dang good thing, because we had a whole heck of a lot of stuff packed into that little house in the big woods. We took 3 truckloads, had lots of help on both ends (Thank YOU everyone including neighbors, friends who took extra kids and family) and no babies were harmed in the operation. In fact, everyone seems no worse for the wear, excepting maybe the grown-ups who are crossing their fingers that the hot tub guy who is coming tomorrow can really fix that thing. We hope y'all will come and visit sometime, because for suburbia, our shady peak is a sweet spot. We will miss our last sweet spot forever, I am sure. So many friends and we have said, "Well, maybe you'll be back" Right now, we are going to enjoy being all together as a family on a daily basis, having family dinners (they will save the world), going on new walks nearby, getting new library cards, and being from Aloha. Aloha.

Ways to spend a 10th birthday:

2011-07-21T00:58:00.000-07:00

Being kissed 10 times by your mama, brother, sister and dad when you wake up.
Wearing a brand new mama-made dress.
Playing with your friend before breakfast.
Helping to make breakfast/brunch just the way you like it.
Playing with your friend and sister after breakfast.
Waiting patiently while people finish up handmade gifts.
Dancing around the living room with your sister.
Creating a beautiful birthday cake and helping make birthday dinner.
Going on a bike ride to see what's in the mail.
Reading books to your little brother.
Receiving fresh picked cherries from a neighbor.
Hosting your dear teacher/friend for cake.
Blowing and blowing and blowing to get your trick candle (surprise!) to go out.
Eating yummy homemade birthday cake with friends and family.
Receiving handmade gifts from your brother and sister.
Crawling into bed tired and happy.
I think that when they are grown, I will miss these homemade birthdays the most. Maybe we can still have them.

10 Years ago right now....

2011-07-20T02:10:00.000-07:00

I think I had probably gotten out of the birth tub for the last time, because in a half an hour, Ella was born. It took me a week to believe that she was a girl, because I had not wanted to hope for a girl--I had only hoped for a healthy baby. Here we are 10 years later and she is such a lovely girl. She is strong, kind, brave, graceful, and totally loved by all of us.

Insomnia

2011-07-06T02:55:00.000-07:00

It is the middle of the night. I have a nursling and I should be sleeping. A boy the size of a giant is asleep in my bed, but the actual giant is in his 'other home' so there IS enough room for sleep, and yet, here I am, unable to sleep. So, why not blog? Don't answer that. Tomorrow I will go on a journey to view what could possibly be the next home of the Cirque de Doggett. This probably has a lot to do with why I am not sleeping. My sister, the saint, has moved something like 15 times since she's been married. She can probably do it in her sleep, she seems to do it with such grace. Or maybe she just has enough sense to not tell me all the nail biting horrible bits. So far, our house has been on the market for exactly one month, and we've had exactly one visitor. The house-selling part has been what you might call slow here on Slow lane. The circus performers have ditched their normal acts for laundry folding, bed making and bathroom scrubbing--not bad habits to hone. The 'oh hell' room has had a serious attitude re-adjustment, and the lack of clutter has actually opened up room for creativity just like all those clutter hating neat freaks say it will. I hate it when they're right. And yet, and yet..... this is not the first of nights when two cups of chamomile and two hours in bed lead to me getting up to contemplate my life. Am I worrying? Maybe. See that photo up there? This is the oasis from the rest of the world to which I have come home for the past seven years. I remember when we first moved in, and I would come home on hot summer days to the coolness of the forest and think, "Ahhhhh... I live in paradise." I still think that. And now I have a whole community of friends surrounding me, and they are just not being very easy to leave. None of them suck, not a single one. That's why this moving thing has been all hot air for so long.... two years! Two years ago I was newly pregnant with baby #4 and wondering how the heck I could move away from all that good stuff. I couldn't and I pretty much told my husband this. Two years and one 15 month old later, and here we finally are at this crossroads. Here is my list of things that I think about when I can't sleep:
How will I find quiet in a city when I sometimes have a hard time finding it here? Oh yeah... it's inside.
Are kids really as resilient as everyone says they are?
Will it be as easy to make friends as it has been here?
Will I find a place to buy raw milk and fresh eggs?
Will moving have the desired effect of more family time?
How will homeschooling look in a new place?
Will I be able to say no to the constant stream of interesting looking activities in a city that's so big?
Am I cool enough for Portland?
Will my brother and his wife get tired of being my only friends?
Is this really the right thing to do?

Oy vey. My eyelids are getting droopy now. maybe that means i can sleep. i hope everyone else is getting a goodly amount of zzzzzz's tonight.
In other news: Sound of Music curtain/clothing project nearly finished. Photos to follow
PhotoSunday postponement is not permanent. Keep transfixed to this spot for news
Country Fair this weekend!

Oyasumi Nasai

PHOTOSUNDAY! : postponed!

2011-05-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

Ooops,! we are busy packing so that we can all live in the same city and we haven't done our PhotoSunday! assignment this week, in fact I didn't even post it. Eleanor chose it and it is:

The Rule of Thirds

Don't know what it is? Well, it is not scary, but a little more challenging than our other assignments, maybe that's why we haven't done it yet! Here is Wikipedia's definition:

Rule of Thirds

And, I think there are some great photos if you just type 'rule of thirds' into the Google Images search box.
Let's make this sunday a PhotoSunday! instead! :)

Mother's Day Eve :: Inspiration:: the in breath

2011-05-08T01:26:00.000-07:00

'Twas the night before Mother's Day and all through the house...

I have just returned from a really lovely evening. First I went to the Heart of the Valley Birth Network's showing of Guerilla Midwife. Robin Lim, the 'star' of the film, is truly a brightly shining star in this world of ours. She is living and working the idea that gentle birth will create a gentler world. It was such a gift to see this film on the eve of Mother's day, and to think about my own Mother, who birthed me gently, and inspired me to do the same with my children. It was lovely to sit next to and in front of our two local midwives and know that they are doing the good work. It is not easy work, but oh, is it good. It is nice to have validation every so often that the path that I am on is the right one for this life of mine, and watching that film was very, very inspiring.

My sister, Molly, is cooking something up over there at Go Running Mom! She, having just run the Lincoln half-marathon, and just become an instructor at her local Y, is giving a big push for us all to notice that it is :

Oh yeah, that's right. She has a lot of events posted up on her blog. I would also like us to notice this, and because I'm me, and waited until the last possible moment to do this, I'm doing a more informal celebration in my life. I was pondering it all in the shower this morning. Here's what I'd like to do:

Spend each day of this week focusing on a particular aspect of Health. I have a lot of friends and relatives who seem to be on a health journey right now, (or, maybe we ALL are??) and I think recognizing that we can all help each in making healthy lifestyles our vernacular is a big step in making it reality for more women, and thus, families.

So, here was my brainstorm: The Japanese names for the days of the week are similar to English, but there are elements of nature involved too, so I thought I would use those names as a guide for focusing on a particular aspect of health each day of the week, and also to shout out to all my women friends to celebrate with me.

Sunday =日曜日 = Sun Day, also Mother's Day.

Today when you wake up in the morning, spend a few moments in gratitude for the sun, it's warmth, it's light, the beauty and bounty we experience because of the sun. Me, I'm going to do some Sun Salutations, too. Will you join me? Spend the day experiencing gratitude for everything: family, friends, food, clothing, home, dishes, laundry, diapers, sticky hands, smooshy kisses, all of it. Celebrate your Mother! And remember where Mother's Day has it's origins: Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation

Monday = 月曜日 = Moon Day

Today is a day to recognize our connection to the Moon... we are connected you know, as are the tides of the oceans. It is also a day to honor our menstrual cycles, and female organs. Like so many mamas, I often think that our fast paced lifestyle is really not conducive to having a healthy cycle. Sleep too few hours and spend too little time being in nature so that our cycles have stopped being tied closely to the moon. Here's a challenge (for me, for you?): Can you see the moon every day for a month? Today, before bed, I will do Moon Salutations. I will also contemplate how I can have a healthier cycle--more nourishing teas? Yes!

Tuesday = 火曜日　= Fire Day

What is it that fires you up? What are the things that make the creative juices flow? Where is your passion. Part of women's health is truly living our passions. I was reminded of that today at the movie. When we are doing our life's work, people around us are inspired and impassioned as well. Today I will remember that which inspires me and make note of it in some way, through journaling, art or just talking to someone about it so I can really remember. I like that little expression: Remember who you wanted to be when you grew up. Today I will also spend some moments meditating. Please join me!

Wednesday = 水曜日= Water Day

Today is a day to recognize the flow of the universe and the gift of water in our lives. Here in Oregon, we spend a lot of time being grateful for rain--it is so incredibly lush with green growing things. When the rains finally stop in July or so, I find myself feeling a bit dried out. I have been feeling that way lately because I have been forgetting to drink my water. I'm a nursing mother, for goodness sake. It's no wonder my lips are parched and my skin is dry! Today I will drink lots of water, please join me! I also want to say something about Water Birth. I am a mother of four children, all who were born at home, three of whom were born in the water. I believe in water birth as an amazing, gentle way to welcome babies into our world. I want to recognize the work that women like Barbara Harper with WaterBirth International are doing.

Thursday = 木曜日= Tree Day

I have been a tree hugger since way back. Now, I live in the forest. Trees clean our air, provide us with homes and food, house our animal friends, give us shade, and maple syrup, and cures for diseases. Today, let's honor the trees by walking in them with friends. And, while I'm at it, I'm going to manifest up a new home that is also surrounded by trees.

Friday =　金曜日 = Gold Day

Here's a good chance to examine our relationships with money, honey. How does my financial health relate to my physical and emotional health? Where can I find sustainability in my financial life? How am I working towards goals in this area? Where does the fear lie? How do i vote with my dollars? Am I spending with integrity? Today I will walk with my children by the river, where will you walk with yours?

Saturday =土曜日　= Earth Day

Let's dig in the dirt. I don't think i was always this way, but I love getting dirt under my fingernails now. I love the feeling of planting and harvesting. Today I am so grateful for the earth and all it's bounty. Even if you do not have a garden, you can find a place where there is earth and sink your toes in. Come on, do it! And while you are sinking into Mama Earth, remember this feeling of grounding, connection to that which is constant, solid, and yet constantly changing.

PhotoSunday!

2011-05-02T01:14:00.000-07:00

It's PhotoSunday! again! Hmmm... I thought we could get some takers for our photo project. Maybe y'all just are wondering how to get your photos up. There are two ways:

1. Join the PhotoSunday! Flickr Group

2. Email me your photos:

sarah@peacebabies.com

Feel free to send photos for this weeks project anytime!

You know you want to be a part of it! Here are are photos for Sunday, May 1st:
The theme was:

ANIMALS

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

2011-04-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

New things! PhotoSunday! Fonga Rhythms!

2011-04-19T01:43:00.001-07:00

It's spring, like I said earlier, and spring is a time for new things.
First: walking baby.
Really walking, not hardly even the drunken swagger he had at first.
And is he proud of himself? Oh yes. He's a big boy now.

But, sometimes he likes to pretend hes' a 'tiny baby', and then he crawls into the library book basket, (which he has first rid of all library books by tasting them and then throwing them on the floor) and his siblings take him for a ride. He loves it!

PhotoSunday!

Please join us in our photo projects. I've made a new page just for PhotoSunday! We had a very successful first attempt at photo sharing this Sunday. We spent a few minutes with each photo, offering each other constructive criticism. It was amazing to hear the children talk to each other and to us about our photos. This is going to be so much fun!

PhotoSunday! Flickr set.

In other news:

We have spent two wonderful afternoons at fellow homeschoolers' home doing some WEST African Drumming. This was great fun for all. The first time, Forest slept through the entire thing, so neither of us got to participate, but this time we were there. We learned a Fonga rhythm from Senegal, which our teacher, Michelle says is played at important events like parties and weddings.

It made me so lonesome for my brother Pete--that is DOCTOR Peter Hoesing to you! My little bro is now Peter Hoesing PhD! I call him the Doctor of Drums. I hope that's okay with him. He is an inspiration to all of us. I only wish I could have been a little fly on an anthill when he was the drummer for the wedding while he was there.
By the way, Dr. Uncle Pete says there is a special song for kids like forest. It means something like "Will toddle to anthill and eat the white ants" Maybe I can get him to say it for me again in Luganda.

Spring has sprung

2011-04-10T23:42:00.000-07:00

You know it is spring in the Oregon Coast Range, when the temperature hits 50 + degrees and your children are in their bathing suits, jumping into the creek and requesting sno-cones and popsicles. "Can we set up the kiddy pool and put Forest in it, Mama?" asked big sister last week, when the temperatures soared beyond 60 even.
The kiddos were gone from the house without any breakfast before I'd even done the first diaper change of the day, with grand plans to 'walk the creek', which I think involves getting your boots filled with water. "Can't we get out our summer clothes?" "Where are my sandals?" Yes, indeedy folks, that big yellow thing in the bright blue sky does indicate that the seasons are a changin'. I am never one to complain about the rain, I love how everything is so green, especially at this time of the year. The greens seem to take on a whole new level of green-ness. The moss is happy, the usnea is silvery, the ferns are beginning to uncoil, and all with help from the rain. Nevertheless, it always cracks me up and makes my heart sing with the young 'uns around here welcome the first sunny days with these crazy requests.
Forest has discovered the great outdoors. Recently, he went out, clad in his 'snow suit' (mostly it's just a protective coating against mud at this point) (Thanks, Susi!) and it was quite comical watching him put his hands down to crawl and then lifting them up to examine the damp surface of his pudgy palms with a quizzical look on his face. Soon he got the knack of crawling around in springtime weather, testing out several new delicacies: soil from potted plants, woodchips, sticks, rocks, moss, and today, black oil sunflower seeds. I like to take him with me while I feed the birds. I pull him around in the wagon delivering seed to our two feeders. Today I had to jump several times to grab the branch so I could put the feeder up and he just cracked up giggling. Apparently white mamas can't jump either.
Each of the big kids has been welcomed into the realm of camera-toting Doggetts, and as such, we have had our first 'photo assignment,' which was to capture something of the spring. So, watch this space for the results of that assignment, which will be posted after we weed through all of the photos (one of us took 4000 photos! that's a lot of weeding!) Until then, Happy Spring!

Ladies: At Home

2011-03-26T23:44:00.000-07:00

(me: at home new hair photo taken through computer's camera....)

I have just returned from a 'Ladies At Home', a gathering of women at my neighbor's home. One of the other guests said that an 'At Home' was something the ladies of Cincinnati held in the early part of the previous century. How delightful it always is to be in the company of women, many of whom are friends, and others who seem very much to be kindred spirits. The conversation was in turns interesting, hilarious, educational, raunchy, nostalgic, sad, touching, sweet and revealing. We were without our men and children, and yet, of course, they entered into those conversations often. Several of us are dealing with some really harsh, hard stuff. What a comfort to sit among these women and laugh, cry and share stories and a meal. And I ask myself--why do we not do it each Saturday??? Oh, we are busy and it would just be one more thing to add into our weekends which are often the only family time that we have. Seriously, though, my mental and emotional health just got a big boost tonight from being among my women friends. I feel like encouraging all the women I know to host or be a part of an 'At Home' evening with friends.
My sister recently told me that she has been chosen to be part of National Women's Health week. She says she's going to ask for my help, too. Between talking to her about that, and the women tonight, and a dear old friend on the phone yesterday, and another newer but just as dear friend today, I really see that having and being friends to our women friends is what keeps us going, what keeps us from going insane, and what really, ultimately, makes the world go round.
Not cheese... women.
Yup, you heard it here. I was not drinking tonight, those some were, and yet, I still feel a sense of euphoria often associated with chemical alteration. We are so powerful together. My neighbor has a book of women's song with lovely photos of women--suffragettes, beautiful hippie songstresses. I bet she was thinking we might sing some of those songs, which would have been nice, but I enjoyed just perusing the book and checking out lyrics and photos, remembering my Women And Radical Social Movement class at UCSC taught by Marge Frantz, and the feeling of being in the lecture hall with so many young, vibrant women.
Somewhere in the noise and confusion of being a mother, I think I sometimes forget about the power of women together, how healing it is to just sit in a room with a bunch of women. I have other thoughts about mothering, feminism, freedom and liberation, but they're going to have to wait for a night that's not so late, when I can rub two thoughts together to make fire.

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

2011-03-25T23:43:00.001-07:00

One whole year.

2011-03-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

Totally unbelievable how time flies when there is a baby. I can't believe you're one, sweet Forest! You have made our lives better in so many ways. You wake up happy, and we start our days with smiles. You make us laugh with the funny things you do. Your curiosity is insatiable, and reminds us to be curious all over again. We are so lucky to have you in our family!

when you came into my life, i became a mother.

2011-03-11T00:51:00.001-08:00

It's hard now to imagine not being a mama. I remember how excited I was to meet you, how amazed I was that my body could grow another whole human, not to mention birthing one! I also remember being scared, of messing it all up, of not being strong enough, of doing the wrong thing. I have done all of those things, and you still teach me more each day how to be strong, and recover and learn from my mistakes. You offer hugs when I you know I need them. You tell me jokes whenever you think of them. You create and build and explore and experiment and I still feel so lucky to be your mama. Happy Birthday, Gus!

whoooooooooosh!

2011-03-08T22:27:00.000-08:00

Eight years ago right now we were lost in baby bliss land with a brand new Lucy Sky in our arms. Oh she was sweet and precious and pink and wonderful. Just look at her. She has made our lives so rich these eight years with her sense of humor and her sweet smiles, her signature heart notes and "I love you" tripping off her lips all the time. In the whirlwind that was 3 kids in 3 years she sometimes got lost in the shuffle, as did they all, but she found ways of making herself known, heard and loved. She is so grown up now, so capable of so many things, and yet still wants snuggles just as she did when she was wee. She is an amazing big sister to her little brother, and an amazing little sister to her big siblings and we love her more every day. Thanks for coming to live with us, Lucy Sky!

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

2011-01-28T09:11:00.000-08:00

Macro in a Mason Jar

2011-01-24T17:34:00.000-08:00

In the interest of becoming a better photographer in 2011, I played around with the camera a bit and came up with some fun shots of the beautiful spices that I use to make chai.... (thanks for the idea, Mom.) And I am entering the Gardening Gone Wild Picture This Photo Contest because their photos and the idea inspired me.
When my husband and I were getting to know each other, we used to take our cameras and go off (often with our friend Fanne) and spend the whole day taking photos. We don't do that much anymore, but it would be so much better now, what with the instant feedback that is digital photography. No waiting for developing, we could see how great, or not quite as great as we'd hoped, our photos are. Sometimes I forget to play like that with my camera. It would be fun to have some camera outings in 2011. In the meantime, here is my entry for the photo contest:

Mmmmmm..... time for chai.

Twas the night before the night before....

2010-12-24T00:45:00.000-08:00

And all through the house, the children were finally sleeping, one with a cough.
Ooohhh, December, it is you and NOT February that are the shortest month. You whizz by, with Nutcracker performances and St. Nicholas visits and Santa Lucia buns all blurred together until the longest night gets here. Even that felt short this year, alight as it was with the beautiful full moon eclipse.
We have had a trying month, week and day. I have threatened and heard Papa Bear threaten to cancel Christmas or at least postpone it a week. Perhaps some of us ate a bit too much of the candy that was supposed to go on the gingerbread house that was not supposed to, but did, get eaten by the dog the first go 'round. It has been reconstructed, with more candy ingested and tempers shortened and lengthened again.
There was a live nativity nearby and we could not manage to get out of the house without catastrophe, so we didn't go.
Mr. Baby is getting his teeth all in one go, it would seem and has taken to waking up screaming several times per night. Mama's nerves are a bit fried.
And yet,
And yet.... tonight as Robert read to us from our lovely copy of A Christmas Carol (with illustrations form Roberto Innocenti) about the ghost of Christmas Present, a kind of peace came to this frazzled mama. The peace of knowing that what is most important is not the handmade gifts that will not be finished, or the Nativity that won't be observed, or the thousand and one things that have happened and been accomplished. Nope, they don't matter much. Even the little fights and squabbles that try my patience seem of little consequence when I listen to the story of Scrooge going 'round with the great GCP, seeing, encouraging and adding magic to the celebrations of Christmas everywhere.
Thank you kindly, Charles Dickens.
p.s.
mama did get a handmade birthday gift finished and wrote about it here:

Rhythm of the Home Blog

Gratuitous Baby Shots!

2010-11-29T22:23:00.001-08:00

oooooh so grateful for babies! These three were in arms and underfoot at Emily and Charlie's Thanksgiving feast. What lovely beasties!

Our Hostess, Lady Scarlett would like to play some Connect 4. Or, have it for an appetizer.

Miss Esther Rose and her scrumtious cheeks:

I like baby bums, and I cannot lie. What a dupa on this one. Forest loved to play with Scarlett's new walking cart. He sort of reminded me of Hans or Franz. He is not a girly mon.

In other news: We made a beautiful braided bread of gratitude on Monday with our pal, Raina and then she got to stay overnight because the power was out and there was a blizzard! 3 whole inches!

Gratitudes.

2010-11-28T23:04:00.000-08:00

I do a lot of reading of self-help books. In fact, next to parenting books, they are what I read the most. Then there are the self-help/parenting books, and the self-help/homeschooling books. What do they all say? Start with gratitude. So I do, I start each day with a little gratitude for the day. I look out my window, it's gorgeous here on Mama Earth. Especially right here, in these Coast Range Foothills. I am grateful for my warm covers right now--and that I remembered to pick up my clean comforter from the cleaners, and that they didn't throw it away or donate it since it had been there for so incredibly long.
I am grateful for the warm little body next to me, sleeping peacefully on his lambskin, looking like a cherub, and that he chose us for his family, when we didn't think we were going to have any more littles around here.
I am grateful for the Dude I live with, who gets up very early a couple mornings a week to make a not so nice drive 100 miles away to work so that I can be a homeschooling mama, so that we can eat local, organic food most days, so that our children can have all sorts of amazing opportunities like music lessons, ballet, gymnastics and days at the horse barn.
I am grateful for those ever growing children. I cannot think of another job that I would rather have right now that being present for their childhood. It IS fleeting, going so fast that I am nearly afraid to blink. They continue to be my teachers. The lessons are no less challenging than they were when they were all under 3.

I am grateful that we could spend Thanksgiving with some of our extended family in Portland. I fantasize sometimes about living close enough to share a meal weekly--or at least every other week. I don't know if it will ever happen, but it sure was lovely to be in the same room with those folks (and all the babies!) for a few hours.

lately...

2010-11-16T01:06:00.000-08:00

we've been doing a lot of driving. to and fro, back and forth. then, the weekend comes and we do big projects, like move half the books (which is a lot of books) around to different places and different shelves, and dust and vacuum and rearrange so that our house is more baby proof. why? because our bumblebee is very mobile. flitting from place to place finding the most dangerous stuff in the house to chew on or crawl over.

and that smile you see up there... well, it's about to change, because i think the teeth are finally coming after much hard work to get here. this is early for a doggett kid (lucy got her first at 9 months, and that was 3 months before anyone else had.) mr. f. has been in an unhappy mood for the past day and i am pretty darn sure he is going to have something to show for it soon.

meanwhile, we got a new dishwasher, so i can stop pretending to be ma ingalls (a good way to feel like handwashing dishes is no big deal) and move on to prep for thanksgiving.

i am feeling so grateful for my four lovely kids, my amazing and supportive dude husband, my extended family of beautiful people, and my amazing friends.

these photos are from the weekend before last when i finally decided it was time to move some woodchips. the pile has only been there for about a year and a half, and, well, it is TIME--also, if it gets moved, we will have nice garden paths to walk on and if we ever get wood delivered we won't have to haul it AROUND the pile to put it in the wood shed. good plan, huh?

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

2010-11-05T01:07:00.001-07:00

Halloweening

2010-11-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

In the words of my friend Kat, "Halloween in this town is an endurance sport!" We have had a very full weekend of Halloween fun, and now, we are recovering. Here are some of the photos:

Pre-Halloween Hair-doing

Samantha, An American Girl from The Turn of the Century

Rose Wilder

Harry Potter casting Expelliarmus!

Our very own Baby Bumblebee!

Mom! You ruined my day!

2010-10-07T00:48:00.000-07:00

uhhh.... Yes, this is what my lovely seven year old said to me, with the appropriate amount of eye rolling included just for extra emphasis.
This is how our day went: We got up and I made some (gluten-free!) pancakes for breakfast while the kids folded some laundry and listened to a story on CD--Now, I know what you're thinking, I'm such a slave driver! Well, the day wasn't ruined just yet. Actually that pill was swallowed easily, maybe because it had a pancake chaser. The baby decided to take a nap at 9:30, weird but true.
Then, violin practicing--also awesome because she 'gets' the new tune, and her brother volunteered to help her learn it, while I made the kitchen cleaner than it's been in weeks (thanks to my new aromatherapy vinegar spray. = water, vinegar and tea-tree--also anti bacterial.)
Meanwhile, her sister took a bath and then changed and dressed the baby in several different kinds of stripes. Rock on, brother.
We left on time, got to the barn on time, and had a lesson in trotting on a sweet lovable old gal named Amber, after which she had a lunch of requested items: leftover pancakes, peppers, apples and peanut butter.
Then, she got to hang out at the barn for several more hours with her friend and sister while the boys and I went into town. I believe she got to scoop horse poop. This was actually exciting for her.
The boys and I bought a pair of men's size 9 shoes for the big bro. BIG bro. Little bro fell asleep, shoe shopping is not his bag.
We had a fiddle lesson, and ate a wholesome lunch ourselves, and checked several stores for a lost hat. :( We even went to the library to try to get the last Harry Potter book for reading material on the plane.
We dropped big bro off at a friend's house so he could help destroy the Millennium Falcon, and start building a lunar station.
The baby and I drove back to the barn to pick up 3 girls for dance. In the car, they played they were horses and decided what colors their manes were and what their names would be. They had their first practice for the Nutcracker as angels, big sis had her first as a palace dancer. I think we left her dance bag there because it is nowhere to be found at home or in the car.
We dropped her friend off and I said it was only a drop off, and ended up staying for way too long chatting and wondered how I was going to make dinner at home. Our friends invited us to stay if we could supply chips, cumin and avocados--yes yes and yes...
Off to pick up the brother, and said items.
Two more hours into an unexpected play date, with yummy dinner and good company, it was time to leave, and that's when the above comment made its appearance.
"Would 10 more minutes with your friend make it less likely for you to feel like I ruined this day?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
Sometimes you just have to say yes to having a good day the WHOLE day.

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

2010-10-02T00:22:00.001-07:00

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

2010-09-24T23:50:00.000-07:00

There must be some words with this.... I know it's not the tradition but here is what was heard during this moment:

There is a young pirate, who lives on the seas
His boat and his parrot are his only companions
He works in the rigging and he sleeps in his hammock
Waiting for summer, the winds to change

And as the moon rises he stands by his wheel
Dreaming about women and bottles of rum
He closes his eyes as his shipmates retire
And he sings out a song that is soft, but it's clear
As if maybe someone could hear...

Goodnight you moonlight babies,
And rockabye sweet Captain Forest
Deep greens and blues are the colors I'd choose
Won't you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet Captain Forest.

(with no apologies to Mr. Taylor, the children made this up themselves. :)

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

2010-09-18T00:13:00.000-07:00

our new activity

2010-09-17T01:22:00.001-07:00

we didn't really need another activity. really we didn't. but somehow, perhaps due to much pleading from the youngest girlie, and days with big beautiful creatures remembered by mom and dad, we spent wednesday afternoon here:

lately in crafting news....

2010-09-13T23:45:00.001-07:00

the harvest was crafted into blueberry jam and peach butter (and lots of frozen fruits for later yum)

Eleanor crafted "Joy" from Martha Stewarts Big Book of Sewing Crafts,
which she received from Nana for her birthday.

At long last, Lucy crafted a Mei Tai so she can carry around her babies.

Forest received and proudly weird his 'Manly Ves t' made by Momo while I await another skein of 'cherry twist' aka the red yarn for Nana's sweater

Cousin Esther rocks and rolls with her bonnet, also made by me, when she was incubating, and looks like rasta baby. I hope she will grow into it and it will fit her during a season it's needed.

this moment (a la soulemama)

2010-09-11T00:56:00.001-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Nearly Fall!

2010-09-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

I seem to be perpetually blogging about how fast life is going... perhaps it's part of being alive at this time, or something that goes along with being mother to four. Whatever the case is, we are feeling rather fall-like around here with two rains behind us, and nights that leave the house so cold I need slippers for half the day.
Fall is my most creative time of the year--something about being a fall-born baby, perhaps. I see inspiration everywhere right now, both inside, outside and in the blogosphere. I am also learning to limit my screen time so that my family doesn't see me buried in my 'glowing rock'. (after The Wretched Stone by Chris van Allsburg) Sometimes it's necessary to step away from the computer! We use it for so many things: music, recipes, keeping in touch, curriculum, crafty patterns, and so much more. As the world outside changes from one color to the next I'd like to notice it, and be in it, especially as wee (or not so) Forest experiences his first Autumn.
I have been getting online inspiration from a lot of places, one of which is Rhythm of the Home. This stuff is right up my alley. I feel happy and peaceful when I think about a 'rhythm' to our life, rather than a schedule or a routine. Schedules are strict and routines, are, well... routine = boring! But rhythm, well, that's what you drum or dance to, that's how your heart goes, and that's just what we need. Reading the pages of ROTH's website, I feel inspired to make a life of beauty in my home--a place of rest that we return to to feel that rhythm as we go about our activities which will be starting up again in a week or so. I am also making use of some of the ideas from Melissa over at A Little Garden Flower, Donna at The Waldorf Connection, and the book Heaven on Earth by Sharifa Oppenheimer. These include:

•using a huge piece of paper folded into 12 to pencil in the celebrations and holidays of the year along with handwork ideas from Syrendell
•making a weekly rainbow colored schedule of our outside of home activites so the children are aware of what happens what day
•including on the weekly rainbow time for painting, handwork, family time, and gardening
•making another rainbow chart with tentative dinner menu categories : Monday = Mexican, Tuesday = Pasta, Wednesday = Stir fry, etc
•asking for and receiving a couple of hours on the weekends to work on homeschool planning, Thanks Robert!

We also had the First Annual Slow Lane Summer Theatre and Storytelling camp last week. It was fabulously fun. I haven't even downloaded photos and videos yet, but when I do. I will post them here.

I wonder what everyone else has in store for fall.

Summer Days

2010-08-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

August is heating up in Oregon. And while no one around here was complaining about the cool summer weather, the heat does make it seem more summery. We have been having some summer time fun around here: eating popsicles, playing at Meg's pond, building forts, swimming at the swimming hole Of course when things were supposed to get too hot on Saturday, we headed for the coast and it was weather for warm long-sleeved and legged things. It's always surprising.

A Good Day

2010-08-12T22:58:00.001-07:00

Lately, it has been a struggle for me to maintain my patience and calm as a mother. People say, "Well, you have FOUR children." And, I think, I will always have four children. Now is the time to cultivate some sense of calm within myself. And daily I wonder how I will do that. My goal is to go to bed a bit earlier and wake up a bit earlier so that I can have some quiet meditation time in the morning, to enjoy the still both within and outside of me.

Today was a good day. We spent a very long time at a great pond birthday party. I have rediscovered that putting the children into water changes the energy.... what some call elemental play. I don't have any photos of today's elemental play but here are a few from one day last week:

another beginning

2010-08-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

so.. i got a new mac because mine bit the dust. i had grand plans for that mac, and now i have grand plans for this mac, one of which is to become a more frequent blogger, and to somehow combine my business blog and my pleasure blog... hmm. today, the pleasure:

what i am enjoying today::
•bath time with baby
•watching and gus and his buddy build while listening to 'elvis presley' station on pandora

•the wonderland we live in:

•the latest installment of the cirque:
•bluberries blueberries blueberries!
•watching these two siblings:

Jooning

2010-06-20T23:35:00.000-07:00

June has been slithering by. I often hear myself and others say that we are 'busy'. What are we busy doing? Well, here is some of it.
The first week in June was the annual ballet recital. The girls had a fabulous time being on stage, as they always do, and we had a visit from Uncle Phil and soon-to-be-Auntie Jaimee. Here are some photos:
Robert must have photos of the gals in their costumes on his camera, because I don't have any--I was holding baby Forest. Gus is here, holding him, and this is my impression of the photo--how long do we have to wait for the girls to get ready??

Pictures of us??

2010-06-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

So, the rest of the troupe was wondering if I ever take photos of them anymore. In particular Mr. Gus. Wham... that's enough to make me step back and check out my parenting. Yes I still love my biggies, when there is a little--I just get caught up in the little one, since he is in my arms constantly (although he did take his first stroller ride.... that's for another post). Then, suddenly I catch a glimpse of the big kid standing next to the bookshelf, and lo and behold, he can reach the top shelf without even stretching. The former little can get a glass down from the cupboard without a stool or jumping up on the counter (my fave tactic). Hair gets brushed by its owner. A room which was formerly hard to walk through on a good day stays tidy for weeks on end, "so that I can find stuff!" And yet, and yet.... the snuggles happen less often and the story is sometimes cut short or traded for everyone reading out of his or her own book before bed, owies are mended by bandaids and salve--no kisses needed. I am caught in the act of staring at all of my children who are growing and transforming before my very eyes--and sometimes behind my back--and not just the infant! I have to remind myself each day to slow down, make the moments last and feel groovy, because in a few more short years--fewer than I've been a parent already, they will be off on their own adventures. I am their mother and I went on many many adventures before I had them. I am raising them to be adventurous and hope that everything that we do together will prepare them for the time when we are no longer together. I don't know what will prepare me for that same eventuality, but it is out there and I would rather not rush towards it at the speed of light---I'd rather slow down to the speed of love, where there is time for hugs and snuggles, kisses and stories, hand holding and lap sitting, even if I am tired and sore from holding and feeding their little brother--I must make time for these things before they are not needed or wanted.
Yeah, I have pictures of them, but not any real good ones. I know what my weekend will have in it. Now if they would just come home from their friends houses!

Tempest Fugit

2010-06-03T23:23:00.001-07:00

Time flies when you are having fun, and time flies faster when you have a small baby. Our baby is no longer small. He is big. I don't know how much he weighs, but it is enough that his sisters do not want to hold him forever anymore--they cannot because their arms give out. I think of things to write about our lives on this here blog all the time, throughout my days, and when the end of the day comes, I am (usually) in bed sleeping with said large baby, a good place for a mama to be. However, I wanted to post some photos and say something profound. I'm going to settle for the photos.

May Giveaway Day

2010-05-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

I am having a little giveaway over at PeaceBabies, in honor of May Giveaway Day, which I heard about through a comment on here. It's at SewMamaSew Even though it's officially today (GiveAwayDay) I will keep the comments open until the 20th. Give it away, Give it away, Give it away Now!

this moment (a la soulemama)

2010-05-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

One Month Old

2010-04-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

One whole month has gone by since Forest was born. He is growing and changing, and so are all of us, along with him. He's already lost a fingernail and gained a chin. He is starting to smile and sometimes talk to us. He has stolen our hearts. I find myself staring at him when I should be sleeping. Like now.

Forest at play and rest

2010-04-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

Babmooning

2010-03-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

We have a new member of our troupe: Mr. Forest Indigo made his appearance on Wednesday March 24, 2010 at 7:16 am. He is healthy and happy and likes to do all the tricks babies do!!

Ten years ago right now...

2010-03-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago right now, I was at least 2 hours into active labor with Gus. Wow... who knew what a wild adventure parenthood would be. I feel grateful and awed by these teachers that live with me. That's all for now.

Yay for Jamie and his Food Revolution

2010-02-16T00:48:00.001-08:00

Robert came in from his office telling me about this great Ted talk he had watched. Great but heart wrenching, about how the top killers in the US are all food related illnesses. Well he didn't tell me it was Jamie Oliver talking! I have been a fan of Jamie's since running across his cookbook in the home of my friends Angela and John. I have checked his books out from the library, as well as a DVD of his show 15, and am a sucker for his Essex accent and charm. May we all inspire ourselves and our children to a better food future:

Small Change for February

2010-02-10T12:55:00.001-08:00

So... the diapers are not made yet, but I did leave for 10 days in January, and so I will get them done in this short month. For February, I would like to commit to bringing my grocery bags every time I go to the store. I have a lot of them. My Mom made some for Christmas last year, so I even have pretty bags. I usually take them when I go to the Co-op, especially if it is a planned trip. However, we usually end up with plastic if we go to a different store. I would also like to sew a few more cloth produce bags so that I can quit using plastic there, as well. I wonder how everyone else is doing???

From our travels....

2010-01-31T22:23:00.000-08:00

Lucy in the sky, with JellyBellys

Chillin with the cousins after riding the roller coaster (note the coordinating purple clothes and they didn't even plan it!)

Kailey, aka Laura Ingalls (this was mine when I was her age!)

After one slide down in the sled, they just went on their bums. They have to hang on because it's so slick at the top of that hill. What fun!

Pure snow filled delight!

One Small Change

2010-01-07T22:19:00.000-08:00

Here at the Cirque de Doggett, we like to think of ourselves as pretty green livin folks. We recycle everything we can, we compost, we reuse lots of things, or take them to where they can be reused or recycled, we hand our clothes and toys down to friends who need them or take them to a place where unknown friends can. We eat organic, often locally grown food that, mostly in-season, mostly vegetarian. We're not perfect, but we make an effort. Last week, SouleMama had a link on her blog to a little project they're doing over at Hip Mountain Mama working up to Earth day. I have never really celebrated Earth Day in a major way, but this project sounded like a good thing to me. So, without further ado here is my goal for January:

We have a new baby Doggett on the way, and after spending a bit of time in a baby store recently, I got completely grossed out by all the expensive, unnecessary stuff there is out there for babies. This is our baby #4 and when I was having baby #1 I thought most of it was unnecessary, and now, I KNOW. So, even though there are a million cute things out there to buybuybuy and fill my little house with, I am making a commitment to not buying that stuff and rather using what we have and making what we need. I think it is especially important to show the big kids that having a baby doesn't mean that you need stuff. Love is most of what you need. You do need some things: a sling or carrier, diapers, warm clothes. We have at least one sling, I have material for carriers, I am going to use SouleMama's recipe for diapers from her book Handmade Home with the big bunch of flannel sheets that I have saved for 'projects' as well as wipers, and I am also blessed with many handmedowns from my friends. I am always grateful for these, and often overwhelmed by the generosity of my friends, but I know the feeling of having well loved clothes that need a good home, and keep the handmedown ring a rollin on. I'd like to think that by the end of January I will have my diapers and wipers made and can report back here on the progress.

all you need is love, love is all you need.

Waving at 2010

2010-01-02T23:47:00.000-08:00

It is the dawn of a new decade! I have been parenting for a whole decade. Wow. That is kind of amazing. I still feel like an imbecile at it many days. When I look back, which I was just doing, trying to hit Snapfish's sale on calenders (and missing it), I see that we are a happy, busy, messy, noisy family with lots of hobbies and interests and outings and games and stuff and fun. I look at the three growing faces of my children, new teeth, longer hair, darker hair, taller bodies, bigger hands and feet, and the growing older faces of Robert and me. We are all changing and transforming all of the time, under this roof and out in the world. It is happening fast.
I remember the first time I went to the ocean. I was nineteen and I had rather abruptly uprooted myself from my midwest home and replanted myself in the redwoods of Santa Cruz county. I went to the ocean and expected to swim. It was beautiful, it was vast, it was awe inspiring. It was also very, very cold. I got in, still planning on a swim and a wave came and knocked me right over and went over my head and for a moment, I thought I was a goner. And in that moment I also thought it wasn't such a bad way to go. Nearly every day, I feel a bit like the Sarah in the Wave: knocked on my ass, wondering which way is up, marvelling at the power of it all, and thinking that if I survive, I'm gonna be more sane next time and not walk straight into the Wave. Then, the next wave hits and it happens all over again. Somehow, I keep surviving and managing to upright myself and find my way back to the beach and look out over the vast wonderfulness of it all, and go right back in. Sometimes, I even figure out how to get beyond the breaking Wave to the place where I can actually swim, and enjoy the serenity of being in that vast cold, beautiful ocean--that is a rare thing.
I am not so big on resolutions--I seem to make them and then break them the next minute--like the one I almost made about being in bed by midnight. I would like to make a sort of rough sketch of my intention for the next decade, and it shows me, riding the waves, getting beyond the break and enjoying the ride, whatever it is, more often. Sure, the feeling of surviving getting slammed into the sand is exhilirating, and I'm sure there will be plenty of that.
A friend said to me at the New Year's Eve party: "You look so young and pretty tonight!" And I said, "I am young and pretty! I was just pretending to be the other way!" :) And now, since it is just shortly after midnight, I must go to bed.

Holidazing

2009-12-30T21:51:00.000-08:00

We have been busybusy and continue to be so with holiday crafting and parties and eating and sometimes cleaning up. I am still working on some projects, and will be for a while, since I adopted an attitude of "It can happen later" when I realized all of my crafty stuff was not going to get done. I mostly helped the kids do their crafty stuff for each other and relatives. They still have some things they would like to make for friends and each other, so I guess we'll just keep on going and try to keep the crafty mess to a dull roar. Bellybaby must think it's a lot of fun out here, because he/she is very active all of the time (and didn't sleep at all on Christmas Eve either, talk about stirring!)
Here are some photos of our adventures.... Robert has the ones from Christmas on his camera so I will have to get some from him:

Crafting for friends

The Tree! (A 'volunteer' growing in the wrong spot for our yard)

Gus: Tailor of fine clothes (for sisters' dollies)

Lucy with the pillow she needle felted and sewed for Grandma Donna

Eleanor making latkes, yummy!

Gratitude

2009-12-12T00:10:00.000-08:00

So my pal Kat has been doing a sweet little happy list for a few days... and she inspired me!
Today I am happy about:

1. Getting home safely in the freezing rain after going out to get some more water because our pipes are busted (you have to say this if you live in the country).

2. I kept the fire going all day yesterday, even with a trip to town thrown in.

3. We have really rockin neighbors. They helped in every way possible with the busted pipe situation.

4. When my kids found out that a local family had lost their home and everything they have to a fire, they went around gathering up some loved items and adding them to a big pile for them.

5. I found "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" on YouTube. Stop action yumminess!

6. Baby Doggett likes music! He/she starts dancing around when there's music about. Yay!
(Uncle Tom teaching Eleanor how to do the folksy strum.)

Changing and growing

2009-11-30T23:04:00.000-08:00

There is nothing quite like the traditions of this season to remind me how my children are changing and growing. Our little Thanksgiving celebration was a fun, pretty simple, family gathering and this year the kids were really involved with almost every part of making the meal. It made me think back to when I was a kid, helping to tear bread for stuffing, learning to make the piecrust, watching the rum-pumpkin being made into a chiffon (obviously not closely enough) smelling the smells, setting the table and making it pretty.... and then, also to the Thanksgiving when I did all of that myself in the little house in the Santa Cruz mountains, the first time I met Robert in person, and did the whole nine-yards for three grateful guys. I think I called Mom about 10 times, but I got it all done. And one day, so will these three, take some of our traditions to their own families. Oh yah, it's four. I keep forgetting, but not really. My pumpkin of a belly is changing and growing too. Here is the soon to be big sister, looking up a recipe in the Joy of Cooking and showing off her new smile:

Halloween '09

2009-11-12T23:33:00.000-08:00

The Costume shoppe on Slow Lane, bedecked with spider webs (yes, they are for real, we don't mess around here.)

The Costume Shoppe, Boise branch....

Pumpkin time:

Tricks and Treats:

Mist on the hill side....

2009-10-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

Clouds gray and white,
Autumn good morning
Summer good night.

Tonight as we drove home, the clouds were settling into the beautiful fir covered mountains of our Coast Range. I wish I had a photo, but it's dangerous to take them and drive, and my camera was at home, so I don't. Instead, I have these. They're from our trip to the gorgeous gorge:

Evidence of our stay at McMenamin's Edgefield the night before the CSN show:

Lucy on the trail near Beacon Rock in the Gorge
Gus and Lucy playing in the falls:
Eleanor on the bridge:
Bliss!
Sibling love, or "Gus! PUT ME DOWN!"

Where does the time go?

2009-10-11T00:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you blink, and a month has gone by. It happened just now. Here we are in mid-October. The weather is chilly enough for sweaters and slippers, the winter squashes are here and turning everything orange, the leaves are just starting to turn and we are checking out where the rain gear is, just in case these lovely, sunny, crisp October days turn into wet October days. Today was one of those fabulous blue sky crunchy leaves days which always make me think about football (even if I didn't run head-on into a bunch of Beaver Believers) and soup and apple cider and bonfires and long rambles through the woods. Fall is power time for me, when all my creative crafty energy seems to bubble up and spill out. This year it's a bit subdued, because of the other creative project I'm working on (who happens to be the size of a plum just now--and who made his/her presence known to me by way of fluttery undulations this week). Nevertheless it is again luscious fall and here is some of what we have been up to:

Making bread

Making new friends

And more new friends.

Wheee at Not back to school day at Oaks Park

Getting a fencing lesson

There's more, but Blogger just told me it was a 'Bad Request' to upload the second batch of photos tonight. Hmmm.... Blogger must know I'm up past my bedtime. Good night.

First Days of Homeschool

2009-09-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

We too, have started a new school year. As homeschoolers, we don't really have a defined stop and start to learning time, and I like to think of us as learning all the time. However, with the mama a bit out of commission for the past couple months, we haven't been doing a whole lot of much, and even the basics like reading aloud sometimes fell by the wayside.
We always have our bedtime read of course, and have been enjoying Swallows and Amazons quite a bit
It came highly recommended from a woman in a caboose bookstore in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood where we spent much of our summer.
We have also started sort of a new bedtime thing, which is poem reading. We sort of fell into it because a few years ago my mom gave Eleanor some sweet little cards called Sweet Dreams Cards by Cooper Edens, who is the author and illustrator of one of our favorite bedtime books, The Caretakers of Wonder.
There are vintage illustrations on each of the cards, and a poem or saying on the other side. Eleanor either reads one to me (the new way) or I read one to her (the old way) each night before lights out. Well, somehow I started having poem time with Lucy and Gus, too, and it has turned into a nice little bedtime treat, and a good way to hear more poetry, which I think is a great thing, since I love poetry but was having a hard time figuring out where to put it into our busy days.
So, having read them their poems and put them to bed... and some to tent, since the girls packed their backpacks to go on a grand camping adventure in the yard (for 3 days, no less), I set out to planning our new 'school year' rhythms.
If they were in school, Gus would be in 4th grade, Eleanor in 3rd grade and Lucy in 1st. For the most part, I don't really worry or think to much about that, but it is good for them to be able to answer people when they are asked, which they are often, what grade they are in. It also helps when I am looking for age/ability appropriate stuff to sprinkle along their paths.
Here's what happened on Tuesday:
We woke up early. That's what happens when you sleep outdoors! I enlisted the help of Gus to make breakfast. Our new rhythm includes each of the kids helping with mealtime (and everyone helping with cleanup!) He helped pick out what tea we would drink, and the girls set the table.

After breakfast, we spread out our circle time blanket (one day soon it will be a circular braided rug, it will!) and we all said the same verse together, because we were talking about ONE. We talked about ONE for a while, about all things that there were ONE of, about things that are made up of many but are still ONE, and eventually they mentioned corn, which lead into our story. We also did some body awareness/beat awareness things, clapping or stomping on each syllable of a sentence. Then we all mixed up some cornbread together.
While our cornbread baked, one of the children did form drawings, while the other two smelled essential oils (the caps.) one by one (punctuated by smelling coffee, to give their noses a break) and then chose 3 to make into their own massage oil blend. I explained the concept of synergy, and they were very excited to be mixing the oils. Form drawing was less well received.
Our cornbread finished baking and we ate it with gusto and homemade strawberry jam. We finished our snack just as our neighbor arrived to go for our daily walk. We've been really enjoying walking with her for the past few weeks. She always brings her baby and the girls even like to push the stroller up the big hill.
It's a nice time to connect and even going by the road, it's a pretty walk. Eleanor found this poor friend dead, but in near perfect condition on the road:
After our lunch, we headed to a friends nearby farm to pick up custom (non-raw) homemade goat cheese for the pregnant mama (yay and YUM!) and to play with friends. My playing consisted of picking blackberries. The kids played inside with their friend (and on such a beautiful day!) However, the new chicks were a draw for at least one:
There's really nothing quite as cute as a kid and a chick.... except maybe the photos from today... which will have to wait for a different day.
Tuesday ended with a lovely meal of quiche made by me and Lucy, and foot massages for all, including Mama. Everyone I have told about this says, "I want to go to a school like that!" It was fun, school should be.

Try to remember that kind of September

2009-09-08T22:25:00.000-07:00

When life was slow and oh, so mellow....
When grass was green and grain was yellow...

How I love the beginnings of autumn, don't you? This weekend, we experienced that kind of September, beginning on Friday with a lovely outdoor soiree at a local winery called Tyee and a very excellent local band called Bon Ton Roulet. And roulet they did, Cajun music is pretty great live, I discovered. The kiddos danced and played. Gus gave many horsey rides to Lucy and her friend Ruby. Eleanor twirled. Wahoo. Then, on Saturday we went back and did a lovely nature walk and 'nature bingo' brought to us by the lovely folks at Muddy Creek Charter School, especially our friend Jenny. We found everything except animal tracks on the walk, here's some of what we did find:

White Oak

Snowberries

Mossy moss

Yet to be identified wild flower

Already brilliant Oregon Grape leaf

More mossy moss

The plague, the plague!

2009-08-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

So, for the second weekend in a row, I seem to have a sickie. Hmmm. I don't know what is going on here, except for perhaps what my friend calls a malaise. You have to say it dramatically: "A malaaaaaaaaise..." Maybe my personal, pregnancy induced malaise is catching? Maybe my house needs to be cleaned deeply because the pregnancy induced malaise has made housework seem even more unappealing than ever. Maybe my children are suffering from malnutrition because their mother, previously chef of 3 fine meals a day, has decided the cereal does NOT have it's origins in the devil's kitchen. Also, toast, pancakes or oatmeal. I mean really, if there were only breakfast foods, I would be fine, because the are bland and comforting. But they do lack vegetables. And we have those coming out our ears since it's harvest time (thank you Gathering Together Farm for feeding my family.) So at some point, I do end up with something other than breakfast--although Mr. Doggett did manage to put an amazing variety of those veggies in the omlette I beseeched him to make for me. More breakfast.
I wonder when it is, exactly, in the life of a Mother when you can take one look at your kid and know that they are sick, or going to be sick. I guess it probably happens early on, when we spend all those hours staring at our babies, because we just can't get over how perfectly adorable and amazing they are. I still do that sometimes, now, of course. We all do, I'm sure. Lucy wants to know, how do I know for sure that Eleanor is sick. "Well, Lucy, when was the last time Eleanor took a 4 hour nap and didn't eat supper?" But, I knew well before then, when she was sort of sliding around the house looking gray earlier in the day, and when she was quiet all day yesterday. This whole mom trip is pretty amazing if ever I stop long enough to think about it, which these days, while attempting to nap myself out of my malaise, I often do.
Kids, they inhabit our bodies for the better part of a year. Really though, when they are growing in there, they are also growing their very own room inside of our hearts, and it just grows bigger and bigger with time. Now, I have a mansion filled with their precious spirits. Sometimes, often, I feel so thankful for the new little room growing as this new little spirit and body grows inside me, even as I cover my head with the comforter and moan. How lucky I am to have the opportunity to open my heart to another magical being.
Now, I have to go eat a bowl of cereal. And I will sign off with this photo of an Indian Paintbrush from the Mary's Peak Meadow (the banner photo is also from Mary's Peak.)

posing

2009-08-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

home

2009-08-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

playing with food

2009-08-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

safety.

2009-08-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

So I'm getting lots of messages that you people don't like snakes. Sheesh! At least I know someone's watching. Now it will be easier to behave myself. Well, how about dogs and flowers. Stick with what's safe. Well okay. And that whole plan to post a new photo every day of August, it is not happening. What is? Lots of nothing accompanied by quite a case of nausea. I'm sure someday I will look back on this time and have a good laugh. Anne, like many a good Vizsla I've known, has become my constant companion because she knows I don't feel so hot. See her up there in the sun? Isn't she just cute. Her face is getting so white, she's like a ghost dog. During Gus and Mom Camp week (aka Brownie Day Camp week) when we took her to the coast, Gus kept saying, "She's smiling Mom!" Of course. We all were. She also tries to sit very near me while I do yoga. It doesn't work so good. I keep pushing her out of the way, but she continues to snuggle. Today, Gus was reading Encyclopedia Brown on the purple cloud chair, and Anne basically sat on top of him. He told her to move, moved positions and then she proceeded to sit on top of him again. He said, "Don't take a picture of me, Mom." So, I didn't. Don't you wish I had?

Home again...

2009-08-07T10:08:00.001-07:00

We are home from an unsuccessful rental house hunt in Portland. We are going to just tweak the present situation so it works better. This will mean lots more driving for my sweet husband. I hope it works better, anyhow. Gus and Eleanor are lego-ing, Lucy is reading Fox in Socks (this one is so tongue twisty, Mom!) I am cleaning, Dog is chilling, and the weather is ever so much cooler.
Two years ago right now....

I would really like a pasty like this right now.

Happy August

2009-08-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

I'm not gonna promise, but I'd like to do at least a photo a day for all of August. I also wanted to tell you that that snake on Gus' wrist is totally real. It's called a rubber boa, and it lives under the tarp on our pile of soil. It will hang out on a wrist for a while, then it gets sort of sick of it and will slither away. Fun, huh? We like to learn lots of tricks with our forest friends.
It has been kinda hot here, I know we all keep talking about it. It's just that temperatures of 100 degrees make us all a little more nutty out here in the pacific NW than we are usually, which means we're a bunch of fried granolas. That sounds like a very very bad thing, doesn't it? I actually got a sunburn on my legs for the first time since the Madison Public Pool, I think. We were escaping the heat in our friend Meg's pond. It was total bliss!
Gus had a great time in this boat after everyone else jumped out. He rowed all around the pond. That boy sure has a nautical streak.
I also wanted to add that I've been having a lot of fun with my new toy, a Canon T1i, a gift extraordinare from my sweetie. We used to have a lot of fun doing photos together, and now we are again. Just ONE good picture is a lot easier to come by when you can take so many and not have to think about all that film you're wasting. That's about all from the woodsy woods.
Oh, except that:
The Cirque de Doggett will be adding a new act to the show come March 2010. That's right, a new Baby Doggett. How's about that for a summer surprise!

Back to the woods

2009-07-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

we are back in philomath
having sister time on the purple cloud

hanging out in meg's pond

getting sunburnt

learning how to dive

missing cousins

summer happynings

2009-07-31T10:46:00.001-07:00

drinking cold beverages and knitting with yarns like 'fruit smoothie'

relishing amazing colors provided by mama nature

becoming the villian in a ballet production

becoming a princess in a ballet

dancing with a bunch of other swan princesses

I hope if you're reading this, your summer is going well, and you are having new adventures, lots of sun, and good times. We certainly are!

Come summer....

2009-07-07T23:46:00.000-07:00

There will be joy!

And there will be creek rambles!

And trips to the coast!

And there will be berries!

Some Brother!

2009-06-18T01:03:00.000-07:00

I am just going to brag a bit about my brother, Pete. He was recently awarded a Fullbright-Hayes Doctoral Dissertation Research Award. I have been braggin to anyone who will listen about Pete for a while, but never in the blogosphere, I don't think. His blog, The Artclectic Academic has lots of details about what he's been doing in Uganda. I usually tell people that he's becoming a 'doctor of drums.' His research is so interesting to me, and getting this award means a lot to him, to FSU, where he goes to school and to his department, Ethnomusicology. It seems to be another message from the universe that if you do what you love, and love what you do, the money will find you! Now if there was only some way to zip up the land between here and Florida so I could plant a wet sloppy one on you, Pete, and then some way to zip up the land between there and Uganda so you and Jenn wouldn't have to be so far away for the time you are there. Way to go, little bro, soon to be Dr. Pete.

Mother Warrior

2009-06-03T00:35:00.000-07:00

It is late, and I have just read a book from cover to cover for the first time in a while. What book could be keeping me up this late? What book is worth sacrificing sanity and sleep? MOTHER WARRIORS by Jenny McCarthy.

I don't really know who Jenny McCarthy is, being a TVphobe, aside from the fact that she's a comedienne, who also happens to be 'with' a comedian named Jim Carrey. What a home it must be. I also recognized her name because a couple years ago, while picking up another copy of The Baby Book by the Searses I saw her book Belly Laughs which was mostly humor about how round she got when she was pregnant and how sick she felt a lot of the time. Not my cup of tea.

Jenny is now speaking out LOUDLY about the connection between vaccinations and autism. This whole book is about it. It has stories of other mothers and fathers who have helped bring their children back from the abyss of autism with diet and supplements, and other therapies such as chelation and treating candida. OH MY GOODNESS THE WORLD NEEDS THIS BOOK.

I did not vaccinate my children (except Gus and El did have one round of DT before we went to Mexico, to which Gus reacted. Thank goodnes we had homeopathic DT! He stopped reacting after 1 dose.). I do not know the pain and suffering of the parents who did and saw their children slip away as a direct result. I hope they will read this book and find their way to Defeat Autism Now! or DAN! and Jenny's organization, Genration Rescue.

Thank you Jenny McCarthy! You are a true Mother Warrior.

a couple more...

2009-05-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

Goodbye May

2009-05-31T22:26:00.001-07:00

And now we must bid adieu to the lusty month of May. It is so lusty around here, with flowers going crazy: lilacs, irises like mad, rhododendrons, lupines starting, columbines colliding and hummingbirds and butterflies zipping and fluttering through it all. The squirrels and chipmunks seem to be holding their own in the world of exploding nature around here, and a few mice have found their way in--I have been brutal, as one must if one wants not to lose one's home to rodentia. It seems like there is no better place to be at this time of the year, although we have been spending some time up in John's Landing, which is in Southwest Portland, in a sweet Victorian with real gingerbread. Here's some photos of our woodsy wonderland:

more photos:

2009-05-11T19:48:00.001-07:00

Busy busy in the garden and green house, and celebrating Kodomo no Hi with our Japanese Class. Happy Spring Everyone!

Daddy has a new toy.

2009-05-07T23:49:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what it is? He shared it with me this week... but some of these are his.

Some Kids!

2009-04-04T23:08:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the 'yomimono' section (which means 'things to read' in Japanese), we are reading Charlotte's web again. Taking a little idea from E.B. White's masterpiece (yes, I do think it is a masterpiece), I made up a little spiderweb sign that said, "Some Kids" in it and hung it in the corner of our front window the other day. And truly, rather than having days where I just tear my hair out wondering how I will last until bedtime, we have been having some rocking awesome times. I read a daily inspirational thing called Enjoy Parenting by a guy named Scott Noelle, and he is all about having Some Kids, no matter what you or your kids are like. They're so funny though, they say, "Mom, did YOU write that?" I just feign ignorance. They fall for it. Some Kids.
These photos are from the walk up to Multnomah Falls. It was a little long because a little Lucy did NOT really want to make it the whole way, but she did. Then, she got really mad at me for MAKING her go, because I KNEW it was going to be muddy and that she would fall down in her Dorothy Dress. Hmmmm. Some Mom.

kid thoughts

2009-04-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

me: whatcha doin gus?
gus: getting ready?
me: (to go outside?) oh, what kind of guy are you?
gus: Oh, i just like to dress up. I like to wear airy clothes that puff out when I swing, not hot sweaty heavy stuff. And, CAPES!

me thinking: oh i'm so glad he's not done with that part of his life yet.

here's a photo of gus and his buddy. i think they're indiana jonesing:

Third Post in One Sitting AKA Gus turns 9.

2009-03-30T01:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm making up for lost time and toasting myself by the fire. We went for a walk today and I have not been warm until now. One of the reasons no posting happened in the earlier or even Ides of March, is that it was birthday time. Having 2 birthdays in one week always takes me a few weeks to get ready for and a few weeks to recover from. Gus did turn 9, and with Gusto. He wanted a mystery birthday party, and Eleanor was my partner in secrecy and planning. The story goes something like this: She was so fed up with having two siblings with birthdays in a week that she stole the cake, the presents and the whole shebang, and left 'clues' by which the rest of us could find it. We had a bunch of fun hiding the clues and figuring things out. What we did NOT plan for is the super sleuth DOG named ANNE who decided to eat the lovely 8 layer birthday cake while it was on it's way to the hiding place. So, if you look carefully at that photo up there you will see a cake with sort of a grand canyon cut into it. Good dang thing I made 8 layers and not the normal 2. After some hysterics by both me and Gus, we managed to have a mystery birthday party. We even had secret agent badges. I highly recommend checking out birthdaypartyideas.com for lots of easy fun birthday party ideas. We didn't use one idea word for word, but it was great food for thought. And, I think despite the mishap, everyone had a good time.

What everyone has really been waiting for:

2009-03-30T00:51:00.001-07:00

I know 'everyone' is a relative term, because I really have no clue who reads this thing, but I know also that you probably aren't really interested in my prattle about my garden. I was writing that while waiting for all of my photos to download from various cameras. I had 172 photos on my iphone! whew! That daffodil photo came from there, not great color, but it will have to do, because my other camera was out of batteries. Here are some more updates from this past month:That's Lucy. She's 6 years old now. She is nearly as excited about being 6 as she was about being 5. She has lost 2 teeth, and another one is wiggly. And, she can also ride her bike with only 2 wheels and without wiping out. at. all. She loves to ride her bike:

She has also started her acting career outside of home. She's moved on from her role as the Shoemaker's wife, to one of 'A Butterfly' in the story Coyote and the Butterflies. She is flying in this photo, that's why she's so blurry. She has also been acting at home more, and played 'The Strawberry Fairy' in a recent show starring herself and Eleanor as 'The Lavender Fairy'

She spent yesterday on the couch with a fever of 101.6. All I can figure out is that she was teething. Six year molars are a pain in the mouth. I remember my sister saying, "I have a stick in my mouth, Mom!" (or at least hearing stories of this.) I have to get me some more Hyland's Teething Tablets.
She was absolutely thrilled to receive a real Dorothy dress from my Mom, the sewing whiz, for her birthday. Here she is, sweetly sweating in it yesterday:

Sping is sprought.

2009-03-30T00:23:00.000-07:00

One wonders how we bring and brought but do not spring and sprought. Must be more of the weirdness of English. Nevertheless, the daffodils, even on Slow Lane are blooming and that means spring is here. Of course, I knew it was here several weeks ago, when, after having sent the kiddos out of doors they came racing back in (with me thinking--you just went out!) to say, er, scream: "CROCUSES!" It's just one kind of floral abundance after another around here, starting at the beginning of March. I actually SAW my first hummingbird today while I was out moving a pile of debris that seems to have been sitting in the same spot in our yard for along while. They seem to arrive with the blooming of the Indian Plum, a sweet native bush that has hanging down flowers. I'll take a photo sometime. I will, really. Anyway, I figure the hummers can get the au naturale nectar for a while before I start pumping out the c&h for them. I still have a bunch of 'hummingbird sugar' in the freezer from last year. That would be the plain, white, non organic variety.
Lots has been happening around here since the 15th of February, my last post. Sometimes I think, well, no one is reading it anyway, as evidenced by lack of comments, but then I hear otherwise. If you want to comment, you just click on that little thing below the post that says 0 Comments and then, when I see that you have made a comment, I can write one back to you, and we can have a pseudo conversation about all the interesting stuff you are reading about on my blog. If not, I guess I will keep believing that no one reads this stuff and exist under the impression that I write it just to hear myself type, or to keep a record of some of the stuff that goes on in my kids' lives, since I'm not a scrapbooker, or maybe just so I can say, when I'm in THAT kind of a crowd that I have a blog.
Another happening in my garden is that I have a Daphne bush. I keep saying that if my last name wasn't Doggett I would probably have a kid named Daphne, even with Scooby Doo, because a Daphne is the most heavenly scented flower that I have smelled ever, with the possible exception of a scented rhododendron that my friend Jenny has. Whenwe lived in Bellevue, there as a row of Daphes right outside our back deck, and it was the best thing ever. So, when my friend was tearing this one out of her front yard ("You can't eat it.") I said, "Hey, that's a Daphne!" and voila! it was mine. I have an 'ever blooming' one too, but it doesn't smell as much as these lovely spring blooming daphnes do. yum yum yum. Come by and have a sniff. You will not be disappointed.

superheros and such

2009-02-15T22:25:00.000-08:00

it's funny the things ya hear when you are cooking and the kids are playing in the next room. we had a buddy over the other day, and the playmobil and pirate ship came out of gus' room, and from there ensued a major 'game' of which the superhero was none other than Leonardo DaVinci. two boys, aged 8 and 10 spent over 2 hours inventing new adventures for 'davinci' or sometimes 'leonardo.' at least some of this was prompted by our recent visit to OMSI's new exhibit about the maestro. of course, my ears perked up when they first started including his name in their game. and of course, it was not his lovely PAINTING or SCULPTURE that these wee men are in awe of. nope. 'did you know he invented a tank?' 'yah, i saw a model of it at omsi, it was so cool' 'yah he invented so much cool stuff, huh?' of course, the peacemama in me would have liked it if they were into his more artistic side, but i thought it was pretty fun that 'where's davinci?' was heard at all in my living room. and he was EVERYWHERE, doing EVERYTHING inventing new stuff, and being a veritable superhero, just like he probably was in real life.

today, the 'game' was more domestic. another buddy was over. all of the children were involved. there were moms, dads, cousins, babies, jobs (mailman, jockey) and lots of action. the superheros of everyday. my heart swelled with pride, when a new baby was being born and gus said, 'where's the nurse? let's pretend she's a midwife.' and then, 'the baby comes out between the mom's legs, no the head goes the other way..' gigglegigglegiggle. 'oh it's a baby! googoo googo mamamama' 'babies don't talk when they first come out!' 'oh yah, they just want to drink milk.' yup, pretty much.

here's a baby recently born, and my baby, who needs all your well wishes as she gets used to dad being far far away:

growin, changin, livin, lovin.

2009-02-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

meet the members of the rainbow shadows theatre. their first performance was a production of 'the elf and the shoemaker'
the venue was beneath gus' new bed. robert worked very hard, with some help from our neighbor, even, and some from gus and the girls, sanding, planing, measuring, drilling and finally bolting together this lovely bed, which started as nothing but 2x6's and some 2x4's.

it was fun to see the project come together. robert was unsure if the frame that holds the bed would actually fit into the loft frame, but it did, perfectly. now we just get to sit back and see what the next production of the rainbow-shadows theatre might be.

the new adventure

2009-01-25T00:53:00.000-08:00

i really have no idea who reads this stuff, and sort of assume that most who do already know me, and have a rough idea of what is happening at the cirque de doggett. this past week was the beginning of what i have been calling 'the new adventure' 'l'adventure nouveau' if you will. i don't know how to say adventure in japanese, don't know if i ever did. said adventure is about change. ch ch ch change in a big way for our fam. for, as gus pointed out, 'dad, you got a new job the same week as obama got a new job' yes. it's true, and we are all feeling grateful for so many things this week. right now, even as they sleep, the chillins are grateful that dad is home for the weekend. one of them is dreaming about his new loft bed as dad drills holes in the living room so that they can put it together tomorrow. we're grateful for a relatively painless way of getting to and from portland where the new job is located, thank you amtrak. we're grateful for the sweet new digs in a quiet sweet neighboorhood up there, and the 3 mile bike ride to work. i'm grateful for the continued opportunity to learn together with the kids. i'm grateful that robert is willing and able to be on this new adventure. i know that i have been extremely lucky as a mama to have had him so nearby for all of the time that the kiddos were wee. i mean, just check these photos out:

he's an amazing dad! he has been with me on this adventure called parenting for more than 9 years now and he never ceases to amaze me. he is beyond calm and gentle with the kids, especially when i cannot seem to be. he is funny and silly when we all need some of that. he is way better at bedtime stories than me. he has rolled with all of the changes, like having babies at home, using cloth diapers, carrying kids in slings and sleeping with them at night, raising vegetarians, ditching the tv, learning at home, and is still rolling. i feel incredibly blessed.

Jaldi Cello!

2009-01-22T01:45:00.001-08:00

in india, where i was headed ten years ago right now, to say let's go, you say chelo! if you want to go fast, you say jaldi chelo! i don't know how to spell any of this stuff, but, my pal ella who grew up with indians in london told me that when we were riding in a tuktuk through the streets of dehli. it all seems like a very far cry from the second pew of the first congregational church in corvallis, or, where i was privleged enough to watch this performance by the cirque's resident cello player to whom i often say, 'jaldi, cello!'

do you love the hat? when people say, 'gus, i like your hat!' he says, 'it's not my hat.' why does he say that? because it's my hat. but, he does not say, 'it's my mom's hat.' i find that funny. i wish you could see his ensemble beyond the hat. it's so classic. a plaid shirt and a plaid vest and a stripy tie topped off with his favorite corduroy blazer, which he sewed the buttons on 10 minutes prior to departure to the concert. every performer should be able to do his own costume repairs. i love it that he is not afraid to wear what he wants, and that his 'dressing up' style is so awesome.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-13T00:03:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from the folks at Slow Lane. We are well into the swing of things around here. Here is a New Years Eve concert for everyone. It's a bit dark, but hopefully you get the idea.

They had a lot of fun getting dressed up for parties and for this event. The editor, imovie doesn't like the format these videos are in, so the editing that i was going to do did not happen. i hope they come through okay anyway.
I certainly hope everyone who read this had a lovely holiday season. We did. It was, in turns, chaotic and restful, with a foot of snow on the ground for a week. I am still reeling after way too many nights up way too late doing crafty projects. photos will follow, I am certain.

SAVE THE TOYS AND THEIR ELVES!

2008-12-09T23:54:00.000-08:00

Here we are in the middle of another month. Well, not quite the middle, but as Eleanor called from her room tonight, "It 2 days it will be 2 weeks until Christmas!" Let's not ponder that too too much. The elves are working as diligently as possible. I assure you.

Before I go too far--I know not too many folks read my blog but if you do and I haven't sent you this yet, please go HERE:

HANDMADE TOY ALLIANCE

and sign their petition HERE:

SAVE HANDMADE TOYS IN THE USA FROM THE CPSIA

you do not have to donate at the end, just so ya know.

Thanks.

Now, we have been going going going, (note how that sounds like boing boing boing, yah.) And I am ready for those slow winter days to start happening.
I have not been taking very many photos but managed to capture this:Yes, they're mushroom hunting, for chantrelles. Turns out we're growing food in our backyard (okay nearly our back yard) without even trying. Chantrelles do not have much a taste, I've decided but it is fun to hunt mushrooms and we have enjoyed eating them. Everyone seemed to enjoy the mushroominess of Thanksgiving, too, with mushroom omlettes for breakfast and spinach mushroom chevre cakes in acorn squash rings with carmelized mushrooms for the non-turkey option. now doesn't that sound better than tofurkey? it was beautiful too, see:
you don't get the full effect without the cakes and onions but it was pretty yummy.

we have also been crafty, of late. we made some little things to send off to our friends who just moved. i think i forgot to photograph them. i will have to check the archives. the children have also been doing some advent calendar activities (thank you family fun! i will not resubscribe but i will use your website without reservation!) on the day that the activity was 'decorate every door in the house' they went into full snowflake production mode and soon, every door was decorated. then, we ran out of scotch tape. we're still out. of course :) that's what you're supposed to do at this time of the year.
this morning, i needed to finish up a project, gus and eleanor were sequestered away in 'the workshop' formerly known as gus' room, and lucy wanted to 'do something christmasy' so i found a pile of old christmas cards and she cut them up into 'ornaments' and other things.

the new banner picture is a from a card that eleanor made for me. here is the front of the card:

for a long time robert has been saying, we should scan some of these 'girls' in and more recently, you should put them on your blog. this one, with the yellow dress was too much cute for me. i had to show her to you. i may try to do up an embroidery of her, ala soulemama because she is just so great. don't you want a dress like that? i do.

oh, p.s. i finally finished the sweater for baby cousin (yah, it's sideways, but i'm going to bed, instead of rotating it. gnite y'all.)

all gone

2008-11-11T22:49:00.000-08:00

this is a european beech tree. some of my beloved readers (all 4.5 of you) may recognize this photo, because i took a similar one last year and put it on our calendar. but this tree looks nothing like this now. all the leaves are gone, and the sky is gray.... yes, winter has arrived in the coast range. i heard the weather dude say today, 'continued showers, particularly in the coast range'. ever since i uprooted myself from a state with four distinct seasons at the tender age of 19 and plopped myself down again in the pacific northwest forest, for the first time, i have enjoyed the coming of the rains. here in these hills, much like in the coast redwoods, but not quite as BIG, the rains make me feel cozy, sort of tucked in for the winter. the grasslands of the greater willamette valley have lost their dried up look of late summer, early fall and have a new lush carpet of very bright green. the brilliant yellows and reds have nearly all disappated, and now we are left with varying shades of green everywhere. green, which i will tell my children is my favorite color, which holds the promise of growth, makes the pacific nw a great place to be in the winter.
now if only there were a few more hours tacked on to the end of the day for knitting, and a few (light) hours tacked onto the beginning of the day for hiking in the rain, that would be great, but alas, it got dark early tonight, with eleanor barely out of her dance class, and gus and his pal dueling in the near darkness after gymnastics. again we had the discussion of why it is so dark and daylight savings and all that. it is a really kooky thing we do, you know? i mean, why don't we just decide that noon is really at 10:00, and that way we wouldn't have to wait so long for lunch? that would work for a growing boy whose mantra is 'i'm hungry' and then we could put that whole 5-6 hour earlier, too, so i wouldn't be quite so exhausted when i'm making dinner. Then perhaps the hours between noon and 5 could stretch out a little more so there was a bit more time in the afternoon. the time-change time always sends my brain this way, thinking, who invented clocks and why are we slaves to them, anyway?
if i knew how to get a 'this is what i'm reading' list with photos of books on the side of my blog, i would have them, but i have only seen typepad blogs with those, not blogger--any advice? then i would put this book up

because this book is beside my bed and i have been reading it bit by bit.
along with this book:

which is good for anyone any age whether they once were seven, are now, or will someday be seven.
maybe i have figured out how to make this list and tomorrow i will do it!
aha! i learned something new today. yay.
that is one of the principles of this book:

this all hallows' eve, i happed upon an enchanted wood....

2008-11-04T22:57:00.000-08:00

i met there a comely threesome:

one bright and rosy ladybug, 'dot'

one fair colonial maiden
'felicity', is it not?

and indeed brave young
robin hood!
they promised tricks and begged for treats,
but i had on me not one sweet,
so off to another wood they stole,
in search of other fools to cajole.

just in case you were thinkin otherwise

2008-10-26T03:36:00.000-07:00

kat asked a while back to see our 'stuff,' and i've heard tell that some think i am gettting it all done with style. here is the couch/living room on the day we got the winter clothes out. we had a friend over that day. she said, 'wow! your house is messy!' yup. sentaku no yama (that's mount laundry to y'all) had definitely done some major vocanic action that day. it is down to a mere one basket peak today, thank goodness. here's wishing everyone out there, especially the supermamas a day of little laundry and lots of laughs.

10 things to love right now

2008-10-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

(soulemama asked....)

1. unabashed enthusiasm for halloween in the form of asking several times daily when i will have a chance to start working on costumes. (i think the cutting will happen tonight)
2. as always, the oranges and reds of fall, such as these:3. the japanese maple in our front yard

4. fall food, and its colors, such as the carmelized cippolini onion and chard empanadas we had for supper with acorn squash rings.
5. this boy and his many disguises and occupations

6. Eleanor's new habit of taking up her knitting when we get home as a way of calming down.
7. Listening to Robert father the children gently when he knows I am tired.
8. Hanging out at my local farm as a 'will work for foodie' and experiencing vegetable therapy as i work off my tomato debt.
9. Eating fresh salsa and enjoying the sight of jars of sauce in freezer and on shelves.
10. The friendship of my children, and our ability to be with each other, even the waxing and waning of it in this wild life.

and you, out there in the blogosphere... what about you?

oh and the tomodachi factor

2008-10-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

that's buddies...

there is happiness in the air

2008-10-20T23:40:00.001-07:00

i think it's a pretty good day when you can run out of gas and burn dinner, and still end up feeling like things are good. that was today. of course, an angel came and rescued us with a gas can AND a ride back to our car. and dinner, well if i flipped the fritatta over, it just seemed like a crusty part, not like i had cremated it under the broiler while searching for a cassette tape so gus could make spooky noises for a 'haunted room' effect.
here is some of what i am loving today:

toothy toothless grins
colorful fall art
leaves
hikes in the woods

Many Days are Bright in October.....

2008-10-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

Red and yellow leaves on the Autumn trees are floating everywhere.

It is raining, I am knitting and sewing and being my crafty fall self. I don't have any photos of it though. We went camping, finally. To the redwoods. I have some photos of that but I'm not going to put them in this post, because I need to go to bed early and it's already 11:00.

We have been never-at-homeschoolers lately. I have a dream of staying home and just knitting with the kids for a few days straight. it hasn't happened yet. we have 3 days for sure in town a week this year. violin, ballet, cello, gymnastics and german, park day and now a new gym day.... when do we get to just chill at the homestead, ma? ma does not know.

ma does not seem to ever loose her cool. did you notice that, too when you were reading the Little House books? "Charles!" is about as hot under the collar as she ever gets. and she didn't even have whiskey or tranquilizers. or at least not that laura ever remembered. well, neither do i, but i definitely get more ruffled than ma. tonight a friend was over and the kids were playing little house, and at dinner all 3 girls did not talk unless the adults talked to them. Gus was Pa so he got to talk. It was great! That was a good idea those folks had. I am in major noise overload lately and wonder why it is that all of the kids seem to have gotten my resonance gene and not the softspoken dad gene? why? when we were in the woods it took the whole time we were there to quiet down a bit. now the volume has been turned back up to eleven. ah well, a lesson to this ma to chill and speak softly and calmly and lead by example.

more soon with photos.

more september

2008-09-16T00:08:00.000-07:00

(i have a hard time with this editor, because it's hard to move photos around. i don't know how to make it easier, but otherwise, blogger works for me--that's why i am not just continuing in one post.)

we bade farewell to some lovely friends with a last romp on the beach. it was a fabulously beautiful day, a touch bittersweet because the friends are moving pretty far away from us, and the ocean. but we didn't let it get us down.

we explored a new beach near the yaquina bay lighthouse, and there were fun dunes to slide down. it was so warm and sunny and so unlike both of our other trips to the coast this summer.

gus was intent on building a sand castle, and managed to get close enough to the break for it to happen this time. i don't have a good photo of that but, i assure you the fun they had cannot be captured. we all brought gobs of extra warm clothes, and then decided mom was truly crazy for thinking that (no matter that the last two times we went to the coast we froze our tukuses off.)

eleanor filled her whole skirt with sand, and asked me to carry it home for her. ha! we didn't manage that, but gus seemed to somehow get enough sand in his bed somehow that it seemed like nearly as much as ella wanted to bring home. a day playing on the beach was just the ticket, as it always is for getting us worn out, happy and better able to manage the little things that drive us crazy on other days.

oh btw, i dropped my camera, lens down, into this lovely soft white sand. so far, it's okay but it is making some funny noises, perhaps saying 'i have sand in my eye!'

September, you lovely thing, you.

2008-09-15T23:30:00.001-07:00

each year, when september arrives, i just want to take big gulps of the sunshiny air, the coolness that is saying goodbye to summer, the hint of apples and crunchy leaves in the air. this year is no different.
after a brief and fun trip to san diego, where i had much fun, but was made ever grateful for my northwest home, i was blessed to be able to make it to another birth, and now we are having 'not back to school time.'
here is some of what we have been doing lately:yes, going on a school bus. no, make that a COOL bus. see the sign? how exciting for my young pals, to get to ride on a big school bus--they have ridden on a little one, since our friend hosanna has a biodiesel bus. and where were we going? here's a hint:yes, it was the zoo. somehow i managed to take several giraffe and hippo photos, but none of the main attraction, which was cousin hope. it is so lovely to see the cousins love each other up. poor hope gets sort of smothered with affection by her two girl cousins, who like to lift her up and down places she is perfectly capable of getting up and down herself. still, it's great to hang with cousins, and their parents. after we left they all said, 'when can we see hope again?' it is always interesting to go to the zoo. gus is a die-hard follow the map sort of guy, and wanted to make sure we saw everything. we did NOT see the new baby elephant, because i nixed the idea of standing in line for 40 minutes in the sun. perhaps another time, pachy. apparently the children really love to go through the turnstile, because when we were headed out they all raced to get a chance to go through. i remember thinking it was a cool thing when we used to go to the zoo in sioux falls with grandma and papa, too.

The Doggett Days of Summer

2008-08-26T23:39:00.000-07:00

well, here it is the last week in august, and the girls went to bed wearing stocking caps. i kid you not. gus wore some newly acquired footy pj's with polar bears on them. is it cold here? the tomatoes which are not growing in my garden, but in my lovely friend's, have late tomato blight. could it be because the average temperature for evenings hovers near 50 not 60 this year. ahhh august.
since i didn't post daily all summer, and i am going on a trip, and won't be back until september, i thought i would blog a bit about our summer. so here they are, the doggett days of summer:

there's eleanor on the rocks.
we went to the coast one day in june. it was really, really cold and windy. the kids were doing death-defying feats on the rocks. this just about captures it. yes, she was really on a cliff of rocks and the churning ocean was just below.
here are gus and eleanor on their bikes for the 4th of july parade.

a good time was had by all. i made a fool of myself in front of some law enforcement personnel with a streamer. the only thing missing was a MARCHING BAND, like this:
see, corvallis, this is how it's done. (lovin the cute band director, too.)

this here is country fair. where else can you dress like a fairy and meet a 15 foot tall flower? where? and gnomes? they got them, too.

oh my it's late now i must go to bed. more soon.
love to everyone.

what's a meme?

2008-08-21T23:36:00.001-07:00

i've been tagged for a meme. first off, i am not sure what it is, or worse yet, how to pronounce it. and, rather than going to bed, which i should be doing (since babies can come at any hour of any day or night), i am going to figure it out and try to do it. here goes:
wikipedia says a meme is:

A meme (pronounced /miːm/)^[1] is any thought or behavior that can be passed from one person to another by means of imitation. Examples include thoughts, ideas, theories, gestures, practices, fashions, habits, songs and dances. Memes propagate themselves and can move through the cultural sociosphere in a manner similar to the contagious behavior of a virus.

so, it rhymes with theme, apparently. nice that i can still read the phonetic alphabet. college ed is good for somethin. boy, what else wikipedia says is pretty interesting, too. i guess blogging itself is a meme. not to mention everything else, pretty much. what a concept.

here's what this particular meme is, from lisa:

Quirky Meme
Mention six quirky, yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself. Tag six other bloggers by linking to them. Go to each person's blog and leave a comment that lets them know they've been tagged. If you participate, let the person know who tagged you you've posted your quirks!

1. i can't think of anything, so i guess that must mean i am totally NORMAL, which is something i have been actively trying not to be since about the age of, oh, whenever it was that i first read Anne of Green Gables, and decided i wanted to be quirky in exactly the same way she was, imaginative, creative, forgetful, prone to catastrophe, dramatic, and someone who used words like 'kindred spirits' and 'bosom friend' and 'we almost perished.'

2. i cannot tolerate caffiene very well. it makes me way too talkative (even more than my normal babble speed), then grumpy and then i just want to nap, and, if i have coffee today, tomorrow at exactly the same time, i will want coffee. this is too much! even if i live in the land of a starbucks on every corner, i will not give in to the coffee devils. resist resist resist.

3. i like toaster ovens. is there any more that really needs to be said about that? i think not.

4. i'm good with language. is this boring? is it quirky? well, what it means is i have, in my short (getting longer all the time) life learned bits of several languages that i've retained a fair bit of, majored in language studies in college (japanese) and can remember lyrics to songs so well i will drive pretty much anyone riding in a car with me insane if we listen to the radio and they don't like people singing along. i am not japanese, at least not in this incarnation.

5. i balk at regularity. i don't like to have the same breakfast 2 days in a row, or any meal, for that matter. i don't like to keep the same schedule week to week. it seems boring and stuck. this causes problems in parenting. i like to fly by the seat of my pants. it's crazy-making for children, i think. i guess it's why i like to travel so much. travelling in places where the countries change every few hours is really interesting. not the same breakfast or lunch, or even language! wow! in my old age, i see how rhythm and discipline are helpful to me. doesn't mean i gotta like it, does it?

6. i have worn glasses since i was 7 years old. maybe 8. i started out with a patch, for a lazy-eye situation. would that i had that patch now. it was a really good one with green on the inside. i hated wearing it. i have tried to wear contacts, never with much luck. so, i wear glasses and attempt to keep the finger prints off them. they're quite dirty right now, better fix that.

well, i don't know if i did that right, but, there it is.

addendum: i would tag other people but that feels too much like a chain letter to me. so if you read my blog and want to do this meme, go right ahead. and tell me about it so i can find out just how quirky you are in a boring way. do you, too play the oboe, own an autoharp, collect handkerchiefs? dig on origami? wonder why toenails don't just grow in colors, since they look nicer that way? i wanna know, i really do.

Il Mundo In Un Susafono

2008-08-13T00:05:00.001-07:00

(props for this photo go to brtsergio. i stole it from his flickr photostream)
We have just returned from an evening with the Corvallis Community Band. Another Tuesday night was made a bit more special with a summer band concert. What is it about summer band that makes me feel so--well, happy? I do not particularly enjoy playing the music that is played in summer band, marches and such, or at least I didn't when I had the chance, what? 20 years ago. There's just not a lot an oboe can do with all that brass. There is an oboe in the Corvallis Community Band, and they don't play just marches, either. In fact, tonight's performance featured a clarinet soloist who was pretty damn good, and dressed in evening wear. Me, I would have done it in my CCB sweatshirt, but then, I can't play the clarinet that well, and never could. The kids did less playing at the park and more watching the band this week than last. Many questions arose: Is THAT a sousaphone? Is THAT a tuba? Why do they call it a sousaphone, is it because of John Philip Sousa? (We've recently read John Philip Duck by Patricia Polacco, one of our favorite author/artists) Where's the basson player tonight? What's that kind of drum? Why is it called a snare drum? Is that the bass drum? Oh, can you hear the kettle drums? Do these people own their instruments? Are they volunteers? Can I go play in the park?
I believe that Lee Nelson proclaimed that Harlan, Iowa had the longest running summer band program in Iowa, and I only know this becaues I happened to be at one of the concerts during the 100th year. I could be making this all up, but I don't think so. There is a certain kind of nostalgia that rolls in off those down beats and oompas and tweetle tweets that gets me right in my midwestern heart. Now, it helps that one of our first evenings in Corvallis happened to be spent (serendipitously--as was the mode) at a summer band concert. And it helps that my little brother is so far away probably running a similar summer band concert gig--or maybe retirees do that, what say you Phil? Nevertheless, I was glad that I had decided to brave the 'hot' weather (um, no this is not hot compared to you in the mushi atsui midwest) and spend an evening hour on the lawn, listening to marches, waltzes and other sundries. What else is summer for, if not for summer band. And if I had to pick a world to be in... well it's nice that this one includes sousaphones.

Remembering.....

2008-07-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

How can it have been a year already since we were in England? And am I just going to get more and more weird about time flying? I seem to be asking questions like this way the heck too often. Signs of aging? Naaaaah.
So, an insurance/magazine saleswoman stopped by the house today. Yes. Stopped by. Now, I'm not sure when the last time was that someone came to YOUR door selling something besides Girl Scout cookies, but for me, well it's been a long time. And, it's pretty surprising when you live in a 'gated community' (yes, we are--but that's a story for another time) way out in the boonies, like we do. My Dad assures me that farm magazines have been sold this way forever. That lady could talk. I talk a lot, but she talked circles around me. I gave her a cup of tea. Her mother was English (from Lincolnshire) and we talked about England and lots of other things. AND I did NOT NOT NOT buy anything from her or convert to her brand of religious affiliation or anything else. I shook her hand and thanked her for the free Grit Magazine and sent her on her merry way so I could make scalloped potatoes.
However, I did not need her to remind me of England, oh no. Eleanor and I have been thinking about it all week. The wedding, the wedding festival, the dancing, the red heads, the freckles, the garden, the pasties, the Cornish Coast, the thatched roofs, the cute cottage names, the music and poetry, the amazing people, the cream and jam, the acting, Stonehenge, the road trip, the accents, the double-decker bus, the rock walls and hedges... Ohhhhh when can we go back to England, mama?

The Magic Tooth Theory

2008-07-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

As Miss Eleanor was nearly drifting off to sleep last night, she complained, "I wish my tooth would come out." I offered to help for the millionth time, because it has been hanging by a thread for too many days. I wiggled a bit, but that was painful, and then, I just pushed on her gums, and POP it came out. She managed not to swallow it--she was lying down at the time. Then I realized it was July 1st. She got her first tooth EXACTLY 6 years ago, on July 1st 2002. Is that not weird. I am pretty sure that Gus did the same thing. I wonder how many kids loose their teeth so close to 6 years after they get them. Here is a photo of Ella (as she was known then--maybe even Ellabean) on July 1, 2002. What a cutie. She IS wearing a Christmas shirt--as I recall it was the only white longsleeved shirt she had (and a handmedown from Gus, at that) to protect her from the hot hot sun in Cashmere, WA as Robert and I paraglided. OOOeee. You cannot see the tooth here. But it was there. She and Gus also both started walking the same week they got their tooth. Gus actually started talking at the same time, too. El was ahead of the verbal game. Only 3 months after this photo was taken she said, "Don't do dat to me mama!" I just want to eat her up in this photo. Good thing I didn't!

momosarah

Magic and Motherhood

{this moment} a la soulemama

In Gratitude

Wee wee wee all the way Home!

Ways to spend a 10th birthday:

10 Years ago right now....

Insomnia

PHOTOSUNDAY! : postponed!

Mother's Day Eve :: Inspiration:: the in breath

PhotoSunday!

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

New things! PhotoSunday! Fonga Rhythms!

Spring has sprung

Ladies: At Home

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

One whole year.

when you came into my life, i became a mother.

whoooooooooosh!

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

Macro in a Mason Jar

Twas the night before the night before....

Gratuitous Baby Shots!

Gratitudes.

lately...

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

Halloweening

Mom! You ruined my day!

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

{{this moment}} a la soulemama

our new activity

lately in crafting news....

*this moment* (a la soulemama)

Nearly Fall!

Summer Days

A Good Day

another beginning

Jooning

Pictures of us??

Tempest Fugit

May Giveaway Day

*this moment* (a la soulemama)

One Month Old

Forest at play and rest

Babmooning

Ten years ago right now...

Yay for Jamie and his Food Revolution

Small Change for February

From our travels....

One Small Change

Waving at 2010

Holidazing

Gratitude

Changing and growing

Halloween '09

Mist on the hill side....

Where does the time go?

First Days of Homeschool

Try to remember that kind of September

The plague, the plague!

posing

home

playing with food

safety.

Home again...

Happy August

Back to the woods

summer happynings

Come summer....

Some Brother!

Mother Warrior

a couple more...

Goodbye May

more photos:

Daddy has a new toy.

Some Kids!

kid thoughts

Third Post in One Sitting AKA Gus turns 9.

What everyone has really been waiting for:

this moment (a la soulemama)

this moment (a la soulemama)