Been awhile! We're still here, still working on the homesteading thing...

The garden has been doing well. Like last year, I suffered from mid summer lack of enthusiasm. Some of the patches got pretty weedy, but still producing so it's not all bad. My square foot garden did the best, and I think I'm going all sfg next year. I realized broccoli takes up too much space and is too finicky for my gardening ability. Plus, one per plant?! Not enough bang for my buck.

I've canned some green beans and tomato sauce so far. Am going to diced tomatoes for the rest of it. Way too much work for little result with the sauce; once it boils down to the right consistancy more than half is gone! I can use the diced to make sauce as needed and still use it for chili and such.

The kids are doing well...

Lily is running around, loving being outside! She's communicating more and seems to actually be more and more typical for her age all the time. She's 2.5 and really acts like a 2.5 yr old lol. Into everything, wants to do big girl things...even sorta, maybe thinking about potty training! She knows what it's for...and goes in that direction when she needs to go...but often doesn't make it lol She'll get there though...

Mace is doing well. I may have posted, but we didn't do the autism spectrum eval. He's still his quirky self :) but I think it's evening out. We're starting a yeast die off with him, and all of us really, to see if that helps him. He has many of the signs of it.

Maddie is getting ready to turn TEN! Yikes! She's still working on some of her fears, but she's doing well. She's starting fall soccer again

Gage is 12, getting near those teen years. I'm enjoying this time with him, and Maddie as well, as we're starting to have more in depth discussions and talking about bigger kid issues and dilemmas. It's challenging, but lots of fun and very enlightening!

Homeschooling getting underway again...we sort of take a little summer break though we still hope and believe that they're learning all the time. We'll work with Mace on reading more this year; he knows his alphabet but isn't very proficient at writing letters. We need work on some fine motor skills. I don't want to push reading, yet I want to make sure we're encouraging it.

Dh and I are doing well...I still haven't managed to lose weight to any appreciable degree. It's frustrating, yet I know it's in my power to change it. I just haven't yet. I'm hopeful I will get to "that point" where I'm ready to make a commitment to it; just not there yet. Still want another baby, dh doesn't. Don't know really how that will all play out. I'm getting older, but as long as my ovaries are throwing eggs down the chute I'll likely want more babies. And probably even when they don't.

Better stop while I'm ahead, my fingers are not cooperating and it's making me crazy how much I've had to go back and fix just in this short post. Dyslexic fingers, I keep typing turned around letters lol