Thanks for stopping by! I'm Magi, a scratch cooking, homeschooling mama, learning to raise good kids, good food, and good fun on our teeny-tiny little farm!
And in the morning the pipes sent forth a mighty gurgle, and the toilet flushed slowly, and Mama said “If it’s yellow, it’s mellow” and it was yellow, but it was not mellow. Because it’s a proven fact that septic tanks only ever get full […]
Hold on, it’s a wordy one! One of the things I mentioned in my last post about letting go of things that are no longer working for us, was bringing our girls home for the upcoming school year. My long-time readers , all three of […]
As I started the new year, I had one major goal in mind: Getting Dressed.
I’m only half joking.
For the past year or so I’ve pretty well been living in the same crusty clothes, because I’m not going anywhere, and let’s face it, someone is going to snot on me. From a purely laundry-logistics point of view it makes perfect sense to not get dressed.
Unfortunately it lends to also not doing other things, like uh, leaving the house, or showering, and let me tell you, things can start to stagnate. When one hops out of bed and gets dressed right away, she is ready to face whatever the day has to offer. Sunshine beckoning a walk? Ready. Friends heading to the library? Ready. Need to run to the grocery? Ready. UPS man at the door? You get the idea.
Getting dressed is a pretty good resolution, so I’m keeping it.
Lately however, I’ve been slowly coming around to something bigger, something that could seriously change the direction of daily life, long term goals, and maybe even this blog.
I tend to hold onto things. I hold onto tupperware lids, I hold onto old jeans, I hold onto big ideas. I hold onto physical clutter, mental clutter, emotional clutter, despite the fact that they all bog me down and ultimately make me unproductive. So this year, in addition to getting dressed, I’m going to work on letting go of things that no longer work for me.
Some examples of things I’ll be working on:
I’ll keep you posted!
Let me start this post with a rant. We are farmish people. We like critters. We consider a certain amount of dirt good for our health. We like the idea of our kids digging in the mud. You can tell by looking at us. We […]
I come to you today, folks, with my head hung low.
I have to ask forgiveness for thinking I had all the answers about grumpy babies.
“Jut put them on a schedule”, I said.
“They thrive on routine”, I said.
“It only takes three days to sleep train them”, I said.
“They aren’t the boss of you” I said.
And all that may be true. It certainly was for our two older daughters.
I don’t know if it’s just harder when you’re in your thirties, rather than twenties, or if having a combination of older children and babies makes it harder, but I have not been able to get this beautiful, precious girl on a schedule. I’ll start thinking things are going well; two naps a day, and to bed by eight, then BAM, she hits a growth spurt, or a developmental milestone (guess who’s fully mobile?), or starts teething, and there goes sleep out the door again.
Is it possible that my older girls did this too, but I’ve locked it away in my mind, like some kind of trauma?
As much as I hate to send my kiddos back to school, I’m hoping that the structure which comes with it will lull the baby into a better routine.
I need some sleep.
Last night I was up every hour and a half.
At one point my husband got up. He came and patted my shoulder, as the baby screamed through a diaper change and said he was sorry. I’m certain he just came down to make sure I wasn’t shaking her.
So that’s where we are today. Since I don’t know what else I can do, I’m just going to keep trying to get her on a routine.
I know that’s the definition of insanity, but she can’t possibly be up every hour and a half until college right?
Right?!
I have to admit something embarrassing. I’ve put on almost 20 pounds since little Hazel joined us. This is especially embarrassing, given that I only gained 10 pounds over my whole pregnancy, and was about 15 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight when I came home […]
I love summer. Despite the heat wave and drought we’re enjoying in our corner of the world, the girls and I are having a great time. I love having them home, and they love being home. We’re doing summer homeschool Charlotte Mason style, and it’s […]
Spring brings changing weather, changing wardrobes, and changing routines. It’s a perfect time to update your skincare habits to reveal your best skin.
I know, this isn’t my usual food/dirt/baby poop kind of post, but I bet you didn’t know I was a skin therapist in a former life. I actually keep my license up to date, even though I don’t work in the field any more. What can I say? I am a woman of many faces, and I’d like each of them to be as fresh and supple as possible.
After facing dry indoor air, cold winds, and perhaps reduced activity levels all winter, your skin may be feeling dry, itchy or just plain dull.
The first thing you need to do, in addition to your regular cleansing, is get rid of the layer of dead skin which is likely dulling your complexion, making you feel itchy, and preventing your skin care products getting where they can be the most effective. My favorite exfoliant is fine rice flour. Mixed into a thin paste with water and massaged lightly over skin for a minute or two, it feels wonderful and rinses away to reveal fresh bright skin. Just remember to let the paste do the work. You’re exfoliating your face here, not scrubbing the floor. Keep a light touch.
After you’ve revealed that soft new skin, you’ll want to balance it with a spritz of witch hazel, and nourish it with a soothing mask. I recommend a paste of fine ground oatmeal and plain yogurt, left on for about five minutes before rinsing. This will reduce any itching or redness left over from the long winter.
Finally you’ll protect your skin from further dryness with a light moisturizer. My favorite is plain virgin coconut oil. It feels a more oily than a commercial moisturizer at first, but it quickly soaks in leaving your skin dewy and glowing.
I know most of you don’t have time to give yourself this kind of treat very often, but if you can find a few minutes at the changing of the seasons your skin will thank you. Even better, why not try to find a few minutes once a week?
We are so fortunate to live in a place where there is abundant game. No joke, this is something I thank God for every day, and twice or three times when I go to the grocery store and look at the price of the crummy […]