For Harried Mothers ...

by Linda Eyre

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

 Makes you feel good about yourself!, June 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Didn't Plan to Be a Witch and Other Surprises of a Joyful Mother (Paperback)

When a professional parenting expert who is also a mother of nine (yes, 9!) lets you peek at some of her mistakes and shares some of her bad experiences, it can't help but relieve some of the pressure you put on yourself. This book helped me see that I'm really doing a better job than I thought! (I'd also suggest: Perfect Parenting by Elizabeth Pantley - a very handy reference book.)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

 The best mothering book I have read!, April 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Didn't Plan to Be a Witch and Other Surprises of a Joyful Mother (Paperback)

This book was absolutely great! Linda Eyre addresses almost every motherhood aspect you can imagine. It was very uplifting and inspiring to know I'm not the only one who is sometimes a witch. Wonderful encouragement for those of us with the most important job on earth. Most of all, it was great to find out that the Eyre family (which I always thought was perfect) isn't! Linda isn't perfect, but she has learned and grown from her mistakes and she shows other mothers how to as well. I'm going to have my husband read it next. Then I'm giving this book to all the new mothers I know.

Can be purchased used from Amazon.com starting at $0.01 + shipping ($3.99)

Dripping Trees

Walking the dogs this morning was an obstacle course.  The objective being to stay out from under the trees.  Why?  Because they are waterlogged and dripping like it is still raining.  But in the open spaces it isn't raining.

What with water puddles to run through, tall wet grass to run through, and squirrels to chase ... the dogs came home sopping wet.  Gotta wipe them down before I let them back into the house.  Now, haven eaten breakfast and gotten some petting -- they have settle down for a morning nap.
Have a great day!  ☺

Walking The Dogs

The dogs don't seem to understand that it is getting darker and darker at 6:00 a.m. -- They still want to go outside and take their walk.  So I took a few fotos to show that the moon is still up and the sun is still thinking about coming up ...

Notice that some of the trees are losing their leaves.

And the harvest moon is still shining brightly.

There are clouds still lurking from the rain showers last night.

More scattered rain showers are forecast for today.

That's the first rain we've had in over a month.

That's about the best hand-held shot I've taken of the moon.

The morning sun is stretching and yawning ...

throwing brief splashes of silver on the clouds.

There is the "main drag" with sparse morning traffic.

Well, it's another 4 hours until the college football games start ...

and

I need to go instruct archery at camp this morning.

I'll "veg." this afternoon in front of the TV.

Have a great day!

Comparisons

Some days I feel like this old truck looks.

Like when I'm standing up ... 

and have to push my upper body - back, back, back - until it's vertical.

Uhn.  Sigh.

Or my left knee the past few mornings while walking the dogs ..

dull ache, dull ache, dull ache -- with each left step.

Of course, it didn't help hauling a pull-wagon up a ramp into the back of a semi-truck trailer ... hauling load after load of metal cans.

My wife couldn't believe that we had that much "stuff" 

packed into the camping trailer.

And it still isn't empty yet.

I'll give the body a day of rest ... and try again tomorrow.

(to empty the camping trailer)

:-p

Tripping in the Produce Section

I had the opportunity to carefully observe the floor in the WalMart produce section.

I was shopping for a few snacks this morning ... about midway through the produce aisle, I picked up a small bag of peeled carrots.  Then I proceeded to stride down to the eggplants on my way to the cashier.  About the time I got to the eggplants, I was suddenly changing direction and heading downward to observe the tile floor.  Knee-first impact, followed by palms ... as my shopping basket landed on it's side.

From down close to the floor, at a lower angle, I was able to observe several large spots of water ... one of which was streaked.  That must have been where my shoe slid.  My right knee in particular was stinging and still has some slight bruising.  Standing back up, the water was no longer observable.  However, I told the manager the location of the water so they could clean it up.  And they suggested I at least fill out an accident report ... since I was claiming not to have any broken bones, and declining a trip to the hospital.

I had to rush off to see a client ...

Sun Rays

The sun rays were more striking earlier ...

But by the time I found my camera, I was lucky to get anything.

The neighbor went and picked up his spare trailer.

So now I have a place to move whatever we have stored in the camping trailer ... so I can finally get started on fixing it.

Kind of hard to fix the frame when it is loaded with hundreds of pounds of books and other assorted stuff.  I need to take that hoarding thing to heart and unload another 500 lbs. or more of stuff that has done nothing but sit in storage for the last 3-5 years (OR MORE).

Anyway, in the morning I'll start moving pallets into the trailer.

And on Saturday see how overheated I'll be from clearing out the camping trailer.

2 Bishops

A former Bishop ...

out plowing the family garden.

The current Bishop ...

showing off his restored tractor.

Sorry, there are no warped mental health issues involved with this.  I just needed a foto or two for this post and was too lazy to go outside and take one.  I mean it is 77 degrees F and 87% humidity out there at 7:00 a.m. in the morning!!  (blue skies and no rain in sight)   I walked the little dogs and now I am soaking wet and need to take a shower.  

This after I woke up freezing at 4:00 a.m. this morning (the little A/C unit was cooling our bedroom).  I checked to see if I had dropped the quilt off the bed ... nope.  Somebody else had seized it and was rolled up in it.  And I certainly wasn't going to tussle with her over MY quilt at 4:00 a.m. (she was laying on her quilt).  So I had to get up and get dressed to stay warm.  Here I thought that having 2 separate quilts I could rest assured of not having a tug-of-war over staying covered with the quilt.  Just goes to show that 2 separate quilts is no guarantee.  :-p

Morning Photos

At 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning,

it is 74 degrees F and 98% humidity with clear blue skies.

These flowers are only visible in the early morning.

As the sun rises up in the sky, they close.

Here are some pinkish lavender ones on a mailbox.

In the very middle of this photo is  a furry tree-rat (squirrel).

They are wreaking havoc on the pecan trees ...

littering the ground with half-chewed pecan parts.

Pecan growers are stocking up on .22 ammo to protect their crop.

Snorting Talcum Powder .or. Visions of Grandeur

The owner of this building wants $135,000

for this tin building and the small plot of land.

I think he should be in a mental health facility

or a drug rehab program somewhere.

snorting talcum powder for sure ... 

Low Humid Day!

ONLY 26% humidity !!

On a lovely 94 degree F day.

Absolutely beautiful to go out and take a walk with the dogs.

Probably the nicest day of the whole year ...

Chicken Coop thought

My cousin Joe has this chicken coop.

He says that he needs to make the outdoor run area

6ft tall with a door on the end.

He says it is ridiculous climbing in through the top of this

and crawling around inside to do anything.

It is constructed of 2 pieces ...

The coop

and the run area

which are attachable/removable from each other

for the purpose of moving the coop and run

to fresh ground area or to shovel up the poop

for over-wintering on the garden area

and then till it into the garden in the Spring.

Otherwise, it is too "hot" to use immediately to fertilize

the garden.

This is the main front door for inside access to the coop.

It is good for cleaning out the poop layer ...

And for getting the odd egg that isn't laid in a nest.

Notice the ventilation strips up near the roof.

This side door is for direct access into the nests.

Handy when getting the eggs.

You open the door, and there the chickens are

on the nests.  Just reach under them for the eggs.

An inside view of the nest boxes from the front door.

Roosting ladder and overhead roosting bars.

slanted roof over nesting box to chicken off.

Here's the chicken ladder.

There is also a sliding door at the top of the ladder

to lock all the chickens safely inside.

The floor of the outside run also has chicken wire 

to slow down anything digging inside to get chicken meals.

Under the coop is a shaded area that the chickens like.

Also with chicken wire under it.  

I was going to build one of these and even bought the lumber.

However, in light of the moving notice ...

I won't do that at this time.

Now I need to get rid of excess "stuff" ... :-p

Notice of Moving Intent

While walking the dogs this morning, 

this fellow told me that due to financial concerns,

(and his middle daughter's illness and inability to work and pay her bills)

He is going to need the cabin for his daughter to live in.

We have 2 months to move.

Wonder where we are going and which new ward we will be in?