Gardens can change the World (clickable link)

Once you get to the permaculture site you can scroll down on the right hand side. Click on the picture that says Greening the Desert.

I've been working on a research paper that was fueled by the book...The Last Child in the Woods. It's amazing how once you start something you love then all the things you have never noticed before start moving into place.

Since, it's winter I'm working on getting my garden going for next year. I really want a living garden that goes all year long. A yard the just keeps on giving. I know I live in Washington State, but it would be nice if eventually I could be growing more cold weather crops. I do have my grandmother's greenhouse and we have yet to set it up because we could never decide on a good place for it in the yard. I think I'm going to let my dh win. I think he picked out a nice spot. I plan to put it up in January or maybe February this year. I'll have to talk to my Dad about what I need to do for electricity and such. I would love to start my plants out there. I remember going in that greenhouse when I was young with my grandma. It's such a special memory I would love to be able to walk out there and play in it and think of her. We even saved the block that my mom and her brother's and sister's made when they bought it for my grandma. They have their handprints and names on them. So, I'm going to make some of my kids to put in there, too. (I'm all teary eyed now....)

Here's some links I added to my sidebar...

GardenWeb...great regional boards

Vegan Organic Network

Scut's Gardening Page

Plant a row for the Hungry

Stupid things the Potato Board says...

Oh yes...they really said this about the wonderful potato. You can read it for yourself. The list all the wonderful valuable things about eating a potato and then they dive into this beautiful and very likely highly paid for bit of information.

So think of a potato as a big vitamin pill you can top with butter, cheddar, chives, sour cream, bacon, black beans, cheesy chicken...

You can add those tasty toppings to your potato because it contains no fat or cholesterol and minimal sodium.

If you are reading this than you know I am a big supporter of a Plant Based Diet. Evan (the husband) and I were just talking about potassium. So, we thought we would google for foods that have more potassium than a banana because everyone moms says to eat bananas right.

Uhmmmmm.....if cholesterol is bad for you and the potato has none than does that really give you permission to add some to the top?

Preschool stuff

Escher is three years old now and won't be going to preschool yet. But, I thought I would start a post to share some of the stuff he will be doing or enjoys reading. He really, really loves board books. He goes straight for them at the library! So, a lot of the books he gets are board books. He loves to carry them around and I guess they are just easier for him to handle. The older two didn't care for them much, but Escher seems to have problems with keeping a hold on things.

Potential

We have realized something we have in common. My dh and I cannot always find something we have in common.

We see the Potential in everything. We bypass the reality and see the potential. We spend our time trying to lure and pull and push the potential from everything and everyone.

We bought our house on Potential. It's still sitting here after two years. Barren and hardly touched.

It's a glaze or a haze all around us. We wear these dark sunglasses that block our view.

I'm trying to decide if it's a detriment to us.

Gluten-Free Diet Change

I just could not take anymore with my youngest. He is three years old. The past year he has been in speech therapy. Last year at this time he wasn't talking at all. AT ALL! My oldest has Aspergers, My Grandfather has Aspergers...Does my youngest have something, too?

I get yelled at all day long. He seemed to be doing better since having Therapy. But, still things just weren't right.

I had previously looked into a GF/CF diet for our oldest with Aspergers. But, I became overwhelmed and my dh just did not seem supportive. A few weeks ago I told him I don't care. I need to try something or I will feel useless.

Within the first few days our E (3) was talking almost clearly and trying to complete full sentences. Plus, he started using the potty. He just said poop in the potty and went in there and did it!

This morning my husband sneaks in and says he got donuts for the boys, but he doesn't want E to have any so he is hiding them in his shop.

Yikes...I have got to learn to make donuts now.

My two handed painter.

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Originally uploaded by ojaimommie.

I'm updated my pic. Here is my youngest artist. He loves to paint two handed!

Science Lessons

This site is really wonderful. I think I will use it some this summer! There are coloring sheets and fun hands-on activities for each lesson.