Edisto

We went to Edisto Island on Sunday. It has been almost 10 years since we were there last…and got married. Scotty swears we went when Samuel was a baby, but I really don’t remember that happening, maybe we talked about going because we did visit Charleston in January just before Samuel’s 1st birthday. But it was just an overnight trip and I cannot for the life of me remember going to Edisto, afterall it’s a pretty long drive from Charleston-almost an hour-plus I have a lot of pictures from that trip and none were taken on Edisto. This is one of the most frustrating aspects of being known by everyone as the person with the bad memory. If I don’t remember something happening, and someone else does, then it is assumed that I simply don’t remember. I have no ground to stand on. Funny thing is, there are some things I do remember, like the first time I ever came to Edisto Island. It was in the spring of 1992, some friends from school and I rented a house, the Lela B. It was one of the best times I can remember. I never wanted to go home. I fell in love with the ocean; and for the past 12 years I have wanted nothing more than to live by one. And here we are in Charleston, finally.

So when we decided to drive out to Edisto on Sunday, I knew I wanted to see the Lela B. We drove up and down the road a few times looking for a good spot with parking and beach access. We passed the Lela B a few times (as well as another house I had stayed in before and the house we stayed at when we got married). We found a good spot and got settled in the sand with some toys for the kids and a blanket for us to sit on. I walked out to the water and looked around, I could see the Lela B from where we were. I decided that before we left I would walk down and get a closer look. When I did, I was a little surprised to see that she had lost the stairs that led down to the beach, the roof didn’t look too good either. Now, I must confess that this house was no fancy place back in 92 either; even then there was a broken window covered with a trash bag, the bathtub had a soft spot in it, and the deck was pretty rough and rickety. But it was love at first sight for me. I remember the yellow furniture and the big sun clock on the wall (okay, I’m pretty sure it was a clock, maybe it was just a big sun). I remember waking up to the sound of seagulls outside and feeding them from the deck in our pajamas. I remember watching the sun come up. Now, she was falling apart. I was able to get up on the deck to peak quickly into a window (I didn’t want to arouse too much suspicion), there was the same yellow vinyl furniture. That was all I saw. I was a little scared being up on the high deck that was surely going to fall apart at any minute. So I got out of there pretty quick.

On the walk back to our spot on the beach, I thought a lot about the week I had spent in that house and how it had shaped a big part of who I am today. That was when I realized that I have spent most of my adult life trying to relive a part of my childhood that I actually do remember, Blue Lake in Indiana. I don’t need to go into all the details of what that means, but I will say that I have always loved the feeling of being on an endless vacation. Scotty talks about how people constantly try to recreate their childhood memories of Christmas and how no one is ever completely happy with that recreation and that is why Christmas is so bittersweet. I now understand what he is talking about, the only difference is I haven’t just tried to recreate my past once a year. I have been longing to permanently relive that feeling, whatever it is, of staying those long summers at the lake. Playing cards late into the night, bonfires, swimming, boats, pontoons, friends, family, no thoughts of having to go to school or work, nothing to interrupt the long, lazy days of summer. I guess those are my happiest childhood memories, some of the only ones really. It is frustrating to not remember very much. Maybe the fact that I remember so little is why I cling to those few memories and why I will always try to recapture them.
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check out this natural birth site!
http://trustinbirth.org
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arriving

written 10-1-04
Well, we finally arrived. Our first day consisted of unpacking the uhaul and organizing where all the boxes would go. Scotty had to go to work that afternoon--fortunately it wasn’t his day to drive (he has been car-pooling which works out great for us since he works so far away I would probably never take him to work to keep the car). So the kids and I were at home being overwhelmed by all the boxes and mess when I realize that we can go somewhere for supper…we have the car!! So we head down folly road looking for a place to eat, next thing we know we are on folly island (which is only 10 minutes away). So we park the car and go to a little smoky restaurant/bar local hang out type place at the beach. They have a really good veggie burger. We actually enjoyed ourselves for a change, mainly because I tried not to get too uptight about the kids playing around the video games and jukebox and I let them each pick a song to play. It was a good first day. The following week I spent a lot of time just trying to make the place livable. I haven’t gotten the dining room table finished yet so we are using a card table for the kids to eat at, but mostly I’ve been letting them eat on the floor while watching videos. I know, I know, bad idea, but with all the work I have to do it just makes things easier. Oh here’s something cool, yesterday morning, before scotty had to go to work, he decided that we needed to get out of the apartment for a little bit so we went to the beach for about 30 minutes and then came home. It was amazing to be able to just jump in the car and go to the beach and be home in less than an hour. And we really needed it, we’ve had a cold all week and the fresh air helped a lot. Well, anyway that’s enough for now.
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a good weekend!

let me tell you about my weekend. it started off on saturday spending a good chunk of the afternoon at a burger king playground with my friend and her kids. we hadn't seen each other in quite awhile due to our 3-week-long-sickness-from-hell-that-wouldn't-go-away!! it was yet another day of learning for me as a mom...4 hours is a long time to spend at a place like that!! but it was ultimately enjoyable, tiring, but enjoyable. then on sunday morning, scotty got here at around 8 am. i didn't tell the kids he was coming, so it was a big big surprise for them. we hadn't planned on this little visit, but since he got the apartment on friday and had sunday off he figured he would come and get the bed, at least! he loaded the van with all sorts of boxes to make his last week alone (and in a new, empty apartment) more liveable. it was so amazing to see him again after 5 weeks. now we have just 1 more week and we will be moved to charleston and living as a family again!! on sunday, we also had a birthday to attend and a good time was had by all at a place called "fun adventure"...lots of games to play and an indoor playground, plus pizza and cake. i took a lot of pictures of all the kids since it's the first time in awhile that ALL of the cousins have been together. we actually have a group photo now!! it was a pretty relaxing experience, believe it or not. i have always been really stressed out going to places like that, but this place is well lit, very open, and comfortable (as opposed dark, small, and crowded). i ordered cheese nachos for sadie because she simply will not eat pizza!!! samuel ran all over the place using his tokens for games and playing in the indoor play structure, scotty took silas around to the games and played mini-golf with him, while i took sadie and found all the little kid games to play...then she wanted to play mini-golf too. all the kids won tickets from the games and they used them for little prizes just before we left. even though it sounds a lot like chuck e. cheese, it was more enjoyable. i feel like i'm giving a review of the place...we'll say 4 stars out of 5 since the pizza could've cooked a little longer and they should give you more time in the room you rent for your party! well, that was my good weekend!
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something to think about

nice rats in bad environments acted worse than mean rats in good environments.
nice rats in good environments acted better than mean rats in good environments.
nice rats in bad environments acted better than mean rats in bad environments.
no one factor decides all.
-sandra dodd referring to a nature vs. nurture study on rats

just made me think about people and how the nicest person can still be a rat in the right situation.
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a good joke

sadie and i were doing knock knock jokes. here's how it went down:

me: knock, knock
sadie: who's there?
me: banana
sadie: banana who?
me: knock knock
sadie (laughing): who's there?
me: banana
sadie: banana who?
me: knock knock
sadie: who's there???
me: banana
sadie: banana who???
me: knock knock
sadie: mommmmy!! who's there?
me: orange
sadie: orange who?
me: orange you glad i didn't say banana??

sadie: i have one, knock knock
me: who's there?
sadie: banana
me: banana who?
sadie: banana you glad i didn't say orange?

this makes me laugh everytime i think about it, isn't it just too funny???
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sadie vogue

come on vogue, let your body move to the music, move to the music!!
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sk8erboyz

samuel, silas, and cousin wesley
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another picture by sadie!!

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charleston unschoolers support group

i'm trying to get a support group started for unschoolers in the charleston area! if you're interested go check out my yahoo groups page and join:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chazunschoolers
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unhindered living

i just came across this wonderful website! it is huge, so take a day off to look it over! be sure to scroll way down to the bottom for the list of great topics!!
http://www.unhinderedliving.com
enjoy!!!
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silas and his house of cards

last night silas discovered card houses. he has been pretty absorbed in them since then. i like the idea that he is doing something that keeps his mind busy and is so fun at the same time. he said "it's my new hobby!"
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baked tofu

i've had a few requests for this recipe...it's easy!

1 package firm tofu*
2-3 T. bragg's liquid aminos**
1 t. each garlic powder, sage, thyme, basil

preheat oven to 475. drain tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. put into a container with other ingredients. put on lid and let marinate for 15 minutes or so. oil a flat baking dish (large enough for all tofu to fill in one layer). cook tofu for 15 minutes, take out pan and shake a little to move tofu around a bit. cook for additional 15 minutes. done. can cook a little longer if you like a chewier texture.

* i like to use nasoya firm tofu, in the red package. do not use silken tofu of any kind.
** i like bragg's but you can also use soy sauce if you like. experiment with other marinades for a variety of tastes (barbecue, italian dressing) as well as your seasonings. enjoy!
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my best friend's blog

my dear friend, denise, has added my blog to her blog! (funny thing is that she started hers before i did and i never knew about it and we both chose blogger, cool). and what did she title her post? "my best friend's blog"!!! all i could do was cry when i saw that, see...one thing about me is that friendship has never come easy, never. no one has referred to me as a "best friend" since i was in the 8th grade!! i am 33, that is a long time. and since the feeling is mutual, well, i am just all emotional. to top it off, this is the person i have to say goodbye to in about 3 weeks when we move!! this sucks! but here is her cool blog. she is an amazing cowgirl living a life that i once dreamed about--homesteading--until i saw firsthand that i am probably not up to all that it requires!! i've got a little too much "city" in me!
http://contrarygoddess.blogspot.com
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rainy day

today has been rainy...will it end soon?? kids are playing inside! latest news on the move is that scotty has secured an apartment!! for those of you who don't know, we have been at my parents' house for 3 weeks now, while scotty is starting his new job in charleston. we really, really miss him!! we won't see him again for another 3 weeks, that's 6 weeks! i'm hating it. the kids, sadie especially, really miss him too. anyway, scotty seems to really be liking his new job (he's a line chef in the ocean room at the sanctuary on kiawah island, sc) but the hours are long and hard right now as it is still in the opening stage. the kids and i have been really sick and gunky for quite awhile now but i'm starting to see the end of it, for me anyway since i was the first to get sick. not real exciting stuff huh? i am not very inspired in the middle of the afternoon. i need a late night for getting really detailed and possibly slightly entertaining. so enough for now.
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scotty at the notso hostel in charleston

"these are my kids!!"
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silas, samuel, and sadie at grandparents' house

"hi daddy, we miss you!"
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my kids

let me tell you about my kids!! i have 3 kids, samuel-9, silas-6 1/2, and sadie-4!! they have been unschooled since birth!! so we are all free spirits here. samuel is really interested in bionicles and science type stuff. silas is a little harder to peg, he is all over the place, but he loves his stuffed animals, bats, and things that sometimes might be considered "girlish". he has long tangley/dready hair too. sadie wants to be a rockstar! she is my precocious little brown-eyed girl, she loves pink and all things dressy and sparkly! i'll post a pic when i find a good one.
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me!-->taken by sadie at the skatepark

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anyone out there

i am a mom!! sometimes i forget that i am more that "just" a mom. my kids are wonderful! wild, but wonderful. we unschool, so we're together ALWAYS. it can be tiring. i'm just starting this and i don't have much to say today, but i'm sure i will later.
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