I NEED A NANNY!!!!!!

We have been without a nanny for nearly 6 weeks now and I am at the end of my rope. My husband and I both work, and although we have a great deal of flexibility, we do both need to be in the office. Preferably together for at least a few hours a week. This has not happend in well over a month and it is really taking it's toll.
We have enlisted the services of 2 agencies, TWO!!! Our requests were that the potential nanny be between 30 & 50 and not have any kids of thier own. Well, neither agency has been able to meet that request. One girl, who I felt very positively about, called while we were in Boston to tell me she just found out she is 10 weeks pregnant with twins. Great for her!!!! Horrible for me. I had another interview scheduled for yesterday afternoon and rushed home from an amazing day with our homeschool group in East Hampton. I got home to find her college aged children had been in a car accident and she was unable to keep her interview. Did I say no kids? I had an interview sheduled this morning with a girl who is working in a preschool, no kids, lives in Remsenberg and has 2 Rotweillwers. 10 minutes before her interview I get a call from the agency telling me she has decided that she and her fiance are moving so she is not intested in a long term position.
God help me, I am going to either end up on the unemployment line or divorce court.

Fall in New England

The kids and I just had one of the best trips in recent times. Last Thursday afternoon we took the ferry from Orient to New London. A very good friend moved to Connecticut and we made plans to spend a weekend with she and her family, and see their new house and barn for the first time.
The ferry ride was calm and on time, and the ride from the dock to their home was beautiful, albeit confusing. They are in a pretty remote area, in fact we had to drive a bit into Rhode Island and make a u-turn to get to their road! But the trees were ablaze with golds and reds and it was a breathtaking sight.

Friday morning, after a quick breakfast, we headed for Boston, about an hour's ride. We got there around 11 and our first stop was the New England Aquarium. This was the only disappointment of the whole trip. The kids had seen it all in 45 minutes, the only impressive part was the many, many different kinds of penguins.

We walked over to Quincy Market and sampled our way in one end and out the other as we made our way to The Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in America. http://www.unionoysterhouse.com/ This was a history lesson all by itself! The clam chowder was out of this world, but here is my tip: Once you have had crab cakes in Maryland, do not ever order them anywhere else :)

After lunch we took a water taxi over to the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides". http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/ Because our friend is an active naval chief, we were able to get a private tour. I didn't think the kids were even remotely paying attention to the Airman that gave us our tour, but once we got home it was all they talked to Daddy about! There is a lot of copper in the underbelly of the ship (not a correct term, I am sure) and the kids were fascinated to learn that it was all crafted by Paul Revere! It was also interesting to see that all of the cannons were named. All in all, it was a truly humbling and unforgettable experience.

After the ship we went back to Quincy Market to have dessert. I had an amazing pumpkin cheesecake, absolutely perfect. The kids had ice cream, pudding and a muffin.
We had intended to do the Science Museum also, but by this time the kids were really fried and there was still work to be done back at our host's house. So after a long nap on the ride home, the kids made short work of feeding 7 horses, 5 dogs and a rabbit.

Saturday was spent working, grooming and riding, 4 wheeling and other outdoor fun. The weather was again perfect and we were outside from breakfast to dinner.
Sunday we packed up and came home, exhausted, but happy.

There is no greater way to teach the kids history than to let them see it, feel it and live it. I am certain this is a trip they will not soon forget.

Where does the time go?

I have about 15 different blog posts in my head, and can't find the time to organize my thoughts and get them translated to cyberspace. We are nearly 10 weeks done with school, my babies are all another year older, holidays are right around the corner and I do not feel a single bit more organized and settled than I did a year ago.

There has to be a better way. We chose homeschooling so we could experience life as a family. See our children achieve important milestones in their lives and shape their morals and civic outlooks ourselves. And to a large degree I feel we are successfully doing those things. But some days I wonder how much of "the other stuff" we really need to do. The field trips, the play dates the classes.... what is the right balance? Obviously kids need to explore their interests and abilities. But in all of the running around are we losing their need to just be?

Each year we go from one extreme to another and I have yet to find the right balance. We try to limit the kids to one extra curricular activity at a time. But then you start adding in all the educational field trips and the next thing you know you have no time for schoolwork.

We have had some fantatic field trip opportunities this fall, and I feel blessed to live here. But someday, somehow, I hope to learn balance.

I'm A Little Spoiled

I took the kids to Tiana Beach Friday night for the Hampton Bays Civic Association's 90th Anniversary celebration. There was a band, free ice cream and fireworks. We packed a picnic and some warm clothes and settled in for the night.

I was feeling pretty good about myself for having all of the things my family would need to be comfortable at the beach for a long night. Blankets, sweats, baby powder to get the sand off, bug spray, socks, snuggle buggles, glow sticks... I thought we were pretty well set. Then I got there are realized that I am a complete amature and I have a lot to learn about beach bumming, and there is nothing "bumming" about it.

I am not typically a person with a case of the "I Want That"'s. The last time I felt this way was about 3 years ago when I saw the Flavia Fusion on "I Want That: Kitchens and Baths" on HGTV. I went to my friend's mother's house later that day and she had bought one, it's fabulous and so I bought one for us. I still love it as much today as I did the day I got it, and it was, in retrospect, a pretty great purchase.

So, back to the story. The group beside us had a coffee table! They had hors d'ourves and drinks and a citronella lantern all nicely sitting on this great little table. Then I saw another family come, and they too had this amazing table and I watched them pull it out of a nylon bag, unroll the table and screw in the legs! OK, I was totally jealous and could not wait to get home to Google this crazy thing.

I should have remembered where I was, and when I found this ingenious piece of beach furniture I nearly choked on the price tag. Then, dear husband to the rescue, he walks in and said, "If you want it, buy it". Have I mentioned lately that I love this man? I found it for $30 less on another site and so one day soon I too will have an amazing beach table. No more sandwiches dropped in the sand. No more sandy bottomed drinks, no more slumming it at the beach!!!!

Now, if only I had this epiphany in May :)

Food Memories

Our Golden Earthworm CSA has been full of big, red, juicy tomatoes. Any my neighbor, with whom I share a share, is allergic to fresh tomatoes, so I get the full portion! Today I was feeling fall, and currently have a pot of stewed tomatoes simmering away on the stove. As I was sitting going through some mail, I had a flashback to my great-grandmother's farm in Cape May, NJ. In it's day it was apparently a huge plantation, but in my memory there were just acres of lima beans and a kitchen garden. But for some reason, the smell of these stewed tomatoes is making my think of her house. Tomatoes are a staple of summer farm suppers, so I guess that's what it is. I love them fried with gravy, and stuffed with huge, homemade, buttery croutons. I also love a good, cold hunk of liverwurst on white bread with an ice cold slice of tomato and tons of mayo. But that is only something I want once a year, as I always think I like liverwurst, but it's really kind of mushy and strong.
I hope one day my kids can look back fondly on some of the meals I prepare, it is a wonderful link between the generations.