The Jig Is Up...

                                           ...the news is out...they finally found me.


ren·e·gade [ren-i-geyd]--noun person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles or who behaves in a rebelliously unconventional manner. Who? Moi? No, certainly not.  Really? Hmm. Well, whether yea or nay I am now carrying the renegade badge.  On my blog anyway.

I have started a regular gig over at The Renegade Farmer.  You know, writing stuff.  That is until someone figures out that a) I can't write b) I am not actually a farmer or c) I am secretly a closet conformist.

Anyway you look at it, it is a cool gig though.  I mean these are like super legit, real farm type people with cows and hay and other farmy stuff. And here's me with my one bedraggled garden, a library full of urban farming manuals, four crazy children, one mouser cat, one hunky hubby and two somewhat illegal chickens. I suppose the illegal chicken thing might earn me renegade status in the more civilized parts of town, but my neighbors already know I am a little off my rocker so chickens don't even get noticed.  I would like to have bees too, but they are really illegal inside the city limits, so probably not going to happen. Although my little subdivision is surrounded by potato and alfalfa fields.  If someone was willing to let me put them in a little corner then perhaps...

At any rate, I am pleased to announce my current renegade status.  I am no Han Solo or Jack Sparrow...yet.  But trust me, I am working on it. I am a rebel I tell ya...no good!

In the mean time.  I got a little nod from Felicity over at Simple Elegance. A pretty amazing young person who for some reason doesn't wear pants.  Renegades are blooming everywhere I guess. So being the obedient renegade that I am (yes, and funny), here are 7 things about me...

1.  People stopped in the right hand lane when they are going straight, preventing me from turning right on a red light, makes me crazy.

2.  I love to pour milk over my ice cream cuz it makes little crunchy pockets of frozen milk.

3.  When I was a kid I put aluminum foil on my teeth to pretend I had braces. No, seriously, it looked super real.

4.  Unloading the dishwasher is the worst chore ever!

5.  I know all the words to old sit-com theme songs like, Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, Love Boat and The Addams Family...plus I actually think it might come in handy someday! Big bucks!

6.  I paid for full service at the gas pump forever because I was afraid I wouldn't do it right.  (I have never been bowling for the same reason).

7.  I am a recovering cheapskate (I said recovering not CURED!).

Quote of the Day: "Not all those who wander are lost."

                                                 -J.R.R. Tolkien

Wanna Be A Balanced Mom? Me Too...

I am so excited to be guest posting today and to introduce you to a pretty cool blogging chick!  

Crystal is a wife & mother, a fantastic home decorator, a former missionary to Germany, a blogger & business woman, a home organizing, coupon clipping, marathon running, love-song singing, health and beauty guru. Wanna know how she juggles it all? The answer is...she doesn't!  She balances it all.  And thankfully blogs about it over at Wanna Be Balanced Mom.


Right now Crystal is also introducing something pretty cool. It is the Wanna Be Balanced Planner!


She has designed a weekly planner that includes short "to-do" lists (we are balancing and simplifying...remember?) weekly meal plans, grocery lists, activities for children, home projects and much more! 


So, for today read what I have to rant about on the subject of balance in our lives over at Crystal's place, and get to know her while you are there.

When Daylight Savings Time Hurts

Perhaps this is a post for a different time of year, but "Hey!" I am nothing if not flexible.  Actually that is pretty far from the truth, but I am working on it.


I want to talk about Daylight Savings.  Still Awake? Good, because I get really worked up about this topic.  I hate Daylight Savings.  Hate it. Coming and going.  I think I always have, but I can't remember. The fact remains however...I hate it now.  It fouls me up. Messes bad with my clearly delicate circadian rhythm. A circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological, or behavioural processes of living entities on Earth, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria. I have no idea what cyanobacteria are and I do not think I am a fungus, so it must be my natural animal instincts kicking in.


I think I was supposed to be born before the advent of electric light (either that or my wolf parents gave me up to be raised by humans).  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the convenience, but I have found that I seem to operate better when my routine and schedule are dictated by natural forces rather than artificial. My mother used to tell me that I was a kid who hated schedules, but I think I just prefer the forces of nature over the forces of you know...moms and teachers and bosses. I like to rise with the sun and set with the sun.  I admit that poses a challenge here in South East Idaho when, during the winter, the sun sets at 4:30 in the afternoon and we do not see it again until 8 the next morning.  But I am willing to sleep for 15 hours if that's what it takes!  


It just seems like we as humans often try to control nature instead of allowing our lives to ebb and flow naturally around nature.  We ship food thousands of miles so we can eat it out of season.  We change the clock twice a year so that the hours of Sunlight better fit into our schedules.  We keep electric lights on well into what should be sleeping hours so that we can be "more productive" only to find that we are stressed out, worn out and out of balance.  So, for what it is worth, this is my 'N' post for anyone participating in Mrs. Matlock's AlphabeThursday.  Today, N is for Nature, Naps & Nighttime. Rebel that I am, perhaps when we spring forward here in a few months, I will just refuse to go.  Just me, ebbing and flowing with the natural rhythm of nature.  It shouldn't be too inconvenient and I will be right back on schedule when fall rolls around again. Yes, that is a good idea.


Quote of the Day: "Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds."
  ~JoJo Jensen, Dirt Farmer Wisdom, 2002

Here's The Story...

Boob tube.  That is what my dad called it when we were kids.  You know, TV.  I must admit that I spent my fair share of time in front of the big box as a child.  I could probably still recall perfectly the after school rerun line up that included Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch and Partridge Family.  Bewitched, and I Dream of Jeanie dotting the landscape as well.  And for the more cerebral crowd there was always old episodes of Carol Burnett.  Remember the one where she made the dress out of curtains and left the rod in?  Good stuff I tell ya.  I made my way through past episodes of M*A*S*H and Hogans Heros although I am pretty sure I did not understand half of the jokes!  And don't even get me started on Saturday morning cartoons complete with School House Rock. Rock is right! Those little gems were the bomb! Yeah, I spent a lot of time flopped in a bean bag chair in front of that towering talking monolith. Probably the only thing that saved me from a childhood of complete vegetation and a really bad back was that I lived in California.  You know that big state out west where the sun always shines.  My afternoon TV time, luckily, was often suppressed by a neighborhood game of tag or a boys against girls dirt clod fight. And yes, that is as bad as it sounds.

Evenings too, in the 70's were spent with the family around the TV.  Where do you think I learned the word "whoopee"? That's right...The Newlywed Game, cuz' Blair and Tootie never really delivered on that "Facts of Life" promise! Three's Company and the Love Boat were considered a bit racy but I am pretty sure they are on right after Barney now.  Times have changed. We had 4 channels then, one of those being the childhood nemesis...PBS, and one channel that only came in clearly if my little brother stood next to the television holding on to that danged rabbit's ear at just the right angle. (If you do not understand that reference you are too young.  Stop reading now so I can go renew my subscription to AARP.) Of course, he couldn't see the show, but whatever, I am the oldest.

My addiction lasted well into the 80's and one man is almost solely responsible for this.  His name is Thomas Magnum.  I do not even remember what came on before and after, but Thursday nights were spent waiting for that little wink at the end of the credits. When the Cosby Show took over the airwaves, I was forced to keep my loyalty to that hunky P.I. on a 13" black and white, alone in my room. Michael J. Fox, Bruce Willis, Kirk Cameron and Tony Danza kept me company through the rest of high school. Oooh, ooh and Simon & Simon!  That's who followed Mr. Selleck.  Boy, I wasted so much time.

So, the point of this whole tumble down Memory Road is that I think I have been watching too much TV lately.  I was able to break the habit in college.  There was only one television for the 250 girls in my dormitory, and I was too busy sewing my wild oats to watch it anyway.  I never really picked the habit back up. When my kids were little, even after cable television was invented,  we busied ourselves during the day and did not need the distraction.  Hubby and I had a few evening favorites after the kids were down, but mostly other things took priority.  After our only TV burst into flames one day, we did not replace it for a couple of years.  We have two TV's now.  With cable.  It is the Premium Nerd Package, so it only includes network stations and the History and Science Channels, so not much to choose from and quite frankly there is nothing worth watching anyway. I have noticed though that since my youngest started school I spend too much of my down time back in front of that boob tube. Wasting it on worthless crud...yes that means you Judge Marilyn Milian! And yes, Tom and Padma too (even though I cannot stay up late enough to see the new ones.) Although the family will still share our Wednesday evenings with those lovable misfits the Hecks. I think we are gonna save a few bucks too and dump the cable.  I am the only one who ever turns the thing on...

So there you have it my first New Year's resolution. Down with the Tube! Maybe I will even get more done.  Unless of course, they bring back Magnum.

Quote of the Day: "Time is free, but it is precious."
--Harvey Mackay author & speaker