Yay for technology and Halloween

This post is brought to you directly from my cellphone. For some reason my laptop has been acting funky( that's why I have been M.I.A). I know that the plug in most likely needs to be fix, along with other things that we will work on during the weekend after all the halloween goodness is absorbed.

On that note my favorite holiday will be here in just TWO sleeps( lingo that's used within our home). Pretty pumped to carve our pumpkins tomorrow along with orange homemade play dough, costume fun, pumpkin pancakes, local pumpkin patch and anything else in store for the eve of my holiday. We kind of do not have any traditions for Halloween. We just wing it and do what feels good or sounds like fun that year.

I'm interested to hear... What's your families traditions? I always love hearing sweet things like that.

This Saturday will be trick or treating. I've heard of families who actually switch out the treats with ones that are purchased before hand. Then saw a clip of The View where they were talking about this very thing. Kinda sounds like a waste of energy and loss of the spirit of trick or treating. Yes, of course parents are doing this for precaution and all but I wonder about the areas they trick or treat. Like for instance, we trick or treat in the part of our neighborhood that consist of four streets. We only hit the homes we know and feel comfortable knoking on the owners door and receiving candy. If we don't feel 'right' about a house we skip it. When we arrive hom we just check the stash for any that-

are unwrapped
punctured
or just plain...GROSS.

I love how there are some great trusted areas, organizations, and communities that actually host trick or treating events. Helps with the fear of the unknown for some parents. To me, it seems like a better fit than swapping out candy.

With love,
Nush

Magical Weekend

Our weekend consisted of (but not limited to) climbing trees, laughing, music, crafts, gardening, learning and growing at our friend's home. They live on a few acres of land where they grow an abundance of delicious food. They also host dinners at their home featuring items they harvest from their garden. Excited to grow our garden even bigger for years to come! We all learned so much during our visit. Here are a few pictures.







Their garden is amazing. They repurposed huge tractor wheels as raised beds for the garden. There are many filled with their own compost and varied veggies. This weekend Rockstar helped with picking green beans.








Being inspired is awesome!

With love,
Nush

Shouting the New Spanking?

This morning I actually watched The Early Show regarding their segment on, Is Shouting the New Spanking? I have read and have been involved in discussions about this very topic, so when I was drinking my coffee I was really interested what their take was on this subject.

What do you think?

This is what I believe. I believe if you participate in an action that makes you feel good, then do it. I have NEVER felt good for raising my voice to my boys. I have made a conscience decision as their mother to filter what I say. "How do I do this?" What works for me is leaving the situation for a bit. For example entering a quiet room to relax, take a shower, or a brisk walk.

A dear friend told me once that when conversing with your children, before opening your mouth think this...

" If someone told you what you are about to say to your child, and it made you feel good. Then for all means tell them. But, if it would make you feel anything less than good. DON'T SAY IT AT ALL."

Thats some awesome stuff there! When we speak to our children with joy and respect, they respond back to us the same. Isn't that the joyful life you are striving for? I know it is here in our home.



May you have a great weekend with your family filled with love, respect, and compassion.

With Love,
Nush

Rethinking Everything Magazine

Calling everyone with a personal story of change!


Is your story one that inspires, provides wisdom, or had you REthink what you always did or was told to do?

Then Rethinking Everything Magazine is the spot you need to visit. This is a new magazine of transformative change that will be available online for subscription. The pages of the magazine will actually turn with a click of your mouse on your screen. Come one now, thats oober cool! You can even DOGGIE EAR the page in the magazine through your computer.

-How to submit your story-
( all info below is from the rethinkingeverythingmagazine.com)


"Submissions are accepted by email.
Give us 2-3 days to let you know your story or story idea has been received.

Story length is determined by you.

We reserve the right to edit all submissions prior to publication.

Promising stories that are either too lengthy or leave us wanting more will be returned to you in hopes we will see them again with the refinements we seek.

If your story is accepted for publication we will pay you $100.
We will require a signed Contributor's Agreement before publishing
which we will email to you."

Yes ladies and gents, they will pay you $100 for your accepted story. It's already awesome to have your very own story be published in a magazine, and to make a little on the side is even cooler. I know a lot of you are bloggers, sahm( stay at home moms), college students and more that experience amazing things throughout your life and are estatic to get the info out! Doooo it! We all want to hear your voice.

Barb Lundgren who is practically family and has been my mentor since I became a mother, and Sarah Parent who is an oober cool mother, are joining their forces together and bringing you this thought-provoking magazine.

Subscribe, submit, and enjoy all that is Rethinking Everything Magazine!


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Now you might be asking," What in the world is rethinking?"

Well the conference we attended( which is every year in the beginning of September) is called Rethinking Education. Beliefs of tuning into your child's natural love of learning and changing it up to suit their needs.

From the Rethinking Education website
"At the heart of Rethinking Education is the awareness that children are supremely capable of absorbing and using knowledge from our complex world. There is no need for arbitrary structure in education; the use of coercion, rewards or other behavior modification techniques as motivation are counterproductive. With freedom, respect and nurturing support, children have a powerful drive to self-direct their own learning; the result being children who direct their own education... indeed, their own futures."

Now... rethinking has flowed into different aspects of your everyday life-like the work, family, and so on. Now I encourage you to sit back, reflect and rethink what you are doing and whats not working , and how you can acheive your goal in a happy state of mind and soul!


With love,
Nush

Big Thanks

WOW!

Thank you to all of my followers. I appreciate all of the love and support I have received. I now have 20 followers and it will only go up from here.

Questions you maybe wondering?

1. Why should I follow the blog? I could just bookmark it on my computer for my viewing pleasure.
True, but without becoming one of my followers, I will not be able to see who my "public" is that I am writing too.

2. Is there anything special for me now that I am now a follower?
Yes! I will be having giveaways in the near future and commenting on post will allow you to have more than one entry into the contest.

3. And... Because here at Myrockinkids.com we love you! Shouldn't that be enough? Ha!

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On to other news!

This morning is absolutely beautiful. One that welcomes you with the sun shinning and one little boy's smile saying," Hi Momma!" This is usually what superbaby says in the mornings. Then when Rockstar gets up he generally says, " Good Morning Mom, I love you!". This is definitely enough to warm my heart. One that is not prompted nor asked for a greeting by me. It means so much more when your kids say something solely on their own.

Expecting your children to communicate in a particular way, especially in the morning, is a bit too much. Why not start the day off and feel for how they're feeling before jumping in and demanding a HI or hug. Sit back and observe their mood and behavior, and this will decipher how to approach them.

UGH!

Just imagine waking up and just wanting to stretch and enjoy the morning in silence, except having your parent in your face demanding things from you from the get go. - So.not.cool.

Now go and enjoy your kids, as I will. Just remember and a reminder to me to sit back and let the day unfold itself.

( boys just made breakfast for daddy all on their own. daddy's breakfast consisted of ham sandwich with mustard and cheese. Sides were two oreo cookies and a Gatorade. All I helped with was providing them with a serving tray.)

What cool things do your kids or loved ones do when let them BE?

With love,
Nush

Homemade WHAT?!

I often get this reaction when I tell people that we make our own laundry detergent. Why not? Other than the pro's of cutting out harsh fragrances and so on, this allows a family to spend as little as possible to clean each members clothing. With how things are right now and even if it wasn't economically rough, is a great time to cut back cost on everyday items. You can find detailed instructions here. CHECK IT OUT!

This makes a lot of detergent so totally have something big enough( and with a lid) to store. Plus, keep in mind a little of this stuff goes a long way so the amount made will last a good amount of time. I use two Ikea glass containers like these ( images from apartmenttherapy.com). But, really anything with a lid is great. Even milk jugs( which I also use) will work. To make it your every own you can add oils for a nice light smell. I generally will go to a wholefood market/store to grab mine but even Hobby Lobby has these in the soap and candle making aisle.

Just remember that what you need at the store is:

Borax
Fels Naptha or Zote
Washing soda



Oh and don't forget those little fingers who will love to help. You can totally use this fun family activity to aid in math, teamwork, and science. Happy creations to all!

Love,
Nush

Boy It's Early

I often feel that way in the mornings when I turn over and look at the time on the alarm clock. No the alarm does not wake me up but the faces of either one or both of my boys does. Snuggles are usually all I need to jump right out of bed most mornings. But, I often notice that the weekends are typically harder for me to wake up. It may have a lot to do with my husband sleeping beside me. Anyways, our solution for providing entertainment for the boys is by setting up our kitchen table as a creating table. Here they are free to create masterpieces at their own whime. The table can really contain anything you feel comfortable being used. Our table usually consist of paper, markers, watercolors( with a cup of water)and playdoh. This will keep them busy for a great amount of time to allow me to stretch and get ready for the day.

Some other cool things you can add for those who maybe worried about about walking into the kitchen to a mess gallery on their walls. You can grab those Crayola color wonder markers and paper for the added assurance that these markers solely work on the specified paper. I would however stay clear from the color wonder paints, as those are extremely easy to use to smear on everything.

Some other fun things you can include are:
pipe cleaners
leaves
rocks( pet rocks are all the rage in our home)
chalk with black paper

the possiblities are endless. Oh and try to mix it up to keep it fresh and new!

Happy creations!!

With Love,
Nush

In the world of no's

Throughout my life I have noticed how quick some people are to saying no. Then to add confusion, how quick they are to saying no to their own children. I'm not referring to material things such as the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory character, Veruca Salt. I am simply referring to saying no to your child's simple request.

As a lot of you know, my family and I attended our first ever Rethinking Education conference this past September. One of the concepts of the lessons was simple: tuning into your child's desires and wants, aiding them to acheive success, and allow them to explore. One of the concepts I took with me was, "instead of saying no, change your thoughts to why not?" That really made sense. I have am reprogramming my train of thought with first thoughts of being why not? Then from there if I still do not feel comfortable I will inform them( as I would to any friend) the reasons why I do not feel comfortable with the decision. Out of love and respect for each member of our family my boys will come up with a change in the game plan that everyone is happy to do.

I remember informing my oldest when he was not even one what we were planning on doing. I would often get mocked or ridiculed because other's couldn't grasp why I would waste my time explaining so much to my child. I often would giggle and reply," Well, he wants to know just as much as you do." Believe me, he always wants to know whats going on ;)

I am still learning, growing, and tuning into this way of life.

Our dog- the sassy boxer

For those who know, we have a female dog named Clover. Yep, thats her name. She is a white boxer that we brought into our home almost two years ago. The second we brought her home we banged on pots and pans discovered she was deaf. At first we mourned the thoughts of not having a hearing dog but we were confident in our ability to work with her specific needs( with some help of a trained professional). Heck, each member in this household has specific needs that we met so why not for our dog?

I forced myself to forget the daydreams of my boys running in a field while calling our her name. Throwing her balls and telling her what a good girl she is. Ha! I immediately shifted my focus on the good this could be. What are the attritubes you ask in having a deaf dog:

1. She is an amazing sleeper- no matter where or who is over, if she is tired she will go to sleep.

2. When someone knocks on the door she does immediately start barking- this rocks because she actually notices how we react to the door and then knows if someone is knocking. But, never does she bark. We actually changed the way we answered the door, in a "calm summissive state" as a well known dog trainer says. With that she actually watches how we react, and she does the same.

3. Uses her bark for commmunication- this might have some to do with her being deaf and her being just who she is as a being. She never has been a big barker. As a puppy she barked when she was frighten or wanted to play. As she has grown, she has decided to use her voice as a way to let us know that she wants to play. Which is pretty kick arse if I do say so myself.

4.Because she is our pet. Ya this has nothing to do with the subject but totally worth adding.

Of course there have been times that I have felt overwhelmed with her. But, it always seemed to be the energy and attention I presented to her. There was a time that I actually did not know how to communicate my needs to her as our pet. I gave myself a challenge, and told a few close people in my life so that it was set out in the world for all to hear. What was my goal you may ask?

To exercise, walk, or play with her for thirty days straight. With two kids under 5 and an active household, the family pet tends to get the short end of the stick. I, consciencely decided to react and engage with our Clover constantly.

Did it work? YES!

Now it is my time to brag on Clover. Here are all the commands this girl knows with signs I have introduced to her. You don't have to know sign language to talk to your dog. Actually you can make up your own signs, incorporate your children with signs that are easy for them or ones they came up with, and teach them to your dog.

Clover knows:
cookie/treat
walk
play
car
stop
gentle
sit
stay
outside
look at me
potty
food
"I'll be right back"- this is one we use when we place her in the crate for a specific reason. As a puppy she had pretty bad seperatation anxiety and crate fear. This helped calm her knowing we would come right back.

Shout out to a great doggie trainer, Wanda Woodworth, in her help and introduction to how we could speak to our girl:)

No bedtime... what?

In our household we have eliminated bedtime. We no longer look at the clock and determine when our boys are tired. We go off their energy and cues on when they are tired. Then from there we do several things, dim the lights, lower the tv( if on) and lower our voices. Really just creating a peaceful environment for them to fall into peaceful sleep. Each night is different since they determine when their internal clock is telling them its time for bed. Some nights they ask to be tucked in bed. Others they ask to cuddle, stroke their hair, back or just hold them tight. Boy, it is blissful and exactly how I pictured my family.

Before we knew that this was the way we wanted to live, we would look at the clock and determine," Oh its 00:00 time, its your bedtime," Some days it would go great, other nights were spent repeatedly returning our boys to their bed. After a bit of this we realized it was a big ole waste of time for all of us. "Why not enjoy our boys and our family time together?" We thought. Then we decided to change our ways of thinking and love it.

I have had a few people not really understand this concept and ask question about what do we do when we have to wake them up early. We rarely ever wake up our childen. Whenever we have something planned in the morning, they normally will race to go to bed with excitement for the next day. Plus, since we are not enrolling our children in the public/private school system, this isn't a concern of ours.

All in all we are all a happier family when our needs are individually met and respected.

Love,
Nush

25k possiblity

There is house a located in the Hill country in Austin. The house is made of Cob. Cob is a combination of earth, straw, and mud. The owner spent 25k to build this beauty. Which of course you can build a house way less than this and just as beautiful. More information can be found here at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/greathomesanddestinations/31away.html

My husband and I love these homes. Love that you can make it anyway you want, and reflect YOUR style. Our dream is to live a free life. One without a mortgage and with land. This possiblity will become a reality in a matter of time.

What are the advantages of building with cob? Information from

1.Energy Efficiency - A cob house provides a large amount of thermal mass. This helps keep the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. I'm not certain if anyone has tried to build a double-wall cob house, but for cold climates, some sort of cob-insulation-cob wall might be more appropriate.

2.Inexpensive - The walls of the home are made entirely of natural resources that are available under your feet. This brings up a good point about natural building in general; use the natural materials that are prevalent in your area. Clay is abundant in most areas of the world. Why not build with what you've got?

3."Buildability" - Cob homes are owner built. There is obviously, quite a bit of labor involved but if time is not a factor, a house of this type could be built with just a couple of workers. Basic carpentry, plumbing and electric skills are required.

4.Fun - If you like playing in the mud, this is the house for you. Seriously, this is an excellent style of house to build for those with imagination. You can be very creative with the walls of your house.


Also this house above has 2inch thick bricks that allow the house to stay 15 degrees cooler than outside. We want to make our house 3 inch thick bricks.

Book Worm

Whoa just finished reading the first book of the Ringing Cedars Series, Anastasia. This book absorbed me. I read during down times and was amazed to see that I finished the book in such a quick amount of time. Will begin reading book 2 on Friday when a dear friend will allow me to borrow books 2 and 3.

Some parts of this book really spoke to me, and loudly at that. There were talks about children and parent relationships that really intrigued me. A lot of these lessons were covered at the conference we attended back in September, but at that time I did not know that it was referencing to this book. Aspects of our household that we have already incorporated into our everyday lives and beings.

There are talks about connecting with your families garden. Connecting with the garden and loving your garden. Allowing you and your children to walk, touch and participate with the garden. Things that spoke to my heart since we have subconsciously been doing with our garden.

If you want to read a book that will take you to a whole different way of living and thinking... this is your book. It is said that this is a non fiction book, others believe it is all imaginary. I, do not think it really matters as long as you believe in the possiblity.

Rain rain don't go away.

I'm sitting here with a cup of coffee that I only seem to desire half of the cup. Kids are running around enjoying each others company while imagining being in the woods in a camping tent. This weekend was filled with laughter, fun and amazing people who hold a great space in our hearts. We reconnected with friends, even some that we haven't seen in a few years and have moved back in the area. Yay for great people in our lives.

We rented one of those awesome bounce houses that every kid of any age can enjoy. The kids were able to jump for about 30min til it started drizzling. Then it eventually started pouring and the kids did not mind one bit. The entry way become a water slide and the inside became a whole different type of fun. Kids stipped out of their costumes and enjoyed jumping. We whipped out the silly string and it became a whole new kind of fun.