The War on Yellow Jackets!!!!!!!

    I took the kids out back to school shopping this afternoon (I should get a prize for not leaving one of them there).  When I drove into the driveway, I just happened to look over at the school side of the house.  It was like a cloud of yellow jackets, something akin to the movie about the killer bees.  I am allergic to bees / wasps/ hornets.  As a child I stood in a bees nest, and in mind I looked like one of those gross Ripley's Believe it or not books where the guy is covered in bees.  The actuality was probably a lot less than that.  I did have at least 15 to 20 stings, and from that day forward when I have had the misfortune of being stung, I swell up like a balloon where ever I was stung.  I count myself lucky, because my Uncle Al goes into anaphalactic shock if he gets stung by a bee, in other words his throat swells, and he stops breathing!  If given the choice between my reaction and Uncle Al's I'll take mine, but I would rather not take any.

    I shoed the kids into the house and began to quickly unload the car.  Christopher came into the driveway from the back yard to help me.  "We've got a BIG yellow jacket problem."  he told me.  "I saw that." I replied.  He told me that he had been doing yard work and had discovered the nest when he was weed whipping and got stung on the leg.  

    We unloaded the car, and then met in the house for a plan of action to get rid of the yellow jackets.  I suggested that maybe we could smoke them.  On the t.v. shows bee keepers put their bees to sleep using smoke and they are able to extract honey from the hives.  We agreed on that course of action.  Christopher then added that "Billy the Exterminator" on TLC holds two cans of spray when he gets rid of nests, one to spray the nest with, and one to spray the attacking bees / hornets / wasps with.  I suggested it would be a good idea if he took allergy medication beforehand in case he was stung, done.  He wore as much long clothing as he could to minimize stingable area. The final decision was that he should tackle the problem at dusk, this was confirmed by an internet search.  We had a plan, a plan that involved me sitting in the house and watching my husband get his face stung off.

    I heard no screaming, that was a good sign.  When Christopher came into the house he looked a combination of shell shocked and high on adrenaline.  Our plan worked!  The smoke seemed to have kept them at bay.  I came out to take pictures of the work in process, only to have my husband ask me if I was a complete mental case "YOU'RE ALLERGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  My reply was only three words, "But my blog".  At the end of the day there are a lot of dead yellow jackets.  They had burrowed a huge hole under our rain barrel, who knew they burrowed holes? (maybe Billy the Exterminator knew this).  Christopher destroyed the nest and covered in the huge hole (he said that you could have easily put a large flowerpot into the hole).  My husband just went up a good amount of rungs in my estimation, and I can look forward to no stings!

Book Points - In Place Of Allowance

    In our house one of the one biggest, best treats the kids can get is a trip to Chapters.  It makes it even better if it is a one-on- one trip to Chapters.  They love to wander the isles, looking for a book.   I love watching the self important look on their faces as they march up to the cash.  My kids are book lovers (a gift they did not acquire from their Daddy).  I am very proud to say that the three big kids all read at the top level of their class.  I would be so bold as to say that they read a full grade level above their grade.  I am not sharing all of this to be boastful (well maybe just a little),  but to explain how "Book Points" are our family's currency.

    Years ago we tried the allowance system.  We stunk.  When I say we, I really mean Christopher and I, we would forget to give it, or they were too lazy to earn it and we did not get after them.  It did not work for us.  I accidently stumbled upon "book points".  I told one of the kids that if they did a chore I would buy them a book.  They were excited and the chore got done.  From that point on we set up "book points".

    The way it works is that when they get 5 points it equals one dollar towards a book.  They get points if we ask them to do something, or if they do something nice without being asked.  Two days ago Grace was upstairs for a long time.  When she came down we asked what she had been doing, she had cleaned Elly's room for her!  That earned Grace lot's of book points (50 to be exact or the equivalent of a $10.00 book).  Usually we will say something like "anyone who helps to clean the living room will get 2 book points".  Is it fool proof, nothing is, but for us it works (most of the time).

    I made each the kids their own chart with their own favourite animal on the bottom to personalize it.  Sometimes it makes them a little competitive when they see that someone has so many more points than them.  Sometimes competitive is good.

    Here is what I like about our system...

1.  It fosters a love of reading.  I believe that if a child is a good reader there's nothing they can't accomplish.

2.  It teaches them how to work towards a concrete goal.  They love to receive new books, to get new books they have to earn them.

3.  I can't forget, because it's right there in black and white ( I have a terrible memory).

4.  It is not only a treat for them but also for me.  With 4 kids, I don't get the opportunity, nor do I often make enough effort to give them one - on - one time.  Chapters usually is one - on - one time.  On the drive there I get to hear their hopes and fears (most times), it allows me a slip into their inner circle.  They can ask awkward questions, more comfortably (you know by awkward I'm talking the birds and the bees).  I get to learn more about them both on the trip there, and at the book store.  I learn more about their interests.  I learn more about them.

5.  Who am I kidding, if they get a book, usually I get a book!

Picking Our Own Oranges!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Every year for the last 15 years we have gone to Campbell's Orchards in Prince Edward County and picked our own apples.  It is a family tradition that we love.  There is something to be said for eating an apple that has just been picked that second.  We have not missed a year yet.  We love it so much that 7 years ago we planted an Empire Apple tree in our back yard.  5 years ago we planted a Macintosh Apple tree in beside it.
    How could we go to Florida and not pick oranges?  As you enter the Florida Welcome Centre they hand out free glasses of orange juice (of course when we arrived it was on a Sunday, so they did not have samples).  Oranges are synonymous with Florida.  Having said all of this, try to get someone in Florida to tell you where you can pick some.  Every single person we asked had that same blank face and replied "I have no idea".  In the end I found a place online just up from Orlando called "Showcase of Citrus".  This "pick your own" place boasts over 50 different types of citrus.  I sat in the car as we pulled up clapping my hands with excitement like I was 3.  When we were there they were finishing picking grapefruit, and valencia oranges as well as tangerines.
    We picked valencia oranges.  I was so excited.  As you leave the little store there are stacks of what look like lacrosse rackets at the door.   Apparently these are what you use to pick the tall oranges.  In the apple orchard they use ladders.  The first thing that I noticed as a skipped, yes you read that correctly, I skipped like a little girl, was the smell.  Growing up my mother wore orange blossom perfume.  For me the smell of orange blossom perfume is synonymous with my mother.  I stood still, eyes closed breathing in that smell.  At first I could not place that smell.  Was it honey suckle?  No, wait... ORANGE BLOSSOM.  The perfume smelled exactly like the real thing.  I just stood there in one place inhaling the smell of my childhood. The kids all ran around me, Christopher, who knows what he was doing, I just stood there, eyes closed, like the world around me ceased to exist.
    When we pick apples there are always windfalls.  There the apple are just lying beneath the tree.  I was shocked to see oranges on the ground.  It seemed so alien to me.  I felt like someone should be in trouble for wasting all of those oranges.  I wonder if they use the windfall oranges for juice like they do with the windfall apples?  Did I mention that they sold fresh squeezed orange juice like they do apple cider here?
    As we left to pick our oranges there was a sign at the door "please do not eat oranges in the grove, pay first."  When we were out in the grove I was excitedly picking all the oranges my arms could hold, when I look over at my husband standing there peeling an orange.  "You're not supposed to do that !" I tell him.  He looks sheepish and replies, "but I always eat the apples right off the tree, I just want to see what an orange right off the tree tastes like."  He gets his orange peeled and puts it in his mouth.  He has that expectant look on his face like he knows that this is going to be the experience of his life.  I am standing there waiting for the earth to move.  "and?"  his reply "this orange is really hot.  Turns out it's better chilled."  They really are better chilled.  In fact these are the most delicious oranges I have ever eaten.  The juice runs down your arm.  They look a little sickly, with their brown and orange skin.  I know that the oranges I buy in the grocery store have been sprayed to be orange, but still it takes a while to process that fact when I look at my fresh off the tree oranges.
    All and all, if you find yourself in Florida during orange season (November - April) find yourself a grove.  It is a great adventure that ends with orange juice running down your arm.

Natural Gas Dryer + Tankless Water Heater = SAVINGS

Natural Gas Dryer / Tankless Water Heater...
    I do a lot of laundry!  A lot of laundry.  I am still trying to convince my kids that they can wear clothes more than once if they are not dirty (underwear is the exception).  I do about three or more loads a day.  As I have already mentioned we are a single income family and need to find cost cutting measures anywhere we can find them.  At this time last year our hydro bill was over $350.00 a month, it was killing us!  We needed to find something that would cut down on our energy consumption.
   I looked into solar panels. I called several businesses and shook my head after each conversation.  The first person I spoke to could not understand why I did not want to spend $20, 000.00 to get huge solar panels for all over my yard.  I told him I just wanted maybe one or two for my roof depending on the cost, he literally laughed at me and wished me luck.  The next few businesses were in the business of selling solar panels to individuals who wanted a solar farm, and could not understand why I would want to use the solar power for my own use not sell it to Hydro.  The next, and last business I called told me that for what I wanted I was looking at $8, 000, and it would maybe power my t.v..  It was after that conversation that made us decide that solar panels were not the direction that we were going.
    I then looked into waterless tank heaters.  I called around for prices, but the big box stores had limited information.  We called Reliance Home Comfort, and got some good information and we decided to go with a rental natural gas tankless water heater.  We also purchased a natural gas dryer.  It was about $100.00 difference from the same electric model, and Sears only had two models of gas dryer that they carried.  We called a gas fitter and got the ball rolling.  By the time it was all said and done we paid $500.00 to get extra natural gas lines, and the water heater installed, and almost $800.00 for the natural gas dryer.  We then wondered if the savings would equal the out- put of cash.
   It was the best decision to spend that cash!  We have not once run out of hot water, and our hydro bill is less than half of what it was (it averages about $150.00 a month now).  Our natural gas bills are only a fraction more.  The natural gas dryer is more efficient than the old electric dryer and costs so much less to run.  If there is a downside, and it really is minimal, the water has to run longer to get hot.  We made back the money we spent on the appliances and pipes in the first three months.
Money well spent!
    If anyone is considering the switch, I highly recommend doing it.  When we were considering switching things up, we could not find anyone else that had.  It was stressful wondering if we were making a good decision.  If anyone has any questions, you now know someone who has made the switch, so feel free to fire off the questions!
    Now if I could just get the kids to wear their clothes more than once, any suggestions?