One step forward, two steps back....

Things here have been emotional, and crazy.
Our landlord, decided that we can not have chickens any longer, so we had to find new owners for them, quickly. This has been horrible for all here, as we raised them from chickens, they all had names, and they were giving us good quality eggs, that I knew where they came from.
We only started getting eggs in the past 2 months, it has been wonderful.
I am now looking into maybe buying a house somewhere, I do not like that we are living at the whims of others.
We are still waiting to get a car, so that we can do more.
The great news is that my little ones are all doing well. That is the most important thing in life for me.
We have all missed New Orleans, and at times we have all thought of going back, but I am not convinced that would be the best thing for this family. It is at times, seems like it would be easier, but then I think about if it was perfect there we would not have left. Life is not perfect, and it is what we all make of it...that is the goal now, to make things better for this family of mine.

Catching up!

The past month has been a busier than normal month for us, thus the reason I have not been posting!
Keeping Evan on track with his lesson's has been a major issue for us all here, but we all started thinking that this is WAY to much like school...that we homeschool/unschool for a reason, and this is one of them! Stress! Making sure that he has ALL assignments done by a certain deadline. This is stressful. He also does not like that fact that he has do to work that is something he completed 3 years ago! Math they make him show them his work, that has never worked for Evan, he does not use paper to figure out problems...more stress. So we have pulled him from the online k-12.
We had a snowstorm here, last 3 days, and in the Pacific Northwest that is a long one! In one day we had 9 inches fall!





It was a lot of fun for us all! We also made snow ice cream, built a snowman, and snow angels. A blast!
I have a new sewing machine coming in a few days, and I hope within the week we will have a mini-van or car.
We signed another years least on this house, so that is good! Just can not believe it has been almost a year since we left New Orleans! I miss it, but I know that this was right for us at this moment in time.

Our Life now

we have been back in Tacoma now for a little over a month. We are still in our adjustment stage, we are unpacking, getting use to the weather.
The weather! I think I had forgotten some of what it was like, and it will take time to readjust to what it is like here, compared to New Orleans, Tacoma is so very different. I love the cooler weather, I hated how hot it could be in New Orleans, but I also miss the spring of New Orleans.
Yes we are also having issue's with food! It is not easy to get true Andouille sausage here, Blue runner is not sold here, neither is Camellia beans. Abita beer is not here, nor is gator balls or gator jerky! They do not sell Gundry's here, and bell peppers are very expensive!
I can not go down to Chickie Wah wah and see Grayson Capps...
Like I said it will take getting use too!
What we do have here, People who are our family, a safe neighborhood to raise our children, a wonderful house to live, a huge yard for the kids to play in, and a calmness that I missed!
I know that my children miss their friends in New Orleans, I also miss mine. I miss New Orleans in so many ways, but to be honest, I love Tacoma more. This home.
The move was bittersweet, I cried when the plane took off from the airport in New Orleans, but then I cried when the plane landed in Seattle. New Orleans will always have a piece of my heart, not even Los Angeles can say that.
We will need more time to get use to being here, I know this, but it has also been easier than I thought it would be, I know my way around, I know where to shop for the best deals, and I know of places that we loved to explore, as I said it is home.

Days of Gratitude Days: 8-12

I may not be that good at doing this on a daily bases, but I know that I am thinking about it.
This past week has been a time to really reflect on things to be grateful.
We have food, we have working appliances, we have a roof over our heads...BUT, there is always a but in there...on Thursday there was a shooting on our street...exactly where the girls normally play with a neighbor girl.
The person shot was a 19 year old pregnant girl that lives across the street from us.
The area we live in New Orleans is one of the worst places in the city...we did not know this when we moved in, but I had my feelings. The rent is cheap, but now we know why.
This street has seen a lot of blood spilled, and I am now very afraid that it may become even more familiar to our family.
People can say to me that it was not your family, and that you are safe, but those words are hollow, because it can all change in a split second. I have learned this the hard way.
We are now living in a place that I never wanted my children in...the Southerners version of South Central.
All I can think about is one of my favorite songs by Natalie Merchant

Carnival
Album: Tigerlily


Well, I've walked these streets
A virtual stage, it seemed to me
Makeup on their faces
Actors took their places next to me

Well, I've walked these streets
In a carnival, of sights to see
All the cheap thrill seekers vendors and the dealers
They crowded around me

Have I been blind have I been lost
Inside myself and my own mind
Hypnotized, mesmerized by what my eyes have seen?

Well, I've walked these streets
In a spectacle of wealth and poverty
In the diamond markets the scarlet welcome carpet
That they just rolled out for me

And I've walked these streets
In the madhouse asylum they can be
Where a wild-eyed misfit prophet
On a traffic island stopped and he raved of saving me
(rpt 1)

Have I been blind, have I been lost
Have I been blind, have I been mean
Have I been strong

Hypnotized, mesmerized by what my eyes have seen
In that great street carnival, in that carnival?


Yes I still have a lot to be gratful for, but I am still going to want more, and to make it better for them. That is one of the main reasons for us moving back to Tacoma, for me it seems safer, and it is home.

Creating, mothering

I am here starting this new blog, listening to two of my children fight over the everything and anything. SO it is interesting that I am here starting a blog about being a mother, and also being an artist, and they are fighting! I just find that perfect.

I should introduce myself, I am Melinda, I am married, to Aidan, and we have 3 children together, he also have 2 other children from previous relationships. Our children are Evan is 14 years old, Chloe who will be 10 years old in 3 weeks, and Isibella, who is 7 years old. His son Aidan "Ned" came to live with in June. We also have my sister Phyllis who lives with us, so we live in a very full house. We live in New Orleans, LA, yes we moved here after the storm! We love the city, and have adopted it as our own.

We unschool all of our children, if you do not know what that is, please go to this website to help you understand.
We are into natural parenting, we do not follow mainstream for child-rearing. We believe in attachment parenting, and in treating our children as humans, not as a object we own.

I am a stay at home mom, yet I also make things to sell. I am currently selling photo's, jewelry, ceramic's. Aidan is a teacher and writer. He is currently working on a new book.

I am into nature religion, I believe that everything is connected, and that there is female and male energy is the universe.

I am currently involved in making altered art, and the kids are having blast doing this as well.