Vermicomposting

Every heard of vermicomposting? I read about it a few years ago, and while looking for gardening supplies on Craigslist, I came across a listing for Worm Girl. She is a woman who lives here in Montreal and wants to spread the worm word!

Vermicomposting is using worms, bedding, and food scraps to make compost inside or outside your home. Some books say to dig up earthworms from your own garden, but I just bought the basic set-up from Susan (a.k.a. Worm Girl). It came with a blue plastic bin with pre-drilled holes, bedding, and red wiggler worms all for the small sum of $25. She even delivered it!

I've been vermicomposting for a couple of months now, and all is well. I already harvested some compost for my houseplants. There was bit of smell at one point, and two worms escaped (and dried on the wall of the cabinet), so I added more paper to create a less humid environment, and things have now equalized out.

If you're in Montreal, I would buy worms from Susan. All the other places I called were out of worms or were charging a lot for them. I didn't call any bait shops, but that was suggested in a book I read.

Fraises du Quebec

Yesterday was field trip day, and I had promised the girls that we would go to a farm to pick something...anything. A friend called to see if our two families wanted to go together, which made it all the more fun!

Luckily, my friend has GPS, because we were out in the middle of nowhere on little farm roads in Quebec. Even though it's only an hour off the island of Montreal, it's all farm land for as far as you can see, and this is really Quebec (meaning, I don't understand them, and they don't understand me). My GPS friend speaks French, so I wasn't too worried.

It's peak strawberry season right now, so we spent almost two hours in the field. The kids were bored after only half and hour, so when the sun came out, we decided to call it quits and find a shady spot in town for lunch.

Quiet

We've been trying our hands at all the different types of arts & crafts, so I thought Wednesday would be a good day to teach my middle daughter how to embroider. We had tried about a year ago, but at 4.11 years old, it was a challenge. It's a year later, and she finally got the idea of how to hold her needle.

I have my 7th grade Home Economics teacher, Mrs. Carr, to thank for teaching me embroidery. I loved it! I wonder if they still teach subjects like that in school today.

As far as designs go, you don't need a pattern. Just take a pencil and draw an image on the fabric with tiny dashes, so that the child will be able to see where to put the needle in at one end and exit at the other end. Enjoy the thirty minutes of QUIET!

Granola

Every once in a while I get the craving for Greek yogurt. While I was in Greece, I ate the most wonderful yogurt that I've ever tasted. It was thick and creamy with a strong flavor. It came with a little compartment with granola, chocolate and other crunchy things.

To recreate that experience, I buy Liberte Mediterranean Vanilla Yogurt. They do sell it in some States. Then I add my homemade granola, rice krispies and chocolate chips or chocolate covered raisins.

Here is my super easy and healthy granola recipe.

1.5 cups organic 6 grain mix (mine includes rolled oats, barley flakes, wheat flakes, rye flakes, rice flakes, and kamut flakes)
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
4 Tbsp. maple syrup (I use 2 Tbsp. maple flakes)
2 tsp. expeller pressed canola oil
2 small handful of chopped walnuts and almond slivers

Preheat over to 375 degrees F. Mix it all up (except the nuts) and lay it on a cookie sheet. Pop it into the hot oven for 12 minutes, then give it a quick mix around to toast all the grains. Toss the two handfuls of nuts in as well and cook for an additional 12 minutes.

You can use any type of nuts that you like. Many times I will add diced dried fruit as well. Make sure to add the fruit at the same time as the nuts or else it gets hard.

Camp Begins!

School ended last week, so today is our first official day of camp...not the usual day camp that the kids have gone to...no, this is Mommy's Camp. I didn't want that unstructured, "I'm bored, I'm hungry" kind of day; I wanted to have a schedule with regularly planned outings and projects and a general flow to the day.

We decided that Mondays and Thursdays will be field trip days where we will leave the house to go to places like the Children's Museum, the Pottery Place, the Zoo, or to pick fruit or vegetables on a nearby farm.

Wednesdays are library day. From time to time I will list books that the kids really enjoy, so you can find them in your own library or bookstore.

There will be plenty of time everyday for free play, educational time (working on math and language skills), and time to stretch outside in the garden. Projects can be anything from drawing, embroidery, wax crafts, painting, cooking, etc...

After a year of long school days, we're all looking forward to spending more time together.

Rainy Days Never Get Me Down

It continues to rain, and since we're still in waning mode, I planted 2 lavender plants and the bottom white stubs of some green onions. Did you know that they grow like magic? Leave a bit of the white end and the roots, and just bury it. You'll seem green tips in about a week or two. All of mine are starting to flower!

Folklore Saying of the Day

"Rainbow in the eastern sky, the morrow will be dry. Rainbow in the west that gleams, rain falls in streams."