This weekend was Maple Weekend in NY. Participating sugar 'shacks' open their facilities to the public, many give tours, have demonstrations and have loads of samples. The place we went to this year did a tree tapping demonstration. They sure have come a long way since buckets! Although there was a tree with a bucket low enough so the kids could see the sap running, unfortunately it was too cold. They also had horse drawn carriage rides through the woods which DS3 really wanted to do. But we pointed out that his Grandpa John has horses and bought a buggy last year so he could have his very own ride and not have to share it with 25 other people jammed onto one wagon. For me it's a chance to buy maple covered peanuts, a once a year treat. My boys prefer the maple fluff though, think cotton candy made with maple syrup instead of sugar. We also decided to sample the maple cream, the best way I can think to describe it is whipped maple syrup so that you can spread it like butter. And of course we bought syrup, I'm not sure if it's cheaper that buying the real stuff from the grocery store (around here it goes for about $16 per quart) but I like supporting local farmers. Real maple syrup is much better for you than the flavored syrups most people use and I am trying to switch to natural sweeteners instead of the man made ones. So I plan on experimenting with this a bit, my husband's company has a store less than a mile from the farm we went to so I can have him stop and pick some up next time he's down there if I need more. Now I just have to order more bees! Our bees died about a year and a half ago and when my dad tried to order them last year all the suppliers were sold out. I just broke down and bought a bunch of honey, I can't remember the last time I paid for it. Makes me think we should have been selling our honey all this time, I'd probably have the house paid off! :)) Not really, we only had 3 hives at most, usually only 2 though. But more than enough for our family every year.

My boys just called me, they are out in the woods sledding down the steepest trail, dubbed 'scary hill' due to a bit of an incident during a hay ride several years ago when the tractor slipped out of gear as we were going down. We got about 2 inches of snow Thursday night and there is still some on the ground. There is just a bit of snow left in the open areas, but apparently there is enough left in the woods to sled. And to think some of you are planting seeds, mowing your lawn, watering your garden. Yesterday the boys started a fire in our outdoor fire pit so that they could "forge a sword." They found an old broken tool handle that they wanted to turn into a sword, they heated it and pounded it flat. Next they plan on using a file to sharpen the edge. I'm thinking it will be like the dugout canoe they started a few years back. The log is probably going to rot in place before they finish it. But it keeps them busy.

Is it just me or have any of you noticed a difference between homeschooled boys and those that go to public/private schools in the way they are growing up? My boys seem to be maturing completely different than some of their friends. In some ways they are much more mature, they are more responsible, they seem less peer dependent and more secure in who they are. But in other ways they seem more child-like, they are more imaginative in their play, less in a hurry to extend their boundaries and seem to 'need' less in order to be happy. Of course, those things may also be a sign of maturity. I have to wonder if developing in a secure environment, rather than the dog-eat-dog environment that develops in most school settings, allows them to develop more as individuals instead of the more peer dependent adolescents that seem so typical. It will be interesting to watch them grow into adults, to see how different the process is.

Just as I was getting into my spring cleaning we got hit with a virus. I'm only just today feeling better after having it for over a week. My oldest is still suffering a bit. Thankfully we didn't have any terrible messes to clean up.

My spring cleaning is a bit behind schedule, obviously. I have just been (sort of) keeping up with my daily work but I haven't had the energy to do anything extra. I hope to be able to do the Master Bedroom tomorrow since it won't take too much effort. I try to keep my bedroom clean and free from clutter all the time. So I will have to vacuum under the bed, wash the windows and curtains and dust behind the furniture. If I have time I'll tackle the upstairs bathroom while I'm working up there. That will take longer. :)

Next week my husband is taking a few vacation days and we are planning to paint the living room. I am leaning towards a medium pumpkin color to match my moss green drapes and slip covers. The walls right now are a sort of lilac with a brown glaze rag rolled over it. I hated it as soon as we finished it, about 8 years ago, but there was no way I was painting over it right away. Besides we removed some paneling from one of the walls before we painted and that wall was in pretty awful shape and the textured paint hid the imperfections. Otherwise we would have had some major spackling to do. Of course the wall hasn't healed itself, so we will have to smooth over the surface of the wall before we paint it. Actually I can't wait until it's done. The first in a long list of home improvement projects we are doing this year.