Natural Sense of Wonder

Quick Post

2010-12-14T14:08:00.003-05:00

For those of you who read this and don't live in my hometown, we have been getting more snow in the last week than I can remember. From what I've heard, the last big snow like this in our area was 1977!

Anyhow, last week the schools had three snow days in a row (I never had that going to school, ever) but of course, being the nerdy homeschooling mom that I am, we didn't get a snow day...not a single one. We just plowed right through working like busy little beavers. You see, I have this day-book for homeschooling and by this Thursday coming, we have some deadlines to meet. Ethan has to have completed Lesson 66 of his math, Grammar needs to be done etc...so there's no time for nonsense. I have things on a list that must be checked off (this is the Type A portion of my personality coming out...)

Anyhow, we've gotten over four feet of snow in the last week, actually, almost five feet. That's pretty darn good for balmy south-western Ontario. It's been a beautiful white wonderland out here and I have loved being "snowed in." Turns out I'm becoming a bit of a hermit. How can I tell? When I look ahead to a week and see that we don't have to be anywhere at any time and I sigh a huge sigh of relief. Officially a hermit. Sad but true!

If I don't post between now and then, have a very very Merry Christmas and may the blessings of this season remind you of the Greatest Blessing ever ~ the gift of a Saviour!

Brotherly Love

2010-12-01T14:15:00.003-05:00

I was just answering emails a few minutes ago when my brother popped up in the Instant Messaging to have a chat with me.

Below is our chat word for word. Who else can you have a conversation like this with other than your own brother. This is why God gave brothers.

Brother: Loser, why haven't you answered my email?

Me: I'm getting to it right now, dingleberry.

Brother: Faster....my time is valuable.

Me: w.r.i.t.i.n.g.....v.e.r.y......s.l.o.w.l.y........

Brother: you are so dead when I see you next....

Me: I very much look forward to our next meeting....fartface.

Brother: You suck. Your email is going in the trash (my email was about Christmas gift ideas)
Get lost and leave me alone.

Me: Merry Christmas.....smooooooooch.

Brother: And to you and your family!

Seriously, now, who do you get to call names like that and know that on the other end of the message, they are laughing as much as you are. And when all is said and done, you love each other just as much as you did before -- may be even more.

I don't write much about my brother. He's 40 and I'm 34 (although you may not be able to tell that by the maturity of our messaging). He is one of my most favourite people, but don't tell him that. He never reads my blog so I can say whatever I want about him and he'll never know.

It is a very good thing to have an older brother. They push you, irritate you, defend you, throttle you, drive you around, drive you crazy, give you advice, give you punches in the shoulder, and love you like no one else could -- at least, my brother does.

Freedom Four

2010-11-11T08:33:00.001-05:00

In school yesterday...

Me: "Jack, it's time to do your reading."

Jack: "I don't want to. I quit."

Me: "You can't quit, buddy."

Jack: "Then I retire."

The Trip - Part 2

2010-11-10T07:34:00.004-05:00

Like I said in the earlier post, Unmentionable and I had this crazy conversation on the way to South Bend that illuminated and enlightened our minds as to each other.

Turns out we are both weird -- but in different ways. We did know that before, (it's pretty obvious) but now we know it in a new way.

Unmentionable is the kind of person who should be in the army. He loves rules, directions, order. He would be the first to volunteer for a job asked by his superior. His motto would be "mine is not to ask why, mine is just to do or die".

For heaven's sake, the more I think about it, the more the man is made for the armed forces. He wears his hair in a buzz cut and gets up before dawn every day because he LIKES it. He may have missed his true calling.

Not so with me.

If he and I stood before a superior officer that said, "I need you to do __________."
Unmentionable's response: Sir, yes, SIR.
Mine: "Why?"

In our discussion, I explained that my first reaction to someone telling me to do something is "Why?" This is what drives me. A need to understand.

Unmentionable is baffled by this. He is absolutely floored that I could utter such a response to a command. To him, this is total disrespect. You do not question authority.

I do. And it is my natural state.

He was horrified. For him, to ask why to an authority figure is the pinnacle of arrogance and disrespect.

I laughed and said....but why?

He just about had a conniption. I tried to explain that it isn't arrogance, just a need to understand. If I don't understand then I won't know why I'm doing it. If you can't prove to me why I should do this and why it's the right thing to do, then I'm not doing it. Wait....that sounded a little arrogant.

But it's so true. My favourite question is why. Throughout highschool especially, I needed to understand. Why do I have do that? Why do I have to wear a long skirt every day to school? Why is my mark so low on this math test? If someone can't back up their position with a decent response then I figured I didn't really have to listen. Yikes.

Isn't that horrible? As we drove through the USA together, chatting about this, I began to realize what an awful teenager I must have been. I had no idea how frustrating it must have been to be an authority figure to me.

We laughed. No, I laughed and Unmentionable shook his head in disbelief. We wondered which of our children would inherit my trait and which would inherit his.

It was a light bulb moment. It made me laugh and it made me sad. Laugh because I think a lot of things are funny and sad because I may have been and still be a very frustrating person to teach, direct and lead.

And that was our conversation. Perhaps it was not that interesting to read but I needed to put it down on "paper" so I wouldn't forget.

The End.

The Trip - Part 1

2010-11-08T09:44:00.004-05:00

A couple weekends ago, The Unmentionable and I went on a weekend getaway to South Bend, Indiana.
Through work Unmentionable did, we became friends with a woman who works for the University of Notre Dame in the athletic department. Athletic dept. = free tickets to games. So this sweet friend of ours invites us down to stay with her in her home and attend a university football game. For those of you like me, this means a BIG DEAL to a man.

And it was a big deal.

Last year was the first weekend we did this. We were amazed at what a big deal "game day" is in the States. We are talking HUGE.

I cannot even explain to you the craziness that goes on for a game. A game that happens every other weekend. Every other weekend is a home game in this town and that means that 80,000 people descend upon the stadium to watch the game. Those are just the ones with tickets. There are still thousands of others that just come to the campus to be part of the festivities and the tail-gating.

Tail gating, my friends, is another culture entirely. A strange phenomenon that only happens in the parking lot of a sporting event. I have never witnessed anything like it.

And then there is the actual game. The cheerleaders, the marching band, the national anthem, the airforce jets flying over breaking the sound barrier just as the national anthem is finished.

It's incredible.

And squishy.

And uncomfortable.

Picture sitting a piece of wood with no back on it, the size of a 2x6 board, with 80,000 other people. Your spot on the "bench" is marked by a number. Your number is 4 inches from the next number, so that if you put your bum dead centre on your number, you have a total of eight inches of space before you touch your neighbour. My bum is bigger than 8 inches. Turns out most of the people attending the games have bums even bigger than mine.

But overall, its a cool thing to do.

This year we went again. We attended a hockey game on Friday night and then Unmentionable and sweet friend's boyfriend went to the football game on Saturday. I didn't need to go again. Turns out this is more of a man thing to do. I went shopping. Everyone was happy.

The weekend was so fun. Other than a football game on Saturday afternoon, Unmentionable and I spent loads of time hanging out, walking all over the beautiful campus of Notre Dame (this place is gorgeous!) and eating in different restaurants, just being together.

If you ever get a chance to go and see Notre Dame, it is worth the trip. The University in our home town is beautiful and about 30,000 students attend there. Notre Dame is gorgeous, well-maintained and filthy rich. Only 8,000 students attend there. And the facilities are incredible.

On the trip down, Unmentionable and I had the most enlightening conversation we'd had in ages. This is another post altogether because it was so interesting. It took a good portion of the trip and had us laughing hilariously and completely astonished that we had just discovered this pattern of behaviour in our lives despite that we have been married 14 years.

I'll leave you there, waiting, with bated-breath, for the next post where you discover just how strange and different two people can actually be.

New house.

2010-11-04T09:59:00.007-04:00

Finally! I've finally posted a few pics of our new place. Sadly, the pics are pretty small. If you know how to make the pics on a blog bigger without making them fuzzy, please let me know.

Time for the tour...

School Room (hard to tell but it's a nice bonus room over the garage/family room)

Laundry Room (which I love!!)

Dining room

Kitchen

Family Room

That's all I have for now. If you want to see it in real life, feel free to pop in.

Not Okay.

2010-10-27T14:50:00.002-04:00

I found this in my bedroom:
Not sure if you can see it. It's a picture of an unhappy face and the message above it states:

"You are goning to die okay."

No, not okay, actually.

I don't think this note was actually meant for me, even though I discovered it on my bed. There was a serious game of cowboys and bad guys going on in the house and I'm thinking that it had to do with that.

But it isn't nice to go into your room and find this sorta thing on your bed. It made me a little antsy. And it wasn't the actual message that made me antsy...it was the spelling.

Man, we really have to work on spelling. Not a proud moment for a homeschooler.

Grateful.

2010-10-22T14:17:00.002-04:00

It's been a really long time...again. Sorry about that.

So much has happened. I don't even know where to begin. Little things have happened and big things have happened. You won't believe what's gone on here, the things Jack has said, the stuff we've done. (Is it bad when your four year old son calls you Toots?? I think so too.)

We'll start with the big stuff.

We moved. We sold our house and bought a new one in a whirlwind situation. A good whirlwind, if there is such a thing.

Nutshell version: We told our family we thought we'd put our house up for sale in the fall. My brother mentioned a friend that he thought might be interested in buying our place. We contacted this friend and his wife. They came over and we showed them our place. We sat and chatted and ate brownies and icecream. They left. The next day they called to say they'd take it.
(I think it was the brownies ~ they were that great mix from Costco.)

We had seen a place we liked on the MLS. Went to see it. Put an offer on. It was accepted. We moved about 22 days later. Like I said, whirlwind. But it was awesome.

So here I am, typing away in my new house. We haven't been here two weeks and we love it. LOVE. IT. It has been so great for all of us. The Unmentionable One has had a hard time returning to work because he loves being here. How great is that? (Except when it comes time to pay the bills, then it might not be so great.)

Every morning I have woken up grateful. Grateful for what God has done for us. This is totally from Him. Grateful that we get to live here. Grateful for the space.

And since moving here, some interesting things have happened and I've learned a few things too...here they are:

-I've learned to chop wood
-I've used a dishwasher in my own home for the first time. And I wonder why the heck I never had one of these amazing inventions of mankind before. What was I thinking?
-I've learned to drive a four-wheeler and have taken my kids for rides in the bean field behind our house
-I've met our new neighbours who brought over a home-made apple pie. As if!
-I've had the mayor pop by just to say hi and welcome to the neighbourhood (what planet am I on??)

So that's what has been happening here. In another post, I'll show you some pics of our new place so you can see where it is we live.

And if you're in the area, feel free to pop in.

The Dress

2010-08-31T12:01:00.003-04:00

Really, this time I mean it. Here it is. It's already been borrowed and returned, so if you need a dress for a party -- this is it!

Only Sisters Would Do This

2010-08-25T13:37:00.003-04:00

My sister is awesome. She is the elder of us two and is truly, the most generous person I know. She also has a very warped sense of humor and when I get her laughing, she has a serious cackle-like laugh. My mom has always said that when we are at a party or in a large group, she can hear us cackling to one another no matter where she is in the room.

Anyhow, my sister and I play this little game. When one of us is in need of something, anything really, from the other, we call each other and start a sort-of "radio program" conversation.

Here's an example:

My sister phones me.

Me: Hello?
Her: Is this Cooking with Erin?
Me: Yes, it is. How can I help you?
Her: We have a caller on line 2 who has a cooking question.
Me: Put her through.
Her: Hello?
Me: Hello! You're on the air. Welcome to Cooking with Erin, how can I help?

And from there, we have a conversation about whatever recipe she needs, advice she requires etc. It makes a boring old question much more interesting.

Here was today's episode:

Me calling my sister.

Her: Hello?
Me: Is this Harrison's Sanity Services?
Her: Yes it is. How can we help?
Me: We have a caller on line 2 who is need of some serious help.
Her: Put her through.
Me: Hello?
Her: Hi! You're on the air. What can I do for you?
Me: Um....I have five kids.
Her: Say no more.
Me: Yeah, I don't think there's much more to say today.
Her: Are they safe? Have you put them in a room together and shut the door?
Me: Yes, I have.
Her: What else do you need?
Me: Sugar. In some liquid and solid form. And quiet. And may be my book.
Her: Well, if you'll give me a few minutes, I can help for sure...

And so goes the conversation, with much laughing and carrying on. And her Sanity Services saved my day by offering to meet me at a park so all the kids could play and we could sip and snack on sugary-things and peacefully pass the afternoon away.

Only a sister knows to do that.

Me...in the dress.

2010-08-04T22:48:00.003-04:00

Here I am...with the bride at the wedding. I'm the one in black.

I'm wearing the dress again this weekend. I will try very hard to get a picture of it...from the front.

Summer Update

2010-08-01T20:24:00.006-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted, so I thought that I'd bring you up to speed on how things are going.

We're having a great summer. The weather has been supremely hot here and though I don't love the heat, we have still managed to do some fun things.

A few weekends ago, we went camping at Bon Echo Provincial Park. This is a beautiful park with a big lake, gorgeous rock outcroppings and great sites. I would totally recommend it, despite the five hour drive to get there.

Here's a sorta crappy picture of the kids at the lake.

When we first got to the lake, we saw this young couple smearing grey mud all over themselves (head to toe and all between) and then they started posing for silly pictures. It was...odd. But mildly entertaining. Then we realized that this fun muddy-clay stuff could be found at the bottom of the lake out in the deeper water.
I told the kids to get some and smear it on themselves and I'd take pictures. We had just begun the smearing process when a nice little girl swam by. She started chatting with us and as we covered our arms in the mucky stuff, I suggested that it was probably really good for our skin.

She says, "Nah, it's not good for your skin. It gives you Swimmer's Itch"

Ahem. Excuse me? What does it give us? She quickly added that teeny mites live in this clay and if you leave it on your skin, they bite and give you an all-over itchy rash.

We quickly washed. And I wondered about the cute couple that had covered themselves, seriously, head to toe in this stuff.

Thankfully, we avoided The Itch.

We hiked, we paddled, we slept, we ate, we swam and we fished.

It was Jack who caught the one and only fish. And this fish was a good sized fella.

Before we left for the trip, we bought him this cheap-o "Lightning McQueen" fishing rod from Crappy Tire. You can see it, red and yellow, in his hand. This little rod caught us a big fish that we ate for supper. Jack was a little disappointed that he didn't get to keep the fish and take it home. How we managed to get this fish in the boat is another tale altogether.

All in all, the trip was a great time.

Although camping is a dirty way to vacation, I do believe it is the perfect holiday for kids.

Lazy. Random. Thoughts.

2010-07-20T21:53:00.003-04:00

It's summer -- we're supposed to be having the lazy, hazy days.

Which is totally my excuse for not blogging in the last few weeks. Summer is just too dang short to be sitting at a computer telling you all about my dullsville life.

So here's the latest...

-went to The Wedding last weekend, wore The Dress and had no issues with bra lines, hem lines, panty lines etc. I didn't get a picture of myself in the dress. Whoops. But I will and then I'll post it and by the time it gets up here you'll be wondering why I've posted a pic of myself in a dress.

-currently, I'm packing and cooking for a short camping trip. I'm very excited about this. I just pulled 8 gorgeous blueberry scones out of my oven and will freeze them to take with us. It's killing me having them sitting right there -- just outside my reach from here at my computer. And believe me, I've tried to reach them from here at my computer.

-today we went blueberry picking at a great place just outside town called Kustermans. I highly recommend their berries. There were 29 of us that went -- all moms and kids and it was super. I've been other places that aren't so happy to see 9 mom and 20 kids roll in, but this place is very child-friendly. They get a kid-friendly stamp of approval from me.

-this is my final random thought. I have this beautiful pic that a friend took at The Wedding of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Mentioned and two of our boys. I love it. I'm sharing it with you -- but don't tell on me. You can't really see Mr. Unmentionable, so I think this is fair game.

Hope you are having a lovely summer...

Success.

2010-07-08T22:14:00.002-04:00

The dress has been purchased. The shoes were a miraculous part of the experience. You'll never believe it. Photos to be posted later.

I love happy endings.

To Heck with the Dress.

2010-06-14T21:01:00.003-04:00

I'm in a bit of a conundrum. Is that how you even spell conundrum? I have a wedding to go to this summer and I need a dress. I was thinking a sundress. I was thinking that I would walk into the mall and purchase a sundress. I was wrong.

I have been kinda looking for this dress a couple of times now. I've been to two or three shops, good ones, that actually sell dresses but I'm struggling.

Now, I'm not an old lady. But I'm not super trendy. I am the jeans and t-shirt mom. They're nice jeans and a clean t-shirt (most days) but I don't wear super-trendy stuff. So buying a dress is a problem.
.

Dilemma #1:
I saw a cute dress today in the window of a shop at the mall. The mannequin was wearing it. She lookrd nice, despite her lack of a head. I stood there and stared....

What kind of a bra do you wear with that? Do you wear one at all? This is a problem. Now the dress I saw was not the dresses pictured below exactly, but the neck line was the same. Please, I'm begging you, educate me on what sort of undergarment goes with this??

Can anyone help me here?

Then I see these in the store and I think I actually shuddered:

Oh heavens.

Yes, these are acid-washed leggings. I am afraid of these. Can you imagine trying these on, let alone purchasing them?

Dilemma #2:
This is about boobs. I don't want to show my boobs. And frankly, I'm tired of seeing other women's boobs.
And I don't want to wear a strapless dress. But there are very few dresses out there that are not strapless. In my opinion, there are only two options when wearing a strapless dress:
a. you end up hiking up the front of your dress all day

b. the dress is so tight it stays up, however, it's so tight, you get back-fat bunching up above the top of the dress. Believe me, I've seen it. It's not the look I'm after.

Dilemma #3:
Dresses that are so short they are actually shirts. I'm seeing this everywhere I go. Do women not have to bend over anymore? How on earth would I pick up my one year old son wearing a dress like that? Are you supposed to wear little leggings underneath it?

Are their classes on this stuff I can sign up for?

Dilemma #4:
I bought a dress last week. At the grocery store. I know, I know, I can do better. But it was one of those cute t-shirt style dresses and I liked it...and it was like $14, so I threw it in with the bananas and the diapers.
I get home. I put on the dress. I go outside and catch a glimpse of myself in the reflection off our black truck. I am in need of a slip.
Do girls these days even know about slips? Is this like, so out of date it's like mentioning a corset? Oh wait, corsets are back....we just call them Spanx now.

So I went in the house and put on a slip. I had to do some serious digging to find it.

I'm not trying to rant or rave or be silly here, my dear reader. I'm honestly wondering what to do. Is there some way of getting an education on these issues before going out into public and making a complete fool of myself?

Or should I just go to the wedding in some nice linen pants and a cute top?

I'm counting on you to comment here. I'm begging, pleading, typing on my knees right now...

Help wanted. Help NEEDED!

One more.

2010-06-10T21:54:00.002-04:00

Tonight is my last night alone.

He-Who-Cannot-Be-Mentioned is coming home. For you readers who were not aware of his absence, he has been away. Far far away. Never this far before, ever. (overseas)

But seeing as I can't speak of him, I've already said too much.
(He was on a missions trip to Ukraine.)

But he's been away for two weeks. Two long weeks. I've gotten much accomplished in these two weeks like:
-staying alive and keeping five kids alive
-making fairly crappy meals for me and five kids
-cleaning the van (that is an accomplishment)
-making jam
-spending money
-going to the Toronto Zoo and Hockey Hall of Fame
-cutting the grass, twice.
-having the van fixed
-crying myself to sleep, okay, may be not, but I did think about it
-hanging out with my sister and her kids, almost every day for two weeks
-cleaning up the barf of three kids...not a good time

So, all in all, not an entirely wasted two weeks.

I am excited. Tomorrow is the big day. He returns home.

But I did NOT mention him here. You've never even heard of him. He doesn't exist in the cyber-world.

This post did not happen.

History Repeating...

2010-06-08T15:18:00.002-04:00

On Monday my sister and I took all our kids to the Toronto Zoo. I love the zoo. But it wasn't always that way.

Many years ago, I went to the zoo, again with my sister...and her grade 2 class. That made me about 4 years old. My mom was one of the trip moms so I got to go too. My only memory from that trip is of a dark and scary hallway of an exhibit that had glass cases on either side full of snakes, lizards and bugs.

I hated snakes, lizards and bugs. Still do.

I can recall myself, covering my face with my hands, being led by my mother down this hallway, crying my little eyes out. It was a horrible experience. I was very afraid and no amount of rational talk from my mother would calm me down. Fear is not rational, I have discovered.

So, on Monday, I walk into the same exhibit and immediately know for a fact that this is where I had my four-year-old melt down. This was the place. I did not want to go in. But I faced my fears and walked down the hallway of hell like a grown-up should.

Only moments before, history had repeated itself.

My daughter is freaked out by the Komodo Dragon. We went into that exhibit and she lost it. Tears, weeping, gnashing of teeth....the whole show. I could only get her to go through the exhibit by having her cover her face while I led her, protecting her with my body, to the end of the glass cage. Then she was fine. Sorta. At least the wailing stopped.

It was kinda funny just because I know how she felt...exactly how she felt. Fear is not rational. She did know that the Komodo wasn't getting out, she did know that it wouldn't eat her then and there but it did not matter. Even when it was bed time and the lights went out, we had a little chat about the Komodo dragon not coming and hiding in her bed. Here's how it went down...

Me: "So, even if the Komodo got out of his cage, do you think he could come to our house?"

She: "May be."

Me: "He can't."

She: "Why not?"

Me: "Because if he got out, he'd never survive walking down the 401 to get here. He'd die."

She: "Oh. Really??"

Me: "Yep. He'd eat someone in Mississauga or Guelph first and wouldn't even make it to London."

Nice, eh?? Good thing we don't live close to the zoo.

In a Jam.

2010-06-01T16:08:00.004-04:00

So today I made jam. Strawberry jam. The strawberries are in season early here, so I ran out to our local grower, The Heeman Family, and I bought a flat of beautiful red berries.

A while ago I was at my mom's and she had the most delicious homemade strawberry jam in her fridge. I ate some and felt like I'd had a burst of summer in my mouth. I asked who made it, got the recipe and was VERY excited to make this myself.

While looking on the Heeman's website, they recommended a different jam recipe, saying that it was by far the best recipe the Heeman family had ever used. That's a pretty big statement coming from strawberry experts like them.

So I decided to try both. A batch of each...and see who won this duel.

The first recipe from my mom's friend (Type A) required 4 cups of strawberries and 7 cups of sugar. Whoa. I like white sugar but even for me, that's a lot of sugar.

The second type, let's call it Type B (ingenious, I know) was far less sugar. Four cups of berries to a measly 1.5 cups of sugar. That's a big difference.

I made the first batch - it's the kind you cook and the jars have to seal and all that jazz. Total time: 1 hr. and a half. Not bad. It looked like jam. The only complaint was that it boiled over on my stove top and made a nasty red mess. Not really the jam's fault.

Type B took about 20 minutes total. Again, quite a different amount. It was simple. Basically you mash, then you stir. You stir again. You place in jars. No boiling over. Not even a chance of being burned by boiling strawberry goo.

Results: Turns out I doubled Type A because I don't know why. I have 18 jars of Type A Jam.
Type B, well, I was running low on berries by this point, so I only made 5 jars.

So about five minutes ago, I laid out a piece of brown bread, cut it in half, and put Type A on one chunk and Type B on the other. The official taste test.

Type B looked nice. I ate it first. It was so so so good. Like eating summer from a jar.

Type A looked nice. I ate it next. It tasted like strawberry jam with about 7 cups of sugar in it. I think I tasted strawberry. Mostly I tasted sweet.

So now I have 18 jars of jam I don't really like and 5 jars of jam I will never share. So if you want some strawberry jam, let me know. It's free. I just need to have the jar back so I can fill it with the good jam.

Seriously, you can have some. I'll even drop it off. For all I care, you can dump it in the garbage. I am very disappointed. Not to the point of tears or anything, but really, 18 jars of the lesser jam? What a waste.

If you want the recipe of the good jam, let me know. I'll save you the hassle!

Scary Flower

2010-05-29T20:59:00.003-04:00

I have issues with certain types of flowers. Some flowers totally freak me out. I don't know what it is about these flowers in particular but they will never ever be in my home or garden.

The first flower I dislike because it weirds me out is this one:

The Iris. Hate it. It looks like a dragon ready to eat me.

I also have problems with this one:It's not a great pic...but it's a Yucca plant. This plant is scary. Even the name describes it. Yucca.

I have issues with almost all succulents and cacti. If I go into a store and they have those mini cacti in pots, I walk waaaaay around them. You're not touching me with your hideous prickly hairs, nasty plant. Here are a few...

This one is going to grab me as I walk by.

Disgusting.

I get the heebie-geebies just looking at the fat leaves and gross colour. I can barely look at my own computer screen right now.
I'm going to barf.

There are other flowers I hate as well. For various reasons.

I hate gladioli...These poor flowers aren't scary to me, but they are in every single funeral flower arrangement ever. Poor things. Everyone associates them with death. They'll never grow in my garden.

I also strongly dislike begonias. They make me shudder.

But my most hated flower in the world, I don't even know the name of. I just know it by seeing it.
You see, growing up in south London in our family home, my sister and I shared a room. This room had three pink walls and one wall of wallpaper. And what was on this wallpaper?? Flowers. All in different shades of pink -- a tone on tone sort of affair. Some of the flowers were happy nice flowers but there was this one flower in the wall paper that my sister and I HATED. It was so freaky. We wouldn't touch it on the wall. It was the one that grew tentacles out of itself at night and wrapped them around our tender young necks and strangled us. It was the one that bugs poured out of and snakes slept in. It was evil. We hated that flower and so we hated that wall paper.

The funny thing about it was these feelings were generally unsaid between us. It was just understood. We hated the bad flower. Recently, we spoke of it. That dang, nightmare creating flower. And we laughed our heads off. And our mother....she thought we'd gone crazy. But she did remember the wallpaper.

So my childhood has definitely altered any normal feelings towards flowers. I am a freak. I blame in on the wall paper of 26 Fennell Cres. I may seek therapy about this. Help us all if the scary flower really does exist.

Guess Who's One!

2010-05-24T11:01:00.004-04:00

Tasting the cupcake...

Scarfing the cupcake...

Wearing the cupcake...

And again...

2010-05-20T16:23:00.003-04:00

Turns out he really, really likes dirt.

Is this normal?

I think this is third time I've caught him...
Apparently it tastes good to an almost-one-year old.
Ya got a little something on your face, buddy.

2010-05-03T17:15:00.003-04:00

On Saturday I did yard work.

I turned around at one point to see Teddy eating a handful of soil.

Turns out he likes it.

All I Ever Needed to Know In Life, I Learned from Ravioli

2010-04-28T12:30:00.012-04:00

I've done it. I've tried 48 new recipes.

This was my new years resolution and it has been accomplished. Never before in the history of my life has a resolution been accomplished before May 1. Never again, I'm sure. Unless it's to gain weight, shop more, or something along those lines. The key to a successful resolution is....you gotta like it. And I liked it.

I'll post the list of the 48 recipes on another post, another day. But I want to focus on my final recipe, the last hurrah.

I decided to make my own ravioli. Here's a little background:

A bunch of friends (and me) went to Milestones restaurant for dinner on March Break. Two of us had the Butter Nut Squash Ravioli. It was amazing. I loved it. I wanted more.

I started googling ravioli recipes and found several and then I discovered videos of how to make ravioli. Several of them ~ and they looked like fun.

I got myself a couple of the necessary tools (a checkered pin and a ravioli/pastry cutter in pics above and below) and I was off to the races.

I decided to make two kinds. The butter nut squash version was for me and the Unmentionable One and a cheese version was for the kids.

Here's a pic of some of them sitting ready to be cooked.

I didn't take pics along the way because my hands were covered in cheese and squash puree.

I think they look like little pillows.

See? This little playmobil guy did too! (Thank you, Jack)

My biggest concern was having them burst in the water. I'd heard tales of this woe on the internet. Makes the water gross and the ravioli, well, empty.

Here they are -- no bursting so far!
And, the final analysis:
Yum!
Butternut Squash Ravioli with tomato sauce, goat cheese, toasted pecans and fresh basil.

Thank you, Milestones!

Note:
Although this was a tasty meal, it was a very small meal. I didn't take pictures of all the kids eating peanut butter sandwiches after they were done the ravioli. Next time, double the recipe.

Too Much Moxie

2010-04-26T16:58:00.003-04:00

On Saturday night, He-Who-Cannot-Be-Mentioned and I went on a date. A real date. No kids. Just the two of us. I know, I know...a shocker!

It was fun! Despite my sister's teasing that we'd have nothing to say to one another and would stare blankly at each other from across the table, we surprisingly had tonnes to talk about, catch up on, analyze and laugh at.

We started with dinner at Moxies.

Can I just tell you right now that there seems to be an epidemic in downtown London on Saturday nights? It scares me...it could be contagious. Beware.

It seems that women -- no matter age, size, shape, socio-economic status or shoe size are FORGETTING TO PUT ON THEIR PANTS.

I felt like running up to Talize, buying a bunch of pants in several sizes and handing them out to these poor souls who left the house in such a hurry that they forgot to put on some bottoms.

It's almost like they realized it, took off their headband and put it on as a skirt.

I've come to know that when at Moxies, the "hostessing" staff at the front door tend to be a little scantily clad. The girl seating us had to tug, tug, tug at her (Lu-Lu Lemon headband turned skirt) bottoms the entire time she walked us to the table.

I don't want to see your bum, sweet pea.

But it got worse. I know I sound like an old fuddy-duddy right now, but I am honestly shocked that so many women would stand in front of the mirror before they left and think that a skirt that barely covers your bum WHEN STANDING would be in any way a comfortable thing to walk or sit in. And it's the tugging...the constant tugging that bothers me.

As customers walked by our table to get to their own, I saw more flesh than I ever cared to see in one evening. Flesh here, flesh there, flesh everywhere. And not just legs and bums. Boobs and cleavage in all shapes and sizes.

And what was I wearing? I'll have you know that I looked like a total homeschooling geeky mom. I was covered from chin to toe. I had on a turtle neck sweater and a pair of jeans...and socks...and shoes. And I was totally the odd one out. By far I was wearing reams and reams more fabric than most women in that restaurant.

I digress. The point has been made. I am appalled by the current fashion trend.

But back to the date. We had a lovely dinner (as in the food) at Moxies and then headed to Chapters (we both love hanging out there and reading for free!) for a while before we returned home to free our babysitter from the five freaky kids.

All in all, it was a fabby night out on the town. I'm sure we'll do it again in the next 8 to 10 months.

Man of Many Faces

2010-04-17T21:15:00.010-04:00

Irritated.

Happy.

Curious.

Angry.

Thoughtful.

Just darn cute.

Why I Love Spring

2010-04-15T16:38:00.002-04:00

1. Clothes on the line. So totally therapeutic to me AND now that our Smart Meter is installed, so very frugal.

2. BBQ. This opens up a whole new world of cooking fun.

3. Windows open. I can see my curtains billowing with the breeze.

4. Birds singing. When Big Liver Girl and I go running early in the morning the robins are awake and singing their little hearts out.

5. Kids outside. They are out there every waking moment they can be. The mess is out there. Love it.

6. Flowers -- I can see them popping their little heads out these days. My tulips are almost in bloom.

7. More daylight. I'm loving that we can bike at 8 pm and it's safe!

8. Bikes -- last night was my first bike ride of the season. It was beautiful but a tad bittersweet, as it only takes about 4 minutes sitting on a bike seat to remember that it takes several hours of sitting on a bike seat before it's comfortable.

9. Soccer -- just a few weeks away.

10. Gardening. I cannot wait to order mulch. I love the smell of fresh mulch.

Never Again.

2010-04-12T08:18:00.006-04:00

I had a really busy weekend. Lots of stuff going on...good stuff, fun stuff but lots nonetheless.

This was the kind of busy that had nothing to do with my family -- most of it was work that had to be done for soccer, away from the house. So I was out for most of the weekend, leaving my husband (whom, by the way, is trying to limit his "virtual footprint" so I am no longer able to talk about him on my blog or on facebook. -- that's a whole other very interesting and amusing post) and my kids to handle things on their own.

Hmmmmm....wanna know how that went?

Not too bad. On Saturday when I left for the afternoon/evening to travel to the States to pick up some equipment, my last words to He-Who-Cannot-Be-Mentioned were: "I want to come home to five live children and 1 happy husband." And when I did get home, that's what I found.

On Sunday afternoon, I had a soccer event here in town that took me away all afternoon again. On the way home, in the van, as my sister-in-law is talking to my brother on her cell phone, he casually mentions that I should take a peek at my eldest son's leg when I get home. A simple statement....but an understatement.

When I get home, things were a bit crazy because we were all heading out to church and I was bit late. Not until I get to church and see the large patch of gauze on my son's leg, do I remember to ask him about it.

So buddy, what happened to your leg?

I chopped it with a machete.

Pardon me? I thought I heard the word machete?

Yep. I was cutting a tree with a machete in the bush and I missed and hit my leg.

Where was your dad?

Right there.

Where did ya get the machete?

From dad.

Let's just end the conversation right there. But it did go on. Oh yes.

After a consult in the church kitchen with several dear ladies who used to be nurses, we went to my brother's house (he's a First Aid Master, loves this kind of stuff, has all the gear and has been very well-trained) and he cleaned and patched up the leg. I then called my friend who is a doctor and asked her about tetanus. We're up to date so all is well.

And yet again another story to add to the list. Poisoned spears from Papau-New Guinea, Air Soft guns and teeth, and now machete scars. Lovely.

I am never leaving again.

Unhappy Birthday

2010-04-07T21:06:00.004-04:00

Today was Jack's fourth birthday. He was so excited when he woke up this morning. All he could think about was presents, cake, and a party.

Before you get too excited, let me explain that parties at our house are not really that exciting. We don't do, rather I don't do kid birthday parties very well. They scare me. A party here consists of the dinner of your choice, a cake and a couple of presents. May be there might be balloons...may be not. However, we still celebrate, sing at the top of our lungs and have fun.

Not today.

It started out alright, that's for sure. Jack was excited. All of us (including my husband) went out for lunch to celebrate. We did a few errands this afternoon and then went home to cook, bake a cake, wrap gifts etc.

Not only am I crappy at kid birthday parties, I'm crappy at cakes. Really, really crappy. Jack wanted a dirt-bike cake. Here's what I think when I hear that: put a dirt bike on top of a slab cake. But this year, I stepped it up a notch. I didn't make a slab cake. I made a layer cake. Wowza...now you're impressed. Funny thing about layer cakes is that they need waaaaaay more icing than slab. Whoops.

About an hour before the big party, Jack starts acting tired and a little whiny. His cheeks get red and before I know it, he's got a nasty fever and is not the least bit interested in a party. As I put the finishing touches on the ugliest cake ever (read: take a dirt bike, shove it on the top of the cake and toss on some store-bought green icing to look like grass), and get supper on the table, he's fast asleep on the couch.

We ate dinner as he slept. We had cake and icecream as he slept. We watched him sleep while we opened his presents. I'm kidding...we're not that mean. But here's my big four year old boy, celebrating his happy day...comatose.
Oh, and in case you think I'm just being modest about being the absolute WORST cake decorator on the planet....here's People's Exhibit A:
I rest my case.

Food...again.

2010-04-04T21:28:00.005-04:00

The other night we had these really freaky carrots for dinner.

I found them at our local grocery store...in a bag...like regular carrots. But these are called "Heirloom" carrots.

Here they are unpeeled, just outta the bag.
Yep, that's them. Purple, gold, white, and of course, orange. These are freaky. But check them out once they are peeled.
So bright...now here they are chopped.

How cool is that? And if you're wondering what they tasted like...they tasted like carrots. Honestly, if you closed your eyes while eating them, you would've never known.

When I cooked them, the dark purple colour tended to bleed onto the white carrots so they came out a pretty mauve shade.

The kids all tried them, except for the one child who doesn't eat cooked carrots. He figured that if he didn't like orange ones, he definitely didn't like purple, gold or white ones.

I also did an experiment by feeding the baby ONLY purple ones. He ate quite a few. But I promise I will not post any pics of the results of the experiment.

Bad.

2010-03-31T21:34:00.004-04:00

I'm a bad blogger. I really would rather read everyone else's than write my own these days. There isn't a whole lot of exciting news around here and so it feels like there isn't much to write about.

But who says blogging is all about big stuff? It generally isn't. It's the day-in, day-out sorta craziness we all endure that makes reading blogs so much fun. If every day I was writing about my wild and wonderful life, you wouldn't want to read that, would you?? (So today I went sky diving for the first time and yesterday my cooking date with a famous chef was just incredible and tomorrow, we leave for our 3 week trip on the yacht we just bought with our inheritance from crazy Aunt Hattie who died of creeping padangra while paddling her canoe through the amazon rain forest.) Boring! You were bored, weren't you??

So here's what's been going on in my world. It's certain to leave you breathless and begging for more.

Recipes. Remember how I was going to try 48 new ones this year? It's only the end of March and I'm on #33. Pretty good, eh? Here's a list of the keepers:
-Julia Child's Filet of Sole with Mushrooms and White Wine Cream Sauce. KILLER!
-Pioneer Woman's Pasta with Bacon and Mushrooms. This is a wicked side dish. Try it.
-Cinnamon Bun Pancakes with Maple Syrup Icing....oh dear. I'm trembling just typing this one.

Now...here are the ones that need to be tossed out.
-Perfect Pound Cake. Is. Not. Perfect. You'd think that 1.5 cups of butter, 3 cups of sugar and 5 eggs would taste better than that. Dis-a-ppointing.
-Apple Pork Chops. Waste of time. (and pork)
-Caramel Apple Sauce (from the newspaper -- did not turn out...could be me.)

So that' me in the cooking department. Other than food, my life is filled with homeschooling, laundry, and cleaning. Really. Oh, and soccer. But seeing as I'm not actually playing soccer yet, just working at soccer...it's not that fun.

There's the update. Just try and calm down now. I know it's been a wildly exhilarating post to read so just make yourself a cup of tea, take three deep breaths and you should be fine in a few moments.

I'll be back again soon.

I like this.

2010-02-17T20:50:00.002-05:00

My friend posted this article on her blog and I really liked it. Especially if you home school, you may just find this encouraging. Even if you don't, it's a great article. It's from the NY Times and is about education in the USA. In my opinion, if this stuff is happening at home (whether you formally home school or just teach your kids this stuff aside from school) then you are a great educator for your kids. Enjoy.

I'll be back soon, I promise. Jack has been up to some antics and I need to share.

The time is here.

2010-02-09T14:25:00.002-05:00

So, soccer season has started. Today registration for the league that my sister-in-law and I run opened up. We've got a great start so far and are looking forward to warm sunshine and green grass.

But that's not here yet.

So for now, it's soccer. Soccer work. Like accounting, team-building, emailing etc. Which means that my afternoons of leisure here at home have come to an end. Which means I won't be blogging very much at all. Blogging is an off-season activity. Soccer is usually a May to September gig. But not for those who work behind the scenes. For us it's a January to October sorta gig.

That's what's been happening here. I'll still check my fave blogs to read but I just wanted to let you know that I won't be around for a bit.

Tis the season...

2010-02-04T21:38:00.002-05:00

This weekend we were planning on having friends over both Friday night and Saturday night for dinner. I was very excited to plan a menu with some of the new recipes I've been making of late.

Friday night we were having French Onion Soup, then a mixed greens salad with toasted pecans, goat cheese and a homemade sweet onion dressing. We were also having Flank Steak with Red Wine Garlic sauce and baby potatoes glazed with butter and herbs. For dessert, it was Perfect Butter and Lemon Poundcake with homemade lemon icecream with fresh raspberry drizzle. YUM!

Saturday night was Julia Child's own Beef Bourguinon with garlic mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, homemade rosemary buns and French Silk Pie for dessert. Double YUM!

But not now. Nope. Notice that I said 'was excited'. My. Kids. Are. Puking.

So plans change. Sadly, a lot of the work is done. Pecans are toasted. French Onion Soup is started. Sweet onion dressing is made. Raspberry drizzle -- ready to go. Steak ~ marinating as I type. French silk pie shell -- complete. I'm disappointed.

Tonight my daughter and I went out for girls night. We were just walking into the restaurant of her choice when my cell phone rang. (dang those things.) "MOM! Jack just puked all over the couch and Dad's not home yet." Thankfully, Daddy was just around the corner and was home in 30 seconds. My wonderful tough and rugged man did not call me home but told us to enjoy our evening. What a keeper.
We came home about 8 pm and not 20 minutes after I got in the door, sons #1 and #2 start heaving over the toilet. Nasty. And I had made them spaghetti for dinner. Double nasty. May be even triple nasty.

So....no guests this weekend. No fancy meals. Just crackers, gingerale and Lysol.

I guess it's flu season -- at least it is here.

Let it flow...

2010-02-03T20:56:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't blogged for a bit. We were away last weekend with my whole side of the family at this great indoor waterpark in Michigan. It was very nice, quite new, and a whole lot of fun for all of us. It had two big waterslides, a tiny pool for little guys, several mini waterslides, and a lazy river.

My fave was the lazy river. I just floated along on a tube with my 8 month old son sitting in my lap. It was wonderful. Until my four other children would sneak up on me and attack. Thankfully they never dumped me out of my tube -- baby boy was insurance that that was not going to happen. There are 18 of us on my side of the family ~ so picture 18 of use trying to go down the "lazy" (read: wild crazy laughter, splashing and screeching) river together -- holding on to one another's tubes without letting go. The poor lifeguards were NOT nearly as thrilled as we were by our fun.

After eating out for several meals, I did not feel so good. I'm not complaining 'cause I did it to myself. Who can resist the homemade buns and sweet butter at the Lone Star Saloon restaurant? And who, pray-tell, can resist the warm garlic bread sticks and salad at Olive Garden? It's just not possible. So while I may have burned a host of calories splashing, swimming and playing at Splash Universe, I probably gained every single one of them back (plus more!) with the meals we devoured. Swimming makes ya hungry!!

Now that we're back home and into the regular swing of things, my eight month old sweetie has decided to cut another tooth. This child could NOT possibly drool any more than he already is. My sweet husband wanted to buy him a neoprene pair of jammies! It pours out his mouth. It got so bad tonight, we made him look like a little cowboy by tying a Bounty papertowel around his neck like a little necker-chief. Cute, durable and quite absorbent.

That's life here....hope yours is a bit more...dry.

Resolution Updates

2010-01-25T21:20:00.004-05:00

Resolution #1: To Try New Recipes

Well, it's now January 26th. My goal was to try 24 new recipes this year. But, because it's going so well, I'm bumping it to 48 new recipes. So far I've made 18. I'm on a roll. And I can feel my bottom growing by the minute. Turns out I love butter. I told my kids that if I wasn't married to their dad, I'd marry butter. I did actually say that.

So far only one recipe has been voted off the island. Creamy peas are a no-go here. Not a friendly, I repeat, NOT a friendly. Who would've thought that adding butter, heavy cream and sugar to peas would be not-so-tasty? Trust me on this one.

Here's some really good ones and if you like, I'll send you the recipes:
-Salsa Chicken
-French Onion Soup (to-die-for)
-Beef Bourguinon (so good that I'm making it for company next weekend)
-Chicken Petrograd a la Pete
-French Silk Pie (I did actually kiss the French Silk Pie. If butter won't marry me, I'll ask French Silk Pie)
-Jitka's White Chocolate Party Mix (I made that name up myself...can you tell? But it's so good if you like sweet with salty)
-Famous Butter Chicken (there it is again, my future spouse)
-Buttered Rosemary Buns
-Honey Wheat Bread
-Italian Meatball Soup
-Perfect Pot Roast (and it actually was perfect)

These are the super duper yummy ones. The others were good too but hey, they can't all be five star recipes. I'll keep you posted. If I make it to the 48 new ones without gaining 22 pounds, it'll be a miracle. But boy, will it have been fun to get there.

#2 - Flossing My Teeth. This resolution came a little late in the game, but since my traumatic experience at the dentist last week, I have actually flossed every single day. And made my kids do it too. For some of you out there, this is just plain common sense. Turns out I'm lacking a little in that department.

#3. I only posted my one of my new years resolutions way back when I made them. Another one is to cut down on sugar. Seems silly that I cut down on sugar and UP the butter content in my life, but that's the way it is. You can't blame me. But after watching that scary movie FOOD INC., I decided I don't want to be that statistic about diabetes. So, we're drinking way more water and cutting out any juice. I've stopped buying pop. Dessert is only on weekends....except for tonight 'cause I found this fabulous recipe for a baked apple cake, dripping in a warm carmelly sauce. So good. But now we won't have anything till Friday. At least the kids won't. I need to polish off some cake.

Casual Observances.

2010-01-21T17:32:00.003-05:00

#1. It's the end of January. This means it is time to take your Christmas tree down. If you are still enjoying sitting in the glow of those white lights in the evening, get a ficus tree and toss some lights on it. Christmas is over. I know it's harsh, but it's truth.

#2. The new design of toilet paper holders has changed my life. The old kind, as seen below:

...was very difficult for some people to change. Somehow squeezing that spring-loaded little thingy was more than some folks could bear and so they left the old roll on and sort of, carefully balanced the new roll of TP on top of the cardboard insert of the old. BUT...the new kind...as seen here:
can miraculously be changed by anyone. It seems that it has brought about a new willingness in the lazy bathroom-user to switch the rolls! This is true genius and my hat goes off to the person who invented it.

#3. Grating cheese is like, the worst job in the kitchen. I'm happy to peel, scrub, wash, stir, cut, chop, whatever. But I hate grating. Is it true that a food processor makes all the difference??

#4. In and around our city, especially at bus stops, there are these poster/ads. They drive me crazy. Not because they are bad advertising or ugly, but because of what they imply about our society. I don't think these posters are wrong, no doubt they are accurate. But if they are....we're a bunch of rude and insensitive Londoners.

They are all ads for the LTC - London Transit Commission. Short for: the bus.

Poster/Ad #1: Please move all the way to the back of the bus.

Poster/Ad #2: Please offer your seat to those who need it most.

Isn't so sad that the LTC has to use advertising budget money for these kinds of messages? Should this not be common sense? common courtesy?? This drives me crazy.

I don't have the time or the energy for a full-on rant today, but I sure would like to see one. Perhaps two of my blogging, London friends could take up this cross, 'cause I'd sure like to hear Big Liver Girl or Loudshoes go off on this one.

Anyhow, that's it for today. Just some random thoughts on life. None of them very important or thrilling, but thoughts nonetheless.

Miserable.

2010-01-21T16:44:00.002-05:00

That's what I am. And really, I shouldn't be at all. But see, I went to the dentist today.

I don't believe in dentistry. I guess it's a necessary evil, but to me, it's just plain evil. I hate it.

It hurts. It's uncomfortable. It's expensive. It's painful. And you know what, I know pain. I can handle pain. I'm not braggin' but I had five kids sans epidural. I'm as tough as the next patient. BUT dental pain is like torture. At least with labour, once the pain is over you get a beautiful gift of a baby. With dentistry, the pain of the procedure is equal in pain to standing at the desk and paying the bill.

I had two cavities. I should know better. My excuse is that I had not been to the dentist for eleven years. No joking. E-LEV-EN. That's how much I loathe the experience. And after the mind-altering, nerve-wracking, head-rush-causing, chinese-torture-like discomfort I just experienced this afternoon, I probably will leave it for another eleven years.

So, the moral? Add a new resolution to the year's list. I WILL brush and floss like a fiend for the rest of the year and forevermore to never have to live through an afternoon like this one again.

Perhaps tomorrow I'll look back on this post and think that I exaggerated a little, but at this moment in time, I'm feeling rather sorry for my own self.

Red Neck Family

2010-01-18T13:00:00.010-05:00

This weekend the kids were playing outside. The weather had warmed up here just enough to make the snow PERFECT for building snowmen. It's always so cute to me when they build snowmen and because they're getting a little older, they don't need my help.

Turns out I should've been out there. They called me to the front yard and this is the scene that sits there...for all the world to see:

Two very large snowmen and one adorable snow-mouse. But look at little closer....

Yep. That's a bow in that snowman's hand. And...
Not sure if you can see the pistol in this snowman's hand. Wait...there's more:Don't forget the little sniper-snowman up on the top of our dead tree. But who or what are these little icy hunters after??

Why, a deer, of course.
(I had one of those cute white light deer statues that raises and lowers it's head...but a strong gust of wind blew it over one night and it was just laying in the snow.)

So...the little sick-o's took the head of it, build a snow-body for it and stuck a stick in it as the "arrow/bullet/slug" that took it's life. AND if you look closer, they took some red berries from one of our trees and squeezed them for the effect of....

Need I say more?

Guess WHO comes out of HIS workshop to see this masterpiece and starts laughing his head off? NOT ME.

You'd think that being home with them all day, every day, I'd have more of an influence on them than their father! Not true, dear readers. And all the more reason for me to try even harder. Red necks we may be....but not for long!

Funny stuff from today...

2010-01-12T13:20:00.002-05:00

#1.
Nolan is learning his multiplication tables. He was thrilled with himself this morning when, practicing by himself, he mastered the 6 times tables. He says to me, "Mom , can I scorch you with the flames of my times tables??"

Where do they get this stuff?

#2.

Mr. Practical Pants, Ethan, reads a quote from my fridge calendar that says, "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among the stars." His response: "No you won't. The moon is closer. It should be 'Shoot for the moon and if you miss, you'll land in the stratosphere.'"

I love the stuff kids come up with.

Resolutions

2010-01-11T17:43:00.002-05:00

I've finally decided on my new year's resolutions for 2010. I know, I know, it's January 11th, but it took me a while to decide what exactly I was resolved to do.

Now I don't do any high and lofty type of resolutions. No sireee. They just don't get done. But if I keep it practical, fun, and interesting, I am far more likely to achieve it. Last year one of my resolutions was to keep on top of the laundry situation here. Turns out I did it. Except for when we came home from holidays or weekends away, I did NOT have a mountain of laundry to deal with for the entire year. The key to my success? Do laundry all day, every day. Keep those machines running. For sure I do two loads a day. I also gave up separating whites from darks. Most things are colour-fast these days anyhow. And in 365 days, I never once pulled a once-white t-shirt that was now pink out of my dryer. (I did however pull out an entire load of orange streaked laundry.....turns out Jack put an orange crayon in his pocket and I didn't notice till after it had melted all over the clothes in the dryer.)

So...that one worked. So many choices for 2010. Would it be about exercise?? Nahh. Sounds painful. Would it be about eating right? Nah. Sounds....tasteless. How about it be about eating well? As in....more butter. More sugar. More white flour?? Nahh....sounds like next years resolution would be about weight loss.

Drum roll please....my BIG new years resolution for 2010 is: try new recipes. Lots and lots of new recipes. My initial goal was 24 new recipes over the year. That's only 2 a month. So...I've pumped it up to 4 per month.
So far so good. I've tried 4 new ones already and it's only the second week of January.
I've tried:
French Onion Soup ~ so good. It's from Cooks Illustrated magazine.
Salsa Chicken ~ yum. It's a keeper.
Cream Peas ~ sounds weird but I love allrecipes.com and this one got high ratings. It's cooking on the stove right now, so I'll let you know.
Best Baked Pork Chops - Cooks Illustrated again.

AND...I learned to make Chicken Petrograd and French Silk Pie this past weekend. They should really count too. So now I'm up to six. Not bad. 42 to go. If you've got any really good ones, send them my way!

Time to go....the timer is dinging...peas are ready!

I'll share with you.

2010-01-07T18:29:00.011-05:00

There are some recipes that are just way too good to keep to yourself. This bread recipe is one of them. I first received it from my dear friend, Wendy, and I have loved it since the first baking. It is so good and so easy. Don't shy away from it just because it's a home-made bread. There are only four ingredients. You don't have to knead it. You only stir and watch the magic happen.

There is one piece of equipment required that some people might not have. You need a dutch oven with a lid that can go into the oven at high temperatures. I have a Le Creuset enamel/cast iron pot. These pots are totally expensive. I think mine retails at about $220.00 but I got it used off eBay for $50. Well worth it. But if you have any plastic on your pot handles or lid, you will want to remove it before using this recipe. I know that usually the little handle on the lid can come off easy enough with a screwdriver but not so sure if your actual pot has plastic handles.
Here's a pic of my well-used, well-loved pot. It has a plastic knobby handle on the lid but it can withstand the 500 degree oven that this recipe requires.

First, you need to start this recipe at about 7 or 8 pm. It rises all night long and you can begin to work with it at about 9 am the next morning. It's a perfect lunch bread. You can also leave it alone all day and start working with it at about 2 pm to have for dinner. It's very patient bread.

So...
At 7 pm at night, mix together the following ingredients in a large bowl:
3 cups of white flour
1/4 teaspoon of yeast (I know, its a tiny amount but it works)
1 and 1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 and 1/2 cups of water (tepid) sometimes you need a dribble or two more water

Mix the dry ingredients and then pour in the water. The dough should be totally shaggy and sticky...almost like you need to add more flour...but don't. It's supposed to be like that. Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap. Now go and watch tv for the rest of the night. You're not back on duty with this bread until tomorrow!

The next morning, the dough will have risen quite a bit. In the pic below I increased the ingredients 1 and 1/2 times to get a bigger loaf....and it rose so much it almost came over the top of the bowl:
It's wet and bubbly. Basically the dough needs to rise for about 12 to 18 hours.

For lunch bread, dump the wet sticky dough onto a floured surface at about 9 am. Pat it with well-floured hands, squeezing out the air and roll it around till its sort of a ball. Also, take a piece of parchment paper, spray it with Pam, and set it in a good sized frying pan with the buttered side up. Carefully lift the dough ball and set it in the parchment paper. Lightly spray the top of the dough with some more Pam and put the piece of plastic wrap back on top. See pic below:
Let the dough rest for another 2 hours. (It should be about 11 am when you come back to it.)

At about 10:30 am (or 1/2 hour before you want to bake), turn your oven to 500 degrees and put your dutch oven, with lid on, in the oven to heat it up. Put it on the rack at the lowest position in your oven.

Let the pot heat for about 30 minutes till it's good and hot. Take the pot out of the oven, remember it's super duper hot. Remove the lid and lift the dough with the parchment as a sling, and place it carefully in the pot (without burning your hands). Let any extra parchment hang over.

Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Put the lid on the pot and place pot in the oven. Use oven mitts. :) Bake covered for 30 minutes. You should start to smell the wonderful scent of home-made bread shortly after that. After thirty minutes, open the oven door, take the lid off the pot and bake the bread for 10-15 minutes longer till it browns on top.

Lift the bread out of the pot by the parchment paper and set on cooling rack. It should be noon by now...happy lunch time!!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T12:20:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and all the best for a happy, healthy and joyful new year.

2009-12-22T15:56:00.003-05:00

My daughter is the only girl in our family. She is also the only grand-daughter on both my and my husband's side of the family. There are boys everywhere and in most cases, she handles it very well.

This week my sister took three of my boys for a sleep over with her two boys. My little girl was left out. Not on purpose, of course, but left out nonetheless. In chatting with my mom about it, she offered to have her for a sleep over, go shopping and do some fun stuff. It was a very good plan.

Since she is my mom's only grand-daughter, my mom decided it was high time she start spoiling this little girl. Keep in mind that my daughter is not a real "gift person" ~ which really goes against all the women on my side of the family. Gifts don't mean a lot to her ~ she values quality time over stuff.

So last night my mom decided to take her out to the mall and buy her something just for her ~ something girly so that the boys wouldn't be jealous. My mom had in mind a piece of jewelry...perhaps a bracelet or something. They traveled all over the mall looking for the perfect piece. It wasn't there.

They went back to my mom's to think about it. This morning they were going to go out and make a purchase. Kylie was feeling bad about her Granny spending money on her. She kept saying, "Don't spend your money on me, Granny. You still have to buy the turkey for Christmas!" My mom assured her that she had money enough for the turkey and a gift for Kylie.

When Kylie got up this morning my mom asked her how she felt about the jewelry ~ had she decided yet?
Kylie's response: "Can we go to TSC?"
For those of you who don't know, TSC stands for Tractor Supply Company. There is no jewelry in this store. There are tractors, bird seed, work gloves etc.
My mom figured she couldn't fight the genes in my little girl, so she agreed to go......instead of a cute little bracelet, can you guess what my sweet girl chose as her gift from her Granny?

It has no silver and no gold. No sparkles. No pink. Not even shiny.

She chose...a baseball cap. A blue Toronto Maple Leafs baseball cap. And....a car. A model of a Mustang. And she is very happy.

You know, you just can't fight it. She is who she is. A sweet, kind and loving little girl ~ but man, I have to blame Nate for some of this stuff!

The Nose Knows

2009-12-16T21:15:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about our sense of smell lately. Perhaps an odd thing to be thinking about but it is the path my mind has wandered along a few times recently so it might be time to write about it.

There's a lot of "banning of scents" in the city these days. I just overheard a conversation recently where a lady was complaining because her boss had asked her not to wear scented deoderant anymore because another employee in the cubicle next to her was having a reaction.

I think that's sad. Sad, of course, because she can't wear deoderant. But sad too, because there are people allergic to scent. The sense of smell, to me, is amazing. Truly. I can't think of a stronger element that can disgust you, please you, overwhelm you, or remind you. Specifically, the remind part. I can't believe how quickly I can be transported back in time by a whiff of something I recognize. Par example:

The Scent of My Grandfather: I don't even know the name of his cologne but whenever I smell someone wearing it, I tear up and want to run to the arms of the person wearing it. It must be a fairly common scent because I have smelled it before. I am transported back to one of the bone crushing hugs my Poppa used to give me.

The Scent of My Grandma's Pantry: Just the other day I was taken back to the old pantry off her kitchen when I opened a tin of home-baked chocolate chip cookies I had baked. It had never happened to me quite so strongly before. I was, all of a sudden, sneaking one of her cookies from her blue tin off the shelf in the old farm-house.

The Scent of Guilt: There is a cheap woman's cologne out there called Night Musk. If EVER I smell that crap, I feel awful in the pit of my stomach. When I was 15 I snuck out while my parents were away and met up with a German boy I had met only days before.(And came home at a very unreasonable hour, grounded for a few weeks, hence the guilt.) I doused myself in that evil cologne before I went and it still makes me feel terrible whenever I smell it.

The Scent of Clean: There are three of these:
Vinegar and Water for washing floors. This totally takes me back to my mom's kitchen as she always washed the floor with this mixture.

Sheets off the Clothesline: This is the scent of heaven trapped in cotton.

Ivory Dish soap: This is all I use because, again, I am transported to my grandma's kitchen. It's all she ever used to do her dishes and I love being reminded of her old farm house.

The Scent of my Husband: He has several scents but the one I actually like is the smell of lumber. There is a definite smell to it and many days he comes home smelling of freshly cut wood. It's a good smell.

The Scent of Christmas: This summer we were hiking in Vermont on top of some tall mountain covered in Balsam trees. It was like taking a long wander into Christmas. The smell was incredible and I tried to breathe as deeply as I could to take it all in.

I was thinking about my scent ~ will I leave a legacy of smells? Perhaps you think this is a funny question, but I do think of my grandfather and how I can go back in time to be with him when I smell him. With all the scent banning, I don't wear any particular perfume or body spray. But I want to. I want to leave my friends and family with a lasting memory of me when I'm gone...hopefully later rather than sooner.

There are a host of other smells that bring back feelings...like the smell of brand new baby (yum!) or the smell of formaldehyde (takes me back to grade 10 bio when I dissected a frog and poked it in the eye and something squirted out and hit me in the neck!), the smell of BBQ, and so many more. Will some of these memory-triggering scents be lost as we move into a scent-free world?? I hope not!

Dinner with Friends

2009-12-14T20:23:00.002-05:00

On Saturday night we went out for dinner with a bunch of friends. It was a great night ~ loads of laughter and good food. Conversation moved from one topic to another quite quickly but I have to admit that my favourite bit of it was when I mentioned the television painter Bob Ross.

Not sure if you know who Bob Ross is but I was amazed at the light that went on in people's eyes when I mentioned him. It was hilarious. The next twenty minutes at the restaurant was spent chatting about "Happy little trees", "there are no mistakes, just happy accidents" and his list of colours..."We'll start with a little raw sienna and blend in yellow ochre."

If you don't know who he is, then none of this will make any sense to you, but if you've been mesmerized with his half hour show of painting then you're actually in good company.

I'm considering ordering a t-shirt ~ turns out he has a great website. Who knew??

'tis the season

2009-12-10T21:51:00.002-05:00

It's starting to feel Christmas-y here. I'm not one for going over-board during the Christmas season but I do like a few decorations, some Christmas music, and of course, food.

By the way, thank you to a few of you who gave me some good ideas for boring-old-lunch. From Fancy Nancy's to quick homemade soups and hard-boiling eggs a dozen at a time, I think things might be improving at noon around here.

Every year I do a bit of baking, again not loads because then I just eat it or throw it out, but there are a few family favourites that need to be made every year. This afternoon I enjoyed a little bit of baking with my mother-in-law, making family recipes from their side. She is an excellent baker and makes the ultimate sugar cookie. I know you're probably thinking, "Did she just say ultimate and sugar cookie together?" But really, until you've tried them you have no idea what a real sugar cookie can taste like. My sister is jealous of my mother-in-law for many reasons (I have a good one and she doesn't) but the main one is the sugar cookies.

I think one of the fun things about baking with old family recipes is the names of the baked goods themselves. Some of my personal favourites are:
-Hello Dollies (many families make these ~ a graham crumb bottom with nuts, chippits, and coconut on top and then a whole can of sweetened condensed milk, baked till golden)
-Bugs (again many families make these ~ peanuts and chow mein noodles covered in chocolate)
-Cream Cheese Buttons (melt in your mouth no-bake cream cheese little things with a hint of mint)

Another new family fave is the big pretzel sticks dipped in milk chocolate and then rolled in Skor bits. Yum!

All this talk of food is making me want to snack ~ so I'd best be signing off and heading to the kitchen. Happy baking ~ and if you have any excellent family recipes, send them my way!

Lunch

2009-12-08T11:29:00.002-05:00

It's lunch time right now as I'm typing and I have to admit that I hate lunch time. I hate it only because I never know what to make for lunch. I have a list of about 4 things I make, it seems.
Soup and crackers.
Kraft dinner of some sort.
Bagels and cream cheese.
Veggies, dip, meat, cheese....an array of scraps from the fridge, basically.

So this week I've tried to really kick it up a notch. It's really pathetic. Here's the new fancy version of lunch.
Soup and home-made bread.
Pancakes.
Pillsbury crescent rolls with ham and cheese rolled in them.

Wow. I know. You think I'm just a wild and crazy cook. But you see, that is why I'm writing on this. Please, please, for the sake of my family, send me some new, tasty, creative and EASY ideas for lunch. We're dying here....

Just a Good Ole Boy...

2009-11-19T10:16:00.003-05:00

Recently my sister acquired the DVD's for the first three seasons of The Dukes of Hazzard. I question her sanity in purchasing such a series but I find that as we get older we get more and more sentimental about our childhood, so I can sorta understand it.

The other night she had my kids over to watch their very first episode of The Dukes of Hazzard. As we all sat in basement of her home, it was so funny to hear all the adults sing every word of the opening song. It's amazing what useless bits stay in the brain.

Nate and I stayed to watch episode #1 and then we had to leave. That was enough for me. I used to be in love with Luke Duke. I guess as a child I didn't realize how intellectually challenged he and his cousin, Bo, were. Really, stealing cop cars and breaking out of jail just because it's Daisy's birthday??

Like I was saying, Nate and I left after episode 1, and my sweet sister allowed the children (hers and mine) to watch FIVE STRAIGHT HOURS of Dukes episodes. I seriously wonder what brain damage was done to them that night.

Since that evening of fun, we have heard Duke-isms around the house like:

"Coo, coo"

"I'm gonna get them Duke boys!"

"Did you take a correspondence course in brains?"

As well as the token lines from the show, my little three year has decided he wants to dress like a Duke boy. (Mercifully, our one daughter has not decided to dress like Daisy.) What does a Duke boy dress like? Well jeans, of course...but did you know you must wear a button up plaid shirt completely unbuttoned? Here he is....my little Duke:
All morning he's been running around the house hollering, "I'm a Duke Boy! I'm a Duke Boy!"

I guess he's just like the song...."Just a good ol' boy...never meaning no harm."

Fall

2009-10-20T11:32:00.007-04:00

Teeth Repaired!

2009-10-14T21:18:00.002-04:00

We took Boy #2 to the dentist yesterday and she fixed his tooth. Before we went I was about to throw out the chunk of tooth that I had made Boy #1 look for in the woods...good thing I didn't. The dentist was able to use some dental cement and put the chunk right back on...it looked a little discoloured yesterday but by this afternoon you would never know it had been cracked in half. There is no line and the broken off bit has turned the same colour as the rest of the tooth!!

And all for the low, low price of #112.00. I was thinking it would be way higher!

Boys will be boys...

2009-10-11T08:07:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a work day at our house...the kids were cleaning the van, Nate was continuing to install the new siding on the house, etc. It was finally a day without rain.

Across the road from our place is a small green space the kids like to call "The Woods". So after the boys were done cleaning the van, Nate let them go over there and play "Air Soft." Now, Air Soft is a small pistol like gun that shoots tiny plastic balls. It's not supposed to hurt and the balls are biodegradable so that you can just leave them on the ground. I, personally, have chosen to NOT be shot at by one of these guns so I have no idea the force, velocity or pain that it can incur.

The boys had been over there about an hour when I hear one of them coming across the road, hollering like he's been...well, shot. Turns out that's what had happened.

Just so you know, they wear these big ski goggle type things for face protection. However, I never once thought they should have worn teeth protection. My eight year old runs in the house, hollering and crying and when I look at his face, his big, front, ADULT tooth has been shot off.

I AM NOT KIDDING.

I freak.
I tell the other boy to run back to the woods and find the tooth. It is almost perfectly sheared in half. It looks terrible and from the noise he's making, it's not feeling so great either.

Once I calm him down, I ask him the scale of pain question (1 to 10). He answers, "Oh, it doesn't hurt." What?? Then why are you making such noise? Hmmmm....he doesn't know.

Remember it's a Saturday afternoon of a holiday weekend. So for the next twenty minutes I call several dental clinics from the yellow pages that say "Emergencies Taken" ~ none are open. It seems you must have your emergency btwn 9 and 5, Monday to Friday. I call Telehealth, they ask me a few questions and basically, there's nothing I can do until Tuesday when I can see a dentist.

Boy #1 comes back home, tooth in hand. I put it in a ziploc. By dinner time, the story is embellished and all males in the house think it's it looks cool.

Air Soft Gun - $30
Dental Repair - $800
Being able to say you got your tooth shot off by your brother - Priceless

By the way, the Air Soft is now in the trash can.

Freebies...

2009-10-08T17:11:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure really how to explain this blog post...you see, we seem to be the family that people like to give things to...for free.
I'm not sure how we have gained this status, but it tends to work very much in our favour.

I was telling my running buddy/dear friend this morning about our latest free thing and she said I should blog about it. So here I am.

Yesterday I was at the No Frills grocery store. I think I must look a little odd grocery shopping in the middle of the day with five kids. Picture a little caravan of people, carts and strollers walking up and down the aisles. First is me, then my 10 yr. old pushes the cart, then my 7 year old pushes the baby in a stroller and behind her is the 8 year old, pushing the 3 year old in a stroller. All very organized...right.

Anyhow, I'm bagging up the groceries and am just about finished when this cute couple (in their 70's I'm guessing) comes up to me, plops a bag in my cart and the man says, "Here. And Happy Thanksgiving." I look at them and am shocked, manage to speak some sort of Thank You and then they are gone. I look in the bag....it's a turkey!!

Just earlier this week I came upstairs from our school room and look out the side door and there are three new hoola hoops sitting there. No idea who brought them, no idea when they were put there.

In a typical month someone, anonymous or no, will drop off a bike, a skateboard, a bag of clothes (not brand new -- but who cares?). I have come to the door and seen a pie on my step. No clue who left it there. I have entered our garage and there in the door way is a bag of baby bedding. This guy at Home Depot gave Nate a bike for the kids. It's weird. It's fabulous!

Anyhow, I'm not sure if it's us -- do we appear to be in need? If so, how do we portray the need for GAP gift certificates and cash? Just kidding...I'm very grateful and it makes life very interesting when you come home and find a parcel at your door. It's fun to try and figure out who dropped it off.

Goldie is gone...

2009-09-11T06:35:00.002-04:00

We took good care of her, it isn't that she's dead. But we leave for holidays and so we couldn't just leave her in our home, wandering about, pooping wherever she liked. So we took her back to the Salthaven Bird Sanctuary.
Mr. Salt told us that they'll work at getting her flying. The kids and I did work at it. We'd take her outside and she would hop to the ground. We hold her high in the air and she'd just sit on your hand looking about. I even took to sorta "throwing" her into the air ~ she'd flutter to the ground...or if I got her high enough she'd land on the branch of a tree but wouldn't stay there.

Mr. Salt said that if she didn't fly, she'd probably just die in captivity. These birds are super-athletes and flying is just what they do. You never see a goldfinch on the ground. So, we'll call when we get back and if she's flown away, that'd be the good news.

The kids missed her for about the first five minutes and then moved on...we do leave for holidays so the excitement of that overshadowed the sadness, I guess. See ya when we get back!!

Goldie - Day 2

2009-09-09T08:50:00.003-04:00

We drove out to a bird sanctuary called Salthaven yesterday morning to see if Goldie's wing was really broken. Turns out this bird sanctuary is rather cool. As we pull in, there is a line of red-tailed hawks just sitting along the driveway on perches. The owner asked us to pull up the driveway slowly so we wouldn't run over any of his patients. In a big tent-like cage is a beautiful 1 year old bald eagle...and about a gazillion Canada geese and mallard ducks wandering about the yard.

He took a look at the gold finch and told us there was nothing wrong with her wing, but it appeared she may have had a head injury. Probably flew into a window or something. He gave us a little syringe of medication, showed us how to use it and sent us on our way. Basically, she isn't sick enough to be admitted into his sanctuary if we're willing to take care of her. He thought she'd be flying again by Wednesday or Thursday.

His other suggestion was that she stay in a quiet dark place for a few hours. I mentioned that we have five children in a small house and he seemed perplexed...may be about the house, may be for the bird's sake.

So, all in all, we have a 'special needs' bird living with us. She has been a lovely little pet for the past couple of days and if she doesn't regain her ability to fly, I don't know what will happen. I know what the kids would like to have happen!
Hopefully she just figures out how to fly once again and we'll be able to set her free.

Goldie

2009-09-08T11:02:00.006-04:00

This is Goldie ~ a female goldfinch we found on my mom's driveway. She has a broken wing or something so she can't fly. We happen to know what goldfinches eat, so we were able to put her in a box and give her food and water right away.
In less than 10 minutes, the kids were handling and holding her and she didn't seem to mind. She was very calm and quite comfortable (so it seems) with the patting and touching.

Our plan is to find out if she can be rehabilitated and see if we can help her "go home."
However, now that she is in the care of my five children, she will be having some interesting adventures....

Like riding a crane....

And drinking from a glass...
And having shoulder rides...

If this sweet birdie survives the next few hours in our home, she'll be one tough girl. The "love" she is being offered might be more than she can bear. We'll find a bird sanctuary or something tomorrow and see what can be done. Until then, however, I have a 10 year old boy who is very keen on keeping her as a pet.

Summer is Over?

2009-09-07T15:29:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe that summer is really over. Back to the grind of normal routine.
September is my most favourite month of the year and I'm loving the cool nights, the leaves already changing colour and the different blue the sky seems to be in the fall.

Looking back over the summer, I wonder what I did. Other than making pickles, what exactly did I accomplish? I read several books, I managed to plan school for the year, I stayed on top of the laundry, cooking and cleaning but really, other than that...not too much.

Our big holiday begins this week. We're headed for a week in Vermont ~ camping, touring, resting, relaxing etc. It's the best time of year to go on a holiday as all the kids are in school, the crowds are gone and the only other people at the campgrounds are seniors with fabulous RV's bigger and better than my own home. We can hardly wait.

Once our holiday is over, we begin school and the regular day to day schedule begins. Regular bedtimes, normal mealtimes, and the like -- and I'm really looking forward to that too. Perhaps it's life with small children, perhaps it's my personality type, but I like a regular routine that is somewhat predictable.

Jack is very excited about school. Almost every day he asks me if this is the day he gets to do his school books. The other night at bedtime we took turns saying bedtime prayers. Jack's prayer was simple. "Please keep my schoolbooks safe in the basement. Amen."

In a bit of a pickle...

2009-08-21T16:58:00.006-04:00

Take some of these....

Plus this...

And this....

Equals.....

We went to the St. Jacobs Farmers Market yesterday and I decided to try my hand at making dill pickles. The process itself is rather simple ~ the hardest part being peeling garlic. That stuff is sticky and nasty when you have to peel 8 heads of it. There has GOT to be an easier way!

It takes three weeks to turn those cukes into pickles ~ I'll let you know if it was worth the effort!

Summer Fun

2009-08-12T08:21:00.007-04:00

Remember running through the sprinkler??

Fancy jumps and twirls..

I'm Back...

2009-08-10T15:40:00.003-04:00

It has been a LONG while since I've written and I know you understand -- the whole new baby thing and all. Teddy is great -- I'll admit he's a bit of a fussy little guy but he's so cute, I can't blame him for wanting attention all the time. The good news is he's actually a great sleeper. So as long as he sleeps at night, I am very willing to hold, cuddle and smooch him in the day.
It's hard to believe he is 10 weeks old. Ten weeks has gone by?? Incredible how fast the summer goes, even MORE incredible how fast it goes when a new little one has come into the family.

Our summer has been lovely ~ not much exciting, wild or crazy....but if you count doctor's appointments, blueberry picking, picnics, laundry, beach days etc. as wild and crazy then I
am over the top!

Jack is a little troubling these days. Three year olds are so funny ~ but so busy. Here are two excerpts from recent (troubling) conversations....

Me: (looking at Jack's filthy feet) Jack, these are really dirty.
Jack: See that brown spot on my foot?
Me: You mean the dirt?
Jack: Yep. It's my power.
Me: Pardon me??
Jack: It's my power. Don't wash it off...you'll take away my power.
Me: Oh dear...

Next conversation...
Jack and Nate are sitting together one morning having coffee and reading Nate's "Fine Homebuilding Magazine"
Nate: Jack, look at these shop vac's.
Jack: I like the orange one.
Nate: Look at the prices of these -- I'm aghast.
Jack: No daddy, you're a carpenter.

Spa Blues

2009-06-26T15:01:00.004-04:00

So this morning, my dear friend Big Liver Girl and I went to the spa to get pedicures. I had received a gift card for one from my sister-in-law and Big Liver Girl wanted one too, so we decided to book our appt.'s together.

When we arrived at the spa, we were turned away ~ because I had brought my 4 week old nursing infant boy. Now, I can sorta understand that perhaps they don't want screaming babies to ruin the peaceful and zen-like atmosphere, but the way we were treated was rather rude.

First of all, they weren't very kind about the whole baby refusal thing and made me sound like some wacko for even THINKING about bringing a nursing baby to the spa....then in the next breath mentioned that they had to turn away three other moms JUST YESTERDAY because babies aren't allowed there.

They were quick to say however, that because we wouldn't be staying at the spa that we owed them 50% of our pedi fee because we weren't using their services. We asked if we could rebook and they said yes, but we still owed them $53 between the two of us for the cancellation. I don't remember cancelling...funny, that!

I said we would rebook and phone back to make an appointment because my pedi-partner is leaving for a month of holidays and we would have to take a peek at our schedules to make it work again. That seemed fine with them....for now....as long we paid the cancellation fee.

I got home from the disappointing event, only to hear a message on my machine from poor "Amber from the Spa" saying that the owner has also decided to revoke my gift card. What?? Revoke it because I didn't know their policy on babies? Revoke it because their policy was to take 50% of the fee for cancelling and instead take 100%? So now Big Liver Girl and I are out $106.00 combined?

It was time to talk to this owner...

I phoned back and I think I scared Amber. I wasn't nasty but I did request to speak with Owner/Baby Hater Man. He was to call me back...and to his credit, he did. I have to admit I had an arsenal of arguments on my side but decided to try the "honey" rather than the "vinegar" -- and pull out the big guns later if I needed to.

It took some schmoozing and some "Oh, I understand your policy, sir" blah blah blah, but in the end, he said he would ALLOW us to come back and have our toes done in August. But ONLY if we booked through him. Tough guy.

I was sooooo ready to use my ammo....par example...

"How about I bring my five children down to your spa on a busy Saturday morning and you can tell me in person that you aren't giving me my pedicure??"

"How about I bring my five children and my friend's four children down to your spa and we have a picnic in front of your reception station until you return my $106.00?"

Anyhow....I didn't need to. He's lucky, I tell you. Don't mess with a girl, her girlfriend and their pretty toes. It could get very ugly.

Glamorous LIfe

2009-06-23T15:51:00.003-04:00

When I woke up this morning I couldn't figure out why my hair was so crusty and gross. It was only on one side of my head and down near the ends.

I haven't had hair this long and a newborn baby at the same time so it took me a while to figure out what the problem was.

Baby barf. If you have long hair and your baby barfs on your shoulder and you let your hair drag through it, it makes it gross and crusty. I didn't know this tidbit of information before.

It's a glamorous life I lead. May be now I should go wash my hair...

He's here!

2009-06-08T20:57:00.002-04:00

The new baby has finally arrived ~ I say finally, but he was about 12 days early. His name is Ted. Yep, that's it. His "real" name is Edward Paul Weston ~ but Ted or Teddy is just fine with us.

Labour/delivery went well -- it was a long day at the hospital but well worth the wait and effort to meet our little man when he came into the world. He was 9 lbs. 9 oz ~ am I ever glad he didn't wai the 12 more days to come out!!

He's beautiful, adorable, gorgeous and so soft and cuddly. I love love love the newborn phase. Those tiny niblet toes, those soft and fuzzy shoulders, the squeaks and squawks that only newborns make.

He's a good little guy -- so far. He's fairly easy to please, just feed him.

Jack however, is not so sure. First of all he cannot remember the poor child's name. Here's a conversation from a couple of days ago....

Jack: Mom, what's your baby's name?
Me: You tell me, what's his name?
Jack: Joshua?
Me: No.
Jack: Rexie?
Me: Nope.
Jack: Costco? England?
Me: No, Jack. His name is Ted.
Jack: Oh, yeah....Ted. I'll call him Teddy.

15 minutes later....
Jack: Mom, what's your baby's name again??

It took a while and finally, it seems he knows his name. Anyhow, the pregnancy is over ~ the wait is over ~ labour is over ~ and I'm so very very grateful for a healthy baby boy.

Movie gets 2 Thumbs up...

2009-04-26T18:17:00.003-04:00

Taking Jack to the movies was far better than I imagined. He was delightful -- and very eager to sit and eat a snack in a big theatre. He kept saying over and over again, "Mommy, that's a really BIG TV!"
The Earth movie was worth seeing as well -- it was great footage of the three animal families plus way more. And how can you go wrong when the narrator is James Earl Jones. Now that's a good voice.

Jack just sat on his little booster seat in the theatre, eating his Skittles and telling me every time a different animal came on the screen..."That's a big bird, my dad will shoot it." or "That's a big shark, my dad will shoot it." Whatever it was, it should have been living in fear of Nate. (Not that Nate has actually ever shot an animal -- for all the hunting gear in the basement.) The people sitting in front of us must think that our family hates wild creatures!

There was a few scenes of a predatory nature -- no surprise there but they never showed anything bloody. I thought Jack might be bothered by the little baby caribou being chased by the wolf, but he just loudly proclaimed, "Look, Mom, the wolf bite him!! My dad would shoot that wolf."

All in all, I was very pleased, both with the movie and Jack's behaviour...at least for now.

Earth Day

2009-04-22T13:09:00.002-04:00

This afternoon I'm taking the kids to see a movie for Earth Day. I think it's just called "Earth" ~ it's the story of three animal families (whale, elephant and polar bear) and how they survive. My biggest concern about the whole thing is taking Jack. Not sure what he'll do and if I'll end up seeing much of the movie or not. I figure if I get a big enough popcorn bucket, he should sit still for a while.

I have to admit that he is a very funny child. Not just him, but his age as well. Three is very fun. I like three a lot. Much better than 2 and WAAAAAAY better than 18 months. The things that come out of his mouth are funny and at times, rather embarrassing.

My Grandma was down for Easter and he went up to her and said, "You have a big belly ~ you have a baby in there?" Thankfully dear Grandma is as easy-going as they come and she simply replied, "Nope, I just eat too much." That seemed to satisfy him.

He was in my room the other morning as I was getting dressed and he said, "Mom, you have a really big bum." What do you say to that?? I replied, "Yeah, I guess I do." He looks at me and says, "I like big bums. You have big bum, Daddy has a big bum, Ethan has a big bum." So if I'm in the big bum category with my skinny 10 year old son Ethan, I can handle that. Perspective is everything.

Happy Earth Day!

New Nephew!

2009-04-15T07:40:00.002-04:00

Early this morning, my sister-in-law, Christine, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! We were just out for dinner with them last night and went home early because she was having regular contractions. I knew she was going into the hospital about 11 pm and so had many dreams through out the night of what/who she was giving birth to. ( The best one was that she did have a boy but they named him Trick, but wanted us to call him Twig. I tried to tell them that it was a bad name choice but she would hear nothing of it! )

Turns out at 4 am she actually gave birth to an 8 lb. 4 oz. baby boy, and they named him Hudson.

Mom and baby are doing great!!

Can't wait till it's my turn...

Nesting

2009-04-02T08:29:00.002-04:00

Ah, spring! The desire to clean and organize comes to me with the good weather. However, this spring I'm doubly interested in spring cleaning. With each pregnancy, I've forced Nate into some small redecoration, renovation or the like. This time around is no different. Here are the symptoms I'm having --

You know you're nesting when:

1. You fantasize about cleaning behind the freezer. (I have a deep desire to pull everything out of the laundry room, paint the concrete floor with a high gloss paint and then organize the whole room.)

2. You can't believe it's taken you this long to notice that the caulking in the shower needs to be redone. (I asked Nate last night how hard it is to take off old caulking....he casually answered, "No problem, you just need a sharp knife." Then he paused and looked at me and said, "Wait....no. It's really really hard to do." But I was already looking for the knife...)

3. Everything in the house needs a good scrubbing. From the kids to the baseboards to the bed frames.

So project number one commences today. The boy's room is being repainted and reorganized. I can't tell you how thrilled I am. My dear sister-in-law who is a painter by trade is coming this morning to start on the walls....I told her I have enough work to keep her busy for a week. I can hardly wait to get started!!

March Madness

2009-03-30T09:04:00.003-04:00

The cloud of illness has yet to lift itself from over my house. This month has been so crappy ~ it seems we have moved from one illness to another. I was able to evade the stomach flu but I have gotten caught by the cold and chills, cough and sneeze bug. And it sucks.

Not only do I feel crappy, but because of the pregnancy I can't take anything to feel less crappy. I can take Tylenol, which is alright but there is no option to make myself drowsy with meds so I can sleep at least. The fact that sleep evades me is the worst part of the whole deal. I found myself thinking delusional thoughts yesterday...may be it was the fever but when I caught myself wondering, "What is the difference between a beret and tam-o-shanter? Is it the pom-pom?", I started questioning my sanity.

The thing about being sick in my home is that it highlights the difference between men and women. Yesterday was Sunday -- it's always a busy morning in our home trying to get everyone up, looking nice, fed and out the door for church. Usually, I'm up first, showered and getting breakfast for the gang. Then it's a strict schedule of eating, showering, doing the kids hair, ironing any wrinkly "church clothes", doing the dishes and getting out the door.

But not yesterday. When Daddy is in charge (cause mom can't get out of bed), Sunday mornings are a whole different thing. So here's a Dad version of a Sunday morning...
-Get out of bed
-Play a little game of UNO
-Play another little game of Scrabble
-Tell everyone to get dressed (no ironing involved whatsoever)
-Eat something for breakfast
-Get out the back massager and everyone gets a turn getting and giving a massage
-Fill the sink with hot soapy water
-Wrestle
-Brush teeth

And the list goes on. It's a much more fun way to start the day, but as I was lying in bed, listening to all of this, it was driving me CRAZY!! But because my voice was croaky, no one heard me mumbling to myself. And really, what difference did it make? They all got to church on time and actually looked pretty decent when heading out the door.

The other part of being sick is that mom's should just not be sick at all. We should be immune to every illness on the planet. After the gang got home from church, Nate brought me lunch in bed and left me to nap for the afternoon.

I was just dozing off when I heard a banging at my bedroom window. And there, peeking in was a happy little face smiling and waving at me. One of my kids just wanting to make sure I was okay. Only moments later, another of my children comes barging in my room wanting help putting his coat on. By the time I knew it, I'd been in bed for a couple of hours without a wink of sleep. Kindly, Nate decided to take the kids out for the afternoon to leave me in peace...all kids but one. Thinking I had peace at last, I was ready for a snooze...and then one of my delightful children comes in with this important bit of information:
"Hey Mom, did you know the population of Toronto is 2.54 million people?"
It was then that I got a little testy. My response: "No, NO, NO!!! I don't want to chat. I want sleep, SLEEP! I want you to go to another room and watch a movie (a big treat at our house) and let me rest because I'm sick!"
The door to my room quietly closed and I didn't hear a peep from anyone until about 7:30 pm.

I think they got my point. And sleep did come, eventually...despite my dilemma over berets and tam-o-shanters.

Getting The Diamond

2009-03-12T17:33:00.002-04:00

I like traditions -- a lot of the things in life that are truly meaningful are traditions. Think of Christmas, and other special occasions. Memories are made of this stuff.

When my grandparents decided to down size a few years back, they allowed us to come into their homes and pick through whatever we wanted. It was funny to see what each of the grand-kids picked -- not the Doultons or the good dishes but the simple, every day things that we used at Grandma and Grandpa's. Things that brought back memories of sweet times with them.

One of the silly traditions that we used to do at my Grandma's was at dinner time. We would all sit down, say grace for the meal and immediately all the kids would pick up their knife and shake it. We were checking to see if we "got the diamond." One of Grandma's table knives had a small piece of metal inside the knife handle that would rattle when we shook it. Somewhere in our family history somebody mentioned it was a diamond....and since that day, it was good luck if you sat down and got the diamond.

When Grandma asked us what we wanted, one of the things I chose was her silverware -- not the good silver at all. The everyday stuff that had the knife with the diamond.

This week we had company for dinner. It was the second time these friends had been over for dinner since I acquired Grandma's silverware. I laughed aloud when, on Tuesday night, they came in, sat down for dinner, looked down at their plates and both of their kids immediately picked up their knives and gave them a shake.

The simple things in life are the most pleasing, wouldn't you say? When it comes down to it, the day in-day out stuff is where we really make our memories. My Grandma's household tradition lives on in my house and it makes me smile to think about it -- I think she'd be pleased.

ALIVE!

2009-03-11T12:42:00.003-04:00

Yes, we made it. We are all still alive and almost well. I cannot believe how long this bug lasted in our home DEPSITE the Lysol and other cleaners that I used to disinfect our home.

Anyhow, the worst is over and better, healthier days are ahead, I hope.

Time is flying by -- I can hardly believe next week is March Break. It always seems to me that once you hit March Break, spring is around the corner and the months of April and May fly by. This pregnancy hasn't been an easy one, but it certainly has been fast so far. I think I'm 30 weeks as of tomorrow ~ how did 30 weeks pass that quickly? I'm as round as a barrel and feeling like I should be more like 36 weeks by my size....but despite that I seem to keep moving. The typical symptoms of a sore back, trouble sleeping, indigestion/heart burn and a serious inability to tie my own shoes are all here...but so are the good ones, like feeling the baby kick, and.....oh dear, what are the other good symptoms of the last trimester of pregnancy?? Anyone??

Oh yeah, that I'm that much closer to being done ~ and I mean really really done.

Dropping Like Flies

2009-03-04T15:21:00.003-05:00

Oh, this will be a blog you want to read about FOR SURE. This week at home is nothing but illness...and when I say illness, I mean Barf.

On Monday night, little Jack started tossing his cookies at about 10 pm and did so every half hour (you could set a clock to this kid) until about 2:30 am. He and I finally got some rest after that although the laundry pile had exceeded my height by that time...his bedding, my bedding, etc.

On Tuesday, he barfed a couple of times. Once on our couch. Not on the leather chairs where you can wash and wipe easily. At least it was a sunny day and the cushions could dry out on the front porch. I also came home very late from a meeting and found Jack fast asleep in his bed...which he had barfed on and hadn't even bothered to wake himself up. So I peeled the gross jammies off him, cleaned him up and started the 12th load of laundry for that day. I plopped him in my bed again, and decided to lay a thick blanket underneath him, just in case. About two minutes later he barfed on that. At least I had the forethought to lay it there.

Today, we have completely lost the battle. Kylie went down first in a less-than-dramatic way. My ten year old son however, put on a great show. He is never sick and I really think he has no recollection of ever barfing. So he was like the deer-caught-in-the-headlights, shocked by this terrible thing happening to him and barfed all over my bedroom floor (hardwood, thank the Lord.) He never even made a step to the washroom, it caught him so much by surprise. However, the sound of his sickness was just too much for Kylie and she started again.

Now, my ten year old son is still in shock by being assaulted by this nasty bug and every so often I hear him calling out a play-by-play of his feelings, just to alert me of any strange going-on in his body. I'll hear a "...there's a bubbly feeling in my stomach now." or "...my muscles are tightening up!" His voice sounds a touch panicky and I feel so bad, but it does brings some humor to me....I know, I'm a bad mother.

Nolan was not able to last very long either -- he was last to give in and did his darndest to stay strong but he was overtaken just a while ago. His was less dramatic as I have given each child the gift of a bucket and a box of kleenex in their beds. They are currently resting and listening to CD's. Jack is fast asleep.

What a day. I feel queasy. I am praying, and I mean REALLY praying that Nate and I are able to steer clear of this. I know this is a totally gross blog, but this is the stuff motherhood is made of. Betcha Angelina never has a day like this...

A Recent Conversation...

2009-02-25T14:41:00.002-05:00

This little chat happened the other morning. I'm the "Me" talking, Nate is my husband and Jack is our two-year old boy -- busy boy.

While getting ready in the bathroom....

Jack: "Mommy, I'm a girl."
Me: "Oh really."
Jack: "Yeah, I'm a girl."
Nate: (peeking around the corner) "What did he say??"
Me: "Tell Daddy what you said."
Jack: "I'm a girl."
Nate: (voice sounding slightly panicky) "No, you're not."
Jack: "Yes, my AM a girl."
Nate: "No.....you're not."
Jack: "Yes, yes, I'm a girl."
Nate: (heightened panic) "Nooooo....you're a boy."
Me: (calmly) "Jack, girls wear pretty pink dresses, do you want to wear one?"
Jack: "NO!"
Me: "And see how I put rollers in my hair, girls do that. Do you want me to put rollers in your hair??"
Jack: "NO."
Me: "Then are you a little girl??"
Jack: "No way."
Nate: (big sigh of relief)

Pause....
Jack: "I'm a lady!"

It's about time...

2009-02-23T11:08:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since I have written a post and it's good to have a moment to sit and write.

The funny thing is that I don't really know what to say ~ so much time has passed that the daily mundane things I wrote about in the past are long forgotten. So I'll start new -- with today. Here's what's going on...

Ethan is out snow-boarding for the first time in his life. I sent my 10 year old off to Boler Mountain for the day with a couple of homeschool friends. It's gorgeous here today -- clear, sunny and cold and it's perfect for a day on the slopes. I'm just praying he comes home with all his bones where they should be. I tried snowboarding once. It hurts to learn.

The other three are done school for the day and are happily playing in the living room.

I'm up to my ears in soccer stuff. From planning, to building teams and processing refunds (yes, refunds already) it's a sponge of my time. I'm amazed at the things people will do/say just to play a little soccer in the summer. I have to remind myself often that this is a league for adults depsite how the players behave.

Other than that, it's just a Monday. Laundry, some errands, chicken for supper. Life as usual. But really, I'm not complaining. I looked on the calendar this morning and next week is MARCH! March means spring is coming, a week off of school is coming, warmer days and bluer skies are coming! I can't wait to see my first crocus, my first robin and to smell the scent of spring. It also means that slip-on shoes are coming and that is the best news of all. I can barely put on my socks in the morning, let alone bend over and tie up my boots.

I had to laugh at myself trying to get ready for church yesterday morning. If you had listened at my door you might have thought I was steer-wrestling by the grunts and groans coming from my room! Alas, I was in there alone only trying to get socks on and find something that fit and looked somewhat appropriate for church. I changed four times and finally went in my jeans and a sweater. I was last to get into the van and was actually laughing at myself when I finally heaved myself in and sat down. Nate just looked at me and said "You're okay??" And I said "I think so. I changed about four times." He just smiled and pulled out of the driveway.

A wise man says little in that situation. Right now Nate is looking a lot like Solomon.

One more...

2009-02-06T17:02:00.002-05:00

I went to see the doctor this week about "Cinco" ~ our fifth little one on the way. Turns out the ultrasound tech. could tell what gender the baby is....so now we know! We've never found out before, so this is all new and exciting for Nate and I. It's weird too.

Before I spill the beans on what this baby is, I have a small disclaimer. IF you know my parents, or my children, please do not mention what this baby is. Neither my mom, dad nor my four children want to know what we're having. As my kids put it..."It's like our Christmas presents...we don't want to know so we don't ruin the surprise!!"

With that in mind, we're having......a boy. Yes. Another boy. Which is totally fabulous....when I told Nate (over the phone) his response was a big "Wooo Hooo!" It makes me laugh to think that our daughter, who will be sandwiched btwn 4 brothers is definitely a miracle in our household. What were the chances??

That's the big news around here this week. And my doc. moved my due date two weeks closer...which would normally be good news but I've planned the rest of our school year to the last day and I need till June 5th to get it all done. Cinco needs to be late. If he'll cooperate, I'd like him to come June 6th. Again, what are the chances??

Quick Update...

2009-01-28T14:38:00.003-05:00

I haven't written about Uncle Alec since the week that he had his stroke. I did want to update and let you all know how awesome he is doing.
He has been a total miracle and the doc's at Parkwood are documenting his progress because it has been so amazing. He is at 90% total recovery. That means that he walks, runs, jumps on trampolines, talks, feeds himself and is set to be discharged from the hospital in about a week.

Of course, he still has a way to go to be 100%. I don't think that last 10 is really easy but if he gets it, he'll get his driver's license back and that's his goal.

Thanks for praying for him. It's awesome to see him and witness what prayer and hard work (on his and the doc's part) can do!

International Week

2009-01-22T17:10:00.002-05:00

Since my cooking has been in a bit of a rut, last week was International Food Week at our house. I was trying recipes from around the globe and seeing how they rate. Nothing wild and crazy but here's the list...

Monday night was Italian -- simple dinner of spaghetti and meatballs to ease into this endeavor.

Tuesday night was Greek night -- what a hit. How can you go wrong with souvlaki, tzatziki and pitas, Greek salad and Mrs. Loudshoes' most excellent roasted potatoes with a bit of a Greek twist? Since it was such a success, it's being added to our regular meals. I have also found a fairly simple looking recipe for baklava...which I secretly love and don't want to share. I'm gonna give it a go this week and I'll let you know how it goes.

My husband did a renovation for a Greek couple last year and he LOVED working there. Every lunch hour they would invite him to share in their meal. Greek salad dripping in expensive olive oil with big delicous black olives, spanakopita and other delights. I asked Nate to call this client and ask how he made such an incredible salad and the man REFUSES to share the recipe or any tips or hints. Since the next project is his roof, I think we should peel the shingles but only put the new ones on once the recipe is in my hands.

Wednesday night was Chinese. If I was on Survivor I would've been voted off the island by my own family. My husband eats everything and anything, so no complaints from him, but the kids voted Chinese night down. I made fried rice and egg rolls, but then cheated and got chicken balls and shrimp chop suey from our local Chinese take-out. The best part according to the kids?? The fortune cookie. Isn't it nice when their fave part is the cookie made from cardboard. I can certainly take the hint.

Thursday night was....a mixed breed. Teriyaki pork with parmesan roasted potatoes. Not sure what region of the world you'd have to be in to recognize that combo, but it tasted all right. It made up for Chinese night.

Friday night was a total cheater night. Pizza from Costco. I was running out of steam by Friday afternoon and settled for the easy way out. But no complaints.

I'd like to send out a little thank you to my friend, Mrs. LoudShoes for sharing some of her inspiring recipes on her blog. This week we're trying her Fried Corn recipe and if she'd write about how to make home-made taco shells, I could add Mexican Night to the list.

How exciting is life when I just wrote (and you just read) an entire page on my groceries from last week! Sorry about that...

Too Much Information

2009-01-17T11:57:00.003-05:00

Everyone has quirks and quarks. Indeed I do as well. So I thought I would admit to the world (or the portion of it that reads this blog) what mine are. These are the things you wouldn't know about me unless you were me, or lived with me.

1. I don't always recycle. I know this is not a real thrilling bit of information, but it's true. I will knowingly throw a pop can in the garbage because I am too lazy to take it out to the recycle bin. The reason I'm admitting this one is because every time I do it, I have a twinge of guilt, so perhaps by admitting it aloud, I'll find some relief.

2. I sleep in my clothes. Pajamas are just a big waste of time. If I am wearing clothes before I go to bed, why would I change into OTHER clothes to get into bed. So generally, what I'm wearing that day is what I'm snoozing in at night, with the exception of blue jeans and that itchy wool turtleneck sweater I own. Weird, I know.

3. I think I'm obsessed with my vacuum cleaner. I can't tell so may be you can help me out with this one. Is it strange for a person to vacuum 3 or more times per day? If I'm a little obsessive/compulsive about this one, I'm ready to face it. I can live with this thorn in my flesh.

4. I can't stand music playing in the van. I can barely tolerate it playing in the house. The only place I like it is church. The reason for this one is simple: it is just more noise. My friend's husband (aka Tradesman) once told me his reasoning on this one...something he read about. He said that to some people music is more than just music, it's like another language being spoken, and so when there is already people speaking, some find music irritating because it's like two languages being heard at once. I think it had something to do with being a musical genius, so that sorta cancels me out of this scenario, but it was fascinating nonetheless.

5. I just recently purchased a label maker and it's becoming similar in status to my vacuum. I have labeled many things and the joy that it brings me is....disturbing. My kitchen cupboards are dreamy -- everything labeled and organized. I even labeled my husband the other day. If there's something wrong with me, you'll tell me, right?? Or, if you'd like to borrow it, I would happily part with it for a few hours and share the joy. Just so you don't judge me before you have all the information, just take a look:
Can you see all the little silver labels?? Are you feeling a twinge of envy?? :) Here's a close up:

I wish I could say that was all the quirks I had ~ not true, my friends. These are the ones I'm willing to share...

Soccer Season and School

2009-01-13T08:40:00.003-05:00

I know it's hard to believe but soccer season has started around here. As of yet, it hasn't taken over my life but I just wanted to warn you that in the coming weeks, blogging will be less because of the Sista-hood. As well, groceries, laundry, reading for entertainment, and other frivolous activities will also be set aside for the purpose of soccer.

I'm not complaining. Just stating the facts and wanted to let you know that my tardiness in updating the blog will not be because I'm lazy and un-inspired.

Homeschool is back into the swing of things. It was a good first week. I did make 2 children cry on the first day, but since then the tears have been kept to a minimum. I think the reason for the tears this time was the shock to the brain when I handed out math text books the first day back and sugar plums were still dancing in their heads. The plums were replaced with sums...and hence, the tears. I wanted to cry too.

Other than that, it's life as usual.

A Good Day

2009-01-09T10:31:00.007-05:00

Thirty three is looking pretty good so far. I must share with you the fabulous events of my birthday!

It all started the night before, when my sister and I went out. We did a little shopping and then she treated me to dessert at the Palasad. Have you ever tried a deep-fried Mars bar?? Oh my. If you haven't, run, don't walk, to the nearest Palasad and get what they call "Mars Attacks" ~ it is so gooey, chocolate and caramel-y.

This morning I rose to run with my dear friend and running buddy. When we arrived back at her house, she came out with a card and beautiful, wonderful French Silk Pie she had made herself. This is my favourite dessert ~ everyone should start their birthday with a dessert like this. See picture below:

Then when I was getting ready this morning, I went back into my room and my sweet daughter had made my bed for me.
As I entered our school room, this is what I found on the whiteboard...
and these notes on my desk...
(little love notes from Nolan and Kylie...not sure if you can read them but the spelling is hilarious..."you aer the best mum in the wuruld" -- homeschooling isn't perfect, alright!)

Jack broke out into song several times today with "Happy Birshday to Mommy!"

I also received a phone call from Nate saying to be ready at 5:30 pm...he has something planned.

Turns out he had a babysitter booked, reservations at the Keg and tickets to the big game at the JLC. And the Knights even won. Not bad!!

If this is the way this year is gonna go...I'm all for getting older!!

Just one.

2009-01-08T17:16:00.002-05:00

I am happy to announce that there is only ONE baby in the womb. Due to the amount of growth I have already attained, I was a bit nervous. Turns out it wasn't a second baby but just the amount of food I have consumed of late...which isn't all that reassuring.

The tech was able to tell the gender of the babe, so at my next appointment, I might just find out. May be. But I'm not sure. As for the epidural, I might just give that a go as well. May be I could get it next week and just be numb for the next 6 months??

lazy and uninspired

2009-01-07T16:22:00.002-05:00

Yep -- that's what I am. Christmas is over, the routine of life is back and I find myself sitting here thinking, "It's really only Wednesday??"

Nothing exciting has happened...well, almost nothing. Here's the short-list of fun and exciting activity around here:

1. My birthday is this week. I'll be 33.

2. I finally felt the baby kick this week. And my ultrasound is this week. Not sure if I'll find out what I'm having or not. I didn't find out with the first four and I'm thinking I should stick with tradition. But then I figure, this is the last time I'll be doing this so why not try something different. That includes the idea of going for an epidural this time. Why not be able to make a logical and objective comparison?

3. Jack is still doing bad things. He smeared Vicks Vapo-Rub all over his face (like, globs of it) this week and came out of his room saying, "Look, Mom. I have a beard." It takes a lot of washing to wipe that much Vicks off.

4. I took the kids skating for the first and last time this year. Although I'm only five months pregnant, it took a lot more energy than I bargained to bend over and do up five pairs of skates.

5. One of my new year's resolutions is to try and stay on top of the laundry. I don't mean sit on it. I mean keep the pile from being as tall as I am. So far so good. At least I'm winning on that one. Which means if I want to keep winning I should sign off and go switch it over to the dryer.

It's Over!!

2008-12-29T10:44:00.002-05:00

I must admit that I am so very glad that Christmas is over. I love Christmas. Or so I thought.

I promise not to wax on endlessly about my conclusions of the Christmas season ~ all the work, the high expectations, the excitement, the clean up etc. It's a wonderful time of year and I'm happy to have it overwith.

But it's back to the grind...and I'm excited about this. We had Christmas on the 25th and on the 26th with our families and by noon on the 27th, the tree was in the front yard, the decorations were down, the extra sweets were in the garbage and all the new loot had found a home.

I sat in our living room, took a deep breath and finally felt like there truly was Peace on Earth.

As for our spindly little tree...the kids nicknamed it "The Twig." I'll post a pic as soon as I can. In our 12 years of marriage we have never yet paid for our real tree. My only explanation is this: Nate. We have cut them down from a friends forest, taken them on the 24th from the Home Depot dumpster and even removed the one from our church and put it in our living room. I am not proud of this but somehow it's become a part of who we are. This year Nate rushed to a friends property, ran about 8 feet into the forest, found the first tree under 6 feet tall and snapped it off at the base. Okay, may be he cut it down, but he didn't need to. He could've pulled the thing out by it's roots. But no matter how it gets in our living room, all we need to do is throw a few lights on, toss a decoration or two at it, and voila! It's Christmas.

Hope you all had a wonderful few days...and you're probably just as happy as I am that the whole deal is done with.

Christmas in the Home

2008-12-21T20:59:00.003-05:00

Today we had our family Christmas with my great aunt Ines. Dear old Aunt Ines. What a life she has lived and yet what a sad existence she now endures.

The woman lived in deep dark Nigeria, west Africa for 28 years of her life as a missionary. She's dealt with more poisonous snakes, nasty living conditions and illness then I ever could imagine yet now she lies in a nursing home living out her last days, wondering if she'll ever even get to go outside again. She's single ~ never married and had no children of her own. All her kids were the ones she loved and lived with in Africa...a bit too far away for them to pop in for a visit.

We spent three hours in the basement of her stinky nursing home celebrating Christmas with her. Singing Christmas songs, eating Festive Specials and generally making a lot of noise. This, my dear readers, was the highlight of her entire Christmas. Sixteen people coming to see her for just three hours practically brought her to tears...tears of joy and gratitude.

It's a scary thing to come face to face with life in a nursing home. I know all of us have seen it at some point, but it seems especially miserable during the Christmas season. What choices does the woman have in her day to day life? None. She doesn't get to chose what she eats. She doesn't get to chose what she wears. She doesn't even get to chose when she goes to the bathroom.

We were sitting at the table, eating our dinner when I leaned over to my sister and whispered, "If it comes to this for me...just get a gun." I can't imagine this for myself or putting my parents in a place like that, or my kids having to come see me in those conditions. And yet that is the reality of life. We don't chose how it starts or how it ends.

If you have a loved one in such a place, don't forget them this year. Be sure to pop in with a smile and some Christmas cheer. I think I know how much it meant to my great-aunt...and that made the whole thing worth it.

Just a little poll...

2008-12-20T09:36:00.003-05:00

If any of you have ever had to make up bunk beds (change the sheets etc), I just want you to know that you have my sympathy. This has got to be one of the worst jobs in the world. I can't stand it. And I can't decide which is worse, making the top bunk or the bottom bunk.

With the top bunk, you have to stand on the edge of the bottom mattress (or continually move a chair around the bed), jamming your stomach into the side, balancing precariously, while you bruise and batter your knuckles trying to jam the sheets in between the bed rails. But with the bottom bunk, you constantly bang the back of your head reaching across to spread out the sheets and blankets.

So which is worse?? We have two sets of bunk beds in our home. Can you figure out what I had to do today? I won't even come close to admitting how often (or not often) I change these dang beds because it is such a task of dread. What's wrong with a few dust mites and bunnies hanging around the house...it's gotta be good for the immune system or something.

This is my grown up Christmas wish (list)

2008-12-17T16:01:00.002-05:00

If I could have anything at all in the world this Christmas, wrapped up and under the tree, these are top few things I would ask for. None of these things are possible (that I know of) for me to have so that's why this list is so fun. It'll never happen. These things are only possible to people like the Trumps and the Jolie-Pitts etc. Not little ol' me living in the 'burbs. Here goes...

#1. I would like for a magic fairy to come and clean my house every day. I would wake up each morning for the 2009 year and it would be spotless. Laundry done, floors washed, baseboard wiped etc. I realize that I could make this come true with a couple hours of work each night...but that's what the fairy is for.

#2. I would give HALF my kingdom for the perfect pair of jeans. I'd like them to do the following things...
-make me look thin
-fit me COMFORTABLY
-look cool/up to date but NOT show my butt crack whenever I bend over to wash the floor (but if the fairy came in wish #1...)
-be available in a store and not be discontinued the minute I fall in love with them
-come in several shades of blue

#3. Have good hair every day. I could set aside the round brush, the flat iron, the curling iron & all the product to wake up at dawn with a gorgeous set of locks.

#4. Come up withe ingenious meal ideas every time I make supper.

#5. A green thumb. I can kill most any plant. I've killed hostas, a norfolk island pine I loved, an african violet, jade trees, ivy, 2 trees etc. I want things to live when I touch them.

#6. Peace on earth...of course...that one goes without saying.

A Little Update...

2008-12-09T21:04:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let you know some good news...if I can't share it here then I can't share it anywhere.

Jack has had two completely successful potty training days. No accidents. No infractions. We were even shopping today from 9:30 am till 1 pm and he was dry as a bone.

It's truly a Christmas miracle.

A Little Festive Rant...

2008-12-08T08:47:00.002-05:00

I am seriously irritated by the lack of the word Christmas in the world, or at least in Canada. I know there are other festive holidays being celebrated during this time of year and I'm happy to wish a Happy Hannukah, Merry Ede, Joyful Ramadan, to all those who wish to hear it.

But it feels like the word "Christmas" is taboo in our society and for heaven's sake, it's Christmas time! It's been Christmas time for over 2000 years and now we're going to blot it out of history by calling it Holiday? A holiday can be taken any time of year, a holiday is a break from work, a holiday is a PD day from school. This is CHRISTMAS.

Remember the true Christmas story? The original one that got this whole thing started? The one with a baby, a manger and star?? Where God sent His son? The King of Kings in human form? This is how the whole thing got started. It started being about Jesus and it shouldn't have to be renamed. Walking into stores and reading the flyers with the words Festive, Holiday, and Seasonal is ridiculous. The marketing genius' behind all the big stores want to sell and since Christmas is considered exclusive, they need a broader term to reach bigger demographics. How do they get to decide the name of this day?

On Saturday, I went to Second Cup to buy the tea I love. It's called Christmas Tea. Actually, no it's not...anymore. It's called Holiday Tea. New package, new name.

What other major holidays will we be removing from history for the sake of marketing?? How about St. Patricks Day -- that one is about a saint...that's fairly religious~let's cut it. Oh, and so is St. Valentines Day. Let's not forget about Easter...that one is totally about Jesus again. With all the trouble in our government, Canada Day is probably even being chopped.

The ideal of Christmas, even for those who aren't believers in Jesus, is a wonderful, meaningful time of giving, reflection, gratitude, joy and peace. I know that many, many people don't get to experience it that way, but the ideal should stay the same.

Even St. Nicholas wouldn't have given his gift to those poor daughters if it hadn't been Christmas. So truly, Santa wouldn't even be around if it weren't for Christmas.

The Holiday messages of today are things like, "Get the things you never even wanted." and "Shop, buy, spend!" We stress over what to buy each other when we don't need a thing.

What happened to "Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men?" Is there a loftier, better message out there? I don't think so. Can we bring tidings of comfort and joy rather than those of plastic and fabric?

Christmas is a once a year celebration of family and friends, of giving and receiving, of beautiful music, children's plays, and so much more. I think the best gift we can give our kids is the gift of Christmas. Let's keep the spirit of Christmas alive...sounds a little cheesy, I know! But I'm getting the feeling that Christmas is on the at-risk list these days.

Henceforth, I shall not mention this burr in my saddle again. It's out. I've ranted. And from my family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas. And in the words, of Tiny Tim...

God Bless Us, Everyone!

Oh, it's just embarassing...

2008-12-04T10:49:00.003-05:00

We're back on for potty training Jack and it has already gone much better in these first four days then it did way back in the summer when I first gave it a try. For the most part, the pee is in the pot and not on the floor...although I'm not actually trying to count his infractions because it's probably fairly discouraging.

Yesterday, we had an energy efficiency audit done on our home. Very enlightening, I tell you. The man who came to do it was very friendly and tolerated the four kids in the house fairly well. The best part was near the end of the audit, when he (the audit man) and I were sitting at the kitchen table chatting about the results of our audit. He was sitting facing the living room where Jack was playing. As I was jotting something down, the man was chatting about windows and doors and all of a sudden, I see him trying to talk to me with a smile creeping up on his face. He continues talking but is trying to suppress a laugh. Then I hear Jack cry out, "Mommy!! Poo-Poo!"

I turn to look, and there's Jack. Peeing all over the floor. The audit man tries to continue his little speech, but by this time, the pee is spraying all over the living room floor. I politely pull my chair from the table and say, "Pardon me for a moment, please." (And start laughing my head off.) The man made no kind comment like "Oh, that's alright, we've been through potty training before." In fact when I returned to the table from cleaning up the mess, I took a peek and noticed there was no wedding ring on his hand...so he might not have had children of his own at all. No sympathy from him.

He left in a hurry as soon as he could.

Only a couple of hours later, there's a knock at the door. I'm was trying to make gravy and was irritated by the interruption. It was a person on behalf of a charity wanting money. However the background noise coming from inside the house was a little distracting as the man at the door was explaining the needs of the charity he represented. Kylie is screaming (and no exaggeration there at all!)
"Poop! Poop! Jack went POOP! MOM! MOM! POOP!!!!" This went on for what seemed like several minutes and I didn't hear a word the charity guy said. He left without a dime of my money and I turned to celebrate with the kids on the big event that had gone on moments before.

Seeing as Jack will "go potty" for the kids, I've offered them all money to train him. It'll be the best $30 I've ever spent.

Please, Lord, let him learn quickly.

Birthdays and such...

2008-12-02T12:38:00.003-05:00

Birthdays are a big part of the fall and winter for my side of our family. Starting from the beginning of October right past Christmas, there seems to be a birthday every other week.

On Sunday we celebrated Ethan's 10th birthday and my brother in law Grant's, 33rd birthday. Ethan is super easy to buy for. Pick out some Lego and you're all set...or as in the pic above, a new bow.

We sent Ethan to camp 2 summers ago and he signed up for archery. When I worked at camp years ago, archery was the worst assignment you could get as a counselor...so dull. But this kid was thrilled with it. We bought him a cheap little bow and he loved to shoot. He took a few lessons through our home school group. Then we found a place with super cheap lessons and the rest is history. He's hooked. And when he opened his birthday gift to find a "real" bow...well, the pic tells the story. He was just a little bit excited about it.

The scariest thing about the whole deal is not putting a bow and arrow into my ten year old's hands...it's actually the fact that my eldest is TEN! That's really scary.

Christmas...

2008-11-26T20:33:00.004-05:00

I have to admit that I am starting to feel the spirit of Christmas rising up in me. It doesn't take much, mind you. Some snow on the ground, a Christmas tune or two, and I'm pretty much ready to go.
I am not, however, one of those crazies who has their tree up the day after Halloween. In fact, currently, there isn't one Christmas decoration to be seen in my house. Oh, but soon, very soon, that will all change.
The rule of thumb in this house is that American Thanksgiving must be over-with before the Christmas season can really begin...and seeing as tomorrow is American Thanksgiving, I can start decorating on Friday. But the tree, it won't show up for weeks.

This afternoon the kids and I went to see "A Christmas Carol". It was a really really good play and the kids enjoyed seeing live theatre. There was actually quite a bit of singing of Christmas carols in it. That's all I needed to start thinking thoughts of garlands, baking, Christmas cards and the like.

There are a few things that bring Christmas to mind for me, not your typical things like mall decorations, outdoor lights and Christmas flyers...but here they are in no particular order.

1. Clementines. When I see these in the grocery store, I know it's Christmas. When I start to peel my first one, the smell that rises to my nose is a smell of Christmas time.

2. Egg Nog. As soon as it's in the grocery store, I must have it. I didn't know I even liked the stuff till I married Nate but now it's a tradition and even the kids love it.

3. The Festive Special at Swiss Chalet. As soon as I see an add, I need to go. I don't even eat the stuffing or the cranberries but what does that matter??

(Funny how all these things are food.)

Sure, there are other things that bring Christmas to mind, but these are the sure signs that the season is upon us.
I'm sure I'll be decorating the house this weekend, with a cup of egg nog and the Christmas music on and I very much look forward to it.
One of my finest childhood memories is of my mom doing the same thing...baking, decorating and the like. My dad refused to help her. As she was in the living room putting the decorations out, he was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper and having a cup of coffee. (He is completely against any Christmas music, decorations or shopping before Dec. 15th.) As he sat in peace at the table, my mother's voice came hollering in from the living room. What were her words of comfort and joy??
"GET IN HERE AND MAKE MEMORIES WITH ME, YOU JERK!"

We kids have never forgotten it...and repeat the story every year just to get a good laugh. So get out there, decorate your homes...and make some memories!!

Family

2008-11-24T07:26:00.002-05:00

In writing about Uncle Alec and the way family reacts in a crisis, I got a really nice email from my own aunt listing the times in her life when she needed family and we/they were there for her. Again I think it's awesome and something I am so so grateful for.

I can remember the night we brought Jack home from the hospital. Nate got me settled with the kids at home but because his mom had been hospitalized the same day, he wanted to go and have a quick visit with her. Moments after he left, things began to fall apart. I was trying to do too much and in turning my back, one of my kids picked up the new baby...and promptly dropped him. Before long all five of us were in tears.

I picked up the phone and called my sister. I could barely speak on the phone and nothing intelligible came out of my mouth, I'm sure. Her response? "I'll be there in two minutes. Hang on." And she was. It almost brings tears to my eyes to think of it. How when I need something, I can actually think of a list of family and friends who would drop everything to come and help.

How blessed am I!

My aunt finished her email with this line...
"You were so right to say that family comes to our aid. Shopping doesn't matter. Eating doesn't matter. Comfort and ease don't matter. But being together where we can hug and cry and laugh and touch...is priceless."

Amen, Aunt Carol. You hit the nail right on the head.

Good News

2008-11-21T16:04:00.002-05:00

Uncle Alec is doing great. He's out of the ICU and moving forward in his recovery. So it looks like the trip to Hamilton is off due to the nasty storm but hopefully the shopping trip is still happening.

There's nothing like a family emergency to get you thinking. The cool thing was to watch Nate's family snap into action the moment they were needed. That's what family is for. People driving long distances at all hours just to be there. People covering for each other, watching dogs on short notice, making phone calls to cancel plans, hair appointments, etc. One family member had 17 others over for dinner short notice because they all needed something to eat and a break from sitting in a hospital.

I think it's an extraordinary thing, family is. You may not see each other for ages and yet when someone is in need, everything is dropped just to be of help, support and encouragement. I'm so grateful that I am a part of one that would do the same for me...everyone should be so lucky.

We Make Our Plans...

2008-11-19T20:42:00.002-05:00

This weekend is supposed to be a busy one...and until yesterday afternoon I was pretty excited about it.

Friday night, Nate and I & my brother and his wife are heading to Hamilton for a Christmas party for one of the soccer leagues we run. It's a free dinner out and some time to hang with two of my most favourite relatives.
Then on Saturday, my mom, sister, sister-in-law and I are going to head for Boutique Target in the great USA for some Christmas shopping, a meal at the Olive Garden etc.

How plans change in a moment...the blink of an eye.

Nate's uncle (he's one of the really good ones) had a major stroke yesterday and is in hospital in Huntsville, not really expected to live. Uncle Alec is wonderful...I met him before I even met Nate when I worked at camp. When we worked together, he was fun, full of life and loved, loved, LOVED a good prank. We spent a lot of time pulling pranks on one another and getting a good laugh.

It sucks that he might be dying in hospital.

I don't really care about the free dinner and the shopping, but it just struck me how we make our plans for each day, each week, each weekend, and then one thing happens and we are stopped in our tracks. Plans change...quickly.

On top of it all, Nate's mom and her two sisters (and their spouses) are all supposed to leave for a 10 ten tour of Israel on Sunday. How do they go when their brother might take his last breath while they are gone?

The good news is that Uncle Alec is doing really well right now. The stroke is a tricky one...not your typical clot but a brain hemorrhage (spelling??) so currently, he is sitting in the Huntsville hospital, chatting away to his family, siblings, & grand kids, cracking jokes and being the life of the ICU.

I hate to think of what might actually be happening this weekend, and it brings to mind the verse that says, "Man make his plans but God orders our steps." How true and yet how amazing that we can trust Him. Whatever happens, I rest in that.

Pick More Daisies...

2008-11-17T12:48:00.004-05:00

Many years ago, (I think I was 18) I went to a conference somewhere...about something out-doorsy. All I can remember is that we were at some camp around Peterborough, the food was terrible and I learned to do things like howl like a wolf and plan activities for kids. This is what you get when your college education program starts with the word "Recreation."

Anyhow, the key-note speaker (yes. there was one...despite the fact he played the penny-whistle during his speeches.) read this great poem and I have never been able to find it. I just did a little searching on the information super-highway and finally I have it.

This is my favourite poem. It was written by an 85 year old woman who was asked to look back on her life. Here's what she said...

"If I Had My Life to Live Over" by Nadine Stair

I'd make more mistakes next time. I'd relax. I would limber up.
I would be sillier than I have been on this trip. I would take fewer things seriously.
I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.
I would eat more ice cream and less beans. (amen, sister!)
I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.

You see I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely, hour after hour, day after day.
Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I'd have more of them.
In fact, I'd try to have nothing else.
Just moments, one after another, instead of trying to live so many years ahead of each day.

I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle and a rain coat.
If I had to do it over again, I'd travel lighter than I have.

I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds.
I would pick more daisies.

Where's my camera??

2008-11-15T15:17:00.002-05:00

Man, twice this week I have needed my camera so bad to take a picture of Jack to show you all. It's such a bummer because both moments were so funny...and I know that even if I describe it to you, it'll never be the same.

Nate has the camera in his truck...he needed it in case he got 'something' while hunting. The "something" he got was just a cold from sitting in a tree for 8 hours. Not much of a photo op...

The first moment was when Jack was left alone at the dinner table before supper....for mere seconds I turned my back. (Okay I was reading on the couch but our couch is about 5 steps from our table.) He decided to butter a piece of bread and when I turned to look, he had PAVED the bread with about and inch and a half of butter (seriously) and was licking the gobs of butter off the knife. At least he'll have a nice shiny coat...

Right now as I type, he's fallen asleep standing up at the couch. How tired can this kid be? His feet are on the floor and his head and arms are draped on the couch...I wish I had my camera..

Enjoy the drizzly rainy weekend, my friends. I'll get my camera back in action right away...

The Difference Btwn Me and Nate

2008-11-13T15:33:00.002-05:00

Today is a green light day. Do you know what this means?? This means that, if you are a hunter, this is the BIG day. The deer are out. The deer are active. The moon is full (nothing to do with contraception, I assure you.). This is the day.

Nate has never really been a hunter...until this year. I don't mind it as a hobby, I guess. I mean, I know that my meat comes from animals. I can understand that one must kill an animal before one eats it.

However, sitting in a tree stand, dressed from head to toe in green and brown is, well, more than I am willing to do. I acknowledge that men are different and that some of them want to "bring home the bacon" in more ways than just a pay check. But there are a few things I don't understand about hunting....

1. Why bowhunters (those who hunt by bow and arrow) must wear green, brown, tree-looking clothing, but gun hunters have to wear hi-visibility orange. This is absurd. Can the deer see colour or not? Let's set the record straight and recognize that all this camo stuff is just a marketing ploy by hunting companies to make some extra bucks. Really -- I have seen camo underwear (do the deer have x-ray vision??) and even camo socks?? Pourquoi?

2. Spraying yourself with deer-pee scented stuff. Deer pee? That's just yucky. Boys are weird.

3. Going out for a full day/week/couple of weeks with your friends only to go into the woods alone and NOT talk to each other the entire time. Now this is the most absurd thing of all to me...and exactly why Nate would never take me hunting. You don't get to chat. Ridiculous!

So, here I sit in my cozy home at my fancy computer while Nathan is out today (on this green light day) sitting in a tree stand, only yards from my brother, NOT saying a word.

Whatever floats your boat...

Taffy Should Stay A Thing of the Past

2008-11-12T08:49:00.005-05:00

Alright, I'm not doing it. NOT because I'm a coward, but because none of you have tried it and can tell me what a pleasure it was.

I looked it up online and found this one recipe that scared me to death. I quote...

Step One: First, lay down several painter’s cloths, taping the edges to protect every inch of your floor.

Step Two: Next, sprinkle a light layer of flour over the painter’s cloths—this will help keep everyone’s shoes from sticking to the cloths when the inevitable spills occur.

Step Three:Finally, tape down some wax paper over the table or countertop where you plan to start your taffy pull.

Can you believe this?? Okay, I haven't even pulled a pot out of the drawer and I'm already a half hour into this ordeal? Forget it. Taffy is dead to me. I'm not even sure I like the stuff anyhow.

Good Ol' Fashioned Taffy Pull

2008-11-11T14:32:00.004-05:00

I'm just wondering if any one of you faithful readers have ever done a homemade taffy/candy pull? Nate's cousins family has had this great family tradition for years and it sounds so cozy and homespun that I'd like to give it a go.

But before I do, I'd also like to find out if it's worth my time. Has anyone tried this? Is it more work than I believe it to be? Does the mess far outweigh the memories or possible photographs I could get out of this? I hate to think that I'd get halfway through it and think, "This was a stupid idea."

So....if you've done it, let me know...honestly. I want to know the truth...'cause if it's easier to just drive to the candy store, I'm all for it.

The Big News

2008-11-10T14:35:00.003-05:00

Okay, here it is...I'm pregnant...again.

I'm afraid that there really isn't much to say about it. The deed is done. I'm nauseous and tired.

The most fun part of this pregnancy so far has been the reactions of those I have told. From shock and speechlessness to the rolling of eyes and tears, it has been a rather entertaining experience for me.
The first, second and may be even third time you announce that you are expecting, people are thrilled in a warm and wonderful way. The excitement is real, tangible and contagious. In my experience, however, the reactions to announcements about #4 and #5 change dramatically. Most people look at you, take a step back and pause before they say a word. Once they have recovered the ability to speak they say something like, "You know what causes this, don't you??"

Oh, ho, ho, there's a comedian in every crowd.

So yes, we know how it happens. When it happens -- may be not so much. Here's an excerpt from a past conversation...

Nate: "Like, where are you in the "cycle"?
Me: I don't know...what's the moon doing these days?
Nate: It's waxing.
Me: That sounds good.
Nate: You're sure it's safe??
Me: Oh yeah, when the moon waxes we're all good.

Obviously we are a little irresponsible with the family planning. But really, once the shock wears off we are all good. And the baby will be arriving in June sometime. So there you have it, the big news.

No, No, November!

2008-11-05T15:31:00.008-05:00

Can this possibly be the month of November?? It is 20 degrees here today and the sky is a gorgeous fall blue. The kids used to sing a song in their kindergarten class that said,
"No, no, November, you can't make us sad...dark days and wet days can only make us glad..."

This is my kind of weather and if November keeps this up, I'll be very glad indeed. Today we went to our pond. In just a few quick steps, we can be at the perfect little pond for kids. It's small and shallow but full of life and activity. It's by far the best science classroom in the city. From turtles to toads, blue jays to black birds and ducks to duckweed, it's the most fun place my kids can think of. They wade in, get mucky and have a blast. Here's what it looked like today...

To get to the pond, you need to cross a creek. I opt for the little footbridge, the kids opt for the water crossing...

Nolan fell in almost immediately.......and soaked everything but his one shoulder. Then we fed the ducks...Jack isn't going to hit the ducks with that stick, in case you're worried. It's his "weed-whacker" ~ he takes it everywhere, dragging it across the top of grass and plants, making a weed-whacker-ish noise. He loves it. And even if he hit a duck, how can you be mad at a face like this??

Finally...

2008-11-04T11:50:00.007-05:00

Okay...the moment you've been waiting for. I really hope, actually, that you haven't been waiting...I hate to keep people waiting. I have excuses for why it has taken so long for me to upload some pics...but you probably don't want to hear them. So here we go....

This is the first pic of our 2008 Halloween Costumes....

1, 2, 3 of these....and....

One of these!

Did you guess? If you figured out (despite my terrible sewing) that they were the three little pigs and the big bad wolf, you're right! You get the prize! I won't say another word....the pics do all the talking...

A couple of nights before Halloween, Nate came home to find the kids running around the house in the costumes. He had to leave quick because he had a hockey game. But when he came back the kids were already in bed. Here's the conversation that followed...

Me: Hey, did you win?
Nate: No, but I need to talk to you.
Me: Okay, what's up?
Nate: It's about the costumes...
Me: Oh, really? What is it?
Nate: Ummmm....they are HORRIBLE!
Me: (gasp) Really?? Like Horrible-horrible?? Oh no...
Nate: I thought I should be the one to tell you...
Me: Oh dear...like really that bad?
Nate: Bad. Dorky. What were you thinking??

I laughed my head off....I was thinking....dorky, actually. See, I'll get to use these photos in my kids wedding reception power point presentations and the thought of them being horrified about it makes me giggle with glee. I'll keep making the costumes if they'll keep wearing them...even by the hair of my chinny chin chin.