Loving Every Minute

Kids Can Be So Cruel

2011-09-18T21:29:00.000-05:00

I'm scared my kids will get picked on at school. It happened to me. It happened to my husband. If it's in the genes, they're in trouble! I'm sure most kids get picked on at one time or another, some worse than others. But oh it hurts! And it hurts just as much if not more for the parent to know their child is going through something like that.

Grade six was my year to be picked on. I remember so vividly one day in the gym change room. All of the "popular" girls were calling me teacher's pet and being so mean. I don't remember a lot of the other specifics but it got to the point that it made me sick. I'm sure it was a mental thing. One day I wasn't feeling well - I went to my teacher's desk to ask to go to the bathroom. On my way out of the classroom I remember everything going black and running into someone's desk. The next thing I knew I was sitting on the classroom floor feeling like I was going to throw up. One of the nicer girls told me later that it looked like I was just laying on the floor looking at the ceiling for a while so I guess I passed out. After that day I was "sick" and didn't go to school for six weeks. My parents had me to doctor's appointments, doing tests, eliminating foods from my diet. At one appointment the doctor asked me if it bothered me that my mom was at work all day - did I want her at home. I suppose they were looking for mental reasons that I would be sick. The big question they should have asked was "how are things at school"? My parents had no clue what I was going through - for whatever reason I guess I didn't feel like I could tell them.

That experience affected me so much that well into adulthood I would be wary of people who were my friends. I would think they were just pretending. That they didn't really like me. That they said stuff about me behind my back. Deep down I knew it wasn't true but subconsciously I felt it. I still have to fight it off sometimes.

And so I work extra hard at making sure my kids have friends. That they know how to socialize and compromise and include others and the list goes on. (And why is it so hard for them to figure these things out!) Ever since my first child started preschool I've been on top of arranging play dates and getting to know the parents of their friends. I know there will be heart ache along the way - I just hope it's not too plentiful.

Whatever Pops Into My Head I Will Write About....

2011-09-17T23:11:00.001-05:00

I read some people's blogs, people I don't even know IRL, and I think "I want to be like you when I grow up". Sure they probably don't share their "ick" days. Their "I want to pull my hair out and run away" days. But the days they do share? Love them. And I think I needs some more of those days in my house. Days of long walks and lego building and painting and random picture taking and homemade soups and picnics and, and, and......

I'm seriously thinking of taking a screen sabbatical. Not 100% of the time. I would still need my computer for work. And my handful of fall tv shows at night. But during the day - when the kids are around - no screens for me. Or them. Call me crazy! It's ok, you can, I'm calling myself crazy! But I figure with no screen time there's plenty of time for all those other things.

We forgot to pick the mail up on Friday. Husband just got it now (late Saturday night). We will have two very happy children in the morning. They each got a magazine in the mail! Free magazines - Lego and American Girl - and on the same day. Ya gotta love the little things!

Today I made two dozen chocolate chip muffins. A double batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and a big pan of granola bars. The big plan is to package them up separately and put them in the freezer so they can easily be added to lunch boxes. Boxes. Plural. Still having a hard time with that one. Thankfully the kid is LOVING kindergarten. I knew he would. But man, we're really going to have to take advantage of his off-school days. Do a bunch of fun stuff.

Just Some Thoughts

2011-09-12T21:29:00.000-05:00

I figure it's about time to get back to this old blogging thing. Of course my mind is a blank.......

I started this nearly five years ago. Wow, lots has changed since then. Like another member of the family! Got to have some sort of record of him on here. We'll get to that.

My 5 year old starts kindergarten tomorrow. Ack! He goes with half his class to ease into it. Last week one of his best buddies went for his ease in day so I was asking him today what he liked about it.
"The bus!" My boy agreed that the bus would likely be his favorite part too. And he says "Isn't it crazy there's no seat belts! Only the driver has to wear one!". Of course he would love the fact that he doesn't have to wear one. His sister, was the exact opposite. She didn't want to ride the bus due to the lack of them.

I'm still having a hard time imagining him getting onto that bus tomorrow. He is so ready. I'm excited for him. But I'm nervous for me!! It's going to be a long day waiting to hear about all the fun he had.
But I have big plans to take a nap with the baby. Now that's exciting stuff!

My Husband Rocks

2011-04-21T15:57:00.002-05:00

Tammy is doing a giveaway, a shirt the publicly declares "My Husband Rocks!" . Union28 makes these really cool shirts - check 'em out.

When two people say "I do" I don't think they fully realize what their vows could mean to their life down the road. Last year we were approaching our ninth anniversary and all of a sudden found out he had cancer. Whoa. "In sickness and in health" took on a whole new meaning. I braced myself for what the next year would hold.

To put it in a few words - my husband rocked throughout the whole ordeal. He put me and our children first. Not once, through a very serious surgery and difficult recovery, radiation and two rounds of chemo, did I hear him complain. Not once. There were no pity parties, no woe is mes. He was a hero through and through. He wanted life to stay as normal as possible for his family and the whole situation to be as stress free as possible for his pregnant wife. (Yes we had a baby in the midst of all of it.)

As I was complaining this week when I had the stomach flu about how awful I felt and having him take care of me I realized that I complained more in those 24 hours than he did in the last year. And really, what is the stomach flu in comparison to cancer?!

So really - MY HUSBAND ROCKS!!
(And it's looking like we'll have many more years of HEALTH together.)

Goals

2011-01-17T09:31:00.004-06:00

Let's set some goals for 2011. These will be fun type goals for me since I'm on maternity leave for most of the year. Another post will consist of more non-fun type goals.

~ scrapbook Alex's first year
~ scrapbook Isaiah's first year
~ scrapbook our summer 2010
~ make a good stock of cards to have on hand
~ take pictures of my kids regularly
~ get said pictures printed regularly
~ cross-stitch picture for Isaiah
~ sew something - I was going through some baby stuff the other day and found two Halloween costumes I had sewed for Emily for her 1st and 2nd Halloweens. I had a sudden longing to pull out the sewing machine and sew something. I will have to think on what that is going to be.

Hmmm, I think the ol' computer is going to take a backseat if I'm going to accomplish all this!

Things Kids Say

2011-01-13T11:57:00.003-06:00

One thing I love about having a blog is it acts like a diary. I can look back through the years and remember things that happened in our lives that I would likely otherwise forget. Alex makes me laugh with a lot of the things he comes up with and I need to start documenting them a bit more.

A: When I grow up I'm going to be a black ninja.
Me: What do black ninjas do?
A: They stay up all night. They fight bad guys and they never sleep. And I'm going to wear black gloves when I'm a ninja. Know why? 'Cause black ninjas wear black gloves. And they have swords. Sharp swords. But I'll be wearing gloves. Or I'll be a soldier.
Me: What do soldiers do?
A: They sleep in the rain and the mud. They fight. They have weapons. But the only weapons they have are their hands. Isn't that funny?

If I have any say in the matter he'll be something a little less dangerous when he grows up!!

Eight

2011-01-04T12:05:00.003-06:00

Yesterday my girl turned 8. Crazy.

When it was time for bed she didn't want the day to end. We had had a great day. Went out for lunch. Saw a movie at the theatre. Played games. Ate cake. No wonder she didn't want it to end! I asked her - "what would be the best way to end off your birthday celebrations". Her reply "Put on music and dance!". We gave her a cd player for her birthday and she had gotten a couple of new cds for Christmas so we cranked the tunes and the kids started dancing away. I was taking pictures and then thought why aren't I in there dancing with them? So I let loose and were they ever excited that Mom was being silly and dancing with them.

Sometimes I find myself too focused on what's going to be happening next and not just fully enjoying the moment for what it is. It's so easy to do and one of my goals for this new year is to do just that. Enjoy all the moments along the way.

Wow - this is obviously a reminder that I have needed on a regular basis.

Pictures

2011-01-01T20:59:00.003-06:00

I just don't take enough of them. I used to be a picture-taking maniac. My camera was always in my purse and this was BEFORE I had kids.
With the first child I carried on in my maniacal ways. We had photo shoots all. the. time. There's probably thousands of pictures of her first year on our computer. Child two definitely does not have as many pics. And now child three is sure getting the short end of the stick.

When I do get out the camera, or if we're somewhere picture-taking-worthy, I'll snap, snap, snap away. But for some reason it feels like so much work. Or maybe it's the fact that if I'm behind the camera then I'm not involved and having fun with whatever we're doing.

With the new year I'm going to try a new approach to picture taking. Every day for this month I'm going to make sure I take pictures of something, someone. I think once I get back in to the habit of it that it won't feel so much like work.

And then the next step will be to actually get some printed!!

Time For An Attitude Adjustment

2010-12-06T11:17:00.002-06:00

You know the old saying "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"? Yeah. It's true.
I had to give myself a pep talk last night after the kids went to bed. Time to change my attitude. We're really struggling with the boy not listening THE FIRST TIME and talking back, being saucy etc. It's sooo frustrating, my first instinct is to yell. Well what sort of example am I setting? I'm always tell the kids not to yell at one another, to use their nice voices. If I can do it maybe it will rub off on them.

I had a set back already this morning. I don't think it was even 8:00 yet and I caught myself. So I'm going to try the "sugar and spice and everything nice" approach. See what happens. Hopefully we'll all end up happy as clams.

In other news, I am standing over here beside myself with excitement for our trip to Hometown for Christmas. Due to husband's surgery this fall and having a new baby we haven't been since the end of August. Sure we've had quite a bit of family come and visit us but it's just the same.
Take note weather, you need to cooperate! My hopes will not be dashed!

The Ups and Downs at Our House

2010-12-01T08:53:00.004-06:00

When I very first started this blog four (!) years ago I called it "And Then There Were Four" as we had recently had our second child. Well now, we are a family of five! Isaiah was born on Oct 16 (only 10 days late) weighing 9 lbs 6 oz. And now at six weeks old I'm sure he's over the 13 pound mark.He has been such a blessing to us at this point in our lives. A wonderful distraction too. In the spring my husband was diagnosed with cancer so we've been on a crazy roller coaster ever since. He's been through chemo and radiation and surgery and now another round of chemo. But the future looks bright and we anxiously await the day that he is given a clean bill of health!

Lately as I go through my days I try to look for the little things that make me happy. Make me smile. I thought I'd share a list here:

~ drinking my morning coffee out of a Christmas mug
~ realizing the fussing baby has all of a sudden gone quiet and I look to see his older siblings loving on him and making him smile
~ friends who e-mail just to say "So. How's it going today?"
~ wearing my pre-pregnancy clothes!!
~ hoar frost on the trees in the morning
~ making Christmas cards with glitter

What has made you smile today?

I Felt Like A Kid Again Today.....

2009-07-31T17:04:00.001-05:00

May Excitement

2009-04-26T19:47:00.002-05:00

Things I am looking forward to in the month of May. It's just around the corner you know!

~ Nicer weather. Capris, sandals and tank top weather. It was a l-o-n-g winter.

~ Planting my garden. I'm going to try a few different veggies this year. I've never planted corn or potatoes before. I've always been a little skittish of planting potatoes due to potato bugs but they're just so yummy fresh from the garden.

~ A romantic getaway with my hubby! Two nights away in a cute little cottage. Life with young children can really get away on you. It's easy to forget what brought us together in the first place - having this time to spend entirely one-on-one will be so refreshing.

~ Soccer season. This will be Emily's second year and Alex's first. Our town doesn't offer soccer for Alex's age group but we found a town close by that does. He is an amazing little soccer player for only being three years old so I'm excited to see him out on the field too.

~ Emily's dance recital. I took tap dancing lessons for ten years so I have a soft spot for dance and hope Emily will want to continue for years to come. Her costumes are so cute, I'm just really hoping she doesn't get a case of stage fright!

~ Another trip to Hometown where I will get to cuddle my new nephew AND new niece. Not twins - my sister and my brother's wife had their babies six days apart. It's tough not living in the same city as them and missing out on these early weeks of cuddling sweet babies or being able to take them a meal or babysit their other kids so they can take a nap.

~ This next one I'm perhaps not looking as forward to but the result that should come of it I am. Exercising. You know how some people actually like to exercise? Well I'm not one of them. I've never had to really watch my weight, not that I do now, I know I'm not overweight. It's just that I am officially heavier than I have ever been (aside from being pregnant) and the clothes, well they are getting pretty snug and snug clothes just feel awful. Sure it would be nice to go and buy a bunch of new clothes but it would be even nicer to be able to fit all my clothes from last summer. So look out Turbo Jam - it's time to get re-acquainted.

What are you looking forward to next month?

Nothing Exciting

2009-03-17T17:34:00.003-05:00

Snow is melting, puddles are plentiful and the temperatures are a bit more bearable. Could spring be just around the corner? Weather like this always makes me antsy for full-fledged spring. Today I pulled out the spring jackets, even though it's just barely above freezing. I'm just encouraging the warmer weather to stick around.

I tend to get the spring cleaning bug around this time of year. I notice the dirt on the windows now that we actually have more daylight to see things in. Cleaning those suckers is high up on my to do list this week!

The kids are nearing the ends of the colds that seem to have lasted an entire month. I'm expecting to get mine just in time for spring break. But with any luck it will skip right past me.

Today the kids and I were doing self portraits just for the fun of it. Alex gave us a good laugh each time we'd look at the picture we just took..........

But then we got a good one.

You Don't Say

2009-02-10T16:04:00.003-06:00

This afternoon the kids and I were making cookie dough for Valentine sugar cookies. While stirring the batter Emily looked in the bowl and said:

"It looks like snow. The kind of snow that a dog peed in."

They're going to be delicious!

The Big Day

2009-02-06T21:51:00.003-06:00

The adventure of a lifetime is waiting in the wings. Potty training of the boy! It begins in the morning. We've been counting down all week, the diapers are gone, the big boy underwear is ready and waiting.

Have I really changed my very last diaper as of this afternoon? Why didn't I cherish it a moment longer? Reveling in the final moments of "babyhood"............screech.............who am I kidding?! I'm so sick to death of changing diapers. I've been doing diapers for six whole years (minus three months in the middle) and am more than ready to wash my hands of it. Literally!

Here's hoping the kid will cooperate. That there won't be too many accidents. That whatever accidents there are take place on the one small area of uncarpeted flooring in our house. Ha! Wishful thinking, I'm sure.

He's almost three. He's a smart kid. He's all primed up. I'm thinking positively.

2008-12-16T19:15:00.002-06:00

Wow, it's been over two months since I posted!

Since Christmas is in the air I thought I'd do a fun little Christmas meme.

Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Mostly wrapping paper. I do use a few gift bags for teacher gifts and friends. But I love the suspense of watching people rip into their gifts.

Real tree or Artificial?
Artificial. It doesn't make a mess. It's symmetrical. And it was a one time expense. And I love it!

When do you put up the tree?
I used to be a not-before-December-first decorator. The last few years we'll put it up the last weekend of November or the first weekend of December. Depends on what else is going on.

When do you take the tree down?
Definitely before New Year's.

Do you like eggnog?
Not especially.

Hardest person to buy for?
My father-in-law.

Easiest person to buy for?
The kids.

Do you have a nativity scene?
My mother-in-law gave us a ceramic one a couple years ago. I'd love to have the Willow Tree set.

Mail or email Christmas cards?
Snail mail all the way.

Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
One year at a work party I got one of those wiggling, dancing Santas. Emily was terrified of it.

Favourite Christmas Movie?
The Muppet's Family Christmas

When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Around the beginning of November. And as of this past Sunday I am done!

Favourite thing to eat at Christmas?
I love Christmas baking. You know how there's just certain things you make only at Christmas? Yeah, that's the stuff.

Lights on the tree?
I like lots of lights throughout the tree. Ours are multi-colored. And I like them on, not blinking and not with music.

Favourite Christmas song?
Breath of Heaven is a more recent one that I like. And I love the album Sunshine and Snowflakes. We listened to it when I was a kid and I still love it now.

Travel at Christmas or stay home?
We never used to, until last year when we moved away from Hometown.

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen and Rudolph

Angel on the tree top or a star?
A star.

Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We let the kids open one present on Christmas Eve and it's always pjs.

Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Honestly I can't think of anything annoying. I love Christmas and the hustle and bustle.

Favourite ornament theme or color?
Well you've got to have red at Christmas for sure. And for some reason I have quite the collection of snowman ornaments.

Favourite for Christmas dinner?
I love that my family has waffles every Christmas for brunch.

What do you want for Christmas this year?
It's interesting how wants change as a person gets older. Sure there's gadgets and odds and ends that I'd like to have but really, if I've got a healthy family and good weather for traveling and lots of time to spend with loved ones then I'm one happy lady.

2008-10-11T20:17:00.002-05:00

Look at those beauties. Gladiolas. From my very own flower garden. How proud am I? They're gorgeous!

When I planted these bulbs in the spring I thought they were tulip bulbs and figured they'd grow next spring. But it turns out they weren't tulips at all.

A very dear friend who lives very far away (you know who you are) gave these bulbs out as wedding favors last summer. Every time I look them I think of her and her family.

She's Too Smart For Me

2008-10-10T09:20:00.002-05:00

While in the van yesterday........

Emily: Here's some garbage Mommy.

Me: Just hang on to it 'til we get there and you can throw it out.

Emily: No, you take it.

Me: I need both hands to drive.

Emily: Just drive with one hand and take my garbage.

Me: It's not save to drive with one hand.

Emily: But when you talk on your phone you drive with one hand.

I guess she's got me there.

The Perk I Miss The Most

2008-09-30T22:01:00.003-05:00

Every job has it's perks. One of the perks I have loved for the last five and a half years of this stay-at-home-mom gig is the lazy mornings.

Sleeping 'til the kids get up. Snuggling and watching tv in bed. Staying in our pjs as long as we want. Eating breakfast whenever we want.

That perk has now come to a screeching halt.

And in it's place comes the getting up before the kids so I can be ready to get my girl ready for school. Getting everyone dressed, eating breakfast and out the door by 8:30. I love that I am home to do all this. Be there when she gets on the bus. Be there when she gets off the bus. Be ready for the day so the kid and I can go somewhere or get something done. I'm sure if she was an afternoon kindergartener that we'd still be having those lazy mornings and not being very productive until after lunch. I like knowing I've accomplished something in the mornings.

So even though I've come to ~~tolerate~~ like this early morning routine there are still those mornings, when it's dark and the air is cool but it's toasty warm under the blankets and the kids are peacefully sleeping, that I'd love to just roll over and catch a few more Zs.

Tomato - Tomahto

2008-09-26T10:08:00.003-05:00

Pardon the photo quality but is that not the most beautiful looking tomato you've ever seen?

And why am I showing you this lovely little gem? Because I grew it in my very own garden! How proud am I!?

I've had such a good crop this year that I've already made two batches of salsa and we've been eating tomatoes 'til we're nearly red in the face! Bruschetta has been one of my favorite ways to eat them.

Fall Fun

2008-09-11T09:27:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I've done a Thursday Thirteen. (Really? It's Thursday already?) In honor of back-to-school and the start of fall activities, today's theme will be:

13 Things I'm Excited About For This Fall

1. Emily being in kindergarten and having a blast.

2. Our new care group.

3. Being the Hospitality Coordinator of the MOPS group in town.

4. Planning for and attending our block party this weekend.

5. Having good friends come to visit. (Is it going to work out Mama D?)

6. Emily's ballet and tap classes. I took tap for ten years so I'm really hoping she will love it as much as I did and stick with it.

7. Halloween! I just love planning costumes, having a party and with all the kids in our neighborhood trick-or-treating should be a blast!

8. The crisp fall air. Unfortunately we won't have crisp fall leaves now that we're living in a new development. This is what we got to enjoy in past years. As much work as it was to rake them, I really did look forward to this.

9. Cozy, warm sweaters.

10. The fall tv line-up! Namely this, this and this.

11. Starting back in to scrapbooking. I've come across a lot of scrapbookers in my neighborhood so hopefully I can get a group started. I'm much more apt to work on my pictures if I have a set time with other people. And since I've only finished up to Emily's second year (yes, she'll soon be six) I'm going to need a lot of time!

12. Teaching Sunday School. I've never done this before but I think it will be a lot of fun. I'm sharing a kindergarten class with a friend and we start this week!

13. Backyard fires. I picked up a FREE fire pit at a garage sale a couple of years ago and we have yet to set it up although we plan to this year.

So as much as I'm sad to see the hot, lazy days of summer go, I've got lots to look forward to!

What are you looking forward to this fall?

She Did It!

2008-09-09T13:10:00.004-05:00

The big step in independence has been taken. She rode the bus to school!!

We were all excited this morning waiting to take the walk to the bus stop. Honestly I was terribly nervous with huge butterflies battering my insides. I knew there was still a chance she would get overwhelmed and not want to get on. I was prepared for that.

Sure enough when it was her turn to climb aboard she didn't want to. In that instant I wanted to hold her, tell it would be ok, that Mommy would drive her but I knew that she would like riding the bus if I could just convince her to get on. I reminded her how much fun she had on her first day when I dropped her off and now to get to school she had to ride the bus with all her friends who were waiting for her. I took her up on to the bus and found her a seat next to one of her friends, gave her a big hug and kiss and told her I'd be waiting when she came home. With that I made my way off the bus without even looking back (I didn't want to ruin anything by making eye contact) and had myself a little cry.

I was so proud of her and yet feeling like I'd lost just a tiny bit of my little girl all at once.

When she got home at lunchtime (they only go for the morning everyday) she looked so happy when she stepped off the bus and came over to my waiting arms. I asked her what the best part of her morning was and she didn't even hesitate when she announced "the bus!".

Am I Ready For This?

2008-09-03T09:47:00.002-05:00

My girl starts kindergarten in five sleeps. FIVE! And she'll be riding the school bus. Five years old seems so young to be climbing those bus steps and heading off to school without me. Without me. The key words to how I'm feeling. This is a huge step in independence for my little girl.

With a wave good-bye she'll be off into the world without me to protect her. With someone new to begin teaching her. I watched the school bus drive by this morning to pick up the kids who started school today and felt a little choked up, a little anxious.

But amongst these feelings I also feel some excitement. I'm excited that she is excited. I'm excited that she already has friends who be in her class and ride the same bus. I'm excited that she'll make new friends too. And I'm excited to think about the progress she will make and how much more she will come out of her shell.

Five more sleeps and my little girl will have grown up just a little bit more.

Like Weeds

2008-08-29T08:20:00.006-05:00

I know kids grow. It's inevitable. But why does it have to be SO fast?!

All of the pants Alex was wearing in the spring are now flood pants on him. And Emily's feet have grown two sizes since last fall!

I really don't mind a trip to the mall but I'd like my kids to stay little for a while longer!

Emily starts kindergarten in just ten sleeps. She is terribly excited. I know she'll have so much fun and it will help her come out of her shell even more but - gone every single morning!? It will be a change. We've got all her back-to-school shopping done and her back pack is packed.

I loved back-to-school shopping as a kid. Turns out I still love it! The markers, the shoes, the jeans, the back-packs. And did we find her the cutest backpack.

And of course we had to get the matching lunch bag that fits right in the cute little pocket in the front there.

Here's my girl on her first days of preschool. She looks so little compared to now!

Dee-Lishus

2008-08-21T18:34:00.002-05:00

I Think There's Even A Kitchen Sink In There

2008-08-21T15:29:00.002-05:00

Getting ready to go camping sure is a lot of work. We're going for two nights this weekend and I've discovered that really, you need to pack as much for two nights as you would for a whole week! Just less food I guess.

It's times like this I'm glad we have a mini van.

It 's Only Going To Get Worse

2008-08-16T08:59:00.003-05:00

You know how it's the little brother's job to torment the big sister? I find it hilarious that it has already started at the age of two.

Sometimes Emily has issues with face painting and masks. We have a new book that has a picture at the end of a mom wearing her night face mask that is green and she has rollers in her hair. This picture freaks her right out. And Alex knows it. He will be sitting innocently looking at this book and when he gets to THE page he will casually walk over to her and announce "Green Face!" and hold the picture up for her to see. Then he grins mischievously as she screams and covers her eyes.

It has only just begun..........

Sometimes Kids Insist On Wearing the Strangest Things

2008-08-05T16:44:00.002-05:00

Like rubber boots on a hot summer day.

Can I Come Over And Play Guitar Hero, I Mean Visit With You?

2008-08-04T12:20:00.000-05:00

When we were in Hometown last I was introduced to ~~my newest addiction~~ Guitar Hero. My sister and brother both recently bought it so I got to play it at each of their houses. My brother actually has Rock Band, which is similar to Guitar Hero but you can also play drums and sing too.

This is me and my brother ~~concentrating really hard~~ rocking out. He is playing the drums. Too bad that got cut out of the shot. That's my dad in the background being all impressed with my guitar playing abilities. :)

Greatness

2008-07-30T20:07:00.000-05:00

I'm back to real life. The romantic getaway was SO great. I didn't even call home once! My in-laws had the kids so I knew they were in good hands. And it turns out they were perfect angels. The kids. Not the in-laws. Although I'm sure they were very good too. :)

We had massages at the spa, took naps, ate when and where we wanted, leisurely shopped and talked. Wow. To talk and not be interrupted. At first I was nervous. Two whole days!? What on earth would we talk about? We hadn't spent that much time together in the last five and a half years! But it was great. That's all I can say. Great. Great. Great. Fabulous even. And I can't wait to go back next year! It sure made me realize the importance of concentrating some portion of time with your spouse. Remembering what brought you together in the first place. 'Cause once the kids come along, that's where the focus seems to be. So for any of you out there who haven't gotten away with your sweetheart. Do it! It's great.

It's About Time!

2008-07-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

Since having our first child five and a half years ago we have not spent the night away from them. Ok, that's a lie. When I was nine months pregnant with Alex Emily had a sleepover at each of the grandparents houses as a trial run for when we actually had him. But as far as romantic getaways are concerned? Zip. Zero. Zilch.

However in just three (squeal!) short sleeps from now we will be doing just that. Going on our first getaway, sans children. My wonderful in-laws are going to keep our kids for 48 glorious hours. I'm just a little bit excited. :)

We are going to a romantic little resort to recharge, refresh and focus on one another. I have butterflies just thinking about it!

Artiste Extraordinaire

2008-07-16T13:47:00.007-05:00

One day Emily was asking for ideas of what she should draw a picture of. I suggested she draw a picture of the beach we had been to a few days earlier.

This is what she came up with.

We talked about the various parts of the picture afterwards. The orange section is the sandy area with beach towels laid out (NOT sand pails as I had guessed).

The blue part is quite obviously the water but I was a bit stumped on the orange parts in the water. First I guessed seaweed, which was wrong. Then I guessed fish which was also wrong. Finally I asked her to tell me and her response..........Garbage!

Hmmmm, I guess it wasn't the best beach we've ever been to. But it wasn't quite that bad!

Well Hello

2008-07-16T08:50:00.003-05:00

So I haven't posted in over a month. We've had lots of company and have been enjoying the beautiful weather. I think I have the best natural tan this year that I have ever had.

And now when I sit down to write my mind is a pure blank. Plus my children need me. Right this instant. Why is it that they can be happily playing until the moment I plant my butt in this chair. Stay tuned...............I must have some stories to tell............

Some New Things Around Here

2008-06-11T11:05:00.000-05:00

I've recently started a workout routine and I've got a friend to be accountable to and it's even fun! Whoa, wait just a minute. Workout routine = fun?? What kind of a crazy woman have I become? I've discovered Turbo Jam. Those women have energy. Even at 7:00 in the morning, when I'd rather be snuggled in my bed, they bring a smile to my face. Again, crazy I say.

Being the morning person that I am (she says dripping with sarcasm) a 7:00 workout is a challenge. But I have decided that I'd much rather have it over and done with before the kids are even up and I can start my day off pumped up. It really helps having my accountability partner right next door 'cause I know if I wimp out and sleep in that I will feel guilty later and have to confess. This morning I really wrestled with whether I should get up or not. It was a cool, cloudy morning, I was tired (but hey, when am I not tired!) but I dragged my butt out of bed. And you know what made it worthwhile? My husband sees me all bleary-eyed getting my workout gear on and he says, with all sincerity "You rock". There's nothing like that kind of support to keep a girl going!

Today is day six of my new routine. (But I take the weekend mornings off.) I think summer is the perfect time to start an early morning routine since it is generally bright and sunny already. By the time the cold, dark mornings of winter are here I hope to have this enough of a habit that I won't have as difficult a time sticking to it.

And guess what else? The kid has weaned. Wow, I actually find that to be quite an emotional statement. On the one hand I am loving the freedom but on the other hand.....he's my baby! This is a huge step in growing up and becoming more independent of me. I'm so, so thankful that I breastfed both my children just past their second birthdays. There are just so many benefits and it was a great bonding time.

It's been about two weeks since he last nursed. It wasn't totally child-led, I did highly encourage the final weaning and I don't even know how many days it's been now that he has not even asked. It's crazy to think that even three or four short months ago I was banging my head against the wall trying to get him to eat normal food. I am in awe of how quickly it all happened.

So now after six years of either being pregnant or breastfeeding (minus two months) I have my body back. And I'm doing my best to take care of it!

How Many Times Can I Say "Face Painting" In One Post

2008-05-27T21:38:00.003-05:00

Emily has always been afraid of face painting. Not only would she not want her own face to be painted but she would freak out at the sight of anyone else's face paint. Even sparkly, pink butterflies would scare her. I think it must've been the disguise factor. Not knowing who was under the make-up. Last year I noticed she would handle it a bit better. She had learned to just not look if she was scared of it.

On their last day of pre-school this week there was going to be face painting. I warned her teacher that she'd likely be upset, not want hers done, and not be impressed with the others having their's done.

Turns out I was wrong. Her teacher probably wondered what on earth I was talking about because when I went to pick her up afterwards who came walking down the hall with her very own face painted! And was she proud of herself!

Tomorrow is the pre-school summer fun day. A wind up for all the kids and their families. And to Emily's joy there will be face painting there. She has spent the whole day planning what she will have painted this time. The girl who would cry at the thought of going to an event where she knew there would be face painting has evolved to this. I never thought I'd see the day and I love it! She's cracking out of that shell of hers a little more every time I turn around.

2008-05-26T13:15:00.000-05:00

Friday I declared to be a do nothing day. And I stuck to it. Of course there are the things a person HAS to do like feed and dress their children and themselves but aside from that we had a day of pure relaxation.

The previous two days were spent putting in our vegetable garden and planting perennials and flower pots. I was really looking forward to my do nothing day.

The weather was gorgeous. I really couldn't have asked for nicer weather. The hot sun with a slight breeze. Perfect. Most of our day was spent outside. We hung out with our neighbors on their new trampoline. I think I had as much fun as the kids did!

While Alex napped Emily was next door playing with her friend so I sat out on my front porch in my new chair reading in the sunshine. It was a great, great day.

And at the end of it I quickly cleaned up the breakfast dishes and put away the boxes of cereal before my husband came home from work and wondered what on earth I had done all day!

Just Kickin' Back

2008-05-21T08:19:00.001-05:00

A Very Good Reason Why Breakfast Time and Craft Time Should Be Two Different Times

2008-05-16T08:45:00.001-05:00

Craft Organization

2008-05-12T17:40:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine wanted to see how I organize my kids craft supplies. I thought I'd show her in a blog post with lots and lots of pictures. I really didn't think I had things that organized until I started taking pictures.

I keep a lot of things in my china cabinet. It's right next to the dining room table which is where we do crafts so it makes sense to have the supplies close by. In one drawer I have plain white paper, a ziplock bag with all their stickers in it, and a few little notebooks. Oh and I see an alphabet stencil in there too.

I love using baskets to store things in. They look so pretty yet are so functional. These are on top of the cabinet. Within easy reaching distance for the kids.

The one on the left has all the basic craft supplies in it. Glue sticks, little foam shapes and letters, jewels and other little things to glue on to crafts, glitter pens and stamps. I keep the scissors up in a kitchen cupboard so the kid doesn't cut up everything in sight when I'm not looking. I like to keep the foam shapes and other stick on items in ziplock bags. You can easily see what you have and if zipped up they don't fall all over the place.

The middle basket has a flip lid and is full of markers. I don't keep markers in their original boxes. They get all ripped and tattered and the kids don't put them back in anyways. This way they can just toss the markers back in helter skelter when they're done with them.

The one on the right has all the kids card games and dominoes and other little things like that in it. Again, very handy right by the table.

In one of the side cupboards of the cabinet I keep all the coloring books, construction paper and puzzles.

There's also a pencil case of crayons and one of pencil crayons in there. All of the puzzles are my girls. I keep a child proof lock on that door or else the kid would have those puzzles strewn all over the place. His puzzles are kept in the coffee table where he can reach them.

This rubbermaid container has all the surplus, seasonal and messy craft supplies.

Paint, glitter glue, and extra things not used on a regular basis. Feathers, pom poms, (neither of which stick with a glue stick, you need regular glue for those just so you know), pipe cleaners, googly eyes and paint smocks.

This container along with the play dough container and all of the bigger board games are kept in a different cupboard in the living room.

There, all you wanted to know and more.

A Little Walk Down Memory Lane

2008-04-28T22:25:00.000-05:00

My girl was a late walker. She took her first steps, without holding on to anyone or anything, at eighteen months.

At seventeen months she stood on her own for the first time. Look how absolutely ecstatic I am!

She looks pretty pleased with herself too.

Once she finally figured it out there was no stopping her.

And then it didn't take long for her to figure out how to run.

Looking through these pictures brought back so many sweet memories. It's amazing how quickly a person can forget those first stages of life. Her chubby little cheeks were so sweet and I love the soft fluffy baby hair.

Where has the time gone?

Thursday Thirteen

2008-04-24T14:50:00.000-05:00

13 Things That Have Happened Since I Last Posted TEN Days Ago

1. We took a long weekend and went to Hometown.

2. I've been reading these books - thank you Mama D! I only have about 80 pages left in the last one of the series and then I will have to wait on the edge of my seat for the movie to come out in December!

3. I found enough outgrown (the children's) and not worn (mine) clothes as well as some unplayed with toys and miscellaneous household items to fill three large Rubbermaid containers. We took them to Hometown to go in my parent's garage sale next month. Feels good to clear some things out.

4. A friend loaned us one of these tricycles for the kid.

Best invention ever!

5. Struggled through two swimming lessons with my girl who is so terrified of getting her face wet that she will not attempt anything the teacher asks.

6. Learned that my girl actually TALKED, out loud, to her pre-school teacher. I know this wouldn't seem like any big deal to the average person but it's 'cause for celebration around here. You see, my girl is shy. Beyond shy really. During her first year of pre-school it took her eight months before she said anything. When she finally did it was during show and tell. I found that odd since all eyes were on her but that was the time to she chose to talk, in a whisper, at pre-school. When we moved here from Hometown I worried that we would be back at square one but she continued to whisper during her show and tell. I also learned that she would talk to a couple of her friends during play time but never to the teacher. This is a long point, but stay with me.

For the last couple of weeks I have been telling her that one day she'd have to sit down with the teacher and answer a bunch of questions for getting ready for kindergarten. Alphabet, counting, things like that. I told her it was the RULE for kindergarten kids to talk to their teacher. I guess it worked. This week was kindergarten readiness testing (which I didn't even know at the time) and she answered, in her whisper, EVERY SINGLE QUESTION.

So as frustrated as I am that she's not taken to swimming lessons I am definitely ecstatic about this. I guess you can't have it all and I'd rather her talk to her teacher than put her face in the water at this point.

All right, moving on.............

7. We have settled on a church we like here in Newtown.

8. We've been making plans to build our fence and deck next month. My wonderful father is taking some vacation time to come out and help us with this huge job. And he'll put up the play structure that he had made for us a couple of years ago. The other day My Girl asked if we still have swings and a sandbox now that we're in our new place.

This was how the play structure looked in our backyard in Hometown.

9. I have volunteered to help organize the mini soccer program. I'm quite excited to be involved in an organization again since moving.

10. Up until today when the freezing rain started we've been enjoying the beautiful spring weather. (There's a good reason why I haven't posted in so long!) Picture collages of that yet to come.

11. We had our first bbq of the season. Two actually! While we were in Hometown each of our parents bbq-ed supper while we were at their houses. Delicious!

12. I've been playing game after game of Scrabulous with my mom over e-mail. We LOVE to play Scrabble and now that we don't live in the same city anymore it's the perfect way to be able to still get a game in.

13. The Kid is now down to nursing only before he sleeps. We're on our way to complete weaning which I have mixed emotions about. But I'm amazed that we've cut it down so easily considering in February he was still nursing up to six times a day!

So there you have it. My last ten days in a nutshell. A very small nutshell.

What They're Into This Month

2008-04-14T13:40:00.000-05:00

I was visiting Jenna's blog the other day and really liked her idea for this post. It's basically a what-my-kids-are-into-this-month kind of deal. So I thought I'd be a copy cat and do a variation of this myself.

My Girl

Movie: any of the Barbie movies

TV Show: Little Einstiens

Foods: pretty much any fruit

Stuffed Animal: This really changes from day to day. She'll be attached to one thing for a couple of days and then switch to something else all of a sudden.

Toy: Coloring, Princess Pollies

Outdoor Activities: Riding her scooter, playing hopscotch

Shoes: Just shoes in general now that the snow and puddles are gone!

Word/Phrase: "How long 'til I see Joelle again?" (her best friend next door)

Learning: to jump rope, to be more confident on her bicycle

The Kid

Movie: Barney

TV Show: Barney (do you see a theme here?)

Foods: pretzels, pears, Fruity Cheerios

Stuffed Animal: "Puppy"

Toy: wooden train set, baseball bat and ball ejector (he's got a pretty good swing and actually connects for only being two-years old!)

Outdoor Activities: Anything outdoors. He'd live out there if he could, I'm sure.

Shoes: Crocodile rubber boots

Word/Phrase: "dat's mine!"

Learning: to ride a tricycle (if only his legs were a smidge longer)

The Shoes

2008-04-13T21:40:00.000-05:00

For the life of me I can not get a good picture of the shoes. A while ago a few of you were asking to see pictures of my newest shoes. I'm sure you've been checking back every day to get a glimpse of the beauties.

I happened to see a picture at dcrmoms of a pair that highly resemble what I bought and will show you them instead.Aren't they great!? The only real difference is mine don't have the little opening between the part that covers the toes and the little strap. Just picture that closed in and you've got my shoes, cute button and all!

Spring

2008-04-11T12:20:00.001-05:00

I just love the word "spring". Sounds so fresh and happy. And it's starting to feel more like it every day now. There's hardly any snow left around here and most days the sun is shining! Now if the wind would just take a break things would be almost perfect.

When I was a kid one of my favorite things about the start of spring was being allowed to wear shoes outside. I loved hearing the sound of my shoes on the sidewalk after a l-o-n-g winter of hearing boots crunching on snow. Every spring I think about that. My girl thinks it's the greatest thing to be able to wear shoes outside now.

As an adult one of my favorite things about the start of spring is seeing the street cleaner out and about. I think I mentioned this in a post somewhere last year. Having all the dust and dirt cleaned off the streets and then getting a good rain to freshen everything up is spring cleaning at it's finest! You know what else I love about spring? No bugs. Outside that is. I highly detest the spiders I find creeping around inside the house but outside is bug free. You can eat and drink without some creature trying to get a taste and you don't have to be loaded down with mosquito repellent.

Yesterday afternoon was one of my favorite afternoons so far in Newtown. The kid didn't want to nap so we spent the entire afternoon outside. My neighbor and I plunked ourselves in lawn chairs on the driveway and our children played and played and played while we visited. Every so often another mom and her kids would wander along and say hello or stop in to have a little play too. Seriously. If I had written out what I wanted in a neighborhood when we moved this would have been it. As a matter of fact this would have been even better. I'm not sure I'll ever get over how much I love it!

Swimming Lessons

2008-04-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

I believe it is important for children to learn how to swim. Swimming lessons are a must when it comes to extra curricular activities in our house. Tomorrow will be my girl's first lesson. We haven't put her in lessons up until now because I wasn't really sure how much she would get out of it at an early age. I didn't want to pay someone to play water games and blow bubbles when that was something I could easily do with her myself.

But now I wonder if we should have started lessons a wee bit earlier. She is terribly afraid of getting her face wet. And of getting water in her ears or eyes. She wants nothing to do with taking swimming lessons. We've registered her in a class where a parent goes in with her and gradually phases out over the ten weeks. We'll see how that goes. I've got my skeptical hat on. I'm thinking I will be spending every lesson in the water with her. But you never know. I was skeptical about dance class and that turned out better than my highest expectations could have been. And it's not bad if I spend every lesson with her. Eventually she'll get used to it and be able to do it on her own.

I've been upbeat about it talking about how much fun we'll have. Two of her friends are also starting swimming lessons this week, but in different classes, so I've been chatting that up too. This morning we were visiting friends and her little friend commented that she loves putting her head under the water. What a perfect opportunity! So I said "Good for you, is it fun?" She said "Yes!" with a big smile on her face. I could see my girl was listening intently so I went on and asked "Does it hurt?". "Not at all" she replied. I looked over at my girl and she was smiling shyly and I said to her "Wow, maybe you can have fun like that too!". So we shall see.

I must say that I'm quite excited for the lessons. As much as I may have to ~~deal with octopus arms and legs around me and pry her off~~ highly encourage her to participate and help her do the expected activities I know it will be a good learning experience for both of us and will be a good mother/daughter bonding time.

Oh, and I got a new bathing suit! Isn't it darling!?

Becoming More Frugal

2008-04-05T20:20:00.001-05:00

A couple of months ago I mentioned that I want to try cutting back on spending. I have done a lot of thinking about it but haven't actually cut out spending in any particular areas. I already consider myself a fairly frugal person but I know I have a long ways to go.

I've been reading a blog called The Happy Housewife and I'm very, what's the word, intrigued, inspired, something like that. For a family of eight she spent less than $500 on groceries in one month! I find that so totally amazing. So it's got me on the hunt for coupons. I've become a coupon maniac. Unfortunately, it would seem, there are not many websites with coupons that are redeemable in Canada. I have found save.ca which is ok but they don't change up the coupon offers very often. If anyone knows of any sites let me know.

Ok, I got a bit sidetracked with my thoughts. She wrote this great post on finding financial peace. Find one thing this month to stop spending money on. Hers is soda. That would be good for me too. I haven't totally decided what it will be but I think this is how I need to start. Cut out or cut back one thing at a time. Ease myself into it. I have to talk it over with Kevin. I'm thinking of the eating out expense. Not that we do it much but it all adds up. We've already talked about areas to cut back in regards to groceries. No more granola bars, gummie fruit snacks for the kids, convenience type snacks like that. Shop for the menu, have a plan.

It's Good To Be Home

2008-04-05T13:25:00.005-05:00

As much fun as we had in Hometown it is so nice to be back in our own surroundings.
A couple of you asked to see hair and shoe pictures. Yay! I haven't taken one of the shoes yet but I have hair pictures (of the kids anyways) and a little picture story of some of our week.

Isn't that such a big difference on the kid? It took me a couple of days to get used to him having so little hair. My girl wouldn't pose for an after shot so this is the best I could do. But look! Even her eyebrows are visible now!

And I love the beautiful braids she always gets when we go to the hairdresser. I don't know how much practicing I would have to do to braid like this.

I just had to share this picture of my niece's doll with you. My niece is three and she and my sister joined us at my parents one evening when we were there. She brought this doll along and announced "This is Snow White but I don't play with her very much because she's a little odd".
Ha! Where do they come up with these one liners?

The day we went to meet my friend's new baby it was just me and the kid. My girl went to the winter fair with her grandparents to see all the farm animals and the dog show and horse show and all that jazz. The two boys played SO well together it was like a dream. There wasn't a single fight. They shared, they laughed together, they played together. It was a pure joy to watch and it allowed my friend and I to get so much visiting done. And I got to snuggle her new baby without a smidge of jealousy from the kid.

So now it's back to life as we know it.

Random Thoughts

2008-04-02T00:28:00.002-05:00

Two year olds shouldn't be up until 12:20 am. Do you think I can sleep all the way until the alarm at 8:00? Yeah, when pigs fly.

After nearly forty-eight hours of no business why does said two-year old decide bath time is the time to let loose? Those suckers don't go down the drain.

In more exciting news, tomorrow I get to meet one of my best friend's new baby boy. She and I were pregnant together when I had the kid. Her first son was born five weeks before mine. The boys were just starting to be at an age where they'd play together when we moved away. And now I wish I could be here for her with this new baby. Make them supper, take their oldest for a few hours so she can rest, watch her our kids grow up together and just plain old do life together. I will cherish the couple of hours we will have tomorrow. And I can just hardly wait to snuggle that sweet little bundle.

And one final thought. Why am I sitting at the computer at nearly one a.m. when I'm already half zombie? Morning will come way too soon..........

Spring Breaking It Up

2008-04-01T14:45:00.002-05:00

Here we are, day two of five of spring break in Hometown. It's been so nice to visit with friends that I don't have time to see when we come back for a weekend trip.

Yesterday morning I was on a mission to find black dress shoes with a slight heel. My sister-in-law and I (and our four children) combed the mall and came out empty handed. It doesn't always pay to have such particular taste! But last night Mama D and I spent a couple of hours together shopping and talking and upon checking the Wal-Mart shoe department I found the cutest pair of shoes, exactly what I was looking for. And at a great price. I'm so tickled over them I can hardly wait for an occasion to wear them!

This morning was our glorious trip to the hairdressers. We are sheepdogs no more. I think it will take a bit to get used to the kid's short do. No more sideburns for him! And seeing my girl's eyes again is like a breath of fresh air.

Now if only the kid would sleep a bit better at night everything would be grand. I guess there's nothing like your own bed.

A Family of Sheepdogs

2008-03-25T20:45:00.000-05:00

It's been nearly four months since my (and the kids) last haircut. Why does this matter? I was a very regular get-your-hair-cut-every-four-weeks-five-at-the-most girl up until we moved. Having ~~hair thicker than a horse's mane~~ a short hair style requires such attention.

I love, love, triple love my hairdresser. She is my cousin, as well as my good friend and has a "salon" in her basement. Not to mention is a most fabulous hair stylist. She would always book us in for a little extra time to ensure we'd have a good visit. My kids would play with her kids. It was grand. I can't just go from that to any old stylist around here.

Next week the kids and I are heading to Hometown for the week. It's spring break. The winter fair will be on. There are friends (one with a brand new baby) to visit. AND. Haircuts!!

I can just hardly wait. If it weren't for my flat iron I'd be seriously taking ~~scissors~~ matters into my own hands. Last night I actually dreamed that I cut the kid's hair myself. It was a disaster.

But as you can see, they are also in dire need of a trim. I will love it when I can see my girl's eyes again without peering through those bangs.

And the kid is practically got a set of sideburns going on .

One week from today and we'll be all fixed up!

Goals

2008-03-25T15:55:00.000-05:00

I like to think I'm an organized person. Generally I have my ducks in a row. But there are a couple of areas I find myself flailing around in and have decided it's time to set myself some goals. There are three things I want to start doing on a daily basis and my hope is that they will eventually become habits and will be like second nature. One of them really has nothing to do with being organized but I figured while I was making goals I might as well add it in.

1. Put away my clothes every night. It is so easy to just drop them on the floor and jump into bed but after a few days of doing that I end up with a mountain of them and it takes way more time to put them away than if I'd just done it in the first place. Plus things get wrinkled and clothes that might still be clean might end up at the bottom of a pile of dirty ones and then it has to be washed unnecessarily. So far (I came up with my goals last Thursday) I still need more work on this one.

2. Clean up the kitchen RIGHT AFTER supper. I love having a clean, dish-free kitchen in the evening and first thing in the morning when I come downstairs. We clean up to a certain extent after supper but it seems that the dishes that need washing in the sink usually get left 'til the next day. So far I am still needing more work in this area as well.

3. Floss my teeth every night. As you can probably tell this is the one unrelated to organizing. But still a good goal to have. So far I am doing great with this one! One out of three, not great but you've got to start somewhere.

I Really Hate it When

2008-03-24T17:20:00.002-05:00

I go to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer and discover someone left a kleenex in their pocket.

I hate it even more when I realize my pants were the only ones I didn't check the pockets of.

2008-03-20T14:30:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd do a Thursday Thirteen about my trip to the city last Saturday. I will call it "Thirteen Things I Loved About My Trip to the City". Original, I know.

1. The fact that in less than four months I have made three wonderful friends that I could have a fun day of shopping with.

2. I had a much needed break from regular life. Nearly twelve hours to be exact!

3. These fun shoes!

4. And this great spring jacket.

My, don't I look pleased with myself. The sleeves are a touch long, but that's an easy hem job. I've been paying attention when watching "What Not To Wear". Since I have small, rounded shoulders and a small chest, choosing a jacket with the loopies on the shoulders makes me look a tad broader. That's what I want to go for, right? Any fashion gurus reading? I really like this jacket. It has zero hanger appeal so I'm really glad that Andrea made me try it on. Ideally I was wanting a red jacket but I suppose red shoes and a red jacket and a red handbag could be considered overkill.

5. A supper out. In a sit-down restaurant. With only myself and my plate of food to worry about.

6. Seeing "PS I Love You" in the theatre. A movie I really liked, and even teared up over, that my husband would likely never have wanted to go and see with me.

7. Conversation that wasn't interrupted with the needs of little ones.

8. I found a few good deals on some cute clothes for my kids.

9. A pair of pants I liked at Old Navy were missing the button so they gave me 50% off the already marked down price of $8.49. That's right, pants for four and a quarter!

10. Wandering into whatever stores we felt like and spending as much time as we wanted looking and trying on and looking some more. No one trying to rush us along or asking to go to the bathroom.

11. Zipping around in our little car. It was nice to have a break from the mini van.

12. Listening to grown-up music in the car.

13. Coming home feeling refreshed and ready to jump back into life as I know it.

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

My First Bunco Night

2008-03-20T08:34:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago dcrmom wrote a post telling how to start a bunco night in your own neighborhood. I'd been wanting to meet more of our neighbors and was in need of an evening activity to look forward to on a regular basis so I got right to work.

Last night was our first night and it was SO much fun. Not only did I find twelve interested ladies (which is the ideal number for the game) but I found seventeen. And it just happened to work out that we had twelve available for last night.

I'm already looking forward to next month!

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I've been a lazy poster this week. I still want to tell you about some of the new blogs I found during the Ultimate Blog Party.

And I had quite a successful, not to mention really fun, shopping trip last weekend with my girlfriends.

I'm going to get to work on those posts. We're going to Hometown for the entire Easter weekend during which time I will not be posting.

A Meme and a Winner

2008-03-17T17:10:00.006-05:00

I found the funnest (or is it most fun) meme at The Miss Elaine-ous Life.

Here are the rules:
1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb.com and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. No Googling or IMDb-ing. That’s cheating and that’s no fun.

Happy Guessing!

1. ~~What's wrong with the way I talk? What's the big idea? Am I dumb or something?~~ Singin' In The Rain - K in the Mirror

2. Remember, I am your mother. And that means you're not allowed to stay mad at me.

3. ~~It's our love fern! Oh, Bennie-boo-boo, boo-boo.~~ How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - Andrea

4. Well I do not know. Maybe there's two of us. Why don't you take out a missing person's ad? Or try the yellow pages, I don't know.

5. You know, Ben was born in two hours, went right to the breast, and camped there for 4 days. His blanket looked just like a cape, even the nurses thought so. He loves hearing that story about how he was born a magician. Stepmom - Andrea

6. ~~Oh, no, sir. I'm sorry, sir. I could never answer to a whistle. Whistles are for dogs and cats and other animals, but not for children and definitely not for me. It would be too... humiliating.~~ The Sound of Music - Andrea

7. ~~She said she liked it better than Pirates of Penzance.~~ Pretty Woman - Elaine

8. ~~I really don't think that the animal cracker qualifies as a cracker.~~ Armageddon - Life With All Boys

9. ~~After all... I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.~~ Notting Hill - Andrea

10. I love you every minute. I love you more than band music and cookie-making.

If you decide to do this meme on your blog let me know so I can come over and play too!

And now for "the winner" component of this post. I had six people to draw from for the Tim Horton's gift card as part of my Ultimate Blog Party post. My girl drew a winner and it's beckyjomama!

It's Nearing.........

2008-03-14T09:35:00.000-05:00

.......spring that is. The snow is starting to melt. The air is fresh. It stays light outside way past supper time! It's nearly time to pull out the rain boots for some good old puddle splashing.

This all being said I have to remember that it is quite likely we will receive another dump or two of snow before all is said and done. That, unfortunately, is the joy of living on the Canadian prairies.

While we're waiting out the next few weeks for spring to officially land, I'm making my list. The things I can hardly wait to do!

~ Create a beautiful backyard. Right now it is pretty much a clean slate. Where will I make flower beds? Where will the play structure go? How big should the deck be? How about the patio? Will the fire pit go there or somewhere else? What direction should my glider face? I feel all giddy just thinking about these things.

~ Planting flowers and perennials. Before we sold our house in Hometown I dug up some of my perennials and they're waiting in my mil's flower bed to come here. Plus now we have sun in our yard, as opposed to the full shade we had in our other house, so I'll be able to try some different varieties of perennials.

~ Side-walk chalk. I know, I know, this sounds like more of a child's activity but I like it. And we have a long flat driveway now, not a pot-holed gravelly one anymore.

~ Sitting out on the porch. It's such a cute looking porch, I'm trying to decide what type of chairs would be best. Comfy lounging chairs? A cozy glider for two? Or a quaint bistro table and chairs set? Oh the possibilities.

~ Going to yard sales!

The list could go on and on.

I'm going to start some annuals indoors in a few weeks. It's a wonderfully inexpensive way to have bigger annuals as soon as you plant them.

On a different note. Today is the last day of the Ultimate Blogging Party. I've had a bit of time to check out some new blogs and have found a few I really like. I'll be sharing about those in a few days. And since it's the last day I'll be going through the comments on my party post and drawing from the ones who wanted to be entered for the Tim Horton's gift card. I will do that later today.

On a final note - tell me what you're looking forward to the most about spring.

2008-03-14T09:00:00.004-05:00

Hey, glad you could make it! I just put some of my delicious cinnamon biscuits in the oven. You can't have a party without food.

And while they're cooking I'll tell you a little bit about myself.

I'm Jenn. I just recently re-designed and changed the name of my blog. Check this out if you're interested to know why I chose "Loving Every Minute".

When I'm not being a wife and mom (which is rare) and have time to myself I like to scrapbook, spend time with my friends, watch tv (a ~~lot~~ little too much my husband would say) and I love to go shopping. Heck, I love to go shopping even when I'm being a wife and mom. Shopping is my drug. Or maybe chocolate is my drug, it's a close one.

I'm a huge fan of attachment parenting and think becoming a stay-at-home-mom is one of the biggest and best decisions I've ever made. I don't generally use my kids names on my blog. My daughter is five and referred to as "my girl" and my son is two and referred to as "the kid". Oh, and that handsome guy on the left? The best husband in the whole wide world. And the one who makes it possible for me to stay home with our kids.

I can hardly wait for spring to get here. No more winter clothes, enjoying the sunshine, riding bikes, planting flowers and maybe even veggies. Hopefully I will have more luck with that than I did a couple of years ago.

I've thought about taking up yoga. I have taken up running, for a time anyways.

And if that's not enough, here's my 100 things about me.

So there I am in a nutshell. Oh yeah, before you go, the cinnamon biscuits, or "cimmies" as we like to call them, are ready. They're so yummy. I'll post the recipe at the bottom.

And what goes with a cinnamon biscuit? That's right. A nice hot cup of coffee. Preferably Tim Horton's. Wouldn't it be fun to have a little giveaway? By George I think I will. I have a lovely Tim Horton's gift card in the amount of $5 for one of you.

That's the perfect amount to get yourself a cup of coffee or a cup of their yummy English Toffee and a double-chocolate donut, or whatever else tickles your fancy.

But I'm going to make you work a little if you'd like to win it. I'm going to list three questions. See all those links up there. All the answers can be found in those posts. I realize that you could just look at the other commenters for the answers but I trust you'll be on the honor system.

1. What running program did I follow?

2. What food makes me sneeze?

3. What vegetable is "The Mother"?

On Friday the 14th I will randomly draw a winner.

I hope you've enjoyed your visit and come back real soon! Oh yeah, and I hope you'll leave me a comment so I can come and visit you too! To check out more great parties click on over to 5 Minutes for Mom. Don't they do a great job of this!?

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Cinnamon Biscuits

Combine with a pastry blender:
4 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups margarine

Add 1 beaten egg and 1 cup of milk.

Mix until you have a soft biscuit dough.

Roll out the dough in to a rectangular shape about 1/4 inch thick. Using a butter knife spread margarine all over it. Then spread a layer of brown sugar over the margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Roll it all up and slice it in whatever thickness you like. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400F for about twenty minutes.

A Week of Birthday

2008-03-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

I love it when birthday celebrations stretch out over the whole week. My birthday is tomorrow (in case anyone forgot) but today I had my first party.

We are fortunate to have lifelong friends of my in-laws who live close to us. Up until we moved here four months ago we'd always lived in the same city as our parents. Now that they are three hours away (by car) it feels good to have people in our lives who have known my husband his whole life and who make us feel like they could become our "surrogate" parents/grandparents.

Now back to the point of this post. My birthday. Mrs H called me up yesterday (she'd heard from my mother-in-law that my birthday is this week) to see if we could come for coffee and cake this morning. I am not one to pass up cake, or good company for that matter, so away we went.

Did I ever feel like the guest of honor. She had the table all set with birthday napkins and cake and a couple of balloons overhead. There was even a candle in the cake. And was it good cake. Blueberry poppyseed. Yum. She had homemade oreo cookies for the kids and even a little gift for me.

If I can't be with my own family for my birthday celebrations it's great that I can be with someone who treats me like family.

And the festivities continue tomorrow. I don't know what we'll do during the day but we're having our wonderful new friends over for cake after supper. And then only two more sleeps after that until my girls trip to the city!!

THE easiest play dough recipe around

2008-03-11T09:50:00.000-05:00

My kids and I love homemade play dough. It lasts longer than the store bought stuff and you get a nice big ball of it to play with. I came across the following recipe that is SO easy to make that I did up three different batches of it in about ten minutes.

Mix together:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 tsp allum

Add:
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup boiling water
food coloring

Mix all together and then knead on the counter until you have a nice dough. Let cool and knead again before storing it in an airtight container.

We had a fun morning with Andrea and her girls yesterday and the kids spent quite a while making ~~a huge mess~~ beautiful creations with the play dough. I wish I'd taken pictures!

Edited to Add The Start of Weaning

2008-03-08T19:10:00.001-06:00

*Edited to Add* I came across some really interesting information at a blog I stumbled upon while making my party rounds. The post, Why Breastfeed a Toddler, was the perfect thing for me to find right now while struggling with this. I knew he always he was getting "the good stuff" from me but I just didn't realize HOW good. Look at this info.

"In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:
29% of energy requirements
43% of protein requirements
36% of calcium requirements
75% of vitamin A requirements
76% of folate requirements
94% of vitamin B12 requirements
60% of vitamin C requirements -- Dewey 2001 "

Ok, carry on with my regular scheduled post.

I'm working at weaning the kid. We're still struggling with getting him to eat regular meals but he has been improving. I figure if I cut down on the number of nursings per day that he should be hungrier and actually eat at meal time.

It's been going really well. The cutting back on nursings I mean. I thought he'd be more upset when I would have to distract him from wanting to nurse. For now he nurses first thing in the morning, before his nap, before bed, and around 5am. Gradually I will start to cut these out one at a time as well.

I think my girl was this age when I started cutting back with her too and by twenty-six months she was completely weaned. I figure he'll be about the same. So in two more months I could very well be done nursing. (So long nursing bras!) We haven't decided if we'll have more kids or not so this could possibly be my last nursling. Ok, that makes me all emotional. Let's move on with the issue of eating, or not eating.

He will eat most things but only small amounts and it takes him FOR.EV.ER to swallow it. He's like a little squirrel storing food in his cheeks. It is so frustrating. Anyone have any great ideas for me?

I know he's not going to starve to death but I honestly thought he'd eat more once the number of nursings were cut back. Here is what he has eaten leading up to supper time today:

~ a small yogurt cup
~ two bites of a granola bar
~ half a chicken nugget
~ about ten fries
~ a handful of pretzels
~ six or so rice chips
~ half a soda cracker
~ two sippy cups of milk
~ one sippy cup of juice
~ five grapes

and he has nursed twice.

Really. How can a child survive on that!? We offer him a wide variety of food on a very regular basis and he just doesn't want it or very little of it.

The Things They Say

2008-03-07T14:14:00.003-06:00

I was sitting at the dining room table, coloring, with my five-year old daughter and her friend yesterday. They were both trying to whistle and from that came the cutest conversation.

#1 (my daughter) - We're both whistling like birds.

#2 (her friend) - I'm whistling like a bird louder.

#1 - I can't whistle as loud as you.

#2 - I can whistle really loud.

#1 - When I'm older I'll be able to whistle really loud.

#2 - Yeah, I'm already old. But not as old as you. (says a four year old to a five year old)

#1 - Maybe when I'm seven.

#2 - I bet you could whistle louder than me if you were eighteen and I was how old I am now.

Seven More Sleeps....

2008-03-06T14:35:00.000-06:00

....until my birthday! I'm like a big kid when it comes to my birthday. I just love it. Growing older is inevitable so I might as well have as much fun as I possibly can.

Last year was a big one - 30. I went out with a bunch of girlfriends for appetizers and drinks and laughed until my sides ached. This year we're living in a new place and lucky for me I've already made some new friends who I can also laugh with until my sides ache. So I'll do it again. But this time we'll throw in some shopping and maybe a movie too.

And what will I be shopping for? I have a bit of a list going to spend my birthday money on. First is a spring jacket. Those cute little trenches are in this year and I think I'm going to have to get over my dislike of the belted look.

Second is ballet flats. I just love me a new pair of shoes, or two or three. I think the trick is going to be finding comfortable ones. Any I have tried on so far are too tight across my toes.

A springy handbag.

The list could go on and on really. Depends on what sorts of sales I stumble upon.

2008-03-05T13:00:00.000-06:00

Are you ready to party? It's only a couple of days away! I don't know about you but I'm excited to find some fun, new-to-me blogs to add to my bloglines. For whatever reason I didn't get in on the fun last year so I was quite pleased to see it back this year.

Check back here on Friday morning for my party. There's even a fun little giveaway involved!

Middle Name Meme Hoopla

2008-03-04T20:45:00.003-06:00

Andrea tagged me for this eons ago.

(1) You must post the rules on your post before you answer the questions.

(2) You need to list one fact about yourself using each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name use your maiden name instead.

(3) When you are finished with your answers, you tag one person for each letter of your name.

D - Double-chocolate donuts are my favorite at Tim Horton's. Chocolate and coffee just go so well together.

A - I am loving cute Aprons right now. These are two my mom and I made when she came to visit. Makes working in the kitchen way more fun. (That's what I tell myself anyways.) And it keeps your shirt clean!

W - I highly dislike Watermelon flavored gum. But I love watermelon fruit in the summer.

N - I am also loving cute Necklaces right now. Along with earrings they can really spice up an otherwise ordinary outfit.

I've seen this around quite a bit but if you haven't done it yet you're tagged!

They're Never Too Young

2008-03-02T19:09:00.004-06:00

I should enjoy this time when they actually fight over who will help me clean and do laundry. I'm sure it won't be long before I have to fight with them to lend a hand.

Hodge Podge

2008-02-29T10:25:00.000-06:00

It has just occurred to me that it's Leap Year Day. Basically we've been handed an extra twenty-four hours this month. I'm always wishing there were more hours in the day and now I get an entire day more? What will I do with it? It feels wasteful to not do anything productive.

Unfortunately we're still not feeling tops around here. The kid is pretty much recovered but now my girl has tonsillitis and the antibiotics she is on gives her an upset stomach. Maybe our extra day is meant for more resting and recuperating. I suppose that's being productive too. Productive to our health.

Amongst all our resting this week I have a new project. I'm trying to start a Bunco group on my street. I've always thought it sounded like so much fun when dcrmom would talk about her Bunco nights and then she wrote a great post about how to start your own group. It would seem we live in the perfect type of neighborhood to start such a thing. The party planner and social butterfly in me are all revved up. Meeting new people, hanging out with a bunch of girls, eating, playing games, sounds like a great way to spend one night a month.

And I've been meaning to show you this delicious omelet from last weekend. Have I ever told you what a wonderful cook my husband is? Weekend mornings we generally get a yummy breakfast prepared by him. Isn't that the most perfectly round looking omelet you've ever seen?

Happy Birthday

2008-02-28T15:40:00.002-06:00

These are the cakes I made for the kid's birthday. Yeah, cakes, plural. We had two separate parties with our families and you can't have a party without a cake so I whipped up a couple of them.

I thought this frog was so adorable. The middle of his face isn't supposed to be darker than the rest. I had to ice it in stages due to a sick, crabby boy who wouldn't nap properly on cake icing day. It was so easy to make. The eyes are cupcakes, the middle is a round cake and the legs are a square cake cut into leg shapes.

My favorite part of this cake is the sky and clouds section. I made the clouds with whipped cream in the aerosol can. Isn't it cute too!?

I can't take credit for dreaming these up myself. I found a wonderful website for homemade cakes and it was hard to choose the ones I wanted to make.

We gave the kid a wooden train set for his birthday which was a hit. Now we just need some sort of table for it.

Happy Birthday my sweet two-year old boy!

And Now The Answer You've All Been Waiting For

2008-02-26T11:45:00.000-06:00

I guess I forgot to fill you all in on what this really is. I know you've been on the edge of your seat.

It's pudding. And not frozen pudding. Just pudding. It was my first attempt at making it from scratch. When I pulled it out for dessert it seemed rather thick and didn't have any kind of jiggle to it like pudding usually does. I slipped my spoon under the edge and the whole lump of it slid right out of the bowl.

I really can cook, this was a weird fluke, I'm sure.

Happy Birthday, Achoo, Wheeze, Hack, Hack

2008-02-25T10:25:00.000-06:00

The kid turned two on Thursday. He also came down with a fever, bronchiolitis and a touch of pneumonia. That's almost better than when he came down with the stomach flu on his first birthday.

We went back to Hometown for a weekend of ~~coughing and wheezing and sleepless nights~~ birthday parties. I'm too much of a zombie today to go into detail. I'll be back with pictures and weekend stories when we're all feeling better. That's right, I said "all". Fevers, coughing, runny noses and generally feeling miserable is plaguing all four of us.

2008-02-21T22:37:00.001-06:00

I did this fun little quiz and was quite happy with my results. I hope they're true!

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Yellow

You're yellow, the color of joy and energy — two things you definitely bring to everyone around you. It's hard for anyone to be sad or lonely in your presence; your sunny disposition and cheery outlook just won't allow it. The warmth of your personality shines through in the kindness you show friends and family (and strangers, too). Always ready with a lighthearted joke or heartfelt compliment, you know how to make people feel good about themselves, so they can't get enough of you. Yellow is a warm and inviting color for a warm and inviting person — you!

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=colorogt&c=50652

4 Things Meme

2008-02-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

I haven't done a meme in a while and this one looks fun. Want to play? Let me know so I can come and read.

4 Jobs I Have Had:
Accounting Clerk
Waitress
Retail
Domestic Engineer

4 Movies Watched Over and Over:
Pretty Woman
The Sound of Music
Grease
Singin' in the Rain

4 Shows I Watch:
Survivor
Lost
Grey's Anatomy
The Amazing Race

4 Places I Have Been:
Cuba
Mount Rushmore
The Maritimes
BC

4 People Who E-mail Me:
Kevin
My mom
My sister
friends

4 Favorite Things To Eat:
Ice-cream
Anything chocolate
Nachos
Everything chocolate

4 Places I Would Rather Be:
Shopping
Hometown
Penticton
Shopping

4 Things I Look Forward To This Year:
Designing our backyard
More scrapbooking
Lots of new babies being born to family and friends
Meeting new people in our new neighborhood

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Any more guesses for "What On Earth Is This"..........
Maybe I'll tell you tomorrow.

A Game

2008-02-18T13:40:00.000-06:00

Let's play "What On Earth Is This".........

Any guesses??

2008-02-15T11:25:00.000-06:00

There are a couple of things I do to make me look and feel like less of a frump. First are dangly earrings. It's so easy to throw a pair on. And even if I only have a day of hanging out at home planned they make me feel fancy, like I could take on the world. If I felt so inclined.

Combine dangly earrings with the fact that I always, ALWAYS, do my hair, flat iron and all, every single day (no matter if the only eyes that will see me are those of my children and husband) and from the neck up I am frump-less.

Want to hear more stories of fighting the frump? Head over to Fussy's.

See?

2008-02-15T08:28:00.000-06:00

It is so interesting parenting a second child. One thing I have come to notice are activities the kid can do and enjoys doing that I would've thought him too young for if he were my first child.

As of late he loves doing crafts. Whether it's just scribbling with markers or sticking stickers and even using the glue stick. At first I wasn't letting him use it as I thought he'd make too big of a mess. I'm not a fan of the messes. But then when I wasn't looking he made a grab for it and the next thing I knew he was doing a fabulous job of gluing little decorations on to his Valentine. Without much mess.
After he adds something to his craft he holds it up and says "See?" repeatedly until you acknowledge him. I think he's picked that up from his big sister too. When I asked him to show me his creation for this picture it turned out more like a mug shot! But look, isn't he crafty!

The next thing I know he'll be writing his name!!

And I'm Not Really a Huggy Person

2008-02-13T22:58:00.002-06:00

Your Candy Heart Says "Hug Me"

A total sweetheart, you always have a lot of love to give out.
Your heart is open to where ever love takes you!

Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a surprise romantic evening that you've planned out

Your flirting style: lots of listening and talking

What turns you off: fighting and conflict

Why you're hot: you're fearless about falling in love

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Early Valentine's Day

2008-02-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

Looky what my darling husband brought home from work with him the other day. Aren't I a lucky lady!

You Never Know What You're Going To Find

2008-02-12T15:08:00.000-06:00

Over the last couple of weeks I had been catching the kid taking the cover off the register in the living room floor. I'd see him from across the room holding the cover and looking down in to the vent. So I would use my stern mom voice and tell him "that's not a toy" or "that's not for little boys", or "that's dangerous", or "put it back please". He would listen and put it back and carry on with whatever he was doing. And I would think "what a good kid, lucky for me he's not dropping anything down there".

Hold the phone.

This past Saturday I was out with my girl and when we got home Kevin says "the kid showed me his stash" and pointed towards the register. How nice that he left "the stash" in place for me to see with my own eyes. I only wished I'd taken a picture for you to see. Anyhow, I took the cover off and to what did my wondering eyes appear? Two cars, three pieces from a train, two stacking cups and two large puzzle pieces. All things that I just couldn't seem to find as of late.

The kid sat there watching me take them out as if to say "this is what I was trying to show you all along but you kept making me put the lid back!".

Then later that night I found an orange peeler in the computer printer. An orange peeler. In the computer printer. I wonder if the same little squirrel was responsible for that one!

Sleep vs. Cool Bendy Girl

2008-02-07T17:30:00.000-06:00

I've always thought I'd like to take up yoga. I'd get to buy myself a pair of those cute little yoga pants and carry around a cute little mat. And then I'd look like I'm in shape and maybe I'd even look like I'm kinda cool 'cause don't cool people do yoga? And then maybe I'd become nice and bendy and maybe see some muscle definition. You know, kinda like this.

Hey, a girl can dream can't she?

So, with the need to get out of the house, by myself, to recharge I called the local gym to see if they offer a yoga class. Lo and behold, they do. Unfortunately for me it's at 9:00 on a Saturday morning. The only thing I want to be doing at 9:00 on a Saturday morning is sleeping since my wonderful husband is home from work and is a morning person and gets up with the kids. I was hoping for an evening class. Evenings are when I'd like to get out for a break.

Maybe I'll have to come up with a different plan for something cool, bendy and muscley involving the purchase of a cute little outfit. Cute mat optional.

For Me?

2008-02-04T10:20:00.000-06:00

It's an award, my very first bloggy award! Last week Andrea passed this little gem on to me. Wasn't that sweet of her? Have you met Andrea yet? She's not only my new blogging friend but she's my new real life friend too. My next door neighbor to be exact. She says it perfectly here. Anyhow, I'm very excited to have this, I'm going to put it on my sidebar right now!

We've Got Company

2008-02-04T10:08:00.000-06:00

My mom is here visiting this week. Yipee!! My parents (and all our other family) live in Hometown so we saw them a lot when we lived there. I knew I missed my mom but I didn't realize how much until she got here last night.

I have an aunt (my mom's sister) who lives in The City and she was in Hometown this past weekend so it worked out for her to bring my mom back with her. I met them at a gas station to pick my mom up and bring her out to our place. I got there first and I parked right by the entryway with my face plastered up against the window, watching for them to arrive. As soon as they turned the corner I started waving, with both hands, and I couldn't wipe the silly grin off my face. I seriously felt like a kid at Christmas. I could've cried.

And really, it's only been two weeks since I saw her last. The kids were so excited to see her too and she brought little gifts for them Oh and one for me too! It's the cutest little teapot you ever did see. I'm not a tea drinker but my parents both are and when they come here we have to make tea in a measuring cup 'cause we don't have a teapot.

See, isn't it adorable! And it looks so nice on my stove. I just might have to start drinking tea now, it's just to cute not to use on a regular basis!

So I might not be around much this week, we have lots of visiting and Scrabble playing to do!

Meme Time

2008-02-01T16:25:00.000-06:00

Andrea high-fived me for a fun new meme. In a nutshell, it's a good way to highlight some older, favorite posts for new(er) readers to your blog.

Here are the rules:

Go back through your archives and post the links to your five favorite blog posts that you’ve written. But there is a catch:

Link 1 must be about family.

Link 2 must be about friends.

Link 3 must be about yourself.

Link 4 must be about something you love.

Link 5 can be anything you choose.

Post your five links and then tag five other people. At least TWO of the people you tag must be newer acquaintances so that you get to know each other better. Readers - don’t forget to read the archive posts and leave comments!

Ok, now I wish I'd labeled all my posts. I'll have to go back and do that.

The first one is to be about family. I decided to go with the post I wrote about Kevin's marriage proposal to me. Those four little words were the beginning of our family.

Next is to be about friends. It would appear I haven't written much about friends. I did come across this cute little picture of my friend and I, minus heads.

Myself - I will steal Andrea's idea and go with my 100 Things post. Makes sense. And this Thursday Thirteen is all about me too.

Something I love - Shopping!

Anything I choose - This comment by my girl always makes me laugh when I think of it.

If anyone else wants to do this, let me know so I can check it out!

The Things That Intrigue Me

2008-02-01T15:32:00.000-06:00

The other day I was in a public bathroom (which I generally try to avoid at all costs) that had a hand dryer on the wall. You know the kind. You have to push the button at least three times to get your hands even close to being dry but then there's usually someone waiting behind you so you just kind of give them a shake and dab them on your pant legs.

Well this was a hand dryer like no other. I think I saw the word Extreme on it even. Anyways as soon as I put my hands underneath it started up and the strength of the air coming out was like none I have ever experienced. I could actually see the flesh being pushed to the edges of my hands by the force of air coming out. It was very creepy looking. But in no more than five seconds, seriously, it was fast, my hands were as dry as ever! I almost re-washed them so I could experience it again, it was amazing!

I will definitely make use of that public washroom again! If only to give my hands a good drying.

What Was I Doing A Year Ago

2008-01-30T18:25:00.000-06:00

Since I seem to be struggling for something to post about I thought I'd go back and see what I was doing last year at this time in the land of blogdom.

Well what do you know, I wonder if this is a sign! One year ago tomorrow was my first workout in my couch to 5k program. I actually stuck to that program and got up to running for thirty straight minutes. From the end of January until sometime in June Kevin and I both had a regular routine of running. I'm not sure how or why I petered out.

Anyways, back to wondering if this is a sign. I've been thinking lately about getting back into exercising. I really don't like it, but I know it's good for me. Unfortunately when we moved into this house our treadmill wouldn't fit down the basement stairs so it is out in the garage, frozen. So it's not like I have that piece of equipment staring me down, begging to have it's motor run. And it's WAY too cold outside to consider going for walks out there.

A couple of times the thought has flashed through my mind that I should join the local gym. Pardon me for a moment while I roll on the floor laughing.

Ahem. Jenn and gym are two words you don't generally hear in the same sentence. Unless it's "Jenn doesn't like going to the gym". But hey, maybe a person can change. Maybe I should just check the place out, see if it looks appealing. It would get me out of the house for one thing. I might feel more energetic and not so tired. Some muscle tone would probably do me good.

In our welcome package there is a coupon for one free visit to the gym. I'll let you know if I use it. 'Cause I know you'll be on the edge on your seat, waiting!

What were you doing in the land of blogdom one year ago?

Only On The Canadian Prairies

2008-01-29T15:05:00.000-06:00

The weather has changed so drastically over the last couple of days, it's crazy! We went from two weeks of minus thirty and forty (Celsius) weather to a couple of days of minus five. Wow, to finally be able to go outdoors and play again! And then, just like that, a blizzard sweeps through. In less than twenty four hours the temperature plummeted down to minus forty again.

So we're keeping warm in the house. Baking cookies. Eating cookies. Looking out over the back field to see how badly the wind is STILL blowing.

Poor kids. They had such a great time outside yesterday and now are cooped up again. With any luck another twenty four hours will bring nicer weather again!

Random Loveliness

2008-01-27T21:25:00.000-06:00

~ This afternoon we went sledding. Despite the biting cold of the wind we had a great time. I've discovered that crazy carpets are a lot crazier as a grown-up. I couldn't believe how fast it whooshed me down the hill and then threw me off as it spun me sideways.

~ Yesterday when I told the kid to hold his horses (whatever the reason was I can't remember now) he looked at me and very seriously replied "Duppa Dee".

~ LOST starts up again on Thursday. How many months has it been? It's going to be two whole hours!

~ Bloggy Giveaways Carnival starts tomorrow morning at 8 am. I've had a streak of good luck lately having won two books and an art print from various blog giveaways. I'm hoping it will carry on through next week, there's sure to be a lot of great giveaways. I'll be having one here!

~ I picked up the most adorable skort on clearance for my girl when I was shopping yesterday. Only $4! It's great now in the winter with tights and it will be great in the spring too with these cutie pie shoes I picked up also for only $4.

~ Adjustable waist bands in kids clothing has got to be the best invention.

~ My mom is planning to come and visit at the beginning of February. We're going to sew curtains for the children's rooms and play Scrabble and just plain ol' enjoy one another's company. And maybe, just maybe, Kevin and I will be able to sneak out for a little date having Grandma here to watch the kids!

A Struggle

2008-01-27T15:35:00.000-06:00

Since we have moved we are looking for a new church to call home. It's interesting that I had planned to write about this today and I just finished reading a similar post at Andrea's.

It was hard leaving our church. Kevin and I were both heavily involved in various ministries and have a lot of friends there. My girl was finally feeling comfortable with her Promiseland workers and the other kids. Fortunately both sets of our parents attend this church so we will continue to have a strong connection there and we go every time we go back to Hometown which we plan to be once a month.

I do find it somewhat difficult when we go back though. It's not the same being a "visitor" and not being involved with the services.

Now that we are checking out churches in Newtown I really find it hard to be motivated to actually go and check them out. Of course we want to find a new home church and connect with people and get involved in ministries. But knowing there is no one relying on us to perform our ministry duties, and knowing there are no friends expecting us to be there, and knowing that maybe no one will even speak to us makes me feel like I have a good excuse to just stay home.

But I have to look on the other hand. None of those will happen unless we make the effort. We have to walk in the door, say Good Morning, get to know people and find ministries to get involved in. It will all take time and I think that's one of the hardest things for me. I want it all now!

Unfortunately this morning was one of those mornings that I could not get motivated to go. I convinced Kevin that we should just stay home today, we slept in, there wasn't enough time to get ready, any excuse I could think of. We listened to a short devotional and song on one of the kid's cds and I did a craft with my girl, to try and prove that we could have "home church" and it would be ok.

But it's not ok. Now, a few hours later I look back and I realize that I'm not setting a good example for my children. I'm supposed to be the parent and lead by example. I have to show them that even though it's hard doing new things that we can get through them together.

And although we may not have anyone expecting us there next Sunday, I know God will be expecting us. And that's the most important reason of all to make it.

Ta Da!

2008-01-27T01:06:00.000-06:00

Say hello to my new design!

I am very excited to say that I did this all myself. Well I did have a little help from computer-savvy guy (aka my husband) and a wonderful site I came across called Tips for New Bloggers. I highly recommend this site if you're in need of some help, there's so much information there.

So what do you think?

Oh yeah, and I have a new name! Loving Every Minute. I came up with it as a result of this. For anyone who may have me on your blogroll or bloglines or whatever, my url is still the same (http://and-then-there-were-four.blogspot.com) but I have a spiffy new name so if you wouldn't mind changing it, that would be great!

I'm Home

2008-01-26T21:10:00.000-06:00

And I had a great day. I made it out of the house ten minutes before my scheduled time but I got home an hour later than planned. Turns out I need to do my time calculations a bit better next time. There is way more traffic and way more shoppers and way more line-ups in The City than I was used to in Hometown.

I didn't get quite as much done as I'd hoped but I accomplished a lot more than I would have with two little ones in tow.

My afternoon of scrapbooking was a lot of fun. I got three pages done and now I have the scrapbook bug! I can hardly wait to get back at it. Maybe even tonight I'll pull it out while watching tv.

I've been waffling again. About whether or not to post pictures on my blog. I love reading people's blogs who have pictures. So I think I've decided to go back to putting pictures up, for a while anyways. And I'm hoping to incorporate some into my new header. Fun. Fun.

T Minus Two Hours and Counting

2008-01-26T08:40:00.001-06:00

Until my six glorious hours begin! On a side note, does anyone know what the "T" stands for? Anyhow, last night I thought I'd try to put on my best face and squeeze another hour or so out of my husband for my little excursion today. Now you might think, "but you already have six hours coming to you, why be greedy?". But I figure when you subtract one and a half hours for driving time that leaves me with 4.5 hours. Three of which for scrapbooking and then one and a half to the shopping I have to do which includes a wee bit of groceries. Calculate the driving to each store (it's a big city) and you can see the need for a little more time.

Generally on a Saturday morning he gets up with the kids and lets me sleep a little longer. So I thought I'd play the sleep card. It's a highly sought after commodity around here after all.

Me: How be, I'll get up early with the kids on Saturday and you can sleep?

He looks at me as if to say "and what do you want out of this?".

Me: And then maybe I can leave a bit early for the city.

I barely finish my sentence and he starts chuckling.

Him: I don't think so.

Me: Turning the whine of a five year old - Come on, a few extra hours with your children will be good for you. It won't be near as long a day as I spend with them ALL THE TIME.

Him: Yes, but you're a Professional Mom.

Well at least I got the fancy title!

Insert disclaimer here: My husband is a most wonderful father and husband and encourages me to have time to myself.

I'm pretty sure I'll be sent out of here a little earlier than planned this morning. At least I'm hoping so.

Six Glorious Hours

2008-01-25T12:37:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow I will have six hours to do whatever I please, all by myself! It all started when my aunt who lives close by called me up to make a scrapbooking date. I love to scrapbook. I started nearly ten years ago but since having children I have fallen very far behind. I just don't make it a priority. So I was tickled pink to get this invitation.

She lives in The City where all the wonderful shopping can be found. So I thought I would take the opportunity to make a couple of stops on my way to her place.

I can not begin to tell you how excited I am about my day tomorrow. I hear there's tons of great sales at my favorite stores and I can wander and look and look some more all at my own pace. And I almost forgot! I have a voucher to spend from toys we had to return due to recalls. It's too bad I didn't receive my voucher before Christmas, I think it arrived the week after. But it is for $80 and it has to be spent all at once before the end of March. I will replace a couple of my girl's items that we had to return but I'm also going to do some of the kid's birthday shopping with it. So Toys R Us, here I come!

Hopefully I won't get carried away on my shopping excursion and be late for my scrapbooking date!

And I'd just like to say, don't be afraid to leave me a little 'ol comment if you stop by. I'd love to hear from you and I won't bite!

Sprucing Things Up

2008-01-25T12:30:00.000-06:00

I have stumbled upon some wonderful sites to help bloggers change up their templates. I am having a most fantastic time figuring things out and making a new little blogging home for myself.

Not sure how long it will take, but I hope to unveil it in the next week or so!

A List

2008-01-25T09:30:00.000-06:00

Some of the things the kids and I keep busy doing indoors:

1. Playing play dough. Who doesn't love the squish of a big piece of play dough between their fingers.

2. Coloring. The kid has discovered a love for markers. Oh joy. He usually ends up with more colors on his hands than on the paper. Thank goodness for washable. Although the level of washableness is up for discussion.

3. Playing ball. Each child gets a bouncy ball and starts at one end of the house and I start at the other end. Then we bounce them back and forth and see who can get them first and yell "UH OH" if they roll under the couch.

4. Run. Well it's mostly the kids who do this one. They run around and around the island in the kitchen while I hide in various places and try to scare/catch them.

5. Listen to music. They have one of those portable Fischer Price cassette players and a handful of tapes to choose from. The kid loves taking the tapes out and putting new ones in and adjusting the volume. Sometimes we dance and sing along and of course they have to fight over who gets the microphone.

6. Puzzles and games. Both of my children are puzzle whizzes and my girl loves to play games. Playing games with the kid around proves to be trying. He wants to dance the playing pieces across the board or steal all the cards on us. Usually I'll give him his own game to "play" and that works for a little while.

It's time to add some more activities. Maybe today we'll have a tea party. And build block towers.

And the weather is finally warming up so we can move the fun outdoors!

It's Time for a Change of Mind

2008-01-24T09:15:00.000-06:00

Life in Hometown was so busy. We were involved in so many different things and the calendar was always so full. If I wanted to get together with a friend one evening I'd have to plan a week or two down the road. Looking back now I realize it was tiring. However........

I miss the busyness of life before. At first I enjoyed life being more laid back here, it felt like we were on vacation. But now, the honeymoon is over. Most days I feel like I'm going to go batty and wish there were more on my plate. I'm not a homebody, I love to socialize and be around people. Living in a climate as cold as ours doesn't lend itself to going out and about much at this time of year. I feel the call of spring a few months down the road and can hardly wait.

But then I stop and think. Why do I want to wish this time away. Sure winter sucks, but we deal with it for five or six months of the year, a person has to make the most of it. So after many nights thinking about what life is holding for us right now I have come to a realization.

I must make the effort to see what joy there is for me in each and every day. Not only do I need to do that for myself but my kids need me to do it for them. I am their world right now. And, as everyone knows, if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

Thus begins Loving Every Minute. Seeing and appreciating the joy and beauty in the everyday things. Not letting a moment slip away.

2008-01-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

Last week I talked about keeping salad fresh. This week's topic is keeping cookies fresh. I'm all about the freshness.

Anyhow, have you ever made a batch of cookies only to find that once they've cooled they're a lot harder than you wanted them to be? I don't know about you but I love a soft cookie to sink my teeth into.

This is how you turn hard cookies into wonderful soft ones. Put the cookies in an airtight container with a damp paper towel. Fold the paper towel up and put it in the corner of the container. Before long that damp paper towel will have worked it's magic and the cookies will be softer. I have also found that putting the container (with the paper towel inside) in the fridge makes them even softer still.

Amazing. I did this with my gingerbread at Christmas time. They started out as teeth chippers and after they'd spend some time in the fridge with the magical towel powers they were so soft the heads would fall off just by picking them up!

Go to Rocks in My Dryer for more great ideas!

Linky Love

2008-01-22T13:06:00.000-06:00

I have been tagged with some linky love! My new blogging (and real life) friend Andrea at Lifesong tagged me on this.

“This link loving in 2008 came from Not Much More Than This.
I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)

It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! The benefits of Viral Linking:

- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!
- Increase your Google PageRank fast
- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site
- Build your community
- Make new friends!

Now, add/tag 5 of your friends blogs…

The Strategist Notebook Link Addiction Ardour of the Heart When Life Becomes a Book The Malaysian Life Yogatta.com What goes under the sun Roshidan’s Cyber Station Sasha says Arts of Physics And the legend lives My View, My Life A Simple Life What Women REALLY Think Not Much More Than This Jayedee Jenn Beth Christie Marla Cailin Simone FlipFlopMom Katrina Gill’s Jottings Work of a Poet Wakela Modern Day Goddess Livin With Me A Simple Life Verb Random Thoughts I’m Running to Win Two Regina’s Family Seasons Lifesong The Laughs Will Go On Military Mom TheVasquez3 Brik-See-Us And Then There Were Four Common Mom Kentucky Woman Sit With Me Awhile The World: Through The Eyes Of Me, The Tales of Mama D, Stranger in a Stranger Land, Forgetfulone, Life With All Boys, Superpaige's Pad you're next...

The last five in italics are the ones I have tagged.

Our Little Parrot

2008-01-22T09:00:00.001-06:00

I love the age the kid is at right now. He's almost two and his vocabulary is changing every day. It's so cute when he repeats things we say or when he comes up with his own "word" for something. Some of my favorites:

Duppa dee - Apparently this means horse or zebra or anything that looks like a horse. It also is the noise he gives his toy animals makes when he makes them run. I can't figure out where this came from.

Teetles - My girl has pencils with feathers on the ends of them. The kid likes to tickle people with them, hence his version of the word tickle. If he sees the pencils somewhere that he can't reach and wants them he will yell teetles until we get them for him.

Hang hoo - I think this is my favorite. You may know hang hoo to mean thank you. A couple of weeks ago I got him started on it and now he doesn't even need prompting. And of course when I reply with "you're welcome" he parrots back "welhum".

Can Anyone Help Me?

2008-01-21T21:18:00.000-06:00

See the gray background? I don't want it gray. But how do I change it? I can see ways to change the color of just about everything else, but not that.
Does anyone know how to do this? Do tell!

Under Construction

2008-01-21T20:07:00.000-06:00

I'm working on spiffing up my blog so please be patient with me as I'm making changes.

I Wish This Were More Socially Acceptable in Our Culture

2008-01-21T11:05:00.001-06:00

This morning I had a doctor's appointment to get a prescription refill on my birth control. Since I'm still nursing the kid I'm on one that is breastfeeding friendly - only one hormone in it or something like that. Anyhow, since we've moved I have a new doctor. And from our encounter today I gather she is not a fan of the extended breastfeeding.

It just isn't right to feel judged and disapproved of by a doctor regarding something that is so good for my child's health. She looked at me, she looked at the kid then she looked back at her computer, eyebrows slightly raised as if to say "I can't believe you're still doing THAT". And then she encouraged me to get him on to "table food". (For any new readers, check out this post for a background on our struggles with his eating. Things are improving but ever so slightly.) Anyhow, the hair on the back of my neck bristled slightly. And I actually heard myself say "You know, the world health organization encourages breastfeeding for up to two years".

She gave me a three month refill. She's expecting me back after that with a weaned child. I'm anticipating that will not happen and that's ok with me. We're on our way to weaning but ever so gradually.

5 Things About Me

2008-01-21T10:56:00.000-06:00

Diana at Forgetfulone tagged me for a meme. How exciting!

These are the rules :
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

2. A. Share 5 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog;
or
B. Share the 5 top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list;
or
C. Share 5 things you never pictured being in your future when you were 25 years old.

3. Tag a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
The tagees have a choice of which they want to do.
************************************************

That's a lot of options. I think I'll go with "A" so here are 5 random and/or weird facts about myself:

1. I have crooked pinkies. And I love them. (pardon my saggy knuckles and cold, red hands)

2. I used to hang all the clothes in my closet in order of color.

3. I'm addicted to the game show network. Family Feud is my personal favorite.

4. My sister and I found the board game of Family Feud at a garage sale a couple of years ago. One time we were playing it and my question was "Name something expensive that is sold by the pound." I shouted out "POODLE!". (Get it? I thought it was the DOG pound?) A perfect blonde moment.

5. Having children has made me tough. I used to cry very easily and now, hardly ever. One major crying moment I remember recently was while watching the movie The Notebook. I sobbed the whole way through it AND for a good hour afterwards. I couldn't even speak to tell Kevin why it had me so worked up. (He didn't watch it with me, sappy movies aren't his thing.)

Now for the part where I'm supposed to tag people. I will just say, if you haven't done it yet, you're tagged, let me know if you do it so I can go read!

Loving Every Minute

Kids Can Be So Cruel

Whatever Pops Into My Head I Will Write About....

Just Some Thoughts

My Husband Rocks

Goals

Things Kids Say

Eight

Pictures

Time For An Attitude Adjustment

The Ups and Downs at Our House

I Felt Like A Kid Again Today.....

May Excitement

Nothing Exciting

You Don't Say

The Big Day

She's Too Smart For Me

The Perk I Miss The Most

Tomato - Tomahto

Fall Fun

She Did It!

Am I Ready For This?

Like Weeds

Dee-Lishus

I Think There's Even A Kitchen Sink In There

It 's Only Going To Get Worse

Sometimes Kids Insist On Wearing the Strangest Things

Can I Come Over And Play Guitar Hero, I Mean Visit With You?

Greatness

It's About Time!

Artiste Extraordinaire

Well Hello

Some New Things Around Here

How Many Times Can I Say "Face Painting" In One Post

Just Kickin' Back

A Very Good Reason Why Breakfast Time and Craft Time Should Be Two Different Times

Craft Organization

A Little Walk Down Memory Lane

Thursday Thirteen

What They're Into This Month

The Shoes

Spring

Swimming Lessons

Becoming More Frugal

It's Good To Be Home

Random Thoughts

Spring Breaking It Up

A Family of Sheepdogs

Goals

I Really Hate it When

My First Bunco Night

A Meme and a Winner

It's Nearing.........

A Week of Birthday

THE easiest play dough recipe around

*Edited to Add* The Start of Weaning

The Things They Say

Seven More Sleeps....

Middle Name Meme Hoopla

They're Never Too Young

Hodge Podge

Happy Birthday

And Now The Answer You've All Been Waiting For

Happy Birthday, Achoo, Wheeze, Hack, Hack

4 Things Meme

A Game

See?

And I'm Not Really a Huggy Person

Happy Early Valentine's Day

You Never Know What You're Going To Find

Sleep vs. Cool Bendy Girl

For Me?

We've Got Company

Meme Time

The Things That Intrigue Me

What Was I Doing A Year Ago

Only On The Canadian Prairies

Random Loveliness

A Struggle

Ta Da!

Edited to Add The Start of Weaning