Sunday, January 25, 2009

It's Sunday Night

The kids are tucked away in bed, and we're enjoying a few hours of quiet, before the week starts up again. I've got clothes out ready for Mason to wear to school tomorrow, his agenda is signed and in his back pack, and his lunch is mostly made on the counter. The coffee pot is ready for 7 am, and the kitchen is clean, things are good.

I have been spending a lot of time working on scrapbook projects lately, trying to catch up a few things that are 'nearly done'. It's funny how they get away from you, and yet you flip them open, and you're taken right back to that time period. I did a class at Big Picture Scrapbooks last year (well, one of 3 classes actually, and I loved each and every one) The one I'm trying to catch up on was called Have More Fun, by Stacy Julian, and it ran from July 1st through to the end of September. It was great, so many different ideas, and things to take you out of your comfort zone. I had so much fun, and I loved the challenges/projects (and there were many). I did great, kept on track for the most part, but fell behind a bit for the last project of the course called 30 days Hath September. This project had us keeping track of things I/we did for the entire month. It was even more special, because Barry and I were in Greece in September, celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary (gasp) Just flipping through the things I've done, and seeing with what trepidation I entered into September with (Mason starting Grade One, Madelyn starting a gymnastics class, Beavers, and our trip to Greece) it's fun to look back after the fact and see how smoothly things did actually go... And it's amazing how quickly a word, a date or a sentence can so quickly take you back to memory you didn't realize was hidden. It made me realize why I love to scrapbook so much. I am the story teller of my family, and I LOVE telling stories! The good the bad and the ugly... Our life. It's awesome.

Us, at the Acropolis in Athens, the day before we headed home, so rested and happy.

Enjoying lunch, in Santorini, on our anniversary. (Notice the exotic food Bar is trying...)

First night of Beavers, isn't he the cutest little kit...

The first day of gymnastics that I took her to, Ama had taken her while we were away.

1st day of school, pretty self-explanatory...









Wednesday, January 21, 2009

16 Things

I love a challenge, so I found this and thought I should definitely play along.

My 16 things:

1. I love to read. I haven’t read as much as I used to since there’s been children living in our house (our kids). Once I get into a book I have a tendency to become completely engrossed, and sometimes forget certain duties such as: wife, mother, chef etc.

2. I drink WAY too much coffee. If Barry doesn’t share the pot with me, I’ll drink it all myself. Not good, and I don’t even notice the heightened caffeine buzz.

3. I used to LOVE chocolate but now, watch out salty foods.

4. I love my 2-storey house. It’s the only exercise I get. I shudder to think what I’d look life if I didn’t go up and down the stairs dozens of times a day.

5. I have to floss my teeth every day, or else I get sore gums. I hate people that don’t have to floss and don’t get cavities.

6. I talk to myself all the time, and get spooked very easily. Hence the Bose ipod docking station, so I don’t have to have headphones on. A good scare is not always that fun.

7. I remember EVERYTHING that is completely insignificant; that stuff is locked in a vault. But appointments, due dates, b-days and anniversaries, not so much…


8. My clean house absolutely makes my heart soar.


9. Even now, as a grown adult I’m horrified of lightening. On more than one occasion I’ve made my hubby help me bring the kids into the basement in the middle of the night… (And now, after 10 years, he just goes along w/it)

10. I couldn’t have said this better myself. I love her stuff!


11. I am most comfortable, and commonly found in my sweats. I often change in and out of them numerous times a day. I will wear them outside ONLY to go for a walk, but not to pick up Mason from the bus. (see #4 – I’m trying to do some more exercise; see #10, that’s my choice…)

12. I am intrigued but horrified to get interested in digital stuff. Case-in-point, I got photoshop elements for Christmas, and haven’t loaded it onto my computer yet.


13. I tend not to get quite as worked up over things as my husband does, for example, my daughter woke up this morning with a fever and is throwing up, I think she has a bug. Barry on the other hand has looked up copious symptoms on WebMD and is ready to diagnose her, leaving me to 2nd guess myself... What if he's right?

14. Tonight is the LOST season premier for season 5. I am beside myself with anticipation.


15. If we won the lottery, I think I would hire a personal chef, to prepare all meals, snacks, salads, lunches and breakfasts, and do the grocery shopping of course. Because you gotta love the kiddie coral at Co-op, but ONLY if your child wants to play in there while your doing shopping. Otherwise, it’s just a teaser to walk by with your full shopping cart AND your 3 ½ year old, saying “looks like fun in there huh?” but refuses to go in.

16. I do obsess about things, and want to do things in an orderly fashion. It might not always look orderly from someone else's point of view, but there is ALMOST always a method to my madness; though I may be the only one who can see it.

How fun is that? Play along!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

How Bizarre

I don't know where the time goes. When I used to work downtown full time (which I did for 14 years) I used to think how delightful it would be not to work, to have all that time... Now I'm a full time SAHM, (though I wouldn't exactly say that I don't work. It's a very different kind of work. It's actually the kind of job that requires you to be on your game 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is no end of my 'work day', the weekends are great, don't get me wrong, but I certainly don't have my weekends off per-say), and time just goes by so darn quickly. I thought when I got Mason into full days of school that I would be up as early as could be and accomplish so much more. Alas, that too has been disproven. Where does all that time go? It seems like I have a few hours of peace in the morning, then things go full-tilt until 3:30 pm, and the time between 4 and 8pm, seem to go by in a nano-second. Between meal prep, eating (that often lasts hours around here with a certain crying 3 1/2 yr old), kitchen clean up, coffee pot set up (for the next morning of course) and next day lunch prep, then comes baths, and home reading, teeth brushing, and a story before bed. Suddenly it's all I can do to get the kids into bed by 8:30. How does this phenomenon happen? And, does it happen to everyone? Is it only me? I have so many things I want to do after the kids get to bed, but I'm simply exhausted. And I've got the bags under my eyes to prove it. This is my life now. And this is what I yearn for most each and every morning:

Ahhhh, my coffee. This alone is what helps get me out of bed in the morning. Who ever came up with the auto-start coffee maker, was NOT a morning person. Bless that person. And I'll keep trying to get more accomplished each day.


Friday, January 16, 2009

Do you hear what I hear?

Nothing at all. Ahhh, the sound of silence... Friday morning could be one of my most favorite times. Why? Well, very simply, Mason's off to school and Madelyn sleeps over at Ama's house on Thursday nights. I'm sorry for those of you who don't have an Ama, as I do. Seriously, I'm very, VERY sorry for you. I don't know what I'd do with out my Mum, who not only babysits at a moments notice but also takes my kids for sleepovers. (AND claims to enjoy it) Thursday is what I very lovingly refer to as my "Day Off". I drop Madelyn off at my Mum's mid-morning, and then scoot out of there, and have some time to myself... I can come home to a silent house, go meet friends for lunch, or coffee. Head over to any mall or shopping establishment, with no little person in tow. I can get away for a few hours, by myself, before having to be at the bus stop to pick Mason up from school. Then, Friday morning, I can have a leisurely morning. Chat on the phone, surf the web, blog, without having to feel guilty about ignoring my daughter. It's total bliss. Thank you Mum. I know how lucky I am, and I cherish it very much.
Tomorrow I'm having a scrap day. My boys will be out of the house. My girl will be in heaven thinking she too is scrapbooking. My friends will be joining me, and it may very well go from early morning, until well into Sunday. I'm VERY excited.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Got some pictures!


I guess you just have to be patient, and get someone to watch over your shoulder as you try to load pictures onto the computer, while complaining that it's not working for you. That is the key to success! Here's some fun skating shots, taken from last weekend.

Ahhhh, a little rest


"Leave me alone, don't help me, I can do this..." A few things we heard from Mad.

My - I look just like a natural for sure...

What a great Dad, and what a determined little girl!

Mason's going to do great this year, he was so much more confident on his skates.

Maddy didn't want to share the skate trainer with her brother, there were only tears 2 times during this outing. Once when Mason tried to use HER skate trainer, and when we were trying to convince her it was time to go! She wasn't ready to be finished skating!




Friday, January 9, 2009

Quiet in the House

Ahhh, we're back to normal again. The Christmas break is very much needed, but after 2 wks of hard-core playing, games, battles, constant spittle, screaming, running, chasing, xboxing, imaginary play, role playing, and morphing into a multitude of different characters, it was delight to have school start up again this week.
And wow, is the house ever quiet. One child does not make as much noise, nor as much mess as two.
We started our week out by skating at our neighborhood pond on Sunday. Madelyn was the key behind this, she is SO excited to learn to skate. At first, once she got on the ice there were a few tears, but after a few minutes, and a home-made skate trainer, she was all smiles and grins. In fact, the majority of the tears happened, when we finally got her back on the bench, to put her boots back on, she was enjoying it THAT much. Mason did great too, this just might be our first successful year of skating. I took some great pictures of the 2 of them, but again, can't seem to get the card reader working on my computer. Such a bummer. Barry did get it to work, so I was able to download some Christmas photos, but now I want to take off these skating pictures, and no way. I am obviously not holding my tongue right.
We made it through our first week. We've got a slightly new and improved routine in the morning, which seemed to work out great for us this week. Let's hope it carries us through to the end of June. When the alarm goes off in the morning, I'm trying to incorporate my word into the equation. [choice] I'm only one week in, can't say how the next 5 1/2 months will go. Now, if I could just get exercise into my routine. Then I'll be on my way, to choosing a better lifestyle. It's hard to believe that a mere 4 months ago Barry and I walked our way around Greece for 2 wks, up and down, stairs, mountains, monuments, walking tours, etc. Now I'm huffing and puffing when I get to the 2nd floor of my house. Thankfully the body is resilient. I'll get there.
I'm going to figure out this chip reader, and hopefully be able to post some great skating pictures! Until then, we're into our first weekend.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Happy New Year

I decided some time ago that this year I would not make any new year's resolutions. In the past I’ve made myself a bunch of promises that just don’t pan out. It’s a little bit like setting yourself up for failure, on the first day of the New Year. I like the idea that the New Year is wiping the slate clean and starting over. So to do start the New Year, knowing that it’s only a matter of time, before you fail, is no way to begin a new year. (Of course, it’s taken me a number of years to come to this conclusion) This year, I intend to use my 'word' to make changes to my life, that I will be held accountable for. As I mentioned in my last post, I've selected the word CHOICE for my word of 2009.

CHOICE- noun – the power to choose or the ability to choose between different things.

For me, this is empowering, with every choice that I make (and believe me, there are dozens a day) I get to think and ponder and deliberate over my options or choices. There is no scapegoat, or anyone else to blame, it is I who has the power to choose. If I choose to exercise or not, it’s up to me. If I decide to eat healthy or not, that is up to me. With every thing I do, I will be consciously making a decision, weighing the options, and dealing with the consequences, KNOWING it was my choice.

So, with that in mind, I head into 2009 feeling positive, rejuvenated and excited. I first came across this ‘word’ idea last December, reading Ali Edwards blog, she had chosen a word for herself and has done so for the past couple of years. You can check out Ali's words for 2007 and 2008 here, plus see a listing of dozens of words people have submitted. Perhaps you’ll be encouraged to find and live by your own word for 2009 as well. Another neat site to check out is this one.

I had my last leisurely sleep in this morning. The last few weeks around my house have been total bliss. It’s been sleep-ins and lazy mornings. We’re back to real life again on Monday, which will hit everyone hard. But we sure enjoyed our time off together. It’s about time to make the choice about getting up and getting going in the morning. No more late night’s scrapbooking (which isn’t a problem right now because the card reader on my computer still isn’t working- errr). I haven’t been able to download any Christmas pictures at all. This next week I will likely be spotted at Costco or Wal-Mart Kodak Kiosks, printing off my many pics!