3 Days In

Mason has been back to school for three short days, and already today the first wave of fundraising stuff came home. I certainly don't miss that over the summer holidays. There have been a lot of fundraisers before my kids ever started school, that I've handed money over for.
Some of the best ones being frozen cookie dough and of course the scouts popcorn (and yes, that one will be coming around again some time in late Oct/early Nov)

Over the years, I have bought magazine subscriptions, I've bought crap, pardon me, I mean things from Regal. I've purchased frozen pizzas (ewwwww). We've had Tim Bit Day at school, sold Cinnamon Buns for fundraising. I've bought wreaths for my front door at Christmas time.

The kids are encouraged to bring a loonie/twoonie to contribute to causes at school. One cause I remember specifically was putting money toward fresh water for a school not in Canada. There is a call for the food bank, each child is asked to bring in a non-perishable food item, mitts, hats, blankets etc. There is the adopted family at Christmas. Each and every month we receive Scholastic book order forms, with a portion of the money going toward the school. (After all that fundraising, we're asked to send in our own box of kleenex for each child in the class)

And now 3 days into a new school year, we begin to bombard our friends and family with buying stuff from us. And I hate it. Mostly because, all my friends and their kids are in the exact same predicament.

I am shocked by the cheques being written and handed over on a regular basis. In fact, before I had a child in school, the writing of cheques in my life was obsolete. What with debit and credit etc, WHO needs a cheque book? In Kindergarten and Gr. 1, I think I went through 2 entire cheque books. And here we are, Gr. 2, and we're well on our way to writing more cheques. I am thankful at least, that he's not into hockey (yet) Then we'd be obligated to do those hockey Bingo/ Casino night (how appealing does that sound) I shouldn't laugh though, because Beaver's is an eye opener as well. With bottle drives, and popcorn sales, the pressure is on. I have a serious respect for the crap that my parents had to put up with.

So - if ANYONE is interested in purchasing a Student Union Ticket Pack, they're going for $20, and I'd be MORE THAN HAPPY to sell one to you. ;-)

Completely off topic, I don't think I blogged about finishing Madelyn's little girl room. I have a couple pictures to post. I'm so pleased with how her room turned out. And she's so happy with it to. The first time she saw it she said "Mummy, I just LOVE it..." That was awhile ago now, in July, it's old hat. She's stopped falling out of bed. All is good. And my favorite addition, is the groovy girl dolls that sit on her bed. Of course I LOVE THEM, not her. But that's ok, she still let's them sit on her bed.

These are some little canvasses I did, they are on the opposite wall. And I found the wall decals at Winners. Talk about lucking out with the color scheme. I just happened to stumble across them after my canvasses were done. I'd seen the Be.... thing on someone else's blog. I loved the idea, came up with some of my own words, and have been wanting to do this for quite sometime. I love it when a plan comes together.

1st Day of Grade Two

We did it. We had our first day of grade two. Being at the school this morning was so exciting. A sea of kids, all dressed in their best clothes, with new shoes and back packs and parents. On the first day of school, it's not hard to distinguish the working mom's and the stay at home moms. There is the 'dress' clothes, and the casual clothes.

The class lists were posted on a window, and getting to them was a bit of an ordeal. Mason didn't really seem to care, he was to busy scouting out friends.

The bell rang, and one of the teachers said "Say good bye to your Mom's and Dad's." And they did, and off they went through the doors... And it all happened so fast, I didn't even get a picture of it!

Thankfully I took the 'First Day of Grade Two' pose, outside our house.
[ And no, he doesn't have a new back pack, OR new shoes, OR new clothes... But he is such a cutie patootie!] We're waiting for the mall madness to die down, before we even venture into one. Besides, it was HOT today, so shorts were perfect. His school is all about the three R's, reduce, re-use and recycle. So he told me he wanted to re-use last years back pack and lunch box. Talk about efficient.

Here's a picture of Mason and Barry, walking up to the school. We had to park a ways away, parking is always at a premium on the first day. [Mason insists on wearing a ball cap to school, and these two boys looks so cute in their matching caps]

And little Miss Maddy G, was insistent that "Mason was getting all the attention, and why don't you take MY picture". So I did... And man, I LOVE those long legs of mine! All kidding aside, it was Mason's special day of going back to school. She starts preschool in September, and I assured her, there would be PLENTY of pictures of her then. That seemed to be a good enough answer.

We're Having Summer!

And can you believe the poor little kiddies head back to school? I mean it was HOT today. Summer time hot... Heart-breaking. But the fact that I have done absolutely NO back to school shopping is a bonus. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get another few weeks out of shorts and sandals. I'm always hopeful. A glass is half-full kind of girl. Know what? That drives my husband insane. He's never actually come out and said, I HATE THAT QUALITY OF YOURS, but it's one of those things, that remains unspoken between us... I remain optimistic and believing, trying to see the best in things, and he silently fumes. (Sorry dear, but they do say opposites attract)

Speaking of opposites, get a load of the picture below, LONG and SHORT. Here's my guy with his spank'in new hair cut! Ready for grade 2! Teeth a bit reddish from the sucker he got, but no harm done! He must be a lot cooler too!

Today I did DAY 1 of an online class, through Simplify 101, called "Help, I Don't Know Where to Begin". It's about de-cluttering your house/life.

As fall arrives, and the kids head back to school, I'm trying to wrap my head around a few things I want to accomplish. Summers in our house is a time that all routines seem to fly right out the window. Around here, vacation means, bedtimes are more flexible. Meal times are more flexible. What we're going to do on a daily basis is more flexible. We planned a few things each week, and on the other days, we just flew by the seat of our pants. And it's so dreamy to do that. After a full school year of routines and set times, bus pick ups and drop offs, it's just nice to take the summer to breath a sigh of relief. Ahhhhhh.... And we've done that, and personally, I think we did it rather well.

Now, after that just-long-enough break, I'm ready to get back into a routine again. I'm ready to get up in the mornings and get Mace off to the bus. I'm ready to pack lunches again, and make sure I have snacks/juice boxes and muffins etc., readily available. I'm ready for bedtimes to roll around at 8:30. And I'm ready to get myself into a bit of a routine as well.

For the month of September any way, I'm looking at de-cluttering my house. Can you believe I still have baby toys and clothes lurking around? And my kids are 4 and 7. It's time. And the idea of getting rid of stuff, has me breathing easier... I don't want you to think that my house is a clutter zone. Like you would come in and not see anywhere, and I mean ANYWHERE to sit. No. That's not me at all. But I tend to hoard. What I'm saying is, please don't open my closets/cupboards/drawers... I'd be embarrassed by that. Now, having said that, you're more than welcome to come at the end of September, because by then, there'll be NO reason to be embarrassed. [You see that, I just gave myself and goal AND a challenge] Sweet. Here's to de-cluttering, September, and getting back into glorious routines.

This was what my 15 minute kitchen de-clutter looked like. Note to self, next time use a black garbage bag. There were a number of things that got pulled out my all THREE of the people that live with me! Crazy! So long mis-matched Tupperware and Rubbermaid. See you later disposable Glad crap. Adios old travel mugs (much to Barry's horror). Goodbye piece of crap butterfly cupcake mould...

Liberating indeed...

The Last Monday Before School Starts

I feel a bit melancholy... Part of me is looking forward to the start of a new school year, and part of me is mourning the end of summer. I read a book this weekend (which I thought was utterly ridiculous) Wait a minute, does that imply that I think reading is ridiculous? Or the book? Because I meant the book was ridiculous...

Any way, there was this excerpt in the book that describes EXACTLY how I feel about fall. Here goes: "The calendar clung to September, but Becky was still in mourning for the wide open weeks of summer. A full noisy house, outings to the zoo and pools and canyons. Becky didn't see autumn as a glorious and exciting time of change, wind peeling layers, alternately breathing chill on your neck and cuddling you in the bright bursts of warmth. No. She saw autumn as Not summer." From the book The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale.
So re-read that and change the name from Becky to Candy, and that sums up precisely how I feel. Well, except for the noisy house part. I've had kids in my life for 7 years now, and I still don't do well with too much noise...

So today we're off to get Mason's hair cut before Grade Two starts. (I suppose if I were to keep him home, I could be in denial that I have a child heading into grade two) However, home schooled or not (just kidding) he'd still be doing a grade two curriculum. If I were honest with myself, I think A LOT of my posts are about the kids, who are growing up so rapidly. I sometimes feel like I'm on the sidelines watching from afar. I keep asking myself how/when did that happen? Where did the time go? I'm just trying to enjoy each day.

Did I mention that Mace hasn't had a haircut since the end of June? This is a kid who gets his hair cut every 4 wks, so let me assure you, we're in need. I'll have to do a before and after picture. I doubt we'll ever have this long a stint again. Also, the kids were up SUPER early this morning, playing Pokemon. I mean, playing as in pretending to be the characters. I still don't really understand the whole Pokemon thing. Any way, to make a long story short, we were up around 7:40 this morning, so we're getting in gear for Thursday. Though I know on Thursday I'll have to wrestle him out of bed, and that will be the one day, he'd like to sleep in. Too funny. He's become a bit of a morning person over the past 6 months. (Much to his mother and father's horror).

The Start of our Busy Week

As promised to my kiddies, we're going to try and cram as much fun into this week, as possible. The cloudy skies have FINALLY cleared up, and we actually got to see that giant yellow ball in the sky, we lovingly refer to as the sun... Ahhhhh, thank goodness. I just don't do great with grey dismal days.

And not because I long to remember, but because I HAVE to show someone, anyone, here is exactly what last Fridays, last day of swimming lessons looked like... Seriously, can you believe it?
That's right, that is indeed STEAM coming up from the pool... And no, it's NOT a hot pool. Just a regular old outdoor swimming pool in Calgary. Crikey...

Now onto something more palatable:

Yesterday's zoo trip. The day turned out much warmer than I'd anticipated, so my poor kids were in jeans, and Maddy, in a long sleeved tee. Yikes. It's just so hard to figure things out day by day in this crazy city!

And today, our adventure to Calaway Park, with the Wick's. It was a great day. We got sprinkled with a few showers a couple of times, but a stop to buy mini melts (Thanks Auntie Cole) and a trip into the candy store, and all you could hear was rain-schmain!

All is Quiet

My house is quiet. Really quiet. It's the middle of the afternoon, and I'm home alone quiet... Sweet Ama has taken the kids to see the movie UP and then for dinner. How lucky are they? Or, how lucky am I? So being here alone has me reflecting a little bit on what the next year will bring. Mason will be heading into grade two, and Miss Maddy G will be on her way to preschool three afternoons a week. Sheesh, what am I going to do with myself?

Summer is wrapping up. It's gone too fast. And to be honest, it's been mediocre at best. At the end of June, the idea of summer holidays stretches out before you, two glorious sun-filled, months, July and August. Oh how we all wait and wait and wait for those two months to come. All you can envision are the long and lazy days of summer.

As you may recall, our annual trip to the lake this year was a bit of a let down, with the norwalk virus week one, and the crapola weather week two. Zoo camp was great, the weather oh-so hot. The kids were so darn lucky. It seems to me, that the weather has been so-so ever since. (It was, for the most part, great for the first set of swim lessons, in the morning any way)We get a nice day here and there but for the most part, it's been cold and dreadful. This week the kids were in swim lessons again, but we haven't been so lucky. This morning I sat at the edge of the pool and watched the steam rise... Seriously, when the water is warmer than the air on the 13th of August, that's a darn sad state.

Plus, we've all (and I do indeed mean, all 4 of us) caught a cold. So there is crabbiness, coughing, crying, nose blowing, snot... did I mention coughing? And it's all a bit much.

So, next week is our last week. (School starts back the next Thursday). We've got so much we want to do and see. How does that happen? How does time get away from us like this? But it does. So next week will be a busy one, trying to get all the last minute things in.

Our Little Bow Adventure

I just wanted to add a few pictures, to compliment last weeks trip to Little Bow. So here is a lovely little collage I whipped up.

It's pretty self explanatory. Mason water skiing. Mason getting ready to water ski. Mason and Madelyn doing some dry land training. My brother. The canola field and horrendous storm we were driving into (the picture doesn't do it justice at all). And, those two little cherubs, my beautiful kids... How lucky am I? They just really like each other! Sorry Mum, I know you wished I'd have a few just like me... I super-duper lucked out!

Not up to an awful lot this week. Have the kids back into swim lessons again. Hope the weather is nice in the mornings at least. I'm making pickles this week, so that will be kind of fun. Last week I even made Strawberry/Rhubarb jam. Constant rain does indeed get you a bit more creative in the house!