Our Christmas wasn't at all what we planned but was amazing none the less!
We had our first bit of Christmas on the 23rd when Celine, Jack's girlfriend, came for dinner with my parents. We opened gifts afterwards that were to and from Celine. The boys loved it! They are super excited to open their volcano set in the spring/summer.
Arnold and I got a beautiful print from IKEA. It's now on our wall and looks PERFECT there!
That night my mom was in such pain. We couldn't figure out what was wrong and ended up in the emerge room at the hospital. I have to admit... I'm not often the "extra" person. And it was nice. All in all the emergency room was fantastic! We got there around 10pm and were home by 2:30pm. It did take a bit to get her in as they were busy but I'm impressed. I understand Mom isn't but hey, it went well for Toronto
The next morning was just as if nothing had happen. We did some running around, cleaning up and the boys did some work. Then Papa and Nana took the "kids" (Kyler, Quinton, and their kid Jack) to the movies. They saw Night at the Museum 3. They had a lot of fun. Arnold and I stayed home and wrapped those last second gifts and had a shower.
When the kids got home we had some munchies and prepped for supper. We shortly turned around and went to the Candle light service at Heron Park Baptist Church, where Arnold, the boys and I have been attending. We had a wonderful time! So full!
We had supper (Tacos) as soon as we got home and the boys headed to bed around 10pm. Got to get to sleep before Santa comes!
We were all in bed by 11pm.
The next morning I got a text message at 4am from my mom saying that her and Quinton were up and that they had counted stockings and were so excited that they only had 2 more hours to wait! We were all up shortly after 6am.
We had such a "lazy" Christmas. It was fantastic! We opened our stockings, then 2 Santa gifts. Kyler got a scooter he has been longing over. And Quinton got some minecraft books and sword/pickaxe. Quinton had also received a Lego set in his stocking so he went right to work on that and Kyler went right to work on his scooter with Daddy and Papa. Jack and I started breakfast. Then everyone went out to try the scooter. It's weight goes up to 220lbs so they were all on it going up and down the road having a blast. Nana liked it so much she got her own on boxing day!
Then we came in and opened some more gifts, and had some breakfast, then more gifts, then a scooter/dog walk break, then more gifts, then cinnamon bun break, then more gifts, then play time/prep the turkey, then more gifts.. as you can see this went on for a while. We did finish the tree gifts until 2:30pm.
We had nap time/build Lego time after gifts. We even pulled up an extra table for building. We all took some walks around and then home for prepping dinner. Which I believe was served at 5:30/6pm. And it was AMAZING! If I do say so myself! Everyone got something they wanted. We had turkey for me. Ham for my brother. Mashed potatoes for Arnold. Sweet potatoes for my parents and Kyler. Stuffing for Quinton and I. Sugared Carrots for Arnold. Brussels sprouts in cheese and bacon sauce for me (and forcing my mom to eat "the green balls from hell"). Asparagus for mom. Cauliflower for Mom and Dad. and gravy!!!
Then we went on a nice walk around the neighbourhood! Who knew plus 8 would be great weather for Christmas. When we came home we cleaned up and had dessert of Pumpkin pie for Q; Apple pie for K and Arnold; Key lime pie for Jack; whipping cream for me; ice cream for Arnold and fruit tray for Mom and Dad (but I don't believe that ever came out!
Then we went to bed. Tummies full and happy.
Boxing day we did ALOT more Lego! Kyler got this amazing set from his Aunt Sasha, Uncle Jason, Kasmira, Mattea, Jorgie, Uncle Chris and Soon-to-be Auntie Ashley. He has been putting it together for 4 days now and loving every minute!
Quinton got 3 sets of Lego. He got a Minecraft set (endermen or something?) and 2 Star Wars sets from Aunt Sasha, Uncle Jason, Kasmira, Mattea, Jorgie, Uncle Chris and Soon-to-be Auntie Ashley. He loves them! So much he went out and spent his money from Grandma and Grandpa Visser to buy a little attachment set for them. He is just in awe and has been playing with them non stop since Christmas morning! They love them!
We also did some Boxing Day shopping. There was almost no one out there! I really expected way more going on but nope! Nice and easy. Mom and I went out and she got some new jeans (yeah mom for size 10!!). Then Jack and Dad went out and got the scooter for mom and a new chair for dad.
That night mom and I decluttered and cleaned and re-arranged our living room/dinning room. We are getting everything ready for a big reno for us soon. We are going to be reno'ing our little kitchen so we wanted to move some things around. It was hard work and my body is STILL sore from moving everything but it works for now! We have to make a trip to IKEA to get some baskets and then we are done!!
Papa and Nana went home on the 27th in the morning. They had a great time chilling out at our house and took the puppies home with them.
Shortly after the boys, Arnold and I went out for lunch and did some shopping at Chapters and a few electronic places and then home.
Celine came over for dinner and her and Jack headed out for the weekend.
That's when I started paper work. I now have a HUGE box to shred and my bills are organized and I'm ready for at least 2015, maybe more! I have one box of bills/papers for upstairs and one box for the basement (things that need to be kept)
I even got a few minutes to go over things and see how we are doing.
It's been a world wind Christmas but I've loved every second of it!
Now to get ready for New Years Eve Fondue, and National Tinfoil Day!!!
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Snow!
Snow!
Snow!
Snow!
Snow!
SNOW!!!
It won't be long before we'll all be there with
Snow!
Snow!
Snow!
SNOW!!!
It won't be long before we'll all be there with
Snow!
That's right! Snow!
We got our first snowfall this weekend.
We had a very busy Saturday finishing up our Christmas Shopping and getting things done. Kyler and Arnold did the dishes when we came home. And before we left, Jack and Quinton raked the lawn.
It was perfect!
Now we have a nice clean yard and it's currently covered in snow.
I love snow!
It was great to get the kids outside and get them playing in the snow. I love them enjoying the time outside again.
Yesterday was so darn cold though! We had 2 indoor recess due to the rain and then one outside in the slush.
I really do love snow!
It's great for the kids. They have developed a plan for making hats. And it's so cute! I'm so proud of them!!
Anywho... I love snow! I'm so happy we got it this early!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Slowing Down
I just flipped my calendar (late I know) and noticed that my November isn't as crazy as September and October.
Things are finally slowing down for us.
But this always brings on the "stress sickies" as my hubby calls them.
Stress Sickies (for someone who has never heard of this) is when you get sick from a lack of stressful things in your life.
This has always happened for/to me. It's just one of those things I guess. When I was younger and didn't know how to handle stress my body did it for me! I'd get VERY sick.
Now it's just a "crappy day or 3". Today was one of those days. My body was just shutting down. I knew I needed to get things done but somehow I just didn't want to get moving.
Thankfully, things are slowing down.
Sports clubs, cooking clubs, our "fit family fun" time, our swimming lessons and such all come to a close at the end of this month. While I'm enjoying my kids going to these places I feel as though December is a good time to have things calm down.
I get to try and stay on top of working out for myself. I get to try and stay on top of keeping my house clean. I get to try and stay on top of making sure homework gets done.
All those things that seem less and less important as the school year goes on.
I'm just excited to see how everything goes.
Now that things are slowing down I'm hoping to get a few things done. Like cooking, baking, Christmas planning and most of all decorating!
After all... 2 more days and the Christmas stuff comes up!!
Things are finally slowing down for us.
But this always brings on the "stress sickies" as my hubby calls them.
Stress Sickies (for someone who has never heard of this) is when you get sick from a lack of stressful things in your life.
This has always happened for/to me. It's just one of those things I guess. When I was younger and didn't know how to handle stress my body did it for me! I'd get VERY sick.
Now it's just a "crappy day or 3". Today was one of those days. My body was just shutting down. I knew I needed to get things done but somehow I just didn't want to get moving.
Thankfully, things are slowing down.
Sports clubs, cooking clubs, our "fit family fun" time, our swimming lessons and such all come to a close at the end of this month. While I'm enjoying my kids going to these places I feel as though December is a good time to have things calm down.
I get to try and stay on top of working out for myself. I get to try and stay on top of keeping my house clean. I get to try and stay on top of making sure homework gets done.
All those things that seem less and less important as the school year goes on.
I'm just excited to see how everything goes.
Now that things are slowing down I'm hoping to get a few things done. Like cooking, baking, Christmas planning and most of all decorating!
After all... 2 more days and the Christmas stuff comes up!!
Monday, November 3, 2014
It's hard being a parent
These past few weeks we have had to deal with how to handle our boys. Not just because they are boys.... lets be serious the "boys will be boys" is true, but because of school.
Last year was a hard year for Kyler. We had pushed hard to have his teacher bring him to "team" and have him accessed. Every time we asked for it to happen she would give as an answer that I was never to happy about.
Finally, at the end of the year we got it done! Thank goodness. We finally have our plan in place for Kyler's education.
This year started out bumpy. We didn't find out until about half way through October that his new teacher hadn't even seen his reports!
oh man
Now we are getting the kiddo back on track! We have had homework problems, agenda issues, and now test problems.
Kyler's homework wasn't getting done before. We couldn't understand why things aren't getting done. But now... we realized it has to do with his agenda not getting done. Now that his teacher is on board with his he is getting his agenda done and signed EVERY DAY and he is doing AMAZING! I'm so proud of him.
This past week he brought his agenda home every day, signed by the teacher, and had his homework done every day as well! His treat was the haunted house on Thursday night. I'm so proud!
Using his agenda is better now. With it being signed every day and coming home for me to look at we are getting more done.
The bad part is we are still dealing with the affects of before getting the agenda done.
Today was another kick in the gut.
Kyler brought home his spelling test. We had problems with this before the agenda was being checked and so his mark... 3/13. I just about cried!
And with report cards coming home any day now it makes it so much worse!
I'm just praying we can turn this around and get it better.
Tomorrow is his first test since getting on track with the agenda. And we are just about ready!
Whoever said parenting could be easy was SO wrong.
Parenting is hard... especially when it comes to your kids in school.
While I may not have done well in school, or ever been the best student, I vow to be the best parent and stand behind my son. If it's holding him up when he falls, I'll be there. If it's holding his arms up in cheers, I'll be there. If it's holding his hand when he needs encouragement, I'll be there.
I'll be there, even if it makes me cry when he does bad on tests. And I'll be the first to post pictures of those tests that he improves on!
Last year was a hard year for Kyler. We had pushed hard to have his teacher bring him to "team" and have him accessed. Every time we asked for it to happen she would give as an answer that I was never to happy about.
Finally, at the end of the year we got it done! Thank goodness. We finally have our plan in place for Kyler's education.
This year started out bumpy. We didn't find out until about half way through October that his new teacher hadn't even seen his reports!
oh man
Now we are getting the kiddo back on track! We have had homework problems, agenda issues, and now test problems.
Kyler's homework wasn't getting done before. We couldn't understand why things aren't getting done. But now... we realized it has to do with his agenda not getting done. Now that his teacher is on board with his he is getting his agenda done and signed EVERY DAY and he is doing AMAZING! I'm so proud of him.
This past week he brought his agenda home every day, signed by the teacher, and had his homework done every day as well! His treat was the haunted house on Thursday night. I'm so proud!
Using his agenda is better now. With it being signed every day and coming home for me to look at we are getting more done.
The bad part is we are still dealing with the affects of before getting the agenda done.
Today was another kick in the gut.
Kyler brought home his spelling test. We had problems with this before the agenda was being checked and so his mark... 3/13. I just about cried!
And with report cards coming home any day now it makes it so much worse!
I'm just praying we can turn this around and get it better.
Tomorrow is his first test since getting on track with the agenda. And we are just about ready!
Whoever said parenting could be easy was SO wrong.
Parenting is hard... especially when it comes to your kids in school.
While I may not have done well in school, or ever been the best student, I vow to be the best parent and stand behind my son. If it's holding him up when he falls, I'll be there. If it's holding his arms up in cheers, I'll be there. If it's holding his hand when he needs encouragement, I'll be there.
I'll be there, even if it makes me cry when he does bad on tests. And I'll be the first to post pictures of those tests that he improves on!
Sunday, October 26, 2014
What do your kids do?
Today I realized my kids do ALOT in our home.
For example this weekend the boys did:
Their own laundry (bring it downstairs, put in washer *clothes only or towels only* and started with soap, flip to dryer *emptying lint traps* and started with bounce sheet in it, empty dryer to couch and put folded clothes away in their own room.
Made muffins (found bowls, ingredients, mixed in mixing bowl, cracked eggs, added water, mixed, put into muffin tins, put in oven. Daddy took them out of the oven. then put on cooling racks)
Did own homework (science, math, reading, etc)
Yard work (raked the lawn, put in bags, did some lawn cutting, put sticks out and put the bags and containers where they belong, did compost as well)
Did housework (swept the floor, did dishes, cleaned the table, put towels away, put kitchen stuff away)
Cleaned the front area (paired down shoes, organized area they change clothes, put donations into a pile, cleaned and organized the black container for toys, threw out toys they were done with or were broken)
"Winterized" their room (put their shorts away, went through hand me down clothes they liked, put all the clothes away, washed their sheets on their beds, made their beds with clean sheets, put up shelves in their room and downsized their "trinkets")
As you can see my boys do a lot. I am so proud of them for being so helpful and so amazing when it comes to our day to day lives.
We are blessed. What do your kids do?
For example this weekend the boys did:
Their own laundry (bring it downstairs, put in washer *clothes only or towels only* and started with soap, flip to dryer *emptying lint traps* and started with bounce sheet in it, empty dryer to couch and put folded clothes away in their own room.
Made muffins (found bowls, ingredients, mixed in mixing bowl, cracked eggs, added water, mixed, put into muffin tins, put in oven. Daddy took them out of the oven. then put on cooling racks)
Did own homework (science, math, reading, etc)
Yard work (raked the lawn, put in bags, did some lawn cutting, put sticks out and put the bags and containers where they belong, did compost as well)
Did housework (swept the floor, did dishes, cleaned the table, put towels away, put kitchen stuff away)
Cleaned the front area (paired down shoes, organized area they change clothes, put donations into a pile, cleaned and organized the black container for toys, threw out toys they were done with or were broken)
"Winterized" their room (put their shorts away, went through hand me down clothes they liked, put all the clothes away, washed their sheets on their beds, made their beds with clean sheets, put up shelves in their room and downsized their "trinkets")
As you can see my boys do a lot. I am so proud of them for being so helpful and so amazing when it comes to our day to day lives.
We are blessed. What do your kids do?
Monday, October 20, 2014
Got Bread?
A few years ago my dad reluctantly gave me the family bread maker.
It has such good memories.
When I was younger I remember my dad taking the bread maker with us on family vacations. The one I remember the most is going skiing. We would spend the day on the slopes and then Dad would make bread. It was so nice coming home to the fantastic smell! It was amazing.
We now have our family bread maker.
Our family has now been using it for a while now. Almost 2 loaves a week. It's very very rare we don't make bread during the week.
This past holiday we got a few loaves of bread from my parents. We just finished the bread this morning and now are in need of a few more loaves :)
I guess it's time to start our family tradition again... and get that maker going!
Thankfully... it's a whole family thing. The boys help make the bread and they love every step of it!
So tomorrow morning... we will have to start a new loaf so we have something for lunches this week :)
It has such good memories.
When I was younger I remember my dad taking the bread maker with us on family vacations. The one I remember the most is going skiing. We would spend the day on the slopes and then Dad would make bread. It was so nice coming home to the fantastic smell! It was amazing.
We now have our family bread maker.
Our family has now been using it for a while now. Almost 2 loaves a week. It's very very rare we don't make bread during the week.
This past holiday we got a few loaves of bread from my parents. We just finished the bread this morning and now are in need of a few more loaves :)
I guess it's time to start our family tradition again... and get that maker going!
Thankfully... it's a whole family thing. The boys help make the bread and they love every step of it!
So tomorrow morning... we will have to start a new loaf so we have something for lunches this week :)
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Happy Birthday To ME!
Today is my birthday.
To celebrate... I'm hanging out with a sick Mr. Q.
What a celebration right?
You know.... if you had asked me when I was 12 what I thought I'd be doing in 20 years... never EVER would I have thought of being home with my sick kid.
I believe I would have thought something along the lines of having a big party with friends. Or maybe being given jewelry or be going on a romantic vacation. Or maybe just hanging out with my family.
But where I am in life... I'm not sure.
I guess I thought I would be a dentist (my first dream) or maybe a music teacher (my second dream) or maybe just a mom (my forever dream).
And here I am. 32 years old and home with my sick baby.
What have I learned over the past year?
Lets see, this could be a long list so I'll go for the top 10
10 - Gods love never fails us. no matter what is going on or how we are doing His love is always there.
9 - We finally OWN a home! While the bank still owns a lot of it, we are working to pay it off. It hasn't been easy but it's amazing to make this happen. I'm so proud of my hubby for finding this home for us.
8 - My family is amazing. Not just my living family of 4 but everyone in our lives. From my "other family member, Uncle Jack", to the babies we lost, to the extended family on both sides, to my neighbours who slowly become more like family. We are all so blessed!
7 - Sometimes you have to fight for what you think is right. And sometimes, you don't. Its a matter of deciding what is the best thing to fight for and go for it.
6 - My job, paid or volunteer, is who I am. I will always be "Kyler and Quinton's mom" but now I'm Ms. V at school. I'm actually part of the school team and I love it. My job really is a part of who I am and I am so happy I can give back in this way.
5 - Eating healthy can be fun! I know this one sounds silly but this past summer we worked on portion control (which we need to get back to these winter months) and eating fresh food. We did great and the food from Mama Earth helped so much! I actually like eating healthy now!
4 - As much as I want to do everything, or almost everything, I have to remember to give myself a break and ask for help. I'm slowly getting there with things in our house, but I'm going to need to work harder on things in my life as well. It's hard to ask for help sometimes.
3 - Spending a little time on me is ok. I keep telling myself this but I'm slowly realizing it. This year (school year), Lori and I have been working out almost every afternoon. The past two weeks have sucked for it but we generally get in an hour 4 days a week. I love it! It makes me feel good about myself.
2 - I miss spending time in my kitchen. For the longest time the kitchen was the dumping ground in our house. And while I love having a house, the kitchen sucks... you can't turn around without hitting someone. We have had problem after problem with it since moving in. But since us redoing the kitchen (hello $20,000.00) isn't possible right now we aren't going to be able to do it. I have slowly started spending more time in the kitchen and I love it. A lot!
1 - Some things are worth trying once. Even if you fail. Just to say you've tried.
Well... I should get off this thing and take care of Q. Thankgoodness for nap time while sick!
To celebrate... I'm hanging out with a sick Mr. Q.
What a celebration right?
You know.... if you had asked me when I was 12 what I thought I'd be doing in 20 years... never EVER would I have thought of being home with my sick kid.
I believe I would have thought something along the lines of having a big party with friends. Or maybe being given jewelry or be going on a romantic vacation. Or maybe just hanging out with my family.
But where I am in life... I'm not sure.
I guess I thought I would be a dentist (my first dream) or maybe a music teacher (my second dream) or maybe just a mom (my forever dream).
And here I am. 32 years old and home with my sick baby.
What have I learned over the past year?
Lets see, this could be a long list so I'll go for the top 10
10 - Gods love never fails us. no matter what is going on or how we are doing His love is always there.
9 - We finally OWN a home! While the bank still owns a lot of it, we are working to pay it off. It hasn't been easy but it's amazing to make this happen. I'm so proud of my hubby for finding this home for us.
8 - My family is amazing. Not just my living family of 4 but everyone in our lives. From my "other family member, Uncle Jack", to the babies we lost, to the extended family on both sides, to my neighbours who slowly become more like family. We are all so blessed!
7 - Sometimes you have to fight for what you think is right. And sometimes, you don't. Its a matter of deciding what is the best thing to fight for and go for it.
6 - My job, paid or volunteer, is who I am. I will always be "Kyler and Quinton's mom" but now I'm Ms. V at school. I'm actually part of the school team and I love it. My job really is a part of who I am and I am so happy I can give back in this way.
5 - Eating healthy can be fun! I know this one sounds silly but this past summer we worked on portion control (which we need to get back to these winter months) and eating fresh food. We did great and the food from Mama Earth helped so much! I actually like eating healthy now!
4 - As much as I want to do everything, or almost everything, I have to remember to give myself a break and ask for help. I'm slowly getting there with things in our house, but I'm going to need to work harder on things in my life as well. It's hard to ask for help sometimes.
3 - Spending a little time on me is ok. I keep telling myself this but I'm slowly realizing it. This year (school year), Lori and I have been working out almost every afternoon. The past two weeks have sucked for it but we generally get in an hour 4 days a week. I love it! It makes me feel good about myself.
2 - I miss spending time in my kitchen. For the longest time the kitchen was the dumping ground in our house. And while I love having a house, the kitchen sucks... you can't turn around without hitting someone. We have had problem after problem with it since moving in. But since us redoing the kitchen (hello $20,000.00) isn't possible right now we aren't going to be able to do it. I have slowly started spending more time in the kitchen and I love it. A lot!
1 - Some things are worth trying once. Even if you fail. Just to say you've tried.
Well... I should get off this thing and take care of Q. Thankgoodness for nap time while sick!
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
October 15th
Today is October 15th. A few year ago I would just tell you that it was a normal day. The day before my birthday! The day that I would quiz everyone and say "So... what did you get me? Do you know what a special day is tomorrow?"
Now I know what a special day it is.
October 15th is the day that I celebrate my family, with my family. We talk about Baby Casey.
For those of you who don't know Baby Casey came into our lives in February 2012. We found out we were pregnant. It was so exciting!! We kept it quiet during a big family get together in March and we were so good about not saying anything at all!
It was so cool. We had been working hard to get pregnant. Arnold and I had been going to fertility treatment centers and were doing a few cycles to see how it was going and what was "wrong" with me.
Finally we were pregnant. We were told because a blood test came back positive with them. It was awesome! I was SOOO glad and so excited.
We even had an ultrasound or 3 :) We got to see the little baby. This little tiny body forming inside my body. My body was making another human. How incredible my body is!
Then on the last Wednesday in March, I started spotting. I was so scared. We called the health center and were told that we just needed to wait it out at home.
After more emergency appointments with our fertility doctor we found out we were losing our baby.
I remember laying on the couch crying. Arnold holding me and crying and crying and crying. I told Arnold I could never do this again. I could never lose another baby ever again.
And then our lives changed again.
We lost Otis in November 2012.
And I will never ever be able to do this again.
As a friend of mine has been saying:
"If you lose a spouse, you're called a widow, or a widower.
If you're a child and you lose your parents, then you're an orphan.
But what's the word to describe a parent who loses a child?" (from six feet under)
There isn't a name... nothing, not a single word in the English language is able to describe the pain, loss, and so many other feelings that are associated with losing a child.
Today, when you see someone who has lost a child, in pregnancy or as an infant, please give them an extra hug today. They need it!
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Hi! Have you met the most amazing man?
Hey!
Have you met the most amazing man? A man who does everything and anything?
No really! He does!
Sometimes it's not until you don't have something that you recognize how "lucky/blessed" you are.
When Arnold and I moved to Toronto and we were making friends I'd tell them about Arnold and the things he does for our family. A lot of the time I'd get the following responses:
"No way! How long did it take to train him?"
"You know if he came from a box that way you'd make millions"
"You are so lucky!"
"When you are done with him, pass him over!"
"What's he doing this weekend? Could he hang out with my husband... maybe something will rub off and my husband can be more like yours"
To be honest... it never really clicked.
YES! My husband is incredible.
YES! I know this!
NO! I didn't "train/teach/bribe/withhold" anything to get this
NO! I'm not sharing.
He is the glue that holds our family together
Arnold is not only the one that makes this house work, by working. But he is the one who can smooth things over with everyone. Sometimes my brother drives me crazy! And lets be real, this happens to everyone. But not everyone lives with their brother. We do, and are SOOO lucky! He is awesome for the boys. He is so great with them and we love it. But sometimes we grate on each other. This is where one of Arnold's amazing powers comes in. He can talk to Jack about things that bore me to death. He can talk to Jack about things that are pissing me off. And more so, Arnold can be a friend when the time is needed.
Arnold is gone this week, as I've said before. And hey! I figured, single parenting would be fun right? No. My first night alone ended up with a little boy in my bed because he had an accident. And I'm sure you can figure out all the work that comes with that!
But I've learned more of the things he does around our house.
For example........
*I knew tomorrow was a "garbage day" but not which garbage day. Is it a GARBAGE day? or a RECYLCING day? Was it both?
Once I figured out it was an actual garbage day, I figured no big deal.
*then came finding the bags for the garbage.
Who knew those were all downstairs in one spot (yes, he does every single garbage bag in my house!)
*After that came the realization that the compost had to go out and I wasn't 100% sure where those bags were kept.
Found them!
*I realized the floor was getting icky and should be swept......
Guess who does that normally? Yep... Arnold. Guess it's me this week.
*Our recycling can was "throwing up" in the kitchen....
And another "Arnold job".
There is so much he does around here.
I forgot to lock up last night and had to come back upstairs to make sure the doors were locked up because this is another job Arnold does.
Eating dinner and having to put my own dishes away.
Yes, I am that lucky.
Way more than I thought.
I am so glad our boys have Arnold as an example of what a man/husband should be like. Sometimes these examples are few and far between. But Arnold is in their lives every day. He shows them how to treat their wives by how he treats me. He shows them how to be an incredible uncle by how he treats our nieces. He shows them how to be neighbourly by hanging out with the neighbourhood kids/families. He leads by example when helping in our school.
So, I'm not the "lucky" one. I'm not "spoiled".
I'm married to an incredible man. An amazing man. A Godly man. A man who loves me...
Have you met the most amazing man? A man who does everything and anything?
No really! He does!
Sometimes it's not until you don't have something that you recognize how "lucky/blessed" you are.
When Arnold and I moved to Toronto and we were making friends I'd tell them about Arnold and the things he does for our family. A lot of the time I'd get the following responses:
"No way! How long did it take to train him?"
"You know if he came from a box that way you'd make millions"
"You are so lucky!"
"When you are done with him, pass him over!"
"What's he doing this weekend? Could he hang out with my husband... maybe something will rub off and my husband can be more like yours"
To be honest... it never really clicked.
YES! My husband is incredible.
YES! I know this!
NO! I didn't "train/teach/bribe/withhold" anything to get this
NO! I'm not sharing.
He is the glue that holds our family together
Arnold is not only the one that makes this house work, by working. But he is the one who can smooth things over with everyone. Sometimes my brother drives me crazy! And lets be real, this happens to everyone. But not everyone lives with their brother. We do, and are SOOO lucky! He is awesome for the boys. He is so great with them and we love it. But sometimes we grate on each other. This is where one of Arnold's amazing powers comes in. He can talk to Jack about things that bore me to death. He can talk to Jack about things that are pissing me off. And more so, Arnold can be a friend when the time is needed.
Arnold is gone this week, as I've said before. And hey! I figured, single parenting would be fun right? No. My first night alone ended up with a little boy in my bed because he had an accident. And I'm sure you can figure out all the work that comes with that!
But I've learned more of the things he does around our house.
For example........
*I knew tomorrow was a "garbage day" but not which garbage day. Is it a GARBAGE day? or a RECYLCING day? Was it both?
Once I figured out it was an actual garbage day, I figured no big deal.
*then came finding the bags for the garbage.
Who knew those were all downstairs in one spot (yes, he does every single garbage bag in my house!)
*After that came the realization that the compost had to go out and I wasn't 100% sure where those bags were kept.
Found them!
*I realized the floor was getting icky and should be swept......
Guess who does that normally? Yep... Arnold. Guess it's me this week.
*Our recycling can was "throwing up" in the kitchen....
And another "Arnold job".
There is so much he does around here.
I forgot to lock up last night and had to come back upstairs to make sure the doors were locked up because this is another job Arnold does.
Eating dinner and having to put my own dishes away.
Yes, I am that lucky.
Way more than I thought.
I am so glad our boys have Arnold as an example of what a man/husband should be like. Sometimes these examples are few and far between. But Arnold is in their lives every day. He shows them how to treat their wives by how he treats me. He shows them how to be an incredible uncle by how he treats our nieces. He shows them how to be neighbourly by hanging out with the neighbourhood kids/families. He leads by example when helping in our school.
So, I'm not the "lucky" one. I'm not "spoiled".
I'm married to an incredible man. An amazing man. A Godly man. A man who loves me...
And a man who I love more than I ever thought possible.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Single parenting
I'm not an expert by any means.
I'm not an expert in parenting, teaching, marriage, music, ANYTHING!!
I don't pretend to be an expert. I may know a lot but I'm not an expert.
This week I am experiencing something I have always known I could never do. Ever.
I am going to be a 'single parent'.
Arnold is heading out for the week. He is attending a computer conference in San Francisco.
And I am going to be mommy and daddy this week.
Its a busy week for us. We have basketball tonight. Tomorrow is cooking club. Thursday is swimming. And Friday night my friend is taking the kids to the indoor playground.
Not only that but we have picture day on Thursday and pizza day on Friday!! That should help this week fly by.
While I will not have to deal with the kids with no help this week (I will have some help from friends - my brother is doing 12-7 shifts every day this week), and will not be doing it all on my own, it is my married version of single parenting.
I pray Arnold loves his time there and learns a lot. I also pray that I can make it through the week with the boys.
So here we go! Let's see how I can handle it!!
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Some Days are Just Crazy
Today I realized that my "job" is way more than people give me credit for.
I'd like to give you a glimpse in on what happens in on of my semi-typical days at school. I may not be a teacher, or an ECE, or an Educator of any significance.... and that may be my downfall later... but this is how my days can go:
Get to school and find todays work "hinted at" in a pile on a chair
Take down a table to get some work done
Go to the office, and sign in, collect attendance and any extra work that needs to be done
Make announcement for chocolate bar and RH gear
Empty the School Council Box and find out what children have brought in money or forms for new chocolate bar boxes
Go back to the office and get a deposit bag, zip and slip
Once reaching my room begin paperwork for chocolate bar needs
Start sorting envelope money and getting the pre-paperwork done
Sort out change and begin counting
This is where my "teaching partner" comes in and helps me out and we chat about our nights. Sometimes it's just random things that happen, sometimes its venting over emails or something that may have happen, and sometimes it's just talking.
We count the money together and talk about what jobs need to be done today and begin prepping out loud what needs to get done.
TeachP leaves and ECE comes in. We talk about what the plan for the day is (Plan A, as we know things change all the time) talk about what happen on day 4 (in our case, it's also a Friday... which means reading buddies, then in the PM we have extra play time). We even had a conversation about photocopying and how to do it.
I left to go to classrooms and hand out candy and forms for new chocolate bar boxes.
Photo copy new classroom poem for the week
Go back to class and start organizing more chocolate bar stuff (can you figure out what our current fundraiser is?)
Talk about the fundraiser that we are currently doing and hope to do soon and the costs and possible profits with TeachP.
Begin filing and prepping the Friday folder and our trip papers
Get called by the office to be an Emergency SNA for the day
Clean up quickly and head to the office to get schedule
Head to Room 2 for work and then to get a student to go out for recess
Have break and spend it working with "my kids"
Walked into the room to see TeachP getting a change of clothes for someone who had an accident; the kids playing around and snack still on the table! Talk about a world wind!
Got kids organized for Reading Buddies and got them out in the hall and then changed place with TeachP and went to the kid needing to be changed
Child got cleaned and ready to go and ECE brought them to their reading buddy
Finished cleaning up a bit and went to reading buddies
Got a snack and headed back to my ESNA position for the day
Worked with some kids
Back to room 1 to work with some students there
Left at 11:15 to get to my actual Paying Job!
Work (11:15 - 12:45)
Did attendance and some prep in the classroom
Sign out and go workout with Lori! (one of my favourite part of the day)
Back at school by 2:20pm
Get more Chocolate bar boxes and prep them
Finish updating the fundraising plans
Talk out Monday plans with TeachP
Help tidy up in the room
Make sure the kids lockers are cleaned up
Sing the good bye song
Help prep dismissal and stick around
Then it's back to the classroom and finish talking about plans for Monday/Tuesdays and next years September, and things we want to change.
And then home by 3:15pm
Sometimes... our days always seem WAY more crazy than we think.
Now I'm so tired
I'd like to give you a glimpse in on what happens in on of my semi-typical days at school. I may not be a teacher, or an ECE, or an Educator of any significance.... and that may be my downfall later... but this is how my days can go:
Get to school and find todays work "hinted at" in a pile on a chair
Take down a table to get some work done
Go to the office, and sign in, collect attendance and any extra work that needs to be done
Make announcement for chocolate bar and RH gear
Empty the School Council Box and find out what children have brought in money or forms for new chocolate bar boxes
Go back to the office and get a deposit bag, zip and slip
Once reaching my room begin paperwork for chocolate bar needs
Start sorting envelope money and getting the pre-paperwork done
Sort out change and begin counting
This is where my "teaching partner" comes in and helps me out and we chat about our nights. Sometimes it's just random things that happen, sometimes its venting over emails or something that may have happen, and sometimes it's just talking.
We count the money together and talk about what jobs need to be done today and begin prepping out loud what needs to get done.
TeachP leaves and ECE comes in. We talk about what the plan for the day is (Plan A, as we know things change all the time) talk about what happen on day 4 (in our case, it's also a Friday... which means reading buddies, then in the PM we have extra play time). We even had a conversation about photocopying and how to do it.
I left to go to classrooms and hand out candy and forms for new chocolate bar boxes.
Photo copy new classroom poem for the week
Go back to class and start organizing more chocolate bar stuff (can you figure out what our current fundraiser is?)
Talk about the fundraiser that we are currently doing and hope to do soon and the costs and possible profits with TeachP.
Begin filing and prepping the Friday folder and our trip papers
Get called by the office to be an Emergency SNA for the day
Clean up quickly and head to the office to get schedule
Head to Room 2 for work and then to get a student to go out for recess
Have break and spend it working with "my kids"
Walked into the room to see TeachP getting a change of clothes for someone who had an accident; the kids playing around and snack still on the table! Talk about a world wind!
Got kids organized for Reading Buddies and got them out in the hall and then changed place with TeachP and went to the kid needing to be changed
Child got cleaned and ready to go and ECE brought them to their reading buddy
Finished cleaning up a bit and went to reading buddies
Got a snack and headed back to my ESNA position for the day
Worked with some kids
Back to room 1 to work with some students there
Left at 11:15 to get to my actual Paying Job!
Work (11:15 - 12:45)
Did attendance and some prep in the classroom
Sign out and go workout with Lori! (one of my favourite part of the day)
Back at school by 2:20pm
Get more Chocolate bar boxes and prep them
Finish updating the fundraising plans
Talk out Monday plans with TeachP
Help tidy up in the room
Make sure the kids lockers are cleaned up
Sing the good bye song
Help prep dismissal and stick around
Then it's back to the classroom and finish talking about plans for Monday/Tuesdays and next years September, and things we want to change.
And then home by 3:15pm
Sometimes... our days always seem WAY more crazy than we think.
Now I'm so tired
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Don't judge. You don't know me!
I'm sitting here at the community center watching my son play basketball. He just started tonight. And while his skills aren't steller I'm very proud! He is doing things already that I have never seen him do!!
While I'm sitting here watching my son these two teens/young parents sit down at a table behind me and start talking. I overhear "oh my gosh! That woman in the blue giving thumbs up to her kid need to lose weight! She should be in there with her kid working that fat off"
First... Yes I gave my son a thumbs up. He rocks! I'm proud of him and my only way to show it is to give him a thumbs up as I can't yell at him (glassed in gym)
Second... Yes! I need to lose weight. But what you don't know and don't care to even ask is that I am trying.
Today my workout partner and I did 59 minutes in the gym... Just around the corner from the gym my son is in now! In fact we both are proud for running for 1 minute and working off over 500 calories according to the machines.
So... Before you judge someone again, take a minute to think that they may be doing something about it already!
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Relax... Things get better
This week was hard. We had received a message from our bank that they had seriously miscalculated our taxes.... By almost $2,000.00 for this year. Talk about a hold crap moment!
Because of this we figured we would be screwed... Completely. They wanted to up our payments by $200.00 per pay (so twice a month = $400.00 a month). I don't have $400.00 a month. I would have to get a part time job, on top of my already part time job just to make this work! Or Arnold would have to pick up a pager rotation every week... And that is not possible.
We spent much of the week very tense, very worried and very scared as Arnold tried to contact our bank.
Let me be real right now... We will never ever use this bank again if we can help it. Their customer service is horrible!!
Arnold made an appointment to see this guy on Saturday but then the guy emailed him and said that he was all booked and to come on Thursday. So Arnold went. They were able to work out something so it only goes up by $75.00 per pay now. Which is going to be hard but we will make it work. I know we will. It means less going to pay down credit cards but it will work.
On Friday, during my work time, I got a call from my name insurance company. Turns out they were able to recover our $1000.00 deductible from Arnold's bike. The guy who hit him, his insurance company paid up! We are so excited!!!! This means the whole bike situation is totally over.
The best part? We can put that $1000.00 on our tax portion of our mortgage!
See? Life does get better.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
I wonder what...
Ever have those days when you wonder what you were doing... a day ago? On your past birthday? a year ago?
Sometimes I have those moments.
I started thinking I was finally "at home" with school this year and then I started to wonder... what was I doing last year at this time?
Wanna know?
I was praying.
Sure, sure. Praying. Easy answer right?
Seriously. I was praying.
I remember walking to school. The boys were so excited and I was praying as we walked down the road. I was praying for my Mom-in-law. I was praying for the doctors. I was praying for my brother's there. I was praying for my Dad-in-law. I was praying. Hard.
I was praying for the surgery to go well.
I was texting Jason and Chris to find out how things were going.
I was very very worried.
Eventually I was able to relax a bit. Anything that could have happen before was done with and "we" were in surgery. Then you wait...
I remember having talked to Annie before and making sure I could update my friends and family on FB with how things were going. I remember slowly updating people. And more importantly.. having more and more people praying for us.
I remember getting the text message from Jason telling me she was out of surgery and doing ok.
Then Chris texted and said the same thing. They were going to hang out a bit more and then would let me know.
The rest of the day I remember it being much of a blur. I was so happy that surgery had gone well.
Then came the road to recovery for Annie.
So how unique that today she is having surgery again today. She will be having her other breast removed. She is so upbeat about this surgery, so happy and so excited to start this part of her journey and end another.
I am so incredibly proud to have Annie as my mom-in-law. What an inspiring person.
Whenever I see this video it reminds me of Annie
Sometimes I have those moments.
I started thinking I was finally "at home" with school this year and then I started to wonder... what was I doing last year at this time?
Wanna know?
I was praying.
Sure, sure. Praying. Easy answer right?
Seriously. I was praying.
I remember walking to school. The boys were so excited and I was praying as we walked down the road. I was praying for my Mom-in-law. I was praying for the doctors. I was praying for my brother's there. I was praying for my Dad-in-law. I was praying. Hard.
I was praying for the surgery to go well.
I was texting Jason and Chris to find out how things were going.
I was very very worried.
Eventually I was able to relax a bit. Anything that could have happen before was done with and "we" were in surgery. Then you wait...
I remember having talked to Annie before and making sure I could update my friends and family on FB with how things were going. I remember slowly updating people. And more importantly.. having more and more people praying for us.
I remember getting the text message from Jason telling me she was out of surgery and doing ok.
Then Chris texted and said the same thing. They were going to hang out a bit more and then would let me know.
The rest of the day I remember it being much of a blur. I was so happy that surgery had gone well.
Then came the road to recovery for Annie.
So how unique that today she is having surgery again today. She will be having her other breast removed. She is so upbeat about this surgery, so happy and so excited to start this part of her journey and end another.
I am so incredibly proud to have Annie as my mom-in-law. What an inspiring person.
Whenever I see this video it reminds me of Annie
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Solving the worlds problems... in the bathroom.
That's right ladies and gents!
I can solve the worlds problems in the bathroom!
Last week a friend texted me. You know those mommy problems? The ones when you have the moment you think you can handle EVERYTHING and then you realize you can't? That's one of those.
Yep I can solve it!
Two weeks ago the boys were yelling at each other about something trivial. Somehow, my mommy powers kicked in and I was able to solve the problem while getting in a two second break in the bathroom.
Surprised? I know right!
It's always amazes me that a simple thing as "going to the bathroom" becomes the place you fix everything. Sometimes it's the one space I can pull out my phone for a few seconds and catch up on the day. Sometimes it's the one space I can check my hair and my teeth then run out the door.
BC (Before children) the bathroom was something totally different. When I had kids then it became the place to run to in and out of nap times. Now that my babies are older, I actually get to use the bathroom like a "normal person". However it doesn't mean the same thing.
I'm still solving problems in the bathroom by yelling "wear pants! It's cold out" or "stop fighting, give it back!" or sometimes " sit down right now and I will deal with you when I get out".
So here is a mom..... solving the worlds problems in the bathroom.
I can solve the worlds problems in the bathroom!
Last week a friend texted me. You know those mommy problems? The ones when you have the moment you think you can handle EVERYTHING and then you realize you can't? That's one of those.
Yep I can solve it!
Two weeks ago the boys were yelling at each other about something trivial. Somehow, my mommy powers kicked in and I was able to solve the problem while getting in a two second break in the bathroom.
Surprised? I know right!
It's always amazes me that a simple thing as "going to the bathroom" becomes the place you fix everything. Sometimes it's the one space I can pull out my phone for a few seconds and catch up on the day. Sometimes it's the one space I can check my hair and my teeth then run out the door.
BC (Before children) the bathroom was something totally different. When I had kids then it became the place to run to in and out of nap times. Now that my babies are older, I actually get to use the bathroom like a "normal person". However it doesn't mean the same thing.
I'm still solving problems in the bathroom by yelling "wear pants! It's cold out" or "stop fighting, give it back!" or sometimes " sit down right now and I will deal with you when I get out".
So here is a mom..... solving the worlds problems in the bathroom.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Weekends off!
Do you remember what it's like to have a weekend off? To have nothing planned? nothing to do?
yeah.. me either.
Every once and a while I have a weekend that seems to be off. Maybe one or two things happening, but generally a weekend where nothing is planned. But not always.
This weekend is one of those. I had on my schedule to go to the bridal shower at church. It's a post bridal shower.... if that makes sense. The couple got married in the summer but there wasn't enough time in their schedule for a bridal shower then so they are having one now.
Then Sunday was church and hanging out with our neighbours.
But... kindergarten had another plan.
Those cute, sweet, germy kids helped to infect me! I got "the cold". You know... that one that everyone gets when coming back to school? Yea... that's me.
So instead of a nice chilling out weekend... I'm snuggled up in bed, or on the couch, in a blanket.
I guess it's a good reason to not clean right?
Thankfully my hubby has some awesome plans and he and the boys (and the boys down the road) have done a big bike ride. We are also hosting a bit of a games afternoon here. I'm excited to see how the boys do with our new games!
I'm just lucky to have a rest. While it's not an actual "weekend off" I did enjoy resting.
yeah.. me either.
Every once and a while I have a weekend that seems to be off. Maybe one or two things happening, but generally a weekend where nothing is planned. But not always.
This weekend is one of those. I had on my schedule to go to the bridal shower at church. It's a post bridal shower.... if that makes sense. The couple got married in the summer but there wasn't enough time in their schedule for a bridal shower then so they are having one now.
Then Sunday was church and hanging out with our neighbours.
But... kindergarten had another plan.
Those cute, sweet, germy kids helped to infect me! I got "the cold". You know... that one that everyone gets when coming back to school? Yea... that's me.
So instead of a nice chilling out weekend... I'm snuggled up in bed, or on the couch, in a blanket.
I guess it's a good reason to not clean right?
Thankfully my hubby has some awesome plans and he and the boys (and the boys down the road) have done a big bike ride. We are also hosting a bit of a games afternoon here. I'm excited to see how the boys do with our new games!
I'm just lucky to have a rest. While it's not an actual "weekend off" I did enjoy resting.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Mom's Night Out
Have you seen it? Seriously? If not, stop reading and go watch it.
Right now.
GO!
ok are you back now?
I just watched this movie the other night and it was awesome :) I loved it. I'm not one to really promote movies but this one was so great.
I was really challenged by the main character. She is a "mommy blogger". I kept remembering that I loved blogging.
who am I kidding... I LOVE blogging!
I just never seem to have the time.
Yes, I'm basically a stay at home mom, and I only "work" 1.5-2 hours per day but still... not enough time!
I miss being able to put my "voice" out into the world. Not long ago I was told that I need to be careful with my words and what I say online. How I let the world in on my own life, and how people see my family, my friends. Ever since then I haven't written a lot. I've been so worried. It was the hardest criticism I've had and I took it to heart because of those who told it to me.
Now...
Now I want to be back into my life.
I want to share my world, my world view, my world! It's mine to share and I am going to do it.
Sure... I'm going to piss people off. I'm going to make people laugh. I hope I will make people see our little family, our little world.
So here we go!
Right now.
GO!
ok are you back now?
I just watched this movie the other night and it was awesome :) I loved it. I'm not one to really promote movies but this one was so great.
I was really challenged by the main character. She is a "mommy blogger". I kept remembering that I loved blogging.
who am I kidding... I LOVE blogging!
I just never seem to have the time.
Yes, I'm basically a stay at home mom, and I only "work" 1.5-2 hours per day but still... not enough time!
I miss being able to put my "voice" out into the world. Not long ago I was told that I need to be careful with my words and what I say online. How I let the world in on my own life, and how people see my family, my friends. Ever since then I haven't written a lot. I've been so worried. It was the hardest criticism I've had and I took it to heart because of those who told it to me.
Now...
Now I want to be back into my life.
I want to share my world, my world view, my world! It's mine to share and I am going to do it.
Sure... I'm going to piss people off. I'm going to make people laugh. I hope I will make people see our little family, our little world.
So here we go!
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Sad Mail Reminders
I've finally had the chance to go through the mail from Friday. And you know what I found? A mailing from "Enfagrow". It was some samples for children 12 to 36 months.
who knew... you still get samples after you bury your child.
I didn't think it would bother me so much but it did. I'm unsure how to handle all of this. I mean, really it's something I can throw out. And yet... somehow I just can't. It's been sitting on the chair beside my chair in the living room. I am sure I will toss it soon but I'm just not there.
Can you believe my baby would have been almost 2 years old if he had survived on his born to heaven date? And if he was born on his actual due date he would be just over a year and a bit.
A year! wow. Walking, talking and being as cute as ever.
Instead he is in heaven.
Oh how my life has changed in such a short period of time.
While I am so blessed with my family on earth, I am equally as blessed with my family in heaven.
So today, I miss my baby. More than ever...
who knew... you still get samples after you bury your child.
I didn't think it would bother me so much but it did. I'm unsure how to handle all of this. I mean, really it's something I can throw out. And yet... somehow I just can't. It's been sitting on the chair beside my chair in the living room. I am sure I will toss it soon but I'm just not there.
Can you believe my baby would have been almost 2 years old if he had survived on his born to heaven date? And if he was born on his actual due date he would be just over a year and a bit.
A year! wow. Walking, talking and being as cute as ever.
Instead he is in heaven.
Oh how my life has changed in such a short period of time.
While I am so blessed with my family on earth, I am equally as blessed with my family in heaven.
So today, I miss my baby. More than ever...
Monday, September 1, 2014
Tomoorrow, Tomorrow........
Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of school?
Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of grade 4/2?
Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of a new meal plan?
Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of following a teaching plan?
Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of me going to a gym?
Crazy right?
I've been counting down to the end of summer for a while now. I'm excited to go back to work and to see my friends/teachers/students. It's so exciting!
But now. Now that school is here it's hard to believe.
Tomorrow I will take the "first day of school" photos; the boys will pack their lunches and put them in their new backpacks; Arnold and I will walk the boys to school. We will watch as the kids get organized into the classroom lineups. I'll keep taking pictures of them going into the school with their classes. Arnold and I will then walk home, hand in hand. He will leave for work, most likely on his bike. And I will do a few odd jobs around the house, then head to work at school.
I will be working on getting our family on a new healthy meal plan. I'm hoping it works. Not just for the boys, but for me as well.
I'm also working on following a teaching plan!! How cool is that? I'm very excited to follow plans that have been set out and organized for the year. Every week something new, and something planned out. It will be really amazing to watch how the year unfolds!
Not only that, but my friend and I are joining a gym :) Crazy right? Seriously thought... we are joining a gym. It's a three month trial to see how much we go. Who knows!
So Tomorrow..... tomorrow, we open our eyes and we see how our lives move on this school year.
Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of grade 4/2?
Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of a new meal plan?
Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of following a teaching plan?
Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of me going to a gym?
Crazy right?
I've been counting down to the end of summer for a while now. I'm excited to go back to work and to see my friends/teachers/students. It's so exciting!
But now. Now that school is here it's hard to believe.
Tomorrow I will take the "first day of school" photos; the boys will pack their lunches and put them in their new backpacks; Arnold and I will walk the boys to school. We will watch as the kids get organized into the classroom lineups. I'll keep taking pictures of them going into the school with their classes. Arnold and I will then walk home, hand in hand. He will leave for work, most likely on his bike. And I will do a few odd jobs around the house, then head to work at school.
I will be working on getting our family on a new healthy meal plan. I'm hoping it works. Not just for the boys, but for me as well.
I'm also working on following a teaching plan!! How cool is that? I'm very excited to follow plans that have been set out and organized for the year. Every week something new, and something planned out. It will be really amazing to watch how the year unfolds!
Not only that, but my friend and I are joining a gym :) Crazy right? Seriously thought... we are joining a gym. It's a three month trial to see how much we go. Who knows!
So Tomorrow..... tomorrow, we open our eyes and we see how our lives move on this school year.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
As the summer whines down.....
Today is chilly. Or at least it was at 7am when my husband, God bless his soul, went outside to check on our little campers.
It reminds me of how summer is coming to a close.... or in my house "whining" down. Seriously... whining. The kids the last few days/weeks have started to get this grating tone in their voice. Halfway between a whine and a cry. With a bit of a "I'm smarter than you are" feeling to it.
I'm done :)
I'm done with summer.
Don't get me wrong. I LOVE LOVE LOVE summer time. I feel so accomplished (generally). It's like a fresh start for me. A fresh start to get myself in order. You know.. lose weight (I gained), be more active (my butt print is in the kitchen/living room chairs), go biking (nada), and spend more time with the kids (check!)
But now I'm done.
Completely over it.
I'm ready for school
Who's with me?!?
I saw a facebook post today from a friend of mine that I wanted to share:
It's just how I feel. Completely. I'm ready to get back to school before I lose my mind. And to those great teachers who take care of our kids!
As my summer comes to a close (I'm back to "work/volunteering" next week) I want to say that it has gone well. My kids have done 4 weeks or organized camps, 1 week of "Camp Heslop" and 2 weeks of chilling. Next week they hang out at home with Uncle Jack for a large portion and help me out at the school!
I'm excited to see how my planning for my program I will be running at school goes this year. I'm excited for the changes that are happening (Kyler going into grade 4 and Quinton into grade 2). I'm excited to see how the classroom I volunteer in changes. We have so much planned and so many cool ideas.
I'm just excited for a new season in our lives. My family thrives on routine and going back to school is a great one! It should be amazing!
It reminds me of how summer is coming to a close.... or in my house "whining" down. Seriously... whining. The kids the last few days/weeks have started to get this grating tone in their voice. Halfway between a whine and a cry. With a bit of a "I'm smarter than you are" feeling to it.
I'm done :)
I'm done with summer.
Don't get me wrong. I LOVE LOVE LOVE summer time. I feel so accomplished (generally). It's like a fresh start for me. A fresh start to get myself in order. You know.. lose weight (I gained), be more active (my butt print is in the kitchen/living room chairs), go biking (nada), and spend more time with the kids (check!)
But now I'm done.
Completely over it.
I'm ready for school
Who's with me?!?
I saw a facebook post today from a friend of mine that I wanted to share:
There's really nothing as effective as school vacation to make me think that teachers aren't paid enough for what they do. Particularly good ones, which we have been fortunate to have here so far. Thank you, teachers!! (Now, can school start up again before I lose my mind?!)
It's just how I feel. Completely. I'm ready to get back to school before I lose my mind. And to those great teachers who take care of our kids!
As my summer comes to a close (I'm back to "work/volunteering" next week) I want to say that it has gone well. My kids have done 4 weeks or organized camps, 1 week of "Camp Heslop" and 2 weeks of chilling. Next week they hang out at home with Uncle Jack for a large portion and help me out at the school!
I'm excited to see how my planning for my program I will be running at school goes this year. I'm excited for the changes that are happening (Kyler going into grade 4 and Quinton into grade 2). I'm excited to see how the classroom I volunteer in changes. We have so much planned and so many cool ideas.
I'm just excited for a new season in our lives. My family thrives on routine and going back to school is a great one! It should be amazing!
Thursday, July 10, 2014
1...2...3!!
What's the deal with 3?
I mean 3 kids always seems to bring on the "oh wow!" and you never know if it's a "WOW great job, I could never do it!" or "WOW... are you crazy? that's more kids than hands!"
3 is my favourite number for kids at a center at school. 3 kids is enough to get along or to evenly split the problem.
Most parents use it to be their "magic number". How many times have you heard "When I get to 3 you had better _______________. 1 (pause) 2 (bigger pause... and sometimes leads to 2 and a half) 3!"
But then you get to 3rd.
3rd place
When did 3rd place become bad? When was it a horrible thing? When did people stop watching the 3rd place WINNER! I mean come on! They won 3rd place! Go you!!
We are NOT a sports family at all. In fact, I still haven't figure out what kind of family we are. I want to say we are a musical family. But K and Q can't keep a tune to save their lives. They LOVE to sing but dang... not in any sort of melody written down. Arnold and K love to do the sound board and make people sound good... so maybe that's where we are? Maybe that's the kind of family?
We aren't really sports related. Arnold does Archery sometimes, and we are looking into getting him out to a club again. I used to (and want to again) do tri's. But aside from the kiddos swimming, cycling on their own time and Kyler now doing track we haven't really done much as far as sports go. We don't really have something our family really gets behind.
However... it's slowly changing. And I love that.
This year we have watched the Olympics! The kids are so interested in skiing. I tried to get them into lessons but apparently that's something you have to do in... SEPTEMBER! who knew!
This year we have also downloaded all the soccer games with the Netherlands in them. We want the kids to see soccer. They are so excited. It helped a lot that their gym teacher also did soccer with them at the end of the year. They were fantastic about the games. Even knowing the outcome we ended up with our favourite players and were very excited to watch soccer with the boys. Kyler is very into it. He loves watching the players and encouraging them on and scrunching up his face when they fall and get hurt. It's so amazing to watch him.
Last night our "team" (the Netherlands... hello Dutch family!) played the semi-finals game. And one of those "I just know" feelings was on me. I just knew that they were going to lose. I don't know why but I did.
I don't have the ability to watch the game live so my phone and I were refreshing every few minutes to see how it was going. The last part was so hard for me... I don't think I've ever pulled the menu down so many times to get up-to-the-second information.
When the game was over my facebook filled up with posts of "good try guys" "maybe next time" "we are out!" "amazing run" "it's over"
One post was from a dear friend and it said "Another amazing run by the Oranje! Feeling sad that its over, but very proud of my Dutch heritage. Hup Holland Hup"
I responded by saying "You know third place is still up for grabs"
I mean 3 kids always seems to bring on the "oh wow!" and you never know if it's a "WOW great job, I could never do it!" or "WOW... are you crazy? that's more kids than hands!"
3 is my favourite number for kids at a center at school. 3 kids is enough to get along or to evenly split the problem.
Most parents use it to be their "magic number". How many times have you heard "When I get to 3 you had better _______________. 1 (pause) 2 (bigger pause... and sometimes leads to 2 and a half) 3!"
But then you get to 3rd.
3rd place
When did 3rd place become bad? When was it a horrible thing? When did people stop watching the 3rd place WINNER! I mean come on! They won 3rd place! Go you!!
We are NOT a sports family at all. In fact, I still haven't figure out what kind of family we are. I want to say we are a musical family. But K and Q can't keep a tune to save their lives. They LOVE to sing but dang... not in any sort of melody written down. Arnold and K love to do the sound board and make people sound good... so maybe that's where we are? Maybe that's the kind of family?
We aren't really sports related. Arnold does Archery sometimes, and we are looking into getting him out to a club again. I used to (and want to again) do tri's. But aside from the kiddos swimming, cycling on their own time and Kyler now doing track we haven't really done much as far as sports go. We don't really have something our family really gets behind.
However... it's slowly changing. And I love that.
This year we have watched the Olympics! The kids are so interested in skiing. I tried to get them into lessons but apparently that's something you have to do in... SEPTEMBER! who knew!
This year we have also downloaded all the soccer games with the Netherlands in them. We want the kids to see soccer. They are so excited. It helped a lot that their gym teacher also did soccer with them at the end of the year. They were fantastic about the games. Even knowing the outcome we ended up with our favourite players and were very excited to watch soccer with the boys. Kyler is very into it. He loves watching the players and encouraging them on and scrunching up his face when they fall and get hurt. It's so amazing to watch him.
Last night our "team" (the Netherlands... hello Dutch family!) played the semi-finals game. And one of those "I just know" feelings was on me. I just knew that they were going to lose. I don't know why but I did.
I don't have the ability to watch the game live so my phone and I were refreshing every few minutes to see how it was going. The last part was so hard for me... I don't think I've ever pulled the menu down so many times to get up-to-the-second information.
When the game was over my facebook filled up with posts of "good try guys" "maybe next time" "we are out!" "amazing run" "it's over"
One post was from a dear friend and it said "Another amazing run by the Oranje! Feeling sad that its over, but very proud of my Dutch heritage. Hup Holland Hup"
I responded by saying "You know third place is still up for grabs"
She wrote "Nobody cares about third place...LOL...but yes it is, and we will be watching!"
I burst out laughing! I almost spit my pop out on the computer.
Then I got thinking... she's right. No one really seems to care about third place.
Why is that?
Do we really think that only first and second are the best and third really is the "worst" as the saying goes?
When I was a kid, 3rd place was horrible. I hated being anything but the best. But now, if my babies get third place in anything, I'll be their biggest cheerleader and will be so proud of them.
Why?
Because there is always room for improvement. ALWAYS! And third place give them the chance to improve. I'll be there to help them. To encourage them. To tell them they are awesome.
Just now is our family experiencing "who got more A's, Kyler or Quinton" " who is better at _____" "who can do _____ the best"
We aren't really a competing family.
But we are a family who cares, who encourages, and who loves.
No matter what place we are. 1st, 2nd or even 3rd.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Accidents happen
So Thursday was our anniversary! I promise to post about that later but right now I'm here to talk about Arnold.
I got my normal text 'heading out' and I responded with 'see you soon. Love you'. The next time I heard from Arnold was 20 minutes later. It was some woman calling and saying "is this Miranda? I'm here with your husband Arnold. He has been in an accident". In my hear I thought , oh he fell and needs a ride home. But nope. This time it was serious.
" the ambulance is here"
My heart stopped. I don't remember breathing.
I went into mama mode. I had her call me back with details. The kids threw on their shoes and we ran to Lori's house. We were off. I was pounding on her door and about to call her cell when she answered. All I remember saying was Arnold was in an accident and was heading to a hospital. She grabbed my babies and hugged them.
I was gone.
The rest of my night was a blur. Trying to get into the er. Trying to get to Arnold. Trying to get the Dr to explain what was going on. Xrays and ct scans. I was tired.
Thankfully we are OK.
Arnold is home now. We are getting him moving.
He has some broken ribs, some brutal road rash and three deep cuts I need to take care of.
Its going to be a long road to recovery.
We are learning new pieces of info on the way.
Arnold's bike is completely trashed. There is no way we could ever fix it. The guys are surprised he is out of the hospital already... Or even alive.
Arnold blacked out for most of it. We are OK with that. Less pain to remember.
We totally know God was looking out for him.
Now we wait, rest, and slowly recover.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
All I want for Mother's Day...
When I was first a mother I dreamed of how my mothers days would go. I thought I would get these amazing gifts. They would be jewels and flowers. And even more so of different gifts. I would get people showing me all day that I'm a wonderful mama and so incredible.
What I got was totally different. Totally unexpected. Totally better than anything I ever would have imagined. And I love it!
I love every gift I have ever received from my kids. The home made cards. The cute crafts from school. And the flowers.
One thing I have noticed is that my ideas have changed. While I love everything my kids have ever given me my gift ideas as a mother, wife, new home owner, has changed!
Instead of flowers for Mother's day, I want flowers for my gardens.
Instead of jewels for Mother's day, I want a few hours of hard work put into my laundry room
Instead of dinner out for Mother's day, I want a quick fast food meal so I don't have to get up and move to far.
And you know what... it's not just me!
Other mom's I've talked to want a few hours of house work/yard work or just one on one time spent with their husbands.
One mom said she would love to have her husband spend some one on one time with her. Instead of logging onto his phone when the kids nap, check in with her. They could sit and talk or just snuggle on the couch. Nothing big.
One mom said why have jewelry she is afraid to wear when she could really use her husband to come with her on a shopping trip with her and the 3 kids she has. She needs an extra pair of hands to help her out. No complaining, no arguing. She wants him to trust her judgment but to help her out with the kids.
One mom said she would rather have 4 hours of lawn work than anything else. Her husband is heading off all over the place for the next little while and she wants to be able to use the back yard for her and her kids. Why should she have to do all the work. She wants someone to help her out with that. Someone to help her with the lawn, make sure it's "post-storm safe" so she can play out there while they are gone.
I do notice one thing... time. We all seem to want more of it. To moms, time's not something we always use well or really have a lot of. But if you can give us some more time it makes us happy!
This year, I'm not saying "forget the flowers" but I think you should check in and see what your wife really wants for Mother's day.
What I got was totally different. Totally unexpected. Totally better than anything I ever would have imagined. And I love it!
I love every gift I have ever received from my kids. The home made cards. The cute crafts from school. And the flowers.
One thing I have noticed is that my ideas have changed. While I love everything my kids have ever given me my gift ideas as a mother, wife, new home owner, has changed!
Instead of flowers for Mother's day, I want flowers for my gardens.
Instead of jewels for Mother's day, I want a few hours of hard work put into my laundry room
Instead of dinner out for Mother's day, I want a quick fast food meal so I don't have to get up and move to far.
And you know what... it's not just me!
Other mom's I've talked to want a few hours of house work/yard work or just one on one time spent with their husbands.
One mom said she would love to have her husband spend some one on one time with her. Instead of logging onto his phone when the kids nap, check in with her. They could sit and talk or just snuggle on the couch. Nothing big.
One mom said why have jewelry she is afraid to wear when she could really use her husband to come with her on a shopping trip with her and the 3 kids she has. She needs an extra pair of hands to help her out. No complaining, no arguing. She wants him to trust her judgment but to help her out with the kids.
One mom said she would rather have 4 hours of lawn work than anything else. Her husband is heading off all over the place for the next little while and she wants to be able to use the back yard for her and her kids. Why should she have to do all the work. She wants someone to help her out with that. Someone to help her with the lawn, make sure it's "post-storm safe" so she can play out there while they are gone.
I do notice one thing... time. We all seem to want more of it. To moms, time's not something we always use well or really have a lot of. But if you can give us some more time it makes us happy!
This year, I'm not saying "forget the flowers" but I think you should check in and see what your wife really wants for Mother's day.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Grief
Grief is like an ocean.
If you have never experienced a loss just think about a day at the beach. You are hanging out with friends and family. Maybe digging holes to see how long it takes to get to water. Or maybe you build a sandcastle with your kids. Enjoying the craziness of making it just right. Watching something appear out of nothing. What a beautiful thing.
Then, something happens. You lose something. Something you have wanted for such a long time. And that's when the waves hit you. It's like a storm. The waves of grief smash against you. They destroy your sandcastle. They destroy your day at the beach. Its as if nothing will stop. These waves of sadness, tears and your heavy heart will not stop. No matter what.
Slowly, every so slowly the waves go back into the ocean of tears. They move away from the shore line, from your perfect day at the beach. The waves back up. The pain of losing someone or something backs up. The horrible loss feeling isn't there all the time. It's like the first time you smile after a loss. You aren't sure you can laugh or even smile, but you do. The wave of grief isn't as pounding as before.
The sun comes out, the sand dries up, as do your tears. The waves back up, the pound on the shore isn't as bad as it used to be. It isn't as hard as you remember. There are moments of sadness, moments when you miss that person or that thing so badly it hurts. Moments when tears just pour out of you.
Those are the moments that are the hardest to explain. For me they come so randomly. Sometimes they seem so far between. Sometimes I feel like I can go for weeks without feeling sad. Weeks without thinking about my baby. Then a storm comes. Something happens. Something sets me off and I just break down.
Last night was a break down. I'm not sure why, I'm not sure what brought it on, I'm just not sure. But it happen. It was hard to take. I just missed my baby.
So if you are reading this and have never felt the loss in your life, please keep this in mind. Just because something tragic happens "a long time ago" doesn't mean the waves of grief aren't going to hit later. This isn't an excuse. It's the truth.
Grief is like the waves of an ocean. Lapping in and bringing memories, tears and sadness.
If you have never experienced a loss just think about a day at the beach. You are hanging out with friends and family. Maybe digging holes to see how long it takes to get to water. Or maybe you build a sandcastle with your kids. Enjoying the craziness of making it just right. Watching something appear out of nothing. What a beautiful thing.
Then, something happens. You lose something. Something you have wanted for such a long time. And that's when the waves hit you. It's like a storm. The waves of grief smash against you. They destroy your sandcastle. They destroy your day at the beach. Its as if nothing will stop. These waves of sadness, tears and your heavy heart will not stop. No matter what.
Slowly, every so slowly the waves go back into the ocean of tears. They move away from the shore line, from your perfect day at the beach. The waves back up. The pain of losing someone or something backs up. The horrible loss feeling isn't there all the time. It's like the first time you smile after a loss. You aren't sure you can laugh or even smile, but you do. The wave of grief isn't as pounding as before.
The sun comes out, the sand dries up, as do your tears. The waves back up, the pound on the shore isn't as bad as it used to be. It isn't as hard as you remember. There are moments of sadness, moments when you miss that person or that thing so badly it hurts. Moments when tears just pour out of you.
Those are the moments that are the hardest to explain. For me they come so randomly. Sometimes they seem so far between. Sometimes I feel like I can go for weeks without feeling sad. Weeks without thinking about my baby. Then a storm comes. Something happens. Something sets me off and I just break down.
Last night was a break down. I'm not sure why, I'm not sure what brought it on, I'm just not sure. But it happen. It was hard to take. I just missed my baby.
So if you are reading this and have never felt the loss in your life, please keep this in mind. Just because something tragic happens "a long time ago" doesn't mean the waves of grief aren't going to hit later. This isn't an excuse. It's the truth.
Grief is like the waves of an ocean. Lapping in and bringing memories, tears and sadness.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Feeling Inspired!
In the past few weeks a friend of mine, Jana, posted about her and her hubby making some freezer crock pot meals for when she returns to work. I'm so impressed! They made 43 freezer meals in 6 hours! Talk about incredible! If you wanna check out her blog here's the link: Jana's CP Meals
While I had planned a weekend at the beginning of Jan I just never got around to it!
So I bit the bullet so to speak. I found, using my trusty Pinterest pages, about 39 recipes that would work for our family. While we aren't the best for trying new things these looked like my kids would actually eat them! I tweaked a few of the recipes and we were good to go. I had copied each of them into a word document and then saved it. I then copied it all and pasted it into a new document. I took out all the titles and cooking instructions and got 4 pages of 2 columns of things we would need.
Arnold printed them off around 2:30pm on Saturday. I spent the next half hour to 45 minutes getting ready to go to a party and pairing down the list. While I was setting up for the party at church Arnold did as much shopping as he could.
Then we partied :)
Sunday morning I had found a store with chicken on sale and we went there. I picked up 36 breasts of chicken. We were short for what I needed but I made it all work!
While I didn't get everything for the 39 recipes I started small and went with 12 instead.
I actually did 17. I made 5 of them into doubles. You see, our old neighbours had twins about a month ago and I've been wanting to help them out. It actually worked out well. Around 1 month or so people stop dropping off food and they were in need so I brought over 5 meals and a fresh loaf of bread. I loved getting my baby snuggles too!
With buying everything we needed including a weeks worth of groceries for our family we were around $235.00! I love good deals on chicken!!
This time around I made:
Tortilla Chicken Stew;
Chicken Taco Chili;
BBQ Chicken and Veggies (x2);
Southwestern 2 Bean Chicken;
Minestrone Soup (x2);
Turkey Chili (x2);
Teriyaki Chicken;
Sweet BBQ Chicken;
Cilantro Lime Chicken (x2);
Hawaiian Chicken;
Honey Rosemary Chicken;
and Apple, Pear & Pork Deliciousness (x2).
I found that while I didn't get a lot of time to check out the recipes I liked doing each prep alone instead of big containers of things. I did all my work on the kitchen table. I can honestly say that my hubby came up with a great idea! I used the actual crockpot container and our big colander to hold the bags. And I had bought the EXTRA large freezer bags and they were the perfect size for some things.
I didn't get a lot of pictures but it was a lot of fun!
(My only picture)
Since it's nice and cold outside I was able to store them outside while I was making it all. I have a set of plastic drawers we are throwing away so I could store them flat and have them sort of dry.
I made the first 5 that were doubles then texted the mama to see if I could stop over.
I'd have to say I had worked on it from about 2pm until about 5:30pm. Then I went to get my baby fix and drop off some food! I came home and had supper and watched a TV and went back to it around 6:45pm. Things took off and I was done and cleaned up by 7:30pm. Even had things washed, and put in the freezer.
I'm kinda proud of it!! Now I'm not worrying about our Wednesday meals for this month and one meal on the weekends! This makes it nice now!
Arnold and I figured if I can do this about once a month we should be good to go! So hands up, who wants in on my meals next time?
While I had planned a weekend at the beginning of Jan I just never got around to it!
So I bit the bullet so to speak. I found, using my trusty Pinterest pages, about 39 recipes that would work for our family. While we aren't the best for trying new things these looked like my kids would actually eat them! I tweaked a few of the recipes and we were good to go. I had copied each of them into a word document and then saved it. I then copied it all and pasted it into a new document. I took out all the titles and cooking instructions and got 4 pages of 2 columns of things we would need.
Arnold printed them off around 2:30pm on Saturday. I spent the next half hour to 45 minutes getting ready to go to a party and pairing down the list. While I was setting up for the party at church Arnold did as much shopping as he could.
Then we partied :)
Sunday morning I had found a store with chicken on sale and we went there. I picked up 36 breasts of chicken. We were short for what I needed but I made it all work!
While I didn't get everything for the 39 recipes I started small and went with 12 instead.
I actually did 17. I made 5 of them into doubles. You see, our old neighbours had twins about a month ago and I've been wanting to help them out. It actually worked out well. Around 1 month or so people stop dropping off food and they were in need so I brought over 5 meals and a fresh loaf of bread. I loved getting my baby snuggles too!
With buying everything we needed including a weeks worth of groceries for our family we were around $235.00! I love good deals on chicken!!
This time around I made:
Tortilla Chicken Stew;
Chicken Taco Chili;
BBQ Chicken and Veggies (x2);
Southwestern 2 Bean Chicken;
Minestrone Soup (x2);
Turkey Chili (x2);
Teriyaki Chicken;
Sweet BBQ Chicken;
Cilantro Lime Chicken (x2);
Hawaiian Chicken;
Honey Rosemary Chicken;
and Apple, Pear & Pork Deliciousness (x2).
I found that while I didn't get a lot of time to check out the recipes I liked doing each prep alone instead of big containers of things. I did all my work on the kitchen table. I can honestly say that my hubby came up with a great idea! I used the actual crockpot container and our big colander to hold the bags. And I had bought the EXTRA large freezer bags and they were the perfect size for some things.
I didn't get a lot of pictures but it was a lot of fun!
(My only picture)
Since it's nice and cold outside I was able to store them outside while I was making it all. I have a set of plastic drawers we are throwing away so I could store them flat and have them sort of dry.
I made the first 5 that were doubles then texted the mama to see if I could stop over.
I'd have to say I had worked on it from about 2pm until about 5:30pm. Then I went to get my baby fix and drop off some food! I came home and had supper and watched a TV and went back to it around 6:45pm. Things took off and I was done and cleaned up by 7:30pm. Even had things washed, and put in the freezer.
I'm kinda proud of it!! Now I'm not worrying about our Wednesday meals for this month and one meal on the weekends! This makes it nice now!
Arnold and I figured if I can do this about once a month we should be good to go! So hands up, who wants in on my meals next time?
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Sometimes We are just Random!
Sometimes, We are just Random in our house :)
Tonight we were eating supper and checking out a friends Minecraft Pinterest Page. I started to check out more food. And then I saw more cookies and cake... ummm cookies and cake!
I declared "Lets make cookies!"
YES!!! Said Kyler and Quinton.
And that was that!
After the boys were done supper we pulled out my new kitchen aid mixer. But after opening it, and checking out the colour I convinced Arnold I really wanted the purple or blue one. Arnold LOVES this one but it's my gift and I've wanted it for SO long. So I'm going to be exchanging it, as soon as I find the gift receipt in my bags.
We figured it was a bit of an overkill for a packaged peanut butter cookie mix.
So bowl in hand we got set up on the kitchen table.
Kyler helped measure everything out and did great. We even got to use my new scoop! I now want it in every since size!
Quinton joined us and we criss-crossed the cookies and put sugar on.
And part of cooking is cleaning up after yourself:
After cooking them the best part was:
EATING THEM!!!
Anyway.. sometimes in my family we are just random!
after looking at these photos.. I need to start using my normal camera and not just my phone :P
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Arnold's New Years Eve Quiz
Arnold's New Year Eve Quiz
1. What’s your favourite game? - Splinter Cell2. What’s favourite book you read? - Enders Game
3. What would you love to do outside - Cycling
4. Best dessert? - Frozen Raspberry macadamia Pie (minus the crust)
5. What are you good at? - Sleeping
6. Who is the most important person in your family to you? - My Wife
7. If you could change one thing in your family what would you change? - Nothing....
8. What does your family do for fun? - Go Grocery Shopping
9. What will you do when you grow up? - Program
10. What's your favourite colour? - burgundy/translucent red
11. What's your favourite movie? - No Favourite but recent was "Now You See Me"
12. What is your most cherished item? - My wedding Band
13. What is your favourite thing to do at work? - collaborate
14. What is one thing you want to do this year? - Move a Basement Wall/Build a Garage
15. What is one thing you want to do for yourself this year? - Build a garage
16. What is one thing you want to do with your family this year? - Going on a "real" family Vacation
17. What is one thing you want to do with the house this year? - put on heater vents or/and baseboards
18. What is one thing you want to do at work this year? - Get a particular project through (completed)
19. What is one more thing you want to do this year? - Putting 5000 Km on my bike.
Quinton's New Years Eve Quiz
Quinton's New Years Eve Quiz
- What’s your favourite game? - Battlefield
- What’s favourite book you read? - The Bible
- What would you love to do outside? - Go tobogganing
- Best dessert? - Chocolate Cake
- What are you good at? - Art
- Who is the most important person in your family to you? - (God) Kyler because he is my brother and he looks out for me
7. If you could change one thing in your family what would you change? - That we could have
our own room.
8. What does your family do for fun? - Doing stuff with the youth group
9. What will you do when you grow up? - Build Forts for my kids
10. What's your favourite colour? - the rainbow
11. What's your favourite movie? - Lego Chima
12. What is your most cherished toy? - My Dino I got for Christmas
13. What is your favourite subject at school? - Art
14. What is one thing you want to do this year? - Go to the trampoline place we did with the
youth group (Skyzone)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)