Wish Lists

As this "time of year" comes around people begin asking for wish lists. We don't have big ones in our house, but we do have some.

I'll start with the boys:

Quinton's Wish List:

A Santa Costume (seriously!)
Puppets **
Tools **
A tool belt
K*nex **
A Robot that moves on it's own

Kyler's Wish List:

A remote control Airplane
Skiing lessons and Ski's (sp)
K*nex **
Puppets and theater **
A Robot that moves it's arms

Arnold's Wish List:

A Gyroscope
Trebuchet
Metric Wrenches - 9*, 11*, 16 and 17 mm
Side Cutters
Small Vice to clamp to table
Park Chain Checker Stretch Gauge CC-2C
Park Tool Crank Puller - CCP-22
Park Tool Professional Cable & Housing Cutter - CN-10C
The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance & Repair: For Road & Mountain Bikes
Lezyne Micro Floor Drive High Pressure Pump
Park Tool CM-5 Cyclone Chain Cleaner
Park Tool PFP-4 Professional Mechanic Floor Pump

(As you can See this year Arnold actually got a list!! It's surprising... and if you chose to buy something off his list PLEASE buy JUST what is above. These will go with his new bike and he is more picky than a girl getting her prom dress!)

Miranda's Wish List:

Canning Funnel
Silicone cooking things (spoons, spatulas, ect)
Baking sheets
Fabricland Gift Card
New Computer
Canning for Dummies
"Fun" ankle socks (for my boots since my running ones fall off my feet in my boots!)
Chlorine body/hair wash
Christmas Dishes
Gravy Ladle and Gravy boat
New set of flannel sheets for our bed
A new ring that fits me
Diamond earrings (I'm borrowing my moms right now)
New pj pants and shirt
Sewing lessons and a babysitter to watch the kids while I go.


Now Thankfully my kids can't really read yet. So things that have ** are ones they are getting for sure (Santa shopped early this year) but can and would love more of. And things that have 1 * are the ones Arnold ~REALLY~ wants.

For me... I'm good with anything! It took me a while to come up with the list I've got!

Oh yes, there are some things I wish they would have Like another flat board for the duplo (when friends come over it's upsetting to the one who doesn't get one), and a GOOD belt (leather) for the boys.

But Mom, It's Pizza Day!

Today is pizza Day at school. the first one this year. And once I realized it (around 8:35am) I asked K if he wanted to go. No pressure as he and I believed it was going to be a nice stay at home day. But nope as soon as pizza was talked about he was booking it to his bedroom to get dressed and ready to go for the day! What a silly boy!

We made it to the school just in time (including being dressed, opening the door and realizing it was FREEZING and going back in and getting our snowpants on). He went into school telling me his legs hurt but that he was ok. Too much activity running to school!

So Q and I are home today. I've cleaned and disinfected all the light switches, main touching halls and knobs on the doors. I've got the entire front hall done and the living room. I just need to get the laundry to keep up. We had a few things that were yucky smelling in the laundry that needed a few extra times in the washing machine and now we are getting there. It's been gross out! At least things are getting a bit better.

I have to finish up the kitchen, clean the bathroom and wash the sheets from our bed and we should be "clean" again!

Oh and good news of today? It's SNOWING!!!! Not enough to do anything but the flakes are falling!

"Make-Your-Own Bumper Stickers"

Have you ever had one of those days when you wish you could make your own bumper stickers and put them on other people's cars? You know like a public service announcement for others?

On Monday I was driving back from the mechanic's and I just had the biggest urge to start a company that allows you to make a bumper sticker for the car ahead of you and mail it to the owner of the car/plate.

For an example:

1 - I had a car that wouldn't signal. No matter what. I almost got hit by him moving into my lane and then he almost got ran into by another car moving over again. A few options for this car-holder would be:

Sorry, I forgot to turn on my EPS

or

Just because I don't use my signal light doesn't mean you shouldn't know where I'm going


2 - While driving down the last stretch of the road around my house this one car when whipping around me and pulled into a parking spot. All I could think of was when I was little what my parents would say:

I had to pee, forgive me?

or

You would do it too if you had to poo!


3 - And my final example has to be the car that drove generally on the line the whole way down St. Clair. It was so annoying. My thoughts were:

I left my wings at home but generally I follow the lines and take off!

or

I can't decide, left? or right? left? or right?


I swear it's annoying!

While thinking about this post I did some searching on the World-Wide-Web about bumper stickers. My favourite 'actual' bumper stickers are:

Less Bombs; more Scrapbooking

I can handle any crisis. I have Children!

My other car has 2 wheels

honk, if you love Jesus. Text and drive if you want to meet Him

Memories

Today after my swim I went to Tim Horton's. I was waiting in the drive through line a bit longer than I expected and was watching this couple. They were studying something. She had her coffee and he had his, along with a container of timbits. They were studying something that had to do with music (trust me, I'm *that* good ~ and I saw the sheet music when I got up to the window). He would randomly tap things out on the table, she would repeat and then give that "oh I've got it!" look.

It took me back to my university days. I remember sitting with Teresa at Boston Pizza in the middle of the afternoon to just get away from school and have a different setting. We would order an app and something from the dessert menu and study, do notes, read our text books. If we were "good" our the server loved us, we would get free refills and some cookies (which always lasted forever since they were so frozen!).

I can't help but think about those times. Studying so hard just to pass a test. Working my bum off to try and get things done for exams, tests, or midterms.

Just one of those random memories.

Strawberry Shortcake, Lemonade tarts....

Do you remember that song? I remember jumping rope at school and singing this song. For those who don't remember it went something like this:

Strawberry Shortcake
Lemonade Tarts
Tell me the initials
of your sweetheart
It's an : A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z.

Then you jump out on the letter of the person you like.

That's all I can think about when my 2 boys catch the glances from the girls across the road. Our neighbour has 2 girls, a 3 year old and an almost 5 year old.

Last night while we were in the car waiting for Daddy to come out from his Chrio appointment we were talking about something and all the sudden our conversation turned to the boys wives. Kyler informed me his wife was going to be the girl across the road. Since there are 2 girls across the road I asked which one. The one who swims with us (the 3 year old) or the older one (the almost 5 year old). Kyler said he is marrying the one who swims with them. Quinton piped up and let us know that he was marrying the older one.

I took this time to remind the boys that they have LOTS AND LOTS of time before they will get married. It's not that I don't like these girls (I do! They are SO cute!), but they seem to change their minds almost daily on who they want to marry.

They also told me that they wanted more kids in the car. I'm pretty sure this is how the conversation started. Kyler said there were 2 more seats in the car and we should fill them up with another little boy and a little girl.

Anyway... that's my random post for the day. I love these boys.

Menu Planning

Do you know my least favourite/most favourite part of the month? It has to be menu planning. Personally I used to love it so much! It was my favourite thing on earth! I had so much fun and enjoyed it sooo much... now.... not that much.

I'll give you an example:

Last night it was time to sit down and plan meals. First thing I did was grab my calendar. I LOVE this one. It's by MTM. It's called the More Time Moms Family Organizer 2011.



I love the fact that it has HUGE boxes. As you can see we fill ours up completely!

Then I write in thing I need to remember of big events coming up. For those of you coming to the young Adults hangout you can get a sneak peak for what we are having for supper:



We also go through the past 2 weeks and see what we didn't use and mark it off

Now comes the fun part. Going through all my cookbooks (and I have ALOT) and picking out what I want to try this week. And somehow I get in the meals from the last 15 days we didn't use, which cuts down on groceries!



I love going through my cookbooks and finding things we haven't tried, and things we have tried. It's great! One of these days I'm going to make my own cookbook with all the ones we have tried and LOVED!

After the cookbooks comes lists! If you have ever met me in person you know I love to be organized and love lists. I have to-do lists, christmas lists, birthday lists, everything! And so I being.



Those lists are my price comparison lists, my grocery lists, my bulk barn lists, and our freezer lists.

Arnold and I spent alot of time on this part last night. He did the "kitchen shopping" while I did the list making. I would ask him to find something for me and he would go and check it out for me and see what we had and didn't have. Then we went to our deep freezer and made our list of things we had and crossed off what we didn't have. That crossed off more than I thought, and made our meat purchases DOWN to 2 hams!

After this comes the part I kinda live for. It's fun to check out what everyone has for sale. I first make my grocery list and then do my freezer and kitchen shopping then I go to the flyers. I quickly look through them and compare to the grocery list and see what we have that matches. I circle it and move on. Then I go back to them and see what ones have it cheaper. I generally start with the store I'm going to and write down where the fyler is from (in this case Price Choppers) then whatever is on sale (Cheerios, cheese, ect) and the price AND the size. I do this for all the stores. It makes it a bit easier because eventually things will cross each other off. In other words one store has shortening on for 1.88 brand name. Where as another store has brand name shortening on for 2.50. So I don't bother writing down the $2.50 store.



Eventually I make it through all and I keep the flyers that are "good" deals.

Sometimes I have to do the unthinkable! I have to pull out my calculator! No just any calculator. I got one last Christmas from Santa in my stocking from Lee Valley (who knew Santa shopped there!). I begin calculating what each of the measurements/weights are for each of my "good deals". For example: WalMart seems to have *great* deals.... however. If you compare the sizes other places are cheaper and should be trusted a bit more. I start using my calculator to see what the most basic amount costs and then compare to the deals. I've even made myself the beginning of a cheat sheet in my calculator. For example 1pound = 16oz. This needs to be figured out because there is no "pound" button the calculator, but there is an oz button. Since most things are in oz or kg, ml,ect, it's easier to transfer to something else.



Once I'm finished using that I need a drink! No really! It's alot more work than people think.

My kitchen table begins to look like this once I'm finally completed:



And then comes the next part. I prepare for my trip to the store.



I get the flyers I need for the price matching, the grocery list, my cheat sheet for the price matching/comparison, my calculator (which I don't normally bring, but it came in handy), and my pen to cross stuff off my list!

Today I did ok. Sticking to my list (minus 1 extra lemon, an salad dressing and 1 extra container of apple cider) It was $171.09. If you include the shopping my husband did the night before (milk, extra clips for the light, a cake and some things for supper) we are at $200.21!! Not too bad.

Now we aren't done shopping. We have to go to Costco for a few things, and Bulk Barn for a few more and then we are totally finished! It's kinda nice once it's all over.

But for those of you who think Grocery shopping is so easy you have NO idea! Our total time looks more like this:

Pre-planning - 3hours
Grocery shopping - 2 hours

5 hours total (again more shopping to come).

I hope your Menu Planning is just as fun, if not a bit easier.

ETA - I should also note that this grocery trip also includes our big Thanksgiving dinner for our Young Adults

Operation Christmas Child AKA Shoeboxes

Last Saturday I had some wonderful ladies come to my house. We got into some cars and headed off to the dollar store. Less than 1 hour later we had some great goodies and made our way back to the house. We filled up our shoeboxes to send away to some children around the world. Here's some snapshots of our day:




























This is the video of what I sang on last Sunday: