one, two, three, four ...

With all the snow that we had last weekend (okay, 2 weekends ago ... that's how long this post has been floating around in my head), I thought that I should knit up a few pairs of mittens -- one for each child was my lofty goal for the weekend.  Nice thought, but it didn't happen.  Now, more than two weeks later (ahem!) I have one finished pair.

Nothing too fancy but the wearer is very pleased with them.  Here is the pattern that I used -- it's basic and simple.  But, after finishing the first mitt, I discovered that it was a little to big for even my biggest boy, so I adjusted the second mitt a bit.  Clever, right?  Not so much ... I didn't write down what I did, so back to the drawing board for pair #2!

As I was finishing up the last mitten, Laurel joined me.  When she gets tired, she will often climb up behind me, put her thumb in her mouth and grab a handful of hair (yes, she is still attached to my hair, but thankfully, she does not pull so much anymore!).  As I got closer to the top of the mitten (and decreasing stitches), I was counting aloud to myself:  "one, two, three, four.".  Then the patterned called for knitting 2 stitches together.  After a couple of rounds, Laurel leaning on my back, me still counting ... "one, two, three, four ...", I stopped to wrestle with some particularly tight stitches, and a little voice whispered in my ear: "five" ... funny girl!

The Why Child

Everybody has met one.

You know, those kids whose answer to everything you say is:  "Why?".  They look so innocent and cute, so you try to answer their questions the best you can.

"Why?" the child responds.

"Wow," you think to yourself, "this child is obviously very bright.  Good thing that I am here to answer their questions!", so you come up with another thoughtful answer.

"Why?" the innocent voice answers again.

As before, you try to give an answer that will satisfy this incredibly inquisitive child.

... 10 minutes later, you are running out of plausible answers, and this  #@^!-ing kid  (ahem!) lovely child is still asking "why?".  You're not sure what to say anymore, you're fighting the incredible urge to shout "BECAUSE I SAID SO!", when the parent of said child announces that it is time to go.  You breathe a huge sigh of relief as your tiny adversary walks away (waving a cute good bye all the way, of course).

Yes, everybody knows one of those.

I, too, have met my fair share of "why children" (and laughed good naturedly about it with the parents), but never before have I had one living at my house ... until now!

Beware of this "Why Child"!

Oh, I know that she looks cute enough, but don't let her lure you in with her cute smile and apparent shyness.  Once you get her talking, it is almost inevitable ... the "why?"s will go on and on and on, sometimes without any apparent consideration for the answer that you have just given -- grrrrrr!  So this your personal warning:  start conversations with this child at your own risk! :)  Gotta love those terrific twos!

2011 Blurb

This year our Christmas cards were sent without our usual little blurb.  You know the ones ... where parents get a chance to brag about what their kids have accomplished throughout the year, and are interested in -- stuff that is only interesting to parents and grandparents -- accompanied by a very cute picture (that took forever to get everybody to cooperate for).  Anyway, with all the hustle and bustle going on in our "healed" home this season, we sent off the cards sans blurb, and I have been regretting it ever since -- since I know you all are dying to know all about my kids.  So, (have no fear!) I writing it now and calling it a New Year's letter!  I can hear the collective sigh of relief out there from you all.

6 Winters in Wonderland New Year's Letter

Isaac (9) likes sports of all kinds.  He loved playing soccer this summer and practiced in the back yard whenever he could find an opponent (much to the dismay of our neighbour and her flowers -- oops!).  He is always up for a ball hockey game and with his goalie gear from Christmas is well protected while minding the net.  His goals for 2012 include more soccer, learning to cook, and lots more visits with Grampie.

Aidan (7 1/2) has recently developed a love for "punny" jokes.  He continues to be a great Lego creator and lists his favourite 2011 activities as:  time spent with his cousins at the cottage (they were all accounted for as a special treat this year), the huge amounts of beach time we had this summer, and Christmas with Grampie.  He will consider 2012 equally good if he gets to go to the beach and the pool this year -- did I mention that Aidan took swimming lessons this summer and had a blast?

Owen (5) loves to rhyme.  He frequently walks around rhyming words and sounds (both real and make believe) which he thinks is hilarious. He has an infectious laugh and is even good about laughing at himself when his using a word incorrectly, causes everybody else to laugh (i.e. kissing under the Christmas middle toe).  When asked to recall something that had been difficult in 2011, he replied "lifting the picnic table".  Definitely the clown of the clan!

Laurel (20 months) had a year full of firsts -- first steps, first words, first birthday ...  She has discovered that the boys (Dada included) will do almost anything for her and has almost perfected using that to her advantage. Pink is her colour -- literally, as the boys have decided that pink is a girl's colour and Mama doesn't do pink --anything pink in the house really is hers and she can often be heard using one of her favourite words: "mine".  She never goes anywhere with her trusted thumb and her comfort -- Mama's hair.

Kramer, the black lab that we adopted over Christmas, has settled in very nicely.  What a nice start to our collection of animals to come!  I'm sure that he will make it into a picture soon.

We all agreed that the most challenging part of 2011 was fixing the house -- not only the physical construction, but the extended vacation and separation that accompanied it.  Returning to a home that is safe (even if there is still work to do) has been such a blessing.  We have spent lots of time in our reconstructed home just being together and remembering to be thankful for all that we have.

We hope that 2012 will find us moving to a new place to call home -- a place where we can spread out a little bit and pursue some of our other dreams.  I hope that you all are dreaming big for 2012 too!  Happy New Year to all!

From the Winter's

Wonderland Round Up -- Week of July 24

Goals for the Week:

My darling baby is not sleeping very well (at night or at nap time), so my goal for the week is to see what I can do to help her ... oh, and try not to fall asleep while driving, cooking, walking or anything that may be dangerous.

Recipe that we have tried or want to try:

Something easy and tasty ... anybody have any suggestions?  When in doubt, bake bread!


Book(s) I am Reading:

The 100 Thing Challenge by Dave Bruno.  Along the same lines as last week's book, but a little more drastic.  Not sure that I could ever get down to 100 things, but I like the idea.

Website or Blog Discovery:


Looks like some great activities here and all done with frugality in mind -- my kind of fun!  I hope to try some of the ideas this week.  I'll keep you posted!



Kid Saying of the Week:

Owen walked into my room early one morning and announced that Dada was home (Dada delivers the morning newspaper, so it is not uncommon for him not to be home when he gets up).
I:  How do you know?
He:  The car is here.
I:  Maybe he walked.
He:  No, it's too far.
I:  Maybe he took a train ...
He:  No, there are no tracks.
I:  Maybe he took an airplane ...
He:  No there is no airport.
He then walks down stairs to check and returns with this report:  Dada's in the shower.
I:  How do you know?
He:  I heard the soap rubbing!


Finally, a favourite picture from the week:

 Kids, water, and sun ... what else do you need?

Home Again

 On our way to NB for our vacation -- everybody looks excited!

On our way home from vacation.

We're still in post-vacation mode around here.  I hope to be back to normal tomorrow with lots to tell you!  Happy July!

Traveling With Kids

photo from Beef Jerky Blog

We have just returned home from a trip to my dad's house (a.k.a. Grampie).  I am always shocked by the number of people who are in awe that I would travel with 4 kids on my own -- Dada had to stay home.  Okay maybe it's not awe, astonishment (as in:  "are you crazy?!") is probably a more accurate term.  But the truth is, that I don't think anything of it.  So, I've decided to share what we take on our trips (not that I am any kind of expert) to ensure smooth sailing ... I mean, driving.

First of all, let me tell you that we do not have a DVD player in our van. For starters, my kids are prone to car sickness and I'm not sure that watching a screen wouldn't aggravate that -- wouldn't it be similar to reading a book? -- I cannot say for sure, but am not willing to try.  Anyway, we have found plenty of other things to keep us busy.

Let's start with the essentials -- the things that we absolutely don't leave home without.

1 -- Gravol.  As I already said, my kids are prone to car sickness, so no explanation necessary, right?

2 -- "Just in Case" Bag.  Just in case anybody gets sick, wet, dirty or hurt, I have a full change of clothes for everybody along with some towels, wipes, plastic bags for putting anything messy, band aids, and a bottle of water -- just good sense in my experience.

3 -- Snacks.

Everybody has their own lunch box and water bottle (notice the nice labels!).  I fill the boxes with whatever I have and sometimes a treat or two.  This trip we had homemade granola bars and an assortment of crackers.  On another trip, I strung Cheerios on a piece of yarn and made a necklace for each of them -- very popular.  Whatever it contains, it has to be easy to clean up because, inevitably, some ends up on the floor and in their seats.

4 -- Music and Stories.  We always have various musical and story selections with us, but here are a couple that always seem to make the cut.

The Proclaimers song "I'm Gonna Be" (or "I would walk 500 miles", as the boys call it) is very popular and it brings back fun memories for me.  The boys don't care about the rest of the CD, but we have to listen to "500 miles" at least twice, turned up loud, during any trip.  After that we can move on to something else.



Giants!  A Colossal Collection of Tales and Tunes contains 4 giant stories that are capable of holding the boys attention for over an hour -- now that's good story telling! 




5 -- Good places to stop.  Although we could make the 3.5 hour trip without stopping, and have done so before, I always find that a little break along the way makes things better.  We have compiled a list of parks and playgrounds along the way -- even the NS tourist bureau is great -- that are fun places to stop.  We added a new park to our list this trip, thanks to cousin Jen.  Cold or inclement weather is a little harder, but not impossible.  Last year we discovered an indoor sandbox -- a great find!  When in doubt, look for a school.  There is usually a playground, or at the very least, a field nearby.

Other things that we have tried in the past that have been successful include: car bingo (although this does require some prep work), the alphabet game (finding the letters of the alphabet on signs, licence plates, etc.),  20 questions (Owen always picks skyscraper!), and magnetic drawing boards.  I also want to try giving the boys a map so they can learn to read and follow our route -- maybe even laminate it so that they can draw on it or mark their favourite stopping stops, and use it again and again.  Next trip! Or what about lacing cards, or puppets, or, or, or ...

What has worked in your vehicule?

My Finishing Project -- continued

Okay, so I'm still not officially done all my finishing projects -- the spring cold lingers on and has found new victims -- but there are still things to celebrate.  The garden is looking pretty good with wee little sprouts starting to pop up out of the ground and the strawberries continuing to look great -- I even finished putting the grass clippings around and got to check that off my list!  I also finished the hand print frame and am so pleased with the results, I just had to share!  It is hanging in it's new home and it make me smile every time I see it!

Looking forward to hearing how you made out last week.

My Finishing Project -- Day 3?

Well, a round of spring colds has hit our house, putting a serious halt on any of my projects.  I thought that I would be able to work through it, but long nights and testy tots is really slowing me down.  So, I'm postponing my finishing for a bit -- not long, I promise -- just until people get a little healthier around here.

We have finished two boxes of tissues, does that count?

I hope that you will all keep working.  I'm looking forward to seeing some of those projects!

My Finishing Project -- Day 2

Window Frame Hand Prints

This window frame was one of the main reasons behind My Finishing Project week.  It has been sitting around without a purpose for way too long, and now I can finally say that I have done something with it!  I'm not quite finished -- I still want to add the names somehow -- but I am quite pleased with the results so far.  So, a fairly successful day 2!

25 years ago when my Mom and Dad replaced the windows, in what was then our new house, they saved all the old windows -- I come from a family of savers, what can I say?  It has been over a year since this project-to-be has enter our house, but I was never quite sure what I wanted to do with it.  I love the weathered look and was struck by the parallelism (I got this word from the thesaurus -- isn't it great?) of four openings & four children.

I got to work this morning taking out the three remaining panes of glass -- there is a  reason that this is called my finishing project!  Laurel's nap was just about long enough for this messy and potentially dangerous job -- fixing the ugly kitchen floor is a project for another week.

The next step was to cut the black form board (which I already had) to fit in the openings -- all a slightly different size, of course!  I also decided to add a strip of paper (which I had in my stash) to each section as a background for the kid's names.

Now the fun part ... the paint!  Well ... Laurel didn't think that this part was very fun.  In fact, by the way she was screaming, you would have thought that it was some kind of torture!  I had done a couple of practice prints for each of the boys, but knowing that we only had one shot with Laurel, we (it took 3 of us!) had to be fast.  I turned out pretty good all things considered.

Yeah, almost done!  Just working out the best way to add their names.  I'll have it worked out by the end of the week, so that I can claim this as a totally finished project!

Hope your projects are going well!

Things That Make Me Happy #17

Strolling around the Internet one day, I came across a blog post entitled "100 Things That Make Me Happy".  What a great idea, I thought as I scanned the list, so Fridays are now dedicated to things that make me happy!

Things That Make Me Happy!
# 17 Blanket Forts

Rain, rain and more rain -- we've had a lot of rain this week. It was tough not to complain, to keep reminding myself that it was good for the trees and the plants, that it couldn't go on forever ... or could it ...?

After a couple of outings, which resulted in wet feet, all our footwear was lined up in front of the fire waiting to dry. With the whole afternoon in front of us, no dry footwear to go anywhere, and personalities starting to clash, I made my best suggestion and hoped for the best: "How about a blanket fort, we haven't done that in a long time?" The boys immediately jumped up and went on a blanket search. They came back with every blanket and sheet from their beds and around the house -- we had more than I thought -- and started construction.

It is quite rare to find and activity that all four kids can enjoy together, but blanket forts are really for everybody -- they even gave me a tour, although some of the corners were a little tight! I got a few moments of peace and sat back happily listening to the construction talk and then the laughter and fun that followed. Ahhhhhhh ... They played quite happily all afternoon (until Laurel decided to remodel it -- adding a woman's touch, you know) and were quite disappointed when they had to take it apart. They had great plans to sleep in it that night, but knowing how much "sleep" they would actually get, I decided against it -- sorry guys!

It was also fun to see all of our blankets out and to be reminded of where they had come from. The homemade "I Spy" quilt that arrived at Christmas, baby blankets that are still used (and treasured), afghans knit by loved ones, favourites old and new. What a great collection we have.

So, let it rain. I am surrounded by memories of loved ones, my children's laughter, and a warm fire. The sun will be out tomorrow ... or maybe the next day ... or the day after that ... or the day after that ...

the boys giving Laurel a tour!

The Savers

Allowance and kids is a hot topic for parents -- should they or shouldn't they have to earn it by doing chores.  In our house the boys are given a small allowance (1 quarter for each year they have survived) which is not based on chores.  Our hope is that they will learn how to save and spend wisely and responsibly.  There are chores that they are expected to do just because they are members of our family and we all have to work together to keep things in order  ... bla, bla, bla ... I could go on, but my goal is not to start a debate, only to explain a little bit how things run in our house.

For months now the boys have been using their piggy banks to save their money.  It gets counted frequently (which is a great math exercise), played with (which always includes the inevitable "that's my quarter!" argument), then returned to the piggy banks or wallets (they have a duel system).  They have decided that they are saving up for some HUGE Lego sets (Star Wars, of course -- is there anything else?), but they have quite a bit of saving to do.  So I suggested that they open a bank account, and with very little persuasion (thanks in part to the book we are reading -- thank you Laura Ingles Wilder!) they agreed.

We spent the morning talking about accounts and interest and saving with the help of a financial literacy site for kids by ING Direct (http://www.orangekids.com/).  It was a fun and easy way to learn about money, budgets, interest and investing.  Then we marched down to the bank to open accounts for the older two boys (Owen is still happily counting his pennies at home for now).  After many questions, signing their names a couple of times and the initial deposit (which will be matched by the bank -- thanks BMO!), they are now very proud banking customers.  I think they just like the shiny new cards!

Happy saving boys!

Things That Make Me Happy # 15

Strolling around the Internet one day, I came across a blog post entitled "100 Things That Make Me Happy".  What a great idea, I thought as I scanned the list, so Fridays are now dedicated to things that make me happy!

Things That Make Me Happy!
# 15 My Birthday Boy

We'll have cake tomorrow, but you've got to have a candle to blow out on your birthday!

Happy 7th Birthday Aidan!

A Wet Walk

We went for a walk through the woods today.  It was drizzly rain, but we are hearty and adventurous, so were undeterred by the weather.

 

Along with our friends, we found flowers, rocks, bridges and water ...

... and ended up at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens.  We explored the inside a little bit where we found more water and the promise of butterflies in May (we'll be back to check that out!).

On our way out of the gardens we found a waterfall and just had to stop and check it out.  Then back through the woods and over the bridge ... or ... well ... by the bridge ...

Yes, he is wearing his boots, it's just that they are UNDER the water!  Honestly, through, you all saw this coming right?  Boys!  So, after a short delay ... 

... we were on the path home again.  Good thing I always keep a change of clothes for everybody in the van!  Now I have three pairs of boots drying by the fire so they will be all ready for whatever adventure tomorrow brings.