Sunday, May 27, 2007

My BIG girl can finally do it!

Hay has been practicing everyday to learn how to go all the way across on the Monkey Bars at her elementary school. This is something of a fetish, one that she cannot let go of. Now that she has mastered it, and boy am I proud, she will move on to the next accomplishment.
Grabbing the rings for a monkey swing across.
Concentration is a must. I was in her bad books when I took this opportunity to tickle those armpits. They were taunting me.
Hanging by one arm. Try doing this at 36 years old. I did, and thought I was going to rip my arm out of it socket, leaving only exposed flesh and a hand left holding the monkey bar. Wow, I also thought I was going to have to make a chiropractor appointment to realign my spine.
Climbing back up to do it all over again.

I am so proud of her. Monkey bars are a right of passage when you are in elementary school. Next on her list is to flip around on the bar landing on her feet. Yah, forgot about being that flexible a longgggg time ago.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

i am from....

A challenge to all. A time to reflect on where we came from, how we became who we are, and what attributed to it all. A time for reflection, prose, putting on [paper] the thoughts that are rambling in your brain..(well at least mine). I look forward to hearing where you are "from"

I am from-

A girl working at Dairy Queen and a boy taking a mechanic apprenticeship. Girl takes pity on the skinny, shy boy and loads up his burger. Shy boy asks girl out. Shy boy stands up girl on their first date. She gives him a second chance. He repays her by showing up to their wedding after punching his brother/best man in the face. Black eye barely shows up in the wedding photos.

Family reunions where you introduce yourself as "Donald's oldest".

Curly blonde locks, held back with ponies so I could ride my tricycle that my dad put blocks on the wheels so I could reach. Later on, banana seat bikes and riding to the Red Bluff Store to get penny candies.

Mr. Hansome and the Sunday School bus that picked me up.

Taking the train by myself. Lawn bowling and playing the organ. Being the BINGO caller. Having my grandma Tish as the one woman that I truly wish I could be more like. I miss her every day and know that she would be proud of how all of us turned out.

Gravel roads and snow falling before Halloween. Summers so long and hot that the grass turned brown. Seemingly eternal sunshine for six months. Dark when you go to school and darkness upon you when you are coming home for the other six months.

Parents who wanted the best, and only the best. Even if I wanted the worst. Growing up in a small town where everyone knew my mom.

Silence when there is a fight. No words. Just working it out in your head, and then one moment later....it is all good.

Eating at 4:30pm - every night.

Long trips across the country when I was an only child. Jobs for my dad in Ontario, Northern BC, central BC. Roadrunner car trips and early 70's style of hair.

Eating jello in Toronto General Hospital.

The Caddy book and lined up shoes in an apartment building.

Good solid stock. Woman who worked on the farm. Raised large families. Drove tractors. Cooked, canned, passed down recipes. Nursed during the war. Provided. Lutheran and Anglican. High pitched voices singing "Amazing Grace". Humbugs in pockets. Bright red/pink Avon Lipstick. Dove soap. The smell of love, acceptance and humility all wrapped up in afghan bedspreads.

Kodak video cameras with too hot flashes. Polaroid cameras with faded images. A mom who is dedicated to scrapbooking a legacy for her children. A dad who's family chose to keep the memories silent.

Eternal love. All the good stuff. Great parents. Providers.

All of which I hope to pass on to my two girls....

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Am I NUTS?

Ok, so I quit my job at Moxies. So I want to stay home with my kids. Budget. Limited income. Daycare home. Toys everywhere. More kids than I have limbs. Alcohol would be an asset. Yep, that is me today. I have 7 kids today. Seven. Like the dwarfs. Yet, I am NO snow white. My prince is at work, and when he gets home he stinks. Apples are not appealing to me, although I would be happy with the wicked witch knocking at my door about now. Then I would trap her into some adult conversation and boy, would she be sorry she stopped here.

Let me break it down. This is what makes it worth my while (besides all the jargon about nourishing young minds, how rewarding it is, yada yada yada).

Forty dollars a day.

Times seven kids.

Divide by eight hours.

Sometimes the little things help me through.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Happy Mother's Day!

The above photo is what Hayley made me at school, it made me cry. Then just when I thought I had a grip on reality, she presented me with the poem that she made. It goes like this:

M IS FOR MY MOM THAT MAKES ME BANANA BREAD
O IS FROM MY ONE AND ONLY MOM
T IS FOR THE TIMES THAT WE PLAY BARBIES
H IS FOR HELPING HER MAKE COOKIES
E IS FOR EACH DAY WE MAKE LUNCH
R IS FOR READING WITH HER EVERY NIGHT

TOGETHER IT SPELLS MOTHER WHO I LOVE SO MUCH!

Well, here it is - Mother's Day once again. My day here has been wonderful. I got to sleep in until 7:30am to which I woke up with "Happy Mudder's day mommy" spoken to me in sweet 2 year old language. Coffee was made when I came downstairs and my darling hubby had the news on for me (I love the weekend news!). Roger picked up an overtime shift today and so Quinn and I walked him part way to work stopping at the park on the way home for a ride on the slide. Quinn had a ride down as well.

I was blessed to meet my ex-mother-in-law/now- a- great- friend for lunch at Adrienne's Tea Garden at Mattick's Farm, so all us girls (me, Hayley, Quinn and Carole) had a great chin wag and a lovely lunch together. Went to a local organic produce market after (they even sell gluten-free things there!!!) and then dropped Hayley and Carole off for a dinner together and Quinn and I picked Roger up. He had a beautiful day lily for me! So nice and a wonderful surprise too.

Tonight we are having bbq burgers, baby potatoes (picked this morning!) and artichoke dip. A phenomenal way to end a phenomenal day. Makes me thankful to have the honor of being a mom.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Thinking about the barter system...

So, we have this website here in Victoria called UsedVictoria.com. It is an online garage sale of sorts. Basically you log on, flog your stuff or buy someone else's flogged stuff. I only made one error - I logged on. Bought the girls some fine bunk beds if you ask me. Now, looking to get out of debt, trying to save for a holiday to Vernon in less than two months, and I recently quit my job at Moxies. (where mind you, could have paid for above mentioned bunk beds in two shifts....that is neither here nor there)

Dilemma - I think so. So what does a bargain hunter like me do in a situation like this? Flog off enough of our stuff to make up the difference, yep that is what I did. Sold Hayley's Captain's bed (why would she need it with new bunks...not yet paid for or picked up mind you). Sold off some girls clothes, well it is summer and kids wear less now. Hey, if I would have got any money I would have sold off Roger. At least he is handy, but then who would help me assemble the bunk beds? I could always call the Queen, she is very handy and the I am envious of her knowledge with a power tool or two. Or ten. Me, I just wear the belt that holds the tools.

Bingo. Items sold, money in wallet. Off to get bunks. They are a beaut. From IKE*A, two years old, mattresses included and a steal of a deal. Assembled in a flash (while I did NOT give orders and random advice from the door, I learned my lesson with the crib). I waited downstairs. Patiently. Only tiptoeing up a few times when the swear words got loud.

Kiddies went to sleep in our bed, and will wake up in the new ones. Won't HP be thrilled when she falls out of bed? Plan for Tuesday, let HP wake up enough so that she can negotiate the ladder.

I love things that don't cost money. Someone's junk is our new treasure. I think that we should all go back to the barter system. I seem to remember when my dad had a boat motor - no boat. A side of beef for some work he did on a car. A fence built for a new transmission. I learned from the best. Thanks dad for the lesson - life is not handed to you on a silver platter. Sometimes you have to sell something for it to be served to you.

Just don't sell the platter.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Working with my dad




Roger is a cook/day manager as his paying job. In his spare time he loves to rebuild computers. At any given time our office is a computer graveyard, with bits of motherboards, ram, screws, wire and a whole host of unknown foreign mechanical stuff. You have to realize that he is very high tech, nothing but the newest, latest and fastest pieces of equipment are good enough to grace our front door. Now me, on the other hand, is low/no tech. I hate having more than one remote, only listen to one radio station (hate tuning in), was happy with the performance of my VCR, and cannot program my watch to time my laps when I run. Low tech.

Yet we are the ying/yang of one another. He can teach the girls how a computer works, all the inner ramblings of a techie. I will use the internet to book us airline tickets to travel the world.

Seems like a fair trade off for an office of screws.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

What I want for Mother's Day

Just to let everyone know, this is what I am sending all my mom friends out there for Mother's Day. Hope I get some in return....

Here's hopin'

Stranger things have happened

After a super busy week, I am now settling down to another week of daycare. I am trying to find my niche with my time - wanting to accomplish so much throughout the day yet never managing to finish my coffee before it gets lukewarm. I really am enjoying being at home, but sit in wonder and amazement at families with more that three children and how they do it ALL. Busy ladies.

So maybe it is too much to ask to:

-read a book
-catch up on my "now old news" scrapbook magazines
-complete my mother's day cards
-go through my scrap stuff and get organized for my next crop day
-blog
-read favorite blogs
-proof-read a Celiac manuscript for upcoming publication

As well as cuddle, nurture, potty-train, read and entertain all daycare kiddies? Am I turning into Martha Stew*art?