A Snowy New Year's Eve

As a follow up to yesterday's post... December 31st...

We went tobogganing today. It was apparently -20 degrees Celcius with the wind... thankfully didn't feel quite so frigid, but what a change from yesterday's mild walk in the new snow! This is just the beginning of much more snow to come! I don't think I've ever seen such a fluctuation in snow conditions in the span of 7 days! (see my last post!)

Happy New Year!

What's with the weather?

This has been the weirdest couple of weeks in terms of the weather... we've had over a week solid of blizzards and cold winds, then it got milder out and the kids got out to play with the perfect snow to make a snowman...

Dec. 24th - Snowman is built

It rained that night on our way to our family Christmas Eve party, then switched to a crazy blizzard (zero visibility on the roads!) on the way home just a few hours later...

Dec. 28th - What's left of Snowman after it rained all day on the 27th

Dec. 30th - And it begins again!

Big beautiful fluffy snowflakes fell today covering the earth with a blanket of snow again - no wind - just a mild awesome day for a peaceful walk in the snow with the girls! Looked like the first snow of the year though with the crazy thaw we had a couple of days ago!

More snow is to come this week... Who knows what my backyard will look like a week from now... it seems to be changing drastically on a daily basis! One thing is certain - I'm sure we'll have a lot more shovelling to do in the driveway before winter is out! This is just the beginning! (It's a good thing I'm a good Northern girl who loves the snow and I don't even mind the shovelling! The kids get out to play while we get a good workout!)

Globe-trotting at Christmas

I just realized that my family is spread literally in the 4 corners of the globe this Christmas! I have a brother living and working in Australia with his wife, celebrating their 2nd summery Christmas down under. I have another brother coming off an oil rig on the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan, then meeting up with his girlfriend in Frankfurt, Germany to head down to Zambia where they'll spend Christmas with my cousin just before her African wedding next month (last year they were in Australia for Christmas!). Then there's my mother-in-law in South America for the month of December working with Corina at El Jordan in Santa Cruz, Bolivia as they do regularly, helping young people and their families to get off the streets and working with the boys orphanage up the road. In the intense heat, they are helping to prepare and deliver the Christmas hampers for the El Jordan students and other needy families as well as the meals that will get delivered to over 1000 people all over the city for the annual "Christmas on the Streets".

One day, I would love to join my mother-in-law on one of their trips to Bolivia to help in the work down there and to meet some of the people I've heard so much about over the years... I have dreamed of visiting my brother in Australia before they move back home (we miss them dearly!) ... and it would be amazing to visit my cousin in Lusaka, Zambia where she has created a life and home for herself working in sports & rec... But for now, I am thankful for my cozy home in our snowy corner of Canada. I love my white Christmas and all my globe-trotting family members are in my prayers as they travel over the holidays! I'll miss them all this Christmas! Merry Christmas and safe travels! Here's a taste of what you're missing!




(okay, that picture is from last December, but its looking just like that today... we've got quite the storm blowing in! Just couldn't be bothered to get out to take a picture just now!!)

School Christmas Fun!

We just had a different kind of Christmas party at my daughter's school yesterday afternoon. The grade 1 class invited their parents (and younger sibblings) to the school for an afternoon of tobogganing, hot chocolate and cookies, a brief performance by the students and a craft. We had a blast! What a change from the regular Christmas recital that the entire school has put on in the past where parents are fighting for parking (which is nonexistant), fighting for seats (which are limited in the hot and overcrowded gym) and as a result fighting to see our dear wee ones at the front when it's their class' turn to perform their two songs...

Instead, this year we got to enjoy a relaxing and fun afternoon, had fun in the snow, got to see Julia sing up close in the classroom as the class performed their two songs - her shy and proud looks all wrapped into one as she did the actions to the songs... (you can't see that from the back of the packed gym!) Then we had fun doing the craft as family team work, with Emma cutting the pieces to be glued, Julia enjoying painting the glue on and me holding the snowman and dealing with the glue gun (a first for this non artsy girl!) - Daddy at home allowing the baby to have her afternoon nap! (See our craft below... ours is the colourful one on the right!)



All and all, a great afternoon and a welcome change from the school's past Christmas celebrations, this being more focussed on quality time with our kids instead of the distracting stresses of there being a lack of parking, seats and patience (evident everywhere)! Wonderfully refreshing and something that I hope to do more of in the new year... focussing more on not letting those special moments with my family slip by instead of letting the stresses and "to-do lists" of my days keeping me too busy that they so easily get crowded out... I must constantly be intentional about how I spend my minutes and hours in my days! I'm excited about a relaxing Christmas break at home and a New Year with a few more changes to our busy family schedule to further simplify life!

Many blessings to you and your family this Christmas and in the New Year!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love this time of year! I have to admit, that I wasn't quite ready to start decorating as early as my daughters were with so many other loose ends I was hoping to wrap up first... which led to a not as "magical" gingerbread house experience... I was in the middle of something else, but this COULDN'T wait!!!! The walls weren't staying up with all the little hands in there... the icing wasn't cooperating too well... my frustration levels were up and I could hear a little voice telling me that this isn't quite how this moment is supposed to be!! It's supposed to be a wonderfully fun loving bonding experience with the kids! Well, I blew it with my impatience on that one last weekend... but now that I've knocked many things off my list that had my head spinning, I've regrouped and am back in the swing of things!



We came back to the gingerbread house to decorate it - much more pleasant experience! We got the lights up on the house and the tree up... This has always been one of my favourite parts of Christmas! As a Northern Ontario girl, I grew up going out in the ski-doo (snowmobile) or on snow shoes with my sibblings to find the "perfect" Charlie Brown tree in the bush to bring home... (you see, not too many trees out in the actual forest look perfect... there were always big bald spots in the trees leaving extra room for dangling decorations... or we'd have to hide that side in the corner to hide it... but we (the kids and my dad anyway) loved our trees! We were mad the first year my mom bought one, well at least I was!) Regardless, the smell, the sticky sap, trimming it down to fit in the house, then trying to get it to stand straight, first stringing the lights, then the mish mash of ornaments we'd collected over the years - home made and bought ... I've always loved every bit of putting up the Christmas tree! My parents used to wait until the last few days before Christmas for us to come home from school to take part in the tradition each year! It brings back fond memories with my sibblings (and many ski-doos stuck in the snow!)




Unsure of whether we were staying put or heading off to visit family this year... up went the artificial pre-lit tree ... (tough for this northern girl to admit... but to my surprise it looks pretty good!) It's decorated with our own mish mash of ornaments collected over the years - some gifts, some bought, some made by the kids - or by us as kids!... Julia would get annoyed at her younger sister for putting 3 ornaments on the same branch, but for some reason, no fighting could get to me that day... (unlike the gingerbread house experience... which is foreign to me growing up!)... this is different... I just soaked it in and enjoyed doing that with the girls - bringing back lots of memories... I do look forward to having a real tree in the house again! (I miss the smell! I guess I'll have to light candles this year - not the same... I know...), regardless, the tradition lives on in our family (minus the heading off into the bush... I don't think it'll ever be quite like that again! Tree farms with their perfectly manicured trees just aren't the same - even if you do get to cut it down yourself! - and no, I've never felt guilty about cutting down a tree for Christmas... I've planted thousands upon thousands of trees during my university years as a summer job!)


I always find such a void in January when all the decorations are gone... the house looks so EMPTY! For now, it's warm and awesome! Still a work in progress, but it's coming and I love it ;)

It's quiet...

Have you ever had those moments where your head is spinning, you have so many things on your list of things to do, nothing seems to be getting done and you don't even know where to start? Add to that 3 kids' school, nap and day schedules which limit the amount of time you have to accomplish anything... I have a bedroom half painted... not sure when I'll get the second coat on the first two walls done... let alone paint the other two walls at all (which will involve some heavy lifting to move a desk and shelving unit out first...). Then there are the boxes in the basement to sort through (that we've been dragging around for a few years in our "temporary moves"...) We're staying put now and the basement is newly finished... so it's time to sort and purge! Oh and that reminds me of the baseboards I still have to finish painting around the main room down there... then there's reorganizing the girls rooms (once the painting is done of course) so that we can make room for the crib for the baby and finally get her out of her basinnette (which she's quickly outgrowing!). And my girls just can't wait to take out the Christmas decorations... let's just say that the gingerbread house that my mother-in-law brought over last night wasn't as joyful an experience as it could have been today with my head spinning and exhaustion hitting! Now they want the tree up, the decorations out... and all I can think of is needing to get things in their place first and get a handle on the clutter and the post-construction chaos before taking more things out!

I wish I had a solid week to myself... or maybe even just two days in a row... wow... imagine what I could accomplish! For now, I've got a few moments here or there... thankful that my husband took the older kids out to play for a few hours... I didn't get to nap like I hoped (which I never do but badly needed today!) because the baby woke up (typical!)... but I have been enjoying some quietness in the house (I've got a happy baby ;) TV off, floors vaccuumed, at least the main floor feeling more in order... Peace... For the moment... I just won't venture downstairs or open my eyes too wide when I go upstairs and see my unfinished paint job and the piles of clothes here and there from my 3-year old who is forever emptying her dresser drawers and toy bins and the drawer full of hair ties and clips... unloading her "treasures" off STUFF into whatever bags and containers she can get her hands on, which I later find all over the house and need to sort through and put away AGAIN... Okay, I'm getting worked up just thinking about it...

Back to my quiet living room... I'll just enjoy the peace for now! The girls are about to run back in the door with daddy... back to reality! I love my girls and I'm excited to be finally settling into our home more... today is just one of those days when I wish I had the time alone to get everything done YESTERDAY! At this very moment, I'm too tired to be sorting out boxes and don't have time to start painting... so here I find myself enjoying peace and doing a bit of typing... I guess I should suck it up, stop procrastinating and at least get to that basket of laundry now that needs folding... I think it's going to be an early night tonight! (as long as the baby cooperates of course!) Oh, she's up now... I guess the laundry will have to wait... AGAIN!

Wisdom from Bees?

I just watched the Bee Movie with Jerry Seinfeld. There were lots of great lines in there that got me thinking... The movie starts off with this narration (which also appears in print on the screen)... I just had to write this down...

"According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way that a bee should be able to fly.
It's wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground.
The bee, or course, flies anyway.
Because bees don't care what humans think is impossible."

I just love that! So typical of us to think that we know everything - have an answer and an explanation for everything and think that we can determine what is possible and impossible. I started looking up a few Bible verses about the possible and the impossible and I found a recurring theme of the impossible only being possible with God...

At one point, a man comes to Jesus asking Him, if it's at all possible, to heal his son who has been having seizures since childhood ("if you can" he says)... Jesus' response: "If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes." (Mark 9:23) Who are we to limit what God can do when we come to Him and ask in faith!

Mark 10:27 "With man this [being saved] is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Jeremiah 32:17 "Ah Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."

Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Then there's Hebrews 11:6 "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Human wisdom... an oxymoron? I'm thinking so! I love that James 1:5 assures us that if any of us lacks wisdom, we should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to us. And with that and the knowledge that all things are possible with God... there is hope for us yet!

79.1

That's what I paid per litre at the pump yesterday - what a nice break from the summer prices when 1.30-1.35 was the norm and 1.20 seemed like a HUGE deal! ... then the diaper cream and eye drops I really needed were both on sale when I happened to step in the store to buy just those two items... and an awesome 50 piece Mr. Potato head set which I know the girls will love was 65% off for under $8, AND I found a huge stash of Canadian Tire money in the house, when my dad and I seemed to making lots of trips there to pick up little needed things for our various house projects this week!

It's been one of those crazy weeks where I've been running a lot - knocking many things off the list - and all the while having this deep sense that I am very blessed...

Not only by the random deals (that's a bonus), but mostly for other reasons... Knowing that JD's off learning and growing lots in his course and I can't wait to hear about it as I can tell he's all excited in our brief exchanges - I'm excited to see where God is leading him and us in the near and distant future... Thankful for my dad and the amazing help he's been this week - making breakfast for the girls who every morning looked forward to running downstairs to see Grand-Papa who has been completing countless odd jobs and big jobs around the house that would have otherwise remained left undone for much longer... Thankful for our new furnace that went in yesterday - as the old one kept conking out at least every couple of days, and in recent days, more than once a day... Feeling blessed driving past a house fire 5 minutes away that left a home in absolute ruins, wondering how the family is coping... Grateful for my amazing mother-in-law who randomly does kind and wonderful things for us - from dropping off a lasagna, or a Christmas wreath (sp?), or winter boots for me or clothes for the girls... Excited about the direction and focus that we have with Mom's Moments as Anna and I have been working together and looking ahead at the year to come for the ministry... Thankful for the beautiful smiles of my three blue-eyed girls... Excited to have them discover the train tomorrow as we go on an adventure to meet up with daddy riding the rails...

I have a head ache tonight, I have tons to do before we leave tomorrow... but as I'm tempted to let my head ache (which I RARELY HAVE) make me stay grumpy... I'm reminded of all of these blessings... now I'm off to pack with my heart a little lighter, despite the throbbing head, remembering that God is good, and that I am blessed...

Home Alone...

I don't know about you, but I've never been really fond of being home alone for extended periods of time. Growing up with 7 people in the house, being home alone didn't happen too often! I guess I just got accustomed to the comfort of knowing that at least someone else was in the house. My university housemates were never too far either, so that was nice!

When we were first married and lived up in Moose Factory, I can remember J.D. being out of town for business for the week and getting a knock at the door at eleven o'clock at night. I was taken by surprise... as usually late night visitors (if there were any) would be for him and have to do with the fire department or something... but he was away... maybe someone wasn't aware? (unlikely on a small island with a population of three to four thousand - depending on who you ask!) I reluctantly (and stupidly) opened the door to find a middle-aged man - a complete stranger who was obviously in a drunken state - who (with his body swaying to and fro) proceeded to ask me if he could use my washroom... the first thing I could think to say was "Can you go across the street?" (???!!?) In a split second, I had him convinced that he had the wrong house and had the door shut and locked so fast with him heading across the street to find the "right" house... (sorry Phoebe)! I didn't know what else to say!! All I could think of was this man passing out on my floor... what would I do with him then? Didn't want him in the house! I was thankful to have my 130 pound Alaskan Malamute by my side at the door... but with my heart racing, he still didn't make me feel so safe in that moment (nor did my "friend" at the door seem phased by him in his state...)!

Well, my husband's away for the week again, this time for a course, and I still get spooked at times - the creeks in the house sound louder... my senses more alert... Well, I'm thankful that I only had one night alone with the girls and that my dad has come to spend the week with us in J.D.'s absense! I don't notice the night noises now, the girls are distracted and aren't asking for daddy so much and I have a feeling that we're going to get many odd jobs done around the house this week! So the creeks won't be keeping me up (though I'm usually too tired for that these days...) hopefully the baby will cooperate and let me sleep!

Good night all!

Skating Life Lessons

So my dreams of making skating our family bonding activity for the winter were fast fading away... nearly crashed and burned to be honest... Julia was HATING skating. I guess I wouldn't like it either if the other kids my size (and smaller) were zipping around me on the ice! I wish we had started her sooner... (like her sister who just turned 3 and is starting to move around okay out there! She just gets tired quickly...) We had many pep talks about how we don't quit and give up... we just need to keep trying, even when something is difficult, with practice, it will come and will even seem easy one day (ie. getting up when she fell was the first hurdle... got over that one! But still wasn't convinced that the rest would get any easier or any more fun...). So it was a fight. We took the girls for a family skate one Saturday, and she wouldn't even get ON the ice with us... GREAT! Didn't turn out to be quite the happy family time I had envisioned...


But we still held on, praying that she'd turn the corner and just "get it" one day - (how could she not skate? Her Northern parents have been in skates their entire lives!! It's unthinkable!). I prayed that this whole ordeal would turn into a nice life lesson on perseverance... I was starting to lose hope however... and then last week, it happened! She started working with a teacher one-on-one for a bit at the start of the lesson, and it made ALL the difference in the world! It boosted her confidence, she started to try more and didn't reach out for the teen helpers anymore. This past Saturday she was all too eager to go to the rink for a family skate and this time she didn't want to get off the ice, an hour and a half later! She was so excited when skating night came this week... it's been amazing to see her start to improve a lot now that she believes she can do it. Her attitude has changed, she's having fun, has more confidence and is actually starting to skate a bit!


Phew! I'm glad this has become a bit more of a positive experience... Now we can enjoy the family bonding times on the ice for family skates like I had hoped all along ;)

History in the making

This morning as we were getting ready for school, I had the TV turned on and was half watching the news... reactions about the Obama win... I knew that this was history in the making... the first black President of the United States... I thought I should let my eldest in on this... who knows, it may be one of those things she remembers when she's older, having been there to witness history in the making as a kid.

We first talked about voting... got her to relate by thinking of things they vote for in class - whether they want to play soccer or at the park... she got it and started to offer up all kinds of examples of things they'd voted on in class... this led to the idea that we vote for the people who will lead our country. We in Canada just did that recently, and last night was the United States turn... She was fascinated with lots of questions as she looked at pictures of the new president elect and his family on the TV screen, and asked what our Canadian Prime Minister looked like (more like "is that ours mom?" as she saw different people on the screen).

I think it's important to make our kids aware of world events when we witness history taking place before us! I still remember sitting in my classroom as a kid when the teacher told us about the fall of the Berlin Wall. That stayed with me. We were also given the assignment of asking our parents what major events in history they can remember witnessing in their lives. For some reason, that conversation with my mom across the kitchen counter is a vivid memory still... Kennedy's assassination being one that had stayed with her and a few others (I can't remember... mom, fill in the blanks!).

A black president. This will go right up there with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the worldwide SARS outbreak... amongst others!

What world events do you remember watching as history unfolded before your eyes? Post a comment - let me know!

Why can't we all just get along?

After just one week of having our Betta fish, we had to separate them.  Though they shared a little aquarium, they were already separated by a glass (as they're not known to play nice with each other).  They were starting to get aggressive towards each other as they tried to intimidate each other through the glass... So, they each got their own little aquariums and now sit side by side with just enough space between them.  They each have more space to swim and can probably see each other in the "distance" through the "seaweed".  Sometimes we put cardboard between the aquariums when they seem to notice each other a bit too much... at that point they seem really preoccupied by the cardboard as though they want to see what's on the other side again!

You know, I bet they miss each other now!  Isn't that the way we are in life?  When something (or someone) is too accessible, too much around, too "in your face", just always there, we often take it/them for granted and can get annoyed, angry or threatened by their mere presence.  But remove that thing or person from your immediate surroundings... often its only then that we really appreciate them... and it's at that point that we learn to have a healthier relationship with them... 

So our fish are seemingly happier - but they're not too far away from each other... Are there things or people you're keeping at arm's length?  Still in sight, but not in your face?  Just a happy balance... maybe that's the key we need to get along or to better cope with the people and things around us... a little healthy distance!

Doesn't the world revolve around ME?

Well... NO. Two thoughts... First, as kids, we innately seem to have the "me, me, me - mine - I want, I want - NOW" mindset from the start. Though if you (like me) have siblings, reality settles in a bit faster that the world just doesn't work like that... at the very least, you figure it out when you start school... there are in fact other people around and no, its not all about me and my entitlement.

Second thought... we, for the most part, live a life of privilege in North America. I once heard a parent tell the story of their son (living in a beautiful lakefront log home) who at the age of 3 asked a friend: "What lake do you live on?" Doesn't everyone have the same life as me? Why wouldn't a child think that way... unless they're taught (and that boy was sure enlightened that day!)

So, these two thoughts lead me to this... in our highly self-absorbed privileged society, there's a lesson I feel I need to instill in my children... essentially, it's one of compassion... becoming aware of others' needs around us - whether they are poor, sick, oppressed, or just different...

The teachable moments have been quite sporadic in the past years, but seem to be peeking with my oldest daughter these days, and I'm feeling like I've got to seize the moment! We have donated non-perishables to the local food bank and hygienic products and clothes to an inner city church's drop-in center as she's been learning about the needs of others in our community at school and in Sunday school. This will extend nicely into November as I love taking the opportunity to put together a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child - going to the store together to buy NOTHING for us, but only for a child or two in other parts of the world who don't have all that we have... I enjoy watching my daughter thinking about what that child should have, might need, and what might make them happy as we walk down the aisles of the department store. That's been a wonderful experience in the past, though I was so busy with work last year, I totally missed the boat. I'm more on the ball this year!

I also want to make the kids more aware of our sponsored children (one through World Vision and the other through Compassion Canada), reading the letters, writing letters and sending pictures and artwork from the kids... I've ben really slacking on that front... I'd like to put the pictures of the children on our fridge so that we don't so easily forget about them as a family, but rather can begin to pray for them and maybe spark conversations with our kids with a more frequent reminder of those around the world who are less privileged. I think that seeing the faces and drawings of our sponsored children and knowing more about them and where they live (geography lessons while we're at it!) will also make the experience of preparing our Christmas shoe boxes that much more real for them.

There are wonderful opportunities out there to teach our children about compassion. About loving our neighbour (locally and abroad). Recognizing the needs of others and taking action to make a difference. Friends of ours began "Trick or Treat for Hope" which gets the youth in the community involved to collect non-perishables for the local food bank every year at Halloween. There are all kinds of things we can do! I hope to be more intentional about not letting those teachable moments so easily slip by!

At some point, I also want to introduce my children to Craig Kielburger, who at the age of 12 in his home in Canada was hit by the image of a boy on the front page of the newspaper who was in a world of child labour a world away. That sparked a passion in him, and he went to school that day and rallied his friends to care as well. They formed "Free the Children" whose slogan is "children helping children through education". Now in his 20s and a university graduate, he travels as a motivational speaker with his "Be the Change" tour, challenging young people to not sit passively by, but to take action and to make a difference in the world around them.

I think that says it all... "Be the Change". Though my kids may not go on to start international organizations like Craig (though who am I to limit them if they so choose!?), I do want them to learn the importance of loving others and doing what we can to help those in need. Didn't Jesus give us that as as the greatest commandment? LOVE! And what is love if it isn't followed by action?

The slogans for these various organizations are quite powerful...

"The power of a simple gift" - Operation Christmas Child by Samaritan's Purse

"Change a life, Change your own" - World Vision

"Releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name" - Compassion Canada

"Be the change" - Free the children

All of these are calling for us to take action! I also love this quote from Helen Keller (who was blind and deaf) "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

No, it's not all about me... An important lesson to learn (and more importantly to remember!) It's all too natural for me to have my selfish tendencies creep in at a moment's notice... to become absorbed in my own little fast-paced North-American life and my own "little" problems and forget altogether about the needs of those around us... As a teacher, I've always found that I learn best when I have to teach something... maybe that's what I'm hoping for as I long to be more intentional about teaching my children about compassion. BE the change, what a revolutionary concept.

How was your day?

Last night as I was getting the kids ready for bed, my daughter said this to me: "Mom, I want to start today all over again." ... "Why?" I asked, not quite sure what she meant, wondering if something had gone wrong today... Her response: "Because I LOVED today! It was the perfect day!"

Interesting, I thought, seeing as today was just a regular week day... school bus, classes, homework... sure she got to play with friends from church at our small group tonight, and she got to share brownies with her class to celebrate her belated birthday (from the weekend)... but a perfect day? It was just a week day! Oh, maybe it was because she had Hip Hop at lunch today... but that's a weekly occurance at school... what was it that made this day so perfect for her?

As I think about her comment today, it makes me wonder how many of my regular week days I would long to repeat because they were just perfect... Dare I say most likely none? I wouldn't want to repeat my screw ups with my impatience... or the nights I pass by the mountain of clothes that still needs to be folded on my way up to bed and realize I didn't get half the things done that I had hoped! I rather start a clean slate the next day...

I think my best days (I'm talking during the week routine days) would be those when I've ignored the computer, have been productive in knocking things off my list of things to do, have gotten a good dinner on the table and did not miss out on moments to stop and spend time with my kids and husband, and maybe even connected with a friend (bonus!). Oh and I LOVE the days I've been able to get outside for a walk or run... Actually, when I think about it, yesterday was a good day for me too! I was pretty productive around the house (laundry done, folded AND put away, floors cleaned), playtime with the kids, an hour playing Cranium's "Caribou" game with my daughter (over and over again!), then enjoyed the company of friends at our small group, and had a great conversation with my sister over the phone before heading to bed... I guess it was a great day, even if it wasn't out of the ordinary (I might have fully not noticed if I hadn't stopped to think about it...).

I love my daughter's comment because it was really about living a day with no regrets... something I'm learning about these days...
How would you rate your day?

What's your act of green?

I just saw a commercial on CBC Television asking just this question. They call it "One Million Acts of Green", one act at a time. The commercial featured Canadian TV personalities as well as David Suzuki stating what their "acts of green" were (everything from turning off the tap when brushing their teeth and using energy light bulbs, to Suzuki's picking up at least one piece of garbage per day and putting it back in its proper place). Then they ask us again: "What's your act of green?"

That got me thinking... well, I usually always use cold water to do the laundry; I rarely use the dishwasher (unless it would be completely full... which is rare) because I find it wastes too much water and energy to run (and I want to be able to use that cup I need NOW!); I am a diligent (for the most part) recycler and composter (I love the green bin! Not sure why they accept diapers in the green bin, but it sure helps me to reduce my garbage which only gets picked up every 2nd week); I keep the thermostat in the house at reasonable levels (not HOT in the winter and COLD in the summer... we adjust it at night as well); I turn off the tap when I brush my teeth too (habit); and we just started putting our 1st grader on the school bus (finally) which saves us tons of gas from driving back and forth because her school is not close (I spent 1.5-2 hrs in the car every day just to drop her off and pick her up... there were also many other factors acting as motivators for this one); I try to use reusable grocery bags (but I most often seem to forget them at home which is of no use to me when I'm at the store check-out... but I try!); oh and I've carpooled to work when it was convenient to save on gas (prices have gotten to be ridiculous in the last year in particular!!)

Okay, despite my ecology background from my university studies, I'm no environmental guru... I get it, I try, but I'm no environmental superhero! I'm not a fan of the energy bulbs and the odd food or yogurt cup will end up in the garbage instead of the green bin or recycling... And many of my "acts of green" aren't always environmentally motivated (that's usually a bonus!) - more often they are motivated by saving money, convenience, necessity, or just plain habit... Nonetheless... they count! And I think that's just the point of this new campaign the CBC is launching... it's all the little things that add up and end up making a difference.

Our next acts of green? Retrofitting our home with a more efficient furnace (ours is about to croak) and replacing drafty windows and doors (weatherstripping the windows until we can get to replacing them... the doors should be done in the next week or so - YAY!). We're going to do a home energy audit before the renovations, which could give us up to $10,000 in federal grants and provincial rebates - another YAY! (http://www.homeperformance.com/).

Visit http://www.onemillionactsofgreen.com/ and add your acts to the grand total. As the CBC promo says... "Because you don't get to a million without starting at one. So, get ready to go green. One act at a time." So... what's your act of green?

A Family Pet

When I first met my husband, he had this beautiful little Alaskan Malamute puppy, just a few months old. For this girl who never had a pet in her life growing up (other than horses on the farm up the road... not quite house pets!), the prospect of having a 130 pound dog in my house two years later when we were looking at getting married freaked me out! All that dog hair to vacuum, pet hair on our clothes when we went out, cleaning up the backyard after the dog... I wasn't too excited about the idea! But it was firmly made clear that the dog was part of the package!

Well, I fell in love with our Malamute. He quickly became MY dog. I fed him, brushed him, walked him every day on the hiking trails around where we lived, took him cross-country skiing in the winter. His commanding presence kept me feeling safe when my husband was out of town for work. He was beautiful! We sadly had to say goodbye to him when our first born was just under a year old. Once we had more kids, I couldn't imagine adding a new dog to the clan...

My eldest has had a fear of dogs since she was a toddler, but in the past few months has started asking for a dog (knowing that a cat is out of the question with her dad's allergy... which would probably have been her first choice). We just added a new baby to the family... I can't imagine having to take care of a dog on top of the kids right now!

We got our first family pets today... Betta fish. No dog... but my birthday girl was extremely happy to have a pet to take care of (one for her younger sister too). Everyone wins! (and she already knows that fish don't live forever... her friend in school was sad when he lost his dog and was now getting a new one, so she gets that pets don't live forever... bonus!)

Better believe it!

If you're a mom, let me ask you this... Do you ever have those moments when you just think to yourself "I can't believe I'm a mom!" I have these moments periodically... It's usually when I check on the kids at night before I crawl into bed and see them sleeping so peacefully, or when I'm doing dishes or folding the never ending pile of clothes (is it just me? I just can't keep up! I digress) it can hit me as I work and watch them playing well together, or when one of them says something so sweet (and at times deep - out of the mouths of babes!)... it's in those near perfect moments that it just hits me... I can't believe I'm a mom! (okay - my kids aren't always perfect... but it's usually a safe bet when they're sleeping!) In the less perfect or otherwise rushed moments, I'm too busy dealing with whatever is going on... doesn't lend itself to these pensive times!

I can still picture myself at home with my parents as a little girl with THEM being the parents, and my mom having all the answers and just the perfect words of encouragement to calm me as I cried about problems with friends or whatever it might be... but now it's my turn! How time FLIES! Okay, maybe I haven't mastered how to remove every and any kind of stain out of clothes yet... or I'm not a seasoned chef either (yet - that's for another blog entry!)... but I do hear myself saying things that my mom used to tell me... and I find myself making "mom" type decisions about whether it's time to start piano lessons or to take the school bus, or I see myself cherishing those quiet moments at the bedside when my 1st grader ponders her day, shares her fears and worries and asks a thousand and one questions... I can vividly remember my mom and I having many chats with her sitting on the edge of my bed as I had difficulty falling asleep. I don't want to be too rushed and miss those moments - it's too easy for me to get frustrated at bedtime when the calls for me come down the stairs from their bedrooms when I don't FEEL like heading up there AGAIN!

I'm a mom. Yep! It's my turn! Not only am I a mom, but I'm a mom with 3 children and I've been married a year and a bit shy of a decade! Time really does fly. Even though I'm not a little girl anymore, I am glad that my mom's still my mom. She's still a great sounding board and gives good advice when I ask for it... I'm thankful for our chats and times together then and now as I continue to learn about how to become a better mom as my girls grow up.

I'm so very thankful for my beautiful family and I pray that God would continue to mold me into being the mom that He wants me to be.

The Birthday Party Frenzy

My 1st grader has already had countless invitations to birthday parties this year, and its just October! Bowling, rock climbing, Zooz (jungle-theme play gym), gymnastics gym, the public pool... you name it! Birthdays seem to go way overboard these days... there's the family party, the school friends party, the neighbourhood friends party... cupcakes for school... add the pile of gifts they accumulate at these parties where the entire class is invited, and it gets to be ridiculous!

Growing up, I don't remember us ever having birthday parties. In fact, I actually only remember one friend, Stephanie, ever having a party for our entire class at her house. We ate mini-pizzas on english muffins (or were they bagels?) and played some party games. I haven't forgotten because it was the only one I can remember attending as a kid! Okay, maybe we had the odd sleepover with a couple of girlfriends... but that was about it. The tradition in our home (of 5 kids) was that on our birthday, we got to pick our favourite meal which mom would prepare (mine being spaghetti), then we had cake (we usually all wanted the store-bought chocolate McCain Deep 'n Delicious cakes - two stacked one on top of the other - though my sister liked the marbled chocolate/vanilla cake - and I can remember requesting angel cake a few times - one year it had sticky marshmellow icing - yum!). We could also usually invite one or two of our friends to join us around the dinner table... and that was about it! And it was enough to make us feel special. (I don't remember the friends bringing gifts either... it wasn't about that!) That was OUR special day. I love the simplicity of it all...

Now that I have my own kids, I'm trying to resist the unreasonably overboard birthday party craze which seems to have settled in as "normal" these days... My 3 year-old and I both celebrated our birthdays together last month with a quiet family dinner and cake, joined by grandma. In the past, we've usually kept our family birthdays low key, inviting a few neighbourhood friends over for a BBQ maybe, or just for cake and to play (usually with a homemade chocolate cake decorated with flowers made out of smarties). Last year, for the first time, we actually had a little party for my eldest. She was allowed 5 school friends for her 5th birthday. We played games, had pizza and cake and had one of her friends stay longer for a special birthday play-date (because I knew she'd freak out once they all left and the day wasn't over yet!)...

So this year, as her 6th birthday approaches next week, she's allowed 6 friends and has been planning for weeks! My girls have moments when they struggle with it being "NOT FAIR" when it's one's birthday and not the other's... I'm trying to teach them that there's nothing fair or unfair about it! We just each have our turns and have to wait an entire year before its our turn again! If only birthdays came around more often... or NOT! Regardless, it's finally her turn, and let me tell you, my organized party planner is MORE than ready!

Happy Birthday my sweet!

Voting Day

Today is decision day for Canadians (that day is fast approaching for our American neighbours as well). I am reminded of the grade 10 Civics course I taught last year. It's a half-semester course on how the Canadian government and electoral system work in our country. It teaches students to be informed, purposeful and active citizens in their communities, province, country and the world. In teaching the course, I came across the following quote that came to mind today as I headed to the polling station near our home to vote.

"In a democratic state, the power of voting gives to the individual regal authority; but when he surrenders this priviledge to another, he dethrones himself." - Eschines

It baffles me that so many in the free world do not exert their right to vote when around the world, people are denied this priviledge. There are stories of cohersion in so called "democratic elections" of people fearing for their safety (and at times for their life) if they do not vote as they're told. Often, they don't have the option to vote at all. People are fighting oppression to obtain this basic political right which we so freely hold in North America today.

Even in looking at our own country (and of our neighbours to the South), women and many minority groups fought greatly in history for their right to vote when only male land-owners could vote back in the day! We've come a long way... or have we? Why is it that now that we have the right to vote, so many forget what it took to even have the option? It is truly our responsibility as citizens, yet so many passively (and lazily) take it for granted! (go back to the quote if you need some convincing...).

SO, if you think that your vote won't make a difference... or you wouldn't know who to vote for... whatever the excuse... get over it! Become informed, take action and get out to vote! There is no excuse. It is not only our right, but more importantly, it is a priviledge and our responsibility!

So much to be thankful for...

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians at home and abroad! This past weekend was a truly special one with much to be thankful for indeed.

The weather was like summer weather after having had a cold snap a week ago... we were in short sleeves and shorts enjoying the sunshine and warmth (perplexed that those in Saskatchewan had quite the snowfall!!). We had a wonderful family stroll in the park by the lake with the kids Thanksgiving Monday, my dad joined the 5 of us which was great (it's always a treat to have my parents and grandmother visiting!). The kids were loving exploring as we walked on the boardwalk and path by the water... checking out the geese and ducks, the holes in the trees, wondering who might live there, hiking up the little trails that shoot off from the main one, stopping to observe the slow movements of a snail on a leaf (I'm still amazed that my daughter even noticed it - calling us back to admire what we had so blatantly missed!), testing our balance by walking on the edge of the boardwalk one foot in front of the other (where it was grassy and just a step below, so falling wouldn't have been a big deal!) A short play time at the park on our way by...

By far the highlight of our weekend was Sunday. We had our baby girl's dedication at church. We were joined by a good number of friends and family as we followed in the footsteps of Mary and Joseph when they went to dedicate Jesus to the Lord in the temple when He was but a babe.

I think that recognizing that our children are gifts from God, and then giving them back to Him, essentially acknowledging that we NEED His help and wisdom to raise them, is the most important thing that we can do as parents. A few verses resonate in my head...

"For you [God] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:13

An amazing reminder that we are miraculously created by God in the womb! That my children were created BY GOD, in MY WOMB. I'm thankful for these gifts from God! What a miracle.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Thank God that I don't have to rely on my own smarts and know-how! I'm hugely lacking in the child-rearing expertise in particular!

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:5-6

Okay, so I could have ignored vs.6 - the don't doubt part... but it's in there! I'm just thankful that I can come to God with confidence, admit that I LACK wisdom, and trust that He will guide me and help me in my days and in particular, as I raise these children with my husband!

"He [God] tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:11

How thankful I am that God "tends" to us, and particularly is leading me, a mom with kids! I'm also thankful that he "gently" leads... because I know I make mistakes along the way! But I learn from them and continue to ask Him for wisdom on a daily basis!

I can't imagine raising these children without knowing the above... God is helping me every step of the way... THAT I am in deed thankful for!

The dance fiasco

My eldest fell in love with ballet last year (while in Kindergarten) due in part to a brief "princess dance" session (ballet essentially). So in September, we decided to sign her up for dance (though I'm not fond of the idea that it goes ALL YEAR LONG).

Well, dance had a bit of a rough start this fall... Initially, it was to be ballet and jazz, back to back. But then she BEGGED me to do tap. Doing all three was out of the question, so in my stupidity, I seemed to think that (in theory) it might be manageable to do ballet right after school, have a 45 min. break where we could run up the street to grab a slice of pizza before tap. That would bring us home around 7pm, in time for the bedtime routine. It would be a nice girls night out... right!?

Not so much. The first week was BRUTAL! We ran like crazy, were late for both classes, her tap shoes were on back order, and no one told her mommy that she was supposed to switch into a black outfit with tan tights from her pink ballet outfit in between classes... (did I ever hear about that one when the class was over! poor kid... she was a real trooper during class though and never complained!) So we got the wardrobe right the second week (the tap shoes still on back order), but I found myself dredding Thursday all week! All of that running around, with a 3 year old and 2 month old trailing (the latter needing to be breastfed by the time tap rolled around...).

I consulted my common sense to recognize that the entire thing was just NUTS! So I had a chat with my dear daughter and asked which one she absolutely wanted to do, because we just couldn't do both. Without too much protest (to my surprise) for having to drop one, she was excited to choose tap (again, to my surprise). Now we have time to come home for a nice dinner and to feed the baby before heading out for tap class (with her new tap shoes... finally!). Phew!

Oh whose kidding who, we're still rushing to get homework done, shove food down our throats and rushing out the door to make it to tap on time... but it's WAY better than before!

When did we all get so busy?

In a parenting series at our church, Rocky Dundas, one of the pastors at the time, said something that I found truly profound. He spoke of kids today being in essence "experience rich, but relationship poor." Wow. It rung true for me on so many levels and has stayed with me over a year and a half later.

I see it all the time as a high school teacher... students are no longer content doing one activity at a time... they have overlapping seasons of volleyball, indoor soccer, intertube waterpolo, plus music and drama and part-time jobs... and then they say that we give too much homework! Dare I say that maybe they're taking on too much so that there's no time left FOR homework?? (just a thought). I don't remember us being that busy as teens!? And I've always been pretty outgoing!

The problem is not only that kids (young ones too) and their parents are constantly racing everwhere to get to something, but that families now consist of individuals with such different schedules and interests, that they barely meet at the dinner table, let alone to cross paths on weekends...

This idea of experience rich and relationship poor kids is a concept that hits a bit closer to home now that my daughters are growing into the age of participating in more activities (swimming, dance, skating). I look down the road, and wonder if it's wise to put them in this or that... I don't want to set them up to have one activity take over, nor do I want them out 4 times a week from one activity to the next! I aim for one night a week (two MAX). This fall in particular, I've really found myself examining and weighing what activities we were considering for our 1st grader.

I reluctantly put her in dance (that's for a whole other post!). By far, the highlight of my week is Wednesday night skating. We were able to get both our 3 and 6 year-olds on the ice at the same time (in different age groups of course - though their ability levels are equal! They're both just starting out...) I think my husband and I will end up enjoying this as an unofficial date night, sitting in the stands, watching both girls! Finding an activity that they can do at the same time is a step in the right direction I think...

My dream is that we could find family activities that we can enjoy together, like my family did growing up. There are 5 of us kids, and we spent every weekend staying at my grandmother's 1.5 hrs. away to go skiing. We also had horses and spent much time at the barn up the road with them. We have many great memories together and all 5 of us are still very close (despite our differences and the great geographical spread between us!) I long for that closeness between my girls as they grow up. For this winter, I hope that skating can become our family activity to practice with the girls on weekends...

Is it too idealistic in today's day and age for a family to still enjoy activities together instead of always running in opposite directions as the kids get older? I hope not. It's my dream. Idealistic or not.

Ground Rules

In an attempts to keep life simple and in effect richer (ie. spending more time enjoying my family instead of being glued to the computer screen...) here I go setting some ground rules for myself. I will try to keep blogging to a once a week thing. Why? Because computer use can become addictive... you see, it starts all quite innocently as I jump on the computer to check just one quick thing... which leads to the next thing, then the next... and before you know it, I've been on the computer for longer than I had planned and I'm frustrated when a 3-year old is interrupting me mid-thought or mid-task pulling on my arm for me to come and play... or I realize how late it is and that I've just missed out on some PRECIOUS sleep! (I have a 3-month old... as well as a barely 3 and nearly 6 year-old... in short, I need my sleep!)

Two years ago, I started working with my dear friend Anna as well as my sister Caroline on Mom's Moments - an online ministry for moms (http://www.momsmoments.ca/). I spent countless hours the first 6 months setting up the website, formatting new templates for the monthly newsletters, you name it. Then I unexpectedly went back to work teaching full time as a job literally came knocking. Once I was back to work and juggling to balance life, longing for more time at home with my kids, I hugely kicked myself for having spent so much time in front of the computer screen instead of enjoying more quality time with them when I had the chance! Don't get me wrong, I am glad I put that work in back then, so that Mom's Moments is where it is now and it is not a large time commitment on my part. I learned last year when I was back to work to find a good balance and just do what I HAD to, not taking on new projects...

Now that I'm on leave again, I vowed to not make myself busy again... certainly not in front of a computer screen... that instead I would ENJOY my kids and husband, start getting excited about cooking more, making more time for friends, maybe even get scrapbooking again (it's been 2 years since I've done any)... and here I catch myself finding another thing to draw me to the computer... I have resisted facebook for this reason - I don't want another excuse to be stuck to the computer screen!

So back to the ground rules... because I know myself... I will aim to keep myself from posting on this blog more than once a week... or at the very least not at times when I could otherwise be spending time with my kids (or getting something else done that I should be... cleaning, cooking, exercising or sleeping!?!) Otherwise, I'm sure I could find myself jumping on the computer more often than I should. I already have all kinds of ideas about things I'd like to blog about... I'll just have to save them for later!

In short, I'm both excited and mad at myself for starting this blog all at once... all the while wondering exactly why I'm doing this? I'm not too sure... just felt like I needed to write... I'm lifting it all up to God... who knows where this will go... ??

So now I sign off to change a diaper, clean my kitchen and eat some lunch (before I keep typing and none of the above get done... all of which would be BAD).

Why blog? Who knows...

Okay, so I never got the point of blogging and have often caught myself making fun of my husband for always needing to be so "connected" to so many people all the time... facebook, twitter, blogs, the mighty Blackberry... and so it goes... I've resisted... I don't do facebook or twitter... actually, a friend has bugged me about blogging before, and I never even considered it until tonight.

So why am I starting now? Who knows really... I'm currently on maternity leave from teaching high school with our third daughter. I'm loving being able to be home 100% without having my time, energy and attention divided between home and work. I've been married almost 9 years. We've lived in 4 different towns (I can't say cities... the muddy streets of our first home on a native reserve on James Bay where I taught wouldn't qualify!) - and that's not counting the places I lived in when I went away for school. I have attended different churches (with our various moves - all of different denominations... Catholic - growing up, AGC in University and since marriage: Baptist, Presbyterian, and currently Christian Missionary Alliance - we just go where the teaching is sound, the people are real and the music is alive - as you can see, I don't have strong denominational ties!). I've worked for 3 different school boards, have attended various moms groups, discovered different towns recreational programs and trails... In all of that, I've met many people... co-workers, students, neighbours, babysitters, moms (from mom groups, daycare, the pool, dance class, church, pilates, you name it...), friends old and new... I've also apparently been doing a lot of thinking about family life, teaching, kids (my young ones and teens), marriage, communication, church, moms groups, friendships... Seeing how different people do things in different places... different mind sets... different ideas... different cultures... contrasted with the things that are the same regardless of where you are... I'm discovering that all of this has turned me into quite a thinker as I wade through my days which are quickly turning into years and dare I say decades, trying to build a strong family unit rooted in Christ.

So back to my question - why blog? Well, I can easily rush through life (as I certainly did last year at warp speed might I add), but when I take the time to think and write, I find I learn more and I'm more able to live life intentionally instead of just letting life "happen" to me day in day out. I want my husband and I to be intentional about the life we're building together with our girls. So basically, this blog is me reflecting about the things I'm working through and figuring out as I keep plugging away in these things called life and motherhood.

I look forward to hear your insights along the way, so do share! Thanks for reading the ramblings of this Northern Ontario girl of no particular expertise to speak of...