1/31/11

Bob the Snowman



We got snow, but the rest of the town didn't. And it was perfect snowman snow. Ya for us.

Adorable


4.5 months old, 68cm long, 15 lbs

1/27/11

Chicken

If you ask the twins what they would like for dinner, 99% of the time they will answer, "Chicken." Now, however, there are 2 different types of chicken: Yummy Chicken and Yucky Chicken. Since we eat a lot of Chicken, I hear this distinction quite often. Usually when we are sitting down to eat dinner. If only one twin has arrived he will announce to the other twin whether we are having yummy or yucky chicken.

This announcement has been going on for about a month, so I decided to ask them what the distinction was. I was pretty sure that I knew, but I wanted to hear it from their mouths. So, I asked twin1. His response was as follows: Yucky chicken has bones and a sauce. Yummy chicken is orange. Well since their favorite colour is orange, this affiliation is not so abstract. However, in their minds, Chicken Fingers or nuggets, which are breaded, are orange and are yummy. Any other chicken is deemed, "Yucky." And there you have it. Chicken a la twins: Yummy or Yucky. You pick.

Although, I might add that I really am not that bad of a cook. Yes, we eat a lot of chicken, but it is never cooked the same way twice in a week. For instance, so far this week we have had Chicken Satay and Terriyaki Chicken. Tomorrow we will have chicken sushi and the following day Salmon and finally Chicken burgers. Not so bad if I say so myself. Those poor, poor boys.

Oh and if you were to ask the toddler what he wants for dinner, 100% of the time he will respond, "MILK."

1/25/11

Bob the Builder


My husband decided to purchase and decorate a cake (Gluten Free) for the boys. They loved it. He is very talented. I would never comtemplate such a thing, but the kids love it.

Speaking of food. My husband has been experimenting with different food. I finally got him into the local library and on their website where he picked some cook books to be inspired by. We tried Thai and discovered that I do like curry, but it has to be coconut curry. Now we are on to Arabian. So, after the cake baking and decorating, he embarked on Arabian dinner. The main dish was delish with Chicken and Chickpeas, but the veggie was not worth repeating. The veggie was eggplants broiled and topped with a pomegranate/apricot glaze. I know, it sounds yummy. It was just a bit lacking, though. The toddler loved the pomegranates. He ate all of them out of the dish and the extra my husband had defleshed. I made some Naan bread to accompany the dinner. Another attempt needs to happen with that:( I wonder what he will chose next. I can't wait for this weekends picks.

Homeschool

Getting to know the shape of 'J' with Bingo Dobbers.

Sorting and counting Jelly Beans. Did you know there is almost double green? Oh and, no, they decided they do not like Jelly Beans. Crazy kids.

Creating designs and patterns using different shapes. They love this.

1/24/11

Photos

Well, we have a few big trips planned this year. We are renting an RV and driving to the middle of the country visiting family along the way for 2 weeks and then, insurance permitting, driving back through the states. Also, we are heading to Hawaii for a week. Ya. So. We needed to renew our passports and get some for the kids. Here comes the tricky part. No, not the endless paperwork, or finding someone to verify our info and sign our pictures.... the photos. Ug. Try getting 4 kids to sit still, look straight, don't smile or show teeth.... Need I say more. Oh, and since I have to hold the baby, I also have to make sure that no part of me is visible in the photo. Hmmm. Easy? No. It took us 1 1/2 hours to get pictures.

Since we were at the store and dressed in clean clothes we did decide to get a family photo. Lets just say, the photographer didn't quite understand that we did not care if we got the perfect picture. We know that that is pretty much impossible with 4 children 4 and under. My husband and I are realistic, but hope for the best. We just wanted a picture with the entire family in it at one time, preferable with no tongues hanging out or fingers up noses. We got what we wanted and it turned out pretty good. I'll post it later. At the end of the day I am exhausted and ready for bed. Goodnight.

1/19/11

Life

Llife is chaos around here. As always. But a little more so with the addition of a cranky baby. Why? I don't know. She was up at 4:30am today. I used to complain about her late nights, but I think I prefer late nights to early mornings. She has shortened up her naps, too - about 40 min- 1 hour. Ug. I can barely get a meal served, a shower, or some laundry done in that amount of time. Oh and not to mention some time spent with the kids....

*********

It is now another day. The toddler napped two days in a row and the baby has napped decently today. So, the stress I was feeling above is no longer there. It is amazing how quickly things can change around here.

It probably didn't help that I went off my diet and was eating crap. It is interesting to note how a poor diet can affect a persons attitude. I seemed to be on a crank rampage. Now all is okay. Hmm. Something to think about. Also, I wonder if the time I took for myself caused me to get out of sync as a mom. I don't think it helped that the twins were heading off on adventures, we would just get back to things and then they would be off again. I am glad that we chose to keep them home these last couple weeks.

The baby is loosing all of her hair. I hate to say it, but she looks a bit like a cancer patient. Her hair is gone in patches. The hair growing in underneath looks to be dark. So, I guess we are destined to have one of everything. What a mix. Although, I do not think the toddler will keep his platinum color.

1/15/11

Random




Here are the kids of late. I think twin1 was wearing about 8 shirts. The goof. And check out the house the boys built with the furnace box. Much fun was had with that. There is even a trap door in the roof. And we can't forget the cheese monster!! He has gone through a growth spurt and has lost quite a bit of chub. You can see a bit more definition in his facial features now. At present, he is in the bath. His favorite place in the house. Ah and there is the call that he is done.

Quilt



Here is the quilt that I ignored my family to accomplish. I am very happy with the result.

Exersaucer




Here are first pictures in the exersaucer. She loves it. Yes. And check out those cheeks. Too cute.

1/11/11

Long time, No write.

It feels like forever since I wrote last and I really do miss it. I feel a bit of a void in my life without being able to get out some of my thoughts. I have been busy quilting. I finished a simple, yet pretty quilt for the living room in a brick road style. I will post pictures later. Sewing seems to have absorbed me lately. However, I am ready to get back to the ebb and flow of everyday life. To clean my floor and put things where they belong. I prepped the kids school stuff for the remainder of the week and am ready to get at it again.

Our furnace kicked the buck and we spent last week heating the house with space heaters and the gas fire place. We played a game of musical space heaters because the breakers could only sustain 2 on at one time. I was forever moving the space heaters as kids required them. I am glad that is over. The basement play room was quite frigid. The new furnace went in today and the house is toasty warm again.

I attended my first home school parent gathering tonight. Interesting. As a newby and a parent of kids not quite at school age, I was hesitant to offer suggestions. I found several of the parents to be nervous about their kids progress. I thought they should just relax and watch things materialize. Find their childs passion and watch the learning happen. I wonder if I will be quite so relaxed when I am in the thick of things? Hmmm. I decided to attend for the comradery of people on a similar journey and so that I could talk with people who wouldn't look at me strangely when I say that my kids will be home schooled next year, so No I am not looking forward to getting my kids out of the house. I sat back and listened. And was happy to notice that not one of them seemed crazy!!

1/4/11

Life Renewed

These last few weeks have been quite enlightening and encouraging. We took last week off from homeschooling, since the twins were away, and I managed to spend some time on my own projects. Actually, these last few weeks, I have felt like I got my own back. I pretty much finished a quilt I have been working on for a year - the piecing is done, now for the quilting part. I am finally down to my pre-prego weight and with my wonderful husbands assistance brought my wardrobe somewhat up to date. Yet again, my wonderful husband surprised me with an awesome gift that I am thoroughly enjoying - a Nook Color. Fun. Fun. I 'rooted' it yesterday and now the possibilities are endless. I wasn't sure about reading books on a computer, but as long as you turn down the brightness it is kind of nice not to haul around a huge book and to have multiple books at hand. I am always researching some topic or another and like to have multiple books on the go, plus my mind numbing fiction book of the moment. I am in the process of beginning my next quilt - this one is for home. I have started walking and exercising when the kids head to bed and my husband is home from work. I seem to have emerged from the baby fog and am on my way back to livelihood again. The baby is allowing me to put her down some now. She will sit in her saucer or lay on the floor. It is amazing how much easier it is to get things done with 2 hands... Now to add home school back into the repertoire.

1/2/11

Wahoo

My family is reunited. I had little to talk about the last few days without my wonderful family being together. I have to say that it was a little dreary around here. Yes, we did have a wonderful dinner at Uncle's and Grandma's and I actually had several conversations and finished them. Yes, we went to a friends house whom I have not seen since the July long weekend. Yes, we got to sleep in each day. But, things just were not the same. I had no desire to do laundry, pick up toys...I just wanted to sit and read. Hmmm. Perhaps that was what the doctor ordered. Perhaps some down time was needed after all. Perhaps I needed a break from all those household duties.... But, still, things seemed too calm. As soon as the twins entered the house, their energy was infectious. All of a sudden I felt like finishing the cleaning out of the baby's clothes; I felt like organizing the home school stuff into the new storage unit; I felt like making dinner; I still do not feel like doing laundry. That can wait until tomorrow.