1/13/12
My Newest Skill
Here is a picture of my latest new thing. I decided LBB needed a new toque, so I learned to knit. The lady at the yarn shop thought I was a bit crazy to start in on a project. She suggested I make a cloth or a scarf first. Bah. I wanted something useful. LBB loves it. The colours suit him beautifully, although it is hard to see the true colours in the picture. I even managed to finish it while it is still winter. Animal, Builder, and my husband have each requested their own. I told my husband not to expect his until next winter. I have other things to learn in the mean time. I really enjoyed this and would like to tackle some slippers for the kids, too. The socket type my grandma used to make. With a huge pom pom on the top. I think the first pair should even be in retro colour just like she used to make: poo brown and army green. I can't wait.
1/12/12
Skiing
LBB skiing for the second time. His big brothers decided to join and show him how it is all done.
1/11/12
A Perfect Day
In my estimation, today was a perfect day. Was there screaming, horseplay, crying, frenzied snack preparation, baby wearing, threats? Yes. But there was also so much more than that. Today was the perfect culmination of sleep, home learning, me-time, excercise. Could I have improved upon things? Yup. They spent a little too long in front of the TV this morning watching The Land Before Time. And I didn't get a walk in.
So, what did we do? I actually slept 8 hours and was only woken once for a feed. I drank my tea undisturbed and caught up on a couple of my favorite blogs. Everyone had their vitamins and had their teeth brushed. We read books and checked out where various animals lived on the big wall map. We read up on our pet - a Leopard Gecko named BoGo (Bo for 'Bob the Builder' and Go for 'Diego'). I washed, FOLDED, and put away 4 loads of laundry. The kids went outside for an hour before lunch and cleaned up the branches in the yard from a recent wind storm. Book Worm had a 3 hour nap, which coincided with after lunch rest time = I finally got to work on my resume (I am applying for a job as a Learning Consultant at a Distributed Learning School). The boys and I pulled out some old socks and ripped apart an old comforter to make sock Dolls. Builder and Animal finished theirs. Little Boy Blue disappeared near the end with the head and arms of his Doll, so his needs some final touches. We headed up to my parents and swam for an hour. I decided to forgo the dinner hassle and opted to eat out at a favorite restaurant. The day was just too good to ruin with dinner arguments.
It is just about time for books before bed. My husband is on his way home. The baby is waiting for me to get her out of the drained bath. The three boys are dressed for bed. The house is a bit of a mess from our afternoon snack and Doll making, but that can be remedied in 10 minutes.
A perfect day.
So, what did we do? I actually slept 8 hours and was only woken once for a feed. I drank my tea undisturbed and caught up on a couple of my favorite blogs. Everyone had their vitamins and had their teeth brushed. We read books and checked out where various animals lived on the big wall map. We read up on our pet - a Leopard Gecko named BoGo (Bo for 'Bob the Builder' and Go for 'Diego'). I washed, FOLDED, and put away 4 loads of laundry. The kids went outside for an hour before lunch and cleaned up the branches in the yard from a recent wind storm. Book Worm had a 3 hour nap, which coincided with after lunch rest time = I finally got to work on my resume (I am applying for a job as a Learning Consultant at a Distributed Learning School). The boys and I pulled out some old socks and ripped apart an old comforter to make sock Dolls. Builder and Animal finished theirs. Little Boy Blue disappeared near the end with the head and arms of his Doll, so his needs some final touches. We headed up to my parents and swam for an hour. I decided to forgo the dinner hassle and opted to eat out at a favorite restaurant. The day was just too good to ruin with dinner arguments.
It is just about time for books before bed. My husband is on his way home. The baby is waiting for me to get her out of the drained bath. The three boys are dressed for bed. The house is a bit of a mess from our afternoon snack and Doll making, but that can be remedied in 10 minutes.
A perfect day.
1/8/12
Things to Remember
-the pats on the back that Book Worm gives as she snuggles in for a cuddle
-an unsolicited, "I wuv uw mommy." from Little Boy Blue as we snuggle on the couch
-the "Mommy's are great. They do everything." comment from Builder
-dinner conversation about future job ideas involving Cheetah videographer and Firework Manufacturer with Animal
-building Lego with all four kids for hours without a single fight while discussing life, dreams, and the wonders of the world
-listening to the twins discuss why Jehovah coloured nature the way he did in the back seat of the car while LBB and BW are napping in the middle row
-watching BW and cousin dance without music just because we said, "Dance."
-hiking up mountains with BW and LBB nestled on my back in the carrier
-reading books on the couch with four children all trying to get as close to me as possible
-repetitive squeals of, "Daddy's home!!" as my husband closes the door from LBB and BW
-the creative problem solving ideas generated by children
-the ability of Animal to climb on to a lap without the person really noticing
-an unsolicited, "I wuv uw mommy." from Little Boy Blue as we snuggle on the couch
-the "Mommy's are great. They do everything." comment from Builder
-dinner conversation about future job ideas involving Cheetah videographer and Firework Manufacturer with Animal
-building Lego with all four kids for hours without a single fight while discussing life, dreams, and the wonders of the world
-listening to the twins discuss why Jehovah coloured nature the way he did in the back seat of the car while LBB and BW are napping in the middle row
-watching BW and cousin dance without music just because we said, "Dance."
-hiking up mountains with BW and LBB nestled on my back in the carrier
-reading books on the couch with four children all trying to get as close to me as possible
-repetitive squeals of, "Daddy's home!!" as my husband closes the door from LBB and BW
-the creative problem solving ideas generated by children
-the ability of Animal to climb on to a lap without the person really noticing
1/4/12
Life
It's a new year and I started things off with a cold. We rang in the 10:30 new year with friends. We had a great time, left early and were in bed by 11. Wonderful. The next day, I was sick. Ah well.
We left the ski hill a couple days early. The kids were starting to go stir crazy. We were ready to parent solo. We were ready to get back to our rhythm. Rhythm is good. The kids just don't seem to sleep away from home. And we fear that the lack of sleep will lead to illness, which will lead to hospital visits. So, we left early. Happily. It is our holiday. And it is nice to change things up as needed. We had a great time, though. We love the ski hill. Little Boy Blue truly loves skiing. The twins are amazing. Builder seems to have lost some stamina, but perhaps that is a result of our month of illness. Animal was a real keener, though. He often stayed out an extra run or two. Book Worm loved the snow. She squealed with delight every time she headed out. My husband took her sledding and skating, and she went for several walks in the carrier. We all had a great time.
We are happy to be home. Happy to be back in our rhythm. The boys are in a very hands-on stage at the moment. It is driving me crazy. So, when they start and things begin to get carried away, I send them outside. Yup. Today I sent them out in the heavy rain twice. After a few rumbles to the ground, they decide that digging in the sand box, the mud pit, or building in their shed would be a better use of their time. I agree. I realize that this boy man-handling thing is a part of being boys, but I need an out. So, outside they go.
I am still getting over this cold, so have not jumped fully into our rhythm. And I have a months worth of house cleaning and cooking to catch up on, so I think that home learning for the next while will revolve around character development. Yup. I think the twins are ready for another chore. They already bring in the garbage cans, carry their plates to the dishwasher, vacuum (sort-of, or at least get it out and start it up) once a week, clean up their toys a few times a week, and wash the windows once a month. Now it is time for them to start sorting and putting the laundry away. Yippee. I am happy to pass this chore along. I despise putting away the laundry. I usually let 3-4 loads pile up before putting it away. Yesterdays attempt at making this a chore went well. Today's, not so much. I ended up putting BW to bed and their laundry sort (play session) was ended because her bedroom is directly below our family closet. We will try again tomorrow.
Now it's time for my husband and I to snuggle on the couch while I finish reading World Without End for the second time and my husband watches yet another comic book movie.
We left the ski hill a couple days early. The kids were starting to go stir crazy. We were ready to parent solo. We were ready to get back to our rhythm. Rhythm is good. The kids just don't seem to sleep away from home. And we fear that the lack of sleep will lead to illness, which will lead to hospital visits. So, we left early. Happily. It is our holiday. And it is nice to change things up as needed. We had a great time, though. We love the ski hill. Little Boy Blue truly loves skiing. The twins are amazing. Builder seems to have lost some stamina, but perhaps that is a result of our month of illness. Animal was a real keener, though. He often stayed out an extra run or two. Book Worm loved the snow. She squealed with delight every time she headed out. My husband took her sledding and skating, and she went for several walks in the carrier. We all had a great time.
We are happy to be home. Happy to be back in our rhythm. The boys are in a very hands-on stage at the moment. It is driving me crazy. So, when they start and things begin to get carried away, I send them outside. Yup. Today I sent them out in the heavy rain twice. After a few rumbles to the ground, they decide that digging in the sand box, the mud pit, or building in their shed would be a better use of their time. I agree. I realize that this boy man-handling thing is a part of being boys, but I need an out. So, outside they go.
I am still getting over this cold, so have not jumped fully into our rhythm. And I have a months worth of house cleaning and cooking to catch up on, so I think that home learning for the next while will revolve around character development. Yup. I think the twins are ready for another chore. They already bring in the garbage cans, carry their plates to the dishwasher, vacuum (sort-of, or at least get it out and start it up) once a week, clean up their toys a few times a week, and wash the windows once a month. Now it is time for them to start sorting and putting the laundry away. Yippee. I am happy to pass this chore along. I despise putting away the laundry. I usually let 3-4 loads pile up before putting it away. Yesterdays attempt at making this a chore went well. Today's, not so much. I ended up putting BW to bed and their laundry sort (play session) was ended because her bedroom is directly below our family closet. We will try again tomorrow.
Now it's time for my husband and I to snuggle on the couch while I finish reading World Without End for the second time and my husband watches yet another comic book movie.
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