A Week in Pictures (Week 6)

Mike and I were given love letters from our two older children.
Ezra was unhappy with us later that night and we found our
notes ripped up and scattered on the floor.

Learning to spell with letter stamps.

Annalise is so adorable!

When she smiles, she glows.

I find it baffling and gross that hot dogs are such a prized item over here.
Everyone (except me) loves them.

Sugar Crystals.

You really can't go wrong with an experiment like this.
Kids love sugar.
Notice the backpacks hanging on the chairs?
The mini's were playing "school".
It consisted of some tests, recess and lunch.

Ezra waiting for his swimming lesson to start.
He and Olive are rocking out in their classes-
they were both bumped up to higher levels.

Seth playing with an ap on the iphone.
Apparently this is what he'll look like as an old man.

Mike took the kids on a HUGE walk on Monday.
I stayed home with Annalise and napped for a couple hours. Yes, hours.
It was the best. It was sweet to see Mike's reaction when I told him I slept for so long-
he said something like "Oh, I could just cry. That is exactly what I wanted for you this weekend.
I am so happy for you." Isn't that amazing?  Good guy that Mike.

On the crazy side of the week I asked Mike to give me a little hair cut.
We are weird.
Ezra has been telling everyone that we are a bunch of hippies.
I think he may be right.

The colour of my hair. I really like it.

My favourite part of the week was... hmmm, I have 4 favourites.

1. Having Mike home on Monday. I love a long weekend.
2. Annalise finally took a soother Wednesday afternoon. She napped for more than 1/2 hour! It was delightful.
3. Saturday. It was a perfect Saturday. We worked hard cleaning the house as a family in the morning and were finished by noon. We hung out the rest of the day and had a movie night later on. We watched Megamind (Megan you left it here)
4. Sunday evening discussions with Mike. Deep.

A Glimpse

Already this morning I have made 5 lunches, helped 5 kids get ready and out the door for school on time, had a "chat" with a teacher, delivered skates & treasure bags to the school and the cat to the vet for surgery. It is currently 9:36 am. And I still have the whole day stretched out before me. I'm feeling like the "early bird who got the worm" today and wondering if I should challenge myself to get up at 6am with Jody every morning. It does make me feel a little more energized.

However, I also have to take 5 kids to music lessons after school and take David to a hockey game in the Sault at 8pm, make supper, do a few loads of laundry, work on Emma's bedroom reno, pick up the cat at 3pm, and I have a walk scheduled with friends for 1:35. I have to make it for the long haul.

I think I will declare today a slow cooker day. There is such a freedom knowing supper is already underway. That too is energizing.

A few days ago a fellow hockey mom said disdainfully that she would never write on a blog or Facebook because it is arrogant to believe that anyone cares to hear about every little aspect of your life. That comment crosses my mind as I write about laundry, vets and slow cookers. However, I have a different view. I love the ability of the internet to connect us all in our thoughts, feelings, & actions. I love getting a little inspiration for my house when I check out www.apartmenttherapy.com or www.theletteredcottage.com, or read a witty prose by www.blog.cjanerun.com or go on a house tour with www.designmom.com. I like reading www.71toes.com, www.stephmodo.com, www.taza-and-husband.blogspot.com. and I have fallen victim to www.pinterest.com and www.flickr.com.

And I am really enjoying connecting with my sisters on our new blog. It helps me to view my world a little differently, to draw out the interesting bits or to see the humour in the little moments. It helps me to reflect and to plan ahead. Perhaps it is presumptuous to assume that you would like to know that I'm renovating a bedroom, cleaning a bathroom or struggling with a certain parenting dilemna, but I like to think that there is comfort in knowing we are facing many of the same challenges and spending our time in many of the same ways.

Here's to another day...

Invictus

Over the weekend Will and I watched the movie "Invictus" based on the life of Nelson Mandela, a former political prisoner of 27 years, South African President, and nobel peace prize winner.
The movie shows how Mandela encouraged harmony between all people of South Africa, using the National Rugby team as a catalyst for change in the country.
Mandela was encouraged by the following poem by William Ernest Henley when in prison, he quotes the final few lines of it in the movie.

Though it is a heavy poem, I just love the last two lines!

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

It is refreshing to remember that we are free to choose for ourselves.

Mandela has called for the rich people to help poor people across the world. What an inspirational leader!
Yet even as I contemplate all the good that has come from this one exceptionally brave man, I wonder at the pain of his personal family life through out his life.
Two of three marriages ended due to his absences and politcal strain. During his lengthy prison term he was estranged from his five children.(his two sons have died before him, one in a car crash at age 23, one of AIDS at age 54). He missed the funeral of his 23 year old son, children's weddings.

I wonder when he looks at his life if he would have made any choices differently?
Do huge successes ease the pain of failure in the home?
Is it worth it?

Week Five in Pictures (Jane)

At Abbie's urging we made Valentine cupcakes today.

Grace practicing her oral for Jody.... Jody teaching Grace how to pat her head while rubbing her stomach.

Grace working hard on Valentines for the whole family.

Emma choosing her colour scheme for the room redo. She's trying to find the perfect paint colour.

Abbie writing her "to do" list.

Emma and I tore the ceiling out of her room - she even got a blister on her thumb from pulling out all of the staples. There is a lot of work to do....

Isaac clearing a path - we haven't had much snow this year, so it's still kind of a novelty.

Some noteworthy things from this week that I wish I had a picture of:

• Helen McRae pulling us behind her horse on a giant homemade crazy carpet
• Fireworks, bonfire and snowball fights with all of the McRae's
• Carolyn set apart as a missionary!
• Isaac scoring a goal and getting two assists on Saturday
• The girls dancing at Robbie Burns night in the Sault (last weekend)

A Week in Pictures (Week 5)

Monday was filled with delights. This blow-out poop was one of them. Notice the smear down the leg.

                           Watching the city workers install the new stop sign.

               A pile of raisins. Carefully picked from the cereal by one of my children.

                                                   The morning iglow.

Homemade play dough. The boys made this recipe more or less by themselves. Ezra added it to his recipe book.

 Children are always hungry. Something I learned from music camp- make the next snack while doing food prep at breakfast or lunch. For example I cut up vegetables and cheese while cleaning up breakfast. I put this tasty selection in a fruit tray container I saved. I snap the lid on and stick it in the fridge for the inevitable 10:30 whine for a snack. Helps with sanity- some days I feel like I am in the kitchen all day.

 Homemade marble runs. This was really fun. We used cereal boxes and the like.

 My favourite part of the week was a long, family walk we took on Saturday. Amazing that we can do this in February!