Knitting In The North

Keeping Them Busy

 

 
 

We've been chased indoors by cold temperatures this week, and although I didn't make a marshmallow shooter for Brian for Christmas, I thought it would still be a great activity for us.  I followed these directions, and easily found what I needed at the hardware store. 

They were simple to put together, and the kids had a blast not only shooting mini-marshmallows everywhere, but also reconfiguring the pieces to change the way it worked.  Lots of sneaky learning opportunities in there, which makes me happy - even if I will be finding marshmallows until spring...

 

 

Quiet Morning

 

 

 

 

This morning I had a great reminder of why I'm doing what I'm doing.  My work life has been in a upheaval of late, and I've been questioning everything - why am I at home?  What am I trying to do here?  Should I just go back to work full-time?  Is this all worth it?  Where is the balance?  How can I simplify?

 

I remember, though, what those crazy mornings were like - me rushing around, trying to get everything done before we had to leave the house.  No time to talk, to look around, to see what's right in front of my nose.

 

 

 

 

 

Today, I got up a little late, but still in time to cook a pot of oatmeal so the kids can have a hot, healthy breakfast to start their day.  I sat with a cup of tea and talked to Brian & Gwenyth, until Katie called me to the window to check out the sunrise.  I had time to get the camera and shoot a few frames, then actually have a look at them, and talk about it with the kids.  I could kiss each one goodbye as they left the house, making sure they were zipped up & wearing their hats, rather than yelling at them to get in the car while I grabbed the last few things to head out the door.  I can enjoy a second cup of tea while Liam sleeps in, letting him do what his body needs, rather than what's best for my schedule.  And, I can take the time to share it with you!  I do love a quiet morning...

 

Halloween

 

 

 

 

I'm a little late to the party, but here is what my crew looked like on their big night out.  Lately, the four of them have been playing a Wii game together called Super Smash Bros., and the kids decided they wanted to be the four brother characters. 

 

 

 

 

 

I love it when they come up with something to do together all on their own, and even more when we can include some crafty goodness into the experience.  Although I had seen some costumes out in stores, we decided to craft our own.  The clothing was pretty easy - overalls and long sleeved shirts (it was easy to find what we didn't have at the thrift store), but they each needed a baseball cap with the proper insignia on the front.  We found plain white caps at Michaels, put the appropriate logo on with fabric markers & Sharpies, and painted the rest with tempera paint. 

 

 

  

 

Of course, pumpkin carving was necessary, too.  Everyone gets their own, although what they do with it may vary.  Liam was convinced it would be really tasty.

 

 

 

 

In the end, we had a bat, a funny face, a wolf and a cat in a boot, which garnered lots of compliments from the local trick-or-treaters.  Now that this event is over, we're ready to move on to the biggest project of the year - preparing for our Homemade Christmas!

 

 

 

Boo Hoo

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, on my way home from class, I got a phone call from the kids' school.  It was to let me know that they had been doing lice checks (!!!!) in class, and that they found something in Gwenyth's hair.   Grooooaaaannn.  We ran home and began the military operation before Gwen even arrived from the school bus - bedding in the wash, mattress sprayed, all sweaters/coats/hats/stuffies/dress-up clothes/towels in wash, treatment shampoo & comb ready & waiting...

When I checked her, I did find a few little nits, but nothing substantial, and so breathed a sigh of relief.  I checked Brian - all clear.  Katie - nothing.  I wasn't going to bother with Liam, but figured I'd better have a look...  Yep.  Not good.  Also not good - trying to treat a head that suffers from eczema.  Or trying to go through a 2 year old's fabulous curly locks.  Out came the shaver, while a  tearful Charity buzzed his head.  I've been cutting his hair so carefully for months, trying to keep his beautiful baby curls, and they're gone.  All gone.  Of course, he's a handsome devil, but he most certainly does not look like my baby anymore.  Sigh.

 

 

 

Autumn Busyness

 

This is such a busy time of year!  School has started, the garden is getting wrapped up and tucked away for winter, there's firewood to store away, winter clothing to prepare...  You know the drill, right?

 

With three kids in school full-time this year, I made the big decision to return to school myself.  In years past, I had been in the Business program at our local college - when I went in to talk to a counselor, I realized that I simply needed 4 electives in order to finish up, and so I bit the bullet.  My plan before had been to pursue an accounting designation, but frankly, this holds absolutely no appeal to me any longer.  So, I decided to take university transfer courses, in the event that I ever figure out what I want to do when I grow up, and return to school with a degree in mind. 

 

By taking two classes per semester, I'll be finished up by the end of the school year, and graduate with a piece of paper that says I actually accomplished something during these years I've spent at home!  This semester, my courses are English & Psychology 101 - and I'm loving them.  They are both stretching me quite a bit, and I'll admit to the occasional breakdown, when I become convinced that my mommy brain is too old and out of practice to do this.  I'm determined, however, to make it work, and the process, while tough, is really, really good.

 

 

 

On top of school work, the garden is slowly being tended.  The kids were especially impressed with our heirloom carrots  (they're a super cool purple on the outside, but traditional orange inside), while Stuart & I are loving the baby potatoes.  My plans for preserving much of the harvest this year have not panned out, but I suppose there's always next year.  I'm grateful that we have the luxury of putting that off for a year, without our family suffering a lack of food - we are so fortunate here, with our abundance of good food from all over the world!

 

This week, we begin our collection of firewood for the coming winter - it is one of my ultimate favourite outside chores, and I can't wait!  The whole process is amazingly satisfying.  Sitting in front of a fire when it's roaring outside with wind and snow, and knowing that you provided the means to keep the family warm - it's self-sufficiency at it's best!

 

So, tell me!  What are you up to?  Are you preparing for winter?  Or spring? 

Back to School

The summer has flown by, and while I don't feel ready to send my children off to school just yet, they are all excited and chomping at the bit.  Little Gwenyth has started Kindergarten, Brian is off to Grade 3, and my Katie is a High Schooler!  Yikes, I feel a little short of breath just thinking about it all.  They, however, have taken it all in stride, and seem to be settling in well.  Here they are, on their first day of school, September 2010:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Book, Please?

With all the cunning of a youngest child, Liam has started stalking me, lying in wait in places he thinks I'm going to be.  He patiently watches, holding a book, for me to walk in and hear him say,"Book, please?"

 

I can be in the kitchen, and turn around to see him sitting on my little stool, or tucked in the corner of my favourite living room chair, or even once, sitting on the stairs to the laundry room.  This day, I was rushing around getting dressed for work, so he waited in my bed for me to come back in.  (Thankfully, Stuart was home to jump in and fill the gap for me.)  It's amazing to me, how the same books can be so wonderful, over and over.  Here's a list of some of the favourites:

 

• Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do you Hear? by Eric Carle
• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
• Miss Mouse find Numbers (an old board book, much loved by Katie, then Brian, then Gwenyth, and now Liam - I love that!)
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• A set of board books by The Wiggles (I think these are a favourite because of their size - about 2 1/2" square, they fit in a little guy's hand juuuust right.)

 

What's a title you just can't live without?

 

Wee Toes

I was blessed and thrilled this week to meet my lastest nephew - he arrived Wednesday morning, and is incredibly beautiful and wonderful and amazing...

Sigh - almost makes me want another one.  Welcome, sweet boy - I can't wait to get to know you!

 

 

Putting It Off

I've been putting off writing a post, because there was just so much to say, I didn't know where to start.  And life has been a whirl of activity since we came home, so ordered thoughts have been somewhat few & far between.  I decided to give you a quick run-down of the whole adventure, and then pick up where I am today.  I will likely pop back to the trip a time or two, to share about some adventures, but the when will just have to be a surprise.

 

 

• The girls, Liam & I flew to Winnipeg on our own, to hang with my mom for a few days.  It was a really nice time, although the day of traveling was long.  I don't enjoy flying very much, and the descending was hard on both Gwenyth's & Liam's ears.  Soooo good to see my mom waiting for us at the airport, though!

 

• Stuart collected Brian from summer camp, and the two of them headed east together.  They stayed a night with Stu's sister, and another on the road, before arriving in Winnipeg safe & sound.

 

• My aunt's funeral went well.  The service was lovely, although naturally sad.  All but one of my mom's siblings made it, which meant I had 9 aunts & uncles, as well as various cousins, second-cousins and in-laws to catch up with. 

 

• My cousin, who has been teaching English in Japan for the last several years, came into town the next day, so we were able to visit with him as well.  He hadn't met Stuart or the kids, so it was really great.

 

• We drove two days to Stuart's parent's place on St. Joseph Island, camping along the way.

 

• We were surprised to see Stuart's sister (the one he had visited on they way to Winnipeg), had decided to come out, too, turning the time into an impromtu family reunion.  From what I heard, it was the first time in about 15 years that all three of the kids had been together with their parents.  My father-in-law seemed to be doing better than I had imagined, which was a relief.

 

• I had a chance to mow the lawn with the riding lawn mower at both parent's houses, prompting Brian to say, "Oh, no - is Mom trying to be a farmer again?!?".

 

• Lots of fun ensued in Ontario - we visited an alpaca farm, I took my first (but hopefully not last) yoga class, us girls lunched at a fabulous tea room.

 

• We headed west to Winnipeg again, arriving in time for Gwenyth's 5th birthday.

 

• My mom threw a great bash for her, complete with strawberry cake.  Yum.

 

• After a bit more visiting, we drove to Saskatchewan, where I had the chance to meet one of my "imaginary friends", as the kids call my blogger buddies.  Judy was a gracious host, allowed the entire brood into her beautiful home, fed the lot of us, and even sweet-talked Stuart & her hubby into taking the kids to the park so we could rummage her stash.  I left with a happy heart, wonderful memories, and a bag of Sa-Weeet! yarn.

 

• Once Stuart dragged me from Judy's, we headed on to Drumheller, Alberta, home of the Royal Tyrrell Museum, full of dinosaurs of every possible ilk.  We spent a couple of days there, and then headed for home, stopping, of course, at Ikea on the way.

 

• It was wonderful to arrive at home safe & sound, and we had a very sucessful trip (although I may not be inclined to drive 9200+ km with 4 children again anytime soon...

 

Phew - did you read all of that?  Yikes, even in summary the journey is turning into an epic.  Now that I've bit the bullet and jotted it down, I feel less guilty, and think I just might be able to start blogging again!

   

 

9,000km later...

We've been there and back again...  Arrived home safely, with much to tell and share - soon!