It says I have 144 comments needing to be moderated! Ah well, not gonna bother.
So Cryptic and Jock are at camp with the church youth group this week over in Eastern Washington. I know they are having a blast!
Clown and I just got back from attempting to take him to a weekly gymnastics class. Lots of his friends continued their home school class through the summer and he wanted to as well. Unfortunately, there were about 45 kids there as opposed to the ten that are usually there. It was not just his HSed friends. So we had to get my money back and turn around and come home. There is no way that he could do it. His anxiety is getting MUCH better, thankfully. Even so, there was no way that he would be there with that many kids around. Poor little guy is so hard on himself and was almost crying the way home. "I HATE that I am this way! I HATE IT!"
Princess has a friend staying for the day, night and late into tomorrow. Then the next day Princess will go to the same friend's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese and then to her house for a swimming/slumber party. They are both SO excited!
Princess and I spent 10 days up in Saskatchewan last month with my family. It was very nice.
I will post a link to Princess' past three dances from this spring recital. She was a Zinnia, Frog and Ant. I just love these dances and knew you would all want to see them:)
http://picasaweb.google.com/webalbum.picasa/DanceRecitals?authkey=Gv1sRgCMmN6oPz34XIcw#5354683496805400178
I hope that works. It should take you to dance three of five, which was her first one. The earlier two have already been posted on here.
Hope everyone is having a great summer!
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Long time, no post
Well that was silly!
I guess I spend so much time on Facebook and doing all my other stuff, that blogging is not a priority. I don't even read the blogs I used to read. There were about 15 that I used to check every day, now I have about 3 or 4 that I might check every few weeks, IF that. I think about you all, but most people get their updates through Facebook, I guess!
Lots happening as always, but I don't want to blabber on for pages and pages like I usually do.
We are still working on Clown's room. At least he is moved into there now, but the painting is not done and there are no curtains yet. Everything is in there but his desk. Once we get his room done, we will start to work on Cryptic's. FINALLY!
Clown will be 10 on the 19th...we are planning his party at the pool that he and Princess takes their lessons at. He is SO EXCITED! He wants a drum set, so we are looking into it. He is very musically inclined, so we want to encourage anything like that. Who knows what may happen! He can play piano by ear. Refuses to take lessons and we have not pushed him...no need really when he just hears a song he likes and goes to the piano and plays around for a while until he can play it. He says he wants drums...he will get drums:) At least I will do everything in my power to make it happen!
Princess got a bike that actually fits her, we had a garage sale, the younger two are doing gymnastics and swimming and Princess' dance recital is at the end of the month. That is the main news now.
Enjoy these photos and I guess I will just blog here and there, whenever the mood strikes!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
WOW
Well, so much for posting more regularly. I think about it sometimes, but just can't be bothered. Here is a quick update.
Clown got his braces off last week. Here he is, no cross bite ~
I can't find any good shots of before the braces to show how bad it was. There are a few, but they are gross because he is being a little boy and showing me his chewed up food or whatever. The left front one is still a little wonky, but this was just phase one. When they do Phase two in 5 or 6 years or whenever they decide it is time...then they will clean up the rest of the problems.
Jock is adjusting nicely to his braces. He is also adjusting to public school. No, that is not a typo. You read correctly. He was becoming more and more unhappy with being home schooled. It was not working for him anymore, and he asked to go back to public school. He is in grade eight and started JUST in time to start the last trimester with his peers. They are all going on a tour of the local high school next week. He plans to attend all four years of high school. Like all of my home schooling friends, we re-evaluate here and there and see what is working and what is not. Stud DID NOT want Jock to go to PS, but I tried to get him to see that Jock is almost 14 and needs to have a voice in his academic career and his life in general.
I assume he agreed, because Jock has been going to school every day for a week now. Teehee I would prefer he be at home, but just because that is something *I* prefer, doesn't mean it works for him. I am very excited for him and he has been very sweet. He knows it is not my choice and has been telling me he loves me and hugging me very sweetly the few times I have cried about it. It is just weird not having him around and it feels like a piece of me is missing when the other kids and I go places and do things that we would always do together.
In other news, I am leaving on Sunday for Yellowknife, NWT. A friend lives up there and I have NEVER been there in the 19 years she has lived there! She found a great sale and we each paid half for the ticket. Well actually, she paid the whole thing but I will take my half to her in cash so that she has spending money when I get there:)
I can't wait to go on holiday and go on sled dog rides and cross country skiing...I have not gone Cross Country Skiing since I was a teenager. There is a Caribou Carnival and an Ice Castle and all kinds of neat things! We grew up together in Saskatchewan and try to meet up in Alberta, BC, or Saskatchewan any chance we can. It will be nice to finally see where she lives and just relax and visit.
Pretty much right after I get back, Jock and I leave for a hockey tournament in Phoenix. In June, my parents are flying Princess and I up to Saskatchewan to camp a bit and spend some time with the family. So it looks like I will be traveling a lot this year!
I will try to be better about updating...and now will leave you all with some photos of the some chocolates that I made when I went out the other night with some other home schooling mothers. We go on a "Mom's Night Out" a few times a month and this past MNO, we made some yummy chocolates.
Here is Clown eating the bottom of a Noah's Ark that I made...
Here are some filled butterflies that I attempted. The kids gobbled them up, so they must not have been too bad...they sure are fun to make!
And here is the Lion that I made. I got SUCH a kick out of how his wee face turned out:) There were other animals, a really cool giraffe and a green mint hippo, etc. But the kids and Stud ate them before I could get the pictures I wanted...
Oh yes, there is other news. Since last July when three of the kids went to my parents' in Saskatchewan, we have been moving rooms around and making Stud an office in the old kitchen downstairs. It had been the "school room" in years past and was a great place to do our science and math through baking and various messy projects. Here is what it looked like about a year ago...
This is looking into the room ~
This was IN the room, looking out into our Rec Room...
We took all the counter tops and cabinets out and put them in the garage. Then a friend from church came and did something or other with the plumbing and electric and fixed all the walls. Put texture on them, and all kinds of fun smelly stuff. That was in December, right before Christmas.
FINALLY, just the past few weeks, we have it pretty much how it will be in there, except Stud needs to hang stuff on the walls. He chose the wall colour and put in a new floor as well. He will probably put a door on at some point, so he can concentrate on work better since the kids and I spend a lot of the time out in the Rec room doing our school work.
So this is what it looks like when you look into the room now...
And looking out into the Rec Room...
Next post may be about what the office used to look like. It is slowly but surely becoming Jock's bedroom. His old room will become Clown's and finally Clown will have his own room for the first time in his life. Right in time for his 10th birthday! Cryptic will finally have his own room and all will be as it should.
As I have been trying to post this, Clown has been showing me various magic tricks that he has been practicing. He is going to perform them tomorrow at our monthly "Book Report Lunch" that we do at a local pizza place. Clown is doing SO WELL that he actually got up and recited a poem last month! The first time in his life that he got up and presented something. He had written book reports in the past and Cryptic would read them for him. Now Clown is on a roll and is very pleased about his new found confidence!
So there you are. I will close for now. Hope that everyone is doing well!
Clown got his braces off last week. Here he is, no cross bite ~
I can't find any good shots of before the braces to show how bad it was. There are a few, but they are gross because he is being a little boy and showing me his chewed up food or whatever. The left front one is still a little wonky, but this was just phase one. When they do Phase two in 5 or 6 years or whenever they decide it is time...then they will clean up the rest of the problems.
Jock is adjusting nicely to his braces. He is also adjusting to public school. No, that is not a typo. You read correctly. He was becoming more and more unhappy with being home schooled. It was not working for him anymore, and he asked to go back to public school. He is in grade eight and started JUST in time to start the last trimester with his peers. They are all going on a tour of the local high school next week. He plans to attend all four years of high school. Like all of my home schooling friends, we re-evaluate here and there and see what is working and what is not. Stud DID NOT want Jock to go to PS, but I tried to get him to see that Jock is almost 14 and needs to have a voice in his academic career and his life in general.
I assume he agreed, because Jock has been going to school every day for a week now. Teehee I would prefer he be at home, but just because that is something *I* prefer, doesn't mean it works for him. I am very excited for him and he has been very sweet. He knows it is not my choice and has been telling me he loves me and hugging me very sweetly the few times I have cried about it. It is just weird not having him around and it feels like a piece of me is missing when the other kids and I go places and do things that we would always do together.
In other news, I am leaving on Sunday for Yellowknife, NWT. A friend lives up there and I have NEVER been there in the 19 years she has lived there! She found a great sale and we each paid half for the ticket. Well actually, she paid the whole thing but I will take my half to her in cash so that she has spending money when I get there:)
I can't wait to go on holiday and go on sled dog rides and cross country skiing...I have not gone Cross Country Skiing since I was a teenager. There is a Caribou Carnival and an Ice Castle and all kinds of neat things! We grew up together in Saskatchewan and try to meet up in Alberta, BC, or Saskatchewan any chance we can. It will be nice to finally see where she lives and just relax and visit.
Pretty much right after I get back, Jock and I leave for a hockey tournament in Phoenix. In June, my parents are flying Princess and I up to Saskatchewan to camp a bit and spend some time with the family. So it looks like I will be traveling a lot this year!
I will try to be better about updating...and now will leave you all with some photos of the some chocolates that I made when I went out the other night with some other home schooling mothers. We go on a "Mom's Night Out" a few times a month and this past MNO, we made some yummy chocolates.
Here is Clown eating the bottom of a Noah's Ark that I made...
Here are some filled butterflies that I attempted. The kids gobbled them up, so they must not have been too bad...they sure are fun to make!
And here is the Lion that I made. I got SUCH a kick out of how his wee face turned out:) There were other animals, a really cool giraffe and a green mint hippo, etc. But the kids and Stud ate them before I could get the pictures I wanted...
Oh yes, there is other news. Since last July when three of the kids went to my parents' in Saskatchewan, we have been moving rooms around and making Stud an office in the old kitchen downstairs. It had been the "school room" in years past and was a great place to do our science and math through baking and various messy projects. Here is what it looked like about a year ago...
This is looking into the room ~
This was IN the room, looking out into our Rec Room...
We took all the counter tops and cabinets out and put them in the garage. Then a friend from church came and did something or other with the plumbing and electric and fixed all the walls. Put texture on them, and all kinds of fun smelly stuff. That was in December, right before Christmas.
FINALLY, just the past few weeks, we have it pretty much how it will be in there, except Stud needs to hang stuff on the walls. He chose the wall colour and put in a new floor as well. He will probably put a door on at some point, so he can concentrate on work better since the kids and I spend a lot of the time out in the Rec room doing our school work.
So this is what it looks like when you look into the room now...
And looking out into the Rec Room...
Next post may be about what the office used to look like. It is slowly but surely becoming Jock's bedroom. His old room will become Clown's and finally Clown will have his own room for the first time in his life. Right in time for his 10th birthday! Cryptic will finally have his own room and all will be as it should.
As I have been trying to post this, Clown has been showing me various magic tricks that he has been practicing. He is going to perform them tomorrow at our monthly "Book Report Lunch" that we do at a local pizza place. Clown is doing SO WELL that he actually got up and recited a poem last month! The first time in his life that he got up and presented something. He had written book reports in the past and Cryptic would read them for him. Now Clown is on a roll and is very pleased about his new found confidence!
So there you are. I will close for now. Hope that everyone is doing well!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Limits
At the moment Princess is taking ballet, jazz, hip hop, gymnastics, violin and swimming lessons. Gymnastics, violin and swimming on Mondays. Jazz and ballet on Tuesdays. Swimming and hip hop on Wednesdays. We have Thursdays and Fridays free. She has always loved being involved in sports and dance...horse back riding, cooking and art lessons...you get the idea. She has always been our busiest and most active child.
I ask her brothers sometimes if they feel left out. They remind me that they know things are available to them and if they have an interest, they will let me know. They don't mind that she does all these things and are proud to go and watch her and support her. In fact her little drama class just ended a few weeks ago and it was nice to see their beaming faces when they watched their little sister perform on stage with her cute little friends. Cryptic went to give her flowers after they took their bows, and he was just beaming. Which is HUGE. Cryptic seldom even smiles, let alone beams:)
Since she is taking the year off hockey so that she can pursue these other interests, she has time to do soccer and basketball. I totally forgot about basketball and didn't sign her up. She has never tried it or baseball, but LOVES hockey and soccer. Yesterday I asked she and Clown if they wanted to sign up for soccer. Clown is so torn. He REALLY wants to, he LOVES the game. He has not played in about four years and since we have diagnosed him with this anxiety and panic disorder...now that understand why he feels the way he does...he is learning to branch out and step out of his comfort zone a little. So we shall see.
I was talking with him about it yesterday and called to Princess, "Princess?? Do you want Mummy to sign you up for soccer??"
She called back, "No thanks, Mummy! I think I am involved in enough activities right now. You can't do it all you know!"
I learned that my eight-year-old daughter knows her limits:) Thus reminding me YET AGAIN how proud I am to be her Mum.
I ask her brothers sometimes if they feel left out. They remind me that they know things are available to them and if they have an interest, they will let me know. They don't mind that she does all these things and are proud to go and watch her and support her. In fact her little drama class just ended a few weeks ago and it was nice to see their beaming faces when they watched their little sister perform on stage with her cute little friends. Cryptic went to give her flowers after they took their bows, and he was just beaming. Which is HUGE. Cryptic seldom even smiles, let alone beams:)
Since she is taking the year off hockey so that she can pursue these other interests, she has time to do soccer and basketball. I totally forgot about basketball and didn't sign her up. She has never tried it or baseball, but LOVES hockey and soccer. Yesterday I asked she and Clown if they wanted to sign up for soccer. Clown is so torn. He REALLY wants to, he LOVES the game. He has not played in about four years and since we have diagnosed him with this anxiety and panic disorder...now that understand why he feels the way he does...he is learning to branch out and step out of his comfort zone a little. So we shall see.
I was talking with him about it yesterday and called to Princess, "Princess?? Do you want Mummy to sign you up for soccer??"
She called back, "No thanks, Mummy! I think I am involved in enough activities right now. You can't do it all you know!"
I learned that my eight-year-old daughter knows her limits:) Thus reminding me YET AGAIN how proud I am to be her Mum.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Lame
I have been trying to think of something clever and wise. Share some insight or observation...I had all kinds of ideas of things to share on here, and no time to share. Now that I committed to sharing regularly...do you think I have anything?? No way! Totally blank.
Something to note...Stud is going to design me a nice blog. Something that shows a bit of my personality. Not sure when he will have time to do that, since he is working two jobs, playing hockey, coaching Jock's hockey team, playing guitar at church, not to mention all the other balls he has in the air. He had worked a bit on it some months ago, but other things got in the way. So be watching for that very soon.
Wow...I am so sad and disappointed in myself! I really wanted to have some fun and witty things to post about. I almost wish my kids were all about 6 years younger, so I would have interesting posts about the things they said and did. I didn't have a blog in those days, but I would have made countless posts a day, let me tell you! Kids that age always make for great material.
Ah well, better hit the hay. Stud took the younger two kids swimming tonight and then I am taking them (as well as Jock) skating tomorrow with our Home School group.
I will at least leave you with a shot of Princess practising her violin and wee Caledonia looking beautiful!
Have a great weekend everyone. And I hope to have something good (or at least not LAME!) very soon.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Braces
>
So we have another one in braces. Jock finally got his put on yesterday. We have been waiting for him to lose more baby teeth and see what all was going on. I really love our Orthodontist because not only is he nice and great with the kids, but he doesn't put the braces on needlessly. Cryptic still doesn't have his and he is 16 1/2. He waits until he just has no other choice. Waits to see what the bones and jaws are doing. He is funny, polite, considerate and he always calls the kids personally the night before to talk to them and tell them it will be a piece of cake. He has all kinda of awesome contests for them and he even has drawings for the parents. He has a movie Theatre in the office and the kids can win pizza parties in there with their friends.
Jock's mouth is a total disaster. He has one baby tooth fused to the bone...4 more that will need to be removed because they refuse to come out and his canines are way up almost in his nasal cavity. Alright...that one is not quite accurate. Just look at these photos...he has only ever lost about 3 teeth on his own, the rest always have to be removed by a dentist. He got these top front ones put on and after a month or so, we will take him to the dentist to deal with those other teeth. A few months after that, they will put the rest of the braces on. I can't remember how bad his overbite is...I recall the words "seventy percent", but that may be from something else. They say that they will most likely publish his photos in the "Before and After" book that they have there. Maybe they are talking about doing it in the Damon literature. They were quite enthralled with his mess and mentioned this a few times. Poor kid.
The first photo is him signing his contract saying he will take good care of his teeth and follow the rules. Then the next one is of him once we got home. He didn't mind me taking some shots of him at the office, getting them on. He did request that I not post those, however.
So we are very excited to see what will happen with this. Clown gets his off on March tenth. Which will mean he only had his on for not quite 6 months. They have totally done what we wanted and his cross bite is corrected. Now we will wait to see when he needs the full deal again. Cryptic goes for a check the same day Clown gets his off. We have been waiting for Cryptics's teeth to all come out and see what is happening there. He has never had the issues that his brothers have, but he does have a large gap in his front two teeth and an overbite that needs to be corrected.
So, you may be asking what did I learn the past few days?? Braces cost a lot of money.
So we have another one in braces. Jock finally got his put on yesterday. We have been waiting for him to lose more baby teeth and see what all was going on. I really love our Orthodontist because not only is he nice and great with the kids, but he doesn't put the braces on needlessly. Cryptic still doesn't have his and he is 16 1/2. He waits until he just has no other choice. Waits to see what the bones and jaws are doing. He is funny, polite, considerate and he always calls the kids personally the night before to talk to them and tell them it will be a piece of cake. He has all kinda of awesome contests for them and he even has drawings for the parents. He has a movie Theatre in the office and the kids can win pizza parties in there with their friends.
Jock's mouth is a total disaster. He has one baby tooth fused to the bone...4 more that will need to be removed because they refuse to come out and his canines are way up almost in his nasal cavity. Alright...that one is not quite accurate. Just look at these photos...he has only ever lost about 3 teeth on his own, the rest always have to be removed by a dentist. He got these top front ones put on and after a month or so, we will take him to the dentist to deal with those other teeth. A few months after that, they will put the rest of the braces on. I can't remember how bad his overbite is...I recall the words "seventy percent", but that may be from something else. They say that they will most likely publish his photos in the "Before and After" book that they have there. Maybe they are talking about doing it in the Damon literature. They were quite enthralled with his mess and mentioned this a few times. Poor kid.
The first photo is him signing his contract saying he will take good care of his teeth and follow the rules. Then the next one is of him once we got home. He didn't mind me taking some shots of him at the office, getting them on. He did request that I not post those, however.
So we are very excited to see what will happen with this. Clown gets his off on March tenth. Which will mean he only had his on for not quite 6 months. They have totally done what we wanted and his cross bite is corrected. Now we will wait to see when he needs the full deal again. Cryptic goes for a check the same day Clown gets his off. We have been waiting for Cryptics's teeth to all come out and see what is happening there. He has never had the issues that his brothers have, but he does have a large gap in his front two teeth and an overbite that needs to be corrected.
So, you may be asking what did I learn the past few days?? Braces cost a lot of money.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Insight
So this is the big revelation revealed to me the other day...
It is VERY difficult to box on the Wii with a kitten hanging from the cord that connects your controller with your nunchuck. Of course we cannot capture a photo of Caledonia doing this. Just trust me...it is HARD to box when she jumps around trying to get the connecting cord...it is distracting but mainly because it is so cute and funny, you laugh so hard that you can't focus on boxing!
Hopefully I will have another helpful tidbit of knowledge and/or wisdom for you all very soon.
Have a great weekend!
It is VERY difficult to box on the Wii with a kitten hanging from the cord that connects your controller with your nunchuck. Of course we cannot capture a photo of Caledonia doing this. Just trust me...it is HARD to box when she jumps around trying to get the connecting cord...it is distracting but mainly because it is so cute and funny, you laugh so hard that you can't focus on boxing!
Hopefully I will have another helpful tidbit of knowledge and/or wisdom for you all very soon.
Have a great weekend!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
