Look out below

Growing up it was always so much fun to jump off the top of my dad's boat. Up until this summer we couldn't get the Nolan or Jarom to join in the fun. When grandpa sweented the pot, by telling the kids he would pay them 5 dollars if they jumped it suddenly became something they wanted to do. They were still really scared, but once they made their first jump we couldn't stop their dare devilsh ways.

Grandparents

I just received these pictures from my Dad and couldn't help but think how lucky my kids are to have such wonderful grandparents.

Summer Reading

I wanted to share some of my summer reading – as I know this is why so many of you click daily onto my blog site.


I’d wanted to read the Birth House for quite some time and it was much different then I had thought it would be. I thought it was about a house unwed mothers went to have their babies; instead it is the story of a girl growing up in Nova Scotia who become a midwife.

From The Birth House:
"My house became the birth house. That's what the women called it, knocking on the door, ripe with child, water breaking on the porch. First-time mothers full of questions, young girls in trouble, and seasoned women with a brood already at home. (I called those babies 'toesies,' because they were more than their mamas could count on their fingers.) They all came to the house, wailing and keening their babies into the world. I wiped the feverish necks with cool, moist cloths, spooned porridge and hot tea into their tired bodies, talked them back from outside of themselves.
The Glass Castle is a heart breaking memoir of Jennette Walls. Jannette grows up in total poverty; her father being a alcoholic, who moves his family from one town to the next to follow his latest idea to make them rich, all the while feeding his kids tales of a Glass Castle he will one day built them.


After starting this Novel by Anita Shreve, I’ve decided that I very much enjoy her books. I love the style she writes in and I find her books are a quick read. This is the first book of hers that I’ve pick for myself ,as Spencer usually buys one of her books to put in my Christmas stocking. Pick up this book if you want an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Just the way we like him

Screens

When I was a young mom, I remember listening to my friend, Nicole communicate her frustration with her inability to keep her kids off The Screens (computer, T.V. and game system). I remember at the time thinking and probably expressing, “what’s the problem; you just turn off the T.V. and tell them television time is over and that’s it”. Once again as the years have gone on, and my second child has reached the age of television watching, game cube playing and computer exploring I have once again been taught that valuable lesson – Never say Never.

Jarom is a Screens fanatic! He will wake up at the crack of dawn rush down to the game cube and play until I rip the control from his tightly clutched fists. At which time he will head for the T.V. and masterfully manoeuvre the remote to the channel of his choice. He loves the remote so much he hides it in his coat pocket when we go to pick Nolan up from school, thus ensuring two things 1) that he is guaranteed sole use of the control upon returning home and 2) he gets to feel the remote in his pocket while we are driving and dream about all the wonderful cartoons which await his arrival.

This has been a totally adjustment for me; Nolan who still doesn’t know how to work the remote complied with my turn off the TV and just say no policy. Jarom will sit for hours trying to undo the lengths I’ve gone too to prevent his screens addictions. The only thing I have done that seems to work is physically removing the TV and hiding the controllers.

I'm off to go round 6 for power of the remote. Wish me luck.

Alone at Last

Yesterday was the first day of school; Nolan started grade 3 and after lunch Jarom attended Pre-school. Normally at this time of the year I feel sorrow and a desire to shut all the curtains, lock the doors and keep my kids with me. This year however, I felt a little relief at seeing them securely in their classrooms.

I’m not sure if it's because I've caught some sort of nasty illness from my kids that is leaving me drained of all energy, achy body, and a sore throat among other complaints, for over a week now or if it is the ever constant sibling rivalry turning into more than one fist fight and a couple of biting matches, that helped make the transitions of a new school year a lot easier than I have anticipated.

Nolan’s new teacher is Miss Sopka who is apparent very good for boys. He came home happy at lunch and tired afterschool. His best buddy Leon is in the other class, which caused a couple of tears, but with the promise of lots of play dates, he seems ok. I guess time will tell as the school year unfolds.

Jarom is attending preschool 3 times a week for 2 hours. It’s just enough time to give me a few minutes to myself to enjoy all the things I love to do like watching soap operas and eating bonbons. Ummmm – maybe in my dreams. I remember when Jarom started last year I thought I would have all this time to accomplish everything, but in reality my "free time" managed to be taken up with things like volunteering and Vt'ing.

Jarom had a great day and like his teacher very much.

P.S. Jarom insisted on wearing his soccer medal to show his teacher.

Thank Goodness for McGavins

When I was a little girl one of my favourite things was rounding the corner of our block at lunch time and seeing my grandparent's orange truck. My mouth would start to water as I broke into a run because I knew what would be waiting for me when I opened the front door – homemade scones.

My grandpa Blumel was an expert bread maker; we grew up on homemade bread. White was our favourite, but once we’d polished off the white bread we start on the brown. Rarely did a loaf of storeboughten bread make it into our home. I remember sitting beside my grandpa as he ate the sacrament bread and hearing him muttered “McGavins” as if it were a swear word.

With such a talented grandpa, I figured bread making was in my gens; I could pictures my family gathered around the table feasting on home baked cinnamon buns or enjoying their bedtime snack of toast that I have lovingly prepared with my own hand. This has not proven to be the case. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. I have absolutely no skills in the bread making department. Any recipe calling for yeast should just ripped out of my cookbook because there is no way it will ever be made by these hand of mine.

In an effort to still supply my family with fresh baked bread, I asked for a bread maker for Christmas one year. Even the bread maker refuses to deliver a perfectly made loaf of bread.

I just tried to make pizza crust for my kids for lunch and that was a huge bust – so it’s official. If I can’t even make pizza crust I was not meant to enjoy the comforts of home made baking.

Grocery Shopping tales

Ok, My cousin Amy posted this on her blog and I thought it was so funny, I wanted every mother I know to have a chance to read it.

I hope you're sitting down and your blatter is empty.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130144061675