Summer lovin'

Dave is putting in a work day at the school today, and the kids are playing nicely with each other on the floor.  Janna and Jesse are building a lego tower and Robyn is sitting close by mesmerized by it all.   Dave has 4 papers to write for the course he took a few weeks back, and so he is working on paper 3 today.

I was thinking this morning that 2 of 6 vacation weeks are now complete!  It’s been so much fun doing things with the whole family and really trying to take advantage of the beautiful weather in the mornings, and then once we’re good and tired having more relaxed afternoons and evenings.  This morning Dave had the kids out to the park and splash pad shortly after 7:30 to get out some energy and have some fun.  The basement was in dire need of a clean- so I cleaned that, and got my kitchen work out of the way for the day.  It’s gonna be a real hot one again today!

With much more personal time on my hands than during the school year, there are a few things I have been really enjoying the past couple of weeks that I wanted to blog about.   

The first thing has been getting out for a run every morning around 7.  I’m not really a runner. I usually work my way up to 3k and then feel bored with it.  But, I decided to do interval training over the summer.  With such gorgeous weather, I decided just to go with interval running.  So, I SPRINT like a mad woman for a minute, then walk for one.  Then repeat this combo 9 more times.  It’s said to be the most effective in fat burning to rev up the heart and metabolism like mad, then bring it right down- over and over.  And I am quite enjoying it.  I get sort of bored of jogging or running after 5 minutes.  So, it’s fun to blast off as fast as I can until I feel like I’m gonna die, and then get a break.  It’s sort of like labor! You get these little rest times to mentally prepare you for the next contraction- and make it through each contraction knowing a break is right around the corner.  Except at the end of labor when they just don’t really stop- that part sucks.   And of course labor is MUCH more painful than just running...maybe not the best comparison... Anyways,    the temperature is perfect early in the morning.  The neighborhood is so green and quiet. And Dave made me a great (worship sort of?) running mix I can listen to if I want, that gets my heart started off in a thankful and joyful direction.

Having more time on my hands, I have also had more of a chance search out new and interesting recipes I want to try and meal plan accordingly.  Yesterday we had the most refreshing quesadillas for lunch! They had your traditional cheese, onion, garlic, and peppers in them.  But, they were stuffed full of shrimp and nectarines and chili flakes with some lime juice as well.  They were SOOOO yummy!  I love cooking, but during the year it sometimes feels like a chore with kids hanging off my legs and crunched for time at the end of a tiring Day.  But, having Dave home to watch the kids while I disappear in the kitchen for a while, makes it a totally different experience.  Later this weekend on the menu I have a peach, prosciutto and mozza salad.  A lemon seared TBone with a spicy kale and redpepper sauté.  And early into next week I am pumped to try out a curried quinoa and collard green wrap.  Chatelaine this month, had lots of recipes I wanted to try that were all seasonal, and so I have had NO problem finding most of the ingredients on sale somewhere.

The other day, Robyn needed breastfed, and I was trying to get supper on the table. I asked Dave if he could finish up the Cesar salad.  I had the lettuce all prepped, and the sauce/parm/lemon/bacon all together on the counter.  Anyways, he just about had a melt down from stress trying to “make the salad”  and after some poking fun of him, he declared that he needed to learn to cook.  He told me that next summer he is going to do ALL the cooking all summer long.  I don’t know how I feel about that, as I really enjoy cooking, ESPECIALLY in the summer, but I submitted to his authority and said ok.  It’s probably a useful skill, eh?

Thirdly, I have been scrapbooking again!  I have just a few pages left to go to finish my 2012 scrapbook.  I’m hoping to get it finished off before we leave for the East Coast in 10 days!!!  We have been taking it fairly easy thus far, but this coming week looks like it may be a bit busier.  We have a few bigger projects to get done this summer that I think we’ll tackle this coming week.  The living room is getting painted a new color.  The bedroom is getting an accent wall.   The storage room is getting a good purging and sorting through.  The dog needs a haircut.  On top of visitng my new niece in Toronto on Monday, and packing up for our trip to New Brunswick next weekend, we will be good and ready to hit the road!  It’s always so delightful (to not only catch up with our parents and family) but get a couple weeks off from house cleaning.  AND getting a bit of a cutback from the normal making of 3 full meals plus a couple of snacks each day. 

Speaking of snacks, we have cut snacking out of the kids diet!   We were having a super hard time getting Janna to eat any lunch or supper.  So, we cut back their usual LARGE morning snack to just the tiniest little thing.  And cut out their afternoon snack entirely.  And guess what? Janna is eating her supper!  Vegetables! Grains, and she even ate a whole bunch of chicken for the first time in like a year the other night!  We felt quite victorious.

Anyways, the kids probably won’t be playing too nicely together, for too much longer, so I should be on my way! Thanks for reading! I’m out.

DAY 5 and ALIVE! Groceries and a *hopefully* relaxing afternoon

Woo Hoo! Friday is here.  The kids all slept until 7 this morning, which was nice.  If it weren’t for Janna being up half a dozen times during the night, I might just have felt rested when I got up at 6.  Sometimes I wonder if she has weird half-awake dreams like I do.  Last night she sounded SO scared and was YELLING! And as soon as I’d go in, she was fine. I’d tuck her in, and she’d ask for her blankies right up around her neck, and then be fine. Back to sleep she’d go.

This morning I let the kids pick what they wanted for breakfast.  Usually I make them some sort of TRIO which involves a protein, a grain, and some fruit.  Today, they wanted EVERYTHING!  Why not...it’s Friday.  They each ate everything off their plate, and then Jesse had a second bowl of cereal and Janna had a half a cup of blueberries as well.

After getting everything cleaned up and Robyn back down for a nap, we took it easy this morning doing some crafts (beading necklaces and bracelets) and playing hide and seek.

Here we have Janna finding Jesse behind a chair AND curtain.  Jesse was not too happy about it, and told us he just wanted to play hide and seek by himself?! I'm not really sure how that works...

WE also read for half an hour out of one of Jesse’s favorite preschool home-schooling books.  We FINISHED his last readings on Tuesday from the library of books we started back in February.  Aside from one or 2 stories, I enjoyed all of them tremendously!  In fact, several of the other books we own outside of his curriculum books, I find unenjoyable now in comparison.  I think for the summer I’ll pack away all the books aside from the sonlight ones, and we’ll just read those all summer long.  They are a collection of just very well written, smart, diverse books.  Great reads!  I think I enjoy them just as much as the kids do.  This is a pic of package we ordered. 

After our reading, we had one of Dave’s students offer to watch the kids for a few hours.  She has babysat a few times for us, and graduating this year, wanted another chance to hang out with them before she leaves for university in August.  I took the opportunity to get my groceries.  I found myself feeling a bit giddy in the stores, but missing having somebody to talk to.  Usually Jesse and I talk away as we get groceries, or I am talking AT Janna as she insists on wanting everything she sees.  Without anyone to talk to, I said lots of hellos to other shoppers, and made small talk around the produce section gathering fruits and veggies.  Some people think you’re crazy if you do this, and will sort of go the opposite direction as you part ways.  Today I was wearing a BRIGHT neon new summer top, short shorts, had my hair in a big messy bun plunk in the middle of my head, and was chewing bubble gum sort of obnoxiously.  I felt like a teen right out of the 80’s! It was awesome.  I was having my own 80’s party.  Nobody would look me in the eyes close enough to see the wrinkles, or long enough to spot a few gray hairs...

I got home, and had to deal with the dreaded post-shop hour.  It involves hungry and whining kids and a crying baby, and mommy desperately trying to get groceries away, and lunch made while desperately having to pee- AND being equally hungry and ready for a nap!  Today some apples distracted for maybe 5 minutes, and I got MOST of my stuff in the fridge.

We made it through the weekly ordeal and the kids are now down for a nap.  I got 3 of the 5 things DONE on my extras to do- list this week, but will save the rest for next week.  I am going to take the rest of nap time to actually rest today.   Once the kids are up, I rented a movie while out, and so we’ll watch that and indulge in some popcorn and snuggles before supper, baths, and bed.  I feel pretty wound up, and want to try and chill out a bit before Dave gets home!

Dave’s course ended early, and so he and Paul (a friend he traveled down with) left today at 1!  Dave seems to think he won’t be back until AFTER I go to bed.  But, he should miss all of the TO traffic, and arrive way before then, I think.  My guess is that he’ll be here between 7 and 8.  WE shall see.

Today I took pictures of everyone being EXCITED for Daddy to come home

Show your excitement that daddy is on his way home Jes!

Dada's coming home Jan. Can you give me an excited face?

                        

Can you be EXCITED Janna????

                         

No no no...not tired, EXCITED JANNA!!! 

Give me an excited face!

THERE YA GO!!!

Robyn- are you excited?

And Jesse took this picture! Momma is the MOST excited.

                         

Thank you one and all for reading this week.  This is ACTUALLY going to be my summer sign off, and you can follow our adventures at Dave’s blog http://apartment1004.blogspot.ca  TGIF  I’m out!

DAY 4 with lots of pics: playdates, wrestling, Mary and more

I got to bed a bit too late last night, and so I was VERY thankful not to hear a peep out of ANY of the kids during the night.  However, Robyn woke up bright and chipper at 5 AM.  I nursed her and put her back to bed, but she was WIDE WIDE WIDE awake and babbling away in her bed.  I tried going back to sleep, but gave up and got her up shortly before 6.  We hung out before the other monkeys joined us after 7.

Daddy called us while we were making breakfast, and it was so nice to hear his voice.  We are all missing him.   Janna burst into tears today and when I asked her what was wrong she said, “ DADDY!”  And Jesse has been mentioning wanting daddy home several times during the day. 

I thought it was a good morning to have some bacon!  WE don’t eat it too, often, but all looooove it!  Toward the end of our meal, Jesse asked the unfortunate question of where exactly bacon came from.  He kept laughing at me when I said it was from a pig, as If I was telling a joke.   And when I told him it was from the pigs behind, he was even more giggly.  He truly thought I was pulling his leg.  Janna was listening very intently to the conversation and as soon as soon as a quiet moment presented itself, she broke out into a wistful and high pitched song that went something like this, “ Baaaaacon Bummmmmmm” and then at a lower pitch, “ Baaaaaacon Bum”  Repeat 85 times.  It cracked us all up, and she just continued singing with such serious passion, ignoring our giggles.  Of course, as soon as I got out the camera to start filming she stopped. 

I got Robby back down for an early nap, and the kids were playing so nicely with each other as if I didn’t even exist.   I took the opportunity to get the bathrooms cleaned up as well as the kitchen, and our bags all packed for our morning outing.   

Today we went to the Potters to play and for lunch.  These are some of our best buds, and we have been noticing lately how the boys and girls are starting to have more fun playing with their own gender despite the age gap.  Here we have Janna and Naomi dressing up as princesses.

Nice Janna.  You pick that nose. 

Having a little dance

And then Jonah and Jesse playing some Woody and Buzz!

Of course, Gideon and Robyn are just happy to be in the middle of it all.  Here they are bonding together. 

At one point the older 4 kids were upstairs playing, and Rebekah and I were reminiscing about how we used to have playdates when it was JUST Jesse and Naomi.  I had to dig up a pictures of them several years ago. Here they are!

We had our classic-makes everyone happy-lunch of grill cheese, fruit and cucumbers.  Seth even popped in on during his lunch break at work and joined the party.  We gave Robyn’s seat to Seth, and she was happy on the floor.

After some more playing and a quick clean up we headed home.  I was fading from my less than 5 hours of sleep, and so got an iced coffee from Tims.  I was so excited they are on for only 1 buck.  Of course, I had to get the kids each a tim-bit.  We came home and ate them on the steps.  Robyn was THRILLED to have a paper bag to play with.  Oh the third child....

It is super hot today, and I wasn’t planning on letting the kids out to play with the humidity being at 38 today.  But, it wasn’t quite that hot by noon and in the shade it was bearable, so we played out front for a while before nap time.

I really wanted a nap today, but Thursday is the new house clean day for the summer.  Dave and I came up with a summer schedule for house work.  We want to get it all done during the day times- so kid sleeping time is TIME OFF for us!  So, while I have breakfast and supper clean up, Dave has lunch clean up and laundry.  I hate laundry.  I’m excited Dave is going to take it over for the summer!  Aside from the daily musts of dishes/laundry/and a before bed tidy, we are leaving the dusting/sweeping/mopping and bathrooms to just twice a week.  Mondays and Thursdays we’ll tackle the house top to bottom, and neglect it otherwise!  If I let myself, I can feel like all I do ALL DAY LONG is tidy up and find things to clean.  I want to enjoy the summer- but not let the house turn into a pig pen- so I think our schedule will offer just that.  We’ll see.    I got things finished up just as Jesse was ending his nap time.

Once Jesse was up, I woke up the girls and we relocated to the basement to play and read and snuggle.  I have been sort of "saving" the basement for this time of day mostly.  The first part of our days are spent on the main floor eating and getting dressed and cleaning up and ready to head out.  It's nice to get out in the mornings before it's too hot, and then have the kids come home and crash.  I don't usually feel like packing them back up after they wake up, and so the basement filled with their favorite toys and comfy pillows is the perfect thing to do between naps and supper.  It stays nice and cool down there too!

Today the kids had fun playing with some silk scarves.  The kids have been having so much fun with this simple piece of fabric. It serves as capes, hats, blankets, carries, scarves, sleds, etc.  Today we fashioned pirate hats and the kids had fun playing pirates.

Janna got a bit distracted from Jesse's sword fights and started humming sweetly and stroking flowers.  I'm not sure if she's meant to be a pirate...

Jesse felt sad that Robyn didn't have her own hat, and so he pulled out the cow girl hat for her!  So cute.

And then of course since I was making such a fuss over how cute Robyn was wearing it, the older 2 needed their turns.  Robyn was given a "pirate hat" to "play with"

Finally after lots of make-believe, playing catch with the dog, Jesse layed on the floor and asked Janna to wrestle.  Awwww...he's missing his daddy!  Janna came and piled onto him, and Jesse put her in a gentle little head lock, and made the EXACT growls that Dave makes.

It was so cute, I was watching a mini-Dave on the floor.  Next Janna did her pull up and push down and pull up and push down routine that she usually does with Dave.

And then they just layed there for a while snuggling.  How adorable!

I tackled some laundry while the kids were happy and my  friend Mary,who so kindly offered to watch the kids for me after work today, showed up.  It was so great to skip out on  the process of supper, clean up, PJs and get out on my own for a bit.  I got the errands done that I had missed out on from getting lost yesterday, and went to subway for supper. I loooooove subway!  I was planning on getting my hair cut.  It is TOO long, and hasn’t been cut in ages.  But- Robyn is at this stage where she likes to grab and twist and PULL my hair.  I have to wear it UP all the time, and so while I really wanted a cut, I felt it was smarter to keep it long so it’s easy to pull back.  It needed a trim, but I just couldn’t fork out the money for something I could do myself in ten minutes.  So, I did my errands and went to get a few new tops.  My mom sent me 30 FUN BUCKS this morning to spend in Dave’s absence.  My mom is always surprising me with these great little monetary gifts out of the blue with the instructions to spend it on myself for something totally unnecessary.  So, I picked up a couple summery tops.  Thanks ma!

I got home and Mary had the house tidy and kids in bed aside from Janna.  We chatted for a while, and it was nice to have a grown-up to talk to after being with the kids all day.  Janna didn't want Mary to leave and asked her for a snuggle and kiss.  And then as mary was getting her shoes on, she asked ME to leave again!  She wanted Mary to stay and mama to leave.  What a funny girl.    Perhaps she is a bit sick of me.  I don't blame her.  I love my kids, but I would totally have sent Janna out of the house to have a less interrupted chat with Mary if it were possible, too.  We need Daddy to come home.

  

  

So, our pictures for Daddy today are making sad faces, because we miss Daddy.

MAKE A SAD FACE FOR DADDY JES!

MADE A SAD FACE FOR DADDY JANNA

NO JANNA! NOT YOUR TIRED FACE.. A SAD FACE

SAD FACE ROBYN!

WE MISS YOU DAVE

THanks for reading one and all. Im out!

DAY 3 sans Dave. Getting lost, on the beach

Five forty five came quickly this morning!  It wasn’t that I didn’t have a good sleep, It was JUST that.   I was up only once with Janna for a few minutes in the wee hours of the morning, and otherwise slept like a rock.  I find that the first week following a chiro adjustment, I tend to sleep really well.  It’s interesting all the areas that I find my adjustments affecting.  Yes, it has helped my back.  But more noticeable is my energy levels up and stress level down.  I feel like a much better person leaving my chiropractors office.  Lighter, with a bounce in my step, and clearer head.

Robyn started stirring around 5:45 am, and so I got up to get a few minutes of peace before she got too loud.  I had a nice chat with my mom, who was just finishing up a work shift, and then tried to entertain Robyn for a while I read, had a coffee, and got breakfast on the go.   She played in the bouncer for a bit, ate some cheerios, and then played with some string while sitting on my lap.  Finally, I got tired of her randomly darting her chubby little hands over to my bible pages and SCRUNCHING them for all they were worth.  I tried to introduce her to Dora, but she wasn’t too interested.

I have been noticing, lately, that Robyn is happier when more people are around.  Especially the kids.  She likes a crowd I think. When my friend, Rebekah, was watching her yesterday, Robyn woke up from her nap and was totally unsure of Rebekah as she came in to get her from the crib.  Rebekah told me that as soon as she brought Robyn downstairs and Robyn saw Naomi and Jonah and Gideon, she lightened right up.  Rebekah told me that her third child HATES to be alone.  Maybe it’s a third kid thing?

Anyways, this morning Robyn and I ate breakfast early, and then I got Jesse and Jans ready after.  I took the opportunity of the older kids sitting eating to get Robyn dressed and back down for a nap.  I broke my rule of NEVER leaving Janna unattended with food.   You never know what this girl will do.  She loves to sneak food to Cooper- give her food to Jesse- put things up her nose- but mostly CREATE art with her food.  She’ll like mash it up and draw in it, or sculpt it and stick it to things.  Of course, I should not have broken my rule.  When I came downstairs 10 minutes later, a disaster awaited me.

I took the rest of the morning to clean everything up, get dishes and laundry in, and the kids bag packed.  My friend, Kim, offered to watch the 3 of them at her place for a few hours. She has a little boy, Luke, who was born just 2 days after Robyn.  Her sister was in town, and had her 2 girls there as well.  I thought Jesse would love an older play mate to hang out with while I ran some errands. 

 I had a handful of small things to get done.  The post office for stamps, a drug store for some new concealer, a couple of groceries.  However, as the hour to leave approached, I was debating just dropping them and going to relax on the beach for an hour.  Mooney’s bay is RIGHT by Kim’s house.  I threw my camera and a towel in my bag on the way out the door around 9:30.

I dropped the kids off at Kims, and heeded her advice to do some errands for an hour, and then go relax for an hour.  She had things under control!  Well, I’m not too familiar with Kim’s neck of the woods, but I was 90% sure that a few streets up from riverside I would look to the left and see this  strip mall that had a Shoppers/McDees/and Food Basics. I kept driving and craning my head to the left at every intersection, and was surprised that it was much farther up the road than I thought.  I kept driving and driving, and wondered if I had imagined this!? I was certain the corner I had vividly in my memory would appear any second now. Finally, getting fairly close to the down-town, I had to admit my defeat and turn around.  Anyways, I ended up trying turning down a few more popular streets and not finding what I needed.  It was the first time I have ever thought I would like a smart phone. Finally, I saw a mall I was familiar with, and figured I should be able to get the things I needed there.  The problem was, I could not figure out how to get INTO it’s parking lot.  I kept getting so turned around, and when I finally got INTO the mall, I was distressed to see I couldn’t exit the way I came in.  With an hour wasted, I decided to screw the errands,  and try to salvage some time at the beach.   I couldn’t quite see how to get back on the road I needed to, and so went through MCDee’s drive thru for a coffee and directions. 

Ten minutes later, I was resting in the sun and sand without a care in the world.  I grabbed the camera and took some pictures, and then I just kicked up my feet and breathed in deeply enjoying the peace.

This creation I made for Dave

Then this little seagul came over quite close to me, and I spent the last ten minutes trying to capture a super close-up shot. 

As he started inching nearer to me (I MAY have pretended to have food by throwing little pieces of sticks into the sand close to me), the cutest-fatest-red haired- 3 year old came BOUNDING through the sand, and with a thick Brittish accent declared “ Nanny!  Look at me, I’m gonna get that Seagul, I will!”  And off he flew.

I picked up the kidlets and was sent home with three tired, fed, and happy kids and ONE steaming hot delicious lasagna.  THANK YOU KIM and JAYME!  Up they went for their naps, and I started the filing project that didn’t get done last night!  Robyn didn’t sleep too long, and so she joined me in my filing adventures.  Once Jesse and Janna woke up, I decided that it was best to put away the mountains of important paper and play with them.  They were both a bit grumpy, and I think missing daddy.  I sure am!  After some reading, we ate a delicious supper of lasagna. Jesse, Robyn, and I all enjoyed it.  Janna was being 2.  She is SO fussy with her eating lately.  I told her she had to TRY her food if she wanted dessert.  She was bawling her eyes out looking longingly at the mango we were all enjoying.  She would pick up a tiny piece of food and touch it to her tongue, and then just hold it on her outstretched tongue and WAIL with tears flying out of her eyes like a running tap.  I couldn’t hold back the laughter, and wished Dave was here to either laugh at her with me OR perhaps be a better parent and deal with it properly. 

After dinner we played outside, and Robyn managed to swallow a hunk of grass in such a way that it made her seem to stop breathing for a few seconds.   I was happy I had JUST been refreshed in infant CPR and choking, and confidently administered a few good back blows and got up the grass and hunk of dandelion piece AND all her dinner.  We called our outdoor play time quits early, and went inside for a bath.

    

It was an alright day, but I am tired tonight!  I want Dave back.  I asked the kids at different times today to “take a picture for daddy looking sleepy”  mommy is sleepy

Janna for some reason thinks this involves covering her face. I asked her several times per day to "look sleepy"

Clueless and cute!

Well, Katie is here and we are watching masterchef together, so I must be on my way!  I do apologize for all the typos and grammar and poor sentences.  I am only allowing myself 30 minutes to write these blogs, and so I’m just cranking it out.  Thanks for reading. I’m out!