Another Lunch Success Story......

Another small break through, in the lunch department.  We have added something other than jam sandwiches to our lunch time repertoire!!!  Cob was willing to take a smoothie for lunch today.  We kept it simple--vanilla yogurt, frozen mixed berries (rather than fresh, to help keep it cool!), and milk.  Maybe next time, we will try to add a banana in there.....
We blended it first thing this morning--Cob pushed the buttons on the blender, and then put it in his Spider Man thermos, along with an ice pack.  We packed both a spoon and straw, so he could have his choice come lunch time! 
I was pleasantly surprised to find an empty thermos upon emptying out the lunch kit!  I might try adding some cottage cheese in next time (I have heard others have tried it, so we will see....maybe a test run on the weekend??).

Yummy Treat!!

Back to school means treats for the classroom!  This one was a big hit on Tuesday--and easy to make!!!  I used the Rice Krispie marshmallow recipe, but instead of adding Rice Krispies, I used a combination of Fruit Loops, and plain Cheerios.  Next time, I might try Lucky Charms, along with Alphabets.  I think the kids liked it because it was a switch from RK, and included some fun cereals!!!  I rolled them into small balls (4-5 bites for little mouths), and put them into cupcake cups.  This makes for easy distrubition. 

Disneyland Half Marathon Follow-up

I finished the race....a little slower than I had hoped, but not terrible (yes, I am slightly disappointed with myself).  My time was 2:05:03.  I had hoped to finish it in under 2:00 hrs, but it wasn't my day..... 
We flew into LA on Friday, and my ear was bugging me after landing.  About 4 hours after landing, it finally equalized.  On Saturday, I woke up with a headache, and I couldn't get rid of it through out the day--even after drinking lots of water, and resorting to taking Tylenol.  I went to bed early that night, as we had to be up at 3:15 am, to get to the starting area by 4:15 am.  Needless to say, I didn't feel great that morning, but thought it was due to the early start (and maybe that was all it was).
I ran a pretty decent 10 km (about 55:40), but then I started to feel pretty yuck!!!  I finished the race, thinking maybe it was just an off running day.  After the race, we went for a quick massage, and then had a nap.  I hadn't eaten much of anything all day, but didn't feel up for it either.  Woke up from my nap, and my ear was blocked again (just as though I had been flying, and it hadn't equalized).  I thought nothing of it, and carried on.  We went out for supper, and my ear really started to bug me.  I headed back to the hotel early, and the pain only got worse.... I suffered through one of my worst nights ever.  I would rather have been in labour.....
In the morning, around 6 am, I finally asked my roomate to go find out where the nearest hospital was (there was a small amount of fluid on my pillow from my ear, and I didn't think that was good!!!).  She came back up to say a doctor was available to come to the the hotel.  Just before he arrived, my ear drum burst ( a tiny microscopic hole), and the pressure was relieved. I have never felt such relief!!!!  Anyways, he looked in my ear, declared it "Nasty", and prescribed antibiotics and pain killers.  I also wasn't allowed to fly home that day, and ended up staying until Wednesday.  Once the ear drum burst, I was feeling pretty good, but couldn't hear great, and had a Kleenex to my ear constantly.  On Tuesday morning, I awoke early again, due to my lip feeling funny.  I looked in the mirror, and saw that it was quite swollen.  I took some Benadryl, and hoped that would help.  In the next hour though, the swelling spread to the left side of my face.  I would post a picture here, but that is not one that I want spreaded around the internet.  Yes, it was that bad, and worse!!!!  I put ice on it, and the swelling finally went down to something manageable by noon (I just looked a little puffy then!).  Anyways, I was allergic to the pain killers.
All in all, 2 weeks later, I am relatively healed.  I still have minimal pain in my ear occasionally, and I can't hear great out of my ear either.  I am told it can take 2-3 months before I can normally again.  My doctor here did say it was healing beautifully, and I shouldn't have any problems.  Of course, since the kids are back to school, I now have a cold on top of all this!!! 
I am looking forward to my Disneyworld Half Marathon, January 8, 2011.  Maybe I can break 2 hours then!!!  I will hopefully do a 10km in October. 

A spare moment....

It has been forever since I posted---must be back to school time!!!  Once again, I may have signed us up for too many activities!!  Skating for the 3 younger boys, Tae Kwon-do for the 3 older boys, swimming for the 3 younger boys, Beavers for the older 2 boys, Time for Twos for Goob, and then preschool for Na-Na, Kindergarten for Tree, and Grade 2 for Cob.  I, of course, like to also volunteer at the school, so I have signed up to help with Hot Lunches on Fridays, as well as get into all the kids classrooms (every other week, hopefully!).  In all honesty though, I love it all!!!  I enjoy seeing the kids out doing stuff, getting a little taste of everything.  I don't enjoy the hassle of getting everyone out the door, and all the seatbelts, etc, but it is worth it!! 
Cob has been loving lego lately, especially the kits.  He just finished building a chomping T-Rex, and then took that apart to build a snapping alligator.  The kid amazes me.  He can have one of these creatures built in under 2 hours.  He simply just follows the directions!!!

Band-Aid Brand Jingle__Vote for the Boys

Please vote for the boys, and we could win some travel certificates to see Canada, and you could win some Johnson & Johnson Product Prize packs.

https://www.stuckonme.ca/gallery/32E5

Click on link above to see actual video--this is just a still shot!!! 

Thanks!!!

We made it to the bus---and on time!!!

Success!!!  We made it to the bus on time, with little whining, but a little bit of crying from Na-Na!!!  7 am came way too early for this momma though!  Gone are the mornings that started at 9 am, at least until next summer! 

Sent both the older boys on the bus this morning, even though Tree doesn't have his first day of school until Thursday.  We got pictures of both boys at the bus stop, and then again at school.  Hard to believe, I have a second grader and a kindergartener!!  Cob is in a 2/3 split, which I think will work out just fine.  It was a little different to only see a handful of his "old" classmates in the room.  We stopped by the 1/2 split (just to say "Bonjour"), and see the rest of the class!  Looking forward to another fun filled year!

I know you have all been wondering, what made it into Cob's lunch for the 1st day--pretty much the exact same things we took everyday last year....
*Jam Sandwich
*Apple Juice in Resusable container
*Cheese String
*Minigo yogurt
*Apple Chunks in lemon juice (to prevent browning)
*Kiwi (cut in bite size chunks)
*Chocolate Chip Granola bar

A little more packaged stuff than I would have liked, but I guess I have to get back into the routine as well!!! 

Lunch Ideas

This was from a couple of years ago, as us parents struggled to keep making lunches after Christmas.  A survey was sent home, and then I did the compilation, which was then sent back out to parents.  Thought it might be helpful this time of year...

Parents’ Ideas of Healthy Snacks:
• Fruits (apples, oranges, blueberries, kiwi, raspberries, strawberries, grapes)
• Vegetables (carrots, celery, mushrooms, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, alfalfa sprouts)
• Yogurt
• Granola
• Dried Fruit
• Popcorn
• Cheese
• Wheat Buds (Sobey’s)
• Homemade muffins, banana bread, Carrot Zucchini Cookies, snack bars
• Cereal
• Raisins
• Mixture of cereal/raisins/other dried fruit
• Crackers
• Applesauce
• Nutri-Grain Bars or Munchems
• Yogurt tubes


Parents’ Ideas of Healthy Lunches:
• Whole wheat sandwiches (egg, meat, jam, cheese, corned beef) (take a cookie cutter and cut out a shape or make a puzzle)
• Crackers, cheese, meat
• Noodles, pasta with sauce
• Wraps with cream cheese/jam/meat/cheese/spinach and cheese, cut into wheels
• Pizza
• Bagels with cream cheese/jam/honey/meat
• Soup/Stew in a thermos
• Vegetables
• Leftovers in thermos
• Meatballs with pineapple chunks
• Milk (white, chocolate, or strawberry)
• Homemade “Pizza Pops”—Dough (either homemade or Pillsbury) with ham and cheese/jam/hotdog/pepperoni stick folded inside or rolled, and then baked
• Cold pasta salads
• Grilled cheese sandwiches
• If you have more than one child in school, make one sandwich per kid, and then split the different sandwiches amongst your children—this way everyone gets a little variety
*Salad--lettuce, cucumber, carrots, croutons

 Children’s Ideas of Healthy Snacks:
• Fruit (pineapple, banana, pear, apples, berries)
• Vegetables (grape tomatoes)
• Popcorn
• Cheese and crackers
• Fruit cups
• Banana bread/muffins
• Granola bar
• Raisins
• Yogurt
• Applesauce
• Cheese Strings
Children’s Ideas of Healthy Lunches:
• Sandwiches (on buns, bread, wraps, hot dog buns) (honey, jam, cheese, meat, veggie)
• Crackers, cheese
• Yogurt
• Fruit (watermelon, apples)
• Noodles in thermos
• Soup in thermos
• Cinnamon Toast


If anyone has any other suggestions, please feel free to comment!!!  I am always looking for something new for my picky eater (as we took jam sandwiches almost every day last year.....) and always willing to try things out on Tree (who eats anything!!!). 

I am off to run in the Disneyland Half Marathon in 4 short days! I am very excited, and yet very nervous! I have set a goal of 2 hours (or wishfully thinking, less than 2 hrs) for myself. I am hoping to meet this goal, and am worried I won't, and then I will have to tell everyone, and I will be so disappointed in myself. But, I needed some accountability......if I don't have a goal, I have nothing to work towards, and won't get it done. Side note: (I am quite a procrastinator!!!)


I am also nervous to go and travel without my family. We travel alot, and you would think I am seasoned, but I haven't gone solo in a long time!!! I am travelling with a group of 5 other ladies, so I am not totally alone, but I don't know their travelling styles. My husband and I are are fairly similar, relatively stress free, unfazed, etc. Hopefully, I will remain that solo!!!

I am looking forward to some nice meals out, some shopping, a massage after the race at the Grand Californian (Disney) Hotel, and maybe even an afternoon nap or two!!
I'll make sure to post some pics of the run (maybe I will see Mickey along the way!!)


More on Disney--we have booked a family trip to DisneyWorld in November. 10 days. We have booked our flights (in and out of Tampa, not Orlando, but it is only a 45 drive to the Disney area). I have also just booked the villa. The villa will cost us about $800 for the 10 days, as we are sharing it with another couple as well. We have yet to rent the same villa twice, but seem to always have a different number of people accompanying us.


I also registered for the DisneyWorld Half Marathon, which is Jan 8, 2011, but not sure if we will make it back down as a family, if I will go solo, or if I just don't go at all!
In case you haven't figured, I am crazy for Disney! And I have a wonderful husband who tolerates that!!! My kids love it.....

Back to School

Last day of summer---yuck!!!  Tomorrow, it is back to school for us.  Cob will be starting second grade, still in french immersion, and Tree starts kindergarten, french immersion as well.  Na-na will be off to preschool next Thursday, Sept 9th, leaving just Goob and me all to ourselves on Tues/Thurs afternoons. 

I have registered us for all the activity programs for the fall--skating for the younger 3, swimming for the younger 3, and then some preschool classes for the younger two on Tues mornings.  Cob doesn't get to do much, but I was trying to keep our evening relatively empty!!!  The 3 boys can all skate at the same time, and swim at the same time, as I refuse to sit somewhere for hours on end, cycling kids through the different sessions!!!  If it doesn't work out for them to go at the same time, then we don't end up doing it!!!  Maybe not the best attitude, but it is the one that keeps us sane around here!

We will also have Beavers (www.scouts.ca) for the older 2 on Tuesday nights.  I am the section leader for Colony A, and I love it!!!  We have 3 colonies this year, so hopefully we will have 90, 5-7 year old boys.  We are split into groups of 30, with 5-6 leaders for each colony, so it is very manageable.  Lots of fun things planned for the year--sleepover at Tyrell Museum, Winter Camp, canoeing, and a few other afternoon day trips. 

I had my last day of sleeping in--til 8:45 am....tomorrow, back to 7 am starts.  I am sure it will take us all a week to get back into early morning starts!  This was the first summer in 7 years, that I have been able to sleep in.  I guess the kids are growing up--some privileges come with not having any more babies!!!  PS--I love babies and would probably have 100!!!!  I just don't really want any more kids...they become too time consuming, but a baby, under 3 months old....gladly!!!  Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but 4 is plenty!!  We are always busy!!

Anyways, back to making lunches, maybe Cob will try a few new things.  I am looking forward to making Tree lunches, as he eats anything!!  We went and bought bigger lunch kits, to hold all the food as the boys grow, and need a little more!!  I can see our grocery bill getting larger and larger every year!!  Right now, it is around $700.  We may have to take out a second mortgage on the house someday, just to afford to feed the kids!!

Bought some new hoodies for the boys at Walmart this morning, for only $10!  I am sick of buying them $40 ones that just get lost....Also found a reversible coat for Cob, for $10!  Tag said $30, but the flyer said $10, and so it was.   Again, no worries if we lose things.....I have bought Mabels Labels (www.bluebyyou.mabel.ca) with just our last name on it (good for passing items down!), which I label all containers for the lunch kits, shoes, sweaters, coats, mitts, etc.  I think we are ready!!

I guess I should do more frequent posts, then I don't have as much to go on about.....sorry! 

Tutu Giveaway

Trying something new....

A friend of a friend is having a Tutu giveaway.  They are gorgeous, but unfortunately none of them will grace my home, unless maybe I start wearing one occasionally!!  You just need to visit her site, and follow the rules...
I am thinking they might make great presents for some of my younger nieces!!! I tend to go a little crazy at birthdays and Christmas for the special little girls in our lives---it is fun!!!  My boys really don't care what they wear, as long as it isn't the "Church clothes".....on a regular basis!!!!

Time for Me

I have taken up Half Marathon running.  I guess it was a New Year's Resolution, as my first run was 2 weeks into January.  It is something I have talked about doing for a few years, and my baby was 18 months at the time, I wasn't pregnant (and have no plans to be), so the time was right.  I signed up for the Calgary Half Marathon (May 30, 2010), and found myself a training schedule.  I would say I was in okay shape.  I had been taking a boot camp in Okotoks, since the May 2009, up until Oct 2009. 
I used to enjoy running, and I have found that I still do.  Since my first run in January, I have logged 300+ km.  I ran in Florida, at 6:30am, while we were on vacation.  I have ran in light snow.  I have ran in rain, and I have ran in the hot, hot sun.....I actuallye nded up doing my first half marathon (21.1km or 13 miles), April 25.  I had a friend who was unable to do the Policeman Half (Calgary), so I took her bib number and ran it for her.  I had only trained up to 14 km, but I made it to the finish line in 2:07:51.  Not as good as I had hoped, but not terrible.  My second half, I managed to run it in 2:03:16.  My next race is in Disneyland, Sept 5, 2010, and I hope to run it in 2:00:00 or just under.

I enjoy the quiet of running.  I run 5 days a week, just short runs during the week days (3-5km), and then a nice long run on Sunday (today was 16km).  It gives me a little "timeout" from the kids, and I also like the health benefits.  Running helped me to lose the last few pounds I had lingering, and I eat a little healthier too, as I don't want all my hard work to go to waste!!! 
My schedule was from the Running Room, but I adapted it slightly, to suit me.  I didn't end up doing all the hills, but overall, it was a good schedule. 
I also bought myself a Garmin 305 Forerunner, a GPS, which helps me with my pacing.  I really like that.  I logs all my splits, distances, etc, and can be downloaded to my computer.
Anyways, the short of the long, is that running is a great break from the kids, and I really enjoy it!!!! 

House still for sale.....

So, the house has not sold.....We have had 9 showings, 2 of them being second showings, but still nothing...  As some may know, it was our plan to sell the house here, in southern Alberta, and make the move down to Orlando, Florida.  I had quite a few conditions on this big move, but haven't had to impose any yet, since we haven't sold.  It has been tough keeping the house clean, as I have the 4 tornadoes that move through the house with record speed, seconds behind me.  We packed away some stuff, so that helped alot!!! 
At first, I was really on board with moving to Florida.  We would spend the school year down there, but then vacation in Alberta for the summers.  Best of both worlds--missing most of the cold of Alberta, and the hot of the summer in Orlando.  We would get to see lots of our families in the summers, probably come home for Christmas, and maybe on other visit spring or fall.  We are hoping we would have lots of vistors to Orlando, and plan to have a house with an extra bedroom or two! 
But, as the summer went on, I was spending lots of time with good friends, and really enjoying the life I have here.  It would be hard to move away from all that, and have to "rebuild".  Decisions.....I really don't like them!  For the time being though, it looks like Okotoks will remain our home.  School starts in Orlando on Aug 23, and at this point, I just don't think we could be down there in time, even if we got an offer tomorrow.  If we do get an offer (and accept it), I think we will be renting a place for this school year, and then make the decision in the spring if we decide to still move. 
Some of my conditions were:
1) not moving part way through a school year
2)not moving into a rental house down in Florida (I want to move into a home and get settled!!)
3)and finally, it was either this summer, or next, as I do not want to move Cobb once he is past Grade 2. 

Maybe some of these are unfair, but we have a great life here, and I want to continue to give ust he best life!  I want to make things easier for the kids, and the move would be a big transition for them. 

Putting things into Perspective

I am sure we have all had those moments, but this website makes me realize I am not the only one, and brings a little humour to my day!!!

www.shitmykidsruined.com

Enjoy!!

Moving--House for Sale

It is official--we are trying to sell our place.  The place is fairly clean, considering we have 4 small boys......So far, no showings.  Looks like house sales have slowed down.  Not sure how long I can keep the house in its "clean" state. 

I packed up most of the toys.  That way the kids can't get in to them, and drag them everywhere.  The hardest part is making sure everything is tidy before we leave the house.  After the "get ready for school rush", I have to go around, make beds, pick up toys, pick up PJ's, make sure all dishes are washed/put away, or at least in the dishwasher.  Hopefully a family comes along soon, and wants to buy.  All it takes is one---we just have to have that "ONE" come through our door!!!  I have emailed the listing to practically everyone I know, asking them to pass it along to anyone they know of that might want an acreage.  Maybe that will work.......

Keeping my fingers crossed......

Hunting for Deals

As long as you are willing to check back often, here is a good place to go to hunt down deals!!! But beware, you may end up spending even though you don't really want to!!!!  This is good for clothing, electronics, housewares, travel---just about anything!!!


Another good travel deal--Allegiant Air!!  We drove from Calgary to Great Falls, 4 1/2 hrs, and saved a lot of money to fly to Vegas. 


Another good, discount US air carrier, Southwest Airlines.  We were very pleased with their customer service, and the price was right.  This one isn't as convenient for us Calgarians though---nearest airport is Spokane (about 7 hours drive).  We drove down, spent the night, flew out first thing in the morning, and then drove all the way home after flying in.  I would consider staying in Kalispell, or somewhere like that on the return drive home!!!  Break it up a bit!!!

The Difficulty of Donating......

I have been in the process of cleaning out all my baby stuff, something I dreaded, but it was time.  The bigger stuff (crib, jolly jumper, change table, etc), I listed on Kijiji.  They all sold, rather quickly.  The clothes and toys, I took to a Kids Toy/Clothing sale, and barely sold any.  I got a rid of a few other items, like a Leap Frog play table, activity mat, etc, but the clothes went untouched, even at a $1 an item.  I had Gymboree, Gap, Old Navy, and Children's Place stuff, most of it in great shape.  I remember being pregnant with my first child, 7 long years ago, going to these sales, and buying stuff up!!!  I guess times have changed.....

Needless to say, I came home with alot of stuff---about 10 diaper boxes full of clothes, ages 0-18 months.  What to do with it????  I went to Kijiji again, hoping to offload my excessive amount of clothes.  I placed an ad, offering a diaper box of clothes for $10.  You could even pick what items went into the box.  I thought this was a fantastic deal.  I had over 100 views to my add, maybe 8 people inquire, and not one actually come to get any. 

After a week of no luck, I called my church, to see if they knew of any families in need.  No such luck.  I looked up a few shelters, emergency centres, etc, but all they wanted was new items.  I couldn't believe how hard it is to donate items!!!!  I couldn't find any takers for hundreds of dollars worth of clothes (I realize they are used, but they still have a lot of great life left in them---especially the baby stuff!!!). 

Next step, garage sale!!!  I again offered stuff $10 for a bag, or $1 a item.  I ended up selling about half of my clothing, and the rest went to the Salvation Army bins.  Hopefully it will make its way to someone that can use it.  Now, I just need to find a place to donate my used baby toys and stuffed animals (3 large rubbermaid bins.....).

Tee-Ball Drills/Practice Plans

I know I am constantly searching for drills and practice plans, so I thought I would share a few of mine from the last few weeks.  I have a group of 10 kids, ages 5-8.  We only practice for about 20 minutes, and then play a game for the last 35-40 minutes. 

Practice 1



6:30 Warm up game—Shark and Octopus: Everyone begins the game as an octopus and stands on one side of the playing field. One person is chosen to be a shark and they will stand in the middle of the playing field. Play begins when the shark calls out, "Octopus, Octopus, swim in my ocean!" All players must run across the playing field trying to get to the other side without getting tagged by the shark. Anyone who is tagged must sit down where they are tagged. They now become the shark's helpers. When the shark calls out, "Octopus, Octopus, swim in my ocean!" again, the players will try to run back to the other side. Anyone who runs within arms reach of the sitting players and gets tagged must sit down. The game continues until there is only one person left.


6:40 Stretching—Coach to lead players through stretching head to toe.


6:45 Catch with partner—just let them do what they feel is right.


6:50 Teach throwing technique—2-3 finger grip


Step 1: on knee (non throwing knee up) use glove to hold forearm, and just use wrist to throw to partner 3 feet away. Use the key phrase, “honking geese”. The wrist and hand should look like a goose’s head after snapping wrist and throwing ball. I get the players to honk and they love it!!!!


Step 2: place baseball behind head, elbow up and throw to partner. Glove hand points at partner. Move about 6 feet back.


Step 3: stand up, turn sideways to partner, with glove hand closest to partner. Ball and glove at chest, point glove and glove toe to partner, bring ball behind head, and then throw, twisting hips towards partner


7:00 Alligator Catch—Scoop ball up off ground. Glove hand is bottom jaw of alligator, non-gloved hand is the top jaw. Bring hands together to scoop ball up off ground, and keep in glove. Coach has players line up, and rolls a grounder to each player. Using the above technique, scoop ball and throw ball to coach.


Practice 2
 
6:30 Warm up Game—Relay with glove



At start line, do 3 jumping jacks, run to next pylon


Do 3 tuck jumps, run to end line


Throw ball up to self and catch it 5 times, run back to start


6:35 Catch with partner—make sure to turn sideways, point at partner with glove hand, and snap the wrist on follow through


6:40 Batting Practice—using tee, in two groups, have the children choke up high on the bat, and swing down and through, to aim at the pyramid of balls in front. This will work on the chopping, downward action of the swing. Have each take about 5 swings, and then rotate. Each time through, lower their hands on the bat, until we are at a “normal” position.


Reminder that what ever foot is closest to the pitcher, that hand is the on closest to the bottom of the bat.


6:50—Game!!!!


 
Practice 3
 
6:45 Warm up Game—Freeze Tag



6:50 Catch with partner—make sure to turn sideways, point at partner with glove hand, and snap the wrist on follow through


6:55 Fielding –in 2 lines, coach will roll ball out to player, who will use the “alligator scoop technique” to field ball. Also remind players that they need to be behind the ball—if they were to miss the ball with their glove, it should roll right between their legs.


7:05 Base Game—starting at pitchers mound, players will run to whatever base is called out, just to get a better understanding of which base is which.


7:10 Batting—using tee, in two groups, have the children choke up high on the bat, and swing down and through, to aim at the pyramid of balls in front. This will work on the chopping, downward action of the swing. Have each take about 5 swings, and then rotate. Each time through, lower their hands on the bat, until we are at a “normal” position. Reminder that what ever foot is closest to the pitcher, that hand is the on closest to the bottom of the bat.


The most important thing to remember, is to have fun!!!!!

The Gift of an Ordinary Day

This was a great little video that my mother in law sent me for Mother's Day.  I think I may have to read the book.

http://vimeo.com/8054255

 It really made me think about treasuring every day with the kids, even the bad ones.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I wish time would slow down.  My kids are getting too old, and I feel that it is just around the corner, and they will be gone........

I had an interesting conversation with my sister one day last year (she was only 20 at the time).  She made the comment that she would love to fastforward time.  She didn't like the stage she was at.  I looked back upon my highschool days, and remembered feeling that same way.  Now, what I wouldn't give for a pause button!!!  At the same time, I think I have learned to treasure each moment (some I treasure more than others......), and enjoy today......

Cleaning House

I have been working hard to clean out some of my clutter.  I started with the baby clothes.  I found it so difficult to dig through the boxes, and get rid of my baby stuff.  I guess this comes with the fact that I would love to have another baby!!!  With that being said, I don't really want any more "kids"!!!  I miss how a little baby snuggles into you, how they smell, and just how tiny they are......
Each piece of clothing brought back so many memories, reminding me of when my boys were tiny themselves.  It feels like I am getting rid of those memories by getting rid of my stuff.  I think I need to get over it!!!!  I did keep a few special items, and filed them away in the hope chest.  The sleepers the boys wore during the first weeks of their new lives (all preemie size as the boys were all little squirts!!!), and my favourite onesies.  One of each for each of the boys.  Hopefully they will be somewhat sentimental like their mom, and actually want this stuff some day.  I have a little pink sleeper of mine (almost 30 yrs old!!) downstairs.  I never got the chance to use it, but I had it packed in my bag, ready for the hospital, every time!! 
Anyways, I listed a bunch of it on Kijiji this afternoon, in hopes that in can be put to use in someone's home.  It feels good to clean up some, but I still have a long ways to go.  I realize now that I really should stay away from shopping centres!!!!

Bring on the Busy......

I do this to myself every spring.  I think we will have so much time, just to enjoy the weather, etc, and then I sign us up for soooo much stuff!!!  Right now, our week nights are packed!!!  Monday and Wednesday nights, I coach Baseball for Tree and Cob.  That goes from 6:30-7:45pm.  I then have to quickly pack up, run home to drop kids off, and then make it to Boot Camp for 8:00pm, M/W.  I am hoping to play ball myself this spring, but so far, I am just on a spare list.  This will be Thursday nights.  On top of all this, I have started running.  I ran my first 1/2 marathon on April 25th, and did not bad, but would like to improve.  Of course, that means more training.  It is tough to fit in runs that last 1-2 hours, when you have kids!!!  At least the days are longer now, so I can get to it after supper.  I am tired at that time of day, but what can one do!!  My husband leaves for work at 5:45, and really, that is too early to get up to run (I would have to be up at 4:30am.....).  But, I love the exercise!!!  It is nice to see some of the pounds disappear, and to feel healthy again!!!  It is surprising, but now that I have started to work hard, I find it hard to eat that extra big piece of cake, or to eat the chips that are out!!!  I guess that is a good thing.  It also feels nice to go out and buy new clothes.

Goob and the Potty.....

As I knew it might be, Goob has had a little bit of set back on using the potty.  He seems to still do awesome when we are out and about, but at home, has little interest in it.  This morning, he fought with me over whether he got to wear pull-ups.  We were wearing pull-ups most of the time, but now he realizes he can just pee in them, and it really does nothing!!!!  So, I have been putting underwear on him the last few days, but he doesn't like that, as it gets quite wet when he pees!  Therefore, the arguement this morning.  Needless to say, I won!!!  He did pee in his pants, and was very upset by it, but equally upset that I had to though those clothes in the wash.  Hopefully we will be back on track after a few days of this!

Lucky Mom!!!

I am spoiled!!!  Several trips in the last few months, and now an iPad!!!  We were down in Vegas, just putzing around on our last day.  I got hooked on the Twilight Series just before we left town.  I watched Twilight the night before we left, then I downloaded New Moon to our iPod touch, and watched that on our way from Calgary to Salt Lake City.  Once there, I had to buy the book, Eclipse.  Anyways, we were out shopping, and stopped in at book store so I could pick up Breaking Dawn.  We started to look at the Kindle, something I had been considering getting, as I hate buying books, and having them lie around, but I absolutely LOVE reading.  Anyways, they were around $300-$400, depending on the model.  Right next door to the bookstore was a Best Buy.  We went and checked it out, as my husband is a electronic junkie!!!  We were looking at the iPad's they had available, and one happened to have the Kindle App on it.  I previewed a book on it, and thought it was alright!!  I had also thought about getting a cheap laptop, as my husband is not a very good sharer when we are on vacations!!!!  (At this point, I will admit I am a little bit of an electronic junkie myself!!!). 


Anyways, the iPad seemed to be the best option, as it is a great "vacation" laptop, as well as my Kindle.   So, to make a long story short---I am spoiled!!!  Happy Mother's Day to me!!!!

Looking for Recipes...

I am in search of a nut free granola type bar, that my kids will eat!!  Please forward them my way if you have any!!!

Thanks!

Spending Freeze

Due to the upcoming trip to Orlando (within 2 months of the previous one), my husband imposed a "no-spending" rule on us!!!  Well, I decided to take the challenge.  No dinners out, no buying clothes, and the worst, no visits to Starbucks (really, is that even sane!!!).  I am onto Day 5, and I haven't spent a dime, other than on groceries, and even them, no extras, only the stuff we need! 

At first, I wasn't sure I liked the whole idea, but now, I have embraced it.  It has lead us to eat a little healthier, as we have 3 days a week where we go from activity to activity, right around the lunch and supper hours.  We used to just do a McDonald's drive thru, but this week, I have made sandwiches, and packed everyone a little lunch.  The kids love it (they don't realize they are missing out on McD's).  The only downside, I have to make more lunches!!!  At least the younger 3 aren't as picky, and will eat just about anything. 

Speaking of that, Cob is growing up a bit.  He will now eat sandwiches with lettuce, cucumber, cheese and sandwich meat.  This is a huge improvement over just jam, or just cheese!!!!  A small break through, but I will take it!  He is also getting a bigger appetite.  He gets Hot Lunches at school on Fridays, and we have to preorder.  I was filling out the form, asking him what he would like, (we got every week except one--chicken noodle soup!, another big improvement over the every other week we previously did!), and he informed me that 1 piece of pizza was not enough. 

I sometime struggle with the fact that my first born is quickly approaching age 7!!!!  Where does time go???  And to make matters worse, my boys love to discuss what they are going to do when they are teenagers.  The latest was blow stuff up!!!!  Really though, why do they need to focus on getting older, when all Mom wants is to freeze time........

Back to Florida

Yes, we are spoiled!!!  When we were down in Feburary, we went and looked at some 1 bedroom apartments/condos, to invest in as long term rentals.  When we got home, we put in offers on 6.  To date, 4 have been accepted.  So, lucky for us, we are headed back down to Orlando in early April to sign off on these properties, open some bank accounts, etc.  Since we needed to go for business, we decided to add an extra few days, take the kids, and make some use out of our Disney passes.  I LOVE Disney!!!!  This time, we are probably renting a townhouse, with a small pool in the backyard vs a single family home.  Our kids love the pool.  I like the convenience of having it right out the back door, rather than having to walk down to a community pool.  And, I don't mind cooking meals.  I know I'm on vacation, but I really don't enjoy sitting in a restaurant, listening to the kids whine that they didn't really want this, and my husband saying, "Eat it!  We are not wasting it!!!".  All in all, the townhouse or villa leads to a much more relaxed vacation. 

Potty Training Catch Up

So, the potty trained was delayed a bit, we have finally "officially" started!  Goob has been using the potty at least once a day for the last month, but yesterday, when we were out, he announced he needed to pee.  So, off to the bathroom we went, and wouldn't ya know, he actually went pee!!!  I think this is the first time he has actually peed on the potty!!!!  Hurray!!!!  When we got home, he went naked, waist down, and yes, the potty is parked in our living room, but we had a good day of using the potty.  First thing this morning, he got up, and wanted to pee.  It was a tiny amount, and his diaper was already wet, but he showed interest.  Shortly after, he wanted to poop, and so he did!  So, I guess the time has come for me to sink some time into this venture, and pull out the underwear!  I'll keep my fingers crossed!!!

Update on the Potty!!

Of course, Goob timed it perfectly!!!  Just when we were on vacation, and on the go, he decides he would like to use the potty.  In an effort not to deter him, we took him whenever the opportunity presented itself.  We usually got one poop per day, and sometimes a pee.  We are not having much success with the pee yet, but getting there with the poop. 
Maybe because it was a novelty, and a chance to get out to the cursed carseat, Goob used the potty several times on the airplane ride to Orlando.  Yeah for cramped spaces, and learning to use the toilet.  He also managed to check out a few of the bathrooms at several of Orlando's tourist destinations--Disney World, Sea World, and Univeral Studios.
Now that we are back home, and back to our hectic schedule, we are using pullups rather than diapers.  We are pretty busy until mid March, so I think the slated, "no diapers, only underwear" weekend will be March 12th-14th!!!  We'll see how it goes!!

Disney World.....

We are here!!!!  After driving from Calgary to Spokane--a 7 1/2 hour drive--a night in a hotel at the airport, and then a day of flying, we made it into Orlando at 7:00pm local time last night.  The kids were well behaved on the flights.  We even had a seat for little Goob---even though we didn't pay for one!  We always take on car seat on the plane in hopes that there will be an empty seat, and then we can buckle in the baby.  If there were no extra seats, then we would have just made Na-Na sit in it. 

Cob and Tree had their own little backpack with their Nintendo DS and games, along with a little bag of candy, a small coloring book, and a few crayons.  Na-Na also had his own backpack, with his headset in it, along with some candies.  Na-Na used Daddy's Ipod to watch Dora and Diego episodes.   Throw in a few snacks from the flight attendant, and a glass of pop as a special treat, and they were all happy!!!!! 

Goob is at the toughest age---really, what do you take along for him???  He was content to sit in his carseat, eat snacks, look at the magazines in the seat back, and eat icecubes!!!!  Goob even used the potty on the airplane!!!  he told me he had to poop, so off we went.  I let him shred some toilet paper, and he finally relaxed and let himself use the toilet.  Today, we did not have as much success.  We were at Animal Kingdom all day, and he pooped on the way home---oh well, we haven't officially started yet!

Prepping for Potty Training!

Well, it is almost that time for Goob!  We go on holiday for the next couple weeks, but when we return home and have settled back in, I think we are going to give potty training a try.  This will be the youngest (19 1/2-20 months) I have attempted this monumental task......
Cob was 2 1/2 when he was fully trained, although we started when he was 27 months.  He has proved to be the most trying so far......Tree was 25 months, and was good within a week---even at night!  Na-Na, I'm sure, would have trained at 20 months, but we were off on an adventure (Thailand/Vietnam), and it was Christmas (which means travelling) so that didn't quite work out.  He was trained at 24 months, again within the week. 
The signs that I have been waiting for:

• quick to tell me he has pooped in his diaper
• an interest in watching others use the toilet
• his ability to talk (or at least express to me what he needs)

For the past two weeks, everytime I catch him going poop in his diaper, I use phrases such as "Are you going poop?", "Do you have poop in your diaper?", "Does it feel yucky in your diaper?".  I use this to get him to associate the sensation with the action and word.  We have only sat on the potty a handful of times, but they have always been fun!!!  Tearing toilet paper into tiny shreds, ready books, singing songs. 
Yesterday, I could tell that it was getting close to time for him to go---lots of grunting, and just standing still.....my Goob's telltale signs that a poop is on the way!  So, we go into the bathroom, and sit on the potty.  After 10 minutes of  "playing", and telling him to put his poop in the potty, not his diaper, he finally relaxes and poops!  What a celebration we had when it was done!!!  Every family member had to check out the poop in the potty, and lots of praises for our "big boy!".  Then, as a special treat, Goob got to make a phonecall to Grandma and Grandpa and tell them his big news!!! 
It will be like this over the next 3 weeks--random use of the potty if the timing is right, lots of discussing about using the potty instead of the diaper, saying "tell mom if you need to go poop", etc.
I'll keep you posted as to how it turns out!!!!

Updates

Just a quick change to make my page a little less boring looking!!!!  I am still trying to figure all this out, so please bear with me.  The background comes from: thecutestblogontheblock.com

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day

Since we are off to Florida early next week, the kids miss their Valentine's parties at school. Me, being the mom that enjoys any excuse to make cute things for the classmates, encouraged the boys to pick a treat they would like to hand out. We took the first round of hand made valentines to my 5 year old's preschool. He wrote his own name on the back, and did all the glueing!!!

Lollipop Flowers

My 6 1/2 year old has chosen to make these:

Dynamic Duo

 

And as a special treat for the teachers, I have chosen to attempt to make these:

Berry Sweet Bouquet

 

All of these are from a website that I absolutely love. I get most of my cake ideas for birthday froms here, snack ideas for school, etc. Here is the link for their cute Valentine gifts!!!

A Tasty Treat!!!

I was just thinking about what I should make for a treat for a small get together we are having, and I remembered this delicious treat!!!  It is so good, but incredibly simple to make, that I thought I would pass it along! 

Apple Dip

1- 8oz package of cream cheese
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 container of caramel (usually found in your produce section)
1 package of Skor Bits (or whole Skor bars crushed)
4-5 Granny Smith apples, sliced

Mix together cream cheese and brown sugar until you have no lumps.  Spread thinly on a platter.  Microwave the caramel for about 15 seconds to make it easy to spread.  Spread on top of cream cheese mixture.  Top with the Skor bits.  Use the apples as dippers!!!

Enjoy!!!!

Back to School

As a parent, you love your child--as a mom, you love back to school!!! Even though I only have my Grade Oner back at school, the house is so much more quiet. A little routine goes along way. We are still adjusting to the early morning wakeups, but within a week I think we should be back on track.

My son had finally started to take a greater variety of food in his lunch. Hopefully we are past the days of just jam sandwiches. I guess the key was to make it fun!!! We have a toasted waffle sandwich, with jam (it is not a great change, but I am okay with baby steps!!), mini turkey bites, vanilla milk with ice cubes (no warm milk!!), and thanks to my aunt who knit some apple/pear sweaters, we take take those fruits with out them getting all bruised!

Only 1/2 year of lunches left to make--for the world's pickiest eater!! I have a made a few of the recipes of out Deceptively Delicious, and my kids have like just about all of them. They are none the wiser to knowing they have vegetables lurking under the surface!!! I sometimes just use jarred baby food if I can't find the fresh fruits and veggies required. 

Another favourite of ours is Silly Snacks.  The bright pages entice the children, along with the simple recipes---most of the items being fairly common. 

Upcoming Trip to Disney World

In just over 1 month, we will embark on our 8th trip to Disney with our kids.  My husband and I went twice before having kids, and have been back 8 times since with them.  Our first trip as a family is when our now 6 1/2 year old was only 5 months.  That was our first trip with a baby!!! 

We usually try to go twice in a calendar year, for 2 weeks at a time.  To keep costs down, we sometimes drive down to Montana (Great Falls) or Washington (Spokane) and then fly out of an airport there.  Airport parking is reasonable, especially if you stay at a hotel on site.  We have even flown into Tampa, and then driven to Orlando.  It is only about 1 1/2 hour drive.

We have rented a 6 bedroom villa to stay at while there.  We are travelling with another family that has 2 small children as well.  The villa comes equipped with a full kitchen, private pool and hottub, and room for everyone.  The total cost for the 2 weeks was only $2600 USD.  I do realize that we are not at the resort, but we rent a vehicle, and it is easy to drive in the Kissimmee area.  

Since we are travelling with another couple, and all have young children, we find it convenient to stay in a villa.  We can feed the kids breakfast in the morning--whatever they want at a fraction of the cost of eating out, we can put the kids to bed in separate rooms, and then still hang out as adults while keeping an eye on our children.  The pool is right out the back patio door, and the hot tub is always available. 

We have rented through Villa Direct (a management company) before, but have gone through VRBO (http://www.vrbo.com/) recently.  We found that VRBO prices are usually more reasonable, and also offer free use of baby equipment--strollers, playpens, fullsize cribs (sometimes), baby monitors (sometimes), etc. 

We like to stay in an area that is close to Disney (under 10 minutes away).  Some of these areas are Indian Creek, Emerald Island Point, Windsor Hills, Oak Island Cove.  You can take a back route to Disney which cuts out the traffice of 192.

I make my grocery list ahead of time, and then after we have arrived, we usually stop at a Super Centre Walmart or Target.  They seem to have the best prices on groceries!  Since we have multiple couples going, we all mark our reciepts, and throw them into the pot.  At the end of the week, we tally up who has paid what, and work it out from there.

Well, that should be good for one night--more to come soon!!!

New to the Blogging World

Just thought I would try this out.  I am forever searching the internet to find out little tidbits of information about everything kid-related!!!  Since up til now, it has always been a "take" relationship on my part, I thought I would give back. 

A little background on me:

I am a 29 year old mom to 4 wonderful boys--5 if you count Dad!!!
I have 4 boys, ages 6 1/2, 5, 3, and 18 months. 
We live in the Calgary area of Alberta. 
I stay at home with the boys, and provide taxi service to all the activities that we attend.

My goal with the website is to provide travel tips (we do like to travel, and I think we have gotten fairly efficient at it....).  We travel mainly to the USA, but have ventured to Europe and even Thailand and Vietnam with our 4 boys.  As well, just updates on different issues we experience at home--things like potty training, listening issues, sleep issues, etc.   

I am always open to ideas, and would love to get questions, suggestions, etc!!!  

Thanks so much for reading!!!