So far behind....

I am not doing so well with my goal to post regularly.

This past week has been pretty busy- I subbed 2 days this week, had MOPS, errands to run and had 2 wisdom teeth pulled.

The wisdom teeth extractions went well, they just "popped" out (the dentist's words- didn't feel like it to me!). I was feeling pretty good until late yesterday afternoon and last night when my left side began to swell, have lots of pain and just felt awful. This morning I woke up to a fever and nausea. I figured it was probably infected (mouths are cesspools for bacteria, so no surprise there), so I headed in to the Urgent Care centre. Usually we go to Didsbury but I (wrongly) thought that since I was arriving at opening time, I would get seen quickly and then could get my prescription and go home, rather than drive the 20 minutes to Didsbury, then drive past my house to Airdrie to get my prescription and then home again. After 3 hours of waiting, with no one getting called back, I decided to leave and go to Didsbury anyway. I told the nurse I was leaving and she strongly advised me to stay because she was worried that the infection would spread since I was basically swallowing it constantly. She secretly bumped me to the front of the line and I was in the back an on my way to the pharmacy 20 minutes later.

I've had 2 doses of antibiotics and am beginning to feel better. I'll pop in to the dentist tomorrow just to have her check and make sure it looks alright.

I'm getting my hair done tomorrow and am embracing a dramatic change. Its something I've been throwing around for a while now, and I've decided to do it. Its just hair, right? It'll grow back..... Stay tuned.....

A few weeks ago school was cancelled due to -40 temsp (with windchill) and we stayed home in our jammies and had a fun day.

True to one of my goals, I set out painting activities for the boys, despite the mess I knew it would  make. We experimented with different tools to paint with and they had a blast. It was a great way to spend an hour of our long and cold day!

The boys are also into Angry Birds (they are way better at it than I am!). I had found these coloring sheets online and printed them off. They intently colored for a while too.

Levi is getting to be a very careful colorer!

(Blogger won't let me change the orientation for some reason. Sorry!)

I kept busy doing some baking- blueberry muffins and brownies.

This weekend Chris has been busy building me a pantry. Pictures to follow when it is complete!

Have a good week!

Worldless Wednesday: Things I love

Nephew, my sons

My sisters and their families

My Mommy and Daddy

My In-Laws 

The greatest man alive

Our wonderful dog

My perfect little family

Some of the best friends a girl could ask for!

Perspective

The woman on the right is an average sized woman. The woman on the left is a model.

Did you know that in the fashion industry, a size 6 is considered a plus size?!?

Friday Night Leftovers

• Chris got me a tablet for Christmas. I chose the Acer IconiaTab A500 and I love it. It is so convenient and also a great big time waster. Its one of the few tablets that had a full size USB port, which is something I wanted for my doula business so I can share files easily with clients if I need to. I've watched videos on it and have been impressed with the quality. I've played games on it (I now know what the fuss about Angry Birds was!), I've used it in the kitchen to try new recipes and almost best of all- I can browse pinterest all from the comfort of my bed! ;) 

• Without either of us knowing what we were getting for Christmas, we got each other the same thing. Chris has been wanting an iPad for ages so I knew I wanted to get him one. This is normally waaaaayyyy out of our budget, so I mentioned to family that if they wanted to contribute in the form of a gift card, I would be giving him the balance remaining so he could get himself the iPad he's been wanting. Normally, we don't spend much on each other for Christmas but this year, we splurged. Its not very often that we spend large amounts of money on ourselves, so it was a really nice and appreciated treat.

• My job is so exciting. I love to be a part of welcoming new babies to the world. Sometimes the stories are so good and the circustances around the baby's entrance are so exciting. I had one of those births this week. Amidst a snowstorm that had the roads at a near standstill, a first time mama went from mild back pain to feeling the urge to push in less than 2 hours. Thankfully, an ambulance was not too far away and was able to transport her to the hospital in time to have the baby. I was sure that the baby would be born before I arrived at the hospital, but I got there, flustered from trying to get through traffic in rush hour and a snowstorm, in time to be there for the baby's grand entrance. A whirlwind few hours, for sure!

• My thankfulness journal that I started on January 1st is going really well. I've already had to stop and make myself find the silver lining in some trying days. Its only been 2 weeks and I already feel my outlook on things being more positive. I didn't think of myself as a negative person before, but I am definitely stopping to think of the positive more. For example, earlier this week, Levi was really sick and fevered and whiny. All he wanted to do was to sit on my lap. At first, I was annoyed because I had things I wanted to get done and he was hot and uncomfortable making me hot and uncomfortable. But then, I stopped and looked for the positive. And that was that my little boy, who soon won't be so little, just wanted to sit and cuddle with his mommy. Who cares that the laundry and dishes didn't get done? Emails didn't get returned until later that day? I took a deep breath, didn't worry about my to-do list and just enjoyed snuggles with my littlest big boy.

Life, Unorganized

I came across this calendar on (where else?) pinterest and had a look after a friend mentioned it to me. It seems so easy and reasonable to do. Afterall, its just 1 task a day to get my home organized.

I decided when I saw it that I would do each daily task and by the end of 2012, I would be a very organized person.

Normally, I am very organized, but when it comes to things like cupboards, closets, drawers, storage rooms, etc, I let those things get so out of control. Then it is too far gone that I'm overwhelmed.

This seemed like a gret way to tackle this problem..... so why haven't I started yet?? (its rhetorical, I don't need or have an answer).

I guess I'm going to have some catch up to do..... starting soon. Ish....

If you've heard of FlyLady, this is similar. I think the major difference is that FlyLady also teaches you to add certain routines to your day to keep your life organized such as shining your sink every night and little things like that.

How do you keep your house organized? Do you have junk drawers and overflowing closets hiding stuff that you don't know what to do with like I do?

Quiet Time Bins

Well, its the 11th day of January and already I've failed one of my goals- to post at least once a week. Oops.

The boys have both been sick in the past week or so- with high fevers and coughs.  Both boys had fevers that lasted 48-72 hours and yucky, chesty coughs. The fevers are gone thankfully but the cough remains.  Other than that, they are both still active and being boys!

In my pinterest browsing, I came across a bunch of ideas for "quiet time bins" before Christmas and put it in the back of my mind as something to do. I had been putting a few things away since I saw the idea to create a few bins. Then I grabbed a few small Christmas gifts that they hadn't yet had a chance to play with (sticker books, puzzles) and put them aside as well.

Everywhere is having organization sales, so I was able to find some small Rubbermaid bins on sale.  Once I had those, I could begin putting bins together in the hopes that they would keep the boys occupied for an hour each afternoon during quiet time so I didn't have to answer the same question every 5 minutes- "Mom, is quiet time over?". Having to stop what I am doing every 5 minutes to answer the same question makes "quiet time" kind of pointless.

So, I put the bins together and I let the boys each choose a bin to take to their room's each afternoon. So far, they have been a great hit! My plan is to vary the activities every few weeks to keep them from getting bored.

Some of the activities included are:

• puzzles
• sticker books
• pipe cleaners
• wooden beads (to sort or string on shoelaces or pipecleaners)
• books
• Pre-K math games
• Bendaroos (waxy sticks that can be shaped into different letters or objects and reused)
• Matching Game
• A Ziplock baggie of buttons to sort and little cups to sort them into
• Pom Poms, clothes pins and tongs with a bucket with various holes on top to put the pom poms into

I should have taken more photos of the actual activities.

So far, the boys are loving them and it is giving me an hour in the afternoons to return emails, do the dishes or just relax and read!

I've got many more ideas on my Quiet Time pinboard on pinterest that I want to add/ substitute in the bins. I'll try to post more ideas as I get them together.

Do you have any quiet, independent activity suggestions?

 

 

 

 

 

Crafty Christmas

I'm behind on posting this but wanted to wait until all the gifts that I had made were in the hands of their recipients.

I didn't think I would have time to make much this year but then discovered that I actually got quite a bit of homemade gifts accomplished.

I made this adorable little snowman family diorama for my sister in law. Another pinterest find! (Check out the tutorial here if you are interested.) It was super easy and so cute! I'm going to make one for our family to display next Christmas.  I also got her one of these personalized necklaces with her 4 kids' names and birthstones from an Airdrie girl. When I picked hers up, I was so pleased with it, I made sure Chris knew I wanted one for myself under the tree! (It worked!)

I was part of a baking exchange with some local ladies and my contribution was peanut brittle. Here are the packages ready to be distributed and below is the peanut brittle cooling and hardening.

This wreath wasn't a gift for anyone. Well, for me, I guess. I had seen it online a few years ago and wanted to make one, and then when I came across the tutorial on pinterest (of course!) I had to to it. I got the Christmas balls at Superstore on Black Friday for 50% off so the project cost just $10!  It is made up of 100 mini balls (1") and 24 medium sized balls (2"). I could have used a few more actually. I ended up making the wreath a bit smaller than the clothes hanger because I ran out of ornaments.

This advent calendar was a MOPS project. Its a premade box with the smaller boxes. We added the scrapbook paper and embellishments. I filled the boxes with a Hershey's Kiss for each day.

I made 15 of these rice bags with aromatherapy scents (peppermint, cinnamon or citrus. And one disgusting lavender one for my sister's boyfriend. I hate lavender.) They were so easy! I use mine almost nightly. Heat it up, throw it down by my feet in bed.....ahhhhhh, bliss!
Super easy tutorial here if you are interested.

This denim quilt was my dad's gift. Their tv area is in the basement and a bit chilly. Plus, my dad always has a blanket when he watches tv. A friend gave me a bunch of pairs of old, used jeans and I gladly took them. This super sized twin quilt took about 6 pairs of adult jeans (and a few more for pockets). I did the reverse in a soft, cozt fleece with John Deere design. The blanket ended up being really heavy (all that denim!) but so cozy!  I filled each of the pockets with some of my dad's favorite treats, pictures of the boys, chap stick, etc.

These little tins were used to hold gift certificates, a necklace and magnets (see below). I took plain tins and decorated them wtih scrapbook paper and embellishments. I love wrapping things creatively!

These magnets were given to both sets of parents. Made from stones and photos printed on computer paper with a magnet attached. Tutorial here. Another pinterest find.

As I try to do every year, I made a calendar for my parents.

Luca also wrote and illustrated a story completely from his own imagination which we had made into a photo book. I also interviewed both kids with some fun questions and included their answers in the book as well. That was a gift to Chris' parents.

And here is a photo of my wonderful family on Christmas Eve after a fantastic day of family, fun and laughs. It was a really great Christmas.

2012 Goals

My friend Tasha inspired me to write my own set of goals for this year. I thought that writing them down and revisiting them mid year would motivate me and keep me accountable to myself.

So, here are a few things that I hope to accomplish this year (in no particular order):

• Run 5K. I got close this past year but in 2012 I am going to do it. Along the same lines, I'm going to make an effort to walk more rather than hop in my truck. To make this measureable- I'm going to choose walking or another "healthier" option 3 times a week.

• Donate blood. This was also inspired by Tasha. Both of us are 30 and up until last week had never donated blood out of fear- of the unknown maybe. Tasha did it on New Years Eve and said it was no problem. Donating blood is something that has always been at the back of my mind as something I should do, especially since in 2005 I was the recipient of 3L of donated blood when I had emergency surgery.

• Blog more frequently. I know I've been sporadic and I hope to blog at least once a week, if not more this year. (Tom and Lisa- hold me to this! If I'm not blogging, email me and kick my butt in gear!  For those that don't know, Tom and Lisa are my brother and sister in law that live in Ottawa and are probably my most frequent visitors to my blog. Its the source of much of their information on our family. :)  )

• Keep a Thankfulness Journal. I saw the idea on pinterest about 2 months or so ago and marked it as something I wanted to do. Then I was gifted this beautiful journal by a client and knew that I would reserve that book for this project. I started it today and my goal is to write in it daily and have 365 entries by this time next year. (Since its a leap year, I can miss 1 day over the whole year.) I think it will be a great activitiy, especially when I have days that I am frustrated or feeling down to force myself to sit and come up with at least 1 thing to be thankful for.

• Allow my children to do more activities and projects that may create messes. I tend to disuade them from doing certain activities due to the mess it will surely create, but I'm going to try not to be so uptight.

• Start saying no more. This past year, with my doula business picking up, I found that I was getting overwhelmed with the commitments that I had taken on. I'm always eager to volunteer for something and then end up regretting it when I stress over getting it done and trying to fit it into my other daily activities. I'm going to choose my commitments more carefully.

Do you have any goals for the year?

Ahhhhh, Christmas

Wow, how is it already the 22nd of December? This month has flown by.

In just 2 more sleeps (when you are the parent of small kids, you measure everything by number of sleeps!) my family will arrive for our Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve.  I'm so excited to be hosting this year. There will be 8 adults and 3 children and who knows how many dogs here on Saturday.

The groceries for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day brunch are bought, cookies are made (although most have mysteriously disappeared....) and most of the presents are wrapped.

I'm pretty much ready. And getting those excitement fueled butterflies. I'm so excited to see my kids enjoying and starting to understand the meaning behind our Christmas celebrations.

After we open the gifts that Santa has left on Christmas Day, we'll enjoy a leisurely brunch with my parents and then make our way to Ponoka where all of Chris' family will gather.

Everyone will be there this year- from Ottawa, Regina, Edmonton, Crossfield and Ponoka. We will all be together. Its going to be great!

I love Christmas.

What are your Christmas plans?

Christmas Questions

I read this on my friend Tasha's blog and thought it would be fun, so here goes:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I love wrapping!

2. Real tree or Artificial? We have both. I have a "fancy" tree in our formal living room that is artificial. Our family tree is real. I love the smell of a real tree even though the needles all over the house drive me nuts. Growing up we always had an artificial tree but my grandparents (on my dad's side) always had real so the smell reminds me of those wonderful Christmas memories at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually not until after my birthday on December 1. This year I did it a few days earlier because I knew we wouldn't have much weekend time this December.

4. When do you take the tree down?  Usually a couple of days after Christmas. I try to make it til New Year's but find that the Christmas clutter drives me insane. I love how clean and uncluttered my house seems when the trees and decorations are put away.

5. Do you like eggnog? I like it in coffee or in chai but on its own I'm not a big fan. The boys love it though.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hmmm....that's a tough one. Probably my discman from my grandparents one year. It was what I really wanted.  That ages me....

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, It is beautiful and my parents bought me the pieces over a series of birthdays and Christmas'. It is a Willow Tree set. I don't have it up this year though. I usually put it on top of my piano but had a different idea for the piano this Christmas.
8. Hardest person to buy for? Chris or my dad

9. Easiest person to buy for? My boys

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Snail mail. I love receiving cards in the mail, so I definitely send them that way too. I love the personal tough of snail mail. I have a friend and her and I frequently mail things to each other. It always makes my day when I get something in the mail that isn't bills or junk mail!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I honestly don't remember...

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Love Actually or the classic Rudolph claymation

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Super early. Throughout the year if I see something that I know someone would love. The bulk of my shopping is done between September and November. I watch fliers and shop sales. I make lists of ideas for people and keep my eyes out for those items. Crowds drive me crazy and I hate how rude people can get in the hustle and bustle of Christmas crowds.

14. Ever recycled a Christmas present? Maybe... ;)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Chocolate covered cherries. Its a family tradition to have them around and they always remind me of my Grandpa.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I have white on my "fancy" tree- it is red, white and silver themed. Our family tree has multi-colored lights and homemade ornaments or those with meaning.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Josh Groban's Little Drummer Boy
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18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? It varies. This year we will be home for Christmas morning and then travel to Ponoka later in the day. Last year we spend 4 days in Radium with my family.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Nope. Not even going to try.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star on the fancy tree and angel on our family tree

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We usually celebrate Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve so there are gifts that are opened Christmas Eve, but the majority of gifts are on Christmas Day.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? CROWDS!

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I don't have a favorite. I love my red/ white/ silver tree and I love our family tree with ornaments that the kids have made.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? My family, safe, healthy and happy.

Kid Funnies

Sometimes my kids make me laugh so hard. Levi is at an age where everything is very literal to him. Luca is starting to get creative and use his imagination a bit.

Here are some recent conversations at our house:

• Levi called me to come to the bathroom to wipe his bum (he's 3, I still do this task for him). When I got there, the light was off.

Me: "Levi, did you poop in the dark?"

Levi: (said incredulously) "No, I pooped in the toilet!"

• We were discussing going to the dentist with Luca (he had a chipped molar). Luca said his friend told him that it was scary. I assured him that our dentist, whose name is Dr. Alberta was very gentle.  After thinking for a moment, Luca decided then that his friend must see a different dentist and wanted to know if his dentist was named Dr. Canada.  LOL!

(side note: Luca went to the dentist yesterday and was a total rock star! The dentist was so gentle he doesn't even know he got a needle for freezing! He didn't even flinch. As a reward, the dentist handed him $5 after his tooth was fixed!  She just laughed when I asked why she never pays me to come....)

Update on Ava

Just a quick update that little Ava was released from the hospital yesterday and is home resting! The doctors were very happy with how her body responded to the medication and surgery.

Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts. Please continue to keep them in your hearts as she is not completely healed from the infection just yet.

Friday Night Leftovers

• I have been so behind in blogging lately but its in part due to the 3 babies that made their entrance in 10 days! It was a busy week and a half and each birth was very different, but each welcomed a beautiful, healthy baby girl! I had manily boys born this summer so it was nice to see some girls!  So, apart from actually attending the births, I had photos to edit, birth notes to type up and home visits to do. There's lots of time put in to doing stuff after the baby is born as well. My job doesn't end when the baby is born.

• I've also (as usual) taken on (perhaps too many) gifts that I am making. I love to make gifts for people that I have put lots of thought, time and effort into. I think they are so special. But without fail, at this time in December each year, I find myself rushing trying to finish everything. Last night I finished the 2 that I was most concerned about because part of the gift requires factoring in shipping time to arrive before Christmas. Now I have some smaller gifts to make, but they aren't too time consuming, I just need to sit down and do them. Then I get to wrap- one of my favorite parts!

• We're having Christmas eve with my family here this year. We'll have dinner and gifts and if it is nice, maybe go tobogganing on the hill right behind our house. In Crossfield on Christmas eve, Santa is driven around by members of the fire department and he visits each house and gives the kids a candy cane. The boys think it is great! (Until they get older and begin to wonder why Santa's not out delivering toys!). My mom and dad are staying the night and will have Christmas morning with us and after brunch, we will head to Ponoka to spend a few days with Chris' family.

• I am totally addicted to pinterest. I avoided it for quite a while after I had friends tell me about it but then one day decided to check it out. I haven't stopped since. There are so many fabulous ideas on there! I've made some recipes from there and for the most part they are winners. Its nice to get ideas from somewhere without having to sit and actually search them out. Especially if you don't know what you are looking for!

• My 30th birthday was last week. On the weekend I celebrated with friends and my sisters. We went for manicures and pedicures, lunch then shopping. The plan was to go into Calgary to go to the dueling piano bar, but we were hit with a winter storm that made the roads a bit tricky. We opted not to chance the trip and to just stay at the mall instead. We shopped more and then had supper and drinks. It was a really nice day with some of my favorite people.  My sisters also gave me a cool gift- actually, 30 gifts. They were all homemade (which as you know, I love) and many ideas from pinterest (haha). They also each wrote me a letter that had "30 things I love about my sister". I think that was my favorite part. Totally made me teary and I will treasure it. It was a very sweet idea and obviously took lots of time and thought. I have some pretty cool sisters.

• We have an Elf on the Shelf and we are loving it. I know there are some people that think its a ridiculous idea, but our family thinks it is cute and fun. I'm excited about the new tradition that we have started. The idea is that Santa sends an elf to be his helper. Once you name your elf, he has magical powers (Luca named our elf Happy). Happy watches over our family all day and then when everyone is sleeping, he flies back to the North Pole and reports to Santa. Then he returns in a different spot each morning. Our boys love to seek him out- its a little treasure hunt each day.  Some people make him get into all sorts of mischeif each day and I can see how that would get old (for the parents that have to set it up each night) but so far, the boys have been excited to just find out where he is each day. I will do some more exciting and a few mischevious things, but mostly he's just hanging out in various places of our house. Here he is on the first day he arrived, riding one of my decoration reindeer on top of the piano:

•  Lastly, if you pray, please keep my cousin's 2 year old daughter Ava in your prayers. I don't have a lot of detail, but this week she was admitted to the stollery Children's Hospital with an infection that went into her bloodstream and wasn't responding to antibiotics. She was placed in isolation and they were treating her for a "superbug". Last I heard, she was going to be having surgery (last night, I think) where they would try to drain the area that the infection started (I believe. I could be wrong on this). If you don't pray, please keep them in your thoughts and send positive thoughts their way. My cousin and his wife also have a 3 year old son and are expecting another baby in the Spring. So, please send prayers and thoughts for the entire family as this is obviously a very tough time for them all.  For more information and updates, feel free to head over to my Aunt's (Ava's grandmother) blog where she is posting as she is able.
  
 

Operation Christmas Child

I mentioned in a post a while ago that the boys and I were doing show boxes for Operation Christmas Child. We did them at the end of November, but I just haven't gotten around to posting about it.

We watched the Veggie Tales video, talked about kids that don't have lots of toys or clothes or snacks, etc (vocabulary they can understand- snacks are a big deal around here!). Then we went shopping. Luca "got it" and really put some thought into what a boy his age in another country might like to have. Levi had to be reminded often that we weren't shopping for him, that we were choosing things to send away on an airplane to another 3 year old boy.  There were a few minor tantrums when he was reminded that what we were buying would not be his to play with when we got home.

The boys were very excited when it came time to pack the shoeboxes though. Luca really liked the challenge of trying to fit everything in the box- like a puzzle. Levi shoved everything in haphazardly and then was frustrated that the lid wouldn't close. LOL.

We included photos of the boys and of our family as well as a short note to the recipient of the box. The boys were excited that they could send a picture of themselves to children they had never met.

I sincerely hope that as Christmas Day gets closer and the boys will undoubtedly get more stuff than they need or could wish for, that we can keep thoughts and wishes for families that are not as fortunate as us.

I saw this on someone's facebook status this week and it really rang true for me:

"I was complaining the other day about how much my grocery order was..then I thought....at least I can afford to complain about it."

Here are a few pictures of they boys packing their shoeboxes.

A new decade

Today is the last day of my 20s. Tomorrow I will wake up and be 30.  I'm actually not freaked out about being 30 like some people get. (Although when I was a kid, 30 was OLD!)

I was, however, thinking about my 20s.  Looking back, it was a pretty amazing decade in my life: I got married, had 2 wonderful babies, started a career as a teacher, took a leap and started a new career as a doula, travelled to places I had only ever seen in photos, and have to date witnessed 22 babies (besides my own) come into this world.

30s- you've got some big shoes to fill. That's some pretty awesome stuff to follow.

Bring. It. On.

Wild and Wacky Weather

Yesterday gave us some strange and, at times, scary weather.

We woke up to a lovely 11 degrees above zero and some winds from the West. This isn't uncommon since we live in an area that often gets chinooks blown in from the mountains.

But by noon, there were shingles flying, our trampoline dancing in the wind and our windows rattling.

  At about 1pm, the radio and tv were interrupted with an emergency broadcast due to the severe winds.  Calgary's downtown core was shut down to all pedestrian and vehicle traffic because windows were being blown out of high rises and debris was flying everywhere. Wind speeds in the downtown were recorded at 149km/hr- Category 1 Hurricane Force winds!

Trees were uprooted in Crossfield, store fronts ripped off, siding torn away and many shingle-less houses were left to then deal with the hail and then snow that came through later in the evening.

As far as we have been able to tell, our house is ok, with minimal or no damage to our shingles and siding. It was a scary afternoon though. If it had been a summer month, you can bet I would have been hiding out in the basement!

In this picture you can see the shingles of one of our neighbours' house being ripped off. They suffered quite a bit of damage, with the yard and field behind us being dotted with shingles from their house.
The tall house at the top of the picture is ours- no damage is visible. :)

 These houses are about a block down the street from us to the South.

When we arrived at school this morning, this was what we saw:

(notice that the photos from yesterday there was no snow- we got this snow overnight, before anyone had time to fix their roofs)

You can watch a news clip of some other damage around the Crossfield area here

Thankfully we didn't suffer any major damage and more importantly, we are all safe!

A Playground for A new School

A dear friend is the principal of this school and they are trying to get money to build a playground on the property of this brand new school in Olds, Alberta. Please take a moment and vote for them to win the donation.

 P.S. For doing so, you get a coupon for Buy One Get One Joey's famous fish and chips! ;)
 
Please vote and share this with your friends!

Voting closes November 30th.

Monday Musings

I have been neglecting my blog lately. For my readers (in the single digits, anyway!), I apologize. Life has gotten busy.

Last week I subbed in Luca's class for 3 days while his teacher was away with her husband at a conference.  I was there Monday- Wednesday. On Wednesday morning, Luca got up, came into my room and said "Is Mrs. Chicilo back yet or do you have to be my teacher again?"  Feelings a little hurt, I told him I would be there for one more day. His response? "Oh, okay. But she'll be back tomorrow? I miss Mrs. Chicilo."  At least I know he loves his teacher and is secure andcomfortable with her.  I am supposed to be going in tomorrow to be a volunteer mom so I'm curious to see how it will be from the other side of the desk.

I got a call this morning at about 6 that one of my mamas is in early labour. So, I'm sitting sipping a caramel macchiato and waiting for the call that she is in active labour. She is also a doula, so she'll know best when to call. I'm a little nervous "doula-ing" for a doula, but she chose me, so she must be confident in my abilities to comfort and guide her through labour.  She has chosen to have a  birth with midwives at a birth centre. This will be my first experience at an out of hospital birth, so I'm excited and nervous about the unknown. (For those of you that are queasy about not being in the hospital, don't worry, it is literally only a few blocks from the Foothills and the hospital is aware that there is a birth going on and will be prepared to send an ambulance if needed. And midwives are highly trained medical professionals that ONLY do this, so their experience and expertise are similar to that of an OB).

I am FINISHED Christmas shopping for everyone except Chris. NO idea what to get him and he's no help. His reply? "Nothing." What do I do with that??  Anyway, I start shopping in September, watch for sales and buy a few things at a time. Some things I have ordered, some I have gone and picked up from the store. I write a list and make sure that I have ideas for everyone before I go with their gift in mind.  I have 3 gifts that I am making- one is nearly done and the other two are a work in progress.  I'm excited to start wrapping, which is almost my favorite part! I do love trying to come up with thoughtful, unique and meaningful gifts for people though.  I try to stay away from gift cards because, while I really don't mind getting them, I feel like I've not put any thought into the gift I'm giving. I love to see people's reactions when the realize that I've thought about something just for them or listened and took note of something they've mentioned they want or need.  Christmas is about giving and I really do love to give! (Gift giving is one of my love languages. If you haven't read the book, you should! I have the children's one on my bedside table but haven't read it yet.)

Speaking of giving, the boys and I are going to be putting together shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  I remember doing this many years as a kid and I loved shopping for the items that other kids might like to get. Last Thursday at MOPS, we had a few ladies speak about their experiences actually going with Samaritan's Purse and handing the boxes out to children in need in Costa Rica. The photos they shared and the stories they told just made my heart ache for those families that have nothing compared to us. I want my children to know now, at a young age, that they are beyond lucky to be so comfortable. To have food whenever they want it. To have a roof over their heads, a warm bed and a flushing toilet. To have more toys than any little boys need.  I want them to put some thought into sending items to other children that would otherwise get nothing.

OCC has a Veggie Tales video geared for kids to explain the campaign and the need. I'll be showing it to my boys this week and then we'll be going to buy items for the boxes. I'll try to remember to take pictures of them with their items and boxes and post them!

Happy Monday!

Friday Night Leftovers

• I had my CT Scan on Monday. It wasn't a terrible procedure but it was time consuming. I had to arrive 90 minutes before my appointment time to go through a questionairre, then drink 32 oz of fluid with a contrast dye solution. It didn't taste terrible but it wasn't great either. It sort of tasted like "puddle water"- water that tasted "earthy" or like it had dirt in it. Then I had to have an IV so that dye could be injected into my veins during the scan.  They warned me that the dye was warm and I might feel really hot when it was injected (I didn't) and that I would have the sensation of peeing myself because of the warmth. I totally got this feeling and it was terrible. I really did feel like I was peeing and had to check afterwards just to be sure that it was just the sensation of the dye! Other than that, the procedure was quick and uneventful. I layed in a donut looking machine and it whirred to life, took a few pictures and that was it.

• My doctor called me on Tuesday with the results- everything looked just fine.  They couldn't see anything that might be causing me the pelvic pain or bowel disfunction. We did, however talk aboot the possibility of there being adhesions on my bowel, which can cause pain and affect function. This does not show up on a CT scan.  Basically, adhesions are bands of tissue that are formed after surgery, sort of like scar tissue. They are not as soft and flexible than "normal" tissue so can restrict movement of organs and can actually pull organs into the wrong position or cause them to twist a bit. So, depending on where the adhesions are, they can be causing my bowel to be a bit sluggish.  Since I have had abdominal surgery AND have had a large amount of blood pooled in my abdomen (from an emergency surgery in 2005), it is likely that adhesions have formed.  The unfortunate part about just guessing that this is the cause of my issues is that it can't be confirmed without a surgeon physically going in and checking, but this would lead to more adhesions from the new surgery. It sort of becomes a vicious circle- if they become very problematic, surgery can break them apart, but then new ones will probably form. So in the meantime, stool softeners have now become part of my daily diet in the hopes that it will make the job of my bowel a bit easier.  A long way to say that I don't have any conclusive answers.

• Halloween is only a few days away and Luca is beside himself with excitement. They have been doing Halloween activities at school this week so he is definitely in the Halloween mood. He can't wait for Monday when he gets to dress up in his costume (Captain America) for school.

• Speaking of Halloween activities, I had volunteered to go into Luca's class to help with pumpkin carving yesterday. At 5:45am, I got a call that one of my mama's was in labour. So, Chris got delegated to go to kindergarten. I think he was scared. But, duty called so I had to throw him to the wolves. It turns out that he actually had a good time with the kids- he just had Luca and Adelynn in his group- they estimated the size and weight of their pumpkin and then carved it together.  I think he actually quite enjoyed himself and Luca was pretty impressed that his dad got to be a helper that day.

• Tomorrow is our annual town pumpkin hunt. They number pumpkins and hide them in the "forrest" behind our house. Each kid is assigned a number and has to search for their pumpkin. Once they have found it, we all head to the community hall and carve them. There are also other activities for the kids to do as well as a treat bag for each child. Its a fun, community wide family activity. And we'll have Donny with us to take part. The boys are so excited to have their cousin stay wtih us for the weekend and come to the pumpkin hunt.

• The weather is definitely starting to feel like fall. Touques and mitts are required for walking to and from school as the wind is quite chilly. But, when we are able, which is most days, we are walking the 5 or 6 blocks to and from school. Before we know it, winter will be here and walking won't be so much fun- especially when its the mom that HATES the cold and snow!

• The boys are registered for a gymnastics class starting November 15th for 8 weeks. We have a small gymnastics studio here in town and it is a good opportunity to get the boys involved in something while still supporting our town businesses.

• Happy Halloween weekend! What are your kids dressing up as? Do you dress up?

Friday Night Leftovers

• I got a sweet surprise in the mail this week from my friend Tasha. Molasses candies! Everyone hated them growing up, except me. You know, those dark brown chewy candies that came in the orange wrapper with witches and stuff on them? Yummy! Except that I didn't ration them very well and the handful of candies that I got were gone far too quickly. I need to hunt some down!

• I'm on call again now and am expecting 5 babies that are due between now and the end of November! Its going to be a busy month! But I'm thrilled to be so busy!

• I saw my regular doctor about all my tummy issues last week. She is concerned and wanted me to go for an urgent CT Scan. She said she would like to have me in within the week. Imagine my surprise when I got a phone call saying my "urgent" scan was booked...for November 18th! I was mildly annoyed, to say the least. But then this morning, I got a call saying that they have had a cancellation for this Monday and I could have that spot. So, yay! I get my scan in just a few days rather than a few weeks! Hopefully this will provide some answers to the pain that I've been having. Let's just hope it doesn't involve surgery- I don't have time for surgery right now with all my babies coming!

• We had a bit of snow mixed with rain yesterday evening. Ugh. Nothing that stuck around- it melted as soon as it hit the ground but it was a miserable reminder that winter is just around the corner. Today the sky is low and grey. It looks like snow is just hovering, ready to fall. Blah.

• I'm an early Christmas shopper. I usually start in September. I am nearly finished shopping for the boys except for some stocking stuffers. I've got a few other gifts either in mind or started on if not ready to be wrapped for other people on my list. I love not having to rush around in December trying to navigate the crowds of grumpy people!  I haven't got any ideas for my dear husband, though..... why are men so hard to buy for?

• Part of the kindergarten program here is to do Home Reading. Each day Luca comes home with a beginner book that is mainly sight words and has a predictable pattern to them. He loves to read them and Levi has started reading them as well. He is so eager to be just like his big brother. We may have 2 boys learning to read at the same time!