Thanksgiving Sunday

Someone please tell me why I say before the guests arrive: Remind me never to do this again!
Then after they leave I say: That was great....I can't wait to do it again next year!

First Time

Well, we knew this would be an issue...it was just a matter of time. Nathan is realizing that having the last name that he does is not a bowl of cherries! Last night at dinner he told us that he was being teased on the bus coming home and in the classroom by the same two dimwits....errr...I mean kids. Keith and I weren't sure what to do. Do we let it go? I mean this is something he'll have to get used to....it really will never go away. But after some thought I decided that at this tender age it would be a good time to maybe nip these kids' nastiness in the bud, if at all possible. I certainly wouldn't make an issue of it in highschool or anything! By then he'll have to invent some snappy come-back lines like his mother has had to!

I emailed the teacher (love email!) and told him to deal with it as he saw fit. This afternoon I received a phone call from the principal! She told me that interestingly enough this particular child had already been in trouble for something else today and his mom was called to the school. But both boys have had a 'chat' with the principal and are going to write Nathan an apology letter. So.....we'll see if this works. If it continues then the boys will be taken to the 'next level' of discipline! First time I have had to deal with any problem at the school and I must say I am impressed at the swiftness of action.

Oh but she wasn't done chatting with me yet! Then she went on to tell me that she had something to say about Chad. Oh dear, I thought to myself. What has that monkey child been up to now?

It was all good! She went on to tell me that Chad is absolutely the sweetest, most adorable boy in the whole school! (and here I thought favorites were a no-no :)) She told me that he is always trying to catch her eye, give her a smile or a wave. Even today he noticed her walking by his classroom and motioned for her to come in and see him. He wanted her to hear the class read some poems. Awww...it was most heart-warming. And to top things off she mentioned that Chad will be recognized at the school assembly on Friday for a citizenship award.

Love those proud parenting moments!!!

Lentil Soup

We are having the perfect weather for warm and satisfying meals. I have never been super keen about soup but lately it has been something I have been craving. My friend made me this soup a few years ago when I had visited her for lunch. I was leary at the time but after one bite I decided that maybe one day in the future I could become a soup-lover. Fast forward two years later and I finally made the recipe! It was delicious. Keith and the boys loved it too! It will be given a place in my cooking rotation. If anyone would like the recipe, please email me!

CIBC Run for the Cure

It was wet. It was cold. It was dark. But a worthy cause and we were happy to participate! Our office put together a team as is tradition. We had a good time but it really would have been a whole lot more fun in the sun!

Soccer Season

Nate is playing in his 5th season of soccer. This year he has graduated to 'real' games with a paid referee! The games are much more exciting to watch now that they keep score and the boys are playing in a more competative frame of mind. We got off to a bumpy start as Nate's new team is quite skilled and he felt he didn't have anything to offer. After a few pep talks and the importance of giving something your best I am happy to report he is really enjoying soccer so far. His coach is awesome too which I am thankful for. Anytime you want to see some soccer action, you can meet us at Rotary on Saturdays at 10 am!

PS. Photos courtesy of Andrew

Clearing up the Debt

My dad and brother painted our bedroom, ensuite and kitchen this summer. Actually the kitchen got done twice because I didn't like the first color! Thankfully they are happy to take payment in the form of dinner. Tonight's menu was Honey Glazed Salmon, orzo, broccoli and spinach salad. It was quite delicious if I do say so myself :)

The dessert was Caramel Apple Cheesecake

My parents were quite eager to watch Survivor afterwards. I am the one that got them hooked years ago so how could I say no! There they all are squished together for coziness.

Sometimes It's the Little Things...

...like waking up to find that your husband has made everyone's lunch for the day as a surprise!

13 years ago....

The last post was a bit bare and Blogger won't let me add pictures to it. Last year I had posted photos of the wedding and this time it's honeymoon pictures. It's unbelievable to look back and see that we were mere children. I mean....we went to Disneyland! KIDS! I like to call this particular phase 'blissful ignorance'. I wonder if we would have still gotten married if we knew the pain, heartache, blood, sweat and tears that were required to keep a marriage intact. I think we still would have! In my opinion, staying married for any length of time is truly miraculous :)

13 Years

Today is our wedding anniversary. I feel very old when I count the years.

Last year we had much more exciting plans. Seattle in September was so fun.

Anyhow....just thought I should mark the occasion with a post. A very little post!

This and That

I feel that I should update my blog even though nothing significant or interesting has occured since my last post! I don't want anyone to have given me up for being addicted to Scrabble on Facebook or anything!
The photo below was taken last night before Kori and I headed to the city for a night out. We met up with around 15 gals from highschool to catch up, eat and laugh. We had great time and it seemed to me we all pretty much look the same if not better!

Day of Rest

It's been a busy week....and it's going to be another busy week ahead. I think this is how my life is going to play out for the foreseeable future. The boys are involved in soccer, choir, and Wee College this fall. I may possible add swimming to the roster. Shall I just push pins into my eyes while I am at it? I had thought that my new shift would be just so wonderful and relaxing....hah! It's great to have a six hour day but it's just as busy and tiring. I am on the go from 6:15 am to whenever I collapse into bed. Working four days a week has been a bit of a change from three....I definitely wouldn't have thought one extra day would make a difference but it has. Anyhow, today was the extent of my weekend. I worked Saturday and will work again Monday. We had no plans today after church and that was what I needed. I lazed about on the couch and read a book. The boys (including their Dad) created all sorts of robotic and lego-ish creatures. I did have to do a little grocery shopping so the kids would have food in their lunch boxes. Going to Superstore on a Sunday is sheer madness though and I needed to lay on the couch for an hour afterwards to recover!

The boys were treated to an indoor picnic for supper tonight. The gourmet menu consisted of chicken strips, carrot sticks and grapes. Oh yum :) Keith made everything and brought it downstairs to us. We were watching 'Finding Nemo'. A rainy cool afternoon is perfect for a movie!

Rescue Me

There are so many titles I could have give this post. 'On Being an Idiot' or 'Platinum Blond Moment' or 'Thoughtless Bimbo'. It was hard to chose.

The morning started off alright. The usual routine of getting the kids to school and all that. This was my first day off with both my boys at school all day and I was delighted to fill it up with plenty of errands. My first item of the day was to buy some ornamental grass to plant along one side of our fence as a screen. We are tired of the children next door staring at us at we eat our dinner on the deck. So I found some lovely stuff and couldn't wait to get it planted. So, when I got home I quickly got on my old gardening shoes and got myself to the backyard to plant it. After a job well done and doing some puttering around with the rest of the yard, a thought popped into my head. Oh dear, I thought. How will I get back into the house? I came out of the garage and closed the door behind me! I checked all the doors and they were securely locked. I was officially locked out of my home! I calmly thought of all my options.....1. break-in 2.knock on a neighborhood door to use their phone 3. walk to the fire hall

Number one wasn't really a good idea. The only window that was open was our bedroom and it was too high up. And the screens are very secure...one needs a tool to pry them off and I would not want to ruin it. All the other windows were either shut or just open a crack. Nope...that wasn't truly an option. Number two wasn't really going to work either because first of all I don't know many of our neighbors and most of them are at work. I am too shy to go knocking on strangers' doors! Silly me. That left option three, so I took myself and my nasty gardening sneakers for a lovely walk to the middle of town. I told myself that it would be great to get in some exercise on such a gorgeous sunny day. I could top up my tan (as I was wearing a tank top) and work off my mini-wheats :) As I walked I formulated what I might say when I got to the fire hall. I could not be sure that Keith was in the office. He is often in the far corners of our large city doing inspections. I really did not want to explain to the gals at the front desk why I need to get a hold of him or why I didn't know his direct cell phone number (it's on speed dial, so why would I need to know?). In this train of thought I decided to detour by my parents house in the slight hope that they might be home. I knew that they had Keith's cell number and I could just call him direct and avoid further embarrassment. Of course they weren't home. And as tempting as it was to break into their house (I've done it before :)) I wasn't far from the hall and decided to just get on with it.

So I trotted up the front walk of the fire station and boldly marched up to the front counter with a very glistening brow (it was stinkin' hot out!). Oh praise be! Keith was in his little cubicle working with his back to me. I was so, SO happy. So I whispered in a rather urgent voice to get his attention...Keith...KEITH! He turned around and jump out of his chair. He was happy to see me but a bit perplexed as I never drop by unannounced.

I explained the entire situation and he laughed. Rescued by the Fire Service. Thank you sweetie! I got a ride home in the fire car and at any other time it would have been a fun novelty but I was anxious to get home and return to my day to myself!

Lesson learned....hope to never be repeated again!

Homecoming

Every September our church has an outdoor service to kick off all the fall programs, come together as a church body (we have three services per weekend) and have a huge church picnic. The sun shone brightly as it seems to do for us each year. The music was great, the kids got tons of candy (they throw it into the crowds during the pre-service games) and the free Bread Garden lunch was very tasty. The boys and their friends enjoyed all the bouncy structures after lunch while the adults chatted. What a great Sunday!

What is a Traditional School?

Many of you have asked me about my kids' school. Why traditional? What does that mean? Is it a public school?

Well, when Nathan was about to enter Kindergarten we knew for sure that we didn't want him going to the school closest to our home at the time. It was an 'inner city' school and we just weren't comfortable with the environment. So we decided to explore our options. Private was out of the question due to the cost, so the next few choices were: French Immersion, Traditional or an out of bounds school in the country. After attending an info session on the French Immersion program we had lots to think about. After a few discussions we decided we were not totally comfortable with Nate being taught in another language. We would have no idea what was being taught to him as we both only went to 11th grade in French. It would be cool to bilingual but at what cost? We were not convinced.

Then my friend (who's kids were in the traditional school) raved about how wonderful it was and that had my interest piqued. I had cousins who had attended with glowing reports as well. The school is a part of the public system and referred to as a 'school of choice'. My biggest reservation was the distance. The school is a good 20 minute drive away from town. But after the information night we had a great feeling about the school and structure. Next hurdle to be crossed was the waiting list......long story short, we camped out for four nights on a country road to be sure to get the kids enrolled!

So now we've been there five years and have not once regretted our decision. It's a great school and the kids are simply thriving.

Ten Tenets of Traditional
1. Consistent structured approach that maximizes class time.
2. A strong focus on academic achievement.
3. Teacher directed instruction.
4. Regular skills assessment.
5. An emphasis on solid literacy skills.
6. A regular homework policy.
7. A clearly defined code of behaviour.
8. A dress code.
9. A safe environment.
10. Parents as partners.


Any questions class? Please stand to ask your question!

School Days are Here Again

Another summer is over and this morning was the highly anticipated 'back to school' event. Yes....my kids were very excited to be back. They had missed their friends over summer very much. Plus we had found out that they both are in classes with their best buddies so that made going back extra exciting.

Chad 1st Grade Nate 4th Grade

How cute is this? Chad's teacher had an apple for each desk and a little welcome note for each student. Awwww....I love her already! From talking with some other moms I have learned that his teachers (he has two ladies who job-share) are the absolute best!

I snuck over to Nate's class after school started and got a picture of him hard at work already! He has a male teacher this year....first time. I know grade 4 is a bit of a transition year....more homework and all that. I am confident that Nathan will do just fine!

To celebrate my new found freedom I went to the mall and bought a new purse :) Good thing I am working an extra day each week as it is much safer for me to be occupied at the office than at the malls!

A Favorite Subject of Mine

I've copied my blog friend over at 'Sugar & Ice' for this one. Food....sometimes I wish I didn't like it quite so much!

1. How do you like your eggs? Well, if I had to chose it would be over easy. So the yolks are still a little runny. But truly I would eat them any which way they were served. I do love eggs!

2. How do you take your coffee/tea? I'm really not into hot beverages. I have only been to Starbucks maybe three times?! I like to drink when I'm thirsty and definitely prefer something chilled. In winter I will drink tea to warm up and I really like Peppermint.

3. Favorite breakfast food: Oh boy! I like them all but cold cereal is a definite favorite. I don't even care which kind. Cranberry Almond Crunch is pretty yummy.

4. Peanut butter - smooth or crunchy? Either...although I could live without it.

5. What kind of dressing on your salad? I prefer a creamy dressing over a vinagrette but would eat any kind.

6. Coke or Pepsi? Either....just so long as it's not diet.

7. You’re feeling lazy, what do you make? Pancakes or nachos.

8. You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? Ham & Pineapple for the kids and something with lots of veggies for me!

9. You feel like cooking. What do you make? Lasagna...I consider this to be a meal that takes 'effort'.

10. Do any foods bring back good memories? Turkey dinner....it always makes me think of Christmas

9. Do any foods bring back bad memories? I ate a chicken sandwich from the Swiss Chalet when I was pregnant and if I think about it I almost gag.

10. Do any foods remind you of someone? Jello definitely makes me think about my husband's family because they almost always eat jello at dinner!

11. Is there a food you refuse to eat? Liver, escargot, olives, mushrooms....I'm sure there are more.

12. What was your favorite food as a child? Fried chicken or tacos. Anything Mexican was a rare treat when I was a kid because my dad hated it.

13. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like? Onions & Avacados

14. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate? Candy...too sweet!

15. Favorite fruit and vegetable: Blueberries/Yams

16. Favorite junk food: Popcorn and more popcorn

17. Favorite between meal snack: Gala apple

18. Do you have any weird food habits? Is it weird that I need to eat an apple after I eat popcorn?

19. You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on? I don't diet...I just cut back on the regular foods.

20 . You’re off your diet. Now what would you like? I didn't deprive myself so probably just bigger portions of the usual.

21. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai? Mild!

22. Can I get you a drink? I love icy slushy drinks.

23. Red wine or white? I don't like wine. I am so uncultured. If I must drink some, please add some 7-up to it :)

24. Favorite dessert? Trifle or anything with fruit in it

25. The perfect nightcap? Chocolate milk

Testing the Waters

Yep, we like it! It's warm and bubbly and just so relaxing.

My mom hinted quite strongly about having the first dip so 'ask and ye shall receive' applied tonight. We only gave them something to drink at the end of the night. No pee-pee in the tub please :) Hey...isn't there a joke about Mennos in a hot tub being like gorillas in the mist or something?

Oh see...I did get a chance to try it out as well. It's quite difficult to take pictures in the dark with all that steam.

Smarty Pants

I think most of you had it all figured out! Yes, as you can see we were prepping for a hot tub. We plan to enjoy this luxury item very much!

A Grand Time

Luckily it was my day off so we were able to attend the official grand opening of Fire Hall #3 on the Fraser Hwy today. The kids always enjoy anything to do with fire trucks, free food and seeing their Dad! I don't mind either :)

Here they are racing each other in the Junior Firefighting Challenge. It was a close race!

A fine 'stop-drop & roll' technique.

Off to the rest of the challenge

Then to put out the fire at the end....well done!

Their official race certificates

All that racing works up an appetite. Chad was more than pleased to scarf down some hot dogs and goodies. Nate ate lunch before we went....we knew there was no way he'd eat a hot dog!

And finally here is another shot of the 'project'. So my dad and Fiona are quite mistaken in thinking it's a burial plot. All will be revealed in a few days!

Backyard Mystery

All will be revealed on Friday.