I'll be away

I'll be back in a week, going to visit my mom and dad. :) Leaving Michael here with the boys, they should have fun.....a week with no school, no sturcture and loads of fun with dad.

Making my Home a Haven

Establishing a morning routine goes a long way to getting my day off to a good start. Tammy at TammysRecipes.com is hosting a weekly feature to encourage us to make our home a haven. She suggested a simple list of 5 things that we can do each morning that will give us a good start. Here is my list:

1. have my Quiet Time with the Lord
2. do my exercises for both physio and cardio
3. shower and dress, do hair and make up
4. start a load of laundry
5. do school with the boys

This list isn't too exciting but I think if I gave it a consistent effort it would go a long way in helping me be a more peaceful person and therefore giving my family more peace. If you'd like to see what other people have on their lists check out, this post over on Tammy's site.

John sees the Dentist

I've been meaning to up date but this weekend has been crazy and I am trying to get ready for my trip on Wednesday.

John had some urgent dental work done this weekend....I wouldn't call it emergency but it needed to be done quickly because he was complaining and quite uncomfortable. Poor kid, when our family dentist's colleague looked at him she said that he needed a tooth pulled that she didn't think that it could be fixed. She referred us to a pediatric dentist in the city (1 hour away), the appointment was for Saturday morning. Michael had to take a couple of hours off work, I was thankful for his company. It was kind of funny, they gave him, "sleep juice" which was a strong sedative, it made him completely loopy. They sent us out to the waiting room to read him a story so it could take effect. When they came out 10 min later he got down from his chair and promptly smashed into the coffee table and said "Whoa, I'm dizzy dad." Michael had to carry him into the chair. It took a lot longer than we expected. He ended up having a tooth pulled, it was abscessed and a real mess. The one we thought would be pulled was filled, one they put a silver crown one and then he had 5 more fillings. Poor kid, I don't know what is wrong. My mom wondered if it could be because of all the drugs and stuff I was on while I carried him, that somehow interfered with the enamel formation on his teeth. I don't know but we now have to be a whole lot more vigilant with the brushing and flossing of his teeth. I hope we don't have to go through those drugs again, the coming down off of the was tough....it was like an emotional roller coaster, one minute crying the next laughing and you never knew what was going to set him off.

We had promised to take him to McDonald's after the appointment but with all the extra stuff he had done, he was in no shape, so we went after church on Sunday. It was kind of funny because none of us could remember the last time we were at McDonald's. I guess our new spending habits have really taken hold. It was a nice treat, made nicer by not having been in such a long time.

housecleaning

I got to sleep in today, it was so nice. I made sure the TV was set to PBS when I went to bed last night so when John woke up this morning he just went down stairs and turned it on to something appropriate and I got to sleep. When Wallace got up he got himself and John some breakfast and then played on the computer. I think I have a fine system going.....I'm sure there will be a monkey wrench thrown into it....like early morning swimming lessons.

When I did get up I made myself a list and set out to do some housecleaning. I am usually very lazy on Saturdays but I was determined to try to be more productive than usual.

Here is my list:

1. washing
2. clean up stairs bathroom
3. make a cake
4. make date squares
5. call Jen
6. vacuum main floor
7. dust house
8. mop kitchen floor
9. clean lazy Susan cupboard
10. make granola

How did I do? Well I didn't get a cake made, nor the kitchen floor mopped, nor the lazy Susan cupboard clean and I only got the upstairs dusted, but it was a deep dusting not just with a feather duster. So I guess that make for a 6.5/10, could be better but could have been a lot worse.

We had fajitas for supper and now we are sitting down as a family to watch Wall-e, we've seen it before but that is what John chose so we'll be watching. I think I will go to bed early tonight, I know I say that all the time and very rarely do but I'm going to attempt it.

Is it school?

If you are 5 years old and spend an hour or more working on a hundred piece puzzle all by yourself is it school?

He was so proud of himself.

Way to go John.

It did help that it was a StarWars puzzle,his favourite subject matter of late.

A Challange

I decided to challange myself today. This is what my laundry room looked like this morning. Can you say disaster and it was actually worse than it looks. There was a full load in the dryer and the washer. This room isn't just a laundry room but also a mud room/entry way from the garage and it house the dogs bed...it really is a multipurpose room and is in constant need of being cleaned.

I ended up doing 6 large loads of wash and a load of Michael's work pants. I manged to get all the loads folded and put away along with all the hang ups. I have a lot of trouble getting the clothes into the drawers and closets.

I also put away some extra winter clothing, it is just in the front hall closet so if we need it before we see spring it isn't too far.

(Sorry about the glare, Michael's jacket is very reflective, we call it his 'hit me first' jacket.)

Now that looks better doesn't it. I also got the downstairs bathroom cleaned and the bedrooms all nicely tidied....all this on top of homeschooling and cooking meals.

Not bad for a honest days work. I wonder how I'll feel in the morning, maybe I'll need another massage.

Tuesday

I threw my back out on Friday afternoon while at the physiotherapist of all things. I think it was psychosomatic, she was going away for a weeks vacation and I couldn't do with out her. I really need to get over myself. sheesh. Whether or not it was in my head I've been in pain, for the most part, since then. I didn't do much all weekend, Michael was working so I didn't really need to thank goodness. I had a massage this afternoon, which I think will help, as it seems to be more muscle tension than the joints and disks at this time. It was the first time I had to take the boys with me. John was right in there like a dirty shirt he talked the therapist ear off. Wallace on the other hand was very shy and stayed out in the hall and read his book. He is so good when we are out, it is at home that he can be a challenge, which if I had to pick, is the way I'd pick it.

Tonight at our kids programme at church we are having a Hero night. They are to dress up like a Bible Hero, they both want to be David as in David and Goliath, so John is being shepherd boy David and Wallace is being King David. They are working on their costumes right now.

Tomorrow is a home day....I love my home days. I have bread to bake, laundry to catch up on and a house to clean, along with home schooling, so even though we are home I still have plenty to do.

Sunday afternoon tea

When I was a kid we never ate a big meal at supper time on Sundays. We usually had a large dinner after we came home from church, so it was just something light and often times sweet. This afternoon I thought I'd carry on the tradition with my boys. I made a scone and brewed some tea and we all came to the table and enjoyed.

Wallace and John both had there tea with a little sugar and whole lot of milk, baby tea as the kids at church call it. It was nice, I'd like to do it again.

Medical Night at Olympians

A few weeks ago we had a medical night at Olympians (our kids programme at church) the boys were to dress up as either a sick/wounded person or a nurse or doctor. Wallace chose to be wounded. The purple around his eye and finger looked much more authentic in real life. John was somewhat more difficult to come up with an idea but at the last minute I thought of this 'medics' outfit, it turned out pretty well if I do say so my self. I am not very creative when it comes to costumes. They had a lot of fun and learned at little more about the wonderful body that God created for each of us.

The Boys at Work

Wallace is hard at work, and not enjoying it to be honest. He has had a great day until this, math homework ( a drill sheet of uneven division....division with remainders). Oh well, he'll be finished soon if he just sets his mind to it.

John doing his work, a floor puzzle. He can do all of his school work in a hour, and that is with breaks. Wallace some how wishes that he was five again. Oh well we all must grow up.