It is getting close to Christmas

There is so much to do these day....there is something on almost everynight.
On today's list of things to do:
1. make two vegetable side dishes for tonights potluck dinner
    made a squash dish and a green bean casserole
2. 3 loads of laundry
3. make baby mittens for my nephew.
4. go to Costco to select glasses for John. 

This is my handsome John, dress ready to go to his chior's spring concert in June.  He is as darling as ever, although his hair is now shorter.  He is full of life, we call it joi de vive, he makes me smile all the time.  Whatever he is doing he is fully engaged at all times.  The only downfall to this that I can see, as it seems all characters have a down side, is that he is prone to interupt and think that everyone is as interested in what is going on in his head as he is.  We are working on this, and I think it is a small lesson to learn for being such a happy boy. 
John loves learning and therefore most of school, except for being asked to print neatly.  He loves lego, playmobile and history.  He looks up to Wallace as a role model and loves being with his family.  He is my cuddle bug right now and I love that.  I am thankful for my little boy.

Wallace is writing a short paper for English today about a tour that he has taken.  He choose to write about Worcester Cathedral which is on of the cathedral that he sang in and we toured this summer in England.  This is a wonderful place but  almost has too much information to be put into a one page paper. It has an amazing and rich history.    From this tour alone we could study  many different topics. Here are just a few that I can think of quickly: architecture, the picture above is of the crypt and that center pillar is one of two holding up the entire building, John Lackland and the Magna Carta, he is buried in this cathedral, the pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago because they found a pair of 600 year old boots from a Pilgrim buried in one of the walls, the English Civil War as the cathedral was greatly damaged during this time, and lastly the making of stain glass because the have several window with unusual colours and symbols. I always find it interesting how one thing can spring board on to another.

Wallace is really struggling this year to learn to write a cohesive piece of writing.  It is one of the primary goal I have for him this year to prepare him to go off to high school next year.  I know that I would not have been as good as he is at his age. I have a small degree of knowledge that I have obtained that over a long period of time and I am having trouble imparting my limited wisdom to him.  I have yet to find a really good course of study that sets it out in a ordered form.  Do step one, then step two etc, that is what us science/math types like.  I figure the best way to go is just slowly plod along and working on it over and over again.  I am sure we will both get better at it over time, if we don't kill each other first.  This is a good place for me to practice being calm when facing great frustration.

• 
  on our trip to the UK this summer
  It has been a long time since I blogged!
  Life has been busy and complicated but I am finding that it never slows down and doesn't get any better unless my attitude does.
  Michael is working a lot of hours, 70-80/week, and he is working nights. This is not the easiest shift. He is working on a project at work, and we are starting week 12. My mom used to always say you either had the time and no money to do things or the money and no time. For the longest time it was the first it is now the latter. Hopefully things will slow down a little bit and we can get some of the projects that we want to get done, done.
  Wallace is in grade 8 and just turned 13 in September. I can hardly believe I could possibly have a child that old. He is challenging in all the ways that 13 year olds are but we still have fairly open communication, for which I am very grateful. I have changed my way of parenting greatly in the last year and lean on Micheal's wisdom and knowledge when dealing with those issues that are specifically male or how boys react/relate to life.
  John is 7 almost 8 and in grade 2. I love the fact that he is cuddly because I find myself in great need of his affection right now. He has discovered the love of reading and is reading through the Magic Tree House books, in order I may add. He will wait until the right book is in at the library so that he doesn't get ahead of himself. It is really quite funny.
  Me, well there has been a lot going on in my head the last little while, not really sure where to start, not really sure if that is the kind of stuff I want to share on a blog anyway. If I keep this up for a little while we will see. I am firmly planted in the sandwich generation, looking after and homeschooling my boys, trying and often failing to be a good wife, and looking after a sickly parent. My mom and dad live in a granny apartment in our home. My mom still works full time and my father suffers from young onset Alzheimer's, which if it has ever touched your life you know it is a nasty disease. My days are full, to the brim but I try (and not always succeed) to simply lean on Jesus and take it one moment at a time.

Hubby's away, not my favourite thing. However, I am doing better than most times. This maybe because I am aware of just how bad at this keeping up a home, I really am and that the accountability of a hubby coming home at the end of the day isn't what should keep me going. I am continually talking (lecturing) to Wallace about finding the will to do what is right from within and not waiting for outside expectations to motivate us to do what we know that we ought to do. What a bad example I must be setting for him and no wonder he is fighting me on it every step of the way. Last night I cooked a light meal as it was just John and I, Wallace had Jr. High at the church and they feed him there. I did make a huge step in the right direction when I went to be at 10pm. Wow, I even surprised myself, I usually have such trouble going to bed when I am here alone, I used to have trouble when Hubby worked nights too. I am hoping that I can do a repeat tonight.
Tonight or rather this afternoon I am leaving Wallace home, with my dad, to do school work. He will have a huge chance to prove himself. I hope he comes through with flying colours. He acquired a paper route this week and I haven't yet planted this information into our schedule so I double booked this afternoon. I do believe that he is old enough to stay on his own, and my dad is here if he gets lonely. He'll have a chance to do a lot of his school work in the peace and quiet that he says he so earnestly desires. I have a chiropractor appointment and then my sister and I are going shopping at Costco. John is coming, of course, you don't leave a 6 year old home with a 12 year old, and I think he will enjoy being the centre of attention, he doesn't get that as often as Wallace did as a little guy.
We are heading out after lunch to do those papers at least today it is bright and sunny, if not a little cool. Have a great day.

I worked today, there were several things around the house that desperately needed to be done. Hubby says that my idea of desperate and reality are two very different things. Whatever the case may be I felt that they needed to be done and, today was the day that they were going to get done.

Hubby had originally intended to chop wood, (My parent had a tree taken down at the old place and when they sold, it had to be moved, so it was moved to our yard as we have a wood burning fireplace. Hubby has spent a lot of time spitting it into manageable size pieces. We do, however, have enough wood for our casual use to last 5 or 6 years, I am sure.) but since it was raining to today he was left wondering what to do, so he vacuumed for me. I have a weak back, don't want to say bad, although that is what my chiropractor would call it, and vacuuming will set it off faster than almost anything. He vacuumed the main floor and I followed behind and did a thorough mopping, they looks so much better. I am a happy person.

Then I did my 6 monthly dusting of the living room. I do dust more often, but this is the one where I take the orange oil and wipe down all the wood until it shines. My piano looks wonderful.

Then, we tackled John's room. Most of the toys are in his room as we don't have a 'play' room in this house. We opened all the containers, drawers and shelves that contained toys, games and books and dumped them in the middle of the room and then sorted them into like piles and put them away. The Lego took the longest, we went through every single piece, picked out all the important and little pieces and put them in a separate container so they wouldn't get lost in the big container. Then Wallace vacuumed it for me and I dusted, it now looks like a new room.

Hubby and Wallace are out getting supper from a local Mexican restaurant, after we eat I think I will relax and watch a movie with my family. I am all ready for my 'day of rest' tomorrow, no need to feel guilty I think.

Amish Sugar Cookies

Not really sure where I got this recipe but I really like it as a plain cooking just to have around the house for the boys to have and, as long as I keep them in the freezer out in the garage I'm not as tempted to eat them all myself.

1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered/icing sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Method: Beat first 4 ingredients well , then add eggs. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and vanilla. Drop small balls of dough on lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten dough with the bottom of a glass, sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 357F for 10-12 minutes
Makes approximately 5 dozen cookies.