Post Christmas debriefing

Well, there goes another Christmas. All that planning and preparation for one day! oh well. We had a great Christmas with our little family of four - it was quiet and relatively calm. Despite eating an entire jumbo-sized candy cane, Ember was pretty good (Amelia still has most of hers).

Opening stockings

Dino girls! 

Co-captains Ember and Amelia, ready to blast off! 

Decorating the ship

You might notice, no barbies or princesses. There is a reason for that. I debated whether I should get them one, since they asked a couple of times, but decided that I will not go down that road. I want to encourage other interests besides consumerist/fashionista barbie and "my life's goal is to get married" princesses. It may be harder next year, but I don't think that you have to cave to every demand your kid makes and I don't feel that either of those toys reflect our values. Maybe I'm way off. Any moms of girls, I would love to hear your views on the topic! Email me!!

Even though this one is a little out of focus, it shows a lovely Ember, the neat tent building toy that I wish was around when I was a kid and one of the beautiful quilts that Auntie Jen made for the girls.

The new siding and windows on our house! It looks like a new house :)

And we finally did get a white Christmas.... two days late! It started raining shortly after we took these pictures and almost all the snow was gone by morning :(

I never thought I would miss snow, but I do! Nova Scotia doesn't have real winters and when it does snow it's so wet and sloppy it's not even fun to play in. I'm sure all my family and friends are saying boo-hoo right now. Oh well, maybe some day we'll get to a place that has real winters again :)

Bailey's and coffee

Mmmmm, my favourite drink during the holidays. Is there anything better? I picked some up last Friday and the cashier at the liquor store made my day by asking for ID!

"Really???" I squealed (literally, I squealed like an excited school girl) to which she laughingly replied, "you're over thirty aren't you?" I don't care if she asked because they are being extra vigilant, it made my day. I told her that was the best Christmas present EVER!

That, combined with getting $150 of free groceries ( PC points- yes!!) made for a nice holiday present. I don't ask for much :)

Baking day

It's cold and trying to snow but so far.... Not a white Christmas- yet.

The girls are scrubbing the floor on their hands and knees while I bake (Amelia's idea, I swear!) That's how bored they are. What a great way to keep them busy so I can bake :)

Not sure if you can see the snow, I just thought I would try.

Sewing with my girls

I had a wooden orange box that I was trying find a way to repurpose but couldn't think of anything. This morning Amelia picked it up and said it would make a great box for her and Ember's new puppy and kitty that the received from cousin Cheryl (thanks, btw!)

We painted up the box and then one at a time we sewed up a pillow and sleeping bag for each new "pet". We also managed to recycle some old baby sleepers that I have been saving for a project like this. This is my first attempt at sewing with my girls and it went surprisingly well. Keeping the projects super simple and my expectations low helped, as did explaining that we need to take turns and go slowly.

This was a great learning experience for all of us, I can't wait for our next project!

Ready to go swimming -anytime!

The girls have been obsessed with swimming lately. They often get dresses up in their swimsuits and just play in their room. Today, they have everything packed, including a snack.

Update: going for a polar bear swim!

Oh Christmas tree!

We just got our tree and finished decorating - it smells like Christmas (trees and cookies) and now it looks like Christmas too! I'm getting as excited as the girls.

This year I got an elf on the shelf, something I've never heard of until the year. I would highly recommend it for anyone with younger kids! The only hard part is trying to remember to move it every single night. I do alright if I get it done as soon as the girls are in bed :)



We've been keeping busy but I can't even think of what we actually do, other than regular life. It used to feel like we were so busy but nothing ever gets done. Since I've stopped working I have manages to do quite a bit. I've painted a small table that has been sitting around for a year waiting to be painted. I also painted a $5 bureau I found at a garage sale in September - much better turn-around than the table! I still want to add a bit more detail, but I wanted to get it upstairs for the holidays. I've also been super crafty with crocheting and sewing, surprising the heck out of myself by finishing several projects in time for Christmas! This is a first for me. what's also a first is having 95% of my shipping done 3 weeks ago - wow!


This is my first blog post from the new iPad toy so I'm not sure how it's going to look. I thought it might be easier to work form this because it's so portable. Sorry the pictures are such bad quality.

I'm NOT tired!

And I don't need quiet time!!!

Sleeping in their room is not cool, but the hallway is okay.

Halloween sweeties

I did take some pictures of the girls at halloween, and now I'm finally getting around to posting them! I'm not the only one, my friend Theresa is getting as bad as me!

I didn't take any while they were outside, I figured it was easier to see their dresses when they weren't wearing coats overtop.

They both wanted to be princesses! surprise surprise....

The pumpkins were scooped out by Ember and I, since some people (her name starts with A and ends with melia) would NOT touch the pumpkin guts. There was a big freakout. There have been a lot of those lately. They say the twos are terrible, but the fours are ferocious!!

So..... long time no hear??

Yes, I know, I know. Busy yes - that's it. I have been composing my next blog post for weeks now, I have all these things I want to write about but never seem to take the time.

Using the computer is out of the question when the kids are awake. Even if they aren't in the room - they can be busy as bees in the basement but if I try to sneak off for even 5 minutes to check my email, their computer radar goes off and all of the sudden I have two kiddos by my side whining that they want to play on the computer or "show you something on the computer".  How does that work??

So first off, the big news. I'm no longer a working mom! This is good news. I decided to stay at home for a few more years until the kids are in school. I don't make enough money to work outside the home right now (at least not part time) but the main reason was when the kids get sick and we can't go to the babysitters, what do I do? I had to take (unpaid) time off work. I don't know what other families do (seriously, what do you working moms do?), but we don't have anyone to help us out and I felt bad every time I had to email to let them know I can't come in because the kids are sick -which happened a few times and is bound to happen even more as the winter wears on.

I don't have any hard feelings, and it seems like they don't either. Everyone understands and respects my decision and has invited me back when I'm ready to work! I did love working there, it's probably the best working environment I've ever experienced. So although I'm sad to leave, I'm also glad to get back home with the kiddies. We had an awesome day on Friday (followed by the usual grouchy- scream-filled weekend) but you can't win them all, can you?

The girls have been doing great. Amelia loves preschool and seems to be thriving. It helps that there are only 10 of them and she already knew one kid (our neighbour Izzy). I'm glad she's getting the chance to socialize without us and learning to play with kids besides Ember and Izzy. Ember even got to go to preschool on Halloween, which she loved. She now thinks she can go every day with Amelia and I know there is going to be a lot of crying tomorrow when we drop Amelia off. I'm looking forward to spending time with Ms. Ember, just the two of us (another reason I'm glad to not be working).

Just looking through the photos, I don't have any recent photos on the computer. I'll admit I'm being lazy with the camera lately. (although there is a part of me that is sick of always snapping pictures and just wants to enjoy the moment for what it is instead of always having a camera in my kids' face - but that's another story for another day) I'll post some more photos soon.

Here is an older photo of Amelia I wanted to post on her birthday story but I didn't get the chance to because she was trying to push her way onto my lap and take over the computer.... seriously, she has an addiction already!

Okay, I can't even find a baby photo of my oldest baby. I have to log onto my profile and retrieve them. You're out of luck. Cheers everyone! 

Birthday!

In my usual manner, I've not gotten around to posting pictures until well after the event. So, my first born turned four last week. Wow.

We had a low-key birthday with only one of Amelia's friends at the party (well, actually her only friend, besides Ember, now that I think of it) We were lucky to have Grandma Anne and Grandpa Wendell there too though, which made it extra special.

We had a "mermaid" theme, but since I didn't want a disney mermaid, we ended up with more of a beach theme. The cake turned out great and more importantly tasted great too! Bonus!!

The grandparents are still busy touring around the province and possibly PEI by now, but I'll include our pictures from Peggy's cove from a few weeks ago.

A shot of the elusive mommy bigfoot!

This is where the girls would have spent all day, if we let them.

Last days of summer

This is my third post of the day, a new record for me! Short and sweet, just a small taste of what's been going on lately.

There is definitely a fall chill in the air - something I look forward to every year. Autumn is my absolute favourite time of the year!! Warm days, cool nights, falling leaves, that autumn smell in the air; sweaters, jeans, fall harvest, crisp apples (and pie!!), stews and soups. hmmm.... is there anything better?


Our last visit to Shubie Park, one of our favourite places to go for a hike.

Not much else going on. Work is going well. It's nice now that it is busy, I actually feel useful. When it was really slow for the last three weeks of August, it made me wonder if it's worth it to be away from my kids to just sit at my desk and try to look busy. But now that all the students are back I feel the energy and excitement of the new school year and it's way more fun. I have been asked to stay for a few more weeks into October. They recently filled three positions and will probably do a competition for the other two soon (including the job I'm currently working) so we'll see what next month brings. Whatever will be will be.

Cheers everyone! Happy Back to School :)

That could be you mommy....

Whenever we read a story together, Amelia likes to assign who's who in the story. "That could be mommy, that could be daddy, that could be Amelia and that could be Ember...." Sometimes even down to which storybook characters are Knuckles and Melvin.

I had to share this most recent one with everyone. Out of all the cute animals in the story, she grabbed this page and named the characters after Mommy, Amelia and Ember. Guess who I was.

I was so.... flattered??

It is a really cute book, none-the-less. The ultimate guide to grandmas and grandpas - we are reading up in preparation for a visit from my parents.

Preschool!

First day of preschool for my big girl!!! ~~ *sniff

We're still here!

We've been enjoying what is apparently the warmest summer on record in Nova Scotia. I haven't posted in a long time simply because I am too lazy and tired at the end of the day. We have been enjoying the weather too much to be inside.  Maybe I'll have to take Ron's laptop outside to blog, haha....

I am going to have to remember how to use my oven again after eating salads for almost the entire month of August. It has been way too hot to use the oven and even using the BBQ on our unshaded, south-facing deck is uncomfortable and generally feels like too much work.

I've also been getting a lot of use out of our ice cream maker, which has been a god-send. I love just throwing in vanilla yogurt and mix, mix, mix!! It's amazing how much better it tastes when it's frozen (and not just a frozen block, but stirred with tiny ice crystals forming.... divine!!)

Let's see if I can find some pics....

Eating sushi and noodles 

Ember making silly faces while eating her "mommy" beans (edemame)

Ron is on vacation too, so he and the girls have been having fun for the past few days.

Playing in the stream by our new favourite park

Can anybody tell me where July went?

....or the first week and a half of August, for that matter???

We've been keeping busy for the past month, the summer as always seems to breeze past too quickly.

Playing tourist in our new province is still our main objective. We have checked out three new beaches and still have more on our list. Last weekend we were at Lawrence Town beach (the surfer beach) even though it was very cloudy and misty. It is sometimes fun to go to the beach even if you can't sit and enjoy the sun. You really get a chance to see the power of the ocean on a day like that. We collected rocks and walked along the beach as we watched the surfers try to catch the small waves coming in. The water actually seemed warmer than it does on a hot day - I'm not sure how that works!

Playing with a green caterpillar! I've succeeded in not passing on my fear of bugs!! (so far)

The girls are really enjoying going over to Rhonda's while I'm at work. Sometimes if I stay too long to talk to Rhonda in the morning Amelia tells me "Mommy you leave now" - it's quite amusing. The come back happy and very tired -both girls have been napping almost every day. I asked Rhonda if she's feeding them drugs or something but I think it's just that she makes a point of getting out every single day so they aren't cooped up in the house. Plus I think it takes extra energy for the girls to be good when they are at her house, so they are exhausted when they come home hahaha....  ;-D

one of our favourite activities

Work is going pretty good. Working half days is a good transition for all of us. I think we have all adjusted well. Except, that is, for Knuckles. He still follows me around all morning before we leave and if I stop for more than three seconds he is sitting by my feet looking at me with sad eyes.

The work itself is good, it feels good to use a different part of my brain again. It is very quiet right now, since it's an academic library and there are no students, but in another two weeks it's going to be mayhem!! That will be when I really see if I like the job or not. I guess I shouldn't say that, it's not that I don't like the job, it's that I have to fork over 3/4 of my paycheck to pay for child care - which as all working mothers know makes you wonder if it's worth it.

I applied for a similar position at another campus (there are three campuses in the Metro Halifax area) which is mere minutes from our house. If I get it, it would be full time - so maybe only half of my paycheck would go towards child care!

Chasing daddy on the front lawn!

Regardless, it's been nice for the girls and I to have a "break" from each other so we appreciate our time together on the weekends. It also feels great to have money in my account that I earned, for the first time in 4 years!!

Cheers everyone!

El Mustachio

Ron's going to kill me for this post, but I can't help it. I found some older photos that I forgot about on the laptop.

Here is the reason why he should never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever grow a moustache again. The results are too funny to take him seriously.

And one more, shot in the "white trash" style:

I saw some ships a sailin'

So I finally am getting around to putting up pictures from last week of the tall ships. I love this festival! I could have gone both days on the weekend but I don't think the kids would have been up for it. There was a pirate activity centre with lots of neat stuff but you can only do that so many times...

The ship in the back with the slanted masts is a replica of the Amistad (you may remember the film) which has a very sad history. The story is better told in this link, if you are interested http://my-waterfront.ca/tallships/the-fleet?ship=19

What I found interesting is that all the ships look so much larger in the photos but when you get on them they are much smaller (most of them) I cannot imagine living on some of them and the conditions that people must have endured (especially slaves who were packed in level on top of level)

A look at the front end of the Amistad. The man in red is part of the crew that tells the story and answers questions.

The next ship was actually bigger than it looked in the photo, this one is American (of course) that was taken from the Germans as part of war reparations. It's now part of the US coast guard fleet.

Click here for more info

Ember refused to be in the photo :(

I love how all the rigging looks, and especially with the sails up

We only got to tour about four boats since it takes a while and Ember petered out quickly. Ron was nice enough to take Ember home for nap time and let Amelia and I stay to look. The last boat we saw was the Bounty (you may also remember the film "Mutiny on the Bounty")

This ship was also used in two of the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Amelia unhappily posing so you can see the scale of the "baby canons" on the Bounty. We left shortly after.

In all it was an awesome day, warm but not hot with a cool breeze. Tonnes to see and do. It was soooo busy. There was also a lot going on with the 200th anniversary of the war of 1812, so lots of people in costume with muskets.

Ok last photo:

this is probably where the girls would have chosen to spend the whole day, if we let them. That be treasure they be finding! Yaaaarrrrgh!