pumpkin maze

Yesterday, the boys and I went to the pumpkin maze and we had so much fun!

Caleb was so excited to
#1. be out of the house.
#2. see some real pumpkins.

Matthew enjoyed sitting at the colouring table and posed nicely for pictures. But then when he started going through the maze, he really started having a blast. He totally got into it. I think he's a great age for this. He was small enough to not be able to see over the straw bales and yet smart enough to try to figure a way out. And we found our way out, but it wasn't easy.

But Matthew wasn't the only one who had fun in the maze.

When we got to the end of the maze, there was this big inflatable pumpkin with a witch and some ghosts inside.

Caleb was a little spooked. But not too much, don't worry.

We chose a pumpkin to buy (Matthew's convinced we won the pumpkin for making it through the maze!) and then met our Grandma for lunch.

My cute little pumpkin munchkins :)

spooky stuff...

Flashback Friday

Halloween 1986 (I think)

If you are one of the people who think clowns are scary, I am now warning you to look away.

The following photo has me wearing the same clown costume that I wore in 1980, only 6 years later it comes down to my knees so I wore stripey knee-high socks with it and added some hair around the hat. The little clown is my cutie pie little brother. Unless you think clowns are scary, then he would be my spooky little brother :)

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

our weekend

• a Sunday afternoon playdate was just what the doctor ordered
• bought some new Halloween decorations from the dollar store
• had one good night's sleep
• had one bad night's sleep
• spent our mornings in pj's
• cleaned up a bit, but not too much ;)
• played hide and seek tonight
• hoping that Matthew is not getting sick (even though he's coughing a bit)
• a trip to the museum for Daddy and Matt
• a nap for Mommy and Cale
• learned that Church is really not as much fun if we're not sitting with Grandma
• a lazy weekend, now that I think of it :)

But that's okay.

flashback friday

I realize that I am a day late :)

Halloween 1980

Just when you stopped having nightmares about the scary Cinderella costume of 1979, along comes a Halloween photo from 1980!
Hee hee. That's my dad wearing the afghan and the Cinderella mask. But just look at the adorable little clown costumes that my mom made for us. I'm the clown on the table and Faye's the little clown on the chair. A huge improvement from the year before, don't you think?

Stay tuned for next week's Halloween flashback. If you dare!

mmmmmuffins

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup ripe bananas-mashed
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp hot water
1 tsp vanilla
chocolate chips (the recipe doesn't actually call for them, but I always add some)

Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs and bananas. Mix well. Stir in flour and nutmeg. Dissolve soda in hot water, add to banana mixture. Stir in vanilla. Add the chocolate chips, if you wish (I usually put about 1/2 cup or more) Fill greased or paper lined muffin tin half full. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

4 eggs well beaten
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups cooking oil
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups pumpkin purée
1/2 cup chocolate chips -or more :)

Beat together eggs, sugar and oil. Add flour, soda, cinnamon, baking powder and salt, alternating with pumpkin. Blend all together and then add chocolate chips. Pour into muffin cups. Bake muffins 350 for 20 minutes.


One point weight watchers muffins
3 cups All Bran original cereal
3 cups water
1 tsp baking soda
1 pkg Betty Crocker cookie mix

Mix bran cereal and water. Add baking soda. Let sit for five minutes, until soggy and mushy. Add cookie mix and blend together. Makes 24 muffins. Bake for 25 minutes at 375.

These muffins helped me to lose 19.2 pounds. Very high in fibre. Don't eat more than two a day! (kids only get one a day)

ten on tuesday

1. The other night, Matthew had a dream that there was a raccoon in his room. He was quite frightened. When I showed him that the raccoon was not hiding behind his pillow, he told his dad "Just joking", but is now convinced the raccoon was outside.

2. Yesterday we went to Chapters, just to play with the train table.

3. I bought God Gave us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren at Chapters yesterday.

4. God Gave us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren is one of my favourite children's books.

5. I almost broke the laminator at school yesterday.

6. We have a bit of snow already. Just a bit.

7. It feels very, very cold.

8. I bought a bunch of clothes for the boys at The Children's Place on the weekend. Big big sale.

9. I have been a muffin-making machine lately. Coincidentally, I have also been a muffin-eating machine. :)

10. Caleb looks so cute and cozy in turtleneck onesies. He has about 5 of them and I think he might wear a different one every day this week. If that's okay with you...

Happy Tuesday!

behind my back

I've never been published in a scrapbooking magazine. I've never even submitted a layout for publication. I've lurked around the twopeas pub, but I don't think I've ever posted anything there (besides maybe a happy birthday shoutout or something like that).

So, imagine my surprise when I did a search for my name on the pub board last night(it's kinda like googling yourself, only for scrapbookers!) and this is what I found.

POTD

I'm very honoured and quite surprised. And a little sad that I missed my big day. Where was I? I'm not really sure what the POTD is supposed to do exactly, but I don't think I did it on September 5th. According to my records, I guess I was taking Matthew to his first day of preschool and working. All important stuff, I suppose.

I wonder what other good things have happened to me behind my back :)

helper

I was the helper at Matthew's preschool today. And, boy, did she keep me busy!

- cutting out scarecrows (good thing I'm a professional cutter)
- helping with craft (the aforementioned scarecrows)
- measuring kids (she measures them at the beginning, middle and end of year-or, I guess the helper does-hee hee)
- writing names on paintings
- serving the snack (which I brought- letter pretzels, cheese and crackers, banana chocolate chip muffins, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and milk)
- cleaning up from snack
- setting out funsheets and backpacks
- washing the cups
- washing the tables
- cleaning the sinks

Phew!

Matthew had some helper duties too:
- sitting on the red chair
- handing out napkins
- finding the number for the pumpkin calendar
- eating on a placemat (only the helper gets a placemat, everyone else just uses a napkin)
- taking home the Franklin backpack (which he is super excited about)

It was a busy, but very fun morning. I had to rush home and doll myself up for work, because today (of all days) was picture day at my school. Hopefully, I don't look too frazzled in my class photo. Hee hee.

thankful

We had such a nice Thanksgiving weekend.

I am thankful for:

• our families
• visits with my sister and her husband
• yummy appetizers
• baby kisses
• Aunties and Uncles who play hide and seek
• guys who go to Rolling Stones concerts
• crustless pumpkin pie
• Grandpas who jump on trampolines
• kareoke singers
• birthday cakes and candles
• extra hands to help at Church
• a new baby niece or nephew on the way
• three year olds who say grace
• one year olds who play shy
• getting the giggles

Of course, I had so much fun that I didn't take nearly enough photos...

cinderella visits Canada

Halloween 1979 (age 5)
Is it too early for a Halloween flashback Friday?

When I said I wanted to be Cinderella for Halloween, I don't know if I envisioned myself looking like this...

Hee hee.

More Halloween Flashback Fridays in the weeks to come... stay tuned :)

(Don't worry the costumes get better.)

it's after 11 PM...

It's after 11 PM and I just cut out 20 construction paper turkeys for school tomorrow.

It only took me 11 minutes. Have I impressed you with my scissor skills?

Gobble gobble.

(I think it's time for bed)

there is something so cute

There is something so cute about a little boy in overalls.


Don't you think?

and just one more...

This just in...

Matthew: Mom I have a whack.
Mom: What's a whack, honey?
Matthew: Well, some people have lots of whacks (wax) in their ears, but I just have one.

Hee hee hee!
:D

three funny things they say...

ONE
Matt(while playing musical instruments) : We're having jam.
Mom: Do you mean a jam session?
Matt: Yeah.

TWO
Cale(the little boy who hardly talks) : Bum!

*this was said to the librarian, clear as a bell, with a big goofy grin*

THREE
Matt: The ferret went pee in the glitter box.

*not our ferret, by the way, yuck*

this was his idea...

The next preschool day, Matthew insisted that I write him a note for school.

So I did:

Dear Matthew,
Here is a kissing hand for you. Remember that Mommy loves you.

(then I traced my hand, drew a heart inside and kissed it while wearing lipstick!)

I'll pick you up at 11:15.

Love,
Mommy

*And it worked! We put it in his pocket and said goodbye. When I picked him up, the teacher said he held the note in his hand for half the morning. When I asked him about it he said when he started to get tears he just rubbed the kissing hand against his cheek and he was okay.*

I love this book:

I should also add that everytime I leave for work now, he needs to make me a kissing hand note that he kisses while wearing his Bob the Builder chapstick!

he cried

He cried when I dropped him off at preschool this morning.

We did so well on the first few days, but now I guess the reality of it has set in.

It actually started about five minutes before we were about to leave. He started crying at home, for no apparent reason. We regrouped, snuggled and decided to bring a book to show his teacher.

I got him into the car. And into the school.

I assured him that I'd be back at 11:15 and gave him a kiss in his hand (have you ever read The Kissing Hand?) and a kiss on his cheek too. He was trying so hard to be brave, but he looked quite sad as I walked away. I tried not to look back, but I heard his wonderful teacher ask him to see the book that he had brought to show her. And I peeked in the window after I shut the door and I could see him on her lap looking at the book, still looking sad.

But I know that he's in good hands.

And it's already 10:08. So I can go pick him up in an hour.

something so cute

This little guy here:
has started doing something so cute.

It first started when he saw this guy here:

on tv.

But now he does it everytime, we count or say numbers.

Want to know what he does?

He laughs just like the count, "AH! AH! AH!"

Here are some examples:

Matthew (counting pictures in a book) : one, two, three, four...
Caleb: AH! AH! AH!

or

Mommy (dropping the boys off at grandma's house) : Caleb's been awake since six...
Caleb: AH! AH! AH!

It's so cute.

snack attack

I love snacking. Don't you? But I'm really trying hard to eat more healthy foods. Are you? Here are some of my latest finds:

I love popcorn and this Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop (I actually get the mini-bags) is quite good. I can eat the whole (mini) bag and it fills me up and I don't feel guilty at all. Well, I might feel a bit guilty that I didn't share any with my husband.


And while munching on my popcorn, I usually get quite thirsty. I've started drinking Nestle Pure Life Flavored Water. It's yummy and refreshing and just a little bit tastier than water. I have all the flavours :)

Oh and here's another yummy treat (am I saying 'yummy' too much?) This yogurt is so tasty, you wouldn't even believe it's good for you. They call these flavours the "dessert selections", but they also taste good for breakfast and snacks. My mom and I can't get enough of the chocolate cherry fondue flavour.

What are your favourite (healthy) snacks? I'd love to know.

Well, now I think I'd better go get a snack. Hee hee. Is anybody else hungry?

weekend

- I fell asleep at 9:00 on Friday night.
- We went to the museum this morning.
- We ran out of hotdogs for lunch.
- Matthew and Rick rode their bikes to the end of the block and back.
- I made fajitas for supper.
- We went to Church tonight.
- I scrapbooked a bit.

Nothing too exciting, but I just thought I should update :)

first day of school (2006)

Yesterday was Matthew's first day of preschool. He was so excited to meet his teacher and he had such a good time. It was actually just an open house and I stayed with him, but he seems very ready to try it out on his own tomorrow.
His proud younger brother:

And imagine how happy he was when he found some trains in his classroom!

I am so proud of my big boy!

first day of school

Flashback Friday

My first day of kindergarten - Sept. 1979


This year, I find myself thinking about the first day of school more than usual. Maybe it's because I've been repeating the first day of school this week for each new group of Kindergarten students that comes (reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day). Or maybe it's because next week, Matthew has his very first day of preschool.

Whatever the reason, I am finding myself becoming very sentimental about the first day of school. Here is a picture of me on my very first day of Kindergarten. Did anybody else wear their Holly Hobby school bags like a necklace around their necks? Hee hee.

stuff to tell you

Hello, here is some stuff that I have to tell you:
(whoever "you" may be)

- My email doesn't seem to be working that great today, so if you sent me an email I may not have received it. So that's why I haven't replied, probably. If you haven't sent me an email, you really should :)

- The first day of school went really well. Thanks for all your kind words. I only had 7 students today and tomorrow I'll have 6 different ones and then the last 6 on Friday. Then all 19 of them will come next Tuesday. It's called staggered entry and it seems to work well.

- Today, I almost started crying when I told my students to give their moms and dads a kiss and hug good-bye. I kind of wanted them all to be able to stay.

- Matthew's preschool teacher wrote him a letter and sent a supply list. She told us to remind our kids that their school supplies will be left at school. It sounds silly, but I realized today that it's a pretty good idea. I had about 3 of my students try to take home their pencil boxes today. They figure that their supplies belong with them, at all times. It kind of makes me giggle to think about it though.

- I've been so tired lately, sometimes I go to bed earlier than Matthew. If Matthew takes a nap he stays up really late, so we try not to let him nap during the afternoon. But sometimes he does. One morning, I asked Matthew "What time did you and Daddy go to bed last night?" He said "We went to bed at ten, but I wanted to stay up until one hundred." Hee hee! One hundred is the biggest number he knows.

- Caleb still doesn't talk too much, but he's getting really good at letting us know what he wants with his body language and sounds. And he really is just one of the cutest little dancers I have ever seen (although I have to admit, Elizabeth's kids are pretty cute too)

first day, hooray

Today is the first day of school for my kindergarten class. I am having mixed feelings about going back to work, but I am excited to meet my new students.

I've always loved the first day of school. I enjoy the nice, clean school, seeing the kids in their back-to-school clothes, new packs of crayons and the fresh attitude of the staff.

I can't wait!

water fun

I bought these new water squirter thingies because I thought they would be fun.

I didn't realize that they would be so hard to squirt.

But the water hose is probably even more fun!

It's always important to share :)They were both soaking wet!

And of course, if you're soaking wet, make sure you go play in the dirt!

I'm just so thankful for such nice weather at the end of August. We're loving it!

I "heart"

- naps (I"m sure going to miss afternoon naps when I go back to work next week)
- the universal child care plan (a $200 cheque every month)
- web cams (more specifically, talking on webcams with my mom and sister)
- reading magazines
- new school supplies
- my label maker
- hot days at the end of August (like today)
- when my hairdresser straightens my hair (see below)
- green shirts (also see below)
- my family
- you!

grade nine

Flashback Friday:

Grade Nine (1988)

Here I am in grade nine (my first year of high school) looking quite happy and fashionable. Somehow I managed to disguise my disappointment that my bangs were never quite as high as my friends'. Hee hee. But now, surprisingly, they look high enough!

The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions.
~William F. Scolavino
(or the height of your bangs, whichever is greater ~me)

never

I never thought the day would come when I would consider waking up at 7:00 AM, sleeping in.

But, guess what?

Today I slept in!

preschool video time

Am I wrong for questioning the library's choice for preschool videos yesterday:

Chrysanthemum
Teacher from the Black Lagoon
Miss Nelson is Back
Trashy Town

As we watched Chrysanthemum in the dark library storytime room, I kept my eyes on sweet little 3 year old Matthew watching so intently. He was taking in each moment of this video and I know he was uneasy with the other children making fun of Chrysanthemum because of her unique name. Or maybe I was uneasy, but I figured I should just let it be and let him sort it out.

But when the Teacher from the Black Lagoon began and his eyes grew wider each time the scary teacher did something new, I really began to worry. My over-protected son was looking forward to preschool in a few weeks. He can't wait to go. I worried that he would begin to fear his teacher. Who is putting these crazy ideas in his head?

So we walked out. I really do not feel he is ready to be exposed to Miss Viola Swamp.

*warning* some viewers may find the following image offensive:

(especially over-protective mommy viewers)

if...

If you are crafty (or not)
If you have toddlers,
or preschoolers,
or are a teacher...
this is a pretty cool website.

I think I'm going to try the bee theme first :)

~~~bzz bzz~~~






<----This is not one of my children.

happy, lazy birthday afternoon

In an effort to extend my birthday as long as possible (don't you just love doing that?), I will just continue to talk about it for as long as you'll listen. Hee hee.

Anyway, when we came back from the zoo (on my birthday), Caleb took a nice long nap in the hotel room and I snuggled up beside him. Rick and Matthew went exploring in the hotel and then went watersliding. I slept and and read and had such a nice relaxing afternoon.

When Rick and Matthew came back to the room, they needed to rest a bit before supper. So Caleb and I went out walking. We walked down by the river and played on the grass in the park. It was really such a great birthday. Have I told you that already?

the best

I think I might have the best internet friends ever.

Look at this nice surprise!

Thank you all so much! You really made my day!

happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo...

It was my birthday this week and we went on a little holiday to Saskatoon. We spent my birthday at the Saskatoon Zoo.

Here's a photo of the birthday girl (me!) This photo was taken just before we left the zoo (note Caleb's tired expression and soother) and just happens to be the only photo where my eyes are kinda open. Don't you hate when that happens?

One of the highlights of our trip to the zoo, was being able to jump in the puddles! Don't worry, this is just a puddle formed by the hose to water the plants. I wouldn't let anyone jump in puddles of elephant pee or anything. hee hee

Caleb thought the tiger was pretty cool!

I thought the tiger should come out from under there and pose for a picture. It's always so hard for me to get nice pictures at the zoo. The fences and cages always seem to get in the way. But that doesn't stop me from trying. Some Canada geese and a bison:

The best part was the little train that took us around the zoo for a tour. In case you're just tuning in, trains are very popular at our house. So a train that takes you around the zoo can only be good! Other highlights included:Rick upsetting a monkey, eating greasy, overpriced hotdogs for lunch and the choir of parrots who sang happy birthday to me.

(ha! I made that last one up, just to see if you were still paying attention!)

remember when

Remember when I told you that Caleb doesn't eat crayons anymore?

Well, here's proof:

Remember when I told you that Caleb got his haircut?

Well, here he is before his haircut:

(yes, my neighbours have a fake bunny in their front yard, don't yours?)

And here he is during his haircut:

And after his haircut, everyone was too grouchy and hungry so I didn't get any pictures.

Isn't that awful? What's the point of taking "before" and "during" pictures, if you don't even have an "after"picture?

Oh well. At least I have some of his precious little baby curls in a special envelope :) Does that count for anything?

saturday

Was my Saturday productive, as predicted by my fortune cookie?

Did I wake up early? Or did I sleep in?

Well, I woke up early.

But then I took a nap :)

I tidied up the house. I vacuumed. I even went to Church. I took the boys to the playground.

And then I fell asleep at 9 PM.

It's really hard to determine if that's productive or not.

Not too bad, I guess.


How has your weekend been?

fortune cookie

We went out for Vietnamese food tonight.

This was my fortune:





It's already 11:30 PM.

I guess I'd better get to bed.

Apparently, I have a big day tomorrow.

:)

stuff

Here's some stuff that we've been doing...

- Caleb got his very first haircut. He sat like such a big boy. And he got a big freezie when he was done. It was orange. The freezie, not his hair.

- I've been trying to squeeze in a little bit of exercise everyday. Even if it's just having races with the boys in the backyard. I've also done some exercise tv shows in my living room with the boys dancing all around me. Caleb prefers high impact. Matthew seems to enjoy yoga.

- I am not really thinking about going back to work too much. Although I know it's coming up in less than 4 weeks.

- Totally thinking about my little sister who just finished moving and hoping she is doing okay.

- This morning, at breakfast I was singing "Row, row, row your boat" and Matthew started talking about the spider in that song. And I said there's no spider in that song. Sure there is. So I got him to sing it to me:

Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream,
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Like a spider's dream.

:)