My blogging has truly fell to the waste side hasn't it? I can't use the excuse that nothing is really going on so I have nothing new to really say. Maybe what may be more appropriate to write is nothing new is going on and yet everything is happening and I don't know where to start.
My life is pretty chaotic right now. No, it's not the kids, I would welcome normal chaotic anytime right now.
Time is ticking, and we are at a standstill, ENOUGH of the dramatic one liners.... what in the world is going on with you???
House is up for sale- keeping a spotless house is exhausting and I feel so lazy even writing this, I hope you ladies know what I mean. A tidy house I am all for, a spotless house is for the birds. I won't let the kids eat in the house for snacks, every morning I go from room to room making it look like we don't really live here.
Taps wiped down, every piece of laminate is swept, dished done and kitchen sparkling before 10am. Having to have your home ready and available for viewing anytime is brutal.
The other morning I took all three kids to the dentist, arrived back home just before 11am. Made Noah a lunch, rushed him to school, came back gave Samara a bottle for her nap, just sat down for a cup of Joe when the phone rings. Of course I can't find the phone because it's cordless and it's hidden in the toy box. Well guess who it was our realtor who left a message telling me she would be bringing people by in less then 1/2 hour. I honestly threw up in my mouth a little. (this isn't happening...) Luckily my husband got a hold of her and said it wouldn't be available for a few hours. My house was a mess, it gets messy so quickly and my whole morning was spent out of the house... anyway that is some of the chaos I am talking about.
We have been working on buying our own pharmacy. I am NOT cut for these kind of negotiations, for the emotional roller coaster that this whole experience has brought to our life.
One day it looks like a sure thing, maybe the next day (who am I kidding it has changed hourly sometimes) everything has changed. It's draining. We are impatient with the children. We are stressed, we don't have a clue where we are going to move to this summer. We aren't sleeping much...blah, blah you all get the picture. I'm venting....
So with all this going on my mind has been other places. Once things become normal again in my life I am hoping to get back to blogging more. I am keeping up with all of you though, I ready your blogs I just don't always comment.
Hope your Spring is going well.....

It takes a village to raise a child? I've seen this village and I DO not want it raising my child.
Whenever I've read people's reasons for homeschooling I always would read these stories of young school aged children being abused at school. The stories would anger me and I always said if I saw these things happening to my child I would take action and probably home school.
I have blogged about this 'friend' of my son's before. I know I can be an overprotective parent and I don't think that's a bad thing. I didn't want to over react to a few incidents, I believe in second chances, I know they are boys with energy and we all know boys do stupid things sometimes. I made the decision to keep abreast of their relationship and I asked Noah about it from time to time.
Yesterday my son came home from school with a big scratch starting just below his eye to just above his mouth. He told me his friend Carson did it. He said Carson thought he tripped a friend of his, which Noah denies, and Carson came up, grabbed him around the waist and used a sharp rock to scratch him.
Through more conversations with Noah yesterday he told me all these stories of how he gets tackled by this boy, how this boy is almost controlling him at recess. We are meeting with the principal today to talk about it.
I go through these arguments in my head. Should I pull him and home school him. I want him to learn how to handle conflict. He's not mature enough to handle this conflict, he needs our help and protection. On and on it goes....
I want to give the school a chance to handle it, Noah enjoys his other classmates, and there is only 3 months left. He is already so lonely and bored in this town that I don't want to uproot him. Any words of advice from my friends??

Cookies are baking in the oven, the bread maker is doing it's thing. I have 3 sleepy kids all tucked in their beds, my feet are up and I decided I had better write something so y'all know I'm still around.



It's coming up spring soon (thank God!) so it's time to get this house ready for selling. It doesn't feel like we are even close. Baseboards are lining my dining room. Paint cans fill my bathrooms and tile is half done. Life is a bit chaotic but we are muddling through. The house is starting to look pretty good, I almost want to have a chance to live in it more now.



The kiddo's are sick this week. Jake has strep, Samara has croup and possibly strep, so most of my days consist of snuggling with Jake on the couch as he watches his favorite video. I have been trying to take Samara outside to clear her throat, poor girl. They are on the mend so life is getting back to normal.
I had a root canal last week, it wasn't as bad as I thought until I went to pay for it. $860.00 WHAT?!?! When I arrived home I told my hubby that he went into the wrong profession. Honestly almost $900 for one tooth.... obviously NOT regulated by the government.


I have been online quite a bit (shocking I know) I have been surfing blogs people, and boy there are some really interesting people out there. I have come across a really great blog about cooking. The pictures are beautiful, I swear I gain weight just looking at her photo's. When I looked at her profile I found out she's a high school girl who loves to cook and want to go to Culinary school upon graduation. Pretty interesting! I love getting a peak into people's lives through their blogs. Maybe I'll blog about my travels within the blog world and let you know my fav's.
Well I'm off for now....

Catch Up!

My bed's made - X
Bathrooms are tidied - X
Laundry gathered for washing - X
Worked out - ??
Dishes are done, dining room tidy - X
I'm dressed - X
Teeth brushed - x

Well I am doing pretty good so far. I should have done my work out but it's hard for me to do it when the house is begging me to be clean. Oh well, I will get to it. I realize that I spend W.A.Y too much time playing on the Internet so I am trying to discipline myself to have certain things completed before I can have some time to myself surfing the beautiful web.
My husband was in Cancun this past week for business, I was NOT allowed to come some crazy company policy they have. When I heard his itinerary I see why family can't go, there is no free time until night when everyone parties and so forth so family time would be me alone with the kids minus $10,000 for travel expenses. We stayed home.
At first I was really nervous about him leaving for 6 days. I don't sleep well when he's not here. You know all those bumps in the night, well I hear everyone of them. I have to say we did alright though. I was a little teary when he walked out the door but within minutes told myself to buck up and get moving. I intentionally made the week a busy one so it would go by quickly. We had play dates for the kids and for me, guitar lessons, Awana club for the kids, haircuts, etc. The week went by pretty quick for us and for that I am grateful!
I turned 35 years old this past week. Augh!! I still feel like I'm 25 minus the girls being more perky and few other things I won't go into details on, but you ladies KNOW what I am talking about. I'm not one for New Year's resolutions I kind of make mine around my birthday so I am still thinking of what I want to see happen for myself this year. I have a few things in mind but of course some depend on where we will be living, and you all know I don't know where that will be.
Gifts? my absent, yet thoughtful husband had flowers delivered to me on my birthday. Aren't they lovely??


Here's a close up, because I LOVE close ups!



Once he made it home I received the 2nd part of my gift. I am a sucker for silver jewelery so after hinting for the better part of the week with him over texts and phone calls about how much I would LOVE some new *bling* he listened!!



This pendant is my favorite!! Good eye Jay!!

I Gotta Feeling...

Pretty Impressive!

Kindness of Strangers

It was one of those day when the weight of being here, feeling isolated and lonely was hitting me hard. Probably because I haven't really seen my husband in the past two weeks due to a heavy work load coupled with facing another L.O.N.G week without him it all just got to me.
I was feeling overwhelmed with the kids, needing someone to talk to since I haven't seen another adult in days and not really knowing anyone I could call. So it was a bad day. To top it off due to my lack of being on top of things I mistakenly took my son to a birthday party at the bowling alley only to find out no one was there because it was the previous day was the icing on the cake. It's been a rough few days needless to say.
Having a very disappointed boy on my hands I went into the house to contact the parents of the birthday boy to apologise for my scattered brain and to ask if we could drop off the gift. We bundled up into the car and headed off.
Isabel, the birthday boys mom, was wonderful. Upon arriving she invited us in for fresh baked cookies. She was extremely warm and engaging. We ended up having a wonderful visit, she invited us to stay for supper with her family and asked if I would like to get together for a visit later in the week.
God sure knows what we need, I won't forget how welcoming this dear lady was and I won't forget how she lifted my spirits and made me feel like I could face going back home to an empty house ( just me and the kids) and finish off another night alone.

"Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day." ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

These are a few of my favorite things....

A few products that I am loving and I thought I would share.

Ella's Botanicals Bottom's Up

This baby bottom cream is so nice. It has no parabens, perfumes or SLS. It smells delicious and can be used for more then just baby's bottoms. Love, Love this stuff!


Organic Surge

This lotion is really nice and has done a great job on healing my dry, rough, cracked feet. This company has a real heart for Africa and donates time, energy and resources to aid the people there.



Bio Life Tub n' Tile


This tub and tile cleaner smells so fresh and the best part is I don't get a headache from it. It's bio degradable and so it's a good choice for the earth.

Dr. Brommer's Castille Soap

Castille soap how I love thee. I bought my first bottle from the health food store 1 year ago for $19 and I still have 1/4 of the bottle left. At first I used it on the boys for bath time as a soap and shampoo. I now use it to make my own baby wipes. It's more cost efficient, no parabens or harsh chemicals touch your baby's skin with these homemade wipes. Here's the recipe and by the way they make wonderful travel wipes for the family.

Homemade Wipes
2 cups H2O
1/16 c of organic olive oil
1/16 c of castille soap ( I use the almond scented one.... SOOOOO good!!)
2 drops of tea tree oil (which has anti fungal, antiseptic activity to it)

Mix it all together, cut and fold paper towel to the length you want, fold them to fit in the plastic container you choose and add the amount of liquid you desire. Note: if you make too many wipes and they aren't used they will become musty. I make enough for about 5 days at a time.

Well my eyes are getting droopy.. time to call it a night. I could go on a bit more, maybe another day. To be continued, well maybe. I'd love to hear about a few of your favorite things!

Shout Out!!

I happened upon a wonderful blog that I want to share with you all. This lady writes beautifully and honestly challenges me and inspires me to do better. If you have the chance check her out at www.blueyonderranch.com

Rootbeer floats/Power outages/Blizzard of 2010

Noah came home from school and said he wanted to make rootbeer floats for dessert tonight. So being the good mommy I am I bought the delicious ingredients and we went at if after Shabbat supper on Friday night.



Too bad daddy was working because they were foamy and delicious. I even spooned some of the foam and gave it to Samara. I suppose the fact that she clapped and kept opening her mouth for more indicated she too enjoyed the frothy goodness.



This brought back memories for me of being a kid and making these yummy floats. It was nice to share it with my kids.



It started on Friday night and didn't stop until Monday afternoon. The blizzard of 2010 hit and hit hard. Due to the gusting winds and cold temps my kids were pretty much trapped in the house for 3 days. They were going crazy and taking me along for the ride. Saturday night I decided enough is enough, we were going to McD's playland for a treat and to burn off all the energy.
Because of the weather we were the only ones in the restaurant. The kids were having a great time until the lights in the city went out. I was a bit nervous being in the restaurant alone with the kids, thank goodness I had my cell phone, I used it for light so we could gather our things and leave.
Well when the power goes out, out goes the furnace. It was chilly when we got home. Jay had candles going and blankets ready. Thankfully it only lasted about an hour. Unfortunately it happened again the next night.
As you can imagine will all the snow came tons of shoveling and snow fort building.



Can you believe we were grilling a few weeks ago, barely any snow. I was taking the baby out for walks in a sweater. Today I can barely open my door without snow drifts filling my boots. The kids are loving it though, and if it gets them outside and playing I suppose I can't help but love it too!

Bohemian Rhapsody

This is what I am calling this template. My dear sweet husband picked it. I gave him carte blanche to chose whatever he wanted and I promised to give it a fair chance. I actually really like it, it's funny I have paged past this template countless times and never thought to use it. But now that it's on (sorta speak) I like it.
It reminds me of when I was picking out my wedding dress. I saw a picture of it and thought nothing of it. I actually didn't like it until I tried it on and once I did I chose it.
So here's to giving up some control and liking it. Thanks Babe!

ENOUGH

I have tried but I can't do it anymore. I love this template but my eyes are buggy for about 10 minutes after I am done reading the thing. I have to say so long to this beautiful template. Sorry if it's been hard on your eyes as well.

This and That

Home reno's have been my life for the past month or so. It's true what they say, you start and it just balloon's out of control. If you replace the baseboards you have to paint the closet doors and window frames, right? Once you start painting one room you MUST do the other's so they look fresh and bright too, well don't you? This is the conversations my hubby and I share quite often.
I use to think I would enjoy and old character home with all the charm and architecture BUT I don't really enjoy all the reno's so I think a new home made to look like an old craftsman home is definately what I need.
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Transition is the name of the game for us right now. My husband's contract is coming to an end and so is our time here. I can't say I am really sorry to leave, as you all know, but where are we going?? Now that is the question. Due to all this indecision things here are a bit stressful. And of course when things aren't going great the little darlings sure pick up on it and just seem to add to the frustration-poor things.
We are trying to keep schedules the same amidst all the reno's personal stress, and decluttering and packing that is going on. The kids know a move is on the horizon but due to their limited ability to comprehend a month away or so, it seems to them like this is just dragging on and on.....
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My little baby girl has decided she is done nursing. Every time one of the kids have weaned themselves it made me sad. Especially with her because she isn't even a year yet, and she is my last baby so I'm a bit sad.
One night just after her first tooth came in she chomped down on me. I didn't yell out or anything just kind of jumped, well that was enough for her, she howled for about 10 minutes. The next night it happened again and I tried to gently pry her off, well again it sent her into hysterics and that was the last time she nursed. Yes, she is sensitive.
On the up side I have more independence which means I can leave the house for more then an hour without high tailing it back home to make sure she's all right.

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The post is disjointed, sorry about that. I can't seem to string along a coherent thought. This is just a bit of why I haven't been blogging much lately, I am hoping things settle down soon so life can feel calm again.

Spring 2010

" I hate going to school, it's so boring, all we do is sit in our desks, I'm not going."
Those are the words that come out of my 8 year olds mouth almost every morning. These words are followed by tears, and frustration. I, in turn get frustrated because I have to convince, motivate and then threaten, this child to get going so we won't be late. It's not a pretty picture most mornings...
This past year at school has been a rough one. I have received many calls from school about his behavior, he's been disruptive, he's been teasing some of the kids, and he can't seem to sit still.
No one wants to receive these kind of phone calls. I have reminded him almost every morning I drop him off at school to be kind, listen to the teachers, and it seems it's fallen on deaf ears.
After one of the phone calls from school regarding an incident on the playground I tried again to talk to him about what was going on. He said he is tired of always being the one to get into trouble. He again stated that he is very bored at school. I asked him what he was learning in math, he said counting by 2's and 5's. He said mom you know I learned that in Montessori years ago, he then went on to tell me it's too easy and you know I don't like things that are too easy.
At the parent teacher interview I was asked what I thought of his report card, I told then I was a bit disappointed because I know that Noah can do better. The teacher went on to tell me that at this point in the school year all the kids in the class get the exact same grading! WHAT?!?!
Noah was enrolled in Montessori for about 3 years before attending public school. He loved it there. The ability to focus and work on what interested him. To freely move about the classroom, to work with whatever friend he wished, tons of manipulative's to encourage learning. He had glowing progress reports and seemed very content.
I am very concerned about him. I don't tolerate bad behavior, nor am I trying to excuse it away by saying that he is bored. Acting respectfully, being kind, in my mind isn't an option. He is only 8 years old, and maybe he can't really put words to how he's feeling.... Oh, I don't know....

A little background:

My husband was one of those who excelled at school, he too struggled with boredom at school. I have heard countless stories from my mother -in law about how she had to make countless trips to the Principal's office to hear how Jay was acting up at school, tripping kids as they walked by his desk, etc.
It wasn't until one teacher pulled him out of class, put a camera in his hands that his behavior started changing. The school made a developing room for him, taught him how to use the chemicals and he started developing his own photo's.

Anyway through all this jumbled rambling what I am trying to say is we are looking at alternatives forms of education for our kids. Homeschooling has come up many a time and I think we will go ahead with it right after the move this spring. I feel a level of excitement and a level of dread all at the same time. I really believe in homeschooling and all the benefits it has. I have found great curriculum's that involve lot's of projects and hands on materials.
The city we are looking at moving to has a strong homeschooling community. The local university has afternoon science clubs just for homeschoolers and many of the parents have get together's for their kids.
We have informed the children about this, Noah especially is so excited.
I received another phone call from the school the other week. His teacher was calling to inform me that Noah is doing so much better. I told her some things we were doing at home to help keep him stimulated and busy. She then went on to tell me about a conversation she had with Noah a few weeks ago. She said he told her he was afraid of moving, and he felt nervous. She then said she asked him again the other day how he was feeling about the move and this time he told her he was really excited because he was going to be homeschooled.
That made me feel really good. I know there will be good days, bad days and lots of growing pains, but I feel it's a gift that I can give to them.

1) What is in front of you right now?
The Dog Whisperer is on TV, an empty bowl of yogurt and water cup are in my line of vision.

2) What are you wearing?
A purple v-neck t-shirt and yoga pants, both stained with paint because I am in the middle of home reno's.

3) What is on your mind?
Husband is out of town with the two boys, he has a very important meeting that he is in right now. I am missing him and the kids yet enjoying some time alone with Samara. I am also wondering what other home reno projects I should try to get done before the night comes to an end.

4) The last person you texted, and what did you text?
I sent my husband a warning that the police had a speed trap set up right out of the city he was traveling to.

5) Anything new on the horizon?
We are moving by this spring at the very latest. Our time here in this city was always meant to me short lived so the hunt is on for a new place to live and work.

6) Best vacation so far?
I have to say Carmel Beach in the Shuswap. Although the drive there was super scary I miss it alot. Wineries, organic farmer's markets, all the water and mountains.... (sigh) I need to go back.

7) A sad thing?
My baby girl has completely stopped nursing. She's only 9 months old, and I wanted to go at least a year.

8) Future plans?
Well there is the move, we are really thinking about homeschooling our kiddo's. I have tried contacting the montessori schools where we might be moving and not many of them go past grade 4, plus the expense is a small fortune.

9) Something funny?
My mom was holding Samara the other day, she had her across her chest, looked like I do when I am nursing her. Anyway Jacob looked at me and asked if grandma was nursing the baby. I told him no and he said well that's good because I've never seen an old lady's boob's before..... (yikes)

10) One new year's resolution?
I hate making them so I don't have one BUT I did happen to go clothes shopping on Jan/01/10 that being said I realize yet again my weight has to drop... NOW!

New Year New Look

Yes it was time to update the old girl. I always find it a little daunting to look for a new template. I want the new look to reflect who I am and all that so I page through hundreds of templates in the hopes of finding the perfect one.
When I saw this beauty I had to have it! Props to my darling husband for helping me figure out how to download and install this beauty.
It is still under construction, I have to figure out how to add all the new widgets and how to restore the old ones.
Anyway Happy New Year's to all my readers!!!

Something Beautiful

Where has my baby gone???

It feels like it's gone by in the blink of an eye. She is no longer that curled up little newborn with the bobbing head who slept 15 hours a day. Now my little girl likes to be free to crawl around the room, pulls herself up to standing position. I see her flirty smile come across her face when her daddy or brothers come into the room. She is clapping her hands, she sings, she babbles and she melts my heart hourly.
I get a few glimpses of that tiny baby when I am about to lay her down for her nap, she snuggles in and starts sucking on her lips.........so sweet! These past 8 months have flown by but I've enjoyed every minute of it.

A season for everything

I can almost pinpoint when I think this started. My high standards for myself and my family started to slip. I became alright with the status quo, I started letting my expectations slide, my ideals and beliefs became blurred with each passing bad decision I made.
We moved to our current location almost 2 years ago. This place was never really a choice for us but more of an obligation that we had to fulfill. We never purposed for it to be more then 2 years and I suppose the moment we stepped foot here I started the countdown to when we'd leave. Not smart.
It's been in the last few months that my husband and I have started to reflect on our present situation and realized we really dropped the ball here. We have a bunch of excuses as to why we let our kids spend ungodly amounts of time playing video games and watching TV-something we NEVER condoned before. We have tons of excuses as to why our health and well being have gotten out of control, we have excuses for everything and in the end we are left with the results of our excuses and it stinks.
I am happy to say my husband is a man of action and he talked me straight and continues to talk to me, to shake me out of the lull I find myself in. He has high goals for our family, for our relationship as man and wife, and for his kids. He is inspiring me to find that quest for excellence once again. Some days it's overwhelming because every area of our lives and family life needs an overhaul, and that's ok.... baby steps,right?
So this week I have set strict limits on TV and video games, we also have been turning off the TV, and I have noticed my children get along better when they aren't glued to it. There are other things we are doing, some I may blog about later once a final decision has been made. I don't want to be all manic about this, I don't want this to be the new 'thing' we are doing.....
We want the best for our family, especially our children, so we press on because they ARE worth it!!

I have been looking for this song for YEARS!! Many a time the lyrics would jump into my head, I would try to google it, or youtube it and nothing would pop up. I suppose actually remembering the correct lyrics would have helped.. :O)
Anyway last night I was trying again and somehow I actually found it. This is what the song is about:

Elya was a school teacher in Russia, and as such, she had the children of Christians in her class, some who were in prison for their faith. As a teacher, she was supposed to discriminate against those children by withholding certain aspects of their education from them. Elya went on teaching them anyway, and was arrested and imprisoned for three years herself. (I think it was three years.) What an inspiration she has been to so many because of her courage and willingness to suffer for what is right in the eyes of God. She eventually was deported to Germany along with her whole family, some of whom had also been imprisoned at different times. We were able to meet she and her husband, along with her parents and her young children on one occasion while we were in Europe. That was a long time ago and, unfortunately, I do no have any contact information. The whole family was very humble and gracious. (Next to them, our relationship to Jesus and regard for God's word seemed very casual!) They stood while praying for the meal and the reading of the Bible beforehand. They had suffered much for the privilege of doing so and greatly valued the freedom to pray without fear.
This song really impacted me when i first heard it, I was a very young girl at the time but I honestly believe it was a catalyst for me going into short term missions.
Anyway, this song has sweet memories for me so I thought I would share it. Remember this song was recorded in the early 1980's so it's dated, but the words and the story are still as powerful today as they were then. Enjoy!

"Poor people with low morals... but no offense."

I am trying not to let the angry Momma bear come out, I am trying to remain objective and level headed... I'm trying. Here's what happened...
My son has finally made a friend with a boy who lives not too far from our house. This little boy has been to our home, our son has been there and I never noticed anything out of the ordinary.
The other day my son came home from his friend's house and admitted to breaking a few beer bottles at their house. He said his friend said that there was gold at the bottom of the bottle so they went ahead and smashed the bottles. Well we gave him an ear full, told him about making good choices, etc, etc...
We ended up calling the other family to assess the damage and were informed that it was a 18 pak of unopened beer bottles. The boys were smashing them against the side of the house..... all 18 beer!!
The mother of this boy went on to say how her son is attracted to kids from poor families where there are poor morals. She said he likes to be around wild kids, but no offense. I think I have just been insulted on a few levels here.... yes I am offended!!
Anyway my husband tried to keep me on track, keep me focused on the fact that our son needs to take responsibility for his actions, so we headed to the liquor store for a gift certificate, and then to his friends house to issue an apology. My little guy did great, looked the adults in the eye and apologised for destroying someone else's property and for the extra work he caused when they had to clean it up. He handed over the booze card and we left.
Not bad for a boy from a poor family with low morals....