Shopping with Amy

I had a wonderful afternoon shopping with my sister. We do this every year, near Christmas, to get our shopping done. The event always includes an overpriced coffee, and lunch.

My dear son is throwing a fit right now. He raced his sister to the bathtub, then, after she declared she was showering alone, in the morning, he started crying about wanting his bath tomorrow, too. Now, at this point he is IN the bathtub. Wet. He doesn't want his hair washed, he just wants out. No amount of reasoning ('you're already in the tub','I'll be done in 2 mins and you're done for the weekend') will change his mind. Knowing my son will throw this fit again in the morning, I proceed to wash his hair, while he screams "I don't want my hair washed" Thankfully his hair is very short. Now Gord is reasoning with him to get his jammies on and calmed down. Sounds like the crisis has passed. I hope this will not start again in the morning when Calla has her shower. I think I'm going to take a bath now, with smelly candles and the door SECURELY locked.

My Turning Point.

Today I commit to stop yelling and screaming at my kids.
It is counter-productive.
It teaches my kids to yell at each other when they don't get their way.
It steals their self-worth.
It takes away their joy.
It makes me miserable.
It makes me feel like a failure.
When I lose my temper, I see the look of 'I won!" on my son's face. This is my turning point.

I know my kids are worth it. They are bright, intelligent individuals who deserve more effort that I am making lately. I know they will respond with kinder, gentler actions if I do.

Kids

I'm exhausted now. My friend stopped by (I do her fliers/cards/etc for her home business). Rowan and Eliana were out of control crazy. Calla refused to keep Eliana busy for the 10min job I had to do, which ended up being 45 with all the interruptions. And that's with all the real work already done after the kids went to bed last night. I love my kids but really, can't they just play quietly when requested? Like they are right now?

Yoga with my kids.

We started practicing Yoga every morning before schooling begins. It is giving us a venue to release our stress before focusing. Now, if only we'd hit the class schedule like we plan...
The Yogakids DVD is great!! It's called Silly to Calm, and the kids love it. Even Eliana participates! It's teaching the kids to relax, giving them tools to help them unwind. This morning we found the Yogakids VHS, not quite as good as Silly to Calm, but still fun. The kids love the animal poses, Calla even did the inverted (standing on her head against the couch) pose! I now need 3 more yoga mats, as the VCR in on the main floor, which has hardwood (ouch)

This daily Blogging makes me remember the fun stuff, and remember to do fun stuff, so I have something to Blog about.

Blogging

Oops! Forgot to blog yesterday.

We have added an exercise DVD to our morning routine. Right now we only have YogaKids Silly to Calm, which the kids love. I'm going to have to find a couple other kids exercise DVDs to add to our collection, as I need variety!

Went out with a couple friends last night to a Pampered Chef event. I really need to do that more often then once every 2 months. I haven't felt this refreshed in the morning in a long time. I guess it's true, when you take time for you, you have more energy for the kids and family.

I have started hanging laundry inside. I have 2 racks, which will hold 2 loads. If I do 2 loads every morning, they are dry by the next morning. Bonus: The laundry is folded BEFORE it reaches the abyss of my bedroom.

Sunday night ho-hum

It's Sunday night, bath night, garbage night, generally a ho hum night. Gord's 'ugh tomorrow's work' night. Only saving factor is that True Blood is on. And maybe a back episode of Sanctuary too. What did we do before we had the PVR? Rogers On Demand? TMN On Demand? Pausing live TV when the kids cry. Does it get any better? When I do decide to watch TV, after 9pm when I'm not reading or asleep on the couch, it is nice to be able to pick and choose the show/time/bathroom breaks. Heck, replay that one liner neither of us caught. It's winter and the TV's on. Don't call after 9pm.

Dryer Woes

Oh my dryer now goes clunk and thunk.
Makes a rattly noise.
Makes me wonder what the kids
did with all their toys?

And so I opened up the door,
Saw only clothes were there,
Shirts and jeans, a pair of socks,
no toys, but underwear.

Now I search for answers,
Googling here and there
Seeking out the grail
of dryer home repair

Julia

Snow Photos

Here's the happy bunch, on Wednesday night, when they realised there was snow.
And our snow fort, bricks made with a tupperware container. Coloured with old Koolaid. Smelled great too!

Snow much fun!

Just in from tobogganing with the kids. That hill is a killer to climb back up!! Especially towing the 2 year old. Eliana's napping, Calla and Rowan are building snow forts. I just gave them shakers with KoolAid crystals, to paint the snow. It's a great way to add colour to the white canvas, and to use up the 20 year old koolaid packets. Yes folks, the packets are really REALLY old. Does koolaid expire?

First Snowfall

Today we awoke to our first snowfall of the season. It's a winter wonderland out there! I LOVE SNOW! Snowy winter days give us a reason to get outside. Don't give me the gloomy, rainy, muddy days. Kids don't play well in cold mud and wet, icky days. They make snowmen, forts, paths, shovel out the driveway, snow angels... the list goes on.
Just me 2 cents.

Calla's Glasses

My dear Calla got her glasses today. She loves them. The best comment from her so far is "There are little spikes on the ceiling" (stucco ceiling) Which means she could not see them before. I am thankful that she is excited to be seeing clearly, and is not upset about this new life change.

And she looks beautiful in them.