Eliana loves me again

Eliana has declared "I Love Moms now" then  "I Love Dads" followed by...."I love cups" maybe I'm not that special after all.

Eliana's mad at me.

I mistakenly cut Eliana's toast in half.  She bursts into tears then ran upstairs to her bedroom.
Then she called me upstairs.  When I got there, she looked at me and said "No Mommy. I want Daddy"
Now she's ignoring me.  If I talk to her she glares and walks away.

She's 3.  going on 13?

Baking and Cooking

OMG. Just how much to I detest those two activities?

Can someone explain to me how anyone can enjoy cooking or baking? It's got to be the most frustrating experience in my life. Maybe it's my helpers. Or my wonderful lack of counter space. I just want to scream after doing half of any recipe. And my helpers just don't understand why I'm frustrated. 
I hate hate hate baking.  Maybe muffins might skip the hatred, but everything else, forget it.
I cook out of necessity. Never anything spectacular. 
I bake when asked by cute children.

I really think it's the lack of space.  Mixed with 3 year old hijinx.  She dumped left over flour into the sugar bin.

Hiding

Sometimes, when my kids are screaming and crying, I just want to hide under the dining room table. Where they're least likely to look for me. In a tiny ball, sheltered by the chairs.  No one would thing to look there. Quietly sitting, undisturbed until they quit screaming at each other.

Visual disturbances

Just a personal note to remember this for next time. I started experiencing visual disturbances around 4pm today. Last time I remember having one, it was followed by a migraine a few hours later.  I can feel a headache creeping in allready.  I thought the disturbance was over, however I think it's still lingering, only milder.  Everything just doesn't seem right now, a little hazy. It's 4:30pm.

Gotta go, Calla wants the computer to play online games with her friend.

Rowan and Reading

Rowan has started reading.  He's slowing progressing through the first set of phonics readers. Slowly. Many times he doesn't remember a word that was just read in the previous sentence.  He still needs to sound out 'it' 'is' 'in' 'on' but finally knows 'the' and 'and'  His motivation to continue is building a LEGO kit.  For every 2 readers he gets to put another 8-10 pieces on his LEGO RV kit that he really really wants.  Unfortunately for me, I have endured 6 or 8 phonics readers today alone, with words like Pat and Pam being repeatedly sounded out, even though they are the main characters in every book.  Even tougher for me to take is how sounding out S-A-W gets pronounced 'was'  'no' and 'on' are regularly interchanged.

Soon this will be a slight bump on our path to fluent reading, but right now it's a hill.

The benefit to homeschooling is that we don't have anyone to impress, no one to say 'Mrs. Wilson, he's not reading at level blahblah yet'   He will read. Fluently. When he is ready.  The LEGO goal seems to be a good reward for him and best of all, a motivator to continue trying. 

I'm being called to read another book...

Asleep then.. wha...?

Huh? Wha....? Vader's helmet...huh? You WOKE ME FOR WHAT? I was asleep. Eyes shut, sleeping.

This is the who knows what number of times my darling 6 and 7 year olds have come racing into my room, or elsewhere to tell me something completely pointless while I was asleep.  I've had a cough with aches for almost 2 weeks now (started as a flu) and need more rest.  I've told them I'm napping, they can SEE that I'm sleeping.  The rules are "If you're hurt, someone else is hurt, or something really bad is happening, wake me, otherwise my alarm is set, give me 30 mins"  Inevitably someone comes in, saying "mom... can I read this book" or something else they could decide for themselves.  This morning was the last straw.  7:30 Sunday morning, "Mooomm! She lost Darth Vader's helmet" "No I didn't"

I'm going to add a lock to my bedroom door. With added soundproofing.

Trusting our kids

A big part of homeschooling is trusting our kids.  Trusting that when they're ready to learn something, they will.  Trusting that even though we didn't hit the books much the past month, they haven't stopped learning.  Today my son is copying a Dora book into a plain paper book he made.  He cannot fully read the book yet, hasn't had much instruction in printing.  He's a lefty but switches as the need requires (the right pages are easier with his right hand, no book spine)  I'm proud of his initiative.  He's being creative in his way, practicing his printing without rows of AAAA aaaaa and deep down, he's learning to read, too. He's also found a way to fill the time without ever saying "Mom, what can I do now?"

Flu

I haven't had flu in as long as I can remember.  That saying, I have been sick since Tuesday. It's Friday. Without meds, my fever is still present. I'm coughing up whatever is left of my lungs, with hopes that after all this, I'll still have some of my lungs left to be of use.  I truly dislike waking up a 4am bathed in perspiration, having to change into dry clothes, while shivering from the cold. (then of course, being so hot the process repeats)
I think I'm going to have bacon tomorrow, with pork sausage for lunch and pork roast for dinner.
F$%$ you, Swine flu.

Some days I just want to cry.
No particular reason, just feel like every moment, every second, I'm on the verge of tears.  And it's not even PMS time.  I feel like crawling into a corner, with a blanket and a cup of tea and doing nothing.  Note, I am not feeling sick, not really tired, haven't been over busy.  Not that I don't have a lot to do, I just don't want to do anything.  Don't want to clean up the house for the nth time, don't want to plan dinner for the nth time, don't want to battle with the kids to do what we and they should be doing for the nth time.  I do all that stuff about 100x each and every day.  Nothing changes, there's no end in sight.  Same day, same stuff, same mess, same arguments, same everything.
Maybe tomorrow will feel better. Today is a write off.

Gym attire

My kids attend a weekly gym class at our local rec centre.  One of the games they regularly play is called Colours.  I'm not entirely sure of the rules, but the general point is they call a colour and you run.
My daughter's attire for gym today:

Sewing with Calla

My daughter is growing up so quickly!  She's learning how to make tea and how to sew.  We made a nightgown for her build-a-bear yesterday.  She did all the straight sewing and I did the rest.  Next time, I'll choose a pattern which has more straight sewing and less 'the rest' so she'll have full bragging rights.

Major meltdown by me.

I just finished a major meltdown. Me. Grown 33 year old me. Melting down like a two year old. Even after a 15 minute shower I still feel rotten. My 3 year old comforted me, gave me big hugs and kisses and said love you mommy. I behaved just like my 7 year old, screaming, yelling, out of control emotions. Of course, my 7 year old was too.

I know I'm over my threshold for emotional moments following this visit with my Dad. The day after any visit leaves me emotionally and mentally drained. Add to that my dear son had an intense day yesterday (Sunday) after a calm gentle Saturday. Today Calla refused numerous times to do her math worksheet, which took 4 minutes of her time once she finally gave in and did it. Rowan had his first hockey practice/game. We didn't get out to get the last of the missing equipment on the weekend (due to Applefest/Brighton trip) so I had to do that running around beforehand. Couldn't get a helmet, so we ended up at practice without one, thankfully there was spare equipment available. Rowan had a wonderful time.

Calla and I had to leave early from hockey to get her to Brownies. This week, I figured being week 3, I would drop her off and she'd be fine. I COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG. She came back home with me after 5 minutes. I had Eliana with me, and dinner for the boys in the van. She normally is the independent one. I just don't understand what's wrong with her staying at brownies without me. She started crying and carrying on about me leaving. I warned her beforehand that I would be dropping her off and not staying. She is playing a game. I truly believe this is a manipulation game of 'what can I make Mommy do now' or 'I call the shots not you, Mommy' Now she's still, nearly 45 mins later, still arguing my punishment of 'if you're as tired as you claim, you'll go straight to bed when you get home' I'm too easy on her. I give in too often. So this is what happens when one chooses to homeschool their kids? They become manipulative little brats at home and sweet as pie children to the outside world???

After this meltdown I almost expect CAS to be at my doorstep tomorrow morning. Where's the PAS (Parent Aid Society) when you need them?? I know screaming and yelling doesn't solve anything, so why do I keep ending up there?? Everyone I talk to says I should just put them in school, that they'd behave there. No problems from their kids, the school is fine, just put them in like normal people do. Maybe I should? Maybe I'm just screwing them up and when they do finally go, they'll be so far behind, I'll have CAS wondering what else I did wrong with them.

Parenting doesn't come with a manual or training.

There are times I just want out. Out of the family, out of their lives. I feel like they'd be better off if I moved away, only seeing them with limited contact. That if they spent their days at school, then at daycare, then with Daddy, maybe they'd turn out ok. Right now I feel like I'm damaging them, their self image, self worth, self confidence. I mean well, but everything just seems to go wrong no matter what I do. It doesn't matter what I suggest, or try to tell them. I'm never right anymore. It's never what they want to do or hear or learn.

It's so bad tonight that I sit here pouring out my thoughts to a blog that I know people read, to a public soapbox. Probably because I have a nice glass of wine in me, and another one beside me. Gord's upstairs talking to Calla. Is anyone trying to calm me down? I just want G to take the kids side sometimes. Especially when I'm so upset. I just want him to be the calm in our storm, not get as angry as I am with them. He spends less than 3 hours a day with them. I don't understand why his temper is as short as mine is. I guess I just expect too much.

On a lighter note, Rowan enjoyed hockey! He didn't have his usual anxiety fit! He can skate pretty well, with some falling, but he was skating faster by the end of the session. It's a long time, 2hrs, but he seems to really love it. Gord took time off work to be there for the first practice. Go Rowan!!! :D

The things boys do...

...that girls wouldn't consider even thinking about.

Boy wonder (aka Rowan) decided to handcuff his hands behind his back yesterday. Ok, fine, they're kids cuffs, quick release. Didn't think anything of it. Then he decided to climb the rope ladder to the play fort. (I didn't realise he was doing this until after) Next thing I see is him lying on the ground rolling around, either laughing or crying. I can't tell the difference from the kitchen. He takes his cuffs off, whips them across the yard. Starts taking other toys, whipping them across the yard in extreme anger. Worried for the girls safety (a friend and her 2yo were visiting) I rushed to see what was wrong. He fell off the rope ladder and his head hit the wood surrounding the sandbox. His ear and cheek are bruised. There is a dark mark inside his upper ear. He says it hurts when he chews, as he probably bruised the muscles of his jaw too.

Boys.

I love my house

Eliana was too liberal with the water pouring during her bath. Much
water was on the floor. Which leaked thru to the ceiling on the
hallway beneath. Oh joy.

My bathroom needs major renovating.

Sent from my iPhone

homeschooling

3rd day of school for us.

3rd day of 'I can't do this, I don't know and I'll do it later'

3rd day of 'Maybe I should just send you to school'

My ideals for homeschooling include 3 kids who care about where they live, each other and what they're doing. Do their lessons with a joyful spirit, or at least not a grumpy face. A place where, once our studies are done, we can do crafts, play games and have fun. Go for walks and enjoy the weather.

In reality, my kids and I are miserable. Every lesson includes me threatening to call the school and enroll them. That makes my son upset, he dives into his work. If it were just him and I we would be fine. But my eldest, she complains about everything! Even the threats don't work with her. Nothing ever has motivated her to get moving about anything. Time outs never worked when she was little. Taking things away didn't work.

I know I'm to blame for this. I am unable to provide consistent discipline and rules. I can't stick with anything for more than a few hours, if that! I work terribly with a schedule. How can I expect them to follow a routine if I can't?

Today I can feel the stress creeping up by back into my neck.

Now I hear my youngest crying and all I want to do is hide.

Day two in Ottawa

Today we visited the nature museum (www.nature.ca). The kids loved the
dinosaurs. After that we visited the aviation museum. The kids made
paper airplanes at a craft tBle and got to watch a biplane take off.
Aside from the cranky attitudes at the nature museum we had a great
day out. Tomorrow morning Gord is going golfing while the kids and I
have some downtime at the trailer. Hopefully in the afternoon we will
go to another museum

Julia

Sent from my iPho

Mobile blogging

Going to try mobile blogging.
It amazed me how much French I remember. I understand most of what I
hear, of course it has mainly been playground talk- parents to kids. I
haven't the nerve to speak it yet, it has been over 15 years!

More later

Sent from my iPhone

quick grumble:
Asked a neighbour to check our natural gas line to the bbq. He's certified for that stuff. Didn't expect it for free, but for 15 mins of work requiring a bottle with soapy water and a pipe wrench...charged $80. I find that excessive, but didn't ask prior to him doing the work, so I guess I just pay it.

Grr.

I fix their computers for $40 for like 3hrs work.

Another Rowan entry

is this normal 5yo behaviour?

Last night, my son chased my car down the street as I left for one-on-one time with my 7yo daughter. He got past Gord's defenses. Once Gord caught him, he screamed and tantrumed for almost an hour. I was told Gord had to sit against the front door to keep R inside.

Last week, we had a meltdown because I added the KD powder and didn't wait for him to do it.

There was another meltdown for another seemingly innocuous reason, which I cannot remember.

The Sunday before that R had another 20min meltdown at camp because he fell asleep in the van and we woke him up.

This Tuesday we canceled our plans due to R's 2 hours of on again off again meltdowns. Then C was extremely disappointed, and cried for 45 mins. All before 10am.

Definition of Rowan's meltdowns: Screaming, throwing things, kicking, hitting, crying, yelling,

Phonics

Learned something new today
http://www.atozphonics.com/schwaphonics.html

schwa sound is /uh/

Thanks Dora phonics readers for making me feel dumb.

Eliana's diapers are history!

Eliana decided yesterday morning to take off her pull up and use the toilet. No prompting from us. Just her own mind being made up. This is exactly what I expected from her. I knew, knowing her personality, that this was how it would happen. She is a headstrong child. She makes up her own mind, and no amount of persuasion will change it. Take dressing herself: She wore jeans for 3 months. Nothing but jeans. Even to bed for a few nights. She now runs to the bathroom after asking one of us to join her. She's excited. She's very proud of her new skill.

I knew she would do it in her own time. She's 2years 10 1/2 months.

Go Ellie!

Rowan....this is a rant

My hearing is going. My 5yo son is sitting on the table next to me screaming "Mommy! PUT MY SHORTS IN THE DRYER" and has been for almost 3 minutes. This is following the past 15 minutes of constant screaming that my neighbours have had to listen to. What started this? Here it is:

I'm gardening, pulling weeds. Rowan gets his water gun and starts shooting me.
Me: If you continue, I'm putting you in the pool (kiddie size, just above his knees)
R keeps spraying me. So I put him almost in the pool, put him down and say "Do it again and you'll be IN the pool"
R sprays me again. I put him in the pool, on his feet, water makes his shorts just a bit (2" or so) wet and take him back out again. Now started the 15+ minutes tirade of "Dry my shorts! Put them in the dryer" while he's naked in the backyard. Gord put the shorts on the clothes line.

Wow. He finally stopped. Must go get dry shorts for him. 20+ minutes of insane screaming.
He ended with "I want dry shorts please help me stop crying"

overwhelmed, overscheduled

Ugh! Summer is here and we're busier than ever. I HATE IT! Swimming lessons from 9:30-11 every morning this week and next. Then, since we were away for an extended week at camp, we seem to be playing playdate catch up. Yes, I could just say 'no we're busy' but the kids miss their friends, so we go. Then I look at the house and think 'geez... when did it get so messy?' more like 'Geezzz. when the hell am I suppose to clean this up?' I went to relax in the basement, found the pile of 'homework' the home organizer left 4 weeks ago. Ooops. Lets face it: It's not getting done. That was $200 wasted. Good intention, but without having her in for a full program (2-3 sessions) one session is a waste of money. sure, the classroom and other parts of the basement are better than before, but the remaining mess looks 10x worse in comparison.

My dh is watching some teen-angst movie - the type I can't sit through without thinking 'this is terrible' So here I sit, wasting my only non-kid time ranting about my messy house instead of getting off my lazy ass and doing something about it.

I'm going to do that now. Hopefully my Zen is fully charged.

Math Website

http://www.hoodamath.com/
Math games for ages 9+

I am Canadian

You know you're Canadian when finding kids snowshoes as Airmiles rewards makes your day. Now to find a pair for me and maybe a tiny pair for Eliana....

feeling happy then sad.

pushed lunch too late today, went from having a very productive, good mood, easy going day to being the queen bitch from hell. All over a late lunch time. I hate feeling this way, when the kids laughter makes me scream. When I ask for just 5 minutes to recompose myself, only to get followed around by the whining, screaming kids for the next 1/2 hr. Let me say that if you know someone who does get mood swings bordering on depression, please never ever tell them 'oh, just snap out of it' or 'stop compounding all the bad things' really. do you think we would just stay depressed if we could snap out of it? I wish everyone would have a taste of what going from happy and find to down and out in about 5 minutes feels like. And over seemingly nothing. Aside from lunch being late, I can't say what else might have triggered the mood change. It's horrible.

CurrClick website!

http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=90&products_id=14780&SRC=Newsletter

I love this website. All PDF files, making multiple copies for a couple kiddies is easy. This copywork book looks like an interesting way to get C and R to practice writing/printing.

Feeling down and depressed again.

Feeling frustrated. Got a quote to have a prof. home organizer come in and help me sort through the basement. Help me purge the overflowing stuff that seems to be reproducing at an alarming rate. Really, I should and CAN do this alone, but having someone there to keep me going would be wonderful. Too bad this comes at a cost I cannot afford. It's not the hourly rate, so much, but the 12hrs she suggests it will take to get it done. That's 12hrs of her time, not including the 'homework' time. All this, and I'd have to have someone watch the kids. Nice idea. Realistically? Not happening. Would have been nice.

Today I am suppose to go to the laundromat and get the 2 big camping blankets cleaned. I cannot get out of this funky bad mood enough to get the kids out the door, into the van and to the place. I can't. Just can't. I cannot face doing something I'm not familiar with, with 3 children who cannot follow the simplest directions. I am filled with anger, frustration, resentment. I yell at the kids, I SCREAM at them, they just don't, can't, won't do anything I ask them to do anymore. I KNOW the screaming/yelling isn't working and is makign it worse, but how the hell do I fix this mess I'm in? I feel like I'm tumbling into depression again, the 2nd day in 10 that I've felt this way. Everything compounds when I feel this way. I know that getting out of the house would make me feel better, but I just can't bring myself to getting the kids out the door. I have threatened things, then completely did the opposite. This just makes me feel like a complete parenting failure. I can't even get that right. We haven't school'd in about a month. We're only on lesson 35 in math, equiv. of about 1/4 of our book for the year. Lesson 60 in Launguage (of 100). Calla really wants to learn French, but I just cannot get it together enough to do it. We have the books, it's just like everything else...good intentions, terrible plans. We do lots of art and creative things. The kids love Magic Tree House books, and the topics they're introducted to through that would be great starting points for further lessons, but...good ideas...bad planning.

I just want to sit and cry today. That's not getting anything accomplished,and only makes me feel worse. Wish I'd lose my voice for a week, so I didn't have to talk to anyone.

I always feel this down and depressed after having my parents over. Seeing my dad the way he is, the way my Mom has to treat him like a child, the way he gets angry that she treats him like a child. I guess I'm feeling selfish too. I really had envisioned my parents being able to take the kids for a few day during the nicer weather, to give them bonding time with their grandparents. Now that my dad has alzheimer's, it's not possible. He just can't stop picking on Rowan, teasing him endlessly. He can't handle the constant movement of the kids, their noise and activity.

Guess I should take my littlest one outside, as she's requesting. She loves to swing, and can swing as high as Rowan with a little starting push. The laundry needs to be hung. and I really need to figure out what to do with those 2 large camping blankets. One is a bit too big (it fits if I jam it in, but really, if it can't tumble how can it be clean?) for my front loader. The other can fit, but since I have to go for the one, better do both.

Tomorrow is Exam day

It's the night before the 'big' exam. One little 2 hr music theory exam. Grade 2 Rudiments (aka Advanced Music Theory)

Can anyone tell me the Italian/German and or French terms and their definitions? Cadences? 2nd inversion of the dominant 7th of F# Minor? the Enharmonic scale of g flat minor from subtonic to subtonic??

I'm excited, nervous and relieved all at once. I now know that trying to do one course while 3 kids are at home is not an easy task. Try explaining to your 2 1/2 yr old that Mommy needs to study, so NAP!

Gotta run, need to review one last time before 10pm.

Wish me luck! I write at 9:30am Friday.

April 27th, sprinkler time

My kids played in the sprinkler...first time this season.

They were soaked. Stayed out for probably 10 minutes too!

Rant

Can I rant?

I asked a neighbour who backs onto our street to just send my kids (C 7, R 5) home together at 11:45am. It's through the park. This is the same park my kids ran through yesterday on their way home from another friend who lives on the other court. (3 entrances to the park, ours being the middle) She said "no. I won't" with an attitude like it was completely unsafe for 2 kids, 7&5 to run home the 2 minutes.

I am sick and tired of the cushioned over protectiveness that this society has become. There's a difference between being safe and overbearing. I can understand it if it were just one child, but this is two, together. FFS!

Kids..

We restacked the bunkbeds yesterday, to give Eliana and Rowan more floor space.

Now Calla and Rowan want Eliana to move to Calla's room, and Calla to move back in with Rowan. Eliana is NOT agreeing with this. She loves her new 'fort' of a lower bunk. I made curtains for the bunks, converting them into secret forts.

Calla is adament that they switch rooms. There is room for all 3 in one room, but if we go to the trouble of moving the 3rd bed in, it will stay there for at least 6 months. This isn't going to be a once a week rearrange. That would make the other room a dedicated play room, moving all the toys into one room. Times like this we need the 4th bedroom.

Rowan

My sweet 5yo boy had a migraine today. A headache so bad it sent him back to bed every time the Advil wore off. He's finally in bed now, after nearly throwing up around 9pm. This is the worst headache/migraine any of my kids have had. He complained about the pain throbbing in his forehead, increasing when he lays down, moves suddenly or walks about. The Advil helped, but the pain returned after 6hrs. Gord tells me that he was awake last night around 11:30 with a nightmare or crying out. Apparently I slept through it. If he awakes in the morning with a headache, we'll be off to the clinic at 9am. This is the 3rd headache he's had in 2 or so weeks, (prob.3 since time flies!) and the worst.

I'd take him climbing the fridge over this lethargy any day.

Dryer Joy!

Anyone who has been following me will know that we've been hanging almost all our laundry since November. Today, the noisy beast has been silenced! And all for the price of one $7 part and a bit of grease. Oh, and lots of elbow grease and vacuuming. It's almost as good as new. But I do foresee a new set of felts and glides in another year or so. Small change compared to buying a new one or calling a tech in. Ladies... do it yourself. It's not difficult at all to rebuild a clothes dryer.

So now I add another hat to my collection: Dryer Repair Girl (added to Teacher, Cook, Taxi, Computer Tech...)

About Me (according to Rowan)

About Me...according to my kid

Ask your child the following questions and write down their answers exactly how they answer. It's fun to see what they come up with! the trick is you HAVE to write what they say.. if you chose to do it, you can't stop...

According to my 5 year old son

1. What is something I always say to you?
Eat your dinner

2. What makes me happy?
when we play games

3. What makes me sad?
when we don't help you

4. How do I make you laugh?
by tickling me

5. What do you think I was like as a child?
happy

6. How old am I?
33

7. How tall am I?
taller than me

8. What is my favorite thing to do?
go for a walk

9. What do I do when you're not around?
clean up

10. If I become famous, what will it be for?
doing all your schoolwork (I'm doing my Gr2 Theory right now)

11. What am I really good at?
really good at... theory

12. What am I not really good at?
i don't know

13. What is my job?
teach piano persons..actually you have 2 jobs, fix computers too.

14. What is my favorite food?
turkey

15. What makes you proud of me?
when we do science experiments

16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?
bugs bunny

17. What do you and I do together?
play games

18. How are we the same?
we both have the same name on the end (last name)

19. How are you and I different?
'cause you wear glasses and I don't

20. How do you know that I love you?
because I'm your favourite kid...no.. because you love me!!

About Me (according to Calla)

About Me...according to my kid

Ask your child the following questions and write down their answers exactly how they answer. It's fun to see what they come up with! the trick is you HAVE to write what they say.. if you chose to do it, you can't stop...

According to my 7year old daughter

1. What is something I always say to you?
to clean up..uh, i don't know?

2. What makes me happy?
cleaning up.

3. What makes me sad?
not cleaning up.

4. How do I make you laugh?
tickling me.

5. What do you think I was like as a child?
ticklish

6. How old am I?
32..um 33 i mean

7. How tall am I?
i don't know

8. What is my favorite thing to do?
clean up (um.. bad trend here)

9. What do I do when you're not around?
clean up

10. If I become famous, what will it be for?
cleaning up

11. What am I really good at?
Cleaning up (ok, now I'm getting irritated)

12. What am I not really good at?
bbqing (as she walked past the patio door and saw the bbq)

13. What is my job?
cleaning up

14. What is my favorite food?
i don't know.

15. What makes you proud of me?
your love for me

16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?


17. What do you and I do together?
clean up

18. How are we the same?
we both have brown hair

19. How are you and I different?
we wear different clothes and I'm younger

20. How do you know that I love you?
by kissing me

Samurai Appliance Guy

I love this website. I'm currently disassembling my dryer, and needed guidance. This site is amazing, and funny too.

http://fixitnow.com/2003/11/appliance-tip-of-day-dryer-disassembly.htm

Daily Ramblings of a Homeschooling Mom

Nice title, but what does it mean?

I am listening to Calla use Spellingcity.com for her spelling practice. The other 2 are napping. A rare but momentous occasion when it occurs. I'm thinking of spending time on www.freerice.com but it's an addiction I shouldn't feed right now, with 1/2 my Theory book still to complete, and my mentor telling me I should be done already. The Exam date is May 8th. I should be starting my practice exams next week. It's going to be a tough month.

Calla really wants to start grade 2 math. Problem is, she doesn't realise that we're only 30 lessons into Grade 1 math, (of 100+ lesssons) I am a baaaad organizer and have let our math slip. Hopefully, now that she had a goal, we'll get through it quicker. I guess Calla and I will also stop waiting for Rowan, and just work on her doing it alone. He can do it next year while she's doing grade 2.

Questionable produce??

I love my hubby. But do question his judgement sometimes.
He does the weekly groceries, and generally does a great job. But what's with the clearance produce?? 5 avocados 10 minutes from their overripe state????
wtf?

Julia

Paper Airplanes

Wow! These are fun!
http://www.paperairplanes.co.uk/nickplan.php
Really easy, and goes fast and far!

Enjoy!

I'm throwing a tantrum now

That's it.
I'm done.
I can't take any more of this two year old stage.
I'm stamping my feet, cursing my mouth off, and shaking my fists.
I'm having a tantrum and I don't give a damn any more.

She throws things, she screams and yells, she won't go to bed, she only wants things her way. Jumps on the couch saying "look at me Mommy" Puts game tokens (penny size) in her mouth. SHOWS me, then, when I make her spit it out says " Eliaaaanaaaa" in the exact same exhausted tone I'd use, but this time didn't.

What tops it all off is that the 7 year old pulls these same stunts! Good grief! I tucked her in, then she goes to the bathroom, and sits on the stairs, calling for me to come back and tuck her in. After explaining calmly that I'm trying to get Eliana to fall asleep and it will be 10 mintues. That she'll have to return to her room and wait, in her bed. She continues to sit on the stairs, "ho humm" ing. Distracting Eliana from falling asleep. GGRRRRRRRRRRRRR

That's my rant.

Skunk Update

I live in a skunky house. On the eve of a fortnight since the first spraying, we've been sprayed 4 (or was that 5?) times. I have stuffed a rag with ammonia down the hole. I don't think it's living their anymore, as there hasn't been any movement of any of the debris I've conveniently let fall down the hole. Skunk mating season is hopefully over now, and maybe the skunk will move on, taking the smell with it. Once we are certain it is no longer living under the porch, we will fill and seal the hole. Only time will tell. In the meantime, I have a can of spray foam to insulate around the bay window in our bedroom. It's a bit draughty and lets the smell in quicker than other parts of the house.

What we've done that works:
Vinegar well to absorb smells, Ammonia on a rag or mothballs in a sock down into its home to encourage it to move. Washed all the bedding, curtains, sprayed febreeze on the carpets. 3 Glade scented oil plug ins, one per floor. Open windows on every nice day. Brew coffee. oh, wait, that's just for me...

Perler Beads

Wow! I can't say enough about this craft material. I LOVE these things. Little beads that fit on a pegboard. Once the design is complete, a parent irons the completed design (protecting the iron with a piece of parchment paper). The beads are now fused together and removed from the pegboard. Calla and Rowan spent a long time creating and recreating their designs. Even Eliana likes putting the beads on the board.

The package we picked up has 5 shaped boards: Flower, Bear, Dolphin, Horse and Butterfly. I'm ready to buy 2 square pegboards so the kids can create their own unique designs. The Perler beads website has a free offer "Send in your designs (email or regular post) and they'll send you a free gift. 2 gifts/kid. I've warned the kids that sometimes these offers don't apply to Canadian addresses, but since the pdf has Postal Code listed, we're going to give it a try. Here are my kids' creations:

Eve of Calla's Birthday

Here I sit, on the eve of Calla's 7th birthday. I have but a few things left to do. The cake is iced, the food is planned. Games are easy to grab. It helps that I have known these kids since they were 2 and under. Now they're all turning 7 this year. Where has the time gone?

I have a 12"x18" canvas that will have Calla's 7th Birthday written on it. There will be space for each child to put their handprint. It will be a great reminder of her friends that she's had since toddlerhood. Wonder where everyone will be in 10 years? Will these kids still know each other, or will they all become a fading memory of childhood friends? Only time will tell.

My beautiful daughter. She's 7. She's bright, energetic and thoughtful. She cares deeply for those around her. She's compassionate.

Happy 7th Birthday, Calla

the Skunk returns

Monday 4:30am: Whaaat?? Ewww... that smell! How can I fall back asleep with that smell in the house....why doesn't anyone else smell it? Did the darn skunk spray the house? This is disgusting.

Later that day: The house still stinks. Might as well take this chance to wash the floors, hopefully the cleaner will overpower the skunk. Let's go out. There's a new hole under our porch.

Tuesday: Still a faint odour. Hmm. Let's try placing a bowl of vinegar in the porch, as it's the worst smell. Hey, that works...

Wednesday 5am: oh, no! Is that smell getting stronger? NONONO! F#$#$ng skunk.

Now: If you look around the house you'll find pretty glass bowls, dishes, votive holders, and such, all with vinegar in them. Smells like ... pickled skunk.

Piano Theory Website

http://www.makingmusicfun.net/

Migraine Madness

So If my spelling goes a bit off, its due to this migraine. I've taken the 2 extra strength ibuprofen I'm allotted and it's taken the edge off. Not enough of the edge. I did ponder buying the Advil ultra relief while at the pharmacy on wed, but decided oh, what's the difference. note to self. keep the dran darn stuff stocked at home. it really does make a major differnce in the headache control. this is one of the worst i've had in ages. only thnig i can do is (apparnetly not spell) sit still, moving too quickly makes me nauseated. bending to pick something up leaves me light headed. I don't like waking up at 6:30 and feeling the headache lying in bed with me. It's pouring rain today. I had a mocha at starbucks last night that left me jittery, the kids have been sick for about 3 weeks.
Just took a acetominophen headache relief tablet. Lets see if that added to the not-too-helpful ibuprofen works.

2 with Ear infections

By the 3rd kid, one becomes a master at administering meds to a toddler.

After 2 + weeks of illness, we ended up in the Drs office this morning with 2 kids with ear infections. Eliana has it in both ears, with signs of trauma on her ear drum (Dr. asked if she stuck something in there...she's 2, maybe??) Rowan, in his right ear only. Calla has a small amount of fluid in her left, but nothing inflamed, so no drugs for her.
Spring...Oh Spring...Where are you???

Scooby Doo Warnings??

What's with the viewer discretion warnings on Teletoon Retro before Scooby Doo comes on?? Huh? Something about the views and content are reflective of the era it was created, not the views of the station????? Not too sure what's offensive about Scooby.

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGG

WHAT THE F#CK!
There are days I want to take my 6 yo and send her far far away. She has been nothing but an instigator of terror to her brother today. She hits, kicks, pushes and spits on him. She defies everything I tell her to do.

Now just her presence makes me want to scream, pull my hair out and leave the room, slamming the door as I go. (yep, a Mommy-tantrum)

Just sitting at the computer next to hers is driving me crazy.

Why can't she be a little more cooperative and kind? Her self-centred-ness is pushing my limits.

So far: We were out of bed by 7:30, dressed and fed by 8:15, Wii taken away and time outs by 8:45.

Nice start to our day.

Family Day post

It's family day, a day to spend doing stuff with your kids. Hold on, don't I do this every day? Yes, in fact, we do! Mon-Fri it's Mom and the kids, doing homeschool stuff, family stuff, kid stuff. Weekends are family stuff, kids stuff.
So we went for a walk at Lynde Shores Conservation Area. Us and about 100 other people. The place was very busy. It really helps that it's +1 and sunny today. I took some nice photos of the kids and some birds.

GMail

The gmail Theme changes with the weather!

Sorry, had to share.

Piano Lessons Anyone??

Know anyone who needs piano lessons in Whitby?? $15 for 1/2hr lesson. I am now teaching piano lessons to beginners while I further my own skills. Currently working on Grade 2 Theory, and will begin working on Grade 7 RCM after that.

My new piano sounds and looks great! It's 20 years old, but looks like new.

My mother taught me that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything. So sorry folks, this is the whole post.

Piano.

It's done. We finally bought a newer, better, play-worthy piano. It's a Kawai, it is being delivered on Tuesday morning. This is step 2 to teaching piano. (Step 1 is the Theory book I'm working through) Now I HAVE to start teaching to pay this baby off. Step 3 is getting Grade7 RCM. I love the tone and the practice pedal is nice too. (fyi: practice pedal deadens the sound, allowing me to practice after the kids are in bed)

ARRGGGHHH 2 year old!

I hate to say this, I'm having a hard time liking my 2 year old. It's not her fault. She's 2. It's the age. The stage. But I'm really done with 2. Can she just magically be 4? Skip the annoyances of 3.

She's 'me do it' everything, but throws a fit when she can't.
She doesn't go to bed when she has a nap, but needs the nap to make it to bed time.
She throws things.
She breaks my fav. things.
She doesn't eat the good food and screams when she doesn't get the treats.
She runs off.
She shows up in my bed every night. We can't shut the door, as R has a fit if the door's shut.

I want to put her in daycare just for the break.

I know 'this too shall pass' She's almost 2 1/2.

I'm ready to throw a 2yo temper tantrum.

Dell Inspiron 1720

Got a nice new (to me!) notebook for my birthday from my dear hubby. It's a Dell (ha! betcha couldn't have guessed THAT) Inspiron 1720 with a BIG 17" widescreen, BluRay player/DVD burner, 2gb RAM, 130GB HDD, in midnight blue. With Vista Ultimate. Very fast compared to my older notebook, which Rowan has gladly taken ownership of (at least wait until I've taken the files off, kiddo!) It's massive, not a small notebook in the least. Full size keyboard with numberpad. Does everything but the dishes.

Piano Lessons

I'm teaching Piano to beginners!

I'm starting lessons again, to do my Grade 7 piano!

(I need minimum Grade 8 to be teaching)

I'll blog my progress. Please ask me about my progress if I forget.

Newest Blogger in our house

Calla has her own blog! It's callascorner.blogspot.com With that, comes her first email address. She's excited to be able to send her Daddy notes during the day, while he's at work.

Critters

EEEEK. maybe more like... ugh. We have mice residing under the sink. The base cabinet has a collapsed bottom, leaving a gap where the critters are entering. They have their paw prints in the grease cup, and little turds littering the area. (The typical under sink stuff is stored there: cleaning supplies, garbage, potatoes)

If I leave the cabinet open, will Minx, my mousing cat, take the hint and catch the little critters? Probably not, because I want her to.

A Quiet Wednesday

Wednesday is our home day. It's the day I keep for home-based learning activities.

How many subjects does baking cover?
Well, let's break it down:
1. Reading-I read the ingredients to R, he had to look at the list and find the right box on the shelf. (salt, baking soda...)
2. Math-explained fractions, read fractions, measured ingredients
3. Science-mixed ingredients, discussed whether we could separate them again, baked the muffins

C read a chapter from a Fairy Magic series book with few problems. (ugh, can they PLEASE stop making those books, each one has the same boring plot!) She likes them, they keep her reading which is good. Maybe I can sneak in some Magic Treehouse books for some variety.

We now have sight words stuck to our basement stairway walls. 20 words for R to learn to read, same 20 for C to learn to spell. And I thought I'd never get to the cross-teaching stage!! I know!! I'll put the colour words on coloured cards for E to learn her colours, while R learns to read the colours, while C learns to spell the colours.

I had a great idea for E & R. I want to make (or buy) an alphabet pocket chart, so E can put the letter in the pocket, R can put an item that starts/ends in the matching pocket. If they can play together, they can learn together.

It's a BOX

Who knew one freezer box could produce so much fun!! They had lunch in it, schooled in it, played in it, painted it.

Zoo

We spent yesterday morning at the Toronto Zoo. Winter trips are always our favourite, as the kids get the run of the place. The parking lot was nearly empty and we saw about a dozen other people there.
Eliana had to be pulled away from many exhibits, as she was so enthralled with each animal. The prairie dogs stared at her, the large aquarium had her amazed, she loved watching the gorillas, but the best was the Mandrill exhibit. There is a plexiglass barrier between the kids and the mandrills. I don't know who enjoys it more, the kids or the monkey! The kids would put their hand on the glass, the monkey would do the same. The monkey would move, the kids would follow. It was great!! Eliana put her hand on the glass where the mandril had his foot on it. They laughed when it licked the glass. (I think the girls would have licked it too, but we stopped that!)

MY AVM / VVM / VM

Sometimes finding an online community that one fits into isn't easy. I've been on parenting boards, homeschooling boards, but the one I feel most at home at is the AVM Survivors network. An AVM is Arteriovenous Malformation. My AVM is on the right side of my face & neck. I've had it referred to an AVM,VM and VVM (venous vascular malformation). Before finding this group, I had never met or talked to another person with a facial malformation similar to mind. Most of this group have brain AVMs, completely different than mine, but there are a few of us with facial VMs. To speak with someone who knows EXACTLY what it's like. To discuss past treatments, future options, to vent frustrations, fears.

There is a new treatment that my Interventional Neuroradiologist wants me to have. It's Interlesional Bleomycin. A minute amount of a cancer drug is injected, causing the veins to collapse. (the easy explaination) After a number of treatments, my AVM will be gone. Day surgery. No complications to speak of. So, you might ask, what am I waiting for?

Well...this may be hard to believe...I know what I look like now. I'm fine with it, it never bothers me. How am I going to look after? What if something does go wrong. Last time I was treated, I had Bells Palsy for a few weeks. What do I tell the kids: Mommy didn't like how she looked? I teach my kids that it doesn't matter what a person looks like, it's how they act, what they do. So, is this hypocritical? On the flip side, I think I should get it done, so they don't get asked 100x "what's wrong with your Mom's face?"

Sometimes it would be nice to just blend in with the crowd. Unless you look unique, you don't honestly know what it's like when people come up to you and remember you from a brief meeting, simply because you look different. For example: I had E in the ER a few months ago. During Christmas shopping, a woman approached me and asked how E made out. E wasn't with me at the time. Would this woman have recognized me if my facial malformation wasn't there? Probably not.

It is part of the ME. It's made me who I am.

This decision is not an easy one, not from a medical point of view, but from a personal one. As a child, my condition was managed by my parents. I must now (and should have 10+yrs ago) take ownership of my AVM.

Kids

I have a great helper with the snow. He's 5yo and can shovel out the walkway while I do the driveway. He does a great job too!

My dear 2yo just combed my hair. She stood on the chair behind me, and while I typed, made my hair 'pretty'

And the 6yo? Well, she stayed inside while we cleared the driveway, then watched the 2yo for the last 10 mins while I finished the driveway.

Sick Kids ads

Here's my rant. Why does Sick Kids Hosp. have to showcase stories of babies who died, on Teletoon, so I have to explain to my kids (6 & 5) what 'heart transplant' and 'her heart stopped' means. And why the Mommy is crying. I understand they're trying to raise money, but all I want to do after watching the ad is call their 1-800 number and ask them to stop putting those ads on kids channels.

Gluesticks and toddlers

What's the difference between Chapstick and a glue stick? Nothing if you're 2. Yep, Eliana was putting glue on like lip balm. Eww. Good thing it's nontoxic.

While shopping for a freezer, Eliana was given a small 'Bad Boy Furniture' doll that says Noooobody. So, we're in the kitchen, Gord makes the doll speak, then Eliana comes running in from the living room (which is the furthest point from the kitchen), yelling 'mine mine' grabs the doll and runs out. Think she's had too many toys taken away from her???

Happy New Year!!

Spent New Year's Eve with my Sister and her family at our house, on the agreement that Guitar Hero World Tour would be here too. Like we needed the incentive to get that! Guitar Hero World Tour is awesome! I love that the kids can play along too. Calla sings, improving her reading speed. She's becoming an avid reader, which I sometimes forget, especially while I'm typing and she's reading what I'm typing. (right, Calla?) Calla is watching me type and thinks it it neat that I don't look at the screen or the keyboard and I am watching her read this. Rowan plays the drums (oh, we're in trouble in a few years!!) Gord's not bad at all on the guitar. When we play as a family, I'm on Bass, also hitting the drum pedal when Rowan runs off.

Gotta run, lots to do today.