I wish I was at the Lake

April 1st

2011-04-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

The kids thought they were FREAKIN' HILARIOUS because they did this to my bed:

and because that wasn't quite funny enough, they added a finishing touch to the sewing machine:

Spring break

2011-04-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

The first 5 days of spring break Kalli and I went to Vancouver for medical. She for her asthma and me for what was to be my last (hopefully) MRI. The neurologist, along with my prompting, agrees that my neurological symptoms are food related! I can tell you that when i eat gluten/wheat, all my symptoms come back! Wheat is evil! (for me anyhow) So now i begin a new journey with a gastrointerologist! Taylor had her genetic testing done and she has the marker which tells us she is 90% more likely to develop Celiac's. She has been off gluten since Thanksgiving and it appears to slowly be helping her stomach pain. Kalli will be seeing a gastro-pediatrician in May. She has little stomach pain, but because she is so tiny, 56lbs @ 10.5 yrs old, i also believe she has gluten issues and is unable to absorb nutrients. Hopefully this will be the year when we can get some answers!
Vancouver was good except for the rain, and traffic!! I loved living there when i was in my 20's--i had all the time in the world. But now, you couldn't pay me to navigate that chaos everyday-downtown Whitehorse is enough for me!

The rest of spring break was spent at the cabin! It was glorious! The weather was sunny, warm with blue skies for 10 days with the exception of 1 day. It's hard to explain why it's so awesome to have it +15 on the deck with 2 feet of snow on the ground! Chris loaded up the skimmer and made us a ski trail. The groves on the bottom make a perfectly spaced ski trail!

His ice fishing hours resulted in 3 fish but only 1 that stayed on long enough to come up the hole! But it sure made a tasty supper!

We also ripped off the old (collapsed) shed roof and put up this temporary fix to keep things dry until spring. The sunny weather also gave the snow enough moisture that the conditions were perfect for making a snowman!

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and it was back to work time. By Tuesday at noon, Chris and i were both at home with the stomach flu! (Just 1 week previous i was telling our cabin neighbor that i hadn't had it since before having kids!) Luckily, knock on wood, the kids appear to have missed out! It made for a short work week, but i don't know if it was a good trade!

The kids spent this past weekend trying to use up the their ski passes-unfortunately with the cold winter and lift problems they won't get them used up before they close next weekend. On a exciting note, this weekend i dried all my laundry out on the line-I guess that means spring MUST be on the way!

I have a teenager....

2011-03-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

Scary thought for most!! I remember someone telling me "you know you're ready to have kids when you want to have a teenager"!! I thought that was good advice and even shared it with others because i too have been dreading the 'teen' years for ... years! I've been dreading what comes with the dreadful teen--the attitude, the peer pressure/bullying and the exposure to "drugs, sex and rock and roll" which i cannot control. Right now, the latter of those three seems so insignificant compared to what is associated with the first two. But what I have learned over the past year (s) has had a huge impact on the way i "parent".
Bullying. If you're waiting for the bullying to start in high school, you're off by about 2-3 years...particularly with girls. For Taylor it began in grade 5 and i was SO unprepared!! The stuff she was dealing with was what i had been preparing myself to begin in high school. Not any more ladies and gentlemen! Kalli has had a better go of it, but she has a harder time standing up for herself, so she doesn't end up in confrontations. And the addage "stand up to bullying".... unless there is a group who are willing to "stand up", it only puts a huge target on the back of the individual who is "standing up".
Be real. Be as real as you can be with your kids. A recent family members' heart attack gave me the opportunity to be real. When the kids asked, i said "they don't know if he's going to make it". I couldn't lie to them and tell them it's "going to be ok"-that wouldn't be real, that wouldn't be truthful, and it certainly would set me up to fulfill outcomes i had no control over. Let them see you cry, and let them cry. Holding emotions in only leads to problems down the road as you learn to use other means to "suppress" those feelings. (Overeating, anorexia, depression, drugs, stress, anxiety, sex etc...) Emotions are ok and learning how to address them when you're young is much better than trying to do it when you're my age. I'm trying to teach my kids the same lessons i'm trying to learn!!
Apologise: I have started doing this whenever i 'lose' it with them. It is hard. IT. IS. HARD. But when a kid can forgive you in 2 seconds, it really makes you humble (and in my case, feel really guilty!!). It also helps them realize that you're human too, and we all make mistakes. Hopefully, we as parents, can learn from our mistakes and begin to make them less often.
Talk. Talk to your kids. I"m not a big "talker" so i find it hard to make conversation, but typically any kid can hold a conversation-we usually can't get them to stop talking! So if you're like me, ask a weird question, and see where it goes from there. You will be amazed at what you will end up talking about. But no subject is off limits-this will come in handy later on when they're trying to decide if they can tell you something or not. If they know you've never been shocked, (or at least you didn't show it on the outside), chances are, they'll be more willing to open up to you.
Ask them about their day-everyday. This gives you the opportunity to talk about an event when it's small; before it "blossoms" into something huge and you have a raging kid on your hands and you can't figure out W.T.H. happened! I started 3 yrs ago when Taylor was having problems at school, but i've made it a daily occurrence:
How was your day?
Good
Any problems?
No (or yes!)
Everyone still "feeling the love"? (everyone was nice and got along!)
Yes (or no!)
Who did "hang" with?
_________
Oh, what are they like?
You get the idea.
Be interested. Listen when they answer all the questions you just asked. Or even harder (at least for me who likes to multi-task) stop what you're doing and listen. AND look at them when they're talking---after all, that's what is expected of them "look at me when i'm talking to you". When they show you their project ask questions, tell them which part you like best, tell them that you liked the color they chose, or ask them how they chose that particular color/topic/pattern.
Do something together. Another hard one for me. I grew up playing outside with my brothers, but yet when we did an activity together with my parents, i loved it! I tend to want to finish what i'm doing and then "i'll be right there-as soon as i'm done this". Of course, one thing leads to another, and before i know it, it's time to start supper etc... and the opportunity is lost. They soon learned that there is no point in asking, because even though i'm saying "yes", i don't follow through. So i'm trying to stop what i'm doing, or better yet, ask for their help to finish. This way i can practise my conversation skills while we work together and then we can go do something fun. When you offer your kids a chance to do fun things with you, they will be more apt to chose you over their friends, because you don't care if their clothes match or if their hair is combed while you're doing it!
Laugh. Laugh out loud, laugh at their ridiculous jokes, laugh at YOURSELF!
Love. Love them with notes in their lunchbags, love them by helping them find their stuff after they've lost it for the millionth time, love them when their sick, love them with hugs, love them with smiles, love them when their melting down.

This is what i wish i had been told from day one instead of "don't hold your baby all the time, you'll never get any work done".
Some of these are ideas i've read about or things i've tried; some have been succesful and some i've learned i need to work on everyday. (I'm not perfect-believe you me-but oh how i wish i could redo my first10 years of parenting ways!)
This has shown me wonderful results; 2 days ago, after leaving a bake sale at the school, my 12 year old (who turned 13 on this 13th day of March), said to me "bye mom, have a good afternoon" as she was hugging me. Other moms didn't even get acknowledged.

Happy 13th Birthday "teenager"!

You are funny, you have more energy than that stinkin pink bunny on tv, you are creative, you are smart, you are beautiful, you are 13.

bad hair day

2011-03-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

such a happy face first thing in the morning....

even though she had to deal with this...

it's what happens when you step out the shower & climb into bed & sleep on your back all night!!

(DISCLAIMER: my kids are fully aware of the ~~blowdryer~~ that wonderful "new" invention that blows hot air, but neither of them like to use it...go figure?!)

at the cabin

2011-02-28T21:35:00.000-08:00

Having had to leave the cabin early over Christmas, we couldn't wait to get back out there this past weekend. Fantasies of sitting by the fire...ok we don't have a fireplace, we have a wood stove-without a window-but hey it was free!! Now back to the fantasy-sitting in a warm cabin while the wind is howling, all curled up with a good book, just all out relaxing.

You can imagine our surprise to pull in to knee deep snow! Thankfully Chris decided to bring the quad "just in case" we needed to plow. So after arriving early Friday afternoon we spent the rest of the day shovelling.

We shovelled the deck, a path through the load which had slid off the roof to get to the deck, a path to the outhouse and unfortunately the roof of our shed which looked like this:

which had snow this deep:

with chunks this size:

with the inside that looked like this:

How's that for a snow load?!

We got all the snow off the roof on Friday; I think we know what our spring break project will be. (Somehow I don't think it will involve the wood stove and a book!)

Saturday we made time for our own "sugar shack" during a break from shovelling even more snow off the camper, boat etc... The hardest part is trying to maneuver around in 3 feet of snow with a ladder. Then, once you've shovelled all you can reach, you realize that you've buried the ladder in all the snow chunks that you've just removed from the roof(s)! Thankfully both kids helped a lot--any chance to climb up or on something and they were in!

Sunday arrived with all the wind that Whitehorse was experiencing. Ahhh finally we had all the elements for the curling-up-with-a-good-book day. Oh wait, Sunday means its pack-up-and-go-home day!

Well so much for my plan. Even though I was too tired to even look at book let alone read it, 2 days of snow shovelling at the cabin is better than any 2 days at work!

TRADITIONS

2011-02-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

Really?? I saw these at superstore today...is nothing sacred?! What's next-carving a pumpkin for Christmas?

I don't know about you, but I kinda like leaving somethings "as once a year". Take for instance Mandarin oranges (or Christmas Oranges or Chinese Oranges depending on what you know them by.)

Growing up we had 4 kids in the family and 1 box to last us through Christmas--it doesn't take a mathematician to figure out that we didn't get very many each . Particularly by the time you picked out the bad ones! We got one in our stocking-always at the very bottom. Perhaps my mom put it in first in hopes of making the stocking appear more "full", right to the tip. We would savour each and every piece.

Today I can afford more than one box, in fact they are typically one of the more inexpensive fruits to buy over the Christmas season, so we pig out! I buy them for the entire month of December with no limits per person! BUT once the last box is done, that's it, no more until next year. Even though you can buy them year round now, I think it makes them one of those "special treats" at Christmas.

Does "restricting" them make me a bad parent? I typically don't get requests for them unless they happen to be with me while I'm grocery shopping which isn't often now that they can stay home alone. I guess if you look at it by saying that I'm not "allowing" them to eat them, it would appear restrictive. But it's not that, I just don't buy them for 11 months out of the year, and by doing so, I'm just trying to give them a special memory or tradition that they can carry on with their kids should they chose to do so.

And when they do, who knows, maybe they'll start buying them in November....just as long as they're not buying "Easter Crackers".

Valentine

2011-02-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

This year was a first for me...no one requested buying valentine cards. Typically we head to Walmart and wade through Hannah Montana, Disney, Bob the Builder etc...to find something age appropriate, that they each like. Last year I found really cute (and unique) ones online at various craft blogs which they both liked because they we're the typical store bought ones. Last week Kalli came out with pink paper folded in half; she had made some for her friends. Perfect I thought! Taylor made no mention of Valentines in general..not the cards, not the holiday, not even the chocolate!!
The night before Kalli must have decided that one must be inclusive of others and not have anyone feel left out--she came out of her room just before bed and showed me that she had (frantically) made enough for everyone in the class! The best part: she wrote on the inside what she liked about each one:

"you are pretty"

"you are a good drawer"

"you are funny"

"you can draw cars really good"

This was done without any input from me; I did not suggest it, I did not imply it, quite frankly, I did nothing!

I love it when you see great things coming from young people!

Hockey Day in Canada: Update

2011-02-13T12:33:00.000-08:00

We had a few more brushes with the hockey gods these past couple of days. Friday night was the coat check and the kids were under strict orders to not ask for autographs, not to "fight" over a chance to hang the coat of Don Cherry, don't speak until spoken to and you might as well throw in there "don't look them directly in the eye"!! It wasn't quite that bad, but it was close!

All those who came were very gracious and most made the first move to talk to the kids When Ron MacLean arrived he was in a deep conversation with someone when he came through the door. He happily agreed to sign a few autographs and Taylor hopped into line...the last spot. Just as he turned to her, someone whisked him off claiming they were late! Dang--so close!!

Next to arrive was Lanny MacDonald who was so engaging-he came in wearing a jersey, but still stopped, talked to every kid, signed autographs and posed for pictures:

(I was using my ipod to take the picture, so not the best quality!)

We had about 15minutes left before we were done when some man came up to me and asked me if i was "in charge?" I didn't really know how to answer when I'm overseeing a pile of over excited 12 & 13 yr olds! Depends? Maybe? Why what happened? So I went with the safest answer i could come up with while under pressure, "i'm ONE of the people in charge". He goes on to show me this big box they had put behind our curtains and informed me, very quietly, "the Stanley Cup is in there and NOBODY is allowed to touch it, open it , look inside or even know it's there". Oh great, now i have 12 & 13 yr olds AND the Stanley Cup?

So off he went, of course within about 15 seconds one boy was trying to open it and see what was inside! I shooed him away and then whispered my secret to Taylor!

Knowing this is the closest we would probably ever be to the Cup, we had to take advantage of the opportunity!

Everyone was awaiting Don Cherry's arrival but when our shift ended at 7:30 pm, he still hadn't arrived and i have yet to hear if he ever did!

Chris was in charge of security at yesterdays game where they were broadcasting Coaches Corner--Don Cherry had to be THERE!! So was does he do? Gives his buddy the closest spot - about 4 feet away - and he gets his jersey signed by the Don! What a guy! (He told me because he was in charge, he needed to remain professional.)

Last night was a friends' birthday and we went to Giorgios for supper. Shortly after we arrived, in walks Trevor Linden. We had our backs to the bar where he was waiting to be seated, but here is my great shot:

See the guy standing farthest to the left--that's him!

There you have it, our Hockey Day in Canada experiences. Taylor and I getting the most contact and we're not the fans, Chris, the biggest fan, got the least! However, he did help Wendel Clark look for his keys which were lost. Turns out there were in one of the many pockets of the giant, downfilled, puffy, good for -60 coats they were given to survive their time here in the Yukon!

rubbing elbows with the rich and famous

2011-02-09T21:37:00.000-08:00

Hockey Day in Canada. Chris is the big hockey fan....but somehow the 3 of us ended up involved. Chris volunteered so that he could watch the games and not have to try to score tickets; Taylor and I are working a coat check for their gala on Friday night. (Her class is raising money for a trip to Quebec in May).
I noticed yesterday that it was the opening night for Yukon’s Hockey History at MacBride Museum. The best part about it was that is was FREE! So we thought why not go, and Chris offer to buy us dinner after, so now how can i refuse!! ( I will do anything to not have to cook!) So off we went at 5pm to beat the rush.
There were't a lot of people there when we arrived which gave us easy access to the Chocolate Claim appies as well as close ups of the exhibits. There was a lot of reading involved as there were many pictures on the walls along with accompanying "write ups"; it takes a bit of time to work your way around the room. (Kalli informed me later that there was a yellow bra on display? I somehow missed that but would have like to read about its hockey relevance!)
After making our way around the entire exhibit-reading about the history of hockey in the Yukon,the attendance had definitely picked up and it was crowded. The kind of crowded where you can't help but dirty dance with just about everyone as you make your way through the crowd. We began our "slow dance" towards the door. I hadn't gone more than about 5 feet when i positioned my my arm lightly on someones back to just let them know i was behind them, and there in front of me was Ron MacLean! He was talking about his wife. And then it happened-I took my next step forward and he shifted his stance and we "rubbed elbows"! Yep, me and my homeboy Ron!
Chris told me later he thought he looked older in person (sorry Ron, i thought you looked just fine!) Actually I thought he looked...well exactly the same as he does onTV-only he didn't have Don Cherry yelling at his side!
So that's it folks, that was my brush with "fame"! I wonder what will happen at the coat check on Friday-whose coat will i get to hang on a hanger.....

The dating whisperer

2011-02-07T22:30:00.000-08:00

We are trying some Cesar Millan techniques on Rex such as saying "TSSHHT" in a "calm assertive" way! Generally he's a pretty good dog overall....cute, cuddly, small "packages" for us to clean up off the lawn, he doesn't shed, he doesn't bark a whole lot, he's enthusiastic, portable and he loves the cabin, just like us! Every time he sees you he's beside himself with happiness! BUT, take him for a walk and (god forbid) meet another dog.....he becomes a massive spasm on the end of the leash! Consequently I'm always scanning for other dogs, so that I may TSSHHT him as soon as he spots the other dog. If I am successful at spotting the other dog first, he reacts very well.

As we all know, dogs who are trying to be dominant, put their head over the other dogs' neck. What do you do, when you're only about 12 inches at the shoulder? EVERY dog is then being dominant simply by trying to bend down to sniff!! I wanted to have a little dog without the little-dog-syndrome. When we were kids, friends of ours had a poodle who was convinced he was a big dog; the difference was that he actually ACTED like a big dog! Ho hum, friendly, hardly a peep out of him, kept up with all the big dogs-I think he truly was a big dog in a small dogs' body. Do you think that being named "Napoleon Bonaparte" (Boney for short) had anything to do with it?

As Taylor approaches her 'teens', I began to wonder if this would work with my girls when they begin dating? (Way off in future of course!) Firstly I must establish myself as the pack leader-DONE (daily)!! If I spot the offending "dog" before they do, I can TSSHHT him in a "calm assertive" way. When "sniffing around" he begins to act assertive, I can give him the quick Cesar Millan "jab" to the side of the body to re-direct the brain! And most importantly, before we being "training", I will suggest a long bike ride to get acquainted (he will ride the front of a tandem bike of which I will only pretend to pedal) and thus he will be "dog-tired". But I have to say, I think my personal favourite will be "no touch, no talk, no eye contact" - I think that's fairly self explanatory!

This may just work.

Pushing the button and deja vu...

2011-02-05T21:41:00.000-08:00

For those of you who read my post from the other day, i ended it by saying "....as soon as i have the guts to press the "publish" button! ". It took me 45 min to decide whether to push the button or not (crazy hey?!) But i did, then i quickly "logged out" and did not come back until almost 24+ hours later!

I have most of my ideas for my new work/job laid out on paper and now i must begin to take them from there to reality...much like an Event Planner would do--taking an idea, planning it then watching it happen! (I love this part!) But having the guts to put it out there..for REAL, is when all the "useless-self -doubt-what-if's"come creeping back into my head. BUT i've put my idea 'out there' which means i now need to take the next step(s)... making a marketing plan! This is not my area of expertise, so i've been reading up and signing up for any and all the free help i can get!
On another note, Grade 5 dance-take 2! (aka: Polar Games) Kalli came home with the bus schedule on Wednesday and was stressed, She couldn't figure out how to get from the CGC to the bowling alley or vice versa. (Having been through this with Taylor-who is not organized in any way, shape or form-i don't remember this being an issue; I was pretty sure that the bus ran continuously throughout the day). She was in tears. We tried to assure her (to no avail) that they wouldn't expect her to WALK from the CGC to the bowling alley! Thankfully she came home the next day with a detailed schedule and she consequently began to geve herself (the first of many) random pop quizzes:
"ok, so i need to get to the bowling alley at 2pm on Saturday - which bus should i take?" (now try to find it on the schedule as quickly as possible...) She was so relieved that she had this new schedule and infomed us that she was now "much more positive about the Polar Games".
She also asked (on Wednesday evening) if i had time SEW her a dress like i did for Taylor . Well the short answer was "I'm sorry but i don't really have enough time; i am however, willing to spend about $25 @ Walmart on a new one if we can find one, that you like for that price (or less!)". She informed me just before heading out to shop that "most of my friends aren't wearing dresses". I encouraged her to "wear a dress if you want too" and "don't make your decison based on what you'r friends are doing".
To make a long story short, she found a new sweaterdress at Superstore, on the clearance rack for $11.94 (YAY!) and she had a great (stress-free) Polar Games.
So this time next year it will be an end of an era; having expericenced Polar Games four years in a row, through the eyes of my two girls (who have two polar opposite personalities), i think it ~~will~~ may be bittersweet; i still have one left to go!

My how time flies....

2011-02-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

It does. I haven't written a post in a year--well a little over a year but whose counting! I have to admit that even though i haven't written, i've watched:

i've "watched" Janet walk...and walk....and walk some more;
i've "watched" Fawn's girls work on their potty training;
i've "watched" Celia find inspiration every single day for a YEAR;
i've "watched" Kara's boys be....models (!!) for her new (and always improving) "passion turned business";
i've "watched" new people come on board Urban Yukon, live their life, grow, change, put themselves out there. So what does this all mean??
I guess that means i'm a voyeur?!

Seriously I think what happened to me involved a couple things:
1) when i'm starting something new i have a little bit of a "perfectionist" problem, in other words, i want to be GREAT right off the bat!
2) the kids were in afternoon/evening sports (which sucks the life out of you)
3) we had 2 crappy laptops which were always crapping out, (but now we have a spiffy new desktop--thanks overtime pay!)
4) i felt what i said wasn't as funny/interesting/important as what everyone else was saying (see bullet #1!!)
5) i'm sure i could go on, but who needs wants to read a "self-help" post!!

I have also thought about what i want to do with my "worklife"....do i want to work where i work...forever? It's a great job but does nothing for my "creativity". It's easy to just chug along in "safe" mode. And if i don't make a change now, when will i? I need to start putting into action, all the ideas and thoughts that have been drifting around in my head, into action. When i was 10 i tried to start my own store by asking kids to donate their halloween candy and we would split the profits! For some reason there weren't any takers. (Come on people--not inventory costs--and who says a reconditioned chicken coop doesn't make a good store?!?!)

Reading Fawn's post about the "monkey" birthday party was the clincher for me. I like planning..i like organizing...i like parties!! I've planned a couple weddings, i've planned (and hosted) Amazing Race birthday parties and other theme parties, baby showers, surprise parties and i also plan AGMs and events at work, so why can't i do this for a living? There has to be people out there who have events which they want/need to plan but would rather pay someone to do the planning and they can just show up and enjoy!

So that's what i've been thinking--and now i'm putting it out there for all the Urban Yukon world to see--as soon as i have the guts to press the "publish" button!

Coffee by Kalli

2010-01-11T09:58:00.000-08:00

I woke up yesterday morning....well actually Kalli woke me up 3 times with questions before I actually got out of bed @ 8:20, but as I did, she informed me that there was "something special" on the counter for me. Hmmm....what could it be...had she made me some sort of breakfast? I hadn't heard any noises coming from the kitchen and none of the 3 questions she just HAD to ask, related to breakfast...so off I went to see what it was.
Sitting on the counter was 2 cups of coffee!! With a note, written in pencil, on masking tape, and taped to the counter which said:
"Mom & Dad, Here are 2 cups of coffee. They don't have any mix in them, but you can add it in and then heat them in the microwave. Love Kalli."
So that would be 2 cups of Saturday's coffee....cold as ice...all ready for "mix" and the mircrowave! So cute, so funny, but I couldn't laugh as she gets offended really easily.
So as I started to make fresh coffee, she began to question what she had done, and asked me if what she did was "okay" and if I liked it? "OF COURSE I LIKED IT" I said "I just thought I would show you how to make it....you know...for next time".
Thankfully she was fine with that and headed off, so I could pour the old coffee down the drain! (But I love how she called the cream and sugar "mix"!)

Life got in the way..

2010-01-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

Um...yeah....it's been a while....okay okay...it's been a long time!!! Sometimes life gets in the way of life and i can't do it all! There is said it-i admit defeat!! But for the record, i'm blaming this on my kids...their life is FAR busier than mine and therefore, makes mine FAR busier than what i plan for it to be!

When you don't work in the summer, the last thing you do (well the last thing I do) is turn on the computer...for any reason. Then summer is over and the "back to school" routine hits...and before you know it, Christmas is over and the new year has begun.

So what's been happening...well we drove south in July for 2 weeks...logged a measly 5o00km--(and crocheted a pile of dishclothes to kill the km!!) We watched fireworks in B.C. on July 1st and USA on July 4 (along with 50,000 other people in a park). They both shoot off the same amount, however the B.C. ones were one at a time with time in between, the Americans shoot off about 20 at time and it's huge, big, beautiful and loud...but over much quicker!

We were on the I-90 and got a phonecall that "our" lake was on fire!! YIKES--after a few phone calls we found out it was at the other end of the lake...no need to worry about the cabin.

We enjoyed the rest of our trip and this year managed to make it to "Hell's Gate" outside of Hope B.C.. (Last year we drove like maniacs for over 14 hours from Fort St. John and missed them because they close a 5pm... a tourist attraction...in the summer....????)

Upon returning, we watched the fires burn the entire way down the 40km long lake to where we are....it involved evacuation, hoses, spinklers, and falling ash.

Needless to say, our view changed from green to black, but our cabin remains intact!

Taylor went back to skating this year....6 days a week--apparently she's going to the Olympics?!? Kalli decided she should join too, and of-course, they're at different levels, so that means different times...usually back-to-back--i wish the Canada Games Center had Condo's--i would buy one and save myself a lot of driving time!!

Halloween, then Christmas and well, here we are, a whole New Year! I barely got anything made for Christmas in terms of gifts/ornaments etc...but did manage to allocate one afternoon to baking with the girls who were happy to make their "specialities".

So we'll see how this year goes...i'm hoping for less busy...but i think i'm just being delusional--why would this year be any different from any other!

100's day project--UPDATE

2009-03-06T13:18:00.001-08:00

Back in January I talked about Kalli needing to chose a 100's day project and how last year she listed "100 things that delight me". This year she didn't seem to "into" the project & she ended up doing it the night before it was due. Well yesterdayKalli came home with her report card land all was good, but one part that the teacher wrote was too funny:

"Kalli chose to do her 100's day project with m & m's--so that she could eat the leftovers"!!

The Sound of Music

2009-03-04T12:34:00.000-08:00

Some friends of mine absolutely LOVE the movie "The Sound of Music" & were appalled that I had never seen the movie. So we decided to have a "Sound of Music" night--we would each bring a 'German' dish to share and then watch the movie. I brought the girls because I didn't want to deprive them by letting them grow up having never experienced this classic movie!!

I searched around online for some recipe ideas and decided on something called "Maultaschen" or german ravioli. You take ground pork, add some spices and spinach, then wrap them in wonton wrappers & boil them. You can add them to soup, fry them or add strips of ham and some cheese and bake them--which is what I did. The kids wanted to get in on the wrapping action & it helped because I'm sure that the recipe makes about a million.

I have to say that I used about 1/4 of them for the casserole and I now have a pile of them sitting in my freezer waiting for me to figure out how to use them up!! The others made apple strudel, pretzels and mini burgers--I think mine was the most authentic and tasted that way too!! The other food was way better! We watched the movie and I'm glad to say it had a happy ending--I like it when all movies end happily!! I can now cross it off my list--well actually it wasn't on my list, now my friends can cross it off THEIR list of movies they feel I need to see!

The girls on the other hand, had more fun hanging out upstairs with the guys who were playing online poker......and playing with Madi who is far more entertaining than kids dancing around in matching outfits made from curtains.

At the end of the movie, then began to question me as to whether I had seen "Freaky Friday"--"you mean the one with Jamie Lee Curtis? My girls LOVE that movie!!" Apparently that was NOT the version they were referring too!! I guess we'll be planning another 'classic movie night'!

How much snow can a snowshoveller shovel, if a....

2009-02-26T08:43:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was our 4 day getaway to the cabin. The kids were staying with Bubba & Papa and we were supposed to have our first 'couples' weekend out there but our friends cancelled. We head out on Thursday, with the quad, because we were told there had been lots of snow, but really we plowed only 6 weeks ago, so how much snow could there be?

Well we weren't expecting it to be up to our knees!!

Chris lit the fire in the cabin, unloaded the quad and began plowing

while I began shovelling. I started to shovel a path to the cabin in hopes of uncovering the stairs.

But we also wanted to get the hot tub in, so I needed to shovel off the deck where the roof had slid.

It was like concrete!! I never did get it all off! I then shovelled a path down to the lake so we (and by we I mean Chris) could drill a hole to get water to fill up the hot tub. Doesn't look too inviting there does it?!

Finally I shovelled a path to the outhouse, the wood pile and dug down to the chopping block!! (There is a lot of work to having a cabin--but hey, it's all worth it!) Rex had a great time 'swimming' thru all the snow. But after 2 hours we had to put him in the cabin to dry off--he was sopping wet and shivering!! The cabin was warmed up enough to make the roof slide.... again.... onto the path..... so I gave up trying to dig out the stairs--we worked with the snow and made a ramp instead!!! We ate a late supper and were in bed by 8:30!! Had a great sleep and woke up to....snow! It snowed all that day and we accumulated about another 6 inches! So I shovelled out the path to the outhouse again!

I did get my stained glass hung up - thanks Shane and Renata--it looks BEAUTIFUL and I LOVE IT!! That evening our "cancelled couple" showed up, so that was a great surprise! (Notice how they missed all the shovelling though!) The next day we all bundled up and went for a walk/snowshoe around--it was a beautiful sunny day--and hard to stay inside!
The guys did some ice fishing, but with no luck-even with this lovely "bait-mobile":

The nights were clear which is perfect for star gazing from the hot tub! It was a great weekend and of course Sunday came too soon! We're hoping to be back out sometime during spring break, so i'm back to......15 days and counting down.....

1 more sleep!

2009-02-18T09:31:00.001-08:00

and we're off to the cabin!! Heard there has been lots of snow there since New Year's--Kara is this right?!? We're bringing the quad just in case. Our couple cancelled on us--so it will just be Chris and I and Rex of course. It will be a little quieter, but fun none the less. It's always great to be there--no phone, TV, sports, and if the weather holds, even the trips to the outhouse won't be too bad!! .....and no this is not our outhouse!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2009-02-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

I’ve been crafting like crazy for the past week, with Valentine’s Day coming up, I wanted to do something different for the kids. I came across this free downloadable picture. It’s hard to read on the picture, but it says ‘je t’aime’ which is ‘I love you’--I thought it was fitting with Taylor just starting her semester of Intensive French. Kalli liked them too, so I made them 4 each to give to their special friends and papa and bubba.

I continued on with making them each a special card and tucked them in with their lunch today. Taylor’s:

Kalli’s:

THEN I couldn’t resist trying out these little hearts—some felt, beads, buttons and a magnet for the back. They take about 45min each—another instant satisfaction project!

Chris asked how he was going to compete with all this 'craftiness'--i told him there was no competition because he always buys them the hilarious Hallmark cards that i am just too cheap to buy--they love those too!!

Have a Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

It's the GRADE 5 DANCE mom!!!

2009-02-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

Sept 07 a friend of mine tells me how her son has started talking about the Grade 5 dance (which happens in February during the polar games)--who he is going with--who asked who to the dance--who 'dumped' who and is going with someone else etc.....I laughed at her having to deal with this 6 months before the actual event. Fast forward to this past September when Taylor announces at the dinner table "I FINALLY know who i'm going to the Grade 5 dance with". (To Chris this was a shock--he had no idea this event takes place or the fact that the 'planning/asking/dumping' begins 6 months in advance!!)

Well this past weekend was the Grade 5 dance/Polar games. But lets go back to last Tuesday:

Taylor and I decide to kill time at the newest second hand store while we wait for Kalli to finish her guitar lesson. I have never been in the store before so it was quite a shocker to be hit with "brand new gowns straight from New York" as we walk in the door!! Taylor's eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning!! So i had to answer the question before it was even asked "no-i'm not spending $100 on a 'gown' for the grade 5 dance". Now what i should have said was "i'm not buying you a new dress for the dance" because my statement--loosely translated--was "i won't spend $100, but i would still be willing to buy you a less expensive dress". So needless to say, we were suddenly dress shopping!! We go to Walmart and there was a choice of 4 different colors of the same 1 dress, so i suggested that i make her one instead. Off we go to the fabric section and she choses this pattern--A--which also means i have to make the shrug to abide by the school dress code:

and this fabric:

So on the way home--i'm only $20 poorer--i ask "so how many other girls are getting new dresses for the dance?" Her reply "oh i don't know, i haven't talked about it to anyone". How silly of me to assume she wants one because EVERYONE ELSE is getting one.....no.....she just wants one because hello...IT'S THE GRADE 5 DANCE!!! So this is what i was doing for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights:

So i tell her to find out from her friends who all is going to wear a dress to the dance--she reports back that her friend(s) told her that 'you just wear regular clothes'. (She is in complete disbelief of this--it's a DANCE people!!) She doesn't care--and we forge ahead--i'm so proud of her--she won't bend to the peer pressure--she's going to the dance, in dancing clothes!! So here is the final result--(again, where do my kids learn to pose like this?!?!)

So be fore warned you people with younger kids--coming to a future September--the Grade 5 Dance!!

17 more sleeps

2009-02-02T14:10:00.000-08:00

Now that it's February I can begin my "countdown to the cabin"....17 sleeps left before we head out. This is my favorite view--i wish i was there so i could pick up that cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy the late sunrise!!

We will miss Rendevous, not in terms of "we're so sad we're going to miss it"--but we've just noticed that since building the cabin we miss a lot of Whitehorse events because we're out at the cabin! (I think the kids are more annoyed than Chris and I!!) This time we are going out without the kids, so were are going to miss Kalli at the spelling bee--now THAT i will miss, but i'm sure the grandparents will take lots of pictures....!!

The exciting part about this trip is that it will be with friends--an actual couple!! You see, it's always been 'Denise & the boys' aka--Chris's friends!! So New Years 2007, as we (Denise and the 3 boys) sat in the hot tub, i told them that it was time for them to find girlfriends because i was tired of listening to hockey talk, sledding talk and silly guy humor!! Now don't get me wrong--these guys are great--they never expected me to wait on them, they always help with clean up and meal making, but seriously, how much do we need to talk about Sidney Crosby's stats, or how your sled should be jetted at the summit??

I am happy to report that while it took one friend almost a year, he did it; he managed to meet himself a really nice girl. She likes to do all the stuff we like to do, so she's a great match!! (We tell him that we like her more than him!!!) He brought her out this past Christmas, but because we had 14 people there, they were sent to the camper due to lack of space in the cabin!! However this trip they will get the full cabin experience including the hot tub--and it will be a nice couples weekend--and i can't wait! An even bigger bonus for me, Chris is going to get MY sled working. As we discussed the repairs last night, the "jetting" came up and i said "doesn't it have the 'dial-a-jet' on it?" This is how i know that for too long it been "Denise & the boys":

1) i know what a 'dial-a-jet' acutally is and

2) how to correctly use it in a sentence!!!

So this trip, all four of us will be able to go out sledding. This is Chris last year:

I think i'll just stick to the flat stuff!!

My project--birthday presents

2009-01-30T10:32:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the things that i've been working on for the past week for my friend Tami--as you can see from the card, she is 30...something!

I love to make these little dishclothes--i don't do anything fancy....they are a dishcloth after all!! But because you can make a couple in an evening; they give me instant satisfaction!!

Lastly is the scarf--it's hard to get a good picture of a scarf unless you have a model, so Kalli stepped up to the challenge and modelled for me. Now all i did was ask her to wear it so i could get a good picture--i did not in anyway tell her HOW to stand and look at what she does.....

Could she have any more of a models' pose?!? (Seriously though--whose kid is she--i certainly don't stand like that.....the hip off to one side.....one foot in front of the other....i don't even wear high heels....where do they learn these things!!) But i have to say, she does look cute!!

People are great!!

2009-01-29T09:06:00.000-08:00

On Monday, on my walk home at lunch, i stopped to talk to my next door neighbor. She noticed that Rex had "blew a bootie". Now being that Rex is only about 7lbs, his booties are pretty small, however they are also inexpensive to buy at the Feed Store so it's not the end of the world. However, I figured that i MIGHT be able to find it as i walked to work the next morning, but alas it snowed that night!! I did not give up hope and kept my eyes peeled as i walked to and from work on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, as i'm crossing Tatchun, a car pulls up to the stop sign, the driver gets out and says to me "i think we found your dog's bootie". REALLY? "Just go knock on the door and my mother-in-law will give it to you"--and off he goes.

So i continue home, drop off Rex, stop at this guys house, knock on the door and am greeted by the whole family, their dog included!! The mother-in-law informs me that she found it down by Rotary Park!!!

Now what are the odds that when i loose this 1 x 2 inch bootie:

a lady picks it up and doesn't just ignore it

brings it home to within 1 block of my house

her son-in-law leaves his house

intersects with me walking home with Rex

takes the time to look at Rex (or his little feet)

stops and talks to me

i am reunited with the missing bootie

I think that is just a reminder that people are great!! Later that afternoon i watch from across the street as a vehicle stuck in it's snowy filled parking spot, is struggling to rock back and forth to gain momentum to try & get out. Along comes a guy walking down the sidewalk who stops, puts down the stuff he is carrying and helps push this person out of the snow!! People ARE great!!

The rising cost.....of cereal

2009-01-27T10:37:00.001-08:00

Has anyone else noticed that while gas may have gone down, the price of cereal has gone up....about a million percent!!! Cereal is becoming a 'treat' - and i'm not talking about the'crappy, taste good, but are so bad for you' kind, i'm talking about the 'good for you' kind. A big box of special k with the strawberries in it is about $7!!! For $7 I can buy a whole lot more strawberries than what comes in the box. AND i've also noticed, that while the prices have gone up, the size of the boxes have shrunk!! The box is about the size of a piece of paper, and about an inch thick and the price is higher!! Pretty soon they'll be about the size of those one serving boxes--8 little boxes that come all shrink wrapped together--we used to get those for a treat when we were kids!! There would be a fight for the frosted flakes and fruit loops, but the rice krispies and corn flakes would stay in the cupboard until probably about a year later, mom would throw them out.
I think we should start a cereal protest or strike--stop buying it until they increase the size of the box back to what they were and they leave the price alone. Cereal is my favorite food--it works for all three meals and a snack--but thankfully my kids are not big cereal eaters, so the rise in cost won't kill me.

100's day

2009-01-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

Every year in my kids' school, the primary grades celebrate '100's day' which marks having been in school 100 days. Each student makes a project using poster board and 100 things glued on to it. I had come across Christine Kane's blog http://christinekane.com/blog/ where she talked about gratitude journals and things that delight you etc...So i challenged myself and kids to make a list called '100 ways I am delighted'. Well Kalli chose this to be her 100's day project--apparently she thought this would be more fun than gluing 100 cherioo's to a poster board!!!
Anyways we both made it to 100, Taylor made it to 26--i think because she is the kind of kid who delights in about a million different things a day, so to try and take the time to write down 100 of them, would be just too overwhelming!!! These lists were so neat that we taped them to the wall and there they have hung for a year!! I decided last weekend that I should take them down, date them, fold them up and put them away for when they were older. I would love to see now what delighted me when I was a kid.
So this morning, as Taylor was sitting there eating her breakfast, reading over the lists (i've taken them down and dated them--just haven't quite gotten them folded and put away yet!!), she informs me that February 4th was the deadline for Kalli's 100's day project. And sitting beside her was Kalli--eating Cherioo's!! Kalli doesn't say a word about the project--she was probably in deep thought wondering whether to glue 100 Cherioo's to a poster board, or do something way more significant---she is, after all, 8 years old now!!

Christmas has officially ended

2009-01-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

This weekend I finally took down my Christmas tree--um yes it was a little late, but it was my first chance!! Last weekend we painted Taylor's room, and the weekend before that we were returning from the cabin....(I wish I was there!!) Anyways....typically I'm always sad to take down my tree; I remember as a kid, crying when my mom took ours down!! But this year, I put it up 1st weekend in December (that was the only time I had to do it other than 1 week before Christmas) and then left it up until the middle of January, which gave me a good 6 weeks of Christmas tree enjoyment. And that was plenty--no tears of sadness for me when I took it down!!
I have always been one to insist on a real tree and refused to even consider a fake, but last year I took the plunge and bought a brand new, fake prelit tree with a remote, all for $50!!! I have to say, it's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be:

I don't have to crawl under it to check the water
I don't have to try and water it without spilling any on the presents
I don't have to risk buying a real one and having it begin dropping needles 3 days later
I don't have to tie it to the wall/ceiling in order to keep it from falling down
I don't get sap all over myself
I don't have to manuever myself between it and the wall to unplug the lights (because I have a handy dandy remote!!)
I can set it up early and take it down late to get my fill of Christmas tree viewing
-40 has no bearing on whether I can go and get my tree

HOWEVER

I miss the smell of a 'real' tree
I miss going out and getting a 'real' tree -as long as it's not -40!!
I miss the uniqueness of a different tree
I didn't have to try and fit a' real' one back into the box!!

My musical kids!

2009-01-16T13:47:00.001-08:00

Here is, not the best picture of Kalli playing guitar in the school christmas concert--she is the only one in Grade 3 & obviously the only one with a blue guitar!! In the lead up to the concert we heard 'Joy to the World' about a million and a half times--we were very 'joyous' when all the practising for the concert was done!! (I think it's time to update the camera to better capture these moments!)
Here is Taylor playing some musical instrument-I'm not sure what it is - but she also played her recorder for parts of it too. She just loves to perform in whatever capacity she can!!

A Baby Shower

2009-01-15T10:14:00.001-08:00

I am helping to plan a baby shower for my (much younger!!) friend. It takes me back almost 11 years to when my firstborn arrived. I remember them handing her off to me and all of the sudden you realize this being is yours--you're the mother, you should know what they like, how to make them happy, what they need etc...WAIT A MINUTE--I've never met them before--how the heck am I supposed to know?!?!? On the 2nd night, after hours of trying, I have not managed to appease this little baby, so I ring for The Nurse. She bustles in, wraps her tight, gives her 2 pats on the bottom and bounces her just right and suddenly she's happy!! OKAY THAT'S JUST NOT FAIR!! I couldn't figure out how she could achieve this so easily and i had been struggling for hours to make 'MY baby' happy. It didn't make sense-I've always been good with babies, I wasn't scared about having a baby, and it certainly didn't occur to me that I wouldn't be able to solve any problem with my baby. But I remember asking her as tears of frustration were sliding down my cheeks, 'how did you know what to do'? She told me very gently...'Over the span of my career, I've done this with about a thousand different babies". OH, and a lightbulb comes on in my head!!
Now after 2 of my own, I can now pick up a crying firstborn of one of my friends, wrap them just right, swing them just right, and what do you know, they're happy!!
And now mine are coming with me to the baby shower. They're going to help us set up and decorate because now, they're old enough! I miss the baby times, but only a little--as long as I can occasionally hold a newborn, I'm good to go!! So don't worry hubby, my biological clock has been unplugged!

My First Blog entry

2009-01-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

This is my first entry into my blog--shall i jump right in and talk about what is on my mind?! THE WEATHER--after weeks and weeks in the -30 to -40 range, it's now +2!! It smells like spring (if there is such a thing!!) When i walked to work this morning, even the wind felt warm! I can't believe that they're calling for rain on Sunday--then -13 on Monday--I'm hoping that doesn't happen because the roads will be a complete nightmare to try and navigate.
BUT with the amount of snow we have and the warmer weather, it does make for perfect snowman making conditions--this is something that doesn't happen too often here. For the most part, our snow is all 'crystally' and you couldn't make a snowball if your life depended on it. I think this weekend i'll send the kids outside to make one--if there's still snow left!!