Are We There Yet?

Nathalie Jean

The concept of “filling buckets” continues to be on my mind this week.  Wednesday brought the much anticipated arrival of a letter from our “sponsored child” Nathalie Jean.  The kids love to hear from her and this letter was not a disappointment. Nathalie is almost exactly the same age as Sarah and she lives in a small town in the Phillipines with her mother and 3 brothers. From what we have learned about her over the past year is that she is smart, sweet, very pretty and a very good student.  Her life is tough but she has a very positive attitude.

 We first crossed paths with Nathalie when a representative from World Vision came knocking on our door last spring. Like most people, Blaine and I are always looking for opportunities to teacher our children about being giving and charitable.  Let’s face it our kids live a blessed life and we need to take every opportunity to discuss those who are less fortunate.  We knew the day would come when we would make the commitment to take on this responsibility as a family but we were waiting for the kids to be the right age so that they could be a part of the process.  As the four of us met with the wonderful young man from World Vision a year ago, we all listen intently to the details about World Vision Sponsorship.  We picked Nathalie because of her age ans story and we picked the Phillipines, well for many reasons.  Our hope was that our children could correspond with this child and develop a relationship of sorts.  Sarah and Nate both write individual letters to Nathalie, which go along with our family letters.  They are so proud to do this task.

 Nathalie’s recent letter was so heartwarming.  She was thrilled to receive some pictures of the kids and she writes,

“Dear Sarah, Your very very beautiful in your picture.  I'm 9 years old and in grade 3 too.  I like puppies”. 

 “Dear Nate, I’m so happy when I read your letter and also when I saw your picture your very  very cute.My hobby is reading books sometime i play badmenton with my cousin and brother” The kids were tickled pink.

The section addressed to Blaine and I went something like this,

“Thank you so much for sending me a letter again. I’m so very happy when I received your letter and also the letter of your two kids.  I’m so very proud when I heard that you are a teacher because my ambition is to become a teacher someday like you. And I’m an honor student in our class.”  She goes on to later say, “  I hope and pray we will meet someday together with your family.”

 As we fill Nathalie’s bucket with our monthly contributions to her community development programme in an attempt to help her family attain self-reliance, in return Nathalie fills our buckets with her heartwarming words and her gratitude.  Her picture on our fridge is a daily reminder of just how important and rewarding it is to give.

 “Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.”

-Brain Tracy

 

 

Done Deal!

I can finally say that I have my first (but definitely not last) half marathon under my belt. Yesterday, I ran the Winnipeg Police Services Half Marathon along with 1700 other Winnipeggers. It was absolutely awesome. It wasn't just the run, it was the spirit of it all. the comradery of the other runners, the feeling of being a part of something electric. It was a community of people that I can say I was proud to be amongst, you could feel the passion and dedication to the cause in the air and I was moved by every moment of it. I'm more than a little sentimental about life in general but I was choked up from the moment the gun went off and the big bomber flew overhead. I was surrounded by woman wearing remembrance pinnies on their backs and I wished I had known so I could have carried Mom along with me.

I have trained for this day for a long time, a LONG time. I have encountered every road block along the way and never completed it. Some years it was knee injury, last year back. Some years it was pregnancies and some years, it was the babes. This year wasn't flawless, my knee flared up here and there but I learned to listen and to scale back when I had to. Even up to the very start, I wasn't certain of the outcome, I knew I'd finish but having missed a few long runs of training to keep the knee going, I had no idea of time. I finished in 2 hours and 14 minutes, about 6 minutes more than what my initial goal was. I really hit the wall at mile 11 and had to start taking walk breaks which slowed me down considerably but I was able to sprint past my family at the home stretch and I was on cloud 9 all day. Today, I wore my cheesy shirt proudly to school and I googled every half marathon over the next few months. I learned that accomplishments like this are as much will power as they are physical power and today I feel like I'm stronger than I thought I was. I did it!

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

A bunch of girls out on the open road and a Target store there to meet us at the end, what more could I ask for. This weekend, we spent 3 days in Grand Forks, shopping, dning, toasting and vegging out completely, Shauna, Kate and I amongst the group. Long gone are the days when we head out looking for a wild time as darkness sets in, this time around we found jammies and the movie, Dear John, much more suited to us. It was perfect, the car was packed to the top and everyone reached their limit, somr a bit more than others, it was many laughs and too much crappy food but just enough time away to really miss the monkeys.

I always feel blessed to have a hubby that genuinley loves his alone time away wiith the kids. They always have an amazing time and always find creative ways to pass the time.

Here are the top 10 ways to know that mom has been away for the weekend:

10. There are 2 pizza boxes in the recycle bin.

9. There is a rubber snake living in a box at the end of Ty's bed.

8. All of my decorative rocks are snuggled up next to the rubber snake.

7. There is a bowl of leftover zoodles in a bowl in my fridge. 6. My kids ipods are loaded up with rock music. NO COUNTRY, WHAT?

5. Sades is wearing the same shirt that I left her in, coincidence I'm told.

4. The sprinkler and bikinis are out, only dad thinks it's warm enough.

3. They have decided that Ty can have 2 puffer fish.

2. My entire bedroom has been lined by pets and crates for a make believe pet shop.

1. The two men have decided that Ty should have a new pet ...a salamander. Not bought yet, thank goodness, I can still put a stop to it.

They had an amazing time, Half Moon, Pet Land, Home Depot, a sleepover with uncle and Ives and Olive, too. They had a fantastic time, the house was clean...enough and they were thrilled to see me. Perfect!

Ola!

Ty's new passion...reptiles and especially big, ugly iguanas.

The pirates captured my little monkeys.

Maggie wants to grow up to be "Pirate Girl Gypsy"

Johny Depp -Jack Sparrow look alike (aka my heart throb)

My little beauty, 5 going on 15.

My other little dolly

Looks lke that's it for a look at Mexico tonight.  I wish I was there all over again.

 

There's No People Like Snow People

Today, my dad picked the kids up after school because I had a staff meeting.  As I turned onto our bay around dinnertime, I was surprised to see people standing in my yard.  In fact, they were not real people but instead the fabulous snow people you see in the pics above. 

These two snowmen made my day.  I loved how the kids didn’t stop with your typical hat and scarf, but went as far as to doll these two up with shirts, jackets, and even hair.  I laughed to myself noticing that Sarah’s snow girl also appears to be quite well endowed.

I love that while I was away today, my kids spent the after school time, enjoying the warm weather and constructing these wonderful creations with their “Poppy”.  I can imagine the elaborate plans, the laughter, the teamwork and the delight they shared as they admired their final products.

These are the things I cherish most about having children.  Their daily joy and wonder warm my heart like nothing else.  It is the one hundred and one little things that make me want to burst with pride and love each and every day.…like when Sarah laughs so hard she can barely stand up, or Nate asks me to rub his feet.  It is the snuggles, the spontaneous “I love you’s” and wonderful little details they want to share about everything they do. It is the uncanny moments when I catch a glimpse of my mom, or dad, Blaine or even myself in their face, or their mannerisms.  It is the inside jokes, the million memories, our family rituals, the everyday routines and every moment in between. 

Kids….can’t live without ‘em!

 

Nate the Great

Nate has pretty much loved school since day one, but as of late, his excitement about grade one has hit an all time high.  He comes home each afternoon full of anecdotes about his day.  He has work samples to proudly display, jokes to tell, funny stories to share and numerous tidbits of information he has learned to impress us with.

 Nate makes my day with little notes in his agenda where he writes “I love you mom” and “Have a nice day” …just because.  But nothing impresses his mother more than his excitement about books.  He has been reading quite well over the past year and a half but this week something momentous happened in my little buddy’s world.  This week Nate was encouraged by his teacher to take out his first chapter book from the library…Nate the Great and the Boring Beach Bag….a fitting series for my own little Nate. 

 With that he was hooked.  He requested that I bring him home as many Nate the Great titles that I could find from my own library and he has already made his own through a great number.  He has located the many bookmarks around the house to mark his place in his “novels”.  He loves to tell me all the details about each book and he sometimes uses a magnifying glass to read the words just like the main character.  He falls asleep each evening with a book open on his chest, a sign of a true reader.

 Nate, you are great…may your excitement about reading and books continue on for many years to come!

 

ANNA and her cookies

Mmmmm...cookies warm and gooey just out of the oven, now that is one of those great comfort foods.  Tonight was cookie night, we needed to hibernate on this bone chilling night and I believe that chewy cookies make it so much more enjoyable.  The kids eat half of the dough, my hubby eats half of the cookies, everyone stays happy and warm.  I tried a new recipe tonight from a blog that I follow, I didn't use the silicone heart shapes and I changed half the chocolate chips to peanut butter chips.  I LOVE the recipe but like every cookie recipe, make sure that you take the cookies out of the oven before they look even close to being done that way they cook and still stay so chewy.  This is ANNA magazine's blog, a Manitoba magazine I subscribe to that I love for the local feel, the simple and delicious menus and much to my delight, the beautiful photos that grace the crisp pages that resemble more of a coffee table book than a mere magazine.  Every issue is a work of art.  Enjoy her blog and enjoy the cookies.

Drive

I am blessed to work with people I adore.  They are not only colleagues, but people I call friends.  I appreciate each of them for different reasons and I learn from each of them in different ways, every day. They make me be better.

Last Friday we shared a day of stimulating conversation, collegiality, relaxation and fun.  Our amazing day ended with this thought-provoking video.  And although I knew of Dan Pink and his best selling books Drive and A Whole New Mind, that particular day his concept of “What’s My Sentence?” really resonated with me.  Summarizing the essence of someone, of yourself, in one simple sentence is no easy task.  I love hearing what these people came up with in this video.

 For me, although I have come back to this question over and over again in my mind over the last few days and I truly did give this whole thing a lot of thought, well the conclusion I came up with was that “my sentence” is….. still a work in progress. 

Dan Pink’s second question of “Am I better today than I was yesterday?”  is equally as powerful.   I am a firm believer that real change and progress take time and patience.  However, I also believe that as a wife, mother, daughter, friend and educator it is the small, subtle shifts that I make daily that I know in time will help me move towards the bigger, long-term goals I am aiming for.

 In the words of Dan Pink….“there is no limit for better”.  With that in mind I will continue to let his two big questions percolate in my mind and continue to drive me towards “better”.

 So….what’s your sentence?

 

Queen for the Day

My Little Niece, Ivy!  How can you not love a face like this?

Family Time

As the kids grow older, and schedules get busier we make a point of spending some good old-fashioned “family time” together regularly.  This takes on many forms in our home; an evening bike ride in the summer, tobogganing in the winter, a trip for ice cream, a game of cards, a walk to the park, a GPS adventure, playing a board game…to name a few.  Our latest undertaking was to try Team Scrabble.   That was a riot!

 If there is something happening in or around the city you will often find us there; festivals, plays, parades, and other events…we are always looking for fun family entertainment!   We have also made our way through eight seasons of Little House on the Prairie and now enjoy many a JETS game on TV…just the four of us.

 However, my favourite family time tradition is movie night.  In my opinion one of the many great advantages of having kids is having the chance to watch the countless fabulous kids and family movies out there!  Around here, movie night involves pajamas, cozy blankets, a warm fire, a big bucket of popcorn and some snuggles.  It doesn’t get better than that!

 This past year has produced an abundance of must-sees in the movie department for us.  These include:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid-Rodrick Rules- we love the Wimpy Kid movies and this sequel may even be better than the first.
• The Smurfs-not sure who enjoyed this more, Blaine and I or the kids?  I was a big Smurf fan growing up so this was right up my alley.
• The Adventures of Tin Tin- this movie was spectacular and visually unlike no other kids movie out there.  Make a point of seeing this on in 3D in the theatre.
• Soul Surfer- I lost count of how many times my kids watched this movie.  Over the summer my two kiddies along with Mol’s three monkeys, all knew parts of this movie by heart and spent hours acting out many of the exciting scenes. 
• Mr. Popper’s Penguins- We LOVED this movie.  It was an amazing modern version of a very old book.
• Dolphin Tale-This wonderful story warmed my heart like no other.  It also prompted us to watch the old classic Free Willy.

 It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life.  Time flies and calendars fill. "Smurf" happens and kids grow up.  But around here regular “family time” is not an option…it is a necessity.

What are your “family time” traditions?  What are your favourite things to do with the kids?