Are We There Yet?

Love Is in the Air

Funny how a cheesy little Hallmark holiday can cause such a stir!  Making Valentines, treats for the party, a little something for the kids, finding the right shade of red to wear, the perfect card for my hubby, it goes on and on, but oh such fun! 

This Valentine’s was full of wonderful little surprises and funny little moments to remember.  It started with a grand gesture from our principal.  She bought us all a red t-shirt that read, “My Boss Thinks I am Kind of a Big Deal”.  Karin, our principal, is a riot and a boss like no other.    It was hilarious to see us all walking the halls today wearing our same red shirt.  The kids thought it was great.  Too funny!

I was lucky enough to end up with one of my most favourite people as my Secret Valentine at work over the last few days.  Notice the keyword, “secret” ….however Kristin is a bit of a open book and couldn’t keep it under wraps.  She spoiled me with the most perfect little gifts.  Magnetic bookmarks for the booklover.  A yummy loose tea from Teavana for the tealover.  Partylite spicy scented candles for the pumpkin lover. And a precious little notepad to use as notes in the kids’ lunches.  She knows me oh so well!!  A big shout out to my “secret” valentine!!

My little girl surprised me with the most amazing birthday/valentine’s gift.  Her most recent pottery creation was wrapped up just for mom and couldn’t have been more adorable and perfect.  Thanks sweet girl!

Blaine and I have never been into big, elaborate Valentine’s gifts.  My husband is sweet, affectionate and generous.  He tells me how much he loves me everyday.  Jewelry and expensive flowers on Feb. 14^th don’t hold a candle to all of that.  Thankfully, he is also the first guy to drive out late at night when I have an ice cream craving.  We exchanged our usual thoughtful cards and he brought home a fantastic bottle of red wine we will enjoy together sometime this weekend when we aren’t competing with curling and hockey, as we are this evening.  Love you, hon!

And to top it off my most comical Valentine’s moment came when a new grade 2 girl at school, funny enough with the name “Shawna” ,gave me a Valentine that was addressed to, “the lady with the books”.  So cute…made my day!

Happy Valentine’s everyone…I hope yours has been as fun, heartwarming and filled with love as mine!

Where Does the Time Go?

In a blink it is the middle of February. 

 As of late, we have been crazy busy, like most…hence the lack of posts.  The end of January brought a weeklong work trip for Blaine, out to the west coast.  This left mom on her own and without much down time.  That was followed by report card writing, which uses up every spare moment of a teacher’s life for a while, and then some. 

And this past weekend was one of the busiest and most fun I can remember.  Our Community Club hosted it’s yearly hockey tournament, which meant volunteer time, five games (three on Sunday alone), and a Friday night visit to the Beer Gardens with the team parents, while the kids had the run of the rink and the best of times.  We ended the weekend with our team winning Silver and a mom with no voice.   It was super exciting and a ton of fun.  This is not an experience my little buddy will be forgetting anytime soon.

We also attended a 70’s party that was extremely well done and such a blast.  It was hilarious to see the fros, the cheesy moustaches, the loud prints and tons of polyester in the crowd.  They say dancing is good for the soul!  What a night!

I look forward to things settling down over the next few weeks.  With a quieter long weekend coming up and not as much on the books it’s time for life to slow down just a little. 

But first this week consists of a birthday for me, 39 and holding….I will enjoy every minute of my 39^th year as the majority of my friends reach the big milestone before me.  Hee…hee!  And of course -Valentines.  Happy ♥Day everyone!

Where does the time go?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cost of Colour

Back in December Nate and I went to Perkins for brunch. While we waited for Blaine and Sarah to join us, we did the activities on the placemat that most restaurants offer. Nate was really into the word searches, the tic tac toe and all of the other activities. He was engaged, calm and happy as can be. Nate sipped his coveted drink as Blaine and Sarah arrived. For our two, pop is a treat reserved for special occasions and restaurants. Therefore, Nate had excitedly chosen a “wild cherry” sweet treat as his beverage of choice. Can you see where this is going? By the time our food arrived my sweet, well behaved and calm Nathan was colouring on his face with the crayons and crawling under the table. He was spinning.

I can’t say I have never seen this not so agreeable side of Nate before. On occasion, we have seen this difficult to manage, hyper side of Nate in the past, and had come to refer to it as “Sugar Nate”. For that reason we are always very cautious about the amount of sugar he eats. That day the quick transition in him was uncanny. We managed to reign him back in and enjoy the rest of our lunch, but as we headed home, something didn’t sit right with me.

Call it mother’s intuition but somehow I knew there was more going on here. My gut told me it wasn’t the sugar in the drink that was the problem….it was the colour. That afternoon I spent hours on the Net researching food dyes. This was a topic I knew a little about, but what I found out that afternoon blew my mind. I read countless websites and reports. General themes that seemed to be mentioned throughout were; food dyes are BAD! I know this is not news to many of us, but I am not sure I realized just how bad they really are. Food dyes are banned in many European countries. When tested in rats and other animals, they often cause cancer. Food dyes are made from petroleum. There are links to hyperactivity and behavior problems in children. There is tons of debate on this one, but for me after reading all of the blogs and anecdotal feedback offered by parents, and witnessing the changes in my own kid after eating red or yellow food dye, I am a believer.

Here is a direct quote from an article that really spoke to me, “During the past 50 years, the amount of chemical dye used in foods has increased by a whopping 500%. Could it be one of the causes of the alarming rise in child behavioral problems, aggression and ADHD? Studies show it’s a definite possibility.” To read the rest of the article click here.  

It seems that children with learning disabilities, attentional difficulties and other issues can have a heightened sensitivity to food dyes. Nate’s link to PANDAS makes him a likely candidate to be more sensitive than others. After experimenting with the colour thing a couple of times there is no doubt in my mind Nate is sensitive to food dyes. We now try to limit his exposure to colour as much as possible, within reason.

I am a label reader because of Sarah’s peanut allergy but the amount of label reading we now do has increased even more so since that day. “Colour” is listed as an ingredient on many things, in many cases surprising things. I now try to avoid it as much as humanly possible, particularly, red and yellow (tartrazine). The first time I sent Blaine out shopping after our enlightenment he was gone for three hours. But like anything, it gets easier.

I don’t want Nate to resent this shift in his diet so we make sure there are still options for treats he can enjoy. Really, candy and ice cream are the toughest ones to get around. However, there are some fruit gummies (Real Fruit Minis) that are ok, as well as Florida’s Natural Nuggets. Smarties are made with natural colours and most chocolate is still good to go. Nate has been great about choosing plain chips over ketchup or 7 Up over Orange Crush. He made it through the holidays without missing a candy cane too much and we made Imperial Cookies instead of sugar cookies with dyed icing, this Christmas. For Valentine’s Day I will add raspberry jam to our icing for our cupcakes. It is a great and tasty alternative!

I encourage anyone with a remote interest in this topic to spend 20 minutes researching it on the Internet. The amount of information out there is frightening, but I am so relieved to have made the connection for my colour sensivite boy.  Unfortuenately, there is a lot of food out there today with a lot of crap in it.  

Around here we are going to try and avoid the food dyes when we can and  I will continue to enjoy my sweet, calm, loving, and a little less "colourful" boy.

Here are a few of the websites I found most interesting but truly, there are too many to list. http://www.cspinet.org/new/200806022.html

http://cspinet.org/fooddyes/testimony.html

http://www.mamasagainstdrama.com/2011/08/one-dye-at-a-time/

http://inspirationgreen.com/food-dyes-linked-to-behavior-problems.html

http://raisingnaturalkids.com/2012/11/05/a-look-at-food-dye-sensitivity/

So is LIfe...

“As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.”~ Seneca

2013.  Wow.  I remember so clearly the year we brought in the new millennium 13 years ago.  On New Year’s Eve 1999, we attended a “progressive” dinner that led us to a number of friends’ houses in East Kildonan for drinks, appies, soup, salad and eventually our large group made the final trudge to our last destination for a fabulous dinner and tons of dancing before we rang in the New Year.

Yes, that night will always stick out in my mind, however it could never top our tradition and the fun of spending new year’s with my kids and the crew at Mol & Chad’s.  Spending New Year’s with some of my most favourite people, watching all of our kids play, skate and celebrate together and the amazing spread Chad and Mol put on cannot be topped.  It is guaranteed to be fabulous time for all and a perfect way to start the New Year.

In fact, the entire holiday season has been pretty perfect around here.  We have filled our days with just the right amount of down time and busyness.  We have skated, tobogganed, played tons of board games, read, done puzzles, built Lego villages, watched movies, entertained and video gamed.  We have slept in every day (yay!) and been surrounded with all of our favourite people multiple times. 

And as we turn the corner on a new year, this is the time to reflect back on the one past.  2012 was a bit of mixed bag for us.  It certainly had its share of ups and downs like most.  So is life. 

This past spring brought one of the darkest times I remember for our family as we watched our daughter go through an extremely difficult period.  All we can do is learn and grow from times like those.  So is life.

We also were dealt a bit of a curveball with the growth of my tumour, however the option of having gamma knife instead of full cutting brain surgery was truly a blessing. All we can do is pray that my springtime MRI results show that all is well.   We also watched some people we care about deeply go through the most difficult of times.  For them, I know 2013 will bring renewed peace and happiness once again. So is life.

In August, we lost our dear sweet Rosie.  An integral and beloved part of our family, that was a very difficult blow for us all and the first real time our children had to face death.  We still deeply miss our sweet old girl, yet we have opened our hearts to our new addition, Black Mac who has so much personality and such a gentle soul.  So is life.

 2012 also brought a vacation of a lifetime.  Our trip to Disneyworld with my parents was so unbelievably and unforgettably fun on every level.  Two weeks of childhood bliss.  It was most certainly the highlight of the year.  And as my parents flipped through the photo book I had made them for Christmas highlighting all of those wonderful memories, I couldn’t help but tear up thinking how blessed the six of us were to share those experiences and how lucky I was in that moment on Christmas morning to be surrounded by the people I love most.  To live in a wonderful home in a safe country, to have a job I love, to be healthy and to share my life everyday with two beautiful children, an amazing and attentive husband who loves me with all his heart and to be surrounded daily by a number of other family and friends that share in and brighten my everyday. Life is good.   Welcome 2013…. 

Happy Holidays!

Photos by ChrisMcWilliams Photgraphy

Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2013!    Enjoy each moment, appreciate each tradition, savour each meal and cherish every memory. May the time ahead be filled with love, laughter, family, friends and tons of fun!

Shauna, Blaine, Sarah & Nate

Countdown to Christmas

December is a whirlwind for all of us.  Life is busy enough and when you throw in extra parties, concerts, shopping, wrapping, baking and a variety of other functions, there are very few spare moments.  For us, the busyness tends to fall in the first few weeks of December and then we enjoy a little lull before the real “big day”.  So yes… this week is a little quieter for us and we can breathe again. 

Yesterday, we hosted the annual kids’ book exchange at our house.  Our group has been meeting around this time for years.  The number of children involved has grown over time and this year reached an all time high of 16 kiddies ranging in age from 2 months to 9 years old.  The kids have become pretty independent and these days we barely see them as they play in the basement while the adults have a chance to catch up upstairs.

Other traditions continue around here.  The Elf on the Shelf has returned once again with new tricks up his sleeve.  He has shown up in the most peculiar of places and sometimes comes with a witty holiday joke tucked under his arm to share.  One morning we even found him with a stick trying to roast a marshmallow beside our gas fireplace.  Trickster!

We have been filling our few spare moments with our daily Christmas stories and regular viewings of our favourite holiday movies and specials.  If you haven’t heard yet, Scaredy Squirrel has a new book out called, “Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas”.  This is a sure winner under the tree.

I went a different route with our Advent Calendar this December. Each season I struggle to find a peanut free chocolate one, which is okay in light of the fact the chocolate in those tastes like plastic.  This year my countdown plans came from Pinterest. 

Each day the kids have an envelope to open that has some holiday/winter/family activity in it.  These include;

• Tobogganing
• Christmas craft
• Movie night
• Making Christmas cards
• Write letter to Santa
• Singing carols
• Board game
• Card game
• Gingerbread house
• Baking cookies
• Going to see Christmas lights
• Ice skating
• Hot Chocolate for no reason
• Snuggle, popcorn and tv time in front of the fire

Some are repeated and for the super busy days when we can’t fit in any extras, I have the old stand by “This Kiss is for you” and chocolate saves the day!

The kids have loved this year’s Advent festivities and I think this format may become an annual thing around here.

One of my favourite holiday moments is when the kids receive their video message from Santa.  Nate’s eyes were as big as saucers this afternoon as he held his breath waiting for Santa to declare whether he had made the “nice list”.  He was so relieved and hung on every word Santa had to say.  Be sure to make your way to the Portable Northpole Website if you haven’t been there already!

With only a week to go the countdown really is on!  Enjoy every minute… 

Chores, Allowance and the bumps along the way…

Not sure if this is a topic I have touched upon before, or one I have always meant to explore further.  I do know that when it comes up around our staffroom table at work, the overall consensus is that this is a tough issue to find a groove with.  What is the right age to start chores?  What are the right chores?  Allowance or no allowance or how much allowance?

In our house we have attempted many kicks at this can and nothing has ever really stuck.  We have tried a variety of chores; making beds, keeping rooms clean, emptying the dishwasher, cleaning the toy room, putting away laundry…you get the idea.

 

However, following each effort we seem to truck along for a while and then soon enough the business of life gets in the way, the kids lose interest, or I fail to follow up and follow through.  We have tried charts like Melissa and Doug’s as well as papers on the fridge.  The kids love the allowance piece for doing their chores ($2.50 a week) but aren’t happy when the weekend comes and they haven’t found the time or made the effort each day to do their chores.  Hmmm….reality!

But, I am happy to say that most recently we have found a renewed success around this topic.  It seems for my two that is all about finding the right chore!  Sarah’s chores are all about pets, which is fitting for my cat obsessed little girl.  Twice daily, she clears our two cats’ dishes, feeds them both canned wet food, and dry crunchy food, and changes their water .  She even helps her dad do the cat litter three times a week.  She has been doing a great job with all of this for a while now!

Nate takes his most recent chores very seriously.  He is the recycling guy, taking all of our boxes, cans and jars etc. out to the garbage as well as the garbage each day after school.  Before bed he also checks that each of the toilets has toilet paper nearby and on the weekends when I am doing by cleaning he sprays and wipes the doorknobs.

It seems to me that what helped our family turn the corner with the whole chore thing is that each of the chores has an assigned time linked to it.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed that our success continues.

What chores do your kids do?  What do you do about allowance?

Feeling Lucky

So last week I had my long awaited Gamma Knife surgery.  It isn’t too often that one has brain surgery and needless to say I was a little leery going in.  The day started bright and early and as Blaine and I left the house just after 5:00 am I made sure to give my dear, sleeping kiddos a little kiss for good luck before I was on my way.

Truth be told, luck is already on my side. 

• I am lucky that a few years ago they found my fairly large benign brain tumour by chance.  If they hadn’t it may have grown to the point where I would have experienced symptoms; seizures, visual disturbances or damage to my facial nerve. 
•  I am lucky that Dr. Michael West is my neurosurgeon.  They don’t get much better than him and I have the upmost confidence in his abilities.  He is also a super nice guy, to boot.  He may not be McDreamy but he is a close second in my books.
• I am lucky to live in a city that has one of only three gamma knife centres in Canada.  What a blessing to have been able to have my surgery in Winnipeg, instead of traveling and dealing with planes, hotels and being away from home. 
•  I am lucky that my tumour is benign and treatable with gamma knife.  Three years ago when I was diagnosed it wasn’t…how lucky am I that the medicine and technology has advanced so much in three years that I avoided the real “knife” and the invasive surgery of which the recovery would have been months.
•  I am lucky to have a life filled with so many wonderful people…..my family, friends, and colleagues are my greatest gifts in life.  Kind, thoughtful, caring, attentive…I thank all of you for thinking of me, your prayers and your warm wishes.

Last Wednesday, I suffered through the not so pleasant experience of attaching the imaging frame to my skull with the four pins.  I wore that cage like apparatus for about 6 hours and they were right…I really did get used to it.  I had a little sedative and made it through my MRI (I am extremely claustrophic).  After that the team of doctors and physicists read the MRI results and devised their radiation plan of attack.  My sequence was about an hour and twenty minutes long.  I was allowed to listen to music in the machine but even Madonna’s Immaculate Collection could not distract me enough to make it all the way through without a little break. After that pit stop it was clear sailing.

My recovery went well.  I ‘ve had some headaches, and I had pain at my pin sites for a number of days. I slept a lot.  But after a couple of days off work and the weekend, I felt much more like myself and a week later all is well. 

And now we wait.  The benefits of Gamma knife surgery can take weeks and even months to work.  The goal is to stop a tumour in its tracks and prevent further cell growth.  I have a MRI scheduled six months down the road to see where we are at, but until then I am feeling lucky!

Material Girls

Last Friday, five of my favourite ladies from work, and myself headed down south to see Madonna in concert.  It was a whirlwind of a trip full of a million laughs, a ton of shopping and a big show that did not disappoint.   As we headed to Fargo the first night, a little snowstorm could not slow us down as we made our way to our first night’s destination and ended the day with a margarita, some Mexican grub and some late night shopping at Target. 

Saturday morning we were right on schedule, as you would expect from 6 teachers, and we headed out bright and early to Albertville for some outlet shopping.  We spent a number of hours there before heading to Maple Grove and then on to our final destination… the Crowne Plaza in St. Paul, Minnesota, a five-minute walk from the concert. 

I have been a Madonna fan for as along as I can remember and seeing her in concert was a dream come true for me.  She was amazing!  Controversial, daring, fun, beautiful, outrageous, political, and above all….beyond talented.  It was an excellent show filled with the right mix of both classics and her new stuff.  I loved every minute of it!

The next morning (despite the previous’ nights festivities), we were up bright and early once again to continue on with our shopping adventures.  As we headed back to Fargo, the Madonna tunes continued to play as we reminisced about the concert and the girl talk and laughs raged on.   iHop and Q’doba did not disappoint and we did not leave a store unturned.  It was a long day of shopping and as we rolled into Winnipeg very late at night the Yukon was filled to the top with our white plastic bags.

 I am not sure when the last time was I laughed so hard and had so much fun.  There is something about a road trip, a little girl talk and a bit of retail therapy that is good for the soul!  Thanks to my girls for an unforgettable weekend!!!

Good Old Fashioned Fun

We are a board game family.  We have always played them with the kid.  These include Chutes and Ladders, Candyland,  Guess Who, and Trouble to name a few.  And as the kids have grown and matured so has our repertoire of family games.  Most recently we have added 3 classics to our list of favourites…. Scrabble, Yahtzee and Monopoly. 

Board games can be such powerful tools for learning.  Many of them reinforce important math and reading skills.  Subitizing or being able to recognize instantly how many objects you see, without counting can be practiced at an early age using dice patterns.  Board games promote taking turns, following rules, co-operative play and good sportsmanship. 

My kids LOVE to play board games.  We don’t have a regular night of the week like some families do, but each week we try to set aside some sacred family board game time.  And sometimes our group gets even bigger when we get my mom and dad in on the fun. In Florida, the six of us had so much fun playing Yahtzee on our evenings off.  Today I came home from an appointment after school to find my dad deep into a game of Monopoly with the kids.  “Poppy” had many hotels on the board but the kids took the whooping well!

With the technology-based world we live in today we need to ensure that we cherish age-old traditions such as playing board games with our kids.  Around here we will continue to value the moments we share around the dining room table.

What is your family’s favourite board game?