Life Learning Collegiate: ............Life in a Rainbow

Tatyanah

2012-01-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

Seriously there are some moments in life that take my breath away and today it is Tatyanah! She is 14 and a spit fire, she is full of laughter and life, she is so happy and once in a while, so bitchy. But she is becoming a lady, no more a small child but she is changing.

I look at her in awe.

I remember when she was born like it just happened and her silly little antics, she is still always playing somehow. She makes every day of my life sparkle with happiness.

She is strong in her beliefs and values. She stands up for things that I could not at her age and she does so with great poise. She is smart and goofy. She is everything I would ever hope a girl to be.

She is always taking pictures of herself and has developed a sense of how she wants the world to see her, she is fantastic and I am so proud to be her mom! She is a perfect Tatyanah!

HELP

2012-01-15T18:28:00.001-08:00

I need advise..

My son is 16 and decided last year he wanted his high school diploma. He was unschooled until that point. Last year in grade 10 he was with Argyll online and received credits for English 10-1, Science 10, PE 10 and a few CTS courses in foods, tourism,etc. Getting him to follow through was a struggle and I knew in math I would not be able to help him, so we registered him in Outreach. Basically he works as his own pace but there is tutors there at any time to offer help. He could go in one day a week or 5 days. He earned a whopping 76 credits his grade 10 year. He even took the final 6 weeks off to go work in PEI for 2 months.

Next year...now...he is slacking at everything. Math is a major struggle for him. He did math 10C last year and had 2 modules left before PEI which we thought he would complete. So he said he would finish them this term, alas he did Social 20-1, Art 30 and PE 30. We allowed him the opportunity to make his own path, we asked only that he complete his math. He is struggling and we feel VERY strongly that a classroom teaching in a regular high school would help, he is a very very visual learner. But he does NOT want not want to go to "regular" school.

He is 16. he is capable of so much more, he has become video game obsessed. He does not hang out with friends unless they call on him. He has become excessively lazy.

The question is...do we allow him to continue on and allow him to learn as he goes? Or do we say enough is enough? What is fair? What is right? As a parent I believe in learning through consequences, however this is getting crazy. I am drained with the constant issues over education. He IS going to post secondary, and that was his choice, he just needs to learn to prioritize a lot more. He is a super great amazing kid.

Any thoughts?

Kathy

Planning a Commitment Celebration

2012-01-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

Who do you invite?

Where to start? What is acceptable? How do you do what you want without offending anyone??

So many questions yet I think we have it pretty much figured out, but if you have any great ideas, please feel free to share.

We are having a garden party.

We are hanging beautiful lights in the trees, and mason jars, we are using beautiful wild flowers all around and having an old frame hanging in a tree with moustaches and such for great memory pictures.

We are having a fun casual evening with family and friends.

We are writing our own vows...that will be hard.

We are creating a keepsake journal for our friends to sign and putting their pics from the frame in beside their names.

We are excited and wanting to keep it simple but elegant.

An update is in order.....

2012-01-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

Whoa I am way behind in updating my blogger...

where to start....

I had a job, for three months, working with teen girls ages 10-16, in a treatment centre....

I am getting super involved with LGBT kids and families and it is an exciting adventure......

Amanda and I are having a "Celebration of Us" July 21, although marriage for gay people is legal here in Canada, we have decided that we want our lives to be committed by heart and not by paper and I would be more for marriage if it was fair for all.

Kids are in school and doing amazing, shockingly amazing, so proud of them.

We went to Cuba for 9 days, it was so much fun! I learned that one should not hold babies in Havana as mothers only want money. Sad society but brilliant culture.

Book Club is amazing and I love it! I picked the book this month, The Virgin Cure.... I love it and I will do an update after our meeting tonight, Book/Wine club!

Christmas was magical and exciting, I think next year I would like to hide in our house! But we had a great time with family and the kids loved their Visas.

Life is fabulous, busy and alive.

Teens!~

2011-11-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

Adolescence I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you don't

know

here. With emerging new mental and physical abilities, pre-

teens and teens want to have a say in their world. They want

to influence what happens and have their opinions considered.

This desire, mixed with a lack of life experience, and a not-

yet-fully-developed frontal lobe (the part of the brain that

helps us to recognize danger and fully feel empathy for

others), especially in boys, often results in them wanting a

longer leash than parents and educators feel it is wise to

give.

WORK!

2011-11-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

WOW

that is the best way I know how to begin!

http://nightwindcentres.com/

I started work at Nightwind Treatment Centre 2 weeks ago! I work with girls 10-14ish. I love it! First and foremost these are amazing resilient girls. The shit they have faced, the life they have endured so far is unbelievable. I am not going to believe it will all be better or believe this will change the world. But there is something magical about this place. They call it a healing centre, it is true. We have group every day. There is therapists and a cultural leader that work with them 4 times a week. They have one on one counselling and so much support.

The girls participate in Sweat lodges, drum circle, meet with Elders, smudge, have all kinds of opportunities, go on great outings, swimming, etc. They have school on site and rec halls. They learn to hold each other accountable.

It can be draining sometimes but I always feel support from the other staff. We have a great leadership and that makes for a great home.

I love it! I can't wait to get to work every day! I love my job!

When God was a Rabbit

2011-11-05T07:19:00.001-07:00

When God was a Rabbit was our book club book this time and I found it hard to get into. Actually I did not finish it, I was reading too many books at the same time and I found this one was not grabbing me! BUT it really started getting so good and hearing the ending and the rest of the story I can't wait to finish it. It is a really good book.

Lat night we had a small group but it was wonderful! We had our wine and treats and had a great time! I love our book club and the ladies, we have such a great group! Net time we are reading The Post Birthday World, it sounds so good. I will let you know what I think! I am also reading Breaking up with God and Heaven is for Real. Quite the opposite books but I am enjoying them both.

Ringette

2011-11-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

Tatyanah has an amazing team this year! There are so many great families on her team! I love it. The girls are nice girls and they play well together. I actually love her games and love watching them play. Tatyanah is not one to get penalties but last game she got 3. I don't know what was up with the ref but she was just checking and she got called for tripping. Honestly one time a girl skated over Taty's stick and Taty was backwards. Funny.

The girls are doing Zumba and they love it. I have a video on my phone I will post later. It is fun to watch them. They have great coaches and jr coaches. Just all around great!

Most important she is having a great time! She loves ringette! And she is reffing again so it keeps her busy! Love it!

Roxane

2011-09-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

RoXaNe

Amanda and I have found a rare friendship, a magical kind of friendship! ROXANE! She is amazing, she is always right there with us, she helped us find every single person in our journey to getting a home from the realtor to the lawyer! She is unbelievable. We have done so much with her in the past 6 or so months and I do not know what life was like before her. She is a great friend and always beautiful! Just sayin'

Our entire families all connected right down to our dogs! Simon is in love with Takoda and he never likes anyone but he loves Simon! They snuggle in their beds. Takoda hardly tolerates Charlie!

Mason is the sweetest dolly ever, she had the perfect amount of spunk and the perfect amount of sweet! She is so funny when she glares at Amanda for her teasing. She always presents s with beautiful home made gifts that are perfect.

Adam is the best, the kid has the BEST sense of humor, he just whips stuff out like he has been planing it all day! He is an unbelievable soccer player and has the best smile.

Wade, the dad, aka husband, aka MAN is the most gentle loving kind man and loves his family with great passion and always uplifts his wife. He is kind to everyone. He is strong and smart and always willing to lend a hand or share his brilliant advise.

The whole family is some kind of wonderful! We love them all so much!

Roxane

Moving Day!

2011-09-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

It is here, I can't believe it is finally here! I am so excited. I can not sleep, the house looks bare, except for a mass of boxes. Jake has only seen the outside of our house so that is super exciting for him, Tatyanah loves it but says she s not crazy excited, I think new school and ringette tryouts are part of the reasons!

Amanda and I are going stir crazy with excitement! I can not believe tomorrow we get our keys and start moving and painting! We are going to feel like we are in a mansion! because of space. I will really miss our apartment, I lived in apartments in California all the time and I love apartment living. But we need the space!

I have a few last minute packing to do, I accidentally packed all my pants and Amanda's shirts for work.....ooopps, but thats all good, we will have them in our new house in the next 2 days!

Birthday!

2011-09-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

At my age, 21 with 19 years practice, there is not a lot I want for or need in life. I have been blessed with, to me, what is most important, LOVE. I have so many amazing friends and my family is everything I would have ever wanted.

For my birthday, Amanda put together a box of letters, from people in my life, something I will cherish forever and that was a perfect gift for me. I journal everything. I love writing, I find words to be a magical gift. What surprised me is the way so many people feel about me. The most important role I have played in life is being a mother. Everyone complimented me on being a mom. I love it. I was so blessed to see the impact I have had on people. Trust me, nothing in life goes unnoticed. Moments are marked in the souls of people and it is beautiful to know I had a part in creating some beautiful memories.

Thank you to those I have met for all your memories and experiences together, life is a magical place!

Packing!!

2011-09-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

I swear if I never have to pack another box for the rest of my life I will be thrilled~!

We get our keys to our new house Friday and do the big move Saturday! But I have been packing for a month, but it is near the end and it is becoming very overwhelming. I just want to shove the rest in any old box and figure it out later. The problem is, I will be figuring it out later.

I am so excited to be in a bigger place, the kids will love it, the pets will love it. I am sure we will not see the cats for days as they have never had a home so big. They lives in a basement and then an apartment, now we have 4 floors to explore!

Life could not be more exciting!

Life Changes and we hang on!

2011-07-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

Life Changes

So many great things are happening in our lives but it is different too.

I have always home schooled Jake and Tatyanah and Tim was home part way through 3rd grade. Where do I begin??

TIM

He was home and graduated early, he hated doing "work" and then one day, around 14, he decided he wanted to graduate with a diploma. He worked his butt off. He was enrolled at 15 in college and graduated with amazing marks at 16 and 13 days old! It was incredible. He was in school to become a phycologist and was going to major in Psychology and minor in Political Sciences, (proof children become who they are suppose to become, not who their parents are).. He did one term in California and one term in Canada and decided to become a Paramedic! He is excelling, he just bought a house, it is being built as we speak, and he is getting married to his amazing fiancee in November. He is happy, truly happy and fulfilled. We have an amazing beautiful relationship and I am so proud of him. He is 21~

JAKOB

He has always been home schooled and very unschooled but this past year the first term, after he decided to work on a high school diploma, he became very hard to give expectations too. He would work on assignments on his own time and often rush through what he had to do with poor results. I am of the thinking, if they want a diploma, they should get the best diploma they can. So Jake and I began to butt heads so I gave him a warning that he will be in school next term i he did not work harder. He did not work harder and we found a great solution. He started Outreach, a school that is for kids that do not do well in traditional school or are busy in sports or want a different kind of schooling. I was worried but the teachers are great, excellent, unbelievable! He continued to work at his own pace and had teachers whenever he needed them. he could go in once a week to drop of work or everyday and work with teachers. He excelled and got 72 credits so far this year. In Alberta you need 100 to graduate, Jake has all his requirements but English 30-1 and Social 20 and 30!!! He is flying along!

He is working with friends doing landscaping and working around the house for them. Everyone always comments on what a hard worker he is, what a great kid he is! We are so proud of him, he is always a great fabulous kid!
TATYANAH

Oh lordy that girl! I love her so much, she is mini me! She is full of life and love, she feels everything and speaks her mind! She is coming into her own person, she is unbelievable. I wish I was half as strong as she is in life at her age.

She has decided to go to school full time. She is a social girl. She will try out for every team, be in most clubs and love it. It is what she loved about school when she went in grade 7 for 5 months. She only came home because she felt she was missing out. She is a money saver and has 2 jobs plus babysitting. She nannies for a little guy once a week and is a dog walker. She is very careful with her money and saves like crazy! She wants a scooter to get around on so that will be interesting! She is a klutz! Oh but what joy she almost always brings~ I love being her mom and I love watching her grow, but she is not little anymore and she is becoming a young lady, it is hard!

I find this part of life so hard but exciting. The kids are amazing people, we all have fabulous relationships, but they are growing up! It is nice to not have to find sitters to go out with friends, it is great to talk to them now in their understanding and ideas. It is wonderful that they still always hug us all the time. It is also sad, my wee little babies are getting big and when they get hurt, they deal with it themselves. They do not tell me all their secrets anymore and they are separating from me. Sad but beautiful!

So life is changing but in an amazing natural beautiful way!

Reading : The Happiness Project!

2011-07-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

I just began reading this book and it is very good! I am wondering what others think, fill me in!

Our Garden!

2011-07-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

I did not know gardening would be so fun! It is a lot of work and very sad when things do not grow as we wished, we lost a bunch of tomatoes in the beginning due to Alberta frost, PAST MAY LONG!!! We planted a lot of seed and some decided they did not want to grow but most of it is fun! I like seeing how many things come to life and how fast they grow.

We like digging and weeding and visiting. We are a part of a community garden and it is wonderful to learn from each other and see the different gardens and what is growing. It is also interesting to see all the different ways people garden!

We have planted beans, peas, lettuce ( I accidentally weeded all but one of our lettuces), beets, carrots, cucumber, squash, kohlrabi, broccoli, cabbage, and a bunch of herbs!

Tatyanah accidently weeded our carrots and I accidently weeded our lettuce but I left one! Amanda knows better what to weed :)

MS Bike Tour: Team Eiffel of My Bike

2011-07-02T12:39:00.001-07:00

Team Eiffel off my Bike

Sandra, Scott, Kathy, Amanda, Marci and Roxanne (missing Cathy)

185 KM of riding, through heat, rain, tears and laughter, friendships were grown and strengthened, Eiffel off my Bike prevailed. It was a hard ride for those who have never rode before and never that far.

We learned to LOVE butt butter and appreciate proper bike seats. We learned to push ourselves past what we could ever do! It was a challenge to say the least.

We raise over $12000 for the MS Society of Canada!

Day 1 start line

Sandra and Roxy

Little fun at the campground after 6 hours on the bike!

Finish line with everyone!!

Celebrating the finish!

Our team shirts....

Sadly I could not ride this year as I had pneumonia and I thought I would do ok but I was too sick and weak :( I went out to see our team and support them at the finish line on both days and it was great. They all did amazing!

Swimming

2011-07-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Tatyanah and Casy on the waterslide being Taty and Casy

Stacey and Russel!

Casy and Tatyanah

Taty and Casy always have so much fun together!

Me, Cydnee and Russel!

Cydnee at 2 1/2 mths old

rrrr

Broken Heart

2011-06-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

It is often believed that death from a broken heart is no more than just the kind of occurrence we read about in books or see in movies with a tragic love story. So far, people said that no one could actually die from a broken heart, but the latest research comes to prove that wrong: too much pain and grief, as well as a very powerful emotional shock can lead to heart attack-like symptoms that may often result in death.

Research says that broken heart symptom is real and goes by the medical name of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, as Japanese doctors first named it when they initially studied it in the ‘90s. It implies heart attack-like symptoms, including chest pains and shortness of breath, which can be triggered by an emotional shock, such as the one following news of an accident, illness in the family or a very violent argument. Expert believe that because of the release of a high amount of stress hormones, such as adrenaline, a part of the heart can be weakened and become “stunned”.

Even if researchers are still not able to pinpoint the exact causes, or mechanisms of the broken heart symptom, they are positive they’re one step closer to doing so, while also showing that it does, indeed, exist. Some believe it is simply a form of a heart attack that aborts itself early and therefore doesn’t leave any permanent heart muscle damage. At the same time, he believes further studies will prove it’s the latter option.

Zoo with Taty and I

2011-06-07T23:07:00.000-07:00

Tatyanah and I decided to go to the Zoo today! We have a small zoo here and we thought it owuld be a nice afternoon! It was fabulous, there was not a lot of people so we were able to take our time and really watch the animals, it was also feeding time for them so they were super active!

This is the baby monkey a few months old sucking his thumb, his mama did not want him and he is so sweet!

Couple of lose animals!

Tatyanah checking out the Arctic wolf's teeth!

another lose animal

sweet little seals

me and my little monkey

oops

Here the sweetest seal played so happily, they set up a bubble machine and he did not like it too much but he loved his trainers and the salmon popsicle! His name is Nautical.

Arctic wolf, so happy, the trainer walk them an hour a day and play with them a lot!

The elephant on her daily walk! She was so happy!

It was a wonderful afternoon and I am looking forward to going back, it is a small zoo but I learned today that a lot of animals come here as seniors to be happy and calm. Some babies come too!

Children's Festival!!

2011-06-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

My little Ambassador Tatyanah!!!

Every year Tatyanah and Casy wait for the Children's Festival and volunteers every single day! Taty is up at the crack of dawn and off she went to work with the kids, she was amazing and so helpful! She was an Ambassador this year for the first time and she was able to have some extra responsibilities! She loved it!

Makena had so much fun! She was such a happy girl! I went down a few times with Stacey and all her kidlettes, Rai, Randal, Remy, Russel and Cydnee. And Marci and Mak and Mason!

Tatyanah's ambassador hat she made

Randal, and Mak playing a big game of Snakes and Ladders, Randal was so good with Mak, he helped her play the whole time. He was so frustrated that the snake kept getting him!

Remy is in the background playing his own version of the game :)

Mak is so shy and we were so proud of her for doing her trick!

Part of the fun is hanging out and working with friends, here is Tatyanah with Casy, Raina and her other friend.

Tatyanah's birthday present from Tim BUNGEE JUMPING

2011-06-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

I do not know how I was able to watch, I have the video and I will post it later, but Tim took Tatyanah to BUNGEE JUMP! It was intense and her sweet little legs started t get caught but she was fine! She loved it!! She is an adrenalin junkie like her brother and I am sure she will do so many things that will make us hold our breath! Thankfully she has Tim and Amanda to keep her in check and take her to such things.

I am unable, I had to get them to stop the tea cups at Disneyland for ME!

Some Day are gone to the Goats!

2011-06-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

We went to our annual Midieval Days!

Somehow we ended up mostly hanging out with the goats! They were so sweet. One little one crawled into my lap for a rest! I loved it, except when she reached her sweet face to me to give me a kiss, I thought she was going to bite me and I panicked a bit but we were ok!

Love her ears!

Amanda was obviously loving the goats, she loves all animals and Tatyanah thought they were so cute!

Lots of love!

Love This

2011-06-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

"A REAL AUTHENTIC MAN SIMPLY ALLOWS PEOPLE TO BE THEMSELVES. It is not my business to judge anybody as good, as bad. Everybody has to be conscious of his own qualities. If I want to help people, I cannot help by judging; and I can help them only by making them more conscious. If I want to help people -- and there is a great beauty in helping, great joy -- then the first thing is a TOTAL ACCEPTANCE of the person, whoever he is, whatever he is. This is the way the existence has brought him. There must be some need that he is fulfilling; and without him existence will be a little less, he will be missed. And nobody can replace him. He is so unique that he is irreplaceable." ~ OSHO

I got this from I said that Outloud; and I also quoted it in my other blog! I love it!

She is going to SCHOOL!!!

2011-06-01T08:35:00.001-07:00

Tatyanah is going back to school!

She has always danced with the idea of school since she was in 1st grade. At the time we were living in Los Angeles and I did not want her in school. After a month of begging, I took her to the local public school and let her spend an afternoon. That cured her for a while!

In grade she went to the Logos program, a Christian program, for January to May. We went to PEI in June. She loved it, she thrived. She had a great time. Joined clubs, sports teams, etc. But she also was torn, she felt like she was missing out on the "fun" we had at home.

After one more year at home she has declared her eternal boredom with being home. She is extremely social and loves all things school. She loves the group learning, she loves the clubs, she loves the friends and she loves teachers. So we have registered her for next year, grade 9. She is so excited she already wants to go back to school shopping. Her friends are ecstatic and thankfully they are great kids. She has known them since she was 5 years old.

Now I have to figure out what I am going to do! Jake is in high school and Taty will be in school! Seems weird. Actually very hard at times. They are the last 2 and I loved home schooling, I loved the time together, but I see it changing. I know how it was with my 21 yr old and it is beautiful to see them as confident strong beautiful growing people but the mommie in me just wants a few more years.....

This Moment

2011-05-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

from Soul Mama

I love it! PRIDE

2011-05-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

I love these new shirts! I love Old Navy! I love acceptance! Can't wait for these shirts Monday at Old Navy!

Pneumonia SUCKS

2011-05-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Viral Pneumonia: Viral pneumonia is when an infection causes swelling and fluid in the lungs. The fluid in the lungs may make it hard for you to breathe. Viral pneumonia, also called viral pneumonitis, happens most often during the winter. People with viral pneumonia can have symptoms that range from mild to very severe (bad).

Is it just me or does anyone else feel like there is an elephant sitting on your chest? I can not believe what has taken place.

This lovely long weekend was beautiful outside. The kids were both away so it left some amazing quality time for Amanda and I. We were both looking forward to a weekend outside, gardening, tons of bike riding, visiting friends and just being!

Thats not what happened!

I was feeling super sick, a weird cold. I never take anything but i was falling slowly in love with cough medicine as it knocked me out. Usually a good sleep 7 hrs is lots. Nope I slept a massive 26 hours. I knew something was up...or down! I only got up to pee, shower, force myself to eat as I was feeling so weak. And back to bed. I am not a sleeper so it was very weird.

I woke up and ate supper and I just could NOT get air in. I was worried but I just took small breaths in. I started thinking . Maybe I have asthma. I really could not breathe very good. It was weird. I took another shower and tried to relax. I watched a show with Manda and waited. She ran me a bath as I had a fever and it broke out into a weird sweat while I just sat. As she prepared the bath, I knew something was wrong, really wrong. I could not stop my horrid cough. I could not breathe, my legs and arms were numb for well over 5 hours. I could feel them but not really. I text Tim, asked him what he thought. He said sounds like pneumonia, to go to the doctor. Not the hospital because I woul have to wait a few hours to be seen.

I could not breathe, it was really getting bad. I asked Manda to take me to the hospital, I was getting a wee bit FREAKED OUT! Seriously I could NOT get AIR IN. I was so scared.

We got to the hospital and I was standing at the line and the next thing I know I was on a chair, then moved to another chair, then moved to another chair. The took me straight to a room. My O2 was at 82% to 88%. Not good. The doctor was right in and I was given so many different things I can not tell you what I had. I had an ECG, I had stickers all over, they were monitoring my heart. I had a chest xray in my room, then down the hall. I was on breathing things and had a shot in my stomach, I had an IV. I was hopped right up.

When I was able to breathe a little. I was finally told it looks like Pneumonia....BUT the chest xray shows spots on your lungs, so we are going to be sure, we want to rule out blood clots an cancer!!! SHIT!

I was admitted and would have my CT Scan in the morning. As the doctor said, " If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it is probably a duck, but let's rule it all out". He said that if it was just viral pneumonia I would be able to go home in the morning.

I was hooked up all night long to oxygen and monitored, I worked hard to keep my O2 passed 95%. Poor Amanda was trying so hard to sleep. I had to beg and plead with her to go home for a few hours and sleep. Then finally in the morning I went for my CT scan.

I was fine all the way through. I was a bit nervous, a lot when he first mention the C word. But I was fine. Until after my scan when they said MY ROOM WAS READY!!! I started to cry. Amanda was not with me and I was trying to hold it in. It was a long 10 mins to my room. I was wheeled in this huge bed, trying not to fall apart. The only reason I would stay was IF there was a blood clot or cancer. I arrived at my room and saw Amanda and Roxane and the tears flowed. I could not speak. I was coughing up my lungs. I was so sick. I was overwhelmed. I was devastated. I asked the nurse " Why? Why am I admitted, why am I staying? She said I was admitted before the results to just wait. She will go find out. I needed my medicine. I was long over due. I could not breathe, I was done.

In the end I was FINE! I only have viral pnuemonia and I was admitted a lot earlier. A bed just came available. Bad timing. There is not a lot I can do but rest,.... a lot. And I have codeine, which I do not like, to suppress my cough. I have some lung machine to strengthen my lungs, but I just need to focus on getting heathy.

Amanda was my rock. She was always there and takes such good care of me. our first night, I woke up struggling to breath every 3 hours. She was there with my meds and quietly supporting me. I love her so much.

So now I will focus on breathing and healing!~

Tim is 21

2011-05-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

I remember it like it was yesterday!

I was camping at Birch Bay Ranch and I could not sleep. I was just hot and restless. I wanted a Sunday baby. I thought I was in labor so many times that I did not even think my restlessness has anything to do with the fact that I was ready to have a baby.

Some friends came out on the porch with me and we were visiting. I could not get comfortable and they fell asleep.After a while I realized my insides were doing some very strange things. I woke up my friend Dana, who told me to go back to sleep. After much convincing she finally got up!

I had an amazing labor....until I hit 10 cm and everything STOPPED! I had NO desire to push, no more contractions, just done. Well then came the vacuum thing. That did not work. They gave me pitocin to get the contractions going, that was horrid, I think I would have rather been shot. I was tired and wanted to sleep. My body was done and baby was happy roasting a bit more.

Then came the forcepts, He came out this perfect little baby boy. All cone head and squishy. So beautiful and mine. I was not sure how I felt because no words could describe the incredible love that soared through my soul. He was perfect. he let out his I am here gentle cry and I held him.

From that moment in time life became magical. Every sweet breath, every coo, every single moment he drew on my heart. I loved him so much. He was so beautiful and easy. He was a beautiful baby.

That baby grew and I can go on about every single moment in his life as they are all dancing in my soul. His first steps, he was so little and his tuft of blond hair, he was so careful and then took off. His first time as a ring bearer, and many to follow. His first crush, Kelsey 2 grades older. The excitement he had at meeting one of his best friends, his baby brother, Jakob. He adored and still does his sister Taty, He to this day is so connected and great with them.He was so amazing to friends and was surrounded by many. He did some modelling and acting as a wee guy, only 4 yrs old. How he was able to go to Hollywood and work. How he loved his friends, How he followed God. I remember when he went on a missions trip, I wanted him to appreciate his life, he thought they were worked to hard. How we travelled, so many road trips, so many times to California. I remember his first college class, I was so worried, he was 15. But he was amazing. I remember the times his gentle heart dealt with some things life throws at us. I remember when he became an EMT, I was so worried as we studied together an he has to cover the pictures so i could read to him. I remember how for a while we really did not see eye to eye but always felt heart to heart. I remember his moving out, I cried, I longed for my baby. But I knew it was right. I remember meeting Kassia, his fiancee, an how I wanted to protect him, but he loved her and he was right, she is amazing. I remember and will always remember the amazing beautiful boy he is.

One day 21 years ago, I met one of the most beautiful people I have had the privilege of meeting, he is my son, he is my boy and I love him with all my being and look forward to watching and remembering all there is to know about him.

If love can be described with one word today for me it is Timothy. I grew as a person because of him, he is unbelievably amazing.

Happiest birthday to the incredible Timothy! I love you!

ENGAGED!!!

2011-05-20T08:05:00.001-07:00

Timothy asked Kassia to marry him and she said YES!

Kassia is perfect for Tim, she is strong and sweet.She is sassy and gentle, She is beautiful and fun. She is all the things he will cherish and I also cherish. She is a beautiful soul and I am so happy to have her as a daughter in law soon!

MS Society of Canada Fundraising and Friends

2011-05-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

Team Eiffel off my Bike!

Sandra, Scotty, Me, Roxy, Amanda, Emily, Cathy and Marci!

Good Old Scotty! He never drinks and he drinked a lot! He also shared a lot of stories!

Friends Forever...

Layden, me and Roxy!

A bunch of the kids that came to our Pub Night! The littlest guy bid and won on the main table!!

Lyn, Me and Stacey!

Scotty you are the best! Our only guy on the team, he is our MAIN MAN!

Layden, Roy and Sandra! The team strength!

Roxy ready to party!!!! Or is that Roy??

Tatyanah and Mason our cheerleaders at the BBQ!!

We raised over $10000 for MS Society of Canada so far! Thank you to all our friends and family for the great support and friendship supporting a great cause!

Jasper Weekend getaway!

2011-04-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

Jasper Weekend Getaway!

Roxane and Wade, Amanda and I went away for a weekend without the kids. Roxy and I tried to make it a surprise but Wade found out because I pretended to tell Amanda and Roxy blurted it out to Wade that I told. Then I finally told Amanda a few days before!

We had such a great time! We ate, relaxed, hiked and totally enjoyed each others company!

Spin Class

2011-04-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

Spin class is going great! I can actually turn the knob and not cheat and pretend anymore and it has only been 2 weeks. It is so hard but I love it! I tell you though, one must have some humor or one will DIE! My poor butt does not hurt getting on, it is the peeling it off of the seat that causes me such agony! Hey but at least we are having fun and getting ready for the upcoming bike season!

Oh how I am looking forward to riding outside and enjoying spring and summer ......as soon as it stops snowing!

2011-04-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Jake's Flight

2011-04-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Jakob is leaving on a Jet Plane!

Jake is leaving to go to PEI for 2 months! We are so excited for him to have the opportunity but I know I will miss him like crazy! in his whole life I have only been away from him for a week at a time. But he is almost 16 and he is going with his grandparents who I know HE loves and they love him.

He is going to work with them on their amazing motel in PEI. It is the neatest place ever and he loves to work. He is so excited and looking forward to it! I am curious how it will be for me! I will miss him I know and like a suck I will cry a few times.....or maybe I will LOVE it!

Life is an adventure!

Road Trip!

2011-04-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

Road Trip

We are headed on a road trip! Jake, Tatyanah, Manda and I! We are headed to Radium! Just for the weekend! But it will be tons of fun! We are headed to the relaxing rejuvenating hot springs and simply just having a great time together as a family!

We are going to relax and hike, and just relish in each others company!

Radium Hot Springs

Kootenay National Park of Canada

1841 Sir George Simpson, the governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, makes the first recorded visit to the springs. He bathes in a gravel pool just big enough for one person.

Late 1800s The first permanent settlers come to the area and the springs become more popular.

1890 Roland Stuart, an Englishman, purchases the springs for $160.

1914 Construction of a concrete bathing pool, log bathhouse, small store and a home for the caretaker.

1922 Stuart's property is expropiated and the springs are included in a new national park called Kootenay.

1927 Construction of a new bathhouse and expansion of the pool.

Radium Hot Springs – grand opening of aquacourt 1951
© Windermere Valley Historical Society / Hal Bavin, 1951

1949 Construction of the Aqua court begins. Completed in 1951, the new facility cost $958,653.

1968 A new hot pool replaces the original 1914 pool.

1997 Major renovations begin with new reception area, gift shop, upgraded change rooms, and hot/cold plunge pool.

2001 Radium Hot Springs celebrates the 50th anniversary of the building of the Aquacourt with special events all

U of A Fieldtrip 2011

2011-03-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

Gr. 8 U of A Fieldtrip 2011

Jake and Tatyanah went on the bus by themselves to the U of A for a feildtrip on Japan! They had a great time!

Bungee Jumping

2011-03-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

Bungee Jumping

Tim decided to be a great big brother and take Tatyanah bungee jumping for her 14 birthday present! I am not so sure about this. They were going to go when she was 12 but thankfully she was too light. I said I would not have allowed her to go at that age so it worked out.

Now she wants to go but she is also afraid a bit. I don't know about it.

I have read all the information about it and I know the way they do the harness and also the place she is jumping from are all safe. She is like Tim, try anything almost. Oh poor me! Well I will blog after with some pictures and hopefully a video of my precious babies bungee jumping...Tim and Tatyanah...thankfully Jake is like me, he won't do it. Although Amanda normally is crazy like this but she is not going to go.....huuuummmmm.

2011-03-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

Food

2011-03-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

Eating so Much!

Amanda's mom, Shona is here and we are eating all kinds of food! We are eating out so much! We have had some amazing food with amazing company!

Sushi......yummy yum yum....

East Indian... ate so much I thought all our stomachs were going to burst and poor Jake was in the washroom for about 20 mins :(

Korean... so good!!

Loose Tea: Read my lips is divine: this is what the label says;

"Okay, this is probably the world’s best chocolate tea. Honestly. Better than dessert. More reliable than sex. It’s a totally decadent combination of China black tea, vanilla, peppermint, chocolate bits and spicy red peppercorns. Plus it contains little red candy lips for a kiss of sweetness. In other words, it’s a completely satisfying spring experience with no guilt or strings attached."

Baja Bowl...

Frozen Cheescake dipped in chocolate on a stick... Dips and more dips.....Chocolate covered potato chips....and on and on!

Reffing

2011-03-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

Official Referee ~Tatyanah

Tatyanah got her reffing licence this year and I was unable to make it to any games she reffed until this Friday! It was amazing. I am not sure why. It is ot her first ob, she has deleivered papers. She is a nanny once a week for a little guy. She has been babysitting forever...but this was just awesome! She just turned 14 last Sunday and she is a hard little w

Saying a quick hi between her games, she reffed 2 in a row!

She did really really good but she said as soon as we left she fell hard on her butt.....poor little peanut! She did great and I am so proud of her!

24 Kettlebell Exercises

2011-03-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

Kettle bells!

2011-03-12T08:52:00.001-08:00

Kettlebells offer a different kind of training using dynamic moves targeting almost every aspect of fitness – endurance, strength, balance, agility and cardio endurance. People love it because it's challenging, efficient and you only need one piece of equipment

Amanda is training for her kettlebell certification and it is a lot of work! however I am also included in such training! I love the workout, it is hard but you can really feel your body working and it takes less time. She is pushing herself so hard and I am pushing myself so a bit! These little things look simple enough but do not be fooled, they are challenging.

Some of the things we do!

And Amanda does these turkish getups...so so so hard.

But in a few weeks of using kettlebells I can already see so much definition on Amanda. I will let you know the progress and how her certification turns out!

Almost any exerciser can benefit from kettlebell training. Just a few benefits include:

Improved coordination and agility
Better posture and alignment – Many exercises work the postural muscles in a functional way
It's time efficient – You train multiple fitness components in the same session including cardio, strength, balance, stability, power and endurance
The exercises are functional and weight bearing which helps increase bone density and keep the body strong for daily tasks
You become more efficient at other types of exercise
Increased power development and endurance, which is great for a variety of sports
It can help protect athletes from injuries – Many injuries happen when you're moving fast and have to come to a stop (a.k.a., eccentric deceleration). Kettlebell exercises actually train the body in eccentric deceleration, which can translate to a healthier, stronger body on the court or field
Low risk of injury when you use good form and the right weights
Simplicity – the exercises are simple, the workouts are straightforward and you only need one piece of equipment

Bouldering at the U of A

2011-03-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad (called a bouldering mat) so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas.

Chelsea was at an advantage, her legs went on forever therefore making it easier....at least thats what I am sayin'.....

Every time you looked at Daina she was flying across a wall somewhere...she is one tough cookie! After climbing for a few hours she went and did a ton of pul ups on the bar...wowzers!

Amanda, Roxanne, Wade, Daina, Chelsea and I decided to have a couples night out, we thought we would do something healthy and active. Chels, Amanda and I had gone once before and everyone else had not been. We had so much fun..it was challenging and crazy!

Amanda just went along and looked like a frog, she was amazing! She can do EVERYTHING!

Wade was so cool, he was so good at bouldering, he jumped to the rocks and was so amazing and almost never fell....

Almost! It was super hard!

Beautiful Roxy and Wade making it look easy....

Amanda and Chelsea have been friends for a lllloooonnnggg time, I LOVE this picture!

It is super hard to hang on when you are falling for one more picture.....this is Amanda barely hanging on.....where is her other hand...ahh she can handle it, she is tough!

Wade is a great husband; always willing to lend a helping hand!

Me trying to look like I kow what I am doing!

Roxy looking foxy!

Amanda just hanging out!

Daina getting stepped on!

Daina and Chelsea looking good!

Bouldering is a style of climbing emphasizing power, strength, and dynamics. Its focus is on individual moves or short sequences of moves, unlike traditional climbing or sport climbing, which generally demand more endurance over longer stretches of rock where the difficulty of individual moves is not as great. Boulder routes are commonly referred to as problems (a British appellation) because the nature of the climb is often short, curious, and much like problem solving. Sometimes these problems are eliminates, meaning certain artificial restrictions are imposed. Bouldering is more focused on the technique of climbing instead of undertaking a full bodied climb.

2011-03-05T07:26:00.001-08:00

MS Bike Tour

2011-02-26T07:21:00.000-08:00

It is that time again... time to make a difference for others. I am fortunate enough to be healthy and have the ability to make a difference for others. This year I am riding for MS to bring awareness.
I need sponsors for the ride, so I am sending you my link.
Please consider sponsoring me and helping fight MS!

http://msofs.mssociety.ca/2011bike/Sponsor.aspx?PID=1246267&L=2

For me it is not about being the fastest, it is about giving back. The tour is about riding to bring awareness. I am not going to lie, it is so hard for me to do this, I am not the normal bike touring kind of gal but 2 days of heavy working out and 2 months of a sore butt is nothing compared to what those I know must suffer through.

If you are interested there are MS bike tours, walks and so forth every where..... consider joining one to help fight this disease.

Thanks for your support!

SICK, broken legs and work!

2011-01-26T14:35:00.000-08:00

The kids have been sick with bad colds and the flu. I thought it would be easier with older kids, 15 and 13, than it is with younger kids but I am worn out. They are coughing all night, up with hot sweats and then cold. They whine and are so sucky. I love my kids and they are needing extra love BUT this is insane. On top of all that, Charlie broke her leg Friday night and had to go to the emergency vet and then have surgery Monday. We had to pick her up Tuesday and now keep her on bed rest for 2 weeks. How do you keep a 5 month old puppy calm???

Oh and then I also started working mornings at Child minding, I love it but it is taking a bit of adjusting.

Jake is also going to take Chemistry at a high school, that is exciting and lots to plan for!

But life is good!

Skating

2011-01-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Well Daina and Chelsea asked us to come skating with them and we accepted. So Jake, Tatyanah, Amanda and I went to picked up Casy and met Stacy, Chels and Daina at the rink. Stacy is a trained figure skater, Taty plays ringette and Jake and Casy can skate and are kids. The adults were suppose to have not skated in years. I was the only one who has not skated in 100 years. Everyone was amazing except me! It was so fun but so scary!

Ever so careful......

Amanda leading me along!

Amanda pushing me along...

laughter and friendship...

I wish this picture was clearer... Chels and Daina are two amazing friends!

Stacy giving me lessons and I am so balanced with my grover mitts

We had a ton of fun and we all want to go again~

Christmas

2011-01-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

What a Christmas or should I say Christmas'?

We had Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Sheppard! That was so fun. We all love them. They are the best gparents, they are so much fun and we always enjoy their company.

Then the kids has christmas with their dad and Grandma and grandpa Farmer, they are amazing Grandparents, I love them!

Then we had Christmas ever with all the kids, Tim had to work Christmas day! That was so fun. One of the funniest moments was when Tim opened his HUGE can of tuna from Amanda. Tim always eats tuna from a can because Amanda told him one day it will help him after a work out. We had a great time eating, visiting, cooking, laughing, and sharing gifts. I love having the kids all together.

The kids: Jakob, Tim, Kassia holding Charlie and Tatyanah!

After Christmas eve we headed out to Grandpa and Grandma Layden's house in Whitecourt for some family fun! This is a blast because everyone finds a place to sleep and we eat, play games, visit, laugh and have a blast. This year we did a chinese gift exchange and we all got amazing gifts. Jaime and Renata got there own gifts

and poor Al got woman's perfume! But it was so much fun all in all. I got a cool telescope that a few of us went out to look at stars, it was as exciting finding the stars as spending time with everyone out there looking for them.

And then there was games. Crainium, in which everyone always wants to be Amanda's partner! Renata and Jake were partners. Some how that was super crazy. Jake could not get simple things like counting sheep as Renata was holding up fingers and counting and Jake would say "counting numbers" and then she would do sheep jumping and he would say "sheep jumping", but he could not put it together. Here he got ROBOT! Oh what fun...

And then came Lori and Al!

They were so funny!!!! I laughed so hard! They had to use each other as puppets and guess things! I can not even remember what they were doing here but they were the best, they really did not answer much right but they by far had the most fun and we were so entertained!

Lazy dogs....there is 2 in this basket in their Christmas jammies!

Family + games= good times!

Our house on Christmas!

Christmas was beautiful! Family, friends and love!

Introducing Mason Kenneth!

2011-01-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

Mason was born December 21, 2010 and weighed 7 lbs 5 oz. And he is the most beautiful boy ever. His parents are some of our bestest friends and we were lucky to labor with Marci. She was FAST...she started having contractions and I thought she would progress slowly as she just began. Within an hour she went from calm simple contractions, spastically every 5 mins or so, lasting 30 to 40 seconds to 4 mins and lasting a good minute. She got to the hospital and he was born in juts over an hour of getting there.

Beautiful Mama and baby....looking great!

Mason Kenneth "Kathy"

Me and my boy!

Painting 101

2011-01-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

Amanda and I were talking about things we like to do and Amanda is amazing at almost everything...she can not master diablo....

We decided to get some paper and acrylic paints ad have some fun. Well I do not have the art imagination she or most people do but I remember one time finding a great way to paint spring blossoms on Crafty Crow's blog, so I thought I would try a winter picture. We had recently went tobogganing so I thought I would make a painting of us tobogganing. Well my snowy hill was fun, even adde colors using greens and browns to make the snow look like snow. My people looked horrid so I decided to finish with trees. I was so proud of my painting, then I saw Amanda's....

And While I know mine was a fun experience I was amazed at Amanda's....

Well that stirred something in her and she wanted to try oil paints....and we set off to Micheal's and she got the old 70's guy kit....she went to town and ....

She is flippin amazing...today she is an art class on oil paintings. She is having a good time. I met her for lunch and there is 5 ladies in the class, all 20+ years older than her but she is learning and enjoying herself. Jake and I painted the other day and he made a landscape and I tried some abstract art, I will post those some day!

Magical Moments

2010-12-20T19:53:00.001-08:00

I can not explain all the emotions I feel! the one thing I really wanted to do was go to an orphange while we were in Mexico. We asked people how to go to them and they said just show up. So after we went to Puerto Vallarta we went to get candy and headed to the orphanage. The house mother welcomed us and we gave candy to the little kids and went in to see the toddlers. They were getting ready for bed and we got them all hyper, then we settled down and said good night and they went into bed. Then we went into the baby room and this one little guy loved Tatyanah, he cried when she tried to leave him. We all loved him so much.

The little girls, happy sweet little girls that loved having their picture taken and wanted to see the pictures after. They were also very naughty too!
This little girl kept leaning over and rubbing her forehead on mine and being so sweet. But when I reach over to pick her up, she would not come to me. I was holding a little boy on my lap and plaing but I was curious to what she wanted.
Then she leaped into my arms for tons of hugs, she was holding my face and laughing so much. I loved her heart, we kept hugging heart to heart. Amanda, Jake and Taty watched for a while and then jumped in and started to play.

This little guy LOVED Amanda, he was so smart. He was telling Amanda all kinds of things and they had quite a conversation going on. They talked about the window and how to shut it. He was such a happy boy.

This little guy was a climber, he climbed everything, including into our arms and held on so tight, he gave big huge hugs and it was precious.

These little girls loved their picture being taken and they loved seeing their silly faces.
This is Amanda with her little brilliant man, Jake was a little quiet in this room but the kids loved him, he was just shy and felt bad.
he was such a love, we all just wanted to love them forever!

I suck her out of bed, she was already in bed and looking around so we played with her, she was so sweet. And when we put her down she was fine, she jus went on looking around.
This is Taty's little love, he loved her, he wanted her to stay with him. He was rocking back and forth in his crib and when he saw her he would not let her go. he was so smart and so tiny.

The bigger kids are always ready for love but they are also orphans and they know it is a moment of love not a lifetime. Some are cautious while most just dive in. Poor Taty was to give the kids their 2nd candy but she asked if they had one or 2? The kids said they 'wanted' 2. She thought they had 2 so she was not giving them another, she was so confused and so were they. In the end, everyone got candy and Taty was fine.
This little girl was full of giggles, we played for a long time, laughing and tickling and giggling. I love when she decided it was time for me to be tickled.

And then we played! We danced and sang, played ring around the rosie, clapping games, hand games, rides and singing. Amanda, Jake, Tatyanah and I played with the kids for a long time, Amanda had the camera for a bit but then we all just had fun together.

At one point a little girl went over to Jake and whispered in Jake's ear and sat beside him and just held his arm. It was so precious but I did not get a picture although it is etched in my heart forever.

Another time a little girl said something to me in Spanish and one little girl spoke pretty good english and when I asked her what she said she said, " jesus loves me" and all the kids broke out in song. It was one of the most beautiful raw real moments of my life. These precious children know that they are loved in spite of their world. They were loving, trusting and happy. They learned early what life can be like but they are loved by the ladies who love them and raise them, by strangers and by a god they believe in.

I think what made this special for me is the similarities for me. When I was a child I too was raised in a home, I was thrilled to share as much love as I could with these precious kids for the time I had with them. I walked in an saw the little girls beds all lined up and it was just as my first home was, lined up little beds. And the kids just wanted to be loved and be kids. This was an orphanage filled with love, structure and happiness. I will go back! We all left with our hearts over flowing with the love they gave us.

Monkeys, Parrots and Spiders

2010-12-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

Animals!

We all love animals in our house! On the excursion we went on we were able to hold parrots, monkeys and spiders. If you know much about me you would know I do not like birds, I guess I do like them but I am afraid of them. You can see in the picture I held a parrot and then kissed her. After I held the monkey no one was around so I went over to the parrot and held her and then she kissed me. I was so so so scared, that is why I look very scared! It was great. Amanda and Jake held the spider, it was cool! She was neat.

Blue Chairs resort

2010-12-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

Blue Chairs Resort

I fell in love with this bracelet and I could not find it anywhere, I showed the picture to all the street vendors but no one could make it. I guess it was not meant to be.

This guy just played music using a harmonic, on an old crutch with a flashlight attached to the side and he sang his heart out, it was great.

Jake, Tatyanah, Douglas, Karen and Theresa went swimming and the waves were HUGE! They had so much fun!

We made it to the famous Blue Chair resort where we went with some great ladies and their family there. We had lunch at the resort and some went swimming. For the famousness of it, it was ok. But it was great to see how happy and free people were there. We met some neat people, one from Denmark, an actor and his partner from Los Angeles.

2010-12-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

Tatyanah is not always the happiest child and she decided one day that she was in a bad mood except Jakob was in a really good mood. Tatyanah was telling Jake he was horrible and she was mad. She lost an anklet and apparently it was the end of the world. Jake started saying the funniest things, but the funniest is when he said, "Senorita I did thee deeshes, please Senorita let me stay." Then he packed up his stuff and told her he was going home to Mexico. Then he put her to bed and tucked her in. The whole time Amanda and I were rolled over laughing. he has a crazy mexican accent the whole time. Even Taty could not sty mad she ended up laughing so hard too! In the end Jake was welcome to stay!

Babies

2010-12-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

Beautiful babies

We were at the little fishing village and people were selling their beaded crafts and there was two beautiful children playing on a piece of cardboard playing with a small shawl and a beaded necklace and a small car. I decided to say hi. All the people watched me intently and I started tickling the wee boy, he had the most amazing precious giggle. Their mom came and sat beside me. We played and laughed and laughed and had so much fun. The little boy went and played away from his sister and I noticed the little so I went and picked her up. She had a thin rag for a diaper and she was wet. I felt like there is something I could do, so we were on a mission to find diapers. We finally found diapers but could not find someone that spoke english enough to ask if it would insult the mother to give her diapers. After about 8 people we found a lady who spoke english and said she would love it. We bought the diapers and headed off to see her. She happened to be walking up the street and we gave her the diapers and the boy a ball. She was so happy. A few days later when we went back to Bucerias she was nursing her daughter and she stopped and handed her to me. They were both wearing the same clothes but the little one has on a diaper. I was so happy. She was beautiful. We found a guy to ask the kids names. The boy was a lllooooooonnnnngggg name and he was 4 1/2 yrs old and the little girl was 5 moths old and she still did not have a name. It was neat. I loved them and will always think of them and say a little prayer for them!

Mexico bartering and painting

2010-12-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

At the resort there is ceramic and wood things to paint. Tatyanah, Amanda and I decided to paint something each, it was so fun and somehow when it is all done it looks great. We painted them, the guy fixes it up and then they take it home and fire it and bring it back the next day.

Amanda made a bowl for us to have salsa or pico in!

Tatyanah wanted a beach scene so the guy drew it on for her and she is starting her travel wall!

I made a small bowl for my rings and a few small things. I love it!

All of our creations!

Tatyanah has always been a money conscientious girl and it is very hard to barter with her. She went to the Bucerias market and saw a hammock she wanted. She let the guy talk and he started at 700 pesos. She was not interested. He went down to 500 pesos. She was not budging, He said she is a Mexican babina the way she barters. In the end she paid 300 pesos. And got the exact hammock she wanted.

Pie in the Sky

2010-12-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

The famous Pie in the Sky!

Amanda LOVES anything cake and we realized the famous Pie in the Sky was waling distance to our resort, practically right outside the main entrance! So we went and has the most luscious cakes ever

http://pieinthesky.com.mx/index1.htm

The bonus they also support education, human rights and animal rights

Mexico

2010-12-20T18:51:00.001-08:00

I do not even know where to begin, we had so much fun! There was so many things happening. Tatyanah, Jake and Amanda went parasailing the first day and we went to Bucerias a few times. Jake has a bird fall in love with him. We played with street kids, went to Puerto Vallarta, took a bus late at night. met some great new friends, danced on a table, swam and played in the ocean. We laughed so hard we could not breathe. Ate all kinds of food. Went to an orphanage. We went to the beautiful Guadalupe on Mary's birthday and seen all the people dressed up and hundreds of thousand people in a precession to celebrate. We went to the Blue Chairs resort. We even went to Walmart. We snorkelled and played with monkeys and parrots. We held spiders and learned so much on an amazing nature walk. We even remembered on the 2nd last day to relax!

Tobbaganning

2010-12-20T18:34:00.001-08:00

Tobogganing with Family and Friends

Kassia, Jakob, me, Tatyanah, Amanda and Tim...my family!

Getting ready to go down the hill, planning it all out!

Oh my goodness the day before we went to mexico Tim, Jake, Tatyanah and Kassia and all Tim's youth group boys went tobbaging and Amanda and I decided it would be fun to go for a few runs! We had so much fun! I am not one to go on rides ( they had to stop the teacups at Disneyland for ME to get off) so I was excited to take pictures of everyone having fun. Well little did I know I was going to go down the hill. I tried desperately to stop the wicked tobogganing the first time but I LOVED it. We all had a great time.

Prefontaine!

2010-11-29T23:08:00.000-08:00

Mr Prefontaine!

He was so little

Snuggle love, he is such a sweet boy!

About a month and a bit ago we went to get Amanda's mom a puppy just like Takoda! We went to pick her up her puppy and came home with 2! One for us and one for her!

We have had Prefontaine, her puppy all along as Amanda and her Cesar like tendencies has been training him. Well the day is approaching when he will be on his journey home to his Mama Shona! I can not believe how much we have all fallen in love with his little self. He is such a sweet guy and very very very much like Takoda. He is a snuggle bug and loves everyone equally ( although Jake likes to believe he loves him more).

He will be leaving tomorrow or the next day and he will be missed. he is such a sweet boy and we are so happy he is going home to PEI with Shona! Even though it will be a wee bit sad here for a few days!

Mexico 8 more days until we leave!

2010-11-29T22:50:00.000-08:00

We leave in 8 days, the kids have never been so I am super excited to share our little piece of happiness with them! It will be a great adventure. Tatyanah wants to travel so much so this will be unbelievable to her! Jakob loves food so I am sure he will gain 10 lbs.

We are so excited to take them to the little fishing village and search for sea glass with them. Also all the kayaking and swimming. I am sure we will never get them out of the ocean. Taking them on 'the bull' will be a ton of fun too. I am looking forward to exploring a little more!

I can not believe it is almost here!

GIVEAWAY!!! Journals!

2010-11-29T22:42:00.000-08:00

The Crafty Crow is having a giveaway for a chance to win a cool ecosystem notebook.

These are the best little notebooks! I love the colors and it is always awesome to win something fun!

Let me know what you think!

Manda's knitting!

2010-11-21T17:42:00.000-08:00

Amanda is brilliant! AShe tries anything and it comes easy to her! She decided to knit me a scarf and I am so excited to wear it. But somehow things went a little weird. I do not know how she does it but she has picked up so many stitches and her beautiful little scarf is becoming a very creative unique scarf! I love it but she still wants to redo it! It is so cute. it has a wonderful hole for fresh air and it is huge at one end, adding the ability to grab it and wrap it around me, but she insists she needs to restart!

So here is it! I love it!

Around the World in 80 days!

2010-11-09T19:39:00.001-08:00

As a family we are reading Around the World in 80 Days. We have read 4 chapters and all of us love it. We are creating a family book and I am hoping to bind it together when it is all done! It is exciting as we are taking turns reading it out loud!

So far we have created pictures of Philas Fogg and Passepartout.

Taty and I are creating a title page and we are going to include a map of London and talk about London tomorrow!

We will post pictures as we go along and keep you updated on our adventures!

My pets are driving me MAD!!!

2010-11-05T08:59:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I think pets are over rated! This early morning is one of those days!

The puppies were so tired last night and went to bed at 9:30pm. A quiet night. Charlie even wanted in her kennel. They woke a bit about 3 am but I put my hand near them and they carried on sleeping.

Amanda had to teach class for 6 am, so she left about 5:45am. The puppies did not wake up for her to take them out then...noooooo...they waited until she left to wake me up. At 6 am they were whining like crazy. I took them to the door, put them on Taty's bed, as I always do, to put on my coat. One of them peed on her bed. Poor kid is sound alseep and I wake her up with a " Oh my god Taty, get out of bed, the puppies peed your bed". She was getting up as a I rushed out the door, they both peed again FOREVER and pooped. I had no poopy bags, they were upstairs I was busy rushing.

I came back in and had to help Taty get her bed cleaned. She was no help, she was still half asleep. I told her to go to my bed and salted her bed ( it sucks up the pee). Charlie and Fontaine were crying as no one would wake up to snuggle them or kennel them. So of course I go to them and put them in my bed whilst I pee.

Well they decided to play WWF and I was so tired. I took Fontaine to jake's bed, told him to keep him. And came to bed with Charlie and Taty. Neither would settle. Taty was shaking her leg and Charlie was eating my hand!

I finally got Charlie to calm down and sleep and Taty kept her leg a going. I demanded her curtly to STOP! She stopped for 2 mins and got up to go to the couch! Peace!

Hahahahahahahaha NOT

Takoda decided he wanted to snuggle me, not Charlie. Charlie wanted to love Takoda. Takoda growled and I told him to go sleep with Jake. He shut up and went back to sleeping and Charlie went back to sleep.

Sounds good finally? No there is more pets in this house!

Lola, our always starving cat, decided to share all her issue face to face with me at that moment. She talks early in the morning. I pet her, talked to her. And after 5 mins, shoved her off the bed. settled Charlie again. And it was quiet.

Wait!

Lola decided to play with something loud and all over the bedroom floor. Enough was enough. I threw a pillow at her, she ran like mad down the hall. Then I had to settle Takoda and Charlie. I think they were figuring it out.

Then after about 10 mins, I was finally falling back to sleep and Gia ( our other cat) who HATES Takoda, decides to jump up on the bed and come for a snuggle. Well she jumped right onto Takoda. Both pets stopped breathing for a few seconds and the bed was wide awake. I gave up.

I was getting up!

Guess what?? All the fricken pets slept for another hour....peacefully!!

Unschooling

2010-11-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Why is it that every single year I always start out the year as a schooler? I fall back to what I 'think' I should be doing, set up a whole years worth of work only to bang my head into the wall wall and probably through it to realize we are unschoolers?

I love letting the kids learn what they are interested in. Jake has never read a full book for pleasure in his life, he decided he wanted to, he read a book. He was so happy and shared it with everyone...not much celebration as he scored 50% on a science test and needed to retake the test. What the heck is wrong with me?

Jakob read a book!!!

That's not to say the child has never read before but he reads articles and studies Non fiction. We are all a family of readers and I was so sad that we did not celebrate his coming into the reading nook with us.

Jake is grade 10, he has excellent marks so far but I see how his brain is becoming mush. He is trying to only answer the questions on the page not learn the information. He does not learn anything. He is getting through. What's the point? But he is highschool age. Oh dear oh dear.

Well we are unschoolers, I think I need to really evaluate what is important to me and go from there. There has to be a balance..not 100% either way. I know for sure that I want the kids to learn and actually learn things, not simply answer questions for a test and forget the information.

Where to go from here? What to do? I am pretty sure I know what to do, why do I allow fear of the education system that fails so many kids to rule me?

I must go read about unschooling and start being honest with myself.

And my children will lead me......

Tatyanah's room

2010-11-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

Tatyanah's room!

We wanted to create a space for Tatyanah and it turned out amazing! We all love it...now to keep Jake out if it!

Family Pumpkins!

2010-11-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

Family of Pumpkin Carvers

We had so much fun carving pumpkins! Tim usually does the most amazing job and this time he started to create some cool things but it was taking so long that he decided to start all over and got impatient. I liked his guy in the end too! Tatyanah had some help drawing from Tim and made a Jack Skeligton. Jake made a guy with a knife through him. Kassia made the best smile ever and Amanda made a haunted house! I love them all.

Hard at work!

Proudly displaying their pumpkins!

Mexico

2010-10-28T08:08:00.001-07:00

Mexico December 7-14, 2010

We are coming!!!

Yahoo! We have booked out trip to Mexico, I am so excited to take the kids, we love our little hide away beach! Amanda and I went last year and we love the place. There is a quaint magic about the place!

Our resort: beautiful, colorful and tons of fun!

We are going snorkelling with the kids too, it was one of our highlights. We also have use of kayaks all day long and we saw the rays, hopefully this year we can see sea turtles. We played daily in the ocean and just enjoyed ourselves.

I can not wait to snorkel again

The little town of Bucerias is amazing, a little fishing village, we love it there, there is little market and great restaurants. The local people are amazing. I also loved the little art galleries. We are going to go to Puerto Vallarta for the day to explore with the little people!

Crazy Kids

2010-10-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Silly String Balloon Love

Amanda and I went out for our anniversary and Tim and Tatyanah decided to decorate our bedroom as a surprise for us! They had silly string and balloons every where! It was crazy fun to make the mess I am sure! They even put up a Happy birthday sign for Amanda!

Puppies

2010-10-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

Ok look closely at these beautiful babies and help us find a name!

Jake loving the puppies!

Our little girl, standing on Mama checking things out.

Puppy kisses!

Mama and her baby!

We went to go get Shona (Amanda's mom) a puppy and came home with one of our own. We talked about it before we even went to look at puppies and we are so happy with our baby. She is so adorable. The boy is exactly like Takoda was. We love him so much too!

Now the task of naming them!

Any suggestions?

Gold Medal!!!

2010-10-13T00:36:00.001-07:00

Tatyanah's team, Riot, played amazing this weekend!

They played hard and beat Red Deer in the 2nd 5 min overtime and won GOLD!!!

First games they played as a team and they did fabulous!

Grover hat

2010-10-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Seriously I never ever buy myself anything but I love Grover. I don't know why I love him so much but he has always been a sweet loveable guy! I was out yesterday searching for a birthday and anniversary gift for Amanda and found this amazing hat with matching mittens. I had to have it. I mean how could I not? I love this little fellow! So here is a pic of the hat, the mittens are equally adorable. Question is, where will I wear this?? EVERYWHERE!

Is it really worth their lives? Your opinion?

2010-10-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

I wish the world were a safer place for every person. I wish we could all live without judgement and mostly I wish that children and youth NEVER faced ridicule or torment.

no child regardless of how the world views any issue should EVER feel like suicide is the only option. Come on people, lets love all people and respect our differences!

Autumn Snacks

2010-09-25T17:22:00.001-07:00

Our yummy spinach dip and Amanda's great pumpkin design! She is so good!

Our pumpkin's!

We were to bring appitizers to the ringette BBQ and we created cheese pumpkins and a spinach dip!

Riot ~ Ringette Team

2010-09-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

Riot is the name of our ringette team this year. They are a great bunch of girls and amazing parents. We got together today for a BBQ at a team member's house. I do not know how we got so lucky to have such a great team but I am so grateful!

New friends and old friends.....a team !

Warm soup

2010-09-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

I love fall, did I already say that? I love love love making homemade soup, it is really fun. Anyone who knows me know I do not like to cook, much. I love making soup. We have already had some great soups. A few weeks ago I made boiled chicken and saved the broth...tons of bags frozen in the freezer........mmmmmm! Tatyanah commented today that todays soup was the best. It was quite simple.

I love SOUP!

Fall

2010-09-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

Fall

Fall in Alberta is absolutely beautiful! I love it here. Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the ever changing colors and the amazing crunching sounds of the leaves under foot!

The skyline in Edmonton is remarkable!

The air is crisp and fresh!

The trails are so beautiful to walk or bike in, as a matter of fact this weekend is suppose to be really warm, so a bike ride will be amazing, I can't wait! It is also a time to get ready for all the coziness of winter.

I love St Albert! I love Canada! I love fall!

Knitting!

2010-09-19T09:28:00.000-07:00

I have begun my crazy knitting craze. I find I love knitting for a few months every few years. Well it has begun. I have made 7 pairs of slippers and still have more to make.

I made a few beanies and 1 sock so far. I made a cool checker scarf and I am off to make more!

One of the best parts about knitting is the cats, especially Gia. Gia is not to playful normally, she is bit of a snot. but when the wool is out she plays and bounces and runs up the yarn. She rolls the ball around. I love it.

Need to sign out and do some more knitting!

Birthday!

2010-09-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

I have been overwhelmed by the birthday wishes I received yesterday! Facebook and texts are amazing :)

My birthday was a magical day! I woke up beside my best friend and partner, she whispered sweet wishes to me and we enjoyed the beginning of the day quietly...for a few minutes!

We had ringette tryouts, Lay had to work an hour so on my birthday she dragged me out of bed to go to work with her!

All my kids were home and we had dinner with them, Kassia has now joined 'my kids'. It was lovely!

I got a gorgeous watch, I love love love it. I have always looked for one but I am horrid at picking stuff out for myself so it is amazing. I got some great books and coupons for back rubs, foot massages , 1 hour free time, walk in the parks, movies etc. I got a gorgeous mug for my hot chocolate and chai. And a Earls certificate mmmmmmmmmm one of my favorites!

The best part was a nice day with my family, Amanda, Jake, Tatyanah, Kassia and Tim!

And maybe the pumpkin pie!

Jake's School!

2010-09-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

Jake is an amazing kid...

He has been unschooled most his life and decided to 'do' high school this year. And when Jake decides to do something he does it 100%. So he is now Teacher Taught. I no longer have to do anything, except clean his clothes, feed him, teach him about life, monitor video game use and so on...but as for school he calls or emails his teachers...I LOVE it!

In this adventure I was a wee bit concerned how he was going to do, I knew in a bit he would be great but learning about things in this way I thought would be a bit hard and take some adjusting.

Well Jake received his first marks for English and Science!

Science 91%

English 90%

We are so proud of him and more importantly he is so proud of himself!

Ringette Tryouts

2010-09-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

Ringette Tryouts

What a crazy last few weeks! Tatyanah has been trying out for the team she will play on in Ringette this year and she has been amazing. She has played ringette for 3 years now and this is the first year she has really applied herself fully. She tried very hard before ....most of the time... but now she went hard the whole time. She wants to play on the A team and that was her goal. I think she has a great shot. She finds out today and she could not sleep last night. She is generally easy to go to sleep even nights before tryout skates but last night she was up until 2am.

I know she is a great kid and at times it is really hard to watch them give their all and then wait in anticipation for the results of another person deciding if your child is 'good' enough for what as a parent you "know" they are. I know she will play where she is suppose to. She will have fun and play the sport she loves! That is what is most important!

So today we wait for 'the' phone call.

I am proud of her, she knows she played her best in evaluations and she said where ever she plays is great...although she hopes A.

Ringette!!

2010-09-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ringette - A Quick Primer

Ringette is a fast-paced ice skating sport enjoyed by over 25,000 Canadian girls and women of all ages. Besides Canada, ringette is played on an organized basis in the United States, Finland, Sweden, France and Russia.

For a quick look at the game here is a video on Youtube courtesy of the CBC : ringette at a glance.

Currently, Finland and Canada are the top two countries in the sport. Both have strong national teams which usually meet in the finals of the World Ringette Championship.

The World Championship started in 1990 and is held in November every two years. There have been six world championships to date (a summit series between Canada and Finland was held in 1998). Canada has won four and Finland has won three.

Finland is the current champion having defeated Canada in Sweden last November 2004. For all the details see here.

The rules ensure passing, skating and teamwork are part of every game. The game combines the fast-break of basketball, the dexterity of lacrosse, the speed of hockey and the fitness of soccer. The sport has some similarities to hockey. It's played on ice with skates and sticks by six players on each of two teams. And the players' mission is to score goals by shooting the object of play into nets at either end of the rink during stop-time periods of play.

But that's where the comparisons really end. The stick is straight (no blade). The object being pursued by players is a rubber ring, not a puck. There is no intentional body contact. There are two 20-minute periods. And the rules of ringette make it a wide-open and dynamic sport.

The emphasis is on play-making and skating skills. Players cannot carry the ring across the blue lines, they have to pass it across. Teams have six skaters: a goalie, two defense, a center and two forwards.

Both teams are allowed only three skaters in the offensive zone - not including the goalie. Typically this means that the offensive team has two forwards and a center while the defensive team has their center and two defense. The offensive zone extends to the Free Play Line - the thin blue line at the top of the face off circles. If the defensive team has more than three skaters in their zone during the last two minutes of a game a penalty shot can be called; at other times they lose possession.

The ring carrier can not carry the ring in either direction over the Blue Line - this is Off-side. The ring must be passed over the blue line to another team mate. The team mate has usually skated ahead of the ring carrier and is already across the Blue Line. This is the total reverse of hockey where the puck must cross the Blue Line before any offensive player does. This eliminates the situation where one player can carry the ring from one end to the other. Passing is a requirement.

Neither team is allowed to have skaters in the crease. If the team with the ring has a skater in the crease then they lose possession. If a player attempts to take the ring out of the crease they lose the ring. If the offensive team loses the ring it is a Goalie Ring. If the defensive team loses the ring then the offensive team gains the ring on a Free-Pass in the attacking zone.

On a Goalie Ring the goalie is given five seconds to throw the ring towards a team mate. The referee counts the seconds by extending his/her arm.

If the ring is in the crease the goalie has five seconds to get rid of it by either hitting it with her stick or picking it up and throwing it. If the ring is thrown beyond the Blue Line then the offensive team re-gains possession on a Free-Pass.

Face-Offs in ringette are like free kicks in soccer and are called Free-Pass. The ring is placed in the appropriate face-off circle. On the whistle one player then takes possession and has five seconds to either shoot or pass to a team mate; they cannot 'carry' the ring out of the circle. During this five seconds no other player is allowed in the face-off circle.

There is no icing as in hockey, however a two-line pass (across both blue lines) is an Off-Side; i.e. the center line does not come into play.

Penalties, similar to hockey, are called for various infractions. Body checking is not allowed, however incidental body contact is permitted if the player is legitimately fighting for ring control. The usual way to get the ring back from the opposing team is to "check" the stick, this is permitted if contact is made in the lower two-thirds of the stick. Higher contact is considered high sticking or slashing depending on the outcome of the missed stick check.

When a team is two players short they can only have two skaters in their defensive zone.

Like hockey, ringette divisions are split up by age and skill level (i.e. "A", "B", "C"). Instead of mite, novice, atom, bantam, midget and junior divisions, ringette has bunny, novice, petite, tween, junior, belle and open divisions.

A recent rule change has introduced the 30 second shot clock. This was introduced into the game in order to avoid "ring ragging" which is a strategy used by some teams once they attain a good lead. Currently all competitive teams of age greater than 11 years old use the shot clock. Provincial, national and international games and tournaments us the shot clocks as well.

School Begins

2010-08-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

My kids have always been unschooled but they have both decided they want to do 'school' as their school friends have been doing. Not so hard for Tatyanah as she went to school last year for the second term. But Jake has never been to school and is starting grade 10.

In the summer he did some classes to see how it was, he completed Calm and A tourism course.

This semester he is doing;

English 10-1

Science 10

Baking

Canadian Cuisine

Phys Ed 10

International cuisine

It sounds simple but he has also begun a part time job, he is doing great but it is a lot of new things!

Tatyanah is also doing grade 8 and starting a part time job, she is going to be babysitting a little boy 4 to 5 days a month! It will be great for her!

Vegas Act

2010-08-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

Ok seriously Amanda and I decided to be crazy and have fun and make up as a Vegas act.

We had so much fun! We were crazy and had tons of fun, until I smashed my thumb!!!

Lyn, Warren and Michaela perform at Heritage Days

2010-08-01T22:50:00.001-07:00

Lyn, Warren and Michalea did karate at the Japan tent, I love watching them, they are fabulous. Lyn was seriously great, I usually thought she was shy but she went out there and was amazing. Michaela was the youngest one there and did great!

Love this pic of Warren, he looks so tough..and he is but we know him differently!

I love this pic with Lyn and Micci doing their thing and Warren watching!

Focused Lyn doing patterns!

Warren doing black belt in the 90th degree stuff! Ok not quite 90th!

At the end they brought kids in to do some karate and Jake tried not to go but Warren made him! He loved it!

Heritage Days!

2010-08-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

Just after they danced, taking a break.

Our ever famous self portrait

The adorable Aimee!

Sandy, Xander and Bridget! Xander loved his chocolate covered banana, he was so funny all he wanted was the food!

Amanda, Taty and Jake!

Cutest little native kid!

Me trying a dutch game

Jake and the Chinese dragon! Earlier he tried to eat Tatyanah's snow cone but I did not have the camera ready!

Philippine Tatyanah

Tatyanah getting watered on by the tall water guy!

Amanda and I as dutch!

These indian boys were so cute the one in blue was so full of excitement and we loved watching him!

This lady from Arab was so cool. She took dough and rolled it out, then threw it in the air, pulled it out on the pillow and then cooked it on the rounded grill. It was so good!

We love Heritage days! So many different ethnic groups all performing. They all had different food and cultural items form their countries. It is always a highlight of our summer. Jake and Amanda eat every kind of food, I thought they were going to get camel something or other but they wanted to try other things. We love it there!

Outdoor Pool!

2010-08-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Tatyanah, Amanda and I went to the outdoor pool and I tried and tried to get Amanda's pic as she did a backwards flip, the best part of her having to do it 10 times was all the cool different shots I got of her in between!

Tatyanah did one back flip and lots of really fun shots! She kept trying to do a back flip and well she ended up jumping off the diving board backwards! We went a few days later with Casy, Rai and Jake and they were so much fun too but we did not bring the camera!

Drumming Circle

2010-08-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

I love Amanda's serious face when she is concentrating! And Jake's too!

Amanda, Jake and I headed down to the Legislature to a drumming circle on Sunday last week. Amanda's mom bought her her first drum, an ashiko, in PEI and she wanted to play for a long time. She was so nervous at first but then she was amazing! The leader guy said that most people do not catch on so quickly, he liked her! Even Jake played for a bit.

My Mama

2010-07-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

It has already been almost 1 year since my mama died of cancer. I have been at peace with her leaving and happy she is not struggling but as this first year creeps up on me, I realize how much I miss her. I wish we could have one more day just to visit, to laugh, to talk about anything. I know that will not happen but I wish.

I know that in time the feelings will not be so strong but I did not realize they would feel this intense at this time!

I love my Mama!

Skim Boarding 101

2010-07-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

Jake bought his skim board and was great at it from the first try. He was teaching Amanda and it is a lot harder than it looks!

Wool Heaven

2010-07-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

MacAusland's Woolen Mill

Prince Edward Island

www.macauslandswoolenmills.com

I can not believe we found this cool place. I knew yarn came from sheep and how they carded and made it into wool to knit with but I dis not know places like this family run place existed. It was AMAZING, I loved it. And it smelled like wool!

The greatest thing was a ball of yearn was only $2.50 and all natural. I can not believe I did not buy the whole place out. It was so neat. And you could walk through as you wished. It was so awesome.

Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas???