Well since my Baby left me.....

...I haven't been singing Elvis tunes, that's for sure! It's official. I am a single mom. I woke up this morning determined to make the best of things. When your handed a lemon...right?

Right after breakfast the kids and I got in the van and headed out for slurpies and a bit of shopping. So far so good. By noon though we were hurtin for things to do so we went to Wal Mart and bought a couple of kids sleeping bags and went "camping" with popcorn and a movie, of course. (We really rough it here) By 5:00 pm we were once again wondering how to pass the time. Normally at this time of day, we'd all be at the window waiting anxiously for Daddy to pull into the driveway. Not today. (For some reason knowing that John isn't coming home makes the time go by so much slower) So instead, we headed out to go kite shopping. Yes...our little pocket book took a small hit today, but it is one hour away from the kids bedtime and I actually still feel sane. All in all things went well. This whole "single parent" thing is tough. Lucky for me it's only because John is down south trying to line up a house for us. Pretty brave of me I think to leave the house hunting up to him. In only 36 hours and 45 minutes he'll be back. I know...poor me:) I can hardly wait!!
9:00 am

1:00 pm...

5:00pm...




As always Jessica is perfectly content though she no doubt misses Dad as much as the rest of us do!!!

Home

So John spent a couple of days in Southern Alberta this past week helping his Dad. While he was there, he managed to line up some work as a substitute teacher in that school division starting on Monday. MONDAY!!! This works out great for him as it will give him a chance to get to know the staff and students at the High School where he will be working full time (physics?) come September. Not only did he make arrangements to start subbing on Monday but he also came home with two keys to our new postal box so that I can start switching our mail over. Ahhh...my head is spinning. This is happening so fast!! It is hard to believe that it is already time to move...again. You'd think I'd be an expert at this by now but I'm a little bit nervous this time around. Why? Not sure. Maybe it is because we have to move in a month and have...no house? Maybe it is the fact that we are now finished with our transient, nomadic student lifestyle. For the first time ever we are moving somewhere knowing that it is most likely where our kids will grow up. I can see myself going to that same post office box when I'm 80 years old. Talking to me about our upcoming move can sound like a good thing or a sad thing depending on what time of day it is, what my mood is like etc. John being hired is SUCH a blessing. We really are so fortunate. But there is a lot that I will miss.

PROS:
-We will be much closer to Johns AMAZING parents. I really want my kids to know their two grandparents well as they are all my kids have.
-I will not have to worry about being pulled over by the flashing red and blue lights of my brothers cop car...for no reason at all:)
-can you say "income". Yeah that will be nice.
-No more long waits in emergency rooms
-Jogging in fresh air
-The sound of the wind. I LOVE to hear that wind blow.
-Waterton will be a very short drive away. Talk about a day at the park. It can't get better than that.
-Close to the temple.
-I love that my older sister and her husband will be moving down south soon as well.
-I love that we won't have to store empty boxes (for future moves) anymore.
-It is awesome that John will be able to go to work everyday in an awesome place and do something that he is terrific at.

CONS:
-I'll miss being pulled over by my brother (sort of), and I'll miss his afternoon visits
-I'll miss living above my younger sister and her family. They have been SOO good to us.
-I'll miss being able to move often and meet lots of people, live in different wards, and cities.
-I have found a lot of comfort in not having to reach out and invest a lot into other friendships because hey...we've never stayed in one place for very long. I'm a little bit nervous to move somewhere permanently. My "friend making" skills are definitely rusty.
-Abby will miss her little friends

I'll keep you "posted" (hee hee). We really are excited about this next opportunity and adventure for our little family. Besides it doesn't really matter where we are as long as we are as happy as we are now. "Home is where the food is." I mean "home is where the heart is....and where you hang your hat."

Jessica seems excited about the move!

Our little Boxer

At this very moment Sam looks like he just got in a fight...with a ten year old...and lost. Not so. Just an ordinary Sunday afternoon at our house:) It seems like there is an hour in our home, always between 5:00 and 6:00pm where chaos rules and bad things can happen. I'm usually preoccupied trying to think up what I'm going to cook for dinner. The kids are all hungry and delirious with low blood sugar and I usually get the bright idea to ease the chaos by letting the kids help. On a normal day their efforts to help in the kitchen would result in a spilled pitcher of juice, or a broken plate. Not today. At 5:15-right on cue...disaster hit. In a split second an innocent childhood fight over who "gets to stir" resulted in the first case of stitches I've ever had to deal with as a Mother. Now it was all an innocent accident. I'm sure Abby didn't mean to push Sam off that chair but she did. In a matter of seconds there was blood just dripping down his face. Abby frantically apologizing and telling him, "you can have the chair Sam...it's ok." Too late for that. Good bye peaceful Sunday afternoon...hello emergency room.

Needless to say, after 6 hours of waiting, and 5 minutes being restrained in a "mummy bag," while a doctor stiched him up, our little boy survived his first real injury. I am doing ok now. uh...I mean Sam is doing alright.

It is so hard to see your kids go through things like this. I kept wishing there was a way I could just take it all away for him. I think every parent feels like that, whether we are wanting to protect them from a bully, or a sickness...or from getting hurt. I think that is the part of parenting I will never be able to get used to. Watching your kids experience difficult things. What a trooper though. Despite my crying- he took it like a real little "man."

Hopefully this marks the one and only visit to the emerge this year! Hope you all have better luck this week:))

Circus Time

We had a lot of fun today with some friends of ours at the Shrine Circus. It reminded me of going as a kid. The only difference this time being that we actually had to pay and not our parents. Kids are so unaware of the fact that flashing swords and twinkling wands cost a lot of money. More then they are worth...but oh what memories. Abby rode on an elephant with her friend Jenna. Jessica slept peacefully in John's arms, and Sam played happily in a puddle just off the stage. I'm now fearing E-coli.:)) The kids were so tired after. I did feel a little bad as we entered the parking lot and drove through a small crowd of people protesting the circus. I kept my eye out thinking "Auntie Crystal" was perhaps one of them. That would have been awkward. Fun day.

I've posted some of my artwork (see the link) I've done over the years. Not fantastic but I'll blame it on poor scanning quality. :))

Top Ten

The Mayo Clinic recently released a list of the top ten foods that we all should be eating in order to be more healthy. I saw someone bake this cake on a cooking show today and it is actually pretty healthy (for a cake). The bonus part is it contains 4 of the 10 "healthy" ingredients. Add a little ground flax seed like I did and you've got 5 out of the 10. Hooray. Whoever said delicious can't be nutritious never had this cake. As I was baking I couldn't help but think of an old roomate I had in college who ate apple crisp everyday because of the nutritional benefit of apples.:) Perhaps I will have this "Apple, Almond and Blueberry Cake with Maple Cream" everyday too! Ok so maybe packing a lot of good for you things into a "cake" is not the ideal way to go but it is tastey. Enjoy!


Apple, Almond and Blueberry Cake with Maple Cream
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 5 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced, room temperature
• 4 medium Gala or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, cut into
• 1/3-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ cup slivered almonds
• 2/3 cup dried blueberries
• coarse & powdered sugar, for sprinkling
• 2 cups chilled whipping cream
• 1/3 cup good quality maple syrup
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Sift first 5 ingredients into large bowl. Rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Mix in apples and brown sugar. Whisk eggs and milk together; stir into apple mixture with almonds and blueberries (batter will be thick). Transfer to pan. Sprinkle top with coarse sugar.
3. Bake cake until golden and springy to touch, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly on rack. Cut around cake to loosen; remove pan sides and dust with powdered sugar.
4. Whip cream on medium speed to get some air into it. Add maple syrup and whip on high until soft, pillowy peaks form. Serve each slice of cake with a dollop of cream and a dusting of cinnamon.

Guess Who??

Bad Day for mail...

So we recieved this lovely picture of our new van in the mail today. It was soo nice of the city police to send it to us, along with a not so nice yellow peice of paper. AHHHHHHH!! Tsk Tsk... I'd like to blame this on John but I can clearly see it was taken on the way to a certain store for "Tall Girls"! Drat. Note to self: Yellow lights don't stay yellow for long. :(

John looked at the ticket... (and the price we have to pay) and all he said was, "Hmmm. That's about the same amount of money it will cost for my new 27C Stryker."

I wonder if I could fight this one...what do you think?

Tagged...

For those of you who have never been "tagged,"...today may be your lucky day. I was recently tagged by a friend, who is actually a very talented writer. For her this task was probably a peice of cake. For me...not so. Nevertheless, here's how it works. Thanks Nikki!!

People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

My list of Seven:
1. I love to fish. I started fishing when I was attending college in Edmonton. I've never caught a thing but I love having a "tackel box" of my very own. My favorite spot is along the North Sasketchewan.

2. Bad Habits? none. ok I am a bit of a worry wart. ...just a bit:)

3. Patience is not my strongest virtue. John always pronounces my maiden name as "Rush," which is not at all how it is pronounced...that's just his way of telling me to slow down.

4. My favorite thing to watch are old M*A*S*H re-runs. We own all 11 seasons on DVD. The perfect date night for me consists of John, a bowl of popcorn, and the good ol' 4077.

5. I love to paint and draw. A man was once interviewing Robert Batemen and asked him, "How are you so good? I'd give my right arm to be able to paint like you." To that Batemen responded, "Are you willing to give one hour a day"? Some say practice makes perfect...I'm still practicing.

6. I would love to travel. I say "would" because my experience consists of a quick trip to Salt Lake once and a week spent in BC. I would love to take the Via Rail across Canada one day.

7. I think I have the best family in the world. I happen to have a husband who is, (as Mary Poppins would say) "practically perfect in every way!"

"Tag" goes out to:

Chad
Jewel
Crystal
Lauhni
Jen
Michelle.L
Paula.K

This past week

My sister Jewel told us about a travelling reptile show, she'd attended with her kids on Friday. John and I then decided to take our kids to it on Saturday as part of our celebration of "Earth Day." It turned out to be a lot of fun.


Abby and Sam had fun seeing all of the reptiles and the presenters did a great job of helping the kids appreciate the animals around us. Except for the snakes. I don't think we have to appreciate them.



We also bought the movie Charlottes Web recently. It has become a favorite of Abby's which makes me happy. I have such fond memories of my mom reading it to my siblings and I when I was little. This is a picture of Abby fast asleep. If you look closely you'll see her new bedtime buddies...wilbur and charlotte as well:)

Earth Day

Sunday April 22nd is National Earth Day. First created by Senator Gaylord Nelson in the United States 37 years ago. I remember celebrating Earth Day in Elementary School. All grades would meet outside to pick up garbage in the schoolyard and along the nearby ditches. Afterwards we'd be rewarded with a popsicle. It's funny how picking up garbage seemed so fun... on that one day.
There is an older man in our neighborhood who walks his dog every day and I've noticed that in his hand he also carrys a big bag for...garbage. I've seen him all over my neighborhood cleaning up the schools, churches, parks etc. What a kind deed. That reminds me of another kind deed I once witnessed my brother do. I was driving home when I noticed a cop car a little ways ahead of me flip a U and drove up on the sidewalk right behind a young teenage boy. It only took a second to realize that the cop was my brother. Later I asked my brother what crime that teenager could possibly have done to invoke such a response from him. Turns out that kid was not a theif or a vandaliser...just your ordinary litterbug!! You can bet that young boy will think twice before littering again...the ticket was hefty:)) So hats off to that old man and his dog...and to the men in blue who make it a priority to keep our earth clean!

I'm looking forward to celebrating this day with my kids. (Unless it is still snowing and then forget it:))

Here is a list of ideas and activities I found on line. Go to this page and try a few yourself!

www.ecokidsonline.com/pub/eco_info/topics/environmental/earthday_events.cfm

John's Passion

...it's an F-27C. Johns brother has him hooked on flying airplanes. Don't ask me to explain it in any more detail then that. All I know is that we have a very big plane that takes up lots of space in our bedroom and John takes it everywhere we go. I wouldn't normally include something like this but when John looked at this blog he told me basically that I should make a GOOD post for once. :)) It is a video of his brother flying the plane. It is impressive I have to admit. Sorry girls.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Zoo Crew

On Saturday we decided to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather and make a trip to the zoo. We are so glad that we did. The animals were active and fun to watch. It was little Jessica's first real outing.

Abby loves getting as close to the peacocks as she can.

Sam got so tired but I didn't want him to fall asleep. In desperation I went and bought the kids an ice cream cone thinking that would help keep him awake. No luck. This is a picture I took after I noticed he kept dozing off...right into his ice cream.

Abby and a little boy she used to play with. We ran into him and his Dad while we were there. Those two kids held hands all morning. Uh oh!

Superstar!!!

Abby got a brand new pair of sunglasses this past weekend. They are sparkly pastel blue with a tiny Tinkerbell in the right corner of her eye. She loves wearing them around. They were meant for wearing in the van but she's been known to wear them in the tub with her as well:)) Today she came to me and said, "Mom...when I wear these I feel like a Superstar" I coldn't help but laugh out loud at that. (Maybe it had something to do with her undone hair and old play dress. To me...she looked like anything but)
Since then Abby has continued to refer to herself as a superstar. "Mom...your superstar needs a cuddle." "the superstar needs breakfast..." "Sam is bothering the Superstar." etc

I guess when she starts calling her bedroom her "dressing room" I'll know I'm in trouble.

Out with the old

Well we did it!! We've reluctantly made the big step from our family car to a new van! It was sort of a sad moment for us when we turned over the keys to our little toyota corolla. We felt like we were abandoning her. Yes our car had a gender. John and I obviously get very attached to our vehicles. There have been so many memories made during the time that we owned her. However when you are trying to squish three car seats into the back seat of a corolla, it quickly becomes apparant that it is time for a change. Besides... Sam was seated so close to Jessica that it was too easy for him to reach over and poke her eyes out. Yes...he was trying. So we tearfully said goodbye to our faithfull car and left the dealership in a 2006 Grand Caravan. The kids love the extra room...and Abby is constantly asking if she can go outside to play in the van. I on the other hand am very nervous to drive something so big. I'm pretty certain I will never parallel park again:)

With the first day of Spring having arrived-we've begun a bit of spring cleaning. It is so nice to be able to open up our windows and enjoy the fresh air. I love it!!

With March coming to an end I've been reflecting on the events of this past month. Jessica is now 1 month old and it has been such a blessing to have her in our home. With the passing of my Dad this past month I've been so grateful for the distraction that Jess has provided as well as the reminder every time I look at her, that life is awesome!!

We hope March goes out like a Lamb for all of you. Here are some pictures including one of our "little Lamb" fast asleep.

Happy St. Patricks Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day. I was so excited to celebrate this holiday for some reason this year. Holidays have become so much fun now that my kids are getting old enough to enjoy them. Abigail woke up this morning and the first thing she got was...a pinch! It's her fault that she was wearing pink. (never mind the fact that I dress her every night.) I started to tell Abby about a Leprachan who goes from house to house to make sure everyone is wearing green. Uh...I think I got some stories crossed. I decided I need to research the history of this Irish holiday. I do know that GREEN is the color of the day so for breakfast we ate green eggs, green pancakes and ham. (I couldn't bring myself to dye the ham green. I figured it had enough dye in it already:) We are off to spend the day with family and pinch as many people as we can!

"Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck."

I hope it is a LUCKY day for all of you!

Remembering Dad

It has been a difficult week for me and my famiy but also a week full of awesome memories. After learning last Saturday evening that my Dad had passed away suddenly, my siblings and I have spent a lot of time together remembering all the wonderful things about my Dad that we loved. My brother has really stepped up to take care of us and handle all the details of a funeral and my sisters likewise have been so great. I on the other hand feel like I'm five years old all over again, but I've enjoyed spending this past week with them.

I've thought a lot this week about all the things I never said to Dad or the times recently that I should have called him and didn't. I hope to never feel that kind of regret again and I'm determined to be better at letting those I love know it.

Thanks to all of you who have written, called, and sent flowers. It has meant so much to our family.