...and two busy boys

It was a good day today. the boys had great fun being 'recyclers' today. They spend a huge chunk of the day with their worker man hats and gloves on and moving piles of cardboard into different spots in the sunroom. One corner they pretended was the crusher and then they moved it to the delivery truck, etc.
It was so nice to see they play together rather than fighting!

J's social worker stopped for a visit today. Nothing has changed with his status other than he has a new one as his old one (that we never met) is on a medical leave. Here's to hoping that we hear from the new lawyer soon so she can actually be effective at the March 1st court hearing.

We had chimichungas for supper...mostly because I thought it sounded like a fun thing to cook. I am a sucker for those kinds of things. I found a vegetarian recipe and a chicken recipe and I kind of combined them.  I am NOT a fan of beans but I think that is partially because I wasn't raised eating them really. I want my boys to eat them because they are so good for them. They eat them a few times/week and I am trying to incorporate them into meals that I will eat as well. J loved the black beans in the chimichungas...he picked through to eat them first :)   J is becoming a GREAT eater!!! I am SO happy that I stuck with the battle to get him to eat all things...he must be going to grow some more soon as he is eating LOTS these days.

We are just home from Awana, the boys are asleep and I am going to curl up with a book (after practicing my memory verses for the week that is)

the silence...

I picked the boys up after my staff meeting at noon, put them to bed...and it is still quiet...
I on the other hand am wiped and wish I had had a nap as well rather than typing the meeting minutes up. J was up a lot last night. The only thing that would settle him is having physical contact with me all night.  yawn
Oh well just 4 hours until bedtime :) well for the boys and then another hour or so for me.

One of these days I should get some photos off my camera and share them on this here blog...

off to make some pizza for supper...and maybe a cup of tea

new challenge

I came across this and have decided to add it to my challenge for 2012.

The slowly decluttering my house is going well. I have a bag half full and a box half full. The stuff for the box came from 6 of my kitchen cupboards today. There are still 7 more I can go through :) It feels so good to open cupboards and not have them full of stuff I don't need. I will be able to pass along things and hopefully someone else out there can find a use for them.

This is one of the books I am reading right now


I bought it awhile ago but am just getting into it this week.

I am also reading Parenting from the Pew. Very interesting book for parents with children. I am only on chapter 4 but am feeling quite challenged on how to make Church a more personal experience for my boys...to make it less about learning to be quiet and more about pleasing God and glorifying him.

Now to prep for tomorrow and get to bed...I need to get the boys out the door very early as I have a staff meeting...yes the second one this month. Then not another until March. I don't know what is up with my supervisor. Last fall we had a meeting in September and then not again until December. Oh well I guess she is making up for our lack of meetings last year. I think there were only 6 the whole year.

j*yful heart is go*d medicine

My inlaws gave me a couple of ipod docking stations for Christmas. I keep one in the kitchen and the other beside CO's bed. CO & J listen to audio books at night. I BLAST Christian music (kids & adult) in the kitchen :)
We are having SO much fun dancing and singing throughout the day.
This morning there was lots of dancing while we waited for the muffins to bake. (carrot muffins...dislike the recipe...and have yet to taste one)
I have been reading this blog lately which I discovered by reading this blog (which I read because her husband's grandmother and my grandmother were great friends as adults and in some bizarre way I find this family makes me feel closer to my grandma...how weird is that??? well it is just me). The hol fit blog I find quite interesting. So far my water has increased. I am intrigued by the oil pulling. And I very much still want a juicer.

It is raining. Good bye snow :( Why can't the snow stay for 7 days? One week? that is all I ask. One week of outdoor snow fun. One week of winter fun. One week without mud!

This week is a NO tv week for me. I have drastically decreased my tv over the last two years. I am proud that I watch less than 5 hours of tv a week. (though my weekends at work, I have slipped into a crazy online tv watching mode in the evenings) I used to spend my evenings and days with the silly thing on non-stop. Well after CO came he would cry and have a fit for tv so to the basement it went.  Over time I have felt God reminding me that my days are his. There is LOTS of garbage on tv that I don't need to expose myself to. I don't want to be exposed to so much sin on tv that it no longer makes me sad and uncomfortable. Sin is sin. I shouldn't be watching so many shows that are full of sin because then I become immune to realising it is sin (sex, cheating, lying, etc.).

This weekend starts my new nannies. I am excited. I am happy that this weekend no suitcase will have to be packed other than my own! I am excited the boys get to stay at home and sleep in their own beds. I am excited that after working 40 hours I don't have to drive all over the countryside picking them up.
There are a couple of weekends between now and July that I have only half of the weekend covered but I hope that I get those covered soon.

well, I need to go clean up a muffin mess :) baking is always messier with my two mini 'helpers'

I wanted to add that I awoke to CO singing Jesus Loves Me at the top of his lungs this morning. It was a nice thing to wake up to. I love hearing my boys sing!

the night before the second birthday party...

the night before the second birthday party, and the cake is a flop (it crumbled and fell apart). The fondant got rolled to thin, and there is a hole ontop. I am at work, and don't have the ability to stay up all night and start again...

oops

yeah

hip hip horrah for a full night's sleep and children that didn't start to stir until 720!!! its a miracle!
We had a little rough spell after breakfast that was remedied by some time outside with some snow, a hill and a couple of sleds. Which resulted in some tired boys, chili in the bellies and over 3 hours of an afternoon nap!!! (and a few fun home movies)
I am SO happy for snow and that the mud is gone! it is no fun playing in the winter with no snow!
I can't believe that it is friday afternoon already. Where has the week gone? I've been busy freezing some meals for the upcoming weekends since the boys will be home (and I no longer have to pack them up and ship them all over).
Now I need to get a cake iced so that it is ready for Sunday.
Have a great weekend!

5 times...murphys law

I was up with CO five times last night. He is in fine form today. I am a little on the short fused side.
Today is swimming lesson day so no naps for anyone (well I am going to try to put J down for a short nap). I would NEVER have scheduled lessons during nap time but it is through the homeschooling group and it is for longer lessons, more lessons and cheaper than I was doing in the past. how could I resist?
it is only moments like I am in right now that I am sad that Thursdays are no nap days.
Right now I am trying to sort and put away some of the piles that have built up in my bedroom. I have my door wide open and I have told the boys that neither of them can cross the doorway. Well, you'd think I'd annouced armagedon! they spent the first bit of time crossing to see what I'd say. Then they just both sat in the doorway watching me. I had to physically MOVE them to a toybasket and ask them to PLAY! It seems I need to do this more often.

On the positive side I found J's health card. It has been missing for over a month and I finally gave in and reported it missing to the sw....murphy's law

J is having an especially rough morning as blankey is in the washer...which reminds me I should switch it to the dryer by now.

*******
edit: No matter how tired I am...the day is ALWAYS so much better when the soon to be 2 year old poops on the toilet!!!!!
Yeah for one less dirty diaper!
now to enjoy some more coffee! and to tackle the dishwasher! let the dance music play!!

upcoming days...

J will be two this Sunday. I have nothing really planned. I have a gift for him. I didn't do much for C's 2nd birthday. I'll make a cake tomorrow. Probably decorate it with a hockey player. I noticed on my dad's fb page that someone had a cool 'very hung*ry caterpill*ar' themed party and was gung ho for that for a few hours and then realised that my little hockey freak would probably much prefer a cake with a hockey player on it. I have a year to get him excited for the caterpillar theme :)
J's lawyer was suppose to show up today, but is off on a medical leave so now a new lawyer needs to be appointed, just another thing to drag this whole process out. Which is fine. I am happy with how things are. I know God has a plan and to be honest, deep down inside I do know in my heart J may stay forever or just a season. He needs a family for now and that is what we are. He on the other hand is happy and thriving and that is what is most important. He is surrounded by people that love him. He is about to loose his weekend family (as the new nannys start next weekend) but they have already threatened to kidnap him occasionally so he can still be exposed to the world of hockey :)
Me, I need to get some plans in place...Sunday will be here before I know it!!

J...a toilet user #2

J is still a toilet user. The funny thing is if wer are home all day, I tend to only put a diaper on him to sleep. If he is bare bottomed, he will run and use the potty. He doesn't have accidents on the floor at all.
I have yet to try him with underwear.  I guess that is the next step. He will be two on Sunday. I am enjoying not having to change diapers.

We are off to watch  my baby can read and then once J is in bed, CO and I are going to play pengaloo. CO got it for Christmas

sigh

so last week J ran a low grade fever for half the week and I got to be sleep deprived most of the week. Thursday night was the only night I got of uninterrupted sleep. This week, CO is running a low grade fever, so I get to be up with him this week. Needless to say, I am tired. There is no other symptom other than a low grade fever and grumpy during the days (maybe sleep deprivation, as I too am grumpy)
I took the opportunity to run to the grocery store in the dark of night last night after the boys were in bed. There is something to be said for grocery shopping at 11pm at night. But I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't walking through a sleep deprived fog.
CO is less gentle and friendly with J when he is not feeling well and tired so I have resorted to turning the tv on occasionally. I feel guilty that the tv is being used during the daytime, but at the same time, I am enjoying the break from the children fighting. Unfortunately I need to find some energy to do some cleaning. I am thankful for Roobi as I am not sure the floors would have been cleaned otherwise these last couple of months.
The place that needs the most attention today is the kitchen and my bedroom.

On a GREAT note. I have 90% of my childcare problem solved until July. A huge blessing. I have two nannies starting after J's birthday. No more packing the kids and shuffling them off in different directions each weekend. The boys will be cared for in our home.

I am going to go find my now cup of cold coffee and see if that helps to wake me up...Nap time in 1.5 hours!!!

nice weather

we took advantage of the nice weather this week and went for a walk along the local heritage trail (old railline). J was under the weather most of the week (low grade fever) and didn't actually enjoy the hike as much as the rest of us but the fresh air did him some good as he was much better the next day.
Here are some photos I captured on my ipod

C LOVES taking the dog for a walk. The dog is OLD and not the easiest to lift in and out of the back of our truck. The dog doesn't need to walk on a leash and I take it off him for most of the walk. One point he decided to go off trail (down a BIG steap ditch and across a small river) because he followed his nose to a dead animal. Once I realised what he was up to, I gave him the command to leave it and then had a dickens of a time figuring out how to get this dog back up onto the trail. He has tiny legs and is old (not very strong). I had to get him to walk down the river a bit until I was able to find a spot that he could cross the water again and then climb a less steap hill back onto the trail...oh the adventures I have!

our week up North

I made the plan to head up North to our family farm the first week of the year. I figured that we would be guaranteed to have some snow and I was not wrong. It was white when we arrived and atleast another 5 inches arrived while we were there.

Here are some photos from my ipod (I have yet still to upload off my camera, maybe this evening)

A clean slate...

(let me start by saying Happy Birthday to Aunt Rena & Karla)

The first day of a new year...a year full of adventures...a year full of opportunities to be an instrument of God...a year full of blessings...

This year I definitely have a few goals.
I am wanting to dive deeper in my relationship with God, I want this year to be one full of prayer, time in God's word and in fasting.
I am wanting to be a better steward over what I feed my children and what they are exposed to environmentally.  The more I mother CO, the more I realise how much 'food' can effect who he is and becomes. He seems to have negative reactions to some foods.
I want to be purposefully less focused on the 'world' and what it offers. I want to declutter my house, and show my children that 'stuff' isn't the source of happiness. And in this process be a good steward with money. To be debt free, and saving purposefully for the future.
I want to live my days with purpose. I don't want to crawl into bed at night having 'survived' the day as a single mother of two but rather having 'thrived' each and every day.
I want to put more of myself out there in my relationships. I want to be a 'giver'. I want to be less selfish.

I have also set some personal challenges for myself. In terms of heath, finances & spirituality. Please pray.

I am sure there are more, but I need to finish packing. We are heading up North for most of the week to visit with family. Please pray for travelling mercies. The weather is predicting some not so nice travelling conditions. Please pray for our time there. I worry about CO and how some parts of his character can turn his relationships sour very quickly without him intending to. I have added some supplements to his diet to see if this helps with his impulsiveness and moods. Please feel free to pray. Only God can truly heal CO from his history.

So not