Monday, January 25, 2016

January Randomness

 
Out of the craft supply cupboard one afternoon rose
A row of colourful volcanoes
(and an exploded mess to prove their worth)

Recess snow play
snowy lumps with names
can you find the missing two?

Sisters busy with school
Bored of taking photos of pattern blocks
Camera got turned on other topics
This the best of the bunch

Late nights turn early mornings
into late, ragged schedule mornings
Mixed with
Mornings of focus and willing cooperation
Checklists complete, victory won



Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Ambitious Boy

Daddy's helper
Truck lover
Undaunted preschooler

Light snow fall
Work to do
Made into joy

"I can do it!"
"My job!"
"Don't spoil it!"

Insistent
Imaginative
Persistent
As only 3 can be



Wednesday, January 06, 2016

Holidays and A New Year begun

Coming in to Christmas time
expectations built on childhood memories
and Christmases spent afar
ruled the mind.

2 golden weeks of quiet family time
to spend as we wished:
no schedules to keep,
no early mornings necessary,
just a list of nice ideas to pick from.

Coming out of Christmas time,
we still have a full list of nice ideas undone,
there is a felt need to hibernate awhile,
to find the soothing rhythm of routine,
and a slight wistfulness
for that 2 week bliss unfound.

Yet there is no desire for a redo - no!
We've spent holidays alone too often
to wish away this one packed with extended family,
open-ended cousin play
(the 5 of them got on famously),
Late night parent talk,
good food galore.

Travel to TO
A "first" Christmas
With so many "new" relatives
the kids constantly asking 
for an awkward who's who
to thank for the flurry of gifts

Home again
for a night or two
On Christmas Eve church twice
and then on to Christmas 
at NiNi's, with cousins

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
it felt like - the first time in 10 years!
May it not take us another 10 years
to do it again.

~~~~~~

This week
Recovery week - early nights, late mornings
Hibernating week - only one outside commitment
Planning week - must think about the new school term now

But mom can't disappear for a week
like she did in the Fall...
So
Kinda school week - a daily list of schoolish things to do
Rather wobbly routine week - working out the rust and kinks
Not-so-easy-juggling week - perseverance is needed to squeeze in planning with managing!
Kids are doing their own thing week - Dad catching up and mom trying to get ahead

Jasmin asked to take pictures of the first snowfall to show how much it was...
One of Aiden's "school" tasks: cover the pattern and take a picture 



Toes on the table...you do what you need to to get the job done, no?

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Advent Tidbits

Making peppermint creames... without any peppermint.  And actually, they taste really good - better than what we remember our last pepperminty ones tasting!
After an afternoon of puddle-jumping and Christmas shopping, Aiden fell asleep in the car.  Mommy cruelly woke him up when we got home, not wanting him up late.  It didn't work. He came in, sat down, and was out again.  We left him, hoping the awkward position would wake him up. Nope. He slid down and slept on the step for another half and hour! 

A tradition from the Fraser side: painted windows!  This year, too impatient to wait for Mom, this is what the kids did themselves.  Fantastic job! (Never mind the paint on the curtain and the floor...)














We had a "first Christmas" with family in Toronto this weekend.  Today, playing with his lego, Aiden kept making towers as presents for everyone and asking longingly when Friday was coming so "we have more presents" - I guess he knows Christmas means presents now! Hopefully the advent stories we've been telling will stick with him too. And the "shepherds running fast to see the baby king at last" does show up in his playing.