Christmas Cards!!!

I finally got back into crafting! It felt really good to just sit down last weekend and PLAY! Of course, with Christmas only 2 months away, I chose Christmas cards! I know eventually I will need to sit down and whack off a stack or two if I want to have enough to send out, but not this time! This weekend was all about exploring and having fun and being creative! I especially loved our mother/daughter craft time, but unfortunately I can't show you Mandy's as I don't know where she put them! LOL     It's hard to tell on these cards, but there is actually lots of bling and glitz. The snowflakes all have smooch spritz on them. The truck is coloured with a metallic green gel pen. The ornaments are outlined in Dazzling Details.

Definitely one of the best parts of Christmas crafts - lots of glitter and shine!

Pinatas...

Nicolas' party was this weekend, and he wanted a pinata.

He worked really hard to make one, layering paper mache on a balloon.

Unfortunately we learned that it is important to start way ahead of time as it wasn't drying well. ( I would recommend at least a couple weeks!)

I tried to speed the process up with my heat gun and ended up with a mushy lump in the bottom of the bowl as I accidentally popped the balloon. Oops!

However, once Nicolas shed a few tears over his smushed pinata, we regrouped and tried to find a new way to make a pinata. He decided on a box pinata. Luckily for us, we had several deliveries this week so we had lots of boxes to choose from.

He made this lovely boombox pinata. Didn't it work out beautifully?

After Nicolas found a box that would work, we cut out two circles for the speakers.
We also attached rope in the bottom of the box (which became the top of the pinata) so we could hang it later.

He then spray-painted that side of the box black as we didn't want to spray paint it once the foil was in. Nicolas also spray-painted two small squares of cardboard at the same time, that we used for the centre of the speakers.

We then cut a piece of cardboard out bigger than the circle, cut a small circle out of it, and covered it with foil. We use tape on the back to anchor the foil in place, and especially to reinforce the cut-out area.

After that we used duct tape to tape the black squares onto the back of the foil squares, and the foil squares on to the inside of the box to make a speaker front. We then filled the box with goodies and scrunched up newspaper (to keep the goodies from all gathering in one spot in the box) and secured it with duct tape. Nicolas then spray-painted the rest of the box. Each side took two coats, and he had to do a couple sides at a time so they could dry.

While the pinata was drying, Nicolas made the buttons from the leftover speaker circles as well as by cutting out rectangles. He and his sister painted these red with tempera paint.

 Amanda also decided this would be a good time to get a belly-button ring.

The pinata was a tremendous success. The boys were 10-14 years old and it took them about 10 minutes to whack it open. They certainly earned their prizes!

Eliminating Excuses

My kids have daily chores to do. Some day they may even have weekly ones.

One of my biggest challenges is that they can never remember what they are supposed to be doing, and so spend significant time going back to finish up missed steps, making ten minutes of chores take twenty, thirty or even more minutes to do.

I have tried many ways to help them, including master lists we check off afterwards, and chore packs that they wear on their bodies. The checklists were forever getting misplaced, and the chore packs bothered my sensory sensitive child, who then would remove (and therefore lose) it. The other difficulty I had, especially for one child, was an inability to work through the steps in a logical order. Do you know how difficult it is to wipe down a counter when you haven't reloaded the dishwasher yet?

I think we may have found a solution that works.

I have made detailed cleaning lists for each room. Each list is being taped inside a cupboard door of its designated room. That way they can just open the door, start at the top, and read and complete one step at a time. Voila!

The lists are being posted tonight as our printer was being ornery, but we have been test-driving the lists this week by putting the computer in the room with the list on the screen, and have had fabulous results.

P.S. I can't figure out how to post the lists in here, but if you would like a copy let me know!

Wednesday Wackies

Some times kids say the most hilarious things! I just had to share a couple from this afternoon.

The first one is a conversation I had with my son T.
I sent him in to the dollar store to grab 2 cans of diced tomatoes. He came back with 5.

Me: I thought you were getting 2 cans.
T: It's not my fault! You didn't give me clear directions. You told me to get 2 cans of diced tomatoes!

(I discovered later that the reason he wasn't clear is that he thought I wanted 2 big Costco-sized cans and they only had the regular size ones, so he wasn't sure how many he should get in that case!)

The second was between my friend C and her son J when I dropped my kids to their house:

J: Mom, where do T, N, and A live?
C: (told him our city name)
J: No, not WHERE do they live, what planet?
C: Earth
J: You mean,  they live on planet Earth, the same planet as us?
C: Yes, John, the same planet, Earth.
J: Really, Mom? Do they really live on same planet Earth?

So now you know, we are aliens who come from a planet where 2 and 5 mean the same thing!

Hope you all had a wacky day too!

Face Paint Fun

Amanda asked for face paint at her birthday party. My mum and sister very kindly picked some up, but then I forgot to use it.

Yesterday Amanda and Nicolas came to me asking for some, and I managed to oblige them. I am not artistic, so I am impressed with how well it turned out. I am sure the true artists are cringing but we had fun! LOL

Birthday Fun

Amanda turns 8 next week, and I got off easily for her party.
Instead of the typical little girl party where I had to entertain them with mind-numbing games she elected to have a BBQ with her friends and their families. Bonus - easy for me!

She had a Hello Kitty theme but I was so behind getting ready that there was no way I could get a Hello Kitty cake done. Instead, she let me off easily and we made rainbow cakes. In fact, I was so far behind, the cupcakes only got baked 6 hours before the party, which meant the icing knocked the top of the first cupcake I iced. The kids called it an icing cookie! After that, I piped the icing on and spread it VERY gently, and managed to keep the rest mostly intact.

Here is how our cupcakes looked:

One of the big advantages of a BBQ is that Michael does the cooking!

Lots of kids, lots of balls, which also meant lots of time digging balls off of the roof and out of neighbours' yards!

The birthday girl getting ready to blow out her candle (there was an "8" candle behind the sparklers).

Family Reunion Round-up

I am amazed at how fast the summer flies. So much for all my great plans to get lots of crafting done. So far I have done precisely... zero. Oops!

We did, however, spend a week on Cortes Island with Michael's family. It was especially fabulous to watch the kids connect with their cousins. The kids had lots of fun and enjoyed sailing, clam digging, fishing, shopping, and swimming.

Clam digging at Smelt Bay, right before the rain started pouring - the dads took the kids while the moms went shopping!

Enjoying a day on a sailboat exploring Desolation Sound

Christina and Ryan hanging out in the bow of the ship...

Not to be outdone by his wife, Drew takes his turn relaxing...

Dave and Cole on the boat

Matthew turned 10

The kids were excited to explore tidepools in the rubber boat (the tide was out, leaving a sandbar between this area and the rest of the bay).

Nicolas went crab-hunting, too

 Michael and I relaxing on the deck

 Arlene unwinds with a puzzle

The view from our deck

A father/son fishing trip was successful in bringing back dinner

Beautiful cousins

Fun in the USA

Yesterday we took a road trip. Well, Michael didn't - he stayed home and worked to pay for it! LOL But the rest of us packed up with friends and headed south for the day, our first trip in years.

We had a good though very long day. We hit Arby's for lunch (no one was impressed) then started into shopping. While I was in the first store, my friend came running in to tell me both boys doubled over in cramps then ran for the bathroom. Luckily, both boys were fine by the time I came out of the store, and other than reduced appetites, were fine the rest of the day. On second thoughts, maybe I should take them to Arby's more often - the reduced appetites were cheaper on my pocketbook. Just kidding! LOL

We were very smart in that we started with the furthest away store and worked our way home. It helped to have the trip back broken up into shorter segments as it made the car ride seem like nothing. We also found some good deals, and some things we needed but hadn't been able to find at home for whatever reasons.

By the time we got back to the border, our bill was high and it was after 11 at night. Felt very blessed to get a border guard who didn't make me pull over and pay GST or duty! We pulled in at home and the kids were so tired, they fell into bed without even saying good night to me! LOL

The funny of the day:
We passed an articulated bus, which fascinated all the kids, even the 24 year old, who shot a video of it. And Tanner's comment? "It even has seats!" ROFLOL He meant NEAT seats, or at least that's what he says now...

Seizing the Moment to Speak into Others' Lives

So often I pray for God to use me, then blindly stumble through the moments that come without even realizing He had a purpose until later. You know those thoughts, "I should have said..."
Well, this week God did use me and it wasn't until afterwards that I even realized it.

My husband and I plan for a weekly date night. It takes some effort and dedication to keep it up regularly, but it is well worth the positive benefits on our marriage. I strongly recommend a regular date night to all couples, even if it is only an hour away for a coffee or a walk through your neighbourhood. But I digress...

Late in our meal hubby slipped away to the bathroom. Our server approached me, asking when we were getting married, as she had heard the word "fiancee" and thought we were talking about us. When she realized we had been married sixteen years (suddenly I feel old!) she started asking me questions about what age we got married, what age I think is best, and how did we manage to stay married this long! It was such a blessing to be able to speak to her and explain what has made our marriage work (commitment and communication!) and that there are times when you don't feel the love, but that it will return if you keep working out the issues.

She walked away marvelling that it is ok to get angry at someone! It is sad that our TV and movie fantasy world has so set up people with the idea of "happily ever after" that we have young people who don't realize that real life doesn't work that way! What a pleasure to be the messenger encouraging her that successful relationships are based on work rather than romantic feelings.

Thank you God for the chance to speak into another's life. Praying for more opportunities to be used by Him!

Celebrating Family

Tradition is important to all of us.
My sister Pam is visiting from Australia, and during the time she stayed with us, there were lots of "remember when..." conversations.

It really reminded me of how kids remember the milestones and build on them. That is why today is important. Eleven years ago today Nicolas joined our family as a foster son. Two years later we adopted him. We celebrate Family Day to mark each of our children's adoptions. Both boys chose the anniversary of moving in, rather that their paperwork adoption day, as the day to celebrate because they feel they joined our family when they moved in, not when the government agreed with us!

Today is Nicolas' family day, so Michael took a day off work and we are off to do a family activity together. Enjoy your day!

Choosing to Spend Our Time Wisely

Electronics are everywhere in our society. It seems they are taking over all of life, and they are certainly taking over our home! Some days it feels like the deepest discussions we have in a day are over who gets the computer next!

This week we have tried something new. We have set the router to turn off the internet for three hours each evening, meaning that noone is online when Michael gets home, and through dinner and bedtime. It is too early to see what the long term result will be but so far the effects have been fabulous!

Without the temptations of computer we have been spending time together, laughing, talking, and playing lots of games!

We even have a couple projects planned, such as organizing all our photos.

I love the freedom to be together that comes from not competing with a screen!

Menu Board

Hi Folks!

After a long dry spell I finally had a crafty weekend, or should I say week? I had a friend over for a few days and it was fun to spend some time crafting with her.

The highlight of my weekend was making a menu board for my kitchen. Menu planning is something I have always struggled with, and I have loved some of the menu boards I have seen on friends' blogs and on Pinterest. This weekend I finally had the joy of making my own! Yay!

Here is what the board looked like when I began. I decided to use this particular board largely because, though we have several corkboards in the house, it was the first/only one we could find at the moment I decided I was making my menu board RIGHT NOW! LOL My poor hubby - he is so patient with me!

He even tried it on the wall to make sure it was going to fit vertically or horizontally so that I would be safe no matter where my creative juices led!

I had some leftover checkered paper and green paper I really wanted to use as they are my favourite colours, and chose a pink for the background. I also had some labels left over from the ones I made to label my kitchen cupboards so inked the edges of them in the same purple that I used on the labels, then stamped MENU on them. From there I was not really sure where to go and started playing around with multiple ideas.

I knew I wanted two pockets on it, and was originally toying with making them from envelopes but was afraid that would not be sturdy enough to last in my house. Finally I had a brilliant idea - I emptied the playing cards out of two boxes then cut the tops off to get the size I wanted. I then scored my cardstock and covered them, and added labels that matched my title.

At this point in time I got completely stuck and felt like I was going nowhere fast. I also discovered that our clothes pins are either missing or still packed, so now I had a good excuse to make a run to the dollar store. I am so glad I did! While there I found lots of embellishments in my favourite colours, and a perfect match for this board! I also found a jumbo-sized clothespin. I wasn't sure how that was going to mesh with my whole menu board but I knew I loved it and would find a way!

Back home the creative juices started to really flow! However, the background seemed a bit blah, and when Amanda offered a piece of purple paper instead we knew we had a winner! What a difference the brighter purple made! The clothespins got covered in the same green paper as the card boxes. I then wrote the days of the week on the little ones so that I would know where in my week I was at, then modpodged to make them hold up better to being handled.  I used wood glue to attach everything, largely because I couldn't find my hot glue gun. I have three or four of them and they have all grown legs and wandered off, probably with the scissors and nail clippers! What's with that anyway? I digress...

I glued everything on, added some pretties, and voila! A menu board! I especially love how the large clothes pin provides balance to the other side of the board, where I also have space for building my grocery list.

Here is a close-up of the menu side (and thanks to Tanner for the photos):

I chose to label my boxes "Planned Meals" and "Menu Ideas" as my shopping rarely lines up with the calendar. That way when I shop I can add all the meals I have ingredients for to the "Planned Meals" box and work from there when setting up my schedule for each week. If I end up moving things around, unused meals go back in that box again, and once we have eaten them, the card returns to the "Menu Ideas" box. For now I have also put in some blank cards and a pen as I didn't want to think through my whole menu in one shot

I am so excited to use my pretty board, and my kids are excited because Mummy managed to plan dinner before 6 at night two nights in a row!

Have a super week!

Bear Hunt

Isn't it amazing how busy life gets sometimes? I find it hard to believe how long it's been since I wrote on here! What's more, I even got a bonus week - my mum was down here at my sister's and decided to take the kids home with her for a week! They had a blast and went to May Days with her. I filled my time playing with my friends and Michael and I organized our kitchen. It looks beautiful!

The kids had a blast, and I met my mum half way to get them back. I was lucky to see lots of wildlife, including three black bears. This beauty was at the side of the road on our way home and Tanner got some gorgeous shots of him.

Have a great day!

100 Summer Ideas - Part Six: Do Unto Others

Last but not least, this final group of ideas is about reaching out and serving those around of us. We live in a world where it is easy and acceptable to feed our selfish desires and do what is "fun" and "relaxing" yet we serve a mighty God who gave everything for us. How can we do any less?
I challenge you to make a point this summer of reaching out to someone in need around you, either using one of these ideas or your own.
I guarantee the life you change most will be your own!

1. Give someone a bouquet of homegrown flowers.
2. Take someone vegetables from your garden.
3. Mow a neighbour’s lawn or weed their garden for free.
4. Watch someone’s little ones (at your house or theirs) so their mom can have some free time.
5. Pack a give-away bag to keep in your car to share with homeless people you pass (pack easy open food such as cheese and crackers, ravioli with pop-top lids, canned fruit, granola bars, juice boxes, etc. Be sure to include plastic utensils and a napkin. If you wish and can afford it you may throw in “extras” such as bus tickets, phone card, letter-writing kit (stamped envelope, paper and pen).
6. Make a card for someone.
7. Walk dogs at the local animal shelter.
8. Drop off dinner or muffins to someone who is ill/grieving/has a new baby.
9. Clean out your toys and games and drop them off at a charity.
10. Take your outgrown clothes to a thrift shop.
11. Volunteer with a community group.

Here is the birthday cake Tanner and Amanda made for a friend of ours who has no family:

100 Summer Ideas - Part Five: Create and Explore

The next group of ideas would be what I dub the "messy" section. These ideas are not good ones for days when you as a parent are feeling stretched and need a calm house. On the other hand they are great ones for getting your kids' imaginations flowing and for helping them forge and create new ideas.

1. Draw something.
2. Ask someone to teach you a craft they know.
3. Share a craft you know with someone else.
4. Build a birdhouse.
5. Build a structure out of cardboard boxes.
6. Start making Christmas cards.
7. Build your own catapult. Test it outside.
8. Build something with rolled up newspapers.
9. Make a rain gauge. (good one if the rain is spoiling the other ideas! LOL)
10. Float vs. Sink - fill a tub with water and check to see what various objects do
11. Build your own volcano, then explode it.
12. Make gloop. (mix equal parts cornstarch and water)
13. Use magnets to test objects around your home.
14. Paint a picture.
15. Try a new recipe.
16. Make bark rubbings.
17. Make a terrarium.
18. Paint rock people.

100 Summer Ideas - Part Four: On Your Own

This next group of activities is a list of things your kids can do on their own. These ideas are great for when you need some peace and quiet, or for times when they are overwhelmed by the busyness of having everyone home and just need some down time. These ideas are also great if you have one of those kids who think they need to be plugged in all day or they will be bored (not that I know any kids like that!) LOL

1. Birdwatch.
2. Write a letter.
3. Keep a journal.
4. Start a new hobby.
5. Memorize a Bible verse.
6. Memorize the books of the Bible (in order)!
7. Create a stop action movie.
8. Read a book.
9. Start a collection.
10. Fly a paper airplane.
11. Build a fort.
12. Write a poem.
13. Freeze a bunch of ice and play with it in the bath tub. Better yet, freeze small toys in it! (No, you don’t need to climb in with it!)
14. Write a story.
15. Sit in the back yard and do nothing.
16. Make a scrapbook.
17. Listen to music.
18. Build a Lego creation.

100 Summer Ideas - Part Three: Family Time

The next group of ideas includes good ones for your family to do together as a whole group.
Some of these ideas include so-called "work" but the achievement at the end of the day is well-worth the effort!

1. Play a board game.
2. Make dinner with a theme - use another country or period in history.
3. Make your own movie.
4. Put on your own play or puppet show.
5. Celebrate Christmas in July. Make simple decorations such as paper chains and snowflakes.
6. Can fruit.
7. Make jam.
8. Clean out the messiest room in the house. Better yet, do one a week and your house should sparkle by fall!
9. Create a rainy-day obstacle course.
10. Host a neighbourhood BBQ or block party.
11. Hold your own karaoke contest.
12. Play charades.

This spring Michael's mom came to visit and see our new place, and spent her time helping him unpack and organize the garage, which was definitely the messiest room. Thanks Mom!

100 Summer Ideas - Part Two: Fun in the Sun

The next group is outside ideas to try at home.
My kids were already testing the list out today. They held a lemonade stand and made $7. Not bad for a cul-de-sac!

1. Run through the sprinkler.
2. Play in a wading pool.
3. Have a water gun fight.
4. Have a sponge fight.
5. Paint the sidewalk with water.
6. Host a lemonade stand.
7. Have a water relay (using a sponge, a spoon or anything to move the water from one container to the next) - best with a group!
8. Make your own slip and slide.
9. Have a spray bottle fight.
10. Wash the car.
11. Play road hockey.
12. Play badminton.
13. Build your own miniature golf course.
14. Play basketball.
15. Play Frisbee golf.
16. Host your own mini-Olympics.
17. Have a scavenger hunt.
18. Paint rocks.
19. Create a masterpiece with sidewalk chalk.
20. Hold a backyard campout.
21. Plant your own garden.

Have fun enjoying the sunshine, and don't forget the sunscreen!

100 Summer Ideas To Do - Part One: Out and About

Summer is rapidly approaching, as I am sure everyone is aware!
I am notorious for having lots of ideas and never doing most of them so this year I am taking a different approach.

I am making lists on different themes and each family member will choose one idea from each list. That way we will have done a variety of activities and everyone will get a say in what we do. I have subdivided the lists into sections, that way it is easy to tell what are full day outings, and which ones the kids can do on their own when they are driving you batty!

Over the next week my plan is to share my ideas with you. Hopefully they will inspire you to try some yourself. I would also love to hear your plans and ideas for making summer memories.

Part One - Out and About
Quite simply, this section of the list is everything that requires us to leave home. Pretty broad definition, eh? LOL

1. Go to the beach.
2. Take swim lessons.
3. Hit the ocean at low tide and explore the intertidal zone.
4. Got wheels? Go for a bike, trike, or roller skate.
5. Rent or borrow a sailboat, canoe or paddleboat.
6. Go to the water slides.
7. Go to the spray park.
8. Swim in an outdoor pool.
9. Visit a new park.
10. Go for a hike.
11. Play tennis.
12. Play golf or hit balls at a driving range.
13. Go for a picnic.
14. Walk a dike.
15. Go fishing.
16. Play tourist in your hometown.
17. Go camping.
18. Pick your own berries.
19. Play a game of softball.
20. Check out a museum or art gallery.

Encouraging Right Behaviour

One of the ongoing challenges in our home and lives is how to encourage and reward right behaviour instead of just disciplining inappropriate behaviour. Ultimately we came up with a goal sheet as a way to refocus our home and help improve the general atmosphere.

We found the most important thing was to create a system that was easy to use and with a reward that the kids really wanted. For us that was computer time. Each day the kids have 6 checks they can earn, each worth 5 minutes of computer time. If they have a perfect day they earn a bonus checkmark. Also, bonus checkmarks can be earned sparingly for exceptional behaviour (and by sparingly I mean about 1 week). Any day a child earns less than 4 checkmarks they earn 0 minutes of computer time for the day as they have not met the minimal standard. The minutes earned one week become the free computer time (as opposed to computer time for school work) the next week. We have found it to be a simple and effective system that helps to encourage right living and reduces the begging for computer at the same time.

Over time the goals we use have changed, with a mixture of home and behaviour goals. The current chart represents our focus on attitude and respect, and that home and school completion are more expectations than goals.

A couple people have asked me for my chart lately so I thought I would share it with you here.

Having said that, I have found it has not been very helpful with my seven year old. It is too overwhelming for her, and she gets discouraged. Instead I have given her a blank chart and one goal - obedience the first time she is asked. When she obeys right away, including completing the task (she is highly distractible) she earns a checkmark or smiley face, depending what she feels like putting on. Once her chart is full, she will redeem it for a prize from my prize box... you know, the one I need to start by the time she finishes her chart! LOL

Magic Cake

We held Tanner's 13th birthday party this weekend. Hard to believe he's going to be a teenager already! He is totally fascinated by magic, so we did a magic theme for his birthday which, of course, necessitated making a magic cake!

Here is what we came up with and how we did it:

Sorry our picture quality is still developing. Our photography was a bit off this time as the boys decided they want to make a youtube video of this cake being decorated, and got so busy recording that they kept forgetting to take photos! I'll let you know once the video is edited and posted.

In the meantime, here are the instructions for the magic cake:
1)Base - 2 9" X 13" cakes stacked and iced with chocolate icing died black
2) The top hat is made by baking a cake in an empty tin can; we used a diced tomato can (apparently you need to make sure your can is not lined, so don't use one with a white inside). Set it aside for now.
3) For the brim of the top hat melt chocolate chips and spread them in  a circle on wax or parchment paper to form a slightly larger circle than your can. We traced a slightly larger bowl onto the paper then filled it in with chocolate. Freeze it to set.

4) Magic wand - I couldn't find plain breadsticks so I ended up using cherry Nibs. Pocky would also have worked but I couldn't find them at the time. Turns our I was in the wrong aisle! LOL Dip most of your wand in the melted chocolate and place it on the paper to set.  Put it in freezer to set completely before adding the white chocolate.

I found the wand melted when I picked it up, then melted even faster when I tried to dip it in the white chocolate, so I resorted to spooning the white chocolate onto the ends of the wands and that worked much better. Return them to the freezer.

5) Playing cards - dip tea biscuits in white chocolate then freeze them. Spread more white chocolate on the back to make a better looking and more even card surface. Return them to the freezer.

Pipe red or black icing on them to make the card faces. We used red icing and made aces and twos to keep it simple.

6) Dip mini ice cream cones in melted chocolate (we used blue) for the cups and ball trick. We couldn't find mini ice cream cones so we just cut sugar cones down to size then dipped them. For the balls we used mini gobstoppers, no prep required!

7) After assembling the cake base decorate it it with red buttercream icing to make it look like a magician's table. Tanner took the opportunity to practice his newly-acquired cake decorating skills!

8) Finally assemble the cake. I did this a few hours before the party but if I had it to do over again I would do it later. The brim of the hat softened too much (see how much nicer it looks here than in the first picture?) which made it change colour, droop, and eventually break. Also the weight of the top hat sunk that corner of the cake a bit - not badly, but not perfect.
Oh, and the bunnies were leftover Easter candy we found on clearance.

Tanner loved his party, especially the fantastic magician we had, Steve Dickson. Tanner also loved his cake, I love creating these memories for my children, and another successful party was had by all!

Let's Not Eat Lasagna After All...

I decided I should share this week's lasagna story as I am sure it will give someone a laugh!

We invited my sister over for a nice Easter dinner this weekend. We chose lasagna for an entree as she is vegetarian. Besides, it's one of our kids' favourite dishes, especially since we figured out to make two - one with regular cheese and one with goat cheese for my guys with dairy challenges! Anyways, I digress.

My sister showed up at dinner time to the sound of hubby and I arguing over the lasagna, which wasn't cooking. In fact, the sauce wasn't even made. I was cutting the first veggies as she walked in. Oops! So we threw the veggies back in the fridge and my sis took us out for a nice dinner. Thanks Sis!

Monday we tried again. Our day went haywire and at 6:30 we still hadn't started the sauce so we ate something else. Tuesday I made the sauce and left it to simmer. By dinner time it had tried to burn on the bottom of the pot several times, and was the consistency of watered down tomato juice. Not a good start to dinner. We dumped the lasagna for dinner idea AGAIN (can you hear my inflexible son ramping up at the idea of his beloved lasagna being delayed for the third time???) and poured it in the crockpot to simmer. We let it simmer all day Wednesday and it was still way too runny, and not tasting very good to boot. Michael and I had date night, so the kids ate spaghetti with some of the sauce on top, with extra sugar added to make it palatable. We doctored up the sauce some more then left it to simmer all night Wednesday and all day Thursday in the hopes of making it taste better. We got home ready to finally have lasagna for dinner, and the sauce had turned black. It was still too runny, except now it was black and tasted worse than ever.
Guess what? We still didn't have lasagna for dinner!
Tomorrow we are going to do up a fresh batch of sauce and try again. Wish me luck!

Picnic Time

The warm weather has hit, or at least hit for a couple days. This being the Wet Coast, we never know when our sunshine is going to liquefy! It is important to grab the sunny moments while we can!
Tonight we packed up all the sports gear and a picnic dinner and met Michael at a park after work.
We had a fabulous time eating in the fresh air, being eaten by killer mosquitoes, and playing and relaxing in the fresh spring air.
For those of you who don't go because it is such a hassle, I challenge you to change your tune! I read something this winter that challenged me. A mom of 11 kids (8 of whom are adopted special needs kids) wrote about how they do picnics - keep their basket and blanket packed, and if it is picnic weather, they go, just taking whatever is dinner with them.
I know for us tonight, there was whining and complaining about it being too cold, too hard, and the bike pump was broken, but once we got over the hurdle of getting there, everyone relaxed and enjoyed themselves.
And in that fresh air and family time, memories are created, and that is truly what it is all about!
My goal for this year - at least one picnic a week! (in the warmish months)

Nicolas Creates

Today we finish up our look at what the kids made for Hobby Share Day.

Last, but not least, Nicolas chose to do electrical circuits. Originally they were going to do their names, but realized how slow and finicky it is (the wires are TINY) so instead they made the Big Dipper.

Here is what it looks like in the dark:

 And here is a view of the back, although you can't see most of the little wires as it is sealed up to keep them from being bumped:

That's a wrap for this year's Hobby Share. My kids were so blessed by the parents who took time to share a bit of themselves.