Pan-fried wild salmon fillet with lemon & dill, oven-roasted herbed potatoes, steamed green beans from the garden, and double-chocolate cake with cookies & cream ice cream. Who needs to go out to have a great birthday dinner?? :)
Not to mention some dee-lish blueberry pancakes for breakfast, made with wild blueberries we picked ourselves.
Yes, I like to spoil myself on my birthday. And I got the best birthday present of all, so what more could I ask for?
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The eagle has landed...
We have DH back in our arms for an all-too-short but oh-so-needed vacation break.
I had originally hoped that we might do something special, some kind of little vacation, but reality has set in and we're going to chill out at home. Between jet lag, the kids going into "velcro mode" and not exactly an abundance of spare cash, it makes much more sense to just hang out at home and take it easy for a while. However, we did make it into a mini-vacation by opting to spend the night in Edmonton at a nice hotel that really spoiled us by giving us a phenomenal deal on a package AND a free upgrade to a suite. Add to that the presents that Daddy brought home, and they are just as happy (probably more so even) than if we had planned something "special". I know I am. :)
I had originally hoped that we might do something special, some kind of little vacation, but reality has set in and we're going to chill out at home. Between jet lag, the kids going into "velcro mode" and not exactly an abundance of spare cash, it makes much more sense to just hang out at home and take it easy for a while. However, we did make it into a mini-vacation by opting to spend the night in Edmonton at a nice hotel that really spoiled us by giving us a phenomenal deal on a package AND a free upgrade to a suite. Add to that the presents that Daddy brought home, and they are just as happy (probably more so even) than if we had planned something "special". I know I am. :)
Monday, August 30, 2010
August 30, 2010
Today is the first day of school here in Alberta, so I thought it fitting to do a project. I'm not really planning to go full-speed with school til later in the month, but it's good to go for appearances, right? ;)
So today we went for a nature walk and collected leaves and other signs of the approaching Autumn season. Now, I have to admit that Alberta has got nothing on Nova Scotia for foliage. It's actually a pretty sad little show. But with enough persistence we did manage to find an assortment of shades to create our poster, entitled "The Colours of Fall". (See how I even made the extra effort to use the Canadian spelling there?)
Then we moved on to some coloring, cutting and pasting. I am attempting to strike a balance between C's need for K/Grade One challenges and A's beginning skills at the early pre-K level. So some things, like this project, fall right square in between the two:
Some big-kid work for C - including a math sheet of addition with numbers up to ten.
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/fall/mbrady.htm
New words: rare, beneath, content, gleaming, stark
So today we went for a nature walk and collected leaves and other signs of the approaching Autumn season. Now, I have to admit that Alberta has got nothing on Nova Scotia for foliage. It's actually a pretty sad little show. But with enough persistence we did manage to find an assortment of shades to create our poster, entitled "The Colours of Fall". (See how I even made the extra effort to use the Canadian spelling there?)
Then we moved on to some coloring, cutting and pasting. I am attempting to strike a balance between C's need for K/Grade One challenges and A's beginning skills at the early pre-K level. So some things, like this project, fall right square in between the two:
The pages for this activity are here:
http://www.kidzone.ws/prek_wrksht/cutpaste-seasons.htm
http://www.kidzone.ws/prek_wrksht/cutpaste-seasons.htm
Some big-kid work for C - including a math sheet of addition with numbers up to ten.
And finally, reading/vocabulary:
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/fall/mbrady.htmNew words: rare, beneath, content, gleaming, stark
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Happy Birthday to me...
Okay so it's not my birthday but hey, so what? LOL I told hubby today that he's off the hook for my birthday as I bought a new fridge and stove today. Gotta love the credit plan at the Canex, the payments are spread out and divided evenly as payroll deduction with six months' no payments, no interest over 24 months, and since we're in Alberta, there is only 5% sales tax on it. I just bid farewell to our old appliances - they were given to us for free, so I passed them on for free - and I'm awaiting delivery of the new ones. I hired someone to deliver them for me, saving the hassle of trying to find people who could do it during the excessively limited hours of our Canex store. I went with Samsung, which is a first for me. Being as I was doing it through the Canex I couldn't do my normal procedure of shopping around, comparing brands, reading reviews, etc, as their selection is rather limited. So I went to the store, looked at the available models and went with the fridge I liked the most and the stove I liked second best. (The one I liked the BEST was a new induction range... but that alone would cost as much as these two together, so.... no.) I'm just hoping that the delivery comes soon, because I'm sitting here watching thunderclouds forming and rolling in, and seeing yet another "Severe Thunderstorm Watch" posted on the Weather Network... and I have to think that if it's thundering, raining and/or hailing, he may prefer to wait until tomorrow to make the delivery. Which is fine, but it sure would be nice to have it today.
Tanner seems to be settling into his new home just fine. Last night he and the girls both slept nearly 11 hours - no complaints from me! I had him out to potty at just past 8 last night, and then C took him out this morning around 7:30, and he was fine all night. I guess this is part of the benefit of getting an older dog rather than a puppy! I have to think he's feeling the heat, though, with such a thick coat. I gave him a good brushing yesterday and a lot of undercoat fur came loose. I suspect I'll do that a few times a week. In a few weeks when hubby comes home for leave, the plan is to bring him to a kennel to spend the night and have him groomed at the same time, ie nails, teeth, and a bit of a haircut. Nothing too drastic, just some trimming around his paws, underneath, and the fur that's long enough to be dragging. He is pretty just the way he is, but I think some tidying up will help with cleanliness. I've seen no skittishness so far about the kids, the neighbors or their dogs, or the fighter jets overhead. (Hopefully that is also true about thunder and other loud things!!) He did bark when people came to the door, but stopped quickly, and that is what I would hope for, so that's all good. So I have to say that so far, this seems like it will prove to be a good match. The big question will be how well he accepts hubby when he gets home, but I don't think it will be too catastrophic. I'm not letting him sleep on my bed or anything like that, and I'm doing my best to make sure he knows that I am the boss, not him.
Okay so it's not my birthday but hey, so what? LOL I told hubby today that he's off the hook for my birthday as I bought a new fridge and stove today. Gotta love the credit plan at the Canex, the payments are spread out and divided evenly as payroll deduction with six months' no payments, no interest over 24 months, and since we're in Alberta, there is only 5% sales tax on it. I just bid farewell to our old appliances - they were given to us for free, so I passed them on for free - and I'm awaiting delivery of the new ones. I hired someone to deliver them for me, saving the hassle of trying to find people who could do it during the excessively limited hours of our Canex store. I went with Samsung, which is a first for me. Being as I was doing it through the Canex I couldn't do my normal procedure of shopping around, comparing brands, reading reviews, etc, as their selection is rather limited. So I went to the store, looked at the available models and went with the fridge I liked the most and the stove I liked second best. (The one I liked the BEST was a new induction range... but that alone would cost as much as these two together, so.... no.) I'm just hoping that the delivery comes soon, because I'm sitting here watching thunderclouds forming and rolling in, and seeing yet another "Severe Thunderstorm Watch" posted on the Weather Network... and I have to think that if it's thundering, raining and/or hailing, he may prefer to wait until tomorrow to make the delivery. Which is fine, but it sure would be nice to have it today.
Tanner seems to be settling into his new home just fine. Last night he and the girls both slept nearly 11 hours - no complaints from me! I had him out to potty at just past 8 last night, and then C took him out this morning around 7:30, and he was fine all night. I guess this is part of the benefit of getting an older dog rather than a puppy! I have to think he's feeling the heat, though, with such a thick coat. I gave him a good brushing yesterday and a lot of undercoat fur came loose. I suspect I'll do that a few times a week. In a few weeks when hubby comes home for leave, the plan is to bring him to a kennel to spend the night and have him groomed at the same time, ie nails, teeth, and a bit of a haircut. Nothing too drastic, just some trimming around his paws, underneath, and the fur that's long enough to be dragging. He is pretty just the way he is, but I think some tidying up will help with cleanliness. I've seen no skittishness so far about the kids, the neighbors or their dogs, or the fighter jets overhead. (Hopefully that is also true about thunder and other loud things!!) He did bark when people came to the door, but stopped quickly, and that is what I would hope for, so that's all good. So I have to say that so far, this seems like it will prove to be a good match. The big question will be how well he accepts hubby when he gets home, but I don't think it will be too catastrophic. I'm not letting him sleep on my bed or anything like that, and I'm doing my best to make sure he knows that I am the boss, not him.
Monday, August 9, 2010
We're home!
We arrived here Friday evening after a veeeerrrrrryy long day of travel that started in Nova Scotia at 4:30 am local time. The weekend was a bit of a blur of tired mom and crabby children but we're getting settled. We're mostly unpacked, and I found the energy today to do laundry and dishes so that's a good sign. C is still not quite herself though and has been plummeting into a foul mood at the drop of a hat through most of this afternoon so we're headed for early bedtimes tonight.
One of the things I had told the girls was that we would get a pet this fall. Well, before we left Nova Scotia, I was browsing the classifieds for here and saw an ad for two shelties looking for a new home. I emailed their owner, and heard back from her today. We met them this morning and they really are dear little things - the female is six and the male is twelve, and before we met them I was thinking we'd adopt the six year old. When they came here, though, C fell in love with the older (and much smaller) one. He's quiet, calm, good-natured and pretty much made himself at home. But I didn't make an immediate decision, and she carried on to take them to see someone else who had shown interest. This afternoon she called back and said that the six year old is definitely going to another home, so that removed the debate of which one. Although I was actually strongly considering getting both of them.
So now I think we will go ahead and get the older one. He won't have all that many years with us, being in his old age already, but he does seem like he'll be a sweet pet and we can give him a nice home anyway.
The other source of debate was that the local shelter has a Golden Retriever and a Maltese Terrier (crossed, methinks). Both are apparently good family dogs - the Golden more so - but both will need a lot of energy and commitment from us whereas the 12yo Sheltie is way past the puppy stage and won't need a lot of energetic playing.
Anyway, hubby was all right with getting the six year old and left it to me as to whether to take the other. Things have changed slightly now with her being spoken for, and now the discussions around here are centering around how long before A can get a kitten since the dog we get was C's favorite. LOL
One of the things I had told the girls was that we would get a pet this fall. Well, before we left Nova Scotia, I was browsing the classifieds for here and saw an ad for two shelties looking for a new home. I emailed their owner, and heard back from her today. We met them this morning and they really are dear little things - the female is six and the male is twelve, and before we met them I was thinking we'd adopt the six year old. When they came here, though, C fell in love with the older (and much smaller) one. He's quiet, calm, good-natured and pretty much made himself at home. But I didn't make an immediate decision, and she carried on to take them to see someone else who had shown interest. This afternoon she called back and said that the six year old is definitely going to another home, so that removed the debate of which one. Although I was actually strongly considering getting both of them.
So now I think we will go ahead and get the older one. He won't have all that many years with us, being in his old age already, but he does seem like he'll be a sweet pet and we can give him a nice home anyway.
The other source of debate was that the local shelter has a Golden Retriever and a Maltese Terrier (crossed, methinks). Both are apparently good family dogs - the Golden more so - but both will need a lot of energy and commitment from us whereas the 12yo Sheltie is way past the puppy stage and won't need a lot of energetic playing.
Anyway, hubby was all right with getting the six year old and left it to me as to whether to take the other. Things have changed slightly now with her being spoken for, and now the discussions around here are centering around how long before A can get a kitten since the dog we get was C's favorite. LOL
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Conversations with a two year old
Interesting conversations can be had with peculiarly verbal two year olds.
A - "I really miss my father. "
Me - "Yeah, I know."
A - "I lost him in the desert somewheres."
Me - (choking a bit) "No, you didn't lose him. He's working and he'll be back when he's done."
A - "And he'll come and pick me up? After supper?"
Me - "No, not after supper, but when he's done then he'll sure pick you up."
A - "Okay." (and off to playing)
C gets into a blue mood sometimes about us being on our own, and with her it's pretty much out there. She'll have a little rant or cry and we'll get past it and she's all right. A, on the other hand, isn't at all. She's just kind analytical... and when she has an answer it's all good again. Weird kid. LOL
Things are still good on the homefront. We're here for another day before we head to New Brunswick to visit some friends there, then back for a few days before we finally board a plane back to Alberta. We've done a TON of visiting, had some fun times, reconnected with friends that we miss, and all that good stuff - plus spent enough time at the beach to remind my why the 'beach' in Cold Lake is such a letdown. *sigh* Now I'm in the homestretch where I'm picking a few last people to spend time with and collecting up things to bring back for us and for friends. I've got to pick up a spare duffle bag to hold the extra stuff we've picked up... that's one of today's missions.
DH is doing well. He's had a chance to see a good friend and a cousin this week, which strikes me as almost funny - he had to go halfway around the world in order to spend a day with people from home. LOL We're mucho looking forward to HLTA - that's the CF lingo for VACATION!!! He'll be home for a couple of weeks, which will be really, REALLY nice. :)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Just popping in to say hello... the trip is going pretty well and we've had a chance to see most of the people we wanted to. Lots of time at the beach, too. This coming weekend is full of festival activities, assuming they don't all get rained out, and next week is filling up with various plans with (and without) friends or family. We'll be headed to New Brunswick for a bit soon, and I really can't wait for that, to see some of our dearest friends and to celebrate their new home :)
It's a little weird, this business of staying with family for an extended visit. On the one hand, it's great - the kids get to see their grandparents and cousin every day, there is another adult around most of the time, I have a car available, and there is no room & board charge. But on the other hand, it's really challenging as we have different eating styles, different housecleaning styles, vastly different attitudes about SO many things... and it's been hot & muggy quite a lot which lends itself to cranky kids and migraine headaches (really, REALLY bad combination).
I'm also surrounded by a really depressing trend of marriages in trouble, relationships gone sour, and kids who drive me a wee bit crazy. I'm sure there are just as many everywhere else, but here it's all people I know and it's a bit overwhelming seeing it all at once. Especially since I can just see so many things that could turn the tide around, little things that people do or don't do... and most of them are so small that I just want to shake people, knock their heads together, or scream!!!!!!!!!!!
I've posted little things to Facebook. I don't know if the people I'm concerned about even read my updates, but hopefully they will... and not take the comments as insults but as lightbulb moments.
Given no appreciative feedback, no gratitude, no simple 'thank you's, the desire to please will eventually die off. If you can't figure out why your husband/wife/kid/employee has developed a "bad attitude" about serving, or has lost their former helpfulness, perhaps it would serve to think about how long it has been s...ince they were sincerely thanked for an act of service?
This goes for adults and for kids as well. One thing that is making me crazy is the lack of hearing a simple "Thank you." Seriously, people!!! Is it so hard to show a little gratitude to your parent, child, spouse? Someone might say, "Well, why should I thank him for doing the dishes? I do them six nights a week!" or "Why should I thank her for making her bed? It's her job!" Because you should. That's all. When we lose the common courtesy of thanking people for doing something nice, how long are they going to continue to feel motivated to do it? And how long is it til you hear a wife complaining that her husband doesn't help out like he used to... instead of baiting him with honey (please/thank you), she shoos him away with vinegar (nagging/sniping). ARGH.
Focusing on the negative changes nothing, but merely puts blinders on us so we no longer see anything BUT the negative. Better for everyone that you close your eyes and be completely blind than continue to live with those blinders in place.
I totally mean this, literally.
Say your kid cleans up his room, but he leaves out his blocks and cars that he's in the middle of something with. You walk into the room and immediately see those blocks and cars. You don't see that he made his bed, put his other toys away, and is in the middle of creating something - all you see is MESS!!!!!! And you thrust your way through the MESS, swooping and sweeping it all away until the room is clean to your satisfaction. He is devastated by your destruction AND by your complete lack of notice/appreciation for the effort he made and was all set to be proud of. Better if you had never looked into the room in the first place.
Or, say your husband has a particular strength. He takes care of the cars, fixes things, whatever. But what he is NOT is internally motivated, nor is he particularly sensitive/aware. So while he is completely capable of doing anything you could possibly want him to do, he doesn't think to do them on his own. Or he does think of it, but it is put on a to-do list in his own sense of priority. You, although you have not actually told him clearly that X is something you really, REALLY need done, assume that "of course he knows that needs to be done, and knows it is important!" When he doesn't do it, you label him lazy, unmotivated, unhelpful, useless. The label becomes the reference point for how you see him. It becomes, in effect, a self-fulfilling prophecy. The unfortunate thing is, you completely miss out on seeing the things that he HAS done, like working full-time to pay your bills, checking your tires, changing your oil, or whatever. Those are outside the view from inside your blinders. Pity you both.
And yes, this does relate to the previous comment about gratitude.
I wonder how many fewer faults our husbands and kids would have if we spent less time looking for them?
Pretty self-explanatory, I think. After hearing a whole lot of people griping, sniping, harping and dwelling on this, that and the other thing that their kid or husband did wrong, does wrong, isn't up to snuff on, compares poorly on... I could just about puke. Honestly. It's enough to make me want to be a hermit. And it also, quite frankly, makes me miss my husband. :(
It's a little weird, this business of staying with family for an extended visit. On the one hand, it's great - the kids get to see their grandparents and cousin every day, there is another adult around most of the time, I have a car available, and there is no room & board charge. But on the other hand, it's really challenging as we have different eating styles, different housecleaning styles, vastly different attitudes about SO many things... and it's been hot & muggy quite a lot which lends itself to cranky kids and migraine headaches (really, REALLY bad combination).
I'm also surrounded by a really depressing trend of marriages in trouble, relationships gone sour, and kids who drive me a wee bit crazy. I'm sure there are just as many everywhere else, but here it's all people I know and it's a bit overwhelming seeing it all at once. Especially since I can just see so many things that could turn the tide around, little things that people do or don't do... and most of them are so small that I just want to shake people, knock their heads together, or scream!!!!!!!!!!!
I've posted little things to Facebook. I don't know if the people I'm concerned about even read my updates, but hopefully they will... and not take the comments as insults but as lightbulb moments.
Given no appreciative feedback, no gratitude, no simple 'thank you's, the desire to please will eventually die off. If you can't figure out why your husband/wife/kid/employee has developed a "bad attitude" about serving, or has lost their former helpfulness, perhaps it would serve to think about how long it has been s...ince they were sincerely thanked for an act of service?
This goes for adults and for kids as well. One thing that is making me crazy is the lack of hearing a simple "Thank you." Seriously, people!!! Is it so hard to show a little gratitude to your parent, child, spouse? Someone might say, "Well, why should I thank him for doing the dishes? I do them six nights a week!" or "Why should I thank her for making her bed? It's her job!" Because you should. That's all. When we lose the common courtesy of thanking people for doing something nice, how long are they going to continue to feel motivated to do it? And how long is it til you hear a wife complaining that her husband doesn't help out like he used to... instead of baiting him with honey (please/thank you), she shoos him away with vinegar (nagging/sniping). ARGH.
Focusing on the negative changes nothing, but merely puts blinders on us so we no longer see anything BUT the negative. Better for everyone that you close your eyes and be completely blind than continue to live with those blinders in place.
I totally mean this, literally.
Say your kid cleans up his room, but he leaves out his blocks and cars that he's in the middle of something with. You walk into the room and immediately see those blocks and cars. You don't see that he made his bed, put his other toys away, and is in the middle of creating something - all you see is MESS!!!!!! And you thrust your way through the MESS, swooping and sweeping it all away until the room is clean to your satisfaction. He is devastated by your destruction AND by your complete lack of notice/appreciation for the effort he made and was all set to be proud of. Better if you had never looked into the room in the first place.
Or, say your husband has a particular strength. He takes care of the cars, fixes things, whatever. But what he is NOT is internally motivated, nor is he particularly sensitive/aware. So while he is completely capable of doing anything you could possibly want him to do, he doesn't think to do them on his own. Or he does think of it, but it is put on a to-do list in his own sense of priority. You, although you have not actually told him clearly that X is something you really, REALLY need done, assume that "of course he knows that needs to be done, and knows it is important!" When he doesn't do it, you label him lazy, unmotivated, unhelpful, useless. The label becomes the reference point for how you see him. It becomes, in effect, a self-fulfilling prophecy. The unfortunate thing is, you completely miss out on seeing the things that he HAS done, like working full-time to pay your bills, checking your tires, changing your oil, or whatever. Those are outside the view from inside your blinders. Pity you both.
And yes, this does relate to the previous comment about gratitude.
I wonder how many fewer faults our husbands and kids would have if we spent less time looking for them?
Pretty self-explanatory, I think. After hearing a whole lot of people griping, sniping, harping and dwelling on this, that and the other thing that their kid or husband did wrong, does wrong, isn't up to snuff on, compares poorly on... I could just about puke. Honestly. It's enough to make me want to be a hermit. And it also, quite frankly, makes me miss my husband. :(
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