OK so I thought it was my duty to have a nice lighthearted post as opposed to the ones I have put up as of late. So here a some videos of the kids...mainly Jenna. They should all bring a good laugh!
This is Canada Day at Pier 4. The kids are hopped up on ice cream and are movin' with the groovin'. Well Jenna is...Ethan is just trying to keep up!
Here is some more of Pier 4
And then there is Jenna in our pool being a total ham but as you can see starting to get the idea of how to swim!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
I've got the DIY blues!
OK so this all started with painting the small bathroom. I thought it would be a little thing to keep me busy and some of the bigger projects I would handle at a later point. So before I painted I needed to get the incredibly bad caulking job off the wall where it meets the shower. As I am taking if off (no small feat) some of the tiles start to come off with it! Can you imagine? Turns out the caulking is all that was keeping some of them on! So I have lost about 4 tiles thus far and the shower project that was meant to be put off for a significant amount of time has now been bumped up the schedule. As it stands now we are getting quotes from various sources and are deciding how to proceed with the shower fix.
So anyway back to the bathroom. The vanity needed to be painted. It was already pained white and badly. I wanted it to be a dark dark brown. In doing this I needed to take off the hinges. As I quickly discovered though, the screws were stripped. So thus began an hour long lesson in patience as I twisted and pried the hinges off the cabinet. Which of course meant I now needed to buy new hinges. So eventually I got my cabinet painted and the new hinges are on and it is back together. Ta da! It looks great....almost. It became glaringly obvious how disgusting the vanity top now was. And the sink....it has a couple of chips in it that now stare at me whenever I use it. So another trip to Home Depot to buy a new counter top sink and faucet. UGH! Oh and in all that I disconnected a light fixture in the bathroom without killing myself!
So next step it to get rid of the ugly ceramic toilet paper holder in the bathroom. Well I cut through the caulk there to pull if off the wall only to discover that it was actually sitting IN the wall. So now I have this big 5" x 7" hole in my wall. Hmmmm.....I don't think Polyfill will stretch that far! So I take a piece of wood, cut it to fit between the joists put it behind the wall, in the hole. Then I take some drywall screws and screw the wall to the wood. Then I take a piece of drywall and cut it to fit in the hole. I screw that in as well and then I take Polyfill to fill in the gaps. It worked like a charm! So once we get the counter top (Thursday) we can put that in (with the sink and the faucet YIKES) I can finally sand and yes, paint the bathroom.
So I decide I can wait until Thursday before I attempt any more DIY and frankly my house is falling apart. There are beds to make and dishes to do and laundry to wash. So I decide, you know what, the bathrooms could use a good cleaning. The tub surround in the big bathroom is reprehensible. I swear the previous owners lived in a dirt trap. So I have my little scrubby sponge and my Vim and I am scrubbing away at the soap scum when I try to clean the yucky caulk. Well, doesn't it come off the wall! Turns out the previous owners caulked over the old stuff without first removing it! Jack of all trades, masters of none these people!
So after 5 minutes of removing 2 layers of caulk (that should shock you all because caulk is INSANE to remove) and applying stuff to melt the little leftover bits I went to cut some trim. There are spots in 2 of the bathrooms that were missing trim and I felt that while I was waiting it would be as good a time as any. Then after a little while, I attempted my first caulking job. I am notoriously messy so I was smart and taped off the sections I was working on. It looks pretty good. Better than what was there before if I do say so. I noticed while I was doing it that the faucet never had anything to seal it...ever! So I made sure I did that too. The tub area also has a window so I resealed that as well. All of this because of soap scum in my tub!
So I have decided that cleaning only leads to bad things happening. This house is apparently held together by dirt so I should just leave well enough alone. I was quite happy to paint and rest on my laurels until we could afford to do more, but apparently this house will not let me. Sigh! That being said, I am glad things are getting fixed. I hope I did a good enough job to not warrant having someone come in to fix my "messes". Guess we will find out! Looking forward to Thursday but part of me is scared that I will just screw something up there too! Maybe I will just let my father in law do it!
I hope to have some pictures for you soon and as soon as we decide what the heck to do about the shower (aka "bane of my existence") I will post it.
Oh and it should be noted that the kids for the most part have been great while mom is going through all of this. It hasn't been easy for anyone. I hope tomorrow I can hang out with them in the pool and just relax and enjoy them. I have some pretty awesome kids I must say.
So I am going to sign off for now. I need to take a breather from life and just lie catatonic for several hours.....wish I could have a bath tonight!
So anyway back to the bathroom. The vanity needed to be painted. It was already pained white and badly. I wanted it to be a dark dark brown. In doing this I needed to take off the hinges. As I quickly discovered though, the screws were stripped. So thus began an hour long lesson in patience as I twisted and pried the hinges off the cabinet. Which of course meant I now needed to buy new hinges. So eventually I got my cabinet painted and the new hinges are on and it is back together. Ta da! It looks great....almost. It became glaringly obvious how disgusting the vanity top now was. And the sink....it has a couple of chips in it that now stare at me whenever I use it. So another trip to Home Depot to buy a new counter top sink and faucet. UGH! Oh and in all that I disconnected a light fixture in the bathroom without killing myself!
So next step it to get rid of the ugly ceramic toilet paper holder in the bathroom. Well I cut through the caulk there to pull if off the wall only to discover that it was actually sitting IN the wall. So now I have this big 5" x 7" hole in my wall. Hmmmm.....I don't think Polyfill will stretch that far! So I take a piece of wood, cut it to fit between the joists put it behind the wall, in the hole. Then I take some drywall screws and screw the wall to the wood. Then I take a piece of drywall and cut it to fit in the hole. I screw that in as well and then I take Polyfill to fill in the gaps. It worked like a charm! So once we get the counter top (Thursday) we can put that in (with the sink and the faucet YIKES) I can finally sand and yes, paint the bathroom.
So I decide I can wait until Thursday before I attempt any more DIY and frankly my house is falling apart. There are beds to make and dishes to do and laundry to wash. So I decide, you know what, the bathrooms could use a good cleaning. The tub surround in the big bathroom is reprehensible. I swear the previous owners lived in a dirt trap. So I have my little scrubby sponge and my Vim and I am scrubbing away at the soap scum when I try to clean the yucky caulk. Well, doesn't it come off the wall! Turns out the previous owners caulked over the old stuff without first removing it! Jack of all trades, masters of none these people!
So after 5 minutes of removing 2 layers of caulk (that should shock you all because caulk is INSANE to remove) and applying stuff to melt the little leftover bits I went to cut some trim. There are spots in 2 of the bathrooms that were missing trim and I felt that while I was waiting it would be as good a time as any. Then after a little while, I attempted my first caulking job. I am notoriously messy so I was smart and taped off the sections I was working on. It looks pretty good. Better than what was there before if I do say so. I noticed while I was doing it that the faucet never had anything to seal it...ever! So I made sure I did that too. The tub area also has a window so I resealed that as well. All of this because of soap scum in my tub!
So I have decided that cleaning only leads to bad things happening. This house is apparently held together by dirt so I should just leave well enough alone. I was quite happy to paint and rest on my laurels until we could afford to do more, but apparently this house will not let me. Sigh! That being said, I am glad things are getting fixed. I hope I did a good enough job to not warrant having someone come in to fix my "messes". Guess we will find out! Looking forward to Thursday but part of me is scared that I will just screw something up there too! Maybe I will just let my father in law do it!
I hope to have some pictures for you soon and as soon as we decide what the heck to do about the shower (aka "bane of my existence") I will post it.
Oh and it should be noted that the kids for the most part have been great while mom is going through all of this. It hasn't been easy for anyone. I hope tomorrow I can hang out with them in the pool and just relax and enjoy them. I have some pretty awesome kids I must say.
So I am going to sign off for now. I need to take a breather from life and just lie catatonic for several hours.....wish I could have a bath tonight!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A decade in the making
This past weekend we celebrated our son, Ethan's 10th birthday. It's hard to believe so much time has gone by so quickly! It feels like yesterday that we discovered we were pregnant! Well our little man has grown up into a fine young boy and we are so incredibly proud of him. He has had so many challenges come his way but he always manages to persevere. In his own "Ethanesque" way of course! I am so excited for what awaits Ethan in the future but so sad to realize what has already become the past. I saw Bear in the Big Blue House on the other day and I showed it to Ethan. He LOVED that show when he was tiny. That tidbit of information appalled my 10 year old. The fact that he ever liked a "baby show" was apparently too much. He is still pretty snuggly which I am grateful for. Not sure how much longer I am gonna get the mommy love. It is sure to become an embarrassment soon enough. He has come along way from my chunky little baby boy. Oh to have just one day again where he could be tiny. We would have our afternoon nap on the couch together just like we used to....and he would actually eat decent food! LOL (for those who don't know....Ethan is VERY picky....another nice aspie trait!) I miss having him actually fit in my arms. He's all legs now! I know everyone reading this will want to tell me to have another but after 2 great kids....I am not sure my luck will hold out on me a third time. Plus there are genetic things to consider....but all I know is the day my son was born was one of the best days of my life and I have been so blessed to be his mom.
Anyway, back to the party!! We had lots of people show up to celebrate his big 1-0. There was the LaFrance's and the Corkum's of course but there were also a lot of friends there. Even two from his old school which really meant a lot to me. Making friends does not come easy to kids with asperger's and Ethan is particularly afflicted with this attribute. The one even wanted Ethan to come to his house and play as soon as possible and the two of them were planning sleepovers and stuff. We had a lot of family friends as well. Our real estate agent even stopped my to wish Ethan a happy birthday and bring him a card! That was so sweet! It was great to spend the weekend with the people we care about the most. It ended up being split into a 2 day event because of work commitments but in some ways that made it nicer. Everyone enjoyed the pool and the slide which was great. This was our first pool party and it worked out well. I hope in the near future we can have an open house and have everyone come and see our accomplishments....will have to see. A big thank you to everyone who helped make this a special day!
Ethan asked my friend Shari to make his cake. it's a book (fittingly) and it has his 2 favorite Pokemon characters on it.....I don't know anything about Pokemon though to tell you who they are!
Opening Presents!
Blowing out the candles!
Hanging out on his new pool lounger!
Jenna thoroughly enjoying the lounger herself!
Marni and Dave
Opening Presents part 2
Anyway, back to the party!! We had lots of people show up to celebrate his big 1-0. There was the LaFrance's and the Corkum's of course but there were also a lot of friends there. Even two from his old school which really meant a lot to me. Making friends does not come easy to kids with asperger's and Ethan is particularly afflicted with this attribute. The one even wanted Ethan to come to his house and play as soon as possible and the two of them were planning sleepovers and stuff. We had a lot of family friends as well. Our real estate agent even stopped my to wish Ethan a happy birthday and bring him a card! That was so sweet! It was great to spend the weekend with the people we care about the most. It ended up being split into a 2 day event because of work commitments but in some ways that made it nicer. Everyone enjoyed the pool and the slide which was great. This was our first pool party and it worked out well. I hope in the near future we can have an open house and have everyone come and see our accomplishments....will have to see. A big thank you to everyone who helped make this a special day!
Ethan asked my friend Shari to make his cake. it's a book (fittingly) and it has his 2 favorite Pokemon characters on it.....I don't know anything about Pokemon though to tell you who they are!
Opening Presents!
Blowing out the candles!
Hanging out on his new pool lounger!
Jenna thoroughly enjoying the lounger herself!
Marni and Dave
Opening Presents part 2Saturday, July 5, 2008
Week 1 in our new home
OK so we're in...and we are all still alive. Life as a homeowner has certainly proved interesting thus far. I might end up re-interating stuff from the previous post so I apologize in advance if any of this is "old news"
So Friday, we get the key around 1 and we boot it to the house with our van full of stuff. Only when we get there we realize "Hey this key doesn't work!" We check it against the side door, the back door....nothing. So we call our lawyer. He gets the lock code from the previous owners and we are finally in. The remainder of the keys are promised to be there by the evening. It's been a week and still no keys. Our friends Marni and Dave let us use his work truck to bring lots of stuff over. Our friend Aaron comes to hook up our cable, internet and phone and then we end the day collapsing in our beds at the old house.
Saturday is moving day. We start out bright and early with the vans packed and the men off to get the moving van. Things run fairly smoothly with minimal injuries and little to no furniture damage. The carpets in the kids rooms are ripped up so they will be sleeping in our rooms until the new carpet goes in. We could not get our family room couch down the stairs so it currently resides in our good living room until we find someone who wants it.
Sunday, we got the kitchen together, unpacked and basically got the house as organized as we could at this point. Also sent Shawn out for a few things. The week continued with the painting of the kids rooms. Jenna's is lavender and Ethan's is a soft smoky green. Painted out their trim white. In the meantime they were still sleeping in our room which meant they would not fall asleep and Jenna snores when she does so it made for an interesting sleep this week. We got the gardens in relatively decent shape. My sister bought me a hydrangea. It's very cute. We also planted the things I brought from the old house. We got the pool up and running. On moving day it was green....yum! We also fixed the one kitchen cabinet that was broken, got rid of the lovely cat pee smell in the one closet, retiled said closet, got longer hoses so I could use my washer etc. On wednesday we had a locksmith come and re-key the locks and change those that were old and wrecked. We also discovered this week that our oven does not work so we are in the process of getting that one fixed. On Thursday the electricians came to change the crazy fuse box to the prettiest high tech panel you have ever seen. It looks so much safer than what we had before. We also put GFCI outlets in the bathrooms. Can't be too careful. I know what can happen when you don't have them. They also fixed some outlets in the basement. When they put them in they reversed the polarization in all them so that needed fixing. Can't wait to get that bill! On Friday the carpet guys came and the kids finally got to move into their rooms. It was a peaceful nights sleep for us! The rooms look great and I am so happy they are in there. Ethan will be getting new furniture, hopefully in the not too distant future so then it will look really great! I also got to work filling in holes in the kids playroom so we can paint it and the kids will have that back. Then that means I can go to work on the rest of the house and they will be occupied. We spent today running errands and puttering around the house. Shawn took the oven element into a store to see if it still works or is dead. If it's just the element we can replace that but if it's not than we are better off getting a new stove. More money! Just what we need! I went to work getting the bedrooms in better order and generally tidying. I called a Church with a pastor who takes furniture donations and I am hoping he calls back soon. The couch takes up a ton of room and makes it hard for us to get around. Plus it will go to either refugees or women escaping violence so that makes me happy. Now it's time to go and paint the kids room. If only we could afford to have someone do that for us! My back is killing me!
But through all the trials and tribulations we are so thrilled to be in our new home and we can't wait to be fully settled in. It's taken a long time to reach this point in our lives....I want to savour each moment. We've been incredibly blessed.
And of course we are again so thankful for those who have helped us this past week. We could not have done this week what we have without your help. You are the best family and friends we could ever hope for.
I hope to update you again soon and hopefully then I can have some pictures to show you.
So Friday, we get the key around 1 and we boot it to the house with our van full of stuff. Only when we get there we realize "Hey this key doesn't work!" We check it against the side door, the back door....nothing. So we call our lawyer. He gets the lock code from the previous owners and we are finally in. The remainder of the keys are promised to be there by the evening. It's been a week and still no keys. Our friends Marni and Dave let us use his work truck to bring lots of stuff over. Our friend Aaron comes to hook up our cable, internet and phone and then we end the day collapsing in our beds at the old house.
Saturday is moving day. We start out bright and early with the vans packed and the men off to get the moving van. Things run fairly smoothly with minimal injuries and little to no furniture damage. The carpets in the kids rooms are ripped up so they will be sleeping in our rooms until the new carpet goes in. We could not get our family room couch down the stairs so it currently resides in our good living room until we find someone who wants it.
Sunday, we got the kitchen together, unpacked and basically got the house as organized as we could at this point. Also sent Shawn out for a few things. The week continued with the painting of the kids rooms. Jenna's is lavender and Ethan's is a soft smoky green. Painted out their trim white. In the meantime they were still sleeping in our room which meant they would not fall asleep and Jenna snores when she does so it made for an interesting sleep this week. We got the gardens in relatively decent shape. My sister bought me a hydrangea. It's very cute. We also planted the things I brought from the old house. We got the pool up and running. On moving day it was green....yum! We also fixed the one kitchen cabinet that was broken, got rid of the lovely cat pee smell in the one closet, retiled said closet, got longer hoses so I could use my washer etc. On wednesday we had a locksmith come and re-key the locks and change those that were old and wrecked. We also discovered this week that our oven does not work so we are in the process of getting that one fixed. On Thursday the electricians came to change the crazy fuse box to the prettiest high tech panel you have ever seen. It looks so much safer than what we had before. We also put GFCI outlets in the bathrooms. Can't be too careful. I know what can happen when you don't have them. They also fixed some outlets in the basement. When they put them in they reversed the polarization in all them so that needed fixing. Can't wait to get that bill! On Friday the carpet guys came and the kids finally got to move into their rooms. It was a peaceful nights sleep for us! The rooms look great and I am so happy they are in there. Ethan will be getting new furniture, hopefully in the not too distant future so then it will look really great! I also got to work filling in holes in the kids playroom so we can paint it and the kids will have that back. Then that means I can go to work on the rest of the house and they will be occupied. We spent today running errands and puttering around the house. Shawn took the oven element into a store to see if it still works or is dead. If it's just the element we can replace that but if it's not than we are better off getting a new stove. More money! Just what we need! I went to work getting the bedrooms in better order and generally tidying. I called a Church with a pastor who takes furniture donations and I am hoping he calls back soon. The couch takes up a ton of room and makes it hard for us to get around. Plus it will go to either refugees or women escaping violence so that makes me happy. Now it's time to go and paint the kids room. If only we could afford to have someone do that for us! My back is killing me!
But through all the trials and tribulations we are so thrilled to be in our new home and we can't wait to be fully settled in. It's taken a long time to reach this point in our lives....I want to savour each moment. We've been incredibly blessed.
And of course we are again so thankful for those who have helped us this past week. We could not have done this week what we have without your help. You are the best family and friends we could ever hope for.
I hope to update you again soon and hopefully then I can have some pictures to show you.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
We're In!!!!
OK so after a couple of grueling days of moving we are finally in our new home. Things are going fairly well with the exception of a couple of snafu's. We have to get rid of our old couch because it won't go down the stairs...and I need to fix one of my kitchen cupboards. I think once we get painted and unpacked and carpets cleaned this will be one heck of a great house though. To all my friends who have attempted to call me since Friday morning, there have been issues with both phone lines (old and new) so if I haven't returned your call it isn't because I am ignoring you. HONEST!! Hopefully we will have a fully functioning phone soon so we can call you. In the meantime I really need to thank the people who have helped up so much with this move. First, Frank our agent for finding us this place, second, Marni and Mom L for helping me pack up, Third Dad L for helping me pack and get the old house ready to leave. Then there are my movers; again Mom and Dad L., Dad C, Marni and Dave, Rob, Jim, Jess, Sarah and Becca. Could not have done this without you people and there is no thanks I could give you that would be enough. You are the best family and friends anyone could ask for and we are eternally grateful. So back to the house I go. Hopefully I will find time to update you over the week. Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
SOOOOO sick! Oh no!
Ok so like moving week isn't one of the most stressful weeks in a persons life to begin with; it just gets that much more fun when you throw a monkey wrench into like say.....getting sick. Well that folks is me today. Welcome to my pity post.
It started last night with a sore throat. Was a little concerned but thought maybe it was just from the AC or something. This morning...throat still sore and I have some lovely swollen glands to boot. By afternoon I had some wicked body aches and chills. I actually went to bed mid day.....I have to really be sick for that to happen.
So now I am freaking out a little. I have to move on Friday and Saturday. Then in the next week I need to start unpacking, and painting, rip out carpet, have the new one installed, have the electrician come to change our fuse panel to breakers and keep my kids occupied. Not exactly a good time to get sick right?
Shawn is going to give me a blessing tonight, and I soaked in the tub for a while. I hope this isn't strep or something like that because I just cannot be out of commission like that this week. Maybe in a week and a half I can be a little bit sick...but not now...
So other than that I think I am actually faring well in the packing dept. Nearly everything is packed and ready to go. Got a few little things to pack and some laundry to put away tomorrow. The kids go to Nana's tomorrow night and will be there until Sat. night. I am sure they will love it. I can't wait for them to get into their new home and once the painting is done and the carpets are laid they will have awesome new rooms. It will be great.
Anyway, this will probably be may last post for a few days at least. Thank you faithful readers! We're having a lot of fun doing this and look forward to telling you of our adventures in the new house! See you again soon!!!!
It started last night with a sore throat. Was a little concerned but thought maybe it was just from the AC or something. This morning...throat still sore and I have some lovely swollen glands to boot. By afternoon I had some wicked body aches and chills. I actually went to bed mid day.....I have to really be sick for that to happen.
So now I am freaking out a little. I have to move on Friday and Saturday. Then in the next week I need to start unpacking, and painting, rip out carpet, have the new one installed, have the electrician come to change our fuse panel to breakers and keep my kids occupied. Not exactly a good time to get sick right?
Shawn is going to give me a blessing tonight, and I soaked in the tub for a while. I hope this isn't strep or something like that because I just cannot be out of commission like that this week. Maybe in a week and a half I can be a little bit sick...but not now...
So other than that I think I am actually faring well in the packing dept. Nearly everything is packed and ready to go. Got a few little things to pack and some laundry to put away tomorrow. The kids go to Nana's tomorrow night and will be there until Sat. night. I am sure they will love it. I can't wait for them to get into their new home and once the painting is done and the carpets are laid they will have awesome new rooms. It will be great.
Anyway, this will probably be may last post for a few days at least. Thank you faithful readers! We're having a lot of fun doing this and look forward to telling you of our adventures in the new house! See you again soon!!!!
Friday, June 20, 2008
All About Us!
OK so I saw this on someone else's blog and thought I would give it a go!
Shawn-- 10 years ago:
1. Working at BBDO
2. Just joined the Church
3. Waiting to become a new daddy
Rachel-- 10 Years Ago:
1. Working at Canadian Facts
2. Was incredibly pregnant with Ethan
3. Lived in Toronto
Shawn-- 5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Make it through day without falling asleep
2. Repeat number 1
3. BEO meeting
4. Love up the wife
5. Repeat #4 (maybe I should have a nap)
Rachel-- 5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Get boxes for house
2. Babysit Marie
3. Update blog
4. Clean
5. Laundry
Shawn-- 5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. Nibs
2. Peanuts
3. Pringles
4. Licorice
5. Ice cream with brownies
Rachel-- 5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. Ice cream with brownies
2. Ruffles
3. Dairy Queen ice cream cake
4. Guacamole
5. Reese's Peanut Butter cups
Shawn-- What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
I would help out as many of our family and friends as possible, and travel a lot, see the world
Rachel-- What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
I would help my family and friends, build a completely green house and be self sufficient. Travel the world and help people in need. And maybe in there would be one heck of a shopping spree!
Shawn-- 5 places I have lived:
1. Innerkip, ON
2. Hamilton, ON
3. Toronto,ON
4. Hamilton again
5. Stoney Creek, ON (as of the end of the month)
Rachel-- 5 places I have lived:
1. Innerkip, ON
2. Woodstock, ON
3. Brantford, ON
4. Hamilton, ON (Stoney Creek soon!)
5. Toronto, ON
Shawn-- 5 jobs that I have had:
1. Newspaper ad sales
2. Media buyer/planner
3. Paper boy
4. Pizza Hut
5. caterer
Rachel-- 5 jobs that I have had:
1. Try hugs not drugs ambassador (yes it was brutal)
2. Photographer
3. Field Control assistant (market research)
4. Barrista
5. Scrapbook instructor
Shawn-- 3 of my favorite books:
1. any Sherlock Holmes
2. any John Grisham
3. 5 People You Meet in Heaven
Rachel-- 3 of my favorite books:
1. Harry Potter series
2. Da Vinci code
3. Little Women
Shawn-- 10 years ago:
1. Working at BBDO
2. Just joined the Church
3. Waiting to become a new daddy
Rachel-- 10 Years Ago:
1. Working at Canadian Facts
2. Was incredibly pregnant with Ethan
3. Lived in Toronto
Shawn-- 5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Make it through day without falling asleep
2. Repeat number 1
3. BEO meeting
4. Love up the wife
5. Repeat #4 (maybe I should have a nap)
Rachel-- 5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Get boxes for house
2. Babysit Marie
3. Update blog
4. Clean
5. Laundry
Shawn-- 5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. Nibs
2. Peanuts
3. Pringles
4. Licorice
5. Ice cream with brownies
Rachel-- 5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. Ice cream with brownies
2. Ruffles
3. Dairy Queen ice cream cake
4. Guacamole
5. Reese's Peanut Butter cups
Shawn-- What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
I would help out as many of our family and friends as possible, and travel a lot, see the world
Rachel-- What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
I would help my family and friends, build a completely green house and be self sufficient. Travel the world and help people in need. And maybe in there would be one heck of a shopping spree!
Shawn-- 5 places I have lived:
1. Innerkip, ON
2. Hamilton, ON
3. Toronto,ON
4. Hamilton again
5. Stoney Creek, ON (as of the end of the month)
Rachel-- 5 places I have lived:
1. Innerkip, ON
2. Woodstock, ON
3. Brantford, ON
4. Hamilton, ON (Stoney Creek soon!)
5. Toronto, ON
Shawn-- 5 jobs that I have had:
1. Newspaper ad sales
2. Media buyer/planner
3. Paper boy
4. Pizza Hut
5. caterer
Rachel-- 5 jobs that I have had:
1. Try hugs not drugs ambassador (yes it was brutal)
2. Photographer
3. Field Control assistant (market research)
4. Barrista
5. Scrapbook instructor
Shawn-- 3 of my favorite books:
1. any Sherlock Holmes
2. any John Grisham
3. 5 People You Meet in Heaven
Rachel-- 3 of my favorite books:
1. Harry Potter series
2. Da Vinci code
3. Little Women
Monday, June 16, 2008
Mount Albion musings
Today we went to see the kids new school. We were greeted by the principal, Diane Page and Sandy Scott, the LRT. The school is older and in need of a paint job (which it will get this summer) but it looks like a nice school. They did a huge play this year that involved a ton of kids from grades 1 to 8. It was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The set designs were fabulous and the pictures of the event were great. I hope that they do something similar next year and we can see about getting the kids into that. We saw which classrooms would most likely be theirs and where the library and french rooms are. There is a big art room as well with a kiln. The computer lab is nice and big and the gym is too. The teachers were very nice and all said hi to us when we would stop in. Poor Jenna was scared at first but after a while she warmed up and got interested in where things were. We got to see the playground which has some great equipment on it (our current school has little to nothing). Most importantly we found out where the bathrooms are! haha
I think it will be a nice school for them. Everyone seems very friendly and I am sure they will like it there. We are coming back in August for another tour just to familiarize them after their brains turn to mush for the summer. I am hoping I can find some time to volunteer in the classroom like I did at the old school. I love working with the kids and miss being in there all the time. So we all left with a good feeling and we are all excited about what next year holds for us.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Jenna's Ramblings
As Jenna gets older she gets better and better at her reading. I hope she becomes as accomplished as her brother who reads about 4 grade levels above where he is now. In the meantime when we are out she loves to read signs and boxes in stores and what not. So on Saturday we are in a little home decor store in Dundas. In the store there are these cards for sale. Jenna starts reading them and all of the sudden I hear out of my daughters mouth "Die B*&^h Die!" Of course I turn my head around so fast I nearly get whiplash and I see my daughters puzzled face. "Mommy what does that mean?" she asks. I tell her calmly (so impressed that I didn't freak) that it is a swear word and isn't nice to use and we shouldn't say it. Her face said it all. She was so embarrassed that she said such a bad word. She apologized and that was that.
Later that night I am on the computer and she points to something on the screen, using the wrong finger if you know what I mean. I tell her that we use our other finger to point and that the middle finger isn't nice to use. She asks me what that finger means. I tell her it's a swear word too. Her face starts to cringe and she says; "Boy I've been swearing a lot today haven't I?" I answered her back calmly but was laughing so hard on the inside. It's at least nice to know that my daughter isn't familiar with these words yet and the thought of using them makes her sad. So while my daughter learned a valuable lesson, I got one heck of a good laugh (albeit an internal one).
Monday, June 9, 2008
A visit to the house!!!
Oh how I wish I had my camera! Yesterday we took a trip to the new house. The current owners promised to have us over so that we could help open the pool and learn how to care for it. It's the first time I have seen the back yard since when we were last there it was covered with snow. It's going to be a great space. The pool is nice. 3 ft in the shallow end and 8 in the deep. Just deep enough for us but nice and shallow for the kiddies! Even Jenna can stand in it! There are 2 sheds which will eventually be replaced with one newer one. Some horseshoe pits which I think will be going and maybe (hopefully) a swing set will take that place. There is a great cement patio and just enough garden for me to handle. I think with a little work we can make that into one heck of a great backyard! We also got to take another look inside to see everything. We had forgotten so much! The current owners are leaving all their old paint in case we want to just touch up which I thought was nice. He showed me how to use the fireplace and showed me some of the ins and outs of the house. They have been very accomodating and we feel fortunate to have them as the previous owners. The tricky part yesterday was keeping the kids out of the pool! We didn't have bathing suits or anything but that didn't stop the kids from wanting to get in there and swim their little hearts out! They are going to love it when we finally get in there! So we get one more visit which will be great. There are things about the house that we will want to change once we get in there. It's a house with 5 teenagers living in it so some things look just a little beat up. I think a fresh coat of paint is all it needs for the most part. We're going to change the carpet in the upstairs kids rooms as well. At any rate I know we will make it a beautiful home. We are certainly up for the challenge! Less than 3 weeks to go! Yeah!!!!!
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