Boys - Wild at Heart

Our boys have really taken off in the fencing department! They were introduced to it last fall and have loved it. They practice once a week for two hours and then if they have time they practice in the backyard. When you consider that guys have so much need to be active, warriors, fighters, knights - anything with a weapon: bow and arrow, hunting rifle, machine gun, spear, or sword, it is not difficult to figure out why it was such a success!!

The sad thing is how little it is noticed out there in the world. Boys need a good outlet for all that male energy. Think back to not that many years ago, when men and boys were called to protect and expected to provide for their families. In our country we do not live that way as a norm anymore. Boys don't know what to do with themselves. Think of those boys that are playing violent video games and watching graphic violent television shows and movies. Those kids need to just be *guys*. There is a book called Wild At Heart. It is about men and it talks about the male need to be *men*!

I am so glad our boys love fencing! Even Austin is now into it. He is only 9 years old, and the size of a 7 year old, but he has the mighty spirit of a warrior! When I wasn't sure about sending him to the last competition his coach said, Yes! He has the energy and excitement that we need!! So he went. He had lots of fun and got to spar off against kids that were bigger and better than him, but he learned and is excited to go next time.

The Audience

In the meanwhile, the older boys have now been to two competitions. Cassidy was in the 12 and under category, and Dane and Colt were in the Cadet category - over age 12. In both competitions Cassidy brought home a silver medal, and Colt earned himself two bronze medals! The competition was fierce and it was a nail biter!! At times they would compete against someone in the elimination round and the points would be stacking up one by one - one for him, one for the other, one for him, one for the other. Oh, it was tight! Talk about exciting!

And then there is the danger side of it. Sadly, by the lack of involvement from the general publics children, the message comes across that fencing is for 'other kids' - not tough stuff or some such message. Well, they are sadly mistaken. It is a dangerous sport! They wear vests with under padding, and face masks, but it can still be risky. At one time, during Colt's round his opponent's sword passed the vest and went under the mask and made a nasty abrasion on his throat! It hurt and the competition had to stop for a bit for Colt to gather his wind and be ready to move on again. But did that stop him? Nope!

Now the boys are all geared up for the Provincial match that will take place in May. They are excited and I think they will keep the others hopping! Colt has even found out that there is fencing on the base if he joins the airforce!
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Science Fair Day

I'm sitting in the parking lot of the local elementary school. I just dropped Cassidy off and I'm not sure who had more butterflies in their stomach - him or me! Cassidy finished his display last night and it looks remarkable! Before today, I had no idea of the level he would be competing against. I do now and it is a real variety!

Yesterday, when Cassidy was at the chess club in town, he saw this boy that was in the town Bye Bye Birdie musical with him last year. Well, this boy also goes to the local chess club that is taught by a chess master. He told Cassidy he was going to be in the science fair, but he was in the grade 7 class. He joked with Cassidy, telling him that he would see Cassidy at Provincials.

Well, I saw his display this morning. He has done an amazing job, and I consider him fierce competition for Cassidy. Thankfully, they are in two different grade levels. Overall, there were nearly 90 displays in the competition. They say they are divided grades 4-6, and then 7 is separate. If this is true, then Cassidy has to go up against over 70 kids! It should be interesting!

Here are some pictures of Cassidy's display:

Cassidy at the Fair

Only 1/3 of the Displays

I should make note that the reason you are getting the next months worth of blog postings is because I snuck away from home! I was going to drop off Cassidy at the Science Fair and then go home and do my 'duties' as a mother and teacher. But then I had the sudden inspiration. If I wasn't THERE, I couldn't do the work!! That meant I would have free time!! I could suddenly find time with no interruptions, to blog!! YEAH!!

SO I packed up Cassidy, his Science Fair display, my computer and headed to town. First I dropped him off, then I swung by Tim Horton's and picked up an Extra Large Decaf Mocha - heavy on the hot chocolate - and whipped cream.

Thus equipped, I set out to set up my blogging station in the elementary parking lot!

No kids, no interruptions, no distractions, free to let my mind wander!

I shall have to run away again!

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And the Results of the Poll Are...

It was fun doing the poll. It really helped Cassidy to choose. Here are the results:

4 votes: All the Power to You
9 votes: More Power to You
6 votes: Energize Me

Cassidy ended up choosing More Power to You.

Thank you to all who voted! I will be updating the Science Fair next.

Science Fair

We have never done a science fair before. Actually, I had no idea what was involved in a science fair before last week! It all started when our local school invited the homeschoolers to a science class.

That alone is a topic! When you are a homeschooler you can fall between the cracks because you are not registered with a local school. And the schools often don't want to include your children because it is not funded. So when it comes to Spelling Bee competitions and Science Fairs, and more importantly Learning Disability Testing kids lose out!

Last fall we received an invite from a school that is blocks from our house. The principle was offering for our homeschool kids to be involved in anything that he was offering: field trips, track days, science clubs, anything! When I got the email I was baffled. In 14 years of homeschooling I have *never* had a public school offer our kids *anything*! So I wrote him and asked him what was the catch.

Well, as it turned out he said that as principal he can offer what he wants to who he wants, and he had a two fold reason for doing this: 1) he wanted to offer the services to get to know the kids, and 2) if we ever enrolled our kids anywhere he was hoping it would be with them.

I have no problem with those reasons! And I can now honestly say that this principal is a gem!! I had a situation happen this week that showed me how so!

We had our invite to the science class and about 20 of us showed up. While there, the principal and the science teacher taught a class on raising beans to sprout. They showed how to do it step by step and how to write up the procedure. They stopped momentarily on science fair information and then went on. The class was very informative and I can't wait for the next opportunity to go back.

After class I approached the teacher about science fairs. He gave us handouts and told me that the kdis had two weeks to finish their science fair entries. This would be the children in public schools. I left thinking that meant that school was having a science fair. So I asked Cassidy if he wanted to be part of a science fair. He said yes.

So we got to work. He chose a topic: batteries - and got hard to work. Two days later I decided I should call the school and make sure he could be part of the school's fair. That was when we got the bad news: that school was not having a science fair! Ack!! What to do.

The principal was simply amazing!!!! He said he would see what he could do. He was pleased to see that Cassidy was excited about science and he was not willing to see him not participate. So he called another school in our district and asked her.

Meanwhile, Cassidy kept working hard. He knew the schedule he had been given showed that the students had seven weeks to meander their way through the science fair projects, and he knew that he only had 10 days! His days were filled with science. Cooking and cleaning were put off to brothers, which I did not feel bad about since they will be leaving their chores when they go away for six weeks this summer!

Cassidy got up every morning and got to work right away. His days have been on til 11:00, 12:00 pm or even 1:00 am! He is determined to get this project done and do the best he can. I know he can do it, as he is one of those kids that is determined, creative, thoughtful, and makes a fantastic effort. I am very impressed with what he has put out and know that he will do well.

When I spoke to the principal of the local school I told him I was concerned because I had read that only one student would be selected to go on to the District competition, and I knew it would be harder on Cassidy, the students involved and the teachers if an 'outsider' came in and fought for that spot.

I was really impressed because the principal of the other school had talked to the man in charge of the science competition and it had been decided that though they were accepting Cassidy as a 'outside' student it wouldn't make things hard for the other students. They would mark him down as a student from our local school, and if he won, they would also choose from the rest of the student body - meaning: his participation would not take from the local school!

This is a pioneering moment! I am hopeful that this means we can get in on Spelling Bees and such in future. In the meanwhile, Cassidy has learned SO MUCH about: hypothesis, variables, constants, purposes, scientific methods etc!

All I can say is I am sure he is sick of his camera!! He is judging three different sets of batteries: Super Source Alkaline, Energizer Max Alkaline, and Energizer Lithium. They are priced very differently: $3.79, $4.59, and $16.99 - but you would be very surprised with what he has found out. I will tell you his results when his display has been finished.

For the last four days Cassidy has had to take thousands of pictures!! I am sure he has a sore finger!

Keeping His Results Chart

Making His Results Chart

I'll be back with more info when we get finished the competition.
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Poll Answers Needed

Cassidy is doing a science fair (blog to be posted tomorrow) and he needs a title. He is comparing the power output in three different types of batteries. The facts are that an Energizer battery won. SO the word POWER and ENERGIZE are both important words. Right now he is stuck as to which title he thinks is most effective.

He needs YOUR help with votes. Please, even if you never comment on my blog, this would be a good time to step up and help a boy who is trying to do a fantastic job. The story will be posted tomorrow with all the details.

All I will tell you is that he is the ONLY homeschooler entering through a Public School competition, and he wants to get to District level. So he needs the BEST title.

Your choices to vote from:

All the Power To You (based on more power coming from Lithium Energizer than Alkaline Energizer)

More Power To You (same as above)

Energize Me (based on Energizer winning)

Obviously Cassidy will give his final opinion, but right now he is so stuck with all three. Before this he had many, many ideas, but this is what he has narrowed it down to.

Thanks!!
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Beef and Beer

I am so proud of my husband. To tell the story in reverse order:

I was going to get myself a snack, and I jokingly told my hubby that I had bought the chips out of 'my allowance money' and that he wasn't to have any. One of the things we have always done is have allowance money for both Ray and I. He is not a big spender, so he just buys himself a case of beer once every two weeks - one beer a day. Other than that he doesn't buy junk food or anything. Mind you, he does enjoy his icecream!

I used to drink pop, but then stopped it because it is pure junk - sugar and chemicals. But then the girls came home, and my 12 year old became an 'preteen', plus I have two teens. Suddenly, I needed my fix of pop again. Not just pop: Coke! A drink my kids are not allowed to drink.

So I have been enjoying my Coke and some ripple chips some evenings. Ray has his icecream.

Now, since we have instituted our monthly grocery budget we have done really well. It is not like we are being 'poor' - not at all. We are just aware now of where our money is going. I did my big shop one month ago, and spent all but about $200.

Since then I have bought a few items for about $150. I have quite liked shopping just once a month! Dane thought it was very interesting to see us come to the end of our month today and see the extra fridge have its last item removed (a pound of butter) and he said, "It is neat how we have got to the end of the month, and the food is gone, but we didn't run out before it was time."

I pointed out to him that that was because I had figured out our budget so well. A menu and figuring of all the things we really needed (and wanted). No waste, and enough for everything we needed. But yes, we shop on Saturday and it is just in time. Very cool and *amazing* to see how much we saved this month already!!

So anyhow, about two weeks ago, Ray went shopping to get some ground beef that was on sale. It was all part of my budgeted amount. He brought three - 5lb chubs of ground beef, plus some milk and fresh fruit. He arrived home carrying in three bags and said to me, "Some birds got into the ground beef. Can you just chop off that part and keep the meat?"

To which I said, "What?? No, you can't keep meat that was touched by crows!" Me, the freaky hygienic food person going to eat food touched by crows?! Not likely! I could just see the germs crawling all over the package!

Then suddenly I am thinking and saying, "HOW did birds get it anyway?"

It turns out he put it in the back of his pickup truck and the birds got into the bag and pecked at two of the chubs. Okay, so I wasn't thrilled, as I was having such a good time trying out our new budget, doing so well, and now we were $20 off course. Not a big deal you might say, but yes, we were trying hard to keep to a plan and $20 is $20 - wasted.

Of course, I tossed the meat out and had to proceed to buy some more at full price the next time I was in town.

That was the end of it, or so I thought.

Then tonight, I make a joke about the chips and tell Ray, "Those are my chips. You have your beer." And he makes some kind of comment about not having beer.

Whoa. Hang on. This rings a bell with a vague comment I heard the other day about no beer. I remember thinking, he must be out of beer and not gone to the store yet.

So now tonight, when he made this quiet non-confrontational comment I suddenly clued in and asked him, "What do you mean you have no beer?" To which he said that he hadn't had beer for almost two weeks and I hadn't noticed. Huh?

He said, "A few more days to go." (smile from him)

You should have seen the look on my face. At first quizzical. Then stunned. Then proud. My husband never drinks more than one beer, but he does enjoy a beer after work. And suddenly two and two are adding up and I realize what he is saying. I was so impressed! I told him how proud of him I was. He was grinning big when I said that.

He gave up beer for two weeks to make up for his mistake with the ground beef. He didn't even tell anyone. He wasn't tooting his own horn. He simply took $20 from his own allowance to make right. I am so impressed. Talk about a lesson in financial responsibility and sacrifice for his sons!

It was so neat to see Dane's face when I told him what his Dad had done - Pleasure in my reaction and pride for his dad.
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God Meets Our Needs

Our little girls came to us knowing God as a person that they prayed to at the Transition House. They knew that "God is good," as that was what they would write in their little paper notebooks at the Transition House. I am very happy that they were introduced to God through our agency!

But once the girls were home, it has been so fun to show them that God is ALIVE and loves them and meets their needs and sometimes even their *wants*!

An example of God taking care of our ever expanding family is some recent requisitions. I never used to take the kids skating because I was always pregnant, nursing or had a wee one. Last year, when I had none of the above, Ray came home from the dump with a pair of women's skates - perfect condition, just my size. God is good!

I was able to take the kids skating for the first time in years!! Usually I would just watch from the side, as they had fun. It was great fun for me! But boy were my feet tired after!

As we have had the boys we have had people pass on skates to us. The only ones that have not had hand-me-downs, to which we have not really addressed serious prayer, are our older boys. Yes, I could run out and spend $80 per boy, but that is a lot and they don't skate every week. Also, I could buy a pair for birthday or Christmas presents, but they don't show a great desire to skate, so I haven't used a present on one of them that way. We make do.

Now, how the girls saw that God saw *them* and knew *their* individual needs was through skates. One day, a customer of Ray's called and said he had some girls skates; did we want them? A few days later, Ray came home from work with a box of skates. Two pairs. Mint condition. Pretty little white skates, complete with skate guards! Exactly the size that the girls needed: 12 and 1. God is good!

Here is another example of God meeting our needs. Our boys have town coats and scruffy coats. Their ski pants don't hit the garbage as soon as they get a scuff or a small tear in the knee. It isn't like we are at the ski hill all the time: who could afford it with eight kids!

Last year, my good friend, Denise, sent me a snow suit for one of the girls. It was a one piece, brand new, navy blue, size 6+ snow suit. She meant it for the girls. Well, as it turned out, I had bought the girls new winter coats and we had hand-me-down snow pants, so they were all set. But Cooper saw this snowsuit and thought it was wonderful! So he claimed it. He loves it. It is so warm and much better and more efficient than a 2 piece suit.

But I should just mention there was one small thing that made it a girl's snowsuit: the embroidered flowers on the chest and the pink trim around the hat. *grin* Of course, my sweet little Cooper didn't notice these. He just loved his warm snowsuit!


Then the day before we were going to go to the Tubing Hill for the first time, we received a box from a friend that lives a number of hours away from us. She had some snow clothes from her grandsons and wondered if I could use it.

When I opened the box this is what I found: a wonderful pair of snow pants that fitted Cooper perfectly. Pants that could go very nicely with his *boys* (grin) black and yellow snow jacket and would therefore, look very *boyish* for the public hill. (Not that he cared or even noticed!)

On top of that, there were waterproof pants that would work so well for my cadet boys who do outdoor camping during spring, winter, and fall!! God is good!

And last, not least, in the box was a beautiful winter jacket and matching ski pants - that fit ME! I have never really gone out and bought a set of ski pants because I have been so busy nursing, being pregnant or tied up in the house with tinies. I have always 'made do' in previous years, when I did play outside with the children. This was the year that I was making my entrance on the ski and tubing hills!

To boot, when I put my new ski-suit on my boys told me that it was not a boys outfit; it had to be a girls! And this coming from a house with grandsons! Who knows why, but once again, God is good! I love how God doesn't just meet our needs, but often times because He knows our hearts, He will meet a simple little desire of a mum's heart, like not putting a little boy on a ski hill in flowers! *smile*
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I Am So Very Happy

It is quite apparent to me that Mesai (Raine) and Gadisae (Savannah) are very happy here. It is truly amazing and very obviously a gift of God that our transition has been so incredibly remarkable! For this we are very thankful!

One day, I was tucking the girls into bed, and Savannah says something to me about a monkey house. I had no idea what she was talking about and asked Raine if she knew. Nope. She had no clue either! *laugh*

I go over and tuck in Raine and sit down and then we start talking. I figure maybe she is talking about the zoo. So I say, "I will take you to a place where lots of animals live and there is a monkey house there."

"NO!!" She yelps. Okay, so that was not what she wanted. We begin talking about what a zoo is and what lives there. Then we talk about the skating rink and other things I want to do with the girls and boys.

Raine looks up at me and says, "Mummy, I am so very happy that I live here."

Ahhhh. Nothing gets better than that. I love that our little girls are happy.
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Again Names

I have gone back and forth on posting this conversation for a while. You know, when you are read by people of all different opinions and not just friends who know you, you can be a little cautious of posting your thoughts for fear of reprisal. Well, I decided to go ahead because I have always been upfront and candid and I am not about to stop now. I have two things to blog about. They will be in separate posts. The first is names and here we go.

When we brought the girls home, if you remember, we went back and forth on their names: did we give them names, did we use their birth names, or did we use both, or what?!

When you get out in the adoption world and listen to other people speak on this topic, you will hear a lot of variation, but one thing you will notice is that most people are very strong in their beliefs in why they choose what they do.

I can no longer say that I am strong about my opinion/belief on this topic. I actually never was! LOL!! We finally settled that we would keep the girls' birth names as their first names as a gift to their mother. But then sometime after Mesai came home from Ethiopia (weeks) she was told in full her new name: Mesai Raine Ayana and she liked it. She loved it. She loved the Ayana part and when she would say her name she was always sure to put the Ayana on it because she loved that it meant "Beautiful Flower".

She told me she wanted to be called Raine and I heard her, but did nothing about it. We were going anywhere and there was no immediate hurry and perhaps she would change her mind. So we continued to call her Mesai. But then we went to Sunday School and she informed me that she wanted to tell the kids her name was Raine. So we did.

When the children asked what her sister's name was, I was in a position. Did I say Gadisae or Song Savannah? So I told them that the girls had two names: their Canadian names and their Ethiopian names. Typical of children they just accepted this and went about their business.

Time went by, and we kept pretty much to our family at home and church, so the girls didn't have a lot of chance to try out their new names. So we continued calling them Gadisae and Mesai. But every so often, Mesai would say, "I want to call Raine."

Finally, we made a decision to begin attending a new church (part time). They have a fabulous children's program(s) and teen ministry and since we have so many kids we felt it would be best for the children. Well, the first day we went Mesai made sure she was Raine, but our *children* are used to calling her Mesai, so they kept stumbling over the names.

That was the turning point for us. We had to get serious about listening to Mesai and begin using Raine with a real effort. The girls like Savannah and Raine, and so we are using both, but we are focussing on the Canadian names. Raine likes the little word picture I give her of the "Raine" falling on the "Savannah" and beautiful flowers and food grows for the Ethiopians. It is symbolic for me and 'nice' for her. But honestly, I am following her lead.

She will always be Mesai and Gadisae will always be Gadisae, but they will be known now as Raine and Savannah. And when they are older they will be familiar with both names and *they* can make the choice of which name they want to use.
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Attachment Trophy

Since we have brought the girls home I was not certain if we were thoroughly attached. I probably am still not certain, but I am pretty sure. We have all the right signs for attachment, but still, I have heard that it can be illusive - the non-attachment signs.

It was confusing because our girls showed the signs of attachment from the very beginning: eye contact, open to our affection, doing as we asked, looking to us for help, etc. But at the same time, it seemed odd that they would be so well attached from the beginning.

There was, of course, one area that we needed to see improve, and that was indiscriminate affection. Gadisae would openly offer hugs to anyone. Mesai did not do this ever. I was pretty sure alot of this came from the orphanage where they were hugged by everyone that came to visit, but still as first time adoptive parents it was a little disconcerting.

It didn't take long for the message to get across that hugs were *only* for family. And there were a few quick saves as Gadisae threw herself at someone. There was one funny one where we were in the house and a person came to the door and I thought we were past this stage, and I said, "Oh look, it's Rusty," and Gadisae leapt past me and threw her arms out to embrace this woman.

I tell you, I must have instant reflexes, because before her arms made contact, my arm shot out and grabbed the back of her shirt and she was suspended between us for a moment, before she flung out her hand and said, "Hand! Friends! Hugs Family!"

It was so funny! Well, that was probably one of the last of her hugs for anyone. Now, they are at a point of attachment that they can give hugs at church to dear old ladies who love them and they know it is okay.

Gadisae definitely has a wariness now about strangers and Mesai has always had that. So that is good. But the other day I received the coveted Attachment Trophy via Gadisae. We were visiting a new church that day and I told the kids we would be going. At breakfast she looked up at me and said, "Mummy, me scared. Me no go downstairs (that was where she figured the Sunday School was)."

I felt I had just been handed a trophy! This was the first chance I had had to see that she needed ME and that she felt that I could keep her secure. Of course, I assured her that she and Briton could sit with me in Church and the big kids could go. What a great day that was.
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Rest Margin

I spoke once before about margins and how they helped us financially. Right after watching that video series I was convicted of how I needed a margin. I was squeezed so tight, and I still am, that I didn't have any margin: emotionally or time-wise. I realized then that something had to change.

Ray has always been a good provider, but that has meant that he has worked 6 days a week most of the time. That in turn has meant that he has done yard work on Sundays, which has meant NO TIME OFF. Our kids looked at Sundays as a work day. They did not look forward to Sundays at all. Church in the morning and then yard work in the afternoon.

As I know, that is not Biblical. Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. But how do you rest when you have a yard to keep up, a house that seems to never get finished being built, and business banking and school reporting obligations to fulfill on Saturday and Sunday?

I decided to formulate a plan. I was not going to write about this until I had seen it in action long enough to report that it was actually working. Time has gone by, and I can safely say: I love it!

Monday to Friday we school. We fluctuate how much we do and when we do it but those are school days. When I have to do the banking the younger ones do what they can and then have a 'Pro-D' day. The older ones can proceed without me. That banking day only happens about once every two-three weeks, so it works perfectly fine. No more Saturday banking. The school observations (that I have to send to the school where we are registered) are done in an afternoon. No more Saturday observations.

The boys are now cooking dinner most days, so I can also find more time to do the banking and observations within my weekdays. Then the big change is Saturday. This is a new day for us. Right now there is nothing Ray can do outside due to the snow, so he continues to work on Saturday. But once the weather breaks he will work at home on Saturdays. But for the rest of us Saturday is a big day and I love it.

I have never had a scheduled cleaning day. I am not into it. Who knows when I am going to feel like going to the beach, shopping, to the library, caught up in a project, or who knows what. Well, then my cleaning day falls away and I feel lousy. I used to clean here and there through the week, but not one complete scrub-down in one day.

BUT, now I have this plan. Saturday we clean the whole house. The girls are (well, Mesai) helpful. They clean their room. The boys clean their room. One big boy cleans the bathrooms thoroughly. Another big boy washes the floors, and I vacuum the floors and carpets.

As well as this, I have been using each Saturday over the last month to purge and clean out. Last Saturday, I was reorganizing bookshelves: putting things back where they go, cleaning out doubles of books, etc. By the time I was done the shelves were tidy, and I had a pile of books for the second hand shop.

As well as cleaning the whole house top to bottom, I am putting together two very simple recipes. One of the recipes is for Saturday night and the other is for Sunday. Saturday is a chicken and rice recipe and Sunday is a stroganoff (or one other alternate). They go in the fridge, until I need to put them in the oven.

And finally, the laundry is running constantly. I am finalizing all laundry that needs to be run through before the end of the week: church clothes, emptying everyone's basket (each child has their own basket to make laundry easier to do). As the loads come through during the course of the day, my laundry committee comes together: Gadisae, Cooper and Mesai. They fold and deliver.

The kids all have their Saturday night baths/showers and make sure they have their clothes ready for Church for Sunday.

We have a quick dinner on paper plates and then we have our Saturday night family movie. The kids love it and it is a reward for work well done by everyone.

On Sunday, the way we go through the day is to do only what is necessary. No laundry. No real cleaning. Vacuuming as necessary. (Sorry, I can't stand a mess, and if I was to ignore the crumbs that eight kids make I would fill a dustpan on Monday morning!)

Get up, I bead the girls hair at the crack of dawn before everyone wakes up, eat breakfast, go to Church, come home and eat lunch, naps for littles, big ones sit around and read books, play games, watch a hockey game, kids wake up, play, eat dinner on paper plates, throw out the dishes *grin*, get kids ready for bed, then Ray and I go to our Couple's Group with three other couples, while the big boys babysit and put the kids to bed.

We have done this for four Sundays now, and it has been liberating!! Absolutely marvellous! There is time to just simply 'be a family' and not 'be doing'.

As time goes by, we will be challenged by the busy building season and Ray feeling the need to work on Saturdays, but hopefully we will be able to remember how rewarding our six day week has been and we will stick to it. My plans include beach days, ski times, zoo trips, day trips.

And God did intend for us to recharge our batteries. Everything has a season. Remember even God took a break on the 7th day. He knew we would need time off to enjoy what He had created and to do what we love to do!
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Sort of Schedule

So how does busy look in my house? I don't do well with chaos. I am sure you find that odd, since I have a large family. You have to realize a large family does not have to equate with chaos. You can have two kids and have chaos! I do have boys and *that* equates with chaos, though!

I have always tried to have a somewhat organized morning routine. Somewhat and organized - not all in the same breath. It has come to be time to be 'just plain almost organized'. So this is how my day sort of goes:

Cassidy (12) hits the floor at 6:30 am. He comes downstairs and opens the blinds, has a shower, makes the coffee, goes upstairs to wake the girls, and then comes back downstairs to start the breakfast. It is usually a big vat of good old fashioned hearty oatmeal, or toast and jam. He makes enough toast and jam for the younger five and himself, or the oatmeal for the whole family.

At the same time, Ray or I am knocking on bedroom doors waking the troops: the girls go to the bathroom, Cooper and Austin make their beds and get dressed and then play in their rooms until they are called. Briton is my tag-along. It is my only way to ensure that he is not being Mr. Destructo. He is so busy that it is safer to keep him in my room until my day takes off. I then hustle the big boys, who are *supposed* to have been in and out of the kitchen by 7:00 am. They never make it!

Mesai is the next one on the job. She and her sister make their beds and then she heads downstairs and does the dishwasher unloading, while her sister dresses. After this is done she gets dressed and then by then Cassidy is assembling the younger troops to breakfast. They traipse downstairs and they are so wonderful about sitting quietly in their chairs with their eyes closed waiting for the last little one to arrive. At which point one of them begins to pray for their meal.

While this is happening Colt and Dane are getting ready for school or work, and I am getting my day started. I am working really hard on training my boys, so that they will be amazing husbands. You might think after hearing my list of jobs for the boys that I don't work, but who do you think is training all these skills into the boys? *smile*

Once the kids are down from breakfast, the little ones head upstairs to wash up, brush teeth, and begin their playtime. Austin (9) takes on the kitchen clean-up, while the other kids begin various forms of school. Me? I wander from person to person, job to job - working and training. Meanwhile, I have phonecalls to field - I have begun *not* answering phones. I simply screen calls. I have a select few people that I will respond to simply because I don't have time to sit and chat. Sadly, I have a couple messages on my phone that are *still* waiting for a callback and it has been at least a week! You know who you are and I *will* call you! Looking for a gap!

From here we move into lunch, which I make, usually from leftovers and the troops reassemble, inhale their food and then head for naptime. Cassidy does the lunchtime cleanup, while I put the kids too bed. Thankfully, all four of the younger children lie down or sleep, and the 9 year old reads in his bed for two hours.

At some point of my morning the older child who is cooking dinner has a session with me. Since I have instituted this two week menu things have been so much smoother! They really only need a little guidance from me and I only have to worry about meals 2-3 days a week. I love it! And I have now begun adding more to their plan. We are a family that is well versed in the frozen pea department, but lately, since I am not rushing to get dinner on the table, I am able to teach my Cook of the Day how to do a nice vegetable. Suddenly we are able to eat different veggies that require extra work: broccoli and cheese, fresh carrots, etc. Sounds pathetic, but believe me, in my life it is much easier filling a saucepan with frozen peas than it is 'doing the vegetables'. But hey, that is now another lifeskill my boys are learning.

Our day flies by with school and cleaning up and cooking and before I know it another day has shot by. The kids have dinner, baths, big boys do kitchen cleanup and bathroom cleaning, while little boys tidy up other areas, and little ones get ready for bed.

Our day is now over by 7:30. I used to have kids in bed by 8-9:00 pm. I now have the girls in bed by 6:30pm. Can you imagine?! I used to hear of people with kids in bed at 6 or 6:30 and I thought - why? How? But the girls so need their sleep! They fall asleep at 6:35 pm and sleep til we wake them at 7:00 am!! They also sleep a solid two hours every afternoon.

The little boys follow suit at 7:30 and then the middle ones after that by 8:30. But having big, big ones keeps the house moving until later. I have just instituted the 10:00 pm rule. I have been getting to bed so late - past midnight. It has been ridiculous and it has a lot to do with having older sons. But you know, they are not out on the town, so there is no reason that we have to stay up so late. So now it is 'get up early, head to bed earlyish'.

They don't like it, but I don't like such late nights. So now, when I say, 'lights out' they know I mean it, because they know I can flick the electric breaker if I don't get action. And trust me, with teenage boys, you don't get action. You get plodding.

This is just the frame-work of my day. I can't even begin to list off my day when it comes to the stuff that really eats up my time! It is busy! But I wouldn't have it any other way! I think of people who go to work to get fulfillment, and I think that noone ever showed them the many ways they could be fulfilled at home.

I am a:

beach sitter, tubing mama, road-trip planner and executor, English as a Second Language teacher,interior decorator, tutor of highschool students, teacher of elementary grades, baker, cook, graphic artist, blog designer/writer, sewer, knitter, photographer, memory book maker, hairdresser/hair beader and designer, book writer, reader of many good books, house builder, gardener/landscaper, business bookkeeper and accountant - and the list goes on.

The list is as limited as you want to make it!!! Anything that your heart desires to do can be done at home, while raising your family.

So though I am insanely busy, I am very happy. I just have to learn to create more margins. And that will be my next post.
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Waiting For Time and Inspiration

It has been very quiet over on my blog hasn't it? Life is so incredibly full!!

People wonder when I find time to blog. Well, I'll let you in on a secret: I haven't blogged in six weeks. I actually sat down and did a ton of blogging over two nights and then scheduled them to post one per day. I was hopeful that after the last one posted I would have had time to start writing again.

Unfortunately it didn't work that way. For me, blogging is a quiet time activity where I *feel* what I write. I like to reimmerse myself in a situation and write it as if I were reliving it. To me, that makes the writing real. I can't write any other way. It is just not me.

Last night, when I was off to bed, at a late, late hour (once again) I began to feel the beginning of the desire to blog again. Sad to say, but unless I have time I lose the desire to write. Once I have time I get excited and the posts just roll out of me. I will only write if I have things to say because I am not into posting for the sake of it. *smile*

Well, as I headed to bed, a few random thoughts crossed my mind. That is how a post begins for me: a situation happens; someone says a funny phrase; an event occurs; life with teenagers, children, or adoption creates something that I just need to share. Then I write. Not before. But that night as I went to bed, I was too tired to write out my tidbits, and guess what? They are all gone. I have no inspiration.

They will come back and I will be back. Soon. Very soon. Probably this week. And when you see the flood of them you will think I was pulling your leg. *grin* But honestly, I am dry right now. I suppose if I keep typing thoughts will flow through my mind and I will be off and chatting, just like in a regular conversation. Then watch out!! *laugh*

In the meantime, I have a few stolen minutes, so I will share busyness. People who know me have no idea what busy is. No offense to them; they just have no clue.

I was busy before. Very busy. I chose when to write or call a friend. But this is different. I remember having a friend with eight children from ages 2-16 when I had four. My life was pleasant, organized, and a bit busy. I rarely saw her. I didn't get. I didn't complain, but I didn't get it.

Then I had six children and I still didn't get it. I was busy. Very busy. As I said, I rarely called friends, or had time to take off with friends - but I also didn't have the desire; I enjoyed being home with my kids and routine.

And then I had eight.

Okay, now life changed.

Did I mention that my friend with eight had children aged: 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 16?

Now I get it. Finally my life has matched hers! I have children 4, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 15, 17.

There is absolutely no comparison to my life six months ago. Back then I had no schedule, no routine, I was a fly by the seat of my pants type person. Meals came at any time from 5-7 pm. Bedtime was usually about 8:00-9:00 pm for the younger set. Routine - did I mention I had no routine? Did I tell you how schedule resistant I was? Oh yes, I am the Queen of Schedules - that is the Queen of Making Schedules - NOT enforcing them. I liked to make them. I spent many hours working on the perfect schedule. But I had a problem actually using them. So finally about five years ago, I realized it was rather pointless making these schedules. They would never get used. So I quit. And we continued on just fine.

That is, until we acquired two more children and suddenly I needed routine. Not just for them, but really for me. I would not survive unless I had a plan. A plan of attack. How would I managed so many kids unless I knew what end was up?

And that is when my life changed. I began hooked on routines. And boy have they been liberating.

To be continued...
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Cute Little Boys

Ray, Dane and Cassidy were watching the World Junior Hockey Tournament (ages 19 and under) - Russia against Canada. The winner of this game will go to the Gold Game. The other kids were all at the table waiting to begin dinner. I went to the TV room to let Ray, and the boys, know we were ready. As I arrived, the game had 1 minute left in the final period, and Canada was 4, while Russia was at 5. About 10 seconds from the end of the period, the Canadians scored - tieing the game 5-5. The boys were thrilled.

I went back to the dinner table and told the kids what was happening and that we would start without the guys - it was now into overtime and would be a while. Colt prayed over the meal and we began to eat. Cooper then announced he wanted to pray about the game.

He began, "Dear Wohd (Lord), Thank you for Canada score - and not," at this point he paused, not knowing who the other team was.

"Russia," I interjected.

He continued, "Now we're tied and nobody feels bad about wosing (losing). Amen."

I interrupted to say, "We should pray that Canada wins."

Cooper's face screwed up in confusion and he said with concern, "That's wude. (rude)"

In his sweet innocence, he simply felt that noone should win, so that noone felt bad about losing. He had no idea of the importance of this game! *grin*

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Austin's Dinner From Start to Soup

I have been doing my new plan of teaching the boys to cook for the last three weeks. I am loving it. Cassidy remarked to me yesterday that I have the easy meals. My response? You bet I do! I am teaching them the hard meals, so we have something tasty, and I am riding on the easy meals. If I choose to get fancy, then I can pick a new recipe to try. But in the meantime, I am enjoying knowing what I am cooking - whether it is a prefrozen spaghetti sauce, or an easy make meal!

Today was Austin's day to make Chicken and Rice. He is nine years old, and he found this a very simple recipe with which to begin learning to cook.

Saucy Chicken

1.5 cups ketchup
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1.5 tsp onion powder
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Put the chicken breasts in a casserole dish (or two casserole dishes, in our case) and spread sauce over chicken. Cover. Bake in 350* oven for about 1 hour. To check for doneness there should be no pink inside chicken.

Rice

1/4 cup butter
parsley, basil, oregano, pepper, salt
3 cups uncooked white rice
can of chicken stock

Melt the butter in a pan. Add a couple shakes of spices. Add 3 cups of uncooked rice. Lightly brown, while stirring around in butter. Add can of chicken stock. Add 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Turn down to Low. Put on lid and let cook for about 20 minutes. (do not open) Fluff with fork when done.

Check out all the "Learning Skills" that happen while training to cook.

Reading and Comprehension Skills

Learning Food Names, While Collecting Materials

Learning to Read Fractions, Use Measuring Cups and Spoons, and Measuring Accurately

Austin read the first ingredient: Ketchup - but did not read that he needed 1.5 cups, so he began pouring the ketchup into the bowl. "How much are you going to use?" I asked him. LOL.

Mixing His Ingredients

Goofy Austin - Look Mum! Frozen Chicken!
Science: Learning About Salmonella Poisoning

Pouring the Sauce On: Ratios

Learning How to Operate the Oven Controls Safely

Making Rice: Learning and Identifying Different Spices

The Finished Product

Austin did a wonderful job and the meal was delicous!

This was the specially cooked extra chicken breast and leftover rice. This ziploc bag will be put in the freezer, until I am ready to make a new soup. The last time I made a soup with one chicken breast, it fed us for three lunch times, and I was feeding eight children and myself! How do I make one chicken breast last so long?


I add ten chopped up carrots, six chopped large potatoes, 3 stalks of celery, 1/2 cup or more of barley, 3-4 cups of mixed beans (see below), any other leftover veggie bags from the freezer (up to about 3 cups), 2-3 cans of tomato soup, 3-5 cups of water (depending on how thick you want it - or how long you want it to last).

I spice this up as I see fit. I taste it and then throw in pepper, parsley, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt. I adjust it to my taste.

Depending on the sauce you had the meat or chicken or meatballs in will dictate the overall flavour of your soup!

The second day the soup is lessened, so I add more water and another couple cans of tomato soup, and usually some more freezer food - more rice or something else ready and simple to thicken it with. This usually keeps the soup going for two or three days - and my kids eat plenty!

I manage to go from soup to soup in the winter:

meatball leftovers - meatballs soup;
meatless chili - bean, veggie soup;
chicken and rice - chicken and potato soup;
roast - beef barley soup.
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Happy New Years!

We contemplated what we would do for New Years this year. We could take the kids tubing at the hill again, or we could rent a stack of movies, buy some treats, pop, and pop some popcorn. The kids chose the relaxing New Years.

The whole crowd enjoyed watching Fly Me To The Moon - a cute 3D movie about 3 flies that go to the moon.


Then they went to bed and the middle kids: Austin and Cassidy, stayed up for the next movie, and they were sent off to bed, and the older boys, Ray, and I stayed up til 1:00 am watching the last movie. It was relaxing, but really nice to just veg out and watch some movies after a very hectic year!
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Christmas Pictures

Our Family With My Mum and Dad

My Sister's Family

Cousins

Girl Cousins

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Flying Home to Canada - Day 15

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Little Boys!

Briton came in the kitchen with a balloon under his shirt. Ray saw him and said, "Ho, Ho," which is Briton's name for Santa Claus.


Briton's response? "NO, boobs."


Sorry, people, little boys are only little for so long and we all died laughing.
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Buying on Credit Cards and Points

Hi Linda,

Actually, our boys will be taught HOW to use a credit card. That is certainly something that must be taught correctly, you are right! The reason for us moving from credit to cash is because I think we are spending more than we should be. It is so easy when using credit or debit to spend more than you are actually aware of.

I used to use the envelope system. I would put a certain amount in each envelope for different catagories: car insurance, groceries, spending R, spending J, clothing, Christmas etc. I found when I did this system that our money always went way further than it did without the method. It made me really think about all those 'incidental miscellaneous' purchaes - that add up to another few hundred dollars a month!


We have even bought things on time, so that we could have them now, but put aside the money each month, so that when the item came due we would have the money. We actually paid for it the month or so before it was due to be totally safe. This can only be done if you know you have available cash to pay this extra money to a purchase. But it made it possible for us to buy things that came on a good deal when we didn't have the immediate cash. We became our own savings account.

As to the points: yes! I totally agree. I am the Queen of Points *grin*. I am known in Safeway. I go in there when they have things I want to buy, and I buy a ton of it. Even if it is enough for a year. Once I bought enough soap to keep us going for over a year! But I never buy anything I don't actually need. What I find is that the points for Airmiles only add up very slowly: 1 point per $10 - $20 spent. But when I find the Safeway flyer, they always have deals like buy 3 cans of Hunts Thick and Rich for $4 and get 50 airmiles for every 6 cans bought!

Wow, when those deals happen, which is about once a month, I get up to 900 airmiles on a shopping trip! It is really very funny where I live. They often will not have enough of what I want - I suppose it is not everyday that someone comes in and wants 60 or 120 cans of Hunts Thick and Rich - but *I* do!! That is 500 or 1000 airmiles in ONE shopping trip! And I use about 20 cans a month! Well worth it. So now, Safeway has a system for ME! Isn't that hilarious! I am probably the only person in our small town that goes in with three shopping carts and comes out with only three different brands of things - but yet has the shopping carts overflowing. *smile*

Now, they give me a special rain cheque - they don't give these out, but they realized the amount of money that stood to lose if they didn't let me have the rest of my shopping list when they brought more stock in *grin*.

So those purchases I certainly buy on credit card. The regular groceries are only about 100 airmiles a month. But my husband has a construction company, so through him I am able to save a fortune in airmiles.

I have been to Disneyland with four children 2 years ago, plus flown to Tennessee to see my good friend, twice, and then our last road trip was financed in part by the airmiles.

Right now, I am halfway to a trip for ten to the Dominican Republic!!! That is my holiday goal! Airmiles will pay our way there, and I am squirrelling away a little bit each month towards our family having a two week holiday. That will be our first real family holiday. I have taken portions of the kids on the road before, but we have never as a group of 8 or now 10, gone away for a lay back and relax holiday. So before our biggest son leaves home, it is our goal to take our children to the sun for a wonderful holiday. The boys can parasail, scuba dive, surf and deep sea fish, and the little ones can play in the sand and water.


Ray and I went to the Blue Lagoon in Fiji for our honeymoon. That was back in the days of prosperity: before kids and mortgages. But we also used credit cards! Now this holiday will be a cash holiday. Not one we are paying off for the following year. We have learned alot over the years!
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