I caught these birds last year, and here they are again. A much closer view this time. Mom, you were right – snow geese!
I’m thankful today for good friends.
Friends who are real and transparent, willing to share their stories and are willing to hear ours as well.
Friends who are family thanks to the work Jesus accomplished on the cross.
The hot cross buns you buy in the store never did much for me. They never seemed as sweet as I thought they should be, and always too bitter. And what is the deal with that rubbery icing they use to paint the crosses on?
Since I am convinced that nearly every processed food can taste better if homemade, I decided to bake my own before writing them off. I found this recipe and gave it a whirl.
Aside from the photo looking far from appetizing, I think they were really good!
I am tempted to make these an annual tradition on Good Friday, even though they actually have no Christian significance (who knew?!). Perhaps it will be my secret delight to make the kids eat something they think should taste good – because it has icing on it – but they really don’t enjoy. Markus can plow through a custard filled donut without coming up for air, but a few bites into this he declared it was “too sugary”. Try again, dear boy.
Now if only I could figure out is why my mouth still is zinging from the tiny bit of ground cloves I put in the dough. Maybe for the kids sake and mine, I’ll have to think twice about making these every year.
We are not big on seafood in this house. I know fish is good for me, but most of the time I just cannot get past the smell. The sliminess also wigs me out. And I know that good, fresh fish is not supposed to smell fishy, but when you walk past the seafood department in the grocery store in a land locked city such as Saskatoon, it is enough to make a person green in the gills some days.
When the cook doesn’t believe in what’s on the plate, it’s hard to convince the skeptics sitting around the table. I am trying though!
So for supper tonight we had Farfalle with Salmon, Mint, and Peas. It was so delicious! Clay, not being a salmon fan, declared it the best salmon he has ever had. I don’t know if that means it was top notch or just good…for salmon. Even Bailey ate it. These days, that is saying something.
Ask me to sum up my day in one word? Keys. Ahhh!!!!
The kids and I were so looking forward to visiting some friends this morning. We were all ready to go, I just needed to grab a few things for my purse and find my…keys. They were nowhere to be found. I asked the kids. They didn’t know.
We looked. And looked.
The kids told me that if we didn’t find my keys we would run out of food and not be able to drive to the store to get more, and then we would DIE!!! They’re a little dramatic sometimes.
I informed them that if we couldn’t find the keys, we would not die because Daddy has an extra set, and we would have to get copies made. Bailey was happy with that solution, because she wanted me to get a set of pink keys. She was no help looking after this prospect came up on her radar.
We prayed. Five minutes later, Markus told me he thought Jesus’ answer was ‘no’. This is proof he’s listening when we talk about how Jesus always answers prayer. Whether it be yes, no, or later, he always answers.
After 45 minutes of tearing the house apart and retracing my steps outside since I had the keys yesterday afternoon, I finally gave up. We were going to stop at Tim Hortons for breakfast on the way out of the city, so instead of driving there we walked. It was Bailey’s idea, and a fine one. It was the perfect distraction to keep me from getting too discouraged.
After Clay checked with the neighbours to see if any of them had found them, we were upstairs with the kids. My bedside table looked a little disheveled so I picked up a book to put it back in its place. And shrieked.
I think Clay thought I had seen a spider.
“My keys!!”
I was really hoping they would turn up somewhere that would not make me look like an airhead. Or a sleep deprived mother. But no, that’s exactly what I look like.
At last, a warm day! A “get out of the house and go run!” kind of day.
So run they did!
Markus pulls ahead for the win, Wyatt is a close second, and Bailey a distant third.
In her defence, she was more concerned with being fashionable. I think she won in that department.
Welcome, spring! We’re so glad you’re here!
The realm of introducing solid foods to baby is not one I delight in. My approach to feeding solids has changed each time I’ve had a baby. The first time around I was very much a rule follower. Whatever the powers that be told me to do, that’s what I did. That awful chart that the baby cereal manufacturer gives out, telling you how much cereal your kid should be eating every day? Yeah, I followed that. I was so worried I would do something wrong, so I followed it to the letter. I made baby food, froze everything in cute little cubes. I was prepared!
Fast forward to today with baby number four. There is no rice cereal in my house. Deacon wasn’t even interested in eating until after seven months. He has had a few reactions to the foods I have given him, which has made me very hesitant to offer much of anything. Mum-Mums, rice puffs, applesauce, apple chunks for gumming, bananas, avocados – these are the norm. And the lovely stuff on his table that you gazed upon when you came to read today, that would be lentils and carrots from a soup I made.
I guess the big shift for me is understanding that at this point, solid foods exist to introduce him to new flavours and textures, not to give him the bulk of his nutrition. Food is for learning more than anything right now. What he needs nutritionally right now, he gets from milk, and that sure takes a load of worry off my mind.
This beautiful little girl challenges me in ways I never expected. I never knew it would be so hard to teach and discipline such a sweet child. She is a firecracker, and I praise God for her. I am learning, failing, surrendering, and praying for some sanctifying to happen in my own heart as I pray the same for her.
On a somewhat related topic, homeschooling has been a serious challenge lately. As in, I haven’t been doing much of anything. I’m too overwhelmed by it all. Then I make myself feel better by saying I’m unschooling at the moment…which really doesn’t make me feel any better because it still just looks like a messy house with kids whining for snacks. What’s educational about that?
I’m reading a book that I borrowed from a friend, called Help for the Harried Homeschooler. Harried homeschooler? Yes, that would be me. Being a mother to four children age six and under is more than a full time job on its own. Add home education to the mix and I feel like I am up the creek without a paddle. Or is that down the creek?
When we started this journey, I thought that if we could just manage to pick the right curriculum, everything would be a breeze. Well either we didn’t pick the right curriculum, or else no curriculum can promise smooth sailing. I’m going with option B on that. The curriculum itself seems fine (although perhaps a little more Type-A than I am comfortable with), I just can’t seem to squish it into the day. Between making three meals, providing at least two snacks, nursing a baby, napping a baby, keeping the house tidy enough that you can walk through it, keeping the kitchen counters clear enough to find a corner to prepare food on, washing clothes, hosting our church community group once a week, and finding time to sleep somewhere in all that, school just doesn’t seem to get done.
I know it’s okay to cut myself some slack. This is kindergarten after all. It’s really not that serious. At some point though, I need to get more organized. I need to find a rhythm and flow to the day, and organization to the home, so that we can accomplish a consistent amount of school around here. As I do so, I need to make sure I am doing what works for us, and not comparing myself to what other women do. The book I mentioned earlier worded it really well,
“Comparison keeps us from celebrating our uniqueness. If only we had as much room in our house as they do, we tell ourselves. If only we could afford the curriculum they use. If only my husband were home as much as hers is!
“‘If onlys’ rob us of contentment. The fact is, our house is our house. We have the income we have. Our husbands are home as often as they are home. We are a one-of-a-kind family who has made the choices right for us.”
So I continue to forge ahead, drawing on the wisdom of other women who are doing this alongside me, or have gone ahead of me, but ultimately the challenge is not to copy what they have done/are doing, but rather find what works for our family. We are unique, of that I am fully convinced. Now I just need to figure out what our unique way of schooling looks like.
We spent the day at a wedding, celebrating the marriage of our friends Angela and Blair.
Here’s Deacon, enjoying some quality time with Garry. All of our kids love Garry – he has become like another grandpa to them.
It’s really amazing to me how God unites people together. He brings people who are so different and makes them family. The family of God is an amazing gift, and we have been so blessed to have our family grow in the past few years since we committed to calling Grace Fellowship our home church.
Zoo admission is free until April 1, so I was hoping we would get one more nice March day to go see the animals before we have to pay to get in. Today was just such a day. I texted a friend to see if she and her kids could join us, and off we went! Today’s post will be big on photos, and small on talk.
The lions have two new cubs, and here is Mama, giving her snuggling babies a bath.
The Canadian geese are always entertaining. Amazingly this path was not impassable due to goose poop, so the kids were able to go in close for a look at the frozen pond.
Wyatt and his shadow.
Bailey is a few months older than her buddy, and it is so sweet to see these two interact with one another.
I think this is my favourite shot today. I love the vantage point I caught this from. It feels as though I have captured a very sacred adventuring moment. Boyhood.
Markus was thrilled to find this inukshuk hiding in the trees.
Deacon’s just chilling out in his Cadillac stroller.
Wyatt the Monkey Boy, climbing and exploring.
Tunnel to another world…
…the playground!
Poor Wyatt seemed to collide with someone every time he went down this slide. No matter how careful he was to make sure the coast was clear, someone always got in his way at the bottom. No major injuries, thankfully!
The whole Zoo Crew! Thanks for the fun, guys!
Financial advisors scare me. At least, they did.
When I conjure up a mental picture of a financial advisor, I see a fifty year old man who is overweight, balding, overbearing, and wears too much aftershave. I also figured that people who use the services of a financial advisor are people who actually have money that can be given advice about. I did not think Clay and I fit the profile.
As it turns out, I was wrong on both accounts. Perhaps there are guys out there who fit my stereotype, but the one we met with this evening did not. He’s younger than us, slim build, full head of hair, confidently mild mannered, and only carried a slight scent of cologne – not even enough to set off the danger bell my inner smell alarm. He also had plenty to say to us: people who don’t have a lot of money to throw around.
We met with him because we’re going to transfer our mortgage, and perhaps our RRSPs. The lure of a 2.99% four year fixed rate drew us in, and I’m glad. I like the idea of having someone who knows the ins and outs of money going to bat for us and helping us figure out how to get the best return on our investments.
I’ve been pretty lazy in the money management department, and I’m looking forward to this being a kick start to being more aware of what’s going on. I used to be so organized in this area, and hopefully I will be again soon.
Where do you fall on the money continuum? Organized? Not? Careful budgeter? Fervent prayer that it will somehow all work out?