Overheard From the Back of the Van

"Mom, I love you the most. But really only when you stop at the candy store

on the way home. Oh look, there's the candy store..."  ~Mikah, age 6

My kids are not fools.

Overheard From the Back of the Van

"Well how was I supposed to know that I was supposed to get ready! 

What am I, a mind-reader? Jeez."  ~ Lukas, age 5

This was stated in the van on the way to school in the morning; after he had been told repeatedly to put on his clothes, jacket and boots. Just the same as every morning that has come before. Somehow he missed the fact that while he was reading a book on the couch, in his underwear, the rest of us had our jackets on and were heading out the door. I know, routine sure is hard to get into when things happen exactly the same every damn morning. 

Sigh.

Possum Thanksgivin Photo Shoot

True to form, the sharing of these photo's is better late than never.

Over Thanksgiving the family staged an impromptu photo shoot out on the folks farm. I believe that the original goal of the photos was to share them with our relatives who thought they were living it up in Hawaii at the time - we hads to show them what they was missin :)

The end result was so gosh-durn amazin though that we had to share them with everyone. The response was great, it sure showed us the people who share our sense of humour and have the ability to not take things too seriously. I haven't looked at some of these photos in a few months, but they sure had me smiling tonight.

~Please note, these pictures were taken in the spirit of fun. As such,

no possums, chitlin, or varmints were harmed during the shooting

of these photos. Also note, shooting refers to the click of the camera.~

Heloise Helps Us Out

I'm quite certain that you are simply dying for more advise from darling Heloise. Hang on to you knickers ladies...


Pearl Number Two
"And girls, another thing. Jar loose once in a while and spend a few nickels or dollars on yourself. Don't do without those few simple things that would make your life easier, such as a carpet sweeper, plumber's friend, feather-duster, and pants stretchers. Spend that few dollars for them."

~Heloise

Thank you dear Heloise for the encouragement. I am off to The Walmart to finally buy myself the carpet sweeper and two *gasp* pants stretchers! Finally, someone has made me believe that I am worth a few indulgences.

Heloise Helps Us Out

While browsing through a local thrift shop last night I came across this delightful gem of a book. I had a premonition that it would be enjoyable, and my was I right! I have to admit that while I find much of the book hilarious, my dear Heloise has managed to give me an idea or two... especially in the child-rearing section.

This book is so amazing that I simply have to share parts of it with you.

All right ladies, pour yourselves a nice glass of sweet tea, kick off your heels and sit for a spell while I share with you some of, as I like to call them, Heloise's pearls of wisdom.

Pearl Number One

"So, relieve your mind of a lot of its frustrations by simply accepting the fact that you are a woman. Next, make yourself believe that you do the best you can. Probably you do! Tranquilizers are expensive... so are doctor's bills. Instead of worrying yourself into a state of jitters over keeping a "perfect" house, let this book show you how to make it easier for yourself."

~Heloise

Did anyone else read the quote in Betty Draper's voice? I was reading Heloise's nuggets to my husband tonight using my best dramatical interpretation of a 1960's housewife, and I think he would have laughed more if it hadn't made him so uncomfortable. He said that he was uncomfortable because it made him think back to the good old days when men were kings. I'd like to think he's a tad more evolved than that. ~Just joking darling!

Meanest Teacher

This morning was Mikah's first day of Kindergarten and Lukas' first day of pre-school.

Lukas was returning for his second year, so he happily marched into the classroom, put his stuff in his old locker (stubbornly ignoring the fact that his locker space had moved over the summer), refused to acknowledge either of his teachers (except with a slight smirk - that boy loves to make the women work for his attention), and commenced playing. Oh, then he looked at me and said, "you can pick me up later mom but I'm only a little bit excited to be here." Okey-dokey Lukas...  His teachers find him hilarious, me, not so much.

Mikah was actually very excited about Kindergarten, not that anyone would have been able to tell that by looking at his expressionless face. However, we marched into the room, found his name at one of the tables, put his supplies down, and sat right down and got to work showing his new teacher how he can write his name. He wondered when I was leaving, when I would be back, and if he would get to eat lunch at school this year. Soon; 2:40; and yes. He was busy working when I slipped out of the classroom. I'm hoping that by the end of today he'll be able to make eye-contact with his teacher (at least once), and verbally respond (at least some of the time) when they ask him a question. I know, I might be hoping for a miracle...

As I was leaving Mikah's classroom his teacher slipped me an envelope and said that she hoped I would have a nice day. I figured the envelope contained kindergarten information, but no, when I opened it in the van I found this letter tucked inside.

Wow. After successfully leaving the house, arriving at school, and exiting the classroom with dry eyes; Mikah's teacher made me cry all the way home. What a big-fat-meanie-head.

Family Vacation

In the spring the grandparents put forth a desire to take Alek and their granddaughter to Drumheller in the summer for a little vacation. The idea sounded great, and me being me, I invited the rest of us along too! We've always wanted to take the boys there, but honestly, couldn't face the trip when the little boys were younger. With Alek going on 12, our opportunity for full-family enjoyment was slipping away and we're glad that they graciously accepted our self-imposed invitation to tag along.

We got up nice and early and caravanned our way across Saskatchewan and part of Alberta to Drumheller. We stopped for a nice picnic lunch, stretched our legs, re-charged the air-conditioning in the van (ugh!), and kept on trucking. 

It was so much fun to watch Mikah and Lukas when we finally made our way down into Drumheller and they saw the dinosaur statues placed throughout the town. The noise in the van alternated between absolute silence and shouts of "there's another one! I see another dinosaur!" 

We checked into the hotel, some of us hit up the pool, some of us relaxed, and some of us (Lukas and I) couldn't sit still and had to go and check out the huge T-Rex in the centre of town. When we initially drove past the huge landmark I mentioned that people could climb it and Mikah said that there was no way he would be doing that! Lukas was determined to climb it and show Mikah that it wasn't so scary and that he would be able to do it too.

The best part came when Lukas realized that there were stairs! He was pretty sure that this would make Mikah feel better too. Maybe they thought they would have to climb up Fred Flintstone style; funny little boys. He wasn't too keen on hanging around once he made it to the mouth though. 

After supper we took the whole family back so that everyone could give it a go. 

Day 1 complete. Stay tuned for Day 2...