week one

It's been one week since Stephen went away for work and the kids seem to be adjusting nicely. We went to a family function last weekend and I was sure that they were going to drive me crazy, being 2 and4 and doing what little kids do. But they didn't! I brought crayons and toys to keep them occupied and there were other kids there that weren't running around, so I am sure that helped. Grace kept saying that she wanted "Happy Day Cake" because I had told the kids we were going to see Grandma and Grandpa and that it was Grandma's birthday. Zander was just so excited to see "Gaunka: (Grandma) and "Gaunka-gaunka (Grandpa)" that he would have done whatever I wanted. There was a photographer at the party and Zander just about drove him crazy getting him to take pictures of all the toys he brought and of course, had to be shown the pictures. LOL

This week we've spent a lot of time at home, and I was worried that the kids would be all about pulling stuff off of the Christmas tree but so far they have pretty much ignored it. Thank goodness! Now if I could just get Grace to leave the Christmas cards alone, we'd be all set... I guess I can't have everything!

Today was fun, Zander had his last speech therapy session for the time being and they think he is coming along just fine, we just need to work on a few concepts, ie: in front and behind and two step direction following. Hopefully this will also help with potty training! I had a great chat with a friend who gave me some tips and advise and tomorrow I will be tackling the training with a vengeance. We went to the indoor playground today and were there for three hours. I'm surprised that I didn't lose my mind, there were a lot of kids there...( school field trips before the Christmas break), however, my kids had fun and we left the building at 2:30 or so with no injuries! Ye-ay! Zander has also surprised me this week by happily sitting at the dinner table with us and voluntarily trying new food. No bribing, no threatening, no tears. It may seem like a little thing but when you have a picky eater that tries roasted chicken without being asked, you almost want to run out and buy a lottery ticket! Another fun thing that we did today was go grocery shopping... yes, I said grocery shopping. Grace loves riding in the cart and Zander pretends it is a garbage truck and tosses everything in. Hey, it might bruise the bananas but at least he's happy. I found myself joyfully and unabashedly singing the theme song to Veggie Tales with Grace as we shopped. If I stopped she would shout, sing the song, which just made me laugh and you know, I didn't care. We were grocery shopping and it fit! It you don't know the song, it goes, "Broccoli, Celery, gotta be, Veggie Tales. Lima Beans, Collard Greens, Peachy Keen, Veggie tales! Cauliflower, Sweet and Sour, half an hour, VEGGIE TALES! There's never-ever-ever been a show like Veggie Tales, There's never-ever-ever-ever been a show like Veggie Tales, it's time for veggie taaaaaaaaaaaaaales! " Love those shows... if you haven't seen them, you have to youtube them... Sunday morning values, Saturday morning fun!

an adjustment and some fear

Today, Stephen left for James Bay to work. He will be gone for two weeks this time and hopefully home in time for Christmas. His regular schedule will be away for three weeks and home for one, looks like I am about to get a crash course in single motherhood! I have to admit, I am afraid. Everything to do with running the house and rearing the kids rests on my little shoulders, and I have moments where I'd like to curl up into a ball and suck my thumb! LOL Once I can figure out the logistics of work schedules and babysitters, the rest should (SHOULD) be a breeze... Praying that God gives me extra patience, peace, guidance, and good refreshing rest. Did I mention patience? I think that the kids will have a hard time adjusting to daddy not being around and I don't want to throw too much at them, but seriously, the time has come to buckle down, get these two out of diapers for good and get them eating healthier. I'm going to need a lot of prayer, and a job that pays well with better hours would be nice too!

life's little surprises..

I realized when I was writing this title that people who might read this might thing one thing, and no, I am not pregnant! LOL This past year has been such a rollercoaster, and it seems like the year is ending on a sour note once again. I keep saying to myself at the end of each year, next year will be better... and then it goes ok for a bit and then bites the dust. So I cling to the one thing that can keep me sane and that is my faith... There are days when I think, wow, God loves me so much! and then there are days when I think... gee, God loves me so much? Lately I'm trying to hold on to the truth in small moments that bring me joy... Watching my kids play together without trying to kill each other :) , hearing my favourite songs on the stereo or car radio, having a bit of time to read a book, putting on jeans that are still warm from the drier, waking up to find that someone else has made coffee, having the picky eater of the house try something without being nagged or bribed. Simple things! After the struggles of the last few months with work going down the tubes, moving on to another job, sitting at my Grandfather's side with the family as we said our last goodbye to him, and speaking at his funeral, feeling like the words I shared were so inadequate/could hardly begin to tell the kind of man he was and how much we loved him. There seem to be a few songs lately that get me through the days when I just want to pull the blankets over my head and stay in bed all day (which you can't do when you're a mom). One is "How He Loves Us." This song has been done by so many people but my favourite versions by far are by David Crowder Band and a worship leader named Kim Walker... Here's youtube links to them so you can see what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCunuL58odQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-IYps

The Kim Walker video is long but I just love what she says about God's love... I pray that you will be blessed by the videos as much as I am. Hoping your day is filled with little surprises that bring you joy!

been a while...

Life is full of surprises... Our littlest one is two and is so different from what we expected her to be but we wouldn't have her any other way, even though she won't stop scribbling on the walls and letting us know in the most disgusting way that she doesn't like being in a dirty diaper. Zander is soon to be four and while we've had some challenges with him, for some reason I've been able to handle them better. He reached a milestone today which some people will think is late in coming but it's better now than a year from now. We finally came to the realization that no matter how much we tried to get him to use the potty I bought a year ago, he wasn't having it so, off to purchase a new one, which he got to pick out. I laugh about it because he picked out the one that looks like a little throne and plays "royal" music when it is used. My little Prince. : ) He calls it the oyster potty... not sure why he thinks it looks like an oyster, but I'm ok with that. It's amazing how far both the kids have come in the last six months. Both are talking up a storm, Zander is much easier to reason with although sometimes he acts like a teenager, yelling FINE and running to his room and slamming the door. I guess we can say that we conquered that phase very early on... I've returned to work since my last post and I can honestly say that it was the best thing I could do for my kids. I'm enjoying them a lot more, I get my adult social time and I contribute to the finances. A boost for me all round. There's a lot happening, but each day is a new adventure and I wonder what God is going to do next.