Spring is busy season....

I haven't blogged anything in the last couple of weeks and I have been feeling it.  Similar to when I first started facebooking when I would think of randowm status updates during the day, I would come up with a bloggable topic almost everyday but not have the time to sit down and type it out.

I could fill about a dozen blog entries on the cuteness and frustrations of the last couple of weeks....so lets start with this one....

Playschool is quickly winding down to a close.  A field trip to the green house to plant a flower this week, and a wind up party next week will end her days as a preschool and start the count down to kindergarten in the fall.  She will really miss it.  Every day she asks me "Is it playschool day yet?"  When I answer no, invaribly the next question out of her mouth is "When the sun goes down and then come up and then goes down and then comes up again, will it be a playschool day?"  Can't wait until she has four day a week kindergarten.

Brooklyn has gotten her own special potty.  We figured out she isn't afraid to sit on the toilet, isn't afriad to flush it, she just can't climb up there on her own and often can't wait for us or even get the door to the bathroom open.  Enter little toddler potty in the kitchen and she has been using the potty ever since.  Win!

Brooklyn and Sydney have started t-ball.  So cute to see them swinging at the ball and and then trying to figure out where it is they are supposed to run.  They are on a 3-7 team and it's pretty cute to watch.  Brooklyn just loves standing out in the outfield playing with her preschool friends whereas Sydney has a much more competitive streak.

Bobby and Maddie had started coach pitch, but unfortunately they didn't make the leaque team.  I'm sure it was a tough decision to cut them, but they won't be playing this year.   They aren't to broken hearted as <gasp> they have finally learned how to ride their bikes and are LOVING the time to do that.  Sydney is also riding her two wheeler and flies all over the place with her older siblings.  Next up, family rides with the bike trailer.  Bring on summer. 

We have been loggin and bringing in winter wood.  We got pretty lucky and met some loggers at the dump one day, throwing out all the trees they had just felled.  We directed them to our house with their trailer and follwed them back with our to pick up several more loads.  We are now loaded with wood for several winters and quite exhausted from carrying it all out.

The days have been extremely windy, so of course we also had to get in a couple of awesome kite flying days.  The kids loved that after we worked through the glitches every kite seemed to have.  I frgot how much fun flying a kite can be....and how frustrating trying to keep four in the air with the help of five kids could be.  It made for a very fun evening!

I can see!

Had a good weekend this weekend.  The kids were all pretty wired and bouncing off the walls because of the wonderful snowstorm, so Sunday we did some entertaining.  We started the morning baking everyone's favorite cookies and I appointed my kids the official taste testers, since Mommy wasn't allowed to eat any.  They loved it.

Brooklyn loves to help me do the dough punching down when we are letting the dough for the buns rise.  We decided to cut the baking day short and do a trip into a nearby town for a swim.  We had got the kids some quality goggles and we wanted to try them out and see if they really were leakless.

What a great time!  I love taking the kids swimming.  They enjoy it so much.  Cammie just wanted to sit in the hot tub for the first little bit.  The hot tub at this pool is shaped like a snail, with the walk way into the deep seated area all slanted down going from shallow to deep.  I can sit on one side of the snail curve in the deep end and she can do all her mucking with toys while sitting in a shallow part.  She loves it.   Muck, muck, muck.

The older kids will entertain themselves by jumping around in the shallow water while the deep end is busier but as soon as the deep end clears, dad or mom need to take them over there so they can jump off the diving board and swing off the swing.  Brooklyn would do this herself with her floaty swimsuit on, but she isn't quite strong enough of a swimmer to do it on her own without it.  Sydney amazes me that she is such a good little swimming and can confidently do both while swimming on her own.  I think she amazes the lifeguards as well. 

I can't wait for out next Hawaii trip.  Watching these guys swimming now is just awesome, a month with the ocean and swimming pool at their finger tips would just be exceptional.

My Perfectionist

I have a Birthday shout out to my wonderful husband who celebrated his birthday this week!  Happy Birthday honey!  It was a great day for me and I hope for you as well.

The kids were so cute getting ready for their dad's birthday.  They all had to make him a present of course, they drew their pictures and made him cards...tehy were so excited to be able to honor their daddy and celebrate the day he was brought into this world.  Everything had to be perfect....they wanted to invite friends over and decorate the yard outside...it was just to priceless.

The older two kids started softball as well.  that is another exciting thing for them.  They are all ready to hit the field and hit some balls.  For now they are just learning the basics in the gym, and should they not be up to par or too small to play with the bigger kids, they may still end up sliding down into t-ball for another year.  For now, they are excited to be able to get out with their friends.  Sydney is a little to young for the softball team and will have to wait until T-ball starts when the weather is nicer.

Brooklyn had playschool on Wednesday as per usual and I guess she had a bit of an off day.  She can get angry at times and very pouty and I guess one of those days happened at Preschool.  They were supposed to be drawing eggs for easter and she drew herself a snow man...one might say she was clairvoyent as we just had a big 20 cm dump today, but she did not think this was ok and shouted out about how she ruined her page.  Unfortunately, the little perfectionist that she is, it ruinned her whole day and nother was quite right after that until she got home and forgot about it all.

Cammie has decided that her most favorite thing to do is splash in the sink...be it the bathroom sink or the kitchen sink, she doesn't care as long as she can MUCK MUCK MUCK!   She will pull a chair across the house just to get into the sink and muck.  It can be very frustrating as she is very insistent on being able to do it!

Making Chocolates

We are fortunate to have a really good friend that lives within a couple horus drive of us.  Since it's the nearest large city we can vist quite often and get our grocery shopping done.  This weekend they had invited our kids over for a chocolate making day in honor of Easter being around the corner.

For most people inviting 5 kids over for a craft and baking session would probably be daunting.  I can brag a little bit here and say my kids rock and they do so well!  They are very well behaved and they got through making those chocolates like pros.

It was so fun to see them all around the table coloring together, andthen decorating felt easter eggs while waiting for the chocolate to melt.  Then they all came into the kitchen and had so much fun filling chocolate molds up in different colored chocolate. 

Of course the funnest part is always the eating the chocolate afterwards and that they did!   After we finished cleaning up we got them settled into their own things and got to enjoy some adult gaming time with som Catan.  Great fun!  Thanks again  you guys!

Sick Cammie

It's funny how when  you don't feel good, all you want is to be comforted.  It makes you feel so much better.

Cammie is having one of those days.  She was overly clingy yesterday but managed to occupy herself for some of it and I got my stuff done.  Last night though she was cling wrap to me.  She wouldn't let me free my arm!  She had to stay curled right up against me with her hot little body. 

Today she isn't feeling much better.  She is staying in bed watching her Nick Jr. and cuddling mom or dad.  Brooklyn is loving the freedom this is giving her as she can play on the computer.  She amazes me with her knowledge of how to make this box work.  She can start her programs, surf the internet, and play her video games.  Her reading and leader recognition is also wonderful.  She will fly through kindergarten and grade one when she gets there.

Squeals of delight

Yesterday was a fun day.  It was a Wednesday so a couple things were happening.  Brooklyn had playschool.  THis was the first time in a couple weeks because of Spring Break and she was very excited.  She had to have a pretty dress on and her hair up in pink and green pony tails.  She was pretty cute, pretending her dad wouldn't recognize her and that he would think she was a princess and not his little Brooklyn after all.  Of course when we got to playschool she had to play shy and did want to walk around the corner or go in to see her friends at first.

Playschool days for Cameron are very different too.  She is so used to having her Brooklyn around to do things with, she isn't complete sure what to do with her self without Brooklyn.  Nap time isn't the same, since Brook usually lays down with her to get her to nap.  So instead she tried finding ways to fill the day...usually with things she asked mom or dad for but didn't really want.  So she would ask for something else.  This game got tiring for mom and dad quickly, which she didn't appreciate and caused her to go around finding things to do that were mischeivious. 

Her day didn't get better either.  The four older kids went to a friends house last night to try to get a bit of sledding in before the last of the snow melted.  The snow was soft and has been quickly disappearing.  Watching Brook go down the hill for the first time was so cute!  She squealed all the way down.  It was so much fun for her!

I left them there and came to pick them back up later.  They had so much fun playing in someone elses house with someone elses toys that they didn't even want to come home!  Apparently our stuff is boring and their friends things are way more fun!

Cammie was sure happy to see them all come home and even though it was late, she had to have some play time with them.  The relationship between these guys is so neat.  They are all so connected to each other and rely on each other.  Fighting is pretty rare around here because they appreciate each other so much.  I love to watch them.

Where has the month gone?!?!

Okay, there is probably a hundred blogs out there that start with something along the lines of "I know I should blog more...."

This is another.

I know I should blog more.  Okay, that is off my chest...moving forward.

What a fun month.  We just finished up spring break with the kids.  I love breaks from school.  You know, as a kid you never really like school, you yearn for summer break and every long weekend or break in between.  Never do you give  a thought to your parents who are probably yearning right along with you.  I enjoy the breaks just as much as the kids do!  No making lunches or alarms going off in the morning... blissful.

Of course, we have five rowdy monekys hopping around that some days you wish you could send back, but ah, these are the days and the reasons you have kids.  To spend time with them, love them and hug them.  I have my oldest reading over my shoulder, so thought I better add that in.  :)   At least there is Grandmas, and the kids got to spend a couple of days there while we were enjoying the working world which must still be addressed whether the kids are around or not.

The snow is starting to melt and the kids are enjoying the time outside with it being beautiful.  They are starting to grow like weeds again and they seem to shoot up overnight.  Why can't they stay young for longer? 

I love these moneys, and even the days where they seem overwhelming and make me want to pull my hair out, they make my world spin.

Family Day long weekend

The big news from this week is that Cammie has started to use the potty. *Glory, Glory, Hallelujah* Ignore the swell of the hymn in the back ground.  It's exciting news.  She isn't 100% there yet, but I will take the occasional accident as long as she is dragging me to the bathroom the other 75 % of the time.

It's family day long weekend.  Five days with the kids home from school and doing their thing.  We are keeping the limit on how much time they are allowed to spend playing video games, useless computer games and watching TV.  Instead they are having to play with each other.  They have broken out board games and read books and used their *gasp* imaginations.  It's been a good weekend.

Other exciting news...Brooklyn is now a swimmer.  We often use a "floaty" swimsuit with her.  It's a swimsuit with built in padding so that it works like a life jacket.  She loves it, as all the kids have.  It's great to build confidence and teach them.  This week, while stranded in the city with a broken part on our SUV, we checked into a hotel minus the floaty suit.  I have been working on weaning her off of it the last few times we have hit the pool and this weekend it all connected.  She put her face in the water and swam a length with the use of any aids.  And she continued to do it...Way to go girl.

It's so exciting to see the kids continue to grow and flourish.  Bobby has a favorite snack of melting butterscotch chips, peaut butter and marshmallows.  The recipe is easy enough for him to make them himself, and so I have been letting him do it the last couple times.  We made them again two nights ago and he just seems to feel so important as he gets to add the ingredients and stir.

We dislike the amount of time the kids spend doing useless things like video games.  Some are useful for developing hand eye coordination or problem solving skill, but that can be developed in a fraction of the amount of playing that they would like to do.  Instead we have encouraged them to use the time to learn something new.  Maddie has been focusing on learning the ins and outs or Corel Draw.  There are a ton of things you can do with that program and she is just starting to unlock it's secrets.  She is having a blast accomplishing it all.

Sydney is starting to enter into a more independent stage.  She does ask for help more than the other kids, and I attribute it solely to the fact she wants our attention.  She has figured out that she is just as capable as the other kids and is starting to do a lot more on her own.   Funny enough, I think it's going to be the video games that get her there.  She has a field trip to Science World this week.  I'll be going with her...should be a great time!

And life continues to move forward.....

Busy...

So life continues to be busy and I continue to look upon this blog with regret that I am not sharing more "moments" with it.   Whats been going on?

Well, Phase 2 of the school has been completed which meant that the elementry  and junior high wings were ready to move into the new wing.  It all looks great.  The library is beautiful, the virtual rooms are great, the pull out rooms are wonderful.  The kids are excited.  This will only last the next five months and then thigns will move around again in time for school to start in the fall.

We went in and helped the kids move.  There was a lot of classrooms that needed to be moved...books...desks...furniture...it all had to go.  The asbestos team was coming in for removal so less than a week was allowed to pack up all the kids and teaches and get them moved.  Since they were only moving into these classrooms as temporary classrooms, they had to sort a lot of things into what was going into storage and what was going into the classrooms.  Add to their list that class was still in session and reposrt cards were due that week, and you had some very tired and overwhelmed teachers.  We were more than happy to step in and help with packing and moving and getting them set up in their new rooms even though it consumed a few days of our own.  During this time we also realized that where the portables are now sitting, our playground used to be....

We also worked the casino that week.  What a blast!  It was way easier than I thought it would be.  It was virutally 10 minutes of work at the beginning of a shift and 10 minutes of work at the end of a shift.  The whole time the advisor was there telling you what to do and little to no brainwork was required.  The easiest fundraiser I have ever had to do.  Wish we could do a few of those a year.  Of course the leader I blogged about in the last blog never showed up.  First the excuse was that we were going to be expecting snow...0.4 inches of snow, but enough for her to back out on her shift.  When told she could get a ride down with someone else, she came up with a new excuse.  Her great uncle (may he rest in peace) conveniently died that week and there was a funeral to go to.  She wouldn't be able to make it.  All reports say that she also wasn't able to make it to the funeral...  However, a friend of ours from the city who had already offered to help us fill a shift, got another friend to also come along and life was good.  We had a great time playing cards and visiting and the shifts passed quickly.  In appreciation for their help, we purchased and filled goody basics and they went over so well.  I don't think we will have issues finding volunteers for our next event.

Back to the school afterwards...we wanted to help reclaim so things from the wing that was getting torn down.  Some of those things like the lockers, we knew we would be able to sell and put towards the new playground.  So there was some work involved there as well.

The dogs and chores at home never wait, so there is always more to do there too. 

The kids all got sick...

The house and laundry all need cleaned...

We have had a few PAC and school council meetings and subcommittee meetings and workshops.  It's been busy on that front too.  Goals have been made and shared and life goes on.  I do need to keep up on the minutes, I have started a facebook page that I need to keep updated for the school and of course fundraising for the playground.  I have typed up a request to parents to start a database of data that will allow us to share what is going on and volunteer opportunities and i have drafted the letter for donation requests.

The website has taken a bit of a sideline as far as SEO building is concerned.  The advertising is continueing and new members and $ is still coming in.  However I don't seem to have people coming and looking at the ads and responding to the ones that are posted.  Without that, I am thinking that the repeat posters are going to disappear and the site will get pretty empty.  However I do recognize that it will take time for people to recognize it as the place to come look for a dog.

Cammie has started using the potty and diapers seem to be out the window.  This is very good news.

Brooklyn is as cute as she always is.  She loves playschool and has a mind like a trap.  I wish I could record her almost every minute of every day just to play back when she gets older.

Sydney is so special.  She has a heart the size of mount everest and has such a willing giving attitude.  No wonder her teachers love her.

Bobby has such a way of saying "Oh Mom...." that it melts your heart.  He thinks I'm crazy.  He may be right.

Maddie is so thoughtful all the time.  She has discovered Harry Potter and how much better books can make the world. 

My kids have all been studen of the month at school now.  Syndey was October, Bobby November and Maddie January.  Bobby also brought home an Unsung Hero award from last month.  All three are Virtue VIP's at the school and helo out in areas when needed.  I couldn't be more proud of my little ones.

This age...

I originally meant this blog to be more of a daily "OMG _____ did this today and it was so cute" or frustrating, or endearing or whatever.  My kids are at such a fund age right now and they will grow up so quick.  I wanted to remember all of the cuteness and things that come out of their mouths at just the wrong, or right, moments.

I haven't been doing that as much as I want to, and some of the things that come out of their mouths or the things that they do, really are priceless.

Take Cammie for example...the other day while I was otherwise occupied, she took the jar of peanut butt one of her siblings so kindly left open and decided to use it as styling gel.  Fortunately she took her arm out of the sleeper before delving into the peanut butter up to her elbows and smearing it all over herself.  This has earned her the reputation of now being into her "busy" phase and requiring "constant supervision".  Another incident at Grandma's house has also earned her another title of "PF".  She loves to flush things down the toilet...unfortunately something went down the drain that shouldn't have and an incredibly valuable thing was lost...but worthless at the point it was flushed.  Good thing we love the little rotter.

Brooklyn is also at a priceless age...the things that come out of her logic filled brain just make me laugh.  conversations with her are quite funny.  She was playing with her favorite stuffed Hippopotamus earlier today while I was cleaning up.  I came across one of her little pet shops, picked it up off the floor and asked her to put it away...she gave me a look, took it and I figured that was the end of it.  When I found another littlest pet shop, I again called her over and gave it to her.  This time she sighed, took the toy and said "Mom, I just don't have time to be doing this right now.  I am busy taking care of my Hippo." She stored the LPS toy in her bed and went about doing her thing.

My brain doesn't store enough in it anymore.  I know these moments will be gone soon and I would like to share and store more moments from all five kids in this blog more often, so one day I can come back here and remember these days.

"I have truly made a mess, Mommy."

Being a leader....

As I have mentioned in posts previous, my husband and I try to be involved in the school as much as we can.  We like to offer our services to them in almost anyway we can spare.  I have a great amount of respect for teachers and the amount of work they do for our children.  They give themselves over and over to help them succeed and so many times the parents at home don't do anything to continue on or foster their work.

My husband and I are members of both the fundraising committe and the advisory committee for our school.  Both aspects are important to how the runnings of the school impact our kids and the funds they have available for certain activities, feild trips and equipment.  With a declining rural population, the school budget can not be expected to make due on it's own.

I find some weeks that the positions are a great frustration.  We have close to 300 students in our school.  5-7 parents come to the fundraising committee and only a couple more come to the advisory council.  We do have a greater percentage of people willing to give their time during field trips and a few willing to give their time in the classrooms, but for the most part, parent involvement is very small in our school.  This is an issue with a lot of schools so shouldn't be overly frustrating.

It does bug me though.  Some of these other parents are my friends.  I hear them complain and try to run down or degrade the decisions that are made in the school, yet they are, for the most part, to lazy to come to the meetings to voice their opinions or suggest change.  If they were too busy, worked in the evenings, had young kids they couldn't get away from, or some other valid reason, it would be less frustrating.  The truth is they are just too lazy to support or make a change in their kids school.

Our school has a gaming license...we need a certain amount of volunteers to work these casinos, and bingos.  The funds derived from them are huge in the support of the school, and we have so many issues trying to find the low number of parents to help out at each one.

Another frustration is the person who is the chair for our fundrasing committee.  Being a leader involves having a positive outlook, being in support of your goals and the objectives we do to achieve them, having an open mind and a willingness in spirit.  Without any of these things the group will not be able to survive and function the way it should.  Our leader for this oraginization lacks all of these attributes but does seem to enjoy having the "power" to control and dismiss others input based on her knowledge.

Without the leader displaying the right attributes how are we supposed to get beyond the limitations of the group and reach out to the parents to encourage involvement?  It starts at the top and sometimes the top needs to be blown off of things.  I'll let you know how that goes....

Hawaii

My husband and I had our Anniversary this week.  9 years together.  It's been a wonderful ride!  We have a very different relationship than most people.  We don't have a couple hours a day together and weekends, like I imagine most people do.  Since we have met, we have worked, and eventually lived together.  In 9 years, the number of nights we have spent apart can be counted on one hand.   It's the lifestyle we lead.  Some people would be sick of their spouse if they were within a few feet of them at almost any time of the day.  For us, it works.

We were married in Maui.  It was a beautiful Hawaiian day...the wedding was on the beach.  Our first daughter was there with us, she was 4 months old.  My best friend came to take pictures, witness and nanny while we got out to enjoy the sights Hawaii had to offer.   So our anniversary is a day we remember commiting to each to each other, and a day we think of sand, ocean and salty air.

We have been back to Hawaii a number of times since then.  Most recently was almost 4 years ago.  We packed up the kids and headed out to Maui.  It was a trip that was planned with very little funds as we had just gotten out of the restaurant, and were at what we would probably consider on of out lowest times.  We booked a 2 bedroom ground floor condo that opened up to a lovely garden area, you walked through it to get to the pool, a lovely green space and the ocean.  We stayed a month and became even more familiar with our favorite places.  We adopted a routine of an early morning beach day, a trip home for Sydney's nap, then an afternoon at the pool with the kids.  We spent less than $50 a day for our entertainment, food, toys etc. Our days were spent just dedicated to the family, being together, story time, and relaxing.  We grew as a family, and the kids grew and matured so much during that time.

For us Hawaii symbolizes the commitment we have made to each other, a commitment we again addressed to our family in a time where we didn't know where our lives were taking us.  We were without employment, $2000 a month rent payment for our acreage, looking at relocating into lands unknown and starting up a risky and unstable business venture after just being dumped out of one.  We needed a place to regroup and refocus.  Hawaii was that place.  It gave us a month away from all the stress, the daily what ifs and oh no's, a month dedicated to just loving and being thankful for what was around us.  A month of noncompulsary family time.

It's been almost four years since we have taken the time to recommit.  Our family has grown and two of our little ones have only known their parents surrounded by all the stuff that needs done.  One is probably to young to remember a time when all we had to do that day was whatever we wanted to.  We are starting to plan a trip back to the islands.

Next year will be our 10 year anniversary.  We want to reach that milestone surrounded by family and ocean, standing in the sand, smelling the salty air, watching the whales romp past.  We want our kids to experience the time of just relaxing and play with no work or chores to get in the way.  It's not the most practical way to spend out money but it will be the most worthwhile.  Sometimes we must do the least logical in order to maintain and strengthen relationships and bonds.  Hawaii does that for us.

Balance...

With everything in life there needs to be a semblance of balance.  I have a tough time doing that occasionally.  I find myself drawn into a project and allow it to consume me, sometimes to the exclusion of all else.  I call it my addictive personality, but really it's a lack of appreciating balance.

I am a stay at home mom with five kids.  With that there is a certain amount of flexibility allowed.  There isn't a set schedule to do everything that needs to be done as one sick or uncooperating child can throw the whole thing off.  Included in the child care there is of course housework, laundry and meals.  I am fortunate to have a wonderful, helpful husband who is also at home as much as I am to help keep this all in check.  With five kids and a 1100 sq foot house, the laundry and clean up is almost a constant job.  You can clean one room and by the time you get the next room done, the last already looks as though a tornado hit it.  Do we really need three square meals a day and all the clean up and time that entails, especially with 7 people eating?

I also have the dogs and the dog kennel.  That of course is very time consuming.  If there wasn't both of us here to take care of the daily clean up, feeding, exercise, and playtime/training that they need, it wouldn't be possible.  Fortunately, the aforementioned 5 kids help a lot with the playtime and socialization aspect but the grooming, bathing, marketing, travelling and customer relations does take up a significant amount of time.

Of course I have mentioned the start up of our new website www.puppysearch.ca.  That is continuing to grow and go well but anyone who has created a website from scratch can probably tell you, the most time consuming thing is the SEO building and building link backs.  Advertising and programming can only get you so far, you need to let the search engines know you exist by having other websites acknowledge your there.

Five kids also ad work in other areas.  We aren't  your typical soccer or hockey parents carting off the kids to a different game or practice every day but there are outside commitments that do consume time.  There is playschool once a week, we try to volunteer for almost every field trip and outting or special lunch/event at school.  My husband and I are both executives/representatives for School Council, The Parent Advisory Committee, and Playschool Association.  Most of the time these aren't a huge committment...a meeting here and there every month or every other month.  We have committed ourselves though as the fundraisers and organizers for the new school playground.  We will need to contact and arrange funding donations and donations to silent auctions/fairs etc in order to hopefully erect a new school playground for 2012.

So with all these balls in the air I am having to learn that balance is required.  Do I set up my schedule to focus on one thing for each day of the week?  Monday's housework and Laundry, Tuesday is Website, Wenesday is Fundraising, Thrusday is dog grooming, etc?  Do I try to divide the days up and commit and hour or two to each endevour?   Do I try cloning myself and my husband?

Somewhere in the midst of all the to-do lists, website updates, chores and email, I need space for noncompulsory time for the husband, the kids, and myself. 

I need to make sure that I don't just fully commit myself to all the causes and take the time to play, have fun, love, enjoy and relax.

Balance.  Something I have never been especially good at.  I have issues ignoring the "stuff" that needs to be done in order to have the relax time.  I often start working at 7:30 and not quite until midnight, and then try to fit in some relax time.  I had my knee surgery and instead of taking a break, I created the new website.  The surgeon and nurses commented on my low iron levels and asked if I ever felt tired...I asked them "Compared to what?"  I have five kids under the age of 9, what is the current baseline for energy vs tired?  I

Holidays...

Whoo Hoo...They are over for another year.  I love them but It's at this point, as the kids are getting on the bus and being ferried away to school, that I am always happy to see the holidays leave.  It's not usually for most people's reason.  I'm not always eager to have the kids gone and I prefer the unstructured days when they are home.  It's nice to see the holidays leave, along with all their hustle and bustle, and for life to resume it's normal hum drum.

It was a great year this year.  We were able to celebrate a little early with my mom up here close to home.  Then it was a car ride 5 hours away and two nights in a hotel to spend Christmas eve and Christmas down with my dad and family and hubby's parents and family.  Two dinners, lots of excitement, a sing a long, some pool time at the hotel and back home.  Next came a wonderful cookie baking and decorating day for the kids with a couple of close friends of ours, a new hedgehog and hermit crabs welcomed into the house, skating party for new years with my younger brother and sister spending a couple of nights and to wind it all up, yesterday was a 3D movie experience for the kids with one of their favorite Aunties.

Today they are on the bus and back at school, the sun is starting to come up, the chores are calling and normal life resumes.

What a wonderful time we had with family.  What fortunate kids I have.  So many people to care about them and love them and welcome them into their homes.  Thanks again to everyone for their generosity this season.  Hope your holidays were as wonderful as ours.