Welcome Summer 2015

Welcome summer! You have been missed and I can't wait to get reaquainted.

I kicked-off the season with some pictures. These 2 decided they didn't want to be photographed today, but allowed me these few.

I hope it isn't a trend but a one-off. I have to respect their boundaries. They love to take pictures so maybe if I let them take pictures of me they will let me take pictures of them. It would be a double-win as I am sorely lacking in the pictures of mom department.

Picture template credit: Paislee Press

Here and Off Again

Swimming.
Hiking.
Laughing.
Eating.
Reading.

Check, check and double-check!

And most importantly, a week of family connections.

Now I'm off on a solo trip to New Jersey via Philadelphia for some Project Manager training. This time my laptop is coming so I can blog.

Have a great Sunday all!

P.S. Sunday Links will return next week.

The Lake 2014

I have such fond memories of going to my grandparents cottage in New Brunswick every summer. Ahhh, the familiarity, the routine the swimming (I could do without the leeches though).

It makes my heart burst that we are providing these same memories for our boys even though it is across the country and at a different lake.

Here's to our 3rd annual week at the lake. I can't wait to share our new adventures.

See you in a week!

A Jumble of a Post

Here's an assortment of odds and sods to catch up on from the past week.

• I cannot wait until these are ripe. Our long driveway is lined with blackberries and they are my perfect summer berry recipe ingredient. 
• We are beyond excited for our week at the lake. I have already started to gather the important stuff for packing (books, games and yarn).

•  I have harvested most of my garden and when we get back I plan on reinvigorating it with some mid to late-season veggies. The weeds right now are winning but I am coming for them. (this sunflower is 5 feet tall!)
• I functioned on less than 4 hours sleep and went to work. Not something I want to make a habit of.
• Cleaning out your fridge makes all the food inside look more appetizing (or is that just me?)

• I am not a big fan of devices for kids but if you are going to sit outside under a tree with your iPod, I can manage that - for a while anyway.
• None of my cucumbers made it. I need to buy some as I still want to make pickles.

• Going outside still in your PJ's and on the front porch I guess still qualifies for my "You can play on your iPod as long as your are getting some fresh air" rule.
• I plan on bringing my laptop to the lake and working from there today so life is good.

Getting Bigger

I don't know about you, but once they get those big front teeth in they all of a sudden have grown up. I love the in between phase before the new teeth come in though. I savor the last moments of them being little and the little lisp that comes along with it.

"Mom do I look creepy when I smile like this?"
"Yes, yes you do."

A Great Start to July

Ah July, my favourite month of the year. It isn't just because my birthday is in July, it's more than that. It's the heat, the excitement of no school (and no school lunches), days at the lake and everything in it's prime.

We have a few watering holes we go to that aren't that crowded or ones we go to at off times so we can get the place to ourselves.

We explore, hang out and just be.

We also have fun. On Canada Day we took these Happy Notes and placed them in random spots around our city. Then we had to drive around again because the boys wanted to see if any of them were taken. A few were and that created waves of excitement.

Happy July!

He Turns 8

My last birthday boy of this year, and his exuberance for his presents and cake was a great way to end the celebrations in our house. (Mine is still to come but we will be on vacation and I will be planning none of the festivities!).

At 8 Darien:

• Still loves to snuggle. He loves to come into our bed just as I'm waking up for the day to sneak in extra cuddles and sleep beside his dad.
•  Is so adventurous and independent. These are great attributes, they just make me nervous as he is also very focused on doing what he wants to do.
• Has a famous line when he is caught doing something he shouldn't and it is "I forgot". 
• Is so very thoughtful. He loves to make things for others and surprise them with his creations or good deeds.
• Is creative and has a keen sense for figuring things out. Like when he went to the salmon hatchery and put 2 and 2 together about the mechanics on how human babies are made. There is a logical trail he followed and I'm not sure all 8 year olds would have connected the dots the way he did. Ahem.

Happy Birthday Darien Bear!

I Love Being a Mommy Because of...

I love being a mommy because of:
Kisses & Hugs
Story Time
Nurturing
Adventures
Laughter
Discovering
Learning
Love

Happy Mother's Day this weekend to all you moms out there. 

Happy Saturday

A very happy Saturday to everyone!

The birthday celebration was fun; lots of love and laughs.

The hand-painted mugs were a hit. I don't envy his decision on which one to use first this morning! I used this tutorial from A Beautiful Mess. In their comment section there are mixed reactions to the success of this DIY project but I had no problems.

 The requested cake was fruit cocktail upside down cake. I had never made it before (and honestly didn't think I would like it) but it was good. I found my inspiration on Pinterest, there wasn't a lot to choose from but it was enough. It really is no different than pineapple upside down cake - I haven't made that before either. The birthday boy pronounced that it was just as good as mom used to make (yay?).

 Everyone enjoyed the party.

We ended the evening with a family game of basketball.

Make it a great weekend!

Another Happy Birthday!

 It's Jeremy's birthday today. He told us he didn't want a celebration but we are doing it anyway. (And I know he is going to love it). Nothing too elaborate: the boys, me, cake and some handmade presents. I'll share more about those after he opens them.

On his birthday, I want him to know:

• He is the best dad! They boys adore him, look up to him and respect him.
• He keeps us all well fed. He puts time and love into all the dinners he makes for us.
• He makes me laugh every day. Sometimes I don't even know what he is laughing at (and sometimes it is at his own jokes) but his laugh is so infectious I have to giggle too.
• We're a great team. We balance each other out and get the things done that need to be done and still make time to have fun.
• I love him!

Happy Birthday Baby!

My Weekend in Pictures

Two days of pure sunshine made for a fantastic weekend here in BC. Spring means rain here (well, so does fall and winter) but to have 2 days of sun fall on a weekend is a rare treat.

Here is how we spent our weekend.

 He didn't want to participate in the beach fun at first. But we convinced him it was still okay to have fun with the family even though he is 12.

 A strawberry break.

 If you sneak up on your big brother, you need to run away, fast.

How was your weekend?

12 Years Old

 I am now officially the mom to a 12 year old boy. A 12 year old boy who:

• Has a dry, sarcastic sense of humour, very similar to me.
• Is a natural in front of the camera, I love his YouTube videos.
• Goes for runs with me and impresses me with his endurance.
• Still gets excited, even though he tries to hide it because it isn't "cool"
• Can (sometimes) be very patient and kind to his little brothers

 Happy Birthday Connor!

Make Your Own Photo Booth

I volunteered to make a photo booth for the Spring Carnival at my boys' school. It is a new fundraiser for the school and I wanted to help out (we're raising money for a new playground).

I was going to make one using a refrigerator box but visions of the box falling over as multiple kids crowded into the booth had me searching for more ideas. Can you tell I'm the mom of 3 boys?

Here are the supplies I used:

1. a king-sized white sheet (I cheated with this, and used the sheet for our back-yard movies)
2. a pack of 60 photo props on a stick from Michaels
3. a thought-bubble chalkboard
4. a fairy wand
5. a wood frame that I painted
6. craft paper that I cut into triangles and sewed onto ribbon to create the banners

Now I need to decide if I am going to man the booth on my own with my camera for 4 hours or if I can get enough grade 7 volunteers with their iPads to take the pictures. I am definitely leaning towards option 2 so I can enjoy the carnival with my family and I won't have to worry about keeping track of pictures to e-mail to people. Plus, it's a great experience for the kids, right?

6 o'clock

A new post is up on Focus on Everyday. This week's theme is 6 o'clock. Originally I was going to do a picture about my morning routine as I always wake-up at 6 AM. I changed my mind after the sunny afternoons we've been having along with the time change. I fell in love with this time of day again.

An exciting announcement for the blog too, we have a new contributor, Krystal! Please head over to the blog and give her a warm welcome.

And because I couldn't stop at just 1 sunshiney picture, here are a few more.

 This picture reminds me of the nursery rhyme "Jack be Nimble".

Crafts with Curtains: New Napkins

I bought IKEA curtains back in 2010 and I can't tell you how useful they've been - well actually... I can and I will.

We purchased 2 sets of curtains with the intention of using 2 sets of curtains. One for a computer room and the other for a set of patio doors by our dining room table. The plan was half-executed, I can't remember if we were too lazy to hang the second set or genuinely decided we didn't want to block the light by the table. Either way, I'm glad we didn't.

First up for the other set of curtains was a Curtain Skirt! I still have this skirt and can't wait to wear it again this summer.

Second re-purpose was to make a tote for a friend to say thank you for a BBQ.

We used part of one of the panels as a cover for the top of the lemonade stand Jeremy made for the boys. You can see the lemonade stand in this post, none of the cover though - it's purpose is to keep the sun off the top of their heads.

Today marks the end of those curtains. I used them up to make some more cloth napkins for the family table. I was so tired of running out of the cloth ones and my boys resorting to their sleeves. Jeremy said I should forget about the napkins and just make sleeve protectors!

 I made good use of my new craft space. I need better lighting though, must get a nice lamp. You will also notice I didn't use pins. If I'm not going to wear it and can get away with eyeballing it, I will.

Darien (my middle son, pictured below), wanted a custom napkin with black thread. I made him one and really liked the contrast. Then dinner time came and he refused to use his special napkin. But progress is progress!

Thank You Party Favors

Today marks the 1st birthday party of 2014 (the friend version as we have had a family birthday for Grayden already). I find planning little kid parties stressful, I know I do it to myself but that doesn't make the stress go away. I breathe a huge sigh of relief in May when the 3rd party has been wrapped up and I know I don't have to do it again for MONTHS.

But for today, the preparations are done, the cake is made and the party favors are assembled.

I love my Project Life cards. I have found they come in handy for so many more things than just my album. These Thank You cards are a perfect example, I used the 3X4 grid cards, a rubber stamp, a sun hole punch and baker's twine to attach the cards to the bags.

I find that with a bit of hunting that I can fill these bags for $5-6 each with goodies that gives 1 treat, something fun and a crafty keepsake.

These bags are for 5-6 year-olds. I made slightly different bags for the boys and the girls as I have 10 of each coming.

The only difference between the 2 bags is I substituted the tattoos for hair accessories and put in an owl or cupcake Melty Bead craft.

 

One other thing to note, I wish grocery stores would get in on the Minecraft bandwagon and sell Minecraft themed cakes. But a Minecraft cake is what he wanted and a Minecraft cake is what he is getting!

 

Wish me luck in transporting it!

My Plaid Skirt - Memories

I remember this plaid skirt, or rather, I remember 1 event surrounding it and the feelings this picture evokes. (That's my little sister, we were pretty cute!)

I lived in rural New Brunswick growing up in a teeny, tiny town called Hartland, home of the Longest Covered Bridge. Even today, the population is a whopping 947.

We were at the dump, I was between 8 to 9 years old, and the garbage at the dump was on fire. My dad was throwing our bags of garbage from the car onto the piles and one of the bags ripped open. And there it was. My skirt. My favourite plaid skirt that I LOVED. In the garbage, it wasn't on fire yet but what was it doing in the garbage!?

There were tears, there was a hissy fit and my dad saved the day and reclaimed my skirt from the burning garbage pile.

My mom was surprised when we got home, I don't think she realized the meaning the skirt had for me. Or maybe she just couldn't take my crazy pattern pairings any longer.

Seeing this picture and recalling the event has reminded me how I felt and that I need to respect my boys and their belongings. I  will confess that I have snuck items into the garbage and donation bags when I have felt they have outlived their usefulness; but I won't do it again without their permission.

I don't have any memories of wearing the skirt again or whatever happened to it. But I did have good taste.

6 Years Old (and my first GIF)

My baby turned 6 yesterday, 6 sounds so big - not so "baby" anymore.

At 6 he:

• answers all his questions with "maybe". But not in a non-committal way, more in a coy, I'm not going to tell you kind of way.
• tears up when he gets in trouble and won't say a word.
• has the best imagination.
• tells so many stories at dinner that he is always the last one to finish eating. We have to tell him to stop and take a bite or we would be at the table all night.
• seems so much older than his brothers did at this age. Having older brothers is making him grow up way too fast.

 Happy Birthday Grayden!