A note to E's teacher

I work almost full time.
Kids are involved in extra curricular things.
There are birthday parties and Youth groups.
We have houseguests.  A lot.
So, I have to write notes to my kid's teachers that look like this:

Hi Teacher,

We are renovating. 

Our house is upside down.  

Things are in piles.  

The piles are everywhere.  

BUT,

I found E's September reading calendar.

And,

It is filled out to about the 15th of September.

But,

We read almost every day (except Thursdays and Fridays when we don't get home until 6:30).

And,

I found one library book.

But,

I don't know which home reading books she brought home

And,

I'll keep looking.

Karen

I hope she finds it amusing.  

I'm just finding it a bit much right now.

Teenager. Part 1 (of 3).

After several years of working with adolescent students, I thought it would be a piece of cake when my kids finally crossed the threshold into the teen years.  I gotta say, I'm having growing pains.  No amount of professional experience can prepare you for life with your teenager.  It is completely different than working with kids on a daily basis, because they are walking, living, breathing, crying, raging, loving, emotional, crazy, laughing, cozy, sleeping-in pieces of you .

I'm feeling a little sorry for my oldest right now.  She's the guinea pig.  She's breaking us in.  By the time the third turns 13, we'll be too tired to fight.

We've had the "I don't know why I'm crying and I just can't stop" moments in the kitchen.  We've experienced the "how many times do we have to say goodnight to you and why are you still up it's 10:30 on a school night" days.  We've fought the "you should have a shower you're getting a little greasy and your gym strip stinks" afternoons.  And, we've begun the "can I just talk to you for a minute about something important" conversations.

My girl is lovely.  She is soft-hearted.  She is kind.  She is a beauty.

She is a puppy whose paws are just too big for her clumsy body ("don't knock over that... glass of milk!").  

She is innocent.  She is thoughtful.  She is responsible.  

She is self-centered, in a normal-kind-of way.  

Her room is a disaster.  

She is connected to her ipod.
Friends are becoming important than me.  

She sort of cares, but really doesn't mind if she's fashionable or not.  

Her blue eyes are mesmerizing.  

People say she looks like me (but I just don't see it).  

She is easily overwhelmed.  She mutters under her breath when she doesn't want to do something.  

She often clobbers her sisters.  

And, I love her to bits.  

I need to remind myself that she is a teenager.  I was one once.  I'm sure I was unpleasant to live with.  I remember having crying spells and temper tantrums.  I know this is just another stage.  

But, at the end of it, I want her to know that her momma loves her.  That our relationship is intact.  That she can come to me with problems or her latest "crush" and ask me questions when we're lying on my bed.

At least, I hope, that by the third girl, I may have learned a thing or two.
Love you, Annie.
mom

Sleep Apnea

Apparently it's genetic.

I just know that the last 15 years, I've been sleeping with a snorer.

This has changed my life:

It attaches to this:

And peaceful dreams ensue.

We have 2 of these machines in our house.

They keep 2 people alive. At night and every time they are asleep, they stop breathing at least once a minute. Their heart rates race, their oxygen levels decline, they snore to wake up and are drowsy or cranky.  They snack uncontrollably as the hormone, cortisol, is stimulated by carbohydrate-based foods, then they gain weight, which perpetuates the problem.  

At this point there is no cure.  

But, I believe there will be one day.  

Until then, I sleep with Darth Vader and kiss the "fighter-jet pilot" good-night.

Buh-bye mini van

It breaks my heart.  Well, kinda.
My mini van is gone.
Gone are the sliding doors.  Gone are the flip down seats, the milk stains, the memories of driving to California and back...

Say hello to my new-to-me SUV.  A rugged, 8 passenger, 2003 Toyota Sequoia.  It's a truck disguised as a family hauler.  The gas mileage is well, not as great as our van, but fine just the same.

We haul around 5-8 people on most trips and with all the extra stuff and the fact that our kids are just getting bigger, we needed to make the change.  Mike was unpleasant on our last camping holiday.  The drive home stressed him out as we attempted to drag our entire camping life and two extra adults down a rough logging road.  But, as we pondered it, we realized that things just were not working for us anymore.  

I don't believe in coincidence. 

I believe in God.

This is where I realize that God cares about me a lot.  He even cares about the car I drive.  He orchestrated this sequence of events in a way that honors him.  

Last year, a co-worker of mine lost her husband. They were selling a truck like the one I was looking for, but had no idea that it was her family.  I "happened" to answer her craigslist ad.  I "happened" to ask her the next day if she was selling a truck.  When the answer was "yes", I just knew it was the one for us. The price was right, we knew the vehicle history, and it was even the colour we wanted.  

Then, my friend P called me.  They "happened" to be looking for a van to replace theirs.  And, they gave their well-loved, "comes with no promises" minivan to my dear friend who was needing a new vehicle.  

You see, my friends needed a new car.  They had been asking God for something, and had just tithed in faith the week before all this vehicle switching went down.  She just "happened" to be here that weekend.  We just "happened" to find the right truck for our family, P "happened" to be looking for a van like ours...  too many coincidences "happened" at the right time to just confirm the fact that God loves his kids.  He gives us more than we can EVER ask for or imagine.  

What would have happened if P hadn't acted in obedience and on the prompting of the Holy Spirit?  

What if K hadn't tithed that week?  

What if I hadn't responded to that ad?  

Would God have done all this any way?? 

I like to think that God really loves his kids and wants the best for them in all circumstances.  

I like to think that God blesses those who earnestly seek his face.  

I like to think that a generous God shows us how to be generous people. 

I am blessed to know that my friend P knows her Father in heaven.  

I am glad to be a part of a story where my God could be honored.  

I'm also glad that the new-to-me truck fits in my garage.

From the "draft" pile-- An Ontario Summer 2011

We flew to Ontario to spend time with Mike's family this year. Sure, we could have gone to Hawaii for the same money, but who can put a price on family connections?!?!

We've noticed some changes since we were last here.

There are new highways-- some that even "Serena" our GPS lady doesn't even recognize.

Several subdivisions have sprung up around mom and dad's apartment, and the houses are so close together.

It's really hot and humid.

There are more Blue Jays fans than before (because my kids are here, too, that's 3 more!)

Someone else is living in the house on Norval.

The kids are taller.

Many of the recognized faces at the home church are gone.

It doesn't feel like home.

Camping Meals

Our family really enjoys camping.  But, we are learning how to "tent" camp instead of trailer camp.  (Read:  no fridge for 2 weeks).  So, I'm cooking in advance and freezing everything.  Let's be honest, here.  There is nothing like a stinky-meat-juice filled cooler that could make me regret my holiday decision.  So, I'm being proactive.

I polled the family and their favorite meals all have something to do with hot dogs roasted over a campfire.  However, I'm the meal planner and I say... um... NO.   Just because we're camping does not mean that we will be eating junk.  Cooking in advance frees me up to just enjoy the holiday and allows me to "hide" veggies and healthy food in their family favorites.

I have been meal planning for camping for the last few years, but have not shared my meal plan until now.  So, you lucky duck... you get all my secrets.

1.  I'm freezing everything in ziplock bags.  This saves room in the cooler and acts as "ice". Freeze them flat on a cookie sheet and they stack nicely on one side of the cooler.
2.  Rice and noodles can be made on site.  I don't like the sticky-post-frozen-mess that is the pasta once it has thawed.
3.  I'm bringing two coolers.  One is for the super-cold things, one for the sort-of cold things.  Ketchup and mustard do not need super-cold.  And, I don't bring the Costco-sized container, either.  I put things in smaller containers-- preferably square (as they pack easier)-- and label them.  I just use a sharpie and some masking tape.  Really fancy, I know.
4. Make a steak marinade, add it to a freezer bag and freeze the whole mess.  By the time it's thawed, you're ready to eat steak.

This year's make ahead meals--

*Sweet and Sour Meatballs -- 2 packs frozen-- one per week-- make rice when we get there

*Spaghetti Sauce-- I hide TONNES of veggies in this... shhh... don't tell my kids.

*Taco meat or pork chalupa-- http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pork-chalupas/

*Chicken thighs and frozen "Camp Pockets" (potatoes, onion, carrots) done on the bbq
(http://www.makeandtakes.com/summer-camp-for-kids-tinfoil-dinners)

*Boerenkool with sausage-- this is a traditional Dutch winter meal, but it goes over so well when camping!  
(http://www.food.com/recipe/stampot-van-boerenkool-met-worst-kale-with-potatoes-and-sausage-423710)

(Hey, will ya look at that... no mention of hot dogs anywhere.... hehehe.)

Some other things:

The first night we always have hamburgers.  This way I don't have to store buns or hamburger patties in my cooler, and I prep the lettuce/ tomatoes at home.

I only take one loaf of bread and a giant pack of tortillas.

For lunch, we have quesadillas, or "nutella roll-ups", and this is when the family likes their hot dogs.  But, we wrap our hot dogs in a tortilla and away we go...  I always bring some pre-made cans-- ravioli, chili, soup-- for lunch. Or, mac 'n cheese.  I don't like making lunch when I'm camping, so it's a bit of a free-for-all.

I really hate cheese slices during the rest of the year, but when we're camping, there's nothing like processed cheddar.

Breakfast is either "Egg McVanEgmonds", Pancakes, or Cereal.

Bacon.  You can never have enough bacon.  (It does fine in the "not-so-cold" cooler due to it's salted preservation method).


So, there ya have it.  Our camping meal plan.
I'll let you know how it goes.

Back Atter

Well. I'm not going to start by apologizing to my neglected blog.  I haven't had the urge to write.

That said, I have been on pinterest in the last little while and have so many great things to share that I had to write.

Since I last wrote:

The girls are taller.
I have a muffin-top.
Little one is starting Kindergarten.
I'm thinking of going to work full-time.
My husband is still pretty awesome.
We've started going to church on Saturday nights.
Organizing, painting, cleaning...

I'm learning how to be thankful.

Just learning how to live and roll with the punches.

But I want and need an organized home.  So, I stumbled across this on Focus on the Family.  And, it really spoke to my heart. 

 http://www.familymanager.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

So I'm going to try some of the suggestions in her book.  I'll keep you posted as I attempt to celebrate the joy and the challenges in our home.