For today.....

From:  HERE
Outside my window...it is dark and cold...there could be flurries tonight.  It has been gorgeous and above freezing for two days now.  Good temperatures are supposed to stay around a little while longer at least!!!

I am thinking...about what to do tomorrow.  We have no plans and I am sooooo pleased!  Abigail has a few things she wants to do.  Lloyd brought in a box of their old board games from the workshop and they want to play all those again.  I think we'll grow some cress seeds and maybe start some crystals off.

I am thankful for...a fun afternoon with friends

From the learning rooms...seeing all of my children growing into their own people...in their own way...with their own strengths and personalities and at their own pace.  No pressure.  And learning as we go - allowing the last two to REALLY go at their own pace.....

From the kitchen...pancakes for Shrove Tuesday.....and I think I'm going to make more banana bread tomorrow - every time I make it now it disappears fast as the kids LOVE it!!!  We had jacket potatoes with a tuna and celery salad for dinner tonight and it was really yummy!!

I am wearing...same old same old.....

I am remembering.......pancake days from when I was a little girl at playschool....and also stories from when I was a little girl - like 'The Runaway Pancake' and 'The Magic Porridge Pot'.

I am creating.....a scarf for Chris for school in Vic colours.....some other scarves....a junque journal....a few other crafts....

I am currently reading......knitting blogs.....I'm a little obsessed ;)

I am hoping.......Lloyd will give in about the lamps...

I am hearing...Lloyd's spoon against the bowl - he's eating weetabix - he didn't have any pancakes!!!

Around the house...Lloyd has painted the front room - put on new baseboards, put the tv back on the wall....hung new pictures and rehung the old.....ready now for the crown moulding.  I love the new colour....so calming :)

One of my favorite things...Sams little hands.  They won't be little for long but right now they are still so little and warm and chubby.  Even this morning after breakfast when they were a little bit sticky, it was lovely to hold them as we walked along talking :)  He is such a delight to spend time with and such a chatter box :)

Valentines night....

bunny.....

On Tuesdays while Abby is at art, Sam and I sometimes go to the thrift store.  Today I found this cute little guy.  A rather chubby bunny :)  He's sat on one of my shelves in my craft room.  I just thought he was cute.  

Abigail moved up to the senior class at art today.  They did print making.  After the class we headed to Kidz Quarterz (an indoor playground) and met some friends for the afternoon.  Abby and Sam had soooo much fun playing all afternoon - it didn't take Sam long to fall asleep once he was back in the car!!

I had a great afternoon - always good to chat with someone whose homeschooling philosophy is similar to yours......

Family Day 2010

Family Day was yesterday.  We decided to have a quiet day at home because we have been so busy lately and because next weekend is going to be so buys with Lloyd heading to Vancouver and then us heading to the Citadel etc etc....and with us being at Chuck E Cheese on Saturday and Laurie was at the movies on Sunday night.....it seems we are always here there and everywhere....

Oter families might not find that very busy, but for us it is TOO busy!!  We had a lovely lazy day.   Lloyd pottered about with the baseboards in the front room and finished painting behind the television etc....it is now ready for the crown moulding.  The children played, relaxed, watched the Olympics and went out sledding.....I pottered about.  Abby did some crochet while I did some knitting - she has again decided that crochet is for her rather than knitting!!!  And I have decided that I want to learn to crochet flowers - giving up on crocheting properly but WOULD like to learn to crochet flowers!!!  So am adding that my list of things to do!!!

Late afternoon we prepared LOTS of fruit and some angel food cake and I melted the chocolate and we all curled up by the fire,  setttled in front of Narnia, Prince Caspian.....and enjoyed chocolate fondue while we watched!!!!

It was a fairly simple, quiet and relaxed Family Day - but I think we all needed it to be.  We were just tired this weekend and happy to be home and relax.  

Chinese New Year.....

We changed our table decorations from Valentine to Chinese New Year....and we gave the children their lucky red envelopes - of course they weren't quite so excited to find that the money inside was of the chocolate variety ;)  

Welcome to the year of the Tiger!!!  It sounds as though it is going to be a fabulous year for Lloyd who is an Ox, but maybe a little challenging for me as a pig....BUT Pigs are lucky and and it should be a year to learn from - and I have my Ox to lean on and pull me through :)  

We haven't done much of our China project for a long while and we aren't taking in any New Year festivities this year - it just seems with the Olympics and other activities we just don't have the time to focus on it - but we WILL get back to it, I'm sure......

Pancake Day!!!

Laurence and Susannah had pancakes and breakfast sausages at school today  - one of the joys of being at Catholic school....but they were North American style pancakes - the fat and fluffy kind that e have all the time.  I actually prefer them...BUT, on pancake day it seems that the right and proper thing to do is have REAL English stodgy old pancakes!!!   Like fat crepes - cooked in a frying pan and TOSSED.  

Because really the whole fun of pancake day is in the tossing :)  The tossing of the pancakes :)  And so, this evening I made a big jug of batter and the kids each made their own pancakes which they had with lemon juice and sugar...or jam...or syrup....or sprinkles and I took pictures of them tossing :)

I had already told Abigail tales of the pancakes races I took part in with my little play frying pan as a child....you had to run a race against other children while tossing a little pancake up in the air from your frying pan as you ran.  If you dropped your pancake you had to pick it up and put it back in your pan and keep tossing.  So much fun!!!!  :)  I might do that wit Sam and Abby tomorrow!!  We weren't home at all today to do it!  

When I was little my frying pan was a little plastic pale blue one.   I remember my Mom running against all the other Moms though when I was at preschool.  She had to run with a big frying pan - wow and they are HEAVY!  

This image is from google images and NOT of my Mom ;)

Go Canada!!!! Another Gold!!!! :)

Maelle Ricker  just got GOLD in the Snowboard cross and she won EASILY!!!!  

What a beautiful run!!!  Just beautiful!!!

Anyone else enjoying the Olympics????  We are LOVING it in this house!!   I spent this afternoon with friends who are also enjoying it very much and it's lovely to read blogs from friends across the globe who are also enjoying it very much.

Canada is doing sooooo well - not just with the two golds but with the bronze and silver medals we have won!!  

Go Canada!!!

The snowboardcross looks sooooo much fun :)  I wanna have a go :)  

Laurence is off to go snowboarding for the day tomorrow :)