Posin' with the Mascot.....

At the Festival of Trees today, the Oil Kinds mascot came up to us to say hi.  He rubbed Sams head and Sam was GONE....hahahaha and Abigail was scared too lol - but Laurence and Susannah were game for a laugh and posed for pictures with him ;)

Laurie's new sweater...

Today while we were at the mall we did some clothes shopping for Laurence...he got himself some sweaters, and a hoody and enjoyed strolling round the store picking things out.  I couldn't resist snapping a couple of shots of him in one of the sweaters....just iphone pics I'm afraid....I think he looks great in his new clothes though :)  Yes he put the hoody on straight away....sigh.... :)

Susannah chose lip gloss's from Claires and a new t-shirt instead!!!

A little fun for today....

I saw This on another blog today and thought I'd try it out.....it doesn't matter what you search for - it brings you up the search results for whoever used it last.....

I got the search page for  'My Life is Average' and one of the results was This great site  which is full of comments left by 'average' people...some of them are hilarious and some are just.....odd ;)

Another timewaster for those bored moments ;)  lol!!!

I've added My LIfe is Average to my list of blog links on the right as I really REALLY enjoyed it :)

Iphone apps....

Here is a list of some of the apps I have on my iphone....which do you have on yours and how do you like them????  These are not in any particular order - just as I see them on my phone:

My favourite app of all is the 'Geocaching' app - it works like a GPS on your phone and helps you find caches wherever you go.  We've had so much fun with this over recent months and have found all kinds of caches in our city and the surrounding area.  It was a fab intro to geocaching and we now know we enjoy this hobby enough to pay out for a real GPS unit :)  Don't underestimate this app though - it's GREAT!!!

Gratitude! - a gratitude journal on your iphone that you can update as often as you like.  There are also inspirational quotes on there too!!

Blackout - an app that turns your iphone into a flashlight.  Handy to have as I've had to use it a few times.

I Say - like having the game 'Simon' on your phone!!

Just Fillin' - a fabulous game based around bubbles and trying not to pop them - great for filling in time when you're bored in waiting rooms ;)

I-Handy Level - a spirit level on your phone - just a cute gadget to have so you can check your kitchen towel is hanging straight..... ;)

The I-Ball - turns your phone into a magic 8 ball :)

Atomic Fart - yes, this clever gadget turns your phone into a fart machine - and the kids love to switch this on at badly timed moments - Abigail used it on the train in London and the guy next to her did NOT look impressed ;)

Pac-man - the classic game on your phone ;)

Ragdoll - a game my Son loves....

Labyrinth - roll the ball through the mazes in these labyrinths....not easy!!!

Scoops - a great game where you have to catch ice cream on your cone and KEEP catching scoops of ice cream until you reach up into space :)

Kid Art - like a paint program on the phone whereby kids can draw and colour and then Email their work or save it into the photo albums.

Bug Squash - a fun game where you have to squash the fast moving bugs - and each time you do, it makes a yucky squelching noise :)  Kids love it!!

Color snap - a free program by Sherwin Williams paint.  You can take a picture of an item and then the program will tell you the exact paint colour thats closest to it - so if you like the colour of a Fall leaf, take a picture and colour match exactly ;)

Monkey Ball - another game the kids LOVE!!!

Falling Balls - help the stick man avoid the huge falling balls.

Mouth Off - this is soooo much fun.  Pick a mouth style and hold it up to your face and the mouth will move as you talk!!!  Hilarious - at Halloween there were all monsters and witches etc....or hold it in your hand and use it like a ventriliquists puppet ;)  Too funny ;)

I-Relax - a white noise machine - or soothing sounds machine - you can listen to thunder, the sea, waterfalls, piano music, all kinds of lullabies and soothing sounds.

R Racing GTI and also Fastlane - two racing games just for fun :)

AllRecipes - a great free recipe app  - I've cooked a few things from this and they have been a big hit!

Paper Toss - try and flick the rolled up balls of paper into the waste paper basket in this office style game!  Try not to annoy your colleagues by throwing the paper too near them :)

Fling - a fun little game where you have to fling the fluffy balls off the board to win.

Tap tap - a fast moving finger tapping game set to music!!!  Not easy ;)

Shazam - hear a song on the radio but don't know who it is?  Hold your phone up to the music and click on this app and it will tell you the artist and the song :)

Moron Test - a great little game to test how much of a moron you are - not easy lol but fun and annoying ;)

Shek Karting - a wonderful racing game aimed at kids - with Shrek and his friends as the drivers!!

Love Dare Reminders - romantic ideas to keep your relationship in good order :)  Based on the book 'The Love Dares' and on the movie 'Fireproof'.

Would you ever?  conversation starters and funny questions - we often use this program at the dinner table and it gets everyone laughing, eye-rolling and chatting!

Xmas Countdown - festve music and a daily countdown towards the big day ;)

Big Oven - recipe app

Crock Pot Cooking - endless recipes to use in your crockpot!!! Definitelya  GREAT app to have as you can check it at the grocery store for ingredients.

Groceries - an app where you can log your grocery shopping list and update it when you run out of things or have a special recipe to buy for....it can be changed weekly to suit your shopping needs - lots of little extras in here too.

Affirmations - daily inspiration towards a healthy, happy life - an app full of motivation for ya ;)

Love Quotes - a whole heap of quotes about love and relationships - perfect for adding to a romantic Email or little note card to be tucked in your DH's pocket......

The Mastery of Love - by Don Miguel Ruiz - wonderful daily affirmations and inspirational quotes to motivate you in your relationship!!

Halloween sounds - a fun little app for scaring children around Halloween time ;)

What would you choose?  - crazy questions with a  choice of two possible (wacky) answers.  Fun for getting conversation going or just for playing silly games with your DH and or friends and finding out more about them.

I have several more but I'm not keen on those and so I won't post them....the ones above are all fun and I'd definitely add again!!!  I have a real mix of apps so that there is something for everyone on my phone - handy for when the kids are bored or have to wait quietly somewhere.....they can be distracted by my phone happily for a while.  Doctors waiting rooms/ dentist etc etc.....even sometimes on long journeys...

What apps do YOU like???

Art journal time...

Sam spent some time working on his art journal over the last couple of days....His rainbow is in a glittery sky which I just LOVE :)

Oh and he is also in to iced tea in a big way....and yes it's a plastic botttle - I failed dismally with the reusable bottle idea....wasn't drinking enough water at ALL so I am back on bottled water and tell myself it's ok because of all the amazing things that they can be recycled in to.....ok don't make me feel worse than I already feel hahahaha, I just didn't like the metal feel and taste of the bottle or the tap water.

It's important to me to drink a lot of water daily, so after trying for a few weeks, I went back to buying packs of water bottles and I am now drinking plenty of water again.....

Kids -a coronary time bomb????

I saw this link on my favourite blog  Free Range Kids  - it's a very important topic and so very true!!  Things aren't quite as bad here in Canada as they are in that article (I don't think at least) but I do see it happening more and more - I have lost count of the comments I have had about making my children walk or cycle somewhere....about letting them be as free as I allow them to be.....even about (shock horror) making them walk from the corner of our road where the bus used to drop them each afternoon.....

I know most parents think I am this cruel Mother who forces her kids outside as often as possible and doesn't drop everything to drive them to their friends house a couple of blocks away....but I see it differently - the world is NOT that dangerous - the media just like to scaremonger.....AND children NEED that exercise and giving them that independence is good for them too!  My children can go to the local store on their own (the older three at least) and Abigail goes with her sister to walk the neighbours dog - and our dogs....and yes we have coyotes around but my children know how to handle this.  My children know how to cook and prepare meals  (Sam is an expert potato peeler at the age of 4) - can make their own breakfasts and we cook from scratch here almost daily - eating our meals at the table as a family.

There are sooooo many ways we could improve things I'm sure.....but we do try to be active and eat healthily.  I refuse to allow pressure to stop my children being children, being out there having fun - without me driving them everywhere or hovering over them.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the article....and I totally recommend reading the posts at Free Range Kids - it just speaks sooooo much sense to me and it's so good to know I'm not alone in my thinking!!!

A little something fun....

Check out this amazing multi-url page  and when you get there, turn on the sound and click as many of the little videos to play at the same time!  Click different ones....it plays in harmony  :)  

Cool :)

Hiking the trails...

We took a walk at a local National Park today - we saw a lot of signs of animal activity - bushes gnawed at by moose, trees chewed up by beaver, droppings form coyotes and skunks...

We even had an inquisitive squirrel come right up to us to say hello until Sam moved and scared the little fella away :)

We had ventured there to try geocaching again, but we couldn't find the cache.  It was starting to get dark so we gave up looking and headed back to the car.  We will go back there and hunt for the geocache again!!!  We refuse to give up :)

Remembrance Day....2009

A few pictures of some of the activities we have done this week to commemorate Remembrance Day.  The children also wore their poppies and we talked a lot about the reason for Remembrance Day.  We watched the ceremonies on television this morning.  Some of the crosswords and wordsearch words lead to interesting discussions too about courage and bravery, soldiers and peace.

I continue to read 'The Book Thief'  as my chosen book for the month.  I am really enjoying it and very much recommend this book for Young Adults and adults alike!

Festive Sprinkles.....

A little sprinkles fun yesterday - stealing Stacy Julian's idea ;)

She's right, sprinkles do "possess a magical quality that spreads happiness"!!

:)

Walking the Amisk Wuche Trail.....

Today is Remembrance Day, and we wrapped up our studies about it this morning - while Lloyd was prepping the stew for dinner, we watched the ceremonies on tv commemorating the Veterans and soldiers lost in the wars.

This afternoon we headed out to Elk Island Park for a hike and to go geocaching.  We hiked the Amisk Wuche Trail - which takes you over the beaver ponds.  It's a really lovely trail.  We saw two moose from the car on the way through the park but I wasn't fast enough with my camera.  We also came across a squirrel on the trail who was very inquisitive and came right up to us - all my pictures are blurry though as he wouldn't stay still!  Sam moved suddenly and the squirrel squeaked and raced off!!  :)

We saw a lot of signs of beaver activity but only saw the beaver from the car on the road through the park.  The ponds inside the trail were all frozen and we couldn't see any beaver swimming at all.  The ponds by the roadside were not frozen and the beaver were out and about:

On the way home we came across these bison who had stopped for a drink at one of the ponds:

We came home and the house smelled sooooooo good!  Lloyds wonderful stew was ready to eat.  Beef stew with red wine, parsnips, swede, potato, onion and carrots in it.....Mmmmmmmm  the perfect meal after our Fall walk! :)

A Sam-ism for ya ;)

From my 4 year old Sam (after he had eaten almost all his dinner tonight):

Me:  "You're so big now Sam - eating all your dinners makes you grow so big and strong"!!

Sam: "I have a little bit of five in me now.  It's all the way up to my neck"!!

:)

Suggestions please....

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a little obsessed with notebooks.  I particularly like spiral bound notebooks and they HAVE to have lines....

I have a large collection of notebooks scattered about the house for writing lists, journal entries, notes, recording homeschool info....all kinds of reasons.

Since the summer I have been obsessed with decorating notebooks - in particular composition books - the cheap little notebooks with the hard spine from dollarama or wherever.  I have a HUGE collection of beautiful notebooks now for every season.

This one above is a small, purse sized notebook that I altered a few weeks back.  It has been sitting on my bedside table ever since, waiting patiently to be written in.

The problem is, I want to use this book for something special - I just don't know what.

I would love some suggestions on what to use this little notebook for.  Right now I am focused very much on goals for the next year, gratitude journaling (although I already have a gratitude journal) and health.  I was thinking of a food/ exercise journal but I don't think that feels right.  I do LOVE to make lists......any ideas there???

I have a burning desire to write in this book (yes I'm obsessed lol)....

All suggestions appreciate (apart from ones suggesting I need treatment ;)

Sooooo excited!!!

Family movie night!!

Lloyd picked up 'Up' on his way home.....this was my favourite movie of the YEAR!!!  Such a sad, sweet, loving movie.....just wonderful!!  If you haven't seen it yet then I wholeheartedly recommend it!!

I can't wait to curl up with Lloyd and the kids tonight to watch it!  Lloyd hasn't seen it before but I just know he will love it!

And I can't wait to add the movie to my iphone!!  :)

Sorry about the picture - I just couldn't be bothered to turn it ;)

Trying something new.....

I watched a show on Viva this morning about cooking curries, and they made a recipe for Samosas.....they sounded amazingly simple and something I will definitely make at Christmas as Lloyd loves them!!  However the mixture they put inside sounded soooooo yummy that I thought I would whip some up for dinner.  I thought it would be amazing in a pie!!

It's frozen hashbrowns and peas (I used mixed vegetables)  cooked in onions and spices (Garam Masala, Cumin, Turmeric, curry powder, cinnamon etc etc).  The smells and colours were amazing!  I tipped it all in to a pastried pie dish, topped with more pastry and brushed it with egg.

I baked it at 400 for about half an hour or so until the pie shell was golden - and then I switched the oven off and left it in there until the mashed potato and beans were ready.

It was a big hit and I've already been asked to make it again :)

Tomorrow: beef stew, with red wine and parsnips in it.  We're making 'Jools favourite stew' from Jamie Oliver!!!