It was The Bugs birthday yesterday. She, of course, got tonnes of gifts - so many that she hasn’t opened the ones from her friends. She was sick last week (her party was last Saturday since her uncle was in town and he loves to put on parties for the kids.)
She opened Nana’s when we were out for the birthday dinner last night. So, it started out quite lovely. She got a cute pink cotton backpack, which I’m jealous of actually. My mother thought it would be nice for her to pack some things in this summer when we take Fuss to his swimming classes.
Then, Nana gave her a huge box of lovely, lovely clothes. Yay - really, that gift is more for me!
Finally, and here’s the trick - she gave her an enormous plastic magical flower fairy cottage. Now, I must admit that I find this item very sweet. However, we are going with a Waldorf curriculum next year (more on this later) and I try to keep a Waldorf-inspired homeschool. So, I had just resolved to go through the house with a huge garbage bag (or 10) and get rid of all the plastic toys in the house. Then, this turns up.
Now……here’s where it gets dicey. Both the kids love the fairy cottage. Part of me figures since it’s fairy themed, it’s kind of waldorfy, but really, it’s not. Hmmm…..what to do, what to do…..
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
March 30th, 2008
Well, it’s March Break at the schools here, so it’s March Break at the house. Only problem with that is that everything is packed with families. We are taking the time to just relax and it’s been nice outside the past couple of days (finally) so the kids got out which is nice.
Next week is better for homeschoolers because the attractions are not crowded and there wont be many school groups out and about. Monday we are going to the Royal Ontario Museum with a large group of homeschoolers which my kids will love (and we are going with their best friends).
I was going to take them to a Maple Syrup festival today, but again I didn’t think I would enjoy the crowds. I may take them the first week in April when things are settled down somewhat. Also - it will be warmer. Yay! I’m so tired of the snow and cold that I went out and bought both kids really bright spring raincoats. Bug wanted to wear her’s home, but we are not quite there yet. So, back on went the snow coat much to her dismay.
I started a book club with a bunch of other mums and we had our first meeting last night. It was so fun! I hostess (and will continue to do so - I’m a bit of a homebody, plus I love to cook/bake) and we chatted about the book The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson. A bit of a boring book, but the conversation was certainly not!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
March 12th, 2008
Someone asked me recently how I came up with the nicknames “fuss” and “bug”. Well, my son was born and I promptly had a massive haemorrhage that was undetected until I lost consciousness an hour later. So, I was not well for a very long time after. In the hospital, where I was for several days, my son was horribly crabby. He would go for long periods of crying and we couldn’t figure out why. In addition, my husband and I spent several of these days deciding what his name was to be. Well, my husband was deciding. I knew and there really wasn’t an option, but fuss is his son also, so I thought I should make it feel like he was deciding as well. During that time of supposed indecision, we called him Fussy-Mussy. We still call him some derivation of that to this day. Fuss, fussy, The Muss, etc…..I’m sure he’ll go off to university with one of them!
Bug, well, she just is! I actually don’t have as concrete a story. However, my children are themed (don’t ask why) and her’s is ladybug. Fuss’ is bee, by the way. So, we call her The Bug. As lovely as she is, she often lives up to her name, much to her brother’s dismay!
I particularly love how the nicknames came about totally organically. They were never planned, I didn’t even think they would have nicknames before they arrived. Fuss’ is so endemic that his friends and his friends parents call him that! It’s just sort of his name. Poor kid.
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
February 24th, 2008
…but I think babies enter some sort of uncapturable state when they are sleeping.
I went into my room the other afternoon when Lilly was having her nap. She just looked like she was radiating positive energy and was just so peaceful. A sort of peaceful that people dream about when they are studying meditation, but just never achieve.
Now, I’ve seen her in this state before. As well as my son, when he was smaller. He still looks absolutely lovely when he’s sleeping, but not this otherworldly-ness.
Every time I see this, I run for the camera. Doesn’t every parent want those adorable photos of their sleeping children?
When these photos return from developing, they are very cute, and it’s certainly a sleeping baby, but the state I find her in is not there.
So, I think I’ve captured all the photos I need of my sleeping babe and will now just endeavour to spend time in her peaceful presence when I find her that way.
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
February 24th, 2008
I was tidying up the basement yesterday, namely my scrapbooking room and I was just tossing everything I couldn’t identify into the garbage. I tossed one handful into the bin, but then something caught my eye! I pulled a sheet of printer paper out and - look at that! - Fuss had written his name all over it. I wasn’t even overly confident he could spell his name, much less put it in writing. I was shocked. Of course, I saved it and put it in the pile of things to scrapbook.
There are all sorts of homeschooling conferences and gatherings being planned at the moment. I’m finding that they are all so expensive for what they are. There is a local one here, and it looks great, but it would cost about $800 for two and a half days, and that just isn’t reasonable. As much as I would love to meet other unschoolers, I don’t believe that is the best way at this time. Especially with my kids being so young. It would really only be me who was benefiting. Our travel money is likely better spent at Kalahari next January.
The final Live and Learn conference is in South Carolina this year and I’m very tempted to attend that one. It’s up in the mountains, which would be a wonderful experience for my guys since mountains are certainly not plentiful around here.
Plus, Scott Noelle will be speaking and I would love to see him. We’ll have to see how the summer goes - as long as other travel opportunities come up, I think we’ll go!
I’ve caught up on my scrapbooking for the moment although I’m waiting for December & January’s photos to be developed. Supposedly they’ve been shipped, but with the snow we had this week (tonnes!), the mail delivery has been rather non-existent.
I’m knitting a playmat with a girlfriend of mine. It’s the one found in Living Craftsmagazine. I’m so glad I found this publication. It’s rather like the Martha Stewart magazine for the crunchy set. Apparently the spring issue is waiting for me in my p.o. box, so I’m eager to see it. I’ll post photos of the playmat squares as I complete them. I know I’ve been saying that I will post photos of various things (like Fuss’s lapbooks!), but I’ll try harder. I’ll be so thrilled with myself for doing the project, that I’m sure I’ll be anxious to share.
I’ve decided to start a book club for some local mamas. I’m really excited to get started and have a social evening while discussing books. Our first book is The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson. It promises to generate a lot of discussion, which is what I wanted. I am also reading a book, unfortunately due to be read the same time as the book club one, for Barnes & Noble. It’s an advance reader copy (free!), that a group of us get to gab about on a forum and the publisher and author jump in here and there. It’s called The Sister and I will write my thoughts on it when I’m finished.
I’m just going to finish Pullman’s His Dark Materials this weekend. I love how a writer’s strike helps me get reading done - what irony! Except that my secret vices are starting in earnest - namely reality shows. Yep, I’m a closet Survivor, Apprentice and Big Brother (and Amazing Race) watcher. But, I hesitate to admit it!!!
That’s all for now. The kids are very busy playing with fridge magnets. They are making a movie with them. I hardly know what to do with myself.
Enjoying the journey! Amanda
February 8th, 2008
We had another day at home, none of the usual running around, I didn’t go to the gym. A locksmith came over for a couple of hours in the morning but he seemed to be more entertaining than anything else. What was really cool is we got to talking (he and my daughter go to the same awesome naturopath and his wife is a massage therapist) and he’s interested in homeschooling his children. Well, then I ended up talking his ear off and sent him away with two books.
The kids and I got so much done. Fuss is working on a winter sports lapbook and we accomplished a few activities out of that. He also made a really cute pinecone skier. He’s been playing with it all afternoon.
Bug did a fine motor activity using clothespins and a listening activity.
And, they both ate. I feel that days spent at home are consumed with cooking and preparing meals and snacks. “Can I have this, this, and this???”
Bug, who is fascinated with the fish tank dumped a bunch of Lego into it tonight so the evening was spent fishing (pun intended) it all out.
And here Fuss is again as I type - hoping for a yogurt. Off I go…
Enjoying the journey! Amanda
January 22nd, 2008
So, its 11:15 and Fuss is still running around the kitchen like a crazy man. I’m trying to clean up and watch a few webisodes of The Scrapbook Lounge. I get to a point where he can be up but I will no longer interact with him. It would not appear that I can be boring enough for him, he continues to want to ‘be with me’.
So tonight, after I’d started my non-interaction technique, he asks me if I’m afraid of the dark. ‘No’ I answered with no small hint of cross-ness.
However, thinking about it, I AM afraid of the dark. I hate it. So does Bug and apparently so does Fuss.
When we were in England for the summer of 06, we stayed at a 400-year-old thatch-roof cottage. It was in a tiny village with neighbours, but it was miles before even a glimpse of a shop or pub. It was very dark at night.
I slept with all the bedroom lights on!
Colin thought I was totally nuts, but I was frightened. Mostly fine with the lights on, not so good in the dark. Okay - even with the lights on I waited for morning with great anticipation!
Even in my own home I either fall asleep with a light or the tv on. If it’s totally dark, my mind starts to wander and I don’t like where it goes. Self doubt, curiosities about my health, etc…all creep in.
So, I lied to my son! However, perhaps this is one area that protecting a child from adult insecurities is not necessarily a bad thing. But, perhaps I wont be so flippant the next time he mentions that monster under his bed, because the monster is under mine as well!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
January 22nd, 2008
After music, Fuss asked if we could go to Starbucks (a huge part of our lives) so he could have a lemon poppy seed loaf and a vanilla steamer. Fine, great! I certainly was aching for a coffee.
After our treat I really wanted to pick up the latest copy of Rachel Ray’s magazine (I don’t like her, but her magazine has some nice recipes in it). I told Fuss he could pick up the latest copy of Highlights. Of course it wasn’t there, but on the table by the magazines, the books were all $5 or less. A large book on pirates looked up at me. I was able to very, very easily distract him with that. He happily carried it to the check-out, waited for it, and carried it to the car with great anticipation.
On the way home, he was flipping through the pages, oohing and ahhing over the photos, which were lovely. (It’s an adult history book, not a kids book.) I was just about to tune out his yabbering when I noticed something (I felt a bit like the grinch hearing the happy whos after he stole all the presents)….he was sounding out words phonetically.
Oh my goodness!!!!
I was beside myself I was so excited. We haven’t even worked on phonics!
It’s like that homeschooling lightbulb that goes on sometimes and you realise you are doing the right thing.
On a personal note, I just got a HUGE (really, really huge) box of scrapbooking supplies in the mail. I’m waiting very anxiously for the kids to go down so that I can spend time pouring over every little thing. Yay for me!
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
January 18th, 2008
Prior to having children, if you wanted to find me you looked at the gym. There was rarely a day I missed. I’m one of those rare people who actually enjoy going and do not find it a chore. Once I had Fussy, it was all over. I couldn’t justify the time away from him.
Recently I mentioned to Colin that I really missed going to the gym - the energy it gives me, the sense of accomplishment and well-being.
So, my big surprise at Christmas was a gym membership. I was thrilled, but shocked. What would I do with the kids? What about the time I was taking away from them?
I’ve used the gym a few times, but always when Colin was home to be with Fuss & Bug. Today was the first time I brought them with me. It was interesting. I spent much of the time wondering how they were doing and thinking about what I could be doing with that hour and a half: lapbooking, reading, miquon blocks, etc….
Colin’s point was that if I take a few hours a week for myself to work out I’ll actually have more time, patience and energy for the kids. He’s right.
So, I think I just need to structure (yuck) our day a bit better so that I can feel accomplishment both at the gym and in our homeschool.
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
January 4th, 2008
Ah! The holidays are over.
I so look forward to the holidays and they are always nice, particularly on years like this one when my husband has a large chunk of time off. However, by the end of it, I’m looking forward to getting back to the kid’s and my normal routine. Well, whatever that is. But I do find that C being home really affects Fuss’s sleeping - he went to bed, reluctantly at 2am a couple of nights ago.
The holidays were very good for my guys. Bug got a doll she’d been coveting in a baby sort of way. It was hanging out of her stocking and when she woke up, came downstairs and saw it, she yelled ‘baby!’ It was very cute. She carries it all around and if she comes up to me and I’m not looking she calls out ‘I ga [got] baby!’. All my reservations and hesitations I had when considering buying her a doll melt when I see those two together.
And, here’s where the ’some assembly required’ comes in.
Yep - that’s right. All Fuss wanted from Santa was a fish. So, what are you going to do? The only thing Santa can’t bring? I’m not mean enough for that so now we have another pet. His name is George and Fuss loves him. Sweet.
Although, setting up this ****** tank at midnight and then one, and then two on Christmas eve was not sweet. We had no idea what exactly was necessary in setting up a tank, and the Santa logistic made it impossible to do at any other time. Of course, the kids got up earlier than usual, so we were working on only a few hours of sleep for Christmas day which is hosted for the entire family at my house.
I need a vacation from the holidays.
Enjoying the New Year’s journey, Amanda
January 2nd, 2008
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