We're Fines Thanks: November 2008

Friday, November 28, 2008

Devastating news

My heart goes out to my brother Rick and his sweet wife Lise, who just lost their precious baby. Such unthinkable sorrow ...

Everyday view on the school drive

...taken by M, en route back home one day from taking E to school.

Little Game of Catch-Up

I've been remiss in not posting some of our highlights lately. So - even though they're old-ish and possibly out of order...

Let's start with long-overdue Hallowe'en pics:

Our fiendish dead bride.

Our not-so-fiendish "nice witch", admiring her glow-in-the-dark witch fingers.

Witches love carving pumpkins!

AND NOW - skating. M finished up her skating in early November, having acheived 2 levels in her session! Proud lil skater!

The ever-popular SANTA PARADE:

The tedium & agony of waiting.

The reward at the end!

A day of fun!

...but eating there wasn't such a great idea. Here's the revolting mac & cheese - even I couldn't eat it when I switched with her:

Blech!

She's not the biggest fan of my soup, but it beats the alternative:

Just slips 'n' clips of our live over the last month or two.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Making lunch yesterday, I noticed the gigantic bag of marshmallows sitting above the PB. It struck me - peanut butter & marshmallow sandwiches! I hadn't had one since I was a kid - maybe 35 or more years ago. I asked M if she'd like one, and she looked at me in utter disbelief.

Well ... we had 'em.

For me, the memory was infinitely better than the actual item.

For M, it's the best thing ever.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Christmas fun!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Testing, testing!

Trying to unwrap the mysteries of the Elf Yourself site ... perhaps it posts to the most recently-used blog you are in? We'll see in a second!

Quotable Quotes

"Some people think it's about giving and being with the people you love, but really it's somebody's birthday!" - M, sharing her inside knowledge about Christmas with her new stuffed doggy.
"Avril Lavigne is the BEST DAMN THING!" - M, all of five years old - at first mis-heard by me to be something really cute, then I realized what she was saying. *gulp* Avril's album & tour & such are called "Best Damn Thing", and E bought a souvenir flag at the concert, which sports this sweet little phrase. *sigh*
"Do not poke your peanut butter & marshmallow sandwich with a chop stick!" - me - this belongs in the "things you never thought you'd hear coming out of your mouth" category.
*sigh* "I love my principal. And I love my teacher more than you, Mom." - M, thinking fondly of her school days.
"Hey! Why did you give me COOKED salad?!" - M, with a scowl on her face, when presented with a plate of stir-fry.
"I'm the perfect size for everything!" M, exuberantly exclaiming when we returned to a playground we hadn't been at for a while, and she discovered she could reach everything now.
"If a woman chooses not to breastfeed, is she still a mammal?" ...E, while playing 20 questions in the car on the way to school, after I defined "mammal" as an animal who gives birth to live young (not eggs) and breastfeeds.

Achievements & Cool Stuff

School BBQThe kids had fun at the school's family BBQ the other night - E ran 3 races (pillow sack, egg in spoon, and three-legged), and won a prize in two of them; M ran the same 3 & won a prize in one; and M won the door prize draw! (A basket of coffees & teas ... which she kindly donated to her mama).
Safety PatrolE has volunteered to be a safety patrol. (o: YAY for her! I was a safety patrol when I was a kid, and really liked it. Hope she will too.
Long Overdue Update I see that we haven't been here since April. *sigh* Such is our life - too busy for other stuff these past few months. But no more! So ... a quick summary of their "cool stuff": First, their notariety: M was in the paper in June with her face painted & hair going wild as she slid down an inflatable at the annual Childrens' Fair; E was in the paper (no pic, but lots of cool quotes) during the local Folkfest. Next, their activities in a nutshell: E had a fabulous ten-day trip with Grampa & Brenda to BC! Lucky kid. She also attended Mini U (loved it!) and Y Gymnastics camp (loved it!). M attended Y "Bouncing off the Walls" camp ... she has a love-hate relationship with it. )o: Um ... very little homeschooling stuff to talk about - M's going to school in a couple of weeks... Oh! E did a triathalon! Her third - WTG E! ... While there, we camped & M spotted a mama bear & her 2 cubs, who were rummaging at a campsite very near ours. We headed to town for lunch that day. No doubt there's more, will post it when I can think of it. For now, we're frantically taking trip after trip to make up for the lost summer...
Performance Time! The kids were both in the Mecca Productions presentation of Bugz tonight - E in a role as a horsefly (with 3 lines!), and M as some cute little unidentified bug or another. They both did a great job - it was fun to see them sharing the stage - I'm really glad that they were in Musical Theatre this year. Perhaps the experience has had its impact on them - E is eager to take up an instrument & start a band (okay, not exactly musical theatre, but performance-related nonetheless), and M stated to me quite matter-of-factly yesterday that when she grows up, she's going to be an actor, and is going to win an Oscar. You go, girls!
Adjudicated Music Festival Both girls participated in the music festival last night, with their musical theatre groups, and did great! It was their first time in an event like this, and I'm pleased to report that both groups achieved an A for their work! Most importantly, it was fun! Way to go, girls!
The co-op group made the paper! During the Voyageur Games, the photographer came along & sure enough, the next day, a great picture of 4 of them including M was on page 2!
E got a JOB! She is a volunteer in the YMCA homeschool gymnastics program! BRAVO!

We're Fines Thanks