Category Archives: Motherhood

Turns out I DO have a crafty bone in my body

I’m sure it’s just one crafty bone and it’s not a major bone, like a femur, but it must be in there somewhere because I made this…

What’s that, you ask? Why it’s just a very pretty (and also practical) home-made advent calendar inspired by a few projects that I pinned a while ago.

For the last few years, we’ve purchased the lego advent calendar which a. costs money and b. doesn’t change much from year to year. I also find it difficult to make the connection between Darth Maul and Christmas, even if he is wearing a Santa hat. (and, by the way, that’s one very scary Santa coming down the chimney).

This year I wanted to make the advent calendar more about experiences than toys so, after looking at some very poorly constructed, yet costly, empty calendars at Target, I decided to make my own.

My list of supplies:

  • Wooden clothes pegs (or clothes pins for the Americans – I still can’t get used to calling them that)
  • Decorative tape
  • Mini envelopes
  • Glitter chipboard number stickers
  • Glitter cardstock – trimmed to fit inside the envelopes

Directions – warning, a monkey could do it.

  • Stick tape on front and back of clothes pegs. I mixed up the patterns and colors for interest. The tape was a little too wide so I trimmed it on the sides to fit.
  • Stick numbers 1 to 24 on envelopes
  • Make a calendar of activities for the month (this was the trickiest bit)
  • Write activities for each day on the white side of a piece of card and put it in the envelope
  • Peg envelopes to a piece of string.

See? I told you it was tricky.

As I mentioned, laying out the calendar was the hardest part. I tried to time activities so  that they aligned with our schedule – quick activities on weeknights, bigger family activities on weekends.

I also included a few days where the boys have to search for a small gift. We recently purchased a treasure hunt game called Ukloo which has a bunch of clue cards that you can place around the house (eg. look under your Dad’s pillow, look in the sink). The kids LOVE it so I used the clues to lead them to their first present (an ant farm).

Other activities in the calendar include:

  • Buy and decorate the Christmas Tree (this was day 1)
  • Go to Zoolights
  • Drink Hot Cocoa while listening to Christmas Music
  • Walk around the neighborhood to look at the lights
  • Watch a Christmas movie with popcorn
  • Choose a toy from the store to donate to the toy drive
  • Read two Christmas books
  • Roast marshmallows in the fireplace
  • Make gingerbread men
  • Make paper snowflakes
  • Put food out for Santa (Christmas eve)
  • See Peter Pan at the children’s theater (I purchased tickets a couple of months ago and decided to include it as an activity rather than add something else)

I also included two Kid’s choice cards. I’m curious to find out what they’ll want to do – it’s a little risky.

So far the kids love it. They haven’t mentioned the lego advent calendar at all and seem to love that we have special family activities to look forward to each day, even if it’s just reading a couple of christmas books. I’ve been traveling this week so, sadly, I missed the gift hunt and drinking hot cocoa but I hear they were both a huge hit.

The best part? The calendar is durable enough that I can pack it up with our decorations and use it again next year. I suppose I’ll have to find something else to make with my newly discovered crafty bone.

P.S. Please don’t judge the ugly fireplace. It’s one of the things on our very, very long list of home improvement projects.

Faeries, Magic and Parent-Teacher Conferences

When I asked for a little rain over the weekend, I didn’t really mean torrential downpour and gale force winds. It also would have been nice to have the sun appear for just a few hours so that I could avoid canceling a family photo shoot. But, when I asked for rain, you gave me rain. Touché, Portland. You win this round.

I’m having trouble stringing words together today so I’ll share the rest of this post in easy-to-read bullets. You’re welcome.

  • The boys are attending a day camp this week – a mostly outdoor day camp – which means a LOT of time in the rain and the wind. Thomas had to eat his lunch while standing up because it was too wet to sit.
  • Thomas has to get a bus from the camp drop off to the “wilderness” area. The ride is bumpy and curvy (and long) so, of course, he threw up on the bus. He managed to miss his clothes and said he only got a little on another kid’s shoes so I was, understandably, pretty proud. Confirmed this morning that he was part of a large group who had trouble keeping their breakfast down on the ride and, suddenly, I feel really bad for the counsellors.
  • I promise he’s having a good time.

  • Samuel is enrolled in a “magic” camp. He seemed to enjoy himself apart from one small incident when he was teased. It doesn’t take much to ruin that kid’s day.
  • When I asked him about creating spells and making magic he responded that it was fun but it wasn’t really magic because none of the spells actually worked. When I asked him about the wand he made, he replied that he really like making a wand but “really it’s just a stick that I decorated. It’s not really a wand.”
  • I would have said that Samuel is extremely literal and grounded in reality, except he made me promise to feed his toy dog that he left in the car. Apparently tiny stuffed dogs eat mice.
  • Today’s camp is all about faeries and elves, part of which will involve a faerie search in a nearby park. I predict that my child will call them out on their futile search early in the game.

  • We had parent-teacher conferences for both boys last night. Both of them are doing extremely well and are on track with all the standard testing. But I think I was most proud when Samuel’s teacher said he was “kind” (my favorite word) and a “joy to have in the class” and Thomas’ teacher told us that he likes to help the other kids with their work when they’re having trouble.
  • Love these kids.

Catching Up With The BFG

About three weeks ago (I know, regular blogging has not been my strong suit lately) the boys and I went to see The BFG at the Northwest Children’s Theater. I grew up reading Roald Dahl’s twisted stories so was likely more excited than both Samuel and Thomas combined to see one of his world’s come to life on stage.

And, in short, it was wonderful, although a little scary according to my children – even though they both knew the story and that the bad giants were clearly not going to be able to eat them through their massive foam heads.

Besides, they’re actually quite friendly in real life.

At one point Thomas kept telling me he had to go to the bathroom, just so he could leave the room. While I felt a little cruel making him stay (although I let him stand behind a piller at the back of the room), I knew how important it was that he stay for the happy ending. Because there is ALWAYS a happy ending. I just had to make it through a few loud declarations of “I DON’T LIKE THIS!” (Apologies to the people sitting near us).

I also didn’t want him to miss the fart jokes – they’re the best part.

After the show, we made our way out into the foyer to meet the cast and grab a few autographs. The boys were a little shy at first but, after getting their first autograph, Thomas was suddenly motivated to get them all. Well, motivated to push his brother forward to get them all for him.

We managed to gather autographs from every single cast member, but I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied until I managed to capture of photo of the BFG himself. And I also knew that a photo of the BFG would be nothing without a small boy standing beside to provide scale. It took quite a bit of coaxing, but Samuel finally stepped up to the challenge.

In the car ride on the way home, the boys both told me how much they loved the play and replayed the fart jokes out loud over and over and over again.

And I think they both learned that it’s always worth watching until the happy ending.

Mother Nature’s Payback

…we’ve been rained-on. A LOT. I mean, we were bound to have a wet October after a beautifully long summer, but this record rainfall is ridiculous. And, I know that the weather on the East Coast makes our situation pale in comparison and I sound awfully whiny, but I could do with just a teeny tiny bit of sunshine. Too much to ask?

After a full season of sunny soccer games, our last game showed us what we’d been missing out on. Apparently this is how real soccer is played. A certain seven year old was not impressed. Being the mother-of-the-year that I am, I told him he was born in Oregon and this is pretty much how it will be every year from now on so he should try to suck it up and enjoy a chance to play in the mud.

I said this from under my big golf umbrella.

Samuel seemed to enjoy it until he fell in the mud. Unfortunately mother-of-the-year forgot to pack spare clothes.

At least I had something pretty to look at…

… while I wasn’t watching the game intently, of course.

And, to prove that Mother Nature doesn’t discriminate. Here is what it looked like at Samuel’s game a week ago.

I spent the rainy afternoon editing soccer photos to share with the teams and came across this one that reminded me of a sunnier, happier time.

Sorry, I know we had a good Summer and I should be grateful – and I really was dealing with this change in the weather quite well.

But then some big jerk went and stole our golf umbrella after my husband put it down during a visit to the library with the kids and I lost all of that early-Autumn spirit. Seriously? Stealing an Umbrella during a torrential rainstorm in Portland? I know there’s a lightening bolt out there with his or her name on it.

Good thing Halloween is tomorrow. Between Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’m hoping I’ll generate enough “spirit” to carry me through the next few months of rain.

And, while I’m being all optimistic, I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to my Sister-in-Law Emma. Thank you for having your birthday on Halloween so I never forget it. It was very considerate of you. 🙂

 

Life.

Life and lack of motivation have both been getting in the way of blogging lately. I realize it’s usually “wordless” Wednesday, but I’ve been experiencing an overwhelming lack of words lately so here are a few random midweek updates.

  • I’ve discovered that both of my boys like to read by themselves at night before turning the lights off. And it’s hard for me to say no when I grew up doing exactly the same thing. (Secretly, I’m happy about it but don’t tell them that).
  • I am reading the first Harry Potter book to Thomas which is fun for both of us and may have started a new obsession (and inspired this year’s Halloween costume)
  • Also, I suspect that Thomas may be part monkey.

  • Samuel has also started a new obsession (for him) – Star Wars. May the force be with us.

  • Samuel’s class performed a Japanese bunny dance/song for the parents last week. Pretty darn cute.

  • Samuel is settling in well at school, although we’re starting to realize that starting school and soccer at the same time might not have been a wise decision. There have been a few meltdowns during drop off with at least two occasions where I’ve had to peel him off me so I could make a quick getaway. Not the most pleasant start to the day.
  • On the up-side, he loves learning Japanese and has been proudly counting from 1-10 (ichi, ni, san…) and singing the same songs over and over and over again until we finally have to ask him to stop.
  • Kei spent last week in Toronto on a work trip so I took over his “Little Kicker” coaching duties. In a word, exhausting. It takes a lot of skill and patience to hold the attention of five 4-5 year olds for a 45 minute game while also trying to get your own reluctant four year old in the game with the other eye tracking your seven year old as he keeps himself entertained. Needless to say, there are no pictures. But here’s one from last week…

  • After months of sunshine, autumn looks to have descended upon Portland. With it comes plans for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Part of me is excited while the the rest of me is a little terrified of the busyness that comes along with lots of plans.

  • And, finally, I was inspired by this article about putting yourself in the photo. I realize that when I put together our 2012 photo book, that there will be very few pictures of me on the pages. I’m starting a new leaf with this photo. (taken with incredibooth for iphone). More to come – although they won’t all be posted here. Baby steps.

Why Soccer is Better Than T-Ball (Photographically-speaking)

While Thomas played T-Ball last year, I managed to capture many photos of him in the midst of the following activities:

  • Running to First Base
  • Holding his bat
  • Occasionally hitting a ball
  • Standing
  • Waiting
  • Waiting
  • Waiting

And all through a fence. It’s safe to say that you have the t-ball photo opportunities pretty much covered after game 1.

But get me next to a Soccer field on an unusually sunny September day or evening (thanks crazily unseasonable Portland weather), and the possibilities are endless.

Lots of kicking…

Plenty of running…

Mid-air shots – they rarely happen in T-Ball.

I know this one is out of focus but… GOAL!

Sure, there may be a little waiting around…

and a few quiet moments with the coach…

…but there’s a lot more of this.

and this…

and this…

and, thanks to Little Kicker games at sunset, even a little of this…

Yes, I think it’s decided. I much prefer being a soccer mum than a t-ball mum, photographically-speaking anyway.

Five Great Aussie Children’s Books

It’s been some time since I’ve posted for five things Friday. It’s also been some time since we returned from our visit to Australia. So it seems appropriate that this Five Things post features goodies that we bought back from our trip all those weeks ago.

I really should take an extra suitcase just to carry all the books I bring home with me from Australia. Many of them can’t be ordered through Amazon and those that you can buy in the States are “translated” to American English. I prefer to pay good money in Australia to see a “u” in favourite and read words like petrol instead of gas and torch instead of flashlight.

But, I digress. On to the list.

1. The Rainbow Serpent by Dick Roughsey
Note: you can buy this book on Amazon in the US for about $100 but I recommend getting an Australian Pen Pal to send you one. I paid about $15 Australian.

Thomas became very interested in Aboriginal culture during our latest trip home so, when I spotted this book that I recognized from my own childhood, I just had to add it to our already too-heavy luggage. The Rainbow Serpent tells an aboriginal dreamtime story about how the earth became populated with animals. There are a number of versions of this story available but I love the traditional aboriginal style illustrations in this one. A true classic.

2. Queen Victoria’s Underpants by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley

I am a huge fan of this Author-Illustrator team (see also Peet the Sheep-Sheep, Diary of a Wombat and Too Many Pears), so I was thrilled to spot this book about a lady who made the very first pair of underwear for Queen Victoria. It’s fun, it’s funny and the illustrations are, of course, adorable. I think I may like this book a lot more than my children do.

3. The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan

This book is a little strange but in the best way possible. The artwork (yes, artwork) is incredible and so detailed that I know the kids and I will be finding new hidden treasures in the images for years to come.

 

I recently ordered Tales from Outer Suburbia to put aside as a Xmas gift for the kids and, if I’m being honest, it might be more of a gift for me than for them.

4. Wombat Stew by Marcia K Vaughan

This is another book that you might want to get from an Aussie friend ($350, seriously Amazon?). A fun, classic story about a Dingo who is looking forward to a meal of Wombat Stew but is outsmarted by a bunch of other Aussie animals that come to the wombat’s rescue. It reads like Stone Soup but with a much less happy ending for the Dingo.

5. Flood by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley 

I realize that this is yet another Jackie French/Bruce Whatley entry on the list, but this one had to be included. It’s not the happiest of stories and probably won’t be one that the kids want to read again and again but it’s a piece of art. Flood tells the story of the 2011 Queensland floods from the perspective of a cattle dog that has been separated from his family. It’s moving and sad and beautiful. You’ll notice that the illustrations have a much different feel to other Whatley-illustrated books that I’ve shared and that’s because he decided that, for this story, he would paint in watercolor and with his left hand to provide a unique, melancholy look. Incredible!

(Please excuse my badly painted toes in this photo. The book refused to stay open on its own).

So, there you have it. A collection of new books that are apparently way more expensive to buy in America than I had anticipated. If you have to have one of these books and  don’t have a friend in Australia to send you a copy, you should either a. find yourself an Aussie friend (I have it on good authority that Aussies are awesome) or b. consider purchasing from Readings, one of the best independent bookstores in Australia. They ship internationally for a flat fee.

Let me know if you have any of these books and what you think of them. And, please, share your own favourites in the comments. I’m always on the lookout for great children’s books and, with Christmas around the corner, I have the perfect excuse to stock our library.

Seven

Amidst the back-to-school, start-of-soccer and general-life craziness, I completely neglected to wish my first born child a public Happy Birthday. Or maybe it’s just that, subconsciously, I refuse to accept the fact that I am now the mother of a seven year old. It’s likely I’ll have a breakdown when he reaches double digits.

At seven, Thomas:

  • Is not too old to want lots of cuddles (and even holds my hand every now and then).
  • Can switch from serious to silly in a matter of seconds.
  • Loves to sing – his favorite songs right now are Life’s a Happy Song from the Muppet movie and Call Me Maybe (the second one pains his father, I’m sure).
  • Is addicted to Avatar: The Last Airbender and is enjoying a revival of Star Wars now that his little brother is watching it for the first time.
  • Loves playing with his little brother (except when he’s bickering with his little brother).
  • Enjoys playing Soccer – and scored a goal that his mother managed to capture on video during his first game – which also happened to be on his birthday. (please ignore my screeching voice on the video).
  • At school – enjoys Math but gets frustrated with reading and writing (although loves being read to).
  • Reads and writes Japanese in a way that makes me fear the day when he and his brother will be able to speak to each other without me understanding a word of their conversation.
  • Prefers to wake up in the morning by having his head stroked until he opens his eyes and gives you a big hug.
  • Is still my baby…although this photo of him seems to contradict that. He looks like such a boy.

And one for comparison…

Off to cry into my coffee now.

Not Quite in The Swing

This week has been just a little insane.

A quick recap:

  • Thomas went back to school on Wednesday and declared his first day to be quite a lot of fun (apparently they were allowed two recesses). I asked him on Thursday if he’d made any new friends and he promptly told me that he already made friends with everyone on Wednesday (accompanied by a big eye roll).
  • Samuel went to pre-k for three hours on Thursday. Drop off only took 5 minutes which is pretty amazing for the first day of school. I expected more clinging and crying but, although he was a little shy and nervous, it only took a few minutes for him to give me a kiss and send me on my way. First day was a big success and he’s excited to go back for real next week.
  • Soccer began this week. Kei is coaching Samuel’s team and, between the two boys,  we have three practices and two games each week. I’m a little exhausted just thinking about it.

The rest of my time has been about juggling school drop offs with work and having one child at home declaring “I’m boooored” every few minutes. It’s been rough and, frankly, I’m exhausted.

This weekend is going to be about celebrating someone’s 7th birthday (crazy!), a little bit of Soccer and a whole lot of recharging before school really begins next week. I think I might also find some time for a nap.

Also, a big happy birthday to my Dad today!

And because I can’t post without a photo, here’s one I took a couple of weeks ago, of the boys enjoying a Summer frozen yogurt treat with a friend. It’s going to be 92 degrees today so I suppose Summer’s not quite done with us yet.

This photo was submitted to the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com

Photo Challenge Submission