according.to.kim

2013 plant purchases

Lantana camara and Osteospermum hybrid Orange Symphony.

We continued our tradition of going to greenhouses on Mother's Day. This year, we went to West 25th (owned by the family of one of Madeline's school classmates), Cherrylane, and Doorn's - all locally owned and operated. We enjoy chatting with the owners.

Here's what we bought and planted in 2013. Far more annuals than I intended to get, but the girls loaded our boxes with flowers they wanted, and my mind was on our van purchase - which happened right before we went to the greenhouses - instead of policing the plant purchases!

Tomatoes (1 of each)

• Sweet Million (60-65 days)
• Lemon Boy (72 days)
• Manitoba (62 days)
• Cherry Fountain
• Bush Beefsteak (62 days)
• Rambling Red Stripe (62-68 days)
• Sunsugar (62 days)
• Tumbling Tom yellow
• Patio

Peppers & Herbs

• Mohawk pepper
• Jalapeño pepper 4
• Rosemary
• Flat leaf parsley
• Sweet basil
• Dill
• Celery 3 (from Laurel)

 Potatoes

• Banana Fingerlings
• Russian Blue

Seeds

• Peas Homesteader
• Corn Golden Beauty Hybrid
• Carrots: Red-cored Chantenay, round (ball shaped), orange, purple, and white
• Lettuce: green, red, and butter
• Rooted parsley
• Cilantro
• Armeinian cucumbers

Perennial

• Trumpet lily Regale
• Longiflorum lily Triumphator
• Goat's Beard (Aruncus dioicus)
• Honeyberry (Haksap)

Annual

• Stock Vintage Mix
• Snapdragon Chimes Mix
• Aster Pot 'n' Patio
• Nemesis KLM
• Cosmos Sonata Mix
• Osteospermum hybrid Orange Symphony
• Viola Sorbet Mix 6
• Pansy Matrix Deep Blue w/ Blotch 6
• Gazania We Day Mix 6
• Nicotiana Saratoga red 3
• Pansies 3 (free from Cherrylane)
• Begonia Fairyland Mix (free from Cherrylane)
• Petunia black
• Sweet Potato Vine - 1 purple and 1 green
• Acalypha Chenille Fire Tail
• Lantana camara
• Zinnias 4

Here are pictures of our greenhouse visits from 2009 to 2012, and then a shot from this year at Doorn's.

Rounding up April 2013

1. READ

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (K)
• The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking by Dale Carnegie (K)
• How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie (K) - all three books are great, but I loved this one especially
• The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis (S)
• Jump Cut by Ted Staunton - one of Seven the Series (S)

I love seeing the sunrise! This is at the very end of our routes on Queen Street.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

TV

• Top Chef Seattle (all but S)
• Top Chef Canada (all but S)
• The JUNO Awards (held in Regina this year) (the girls and me)

DVDs/Movies

• Jack the Giant Slayer (S and Meghan; Southland)
• Veggie Tales (G; borrowed from the library)
• Wreck-it-Ralph (all; rented on Max)
• The Hobbit (N & S; Netflix)
• Flying Monsters 3D (Sophia and her class; IMAX)

Podcasts & videos (K)

• Paperclipping Roundtable
• The Digi Show - I recommend two shows (first / second) in which they discussed the book, Daring Greatly by Brene Brown - must read!
• Ted Talk Bruce Feiler: Agile programming -- for your family (we really ought to try this)
• Ted Talk Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability (SO good)

Cute Yogi was here for a few days. / Georgia and her friend at It's a Blast.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• the girls (and Neil) had a week off school and dance lessons (Easter)
• sleepovers with: Elise, Bella (G); Mattea, Rianne, Alex (M); Meghan, Alissa, Jae-lyn (S)
• playdates with: Victoria, Elise (G); Mattea, Alex (M); Alissa (S)
• Sophia went to the Science Centre with Meghan, swimming with Alissa a couple times, and to the Fieldhouse with Alissa
• Georgia went to the Fieldhouse with Elise
• I took Sophia shopping at the Cornwall Centre to spend a gift card she had received for her birthday
• Sophia (and Meghan) went to Laser Quest with the EDGE youth group
• Madeline and Georgia went to K4J - Madeline is in a group called the Apostles, and they played games outside in the snow
• I took Georgia and Vickie to It's a Blast while Sophia and Madeline played Laser Quest with Sophia's ringette team (Mojo windup)
• Sophia participated in Band Days at LeBoldus - she played a trombone solo and in the Grade 6 Brass Ensemble (four trombones and one tuba) - Neil and I went to hear the ensemble
• Georgia's class attended a Fred Penner concert
• my Prairie Snappers group met at Mary's house and I showed them how I edit photos in PSE - we had my laptop screen displayed on the TV and they followed along on their own laptops - worked well!
• Sophia's class went to the Science Centre and saw the Da Vinci Inventions exhibit and an IMAX movie
• we went to a family dance at the girls' school (fundraiser for an outdoor classroom) - friends Alex and Alissa came with us - I enjoyed visiting with friends (other parents) I hadn't seen for a long time - the girls had a lot of fun and the DJs were great - Sophia won a basket of bath products
• Sophia went to Alissa's birthday sleepover (she missed the amusement centre part of the party because she had already agreed to babysit that evening)
• we went to Yellow Grass for lunch at my brother's house and had a great time visiting with Rob and family, Mom and Dad, Grandma, Aunts Colleen and Bev, and cousin Bailey - so nice of Rob and Robyn to host a lunch just for the sake of getting together :)

Heading into Yellow Grass. / Carved Tyndall stone on the girls' dance studio building.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Nigella's Macaroni Cheese - with brown rice pasta
• grilled Tandoori chicken (bone in/skin on) - homemade rub, but not sure of recipe source
• Martha's Roasted Spiced Acorn Squash
• Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie - made by Madeline - a rare treat around here (I ate half of one, and think they do live up to their name!)
• Alton Brown's Roasted Asparagus (Good Eats Vol. 3)
• Roasted Chile Avocado Cream Dip
• Tortilla Española (Food of the World: Spain) - delicious! always brings back fond memories of Spain
• Fajita Seasoning Mix
• Slow Cooker [Bison] Short Ribs in Cabernet Sauce - so flavourful!
• Roasted Butternut Squash (this method) - with butter, S&P, and a dusting of cinnamon
• Taco [Bison] Soup (The Big Book of Soups & Stews)
• Reuben Meatloaf - with ground bison, bison pastrami, and our own pink kraut - fantastic!
• Overnight Oatmeal - with 1/4 cup coconut sugar (ipo 1/3 cup brown sugar) and 2 tsp. cinnamon (ipo of 1 tsp.)

Madeline making cookies. / Browning bison short ribs.

5. GIFTS

• my manager surprised me with a bouquet of ten tulips and a thank-you card for my work
• my friend Mary gave me a pair of blue eyeglasses frames she's not using any more - nice!
• I gave my manager a cookbook (Allergy-Free and Easy Cooking by Cybel Pascal) to help her adapt to eliminating several foods

Lovely tulips from my manager.

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• pants and a skirt for Sophia
• Company's Coming "Crochet in a Day" book for the girls
• pony bead kit for the girls - they sure love doing crafts
• light fixture - installed above the kitchen sink - finally replaced one that quit years ago!
• three bags for planting potatoes above ground
• adapter to connect my laptop to a TV - so I could teach some photo editing techniques to my Prairie Snappers group
• used leather loveseat (beige) - clearly a great choice for us - Georgia had blue paint on it within 24 hours! fits and looks much better in our living room than the old OLD sofa
• two tickets to see Paul McCartney in August
• new sheet sets for both of the girls' beds (Madeline and Georgia share a bed) - badly needed! good quality sheets from Winners
• iPod arm band for Neil for walking
• the girls bought new cases for their iPods (Koolcase)
• football shoes for Neil
• haircuts for G and M - Georgia's cut was one length, above her shoulders; Madeline's cut was very assymetrical with short short hair on the right and layered everywhere else - looks great on her!

Just a good one of Dash.

7. HEALTH

• Georgia had an ear ache one night; and lots of sniffles and coughing later in the month
• I had some minor cold symptoms for a few days early in the month and then again at the end of April
• Sophia was bothered by tonsil stones for a couple weeks (she first had them years ago so it's familiar to her)
• Sophia had a cough
• Madeline had a brief cold
• my lower back was very sore one day - resolved on its own - phew!
• I completely overused my right hand at work one day (computer mousing) and ended up with a bad case of tennis elbow which continued all through May

Hot Pink Jalepeno Garlic Kraut

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• we jarred our pink kraut - very good! (and not spicy at all; we could probably include all the pepper seeds next time)
• completed February photos
• cleaned up the floor in both storage rooms and near the stairs to prepare for water (spring melt) - thank goodness we did a ton of work in those rooms last summer - relatively easy this time
• cleared the collection basket once
• Sophia completed her babysitter's training course with an excellent score and received her certificate from the Kidproof Home Study Babysitter Training Program
• ordered supplies for the Irish Pavilion Children's Program from OTC
• I earned an award at work for my efforts the day I hurt my hand/arm - I chose a Coleman Quad LED Lantern which is excellent
• I was nominated for a break-through award in one of my Dale Carnegie classes - just as good as winning!

Chloe spent a weekend and more with us.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• after five days away (over a long weekend), I got my computer back with nothing repaired because they couldn't replicate the problem - and then it stopped working again two days later! - and then it worked again when I took it back to Fact (argghh!) but I convinced them to order a trackpad anyway (which was replaced under warranty; completely free for me - so that was good)
• I discovered a good toy and winter parka had been chewed by a dog - these items should not have been left where they were - grrrr
• Sophia missed badminton games after school one day because nobody bothered to look at the calendar - which I keep posted on the computer screen for everyone to see!
• Sophia managed to get green goo (from the Science Centre) into the charging port on her iPod and was completely devastated when it wouldn't charge - thank goodness it started working the next day

Still so much snow on April 28.

10. GOALS

• backed up my computer (data and bootable)
• took our monthly family photo

11. SPORTS (and related)

• we went to the windup for Madeline's ringette team (White Out) - pizza and water sliding at the Best Western Seven Oaks - we sure enjoyed this team!
• for their windup, Sophia's team (Mojo) played Laser Quest, followed by a potluck/party for everyone; we took bison short ribs - the girls saw their trophy for the first time, and all of the coaches spoke a few words - such a great team to be a part of! Head coach, Kelly, said this team did something that is very difficult to achieve: to be on top all season and carry it through the final - so true
• Sophia played badminton - mostly doubles with Brooke, but played singles at "Cities" (and was out pretty early) - she played against a couple of her ringette team mates at Laval
• Neil went to the first men's Gaelic football practices of the Regina Gaels - held indoors at the Callie
• Sophia and Madeline started going to track practice

Neil moved a lot of snow by hand. / Ice ruts in front of our house.

12. NOTEWORTHY

• Sophia enjoyed her first two babysitting jobs - first, helping a mom with her two children (ages 1 and 2) plus two other children (ages 1 and 4) for a few hours; second, alone with two young children already asleep (both times at the same house)
• the girls started helping with household chores... but their efforts petered out pretty quickly
• Neil continued moving snow away from the house
• I went to Dale Carnegie classes every Thursday, 5:30 to 9ish - and continued feeling nervous about speaking in front of my classmates, but did see quite an improvement in this area
• Sophia was obsessed with playing Minecraft with Alissa via Facetime - and it drove Neil crazy
• the ice ruts on our street (and all over Regina) were terrible... Neil and I helped push our neighbour's car out, and then I got our van stuck the same day - so lucky I didn't hit another vehicle when it jumped sideways
• after seeing the movie, the girls enjoyed playing Wreck-it-Ralph games on the computer and iPad
• dogsitting: Yogi came to our house for a week (weekdays); Chloe came over one or two days a week, and stayed one weekend
• finally sold Madeline's Taikwondo dobok (advertised since August)
• the spring melt was surprisingly slow - great for us and our basement!
• Sophia attended a liturgical workshop - she's in the liturgical leadership group at school
• Neil's Auntie Angela passed away
• I started working on a website for something I'll mention later - and with that, started learning how to use WordPress - painful at first!
• Neil took the girls to visit an elderly man who lives near the school, and who waves at them every day - he wanted to give the girls a treat (Sprite) because they wave back at him - they learned he was a German sailor in the war and spent five years in a war camp before coming to Canada
• after three consecutive school-evening playdates, and us driving the girls to and from, we decided no more playdates on school evenings
• Sophia delivered flyers (with Neil's help) for her friend when she was out of town, and helped her friend a couple times
• April 26 was the first day it was above zero (Celsius) when we delivered papers!
• we subbed for another paper carrier one Saturday morning - and it went much better than the last time we subbed for him
• Madeline helped us remove snow from the front sidewalk
• the garage floor flooded from melted snow and Neil pumped water away from the garage - but we didn't get water in the basement!
• I helped Madeline set up a private Instagram account for herself
• on the last day of April, we had some snow and terrible road conditions around Regina
• Neil was called for his first subbing job at Prairie Sky School! (he had provided his criminal record check in February) - he went in on very short notice and subbed for the Educational Assistant

Rounding up March 2013

We're either getting busier or I'm getting (more) long winded. This is lengthy! But I assure you there are far fewer words here than in my OhLife entries. :)

***

1. READ

• Something Good by Robert Munch (read to M&G) - the girls noticed how similar I am to the dad in the story: "Oh no! Put it all back. This is all sugary junk." :)
• Mortimer by Robert Munch (read to M&G)
• continued reading two Captain Underpants books (read to M&G)
• I started reading three books by Dale Carnegie

Our naturally-dyed Easter eggs. There are a few places for instructions on my Easter board.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

TV

• Top Chef (N/K/M/G)
• Top Chef Canada (N/K)

DVDs/Movies

• Oz the Great and Powerful (Sophia with Alissa at Southland)

Podcasts (K)

• The Digi Show
• Paperclipping Roundtable

I cook my Oat-Quinoa Porridge every weekend. Love it!

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• Madeline went skating with her class; Neil went, too
• Sophia attended a couple EDGE nights, including a scavenger hunt at the Southland Mall (she and Meghan went together)
• sleepovers with: Elise (G); Rianne (M); Meghan, Alissa (S) - and all three went to Bronwyn's
• playdates with: Elise, Keira (G); Mattea, Alex, Taya W (M)
• Georgia went to It's a Blast with Elise one afternoon
• Madeline went to the Fieldhouse with Aria, played tennis for the first time, and ate lunch at Ngoc Van (Vietnamese Noodle House)
• Neil and I went to Flip for dinner - our food was delicious! - and then to Lancaster Taphouse for a drink
• I attended one set dancing class of the new session - and then didn't return as it was the same evening as my Dale Carnegie course
• I went to the Austrian Club for wings with a couple coworkers
• we all attended Stations of the Cross one evening when the K4J kids were participating - the girls prepared a poster depicting station #4 (Sophia drew it; Madeline and Georgia coloured it; and then Sophia glued on some tissue paper in a few places)
• I went to a Prairie Snappers meetup outside the Science Centre - we took B&W photos in the lobby and outside, and then went to Sweet on Broad St. for coffee (if you're interested, you can see my Prairie Snappers set on Flickr)
• busy St. Patrick's Day: Sophia's ringette game, dancing at Spring Free From Racism, Madeline's ringette game, St. Pat's dinner at Queensbury (where I also danced the Connemara set) - lots of new families from Ireland were there
• Irish dance performances:
  • Madeline danced five solos at Parkside Extendicare - Georgia was there, too, but she had a bit of stage fright and didn't dance - perhaps b/c she was the only one there from her class
  • Sophia and Madeline danced at the tradeshow, What Women Want
  • all three danced at Spring Free From Racism - Georgia was happy to dance with Keira - we enjoyed food from various vendors, too
  • all three danced (in street clothes) at the Irish Club St. Patrick's Day dinner

Sophia (1st) and Madeline (6th) at the end of their dance performance at What Women Want.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS (continued)

• Madeline went to the Sports Hall of Fame with her class
• Sophia played trombone in the Optimist Band Festival at the Conexus Arts Centre
• I enjoyed an appreciation BBQ lunch at my office one day and then lunch out with my manager the next day - I had the #28 Dragon Bowl at Browns Social House - awesome!
• Sophia played a small role in a Passion Play during two masses on Good Friday
• went to the Western Canadian Ringette Championships at the Coop - watched (1) U19 game between two SK teams - they tied 7-7 and then played OT; (2) half of the 18+ gold final; and (3) U19 gold final - close, exciting game and SK won! fun to watch this level of ringette
• after watching a WCRC game with L&B, we all went to Smokin' Okies for supper and then the girls went to their house for a sleepover
• Neil and Steve went to Curt's one evening; they talked about Mosaic
• the girls enjoyed finding treats on Easter morning and dying Easter eggs with Kool-Aid; Neil and I wanted to try naturally-dyed eggs, so we tried it and they turned out pretty well!
• we went to L&B's for Easter dinner - along with Donna and Lou, back from Texas just a couple days earlier, and Laurel's friend Chris - delicious meal and good visiting!

The bench - normally used for sitting! - where Neil waits for the girls after school.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Amaranth Chocolate Bars - Sophia enjoyed popping the amaranth for this recipe - grain-free, dairy-free, and yummy!
• super simple guacamole - one avocado roughly mashed, juice from half a lime or lemon, S&P - yum!
• Hot Pink Garlic Jalepeno Kraut
• Skillet-Fried bison steaks (Ribs, Chops, Steaks & Wings)
• Corn and Bacon Chowder (Canadian Living's Best Soups & Stews) - very close to the soup I loved as a kid, but without canned soup
• Spicy Pecan-Crusted Chicken - with whole eggs, no water, and buckwheat flour instead of bread crumbs (Neil dredged chicken strips in flour, then pecan mixture; not mixed together) - loved by all!
• Roasted Butternut Squash - I used lemon instead of orange, and about half the maple syrup called for (also good with no maple syrup)
• Mini Quiches with a Hash Brown Crust
• Kim's Monster Muesli - my creation :) - I now make a double batch of the dry mix so it lasts awhile
• Mexican Chorizo and Sweet Potato Soup (Food Network Mag, November 2012)
• Avocado Feta Dip
• roll-ups made with butter lettuce, turkey, cream cheese, and one of: dill pickles, pickled asparagus, sliced avocado (with lime juice, S&P)
• Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes - lots of work but awesome - I used organic coconut sugar ipo. brown sugar

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes. I put all of the seasoning on one side instead of turning them over.

5. GIFTS

• received a nice tip from a customer on one of our Leader-Post routes
• Laurel took the girls shopping at the Cornwall Centre for their birthday gifts - a treat in itself!
• socks and t-shirts for the girls, from Donna and Lou, brought home from Texas
• grapefruit from Texas - our last ones! I think the tree is gone now

Neil making Hot Pink Jalepeno Garlic Kraut.

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• prepaid plan for Neil's old cell phone - so we could send it with Sophia occasionally (she needed one for the EDGE scavenger hunt)
• furnace inspection (Home Heating Tune-Up through SaskEnergy) - nothing wrong with it
• new tires for the truck - and a bunch of other repairs
• crochet hooks and yarn for the girls
• full version of Minecraft for the computer - Sophia and Madeline shared the cost
• two crocks for fermenting from Ace Hardware in the US - Neil's parents brought them home for us
• work gloves for paper delivery for both of us

The girls used Kool-Aid and rubber bands to dye and decorate Easter eggs.

7. HEALTH

• Sophia came down with a cold and cough - stayed home from school one morning and missed one dance class
• Madeline had a stomach ache and came home from school mid-afternoon
• Neil came down with a cold
• Sophia stayed home from school one morning with a stomach ache; the next afternoon with a stomach ache and headache (the school's principal said 17% of students were out due to illness that day); and the whole next day - stomach again (no vomiting; just feeling unwell)
• at least 10 children in Madeline's class were ill with stomach bugs and/or sore throats at the same time - and Madeline avoided it
• breakfast continues to be a major challenge with the kids (especially Sophia) - still looking for easy alternatives to the highly-processed cereals they were accustomed to

I spent time reading Dale Carnegie books and doing our taxes.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• helped G with her "Timeline of Georgia" homework - great project; it turned out well!
• produced childcare tax receipts for three - a task that sneaks up on me every year
• removed the trim and hems from Madeline's dance dress; re-hemmed and sewed trim around the sleeves and skirt - I borrowed Laurel's machine as mine isn't working
• registered the girls for swimming lessons at the U of R - last two weeks of July (G in level 3; M in level 6; S in level 7)
• in one of my Dale Carnegie classes, I was voted in the top three for my "lesson learned" story (basically, if you want something you have to ask for it / if you don't ask, the answer is always no)
• submitted our income tax returns using TurboTax - about 10 hours of work for me - blech

Georgia's timeline for school.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• thanks to the ice dam on our roof, water started running down and dripping from the top of the living room windows - on the inside! :( we also had some water around the window frames in both Sophia's room and Madeline and Georgia's room
• my laptop's trackpad stopped working (which affects both the trackpad and the Magic Mouse) - couldn't click on anything - major problem! and it was the Thursday night before Good Friday, so my computer was out of commission for five days over the long weekend

The winter of never-ending snow and cold.

10. GOALS

• completed January photos
• completed January roundup
• took our monthly family photo - same place as last March (when there was no sign of winter)

11. SPORTS

• we enjoyed our time at the rinks with other ringette families - almost sorry to see the season end!
• Madeline's team, White Out, won all three of their round robin playoff games
• Sophia's team, Mojo, tied their first playoff game (it was terrible!) and then won the next two quite easily
• both teams advanced to the finals - first time going to the finals for both Sophia and Madeline!
• it was nerve wracking to have the girls play their semi finals back to back - and one of my worries came to fruition: Madeline's team lost - after winning every league game except the very first one - making it extra difficult to accept - Madeline was heartbroken, and we all felt sad for her and the whole team who had worked so hard all season
• Sophia's team won their semi-final game with a shut-out! impressive! how often does that happen? it was one of Mojo's best games ever
• White Out played in the Novice bronze final and won! (10-3) Madeline was ecstatic - her first medal! it was good to see this team end their stellar season on a high note
• Madeline went for brunch at the Four Seasons with her team after their final game
• Mojo played in the Petite gold final and won! (5-4) what a nail biter! the score was close all the way through... and Sophia had the game of her life (so far), scoring four of Mojo's five goals and assisting the the other one (third goal of the game)
• there was a big crowd cheering for Mojo; the game was intense, and with Sophia performing like she did... super exciting and proud moments for our family!
• Sophia earned the Player of the Game award for the gold final! well deserved! there's a lesson in how this day played out: Sophia was extremely (unusually) happy before the game - I believe she felt like they had already won - and then she played 110% - thoughts and attitude are so important!
• we're so glad Mom and Dad were able to come to the girls' ringette finals - and they were good ones to see :)
• Sophia and Madeline wore their ringette medals to school one day
• Neil attended the first Gaelic Athletic Association meeting in Regina where they chose their name (Regina Gaels) and colours (navy, green, and white)
• Sophia had signed up to do curling after school but it was canceled because there weren't enough students signed up (they needed eight)

Madeline's bronze and Sophia's gold medals. / Watching ringette at the WCRC.

12. NOTEWORTHY

• completed Nutrition for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Coursera.org (which covered heart disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity and weight management, and disorders of the GI tract) on March 6 and earned a grade of 100%!
• the final assignment (to prepare a dish from your culture, and provide the recipe, nutrition analysis, and a photo) was so fascinating, I did 36 peer assessments and collected a bunch of recipes from around the world (my dish was bison stew)
• enrolled in and started the Dale Carnegie Course: Effective Communications and Human Relations/Skills for Success on March 14 (eight classes on Thursday evenings, 5:30-9:30)
• Thursdays (for eight weeks) were long days with papers + work + Dale Carnegie class - but the class was always inspiring and energizing so I never felt tired during class
• Neil always had my supper ready to pick up and take to my class :)
• Madeline is a good helper and hard worker when asked to do something around the house
• Alternative Measures called to tell us what's required of the youth who spray painted words on our van last summer: a letter of apology and 220 hours of community service (which may include work in the park he also vandalized) for which he'll receive $200 - and he must donate that money to the Kinsmen
• Sophia worked on her babysitter's training with L&B
• it was extremely challenging to get Sophia to her dance class on Saturdays - this class involves a lot of stretching (to prevent injuries) and less dancing, and she hates it with a passion
• all three girls started learning how to crochet - Sophia learned from a friend at school, and the other two watched excellent videos: Howcast Arts & Recreation - How to Crochet for Beginners
• Sophia wrote her Concours speech about crab spiders :)
• saw a dude skiing behind a truck one morning (on my paper route)
• cold, snowy weather all through the month - what a difference from last year! near blizzard conditions one day - many highways and roads were closed around Regina
• the girls brought home report cards from school - Georgia is mature, vibrant, respectful, and hard-working; Madeline listens well and is always ready to participate and help out; Sophia is a well-rounded student and always friendly and considerate with everyone (glad to hear she's like this at school!)
• Madeline and her friend Alex tobogganed off the roof of her dad's house! video on YouTube
• we spent three hours delivering papers one morning when we subbed for a carrier who had subbed for us (two hours for his route alone) - there was so much snow, we nearly had the van stuck a few times
• Neil spent several days removing snow and ice from our roof
• the girls and their cousin Bronwyn made an awesome video - the story of Cinderella - truly amazing what B can do with an iPad!

Rounding up February 2013

1. READ

• Sophia read Three Cups of Tea (YA version) by Greg Mortenson
• Nancy Clancy Super Sleuth by Jane O'Connor (read to M&G)
• Binky Takes Charge by Ashley Spires from Saskatoon (read to M&G)
• started Captain Underpants #10, Phineas & Ferb comic-style book, and A Bear Called Paddington (reading to M&G)

Sunshine!

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • Top Chef (N/K/M/G - and now they're hooked on it!)
• DVDs/MOVIES
  • The Hunger Games (Sophia, Jenna, and Sydney; Netflix)
  • Parental Guidance (Sophia and Meghan; at Rainbow)
  • Gulliver's Travels (girls; Netflix on their computer)
  • Inkheart (girls; in the van)
  • Phineas & Ferb: The Perry Files (girls; in the van)
  • Food, Inc. (N/K; Netflix) - excellent!
  • all eight Harry Potter movies (Sophia and Jae-lyn at her house)
  • Rise of the Guardian (N, girls & B; at Rainbow)
  • Hugo (all of us and Rianne; Netflix)
• PODCASTS (K)
  • The Digi Show
  • I also started listing to music while delivering papers

The girls were very interested in their great grandma's knitting.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• three ringette tournaments, three weekends in a row (details in a separate post)
• Madeline and Georgia attended K4J
• Georgia performed Irish dancing at the Girl Guides Tea & Carnival at Sunset United (Sophia and Madeline didn't as they were in the QCC ringette tourney) - she also won a cake in the cake walk
• playdates with Elise and Victoria (G); Elysia (S)
• sleepovers with Elise (G); Bella (in MH), Emerson, Mattea, and Rianne (M); Jenna (in S'toon), Jae-lyn, and Alissa (S)
• Georgia attended Elise's birthday party
• Sophia went skating with her class; Neil went, too
• in Saskatoon, we:
  • ate at Fuddruckers - always a favourite; I enjoyed a bison burger on a gluten-free bun - I don't mind eating a burger with no bun, but it was nice to have that option!
  • visited Grandma Byrns and Uncle Joel. We had a nice visit (too short, though), and the girls were especially interested in Grandma's knitting, as usual
  • went to the University of Saskatchewan for a few minutes as I wanted to see how it has changed since I was a student there 20 years ago; we drove around the loop and popped into Place Riel briefly (the inside has changed a lot!)
• during my week off, we went to the Science Centre and enjoyed the Da Vinci Inventions special exhibit (favourites were the optical chamber (eight walls of mirrors) and building a self-supporting arch bridge); Sophia also used the GyroGym (Madeline and Georgia aren't tall enough yet)
• Neil took the girls to public skating at the Co-op
• we ate at Houston Pizza in our neighbourhood - gift certificates :)

Da Vinci Inventions at the Science Centre. / Mojo just before a league game at the Co-op.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Turkey Breakfast Sausage - the girls didn't care for the seasoning, so we may use different seasoning or make them plain next time
• Sweet Potato Wedges - love!
• heart-shaped bison sliders for Valentine's day :)
• Salmon in a Bag - made with steelhead trout (a.k.a. salmon)
• Skillet-fried Top Sirloin (Ribs, Chops, Steaks & Wings) - made with bison striploin
• Coconut Flour Pancakes - yummy
• Roasted Kabocha Squash - good but I prefer acorn squash
• Purple cauliflower faux-tatoes - fun!
• snack: sliced roasted turkey breast, gouda cheese, and green apple
• Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps - love these - with real butter of course!
• Roasted Cabbage - fantastic!
• Sarah's Best Homemade Hot Chocolate - with a little less sugar
• Banana Vanilla Bean Pancakes - I didn't use a vanilla bean
• Roasted Cauliflower with Orange Zest - and lemon juice on top
• Neil's Turkey Rice Soup

The girls enjoyed playing outside and making shapes from blocks of snow.

5. GIFTS

• my friend, Atef, gave me a pashmina from Bangladesh after going there to visit his parents
• Mom gave us a book for the girls to read (Three Cups of Tea)
• the girls received more birthday gifts (recorded elsewhere)

The line at Fudds (in Saskatoon) was out the door, but still worth the wait!

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• ringette action photos of Sophia and Madeline from the QCC tourney
• Bogs Plimsoll Tall boots for me - as I anticipated walking daily in cold, wet conditions for months (as it turned out, they didn't even get wet for another two months) - I love them! my feet feel invincible
• windshield wiper blades for the van
• Calvin Klein rubber boots for Sophia - great price at Winners
• USB 2.0 hub for the computer
• iPod arm band for Neil
• four girls' winter jackets for $10 each at Urban Planet; Sophia also bought two t-shirts
• hot water bottles for all three girls - a lot of happiness for a few dollars!
• Ring-Jet ringette stick for Sophia (partly a birthday gift from Auntie Laurel)
• skate guards for Madeline

Georgia at Kinsmen Park South.

7. HEALTH

• Sophia's hips were very sore after the QCC ringette tournament, and occasionally after that
• Sophia stayed home from school one afternoon with a stomach ache
• Georgia came down with a cold
• in one grocery trip, Neil brought home acorn, butternut, kabocha, and spaghetti squashes, purple and green cabbages, purple and white cauliflowers, pummelos, and more fruits and veg :)
• I was sick one day during my vacation from work - bummer! I felt ill but managed to deliver papers, vomited as soon as we got home, and then slept all day - so bizarre! (but very similar to something my manager had) I was glad to have kombucha and turkey bone broth on hand - perfect foods for recovery
• the girls had eye check-ups - all have 20/20 vision (and Sophia's is slightly better); the doctor emphasized that they need to take a break from screen time or reading every 45 minutes and wear sunglasses in the summer
• we received a detailed report in the mail from Georgia's new cardiologist; we hadn't received one before

Georgia holding an iron rose made by my Uncle Pat (at Grandma Byrns's place in Saskatoon).

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

• sewed velcro straps on Sophia's ringette pants
• packed for two weekend trips without going crazy
• Georgia completed a record number of piano practices - 14 in one week!
• Madeline showed good improvement in her reading level at school

Terrible ice dam on our roof and stockings filled with ice melter; they looked like giant slugs.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• being ill on one of my vacation days; I haven't been sick since last May and *this* is when I had to get sick?
• the state of Sophia's bedroom

10. GOALS 

• took our second family photo of 2013 in Kinsmen park - one of my favourites so far

11. SPORTS

• three ringette tournaments, three weekends in a row (details in a separate post)
• Madeline was delighted to earn a game star for one of her league games - she always works hard!
• Mojo had their first shut out of the season - their goalie was thrilled
• Madeline's team had their team photo and individual action shots taken - unfortunately, two players weren't there :(
• Sophia's coaches told us how happy they are with her shots (hard and across the net)

Georgia wrote this music. :)

12. NOTEWORTHY

• all month, I worked hard on a free online course from Coursera.org: Nutrition for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention - video lectures, quizzes, written assignments, and peer assessments (several hours per week)
• overheard... Madeline: "Sophia, if we had to do the Hunger Games and I got picked, would you volunteer?" Sophia (without hesitation): "Yes, because you'd be dead in 30 seconds." Madeline: "I know." (I'm glad Sophia would be selfless in this scenario; and I think Madeline should have more confidence in herself!)
• Sophia continued participating on her school's improv team
• I started playing around with digital Project Life - initially using Keynote on my iPad for page planning - while traveling to and from tournaments :)
• we had a couple days of mild weather early in February (and then scarcely again until April!)
• Dash stayed with Mom and Dad in YG when we went to Medicine Hat and with L&B when we went to Saskatoon - many thanks to all of you!
• we hired two subs to do our paper routes on the two Saturdays we were away
• Sophia won a $10 gift certificate for Rainbow Cinemas from a LeBoldus Bands draw
• I helped the girls with Valentines for their classmates by printing and cutting: Georgia's cards, Madeline's cards, Sophia's bookmarks
• we met Laurel's friend, Chris, for the first time - but much too briefly!
• after the ringette tournaments, I took a much-needed week off work! the kids were on their February school break, as well
• I played Junior Scrabble with Georgia; she and Madeline played, too
• Mom dropped by for a visit one day during my vacation from work
• the girls played dress up with Bronwyn - it's been a long time since they did that at our house (but I know it's a favourite activity at her house)
• Georgia wrote a composition for the Music for Young Children competition - I think it sounds pretty cool!
• Madeline and Mattea worked together for several hours on a talent show project for school (Adventure Time)
• I completed a one-day course through work: Basic Facilitation Skills
• Georgia asked the tooth fairy to draw a picture of herself. She received a picture and excused the tooth fairy for not having time to answer her questions :)

Ringette tournaments 02-13

Notes and highlights from the ringette tournaments we went to in February:

Queen City Classic (Regina) with White Out and Mojo, Feb 1-2

• Sophia and Madeline missed a day of school; Georgia went to school until recess Friday afternoon
• Neil and I volunteered for rink marshall/registration table - one shift on Friday; two on Saturday
• Madeline (White Out) played four games; their record was 2-2 so they didn't advance and Madeline was disappointed
• Sophia (Mojo) played five games; their record was 3-1 after the round robin (2nd in their pool), so they moved on to play a quarter-final (vs. KW Extreme who went on to win gold) - they played this game on Saturday with just a one-hour break after their last round robin game
• Madeline went to Subway (at the Coop) for lunch and then sold 50-50 tickets with her team
• Sophia went to Humpty's for brunch with her team, and invited two of her team mates to our house to watch a movie between games
• we were free on Sunday - which was nice; Friday and Saturday were exhausting!

In Regina, at the end of an exciting round-robin finish to put Mojo in 2nd place in their pool.

Medicine Hat with Mojo, Feb 8-10

• we left home at 7:00 am Friday; L&B were heading to Medicine Hat, too, so they picked up Sophia and left just ahead of us; the highway to Moose Jaw was pretty bad
• Bronwyn's team, Rush, also played in the tourney - it's too bad they couldn't stay at the same hotel as us
• Sophia's team played one game Friday afternoon, two on Saturday, and two on Sunday - they had a great schedule with nothing late in the evening or first thing in the morning
• Mojo was 2-1 after the round robin (2nd in their pool), so they went on to play a semi final Sunday morning (vs. Bow View IN10CT), and then played for bronze (vs. BP Black)
• Mojo won bronze! The game was 7-7 with about five minutes left, and we parents could hardly breathe until it was over - super exciting! So proud of the girls - they played hard and deserved it :)
• all weekend, the parents cheered hard for Mojo, ringing bells our family had collected from Rams football games
• Sunday was challenging because Mojo's superstar goalie had come down with a stomach bug overnight and she didn't play either game on Sunday. Also, one of Sophia's team mates broke her arm in the semi final. Poor girl!
• Madeline and Georgia each bought themselves a pair of plaid flanel lounge pants with "RINGETTE" printed across the back; Sophia bought herself a pillowcase that says "Ringette Dreams"; and I bought ringette tattoos for Mojo which they applied to their faces right before the bronze final
• we stayed at the Medicine Hat Lodge which was fantastic - great room, breakfast buffet, and water slides for a good price (note to self: pool side = ear plugs required)
• the team spent some time making signs for their hotel room doors
• the kids went swimming/water sliding on Friday and Saturday evening
• for meals:
  
  • we ate lunch on Friday with L&B at the Medicine Hat mall food court
  • we enjoyed the Lodge's hot breakfast buffet both mornings (where I was introduced to Bircher's Muesli - yum!)
  • two meals with the team: a private catered pasta, chicken, and salad buffet at the Lodge on Friday, and Medicine Hat Buffet on Saturday
  • we ate at Boston Pizza in Swift Current on the way home
  • otherwise, we ate food we brought with us in an electric cooler - oranges, apples, cheese, nuts, pepperoni sticks, turkey sausage, hard-boiled eggs, and cheese & sausage egg muffins
• the younger siblings of Mojo players also had a fun weekend together - there were six sisters (including Georgia and Madeline) who enjoyed hanging out in MH and all season
• Madeline stayed with a friend (Bella) both nights, so Sophia had a queen-sized bed all to herself (Georgia slept with us)
• our room was where some of the players and younger kids relaxed and watched DVDs between games and after swimming in the evening - mostly Hotel Transylvania and a bit of Scooby Doo and Harry Potter
• we got home after 10:00 pm on Sunday. It was a long, but great weekend!

The road to Medicine Hat was free of snow! We were traveling to a warmer climate.

Sophia - number 14.

The view from our 4th floor room at the Medicine Hat Lodge.

Sophia (right) and a team mate holding the Mojo banner after winning the bronze medal game.

Sunrise shining into the MH Lodge. / Sophia at breakfast before the semi final. / Bronze!

Saskatoon with White Out, Feb 15-16

• we left for Saskatoon after Sophia's trombone rehearsal, about 10:15 am; Madeline and Georgia missed a full day of school
• Madeline's team had a poor schedule - they played 3:30 Friday afternoon (which was fine), 8:30 pm (awfully late for children!), and then 8:00 am the next morning, followed by an 8-hour break
• White Out was 1-3 after the round robin, so they didn't play on Sunday; Friday night, they played the best novice team we've ever seen - from Sherwood Park
• we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn downtown - our room was nice and the pool was okay (nothing special), but the hot tub was icky
• the team spent some time decorating t-shirts with fabric markers
• for meals:
  
  • on Friday, we ate supper with the team in the hotel restaurant
  • our family went to Fuddruckers for lunch on Saturday
  • Madeline had pizza with one of her team mates on Saturday night
  • otherwise, we ate food we brought with us (similar to last weekend)
• the kids went swimming in the hotel pool after each game on Saturday (normally, the team wouldn't be allowed to swim between games, but they had an 8-hour break and couldn't advance anyway)
• after lunch on Saturday, we visited Grandma Byrns, popped into the U of S, and went shopping at the Midtown (across from our hotel) for a few minutes
• six players from Sophia's ringette team had sisters playing in this tourney, so Sophia had a good time with some of her team mates - she went water sliding at the Travelodge with Jenna on Friday afternoon, and stayed with Jenna and family Saturday night
• we left Saskatoon around 9:00 am on Sunday, traveling at the same time as another family - Sophia rode with them while their youngest came back to Regina with us. The highways weren't great, but we beat the worst of it.

The road to Saskatoon. / Fuddruckers, of course! / View from our room, early Saturday.

Our fan flag for Madeline, also known as Maverick. :)

Madeline passing from the free circle.

Nine years of blogging

To mark the occasion, I present...

A Venn diagram of this season (or decade) of my life - which I've come to realize, accept, and even embrace (I may as well!):

And, nine things I would be finished right now if I had a magic wand:

1. February photos
2. February roundup
3. March photos
4. March roundup
5. Half-finished 2012 Yearbook (scrapbook)
6. Blurb book of 2012 blog posts
7. Snow removed from our yard (flood prevention)
8. Clean and tidy basement
9. Clean and tidy main floor

Trying not to let these things weigh me down!

Although ringette season has ended, I'm neck deep in homework for my 8-week Dale Carnegie Course on Effective Communications and Human Relations (which involves practicing and reading three books and other materials).

One day at a time...

Rounding up January 2013

1. READ

• Sophia read a few Dr. Seuss books to Georgia and Madeline
• finished Captain Underpants hardcover #9 (Tippy Tinkletrousers) (read to M&G)
• started Captain Underpants #10, Phineas & Ferb comic-style book, Nancy Clancy Super Sleuth, Binky Takes Charge, and A Bear Called Paddington (read to M&G)

Snow, snow, and more snow. Note the size of trucks relative to the pile in the background.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • Top Chef, Season 10! (N/K) - the only show I watch now
  • America's Funniest Home Videos (the girls; Netflix)
• DVDs/MOVIES
  • Tom & Jerry (G; free from iTunes)
  • Looper (N; free on Max)
  • The Hobbit (N/K at Southland)
  • Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (N; free on Max)
  • Here Comes the Boom (Sophia and Alissa at Southland)
  • Good Boy (M and birthday guests; Netflix)
  • Hotel Transylvania (N/M/G and Vicky at Rainbow)
• PODCASTS (K)
  • This Memory Keeper's Life
  • Dishing up Nutrition
  • Balanced Bites (top 10 questions)
  • How to Achieve Your Goals and Create a Life You Love - workshop lessons

Georgia's birthday cake, after the candles came out.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• Neil and the girls took Dash for a playdate with Chloe one afternoon
• Neil and Sophia went to Edenwold for a full-ice practice, and they car-pooled with another dad and two team mates
• Sophia went to EDGE a couple times (church youth group)
• Neil, Madeline, and I participated in a bottle drive for Madeline's team, White Out - Neil picked up crates from Sarcan and boxes from the beer bottle exchange, and we supplied veggies and dip for lunch - Neil took three girls collecting while I sorted
• on Georgia's birthday, we ate at Houston Pizza on the east side (squeezed between work and Sophia's ringette game in Pilot Butte) - Laurel and Bronwyn joined us
• playdates with Elise and Victoria (G), Alex, Mattea, and Rianne (M), Meghan and Alissa (S)
• sleepovers with Meghan and Jae-lyn (S), Bronwyn (all three)
• swimming with Alissa (S)
• we all went to an Irish Club potluck at St. Luke's Hall - Neil made Colcannon - Sophia and Madeline danced some reels and jigs, and Georgia performed her beginer reel for the first time (all in regular clothes; they wanted to dance and were the only entertainment)
• my manager, coworker, and I went to Denny's for breakfast one day
• Georgia went to Henry's birthday party (tobogganing) and Mekelie's birthday party (crafts)
• Georgia went skating with her class - Neil went to tie skates
• mom-daughter dates - all three wanted to go shopping to spend Christmas and birthday money/gift cards; I took:
  • Georgia to Walmart and Chapters where she bought a pillow, Hexbug, and two books
  • Madeline to Urban Planet where she bought a purple hoodie (Rawr!)
  • Sophia to Zippity Zoom toys where she bought a cool bracelet maker called Loopdedoo
• birthday parties for all three girls, three weekends in a row:
  • Georgia invited 12 friends, both girls and boys, to our house where we did an art project with paint and played with homemade playdough (including kneading colour and glitter into it; this was a big hit) - one of the cutest moments was when all the children sang a La Roue song while waiting for the cake to be served - for favours, the children took home their art projects and playdough in plastic containers from Dollarama
  • Madeline invited four friends to our house for a slumber party - Neil prepared her favourites for dinner (perogies, sausage, faux-tatoes, veggies and dip); we set up camping mats and sleeping bags downstairs; the girls played for awhile, then watched a movie on Netflix - at 1:00 am, they moved upstairs because Madeline thought the basement was creepy! The party ended at 10:00 am after some play time and a good breakfast
  • Sophia invited her entire ringette team (12) and a close friend from school (who also plays ringette but on a different team) for birthday cake at the Cooperator's Centre and then swimming at the Lawson - right after their Sunday afternoon game; this worked well! it was an easy party for me, except for hauling the cake and everything up to Sillinger's Corner - swimming was economical, too, as they only charged us $23 for 15 kids!

I gathered these fun facts about the number 7 and attached them to favour bags for G's party.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Juicy Lucy cheese-filled burgers (Food Network Mag; 50 Burgers #8)
• Potato Beef Skillet Supper (Canadian Living's Best Quick Suppers) - love it! Great with scrambled eggs, too
• Oven Roasted Broccoli *and cauliflower* (and no bread crumbs)
• Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon and Garlic - and we added broccoli
• Cooked Playdough (second recipe) - I made four batches the morning of G's party - hard work!
• homemade buckwheat pasta - Neil used the pasta maker he received from his sisters at Christmas
• Colcannon - an Irish dish with potatoes, cabbage, and kale - delicious! (better picture on Pinterest) - leftovers are great with mini burgers (just the meat)
• turkey slices rolled up with cream cheese, avocado, tomato, and cucumber inside; or cream cheese and pickled asparagus
• tostadas with corn tortillas fried in coconut oil - we all like this
• my new recipe for Oat-Quinoa Porridge - I make this once a week and eat it Monday to Saturday
• zebra-striped cake (for Sophia's birthday) - easy!
• fajitas with chicken breast, peppers, onions, sliced avocado with lime juice, and salsa
• Sesame Ginger Pork Tenderloin (The Joy of Cooking) - Neil and I loved it but the girls weren't thrilled

Artwork drying at Georgia's party. We blobbed paint on a canvas, carefully placed it inside a large zip-top bag, and then the child moved the paint around with their hands on top of the bag.

5. GIFTS

• we gave each of the girls their own Smash Journal kit for their birthday - they all love it! plus, I'll continue doing monthly activities with each of them in 2013
• other birthday gifts are recorded elsewhere

Madeline and Georgia's room after cleaning and rearrangement.

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• Sophia and Madeline (with my help) ordered iPod cases from Hong Kong through eBay - good quality, inexpensive, and arrived quickly
• party supplies
• EpicWin app for my iPad and Out of Milk app for Neil's phone (works on Android and iOS) - we have many apps, but I mention these because they're fun and useful
• I had my hair cut at 4th Avenue Hair Company - good price and I was happy with the cut
• three magic carpets and a double toboggan - one handle became detached after just a few minutes, so we took it back for a refund

Madeline's birthday cake. / Lovely sky and hoarfrost.

7. HEALTH

• I had to swear off potato chips for awhile - they're my weakness!
• for my skin (acne), I cut back on dairy (still using cream in my coffee and having kefir daily, but not much else) and started avoiding all gluten (in addition to wheat which I started avoiding months ago) - it's working well!
• I bought a loaf of gluten-free chia bread from Kneaded - I enjoyed it, toasted with butter, but will only have this as a rare treat (it's pricey and I don't need to eat bread)
• Sophia had a stomach ache and stayed home from school one afternoon - but it didn't turn into anything more
• I woke up with a bad sinus headache one day - but that's all
• Georgia had her annual heart checkup at the RGH with her new cardiologist, Dr. Pockett - she's doing fine! her resting heart rate was 56 bpm; she weighs 51 lbs and is 52" tall

The temperature rose to zero on Madeline's birthday, so Neil cooked sausages outside.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

• found subs for both of our paper routes, for our two out-of-town ringette tournaments in February
• planned and hosted three birthday parties (two at our house)! Used Evite for all three - super easy! Baked and frosted three cakes...
• lots of housework before Georgia and Madeline's parties; also, cleaned and rearranged their room before M's birthday party

Sophia's zebra-striped cake, pre frosting. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the inside.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• tough times with our moody pre-teen

Sophia and her friend Meghan playing with a ball at the Lawson - at Sophia's birthday party.

10. GOALS 

• completed December photos
• completed November and December roundups
• backed up the computer
• cleared the collection basket once
• family photo? well, Jan 31 was extremely cold (-33/-48 windchill in the morning), so we waited a couple days

Our first family photo of 2013.

11. SPORTS

• both Sophia and Madeline played well in ringette, and their teams remained in first place
• Madeline was excited to earn "Hardest Working Player" for one of her games this month (Sophia's team doesn't do that)
• Sophia tried out for basketball but didn't make the team (no one in grade 6 did)
• Sophia's team (Mojo) had photos taken by Piper Sports Photography and they're excellent! their group shot was outdoors; it was -30 something and they wore their ringette jackets (not parkas)
• Madeline's team (White Out) played a fun game against a ladies' open C team (Misfits) in Edenwold - they invited Sophia to join them, which was nice
• we were annoyed by multiple changes to White Out's game schedule for the Saskatoon ringette tournament

Madeline and Sophia played against a ladies team in the rink at Edenwold.

12. NOTEWORTHY

• worked on my 2012 Yearbook scrapbooking project on New Year's Day - and that's it (not even close to finished, but I had zero spare time)
• we finished subbing on a second paper route and then were offered the same route a week later - we took it and enjoy doing two routes every morning (100-105 papers total)
• we stopped delivering flyers (after 3 months) and were very happy to end that job - morning papers are so much better! (we did the flyers and two paper routes for about two weeks - too much!)
• plenty more terrible winter weather this month! many days of bad driving conditions; in terms of paper delivery, heavy snowfall is worse than windchill (but I really dislike having to cover my mouth and nose - only necessary at windchill lower than -35)
• coldest winter in 17 years and 75 continuous days of snow according to this news report - but we did have a couple days around zero
• one day it was -21/-30 windchill in the morning and the temp went up to zero in the afternoon
• Georgia is reading English well - able to sound out most words and quickly say them correctly
• Georgia turned 7, Madeline turned 10, and Sophia turned 12!
• started planning Georgia's party two days after her birthday - how's that for procrastination?
• Sophia started a babysitting course with her cousin and Auntie Laurel (they're doing the home study course through Kidproof) - she did very well on her first two assignments
• Sophia was on her school's improv team (in French!) and they won most of their competitions against other schools
• dogsitting: Chloe came for a couple days/one night; Yogi came during weekdays for a couple weeks
• Neil won two Pats tickets from CJME and used a coupon for children's tickets - he took our girls and M's friend, Rianne, for only $10
• I enjoyed an online class with Aby at Simplify 101: How to Achieve Your Goals and Create a Life You Love
• I started a free online course from Coursera.org: Nutrition for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention - interesting!

Where did February go?

• 25 ringette games - S/M
• 2 ringette practices - S/M
• 3 ringette tournaments - S/M/all
• 12 Irish dance classes - S/M/G
• 3 music classes - G/K
• 20 piano practices - G/K (up to 10 minutes each)
• 12 work days - K
• 12 school days - S/M/G
• 12 lunch supervision days - N
• 48 lunches packed - N
• 2 after-school improv meets - S
• 21 days of paper delivery - N/K
• 2 appointments - girls/N
• 1 sick day - K
• 4 weeks of almost-daily coursework - K (online nutrition class)
• 28 replies to OhLife emails - K
• 1 digital Project Life layout - K
• plus... LIFE in general!

...which may explain why this is my only blog post in February. (I just couldn't let a whole calendar month pass by without a single post!)

Here's my one layout. More to come, I hope!

Supplies: Project Life Clementine Edition; Pockets No. 3: The Basics by Valorie Wibbens; Pagekraft Papers by One Little Bird

A year of family photos

I'm glad we did this. Now it's time to get our first one for 2013! This weekend.

Revisiting my 2012 plans

Last January, I posted My plans for 2012. How did I do?

Daily:

1. Reply to email from OhLife.com - YES (890 entries now); this feeds my monthly roundups - couldn't do them without doing this

Weekly:

1. Clear collection basket (mail, school papers, receipts, etc.) - Yes&No; I did pretty well the 1st half of the year; not so well after that
2. Clean up basement - clean/purge/organize one stack, box, or shelf per week - didn't do 1/week, but did accomplish a major overhaul over weekends in August and September, so YES, but not finished
3. Clean up email inbox and computer files - 30 minutes per week (in addition to regular reading, replying, and filing of new messages) - Yes&No; did well for part of the year, but email is now sitting around 150 (was over 250 two days ago) and my computer desktop is a mess

Monthly:

1. Back up computer to EHD (in addition to auto backups) - YES
2. Maintain photo organization (choose best, upload, print, share) - YES, but the basement overhaul took priority for awhile and then catching up on photos was difficult
3. Write and post roundup on my blog - YES
4. Do a one-on-one activity with each of my girls - YES
5. Complete 6 layouts - NO; I did 18 layouts in total
6. Use at least 1 Simple Scrapper template - Yes&No; I used a couple
7. Take an informal family photo - YES

Other:

1. Create and promote BSS Bundle #2 (January)- YES
2. Pare down clothing for all five of us (February) - YES
3. Purge and reorganize kitchen (February) - YES
4. Finish taking weekly photos for Picture Inspiration - YES
5. Complete unfinished layouts (5) - Yes&No; some are finished
6. Participate in Picture Black & White (30 photos; May & June) - YES
7. Clear 2004-2006 storage binders (distribute photos to category files, mini albums, photo albums, and cold storage) - NO
8. Create Photos I Love album - NO

I think I did pretty well: 12 YES, 3 NO, and 4 Yes&No (partial success) -- about 75%. That's fine; I used the other 25% for accomplishments such as keeping our family calendar up to date, doing yard work, learning set dancing, learning about food, and doing my December Daily photo project! In any case, looking back at my plans for 2012 helps me see what works for me and what doesn't.

What about 2013? I'm working on setting goals for this year, but I'm not finished yet. This month has been crazy!