according.to.kim

Rounding up June 2013

Rounding up June in September... Yep, that's the kind of year it's been, and I don't see it changing anytime soon!

***

1. READ

• the girls report cards - all 3 are doing fine; very well in most areas

Bees on the spiderwort.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

TV

• NHL playoffs and Stanley Cup final (N)
• Rider game (N)
• Game of Thrones (N)

Podcasts (K)

• Katrina Kennedy's Summer Photography Tips Webinar (K)
• music instead of podcasts all month (while delivering papers)

Freshly weeded garden, and the nice privacy wall our neighbour installed (top right).

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

The girls:

• stayed in Avonlea for the night and day after Mosaic - and Laurel brought them back to Regina (thanks!)
• went to the splash pad a couple times
• started playing often with neighbours, Nadia, Isis, and Isca (ages 7, 7, and 5; from two families)
• had playdates with Vickie and Elise (which included swimming at her aunt's house) (G); Alex and Taya W (M); Meghan (S)
• had sleepovers with Elise (G); Alex (M); Meghan (S)
• Georgia went to a horse-riding birthday party at 49 Rivers Ranch north of the city - they rode inside a building, petted animals, and had a wiener roast for supper
• Madeline went to Katepwa with Mattea and stayed there for 2 nights
• Sophia went bike riding with Meghan (in her neighbourhood)

More garden love.

School activities:

• Georgia's class
  • played outside all morning one day
  • went to the splash pad - Neil went, too
  • went swimming at the Sandra Schmirler
  • watched a movie in the gym
• Madeline's class
  • went bowling at the Golden Mile
  • went swimming at the Sandra Schmirler
  • watched a movie in the gym
• Sophia's class  
  • had a pizza lunch for doing well in Mathletics
  • rode bikes to the waterfall in Wascana, then to Candy Cane park and back - ate their lunches in the park and were rained on at one point - Sophia enjoyed it very much
  • went bowling at the Golden Mile
  • went swimming at the Lawson
  • had a pizza lunch and tech day (allowed to bring their iPods, etc.)
• all three participated in the annual walk around Wascana - they had a great day for it! about 20 C, and just a slight breeze - Neil delivered lunches to the park, as usual

The original YG school sits on the edge of Allen Park where the Summer Solstice event was held.

Neil:

• pre-season Rider game - sat with Todd and Karla for part of it and they gave him a ride home (he usually walks home)

Kim:

• attended a farewell gathering at the Freehouse for a consultant who helped me tremendously at work for several months (he's from Colorado and won't be back to SK)
• set dancing at The Pump one evening - we danced on the deck which was nice; and another evening at June and Joe's - they built a dance floor in their yard :)
• CS Ops Annual Appreciation BBQ at work
• YG Class of '88 Reunion: 
  • Saturday, June 15 - Pedicures at Jane's, drinks at Hotel Sask, dinner at Flip, and then more visiting - the four of us talked for 9.5 hours straight! so many memories and catching up to do… also, loved my food at Flip ("jerk brick-oven half chicken with dirty rice, coconut & rum-braised kale, sugar peas & pancetta, fresh lime slices" and then cran-apple sherbet with hints of cloves and lime - YUM!)
  • Sunday - we met at Fresh & Sweet for breakfast - a great finish to our reunion!
• with my work team, canoeing on Wascana for an hour - great activity! then to a coworker's house for a barbecue (we all contributed part of the meal) and games: Catch Phrase, Headbanz, and the Heads Up! iPhone app - gorgeous evening; sat out on the deck the whole time

The school playground in YG; Mom with Dash and Buffy.

All/most:

• Mosaic (covered in May roundup) - Neil worked on pavilion clean up for 7 hours the next day
• Wok Box for supper one night (except G) - I always enjoy the Malaysian Peanut curry rice box
• Mosaic volunteer and Prairie Gael year-end BBQ/potluck at the Seniors Centre on Winnipeg - we stayed inside most of the time as it was raining - more people than usual; many from Ireland
• rally for a new gym at Sacred Heart School - to support the cause and a friend who teaches there
• Summer Solstice celebration in Yellow Grass - the girls enjoyed the petting zoo and loonie dig - Mom, Dad, Robyn, Ethan, Jordyn, Kacy, and Robyn's mom were there, too (Rob was at work) - excellent pulled-pork dinner and perfect weather - fantastic event! we stayed overnight in YG at Mom and Dad's; on Sunday, the girls, their cousins, Mom and I went to the park and school playground before lunch
• I took Dash and the girls for a bike ride on the Storm Channel Pathways - I walked and Sophia rode my bike
• wedding celebration (except M) for a couple whose daughter played ringette with Sophia - it was at the Tartan Curling Club; very casual - everyone enjoyed the music, dancing, and especially photo booth which was free for all to use as much as they wanted (http://www.scootersphotos4u.ca)
• our niece's birthday celebration (13 already!) at L&B's - pizza and cake out on the patio - the girls also walked to Winners and went to the park before supper
• Sherwood Forest to watch fireworks with friends from Sophia's ringette team - enjoyed a campfire and s'mores, too - the girls stayed overnight in the cabin with their friends

Lanterns at our friends' cabin at Sherwood Forest.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Addicting Veggie Dip - yum!
• Lil' Dipper veggie dip - we make it with fresh herbs (when available) and add about 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
• Alton Brown's Veni Vedi Vinaigrette (GE Vol 1) - with kombucha ipo of 1/2 the red wine vinegar - fantastic! THE best, in my opinion
• Scrambled Eggs over Asparagus - not that you need a recipe for this; but here's the idea - so delicious!
• Alton Brown's Roasted Asparagus - good with or without nutmeg
• BBQ Pork Kebabs (Food Network Mag; 50 Kebabs #11)
• Oven Baked Drumsticks (or drumsticks with wing rub, grilled) - yum! so nice to have these in the fridge for a quick lunch or snacking
• wings with Chicken Wing Dry Rub and sauces: Grecian Chicken Wings and Grilled Hot Wings - 10 out of 10! (Ribs, Chops, Steaks & Wings)
• Southern-Style Brisket (Food Network Mag; July/Aug 2012) - bison
• Nigella's Macaroni Cheese (already listed, but with whipping cream ipo condensed milk - and spiral rice noodles - yummy!)
• Neil's mac and cheese - quinoa/rice noodles with ricotta, cheddar cheese, and eggs; baked

On our way to Sherwood Forest to see fireworks on June 30.

5. GIFTS

• birthday gift for G's classmate
• for Father's Day, Neil received some very nice gifts from the girls - Georgia's questionnaire shows that she knows her dad well :)
• out of the blue, I received The Fortune Cookie Principle by Bernadette Jiwa (Kindle version) from a friend - nice surprise!
• perennials from a neighbour across the alley: Solomon's Seal, small peach coloured lilies, and Elephant Ears (Bergenia)
• for the girls (for the end of the school year, I suppose): giant erasers for Georgia and Madeline; moustache tattoos and sprout bookmarks for Sophia (they picked these things at Chapters)
• teacher gifts: for G's teacher, a cute notepad (and contribution toward a spa gift card); for M's teacher, a pretty notebook; for S's teacher, a book of quotes (Simple Wisdom; b/c he loves quotes) and three silicone sprout-shaped bookmarks
• Neil received a thank-you card and $10 gift card for Robin's Donuts from the school staff
• wedding gift for Erin and Jeff: Home Depot gift card
• birthday gift for B: iTunes app card and a 5x7 photo of she and Sophia at Mosaic (in costume, walking together) in a black frame - and the girls made a giant heavily-glittered card for her

Madeline drew and painted this for her dad for Father's Day (a school project).

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• for the girls: flip flops, swimming suits, cover ups, nylon tote bags for swimming stuff, clear umbrellas, and summer shoes (went to Shoe Warehouse after the dentist - same as last year)
• Analog for adding filters and borders to photos on the computer (Mac) - inexpensive and fun!
• Iron Man t-shirt for Sophia's part in an Avengers skit at school (she wears it regularly, too)
• supplies for a new shelf by the back door - much more useful than the former set of hooks
• premium used trombone rental for Sophia (since she was very unhappy with the cheapest rental we got last year)
• 20 GB iCloud storage for backing up the iPad
• 1Password for Mac and the iPad app (which sync with each other) - awesome! I've entered over 100 passwords in three months - now my head won't explode
• 26" (full size) bike for Sophia - just in time for her class bike trip
• a few clothes for Sophia and me at Rhoda's
• a muzzle for Dash which subdues him quite a bit - necessary when people come to the door, which is often (should've bought it sooner)
• recycling bins from Crown - for Grocery Freedom
• a neck guard and two ringette sticks for Georgia from a neighbour's garage sale
• ordered school supplies online through School Start - slick! perhaps not the cheapest option, but super convenient

We used our bikes quite a bit this summer.

7. HEALTH

• I woke up with a crusty pink eye the day after Mosaic, so I researched home remedies and decided to try black tea, sea salt (dissolved in water), and whey from kefir, which I alternated squeezing into my eye with a cotton ball - something worked, thankfully!
• I went to physio at CBI one more time (4 times in May) and my tennis elbow improved greatly - I still couldn't lift anything heavy, and too much mousing would cause it to ache (I continued icing it occasionally), but it felt good most of the time - and I was supposed to do exercises, but I forgot all about them
• Georgia had a bit of a cold
• teeth cleaning and checkups - four of us had good results (no new cavities anyway) - Neil and I both had teeth they were watching and either the cavity went away or it was just a shadow on the x-ray
• poor Sophia had to get four fillings - three on the bottom (both sides) and one on top (two appointments) - and they were deep; she suffered all day, first with the numbness in her face and then she was in pain - we gave her ibuprofen every four hours
• I asked for composite instead of amalgam fillings for Sophia and they look good (besides the health benefit) - can't even tell she has fillings in those teeth (I'm jealous! I have so much dark grey in my mouth)

Freaky cloud right outside my office.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Neil and I did quite well keeping the kitchen relatively clean on a semi-regular basis for some of the month (this is not our strength!)
• cleared the kitchen and hallway floors - hooray! always too much stuff and no where to put it...
• gathered the girls' shoes and reduced them by more than 50% - from 82.5 pairs to less than 40 pairs
• donated a large bag of shoes and large bag of children's clothes to the Diabetes Association - I'm happy to support them occasionally because they give me a deadline and come pick it up
• Georgia learned to ride her bike without training wheels! she ran in to tell me and said, "I went through a lot of pain to do this!" her legs were all scratched and bruised from the pedals
• I wanted a picture of me with Mom and Dad so I got Neil to take a few pictures of us when we were in YG :)
• weeded the back yard
• at school, Sophia earned a free Slurpee by not using any of the three "coupons" her teacher offered since he arrived (extension on deadline, extra 10% on mark, and skip an assignment)

This is what 82.5 pairs of shoes looks like. No wonder it seemed like we had shoes everywhere!

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• one of the gears on Sophia's new bike broke, so it had to go back to Canadian Tire for a few days and they replaced it with one that doesn't match the other gear - Sophia was NOT happy
• I was bummed about missing a couple of great sales (50% off), both by one day: 1Password (sale ended the day before) and Rhoda's (sale was the day after I purchased; at the time I didn't know they always have a sale on the last Saturday of every month)
• after starting out strong, we ended up very behind on the dishes and housework

Sophia's basket braid. / Lilacs in our back yard.

10. GOALS

• completed April roundup
• completed May photos *note to my future self: check all devices for photos before starting!*
• backed up the iPad to computer and iCloud
• backed up my computer
• took our family photo for June (probably our most challenging one in 18 months)

This was a lot better than the regular (non-goofy) version.

11. SPORTS

• the girls went to youth Gaelic football training a couple times
• Neil continued practicing football with the Regina Gaels
• the Gaels played a game (amongst themselves) at the Rugby Club
• Neil scored a good goal at his football practice

Neil is in the green shirt on the left - practicing Gaelic football.

12. NOTEWORTHY

• received our big blue recycling bin from the city - glad to have a place large enough to collect two weeks' worth of recycling
• Sophia learned she can torment her sisters (especially Georgia) just by moving toward them with her hands cupped together (they think she's holding a spider)
• broccoli washed in water and vinegar is still perfect nine days later
• Neil and I marked our 14th anniversary with a phone self-portrait after delivering papers
• worked on Finding Your Photo Style at BPC all month - quite pleased with what I learned in this class
• signed up for The Phone Photography Project at BPC
• received a video of Georgia's group dancing at Mosaic - so cute!
• I was reminded of my Daily Scan project on my blog in 2008 - I should do that again! (though I can't imagine having time to do it within the next 5 years)
• the start of 40-minute drives to and from work due to Ring Road repaving (double my normal time, but I'm so glad they're fixing it!)
• the girls were all obsessed with doing their hair - they love getting ideas and instructions from cutegirlshairstyles.com - I helped Sophia with a cool "basket braid"
• Sophia enjoyed babysitting at a neighbour's house (same place as her first job) - and, especially, having some money to spend
• Madeline says (and has for a long time), "by accidentally" :)
• Sophia tried dying her hair with Wilton blue food colouring - she made a mess in the bathroom and the colour came out when her hair got wet - neither of us were happy
• dogsitting: Yogi for a couple weeks; Chloe for a day here and there
• leaving work one day, I took pictures of a dark ominous cloud right in front of my office building
• first time (in 7.5 months) we delivered papers in the rain, and it rained the whole hour
• we had a major downpour one afternoon - water came in our basement and Neil shop vac'd it - water filled the underpass on Albert St. (same day as the devastating flood in Alberta)
• Georgia was so excited about being able to ride her bike; it's all she wanted to do
• the girls all wrapped their teacher gifts and made cards - and I didn't have to do anything :)
• Neil learned he won't be doing lunch supervision next year - the teachers now have to do it if they want an extra day off - end of an era! he did this for six years (Sophia's grade 1 to 6; Madeline's grade 1 to 4; and Georgia's grade 1 - in September, the girls say they miss having him there at lunchtime)
• it was the last month of our friends H and A coming to our house before and after school a couple days a week (H had been coming here for 3 years; A for 1 year)
• Sophia dip-dyed her hair with grape Kool-Aid - it wasn't very purple, but it looked good - dark, rich colour; covered all the blue/green/ blond from previous colouring
• I made my favourite rhubarb and ginger compote - the first of three batches this summer - love it with my cream kefir
• enjoyed the start of free evenings!

Rounding up May 2013

Wish I was posting June. Oh, how it pains me to be a full month behind on this!

***

1. READ

• You are Special - a lovely book Georgia borrowed from the school
• Neil continued reading his Malazan series (1200-page books)

Madeline at Wascana on May 3.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

TV

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

DVDs/Movies

• Ice Age: Continental Drift (girls; Netflix on their computer)

Podcasts (K) - tried a few new ones, but they didn't stick

• WTF podcast (Marc Maron) - interview with Huey Lewis - 30th anniversary of Sports! - good interview; left me feeling nostalgic for Huey Lewis and the News :)
• Photography.ca (one show)
• Photography - Tips from the Top Floor (one show)
• The Digi Show

Videos (YouTube)

• Dumb Ways to Die - PSA from a railway company (the girls watched it over and over, and played the game on the iPad)
• The Duck Song

What's left on the trampoline after the girls are finished playing with water balloons.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• Neil, the girls, and my manager attended my final Dale Carnegie class/graduation
• birthday parties: Georgia went to a home-salon party and a bowling party at Nortown Lanes; Madeline went to a party at Bath Goddess
• sleepovers with: Alissa (S) - 4 times
• playdates with: Elise, Keira, Victoria (G); Alex, Mattea (M)
• the girls went to K4J - last time for Sophia as a Captain
• Sophia attended a regular EDGE evening and a "lock-in" (sleepover) at Holy Cross parish - she loves going to EDGE
• the girls participated in a video for Greg Johnson, Tornado Hunter - they had to chase him like a scene in Rocky: Tornado Hunter Pre-season Training (they're on at 2:40, but hard to spot; Sophia's wearing pink) - the girls also enjoyed exploring the shore of Wascana Lake after the video shoot
• Georgia went shopping with her Auntie Laurel during the older girls' Saturday dance class
• Sophia and her friend Alissa went to Africa Day at Laval (in the evening); their classmates Angie and Alvin had invited them - it looked like a fantastic event with lots of food and entertainment
• on Mother's Day, we visited three greenhouses: West 25th, Cherry Lane, and Doorn's
• we had a potluck lunch at my work place - I was in charge of the theme and I asked everyone to bring a dish (or main ingredient) that starts with the first letter of their last name - I took Blackberry Lemon Salad
• we returned Rob's Jeep to YG and had lunch with Mom and Dad - the girls played with two of their cousins for a little while, too
• we went to the GAA Quiz Night Fundraiser (for the Gaelic football team, Prairie Gaels) - Neil and I teamed up with our friends Corey and Emma - we enjoyed the quizzes and did pretty well at 7th out of 13 teams; the kids had fun with games and crafts, and Neil won the big raffle prize: a night in the executive suite at the Travelodge (which we haven't used yet)

Kids running after the Tornado Hunter for his pre-season training video.

MUSIC & DANCE

• I attended a set-dancing workshop at St. Luke's Hall - learned the Corofin Plain Set; also, one evening at The Pump to practice the Antrim Square for Mosaic; first time dancing as a "lady" and I was totally disoriented!
• the girls danced in the Prairie Gael recital at the Leboldus theatre - a full hour of dancing - good show! the older girls had fun doing a couple dances to pop songs, including Firework (Katy Perry) and Inner Ninja (Classified); Georgia's group did the Fairy Reel very well! Laurel, Donna, Lou, Mom, Bev, Colleen, Grandma Mantay, and Sophia's friend Alissa were there, too
• the girls danced at the Save the Children Strawberry Social - Donna, Lou, Laurel, and Mattea (M's friend) were there, too - the older girls wore their new curly dance wigs for the first time; the girls brought home too much stuff from the flea market tables
• we enjoyed Georgia's Music for Young Children recital where she played two piano pieces very well: 1-2-3 Dance with Me and Piano Polka - duet with Mrs. Young. She also played in the Sunbeam 1 bell ensemble and sang the MYC Theme Song
• we enjoyed Sophia's spring band concert at LeBoldus - an impressive concert performed by band students from grades 6 to 12

Sophia is the closest trombone player on the far right.

SCHOOL

• Sophia and Meghan bought some items to wear for "twin day" at school; Madeline twinned with Mattea; Georgia with Victoria
• Sophia went out for lunch to Thai Garden with Meghan and their teacher (a treat Meghan had earned)
• the girls enjoyed a Subway lunch day, Smoothie day, and Record-breaking day at school
• Sophia spent a whole school day at a liturgical retreat
• Sophia went to the school's grade 7/8 drama, Mystery at Shady Acres, with Laurel (Bronwyn was there with her class)
• Sophia participated in a band tour to three elementary schools
• Madeline went with her class on a field trip to a classmate's beautiful farm (which we've all visited before) - they were lucky to have great weather for it
• Neil talked to all three grade one classes (separately) about bison

Bronwyn and Sophia before their first performance. / Neil trying the new leprechaun cut out.

MOSAIC (May 30-June 1)

• Thursday: Madeline, Sophia, and Bronwyn danced twice; Madeline's friend Mattea spent the whole evening with us; after the Irish pavilion, we visited the Kyiv Ukrainian, Brazilian, and Italian pavilions; the girls saw several friends dancing at the Kyiv; we met Donna, Lou, Laurel, and Chris at the Brazilian pavilion and saw a great show on the stage at the Orr Centre; home about 10:30
• Friday: I curled Georgia's hair with the hot rag rollers and lots of Redken Hot Sets 22 spray - it actually worked well, but the hour-long process was unpleasant for both of us; Georgia danced twice - Beginner Reel and Fairy Reel; I danced the Antrim Square; after the Irish pavilion, we visited the Korean, Hungarian, and Scottish pavilions; the girls tried on traditional Korean dresses and learned a traditional Hungarian dance; home about 10:30, except Neil who worked at the Irish pavilion until 1:00 am
• Saturday: I washed and curled Georgia's hair, and got myself and the girls ready for dancing (thank goodness the older girls wear wigs!); Donna and Lou picked up Dash in the morning (big thank you!); we were at the Irish pavilion for almost 12 hours... Neil ran the Children's Program (bracelet craft and leprechaun scavenger hunt) with help from Laurel and Tammy (dance mom); the girls and I each danced twice (six times between us); Rob, Robyn, Ethan, Jordyn, and Kacy came to see the girls dance (first time!); after their performances, Laurel took the girls to stay overnight in Avonlea; Neil worked behind the bar all evening; I enjoyed a one-hour break between the girls leaving and my last dance performance, and then worked at bar ticket sales from 8:30 to 11:15; the Dust Rhinos from Winnipeg were playing; Neil and I helped clean up for 30 minutes and then went home - exhausted!
• Food: I enjoyed a few bowls of Brewster's beef stew with potato cakes from the Irish pavilion; loved the Bulgogi (spicy pork, rice, and cabbage with Ranch dressing) at the Korean pavilion; and the girls ate a bunch of Tipperary Chips and TCBY frozen yogurt all weekend

Fantastic show at the Kyiv Ukrainian pavilion.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Blackberry Lemon Salad - delicious! (used EVOO in place of flax oil)
• Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream - dairy free and awesome!
• Mason jar salads - my first ones included grape tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, sugar snap peas, matchstick carrots, and lettuce - washed everything in water and vinegar
• Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing - yum
• Neil's Ham & Broccoli Stuffed Potatoes
• Soft tacos: corn tortillas, grilled chicken breast, caramelized onions and peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa (no need for cheese or sour cream - for me)
• Gluten-free Sandwich Bread - good, but too expensive - cashew butter alone was over $6 on sale
• Neil's Pasta Sauce - this is my favourite! I enjoy it on spaghetti squash or gluten-free pasta
• Homemade "Holy Crap" or "Qi'a" cereal - my variation: 1/2 cup (+2T) hemp instead of 3/4 cup (+2T), 1 tsp cinnamon instead of 1/2 tsp, and no dried apples - excellent! I mix 3 Tbsp of cereal with 5 Tbsp almond milk and let sit for five minutes
• Chicago Dog salad - my invention: everything but the bun, sliced or chopped and mixed together

Our mini walk-in greenhouse (purchased last year on clearance).

5. GIFTS

• birthday gifts for two of Georgia's classmates and one of Madeline's
• Georgia received a fancy hairband from Auntie Laurel (which she wore at her piano recital)
• for Mother's Day, I received a card and artwork from Georgia, a card and watercolour painting from Madeline, and a fancy card with a Chai tea bag from Sophia; plus, a book about flowers and a kitchen tool rack (from the Strawberry Social flea market)
• we gave R&R a Canadian Tire gift card to thank them for lending their Jeep to us
• Neil received a LazyBoy recliner from a friend - the timing was perfect because his favourite chair broke the day before

Neil and Georgia planting seeds.

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• for the girls: soccer shoes for Gaelic football; plastic cord to make scoubidou crafts a.k.a. boondoggle - who knew?! (thanks to Google and Pinterest for the names); good skipping ropes; sketch books; balloons (to fill with water)
• for me: cute red shoes for summer, tennis elbow brace
• new curly dance wigs for Sophia and Madeline
• annuals, perennials, peat moss, two large pots, and three extra large tomato cages
• 2004 Toyota Sienna - found on UsedRegina.com - fantastic condition! much better than our old one and quite a difference between the '01 and '04 - the private sale process went very smoothly and we were able to pick up the van the next day - hooray!
• lidded garbage containers for each of the girls to have near their seats in the van - we're committed to keeping it clean
• 500 ml jars to make smaller mason-jar salads for the girls
• 11 new songs for my iPod - good to have a music update for walking in the morning
• spring school portraits - I ordered some to give away this time; it's been a few years since I last did that

Our "new" van.

7. HEALTH

• my right arm started hurting so badly, it became a useless appendage - I couldn't lift, grip, or squeeze anything! - saw my doctor on May 10; she referred me to physiotherapy and suggested I start using a brace which I wore often for at least a month
• I went to physio at CBI four times, iced my arm several times a day for awhile, and did some of my computer mousing with my left hand - and my arm started feeling better
• Georgia and Madeline had a cough and sniffles
• Georgia had a fever and vomiting one morning (and just in the morning, as usual)
• I developed sinusitis and it was pretty bad for a couple days
• Neil went to the chiropractor for his back and hip
• Sophia stayed home one afternoon with a stomach ache
• Georgia vomited several times on the Saturday morning of Mosaic - of all days! thank goodness she was fine the rest of the day, as usual - seriously, what's up with this???

Some of our plant purchases. / Icing my tennis elbow.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• I earned my certificate in the Dale Carnegie Course, Skills for Success - hooray! much effort, but well worth it
• I created and delivered a presentation about the knowledge base (sasktel.com/support) to my department and it went well
• cleaned up the front and back yards, and planted the garden
• conquered the kitchen 100% - it needed some extra attention (to say the least!)
• finally moved the old couch and chair out of the house
• Sophia received two rewards at school: lunch out for being good (most checkmarks and no Xs over the past month), and a Slurpee for cleaning up (which is a tad surprising to those who live with her!)
• more housework than usual because I took a week off work
• I made 17 mason jar salads on the Sunday before Mosaic and they were a life saver that week! just under 3 hours to make them
• prepared 101 bracelet kits for the Children's Program at Mosaic (supplies from Oriental Trading Company) - Madeline and Georgia were a big help

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• we hate the fridge we bought last September - too small! (and yet it's the same cubic feet as our old one) - if I had money to spare, I would replace it immediately
• Dash ran out the door, past me, and bit a man (hopefully just his jeans) who was merely walking past our house - he cannot be trusted with strangers :(
• we picked up supper from DQ in a moment of desperation - after preparing a bunch of food for the following week and then having no time to make dinner before a 3-hour concert! (also ate at Subway between two events - another "no time"/unprepared situation - boo)
• SGI didn't hear from the tire shop after asking them to pay the deductible on our van insurance

Our old van's windshield after the hood incident. / Cleaning out the van in the SGI compound.

10. GOALS

• cleared the collection basket - twice!
• completed March photos
• completed April photos
• completed March roundup
• backed up the computer
• took our monthly family photo

11. SPORTS

• Madeline was thrilled to be chosen to compete in the 200m race at the first track meet
• Sophia participated in track throughout the month - she won first place in several events at the quad meets, and then at the city track meet: 5th in triple jump, 5th in relay, 7th in 100m, and 8th in high jump - she wasn't thrilled but truly did well for being in the younger half of the age group (and many kids go home with no ribbons!)
• our friends, Steve and Maren, picked up the girls for their 8:00 am track practices - nice!
• Neil continued training with the Regina Gaels football team - they ran around Wascana a couple times - he was also interviewed for a Leader-Post story about non-traditional sports in Regina
• the girls went to the first two youth practices of Gaelic football - more than 20 children were there and all but five are from Ireland - it's free (for now) and all ages (3-12) practice together - they enjoyed it and want to keep playing

One of the first youth practices of Gaelic football. Neil always goes to help.

12. NOTEWORTHY

• while I was driving on the Ring Road during rush hour, after having the van's tires changed and engine light checked, the van's hood flew up, smashing the windshield, denting the roof, and more - it was shocking, to say the least. I'm extremely grateful no one was hurt!
• my brother lent his Jeep Grand Cherokee to us while our van was out of commission - many thanks to him and to Mom for driving the Jeep to Regina for us - huge help!
• our 2001 Toyota Sienna van was deemed a total loss by SGI - surprise! suddenly had to shop for another vehicle which sucked up a bunch of spare time I didn't have (on top of dealing with SGI, cleaning out the old van, etc.)
• my Dale Carnegie trainer said I'd make a good coach - excellent opportunity for me! I agreed to coach in the fall
• the girls had school photos taken and they turned out well! - first time for spring portraits
• Georgia is very creative in making birthday cards for her friends - and she makes them entirely on her own :)
• getting Georgia to practice piano became extra challenging - but she still wants to take it next year; I registered her for Sunbeam 2 in MYC (Sophia and Madeline each had two years of lessons, and I'd like Georgia to have two years, as well)
• thanks to the slowest spring melt of all time, we didn't get water in our basement
• when the weather finally turned nice, the girls played outside at every opportunity - skipping, biking, trampolining... Sophia even chose the outdoors over Minecraft!
• I didn't have to wear ski pants to deliver papers and plants started growing outside! (not normally noteworthy, but after this winter...)

NOTEWORTHY (continued)

• Neil subbed at Prairie Sky School twice - on one occasion, he made vegan gingersnap cookies with the students :)
• the city replaced the sidewalk in front of our house
• I discovered the awesomeness of PicFrame for making photo collages on my computer (and iPad)
• we sold our bison cows and calves to Mom and Dad (we bought our original three calves in 1999)
• the girls started their 2013 obsession with water balloons - and their new favourite thing to do is to put the filled balloons on the trampoline and jump around them so they bounce and pop
• when my department director saw that our new van has only three hub caps, he made a bunch of calls trying to find one for me - he didn't find one, but it was nice of him to try!
• I took a week off work (the week of Victoria Day) - I've done this for a few years now and I love it! I planned out the whole week with my top 3 priorities for each day, and accomplished quite a bit
• I started Finding Your Photo Style at BPC - really enjoyed this class with six teachers (one per week) - this class renewed my interest in taking photos more deliberately :)
• Sophia earned 10/10 for a presentation on paleontology as a career - she has always said she wants to be a paleontologist and remains committed to it
• the girls attended their final dance and piano lessons until fall - hooray! by this time, we're all so ready for a break
• Sophia dip-dyed her hair in blue Kool-Aid - with guidance from Bronwyn over Facetime
• after asking for her cooperation, Sophia wrote, "I will co-operate after May 24th 2013," and signed it - how can I enforce this?!

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)
• completed February roundup
• 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 :)

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!

Rounding up December 2012

The following would've been much better spread out over two months! On top of it, we had dance and music for the first three weeks, and a full schedule of ringette right through the month. (Exactly why December is not my favourite.)

***

1. READ

• Neil started The 4-Hour Chef by Timothy Ferriss (Christmas gift)
• G read *to me* from a Phonics Factory book :)
• End of Days by Eric Walters (Sophia)

Some of the gorgeous hoarfrost we enjoyed this month.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • Phineas & Ferb Christmas show (G/M)
  • Sophia, the First Once Upon a Princess (G/M)
  • World Junior hockey (N)
• DVDs/Movies (all free on Max promo except Christmas Vacation, which we have on DVD)
  
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3: Dog Days (girls)
  • Men In Black 3 (N)
  • The Dark Knight Rises (N)
  • The Expendables 2 (N)
  • Total Recall (2012) (N)
  • Avatar (N)
  • Christmas Vacation (Neil's Christmas tradition)
  • Brave (all)
• Podcasts (K)
  • Dishing Up Nutrition
  • The Digi Show
  • Paperclipping Roundtable
• Other
  • 7 Sleeps Until Christmas book app on the iPad (G/M) - nicely done! we also have the book, from Shauna years ago

The girls put milk and cookies out for Santa (all gone on Christmas morning, of course).

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• after Sophia's Nove 30-Dec 1 ringette tournament, we ate at Houston Pizza on Hill Ave (hooray for gift certificates!)
• we enjoyed Sophia's first band concert, in which she played trombone. The entire 2-hour concert was excellent with performances by the Grade 6, Grade 7-8, Junior, and Senior bands (students from four elementary schools and one high school)
• Neil and I enjoyed seeing Madeline's class play, Writers of the Bible, and then the presentation of a Good News bible to each student
• I attended 2 set-dancing classes - danced the Connemara, Clare Lancer, Antrim Square - we also had music performances and a snack potluck during our last session (I took Spiced Pecans)
• we all went to Phineas and Ferb "The Best Live Show Ever" at the Brandt Centre - the girls definitely enjoyed it! Georgia sat with her friend Jagger for the second half (for the cost of it, Neil and I thought the Globe might have been a better choice - next time!)
• I took a vacation day from work to participate in the Big Picture Classes' first live event on 12-12-12 - I watched hourly broadcasts live from Maui and worked on my album for 12 hours
• Georgia's class had a "Polar Express" day at school in which they wore PJs and watched the movie
• I went for lunch at Brown's Social House with Dana and Logan, my manager and coworker
• Neil and I enjoyed my work Christmas party - dinner and dance at the Italian Club with band, Wonderland (good food, music, and company, but we only stayed until midnight as we had to deliver papers in the morning) - Madeline and Georgia stayed overnight with L&B, while...
• Sophia enjoyed the EDGE Advent sleepover with many of her friends (she went with Meghan) - they did a fantastic scavenger hunt to collect food for Christmas hampers and her team won (they received donations of a frozen turkey, ham, and much more) - and they only slept for a couple of hours after 4 am!
• we all attended the Prairie Gael School of Irish Dance Christmas party on a Saturday afternoon (we took Spiced Pecans for the treat table)
• I went to Government House to take pictures with my Prairie Snappers group; due to a communication mix-up, I was the only one there but I took some pictures anyway
• Georgia's class went to Government House; Neil went, too
• Georgia and Sophia's school classes went skating; Neil tied skates
• Madeline's class went to the Nutcracker Ballet at Conexus Arts Centre
• all three girls had Christmas parties at school; Sophia's class had a pajama day and recycled gift exchange
• Neil and I attended the school's Christmas Spirit in Action program three times; we saw:
  • Madeline and Bronwyn's classes at the Chartwell Retirement Residence (downtown)
  • Sophia's class at Wintergreene Estates (Albert Park)
  • Georgia's class at Selo Gardens Care Home (Whitmore Park)
  • I really enjoyed the songs they sang, especially Jesus' Lullaby and Le dernier mois de l'année

Christmas tree at Government House - I love the real popcorn garland!

EVENTS & OUTINGS (continued)

• Sophia, and all band students in grades 6-8, performed for their school during a morning assembly; Neil attended
• we enjoyed G's first piano recital at Victoria Park Personal Care Community (except Sophia who was at her dance class)
• we had an excellent roast turkey lunch at work; the main dishes were catered and we brought the extras (I made Cranberry-Orange sauce)
• Sophia's ringette team had a full-ice practice in Lumsden that turned into a 5-hour outing for us, including an unexpected lunch
• we all went to a "Come & Go Skate" at Georgia's friend Elise's house (they have a rink in their backyard)
• playdates and sleepovers: Georgia went to Victoria's all afternoon and evening one day; Georgia went to Elise's for 2 sleepovers; Madeline went to Alex's for a sleepover; Sophia went to Alissa's for 3 sleepovers (and swimming at the Lawson one day); Sophia had Alissa over one afternoon and Meghan another afternoon
• we went to Rob & Robyn's for the afternoon and evening of Christmas Eve - before dinner, our girls and their cousins enjoyed a Christmas craft that Mom supplied - too bad Ethan was under the weather! Rob and Robyn made a wonderful turkey dinner. Also there: Mom and Dad, Grandma Mantay, Aunts Colleen and Bev, Richy, Melinda, Bailey, and Lexington. So nice to see everyone!
• we celebrated Christmas at home which is my favourite thing to do - we took our time opening gifts, enjoyed a hot breakfast, set up and played with our gifts through the day; and Neil made a nice dinner - baked bone-in ham, faux-tatoes, sweet potato fries (with his new fry cutter), and homemade chocolate ice cream - yum!
• we celebrated Neil's birthday - he watched World Junior hockey (his favourite birthday activity) and spent some time reading; I made him a chocolate birthday cake with chocolate glaze and whipped cream
• we ate lunch at Applebee's with my parents on the 27th, on their way home from Saskatoon
• we took the girls tobogganing briefly at Mount Pleasant - it was quite cold out
• we went to a Christmas party/potluck for Sophia's ringette team (Madeline and I missed most of it as she had a ringette game at the same time) - Neil made coleslaw and bacon-wrapped cauliflower
• we all went to Madeline's White Out team building event at the Northwest Leisure Centre: gym ringette (we all played except G), pizza lunch, craft (White Out flags), and swimming
• we had Laurel over for our holiday turkey dinner (on Dec 30) and a few games of Bananagrams; Sophia also played some Christmas songs on her trombone for Laurel and us
• Neil took the girls shopping to Urban Planet and Chapters where they spent some Christmas money
• on New Year's Eve, we watched a movie (Brave) and played board games (Cranium and Clue Carnival) - and we actually stayed up until midnight (I would have gone to bed sooner but we had to strain our turkey broth!)
• 12 Activities with Mom:
  • Georgia and I went shopping at Dollarama and Walmart for her to buy Christmas gifts for her sisters
  • Madeline and I went shopping at Zippity Zoom, Claire's, and Ardene for her to buy Christmas gifts for her sisters
  • Sophia and I went shopping at Urban Planet where she spent some of her Christmas money on two t-shirts, a hoodie, and a cover/wallet for her iPod

Family gathering on Christmas Eve at Rob and Robyn's house.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Salad (eaten with lettuce; not sandwiched in bread)
• Protein Shake (our version: 2 cups berries, 1 cup 6% plain yogurt, 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk, 2 scoops plain whey protein powder, 2 Tbsp. unpasteurized honey, 1 tsp. vanilla) - I think it's quite delicious; the girls prefer it frozen into "ice cream"
• eggs scrambled in butter with leftover bison sausage, onions, and peppers. Yum!
• Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Leek Soup
• Baked Oatmeal
• Roast Pork Loin
• Alton Brown's Spiced Pecans - exceptional!
• Corn and Red Bell Pepper Chowder with Kielbasa (Big Book of Soups and Stews)
• Pomegranate Guacamole (Food Network Mag, 50 Easy Appetizers, #9)
• Super Moist Chocolate Spelt Cake - really good! we loved it
• Chocolate Glaze (6 oz dark chocolate and 1 cup heavy cream)
• Alton Brown's Coleslaw
• Bacon-wrapped Cauliflower (Food Network Mag, Nov 2012)
• Peanuty Turkey Salad Lettuce Wraps - pretty tasty, but I'd omit the mint next time
• German Lentil Soup (with the lentils soacked overnight - step 1 of this recipe: Lentil Stew, and we used our own ham stock instead of chicken stock)

See Rounding up "Recipes to Remember" for a list of recipes from the past year.

Sophia, Madeline, and Georgia opening their gifts from Santa.

5. GIFTS

• a coworker of mine gave me $60 from a 50-50 prize he won at our Christmas party and I donated it to the girls' school for their Christmas hamper project
• we did a $5 "white elephant" gift exchange at work
• my manager gave each of the girls their own $5 Tim Hortons card "for time spent at the rink" - they loved it!
• Sophia made a gift for her friend Alissa: Minecraft characters in 3D
• Neil received a card and $20 from a Leader-Post customer on his part of our route
• all other Christmas gifts we received are recorded elsewhere
• for his birthday, Neil received some money from his parents, a pasta maker from his sisters, and a clock radio/iPod dock from us (Airmiles)

Sophia made these Minecraft characters using cardstock and templates from the Internet.

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• Neil upgraded his cell phone to an HTC One S - Roughrider Edition (first smartphone for him)
• Yummy Earth lollipops for the Advent calendar - probably no better than regular suckers (still just sugar) but the girls loved the flavours
• Collins Junior French Dictionary for Madeline
• I pre-ordered and bought two large containers of borsch soup from the Ukrainian National Federation - just for me (unfortunately, the rest of my family won't eat it) - delicious!
• Neil renewed his season tickets for the Roughriders
• ornaments for the girls, for Christmas 2013, at the Mackenzie Art Gallery gift shop
• special e-book for Madeline: The Little Mermaid and Other Tales by Hans Christian Anderson - each paragraph is displayed twice, in English and French, through the whole book

Georgia made this ornament and gave it to Madeline. The card said "I love you to pieces."

7. HEALTH

• started trying to take a teaspoon of coconut oil daily; also trying to take cod liver oil - neither happens consistently but I'm working on it
• Georgia had a sniffly nose for a couple days
• again, I had some mild cold symptoms for awhile but didn't even need (my usual) Advil Cold & Sinus
• Neil slipped and fell while delivering flyers, but wasn't hurt too badly
• Neil went to the chiropractor a couple of times
• I bought two supplements for myself: iodine (since I rarely use table salt) and magnesium bi-glycinate - took each of them once, mixed in plain water - must find a different method of getting these down!
• 24 hours after our turkey dinner, we had 6.5L of beautiful turkey bone broth - awesome!

Sophia playing Christmas songs on her trombone.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• decorated and shopped for Christmas (on top of everything else!)
• took and posted photos every day this month - so glad I did!
• after being upset with her November results, Madeline worked hard on her French reading minutes and surpassed her goal of 320 minutes!
• finished gathering photos for my 2012 Yearbook
• we completed our Mojo ringette raffle (for a Cuisinart beverage fridge full of various refreshments) - it was a big success - we made over $1600 in profit!
• completed our huge year-long content review project at work!
• I wrapped all of our gifts on Dec 21 (except those the girls had already wrapped for each other)
• entered the second half ringette game and practice schedules into the calendar
• created and printed (or emailed) a photo Christmas card to some family members (note to self: next year, do this earlier than the morning of Christmas Eve!)
• took down and put away all Christmas decorations on Dec 28

Our progress wall at work after completing our big project.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• I had a meltdown before work on the 18th - so many friggin' things to do - yup, Christmas stress got the best of me (will I ever truly enjoy December?)
• I had taken my unfinished 2012 Yearbook album in my purse one day and some of the pages were ruined when tea dripped on it :(
• the van's ignition cylinder had to be repaired and it cost $200 (also, had to get it towed in for service, but at least that was covered with our CAA membership)
• our main floor toilet kept running and overflowed, flooding the bathroom and hallway, and started dripping in the basement by the time we realized it - at least it was just water!
• after 12-12-12, I had no time to work on my 2012 Yearbook album
• we were too busy the whole time I was off work (9 days); I had no time to accomplish anything extra (neither housework nor fun stuff like scrapbooking)

Snow-capped Echinacea on Christmas day. / Charlie and Miley, and flyers to be delivered.

10. GOALS

• cleared the collection basket once - it was a desperate situation
• processed November photos - unusually small number of pictures
• captured our 12th family photo of 2012 - hooray! I love this project; so glad I did it
• completed my Daily December photo project! you might think this would add to my December distress, but it was actually one of my favourite things about this month

11. NOTEWORTHY

• Sophia didn't help decorate the Christmas tree because she chose to stay at a friend's house instead
• started using a new roll-out garbage bin from the city (glad to get those nasty shared bins out of alley! we had neighbours who were always filling it with unflattened boxes, branches, etc.)
• the girls each emailed Santa, but instead of doing it one after the other, they all did it on different days (and Sophia was not nearly as eager to do it as in the past) - Madeline and Georgia's reactions to M's video from Santa was very cute! (Santa said he remembered when Madeline was a little and she liked the paper and boxes as much as the gift; she turned to me and said, "Did I?" I said, yes, and both girls were delighted that he knew that :))
• Mom and Buffy came to see one of Madeline's ringette games, while Dad was at a bison meeting
• Sophia had 2 goals and 5 assists in one game (and 1 penalty) - awesome!
• the amount of hoarfrost and snow-covered trees we had this month was remarkable - many picture-perfect days!
• at one point, all of our girls' ringette teams (Sophia, Madeline, and our niece Bronwyn) were in first place in their divisions - so I took a screenshot of the standings - no, it's not all about winning, but that's quite amazing; it may never happen again!
• as I used the ring road through the month, to and from work, I was constantly astonished by how many vehicles were in the ditch
• I started using Aperture (my Christmas gift) for photo management and editing instead of iPhoto and PSE - there's a lot to learn in this program and I'm enjoying many features I didn't have before
• dogsitting: we hosted Chloe during a few work days; and my brother's dogs, Charley and Miley, for a week between Christmas and New Years while they travelled to Seattle
• Boxing Day was the coldest day of our paper delivery so far (in 8 weeks): -30/-36 wind chill, but it wasn't too bad as we know how to dress for it
• Neil and I emergency subbed for a nearby paper route - 5 days from Dec 27 - Jan 2
• I won a cute little Paper Issues scrapbooking kit (Times Square) after commenting on Aimee Maddern's blog
• both Madeline and Georgia slept for 12 hours one night (very unusual!) and they were so cute cuddled up together
• signed up for Eat Your Books because I received a free 3-month trial - many of our cookbooks and over 18 months of Neil's Food Network Magazines are indexed! time saver! (already decided to subscribe after the free period)
• Georgia started reading in English! So proud of her. Now, all three of my kids can read in two languages - how amazing is that?! :)

Rounding up November 2012

1. READ

• an Arthur story (K to M&G; I like Arthur! it's been a long time)
• Sophia must have read something - but what?
• Neil is working on Book 7 (Malazan series), but it's 1280 pages...

A very familiar place.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • Rider games and Grey Cup game (Neil)

• DVDs/Movies
  • Amazing Spider-Man (N; free on Max)
  • Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (N; free on Max)
  • The Rise of the Guardian (Sophia at Southland)

• Podcasts (K)
  • The Digi Show
  • Dishing Up Nutrition

• Other
  • Neil and I watched some of Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Life: Healthy, Wealthy and Wise on CreativeLIVE while it was free

Sophia and Madeline performed in the Remembrance Day liturgy at school.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• I attended 4 set-dancing classes (one was canceled due to weather); learned the Plain Set (continued from the spring), started learning Ballyvourney (fast and fun!), and learned a little Sean-nós - the oldest type of dancing in Ireland - I loved it!
• I went out for drinks with coworkers (Four Seasons) to say farewell to one leaving our group
• Neil took the girls (and Mattea) to a Rams game
• Neil and I attended the Remembrance Day Liturgy at school - Sophia and Madeline performed a special dance; all three participated in pinning a poppy while the names of family veterans were displayed on a screen
• we ordered Houston Pizza for supper
• the girls went to K4J; Madeline dressed up as St. Hedwig for her group's celebration of All Saints Day
• Georgia went to the Festival of Trees with her friend Elise
• all three girls went for supper and a sleepover at L&B's
• Sophia saw In Flanders Fields at the Artesian theatre with her class
• Sophia went to EDGE (youth group) a couple times
• Madeline went to Alex's for a sleepover
• Georgia had her friend Victoria over for a playdate (they also enjoyed playing at the rink during Sophia's ringette games as her older sister plays on the same team)
• I went to the first meeting of Prairie Snappers, a small local photography group organized by my friend Mary - we took pictures at the Regina Floral Conservatory and then met at Sweet on Broad Street to chat and make plans
• all three girls went skating with their school classes
• Dana and I went to East Side Mario's for lunch
• Neil went deer hunting with friends Todd and Darren, and their sons, Zack and Gabe - they didn't get one
• Madeline went to Mattea's one afternoon
• Sophia and Alissa went to a movie at the Southland
• we all attended Luca's (and his cousin Brooklyn's) baptism and lunch at Ali's parents' new house - it was great to see everyone - it had been too long
• Sophia went to Chuck E. Cheese with one of her ringette team mates
• 12 Activities with Mom:
  • Georgia and I went to the Science Centre on the holiday Monday, late afternoon - she didn't like how few people were there
  • Madeline and I went to a grocery store, then made blue Jello "plates" on which she arranged candy - and then I proclaimed that our activities in 2013 will be sugar free!
  • Sophia and I went shopping at Zippity Zoom and Southland Mall for her to buy Christmas gifts for her sisters

One of my pictures from the Regina Floral Conservatory. More on Flickr: Prairie Snappers

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Pork stir-fry with Hot-and-Sour Sauce (Real Simple)
• Basque Pork Stew (Canadian Living's Best Soups & Stews)
• Arroz con Pollo (chicken with rice; Texas Cooking)
• Alton Brown's Dill Pickles (fermented)
• Jamie Oliver's Perfect Roast Chicken
• Sophia's Smoothie
• Chicken and Corn Chowder (Big Book of Soups and Stews)
• cream kefir (made with 10, 18, or 35% cream, or combo) with frozen fruit on top - great snack at work
• bison broth soup with broccoli, lentils, and sausage
• leftover roasted broccoli sauteed with eggs and more parmesan
• Ali's quinoa salad with figs, almonds, and cilantro (I don't have the recipe, but I need to get it!)

Whole milk vanilla steamers, a new favourite treat for wintery evenings.

5. GIFTS

• Barb at set dancing gave me a pair of used leather set-dancing shoes from Ireland! They were given to her but didn't quite fit. I was always wearing dance runners which are comfortable but make no sound - so happy to have these!
• Harry Potter Christmas ornament and Houston Pizza gift certificates from friends

Sunrise on my way to work (Wascana Parkway over the Ring Road).

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• parka, ski pants, gloves, toque, and boots for Sophia
• ski pants and mittens for Madeline
• jeans for Neil
• warm toque for me - perfect for the paper route!
• Martha Stewart Office binder and page protectors for my 2012 Yearbook project
• combustion air blower for the furnace (Neil changed it himself)
• hooks and buckets for our front entrance - they work wonders for keeping our hats, gloves, and other stuff organized and off the floor!

New buckets in the front entrance. / Layout with pictures I took in November.

7. HEALTH

• started making kefir with real kefir grains (and Neil has really kept it going for me; I'm lucky)
• Neil made fermented pickles - which are mostly eaten by Sophia (and me occasionally)
• Sophia complained of a sore throat one morning, but went to school and was fine; nothing more
• I had some mild cold symptoms; hardly bothersome
• Sophia had a couple of bad nose bleeds - one during a ringette game, so she missed half a period

Georgia at the Science Centre on our monthly date.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• I received a gold recognition award from my manager at work, and I chose this Lug bag (Grass Green) - love it!
• we learned how to deliver papers smoothly and efficiently
• I made 550 tickets for the Mojo Ringette Raffle (refreshment fridge) and tracked ticket sales/returns
• I made a digital scrapbook layout (November)
• in my performance review at work, I received the highest rating - my first time achieving that level :)
• I cleaned Sophia's room; 7 months since I last did it - blech; Sophia actually helped this time - and she didn't like dealing with the garbage on the floor - ha!
• I gathered many photos for my 2012 Yearbook - big project
• I refreshed the banner, background, and layout on my blog - makes me happy

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• the furnace needed a new fan

Some of the snow we received in November.

10. GOALS

• backed up the computer
• processed September photos
• processed October photos
• printed photos from June through October (8-cent sale at Costco!)
• completed our 11th family photo

Sophia playing in the Buffalo Plains tourney.

11. SPORTS

• Sophia and Madeline both had much success in ringette - with their teams and individually (both play forward and occasionally, center)
• Sophia is proud to hold the title of fastest skater on her ringette team - established by several races
• Madeline scored her first (and second) hat trick! - quite amazing since she did not score her very first goal until March last season
• Sophia's ringette nickname is Shooter; Madeline's nickname is Maverick
• we enjoyed getting to know other parents at practices and games
• Sophia gets quite a few penalties (one or two almost every game) which we attribute to her being big, strong, and steady on her skates (others fall while she doesn't); her coach says they're "good" penalties - she's just trying hard; Sophia thinks the refs don't like her
• Neil, Sophia, and Madeline participated in the bottle drive for Sophia's ringette team (while G and I went to piano)
• we all attended Sophia's ringette tournament in Pilot Butte and Emerald Park (Buffalo Plains), and their team brunch at Perkins; Mojo won all four of their games in the tourney

11. NOTEWORTHY

• crazy, crazy weather! freezing rain (almost pouring one day) and lots of snow; extremely icy road conditions - driving and walking (flyer and paper delivery) were challenging at times! (I got the winter tires put on the van after the first rain)
• through UsedRegina (I had posted a want ad for dairy kefir grains), I met a new friend with similar food interests from Langenburg; I gave her a SCOBY when she was in Regina for a meeting
• dogsitting: we hosted little Yogi during weekdays for a couple of weeks; and big Chloe for 10 days
• Costco started selling gas and then our inflated gas prices went down all over the city - finally!
• Neil's Columbia winter boot split open, and for the third time/second winter (same problem), the Shoe Company replaced his boots immediately with a new pair, no problem, free of charge
• if you need a special-occasion cake, the Cinnamon Cake from Sweet Ambrosia Bakeshoppe, served at Luca and Brooklyn's baptism lunch, was exceptional!
• report cards came home and we attended parent-teacher interviews:
  • Georgia is enthusiastic, helpful, and excelling in grade 1
  • Madeline does very well in most things but needs to work on her French reading comprehension
  • Sophia's biggest challenge is being disorganized and untidy (I recently read her grade 1 report - same thing! also, Neil said he was the same in school - no surprise there)
• Georgia started reading English words - so exciting!
• Sophia started making bracelets with craft/embroidery string; she works on them often and has learned several different patterns and techniques

Rounding up October 2012

1. READ

• Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (read to M&G)
• The Halifax Explosion: Surviving the Blast that Shook a Nation by Joyce Glasner (Sophia)
• Dear Canada: A Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherall: Milorie, Saskatchewan, 1926 - the French version (Sophia - for a book report)

Georgia and I raked leaves together after our mom-daughter date.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • CFL football/Rider games (N)
  • Lost Season 1 (N)
  • Storage Wars (N)
  • Stargate SG-1 Season 1 (N)
  • Robin Hood Series 1 (N)
• DVDs/Movies
  • Katy Perry: Part of Me (M, G & K-half watched)
  • The Spy Next Door (girls on Netflix on their computer in the living room)
  • The Borrowers (Sophia and her friend Meghan)
• Podcasts (K)
  • Paperclipping Roundtable
  • The Digi Show
  • The Dave Ramsey Show
• Other
  • The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories - Dr. Seuss iPad app (the girls, on our way home from YG)

Thanksgiving dinner in Avonlea. Yum!

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• I attended 3 set-dancing classes - worked on the Cashel set mostly
• Neil took the girls and cousin B to the Science Centre on a day off school - they really enjoyed the new exhibit, Imaginate
• Sophia went for a sleepover at Alissa's; and she came to our house for an afternoon
• we enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner in Avonlea at Donna and Lou's - Grandma Louise (97) and L&B were there, too
• Sophia went to K4J Captain's training, and all three attended K4J
• I went out for breakfast at Denny's with my manager (Dana) and coworkers (Braden and Logan)
• I participated in Scott Kelby's World Wide Photo Walk with my friend, Mary - with 48 others, we took pictures for 2 hours in the Warehouse District and then went to Bushwakker to chat - fun!
• Sophia went to the Science Centre with her friend, Meghan
• Georgia had a couple playdates and a sleepover with her friend, Elise; she also went to a church Halloween party with Elise (they dressed G up as a witch for the party)
• Sophia went to her first and second EDGE youth group meetings and loved them
• we all went to church where Sophia helped lead the Rosary and Madeline greeted people as they arrived
• Madeline had her friend, Mattea, over for supper a couple times, and a sleepover; and Madeline went to Applebees for supper with Mattea and her family for Mattea's birthday
• the girls enjoyed having Henry and Ainsley at our house all day on a day they didn't have school
• my work group had a full-day planning session and we enjoyed some team-building activities at the Science Centre
• I went to O'Hanlon's briefly to wish my friend and former co-worker, Atef, good luck as he moved to another company
• we enjoyed attending Oktoberfest in Yellow Grass and visiting with my relatives (Grandma M, Aunts Gloria, Janet, Val, and Bev; and Richy and Bailey), and my family and friends who live in my hometown
• Neil attended home Rider games
• we all attended Sophia and Madeline's first couple ringette games; Georgia is delighted to have one of her best friends, Victoria, at Sophia's games because her older sister is on the same team
• Madeline and Georgia went to Emma's birthday party at the North YMCA (and, happily, came home with a goody bag for Sophia, too)
• Neil, Sophia, and I picked up Wok Box for supper one day - ironically, it was the same day we made homemade sausage, kombucha, kefir, and soaked oatmeal
• the girls enjoyed Hot Lunch Day at school - and we supplied home-baked squares
• Neil took Madeline and Mattea to a Ram's game (while Georgia and Sophia had other activities)
• Steve and Chloe came over for a dog playdate (Dash, Daisy, and Chloe)
• at my work place, we had a barbecue lunch (our Director cooked hamburgers and hot dogs) to celebrate one year of Self Serve, and to welcome new team members
• Sophia's class had a potluck at school on Halloween day - at Sophia's request, Neil made bison Irish Stew for it
• Neil and I both attended the Halloween costume parade at school - fun to see all the costumes!
• I went trick-or-treating with the girls, while Neil stayed home to hand out candy - I took our 3 and Mattea to trick or treat with Sophia and her friends (Alissa, Emily, and Michyla) around Alissa's neighbourhood, and then I took Georgia, Madeline, and Mattea to trick or treat in Mattea's neighbourhood - this is getting too complicated! (It's my fault, though; I wanted our 3 to be together for some of the evening.) We got home about 8:30 pm and Sophia was dropped off at our house just after 9 pm. All came home with a boatload of candy, of course. We let them eat, sort, compare for an hour before bed.
• 12 activities with Mom in 2012:
  • Georgia chose to go for haircuts (we both needed one) and then to Le Macaron for a milk steamer
  • Madeline chose to go to Cold Stone Creamery where she had a Dirt & Worms Halloween special (orange cream ice cream, Oreo cookie, fudge sauce, and gummy worms)
  • Sophia chose to go to Cold Stone Creamery (where she also had Dirt & Worms) and to the Halloween costume store on South Albert

Sophia had fun trying on a few things at the Halloween store.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Beefy Mac and Cheese without bread crumbs (Food Network Mag, Oct 2012)
• Beef (bison) Vegetable Quinoa Soup (Quinoa 365)
• Faux-tatoes (steamed cauliflower, mashed and mixed with cream cheese, S&P) - we all love this! (and we used cream cheese we made from kefir)
• Spaghetti sauce on spaghetti squash - I love it! Who needs pasta?
• Greek Salad (The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook)
• Hot Links (Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book)
• Classic Sausage - with bison instead of venison
• Mind-blowing Meatloaf (my name for it) - bison with rolled oats, frozen chopped spinach, chopped cooked bacon, and cheddar cheese in the meatloaf; topped with strips of bacon and Garlic-Herb Glaze (Mix & Match Meatloaf, Food Network Mag, Nov 2012) - best meatloaf ever (even better than Alton Brown's; yes, I said it!)
• Sloppy Joe Baked Potatoes (50 Stuffed Potatoes #5, Food Network Mag, Oct 2011)
• Chocolate Chip Blondies (for school)
• Roasted Cabbage Wedges (Martha Stewart)
• Southwest Ranch Dressing/Dip - I searched for a homemade version of my favourite dip (Marzetti Southwest Ranch) and found this recipe; it's pretty close - I love it!

Daisy and Dash.

5. GIFTS
    •   we bought birthday gifts for Madeline's friends

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• very good used skates for Madeline
• new Sorel winter boots for M - from UsedRegina.com
• items for Madeline's diner waitress costume (Value Village)
• supplies for Sophia and Georgia's Halloween costumes
• Kolbe A Index and Career MO+ for Neil
• 16-quart stainless stock pot from Costco
• Cultures for Health milk and water kefir grains

Ringette started this month (Madeline and Sophia).

7. HEALTH

• Sophia went to the orthodontist where we received both good news and bad news: her teeth continue to improve, so they'll do nothing for another year - but she'll still need braces and the average cost is $6200 - huh?! That's insane. I'm not sure she needs braces that badly. (Madeline will, though.) :(
• Georgia threw up at school after lunch one day; Neil took her home for the afternoon and she was perfectly fine to go to her dance class at 5:30 the same day - so strange
• I had a bad sinus headache and neck pain for a couple days - I'm glad it went away without a trip to the chiropractor

Madeline said goodbye to Butterscotch to make space in her bedroom.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• I finished Gamification at Coursera.org and earned a certificate!
• we purged more stuff from the basement on Thanksgiving weekend (and didn't get back to it after that)
• Madeline worked very hard on cleaning her room (I helped a little)
• Neil took a big bunch of stuff to Regina FreeCircle's Free4All event, including M's large toy horse (Butterscotch) - she couldn't let him go in the summer, but decided to do it now
• I said no (but I'll help) when asked to be manager for M's team - there's no way I can add that much work to my life at the moment! Thank goodness another mom volunteered!
• we made 32 lbs of bison-pork sausage (20 lbs using our deer sausage recipe, and 3 lbs each of four other recipes) - Neil did all the prep work (measuring, etc.) and cooked samples; Sophia mixed all of the meat and seasonings with her hands (huge help!); Neil's dad and Sophia did the linking; I washed things continuously during the sausage making and after; Neil smoked and packaged all of the sausages later that day and the next day. Donna, Laurel, Bronwyn, Madeline, and Georgia helped with quality control (tasting samples). :) It's a big job!
• we updated Neil's resume and wrote a fantastic cover letter so Neil could apply for Education Assistant at Prairie Sky School
• Neil attended a 2-day course and became certified in OHS Standard First Aid, CPR-A, and AED from St. John Ambulance
• made Halloween costumes for the girls: French fries (Sophia), diner waitress (Madeline), and a milk shake (Georgia) - they turned out very well and the girls were thrilled! They received many compliments at school and while trick or treating. :)

Trick or treating with Mattea (mouse), Emily (minion), Alissa, and Michyla.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• not getting the paper route I first wanted (it included our block)
• I had to go back to get my haircut fixed the same day - much better, but still not my favourite
• Prairie Sky School had already filled the position when Neil applied - before the deadline!

Neil's pumpkin carving (based on a picture he saw on the Internet).

10. GOALS

• July photos - check! (tons of photos; took a long time)
• August photos - check! (tons of photos; took a long time)
• took our family photo after rushing to complete the girls' Halloween costumes - it was snowing out so we took our picture indoors for the first time

11. NOTEWORTHY

• Sophia and Madeline finished Cross Country (details in September round-up)
• Sophia and Madeline each had 3 ringette evaluations - we all enjoyed seeing familiar faces from the past two seasons
• Sophia and Madeline learned what ringette teams they're on: Sophia's team is Mojo (coaches Kelly, Crista, and Vince); Madeline's team is Whiteout (coaches Colin and Leanne - same as last year) - so far, so good! Both are happy to have several past teammates on their teams
• Sophia's first three games with Mojo were super exciting, ending just 1 goal apart - great to see evenly matched teams
• Sophia had to play defense for a couple games - she didn't like it but it's good for her (she normally plays forward and now centre quite a bit)
• Madeline's team beat BP Black, last year's strongest team by far - so exciting for them! And Madeline scored a goal in this game!
• I did a Kolbe A index at work, and Neil did one at home; mine is 8624 and his is 4286 - almost completely opposite! This explains a lot. :) (I asked Neil to do this to help understand what kinds of jobs he should pursue; I think it was very helpful)
• registered Sophia for the Kidproof Babysitter Training Home Study course - to be done with L&B at their house
• I tweeted about a BPC giveaway and then they asked me to do another giveaway for them (Boot Camp) - and for my efforts promoting the Boot Camp, BPC gave me a seat in the class; I enjoyed the content, but didn't have time to do anything. I still hope to do some of the exercises/projects!
• Sophia enjoyed her weekly band rehearsals, in which four schools come together at a nearby high school (she's playing trombone)
• my Grandma Mantay turned 93 and she's doing well!
• Neil and I both voted in the civic election
• we were saddened to learn that Uncle Jim Rhoades passed away, not long after he had another stroke
• we enjoyed having Ron and Carol's dog, Daisy, at our house for the weekend while they were in Calgary
• I enjoyed added layouts to ScrapStacks.com - makes me want to do some scrapbooking!
• I signed up for A History of the World since 1300 at Coursera.org - even though I have zero time to watch the lectures - I want to watch them someday, and Neil is interested, too
• we only had 16 trick-or-treaters at our house this year - about half the usual number! and it was pretty good weather
• we started a flyer route on October 22 and a paper route on October 31. Neil and I both deliver the Leader-Post before 6:00 am Monday to Saturday (we split the route), while Neil delivers flyers Wednesdays and Fridays (I help when I'm off), and (if all available) all 5 of us deliver the Sunday Sun (double the addresses) - the girls earn a few bucks when they help

Rounding up September 2012

1. READ

• Dear Canada: No Safe Harbour: The Halifax Explosion Diary of Charlotte Blackburn, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1917 by Julie Lawson (Sophia)
• Dear Canada: Days of Toil and Tears: The Child Labour Diary of Flora Rutherford, Almonte, Ontario, 1887 by Sarah Ellis (Sophia)
• Geronimo Stilton: The Search for Sunken Treasure (read to M&G)
• Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants by Dav Pilkey (read to M&G)
• The Bonehunters (#6, Malazan Book of the Fallen) by Steven Erikson (Neil)

Walking to school.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • CFL football/Rider games (Neil)
  • Bones (N/K)
  • Master Chef (N/K)
  • Funniest Home Videos (girls)
  • Arrested Development (the pilot) (N/K)
• DVDs/Movies
  • Tooth Fairy (M/G/Kim)
  • Marmaduke (girls)
  • Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 (M/G)
  • Hotel Transylvania (Sophia at Southland with a friend)
• Podcasts (K)
  • Dishing Up Nutrition
  • Balanced Bites
  • The Dave Ramsey Show

New school shoes.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• Laurel took the girls to Avonlea where they walked from the golf course to Dunnet Park with their grandpa (thanks Laurel! this helped us get more work done in the basement)
• Neil and I picked up dinner from Wok Box one day and Mucho Burrito another - both times due to working hard in the basement and completely neglecting to plan meals (or clean the kitchen)
• Neil went to some Rider home games
• Neil took the girls and a friend of Madeline's to a couple Rams football games
• I attended four set-dancing classes - I'm really enjoying this session; love the time and location, too (very close to my house) - worked on Connemara, Clare Lancers, and Cashel sets
• my manager took me out for breakfast one day - I chose Denny's because I love their Ultimate Skillet
• the girls ran in the QCM Mini Marathon - Sophia was in the 11-17 age group, while Madeline and Georgia were in the 5-10 group; I also ran/walked with the younger girls - it was fun; we'd love to do it again! The weather was perfect and the girls received very nice participant medals (M was so proud of hers, she wore it to school the next day)
• I went for a walk with my manager at White Butte Trails over lunch hour one day
• we attended Meet the Teacher night at the school - all of their teachers are great; Georgia's is a first-year teacher and she's super organized and enthusiastic :)
• we all attended an Irish Club BBQ/potluck where we enjoyed visiting with friends and meeting some new immigrants from Ireland - we took a quinoa salad
• I went to a Jockey clothing party at Laurel's
• all three girls had occasional playdates at friends' houses
• we went to Marble Slab Creamery for a treat on my birthday - I really enjoyed my pomegranate ice cream with raspberries
• the girls and I walked in the Terry Fox Walk with their entire school, which raised over $3000 for the cause - gorgeous day for it - 27C on the 28th!
• 12 activities with Mom in 2012:
  • Georgia chose to go swimming and to the library at the Sandra Schmirler Centre
  • Madeline chose to go swimming at the Sandra Schmirler Centre
  • Sophia chose to play badminton at the Fieldhouse (my first time playing badminton in over 25 years; we kept trying to improve our rally and made it to 46!)

Walking to the Queen City Marathon from our house (about 7:40 am).

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Cinnamon Honey Yogurt (my recipe: 500 ml Greek ~10% mf plain yogurt, 1 cup kefir or a lower-fat ~3% mf plain yogurt, 3 Tbsp unpasteurized liquid honey, 2 tsp cinnamon) - yum!
• Grandma Mantay's Cucumbers & Sour Cream (cucumbers, salt, vinegar, sour cream)
• Chocolate Coconut Cookies (grain-free)
• Turkey Stock (The Healthy Home Economist) - simmered for 24 hours
• Potato-Leek Soup (The Big Book of Soups & Stews)
• Turkey (Noodle) Soup (with potatoes instead of noodles)
• Southwest Quinoa Salad (Quinoa 365)
• Avocado drizzled with EVOO, balsamic vinegar, S&P
• Vanilla Steamer (my recipe: 2 cups milk, 2 Tbsp sugar (1 coconut/1 regular), and 1/4 tsp vanilla)
• Alton Brown's Oven-Roasted Broccoli (without bread crumbs) - best broccoli ever!
• Probiotic Lemonade (Wellness Mama)
• Kombucha (green tea + lemon grass) - love it!
• Taco Cabbage Soup (family recipe)
• Sauce Mornay (The Joy of Cooking) - cheese sauce for cauliflower
• Bison Broth (Traditional Foods) - simmered for only 10 hours b/c the liquid disappeared too quickly; we'll use a crock pot next time (in fact, we're doing a second broth with the same bones in a crock pot right now)
• Ensalada de Granada (arugula, garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar, pomegranate seeds, S&P; from the TV show, From Spain With Love)

After the QCM Mini Marathon.

5. GIFTS

• Shauna gave Sophia a pair of track shoes (spikes)
• Mom gave me a SCOBY
• for my birthday, I received some lovely cards, artwork from the girls, messages on Facebook, phone calls from my brother and Grandma M, and a nice dress top from Laurel

Biggest spider we've ever seen in our back yard (body was dime-sized).

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• Netflix subscription
• NomNom Paleo cookbook app for the iPad - great recipes and info
• Minecraft Pocket Edition for the girls' iPods - they love this open-ended building/creative game
• three more shelving units for the basement (large, medium, and small)
• new backpacks for Sophia and Georgia (which they have to pay for because we have lots of backpacks they could have used)
• white Rider jersey for Neil - purchased at the new Roughrider Store's door-crasher sale; bonus: he entered a raffle and won a very nice, framed Roughrider print
• iTunes gift card and 24" monitor from AirMiles (free!)
• 15" MacBook Pro (with Mountain Lion) - my old iMac went to the kids and they're loving it! I use the laptop and monitor together - so happy to have two screens now (like I've had at work for years)
• Magic Trackpad - I needed a mouse and decided to go with this instead - it's pretty cool!
• 22 cu.ft. Kenmore refrigerator with French doors on top and pull-out freezer (nice!) - to replace our 15-year old 22 cu.ft. KitchenAide that stopped working - very unexpected purchase. Boo.
• used ringette girdle for Madeline
• Jockey pants, jeans, and sweater for me

Painted by Sophia around 2005 (was in our basement; now recycled).

7. HEALTH

• Georgia had a Holter Monitor, and we assume all is fine b/c we haven't heard from anyone
• I went for lab work (from my annual checkup in August) - no news is good news
• started taking cod liver oil (inconsistently)
• made kefir for the first time (and then about once a week) - cultured for 24 hours (with a starter product; still looking for real dairy kefir grains)
• made kombucha for the first time - cultured for 7 days
• made turkey bone broth
• made bison bone broth for the first time
• Sophia had a mild cold (or seasonal allergies?), and Neil had a bad one

The start of tasty turkey broth.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• I labeled the girls' school supplies - with their help, of course (4.5 hours!)
• Georgia did her music homework and practiced at least 5 times a week
• filled out a gazillion forms and cheques coinciding with the start of school and activities
• Neil and I worked very hard in the basement! It's looking great, but I can't say we're finished because there are still many boxes of stuff we haven't sorted/purged
• sold several more things on UsedRegina and donated some things to Community Living
• moved the new refrigerator into our house (and the old one out) - painful! thankfully, our young neighbours helped us get the fridge off the back of Neil's truck; the whole thing was challenging and a ton of work to squeeze into a weekend
• cleaned the carpet in our basement - I'm impressed with how well the RugDoctor worked - what a difference!
• made a bunch of furniture changes in our dining room and living room - moved in: round dining room table (from Laurel), oak bookcase (from basement), computer desk (from basement), bedside table (from S's room); moved out: rectangular dining room table (to garage), tall wood cabinet (to basement), wicker storage unit (to basement)

Walking with the girls' school in the Terry Fox Walk. Gorgeous weather!

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• my old computer (iMac) quit working and I had to get it repaired; it needed a new power supply (but I'm happy it wasn't the hard drive)
• still not finished with the basement - but we're getting there! We've done so much work and the improvements are HUGE; I just wish it wasn't taking so long
• still did not work on July or August photos - ugggh

Water line break in front of our house - 1 of 3 on our block within 2 weeks.

10. GOALS

• did not process last month's photos - again
• backed up the computer
• almost cleared my collection basket once
• cleared my email inbox (<20) 1/4 weeks
• no scrapbooking :(
• took our family photo - quickest, easiest one so far!

11. NOTEWORTHY

• the girls started grades 1, 4, and 6! For the first time, all three are in school full days; they're all happy with their teachers and classmates
• Neil is doing lunch supervision at the girls' school again this year
• two children (brother and sister, grades 1 and 5) started coming to our house before and after school 2-3 days a week (in addition to our niece who is here 5 days a week)
• Neil started looking for additional part-time work
• the girls resumed Irish dance classes - we're at the studio 4 times a week now - one class/week for each of them, plus Sophia and Madeline have an extra technique class together (Laurel is still taking Sophia to class with B, which is a great help to us!)
• Sophia started playing trombone in the school band - we've had some challenges with the required 20 min/day, 6 days/week practice schedule, but it's getting better
• Sophia worked very hard decorating a mat for her desk at school - her artistic talents amaze me!
• Sophia spent quite a bit of time with a new classmate who just moved here from Saskatoon - at her house and ours - one day they made very elaborate hats for Wacky Hat Day at school
• Sophia and Madeline participated in Cross Country (M's first time) with two practices before school and one after-school meet every week for 5 weeks - it was great to have friends pick them up for practices (so Neil and the other children didn't have to go anywhere until 8:45)
  • 1st meet: 5th (S) and 25th (M) - both were pleased!
  • 2nd, 3rd, and 4th meets: M was in the top 50 each time, while Sophia didn't run or finish (didn't feel well, stepped in a gopher hole, had trouble breathing)
  • 5th meet: 19th (S) and 53rd (M) - more breathing trouble for S; we don't know what the problem is, and she's frustrated (she has no trouble running continuously in practices)
• I was enrolled in 30 Days of Lists and BPC's Big Idea Festival (free), as well as Twelve at BPC (all year), and kept up with the reading/watching of content, but I didn't do anything with it - saving it for later!
• we picked up a small desk from Neil's cousin (originally from the Clarke family; hand made a few decades ago) and put it in Sophia's room for homework
• the Modular Storage container was picked up - I'm glad I rented it; it really helped us transition stuff from our house to other people, charities, etc.
• I resumed working every second Friday after 17 consecutive Fridays off; I certainly appreciate that I can do this with my job!
• a water line broke under the city-owned sidewalk in front of our house; the sidewalk is now gravel, but will be replaced
• a little dog, Yogi, stayed at our house on weekdays (work hours) for two weeks - the girls love having him
• my Dad became the Mayor of Yellow Grass (by acclamation)! I updated the Wikipedia page :)
• I completely disconnected the girls' TV for a full week - they actually played some board games during that time
• I turned 42! every birthday is a good birthday
• all three girls started playing Mathletics, an online program for which their school is registered, and they really like it
• we had infiNET (high speed Internet over fibre) installed at our house - our speed went up about 3MB for the same price
• through work, I enrolled in a free university-level course, Gamification, and completed the first 5 (of 6) weeks (lessons, quizzes, written assignments, and evaluations of 5 other students' assignments)
• we have a healthy supply of tomatoes (now picked) from our huge potted tomato plants

Rounding up August 2012

1. READ

• Masterpiece by Elise Broach (Sophia)
• The Rover Adventures: The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle (read to M & G)
• Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel (Kim)

Hiking in Horseshoe Canyon near Drumheller, AB.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • The Olympic Games (all) - both on TV and using the CTV Olympics App on our iPods and iPad
  • The Olympic Games Closing Ceremony (K/M/G)
  • CFL football/Rider games (Neil)
• DVDs/Movies
  • The Hunger Games (Neil & Wayne, in Edmonton)
  • Phineas and Ferb, The Perry Files (the girls, on our road trip)
  • Scooby Doo Laugh Olympics (the girls, on our road trip)
  • several Harry Potter movies (the girls, on our road trip
  • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (N/K at the Rainbow)
• Podcasts (K)
  • Paperclipping Roundtable
  • The Digi Show
  • Dishing Up Nutrition
  • Balanced Bites

We celebrated my Grandma B's 90th birthday in Saskatoon.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• the girls went to Tony Roma's for supper with L&B and stayed overnight
• Neil and I saw Steve Earle at the Casino with our friends, Steve and Jillian - great show and wonderful evening!
• we ate at Five Guys in conjunction with a Lowe's run (I love having a store like this so near! going to Home Depot or Rona was such a pain)
• Neil took the girls to a Butterfly Bash at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum
• Madeline went to her friend's house for supper and evening
• Sophia went to captain's practice (for K4J VBS), helped decorate for VBS, and then stayed overnight with a friend in Wilcox
• Dash's friend Chloe (and her owner) came over a few times; Neil, Dash, and the girls also went to their house
• we all went for a walk in Wascana Park and then along the creek west of Albert Street
• Sophia attended a Hunger Games Night at Connaught Library, and was excited to win a toy bow and arrow set for answering the most trivia questions correctly
• the girls went to K4J VBS camp every morning for one week; Sophia was a captain again this year (performing in skits, helping the younger children, etc.); 97 kids attended; Donna, Lou, Neil, and I attended the VBS finale (skit and songs) in which Madeline had a little speaking part as a pirate
• we took a week-long road trip to Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Drumheller - see below
• we celebrated Lou's birthday at L&B's house with a delicious meal - and the girls had fun with their cousin whom they hadn't seen for a month
• Sophia attended a bowling party for K4J VBS captains
• we all attended the K4J VBS family thank-you barbecue as Neil had helped with daily set up and moving heavy things - the girls enjoyed water-balloon sling shots
• the girls spent an afternoon with B at her house
• at my work place, we had a catered lunch to celebrate our group's 1st anniversary
• Neil took the girls and B to Dino Bouncers one afternoon (finally used a gift certificate we've had for months), and then the girls stayed overnight at L&B's
• 12 activities with Mom in 2012:
  • Georgia chose to go to the Wascana Waterfowl Park - she loved feeding the birds (too bad we didn't get there until 7:45 and it started getting dark soon after)
  • Madeline chose to go swimming at Wascana Pool (but we didn't stay in long as it was freezing!) and then to Sweet Bakery & Coffee Shop for a steamer
  • Sophia and I tried to stroll the shops on 13th Ave but they were closed; we ended up walking around the Cornwall Centre and she had a smoothie from Orange Julius

In Saskatoon, we tented at the Gordon Howe Campground.

Summer Road Trip

• we went on a fun road trip filled with festivities and fabulous weather!
• in Saskatoon, we:
  • tented two nights at the Gordon Howe Campground - which was great except for our neighbours having the plague (they appeared feverish and coughed all night!)
  • went to six Folkfest pavilions (Irish, Norwegian, Oromo, Laotian, Brazilian, and Asian-Pacific)
  • enjoyed the Forestry Farm Zoo for a couple hours
  • celebrated my Grandma Byrns's 90th birthday at the Park Town Hotel; it was wonderful to see her on this milestone, and visit with several relatives we rarely see
  • took the girls swimming at the Park Town
  • ate at Fuddruckers (always a must for us), Denny's (I recommend the Ultimate Skillet), Folkfest (Norwegian Krumkake for the girls; wonderful Oromo/Ethiopian combo for Neil and me), and Park Town Hotel (great Sunday Brunch)
• in Edmonton, we:
  • stayed with the Pilgrims for two nights - the girls love playing with their cousins!
  • shopped for school supplies and shoes
  • ate at Fatburger with Shauna, Cole, and Rian
  • went to the Fringe Festival with the Pilgrims and enjoyed watching "The Secret Circus" at an outdoor stage
• in Drumheller, we:
  • tented two nights at the Kokopelli Campground (in Rosedale) - excellent shade and quiet!
  • ate at Bernie & the Boys (the girls loved their root beer milkshakes), O'Shea's, Whifs for breakfast (LOVED!), and Evan's for pizza and calzones (fantastic!)
  • enjoyed swimming and watersliding at the Aquaplex (and the splash pad in front)
  • visited the World's Largest Dinosaur and  Fossil World (small one across from Aquaplex)
  • drove the scenic loop with a brief stop at Horsethief Canyon, and crossed the river on the Bleriot Ferry
  • enjoyed a 90-minute guided tour called Dinosite from the Royal Tyrrell Museum (RTM) - we learned how to prospect for fossils and saw parts of a dinosaur skeleton still embedded in rock
  • met a girl (almost 12) and her mom from Calgary -  Jaymie and Sophia were kindred spirits from the start - they caught a garter snake together and were in heaven! We spent much of our day at the RTM with these nice people
  • enjoyed the Fossil Casting program at RTM in which the girls each made a fossil replica to take home
  • spent about 90 minutes at Reptile World (while Neil stayed in the van to avoid the snakes) - Sophia and Madeline held Brittany the boa constrictor, and the girls enjoyed seeing the tortoise, crocs, and snakes being fed
  • loved going to the RTM in the evening - no crowds! Finally, a chance to read and absorb - I really enjoyed the stories of fossil discoveries in Alberta
  • hiked in Horseshoe Canyon early in the morning - gorgeous views and perfect weather! Wonderful conclusion to our time in Drumheller.
• on the way home, we visited Dinosaur Provincial Park - stopped at the lookout point, spent time in the Visitor Centre, watched a film about hadrosaur eggs, and drove the public loop.

Royal Tyrrell Museum.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Cream of Cauliflower and Cheese Soup (The Big Book of Soups & Stews)
• Coconut Bars (grain-free)
• Double Broccoli Quinoa (I'd prefer less garlic next time)
• Mom's Grain-Free Pancakes
• Bacon and Broccoli Rice Bowl (Food Network Mag)
• Orange Kefir Chia Pudding (unusual, but Sophia and I enjoyed it! I will make it again)
• Potato Pancakes (The Joy of Cooking; coconut flour instead of wheat flour)
• Dave's Memphis Wet Ribs (Weber's Charcoal Grilling)
• Kelsie's Cucumber Salad
• Corn Chowder (The Joy of Cooking)
• Eggs scrambled with leftover taco meat, cheddar cheese, and salsa - easy!

Fantastic food from the Oromo pavilion at Saskatoon Folkfest.

5. GIFTS

• Nike athletic t-shirts for all three girls from Auntie Shauna
• Sophia received a pair of Tom's and running shoes from Auntie Shauna and Auntie Laurel, respectively (she is lucky their shoes fit her!)

We enjoyed the Secret Circus act at the Edmonton Fringe Festival.

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• Apple TV (we also canceled some Max packages this month)
• Magic Bullet (big set from Costco) - love it!
• Modular Storage container rented for one month (Aug 3-Sep 4)
• new light fixture for the laundry room
• FM transmitter/charger for iPods (had to replace one that broke)
• Hunger Games DVD with a mockingjay necklace (for Sophia)
• school supplies and shoes, and one t-shirt each from Aeropostale
• Royal Tyrrell Museum t-shirts for the girls
• music stand and cleaning kit for Sophia's rental trombone

Fossilized bone found on our Dinosite tour (and left there).

7. HEALTH

• I lost a few pounds (unintentionally) by eating fewer grains (especially wheat) and sugars
• Georgia, then I, then Madeline, came down with a cold on our road trip. Boo.
• Madeline had an orthodontist appointment - her top teeth didn't move as much as hoped after having two baby teeth extracted a year ago; she'll need braces after all of her permanent teeth are in :(
• Neil had an ENT appointment - he has a bit of hearing loss, but not enough to need aids (his hearing improved after his ears were cleaned)
• the girls and I had our annual doctor appointments, and all is fine (I asked but received no advice or explanation re: G's random vomiting episodes)
• I signed up for the Cultured Kids e-course from Domestic Diva, and watched/listened to some of the content - hoping to make some fermented foods the kids will like

Petting a goat at the Forestry Farm Zoo in Saskatoon.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• we worked very hard and made good progress on purging, cleaning, and organizing our horribly neglected and over-stuffed basement; we rented a Modular Storage container for one month to store things we're getting rid of, and had a yard sale one day - so much work! We made $300, but more importantly, lots of stuff left our house and garage (including our old upright freezer - hooray!)
• we got rid of a mountain of children's clothes; through our yard sale and my inlaws, many clothes are destined for the Philippines, Africa, and south Texas. I'm glad. :)
• we spread some slag (from rock-hard piles) on our back driveway - should have done it last year!
• I washed all of the windows on the front of the house
• I posted more than three dozen items for sale (and some for free) on UsedRegina and Regina Garage Sale on FB - got rid of a bunch more stuff!

Modular Storage container and impromptu garage sale.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• a box of prized old t-shirts (both mine and Neil's from concerts and other events) had gotten wet last year (we weren't aware until now) and some have mildew damage
• we did not part with as many toys as I'd hoped; next year!
• one of our bison cows from the original herd (1999), J4, died after being injured somehow; we hope her calf will be okay
• we didn't attend Chad's funeral service in Calgary as it was the same weekend as my Grandma's birthday in Saskatoon

Looking toward the Albert Street bridge from inside Wascana park.

10. GOALS

• did not process last month's photos - for the first time in years :(
• backed up my computer
• cleared my collection basket 1/4 weeks
• cleared my email inbox (less than 20 - new standard) 1/4 weeks
• still on a scrapbooking break
• took our monthly family photo at our campsite near Drumheller

11. NOTEWORTHY

• we were extremely saddened to hear about the tragic death of Neil's cousin, Chad
• this month was very dry; we needed to water our tomato pots very often
• we saw a mouse in our basement while we were cleaning the basement! Un.Be.Lievable. We managed to catch it that day (thank goodness), and then spent several hours ensuring (we hope) there were no more holes for mice to get in. Why on earth would a mouse come inside in the middle of a hot summer -- AND show itself to us several times within a couple hours? There can only be one reason: to tell us we needed to seal our home before fall arrives. (*Not once* during last winter's three-month mouse nightmare did we see a live one. Go figure.) We learned some friends down the street also had a mouse or two mid-summer. Bizarre!
• Madeline and Georgia rearranged their bedroom and added a dresser from Sophia's room (with our help); there's hardly any floor space now, but they're delighted
• I gave Sophia a snail I had found inside a container of raspberries from California. She named it Raspberry and is keeping it in her room (I gave her a container and a vent cover for a lid). Not only did the snail survive while we were away for a week, it's growing rather quickly!
• we enjoyed fresh tomatoes and potatoes from our garden, cucumbers from our neighbour, and apples from Carol W - heavenly!
• Georgia enjoys helping me prepare our oatmeal in the evening (once or twice a week) and I enjoy her help; it's our thing :)
• Neil's cell phone fell (submerged) into his cup of tea on the way to Edmonton - thankfully, we were able to save it using a bag of rice at Shauna's house
• the girls were a bit obsessed with Moshi Monsters (website) for awhile this month
• I decided and introduced: no screen time for anyone until all of the dishes are done, homework/practice done, and the living room picked up (each evening) - good concept, but challenging to enforce
• Georgia had her first lesson in Music for Young Children (Sunbeams 1) and was eager to do her homework and practicing
• we finally had our piano tuned and learned it was made before 1915; it hadn't been tuned for more than a decade (moved at least twice in that period) and some keys were way off
• Sophia declared she wants to be a heptathlete! (after learning about heptathlon from the Olympic Games) :)

Rounding up July 2012

Photos added on October 15.

Dental news edition...

***

1. READ

• Dear Canada: If I Die Before I Wake: The Flu Epidemic Diary of Fiona Macgregor, Toronto, Ontario, 1918 by Jean Little (Sophia)
• Geronimo Stilton: A Fabumouse Vacation for Geronimo (K read to M & G)
• Midnight Tides (#5, Malazan Book of the Fallen) by Steven Erikson (Neil)
• The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande (Kim) - riveting!

Horses at the Jeffries Ranch (July 1, but mentioned in June's roundup).

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • The Olympic Games (all) - both on TV and using the CTV Olympics App on our iPods and iPad
  • CFL football/Rider games (Neil)
  • The Next Food Network Star (Neil)
  • Master Chef (Neil and Kim)
• DVDs/Movies
  
  • Brave (the girls, with their aunties and cousins at the Southland)
• Podcasts (K)
  
  • Paperclipping Roundtable
  • The Digi Show
  • Dishing Up Nutrition
  • This Memory Keeper's Life

Hiking in the badlands at Avonlea.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• we hiked in the Claybank hills with Lou, Bronwyn, and the Pilgrims, and found The Claybank Hills cache
• the girls and I went for a bike ride on the South Storm Channel Pathways
• we hiked in the badlands near Avonlea with Lou, Bronwyn, Shauna, Cole, and Rian, and then had supper at Donna and Lou's in Avonlea
• we all went to Georgia's friend's birthday party at the south spray pad (we're friends with her parents, too)
• Georgia and Madeline went to Massey Pool with one of the G's friends
• cousin Bailey came over to our house one day during a Rider game, and another afternoon while her brother was having allergy tests
• cousins Bronwyn, Cole, and Rian came to our house one afternoon while Shauna was painting at L&B's house; they went to the splash pad where the Street Culture Kidz had water balloons - and then the girls became obsessed with water balloons
• we attended the Irish Club's Summer Ceili at St. Luke’s Hall - huge potluck (I scored some homemade still-warm rhubarb pie!) and lots of dancing - set dancing and informal performances from Irish Club and Prairie Gael dancers (including Sophia and Madeline)
• the girls stayed in Avonlea with their grandparents and cousins (B, C, and R) for almost two days (one night) - they enjoyed walking along the railway tracks with Uncle Ron and going to the library
• we had Houston Pizza for supper with Laurel, Shauna, and the kids at L&B's
• Neil went to a few home Rider games
• we went to the home of new friends (met through Georgia's 2011-12 dance class) for swimming in their pool (just the kids) and dinner (including homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie!)
• Neil took the girls to the library and they came home with a boatload of books
• we attended the RCMP Sunset-Retreat Ceremony for the first time - we really enjoyed the ceremony and pre-show demonstrations by the Emergency Response Team, Explosives Disposal Unit, and Police Dog Services - gorgeous evening, too!
• Neil took the girls to the Farmer's Market
• Neil took the girls to Orange Boot Bakery to sample and learn about goat cheese from SalayView Farm (Lang, SK) - yum!
• we walked the QCM Mini Marathon route with Dash one evening
• Madeline invited a friend over one afternoon
• Dash had a few playdates with Chloe at our house
• Georgia went swimming with a friend at Wascana Pool
• we went to the Milky Way for ice cream and then for a short stroll through the Government House gardens (we were planning to find a cache near there but there were too many people around) - the girls called it "family night"
• we stayed in Yellow Grass at Mom and Dad's one weekend:
  • along with my parents, and Rob, Robyn, Ethan, Jordyn, and Kacy, we went to Ogema and enjoyed a two-hour train trip (with a 20-minute stop in Pangman) on the new Southern Prairie Railway; after lunch at the Rolling Hills restaurant, we visited the Deep South Pioneer Museum - amazingly huge collection of buildings and artifacts! the afternoon was extremely hot
  • we were treated to a spectacular evening sky in YG - thunderstorm followed by mammatus clouds (twice in one year!), full rainbow, beautiful orange and pink sunset, and an incredible show of lightning - like nothing I’ve seen before - great example of why SK is "the land of living skies" :) (see photos by Tornado Hunter, Greg Johnson - last one was taken at YG that evening)
  • the girls enjoyed playing with their Yellow Grass cousins
  • we went to the farm and had a good look at Mom and Dad's bison herd while driving slowly around and through the area they were grazing
  • we found a cache in YG before heading back to Regina
• 12 activities with Mom in 2012:
  • Georgia chose to go for a walk in Wascana park; she enjoyed looking at the birds and collecting feathers
  • Madeline chose to go for tea at Stone's Throw coffee shop
  • Sophia chose to go wall climbing at the Science Centre (my suggestion) - it was her second time and she reached the top very quickly (6.5 minutes!)

Sophia climbing at the Science Centre. / The girls' lilies (first year).

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Coconut Curry Meatballs (Canadian Living Everyday Favourites)*
• Patatas Bravas (Tapas by Susanna Tee)
• Hamburger Barley Soup (The Big Book of Soups & Stews)
• Alton Brown's Poached Eggs
• Korean Beef Noodles (with bison and brown rice noodles)
• Soaked Oatmeal Porridge (with 1 Tbsp. chia seeds, 1/4 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 coconut, and 2 tsp. cinnamon for me; plain/cinnamon for the girls)
• Bacon, Egg, and Cheese "Muffins"
• Alton Brown's Meat Sauce
• Texas Smoky Links (Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book) (Neil made patties as we had no casing)**
• Swiss Chard

RCMP Sunset-Retreat Ceremony.

5. GIFTS

• Neil received a MacBook computer from a (very generous) friend who wasn't using it

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• t-shirts, cardigan, capri pants, swimming suit, and Skechers Go Walk shoes for me (so light and comfy!)
• rain ponchos and Soda shoes for the girls (similar to Toms and Bobs, but cheaper)
• a small greenhouse for $15 (clearance) - should be good for our bedding plants next year

Ogema's train station, home of Southern Prairie Railway.

7. HEALTH

• I had an anxiety attack (at work) over Georgia's appointment for dental fillings. I was concerned about the liquid sedative and the local anaesthesia, lidocaine, and their compatibility with her heart condition, and my questions weren't answered so I cancelled the appointment (and, later, cancelled her August appt). At the time, doing this felt completely irrational (especially after waiting a year for the appointments), but after reading Cure Tooth Decay and making some changes (less sugar and grains; more vitamin D, butter, etc), I'm happy I cancelled the appointments and have no plans to rebook. I don’t believe she needs her baby teeth drilled and filled -- and it has nothing to do with her heart condition or anaesthetics.
• we all had our teeth checked and cleaned - Sophia has two cavities, Madeline has one, and Georgia had none -- other than those identified last summer (I guess), but he didn't even mention them; they mustn't be too bad. I declined flouride for myself and the girls, and didn't book any follow-up appointments (I think it's odd that no one suggested we make appointments for fillings, but that's fine with me; of course, I wish the girls did not already have cavities).
• Georgia had yet another vomiting-first-thing-in-the-morning episode - I don't understand it; it happens randomly, perhaps five times a year
• Neil had a hearing test; results were sent to ENT doctor (appointment in August)
• thanks to the coincidence of Georgia's dental appointment (which spurred me to search for an alternative) and the Real Food Summit (online presentations were free during that week only), I:
  • learned much about the importance of eating real food for our health (and teeth - very interesting how the message is essentially the same for all aspects of health)
  • started shopping at Dad's Organic Market and Body Fuel Organics (in addition to Old Fashion Foods)
  • bought kefir for the first time
  • started giving the girls vitamin D and fish oil (Neil and I were already taking vitamin D daily) - the girls love their "lemon stuff"
  • decided to make several changes to what we eat on a regular basis

Rainbow at Yellow Grass on July 21.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• we took family pictures on both Neil's side (July 2) and my side (July 21) of our family
• I kept up with weeding our garden beds – I think it's the first time since having children!
• I purged my digital scrapbooking supplies (thousands of files, some dating back to 2005) and organized the keepers by colour - much better!
• I upgraded my Reunion software and updated my genealogy website (much better!); I also added all of my cousins and their children - long overdue
• Sophia learned how to do a fishtail braid by watching a video for 30 seconds - I've always wanted to learn that!
• the girls took swimming lessons at the University of Regina for two weeks - Sophia earned level 6, Madeline earned level 5 (after doing one week in level 4 and one week in level 5), and Georgia earned level 1 (later, by reading an OhLife entry from last year, I learned I should have registered her in level 2 this year - doh!)

Georgia on the high board, last day of lessons. / One of our poppies.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• I'm frustrated with how much time I spend dealing with non-personal email; cancel, cancel, cancel...(and I had already canceled or auto-filed dozens of newsletters in the spring)

Monarch butterfly in our garden; I'm glad Sophia called me to see it!

10. GOALS

• processed June photos (everything except printing)
• backed up my computer
• cleared my collection basket 1/4 weeks - thankfully, summer means less incoming paper
• cleared my email inbox 1/4 weeks
• made no layouts (no surprise; I'm taking a break)
• took our monthly family photo

11. NOTEWORTHY

• we had gorgeous summer weather all month, and ate outside on the patio most days
• I went to bed around 10:00 or 10:30 pm (which is early for me) the entire month; I suppose it's a good thing but I miss having more time in the evening
• I enjoyed finding my Great Grandmother, Georgia Byrns, and other relatives in the just-released 1940 U.S. Federal Census
• I was delighted to be able to search and view census (and other) records on the Internet and immediately update files in my genealogy software on my iPad, while away from home, and then sync the files to my home computer - perhaps this will seem quite ordinary someday, but right now, it's very cool!
• the girls filled our old blue plastic paddling pool and enjoyed using it for several days; I'm glad they used it again :)
• Sophia declared (again) that she's going to be in the Olympics someday - with no particular sport in mind - yet!
• our neighbour hired the girls ($10 each) to water her plants and collect her mail for 10 days - they were excited and really enjoyed doing this

 

*I'd like to try this grain-free version: Coconut Curry Meatballs (What Feeds Us)
**Neil enjoyed talking to Bruce Adells five years ago at the International Bison Conference in Rapid City, SD :)

Rounding up June 2012

My roundups are getting longer! I guess I'm adding more details, but June was also exceptionally full. Both Mosaic and the Avonlea Centennial could have had their own posts but they're included here.

***

1. READ

• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Sophia)
• The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler (Sophia)
• My Life in Pink & Green by Lisa Greenwald (Sophia)

I spent an hour painting Madeline's nails one evening. She has lovely nails!

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • The Killing (N/K) - end of series
  • Top Chef Canada (N/K) - end of season
  • Master Chef (N/K) - I watched the first episode, but decided not to watch again until much later in the season (if at all)
  • The Next Food Network Star (N)
  • NHL Stanley Cup Finals (N)
  • Strictly Irish Dancing - a documentary on the 2011 World Irish Dancing Championships (girls)
• DVDs/Movies
  • Moneyball (N/K) - great movie!
  • Madagascar 3 - the girls saw it with L&B at the Southland
• Podcasts (K):
  • Paperclipping Roundtable
  • The Digi Show

Set dancing at Mosaic. I'm on the far right with my back to the camera.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• Mosaic - see below
• Avonlea Centennial Celebration - see below
• Georgia attended two birthday parties, and an all-day playdate and sleepover with a friend (her first non-family sleepover)
• Madeline attended one birthday party, and went to a friend's house for a playdate and supper
• Sophia had a friend over one afternoon
• I attended four set-dancing classes; we learned the Clare Lancers set - very fun! revisited the Connemara and Kilfenora, and a variety of two-hand dances; I really enjoy set dancing and will continue in September
• we all attended the Irish Club and Prairie Gael's year-end windup/Mosaic volunteer appreciation BBQ at the Seniors' Centre on Elphinstone
• the girls and I went for a walk in Wascana and then to DQ for ice cream sandwiches
• I went to the CS Ops Annual Appreciation BBQ at work
• the girls invited me to attend their circus/amusement park which included a welcome song performance, bubble blowing, batting game, sword fighting with wet short pool noodles, shoulder massage, and lemonade :)
• we all attended a come and go tea (the girls called it a "stay and go" tea) at the Royal Regina Golf Club for Uncle Mike's Mom's 90th birthday
• Neil went to the first Rider home game
• we all attended the 2nd annual outdoor mass and BBQ - great weather and lunch (lots of homemade salads); the girls enjoyed a bunch of activities
• I enjoyed visiting with a friend/former coworker at the 13th Avenue Coffee House one evening
• I took the girls to the splash pad a couple times
• school activities:
  • Georgia's class went to the splash pad and another park in our area
  • Madeline's class went to the splash pad and bowling at Golden Mile
  • Sophia's class played in a grades 4-6 softball tournament, and her team won
  • Sophia and Madeline's classes did their annual walk around Wascana; Neil transported the lunch coolers, as usual
  • Sophia and Madeline's classes went swimming at the Sandra Schmirler on the last day of school
• 12 activities with Mom in 2012:
  • Georgia chose to paint plant pots; we each painted two 4" terracotta pots (purchased at Dollarama, then primed with white spray paint)
  • Madeline chose to make a teddy bear out of denim from Neil's old jeans - it turned out well (but it took a long time, and then I ruled out sewing projects for future activities)
  • Sophia chose to go to the Wascana Waterfowl Park (behind the Centre of the Arts)

Mosaic, May 31-June 2 (and more):

• Sophia danced St. Patrick's Day (hard shoe) twice on Thursday, Hornpipe (hard shoe) twice on Friday and Saturday (with Bronwyn);
• our niece, Bronwyn, danced the Hornpipe (hard shoe) and Sprig of Shillelagh (hard shoe) twice on Friday and Saturday;
• Madeline danced in an 8-person Reel choreography (soft shoe) and Treble Jig (hard shoe) twice on Thursday and Saturday;
• Georgia danced in a 5-person Reel choreography (soft shoe) twice on Friday and Saturday; it was her first performance -- super cute!
• I performed set dancing (8 people) - Antrim Square once on Thursday and twice on Friday, and Kilfenora three times on Saturday;
• we visited other pavilions: Scottish, Latin American, and Austrian on Thursday; German, Indian, and Caribbean on Friday;
• we ran the Children's Program at the Irish pavilion from 2:00 to 4:00 on Saturday - it's a good thing I did my share of the work (preparing bookmark kits) ahead of time because I had little time to help during the program itself;
• Neil worked at the bar from 5:00 pm to midnight on Saturday (plus, various jobs all three days); I did a little table cleaning and mopping late on Saturday; we also helped with tear-down from midnight to 1:30 am; and Neil helped with tear-down for eight straight hours on Sunday;
• Many thanks to: Laurel and Shauna for helping with the Children's Program; my parents for taking Dash for a walk Saturday afternoon; and Donna and Lou for taking the children to L&B's to stay overnight on Saturday. We appreciate all of your help so much!

Avonlea Centennial Celebration, June 29-July 1:

• we spent three days in Avonlea with Donna and Lou, Laurel and Bronwyn, and Shauna, Wayne, Cole, and Rian
• it was hot, sunny, and humid the whole weekend
• we saw the 15 Wing Moose Jaw Fly By to kick off the Centennial
• we attended the Riderville hospitality evening at the rink where the Rider game was shown on a big screen; Scott Schultz was there and the Riders beat Hamilton 43-16
• we celebrated Bronwyn's 12th birthday and Cole's 8th birthday
• thanks to Uncle Ron, we were FTF (first to find) a new cache called Dr. Henry Dunnet
• we enjoyed watching the parade with a big group of relatives, including cousins Gabe and Avery; the kids received a ton of candy and Grandma Louise (almost 97 years old) was on a float!
• the kids enjoyed the children's entertainment - inflated slide, face fainting, and petting zoo
• Shauna and Laurel took the kids for a quick tour of the school
• the older girls performed in the talent show in their Prairie Gael dresses: Sophia and Bronwyn did their soft-shoe Reel, Madeline did her Treble Jig (hard shoe), and then Sophia and Madeline did St. Patrick's Day (hard shoe)
• Saturday evening, we enjoyed the banquet, cabaret with Brad Johner, and an excellent show of fireworks - so close!
• we went to pancake breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday; both were nicely done
• Sunday afternoon, we had a big gathering of relatives at Donna and Lou's for a BBQ/potluck meal; the new babies of the family, Gracie and Luca, were there
• the four girls, Cole, and I (plus Glenys and Lee) went to the Jeffries' ranch to see Appaloosa and miniature horses - well worth the trip!
• we took the kids swimming at the pool at Dunnet
• Donna, Lou, Neil and I took the kids over to Ron and Carol's for a short visit Sunday evening
• Friday, the girls and Cole slept in a tent in Donna and Lou's back yard - for the first time without parents! Saturday, I slept in the tent with our three girls; and Sunday, we pulled the tent down just before a major thunderstorm hit - phew!

Cousins watching the Avonlea Centennial Parade.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• sliced avocados tossed with lime juice and S&P - best condiment/side dish ever - goes with everything!
• Mexican Torta Burgers (Food Network Mag)
• Rhubarb Compote (Martha Stewart) - I love the ginger!
• Bacon-Ranch Potato Salad #10 (Food Network Mag)
• Thai Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers (Cooking Channel) - bison instead of chicken; we all loved these
• Sophia's Perfect Popovers

My bison burger one day. We all laughed at how tall it was (about 4.5 inches) - impossible to bite!

5. GIFTS

• from our neighbour, five fruit syrups from BC for watching her plants and watering as needed
• from Auntie Shauna:
  • Sophia received two books (The Cupcake Queen and My Life in Pink & Green),
  • Madeline received a notebook and Shake It Up t-shirt, and
  • Georgia received owl-themed stationery and a Hannah Montana tattoo
• for Father's Day, Neil received:
  • from Madeline, a little wooden bird house she painted at school, bird seed, and coupons (for things like walking on his back)
  • from Georgia, a picture she coloured at school
  • from all three girls, a Father's Day fill-in-the blanks sheet they each completed (e.g., If he could go on a trip, he would go *to a space station.* My favourite thing about my dad is *his cooking.*) Idea from Pinterest; unfortunately, the original source appears to be lost; feel free to download the one I created: fathers-day.pdf
• when school ended, Neil received:
  • from a teacher, a $10 Canadian Tire gift card for distributing the milk every day at school
  • from a parent, a 4-pack of Kilkenney Irish Cream Ale for doing lunch supervision every day

Sophia's "Tiny Dino" lily and Meadow Sage.

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• I bought some materials for Sophia's Halloween costume (only available in summer!)
• two new tires for my bike
• we hired College Pro Painters to paint all of the window and door trim on our house and garage (plus the garage people door and fascia) - it needed to be done so badly and we were never going to get around to it! All of the trim is chocolate brown now; some was off white before

Our back yard after a weekend of hard work.

7. HEALTH

• I had a terrible cramp on the right side of my right lower leg - unbelievably painful; it subsided after I found the right crouching position and drank some pickle juice (thanks to the Internet)

The girls enjoyed collecting caterpillars and keeping them (briefly) in containers. I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in the lid.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• I registered the girls for K4J VBS in August, ringette (Sophia and Madeline), and MYC piano (Georgia)
• we did a bunch of yard work and it's looking good! I cleared all of the weeds from the paths and we added more crusher dust; we moved the whole pile of wood chips (from last year's broken spruce tree) into our yard and spread it all over the east side of our back yard; we also weeded the garden beds, trimmed our large lilac bushes, and cleaned up all the toys, sticks, etc.
• I sold a few things on UsedRegina.com - the Sizzix Big Shot and bag I won last year (never used), fleece fabric, and 75-300mm Canon lens (total: $265!)
• Neil made a feast of ribs and wings for Father's Day - shared with his parents and L&B at Laurel's house: blue ribbon barbecued pork ribs with classic red barbecue sauce, and chicken wings 4 ways: grilled hot wings, chile-lime wings with cilantro dipping sauce, dry-rubbed wings with PB&J sauce, and dry-rubbed wings with ranch dressing (Joy of Cooking) - all (but the ranch) from cookbook, Ribs, Chops, Steaks & Wings
• Georgia, Madeline, and Sophia completed kindergarten, grade 3, and grade 5 - all report cards were good!

Ducks at the Wascana Waterfowl Park.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• seeing evidence that our iMac's hard drive is failing - again (second one in this computer); started thinking about buying a new computer this year (now... looking forward to a faster processor and Mountain Lion!)
• I did no scrapbooking (layouts), except to finish a digital page I started in May

Fascinating mammatus clouds on June 26.

10. GOALS

• processed May photos
• backed up my computer
• cleared my collection basket 1/4 weeks - boo
• worked on my email inbox and computer 1/4 weeks - tough month
• made no layouts (my goal was 6) - I don't think this is working out
• took our monthly family photo - thanks to Laurel for taking our picture in Avonlea on June 30!

Yep, we were in our PJs (except Neil).

11. NOTEWORTHY

• we celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary on June 5 - Neil made a delicious supper for all five of us: grilled pork chops, crispy potato wedges, corn on the cob, and Greek salad; later, we watched the Top Chef Canada finale together
• our computer gave me a big scare when it wouldn't turn on again after a power outage; then I learned that it might start after being unplugged completely for several minutes. It worked -- phew!
• vandals spray-painted words on the side of our van in the middle of the night, and were caught within hours - thanks to our neighbour seeing them do it and calling police right away; we were able to remove the paint immediately with a Magic Eraser
• online classes: completed Picture Black & White with Tracey Clark at BPC; enjoyed Got Glue? a free class from Tami Taylor at Creative Passion Classes; continued reading and watching class content in Twelve at BPC
• I attended the band meeting for Grade 5 parents and learned Sophia will play trombone next year! We've reserved a used rental instrument from St. John's Music
• we had some tornado watches and warnings during the last week of June - just as the city was commemorating the 100th anniverasary of the Regina Cyclone, the deadliest tornado in Canadian history
• after one thunder storm, we saw beautiful and rare mammatus clouds over Regina
• we had no home phone, Internet, or TV service for six days - fortunately, we did have access to the Internet via cellular data on my iPad -- and we were away for three of those days
• I enjoyed talking about writing and editing with author, Alan Smith, at the Avonlea Centennial. He wrote Saskatchewan Birds, which we've owned for years - I wish I had known this when talking to him!

Rounding up May 2012

1. READ

• The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Sophia)
• Everyday Storyteller (affiliate link) - I really like this book! It covers a variety of memory-keeping ideas and techniques (not just scrapbooking)
• various books from the school library (read to Georgia and Madeline)

Candy buffet at cousin Andrea's baby shower. The girls were in heaven!

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • Big Foot: A Definitive Guide (N/K)
  • The Killing (N/K)
  • Bones (N/K)
  • Hell on Wheels (N/K) finished season
  • Top Chef Canada (N/K)
  • Sparticus (N) finished season
  • Game of Thrones (N)
  • The Next Food Network Star (N)
  • Finding Your Roots (K)
• DVDs/Movies
  • Cars 2 (the girls)
• Podcasts:
  • Paperclipping Roundtable
  • The Digi Show

Our one and only crocus bloom (2.5 years after planting 100!).

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• we ate at China Doll for our May restaurant meal
• I attended 4 set-dancing classes (and Sophia came with me to 3); we worked on the Kilfenora and Antrim Square, plus a few two-hand dances: The Military Two-Step, Stack of Barley, Peeler and the Goat
• Georgia went to a few playdates and 2 birthday parties
• Madeline attended a birthday party/sleepover
• Sophia and Madeline each hosted playdates (plus one sleepover for Sophia)
• Sophia attended a dance-class year-end party with a friend in White City
• the girls attended two K4J evenings
• the girls and I attended cousin Andrea's baby shower - a lovely celebration with lots of food (and candy!), decorations, and good company
• we all attended Aunt Colleen's 60th birthday celebration - cake at Grandma's apartment in Weyburn - so nice to see all of my family from YG and Weyburn (except P & B), plus Aunt Gloria and Aunt Valerie
• Sophia helped lead the rosary before mass (1st time), and all three girls carried "flowers for Mary" (along with other children) and placed them in a vase at the front of the church
• the girls and I participated in the Regina Multicultural Council parade in the Cornwall Centre; the girls wore their dance costumes and I wore an Irish skirt, shawl, and hand-crocheted lace top borrowed from a friend in the Irish Club of Regina
• we all went to three greenhouses on Mother's Day - a favourite activity for all of us
• we all attended an Introduction to Geocaching class at the RPL theatre and Victoria Park
• we enjoyed finding our first two caches - one near the T.C. Douglas Building and one a few miles from Avonlea (we still haven't located the first one we tried to find in Kinsmen Park!)
• Sophia (and B) went to Avonlea to stay with her grandparents for two days (one night)
• I went out for coffee with my friend, Mary, to Magpie's Kitchen - great visit, nice place!
• we went to Avonlea to visit Neil's parents, L&B, Grandma Louise, and Aunt Dot and Marion from Calgary
• we all went to Wascana park to enjoy a snack-food picnic the girls prepared
• the girls stayed overnight at their cousin's house
• Neil and I went to The Keg for dinner - we had each received a $50 gift card in 2011 and were finally able to use them! (The girls were at L&B's.) I tried Dungeness crab for the first time - good, but honestly, too much work for my taste
• Mosaic started on May 31 - but I'll cover this more in my June Roundup
• school trips and events:
  • Sophia and Madeline's classes went to the legislative building for the arrival of Prince Charles and Camilla; unfortunately, the royal couple didn't spend time greeting the crowd due to rain and wind; Sophia was interviewed for French TV (we haven't seen it)
  • Sophia and Madeline's classes attended (on separate trips) the 2012 Canadian Gymnastics Championships; I went along with Madeline
  • Georgia's class went to Fire Station No. 1 (downtown); I went along with Georgia
  • Kyle Shewfelt, Canadian Olympic gold medalist (gymnastics), visited the girls' school and talked about his training and experiences; Sophia, Madeline, and Neil attended (while Georgia and I were at the fire station)
  • we all attended the annual school carnival; Neil and I helped with the pizza while the girls enjoyed the carnival games
• 12 activities with Mom in 2012:
  • Georgia chose to go swimming at the Sandra Schmirler Centre
  • Madeline chose to go swimming at the Sandra Schmirler Centre
  • Sophia chose to visit the Mackenzie Art Gallery - we toured the galleries on our own, and spent a few minutes in the gift shop

We visited this cool place thanks to geocaching. Beautiful day!

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Chicago Dogs (Food Network Mag) - our favourite way to dress hot dogs
• Texas burgers (#30, Food Network Mag)
• Chinese Chicken Lettuce Cups (The Fresh 20)
• Alton Brown's Tzatziki sauce - the BEST tzatziki, hands down
• Herbed Beef kebabs (#5, Food Network Mag) - bison, of course - we all loved this
• Jicama-Carrot Slaw (Food Network Mag - yes, we like it a lot!)

Madeline and Georgia at the park.

5. GIFTS

• for Mother's Day, I received a little wooden jewellery box from Madeline (decorated at school), a collage picture from Georgia (made at school), and a sedum plant from Sophia (our neighbour gave it to her)

Our bergenia and ornamental tree in bloom.

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• struts, swaybar, and bushings for the van
• signal light/wiper handle for the truck
• a brooch to complete Georgia's Irish dancing costume
• Garmin eTrex 10 GPS for geocaching
• plants for our garden
• Fiskars StaySharp Max reel mower - works well, no fuel or noise, and the kids can use it :)
• three sets of Speed Stacks (50% off at Helping Hands)

Georgia and Dash at the school. One of several rainy days.

7. HEALTH

• Neil saw our family doctor about his hearing loss, then had wax removed by an ENT doctor; he's now being referred to a hearing centre
• I had a cold/splitting sinus headache for a few days (stayed home from work 1.5 days), but it didn't last very long overall

Going for a picnic in Wascana.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• I continued clearing my email inbox on a regular basis
• we planted our entire garden and containers on May 19 (earlier than usual)
• we trimmed the cotoneaster hedges in the front yard
• we replaced the large blind in our living room that didn't work (purchased in December '11; Lowe's refunded our money, no problem)
• I planned and prepared 80 kits for the children's program at the Irish Pavilion
• I set up a star chart to encourage everone to help in the kitchen on a daily basis and it works pretty well (except during Mosaic); the only problem is: the kids think we should go to Paris after six weeks of everyone helping daily; and I was thinking... Regina Beach?!

Work in progress; May 19.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• one of Sophia's track meets was canceled due to rain (and I was planning to attend that one)

Canadian Gymnastics Championships at Evraz Place.

10. GOALS

• processed April photos
• backed up my computer
• cleared my collection basket 4/4 weeks
• tackled something in the basement - deleted from my goals list!
• worked on my email inbox and computer 4/4 weeks
• made 3 layouts; 1 paper, 2 digital (my goal was 6)
• took our monthly family photo - we intended to do this on May 30 or 31 at the Irish pavilion; we actually took it on June 2 - close enough!

11. NOTEWORTHY

• Sophia competed in the city badminton finals (won one, and lost two very close games)
• the van developed a rapid thumping sound; I took it to Kal Tire and they found loose nuts on one of the wheels; there was no damage, thankfully
• online classes: completed The Fundamentals of Digital Photography (I'm shooting full manual now!) and started Canon Rebel T2i / D550 at CreativeLIVE; at BPC, continued Twelve, started (and kept up) Picture Black & White, and worked on Design Challenges a little (only completed 2/12 challenges, but I intend to do them all)
• we ate outside on the patio for the first time this year - we love eating out!
• Georgia ran through the sprinkler one day when it was 29C (in May!)
• we ate our home-grown asparagus for the 1st time
• I took a week off work (10 days off in total) and it was wonderful! (despite being cold and rainy almost the whole time)
• after installing a routine OS update, our main computer became so slow it wasn't usable; I called Apple Support, paid $60 (computer is 4 years old and free support is long gone), and 35 minutes later, the computer was back to normal. Hooray!
• Neil found his grandfather's old Fujica 35mm camera, video camera, and exposure meter in the basement at his parents' house and Donna said we could take them home; we're happy to have them!
• Sophia attended her final piano lessons (yay! she hated practicing and that wasn't good for any of us)
• Dance classes ended for all three girls
• Neil and the girls spent many hours helping with Irish pavilion set up at the Callie; the girls and I also attended dance rehearsals there
• Sophia participated in several track practices and quad meets, plus the city meet on May 30 and 31 where she earned 7th place in triple jump, 3rd place in 80m, and 1st place in long jump!

Rounding up April 2012

1. READ

• Stolen Child by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch (Sophia)
• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Sophia)

We dyed Easter eggs with Kool-Aid.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • Game of Thrones (Neil)
  • Sparticus (Neil)
  • The Killing (N/K)
  • Top Chef Canada (N/K)
  • Bones (N/K)
  • American Pickers (N/K)
• DVDs/Movies
  • Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (all of us at the Galaxy) 
  • The Muppets (Neil and girls at the Rainbow)
  • The Hunger Games (Sophia and I saw this at the Cineplex Odeon) – we came to an agreement: if she's old enough to watch this movie, then she's old enough to shower on a regular basis and be responsible for doing a household chore (hand washing dishes - her choice!) – with no complaining.
  • Swiss Family Robinson – borrowed from the library (the girls liked it, but I would much prefer to see the Canadian version from my childhood!)
  • Animals United (rented for M's sleepover)
• Podcasts:
  • Interview with Storyteller, Donald Davis - very enjoyable!
  • Paperclipping Roundtable
  • The Digi Show

Sophia making an angelfood cake.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• Sophia's school class had an ethnic potluck – at Sophia’s request, Neil made Irish stew and soda bread
• Ringette windups:
  • Madeline's team had pizza and created custom products at Bath Goddess
  • Sophia's team went rock climbing at the Science Centre – she absolutely LOVED rock (wall) climbing; it was her first time
• Laurel took Georgia for ice cream
• for Easter, we dyed Easter eggs with Kool-Aid; the Easter bunny brought treats (this year, he hid their baskets rather than individual treats – very surprising to the girls!); and we went to Avonlea for a delicious turkey dinner at Donna & Lou's; Laurel and Grandma Louise were there, too (while B was in Phoenix)
• Georgia attended one birthday party
• Sophia stayed overnight with a friend in Wilcox
• Madeline had a friend over for a sleepover
• Madeline had a sleepover at B's
• I attended 3 set-dancing classes – continued practicing Connemara and Antrim Square; learned the Kilfenora Plain set, and some two-hand dances
• we all went to Afghan Cuisine for lunch one day on the girls' Easter break
• we all went to a couple libraries one day and the girls borrowed a bunch of books
• at my work, we celebrated six months of Customer Self Serve (our platform launched October 21, 2011) with a potluck (I took Rice Krispies Treats) and activities (one was The Marshmallow Challenge)
• Madeline did a reading for the Easter liturgy at school; Georgia, Henry, and I attended
• the girls attended K4J and learned a very cool shaving cream paint technique that we used later to decorate baby clothing shapes for Andrea's baby shower
• I went to The Last Straw for my manager's birthday
• I went to a jewellery party at Ali and Darren's new place in White City
• the girls and I went to Cold Stone Creamery during their $2 sale (can't beat that!)
• Neil took Georgia and Henry to the Riders' Mini Camp
• we all attended Sophia's last piano recital where she played Cockles and Mussels
• the girls and I walked around the lake (Wascana)
• we all walked the Mini Marathon route
• 12 activities with Mom in 2012:
  • Georgia chose to walk the 3km QCM Mini Marathon route – we wore hats and mittens, and snacked on salt & vinegar Goldfish crackers
  • Madeline chose to go to ColdStone Creamery, and then to the Central Library
  • Sophia chose to go to the Science Centre (plus we picked up a treat (gummies) at Extra Foods)

I recommend French Vanilla with raspberries. Yum!

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Traditional Irish Soda Bread (Canadian Living)
• Rice Krispies Treats (microwave directions – always) 
• Skinny Buffalo Burger Quesadilla
• Really Good Pico De Gallo
• Chocolate Chip Oven Pancakes
• Neil's Chili (check out the picture we took!)
• Morning Glory Breakfast Bars

5. GIFTS

• Easter treats from both sets of grandparents (and the Easter bunny, of course!)

Madeline and Georgia in Wascana Centre.

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• 4 bike helmets (for the girls and me)
• running shoes for Sophia and Madeline
• Canon EOS Rebel T2i camera! (great deal at Best Buy)
• Canon 55-250mm telephoto lens with image stabilization – purchased with Aeroplan points (free!)
• John Greengo's Fundamentals of Digital Photography from CreativeLIVE (about 25 hours of video - amazing course; we've learned so much!)
  

Pizza Dough recipe posted last month.

7. HEALTH

• Georgia caught a cold, then Sophia; both coughed quite a bit for several days
• Georgia had another day in which she vomited several times after saying she had a headache :(
• Sophia had more cold or allergy symptoms (or both?)
• head and neck pain sent me to the chiropractor

Sophia at the Science Centre.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• deep-cleaned Georgia and Madeline's room, Sophia's room, and the basement bathroom
• cleared my email inbox to ZERO!
• created a Blurb book – Volume 23 (Sept-Dec 2011)

Neil tried our new telephoto lens at the Riders' Mini Camp.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• I can't think of anything :)

Piano recital and a clean room!

10. GOALS

• processed March photos
• backed up my computer
• cleared my collection basket 4/4 weeks
• tackled something in the basement - zilch
• worked on my email inbox and computer 4/4 weeks
• made 4 layouts; 3 paper, 1 digital (my goal was 6)
• took our monthly family photo

11. NOTEWORTHY

• I enjoyed my first bike ride in many years; looking forward to more!
• Neil went to two Mosaic committee meetings – we're running the children's program again this year
• the girls (and Neil) had a week off school for Easter; I worked four of those days
• we had our large ornamental tree in the back yard trimmed for the first time; I think they took about 1/3 of it off – looks great!
• online classes: started Design Challenges with Elizabeth Dillow (love it!); watched some of John Greengo's Fundamentals of Digital Photography during the live workshop, and much of it later via downloaded videos on my iPad - so awesome!
• Sophia, Georgia, and I had our hair cut at Shear Escape – hooray for online booking! And I love my cut; several inches off. The girls' cuts were more subtle.
• Sophia earned a spot at "Cities" in badminton
• Sophia made an angelfood cake from a mix and lemon glaze from scratch – delicious!
• Sophia participated in her school's Track & Field Day - 80m (2nd), 400m (2nd), relay (2nd), long jump (2nd) -- we think she's First Among The Untrained (the girl who wins every race has been training for years; no kidding)
• the temperature reached 27C one day - gorgeous!

Rounding up March 2012

It may not appear so, but I do think March was less busy, or more relaxing, than the previous three months.

***

1. READ

• Phineas and Ferb: Journey to Mars by Ellie O'Ryan (read to Georgia and Madeline)
• Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet by Jane O'Connor (read to Georgia and Madeline)
• Stone Rabbit: BC Mambo by Erik Craddock (Madeline)
• Making Bombs for Hitler by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch (Sophia)

Georgia making brownies, and Madeline in her last game of the season.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV (Neil and Kim):
  • Game of Thrones (Neil)
  • Top Chef Canada
  • Top Chef Texas
  • Hell on Wheels
  • The Finder
  • Storage Wars
  • You've Gotta Eat Here
  • Brad Meltzer's Decoded (Mount Rushmore, Devil's Graveyard, and the Vatican)
• Podcasts (Kim): 
  • The Digi Show
  • Paperclipping Roundtable
  • This American Life: Retraction (retraction of the only other episode of This American Life I've listened to: Mr. Daisey & The Apple Factory)
• DVDs/movies:
  • The Secret Garden (Kim & Georgia)

Madeline and Sophia performing at Spring Free From Racism.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• Madeline and Sophia's ringette games and playoffs
• I took the the girls to Zippity Zoom Toys because Georgia had a gift card to spend (if you need any toys, or fake moustaches, this is a good store)
• Neil took our girls and Bronwyn to the Science Centre
• Georgia attended one birthday party (and many playdates)
• I attended five Irish set dancing classes - learned the Sliabh Luachra set and Circle Waltz; started learning the Plain set; continued practicing Connemara and Antrim Square.
• Sophia and Madeline danced at:
  • their school - in costume (March 16)
  • Irish Club Mini Ceili - informally (March 16)
  • retirement home - in costume (March 17)
  • Irish Club St. Patrick's Day Dinner - informally (March 18)
  • Spring Free From Racism - in costume (March 25)
• we all enjoyed the Irish Club Mini Ceili at St. Luke's Hall and St. Patrick's Day Dinner at Queensbury - lots of fun dancing at both - set dancing (me), step dancing - reels and jigs (Sophia and Madeline), Walls of Limerick (the older girls and me), and waltzes - Circle Waltz and "broom dance" (all three girls and me)
• the girls were delighted to participate in the First Annual Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, March 21
• Spring Free From Racism - we went twice; first for the girls' performance and later (after Sophia's ringette game) to watch other groups. We ate fantastic Filipino noodles, Mexican tostadas, Ukranian perogies...
• we enjoyed a meal from Smokin' Okies at L&B's house
• we had dinner at Pasta Prima with Laurel, Bronwyn, Donna, and Lou - the four girls loved sitting at their own table
• we celebrated Donna's birthday with dinner and cake at L&B's house
• Neil went to the new Irish pub (The Knotted Thistle) with some friends who are also on the Irish pavilion committee for Mosaic
• Sophia and Madeline stayed overnight at L&B's
• 12 activities with Mom in 2012:
  • Georgia chose to make brownies with frosting (we also played a game of Junior Scrabble and watched The Secret Garden on other days - I love these times with just the two of us)
  • Madeline chose to walk the 3 km QCM Mini Marathon route - it was quite chilly that evening but we enjoyed our walk together
  • Sophia chose ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery and a visit to Chapters (just to look) - we saw Laurel and Bronwyn there, too

On our way home from a ringette game at Emerald Park.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER (mostly tried-and-true faves)

• Taco Seasoning Mix
• Grilled Pizza Dough (Alton Brown, Good Eats Vol. 3)
• Brownies (Company's Coming, 150 Squares p. 134)
• Cilantro-lime butter (on steak)
• Overnight Oatmeal
• "Prairie" Irish Stew (made with bison instead of lamb - The Big Book of Soups & Stews)
• Mrs. O'Callaghan's Soda Bread – we've made this a few times and suggest using 5 cups of flour rather than 6
• burgers with apple-smoked cheddar and Classic Red Barbecue Sauce (Weber's Charcoal Grilling)

5. GIFTS

• Justice dance shorts (Sophia), ladybug pillow pet (Madeline), and Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet book (Georgia) from Bronwyn - from her trip to Texas
• cute P.S. from Aeropostale clothes from Donna & Lou - brought back from Texas

One of the monster bookmarks we made. S gave this one to her teacher.

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• refurbished Epson Artisan 725 printer (because my beloved PictureMate Pal quit working and this was a less expensive, more versatile replacement for printing photos) - I'm glad to have a scanner again!
• Picture Inspiration necklace (for participants of Tracey Clark's year-long class at BPC)  

7. HEALTH

• my lips were (and still are) severely chapped and painful, so I stopped wearing lipstick completely (which is a big deal because it's my favourite makeup!)
• Georgia was sick to her stomach for a few hours one morning; luckily, she recovered completely before we went to Spring Free and two ringette games - strange

Wascana Lake, taken on a walk with Madeline (March 19).

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• created a new website for my genealogy information (because the site I've had for 15 years will disappear when its hosting is discontinued at the end of April)
• pulled all Girl Guides photos out of large binders and put them into their own smaller theme album
• filed our income taxes, and of course it took longer than I had hoped - glad to have a refund on the way

Georgia's first bike ride of the year (March 31).

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• my new (refurb) printer was defective - but Epson replaced it free of charge with next-day pick up and delivery - great service!
• Georgia's iPod Touch fell out of her pocket at the Hamilton arena and the screen cracked all over. She cried and cried and cried. We were all sad for her, and wishing we had done a number of things to prevent it. Fortunately (and amazingly), the iPod still works fine.
• losing my tasks from Google Calendar and not being able to put them back - seriously bummed about this!

Sophia's activity - Cold Stone Creamery and Chapters.

10. GOALS

• processed February photos
• backed up my computer
• cleared my collection basket 4/4 weeks
• tackled something in the basement 2/4 weeks - better!
• worked on my email inbox and computer 4/4 weeks
• made 6 layouts; 5 paper/1 digital - reached my goal!
• took our monthly family photo

11. NOTEWORTHY

• I finally used a discount coupon I had purchased in March 2011 for two hours of housecleaning; the result was nice, but it sure didn't last long enough. :-|
• I registered all three girls in swimming lessons (July) and the QCM Mini Marathon (September)
• I had a stressful month at work (it's better now)
• Sophia's ringette team won another league game
• Sophia started playing centre regularly (the last five or six games)
• Donna and Lou came home from Texas about three weeks early to help Laurel and Bronwyn while they recovered from their car accident
• online classes: enjoying Twelve; won a spot in Design Challenges; registered for Picture Black & White - really looking forward to both of these! (May will be challenging, though)
• on St. Patrick's Day, CTV filmed some of my set-dancing class so I was on the news briefly
• Sophia started playing badminton
• Georgia lost her left top incisor at school (now missing both - cute!)
• I received a new BlackBerry phone for work (major difference from my old one)
• the girls and I made several cute monster bookmarks
• Neil and I took Georgia on her first bike ride of the year - still with training wheels, but we'll get her riding on two wheels soon!
• there was basically no snow left at the end of March, and we had a thunderstorm - very unusual!

Rounding up February 2012

February was pretty crazy. Another long roundup ahead! (I'm sure March will be slightly less busy. Fingers crossed.)

***

1. READ

• Dear Canada: A Prairie as Wide as the Sea: The Immigrant Diary of Ivy Weatherall, Milorie, Saskatchewan, 1926 (Sophia)
• Dear Canada: That Fatal Night: The Titanic Diary of Dorothy Wilton, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1912 (Sophia)
• Smile by Raina Telgemeier (Madeline)

View of the South Saskatchewan River from Grandma's suite.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV (Neil and Kim):
  • Brad Meltzer's Decoded (Billy the Kid, UFOs, and 2012 end-of-the-world prophecies – scary!!!)
  • Mythbusters
  • Pawn Stars
  • Storage Wars
  • The Finder (from the creator of Bones)
  • Top Chef Texas
  • Hell on Wheels
  • You've Gotta Eat Here
• Podcasts (Kim):
  • This American Life: Mr. Daisey & The Apple Factory (very thought provoking)
  • The Digi Show
  • Paperclipping Roundtable
• DVDs/movies (the girls):
  • Scooby Doo – to and from Saskatoon (perennial favourite)
  • Gnomeo and Juliet – we invited Madeline's team to watch a movie in our hotel room in Saskatoon (the movie belonged to a teammate)
• YouTube: S**t Saskatchewanians Say (posted Feb 1 and surpassed 500K views this weekend - Mar 3-4)

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• 2 ringette tournaments:
  • Regina, Feb 3-4: Madeline (Spitfires; U10) and Sophia (Ice Angelz; U12)
    
    • 4 games each day – exhausting!
    • Madeline went to Ricky's for dinner with her team
    • Sophia (and Neil) went to Humpty's for breakfast with her team
  • Saskatoon, Feb 10-11: Madeline (Spitfires)
    • Mom and Dad came to M's first game and took Dash home with them - thanks!
    • the girls enjoyed swimming twice
    • visited (Great) Grandma Byrns at her Parkville suite
    • excellent complimentary breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express
    • we also ate at Subway, Chianti, Grandma Lee's, and Fuddruckers – yum!

• Sophia attended one birthday party
• Georgia attended three birthday parties
• we went skating at the flooded park near our house (while Georgia was skating at a birthday party)
• school field trips:
  • Georgia – Royal Saskatchewan Museum
  • Madeline – Science Centre & IMAX
  • Sophia – Provincial Court, Court of Queen's Bench, and Court of Appeal

• lunch at Applebee's with Mom/Grandma B
• I attended two Irish set dancing classes – learned Antrim Square and reviewed Connemara (learned in January)
• during our kitchen upheaval, we ate Domino's pizza, Extreme Pita, A&W, and Opa (yikes; very bad month for eating out/take out!)
• I attended a farewell at Bushwakker for a former Irish-dancing classmate who moved to Newfoundland
• Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Science Centre (my first time; third time for the girls and Neil – our family membership made this much more affordable)
• 12 Activities with Mom in 2012:
  • Georgia chose DQ and Urban Barn (as M had done in January)
  • Madeline chose tea and a treat at Le Macaron (conveniently, right after her hair cut at DAM Hair Company)
  • Sophia chose outdoor skating but it had snowed too much, so we went to DQ and Urban Barn (now she knows what the other two saw)

Madeline has the ring.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Epicure's Chocolate Syrup (we enjoy it on ice cream)
• Pastitsio Pie (Canadian Living's Best: Pasta) (Neil uses ricotta cheese in place of cottage cheese)
• No-Fuss Stroganoff same recipe as >(Company's Coming Select Series: Ground Beef) (Neil omits mushrooms; adds celery, carrots, and peas; and uses Cream of Celery in place of Cream of Chicken soup)

Sophia's team celebrating a win.

5. GIFTS 

• flower bracelets and dancing hula doll from Grandma Byrns - from her trip to Hawaii
• sea-turtle keychains and Harry Potter jelly beans from Bronwyn - from her trip to Texas

I painted Madeline's nails blue-on-blue zebra stripes.

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• new eye glasses (frames and lenses) for Neil and Kim
• storage containers for kitchen
• hand towels for kitchen - replaced them all; they were awful (used for 12+ years)!

7. HEALTH

• some cold symptoms (most of us); nothing major
• bad cramps in my toes one evening
• left hip pain and lower back aches sent me to the chiropractor
• Neil and I had our eyes checked; we both have healthy eyes, and Neil just a slight change of prescription (mine hasn't changed in over two years)

These are the clothes we put away for later or donation.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Madeline earned the title of Hardest Working Player in one of her games
• I completed a year of Picture Inspiration
• we cleaned and reorganized all three freezers (fridge freezer and two chest freezers) and the refrigerator
• Neil picked up and delivered bison meat for five customers and ourselves
• we purged the girls' clothing - removed about 250 items from current circulation, and didn't get anything "new" out for them - absolutely crazy
• following the Simplify 101 Organize Your Kitchen video workshop (which I had purchased in November, and highly recommend), we deep-cleaned and reorganized our kitchen and pantry spaces - HUGE project. Removed four large boxes of things for donation, plus lots of stuff went into the garbage and recycling – our kitchen is like new again!
• I completed (basically) my work for Bite-sized Scrapbooking (BSS Bundles continue to be available for purchase; three giveaways in Feb)
• I pulled all Irish dancing photos out of large chronological storage binders (photo albums) and put them into their own smaller theme album (about 300 pics) – love it!

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• didn't tackle even one stack, shelf, or box in our basement. AGAIN. I'm determined to do this in March.

10. GOALS

• processed January photos
• backed up my computer
• cleared my collection basket 4/4 weeks
• worked on my email inbox and computer 2/4 weeks
• made 3 scrapbook layouts; 2 digital/1 paper (my goal for February was 6)
• took our monthly family photo

11. NOTEWORTHY

• Sophia's team won a league game
• Madeline's team tied a league game and won a tournament game
• online classes: Ten Tips for Better Type, Twelve, and Picture Inspiration at BPC
• the mice are gone -- for sure this time!
• the kids had a week off school and I took the same week off work – fabulous!
• our freezers are full of bison meat again - hooray!
• Madeline had her hair cut quite short (still asymmetrical) – looks great!
• Madeline scored her first goal in ringette – she was SO determined!
• Georgia lost her top right incisor – super cute!
• very nice weather; just a few cold days
• L&B's car accident on February 28 - a police car responding to a 911 call hit them head on (squarely, in Laurel's lane) – they each have a broken collar bone and Laurel has a very injured foot (big toe was dislocated and ligaments torn) - we're thankful they're ALIVE; their 2010 Ford Edge performed extremely well.

Rounding up January 2012

January is always a busy month for us, and this one was no exception. Looking forward to quieter months ahead.

***

1. READ

• 365 Bedtime Stories (started reading this to Madeline and Georgia, and we'll read it all year)
• Pippi Longstocking (read to Madeline and Georgia)
• The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter (Sophia)
• Dear Canada: Prisoners in the Promised Land: The Ukrainian Internment Diary of Anya Solonjuk, Spirit Lake, Quebec, 1914 (Sophia)

We took Georgia's birthday cake to L&B's. Mini gummy bears from Bulk Barn.

2. WATCHED & LISTENED

• TV
  • Top Chef Texas (Neil & Kim)
  • You Gotta Eat Here! (Neil & Kim) (new Canadian show, similar to Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; we love it!)
  • Hell on Wheels (Neil & Kim)
  • American Pickers (Neil & Kim)
  • Bones (Neil & Kim)
• Movies
  • Chipwrecked (Neil took our girls plus Bronwyn and her friend Cameron to the theatre at Southland Mall)
  • Rio (Madeline and Mattea)
• Podcasts (Kim - to and from work, every day)
  • The Digi Show
  • Paperclipping Roundtable

Georgia's Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls, and Madeline at Urban Barn.

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• ringette games – played by Madeline and Sophia
• Sophia participated in a ringette skills practice with the Saskatoon Wild national ringette team
• Neil took the girls toboganning near Chapter's
• Georgia's birthday dinner with her parents at The Mercury Café & Grill
• birthday cake for Georgia at Laurel and Bronwyn's
• Madeline's birthday dinner with her parents and friend, Mattea, at Earl's on the east side; Mattea also stayed overnight at our house, while Sophia, Georgia, and Dash stayed at L&B's
• birthday cake for Madeline at our house
• steak night fundraiser for Sophia's ringette team, Ice Angelz, at The Hub
• Madeline attended two birthday parties
• I went to an Irish set dancing workshop taught by a couple who moved here from Ireland recently (they'll be teaching an 8-week class starting Feb 11; I'm going to take this, too)
• as an extra little treat for the girls' birthdays, we went to the Vintage Tea Room on Broad Street one Saturday afternoon. Laurel and Bronwyn joined us. Our tea, scones, and desserts were delicious! Highly recommended. We all want to go back sometime!
• Irish Club potluck – always delish! Neil made potato salad (see recipes). After dinner, I performed (very informally, with 7 others) the Connemara set dance which I had learned the day before
• for Sophia's birthday dinner, we ate at The Mercury Café & Grill. She invited Georgia, Laurel, and Bronwyn to join us (Madeline was at a friend's birthday party)
• birthday cake for Sophia at our house
• Madeline went to a team-building pizza and craft party at her ringette coach's house. The girls made posters for their two tournaments, decorated t-shirts, and made thank-you cards for their parents (sweet!)
• I attended a one-day class on Social Media Marketing (for work)
• 12 Activities with Mom in 2012 (see gifts):
  • Georgia chose baking for our activity (Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls)
  • Madeline chose to go out. We went to DQ for a milkshake (sundae for me), and then looked around Urban Barn for the first time
  • Sophia chose to begin the digital scrapbooking class we bought for her. We did the first couple lessons and then she created an original artwork in PSE (with a little help from her mom)!

Sophia's digital art work.

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls (Company's Coming)
• Quick Fluffy Frosting – our "traditional" birthday cake frosting
• Cranberry Orange Muffins (Company's Coming)
• Bacon-Ranch Potato Salad (Food Network)

Sophia (#10) skating with the Saskatoon Wild ringette team.

5. GIFTS

• for their birthdays, the girls each received "12 Activities with Mom in 2012" (which involves Dad keeping the other two busy), plus:
  • for Georgia, scrapbooking paper pad, die-cut pad, and cardstock;
  • for Madeline, Company's Coming Kids Cook! 3-in-1 Cookbook Collection; and
  • for Sophia, My Awesome Life Tween Album digital scrapbooking class at JessicaSprague.com
• all other birthday gifts are recorded elsewhere

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• Kenmore canister vacuum cleaner – after almost 15 years of use (and abuse), our old one broke beyond repair. We bought last year's version of the same one we had, on clearance at the Sears Outlet store.
• 3 8GB iPod Touches - the girls used their own Christmas and birthday money, plus a little more from their bank accounts, to buy these for themselves

7. HEALTH

• we were all healthy all month long. Hooray!
• Georgia had her annual checkup with her pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Kakadakar. She had an ECHO and ECG this time. All is well. The doctor mentioned that her aortic valve has a slight leak, but there's no defect of the valve. She was a perfect patient, as always. Weight: average (46 lbs); Height: taller than average (46.25").

Madeline wanted whipped cream (tinted green) instead of our usual frosting.

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• completed the photo prompts for Picture the Holidays, and created my PTH book from Paper Coterie - love it!
• donated about 1/3 of all my clothing
• set up Google Calendar and filled it in with *everything* (I'm keeping our paper calendar up to date until the end of this school year, but after that, I will only use GC)
• collected and submitted bison meat cutting instructions for five customers (and ourselves)
• created and promoted BSS Bundle #2, which concludes the bulk of my work for Bite-sized Scrapbooking. :) BSS Bundles will continue to be available
• got rid of the mice. Well, maybe. (Neil did trap one for sure, and then we didn't hear anything for the last 10 days of January, but I heard something strange this past weekend (in Feb). Neil asked me if it was a ghost; I think I'd prefer that!

Grilling in January! Our table at the Vintage Tea Room.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• didn't tackle even one stack, shelf, or box in our basement; must turn this around!

10. GOALS

• processed November and December photos
• backed up my computer
• cleared my collection basket 3/5 weeks
• worked on my email inbox and computer 3/5 weeks
• made one scrapbook layout (my goal for January was 3)
• took a family photo before the month ended (5:00 pm on January 31!)

11. NOTEWORTHY

• Georgia's 6th birthday
• Madeline's 9th birthday
• Sophia's 11th birthday
• online classes: Twelve, Roundup Your Memories, and Picture Inspiration at BPC
• read online-class materials and message boards on my 3G iPad while en route to ringette games, etc. (when Neil is driving, of course) - awesome!
• gorgeous weather! we had one short cold snap (3 or 4 days, I think) when the temp dipped as low as -45 C one night (Madeline's birthday); otherwise, it must have been our warmest January ever
• Sophia joined the improv team at school - they compete in French!
• Sophia decorated her own birthday cake :)

Rounding up December 2011

This will be my first of an ongoing series of mounthly "roundups" based on Katie Nelson's roundup concept. I'm taking her class, Roundup Your Memories, at BPC right now. I love this idea and look forward to recording bits and pieces of our family life in a simple, consistent format. Since I'm pretty good at keeping my calendar and photos up to date, and I faithfully write to OhLife.com, it's pretty easy for me to round up my memories. Note: This one is especially long because December was ridiculously full. I really hope future roundups are shorter!

***

1. READ

• The House of Wooden Santas by Kevin Major (read to all three girls)
• 7 Sleeps Until Christmas by Stuart Adams (read to all three girls) - this book is out of print, but I just learned it's now an iPad App - how cool is that?! See 7 Sleeps Until Christmas iTunes Preview
• Mercy Watson books by Kate DiCamillo (Madeline)
• Fancy Nancy books by Jane O'Connor (read to Georgia and Madeline)
• Titanic trilogy by Gordon Korman (Sophia)
• Neil didn't finish his book, and I had no time to read

2. WATCHED

• Bones (Neil & Kim; a long-time favourite of ours)
• Iron Chef America (all)
• American Pickers (all)
• Hell on Wheels (Neil watched in December; I started watching in January)
• Wizards of Waverly Place (the girls; over and over and over...)

3. EVENTS & OUTINGS

• Ringette games - played by Madeline and Sophia
• Gina's Pampered Chef open house - Sophia and I enjoyed many treats
• Steak night ringette fundraiser at 4Seasons - Neil and I went, and won a gift basket of beauty products
• My work Christmas party - dinner and dance at the Hungarian Club with band, Method 2 Madness
• Self Serve Project work event - pizza & Pat's game at the Brandt Centre
• Christmas potluck at work - Neil made bison stew for me to take - super good! (see recipes below)
• School Christmas concert - at the Orr Centre
• Sophia's piano recital - at Whitmore Park United Church; Sophia played Jingle Bells
• Sophia's class potluck - Neil made bison stew at Sophia's request (with flank steak rather than short ribs) - her class loved it!
• Lunch with my manager, Dana, at Cravings (okay food, but no desire to go back)
• Christmas celebration at Rob & Robyn's - dinner with Rob, Robyn, Ethan, Jordyn, and Kacy (who was ill and stayed in bed most of the time - poor girl!), my parents, Grandma Mantay, Aunt Colleen, Aunt Bev, Aunt Val & Uncle Cliff, Aunt Janet & Uncle Roger - first time seeing them at Christmas!
• Christmas Eve at Weisshaars - with Glenys, Mike, Jill, Lee, Curtis, Darren (briefly), and Mike's family - an annual tradition
• Saw Grandma Louise at Weisshaars on Christmas Day
• Christmas dinner at our house - with Laurel and Bronwyn. Roast turkey, dressing... the works!
• Neil's birthday dinner at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, then DQ ice cream cake at home - with L&B
• Skating with the Pilgrims and Laurel at Cooperator's Centre (B stayed home with friends)
• Pat's game at the Brandt Centre - Neil, Sophia, Madeline, Wayne, and Cole
• Ali's birthday celebration at her house - Laurel, Bronwyn, Shauna, Rian, Georgia, and I went while the others were at the Pat's game - nice to see Darren, Gabe, and Avery, too
• New Year's Eve with L&B and Pilgrims at Laurel's house - dinner, visiting, and World Junior hockey on TV

4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER

• Neil's Bison Short Rib Stew
• Celeriac Remoulade (Alton Brown)
• Best Vegetable Salad (Company's Coming)
• Brunch Bake (Michael Smith)
• brine for turkey (Alton Brown)
• Classic Stuffing (#1) (Food Network)
• Golden Rutabaga Casserole (Canadian Living)
• Cranberry-Orange Sauce (Rachel Ray)
• Crustless Pumpkin Pie (Frugal Girl)
• Chocolate Ice Cream (Alton Brown)

5. GIFTS

• my manager and I exchanged Tim Horton's gift cards (same value, too) :)
• Sophia's class played Secret Santa (for each other) the last four days of school
• from Santa:
  - for Georgia, a Bizu Style Studio and 4-pack of animals;
  - for Madeline, 3 sock monkeys (rainbow, grey, and brown); and
  - for Sophia, The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter and 3 HP collectibles
• all other Christmas gifts given and received are recorded elsewhere

6. SPECIAL PURCHASES

• Christmas gifts
• comforter for our bed
• blankets to cover sofa
• shelving units for my scrapping space
• blinds for living room
• door knob for front door
• many mouse traps & poison - keepin' it real here

7. HEALTH

• cough & cold (all)
• stomach bug (all but Sophia)
• Georgia had an earache one night

8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• finished creating ALL weekly content for BSS on Dec 9 - 6 weeks ahead (major accomplishment!)
• submitted a boatload of expenses/benefits for reimbursements
• at work, posted our first holiday technical support guide (and related answers) before Christmas
• took down and put away all Christmas decorations before the start of 2012
• cleaned up the TV room in basement (major improvement!)
• cleaned and reorganized my scrapping space (love!)
• prepared my inspiration file for BPC class, Twelve.

9. DISAPPOINTMENTS

• not being able to enjoy the girls' Christmas concert thanks to a stomach-bug relapse
• not putting an end to the mice in our basement ceiling

10. GOALS

• didn't get November photos processed in December
• didn't keep up with Picture the Holidays after Dec 12 (but I did finish on Jan 8!)
• The Art of Composition - I submitted photos for coaching in week 11 (square photos), but not in weeks 10 or 12; read and viewed all class content, though - LOVED that class!

11. NOTEWORTHY

• incredibly warm weather and very little snow (until a winter storm on Dec 27)
• the mice that wouldn't die, in spite of significant efforts on Neil's part
• had to have the van towed to Toyota for repair (oil pressure sensor)
• province-wide Max outage - interesting day at work
• the girls saw all of their cousins, aunts, and uncles in the same month
• we all enjoyed the girls' new Kinect game, Just Dance 3
• Neil's 42nd birthday