GASP, a SINGLE day post! What ever has occurred? Well… that dishwasher is running, the boys avid outside sandbox players and my girls enjoying their retro dollhouse courtesy of Karyn freeing up a wee bit of time over the day to allow me to rearrange things, sort a bit AND blog in a timely manner!! The freedom! Only a sink full of dishes to hand wash and they were done! 

Fun with the dollhouse

Boys in the box

Last night I made some major inroads on our penguin… just stitching on that white front bib portion has made it much more birdy… the next portion for tonight is the tail and then I focus on the beak (dealing with the brim of a baseball cap and the eyes. I was a little worried about how penguin like it would be but I think we will do just fine! 

Beginnings of a penguin

We started some wonderful Halloween print outs and crafting… the best time filler this afternoon was giving them each a wooden Halloween shape and then spilling out the craft bits. The mess is always daunting once they get well into it, but with every craft event we try and get even more organized, more baggies and containers and filling specific drawers. 

Decorating their Halloween folders

Crafts!

Emanuel was really enthusiastic about workbook time – he was the only one really. We worked on letter sounds together and he was absolutely amazing at it!

Busy bee

When Emanuel and Trinity were having their short quiet time I snuck Echo out with the boys and we took some Halloween inspired photos. Can you believe that is a 3-6 months outfit! Ok, so not a big surprise – but a big thank you to Holly who sent it to us! 

A pumpkin patch

Put candy here!

Shadows on our pumpkin

That also had us out putting up our paper chains  to decorate our tree out front! They did it all themselves including the stapler! (I just finished off the papers they had left over when they ran out of time last night). 

Our decorated tree

Trinity and Emanuel made mini books from our favourite UK site… there are a few options and you can find them here. Note the severe loving of the pink! 

Completed book on her Halloween folder

Just a heads up – Currclick is having a freebie treasure hunt! Quite a few of the files are American but they all look interesting. Be sure to check them out on Facebook to find out where the harder files are hiding! 

We had our now weekly pj storytime at the downtown library with Trinity, Emanuel and Karyn… today’s subject – trucks! Our craft was making a tow truck using paper and brads. Not bad! And now I need to get a TAL cardso when I go to my mom’s for the weekend before Halloween I can take the kids to the library there and take some books out! 

Library!

All in all a pretty good day! I worked on finishing the girls’ Halloween themed hair things, continued my pre-crafting party tidying and of course… laundry laundry laundry tonight. 

Hair things

I am hoping to see a positive attitude tomorrow all round, we are going to have our time with our NEW library books as well as some more crafting time… maybe a Halloween themed something or other! As long as we work together and learn SOMETHING the day will be a success! 

One more cuz it is just too darn cute!

Well Echo is now a well travelled baby – she has made her way into Saskatchewan! Not as far as her Great Grandmother who is past Saskatoon but well into the province to Maidstone… and then on to Aunty Karyn’s family cabin. Only AFTER we did the rounds seeing all her childhood memory spots. But I am getting ahead of myself. We left here at 7:30 in the morning to swing by to pick up Victoria and then off to Saskatchewan… We stopped off at McDonald’s back where my mom lives. In fact, the one that I used to work at in high school (before the remodel made it all cool).

Sitting like a big girl at McD's

Then back in the car to drive on. We stopped in Innisfree to get gas. That left bathroom, snack pick up and baby to change. Then back we went…

Snack time

We had to drive through Lloydminster to get into Saskatchewan… and then into Maidstone to tour the town before heading out to the cabin. We saw friends’ homes, the schools she went to… her old family home… so much fun! The drive out to the cabin proved to those of us NOT from Saskatchewan that the old adage that Saskatchewan is FLAT is absolutely wrong! OH and did I mention some of the views were absolutely breath taking???

So pretty!

There was some sad news in regards to the cabin – there had been a recent break in… it looked as if they got in and rifled through the stuff in the main room…but took NOTHING! Very odd! So we had a bit of a job ahead of us to tidy is up and make some semblance of order in there. I think we did a good job, after we had lunch though.

After a full afternoon of going through things, checking out stuff in a broken silo and generally tidying we went out to the edge of the land the cabin was on to see the view. And to take pictures! Windy, sunny and gorgeous!!!

Panoramic Saskatchewan

Then it was time to head back home… quite the drive, with a stop off first at Lloydminster to go to the bathroom and get gas and then back to the same town we had breakfast in to get supper. Wendy’s! And then home home home.

Supper at Wendy's

I came home to a bit of a mess! Apparently while Ken was sleeping before church they decorated and then all day played played played.

Paperchains

He did get a group picture before church! AND Trinity joined the preschool class that was coupled with Emanuel’s Kindergarten class. We are not going to force the issue but from time to time give her the chance to join the class… all depends on her mood and how the potty training is going! I am told she had a GREAT time!

Ready to go church

OH I also came home from some gifts from a special homeschooling friend. I missed her email asking to text if I was going to be home as I had already left. Included were backpacks! Nice ones, that are much bigger than what the kids had and PERFECT overnight size for going to grandma’s. And some Halloween goodies and baby clothes. Her grand-daughter, while younger than our Echo is bigger (isn’t that the way it is with our pixie?). I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful friend and sad that I missed her! Maybe next time?

Some goodies

We brought back some treasures from the cabin too – two lovely little chairs I just need to clean up and maybe paint… and a doll house complete with the furniture, dollies and a little car! If you pull down the switch on the front door the doorbell even makes a sound! I remember playing with a house like this at the doctor’s when I was little. We are so lucky to have friends who are downsizing their possessions and old favourites. We certainly appreciate it and feel blessed!

Dollhouse

Today was not the most fluid of days… but we had some lovely moments! The kids started with Stuart Little… I figured it was best to  get that second last chapter done. Definitely some resistance as everyone was still in last week’s cranky mode but better! 

Stuart Little

We did some math workbook work… funny enough – both boys ended up starting with probability – Zander at the grade 1 level and Gavin the grade 2. Pretty much the same thing though for both.

Math time

And then we started on our NEW project, my stepsister’s husband (Adam) is gone overseas. He is a mechanic and fixes planes for the airforce. So when I recently got send his mailing address I decided we would write him some letters. After all we have never met and this is a great way to begin that. The boys were a little resistant with the writing portion but excited about drawing him some special pictures. The little two just drew pictures and used stickers but they did have a lot of fun doing it. 

Not sure why Echo was so surprised!

We started on our Halloween print outs today as well… the UK site had some cute paper doll type stuffthat I printed out for each child. 3 decided to make their people all dressed up, 1 to go the usable paper doll route. Surprisingly that was ZANDER! Usually he chooses the least amount of work. Once I laminate them it will be another set of cutting out to  get these ready for use.

Laminated but not cut apart

Then there is the Halloween Activity books… I picked and chose my way through it try not to go too beyond the kids’ abilities. There was quite a few options!

I finished replacing the Velcro on ONE of the sized small diapers… it took me two days but it is done. The only problem is that when I went to start a second all of the covers were in the wash! So hopefully tomorrow I can catch up on the laundry and go from there. I have 4 in total to replace, as her 5th is a relatively new cover. 

Diaper Velcro replaced

The twins made new paperchains to go on the tree out front… we aren’t too huge on the decorating BUT this year we figured we would do up our tree just a little! 

Ready for the tree

Karyn got off work early today and decided to come by and whisk the twins off to the library and then to the park! Lucky things. This time the other branch where they got some books and movies. Tomorrow it is back in the pj’s for the little ones for stories and crafts so we are getting well acquainted with our local library branches! Already well worth the 10.00 for the card. That left the 3 little ones to enjoy freezies and hang out together here. 

Freezie time

Sunshine snack

OH found out today we have had the wrong postal code! For those who need it the end 3 digits/numbers and letter things are 2C7! Be sure to change it!!!! 

So there is lots to be done upstairs after a full day away! Add to that costumes to be completed and more Halloween crafts and activities to print out and I don’t think I will be going to bed any time soon! BUT I managed to get a winter coat for Emanuel off of Kijiji for 10.00 and tomorrow will sell a costume to someone else for the same! I really feel like I am contributing! Hopefully more of my ads will sell this week and I can decrease the clutter in my closets! In the meantime, back to creating a penguin out of bits and pieces! 

Sweet baby

This is what I woke up to Friday morning! A wee bit of somewhat organized chaos… Ken cleaning out the dishwasher one last time with the hope to save the owners the cost of repair (hasn’t worked properly since we moved in almost 4 months ago!! GRR so guess who does TONS of dishes even though it is in my lease I have one?). The boys had their Trios and were actually playing as a group! Really nice to wake up to! 

Trios and a runny nosed baby

We skipped the morning workbook time and the kids went out to enjoy the brisk but sunny weather. We are trying to get in every spare minute of outside time we can and still accomplish some homeschooling goals. That sandbox sees so much use, but is really too small for all 4 to play in total harmony. They do do their best. 

Sandbox!

And then back in to work on Stuart Little. We are 2 chapters away from completing the book and watching the moving Cousin Veronika bought for them. We are planning on finding some nature books on mice and maybe go with another mouse related story. Trinity did her own thing this illustration but the boys were quite enamored with the idea of the mouse having his own tiny canoe! 

Stuart and his canoe

Since Emanuel had made a duct tape flower LAST night Trinity wanted one TODAY. She basically had the reverse of his made. I have to admit, fun and simple! 

Trinity and her Rose

That is not to say we didn’t get in any workbook time! But less than the norm to be sure! You can find instructions for it on youTube! Though we did a few extra steps to make sure that the exposed edges had the colour pieces wrapped over it!

Workbook time!

And of course there was the wallet Zander and I made together. He was so proud! 

Zander and his wallet

I ended my evening with a visit with Karyn – while the owners were here messing with the dishwasher and such, so we took the girls for a walk to the gas station to get slurpees… we had the boys safely ensconced in front of the tv downstairs. Of course I got the largest one possible and poured some into cups for each of the boys! But it was nice to get out for a walk and we managed to keep Echo’s shoes on for the whole walk! 

Slurpee!

With Aunty Karyn and her iPhone

I am beyond excited – the owners came Friday night of course and then today REPLACED MY DISHWASHER! So I now figure I am saving AT LEAST 7 hours a week in time that I was spending on dishes (and that is a conservative estimate) which means more time for crafting and one on one with the kids. They also re-grouted a tile in the bathroom upstairs so no baths until tomorrow night but it should solve the tile issue. YAY!

The excitement continued with a trip out and about town with Karyn for Kick it to the Curb… you put your stuff out with a “free” sign and people take what they want over the weekend. Of course for the most part we couldn’t find anything… until we gave up and were heading to the mall – TWO lamps!! I just need to re-do the shades – any suggestions?

Large lamp

Trinity's lamp

And then 2 blocks from our own home – JACKPOT! A lady who is moving end of the month had a whole bunch of little girl stuff out – stuff that was PERFECT for Trinity. She finally got one of those little foam fold out sofas I had been wishing I could get her. It is the perfect size for her and Echo! And clothes to grow into and a couple books… she is putting out more tomorrow so Ken is going to head back over there and check it out after Sunday School.

Enjoying the new couch

Karyn even managed to find herself a popcorn popper. AND we saw parts of the city we had not seen before, a quirky series of signs to an estate/garage sale AND some rather odd art. Ken and the twins went to the local art gallery and museum that we got a free pass from a coupon Kristen found for us! There was an art drop in program. Gavin’s is still a work in progress but you can see Ken’s and Zander’s! Ken is going to take just the twins next weekend and then decide if we should include Emanuel in the experience. We won’t be able to go to the following weekend’s as we will be at my mom’s but it is EVERY Saturday! 

Art and artist

Zander and his to be laminated placemat

With the dishwasher coming in we had to make a nice and clear path. That made it much simpler for me to get that livingroom cleared up. We also dug out the Halloween craft and decoration bucket from the basement with the foam sets the boys have put together with Ken – 2 so far, one for each of the past 2 years. I have already bought another kit during a sale for them to do with him this year! It is time to collect our activities and colouring pages… I will of course link anything I find! 

So now I have lamps to decorate, costumes to make, some Christmas presents to focus on, schooling to plan and and and… BUT more time to do it in!!! 

Popcorn baby decked out for her feast