The pre operation appointment is set for tomorrow! So please check back. I hope to post something in the evening from the den Otter’s home! 

Watch the site! We will be back!

Z-O-M-G Another post already! Well it is Sunday which even though we are NOT out and about tons does make for a more relaxing day. We started our day with ALL of us going to Sunday School. We found out when we got there it was our turn to help in the little guys class (both Trinity and Emanuel are in it). So Ken took Echo and I took the opportunity to help out for the very first time. It made me feel so useful and I had the opportunity to talk to 3 other people in the congregation about things that were bothering me AND see the special closet they purchased for all the costumes mom made. I have found some peace this morning though it was fleeting. We got home and everyone was right back at each other’s throats. 

The purple poof

Life is far from tranquil in the Reinsch-Johnson home lately and I KNOW I am contributing to that with my anxiety and my worry and my tears… I have pledged to myself (and my family) that after this month I am going to go out of my way to chat more with people in our church who have counselling experience. I want to find better ways to deal with things when they all pile up as with 5 kids and the darling husband I have (seriously the man’s luck is CRAP)… well let’s just say adventures are going to happen. 

We squeezed in some school time today on top of it all! I found this neat St. Patrick’s Day themed religious craft for the kids to all do. You can find it HERE. We printed them on various shades of green paper and used markers to go wild. Quite a lot of fun and nice and simple!

Rather spiffy

We also read a Celtic Fairy Tale and drew pictures and wrote about our favourite parts. Some of the ones in our books are relatively short and with what is going on this week I am planning on doing a few more. That way we are not just sitting on our hands, though while She Chris is here schooling will be on holiday! Special Aunty Time! Our Ireland/St. Patrick’s Day binder is quickly becoming a full and interesting book! I have found some more worksheets you could print out if you are interested, or save the link for next year. Check them out HERE. A lovely bonus of homeschooling… I can spend a little longer on something AND take a random holiday for the kids, after all (if you know us rather well) we DO school year round! 

There is still quite a bit to do before we leave for the city… packing is almost done, the kids have been walked through how they need to behave and a basic idea of what is going on… I have a list of numbers to write out and a few minor instructions but I am sure everyone here will be fine, not so sure about the carload heading to the hospital! I know that I will be a bit… ok shh so I tell a fib… a TOTAL basket case!

Very true on the shirt huh?

We have renewed our txting on our pay for cell phone and are deciding how to get us calling ability for the 3 days… I have number after number added of people who want to be in the know, a suitcase basically packed… but I don’t feel overly prepared. I don’t know that I ever would! And on that mellow note I should end my entry before I dip into boo hoos and sobs! Here’s for a great Monday! 

The reason for the drama.... isn't she precious?

I have been a bad blogger this week and for that I must apologize. A combination of sick family (yes all 7 of us to some degree or another), Echo surgery anxiety and an end of the month “adventure” building up (to be disclosed by the end of the month, sorry) and blogging has completely slipped my mind. While I cannot guarantee that next week will be like. I hope to post at least SOMETHING before and after Echo’s surgery… 

Anyway… 3 days. Lets start with today just for fun! Well, we lucked out with our contact at a nearby town library. There was a Dr. Seuss party this weekend for the little ones. Perfect for our Trinity and Emanuel so Karyn, the two kids, myself and Victoria met up at the library to enjoy the party. Victoria works there some evenings and Saturdays as a second job. It is a beautiful building and their library program is amazing! I hope we can go back for more special events!

First it was storytime with TWO Dr. Seuss stories to enjoy. I love their little reading area with its fish in a tank and comfy reading chair!!!

The awesome reading corner

And then it was craft time… 3 crafts! There was a Cat in the Hat hat to create with paper, a t-shirt to colour (our 2 didn’t do a Seuss theme but amazing pieces of art all the same) and finally making a fish bowl using toothpaste and ziploc bags. I have some ideas to try this with other colours of paste for other projects! They smell REALLY minty!!

Assembling hat with Aunty Victoria

Decorating shirts

Toothpaste fishbowls

We stuck around for a little play time at the train set and picked out a few books to bring home and enjoy but Aunty Karyn is getting over a cold as is our Trinity so it was time to head back to town with Aunty Victoria along for the rid! We have missed her, it has been some time since we have had a nice visit. 

The plan for the day – a Green Food Snack/Potluck party for St. Patrick’s Day. We had a lovely variety of goodies including our now basically complete pot of gold. We still need to paint the inside and attached the base legs with hot glue. I figured people would rather NOT have black paper all over their chocolate loonies. 

Pot of Gold

I made some special greenish bread the night before in the breadmaker with 5-6 drops of food colouring put in when the beeping occurs to add in nuts etc. I think I needed to double that but I was worried about changing the flavour. Definitely a conversation starter!

There were green grapes, celery, green jello, Irish Potato Soup (directions to follow in another blog sorry! Have too much to type already for this one!), scalloped potatoes and sugar cookies cut like 4 leaf clovers. All in all a good spread.

After the snacking

Kristen, Fydo and Lauralee rounded out our gathering and we had a great time snacking, chatting, reading books with the kids (Lauralee is Trinity’s FAVOURITE storyteller right now). It was a lovely and restful way to spend an overcast afternoon. We wore green, ate green snacks and chatted. Lovely.

Of course we had to take our yearly picture of the kids in green. We did a 4 and 1 thing as Echo was not overly interested in photography. She actually had a DIFFERENT outfit to wear but… OUTGREW IT!!! MILESTONE!!! Our Echo is starting to out grow 6-9 month clothing! SCORE!

Little goofs!

A slightly cranky baby

Now for YESTERDAY… well, another rough day for yours truly feeling rather overdone with the knowledge that Echo is to have surgery so soon… BUT we managed to continue on. The twins and I wrote up information and interesting things we learned about Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day on a special page. I did the writing they did the dictating. They actually retained an awful lot! And then there were the adorable Leprechauns the little ones finished with me! I thought they were so cute, out of a file a friend sent me (thank you again!!). If you want to check out my Education.com collection for St. Patrick’s Day for next year be sure to click HERE.

Leprechaun

And Emanuel's

BUT late morning She Chris came by between clients at work to take me out to get lunchtime groceries (I think Trinity would have lynched me if I had made noodles for one more meal this week!). We managed to get quite a bit at Walmart for under 15.00. We also stopped by her work for a bit so I got to meet some of her co-workers and superiors. All very nice people and quite entertaining. 

Then in the late afternoon Kathy came for a visit. She forced me out the door sans kids and treated me to some most delicious Umi Sushi Express, a little wander around Walmart and an evening of positive thinking and chitty chat. Just what this worn out and worried momma needed. I truly am blessed in the friends I have met through out my life. 

Another special friend moment! Kristen over after work for a visit!

We have accomplished a lot with our little family and I just KNOW there is more to come. I am going to spend the rest of my year and my life creating more adventures for us to have, not more ordinary trips to places I think it is time to make EVERYTHING an adventure! I am going to do something special just for Echo’s surgery. We have our facilitator meeting in April and I am hoping to find the time to go through what we HAVE done (the big stuff) and find pictures of some of the things we could not save to show him to put with the stuff they completed. Definitely something I want to do as we do it for next school term! A sort of added scrapbook page for everything, especially with adding Emanuel into the mix officially!

I would love it if any of my readers, friends and family would weigh in on anything we have done since about October that is noteworthy that I should look for pictures of! Give me another perspective! You can leave a comment here, email me at rosereinsch@gmail.com… catch me on Facebook as Lisa Reinsch-Johnson (be sure to tell me who you are and why you are friending me if you are not friended yet), msn or Twitter! Whew that is quite the list! OH or call me, txt me or.. GASP.. tell me in person! 

That brings me back further to Thursday and a rather miserable day… sadly none of us were in the mood BUT we managed workbooks, some more St. Patrick’s day related stuff AND some together time. Lots of hugs, cloths for runny noses and moments of cute Echo time. I have been sneaking in even MORE cuddles lately, though one morning Ken found me crying and Echo crying in the middle of the kitchen floor. She had bonked and I had fallen to pieces. Thank goodness Ken was there to gather us up and remind us that this is all going to be OK! 

Workbooks

We have managed to have a memorable half of the weekend… and I have plans for next week, well sort of… (She) Chris is going to watch the other 4 while we are in the city, we are taking (He) Chris’ car to ensure we get there in one piece and on time (do we ever love these two!) and we are staying the night on the Tuesday at the den Otter’s… not to mention all the local friends who will be on call! What a wonderful network we are blessed with! On top of that we are moving out tv upstairs (that is another thing, the owners finally came and checked out the leak – caused by their improper installing of the dishwasher so there is a hole in my basement ceiling right now) and the Wii for the kids and hope that things go smoothly. 

Echo

Echo

And more Echo