"A Stitch in Time"

Rain rain go away… spring, summer and now fall! This is the most rain I think Ken has ever seen in Canada in the 10+ years he has lived up there. I think he is starting to wonder if it is monsoon season!

We had a visitor today, She Chris came by when she got out of school early before He Chris got off work. A snuggle with Echo and a quick run to 7-11 for slurpees and off she went. It is hard having them over an hour away but a bonus as when one is done before the other or they need to crash we are top of the list.

Hello Aunty Chris

So the folder set up is still working well, the boys worked on their worksheets (choosing which they did on their own) and then worked in their copybooks to review their ABC’s… I asked for advice on the local email group and am adding in all our names and their first and last names as copybook practice. I am very impressed with how much improvement there has been in their letters. Their patience in writing them too!

Gavin and his copy work

Craft for today – for 3/4 of the kids at least (Emanuel was slow to relax and nap so missed this one), was making bracelets. This time using some of the letter beads I bought at Dollarama and the Ikea version of the Perler Beads (they just don’t hold as well when you melt them). Gavin and Trinity worked together to make her bracelet, which she then spilled and he had to REMAKE. Such a good big brother.

Gavin and Trinity at work on her bracelet

And the big excitement of the day – PLAH-DOH! We broke out the new colours and the kids got to sit down and create without limits. Nothing was saved but they had a blast making and then ALL helped clean up.

Play Doh! (Zander right)

Of course, as always happens in this house, mid dinosaur prepping the printer ran out of something VERY crucial – black ink… So now we have to REALLY pin down our school funding and get things sorted. After all the cartridge costs 60.00 though it DOES last over a year and we print TONS. So I ordered the books off the list from the library and checked out the suggested links online… now we combine the 3 folders and work out how we are going to get more ink.

It has been a bit of a struggle to get things done today. Echo seems to have a mild cold – mostly phlegm, but it means feeding her less in one sitting and more often. If I  feed her as much as I normally do at one sitting some of it inevitably comes up with the phlegm so now it is back to every 2 hours or so feeds. Not the most conducive to getting stuff done, and since she is not the hugest fan of Daddy or anyone else it is basically Mommy or nothing. Well except for the sewing. That is easy to do baby in lap.

Stocking to date

Last night I played around with the camera, our wicker basket, some fake rose petals and of course my current favourite photo subject – Echo. I have to have Ken go through them all to pick the best ones but it was fun, and she was nice and relaxed so I had the opportunity to take multiple images. Now if I could just get her poor tummy (and my own to a milder extent) settled!!

One of last night's images

Labour day was far from work for me… of course Ken wooed me into another LATE evening with 3 more episodes of Dr. Who… the first was a 2 parter so OF COURSE we had to watch the second part and then he was sneaky and turned on a 3rd when I was feeding Echo. So… I slept in… and then got up to get up and was sent BACK to bed due to lack of things to do… so (and I shudder to admit it) I did not get out of bed until past 2pm! But what an amazing morning/early afternoon of snuggle time with Baby Echo. Something I would not trade for ANYTHING.

The boys spent some time outside prepping the backyard for our visit with Harley. Apples up off the grass and toys in the garage. It is not much longer before we have to go through all the outside toys and toss the cracked and broken. I don’t have high hopes on a lot of salvageable toys BUT we have to move next spring anyway so we have no idea what sort of a yard we will have. Hopefully FENCED!

After all the apple picking I have a much clearer picture of how far behind I am on the applesauce. I am determined to catch up and get it all done and frozen, but wow a bit intimidating! And there is STILL more apples on the tree…

The most red they have been!

Over last week the boys and I managed to get our Gardening Lapbooks done. They always enjoy the process of putting together the final product and this time there was lots of glueing and some creative placement to make sure everything fits.

Front cover

Interior

Inside flap

Back cover

My goal for this week is to assemble the Apple Lapbooks. We did all the work and then got busy with our summer outside activities and time just got away from me. Good timing anyway with the boys doing their summer/fall chore of cleaning the apples up and my constant applesauce making. I am thinking it is time to make up some apple leather for a special treat!

Chris and Chris joined us for dinner Monday night, mom had to leave right when we got our hamburgers done to take Harley to doggy school. It was nice to have someone over to hang out with even though She Chris was feeling ill from a cold. Mom is helping them plan their wedding and us our Halloween costume for Echo so there was lots to talk about.

Grandma Anna and Echo

Playing in the backyard with Mike

Our new set up of having folders for the boys to work on in their drawers seems to be going well… they spent their morning working on numbers (and ignoring the letter practice TOTALLY… so I guess I need to pad the folders with more FUN letter activites). Then Gavin sat down at the easel and worked on a picture.

Gavin's art

Zander decided to do a more “hands on” approach to art and built himself a castle! I love it when they take initiative and make their own creations.

Zander's castle

Of course we managed to get in a little more number fun with the Cars themed workbooks – just one page though before Trinity woke up VERY insistent that we look at the Cars dvd we finally unearthed in the basement (don’t ask me how half the dvds I was looking for for the van got put in a box with books).

Some play in the now VERY fall like weather in the backyard with a new set of chalk and some of the better quality balls and the kids have had a rather full day. Too bad the basement is a mess and we are loads behind in the laundry. Figures a long weekend and we DON’T get ahead on that! Gavin also reminded me that it has been FIVE DAYS since he got his forehead hurt. I am very proud of him for keeping track himself AND for reminding me each day how long he has to go.

Group project (Gavin)

It has certainly been an adventure this afternoon – Ken had a 2:30 appointment that managed to last most of the afternoon and into the evening leaving me with all 5 kids… I did manage a bath – Echo actually LIKED the bouncy chair with its vibrating setting long enough for me to have a bit of a soak. Love the thing – we got it way back when when Emanuel was tiny and on sale…

Bouncy chair baby

After she decided Mommy had relaxed enough my afternoon got a bit more… difficult. I have not managed more than a few minutes away from her without her sensing and waking back up! So I got in a bit of a video of her tummy time, sorted out an argument in the backyard and came back to one VERY angry baby girl on her tummy and HOWLING!

Head up

And then I find out how “smart” Canon has gotten with their cameras… apparently the one I have to replace the dying model I HAD (made my goal and now have a new one to attain!!)… its battery is SMALLER, so I had 3 batteries charged and waiting that won’t fit in the camera… and ONE in the charger that will. Talk about frustration.

Speaking of photography and my current addiction – taking pictures of Echo… I have managed a few more, Ken has yet to do any editing on them however minor or major but I am having a blast racking my brain and deviantArt for ideas and going wild with them. After I finish Echo’s nursing necklace, my next project is to make her a tutu using my tulle and a plastic hairband. Seriously, it is suggested by the same person who made up the instructions for the tutus I make. Photo props for the win!

So not the best background but I am loving the higher pixels

With Ken gone over 5 hours our week’s plans have altered slightly, the conservatory is moved from tomorrow to Thursday so Ken can get things put off today done. Which means tomorrow we crack out the brand new play-doh that I have been hoarding for the past few months. After all what good is NEW play-doh on a sunny day? I figure we get our lapbook fun on and then move on to making the kitchen a play-doh creature creation area and maybe even SAVE a couple of the really good ones to dry out and put on shelves (as I remind myself we have NO spare room upstairs… but I can always find a place to show off something special, that’s what Mommies do).

I still have that baking calling me to be done… after all what is the Reinsch-Johnson home without applesauce muffins? A sad sad place that’s what.

Grandma Anna always gives the baby a piggy!

So church did not happen, we all needed some extra sleep and time to rest. BUT I did manage to drag the whole family out to Michaels to take advantage of a 50% off coupon and pick up supplies to make hand and footprints of Echo and the rest of the family. Oh and a craft for the kids – they were on sale down to 79 cents – little wooden cut outs and markers, a definite favourite for the kids. But then what kid DOESN’T like markers?

Colouring together (Zander red)

My new project is actually buzzing right along… I am going through all of our outgrown boys’ clothes and discarding anything stained or in major duplicate. I want to get it down to a few buckets for the next friend who has NOT had a son already and is in need of clothing etc.

Ken and I are attempting to go through a file that has a rather large and advance Dinosaur lapbook. Emanuel is in love with dinosaurs and we are planning a trip to the Tyrell Museum in the near future… so I was hoping to put this lapbook together and then work with the whole family to fill it in and learn the contents.

I ordered a set of photos to finish up a bunch of Emanuel’s 2009/2010 scrapbook pages. I am really happy with how they turned out!!

Christmas Eve 2009

Christmas Day 2009

Chinese New Year/Valentine's Day 2010

4th birthday party 2010

4 year old photos

Easter 2010

Now to get the rest of the house tidy and the backyard toy free before my mom brings her dog over.

Hands Folded