Tag Archive | puzzle

A Canadian Treasure Box

August Extra!

Grandma and Grandpa Mike decided to spoil us. They packaged up all the things they had been saving for birthdays, Easter, all those special holidays from the beginning of the year until now and sent them off. There were all sort of goodies… games, puzzles, beautiful bracelets… A little something for everyone (even myself! The baby curls my Grandma MacLean had saved were in the package as well.). And so I took pictures to commemorate the fun. Thank you so much for this little taste of home Mom!

Note the Canadian goodies right on the top!

Note the Canadian goodies right on the top!

Spread out to peruse

Spread out to peruse

Gavin loves a good puzzle

Gavin loves a good puzzle

Attempt #1 of taking a picture of the new bracelets

Attempt #1 of taking a picture of the new bracelets

Much better!

Much better!

Snuggles with the newly christened Gypsy

Snuggles with the newly christened Gypsy

Zander building a catapult

Zander building a catapult

SLING SHOT

SLING SHOT

Chalk... we can NEVER have too much chalk!

Chalk… we can NEVER have too much chalk!

This entry was posted on 01/09/2014, in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

Advent Continues

Mondays always seem to be a bit of a struggle. I think we need to walk away from having weekends so obviously different  from our weekdays. We have had to face printing practice for Zander today. It was one of the things the facilitator noted… a backslide in the legibility. He is resistant (of course) but we are making progress. I limited our workbook time to a page of math and a page of either printing practice or sight book work. Amazing how even that little bit was a bit of a struggle. HOWEVER we did make it a little more fun with CHRISTMAS stickers from the Dollarama to mark completed pages in the math books. 

Sight word book work

We finished our Day 4craft today – toilet roll Christmas candles! Super simple and lots of fun, though we did have some paint drips and some stickers that did NOT like the paint surface. Gavin put some of our glitter stuff in his paint to give it a shiny look and they all were happy with the end result. I am so glad I picked up some shiny Christmas pipecleaners with Kristen. They just look so nice! Up on the mantel they go! 

Our completed candles

Today’s theme was the Christmas robin… we did the colour by numbers, the connect the dashes… but we decided not to make ourselves some robins out of paperplates. Instead we read some fun stories about sleds and Christmas. Did you know that Fancy Nancy is full of interesting Christmas knowledge? 

Fancy Nancy

Sledding

Storytime for Petite Sheepette

I wanted to remind everyone that we have moved… and our mail is NOT being forwarded… I cannot remember who usually sends out cards but if you contact me I can get you our new address!! Please do NOT send mail to the old address! 

One of today’s videos is a step by step walk through on how to draw a Christmas robin. Gavin took inspiration from the process (pencil first, then pen over lines, erase and we added colour) to make his own picture. Christmas themed of course! 

Gavin's completed drawing

Zander is becoming quite the checkers player. We had a game this afternoon and ended on a draw (we each had one king left). I only had to remind him once or twice that it is a VERY boring game if you just keep moving back and forth to avoid doing anything. I need to find someone who is good at chess to teach him chess next I think… who knows, this could be his “thing”!!

Checkers

So the kids were supposed to go sledding with Ken today and work interfered. With good reason, he stuck close to home to answer the phone and work out the details of a possible contract… but that means tomorrow is THE day – sledding after lunch! I think I am almost looking forward to it more than they are! 

The laminator and my cluttered table had a run in, luckily no jam but a slightly bent puzzle piece and house… thankfully owner of said house was fine with it and I think the puzzle will still work… but I need to have words with that machine. It is NOT playing nice! 

We have a busy day tomorrow with the proposed sledding, Trinity and Emanuel’s library adventure solo with Karyn and Ken, Echo and myself meeting up with Kristen and Fydo. Thankfully He Chris will be here to help with the other two. Our villages are growing, as is the boys’ Polar Express lapbooks. I still have the rest of the week to complete my goals and I plan on taking advantage of ALL of my spare time! And some of my not so spare as well! 

Her top says Silent Night... I don't think so!

My kiddos

Saying Good-Bye is Never a Simple or Painless Thing to Do

We have seen the Nana and Baba off on their return trip to Minnesota. Last night was difficult for some of the kids, it is hard to KNOW that first thing in the morning you have to say good-bye and there is no – see you next week – to go with it. They had to leave for the airport by 8:30 am so there was hugs and kisses and off they went. BUT not before we got a phone call for Echo at 8am. Apparently it was simpler for our paediatrician in the city to simply get us an appointment here in town for the kidney ultra sound – there were TWO options for today, one what Ken termed “ridiculously early” and the other for 11:15. Of course he took the latter. Thankfully this was an appointment where Ken could solo run it and the rest of us stay home. We are one step away from a jimjam day here. Everyone got dressed but we certainly are staying close to home!

Ken and Echo met with nothing but success at the imaging place… first off they only waited in the waiting room FIVE MINUTES! How unheard of! Then when in the exam Echo was able to lounge about NAKED in Daddy’s lap and then there was NO peeing in the lap, and I mean naked as the day she was born naked! I am sure Ken heaved a huge sigh of relief once that cloth diaper was returned to its owner’s bottom. The technician was fine with telling Ken what she saw, what was there and how she looked… well how her kidneys looked. She even had the doctor in to look and make sure he was pleased so we would not have to make a second trip! How did she do, I am sure you are ALL wondering… FANTASTIC! 2 kidneys, right size, right place and only one person (in the waiting room) asked how old HE was (Ken says we must give her the benefit of the doubt as she was most likely half blind anyway!). 

Ready to go with Petite Sheepette in hand

That was our morning. While Echo was gone with Daddy I managed the other 4… tv for the little two (they are beyond over done after party and visiting and company and all) and a start back to the homeschooling regime with the twins. I had them work on their first Nana and Baba adventure for their Summer Adventure file. I figure they will do at least 2-3 of their visit and one for Echo’s birthday. Then it is back to sight words, math books and dinosaurs. Not all together gracefully though, getting them started this morning was like pulling teeth in its level of painfulness. 

Back to work

So far I have ONE picture of Ken at the party… well early on in the party, courtesy of Nana and Baba’s camera. I have gotten promises of pictures from two other party goers but am still waiting to hear back on a few other cameras. If you are reading this and DO have pictures… please EMAIL rosereinsch@gmail.com and send them my way! 

Kenny at work pre full swing party

The kids and I snuck outside after Echo’s post appointment and luncheon nap and gave it another go with the tutu dress. I do believe she is teething again as her nose is runny and she was VERY warm. You can imagine how excited she was about that! BUT we tried. I figure if we try a few more times she may give in and enjoy it a bit more… after all I can take as many pictures as I want and then pick a best of the bunch. She did settle down but was NOT willing to relinquish the soother. OR wear the poof. 

So...poofy

And baby makes 5

The puzzle has reclaimed its place of honour on the blue table by the bright window, and some interest has been held by it today. But still the livingroom is a bit of a shambles and in need of a return to the previous furniture arrangement. I have to admit I am being lazy about it. But by the end of the week we should be back to normal… just in time to face the final week before Chris and Chris’ wedding and the chaos that will cause. Fingers crossed we can go back to a calmer household in September! I am in dire need of quiet and at least somewhat predictable days.

We made one more foray to the great outdoors today… brief as it was… to use the bubbles Nana and Baba had bought for the party but forgot to bring out. Of course colours of bottles were VERY important but they all agreed it was time to share with Echo… and once I got them to STOP blowing them directly in to her FACE we all got along rather well. Once bubbles failed to enthuse we closed them up and Echo and I returned in only to have to call all 4 back in due to fighting and screaming. Zero tolerance today my dears…

Look! Bubbles!

It is hard to jump right back into the norm after such an amazing week or so but we are trying. Ken has never really completely surfaced from work, even while his parents were here so that is easy enough to continue. It is the rest of the family that is adjusting really. I have to admit while the quiet is welcome, it is a wee bit lonely. We went from my inlaws and so many friends and family to just us in such a short period of time. By tomorrow I will be right as rain but there is the little moment of blue connected to so many good-byes. And anyone who knows me well knows I am HORRIBLE at good-byes, though I am proud to say – no waterworks this time! There’s a first huh? 

I am trying a new bow on for size as well… the Boutique bow. I have made two of the same ribbon… trying them out a bit… I am not sure how I feel about them but I did stab myself once in the making and got two to look somewhat like the picture. I also finished the second season of Campion… so now am on the look out for more British mysteries on Netflix… 

Not quite done yet

Now it is definitely time to bite the bullet and get back to work. So far I have posted some Kijiji adsand sorted out the tissue paper (such lovely colours)… now it is time to face the nitty gritty and get the livingroom ready for being put to rights! Off I go!

More bubbles

"Yawn"

Fat sheep family moment (with their nanny of course)

This entry was posted on 16/08/2011, in Uncategorized. 3 Comments