I take it back

I am SO ready for these kids to go back to school!!!! These past two days have been nothing but whining, and arguing, and fighting, and getting on my every damn last nerve!!!!

As much as I am not looking forward to making lunches, or the pickup in the rain and snow, and I sooo ready for them to be challenged, and busy, and anywhere but under my feet for a few hours a day!!!!

Al and I both have the next 4 days off, and I am SOOO relieved!!! Here's to hoping the 5 of us make it through without throttling one or another :)

On a totally different note, Mason has a speech assessment tomorrow morning at the hospital. He's been having a really good week speech-wise, so I don't know how he'll score, or rate or whatever it is. I was bad, and I didn't do any of his speech therapy homework this week. (Hello, guilt) But I figured it might give them a better idea of where he is when left to his own devices. I don't know. I'm also on the fence about mentioning Apraxia, or not mentioning Apraxia to see what they say. I probably won't, because that too could skew his results. And of course I don't want to force a label on my son. I'll update when I get back :)

1 week

As much as I love BNL, this post isn't about them :)

1 more week until school starts. I'm not really sure how I feel about that! Since my kids have been in school, I haven't had the opportunity to be with them full time in the summer. I've always worked part time. So we would have our afternoons and evenings. But never all day every day. I will admit that at the beginning of the summer, I was kinda dreading it. I was terrified that they would be bored by the second week of July, and I would be counting down the days until they went back to school. But until I realized we only had a couple weeks left together, it never really crossed my mind. I'm probably weird that way...because I read a few other blogs and the Mom's are definitely on a serious countdown.

I think maybe I have an advantage by doing home daycare. Almost every day the kids had a friend over to play with. And on the days they didn't, those were the days we headed out to visit friends, or went to the library, or the beach. So we didn't get to any amusement parks, or the zoo (maybe Saturday!), or grand adventures this summer. What we did do was relaxing, and fun, and together. We searched out some new parks in town, we walked the neighbourhood, and had picnics in the yard. We had water fights, and I put bubbles in the pool. We painted with water, discovered slime, and made butterflies with our feet. We watch the metamorphosis of caterpillars. We napped :)

Next week it's going to be so weird here. The Pace will have to speed up, lunches to make, kids to walk to and from school. Jenna will be gone all day, Aidan every other day. C is going into JK, so I'll only have him a couple days a week. I am getting a 1 year old at the end of September, so that will certainly stir things up! But other than that, it'll just be me, Mason, and M, another 3 year old. All summer it's been my 3 kids, and 1-3 other kids every day.

The time goes too fast once kids get into school. Mason is going to JK next year, and I am going to be absolutely lost without him :( Especially since new legislation is coming in to make Kindergarten all day every day starting next September. I don't have much time left with my baby.

Back to school kinda sucks I think.

A no good, very bad, terrifying, morning.

This post is awful. If you're having a sad day, probably don't ready it.

My kids went missing this morning. Jenna and Aidan. I went next door to give my neighbour something. I took Mason with me. I came home 2 minutes later. My house was empty. I called. And called, and called. I went outside and called. I went in the back yard and called. Nothing. Silence has never sounded so excruciatingly painful.

I ran back to K's house, and she called 911 for me, and watched Mason while I drove around the block. Nothing. Not a single person out on the street. Since when do we live in such a deserted neighbourhood??

I came back home. Still no kids. A little boy that lives across the street came over and was so awesome, he offered to look for them, asked what they were wearing (Pajamas :( ) and off he went. He thought he saw something a couple blocks away, so I took off in my van again, but there was nothing there. Again.

I came back and talked to the dispatcher for 911. She took a better description of the kids, and asked if I could think of where they might be on our street. Jenna's friend wasn't home, so I knew she wasn't there. Our old babysitter isn't home this week either, so I knew that wasn't it. There aren't any other places on our street that they would have gone. The dispatcher suggested maybe they had gone to the park. I immediately said no, that's not a possibility, they aren't the kind of kids that just decide to go for a walk to the park without me. I said that I could see Jenna taking Aidan to the neighbours to see if I was there, but not as far as the park. The dispatcher then reminded me that they had been gone for more than 20 minutes now, and they would have had time to walk there. And I promptly lost it again. From the time I realized they were gone, it didn't seem like more than 20 minutes had passed...and yet at the same time, 20 minutes was a long time. Especially when you're 4 and 7.

About 20 seconds later, I saw the mother of one of Jenna's friends driving up the street. I thought it was strange...since she lives like 3 blocks away, and we don't live on a main street. And then I saw Aidan's face in the back window of the truck. I almost peed my pants with relief. I couldn't get the door to the truck open fast enough. And I couldn't hug my children tight enough.

I still can't believe it happened. I still can't accept the fact that they really are okay.

I also have a few thank you cards to write. My neighbour across the road, who I've hardly ever spoken to, sent her daughter to the park to look for them, and it was the boy that lives there (not her son) that went looking initially. Also, my kids had knocked on Jenna's best friends door, but they were sleeping. And when D looked out her front window, she didn't recognize the kids walking away, she thought the girl was a neighbour kid that has been giving them a hard time. But when she went outside and my neighbours daughter told her who it was. She called, and left a message, and at the end of the message she said, "oh to hell with it, I'm coming over there." And she did. In her jammies. :) Thankfully my kids were back by then, but still. What a wonderful friend. And then there's K. Who is sick as a dog. But called 911, and stayed with Mason, and then drove and drove and drove looking for my children. Who scolded them as I would have, who hugged them as tight as I did.

My head hurts. I guess from the stress of it, and from trying to figure out what the hell would make them go that far!! Jenna said she thought I had taken Mason for a little walk. Aidan said Jenna told him to go :) You better believe though that it will NOT happen again.

2 minutes. that's all it took to nearly lose my children.

It was extra scary for me, because when I was pregnant with Jenna, I could picture her at every age until 7. And then I couldn't picture her anymore. Jenna's 7 now. I've been holding my breath in a way since her birthday. And when this happened this morning, it was like all the air was sucked out of me.

But they are back. And they are safe. And I am going out to buy kid leashes for them I think. :)

wondering..

So, I was really trying not to turn this blog into a "Oh no, there's something wrong with my baby, and now that's all I can think about" kinda of blog...but really, nothing else blog-worthy is really happening.

But after reading Julie Bo bolie's comment about the video's of Mason, I'm wondering something. I'm wondering if Mason's speech is worse that I am admitting. I seem to forget to take into account that I'm his Mommy, and I'm with him 24/7...so I of course would be able to better understand what he's saying.

I had started to think that on the Apraxia front, he maybe wasn't so bad, and that with some more intensive therapy, that he wouldn't take long to become more understandable. But then...I watch that video and try to take myself out of it, and listen to the sounds Mason is making, and think, hmm.. Julie's right. I haven't a Clue as to what he would be saying.. if it wasn't for the fact that he was pointing to the pictures in a book, I probably wouldn't understand him.

So, I'm back to doom and gloom. In a small way this time though :) As I buckled him into his car seat after the beach today, he looked at me and said, "There, that's perfect!" :) ("Dare, dax perpet") and it made me smile. Which he does so often, despite his mischief making ways :)

Beyond Mason though...my friend's daughter has Cerebral Palsy. And Epilepsy, and and and... These past few days have been just awful for Laney, as she has been seizuring constantly, day and night. Judy took Laney to the ER today, and Laney has gone into Epileptic shock. Not cool. So, if you could just keep Laney in your thoughts, I'm sure we would all appreciate it.

Video of Mason

Does anyone know where I could do my own kind of closed captioning feature on a video?? Not that I have searched yet, just wondering :)



I'm actually pretty impressed with his speech in this video...but these are all thinks that he's pretty familiar with. If you watch really closely, you can see that his jaw and tongue are sometimes working extra hard for simple words. Also, he says Butt for Bus :) His ST and I always have a wee chuckle over that :) We're mature like that :)
***ETA: I get it now!!! When he's talking about the Balloon (A hot air balloon) He's saying that it's going to the gooey Geyser. Thanks Dora :)***




See what i mean about goofy?? He was not at all in the mood to sing for me :) Cute nonetheless though :)

Feeling a little better

I think I'm starting to relax a bit regarding Mason's potential Diagnosis. Every now and then when I am doing research on Apraxia of Speech, I get a little scared for him, because of the labels, and the work it's going to take, and so on. But then I see that there are charity walks for Apraxia, seminars, and support groups, and so much love for these children out there, that it gives me a lot of hope.

I keep trying to figure out why. Why this happened to Mason, what trauma he's had to his brain that caused this to take over my son. His birth was a planned c-section. The only difference for him was that he was breech, and they used a spinal instead of an epidural. I was soooo sick from that spinal, that I didn't hold him for hours after he was born (Hi, Guilt, c'mon in!) other than that...I just don't know...and really, it's not going to matter even if I could figure it out.

He's been special (in that kind of way that means Different from the other two!) since birth. Always wanting to be held. Stubborn with the nursing (HE decided when to quit!) a picky eater, a lousy sleeper...and now this :) It makes me smile in a weird kind of way. In a way that says, of course Mason would give us this challenge. It's just who he is. And then the lightbulb comes on that says "yeah...this IS just who he is" Not what he is, not what he will be defined as (in most cases) Just Who Mason Is. My Boy. My baby. My going concern. My special one.

I keep trying to get a video of him singing and talking, but he's such a ham, that he just wants to be silly in front of the camera :) I'll keep trying though. I never ever give up trying..

A funny

I was laying on the couch with Aidan yesterday, watching a movie. Here's how the conversation went..

Aidan: Hey! Those kids are playing Ball Hockey right?

Me: Yep.

Aidan: Because when you wear rollerblades it's called Ball Hockey. Right?

Me: That's right!! You're so smart!

Aidan: I have a lot of brains right Mommy? Do you know how big my brain is?

Me: How big?

Aidan: As big as my tummy.

Me: Wow, that's pretty impressive.

Aidan: Yep, and I keep learning new stuff, and my brain will grow and grow and grow, until it explodes!!

Me: Well, I kinda hope not. I think you'll grow so your brain can grow too.

Aidan: Oh, yeah. And then think of all the stuff I can learn when my brain is even Bigger than my tummy!! That's a lot you know?

Me: **Laughing** I love you.

Aidan: I love you too. Can I have an apple?

I learned a new word today..

I took Mason to speech therapy today. I was kinda excited because I had noticed over the past week or so that his B words were improving greatly, and that his sentences were slightly clearer, and maybe even longer.

It wasn't a good session. He was really uncooperative, and didn't want to work. He did eventually, and did fairly well, but wasted a lot of time. I was told to start encouraging him to use the words he knows well in short sentences, so that's cool.

But then, in about the middle of our session. Lindsay, our speech path, said the word Apraxia. I had heard this before, but thought it was associated with movement of the limbs, and learning. So I just kinda nodded and figured I would come home and check it out. Lindsay can't diagnose Apraxia, and said she isn't convinced yet, and will need to monitor him further to make a decision about it, but she says he certainly has signs. She's going to monitor him for it, and then we'll have to go to a specialist to get a diagnosis.

So, I came home and looked it up. At first I thought no way, until I searched out some different terms I kept seeing. Looks very much to me as though Mason has Developmental Apraxia of Speech. While it's a little comforting to know that I have an answer as to why he speaks the way he does, the fact that the cause is unknown (other than to say it's neurological), and the cure is unknown are not so comforting.

I'm going to try to get a video of him Singing Row Row Row Your Boat. It really shows how he tries, but fails, to get his mouth to work properly. It's actually kinda cute :)

Anyway, I'm probably over-reacting, we don't even have a diagnosis yet. But it's out there, and it feels kinda right, and I'm kinda scared..

Jennifer!!

I saw your post on BZ about your blog, and wanting a pretty background for it. Since I can't reply today (or hardly ever!!) I'm hoping you'll see this :) I got mine at pyzam. There are almost too many to choose from there!! :)

I can't wait to start reading yours!!

A-Camping we did Go!!

A cousin of my George's and her family came over to Canada from Scotland for a vacation. We all decided it would be loads of fun to meet up at my Mom's to camp for the long weekend, and hang out with Janet, Stephen, Thomas and Stephanie. We had such a great time. They're a great family, and were really good sports about all the craziness that comes along with spending a weekend with all of us :)

Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but lucky for me, my Mom let me borrow hers. :) It's better than mine, so I didn't mind much. I just wish I had thought to ask her about using it the first night we were there. I would have gotten some really great shots from the campfire :) Oh well..

We played some hilarious games with the kids, AND the adults :) Firefighter, where the kids had to use water guns to extinguish birthday candles. This lasted longer than I thought it would. It's no easy task extinguishing a birthday candle with a water gun!! Then we did blindfolded balloon popping. the kids wrapped up the adults in toilet paper, like mummies, and we all had a very hilarious water balloon fight :) My Mom got me good :) I got her back though. HAHA We bent ourselves into pretzels, trying to step over a broomstick, and got cramps in our hands trying to hold too many clothespins :) The kids raced with clothespins between their knees, and tried to drop them into an old milk bottle.. and put on little skits that made us laugh until we almost peed :) We hammered nails into a log (I suck at that!)

We went fishing, but didn't catch anything. Aidan lost his hat, and Philicia dropped Damion's fishing pole off the bridge and had to go in to get it :) Jenna and I both got stung by something, but it wasn't too bad. I got great pictures from the trip to the river :)









The wine flowed and flowed and flowed :) That seems to be the trend with our camping weekends at my Mom's. I discovered a new wine while I was there..it's a semi-sweet red wine, and SO delicious!! It was a little bubbly, and light, and went down SO smooth. It was fabulous :) The stuff in the big tall bottle.



So, that was about it for camping. We went with my parents and brother to Every Kids Park in Orangeville Monday afternoon, but I haven't gotten those pictures from my Mom yet. After that we went over to visit with my Dad and Sister. And discovered that Aidan is a natural for Lacrosse :) So, I'll be looking into that next spring to sign him up :) He really loved it. I worry about him because he's so clumsy, but maybe this will help with that? :)

Friends..

So, I have a new friend. (in my head I can hear you all clapping and cheering and whistling, and I'm waiting for that to die down a bit........okay, thanks :)) This is kind of a big thing for me. I've never been one to just make friends everywhere I go. Not one who would be able to go anywhere and talk freely to anyone around me. Not that I'm not friendly, because I certainly try to be. Just that I always wait for someone else to make the first move..and they don't always :)

Anyway!! I met her in a setting where I never would have thought I'd make a friend. But it happened, almost instantly. I feel like I've known her for Years!! And I am very convinced that her and I were brought together for a reason. Like we are soul mates.. in a friend kind of way. She just seems to Get me. It's so lovely. She's the kind of person that will listen to me yammer on, and then tell me she thinks that's all bullshit, and did I ever think to look at it this way?? She makes me think, and reflect, and laugh, and want to learn and be a better person. She's so smart, and wise, and FUNNY, and a total junk food enabler because she left the sour patch kids in my van, and dammit now I want to sneak out there and gobble them up!! She's great with my kids, and was nice to my husband. I just can't imagine my life without her in it, ya know?

We went to the Drive-in together on Tuesday, to see Mamma Mia. And we talked all the way through it. And then Hellboy 2 came on, and we talked all the way through that too!! And then when everyone else had left the drive in after Hellboy ended, we drove to the carpool lot where she'd left her car, and we talked even more there!! Without any of those silences that come even when you've known someone for years.

She's the person that I'll go to Vegas with when we hit our mid-life crisis's. She's the person I can turn to no matter what the situation. She's the person I'm going to change the world with. I just know it.. And I can't wait :)

(Hey L.. hope I haven't completely embarrased you here.. but every word is true :) Especially the part about the sour patch kids...... now.. where are my keys??)

Bucket List.. A work in progress..

Al and I watched The Bucket List a few days ago. Great movie. So funny, so heartwarming, so sad. It accomplished it's goal for me and got me to thinking about what I want to do, and accomplish before I die. I don't have a long list, but at least I've started giving it some thought :) SO, here it is, I won't number them. Because that would be giving it order, and I don't think a bucket list needs order.

* Create something using a pottery wheel.
* Take my Mom to the Movies.
* Visit a Rain Forest. Preferably in the Amazon.
* Learn the play the violin.
* Go on a trip/vacation alone with each one of my children.
* Get my makeup done professionally.
* Show my husband England. Introduce him to my family there.
* Write a children's book.
* Spend New Year's Eve in Times Square.
* Rent a cottage for a few days, and bring along my Mom.
* Find out the truth about my parents divorce.
* Go up in a Hot Air Balloon.
* Plant a bold and beautiful garden.
* Observe Giraffe's in their natural Environment.
* Ride a Mechanical Bull.
* Buy a whole new wardrobe.. and pay full price for everything.
* Become fluent in Sign Language.
* Send a secret to www.postsecret.com.
* Leave an inspiring inscription in a book, and leave the book for someone to find.
* Rescue an animal.
* Wear a bikini..and flaunt it!!
* Win a contest.
* Create a successful invention.
* Spend a weekend in Vegas.
* Take photography lessons.
* Give a kid a Christmas.
* Learn Archery.
* Build a Habitat for Humanity home.
* Hear Mason speak in a clear and confident voice.
* Spend a day in bed with a loved one.
* Attend an event that requires me to wear a ballgown.
* Own a clawfoot soaker tub.
* Buy a grand piano, and learn at least one classic song to play on it.
* Attend a concert.
* Learn to play Chess.
* Save a life.
* Write a letter to each of my children telling them what I want them to know about me.


So, I think that's all I've got so far. I can't wait to get started on it. Anyone else??

So Excited!!

I am going to visit an old friend today!! We were Best friends in High School. Then she moved away, and we lost touch. All I can say, is God Bless Facebook! :) It's been 11 years since we've seen each other!!

I really need this day. I finally have a day off, which I need for my sanity :) So I am taking Jenna to the doctor to have a wart on her foot either looked at or removed, I don't really know how that works :) And then we are off to see Judy, and her three kids :) Her kids are beautiful :) Her son is 8, her daughters 7 and 4..so my kids will hopefully fit in nicely with hers :) (Finger's crossed on that one!!)

I think I'm mostly looking forward to today because it's such a change. I'm in some kind of funk I think. Same things every day, even the weekends have been pretty blah and generic lately..and I need something more than that. I think I just need to talk to more grownups :) I LOVE kids..kinda have to do do what I'm doing..but they just don't hold a conversation like an adult does :) Feel free to call okay?? :) :)

I guess it doesn't help me that Al is in some kind of funk too. He's been trying to figure out some things for his future, and I don't imagine that he's having an easy time of that. So of course we're bickering more, and ignoring each other more, and I'm not such a fan of all that. We are really trying. It's nice to see the effort there, but it seems our lows are getting lower :( I don't know. Maybe it's just me..

So..I guess that's it for now. OH! Except the coolest thing happened to me the other day!! I was taking the kids to the park the other day, and a GIANT dragonfly landed on me!! It was amazing. Until I noticed that while he rested on my shoulder, he was busy eating a bug :P So gross. And yet still really cool :) My George keeps laughing at me.. you see, i grew up mostly in the country, we lived in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farmer's fields. And yet, I was such a city girl. I hated bugs, and creepy crawlies, and couldn't touch a worm, let alone bait my own hook for fishing!! :) And now!! My favourite time of year is summer, because that's when I get to play with my Monarch caterpillars/butterflies, and see dragonflies, and check out weird looking spiders with the kids (Only outside for the spiders. Inside they still freak me right out!!). My George thinks it's funny that I had to move into the city to become more country :)

Okay, that's it for real this time. Off to get ready for a great day!!

Not how I planned

After the visit to the ENT for Mason, it was decided that he would have surgery to have his adenoids out, and tubes put into his ears. I'm not crazy about the idea now that I've had time to think about it a bit farther. I've also talked at length with my sister who has been through this process with her son as well. She suggested ear candling him. Said it's the best thing they ever did for Ryan, and that his speech improved in leaps and bounds once he had his ears done. So it was decided, we would get Mason's ears candled. It's natural, non invasive, and NOT surgery on my son :)

And then I hit some roadblocks. We have coverage through our benefits for a naturalpath. So I called around, and no one would do it. They either didn't offer that service, or they wouldn't do it because he's not three yet. So I googled it, and found a few more places that offered it. But it meant paying out of pocket (not a big deal, I was quoted mostly around $60), but not what I was hoping for. A couple places said no, because of his age. One place took my name, and another woman said she would do it!

The woman that agreed to give it a shot was so nice. She even lowered her price a bit, because he's younger (Dude, she didn't know what she was getting into). AND she had a free spot that evening!! We decided it might be good to do it later in the evening, because hopefully he'd be sleepier, and more willing to lay still while it was being done. HA.

He was opposed to it from the start. He didn't want to go into her house. He didn't want to go into her treatment room, he wouldn't let her look in his ears. He wouldn't look at Her! He clung to me, shaking, almost the whole time we were there. When he wasn't trying to get out the front door, or 'playing' her piano. She was really sweet about it, tried to coax him in a few times, and then turned to me and said she wouldn't do it. My heart sank the moment we walked in the door. When she said that it dropped :( I knew though, that we were wasting everyone's time, and that there was no way I was going to put my son through something that so obviously terrified him. So, I gathered him up, and we left. I've never seen Mason more happy to get buckled into the van. And can you believe she wouldn't let me pay her?? Not even for her time. I should send a card.

I cried a little on the way home.. Silly.. I just want to help him! I want him to be able to hear!! I want him to be able to speak, and ask for things, and tell me when he's sick, or excited, or frustrated. I want miracles dammit. I guess I put too many high hopes on this.

Another woman called me yesterday, and said she was More than willing to do this for us. That she has lots of experience doing this on children. But I told her about our experience at the other place, and she and I talked about it for a little while. She suggested that maybe because the other place was in the woman's home, that perhaps it wasn't clear to him that we wanted to do something like at a doctor's office. That makes a lot of sense. So, this other place is at a wellness clinic. I have more hope for that, but decided not to make an appointment for now.

I emailed my sister yesterday, and she suggested (again) that I just do it myself. If I do it when he's sleeping, we won't have to worry about him moving, being scared of the flame or what's going on. Although from everything I've heard and read, it's very soothing, and just sounds the same as when you hold a conch shell to your ear. So, I think that's what we'll do. After I email my sister to see when she's available to come home a lighted candle over my son's head. :)

If it doesn't work, then I'll have the surgery done. It's not really a big deal. The procedure takes about 45 minutes, and we're in and out the same day. It's booked for a Friday, so he'll have the weekend to recover. I might send Jenna and Aidan to my Mom's for the weekend too, so he can recover in peace.

I just want this to work.. please?

And now, by popular request....

Well, only 1 request..but it was from Julie, and she's pretty damn popular, so it works. shut up.

Crafts we've done recently!!

1. The kids all loved this one! A butterfly made from a toilet paper roll. Actually, I had to cut down the rolls, so a paper towel roll cut into three might be a better size.

2. We've also recently made butterfly footprints. SO CUTE!! you paint the kids' feet, and then set them on the paper, but opposite, crossed...umm...how to explain...so, the outsides of the feet, are actually on the insides. Paint or colour a body.

3. Get fish stickers, colour a paper entirely blue (or use blue paper), use old pieces of construction paper to create coral, seaweed, underwater caves etc, stick on stickers.

4. We'll be making sock puppets tomorrow I think..gotta find some more socks :)

5. Pasta art! The kids LOVED this!! I set out bowls with different shaped pasta, and gave them each a bottle of glue (glue sticks don't work), and let them create!

6. Great for a rainy day...pop some plain popcorn. take a cupcake liner, fold in half, and decorate like an umbrella...use half a pipe cleaner for the handle if you have one, if not just draw an umbrella handle. glue the 'umbrella' on a piece of paper. Use the popcorn to create the 'rain clouds'. colour on rain drops.

7. Make your own puzzle. Have the kids draw a picture or design on a blank piece of paper, make sure the whole piece of paper is covered. Glue onto a piece of cardboard. Have kids draw puzzle pieces on the cardboard, cut out using x-acto knife.

8. Coffee filter flowers. Paint a drip coffee filter with water colour paint. once dry, pinch in the centre, and fasten a pipecleaner for a stem.

9. Muffin cup flowers. These work well if you have a couple different sizes of muffin liners. Colour the entire muffin liner (Inside and out), glue the smaller liner into the middle of the bigger one. Voila, a double impatiens :)

I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds cool!!

Sidewalk Chalk - This recipe is for sidewalks only. Do not use this chalk on any other surface. You will need 4-5 eggshells, 1 teaspoon flour, 1 teaspoon very hot tap water, and food coloring (optional). Wash & dry eggshells. Put into bowl and grind into a powder. A mortar and pestle works fine for this. Discard any large pieces. Place flour and hot water in another bowl and add 1 tablespoon eggshell powder & mix until a paste forms. Add food coloring if desired. Shape & press mixture firmly into the shape of a chalk stick, and roll up tightly in a strip of paper towel. Allow to dry approximately 3 days until hard. Remove paper towel and you've got chalk. Eggshell chalk is for sidewalks only.

I like www.dltk-kids.com and www.familycorner.com for craft ideas. And when all else fails, look up their favourite printables, and let them colour :)

Hope this helps!!

Let's go fly a Kite!

I took the kids to the park today, and I filled the wagon with fun park-stuff like usual. Except this time, I added in a couple kites. I tell ya, there is nothing like flying a kite!! I had forgotten how much I used to love it as a kid.

My brother and I used to attempt to make our own kites. A piece of paper, a couple sticks, tape and a length of string or yarn, and we were set for hours!! Until we went whining to my Mom that the kites wouldn't fly, and she would comfort us by saying that it probably just wasn't windy enough :)

It took a lot of willpower to convince myself to pass over the string and let the kids fly the kites :)

I highly recommend it. Who doesn't love a kite :)

Tattoo Me

I've wanted a tattoo for a really long time..I think. :) I keep coming back to the idea, and then I decide I'm not really there yet. For years I've wanted a Butterfly. But I kinda shy away from that idea, since it seems like Every girl on the planet has a butterfly tattoo. But because of what a butterfly represents to me. The struggles they go through, the changes and sacrifices they make, and how smart and gifted they are. It all just amazes me. For a little while I thought about getting half a butterfly. With the plan to get the other half when my life felt complete, whole, settled. But who knows when that will be right? I've looked at Hundreds and thousands of butterfly tattoos, and I love them all.

Lately, I've been thinking about getting a tattoo that incorporates my family. I really love water too. How powerful it is, how it adapts, and surrounds when something is put into it. So now I'm kinda thinking of some kind of puddle, with three little drops dripping into it (to represent the kids.) Or maybe 4 drops, to include my husband as well. I can't find any pictures though. Which, maybe is actually a good thing, since that would indicate that it's more original than a butterfly.

Then there's the question of where!? I used to want Tinkerbell sprinkling pixie dust over my tailbone..just because...okay?? But I've decided against that, since I've now broken my tailbone twice, and it's so painful still!! But maybe higher up my back? OH! It might be cool on the side of my foot!! Like I stepped in a puddle, and it's splashing up the 3 or 4 droplets?? Hmmm.... might have to think on that one :) Yeah...I think I like that!

Thanks for your help :)

Camping!!

Every year we get together with my Step-Mom's family and spend a weekend camping together. It's so much fun!! We decided to do it about 7 or 8 years ago, since we can't seem to manage getting together at Christmas, and this is more fun that a turkey dinner anyway :) Every year we go to a different provincial park, we've only repeated a couple places, so it's been a great adventure :) Some places have been awful, and some breath taking :) This year we went to MacGregor Point Provincial Park. I LOVE it there :) I've camped there almost every summer since I was 4. I was a bit disappointed to see that the town had changed so much since I was last there. It's not looking as touristy any more..and I really thought that was a big part of it's charm. It was touristy, without being overwhelming or gaudy. Now it seems to have a lot of drug stores :) But it was the same town, and holds the same fond memories from my childhood.

For the most part, camping was fun. It rained so hard, and for so long the first night, that our tent flooded :) I can laugh at it now, but when you're reaching into your bag, and pulling out dripping wet underwear..not so funny in that moment. I don't know that I have ever been camping during a thunderstorm like that. It seemed like it was right over top of us. I was starting to think we should probably get the kids in the van when it finally started to let off. So, we spent Saturday morning drying out the tent. and attempting to dry out our stuff. Unfortunately, every time we hung things up to dry, it would start to rain again! I finally gave up, threw it all in the van, and headed to the beach :)

Great camp beach there. You can go out for like 2KMs, and still not hit water higher than your bum :) Great for the kids. Of course, the entire time we were at the beach it was hot and sunny. Enough that the kids and I got a burn :( We took our stuff and threw it in a dryer for awhile, and everything came out warm and dry :) It was great knowing I'd have dry clothes in the morning!!

Sunday we went on a hike with everyone. We saw a couple frogs and turtles. Ryan dropped his water bottle of the pier, and my uncle Mark held him by his feet while he reached under to grab it :) That was hilarious to watch. Then we checked out the visitor's centre, where they have lots of reptiles on display :) Mason LOVED that!! When we got back for lunch it started to rain again. But it thankfully didn't last too long, and Al and I managed to fit in a game of gin while the kids coloured and played in the rain. We headed back to the visitor's centre after dinner to see a movie. It was cute for the kids, all about baby animals, and how every species is so different.

Monday wasn't as great. We were sad to be packing up and leaving. And my Grandpa (who hadn't come camping with us in Years) wasn't feeling well. My Dad needed to go into town to get something for my grandpa, and his car wouldn't start!! Ugh!! It turned out to just be a battery, but it still sucked pretty bad at the time. But, it got fixed, and we all made it home safe and sound.

It was a pretty low key weekend, but it's what I needed I think :) Been a very long time since I've had a day off. I miss having days off :)

Party Party Party!

We made it!! Jenna's birthday party was on Saturday...and as the person who planned the majority of it, and organized, and corralled, and bribed 8 girls and 2 boys...I am not so humbly going to proclaim that it was a huge hit!!

So, I went with the picnic theme that Jenna requested. At first I was leary, because I hadn't ever thought about that kind of party. But once I got going, I LOVED it!! I swear it planned itself :) (HA! No, it did not!! I did that :) hmm..nope, not humble)

In advance of the party, I bought a different coloured sand pail for each guest, and stuck on their names with foam stickers. Also, when each Mom RSVP'd, I made sure to ask what their child's favourite sandwich was. So, come lunch time, I gathered each guest's bucket, and inside I added their personal favourite sandwich, a Kool-Aid Jammer, and an Oreo Cakester. Two of the girls were convinced that I'm psychic because I knew what kind of sandwich they ate :) hehehe

After lunch I let them run wild for a bit while the gorwnups cleaned up, and then called them all back to decorate their buckets. I found the Coolest foam sticker at Micheals (Wal-mart has them too, but I had a coupon for Micheals)...They were bugs and grass, and fish shapes, in pale, girly colours, and Gingham!! What says picnic more than Gingham!? I thought so too :)

Once the buckets were decorated, I used each one as the loot 'bags' for each guest :) I know the foam stickers won't hold up in the sand...but it was a good idea at the time :)

I found some different games to play rather than the regular musical chairs etc..since we were at a park without electricity :) We played shoe scramble, where there are two piles of shoes, and you have to race to each pile, but on your own shoes, and then race back. SO funny!! Especially the shoes on the wrong feet!!

Then there was Balloon scramble. Hilarity. Each guest was blindfolded, and then we set out balloons (with marbles inside so they wouldn't blow away. The girls had to crawl across the grass, find a balloon, and the first one to pop it was the winner. It was so funny watching the girls go off in the wrong directions!

We did the classic Egg and spoon race too...but honestly, I thought it was a bit boring. I'll have to think up a variation before I use that game again :)

Then there was Going on a Picnic. Not a game really, just something fun to calm them down, and to pass the time. We brought Apples, Banana's, Cake, Doritos, Eggs, Fries, Grapes, Hot Dogs, Ice cream, Jello, Kites, and Melissa's Mom to our picnic. After that I lost their interest. But it was cute watching them help each other out with remembering what comes next, and what starts with the next letter :)

Then came the Bite Test. I suggest spreading out A LOT with this. Sarah got knocked over :( So, what happens is, each kid gets a napkin, that gets weighed down (we used rocks from the beach). The kids race to the napkins and then have to pick them up with only their Teeth!! No hands or they're disqualified :) Funny to watch them try to pick up the napkins with their teeth :)

After that it was cake and presents, so of the girls went in the lake, until it started to thunder, so we got them out quick.

All in all it was a BLAST!! I loved it. It's right up there with the Tea Party we had when Jenna turned 5. How I hope these parties are leaving lasting memories for my kids :)

Update on Mason

So, since Mason was about a year old, I have wondered about his speech. I let it slide a few more months, listening to what people say about boys being slower. He got a few more sounds, and I let it go a bit longer. Then at about 18-20 months he was calling us Mommy and Daddy. None of this mama and dada stuff for him! I thought perhaps he needs to wait to say the word when he knows he's got it perfect?? Then I noticed other people were having a harder and harder time understanding him, and I was interpreting for him SO much more than I should be for a 2 year old.

I did some research, and he didn't seem to hit any of the markers for concerns about speech. He could put two words together, was Very receptive (he was shaking his head yes and no appropriately at 8 months old!!), seemed to understand what we were saying to him and so on.

And then the crying. wouldn't. stop. I thought for a rather long time that he had some form of Autism. He wasn't speaking, the constant crying, I thought he was stimming when he was trying to calm himself, he was SO attached to me, didn't play well...and sooo much more. I talked to my doctor about my concerns about his speech and behaviour, and he gave me the number for the Preschool Speech and Language program. It's run for free (through OHIP) at our local hospital. So, I called them, and they sent out a 12 page assessment form to fill out. Daunting to say the least. They also require a hearing test.

So, we did the hearing test. And he failed it. I knew, sitting in the little room with him that he had failed. He wasn't hearing some things at all. it was so sad. But at least it gave me a reason for his speech issues!! Something to cling to for a little while. He didn't follow my instructions because he couldn't hear me! Of course! He didn't come back when I called him because he couldn't hear me! look at that. It was silly of me to hang onto that. I feel bad about that. So, back to my doctor with the results of the Audiologist. My doctor wouldn't do anything about a possible wax buildup in his ears because Mason was too young, and he didn't want to cause damage. So, we got a referral to an ENT. for 2 1/2 months later.

All this time, a lot of people were still telling me he was just a bit slow, and to give him time, blah blah blah :) A mother knows though, usually :) I knew my little boy was having trouble, and if he could just Tell me what he wanted, the crying would stop!!! That was the hardest time in my life I think. Waking up every morning to the crying, and hearing it all day until he fell asleep at night.

So, I filled out the speech assessment, and then kinda sat on it for awhile. I think I went into a bit of the denial everyone else was pushing at me. Finally, I mailed it in. And finally, Al got on board with me.

The ball started rolling. Not just lightly along, but at full speed down the hill!! He was accepted into the Preschool speech program. But there's a waiting list of 10-14 months!! What bullshit that is let me tell you!

So, Al was at our doctor's for something unrelated, and got talking to him about Mason. Our Dr wrote out a prescription for speech therapy, and gave Al a referral to a Speech Clinic!! And the BEST part is that the Therapy is covered by Al's work benefits!! And because it's a prescribed treatment, we don't even have to pay the 20% like most other things!!

So, last Wednesday I called The Speech Clinic to see what kind of openings I could get for him in the summer. The woman told me that she had TWO openings the next DAY!! Crazy! I couldn't do that, but she also had a spot on Saturday, so I snapped that up!

I took him in for the assessment, and he definitely has speech delays. Fairly significant delays, but not devastating ones. Everything is correctable with time. I am soooo relieved.

His issues are that he drops consonants. So for example, when he says Daddy, it comes out like Daa-ee. Aidan sounds like Ian. Chocolate is Wok-wit. He's not using the letters S, L and R. and B's and P's are being used inconsistently. He's substituting vowels all over the place, and he's trying to get his words out so fast, that we're only catching the last word in the sentence. So, lots to work on, but at least now we know!!! He'll go to speech therapy every other week. I am so relieved.

So, back to his hearing problems!! He had his appointment with the ENT today. And although the news wasn't great, it certainly could have been worse. Mason has enlarged adenoids. And they will need to be removed. They are blocking the fluid from draining, making everything he hears sound as though he's hearing it underwater. Makes perfect sense!! He'll also get tubes in his ears to help clear the way for the drainage. He gave Mason another hearing test, and it DOES NOT look like he has hearing loss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm soooo relieved about that!!!!

So, to sum up this novel!! He needs Speech therapy. And he needs surgery for his adenoids and tubes in his ears. I can't imagine what kind of kid he will be when we're all done with this!! I can't wait to find out :)