We're Ninjas!

Well, sort of.  We were supposed to do some painting today, but got rained out.  Instead we spent some of our afternoon making inside crafts, and this is what resulted:

Aren't they cute?  I got the idea from No Time For Flashcards and added some teeny tiny bodies.  Mister Fantastic thought the bodies were super funny.  Human Torch had some difficulty with cutting but overcame it with some help from Mama, and Thing slept the whole time.  Invisible Woman chilled on the floor beside us and was the model for Baby Ninja, traced from a soup bowl instead of a pasta bowl.  I think it was quite a successful craft.

Cheers,

Kelsey

Getting Ready for Summer.

Without the budget for summer camps, I've had to get creative this year -- and thanks to the teachers' strike, I've had to get creative even earlier.  So, Monday marks the beginning of the first year of Mama's Theme Weeks.  With the exception of VBS week in August, each week this summer has a particular theme.

Week 1: Dino Week
Week 2: Space Week
Week 3: Canada Week
Week 4: Monster Week
Week 5: Zoo Week
Week 6: Superheroes Week
Week 7: Wild Animal Week
Week 8: Nature Week
Week 9: VBS Week
Week 10: No Theme Yet Week
Week 11: Beach Week
Week 12: Back to School Week!  (Thank Heaven.)

I know it looks ridiculous (seeing it typed out looks ridiculous even to me) but honestly, I'm having tons of fun getting ideas!  I have a few crafts lined up for Dino Week already, and I've been to the library to pick up some books on dinosaurs.  Tomorrow I'll really buckle down while the boys are out and do the prep work for Monday's activities.

Now, just because every week has a theme doesn't mean that I'm going overboard.  Well, not too overboard.  Depending on whom you ask.  (Don't ask the husband.)  The Fantastic 4 will still get plenty of time to play on their own, but too much free play is as bad as not enough.  It's important that kids have some sort of direction and routine.

Here's the rundown:

Each morning will start with breakfast (of course) and free play, including colouring sheets related to the week's theme.  If I had the variety, I'd also have theme-related toys out, but that's just asking too much.  I mean really, if you want me to go overboard, that would be it.  Free play is followed by a snack, which is then followed by outside play (or active inside play, if it's raining), lunch prep, and lunch.  After lunch is learning and craft time, which is where the theme really comes in.  Craft time is followed by nap time and/or quiet time (necessary for both children and Mama), which is followed by a snack, which is followed by free play until supper time.

Phew!  I'm glad we got through that.

Maybe the schedule seems like a little much, too, but all this planning and scheduling helps me to function -- and with four kids home for an eleven-weeks-plus-two-days-long summer, I'll need to be able to function without frying my brain in short order.  It's going to be a cram-jammed summer of fun (I hope) and I'll keep you up-to-date with everything that's going on in our little world.

Cheers,

Kelsey

Things to Do, Places to Go.

Yes, this is me and the Invisible Woman going for a walk.  We have such lovely areas around here to take a stroll.  Today the destination happened to be Burns Bog, a gorgeous nature reserve right off the highway.  Skunk Cabbage Meadow is lovely, albeit full of mosquitoes and a little stinky, and you'd never expect to come out of the woods into meadow from which you can see the highway.  The Bog seems so far removed from all things urban.

We're fortunate in many ways to live in the Lower Mainland, but today's focus is all the amazing options we have for things to do.  To you I present a (semi-)organized, but by no means exhaustive, list.

Walking

Campbell Valley Park: a large park in Langley with an extensive network of walking and equestrian trails, as well as other options for the equestrians among us.

Burns Bog: The Delta Nature Reserve.  There is an upper and lower trail on either side of the train tracks, and two boardwalks through the bog itself, including through Skunk Cabbage Meadow.  Mmm, the fresh smell of nature.  The bog runs from under the Alex Fraser Bridge all the way to the 64th Avenue exit off the highway.

Watershed Park: Another park in Delta with a great network of trails, the watershed used to be (is still?) a destination for Delta-area bike riders.  It is nestled snugly between 64th Avenue and Highway 10, and includes an unfenced dog park.

Green Timbers: A forested park with walking trails smack in the middle of the suburbs.  Okay, so I've never actually been there, but it's supposed to be very nice, and I see lots of people walking there.

Tynehead Park: A regional park complete with fish hatchery.  Salmon spawn there, so it's extra cool for the kids during the salmon run.

Boundary Bay: A lovely walk around Boundary Bay between Mud Bay and Centennial Beach.  The Mud Bay end is a protected area, so stay on the paths and enjoy looking at the birds while you walk.  Check this before you go, but I believe that the trails are equestrian-friendly.

Farms and Pumpkin Patches

Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch: This will be a destination for us this October.  Located in Cloverdale, they have a petting zoo, hay rides, a decommissioned boat to play in, and -- surprise! -- a pumpkin patch.  Admission, as I understand, is 4$, and pumpkins start at 1$ depending on size.

Aldor Acres: Another great family destination, Aldor Acres is a working dairy farm.  Take a tour and milk a cow!

The Apple Barn: An apple orchard in Abbotsford.  Again, are you surprised?  The Apple Barn has it all -- hay rides, pony rides, apple picking, a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, tire swings, and a pumpkin patch.  Drop in or book a tour.

 Awesome Play Grounds

Centennial Beach at Boundary Bay: Maybe I shouldn't be sharing this one around.  The playground at Centennial is a self-proclaimed all-ages, all-abilities park located in Tsawwassen, right on the water, and it certainly exceeds expectations if you haven't been there before.  Unfortunately the community fire pits are closed, but it's still a great place for a barbecue, with an easy view of the playground from your picnic table.

Annieville Lions' Park: Located beside Annieville School in Delta, Annieville Park boasts several separate play grounds as well as a super-cool water park.  The play ground area is shaded, so between that and the water park it's an ideal destination for summer.  There are a number of tables at which you can eat, and lots of room for your picnic blanket.

Bear Creek Park: Another awesome park -- almost as cool as Centennial -- that features a water park, pool, play ground, mini golf course, and train.  Take a stroll through the gardens or race around the track.

Queen's Park: Off Royal Avenue in New West.  This park has two great play grounds, a water park, and a petting zoo.  The tables are nicely shaded.

Gardens

Queen Elizabeth Park: This Vancouver park has beautiful gardens and an amazing view, and is also the home of the Bloedel Conservatory.

Van Dusen Botanical Garden: Another place I haven't been but really really really want to go.  Not having been there, I can't say anything about it, but it's supposed to be amazing.

Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden: I went here on a field trip once and it was incredibly cool.  There is an admission fee, but there is also an adjacent park which is free.  Take a walk around Chinatown while you're there.  As a point of interest, Chinatown is located on the old Vancouver dump.  Fortunately, it has improved since its humble beginnings.  A lot.

Okay, the list of things to do in the Lower Mainland is not exhausted, but my fingers are.  My right fingers, at least: it's hard to snuggle a baby and type at the same time.  That's my list, though; what are your favourite places to go in the Lower Mainland?

Cheers,

Kelsey

It's Day Number Two, and I Really Should be Doing Other Things.

Don't get too excited for frequent posts, because this is a trend up with which I will not keep.  (Quick, from where did I get the inspiration for that?)  However, I did need to update you on where I am going with this post.

If you've checked out the (few) comments that were posted on yesterday's post, you would have seen my lovely friend Jessica's suggestion of how to get inspiration: take a photo of an everyday event and blog about it.  Easy peasy, right?  That should satisfy your and my desire for blurry photos.
 

This is my dog.  For those of you who don't know him, his name is Jet.  He's 95 pounds of German Shepherd crossed with something.  His head is resting on the carseat, which is behind a laptop box and beside the couch, which is covered on one half with blankets, a navy blue cardigan, a box of scrapbook paper, one child-sized sock, and a grocery bag full of clothes for the thrift store.

Why am I posting this?

Because my house is a mess, and I'd like to prove it without showing the whole of the mess to you.

Yesterday at three in the morning I was up sorting toys in the playroom.  In the early afternoon, I rearranged some of the furniture and toy baskets.  As a result, the playroom looks much better, or did until the kids played in it, but the rest of the house is paying for my enthusiasm.  Somehow, ignoring the mess does not make it go away.  Does this just happen to me?

My goal for this week is to organize the house from top to...well, top.  I'm not heading downstairs quite yet.  It's peaceful and relaxing to take advantage of nap time and sit in my chair in a clean living room with a cup of tea in hand.

So, you perhaps are asking, why don't I just quit blogging and get on with it?

It's because I'm off my Ritalin for a while, and while I have the best of intentions, I get distracted and find something more interesting to do and cleaning (or whatever else I should be doing) falls by the wayside.  Granted, cleaning hasn't exactly fallen by the wayside this time -- I am blogging about it, after all -- but it's quiet and I'm inspired to post.  Even better, my husband isn't home to call me out on it, which is in itself a reason to get distracted.

However, I guess it's time for distraction to fall by the wayside, and for me to get off my tush and get something done that's actually productive.  Wish me luck.  If my living room is still a mess in an hour, look for me doing something other than cleaning up.  After picture to follow soon, I hope, but no promises.  Oh look, a squirrel!

Cheers,

Kelsey

Welcome!

Welcome, friends, to my new blog!  After much deliberation (or a sudden inspiration; you choose) I came up with a new name.  Now I have to decide where, precisely, I would like my blog to go.

Would you like to brainstorm with me?  No?

That's too bad, because here we go.

1.  I would like it to be family-based.  I am, after all, a stay-at-home mum.  Family is kind of my life.

2.  It has to be easy to blog about.  I'm terrible at keeping up with my blogging, so I need my inspiration to come easily.

3.  It has to involve pictures.  I think that's a given; every blog should involve pictures, I suppose, but since I'm terrible at taking them, it's very important that I put it down as a basic requirement of my blog.

4.  It has to reflect the multilingual nature of our family.  What good is having more than one language if you don't share it? I'm not saying that I'm going to post in any language other than English, but it would still be good to talk about.

5.  It should not involve clothes in any large amount.  Let's face it: I don't have a style to write home about.  Or write on a blog about.

6.  I don't want it to focus on my hobbies, like reading and crocheting.  I really want it to be a family blog, not a me blog.

Okay, so what we've come up with so far is that it has to be a family-based blog with lots of blurry pictures and an emphasis on multilingualism.

This is harder than developing a thesis.

I have completely run out of ideas; I need more time!  Here's your picture:

Cheers,

Kelsey