All posts in Four Little Eggs In My Nest

-45 Confirms Our Weird Fall is Gone

by admin on January 18, 2012 in Bits Of My Personality, Domestic Damsel, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Life Keeps Changing, The Pet with No comments
 

Well, our prolonged fall is gone.  It was historical in its oddness and I feel also in its end.  One day we are in the plus and the next we are in the -30s, and lower, with a few feet of heavy snow!  I spent three and a half hours clearing our walk ways.  We have a nasty big driveway (note to self, next house must have short driveway).

Yesterday the school bus didn’t make it, -40 will do that to a school bus.  This morning the thermometer read -45 so I hollered at my man to not get the kids up and rolled back under the covers.  SNOW DAY!  No bus, no school, no schedule!

(Introducing ‘Yellow Whisker’ and ‘Nya’)

I mozied out of bed at 10 and had a deliciously slow breakfast.  Made coffee to go with my Greek yogurt and homemade bread with jam.  Poured the remainder of the coffee over a roast, slow cooker supper.  Mixed up my weekly bread batch and finally got dressed around one.  The kids found a variety of games and insanity to entertain themselves as I puttered. Kitchen got clean and toys put away.

Lunch for the fish was followed by lunch for the crew.  Popcorn, hot chocolate, carrots and cake on the menu, a menu that at least contributed to the lack of a single complainer in the bunch (please note, fish DID get fish food)!

Riddick is in full winter rebellion gear again.  He looks at me like I am joking when I encourage him to go out for a run about and a wizz.  “Come on boy, you can’t cross your legs for ever,” I insist as I give him a gentle boot out.  Once back in doors we got the broom out and played broom ball dog style.  I run around with the broom and he tries to catch and destroy it.  After he was warn out the floor got washed and soon doggy gets a bath too.

So what kind of a post is this?  Well this is an itinerary to a mozie day.  I know you regulars are wondering where the long romantic descriptions of tea drinking and snuggle up time with chocolate are… no worries done that a few times today.


Excuse me while I continue to seize the day and take a nap.

TTFN

So I Read It Too

by admin on January 11, 2012 in Bits Of My Personality, Book Flavor, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Life Keeps Changing, Mama Heart Mushings with 1 Comment
(Snapped this treasure of a photo a couple winters ago.  This is my fourth born, copying his big sister.)

My mom was (and still is) a good mom, so I don’t mind stealing things I remember her doing.  Reading what literature my kids are supposed to be reading, or bringing home to read willingly, not only came from her inspiration but most definitely it comes easily to me due to my being a library technologist.

When my older two got into reading as a hobby, a few years back, I started reading along with them.  They would bring library books home from school and I would rub my hands together with anticipation and think ‘oh so what did we get this time’. 

More and more I am impressed with their choices.  I wonder if they have caught on, or noticed, that I will run to the computer to do research on authors and books I am unfamiliar with, that I am thrilled when I notice they have brought home classics or award winning books, that I will make them send back dribble; that basically I am big into books.

I know they catch me devouring their books after they have gone to bed for the night.  I have actually pried a book out of my eldest’s hands once she had fallen to sleep, and turned her room upside down to find it the next night so I could finish.  She knew… she wasn’t so impressed with the idea of me finishing her ‘biggest chapter book yet’ before her.  My daughter especially really really gets into books so I feel fully with in my right to check out what she is soaking in… I also just simple adore reading.

When I am reading their book choice, at the same time as they are, I get so much energy out of talking about the book with them.  I am jumping in to a new world with them!  Whether they like it or not this Mama is cannon balling it, I know I am not subtle.  “Mom, not another book talk!”  Oh yes, I like to refer them to other literature that is similar to their current reads, and to discuss reaching out to try new genres.  I feed off of questions they have about their book, or books in general.  I AM THAT MOM who reads to them at night and acts it out, voices and all… by all I mean when the owl got knocked out by the bat throwing a large icicle upon his head, ending a magnificently tense scene, in tonight’s bed time chapter, I fell on the floor to demonstrate.

Well it sure hasn’t deterred them from reading, quite the opposite.  They seem to really enjoy that we have this comradery.  Can I just add how amazing it feels to be sitting on the couch in the evening reading with my oldest daughter and oldest son on either side reading too?  Three little heads bowed, noses buried in books… I have waited for moments like this!  My kids make reading more fun for me and that says a lot since it has always been a joy of mine.

TTFN

DO NOT Call My Children Tweens

by admin on January 4, 2012 in Bits Of My Personality, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Four Little Eggs In My Nest with No comments

tween – A child between middle childhood and adolescence, usually between 8 and 12 years old.

             

NOW my definition – A creation of consumer focused advertisers, seeking to expand their teen girl spending high.  Teen girls consume a lot, so why not treat girls who are younger like teens sooner so they will spend like their elders?!

For definitions resembling mine look at these links:

HERE
and HERE

My beef – These kids are still KIDS!  Why rush them out of an already too short childhood?  Their innocence is INDEED threatened by the consumer mind set that is at the core of the tween trend.  Once made a commercial commodity they are under threat from the most successful advertising campaign style to date; and that is SEX.  Most of the STUFF aimed at tweens are indeed focused around sex; to look older, sexier or meant to produce a type of lust in their young little hearts (ex: the lust craze after young pop stars)

This is my rant, agree or not, but I am wearing my heart on my sleeve because I have seen this pinch put on kids (especially girls) as early as in grade one!  By the time they reach grade four, if the parents aren’t letting them embrace this trend then the parents are classed as strict and over the top.

Do I feel the pressure?  Yes, but not in any way to give into this tween crap…. I feel the pressure to educate my children in defence against this stuff, to pray protection over their precious hearts and demand others let them be themselves, let them BE CHILDREN!

I mostly feel disappointed in my own culture, sad for the children swallowed up in this and amazed that it is seen as harmless.  I’m tired of it already.

TTFN

Funny Little Thing

by admin on December 30, 2011 in Bits Of My Personality, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Little Things, People In My Heart with No comments

Since my three year old started to point out, joyfully, any little chubby bird in sight I have also grown fond of birds more.  I like them as sweet little decor inspirations and I like them in nature.  My boy and I might feed the birds this winter, if we can find the time to set up a feeder safely away from neighbourhood cats.  I saw this yellow little ‘chubby bird’ at a discount store and after much humming and hawing I put her back.  Well, without knowing I had seen it only days before, a special friend spotted it and picked it up for little old me!  Such a funny little life thing.

TTFN

by admin on December 30, 2011 in Bits Of My Personality, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Little Things, People In My Heart with No comments

Since my three year old started to point out, joyfully, any little chubby bird in sight I have also grown fond of birds more.  I like them as sweet little decor inspirations and I like them in nature.  My boy and I might feed the birds this winter, if we can find the time to set up a feeder safely away from neighborhood cats.  I saw this yellow little ‘chubby bird’ at a discount store and after much humming and hawing I put her back.  Well, without knowing I had seen it only days before, a special friend spotted it and picked it up for little old me!  Such a funny little life thing.

TTFN

Bake Off Day Two

by admin on December 22, 2011 in Domestic Damsel, Foodie Like Me, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Holiday Messages, People In My Heart with No comments
(My sister and I, in two of my favourite and most faithful aprons!  Working hard, but not too hard!)

 Christmas bake off day two 2011 was a big success!  We got so much accomplished so quickly!  We made many many cranberry tarts and fudge walnut tarts!  I added extra dark chocolate to the fudge ones and MAN the samples we had where LOVELY!

 Add my sisters daughter to the mix and we had an audience of up to five kids and a dog, when all in attendance.  I so appreciate my kitchen at times like this.  The open concept means the kids can literally hang around and easily see what is going on, without being under our feet.  They have gotten very good, and fast, at pulling up chairs to get a spectator spot.

(My youngest two kids hanging off the half wall of my kitchen.  Eyes glued on what their Auntie is making, TARTS!)

 Before the afternoon was through Mirelle got the Dutch Almond Spice rolled out and filled with their soft sweet filling.  Flaky pie crust filled with ground almond flavored with a little spice and lemon, sweetened with icing sugar.  They come out so lovely and golden thanks to an egg glaze. )

(Almond Spice log, ready for the oven)
(Fresh out of the oven! I feel like they could be such pretty little gifts if wrapped with a Christmas ribbon like a wreath is)

We all had such a great day together.  My playlist of favorite Christmas music on repeat; tea and coffee available to us at any time.  A plate of lovely home made treats to refresh and fill us with energy (gifted to me JUST that morning by a good friend).  We rolled up our sleeves, dawned our aprons and joyfully enjoyed one anothers company and conversation, while working in the kitchen!  The kids played really good for us, so in no time we where able to head off to meet and greet the mall Santa.

I feel like Christmas baking should always be a group event.  Good friends and loving family are a must!

Well, other then the fresh cakes of gingerbread, that I will prepare Christmas Eve for our tea, and the pancakes and pigs in a blanket for Christmas brunch (all of which really need to be made the day of to enjoy most), I am done my Christmas baking!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

TTFN

Count Down!

by admin on December 16, 2011 in Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Holiday Messages, Little Things with No comments

For the first time ever, we integrated a count down to Christmas for our kids. We are finding this untraditional advent calendar very helpful, with adding to all four kids excitement and yet making it easier to understand the wait.

Even our youngest has gotten into it. Before bed, every night, he tells me ‘An when cany cane gez too one iz Kissmas! Yahhhha‘! My oldest boy has been in charge of making sure the candy cane is moved down each morning. Gained this position by being the best at remembering. Most of the time he moves it and announces the new number of days left and often he will encourage the other kids to take a turn at ‘moving the candy cane down’. So cute to see them figuring it out so very quickly this year.

Honestly my littlest one didn’t really understand the whole Christmas thing only last year, but this year he can often be heard yelling ‘Oh iz gonna be KISSMUS SOON!’ and he freely offers hearty Mewy Kissmus!’s to anyone who passes him by.

Apparently even their cousin, my niece, is keeping an eye on our count down; so very cute.

This affordable and cute count down snow man is a nice addition to our Christmas decor. If he lasts I can see him being a beloved favourite of the kids. If he wears out, with much love, I think we will for sure have to have a more formal advent calendar in the future. Either way “MEWY KISSMUS” from our family to yours!TTFN

The Children Topic (Marriage Monday)

by admin on September 26, 2011 in Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Marriage Monday, My Romance with 5 Comments


I knew I wanted a baby. He knew he wanted a big family… and of course that starts with babies. We were both young. We didn’t live as a married couple for more then a year before we had our first child and so we grew up raising kids, in a way. I was ready…him… perhaps not so much.

The first think I noticed about children is they push you, to be more patient, to be more selfless, to sacrifice. They also push at moms and dads. It is easy to loose touch with your spouse once there is a new member of the family to get to know and to make welcome.

Marriages can be strained by the arrival of children but I think a sure fire way to avoid that is to be one anothers best friend. Garnet and I started out as friends and have remained best friends as well as lovers. Parenting made that more tricky and at first as he continued to do his young man thing we drifted apart as I did my young mom thing. The best thing we ever did for our marriage, during that time of life, was to start integrating him into every little thing in babies world.

By baby number three he got it, that there was plenty of things he could do with the baby too and the attachment becomes stronger faster for him the more he is involved. I also got it, to let him help and not be too controlling about how I wanted things done. He had to brave a world more familiar to moms perhaps and I had to share our babies.

Not only did this increase the quality of his relationship with our kids, girls and boys alike, but it brought back that best friend relationship between he and I. I wasn’t doing it all and he wasn’t feeling put on the shelf. We were working together, trouble shooting as a team. Conversation between us and time together was far more frequent as he became more a part of my busy baby filled world.

The marriage relationship should never be put on the back burner, even for the kids, because it will hurt them long term too if mom and dads relationship suffer. We found it can be tricky to find time and energy for one another OFTEN ENOUGH if you divide the mom and dad work strictly and traditionally. New mom and dads need to find their parent groove together. Don’t be too worried about how you always thought it should be and instead worry about being in one anothers day to day world. You are going to need one another!

First Monday of every month at Chrysalis

TTFN

Honest Family Meetings

by admin on September 23, 2011 in Bits Of My Personality, Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Feeling It (Thankful), Four Little Eggs In My Nest with 1 Comment
Honestly just be honest:)

(The family meeting assembly, even the dog is welcome to attend.)

We started having family meetings a few years back. It was instated as family habit when we realised the kids where old enough to get it, and we where all needing to talk about more as our needs became different and more complicated. Often they are called when we feel like the kids aren’t getting enough time to share with us… more often they are called when communication and cooperation have broken down between us and the kids and so we need to remind everyone of the rules and lay down some punishments when needed.

The meetings are always based around one statement that has been essential to running this crew and that is ‘we are a big family and MUST work together and help out so that everything runs smoothly and for the betterment of all.’ At the meetings everyone gets time to share concerns and just stuff… even our two year old… who usually just talks about Lightning McQueen or the adventures of some other favourite character. Everyone is allowed to say exactly what they feel before things are resolved and dealt with. We all practice sharing and also listening in this way.

Last meeting I shared that I don’t like birthday parties. To my surprise all the kids replied was ‘we knew that already mom’. I explained how I just wish we could come up with something that still makes them feel special but doesn’t involve so much expense, stress and creativity… I am not a creative birthday party mommy. The idea of a sleep over with one friend after a day of playing and a cake and present time came up and all the kids loved it.

Well that was easier then I thought it would be…

In a matter of minutes something I had been wrestling with for some time had been resolved. The kids then wanted to direct the meeting toward school stories they had to share. That was it! The conflict I had felt, the stress, the worry about letting my kids down was all washed away and I realised they where fine with the truth and so should I. Don’t have to be like all the party planning mama’s out there, who are gifted in that area. I am different; my kids know it and like that about me.

Why am I feeling like writing this today? Well I just survived my last planned and themed birthday bash, relying heavily on my husband to help me through it, and I am super happy it is the last. Keeping it simple from here on in:)

Feeling thankful for our family meetings, for open communication with my kids and for being different and having kids who don’t mind that at all.

TTFN

Let Me Tell You About My Summer!

by admin on August 28, 2011 in Four Little Eggs In My Nest, My Romance, People In My Heart with No comments

Well first thing is it was the fastest one I have experienced yet. I believe the continual parade of scheduled trips and events is to blame for that. There where very very few unplanned days in the mix this year. It went so much better then expected. Not nearly the break downs or walls of fatigue hit that I expected.

And beauty? Oh so much beauty was found in this lightning fast season! Summer was a grand adventure! My husband and I found plenty of time to romance one another and my kids and I had many days in the sun and fun. We travelled more then I ever think this crew of ours has and we liked it too!

Fast, beautiful and adventurous. Let me share some pictures!

TTFN

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