Costumes and Candy Holiday

Halloween, my least favourite holiday of the year. Even as a child I don't remember loving it (although Mom might have different thoughts). I did love the candy aspect but don't remember loving the dressing up part. Now the thought of gathering and coordinating costumes for 3 (and next year 4) children makes me want to just go out and buy a couple boxes of candy and call it even. 

The only thing I do love about Halloween is that it's a quiet night in for me. My plan was to put Lucienne to bed a bit early, put in a chick flick and put my feet up while Rene and the girls collected candy I would eat for the next couple of weeks. We don't get too many kids knocking at our door so it really is a relaxing evening.

However, I married my perfect match and Rene is officially in charge of Halloween in our home. He LOVES it. This year I consented with the girls to purchase costumes for them...as long as they stuck to the 70% off rack in Zellers. I must say, we had a couple cute pirates (Evelyn and Audree) and a very realistic looking Merida from the movie Brave (Amelia). I told them that if I bought them something they were in no way going to change their minds. There would be no last minutes indecision.

It turns out Evelyn is a lot like me. She was a pirate for a party the weekend before, a gorilla for school and 5 minutes before we were set to go out the door proclaimed that she didn't know what she wanted to be so was going to stay home. Her gorilla suit was wet from it raining all day and she couldn't find the dagger she put in her boot for her pirate costume and said no one would know what she was without it (no comment). I really wanted to tell her fine, just stay home but I knew she wouldn't be happy so we quickly got some pjs that would fit over her winter coat and put some rosy cheeks on her, a cop out baby.

But, I should probably back up in the week. Sunday night, all three girls got sick within hours of each other. I spent the night up between the three of them and  cleaned two bathrooms from missed spewage. To Rene's credit he did get up around 4am during one of Amelias puking episodes and was ready for battle only to find a very tired me downstairs cleaning the floor of the bathroom for a second time.

Luckily, it was an 8 hour bug and they were all fine by the following afternoon. Not so lucky, I got it last night and Rene got it this afternoon. Just in time for Halloween. Since I could technically walk without running to the bathroom my quiet night in became a cold, wet night out.

It was a little more fun than I thought it would be. At one point we found the cutest little kitten outside a home and I made an offhand comment that perhaps we could have the kitten instead of candy. Evelyn's eyes went huge and with a huge smile said "Really??!!" Whoops. No, not really. But I would have.

But, now it's over for another year and I can deal with sugar high children for the next couple of weeks. I let them gorge on candy after school so that they'll get through the loot in about 2 weeks. I heard it's better for their teeth that way anyway and I don't have to deal with the sugar whines for months on end. Let the games begin.

Amelia's Book Club

Amelia has been begging to start a book club ever since I started mine (about one year this month I think). I've been dragging my feet because I just didn't feel like planning evenings with 6 or so of her friends over. Once a year is enough for their birthdays, and even that can get a bit much.

But, I've left the discussion open with trying to decide what the best format would be that would make us both happy. We talked about picking a series of books that everyone could just read one and share. We talked about everyone bringing their favourite book.

Then the other week I was browsing other blogs and found one that had a mother-daughter book club. I approached her with the idea of having all her friends come with their mothers to discuss a book. If the mothers are involved I would be willing to request multiple copies of the same book from the library to pass around the group. I wasn't sure if she'd be up to all us uncool kids crashing her party but she was excited about it. It also meant the book had to be something that mothers would enjoy, no Geronimo Stilton or Rainbow Magic Fairy Books. It will be a great opportunity to expose her to some childhood classics.

So, our first book is going to be Pippi Longstocking. I never read it as a child but heard it's a great book.

I talked to a few Moms about the idea and so far they've all loved it. When bringing it up with a good friend she thought her son would love the opportunity to join. I told her I'd have to check with Amelia to see if boys would be allowed and she was totally open to the idea. We've been trying to think of another boy who would want to come but have come up with nothing yet. We'll just have to be careful to not get too girly in our book selections.

Next was a group name. On our way to Thanksgiving Dinner #2 at Grandma's we came up with lots of ideas in the car. The winner was one Amelia came up with: Book Divas and Dudes. She was hard at work making invitations yesterday to hand out.

I really hope this takes off. I love reading. And I've loved watch Amelia learning to love reading. It was a bit of a shaky start but this summer she's really gotten into it. I've loved watching her read to her younger sisters too. It's been quite a relief to have her help out at bedtime while I put Lucienne down. Evelyn is trying to keep up with her older sister and working hard at learning to read. I think I'll read this book to her so she can join the club too. Audree and Rene will have to have a "Daddy Daughter Date Night" the night of our meeting. I'm excited to read the same book as her and hear her opinions and thoughts about it. 

Carpet Search Finally Over

Since our newest family member, the couch, entered our home we have been on the search for a companion carpet for it. I feel like this is the first time Rene and I have been really picky. Usually we're both fairly easy going and make quick, easy decisions. We usually go to one store and find something that we both like at a price we can live with. This carpet though has really put us to the test. Rene's price cap is waaaaaaayyyyy higher than mine. He's willing to spend a small fortune on something that will look and feel really nice figuring we'll have it for a long time. I'm not willing to "invest" in a rug that may or may not survive Paris and Lucienne.

We have visited 6 stores, bought four carpets, returning three of them. It became a family affair with the girls all weighing in with their opinions. Turns out the couch, in addition to being big, is also a bit of a camillion colour. You think it has a bit of grey to it until you get a rug that has a bit of grey. But a rich brown one makes it look a completely different colour. A 2x2 sample of leather was proving to not be accurate on how these rugs are going to look with the real deal.

One of our searches lead us to The Brick. Amelia was off at Activity Girls so we took the other three with us. I wasn't sure if they had any so I ran in by myself to check then signalled to Rene to park the car and come in to look at their selection. Evelyn came in and immediately ran to watch Avatar on the "big screens". They've been begging to see that movie but we really don't think it's age appropriate. However, during our Couch Expedition we found ourselves at The Brick before and the girls were more than happy to stay out of trouble by watching this black listed movie. I wonder how often they switch their showings?

Anywho, Rene and I wondered the store for about 20 minutes looking at rugs. Finding some we liked out of our price range and some that were okay within it. As we went to gather Evelyn to leave we both looked at each other and asked, "where is Audree?" Neither of us remembered seeing her run with Evelyn to the t.v.'s and we were carrying only Lucienne. The salesman who was helping us said, "Pretty sure you only came in with two." With that, Rene ran in a panic out to the car to find a sobbing, half hysterical little Audree still strapped into her carseat at the back of the van. It took 5 minutes to get her calm enough that he could bring her into the store. When she saw me she said, between crying hiccups, "I saw you walk farther and farther away until I couldn't see you anymore and I got very scared." I turned to the salesman and said, "Thank goodness we don't even have all our children tonight." Insert nervous laugh. And we made a quick exit.

We brought one carpet and some pillows home that night only to have Amelia burst into tears when she saw them laid out and run up to her room yelling that she hated them and they were ugly. When I asked her about this reaction the next morning she nonchalantly said that "she was just feeling grumpy."

So today we decided it was time to leave Orangeville and broaden our search. Mom took us to Costco and a light shone down on their shags as we all agreed on a rug...right colour, right price, done deal. Since getting it home Paris has adopted it as her mega pillow and rarely leaves it's surface. I'm so happy we were able to find something we all liked, including the dog. 

Anything is Possible at Erica's House

I love how much the girls love their extended family. A trip to Addison's is like a trip to Disney World (only a lot closer and a lot cheaper). And those parents of hers are pretty fun too. Grandma's house has Treehouse, need I say more? A trip to Montreal means I'll only see them appear at dinner and Grandmama and Grandpapa's house has their favourite flowers named after each of them.

Every now and then I can talk Erica into taking one or more of the girls for a sleepover. A day at Erica's often means a trip to McDonald's and time to be spoiled on their own. They get their own room, pick what they want to watch on t.v. and walk a dog that won't pull them off their feet (although that little Georgia is stronger than she looks).

Tonight was Evelyn's turn. Over dinner, once I realized Erica wasn't working tomorrow, I discreetly asked if she wanted to take Evelyn for the night. Amelia was off at a birthday party and Audree had already had a turn (she hasn't offered to take Lucienne yet, not sure why). When Erica asked Evelyn if she'd like to sleep over she got the cutest grin, hopped down from the dinner table, gave me a kiss and said "bye Mom". She wasn't leaving any room for us to change our minds. She had her bag packed in record time (I wish I could figure out how to get that to happen for school mornings) and was pulling Erica out the door.

Erica had a Scentsy party to go which made Evelyn feel very grown up and special to attend. There was a neighbour garage sale to help out with in the morning and who knows what other adventures. I did get a hopeful phone call Evelyn late morning asking if she could get bangs cut into her hair (something she's been asking for weeks but I just haven't had the time to do anything about).

Perhaps Erica will write a blog about their fun-filled day? (hint, hint)

A Lucienne Update

Lucienne's theme song: set to Diana Ross' "Ain't no Mountain High Enough"

Ain't no counter high enough
Ain't no cupboard low enough
Ain't no scream that's loud enough
To keep me from you.

(you being the phone, or toothbrush, or computer mouse or pen or toilet paper or oatmeal bin)

There is nothing too tall to climb. There is always a way up whether it be to get into the bathroom sink, on top of the diningroom table (where she spends half her time), or perched on the toilet. Thanks goodness she hasn't discovered the splash of what's inside or what happens when you flush but I have glimpses of this in the future. Many a toilet paper roll has been unfurled (then eaten by Paris, they really are quite the pair).

Evelyn would be a close second to the amount of things she got into at this age but Lucienne is the climber of the family. I don't remember any of the other girls being so determined to be at eye level with the world.

And her screams are still earth shattering, they leave my ears ringing. She's taken to a frantic scream when she's discovered getting into something, white-knuckling the item in her clutch.

She's working on a great pout whenever the word no is thrown in her direction. A slow, deliberate frown with big blinking eyes.

But, she gives a killer hug with her arms wrapped tightly around your neck and is liberal with sloppy, wet kisses.

She loves to laugh. When we're all laughing she'll match it with a boisterous belly laugh as if she's in on the joke.

Aunt Becca has nicknamed her Chewie for her being able to speak Chewbacca. She has perfected the language and we're just waiting for her to translate it into English. Words that have appeared are bye, mama and poop (the girls love that one).

She'll never keep hair elastics in and I'm scared to keep trimming up her bangs in case it turns mulletish.

She is persistent, inquisitive and loves her family. This is a girl who knows what she wants and will stop at nothing until it's in her hands. A trait that keeps me on my feet but will serve her well as she gets older.


Gosh we love this baby.

General Conference Thoughts

Last Thursday I was finally able to go to my first Enrichment Meeting in years. In the past I've had La Leche League meetings that conflicted with the time. One day it dawned on me that as the leader I could change the time we met...so I did! That was months ago though and it seems like life quickly filled up my Thursday night with other commitments.

This one was on how to get our children interested in watching General Conference, or at least quietly occupied in the same room while it's running. There were so many great ideas presented that it made me realize that I need to be way more proactive to create teaching opportunities at home. This has been on my mind lately.

With only one day to really work on something I took a few ideas from those presented and worked out something for the girls. I bought them each a Conference Journal which would only come out during conferences. I photocopied pictures of the General Authorities, Seventies and Auxillary Presidencies along with some clip-art pictures of common themes. Their job was going to be to find who is speaking, cut out their picture and glue into their journal, write the person's name and listen for a keyword on what they're speaking about then glue in the corresponding picture or draw one of their own.  Friday night I told them they would find a special conference basket in their room the next morning that would hold treats and activities. It was like Christmas or Easter...okay, maybe not quite the same but they were pretty excited.

Can I just start by saying I love that I have girls? This kept their attention for 3 of the 4 sessions (the fourth was at a Thanksgiving bash with the cousin so they were excused to play). Sure there were lost scissors, stressful moments of not being able to find a picture and misplaced glue sticks (most of them ending up being in Evelyn's dress-up dress she choose to wear for the occasion that had about 50 layers of crinoline that hid things very well...she often just had to stand up and the missing item would fall from her dress). It was hard for them to listen for the topic of the talks but most of the time it's hard for me to sum up a conference talk in one word. It was funny when Rene and I couldn't even agree on the "correct" topic.

Rene and I also got new conference journals. So often we just write notes on whatever paper is lying around (if we even take notes) and they're lost as soon as they're written.

What a fantastic conference. There are so many talks I want to listen to again. What really resonated with me was how hard it is for youth these days. They're going to need very strong testimonies and self-confidence and knowledge of who they really are and recognition of their true potential to navigate the coming years. Makes me want to keep them small forever and never let them go. But it also reiterated what I've been feeling lately...I really need to increase the teaching moments I create in our home to strengthen their testimonies and capture those that come naturally. It's not enough to just go to church once a week. They need to be learning at home.

The questions is how to fit it in between the cleaning and cooking and swimming and cleaning and activities and friends and cleaning and homework and music lessons and baby and cleaning and dog and renovations and family and cleaning. We've been pretty good at holding Family Home Evenings every Monday but many times they are a story read from a Friend and a quick discussion over ice cream before sending them off to bed. Morning scripture study is often me screaming at them to hurry up getting ready for school so we can sit down to read a verse or two before sending them out the door to their bus, Rene already long gone to work. Prayers are often repetitive catch phrases with little thought.

It all goes back to proactive parenting. Creating opportunities to learn instead of waiting for them to show up (which usually get missed as life rushes on). Talking about things that are important at the dinner table. Doing things together as a family. Being examples of lives of service. At some point I'm going to have to stop thinking about this and put something into action. It's pretty easy to physically take care of these precious spirits but to help them grow spiritually is a completely different story.

New Couch..Let the Transformation Begin

It has arrived. We are the proud new owners of a new-to-us-deluxe-leather-sectional-reclining-couch. This is the first "big" furniture purchase we have made in our almost 11 years of marriage. The other was a king sized mattress when Evelyn was born and she made it quite clear she would be sleeping in our bed for the long run. Other than that, most of our stuff have been hand-me-downs, garage sale or curbside finds (both of which we appreciate and certainly were easy on the bank account).

Back to the couch. It's big. A lot bigger in our livingroom than the one it came from (which was probably about 3 times the size of our room with a wall full of windows). It's also a different colour than I was thinking and is kind of clashing with our walls and wood trim. Can you sense my hesitation? I will admit I'm not loving it right off the bat. It is very comfortable though, as in very, very, very comfortable. And we can fit our whole family plus guests on it. And it reclines, electronically (although I'm sensing we're going to have to have some rules surrounding the recliners as I see the potential of them being abused/played with by little hands). I think it will grow on me with the right accessories.

So, on to the accessories. Now that we have this couch I think some things are going to need to be changed and added to make it work. Although I do feel a little indulgent when I think of the millions of homes in this world that don't even have a couch. But, in my little world, this couch has given us the incentive to redecorate the livingroom.

The first, and most exciting to me, is that Rene has agreed to paint the trim white. This is a big deal (more to Rene than me) and I think it's going to be hard to make that first paint stroke. Living in a century home with "original" wood trim means that for over 100 years the wood has remained unpainted. However, it needs to be refinished in someway and sanding and restaining all of it seems very tedious and time consuming. It's going to change the look of the house and hopefully update the look a bit.

We'll also need a carpet so it doesn't look like we have this giant couch floating in the room. With that means some accent pillows and maybe a new table? Perhaps an accent chair and ottoman? The options are endless but our bank account is not so we'll have to see what we can with this what we have. Rene is pushing for a wall mounted flat screen t.v.

For now, we'll put our feet up and relax. And I'll try to get used to seeing this thing living in our house.