Remember way back in April when I said that my husband and daughter had to go back to the dental surgeon to have her insert fixed? Remember that? Well, guess what? It didn't need to be fixed after all. The place where it looked like it snapped had been cut on purpose by the Doctor!!! All that gas wasted! He apologized for not telling us what he had done and therefore had us come back for nothing. Oh, well isn't life full of these little trying moments. Things which we can use to our benefit (by accepting it patiently) or use to cause us suffering and others aswell(complaining and unforgiving). So life goes on. Let's jump ahead to Mother's day when I was given a lovely card by my hubbie and homemade cards by my children as well as all kinds of goodies to share. I felt really pampered and appreciated by the kindnesses shown to me that day and I really felt like a mother too. Now we are in the month of June, and entering this month with joy, since I love the summer. Two weeks ago we bought a cornish rex cat for our third daughter. My oldest sister went to pick him up for us and Sabrina had no idea what she was getting. The cat was a show cat who got his championship, was neutered (although originally he was going to be used for breeding but he was so unhappy in the breeding pen being away from the family that the breeder decided against it) and then ready to be sold to a loving home. When Michelle arrived at our house, Sabrina (who has mild CP) thought this cat was my sisters, and when she was holding him and we told her he was for her, she wouldn't believe it at first. Needless to say she was so happy and it took awhile for the fact that Logan ( the kitties name) was hers to sink in. He is a very loving cat and very mischievous as well. Now a very big event... my youngest sister gave birth to her fifth child, a second son, on May 28. He is the cutest little thing (weighing 8lbs 9oz) and it looks like he will be an easy baby. This is good for Monica since she is homeschooling and her previous two children were anything but easy!!! This past weekend three of our four girls were involved in a choir workshop hosted by the Junior choir of our parish of which our girls are members. Our oldest daughter had to work and could not take part. The workshop lasted from about 11am to 7pm. and choisters from around the province took part. At the 5pm Mass on the Saturday of the workshop they sung and showed us what they had learned. They did a beautiful job! Their singing was amazing, really lifting the hearts. My favourite was a beautiful rendition of Ave Verum. After the Mass there was a barbeque for the choisters and their families and we met another homeschooling family with seven children. All in all it was a good day for our daughters. I now, I think, have pretty much filled you in on what has been going on up to this point. Since James is now trying to take over this computer I hads better bid you adieu..... adieu!!!!

Current Mood: content
Current Music: just what's in my head

Yes, they are. The husband and daughter are on their way to have the insert fixed. They will be gone all afternoon, and both are none to happy about it. My husband's car went in for an oil change and it was done in time for the drive. We were glad because with the price of gas the last thing we wanted to drive was the van. I will remain on the home front to make sure the school work is done and that Mister James takes his nap. This can be a challenge and certainly help me practise patience, especially the nap taking which he is not always eager for no matter how tired he is.
I'm happy to day the Easter chocolate is finally starting to disappear. Although we did not give the children oodles of goodies there was enought just the same. One child is so fed up with the chocolate she lamented the fact that her dad had bought chocolate cookies when we went shopping. If I had paid attention when we were out, I would have made sure the cookies were anything but chocolate, but alas that was not the case.
I am typing away at our new laptop PC. The hubbie and I decided to get one with the income tax refund. It would be for us alone and the children could continue to use the desk top computer for there fun and work, that way it's not crammed with their pictures, games, and artwork. Our two oldest teenagers also purchsed laptops. It makes an interesting picture to see them working side by side at the dinning room table. If they want to go online they have to be in the busy part of the house that way they are not tempted (as anyone could be) to view anything that they really shouldn't.
Well, I had better get the James man to bed, and the youngest of my brood to the school books. As I've said before, no chance for boredom in this household!! Ta ta for now!!

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: The sound of children's happy voices.

O.K. so it's been eons since I last posted, but I have a good excuse.....I'm too busy!! I find it hard to sit down at the computer when there is so much to do. My life is in constant motion and I never have a moment in which I can honestly say, I'm bored. Even now, I should be going to bed. It's late and since I have not had a good nights sleep in a while I should not be at the computer, but alas here I am. I am typing away because I figured as I am going to have to let this computer finish downloading virus updates, I might as well be doing something constructive. (I have just had a visit from my dear husband who thinks I should just say to heck with the updates and go to bed. He may be right, but I will add a few lines first. Let's see.......) Chelsea got her insert today. Had to drive an hour to her appointment, let the the dental surgeon adjust it, and then drive an hour back, only to find out when we got home that with all the adjusting the little wire had snapped. Guess that means another trip. Ian had his orthodontist appointment and I was told what could be done to fix his teeth. Now its a matter of setting up the diagnostic appointment and then finding out how much the whole thing is going to cost. James is getting more and more daring. He decided today that it was fun to jump off his bed and nearly break a leg. Will this stop him? Of course not!! When you're almost two, nothing can happen to you. Oh well, I suppose I had better finish up and get some rest. It won't be long before my little man will be calling me (as he usually does) and I will have to desert my hubbie and crawl into bed with my youngest. (I am glad we decided to let him have a queen size bed. It sure makes things more comfortable for me when I have to keep the little nipper company in the night!) Enough said. Wishing all a good nights rest.

Current Mood: sleepy

Wow, half way through February already! I am ashamed to have taken so long to touch base with my journal. Everyone is fine, although I have had a very busy day. I had to keep three appointments and also do some shopping especially since we have two birthdays fast approaching. Then there was keeping everyone on track with their school work as much as was possible despite the business of the day. I succeeded with the high school students, but will have some catching up to do with my elementary scholars. On a more somber note, just over a month ago, my grandmother passed away. She was - I believe - 97 years old and had been sort of lingering on for a while. Everything went well with the funeral and my mother saw some relatives she hadn't seen in quite some time, which she found she enjoyed. After the funeral everyone had been invited to her house however, my hubbie and I could not go because the baby was at home with all the other children who could not attend with us do to the ice rain. (The weather was terrible and totally ruined our plans of being all together. The children were disappointed, but what could we do?) Most of January had been unseasonably mild, but February has made up for that. I now have two birthdays looming and lots of preparing to do. My oldest daughter turns 17 and my second daughter turns 13. It's so hard to believe how time has flown...... I hear James calling me and since it is indeed time for sleepies, I had better finish up. Bye for now.

Current Mood: content
Current Music: Happy children babbling

It's hard to believe it's 2007 already. Last year seems to have slipped on by so fast. As I mentioned in my last post, despite my illness, Christmas day was lovely. We did have a few more illnesses during the season, but nothing too major and everyone seems to have recovered nicely. We managed to keep a somewhat festive feeling during the twelve days of Christmas despite the fact that almost everyone tosses out the tree and decorations as soon as Christmas day has passed. Tomorrow is the Epiphany (althought the Canadian church celebrates it on Sunday.) and we bought a few treats and a nice dessert for after supper to help celebrate the occasion. This evening we went to Benediction (it being First Friday and all) and James behaved himself rather well. The girls sang beautifully in the choir and Father H. seems to be recovering from his bout with bronchitis quite nicely. It won't be too long before we have Bishop De Angelis visiting our parish (our girls will be singing and our boys serving this Mass) and not too long after that I will finally (with any luck) be able to keep my appointment with Father D. in Millbrook. I have been trying to meet with him for over a month now, but something always comes up and we have to cancel and rebook. Well, I have noticed that it is starting to get late (at least in my book). My three eldest will be working with their dad tomorrow, and it being Saturday I will have a scrabble match with my brother yet again. I believe he beat me last time and by a pretty good margin. He's such a good challenge!!

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: none

Three days have passed since the beautiful feast of Christmas and the beginning of the official Christmas season which lasts twelve days. Our family got through the day without a single child being ill.(Notice how I said child.) Mother however, became ill around lunch time and is just now starting to feel better. My two middle daughters went to Mass on Christmas eve at 5:00pm because they are in the junior choir which was singing at that Mass. My three eldest children went to the midnight Mass, which left my hubby, my youngest daughter, my youngest son and myself to attend Mass at 11:00 Christmas morning. As it turned out we left Mr. James at home with his siblings and my youngest daughter who was not feeling well (although it never turned into anything) stayed home aswell. It was just before Mass that I began not feeling well, and by the time we got home I was soooo cold I just couldn't warm up. That was the end of that and I was on the couch for the next three days. However despite my illness Christmas was well enjoyed by all and we will keep up the joy of the season for the full twelve days. (The last day being the celebrating of the Epiphany.) I was going to give a full account of all that has happened recently, but the baby needs to be put to bed, so it will have to be another time. Bye for now.

Current Mood: exhausted

This past Sunday we decorated our house in its Christmas finery. The children would have liked the tree to go up too, but they will have to wait until the third Sunday of Advent for that joy. The little ones were excited and even James thought the whole business was worth his notice and input. He particularly liked the Christmas lights strung along the ceiling, especially when they started blinking. We have our Advent wreath and Jesse tree in place, although I still have to print out the hymn "Oh Come Divine Messiah" to be sung after the reading of the bible passage indicated by the Jesse tree ornament. Each night One of the children lights the appropriate candle of the Advent wreath, we then do our Jesse tree and sing our hymn before beginning our family rosary. It's our special time together as a family.(James loves it because he has quite a captive audience and boy, can he put on a good one-man show! It's really hard to pay proper attention with such a little clown bouncing around.) Well, before I wrap this post up (in Christmas wrap too!!) I just want to mention that I remembered to mail my Christmas cards to relatives across the Atlantic, and have made a note to remember to mail the rest here at home in about a week. (I was going to put a picture of the family in each card, but I lost time and decided to forget it this year.) I still have to buy gift wrap (Thursday with any luck) and baking supplies (a little less baking this year). There are a whole passel of gifts that need to be wrapped (I have many eager volunteers, although I have to be careful that no one is wrapping his own gift. This can be tricky.....) and last but not least I need to find some time to....RELAX. I don't know if this is possible, but my DH is determined that I do. That's all for now.

Current Mood: grateful
Current Music: Christmas, would be good!

Well I think my subject title says it all. That's what people have been doing over at my house for the last week. It started with poor James. The illness bug bit him first and then made its way over to my second DD. She was very sick and provided me with many a nice view of the contents of her stomach. Soon after she started my fourth DD began. On a happy note she recovered very quickly, less than 24 hours. A couple days later poor DD number 3 was doing the hokey pokey and not at all happy about it. She has now begun her slow recovery. My three eldest childern were working today and when they came home guess what? Yes, you guessed it! Daughter #1 was down for the count. She began feeling ill at work but couldn't get home and so toughed it out. I feel especially sorry for her as she had made sure to have tomorrow off in order to go with us to visit her grandmother. Now she'll spend the day with the toilet instead. My two oldest DS's have vowed to be illness free, but between you and me they're doomed. Well, tomorrow is our 'decorate the house for Christmas' day and the children are looking forward to it ( the healthy ones that is). I am looking forward to viewing on my brother's home theatre (and I mean THEATRE) the movie "One Magic Christmas" which I purchased from Amazon recently. We have to set a date and so I'll have to give him a call to do this. Right now those who are healthy have went to Mass and I will have to start preparing supper so I send you all a good-bye and with any luck my next post won't be so long in coming.

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: I want a hippopotamus for Christmas

The weather certainly was fitting for the day. Although I was uable to attend the Remembrance day service at the centotaph my DH went with three of my brothers. James was difficult at Mass this morning and so we knew it would not be a good idea to take him to the service at 11 am. With my dad having passed away in August and his having been involved in a big way with the Dutch underground during the second WW, this Remembrance Day had a little more meaning for me this time around. My mother was over today to visit and we discussed the book "Father Elijah" which she has been enjoying as well. It's a book that makes you think although it's fictional. She is going to let me keep her copy when she's done, so I don't have to go and buy myself a copy as I had intended to do. My youngest brother was over aswell for our weekly scrabble game. Last week he creamed me by almost 100pts, and this week he......did it again!!!!(but not by quite as big a score) I kept getting a terrible letter combination and everything kept falling perfectly into place for him. It was a lesson in humility for me and good sportsmanship to boot. Oh well, it was a good day and I enjoyed the game as I usually do even though I lost. My frame of mind is (if I know I'm losing) to try and make sure he wins by as little a margin as possible. The afternoon was very quiet for me as my three eldest children were working and the next three were at their cousins house. I tried to put James down for a nap so I could get some work done but he would have none of it. I finally gave up and put on the Wiggles for him while I folded the laundry. Oh my, look at the time! I had better finish up and put my two youngest daughters to bed with a nice story to pave the way. Goodnight to all.

Current Mood: contemplative

What a great day, weather wise, we've had today! The sun was shining and it was almost mild. The kind of day where you just want to drop everything and enjoy it because you know there are not many like it left. However, we did not do that but stuck to the schedule as much as a shopping day will allow. The children were happy to finally have food in the house again(At least the kind they like to eat, as opposed to healthy.) and I was happy to have a variety to feed James who is not always easy to please. I'm really enjoying a book I've been reading (loaned to me by my sister)and can't wait to get back to it after the young ones are in bed. James is already down which is a good sign. The book is called "Father Elijah an Apocalypse" and is written by Michael O'Brien. It's a large novel and very involved. My three youngest DD's are busy drooling over the Christmas Wishbook which they finally get to look at now that Halloween has past. We got it at the end of August, but I told them they would have to wait until November to look through it. I refuse to be inundated with wishes for Christmas when we have not exited summer. The year goes by fast enough. We don't need to hurry it along. Well, I guess I had better finish up this post as it is almost time to read by two youngest DD's a bedtime story (It's something we all look forward too and enjoy every evening.) and then I can get cosy to read my book. Ahhh life goes on....and on...and on...

Current Mood: happy