Brianna was in gymnastics for a couple of years, and I really thought she liked it.  Obviously, she didn't have the same views about it as I did -- I saw her progress from a clumsy child to one able to walk a balance beam with ease.  It was so nice to have her in a program that offered excersize, teamwork, coordination, new friends... and she liked it. 

Now, not so much.

The Little Gym in our town also offers dance and karate.  I aksed her if she wanted to switch into another program (partly because we had already paid for another semester), and I was sure she would have said dance.  "Oh, I already know how to dance," was her response.  Karate it is.

She loved the new class, and especially loved her gi.  Now -- a couple of months later -- she has no interest in going.  I have no interest in taking her somewhere she's unhappy going, but she made a commitment to the semester and should at least finish it.

I didn't take her the last couple of weeks, and I'm regretting it.  I should have put my foot down and told her she's going. 

She's shown interest in music... my sister and step-mom have pianos and she's drawn to them whenever she visits (she was thrilled to learn "Ode To Joy" on her grandma's piano).  She was also given a guitar from her great-grandpa and she wanted to learn to play it, but when I bring up music lessons she hums and haws.

She's always loved art... she has an easel downstairs and a huge stash of paint.  She'll often paint a picture or two.  She says she wants to go to art school, but I had to explain that would when she is much older.  I suppose I could look into some sort of classes.

She wanted to join a musical theatre group this season, but her 6th birthday is not till June so she was considered too young.

I just don't know if I can sign her up for something just to have her realize it's not a play date.  She has to work at it.  She has to practice.  She has to behave and pay attention.  Am I too cynical?  Simple fact: we can not afford to waste money on something she's going to drop after a couple of classes.  On the other hand, how do I know what she'll like if she doesn't try it?

Sigh.

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In March, Mike and I took off for a few days (sans rug rats) to check out St. John's, Newfoundland.  We have always wanted to see the other side of this great nation (Canada that is), and the time was finally right.  Well, to be honest, we were trying to decide what time of year to go -- summer being the best bet -- but I found out that Great Big Sea would be playing in their hometown in March...

"Honey, we're going in March!"

We mainly stayed in the St. John's, but we did take a road trip around part of Conception Bay.  The city and surrounding area is gorgeous, and every person we met was friendly and happy to chat with anyone "come from away". 

View of St John's from the Outer Battery (12)

St Johns, NL (33)

Every house in Downtown St, John's is brightly coloured and most of the houses are attached in rows.  Doesn't make it very safe if there's a big fire, but they are so amazing!  3 (sometimes 4) full levels of heritage details that take you back 100 years!  The hills are killer if you are out of shape... uh... like me.  The photo on the right is one of my faves!  I took it from an excellent vantage point on the harbour!

Cape Spear (12)

Quidi Vidi Harbour (9)

I arranged for a tour of St. John's, Quidi Vidi, Cape Spear & Petty Harbour.  It was well worth it!  Cape Spear is the eastern most point of North America.  We just wouldn't have been true Canadians if we didn't take our Timmy's with us!  It was so cold out, any drops of hot coffee/tea on the lid were frozen by the time we got back to the car!  Quidi Vidi is a village within St. John's.  Complete with a micro brewery with the same name, the village is really an entity of it's own.  It even has it's own harbour and passage to the Atlantic!  It was this village that really made Mike fall in love with St. John's. 

Brigus in Conception Bay (7)

Brigus in Conception Bay (27)

Brigus is a wee town nestled in a quiet harbour off Conception Bay.  If you're looking at a map of the Bay, Brigus is between Carbonear and Conception Bay South.  The place was very quiet while we were there.  So quiet in fact, it seemed like something out of a Hitchcock movie!  I liked the fact that the two churches in town, and their cemetaries, had some of the best real estate!  I call the photo on the right "A View For Eternity".

When we got back to our B&B, we asked the owner about the strange -- but beautiful -- town and he seemed unconcerned about the fact that we did not see one soul the whole time we were there! 

Bill: "Well, it's some cold out.  No reason to go outside today."

Me: "It seemed so strange!  I saw one dog barking though a living room window, but there was no other signs of life save for some laundry hanging on the line.  No lights on... nothing!"

Bill (with a chuckle): "It's still daytime.  I don't have the lights on either!" 

And as I looked around I realized he didn't!  It was getting dusky, but we could see just fine.  I guess it's a habit born into folk who were raised generation after generation to use what you need, waste nothing, and save pennies where you can.  I think westerners could learn a thing or two!

Me: "Do you think they knew we were there?  We walked aroung a bit taking pictures."

Bill: "Oh yes, I bet they knew.  They'll be talking about ya today and tomorrow.  'Did you see them?' they'll say!  You made their day! " 

Without a doubt, I'll be returning to Newfoundland.  I made great friends, and really felt at home there! 

PS: More on the Great Big Sea concert later!   

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Tea, coffee or something else... What do you drink to stay awake?  

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Earl Grey Tea is my favorite caffeine fix at home.  Add a couple of raw sugar cubes and some milk, and you've got the tastiest cuppa around!

Starbucks

Starbucks is my hot bevvy of choice when I'm out and about.  Since there's one on every freakin corner around here, it is readily available!  The kids are quite accustomed to me hitting the Starbucks drive-thru with for a Venti Tazo Chai Latte or a Vanilla Latte.

Tim-hortons

My husband is a true Canuck through and through (that's slang for Canadian for my international friends)!  If he's in need of coffee, he prefers an XL Double-Double from Timmy's.  I like their steeped tea, and I take that Double-Double too (2 cream, 2 sugar). 

It's funny, but I used to really like Timmy's coffee... and any other coffee for that matter.  My tastes have really changed since having kids.  Now, I usually prefer tea, and any coffee I drink has to be all messed up with flavour and steamed milk!

On another note, while searching Google Images for the above pics, I came across a recipe for Chai Flavoured Short Bread.  Oh... My... GAWD!  Got to try it!

Find the recipe here!

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If you were to open up a business of your own, what would it be?
Submitted by beth.

My vision seems to have slight variations, but the theme remains the same.  I would like to have some kind of yarn/craft store.  Comfy couches and chairs would be available for those who want to come by and "Stitch & Bitch" for a while.  Coffee & tea would be kept hot for my customers.  There would be plenty of gorgeous yarn, needles, hooks, and accessories for my knitters and crocheters, every colour in the spectrum of DMC floss, aida cloth, needles and patterns for cross-stitchers, and maybe some space to sell handmade projects on consignment.  I could also recruit my sister to sell me some of her own spun yarn from the sheep on her farm!  I figure, if it is going to be a venture that I would have to totally immerse myself in, it should be something that I really love to do myself!

Maybe I would call it YARN OVER or A STITCH IN TIME.

Would YOU like to see something like that in your area?

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Are you worried about a swine flu pandemic?

Not really, but my husband is!  I love the man dearly, but he is a certified hypochondriac.  If you tell him you have a tickle in your throat, he'll have one an hour later.  If you tell him you just got over a bout of the 24 hour flu, he'll be retching in the bathroom that night.  If someone 3000 miles away comes down with swine flu, he'll be cheking the symptoms on line to be sure that his daughters suffering from cough due to cold have not been infected. 

And yes... he did check on-line. 

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So, the end of 2008 was fast approaching, and the twins were beyond their second birthday.  I was thinking back to the point in Brianna's toddlerhood when we made the transition to Big Girl Bed.  We did the Step-2 toddler bed thing with her crib mattress and a bed-in-a-bag set that I picked up from Wal-Mart.  I confess I was very eager to get her on to the next step, and so when she told me she wanted the new bed, I jumped at the chance.  She was 22 months and could speak clear enough that I understood, "I want my Big Girl Bed now, Mommy."  I feel the need to tell you this because at 27 months, the twins were barely able to say a couple of words without the need for "Twinglish" translation. 

She had her toddler bed (which later became a funky Step-2 castle bed that looked like this) until it was time for her to move into a twin size bed so that we could have her mattress for one of the twins cribs. 

Back to the twins.  We decided to forget about the Step-2 toddler bed stage and just go with full size twin beds.  A big expense at once, but we felt that they would at least have these beds for many years.  I found the beds at Wal-Mart (geez, I love that store), and the quilts, sheets, pillows and mattresses at Sears.  The beds are actually bunk beds, so we can stack the girls when they get older, and they were only $230.

Twins Big Girl Beds - Jan '09 (7)

Twins Big Girl Beds - Jan '09 (5)

Kaitlyn (in white) making sure that Daddy was putting her bed together properly, and Ainsley was making sure the mattress rails are strong enough.

I found it funny that we didn't tell them which bed they should sleep in.  It seemed logical to them that since one bed was in the exact spot of Kaitlyn's crib, that bed should be hers.  Ainsley didn't seem to mind that her new bed was not in the same spot as her crib.

Twins Big Girl Beds - Jan '09 (9)

Twins Big Girl Beds - Jan '09 (11)

 The twins felt the need to get their bouncy bums going... just to test the firmness of the new mattresses, you see.  I was just pleased that they were feeling positive about the switch!

Twins Big Girl Beds - Jan '09 (14)

Twins Big Girl Beds - Jan '09 (13)

Now the twins are perfectly happy in their Big Girl Beds and we haven't looked back.  Just one more stage down (of so many yet to come).

Kaitlyn on left...... Ainsley on right.

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Our good neighbour friends have a daughter that just turned 11 in December.  Since her birthday was so close to Christmas, I decided to do something a little more special for her birthday.  Jaelynn's parents had redecorated her room into an appropriate "tween" space with pink and brown as the two main colours.  I thought it would be nice to have a lap blanket and a pillow to relax with on her bed while reading or doing homework.  Turns out I ran out of time to do the matching cusion cover that I had planned, so I bought one of those heart-shaped fuzzy pillows from Wal-Mart.  Turns out she loved both!

I used Bernat Satin yarn in Snow, Mocha, and Flamingo.  The satin yarn gave the afghan a nice sheen and I think it was very appropriate for a girl no longer into "cuddle blankets".  I followed this pattern and I think it turned out nicely.  If you're wondering what my colour sequence was, it goes as follows:

1 row colour A, 2 rows colour B, 3 rows colour C, 4 rows colour A, 1 row colour B, 2 rows colour C, 3 rows colour A, 4 rows colour B, 1 row colour C, 2 rows colour A, 3 rows colour B, 4 rows colour C... and so on.  It's a little hard to imagine while you're doing it, but I think that once its finished and all layed out, the pattern is noticable if you pay close enough attention, but not so obvious that it almost looks random.  I also finished mine with a scalloped edge for a feminine touch. 

As you can see by the size I did mine, Brianna was able to wrap it around her shoulders, and I could drape it over my legs while sitting in my rocker with my feet up.  I'm actually doing this one again for another friend expecting a baby boy any day now.  I'm followng a different colour pattern, and it is also looking great!  I'll post pics when I'm done.    

Jaelynn's Blanket (4)

Jaelynn's Blanket

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Things I Loathe:

* Not blogging for 7 months!!  Yikes!

* Having my entire house in disarray to have laminate installed.

* Losing most of our fish while Mike & I were on holidays.  Wanda (the angel fish that I have had for a couple of years), and Bruce (the bala shark that had grown to a hefty 4 inches over the last year) were amoung the tragic losses.  We discovered that the heater dial had been bumped and the tank just got hotter and hotter.

Things I Love:

* Feeling good about blogging again.  Not sure how much I have to say, but I know I have plenty to tell about since it's been 7 months since I've shared with you all!

* Finishing a crochet project and starting a new one.  I often struggle to get to the end of a project because I have new yarn and a pattern waiting to go.  I don't like putting something down without finishing it (especially since they are usually for someone else).

* Having a closer relationship with my oldest daughter.  I won't lie, her first four years were a struggle for me.  I don't think we ever fully bonded as Mother and Daughter when she was an infant (I blame undiagnosed PPD), but we are cuddling on the couch more and talking more.  I hope this progresses into a nice friendship when she's older.

* The knowledge that the new laminate will be FAR cleaner than our disgusting carpet and will benefit all of us. 

* A new, VERY quiet dishwasher.  Ahhh.... blessed silence!  You know your dishwasher is bad when you have to schedule the times that you turn it on so that it will be the least annoying. 

* A freshly painted bedroom.  It had not been touched since two owners ago... let's say at least 15 years.  It was ugly and made me not like to be in my room.  The clutter was getting out of hand too!  All taken care of while Mike was away, so no arguments!  He loved it when he returned home!

* St. John's, Newfoundland.  My home away from home.  This is currently my desktop background (taken while on our recent trip to The Rock):

View of St John's from the Outer Battery (12)

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I have started making some yummy smoothies for the kids as a mid-morning snack, and I have to say they are quite good!  Here's what I use:

Tofu Smoothies

Depending on the fruit/tofu combo, I can make some great variations.  I use Sunrise Tofu Dessert, fresh and/or frozen fruit, skim milk (to keep the smoothie from getting too thick) and yogurt.  Easy Peasy!  They amounts of each are up to you, but I usually add approximately:

2 cups fruit (blended)

1/2 cup yogurt

1/4-1/2 cup milk

1 package of tofu (they are sold in pairs)

** You could also add some wheat germ or liquid vitamin supplements to the mix to boost the nutritional value if your kids are picky eaters.  They would never know!

Some of the flavours we like:

Bananas, French Vanilla yogurt (or plain), milk, and Banana Tofu Dessert -- for the cheeky monkeys in your house.

* Add a dollop of chocolate syrup to the above for a choco/banana flavour! 

Frozen (or fresh) strawberries, bananas, strawberry yogurt, milk, and Banana Tofu Dessert -- for a classic strawberry/banana flavour.

* Use Coconut Tofu Dessert in the above mixture (instead of banana) for a yummy Pina Colada flavour!  My favorite!

Peaches (peeled), French Vanilla yogurt (or plain), milk, and Peach & Mango Tofu Dessert -- tropical! 

* You could also add some fresh mango to the above mixture to increase the flavour, but they can be expensive out of season!

Freshly squeezed lime juice, French Vanilla yogurt (or plain), milk, and Key Lime Tofu Dessert -- for the more "mature" pallate!  I haven't tried this one yet, but I want to!  Kids may not like this one as much.

Tofu Smoothies (4)

The proof is in the photo!  A guilt-free snack in only a few minutes -- but the kids think it's a real treat!

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I have to admit, we don't get the chance to take leisurely walks these days.  We have a few great parks within a short driving distance, but it just isn't something that we think to do.  There is always something going on -- work, school, gymnastics, swimming, birthday parties.... -- so when we actually have a few spare hours around the house, it is usually taken up with housework, renos... or just plain vegging.

Mike suggested that we take the kids to Campbell Valley Park to feed the birds, and I thought it was a great idea!  I used to take my daycare kids there all the time as an afterschool activity.  It was free (worked for my budget) and the kids loved hunting for birds and squirrels!  I would often buy bird and squirrel food, and the kids would litter the paths with enough seeds to feed a small army of critters! 

I don't think this was the first time the twins had been to the park -- but it may have!  They loved it!

Ainsley exploring the beautiful forest.

Kaitlyn stopping to smell the flowers!

We chose to leave the stroller in the van -- despite the very long walk we would be taking -- so that the twins could really enjoy the trails.  We knew they would be crying to get free anyway!  It slowed us down quite a bit, but they really taught us that there was much to see on the ground (not just in the trees).

Ainsley trying to feed the birds.

Brianna feeding a Chickadee.

Brianna did a great job staying still so that the wee Chickadees could land on her hand to eat some seeds.  When she was much smaller, she would be brave enough to put her hand out, but would jump and shoo the birds away once they came near her!Ainsley tried her best to feed the birds but she was just too little.  Mike & I lifted the twins to our level so that they could watch the birds eat from our hands.

A bird in the hand...

An excellent couple of hours had by all.  Now that we have re-discovered this great park, we will be sure to go back often!

PS...I apologize for the duplicate photos to my Vox neighbours who also happen to be Facebook friends! :-) 

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