Happy Birthday Mom & Dad!!

My parents have the same birthday. I always thought, and still to this day think, that that's the coolest thing! I love you both! Hope you read my blog today (or soon). Happy Birthday and thanks for the weekend!!

Good Ole' summertime!

Nothing much to say today - but just look at these two. A hammock (in a friend's backyard), food on the BBQ, the sun beating down on you and Daddy home from work....it's a good, good day!

MCC to the rescue, and parachuting bears

We're going to Disney in a couple of weeks and I really, really wanted to take my new camera along (Canon SX10) but I loved being hands-free like last time so I needed a "fanny-pack"-style camera bag and was dreading the thought of having to make one before we left yet. THEN....MCC to the rescue! (MCC, for those of you who don't know is a thrift store in my city run by Mennonite Central Committee with all proceeds going to MCC missions - so an amazing cause and our particular store has 3 full storerooms full of treasures!). My DD actually found this there, thinking it was just a regular fanny-pack, but when we took it home (for a whopping $0.50), I realized it was a discman/CD carrier and that the sides were padded just like my camera bag from Black's. My camera wouldn't fit in here, but when I cut out the centre wall dividing what would be your discman, from your CDs...I found I had a larger pocket that my camera DID fit in! Also, there are several little pockets in the back and along the side (for tickets and ID) and ALSO...bonus: one of the pockets inverts to form a raincover for the whole fannypack (That will be invaluable for rides like Kali-River Rapids and Splash Mountain which we plan to spend a lot of time on). And all for $0.50. I love MCC.

SO, summer has just begun and my kids are bored already. Imagine that. Fortunately for them, today's Canada Day (July 1) so that means their DAD is home from work for the day. And what I lack in the "play" department of this parenting team, he more than makes up for! Today he helped them make parachutes (out of large plastic bags) for their stuffed animals and then he proceeded to climb onto the roof and throw them off. And, I might add...not just any old plastic bag tied on, either...they actually researched proper parachute construction, length and weight ratios and everything. They worked perfectly (when we packed them right). Yay Dad!

Mommy, I'm bored (the song of summer holidays)

Are you kidding me? The first full day of summer holidays and already they're singing the song, "I'm bored mommy." OK, my kids haven't actually said it but they have friends down from across the street and they're running out of things to do by lunchtime. So....here's my solution. Goop (or Gak, or Oobleck, or Goo, or whatever you want to call it). It took only a few minutes to make and the giggles haven't stopped upstairs since I made it. I'm downstairs with absolutely NO shortage of things to do. At what age does "nothing to do" turn into "not enough hours in the day to do what needs to be done"??

If you're kids are bored....here's the recipe: 1 rounded tsp. of 20 Mule Team Borax, 8 oz. white school glue, 1 1/4 c. water, food coloring.
Instructions: In a glass bowl, stir together 1 c. of water, glue and food coloring. dissolve all the borax powder in the remaining 1/4 c. of water. Add borax misture to glue mix and stir until a slimy lump forms. Stir vigourously for another 30 seconds. Remove the lump of slime and knead it with your hands to dry it and complete the reaction. In 2 minutes or so, you should be holding a ball of slime that pulls clean from your hands. ** Safe stuff, but maybe keep it away from kids who'll eat it or smear it onto things.

Oh my word....a month has gone by?

What in the world?
I can't believe I haven't blogged for a month. For shame.
I'm not going to make this lengthy....just a short review of my month.

*scrapping my butt off to get CHA stuff ready and my class ready to teach there (SRM/Cosmo Cricket)
*surgery in early June (which was a very simple procedure, quick and easy recovery, thank you very much) and then 2 weeks off from work to "recover" because I wasn't supposed to lift anything over 10 pounds for 2 weeks and basically lifting and pushing (a girl in a wheelchair/standing frame) is what I do at work). It was a lovely break. Aside from the guilt of feeling great and not being at work...it was lovely and couldn't have come at a better time.
*Egan hurt his foot again but just a growth plate injury this time, not a break. Ironically, the very same bone as the break a few months ago. A cast for a week and now he's good as new.
*Flights, condos, van rentals, etc are all booked for CHA/Disneyworld!! I cannot tell you how excited everyone is around here. It's hard to sleep at night.
*Mica had softball this season....at least 2 nights and more often 3-4 nights/days a week. She really turned it on 1/2-way through the season and she's really coming into her own as a pitcher. Her windmill is deadly. She's got a few years of learning to go to be really consistent but if she continues to be as excited about it as she is right now.....she'll do very well.
*Also softball....I was on the Exec so I had fundraising to manage and a tournament to plan - this is, by the way - way out of my box and while the actual tasks were fun....the meetings were not so I'm unsure about staying on the committee.

I think that's it.
I still can't believe it's been a month!! I apologize and will try to keep up better this summer!

Cathy

I (heart) Dr. Seuss

We had a conversation around the supper table the other night about who our favourite authors are. I was pleased that all 3 of our kids had authors they regularaly looked for in the library and that they knew their names and where to find them. I consider it an enormous blessing that all 3 kids are readers!! I have a few favourites too - depending on what I'm in the mood for. Francine Rivers is still one of my all-time favourite Christian authors. James Patterson & Jeffrey Deaver for suspense/crime. Nicholas Sparks for a sappy love story. And always - for as long as I can remember, I've loved Dr. Seuss. I love the lyrical writing, the deeper hidden messages (the Horton books in particular), I love all of it.

I just found this short story/poem by Dr. Seuss that I didn't know existed....and I laughed out loud the first time (and second and third time) I read it....thought I'd share, especially now just in the wake of Mother's Day. Enjoy:

Too Many Daves (by Dr. Seuss)

Did I ever tell you that Mrs. McCave
Had twenty-three sons, and she named them all Dave?

Well, she did. And that wasn't a smart thing to do.
You see, when she wants one, and calls out "Yoo-Hoo!
Come into the house, Dave!" she doesn't get one.
All twenty-three Daves of hers come on the run!

This makes things quite difficult at the McCaves'
As you can imagine, with so many Daves.
And often she wishes that, when they were born,
She had named one of them Bodkin Van Horn.
And one of them Hoos-Foos. And one of them Snimm.
And one of them Hot-Shot. And one Sunny Jim.
Another one Putt-Putt. Another one Moon Face.
Another one Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face.
And one of them Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate...

But she didn't do it. And now it's too late.

Oh baby, I'm soooo tired :)

There was an Oprah episode years and years ago with a couple on there who were arguing about the frequency of sex in their marriage and the man, in a very low, lazy drawl kept saying, "oh baby, I'm sooooo tired" It was really funny...I tried to find a clip of it but couldn't....trust me, too funny. And although my post has nothing to do with sex at all.....I'm still sooooo tired.
I've started walking in the mornings again. Not my best time, but better than never. Work is tiring sometimes. I'm cramming to get my calendar project done for CHA. I taught 2 classes today at Scrapbook Cottage. My kids are busy. My husband's busy. Whew. And now I come home to a sink full of dishes, a HUGE pile (actually 2 or 3 piles) of laundry, and, Oh baby, I'm sooooo tired.

Ok.
Dishes.
One more load.
And off to bed.
Just wanted to rant a little.

Here's the class I taught twice today:And...if you're a blog-hopper....come join us on Saturday (National Scrapbooking Day) for a Blog Hop sponsored by my Stamp BOX. These stamps are really cute and you'll find inspiration at every blog you visit, and have a chance to win some stamps!!!