Christmas Spirit

I was feeling a little bah humbug during the last few weeks... looking for something to spark that excitement for the season I always felt as a kid.

So far, while not feeling particularly "sparky" I feel a little more excitement for the days ahead.

Here's what's helped me...

Baking
Cookie Exchange
Shopping (this is a double-edged sword, though)
Gift-Wrapping
Finding my Sister the perfect gift...;)
Singing Sarah McLaughlin's "Wintersong" album in the car at the top of my lungs.
Putting up our new artificial tree (XOOX Grandpa S.) and dousing it with Pine essential oil
The SNOW!

What do you do to feel the "Spirit of the Season"?

On Thursday I had an acupuncturist appointment.

I forgot my cell phone and called Alan from P's school to remind him I was coming to pick him up at 3:45 (my appointment was at 4) so he could watch the boys. He said he'd be waiting.

I arrived at 3:40 and waited until 3:50 and then had to leave so I could be there on time. I was mad, but calm.

I called him when I arrived at the office and he said "Why didn't you call me?". He'd forgotten I didn't have my phone and even though I called 30 minutes before I had to pick him up, he is so used to being reminded by phone about things that it doesn't occur to him to set a timer, etc, to ensure promptness.

He arrived, by bus, halfway through my appointment (let me tell you, entertaining 2 boys in a small room while mostly naked, laying down and being stabbed with needles isn't as fun as it sounds) and took the boys home.

Alan is a wonderful man, so this post is not a complaint about him, but more about the effects of relying on contant contactability and how it changes how we organise our time and relate to others.

I am torn. I would really like to have a PDA to make my schedule easier to access (and because I am still having short-term memory problems from the accident) and the best ones out there are cell-phone based (iphone/Blackberry), but I do not want to make this situation worse.

This whole topic reminds me of a recent shopping trip wherein Liam asked me for a toy and I said no. I told him I did not have any cash to buy the toy for him (it has been my standby excuse) and his reply was "Well, then just use your debit r credit card!".

At the time it seemed cute and witty of him to think of this solution, but I found myself laying in bed later, wide awake, mulling it over.

When did my kids notice that you could just swipe a card and pay for whatever you wanted?

How am I going to teach them about money and wise spending and limits?

How will I explain about when convenience is appropriate and when it isn't?

I guess my point is, technology is good... great even, but how will it effect how our children make choices?

Any opinions??

Free Range Mommies... How Cell Phone Holdouts Are Right: Buy a Phone, Become a Baby by Lenore Skenazy

I love this article... it is so true.

Cell Phone Holdouts Are Right: Buy a Phone, Become a Baby by Lenore Skenazy on Creators.com - A Syndicate Of Talent

Here come the holidays....

I'd like to preface this post by saying that I have edited it 5 times for spacing, etc and there is something wrong with blogger.

I am letting it go because it shouldn't mean so much to me to have perfect spacing... so here it is, my spacing-impaired blog post... ENJOY!

Soooo.... I am sitting here, having just whipped up a batch of koolaid playdough with Parker, watching him roll and cookie-cutter away, wondering if I should be thinking about Christmas.

I've purchased very few of my gifts so far and we just recently started with the holiday decorating...I usually bake a few things... biscotti, gingerbread, a few kinds of cookies... I have not started yet and I wonder this:

What do YOU do to prepare for and then celebrate the holidays?

We usually go to zoolights, parties and spend Christmas with family and friends...we have Chinese food on Christmas Eve and Eggs Benedict and turkey on Christmas Day. We listen to Stuart McLean and watch movies, open presents and visit. This year we will be spending part of the holidays in Radium, BC at a lovely Chalet!

The tree goes up December 1st and it will be our first year with an artificial tree! I've always held out and insisted on a real tree, but our last few years of trees haven't made it a week without dropping copious amounts of needles on my floor.

I have a small bottle of Alberta Lodgepole pine essential oil distilled by some nice gardeners here in Calgary. I intend to dab it here and there and IMAGINE I am celebrating Christmas at my grandparent's place on highway 16, 5 minutes from the Jasper Park gates.

I remember getting dressed up warm and anually setting out with my Grandfather, little sister and cousins to cut down a Christmas tree. There were SO many perfect Christmas trees on my grandparents land... 20 acres of lodgepole pines and spruce trees. Every year I pointed out a dozen, beautiful trees (often over 10 feet high) and every year we came home with the same tree... 7 feet tall, beautifully green and bushy on three sides and barren on the 4th.

My Grandfather would put the barren side of the tree in the corner and nobody would say another word about it.

I often wondered why he did that... cut down a tree that wasn't perfect...

I used to think it was because he didn't want scruffy, half-barren trees in his forest, but, lately I've come to believe that he wouldn't have cut any tree down if we hadn't been pestering him. He worked almost every day of his adult life in that forest and he loved the trees, the animals and the wildflowers. I think it brought him a lot of peace.

So, this year, Grandpa, I didn't cut down a tree... and every time I look at my artificial tree, I am going to think of you.

Homeschooling ramblings...

So, I have had quite a few people ask me how homeschooling is going.

Parker opted for the local homeschooling "Blended Program". This means that every Thursday and every second Tuesday and half Friday he attends a school with other homeschoolers. The days are shorter - 10 amd-3pm and it is based on Thematic teaching, but it is fun for him and he likes it so far... his favourite subject is "Recess" or "Dodgeball", but what first-grader's isn't?

At home we do some reading and some basic math, use the abacus, watch an educational video or two, model with clay, paint, bake, dance and play. We meet up with other homeschooling friends, go to the zoo, science center, pool.

One thing about homeschooling that I love is that we get up about 8am. There is no hurrying. There is no rushing through breakfast. There is very little stress. If we need a nap in the afternoon, we put on a quiet video and cuddle on my bed.

Liam is as happy as a clam having time alone with Mama. We have been swimming, shopping, lunching and playing... it is good times and he seems to be out-growing the "f'ing fours"... thank goodness.

So, so far, homeschooling is good... very good!

Chinook headaches

Do you get these?

We have so many chinooks in Calgary that I find myself with a headache every so often and hear many many other women say the same thing... so for those of you who have them, I discovered something that helps!

I bought an air purifier/ionizer.

Apparently chinook winds fill the air with positively-charged ions... sensitive people feel this and develop a headache.

An ionizer takes positively charged ions and changes them to negative. Most also take care of dust, allergens, bacteria and viruses.

Right now costco happens to have a set of three ionizing air-purifiers on of $199... I have mine running and feel really well!

Let me know if you try it and how it works for you!!

Easy Carrot Muffins

So, I have been experimenting with some easy baking, with very good results and wanted to share with you!

First, muffins. My boys would eat 5 granola bars a day and I feel very guilty for all the non-recyclable melamine packaging, so I decided to make bran muffins instead.

Tropical Carrot Muffins

Buy any bran or honey bran mix you like.

In a blender add:
1- 2 cup can of pineapple chunks
Put the lid on and blend until pureed.
Then add washed, chunked carrot (I typicall wash and cut a carrot into 2" chunks) one piece at a time blending on low until completely combined. I typically use 3 large carrots or more. Add 2 eggs, blend. If mixture becomes to dry you can add a small amount of water, 1/4 cup at a time.

Combine the mix in a large bowl with the blended ingredients. Mix well. If mixture is too dry, add 1/4 c of water until appropriate consistency is reached.

Spray and fill muffin tins, bake 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

The same idea can be used with all kinds of fruits and veggies. I also just do carrot,pineapple with raisins.

You could also try using 1/2 c cocoa and 2-3c grated zuchini, or mashed banana and chocolate chips, or applesauce and raisins with ginger and cinnamon.

The combinations are endless and in 30 minutes you can mix and bake 2 dozen muffins!

Let me know if you have any favourite recipes to share or find a mix that you like (I am trying to find a good wheat-free mix).