Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Family Day Fun
With today being Family Day here in Ontario and Hero having the day off we wanted to have some extra special fun together. So this morning all the guys went to the local YMCA for some free swimming, we LOVE free, while Sissy and I got the much neglected kitchen in shape and enjoyed some quiet time without the noisier parts of our family under foot. We all enjoyed it!
This afternoon we went to one of our favourite creeks for a winter bonfire. Oh.so.glorious! It was quiet, woodsy, and smelled like home. We had hot chocolate with marshmallows and some roasted marshmallows and, more importantly, some much needed outdoor/get-your-feet-on-the-ground time. We all feel deliciously tired and smell nice to boot!
Here's Hero, Turbo (in the blue darker blue jacket), Tank (in the red), and Me (in the burgundy) prepping the fire pit. You can just see my brother sitting on the bench. He's such a fun a guy and enjoys himself pretty much whereever we go.
Here's the Cadet trying to coax the reluctant fire into life. Lighting a winter fire proved rather tricky but we got it done finally. It took a while and lots of determination but we finally got it going and we enjoyed the familiar crackle and warmth.
"Our" creek;
What a talented girl!
This afternoon we went to one of our favourite creeks for a winter bonfire. Oh.so.glorious! It was quiet, woodsy, and smelled like home. We had hot chocolate with marshmallows and some roasted marshmallows and, more importantly, some much needed outdoor/get-your-feet-on-the-ground time. We all feel deliciously tired and smell nice to boot!
"Our" creek;
We were all suprised to see the creek still running.
To think we'll be swimming here in just a few short months!
The Princess was good enough to take the pictures for us today. She has a real eye for photography and we put to work with this as often as possible. Here are a few more samples of her good work:
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The Greatest Valentine
God's Valentine Gift
God's Valentine gift of love to us
Was not a bunch of flowers;
It wasn't candy, or a book
To while away the hours.
His gift was to become a man,
So He could freely give
His sacrificial love for us,
So you and I could live.
He gave us sweet salvation, and
Instruction, good and true--
To love our friends and enemies
And love our Saviour, too.
So as we give our Valentines,
Let's thank our Lord and King;
The reason we have love to give?
He gave us everything.
From Taste of Home magazine
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
When Boys are Bored
Its true to say a tired boy is a happy boy. It is equally true to say and bored and restless boy is a grumpy, annoying, down right ornery boy. ugh
Monday and Tuesday we were very busy running around doing errands. The weather has not been great and the snow has been melty and slushy which means the minute I send the boys outside they soon come in wet and cold because boys cannot stay dry when there is even the slightest amount of water out there. double ugh
Add in several cases of the February blahs. Triple ugh.
Today was grumpy boy day at my house. Tank was needy, bored, and got on my last nerve. The Cadet and Turbo had busied themselves playing with a new Lego set which unfortunately left Tank out of most of the fun. He likes Lego all right but most of the time he'd gladly choose something else to do. He really, really wanted to engage me in his need for entertainment but I was feeling rather peevish (remember I promised I'd be honest here) and I just didn't want to play. Bad Mummy.
The good thing about boys? They have short memories and are quick to forgive a very human and sometimes selfish parent. Tomorrow is a new day and I'll be sure to make it a fun one.
Hey! It's Valentines Day tomorrow. Hmmmmm, what can I do that is not too girly and "fluffy" and really fun for boys? Oh yeah! I'll feed 'em fun food. How could I forget, boys marching on their stomaches and all that. Lol. Heart shaped pancakes for breakfast. Maybe I could even colour them if they haven't used all of my red food colouring in one of their concoctions. Oh, there's another story.....
Hope you have a wonderful Valentines day!
Monday and Tuesday we were very busy running around doing errands. The weather has not been great and the snow has been melty and slushy which means the minute I send the boys outside they soon come in wet and cold because boys cannot stay dry when there is even the slightest amount of water out there. double ugh
Add in several cases of the February blahs. Triple ugh.
Today was grumpy boy day at my house. Tank was needy, bored, and got on my last nerve. The Cadet and Turbo had busied themselves playing with a new Lego set which unfortunately left Tank out of most of the fun. He likes Lego all right but most of the time he'd gladly choose something else to do. He really, really wanted to engage me in his need for entertainment but I was feeling rather peevish (remember I promised I'd be honest here) and I just didn't want to play. Bad Mummy.
The good thing about boys? They have short memories and are quick to forgive a very human and sometimes selfish parent. Tomorrow is a new day and I'll be sure to make it a fun one.
Hey! It's Valentines Day tomorrow. Hmmmmm, what can I do that is not too girly and "fluffy" and really fun for boys? Oh yeah! I'll feed 'em fun food. How could I forget, boys marching on their stomaches and all that. Lol. Heart shaped pancakes for breakfast. Maybe I could even colour them if they haven't used all of my red food colouring in one of their concoctions. Oh, there's another story.....
Hope you have a wonderful Valentines day!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
You Better Know Your Snakes & Naval Engagments
This past summer we discovered a really great, rather under used beach. Nope, I'm not telling you where it is, I don't want it to get popular. It has a small river flowing out and lots of sand area, and few naked people. We don't do half naked at the beach. Shorts and T-shirts for us. We don't need to see your business and you don't need to see ours.
Know Your Snakes
One beach visit the Cadet decided he'd go exploring on the beach other side of the river mouth. Turning up some floatsome at the waters edge he came across a rather large, black water snake. Awesome! While trying to bring it back across the river to show me, the uncooperative snake decides to get bitey. Ow, but not a big deal. He's been bit more than once.
Funny part. Buddy fishing just up river of the Cadet sees him getting bit by said ornery snake. Buddy becomes rather animated, "Hey, did it bite you? You better get that looked at! Where's you parents?! I could be poisonous!"
Cadet, "It's just a common water snake, they tend to be grumpy" cool as a cucumber. That's my boy.
Naval Engagement
On of our favourite activities at this beach is to get boats (washed up logs) and sail them around and occasionally, okay frequently, ram into each other. We usually have teams of two or three but once in a while the Cadet will have a decidedly testosterone filled moment and try to take on all of us on his own. Foolish man/boy. Two little brothers, a stubborn sister, and one tough Mama all gang up on the Cadet and he is forced to admit defeat, that is unless he can convince a little brother or two to turn coat and gang up on the girls. That doesn't happnen too often. We control the kitchen :D
"An army marches on its stomach?" these boys sure seem to.
Know Your Snakes
One beach visit the Cadet decided he'd go exploring on the beach other side of the river mouth. Turning up some floatsome at the waters edge he came across a rather large, black water snake. Awesome! While trying to bring it back across the river to show me, the uncooperative snake decides to get bitey. Ow, but not a big deal. He's been bit more than once.
Funny part. Buddy fishing just up river of the Cadet sees him getting bit by said ornery snake. Buddy becomes rather animated, "Hey, did it bite you? You better get that looked at! Where's you parents?! I could be poisonous!"
Cadet, "It's just a common water snake, they tend to be grumpy" cool as a cucumber. That's my boy.
Naval Engagement
On of our favourite activities at this beach is to get boats (washed up logs) and sail them around and occasionally, okay frequently, ram into each other. We usually have teams of two or three but once in a while the Cadet will have a decidedly testosterone filled moment and try to take on all of us on his own. Foolish man/boy. Two little brothers, a stubborn sister, and one tough Mama all gang up on the Cadet and he is forced to admit defeat, that is unless he can convince a little brother or two to turn coat and gang up on the girls. That doesn't happnen too often. We control the kitchen :D
"An army marches on its stomach?" these boys sure seem to.
How We Got Here
Our three boys spent their youngest years with us (my hubby and I, the authoress of this blog), our oldest child and only girl Rebekah, and my parents up near North Bay on nine acres in the bush. Heaven, I call it. I miss it everyday.
Hubby needing employment and my parents marriage disolving necessitated our move to a pretty three acre rent house three hours south. Okay, not too much of a change we were happy but missed my family. We adjusted.
Four years later life, finances, and employment needs moved us to a large three bedroom apartment in Scarborough. Oh. Um. Yeah. That was a HUGE change.
After the blush of newness wore off we started to realize the huge change we had chosen. Wow. I pouted on and off for about two years. Not mature. I promise to keep this blog real, bratty moments and all. We have all struggled with the lack of privacy, quiet, and familiar surroundings. Learning how to get along in the city has been something of a culture shock. I had thought moving from heaven to three hours south was an adjustment. unhuh. yeah. Not a day goes by that we don't talk about going home one day but we are learning to bloom where we are planted.
Two years in and we are starting to find our new normal, our balance. We have discovered several really neat parks, some more wild than others. Our boys are enjoying using their sling shots and BB guns at the less groomed parks. We love swimming in our local creeks. We REALLY love watching the city peoples faces when they see us swimming in the creeks.
Our boys rush through their school work (we homeschool) so they can go outside and fool around before the kids get out of school. Its no fun having helicopter parents freak out on you because you're "in that dirty creek, and stop chasing those ducks!" For the record my boys don't chase the ducks and would never hurt one (except one case of misunderstanding on appropriate sligshot usage) but there are a lot of over sensitive bunny huggers around here.
While running the parks and staying decidely off the pretty paved paths we have discovered alot of wildlife we didn't expect to see in the city. We've seen deer, muskrats, a beaver? (we're still debating exactly what that was), water snakes (oh that's a story I will tell), lots of skunks, racoons, a coyote or two, large salmon running this autumn, some brown tout, creek chub, sunfish, perch, and many, many squirrels.
In this blog I hope to encourage anyone who is looking to raise free range boys. I have no interest in attempting any form of political correctness so if that's what you're looking for, sorry, won't find it here. My boys are wild, they fight, get dirty, fish, shoot BB guns and slingshots, light camp fires, work and play hard. They wear out their shoes, tear holes in the knees of brand new jeans, lose pocket knives and jackets, and go through alot of marbles and BB. They run the trails here and are learning how to be men, real men who can get the job done, look after their women (my hubby is a great example of this ) and know to look after each other. They fight like crazy somedays but I pity any outsider who picks a fight, 'cause they'll have three to contend with. That's just how I want it.
Hubby needing employment and my parents marriage disolving necessitated our move to a pretty three acre rent house three hours south. Okay, not too much of a change we were happy but missed my family. We adjusted.
Four years later life, finances, and employment needs moved us to a large three bedroom apartment in Scarborough. Oh. Um. Yeah. That was a HUGE change.
After the blush of newness wore off we started to realize the huge change we had chosen. Wow. I pouted on and off for about two years. Not mature. I promise to keep this blog real, bratty moments and all. We have all struggled with the lack of privacy, quiet, and familiar surroundings. Learning how to get along in the city has been something of a culture shock. I had thought moving from heaven to three hours south was an adjustment. unhuh. yeah. Not a day goes by that we don't talk about going home one day but we are learning to bloom where we are planted.
Two years in and we are starting to find our new normal, our balance. We have discovered several really neat parks, some more wild than others. Our boys are enjoying using their sling shots and BB guns at the less groomed parks. We love swimming in our local creeks. We REALLY love watching the city peoples faces when they see us swimming in the creeks.
Our boys rush through their school work (we homeschool) so they can go outside and fool around before the kids get out of school. Its no fun having helicopter parents freak out on you because you're "in that dirty creek, and stop chasing those ducks!" For the record my boys don't chase the ducks and would never hurt one (except one case of misunderstanding on appropriate sligshot usage) but there are a lot of over sensitive bunny huggers around here.
While running the parks and staying decidely off the pretty paved paths we have discovered alot of wildlife we didn't expect to see in the city. We've seen deer, muskrats, a beaver? (we're still debating exactly what that was), water snakes (oh that's a story I will tell), lots of skunks, racoons, a coyote or two, large salmon running this autumn, some brown tout, creek chub, sunfish, perch, and many, many squirrels.
In this blog I hope to encourage anyone who is looking to raise free range boys. I have no interest in attempting any form of political correctness so if that's what you're looking for, sorry, won't find it here. My boys are wild, they fight, get dirty, fish, shoot BB guns and slingshots, light camp fires, work and play hard. They wear out their shoes, tear holes in the knees of brand new jeans, lose pocket knives and jackets, and go through alot of marbles and BB. They run the trails here and are learning how to be men, real men who can get the job done, look after their women (my hubby is a great example of this ) and know to look after each other. They fight like crazy somedays but I pity any outsider who picks a fight, 'cause they'll have three to contend with. That's just how I want it.
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