Argh Totally Lost and Confused

The panic and axiety have set in full force in regards to the kids schooling. I go between feeling wonderful and confident with our choice to homeschool this year to a full on anxiety and panic attack.
I have such strong issues with the school they have been attending that I swore up and down they were not returning this year. But with fall and back to school quickly approaching I am losing confidence and wondering if I can handle this adventure.
I have contacted some other public school that are out of "catchment" but they are far from helpful and make me feel horrible for even considering switching schools.
There is another private school we have looked at but it is really far, really expensive and Jay and I both don't feel like blowing another $100 bucks on application fees to get a "no" answer.
So, here I am in tears again with my stomach in knots trying to make the best choice for the kids and our family.
Do we talk to the current school before school starts and explain our expectations and issues firmly so there are no issues or do I just keep them home? Do I send them and pull them if there are nonsensical issues?
I know I've said it before but I really never though this would be so hard....

Meanest Mom in the World

I must be the meanest Mom in the world as I plopped my baby girl on top of a pony at last weekends church picnic family day. Poor Jordyn was devestated and poor Corey was of course allergic ;)



Wow, I feel like I have so much to blog about lately and I'm days behind in my "online journal."



On a happy note. Michael's flight arrived yesterday morning on Canada Day and we spent a great day at the beach followed by dinner at Applebees!
Wish us luck with 5 kids in the house :)

I think I'm starting to "get it"

Corey has been playing baseball this year. It has been an adventurous season so far with lots of rain and cold weather but here we are in the play-offs. There were days I sat out in my winter coat and mitts in June and other evenings it was so hot we were getting sunburnt.
Two months ago they started practicing in their little red jerseys and gray baseball pants. We have the youngest team in our league so when I say little I really do mean it ;)
It was painful to watch as the kids stumbled around and could barely catch the ball, forget about connecting it with a bat to hit it. Now though it is like watching the big leagues! I am so proud of these boys who have learned so many new skills and are shining out there on that diamond.
Like I said they are in the play offs and next will be the city play offs! I see how parents get all caught up in their kids sporting events. It is so exciting to see them do well and they are so proud of themselves. I hope Corey plays next year now that he is understanding the game and having a good time. I still will not pressure my kids to play and push them to the max but I do think it is important to be involved.
Here are some pics of my guy :)

My Little Princess

I was 10 when I got my ears pierced. Kianne got hers done at 9. Jordyn got hers done on Saturday June 19th at the tender age of 27 months.
I was always one of those mothers that insisted you don't pierce babies ears and wait until they are old enough to decide on their own. Well that went out the window.
I'm not really sure why....I guess Jordyn really is the little princess who needs to be all girl all. the. time.
I will admit that I felt like a horrible mother at the time as she cried and looked so sad and scared :( But the lady gave her a sucker after and all seemed to be well in her world again :)
I bought some special numbing cream that I think was useless and a waste of $15. So if anyone is considering getting it done I wouldn't waste your money on the cream.

So Proud of My Girl

For the second year in a row Kianne made it to the divisional meet for track and field. She is a great little runner and I am so proud of her :)
The weather was a little risky but it held off. Although it was much colder than I suspected. Matthew, Jordyn and I had a great time cheering her on and it was a shame we couldn't stay the whole day but we had to get home for Corey for lunch.









And although she didn't come in first, second or even third she was great out there :)

Wordless Wednesday

Choices, choices.... re:school

I had made a decision a little while back that no matter what, my two school age kids were NOT returning to the school they have been attending. It has been a horrible experience and has been year after year of heartache and drama.
The labels and nonsense that follows is causing far too much stress for one family to deal with. Granted the kids have had some wonderful teachers I think the problem runs deeper than that. I don't even want to blame it on the administration but perhaps the "system" as a whole.
We are fortunate to know a lady who is the vice principle of a great Christian private school where the kids could possibly get a fresh start. She had offered to review our documents and see if they may have space for our children in the fall.
I received a call today that was slightly encouraging but does leave some serious decisions to be made.
Ms. D suggested that K repeat grade 5. Being a private school they are already quite advanced and K does really struggle in her math.
C she was a little less sure about because of the funding he receives for an EA in the classroom. The support is up in 2011 and at that time they need to reapply and hope he gets it.
So, basically we were told to for sure apply for K and we could apply for C but no guarantees for anything.
I guess that is what we will do and see what comes out of it. If not, I suppose we will homeschool for a year or two and maybe then try and introduce them back into the public school system.

On another note, we had the most rain in recorded history in a 24 hour period over the weekend. It was crazy really. I worked a wedding and it was by the far the rainiest wedding I've ever done.

Best Spring EVER!!!!

This week has been record breaking for temps and I'm loving it! If this is what we have in store for summer I will be all over it and so will my family. We love summer. But really who doesn't???
I didn't book any weddings for this upcoming long weekend just incase we wanted to do something and I'm so glad. I do have one on Friday but after that the weekend is all mine.
We might hit up the beach one day. I'd love to go camping but we have so much work to do around the house and with me at home I can help with the kids so Jay can get some of our projects started and finished.
Here is a taste of what spring has been like so far :)

Yuck

It seems there is some sort of stomach bug going around lately. Everyone I talk to has been sick. I guess it's my turn. I have had a headache for days and my coffee seems to be making me nauseous.
Matthew finally played his first soccer game last night. After cancellations for rain they played. I am a horrible mother and didn't go though. It was pretty cold and rainy and I knew Matthew wouldn't feel it out on the field but the kids and I would be cold and soaked. Hopefully his next game will be a nice day though and we'll all go.
Apparently he did great and was quite the little runner. I have no doubt that he will do well I am just worried about the three year old melt downs that may occur ;)
The weekend came and went quickly after a much anticiapted getaway to the States with some girlfriends. We had a great time of shopping and not dragging kids or worrying about schedules. However, like true mothers we were up at 4:00 in the morning to pee and up for the day at 7a.m. Seriously, even if you want to sleep in or sleep through the night it is like a skill you have to learn all over again.
We got some really great stuff though and good finds.
I don't really have any pics to post at this particular moment but it always feel strange doing a blog post without a pic. Maybe I'll add one later.

Who Do you Blog for?

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I read a lot of blogs and a lot of the blogs I read are very well read and popular. There are hundreds of comments under each post and the writer is very articulate, funny and usually has something meaningful to say.
I, on the other hand have not much interesting to say. Do not have hundreds of comments and to be totally honest can barely even get a sentence together much less be articulate.
So all this rambling to say that I blog for myself. I like going back to my old posts and seeing what was going on or what kind of crazy rant I was having that particular week. I like looking at my kids pics and realizing how much they have changed and grown.
Sure it is nice to have some readers here and there and get a comment or two about things that may be on my mind. But at the end of the day this is just like a big public diary for myself.
And of course what is a blog post without a photo. Corey got new goggles and of course Matthew just had to try them out :)

ADHD

If anyone in this house really has ADHD it is me. I mean I cannot focus on any one thing or task for any real length of time. I am impulsive and have new ideas however as soon as a little bit of work is involved I am also the first to move on and find something else to intrigue or excite me.
I think it is interesting that both of my kids have been "diagnosed" with ADHD and yet I seem to have made it fine through life.
I've never taken a drug or any type of meds to help me focus or be less impulsive. I also never had extra helpers in any of my classes to keep me in control. Maybe though, people and teachers weren't looking for the typical adhd symptoms and therefore I wasn't a target.
Anyway, all this to say that I am pretty sure that I likely do have adhd however life goes on and somehow I manage it without even really knowing or paying attention.
Would drugs or meds have helped me? Maybe but I'm sure as heck not going to find out at this point in my life.
So, do my kids need meds or will they just learn to grow into it and adapt to life the way I'm sure thousands of people have?
I worry for them with the targets and labels and the idea that they have to settle for second best.
I have already heard that Corey will make a really good trades person and not be a professional. My opinion of course is that if he wants to be a trades person I am perfectly fine with that but I want it to be his choice and not be led into believing that is all he can achieve.
I want my kids to succeed in life just like everyone else but I don't want them limited by labels.

Ummm can we skip the next two months????

My calendar is seriously overflowing. I am totally overwhelmed and am wondering what the heck I singed up for and how we are going to manage.
Corey is in little league baseball but it would appear that he is going to be the next Babe Ruth by the amount of practices and games that are scheduled. Matthew is in mini soccer and that is also two nights a week.
Thank goodness Boys and Girls clubs had their wind-ups tonight or I'm not sure how we would do it.
So right now this is the family schedule
Monday-soccer
Tuesday-baseball game
Wednesday-soccer and baseball practice we are also supposed to have small group
Thursday-baseball game
Friday-so far so good :)
Saturday-baseball practice and of course any sessions or weddings I have booked
Sunday-family day hopefully. I really want to try and keep Sundays open for just us

Okay so as I write this down it doesn't seem to look as bad, but it sure feels like it. I guess the thing is this is only two kids in two sports. I cannot imagine how some parent's have their kids in everything and all sorts of activities. Where do they find the time?

I do think it is very important for kids to be involved and active in sports and other activities they enjoy so I suppose we make the sacrifice for two months and hope that in the end they have a good time and good memories :)

Home

We went to a new church today. We have been "trying" some new Church's to find a place where we all fit. With family of 6 this is not the easiest task however I know it can be done.

As we were sitting at the new church and the kids had gone off to Sunday school the pastor mentioned something I know I totally take for granted. As much as I whine and complain about our city and province and long for something more exotic or intriguing we are extremely lucky. When you look around the world at all the natural disasters occurring it is very rare that we would ever experience such horror. We see the pictures on the news and web and hear the stories but really have no clue and likely never will.

I thank God that we live in such a monotonous city and fair climate where this type of devastation will more than likely never be an issue.

I guess the moral of the story is to be thankful and don't take things for granted. A reminder I often need.



This is a photo I took out in the Whiteshell last year in September and it is another reminder of how lucky we are.

Spring has certainly sprung

I cannot believe the Spring we have been having. I don't remember such a wonderfully warm yet dry spring. People have been out and about enjoying this summer like weather. The sprinkers have been on and I've even been tempted to bring out the pool for the kids.
We had a wonderful bar-b-que for Jayson's birthday with some good friends and family and it couldn't have been a nicer Sunday.
Baseball has started for Corey and the kids cannot get enough of being out in the sun.
If the weather continues like this we'll have a scorcher of a summer, however we are owed it from the misery of last summer.
Wedding season has begun and work is busy. I'm finding it really difficult juggling it all this time round. Matthew and Jordyn are so much busier and need to be entertained and of course nap for shorter periods of time so I'm stuck doing work later in the evening when everyone is in bed. I know it will all work itself out but I think I need to find a new groove.

And just for fun here is a recent pic of my little Jordyn that I just thought was too cute not to share.

Wordless Wednesday

My baby is 2

Two years ago our littlest girl entered the world. I can't believe how much time has passed and how much she has grown.
I am happy to say she now finally sleeps through the night (most nights). Walks, runs, jumps and is starting to say some words. Her first word was about a month ago and we are proud to say it was "bum". Pronounced BUMMMMMMMMMM. Other words that are coming along are, "all done", "more" (which she also signs), She also signs for milk. Granted most two year olds are talking way more than her we are certainly not worried.
Jordyn was by far my hardest baby with colic that seemed to last forever, a lactose intolerance that was likely the cause of her colic, not sleeping through the night for what seemed like forever, and being an unexpected surprise on top of it all :D

However, with all that being said she is the sweetest little thing anyone could hope for and we are all happy to have a wonderful little girl in our lives.

Happy Birthday to my little peanut and princess Jordyn!