it's been a while

It has been a while since I have posted, but I have good reasons! Last week EVERYONE in my house (except the strong-as-steel stomached Grace) had the stomach flu for at least one day. It was very gross! Greg was laughing about my laundry. I had a load of puked on stuff, followed by a load of peed on stuff...that is he was laughing - until HE got sick too! I was the last to actually be sick, and Grace is still periodically feeling ill, although to date she hasn't actually gotten sick. She is such a trooper!
Anyway, Tracy's family has had it, Marlyss' kids have had it, Cheri's whole household it sounds like, have had it! There were other families missing Friday school last week because of it. It has been an interesting week and a half!
Now that we are all feeling better I am realizing that the end of the week is the beginning of December! I need to get shopping, and baking, and get those cards finished!
We decided to pull the kids out of dancing. We weren't feeling that the level of instruction, or even the level of fitness is what they were receiving in Calgary, so we decided to take them out of it before we had to pay $120 for costumes. Neither of them is particularily upset. We thought they might be at least TEMPORARILY disturbed by it, but nope...they both just agreed. It does look like they will have to continue until the end of December - but that will be okay, unless of course I can get the fees I have paid back, and then they will be completely done.
Swimming lessons are underway and are going well. I think I already posted about how much more confidence Liv has in the water since she went to camp, but even Grace's confidence level has increased. Now that the Schmirler will be opening at the end of the week again, we will have to go recreational swimming next week to keep her confidence up! Poor Amelia during lessons though! All she wants to do is go in the water! Funny baby!

Here is a picture of her, with her baby in a "sling". She cracks me up!

I am hoping to remember my camera to take some pictures of our snow covered house - for all you Calgarians to see. I don't know if you have as much snow as we do - but I did hear that it is COLDER there! I was going to say na-na-na-na-boo-boo about that, but you will have a chinook eventually, and well, I will not!

C

Today at bible study the opening discussion is 'what are your passions'? I always consider myself a passionate person, but since I didn't hear very many responses (yes, we were late) I didn't really know what to say. I have thought about it all day...what am I really passionate about?
I know what I WANT to be passionate about...but what is it that really drives me? I think a better answer than the lame one I gave would be
my marriage, my kids, and homeschooling...all because those are my God callings. I know that I could have went back to work years ago...even though I am still having babies...I could have went back, I can now...and may at some time have to go back part time as we are in transition...but I am being used at home.
I don't always live up to my expectations of what that ministry is supposed to involve...in fact many times I don't - but I am still learning. I want my home to be one where my husband and kids feel safe and loved. I want it to be warm, inviting, open to friends, family, and even strangers if the need arises. So in many areas - that is not the case...but I am working on it! In my mind having an open home means ready...ready with a meal, a snack, something 'homey'. It doesn't mean that homes that don't have those things are not open - but MY vision of MY home is one where kids know that there is cookies on the counter. Or if they look they can find something yummy in the freezer. Where supper is a family event every day. Even lunch and breakfast are a gathering time. I don't need my house to be a show home...I need it to be a family home.
I find it hard sometimes to not let myself get so tied up in outside things that I neglect my home. I remember talking to my mother in law about it once. When she was a young wife and mother...she was a real housewife. And I don't mean because her house was immaculately dusted, or meals were perfectly prepared, I mean literally she was a housewife. She stayed home and kept her house. She didn't do the shopping, or errands on the weekdays...goodness - she didn't have a car - or even a license! It's funny, though, because while we were a one vehicle family...I stayed home. Other than the one or two days I would drive Greg to work so we could go swimming or go to Friday school - we were at home. And as much as I think that sometimes we need to go out...I also know that this week of having my own vehicle every day again has made it tough for me to be a housewife! Too many things that I can do outside of my house!
It is a good thing that God works with us in these things! I feel so glad we had that study today to help me think about this stuff...I need to keep these things in balance.
The other thing I was praying about today is that when I am home...I need to be working on my home. I need to prioritize myself...so that what needs to get done happens even if I do have a busy day with outside commitments. I want to go to Bible study, I have been missing it. I want to take my kids to Friday school. And I want to sign up for an excersise class at the pools for 45 minutes on Mondays. I truly believe that I can do those things, and keep my home as I want it...if I really set myself to finishing what I need to finish when I am home.
I am going to attempt to remain aware of this into next week!
Hopefully I will have good things to report by Friday!
Blessings!
C

still feeling sick

Only now it is more often than not homesick. It is a very weird thing. I am very glad to be here. I love our house, all the family that is here, it is so awesome to have lunch with Tracy and the girls, or to go swimming, or having coffee with my sisters. Even stopping in at my mom's for 15 minutes like I did last night...but I still have moments of homesickness lately. I miss our church, my homeschooling friends, and familiarity. I just want Blake and Kori to bring over ice cream! LOL!!!
I was sort of anticipating that this would happen, but I guess I wasn't really expecting it to be this way. It actually started while we were watching a hockey game. The view of downtown that they showed before a commercial gave me a pang of sadness! It was very weird. Sometimes Greg and I watch the Calgary news coverage instead of local news, just so we can feel 'normal'. Humans are funny beings, heh?
I got a newsletter from AHEA yesterday (the Alberta Home Educators Association) and I knew many of the people who were pictured or wrote articles in it, and it brought tears to my eyes! I got an e-mail from the leader of our old home group, and I was crying like crazy in front of my computer! I need to remember that we spent our entire adult lives in Calgary, and there is bound to be an adjustment period. It just sort of startled me (and I am going to use hormones as a partial excuse! Pregnancy is good for that!)
The reason I feel so surprised I think, is that our transition has been relatively seamless. We have a great homeschooling group here, we have instant friends in Tracy, my sisters and the girls' cousins. And we have each other. It's not like when Greg and I moved to Calgary. He went out of town to work, I had no one there, no friends, no family, and worst of all no relationship with God. Here it is opposite. We still know that God orders our steps, and that we are here now because He made it possible, we have friends, family, kids and my hubby to date hasn't had to work out of town. Pray for us in our church search! We need a fellowship!
C

sick, sick, sick

Okay, again it has been 2 weeks since I have updated my lovely blog, but I have been sick, sick, sick.
Very little morning sickness...although for those who don't know, we are happily expecting our 4th baby in June!!! Yay!!!
I have had a cold for over a month. Ugghh! It has been a very gross experience...but I am finally feeling better!
Remember a few posts ago I said that we had had a good day...but I probably wouldn't be posting about it if it wasn't good? Well that is how I have felt about the last 2 weeks. I am blessed that Olivia is a fairly independant schooler, so she was able all last week (while I felt like death) to do her basic work on her own, but other than journal, Language Arts, and Handwriting, we haven't gotten much done. I was just too sick to even try it! I had planned a couple of days to do some science, or even watch her math DVD with her, but I just couldn't get it done! By noon, I was too tired to contemplate anything except laying down for a nap!
Finally, halfway through yesterday, my 3 day headache subsided and I am feeling much more alive. (Just as a side note about that - I was to the point of praying for this headache to let up, I could barely handle another day of it. Yesterday was the first time we have had communion since we have been in Regina - if you can believe it- and while we were taking communion the pastor was praying for physical healing for anyone who needed it, back problems, headaches, etc. So I didn't feel 100% better right at church, but about an hour after we got home I realized that my head wasn't exploding anymore! Kind of neat!)
My hubby bought a truck, so now we don't have to get up at 6:00 a.m. to drive him to work to have the van for the day...so we are celebrating by meeting Tracy, Cheri and the kids at the pool for the morning. We will hopefully get to the library as well, and then I have some shopping to do while I am in the East end.
Off we go! Have a good day!
C