Clearly it was known that the Olympic Torch would be coming through Calgary on it's way to Vancouver. However...for it to come & stop in our awesome little town, Chestermere, was an awesome experience today!
I remember when the '88 Olympics were here...I remember the school getting all hyped up and all the fun. So I was very excited to be able to experience that with my kids today. The older kids understood more about it.....the younger kids didn't really get it but still they thought it was some sort of magic. Brooklyn's biggest concern of the day was 'I hope no one blows it out Mom'.... me too sweetie!
I love the Olympics - winter more than summer. I find them very inspiring. I wasn't really 100% about going today as all the kids except Brooklyn were going with their schools and I was definitely waiting to see what the weather was going to do. January in Alberta....it could have been +10 or -40....thankfully, it was a sunny +3. I am so glad that I went. There were tons of people there and the sense of community & Canadian spirit was alive and well.
Three words sum it up for me..... hope, unity & freedom!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Some Real Truths
A very good friend of mine is a fantastic blogger...and once in a while she does a random list of things...which I've determined could be a great form of therapy. So...here we go.
1. Did you know that if you don't have dinner on the table right at 5pm the world will not come to a sudden halt? I've determined that my biggest stress in life is actually myself. Constantly trying to keep things on a schedule that started way before I had a family to schedule for.... dinner does not need to be at 5pm.
2. Kids & scary movies....I'd rather have my children watch them with Keith and/or I in our home - then secretly watching them at other peoples houses like I did. If you dont let them watch....they will, they'll just do it somewhere else. So we watch scary movies with our kids - we alert them to when they need to cover their eyes..and when it's safe to uncover....and they are turning out just fine.
3. If one of my children is having a birthday party and your child does not get an invitation....do not email me asking if your child is invited as you assumed that they rec'd an invitation and that your child just lost it. Seriously!
4. Children are to be seen and heard.....a household should be comfortable enough so that kids can tell you how they're feeling without walking on egg shells. If one of our kids thinks something is unfair or they have opinions on stuff....I'd rather they feel comfortable enough to tell us than 'pretend' that all is fine. The 'pretending' will go on for years.
5. Pop + kids = fine in our home
6. Family Day is every day in the Young household...no need to set aside a specific time for it. Some of the best things in life are unscheduled.
7. I think it's hilarious that we were practically being stalked by people who are all about the freedom to choose. We're not going...we might not ever go again....but you showing up at my doorstep, following me home from the local grocery store and calling my house and late hours of the night to try and talk to us....didn't help your cause. Enough said.
8. House renovations are fun....expensive but fun. And then we have to decide if we stay in the house that we've sculpted to exactly what we want or if we sell and move...which is something we've always wanted to do...decisions decisions.
9. Happiness is doing what makes you happy....not doing what makes others happy.
10. Definitely an awesome method of therapy.... will definitely be doing it more often....thanks T.
1. Did you know that if you don't have dinner on the table right at 5pm the world will not come to a sudden halt? I've determined that my biggest stress in life is actually myself. Constantly trying to keep things on a schedule that started way before I had a family to schedule for.... dinner does not need to be at 5pm.
2. Kids & scary movies....I'd rather have my children watch them with Keith and/or I in our home - then secretly watching them at other peoples houses like I did. If you dont let them watch....they will, they'll just do it somewhere else. So we watch scary movies with our kids - we alert them to when they need to cover their eyes..and when it's safe to uncover....and they are turning out just fine.
3. If one of my children is having a birthday party and your child does not get an invitation....do not email me asking if your child is invited as you assumed that they rec'd an invitation and that your child just lost it. Seriously!
4. Children are to be seen and heard.....a household should be comfortable enough so that kids can tell you how they're feeling without walking on egg shells. If one of our kids thinks something is unfair or they have opinions on stuff....I'd rather they feel comfortable enough to tell us than 'pretend' that all is fine. The 'pretending' will go on for years.
5. Pop + kids = fine in our home
6. Family Day is every day in the Young household...no need to set aside a specific time for it. Some of the best things in life are unscheduled.
7. I think it's hilarious that we were practically being stalked by people who are all about the freedom to choose. We're not going...we might not ever go again....but you showing up at my doorstep, following me home from the local grocery store and calling my house and late hours of the night to try and talk to us....didn't help your cause. Enough said.
8. House renovations are fun....expensive but fun. And then we have to decide if we stay in the house that we've sculpted to exactly what we want or if we sell and move...which is something we've always wanted to do...decisions decisions.
9. Happiness is doing what makes you happy....not doing what makes others happy.
10. Definitely an awesome method of therapy.... will definitely be doing it more often....thanks T.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
A Great Weekend!
What a great weekend! Saturday was just very relaxing. We had our construction guys doing work on the office doors for my office..... noisy but still so happy it's getting done! Brooklyn went to a friends birthday party which made her very happy and Keith took the rest of the kids to rent movies & get some groceries....so it was nice to have some time alone.
Saturday night we had friends over for cards.....we girls' lost to our husbands...but still a good time had by all.
Sunday morning we had no construction guys coming so it was sleep in day..... and so we did. LOVE the feeling of waking up, looking at the alarm clock and seeing that it's 10am.... what a perfect morning! As Keith took some of the kids to see the new Alvin & The Chip
munks movie last weekend while I did Brooklyns' b-day party.....today I took Morgan & Brooklyn to see 'The Princess & The Frog'.... a fantastic movie. A great story and the girls' loved it! True love conquers all once again =)
Saturday night we had friends over for cards.....we girls' lost to our husbands...but still a good time had by all.
Sunday morning we had no construction guys coming so it was sleep in day..... and so we did. LOVE the feeling of waking up, looking at the alarm clock and seeing that it's 10am.... what a perfect morning! As Keith took some of the kids to see the new Alvin & The Chip
munks movie last weekend while I did Brooklyns' b-day party.....today I took Morgan & Brooklyn to see 'The Princess & The Frog'.... a fantastic movie. A great story and the girls' loved it! True love conquers all once again =)
Friday, January 8, 2010
Baby turns 4
Last Sunday, Brooklyn turned 4 years old...... 4 YEARS OLD!! It does not seem like it has been 4 years.....wow! She entertains us constantly and Keith & I are convinced that she has already outsmarted the rest of her siblings.... I guess when you are the youngest of 9, you would not want to get lost in the shuffle.
As with the rest of our kids, Brooklyn has out grown the 'family' birthday parties.... now that she is in school, it was necessary to have a party with her friends. So Sunday afternoon we had Brooklyn, Morgan and 2 of Brooklyn's friends over to the house for a little party. Their were crafts, games, presents and of course, cake! She had a great birthday and it was only a little bit teary for me ;)
Next will be Zachary's birthday - on the 27th. He also wants to have a birthday party with some of his friends from school.... so probably just a couple hours of a few 5 year old boys....what could possibly go wrong there. It will be fun though!
Other things going on...... I had some home renovations start today. Since I started working with Keith from home...we tried to share the upstairs office but then we both got so busy that we were in each others way - plus I need to be closer to where the kids are to make sure that they are not destroying the house while I'm working. So I took over the main level room at the front of the house....blue prints class it as a dining room but we've never used it for one. I've been working in it for a few months now....but finally we decided that it needed to be closed in with doors (2 french doors to be exact)... so that is started today and should be done in a few days. I'm really excited and it will look super nice!
Not much else to report right now.... having this week back to normal with having to go back to waking up at 6:30am everyday, already has me looking forward to the teacher convention break that they get in February.... I'm blessed with kids that have learned the art of sleeping in :)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
2010
Well.... 2010.....wow! We made it through Christmas....well barely. Kids got out of school and it was a wound up few days with hype & excitement....then Christmas Eve, big family dinner with everyone, visit from Santa, some carol singing....it was a great night.
Christmas morning we were up around 8 and the kids were all very happy with their gifts...which makes it worth it. The rest of christmas day was very relaxing and just spent hanging out with the kids and their new stuff.....boxing day brought on a nasty flu for me. Fever, aches, cough, sore throat....grrrrr! It pretty much lasted through until the morning of New Years eve....which was good as we had friends coming over for New Years Eve and I did not want to have to cancel our plans. I still have the crappy cough....but I think the worse is over.
2010 should hold some pretty interesting things for us..... possible a vacation home purchase....vehicle switching.....interesting changes for me in the fall when all the kids will be in school everyday.....an interesting year is ahead.......
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