A Great Day

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!

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.

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 Chipmunks 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 =)

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 :)

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.......

T-25 days

Well it's only 25 days until christmas..... and aside from decorating my house...I have alot to do. I still have almost all my shopping left to do, and therefore, all the wrapping as well....yikes! I know what I'm getting them all....just need to get on with it and get the stuff bought, wrapped and hidden - oh if it was that easy!



Zachary started having seizures again, so we have started him on some new meds.... here's hoping that they will work better than what he's been on. It will take a full 6 weeks to get him up to the proper dose, so only time will tell.



Have had a bit of an active social life lately.... went to the KISS concert.... yes, I can still party like a rock star!!





Then went to see Dane Cook..... YUM! Not only is this guy crazy funny....he's a hottie! Yes I said it ... HOTTIE!




Things now should calm down....no real christmas parties to attend so that is nice as when the weather goes to crap I like to be a home body...watching christmas movies...wrapping gifts.....fun fun fun!

Puke, sneeze, puke, puke......

When they told us that the H1N1 vaccine would take 10-14 days to kick in....they were not kidding. None of us have H1N1....but there has been a certain degree of unhealthiness around since we got the shot.

Puking, low fevers, sneezing, tired....blah blah blah. Thankfully it has not hit me - it would be a bit hard to take care of everyone else if I also felt like death. It's only affected the youngest 3..... Cole has had a bit of a cough but nothing major and Cody's tummy was a bit upset last night - but not 12 hours of puking like the small kids.

Today it looks like we may have found the light at the end of the tunnel..... Morgan & Zachary still stayed home from school today but there is no more puking....just bits of sneezing and runny noses. Not like much is happening at school these days anyway as the attendance level has taken a massive drop in the last week.... Zachary's kindergarten teacher told me yesterday that there were only 7 kids in class yesterday....all the rest are out sick. Good grief!

Now for a bit of a rant..... I know several people that are known for their dramatics....mountains out of mole hill types. It really takes alot to get me worried/panicked but I took this H1N1 thing quite seriously as there were many people around us who were getting it, especially when children in Brooklyn's playshool class got it....that's a little too close to home for me. What is really annoying me is the people that are not giving this the due attention that it deserves. I have had children in school for 9 years.... I have seen parents send their kids to school in -30 degree weather and colder....I have seen parents send their kids to school with coughs and runny noses...... but when classrooms are now only sitting at less than 10 children/ day for over a week.....I do believe that this is a serious health issue.... and the people that are saying that it's just a lot of hype or a conspiracy theory from the government..... really boils my blood.
I would love for those people who dont think this is serious to sit down with the family of the 13 year old, perfectly healthy, boy and tell them that it's all just a bunch of hype and they are 'tired of all the hysteria'..... I bet that if they could go back and get their son vacinnated and could have spared his life.... they would give anything for that chance.

Of course it is your choice whether you get the shot or have your children/families get the shot.....but I cant imagine living with the guilt if I turned down a FREE vacinne and then had one of my children either get the H1N1 or die from it! Life is too short already - why would you play such a risky game.

Scary Stuff

Halloween 2009 was a good one. Kids all had a blast trick or treating....and we attended a family Halloween party at the rec center here in town on Friday night. We had Tara, Dan & the kids and mom & dad out to our place for pumpkin carving, cookie decorating, trick or treating & bobbing for apples. All in all - a successful Halloween.


Interesting though that the scariest thing around right now has nothing to do with Halloween.......
Like alot of things in society.... it is happening far away - to people I dont know so I didnt pay to much attention at first. However, now it is hitting close to home and I am concerned. We were going to wait until this coming week, or maybe even the next to go get our H1N1 vacinne.... but after hearing of the number of people in our town that have it and then having kids/familes in Brooklyn's playschool getting it - we went on Thursday and got our shots. 3 hours start to finish - which isnt that bad considering that I know some people that stood in lines for 6+ hours....3 wasnt so bad. And now today there is another case of it with a child in Brooklyn's class so I will be keeping her home this week just to be safe as eventhough those children wont be there...... the germs are probably still lingering in the classroom. There has also been an announcement that ALL Alberta H1N1 clinics have been closed until further notification.... so I am very glad that I took the kids and that we have been vacinnated. There is alot of chatter on whether to get the shot or not..... my personal opinion is that EVERYONE should get it.

So now it's November..... several awesome things to look forward to this month.... seeing KISS on the 12th, New Moon release on the 19th and Dane Cook on the 21st!! Plus decorating for christmas in a few weeks..... fun fun fun!!

Unstoppable

Last night me and my good friend Tiff went to the Rascal Flatts concert.... it was really good! I could have done without the opening number, Darius Rucker (a.k.a. Hootie)...... but Rascal Flatts was AMAZING!!

I understand that when artists/groups do concerts that they are usually promoting a new album.... for RF it was 'Unstoppable'....but what I really love is when they bring back the old stuff.....and they did.

It was a great night.....awesome concert and a great catch up with T!