Back to Blogging

Recently I decided to get my blog going again.  It always seems easier to do in the summer.  I imported my blog from Canadian Parents so I could figure out how to customize my blog and have controls over it's features.

The Plus Side of Unemployment...

Jeff has been out of work since May.  It is a miracle that we are both still alive. :)

It's been nice having him around to help out with the kids I look after.  Depending on who I have, I may be able to have an appointment or pop out for a quick errand at nap time.  He'll get down on the floor and play trucks with the boys.  For some reason the boys are fascinated with the "big kid" in their midst.

The other plus is that Jeff has had time to do a home improvement project.  We have lived in this house for five years.  A three bedroom house with three kids may work for some families but not this one.  Since Lydia was born, she has shared a room with us, a room with her sister and then a room with her brother.  With Parker being 9 1/2 , it wouldn't be much longer that he would put up with his younger sister.  In August we put new basement windows in.  We discovered that our basement wasn't cold just from drafty windows but also from a lack of insulation.  A bedroom was built for Parker, walls were insulated, a heater put in and we are hoping to be able to use our basement much, much more this winter.  Here's the final result:

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

When Lydia had her surgery, Claire went along to the hospital with her.

Claire is her American Girl doll that we found at Value Village last fall.

She injured an eye and so we sent her off to the American girl Doll Hospital.  Because her eye was defective, her visit to the hospital was free.  She came back with a Get Well balloon, a bracelet and a hospital gown.

Isn't she cute? Now if only we could find her missing shoe.

It's true!!!

The best things in life are free....or cheap.

The boys (mine and two extras) have been going to some free day camps put on by local churches.  They have been having a blast.  This week is pirate camp and next week is time travel.

 

I took the youngest two, Lydia and Finn for a walk/ride on Harbour passage this morning.
 
Finn was in the stroller- a freecycle stroller. :) Lydia on her bike that was either from a friend or freecycle. :)

They were thrilled with just watching the Coast Guard boat come in and seeing a train go buy.  She's been waiting all summer to go for this ride.  Probably wasn't the best day as she's feeling yucky with a cold.

We saved a worm from the pedestrians.


This afternoon the 5 oldest are at the school playground program for an ice cream party.

Happy Birthday Mom

Make a Smilebox greeting

I won't say how old she is but we got married on her 50th birthday.

Happy 14th anniversary Jeff.

Slip Sliding Away

With Jeff laid off and me having a home daycare, we can't always do what we'd like to on a nice hot day.  The nearest water park is almost 2 hours away and not my cup of tea.  The beach is about 15 minutes but we don't always have room in the van.  Out of desperation for summer fun that is cheap and can be done in our back yard, I've come up with a few water activities that are relatively inexpensive and easy to do.

Four years ago we made a slip and slide with a sheet of plastic.  That summer I was very, very pregnant and not up to lugging kids to the beach.  We also went about three weeks without a vehicle. ( It's an amusing story)  Then Lydia arrived and I wasn't taking a newborn to the beach.

This year I improved on the design of the slip and slide and hopefully we'll make it last the whole summer.  Here's how to make your own backyard waterpark.

Materials: 

• a roll of vapour barrier $29.99 at Home Depot and I have enough for about 4 slides


• 10 plastic tent pegs - we found them at the dollar store


• 9 tennis balls- dollar store


• duct tape- I found duct tape sheets at the dollar store and they were just the perfect size.  10 small sheets for $1


• a hose and nozzle


• cheap soap or baby shampoo- The dollar store shampoo I bought was a little too runny.  Dish detergent woks well but depending on the age of your kids, you'll want something that is non-stinging.


• a pool noodle


• a good pair of scissors

Roll out your vapour barrier and cut it in half.  Mine was 4-4.5 ft wide- that just encourages more kids on the slide at once and the potential for tears if not injuries.  You can also cut it to a good length for your yard.  I have enough left to keep us going for a few years.

I stitched a "hem" in the end of my slide.  This creates a pocket for the pool noodle and the reason for this is two fold.  It creates a bumper at the bottom and it gives me a way to roll up the slide when we are done.  You could use duct tape to do this as well.  The bumper works well for little ones but not as well for bigger kids.



At four evenly spaced intervals, on either side of the slide, place a duct tape sheet.  this will keep the plastic from tearing.



Cut a slit in each tennis ball.  The tennis balls will go on top of your pegs to prevent injury.



Peg your slide down with the tennis ball pegs on each of the duct tape patches.  You might be able to forgo the pegging if you have a flat yard but we are on a slope and this would never work without securing the plasic sheet. 

Secure the hose at the top of the slide, using one of the remaining pegs.



Squirt some soap on the slide and turn on the water.  For best results, grab a buddy.





If you are using the slide for while, you may want to check the bottom of the slide.  We ended up with a mudhole.



Have Fun!!!

Blizzards for supper

 

That's right, we had ice cream for supper.

Today Parker reached a major milestone.  We took the kids swimming and just as we were finishing up, Parker said, "Hey, wanna see me glide?"  Ya OK.  He never takes his feet off the bottom of the pool.  All of a sudden, he's swimming.  We stood there in disbelief.

Years of ear infections developed a fear of water in Parker.  He used to scream and scream over having a bath so we switched to showers by age three.   5 summers ago we offered him a quarter to go into the water up to his belly button.  It worked.  Then we moved on to swimming lessons.  It was slow going and we realized that we'd get more progress with more practice as opposed to actual lessons.   Parker needs time and space to process and figure things out and you can't push him..

We have access to a free pool but during the school year it's hard to fit swimming in.  We told the kids we would try to go twice a week during the summer since they weren't signed up for any evening activitites.  Apparently, the frequent swims are producing results.

And that is why we had Blizzards for supper.  A celebration of a wonderful milestone.