Behind

Here I am falling behind on blogging and everything else again. We're busy doing laundry today and getting ready to be away for a week. The girls and I are going to my parent's place and LJ is headed to MN for a conference. He is really excited and for good reason. I'm hoping I can maybe go next year too. We'll see.

I'll have my own fun this week though. My best friend is finishing up a distance-ed course and I promised her a chocolate truffle and coffee at one of our favourite high school haunts if she finishes by Friday (a few days earlier than the deadline).

On Saturday, we're going to a HUGE MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) Auction. If you're not familiar with MCC, Google it. Among other things, MCCers give humanitarian aid all over the world. Because us Mennonites, we're everywhere you know. You probably have some of us hiding out in your town just waiting to help. Okay, maybe not. But we are quite a ubiquitous people.

Earlier this summer, LJ and I participated in the School Kit project. It was super easy. We picked up a few pre-made tote bags and filled them with notebooks, pencils, an eraser, a ruler, and some pencil crayons. They get collected at various points and sent all around the world for kids in developing countries that can't afford school supplies on their own.

so this auction is big and lots of people sell lots of things, specifically, Menno FOOD which will make me (but not so much my butt) very happy. After Saturday, I'll tell you all about it.

Thought I better post a few pics of the girls because you know, a little cuteness never ruined anyone's day....

I should clarify that this smiling-while-on-the-toilet business is rare.
LJ must've done something very funny...

Thrice

The third time's a charm. Right? RIGHT? Please tell us it's true!

This morning we began Potty Training Attempt #3. If you've been following the blog for a while you know that the Little Goat was actually potty trained already in Spring, but then we moved back to Manitoba and eight days in a U-Haul didn't do much for any of us, but particularly the LG. By the time we got here she was no longer potty trained.

My Mom made a valiant second effort a few weeks after the Squawk Box was born but to no avail. It was AWFUL. We gave up after just a couple of days.

This time we have to get it right. It's Saturday and we gave up going to Airport City for some shopping to muddle through this drudgery. I'm not even sure the LG's being potty trained is going to be a whole lot of convenience for us but we must soldier on, no?

We had success right off the bat this morning but it soon dissolved into a pool of tantrum-endowed tears, weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then we had breakfast. We've already gone through three pairs of training pants in three hours and maybe we should've just let her run around naked in the yard all day. I don't know.

Anyway, think of us today when you're changing a diaper or taking your talented child to the bathroom. We'll be here, exhausted and hopefully not too exasperated, and maybe, just maybe, at the end of it all, potty trained.

Productivity

It's the middle of the afternoon. I've just finally had a shower and let me divulge to you the new depths of my lameness: I changed from one pair of grey sweats into another pair of grey sweats (only slightly shorter and a slightly lighter shade) and from one green tank top to another green tank top (slightly longer, slightly darker shade of green). It's really sad, I know. But it shook things up from the rest of the week - I was wearing black sweat pants most of the time! Har!

This week has been relatively productive on the homefront and I finally feel like we're settling into some real routine and it's been great!

Yesterday morning I swept, vacuumed, and mopped all but one room on the main floor before 9am. I've been sticking pretty close to our menu plan for the week - adapting as needed - with a great degree of success. The girls have settled into a sort of regular naptime (for now, right?) and the Little Goat is getting to bed more consistently around 8:30. I haven't gotten all the things accomplished that I've wanted to this week and come Saturday night at midnight, I'll still have half my to-do list sitting there impatiently, but this week has had such a pleasant rhythm about it.

I don't remember anything particular about Monday, but Tuesday morning we went to playgroup. Tuesday night we went to a small group meeting (through our church) during which the group amicably divided into two smaller groups to facilitate better future growth - both relationally and physically. We're excited about our group as we ended up with people we already knew even before we moved back here. But - yikes! - there will be (after mid-February) 11 kids* and eight adults! LJ and I have agreed to host once/month but we have no idea how to figure things logistically so the kids can play with minimal supervision and the adults can have some meaningful discussion. (Any suggestions?)

Wednesday morning, the LG, the Squawk Box and I went for a walk with Mrs. Knight ("Brs. Tight" as the LG calls her). We met at church a few weeks ago but it feels like we've known each other much longer already! We've been walking every Wednesday morning and hope to keep that up "until life changes," she says.

Yes, or until it's -40C outside.

Yesterday we met up with the illustrious Erin K. & her Monkey at the library ("abby" - LG). Then they came over for a nice lunch; bread, cheese, jam, fruit salad, and tea.

Today has been rather uneventful as far as going out is concerned. We read some of the books we got at the library yesterday. I finished the vacuuming, did a load of wash (there's still a pile of laundry sitting here beside me waiting to be folded), Facebooked for a bit while the LG played with her truck and "dad's rock." Then after naptime started, I had the aforementioned shower, made a pasta salad for supper tonight, a lemon meringue pie, and two types of no-bake squares to stash in the freezer for LJ's lunches or an emergency (we seem to be doing rather more entertaining here than when we lived in Maine).

So basically, this week has been exactly the way I hoped life would be living here.

Tomorrow we might go into Airport City to do some shopping ('breastfeeding melts away the pounds'? My foot, it does! MY FOOT!) and then we'll settle in to enjoy the long weekend and the beautiful weather we've been having. Here's hoping you and yours have a super weekend. Anybody have any big plans?

* Yes, eleven kids to eight adults.
Let me break that down for you:
5 year old: 1
3 year olds: 2
2 year olds: 4
Babies: 4: The SB, born in June; another little girl, born two weeks before the SB; and two more babies on the way - one in 2-3 weeks and one in February, both gender unknown.