A snowy day!

While trying hard to keep me out of the cold this year, I've been crafty. After stringing mini lights in Ali's fairy garden, we agreed they needed a shelter for winter. I had an idea to use modelling clay and stones to make them stone huts. Off to the dollar store we go, then home we come.

Unfortunately, they didn't dry right and cracked. As they dried that night the stones kept falling off one by one. clank, clank, clank....as we slept.

Finally ready to go outside. Alexiss picked this off of her hat and handed it to me with the instruction, "Mom, don't throw this out, it's treasure, okay?"

Only one snowy blustery day so far this year. Alexiss helped shovel. Most of the snow has melted. What a difference from two years ago, our back yard was full by December.

We decided to try the Santa Claus parade this year in Strathmore. It was so much fun! Alexiss's favorite float was the Grinch. Instead of tossing candy like some of the floats, he tossed pieces of broccoli! These are our friends, the Wilsons.

Cinderella in Training

She does chores and sings to birds. Now if she could get the birds to do the chores, I'd be one happy Momma.

A good friend and neighbor told us about her treks down at the campground and how friendly the birds are. We just had to join her on a Saturday a weeks ago while Mark worked overtime. Then, of course, we had to return on Sunday to show Daddy.

Don't make me eat iiiiiittttt

It has finally happened, the day I knew was going to come but was hoping to put it off. At dinner;

Alexiss: "Mom, is this a dead animal?"
Me: "Yes Alexiss it is. Should we give thanks to the animal for giving it's life so we could eat?"
Alexiss: "What kind of animal is it?"
Me: "It's pork......pig"
Alexiss: "I don't like pig anymore"
Me: "Okay, what about steak?"
Alexiss: "Is that a dead animal?"
Me: "Yes, it's cow"
Alexiss: "No, I don't like cow"
Me: "Okay, what about chicken?"
Alexiss: "Yes, I still like chicken."


And so narrow our food choices. I remember a time when she'd try anything. Now the foods that she will no longer eat:

• bananas (unless in banana bread)
• brownies (until she found out they were like chocolate cake)
• cucumbers
• pickles
• apple sauce

She did love the lasagna she helped make though. I think that's the trick. If she helps make it, she'll try it. That leaves apples and PB, PB and honey sandwiches, liverwurst on crackers, cheese buns, cheese, yogurt drinks, milk, cereal, toast and jam.......maybe I can still sneak ham in there. 

Is it time for Santa already?

It seems the clock sped up since Alexiss began Kindergarten and I returned part time to work. It's hard to believe she received her first report card this week! Ms Laura, the teacher, and Alexiss have really connected. There was a discussion about choosing a name and sticking with it for school and she chose Alexiss instead of Ali, Lexi, Lexa, Alex. I know there's been a bit of concern with family and friends just what name she goes by, everyone calls her something different but she answers to all and part of me thinks she likes the variety.

Alexiss excelled at arts and crafts, letters and numbers but needs to work a bit on expressing herself with words instead of actions. We've been working at that at home so it wasn't a surprise.

I am surprised at how much closer she's become to Jack. I thought with going to school with him all day, she'd have her fill but everyday they aren't at school, they want to play together. As I write this, she is across the street playing at Tucker's with Jack. They three are in love with Paw Patrol and are the best of friends.

The weather has finally turned cold, but this year has been very mild in comparison to years past. On Nov 8th we were all outback playing all day and enjoying a bonfire, even Links the cat!

 In September we went into Calgary to watch Bugs Bunny at the Symphony! It was the first time any of us had gone to a real symphony, it was a fun treat. On the way to the Symphony we decided to go buy Sleep Country and see what deals they had for mattresses. On the way home we went back and purchased mattresses and pillows for all of us. The salesman was smart and gave Ali a pillow to try, she carried it around the whole time calling it her pillow.....of course we had to buy it.

For Halloween she was the cutest Racoon you've ever seen.

Where did the summer go?

I think I lost a whole month somewhere, I don't remember July at all and now school is creeping up quick!

We've been enjoying a summer with Oma and Opa.

We've been geocaching

We've just been hanging around

Swimming in the "Mighty" Bow River

Being super cute and ponyish

And after Ali goes to bed, Links gets some cuddle time

August is going to be a busy month because.... GRAMMA AND PAPA are COMING! Cousin Erica is coming and we get to ride the Aspen Crossing Circus Train (Thanks Oma and Opa!). We may also have a few friends that are relocating in various places coming through for a quick visit. Yep, time flies!

Our last summer hurrah before school

I've always been aware of online safety but even moreso since blogging Ali's Blossoming though Life blog.

Blogging has been a favorite outlet of mine since my online existence began but I find myself being leery of sharing too much and disclosing to the masses, more personal information about where we live and play. As Ali starts school, it becomes more important to keep her safe as she ventures out into the world.

I found myself wanting to share a picture of us registering Alexiss for kindergarden, but the picture was taken at the front of the school at a brick structure with a bell and the school name and year etched into it. I recognize that while this blog is used to keep family and friends in the loop in Ali's life, it's also public and anyone can stumble in here.

My first social experience online was with Her Interactive, the makers of the Nancy Drew adventure games. They had a younger audience and thus had strict rules about what people could share with each other. I always respected their wishes to take care of those who may not realize that innocent information could put them in danger of untoward circumstances. I'm thankful for that experience and awareness.

The new trend, and I LOVE it, is to have a password with your child. If anyone tries to pick them up without the password, the child is NOT to go with that person. It puts a bit of a spin on the "stranger danger" and gives them control. What a great idea, borne from technological advances but migrating to every day life away from the computer.

As I endeavor to keep personal identifiable information off of the blog, it's becoming increasing difficult. Although I cannot share her school picture I can share a few things.

Not pictured is Ali's first experience with team sports. We tried soccer this year and after the first game I had to tell Ali that sports isn't about sharing. She went with Dad and Opa while Momma and Oma went knitting. She made it through almost to the end, but it lost it's luster. I'm thinking of trying T-ball next year since it's a team but the ball isn't in a scrimmage of kids pushing each other.

Early spring and Alexiss couldn't wait to get the pool out again!

Bird watching with Oma and Opa. I love this picture!

Their reaction after peeking into our tent as we try camping and "comfort camping"

What could be better than a cookie tiara?

Ali and Jack's "first date". Jack joined us at gymnastics for "bring a friend day". Afterward we got some lunch at Tim Horton's and sat at a park on the airport runway to watch the planes.

Finally getting back into geocaching after a few years break. I hope I can keep the momentum. It really is fun, I'd forgotten all the fun benefits.

The AWESOME cake Ali and I made for Mark's birthday. I made the man and the sun, Ali did the sky and the grass.

All that glitters and all that's under as the glittering snow melts

Overall, for Alberta, it's been a very mild winter. I'm not complaining. For Ali and I it's been a long winter and both of us have been loving the +15 weather the past week, although I know it won't last and it's just a tease of spring. The snow has all melted and we've been playing out front in the big green space, but not until this Mom cleaned up all the hidden wayward dog leavings. I know it's a public space and dogs are just as welcome (or as unwelcome) as children in our neighborhood. Out of curiosity I started counting thinking it I would get over 10 but below 20, boy did I give the benefit of the doubt (and Ali wonders why I demand she wash her hands after playing out there), I managed a staggering 37 pick ups!!!! The past years of anger subsided this year, as I was pooper scooping I thought I was doing a much more positive thing than just complaining about it. Wouldn't you know it, the space actually looked and felt a little cleaner and a little brighter afterward!

Ahhh, there's our little doggy, or is that a kitty? (honest, all the time, and it changes back and forth, unless she's taking care of her imaginary little brother Jack), soaking up the sun and enjoying our walk to the look out. 

It's been a long winter because I haven't been a super active mom this winter. Last winter I used Pinterest quite a bit to create fun sensory and learning play ideas into a reality, this year, I can't imagine. A bunch of colored rice in a bucket sure sounds like a great afternoon, but, all it would take would be one frustrating moment to have colored rice tossed all through my house. We're working on it, and Ali's a great funny girl, she's just so passionate and strong willed and she doesn't understand physics or mechanics of how things work yet. There's always next year. 

I did get motivated to get a dresser in Ali's room. It was borne out of need, I couldn't stand trying to ram in all of Ali's clothes into her closet and have it stay nice and folded and in order AND expect Ali to dress herself. I've realized, unless the used furniture is exactly right, it's not always cheaper to refinish old things. It's gotta be better for the environment, no?

I found this dresser for sale for $50, I offered $35. I gave them $40

 I had the pink paint from Ali's closet/ reading nook so all I really needed was new knobs and handles. Did you know how difficult it is to find a plain primary red paint? I ended up getting a spray can to paint the sides of the drawers to add some color and style..

I got it in my head to add magic Glidden Disney glitter paint for fun.

This is a no tint paint. The base resembles thick white glue, a carrier for the glitter. While applying it, it was difficult to see just how much glitter was going on. It did seem to take two days to completely dry. I was hesitant to put the glitter coat on and have it end up being gaudy or overdone but the glitter is very subtle and didn't take away or change the pink paint in the least. This is the finished paint job up close. There's still over half a can left, I may end up doing Ali's closet/reading nook.

 I had my heart set on white porcelain knobs but didn't find any. Plan B was to buy inexpensive wooden knobs that Ali had free reign with. She colored them with stripes and dots of all colors from her crayola water paints. The dresser is still without handles but I'm hoping to rectify that tomorrow. All in all, it took me two days and many hours but I'd say..... we love it!

Ali K play!

To break the winter blahs, today I made a corporate family decision to try out an indoor play park. It was AMAZING! I'd seen pictures and heard of TommyKplay from a few local moms and I was not disappointed. This is our first time to one of these types of places but from what I hear, this is one of the best for set up and monitoring stations/video feed.

They have a locked gate at the entrance and parent/s and child get a band with a number. Whenever a child leaves, they check all wrist bands to make sure you belong together. They do recommend supervision of your kids and I usually knew where she was in the play structure. There's a small canteena with kid friendly food (healthy and not so healthy) and tables with one row of comfy chairs.

I thought Mark and I would get to play a game and I brought my knitting, we didn't touch either one. Mark did get to catch up on reading though.

I did hover for the first 5 minutes while Alexiss got used to the place. Unfortunately it was a bit too crazy with kids for her to really meet up and make a friend with anyone. Despite not meeting and greeting, she still managed to play for 3 hours! This Mom mustered the courage for a short lived crawl around and a few zips down a super fast slide, Dad tried once as well! It was a little too congested to really spend lots of time in the play zone and us old folks slowed her down. Yes, I got pushed and trampled by a group of boys.

Alexiss was so good, helping smaller kids and waiting her turn amid it all. There were a few kids pushing and not waiting but it was out of pure excitement, Ali didn't boss, get angry or push back, she stood aside and patiently waited. When she was overwhelmed she'd come back for a little quiet time on the iPad. Little miss smarty pants has even packed a headset!

I can't wait to go back during the week when it's not as busy and we can bring her buddy Jack so she'll have someone to share every step and slide with.

I'm not sure if Ali's smile was bigger or mine

In three hours Alexiss took about three breaks. I had brought the iPad for Mark but Alexiss ended up using it for some quiet time. It was LOUD!

LOSA - Lack of Sleep Anger/Anxiety

Yes, parents now "sleep train" their children. No word of a lie, it's a common term and plight. No, Ali is not the trainable type, hence I ended up in her room for a few years. I'm a little embarrassed to say it but honestly, it was for my sanity and my families unity. Sleep deprivation is a nasty bugger, and most likely the more plausible label than "post natal depression" in many cases.

The deal was after Ali turned 4 and after Mark and I got married, I'd transition back out of Ali's room. It's been a rough few months. It's almost like having a new born again and I'm remember why I went in in the first place. This Momma does not do well to be in public with lack of sleep.

I've come up with my own label. LOSA (lack of sleep anger/anxiety). It's a nasty beast and there's no real cure. If you're a Momma...you've got it. Symptoms are; not getting a full nights sleep and being yelled at or jumped on during the night to:

• straighten a blanket
• give a kiss
• pick up a stuffed toy that fell
• tell you about an itch
• just because she rolled over
• find a lost glow stick
• find a lost stuffy that's not really lost
• to tell you she/he has to pee before rolling back over to sleep (Whereby Momma wakes child and motivates a bathroom trip with all eyes squinting)
• ACCEPTABLE: Nightmares
• ACCEPTABLE: wet sheets
• ACCEPTABLE: puking

LOSA to other people can take on the appearance of lack of hygiene or caring about one's appearance, quiet and withdrawn, emotional and quick to anger, mumbles and grumbles,  poor housekeeping, drinks coffee (hot or cold, doesn't matter) . The Anger portion of this condition is typical during the day or upon wake ups. The Anxiety portion of this condition is very internal and is typically felt at bedtime when trying to fall asleep, symptoms are having a foreboding feeling that you night sleep will be 2 minutes long. 


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Disclaimer:

The author is happy and relieved to report that night time wake ups have finally lessened as have most LOSA symptoms. There's still some bad nights, but a few nights don't typically lead to full blown LOSA but instead to a light grade of sleepiness, fatigue and crankiness for a day.

Ali earns an Allowance

Alexiss is growing into her own person more and more every day, with that comes thumbs-up moments and thumbs-down moments. Many moms utilize sticker charts or numbering charts to reward and discipline, but to Alexiss..a sticker is a sticker and a number is a number. She's already grasped that money buys things though, so I thought I'd use a chore type chart to let her earn and spend money! I'm also trying to teach her that money isn't just an endless resource and that Daddy works hard to put a room over our heads, food on our table and then some.

I struggled with the layout, or possibly wasn't fueled enough to put my mind to actually making it happen. I had the play money and supplies months ago but there's a few recent drivers pushing me on; one is her love of gum/candy/new toys the other is wanting her to sleep through the night (but wake up to pee) and to stop throwing toys when she gets mad or frustrated. The last toy has been thrown for free!

So I roughed out how I wanted the final layout to look. Believe it or not, this took time, I'm a bit of a stickler for putting things where they logically make sense to me. There will be one big Bristol board with smaller "cards" that can be removed or added with magnets. I have a spot where I can let Alexiss know how she can earn money, later I also decided there were a few things where she'd have to pay back money. For now I'll call them How to Earn Money and How to Loose Money Cards. The bottom of the board has sections to display what Alexiss wants to save for and how much she has earned, Reward cards

 All in One Chore/Allowance/Discipline/Praise/Reward Chart

Required Supplies:

You can use sticky notes on a wall for all intents and purposes but I decided to dress it up a little

• Bristol Board
• Play money coins
• Magnets (buttons and a strip)
• Glue Gun
• Laminate (I used Scotch brand thermal laminating pouches 110 mm by 161 mm)

Step 1: Come up with ways to earn/loose money and things to "buy" as a reward

I packed all my supplies away in one handy spot so I could play a bit, prepare dinner and brainstorm ideas for how Alexiss could earn/loose money. Examples: Earn a quarter for putting away toys, Earn a dollar for listening and focusing on mom or dad when being spoken too, loose one dollar every time she throws a toy in frustration or anger. Use money to buy candy, an iPad app... etc.

EARN - Put toys away, clear dishes from the table after a meal, go to bed without a fuss, listen to Mom/Dad the first time, vacuum, dust, do dishes, tidy bedroom, sleep through the night, pee on toilet at night, dress self, wash hands after bathroom, parent/guardian choice

LOOSE - Throw things, push/bully friends, put hands/things in mouth, parent/guardian choice

SPEND - iPad app, go shopping (dollar store), candy, gum, specific toy, 1 item from prize box (box of stickers, loot bag goodies, glow sticks, dollar store toys...etc)

Keep a notepad or paper and pen in a handy spot while you go about your normal everyday stuff and add to it every-time something comes to mind. You may want to keep it organized and keep ways to earn/loose and buy as separate sides of the paper so it's easier later. No doubt this will change as time goes on. I tried to round out behavior with hygiene and helping out around the house. I tried to steer clear of ways Alexiss could loose money and chose to only use that for behavior that is totally unacceptable. I decided to opt out of making "yelling at parents in anger" an option because I think at this time it's healthier for Ali to share her emotions and thoughts...we can reign in her in emotions later, when it becomes clear Alexiss has mastered it, then perhaps it'll make it to a card as unacceptable and a loss. There's tons of ideas online to suit every child's temperament and age, a quick search of Chore or Reward Chart will give you endless ideas, and as a Mom, I know other Moms will have some things that pop into their head right away, it could be the thing we say 100 times a day, over and over.

Step 3: Start making your content for your cards

Print and cut out the Earn/Loose/Reward cards below or use it as a template to personalize your own.

Ways to earn money (chores, praise) and ways to loose money (discipline)
Things to buy with Earned Money (Rewards) with coin equivilants

I used different color borders; green to earn money, red to loose money (pay Momma) and blue to spend money. I wanted to use clipart pictures on my cards instead of writing and drawing.  I typed out all the ways I decided Ali can earn or loose money and then went online looking for clipart. Instead of using numbers to write down the value, I wanted to use pictorials of Canadian money. I honestly think this will help motivate Alexiss and make the reward a little more realistic. I found some great Canadian money information for kids and worksheets at the kidzone website.

• There are two "Toy or Item" reward cards in my template to use if there's a special toy Ali really wants. (I'll be finding a picture of a Duplo set to print out), then I can tape the image on the outside of the card and write in the dollar amount with a wet/dry erase marker. 
• I also made one card for 1 item in a prize box and an extra prizebox card to stick on the basket/box so it's the same visual.

Step 4: Assembling your cards and coins

Laminate your cards! Remember to leave space between each card for the laminate to stick to laminate. If you don't have a laminating machine, you can use an iron. You may have to play a bit to find the right temperature on your iron so it will adhere but doesn't melt. I found the setting just below medium worked for me. Put the laminate between wax paper or thin cardstock (cereal boxes work, construction paper) and use the heat from the iron to melt the laminate together, I found quick motions was better. You could also buy self laminating pouches.

Use the strip magnet on the back of the laminated cards then fire up the glue gun and glue the button magnets onto the back of the play coins.

Step 4: Make your board

I'm choosing to make the layout on my bristol board with a marker instead of using more printer paper and ink. The green, red and blue boxes represent the cards, The black boxes and words are what I wrote right onto the Bristol board.

I really didn't have to go this far, but it was fun and I like that I can add or remove things as I see fit. If she's over zealous and decides to dust for the fifth time in a day.... I can remove that card and give it a break. If our budget is tight I can remove the option to buy and iPad app and leave up candy and gum. If I don't want Alexiss to have candy that day or there's none in the cupboard, I can remove the option to buy candy as a reward. As Alexiss grows (if this works) I can take away the chore of picking up toys and add in "do homework. I could add in rewards that are time events or special non-monetary rewards like "doing a jig-saw with Mom/Dad" or "free pretend/play time with Mom/Dad". Right now I don't want her to feel like she needs to earn and spend money for those types of activities right now though, perhaps as she gets older.

After the rush of Christmas and Colds...

The rush of Christmas and Colds is dwindling down enough to update. I do have a few updates drafted up but I'm still working on them. Today I started working on a chart for Alexiss. Some moms use stickers, marbles or ladders with numbers that change depending on their behavior, I decided to also teach Alexiss the value of earning money. At a young age she's already respecting that things cost money but she doesn't understand where that money comes from.

It was a wonderful Christmas spent with friends and family. I worked hard to get the guest room downstairs into a welcoming space. We moved the Tassimo coffee maker downstairs and got a used bar fridge so guests that want a coffee before facing us can hide in their own space. It's still not completely how I envision it but I was happy to have the mattresses on a bedframe off of the floor with some nice finishing touches like having the computer password in a nice frame as well as some emergency and house information nicely framed for guests. It was almost together by the time Matt and Cindi arrived, no doubt it was much more homey than just a mattress in a room! With Christmas money we finally bought bedding to be used just for downstairs and Bob and Alvisia treated me to awesome bedside lamps for my birthday. I still have to refinish a used headboard and bedside tables, find a large picture to put up on the wall, perhaps find an area rug under the bed and a full length mirror on the wall, but I'm very very proud of being able to give guests a cozy place to sleep and relax in when staying overnight!

When everyone had cleared. Alexiss and I resorted to our regular routine. A shopping day in Strathmore meant a stop at McDonalds for a grilled cheese happy meal for Alexiss and a coffee for Momma. She was so darn cute eating and being spaced out I just have to share.

We're also back to working on our letters, and little miss smarty pants is proving that she knows more than I think she does. We barely got going with Train Tracks for the letter T and she was telling me what sound the "T" made. With the letter T we could start spelling! CAT and BAT! We also did the letter M as in Monster.

 Look what Ali can do! She worked hard all week, it was messy and spitty!

I'm sorry, I know I'm leaving a slew of stuff out but it's 1:00 AM. I had fun working on the Allowance chart and didn't realize how late it was. I've got to get myself to bed, 7AM comes too early in the morning!!