Kids in church

This last Sunday was a normal Sunday in our house. We were up before dawn with a small,  warm and blue eyed visitor to our bed. After some squirming,  snuffling and snuggling we gave it up as morning time and got up for coffee. Somehow the time between 6 and 9 am ran by and it was a mad rush into the van for church.

Our oldesst was serving at mass, so we only had three with us in the pew.  Plus my father in law and brother in law were sitting with us so we had two extra sets of hands. This should have been easy. But I don't think easy was part of God's vision when he made kids.

We started out with a heated discussion about if colouring on the pew and song books was aproprit liturgical movement.  Once it was settled with a colouring book, it was time to dance to the opening hymn.  Of course the beauty of the dancing was inhanced by announcing at full volume after the song was done that she was dancing a tap dance for Jesus.

Next comes the rest time. When two kids try to both lay down on Grandpa's lap at the same time. This involves much shuffling,  kicking and moving of coats, boots and people.

At the sign of peace were we all wish each other peace and blessings with a hand shake we instead have one child refuse to shake hands with anyone and will scream at anyone who looks at her, including her brother who is very determined to give her "peace" .

At communion time, the only time they acutely have permission to leave the pew, we have a dissenter who will not come up with us, until we are three rows and about twenty people away from her and then begins to cry hysterically for her Daddy.

There is of course also the normal dropping of books, crayons,  snacks and kneelers.  Putting on and off of coats and boots. And movement of people back and forth (and back and forth) throughout the hour. And this was a normal week.

So next time you bring your kids somewhere they has to sit still and look cute and they act like children instead, just remember they are normal. And so are you.

My children are not problems to be solved but mysteries to be loved.

My child is not a problem to be solved,
But a mystery to be loved.

Coming soon!

Okay I needed to make use of my Horrendously expensive iMac. And here's what we've got.

Monique has been maintaining our skating rink religiously. It's starting to pay off in a big way.

http://youtu.be/UKyOg2memik

Enjoy. It features my wife crosschecking me, knocking my expensive planned-obsolescent iPhone out of my hands... On Ice!

Valentine's fun

Here is a fun, and easy Valentine idea that was given to me by a new friend.  Just cut out paper hearts and every day take one heart and write on it one thing you love about your sweetheart (or in my case sweethearts). We are taping them to our bedroom doors, but anywhere would work.

My kids have totally jumped on broad with this and now they are also adding what they love about their siblings and parents. I have to tell you that walking by my bedroom door and seeing "that she's awas hulping" (or in translation, she is always helping) made me feel pretty loved.

The monster in the back of the fridge

First off, I realize that this my second post about my fridge.  This is a little excessive.  But for one thing I think that fridges are one of my favourite modern appliances. I have a hard time imagining life without it. I guess in the winter I could put stuff outside and hopefully no animals would find it, but in the summer it would a little tricky. But I also really love my new fridge. It's big, it's shiny, it has this great water dispenser that the kids can use to get their own water - even the two-year-old! No more waiting and whining for mom to get 5 cups of water while she is also cooking dinner, talking on the phone and helping with homework at the same time. 

But here's the catch. I hate cleaning my fridge. Well, I hate cleaning of any kind, really. If I've had you over, you might have guessed this. I think I'm cleaning disabled. (Can I get a parking spot for that?) Cleaning the fridge, though, is a special kind of hate. I dislike alot of things about cleaning the fridge, but the worst is finding mouldy leftovers and unused food that are now garbage. Nothing is worse than finding a container full of green goo that once was a delicious meal that I spent time, money and effort to make. Or a delicious vegetable that I had great plans for, and now is destined only for its inevitable compost funeral. All I see (and smell!) is waste. Waste of time, waste of effort, waste of food, waste of money. It takes all I have to reach into the mess and pull out the odorous results of my procrastination and apathy. 

But it also makes me think about what else I am pushing to the back of my "fridge", my life, my heart. What relationships am I neglecting because they are too much work? What new ideas have the potential to be awesome except that I'm too afraid to try them? What could I be doing with all this time that I'm investing into TV shows on Netflix? I think if Jesus were teaching his parables today, the parable of the talents would be told as the parable of the fridge leftovers. I'm definitely the servant who buries her casserole in the back of the fridge until judgement day. 

I managed to clean out my fridge this week. Still working on my soul. 

Homework Help

One of the best things about having a few siblings is that there is almost always someone around to pay attention to you. Even if Mom is busy someone wants to listen to today's phonics reader.

Of course the down side is it is hard to get space to work on anything alone!

Winter Fun

One of my big worries before we moved was how to keep active during the winter.  All I could imagine was bored kids stuck inside watching tv. But the truth is so much more fun.
Yes, there are days that are so cold you don't go out if you don't have to and when you do you move fast to the next warm spot.  But then there are days like today.
Ryan and I were out by 9 this morning snowshoeing in the grasslands a block for our front door. We walked and talked for about half an hour.  Then home for tea.
Then the family was out on the rink skating and avoiding bumps and pits.
People keep asking me how I am handling the weather. Today I can say that I am loving it!