Hodge Podge

So, forgive me today if I am all over the place with my thoughts, but I have so many ideas swimming in my head right now that I have this overwhelming need to share them, all of them.

First of all, homeschooling is going phenomenal so far. I can't believe it! I really thought we were in for a doozy of a day yesterday since it was day two and also because our school day had to be interrupted for a doctor's appointment, but much to my shock, that was not the case. As soon as we arrived home and even after the boys got to eat copious amounts of treats and play a ton of video games at their Grammie's most of the afternoon thanks to my second flat tire this month (grrrrrr!), they got right to work and didn't even complain. Then, today, both the boys finished all of their work an hour early . . . craziness!  Even Elliot has noticed how remarkably different this year is going, and after he finished his math in record time (and received a B+ on it to boot), he exclaimed:

Mom, I think this is our best homeschooling year so far!

To which I full-heartedly agreed and then gave him one ginormous hug to thank him for being so awesome these past three days. Who knows, we may just survive this school year after all?

After school each day, the boys have gone out to shoot crab apples off of our hill using their golf clubs. Their goal is to shoot one into the river, but I have not seen it happen  . . . yet! Last night, though, they grew tired of this game and decided to have an all-out crab apple war. Thankfully, they put their protective gear on . . . I love these two!

As you know, last week I took Baby Girl to the IWK for another check-up and I am pleased to announce, according to her doctor, she is doing amazingly well! Her blood work is perfect and he thinks we may finally have this colitis thing under control . . . for now. Keep your fingers crossed. What you may not know is that after our appointment we participated in a study the IWK is doing between the correlation of a  child's family dynamics and the degree of pain they experience and how they manage it. Zoe and I had a blast doing helping out with this study! First, she had to put her hand in FREEZING cold water, while I watched her endure the discomfort. We were left in a room all by ourselves and videotaped. Of course, we could not stop laughing and cracking jokes. I guess this is just how we deal with things at Shenanigans Inc. Then we had to fill out a ton of questionnaires about our family and how we get along. Afterwards, we had to choose two topics that Zoe and I have recently argued over and we had to sit in a room together and come up with a solution to these problems, all the while being videotaped. It was so funny! We didn't do as much laughing during these two sessions because these points are hot topics between the two of us, but we did come up with solutions. In the end, we were each given $15 for our time (oh, the things we will do for a bit of cash . . . tee hee!), and Zoe received a Junior Scientist Certificate, of which she is very proud!

As we were leaving the IWK, Zoe and I laughed at the fact that someday she could be sitting in an auditorium during one of her med school lectures and have to see these videos of us, but then again, maybe not, since we also fear they will disqualify our results on the basis that we are both clearly crazy . . . tee hee!

Oh, and if you are not a friend of Mr. Level-Headed's on facebook then you missed out on this tidbit of information: he has decided to enter his first body building competition, The New Brunswick Championships, which is only nine weeks away. If you are any good at math, you will also realize that his competition is only two weeks before Thing 4 is due to arrive; therefore, we figure we may need to seek out separate living arrangements at this time since we will both be feeling a little surly and uncooperative . . . tee hee! But for now, we will continue to share our living quarters and fight over the bedroom mirror each night oogling over how big our bodies are getting. If you ask me, though, it is far more fun and a whole lot easier for me to get bigger. :)

The third trimester bump (or week 28)!

Also, I learnt yesterday at my doctor's appointment that I actually lost a half of a pound over the last three weeks, which is perfectly okay according to the doctor, but I found it shocking!  Especially since it was just last week that I went on a four day poutine binge  . . . craziness . . . and yes, very gross. I should be disgusted with myself, but heh, I'm not.

And as promised, albeit a day late, here are some pictures from our Back to School Feast and Festivities. Might I just add, we had so much fun! The food was delicious. In fact, the kids and I could barely move afterwards because we ate so much, but Mr. Level-Headed, or Mr. Discipline as I should call him from now on, stuck with his broccoli and chicken and seemed to enjoy himself too. This year, I decided to serve the appetizer while the chicken wings were cooking, which gave us a full forty-five minutes to sit around the table and talk. And just so you don't go fool yourself into thinking that life here a ferry crossing away is somehow magical and perfect, let me assure you, while I talked all about the importance of pursuing as much education as possible in your lifetime, the kids discussed everything from bodily functions, bodily noises, to soccer. Oh, and I am pretty sure they were making those bodily noises as well . . . tee hee!

Mmmm . . . Skor Cake!

And our goals for this upcoming school year . . . that Thing 4 is so gosh darn considerate . . . tee hee!

There . . . I got it all out, and I feel so much better now. Thanks for listening! :)

Eleven Days Worth of Nonsense

You are going to have to forgive me, but I am about to cram a whole lot of nonsense into today's post because this will be the last one for awhile. We are taking a quick jaunt up to Halifax tomorrow for Baby Girl's appointment at the IWK, then we are rushing home to begin our whirlwind weekend of soccer, soccer and more soccer. Go Hampton U16AA girls!  On Sunday, we are going to church (as long as a certain someone's head remains lice-free . . . keep praying for us), and then we are having our annual Back to School Feast 

Our theme this year is "Seek Learning", and we will be reading this article to inspire and encourage the Wee Websters and Mr. Level-Headed in their upcoming year of studies. I know . . . I am such a geek! I don't even know when I am going to have a chance to make all the food we have planned.

Then, it is showtime: Monday morning the boys and I will be waking up bright and early to kick off our first day of school . . . eeeeek! Where did the summer go? I am taking the first week of school off from the blog because I foresee having to channel all of my energy into motivating, consoling, and prodding my boys of summer back into a routine. Ugh! This is not going to be easy.  . . . again, keep me in your prayers.

Anyhoo . . . 

11 days worth of Shenanigans Inc. is about to commence in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .

This week marks my 27th week of being pregnant. I am really enjoying this pregnancy, but I am reaching the point now where all I want to do is to meet my baby. People always ask me what I think I am having, and in all honesty, I don't have a clue. Sure, some books say that mom's have a keen intuition about the gender of their baby, but that has never been the case with me. For Zoe, I thought I was having a boy. For both Elliot and Avery, I thought I was having girls. Clearly, I am not a reliable source, and since I have never had success with my past guesses, I haven't even tried to make a prediction for this little one. Some days, Thing 4 is a Leif and some days, Thing 4 is a Harriet. Even my dreams seem to be confused!

Last week I had a very vivid dream, where I was taking Thing 4 to the doctor because he or she had a diaper rash. When the doctor took off Thing 4's diaper to see the rash, this little penis popped up. I was shocked and exclaimed:

You're a boy?! I thought you were a girl.

Then I picked up my baby and held him close to my face. I whispered:

Really? You are my Leif and not my Harriet.

I could not get over the shock, but I was pleased nonetheless. When I awoke from that dream, I was convinced that Thing 4 is a boy.

Then . . .

A couple of nights ago, I had another dream. I do not remember the premise of this dream, but I do remember Mr. Level-Headed sitting in a big, comfy chair, talking to our baby girl, Harriet, who at this point was a toddler. She had a head full of curly, brown hair and was asking him a million and one questions. When I awoke from this dream, I started thinking that perhaps we are having a girl . . . tee hee!

Ultimately, I guess we will have to wait another 12 weeks before we know for certain, but I am having a lot of fun speculating on who this little person I am carrying actually is.

27 week bump

 But there is one thing I know for certain, and that is that this craving for poutine has got to stop. I am not even going to tell you how many poutines I have had since Friday night, but know this, it is more than two and less than four . . . tee hee! Oh, and for the record, Costco makes a ridiculously good poutine and it is super huge and it is super cheap. Costco, you just keep getting better and better in my eyes . . . 

Look at those cheese curds! Some of them were as big as the french fries . . .  Heaven!

Yesterday, was a big day here at Shenanigans Inc. Not only did I discover Costco poutine, but Elliot finished a honk'n huge novel that he actually started during the school year. It took him 30 minutes a day/ five days a week for about three months, but he got through it and more importantly, he enjoyed it! In fact, he has already picked up the second book in the series and asked if he could read it just for fun.

Ummmmmm. . . YES!

How long have I waited to hear those words being uttered from one of my children's mouths? Far too long if you ask me.

The book is called the Beyonders and the third one just came out.

Funny, Elliot. Very funny!

Oh, and since we are talking about books, Baby Girl ACTUALLY read a book this summer. A big kid's book, nonetheless, and it was fiction . . . gasp! This may come as a shock to you, but as smart as that girl is, she is not a reader. Sure, she has a stack of non-fiction books, fact books, and Baby Mouse graphic novels by her bed at all times, but she is not one to sit and read a novel. Well, that all changed this summer and I am giddy about it. Perhaps we need to start up our very own mother-daughter book club . . . only kidding Baby Girl. I promise to take it slow . . . tee hee!

And that is all, folks. I hope you had your fill of us. See you in September!

Closing Festivities

Wow! The past couple of weeks have been busy. Last week was all about finishing up school with the boys, and although, there were times when both Elliot and I thought it would never happen, we finished . . . phew! Then we spent the weekend getting ready to host one of the coaches for our British Challenger Soccer Camp that is being held this week in Hampton and the Kingston Peninsula. The coaches arrived Sunday night, and since then, it has been non-stop shenanigans. Our days have been filled with soccer, swimming, and eating; nothing to complain about really, but it sure has been tiring. Then to top it all off, we had early morning dentist appointments and an ultrasound appointment at the beginning of the week. What was I thinking? Anyhoo, all of the cooking, the cleaning, the playing, and the running around that the past couple of weeks have entailed, has left this mama pooped. After the boys and I dropped Zoe off at her soccer camp this morning, we returned home and plopped our lifeless, exhausted bodies on the couch. It was during our third episode of SpongeBob (eeek! I must be tired), that I realised I did not post any pictures from our school-end festivities this year (and I know you are dying to see them). 

First, though, here is a picture of some of the Kingston kids welcoming our coaches on Sunday night. This year we have three coaches joining us. Two are from Liverpool and one is from Manchester. I have to say that they are all really great guys, and my kids are having a blast hanging out with them this week!

Now for our closing festivities!

We started the day at Hampton High School because Baby Girl needed to pick up her home report and her course schedule for the upcoming school year. Unfortunately, the computer messed up and had placed her in ALL the wrong classes. An hour and a half later, she emerged triumphantly from the school with most of the courses she wanted. Afterwards, some of her friends came over to our house for the afternoon to swim, to eat junk food, and giggle. I think it was a pretty good way to kick off the summer. When the sun went down and Baby Girl's friends had gone home, we started up our annual school work bonfire. The boys look forward to this event all year long, and were eager to toss all their worksheets into the roaring flames. As an entire year's worth of work went up in smoke, we dined on roasted marshmallows and chips. Finally, we wrapped up the evening with our presentation of awards. This year, Zoe received an award for maintaining an A+ average all year long, Elliot received the reading award for making huge improvements in his reading, and Avery received the writing award for being able to write a paragraph, complete with topic sentence, concluding sentence and three supporting sentences, all on his own. I am so proud of my kids for how hard they worked this year, and look forward to seeing all the wonderful things they accomplish next year.

^^Sorting out what papers should be saved and what papers can be burned. ^^ If you want to learn more about our easy, cheesy filing system for school mementos, check out this post.

^^The awards (all made from templates found on Microsoft Word!)

^^Each of their awards were accompanied by a gift card from Indigo^^

^^The moment he has been waiting for all year long.^^

^^Burn, baby, burn!^^

^^Our fancy, schmancy award ceremony. This is how we roll in the sticks: no shirt, pyjamas pants, and rain boots. Oh, and you can't ignore the pile of debris we are standing in front of. We are so high class! ^^

^^And yes, Zoe was included, but ya' know how teenagers feel about being photographed participating in embarrassing family traditions. ^^

^^What I waited for all year long . . . mmmmmmm!^^

And that is how we closed the school year here at Shenanigans Inc. We had a great school year, but gosh darn it, I am so happy to see it come to an end. Hip, hip, hooray for summer vacation!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

You may be surprised to learn that the girl who goes over-the-top in just about everything in life enjoys a more simple and subtle approach to Valentine's Day: a handful of pink, heart-shaped valentines adorning our walls and windows, homemade cards, cheesy Valentine surprises for the kids, and a big smooch for my main squeeze (who is taking me away for a night in two weeks . . . woohoo!).  Top that off with the sugar cookies (gluten-free, of course) the boys and I plan on baking this morning, and I think we've got ourselves a pretty awesome Valentine's Day.  

All the kids' treats have funny sayings on them like: 

You're soda awesome! (the Coke)

You are one pop-ular kid! (the popcorn)

You are extra special! (pack of Extra gum)

You melt my heart! (the M&M's)

I found this idea on this blog, if you are looking for a quick, but cute Valentine's Day gift for your littles.  Elliot is going to freak when he sees the pop and the popcorn!  I think this day could possibly trump Christmas in his books.

What are your plans for Valentine's Day?

Our Back to School Feast

The first day of school has always been a big deal for us here at Shenanigans Inc., but over the past two years we have taken it up a notch.  What was once a simple cake and a belting out of  "Happy School Days to You" (sung to the tune of Happy Birthday) has become a full-blown feast thanks to one of my favourite bloggers Nie Nie.  She has the best ideas, and I love stealing them!

The first thing I had to do was figure out the evening's menu, and this took some time because I knew it had to be something special but also something that could be whipped up between our homeschool lessons and piano lessons.  Well, I did it, and, thankfully even though it was not lobster as Elliot had requested, the kids were thrilled.  Everything was made from scratch except for the mozzarella sticks, which I bought from M&M Meats.

The kids did not find out what I was making until they read their menus.

Then I had to come up with our theme for the year.  This year I chose a quotation from the book "Stand For Something" by Gordon B. Hinckley, one of the past presidents of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

"Work is the miracle by which talent is brought to the surface and dreams

become reality . . . The process of stretching our minds and utilizing the skills of our hands lifts us from the stagnation of mediocrity.”

-President Gordan B. Hinckley

I chose this quotation because 1) I love the line: "stagnation of mediocrity".  Doesn't that just make you want to get up off the couch and do something with your life?  LOVE IT!  And 2) because Mr. Level-Headed and I always stress to our kids that God has blessed them each with unique talents and it is their responsibility to seek them out and to nurture them.  I also love how this quotation points out that talent is only part of the recipe, and that you need to work hard to get what you want in this life.  Dreams can come true if you are willing to put the work into it.  Yes, us Mormons do believe that life can be all sunshine and unicorns.  Aren't we annoying?  Tee hee!

Then I found some scriptures to enhance our theme.

“Neglect not the gift that is in thee . . .”

(1 Tim 4:14)

“For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.”

(D&C 46:11)

“Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known”

(D&C 60:13)

And proudly displayed it as our centre-piece.

Okay, do you love my candelabra or what?  Funny story:  When I was a little girl, I went on a shopping trip with my Allie (my mom's mom), and I begged her to buy this candelabra. She asked, "Krista, what am I ever going to do with it?".  To which, I responded: "Use it for our Christmas dinners, and when you die, give it to me because I really want it!".  As a testament of just how awesome my Allie was and how much she really loved me, she did buy it, and sure enough, when she passed away, it became mine.  Thanks, Allie!  I miss you.

Anyhoo (as I wipe away my tears . . . sorry about that) . . .

I also made smaller versions of our theme, laminated them, and gave one to each of the kids as keepsakes for the year.  I am such a geek! 

Although the theme is always my highlight of the evening, the kids' highlight was having their very own can of pop!

Even Zoe was excited for our feast to begin!

Beautiful like her mama . . . I can't stop myself!

Poor Avery was having a hard time waiting for Mr. Level-Headed to finally sit down and offer a blessing on our meal.

In spite of my countless attempts to make this a fancy affair with civilized discussion, there were plenty of shenanigans going on at the table

A little chicken drippings in one's hair never hurts . . .

What am I going to do with these two?!

Finally, it was time for dessert.  Zoe had made the cake the night before, and Avery decorated it.  I have the best kids!

Mmm  . . . rainbow cake.

Then Avery provided the accompaniment to "Happy School Days":

Really?  Is it too much to ask for just one night of civility?

tee hee!

Here's to another fantabulous school year from your friends at Shenanigans Inc.!

Happy school year to you . . . cha cha cha

Happy school year to you . . . cha cha cha

Happy school year

Happy school year

Happy school year to you  . . . cha cha cha!

The Skeletons in our Closet

From the outside we look like one big, happy family, who lives in a clean,well-organized home, where everything has its place.  And other than the slightly maniacal looking child in the front of our family picture, we do not look like a family with a deep, dark secret.  But we do have one, and I am going to share it with you today!

I should tell you that this is incredibly hard for me.  Please do not judge me too harshly.

Okay, are you ready for this?

Ahhh!  Look away . . .  the horror!

This is my bedroom closet.  This is the one place in my home where I throw everything that I have no place for, or no idea what to do with but am required to keep.

My name is Krista Skov-Nielsen, and I am a closet slob.

So, as you can imagine, each year when my little darlings arrive home with their backpacks overflowing from a year of learning, I go into a full blown anxiety attack.

What am I going to do with all of this stuff?

AND this is only the boys' stuff.  Zoe has not even emptied her desk yet, but then again, for those of you who are familiar with middle schools in New Brunswick, I would be pretty surprised if she came home with anything at all.  Oh, but this is a whole other rant that I will share with you at a later date.  Aren't you lucky?

I could throw it all into a folder and shove it at the back of my closet, where there is already an accumulation of school years' memorabilia:

Hey, I think there may even be a little space left in there!

But no . . . not this year!  This year I am prepared thanks to http://www.71toes.blogspot.com/.  I love this woman!  I really think she should move to Canada and become my new BFF, or at least my personal assistant.  I need people!  Have you grown tired of hearing me say this?  I know Derrick has . . . tee hee!

So, her idea is not rocket science, but it is brilliant in its simplicity. Each child in the house is given a file folder box that is kept in their own closet.  You then schedule some individual time with each child to sort through their school year stash (she admits that trying to find time in a day for each kid is the most challenging part of the process).  You grab a hanging file, label it whatever year your child has just completed, and fill it with projects and assignments that mean the most to both of you.  For bigger projects like Elliot's habitat project, which he got an A+ on, you take a photo of it and place it in the folder.

Who really wants their mama taking photos of them in the morning anyway?

Oh, and by the way, projects like this, if not assigned on a regular basis and given ample time to complete, do make for positive homework experiences.  I only poo poo on the tedious, mind-numbing worksheets that come home week after endless week. But, I think you have heard enough about this.

There you have it!  It is so simple, but so helpful.  I can't wait to get started!

Your little darling gets a box of all their most treasured memorabilia, and you get your closet back.  It's a win-win situation!

Now, this post is all complete for those of you who are content with the "71 Toes" solution to organizing school year treasure, but for those of you who rather enjoy how we here at Shenanigans Inc. operate, I have one last tidbit for you.

What do you do with all the stuff that is not deemed box-worthy?  Well, you stoke up one huge bonfire and have an annual end-of-the-year book burning!  Yes, we are a little savage around here, but it is important to have family traditions.  In fact, I think I will even take a picture of our bonfire this year, complete with three wee Websters dancing around it . . . tee hee,  so they will each have one for their boxes!

 Again, it's so simple, but brilliant . . . right?

Happy Last Thursday Before Summer Vacation!