Halloween is over. Now on to Christmas!

Last night was a nice cold, windy night that reminded me of Halloweens during my own childhood.  I grew up out in the 'boonies' on a farm in the country and had to go into 'town' for trick or treating...  Town had a total population of 185 people!  Or was it 85??  I can never remember.  But what I do remember is going to my aunt and uncle's house for supper and smelling the hot candy as my aunt prepared her home made candy apples to hand out to every child in town!  They also handed out home made popcorn balls.  EVERYONE always went to their house to get the goodies.  But long gone are the days of giving or receiving home made goodies for Halloween trick or treat goodies. 
Really are people THAT evil?  I like to think that the mass populace are kind and thoughtful people. Aren't we always told that humans by nature are good? Maybe we just use the urban myths as excuses to save time or money by purchasing mass marketed treats to hand out.  Or maybe its the mass marketers who have propagated the urban myths to the point of fear mongering and causing us to buy their goodies instead of making our own.  Whatever the reason I think its sad that my children will never go to Mrs. Baker's down the street because she gives out HOME MADE treats.

That said my kids had a good evening.  We had Gramma L come and go out with us while daddy stayed home to hand out the goodies (store bought of course but NOT candy - we do playdough.... which my hubby thinks is quite humorous since we're a Celiac family).  The girls hit about 100 houses and we were out for just over 1 hour.  Not bad for a 3 & 5 year old.  The wind was cold though on our street.... but I think ours is the windiest street in the entire city!  Once we got onto the side streets the wind wasn't so bad so they wanted to keep going as they were warming up again.  The amount of candy we brought home is quite possibly obscene - but I bet some people would say we didn't get that much.  B and I already pilfered a bunch for ourselves and today I am trying SO hard to not eat every goodie in sight.  So far I have only had 2 mini O'Henry bars and 1 carmel square.  But alas I know there will be 1 or 2 more treats in my tummy before the night is through.

My girls were cute as buttons and the haul was plentiful so I'd say we had a good night.  They're sitting around this evening sorting through everything and categorizing it according to 'food groups' as they called them.  The gum, the chocolate, the hard candy, the chewy candy etc... at least its not just 'the ones we like' and the 'ones we don't like'.  So they're learning something too.... at least that's my theory.  BUT I'm having troubles getting them to eat their supper.  There's no candy until their plates are cleared of the healthy food first.  T is going along with it but MJ keeps saying 'I'm hungry".  So I respond "eat your supper".  To which she says "I'm not hungry for THAT!"... and the game continues.

My plan is to keep the goodies for 1 week then whatever is left will be tossed.  Does that seem harsh?  Na I know some parents that get rid of it the very day after Halloween....  Wait, I can't imagine tossing the candy today - I haven't had MY fill yet!

Well with All Hallows Eve gone and All Saints Day nearly over... On to CHRISTMAS!  I can't wait.

On a Sweeter Note

Well the next time I decide to decorate cup cakes with black and orange someone needs to give me a kick!  The cupcakes are for T's SK class party for Halloween.  Since she can't eat most of what is sent by the other families I feel compelled to send her with something she can eat.  Only this year I went a little over board.  A cupcake for each student and the teacher and EAs...   Being that its for Halloween I of course had to make them seasonally appropriate - thus the black and orange!

But I admit that I love baking and making special things for my little family.  The fact that I am able to make such lovely looking and tasting treats for my family is truly something for which I am glad .  My waistline is not so glad but that is another blog all on its own.

So here's hoping my girls and T's class mates enjoy the cupcakes.  I've had one already and besides the sugar buzz, it was tasty.  I am very glad to have found the Gluten Free white cake mix at our local bulk food store (where they take care to avoid cross contamination - I have yet to have had problems with anything from there and I've been purchasing their open bin GF stuff for  over 2 years now).

MMMMMMMM cupcakes!  BOO!

on chosing a life partner

Its the 28th of October and I let me kids dress up for the last day of preschool before Halloween... they are so gorgeous if I do say so myself. 

T is a Snow Princess and MJ a Lady Bug.  But what's really funny about this is that MJ wants to be a Puppy and T says that this is her wedding dress.  I just need to get her a 'vase' - aka veil.  When we first bought the costumes back in early September they we thrilled and couldn't wait for Halloween.  But like I said now MJ doesn't want to be a bug.  Right from the start T said this would be here wedding dress and was wondering when we were going to her boyfriend's house so they could get married!!  I told his mom about it and we both had a good giggle. 

T has been saying for nearly 2 years that she was going to marry this poor little fella... I keep reminding her that she has many years to make such an important decision.  Then I ask her why she wants to marry S.  Her answers are always striking.  She goes through a list of his best qualities, which are pretty impressive for a life partner.  She says among other things that he's thoughtful, caring, strong so he can protect her from dangers, he's smart, cute and fun to be around.  Not a bad list and I really hope she keeps this in mind as she gets older and the search for a life partner begins for real. 

I have to admit that I'm a little torn when she starts talking about this.  I'm glad that she thinks S is a kind, generous, nice young boy who could be her partner.  But I'm worried about the fact that she's planning her wedding and she's only 5!  Not to mention that she's been planning this for nearly 2 years now!  I remember 'marrying' boys and all that at her age but did I come across as serious as she does?  I don't think my parents ever really knew about my play marriages.  I talk to her about how long it will be until she can really get married and how things change and how she may not even be friends with S anymore when its time for her to get married.  Her reaction - she's marrying S!  No ifs, ands, or buts!   Am I over reacting??  I don't really know.  I guess I just have to keep reminding her that things change and when it really comes time to settle down for her, whatever choices she makes are hers and not mine.  I hope she takes some chances and meets lots of new people male and female and learns that love and friendship change and changes are part of life.  Right now she doesn't like change at all.

(T is very upset that one of our local restaurants which we frequent is building a new building right next to the current structure and the current building will be torn down.  Heaven forbid her favourite restaurant change!  The current building is old and worn out.  The floor tiles are chipping the wall paper peeling and paint chipping too.  There is definitely room for improvement and a new building is good too since it will be larger and be able to accommodate more families comfortably.)

On a similar but different note.  What is with girls swearing that they'll be best friends forever and then 'breaking up' with each other????  T's teacher has actually had to talk with her and her BFF K about just being friends and being friends with all of their class mates not only each other.  That playing with lots of people is more important than playing with only each other.  I've been stressing this too but a 5 year old who has a friend who calls her BFF just doesn't get why they shouldn't be BFFs.  Sure it seems cute and harmless but really it can be limiting especially when they tell others that they can't play unless its with their BFF.  Am I wrong?  I don't know.

Then there is wee little 3 year old MJ.  Apparently she wants to marry a girl.  Guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.  Not that I haven't talked to her about it a little bit.  I've told that she can love whoever she likes boy or girl but that not everyone wants to be with people that are the same gender.  I've mentioned that most girls marry boys but if she chooses to marry a girl then so be it.  (Her big sis then interjects that "NO Girls Marry Boys!")  I've been told by the caregivers at her preschool group that she and one of the other little girls were hugging and kissing about 6 months ago but I didn't make anything of it - why would I?  T was hugging and kissing boys and girls at the same age.  No biggie.  But now that little girl in particular is the one MJ has said she thinks she wants to marry.  But the saving grace is that she more often says to me that she is troubled because she doesn't know who she wants to marry.  I tell MJ that it is quite normal to not know who you want to marry at her age and that she has many, many years to make such an important decision.  Then we discuss the qualities a person who we chose to marry should have.  Which starts with the ones her sister says S has.

So on love, life and the pursuit of happiness???  I hope my children take their time getting their life partner.  I took my time.  Met lots of other potentials.  But came back to My One and Only... it only took us 18 years to realize that he truly was my one and only.  Hmmm we met in 4th grade.  How is that different from T & S?  Only a few years.  I guess anything is possible!

So much for good intentions

Well here we sit and its nearing the end of October!  Wow I've not been staying on top of things.  Granted there have been a few different reasons/excuses for my negligence. 
After my last blog we were on call for 2 weeks with Family & Children's Services but didn't actually get a placement.  Then a week or 2 later we thought we were getting a placement but it fell through for some reason or other.  Now here we are just about at the end of October and we still don't have a placement.  BUT we're on call again.
The last 2 months have been full of back to school.  Business trips for B.  A sick cat requiring far too much money but worth every penny. And a sick me.  T started SK with the same teacher as last year so it made the adjustment period non-existent thank goodness.  She's motoring along doing a fantastic job at everything she does.  M can't wait to start JK next year.  On the other hand T doesn't want to go to grade 1 because she doesn't want to be away from mommy all day!  Isn't that sweet!
B was away for a couple of weeks during September so I was single parenting for a bit.  The girls and I did ok but we missed daddy especially when our big orange cat, let's call him F, got really sick.  I called my dad at 9pm and he and V came over to look at F.  Well the word was get him to the emergency clinic asap he probably won't make it through the  night.  Oh Crap!  Was all I said.  So I called a friend to come stay with the girls, thanks E, and off I went to the veterinary emergency clinic.
Let's just say that $3800 and 2 weeks later we had a happy, healthy kitty at home again.  Say good bye to the bathroom renovations and any possible thought at Vegas in November...  But F is worth it.  That and just seeing the girls eyes light up when we brought him home and they got to cuddle with him.  All I have to say is he'd better live at least 10 more years to make that kind of money worth it!  So of course now the big joke is that "when daddy's away, mommy will pay".  But just so you know B was home and made the decision to spend part of that money too.  It wasn't all me.
Then of course F gets better and I get sick.  Lets just leave it at I'm still not better but I really hope to never experience the same pain as I did during the first 24 ours of this whole mess.  I've be bouncing around between doctors and dentists and my naturopath and still no resolution but at least things are changing and hopefully a resolution will be found shortly.
So now we're off to get T from school and lay low for the rest of the afternoon.  Lets hope there'e some good mommy cuddle time in there somewhere.

Week One On-Call

Here we are into our first week as After Hours On Call Foster Parents... and what does that mean?  Well from 430pm through 830am Monday through Friday and 430 Friday through 830am Monday if a child in our age range comes into care we get a call and have to house that child.  For how long?  We don't have a clue.  Nothing like adding a little instability to the house now is there?
After our first night on call the girls woke up wondering where the new baby was?  I had to explain to them that just because we're on call doesn't mean we will have a child placed with us right away... both went away saddened as they REALLY want to help mommy look after a small child.  Or so they say.  When the day finally comes and there is a new child in te house how will they really feel?  That's the question.
How do I feel about it?  Well I'm rather mixed up about the whole thing.  I really want to help.  But I also know that Brian will be away for 2 weeks in September and I really don't want to have a fussy baby on my hands without him around.  We have let them know that we only want to be on call till the 4th but if we get a child and they ask us to look after it longer term than just intake what will we say?  Guess we'll figure that one out when it happens.
So while we wait for a new addition to the house we are also readying to bring in some new pets to the hose.  Fish!  After having fish for several years and them all dying we took a break for a year or so and now the girls are like dogs with bones and just won't let it go... guess if we don't have a baby in the house for them to help with they want their own fish.  Both tanks are now in place and the larger one has the filter running (however not filtering as we need to buy some refills for it) and the bubble wand is bubbling.  The girls are going to drive us nutty for sure until we get fish in the tanks.  But they're going to have to wait a few days/weeks until we know the big tank is healthy.  We'll be getting some betas and a small tank for MJ sooner but the big tank will just sit bubbling and filtering (once I buy those filters) away.
Now we have the baby room and the fish tanks ready to fill.  Which will come first? 
I'll keep you posted.

It's Official

Well it is finally official! Brian and I are registered Foster Parents with the Region of Waterloo!! Wow! We started investigating last September and started the process in January and here I sit an official Foster Parent! Well this could change things just a wee little bit.
We have no idea when we might get a child placed within our home but we are ready - well nearly. The toddler bed is in place and the room has had our girls toys evacuated. The dresser is at the bottom of the basement stairs still since Brian's back is sore and I can't carry it up the stairs on my own and the crib remains in the garage but could be assembled in less than 2 hours if needed. We are working on getting together age appropriate clothes for both genders and toys that are more 'boyish' because although our girls have toys that are gender neutral we don't have any backhoes or the like for wee lads to play with if they wanted too. But there are lots of cars and Little People and the like in the meantime.
We're really nervous about having another child in the house but we're ready for the adventure all at the same time. We've requested children under the age of 3 of either gender. So with our 2 girls and another in the house we'll have our hands full for sure. T is old enough to help out a bit but MJ will be a little jealous I'm sure at first. We could get a child within the next 3 days but it may not be for the next 3 months. It all depends on the need within the region and it fluctuates and is absolutely unpredictable so here we are living on the edge... I don't deal well with uncertainty but in this case I'll have to deal with it until we have our first placement and learn the ropes so to speak.
I'll keep you posted on the Moffat household dramas as they unfold but until then - ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!

June oh June where did you go?

She says as she sits at the computer thinking about what to do with her kids this summer. And realizes that she hasn't written a blog all month! AGAIN!!

My big girl just finished her first year of 'big girl school' and boy oh boy did she make her mama proud. Well of course she did! Its MY child! In spite of last weeks bout with pneumonia she managed to feel well enough to attend her final 2 days of Junior Kindergarten... Imagine that missing the last full week of school! She was a sick wee thing - again! But now I need to get my act together and plan out some stuff to do so my kiddies don't drive me nutty!

First thing is first - July 1st long weekend. Here in Canada its Canada Day on Thursday. SO we're off to Auntie Michelle's house to take part in the Walkerton, ON festivities for the day. We're going to hang with Breanna and Michelle and maybe even head over to the beach in Kincardine for an afternoon or 2... depending on the weather. Gee I really should take a look at that so I know what to pack for the girls.

We still have our play group at the Early Years Centre to attend Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays through until the last week of August... so that takes care of most mornings. One week is full day - day camp for T and half day - day camp for MJ so that week mama V gets a bit of a break. AND our family vacation in Kincardine for a week later in the summer.

I'm thinking some Thursdays at the St Jacob's Farmers Market with friends or on our own and other Thursdays at the YMCA to take advantage of some 'free' children's programming! Yeah Y membership. Fridays will mostly be spent hanging out with granddaddy and having sausages for lunch {a big deal for my girls - they LOVE sausages!!} After lunch there is lots of time for fishing or goofing off in the river in his back yard!

The weekends are reserved mostly for family time. A golf tournament here or extended family anniversary/function there but mostly for just us - The Moffats together. I think days of relaxing and maybe some day trips will fall in somewhere but we'll play that by ear.

I'll keep everyone posted on the happenings of the summer as it goes by.

We're also nearly through our application to Foster/Adopt!!! EEK! We have a meeting to sign off on reports Monday then we'll be meeting our social worker and setting some goals etc for our getting going with the fostering thing. We get our manual Monday so I guess that's our summer reading!!! The thing makes War and Peace seem short!! When we sign off on the papers we're going to finish getting the spare bedroom ready for action and we'll be waiting to see what happens next. Keep you posted there too!

I've also embarked on a new weight loss journey... wish me luck. I started at 198lbs am down already! YA ME! I'll be blogging on that journey separately.

My Norwex business is taking off in style! I can't wait to give away a bunch of free mops in July and August! Gotta love that mop! http://www.norwex.com/ to check it out... send me a note if you want more info!

OK so wish me luck at getting through my first 'summer break' with the kids. Bet T will be looking to get back to class within a week! I may even want her back to class within a week.... na I like my kids most of the time and hope we have a great summer full of memories.