Another Week...Another Post

1. I entered the new year knowing I really had to get tough on myself about my eating and activity level. While I haven't had huge success, I have lost a couple of pounds, which is better than gaining a couple of pounds.

2. I need some new pod casts to listen to while I walk on the treadmill.

3. For the last 3 years I've taken pictures of all the kids that play hockey with our boys on Saturday morning and make "hockey cards" for them. This year, I can't seem to get motivated, can't get the creative juices flowing, so I played with a picture of Shannon instead.

4. The original pic...taken December 2007


5. And after a few hours of playing with many different editing methods


6. I've started drifting from scrap booking sites to photography sites, and while you can do a lot to edit pictures, it still is a whole lot easier if you have a good shot straight out of the camera. More of finding out how much more there is to find out! Which is probably why I'm not eager to do the hockey cards...I'm not happy with how the players were posing in the pictures.

7. It's very windy out tonight!!! So glad Mark had today and tomorrow off, and thus was willing to drive the boys to Cadets. Well, not so glad he had no work today, and only worked 3 day last week, and 2 days the week before, and only 2 days the week before that. But he has got a lot of wood cut, which has been a bonus, and a few other little jobs done around the property. And Bryan (his boss) says they are booked for the next 2 weeks (after this one) so that's a sign of good things to come, and for that we are thankful.

A Week (or Two) in Review

1. Sunday, January 23, the temperature dropped to -30C overnight. The next night wasn't much better, and that was the night I had to get up at 2 in the morning to go and get Mom and Dad from the airport. I had a fun chat with 2 other daughters, also awaiting their parents' return from the Dominican, wondering if we would get a bigger inheritance because we had been thoughtful enough to bring along their winter coats.

2. My cousin noted on Facebook that cold snaps are a great time to defrost the freezer, (because you can just throw all your food outside) so on Monday, when Mark got the e-mail that there was no work for him that day, guess what he volunteered to do?! LOVE my guy! Any guesses at how old the roast is that we found?

3. Why is it more appealing to sleep in than to go to bed early?

4. I've started scrapbooking last summer's trip to the East Coast...sigh! What great memories! This is one of my favorite shots. It just epitomizes the time we had to just kick back and have FUN as a family!



5. Speaking of feet...this year I needed to buy new winter boots. And have spent some time in sports and various footwear stores. I've learned 2 things. Yes, I need more than one pair of winter boots. A knocking around, in and out of the car, in and out of stores pair; and a tobogganing, hiking, playing in the deep snow pair. The other, more important tidbit that I picked up is: SOCKS are almost as, if not more important than boots. Wool socks. And yes, they come in more styles than the grey ones with white toes that always leave my feet itchy. Unfortunately, they cost a pretty sum...but oh, so worth skipping (a few) Starbucks for!


6. We had an exchange student from Finland stay with our family when I was in Grade 12. She bought the most flimsy pair of winter boots, and my dad commented that she'd never keep her feet warm. She told us, "Boots don't keep your feet warm, socks do." Guess it takes a while for things to sink in.

7. My last foot topic. Our baby girl turned 7 on January 27. She no longer has tiny feet. But they are still precious, and still fit in the palm of her Daddy's hand (almost).

Links Worth Sharing

Just a few websites, blogs, articles that recently made me laugh, stop and think, or were useful in my everyday life.

1. Grammar Girl

I stumbled on this site when trying to teach the boys (and learn for myself!) the difference between affect and effect. She offers clear explanations, and mnemonics to help remember them. Yes, she even explains how to pluralize last names (and Phyllis and Emily were right!)

2. Youth Groups Destroy Lives (or do they?)

This link leads to Ron Hosmar's (youth pastor at Calvin CRC) blog, where he comments on an article by David Fitch. A lot of food for thought on how we treat our young people; what is the best way to disciple them in a relationship with Jesus.

The following paragraph really struck me, probably because it speaks to (one reason) why we home school as well.

It’s a fact that, due to the economic and cultural changes of modern society, children/teenagers have been segregated in school classrooms, and targeted as a separate niche consumer market by culture industries. As a result, they look increasingly to their peers for a sense of right and wrong, for values, identity, codes of behavior. They have less connection with adults either in or outside immediate family (you need both) as role models for life. This undermines healthy development and fosters hostile and sexualized youth culture. Children lose their true individuality, become overly conformist, desensitized and alienated. Being “cool” matters more to them than anything else. This is American culture! In the words of child psychologist Gordon Neufeld (a book I’d recommend), peer orientation undercuts the necessary parental connection in that parental nurturance cannot get through, is always insecure, cannot bring the child to rest, and is unable to be fulfilled (closeness unmet). As such peer orientation crushes individual development.

I could go on, but I think these two men have said it more wisely than I could; for the most part...I concur!

3. Sheila Wray Gregoire

I've heard Sheila speak at many different events over the last couple of years, and recently started following her blog. She's not afraid to hit some of the tough, politically/socially incorrect topics.

Some of my recent fav's are:

Planning Your Daughter's Future


Does Modesty Really Matter

and she recently posted the following article on her Facebook Page

Hands Off My Dishes


4. And for a good laugh for those of us who grew up in the 80's...

The Most Exciting Bad Paid-For Photos Ever