Ambercita

Ramblings on Contentment

2011-03-10T11:50:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to be where I am in my life right now. I will be starting a teaching contract in the Spring, just part time (Mondays and Fridays) and it's making me appreciate my stay at home mom life all the more. Today I got to take Acadia's temperature and send her to bed at lunch time with some tylenol, then listen to
Blaise's theory on why the dinosaurs went extinct (God sent a meteor because the tyrannosauruses would have eaten all the people He wanted to create).

Earlier we got groceries and then went to Zaak's school to meet with the French teacher I'm taking over for. We interrupted Zaak's math class to say hi, and it's so funny how his students asked incredulously "these are your kids!?" It kills me how students view teachers as such flat characters, without families and homes :)

I've sworn off FB and email after 8 pm for Lent and last night it made me a little grumpy. I've never really observed Lent before this year, and I think it will be really good for me :) I looked for a recipe for a birthday cake for Zaak and found some good resources for Blaise's home school instead!

And so I am thankful for everything in my blessed life.

Worst sickness of 2011 (Thus far)

2011-02-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of my little boy last week BEFORE he got hit with this wicked (evil!) flu virus! I can't bear to take a picture of him now, all pale with dark circles under his eyes and scrawny looking. So after 4 days of vomiting and stress, he is on the mend. I fed him a spoonful of broth this a.m. and he said "Yum! That tastes like mushroom soup!" I was so thankful I about burst into tears. There is truly NOTHING in the world like when your child is sick. I hope my daughter, husband and I manage to evade Blaise's bug and all will be as it should be again.

Our Annual Christmas Card Family Photo

2011-02-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas Love & Lights...

2010-12-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

I love this shot of us from last night at Zoo Lights! Photo credit goes to my lovely sister April. It was a rather chilly outing (even with the chinook, long johns and wool socks) but I'm glad we did it. The lights were delightful and the company charming, except for the little girl who kept complaining that she was "really, REALLY hungry!" ;)

My Halloween Rant

2010-11-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

With Halloween here and gone I am still rather baffled about the big deal people make out of it. We let the kids dress up and took them out trick or treating around our neighbourhood, and they each got a nice little bag of loot. It was a mild evening for the end of October in Alberta, and it was actually a novelty to interact with our neighbours.

One of the things that gets me is how some people are so up in arms about the Halloween candy. Trading it in for cash at dentist clinics or having "Harvest Parties" with healthy snacks instead. It's ONE holiday that is all about candy, and if it is eaten in moderation, I do not see the harm in it. Our kids eat pick one treat after they've eaten their supper, and they are thrilled about it.

The other thing that bothers me is that Halloween comes in second only to Christmas for consumer spending. Honestly?! That is crazy. Our kids' costumes were mostly dress-up things they already had, we just bought felt to make Blaise a mask and Acadia a little crown to complete her fairy princess get-up. We did buy some candy to hand out as well but only had about a dozen kids come to our door, so I ended up eating way too many mini mars bars!

Family Photo

2010-10-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

We had our family photo taken in hopes of using it for our Christmas picture but Acadia was not feeling very photogenic that day (as you can see). Oh well! I'm thinking there is probably a rather small window of time when your children will smile nicely for a photo, after they're preschoolers and before they're teenagers. But then again maybe it's the child's personality, who knows?

The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep

2010-10-16T19:51:00.000-07:00

Blaise was making noise in his room when he was supposed to be asleep tonight. "Try counting sheep" I advised him. "Actually Mama I'm going to count turtles crossing a stream," he replied sagely. Whatever works my son, whatever works :)

First Day of Kindergarten (In Our Kitchen)

2010-09-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Here is Blaise with his very first kindergarten math/language project. Acadia did a modified one as well, as she wants to be involved of course. I was so excited to start home schooling Blaise today that I kept waking up in the night! He was excited too (or ex-kite-ed as he would say) thankfully. It went great except for one slight glitch when our song for the week about space "See You On the Moon" by the Great Lake Swimmers, wasn't fast enough for my little student to bust a move to. But he quickly recovered, and really my lesson was fail-proof since we used marshmallows to measure the height of the rocket he made :)

See How our Garden Grows!

2010-07-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here are the kids with our tomato plants, the first shot was taken at the end of June and the second the end of July. It's always amazing to me how much they grow! The rewards of having the kids in on this is awesome too. When we were there last we spotted a little green tomato on one of the plants. Acadia was exclaiming "tomatoes aren't green!" so that was a great opportunity to explain how things ripen, and that food doesn't just come from a grocery store ;)

Adventures of a Container Gardener

2010-06-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

I slyly picked this wild strawberry plant on my walk last night :) I'm curious to see if it will produce any fruit once I confine it to a pot. I don't have the greenest thumb around but I love plants and flowers in any shape or form.

These are my poor little sweet pea seedlings, and the state I found them in after coming home in a hailstorm. They actually fared better than I had imagined, with only one leaf down. I LOVE sweet peas but they always seem quite finicky to grow in pots, so I'll see if I get any lovely fragrant blooms from my plants this summer.

Tomorrow morning the kids and I are going to plant a row of carrots, beets, zucchini, tomatoes, and sunflowers at a friends house. Yippee! We planted a bunch of stuff from seed but they really need transplanting into the ground, especially the zucchini which I'm sure are going to crawl away on their own soon to find deeper soil ;)

My Little Boy Can READ!

2010-05-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

(Blaise "reading" Brown Bear, Brown Bear when he was almost 3 at our house in Guate)

Yesterday I sat down with the kids and a "We Both Read" book from the library. It has a page for the parent to read on the left and then a child's page on the right. (Smart huh). So I thought I'd see if Blaise could sound out some of the words, only to discover he could read entire sentences! He read "Pets can be big. Pets can be small." from the kids page with zero prompting from me! I think the reason I'm so wonderstruck is that he pretty much taught himself to read. We have read to him since he was a baby, plus he sees Zaak and I read the paper/magazines/books all the time, and of course there are great kids programs on TV like SuperWhy. But I just love that is was a natural thing, we haven't been sitting him down every day to practice sounding out letters or anything, he just picked it up. Clever boy that he is :) And completely unbiased mother that I am ;)

(Blaise and Acadia reading a giant Dora book from Grandma :)

Goodbye Grandma.

2010-03-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Reding had a stroke this past February and then passed away a few days later. I was in BC for her funeral on Valentines Day. It was the longest I've ever been away from my kids, and I ended up with a lot of alone time just thinking. Thinking about how much I miss my Grandma, and what she meant to me. We lived a stone's throw away from my grandparents when I was little and the closeness we enjoyed was so precious. I always felt bad the past few years that I couldn't get back to BC to see them more, but the visits we did have were lovely. Grandma was also a very faithful correspondent, so I love that I can look back at all the homemade cards she has sent me through the years and see her handwriting. These are some of my memories of her:

-Her favorite color was purple

-She was always quick to laugh and to love

-She made the best vegetarian patties

-She gave the best foot massages

-She made so many beautiful things; blankets, p.j.'s...Acadia and Blaise's blankets on their beds that they sleep with every night. I still have a small blue and red afghan she made for me when I was little.

-She was an amazing story-teller.

-She was a faithful letter writer, sending me her hand made cards even when we were in Guatemala.

-When we were kids we'd come into her house after playing in the snow and she'd make us sweet mint tea.

-Playing with the big tin of mismatched buttons at her house.

-Picking raspberries and the huge vegetable garden we'd help with every summer.

-Calling Blaise "their little Robbie"

-Escaping the CUC cafeteria for a good home cooked meal.

-Spending every Christmas Eve at her house with all my raucous cousins.

15 Years Ago Today

2010-02-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

It's been 15 years since my dad died in a car accident. I've spent almost as much time without him now as with him, since I was 16 when it happened. It's hard to say what I feel exactly...it's definitely not the hollow sick feeling it used to be, thankfully. It's just that I'm not that 16 year old girl who had just failed her learners test anymore. I'm an adult now and I wish I had an adult relationship with my dad. I wish he could meet my husband and kids. I have lots of questions I'd like to ask him. It still hurts that he's gone. I guess it always will.

"Where the Wild Things Are" Film Review

2009-10-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

Maybe because I am the mother of a sensitive boy with a great imagination, maybe because I am a sensitive person, or maybe because it is just so well done, this movie really bowled me over. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it, and just before seeing the film I read the book at Chapters. It's a children's picture book so they obviously had to expand on the story and wow did they do an amazing job! I was so touched I had tears trickling down my cheeks at several different parts throughout the film. Zaak asked me if I was crying at the end, and by then I had somewhat pulled myself together but him asking me set me off again!

The creatures were done by the Jim Henson Company and Jim Henson would be so proud if he was still alive! They are incredibly believable and likable, these puppets have come a long way since the Muppets and Sesame Street.

The soundtrack is also amazing. All the songs are original and by "Karen O and the Kids." The music perfectly enhances the beauty, humor and sadness in the film.

So, Zaak is usually the film reviewer in our family but I beat him to this one :)

I give "Where the Wild Things Are" two enthusiastic thumbs up!

God Sees You... and (SURPRISE!) He Likes What He Sees

2009-09-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

This is a song from a DVD Red Willow Church sent us (thanks again guys!) when we were living in Guatemala. It's called "Boz the Bear" and is from the creators of Barney BUT way less grating on the nerves :) It's also Christian, so the shows have nice little lessons about sharing and such. Why I'm blogging about this song is that I LOVE it's message. Forget teaching kids "Oh be careful little eyes what you see" and all those guilt/fear songs that are out there. I want my kids to know God thinks they are incredible, that He is delighted by them. I know I could have benefited from being told as a child that God is pleased by ME, and not just that I need to try and please God. So my kids are going to grow up believing that they are priceless in God's eyes, and that makes me infinitely happy. I actually wrote the words from the songs title in my friend Melaney's birthday card - because I think it's a beautiful thing to hear and internalize as an adult too. (P.S. Happy Birthday on Friday Mellykins!)

And so for your reading enjoyment, here are the lyrics to the song:

“God Sees You And He Likes What He Sees”

- By Angelo Natalie (Giggling Bear Music)

God sees you…and He likes what He sees

God sees you…and you’re special as can be

So look straight up to Heaven, shout:

“Thanks for making me!”

God sees you…and He likes what He sees

God made you….and you’re one of a kind

God made you…you’re always on His mind.

So smile up to Heaven, shout:

“Thanks for making me!”

God made you…and you’re one of a kind

So look straight up to Heaven, shout:

“Thanks for making me!”

God sees you…and He likes what He sees

The Boy

2009-09-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Preschool Dilemma

2009-09-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

My little boy is 4 now, and pretty much every other kid his age is in preschool. So I have been wondering if we are doing the right thing by NOT sending him. He just seems too little still! I know it would only be a few mornings or afternoons a week, but it seems like a lot. Am I preventing him from reaping the benefits of going to preschool? Am I one of those hyper-protective moms? We go to a library story-time, he has his own class at church, and we have play dates at the park so it's not like he is cut off from the outside world. I was an elementary teacher and I KNOW there is always at LEAST one rotten kid per class. Plus Blaise is such a sweet sensitive soul, I can just picture him having a "friend" who is in reality a little monster. Another reason is that I want to be the one to teach him, not some stranger who may not value Blaise for the incredible little boy that he is. So I thought I was good with him staying home, but I've been wondering if I am making him miss out on this experience. OH the mommy guilt - it cuts deep! Any advice/wisdom on this matter is most welcome!

New Shoes Por Moi!

2009-06-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

I found shoes to go with my bridesmaids dress for April's wedding this week! So excited :) They were on sale, they're comfy, unique looking and suit me marvelously I think. Oh and they go with the dress :) They have a bit of a heel so that makes me a good couple of inches taller than Zaak but that's okay. He's man enough to handle his wife towering over him, heehee. So the shoes are Bare Traps (which is surprising because I thought they only made comfy, casual shoes) and I got them at the Shoe Company. Happy Weekend!

The Merits of a Wagon

2009-06-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

Brenda, a co-worker of Zaak's, gave us the blue wagon you see in this photo behind Blaise. I am so grateful because it is allowing me to get some (much needed) exercise! Instead of wrestling Acadia into the stroller, and then prodding pokey Blaise all the way to the park, they happily ride in the wagon while I get my heart rate up! It's wonderful! What a joy it is to be outside right now too, all the trees are flowering and people's yards are bursting with tulips and crocuses. Now I just need a walking buddy...:)

Color Me!

2009-05-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

This is the kids doing some bath-time art the other night. All you do is add a couple of drops of food coloring to a bit of shaving cream and voila! Instant bath-time excitement :) Even Zaak wanted a paintbrush of his own to get in on the action! Do remember to wash your child (or self heehee) with soap afterwards or they will have slightly colored skin wherever they painted. Have fun!

Walnut Raisin Molasses Bread & Roast Chicken

2009-05-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Two of the many tasks I accomplished today :)

I Learned a New Word this Week...

2009-04-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

...and the word is "acedia" (strangely close in spelling to my daughters name - Acadia - but not at all related otherwise). The definition of the word is: "spiritual or mental sloth, apathy." The pastor at our new church just finished a series on the 7 deadly sins and yesterdays was sloth. I always took it to mean simply laziness, but it's much more than that. I need to read more about it but the message really struck a chord with me. We can be missing all that God has to offer us simply by allowing ourselves to be selfish, petty, and ignorant. For me I tend to get bogged down by what I lack instead of what I am so richly blessed with. So I am making the choice this week to see the beauty and opportunity in everything around me. To take joy in the seemingly mundane tasks that are part of being a mother and a wife, to use my time wisely and enjoy every moment of life I have been granted.

Spring I Hope!

2009-04-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

This was just 2 weeks ago! Blaise posing with a snowman he built with Papa Zaak.

And this is today...now that's more like it! I am SO DONE with snow! (Acadia is donning earmuffs because she has a bit of a cold, and the air was still cool even thought the sun was blessedly hot :)

I was reading up on a friends blog earlier today and it made me feel sorry for mine, and for those of you faithful few who check it only to see it appears abandoned. So I have resolved to post at least once a week, be it simply a photo, quote, recipe or whatever I'm into at the moment. Cheers!

Knitting Myself into a Lather

2008-12-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

So my knitting saga seems to be unending. I started with some practice yarn, but somehow couldn't even figure out the slip-knot which is the very first step. Finally figured that out, then the knitting was somehow upside down once I had my first row casted onto the needle. I abandoned the mess for a few days.

I started fresh about a week later with some sort of helpful books from the library. Then I began the scarf project I wanted to make for my Mom for Xmas. 3 tries later ( I was knitting it too tightly and picked up 10 stitches by accident!) I am hoping against hope, that I will have a completed product I can proudly give as a gift. I guess this goes to show that I am more persistent than I give myself credit for.

Today I checked out a few more knitting books at my local library, and one is called "DomiKNITrix" Pretty funny hey. I get frustrated with the books that claim they are for the beginner and are full of easy projects, because they make me feel hopelessly lost. But everyone starts somewhere right. I looked to see if there was a "Knitting for Idiots" handbook, but alas, no luck. That's what I need.

My Little Girl...

2008-12-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

..is big enough to wear her hair "up"! How cute can one little person be. Now if only I could get to leave the accessories IN her hair ;)

I'm Thirty!

2008-12-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

On November 28 I turned thirty years old. It feels strange to bid my twenties farewell, but I'm not in mourning or anything silly like that. We had a great potluck dinner with some of our Calgary friends and then finished off the last episode of Six Feet Under. It was a lovely day. I am blessed and lucky to be who I am, where I am.

2008-10-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't been in the blogging spirit lately, not sure why. Visited with Michelle today and she asked why I haven't been...so here I go! Maybe because I've just been so very busy. Our move went well and we're pretty much settled in now. I've been enjoying my sisters Alanna and Jessica who are here. They are great babysitters too, which I so appreciate when I get calls to sub. We'd had two snowfalls so far, and the trees photo is the view from my kitchen window. Sounds like the kids are up from their naps - must run!

Musings

2008-08-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

We've been back in Canada for over a month now. It feels strange and normal both at the same time. I think I have some culture shock going on, but it's nothing a little food therapy won't cure - chicken and vegetable pot stickers, cranberry juice, and chocolate fudge crackle icecream to name a few of my faves :) (haha).

Whenever I overhear strangers in stores speaking Spanish I want so badly to say something to them, but I always chicken out! I better get up the nerve before I lose all of my español! Luckily there are some friends back in Guatemala that I have to email in Spanish.

We had an amazing time in BC. I was pleased to be reminded of how utterly breath-taking it is there; the mountains, the lakes, the rivers - it's all still as wild as ever. (Although there is talk of Wal-Mart coming to Smithers, perish the thought!) The two weddings were wonderful celebrations and my kids basked in the attention of the many aunties, uncles, grandmas, grandpa, and cousins we got to spend time with.

Now this week we move into our own place, and I am VERY ready for that. There's nothing like living out of a suitcase for a month - as gracious as all of our hosts have been. I am also looking forward to my sister Jess coming to live with us at the end of the month.

OH Canada!!!

2008-07-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

We are back. I was almost in tears as we gazed out of our airplane at the prairies of Alberta. The canola fields! Oh the canola fields! I want to get out in one and take about a zillion photos. I'm sorry I never sang your praises Alberta, but I am converted and now a believer.

The air here always smells clean and fresh, I step outside of the house just to close my eyes and drink in a breath.

The internet! Oh my stars! It's lightning fast!

The grocery stores! I could spend hours just admiring the variety they have to offer.

Most of all my heart is gladdened that Blaise could spend his 3rd birthday with our family. What a blessing to see him and Acadia doted upon by his Grandma Debby, Auntie Saison and Uncle Dean.

Okay I've got to get ouside again :)

Garden Wonders

2008-06-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

I love gardening. I hope to someday have a real, huge, out of control, too much produce for my family to eat, kind of garden. Until that fine day, I make do with growing what I can in containers. The strawberries amaze me at how they are so desperate to spread. My plants have rooted themselves in the gravel and managed to produce some fruit! Edwin, a really poor boy from the school who machete's our grass for us, has asked me if he can have the strawberries when we leave :) They're quite expensive to buy in the market so that makes me happy knowing he will get to enjoy them when we're gone.

In the front of our house we have a small flowerbed where I planted some sweetpeas. I adore sweetpeas, their aroma is like nothing else. They are growing nicely but I am afraid they may not bloom before we leave! I sure hope they do. In amongst the sweetpeas a vine started to grow that I did not plant. I asked the guys who work at a greenhouse next to us if they knew what it was and they said it was "sandia" (watermelon). These same greenhouse workers like to lounge on the edge of my flowerbeds eating their snacks which have included: Surprise! Watermelon. So they must have spit out some seeds into the dirt and voila - my very own melon patch, sort of. There are a lot of little yellow blossoms on the vines so I've asked my neighbor Ruth to send me a photo if they ever grow some little melons. We don't live in the hot part of Gutemala where melons are grown, but it would be neat to see if some did grow.

Papa's Day Fun

2008-06-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

We finally got Zaak to Chamche, our local "tourist centre" here in Tactic - he'd been holding out but how could he resist a Father's Day picnic with his adoring wife and children? We saw some neat animals there, I especially liked the baby marguay (looks like a jaguar) and the baby armadillos! I am such a sucker for baby animals! Maybe it's a female thing, I don't know. Because generally I'm not a big pet person at all.

Blaise also braved the frigid waters of the swimming pools, and we had our lunch with only a few stray mongrels staring us down. All in all, the outing was a success.

Kids abd Stuff

2008-06-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a rainy couple of days thanks to Hurricane Alma which was supposedly hitting Nicaragua this past week. Our internet connection has been terrible so we haven't been able to read the news, blog, email or go on FB much at all. I think I talk about the internet like Canadians talk about the weather, maybe it's a missionary thing :) (I have to post this at the city nearby where we do our shopping - at an internet cafe. Grrr.)

The kids have both been sick, Blaise with his recurring croup and Acadia now with a cough too. Poor little lambs. Acadia has taken off walking now, and can toddle the length of each room in our house. Blaise is potty-training (this time for real) we hope!?! He will be 3 in just a month and a half so it is HIGH time!

Still no word yet on where we'll be this fall, but I am getting excited for the trip to Canada nonetheless. Zaak's sister Saison is due to have her baby about a week after we arrive and his other sister Salome about a month later, then there are some weddings to go to, and just catching up with family and friends will be so wonderful. I'm banking on putting on a little weight with all the visiting we'll be doing :)

Hope you find me next time with better internet and news about our pending move!

Catching Up

2008-05-09T12:19:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile hey? I didn't post for the entire month of April, hmm. Acadia celebrated her first birthday on the 13th, and is keeping us entertained with her many kisses and pointing at everything. We enjoyed the company of Alan Kydd and Justin Jeffery for a week that went way too fast. They were SUCH amazing guests; playing with Blaise, having heated discussions with Zaak, taking incredible photos of the kids, cooking, baking bread and doing dishes - wow. Your visit was a blessing guys, thanks.

Security Blanket

2008-03-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Oh my funny sweet girl. A few nights ago as I was putting Acadia to bed she did a huge projectile vomit. Thankfully only half of her blankets got hit, and she was happy as a clam right afterwards.

The next morning she had the worst time napping! Later I brought in the clean blankets from the line and when she saw her fuzzy pink one she was so excited! I now see that she almost instantaneously goes from snuggling her blankie, to thumb in mouth, to zzzzz... (She has sucked her thumb from day one, so she likely sucked it in the womb too :)

I was so surprised because I didn't realize what an attachment she had to this blanket! Blaise was a soother baby so that was his security object, and once he gave that up we made the mistake of letting him sleep with his bottle - which became his new security object. Since breaking his bottle habit he hasn't attached to any new stuffed animal or blanket.

April, one of my younger sisters, had this tattered old blue blanket that I remember her dragging all around the house. I can't remember if I had one though, or if my other sisters did. I'll have to give my Mom a call and ask her about it.

Knit One, Purl Two!

2008-03-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

We have this kids show DVD called Nanalan' that my sister-in-law Salome got for Blaise. One of the episodes has Nana the nanny knitting something that Russel the dog snatches away from her. A wild chase ensues with the star of the show, Mona, retrieving the scarf from a repentent Russel. All this to say that while Nana is knitting she is saying aloud "knit one, purl two, knit one, purl two" and that has been going through my head as I have taken up knitting.

My mom taught me when I was little but I had forgotten, plus I don't rememeber making any really stellar projects as a child. I have really wanted to learn again, so a few weekends ago I took out the needles I had brought here with me over 2 years ago. I recalled seeing Julie (the Peters' kids tutor from Alberta) knitting a scarf around Christmas so I got her to show me how to get started. Zaak, Julie and myself always play Settlers (and eat churrascos) Saturday nights but that night all I wanted to do was knit! That must be why I lost both games, I kept knitting when it wasn't my turn to play :)

I quickly finished off the small amount of yarn I had started with and promptly gave it to Blaise for a teddy bear blanket. Unfortunately I didn't "bind off" (I think that's what it's called) so my first practice project soon unravelled itself, whoops. I won't make that same mistake this time.

Today with the rain coming down and the kids blessedly napping in unison, I looked up some knitting instructions. Julie had started me off so I needed to learn how to "cast on" - all these fun terms, like a new language! I found a great sight with super simple knitting instructions.

And so it begins! My hope and dream is to get to a point where I could be proud to see my children and husband (and myself too of course!) wearing items I have knitted. I also would love to be able to give as gifts the things I knit...so we'll see how I do on this knitting journey I've embarked on - wish me luck!

Sweet Sweet Sleep

2008-03-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here she is, the little girl who, after 11 long months, is finally letting me get my beauty rest. That's right, Acadia has started sleeping through the night! She gets up early (6-ish) but that's fine by me when I haven't seen her since 7 o'clock the night before. It is amazing how I can feel my energy level going up! Now as long as I can get myself to bed before 10 and evade Zaak's "Wanna watch a movie with me? Just watch the beginning...then you can go to bed" pleas, I'll be conquering the world in no time. Or at least getting a lot more done in my day :)

My New look

2008-03-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

My blogs new look that is! Wonderful Zaak helped me to put together these 3 photos I wanted to have at the top of my blog. I keep going to my blog now just to look at how beautiful the banner(?) is! I took all three photos, and in case you are dying to know this is where they are from:
The pink and purple lupin flowers photo was taken near Zaak's grandmothers house in New Brunswick. The lupins bloom there in the summer for miles upon miles - it is breath-taking.
The second photo is of a statue paying homage to mothers, an hour away in the town of Salama, Guatemala.
Third is the beach just before sunset in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

7 Things

2008-03-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

Chef Mama Aimee tagged me for a meme and so here I am dutifully doing it :) I actually had lots of fun thinking about what seven things I would put on here, and look forward to reading others...

7 Things you may not know about me:

1. I cycled across Canada and haven't been on a bike since the last day of the trip.

2. I have kept a journal faithfully since the age of 15.

3. My claim to fame is that one of my sisters kissed a boy in high school who now plays for the NHL.

4. My son Blaise has been to 7 countries and not yet seen his 3rd birthday.

5. My husband Zaak and I are blessed/cursed :) with the spiritual gift of "voluntary poverty."

6. Both of my babies were anesthesia free, midwife-assisted water births.

7. I don't know where I will be living in 6 months time.

And the 5 lucky bloggers that I am tagging are...

Zaak of Zaakistan
April of New Beginnings
Kelsie of Kelsiespot
Justin of Am I There Yet?
Dawn of Colours of Dawn

Now you are supposed to write your own list of 7 things and then pass it on to five friends. Make sure and notify the friends you tag by commenting on their blogs. Whew this is feeling complicated!
P.S. I won't be offended if you don't do this meme thing - it may not be your cup of tea so no worries :)

A Book to Ponder

2008-02-20T12:11:00.001-08:00

The books that help you most are those which make you think the most. The hardest way of learning is that of easy reading; but a great book that comes from a great thinker is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and beauty. -Theodore Parker

This past weekend with Zaak away and I decided to immerse myself in a new book. I had forgotten that April had brought me Khaled Hosseini's second book, "A Thousand Splendid Suns". He is the author of "The Kite Runner," and if you haven't heard of it you must be a hermit:) I was instantly drawn into the story and kept forcing myself to put it down and go do other things. I still finished it in less than a week though unfortunately.

The story jolted me out of my missionary Mama life and into another world (Afghanistan) where women receive no justice. Any self-pitiying thoughts I was having about being lonely flew right out the window. It reminded me how completly fortunate I am to have been born a Canadian.

I had a good cry when I finished the book - for the two women in the story and all the misery they endured. The joys in their lives made them endure the many hardships, and I think it is their resilience that moved me most.

So run, don't walk to your nearest library or bookstore and get this book. It will not disappoint.

Sunburn Woes

2008-02-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

Our vacation to Mexico was wonderful. Zaak did an awesome overview of it, so check out his blog if you're desperate for details:) I was just catching up on our blogroll and can't believe how many of you out there talk about the weather?!?! It's pretty funny. So here's my tribute to all of you who like to bemoan the cold. Picture one is me and Acadia on the beach, and picture two is a few hours later - oh the burn! We bought some Solarcaine cream and I could have kissed the bottle it felt so good on my fiery legs. I'm feeling fine now and hope to not peel, skin cancer is not something I want to experience in life thanks. (I thought I had put sunscreen on my legs but I must have forgotten! What with making sure to lather up the kids I tend to get the short end of the stick.)
So for all of you who hate the cold, at least you're not sunburned:)

Back in the Saddle:)

2008-01-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

Haha, the blog saddle that is - I'm not much for horse back riding:) I've had a bit of a long hiatus from blogging with my sister April here for two weeks and then our internet being on the fritz.

I had such a wonderful time with April! She's such a kindred spirit. We had great fun with the kids, cooking and baking, and going on a couple of trips. The highlight for me was hiking the volcanoe just the two of us (thanks again Zaak for watching the kids so I could go! You're the best:). We laughed almost all the way there at our driver who was circling Antigua at 6 a.m. in search of the Hotel Belen which turned out to be the Hotel Bella. Nice. Then the hike itself was freezing cold and windy until we got to where the lava was flowing and could feel it's heat. There were even people who brought marshmallows to toast! What a great idea.

Now Zaak's sister Salome is here and in just 3 short days we are making the trek to Mexico to meet up with the rest of my in-laws. We plan to break the trip up but it still means 7 hourish days of travelling, so that's a little hard on the kids. I'm praying they are healthy and up for it!

Awhile ago I got an email from Kurt where you answer a bunch of questions about yourself. One of them was "What four things are you looking forward to this year?"
Mine were:
1. The trip to Mexico
2. Acadia sleeping through the night
3. Moving back to Canada and becoming a home owner and
4. Welcoming two new members to my extended family, a brother in law and a neice or nephew. So lots to look forward to!

What's the new year got in store for you?

Snowed Under...

2007-12-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

...by laundry! And I thought I wanted four kids!?!? I can't even keep up with the laundry of 2 kids plus Zaak and myself! I wonder if it would be easier with a dryer...probably. Also once the kids are out of diapers I won't have cloth diapers to hassle with washing. It seems lately that the sunniest, windy days are always on the weekend and so I can't NOT do laundry then when it maight rain all the next week! If it rains a couple of days in a row the clothes do not dry forever! So in case you're wondering, I should be doing some laundry right now! Here I go to do it (sound of feet dragging)...

More November Happenings

2007-11-26T14:33:00.001-08:00

Zaak and his chums posing with Aydee and her parents at her grad party

The Xmas tree at the Central Square - I love how it almost looks like it's snowing in the photo! It's only rain, sadly

Zaak soaking up some sun on the weekend amidst the laundry on the line:)

November Happenings

2007-11-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

With Zaak home more now working (usually on the compy) I get less of a chance to blog. So here are some shots from this past month:

The kids bundled up and trying to stay warm in the house

Zaak and Blaise enjoying the fire at storytime

Acadia happliy chewing on her spoon after her breakfast

Our second (failed) attempt at a family photo with the new baby goat included:)

Cutie Patootie Acadia doing some nude shots when the weather warmed up

Convicted Shopper Part 2

2007-11-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking and reading since my last post. Friends, it does not look good. But since I have to eat and clothe myself, I am trying to find ways to do so in the most earth and people friendly way possible. Sound corny, naive and overly-optimistic? That's me:) In a nutshell.

I was looking for info on sweatshops and tried looking for some anti-sweatshop groups on Facebook. I was shocked to tears when I found a PRO-Sweatshop group!!??!! I understand being uninformed and even apathetic, but to be downright purposefully ignorant...I was horrified. Here is the description of their group:
"to provide basements for people to work to make us clothing, don't ban somthing that gives us cheap shit"
Now I am trying to keep in mind that this group seems to be made up of mostly highschool boys, but still! FOR SHAME!

I can't pretend to be well read or knowledgable about sweatshops and fair-trade and all of this that I am delving into, but I do have some thoughts on the issues. A big argument that I read a lot is that sweatshops give poor people jobs who otherwise would be on the streets. Sure, BUT (HUGE, GIGANTIC "but" here) when these rich companies (such as Nestle, Gap, and Wal-mart) can easily afford to give their 3rd World Country employees fair wages in a clean, safe working environment and choose NOT to, that is where I cast blame.

There are some good websites out there with helpful info. Co-op America has a lot of good info, I like their list of 10 Things to Never Buy Again This sight also has information on several companies and how good or (usually) bad they are.

So I've come to a few decisions after mulling this all around this past month. They are:
1.) Continue to buy stuff at Thrift Stores. The companies that made the clothing/shoes are no longer benefitting from my purchase when I buy them second hand. (Unless I buy something with the brand splayed across my chest/bum - which I won't:)
2.) Boycott all the big brand names and companies that I possibly can. I think that sadly most of the big brand names out their have gotten that way because profit is what counts, not people or the environment.
3.) Support the smaller, green-friendly, sweatshop free companies that are out there. If anyone has suggestions of brands/products/companies you know that are good, please let me know. For starters I know that American Apparel is sweatshop free and Ten Thousand Villages has all fair-trade products.

Okay I really need to wrap up this rant and go to bed. It's way past this Mama's bedtime.
I will leave you with this tidbit I read on the Co-Op America site:
"Styrofoam is forever"

Feliz Noche a todos:)

Convicted Shopper

2007-10-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible. --George Burns

I receive a daily email from Charityfocus. It shares a quote, and then a small paragraph about something good someone is doing in the world. One of the recent ones I read was about a book and website called Better World Shopper by Ellis Jones. The basic idea of it is this: as consumers we have the power to choose the kind of world we want to live in, by how we spend our money. The author looked at 5 criteria for the companies he reviewed and the ones that connect the most with me are human rights, the environment, and social justice.

So who are the bad guys out there? Where to start...first the good news how about:)
I was pleasantly surprised to see some of the products and services I use and like got an "A" on the scale (Silk Soy Milk, Burts Bees, American Airlines, Apple Computers, IKEA, and American Apparel). But I was also dismayed at all the products/services I've used that got "C" through "F" grades including: Continental Airlines, Gerber Baby Products, Nestle, Kraft, Nabisco, Dove, Lubriderm, Post Cereals, Twix, Skittles, M&M's, Hershey's, Toblerone (Gasp! NOT Toblerone!?!?) The Gap Clothing (no big surprise there) Covergirl and Revlon Cosmetics, Visa, Adidas, Nike, and the least surprisingly of all...Wal-Mart. There are several categories as you can see and the list goes on but I'll stop with the ones that struck me.

Now the one big grocery store we have here in Guatemala is Paiz, which is being taken over by Wal-Mart. Everytime I go now I see the Wal-Mart logo popping up on different products. BUT I can't boycott this store when it's the only place I can get whole-wheat spaghetti noodles, mushrooms, a selection of dry cereal and ( just recently) Earl Grey tea.

BUT once we live in Canada again I will happily avoid Wal-Mart and shop at Farmers Markets and Health Food Stores as much as financially possible. I really believe each individual has the power to promote change, so I will quietly do my part. And I will happily share my reasons with anyone who asks me why I choose to avoid certain products and services. Now I just have to figure out how I am going to survive without some Toblerone chocolate at Christmas...

I ♥ Rhubarb

2007-10-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

I finally reaped the fruits of my labor today. I picked one of the rhubarb stalks that I had grown from SEED. This rhubarb plant survived three uprootings by Blaise (helpfully weeding he thought) when it was just a few inches tall, then another uprooting when a pipe was dug up underneath it (thank you Zaak for saving it!).

This little frog was in the leaf of the stalk - cute hey.

I made a lovely strawberry rhubarb crisp for dessert tonight with the rhubarb and some strawberries Zaak picked up at the market early this morning. It smelled and tasted delicious. I closed my eyes and took a whiff of the rhubarb just after cutting it and it transported me to my childhood. Memories of running barefoot with all my wild cousins, a cup of sugar and stalk of rhubarb for a treat.

Potty Training Progress...

2007-10-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

...Or lack thereof!
Here's a shot of Blaise yesterday - notice the location of the large wet spot on his pants. I went into the whole "if you use the potty you won't have to wear diapers anymore" spiel and reminded Blaise that he has Diego underwear for when he starts using the potty all the time. Blaise was very keen to see his underwear so I took them out of the closet and spread them out nicely for him on his table. I left the room and when I saw Blaise next he had a pair of the underwear on his head and was riding his horse:) What a kid. He's developed a sense of humor before he has given up diapers. That's my boy:)

Thanksgiving

2007-10-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year, maybe the best yet! It was our third Guatemalan Thanksgiving and like the last one it was turkey-less. Our first one we had the Peter's cook get us a turkey locally and it was a sad and skinny bird. We were not impressed. See my October blog for 2005 if you want to see a photo of the anorexic turkey:)
So this year I did sweet potatoes (camotes en espanol) and a pumpkin cheesecake pie. I wasn't thrilled with the pie but got some compliments on it and Blaise liked it so that's what counts. Ruth made a wonderful salad with a homemade fresh basil dressing, then we had chicken with stuffing, mashed potaotes, and of course cranberry sauce. Really with all the fixings you hardly notice it's not turkey that you're eating:)
After the meal Blaise and his chums Sam and Kathe ran around the Peter's beautiful backyard and splashed a bit in the pila. We snapped a few photos too as the day was a beautiful one. Hope everyone else's Thanksgivings made them thankful too!

Chicken Story

2007-10-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

This chicken was hanging around our house the other night. It ended up roosting on the pila which would have been fine excpet that it pooped in it. Arg. I had just scrubbed out the pila. The following day the chicken returned so Zaak and Blaise went out and chased it home. It hasn't come back again, but if it did we were thinking we should cook it up for supper:)

Two Sweet Rosebuds

2007-10-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

A Clothes Horse/Bargain Hunters Heaven

2007-09-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

These are all my finds today from two Ropa Americana's I hit while I was in town. A "Ropa Americana" (literally American Clothing) is basically a second hand clothing store. There are several of them in our little town of Tactic and they are great fun to peruse. I've always been a second hand store fan but places like Value Village in Canada have lost a bit of their allure since they've jacked their prices.

All the clothing you see in my photo was purchased for the grand total of...drumroll please...Q103.50 (or $14.09 for those of you who don't use Guatemalan currency:) My haul included a pair of Levi boot cut jeans, an Abercrombie & Fitch shirt, a pair of Puma shorts, and a Carters sleeper for Acadia. The other finds were all things I liked but weren't any big brand names. I don't feel guilty about any of the brands I buy because the companies don't benefit at this point from my purchase. I do always check lables to see where the clothes were made and places like Mexico (Levi's) and Malaysia (A & F) make me wonder...

The owners of the Ropa Americana's buy bundles of a thousand items of clothing and pay Q1000. It's hit and miss a lot of the time, with some of the clothing being in rough condition or just downright tacky. But that doesn't stop me from looking, and often finding some great stuff! It's my kind of treasure hunt:)

Pretty in...

2007-09-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

Green! What a relief to see Acadia in something besides pink! Why are the majority of clothes for baby girls pink anyway? I love these little green overalls with small purple and blue flowers that I found at a Ropa Americana. What is a Ropa Americana you ask? Stay tuned to find out more...:)

I Love a Man with Dishpan Hands

2007-09-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

Friday Afternoon we fired our housekeeper Lidia. We suspected her of stealing but she denied it when we confronted her. Although we never caught her in the act I believe she stole some of Acadia's disposable diapers. The culture here seems to be that people don't confess to any wrong they've done, and if they do get caught they claim they only "borrowed" the stolen item or money. I felt really awful about it all weekend, what if she was innocent and I had wrongfully accused her? I've always struggled with indecisiveness and after we let her go I was doubting myself. So after talking with Zaak, shedding a few tears, and praying, I came to the conclusion that I need to trust myself and live with my decision. Sunday morning I woke up at peace about it.
Strangely enough I am feeling good about doing the housework now. Zaak and I are quite able to take care of the house ourselves, it just means divvying up more responsibilities. Like tonight after supper Zaak played with the kids while I tidied up the kitchen. Lidia was a great worker, but she would do funny/annoying things like rearrange all the food in the pantry, wash the shower curtain and leave it hanging outside to dry, wash Zaak's work clothes and shoes un-asked so he wouldn't have them the next day, give Blaise snacks and drinks without asking, clean Blaise's sippy cups so vigorously that all the spill preventor things broke, and so on. We like that we can find something where we left it now, as long as it's out of Blaise's reach:)

Mariposa Bonita

2007-09-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

Acadia joined me for my walk the other day and since she was in the stroller I stuck the camera in it too. I really like taking photos when I go out but feel like a walking target with the camera around my neck, so if I can take it with me less conspicuously I'm happy.
There are always lots of butterflies at this one sunny spot on my walk, and this one is my favorite. I've always loved butterflies, and if I ever got a tatoo it would be of a butterfly. This one is amazing! Wild black and white design on the outside with a splash of red, then it opens up to reveal velvety black and brilliant blue! Incredible. I tried to search for what kind of butterfly it is, but no luck. I need a guide to Central American Butterflies I suppose, since I couldn't find it on the net.

Pretzels and Reality

2007-09-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

We made soft pretzels the other day. Blaise loves getting involved in whatever I'm baking or cooking, and I generally enjoy having hin "help" me:) These pretzels turned out WAY too fat, I guess I needed to roll them much thinner. Next time. And here's an unrelated shot of Acadia because she's just so adorable. She's started cooing and singing a lot now when she's happy.

Blaise has been sick for over a week with a bad cough and cold. He's on some antibiotics now since it was getting worse instead of better. So with a baby and a sick little boy to care for I'm feeling a bit frazzled. I love being a Mom and wouldn't trade it for anything. When I'm away from Blaise and Acadia for more than 2 hours I miss them terribly. But sometimes I do get a bit jealous thinking of my friends and family who are not yet parents. The freedom! The huge amount time you have to yourself! These days when I get some free time I just want to sleep! It's 1:30 in the afternoon and I still haven't changed out of my pajamas! So I know, I know, I just need to enjoy this time when my kids are babies and all that, and I am. I just get weary sometimes. Plus the grass is always greener on the other side, and there are lots of lonely people out there who would love to have an amazing couple of kids like mine. So that cheers me up:) Zaak is a great partner and father plus he makes me laugh too when I'm down so I appreciate him. Life just can't be gumdrops and rose petals all the time I suppose - darn hey:)

A Little Conversation

2007-08-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

This is a snippet of a conversation I had with Blaise today:
(Blaise and I are looking at a book of animals)
Blaise - "That Mama?"
Amber - "That's a turkey."
B - (Pause) "Why not?"
A - (laughs)
B - "Mama raisins?" (sneeze, cough) "That Mama?" (back to the book, looking at the ripped cover)
A - "Somebody ripped your book."
B - "Blaise rip este?" (este=this)
A - "Mmmhmm"
B - "Blaise cracker?" (Goes and finds his bowl with his snack in it, then lays down on the carpet) "Mama yook! Mama too? Mama yay down? Yook! (I lay down beside him)
B - "Mama no yeep (sleep). Blaise sit Mama?" (He proceeds to jump on my back)
A - "No Blaise you're too heavy." (Blaise climbs up my back and throws himself down on me) "Hey I though we were looking at books?
B - (Laughing) "Mama more? Mama fun?"
A - "No, not fun. Silly."
B - "Mama silly?"
A - (Laughing) Yes. Now no more - you're going to get hurt." (Tries to climb and body slam me again) "What did Mama say?" (Stops and lets out some fake cries, but soon recovers:).

I do enjoy my little boy.

Bugged

2007-08-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't had anything I've wanted to blog about lately, but now I am ready to rant. The bugs are really getting to me. Tonight I opened a package of pasta only to discover tiny holes throughout the noodles and some nasty looking little critters in the bottom of the bag. Yuck. Last night I was about to put Acadia in her bed when I spotted a cockroach near my closet. I grabbed my sandal and proceeded to unsuccessfully chase it around the room. At least my cursing didn't wake up Zaak or the kids. Then there are these crickets that are so loud at night it's difficult to sleep. There are house flies everywhere even though I hunt them faithfully and kill handfulls at a time. We've also been over-run with ants of several varieties. Blaise barely finishes his lunch before they're ON THE TABLE looking for whatever he didn't eat. We all get bitten in the night by who knows what kind of greeblies that hide in our beds. Sigh. Trust me I could go on. I know it could be worse, we could have scorpions or snakes or something really awful, but this is my swan song so I'm singing it. I do like the fireflies that are in the grass at night, they're very pretty and whimsical looking.

Happy 7th Wedding Anniversary to Us!

2007-08-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Zaak and I celebrated 7 years of marriage. We spent most of the day apart unfortunately, but spending time with the kids is like spending time with Zaak in that they are half him:) In the evening we enjoyed a movie and dessert together after putting Blaise and Acadia to bed. Zaak "tricked" me into watching "Scent of A Woman" (since I thought it was going to be romantic and he had seen it before and so he knew it wasn't!) Great film though, strange I just now saw it when it came out in the early 90's. But then I guess I wasn't allowed to watch R rated movies in the early 90's:) Here's a shot of us looking tired but happy - here's to many more years together! I love you Zaak.

B & A

2007-07-26T20:13:00.001-07:00

Wow these two look alike in this shot! Maybe it's because they have the same expression on their faces. In general I find that Blaise takes more after me and Acadia more like her Papa (minus the goatee:)

Much to My Chagrin

2007-07-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

This week I locked my keys and Blaise in the car. I hadn't done that yet, so I guess it was bound to happen. It seems to be something Mom's do, what with constantly multi-tasking and lack of sleep:) I arrived at the bank and promptly got a phonecall on my cel, so I was talking while getting Acadia out of the car, rolling up the windows and locking the doors. Next thing I knew I had sealed up the car with Blaise still inside, buckled into his seat:( With my heart sinking down into my shoes I call Zaak to see if he can come rescue me. Unfortunately he is with a group doing a medical clinic in a village half an hour away. So he says he will send Ericka, one of the teachers, on a microbus with his key. I go in and quickly do my banking, thankful that both kids aren't locked in the car but worried about Blaise. I go back out to the car and look in on Blaise, who is happily eating his bunny crackers. I tell the guard at the bank my dilemma, and he tells the other guard and workers inside. A lady from the church comes by and asks what's going on. Soon I have drawn a crowd, with people from shops across the street coming to peer into the car at Blaise. "Foolish Gringa Locks Young Child in Car" is flashing through my brain, as well as everyone else's I imagine. One of the bank workers is a friend of ours, Alejandro. He and the manager try a few of their keys in the car lock - this doesn't work of course. They tell me there's a guy who can open things, so he shows up on his motorbike about 10 minutes later. By this time Blaise has been in the car for 20 minutes and is getting understandably ansy. The guy gets into the car with the little wood wedges in the window and a piece of wire in about two minutes. I feel like kissing him but restrain myself, haivng already made enough of a spectacle for one day. I take Blaise out of the car and he is sweaty but fine, and instantly distracted by a passing stray dog. Gracias a Dios! We go for icecream a few doors down to alleviate my guilt a bit, and Ericka shows up ten minutes later with Zaak's key.

The Big 02

2007-07-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

On July 13th my little boy turned two. The night before I sang him "You'll Never Be One Again," a song from my childhood that we had on a record by Alabama. It was a bit sad that my first baby is no longer a baby, but I've got a 3 month old Acadia to enjoy so I can't complain:)
Blaise was very into his birthday this year, he tore into his presents and blew out the candles on his cake by himself. The only thing he didn't do was hit his pinata, after days of talking about it and how there were candies inside:) Oh well, maybe next year! Actually next year we will hopefully be in Montreal for Blaise's birthday, so we can celebrate with Auntie April and little buddy Noah:)

Vacation to Copan, Honduras

2007-07-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

We made the trek this past week to our favorite vacation spot with Will, Mariah and the two kids in tow. This was our first trip since Acadia was born and it went better than I expected. We had a hotel room with two beds so Zaak ended up sleeping with Blaise and I slept with Acadia. Not the most romantic set up but definitely the most sleep condusive:) The highlights of the trip for me were the Hot Springs and eating out. The last time we were there was this past November and I had wanted to go to the Hot Springs but we never made it. So this time we drove the hour on a windy dirt road to ge there and it was well worth it! The hot water from the springs flow into a river, so you can have whatever temperature you desire, from boiling hot to refreshingly cool. It was the closest thing I've had to a bath since we were in Canada and it was marvelous:)
Our meals we ate mostly at our favorite restaurant in Copan, the Via Via, a Belgian owned restaurant that has 11 other locations around the world. The draw for us to this place is that their menu has several vegetarian options, which is rare in Guatemala. We had one supper at a more expensive place because of the salmon on their menu, another food we never eat here. I also got a few new books at a book exchange. I believe a good time was had by all, and now it's back to the laundry and cooking of everyday life:) Oh well, there's no place like home right?

Walk with a View

2007-06-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have realized that I rarely put any photos of scenery on my blog. So today I stuck the camera in the stroller and captured what I see on my walk. It's a good little climb part of the way but levels off again soon so I get my breath back:) I think walking is my favorite type of excercise and I always enjoy getting out in the fresh air. I often catch glimpses of little green and black speckled lizards, as well as many lovely butterflies and interesting insects. I was really happy when I found this road because walking on the highway is not my cup of tea, what with screeching engine brakes, people hurling garbage willy-nilly from car windows, loud honking that scares me half to death, and the exhaust funes that leave me feeling nauseous. Also getting above the town reminds me of what a beautiful place I live - and makes me feel at peace with the world. I usually listen to my ipod and think and pray while I walk. I have to say a big thanks to my Mom who culminated the walker in me, with all our long walks to get the mail when I was a young girl.

Post Bath Fun

2007-06-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

A Whisper of a Smile

2007-06-11T20:38:00.002-07:00

The Bug Bite Blues

2007-06-11T20:38:00.001-07:00

"Mini-Bum" gum anyone???

2007-06-11T20:37:00.001-07:00

Mmmmm - Root Beer!

2007-06-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

What I've Been Up To...

2007-06-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

Acadia will be 8 weeks old tomorrow and life is feeling a new kind of normal:) She's such a sweet baby and is less demanding than Blaise was/is. Blaise has been fighting his nap and bedtimes like a little wild animal, saying "Blaise - wake" when we tell him it's time to get ready for bed. The poor little guy has a bit of a runny nose and has been getting up with a few more bug bites each morning so he's looking pretty rough. I'm still enjoying that there are no teams from Canada right now, Zaak is around more which means more help for me. After lunch when the kids are napping I get a chance to either run errands, nap, or go for a walk. I'm already looking forward to visits from 2 of my sisters this winter - Alanna plans to be here for my birthday in November and April for Christmas. So that's exciting to the utmost! I will have been here 2 years in this September with no visits yet from my family. Alright I better get myself to bed, Acadia will need to eat in a few hours.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2007-05-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

I'm finally blogging again after a shameless week of Facebook addiction. A question people often ask us here is "What do you miss about Canada?" Besides family and friends, this is my list of things I miss most (in no particular order):
1. Grocery stores like Safeway and Superstore 2. Libraries 3. Laws about sound pollution and the use of air brakes in urban areas. 4. Baths and Showers with proper water pressure and steady temperature. 5. Ethnic Restaurants. So to my North American friends and family out there, I hope you enjoy and appreciate that you have all these things at your fingertips:) And if you were living in a foreign country, what do you thin you'd miss?

Congrats April!

2007-05-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

A big congrats to my sister April who not only is a mean lemon meringue pie maker, but just landed her first "real" job! She will be starting a teaching job in the fall in the lovely city of Montreal. She must have made quite an impression because she hasn't even graduated yet and they hired her! Way to go SIs!

A Marvelous Mothers Day

2007-05-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from Mothers Day. I've enjoyed reading other people's blogs about what they did on Mothers Day, it's neat we have a day to appreciate moms and all they do. I got to chat with my own Mom a bit too, which was nice but made me miss her a lot. So I awoke to rustlings and bangings out in the kitchen which is a very unusual sound. Then Blaise brought me a card Zaak had made, and he told me "Happy Day, Mama" at Zaak's prompting - very sweet. The card included the gift of a massage at a place on the way to Coban with babysitting provided by Papa. I then got up to 3 beautiful bouquets of flowers and some treats from the market for breakfast. After that we watched the home movie DVD Zaak had just finished of our first few months in Guatemala. Blaise loves watching "Baby Blaise" on TV:) Even better than Baby Eistein (his current favorite). Later Zaak asked "So do you want to go out for lunch?" Of course I did, and ended up having brunch. We played outside afterwards and then went home for naps. At church that evening we were blessed by having Acadia dedicated. It was a full and wonderful day, I'm already looking forward to next years!

Sleeping Beauty

2007-05-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

For the Love of Tea...

2007-05-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

This is what I look forward to every morning. I have a nice hot cup of Mildred Tea (the closest thing to Earl Grey that I can get here), and a "Pan Mexicana" which is a cinnamon-y sweet bread from our local bakery. I used to be a bit into coffee for awhile, but I've returned to my first love; tea. Also I have a special mug that I like my morning tea in, the red gardenia one in the photo. I have particular mugs for hot chocolate and herbal tea as well. Does that make me eccentric I wonder? Nah:)

Diaper Daze

2007-05-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

We were hoping to have Blaise out of diapers by the time the baby came, but unfortunately he has a mind of his own and is not ready to bid the diaper farewell. So here we are, two kids in diapers. I'm sure glad Zaak and I are a team, because changing two kids' bums on my own would be rather taxing. I'm not sure who's easier to change, because Blaise fights getting changed but Acadia often pees just when I'm switching from the dirty diaper to the clean one (hence wetting her clothes).

Sweet Pea

2007-05-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

I grew this sweet pea from a seed, so I'm happy to see it finally bloom. I bought a bunch of seeds from a little store in town that sells all kinds of random things. Lots of the seed packets had an expiration date of 2003, so I risked them anyway and planted a bunch. About half of what I planted came up, unfortuantely none of the poppies made it. I think my favorite flowers are sweet peas, sunflowers, poppies, and hollyhocks, but I love all flowers.

Cabbage Head:)

2007-05-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Here's Blaise "helping" me make borcsht for supper last night. He wants up on the cupboard every time I'm cooking something, and he's pretty good about not touching/tasting things he shouldn't. He did try to sample some raw eggs the other day though, yuck!

Big Brother and Little Sister

2007-05-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

Acadia's Tummy Troubles

2007-04-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

This is a shot of Acadia 2 nights ago, just before she kept me up past midnight with stomach pains. I don't think it's anything I'm eating that's causing her discomfort, because I cut out caffeine and chocolate and still she was fussy. So maybe it's just her digestive system learning how things work. Last night started to look like a repeat of the one before, so Zaak suggested we bring her to bed with us. We all slept much better, so maybe she was just lonely and we mistook it for gas. Parenting, whew!

Hania & Blaise

2007-04-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

This is one of Blaise's favorite little friends. Her name as well as Sam and Kathe's (he says them Yam and Kay-kee:) are the only other names he says so far, besides Mama and Papa.

Mama y Nena

2007-04-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

Nena means baby girl, everyone asks when we go out with Acadia "Nena or Nene (baby boy)?" The Guatemalan women traditionally spend 40 days in bed after giving birth so I'm causing quite a stir by being out and about. Yesterday in the market the women were amazed at me - "You can walk!? You're not in pain?" they asked me:) Funny.
So life is resuming some sort of normalacy now as Acadia turns 2 weeks old tomorrow. I usually nap when Blaise does every afternoon so that makes up for getting up about every 3 hours in the night to nurse Acadia. Also Zaak gets up with Blaise in the mornings so I can get a few more minutes of sleep. It was a bit scary at first having 2 children to care for, but now it's getting better. They do have an uncanny ability though to both need me at once when I am home alone. Thanks again to all of you out there for your well wishes and prayers. We are truly blessed.

Welcome Daughter

2007-04-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Ironic that my last post was of Blaise and "baby" when the real baby arrived that same day! So yes, our family is one little person richer now, and her name is Acadia Juliette. Zaak did a marvelous write-up of the birth on his blog so I won't repeat all the details. We're so happy to have Acadia here with us, and that she is healthy and beautiful. She sleeps A LOT so the photo of her with her eyes open is a rare moment that I captured tonight. We appreciate SO much all the well wishes and congrats that friends and family have been sending us, it warms my heart to see how loved we are:) I'm a bit bemused at how so many people are impressed with my child-birthing capabilities. I really don't feel like I am especially gifted at bearing children, I just go with what my body tells me and look forward to the baby at the end of the pain. And oh is there ever pain! I'm sure I sound like some sort of wild animal when I am in labor. But I'm okay with that:) And I appreciate the compliments, so thanks!

Blaise & Baby

2007-04-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay I know, bad joke. But I couldn't resist:)

39 Weeks (and a bit) Prego

2007-04-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Our due date is just 5 days away now! Of course very few babies are born on their actual due date, but we know the baby has to come out sooner than later:) I've actually been having some false labor today, 2 hours of it this morning at intervals of ten minutes - but then it died down to just a few Braxton Hicks contractions every hour. So my body's getting ready! Can't wait to meet this new little person:)

Zoila, Zaak & Mariah with Their Eggs

2007-04-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

"Ready to Hatch:)"

2007-04-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Blaise & Easter Egg Hunting Pals

2007-04-13T13:42:00.001-07:00

The Photos For the Last Post:

2007-04-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

Kids enjoying tamales

Easter Sunday

2007-04-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday I was up at 5 to get to the Easter Sunrise Service. I've always been gung-ho to go to these sunrise service type things but sleepiness has always managed to win when my alarm rings. I made it to this one in part because I don't sleep as much or as hard as normal being in the final weeks of my pregnancy, and maybe in part because I am a mature adult now:) Zaak and Blaise stayed home and slept because that's WAY too early to wake up Blaise.
So the first photo is of the kids at the service enjoying their tamales. It was a slightly cloudy morning but neat to be outside and watch the sun peak out from behind the clouds during the service.
After a nap and shower at home we got ready for some egg-coloring and hunt. Blaise had 4 little buddies over and they had a fun time finding the eggs I hid. With the bigger kids (like Zaak, Mariah, and Zoila:) we painted eggs. All the easter stuff came from Canada thanks to Saison and Luana, there is nothing in the stores here for Easter. It's called Holy Week and everyone gets time off work/school, and there are these somber proccesionals through town. It's a huge holiday for the Catholic Church but it's strange to me how Jesus' death seems more important that His Resurrection.

Playdate at The Granja

2007-04-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

This morning Blaise and I took our friends Priscila and Miguel out for breakfast. Priscila watched Blaise for me the 3 mornings I helped out with the medical clinic last week so I wanted to say thanks. The Granja (The Farm) is a great little restaurant just 1 km away from us, it has pretty tasty food and a great playground. Miguel is 4 months younger than Blaise and so they play alongside each other quite well. Priscila is a stay at home Mom like me and we always have lots to talk about, in spanish no less. It was a fun time, but I think I need a nap now:)

Just 2 Weeks Left...

2007-04-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

...Until the baby's due! Incredible that this time next month we will be a family of 4. I'm still feeling really well, just can't sit/stand/lay down for too long. This baby seems more active then Blaise was, it's constantly kicking and stretching, so much that I sometimes involuntarily gasp in shock at it's strength. We're pretty much ready for the baby's arrival, I've got it's bed set up and all it's cute little clothes in a dresser. We still need to blow up the kiddie pool we bought (as I plan to labor in water again.) Blaise will go over to our neighbors if we go into labor during the day. The only thing I can think of that we are lacking is a final decision on a boys name. Zaak will be home tomorrow so we'll have to sit down and slug it out:) He was saying we should decide before he had to go away these two nights, but we didn't. I think the least of my worries would have been the baby's name if I started going into labor with Zaak a 6 hour drive away. He will be home tomorrow so I'm glad. Blaise took only 5 hours to birth so I'm thinking this one could be even quicker. What a special time of life we are at right now! I'm so happy to be me:)

Yahoo!

2007-03-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

We have internet again after almost two weeks! All of you out there that have consistent, reliable, fast internet should thank your lucky stars. So poor Zaak is too tired to blog, he's been going full tilt as we have 2 teams here from Canada right now. I was helping out with a medical clinic but was home all afternoon so that was nice. Here's a shot of Blaise "stuck" in his chair. Stuck seems to be his favorite word lately, and he tries to get himself in funny places so he can say to me "stuck-stuck!" What a goose:)

The Littlest Leprachaun

2007-03-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Zaak

2007-03-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

It was Zaak's 31st birthday on Friday. He worked all day but then we celebrated with a nice supper and a surprise night away from home.

Snuggle Bug

2007-03-04T11:53:00.000-08:00

Blaise is so snuggly after his bath - I love getting him out and how he clings to me, all clean and fresh smelling:) One of the many perks of parenthood:)

Adventures in Potty Training

2007-03-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

This past week Blaise started using his potty - I was shocked and thrilled:) But he only used it two days in a row, and then peed on the floor for the next three days! So we'll keep encouraging him, but today is rainy and cool so not very condusive to Blaise running around with no diaper. We'd LOVE to have him out of diapers in time for baby #2 but time is ticking...

Baking with Blaise

2007-02-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

I love how this little guy has such a sense of wonder for everything. Mama's stirring a bowl full of interesting gloop? Let me see! I got him a chair so he could stir the dry ingredients for the muffins I was making, and he did really well. Only spilled maybe a tablespoon and tasted even less than that:) What fun.

Valentines Banquet

2007-02-17T17:58:00.000-08:00

Last night we enjoyed the Valentines Banquet at our church. The inviation said 6 so we left around 6:20, and still things didn't get started until around 7. It was Blaise's first time being put to bed by someone other than Zaak or I, but he was in the able hands of Mariah and went right to sleep. So we had a fun time listening to musical numbers, laughing at the couples who played the "blow up your balloon and pop it hugging" game, eating a delicious meal, and hearing an encouraging talk about loving and appreciating your spouse. It was really nice to get out and remember what it's like to just be us, and why we fell in love in the first place:) In the photo the drink in our glasses is Grapette - a grape flavored pop. We had a good chuckle over being served grape pop at this romantic event.

Love Day

2007-02-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Valentines Day as a family which was nice. Zaak only arrived home at almost 6 so he wasn't keen on going out again which I could understand. Plus we get to go to a Valentines Dinner on Friday night, so I'm content with that. And Zaak brought me flowers, donuts and some lovely posters to frame. Donuts from the capital are a big deal because they are actually good and sweet, unlike the ones you can buy here in town that look sweet but are barely sweeter than bread. This Valentines Day definitely beats last years as I was sick with a sinus infection and felt like my face was bruised, yeesh. I hope everyone else had an enjoyble Love Day:)