Meet the Teacher Night

I wasn't sure if we would make it. It all depended on when the hubs got home from work. But, Jamie was sure hoping we would go. As soon as she came in the front door after school she was screaming, "Meet the teacher night! Meet the teacher night! Can we go?! Can we?!".

To be honest, I always kind of feel like, "What's the point"? I mean, we've already, usually, met the teacher. And we've usually seen the classroom. And it's too early in the school year for the teacher to give us any real input as to how the kiddos are doing. But, the girls sure love it.

They love showing off their work.












And their desks.









And, of course, their teachers.






They get so excited about it all and are always so happy when we are there that, in the end, it's always a great time. And, i remembered, sharing in their excitement for education is the whole point.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Back to School, 2010

Back to school, in pictures.

(Colie brushing out Maddie's hair for her).




(All set to go at the bus stop).




(Jamie James's first day of grade One!)



(Of course I had to have more than just the iPhone photos for first day of school!)







(Mama cannot manage to ever have dry hair that early in the morning. But, at least the kiddos look great) ;-)




Coco and I headed for the park to cheer ourselves up. Hard to not have ~either~ of them home anymore. All day. Every day.






Growing up way too fast.

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Let Them Eat Cake.

Last week was my hubby's birthday. I could take this opportunity to tell you about what a great guy he is. How he works so hard to take care of all of us. How he is so great, and so hands on with the girls. How he buys the groceries, and cooks, and makes lunches. How, when I casually mentioned that I liked the water bottles with the wider openings, I caught him setting them all aside for me a few days later. But, I won't.



Instead I'll tell you about the nummy cake the girls and i made. A cake so nummy Colie just had to get up on the kitchen chair to get at it. And knock it over. And start digging into it with her bare hands.









When I showed the big girls what she did, they were horrified! So I did what any reasonable mom would do. I said, "Well...grab a fork".



Maddie then declared that it was "The Best day EVER!"






Anywho...
Happy Birthday, Davey!
We all love you very, very much and we are very sorry about your cake.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Linky Love.

One of my hubby's clients in his landscaping biz. is an older lady. Very friendly. Very sweet. Very wise. One day in conversation they were talking about the new baby, and how things were going...
and she said to him,
"You know, if your wife ever has a problem...something that bugs her...something that makes her life difficult, find a way to fix it and you will become rich".

I thought that was so interesting. And so true.

Keep your eyes open, ladies.

Edited to add: ACK! I forgot to thank the wonderful Stacy Julian for sharing this video clip. I loved it (obviously! I just blogged about it, too)!  Thanks Mrs. Julian. You rock :)

Fitness Friday: Monthly Wrap Up {August}.

The month of August found me hitting the trails.  A lot. 
I used to cycle all the time in high school. On the roads, then. But a close encounter with a car left me afraid of going anywhere near the roads again. I mean, ya' think when you are crossing a road, at the cross-walk, with the light, in broad daylight, no one is going to try and run you over. You'd think so. Anyway. Ironically, my orthopaedic surgeon recommended cycling for rehabilitation for my knee. Insurance even paid for a new bike. But, I never used it. Not once. I was just too afraid. But, since moving to an area that is so close to so many trails...there was really no excuse anymore (well, except that my bike was in pieces and hubby kept delaying putting it together for me). But! August found me back in the saddle. And I've been loving it!! 

I quickly found that I was in need of a few upgrades. 

And some accessories. 
My best friends are my new riding gloves (my hands were starting to get really sore without them), my new bike shorts (they may look like regular ol' shorts, but don't let that fool you. There is some cushy science in them there shorts. And, my butt is very grateful), and my iPhone with a GPS app. that records my every move (distance, elevation, calories burned. It even records my time against previous times, maps my route, speaks to me during my ride! Coolest thing ever. And the best part--I just let my music play away and the app. continues to work in the background--just interrupting every few minutes to let me know how far I've gone, and how I'm doing, and if anyone has left me any messages on Twitter or Facebook. So. Cool. I heart my iPhone). 
So, what kind of numbers did i rack up in August? Well...just keep in mind it was my first month back cycling in, uhhh, well over a decade. Also, I am riding a Mountain Bike now and not a Road Bike. And I'm riding on the trails, not the road. So...speed might not be too terribly impressive (oh, how i do miss flying along!). Oh, also, i didn't get the app. until a few days after i actually started. But, anyway...enough of the justifications..here are the numbers:
August, 2010
Rides: 11Total Distance: 103.08 kmsTotal Time: 5:58:54Total Climb: 223 metresTotal Calories: 2264Average Distance: 9.37 kmsAverage Time: 32:38Average Climb: 20 metresAverage Calories: 206Average Speed: 17.23 kms/hr
And how do i feel? Terrific!!My legs feel so energized!They are that slight, tingly, just a wee bit sore feeling you get when you know you are accomplishing something, but you aren't incapacitated. I can actually see muscles in my legs that are getting bigger, and stronger...and some that i never even remember seeing before(like the one that runs across my shin. Hello there, muscle! Where have you been?)
I will definitely be continuing my cycling throughout September, and I'm hoping to continue on even when it gets cold out. Me? Out in the cold?? Ya, my hubby is finding that one hard to believe, too. But, i'd really like to! I'm loving it so much. We'll see how it goes. 
I'll be back next month with another wrap up. 
In the meantime...What have you been doing to take care of yourself lately?