Yesterday the sun was out for about two hours. Oh well.
I've decided that among other things I am a wimp when it comes to the weather! Yesterday the girls had their Musical Stars program at 3:30. It had rained off and on, mostly on, all day, so I was trying to decide how to get there - it's only about one and a half Kilometers away. The decision was made for me when I realized how late we were so I decided to drive them. On the way I passed an absolute ton of people walking around. It was cold, drizzly, windy and miserable out. I felt sufficiently shamed and so Ellie, Rico and I walked to get them at 5:15 pm (it was already getting dark) - and were cold and wet! But, again, so many people were out and none of them even looked fussed by it. Go figure. I'm going to have to buck up!!
I also am going to have to get a little more outdoorsy to fit in here - most people love spending their weekends outside, regardless of the weather. I'd rather be curled up by the fire with a good book and cup of coffee, but I want to have adventures with the girls so we are planning some fun things to do with them in the great outdoors. It is a shame to waste our opportunity to see some of God's most beautiful creation up close and personal, and the lovely thing is they don't have nearly the bugs and pests we have in America. So, no excuses, we're heading out. . .
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
It Worked. . . Mostly!
Rico spent a fairly silent night in the kennel - yay!!! He whined a bit before Dugald went to bed and unfortunately Dugald had to go out there and physically push him into the kennel, but he stayed in there all night!! I am SO grateful. I went out to get him this morning for our walk and he was just as happy as can be, whew!
In other exciting news, Ellie has chosen to wear panties for the last two days! We've had an accident or two but also lots of successes, woo hoo!
And, to top it all off, the sun is out today for the first time in more than six days. I am so blessed!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
A Welcome Relief
Well, we've failed as parents as far as Rico goes! The poor dog - I finally fixed the kennel so that he couldn't get out. His first night to spend in its entirety inside his kennel and run was an absolute disaster. It was cold and rainy. He howled and cried all night. He tried to escape. This was Friday night. At 6 am he finally fell asleep - outside of the kennel and in the rain - exhausted.
When we went to let him out we discovered him cold and wet and bleeding - the poor thing! He'd tried so hard to get out that he'd cut himself deeply enough to need stitches. I felt so badly I thought I might cry. Meggie had a soccer game so she and Dugald left in the van, despite the wet weather. Surprisingly the people who decide such things didn't cancel her game, apparently it wasn't raining as hard there as it was here although it was still cold and drizzling.
So, left without a car the other three girls and Rico and I donned several layers of clothes and topped it all of with our raincoats and headed out in the rain and wind to walk down to the vet for him to see if Rico did need stitches or if I was overreacting. Since I was right, and not overreacting, we made an appointment to come back after lunch and get the stitches. I had called Jo, the very compassionate and skilled dog trainer, and told her our story and how I felt like I didn't deserve this dog for putting him through such agony (she also acted like my therapist) and asked her what we were going to do. She offered to come by for an emergency visit at lunch.
So, after trudging home in the rain again and having a cup of tea to warm up, we all waited for Jo. Meggie and Dugald got home, unfortunately Meggie's team lost the game but Daddy says she played very well. Finally, Jo arrived.
Jo had asked us to put Rico back in the kennel and run about half an hour before she was coming. He went in well enough but cried and whined again until about 10 minutes before Jo arrived when he fell fast asleep. Again in the rain. Silly dog. And of course he stopped before Jo arrived - isn't that the way it always works? I wanted him to demonstrate for her his hysterical whimpering, howling and whining, but he was asleep. Oh well.
Jo was very kind and had a look at the kennel and told us some things we could do to improve it, then she worked with Rico for about 15 minutes putting him in and out of his kennel and trying to teach him that is where he should go to stay warm and dry. After working with us for awhile she suggested that she take him for a few days and train him herself out at her farm with her other dogs. I was so happy I could have cried.
I took Rico back to the vet after Jo's visit and left him there to get his stitches. Then I went home and fell asleep for two hours while Dugald watched the girls. That afternoon I picked up a warmer, dryer, stitched-up Rico and brought him home and then Jo came and got him. He's been with her since Saturday, today is Tuesday and he is coming home. We've all missed him terribly but she has given us daily updates and progress reports and apparently he is a star student.
So, tonight will be a big test! Will he revert to his crying and whining, or will he see the kennel and run as a safe and warm place to be. Stay tuned. . .
When we went to let him out we discovered him cold and wet and bleeding - the poor thing! He'd tried so hard to get out that he'd cut himself deeply enough to need stitches. I felt so badly I thought I might cry. Meggie had a soccer game so she and Dugald left in the van, despite the wet weather. Surprisingly the people who decide such things didn't cancel her game, apparently it wasn't raining as hard there as it was here although it was still cold and drizzling.
So, left without a car the other three girls and Rico and I donned several layers of clothes and topped it all of with our raincoats and headed out in the rain and wind to walk down to the vet for him to see if Rico did need stitches or if I was overreacting. Since I was right, and not overreacting, we made an appointment to come back after lunch and get the stitches. I had called Jo, the very compassionate and skilled dog trainer, and told her our story and how I felt like I didn't deserve this dog for putting him through such agony (she also acted like my therapist) and asked her what we were going to do. She offered to come by for an emergency visit at lunch.
So, after trudging home in the rain again and having a cup of tea to warm up, we all waited for Jo. Meggie and Dugald got home, unfortunately Meggie's team lost the game but Daddy says she played very well. Finally, Jo arrived.
Jo had asked us to put Rico back in the kennel and run about half an hour before she was coming. He went in well enough but cried and whined again until about 10 minutes before Jo arrived when he fell fast asleep. Again in the rain. Silly dog. And of course he stopped before Jo arrived - isn't that the way it always works? I wanted him to demonstrate for her his hysterical whimpering, howling and whining, but he was asleep. Oh well.
Jo was very kind and had a look at the kennel and told us some things we could do to improve it, then she worked with Rico for about 15 minutes putting him in and out of his kennel and trying to teach him that is where he should go to stay warm and dry. After working with us for awhile she suggested that she take him for a few days and train him herself out at her farm with her other dogs. I was so happy I could have cried.
I took Rico back to the vet after Jo's visit and left him there to get his stitches. Then I went home and fell asleep for two hours while Dugald watched the girls. That afternoon I picked up a warmer, dryer, stitched-up Rico and brought him home and then Jo came and got him. He's been with her since Saturday, today is Tuesday and he is coming home. We've all missed him terribly but she has given us daily updates and progress reports and apparently he is a star student.
So, tonight will be a big test! Will he revert to his crying and whining, or will he see the kennel and run as a safe and warm place to be. Stay tuned. . .
Saturday, May 24, 2008
A post I stole off another blog
This was sent to me last year I think, but I just re-discovered it and laughed my head off. I thought I'd paste it here for those of you who may not have read it, it's kind of long but I don't have a lot of news today anyway and since I am always grocery shopping with the kids I can totally relate to this woman.. A mom wrote it in her listing on ebay:
"Adventures in Grocery Shopping "
I'm selling a bunch of Pokemon cards. Why? Because my kids sneaked them into my shopping cart while at the grocery store and I ended up buying them because I didn't notice they were there until we got home. How could I have possibly not noticed they were in my cart, you ask? Let me explain.You haven’t lived until you’ve gone grocery shopping with six kids in tow. I would rather swim, covered in bait, through the English Channel, be a contestant on Fear Factor when they’re having pig brains for lunch, or do fourth grade math than to take my six kids to the grocery store.
Because I absolutely detest grocery shopping, I tend to put it off as long as possible. There comes a time, however, when you’re peering into your fridge and thinking, ‘Hmmm, what can I make with ketchup, Italian dressing, and half an onion,’ that you decide you cannot avoid going to the grocery store any longer. Before beginning this most treacherous mission, I gather all the kids together and give them “The Lecture“.“The Lecture“ goes like this…
MOM: “We have to go to the grocery store.”
KIDS: “Whine whine whine whine whine."
MOM: “Hey, I don’t want to go either, but it’s either that or we’re eating cream of onion-ketchup soup and drinking Italian dressing for dinner tonight.”
KIDS: “Whine whine whine whine whine."
MOM: “Now here are the rules: do not ask me for anything, do not poke the packages of meat in the butcher section, do not test the laws of physics and try to take out the bottom can in the pyramid shaped display, do not play baseball with oranges in the produce section, and most importantly, do not try to leave your brother at the store. Again.”
OK, the kids have been briefed. Time to go.
Once at the store, we grab not one, but two shopping carts. I wear the baby in a sling and the two little children sit in the carts while I push one cart and my oldest son pushes the other one. My oldest daughter is not allowed to push a cart. Ever. Why? Because the last time I let her push the cart, she smashed into my ankles so many times, my feet had to be amputated by the end of our shopping trip. This is not a good thing. You try running after a toddler with no feet sometime.
At this point, a woman looks at our two carts and asks me, “Are they all yours?” I answer good naturedly, “Yep!“Oh my, you have your hands full.”“Yes, I do, but it‘s fun!” I say smiling. I’ve heard all this before. In fact, I hear it every time I go anywhere with my brood.
We begin in the produce section where all these wonderfully, artistically arranged pyramids of fruit stand. There is something so irresistibly appealing about the apple on the bottom of the pile, that a child cannot help but try to touch it. Much like a bug to a zapper, the child is drawn to this piece of fruit. I turn around to the sounds of apples cascading down the display and onto the floor. Like Indiana Jones, there stands my son holding the all-consuming treasure that he just HAD to get and gazing at me with this dumbfounded look as if to say, “Did you see that??? Wow! I never thought that would happen!”I give the offending child an exasperated sigh and say, “Didn’t I tell you, before we left, that I didn’t want you taking stuff from the bottom of the pile???”“No. You said that you didn’t want us to take a can from the bottom of the pile. You didn’t say anything about apples.”With superhuman effort, I resist the urge to send my child to the moon and instead focus on the positive - my child actually listened to me and remembered what I said!!! I make a mental note to be a little more specific the next time I give the kids The Grocery Store Lecture.
A little old man looks at all of us and says, “Are all of those your kids?”Thinking about the apple incident, I reply, “Nope. They just started following me. I’ve never seen them before in my life.”
OK, now onto the bakery section where everything smells so good, I’m tempted to fill my cart with cookies and call it a day. Being on a perpetual diet, I try to hurry past the assortment of pies, cakes, breads, and pastries that have my children drooling. At this point the chorus of “Can we gets” begins.“Can we get donuts?”“No.”“Can we get cupcakes?”“No.”“Can we get muffins?”“No.”“Can we get pie?”“No.”You’d think they’d catch on by this point, but no, they’re just getting started.In the bakery, they’re giving away free samples of coffee cake and of course, my kids all take one. The toddler decides he doesn’t like it and proceeds to spit it out in my hand. (That’s what moms do. We put our hands in front of our children’s mouths so they can spit stuff into them. We’d rather carry around a handful of chewed up coffee cake, than to have the child spit it out onto the floor. I’m not sure why this is, but ask any mom and she’ll tell you the same.) Of course, there’s no garbage can around, so I continue shopping one-handed while searching for someplace to dispose of the regurgitated mess in my hand.
In the meat department, a mother with one small baby asks me, “Wow! Are all six yours?”I answer her, “Yes, but I’m thinking of selling a couple of them.”(Still searching for a garbage can at this point.)
Ok, after the meat department, my kids’ attention spans are spent. They’re done shopping at this point, but we aren’t even halfway through the store. This is about the time they like to start having shopping cart races. And who may I thank for teaching them this fun pastime? My seventh “child”, also known as my husband. While I’m picking out loaves of bread, the kids are running down the aisle behind the carts in an effort to get us kicked out of the store. I put to stop to that just as my son is about to crash head on into a giant cardboard cut-out of a Keebler elf stacked with packages of cookies.Ah! Yes! I find a small trash can by the coffee machine in the cereal aisle and finally dump out the squishy contents of my hand. After standing in the cereal aisle for an hour and a half while the kids perused the various cereals, comparing the marshmallow and cheap, plastic toy content of each box, I broke down and let them each pick out a box. At any given time, we have twenty open boxes of cereal in my house.
As this is going on, my toddler is playing Houdini and maneuvering his little body out of the seat belt in an attempt to stand up in the cart. I’m amazed the kid made it to his second birthday without suffering a brain damaging head injury. In between trying to flip himself out of the cart, he sucks on the metal bars of the shopping cart. Mmmm, can you say “influenza”?The shopping trip continues much like this. I break up fights between the kids now and then and stoop down to pick up items that the toddler has flung out of the cart. I desperately try to get everything on my list without adding too many other goodies to the carts.
Somehow I manage to complete my shopping in under four hours and head for the check-outs where my kids start in on a chorus of, “Can we have candy?” What evil minded person decided it would be a good idea to put a display of candy in the check-out lanes, right at a child’s eye level? Obviously someone who has never been shopping with children.As I unload the carts, I notice many extra items that my kids have sneaked in the carts unbeknownst to me. I remove a box of Twinkies, a package of cupcakes, a bag of candy, and a can of cat food (we don’t even have a cat!). I somehow missed the box of Pokemon cards however and ended up purchasing them unbeknownst to me. As I pay for my purchases, the clerk looks at me, indicates my kids, and asks, “Are they all yours?”Frustrated, exhausted from my trip, sick to my stomach from writing out a check for $289.53, dreading unloading all the groceries and putting them away and tired of hearing that question, I look at the clerk and answer her in my most sarcastic voice, “No. They’re not mine. I just go around the neighborhood gathering up kids to take to the grocery store because it’s so much more fun that way.”
So, up for auction is an opened (they ripped open the box on the way home from the store) package of Pokemon cards. There are 44 cards total. They're in perfect condition, as I took them away from the kiddos as soon as we got home from the store. Many of them say "Energy". I tried carrying them around with me, but they didn't work. I definitely didn't have any more energy than usual. One of them is shiny. There are a few creature-like things on many of them. One is called Pupitar. Hee hee hee Pupitar! (Oh no! My kids' sense of humor is rubbing off on me!) Anyway, I don't think there's anything special about any of these cards, but I'm very much not an authority on Pokemon cards. I just know that I'm not letting my kids keep these as a reward for their sneakiness.Shipping is FREE on this item. Insurance is optional, but once I drop the package at the post office, it is no longer my responsibility. For example, if my son decides to pour a bottle of glue into the envelope, or my daughter spills a glass of juice on the package, that’s my responsibility and I will fully refund your money. If, however, I take the envelope to the post office and a disgruntled mail carrier sets fire to it, a pack of wild dogs rip into it, or a mail sorting machine shreds it, it’s out of my hands, so you may want to add insurance. I will leave feedback for you as soon as I’ve received your payment. I will be happy to combine shipping on multiple items won within three days. This comes from a smoke-free, pet-free, child-filled home. Please ask me any questions before placing your bid. Happy bidding! :)
This came from http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/
"Adventures in Grocery Shopping "
I'm selling a bunch of Pokemon cards. Why? Because my kids sneaked them into my shopping cart while at the grocery store and I ended up buying them because I didn't notice they were there until we got home. How could I have possibly not noticed they were in my cart, you ask? Let me explain.You haven’t lived until you’ve gone grocery shopping with six kids in tow. I would rather swim, covered in bait, through the English Channel, be a contestant on Fear Factor when they’re having pig brains for lunch, or do fourth grade math than to take my six kids to the grocery store.
Because I absolutely detest grocery shopping, I tend to put it off as long as possible. There comes a time, however, when you’re peering into your fridge and thinking, ‘Hmmm, what can I make with ketchup, Italian dressing, and half an onion,’ that you decide you cannot avoid going to the grocery store any longer. Before beginning this most treacherous mission, I gather all the kids together and give them “The Lecture“.“The Lecture“ goes like this…
MOM: “We have to go to the grocery store.”
KIDS: “Whine whine whine whine whine."
MOM: “Hey, I don’t want to go either, but it’s either that or we’re eating cream of onion-ketchup soup and drinking Italian dressing for dinner tonight.”
KIDS: “Whine whine whine whine whine."
MOM: “Now here are the rules: do not ask me for anything, do not poke the packages of meat in the butcher section, do not test the laws of physics and try to take out the bottom can in the pyramid shaped display, do not play baseball with oranges in the produce section, and most importantly, do not try to leave your brother at the store. Again.”
OK, the kids have been briefed. Time to go.
Once at the store, we grab not one, but two shopping carts. I wear the baby in a sling and the two little children sit in the carts while I push one cart and my oldest son pushes the other one. My oldest daughter is not allowed to push a cart. Ever. Why? Because the last time I let her push the cart, she smashed into my ankles so many times, my feet had to be amputated by the end of our shopping trip. This is not a good thing. You try running after a toddler with no feet sometime.
At this point, a woman looks at our two carts and asks me, “Are they all yours?” I answer good naturedly, “Yep!“Oh my, you have your hands full.”“Yes, I do, but it‘s fun!” I say smiling. I’ve heard all this before. In fact, I hear it every time I go anywhere with my brood.
We begin in the produce section where all these wonderfully, artistically arranged pyramids of fruit stand. There is something so irresistibly appealing about the apple on the bottom of the pile, that a child cannot help but try to touch it. Much like a bug to a zapper, the child is drawn to this piece of fruit. I turn around to the sounds of apples cascading down the display and onto the floor. Like Indiana Jones, there stands my son holding the all-consuming treasure that he just HAD to get and gazing at me with this dumbfounded look as if to say, “Did you see that??? Wow! I never thought that would happen!”I give the offending child an exasperated sigh and say, “Didn’t I tell you, before we left, that I didn’t want you taking stuff from the bottom of the pile???”“No. You said that you didn’t want us to take a can from the bottom of the pile. You didn’t say anything about apples.”With superhuman effort, I resist the urge to send my child to the moon and instead focus on the positive - my child actually listened to me and remembered what I said!!! I make a mental note to be a little more specific the next time I give the kids The Grocery Store Lecture.
A little old man looks at all of us and says, “Are all of those your kids?”Thinking about the apple incident, I reply, “Nope. They just started following me. I’ve never seen them before in my life.”
OK, now onto the bakery section where everything smells so good, I’m tempted to fill my cart with cookies and call it a day. Being on a perpetual diet, I try to hurry past the assortment of pies, cakes, breads, and pastries that have my children drooling. At this point the chorus of “Can we gets” begins.“Can we get donuts?”“No.”“Can we get cupcakes?”“No.”“Can we get muffins?”“No.”“Can we get pie?”“No.”You’d think they’d catch on by this point, but no, they’re just getting started.In the bakery, they’re giving away free samples of coffee cake and of course, my kids all take one. The toddler decides he doesn’t like it and proceeds to spit it out in my hand. (That’s what moms do. We put our hands in front of our children’s mouths so they can spit stuff into them. We’d rather carry around a handful of chewed up coffee cake, than to have the child spit it out onto the floor. I’m not sure why this is, but ask any mom and she’ll tell you the same.) Of course, there’s no garbage can around, so I continue shopping one-handed while searching for someplace to dispose of the regurgitated mess in my hand.
In the meat department, a mother with one small baby asks me, “Wow! Are all six yours?”I answer her, “Yes, but I’m thinking of selling a couple of them.”(Still searching for a garbage can at this point.)
Ok, after the meat department, my kids’ attention spans are spent. They’re done shopping at this point, but we aren’t even halfway through the store. This is about the time they like to start having shopping cart races. And who may I thank for teaching them this fun pastime? My seventh “child”, also known as my husband. While I’m picking out loaves of bread, the kids are running down the aisle behind the carts in an effort to get us kicked out of the store. I put to stop to that just as my son is about to crash head on into a giant cardboard cut-out of a Keebler elf stacked with packages of cookies.Ah! Yes! I find a small trash can by the coffee machine in the cereal aisle and finally dump out the squishy contents of my hand. After standing in the cereal aisle for an hour and a half while the kids perused the various cereals, comparing the marshmallow and cheap, plastic toy content of each box, I broke down and let them each pick out a box. At any given time, we have twenty open boxes of cereal in my house.
As this is going on, my toddler is playing Houdini and maneuvering his little body out of the seat belt in an attempt to stand up in the cart. I’m amazed the kid made it to his second birthday without suffering a brain damaging head injury. In between trying to flip himself out of the cart, he sucks on the metal bars of the shopping cart. Mmmm, can you say “influenza”?The shopping trip continues much like this. I break up fights between the kids now and then and stoop down to pick up items that the toddler has flung out of the cart. I desperately try to get everything on my list without adding too many other goodies to the carts.
Somehow I manage to complete my shopping in under four hours and head for the check-outs where my kids start in on a chorus of, “Can we have candy?” What evil minded person decided it would be a good idea to put a display of candy in the check-out lanes, right at a child’s eye level? Obviously someone who has never been shopping with children.As I unload the carts, I notice many extra items that my kids have sneaked in the carts unbeknownst to me. I remove a box of Twinkies, a package of cupcakes, a bag of candy, and a can of cat food (we don’t even have a cat!). I somehow missed the box of Pokemon cards however and ended up purchasing them unbeknownst to me. As I pay for my purchases, the clerk looks at me, indicates my kids, and asks, “Are they all yours?”Frustrated, exhausted from my trip, sick to my stomach from writing out a check for $289.53, dreading unloading all the groceries and putting them away and tired of hearing that question, I look at the clerk and answer her in my most sarcastic voice, “No. They’re not mine. I just go around the neighborhood gathering up kids to take to the grocery store because it’s so much more fun that way.”
So, up for auction is an opened (they ripped open the box on the way home from the store) package of Pokemon cards. There are 44 cards total. They're in perfect condition, as I took them away from the kiddos as soon as we got home from the store. Many of them say "Energy". I tried carrying them around with me, but they didn't work. I definitely didn't have any more energy than usual. One of them is shiny. There are a few creature-like things on many of them. One is called Pupitar. Hee hee hee Pupitar! (Oh no! My kids' sense of humor is rubbing off on me!) Anyway, I don't think there's anything special about any of these cards, but I'm very much not an authority on Pokemon cards. I just know that I'm not letting my kids keep these as a reward for their sneakiness.Shipping is FREE on this item. Insurance is optional, but once I drop the package at the post office, it is no longer my responsibility. For example, if my son decides to pour a bottle of glue into the envelope, or my daughter spills a glass of juice on the package, that’s my responsibility and I will fully refund your money. If, however, I take the envelope to the post office and a disgruntled mail carrier sets fire to it, a pack of wild dogs rip into it, or a mail sorting machine shreds it, it’s out of my hands, so you may want to add insurance. I will leave feedback for you as soon as I’ve received your payment. I will be happy to combine shipping on multiple items won within three days. This comes from a smoke-free, pet-free, child-filled home. Please ask me any questions before placing your bid. Happy bidding! :)
This came from http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Rico the Magician
Our dog, Rico, is a regular Houdini. He specializes in getting out of locked cages in record time. The picture below is a picture, albeit not a very good one, of our kennel and run. We bought the kennel and run because the dog trainer told me the dog would be much happier sleeping outside, that it's better for all of us to have our space, that we needed a safe and secure place to lock Rico up when we were gone or even just for periods of time during the day when we didn't want him bothering us. That all sounded really good to me so I got online and found one on Trade Me that was cheaper than buying one new. The price was half of a new one, but then I had to add back in half again to ship it, but still we were saving money. The kennel arrived and Dugald obligingly put it together - slightly wrong, but we thought it would work.
You'll notice in the picture that the run part is slightly elevated. Well the first time it got put together that part was accidently upside down, but we didn't think it would matter. It did, Rico had enough room to squeeze under the kennel and out. So we lined up heavy potted plants like the ones you see in the picture. He still managed to push those out of the way and get out. So we fixed the kennel, major pain but oh well. That night Rico got out of the gate at the front of the run which was tied shut with a chain, he got the knot out of the chain. So we bought a padlock only to find that the chain was too narrow for the lock to get through. Duh. So, next day, new chain, with padlock. This time Rico managed to throw all of his weight against the side of the run you can see in the picture (the other side is up against a brick retaining wall) and managed to make a gap on the side between the kennel and run, and get out. So, I put the potted plants back to make it a little harder for him to push out the run. Last night, he went out the top. The run has a cover, but there are very small gaps on each side of the kennel. I would never, in a million years, have thought he could get through them and I still wouldn't believe it if I didn't see him do it myself. I am SO over him!
Here he is looking all pleased. I won't post a picture of me with bags under my eyes from all the nights he's woken me up in the middle of the night barking having escaped yet again. And I can't even bear to think how much all of this has cost us and it doesn't even work. Grrrr.
On the bright side, here are the girls waking Ellie from her afternoon nap. Aren't they cute? We are in the process of planning Katie's birthday party, all very exciting stuff. She's so happy to have made enough friends to warrant a party. She either wants a swimming party or a skating party so I will be looking into both options this afternoon.
That's all that is happening here . . . I'll write again in a day or two!
You'll notice in the picture that the run part is slightly elevated. Well the first time it got put together that part was accidently upside down, but we didn't think it would matter. It did, Rico had enough room to squeeze under the kennel and out. So we lined up heavy potted plants like the ones you see in the picture. He still managed to push those out of the way and get out. So we fixed the kennel, major pain but oh well. That night Rico got out of the gate at the front of the run which was tied shut with a chain, he got the knot out of the chain. So we bought a padlock only to find that the chain was too narrow for the lock to get through. Duh. So, next day, new chain, with padlock. This time Rico managed to throw all of his weight against the side of the run you can see in the picture (the other side is up against a brick retaining wall) and managed to make a gap on the side between the kennel and run, and get out. So, I put the potted plants back to make it a little harder for him to push out the run. Last night, he went out the top. The run has a cover, but there are very small gaps on each side of the kennel. I would never, in a million years, have thought he could get through them and I still wouldn't believe it if I didn't see him do it myself. I am SO over him!
Here he is looking all pleased. I won't post a picture of me with bags under my eyes from all the nights he's woken me up in the middle of the night barking having escaped yet again. And I can't even bear to think how much all of this has cost us and it doesn't even work. Grrrr.
On the bright side, here are the girls waking Ellie from her afternoon nap. Aren't they cute? We are in the process of planning Katie's birthday party, all very exciting stuff. She's so happy to have made enough friends to warrant a party. She either wants a swimming party or a skating party so I will be looking into both options this afternoon.As for the cat I wrote about yesterday - it's a rather sad story! She/he had been just sitting in our yard for a few hours without moving when a neighbor stopped by to return some dishes to me. I mentioned the cat to her and she offered to take it to the vet to see if it had a microchip. I thought that was a grand idea and off they went. Well, it turns out the poor thing was hurt! The vet was able to find the owner because the cat did have a chip and they think it was hit by a car and was in shock. Poor kitty, now I feel badly for having sprayed it! Hopefully it will recover and at least it is getting some treatment and pain relief so I'm grateful to Bev for handling it for me.
That's all that is happening here . . . I'll write again in a day or two!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Feels Like Old Times
Al and Betty Lou came down from Auckland to visit with us this weekend, it was so good to see them and catch up! We also had dinner with Trevor Walker the night before, also down from Auckland, which was such a treat. I think God knew I was feeling a bit homesick and brought some wonderful people to eat with us and just bless us by being here for a few hours.
When I say I get homesick sometimes I fear it sounds tragic, but really it's just missing the comfort of being known more than anything. I'm so grateful for modern communications - this blog, Skype, Vonage and the like that help me stay connected but sometimes I just want to sit around, have a cup of coffee and not have to work so hard at getting to know people. Many of you may or may not know this about me, but I am an introvert, so it sometimes can feel like work getting to know new people. I always am glad, but it can tire me. I've been so grateful for our times with Margaret and Hugh on the weekends too, it's comforting to relax with family and be with people that know a bit about you and your history.
In other news, we have a cat that has decided our yard is the place to be! She/He is very fluffy and attractive, but also fearless. The dog has spent a lot of energy barking and chasing it, to no avail. This morning during breakfast it was sitting in the back garden and we all went out to try and scare it off, I even sprayed it with the water bottle, and it just sat there!!! Four kids, two adults, a dog and another cat, and it just sat there. I thought perhaps it was hurt but eventually I saw it running from Rico and realized it was fine, just tenacious. I'm not sure how we are going to get rid of this intruder and I wouldn't be surprised if it is bold enough to come in the cat door and make itself at home. I do not need another soul to take care of or another mouth to feed! It must go!!!!!
When I say I get homesick sometimes I fear it sounds tragic, but really it's just missing the comfort of being known more than anything. I'm so grateful for modern communications - this blog, Skype, Vonage and the like that help me stay connected but sometimes I just want to sit around, have a cup of coffee and not have to work so hard at getting to know people. Many of you may or may not know this about me, but I am an introvert, so it sometimes can feel like work getting to know new people. I always am glad, but it can tire me. I've been so grateful for our times with Margaret and Hugh on the weekends too, it's comforting to relax with family and be with people that know a bit about you and your history.
In other news, we have a cat that has decided our yard is the place to be! She/He is very fluffy and attractive, but also fearless. The dog has spent a lot of energy barking and chasing it, to no avail. This morning during breakfast it was sitting in the back garden and we all went out to try and scare it off, I even sprayed it with the water bottle, and it just sat there!!! Four kids, two adults, a dog and another cat, and it just sat there. I thought perhaps it was hurt but eventually I saw it running from Rico and realized it was fine, just tenacious. I'm not sure how we are going to get rid of this intruder and I wouldn't be surprised if it is bold enough to come in the cat door and make itself at home. I do not need another soul to take care of or another mouth to feed! It must go!!!!!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Making Friends
I have to say the Kiwis are SO friendly! We are enjoying making new friends and we have been invited in to many people's homes recently, it is such a blessing. Katie has a friend from Musical Stars named Julia and we went to her house for tea yesterday - it was lovely getting to chat with another mom (mum as they say here) and watch the girls all play together beautifully. They live just up the street from us so we just walked on up after school got out and spent a few hours together. Yesterday I had my friend Jane, whose daughters are also in Musical Stars, over for tea while all of our children were dancing and singing and it was such fun to get to know her better, we really connected. Our neighbor on one side just had a baby and we took cookies over and went to meet baby Emily and had a really nice time, and our neighbors on the other side often babysit for the girls. Dugald and I have joined a home group with our church that meets once a week and that has been great fun also. I could go on and on, but I am just grateful for the kindness and hospitality of so many in welcoming us here and taking the time to get to know us and the children.
This morning Willow is off to the vet to be neutered (or de-sexed as they say here). Dugald and I are both hoping it is not too late as she has grown rather chubby. We take Rico to the park every day for a quick run around and a few games of fetch - and we almost always meet other dogs and their owners while we are there. He is such a good dog but like any puppy he requires quite a bit of play and attention. I am still not completely happy with the sleeping arrangements, he is still inside at night, but he barks if he's out free in the yard and he whines if we put him in the kennel. I personally think he should have a night of whining and just realize that that is his lot in life, but Dugald is rightly worried about the neighbors. Rico's kennel is on Bronwyn's side of our yard and she assures me they don't hear him because their bedroom is on the opposite side of the house, but we don't know the people directly behind us and they might have a few complaints. So, we'll continue for awhile as we are which just means a vacuum every morning to get his hair off the furniture (that he isn't supposed to be on in the first place!).
We're so excited to have our friends Betty Lou and Al Bennett visit us tomorrow night - they work with Mercy Ships and lived in Texas when we did so it will be fun to catch up. They are only here for a day, they've been in Auckland and are coming down especially to see us. That's all our news, hope you are all well!!
This morning Willow is off to the vet to be neutered (or de-sexed as they say here). Dugald and I are both hoping it is not too late as she has grown rather chubby. We take Rico to the park every day for a quick run around and a few games of fetch - and we almost always meet other dogs and their owners while we are there. He is such a good dog but like any puppy he requires quite a bit of play and attention. I am still not completely happy with the sleeping arrangements, he is still inside at night, but he barks if he's out free in the yard and he whines if we put him in the kennel. I personally think he should have a night of whining and just realize that that is his lot in life, but Dugald is rightly worried about the neighbors. Rico's kennel is on Bronwyn's side of our yard and she assures me they don't hear him because their bedroom is on the opposite side of the house, but we don't know the people directly behind us and they might have a few complaints. So, we'll continue for awhile as we are which just means a vacuum every morning to get his hair off the furniture (that he isn't supposed to be on in the first place!).
We're so excited to have our friends Betty Lou and Al Bennett visit us tomorrow night - they work with Mercy Ships and lived in Texas when we did so it will be fun to catch up. They are only here for a day, they've been in Auckland and are coming down especially to see us. That's all our news, hope you are all well!!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Happy Mother's Day!
I love being these little girls' mommy!!! Hope all you sweet moms out there had a wonderful day.
Friday, May 9, 2008
10 Things I Really Miss About America
1. Target! I really, really, really miss Target. You would think that not having a Target basically blocks from your home (like I had in Texas) would save one money. However, when you have to drive all over creation to try and find what you are looking for and then pay a whole lot more for it, even though you are shopping less frequently you aren't necessarily saving money.
2. Having good friends. These aren't in order by the way! Dugald was out of town the other night and we were having quite a storm and I was worried about all sorts of things (the alarm going off again, leaks, floods, etc) that I shouldn't have been worried about, but it hit me that I don't know who I would call here in the middle of the night if I did need help.
3. Insulated housing. I mentioned one of my favorite things is fresh air, but one of my least favorite things is being freezing on those cold days because even though you have central heat it is blowing right out the windows while the cold air blows right in. Oh yeah - and the windows are dripping wet, with puddles beneath them, in the mornings when the heat has been on. Crazy.
4. Central Vacuum Cleaners. They have them here I'm told, but I don't have one and it would be nice, especially since, like my grandmother before me, I am vacuuming every 15 minutes.
5. Chick-Fil-A - the place where Moms with pre-schoolers (and homeschoolers) go for a break on a rainy day.
6. Amazon.com - I can still order from Amazon but I have to be prepared to pay an absolute ton for the shipping. Boo.
7. Customer Service - The good news - nobody tips. The bad news - because nobody tips customer service varies wildly from place to place and sometimes just doesn't exist. We went to a restaurant for dinner one night and waited an hour for our food, I am so not used to that!
8. Just knowing where things are, how to find them, what to expect to pay for them, how to get there, etc. I am on a steep learning curve and at times it can be exhausting.
9. My favorite TV shows - if they do have them here they are several seasons behind. In a way this is a blessing because I fall asleep if we try to watch T.V. after 9 pm anyway, but there are days I long for the American version of "What Not To Wear" or to know what is currently happening on "Grey's Anatomy".
10. Lastly I miss the bigness of America. Living in a small country has benefits (no waiting lists for activities for the kids; the vet, grocery clerk, baker, librarian etc all know us; no traffic, at least not very often) but there are times when it is just a bummer, like when you want selection and variety when shopping, or when you want one-stop shopping, or when you want services online or in person that are easily accessible and customer-service oriented, etc.
2. Having good friends. These aren't in order by the way! Dugald was out of town the other night and we were having quite a storm and I was worried about all sorts of things (the alarm going off again, leaks, floods, etc) that I shouldn't have been worried about, but it hit me that I don't know who I would call here in the middle of the night if I did need help.
3. Insulated housing. I mentioned one of my favorite things is fresh air, but one of my least favorite things is being freezing on those cold days because even though you have central heat it is blowing right out the windows while the cold air blows right in. Oh yeah - and the windows are dripping wet, with puddles beneath them, in the mornings when the heat has been on. Crazy.
4. Central Vacuum Cleaners. They have them here I'm told, but I don't have one and it would be nice, especially since, like my grandmother before me, I am vacuuming every 15 minutes.
5. Chick-Fil-A - the place where Moms with pre-schoolers (and homeschoolers) go for a break on a rainy day.
6. Amazon.com - I can still order from Amazon but I have to be prepared to pay an absolute ton for the shipping. Boo.
7. Customer Service - The good news - nobody tips. The bad news - because nobody tips customer service varies wildly from place to place and sometimes just doesn't exist. We went to a restaurant for dinner one night and waited an hour for our food, I am so not used to that!
8. Just knowing where things are, how to find them, what to expect to pay for them, how to get there, etc. I am on a steep learning curve and at times it can be exhausting.
9. My favorite TV shows - if they do have them here they are several seasons behind. In a way this is a blessing because I fall asleep if we try to watch T.V. after 9 pm anyway, but there are days I long for the American version of "What Not To Wear" or to know what is currently happening on "Grey's Anatomy".
10. Lastly I miss the bigness of America. Living in a small country has benefits (no waiting lists for activities for the kids; the vet, grocery clerk, baker, librarian etc all know us; no traffic, at least not very often) but there are times when it is just a bummer, like when you want selection and variety when shopping, or when you want one-stop shopping, or when you want services online or in person that are easily accessible and customer-service oriented, etc.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Wellington Top Ten
Here, in no particular order, are my top ten favorite things about living in Wellington:
1. Very few traffic lights and stop signs! I love how easy it is to get from here to there with only round-abouts to contend with!!! Since I hardly ever travel during peak traffic times it makes getting around town fast and easy, I so love it.
2. Sunrise over Wellington Harbour. I threw the "u" into harbor since I am in NZ, I'm now very schizophrenic with my spelling. This morning I saw the most glorious sunrise as I was walking the dog - if I ever remember to bring my camera that early in the morning I'll post a pic, it's truly beautiful.
3. Smaller house to clean - I can get the entire house vacuumed from two outlets. And it's a lot easier to clean one bathroom than three!
4. We can walk to just about everything we need. People here walk everywhere - there are plenty of sidewalks and pedestrian crossings so that it is safe for me to walk to the vet with four small children, one young dog and a cat in a cage.
5. Fresh air - I do love the days we have with the windows open and the breeze blowing through. Not having a/c has been both a blessing and a challenge, but in this case I am looking on the bright side!
6. Cafes - lots of them, great ones, easily accessible and almost all make a fantastic cup of coffee.
7. More casual attire among my fellow moms - I never dress up for the girls' activities and I don't look that out of place. I'm usually clean, but that's about it. Makeup is totally optional.
8. Food, glorious food! There are so many choices here - you want Indian? Check. Malaysian? Check. French? Check. Pizza? Check. Turkish? Check. Mexican? Yes! Even Mexican!! You want a yummy bistro? Not 5 minutes away! Fish and Chips? Of course, check! I can't even think of all the different kinds of cuisine, but if you want it, there's a VERY good chance you can get it here and that it will be good.
9. Buses, Trains and the like - public transportation is fantastic so if you can't be bothered to drive, or only want to own one car, or don't want the hassle of parking downtown, you can ride the bus! Easy peasy and not too expensive, it's a great thing.
10. Tons of new places to explore - we've been using our weekends to discover the different beaches, museums, restaurants, sanctuaries, etc all in our city. Soon we will actually venture further out of Wellington and try snow skiing, camping, tramping and whatever else sounds adventurous. It really is "a whole new world".
1. Very few traffic lights and stop signs! I love how easy it is to get from here to there with only round-abouts to contend with!!! Since I hardly ever travel during peak traffic times it makes getting around town fast and easy, I so love it.
2. Sunrise over Wellington Harbour. I threw the "u" into harbor since I am in NZ, I'm now very schizophrenic with my spelling. This morning I saw the most glorious sunrise as I was walking the dog - if I ever remember to bring my camera that early in the morning I'll post a pic, it's truly beautiful.
3. Smaller house to clean - I can get the entire house vacuumed from two outlets. And it's a lot easier to clean one bathroom than three!
4. We can walk to just about everything we need. People here walk everywhere - there are plenty of sidewalks and pedestrian crossings so that it is safe for me to walk to the vet with four small children, one young dog and a cat in a cage.
5. Fresh air - I do love the days we have with the windows open and the breeze blowing through. Not having a/c has been both a blessing and a challenge, but in this case I am looking on the bright side!
6. Cafes - lots of them, great ones, easily accessible and almost all make a fantastic cup of coffee.
7. More casual attire among my fellow moms - I never dress up for the girls' activities and I don't look that out of place. I'm usually clean, but that's about it. Makeup is totally optional.
8. Food, glorious food! There are so many choices here - you want Indian? Check. Malaysian? Check. French? Check. Pizza? Check. Turkish? Check. Mexican? Yes! Even Mexican!! You want a yummy bistro? Not 5 minutes away! Fish and Chips? Of course, check! I can't even think of all the different kinds of cuisine, but if you want it, there's a VERY good chance you can get it here and that it will be good.
9. Buses, Trains and the like - public transportation is fantastic so if you can't be bothered to drive, or only want to own one car, or don't want the hassle of parking downtown, you can ride the bus! Easy peasy and not too expensive, it's a great thing.
10. Tons of new places to explore - we've been using our weekends to discover the different beaches, museums, restaurants, sanctuaries, etc all in our city. Soon we will actually venture further out of Wellington and try snow skiing, camping, tramping and whatever else sounds adventurous. It really is "a whole new world".
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Men of the House
Another birthday came and went at our house, this time it was Dugald's!!! Since he was traveling on his birthday, as well as the days leading up to it, he wasn't really wanting a big party so we celebrated at home as a family. The girls made signs and blew up balloons to decorate the kitchen -
and each girl made her own card for daddy -
and, finally, after all that, the moment they have been waiting for for days, presents!!! The girls were so excited because we got daddy a Nintendo DS like theirs so he can now play Mario Carts with them. The excitement was overwhelming -
I think Dugs liked the present too :).
And of course, this being New Zealand, we finished the meal with homemade cake.
and each girl made her own card for daddy -
and, finally, after all that, the moment they have been waiting for for days, presents!!! The girls were so excited because we got daddy a Nintendo DS like theirs so he can now play Mario Carts with them. The excitement was overwhelming -
I think Dugs liked the present too :).
And of course, this being New Zealand, we finished the meal with homemade cake.
The other "man" of the house is sweet Rico, though in people years he's actually just a teenager. We took him to the beach for the first time this weekend. We went to Evans Bay on Saturday because it was blowing a gale and that beach was a bit protected. On Sunday we decided to take him swimming again because he loved it so much so this time we went back to Makara and he of course thought he was the luckiest dog in the world.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Earthquakes Rock!
I've felt my first earthquake here! I was sleeping soundly in my bed this morning when all of a sudden both Dugs and I were awoken by a loud rumble, then a jolt. Still in my sleep-induced fog, and never having felt an earthquake before, I had no idea what it was - in fact it kind of reminded me of when we lived in Texas and felt the sonic boom of the space shuttle Challenger exploding. Dugald told me he thought it was an earthquake so this morning we checked and sure enough it was! It was a 4 on the scale and about 20 km's away (12 miles).
Being the worrier that I am I spent the rest of the night wondering what we would do if we were ever in a big quake - I had images of the bunk beds collapsing on the children, the bookshelves toppling and squishing them, being out in the car - or, worst of all, being separated from each other when it happened. It didn't help my fearful heart at all that the recent headline on the front of the "Wellingtonian" paper was about the city's lack of preparedness for a tsunami which, since we are situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is a distinct possibility. I had to keep reminding myself that my God is Sovereign and He is in control of our lives, so I spent the next few hours going over Scriptures to that effect in my head. I don't imagine we'll get through this life without suffering, but I hope I remember the comfort of my Savior when in the midst of it. As with anything, I think the anticipation of the "what could happens" and the unknown brings far more fear and lack of peace than anything I may walk through with the Lord. I don't want to be tested on that though.
After the event Dugald just rolled over and went back to sleep! He's been raised with such goings-on and was completely unfazed. I will say though that he is a bit wary of moving to Florida, land of the hurricanes, and that he also never had to live through a tornado in Texas. So, we all have our natural disaster issues I suppose. . .
New Zealand Earthquake Report - May 3 2008 at 3:12 am (NZST)
Magnitude 4.0, Saturday, May 3 2008 at 3:12 am (NZST), 10 km west of Porirua.
Quake Details
Information about this earthquake:
Reference Number
2902957/G
Universal Time
May 2 2008 at 15:12
NZ Standard Time
Saturday, May 3 2008 at 3:12 am
Latitude, Longitude
41.12°S, 174.70°E
Focal Depth
30 km
Richter magnitude
4.0
Region
Wellington
Location
10 km west of Porirua
20 km north of Wellington
Felt in and around Wellington.
Being the worrier that I am I spent the rest of the night wondering what we would do if we were ever in a big quake - I had images of the bunk beds collapsing on the children, the bookshelves toppling and squishing them, being out in the car - or, worst of all, being separated from each other when it happened. It didn't help my fearful heart at all that the recent headline on the front of the "Wellingtonian" paper was about the city's lack of preparedness for a tsunami which, since we are situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is a distinct possibility. I had to keep reminding myself that my God is Sovereign and He is in control of our lives, so I spent the next few hours going over Scriptures to that effect in my head. I don't imagine we'll get through this life without suffering, but I hope I remember the comfort of my Savior when in the midst of it. As with anything, I think the anticipation of the "what could happens" and the unknown brings far more fear and lack of peace than anything I may walk through with the Lord. I don't want to be tested on that though.
After the event Dugald just rolled over and went back to sleep! He's been raised with such goings-on and was completely unfazed. I will say though that he is a bit wary of moving to Florida, land of the hurricanes, and that he also never had to live through a tornado in Texas. So, we all have our natural disaster issues I suppose. . .
New Zealand Earthquake Report - May 3 2008 at 3:12 am (NZST)
Magnitude 4.0, Saturday, May 3 2008 at 3:12 am (NZST), 10 km west of Porirua.
Quake Details
Information about this earthquake:
Reference Number
2902957/G
Universal Time
May 2 2008 at 15:12
NZ Standard Time
Saturday, May 3 2008 at 3:12 am
Latitude, Longitude
41.12°S, 174.70°E
Focal Depth
30 km
Richter magnitude
4.0
Region
Wellington
Location
10 km west of Porirua
20 km north of Wellington
Felt in and around Wellington.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Musical Stars
The girls all participate in an after-school program on Wednesdays called "Musical Stars". It's a great program because it gives them a chance to meet other girls their own age. They spend their time there doing a half an hour of singing, a half an hour of drama, and an hour of dancing. Since it was the end of the term a couple of weeks ago the parents were invited to watch what they have learned so far. . . keeping in mind that since the New Zealand school year starts in February this was only the first few weeks the program has been running this year.
Here is Josie and her friend Hannah with their group. She sang "Going on a Jungle Adventure" and acted out the parts. This is her duet with Hannah. The children came up two by two and did a duet, then they all sang the chorus. I was proud of Josie because she and Hannah were the only ones you could actually hear, which I know comes as no surprise to those of you who know her!
Josie being a monkey.
Katie and her group sang "When I'm 64" and this is a picture of her doing her solo.
There also was a dance by Meggie and Katie's group combined - they danced to music from "Cats" and did a great job!
You can see Katie flying around the circle in the green shirt and blue skirt (they dress themselves these days by the way, I have nothing to do with the outfits:).
Meggie was the main character in their drama -which was somethig the group had actually written themselves. She did an awesome job!
And, finally, Meggie's group sang "Thank you for the music" by Abba and here she is singing her solo.
By the way, I'm sorry for the quality of these photos, I still haven't been able to edit them in photoshop because it is on a different computer. However, if you can't see them well enough you can click on any photo in the blog and then you can see it better.
Here is Josie and her friend Hannah with their group. She sang "Going on a Jungle Adventure" and acted out the parts. This is her duet with Hannah. The children came up two by two and did a duet, then they all sang the chorus. I was proud of Josie because she and Hannah were the only ones you could actually hear, which I know comes as no surprise to those of you who know her!
Josie being a monkey.
Katie and her group sang "When I'm 64" and this is a picture of her doing her solo.
There also was a dance by Meggie and Katie's group combined - they danced to music from "Cats" and did a great job!
You can see Katie flying around the circle in the green shirt and blue skirt (they dress themselves these days by the way, I have nothing to do with the outfits:).
Meggie was the main character in their drama -which was somethig the group had actually written themselves. She did an awesome job!
And, finally, Meggie's group sang "Thank you for the music" by Abba and here she is singing her solo.
By the way, I'm sorry for the quality of these photos, I still haven't been able to edit them in photoshop because it is on a different computer. However, if you can't see them well enough you can click on any photo in the blog and then you can see it better.
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