Starting our #Garden / #VeggiePatch

This past weekend was a long weekend in Canada, celebrating Victoria Day. My man and I had an event to attend on Saturday so the kids were at their dad’s on a non-regular access weekend. On Sunday, I took advantage of the kids being gone and my man working a wedding, so I got down and dirty in the garden. This is the first full summer in our new home and the previous owner had done nothing in the garden for decades, literally. Last summer, a friend of a friend beat and sliced his way through the jungle, clearing out all the greenery and rose bushes that attacked him (ouch!). This summer, I’m starting a raised veggie patch.

Area before I started:

 

Insert wooden borders that were leftover from when an old fence was removed from the property…and 24 of these:

And, voila!

 

The only thing that was frustrating was that there wasn’t enough pressure in my rain barrel to get water from it, so I’ll have to figure that one out. Also went with the BFF yesterday to pick up some more plants that I haven’t started seedlings for already…and look what ended up sprouting amongst my plants: the rare Starbucks flower. This order was DEFINITELY mine!

Can’t wait to get out there to plant our seedlings with the kids this week!

My #MothersDay

I got to pick my kids up early from their dad’s because it’s Mother’s Day. I had already seen my son’s Mother’s Day card, which he made at IBI. His therapist had written the words, and he had placed the hearts. He also gave it to me that day by saying “Happy Mother’s Day”…my heart melted.

But my daughter had brought her card and present home in a plastic bag with very strict instructions for me NOT to open it until Mother’s Day. She was really excited to come home to finally open and show it to me. A tear may have happened when she read the poem to me.

      

I also bought myself something for Mother’s Day, not that it’s much of a surprise if you read my blog regularily:

An extra special part of my Mother’s Day weekend though was when my stepdaughter came with my man and I to an SCA event (medieval re-enacting). She asked if she could come a few months ago and this weekend was the first one that was relatively nearby and on a weekend when she could come. She’s a huge history buff, so I wasn’t surprised that she asked. Because all three of us competed in different tournaments throughout the day (she and I did archery), we each received a carnation representing that we were fighting for eachother.

Once I found the right medication combination to battle the massive migraine I got this afternoon because of the crazy weather we’re having, I have gone back to enjoying being a mom (instead of being passed out on the couch, waking only when they ask me for something), and loving how unique and wonderful each of my 3 kids are.

Wordless Wednesday – Last Weekend

Went to a moms retreat last weekend. Filled with inspiration, fun, laughter, knitting and even Starbucks deliveries from two lovely ladies. Woohoo!

 

Chai Break at Home

An at-home chai break with delicious banana bread with ExtremeCouponingMom‘s banana bread recipe (except I used butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chips).

Fill in the Blank Friday – 02/03

1.   If money wasn’t an issue, the first thing I’d cross of my life list is buying the kids and I our own home, which would include a Snoezelen room and a wonderful playroom for the kids.

2.     ________     is something I like that other people think is weird. Hmmm, nothing comes to mind for this one.

3.  If my life were a movie right now, the title would be “Don’t make me go Mama Bear on you!” or “6 and a half years of diapers is ENOUGH!”.

4.  Three things I am looking forward to this month are:

• Getting through a 2-year “anniversary” of the end of a life-changing time period.
• Enjoying my son’s vocalizations, which have suddenly appeared (and are more recognizable to others) after a VERY difficult week with him.
• Going skating with my daughter’s class trip.

5.  My favorite song to sing in the shower is… “Rubba, dub, dub, 2 babies in the tub”, “Old McDonald Had a Farm”. What can I say? The only time I sing in the shower is when my kids are having their baths.

6.  If I found out that the production of     Starbucks chai    was ending this month, I’d go out and buy as much as I could tomorrow.

7.  One thing I’ll never grow tired of is watching my kids play together, especially when my son initiates playing with my daughter. It’s amazing!

30 Days of Me: Day 10 – My guilty pleasures

Day 10 – Your guilty pleasure (or pleasures)

 

Starbucks chai latte, lactose-free, no water.

 

Reading chick lit.  Nothing productive comes from it, but it’s a great way to escape.

 

Nice long and hot bubble bath, without the kids interrupting.  There’s something soothing about reading a book while being immersed in a bubble bath with the scents, the popping bubbles.

 

Meals being made by someone else.  Although people like my cooking, I prefer baking over cooking.  If we could live on just baked goods, we would.

 

Massage, whether by a registered massage therapist or even a shoulder rub by a kind friend.

 

Wishful thinking for a guilty pleasure: a cleaner!

 

What are your guilty pleasures?

30 Days of Me – Day 5: Comfort Foods

Day 5 – Your favourite comfort foods and why

My favourite comfort foods depends on my mood. My daily “retreat” is a nice cup of chai – Starbucks chai latte, lactose-free, no water is the best, in my humble opinion. 

 

My go-to comfort food when stressed is Jalapeno Cheddar Doritos. When that craving gets too out of control though, I switch to carrots and spicy hummus.

 

My go-to comfort food that takes me back to my childhood is an old family recipe called “Elsie’s casserole”.  My great, great aunt “created” the recipe, from a time when measurements were in lbs…lbs of ground beef, lbs of sausage, lbs of spaghetti.  A whole bunch of yummy.

 

My go-to comfort food during the winter is a nice warm bowl of home-made veggie soup with garlic bread.

 

I think the comfort food that my kids will remember from their childhood is pumpkin loaf.  I have made it for them their entire lives, and whenever it’s baking, it feels like “home”.

What are your comfort foods?

 

Fill in the Blank Friday

I just discovered “Fill in the Blank Friday” on MooseAndTater’s blog so I thought it was perfect for a fun Friday thing to do, along with my 2 Truths, 1 Lie post.  Enjoy!

1.  My idea of pure perfection would be long-term vacation at an all-inclusive resort that doesn’t have any other guests, preferably near or on a beach. No kids (temporarily as I can’t be away from them that long…or can I?). No commitments. Just lazing around, doing nothing but reading, writing, sleeping, daytrips to where ever, and tons of money to do whatever we wanted. 

OR

      Long-time cuddles with my kids, after they have brought me my Starbucks chai.

2.  Laughter is truly the best medicine.

3.  If it weren’t for my friends and family, I don’t know how I would have been able to function and take care of my kids after the end of my marriage.

4.  Bloggers are all crazy, myself included. Why else would we be excited by something as simple as filling in the blanks? I know I hated it on exams in school.

5.  If I had tons of money, I’d buy your mortgage off, buy a home for the kids and I mortgage-free, and send my mom back to university to study whatever she wanted.

6.  I’m glad it’s Friday because I have an exciting weekend filled with friends, BBQ and laundry… yes, I’m excited about laundry because it’s an inside joke, and no, I’m not going to explain it.

7.  Something I’m excited about is my son starting his Intensive Behavioural Intervention Therapy next month. We’ve been on the waitlist for more than 3 years and it’s finally here! Take THAT Autism!

On The Injured List

 

 

 

Normally, school pick up entails picking the kids up, chatting with DS’s Educational Assistant for a few minutes to see how his day was, and then we head across the street to “the Butterfly Garden” if we have other plans, or the park then the Butterfly Garden then home. Yesterday, this is NOT what happened.

 

Everything looked normal until the supply EA let go of DS’s hand BEFORE I had ahold of his hand. In that split second, he bolted. Three adults went to grab him. We all missed. I’m sure it looked a bit like baseball players all going for a fly ball. I had been carrying DD and lost my footing. Down I went. DD was crying, DS started crying because DD was crying. Honestly, I was trying really hard not to start crying too. Unbelievable pain! A bunch of fellow kindergarteners were coming over asking if my daughter’s “mommy was okay”. All I could say was “no. I’m hurt. Please give me space”. My left knee was banged up, left foot toes were scraped, the side of my right foot was twisted…which made for a painful 2 minute drive home.

 

Some things I’m thankful for from this situation…

1. I was able to turn just a tiny bit when I was falling so I didn’t land on my daughter, and was still able to protect her from really hurting herself.
2. The kids’ father was able to take the kids overnight. There was no way I could handle the stairs in our home to put the kids to bed. We have a sunken bathroom with only two steps and those are hard enough to manage, let along the 20 or so steps to upstairs!
3. A friend of ours was with us for school pick up. He caught my son after he bolted, was able to carry him to our mini-van, get us home, help me into our home, manage my kids, and get them fed. He even told me to make a stop at Starbucks on the way home to get me my favourite Starbucks order…gawd he knows me! Thanks AS!
4. My neighbour kept my daughter entertained between our friend leaving and the kids’ father coming to pick them up. Thanks JM!
5. My daughter was and continues to be such an amazing help…she’s holding my hand to “help me” whenever I have to move somewhere this morning, and she even wrote me a “get well” card this morning too.

 

This morning’s biggest decision for me was, do I put the tensor bandage on my right foot or my left knee. Went with the right foot.