Family Life – Page 8 – a hippie with a minivan

The Kitchen table is truly the heart of the home… it is where we eat as a family (though with 4 kids it is not often the most relaxing of times) It is where we sit and talk. It is where the boys play with toys, or where Colin draws.

A few years ago we bought a new table. It looked OK right? It wasn’t… It was not only very boring, it was cheap… I learned my lesson…

I had bought it used and it was clean and the table was sturdy (and it actually could extend to fit 10 which was a lot of fun when we had people over) but within months the cushions that were covered with plastic when we had bought it were stained and dirty and then as time went by and the kids were… well… kids… the chairs just couldn’t keep up with the abuse of everyday use.

We kept on finding screws on the floor and after many times of repairing the chairs they just could not be repaired anymore and in the last few months we were down to just one or two chairs that were actually usable. Being that the boys have grown so much in the last years and are all too big for the higher chairs that we had for them it meant that we not only needed the four chairs that we had, we actually now need 6… we were four chairs short. That meant that Kitchen table was no longer the heart of the home anymore… it was not inviting, it was not a comfortable place to be. We used it when we had to but avoided it the rest of the time.

So, for the last months I have been looking for a new set. Money is tight so we needed to look for used and after seeing a few sets up on Kijiji that I really liked but had sold quickly, I knew exactly what I wanted.

On Saturday, about an hour before I left to go grocery shopping and go out to supper with “the girls” it happened… I found it…

It was listed for 300$ neg… and they said that there was one chair that was in need of a bit of repair… So I sent a message and said that I would offer 200$ and I would go get it right away (I was heading around that area any way) Just before I was about to head out the door I got the call… price accepted and I could go get it…

I got to the house with the idea that if it was not to my liking, I was willing to back down. But, I was not disappointed…

It is perfect… even with one chair that needs a bit of repair (there is a rung missing that can be replaced)

We have a new heart in the house, it makes me happy… we are back to eating at the table, I now sit at the table again and read and have tea. I look at recipes and the boys are back at the table to draw and play… We sit there for breakfast and lunch and supper and talk.. it just feels good to have that back…

Now I can’t wait to quilt a new runner and display things that make me happy…

Where is the heart of your household? Do you eat at the table on a regular basis?

One of those days…

If it were not for NaBloPoMo I would not be posting right now.

I am sick. It’s not fair for a mom to be sick. Who takes care of us? We have things to do, we have people to tend to, we have meals to make. My head feels like a watermelon that is about to explode. Heavy and stuffed to the brim…

But my day went on as usual… breakfast, cleaning up, starting stock for supper, hanging out with the kids, lunch, doing other misc. things in the kitchen, watching a movie, making supper etc…

At this moment, I am ready to be done. I finally finished making super and it is in the end stages simmering on the stove. Chicken and dumplings, ultimate comfort food and great sick food…

Of course being right before supper it means that it is the witching hour when kids are getting tired and hungry and everything is getting on their nerves… especially their siblings so I gave them the look (not my proudest moment) and asked them to go do something in the computer room so that I could have a bit of quiet and they went and did just that.

Luckily Willa also fell asleep about 45 min ago so I can sit for a few minutes trying to keep my head from exploding while waiting for Simon to get home…

As moms we should be exempt from colds…

It’s not fair to be sick and be a mom at the same time…

Hallowe'en 2011

Last night was one of my favourite nights of the year. An evening when you can walk in the neighbourhood and see kids laughing and running from house to house. People talk when they pass in the street or at the least say Hi and smile.

Yesterday Simon stayed home from work. We watched our favourite cartoons and had a relaxing day before getting dressed to go out…

Wilhelmina was just waking up from a nap when it was time to get dressed so we were able to get her dressed with the promise that we would be going out walking afterward which made all of the misery of getting a costume on disappear. We left a bit early so that I could use what was left of the natural light for a few pictures.

(My Fairy princess, General Grievous, Fireman, and, Harry Potter)

We headed out into the neighborhood only going to a few houses at first but mostly walking around and taking in the beautiful evening..

Simon and the kids…

Wilhelmina was way too small last year to realize anything that was happening but this year she was so excited to follow her brothers to a few doors… at first she would walk up to the door but then shy away the minute she recieved any attention from the person giving candy but then she started to think that the whole thing was a blast and the more doors they went to the more she wanted to go to. By the end of the evening she was running along side her brothers and waiting patiently with them when they knocked and said “trick-or-treat!”

After about 2 1/2 hours of walking and enjoying the evening while the kids trick-or-treated… we ended up back home where we turned on our lights for the tail end on the night and our chance to give out candy also… (the candy that we had just picked up but can’t eat) We ate some candy, watched some Hallowe’en specials and then one by one sleep overcame the kids and we headed to bed… What a great night…

Hope you also had a great Hallowe’en!!!

Autumn..

Autumn is my favourite season…

The two weeks at the hospital and the time it took to recuperate afterwards makes me feel as though I missed out on the season completely… I missed when the leaves started to change and fall and I missed Thanksgiving and making the big meals that I love to prepare every year…

When I came home last week, I felt like I had no energy. I didn’t want to do anything and I was feeling a bit depressed. I made a few meals with what was in the house but didn’t do much more… I didn’t even pick up my camera…

I needed some time to myself, I needed to recharge and reset. I needed to get out.

By Saturday, we desperately needed Groceries. Though I am thankful to my mom for coming to stay with the boys, we do not have the same system when it comes to food. With a big family, It is important for me to have a system in place, we rarely run out of things because I think it is important (and cheaper) to think ahead. She on the other hand has another way of doing things and not only did I have to go out and buy things, I had to buy many things in double to get back on track. So my plan was to head to Costco and then decided that while I was out, I would to go to supper after. I called a friend and left a message and then tried another without any success so I just planned on going alone… However, after playing phone tag with a friend all day, we finally got in touch while I was out shopping and she jumped at the chance to come.. So I picked her up and we headed to the restaurant together for some well needed time out for both of us. It felt so good and it was really what I needed. I realize that it something that I need to start doing on a more regular basis. On Sunday morning,we all slept in and I finally sat down to write and then I went into the kitchen and made a great meal.

On Monday I arrived from Willa’s ultrasound and everyone was outside playing in the leaves and making a fire… it was perfect. I finally started to feel like we didn’t miss out on my favourite season after all… I got my camera out and felt at home…