Today started pretty well! Brady’s work has been a bit out of sorts, so he wasn’t able to go in for the morning. But it meant he and I could do morning stuff together! Woot! It was great!

Cher came over in the mid morning for coffee and hanging out. She fits in SO well around here. It was great!

Brady’s work got further disorganized and complicated. If we weren’t so in need of income, he would walk away from this current job. He was SO frustrated this morning. It was not great.

He eventually went in to work, and Cher and I watched a show before we set up for her to carve a pumpkin, and for me to test out a new crocheting method. We sipped our drinks and chatted. It was great!

Brady’s work got further frustrating. He was finally able to be productive, but it was not great.

Cher and I worked on our projects for a couple of solid hours. It was SO enjoyable, and we got lots done! A very very successful afternoon for us! It was great!

And then the kids came home 😳 Spoiler alert. it was not great. Laela and Rowan had some serious argument going, and it was getting rowdy. Both of those two are pretty hard headed, and neither of them would give in. One NEEDED to order another around, and the other would NOT be told what to do! the standoff wouldn’t quit, so I made a new plan. That was great!

I had them leave each other along, and come in to do their backpacks. They did all the necessary after school stuff, and then I told them they’d both be taking breaks. Both of them are currently tucked into their beds with books, breathing and being on their own. Neither of them fought it. They both very clearly needed the rest. I hope very much they weren’t in that shape at school, but I haven’t heard anything from their teachers, so, fingers crossed!

With the two fighters tucked away in bed, the other three are snuggled up, reading on couches. How did I get so many readers?! Where did these kids come from?! They are GREAT!

Oh wait. I remember where they came from… Never mind.

I woke up with a start suuuper late this morning!! I haven’t slept in in what feels like years, though I know plenty of people wake up before I do. This morning, I slept in by accident! I got up and dressed at warp speed and ran down to get the kids up!

Every evening, we put all the chairs up so Meryl Sweep can drive around and vacuum our crumbs up, but yesterday evening, we played cards at the table rather than putting the chairs up. Whew! Didn’t have to take them down before I got the kids! One less thing to do!

I got the boys up from the basement first, then Rowan, and then the girls. No one said anything about being awake too long, or being bored, or sick, or unhappy. They were friendly and happy and chipper. They set the table as they got up, and ate breakfast smoothly.

The coloring came out shortly after food, and the kids asked for Christmas music. Ugh. Kids after their mama’s heart. So while old school Hanson Christmas music is playing, the kids are coloring, rocking homemade costumes, building forts, and generally enjoying the quiet morning off of school. The curtains are cracked open, and I 100% expected to see snow when I glanced out just a moment ago.

‘Tis the season for being cozy!!

** On a Christmas note, gift exchange people, go check the Facebook page! I need some things from you!

Cher and I have had the pleasure of enjoying a few sleepovers this year! We didn’t get the chance as teens, but its never too late! She invited me for a sleepover last night, and I was SO happy to join her where she was house sitting! Not only do I always enjoy our time together, but we also got to hang out with the owners foster cat and her SIX iiiiitty bitty little kittens!! Ack!

I’ll show you more about them another day!

We had a really, really nice time together. We ran a few errands and got Subway for lunch. We watched a lot of good movies, and I crocheted a bit. We prioritized time together, and thats what we got.

We ducked out once again in the evening, with the goal of chinese food. Neither she or I have money to burn, but sometimes there are sentimental reasons for things, and chinese food was important. We opted for food court chinese, to keep it cheap and yummy, but we mixed up the days and times, and we got there just as everything was closing :/ It was SUCH a bummer. We threw around some other ideas, but everywhere else, it was just going to cost too much. We accepted the fact that we’d end up going through a drive-thru somewhere, but decided to hit Sobeys first, to see if there was anything prepared for cheap.

Believe what you will, but God sees everything, and He cares about even the smallest of details. There was a big stack of containers filled with chinese food options. Noodles, rice, pork, chicken, etc. They were cheap, and looked SO yummy! Definitely more than enough! We picked three packages, paid $12, and went home!

We warmed it up in the oven for 15 minutes, and it looked SO good!

Aaaaand it WAS!! SO GOOD!! We ate it all, and were nice and full at the end! What a perfect amount!

We watched movies until we fell asleep, and then woke up in the morning at the exact same time. Only moments later, we heard the mama cat meowing at the door for breakfast. So the day began!

It began with popcorn and cards. #popcards

After a few rounds, Cher cooked us a yummy breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. We played more Skipbo and then played with the kitties some more. We named them the names we liked, and snuggled them a bunch. They’re JUST starting to play, so it was fun teasing them until they batted at us.

We finished a show we had started the night before, and then it was time to pack up and head home! Its always sad to end a visit and go home, but there is still always the drive home!! We went to fill her car up with gas before we left the city. We have this funny tradition where Cher pumps gas and I take selfies where she looks unhappy in the background, haha! She was NOT having it today, pulling her hood over her face. I still tried.

This was probably the best one I’ve ever gotten. Not because you can even really tell whats happening, but because a gas attendant came over shortly after this picture, super suspicious of what was happening. MAN did we laugh!

Its always sad to part ways, but its always really nice to be home, too. I am looking forward to pizza with my husband, kids, and mom this evening!

See you again soon, pretty lady!!

I’m not entirely sure where she saw them or when her siblings maybe did them for her, but Waverly has picked up on somersaults, and she wants to do them! It is terribly cute!

She started working at them a couple of weeks ago. She would fold herself in half with her hands and head on the floor, and she’d stay there for a few seconds before simply falling to the side, and then celebrating her victory. I say again – terribly cute.

A couple of days ago, she tried again! She was getting braver, folding herself even further in half so her back was almost vertical, but she would still just topple over to the side. No loss for her, though. She was very happy with that result. But we upped her game, and that was even better!

When she would fold in half, we’d give her bum a little push, and she’d go over in a full somersault. We’d clap and cheer, and she was SO thrilled. She’d screech to go again and again and again. We figured if we did it for a while, she’d be more confident to push off on her own and go all the way over. So finally, when she was all folded and waiting for her push, we encouraged her to push off on her own.

And she lifted her hands up, using her head as a kickstand, and grabbed her own butt, trying to push herself over.

We. DIED. Laughing.

Guys, maybe you had to be there, but MAN it was SO funny!!! We all laughed SO hard that she gave up, toppled to the side, and laughed with us. Waverly is SUCH a little clown.

For about the next ten or fifteen minutes, bedtime routine went out the window and everyone practiced their somersaults in the small space of the girls bedroom. As if Wavy’s butt smack wasn’t funny enough, she took it upon herself to “help” her siblings with their somersaults, by coming up behind them as they started to fold up, and gently grabbing their butt cheeks in her little hands. The kids would yelp in surprise and jump, and we would all howl with laughter. It was SUCH a funny evening!

I’ll wrap this post up by confirming that, no, Wavy still can’t successfully do a full somersault, but at age two, I think she still has plenty of time to learn, haha!

And I secretly hope it takes a while to ensure more butt pinching ahead!

Brady is continuing to work hard for healing. Its not all better at all, unfortunately, but there is improvement. He had another encouraging physio appointment yesterday, where his physiotherapist was very happy with his progress in mobility. He gave him some new exercises that deal with weight bearing and strength training. Its the VERY beginning of the road, but progress is progress!

The kids love to participate in his stretchercises as often as possible 😉

If he lays on the floor, he’s fair game! Wavy just climbs right on up! Unless someone beats her to the punch.

I am SO pleased that Brady has a bit of work he’s able to do again! It was funny, in kind of a sick way, that as soon as he addressed the fact that there was a real problem, he was offered work he could not take. *sigh* But he has small work today and hopefully all next week that he CAN do! YAY!!

God hasn’t forgotten us yet, and I don’t see it happening anytime soon! I feel that the fact that we are still afloat over here after about seven months without work is undeniable proof that God exists!

Thank you, Lord! For carrying us through these brutal times.

I believe it was a couple of years ago when we made our entrance closet make a bit more sense for us. We put low hooks on one side of the closet, and we hang the adult sized jackets on the other side. We have a shoe organizer hanging over the door, and its filled with little mitts and toques, or in summer, flip flops, bug spray, and hats. Its been a perfect fit.

Until that fifth kid really wanted to do stuff by herself.

And until that first kid’s clothes got too big to “hang” on that little hook.

Everything is SO FULL!

I know, it doesn’t look too bad, but it definitely isn’t working. This picture doesn’t include my winter gear, or Brady’s winter gear. Or Dekker and Laela’s jackets.

We’ve been brainstorming. Dekker can reach the hangers, so its an option for him to hang his stuff up higher. That works. But really, the last four kids’ snow pants and jacket make a BIG cluttered mess regardless. What I would like to do is hang some of the outdoor stuff in the garage! But our garage isn’t heated, and in the time of covid, and rocking that income-free life, we cannot even pretend to justify buying a big natural gas heater. We do run a big space heater when we need to, but it destroys our electric bill. So we just can’t justify the expense.

So. We have to make this closet work! Help me, friends. How do I maximize this space?? I know some people hang their kids jackets on the back of their doors, but I fear the wet gear would destroy the doors. And also, I want them to open against the doorstop properly, without something bulky hanging on the back. No extra wall space in the entrance either. Can it be done?

SOS! 🏳️

After yesterday’s chaos of trying to scrounge up winter gear for the kids, it became clear that the older kids needed boots. Hand-me-downs are a big deal around here, and the oldest kids are often the ones who need to move on up to new things first. Because, logic. So we toyed with the idea of taking the kids into Saskatoon after school to find boots for the big kids. But they came home tired and ruffled and annoyed, and we suuuper didn’t want to run that risk.

I was SO thankful to see a local friend post that she was giving away a pair of winter boots for free that very evening! I jumped at them, and we were able to go walk for them as a family later than evening. Dekker’s previous pair of boots were already a little tight last season, so we felt confident they could pass down nicely to Rowan. They could pass to Laela, but Laela and Rowan are virtually the same size, so we figured maybe we could get her a pair thats a bit more girly, since she almost never gets girly outerwear.

Cher offered Brady and I an errand date today. Isn’t that amazing??? We have next to no money to burn, but we did have errands that needed doing, meaning boots for Laela, as well as groceries. And this way, we could do it without kiddos, and we could mosey our way along to be easy on Brady’s back! We happily accepted, and headed out today, mid-morning.

We started at Value Village, in hopes of finding boots, but it didn’t happen. I had a bit of a giggle and debated buying one of these, but it would just sit empty, so I resisted, lol!

We decided not to try any other second hand places, and rather just hit Walmart for groceries and boots, and whatever else. We found some really nice black and purple winter boots for Laela, as well as some long sleeved shirts, and much needed duvet clips. And then we spontaneously bought up a pantry worth of dry goods!! We’ve done SO GOOD this year buying way more fresh, healthier food, and eating what we already have, without always going out for quick little shops here and there. We’ve saved so much money on groceries!! But finally, the pantry was short on soup, noodles, gravies, condiments, etc. It was time, and we made it count! What a haul! I didn’t even stop in the yarn aisle. Thats saying a lot.

Meanwhile, at home…

Lunch was a picnic in a fort!! These lucky kids!

Everyone is happy when auntie is over!!

Brady and I grabbed some little lunch, and then picked up our last few items at the Coop. We came home to a beautifully quiet, peaceful house. Dishwasher and Meryl running. Naps in full swing. We quickly got groceries put away, and visited with Cher for a little bit before she cleared out to head home to work on her own stuff.

At about that point, Brady’s legs were finished, so we took a lay down and watched an episode or two in bed before the big kids got home from school. It was a good stretch of relaxing! Except that my body wasn’t ready to wind down, so I crocheted while we watched.

Now that everyone is home and unpacked, there is more to do! We have leftover thanksgiving supper for supper, so supper will be an easy one! Aaand then I have some cleaning to do, and a few things to organize before tomorrow. We have a busy end of the week on its way!

Tis the season to not know how to dress your kids for school! Full disclosure. I don’t like winter. You probably know that if you’ve been part of the blog long enough. Being cold is not my favorite. But I’ve got to say that today brought new appreciation for it. The kids were STOKED.

Brady went to get Dekker and Solomon up for the morning, and I went to get Rowan. I lay on top of him in his bed, like I always do, and he giggled and hugged me. I told him it had snowed and he lit right up! He was SO excited! We went to the big window to check it out before he started getting ready for the day. He was elated!!!

I got the girlies next, and they were also SO excited. Wavy fled the bedroom immediately, and Laela was only a couple of steps behind. They met the boys out by the window, and they all talked excitedly about winter. They were so so excited.

Brady also loves winter, so bully for him, as my grandma would say. Haha! So he was happy this morning, jokingly telling me not to look outside, but opening ALL the curtains, so I couldn’t live in denial.

With snow comes different winter gear, and that is probably my least favorite part of it. That, and the wind, and ice, and cold, and bad drivers, and frostbite, and being cold when I wake up, and all that good stuff. So this morning, while the kids ate breakfast and I made lunches, Brady found the tubs of winter stuff and the hunt for well-fitting jackets, pants, and boots began!

Praise the Lord, we have almost everything we need! There wasn’t complete rollover like we had expected from last years gear, but we were gifted some extra items from a friend last season, and they helped us stretch what we had into everyone having a jacket and pants that fit!! Boots are another thing. We may even run into the city after school and try to replace some items, but we have enough for today anyway. I am constantly frustrated by the amount of handmedowns that we store, but at the same time, they have saved our butts yet again!

I do not like winter, but the kids were SO joyful about it this morning, and that helped a lot.

Don’e be mad at me if you notice my Christmas stuff up WAY too early this year! Maybe its just my way of making the most of it and enjoying the season!

Have a lovely first true snowy day! ❄️

As discussed last weekend, we should always try to be thankful, regardless of the day on the calendar. That being said, yesterday was our belated thanksgiving with my mom! And how perfect is it that we found her a nice big table the day before! Finally! Thank you, Lord!

We breakfasted and then headed on over to her place to watch church all together. It was SO good. I didn’t realize how much I missed church.

After church, we lunched. Now, let’s think about this. On a day where we are feasting for supper, we should have a small lunch, yes? Nope. Not at my moms! I ate my body weight in hashbrown casserole, breakfast sausage, muffins, and grapes. It was YUGE!!! 🙌

Brady and I took Solomon and Waverly home after lunch, and put them down for shorty naps. Once they were tucked in, Brady ducked out to pick up a FREE bedframe that a friend was getting rid of. Rowan has rocked a mattress on the floor for a long while now, without any complaint, but we knew he would be thrilled to have a bedframe! So they helped him load it up, and I helped him load it into the house! Eek!

We took the final stretch of nap time to chat with Cher! It was SO good to see her. Feels like not enough recently. It was short and sweet 💜 I’ll take what I can get!

We headed back out after naps to find mom coloring and playing cards with the kids. Very cozy. Like home. As the fun continued, mom got the turkey out and carved it up. I know many people don’t like turkey, but let me tell you, you haven’t had hers!! I know we’re all partial to whats familiar, but my mom has NEVER made a dry turkey. EVER. And her gravy is always amaaazing! We made mashed potatoes with the potatoes from our garden, and then everything else that goes with the traditional thanksgiving meal. We ate like royalty!!!

Forgive the slightly warped picture, but its better than nothing!!

It shows what it needs to show ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

We ate SO much, played a little, and then we went home. Rowan was thrilled with his new bed. It may be a bit dated, but he oozed that good genuinely gratefulness that makes my heart just soar. “I love it! Thank you SO MUCH!! Its so tall!” He insisted that we do bedtime prayers in his room so everyone could experience his bed 😆

My moms place is currently under a boil water advisory, so once everyone was tucked in, I ran a fresh culligan jug of water over her way, and she was already done the dishes! Woot! That woman works fast when she doesn’t want me to help her! Hahaha!

All in all, it was such a beautiful day all together. It felt just perfect. Comfy. Homey. Thanksgivingy!!

Thank you for hosting us, mom!

This last little while, I’ve been sleeping way harder than I usually do. I write a lot of that off as the winter weather moving in, and the night being longer and darker. There was even light snow yesterday!! That is a totally logical explanation to me, and I think its definitely a big part of it. Last night specifically, I slept SO hard. Brady and I both slept in, and I had to pee SO badly when I woke up. The kind of “badly” where normally, I’d have woken up to pee in the night. But I did not. Because I was sleeping SO hard.

And then I took stock of yesterdays events.

Yesterday, in preparation for a late family thanksgiving, Brady and I moved two tables from our house into my moms house, along with chairs, leafs, a turkey, and some jugs of water. Poorly timed water main break on the street :/

Shortly thereafter, we finally found her the table on Facebook marketplace! We’ve been searching for literal months to find her something nice, and big, and sturdy, and affordable. And it finally showed up yesterday!! So we all piled into the big vans and went to Saskatoon to retrieve it! We needed Brady’s van to haul it, but two people to carry it.

So we hauled that table out of someone house, and down their flight of stairs. In the loading of the table, Brady’s numb legs misstepped and he fell flat on his back on the sidewalk. So that wasn’t ideal, but God protected him, and so far, nothing has gotten worse or gone out since then. We loaded the new table into the van, and brought it back to moms!

Mom lovingly took our kids home, and Dekker helped her get Wavy into her crib and to bed! Everyone else was reading books and hanging out in the living room while Brady and I got the new table into moms place, while simultaneously removing the two tables we’d brought there earlier 😅 It wasn’t as much of a gong show as it sounds, but it was definitely a laugh. Thankfully, the two tables we moved to and from were both those cute old fashioned chrome ones, so they weren’t so heavy at all.

Once we had moved everything where it belonged, we drove home. Brady immediately grabbed his socket set and headed back to moms, so he could put the table legs on. Mom went with him, and I’ve got to say, the table is PERFECT for her!!! What an answer to prayer!

Brady got home and was still feeling surprisingly good, so we decided to push it and move the new cabinet into the house! Eek!!! He had finished painting it the day before, and it was all set and cured and ready. He took the drawers out, and we slowly worked it into the house, up our stairs, and into the main area. I’ll show it to you soon, I promise 😉 But its a total win. I’m SO thankful! I had my eye on an Ikea cabinet for a couple of years already, but at $400, we couldn’t just pick it up whenever we felt like it. The cabinet we landed on was $10, and the paint to fix it up was $20. Praise the Lord!

On top of ALL the hauling of furniture yesterday, Brady bathed all five kids, and I did six loads of laundry. And! Everyone stayed alive, so they fed them even!!

Man! Just writing that all out makes me want to go back to sleep, haha! Pretty sure we earned that hard sleep last night! But, up and at ’em! Its our Thanksgiving today!! We’ll be off shortly to spend the day with my mom, and I’m SO looking forward to it!

Happy Sunday, friends!