Today we rested. We are sick. The Dahlsjos are sick. We kept super low profiles. 

There were naps. 

Comfort food.

And a little bit of silliness before bedtime came. 

Hopefully some of us are on the upswing tomorrow. 

Sleep well, all 💜🔥

I can’t pinpoint what brought me here, but its felt like an extra difficult week for me. It has been busy, of course, but I’ve taken appropriate breaks all along, even more than usual. Most evenings this week, I’ve gotten a soak in the tub and Brady has even managed most of the bedtime stuff with the kids on his own. I’ve had it really, really good.

I’ve been sick, which adds, of course. Its been hard to communicate with my children without a voice. It was worse earlier in the week, but I haven’t caught up. There have been multiple things up every single day this week, and Brady has stayed at work late a couple of times, which isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things but felt really extra taxing this week.

Today, the goal has been to pack. It was quite late yesterday when Brady realized he hadn’t packed. I told him I would do it for him the next day. He was SO tired and he’s also caught a cold. So this morning, after sleeping through our usual morning coffee date, we said goodbye for the day and both got to work – him at Zaks and me at home.

Kids got out the door, minus the one who felt too crappy, and the three babies. The sickie hung with the babies while I packed like a maniac. (Yes. We are going to the lake. Even though we’re sick. Don’t come for me, or I’ll cough on you 😏 I tease. I won’t.) It was really handy to have a kid willing to sit with them so I could pack for myself, Brady, and the babes. Thats not a quick job, and it was so much less daunting when the babies were entertained and now wailing at the gate or tearing the house apart.

I gathered up all the clothing for everyone. Shoes, sandals , boots, jackets, meds, bottles, formula, diapers, wipes, towels, tools, and whatever else is all in a pile, waiting to be loaded into the van. The cooler isn’t packed yet, but its too soon for that. And I didn’t get to coop today to grab groceries like I had hoped to, but thats ok. We can get there on our way out. It will all work out.

Aaaaand the blog will be cut short now, as the one baby woke up right after lunch, and the others are now yelling that they, too, are awake. Back to the grind!!

It has been a really lovely work day today. Its grey and raining outside, so the windows and doors are all open, leaving room for the breeze, the fresh smell, and the sound of crickets that I’m gonna have to bust a cap on/in if they come any closer to my house 🤨 They still sound nice for a time. With everything open, I still have the AC clicked on, since our plumber advised me not to do too much back and forth with it. When do people officially turn that stuff off? I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure I’m doing it wrong. And I’m comfortable with that.

It won’t all be open for long, though. I love the sounds and smells but I don’t like being cold. So far, I’m comfy, but it won’t be that way forever. I’m not mad at setting up camp on my recliner under a blanket. But, you may have heard, I have some babies who make that a bit harder to attain most day. But while they nap, here I sit, getting organized on my computer and putting my feet up a little in hopes to let my body recover a bit here and there. I don’t want to be sick anymore! No more colds for me! Or any of us! That’s the last thing Brady needs during a chemo cycle!

Some things are set aside for camping this weekend. The packing list is made. Food is planned. I’m SO looking forward to a weekend that will likely be a little chillier that I can spend mostly next to a fire, under a blanket, with people we love.

Tomorrow is the day!

Wow. Suddenly I feel much less prepared 😅

The last couple of days have been bigger with Brady working late and early, trying to get a large bid arranged at Zaks. The last couple of days, I also haven’t had much of a voice at all. So its been a fun challenge to communicate with all eight kids at once with no voice on my own without breaks! 😅 I tease. Its just life, but its felt extra wearing these last couple of days. Yesterday evening, I took them all in to bring a baby to a visit. First we hit Nordon Medical, which I cannot say enough nice things about. Seriously. If you need medical supplies, that is the place to go. So I went across the city to Nordon, and then back to the NW end for the visit. And then to Walmart, as you do, when babies need jammies, big kids need shoes, and moms need baking ingredients.

Once Walmart was taken care of, we headed to get supper. It was at that point that we figured Brady wouldn’t come in and join us. He hadn’t left work yet, and if he did, he’d barely make it in time to eat with us and drive home. It didn’t make sense. So he kept at it and I got the kids fed. I ordered at the window instead of on the app, so I forgot to order myself anything 😅 But Dekker is a sweetie, and shared some fries with me. He sits in the front seat now 💜 Because he’s all adult and stuff.

We were mostly done eating but the visit wasn’t quite over, and Rowan was starting to get pretty antsy, so he asked to come snuggle with me while we waited out the end of the visit. That kid is NOT getting smaller, I’ll tell you that!!

The visit ended on time and we retrieved our little sweetie before heading back home.

Thank the Lord for a husband who was home, and feeling accomplished and prepared. He was tired, of course, but not kid tired. You get it, right? He had headspace for them when I was feeling quite worn, so I was greeted by a smiling, willing man who had ran me a bath and promised me supper once the kids were down.

And he provided! I had a nice soak let my voice finally rest for a little. I tucked Rowan in, because he really wanted me to, but Brady did everything else.

Today, I can have at least a little rest time in the day, assuming the babies allow it. I’ve got my peachy jammie pants on, my “indoorsy” sweatshirt, and a blanket with campers to snuggle with. Solly has his first piano lesson today! Rowan has his second parkour class today! And we have a welcome back thing at the high school in the evening. So I’ll have to be a human for that, but not before!

So first. Post this post. Then, get the babies up, because they’re all moving around. Then breakfast and coffee. Hopefully some playtime and relaxing, and naps not too far off. Maybe I’ll crochet at some point. There is still much to accomplish this week but I so badly want to be well for the weekend up at the lake, and I’m determined to let my body rest and recover!!

Todays the day to hopefully put my feet up a little.

Whew! Say that five times fast! ☝️

What I’m referring to is a cross between a breakfast sandwich and a grilled cheese sandwich, served as a breakfast for supper dish. Its not as complicated as it sounds, I promise.

Yesterday was a bit rough, I won’t lie. I’m catching a cold and as the day wore on, my voice got less and less. Then Brady ended up having to work quite late, so I was on my own wrangling the kids at the most hands-on part of the day. This isn’t foreign to me, but while I’m entirely capable, my energy was dwindling alongside my voice and I just really wanted the backup of my husband. But! Such is life sometimes. My kitchen was a mess and as I brainstormed what to make for supper, I googled a little.

I wanted to do something with eggs. And I came across a different way to make breakfast sandwiches, and thought it would be worth a try. Its a bit of a fussier way than I’ve done in the past, so I knew while I was testing it out, it would be slow going. But!! That way was going to be easier to manage with no voice, because I would just feed whoever floated by. We are big believers in eating all together, but I opted to do it differently, just for a different kind of day, to try something new.

And it was FUN!!! Solly ate one first. Wavy joined for the next one, and the two of them fed breakfast sandwiches to the babies! WIN!! Eventually Laela floated by, and Dekker surfaced. We had to call Rowan to come get some food. Everyone ate at least one sandwich, plus a good handful of fresh garden tomatoes, courtesy of Rae. It was a delicious supper and, in my humble opinion, totally worth the fuss!

I fried a pack of bacon, sliced up some cheese, and got to buttering bread.

They go like this.

Medium heated pan. Maybe a scooch over medium. Add some butter. Enough that the pan is nice and slidey.

Whip up two eggs. (Wow. I just typed aggs. Thats my level of fatigue, lol!) Salt and pepper if you want. Pour them in there.

Add your bread in there when the eggs are still wet and yucky. Two pieces, butter side UP. Lid it so they cook through without overcooking. Its a skinny egg layer.

It is important to actually make sure the eggs are cooked before this next part. Like, maybe overcook your first one, just so you can see. Because you need to flip the whole shebang and its MUCH harder when the eggs are still soft.

Voila.

Now in some of the videos I saw of people making these, they would cut the edges off. Why, you ask? I have no idea. Fold those suckers up onto your bread. Throw some cheese on, and some bacon. Next time, I would crumble the bacon instead of leaving it in strips. Maybe its less aesthetically pleasing, but then the whole thing doesn’t come out at once.

Then lid that pan so your cheese melts good and proper while the toast gets crispy.

Flip that sucker in half, fold the one toast on top of the other, and you’re done!

Wait wait WAIT for it!!!!

👻

A GHOST!!!

Brady confirms they were indeed delicious! 🏆

And I concur, they are. Though they are best served up in bed, while everyone else is on the other side of your door 😌

And that’s it for todays “Tales for Supper.” Hope you tune in next time. I’m sure we’ll eat again…

I have always wanted to be a person who has a command centre. A nice little house hub that helped me feel organized. For calendars and planners and important mail and all that other stuff that floats around without a home. All good things. Things I need to look at and pay attention to. And try as I might, there just does not appear to be a place in my home for such a spot.

So. This is what works for me. And what helps me feel a bit more human. Its small, but its nice, and it helps.

This picture doesn’t include my calendar, because it can’t, for obvious reasons. So what I can show you is this.

A cute mug full of pens that I like. These ones smell like brunch foods, and they don’t bleed through. I LOVE them. Plus a little ghost pen from my mom that works WAY nicer than I thought it would! A stylus or two. And I believe thats a crochet hook in there, too, because I’m me.

A cute notebook that Cher and I share 😏 Cher helps me with domestic jobs in my home, and that book is for communicating between the two of us whats been done, what still needs doing, plus cutie little notes here and there of appreciation and bestihood. If I think of something that needs doing that I don’t have time to do, I can write it in there and I know we will address it together.

And a cute little planner from Costco. I have always wanted to be a planner person but its not been a great system, as I still need to put everything on the paper calendar for the kids to see, and into the phones for Brady to see. So why another place to fill in??? However!! I’ve discovered a beautiful use for a planner. Foster stuff!! Each day I put in there anything important or noteworthy that the babies do, where we go, or what I hear from the social workers. THAT is an amazing way for me to log my foster stuff – in a planner. It may have taken more than a year but I finally found a method I like! Hahaha!

There you have it. My very small, and somewhat lame, “command centre.” It may be small and lame but its cute and effective and I’m so grateful. It brings confidence to have places to put my thoughts and necessities. I can feel organized and somewhat in control of things. And the things I’m not in control of can still be on record. Win win!!

Today in planner: Requested stroller solution from the ministry, all three workers applied. Waiting to hear.

We rest!!

After a really worky day yesterday, I woke up with a sore throat and very little ambition. Conveniently, the whole family felt much that way, and rather than pushing ourselves further than necessary, we did some sitting. It wasn’t an idle day by any means, but it wasn’t as in depth as yesterday.

Brady put up another security camera that we haven’t gotten to, and got our thermostat working after it got messed up yesterday. Then, he actually sat and let down. It has been months since he’s felt that level of ease, he told me. So he sat and played some phone games and just rested well.

I baked muffins – 12 dozen – and I crocheted this little headband!

Cute, right?

As the day winds down, we are nice and tired, but not to that extreme level of fatigue that sometimes hits.

Tomorrow will be fun. A day for NEW PHONES! 🥳

We WORK! 💪

Ok but not actually so severely, hahaha! We decided to stay home this weekend and get some projects done around here that have been sitting over summer, or are just hard to get to. If there were to be a weekend of camp that we’d miss, this was the right one. So we stayed home!

Brady and I had Cher over for coffee before the kids got up, and ate the end of the rhubarb crisp. Then we went our separate ways for the remainder of the morning and we all got into our own things!

Priority ONE today was getting a door on the pantry!! Not because its so so important to keep our food closed, but because the babies get in there and they refuse to stop sucking on my bottles of vanilla extract!!! 🤣 I’m over it! It’s time to stop already! We had been blocking the entry with a chair but now they’ve found their way past it. Time for a real solution. And now we have one!!

Brady also hooked up the wifi on our laundry machines and got the apps for our phones. I know thats not everyones cup of tea, but in a time when my life is so unbelievably busy and noisy, it is very helpful to have a notification on my phone to tell me when laundry needs switching. As I sit in the living room, I can tell you there are 47 minutes left on my current wash cycle 😎

My chores aren’t as lofty or impressive, but I ordered some patches off of Amazon for Rowan, and I got our September calendar put together. I really really wish I could post our calendar on here because its just NUTS how busy it is! 😅 But I don’t need the internet to know ALL of my comings and goings, lol! So you’ll just have to take my word for it.

Brady is currently attempting to babyproof a kitchen made up of cabinets that refuse to be babyproofed, and I’m realizing we forgot to eat lunch…

Never enough minutes, but the ones we have, we aim to use wisely!

Happy Workyday!

Today I made the executive decision to serve my family dessert for supper. I had defrosted rhubarb out of my freezer yesterday, and made the choice to defrost a bit more and make a big fat crisp. I found a recipe I liked the look of, doubled it (duh) and voila! It turned out really, really well!

Ok, before you say it, I KNOW its not a supper food. I know. But sometimes we have a treat, and thats ok, so don’t come for me. My family eats great. We’re allowed dessert for supper sometimes.

As it baked, I realized it wouldn’t quite cut it as the whole meal and we’d need some kind of extra. This might be enough if the babies didn’t eat as much as they do, but they’re growing, and eating a ton. So I needed to add.

I asked Brady to pick up ice cream on his way home, which he very happily agreed to do.

Still. We needed something else. I remembered that I had bought yogurt the day before that was ONE DAY away from expiry, and therefore cost $0.65 for the whole container. I divvied that up between the yogurt eaters. Not enough for everyone but thats ok.

And since yogurt fills absolutely no one, I toasted up some english muffins and slathered them with peanut butter. Anyone else make toast and the like in their oven? No? Just me? Cool.

We topped it all off with a glass of milk, to which Dekker took the liberty of adding strawberry syrup.

Thank goodness no one who lives here is lactose intolerant 🤣 Because YIKES they’d be in trouble. We ALL would be in trouble!

Despite the fact that the meal was all sweet and very much a treat, it was super delicious and an awesome morale boost after a huge first week of school. It was fun and yummy and the gratefulness was genuine, which always feels really extra nice.

The moral of the story is this. Eat dessert for supper sometimes. Whether you have or not. Its worth it.

Yesterday I said my three goals were expenses, the calendar, and to bake. Not in that order. The order was irrelevant. But this is how it went.

The day began with coffee. As it should.

A GHOST!

I worked on expenses as long as I could but they definitely still need work. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t keep especially diligent records of all the help I needed and requested in and around Bradys surgery, and then through his radiation. So I have to dig back (all I see is dick bag lol!) and I’m hoping to be able to get it at least close to accurate! It’ll just take a bit more digging in.

The calendar I got about half of the month done. There is SO much to add to it and I don’t have all the schedules in hand yet. I need to get more of that done but I’m definitely done enough for the first couple of weeks of school.

And baking! I baked four loaves of banana bread! And when I went to make another batch, I realized I didn’t have enough bananas, and added some pumpkin puree to the mix. I threw a crumble on top and got them baked up beautifully!

Kids had already snuck pieces when I took this picture, haha! Apparently the banana pumpkin loaves pass the test! Win!

As an aside, I baked 4.5 dozen oatmeal bites today as well.

And I made a small overnight oats to try with the babies tomorrow.

And and I made a homemade creamer alternative to try.

Aaaaanyway, yesterday ended with Rowan going to his firrrrrrrst (drumroll, please) parkour class!!!

Its very hard to take pictures with other kids in the group, but Brady got a couple when Rowan was the last kid in the line. Win! Ro had a blast 💜 I really, really hope its a good fit!

Today, my meeting cancelled, so Cher and I made a mad dash in to Walmart for some groceries, pens, and a couple of clothing items for the girls. We were in there for less than an hour but we had a really really nice time 💜 I made it home just in time to get babies having snacks and down for naps before the big kids got home from school! Whew!!

There have been some good successes, and at the very least, progress made 💜 Thank you, Lord, for every minute you give us!