This morning was smoother than usual, I’m happy to say! And truthfully, I didn’t anticipate it would be. It kicked off with me jolting awake from a horrible nightmare where one of the kids and I were in real danger. I immediately sat up in order to wake myself up, but it was earlier than I’d normally get up. So I was a bit sleepy, but sleepy beats nightmares any day.

I got up on time and got the kids up for school. The big ones got dressed and they collectively set the table. It was pretty normal at that point. They prayed and started eating.

And somehow – I don’t know how – they finished WAY sooner than normal! Most pointedly, Laela finished WAY sooner than usual. She is such a slow eater, especially at breakfast. We’re in that boat where I have to basically nip her heels from beginning of breakfast until she’s out the door. That girl has nothing but time, except that she really doesn’t. I know it, and she knows it, but clearly I’m far more concerned than she is. But today, she was ON it. She was the first done breakfast. She asked to leave the table, put her dishes away, and went to brush up in the bathroom. I helped her with her hair, and she loaded her lunch into her backpack and had it in the entrance. At that point, she had a solid half hour before I’d send them out the door. What a relief! I told her what time she had left, and she lit right up, ran to the little linen closet, and came out with the broom.

“I just see a little mess,” she goes. Now I don’t know about your kids, but my kids are still pretty small, and brooms are hard to coordinate, so I don’t ask them to sweep really ever. If there’s a little mess, we have a hand broom, but she got the big broom, and made a few passes in the kitchen. She cleaned it all up with the dustpan and put everything away. And then she came out with our carpet sweeper. You know those super old fashioned non-electric “vacuums” that are just a stick and a vacuum head that picks stuff up by rolling? Well we have one, and its great for our living room carpet. Laela insisted she wanted to vacuum the carpet. So she did that, and then packed it up, and put it away.

Aaaaand onto the bedrooms! She pulled out our (kinda crappy but light and kid-friendly) vacuum from that same linen closet and confirmed that she could use it. I asked if she was suuure that she wanted to, and she nodded vigorously. So, of course I let her. I’m not going to argue with her when she wants to clean!

She vacuumed here and there in the bedrooms, lol! The whole operation was very much a “spot clean,” but any vacuuming she’s doing is more than I’m doing, clearly! She finished up what she wanted to do and coiled the cord back up nicely before putting it away and closing the closet up for the morning. She still had fifteen minutes to play! I told her again how much time she had and she was super thrilled.

Then she requested if she could always do some chores before she went to school. Um… yes. Yes you can. I can figure that out for you, my girl.

But first we have to figure out what made her actually eat breakfast at a good pace!

Suuuuuper proud of your beautiful work ethic this morning, Laela!

Here we are, friends! Today was the cut-off for our homemade gift exchange! We officially have our numbers! For an event that I didn’t think anyone would actually care about besides me, I am thrilled to say we have a group of 21 participants!! 😄 Twenty-one people who have agreed to the terms I put forth, and who are going to make a gift for someone this upcoming holiday season. Because we ALL agree that homemade gifts are some of the best gifts!

I thought it would be fun to share some homemade gift ideas on here. Whether you’re part of the gift exchange or not, giving a gift is always fun, and sometimes getting creative along the way makes it extra fun! Aaaaand, who says gifts are only for Christmas? They’re not. Like at all! Maybe next time you feel like giving a gift, one of these will come to mind 🙂

There seem to fall into a few categories in my head. Forgive me if I miss any! Add them in the comments, if you’d like!!

Food! There is such an awesome range in food gifts that come to mind. You could make something fresh that you know someone loves, or something that takes a bit of extra fuss than maybe someone is willing to make. What about frozen make-ahead meals? Cookie dough balls to freeze for cookies later on? What about your own spice mixes or marinades? Or those jarred mixes of cookies, cakes, or speciality hot chocolate? Oh, and candy!!! SO many food gifts!

My mind instantly moves to crafts with yarn. Maybe mostly my area of expertise, but not for everyone. It extends pretty far too, though. Knitting, crocheting, embroidery, cross stitch, etc. Sewing is pretty far out of my wheelhouse but I know many who can do that! You could go the route of clothing items to bags to linens to decor. I see a LOT of macrame these days! Maybe jewelry fits in here, too!

More decor! Painting! Drawing! Photography! And thats really just thinking about walls! What about frames? Or ceramics? What about upcycling something you already have?

What about personalizing something for someone? I feel like, if you have one of those cricuts, or silhouettes, you’re golden to customize decor, or dinnerware, or maybe clothing. The world is your oyster!

Guys, there are SO many fun ideas out there. I haven’t even scratched the surface, I know, but I’m really excited for whats to come in this time of gift giving 🙂 Now that we have our final group, I’ll set up for the corny “get to know you” game tomorrow on the group Facebook page. Keep an eye out for it!

🎁

With all of this prematurely cold weather, yesterday’s warm weather caught us off guard. The kids were scratching at the door, so Brady took them for a bike ride. I hung back, as we were expecting company to arrive in the next little while. I have no idea what the rest of the season is going to look like, but if this is the last bike ride of the season, I’m SO thankful we have it on record.

I’m SO grateful for these children, and this husband.

I’m so proud of my three older ones who have aced their two-wheelers so smoothly, and I’m loving the two little ones, hanging out in the trailer, not fighting. These kids know whats up, and I’m so happy to see them happy.

Miss Baby Head over here has found her voice, and let me tell you. She LOVES to scream. Screaming is a HARD part of kids for me. I think some of it comes into play from Dekker being so fearful when he was younger. For one reason or another, he hated baths. Some of you who have been here for the long haul might remember this. Dekker was terrified of baths. We. Tried. Everything. And every single bath, he would scream like he was being skinned alive. It was unreal, and a HUGE source of anxiety for myself, and obviously for him. From there, he went on to have a brutally persistent yeast infection on his bum for the better part of a YEAR. Again, we tried everything. We were at the doctors constantly. It was SO difficult. If you’ve ever had a kid with yeast spots on their bum, you know how painful that is. Dekker survived a lot of pain in that stretch of time. But WOW did he scream. It was a really hard part of my beautiful first little baby boy, and I think it plays a role in my extra-low tolerance for screaming today.

As all babies do, Waverly has found her voice, and she is a big fan. And a loud fan. And while its cute and funny and important and communication and all that good stuff, I haaaaate it!! Gah! Stop screaming, baby!!

Now, when Wavy wakes up, she screams. She doesn’t even cry necessarily, but she screams! No tears, or even frustration necessarily. But SCREAMING!! Does anyone else feel this way with me? I know its just a stage, and at least she’s learning some basic words and communication skills that will soon make her “need” to scream a little less. Don’t tell me I’ll miss it when its gone. I will not. Not this stage. Nope nope nope.

Yesterday, I foolishly had a snack. Who did I think I was? It was just a handful of swiss cheese crackers. As you can imagine, the little Miss stood beside me and screamed blood murder. And like, you have to picture it. She just stood there, totally calm, clear face, screaming at the top of her lungs, as high as she could, staring at my crackers. Conveniently, I had the bottom of the bag in my little bowl, so I gave her the little shreds while I ate the bigger pieces.

But. Try and convince a one year old that the crackers are legitimately gone at the end. Talk to a wall. I said and signed “all done” and knew she’d be ticked for a minute there, but she just stood in front of me, stared at my face, and screamed looooong drawn out screams, over and over, as though I was lying to her. She was not convinced.

And she would not be convinced. There was only reprieve by her siblings entering the room and inviting her to join their game. She spent over an hour in the boys bedroom while they “built forts” (played with blankets) and built duplo. There was MUCH laughter and very few tears. She is SO happy to play with her siblings.

And I am SO happy when she’s not screaming!

I’m quite determined to enjoy winter this year rather than just suffer through it. Remind me of this when I kick and scream about it, ok? 😉

Trust me, I know its not winter yet. Its technically not even fall. Yet, its clear that the warm weather is gone. So I’m a little early on the subject but thats ok, too.

Already on my calendar, in the coming months, I have so many fun things to look forward to. Lots of visits with friends. Leading worship at church. Rowan starting preschool. Getting my hair redone. Taking family pictures. Finally renting a movie I’ve been aching to see since spring. Another coffeehouse gig. Kids club starting. A road trip with a friend. Halloween. The local Christmas marketplace. The gift exchange I’m organizing. A craft retreat. Another coffeehouse gig. The list goes on and on! And that list doesn’t include the non-calendar things like hot chocolate. Mukluks. Knitting and crocheting. Soup. Christmas shopping. Christmas lights and music. Warm air coming through the vents. Hot baths. Fleece kids jammies. Blankets.

All kinds of cozy reasons to love winter, right? I’m weirdly ready for it.

It’s raining. *takes deeeeep breath in* I love the rain.

I’ve been working at my attitude about winter recently, and have been working to think about ways to enjoy winter. And I’m feeling optimistic about it. But I’m SO thankful there is still rain to enjoy before the snow falls! 🌧️☺️🌧️

I sent the kids to walk to school. I felt kind of cruel for a minute there, but I walked to school in the rain plenty of times. The kids don’t mind the rain at all, and they’re bundled up and warm. They’re fine. Do you know they keep them in for recess at school now if its raining? Why do I even buy them rain stuff? Sometimes I roll my eyes at things like that, because as kids, we went out in everything. We went outside for recess unless it was -45C. Then we’d stay inside. The kids now stay in for recess around -28C. And if its raining! I have these moments where I think they should just suck it up like I did and go outside in the crappy weather. Yet, true story, I hated it SO much. Not the rain, but the brutally cold winters. So maybe its actually great that they stay inside when its so cold outside. Just because I grew up with things one way doesn’t have to mean thats the way.

I’m happy our kids are allowed to be a bit more comfortable in winter…

…she said from her spot on the recliner in her warm house, wrapped in a blanket.

It was SO nice to have Brady home for the day. He was going to work a short day today, but rather, he crushed it on Saturday and didn’t have to! He lovingly got up with the kids, got them fed, backpacks packed, and got them out the door so I could rest a little extra.

We had a little breakfast and shortly thereafter, we headed to Saskatoon for a few errands. We hit Lawson for a thing or two, and then Walmart, where we looked for a handful of little groceries that we keep not buying and genuinely need. Its about time! And then a quick, fruitless stop at Home Depot before heading home. We just had the three kids along with us, and they’re pretty easy, so it was a fairly smooth, seamless trip in.

We came, home, put groceries away, and put the kids down for naps. And then we ate lunch upstairs in bed while watching some Netflix. It was just SO relaxed and SO nice. We rarely get days like this, and they are such treats!!

Now the kids have just gotten home and there is SO much to talk about, haha! So off I go – to read, listen, sign stuff, snuggle, eat, maybe knit, walk, tuck in, aaaaand then to wash toys at the preschool! Never a shortage!

Our church kicked off a new season of Sunday School this morning. I haven’t prioritized Sunday School before, because it means we have to have our ducks in a row a full hour earlier, get to church on time, and then hope everyone goes willingly, without meltdowns or tantrums. It always has felt like too big an undertaking. And its easier and easier to justify our absence based on numbers alone! Yet I don’t want my childrens faith to falter simply because I’m too lazy to get them up a bit earlier in the morning.

So, we decided to give it a go this morning! Our kids love church. They love their friends, the stories, the music, etc. So when we broached the subject of Sunday School, they were completely on board.

The single flaw in the system is that there is no Sunday School for infant. For obvious reasons, lol! But with that being the case, Brady took the four older ones to church, and stayed for one of the adult classes of Sunday School himself. I stayed home with Waverly, who slept in anyway, and once she was up and ready to go, I plopped her in the stroller and we started our walk. We spontaneously ran into Carrie and her youngest son, and we continued on our walk until we arrived at church. We had SO much fun, I think we might try and arrange something like that for group of us that don’t really fit in a class currently 🙂 It may not be a time of biblical study, but you can’t tell me it isn’t fellowship!

The kids had had a really nice time at Sunday School. I had heard that Solomon was a bit hesitant, and he didn’t want to sit with Rowan, hahaha! He was content to sit beside the teacher, though, so he settled in. And then they all got a cookie, so, win. And Dekker and Laela had NO issues. They fit in like dirty shirts. No problems there. Brady had also really enjoyed his class, and says he’s really looking forward to following it through the season. My whole family truly enjoyed the morning, myself included.

After church, in celebration of the kick off Sunday, we all had a pizza lunch together. I’ll admit, the meals they occasionally serve after church are often a pretty big stretch for our family, and we rarely go. But we’re trying to stretch. Trying to let our kids be tired, and to be ok with them fussing a bit. Trying to let other people love us when we’re imperfect. Trying to prioritize our church a little bit more. We’re far from perfect, but I’m really glad we pushed, because it really was a blast today.

We got home from church around 2:40. Thats late. But it was awesome.

The kids napped hard, and we had a light faspa supper of sandwiches and potato salad. Then a quick lap around the pond and even snagged Rae and her mom in her yard for a quick visit. But soon, it was time for bed, and everyone was ready. Myself included.

A bubble bath is running, and I’m ready for some dessert. Brady worked his tail off yesterday, and is home tomorrow! ❤️ That always makes for such a happy day.

Have a wonderful wrap-up of a weekend, friends.

WOW! Guys. My house is filled with fighting today! Anyone else?

Its a not-so-glamorous part of getting back into the swing of school, I suppose, but I’m already exhausted and its not even lunch. Not even close. It doesn’t help that Brady is working today. Merp.

I had to shut down fort building, which is everyone’s current favorite activity. Which was disappointing for everyone. They love building forts in the bedroom, and I like the quiet in the rest of the house, and the laughter I hear through the door. But today, there was nothing but fighting, so away it went. Booooo.

I have, however, washed my hair and done dishes this morning, so that counts for something, right?? I’ll hopefully make granola bars while the kids eat lunch, and I think Brady should be home shortly after that. Cher is coming over this afternoon, and Jerilee is coming for the evening. Those girls make my day better every single time 💕 Its shaping up to be a pretty great day! When I look past all the fighting, I see Laela and Solomon tucked behind a chair, hiding in their “secret base.” I see Rowan holding Waverly’s hands, walking her through the house. I see Dekker singing to himself while he builds duplo. I do hear laughter, and I do see friendships flourishing amongst my kids. Sometimes I just need to take a step back.

And then there’s me, drinking chocolate milk, in a recliner, letting my hair dry, while I blog on my laptop. Surrounded by beautiful people.

I’m so glad I wrote this out today. I was feeling pretty frustrated when I started this one, and now I can see again how fortunate I am. My life is RICH in LOVE.