A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

The grey skies and insane wind of late have made me feel ripped off as the lower mainland has been in the midst of a sunny heat wave.  That's right.  I said sunny.  Here's hoping the forecast for nothing but sun next week makes it up to me.

Hannah can really play her sax.  She's been playing it for a year, but now she can really play it.

If I see even one fruit fly in my kitchen it's war on the little bastards.  Death to fruit flies everywhere.  I hate shopping for groceries when I occasionally notice that there are millions of the suckers milling about the produce department.  It makes me want to run away and scream.  Do I really look dumb enough to transport fruit AND flies home?  I think not.

One of Mike's goals in life is for our family to be like a miniature "School of Rock" in which he is the girl's own personal Dewey Finn.  This has worked out well.  Our girls know their share of the classics. As of late, Ellie's favourite album is Zenyatta Mondatta from The Police.  She sings along.  She requests it.  She knows the lyrics for memory.  Her dad is very proud.

I have been taking the girls on a little Michael Jackson tribute while we drive to school.  Our current favorite is Man in the Mirror.  Ellie sings the gospel choir part and the rest of us are Michael.  It works.   And don't laugh, but it's actually a pretty inspiring song to hear as you're heading to the big world of school.  Try it.

Mike is in Minneapolis this weekend with three buddies for an NFL game and other various shenanigans.  He deserves it.

Have you tried "Sweet Chili Heat" Thincrisps Triscuits?  You should.

I know it's so "last year", but I just finished reading Rhoda Janzen's Mennonite in a Little Black Dress and I was so disappointed.  It felt so incredibly contrived and forced.  I'm not sure what all of the hype was about.

The best book I've read in the past month or so is a memoir of sorts by a midwife called Blue Cotton Gown by Patricia Harman.  It awakened something in me.  It was spiritually rich.

I just got Jian Ghomeshi's 1982 yesterday and I can't wait to crack it open this week.  Sadly, the reviews I've read have not been great, but I still hold out optimism and hope for my Persian Prince.   I gotta start listening to some Bowie before I can begin reading.  You know, set the mood.

Our family joined the Y.  I was reluctant because I loved the gym I was a member at before we moved. I'm a creature of habit and I resist change.  But this has been a good change.  We've hung out at the Y as a family a few times and I manage to make it in several mornings a week.  It's clean, spacious, and bright and there are tonnes of machines and some good classes too.  Mike was right.

Managing the paper trail that emerges with three kids in school is practically a full-time job in itself.

I wonder if the Winnipeg Transit Driver who gave his shoes away last week was miffed at all the attention he got?  I wonder if he would have preferred to remain anonymous?

Finding a church that has something for everyone is not easy.

I am absolutely reveling in the class I am taking this term.  It is comprised of amazing women (and one token man!) with rich stories, a fabulous professor, interesting reading and so much food for thought.  I am exactly where I am meant to be.

I'm glad fall is here so I can bake with pumpkin again and not feel like it's wrong.

Kids grow fast.

It's nearly 1 AM and I am still up.  What's wrong with me?

I found Ellie the best violin teacher!  It took a lot of research and phone calls and writing of emails from way back to early last spring, but I found her!  She's teaching Ellie through Preparatory Studies at U of M and is simply amazing.  I think this is the first time that Ellie has actually been excited about violin.  The very first song she assigned to Ellie was "Angeline the Baker" one of our favorites from the band, Crooked Still.  We knew then that we had a winner.

Sasha is the neatest kid I know.  I don't know where she got this trait from.  She likes everything organized, clean, and tidy.  She did not learn this from her mom.

Mike has been biking to work and back every single day.  Even in hurricane force winds!  He's determined to bike all winter (yes, in Winnipeg).  He also takes 3 showers a day.  He's in good shape, and he smells good!

Winnipeg is not a city built for cyclists.  I hope that Mike makes it home unscathed every single day.

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo?  God help us all.

Time really does fly.  I wish I could slow it down.

Having your own locker when you start grade seven feels pretty good.  Having independence and freedom and more responsibility for your own life and things feels pretty good too.  It's a delicate dance to know how to play your role in this newness when you're the mom.

Thanks to our neighbor Kiera, I have been introduced to the "Banana Cream Pie" Blizzard at Dairly Queen.  Don't scoff.  It's the best Blizzard I've had.  I noticed that DQ is offering a "Pumpkin Pie" Blizzard as a seasonal offering.   I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Dan Mangan is doing a show in Winnipeg in November.  I could not be happier.

Delhi 2 Dublin is coming to Winnipeg in November too.  We'd really like to go to their show as well.  It's either feast of famine.

It's nearly time to call this blog quits and wrap it up.  It was created for a season, and that season is drawing to a close.  I have plans to begin a new blog that isn't focussed on moving and transitions.

You know it's getting colder when your Magic Bag makes an appearance to warm up your feet when you get into bed.  I think that Magic Bags are one of the world's greatest inventions.  So do my feet.