Doing dishes while holding Violet, with help from Leif

So first of all I'd like to say our 'thrift shopping only' has already started to present some challenges. My first order was to find Leif a lunch kit/backpack for pre-school. I thought I'd already bought him one for his birthday last Christmas, but upon searching every closet in the house realized I must have given it away. We went off to Value Village because it is the closest and the largest thrift store around, however it is certainly not the cheapest. I found him an Incredibles lunch kit with a big strap for 3.99. Not a great price, considering the Cars one I thought I already bought for him last year I got new for 1.50 marked down. It was clean and in good condition though, which was more than I could say for the Spider-man option. The back pack was 6.99 used, and it was all crusty inside, so we stuck with the lunch kit. About a week later I found the Cars lunch kit in my closet under a jacket, so now he has two. While at Value Village I did find Violet some Pedi-Ped shoes in new condition also 3.99. New I think they are around 25.$ which is more then I would ever spend. I have continued in the last two weeks to search for shoes for Lilli and boots for Leif. Still no luck, but I have found Violet two pairs of jeans, two dresses, a knit zip up sweater, and a couple of shirts. I've got Miete and Lilli both pretty dresses for 7.99 each, and for Leif I found a cute green hoodie, some cords, and a blue and yellow striped church shirt. I will take pictures and post them. Chris is having a challenge trying to find leg warmers for cycling in the colder weather. Those aren't the cute colored leg warmers that my Nana knit for me when I was young in the 80's and that plenty of girls are wearing now. I don't know if they are the type of thing you can really find used, but he's trying, and if he can't then maybe I can learn how to knit and make him a cute pair.


Adventures in Homeschooling

   Homeschooling was off to a shaky start. I guess getting back into the swing of school is difficult for most kids after a long summer, but possibly more difficult when the environment doesn't change, as is our case. Lilli, in particular was really fighting getting back to work. Since running into one of her school friend's mom at the grocery store a week ago, she's been begging to go back to school. She is such a social child and is always looking for fun and excitement. She enjoys being in a group and participating in activities, and group type  games. Although we go on frequent field trips, and attend assorted classes with other children it is not on a daily basis. Because of Lilli's persistent begging, and her rambunctious personality we decided it might be best for everyone if Lilli went back to school. Today we went down to Hammond Elementary, the school my girls attended prior to homeschooling. My intention was to register  Lilli back in the Montessori program. Turns out the classes were all full and she would have to be placed on a wait list. I thought possibly she could attend regular 1st grade although she wouldn't know anyone. She was fine with that, but the staff informed me that we are no longer in the catchment for that school, so we would have to register at Maple Ridge Elementary, where we definitely did not want her attending. I opted to put her on the Montessori wait list and continue with our Summit home school program until there was a place available to her. This was very disappointing to her. She cried on the drive home, and it was all I could do not to cry as well. Who knew how long we'd have to wait before a spot opened up for her. We returned home and back to our regular school work. A short while later I received a miracle call from Hammond. They told me that not five minutes after we left the school someone else had come in to withdraw  their child from the one of the 1st grade Montessori classes. Seriously amazing! Lilli and I were so excited that we were hugging and crying. I really can not get over this miracle. Anyways, now I just have a bit of paper work to do and Lilli should be back to school by next week. My life is about to get a bit more hectic. My fingers are crossed that all will go well. I really feel that this is meant to be.

My goofy girls at the Father/Daughter camp.

 There are always so many things I think about through out the week that I want to write about, but I never seem to find the time. I also get easily distracted, and there are a lot of distractions in this crazy house. I need quiet, and that is not always easy to come by here.
  Anyways I should mention the girls have somewhat successfully started home school this week. They complain that they miss their friends at regular school and want to go back. I tell them I want them to stick it out another year. I feel as if I'm just starting to get the hang of this and I don't want to quit yet. I've weighed out the pros and cons and I still feel like this is our best option right now. I try not to fantasize too much about how lovely and peaceful it would be to have Miete and Lilli in school for 6 hours of the day, and then to have Leif at preschool twice a week for several hours. I can't imagine ...scratch that, I can imagine how sweet that would be. I do think having Leif at preschool will help the girls and I to get a lot done in those 3 hours, of coarse only if Violet is consistent with her morning naps. One of the things I love the most about home school is not having the morning mad-rush. Trying to get four kids up and fed and out the door before 8:30am was a nightmare. I was always yelling, and the kids were always fighting and miserable. I do not miss that at all.
 
  New Idea!

    So I have this idea that I think I would like to blog about on a more regular basis. I'm nervous to be so open, and I really hope we won't be judged or looked -down-on for this decision, but for our family, I think this is a great idea, although very challenging. This is definitely on a whim, but after a brief discussion with Christopher this morning we have decided to challenge ourselves to a whole year of only second-hand shopping. That means all clothing/shoes/household items will be purchased either from thrift shops, Craigslist, swap meets, or other such places. Try not to be to disgusted with us. This does not include undergarments. You will be surprised at how great we will look. We will continue to be the classy and stylish people that you all know us as. Really, we already do a fair bit of secondhand shopping, but doing it exclusively will help us out financially, and we will be less wasteful. This includes all Christmas and birthday presents within our own family.

    I am a creative person, I can do this. I know at times this will be really difficult, I enjoy shopping as much as the next person, but I think this will be good for our children and ourselves. I think it does mean I'll have to completely avoid all malls. Thankfully, I recently purchased new running shoes as that is not something I could go without. Hopefully I can make them last a year. Anyways, I think that sums it up. I am scared and excited. Wish us luck!
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: hand me downs welcome.

We have really tried to squeeze every last drop of summer out, and have had such a wonderful time doing so. I don't think we are totally done just yet. The best days have been the ones where we spontaneously throw our things together and head out mid afternoon. I've learned to pack a beach bag quick. Last Saturday we spent a gorgeous afternoon at White Rock. The kids love dancing, splashing, collecting dead crabs, and doing cartwheels on the expansive beach while the tide is out. Violet loves the feel of sand between her fingers and toes. Christopher and I love the few hours of peace in which our children play together without conflict or tears. We enjoy watching them, and splashing with them, and taking endless pictures to capture the perfect day's memories.

A couple of weeks ago my friend Rae-ann came out for the weekend. On occasion she gets brave and stays over for a day or two. We went on a threesome date to see Swell Season, a fantastic little Irish band that we adore. They played at the Malkin bowl, an outdoor concert venue at Stanley Park. It had rained all day, but the clouds parted and the stars came out for us. It was really quite a perfect concert. Frank Black from the Pixies opened for them and then for the finale came on stage to sing "Where is my Mind" with Glen Hansard and the band. I guess it would be hard to appreciate this if you are not fans of either of these bands, but for me it was magical.

 The following evening, while Rae-ann was still with us we decided to pump up our rafts and float down the Alouette river. We have two rafts that we figured we could distribute Rae-ann, myself and the three kids in. I have wanted to do this for a long time. We got out up at Davidson's Pool, a little swimming hole in the river, and my lovely husband proceeded to manually pump up both rafts. Rae-ann and myself took turns pumping as well, but we tired easily. Christopher did most of the work and it took a good 20 minutes or so. Miete and Lilli were fairly impatient, and Miete said to Christopher " If James was pumping it he would be done by now." James is my youngest brother. He is in the army and has really big muscles. My girls frequently make "James can do it faster, stronger and more" type tauntings to Christopher. I am glad Christopher has confidence in his manliness, and can just laugh the cheeky comments off. Anyways when our boats were finally inflated we loaded up and attempted to float down the river. I say attempted, because I don't think we lasted 10 minutes. The water was way too shallow in spots and a little too rapid for my sensitive children. They were all crying within moments, the girls convinced we were heading over a waterfall. Luckily Christopher heard their cries of terror before he was back at the car, and was able to wade down to the river to rescue us. Who's the hero now Miete and Lilli! I would still like to float down the river another day, without children present and maybe a bit deeper of a river. That may have to wait until next summer though.

 

We have really made the most of our summer this year. We spent a beautiful afternoon out at Stanley Park on Wednesday, riding on the mini train, and playing on the beach again. The train is an absolute thrill to Leif  and it's worth the trip just to admire his expressive enthusiasm. I love seeing him light up. We also went to the PNE, which was more for the kids then ourselves. Something I hope to skip next year. I know I say it all the time, but we are so blessed to live in this beautiful place, and I never want to take it for granted. I hope all those who live here appreciate it as much as Christopher and I do, and get out and enjoy this glorious weather while it is here!