Staying at home



I've made the "official" announcement on my Facebook status, but I'll also share with you here, in case some of you aren't my friends on Facebook.

 

I have submitted my resignation to my boss. My last day of work will be June 13, 2014.

 

 

 

This was a very difficult decision, since I absolutely love working at SB Partners. It is a fantastic accounting firm - the partners and managers treat each and every one of their staff with respect and honour. There is no drama or emotional trampling by anyone. It's a great place to work, and it is a highly sought after accounting firm to partner with for all things accounting.

 

However, for the last six months or so, I've been feeling like I need to be at home with my kids. Alexander just turned six, and Isabel is three. Already they are growing up so fast. And in only a short while, they will be pre-teens and chances are they won't want to have anything to their boring ol' mom. And right now, they long for me to be with them all the time. So why would I not be with them, if that's what they want?

 

I can always go back to work later, when they don't need me around so much. Yes, Jeff is back on 100% commission with his work, but we've done it before and God has never let us go without what we need. We are totally trusting that God will sustain us.

 

I'm excited about this new chapter in our lives (I'll finally be able to properly clean my house more than once a week! - you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to do that when you only have two days off a week).

 

I'll still be popping by the office every once in a while with Jeff's triple layer bars - they are SO GOOD ... and my boss's favourite treat.

Home Schooling Children

Source: TopMastersInEducation.com

Out of all of you, who home schools their children, and what are your convictions, opinions and reasons for home schooling your children?

I'm interested.

The Challenge

I was reading an article in the magazine put out by Goodness Me, the health food store in my area. The article was about how food can affect the development and behaviour in your child, and I was immediately hooked.

 

 

My son, Alexander, is autistic. He is high functioning, but there are things in school where he is behind, naturally. I want to do my part in giving him the best - I want his development to be encouraged along. Now, I'm not entirely sure what will do it, but after reading this article, I'm going to run a little experiment with the food we feed both Alexander and Isabel.

 

Now, Alexander is the kind of boy that likes his routine. He likes eating more or less the same thing every day; it gives him a sense of comfort. He is also really picky about the vegetables he eats - he doesn't eat any, unless they are mashed potatoes, smothered in butter. That is going to change - sorry, buddy. Isabel loves meat and veggies - she's not a fan of starches to begin with. Here is what we are currently feeding them.

 

Breakfast:

- Smooth & Creamy yogurt

- Honey Nut Cheerios

- vitamins: multi vitamin, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Omega 3,6,9s

 

Lunch (to school - nut free):

- sandwich with butter and jam (whole grain bread)

- unsweetened apple sauce

- Black Diamond cheese string

- banana chocolate chip mini loaf (from Costco)

 

Supper:

- whatever we are eating, which usually is grilled chicken breast with steamed veggies and some sort of starch, like quinoa or rice, sometimes potatoes or sweet potatoes.

 

Snacks:

- he likes bananas, hard-boiled eggs, Bear Paw cookies, gluten free pretzels and apples - to name a few.

 

So for the next four weeks - starting November 25 - I will be taking out the wheat and most dairy from their diet and replacing it with gluten and dairy free options. Here is what I'm thinking:

 

 

 

 

Breakfast:

- Shakeology - vegan chocolate flavour

- vitamins (same as above)

 

Lunch:

- sandwich with butter and jam (gluten-free bread)

- unsweetened apple sauce

- hard-boiled egg

- gluten free pretzels

 

Supper:

- we'll probably remove rice from most dinners, replacing it with quinoa. But other than that, we don't need to change much else.

 

Snacks:

- grapes, almonds, apples, bananas.

 

This does mean that we will have to hide the gluten-filled food and cheese sticks for a while, but I'm sure we can find a space to put them. Isabel won't be happy, but this might be a good thing for her too.

 

At the end of every week, I will post about how the week went and if there was any significant changes in my kids. 

A collage of my children.

I made this collage for my left desktop at work; but I thought it was so cool, that I had to share it with you guys too. Now you can see what I see every day while I'm at work!

My family is awesome.

What a sweetie pie.

The bear my daughter is sleeping on is the bear that I have had since I was a baby; I've been waiting a long time to give that bear to my daughter.

My kids.

Isabel is finally allowing me to take her picture because she has decided she's cute enough to stand still to get a good photo of herself...

And Alexander just loves showering her with kisses.

My kids are just too adorable. I know.

My favourite Christmas tree decorations

Here is a little snippet of my favourite decorations that were hanging on our tree this year.

Happy Birthday!

Yes, I know that I probably shouldn't be saying that to myself, but this way, I can make sure that someone will! lol

Happy Birthday to my little terror.

love, mama.

Our Christmas Tree

Here is our Christmas tree in its customary blue and silver decorations. I would love to get a set of red and gold decorations and switch it up every year, but Jeff really really really loves the blue and silver. So this is our tree. It's a bit lopsided, I know, but it's the one that Alexander said he wanted. The star is currently on the top of the tree too; just not before the picture was taken...

Alexander and Isabel had such a fun time putting (or trying, at least) the decorations up. Isabel got cranky at the end, since it was past her bedtime, but overall, it was a good evening together. After the tree was all done, We turned off all the lights and sat on the couch together to look at the tree in all its glory. I also took that time to explain to Alexander and Isabel that the tree is only for looking at. They were not allowed to play with the tree or the decorations. Alexander was quick to say, "Okay, mom," and even Isabel, after a little pause said in her garble, "Okay." I love my kids!

What does your Christmas tree look like?

Isabel's pitiful new hiding place

This little pantry is one of Isabel's favourite places to play - when the door is not locked. We usually try to keep it locked because all of our spices, extra cans of soup, bags of rice, flour (I think you get the point). Isabel loves to get in there, take out the cans and build a tower with them, carry them into the living room and create a line of cans, share them with Alexander, etc. So we try to keep this door locked.

Yesterday morning, as I was preparing lunch, Isabel saw that the handles were not tied together, so she decided to hide.

But Alexander is getting smarter, and he found her right away. lol

Then Isabel promptly turned around and began to pull things off the shelf.

The sleeper.

You would think a child would prefer to sleep in her bed, not fall asleep in the chair beside her bed. *sigh*

Isabel now has bangs.

As you can tell, she doesn't quite look like herself anymore. But I will have to get used to it. I was just tired of her hair getting stuck in her runny nose (tmi?) It was just gross! Jeff didn't want me to, here's how our conversation went:

Shirley: I think I'm going to cut Isabel some bangs tonight. I'm sick of seeing her snotty hair.

Jeff: But I don't want her to have bangs; she looks great without them.

Shirley: I know, Jeff, but her hair is snotty.

Jeff: But I don't want her to have bangs!

Shirley: Her hair will grow out, Jeff. Besides, you won't have to worry about her snotty hair!

Jeff: She's not getting bangs. I'm putting my foot down.

Shirley: Your foot has no say in the matter. I'm doing it tonight after her bath.

And believe me, putting her hair up with barrettes, hair elastics, or clips would not work, no matter how pretty they were, or even if Isabel picked out the colour herself. She still pulled it out 5 minutes later. So NO MORE!

Her hair will grow out...

Being silly.

Everyone's allowed to be silly every once in a while, aren't they? I had forgotten how much fun a person can have with a pipe cleaner. Now I remember.

The ear warmers I'm wearing were made by Whimsical Poppysmic. I LOVE them.

And please forgive my crazy eyebrows.

And Isabel really liked the mustache too, she just didn't know that there needed to be distance between her and the camera. And, of course, Alexander had to get in on the camera action.

I love my kids.

On a search for caves.

Sunday was Thanksgiving, making yesterday a holiday. And the weather was BEAUTIFUL! so we went on a little adventure with another family we are friends with.

We finally got a decent family photo taken - I only wish Alexander and I had taken off our sunglasses.

Our beautiful friends, the Ross family.

taking a break from all the walking, eating a snack.

SUCH a beautiful day.

Alexander the adventurer, climbing the rocks.

We found the cave! Alexander loved being there.

He was an expert climber. except when he wasn't.

Halway through our walk, heavier clouds rolled in. Thankfully, it wasn't rainclouds.

Whenever Isabel was out of the stoller, she would be going in the opposite direction, sitting on the trail and throwing the pebbles, eating the sticks - you know, being Isabel. So for the majority of the time, she was in her stoller. And this is the look she would give me, begging me to let her out; which sometimes worked... followed by regret of doing so. But despite being in the stroller for the majority of the hike, she really enjoyed herself.

It was a dazzlingly beautiful day, with great friends, wonderful weather, and exhilerating adventure.