There is just no time to transmit my thoughts onto this blog.  There have been many great personal moments, family moments and daycare moments which leaves little time in front of this screen.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here are some pics.  Today is less about words and more about snapshots of moments. Let your imagination make the story.

 

  Summer Vacation

     Summer has swept us into sunny, hot days and we are loving it.  Canadian summers are awesome and we have been lapping it up with lots of free play and adventures.  I love this time of year where we can move away from the structure of our school schedule and move into a space of freedom to play outdoors with lots of swimming, biking, and creative play. 

As we spend our days together I notice that discipline is at a minimum.  It seems to solidify my theory that when we spend concentrated time with our children, when we invest in their ideas and interests we give them a sense of security.  They get the message that they are important and valued.  

     There was an article in the Ottawa Citizen a while back asking children what they most wanted from their parents and the answer was their time.  Although children are influenced by our consumer society and often ask for "things" what they really want is time spent with us in a supportive, giving atmosphere. 

 

Adventure

Ottawa is a beautiful city and one does not need to go far to find green space to play in.  Today we walked to Dow's Lake,  spread a blanket in the shade of a big tree and played.   We specifically chose that spot for a little thicket of cedars that are great climbing trees. The branches are the perfect height for little climbers. As the children enjoyed the trees a young woman in her early 20's approached me saying that she didn't think that it was unsafe for the children to be climbing trees.  I was surprised by the comment and replied: " I think it's wonderful that they are climbing trees".  The conversation did not go any further than that but I was truly surprised to have someone think that climbing trees is unsafe.  I must add here that the children were not climbing to great heights.  It was about the same height you would find in a playground.  I believe that it is healthy for children to take healthy risks like climbing trees.  Healthy risk taking enables children to to learn new skills and tests their physical and mental limits.  Taking risks allows them to fulfill their full potential and gain confidence.  

Yes, sometimes risks are taken and met with unfavored results. Disappointments and hurts are all part of life and sheltering our children from their hurts only does them a disfavor.   If they are never faced with negative outcomes how are they ever going to deal with them as adults? 

 Surprise
 Whle at Dow's lake and after the tree climbing comment a great, wonderful surprise occurred.  The sprinklers came on and it was magic. We hadn't expected to be playing in water so  we didn't have any bathing suits but that did not stop us. As soon as the sprinklers came on a cry of surprise was heard and without skipping a beat little legs ran across the field right into the spraying water.   It was magic to see and people biking and walking by could not help but smile and laugh at the beautiful sight of children in spontaneous play.

Activity-Volcano Fun

Here is an activity that we did on the first day of summer vacation. With our water hose we created a puddle of water in our back yard.  The children made mountains of sand with and dug a hole down the middle.  The exciting part was pouring vinegar and baking soda in the  mountain hole and watched it erupt.  This kept the kids busy for a couple of hours.  I love letting my kids get right in there with the mud.  It washes off and they just love playing with mother nature's treasures.

White House
Things are moving along at the White House.  We are painting window frames.  Yes, they will be a wonderful proud to be Canadian red.  Shingles are being installed and paint is being scrape.  All in all working on the White House is so much fun! More later. 

Weekend Moments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 19:09 yesterday we went from spring to summer. It's summer solstice and does it ever feel like.  Does anyone else feel like the wicked witch of the west melting to nothing but shoes?  Well that's how I feel sticky, and hot and loving it.

Yesterday I scraped the White House's siding from it's old flaking paint.  In the hours it took to do this a lot of thoughts drifted through my head.  Here is a little glimpse of them. In psychology it is said that the first born relates more to their father and the second more to their mother.  In my family this rings true.  Growing up I always felt like I was more like my father.  We share a love for the outdoors and adventure.  We also love making things.  On his lot in Corbeil he built the house him and my mother live in, the barn garage and a log cabin. And pulling from a memory here I remember my father paying $200 for the wood from an old barn to build that barn garage.  I helped him take the old barn apart,  stack the wood in his yellow ford and bring it home.   So this all to say that while bits of paint flew around me, I thought of my father and how much of a hard worker he was.   I say was because as life sometimes has it he now walks with a walker and cannot do the things he use to love to do.  And yet he still finds a way to go to the gym everyday, to go hunting and fishing with the boys.  While yesterdays sun was beating down me and the heat tugged at my skin my thoughts drifted towards my father and my love for him.  Thanks dad for all that you have taught. 

I must put an aside here that I also see my mother in me and that she is also a beautiful person with a great generous heart.  It took motherhood to understand her more.  I think that some of you can relate to that. 

Another train of thought was present and that is one of gratitude. I feel so blessed to have this dream come true.  At times it feels so unreal and yet it is my reality.  May you give yourself permission to dream and build on those dreams.  :)

New Life for Hockey Posters

Remember the 1972 Canada vs Russia hockey posters and cards?  The ones that were left behind by the previous owners of the White House?  Well we tried to find buyers for them but found out that they are  reprints and worth nothing.  We even tried to give them to charity and failed.  So today we bundled all 1000 of them and set them on the curb with a FREE sign on them.  We hoped  that someone driving by would want them.   

 They looked kind of sad sitting on the edge of the road. I really had doubts that someone was going to stop by and whisk them all away. 

Happy Ending...

A few hours after our job of dumping the dusty posters to the curb I returned to the White House to get something I had forgotten and lord and behold there was a couple loading their car up with the posters!!! I could not believe it.  We had met the couple earlier that day while floating in the kayaks.  They were out for a swim.   They told us that they are getting married on August 11th here on Lac St.Atoine.  They plan on saying their I do`s on a floating dock in the middle of the lake.  How romantic!

What does this have to do with the posters? Well they plan on giving them out at their wedding.   The groom comes from a hockey family and their guests will appreciate the posters that mark part of Canadian Hockey history.  Woohoo!  Things always work out, don't they?

Scouts Canada has been serving Canadian youth for over 100 years.  Owen is a Beaver and this past weekend swam up to cubs.  The ceremony was held around a camp fire at Opemikon camp near Perth, Ontario.   We stayed for two nights, slept on bunkbeds in a cute little green cabin.  Zoe being a girl guide which is a sister organization to Scouts was invited to be in on the fun and fun it was.   

We were new to this Beaver group since scheduling technicalities prevented him from continuing with his previous group.   It was wonderful because we arrived on Friday night with knowing practically nobody and left on Sunday feeling like part of the gang.  I love how children can step right into a group of strangers and within a couple of hours be playing as though they were old friends. 

I love Scouts Canada.  What do I love about it?  Well it brings families and community together. It teaches leadership, friendship, caring for others and a love for the outdoors.  On Saturday morning we went for a hike in the woods.  We climbed over rocks, climbed steep hills and followed the winding path to the look out which overlooked  Christie Lake.  Parents and children walked side by side or in single file and our leader educated us on the ecology of our surroundings and how to care for it. "Leave no trace that we were here".  A message of respect for nature was translated and I enjoyed it as much as the kids.  On our hike back to camp we met up with a group of cubs hiking in the woods.  They explained to us that another group was following them and would be guided by the arrows and X's they had left on the trail. How fun! So on our way back we noted the arrows drawn on the path and the X's made with sticks.  The children guessed as to their meaning and they had very good insight, as children always do. 

Water Gun Fight

That afternoon was the well awaited water gun fight.  Zoe and Owen were stoked as Jay bought them their very first real water gun.  In fact the whole camp awaited the fun battle of getting soaked.  I cannot express how joyous it was.  The laughter ringing through the trees, small legs running with delight and parents getting into the action.

 Bird Houses

With hammer and nails we crafted our very own bird house.  I helped both Zoe and Owen build theirs and it's interesting how both approached the project differently.  Zoe helped me by passing the nails and hold pieces in place while Owen wanted to do the project by himself with minimal assistance.  We worked together as a team and it was beam building.  In fact the whole weekend was a team building weekend. Although Zoe was older then the Beavers she played with them and had a little entourage of admiring girls.  I noticed that as the weekend wore on Zoe and Owen played together with less bickering.  Discipline was barely needed as they seemed to listen and know what was expected of them.  You might remember my post back in 2010 entitlied "Hold Onto Your Kids".  Well this past weekend reminded me exactly  of the importance of parents involvement in children's lives.  Not only parents and their children but adults from the community coming together and supporting, upholding the space for children in the community to feel safe as they discover themselves in this crazy world.  Together we can create a good base  and hold the space for them to thrive and grow into healthy individuals and as adults be great peers for the young in their lives. 

Scout Canada is a volunteer based organization.  They depend on people like us to give of ourselves and share our gifts for a better world.  Often we hear about what's wrong with the world well I believe that there is loads of good that surrounds us and that scouts Canada is one of those good things.  In fact in September I plan on becoming a Cub leader!