2019

Wow. Not a single additional post in 2018. Damn. I kinda suck at this keeping up with a blog thing.

Honestly, not much new going on. We've been 90% unschooling lately. Brianna goes to England this summer. Olivia is finally reading with a LOT more fluency. Joshua is still not getting speech therapy but is finally getting OT again.

I am going to be starting a new blog about our road trips. Living on the road. Places we've gone. Off the beaten path cool stuff. I'll post a link here once I've got something going

Hello 2018

So as is obvious, I suck at sticking with updating this thing (oops!)

I would really like to, especially since I love looking back at old posts to see how far we've come. Maybe, eventually, I will keep up with it again. Here goes this try....

It was an eventful year. We got a new diagnosis (another post), new trials and joys, new ventures, new ADventures. I hope to slow down and take the time to record it all.

But for now, a cute pic of 4 of my monsters to tide you over.

Florence Davidson was my Grandmother

My Grandma Flo died this morning. She had a very long battle with bowel cancer that spread to her liver and then lungs. She spent most of the last year fighting it tooth and nail.

I haven't seen her in almost 25 years.

For reasons still unknown to me, I did not even know that she existed until I was about 8 years old. I had been led to believe that my grandpa's 2nd wife was my grandma (by blood. She was still one of my grandmas). Something happened when my father and aunt were small children and they all became estranged.

That year, when I was 8, my father decided to send me to Grandma Flo's for the summer (it did not at all seem strange to me at the time to spend 6 weeks with a woman I had just met. My father said she was grandma, so that was good enough for me). I had the most wonderful time. She was not your typical grandma. She taught me how to roll her cigarettes for her with her tub of tobacco and rolling machine and introduced me to her "pet" raccoons (she lived in downtown Vancouver and there was a rodent problem that she made the best of).

She brought my to the Indian Reserve that we had family on. I didn't know I was Native. I imagine, because I was 8, I was told very little. Grandma Flo said we were Mountain Cree. I never knew the name of the reserve we visited but it was amazing.

The Aunt that we stayed with lived about a 5 minute walk from the Fraser River and every morning we would walk down there to pull in the nets. HUGE, real salmon! I was totally a city girl. I didn't know fish this big existed! Pacific Salmon were the most often caught, but occasionally there was a Pink Salmon in there. My grandma and Aunt and sometimes others would clean the fish on the kitchen counter or table. Sometimes there were eggs. I had heard of caviar, but never ate it. It was salty but I remember liking it. One of the men would grab some of the cleaned fish to hang in the smoke house next door. (REAL smoke house smoked salmon. Most amazing thing ever. I have never found anything like it in any store). I remember watching in disgusted amazement as my grandmother would eat the fish head.

I remember lots of adult talk of the "white man" accusing them (the natives) of over fishing. I remember siting on the banks of the river when they pulled in the morning fish and across the river on a higher cliff was that "white man" pulling up big nets too. I remember my 8 year old "hatred" of the "white man", forgetting that I, too, was mostly white. But at that moment, all I thought of was my new-found Native Pride.

I saw her only once after that summer. I don't even really remember much from that 2nd visit as it was just one day as my father and I drove through.

My grandma was a bit of a gypsy. She was always packing up and moving here and there. Almost always in the lower mainland of BC, but not always. For a while, I kept up with her as best as I could, sometimes speaking to her on the phone or writing letters, but sometimes not hearing from her for years.

My aunt (my father's sister) contacted me a year ago looking for information to contact my father about his mother. While I haven't talked to my father in 12 years, I did just receive the requested information from my grandpa (who isn't aware that I don't speak to my father, or why) and passed it on. I hadn't seen my aunt since I was 5. Thankfully, she filled me in with as much information as she could.

I'm sad that I hadn't seen my grandma in 25 years, but I am glad that my memories of her are all amazing and full of adventure.

Helloooo?

*taps mic* Anyone still here?

Ok, so I pulled another one of my disappearing acts. I swear my intention is to post regularly! I just swear I see squirrels and rainbows and get distracted lol

I have started Bullet Journalling (more about that later). One of the reasons, is to be less squirrely. One of my goals for May is to get back to blogging regularly. The whole point of this blog is so people can learn about our journey and so me and the kids can have this cool diary of sorts to look back on. I also really enjoy writing!

Teeny up-to-date on us...
Joshua - as of his last speech assessment, he is up to 2.5 years old in speech. This is fantastic as a year ago he had 4 words and relied solely on sign language. He's *finally* starting his 2nd block of speech therapy next week so hopefully we can get that number even higher! We're also waiting on referrals and assessments from the Ottawa Children's Treatment Center for autism, sensory processing disorder and occupational therapy. Joshua also starts soccer this month!

Olivia - in February she joined Brianna in Time4Learning after completing Reading Eggs and Math Seeds. She has already completed Social Studies for Gr. 2 and is 3/4 done science and math in Gr. 2. So we're mostly focusing on English, which has always been her weaker spot, but she's more than half done Gr. 1 there. She loves Brownies and is excited to do her first camp with them this month. She also starts her 3rd year of soccer this month.

Brianna - finally finished all her Gr. 6 work and I swear it's like a light bulb clicked. It took her almost 3 years to finish Gr. 6 yet she's on course to finish Gr. 7 by the end of July! She is absolutely thriving in Pathfinders and graduates to Rangers for next year. She's been working her tail off to sell cookies and fundraise to pay for their trip to England in 2019. She squeezed into her final year of science camp (technically she ages out 5 days before camp but they've allowed to to take part this year). She's been encouraged by the River Institute to volunteer with them next summer (most likely helping with the younger campers group).

Isaac - graduates this year!!! How the hell did that happen! Wasn't it just like, last year, that he started Kindergarten!? He's been accepted into 2 programs at one of the city's best colleges (!!!) and currently plans to do both, double majoring. He's also working with a program there to work over the summer. He may possibly get a couple hours sleep. He has also almost completed a completely drawn by hand, D&D style game with a friend of his. We tested it out this weekend and it was pretty damn fun!

Dylan - has been working full time at the same place Lee is since the fall and has been doing great! While they work for different companies in the same building, he and Lee see each other a couple times a week. Everyone thinks they're brothers lol He had some nerve wracking trips home in the winter due to storms (he has the same anxiety that Lee does and this was his first winter doing any kind of distance driving).

Lee - after a round of (fairly low) winter blues, his anxiety appears to be doing much better. He's in his happy little world at work in wash bay without anyone breathing down his neck. There's a possibility of promotion to days wash bay late in the summer due to someone's retirement that he's really excited about, so we've all got our fingers crossed for that one!

Me - I fell into a food-happy slump over the winter and gained 9 of my hard-earned 40lb loss back. However, now that the weather is nice again, I've been getting out for multiple mile walks a few times a week. My business is slow, as it always is in spring and summer but I'm happy with that as it gives me time to selfish sew! My goal is to have 75% of the family's summer clothes be mama made this year.

So that's us for now. I hope to have a LOT more frequent postings, including a pile of the drafts I was working on last fall. How's everyone else doing in blog land?

Last McMaze Ever

We have a local farm, McMaze, who runs amazing events, corn mazes, pumpkin picking, haunted hay rides, ect... Unfortunately it was announced that they were retiring/closing after this season *cry* My sister and niece insisted they had to take the girls for one last hurrah.

They even brought Joshua a baby pumpkin (he stayed home for a playdate with friends)

Tot School - Week 4

Waaay late posting this week!

Joshua is continuing to love school and often asks for it long before I've had enough coffee to process the request. This week we worked on some fine motor skills (like lacing pony beads on pipe cleaners, not pictured). 

This was his first time working with a glue stick. He was pretty excited and did fairly well!

He loves reading stories. I have a bunch of these little tot school story books that he loves, as well as actual books.

One of the great things about homeschooling is I don't always have to be the teacher. Here he's showing off his school work to Grandma and then our neighbour

We live next to a furniture store and our side yard butts up to their cement wall. Instant jumbo drawing wall! None of their customers see this wall (unless they're in my yard lol) so they don't mind. Brianna was drawing circles for Joshua, his current favorite shape, and he drew a one in front of a zero and informed her that it was ten. Then started making his own 10s. The Y looking thing next to the 10 he's drawing was his drawing of a 9.

Joshua had a grand time with friends (seen here in red) at my niece's birthday party. There were 3 other kids his age and a giant field to run in. The bonfire proved to be interesting with 4 toddlers, but everyone managed to stay safe.

Linking up with 1+1+1=1, Homeschool Creations and Hip Homeschool Moms

Dad Bashing Sucks

My aunt posted this article to her Facebook ( <--- it's a good read, read it!). It's 110% true.

While I openly tease Lee about being my 6th child, he knows (because I tell him verbally, not just cause I assume he knows) that he is an immeasurably important person in our house.

He is a great parent. He is allowed to succeed and fail just as much as I am. I am not the queen of mommies and he's just a lowly dad. He changed as many if not more diapers than I did. He got up in the middle of the night. He gave baths. He picks out the kids clothes (usually with better taste than me!). He stuffs cloth diapers. He washes floors (on his hands and knees!). He IS an equal parent.

Too often I see moms not "allow" dad to pick clothes, do hair, snuggle baby when they're upset, ect... Then, those same moms complain that dad doesn't "get it". How could they? They're not allowed to be parents. They're sperm donors who get to live with their kids.

Society says that dads only babysit. They say that dads are bumbling fools. Look at most sitcoms. Dads are either idiots or assholes. Sure not all dads can sit through the 64th episode of Caillou (hell, neither can I!), but does that mean they suck as parents? Hell no! It means they're human, just like us moms.

ALL parents excel and lack in various area of parenting regardless of what's in their pants.

Alberta (and BC) Bound!

Last summer Lee and I took an epic 3 week road trip, driving from home (near Ottawa, On) to Victoria, BC and back. We car camped and couch hopped. The event being surrounded by the trip was our friend Leslie and his wife April's wedding, in which Lee was the Best Man. It was something I had always wanted to do and was seriously the best vacation ever.

Being that we're a homeschooling family, it was also a great geography lesson for the girls who "followed" us from home. We talked to them each night over Skype and sent postcards through the mail.

The kids trying to stow-away on our van-bed the morning we left

Giant Nickel in Sudbury, Ontario

Heading into the mountains of western Ontario

Lake Superior 

A wolf wanted to check us out outside of Wawa, Ontario

Terrance Bay, Ontario

The Terry Fox Memorial outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario

                                       

Time Travellers!

Finally got out of Ontario!

The flat lands of the prairies

As the speed limit increases (68.5mph)

Meeting up with my Kindergarten best friend, Holly, after 20 years

Fog line over the Assiniboine River in Manitoba

Saskatchewan!

Meeting up with fellow homeschoolers, Carla and David in Saskatchewan

Sitting on the Alberta/Saskatchewan boarder in Lloydminster, Ab/Sk (pardon the face, it was very bright)

Back in Alberta after 17 years!

Our friends had an awesome 80's/candy themed wedding in Edmonton, Ab (also where I was born and raised)

I was the wedding organizer, which meant I got to slave labour the other wedding party members

The Groom and his Best Man

Bride, Groom, Man of Honour and Best Man

Lee's Best Man speech was a tear jerker

My second mom growing up, Ana, in Edmonton, Ab

Outside of the wedding, Lee's goal for this trip was to go to West Edmonton Mall

Another homeschooler, Allison, in Edmonton, Ab

My best friend from high school, Steve, in Edmonton, Ab

First views of the Rocky Mountains (in the height of forest fire season)

A beautiful shallow lake outside Jasper, Ab

Glacial fed river in Jasper National Park

Finally, British Columbia

We had fun buying lottery tickets in each province

The Rockies get clearer, and bigger.

Speed limits increase again (74.5 mph)

Seeing my now 17 yr old brother, Theo, for the first time since he was 10. And my step-mom, Norma, in Surrey, BC

On the ferry to Vancouver Island

The redwoods of Vancouver Island, Sooke, BC

My Grandpa Tim and my Aunt Nikki, in Sooke, BC

Stepping into the Pacific Ocean, in Sooke, BC

One of the scary things about driving in the mountains, rock slides. This one was an older one and thankfully very small

Amazing animal crossing bridges in Banff National Park

Beautiful Badlands of Alberta, near Drumheller, Ab

At the Royal Tyrell Museum, near Drumheller, Ab

Hoodoos, near Drumheller, Ab

Lee's favorite part of the drive, huge prairie farms

The saline lakes of Chaplin, Sk. One of the largest bodies of salt water that is no where near a coast, in the world. 6-7 times more salty than the ocean!

Back in Ontario!

At the Panorama Amethyst Mine, the largest amethyst mine in Canada, north of Thunder Bay, On

Our haul from the mine

10,000 kilometers! (6,200 miles)

HOME!

Our complete route