Day 2: Candy

Today our Elf Ginger decided to get some snacks for the kids lunches.
She is one messy eater!

She also got into my pop, which everyone knows is a big no no in this house.

She wrote a note to the kids, thanking them for the clothes.  She's wearing some of them in the pictures.  We have to redo them because the size is just alittle too small.  Clayton is also really into money lately.  He made some of his own money and put some in Ginger's suitcase.  She thanked him for it and said she'll use it for snacks when she's waiting in line to give her report to Santa.

 The girls also spent some of the day making hangers for her clothes.  How cute is that???

Day 1 Ginger is her Name

We have a name for the Elf, Her name is Ginger.

The Elf came last night when everyone was sleeping.  Here she is letting the kids know that she is happy happy happy about her new "apartment"  Once she's had her fun and the kids are off to school, she will go to bed and keep an eye on the kids from there.  As we have two dogs and one likes to eat things and Ginger can't defend herself against him.

Ginger left a note for the kids it says "Hello Wilson kids!!!  My name is ..... wait!  I don't have a name yet, you need to pick one for me, you all need to agree.....

Isn't Ginger so nice?  She left another note for the kids to make her some clothes.  I hope they fit!
We all sat down and read the book so everyone knows the rules.  The boys thought it was kind of exciting that she did these things.

The kids couldn't decide on a name so they wrote her a note stating that if you are a boy pick a boy name, if you are a girl pick a girl name.  Here is a list of names to choose from.  So she picked Ginger, when we were at Sunday school this morning.  The kids thought it was hilarious that she moved when no one was home.

Can't wait to see what she comes up with tomorrow.

Elf on the Shelf

We got a package today!  It arrived last night with a little note.  It was a small little elf sized suitcase.

 It even had a little note.  It says "Someone special is coming to visit.  I've sent my suitcase early, so you can paint and decorate it, for me.  Everyone gets a side!  I'll be here tomorrow morning. Are you naughty or nice?" Elf....

The boys swear it wasn't out there this morning when they went to eat breakfast.  They kept asking me if I put it there.  Of course I said "No, I didn't do it, you guys saw me all morning. Was a carrying this suitcase around?"  Clayton said "Maybe Dad did it"  To which I said "When have you ever know your father to do anything fun?"

We talked about the Elf alittle bit, What is he or she going to do when they get here?  Why are they coming?  Where will we find him in the morning?  Why didn't he come last year?

When they asked me why he didn't come last year, I said "Maybe Santa thought you were better behaved last year and didn't need the Elf?"

The kids decorated the suitcase today and talked about what they think the Elf's name will be.

This is the suitcase all ready for the Elf to come.  I also found a scarf downstairs, (I think it was from another toy)  Payton made the blanket and said, it's for the Elf to have when hes here.

Even Faith seems to be curious about what the Elf will do tomorrow.

Family Pictures

We went out and got some family pictures.  I just did them with my tripod and some of them turned out really good.  Of course it was alittle cold that day and some of the kids were super hungry, although they had eaten not long before we went out.

We just went to the Monastery here in St. Norbert.  Super cute place to get pictures done.  If the kids were alittle more cooperative we would have gotten more.  Anyways here are some of the pictures.

Just Some Thoughts

All my life I've been one of the odd persons out.  Being shy didn't help matters.

Through most of school I was bullied, bullied by different people for different reasons.  Elementary school I had a group of friends.  Even some of those friends who were suppose to be my friends were mean to me.  I always tried to be nice and see all sides of the situation.  In junior high, I got walked on by my first real boyfriend.  I was talked into doing things that I didn't want to do, nothing illegal, but still things I knew were wrong.

I had an awesome friend, we did everything together, as friends come and go into your life, things take on different importance's. She became close to other friends, people I didn't really like.  We became separated and ended up moving away from each other.  We didn't talk for years.  This was before the internet was popular and you didn't have instant connection with everyone.  I got into many fights in junior high.  Some verbal, most fist fights.  I thought if I acted a certain way people would like me more.  I thought, if I was more interesting to the boys that I would fit in more.

I found a great guy before I moved and started to become friends with his friends.  He was into fitness and was an athlete in school.  I started to not eat,  I started to second guess myself.  There was one time I hadn't eaten all day and went for a walk and fainted.  Some stranger had to give me a ride home cause I was to weak to make it.  It's funny how life has it's ups and downs with the different people in it.

Then I moved in the summer before high school.  Way back when high school started at grade 10.  We went to a public school where most if not all the kids had been together since pre-school.  Very hard to get into a group of friends like that when they are so close.  I was once again the odd person out.  I made some friends, most were not the "popular" kids.  I wasn't invited to the cool parties, I didn't hang out with the popular kids.  I lived in a small town and most of my friends lived 10 minute drive away.  I made some great friends.  Some I still "talk" to thanks to the internet, but I haven't seen any of them in years.  Mom and dad wouldn't let me go into town when it wasn't a school day.  So I only really saw my friends at school.  To make matters worse Dustin went to a completely different school and I only really saw him at cadets.

I was once again bullied. I was curvy, and wasn't the stick figure most of the girls in my school were.  People made fun of me for being fat, even some of my guy friends. My brothers friends thought it was funny and so did he to make fun of me and treat me like shit most of the day.  It made going to school hell.  I started to pull away from people, I started to get a backbone and stand up for myself.  I got into more fights. I put on a bright face laughing with them.  Feeling like shit at home.  Along with the problems my parents were having.  They had always fought, but it had gotten worse.  They were both drinking more, and hating each other a little more as time went on.  I'm not blaming my problems or feelings on them, but it did add to the over all-ness of everything.

I was considered a nerd, I enjoyed going to school for more of the social aspect then the actual learning.  I had a hard time in school and had to study like crazy.  I was always failing papers and tests.  I had teachers even that treated me like crap.  One teacher in particular, my English teacher.  I wasn't able to be on any sports teams and he taught girls sports.  He made me feel about as big as a bug.  Back then there wasn't much you could do about it.  My mom confronted him sort of during a parent-teacher conference.  She said right to his face with me sitting right there.  Tenille thinks that you don't like her.  What was he going to say yes, of course he said no that's not true.  I still had 2 more years with him.  I struggled through failing by half a mark on everything I handed in.  One time I even got my dad to basically right the paper for me.  Still failed.  I haven't seen any of those friends since high school ended.  What I find ironic, is that the people who made fun of me in high school for being to this or too that, now have teenage children.  Who are either over weight, or have issues or are just mean.

After high school, I finally decided that enough was enough.  I don't think it was a conscience thought.  But I stopped letting people bully me.  I stopped letting people take advantage of me.  I laugh whole hardheartedly at things people say.  I give as good as I get.  I have put up a wall and hardly let anyone in the wall.  The few people I have let in, I've disappointed in one way or another.  I haven't responded in the way they expect me to, or deal with situations the way they want me too.  I'm now a flight rather then fight kinda person. 

Sometimes those old doubts and thoughts come crawling back in.  Things happen, you get rejected, someone says something to you....

I'm trying really hard not to let my own girls have these thoughts about themselves.  Payton already thinks poorly of herself.  She gets easily offended and takes rejection personally.  She won't come out of her comfort zone in some areas.  She's very shy.  I try to redirect her thoughts when she voices them.  She had said to me "mommy I don't like it when you..."  I'm trying very hard to not do those things, sometimes it just comes naturally to me and I have to make a conscience effort. 

Faith is a fairly confident person.  She does get upset if someone on social media says something too her.  I told her not to worry about people you have never met.

Life is tough, and every experience you have, good or bad, makes you the person you are today.

Lunches

So with 4 kids I make a lot of lunches for school.  I used to just pack the school lunch cabinet and fill up the lunch boxes in the mornings.  Which let me tell you, I am not really a morning person.  I hate having to be forced to do stuff especially first thing in the morning.  So I saw of these pinterest posts floating around.  I don't have alot of cupboard space, or for that matter alot of room for anything really.  So I modified my lunches.  I lay out 5 baggies for the week times 4.  So that's 20 baggies.  Then I get out anything they get for lunch.  I have to write down what each kid likes and doesn't like.  Because I don't remember and to be honest, they keep changing it on me lol.  Then I start packing, for obvious reasons I don't anything that requires refrigeration.  The kids can get those out in the morning.  But I do have a dedicated space in the fridge for that purpose.

I've only been doing it since school started, but let me tell you.  There is no fighting, no worrying about who gets what and how much.  Cause Clayton gets up a lot earlier then the other kids and he would take all the ritz crackers and then throw a fit when someone went into his lunch box to get some.  They haven't really been taking sandwiches, cause they are tired of eating them, plus they want to put peanut butter on it.  So they have been taking other things instead, like cucumbers, carrots and things like that.  I also bought them all thermos' so they have more options.

It's not a great picture, but you get the idea.  It also takes alot of pressure of me in the mornings. 
 

Splash Pads, Winnipeg - Dakota

Well today we went for the first time to the Dakota splash pad.  I've heard from many, Many people that there is a line up and they only allow so many people in at a time.  We went with friends and my friends husband says we are going to be there for 9:00 am.  It opens up at 9:30.  My friend was like  no we are not getting there that early.  But Nathan was having trouble with his poison ivy, so I did a run to Shoppers Drug Mart, to get some benadryl.  And my need to get to places on time had me at the park at 9:00.  We sat in the van for a couple of minutes, as no one else was there.  Then all of a sudden, a few vans came speeding through the parking lot.  So I said to the kids, OK go stand in line while I get the stuff.  It didn't take long for the line to get long, I was a little surprised.  My friends got there almost at 9:30 and they got in.  Then a big daycare came and there was some discussion about whether or not they could get in.  I'm assuming they were pretty close to the cut off.  I have a feeling they were over a little bit.  What I find funny is that yes it's an enclosed space, but they had 6 lifeguards on.  The one off Jubilee is not enclosed and I have only seen 3 lifeguards there.  And it gets really busy some days.  The Jubilee one also has a pool with standing water that is deeper then the Dakota one. 

So I think it was a good one.  Water was cold, but that's to be expected.  They have a slide, it's wide and runs into a little pool of it's own, you don't slide right into the big pool.  Nathan loved it, he was yelling Best Slide Ever!  Then there is kind of a pool with standing water, it's not very big really.  I would have liked to see the pool part bigger; not deeper.  There are 7 of spraying things and a bucket that dunks water.  But basically nobody played with those.  They have two spray guns with a kind of wall near them to hide behind, those were a big hit, with both the little and big kids.

There is a lot of cement there, plus 2 bathrooms.  Clayton realized that the air for drying your hands is warm and he would sneak in there to stand underneath it for a couple of minutes.  There is not really a lot of grass for sitting.  Because I was the first in line, we got the one spot that has shade for the majority of the day.  Plus it gave a great view to the whole park.  I wish that the seating area was a little bigger, cause let's face it, they could extend the fence quite a bit.  Then that would open it up to allow more then just 100 people in at a time.  Should parents really count because they are not in the water??  There were 2 different daycare's that came.  I was a little surprised, the second one had to sit outside for quite awhile before they were let in.  As a parent I don't know if I would like that.  The life guards are counting and writing notes every 10 minutes or so.  I was impressed with how attentive they were.  The ones at the Jubilee spend an awful lot of time on their phones/ipods. 

The kids Loved it and hopefully we will go back on a day when the water doesn't feel quite as cold.