Just getting out the door....

......can be a huge challenge some days! Do you know what I mean? Here I had great ambitions to get my groceries done EARLY. I woke up in good time, but frittered away too many minutes checking e-mail, responding to a couple of them, sipping coffee with Rich (well, I'd never call that frittering......), doing a few chores around here and suddenly it was time to go. Time to go, but neither of the children who were accompanying me were dressed; neither was I, for that matter. I briefly considered heading out "as is", tossed that thought and starting the getting dressed process. I call it a process b/c that's what it is. It was too late in the morning to be a quick dash upstairs. I was waylaid first by an urgent math problem. Tackled that with surprising ease, even though it was pre-algebra (go figure - he's in Gr. 4!!). I simply asked him questions until he came up with the answer himself. That saved me from explaining that subtracting negative numbers was never one of my strong suites and certainly not when I was already running late and not even dressed. I then tried to slip silently up the stairs, but I had to turn back when the littles started up a big fight over the umbrella. I ran back down, searched through the garage for our other umbrella and put it into eager hands. I breathed a sigh of relief and, once again, started up the stairs. But I heard a little whispered, "Here 'Vetta, you have this umbrella and give me that one......" I knew that nothing good would come of that, so I yelled down something about keeping your own umbrella and not asking 'Vetta for the one with the duck's head. Could I make it upstairs now? I ignored another school Q, hoping it wasn't too urgent, and closed the bedroom door. I managed to get half dressed when the door flew open and Yvetta came crashing in with her duck's head umbrella followed closely by Corin still trying to trade off the little purse sized umbrella that they had recently fought over. I sent them out of my room and hoped they'd work out their squabble on their own. Eerie silence followed and I began to dress in haste. I came out, saw Corin sitting sulkily with his little umbrella and started looking for Yvetta, while collecting all the necessities for our run to the store. I picked up a blankie and a pair of socks while searching the family room. I called her name and she answered, but it sounded a little "behind a chair"-ish so I hurried to the livingroom. The last time I found her behind the chair she was gleefully shaking baby powder into the corner. It still smells babyish when you sit there. But she was just hiding there with her duck's head umbrella, keeping it out of Corin's reach. I hauled her out, dressed her quickly and got them both into their shoes. Then they cried for drinks while Corin made subtle little grabs for Yvetta's umbrella. Her screams accompanied our sweater-putting-on. Corin then came up with the terrific idea of using his hood instead of an umbrella. Yvetta immediatly cried for a hoodie and both umbrellas were thrown to the floor. We made it out the door and I loaded some stuff in the van while Yvetta shrieked, "Come out and see the world" into an ant hole. I saw a fire truck and talked about it as a means of getting their minds so full of thoughts that they could be easily hefted into the van. No wonder I have a bad back. I got Yvetta in and told Corin that maybe he'd be a firefighter when he grew up. Suddenly he got very quiet and then his voice got very small as he said, "Mommy." I hunkered down to hear what he had to say. 5-year old arms reached around my neck and his grubby hands clasped together there. "Mommy, remember I said that when I grow up I'm just gonna stay with you?"

I guess I'll keep them :)

Gardening with Daddy

Don't you know that when you garden, wearing a winter hat is just the right thing to do? :)

Then again, in Manitoba they probably need to wear winter hats when they garden....... ;)

Iced Tea

Now that the warm weather has come (to stay, we hope!) I've pulled out my tried and true iced tea concentrate recipe. I was first introduced to it by a friend in Listowel when we moved there for a summer preaching assignment. We drank it all summer long and then I put the recipe away and promptly forgot it. Until a coupla years ago when I went through my recipe box, weeding out the ones I never use.

Iced Tea Concentrate

Steep 10 tea bags in 3 cups of boiling water for 10 minutes

Mix with:
4 cups sugar
1 cup cold water
1 750ml bottle of lemon juice (I use half the bottle.....)

Keep refridgerated.

To serve:
Pour 1" of the concentrate in a tall glass with ice and cold water.

This does work with herbal tea, too - you may have to "tweak" the sugar amount, though.

Enjoy! :)