Children’s questions at the dinner table – Part 1

I will begin to document the ever-increasing vocabulary of my 2 boys, who are now aged 9 and 10.  Some of the questions are a part of growing up, but still take me off guard!!

Just before bed time

What is sexual harassment?

Comment from the 9-year-old: It could have to do with naked ladies who dance around poles

Driving to school the next day

What is exploitation?

Further updates as the questions continue….

 

Getting ready for Christmas….

Yes, I know it is only September, but living in the North has me purchasing christmas gifts early.

With only one store in Yellowknife that I can  purchase items for the kids (excluding the electronic stores), I tend to do my shopping online.

My biggest problem this year is the “pre-teen Christmas”.  If you ask the boys what they would like this year, their response is always the same…laptops and cell phones.

I have 2 issues with this:

1. Both Dave and I feel they are too young for laptops and cell phones
2. Aren’t they still just kids? What happened to marbles and skipping ropes?

It seems that all my boys are interested in is technology…not sure if that is a bad thing.  What I do know that instead of calling friends on the weekend they would rather plant their arses in front of the computer playing games.

Unfotunately, my kids don’t have any friends on the street where they live.  We do allow them to take their bikes to go visiting a friend, whick works out okay for the oldest, but the youngest’s friends live on the other side of town.  We have talked about moving many times, even looked at houses and put in offers, but housing prices are crazy in YK and we have decided to stay put for another year.

This of course leads me up to winter and Christmas.  With cold dark days in the winter and not much playing outside, we have to fill their time with indoor activities.  There is only so many board games you can play.  When friends used to visit last year they would be playing with Nerf guns in the house, dressing up in old halloween costumes and running around.  Sometimes they would play a board game or air hockey.  But this year is different.  When friends come over I have to force them out of the house to go on the trampoline, ride their bikes, play basketball.  All they and their friends want to do is play on the computer or video games.

Maybe I am taking this all too serious…maybe I am just being a boring mom. 

This Christmas may be their last for believing in Santa. The toothfairy case has been cracked wide open, Easter Bunny is about 80% false right now, and Santa…well I am sure the disbelief is weighing on their minds.

I guess overall I want them to be excited and happy about Christmas and not disappointed in the gifts we choose not to get them.

This may be a LONG WINTER!!!!!

Little rock garden

This is a way overdue post.  Maybe not interesting to some, but due!

This summer, we decided to plant a garden in an area of the backgarden that we have kept “unused” with plans of planting for 3 years now.

I can proudly say that this little garden is still alive and growing beautifully.  Not sure on all the plant names but I do know that there is rhubarb and a birch tree (compliments of the Department of Enviroment who give residents 2 free tree sapplings a year…we had 2 but 1 died).

I now present some pictures of our little rock garden.  Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

Alaska Vacation July 2011

Panning Gold with Donald Duck

 

We boarded a Disney Cruise from Vancouver to Alaska for 7 days.  Beautiful scenery, relaxing, but unfortunately I was seasick for 2 days.  Enjoy the pics!!

Liarsville, Alaska

Boat Tour in Ketchikan

Fun with Pluto!!

Mendenhall Glacier in the background

 

View from the Deck

 

Beautiful scenery

 

Crab boat tour on the Aleution Ballad

 

Sawyer Glacier

 

Jammin’

A picture Cace’s guitar teacher took of him at his lesson.  Cace loves the Star Wars poster…will make a great birthday present for him:)

Remembering our Father and Grandfather January 14, 1943 – January 17, 2011

HEFFERNAN, Philip (Junior) – avid hunter and outdoors men, lover of all things in nature, mentor, a father and friend to many. A man of rare wisdom and selflessness with a passion for life. His family and friends were his life and he gave to them endlessly. Passed peacefully away on Monday, January 17th, 2011 surrounded by his family and friends at the Health Science Centre. Predeceased by his parents Philip and Mary. Leaving to mourn his wife Dot (nee Chafe); children Philip (Paulina), David (Florence), Kieran (Renee), Sarah (Darryl); grandchildren Michael, Keshia, Matthew, Delaney, Cace, Ava; great granddaughter Layla; brothers Kevin (Doreen), Pat (Jean), Doug (Mary); sisters Rosemary Howlett, Jenny Shaw (George), Marg Lee (Boyd), Teresa Edney (Gerry), Barb Daniels (Bill Dyke); special friend and hunting buddy Tony Chafe; brothers – in – law Cecil (Philomena), Bill (Beth), Albert (Regina), Max (Gail); sisters – in – law Greta Reid (Grover – deceased) , Joan Chafe (George), Louise Chafe, Edna Hudson (Wilson), Gladys Weir (Ronald – deceased), Mabel Chafe. Resting at Caul’s Funeral Home, LeMarchant Road. Visitation on Wednesday, January 19th from 12 noon – 9 p.m. and Thursday, January 20th from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Friday, January 21st from St. Kevin’s Church at 11 a.m. Interment to follow at St. Kevin’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Janeway Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or a charity of one’s choice.

Family Portraits on the Lake!

Well, today we were determined to get the kids out of the house, since we’ve been pretty much cooped up in here since the dawn of Christmas morning, aside from a few short trips to the trash bin or mail box.  Otherwise it’s been one of those holidays where everyone is at our house and the kids rarely venture out the door.  The kid’s friends come and go, but the kids have been quite happy with just staying put indoors.

So Flo and I decided to take them to one of the smaller lakes in town known as Frame Lake, and do a family portrait.  It was an exceptionally beautiful afternoon, aside from the -29 wind chill.  As expected we had to near drag them out the door, but once we got out and about they were quite happy to play around in the snowbanks, and run around on the frozen lake.

Here are a few photos we managed to capture thanks to the wonderful self-timer feature.  :-)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Deciding where to take the family portrait

Ah, there's a good spot over there!

Flo, Delaney and Cace getting a spot ready for the portrait!

Delaney making a snow angel

Cace making a snow angel

Cace chasing down Delaney on Frame Lake

Delaney and David

We had a great time out here today, even though the windchill was -29.  It’s nice to get out as a family like this.  We don’t do it often enough, but when we do, it’s a lot of fun.

From our family to yours, we hope you have a truly great Christmas and New Year this year and may you find everything you are looking for and more besides.  MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS and HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone.

Until next time…

Christmas Concert and Putting up the Tree

With this post I will try to be efficient by combing two posts into one.  Last weekend we finally managed to get enough time on the weekend to get us all in the same room together and focus on rearranging furniture in order to assemble the Christmas Tree.  Cace had been after us for a couple of weeks now but it seemed that every weekend we got too caught up in all the other activities the kids are involved in.  But not last weekend… the difference this time around was the fact that we committed to getting it done, rather than just being interested in doing so.  There is such a huge difference between “interest” and “committment”.   That has so much truth in all areas of our life, however, I will leave that for a later post.

So, here are a few pics of our endeavor in putting up the Christmas Tree.

Cace looking somewhat unaware

Delaney tackling the mid-portion of the tree

Three of us assembling branches while Florence cheers us on

David getting poked in the eye with tree needles

Cace indicating peace & success

The kids had their Christmas Concert at school on Thursday this past week, and they were both very excited to be a part of it.  They both did very well.  Here are a few pictures from the event.

Delaney with his Ho-Ho-Ho costume preparing to go on stage

Delaney looking like the real deal

Delaney is near the left edge of this Grade 4 and Grade 5 class photo

Cace playing Metalphone

Cace enjoying the concert

Cace and his Grade 3 class

Well, now that I’ve done two posts in one, I guess I can rest easy and not have to worry about posting anymore for a couple of months now!  Just kidding.  As usual I’ll go through a period of posting more regularly (or not).

Until next time… have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

ALL THE BEST from OUR FAMILY to YOURS this CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas 2010 is upon us

And where have the past two months gone?  Well, my obvious lack of motivation for blogging of late has been evident.  When Flo mentioned to me the other night that I hadn’t made a post in almost 2 months, I sort of chuckled and thought she was just messin’ with me.  Well, she wasn’t…. I should’ve known better than to question my darling wife.  She’s always right (* note to all other husbands… never forget this, even if you know you’re right).  ;-)

So, what have we been up to these last 2 months?  Everything and nothing.  Normal daily life, with little breaks between work, kids activities, work, workouts and more kids activities.  Let’s see…. three days of Judo each week, swimming, squash, guitar lessons, X-Factor Workouts (me), Spin Class (me), Tap Dance (Flo), Belly Dance (Flo)…. It seems that we look forward for Monday to roll around!  <nah, not really, but close!>

Cace has been doing great with his guitar lessons, and I started taking some lessons as well.  But I don’t foresee any band invites in my future.  Delaney has been rocking out the “recorder” (remember those from Grade 4 or 5?).   I’ll post a couple of new vids of Cace rockin out some guitar tunes on YouTube in the next few days.  Right now I have to go and complete a Leadership Self-Assessment for a training course I’m taking.  Can I be a good leader?  I think so, but the real people to answer that question are the ones that I must lead.  :-)

Christmas is just around the corner.  The kids have really not been talking much about Christmas this year.  Until this weekend, they hadn’t even prepared their letters to Santa Claus.  Go figure… we had to keep reminding them.  Delaney seems like he may be starting to hear “things” about our North Pole neighbour, but he hasn’t come out and said anything.  I figure we may have a year or two left before he realizes that Santa Claus can’t do everything we’ve convinced our children of… so we will try and keep it under wraps and cherish as much of it as we can.  Before long we’ll be wishing they still believed.  :-o

Anyhow, here’s a few recent photos, which include the Christmas Parade.  Enjoy….

Until next time…

Halloween 2010

This Halloween was actually warm..warmer than it had been the past 2 years.  It was also a relaxing day where it fell on a Sunday and the rush of the “get-home-from-school-to-get-dressed-to-eat-supper-to -go-out” wasn’t pushed upon us:)

Here is a pic of the boys in their costumes (other trick and treaters loved the costumes) the glowing red eyes were a hit!!

Gettin' ready for some spookin'

 

Ant the wonderful pumkin carving that Dave and the boys completed.  Lots of work went into this one!

Wolf Howl