Forgetful

Wow...somehow, in the past few weeks I have completely forgot about my blog.

I've taken few photos and had several challenges...

Considering Noah & I are heading to Ontario for a(nother) road trip for couple of weeks.  We leave in the wee hours tomorrow morning (not returning home until April 7), I'm sure it'll be a few weeks before I make another blog post.  So, I wanted to make sure you knew I was still alive and well (just busy)!

Life is going great, the whole purpose of our road trip is to participate in the annual TDH GALA (see more info at the website:  HERE http://www.tdhcharitygala.com/) in Toronto on Mar 26.  TDH is the agency we are using to adopt.  It's a fundraising event to raise money for the orphanage where quite possibly our daughter will come from.   I'm on the committee, and have been helping out in the preparation (only wish I could help more than I have).  I'm really looking forward to the event for many reasons, to network and meet other families in the GTA that are adopting, spending the evening ALONE with my cousin (JUST US), and getting to know more about the process when adopting from Vietnam (through an information session with the agency staff and 8 delegates from Vietnam).

You may ask, 'why so long?' 

Well, Jacques ended up having a business trip from Apr 4-6. By waiting, Jacques can drive home with us and the gas is paid for through his travel expenses!  PLUS, Noah and I get some great time visiting with family while there.

This is another BIG BONUS with home schooling...I have his book bag with all his work and we will continue to do schooling each day and while driving!!!

So that's it....the van is packed (except for our clothes) and we are ready to leave in the morning!

I must run and get to bed...see you in a few weeks!

Now THAT's a stumper kinda question...

While driving and listening to the radio about a girl who is waiting for a heart transplant, Noah asks me,


"Mom, do you LOVE with your heart of with your mind?"


And here's a bit of our conversation:


M - "Your heart"
N - "Well then what about for people that get heart transplants? What about this little girl?  After her heart transplant, how would she know who to LOVE?"
M - "Ummmm, well...your mind remembers who to LOVE, but the LOVE is from your heart and mind."
N - "So then, what if I needed to get a brain transplant?  Would I still like sports and all the things I like now?"
M - "I don't know (actually giving full thought into people that have had a brain transplant)....WAIT A MINUTE, there is no such thing as brain transplants?"
N - "But what if there was?"
M - "That's a good question!!!"

And you wonder why public school wasn't for our family!!!  Look HOW much I just taught him, LOL!!!

That crazy kid stumps me several times a day with deep thoughts like this....  I love him to bits & pieces for being this way!!!

Who knows?  We always thought we had a lawyer in the making with Noah, maybe it's a surgeon!!!

Cry for Help for Ethiopian babies

I just received this email from an adoption agency director:

"I have just learned that the Ethiopian government has initiated a slowdown of approximately 90% in the processing of adoptions from that country. Joint Council on International Children's Services has initiated a campaign, including a petition which they will present to the Ethiopian government encouraging them to explore other alternatives to address the problems, including considering partnerships offered by governments, NGO's and foundations. Please consider lending your support to this petition, as this action will impact many Ethiopian children in orphanages"


On behalf of 2 families I know, that are adopting from Ethiopia, I urge you to please sign the petition to help them bring their babies' home.

I did....it takes less than 2 minutes.

Go to the link here:  http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43714.html

Attention all Home Schooling families

I just stumbled across the coolest website that I have to share called

THE CHRISTIAN HOME SCHOOL HUB 

click on the name to go to the site, or see the link below.

http://christianhomeschoolhub.spruz.com/

They are doing the COOLEST geography project right now called

PASSPORT TO THE WORLD.

In this program, kids learn about 26 countries in 26 weeks!  I LOVE IT!!!

Here is a photo of the book

by  Craig Froman

Though we already have enough on our plate right now, I have joined and printed off some of the information.

Check out the trailer for the book:

You can buy the book on Amazon.ca (or com for my American friends) here:

PASSPORT TO THE WORLD

http://www.amazon.ca/Passport-World-Craig-Froman/dp/0890515956/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299666938&sr=1-1

I'm hoping to use this as part of our curriculum for geography next year.

Let me know if you're going to use it, maybe our kids can start the program together???

Hard to get back in a routine

Even though we were officially back to school last week (after our March Break) - it wasn't a regular week.

 

• Monday, was declared a snow-day by Jacques (the principal!!!). 
• Tuesday, Noah wasn't feeling good and barely made it through school.
• Wednesday, Noah had been up all night coughing so we called it a SICK day
• Thursday, even though we did school, we had to go out to Noah's old public school (where we volunteer once per month) to make cupcakes, then came home to get through school, then back out in the afternoon to take our dog for a grooming apt and lots of running around.
• Friday, we did school even though we don't usually (but it was certainly a condensed version of a regular school day)

 

NOW that today we are getting completely DUMPED on with show (even Jacques didn't go to work, considering at 7am the snow was 1/2 way up the tires of the van and they were still calling for another 40 cm of snow)!!

 

What a rough day...first full regular day back in routine.

 

Luckily, the principal was here and stepped in only once!  It was so nice that I had that back up support!

 

That said, Noah is without TV for the remainder of the day AND he is going to bed early tonight for talking back!  I don't think he'll try the nonsense with me tomorrow again!

Snow Day Hopeful

SO, the principal of this home schooling family (aka, DAD) declared Sunday evening that IF the public school got a snow day on Monday (which is what they were calling for) than SO would Noah.

When I went to bed, this card is what I found under my pillow!

The inside says:  "I hope that it is a * (to resemble a snow flake) day, but if not I won't be mad."

Needless to say, I went to bed with a big smile on my face and warmth in my heart!

I just adore my kid!!!

OK...so I feel I have to explain the "I won't be mad" part!

In the past, on days that were calling for lots of snow - if the district did NOT call a snow day, Noah would be on a war path and mostly directed at me!!! lol 

SO GUESS WHAT?

We got a snow day!

Can you guess what we did??

YUPPERS, played games!!  This is our newest (old) game to our collection:  HEADBANDZ

I love it!

We had a great day, even though Noah was at the beginning of a nasty chest cold!

World Record

...for the LARGEST igloo is right here in Grand Falls, New Brunswick.

How COOL is that?

And we got to go walk around in it!!!