1. READ
- Sophia read Three Cups of Tea (YA version) by Greg Mortenson
- Nancy Clancy Super Sleuth by Jane O'Connor (read to M&G)
- Binky Takes Charge by Ashley Spires from Saskatoon (read to M&G)
- started Captain Underpants #10, Phineas & Ferb comic-style book, and A Bear Called Paddington (reading to M&G)
Sunshine!
2. WATCHED & LISTENED
- TV
- Top Chef (N/K/M/G - and now they're hooked on it!)
- DVDs/MOVIES
- The Hunger Games (Sophia, Jenna, and Sydney; Netflix)
- Parental Guidance (Sophia and Meghan; at Rainbow)
- Gulliver's Travels (girls; Netflix on their computer)
- Inkheart (girls; in the van)
- Phineas & Ferb: The Perry Files (girls; in the van)
- Food, Inc. (N/K; Netflix) - excellent!
- all eight Harry Potter movies (Sophia and Jae-lyn at her house)
- Rise of the Guardian (N, girls & B; at Rainbow)
- Hugo (all of us and Rianne; Netflix)
- PODCASTS (K)
- The Digi Show
- I also started listing to music while delivering papers
The girls were very interested in their great grandma's knitting.
3. EVENTS & OUTINGS
- three ringette tournaments, three weekends in a row (details in a separate post)
- Madeline and Georgia attended K4J
- Georgia performed Irish dancing at the Girl Guides Tea & Carnival at Sunset United (Sophia and Madeline didn't as they were in the QCC ringette tourney) - she also won a cake in the cake walk
- playdates with Elise and Victoria (G); Elysia (S)
- sleepovers with Elise (G); Bella (in MH), Emerson, Mattea, and Rianne (M); Jenna (in S'toon), Jae-lyn, and Alissa (S)
- Georgia attended Elise's birthday party
- Sophia went skating with her class; Neil went, too
- in Saskatoon, we:
- ate at Fuddruckers - always a favourite; I enjoyed a bison burger on a gluten-free bun - I don't mind eating a burger with no bun, but it was nice to have that option!
- visited Grandma Byrns and Uncle Joel. We had a nice visit (too short, though), and the girls were especially interested in Grandma's knitting, as usual
- went to the University of Saskatchewan for a few minutes as I wanted to see how it has changed since I was a student there 20 years ago; we drove around the loop and popped into Place Riel briefly (the inside has changed a lot!)
- during my week off, we went to the Science Centre and enjoyed the Da Vinci Inventions special exhibit (favourites were the optical chamber (eight walls of mirrors) and building a self-supporting arch bridge); Sophia also used the GyroGym (Madeline and Georgia aren't tall enough yet)
- Neil took the girls to public skating at the Co-op
- we ate at Houston Pizza in our neighbourhood - gift certificates :)
Da Vinci Inventions at the Science Centre. / Mojo just before a league game at the Co-op.
4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER
- Turkey Breakfast Sausage - the girls didn't care for the seasoning, so we may use different seasoning or make them plain next time
- Sweet Potato Wedges - love!
- heart-shaped bison sliders for Valentine's day :)
- Salmon in a Bag - made with steelhead trout (a.k.a. salmon)
- Skillet-fried Top Sirloin (Ribs, Chops, Steaks & Wings) - made with bison striploin
- Coconut Flour Pancakes - yummy
- Roasted Kabocha Squash - good but I prefer acorn squash
- Purple cauliflower faux-tatoes - fun!
- snack: sliced roasted turkey breast, gouda cheese, and green apple
- Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps - love these - with real butter of course!
- Roasted Cabbage - fantastic!
- Sarah's Best Homemade Hot Chocolate - with a little less sugar
- Banana Vanilla Bean Pancakes - I didn't use a vanilla bean
- Roasted Cauliflower with Orange Zest - and lemon juice on top
- Neil's Turkey Rice Soup
The girls enjoyed playing outside and making shapes from blocks of snow.
- my friend, Atef, gave me a pashmina from Bangladesh after going there to visit his parents
- Mom gave us a book for the girls to read (Three Cups of Tea)
- the girls received more birthday gifts (recorded elsewhere)
The line at Fudds (in Saskatoon) was out the door, but still worth the wait!
6. SPECIAL PURCHASES
- ringette action photos of Sophia and Madeline from the QCC tourney
- Bogs Plimsoll Tall boots for me - as I anticipated walking daily in cold, wet conditions for months (as it turned out, they didn't even get wet for another two months) - I love them! my feet feel invincible
- windshield wiper blades for the van
- Calvin Klein rubber boots for Sophia - great price at Winners
- USB 2.0 hub for the computer
- iPod arm band for Neil
- four girls' winter jackets for $10 each at Urban Planet; Sophia also bought two t-shirts
- hot water bottles for all three girls - a lot of happiness for a few dollars!
- Ring-Jet ringette stick for Sophia (partly a birthday gift from Auntie Laurel)
- skate guards for Madeline
Georgia at Kinsmen Park South.
7. HEALTH
- Sophia's hips were very sore after the QCC ringette tournament, and occasionally after that
- Sophia stayed home from school one afternoon with a stomach ache
- Georgia came down with a cold
- in one grocery trip, Neil brought home acorn, butternut, kabocha, and spaghetti squashes, purple and green cabbages, purple and white cauliflowers, pummelos, and more fruits and veg :)
- I was sick one day during my vacation from work - bummer! I felt ill but managed to deliver papers, vomited as soon as we got home, and then slept all day - so bizarre! (but very similar to something my manager had) I was glad to have kombucha and turkey bone broth on hand - perfect foods for recovery
- the girls had eye check-ups - all have 20/20 vision (and Sophia's is slightly better); the doctor emphasized that they need to take a break from screen time or reading every 45 minutes and wear sunglasses in the summer
- we received a detailed report in the mail from Georgia's new cardiologist; we hadn't received one before
Georgia holding an iron rose made by my Uncle Pat (at Grandma Byrns's place in Saskatoon).
8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- sewed velcro straps on Sophia's ringette pants
- packed for two weekend trips without going crazy
- Georgia completed a record number of piano practices - 14 in one week!
- Madeline showed good improvement in her reading level at school
Terrible ice dam on our roof and stockings filled with ice melter; they looked like giant slugs.
9. DISAPPOINTMENTS
- being ill on one of my vacation days; I haven't been sick since last May and *this* is when I had to get sick?
- the state of Sophia's bedroom
10. GOALS
- took our second family photo of 2013 in Kinsmen park - one of my favourites so far
11. SPORTS
- three ringette tournaments, three weekends in a row (details in a separate post)
- Madeline was delighted to earn a game star for one of her league games - she always works hard!
- Mojo had their first shut out of the season - their goalie was thrilled
- Madeline's team had their team photo and individual action shots taken - unfortunately, two players weren't there :(
- Sophia's coaches told us how happy they are with her shots (hard and across the net)
Georgia wrote this music. :)
12. NOTEWORTHY
- all month, I worked hard on a free online course from Coursera.org: Nutrition for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention - video lectures, quizzes, written assignments, and peer assessments (several hours per week)
- overheard... Madeline: "Sophia, if we had to do the Hunger Games and I got picked, would you volunteer?" Sophia (without hesitation): "Yes, because you'd be dead in 30 seconds." Madeline: "I know." (I'm glad Sophia would be selfless in this scenario; and I think Madeline should have more confidence in herself!)
- Sophia continued participating on her school's improv team
- I started playing around with digital Project Life - initially using Keynote on my iPad for page planning - while traveling to and from tournaments :)
- we had a couple days of mild weather early in February (and then scarcely again until April!)
- Dash stayed with Mom and Dad in YG when we went to Medicine Hat and with L&B when we went to Saskatoon - many thanks to all of you!
- we hired two subs to do our paper routes on the two Saturdays we were away
- Sophia won a $10 gift certificate for Rainbow Cinemas from a LeBoldus Bands draw
- I helped the girls with Valentines for their classmates by printing and cutting: Georgia's cards, Madeline's cards, Sophia's bookmarks
- we met Laurel's friend, Chris, for the first time - but much too briefly!
- after the ringette tournaments, I took a much-needed week off work! the kids were on their February school break, as well
- I played Junior Scrabble with Georgia; she and Madeline played, too
- Mom dropped by for a visit one day during my vacation from work
- the girls played dress up with Bronwyn - it's been a long time since they did that at our house (but I know it's a favourite activity at her house)
- Georgia wrote a composition for the Music for Young Children competition - I think it sounds pretty cool!
- Madeline and Mattea worked together for several hours on a talent show project for school (Adventure Time)
- I completed a one-day course through work: Basic Facilitation Skills
- Georgia asked the tooth fairy to draw a picture of herself. She received a picture and excused the tooth fairy for not having time to answer her questions :)
