Thankful for School

Thank You Lord for school - and the principals, teachers, and staff who work there.  It has been a good start to the year, though Covid delayed the start by a few days.  Isaac is in grade 5, Kohen started grade 1 and Lily-Anna is officially a JK.  We had originally planned to keep Lily-Anna home to do online school and Mommy-training but God in His great mercy allowed our plans to change.  We received an email the day before school started to say that Lily-Anna was registered to attend in-person (with a teacher whom we really like) so we chatted with Lily-Anna and agreed to try this.  God already knew this would happen so I had already bought her new shoes and water bottles so at 7:30 am on her first day of school, I just needed to buy her a backpack and lunchbox. 

Now Lily-Anna gets to see friends in the morning while I get a few things done and then I pick her up at 11:50 after she has had some outside time and her nutrition break so we can have Mommy-time in the afternoon (picnics, reading, hammock, art, tea parties so far).  Good times.  Graham works from home so I can leave Lily-Anna to play quietly while I pick up the boys at the end of their day.  Graham is also very helpful in the mornings when we are trying to get out the door and in the evenings when we make three lunches.

First day of school letters to my children

Celebrating freedom and education

Speaking of food, our fridge died last week.  Thanks to family and church family, we now have two borrowed bar fridges to keep us going until our new fridge arrives (we were told it would be a minimum of six weeks - I wasn't brave enough to ask about the maximum time, though I may regret that decision).  This will be our first fridge with the freezer on the bottom.  

Tea party with stuffies and Grandma's banana bread

I had forgotten to warn Kohen what the immersion part of French Immersion actually means.  I think he is over the shock now.  He was a little confused why his teacher was speaking to the class in French when she had not taught them yet.

A picnic

Today is Orange Shirt Day in Canada.  It's a day to "promote awareness about the Indian residential school system and the impact it has had on indigenous communities for over a century" (Wikipedia).  Even Lily-Anna was able to tell me the orange shirt story.  I am thankful that my children will grow up learning about this sad part of Canadian history and its ongoing effects.  

I am now a fan of electric toothbrushes!  It was recommended that two people in our household use an electric toothbrush.  Now four of us are using them (two bases and four different heads) and my teeth feel so great after using it.  I wouldn't have guessed there would be a great difference but I am sold.  

Our plates, bowls, and glasses are now located in a lower cupboard in our kitchen.  This seems like quite a silly location for anyone over 5 feet tall but now the kids can put these dishes away out of the dishwasher and they can set the table without having to climb on the counter.  

I like to self-diagnose using Google.  So, I think I may have two bone spurs on my right hand/wrist.  I haven't told Graham yet - I thought I'd surprise him.  Surprise!  It is bizarre to look at my hand and see extra protrusions.

Picnic at the park

This family can't even play pretend without a full on argument.  We were having a road trip and Graham was making it extra fun by pretending that we were on a plane and Lily-Anna was the hospitality manager.  Well, that didn't last long.  The boys decided that we were really on a fighter plane.  I think one one was the pilot and one was the gunner.  Lily-Anna was adamant that she was not on a fighter plane.  It didn't go down well. 

Today I did something for the first time.  I took a man's grocery cart for about ten minutes until I noticed the mushrooms and knew something was amiss.  In those ten minutes I had travelled all over the store.  I then found the lovely man or he found me.  He had taken my cart to customer service so he went and brought it to me and then we took out all the items I had added to his cart.  I was very apologetic and he was very kind.  I remember thinking near the bread that my cart seemed to be in a little different position.  I guess I'll know what to do the next time I feel that way.  

Reading in the hammock

It's time to say good-night.  (Also, thank You Lord for such a beautiful Fall!  I've loved the sunshine and the leaves and even some crisp mornings.)  Sorry the photos are mostly of Lily-Anna - I see I have been negligent in the photo department after school and on weekends.

Blessings,

Elizabeth

Phil 1:21

For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

P.S. I have been enjoying Rend Collective.  Often Lily-Anna and I dance to some of their more rowdy tunes at lunch time but here are a couple of others I like:

I Choose to Worship:

Rend Collective: Our Prayer