Daybook: A Tease of Springtime

This weekend was glorious. So glorious, I was able to read whilst sitting in the sun and am sporting a bit o' pink on my cheeks. Spring is on the way!

:)


Outside My Window...

Rain. And lots of it today. I'm okay with it, as long as it's not an all-week thing.



I Am Listening To...

The coffee pot brewing it's magic.



I Am Wearing...

Jeans, crocs, and a big olive green comfy sweater. The hair will be curly today. ;P



I Am Thankful For...

Home school co-ops. Little Boo starts her new one today. One morning a week filled with Science, History, Art, Grammar, and Bible stories. Lots of hands-on activities for all of it. Awesome kids to learn with as well.





I Am Pondering...

What will it be like when all the beauty, all the goodness, all the wonder of God is poured into this poor earthenware vessel that I am, that all of us are? Then I will understand the words of the Apostle, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard..." It is worthwhile my children, it is worthwhile.
~J. Escriva


I Am Reading...

In Conversation With God.



From The Kitchen...

Fully stocked and ready to go! Follow me on my cooking blog and you'll see what's in store.
:)



I Am Thinking...

That I am not the greatest cook in the world, and yet I'm having so much fun sharing my go-to recipes. It really is all in fun. Hope you'll join me!



I Am Creating...

A meal plan. I have a meal to cook for a friend, and lots of activities that begin at 6pm this week. Luckily I'm home all day, every day! :)



Towards A Real Education...

Still tweaking. Here's a question. Does a home school mom ever stop tweaking? Yeah. Didn't think so. :P



Towards Rhythm and Beauty...

Less time online translates into a more orderly home. A less distracted Mama means the kids are being held more accountable in their schooling. A certain rhythm is slowly taking shape. I'm liking it very much.



To Live The Liturgy...

I've been making more time for my own personal prayer, but now it's time to extend that to more family prayer time. Now that the Olympics are over, we should be able to use that time in the evening for reflection.



I Am Hoping and Praying...

For many intentions.



In The Garden...

Just got my latest copy of Southern Living. How I double-heart that magazine! It "gets" the seasons down here. We are in planting zone 8. Apparently it's almost time to put in tomatoes. Yeehaw! :)



Around The House...

Tea, and lots of it. Every child brews his or her own cup and settles on the couch to read. It's how they gear up for the day. I wouldn't change it for anything.



On Keeping Home...

Laundry. Lots of sports mean lots of laundry. Back to back games means Mama has to get her groove on. I am by no means perfect, just ask Sports Fan who had to wear the same spandex and underthings 2 days in a row for hockey. I'll get better. Promise.



One of My Favorite Things...

The early morning cat snuggles afforded to me by Ben the Cat. There is nothing like meditating on your spiritual reading with a purring feline in your lap.



A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...

Soccer practices and games. Hockey games as well. Scouts and a baby shower. One day at a time. One moment at a time.




A Picture Thought I Am Sharing...

How about two? Here's Little Love, getting into the spirit of things...








































We have hockey on our minds, can you tell?

:)

Oh (no!) Canada!

Two days ago, we had a big bruha over here.
A huge commotion.
Lots of yelling and screaming.

BIG TIME RIVALRY.

It was team Canada vs. team USA in.... HOCKEY!















Knowing that such a momentous occasion could only occur once every 4 years, I had to call out the big guns to get some cool ideas.

I e-mailed Charlotte.

:)

She e-mailed me right back with some awesome ideas and links to many websites.

We made our own miniature hockey sticks.

We decorated those cheesy foam hats in our favorite team colors.

And we decorated these:















Notice the multiples of #87.... needed extras of the beloved Sidney Crosby!
(yes, they are maple leaves.... can't you tell? ;P)


And these...
















#17 is Ryan Kesler from the Vancouver Canucks. Sports Fan was thrilled that he was in the Olympics, but not thrilled that he was playing for the US.

Yes, all of my kiddos were cheering for Team Canada.




















And so I would not be the lone victor when Team USA routed them...
:D
I called in some reinforcements. There is only one other family in our huge community that is as hockey rabid as we are. And they are true southern patriots. Their 5 kids really got into the game, much to our surprise. What a commotion every time someone scored!

When all was said and done, Team USA won. Which just goes to show you that indeed, the good guys always always win.

:)

Overreact Much?

Just heard from DH that the remaining hockey practices and games are canceled for the season.

Apparently, the boys are not sufficiently protected against that awful pad-ripping, face-mask yanking, helmet-destroying disease known as the Swine Flu. Oh! Excuse me, I meant H1N1.

I mean, for heaven's sakes, the lads cannot even reach their mouths to drink their gatorade during the game unless they have a 3 foot long straw and can somehow take their mouth guards out without choking on them. They wear so much padding, I think we could drop them from the top of the rec center and they would bounce!

Swine Flu?

You gotta be kidding me.


Do you know what I really think?

I think they're all just scared of ME.


:)

Dare I Tell?

It's tough when your children are BNL fans and hockey fans....

I mean, when your all time favorite band is singing the praises of your all time favorite hockey player?

The "Young Crosby"????

Really. What kind of mean mom would even attempt to explain that they are actually singing about some obscure 70's rock band?

Deck The Stills - Barenaked Ladies


Not this Chica.

:)

Hockey Moms ARE Pit Bulls!

I am living proof.

My boys had a game this morning. The first of two, playing on a team of misfits, against boys who have been playing together for years.

And they were doing very well... even ahead at one point.

Sports Fan was in goal. He is probably the smallest and scrawniest child on the team, but also one of the best. Why his coach wants him to wear 20 tons of equipment and flop around in front of the net is beyond me, but there he was, flopping like a pro.

Then it happened. Not once, not twice, but three and four times... my awesome goalie-son had his glove hand covering the ball, and some belligerent 10year old is whacking Sports Fan's glove with his stick. The first few times, our bleacher section was encouraging Sports Fan to hang tough.

The fourth time? (As Action Man started pushing the brat away from his brother...)

I was on my feet.

"Hey, Ref! Get that #1 OUTTA THERE!"

Mortified, I promptly sat back down. Did I just yell at the Referee? Luckily, all the other rabid hockey moms took up my war cry and demanded that the kid be benched. He wasn't... and he scored on Sports Fan, but then was totally robbed a few plays later as my little man flattened him on a break-away.

~insert evil cackle here~

I am Nutmeg. A rabid Hockey Mom.

And I wear Lipstick.

:)

What Happens When.....

Both of your older brothers play hockey?



















Yeah.




















You have the *privilege* of being the goalie.


:)


This post part of the April Shower of Photos being hosted here.

Since I Haven't Seen Her in Awhile...

... I'll play along with Matilda long distance!

What Your Height Says About You

You are a true adventurer, and you live for the thrill. You have a lot of charisma, and you're good at convincing people to join you in your schemes. You are open to the world, and you make connections easily. You have lots of friends. You are likely to have many life paths to choose from. There are many possibilities open to you. You are about as tall as the average British man.

What Does Your Height Say About You?

Just the pick-me-up I need this weekend after our disappointing cancellation and sickness. Luckily, we have lots of family sports stuff going on. Not as hectic as you might be imagining, though, since we'll be watching a hockey game here at home at 1pm. Which, btw, has my peanuts torn asunder, given their new-found love of the Penguins thanks to the Stanley Cup Finals last year. Should be an interesting afternoon of rivalry between them and DH.

After that rousing game, I'll take a few of my peanuts over to the college to watch my sister's basketball game. And then, hopefully, I'll get to take her out for a nice sisterly dinner.

:)

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Tears

We are hockey fans. Rabid, know-it-all hockey fans. My DH is Canadian and grew up with the theme of "Hockey Night in Canada" echoing through his home every Saturday. Our Team is the Vancouver Canucks.

We are not above bandwagon jumping, however, and when the Canucks failed to make the Playoffs, we quickly chose a team in each conference to cheer for.

For the Western Conference it was the Dallas Stars. (you see, we can be loyalists sometimes!) And for the Eastern Conference, we became enamored* with Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

And so, it was with great sorrow that we watched our beloved Penguins battle their hearts out that last minute of game 6, desperately trying to tie the score and send the game into overtime. Just like they had done in game 4, when they ended up playing 3 periods of overtime before scoring the winning goal.

The guys played with such passion. And when the final horn sounded and the Red Wings began their celebration, the Penguins wore their hearts on their sleeves and stared... stunned in disbelief. My oldest started crying.

The Pittsburgh crowd was awesome. They cheered their team, chanting their goalie's name over and over. On their feet, they celebrated an amazing season with an amazing team. My son was comforted by the fact that these guys are young. Much younger than the veteran-peppered Red Wings.

And next year? They will be virtually unstoppable.


*Ok, so maybe it was only Little Dear and I that were truly enamored. Little's Love and Boo were obsessed with pronouncing his name Sid-ney rather than Cin-dy. And the boys were committing his hockey moves to memory.

:)

Thanks to Grandpa...

...this is what our sons' room looks like.

My Father-in-law was the night editor for the Vancouver Sun for years. He still enjoys going through the Sun, and it's rival up there, The Province, and sending out articles to the families who no longer live in the area.

And when playoff hockey is going on?

My boys get the privilege of being the recipients of these exclusive Province posters of the Canucks...
















And we get to hear them chant the headline from the front page of the Sun over and over:

"BRING ON THE DUCKS!"


Game 4 tonight... we'll be watching!

:)