Life at Oak Grove

Tomorrow I am going to get training via a simulcast of the Truth Project.

I can hardly wait...  

For more details go to The Truth Project website.

 This week the assignment is to create a photo essay of our summer...   Summer usually start June 21st but for us it started early June...  Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

LOL - that's me...   I go to ToysRUs the other day and found a Lego box regular price 100$ and on sale at 22$.   Amazing!    Isn't it.    So I brought my mother-in-law the same day and she bought two for two of her grandsons...  

I go to Winners and found an ABC toys in French (WoW!) in 15$ - got it for mother-in-law for a christmas gift.   I also found the famous WordLaunch for 25$ - again for a christmas gift from mother-in-law...  

My latest discovery is at the dollar store near my place.   I go in to check for pirate's hats.   Didn't find any but I found workbooks for my kids...  Got most of them in three copies but some I had only 2 copies or just one...   Bummer.  

Then I found a serie of books on countries - got Thailand, Dominican Republic and Bolivia because this is where our sponsored kids with Compassion are.   I get home and show them to hubby and you know what he tells me?  "Why didn't you bought the whole set?"

Right!   I had thought of that at the store but I thought that he would have said something like "Don't you think we have enough books?" so I took only the three that were touching us... 

So I went back before swimming courses...   At 1$ each it's quite a bargain.  Did a search on the net and found out that they were about 25$ or so... 

And Alexandre started to read the one on Dominican Republic.  Cool!

The library were I live was kind of complicated to go with little ones... But soon they will have a brand new door to allow easy access for family with kids.  You see before you would have to go behind the building and take an elevator and walk a long time, go in the library, take another elevator to go int he kids section.   OUF!   Not too bad mind you but with 4 kids I avoided the library.

Well they will start construction next week... for a door that will go directly to the kids sections.   Yippee!

Anyhow, last night after swimming lessons (with only Alexandre - the other three are contagious still) I went to pick up some books that I had asked to put aside.  Then I went downstairs to check out some books about Egypt for our Mystery of History lessons.   Found little treasures...   I'm so excited.  Alexandre took some books too!   I had directed him toward a easy reader section but when I went to see him he told me that he wanted chapter books - I'm so proud of him...  He loves reading which makes ma heart sign...   So we went to the chapter books section and discovered some Magic School Bus chapter books.   He chose three and started one in the car.  LOL   That's my boy!

Speaking of books...  I will have to tell you the great deal I've found at the dollar store close to my home.   Amazingly you can find little treasures for homeschooling there...

Yep Fall is there and I was prepared.   I had bought all my ingredients in advance and this morning I wanted to bless my sick kids with the famous Fall Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins.  

They are so delicious that I think I will share them with you...

You will need:

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 (16 oz) can pumpkin
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil until smooth.  Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.   Mix well.   Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into muffin cups.  Bake at 400F for 16 to 20 minutes.   Makes 24 muffins.

* Honestly, when I do this recipe I always double and put the rest in the freezer.   Delicious with a cold glass of milk.  Try it and tell me if you like it.

I discovered this site last night while surfing.  I found it from another blog but I can't remember which one.  Anyhow, this site works the same way as CurrClick and has ebooks as well.   Every week, they give away one specific e-book.  This week it is about Cooking with Tofu.   I'm not a tofu person per say but I would mind learning how to cook it so I can enjoy it.   I heard that you can enjoy tofu if it's cook the proper way.   Well my latest experience were not that great!  LOL.   They even have a kids section and I think there is great e-book there for ecology subjects like plants and animals.

Anyhow, if you are interested, please check out EcoBrain.  Click on the link below or the one on my sidebar.   Enjoy the discovery.

... MY NEW OFFICE!

This is the door.   I decided to put a caricature we had done back in 1997 as a celebration for our engagement!  Not sure how long it will stay there but for now I think it is cute.

Opening the door you see this section of the room.  My bookshelves and an old desk that my husband used to have when he was younger with the map of Canada on it (an old version - since then Nunavut has appeared on the maps).  This desk is where I will do card making and scrapbooking.

The filing cabinet and my reading chair...  This chair belonged to my parents when they got married.   Now it is mine and in need of upholstery.   But it is so comfy!  Love it!  The desk that you see is Dominic's clothes desk - we need somewhere to put it that is close to his room.

Finally my other desk which was initially bought for hubby but it was giving him back pain so I got it!   I love it.   The stack of paper on the right is not misplaced - it's a reminder that I have to finish the business year-end accounting (all the expenses and so on are in there...).   I need to get that finished ASAP.

Honestly I have blessed 100%.    Now I just have to finish emptying the old office so that we can paint it and set up the room for the kids to do their homework - the dining room is just not working for us anymore.

If only we wouldn't have the nagging idea of potentially moving...   after all that work we have put in our house ie basement finished, my new office and eventually the schoolroom...  but hey God's plan is bigger than ours right?

So Dominic is taking is shower and he keeps calling... 

Me: What?

Dominic:   Can I wash the chicken pox?

Me:  Yes you wash the chicken pox too!

I am not Spider-man (for those of you who remember the Who am I? comment in the Spider-man movie.).

I saw this mem over on Heidi's blog and wanted everyone to get to know me better (especially the TOS Crew if they come and visit!).  The activity is quite simply but time consuming.   Today I have time since Alexandre went fishing with dad on his one-on-one activity with him.  They won't come back until tomorrow which gives me time to organized my office and finish some work to be done for the business AND take care of my three chicken pox kids...

Rule:  Answer each question below by going to Google Image Search and display the image of your answer with minimal words...

The age I will be on my next birthday

Place I want to travel to

Thailand 

My favorite Place

My favorite food

Thai food - introduced to me by friends who are missionary in Thailand.

My favorite pet

Cats - this was my cat, Socrates.   Look he had extra toes on his front paws!

My favorite color combination

My favorite piece of clothing

Fuzzy socks!

My all-time favorite song

Okay...  I couldn't decide.  I really like Cornelius and Breakfast in Hell both by Newsboys.

My  favorite TV show

 I'm a Little House fan...  watching for season these days - thanks to DVDs.

First name of my significant other

 How convenient - this Robert played Tony Stark aka Ironman and my man collects comic books.

Province I live in 

My screenname/nickname

 I couldn't find a canadian flag with a ladybug - LOL 

My first job

Ice Cream Parlour

My dream job

 Being a mom - I wouldn't change it for anything else... even when sometimes I am drained by the demands.

One bad habit that I have

Okay - my office was not that bad but almost...

My worst fear

Depression - Feeling darkness overwhelming me.

Thing I'd like to do before I die

Bring my family to visit the world  and visit my sponsored children - Compassion Canada (Maruja in Bolivia, Alberto and Indira in Dominican Republic and Orana in Thailand)

First thing I'll buy if I win a million dollar

House on a lake with a dock where we can put the boat and go fishing... Country living!

Present I would like for my next birthday

I miss my SLR camera...  Wish to have a digital SLR with big zoom and flash.

 That was interesting.  Got me thinking for some questions...   Anyhow, I would like everyone who visit my blog to take the time and go through this little meme.   It's fun and I found it relaxing.

My pumpkin is sick... not a bad sick but she is not feeling good because of the chicken pox.   She doesn't have any other way to express it but crying.   Nothing comfort her...  only mommy arms actually but sometimes I need to do something else.   Her temperature was rising this morning so I gave her some tylenol.  Now she is sleeping peacefully - hopefully for the whole afternoon.

My 4 year old is okay.  More spots coming up so I cut his nails to avoid scratching.    

This morning - Oh joy coul dit be... yes! - Jérémy has two spots in his back.    Horray.   Exposure was 100% effective.   Thanks to Eva and Zahra Brown (two of the six kids of our friends who are missionary in Thailand and are in Canada until November).   

Me.   Well, I'm a bit tired...  I find that when my kids are sick my sleep is not as hard as it should be...  and with Jasmine being the worst of the three so far... well I think you know what I mean.  

So this chicken pox adventure means no swimming courses on Thursday and no gymnastics on Wednesday for Dominic.   He doesn't know yet and it would be preferable that he doesn't know to avoid any crying - after all he is my drama king...

... and honestly I wonder where does the time go.

This week was busy once again... getting more organized in my office (thanks to my brother-in-law who came to bring the desks upstairs - which means two set of stairs from the basement to the second floor), my bookshelves are up, my printer and scanner are now hooked, we organized the shed in the backyard, cut our months long grass (no kidding I could have done braids with it...), threw more of the 10 year junk, brought a load at Value Village (and more to come), took care of a 9 month old who came down with chicken pox, dried the tears of a 4 year old who got chicken pox on Saturday and couldn't come to the launch of the church (poor kid), did school also and swimming lessons.    OUF!    Busy like a bee... let me tell you that.

What's left to be done is bringing the filing cabinet in the new office, finishing packing up the old office and getting rid of the desk in there, painting, finishing going through the stuff in the garage so that we can park the cars in there when snow comes, finish organizing my office and then took pictures for your dear reader, scrapbooking and card making (especially the christmas ones...).  Oh and also closing down the trailer sometime in October.

So you can see that we are not out of the woods of 10 years of piling things...  But we are seeing the end of it and are quite happy about it.    No more junk from before our marriage (yes I know it's embarrassing!).

Now if only my 2 year old would catch chicken pox I would be happy.

Thanks to the Ashley, daughter of my friend Heidi, my blog has now a new look...

Oh I could have figured it out probably but honestly I don't have the time, patience or courage to do this.   She did it in a record time... Unbelievable.  And to think I have a master degree in information technology.   I used to have a website... and all.   Now I feel like I am obsolete in this area.   

Thank you Ashley for coming to my rescue... 

I'm curious about my ancestors.   And over the last 10 years or so I was able to collect our genealogy.   It's not complete but I have most of our past figured out.    I have all the ancestors of the Lussiers and Cantins up to the first who came in Canada.   I think I have most of the Rivards and some Lantaignes a bit of Boissés and none of Ledouxs.    These are on the grand-parents sides.   But I think it's interesting that my kids  will be able to continue their genealogy in the future.  

One thing I cherish are things from the past.  Like I have an old necklace and bag from my grand-mother, old furniture that belonged to her, old pictures from my parents, and this ring from my paternal grand-father.

This ring is quite a mystery for me.   I don't know the whole story behind it.   I heard that either my grand-father or great-grand-father had gone to Yukon and found a golden nugget which was turned into this ring.   I wonder sometimes if the story is accurate or not.   Everytime I look at it, I wonder what is the history behind it.    This is something that is gone forever for me simply because I never really sat down with my grand-pa and asked him.   He is gone now... since many many years (I was a teenager when he died).   And my dad too since Dec 2000 -  well I don't think he ever knew the story either.   Honestly I didn't expect getting this ring when dad died.   He had left my mom since a number of years and was living with a woman that I never met - never felt as though I needed to met her either.  However, after many years of separation from dad I had decided in Nov 2000 to make an effort and meet him in a public place with my aunt, his sister.   He was sick.  Very sick as a matter of fact...  Cancer.   God had worked so many years to make peace in my heart and I forgave my dad.   He died knowing I was expecting his first grand-child... 

Anyhow, back to the ring...   After his death, I received a package in the mail.  It was the famous ring...   And now, I have this ring - not really knowing what to do with it and wondering what it's story is.   Wondering...   Oh I wish I knew the story so I can tell my kids about it.

If you are reading this, I strongly suggest that you take the time to learn about your parents, grand-parents and so on.   So many stories they can tell you.   For me, it's too late...   but I encourage all of you to take the time and sit down with an elder and ask them questions from their past.  Learn from them.  They are often wiser than we can think...

So I got this surprised this morning in the mail... A letter from the sheriff's office of Ontario and a questionnaire as to qualifications for jury duty.

My first reaction was Oh! No!...  As if I want to do this.   And what would happen to my homeschool kids if I am selected on a case from Ontario and it takes months to get resolve...  Great!

Then hubby suggested to call HSLDA.  Okay...  So I call.   Right away, the lady on the phone told me she will get someone to call me back and told me that they have a specific form for Ontario homeschoolers to send with this questionnaire that I got.   So now I am waiting for someone to call me back from HSLDA Canada.   I have 5 days to return the questionnaire or it's 5000$ fine.

I have mixed feelings about the whole thing...   I wish I could participate to something like this just for the experience but at the same time I don't want to because of homeschooling.   I don't need the disruptions honestly.  And there is my surgery coming in November - something I waited 3 years to finally arrive...   But ultimately I leave it in the hands of God.   No need to stress about this...  after all it's just a questionnaire that will determine if they would call me or not - not a final decision...

yep!   Yours truly has been selected to be part of the crew of the Panel of The Old Schoolhouse.   I'm so excited to start reviewing some products from various companies.  

We got blessed with some neat graphics.   Here's the first one and more to come as well.

What did we do this week - apart from going to the turtle hatching event on Friday?   Here's my highlights of the week...

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Back in 1998, we went to Disney for our honeymoon.   There we visited MGM Studios and while going an attraction, Rob got picked out from the crowd to "act" in a scene of the 101 Dalmatians movie with Glen Close.  How cool was that?

Here's some pics from his acting career...

Here he is getting instruction and looking at the real scene of the movie.

Now he has to act it...  You think it's easy ?  

Still acting... and trying to remember what is the next thing he needs to do.

Avoiding whatever is getting in his way...

At the end, they incorporated my poor husband in the scene replacing the original actor...   It was very cool for him to experience this.

Another cool thing we saw while in Orlando, Florida was all the different reminders that you are indeed in Mickey Mouse Land... like the electrical post we caught on the side of the road!

On Friday we went to a field trip about turtle hatching.    The kids watched a little video about turtles in the park were we went and then we went to find evidence of turtles (and maybe find some baby turtles...).   We did find evidence but no turtle... 

Here's a few pictures of our field trip!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

... is a very interesting store.   So a trip there yesterday evening means now that I have three kids in homeschool...  Why?   Well I found a french book for preschoolers which means Jérémy can be introduced slowly to certain notions.

Oh everytime I do the sound book for the French alphabet, he joins in with Dominic.   So he was already sort of homeschool...  It's just more fun to have a book for him too!

And he was all happy.  Holding his book tight in the cart.  So cute!

As I am writing this, my in-laws (bless their hearts) are finishing the paint in my future office.   Right now my current office is in such a mess it's unbelievable.   Within a week, I should be set up completely.   My desk won't go in until next Monday but until then I could wash the carpet, install my bookshelves, put in some books, place the remaining things...as fast as I can.

I can't wait.    Then I will have the empty the current office which will become the schoolroom...    Now I just have to decide which color I will put on the walls.    And finish packing the stuff.   But it's quite exciting...

Okay... surgery is not until November 26th but I had a meeting this afternoon with the doctor to go through all the details and how it will be going.  

She was nice this time - compared to the time I met her back in February.   More relax...   She took the time to check the pain I have in my left big toe - arthritis...  Actually I have arthritis in both big toes.  

I had surgery for a bunion on my left foot back when I was 18.   Ouch!   Doesn't make me younger!    Anyhow, it was botched.   Not great of a doctor back then... but this time I have the best in the city.   The top notch one...    and this time it's for a bunion but on the right foot.   Took 19 years before bugging me so much that I couldn't endure it.  Took 2 years to finally met the doctor back in February.    And I consider myself lucky that she was able to schedule me for surgery in 2008.  She is pretty busy.    So now I wait for the hospital to call me for pre-op stuff.   Probably not until October or early November.    I'm in no rush.   Until then, I will concentrate on teaching my kids and taking some advance.    Bottom line is that for 48 hours after surgery I will have to keep my leg up and administrate my pain killer myself from a tube behind the leg.   Then after that 6 weeks in a cast up to half the foot.   Then 6 weeks of not doing steps, jumps or dancing... - okay so I guess when I go to HEAT I will draw most of the time then - Oh well.

All this done during the winter time.   I sure hope that I will find some BIG HUGE socks before then to keep my heel warm...

I didn't know but apparently this is the season for turtle hatching.   And I just got and e-mail for an activity at Petrie Island (a bit far from my place but so worth it to go to) about Turtle Hatching.   So I called, left my name and phone number and wait until they call back....   Registering 3 kids - ages 2,4 and 7).  Cost?  6$ plus parking which is 2$ for 5 hours or something like that.   Not too bad...   Don't know if I have to pay too!

They will watch a video on turtle hatching and then go see if there is evidence on the beach.   Isn't it cool?

Today we did our first lesson of Mystery of History - which was about creation.   Okay we did lots of reading and we did a coloring about the creation.   Tomorrow I will give an assignment to Alexandre (the other two are a bit too young).    It was fun.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with the specialist for my foot - going through the different things before surgery in November.   I am not looking forward to it but it has to be done.  This bunion of mine is killing me at times and it took me 2 years to see this doctor (this is my 2nd appointment with her).  

October 14... the day after Thanksgiving here in Canada.   We are going to the polls...  So it got me thinking.  Is there some teaching resources about Elections in Canada?

I found this link at Elections Canada for teachers...  Unfortunately, the order department is close for the period of the elections.  Bummer!

So I looked again and found this interesting site for anything in Canada as well as background resources for teachers.   

So if you are interested on how Canada is ruled.  Check the sites...

Neither of us were feeling like going camping... so hubby thought I should go to the trailer by myself and take a break... I wasn't looking forward todrive by myself though.  So Saturday morning, hubby tells me to pack.    My things are in the entrance when suddenly the phone ring...   A Brown and it's a phone number from Quebec.   Who could this be?   I almost didn't answer because we don't know any Browns from Quebec.   But I picked up the phone anyway.   It was our friends who are missionary in Thailand - they are in the country for 4 months.   Anyhow, the two youngest came up with chiken pox and since I had asked her to call me when it happened... well we had to invite them for lunch. 

So my departure was postponed a bit.   But if my kids do get the chicken pox I think it was worth it!!!   Alexandre had it when he was 2 but the three others didn't and I don't really believe in the vaccine so I REALLY wanted them to catch it.   So now we count the days...  about two weeks it takes.

So I left around3 pm for the trailer.   Rainy day...  I hate driving in the rain.   But at some point on my drive it stopped.   I made a stop at the Wal-Mart in a city close to where the trailer is to buy some food and then up to the trailer.

My first gift from God was to hear and then see some woodpeckers in a tree close to the trailer.  Now if I could find the binoculors.   I gave them to hubby when he went to open the trailer back in May but we can't find them since then...  He doesn't remember where he put them.   Worst is that on Friday I discovered a Bird Sanctuary that we can go visit.   What's the point to visit a Wildlife Bird Sanctuary when you don't have binocular and the season for the birds to leave is from now until October.    So I go on a hunt...  and I found them.  At a place where I would least expect them.   Told hubby about it and he said that now he remember why he put them there so that we can access them easily on the trip if we needed them... Mmmm!  no comments since we couldn't find them on the trip.  At least now I have them...  Now if only I could find the otehr pair at home - where could they be???

So I had bible, Beth Moore study, crayons, pastels, paper, drawing book, cardstocks, two books, stamps, ink and so on.   Probably had too much...  But I did read a book about Ruth Bell Graham - Footprints of a Pilgrim.   I was touched by it.   I discovered a woman who was goind through the same things I am going through at times... Who would have thought that she had insecurities and was wondering about being a good mother to her children?   I sure didn't...

Anyhow, I also did some Beth Moore study - A woman's heart God's dwelling place.    I love her studies because I learn so much from them.    I also started doing making the christmas cards.   I got my stamps from Stampin' Up last week so I was planning what to do.    And I also took out my paper, pencils and pastels to draw a bit.   But by 3:30 pm or so I felt I needed to go back home so I left.

Arrived home around 5pm or so - I took my time as I was listening a teaching cd.    We had supper and after I realized that Jérémy was feverish.   We didn't had tylenol for him at home so hubby went to the pharmacy.    Jasmine was cranky also and Alexandre had diarrhea all day according to hubby.    Poor sweetpeas.  So I put my nurse hat and took care of my sick little boy...  

I just realized that I haven't talked about the curriculum we will be using this year.

For Alexandre: Toute ma deuxième année, Je lis! 2ème année, Par Écrit! 2ème année, Pas de problème! 2ème année, Math U See Beta, Mystery of History 1, Teach art for children (and mom), science also...  OUF!  Oh and I have some English phonic and English writing for him too!   Rosetta Stone French and Spanish.   Brainware

For Dominic:  Math U See Primer, Phonics Factory, 3 Steps Ahead, Toute ma maternelle, Brainware, Raconte-moi les sons (alphabet sounds in French). He will also learn to say his name, address, phone number and so on.

For Jérémy: Well he is following Dominic....  Repeating everything with him.  So I am assuming he will learn his alphabet and his numbers...   Teaching him to write his name, cut and fold.  And potty training - for whatever reason this kid is stubborn....

For Jasmine:  Nothing formal for her yet!   Teaching her to walk and using a sippy cup.

I might forget a few things.... but in a nutshell this is what we will use along with devotions every morning.