Anyway, yesterday was one of the worse days, and then I got a phone call from Kaylie that went something like this:

“Mama, someone brought a real gun to school and it exploded and I’m scared. Can you come get me?”

“WHAT? A GUN?”

“Yea, I want to come home.”

“I’m coming to get you right now.”

“Okay … um … I just have to make sure it’s okay with my teacher that I go home.”

“No, you tell your teacher you’re leaving because I’m your mom and I’m the boss of you and you are coming home.”

“Okay.”

Um, yea, so that was fun. Apparently an 11-year-old Grade 5 boy (THE SAME GRADE AS KAYLIE)(just a different class) brought a gun to school and it went off in his backpack in his locker cubby hook thing. (How is that even possible? Is that just the story they’re going with? That it “went off”?) Apparently he didn’t know that it was loaded. The front page of this morning’s paper had a quote from a police officer which said, “Initially our officers thought he may have taken it as something to show friends.” So that means that he didn’t just take it to show his friends, so WHY did he bring it to school? Nobody was hurt and school went on, although kids were given the option of going home if they wanted to. When I got there, there were cops and a news station outside.

I’m glad she has no school tomorrow (previously scheduled day off) because I’m pretty sure I’d keep her home anyway. I’m not letting myself go into the what-ifs of a kid BRINGING A LOADED GUN TO SCHOOL because they are just horrible, like what if he brought it to the playground and pretended to shoot one of his friends in a “game” and actually shot him or her? What if the gun didn’t hit a metal water bottle in the kid’s backpack, but was aimed out at the kids? WHAT IF? I just can’t think about it. Homeschooling starts on Monday. (I’m kidding.)(Kind of.)

Anyway, on to things that don’t involve guns in my kid’s school.

At Canadian Family: 3 Great Baby Gates for Little Ones on the Move

Daily Flickr Photos:
(click for description)

On Instagram:
(click for description)

Me: “Well that’s too bad. Where is she moving?”

Liliana: “I don’t know. Somewhere. Maybe China.”

Me: “Oh really?”

Liliana: “Do we live in Canada?”

Me: “Yes.”

Kaylie: “Canada is the second-biggest country in the world. Russia is the biggest. And the smallest is … Haiti? Philippines? Hawaii?”

Me: “Hawaii is not a country.”

My kids need some geography lessons. Anyway, here’s what else went on this week:

At Canadian Family: A Smart Solution for Little Teethers: The Teethifier

Daily Photos:
(click for description)

On Instagram:
(click for description)

We have been having the most amazing winter this year. Whereas last year at this time we were battling temperatures that dipped below -30C/-22F, today it was 5C/41F. Almost shorts-type weather! I thought I heard somewhere that this was supposed to be the coldest winter in 20+ years, but apparently whoever said that was wrong. I love Saskatchewan even in the frigid, snot-freezing cold temperatures, but this warm winter has made me love this place even more.

**

I was perusing Facebook the other day and came across a link to a segment from an Oprah episode and I clicked on it. I am not at all a fan of Oprah, for a variety of reasons (I actually cannot stand her)(I’m being mean now, aren’t I?)(don’t worry, though, I doubt she reads my blog), but the title of this video caught my eye and now I wish I’d seen it about nine months ago. Lookie here:

HOW COOL IS THAT? I guess Facebook is good for something. Also, I now want to test this out. Anyone have a newborn I can borrow?

**

Kaylie is of the stage where she wants to do everything that I am doing, and thinks that everything I do is cool. I have a few tattoos, and the other day she told me that when she is old enough, she wants to get a tattoo exactly like mine. This is how I know she is not old enough for a tattoo. (I told her that she can get one when she is old enough to sign for it herself.)(Because no, there is no way I’d ever let my 10-year-old get a tattoo.)(Obviously.)

I introduced her to Star Wars a little while ago and she has turned into a fanatic. She watches the Star Wars movies over and over, she reads the Star Wars books, and she’s collecting Star Wars Lego. While I think this is fantastic, Noah is shaking his head and saying things under his breath about my nerdy influence on our kids. He is wrong, though. It is the influence of awesome.

Another thing she’s gotten hooked on recently is Harry Potter. I finished the first book the other day and she asked if she could read it, too. She hasn’t been too into reading lately, so I figure if she’s excited about a book, that is good news.

**

I spent the better part of last week sleep-deprived because my little boy was a vomity mess. It didn’t phase him at all, though. He’d do his thing and then want to play. He was not lethargic and he did not show any other symptoms of a stomach virus, so I’m thinking his little stomach is sensitive to something. Since there were a lot of dairy products consumed by me (why do I like milk all of a sudden?) and him (a bit of dairy-based formula), I’m guessing maybe that was the culprit. I stayed away from dairy all weekend and we had not a single pukey episode.

Has anyone else dealt with dairy sensitivities while nursing? I’d love to hear of your experience.

“Okay, two more runs and then it’s time to go home.”

“Three more times!”

“Two more times.”

“Three more times!”

“One more time.”

“Two more times!”

“Okay.”

Yes, we have hills here. They’re little, but they’re HILLS.

Liliana was quite scared at first, so I let Kaylie do a couple runs by herself and then had her sit with Preston while I took Liliana down. She got used to it quickly and then couldn’t get enough. She had to be hanging on to Kaylie’s sled, though, and refused to go down by herself.

Liliana thought it was quite hilarious to, when they got to the bottom of the hill, take off running and make Kaylie carry both sleds back up to the top of the hill.

Kaylie didn’t seem to mind.

Noah was feeling quite crappy today, so I thought I’d give him a break and bring Preston along with us. He was grouchy, but once we got outside, he didn’t make a peep.

I thought he might like a sled ride too, so I took him out of his baby sled and put him on my lap on one of the girls’ sleds. I think he liked it. He didn’t cry, even when both of us did a face plant at the bottom (whoops).

We didn’t stay too long, because I didn’t want Preston to get too cold, but before we left I made sure to get Liliana to go down by herself at least once. She has so many fears, and I see it as my job to get her to conquer them. One of these days, I’ll even get her to stay in the bathroom while her bath water runs. (She is TERRIFIED of running water. Oh, that girl.)

I’d forgotten how much fun sledding is. I’m pretty sure we’ll be back there quite a few times this winter. Especially if the amazing weather we’ve been having keeps up.

“Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”
“Cue the mouse!”
“I’m here, I’m here, the mouse is here!
“What’s the bowl for?”
“So you can see that I am not stirring. Note the hand never touches the spoon.”
-A Muppet Family Christmas

1. The parents of Liliana’s Sunday School class were told of a little performance the kids were doing after the service Sunday. Noah and I went upstairs right after the service and waited while the younger class did their thing. Liliana’s class then filed on to the stage. Liliana decided that her BFF Nathanael was in her way and hip-checked him. He would have fallen off the (foot-high) stage had a SS teacher not been right beside him.

You’ve seen that scene in Home Alone 2, right? The one where Buzz lights up Kevin’s ears during his school concert solo and then Kevin knocks over the entire choir? I couldn’t find the scene by itself, but you can see it in the first part of this clip:

Liliana totally pulled a Kevin McCallister. I’ve compared her to various fictional characters in the past — Dennis the Menace, Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes, the Tasmanian Devil — but this is the closest we’ve come to an exact replica. Except that Liliana is a girl. Anyway, here is her Sunday performance:

She’s the one who can’t keep still. She’s also the one who tells the other kids at the end, “Stand up again!” So helpful, my girl.

2. Preston wants to do nothing but stand. Except when he’s demanding that you help him walk. Or jump.

Or play with Christmas ornaments while attempting to pull the tree down on himself again.

Which is why we re-introduced Baby Jail.

3. We decorated gingerbread houses last week and for the first year I can remember, I let the girls eat them almost right away. Usually we let them get all dry and crusty and dusty and we pick the candy off and throw the gingerbread out. Not this year.

I picked the village of gingerbread houses so that maybe it would keep the girls from bickering over how one gingerbread house was decorated. Kaylie’s friend Abby helped out as well.

4. Noah and I spent quite some time this evening talking with this kid.

She’s dealing with some of the crap that I did at her age and it kills me that I can’t just *poof* solve all of her problems. I know, though, that teaching her to deal with her problems will benefit her much more than if I solve them for her. It just sucks seeing your kid in pain.

I’m glad, though, to have a partner in this parenting thing. I didn’t find single-parenting that difficult — I mean, it was still single-parenting, but Kaylie was an easy baby and a super-fun toddler. This whole parenting-a-pre-teen thing? Hardest thing I’ve done in my life. The in-laws were right when they said that the easy part is over. I’m thankful I have someone very unlike me to share parenting challenges with.

She’s such a great kid, though. She’s smart (her last report card was perfect)(literally)(I’m bragging now, aren’t I?), she’s witty, she knows the right time to roll her eyes at Noah or Russ, she cares about others’ feelings, she makes wise judgment calls. But, she’s also 10, and sometimes I want to send her to her Grannie for a month like I did when she was three.

(When she was three, she and I were living in Caronport, SK and my mom missed her terribly. So, when Nick and Teresa got married, Kaylie and I went to the wedding, and she flew home with my mom while I flew home by myself. I picked her up when I went home for Christmas. It was the worst month of my life. Noah tells me now that I was not a very nice person while Kaylie was gone. Well, DUH, I missed my baby! She was well taken care of, though, obviously, and she even came back completely potty trained!)

5. I got a rare shot of Liliana and Nathanael earlier today and I wanted to share it with you. It’s not blurry! They’re both looking! They’re smiling!

(Nathanael is the son of a good friend of mine.) Don’t they look adorable and innocent? Looks can be deceiving. (Although they are cute.) I’m pretty sure that no kid ever EVER has had as much energy as these two do. They are so hilarious and fun. And frustrating. I’m glad they have each other. They fight like siblings, tattle on each other, and get really sad when they have to part ways.

6. DID YOU SEE WHAT MY HUSBAND DID?

It’s one of those things where guys are like THAT IS AWESOME! and the womenfolk are like THAT IS CREEPY! Kaylie and Liliana love it and I … well … mustaches aren’t my favorite. Noah loves it, though, and I think he should shape his facial hair any way he likes. As long as he’s okay with me not liking it, which he totally is.

7. I’m doing a bunch of Christmas baking on Wednesday with a friend of mine. Since Noah is constantly asking me (nicely) to do Christmas baking (I have done some, not a lot), he is quite looking forward to Wednesday. And so am I. Noah’s more of a fan of the things his mom made when he was growing up, but since his mom lives a mere six kilometres away and Noah feels an entitlement to whatever is in his mom’s freezer (much to his dad’s dismay), I’m making WHATEVER I WANT. Ha! (I may tease Noah about being a mama’s boy, but in reality I’m hoping my son is a mama’s boy, too.)(So far, he is.)

8. Did you know that Christmas is only six sleeps away? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Me: “Maybe it’s too cloudy.”

L: “But WHY? Why is it cloudy? I don’t want it to be cloudy, mama. MAMA! ANSWER ME!”

Me: “I’m sorry, maybe tomorrow you can see the moon.”

L: “And the stars.”

K: “Speaking of stars, Jaden wants to be an astronomist when she grows up.”

Me: “An astronomer?”

K: “Yea, and I want to be a dolphin trainer.”

Me: “A marine biologist?”

K: “Do they train dolphins?”

Me: “I think so.”

L: “And I want a build-a-bear.”

Me: “Oh yea?”

L: “Yea, I want a build-a-bear. Can I have a build-a-bear? Can I get one today?”

Me: “Nope.”

L: “BUT WHY? I want a build-a-bear today! Mama, please? Please can I get a build-a-bear today? Mama? MAMA!”

…

“Mama, I want Kaylie to be quiet.”

“How come?”

“Because you said to be quiet and I want her to obey.”

“Why are you talking, then?”

“Because I need to talk about clouds and stars and Christmas lights.”

“And Kaylie’s not allowed to talk?”

“No. She’s not. Mama, she’s not. MAMA!”

…

“Hey look, there’s Daniel! He’s in my class.”

“Daniel? Is that Daniel?”

“Yes.”

“He’s in your class?”

“Yes.”

“… is that Daniel?”

“No, he went in already.”

“Is that Daniel?”

“No, he already went in the school.”

“Is that Daniel?”

“No, Liliana, Daniel already went in the school.”

“BUT IS THAT DANIEL?”

“Mom, I’m going in to the school now before I go insane.”

1. Those of you who have been around these parts for a while will know about Noah’s December 1st rule. No Christmas decorations or music or anything will be in or around us or our house until December 1st. As in, the moment it turns December 1st, Noah is by the computer with his glass of egg nog, ready to play the first Christmas song of the year. He’s been doing this for as long as I’ve known him and he’s even got a following of people who are doing the same.

2. Kaylie is feeling much better today. As it turned out, the girl who cried wolf was actually sick this time. When she was crying in pain as she tried to go to bed, I decided to take her in to the ER. Poor girl. They did some tests and finally figured out what was wrong. The Children’s ER at RUH is pretty awesome. Kaylie and I got home with only moments to spare before December 1st.

3. I have a new post up at Canadian Family about those magical teething necklaces. If you have a teething child, or if you’re just curious, head on over there.

Okay. That’s it. Onward.

My Oreo-savvy friend Bethany invited me to join in a group that Kassie and Kristen created called Reverb Broads. From what I understand so far, it’s a month of blogging prompts that you’re free to use, should you so choose. I really like the flexibility of the group – that I don’t have to participate every day, because I just failed at NaBloPoMo and I didn’t want to put pressure on myself to not fail at something else. This actually sounds quite fun.

Anyway, here is the first prompt. If you like this idea and would like to join in, feel free! Just go to the public Facebook page and all the details are there.

If the you of today could go back in time and give advice to any of the previous yous, which age would you visit and what would you tell them?

I’m pretty sure I would go back and visit the 14-year-old me. I would give her some self-confidence, because she did not have a lick of it.

I would tell her to like what she likes even if she gets made fun of for it. I’d tell her to choose her hobbies based on what she wants to do, rather than what her friends do or what she thinks she should do. I’d tell her that it’s okay to do puzzles alone in her room while listening to books on tape.

I’d tell her that there is life after high school. I’d tell her, though, that even though there is life after high school, her high school grades will still be relevant so START STUDYING ALREADY. I’d tell her that it’s okay to be friends with people that other people think are nerds and losers. I’d tell her that those are the friends who will still be there for her in 10 years.

I’d tell her that if a boy breaks up with her because she won’t do what he wants, she is better off away from that boy. I’d tell her that if the next boy really liked her, he would respect her when she said “no”. I’d tell her that if that same boy doesn’t take no for an answer, to get as far away from that boy as she can. I’d tell her about sex and birth control because that little g-rated chat in school didn’t teach her a hot thing and she’s going to learn the hard way.

I’d tell her that it’s worth investing in relationships, because even though she’s been hurt real bad by girlfriends and boyfriends, she should not turn her heart off. I’d tell her to give her all, because when her heart goes cold, that is when she will start unintentionally hurting people and she is really going to regret it.

I’d tell her to be more gracious. I’d tell her to be less judgmental. I’d tell her to keep her hair long. I’d tell her to be more loving toward her siblings. I’d tell her to save part of her paycheck instead of spending it on payday. I’d tell her that learning to budget money will greatly benefit her.

I’d tell her to enjoy the size she is, because in three years she’s going to get pregnant and never see it again. I’d tell her that life is going to get really hard, but she will pull through and it will be worth it. I’d tell her that the world is so much bigger than her little town, but to enjoy her time there.

I’d tell her to stop caring what other people think and focus on the Lord and what He wants for her. I’d tell her that He has a plan and that He will carry it out until completion.

I’d tell her that one day she’ll enjoy sharing her life and thoughts publicly on the internet and she’ll have no idea what I’m talking about.

After dinner last night, Kaylie began to complain of a cramping pain in her side, her left side under her ribs. It was too high to be abdominal, so I wasn’t too worried about it, and, as I’ve previously stated, I’m always a bit skeptical. Seeing as Monday was a “sick” day and not so much a sick day, I was trying to see if there was actually a wolf or not. The girls were sent to play after dinner and all of a sudden Kaylie started giggling uncontrollably. Liliana came out of the bedroom and said, in her naturally excited voice, “KAYLIE’S GOT A GREAT BIG CRAP!”

Kaylie, between fits of giggles, tried to tell her it was craMp, not crap, but Liliana wasn’t listening. “I hope I don’t get a big crap like that.” she said.

The “crap” seemed to be legit and by 8:30pm, Noah took Kaylie to a clinic. A couple x-rays later, nothing was found and they were on their way back home with some Tylenol. She was up at about 4am for another dose and by morning seemed to be about the same. Liliana, always the imitator, declared, “I HAVE A BIG CRAP, TOO!”

Kaylie decided it would be best to go to school (which I strongly recommended) and after we’d dropped her off, Liliana decided that she was going to have another bad day at school (she had a bad day yesterday) because of her crap and she was going to have to tell her teacher about her big crap.

By the time we’d arrived at Liliana’s school, I’d finally convinced her that it was cramp, not crap, lest her teachers wonder what the heck was going on in our house. I did chat with one of her teachers, though, because Liliana was still determined to have a bad day because of her cramp. When I picked her up, Mrs. R said to me, “She only had one crap today. She just had to make sure we knew about it.” Obviously my chat about adding the “m” went well.

This girl. She frustrates us more than we ever knew we could be frustrated, but she makes us smile and laugh every single day. She was arguing with Noah the other day, and when he firmly told her what she should be doing, she said to him, “Settle down, Dad!”

The title of this post is what she said to me as we were driving to Kaylie’s school this morning. “Mama, the world is a marathon.” It sounded a little John Lennon-ish to me, yet it doesn’t really make an ounce of sense. That’s my girl.

Thankfully, we have plenty of Little Einsteins on the DVR and she is very resilient. She moans and groans every once in a while and is full of energy a minute later, before falling onto the couch moaning and groaning again.

Here’s hoping her Wednesday is a little better. We are planning to celebrate American Thanksgiving on Thursday with some friends of ours, but both their houses have a stomach bug as well. Who knows how everyone will be feeling by Thursday, but either way, there is a huge turkey thawing in my fridge that will need to be cooked.

In other news, we have snow. And it is here to stay. The girls are loving it so far.

(Yes, that is Liliana using a neck warmer as a toque.)

And this little turdball is starting to get bedhead and hat hair and it is the most adorable thing.

Check back tomorrow (Wednesday), as there is something very exciting happening here on this blog.