Juice Box Hero....stars in his eyes

ETA- Adding the video clip from youtube for my obviously young readership. ;) Keep forgetting how old I am. lol



Standing in the rain, with his head hung low
Couldn't get a ticket, it was a sold out show
Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene
Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream

He heard one guitar, just blew him away
He saw stars in his eyes, and the very next day
Bought a beat up six string in a secondhand store
Didn't know how to play it, but he knew for sure

That one guitar, felt good in his hands
Didn't take long, to understand
Just one guitar, slung way down low
Was one way ticket, only one way to go

So he started rockin
Ain't never gonna stop
Gotta keep on rockin
Someday hes gonna make it to the top

And be a juice box hero, got stars in his eyes
Hes a juice box hero
He took one guitar, juice box hero, stars in his eyes
Juice box hero, hell come alive tonight

In a town without a name, in a heavy downpour
Thought he passed his own shadow, by the backstage door
Like a trip through the past, to that day in the rain
And that one guitar made his whole life change

Now he needs to keep rockin
He just cant stop
Gotta keep on rockin
That boy has got to stay on top

And be a juice box hero, got stars in his eyes
Hes a juice box hero, got stars in his eyes
Yeah, juice box hero, got stars in his eyes
With that one guitar hell come alive
Come alive tonight

Yeah, hes gotta keep rockin
He just cant stop
Gotta keep on rockin
That boy has got to stay on top

And be a juice box hero, got stars in his eyes
Hes a juice box hero, got stars in his eyes
Just one guitar, put stars in his eyes
Hes just a juice box hero, aah aah aah
Juice box hero, juice box hero, hes got stars in his eyes
Stars in his eyes

We purchased the DVD of the elementary school air band production for the year and this is one of the songs a group does. When we watched it the first time Iceman says "oh no, not Juice box hero, I hate that song". It's been his earworm ever since because he's always singing the chorus.

Thankful Thursday!!

So extremely grateful for a medical doctor that listens to their patients, is not rushed by a waiting room of people and is willing to do what she can to get a proper assessment of Iceman's learning challenges. She was very puzzled by the arrogant school board jackers test recommendations. She is not one to slap a label on a child and agrees that medication is not the solution to everything. I feel so extremely blessed to have her as my own doctor and for my children. This is such a HUGE relief to me. I have been falling deeper and deeper into that pit of feeling like I've failed my child somehow because of some egghead's jackery. I feel, for the first time in a long while, that we will get to the bottom of Iceman's difficulties and will finally be able to help him reach his full potential.

The Naked Egg

We started this cool experiment on Friday. Iceman loves science experiments and he is quite thrilled with the whole thing. Next step will be to try and shrink the egg. It is very fascinating and easy to do so I thought I'd share it with you.

UPDATE: The shrinking egg is disgusting. It's not finished but it is not a pretty picture in the meantime.

Monsters vs. Aliens

We took the crew to see this in Real 3D last night. It was a funny movie and everyone enjoyed it from the biggest kid to the smallest (6 to almost 14). It has been a long while since I've been to a 3D movie and they certainly have come a long way. I was sitting next to Turtle and loved listening to him giggle... you know those unexpected squeals of delight that you hear often as a toddler but not so much once they get school age. It made the movie for me listening to him and seeing the sheer joy on his face. Each of the kids had a favorite character. Ice and Turtle have been reenacting bits of the movie all morning and trying the crazy 3D glasses on (made of plastic not cardboard and resembling the glasses worn by the President in the movie). We kept the glasses in hopes that the DVD has some 3D capabilities. The crew said this is one they would definitely want to add to our collection.

The tricky Leprechaun paid us a visit last night. Iceman and Turtle woke to shamrocks scattered all down the stairs. They reported that he took their pictures off the wall (they painted me some canvas art several years ago that hang along our stairwell), hide one and hung another where it didn't belong, he through dish towels all over the kitchen but he made them green pancakes. Ice said they knew the pancakes were from him because he left a picture of his shoes on them. That tricky guy also took my near dead roses and tipped them stems up in the vase of water, scattering petals all over a table in the living room. The boys could not believe he would be so brazen and mess with mom's flowers. No gold today... the economy must be hitting the Leprechaun's budget ;) or maybe he could not find any gold coins that weren't imported from China.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wordless Wednesday

* photos by Iceman starring Kodiak goofing for the action shots (obviously it's time to retire those track pants lol... can't keep up to that kid and his growing) FTR the junk you always see along the edge of the yard in the pictures belongs to the neighbors and not to us. ;)

It's a Good News Day!

"It's a Good News Day!" says Iceman when he arrived home from school. All of his hard work with home reading, sight words, getting him to read every chance we could has paid off. He was at a below grade reading level in September (like not quite grade 1 level) and he has brought it up to a 2.3. I know most people would be shooting for something closer to a grade 3 level considering his age and how far into the year we are but this is a HUGE deal for him. I'm so proud of him for working hard at something he was hating so much because of the frustration it caused him. I'm also grateful for his patient teachers who have been so amazing this year. He is thinking that a Blizzard date with Dad is what he'd like as a reward.

Know it all "fans" ??

We went to the Oiler's game last night. The Hero was given tickets as a thank you for a job well done from one of his colleagues. We took La Diva and Iceman as neither of them have been to a game this season. Iceman is a die hard Flames fan and was set to deck out in Flames gear, however they were playing the Predators not the Flames. We convinced him to borrow one of Kodiak's old jerseys, he then chose to go all out with a hat and tatooed his face with Oilers logos. He looked the part of a die hard fan. He was excited to be going and said he'd do his best to cheer on our favorite team. (by the end of the night he decided that Oilers were his second favorite team in the league... his BFF Jarome Iginala ;) will be crushed)

We dropped Turtle off for his sleepover, went to Red Robin for dinner and then headed to the game. We found close parking which was a bonus because I hate that usual 100 mile trek across the tundra to get to Rexall. Iceman was totally enthralled with the pre-game action. He thought it was especially cool that he could see the players that autographed Turtle's hat and one for his Auntie on the ice. He really got caught up in the whole night and it was awesome to see his face and watch him jump up with fists in air when they scored. The only damper on the evening were the 6 people sitting behind us. They obviously were season ticket holders and had gotten to know each other over the season or seasons. They were probably about 10+ years older than us (old enough to know better imho) and spent the entire game (non-stop yapping, even through the national anthem which had me ready to pop them in the nose from the get go) criticizing the Oilers from the coach down to every player that stepped on the ice. The bagged on them constantly and didn't stop even when a player they had been trashing scored mere seconds after the words came out of their mouths. The Oilers broke their losing streak against the Predators and I thought it was a good game, shots on goal were fairly even throughout, not a ton of power plays, even penalties for fighting for the most part, etc. These people were relentless and when they ran out of fodder for their own team they started in on young Tootoo from the Predators, the first ever kid from the NWT (aboriginal too) to ever make it to the NHL. He's a fiesty little guy and obviously fought hard just to play hockey as long as he did, let alone make it to and stay in the NHL without falling into the trap of too much money leading to a reckless lifestyle. The youth of the NWT have lower education levels and employment levels up into the early 20s are also very low. It's a challenge to stay on the straight and narrow and not fall into the trap of substance abuse and despair for many of his peers. When they commented that his playing skills must be due to all the caribou he ate I nearly came completely unglued. Next to me was a good looking young aboriginal man and his girlfriend and I was amazed and saddened when he didn't even flinch at the deragatory comments. I held my tongue because the tickets belonged to a colleague of T's and I had no idea what his relationship with those people may or may not be. Later T said I should have went for it because his friend and his wife are aboriginal as well.

I do not understand why you would chose to have season tickets to watch a team that you have not a single decent thing to say about. Why waste your money if it is so painful to watch them play? Why ruin the experience for those around you? Iceman even said afterwards that the game was awesome except he wanted to pop those people in the nose for being so rude during the whole game. What kind of life must they have when their whole source of entertainment is to ridicule and make fun of these atheletes? Sure they are overpaid for their skills and the whole professional sports industry is way out of control but you have a choice as to how much you chose to participate in furthering that industry. I wonder if they bag on the waitress or the grocery store clerk or anyone else they encounter the same way. I pray that they have never been involved in minor sports or other activities involving children. I cannot imagine the pressure people like that put on kids.

It was a great game and nice to spend some time with half the crew. We are relieved that those are not our season's tickets as I doubt that any of us could tolerate another evening with the jerk squad sitting behind us.

3 little monkeys....

.....putting up the lights.

Apples, Trees and A$$holes

Yesterday was the first full day of school and about 2:30 pm my phone rings... it's the Principal. I'm not kidding, essentially the first day of school and I'm already getting calls from the office. Anyone who has met my children probably has no trouble guessing who it was for. She wanted to let me know that one of my children would likely be upset when they arrived home today. That there was an incident on the playground that she was unable to get to the bottom of and that caused my child great upset when she was asking questions about it. She intended to speak with the children involved individually today and sort it all out. *sigh*

Children arrive home... everyone had an awesome day. "I love school" proclaims Turtle. Kodiak said he has the best class and is really looking forward to what is on the curriculum for the year. La Diva was still on safety patrol. Yeah... you guessed it right... Iceman. "Did you really have a great day Iceman?" He looks me square in the eye, you can see the wheels turning and then proceeds to spin a story. I knew he started off with some truths but then the tale started to spin in the dramatic fashion that is Iceman. I say "Is that what happened?" Sheepish look... eyes wide... "well.... not exactly... I tried to not get in the middle of it but the big kids were hurting the little kids.... then it turned into this situation:

grade 3 kid: tries to take Iceman's special firefighter hat that the Hero brought back from TO.

Iceman: That hat is from TO and it cost $100.00!! Don't touch it!

grade 3 kid: I don't care, goes to grab it again...

Iceman: pushes kid... says "Stop being such an asshole"!

grade 3 kid: I'm telling, you are going to get in trouble.

Iceman: I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that.

Then I'm assuming telling ensued, Iceman already beside himself has a meltdown with tears and then his story changes 3 times while he is trying to explain it. Sadly this is a trick he learned last year when "tattling" was frowned upon. Iceman could not process this rule and I told his teacher that on numerous occasions. He has always been a black and white kid, rules are rules and not made to be broken. As the "I'm sorry letters" stacked up last year from all the bullying, Iceman told on friends less and began to lie to cover their butts more. Now he has real struggles with the whole right and wrong thing. Is it wrong to tell on a friend? They of course tell him they won't play with him anymore or whatever and for a kid who is used to being loved and adored by everyone this is just not acceptable.

I'm not condoning my kid stooping to the level of the bullies but I also am a bit proud of him for standing up to an older kid who was picking on younger kids. It was wrong but part of me wishes I could get away with telling someone to "Stop being an asshole!" There are plenty of people who could stand to hear that kind of directive.

I made him write a letter to the Principal, explaining what took place. I told him that we will not tolerate his lies and that he is not to be lying to the Principal or teachers. I also told him, AGAIN, that I don't care what anyone says about tattling that if he thinks someone is doing something wrong that he is to tell a grown up. If the grown up does not deal with it then he is to come home and tell us. We will deal with the grown ups. Last year he didn't tell about a kid with a knife at school because he was only stabbing a snowball and not hurting anyone or himself and that was how he understood the stupid tattling rule his teacher had adopted. We heard about it over a week later from him.

Can't blame the kid for standing up for himself. He sees his Dad, who works from home, not take any crap from people. He sees that he is well respected at his job, in the community, etc. He wants to be him so if I'm going to fault the apple... I should also be getting after the tree. The Hero is a good man and for our son to grow up to be like him isn't a bad thing.

Happy Birthday Iceman!

Happy 8th Birthday Iceman! You bring such joy to our lives and we love you so much. We love your sense of humor, your intense line of right and wrong, your passion for all things fire rescue, your kindness warms my heart, your endless facial expressions and exhuberance to life make us all better for knowing you. Have a wonderful day!

I recently ran across all of my birthstories and thought I'd share Iceman's with you today.....

Volume 3 ~ Iceman~ July 31, 2000
Months 8 &9
Oh My Cow I didn’t think that this baby would ever get out of me. We had tried for 6 months to conceive Iceman, doesn’t seem like long to some of you, but for us who had 2 prior oops that’s a surprise pregnancies it seemed like an eternity. Once he was nestled in there he was quite comfortable. The last month or so I felt like complete crap, there is no other way to describe it. The pressure was so intense I was sure that if my water broke he’d come shooting out of me. I was miserable. Kodiak and La Diva played in our bedroom while I lay in bed. The Hero would put food on the bottom shelf of the fridge and dry snacks in our room and the kids would graze at their leisure. I felt like a complete failure as a Mommy.

Labor & Delivery
On July 31st I was induced at 9:30 am with the cervix gel. By the time we made it down to the car the contractions had started. We went for walks around the mall near the hospital and then home. The contractions were coming on very intense, stronger than I’d ever had with the prior labors. However, I just knew it wasn’t time to run to the hospital and wanted to stay home as long as I could. I made it til about 7:30 p.m. and then we made our way to the hospital. We were checked in right away b/c the Hero had made friends with all the nurses by bringing them Timbits on our many trips for non stress tests, etc during months 8 &9. He cleared and made beds for them while I was hooked up to the monitor. We got one of the new beautiful rooms in the overflow area and were pretty much the only ones there. I did many laps of the ward waiting for things to progress a bit faster. The contractions were extremely intense but I was not dilating very fast. By about 9 p.m. I was in bed, shaking uncontrollably and blacking out from the pain. The epidural was administered about 9:30 p.m. It took the edge off so that I was able to sleep for 20 minutes. When I woke up I was refreshed and ready to get started. They didn’t figure that I’d be dilated enough but were very surprised when they checked my progress. The started getting the bed set up for delivery, I started pushing and they figured it would be awhile as he was up quite high still but in about 4 pushes he was out, the doctor got in position just in time to catch Isaac. The room was very calm and peaceful. We had praise music playing softly in the background. In fact the song that was playing at the moment Iceman was born is called Joy and one of the lines is “let me be a joy to you always” very appropriate. Another perfect baby. I remember thinking that he was huge and so fair compared to the other two. He nursed immediately.

Post Partum Heaven
Third time smart. We reserved a private theme room and I was able to sleep in the same bed as my husband. He never left my side. I can’t tell you how awesome it was to wake up to the Hero holding Iceman and giving me the recoup time I needed. The nurses were fabulous!!! It was like being in a hotel and the almost had to kick us out.

First Weeks Afterwards
My Mom didn’t stay with me at all this time. Between La Diva and Iceman, the Hero and I had been separated for awhile and she probably would have been happier had we divorced rather than reconciled. Her reaction to our pregnancy announcement was basically “Whatever were you thinking?” We managed very well on our own. I had meals delivered every night for two weeks from the ladies of our church and I had done tons of muffin baking, casserole preparing beforehand. Iceman was a great baby and nursed without troubles. We had learned of chiropractic care by this time and he was adjusted when he was 3 days old. We would have done it immediately but he was born on a Friday. This was the easiest time I had as a mom because I had a network of people that lived in Cowtown that supported us through it. We knew others who had babies now and could share our war stories, breakdowns, and happiest moments. We think of Iceman as our covenant child because he is a symbol of how far God has brought us. He was even conceived during a marriage conference. His name was chosen because it means “laughter” and “victory”. Sarah laughed when God told her she would bear a child and six years ago I would have laughed too had anyone told me that my marriage would be what it is today. It would have been an impossible dream to me then but I now know that nothing is impossible with God.

I'm so thankful that God has chosen to bless our family so. I don't take it for granted for a minute. I know how much we have fought to get where we are today and I know that without Him we would be not be the family we are today. I try to count my blessings daily. Iceman is so good at knowing just when someone needs a snuggle and his ability to bring laughter to our lives has helped to break the tension, the disappointment and the stress that life can bring. He is a unique child, as all of ours are, but God seemed to know just what we needed to help knit us closer together and He graciously gave us that gift.

What are you thankful for? Take a look around you... life doesn't suck as much as you thought it did and even on the hardest days if you dig deep you can find the joy. Share with me what makes you thankful or join in with Fussy and her friends and make it a weekly exercise in remembering your joy.

Wordless Wednesday

A visit from the tricky Leprechaun

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We started the day with excitement from the visit of the trickster last night. This tradition was started last year due to Iceman's memories of the havoc the Leprechaun created in his classroom the year before. We were surprised that Ice was so enthralled with this creature as he's never bought into any of the other mythical traditions that so many families do for holidays - Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, et al. have not been major players at the Hutch. So last year we decided to indulge his excitement and the Leprechaun made a visit to our home. Yesterday he was beside himself before bedtime with worries about what the Leprechaun may try to pull this year. His eyes sparkled as he shared his thoughts on the types of tricks that could be played. He was a bit disappointed when he discovered that it wasn't a statutory holiday and he'd still have to go to school.

The boys were not disappointed this morning. Iceman is a major detail guy and likes things to be in their place (except for his toys... how does one transfer the OCD to that part of his life??) which means he doesn't miss a trick. Upside down clocks, fish bowls in the wrong place, pictures moved or upside down, a box of rice instead of cereal on the table, gold coins, an Easter sign hanging on the front door where a shamrock had been all month, coats moved, packs on wrong hooks and yummy chocolate coins covered in gold. Iceman did not miss a thing. He shared the stories of the visit of the tricky one with his teacher and classmates. His eyes sparkled as he retold a few of the tricks during our parent teacher conference this afternoon. He was decked out in his green shirt and plastic green top hat too. Turtle gets to carry on the day tomorrow with a green shirt and a sparkly green top hot as he did not have school today. He was pleased to be able to share a shamrock shake with me today as consolation for him not having school on St. Paddy's Day. I think most of the tricks have been returned to normal, if not Iceman will be sure to draw my attention to something I missed.

The Hero and I snuck out for a pint and some wings as our nod to green day and tricks pulled.

Big Breakfast!

At least one day on the weekend the Hero makes big breakfast. He makes all sorts of yummy things, sometimes I help him, others he does it all. He will make everything from waffles, pancakes, eggs many different ways, sausage, bacon and his famous Firehouse Hash. It's a tradition that we all enjoy and appreciate.



The boys at the firehall have recently adopted this practice for their duty crew Saturdays. Yesterday was the Hero's weekend and he coordinated the food this round. Iceman and Turtle donned their turnout gear and went along to help check trucks and clean the hall. They were bragging their Daddy up as he was preparing belgian waffles for the crew. They said that he does this every weekend and that was met with much skepticism from one of the newer members. She even grilled them later to see if it was in fact true. ( She annoys me to no end but that's a whole other story. Iceman showed her who was boss when he could go through everything on the check list and not only know what it was but where it was supposed to be.)



On the menu yesterday were Sour Cream Waffles...

1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Baking soda
1 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. Salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup oil
1 cup sour cream
1 ¼ cups milk
Stir in first 5 ingredients together in bowl. Make a well. Beat eggs together in a small bowl until frothy. Add oil, sour cream and milk. Mix. Pour into well. Stir to moisten. Cook in hot waffle iron until browned, using about 1/3 cup batter for each. Makes 12 waffles.

Iceman's Smoke Colored Goggles

Iceman is a boy obsessed with all things fire rescue. I have no clue where he gets that from, how about you? He asked to borrow the camera one day and this is what he photographed.

The Bucket List and the Green Bowl

Last night the Hero and I went on a date. We rarely go to the movies for our dates because I like to talk to the Hero. However, we both wanted to see The Bucket List and we got a killer deal on passes at Costco. It was a really fun movie with lots of laughs, some tears (from me of course) as well as thought provoking. I started a 100 things list some time ago, I need to find it, I know I had a hard time putting anything to paper and doubt I even made it to 50. I think I wanted it all to be something huge that would make a difference to the world. I need to revisit it and be more honest and less holy in my ambitions.

The evening started off with me sitting on the side of the highway, a place I am familiar with. There were 2 cars part ways into the ditch along the highway but with considerable distance between them. The road was dry and weather clear so it was rather peculiar to see cars in the ditch. There were a couple cars already pulled over but the Hero needed to make sure they were ok and no medical assistance was needed. He always has a reflective coat of some sort in each vehicle and for that I'm thankful. I can spot him easily in the darkness of the road. Turns out that one car was stopping to help the other and as he slowed down the people in the first car started throwing things at him. He then misjudged the shoulder and the soft, slushy snow dragged off the road. The Hero informed the police and called back the little nurse who had also stopped and was headed to the first car. What the heck is wrong with people?? No wonder everyone is getting so hard hearted towards their fellow man when you have lunatics who attack a good samaritin.

Remarkably this ordeal still left time for us to get to the movie with 30 minutes to spare, which it took almost all of for the Hero to get snacks. While he was gone I watched the see of blue and grey heads with their balding partners make their way up the stairs of the theatre. I was enjoying how tenderly they took care of each other as they climbed those dimly lit stairs. I was then alarmed as several of them near collapsed into seats and started taking their pulse. When the Hero finally slipped into his seat I told him to be prepared to spring into action because I feared someone was going to collapse.

After the movie we stopped for Decaf Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Lattes at Starbucks but sadly there was not a table to be had so we headed back to town. We took a little cruise around our little town checking out the for sale signs while finishing off our Lattes. We no sooner pulled in front of the house than the phone started to ring and it was Kodiak informing us that Iceman had just hurled all over himself and his bed in his sleep. Kodiak was so thankful when we came through the door mere seconds later. He was not looking forward to cleaning up his little brother or the mess that he had left. Leftover spaghetti had been Iceman's choice from the offerings of the week. Nasty! So the Hero got Iceman in the shower while Kodiak and I stripped the top bunk. Miraculously he missed all 4 of his stuffed animals! Kodiak ran down to the basement to bring up the big green tupperware bowl a.k.a the puke bowl. Thankfully that was the end of the puke session and he is his normal self this morning. I was worried as he had spent the afternoon at a birthday party in the petri dish known as McDonald's playland. I hope it is nothing that will spread through the entire house. I don't do puke well and the Hero is heading south later this week.

Hero had a call at about 4:00 am so I'm tired. He took Kodiak and La Diva boarding today so I hope to get a nap out of Iceman and Turtle. I have BBQ beef cooking in the crock pot, I used that recipe as a guide and just went my own way with it. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I wasted my whole recess saving a life and well.... I must be a celebrity

Ice came home from school on Thursday and he was rather worked up. First off, he tells us how he wasted his entire lunch recess, that is the long one you know, saving someone's life. Apparently one of the Kindergarten students forget to take his asthma inhaler along with him. It is not clear to me whether Ice was given the inhaler to take to this boy in Kindergarten or he was sent on the mission to help find him. His view of the events were that he spent his whole recess looking for this boy in order to save his life. He was dead serious about the life saving part but he was also completely bent about the wasting of the recess. It was an intense recounting of the events of the day. Kodiak let out a giggle that he couldn't stifle and that set him off in a fit of tears. "I did have to save his life!! It is NOT funny!"

While unloading his agenda and homework folder I discover a picture of a fire truck with Ice's first and last name written on it but it is not his printing. So I ask him about it and he says that someone slipped it under the classroom door and he has no idea where it came from. He shrugs and says "I guess I must be a celebrity or something". LMBO On Friday, he discovered another drawing with the same printing on his desk. He has resigned himself to it being the price of fame. He is in a firefighter calendar after all. Oh the life of a grade 1 lifesaver and celebrity!

Where are we runnin'?

Today was the annual Terry Fox Run for our schools. Kodiak placed 4th out of over 300 students. The High School students helped with marking the route and such so his "competition" ranged from Grade 1 to Grade 9. He was very proud of his accomplishment. La Diva and Iceman enjoyed their "run" as well. La Diva wore a sign saying who she was running for with pictures of her Great Papa and Zackary. She also had a list of people we know who have survived cancer, those still battling and those who are in our memories her poster. Iceman had made a copy of her sign but decided to leave it at home because he was afraid it would get rained on and ruined. He has it hanging in his room so he can remember to pray for Great Papa and Zackary every night.

Turtle did not have school today but was able to go in the fire truck and help Daddy with the traffic control for the big race. The Hero came home rather discouraged at the lack of community support. Everyone is in such a darn hurry that they were trying to sneak around the road blocks when children were crossing the street. The Hero almost had to take on one jerk who was throwing a fit. What an example to the children who are doing a great thing, raising money for a cause that affects nearly every person in our country in one way or another and these pinheads think they are more important than the safety of these children.

On the bright side, one of Kodiak's teachers stopped to talk to the Hero during the run and told him what a fantastic kid he is. That is always great to hear. Kodiak really looks up to Mr. D and thinks he is a fabulous teacher. Kodiak has been really stepping out of his comfort zone and taking Jr. High by storm. He is the class rep in the Student Union for his grade. In years past he would have just let someone else come forward. This year he threw his hat into the ring against 3 girls in his class. I'm really proud of him. One of his goals the beginning of this year was to become more confident in his leadership skills and he is definitely stepping up to achieve that one. I shouldn't be surprised as he achieves or exceeds any goals he sets for himself.

La Diva is involved in the "Pay it Forward Posse" and the Spirit Squad. She is also taking piano and finally has a fabulous teacher. Piano teachers are really hard to come by these days and the group lessons seem to be very popular. We tried that last year and it was a complete gong show. Her teacher recently graduated with her degree in music; she is young, talented and a great teacher. I'm so glad that we found her as La Diva has a natural gift and I was worried last years fiasco would discourage her from growing her talent.

We are crazy busy this coming week. We are moving La Diva to the basement with Kodiak. The Hero is talking over her room as his office. He's been working from home for almost a year and his little perch on the top of the stairs is just not working for any of us. It will be great to be able to shut the door on him. Kodiak has X-Country meet, La Diva has piano, we have hair cuts for Kodiak and Turtle. I need to get the invitations made for Turtle's birthday party which will be in mid-October because our life is just too crazy right now. The Hero is going to be on TV on Wednesday to promote the Heroes in the Sky event this weekend. We have tons of organizing to do for that weekend. Friday I need to take the crew up to Gramma and Poppa's for the weekend. We will pick them up on Thanksgiving. This way I can dedicate my time to all the things the Hero may need as he orchestrates this big fundraiser and media event.

I'll be so happy when next weekend is over and some of the craziness goes with it. It's no wonder that I chose my latest phone ring tone to be Lenny Kravitz's Where are We Runnin'?

We did it!!!

We survived the first week of back to school.

The biggest challenge for us was my body's revolt against waking at a set early time. I'm the first to admit that I am a night owl and hate waking up in the morning.

Kodiak, La Diva and Iceman started on Tuesday. The Hero escorted Kodiak to the secondary school while I took La Diva and Iceman to elementary. As we walked by the secondary we passed several of Kodiak's classmates so he fell into step with them and didn't really need the Hero there afterall. He has embraced this new adventure with so much excitement. He comes home with exciting tales of his teachers and classes. They have options now and while he was disappointed that he did not get into his top pick of digital imagining he is happy with the rest of them so far. They do options with all the jr. highs in that class so he is with 8s and 9s. The prospect of that was a bit daunting, especially in the phys ed ones where everyone is bigger than our little bear. He proved his place though because he outran all of them in cross country (he lost count and did 2 extra laps). His coach was very impressed and asked him who taught him to run and why did he do 2 extra laps. He said his Dad is a great runner. Which made me giggle because he only started running again since his treadmill Father's Day gift. The Hero can run for 30 minutes on it so that impressed his son. In soccer/touch football option they played soccer, the older teens barely gave our little bear a second glance when the class started but by the end of the class he had their respect with his skill and perserverance. He has scientific experiments as his other option. He comes home for lunch but took a lunch the other day so he could attend the meeting for the trip to Greece. He was disappointed to discover it was only for the sr. highs. I told him he can start working towards the senior high trip now. If they still head to Greece I'll glady chaperone. There is a dance this weekend but he has no interest in attending. I assured him that he'd merely be holding up the walls and making his harem happy that he was there. He told me this morning he'd rather watch a movie tonight so I won't push it. His harem will be phoning and disappointed at his no show.

La Diva was very worked up the week prior to school and that we both survived that week was nothing short of a miracle. She was very stressed out about not having "friends" in her class. I told that was just an opportunity to make new ones and that she is awesome at that. I was shocked she was so full of drama over it as this is the first year in a long while she has not had to adjust to a new school and a new city. She has the same teacher as last year even!! Girls!!! I know the tweens are here, I have to find a way to cope. Nothing a good bottle of vino can't help. So it turns out her friends from last year that are not in her class still play with her and still ring our phone off the hook. She has met at least 1 new friend too. It hasn't been all that horrible afterall.

Iceman was so ready to get back to school. He is such a social being and was getting bored with all of us. As we walked to school we ran into his red headed buddy from last year and discovered they were in the same class. They both had huge grins and then found out their "lockers" (aka cubbies) were next to each other. After I hung all his things in his "locker" and got him organized I asked if he'd like me to stay to which he replied "What for?" which was a much different response than the sobs of the year before. Suck it up Mom and be assured that you made the right choice to keep him in Kindy another year as he is very ready to be in Grade 1. He is a bit disappointed that a "weird" kid is in his class. This kid threatened to kill him and his siblings while walking their dog this summer. He is a bizarre child but we assured Iceman that he would not in fact kill him and that he would probably spend much time out of the class with the resource teachers. When we walk to school in the morning it amazes me how much charisma this child has as he is bumping fists with popular kids in Kodiak's class that are barely friends with him but they all know the Iceman. The girls from Kodiak's harem are always tickling and chasing him in attempts to get a hug. Kodiak said to me the other day that he doesn't know why the girls are all over Ice. Then I enlightened him that it has nothing to do with Ice and everything to do with him. They need to get his attention somehow, his obliviousness to their goo goo eyes makes me laugh.

Turtle had staggered entry day yesterday. I was so worried at how he and I would make out. The Hero had his wisdom teeth removed that morning so he was unable to come with us. I expected tears, clinging on for dear life and physical removal from the classroom. I'm talking about me not the Turtle. He had been anxious the night before and we read The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn. I'll admit that I became rather weepy and nostalgic. I grabbed Kodiak's hand and showed Turtle the kiss I had put there so many years ago. Of course Kodiak hammed it right up rubbing his hand on his face saying "Mommy loves me, Mommy loves me." We saw the kiss on the hands of La Diva and Iceman too. Turtle embraced the tradition and was excited to come home and tell me they had that book at school too. He settled into class the next day with little hesitation. I was very happy that I had decided to go a fair bit early so that he could get some face time with the teacher from the start. He happily said goodbye and I was out the door without a tear. The artwork that he brought home proves that all is well, his traced hand with a heart in it and the words "Turtle came to school on the first day and he felt happy." He has sure come a long way from the barnacle that was stuck to my hind end last year.

The house was so quiet yesterday, the dog was depressed as all her kids were gone and the usual noise of the Hero talking or his crackberry ringing constantly and the typing of the computer was missing. I did a bit of laundry, organized Kodiak's closet and then had to get out as the quiet was too much. The next little while will be filled with long overdue appointments - dentist, chiropractor, hair, etc. After that I will have to figure out what to do to fill my days when all my bunnies are out of the Hutch. The irony..... when they are small you long for days of peace and quiet but once they've left the hutch the quiet is too much to bear and you long for those noisy days again.

Cupcakes, Costumes and Chaos

I made the Barefoot Contessa's Coconut Cupcakes today. It was my sister's birthday yesterday and my Mom's is on Friday. So the crew and I are heading up there to visit them tomorrow. The fabulous food staging and photography was done by my aspiring photographer, Kodiak. He is very keen on building a portfolio since we investigated what colleges or universities offer photography degrees a few days ago. He chose this photo for me to share on the blog. We managed to make enough for sharing tomorrow and having a small taste today. They were so yummy! I have been looking for an excuse to make them for some time and am so glad I finally did.

We also made Kool Aid Playdough. Iceman and Turtle thought is was very cool that the Kool Aid colored the dough green. La Diva has been playing with it on and off most of the day. She has made cabbage rolls, cookies and other things out of the playdough.

One would think that with cupcakes and playdough we'd be having a great day. However, our Hero is away for work this week and that means that all heck breaks loose in the behavior department. He really isn't the sole disciplinarian and is much easier on them than I am most of the time. For some bizarre reason day 2 of his absence is always the day of chaos, sass mouths and deaf ears. I think they have finally got the clue that Mom is not putting up with any of it and they have found things to amuse themselves, are being helpful with the laundry and Kodiak even came and apologized for giving me so much attitude today. Woot! I'll take that as a small victory in my day.

You are asking yourselves how costumes fit into this equation. While I had tasked La Diva and the littles to go through the tickle trunk to try on the costumes in there. This way I can get things that are too small washed and out of my house in plenty of time for those looking for Halloween costumes. For reasons unknown to me this has been a near impossible feat for them to complete. So today I said get it done already so we can get this mess put away!!! So they got it done and Cody managed to snap this photo of one of Iceman's costume creations. He is apparently a cross between a mad scientist and "Bubbles". This kid is obsessed with his Bubbles face. One of our Hero's former employees, who Iceman adored, did a brilliant impersonation of Bubbles. So naturally Ice wanted to imitate Cpt. D but we never imagined that he would be so good at it. Now some of you may have no clue who Bubbles is and Isaac has only seen this character on the likes of Canadian New Satire Shows and the Juno awards. He is oblivious to what the Trailer Park boys represent and the full scope of the character that is Bubbles. He knows that he gets a giggle from everyone and that is all that really matters to him. For comparison purposes: