Here is the link to instructables.com, one of the sites I looked up to try to acheive.
Instructables.com 6 point Snowflake
These are some of our results.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Snowflakes, snowflakes and more snowflakes
We made snowflakes at the beginning of the winter. I now have snowflakes strung from one end of my house to the other upstairs and down. Usually when I try to offer up a craft to the boys it is shunned or loses its momentum quickly. The snowflakes took hold though. Eoin in particular enjoyed crafting flakes out of paper. When we first started cutting away they were looking like the typical snowflakes that don the halls of every school this time of year. Circlular or square-ish in shape for most part with cut outs to give it the feel of a snowflake. Frustrated I began looking at it more closely to figure out how to cut out more defined points. I had read up on folding to acheive 6 point snowflakes but even still they came out round. After playing around a bit I finally figure it out with fun results.
Here is the link to instructables.com, one of the sites I looked up to try to acheive.
Instructables.com 6 point Snowflake
These are some of our results.
Here is the link to instructables.com, one of the sites I looked up to try to acheive.
Instructables.com 6 point Snowflake
These are some of our results.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Unexpected
When we decided that we would take the step toward learning more about adoption this past summer I began to do more in depth reading about the experiences of others on the Internet. The process did not seem encouraging from the very beginning. It seemed as though many families were waiting over a year just to hear back from their local Children's Aid Society (CAS) and then another year or more before being invited to the PRIDE training and then even more waiting for their home study to be completed and the report submitted in order to be considered "adopt ready". This is all before any possible placement of a child in their home.
Our experiences thus far have not followed this path. I made the initial call to inquire further about CAS adoption in late August and was told that I would be sent an application along with an invitation to attend PRIDE training in September. After a couple of weeks without the package arriving I did some follow up and soon after the application and invitation to training came in the mail. We began training at the end of September. The 3 hour training sessions took place one night a week for 9 weeks. Some weeks were more informative than others but each time we took something new away to think about.
During those weeks we were able to submit our application and forms to have our background checks and police checks done. In December we able to secure a doctors appointment to complete our medicals and our police checks came back a few weeks ago and we were assigned a resource worker.
I am excited to move on to this step. I had hoped that we would gain more clarity through the PRIDE training. Although it was informative and necessary it didn't move us much toward our decision. The home study is supposed to delve deeper into determining a family's preparedness for handling the changes that come along with adoption. I anticipate with the schedule it has been following so far that we will have completed the home study before spring comes . I will not be surprised though if the process begins to slow down considerably after having read how many families have dealt with long wait times throughout their process.
Even if we are deemed adopt ready and choose to pursue adoption, placement is one aspect of the process that follows no schedule. It could be 2 weeks before we are approached about a possible placement or it could be 4 years or possibly never.
The big questions we face include: "do we want to move forward to grow our family through adoption?" and "can we work as a foster family?". Originally we had only wanted to pursue adoption. We have been recently wondering about fostering and whether we could accommodate the school schedule of a foster child into our lives. The early morning buses and afternoon arrivals, the homework and social issues that come from the school environment are all things we have to think long and hard about. For most families it is just common place to accept the adjustments to family life that institutionally schooling brings but it really would be a change for our family.
We had our first homestudy interview just this week and will be continuing with more interviews in a couple of weeks. It was painless. A nice introduction to the homestudy process and a gentle beginning to what may prove to be quite invasive in to our personal lives. The resource worker was friendly and approachable. I look forward to meeting with her soon to work through this process.
Our experiences thus far have not followed this path. I made the initial call to inquire further about CAS adoption in late August and was told that I would be sent an application along with an invitation to attend PRIDE training in September. After a couple of weeks without the package arriving I did some follow up and soon after the application and invitation to training came in the mail. We began training at the end of September. The 3 hour training sessions took place one night a week for 9 weeks. Some weeks were more informative than others but each time we took something new away to think about.
During those weeks we were able to submit our application and forms to have our background checks and police checks done. In December we able to secure a doctors appointment to complete our medicals and our police checks came back a few weeks ago and we were assigned a resource worker.
I am excited to move on to this step. I had hoped that we would gain more clarity through the PRIDE training. Although it was informative and necessary it didn't move us much toward our decision. The home study is supposed to delve deeper into determining a family's preparedness for handling the changes that come along with adoption. I anticipate with the schedule it has been following so far that we will have completed the home study before spring comes . I will not be surprised though if the process begins to slow down considerably after having read how many families have dealt with long wait times throughout their process.
Even if we are deemed adopt ready and choose to pursue adoption, placement is one aspect of the process that follows no schedule. It could be 2 weeks before we are approached about a possible placement or it could be 4 years or possibly never.
The big questions we face include: "do we want to move forward to grow our family through adoption?" and "can we work as a foster family?". Originally we had only wanted to pursue adoption. We have been recently wondering about fostering and whether we could accommodate the school schedule of a foster child into our lives. The early morning buses and afternoon arrivals, the homework and social issues that come from the school environment are all things we have to think long and hard about. For most families it is just common place to accept the adjustments to family life that institutionally schooling brings but it really would be a change for our family.
We had our first homestudy interview just this week and will be continuing with more interviews in a couple of weeks. It was painless. A nice introduction to the homestudy process and a gentle beginning to what may prove to be quite invasive in to our personal lives. The resource worker was friendly and approachable. I look forward to meeting with her soon to work through this process.
What took so long?
I was reading my last post which was too long ago! Was I that negative? No not really, but I really did want nothing to do with resolutions. It has actually been a great new year so far. I feel like I am in a smooth parenting groove and the mood around the house has been great. I have been itching to write on the blog for a while. Not even sure why it hasn't happened yet....oh wait Chris and I got caught up in watching Dexter...all 6 seasons. That took up a lot of time and a lot of late nights.
My days have been filled with organizing the house for the homestudy and working on our new weekly schedule. The boys and I have been doing what we call 'focus time' or working on basic academic skills on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The amount each of them spends is dependant on age. Eoin generally works for an hour, Liam with 15 mintues more and Seamus works for about 1 1/2 hours. We work together on worksheets, activities or computer programs. It has been working relatively smoothly. When Liam for example needs one on one with a worksheet Eoin will set to work on a french language program.
In thinking about it we have had a number of projects on the go that have been time consuming. This year we moved the ice rink to a more open area of our property and enlarged it. What a challenging endeavour that has been!!! We started out at a disadvantage with a liner that had a number of holes and the ground was very slopped. Make sure the liner is fee of leaks! With a lot of trial and error and too many hours put in by my father and Chris and I it finally was skate ready last week. It was worth all the work though to watch the boys skate at night lit only by the spotlights on the garage. Those are things we all remember most in life; the time we spend connecting with those important to us! They won't remember the days we spend working on worksheets near as clearly as playing hockey in the backyard together.
My days have been filled with organizing the house for the homestudy and working on our new weekly schedule. The boys and I have been doing what we call 'focus time' or working on basic academic skills on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The amount each of them spends is dependant on age. Eoin generally works for an hour, Liam with 15 mintues more and Seamus works for about 1 1/2 hours. We work together on worksheets, activities or computer programs. It has been working relatively smoothly. When Liam for example needs one on one with a worksheet Eoin will set to work on a french language program.
In thinking about it we have had a number of projects on the go that have been time consuming. This year we moved the ice rink to a more open area of our property and enlarged it. What a challenging endeavour that has been!!! We started out at a disadvantage with a liner that had a number of holes and the ground was very slopped. Make sure the liner is fee of leaks! With a lot of trial and error and too many hours put in by my father and Chris and I it finally was skate ready last week. It was worth all the work though to watch the boys skate at night lit only by the spotlights on the garage. Those are things we all remember most in life; the time we spend connecting with those important to us! They won't remember the days we spend working on worksheets near as clearly as playing hockey in the backyard together.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
The grump who stole New Year's
The new year has begun, the holiday decorations are down and all packed up. The house is still a disaster though from with gifts and the evidence of housing 4 dogs over Christmas. It has been a gloomy few days here. The snow has literally disappeared over night. The 10C is not worth the disappearance of all the beautiful white ground cover. I can't say the mood is any better than the weather. Maybe it is the wind down from the busy week we had or the overdose of media related activities like TV and video games. No matter what it the cause there is a rain cloud sticking around.
Resolution talk is everywhere today! This year I am particularly turned off by the idea. I resolve to do things throughout the year. Those set on New Year's day have the same chance of being realized as one set any other day of the year. I suppose it is a bit of late onset hum-bugging. So bah humbug to this new year! Or at least to New Year resolutions.
Resolution talk is everywhere today! This year I am particularly turned off by the idea. I resolve to do things throughout the year. Those set on New Year's day have the same chance of being realized as one set any other day of the year. I suppose it is a bit of late onset hum-bugging. So bah humbug to this new year! Or at least to New Year resolutions.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Open roads and clean houses
The roads have opened! We finally got out yesterday when a small section of road from here to the next town re-opened. It also meant Chris was back at work. Not too many days before the holidays though and he will be home with us for almost two weeks. Assuming the snow stays on the ground it should be a great two weeks. He is much better at rounding up the boys to go outside when they get stuck in the indoor rut. I am sure there will be a number of snow forts and snowball fights on their way.
Before the holiday arrives though this weekend's list of to-do's is huge. Aside from the usual holiday clean up before company arrives we are starting to get the house ready for our upcoming home visit to do the safety checks for the adoption approval. Although it may be a number of weeks or even months down the road there are some things to get prepared. There are a list of safety precautions that need to be taken care that we wouldn't normally worry about with the boys. For example I might be naive but I think the boys are old enough that I don't have to lock up the medications or household cleaners so we will be finding ways to lock those items up as well as paint cans in the garage. I believe we will have to secure any furniture that has the potential to fall over like tall book cases. Some of it feels a bit of overkill but I am coming to learn that this will be a process of concessions and compromise particularly on our part. It will be a good chance for me to learn how to hand over some control.
Before the holiday arrives though this weekend's list of to-do's is huge. Aside from the usual holiday clean up before company arrives we are starting to get the house ready for our upcoming home visit to do the safety checks for the adoption approval. Although it may be a number of weeks or even months down the road there are some things to get prepared. There are a list of safety precautions that need to be taken care that we wouldn't normally worry about with the boys. For example I might be naive but I think the boys are old enough that I don't have to lock up the medications or household cleaners so we will be finding ways to lock those items up as well as paint cans in the garage. I believe we will have to secure any furniture that has the potential to fall over like tall book cases. Some of it feels a bit of overkill but I am coming to learn that this will be a process of concessions and compromise particularly on our part. It will be a good chance for me to learn how to hand over some control.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
More snowy days
Chris is in bliss! We are on a second full snow day here with road closures all around us. Good thing we did groceries on Sunday. It is a good reminder to get my emergency food bin stocked again for this year.
It has been such a pleasure having him home to hang out with us. I don't grow tired of his company. It has always been that way for us. When we first met in College being in the same program meant we spent a lot of time together and then we landed jobs with the same company often working in the same location together. I enjoy being near him and I think I can say the same for his desire to be near me. We can certainly be apart without falling apart but we can be together just as easily.
Today was a fun day filled with Gingerbread houses and crafts. We sat by the fire outside and with as much cheese as we could muster we belted out Christmas tunes. It is feeling like the holidays as I sit by the tree in the library in all its lighted glory. The tree is particularly beautiful this year. The boys set it up and decorated it all on their own which I think makes it so much more special for me. I had asked them to set it up with plans to decorate it together but they were on a roll insisting that no one come in to see it until they were finished. It was actually hard for me. I like my tree to look pretty and had even bought some mesh garland for it this year so I was worried but sucked it up and let them go at it. At the end of it all they proudly led us all in for the big reveal with the lights out, my parents included. When they turned the lights on it was just beautiful. They had filled the tree full with only glass Christmas balls and colourful lights. It could not have been more perfect.
These are the days that I cherish. The boys are old enough to do things for themselves and young enough to still ask for help. They are mature and talk things through without the pretense of knowing everything. They have a curiosity and energy that is wonderful.
It has been such a pleasure having him home to hang out with us. I don't grow tired of his company. It has always been that way for us. When we first met in College being in the same program meant we spent a lot of time together and then we landed jobs with the same company often working in the same location together. I enjoy being near him and I think I can say the same for his desire to be near me. We can certainly be apart without falling apart but we can be together just as easily.
Today was a fun day filled with Gingerbread houses and crafts. We sat by the fire outside and with as much cheese as we could muster we belted out Christmas tunes. It is feeling like the holidays as I sit by the tree in the library in all its lighted glory. The tree is particularly beautiful this year. The boys set it up and decorated it all on their own which I think makes it so much more special for me. I had asked them to set it up with plans to decorate it together but they were on a roll insisting that no one come in to see it until they were finished. It was actually hard for me. I like my tree to look pretty and had even bought some mesh garland for it this year so I was worried but sucked it up and let them go at it. At the end of it all they proudly led us all in for the big reveal with the lights out, my parents included. When they turned the lights on it was just beautiful. They had filled the tree full with only glass Christmas balls and colourful lights. It could not have been more perfect.
These are the days that I cherish. The boys are old enough to do things for themselves and young enough to still ask for help. They are mature and talk things through without the pretense of knowing everything. They have a curiosity and energy that is wonderful.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Snow day
Today is a snow day!!! Roads are closed across our county. Chris is like a kid waiting for Christmas morning when the weather gets rough here. He wakes up anxious to check the work phone line for severe weather advisories telling him that he can stay home. Today the roads are closed so he has a snow day. We started the day outside enjoying the winter weather. While Chris cleared out the driveway the boys and my mom I took them out back to a creek to toboggan. After the boys went back inside Chris started a fire and we sat around the fire pit with my parents. Snow days are precious so we tend to use our day to it's fullest. It is always a extra special treat to have Chris home unexpectedly.
I love snow!!! I can't say I love winter because it would be wholly dependant on where I was in the world and whether winter included snow. If it is cold there must be snow! Some of my most fond memories are building tunnels through 3 ft or 4 ft of snow in northern Ontario and even sometimes sliding down the drifts that reached the roof of our one story home. Building forts and snowball fights never get old. Throwing them at the kids now brings a whole new level of fun to it as adults. It can be quite a good release to ping my 11 year old with a snowball.
Coming back inside to the warmth of the house is all that much better. Today after lunch Chris sat down to play a board game with the kids and play Guitar Hero World Tour together while I began my long overdue post to this blog. Snow days are great!
I love snow!!! I can't say I love winter because it would be wholly dependant on where I was in the world and whether winter included snow. If it is cold there must be snow! Some of my most fond memories are building tunnels through 3 ft or 4 ft of snow in northern Ontario and even sometimes sliding down the drifts that reached the roof of our one story home. Building forts and snowball fights never get old. Throwing them at the kids now brings a whole new level of fun to it as adults. It can be quite a good release to ping my 11 year old with a snowball.
Coming back inside to the warmth of the house is all that much better. Today after lunch Chris sat down to play a board game with the kids and play Guitar Hero World Tour together while I began my long overdue post to this blog. Snow days are great!
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