Long Time No See/Baby #4

When I started this blog I had every intention of posting a couple of times a month. But, not even a month later my husband & I found out we were expecting!!!

We’ve talked about possibly having another child for years. Going back and forth about when would be a good time & if we were ready to “start all over again”. We had become very comfortable with our life, being able to go out on date nights and sleeping in on weekends. Were we really ready to endure those long sleepless nights again??

Last year we agreed that after we moved into our new house, we would start “trying” and whatever happens, happens. And it happened. I still remember the morning I took that test, my heart was racing & I put it on the bathroom floor and stepped out into the bedroom to try to compose myself before reading the result. When I walked in and saw the “YES +” on the test, I couldn’t believe it. I cried. Then with the biggest smile, I wandered downstairs to where my husband was working (he was on a conference call) and held up the test. His mouth dropped open and he gave me the biggest hug & said “here we go again huh?”

Little did we know that we were about to endure almost 4 months of morning (or should I say all day) sickness. I was bed ridden the entire 1st trimester!!! I had never experienced anything like that in any of my other pregnancies. My poor husband was left to try and manage working from home during quarantine, homeschooling our younger 2 and keeping the house running smoothly.

Fast forward a couple of months to telling the kids…they were super excited. Not just because they’re getting a new baby, but also because it’s another girl!!! It feels like our family is now complete. 3 boys, 3 girls…nice and even. And before you say it, no, there will be no tie breaker.

Another new thing I had the honour of experiencing this pregnancy is Gestational Diabetes. I got tested in the beginning of my 3rd trimester and failed, so I had to change my diet (carb counting & making some healthier choices), I have insulin injections twice a day and monitoring my blood sugar.

This has been by far the hardest pregnancy I’ve ever had, but I am so thankful to be able to carry this little blessing in my body. And once she’s home & settled, I look forward to getting back to myself & getting back to this blog.

2021 is going to be exciting!!!

Simply,

Dee

Easy Craft for Kids: Toilet Paper Roll Fireworks

The last week of May is Victoria Day here in Canada. It’s something that my kiddos look forward to every year. We normally spend the entire day outside playing water games in the backyard, have a bbq dinner & head out as it gets dark to our favourite park, where they put on an amazing fireworks display.

Current happenings (pandemic life) meant that there wasn’t going to be any fireworks this year & when I told my older son, he was absolutely gutted. He’s a huge firework fan.

Thank God for Pinterest!! I searched up “Firework Crafts” and this post from Mas & Pas looked right up our alley. I have 2 guidelines a craft must follow in order to attempt it with my kids;

1. It has to be easy – my boys get frustrated very easily & it can literally set off a meltdown that could last all day.
   • this firework craft is something I could almost leave them to do themselves (I said almost…there is paint involved)
   • we poured some paint on tupperware lids to make it easier for them to stamp the tubes into
2. It has to be adaptable for my younger son. He loves to be included but most things need some modification.
   • the only thing I had to change during this craft was the length of the toilet paper tube. I cut one tube in half to make it easier for him to grab.

After I cut the tubes, we grabbed our black construction paper, poured the paint & set to work.

They had so much fun stamping fireworks! My older son made a firework noise (screech) everytime he pressed the stamp to the paper. My younger son stamped fireworks everywhere…including the table & his body. Even my teenage daughter had fun (#momwin)

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This is definitely a technique we’ll try again soon. We’re currently studying “The Life Cycle of a Flower” and will use the rolls to make flowers. Or maybe make snowflakes in the wintertime?

I hope you have fun trying this out with your little ones.

Stay safe,

Dee