My life

My first vlog :D

2007-09-20T16:46:00.000-05:00

Two teeth down, one more to go!

2007-01-27T08:52:00.000-05:00

Yep. Two of Alex's bottom teeth fell out. One of Alex's top tooth is loose now. He's growing into a boy. His face is maturing. He rolls his eyes when I bug him but yet it's ok if he bugs me and his sister! He's going for his yellow strip belt in Karate

Sky is becoming more cuddly again. She has twin babies that she tends to and gives them to me when she needs a break. :) When the babies cries, she takes them back and give them bottles. She has wonderful maternal instinct!! She has gotten so much better being in a crowd. Before she would hide behind me and be shy. It would take me several minutes to get her to socialize. Now she forgets to kiss and hug me goodbye! :)

Sky is going out with her sparks group ice skating this afternoon. Tom and I will take Alex ice skating. Hopefully I will have pictures to post tonight!!

Sometimes all you need is pictures to tell the story. :)

2006-12-31T13:03:00.000-05:00

Daddy and big brother with Keyera

Mommy and Keyera

Can you say adorable!?

Great aunt Laurie and Keyera

Great grandma and Keyera

Alex's 7th birthday party!

Cousins!!

Alex playing the drums!

Zander, a very proud big brother!

A sneak peek of what's going to come up!!

2006-12-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the world, Keyera Sue!!

2006-11-15T20:16:00.000-05:00

This morning at 9:30 am, Keyera Sue made her grand entrance in this world!! Weighing at 6'15, with a grouchy look just like her father when he was a baby, she's absolutely perfect!!

We agreed she is definitely one of us because she decided to stick her tongue out at the nurse. ;-)

Congratulations, Eric, Jeannine and Zander!! You will make wonderful parents and brother!!

2006-10-01T14:01:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've noticed some changes. :-) Yep, that means my children are not homeschooled anymore! Since Alex and Sky were ready for school, I enrolled them in a catholic school with hopes that Alex would finally talk this year. We went to the kids' open house at school a couple of weeks ago to see their classrooms and meet their teachers. I got a chance to talk with both kids' teachers. Alex is talking in school but he talks very softly. At least he's talking! Also she has said that he would always answer her questions correctly so she's not concerned about anything. Sky's teacher was concerned because Sky was crying often asking for me. Once they had to ask Alex to come and help calm her down. Other than that, Sky seems to enjoy school because she comes home happy. I think with time, she'll be alright. Alex goes full time while Sky goes every Mon, Wed and alternate Fridays.

Sky is in SK and Alex is in grade 1. It was a decision I made because I felt it's the right place for him to be in. Like I've said before, if he was born two days later then that's where he would be right now. I feel that it's better for him emotionally. He's more at the same level as other children instead of trailing behind all the older students.

Things that would make anyone go awww:

One evening, the kids and I went to Tim Hortons to have some hot chocolate after seeing the doctor for Alex's chest infection. We ran into a girl Sky met at her friend's birthday party. This girl LOVED to give hugs. I mean she would hug everyone she saw. She's just so adorable!! Anyway, when it was time for her and her father to leave, she proceeded to give Sky a huge hug then me then she walked toward Alex.... (Alex does not like hugs or kisses from girls) I could see his face turning into fear then when the girl grabbed him and squeezed him, his face turned red. After she left, his face fell and he started crying. He started talking about how he hate hugs and that girls stink bad.

Whenever Sky says she wants to go home, that means she wants a hug from me. It's soo adorable how she consider our hugs as her "home" :-) It all started when she lost her temper, she demanded to go home. Even though this house is her home, she didn't feel safe when she was upset so I suggested to her to use our hugs as her home. She loved that and does that a lot now. :-)

2006-08-27T11:28:00.000-05:00

The past year, I have learned to make sure to let your loved ones how you feel about them. You don't know how much time you have left with them. And make sure you keep in touch with them as often as you can. :-) Be it a friend, someone you grew up with, someone from your past that you happened to fall out of touch with, someone you had a silly spat with, etc... It's not worth it. Life's truly short. Many of us think, "oh, I have all those years ahead of me" or "they'll be here tomorrow" or maybe you get tired of a family member "nagging" but you really never know when the years you supposedly have will be cut short or that someone may not be here tomorrow.

Watching families/friends get closer because their loved one won't be on the earth longer. I wonder why sometimes it takes a dying person to get the family/friends together? We have to realize what we have and treasure it with all our hearts so there won't be any regrets when someone leaves the earth.

A dedication post...

2006-08-22T11:25:00.000-05:00

Kelli on the left, I'm the one chatting away and another friend of ours is above us.

To one of my favorite childhood bestfriend, Kelli!! This woman is amazing. How she manages to take care of five children (hubby included), keeps her household running smoothly, takes care of her parents and brothers during the most difficult time of their lives and still has time for her friends is beyond me.

We met when we were tiny. I must have been a baby and her a toddler. We grew up together, sharing countless sleepovers, secrets, fights, and most preciously, memories.

I'm so glad to have you in my life, Kelli. I cannot imagine otherwise.

Love ya, girl.

Prince's new home!

2006-08-22T08:34:00.000-05:00

My wonderful boyfriend made this for Prince. Prince fell in love with it and he sleeps, plays and lays there often. Thanks, Tommy, you're the best!

2006-06-18T11:15:00.000-05:00

This street sign is where my great grandparents used to own their farm back in the early 1900's. The kids and I went there today because Alex was curious about where they were buried.

The kids' great great grandparents.

Alex asking one of his many questions. :D
Nervous Sky wanting to leave. She was uneasy being around a graveyard. We left shortly afterwards.

Sky's birthday party was yesterday! She decided she wanted to have it at Churchill pool because some kids she was inviting were boys. They wouldn't enjoy the dancing party she wanted to have... :D 11 children were invited and only one couldn't make it so there were 12 kids at the party including Sky and Alex. They had a blast! They went swimming for an hour then went into the party room to have pizzas and cake. I'll have more pictures when my mom's cousin from California uploads hers on the computer and I'll be sure to add it then.

Sky the crow catcher

2006-06-05T20:30:00.000-05:00

This morning, Sky decided to run off to her friend's house to see if she was home despite me telling her that she couldn't go. I was so annoyed with her because my back was pretty sore so it was painful running after her. When she got to her friend's house, a crow was sitting there. Sky just grabbed the crow and held it for a few second then let it go because I told her to. I was afraid the crow would bite her and pass on some kind of disease.

It didn't hit me until I was talking to some people about it. How many people can actually catch a crow with their bare hands? The crow wasn't injuried because he/she flew away after Sky let him/her go.

Alex couldn't stop telling everyone about it causing Sky to burst into tears. She felt guilty because she thought she scared the crow. :-(

My brother and I wondered if it was some sort of sign for something since the kids are of Ojibway descent. I'll have to talk to the kids' dad or grandma and find out if it means something.

2006-05-31T19:58:00.000-05:00

It's confirmed!! My brother and his wife are expecting a baby in mid-Nov. It'll be my brother's first baby and sister in law's second baby. I'm so excited for them!! They're now 4 months pregnant. You can see the baby's face. They are going back for another ultrasound next month and hoping the baby isn't restless like yesterday so they can find out the gender. :D

Congratulations, Eric, Jeannine and Zander!!

2006-05-28T09:29:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy month!! Alex's gone out with my mom for the morning while Sky's watching her favorite movie so I have time to update.

The highlight of the month is we went to the Thunder Bay museum. There were three floors full of cool stuff. The first floor started with a teepee. The kids HAD to check it out first.

Then after checking a few other booths out, there was an old movie theater with old seats. They were wood and HARD. We sat there for about ten minutes watching the Three Stooges. Alex signed "My bum hurts. I'm tired of sitting here." I took that chance to explain that his great grandparents had to sit here for two hours if they wanted to watch a movie unlike those comfy chairs we're able to sit in at a movie theater.

We went on and looked around a bit more. Sky got so excited when she saw a bike with one huge wheel. She asked how people could ride on it.

We HAD to take a picture of them with the bike because it was Sky's favorite. :-D

Printing room.

I have no idea why they're posing like this. I guess something different!! :-)

We went to the second floor where there were dinosaurs. Alex was sooo excited about that because it was his first time seeing real life dinosaur bones in person!!

I apologize for the picture. Didn't realize how dark it is. I could have sworn I had the flash on.

Notice Sky kissing her big bro. :-D She sure loves her brother.

Taking turns on the phone.

Snuggling up to her favorite brother. :-D

A couple of weeks ago, we got a new kitten. It was supposed to be a surprise BUT the former owner asked if I was able to take the kitten on Tues night instead of Thurs as we originally planned. She lives in an apartment building and the kitten was howling because he had just gotten fixed. Her neighbors were complaining so I agreed to take the kitten immediately. That meant I couldn't surprise the kids because I had to go out and get cat food, litter, toys with the kids. I was planning on getting those stuff when they were at their grandma's on Thurs morning. They were really excited tho and picked out all the toys.

The kitten was groggy and nervous but he quickly warmed up. He's such a good kitten. When the kids play with him, he doesn't stratch or bite back. He's pretty laid back and loves to play with the kids. I'm so glad we got such a good cat.

As for the name, his name was Cheesie. It was picked by the owner's 2 year old son. We decided to change his name. Alex wanted to name him, "Stinky" or "Bum". Typical 6 year old boy. Sky came up with "Prince" from "Cinderella" and we all loved that name! So now his name is Prince.

Psst....

2006-05-06T08:55:00.000-05:00

This is going to be a surprise for the kids. This is the kitten I may be adopting on the 19th. If thigns work out, he will be ours!! The owner was looking for a new home because her two older cats wouldn't stop biting the poor 5 months old kitten. He is getting fixed on the 15th and after he recovers, she'll drop him off. If things go according to the plan, the kids will be pleasantly surprised!! :-D

2006-04-09T19:29:00.000-05:00

2006-04-01T13:34:00.000-05:00

The best feeling in the world is getting a big compliment from someone which made you feel like a good mother for making a hard but the right decision.

Since taking Alex out of school, he has improved greatly. Before he would not talk to anyone especially if he was in a big group. Now in playgroups, he talks around everyone and answers questions when asked. He's more confident in himself. We went to a meeting last Saturday. There was an interpreter there who I've known most of my life. She has known the kids since they were babies. She asked to see the kids since she hadn't seen them in ages so we went in the other room where the kids were with a sitter. She started talking to both the kids and Alex opened up to her immediately and told her about his tooth. He even walked up to her to show his new tooth. She was amazed because before he wouldn't say a word to her. We agreed that he will be ready for school soon. I'm just waiting for him to tap my shoulder and say "I want to go back to school."

On Monday, I will be calling the catholic school to register Sky for SK this fall. For now, I'm assuming Alex will want to be homeschooled for a little longer but I may register him anyway just so he would be able to start when he's ready.

We will be spending a lot of our time outside. Musuems, zoo, parks and our backyard all have our names on it. ;-) I'm hoping to do a lot of schoolwork outdoors. It'll be a lot of fun!! :-)

We went bowling two Fridays ago with the homeschooling group. The kids had a lot of fun. Both are experts when it comes to bowling. Alex even beat a friend of mine when we went bowling. :-) Sky got a pretty high score for her age.

March break was super busy with kids coming and going. Alex and Sky both had sleepovers here and at their friends' houses. It was both kids' first times sleeping over at their friends' houes so it was a bit odd for me. My babies are growing up!! :'( First Alex slept over at his friend who lives across the street then his friend came over to sleepover. Then both Alex and Sky went to Sky's friend's house to sleepover. Alex was not pleased with that because Sky's friend had four older sisters so Alex was the only boy there. Sky's other friend was there as well so there were 7 girls and only Alex. Alex wanted to stay at his friend's but his friend had to go over to his grandfather's house for his birthday. :-(

Sky's birthday is coming up in two and half months!! She will be turning 5 and we are probably having a princess birthday party at a dance studio. Girls only!! :-D Her dad is going to try to drive here to surprise her for her birthday. He's hoping to get time off work so he can be here.

We've had to go shopping once again. Sky and Alex outgrew their shoes and some clothes. Sky is now a size 13 and her clothes sizes are 6X. Alex is a size 2 and his clothes sizes are 8. They are getting way too tall. Alex is more than halfway on his way to being taller than me. :-( He's already up to my chest and I'm 5'7 1/2. :-
Will be adding pictures in the next few weeks.

Alex's first tooth fairy visit.

2006-03-04T09:43:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, we went over to my friend's place to for a short visit. Alex and Sky were playing and somehow she jumped and bumped her head on the bottom of Alex's jaw. He became very upset and said that his tooth had become loose so I checked it out. Good enough, his adult tooth has already broken through (maybe from him biting it when Sky hit him?) and his tooth was indeed loose. We went home because it was painful for Alex and I wanted to give him some advil to see if it helps. As the night went on, he demanded to see his grandpa so we went over to my dad's place. My dad checked it out and told me to use a tweezer to pull his tooth out when it becomes more loose. Later on, while Alex was eating, his tooth became even more loose so it was time to pull it out. It only took a few tries but Alex screamed his head off. I had to reassure him that the pain will go away once the tooth was out and that he would be getting money from the tooth fairy. After the tooth was out, he realized that I was right. The pain did go away almost instantly after his tooth was out and he was sooo proud of himself!

He got $5 for his tooth from the toothfairy. At the funeral, he scored a few more dollars from relatives by showing his toothless grin off. :-)

There was something interesting I came across on the internet. The earlier your baby teeths, the earlier they will likely lose their baby teeth. Alex and Sky were both 4 months old when they got their first teeth. By the time they were a year old, they had all their teeth. So that explained why Alex lost his first tooth before his older friends.

Tribute to William George Klages

2006-03-04T08:36:00.000-05:00

It is a great honour to be asked by my family to speak about our Dad. Who was William George Klages? He was many things to many people. He was first the son of Gottlieb and Augusta Klages, born on the family farm in Slate River. He was brother to Henry, Charlie, Bobby, Felix, Mary, Eric and Lena.

I talked to Aunt Lena the other day about Dad as a child. She recalled that her father had moved the family to Westfort just prior to the depression for a year or so. She attended Crawford St. School and when she would walk to school, her baby brother George, who was 3 or 4 at the time, would sneak out of the house to follow her because he wanted to be with her. This was a problem because she had to cross the train tracks to get to school and George would stop and play on the tracks. She turned around only to see her brother there and had to run back to get him off the tracks and take him home.

Later on when they moved back to the farm, Lena recalls the boys would build a skating rink on the pond. This is where his love of hockey began, a love that he passed on to his son and grandsons.

He was husband to Laura. Mom recalls how they met. She and a friend went to a dance and when she saw Dad, she said "That one's for me." That was over 60 years ago. Imagine that! They married, and together they cleared land, built a home and raised 6 great kids. [Best of all, ME!]

Not only did they raise 6 great kids, they also opened their home to numerous foster children from Children's Aid. From 1953 to 1983 there were over 200! While Mom cared for the children, Dad was for a number of years a member of the Board of Directors for the Children's Aid Society. What a team.

He was father or "Dad" to Bill, Bob, Cathy, Debi, Laurie and [you guessed it]~Best of all, me! He coached his sons' hockey team (smoking a huge white owl cigar when his team won). He encouraged all of us to be the best we could be and he was proud of all his children's accomplishments.

He was always there to listen to our problems and to give advice. It didn't matter whether or not we took his advice, he was glad to be able to help any way he could.

He was Grandfather, Papa and great-grandfather and liked to sit and chat with all the children, read stories to them, and, once again, give them advice.

George was a Union man. From 1967 to 1985, Dad worked hard for his Brothers and Sisters of Pipe Fitters Local 39 on the Pension & Insurance committee, either as a committee member or as the Chairman. The pension that members enjoy now is a result in part of that work.

He was also a member of the Enterainment committee, a job he enjoyed, as he knew the value of fellowship and recreaction.

He was a Piper Fitter by trade and he worked hard for his employer. As many of his apprentices would attest, his toolbox they carried would always have more than enough in it to do the job.

Yes, William George Klages Sr. was many things to many people. He was a son, a brother, a husband, a father and a father in law. He was a grandfather, and a great grandfather. He was a Union member and a Committee member. He was an adviser to his children and grandchildren.

If I had to sum all that up in one word, it would be ~ "Friend." He was a friend to us all. A friend that will be missed. In closing, I'd like to leave you with a quote from author John Taylor: "While we mourn the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil."

By David Klages

2006-02-26T08:45:00.000-05:00

Rest in peace, William "George" Klages.

2006-02-23T15:51:00.000-05:00

This morning, I dreamed about my grandpa. I was living in a garden and I got a message from my father that he was at number 17. I instantly knew what it meant. It was close to his death. If he was at 1, he's alive and healthy and if he was at 20, he was dead. So I went to see my dad and grandpa. My dad was having a difficult time understanding the dying process so I was explaining about the process to him. He was worried about him not eating so I explained that it was the body's natural way of shutting down organs and that he wasn't hungry. In fact, it helps him feel euphoria.

Afterwards, I woke up. I felt so sad but then I noticed in the sky outside my bedroom, there was a lone shiny star. As it became brighter, the star disappeared. It took about 40 minutes for it to disappear but while it was dancing, I was able to appreciate the beauty. It's funny how the dream and star just somehow pieced together like a puzzle. We need to appreciate people and things the same because one day they will be gone. Their memory will always live on but in order to appreciate the person or thing, we need to be available to do that.

It's about time I updated!!

2006-02-20T15:59:00.000-05:00

Where to begin? It's been so long since I updated. Christmas came and went. We ended up having dinner at my grandparents' house since it would be my grandpa's last Christmas. My grandma invited everyone to her house and we all had fun. Sky especially liked my cousin, Katie. She is 11 years old so they had a lot of fun playing together. Alex spent most of his time outside playing with his new toy ATV. Dinner was delicous as my grandma is a wonderful cook. :)

The kids' dad was in town as well and he stayed with us throughout the Christmas holiday. The kids clinged to him for dear life leaving me free to go out and do whatever I want to. The kids were so sad when he went back to Medicine Hat, Alberta but they understood why he had to leave. They still keep in touch by phone calls and letters.

Homeschooling is going very well. Sky is finally interested in practicing her handwriting so no more bribes!! :) More activities are planned as spring approaches. The weather has been mild up until a couple of weeks ago when it became freezing cold. Now it has finally become warmer. Spring is definitely coming and you can see the excitiment in the kids.

A few weeks ago, I took Alex for a hearing test because I noticed he was turning up the volume on TV and computer so I was concerned about him losing his hearing. The hearing test showed that his hearing was normal but the audiologist told me something interesting that would help me understand why he refused to talk at school for over two years... It turns out that he has problems with background noises. He cannot understand anything when there's too much noise around. Apparently, it's common in boys his age. She also said that homeschooling was perfect for Alex because he won't be so distracted and he is able to concerate better. If he is to go back to school, then he would need to go b ack for further testing. He would need help at school. Sky is a very noisy girl so whenever he watches TV or does his phonics homework on the computer, he would turn up the volume in order to understand what's being said. Who would know a simple hearing test would find that kind of info out!! Now I understand the importance of taking your kids to the audiologist to get tested before they start kindergarten.

A couple of weeks ago, my grandpa was brought to the hospice because he wasn't eating anything and became sicker. (For those who don't know, he has cancer and doesn't have long to live.) Alex and his great grandfather have a special bond. When he was little, he would sit with him reading books. Sky would go with her great grandma in her garden and help with gardening. Anyway, I felt it was time to have a talk with both the kids about their great grandpa. I didn't want them to be caught by surprise when he dies. We had a good talk about death and life. Alex cried because he didn't want his great grandpa to die but I explained to him that it was a part of life. Everyone and everything eventually die. There was nothing to be afraid of. They will go to a better place after they die. They won't be in any more pain and that's a good thing. Even if they die, they'll always be a part of your heart. HE started asking questions and I did my best to answer them. Sky asked only one question. She asked if her cousin would die as well. Now, did I do the right thing? Should I have kept quiet and let them be shocked when my grandpa dies? I don't think so. A few people have disagreed with me but I still think I did the right thing. Communication is so important and if there's a lack of it, then... Things won't be good. I'm glad I did because my grandpa asked for his great grandchildren so my brother and I brought the kids over to the hospice to visit him. He spent a few minutes staring at each kid until he was finished. He fell asleep afterwards. It was easier on Alex and Sky because they knew what to expect when it was time to visit him. They knew that great grandpa couldn't read them a book because he is too sick.

Sky has asked to go back to school so this fall, I will enroll her in Senior Kindergarten at a catholic school. As for Alex, he wants to continue to be homeschooled so I will do that. I was also talking to a couple of friends about Alex being in the first grade. He started JK when he was 3 and half years old. Was he ready? If he was born 2 days later, he would have started JK a year later and be in SK right now. Now I'm wondering if I put him in school too early and actually pushed him to be ahead of his normal development. So I figure I will let Alex proceed at his own pace. If he needs to be in grade 1 again in the fall, then that's fine. If not, then that's fine too. I don't want him to be turned off by school forever just because he had a bad start. School can be fun and for that to happen, I need to make sure he enjoys doing his lessons.

2006-01-25T20:20:00.000-05:00

Lesson learned. Never show off that you can skate fast to the kids. You will end up embarrassing yourself when you trip and slide down the ice. :-P

And end up with a sore back. :'(

2006-01-25T11:23:00.000-05:00

Three big cats sitting on a rock.
One big cat runs away.
Bye-bye big cat.

Two big cats sitting on a rock.
One big cat runs away.
Bye-bye big cat.

One big cat sitting on a rock.
One big cat runs away.
Bye-bye big cat.

No more big cats!

Alex read this to me last night on his own with no help! :-)

Will update with more by the weekend, hopefully! :-)

2005-12-03T11:41:00.000-05:00

I think I need a vacation. The past month has been extremely hard with everything happening at once. Moving for the third time in a year, working full time (it's not too bad actually), pulling the kids out of school and homeschooling the kids, the kids' dad moving away, keeping up with basic responsibilities, being in the middle of my parents' divorce, watching loved ones going through hard times and dealing with so called friends. All those stuff in just a month. I think I'm on the verge of exhaustation. I don't know exactly when or where or how I can go on a vacation but one idea is to save up as much as I can after Christmas and go out west to visit the kids' dad. That way when he's off, he can take the kids and I can just go off and do my own stuff. Also, just hanging out with their dad would be great as well. We usually have great times doing stuff with the kids. There is a bond between him and I that will always be there and we will always be good friends because of that. I think I am just missing out on having me time when I can just do whatever I want. I'll be getting some of that this afternoon, thanks to my sister in law. I'll be going to a meeting and then out for coffee with a new friend that I just met. Just to have an adult conversation for a few hours will be so refreshing.

Other than that, homeschooling is going great. The kids weren't used to it but I had to set a few rules for them. They're so used to having TV and music on all the time but when they do work, TV must be off. They don't like it for a minute but it's very important to set a school like enviornment for them. I got Sky a kindergarten math workbook and handwriting practicing workbook where you can erase it and rewrite over and over. Sky did the math book all within a few days so I had to go back to the store and get her a new K-grade 1 math book and so far, she's excelling at it. I think having a big brother helps. Alex is doing well in everything. He has ran into some hard times with learning and tends to give up quickly. I encourage him to go over the problem over and over until he gets it. I don't wnat him to turn out like me, giving up whenever there is a problem right in front of me.

We will be going ice skating quite often during winter. The kids have expressed a great interest in practicing their skating skills. Alex taught himself how to skate last winter but Sky was having a hard time because of her balance but this year, I think Sky's balance will be better.

Another project we will be doing is.. Painting the living room!! We will be painting the living room either blue or earthy green. I think we will do that after Christmas is over.

It's so great having the kids back home full time. I don't know how I let them go to school before. The break was nice but I prefer having the kids iwth me where I can control what they learn. And their behaviour has improved greatly. They are no longer wild at the mall. Sky's tantrums has lessened.

Last night the kids decided they wanted to pay a visit to Santa. Those who know my kids, are deathly afraid of santa. It took a couple of trips to the mall for them to check santa out before deciding that they wanted to sit on his lap and have their picture taken. I will be sending the picture to their dad as requested by the kids.

Now let's hope 2005 ends better and 2006 comes in even better.

2005-11-20T00:13:00.000-05:00

My children are now being homeschooled. After a few weeks of searching for a school that wasn't full and then getting word that the board of education refuses to transfer my children to another school even though I would have provided transportation, I decided I was going to homeschool them. I can already see a great improvement in Alex. He is much happier now and the playgroups we go to for socializiation purpose, he talks at. He particaptes in all the songs and games they have. There is a homeschooling store in town where my friend who homeschools her children shops at. I went to that store and it is owned by a teacher so she was very helpful at finding things that I needed in order to homeschool my kids. Reading, writing, math, science, social studies and phonics. My biggest problem is phonics because it requires the kids to sound out words and me being deaf, I cannot really help them out that much with it. Forunately, my family will be helping out with that part. This is going to be a wonderful experience and will bring the kids and I closer as a family.

Now for the final step, I have to hand in a form to the school principal telling him of my intent to homeschool the kids. I expect him to give me a hard time about it but I already researched a lot about homeschooling so I am prepared for it.

"parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their child"

(1948 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

This is what I will be using if he refuses to sign the papers.

And the policy/memorandum No. 131 is extremely important because it ensures that homeschooling parents are innocent until proven guilty.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/131.html

And lastly, for a while there, I was concerned about getting into trouble because Alex wasn't in school. (parents can be charged with trundacy and fined up to $200.00) But then I discovered this from the Education Act...

Subsection 21(1) requires every child to attend school from the age of six until the age of sixteen.

For those who doesn't get it, Alex is not yet six years old. He is five until December 30th. :-)

Now that the worrying was reduced, I was able to set up a plan for the kids. It includes playgroups a few times a week and then the kids will join with my friend's children along with their homeschool group that takes place every Friday. Then Alex will go on with his workbooks. Alex with his grade 1 work and Sky with her hands on educational toys. I found that Sky is not interested in workbooks except for math so I didn't purchase any for her except for the math workbook. She's still four so there's a lot of time for her. I bought a math workbook for her because she loves counting and figuring out how many animals, insects, etc there were in a group and matching the numbers to the group of animals, etc..

I've found I am usually exhausted by 9-10 pm each night but it's a happy exhaustion because I know the kids are getting the best now.

Good night all.

2005-11-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

Well, I decided not to buy the house but to rent it for at least one year. My goal is to get out of Thunder Bay within a year.

There is just no future for the kids and myself here.

A year is going to be spent saving up and finishing up studying my GED and starting with the math tutor next week. Then I will take the test and when I pass (not if, I'm that confident in myself and it's about time!!) I am going to work hard at getting into a school that will provide interpreters.

That is a big risk I am going to take, quitting my job and turning down on the chance to buy a house in order to get a better education so I can get a better job and a better place to raise the kids in. But anything for my kids because they deserve a wonderful life.

2005-11-04T18:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I talked to the vice principal of Alex and Sky's former school. She was a HUGE bitch to start with. She started off denying that the bullying happened more than once. When I told her that Alex's teacher, Caleb's parents and Alex himself told me of more than one thing have already happened, she went on how safe the school was and that they had enough supervisior in the lunchroom and that Alex's classmates are very protective of Alex. But Alex's classmates are only 5-6 years old and they are not going to keep an eye on Alex all the time nor they should even be expected to. They are just children for pete's sake!! Then I told ehr that it doesn't matter because I still felt it was better to move the kids to another school. Alex has already said that he is willing to talk at another school and that the reason why he wouldn't talk at that school was because he was scared to. And guess what she said? She said "It sounds to me like Alex's running the show here." I nearly flipped on her!! I stayed calm while I explained that this is a hard thing for me to decide because there is not that many parents who have a child who chooses not to talk in school so I have a little support from a very few parents so I am mainly going with what I think is right for my child. She then said that it was my decision. Damn right, woman, it's my decision!! From the conversation, I saw a couple of things in her. She did not care about how Alex felt. She did not believe three people who have already said what happened. And worst of all, that boy is getting away with this. My sister in law thinks maybe she was friends of that child's family so that's why she's not even doing anything about it.

When I went back to the school to pick Alex's stuff up, Alex would not even step in the school. He demanded that I let him stay in the car while I picked his stuff up. Don't tell me that this child is not afraid of that school.

Being a mother means you have to confront idiotic people who obviously don't know what's the best for your child. Always listen to your insticts because it's always right. I'm glad I listened to mine.

2005-10-30T21:34:00.000-05:00

I am majorly pissed off. This afternoon I found out way more than I expected to. Alex is being bullied at school. A kid in his class has been screaming in his ears and hitting him. His friend tried to stand up for him but couldn't. I talked to his friends parents and apparently this boy has major issues. He screams into other kids ears and hits them. He even got sent to detention because he was strangling other kids. And the school has not done anythign else about it and that childs parents are in denial. I also found out they allow him to watch R movies. What parents would allow their 6 yrs old child to watch movies like that!? I wrote a letter to the school.

Sunday October 30, 2005

To whom it may concern;

For the past few weeks, Alex has been asking to move to another school. When asked why, he would not answer but mentioned that he wants to talk at the other school. Today when I told Alex that I would be looking into moving him and his sister to another school, he decided to open up and tell me what has been going on at school. Apparently, at lunchtime a student has been screaming in his ears and after lunch outside, a student has been hitting his head so hard that he gets headaches. I took Alex back to the school playground to ask him to show me where he was when the kid was hitting his head. He showed me that he was standing by the shed beside the fence when the kid hit him. He also mentioned that the reason why he doesn’t want to talk is because he is too afraid to. He’s afraid of the kid in his classroom and the only person who is nice to him is his friend, Caleb. It all made sense to me, all those times when he walked up to me with tears in his eyes and saying his head hurts. This has happened quite often and I thought it could have been because it was too noisy for him.

I decided to talk with Caleb’s parents to see if Caleb knew anything and sure enough, Caleb mentioned that it has been Sammy who is doing this. And apparently this is not the first time Sammy has done this. So I have decided that it is the best thing for Alex to take him out of the school and transfer him and his sister, Savannah to another school. I do not want Alex to go on to school in fear anymore. I thought it was important for you to know this so this does not happen to other children in the school. . We had made some progress last year and I feel that he has fallen back. This is not acceptable because he has a right to have an education and be comfortable and happy to be at school.

As of Monday, October 31st 2005, Alex and Savannah will not be returning to Hyde Park school. I will be talking to the Catholic school board about putting them in another school.

Please get in touch with me regarding this matter. You can call the Bell Relay Services at 1-800-855-0511 and when an operator comes on, ask them to call me at ***-****. You may be asked to provide your area code and phone number. Also let me know when I would be able to pick up Alex and Savannah’s things (shoes, schoolwork, school pictures when they come in, etc..) please.

Thank you,

Amanda Ranger

And this is the best I could do without flipping out like the kids' dad wanted to do. He wanted to call them and scream at them but I managed to convince him to let me take care of it. I feel sad because he was too afraid to tell me about this but I really hope now that he knows I'm on his side, he will continue to confide in me when he has problems. :-(

Self identy, school, and behaviour.

2005-09-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

Lately Alex has been starting to identify himself as a native boy. Yesterday he went to another pow wow with his dad and sister. He became really interested in the dances there that he was watching the dancers' feet closely. His dad's friend offered to teach him some dances today when they go back. Last night, Alex was talking about how he wants to live on the reserve with his dad when he grows up and that "indians" live on the reserve. He asked me if white people liked "indians". I told him that I am white and I like him!! That brought a big grin on his face. I think he wanted to make sure I'd still love him no matter who he is or where he is. I hope he realizes that now. It's just wonderful watching his face brighten up when he talks about the pow wow and learning how to dance. It's like something inside him waking up. He's finding his way in this world. I'm hoping he and Sky are able to carry on their culture and traditions so it wouldn't get lost. We already know the tribe and clan their grandma and family are from. It's slowly dying right now because people forget. But to our advantage, children are very curious and they will remember for us if we tell them everything they need to know and keep the legends alive.

*The word, "indians" were said by Alex. This is no way of trying to offend anyone who may be offended.*

The first day of school came and went. Alex was extremely nervous but he got through the first day a lot better than expected. I was so proud of him for handling his first day well. Sky had no problems and loves school. The only thing that disappointed her was that she only could go to school twice a week instead of full time like she wanted. Next year, she will start going full time. Sky has started gymnastics and was very shy surprisingly. It took a few pushes from her teacher and myself to finally get her involved.

I finally took Sky to the doctor about her behaviour. She throws a long temper and becomes very frustrated easily. She even becomes aggressive and the last time she was aggressive, she threw a cup at her dad and he got a black eye. I became concerned when she started going through the kitchen like crazy looking for sugar or whatever has sugar in it and throws a fit if she doesn't get it. When she manages to sneak some sugary food out and eats it, her behaviour becomes even more difficult with her screaming and crying over little things. For example, if she trips and fall but doesn't hurt herself badly, she would make a huge deal out of it and demand a bandaid. If I try to hug her, she would scream at me for hugging her. So that was why I decided it was a good idea to take her to the doctor to see what he thought. He said that children of divorced parents tend to be a bit more aggressive. And sugar adds to it so I have thrown out all the pudding, cookies, and all that stuff. I'm going to teach her how to eat better food and why sugary food isn't healthy for her. Sky's teacher has also asked that parents don't send unhealthy food so that would be very helpful for her to learn about healthy food. As for her dad and I being divorced, we will have to talk to Sky about it and see how she feels about it. He and I are still good friends and he tries to be very involved iwth the kids' lives as much as he can. If all those stuff does not work then Sky would need to see a pediatrician. I'm hoping she goes back to the happy child she used to be!!

We may be moving once again. I have a chance to buy a new house. It would be in a great area and we would have a big backyard. The kids would love that. I have already talked to the landlord about breaking my lease and he has agreed to let me go only if I give him two months notice so things seems to be falling into place.

2005-08-27T21:49:00.000-05:00

Old McDonald had a farm,

E I E I O

And on his farm he had a butt, E-I-E-I-O

With a "butt" here and a "butt" there

Guess who sung this?

None other than my little boy, Alex at the age of five and half. :-)

2005-08-25T13:31:00.000-05:00

:(

This morning at 6:30 am, Alex woke up with a mirgaine. It has been months since he had a miragine. He was screaming and then started to throw up. He finally slept but not for long. Then woke up screaming again. I found that if I held his head with my hand, it helps him fall asleep and stay asleep longer. I recall his doctor telling me that his miragines are usually from stress so I was trying to think about what could be stressing him out then it hit me. School is starting again. He does not want to go back to school nor speak there. Now next step would be to have a talk with Alex and listen to his feelings. Hopefully we can find a solution to his nervousness.

Other than that it's been fun last couple of weeks. We went to the water park a few times and one day we even had a pizza there. I suprised the kids with a trip to an old VIA train. They gave tours. Alex especially was really into it. He has always loved trains ever since he was a baby. The train was built in mid 1950's and they didn't change anything inside it. The chairs were wool and they had cute pull out beds. The paint in the train was peeling and the metal were rustic. The train smelt like history. There was a certain muskic smell to it. I could see people and children dressed in 50's clothes walking around and sitting. It was a lot of fun for both kids. They sat in the chairs, went to see the driver's area, climbed the bunk beds and pretended to sleep there.

Sky is so excited about school. She has her little bag all ready and she would make her school lunch each morning. She says she is playing school to practice. At least she is not throwing a tantrum when she finds out school does not begin "today". She makes jam sandwiches (peanut butter is not allowed because other children are allergic to peanut butter), cheese and crackers, an apple, a pudding and a juice box. She puts them in her brand new lunch box and puts it in her brand new my little pony bag. Then at around 10 am, she decides it is lunchtime and eats it all.

2005-08-20T13:32:00.000-05:00

Sky enters and signs:

"Mommy, school today?"

"Not today. Few weeks."

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!" *pouts* At this point she had thrown her hands down and her shoulders are bent over in disappointment.

This has been how Sky has been the past few weeks now. It's so cute watching her getting excited about her very first day of school. It's a huge difference from her older brother. Alex was really afraid of school. He cried for a long time at his first day of school. I predict Sky will forget to hug and kiss me bye. I think it'll be hard but exciting to watch her start her way in life. It has hit me that she isn't a baby anymore. She is a beautiful, smart little girl now.

2005-08-09T23:03:00.000-05:00

Since when is a child claiming that he wants to die and he doesn't exist on earth part of his personality?

Some mothers are fucked in the head seriously.

Interesting little discussion with my son this morning.

2005-08-06T17:12:00.000-05:00

This morning Alex and I had an interesting conversation...

Alex: Mommy, I want your ears to be broken.

Me: Oh, why?

Alex: Because I like it.

Me: Would you like daddy's ears to be broken as well?

Alex: No.

Me: Why?

Alex: Because I love talking to daddy.

Ummm..

I wonder if it's the fact that we do not speak with we chat. We sign and it's "too quiet" for him? Or just the fact he loves hearing his father's voice? I've heard his dad's voice is pretty unique. He speaks with an aborginial accent and perhaps he takes comfort from hearing it?

Why does he like my ears "broken"?

Perhaps he likes it because it comes naturally to him. His mommy being deaf and uses ASL and his daddy being hearing but has an accent? We are not like most parents of his friends, that's for sure. It's just so interesting chatting with the kids and really learning about their little ideas in their heads.

Observations

2005-07-29T23:31:00.000-05:00

There are days where I like to sit back and just observe. I observe everything that goes on. From wind blowing through trees, birds sitting on street lamps to people. My favorite thing to observe is people. There are so many different sort of people. Fat, thin, ugly, beautiful, dark, light, etc... I tend to look at their eyes first. I notice the colour, the shape, whether they had bags or not, and most of all how full their souls are. You can notice it by seeing the glimmer or dullness in their eyes. Yesterday while I was at the park with my children waiting for my brother, sister in law, nephew and dad, I noticed a terminally ill man. He was super skinny. Clothes were hanging off him. He walked up to me while I was playing tennis with my son. He started talking about how much his daughter loves tennis and proceeded onto the swings with his daughter. His daughter was approx 6-7 years old. She was a beautiful native girl with brown eyes and short brown hair. She was not smiling but you could see the glimmer in her eyes. Her father had only a few teeth and was limping. It was obvious that he was very sick and in pain. He winced when he took a wrong step but it did not stop him from playing iwth his daughter. They swung high then twisted around. It was obvious the man was in a lot of pain but yet you could see great happiness in his eyes. They were in their own world. No matter what the little girl's father looked like, she still loved him unconditionally and he loved her unconditionally despite the difference in their races.

Love is love, no matter what colour, sex, age and how healthy a person is. It is truly a beautiful thing.

Somedays just a cup of coffee would make a person's day. One day I was having coffee with a friend of mine. This homeless man came in asking for a loonie (dollar) so he could get himself a coffee. My friend then started to scream at him to leave us alone. I became upset because he didn't ask for it so I told my friend to be quiet and gave him a loonie. Again, you could see the glimmer returning to his eyes and he smiled. That was enough thanks for me.

There are so many simple things people could do for others. Let them pass you if they had a few groceries. Let a person come out of the parking lot when there is a bad traffic. Give a few dollars if they don't have enough to pay for groceries. Make eye contact as you do those things and watch the glimmer come then you will know it's all worth it.

So many people forget to make eye contact. They talk to others while looking down, up, the sides or in the guys cases, the female's chests. ;-) Eyes are truly the window to one's soul.

June 30, 2005

2005-07-23T17:07:00.000-05:00

Alex, Sky and their older half brother, River taken on Sky's 4th birthday.

First post!

2005-07-23T16:22:00.000-05:00

I started this blog exclusively to write about my life as a single mom. I will write about the wonderful and horrible times I have with my children. Raising two VERY active children is not a piece of cake and I feel I need a place where I can rave and rant.

A summary of what we would need to know..

I am a divorced mother of two young children. One boy, Alexander Xavier, turning six on December 30th. One girl, Savannah Sky, turned four on June 30th. Alex will be entering the first grade and Sky will be starting Junior Kindergarten this September.

Since Alex was in JK, he would not speak in school. It turns out that it is common with children who knows more than two languages. They may feel close to the parent who uses different language and feels like it would be betraying them if they spoke english. Or they simply do not feel comfortable using english in front of so many students especially if their first language is not english. Alex is a very shy boy but when you get to know him, you will find that he is a very michevious child. His eyes twinkle when he has something up his sleeve. He has also become "mouthy" meaning he talks back. A lot of people are quite puzzled when they find out this little smart aleck refuses to talk in school. Towards the end of Senior Kindergarten, he finally started talking to a select few friends but no adults. I'm hoping he'll feel comfortable enough to talk in grade 1 since it is required.

Now on to Sky. For those who knows her, thinks she is a lot like me. Fiercely independent and she will not take any crap from anyone no matter what. She will argue until she's blue in the face if she believes she is right. She already has an attitude and those who gets on her bad side will feel it. She is also a very socializing child. She likes to have many friends to play with unlike her older brother. She got involved with gymnastics at the age of 3 and ballet a little later. I predict she will be alright in school since she already had experiences meeting other children and that helps her socializing skills.

One very interesting thing I have noticed about both children. Alex is more fluent in ASL than Sky. Sky is more fluent in spoken english than Alex. (Both are hearing obviously) I realized that it is probably because Alex was the first child so he got all the attention from me and his father. Sky was the second child so she got the most attention from Alex since they are just one year and half apart. Don't get me wrong, Sky can sign well, she just talks more than she can sign. Once my mom had my uncle, aunt and cousins over, Sky decided to tell a story about the goldlicks and three bears. It really surprised everyone because she actually memorized the whole story and at the age of three.

I will be adding various experiences from time to time. I'm hoping this would help me get a fresh view on how I am raising my own children since it's hard to watch myself in action. I expect to make a lot of mistakes but I hope that I am able to catch them and change my ways if needed.