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Fall Family Fun

While some folks around here are probably grumbling about the chilly weather this morning, I'm delighted.  Farewell Summer, don't let the door hit you on the way out!  It's going to warm up a bit over the week, but even today's 16 celcius is fine with me.  The sun is shining and the air is fresh and beautiful.

It was a lovely weekend in our house and it actually seemed to end too quickly. 

Friday I had my annual physical and I met my new family doctor for the first time.  My old one, who I loved, moved to Calgary and this woman took over her practice.  She seems great too.  She confirmed that there are some people, like myself, that are complete non-responders to pain medications.  Great!  Friday evening I visited one of my best friends, Sheri, who presented me with some lovely birthday gifts: a pair of earings, and this lovely tea set from David's Tea:



A tea cup that you can brew the tea in, and two types of loose leaf tea:  

Organic Hot Lips

Organic Hot Lips

Ginger Pu'erh

Organic Pu’erh Ginger

Given my love of cinnamon and chili, and ginger, I cannot wait to try both of them!

Saturday my in-laws took the girls for the morning, so Adam and I got a little time to ourselves.  In the afternoon, Big A went to a movie with a friend, and then we dropped off a care-package at her 'boyfriend's' house because he broke his arm last week. Poor little guy, it was a bad break which I am sure was very painful, and his poor parents for whom the whole thing was certainly quite traumatic! 

I can't believe how grown-up Big A is.  We are already having fights about how short her skirts and dresses are.  I didn't think we'd be having this battle for at least another 7 or 8 years!  She keeps trying to wear dresses that are too small, or tunics that are meant to be worn over leggings, without anything on her legs.  WTF?  Have we been letting her watch too much YTV? Fortunately, with the cooler temps, tights and leggings are becoming a must.

Little A has also been in a great mood for the past few days, although it can and does change on a dime.  By late afternoon when she is getting tired, she can be absolutely impossible.  We are also concerned about her refusal to listen to us, particularly when it comes to safety issues.  Last week after I repeatedly told her to stay out of the kitchen cupboard, she went in and knocked a glass bottle onto the floor.  Also, after being  to repeatedly to stop jumping on the couch, she didn't listen and fell off on to the floor.  With my mother-in-law, she ran across the street when she shouldn't have.  We've tried to explain how dangerous her behaviour is, but I don't know if she really gets it.  Big A has always been cautious, so we never had to deal with this stuff as much before.  But I do find her impish, mischievousness endearing, particularly her continued penchance for getting messy and dirty (Adam doesn't share my perspective on this, it just drives him nuts).  This morning I  walked into the dining room and caught her washing her hands - sticky from eating her French toast with her hands - in her glass of milk!

Yesterday we took the girls to Word On The Street, the annual literary festival.  I have wanted to go like forever, but have never made it.  Unfortunately, the minute we got there, it began to pour rain. So we walked over to Indigo, where I got a book I've been wanting forever:

Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too

These guys wrote my favorite parenting book to date:

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk

I'm hoping to get some tips on how to manage the girls' constant bickering.

Then we went back to the festival once it stopped raining and the girls got to meet TVO's Polkeroo and get big hugs from...him? her? it?

 

We bought a few more books and then headed home.

Enjoy your Monday...I'm off to flush my sinuses with saline...my allergies are killing me!  But I still love autumn, and I still think summer sucks!

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