New Blog Site

Sorry to make you update your info on us, but we are changing our blog address.

Come and read about our incredible lives at:

http://templemansoverexposed.blogspot.com/

See you there!

The {City} Pumpkin Patch

It's that time of year again . . .



A few years ago I went to a farm and had the boys dress in costume and pick out their pumpkins in the patch.


It was pretty crazy. Jayden was 3 and Jackson was 1. I found myself lugging Jackson (with 6 extra spider legs) and a heavy camera around on a tractor ride and through the pumpkin patch. That was hard enough on its own . . . but trying to juggle two fair sized pumpkins as well . . . that was tough!


This year, I wanted a similar shot, but with much less work. (And since the farm now charges $8pp entrance and about $20/pumpkin, I wanted it a bit cheaper too.)


So, we went pumpkin picking like city folk.


We went to a local garden centre and picked from their oodles of huge pumpkins for half the farm price.


We had a great time. There were so many to choose from, and they were all pretty large.

We searched high, and we searched low. We looked for pumpkins with nice smooth fronts, and of course I looked for three varying sizes that would look good grouped together on my porch.

In the end, we walked away with a "small", "large", and "extra large" and a lot of bickering between the bat and the monkey (aka: Jayden and Jackson) as to who got to carve which pumpkin.

Personally, I wouldn't want to carve any of them! They are all huge. But the massive one (and I do mean massive--like 60 lbs worth, no joke) the boys have claimed stake on. I still don't know if we will really carve it. That's a whole lot of pumpkin guts to scoop!

Our massive pumpkin on the cart.

The little bat looking for the right pumpkin victim.

Why I Love Jackson's Preschool

In one 2.5 hour class, they did two worksheets: the letter "O" and the number "2",



made an "octopus",



and made a pet rock. (Jackson named him "Mr. Knuckle.")




They do such a great job there--all for $8/hr. And Jackson loves it.



When he walks in, he enthousiastically calls out,



"Hi Guys, I'm here!"



And then he wiggles his way in to where ever the rest of the group are sitting and joins them. (Okay, sometimes he just takes their stuff, but that's kind of joining them at this age.)



Yesterday he sat down and asked who knew how to say, "Au rawr" (aka: Au Revoir en francais). Apparently, they have a French part to their preschool. I think it is supposed to be only for morning students, but it must be seeping into the afternoon because Jackson comes home with new French vocab almost daily.

I've Been Tagged . . .

Never have been tagged before, but here goes. (Thanks, Meri.)



8 TV shows I love to watch:

The Office

Grey's Anatomy

American Idol

So You Think You Can Dance

CNN

Saturday Night Live



(Do movies count?)

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Count of Monte Cristo





8 places I love to eat:

Cafe Rio (when in Utah)

Olive Garden (When in Buffalo)

Old Pancake House (When in Michigan)

Jack Astors (at home)

Canyon Creek Steakhouse

Bistro 77

Greentree Marche

Macaroni Grill (When in the States)



8 things that happened yesterday:

How about 8 things that happened since Friday?

Worked out at the gym

Went and looked at some houses

Out to dinner with Brad's employers

Lounged around Sat am

Went to a tennis lesson with Jayden

Made breakfast for dinner

Went to bed early

Church Sunday morning



8 things I look forward to (in no particular order):

Time with Brad

New seasons

Long Weekends

Tennis lessons

Skiing

Christmas

Vacations

Buying a house and settling down somewhere . . .



8 things I love about fall:

The colours of the leaves

The crisp air

THANKSGIVING--turkey, pie!

Back to school buzz

Sweaters

Apples

Halloween costumes

Pumpkins



8 things on my wish list:

Only 8???

Nikon SB 800

A house ;)

Black ski pants

Subscriptions to Vanity Fair and Rangefinder

New Jeans

Cuisinart Brick Oven

Some new cartilige for my knees ;)

Le Cruset 5.5 qt dutch oven in lemongrass . . . Anyone taking hints for Christmas??



8 people I'm tagging:

Mark

Tricia

Jasmin

Heather B.

Paige

Lauren

Shelley

Heather M.

Boris and Bella

If you are looking for a great Halloween book for kids, look no further!

I came across this one at my favourite store (PBK, of course!) and didn't have a chance to read it. I searched online to find better pricing (amazon.com $12 hardcover, Borders: $6 paperback, and amazon.ca $13 hardcover, with 1-3 months ship time), but then walked through PBK the other day and it was on sale.

I snatched it up and let me tell you . . . I was not disappointed in the least.

Very cute. Very sweet. The illustrations are just grusome enough for kids. And the story line will lend itself so well for our Halloween Party--or any Halloween party for that matter!

Pick up a copy for yourself before they sell out so you can enjoy it this year!

Break-Neck Speed

I like to live in the fast lane.



I am always impatient to get to my destination. Once there, I look around for a few minutes, and then I am on to something new. A newer, better, more interesting place.



But life for me is starting to break the sound barrier, it seems.



I don't understand how I was barely done "back to school" shopping in August (well before school was starting), and then somehow missed the sale (let alone first crop) of Halloween costumes the first week of September.



Next thing I knew, Christmas decorations were floating around amidst Thanksgiving decor. (And it wasn't just Costco--they seem to be thinking of Christmas in July.)



Perhaps I could try to ignore all the commercial signals that speed life up, but still, my life seems to move at mach 2 and keeps getting faster. All the busyness, the running around that I do on a daily basis . . . sprinting to school, running errands for 2.5 hours and then sprinting back . . . and popping in the house for a bite for lunch and then shuttling the kids somewhere else . . . Well, time flys by at break-neck speeds already.



When does it slow down?



I'm sure life gets a bit slower at 60, but I'd really like to savour the moments I live in right now.



Like sitting at the table, dunking cookies into milk and chatting with my kids about their day.



Or taking the afternoon off to go to a pumpkin patch and hand pick out our own pumpkins.



Or just being a little more relaxed and able to be more patient when someone can't run out the door without tucking each new bug into their proper "bug bed"--in the garden, I hope.



How do you slow life down?

Creepy Crawlies

Well, it was inevitable.

Afterall, we have two boys.

In a row.

The love affair with bugs was bound to start some day.

I think this one started back in June when they decided to go skinny dipping with grubs.

Later this past summer, I discovered left over dinner and dessert remnants under Jackson's bed. Why? To feed his pet beetle.

This was disturbing enough, until he introduced me to his "friend" . . . a dead, dried up potato bug.

Later, Jayden discovered his inner scientist and began mutilating any and every bug he could find.

Today . . . I caught them smuggling, into my house, a pocket full of worms and an old bubble bottle of about a dozen creepy crawlies.

I tried to convince them that bugs belonged outside and needed to stay there. I even tried to scare them into leaving them outside, saying, "If you bring those bugs in they will crawl out of the bottle and crawl into your ears."

But I was still met with tears and a screaming match.

"I need my bugs!" "If they can't come in, then I won't stay in." "It's too cold for them outside."

(Roll eyes.)

I think I got them all out. But I really can't ever be sure what they might have smuggled in when my back was turned. (Shudder.)

Judging

On my walk to school the other day I followed behind two young men, probably in grade 8 or so, who were dressed "with the times."

They were approaching three of their friends, one of whom was a minority . . . and in this area, very probably from a recent immigrant family.

I overheard their conversation as they looked upon their "friend" commenting on his new look, which seemed to mimic theirs.

They chuckled and ridiculed him about how odd he looked with an over sized sweat shirt and long jeans, saying that he looked like a man on top but a girl on the bottom.

I had several thoughts run through my mind.

First off, I am normally discusted with people who change their identity just to please someone else. However, I am always cheering on the person who is trying something new and trying to find their identity. I chose the latter road this day.

Secondly, I thought about myself and our society and about just how quickly we are to judge, and judge harshly.

How many people are out in the world, desperate for some approval or a little nod of encouragement from us? And how easy it is for us to bite our tongue, smile, and perhaps offer those few encouraging words?

I Broke Down . . .

After three years of head banging, several reports of teachers who find him to be longer lasting than the energizing bunny, and a gymnastic instructor's complaint that he can't be disciplined . . .
I bought this book:

*photo curteousy of Amazon.com

I feel a bit like a failure buying this book, but at the same time, reading it has really helped. I have only started it but have been able to put into practice the first few chapters of new tools.

The labels section really helped. Each day I try to see Jackson in a more positive light. He is not stubborn, but determined; not troublemaking, but curious and creative; not over emotional, but passionate . . . the list goes on.

In addition, I have tried harder at seeing things from his view. Instead of ripping him away from staring at the pebble on the ground because we are late, and then getting into a huge screaming match that makes us even more tardy . . . I now take a few moments to acknowledge how interesting the pebble is and go quickly on our way.

And do you know something surprising?? Life has become much more enriching! I never realized how many specks there are on pebbles. ;)

Do you know the most surprising part of this whole "Spirited Child" program? In the book there is a quiz on traits expressed by spirited children. There is also a quiz on traits expressed by spirited adults . . . and somehow, I scored higher. :0

That may come as no surprise to most of you, but it sure surprised me.

At any rate, if you find yourself at wits end with your incredibly energetic and "curious, creative, determined" child, you may enjoy reading this book. I know it has made a huge improvement in our communication, outlook, and has even improved behavior issues . . . on both sides.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

It's hard to believe that my baby is one.

I worked so hard, dragging my feet, doing everything in my power to keep her small and baby-like. (It's funny that I would feel that way, since with Jayden I just couldn't wait for him to start growing up the minute he came out of the womb.)

Maybe it's because she is number three and I have wised up about just how quickly that first year really goes. Maybe it's because she has been an absolute dream. Maybe it's because she is our little girl.

At any rate, here she is, one whole year today. And, I am finally at peace that she can no longer be called "a baby." The exciting milestone of walking last month has really helped, I think.

Instead of reflecting on a year of firsts that will never come again for her, I can focus more on the lifetime of firsts ahead. And just how exciting those will be!

When I think back to this past year, I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of it.

Those first few nights when she was only days old I would lay her beside me in bed and she would just stare at me and smile. (Yes, smile, no it wasn't gas.)

All the late night feedings. I really didn't mind.

She was a pleasure to cart around on errands, to dinners and movies, and even to Europe. Her sunny personality was a true delight.

Even sitting in the hospital for five days when she was a month old. Though it was painfully boring and hard to be away from the boys, it was so nice to have five whole days of one-on-one time with my baby.

Avery has been such a breath of fresh air for us. I can't begin to expain how much fun I had breaking out "pink" for the nursery, or gathering cute little dresses and girly outfits. Or how just having a female temperment has been delightful in our house. A great way to balance all our boys.

We are so lucky to have her as part of our family.

Happy Birthday, Avery!

A Recount

"This may be the first time in US history where the winner of the election asks for a recount."

I can't take credit for that quote, I heard it on one of the CNN commentaries. Unfortunately, I can't remember which one.

But, I think it might be true.

What a mess the next president gets to tackle head on.

And then there is the Bailout Bill . . . that has passed the senate at $850 billion. I've tried to do a bit of research on this bill and the implications it has for the US, and subsequently the rest of the world. Unforutnately, my studies in microbiology and chemistry left little time to study economics in depth, so I have a handicap. I'm not sure it would make a difference though since all the experts in economics can't agree on whether this is a good idea or not.

I think I would have to lean towards not passing the bill though. It seems like they would postponing the inevitable, and possibly make whatever is coming our way far worse. The longer we put off a recession, the more likely we'll be faced with a depression. It might be better to rip the band-aid off quickly and deal with the pain.

And on the other hand, I feel like it is somewhat noble to at least try to fix the economy rather than just go like a lamb to the slaughter.

I am just so glad that I am not faced with having to make this decision and taking responsibility for it.

The real problem though is looking to who will take over the presidency. Every election there always seems to be some grumbling about how "unfit" the candidates are to lead the country. Both Obama and McCain have their flaws. But have you seen Palin's interview with Katie Couric??? It is down right terrifying.

Check it out here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/24/eveningnews/main4476173.shtml

Ican't imagine a more terrifying situation for the American people: having a really old president in a stressful, cardiac-arresting economic crisis, and a VP who thinks that being geographically close to Russia and Canada makes her a good foreign relations negotiator.

Is it too late to re-do the Republican and Democratic primaries? Where is Mitt Romny when you need him?

A lot of you may be wondering why this Canadian is taking such a deep interest in American economics and politics . . . especially when we are having our own election in two weeks and sadly, I haven't really studied anything about our own candidates.

Well, American politics are far more interesting, even if they are scary. (See Palin's interview. Even SNL's spoof on it made Palin sound more intelligent.) Secondly, we have an expression up here: "When the US sneezes, Canada catches a cold." What ever happens in the US will come up to Canada and hit us even harder.

That's pretty scary given the doom and gloom predictions for the States right now.

However, there was an economist interviewed on CNN last night who was asked about the accuracy of leading economists in predicting recessions/depressions. He said, "Economists have predicted 9 of the last 5 recessions." (Meaning, they always predict the worst and it doesn't always work out that way.)

Here's to hoping that things won't unfold as badly as they are predicting.

700 Billion Bail Out

If any one is in the dark about this bill, check out the link below. It's a summary of the bill.

http://media.npr.org/documents/2008/sep/bailout/economic_act_summary.pdf

For an analysis, click here
http://media.npr.org/documents/2008/sep/bailout/economic_act_analysis.pdf

For the whole 110 pages, click here
http://media.npr.org/documents/2008/sep/bailout/economic_act_draft.pdf

And for a (hopefully) unbiased review of the pros and cons, see
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3087027/Financial-crisis-Good-points-and-bad-points-of-US-bail-out.html
and
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/29/miron.bailout/index.html

I Am So Popular

I am popular.


So, very popular.


People are always ringing my door bell, wanting to talk to me.


Others are calling me constantly. In fact, I get at least three calls a day by someone with a broken English accent asking for who I can only assume is "Meester or Meeses Tem-Templetonne."


Perhaps I would enjoy my popularity if it wasn't always in regards to getting my eaves or ducts cleaned, saving so much percentage on my phone bill or credit cards, or whether I am interested in moving and need the services of a realtor.


And the visitors who come to my door just might be more appreciated if they weren't carrying "The Watch Tower" magazine and giving me a sermon about how important families are when I have a screaming baby in my arms, a car load of groceries in the car, a dog running out the door and two boys jumping on my furniture.


Yes, I am popular. But only to solicitors.


It's to the point where I shudder to answer the phone. As soon as I say "Hello?" and hear that pause, I know what is coming.


"May I speak with Meester or Messes?"


"No. We're not interested."

"You have been selected to receive . . . "


Click.


My favourite visit though was by an energy salesman who asked as I opened the door carrying my baby on my hip,


"Hello, is your mother here?"


"No, I'm sorry she lives in Calgary. What do you need her for?"


Is it just me, or do I have an over-abundance of solicitors trying to get my business? It's quite ridiculous.

For My American Friends . . .

Actually, I stole this from Heather's blog, but I thought it was a great tool. Any of you Americans who are still on the fence for the upcoming election, or want to make sure you are voting for the candidate who will (try) to meet your needs, check it out.

www.whoshouldyouvotefor.com

I wish they had one of these for Canadians! With all our millions of parties and slightly different platforms . . . (okay, small exaggeration), it would really come in handy.

Avery, Sugar with Extra Spice

She started out sweet.

And perfect.

A mini version of Jayden.

We thought we had it made . . . and we did. She still is sweet, and usually perfect.

However, she has shown us that she has more of Jackson in her personality wise than Jayden.

She loves to find adventure. Loves to tempt danger.

Loves to play with the toilet. And loves to eat things like rocks, bark, crayons . . . but especially pastels. (I've had to throw out all of Jayden's art supplies.)

And now she has a fascination with shoes. Absolutely loves them. She will even bring them to us and ask us (in her own little language) to put them on her. She won't stop until we finally oblige.

If only I could get her to stop throwing things into the toilet! I've found magnets, toy cubes, pens, whatever she can find.

Jackson . . . There's Always a New Story

Sigh.

Chuckle.

What do I do with my sweet little tazmanian devil?

We were passing through the check out line in the grocery store the other day and the clerk looked over at him and said,

"Your boy looks like he's a sweet little guy, but I can tell that he gives you a run for your money."

"How can you tell?" I asked.

"By the twinkle in his eye."

Twinkle? I think that is more like a "spark" or a grand display of fireworks to rival Bejing's Olympic display.

He is such a sweet little guy though. I just don't have the energy or patience to keep up with him.

Fortunately, we've been able to put him into preschool and gymnastics. He loves both and is doing extremely well in both classes.

Gymnastics does wear him out while he is in the class, but it gets him all fired up to try things at home afterwards. It has kind of backfired. Instead of giving him an outlet for his cartwheels, headstands, and jumping, it has given him new ideas of what to do on my furniture!

He is "Mr. Popularity" in the preschool class, naturally. Every day he greets the class with a cheerful,

"Hi you guys! I'm here!"

Today his teacher was beaming about how well he did on his letter writing.

I'm just so tickled that she was beaming . . . and not steaming because he did something awful . . . like break something.

The other day we were traveling in our car and Brad snuck some fuzzy peaches. Jackson, who was sitting in the back called up,

"Hey, what are you eating? Is it candy?"

"No, Jackson. We only have carrots up here."

"It doesn't smell like carrots. I smell candy! I want some."

Seriously, I think this kid has some super duper smelling ability! That must be why he finds all the wrapped and hidden food in our house.

Today I took the kids to the park to take some fall photos on one of the last beautiful days. Do you think he could stay out of the mud puddles long enough for some shots? Absolutely not! His shoes were a write-off, and the back of his pants had mud all up the bum.

And yesterday, we were at the mall and I stopped to look at a lotion store. He picked up a large (expensive) bottle of body lotion and Jayden tried to take it away . . . then CRASH.

Shattered. All over the floor.

He is sweet, and cute, but usually only at 8:30pm when he is silently sleeping away.

Current favourite passtimes: stealing food from the fridge, anything that Jayden does or likes, gymanstics and preschool.

Jayden, the Sweetheart

Warning: Mother Bragging--but I just wanted to write this down for our family journal, so skip it if you are getting a little queasy.

I went to pick Jayden up from school the other day and his supply teacher greeted me at the gate.

She asked if she could keep him and take him home with her, she just loved him so much. Apparently, she was so impressed with him that she felt the need to tell me about how above average he was in every respect: scholastic ability, politeness, speaking, thinking, etc. She said that she has been a teacher for 36 years and has never seen a boy stand out as much as he does.

Of course, we already know all of this! ;) Seriously, he could sing the alphabet, say the phonics, and a word or two for each letter before he was 2. But it is nice to hear coming from a stranger who has been around kids for so long.

Currently, he is enjoying school. I am doing reading lessons with him at home (when I can find some quiet time with just the two of us) and he is doing great with that.

We attend tennis lessons together--he goes in the 5-6 year old class and I am in the adult class. It's pretty fun and the time we spend together in the car is nice too. Last week he was pretty cute. We didn't think his class started until 3:30 so he sat on the sidelines of my class, watching and practicing his "air swing." Really adorable.

His interests are still in cars and drawing cars. He is starting to get really interested in stuffed animals and taking care of them, like he would a child. (They need naps, baths, dinner, etc.)

And lately, he has been a great babysitter for Avery so I can get a few things done around the house.

He is such a sweetie and we are so lucky to have him!

Okay, you can gag now!

"Zhouzzz"

Should we be concerned?

Avery's first word was "bah" (or ball), and her second word was "Zhouzzz" (or shoes).

First of all, will Cinderella ever get enough of her shoes? And secondly, I am beginning to feel a little hurt that "mama" and "dada" aren't even on the list yet!

But in all honesty, I really don't blame her. She has always had the cutest shoes since she was born. I'll post pics of the other two sets later.

Here are her current "Zhouzzz."

Her second pair of shoes. I should have taken a picture when they were new and still had their label filled in with rhinestones on the buckle.

To Starve, or Not to Starve

What do you do when your preschooler refuses to eat anything that isn't candy-coated or out of a cereal box. (And I mean right out, without milk.)

Last night I made chicken pot pie. Jackson refused to eat it. Any of it. My current rule is that you can choose not to eat one thing on your plate at any given meal, but you need an extra helping of something else (usually a vegetable).

Jackson refused anything. And the only things on the table last night were the pie and salad.

It might not have been so bad except that he refused to eat lunch earlier that day even though HE chose hotdogs.

Instead, he went off to bed . . . until he snuck out later to steal some cookies.

What fun I had scraping them out of his mouth so he didn't get to enjoy them.

This morning he awoke to chicken pot pie and salad. Obviously, this is not what he had in mind. After hearing him scream and whine about it--even with a bribe of a chocolate chip eggo, I finally tried to force feed him. You would have thought I had put him in a torture chamber that was ripping his body apart.

When I did get something in his mouth, he began dry-heaving and threw up all over the floor.

So now we are at a stand-still.

Do I starve him all day, or give in and put something in his tummy?

I'll tell you, preschool isn't coming early enough today!

Family Albums

Nothing takes more time than putting together an album.

Especially a yearly "history" that I do each October. (I always do them in October because that is when mypublisher offers a 50% discount.)

Sometimes it seems like a bit of a waste of time. Okay, a big waste of time as I am probably the only one who cares. Certainly I would be the only one to notice if it was perfect or missed the mark, but it doesn't stop me from aggonizing over every tiny detail.

But this morning I came downstairs to find my two little boys looking through last year's album and our Europe album. They were thrilled to see photos of themselves when they were little. And when Avery was "a baby."

Jayden was amazed that we actually saw the Eiffel Tower. The whole thing too.

It was at that moment that I felt all my time and energy was worth while. It gives me extra motivation to undergo that long process.

And not a moment too soon since I am beginning work on our 2008 album.