While We Look the Other Way . . .

Christmas 2010 has been a quiet, fun holiday at the Banfield residence this year. Our baby turned 4 today and is quite proud of that. His request was to have a Santa cake. Check it out! Terry or I will not be quitting our day jobs anytime soon.

This next one is for you, Pam. You asked to see our star on the garage. I'm quite proud of it. It's the only one in the neighbourhood.

Where does time go? The boys were growing up while I looked the other way. Turn around and the change is unbelievable.

This one was suitable for today's blog. The one previous to that where Carter was peeing on the grass with his pants pulled down around his bum and Caelan was trying to drink it . . . Not so suitable for public viewing! Oh my!! What am I to do with a house full of mischeivious boys!

2010 around the Christmas tree. There is such a difference since last years picture with the Christmas PJs.

And . . . as always, Carter is such a poser.

Merry Christmas everyone and here's to the best year yet!

Carter, 5 Years Old, Imagine!

We had a fabulous time at our house this past weekend! At least I did. I can't speak for anyone else. It was Carter's 5th birthday party and Halloween! Such fun!! Take a look!

One of the fun things we did at the party was decorate cupcakes. Many thanks to Auntie Pam for the yummy cake recipe!! It was a hit! As was the cupcake decorating! What do you think of Caelan's jellybean cupcake?


This one is Carter's finished product. Do you think one could fit anymore on top? lol

And take a look at Daddy's handiwork! Many a talent does he have!

And catching the action of blowing out candle # 5! I can hardly believe my little Carter is 5! He's so smart and funny and sweet! xoxo

Check out that mohawk! Carter's newest skill. He did it all himself. I think he looks stunning!

And is this not a scary looking mummy! Actually she's my "mummy." Otherwise known as Nanny Ball. Caelan is obviously getting quite a kick out of her.

And mummy #2. Big brother, Cody. Always ready to lend a helping hand and volunteered to be a mummy.

All in all, a fun and memorable day. Guess we should have stayed in Cowan Heights. Emylia Place is overrun with rats!!

Creating

The last couple of weekends at my house have been all about creating. Avoiding laundry and creating! Here are some of the photos of some of the creations.

The above photo is of an arrangement by Tina B. All of the elements came from the backyard!! How cool is that?! Even the red checkered cloth left in the woods following Cody's birthday party in May.

Even got hubby in on the action. He accidentally discovered by putting the icing in the microwave it really turns orange!!!

What cookie is your favourite?

And my favourite creation of this past weekend.

Anyhow, laundry will always be there. These moments are fleeting.

Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy. ~Author Unknown

Have you ever taken anything out of the clothes basket because it had become, relatively, the cleaner thing? Author: Katherine Whitehorn

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.
- Phyllis Diller

The Many Faces of Caelan

Today I had to write about my little Caelan just because there is something sooooo cute that I just have to share with you.

In the last couple of weeks I have noticed a change in the way that Caelan talks. If you listen closely you will notice that he pronounces ever so carefully the "T" at the end of his words. So much so that he slows down his talking so as to ensure that he gets that "T" in there. It is the cutest!!!!

I've queried whether or not he will be a journalist given his love of drama and the oh so careful pronounciation. What do you think Uncle Ken?

Can You Guess the Subject of this Blog?

YELLOW!!!

I really just want to be warm yellow light that pours over everyone I love. Conor Oberst

So, this week I entered yet another photo contest. I think I'm hooked. The theme of the contest was yellow. That's it. Yellow. Plain and simple. Yellow. When I first read about the contest I wondered if I actually had any photos that related to the theme of yellow.

Turns out I did!

This first one is a window in an old church in Portugal Cove. The church is now an antique shop (actually more of a junk shop)!

This one I've shown you before. They're tulips standing at attention in my mother's garden. The yellow one seems to be the leader of the pack.

The photo below is a base for a spool or something or other. Can you tell I really don't understand my husband's work very well? Tut. Tut.

And this one I thought was a pretty insightful sentiment.

Love the downtown St. John's character!

And my very talented soccer player, Cody. Who, by the way, is trying out for the All Star soccer team tomorrow. Wish him luck!!

And, Carter the clown. Couldn't you just squat him?

According to a workshop my hubby attended yesterday, I may have the personality of the colour yellow. What does that mean?

This bright sunshine colour usually surrounds a radiant personality, one that people are naturally attracted to.

* The yellow personality tends to have a playful nature, they have an attractive childlike quality - that is not to say childish - but they seem to have an appealing sense of wonder and enjoyment about them.Usually they have a good and active sense of humor and a bright intellect too.
* You get very excited by projects and ideas but you may have a tendency to take on too many at any one time. The result being you may not always get to finish what you started.
* These people are often very sensitive, sometimes having a very good gut instinct. People are attracted to them yet they often like to have their own space, they may have many acquaintances but not that many people they would count on as friends themselves.
* Yellow personalities can be found in many areas professionally as they can turn their hand to most things.They use their own initiative a lot and have what we would term as good common sense.
* The sort of exercise that appeals to them has to be fun - so cycling or jogging or a team sport they love. As they mature the yellow personality may find themselves drawn to slower exercise like Tai Chi - this appeals to their kinaesthetic and sensitive nature.

All of the personality colours have both positive and negative aspects and attributes just as our personalities do depending on the situation you find yourself in.
Obviously in an ideal world we would all be in balance all of the time but that is hardly realistic or likely. Therefore at any given time, the colours we display and the personalities that come with them may be bright, dark, vibrant or patchy. What colour best describes you today?

And do you have any yellow in your photo collection?

This Moment

Monday, September 27th, 2010. I can't believe September is almost over. Where does the time go? That's a question commonly asked isn't it? The children are back to school (and the mommies) and the first month is almost over. Fall is here, the air is cool and the leaves are starting to turn. Fall really is one of my favourite times of the year. No humidity, the scenery is beautiful and the air is crisp. Not frozen, just crisp.

The realization that September is almost over once again highlights for me the importance of slowing down, living in the moment. How much of our lives sneaks by while our minds are thinking about the past or planning for the future? Sure we have to do some of that, but not quite as much as we do. Have you ever had a thought and wondered where in the world it came from? And then you rewind the tape in your head and all of the crazy thoughts along with it.

So, today my goal is to be in the moment more often. For this moment, it's a gorgeous day, I'm alive and blessed.

Igor

Apparently I have to eat my words.

Check out a previous posting entitled, "A Warm Place to Be."

Yesterday here in Newfoundland was not nice! We did indeed experience hurricane force winds, a LOT of rain and the resulting damage. Perhaps we take a lot of things for granted or maybe it was inexperience. I was thinking as I drove home early to pick up my kids that we should be OK because we live on a hill and all the water would just run away. I was right, but I hadn't considered the damage that the wind could do.

We were probably fortunate when it comes to what others experienced, but it didn't feel that way. Our garage door blew in on top of my hubby's prized '65 Mustang. I was heartsick as I stood in the window and watched for him to come home.

It is, after all, our first baby. We drove home from the U.S. in it, got engaged in it and got married in it. I guess the damage is repairable, but heartbreaking nonetheless. So, I feel for my hubby. I'm also glad that my family is OK after Igor.

So, words eaten. Never be afraid to be wrong.

While searching for a photo to use in today's blog I chose the above photo of little fledgling birds in their nest. I had chosen a picture, now what would I write about.

My smart husband suggested I write about little baby birds leaving the nest and I immediately thought of Carter. He's our little fledgling who left our "nest" last week when he went to kindergarten for the first time.

Isn't that just life? He was more than ready to leave the nest and try out his new wings. That first morning he walked out the door with his jean jacket, his cool Hot Wheels shirt and backpack and said, "Bye, Mommy, I'm going to school now." Meanwhile, previous to that he had said, "I'm not gonna be scared Mommy." Awww!!!I'm not so sure Mommy was ready for her little Carter to leave the nest. When saying goodbye to him in the classroom, I had to hold back tears so that he wouldn't feel anymore uncertain than he already did.

Having said that, a week later it feels like he has been going to school forever and next month our last little birdie begins KinderStart.

Oh my!! Will I ever survive it all?

Hiatus

Hiatus - a scheduled period of inactivity.

So, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week was supposed to be a hiatus from work for Terry and I. NOT!!! It was more like a scheduled period of activity. We didn't stop from Wednesday to Sunday!! Wednesday was the first day of school for Cody and Thursday was the first day for Carter. And there was no bus available for Carter until Monday the 13th. How many trips did we make from home to school to daycare to home to daycare to school to daycare and home again!!!

The only real hiatus for us in 5 days was out for breakfast on Wednesday morning and a visit to Whitbourne and the Rodrigues Winery Tour. We now know that we'll only get a real vacation when it's just the two of us and we're not at home!! Oh well! We learned something from our so-called hiatus! And we look forward to next Fall when I finish my masters and we head to the sunny south somewhere!!

Dust Bunnies Under the Couch

Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in. Alan Alda

My initial intention for today's blog was to write about challenging our assumptions, but I've changed my mind. Forget about yesterday. Forget about last week. I won't even dare to presume that I have any kind of idea about what will happen in my future. If I allow my mind to hang out in the past or fly to the future, what happens to today? It passes me by and I don't even realize it!

So, I want to live in the moment today and write about mindfulness.

The concept of mindfulness is one that is used in therapy or counselling and operates on the idea that by intentionally recognizing the potential of each small moment in a day, one can pursue a richer life experience that includes more novelty and less stress. It is also sometimes referred to as living in the moment.

How about these quotes?

Many people are so concerned with adding days to their life that they forget to add life to their days.

The past is history. The future is a mystery. The only time we really have is now - just this moment.

“Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.” Henry Miller

For instance, right now it is sunny outside, I'm listening to the radio and enjoying a Timmie's. The Timmie's would be a colossal waste of $1.63 if I was drinking it while thinking about the client from yesterday with the colourful language or the upcoming research course that I'll be starting next week and am dreading.

Mind you, it isn't an easy practice to live in the moment, especially today with all of the distractions we have in our lives. Groceries that need to be bought, laundry that needs to be washed and dust bunnies under the couch. Just remember that when it comes time to get those dust bunnies you have to live in the moment then, too. Move the couch out from the wall so as to do a thorough job and get a sense of accomplishment from doing so. Listen to the sound of the broom as it slides across the floor. Notice the newly revealed colour of the floor now that it isn't disguised by the dust bunnies.

OK, so I'm sounding a bit ridiculous now but you get my drift. I need more work on enjoying the present moment. I need to grab the moments that I have with important people in my life - my family especially.
All we really have is this moment. When it's gone we'll never get it back. What's important in your life? Is that where you are spending your time and energy?

Finding the Joy

I thought today I would write about finding the joy in daily living. I've included some more pictures of my children because they are the experts in doing just that. Check out the faces!! Do you know anyone who lives life to the fullest more than a child does? Have you heard a laugh of wild abandonment like that of a 3 year old who is being tickled? Have you had the privilege of witnessing a child experiencing something new and exciting? I'm thankful that I have had that opportunity 3 times around!

I'm also thinking there is a lesson to be learned here. Isn't there always? I want to laugh with wild abandonment! I want to jump up and down because I'm so excited about something new!Did you know there is a website entitled Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Women of the World and that their mission is

promoting and delivering the highest personal, professional and ethical standards in everything they do while encompassing an unmatched zeal for life and an ultimate goal of finding the joy in daily living! Sounds wonderful doesn't it?

Have you found the joy in your life today?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?