We bribed encouraged the kids to be involved by letting them pick their own jobs (from a looooong list) and taping them onto a job board when they were done.

After supper we had sundaes, and the kids got to pick one topping (from another looooong list) for every two jobs on their job board!

Kids, see if you can identify all these toppings.

Future preacher!

Helen is going out this morning to do some shopping that can’t be put off any more.  She may invite Kenan to go along to his favourite, Scholar’s Choice, even though he already spent all his savings on a new watch.

Kenan's new watch

-2-

Yesterday we had a student-led parent-teacher conference.  That means Shana’s teacher was hanging around if we needed her, but it was Shana’s job to be the teacher for 20 minutes and teach us what she’s been learning this term.  We got to see her art, hear music and rhythm, learn cursive (modern cursive is different from how we learned it!), explore a giant ear, and more.  Shana started out kind of shy but warmed up to the role and thoroughly enjoyed showing off her knowledge to us.

-3-

While Shana was teaching us, Sharon showed Kenan how to play Battleship, so today we’re making paper boards and playing at home.

Kenan playing Battleship

-4-

I’m looking forward to watching Avatar (in 3D) this afternoon!  I’ve been wanting to for weeks and there’s never been a good time.  There still isn’t, but today that’s not stopping me.

-5-

We’re hopefully settling (or making progress?) on what colours to paint Shana’s room.

-6-

Tomorrow Sharon is coming over to help us plan for Passover.  We’re going to have a big crowd this year!  Besides Sharon and my parents we’ve invited a family with three young girls and another family with five children from Shana’s age up to 18 or so.

-7-

Kenan loves his Calgary Flames jersey he got for Christmas, if you haven’t already noticed.

Kenan, Flame Fan

]]> http://thetwizzler.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/more-weekend-activities/feed/ 5 Nate IMG_5527 IMG_5527 IMG_5407 IMG_5527 http://thetwizzler.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/seven-swift-selections-saturday/ http://thetwizzler.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/seven-swift-selections-saturday/#comments Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:54:35 +0000 Nate http://thetwizzler.wordpress.com/?p=1368 ]]> Here’s what’s up this weekend:

1. We recently switched to Shaw’s cable telephone but they installed a big ugly box right in the guest room, flashing lights and all!  This morning the kids & I put on our electricians’ hats and moved it to our “server room”.  As they say, “you don’t own it until you void the warranty!”

2. My computer has been broken for the last week or two, but it came back from the shop this week, so I have some catching up to do with my work on Americas-Mailbox.

3. Sometimes I wonder if it’s really worthwhile running side businesses–especially ones with U.S. income.  It just makes tax season that much more complicated!  For the second year I’ve hired a tax accountant to do the hard word, but I still have some bits of papers to get together for him today.  (It *is* worthwhile though–last year he got me $1800 USD that I could have been receiving every year if only I’d known what to do.)

4. This weekend we’re looking at paint colours and maybe a chair rail in our slow re-design of Shana’s room.  New bedding has already been ordered and we want the room to be ready(ier) when it arrives in a few weeks.

5. Helen and Shana are gardening today.  Yes, it feels like spring!  Shana thinks she can wear capris but I suspect she’ll be back in for a change of clothes soon.  We’re not planting anything yet, just spreading compost and cleaning things up a bit.

6. Last week I graduated from Balloon Twisting 101.  Our floor is littered with my (and the kids’) creations.  Maybe I’ll find time today to practice a few more twisted techniques.  How about balloon polyhedra?

An attempt at Olympic rings

7. Mom and Dad arrive in just a couple of days, and we’ve kind of messed up their suite.  We’ve got some cleaning to do!

The funny thing is that without context, you couldn’t tell if the headline is referring to the Canadian healthcare system or the American one, despite the huge divide between the two.  I’m sure I’m over-generalizing here, but it seems Canadians covet being able to pay for health services like Americans can (“it’s my health!”), and Americans covet the affordable health coverage Canadians have (à la Sarah Palin).

Maybe we should just swap.

Dad and Mom’s waffle iron makes any meal festive too.  Not to mention Dad’s presence!

And my dear Nate is the best in the world when it comes to presentation!*

I had a very nice birthday, thanks everyone!  (Even those of you who weren’t here!)

Helen

*Full disclosure:  it’s Nate writing this blog entry.

This is the real thing.  The mother of a co-worker (hey Paul, leave a comment so my family knows I’m not lying!) was on the Olympic board in ‘88 and has one of the few remaining torches.  They only made 400 or so, and destroyed most of them, but the board members each got one, the Glenbow museum got one, and the IOC head office.

In fact as this one got paraded around our office today, another employee informed us her father was the guy who did the metal work on it!

I offered to buy this torch for $50 as a birthday present for Ben, but the owner didn’t want to part with it.  Oh well, it’s the thought that counts.  Happy Birthday Ben!

Shana, with a huge smile, as she’s making an obstacle course out of streamers in the master bedroom, purportedly “decorating” for Helen’s birthday party:

When kids get decorating, they go crazy!

-Shana

Notice the little stool placed so we can step over the streamer.