My paleo challenge

Just finished a 6 week diet based on the paleo plan (no grains, dairy, processed foods).  Did a strict diet for 30 days, then started adding back a few things to make life bearable.  The whole diet is based on eating meat, fish, vegetables and fruit.  You can eat whatever fat you want, just no grains at all.  I had been skeptical about it for a while, but it works for Sam & I was cooking that way at night anyway.  I joined a challenge at Sam's gym and started on January 11.  I stuck to it no matter what was around me-just can't resist a challenge.  At the end of it, I lost 8.8 lbs, trimmed 2 inches off my hips/belly measurements and improved my "athletic" performance by 50%.  I won the challenge too!!!!
To keep me going and try to stop me falling off the wagon, I started a new blog.  I'm going to keep track of what works and what doesn't, list my favourite recipes and use it as a way to remind me of how much I can do if I really put my mind to it.
Feel free to follow if you'd like to.
http://livingwithpaleo.blogspot.com/

The pancake man at Hudson

The PTO did a new fundraiser at the school this year.  We have traditionally done a pizza bingo night in February, but it was getting stale and last year we didn't raise anything like the amount of money we had done in previous years.  We decided to do a pancake breakfast and hired The Pancake Man to do it.  This guy comes in and does everything for you, and it is supposed to be highly entertaining.
Well, some young guy turns up looking like he's nursing the hangover from Hell and he starts setting up.  He gets the griddle going and seasons it.  The kids are standing around watching him and he's completely ignoring them.  It's deathly quiet in the cafeteria.  I'm thinking "oh no, this isn't what we expected".  One of the other PTO members says to me "he's not very interactive, is he?"
Well, just then, he cleans off the griddle and sets up the first batch of pancakes.  The kids standing around are speechless.  Their jaws drop and their eyes are as big as saucers.  This is looking better.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuUQ5JggK_Q&list=UUAOWX-wOARFYsMlXtYv82vA&index=2&feature=plcp
Once he gets going, it's a one man show.  He kept everyone entertained for 2 1/2 hours and never stopped.  He did unlimited pancakes and sausage, plus drinks single-handedly.  This is the school principal getting her pancakes.  I told him who she was and he said "oh, I'll set up a row of four for her, the kids will love it" and they did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGs3LLtxM8Y&list=UUAOWX-wOARFYsMlXtYv82vA&index=4&feature=plcp
This is Sam and Ben getting their pancakes, they did a great job of catching them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2AbsrZECH8&feature=autoplay&list=UUAOWX-wOARFYsMlXtYv82vA&lf=plcp&playnext=1
Maggie went back for a second one......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOJ1WtS6s3w&list=UUAOWX-wOARFYsMlXtYv82vA&index=6&feature=plcp

Gymnastics videos

Finally figured out how to upload using my iPad.  Was really easy once I took the time to look at it!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KzKwn0rRKg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If8b_FH5Dak

Boys will be boys, if they are allowed to be

We had a 4 day weekend this weekend.  Ben and Maggie were off school early on Friday and off school on Monday for Presidents' Day.  Sam had 5 kids on Friday afternoon.  Our own, the two boys we take home and Ben's friend Xavier.  At some point in the afternoon, the older boys went down to the stream near our house and were building a dam with sticks.  The next day, one of the boys called and said his Dad had some wood they could use to build a bridge, so they went down to the stream.  One of the guys came out of his house and started reading them the riot act about throwing trash in 'his' stream.  The Dad pointed out that they were building a bridge and that he was going to come and remove everything after they were done.  He made the comment "call the police if you like"  Wow, the guy called the police.  The police came and said "the boys are fine, we'll come by and check on them to make sure they are OK and not being bothered" 

Honestly, I had just thought "wow, at last they are doing what boys are supposed to" and then a neighbour has to get involved and turn it into a melodrama.  No wonder kids don't do that kind of thing any more.....

It's a matter of perspective!!!

On the way home from school, we had the following conversation
Ben:  My hands were so cold at recess that they were burning. 
Me:  Why didn't you wear your gloves?
Ben:  Maggie took them
Me:  Why?
Maggie:  My gloves were gone
Me:  So, you thought you'd take Ben's gloves?  What was he supposed to do?
Maggie:  He can put them in his pockets!!!!

I was telling Sam about the conversation and it turns out that as they were all getting in the car to go to school, Maggie decided she was going to take a hat and gloves and ran back into the house to get them. Ben said he didn't want any gloves!!!!

World Class Gymnastics MUG meet

Ben had a gymnastics meet last night.  I don't think he did as well as he usually does, but still did the best on his team for his level.  He was not very happy that he didn't do better, but he did come 3rd overall.  We took one of his friends with us, he really enjoyed watching the team.  We did our usual trip to iHop after the meet.....
Scores:
Floor: 10.8  4th
Pommel horse:  13.2  3rd
Rings:  12.0  4th
Vault:  13.9  4th
Parallel bars:  13.3  2nd
High bar:  13.7  2nd
I didn't take any pictures, but did take some video on my iPad.  Not sure if I can upload and get the orientation right though....

Laundry!!!!

When we got home from the store I told Maggie to put her snow boots way. Then, I went upstairs and found this in the laundry room.

So,I called Maggie to come upstairs Me: Maggie look at what I am looking at. Why are they in there? Maggie: Because that's where you put things to get washed Me: And you think that I am going to wash them? Where are they supposed to go? Maggie: blank stare and shrug of the shoulders......

Life skills from Ben

I think I have mentioned before that Ben brings home everything from school-lesson plans, things the teachers say, things they are taught, etc. Ben's school participates in the ROCKS behaviour program.  We have had the ROCKS guidelines on the pantry door for quite a while, but the behaviour management has recently expanded.....

ROCKS behaviour is a school program that tries to teach the kids positive behaviour in school. The teachers and the school counselor spend a lot of time working on it and the kids get rewards if they follow the program. ROCKS stands for Respect, Ownership, Cooperation, Kindness and Safety.  The funniest one on here is the bottom one that says "no bitting (Maggie)".  I guess she's bitten him once too often, although she is more into pinching at the moment

In the past week, we have now got some anger management tips.  Either the school is working on that now, or he thinks we need some advice at home, or both!!!!  I like the bottom one, roll paper into a ball and squeeze it for pressure!!!

Then, there are ways to cool down, which include eating your favourite foods.  Sounds like a good plan to me!!!!!

Parent meeting for Steger

I went to a parent meeting for Ben's new school last night.  It is going to be a very different year for all of them.  For a start, they will go from 40 kids in their year to about 400.  Ben's elementary school is by far the smallest in the district and one of 5 schools.  They also have a home room and move to different classrooms rather than stay in the same room all day.  I'm not sure I am ready for this, but Ben is very excited.....

Maggie's homework

Homework is always interesting in our house.  Usually, if we can get Maggie to read her book, we call that a success.  If she does anything else, it's a big plus.  Last night, we were working on words that started with sh, ch, wh, th.  I said to Maggie: "OK Maggie, you need to fill in these words.  They all start with wh, th, sh or ch.  So this first one is, 'not a little lamb, but a big -----".  Immediately, Maggie cried out with gusto "DOG"!!!!!!
No, Maggie, the word starts with sh, ch, th or wh.......

New hair cuts

Maggie and I did some bonding time yesterday and got our hair cut by one of her friend's mothers. After, we just had to take pictures of each other!!!!

Teeth!!!!!

Ben's teeth are doing very well.  He is about to lose several of his molars and so they are going to put a wire in his lower jaw to keep his teeth spread apart when they fall out so that it keeps his teeth from crowding.
Maggie is now in the SLU orthodontics system.  I took Ben to get a check-up on his teeth and they took a look at Maggie at the same time.  As we suspected, her teeth would be fine if she would just stop sucking her fingers!!!  If we don't do something soon, she will do permanent damage to her bone structure in her mouth.  There are very few things we can do about it.  They can put something in her mouth or they can put a brace on her arm at night, or both.  Not sure if anything will work, she is pretty tenacious about doing it-every time she thinks we are not looking in fact!!!  Still, she is now registered to do phase 1 of the SLU treatment and we will see how she can do.
Some of the fall-out from her moving her front teeth include the fact that she has now developed a lisp with her speech and that she is constantly making a sucking sound, which I think is because her lips aren't meeting any more & she can't swallow properly.  We have had her speech and language evaluated at school again because I still feel that there are some things that she says that I just don't understand at all.  She also says completely the opposite to what she means sometimes.  They said that essentially the only sound she doesn't make properly is the "r" sound (she says woom instead of room).  Her language isn't impaired enough to qualify for anything under special school district, but they did say that they think she should be completely evaluated in a year or so because it is likely that her language skills will impact her more as the curriculum becomes more advanced.  For now, I told them that I don't want her pulled out of the classroom any more than she is already.  She also needs to be exposed to the regular classroom and to the other kids.
Oh, and while we are on the subject of speech/language/interactions with other kids, I will mention that Maggie has developed quite a colourful language!!!  She is quite notorious for her cuss words & apparently told one of her friends that she's allowed to cuss and we said it was OK!!!!  Her favourite word is the 'B' words (as Ben & Maggie both refer to it), but she got in trouble at school the other day because she got caught saying "F you" to someone.  Every day brings something new.....

Moving on

Ben is in his last year at Hudson and will move to Steger next year, our school district has a 6th grade school where all the elementary schools integrate.  The principal, vice-principal and some of the teachers came to talk to the 5th grade today.  Ben came out of school so excited this afternoon and was telling me all about the visit.  The most exciting thing is that he gets to play a musical instrument next year and wants to play saxophone in the band.  He's wanted to play saxophone since he was about two, so we'll see if he enjoys it if he ever gets a chance to do it-places are limited.  He is growing up so fast.  I'm glad he's really enthused about moving schools though.