Day 8- off-roading for purple rocks

Well, we are still in the land of trees and windy roads  Will we ever get around Lake Superior?  It’s quite lovely in its vastness- and some of the views are stunning, but for the most part we are driving in this corridor of trees and rocks.  Again, I will say it – Ontario is BIG! Imagine those explorers and early settlers who traversed this land without the benefit of a highway to pull your mini-house behind you. 

Just after we left Thunder Bay we stopped in at Terry Fox Memorial site and spent some time learning about the courageous young man who ran with only one real leg for over 5000 km from Newfoundland all the way here until he was forced to stop his run because the cancer had spread to his lungs.  He was attempting to run across the entire country, raising money all the way – running a full marathon each day.  What an inspiration – it’s been about 35 years since he died and so it’s time to pass on his story to the next generation. 

According to Wikipedia, the Terry Fox run has gone on to become the largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research every year.   It just goes to show that you don’t have to be big, or old, or strong to make a difference in the world.

After that, we were still trying to kill time while Dana was unsuccessfully trying to get an oil-change done on the RV – so for the next potty break (there is usually at least one person in the van who has to go pee at any given moment), we decided to stop at the Amethyst Mines and Panorama that the priest at St. Andrew’s had insisted we tour. 

The sign off the highway said it was a short 7 km ahead, but as we started down the road, we realized that not only was there nowhere to turn around, we were committed to driving up a very steep, narrow  gravel road.  There were a few moments of concern as we wondered if the van could handle this excitement- but halfway up, we saw a sign that assured us there would be RV parking at the top.  That must mean RVs can actually get up there, we reasoned, so we kept going.  Then we got to the very steep part of the hill and Sean had to gear way down to first gear to make it… a few tense moments and hail mary’s later, and we were assured by another sign that the worst part was over (why didn’t they warn us at the bottom??).  The worst part was, along the way I was trying to text Dana that the road was a little dicey, but there was No service so the message didn’t get through.  

It turned out to be  a fun detour though- we went on a little tour of their amethyst mine and then were handed a bucket and a digging tool and were sent to dig up our own stones to take home for only $3/lb.  The kids were given strict instructions to abandon the buckets (can you imagine 8 pails of amythest and granite bumping around in the back of the van.

Everybody found a few special rocks and in the end we only walked off with $12 worth. What an adventure!!

With that unexpected stop behind us, we readjusted our camping destination and drove on through the forests to the little town of Marathon. 

Day 5- winnipeg

After our day at the Mint we wanted to go back into Winnipeg to explore a bit more, so the next morning we got up a bit earlier and drove into town to find the church where my great-grandparents were married.  My mom had been there before a few years ago and I really wanted to see it. 

I'm not the best navigator in the world (sorry Sean!) and so it took a few tries to get to the right street but when we found it we were glad we made the effort.  It turns out, they were married in what is now the Cathedral for the Ukranian Catholic church in Winnipeg.  It was so beautiful on the inside.  Stained glass on every window, statues, icons, candles, and even a beautifully painted blue ceiling with  images and stars on it. 

 So pretty! The ambiance was complete because we could hear a choir practicing down the hall. I'm not sure if we were supposed to be wandering around, but no one stopped us and the door was open so we took advantage of it. The kids lit some candles and prayed for their great Aunt who has cancer, and were stilled by the beauty of the building. (except sarah who was running around making lots of noise and trying to climb onto everything).

We also wanted to visit an area called The Forks where two main rivers meet. It is an old traditional meeting place between various First Nations peoples and also where the fur traders would come to sell their wares. We wandered around the market, had some lunch and played in a little water park. Kids wanted to go on a boat tour but the grownups were getting weary and we still had a long drive so we promised a boat ride somewhere further east. 

We wandered around the market, had some lunch and played in a little water park. Kids wanted to go on a boat tour but the grownups were getting weary and we still had a long drive so we promised a boat ride somewhere further east. 

day 4 - mint

Gas!! We are going through a lot of gas. Our trip across Canada might be better titled, 'An Epic Tour of Canadian Gas Stations'.  Our budget for gas is a very modest $5000 for the entire trip, but I'm a little concerned we will even go over that.  Let's hope we never have to drive more than 300 km between gas stations or these blog posts will become a lot more colorful :)

On day 4 we woke up outside Brandon, Manitoba in Bry-Mar RV Campground and went on a fun 30 min run with a big posse this time: all three adults and a handful of little boys.  As we were running off past the office, a guy jumped out and pointed out this great trail he had set up around the campground.  It was a good 4km loop through the fields and bush that was kept nicely mowed.  He must have been excited that someone was actually going to use it and  Dana and I felt like we were real trail runners after we that adventure.. mud and all.

Speaking of Dana, she is doing such an amazing job of camping and driving every day without her husband. I don't think I would ever attempt what she is doing. He had to work all week and so he is flying in to meet us after we get around Lake Superior.  She can navigate, drive, cook, set up camp and even deal with the dreaded black tank all on  her own -- never mind entertaining the kids.  Way to go Dana!!  It's been so much fun to have a friend along on the trip, and the kids are loving spending so much time with their buddies.   We will definitely miss them when we part ways after Quebec.

After dealing with more evil sewer problems (ugh!) we headed towards Winnipeg.  None of us have ever been there before so it was definitely uncharted territory.  The roads all looked the same on the way there but we were a little dismayed by the ring road that was more like a crazy-long-detour around the city road - took much longer than we wanted to. By the time we made it to the Mint we were all ready to collapse out of the van and camp right in the parking lot. 

The Mint was a lot of fun though.  We had booked a tour, which is definitely the way to go, and we all learned something.  I had no idea that our Mint actually makes coins for dozens of other countries and it was really interesting to see real coins being poured out of the machines.  The kids had visions of swimming in money after that tour :)  

The gift shop was a big draw afterwards - there was a security guard with a bar of gold (SO heavy) that we could take turns lifting (half a million dollars worth!), and then the girls all bough cute little stuffies, Sammy bought a Moose dressed up like a Mountie and the boys happily exchanged some of their own coins for brand new ones that haven't even left the building yet.  Zach even bought himself a $20 silver coin with an image of Superman on the front.

Because it took so long to get to the Mint, we changed our camping plans for the night and found a really close campground in the city called Town & Country  that was a snapshot right out of the 50s. It was like good old fashioned camping and we had a nice quiet night with the kids playing an epic game of soccer at the park, and the parents relaxing with a bottle of well-deserved wine at the campfire.  Another great day in our great country.

Day 3 - RCMP museum

More grass. More Classic prairie towns. More gas stations.

The third day we were still going strong so we got up early and wandered into Regina to find the RCMP Heritage Museum. I made the group take the required picture in front of the big moose at the front door and then our group of 11 kids and 3 adults invaded the building.

It seemed like a pretty serious place... we had to trade our driver's licenses for a fancy visitor pass we had to wear around our necks as it is a working RCMP training centre.  The kids were outfitted with a  scavenger hunt on a clipboard and we wandered around the exhibit until it was time to go to the Sergeant Major's parade.   

The boys seemed to gravitate toward the CSI exhibit where you could help solve a crime, complete with examining blood samples, fingerprints and other clues.  I was hoping we could learn about the history of the RCMP LOL, but where there is blood and weapons, there are boys.  The little kids enjoyed dressing up like a Mountie, and I mostly followed the toddler and preschooler around making sure they didn't climb into the exhibits. 

At lunch time we walked as a group to the parade.  The kids were thrilled to see a real marching band go past us (though Sean says they were very out of tune).   After that four squadrons of cadets of varying years marched around.  It was fun to try and guess who were the newbies and who were more experienced.  It seemed to us that the more senior they are, the cooler the shoes and the poofier the pants.

On to Manitoba!! It was exciting to put the little red dots on our map of Canada as we drove through each new town: through more fields, listening to more music and oh the mosquitos!

Day 2 - Saskatchewan Prairies

We made it to Saskatchewan the evening before - slept in a quiet campground along the highway and woke up for an early run (Dana has me training with her for a 10Km run in the fall so we are running our way across Canada).  The run was quiet - just me and the prairies... and a few dogs that startled me when I ran past them.  The whole rest of the run was spent worrying about how I would make it past these terrifying guard dogs without being bitten. I had even picked up a few good sized rocks as weapons to be ready.  As I came back around by their driveway, they started bounding across the field... but as they got closer, I realized they were wagging their tails and giddy to see someone out in the middle of nowhere - they were just very jumpy puppies.  So I loved on them, and kept on running. 

While I was out running the kids were having a blast running around the campground exploring all the new terrain. They even came across a dead porcupine (ewww) and some very live cats.

After a not-so-quick pack up and breakfast (theme of our trip so far), we turned our vehicles east and headed further into the prairies.

Day two found us taking a gas/lunch break in Swift Current where we stumbled upon a lovely little spray-park and playground.  The kids were overjoyed at this little stop, and the grownups wondered if we could just move to a house on that block... with house prices so high in Calgary I bet we could buy TWO houses!!
moved 

Along the way, we kept quizzing the kids on which province we were in ("What's a province?" ugh), talking about all the farmer's fields and listening to some good music and audio books.  At one point we were surprised by our virtual tour guide, Grandpa Jack, who must have been following us from home on the Apple app Find My Friends because out of nowhere he texted me some information about a small town we were just about to pass by.  We took the opportunity to turn off into Mortlach, a Classic Prairie Town, and take a quick spin through the two streets we could find.  Our efforts were rewarded with an old grain elevator and a handful of ramshackle houses and interesting stores.  Staying on the main highway doesn't give you a chance to see the real life on the prairies- glad we stopped.

We were making good time, so we decided to drive all the way to Regina for the night where we stayed in one of those campgrounds with as many rules as grass on the prairies.  I spent a bit of time arguing with the office staff about how unethical it was for them to charge me extra for my own biological children (can you just picture it? A cranky, hungry momma bear!)  but alas the only thing we succeeded in doing was letting Dana temporarily adopt a few of my kids.  The last straw was when the office guy wanted to sell me a chocolate bar because I mentioned I was probably just grumpy because I was hungry.  Haha. Sean says I'm not allowed to go into the offices of any more campgrounds :)

Tell me- what is the point of a playground if not for letting the kids go play while you relax for a few minutes? Let's just say we might have broken a few of their rules :)

Day 1

The first official day of our trip had us leaving from the Catholic Music Festival, One Rock. It was pouring rain pretty much the entire weekend and maybe not the best way to start a 40 day trip, but the kids had fun with their friends and we were able to get a priest to give us a beautiful blessing just as we were leaving. 

The twins eating gelato on the heat registers in the trailer because it was cold and rainy- I'm sure we made the gelato truck very happy to show up in the rain with 9 people who actually wanted to buy ice cream on a rainy cold day. 

We left One Rock on Sunday morning and made it to Okotoks just in time to go to mass with our dear friends who are going as far as Quebec with us. 

Leaving the city limits was super exciting! I made Sean slow down so I could get a picture of the sign as we went by. We all waved by to calgary and I wondered how  crazy we were to go on a 40 day road trip with 8 children :) who does that? 

Our first real drive of the trip took us through Medicine Hat where we ate supper under the tallest Teepee in the world, and then to Maple Creek Sask for our fist night. 

 

CANADA: There and Back Again... A Riduously Long Drive

A family road trip! 

We've been talking about going across the country for the last five years and this is the year we finally decided to do it!  Six weeks with 8 kids and going across 8 provinces to the east coast- and back again. A ridicuously long drive- but an adventure we will never forget. 

Just about to leave. 

My grandma

My mom's mom, Grandma Sonia, passed away this spring and I read the following at her funeral. It's been sad the last few months not having her around. I keep wanting to phone her to ask her advice on this plant or that recipe...  I've finally started to water my plants in honour of her. I hope she would be proud of me :)

When I was a little kid I wanted to marry my grandma. 

She was exactly what you would imagine a grandma to be from fairy tales and really good stories....  You can picture it can't you ? The slightly plump grey haired smiling woman with the aroma of Cinnamon wafting from the house, beautiful flowers adorning her welcoming house, a nourishing vegetable garden in the back and a bag of sewing or knitting beside the fireplace.  My grandma was all these things and more, and in turn she was able to be a slower older version of that to my own children.  She Brought me homemade chicken soup when I was sick, enveloped me in great big hugs whenever I came and again when I left, slipped me spending money just for fun, and even let me win at all the silly games she would play with me.

As I got older I realized that if I couldn't marry her then I would want to grow up to be just like her ( except for maybe the swearing, slightly grumpy and impatient part... But I think if you asked my husband he'd say I was well on the way in that dept too :) we all have our quirks don't we?

As a grown woman, I still enjoyed visiting her, playing cards, hearing countless old stories of her life...  And enjoyed her chiding when I would inadvertently lose my keys just as I was trying to leave.  'Oh Melanie! ' she would say, and then promptly search the house with me trying to find them. ( the last time I lost them I actually had to borrow her flashlight and hunt on the dark driveway under a layer of snow... ) Sorry if I stressed you out grandma,.... I thought it was very fitting that the last words she spoke to me the day before she died were 'don't lose your keys!' As  I was leaving the hospital .

I also loved her discrete way of letting me know that I was in danger of killing the plants she would give me because I would forget to water them....  I would always run through the house trying to water plants if I knew she was coming, or hang my head in shame if I forgot and she mentioned that something looked like it needed water.  How did she manage to keep up with all that gardening, crafting, sewing and cooking?  

What Joy it is to carry in my heart the image of her playing cards with my own children (and letting them win too) and pretending to eat a feast of styrofoam toast and plastic tarts with them.  

Since I got married 15 years ago, grandma was the one who I would try to emulate in most things to do with being a home maker.  I would call her regularly asking for advice on how to cook, garden, sew and many other subjects.  She taught me how to make apple pie, how to can peaches, crabapple jelly, sew a hem, and bake cinnamon rolls.  

She was a wealth of information and I only wish she had left behind a book filled with everything she knew or better yet a phone number... Because google just doesn't come close to the great advice from my grandma....  And it can't help me find my keys either :)

in the words of my very sweet four year old, 'i loved going to her house to play!  And I wish that no one ever had to get sick and die.'

Pray for me grandma Sonia, that I may learn to really love my vocation as a wife and mother, that I will have as much fun doing it as you did. 

New beginnings

 

A new year... A new baby... A new freshness to life, and I have remembered my long forgotten blog and decided to dust off the pages and write a bit more here.  I like to return to these pages to remember the wonderful events of my crazy life...   

Sarah Joy was born to us on Christmas Day 2013 and has been keeping us all smiling ever since.  She is my eighth child, and adorable just like the rest of them.  We are all smitten with her and kids can be found all over the house holding her, talking to her, changing her, and smothering her with love.  While we haven't done as much school as I would have liked, we have certainly learned many more important things.  

Here's the story of her entrance into the world...

She was due on December 28th... So close to Christmas that we weren't sure how to plan for everything.  All of my other kids except Sammy had been born before their due date, and I was a little worried she might come on Xmas day.... But really wanted to have the baby long enough before Xmas so we could still celebrate with everyone, or the day after.  

Well, the day I wanted her to be born came and left and so I started to pray that god would allow me to celebrate Xmas with the kids and keep the baby inside for a few more days.  I had been having false labor every night... And the kids were scared that I wouldn't be there when they woke up in the morning, as this baby had to be born in the hospital.  

Of course Xmas eve arrived and all the false labor went away so I thought I was safe.  We had a nice day of decorating, being with the kids and reading the Xmas story together by the light of the advent wreath and the Xmas lights.  Everyone prayed that mommy would still be here in the morning for Xmas day.  I went to bed knowing that God would take care of things and hoping that he would do it my way LOL...  

I woke up at 5 am Xmas day, however, with contractions.  I have quick labours, once they get going, but I have a good sense of where I'm at, having done it so many times.  I knew I wasn't in imminent danger of having a baby in the next little while, so I ignored them, and prayed earnestly that I could get through the morning present opening that was so important to the kids..., and so fun for me as well.  I managed through it, but the contractions got progressively uncomfortable as the morning wore on and was very glad to see my in-laws show up so I could go upstairs and pull my husband aside to let him know what was going on.  We were all planning to go to mass in the morning together and then head over to my mom's house for presents and dinner.  

  Being the crazy catholic convert that I am, I reasoned that I could either head to the hospital and walk around the halls to speed up labor, or head to mass and walk in the narthex... how could I miss Christmas morning mass?  Especially on my baby's birthday!!  So we went to church and managed to make it all the way until communion, at which point we left the kids in the capable hands of the grandparents and zipped to the hospital to open our special Christmas gift. 

I was only there for a a little over an our before she was born... healthy as could be, with a sweet and calm disposition that hasn't left her yet.  Our little piece of Joy... Sarah Joy.  

Mom,  while everyone was sleeping, I counted to a billion and twelve!

(JP)

-I wonder why he stopped at such an odd number?

Math fun

This has been the first week since summer started that we haven't had any activities going on for the week (VBS, summer camp, VBS, camping etc...).  The kids are already bored :-)  I find this amusing, since I know there are only 2 1/2 weeks left until we start the new school year.  (did I say that correctly?? I can't even BELIEVE the summer is going by so quickly!!).

Anyways, I pulled out some of my fun non-schooly books off the shelf and the kids came running to the table to see what I was up to.

We spent yesterday painting animal pictures and talking about color.  I drew the parrot (and Sammy helped), and Z and H did some sort of weasle. E did the Eagle, Peter did another Parrot and JP drew an apple with drums around it (LOL... he's always the one who's a bit different).

This morning I pulled out the book "Math Wizardry for Kids"  and we started with the first chapter on triangles and making a magic cat out of triangles.  Then we practiced measuring the angles with a protractor and finding out the secret of triangle angles.  We learned about hypotenuse, scalene, right angle, and isocolese (sp???) triangles.    I love this book. It's solid math, but the kids loved it and wanted to do more!!

 We also had an enormously fun time playing with a box of cornstarch and a whole lot of water.  What a mess, but my, it was fun.  I highly recommend it.  I have no idea why it behaves the way it does (guess we'll have to look into that for a chem lesson tomorrow), but the kids had a blast.

Crazy sweet little girl

She's on the move and growing faster every day.  She turned 4 months old last week, and is definitely mobile now.  It was cute last week, but now it's a little out of control.  First, I couldn't stop her from flinging herself over the side of her bouncy chair, and now she's pushing herself around the floor....  yesterday I found her eating a mermaid picture, today she was checking out the (broken) fireplace.    She went from squirming along on her belly, to actually getting up on her knees in half a day.

There must be something in the air around here, because all the kids are super mobile all of a sudden. Sammy was found on top of the new bunk beds (memories of my little snapdragon toddler a few years ago), and my eldest is on a sleepover and walking to the slurpee store all by herself. Stop the madness! They are growing up too fast!

baby... stop that! you are not supposed to do that yet!!!  Let's try acting like a normal four month old and lay on the floor and coo at your mobile.