Play Groups

We've been attending play groups hosted by http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/earlychildhood/oeyc/locations/index.aspx the Ontario government.  I'm always torn about going.  Little D. is strictly home with me and due to our extreme age difference...I'm not really his peer group.  So I think it doesn't hurt to go to group things that he can witness other kids and their antics.  Problem is...I'm not big on going.  I end up following him around playing with him...basically what we do at home together (although I have lots of play breaks interment with mundane things like cleaning and laundry).   I never talk to other mamas, well not any kind of real talk.  I just don't have it in me to talk about teething, cloth vs. plastic diapers and nursing.  It's not like I'm above all that kind of stuff.  But well....D. is my fifth...and frankly I'm just not interested in talking about it a lot.  I mentioned this to my oldest daughter and she told me that I don't have a friendly face (who knew!!).  I'm going to keep going because D. loves the circle time, he spends his time dragging mini chairs to the parameter of the circle...and claps his hands a lot.  I think he might be a musical clapping prodigy.  Anyway.  Guess we'll keep going...and I'm going to work on my friendly face.   A completely unrelated photo...except don't beluga whales have lovely faces?  Half of my Marineland photos are of the belugas, they were extremely engaging, not sure if we need 25 photos of the belugas for our personal photo collections though.

Matthew Mead Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fs08ocTDFk&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1

Really pretty holiday stuff with Matthew Mead...found through blog http://asoftplace.net/ .
Could my house look like that for the holidays, please?

I wish all days were like today!

I am trying to enjoy and soak up days like today..a beautiful warm fall day.  Not letting it feel like the doom of winter is approaching!  It feels so wonderful to be out today.  We went to a play group this morning.  Then came home, had lunch and enjoyed the back yard.  The last of the flowers have bloomed, the giant sunflowers are going to seed (the squirrels and birds haven't discovered them yet).

On Declan's birthday he was thrilled to be able to ride a backhoe (think that's what it was) with a guy that has done the renovations and landscaping at the place where H. works.

Although C.'s birthday isn't till the end of October a couple of weeks ago we went to Marineland with a friend of hers.  They had a blast.  It was a wonderful day.  The weather was great, the girls were nice all day and it was just a lot of fun.