2014 Priority Goals - how we we did

Here's an update on our 2014 Priority Goals:

Family
1. Have Fynn read one book to me each week (this will be a work in progress as his reading develops). - this didn't really happen.  He does read for school, but I can't honestly say he does it for pleasure yet. 

 2. Spend an hour with each kid a week on mommy-me time. Just me and one kidlet. Vic and I can share this goal (e.g he spends an hour with Sophie, while I spend an hour with Fynn and vice versa).  This worked out really well - Sophie and I have spent many Saturdays together, usually for a couple of hours.  She loves to go to the mall with me and get a special drink at Starbucks.  When she doesn't get her "special time" she lets me know.  Vic has spent lots of time with Fynn at hockey practice.  Vic takes Sophie grocery shopping too so that sort of counts.  I need to spend more one-on-one time with Fynn in 2015.

 3. Volunteer once in both Sophie and Fynn's classes.  I volunteered on a couple of field trips and during the gingerbread baking in their class in Dec.
4. Schedule minimum monthly date nights with Vic.  We got to the symphony 3 times and several movies.  We did pretty good on this one. 
5. Visit my family and Vic's mom.  Yes, several trips to my parents and a couple to visit Vic's mom in 2014.
6. Sophie seems to be interested in everything! She settled into focusing on ballet, gymnastics and piano.  All good.
7. Fynn is loving his skiing and just took an interest in the chess club at school.  Fynn made good progress in skiing and started piano in September.   Hockey has been a big interest that started in the fall of 2014.

Health
1. Continue walking, fitness classes or running daily. Exercise everyday. Yes, I'm pretty good about this and my new Fit Bit helps me track my steps which I love to do.
2. Push myself to do stretch at end of my fitness classes.  I would say 50/50 on this one.  I did start a quasi yoga class on Thursdays and that has helped my flexibility quite a bit.
3. Reminding myself to drink water and take my iron pill (I had very low iron reserves last year). Need to work on this.
4. Get minimum 7 hours of sleep every night and 8 on the weekends. Need to work on this!
5. Take weekly walks/hikes with family (right now this is skiing).  A work in progress.

Serene
1. Read a book a week or two - generally not a problem.  I love to read.
2. Spend time outside - a work in progress.
7. Take photos with intention - yes, I would say my photography club has helped me be more intentional in what I photograph.

Me (self care)
1. Make and keep regular pedicure and hair appointments (every 8 weeks or so) - pretty good on this one - but not so good on pedicures in winter.
2. Make regular (monthly) manicure appointments. Manicures are the only thing that stop me from cuticule biting. The.only.thing Started getting manicures in the fall and it really helped reduce my cuticle picking!
3. Send out more thank you cards - fairly good on this front.

Learning
1. I am signed up for this a Coursera class. Vic and I took a history course and loved it. 

We will need to work on our 2015 Priority Goals this weekend and I'll do a blog post about them.

moving the marble

We are committed that the kids will learn the fundamentals in the 3s.  Skiing, skating and swimming.  Fynn finished up his 6th and final skating lesson today.  He has come along nicely and Vic who has been taking him, remarked that he is really getting the "glide/push off" piece.

Yah, for Fynn moving the marble or making progress.

A bit fuzzy, but here he is.

Lists with Friends - top 10 reasons I am okay with the end of our family ski season

As much as I love skiing and we enjoy doing it with the kids, we decided that today would likely be our last trip up to the mountain with the 4 of us.  (Vic and I still may go up on our own mid week if my work schedule allows).

1.  I want my Sundays back. 
2. Even with our prepaid ski lesson vouchers for Fynn, we eventually ran out of lessons so we had to pay the past 2 times.  Nice to not have to do that anymore.
3.  Clothing and gear = mind numbing checklists.  I try to be fastidious about not missing anything, but this season we (Fynn) forgot his ski pants at school one Friday which meant he needed new pants for Sunday (luckily I got a pair for 40% off, and now he has 2 pairs).  Sophie also forgot her gloves one Sunday.
4.  The kids complaining about the cold.  In spite of being dressed quite well, it can never be warm enough it seems when the temps drop below minus 10.
5. I want my Sundays back.  Right, I said that already.  But I do.  I want to lounge around, do chores and generally putter.  I hate doing laundry Sunday night.
6. Lift lines.  We try to avoid really high volume days, but Presidents Day and Alberta Family Day were crazy.
7. Cold toes.  My boots are pretty old and I do need a new pair, but the kids equipment has been a priority, but I really do need boot heaters.
8. Parking lot issues.  When it is really busy, it is hard to get parked, which means a longer trek with the kids. Not to bad arriving, but Fynn is pretty cranky by the end of the day and a big walk back to the car is no fun.
9. Rude snowboarders.  I hope I haven't offended anyone, but it seems to be a bit more prevelant in a certain male demographic.
10.

Blizzardy conditions.  We only had a couple of times where it was kind of hard to see, but I really like to ski (who doesn't) when it is blue skies and sunny (like this pic).

We did have a great season.  10 times skiing for us, plus 1 day at tube town.  Fynn had 8 lessons and seems to have mastered "Racing Raccoons".  He has done some jumps and likes the trees (like Sophie).  All is good and we are very fortunate.  The kids have some great skills which will last them a lifetime.

Ski day #9

We had a nice weekend.  On Saturday, Sophie was a participant in the "Home Alone" course that Okanagan College brought in.  The provides kids with the skills and knowledge to be safe and responsible when home alone for short periods of time.

• Understand responsibilities when being home alone;

• Demonstrate what to do in case of an emergency and how and when to call 911;
• Understand the basics of first aid procedures.
She had to complete an exam and she passed and got a little wallet card.  Very proud of her and it gives us more confidence when she is left home alone after school during the week.

Then on Saturday night we went out for dinner with Vic's brother and his wife for Adam's 50th birthday. 

Today we headed up to Silver Star for our 9th ski day.  Fynn had his 7th lesson (racing raccon) and Sophie skied with us.  A bit windy but all good.

****
In other news, Sophie got her braces spacer today.  It has really impacted her speech and right now she is eating mostly soft food or smoothies.  I have heard that in a few days her speech will improve once she gets used to it.  I had a mole that my dermatologist thought should be removed.  It was on my left arm, and a few stitches later it is gone.  I suspect it is nothing to worry about, but as my doctor said "why tempt fate."

Update on goals for 2014

So, we are a full month into the new year and it's time to do a check in on the 2014 Priority Goals in the "family" category:

Family
1. Have Fynn read one book to me each week (this will be a work in progress as his reading develops). - he is bringing home short readers that he must read for school, so that is part of the goal, but he isn't reading for pleasure yet.  I am reading him the Germonio Stilton books at bedtime and he seems to enjoy those.
2. Spend an hour with each kid a week on mommy-me time. Just me and one kidlet. Vic and I can share this goal (e.g he spends an hour with Sophie, while I spend an hour with Fynn and vice versa).  Sophie and I did that together last weekend.  We did some window shopping and then we went to Starbucks.  She seemed to really like it, and it is so much easier just focusing on one child.
3. Volunteer once in both Sophie and Fynn's classes.  Nothing on this yet.
4. Schedule minimum monthly date nights with Vic.  We did get to the symphony and one movie date. 
5. Visit my family and Vic's mom.  Not in Jan.
6. Sophie seems to be interested in everything! Her focus right now is pre-Grade 1 conservatory piano, gymnastics and dance. She signed up for the basketball team but it conflicts with her dance class so I think basketball will be a miss for this season (I do want her to try a team sport at least once).  Sophie ended up settling into gymnastics (loving it), her jazz/hip hop class and some real focus on piano.  The piano is paying off in that even Vic noticed that she has taken it up a notch.  She is having to practice regularly now.  Basketball was too much, so she withdrew from that.
7. Fynn is loving his skiing and just took an interest in the chess club at school.  Fynn progressed from Jumping Joeys to Racing Raccoons in the matter of about 4 lessons.  He's doing very well.  He has also been attending his chess club sessions - with Sophie and his friend Royce, so lots of motivation to stick with it.

In other news, Sophie now has her braces on.  This starts another chapter of our lives.  She turns 10 this Wednesday and it seems so strange that the little baby I held in my arms 10 years ago is now wearing braces. She had a lot of fun on Saturday night with her friends over for an art session, movie and a sleepover.  I heard no complaints.

Windows and Doors

I joined the Shuswap Photo Arts Club in late September with the intention of taking my photography up a level.  Tonight the topic was "Windows and Doors" and I was able to compile a few shots from various trips we have been on.  Here are the photos I showed the club.

Ski day #8

Vic, Fynn and I went up to Silver Star this morning.  Fynn had his 6th lesson this season.  He is now in the Racing Racoons level.  He was lucky as he was the only one in his class, so he had a private lesson.  He and his instructor covered a lot of terrain and managed to make it down to Silver woods as well.  Fynn did a couple of steep blue runs and lots of trails.  He has made big progress this season and his instructor suggested that he is now ready for poles.  He could also be almost ready for Junior Hot Shots which is the level that kids are in when they are getting ready for black runs.

Sophie was at her friends Hunter's last night and they went up to the mountain as well.  Sophie skied for about 5 hours with Hunter and her mom.  She was extremely proud of herself for skiing her first black run as well as doing a "box" in the Rockstar Park.  It's great to see the kids progressing and having fun at the same time.

Tonight Vic and I went to this movie.  It was amazing!

 

the weekend lens

Vic and I had a wonderful time skiing (ski day #7) on Friday.  We managed to ski 9 runs before lunch and we even did a black run (Vic's first). 

On Saturday we did some chores, Fynn had a play date with his cousin Cairo and then we went to a movie on Saturday night.  We saw American Hustle.  Great movie - highly recommend. 

On Sunday we did a few more chores (like cleaning our leather chair/sectional) and Fynn had a birthday party to go to (busy boy this weekend).  We had home-made Shepherd's Pie for dinner - turned out well and nice for a change.

Learning

Lots of learning going on around our house this month:

- Fynn has been intrigued with chess, so he joined the chess club at school.  Sophie has also joined.  She is great about "reminding" him when to go to his meetings.

- I have started my online course.  https://www.coursera.org/  So far, so good.  It is The Modern World:  Global History since 1760

 

- Sophie has been working extra hard on her piano these days.  The expectations (e.g. practice requirements) have increased, as she is now in the pre-Conservatory program.

 

 

Skiing by the numbers

Here is my secret to surviving a Canadian winter. SKI. I have said before it is a love/hate relationship some weekends for me: love the sun and blue skies, making easy wide, swooping turns, working up an appetite and hot chocolate apres ski. Hate sore feet in boots that are still not quite right for me, the hassle factor with hauling equipment and fog.

On balance however, it still beats sitting at home and complaining about the winter.

Behold, here is a list of skiing by the numbers:

1. Grade I started skiing: 6

2. Number of years I didn't ski due to it being too expensive and me being too poor: I figure at least half a dozen or so. Most of it was during my college years. I was not one of those kids that took ski vacations during winter break.

3. Number of times we have skied this year: 6 (Vic and I)

4. Number of times the kids have skied this year: 5

5. Number of sets of skis/boots I have had: 2.

6. Number of years I rented equipment: many

7. Temperature on the ski hill today: -5 degrees celcius

8. COLDEST we have ever skied: -20 degrees celcius

9. Number of black diamond runs I have done: only a handful. I am pretty cautious on the whole, but working my way up so I can feel more confident on those runs.

10. Number of ski lockers we have had to keep our stash in: 3 (our current one is the biggest and means fewer trips to car/less stuff to haul)

11. Elevation of the ski hill we have a seasons pass for: 1,915 m (6,280 ft) - at the top.

12: Number one tip for skiing with kids: start them in lessons with experts. The ski hill has a great school.

The KSO

One of our goals for last year was for Vic and I to go to a symphony performance. Neither one of us had even been before. We didn't make it to one last year, but just before Christmas I ran across the brochure from the Kamloops Symphony and decided to buy Vic tickets so we could attend early in January. Tke KSO comes through Salmon Arm so it was a perfect opportunity.

We loved it! It is really something to hear/see instruments all at once playing extended pieces of music.

2014 Family Priority Goals

Here we go:

Goals for Each Priority
Family
1. Have Fynn read one book to me each week (this will be a work in progress as his reading develops).
2. Spend an hour with each kid a week on mommy-me time. Just me and one kidlet. Vic and I can share this goal (e.g he spends an hour with Sophie, while I spend an hour with Fynn and vice versa).
3. Volunteer once in both Sophie and Fynn's classes
4. Schedule minimum monthly date nights with Vic
5. Visit my family and Vic's mom
6. Sophie seems to be interested in everything! Her focus right now is pre-Grade 1 conservatory piano, gymnastics and dance. She signed up for the basketball team but it conflicts with her dance class so I think basketball will be a miss for this season (I do want her to try a team sport at least once)
7. Fynn is loving his skiing and just took an interest in the chess club at school


Health
1. Continue walking, fitness classes or running daily. Exercise everyday.
2. Push myself to do stretch at end of my fitness classes
3. Reminding myself to drink water and take my iron pill (I had very low iron reserves last year)
4. Get minimum 7 hours of sleep every night and 8 on the weekends
5. Take weekly walks/hikes with family (right now this is skiing)

Serene
1. Read a book a week or two
2. Spend time outside
7. Take photos with intention

Me (self care)
1. Make and keep regular pedicure and hair appointments (every 8 weeks or so)
2. Make regular (monthly) manicure appointments. Manicures are the only thing that stop me from cuticule biting. The.only.thing
3. Send out more thank you cards

Learning
1. I am signed up for this course. https://www.coursera.org/course/modernworld
I love learning and I love history. I am pretty exited about this.


The rest
1. Keep up with book club
2. Say no more often
3. Drive in Vancouver (I need to get over this fear).

There we go. This is not set in stone, so I might tweak it as I go.