Samples of H's writing

H has a computer to use at school as his penmanship can be a struggle for even him to read. He brought home some writing samples to share.

December-before Christmas

Christmas concert!

V is in the Santa hat-once she leaves the stage about 1/2 way through the video she's done for the performance.  

H's performance-he's in the bright yellow/green shirt.

The tree was put up and the littles made a manger out of their fort building kit and slept next to it. Shout out to Husband who put it up and helped me put lights on.

 The main group I run with had a Christmas party. I got invited and since I don't drink a lot and have a minivan I offered to be a designated driver.

Sometimes when things get busy, though, I run with another local trail group.  They start earlier, so on busy days, I'll sometimes run with them so I can get on with the day sooner. Last week we waded through about 4 inches of slushy melting snow and mud in the local conservation area. This week we went through the university trails and the trails at a closed down quarry across the street that's been turned into a conservation area.

That group had challenged the members to run 10k a day for the first 14 days of December.  I like a challenge so I signed up.  Sure enough, December 2nd there was a huge ice storm, so I ran to the community centre dressed like a rubber duck, ran around the track about 45 times, then ran home.

 The little kids participated in the Christmas bonspeil and won! H played skip, V was the Viceskip.

 H's skip speech-after ordering the crowd to just settle down and be silent.

H skip speech: "First of all, I would like to thank Marietta for allowing us to come here and use the ice, when Marietta is the one who paid for it and let us use it instead of using it for herself. Second of all, I would like to thank the people who helped organize it. Because, it can't happen without people to help organize it. Third of all, I'd like to thank my team for helping me win this. Somehow. I mean I was pretty sure we were doing well, I wasn't 100% sure we'd win it, I figured we'd get second." Introduces team. "OK, that's all."

November

Now that we've identified the kids to the school as Metis, they get to do cool stuff. C got invited to go to the indigenous people's career day (talk to various universities and colleges, work programs, etc.) and got a ton of swag and information books.

The following week he got to go to an indigenous  day where he made a healing salve, tried a drum circle and went on a hike.  He likes skipping school to go to stuff.  Also, so far he's the only one from his HS to go, so he gets to take an Uber to the events.  The Uber, day of events and lunch was all free.

H turned 11!!! He celebrated with a lemon cream pie.

 It snowed-a lot. It was very heavy and wet and the snowblower clogged up, so I ended up shoveling and now, in December, my left hand is still going numb periodically :(

We finished H's annual skating fundraiser.  This is 26 boxes of meat.  Luckily my mother in law has a garage fridge and freezer and I have a chest freezer.

Still trail running-this time to the Screaming tunnel. I believe it used to be a train tunnel.

My dad sent the kids shirts.

 H and his BFF have birthdays only 2 weeks apart, so his mom and I have started planning joint parties.  This year she found a game cafe to host us!

 

The birthday boys were given cotton candy.  I guess the entire mixer?

October-Happy Halloween, skating, swimming, running

C made a Warhammer 40K Skitarii Ranger

Inspiration:

V wanted to be a Phoenix but let me off the hook by modifying her owl pajamas with adding a tail and became an Owl Dream Phoenix

H helped me with his and was a Doge from Roblox (a video game)

Inspiration: 

I'm still running-not only the trail running but 1/2 way through September I started running every day and just kept doing it through October.   I ran a 17km run with the Sunday trail running group's contingent-the Saturday coffee runners out to this Lighthouse on Lake Ontario.

We got stuck by the bridge that goes over the Welland Canal unfortunately on our way back.

Then I ran the Sunday as well.  Over October I got in 318 km/ 198 miles

Decew Falls

A fellow runner has a marathon coming up, so she talked me into a 28km practice run, up the Welland canal where we live to the Lighthouse at Lake Ontario.

This is an old railroad trail that's double wide and flat and gravel-used it for a 20km run one day while the kids were at school. Love running in fall-good temps and pretty.

Celebrating with McD's that V passed her Swimmer 6! She's taking rest of year off and restarting in January with the older kids.

Playing Machi Koro while Husband's home

My first time voting as a Canadian citizen! So easy, you just pick a candidate, mark the circle and turn it in!

H was invited to move up to the elite skating group!

Quote of the month:

H sees a maple seed on the car and says, "Maple trees really have the seed and wind thing figured out. Props to maple trees and their great evolving skills."

End of summer at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition)

The kids got free tickets for CNE and a friend hadn't ever been to the Ontario one, so we took the kids and went while Husband was visiting in town.
 It's like a summer fair.

Butter sculpting

Very cool Chinese Lantern special exhibit

A guy who rides a unicycle/skateboard who juggles fire and tells kids to keep reading and stay in school. 

Horticulture

Overall we liked it but I don't know if it's annual MUST DO event.