April 28, 2003

Boy, oh boy. Spring is like crawling out of a cocoon and everything looks brighter, better and busier.
We seem to be always on the go or doing something. Just got back from a great visit to Abbotsford. Saw all the family for Easter and visited the Vancouver Aquarium. The kids loved it.
Henry ran in there, shoving people aside to reach the tanks and even used a guy’s belt to hike up closer to the fish. He was way too excited! Gotta take that boy out more. But now as the winter clothes are packed away and the sunglasses reappear, we will be out and about every day.
I am planning a picnic lunch at Christina Lake after preschool on Thursday. I love getting to enjoy the Lake before other kids are out of school. A couple of times last year we had the whole beach to ourselves.
Amy is continuing in ballet after wanting to quit as soon as she realized it didn’t mean everyone would just watch her dance for half an hour. Hopefully she will see it through the next eight classes. The kids also begin swimming lessons again next week. Level three. I think this time they must master skills like “How to enter the water without dragging in a classmate”, “Not pushing in a classmate” and “Why we don’t sit on a classmate while underwater”.
Again, doubtful that Henry will pass.

April 13, 2003

Hi, this is Cate here.
This is definately not Cate's,...errr.. I mean 'my' sister Helen, filling in for 'me' while my computer is broken.
I mean that would just be ridiculous wouldn't it?
I can prove that it's me by saying that Helen is an incredibly wonderful person. You see Helen wouldn't say that sort of thing because she is far too humble.
Let's see, what have I been up to? Well, I have been doing a bit of charitable work.
I started a non - profit organization to help children who have been crushed with a shopping cart
(please see the previous journal entry describing the incident between my son Henry and a shopping cart.)
We are called Aid for Shopping Cart Squashed Children (A.S.C.S.C or as we like to call it A SIC SIC Organization)
I have also been busy coaching my father, who is in England right now visiting the family, on what to tell them about the children.
I have actually updated my photos page new photos of my children being completely normal.
They are completely normal children, and not crazy or insane in anyway. So don't listen to Rumors.
Normal as normal can be.....
Despite what you may have heard from the neighbors.
Or on last weeks news report on CNN.
Or those warning flyers that the Canadian Government has been mailing out to everyone.
And air dropping over neighboring countries.
Our children are N-O-R-M-A-L Normal.
Well that's it for now. More later.

March 3, 2003

03 03 03, Strange date huh? I dread 06 06 06.
If my sisters belief in synchronized thoughts has any scientific base, this will be a day of strange happenings (visit her wacky site).
Well, my daughter is practically on the dating scene. She is nearly five you know! Practically a teenager! So she keeps telling me.
We had friends over for dinner last night and the five year old son brought Amy a bunch of pink carnations. She was proud as punch and placed them ceremoniously in her room. Should I start booking reception halls? My God, they start young these days!
I didn’t have my first kiss until I was eighteen. I would have keeled over with embarrassment if someone gave me flowers at five!
But I suppose she is just thrilled with the gift and not worried yet about the “girlfriend, boyfriend” thing.

February 11, 2003

If we mothers were incapacitated for longer than a week, our children would not survive. Left in the sole care of their fathers, I believe they would be dead in a matter of days. As I recently lay abed, stricken with a particularly vile case of stomach flu, I listened to my husband try to take care of the kids and household sans moi. Not his most successful undertaking. Thank God the almighty that he has the job outside the home and leaves me to raise his children. I think anyone would agree that a diet of candy, pop and alphaghetti is not appropriate for a young growing body. When I dragged myself out of bed the next day, I was greeted by a pile of dishes and hardened on food, laundry strewn everywhere and toys carpeting the entire house. All right, that is how the house usually looks but at least I make a dent in it each day and this was three days worth! I am still working on cleaning it up and hoping the kids won’t have a bout of botulism.

January 27, 2003

I am finally enjoying shopping with my children. I thought it would never happen.
They are starting to listen and follow rules and are able to patiently wait for me to finish. And I have also learned to relax to make it easier on everyone. If we don't get the list finished and they are showing signs of being tired, I quit. Straight to the checkout and in the car before any outbursts. I can always finish another time or get my husband to pick up the few things left before he comes home(it helps that he works at the grocery store). I also take carrot sticks for munching and let them take whatever toys they want and dress in what they want.
Today they got a few raised eyebrows and some laughs. They were dressed in their super hero pajamas. When their Dad saw them, he shook his head and said "At least they are not naked."
That is the way to look at things when you have kids: "It could be worse". Are my kids having a temper tantrum in the middle of the store? It could be worse, they could be lost and I would give anything to hear their voice. Are they leaving their toys all over the house? It could be worse, they could be confined to a wheelchair and not be able to get out their own toys. Are they spilling juice on the carpet again? It could be worse, they could be spilling it on the computer keyboard.
(Note from Auntie Helen: Are they watching Fantasia 2000 for the 695th time this month? It could be worse....ahh...oh wait... no that's pretty much as bad as it gets.
Sorry Cate, Love your sis Helen who is NOT watching Fantasia 2000 at this very moment unlike you.....go ahead...tell me I am wrong)

January 19, 2003

And so begins a new year full of new beginnings. Some of them smooth, some a little rocky. I signed Henry and Amy up for swimming lessons so I could relax and not have a heart attack every time they go near water. I know, I should never relax around water but I do get way too stressed out. Henry is a maniac. He will run and jump into any body of water. He seems attracted to it like a magnetic force is controlling his body. It doesn’t matter that he sinks like a brick. After he is pulled out of the water, he turns around and jumps right back in.
When we lived in Lethbridge, we went on walks by a beautiful lake. I always kept him close but twice had to fish him out fully clothed in temperatures close to 5 degrees.
After watching Henry in his swim lessons, I have come up with a theory about him.
His sister, Amy is gifted at everything she does and it didn’t take Amy long to start swimming on her own. Henry saw this and assumed he could do it too. So he struck out and tried to doggy paddle after her. He managed a few strokes then slowly started to sink. He kept on swimming underwater until the instructor noticed him and helped him up coughing and sputtering.
It is the size of Henry’s head that is the cause of his trouble. He cannot possibly stay afloat as gravity pulls on his gigantic cranium.
He has similar trouble when skating.
Amy, from the very first, struck out on her own and skated with very little help. I immediately signed her up for lessons and she is definitely a natural. She has only been in skates three times and is doing as well as the other, more experienced children and is the fastest skater!
Put skates on Henry and down he goes.
The poor sod cannot move one inch without falling on his ass. Once down, it takes two people to get him up (again, the force of gravitational pull on his noggin).
He has only tried skating twice and is quite willing to forgo a frozen butt for time with his mom in the bleachers.
I now realize why Henry places his head on the floor and, on hands and knees, moves around the house pushing his huge head in front of him. The poor boy is exhausted lugging around such an enormous melon.
Hopefully the rest of his body will catch up soon.
Despite his weighty head, Henry did pass his level one swimming along with his sister. I think the instructor was afraid of having to repeat the course with such a crazy boy who despite repeated warnings continued to jump in the deep water when no one was there to drag him and his huge head to the surface.

December 31st, 2002

Xmas is over, the turkey leftovers consumed and the decorations stowed away for another year. It seems like such a HUGE build up for a few hours. I feel the need to pull everything down the instant the turkey is cold. Partly because starting the New Year with a tree still up seems lazy and partly because my birthday feels more special when not overlapping another holiday. Yes, my birthday on January 4th. (Note from Helen the Evil Sister: Feel free to e-mail birthday wishes) I am turning 35 years old.
I suppose I am grown up now. There are still days I feel like a kid. I do love growing older though. I love learning and growing wiser ( shut up, I am too!) I feel very at home with myself as I age, as if maturity brings with it a shawl of comforting reassurance. I care more about what I think and less about what others think. Yet I can listen to others and their views with less judgement. I feel more open to learn new things than I ever did before. And I am becoming more sure of the things I already know. What a nice feeling.

December 17th, 2002

This is a copy of our December Newsletter that we recently sent out:
At long last and thanks to my sister and brother in law, we finally have a computer.
We hope now to enter the New Year, adept at compu-communication(my special word).
We hope that this letter finds all our friends and family well. Amy and Henry are enjoying preschool together and I'm enjoying the few hours of peace and quiet that this affords me.
I have been painting up a storm to get the house looking how I want before it gets too cold. Mike is finished with store renovations and is enjoying working in a beautifully updated store. Mike's mom has just moved down to Mission and is happily settled in her new home. We hope she will be truly happy there, closer to her other children and many friends. We love it here in Grand Spoons and wish we could settle for a while but we are probably looking at another move in a couple of years
I was very happy to meet my new baby nephew this summer. My brother Jon and sister in law, Lorna are the proud parents of Caleb who is a sweet - faced boy with a shock of dark wavy hair. My Dad, who most know, injured his arm in a machine at work months ago is still recovering.
He had a MRI which showed more damage than previously thought so has to endure surgeries to repair nerves and bone.
My sis Helen and her partner, Derek, are hard at work boosting there computer media company.
(www.chargedmultimedia.com)
They do wonderful work as you can see by this site they designed.
Living closer to friends and family in the mainland has allowed us more frequent visits this summer. Now that winter is looming, I don't know if I dare risk travel until the Spring which could mean months until we get out there again. Maybe that is a good thing as Amy is picking up a Lancashire accent from my parents.
If anyone wishes to contact us, please try our e-mail or our mailing address.
Box 2151
Grand Forks, B.C.
V0H 1H0
e-mail: champ@sunshinecable.com

Best Wishes to All, Cate, Mike, Amy and Henry.

December 10th, 2002

Greetings, readers of my site, who have really boring lives.
Well, can't you think of anything better to do? You will find no snippets of wisdom here, no fast fixes, and no answers to questions in the middle of the night. Only the ravings of a slightly loony housewife who has finally got up the nerve (and by that I mean stopped being lazy) and written my first journal entry.
My sister has threatened to keep writing my journal entries for me and if I didn't grab the creative bull by the gonads, she would have had me and mike plotting to overthrow a small country run by a maniacal dictator and asking for political donations.
So, to brilliantly segue, I hope everyone is ready for Christmas and enjoying the season. We went to visit Santa last weekend. I was extremely nervous. I remember, as a child, being extremely afraid of Santa. Actually, any mysterious person in a giant brightly colored costume terrified me.
Why must we put our children through these festive horrors?
I cautiously approached the "Photos with Santa" corner at the Christmas craft fair with Amy and Henry in tow. The poor things had no idea what was about to happen. As we came into sight of the red and white very real looking Saint Nick (I've never actually met him-no, that's not true - that story next), the children stopped cold. Here was that horrid moment I so dreaded and why I have never taken them to see Santa before. Amy slowly raised her tattered blanket to her nose and stared with wide eyes at this kindly gentleman. Henry, who is the braver of the two, ducked behind my legs and gripped my pants as if to hold me back. Very slowly, Amy took a step forward and after committing to this act, decided to run the rest of the way. Her arms flew around Santa's neck and the old guy laughed and pulled her to his knee. Henry, upon seeing his sister enjoying the velvet hugs from Santa, also flew to his side with a "Hi Santa!" Santa then tried to hoist Henry onto his knee too. I tried to wave at him and let him know that I would not be covering his medical expenses but he seemed determined to fulfill his duties. Over the groaning and eye rolling, I heard Henry try to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. Then Santa, considerably rosier than before, asked Amy what she wanted for Christmas.
"Not very much, just a few presents cos I already have lots of toys." He then cajoled her to tell him if there was something special she wanted (which I HATE because, being perfect, all my Christmas shopping is already done.) She thankfully mentioned two items which are wrapped and ready to go under the tree. Alright, not wrapped, I'm not that perfect!
So, you see, all went off without a hitch. Projecting my fears onto my kids backfired and we got a lovely Christmas memory.
Of course it could have happened differently:
"Henry, don't pull Santa's beard off, no Santa doesn't like candy canes up his nose dear, Amy for God's sake stop screaming. Santa is not going to break into our house and let the reindeer eat the Christmas tree. Henry, not the hat, no it's not your turn to be Santa. Wrestling Santa to the floor is not going to earn you points young man. Amy, please stop screaming and let go of mommy, I have to pull your brother off of Santa. Santa, please don't try to get up, it just excites him. I'm sorry about the camera but I didn't realize my daughter would knock it over in her terrified frenzy."
Now, don't tell me the exact same thoughts didn't go through your head before you took your sweet angels to get their Xmas portraits. Children are put on this earth to keep us on our toes, turn our hair grey and embarrass us in public. But, once in a while, they make us smile, melt our hearts and make us proud.
Merry Christmas to my little Angels and all the others out there too.

November 19th, 2002

* Note to readers: the following first two entries of this blog were actually written by me. Helen, Cate's sister.
I felt that she was neglecting her blog duties and so as any good sister would do, I journalled for her.
She asked me to keep them in here..... Well I guess this is it then. This is my last comment in my sisters site.
It was kind of fun having a split personality for a while. Hmmm....maybe I will start up a blog page for my brother Jon.....

Hi, sorry it's been so long since I have updated my page. I guess I am just a lazy good for nothing. I have added new photo pages in my photo section. (pages 3 and 4) I want to let everyone know how great my sister Helen is. I think she is really awesome, intelligent, kind, compassionate, well read, articulate, talented, perfect and she writes great poetry. Anyway, thats about all I have to say. I will write more about Helen tomorrow.

November 19th, 2002

Hello! This is my blog site.
I have the cutest kids in the world! If you don't believe me, please send me your mailing address and I will send my kids to you in the overnight courier and you will see for yourself.
That's right! For free! No charge!
Please keep them until the end of the weekend then ship them back. You can even ship them COD I don't mind.
You will see that I am telling the truth. I have many stories to tell about my kids and I will get right on it. Just as soon as I can figure out how to update this pesky HTML code.
Until then you are just going to have to wait.
Another cool feature that will be coming to my site very soon is the "Mike Pedersen Will Wear Anything" page.
To add humor to my site, my wonderful husband Mike has volunteered to wear anything you send him or request for him to wear.
That's right!
He will dress up in whatever you ask him to or send him in the mail, I will take a photo and we will post it in the photos section of the site. Mike will also eat any food you send but that is aside from the site.
Another cool feature on this site will be the "Mike Pedersen Comes To Your House To Do Your Housework" page.
Again Mike creates vital content for my site by cleaning your house! Amazing! I am not sure exactly how this is going to create content yet but the concept is great don't you think?
Also I am going to have a gallery called "People Who Have Tried to Crush My Son With a Shopping Cart" which will feature....yes you guessed it! Mug shots of people who have tried to crush my son with a shopping cart.
As you can tell we have a lot planned folks so visit back soon!!