They get 7cts per house and there are 49 houses on our route and so they make less than $3.50 a week, divided by 2.  I think this is pretty good considering how old they are.  More money to add to their money jars.  This is their third week and we have a system going and it takes about 20-25 minutes.  One child delivering on each side of the road.

The weather has been great so it has been pretty easy.  The company delivers the flyers to the house for us to distribute.  We load it all into my “granny” cart, I pull it along and they pick it up from my cart to deliver to the houses.  In this way, I am still able to keep an eye on them.  They really enjoy running around and it gets us all out together for a little outing.  The route is mainly on our street and it is a pretty quiet street in terms of traffic so it is pretty safe, as long as Andrew doesn’t trip while running up and down people’s driveways. In time, they will be able to go out on their own.  I really like going out with them though, like I said, it gets me out of the house for a little stroll.  The boys have so much energy and it is fun to see them just bouncing along.

This is the beginning…..

Look at all those socks!

]]> http://ameliayap.com/mummy-thoughts/2012/04/laundry-day/feed/ 0 http://ameliayap.com/mummy-thoughts/2012/04/birthday-scanvenger-hunt/ http://ameliayap.com/mummy-thoughts/2012/04/birthday-scanvenger-hunt/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:49:28 +0000 http://ameliayap.com/mummy-thoughts/?p=2005 My baby boy, Matthew just turned 11.  It is hard to believe that time flies when you are having fun.  He is 4’9″ and up to my nose, I predict that he will be as tall or taller than me when he hits 12.

He had 2 cakes, one on his birthday,

and one at his birthday party with his friends(I made this one but he decorated it).

For his party, Matthew had 7 boys come over.  I was thinking what am I going to do with 9 children for 3 hours.  Now that they are older, I had to find something more challenging.  So I decided on a scavenger hunt, indoors and out.  I am glad the weather worked out well.  Last year, it rained.

We paired the kids off and they got their clues.  It is amazing what the kids behave and do when they are excited.  We had some ground rules, when they came in to the house, they had to remove their shoes, many of them would forget and had points deducted.  They had to stay in the perimeter of the yard and no tampering with clues.  Here is a copy of what they had to do.

1. What is the house number across the street?
2. There are some coupons on the counter by the window, how much savings do you get with the Huggies diapers?
3. In the Wagon, there are a couple of eggs, how much money is in the orange egg?
4. How many pieces of Lego were used to make the tower?
5. On the back deck, if you walk down 3 steps, how many steps are you from the bottom?
6. What is the license plate of the Honda Odyessy on the street.
7. If our house faces North east, what fruit is south west?
8. There is a sculpture of dolphins by the window, if you look carefully from the top, how many dolphins do you see?
9. There is a bird in the kitchen, what kind of bird is it?
10. In the hallway, there are fishes on the wall, how many red fishes are there?
11. Find the washing machine, next to it is a bottle of laundry soap, what brand is it?
12.What vegetable do you cook in the barbecue?
13. Somewhere in the yard, there is a blue pail, take a duck.
14. The house faces North East, what fruit is on the most northern part of the house.
15. Where is the piece of cake with pink icing?
16. Look for the longest stick in the yard.
17. Bring 5 dried intact leaves.
18. Outside the front door, there is something black, take a penny inside it.
19. In the Oxford dictionary, what is the 3rd word before biscuit?
20. where is the pink pony?
21. What country is south of Botswana?
22. There is a pink basket on the deck, bring a black something from it.
23.  Bring a dead bug.

We also played a game of Scattergories.  Some of them were so creative with their words.  They really had to think under pressure!!

All in all, I think the birthday party was a success.  There wasn’t too much to clean either, except under the dinning table!!

So Wednesday, he comes home from school and tells me that he gave his two free tickets to his friend Jason who had also won a pair of hockey tickets.  Matthew knew that there were 3 in Jason’s family.  He gave them his pair of tickets and asked if he could be the fourth person and go with them.  He created a win-win situation, they didn’t have to buy an extra ticket and he got to go with them too.  How could I say no.  He deserved to go, needless to say, they all had a great time.  So proud of him, being able to arrange a winning situation.

Look how wide the slides are.

Across the river in Gatineau, there are the winter slides in Jacque Cartier park. There was a family slide where a group of people slide down together on their bums.  It was tons of fun.  We linked arms and slid down together.

Everyone waiting patiently in line

There was also an obstacle course set up by the army.  Of course the kids had to take part in that.  They had such a blast, they had to do push ups before they began and all of them did 20 without any problems.  This is right up their alley.

Andrew doing push ups!

Matthew on the obstacles course

Natalie on the obstacles course

After that we took the snow bus back downtown, laced up and skated along the Rideau canal.  We skated the 6km from downtown all the way to Dow’s lake.  The kids complained all the way but they had an incentive.  A “beaver’s tail” at the end of the skate.  I think they did really awesome and the “beaver tails” taste so yummy after all that exercise!!

We all made it to the 6km mark on our skates.

One nice thing about taking the bus was the ability to just hope on another bus and head home.  We didn’t have to go back downtown to get the vehicle.  This weekend we will be heading out to Winterlude again as we missed the ice sculptures at Confederation park and the photo gallery on Dow’s lake.  Might as well take advantage of all these great opportunities to enjoy the city.

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Originally published in The Plain Dealer on Sunday, May 28, 2006

I did a google search and found numerous articles but really enjoyed this one, it explain simply what it was, the health hype and whether I should reduce gluten in my diet. Here is the article from www.womenshealthmag.com.

Is Gluten Bad for You?

Before you hop on the bandwagon, read this

By Karen Ansel, R.D.

Chelsea Clinton’s wedding got a lot of press play for the gorgeous locale, the esteemed guests, and her beautiful dress. But what also took the cake in terms of media coverage was, well, the cake. The gluten-free cake.

Just 10 years ago, barely anyone knew what the word gluten meant, let alone gave any thought to avoiding it. But now gluten-free diet menus are all the rage, and high-profile stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Weisz, and Victoria Beckham have been linked to the gluten-free lifestyle, which is said to contribute to increased energy, thinner thighs, and reduced belly bloat.

What It Is, Exactly
Gluten is a protein found in the grains wheat, barley, and rye. Most of us unknowingly love it, because gluten gives our favorite foods that special touch: It makes pizza dough stretchy, gives bread its spongy texture, and is used to thicken sauces and soups.

Gluten-free eating has a basis in science, and it does help a genuine health problem. To people with a chronic digestive disorder called celiac disease, gluten is truly evil: Their bodies regard even a tiny crumb of it as a malicious invader and mount an immune response, says Alessio Fasano, M.D., medical director of the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research in Baltimore. Problem is, this immune reaction ends up damaging the small intestine, which causes both great gastrointestinal distress and nutritional deficiencies. If untreated, these responses can then lead to intestinal cancers as well as complications such as infertility and osteoporosis.

Experts once thought celiac disease was a rare disorder, believed to affect one in every 10,000 people. But an Archives of Internal Medicine study in 2003 suggests that celiac disease is far more prevalent than anyone had suspected, affecting one in 133 Americans. With increased testing and awareness, more people realized why they felt sick after eating a piece of bread, and food companies discovered a new market.

Now another problem is emerging, and experts are referring to it as nonceliac gluten sensitivity. Gluten sensitivity can lead to similar celiac symptoms such as stomach cramps, diarrhea, and bloating. But unlike celiac, sensitivity doesn’t damage the intestine. For years, health professionals didn’t believe nonceliac gluten sensitivity existed, but experts are beginning to acknowledge that it may affect as many as 20 million Americans, says Fasano.

The Health Hype
Thanks to the increase in diagnosed celiac and gluten sensitivity cases, and the corresponding uptick in foods marketed to sufferers, “gluten-free diets have emerged from obscurity, and now the pendulum has swung completely in the other direction,” says Fasano. And with this popularity push, people have latched on to avoiding gluten as a cure-all for many conditions aside from celiac, including migraines, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. While some have found relief, that doesn’t mean a gluten free diet will work in all cases.

And then there’s the idea that a gluten-free existence is the ticket to speedy weight loss. But, says Mark DeMeo, M.D., director of gastroenterology and nutrition at the Adult Celiac Disease Program at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, “there’s nothing magical about a gluten-free diet that’s going to help you lose weight.” What’s really at work: Gluten-free dining can seriously limit the number of foods you can eat. With fewer choices, you’re a lot less likely to overeat, says Shelley Case, R.D., author of Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide and a medical advisory board member for the Celiac Disease Foundation.

But it can backfire too, because gluten-free doesn’t mean fat-free or calorie-free.

“Without gluten to bind food together, food manufacturers often use more fat and sugar to make the product more palatable,” says Case. Consider pretzels: A serving of regular pretzels has about 110 calories and just one gram of fat. Swap them for gluten-free pretzels and you could get 140 caloriesand six grams of fat.

Should You Go Gluten-Free?
If you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, the answer is easy: Yes, you have to. But if you just want to give the diet a spin, know this: It’s a giant pain in the butt. Giving up gluten may sound as basic as cutting out bread or eating less pasta, but this isn’t just another version of the low-carb craze. Because gluten makes foods thick and tasty, it is added to everything from salad dressing to soy sauce to seasonings.

Besides the hassle, you can end up with serious nutritional deficiencies. “Gluten-free doesn’t necessarily equal healthy, especially when people yank vitamin-enriched and wholegrain foods from their diets and replace them with gluten free brownies,” says Case. In fact, research suggests that those who forgo gluten may be more likely to miss out on important nutrients such as iron, B vitamins, and fiber.

This is where careful meal planning comes in, which may explain why some people feel so good when they go G-free: They’re eating real food instead of ultraprocessed packaged fare. “If you skip the gluten-free goodies and focus on fruits, vegetables, lean protein, dairy, and gluten free grains like amaranth and quinoa, this can be a very healthy way of eating,” says Marlisa Brown, R.D., author of Gluten-Free, Hassle Free. “But you can’t just wing it.”

Seven Signs of Gluten Sensitivity
More than 2.5 million people may have celiac disease, yet only an estimated 150,000 have been diagnosed. That’s because people can be asymptomatic for years, and the symptoms of celiac disease can also overlap with other medical problems, so it often confuses both patients and doctors alike. That said, if you think you might have a problem, don’t ax gluten from your diet before being screened by a specialist. If you go off gluten entirely before having a test done, your results may come back negative even if you have the disease.

Celiac disease has hundreds of recognized symptoms, according to the Celiac Sprue Association, a nonprofit for those with the disease. Here are some common problems:

> Chronic diarrhea or constipation
> Abdominal pain and bloating
> Unexplained weight loss
> Anemia
> Fatigue
> Infertility

Matthew my sous-chef

It was really nice, we worked well together, he wasn’t in the way and dinner preparation time was reduced. There wasn’t a big mess, he cleaned up as he was doing the preparation. I am so proud of my big guy, he is growing up so fast.

I made a short video of Kyle’s “Big Event”.
Enjoy….