Holiday Countdown - Day One - December 1

Because you can never have enough pictures of your kids sleeping...

...especially when they're up way early and can't help but tip over on the sofa and immediately be fallen upon by heat-seeking snuggle-hounds {Oscar is curled up in the crook of her knees}

Today marked our first holiday countdown day....not a very original or new one, but we're starting off slowly so as not to ramp up into a frenzy too soon before the Big Days ahead....

So off we went to the library and indeed maxed out our cards....we actually had to put two things back because for some Grinchy reason, adult cards are only allowed to take out two things as opposed to the five allowed for kid cards. {insert raspberry here}. Alas, Sebastian was coughing and hacking and snortling all over the library computer - upon which we were getting some rather nervous glances from the other patrons - so we didn't stay long. I'm quite certain someone immediately swooped in and disinfected everything we'd touched......

We meandered to our usual apres-library coffee shop destination, drank hot chocolate and ate cookies to fortify ourselves {okay, fortify ME, who had to carry five tons of library books and movies in the backpack} for the walk home...

....upon which, after much deliberation, we reactivated Savannah's Club Penguin account.  Being a bit older and having basic reading skills now makes all the difference and she's quite charmed with the whole thing. If anyone else out there plays, her penguin's name is Wagonberry....

Hot chocolate and a jam doughnut wears off fast when you're working your way up the belts in Card Ju-jitsu, so milk and an Oreo was in order by mid-afternoon.

Stack-Rat Tuesday...

The main road we walk along to get to the library is....well....fairly hideous. Nothing really that you could put your finger on...it's just old and ugly and completely lacks character.  Thusly, the stark and dismal sight of these huddling pigeons completely captures the feel of it...especially since a rather biting wind was tunnelling through...

We rather enjoy our little neighbourhood branch. Sure it's not as fancy as some of the larger branches and sure, you pretty much have to put holds on most of the books you might want...but it's small and rarely busy and the librarians are very sweet and helpful.

So we prowled for 'next-ones' of some of the series books we're reading (getting all giddy when we discovered they were actually On The Shelf as opposed to at the branch across town), Sebastian played on the computer, amusing us greatly with his earphones-on Loud Talking and Savannah did the provided craft.

As per usual, after we pillage the stacks for our reading material for the week...it's a short (and chilly) walk to the coffee shop for our traditional apres library snack.  Today was cold enough to merit a hot chocolate in lieu of coffee...and...of course....

Ye Olde Gingerbread cookie..all dressed for the season

Sebastian enjoyed the polar bear version....

The remains of a nest that we spotted on the walk home...we went a more scenic way for the trip back.

Finally, windswept and runny-nosed, we retired to the warmth for an afternoon with our stash......

Library Monday - the reading club and retro discards....

We used to go the library on Friday's with Aunty S and Cousin M, but the nasty winter weather and then them moving sort of jolted us from our little routine. That and a certain irrational fear of mine -- well, not really irrational because if you were to look at the bulletin board in the library's staff lounge you'd very likely see my picture surrounded by gold stars attached to the Late Fee Fund-Raising *thermometer* that has them breaking ground on the Leavey Wing by next spring. Anyway, I was avoiding those hallowed halls, convinced I had an immense fine to pay on both mine and Savannah's cards and me without the cash just lying around, not to mention the shame and stigma attached to overdue books. Also, add to that, the fact that I seemed to be locked out of the online catalogue, a further suggestion that I was in great peril of owing a third-born child to the public library system.

Anyhoo....I managed to get into my account this morning - having already promised a trip to the kids - and wanted to know the total, in order to steel myself and possibly look around the house for things to flog - to delightedly discover that I only owed $2.40 on my card and 70 cents on Savannah's. Such JOY!!

So off we went...proclaiming, with happy hearts, Monday to be our new Library Day.


Feeling quite flush - and in the spirit of me continually giving money to the library in one form or another - I ransacked the *discard* shelf and unearthed these retro darlings...we are ALL OVER the VHS in this house.....having many cast-offs from older cousins. If only we'd known sooner we could have probably got our hands on Sebastian's favourite Henry's Amazing Animal videos which he was disappointed to find had vacated the shelves....seems they're turfing their VHS collection. And at 50 cents a-piece, we were all too happy to take them off their hands...


And here's our reading pile for the week......Savannah has signed up for the summer reading club - ie. carrot-dangling tactic to coerce children into reading books over the summer when they don't technically have to....:)

Fortunately we are year-round readers-without-obligation and the promise of trinkets after every five books is just the icing on our book-lovin' sundae.....although it will pain me to follow the "rules" and be sure to read one book from the suggested category in each five-book block. For instance, this block we have to read at least one fairytale....you know, like kids can't just read what they want to read.....*sigh* Their hearts are in the right place...bless 'em...And with Savannah on her learning-to-read bender, one hates to cast dispersions on the system....*grin*

And it's thundery and rainy now so it's a perfect afternoon for a snuggle and good book...

Happy Monday, everyone!!