Autumn Days

September brings with it cool Autumn days and a wealth of opportunity to celebrate and plan events. 

Microsoft stock photo

Autumn Wind

When autumn wind goes running

It does some magic things.

It gives the shadows dancing shoes,

It gives the bright leaves wings -

When autumn wind goes running.

It curls the bonfire's tail of smoke

And shares a little whispered joke

With cornstalks who delight to prattle,

It turns a seed pod into a rattle -

When autumn wind goes running.

http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems1.html

 From our dear friend Victoria

Apple Picking: visit an apple orchard, Farmers market, make Apple prints

September

The breezes taste of apple peel.

The air is full of smells to feel-

Ripe fruit, old footballs, burning brush,

New books, erasers, chalk and such.

The bee, his hive, well-honeyed hum,

And Mother cuts chrysanthemums.

Like plates washed clean with suds, the days

Are polished with morning haze.

John Updike

http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems1.html

 http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/

Grandparents Day: Bookmark or can for pencils?

This little can, made of tin,

Was washed and saved to use again,

I added paint, I added glue

I made a present just for you.

It’s for your pencils or your pens,

You can show it to your friends,

It’s not empty for you can see,

It’s filled with love to you from me.

 My Grandparents, before my Grandma passed away♥

Fall Harvest: Create your own Cornucopia

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/thanksgiving/mcornicopia.htm

Poetry for Fall and Colouring Pages

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/fall/crafts-trees.htm

http://www.classroomjr.com/fall-kids-poems/fall-kids-poems-leaves/

 

September Stargazing

Queen of the Night

With fall season around the corner, new constellations begin to take centre stage in the night sky. Cassiopeia, the Queen, is a striking zigzag pattern of five bright stars that lie near to the North Pole star, Polaris.  Greek legends say that the vain queen of Ethiopia, wife of King Cepheus, was condemned by the god Zeus to the heavens after boasting that her own beauty rivalled that of the god's own daughters. Cassiopeia now sits on her star-studded throne, eternally circling Polaris - never to set below the horizon. Andrew Fazekas, TheNightSkyGuy

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/stargazing/caon0506?ref=topnav_victoriadayweather_stargazing


September: Arthritis Month
Arthritis Month aims to raise public awareness of arthritis and of the services available to arthritis sufferers.
The Arthritis Society
Tel.: 416-979-7228
Toll-free: 1-800-321-1433
Fax: 416-979-8366
E-mail: info@arthritis.ca
September: Big Brothers and Big Sisters Month
Big Brothers and Big Sisters Month aims to raise public awareness of the need for new volunteers and celebrates volunteer mentors.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada
Tel.: 905-639-0461
Toll-free: 1-800-263-9133
Fax: 905-639-0124
11 September: National Grandparents Day (Sunday after Labour Day)
National Grandparents Day honours grandparents across Canada.
The Legacy Project
Tel.: 905-640-8914
Toll-free: 1-800-772-7765
Fax: 905-640-2922
E-mail: tcp@tcpnow.com
12 - 18 September: Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (starts on the third week of September)
Prostate Cancer Awareness Week aims to raise public awareness of prostate cancer and to raise funds for research on this disease.
Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada
Tel.: 416-441-2131
Toll-free: 1-888-255-0333
Fax: 416-441-2325
E-mail: info@prostatecancer.ca
15 September: The Alzheimer Coffee Break (usually the third Thursday of September)
The Alzheimer Coffee Break encourages Canadians to donate the cost of a cup of coffee to their community Alzheimer Society to fund programs and services intended for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer Society of Canada
Tel.: 416-488-8772
Toll-free: 1-800-616-8816
Fax: 416-322-6656
E-mail: coffeebreak@alzheimer.ca
17 - 25 September: Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life Week
AIDS Walk for Life Week is a fundraising event for AIDS prevention, education and awareness.
Canadian AIDS Society
Tel.: 613-230-3580 Ext. 140
Toll-free: 1-800-499-1986 Ext. 140
Fax: 613-563-4998
E-mail: info@aidswalkforlife.ca
18 September: The Terry Fox Run (second Sunday after Labour Day, except if it conflicts with Jewish religious holidays)
First held in 1981, the Terry Fox Run is an annual fundraising event for cancer research.
The Terry Fox Foundation
Tel.: 604-701-0246
Toll-free: 1-888-836-9786
Fax: 604-701-0247
E-mail: national@terryfoxrun.org
18 - 24 September: National Forest Week (last full week of September)
The Canadian Forestry Association has been organizing the National Forest Week for over 70 years. This event enables the Association to work with partners across the country to raise Canadians' awareness of their country's rich forest heritage.
Canadian Forestry Association
Tel.: 613-732-2917
Toll-free: 1-866-441-4006
Fax: 613-732-3386
E-mail: cfa@canadianforestry.com
25 September: Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day (the last Sunday of September)
Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day provides Canadians with an opportunity to acknowledge the dedication of police and peace officers who have died in the line of duty.
Canadian Professional Police Association
Tel.: 613-231-4168
Fax: 613-231-3254
E-mail: cpa-acp@cpa-acp.ca

Gone Camping♥

Tent and gear are packed and it's time to head out.  Just before we go I wanted to share the great reads I found for the camping trip...

Collectively, the kids have read 90 books this summer and I am so proud of them... 

I have marshmallows to toast and smores to make, see you in a week or so♥

Planning with kids... 10 Things To Do Before You Go To Bed

 I found this wonderful Blog, "Planning with kids".  She has great tips for getting the Chaos out of morning routines.  As a stay at home Mom myself with 4 kids to get ready each day, school routines get hectic and I really appreciate this. 

The one thing I would add that has taken a lot of stress out of my mornings... 

I have an organizer for the kids clothes for each day of the week so that in the morning each child can look at which day it is and put on the outfit (including socks and underwear) that I have placed in that cubbie.  Setting them out for the week in the days of the week cubbies instead of putting them in the drawers after I've done the laundry saves me significant time in the morning.  

If you have any suggestions that would help others with morning routines, please by all means post the comments at the end... every little bit helps:D  

Don't forget to check out Planning with kids... what a great website!

 

1. Set Table For Breakfast.

We set out the place mats, bowls, spoons, glasses, cereal boxes so all that is required in the morning is for the juice and milk to be taken out of the fridge. This means that everyone can serve themselves as they get up.

2. Prepare Lunch Boxes.

This is by far much easier to the night before than in the morning. You can see my process in detail here at Preparing School Lunches.

3. Complete Notices.

The children have a folder where they place any notices from school when they arrive home. I will fill them in as required and place them in their lunchbox for collection. It is their responsibility to then see that it makes its way to school.

4. Ensure Clean and Available Uniforms/Clothes.

We don’t actually put the clothes out for the school kids, but Mr I and I will will make sure that their uniforms are in the right spot for the children to get them. I will work with the preschooler to lay out clothes for the next day. He is at a stage where he is very particular about what he will and won’t wear. Having them organised the night before means that if he wants to wear his “motorbike t-shirt” that I have the time to calmly find it for him. If I leave this to the morning, I find that this sort of demand more frustrating and time consuming and it starts to build up stress in the house if it takes me some time to locate the desired t-shirt.

5. Un-stack Dishwasher.

Depending on what I have cooked and who we have had to visit, our dishwasher can do 2 -3 cycles in a day. Almost always we put the dishwasher on after dinner and Mr I then empties it before bed. As one of the kids jobs is to stack the dishwasher in the morning, it is so much easier if it is emptied.

6. General Tidy.

With 5 children, I have realistic expectations about the tidiness of our house. One thing I find really helps is to try and start each day with a relatively tidy house. This doesn’t mean perfection, but means all things back in their place, so when the toddler makes his way into the lounge room for the first time in the morning and starts tipping out the blocks, it is just one layer of toys on the floor!

7. Empty The Bin/s.

We have three small bins inside: rubbish, recycling and compost. It is most likely that one of these will need to be emptied and Mr I does a check of these at night. Having them emptied means less running around for me the next day.

8. Check The Calendar.

As dates for events come in, they all go up on the family calendar. Checking it regularly means that I have a better idea of what is coming up and can then make the appropriate plans.

9. Make To Do List.

I find that once I have written down my to do list, I automatically feel more in control of what I have to do the next (few) day/s. It also means that I can plan the best way to prioritise the activities that need to be completed and reduce the level of running around that I do.

10. Wind Down.

This is a new one for me. I am now trying to turn the computer of 30 minutes before I want to go to bed and having time to just potter around, read etc, before I hop into bed. This should mean that I go to bed calmer and feeling more relaxed.

http://planningwithkids.com/2010/04/13/10-things-to-do-before-you-go-to-bed/?utm_source=Planning+With+Kids+Newsletter&utm_campaign=1c8b082cab-Controlling_The_Clutter8_5_2011&utm_medium=email