I am pleased to announce that I have completed my snowsuit mission for the 2010/2011 year. It took some serious doin' and some serious Value Village hunting, but both kids are suited up, and we are now ready for the snow to fly. Not like I would like it to fly, but I mean lets not push things, its over halfway through October and nothing? Really? This just makes me think its going to be a really bad winter. Sigh...life on the Prairies.
So for Abbi, the grand total was...$12.98!
Jacket: $7.99
Snow pants: $4.99
Boots: Hand-me-downs (With tags!)
Toque, Scarf & Mittens: Gifts
Unfortunately her jacket is missing the hood (which snaps on), but I figure its much easier to get my kids to wear a toque than to keep their hood up. I also purposely picked navy blue snow pants, so that one day, when Gabe is in size 5 pants, he can use them too.
Definitely a funky jacket, and not one that every kid in the park is going to have.
Jacket: $7.99Snow pants: $4.99
Boots: Hand-me-downs (With tags!)
Toque, Scarf & Mittens: Gifts
Unfortunately her jacket is missing the hood (which snaps on), but I figure its much easier to get my kids to wear a toque than to keep their hood up. I also purposely picked navy blue snow pants, so that one day, when Gabe is in size 5 pants, he can use them too.
Definitely a funky jacket, and not one that every kid in the park is going to have.
The toque is from my Mom, and the scarf is a Hello Kitty scarf that Uncle Dave picked out for Abbi when they were in Europe last year.
Gabe's grand total? $13.98!
(*I still have yet to find Gabe a pair of boots, which generally range from $2 to $7 in thrift stores. Seriously people. A quick wash, and voila, brand new boots!)
Jumpsuit/Snowsuit: $4.99
Snow Jacket: $8.99
Mittens and toque: Gifts
I am IN LOVE with this little jumpsuit. We had just watched Amelia (the life story of Amelia Earhart - good show), and she had some fabulous flying jumpsuits, so when I saw this, I had to grab it up!
I really do prefer snow jackets and pants, over a suit, only because if it isn't -30° you don't really need to be in a suit. So much easier to just throw on a jacket if you are running out to the store for 10 minutes. Although, when it came to this little jumpsuit, I really couldn't resist. And at $4.99...
The toque and mittens were from a friend (her son was too big for them), and I am amazed that they match, perfectly, the jacket I randomly picked out from Value Village. Love it!
~
In other exciting Nepper news, we're going to Kenya. Well, no, I'm not going, but Rob is going. I'm going vicariously through him. Our church is arranging a trip through a local organization called The Emmanuel Foundation. And I LOVE what they do. They take old, decommissioned playgrounds from the cities of Edmonton and Calgary. These playgrounds are headed for demolition and then the dump. But this organization, is taking them, and sending them to countries that don't have playgrounds.
Can you even imagine? A town without a playground? I can probably think of more than 10 playgrounds within a 5 minute drive from my house. In countries where there is so much poverty, there is no emphasis on play for the children, despite the countless developmental benefits. I mean when it comes down to food or a swing set, well, I think we can all imagine what we would choose. But did you know that "play" is actually part of the "UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child?" It states, in Article 31 (speaking in child-friendly language), "You have the right to play and rest." Wow.
So this playground is going to be put in a shipping container this Sunday (its currently taking up someone's entire backyard here in Edmonton!), and it will be sent on its long journey to Kenya. Its going to an orphanage run by our friend's sister and brother-in-law. The team is scheduled to leave February 20th, 2011. They will be there for roughly two weeks. Apparently its no simple task putting these suckers back together, so the organization sends someone down to help the team reassemble it. To put it into perspective, they will be needing about 80 post holes, at about 1 foot by 1 foot. Ahem...80! And are you aware of the temperatures in Kenya at that time of the year! Wow.
We had the man who heads up the foundation speak at our church in June. He was the pastor for many years and is greatly respected. Rob was away that Sunday, I think Gabe was sick. As I heard this man preach, all I could think was, "This is for Rob, this is for Rob." After the service I called him and said, "I think you're going to Kenya." Well, its been 4 months, and it was always there, but not something we had officially decided on. But we spent this last week praying and talking and considering and discussing, and finally just knew this is something we have to do. So yeah, my husband is going to Kenya.
We are pretty excited. And I think more than anything, at this point I'm just excited to be done deciding. Its been decided! So now we can start planning. Start saving. Start getting creative. Trips like these come at a large cost, so that part is stretching. The incredible part? That was our big hesitation, the finances. Two weeks ago, we spent Saturday night discussing this very topic, knowing that it absolutely has to be a God thing for it to work out. Then I arrive at church on Sunday, and we are offered this money...by a person who knew nothing of our financial situation! Incredible.
So this is a new tale on our journey. Basically Rob is leaving in four months. I have a lot of peace about this. Being a single mother for two weeks, will be challenging, but two things come to mind when I think of this. I am a single mother every day from 6am to 6pm. Now please don't think I'm comparing this to the challenges that single Mother's face every day, because I seriously do salute you women! But I just personally don't feel like this will be adding that much more to my plate. Maybe on day #10, I will be going absolutely mad, but that brings me to point #2. He's helping to bring play and smiles and joy to children in Africa who have nothing. I do hope in those hard moments, I can bring that into perspective, and realize the sacrifice is so small in comparison.
So if you want to help us out on this journey, please let me know. Basically the space in the container that isn't taken up with playground, is being jam packed with other goodies for the kids. Our church did an underwear drive two weeks ago. I was able to use my deal sleuthing skills at Zellers, and with a budget of $50, I was able to get 48 pairs of underwear for $48.98! Our friend has also been busy getting soccer balls for the kids, which he was successful, with a large donation of equipment.
So I'm excited to watch the team putting this playground back in the container this weekend, and then imagining that in four months, they will reunite with the very same container, yet it will be under the hot African sun, probably surrounded by hundreds of screaming, excited African children.
Gabe's grand total? $13.98!
(*I still have yet to find Gabe a pair of boots, which generally range from $2 to $7 in thrift stores. Seriously people. A quick wash, and voila, brand new boots!)Jumpsuit/Snowsuit: $4.99
Snow Jacket: $8.99
Mittens and toque: Gifts
I am IN LOVE with this little jumpsuit. We had just watched Amelia (the life story of Amelia Earhart - good show), and she had some fabulous flying jumpsuits, so when I saw this, I had to grab it up!
I really do prefer snow jackets and pants, over a suit, only because if it isn't -30° you don't really need to be in a suit. So much easier to just throw on a jacket if you are running out to the store for 10 minutes. Although, when it came to this little jumpsuit, I really couldn't resist. And at $4.99...The toque and mittens were from a friend (her son was too big for them), and I am amazed that they match, perfectly, the jacket I randomly picked out from Value Village. Love it!
~
In other exciting Nepper news, we're going to Kenya. Well, no, I'm not going, but Rob is going. I'm going vicariously through him. Our church is arranging a trip through a local organization called The Emmanuel Foundation. And I LOVE what they do. They take old, decommissioned playgrounds from the cities of Edmonton and Calgary. These playgrounds are headed for demolition and then the dump. But this organization, is taking them, and sending them to countries that don't have playgrounds.
Can you even imagine? A town without a playground? I can probably think of more than 10 playgrounds within a 5 minute drive from my house. In countries where there is so much poverty, there is no emphasis on play for the children, despite the countless developmental benefits. I mean when it comes down to food or a swing set, well, I think we can all imagine what we would choose. But did you know that "play" is actually part of the "UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child?" It states, in Article 31 (speaking in child-friendly language), "You have the right to play and rest." Wow.
So this playground is going to be put in a shipping container this Sunday (its currently taking up someone's entire backyard here in Edmonton!), and it will be sent on its long journey to Kenya. Its going to an orphanage run by our friend's sister and brother-in-law. The team is scheduled to leave February 20th, 2011. They will be there for roughly two weeks. Apparently its no simple task putting these suckers back together, so the organization sends someone down to help the team reassemble it. To put it into perspective, they will be needing about 80 post holes, at about 1 foot by 1 foot. Ahem...80! And are you aware of the temperatures in Kenya at that time of the year! Wow.
We had the man who heads up the foundation speak at our church in June. He was the pastor for many years and is greatly respected. Rob was away that Sunday, I think Gabe was sick. As I heard this man preach, all I could think was, "This is for Rob, this is for Rob." After the service I called him and said, "I think you're going to Kenya." Well, its been 4 months, and it was always there, but not something we had officially decided on. But we spent this last week praying and talking and considering and discussing, and finally just knew this is something we have to do. So yeah, my husband is going to Kenya.
We are pretty excited. And I think more than anything, at this point I'm just excited to be done deciding. Its been decided! So now we can start planning. Start saving. Start getting creative. Trips like these come at a large cost, so that part is stretching. The incredible part? That was our big hesitation, the finances. Two weeks ago, we spent Saturday night discussing this very topic, knowing that it absolutely has to be a God thing for it to work out. Then I arrive at church on Sunday, and we are offered this money...by a person who knew nothing of our financial situation! Incredible.
So this is a new tale on our journey. Basically Rob is leaving in four months. I have a lot of peace about this. Being a single mother for two weeks, will be challenging, but two things come to mind when I think of this. I am a single mother every day from 6am to 6pm. Now please don't think I'm comparing this to the challenges that single Mother's face every day, because I seriously do salute you women! But I just personally don't feel like this will be adding that much more to my plate. Maybe on day #10, I will be going absolutely mad, but that brings me to point #2. He's helping to bring play and smiles and joy to children in Africa who have nothing. I do hope in those hard moments, I can bring that into perspective, and realize the sacrifice is so small in comparison.
So if you want to help us out on this journey, please let me know. Basically the space in the container that isn't taken up with playground, is being jam packed with other goodies for the kids. Our church did an underwear drive two weeks ago. I was able to use my deal sleuthing skills at Zellers, and with a budget of $50, I was able to get 48 pairs of underwear for $48.98! Our friend has also been busy getting soccer balls for the kids, which he was successful, with a large donation of equipment.
So I'm excited to watch the team putting this playground back in the container this weekend, and then imagining that in four months, they will reunite with the very same container, yet it will be under the hot African sun, probably surrounded by hundreds of screaming, excited African children.
That is awesome Holly and Rob. So excited for you on this trip. I remember you mentioning to me and I thought "oh that would be so incredible!" So glad to hear that it's coming together!
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