Monster Cookies

Whiny Wednesday

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Shall we all whine together? We need to get it all out. Feel free to whine in my comments or to whine up your own blog post and link to me to place the blame here for the whiny words. I don’t mind.

My whine…

This week is about the busiest week of my life. It has been crazy over here. But I adore being busy and that is not what this whine is about. The run-run-running does get a touch overwhelming at times though, and somehow in my old age, I’ve developed anxiety that sneaks up on me when I least expect it, so I’ve been feeling that in my belly.

Well, we’ve been awaiting our new windows for about 2 months now and finally last Saturday I got the call that this is the week (of course it is)! Here we are Wednesday and we hadn’t heard anything about the windows, so Jon called to ask what’s up with the windows. They are coming on Friday, which, as it turns out, is the free-est day I have all week. Phew. Hopefully they have enough time to get everything done that needs to be done, in one day.

Yesterday on the way back from Claire’s immunizations appointment, there was a huge storm. We are talking thunder that made me jump in the van, lightning so close it looked like I could touch it and a downpour of rain and hail so heavy and violent, I could not see the car in front of me. People were going 40 km/h on a strip of road marked 80 km/h. This is serious. LOL I drove through a few lakes on the way home (after that I got to walk through a few school yard lakes to retrieve three boys from school since the school would not release them unless there was an adult picking them up, like little boys melt in the rain or something).

Last night we walked to Andrew’s preschool grad concert and didn’t attempt to start the van again until this morning when I was rushing off to my contact-fitting appointment (tip: If you wear daily disposable contacts, try to buy more before you are on your last pair. Also, if you are buying from a place different from where you purchased them last time and you haven’t bought from the new place yet, you’ll need a fitting appointment. Who knew?). The van didn’t start. Didn’t even click, like it does sometimes when it won’t start. Normally if it doesn’t start immediately, it clicks. We work through the clicks, usually between 12 and 20 and then it starts. No biggie. But today, nothing. Zilch. Nada.

I came into the house and cried. Loss of use of our van, our single vehicle, means I will not have contacts on an upcoming trip. It means that I will have to miss my girls’ night out with my friends. It means that Josh will not make it to his eye appointment and in turn we will not get his prescription in time to take advantage of the BOGO sale on frames at Superstore this week. It means that I will have to walk to the closest grocery store and home for supplies for an upcoming party. And it means that we will have to take public transportation to get all of our planned events for this weekend - none of them close to home. It means that the summer vacation we have planned hangs in the balance…go on a trip or fix our van? Or………..get a new van?

Seriously, NOT the best time.

I came in the house and cried. For 10 straight minutes, at least. I am not a sobber. I let out a few stray tears and I’m done with a cry. But today, there were more than a few. Devastation.

But the sun came out. I whined on facebook and my friends showered me with so much kindness and love and support and offers to help that I couldn’t stay in my misery for long. Jon went out and tried the van again a while later and it started. Still no contacts on my trip, but maybe I can still do all the other stuff.

Though, a new van would have been nice. I’m sure the kids are ready to transition to one that offers A/C in the back and speakers in the front. As it is, we blast the air from the front to get back to them and Jon turns up the music loud so we can hear it up front. The death of our van has been an interesting drawn out process. I wish it would make up its mind to stay or go. LOL

That is my whine. I’m glad to have it all out so I can climb out of my hole and back into my regular schedule of laundry, dishes, sweep, vacuum, mop; AND to moving things at least 2 feet away from every window in the house.

Happy Whinesday!

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An Un-Celebrated Father’s Day

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

Today is Father’s Day, but two of our children were away for most of it. A few weeks ago, we decided that we’d celebrate Father’s Day tomorrow instead, when we will all be together and Jon can bask in his fatherhood times four.

It was a little awkward in the morning, waking up and trying to figure out what to do…do we say “Happy Father’s Day” just because it the calendar says it is Father’s Day? Or do we just pretend it isn’t even happening then act like tomorrow is THE day?

I think we went with a combination of the two.

It turned out that the boys came home early today and absolutely could not WAIT for tomorrow to give their daddy the gifts they had picked out and made. So, we changed the plans - gifts today, food tomorrow. So we get two half-Father’s Day days. Kind of uh, different, but such is life when it’s a busy busy life!

Tonight the kids sat in bliss, watching the up-until-now prohibited Indiana Jones DVDs with their daddy. I think Jon might have enjoyed the evening too, just a little bit.

An interesting aside about movies that I’d rather not watch and fatherhood: When Daniel was a baby, he was exclusively formula-fed, which meant that Jon did many of the night feeds. During this time, he would put in his Lord of the Rings DVDs and watch the movies and the special features with his sweet and hungry little boy cuddled into him. Josh got the nighttime feed movie cuddles too. Andrew and Claire not so much - they preferred to breastfeed, and I was a latch them on and go back to sleep nurser. Anyway, Daniel and Josh LOVE to squish on a little couch with their daddy and watch absolutely anything he is watching. Some things never change. Well, they stay the same for 6 or 8 years, at least. I hope that this thing never changes.

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JAAC Day

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

I think Andrew and Claire had a good day.

I sure did.

Jon had to work today, from 7am to 3pm, so Andrew, Claire and I just hung around the house. We played in the backyard, blew bubbles, wrote letters, drew pictures and coloured in colouring books with pencil crayons and markers. At quiet time, we all took a nap. Ah, bliss.

I could have (should have?) done laundry, dishes, vacuumed, mopped and raked the yard, but I didn’t. My house is a mess, but it is worth it. LOL

When Jon was finished work, the three of us slowly woke up from our naps and went out for Andrew’s choice of dinner - Pizza Hut. We ate in the restaurant, which we pretty much never do. We are “take it out and eat at home” people.

After that, we let Andrew mail the letters that he wrote to a couple new penpals and did some grocery shopping at Walmart, another of Andrew’s favourite places. Jon and Andrew wrapped up the evening with some Wii. A sweet and simple day.

Claire is doing fabulously with potty training. Today she started to go in her panties, told me she was going, STOPPED going until I rushed her up to her potty, then peed in the potty. I’m so proud of her for this one little thing - controlling it and being aware and all that. Perhaps that is too much information, but I’m just so happy for her (and for me that we are down to one pull-up per day and the end of diapers is in sight!). I really hope this keeps up.

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It’s a big weekend!

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Tonight Jon and I took the kids to Jon’s parents’ house, and left with only two.

As we left their building, I looked at Jon with a small pout.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“My babies…” I said.

“They are getting big,” he replied.

And that was that. It’s one more step closer to sending them off into the world. It doesn’t get any easier. It starts with sending them to the nursery at church - you are in the same building, so it’s not too bad. Next you move to babysitters (in our case it has always been a family member or VERY close friend), and then preschool.

Preschool to the experienced (stay-at-home) parent is two “free” hours in the morning, but to the first time parent, it is two hours of your child’s life that you don’t get to see. You can’t watch, you don’t know what they are doing, or if they are having fun without you. What are they learning from the teachers? From the other kids? And the field trips - the first field trip panicked me. What if they lost my child? Did they have enough people watching to make sure no one ran out into the street or fell into the alligator cage?

Kindergarten is a little more of that, and then the full days of school are even more. Your kids come home with ideas and words that you certainly did not teach them (and in some cases you really wish that no one else taught them either). They are slowly getting their own lives, away from you. They have their own joys and their own sorrows, and you don’t know what they are.

They eventually start spending weekends away, which is where we’re at now. A couple years ago, one of my boys went on a week-long cross country trip with his grandpa. I know they had a great time together, but it was a big decision that I had to make.

Your heart screams, “NO!” but the excited pleading in your child’s eyes makes you say yes anyway.

Because you love them.

Because you want them to have something that is only theirs. Something special that they can remember. Experiences.

You want them to grow in more ways than stature.

Daniel and Josh were supposed to be headed out to a kite festival in our neighbouring province of Saskatchewan, but due to flooding and road closures, they will probably stay in the city. I have mixed emotions about this. Sad they are missing the experience, but glad they are close to home. The weather forecast for the weekend is supposed to be fabulous here, so I hope they get to enjoy that; it’s been rainy and gray for so long!

As for Andrew and Claire, they are going to have a fantastic weekend too - full of activities and meals of their choosing. Tonight they chose to rent a movie and watch it at home with candy and Powerade. Works for us!

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I have no idea what day it is.

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

I know it is strange that I have no idea what day it is, given that I have two children who attend school five days per week, one child who attends school two mornings per week and a husband whose shift-work schedule is always changing. It is especially strange because every morning I wake up and check two calendars - Jon’s and my joint online Google calendar as well as our paper wall calendar - to make sure that I am not missing anything.

If it is Andrew’s school day, I also check a third calendar (his preschool hand out calendar which I have posted by my door) to make sure that he has everything he needs for class that day.

I also sign Daniel’s school agenda every morning just before I put his snack in his backpack. If you haven’t seen an elementary school agenda before - it’s like a day planner, with the date and a block of lines for the child to write down the things they are told to by the teachers. The parent is to look at the agenda every night and initial that they saw it. It’s a way that the students and the teachers and the parents can all stay in touch and on the same page about what is happening every day.

Okay, so all that, and I still ask myself, and occasionally others, “What day is it?” way more often than I ask any other question. I don’t know what the deal is.

June is THE worst month for confusing me because all of a sudden things are not happening when they should. There are preschool field trips and events on days that Andrew doesn’t normally attend preschool, and in turn those days that he normally does attend are canceled. Routine things are wrapping up and coming to an end. There are days off and half days and lazy days and weeks with no sunshine whatsoever, sending me (and many others I’m sure) into a strange cloudy grey foggy state of mind.

Okay, maybe that last one is just THIS June. But it is not helping me to keep track of stuff; it is instead making me exhausted way earlier than I should be. Case in point, I am writing this from my bed, where I’ve already been sitting in my jammies and under blankets for over half an hour. It is 9:00 pm. But I digress…

I wonder if anyone else has this problem. I wonder if there is a name for it, like “forgetwhatdayitis-itis”. What would the cure be? (Hey, isn’t that funny that -itis is the words it and is smashed up against each other? LOL)

I bet it has something to do with a lack of vitamin D (I did some research last year and apparently a vitamin D deficiency is a very serious thing!). That must be it.

In conclusion, I hope the sun comes out soon so that I can start getting better at remembering what day it is. Or even just so that we can start wearing shorts again. I mean, come on, it IS the middle of JUNE afterall. This morning I went to a beach party in a gymnasium because it was too cold and wet to go to the beach. Maybe it really isn’t June after all. Though, the calendars all seem in agreement that is most likely is. Huh.

Speaking of the middle of June…I wonder where my new windows are. I probably should look into that tomorrow, as long as it isn’t a weekend, because I don’t really know…

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Happy Birthpartyday, Claire!

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

This morning Claire finally had a birthday party! Over two weeks after her actual birthday. LOL

She was kind of gypped of a real party this year because I was so sick the day we were going to have her family birthday party, then the whole family couldn’t be here to celebrate all together after that. So we had a playdate with friends, in Claire’s honour. And she loved it. Even after everyone left she was still chipper, glowing almost. “Happy my birthday,” she was walking around saying.

And, while the 17 (!) kids were playing so very well together, I got in some visiting time with my friends. And I loved it. I’ve needed some friend time for awhile now; I’ve been feeling kind of down after a long winter and spring full of gloom and illness and I’ve missed being social! I’m so glad they could all be here today.

Even with the rain pouring down outside and my head pounding in pain, my afternoon was so sweet because I had such a great morning.

After everyone left, I fed my 4+1 kids lunch and then sent them back to school, very happy and full of pancakes, fruit and cupcakes.

And then I organized the toybox in the living room and swept, vacuumed and cleaned for about 45 minutes and then enjoyed a quiet afternoon.

When the 3 big boys got home from school, I offered them and Andrew one dollar each to clean the very messy basement. Three of them took the deal and worked hard to get it back to tidy while Josh played on the computer. They all felt proud to earn some moola and I was so happy to not have to clean the basement myself. Win-win!

This evening I made the most delicious roast that I have ever eaten (thank you internet - wealth of cooking information!), and the gravy was delicious too. The Yorkshire puddings turned out perfectly. Daniel ate mashed potatoes for the first time in his life without gagging and he convinced Claire to eat her dinner too (she’s been on an eating strike for almost a week now).

It has truly been a wonderful day.

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Random Tuesday Thoughts

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Claire’s original due date was June 16 or 17 two years ago. Today she turned into a true terrible two-er, screaming “NO!” when asked to do something, acting like my 7-year-old when it was time to get dressed, and crying, “ow ow ow” if her brother was even close to any of her extremities. Sigh…it’s gonna be a long two years!

*****

Don’t you just love the crunch of crumbs under your slippers in the morning?

*****

Josh can’t find his rain boots. I can’t find his rain boots. How do you lose rain boots? I mean, they are big! He also all of a sudden had no shoes at home a few weeks ago and had to wear some of Daniel’s.

Good thing I volunteered in Josh’s class last week - he had three (!!) pairs of runners there. I have no idea how that happened when the routine is wear something on your feet to school, change to your school shoes when you get there, then change back to what you wore to school to go home. Not much room for deviation in that routine.

*****

Something about a cozy rainy day makes me miss being pregnant. It also reminds me of being young and sick and staying home from school when I lived with my grandma. Sesame Street, ginger ale, and a pillow and blanket on the couch. Good times.

*****

I remember learning in my university English class that the way you write a paper is, “you tell them what you are going to say; you say it; you tell them what you said.”

Claire is already there at 2 years old. “Mommy, can I watch Dora in your bed? Mommy, I watch Dora. Mommy I watch Dora. Mommy, I watch Dora. Mommy, I said I watch Dora in your bed, Mommy. MommyMommyMommyDoraDoraDora”

My “yeah”s and “ummhmm”s and “in a minute”s are not holding her. Remember I mentioned before that we are not a talk-y family? Well, she is getting on my nerves a bit. Anyone want a 2 year old to come over and chat with YOUR chatty 2 year old? Give me a call. We can arrange a playdate where the kids talk at each other and we rest our bleeding ears.

*****

I have big plans for tomorrow - I’m kind of excited. Today is all about preparing so I should run and get that done!

Join in the random fun - blog something and then link up at The UnMom.

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Manic Monday

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Today we had a very full morning. Full as in every family member was doing something different, all at the same time.

How did this happen?

Well, as I’ve written, I have been volunteering with Josh’s class as much as possible since my full-time dayhome provider job ended. This has made Daniel a touch jealous because he would like me to volunteer to help out in his class too. Understandable.

An aside: I actually have been trying to help out in his class since the beginning of the year, but his original teacher didn’t take steps to make that happen, then she was ill and there was a long-term substitute, then the original teacher returned, THEN she was commissioned to help the older grades with test prep so Daniel got a new teacher a couple of weeks ago.

So, Daniel noticed that I was not helping out in his class and he asked why. I explained to him that I’d love to do it, and that he should ask his teacher. He did and she wanted me to come in and help out! Unfortunately my volunteering is dependent on Jon working evening shifts (which doesn’t happen often) and there are only a couple of weeks left of school. So, we set it up to be today because Jon had the day off work. Perfect, since the teacher was doing watercolour painting with the kids and admitted that she really could use the extra hands.

I went to write it on the calendar and realized that indeed, Jon did have the day off, BUT he was already otherwise committed - to going on a field trip with Josh’s class. Hmmm…Andrew had preschool. What about Claire?

We ended up working something out with Jon’s mom so that Claire could get some grandma time. A sleepover, in fact! Claire got to have her first solo sleepover - no brothers! We all missed her soon after we dropped her off on Sunday night, but she had a great time with grandma and made a whole bunch of new friends.

So, this Monday morning had Jon going to a play with Josh’s class. I was reading and doing watercolour painting with Daniel’s class. Andrew was at preschool planting seeds. And Claire was hanging out with grandma.

It is a small glimpse into our busy future, I suppose, and while I really enjoyed that we were all doing something exciting, I was really happy to be all back together at the end of the day. <3

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It is HOT.

Sunday, June 13th, 2010

It is hot in my house and I love it.

I love it so much that even though the thermostat reads 26*C, I am not opening windows to let in the cool breeze. I am sitting here in a tank top, enjoying being warm. Really warm. Ahhhh…

This morning we went to church and Claire wore a dress without sleeves. She wore a sweater over it, but she didn’t have to. The boys wore shorts. I love it when they can wear shorts.

Jon and I volunteered in the nursery - today was our last assigned day of the year. Maybe our last time volunteering in the nursery forever. Why, you ask? Because Claire has graduated to the 2-3 year old Sunday school class. No more babies. No more nursery.

This afternoon, we took the kids on a bike ride (the boys rode bikes, Claire rode her stroller, Jon and I walked) that they have been waiting for and asking to take for a very long time (but it hasn’t happened due to the nice cold rainy days we’ve been tolerating as of late). We went to Dairy Queen for ice cream. They were all so happy. They love their bikes, and they love ice cream.

We finished the day off with dinner at Jon’s parents’ place. It was nice to visit and have a delicious and healthy dinner and to not have to cook too. I’m wiped out today and I probably would have just fed my family popcorn for dinner. Such a good wife and mom I am!

I’ve taken some iron so I have energy to make dinner tomorrow. Hopefully it works; chances are I will be exhausted by the time dinner rolls around - starting tomorrow, the rest of the month will be one big blurry run of events. FUN events! Looking forward to it.

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