We collectively lost about 100 pounds today. Not of body weight, but stuff. LK and I spent the majority of the day purging the shed, laundry room and the storage closet. My we gather a lot of odds and ends in three years!
We have been holding onto a recalled crib (that won't be needed again in our house) and a broken piano (that we were holding onto for sentimental reasons - as we can't play the thing anymore). In the house were various small items that I bought thinking that they would somehow improve our lives, and of course, they didn't. So off they go to new homes.
LK loaded the car up with the items that were going to the dump, and I had the joyful task of taking it to the dump. Jo wanted to go with me so he could count bears, but we needed to put the seats down in order to fit big stuff in (I love my Subaru), so no passengers allowed.
At the dump I was greeted by three large adult bears. One was so delighted that I brought fresh garbage that he ambled up to the car sniffing the air. He looked like a restaurant customer anticipating a great meal.
As a distraction for him I tossed one garbage bag out the driver door and requested that he drag it away from the car so I could get rid of the rest of my load. He politely accommodated me and I madly tossed the load out of the car as fast as I could with two hands and one eye. I kept the other eye on the bears. My bear-watching eye noticed three other bears draped over tree branches around the dump, enjoying their afternoon naps.
Now the car is filled with the second load; this one destined for the Goodwill. Jo said a tearful good bye to his stroller (which he outgrew last summer) and we all are breathing easier.
I do love a good purge of junk. And it makes my new kitchen walls look even purtier!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Does that look pinkish to you?
There are a million permutations of beige. They range from vanilla bean to iced coffee to milk chocolate. Then there are the plethora of chocolate tones; milk to dark (hmm, getting hungry here).
Well, I have been itching to redecorate for three years (since we moved in here). It was not practical to redecorate as the whole house had been repainted the week before we moved in. The colour were okay (sage green and icy blue), but they really are not me; too girly.
So, with a whole summer of holidays at home we have time to repaint. Since we have lived with the colours for three years, LK can cave to my request without being completely irresponsible financially. I keep telling him how cheap paint is (compared to replacing furniture...).
So, I was loosed on the paint samples. It didn't take long to narrow my choices to one colour card. Then I discovered that I can find complementary colours through online colour tools and I was away to the races. Colour chosen, quantity calculated, and list of painting tools carefully made I went into town to make the purchase. We splurged on the primer and paint in one that is all the rage. I totally recommend it. The coverage was great. We only had to do one coat. There are a few spots for touch-ups where Sprouts brushed against the walls or the brush left strokes. But far fewer than the last time I painted (over ten years ago).
We did the whole shebang; fill holes (not with toothpaste as we did last time - college students!), sand bumps, and scrub all the walls and cupboards with TSP. My kitchen has never been cleaner. After all that prep work the painting was easy. And a reminder of how much I like painting. It was a pleasure.
Until, that is, we actually put paint on the walls. Then I was overwhelmed by self-doubt.
"It looks like it is pulling pink to me. Does it look pinkish to you?" was the first clue LK had that I wasn't sure anymore.
After several hours of analyzing the colour in various lights (in daylight it is perfect, the light reflecting off the red deck makes it look pink, and the overhead lights make it darker) my face still read not sure. My poor spouse was a little anxious. I think he was afraid that I would demand to repaint in a whole new colour. I did seriously consider it for a few minutes; the prep work was all done, it just meant another coat. Instead I decided we should live with it for a day, and then decide.
Good call. This morning I came down for breakfast and am in love with it. The kitchen is all cream in a latte with toast colours. I feels peaceful. Now I have plans to purge all the junk we have been collecting since we moved in here three years ago to prepare for painting the living room.
If you know me, you know that I would never be able to stop at just one room. The whole downstairs needs to flow in a peaceful river of yummy latte and chocolate colours. (Oh my, really hungry here).
However, the paint colour is not the problem in the living room. Its the stairs, which are open to the living room and have a 2-story ceiling at the top. How will we cut neatly cut edges all the way up there? And then that carries us upstairs...
I may not be posting for a week. Lots of painting to do...
Well, I have been itching to redecorate for three years (since we moved in here). It was not practical to redecorate as the whole house had been repainted the week before we moved in. The colour were okay (sage green and icy blue), but they really are not me; too girly.
So, with a whole summer of holidays at home we have time to repaint. Since we have lived with the colours for three years, LK can cave to my request without being completely irresponsible financially. I keep telling him how cheap paint is (compared to replacing furniture...).
So, I was loosed on the paint samples. It didn't take long to narrow my choices to one colour card. Then I discovered that I can find complementary colours through online colour tools and I was away to the races. Colour chosen, quantity calculated, and list of painting tools carefully made I went into town to make the purchase. We splurged on the primer and paint in one that is all the rage. I totally recommend it. The coverage was great. We only had to do one coat. There are a few spots for touch-ups where Sprouts brushed against the walls or the brush left strokes. But far fewer than the last time I painted (over ten years ago).
We did the whole shebang; fill holes (not with toothpaste as we did last time - college students!), sand bumps, and scrub all the walls and cupboards with TSP. My kitchen has never been cleaner. After all that prep work the painting was easy. And a reminder of how much I like painting. It was a pleasure.
Until, that is, we actually put paint on the walls. Then I was overwhelmed by self-doubt.
"It looks like it is pulling pink to me. Does it look pinkish to you?" was the first clue LK had that I wasn't sure anymore.
After several hours of analyzing the colour in various lights (in daylight it is perfect, the light reflecting off the red deck makes it look pink, and the overhead lights make it darker) my face still read not sure. My poor spouse was a little anxious. I think he was afraid that I would demand to repaint in a whole new colour. I did seriously consider it for a few minutes; the prep work was all done, it just meant another coat. Instead I decided we should live with it for a day, and then decide.
Good call. This morning I came down for breakfast and am in love with it. The kitchen is all cream in a latte with toast colours. I feels peaceful. Now I have plans to purge all the junk we have been collecting since we moved in here three years ago to prepare for painting the living room.
If you know me, you know that I would never be able to stop at just one room. The whole downstairs needs to flow in a peaceful river of yummy latte and chocolate colours. (Oh my, really hungry here).
However, the paint colour is not the problem in the living room. Its the stairs, which are open to the living room and have a 2-story ceiling at the top. How will we cut neatly cut edges all the way up there? And then that carries us upstairs...
I may not be posting for a week. Lots of painting to do...
Monday, June 20, 2011
School-Lag
Jet lag is not something I am not familiar with. I am not much of an air traveller. We do all of our travelling by car or on foot.
School-lag, on the other hand, I am very familiar with. This is the phenomenon where at the end of a school year undeniable exhaustion hits. Napping at random moments sneaks up on you. It is all too often the result of trying to cram too much work into too little time.
In university I succumbed to it after exams every May. I would arrive home to my parents' home and sleep a week away- catching up on the backlog of sleep of which I had deprived my body throughout the year. I felt it was well worth it, as I could do all the activities that I wanted to during the year and pay the piper on holidays.
Most school years now it is pretty mild. As I have matured in chronological years, I have also done a bit of maturing in time management. I have learned that paying the piper later is often heavy on interest and the level of joy I can take in activities when I am barely awake is limited. However this year blew all that out of the water. Both LK and I are seriously school-lagged.
Our weekend turned into a napfest. The Sprouts played wonderfully together, enjoying the lack of time pressure and two whole days at home (we are stretching the groceries until tomorrow). LK and I traded off napping time. While not an ideal Father's Day weekend, it was what we needed.
I think we are almost caught up and ready to enjoy our holidays. Just a few more days at work to get classrooms ship-shape and the the duckies in a row...
School-lag, on the other hand, I am very familiar with. This is the phenomenon where at the end of a school year undeniable exhaustion hits. Napping at random moments sneaks up on you. It is all too often the result of trying to cram too much work into too little time.
In university I succumbed to it after exams every May. I would arrive home to my parents' home and sleep a week away- catching up on the backlog of sleep of which I had deprived my body throughout the year. I felt it was well worth it, as I could do all the activities that I wanted to during the year and pay the piper on holidays.
Most school years now it is pretty mild. As I have matured in chronological years, I have also done a bit of maturing in time management. I have learned that paying the piper later is often heavy on interest and the level of joy I can take in activities when I am barely awake is limited. However this year blew all that out of the water. Both LK and I are seriously school-lagged.
Our weekend turned into a napfest. The Sprouts played wonderfully together, enjoying the lack of time pressure and two whole days at home (we are stretching the groceries until tomorrow). LK and I traded off napping time. While not an ideal Father's Day weekend, it was what we needed.
I think we are almost caught up and ready to enjoy our holidays. Just a few more days at work to get classrooms ship-shape and the the duckies in a row...
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Another Teachable Moment
Five bla-ack bears,
Four white-tailed deer,
Three turtles,
Two ra-abbits,
A-and me i-in my-y-y car! (to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas)
On Tuesday evening I dashed into town for a few last minute grad items. On the way there and the way back the above song was my list of critter sightings.
The third turtle was actually at home. She was in the grass outside the house digging a hole. A turtle hole in June means eggs on the way. So, I ran inside to drag LK outside to watch her dig. Although we great big threatening-looking humans were looming around she persisted in digging one slow scoop of dirt at a time.
An hour later LK woke Fi up to come out and watch the turtle lay her eggs. It was really cool!
Yesterday we researched turtles and learned that it was a western painted turtle. She lays her eggs in May or June way up here in the northern end of her range. They will hatch at the end of August or early September. Since we are so far north the baby turtles will hibernate over the winter in the nest and emerge in the spring. We are planning to mark the nest with stakes so that we can watch for changes in the fall and then wait for the babies to emerge in the spring.
I am tempted to dig up a few eggs as a great science lesson. It would just be for Fi and Jo since school is done now. LK convinced me that it would for the best to let this teachable moment pass as an observation rather than hands-on learning.
Four white-tailed deer,
Three turtles,
Two ra-abbits,
A-and me i-in my-y-y car! (to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas)
On Tuesday evening I dashed into town for a few last minute grad items. On the way there and the way back the above song was my list of critter sightings.
The third turtle was actually at home. She was in the grass outside the house digging a hole. A turtle hole in June means eggs on the way. So, I ran inside to drag LK outside to watch her dig. Although we great big threatening-looking humans were looming around she persisted in digging one slow scoop of dirt at a time.
An hour later LK woke Fi up to come out and watch the turtle lay her eggs. It was really cool!
Yesterday we researched turtles and learned that it was a western painted turtle. She lays her eggs in May or June way up here in the northern end of her range. They will hatch at the end of August or early September. Since we are so far north the baby turtles will hibernate over the winter in the nest and emerge in the spring. We are planning to mark the nest with stakes so that we can watch for changes in the fall and then wait for the babies to emerge in the spring.
I am tempted to dig up a few eggs as a great science lesson. It would just be for Fi and Jo since school is done now. LK convinced me that it would for the best to let this teachable moment pass as an observation rather than hands-on learning.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Day 4 (belatedly)
Dredging back through a very busy week to last Thursday...
We arrived at daycare to find two other parents dragging small children away from the daycare. Not a good sign. The disgruntled expressions of the parents' faces made me sure that something was amiss.
Walking up I was not at all surprised to find that the daycare was closed. Someone broke in during the night; there was glass on the floors and the police were being waited on. So, back into the car and off to school with all three of us.
Being a wee bit sleep deprived at this point in the week/school year I did not have the wherewithal to come to the obvious solution (have Jo spend the day in JK). Instead I started creating convoluted solutions in my head that were in no way solutions, but actually created more problems. Thankfully the Boss was thinking more clearly and got right to the point.
We dropped Fi off at school and made a mad dash home to make a lunch for Jo and grab his school bag (with extra clothes in case of accidents). As I ran into the house I asked Jo to come in and grab his sweater while I made lunch. He opted to scrape squirrel poop off a neighbour's porch instead. He felt it was a higher priority at that time.
Proud of myself for not making a big deal about it, we rushed back to school in time. Everyone safely ensconced in appropriate classrooms, the day proceeded normally (at least normally for our reality).
Then right before afternoon recess the JK teacher came to find me. She was concerned the Jo had not used the washroom yet. He apparently was claiming that he only uses the washroom at home. Knowing that to be a song and dance from Jo, I followed her back to her classroom.
Jo was happily mucking about. When I asked him if he needed to pee, he said that he didn't. Then he said he needed to go in the big bathroom. So off we went.
After explaining that Mama is a girl and can't go into the boys bathroom with him (for the millionth time), he did his business and all was well. While he was inside I noticed that he had been was followed out of the classroom by a trail of curious JK students. They stood in the hall watching me wait for Jo outside the bathroom door. Nothing like an audience...
But the real news is that Papa got home before supper. We missed him SOOOO much. He got great big hugs. Super sized hugs. And I felt a great big load slip off my shoulders. Even though the Sprouts were wonderful, and I was a responsible grown up for the whole time he was gone there is nothing like knowing that your partner is there beside you, ready to handle life together.
I have no idea how single parents do it on their own. I have enormous respect for them. And I am ENORMOUSLY grateful for having LK in it with me; even if some days we are both just stumbling through the dark. At least we are stumbling together.
We arrived at daycare to find two other parents dragging small children away from the daycare. Not a good sign. The disgruntled expressions of the parents' faces made me sure that something was amiss.
Walking up I was not at all surprised to find that the daycare was closed. Someone broke in during the night; there was glass on the floors and the police were being waited on. So, back into the car and off to school with all three of us.
Being a wee bit sleep deprived at this point in the week/school year I did not have the wherewithal to come to the obvious solution (have Jo spend the day in JK). Instead I started creating convoluted solutions in my head that were in no way solutions, but actually created more problems. Thankfully the Boss was thinking more clearly and got right to the point.
We dropped Fi off at school and made a mad dash home to make a lunch for Jo and grab his school bag (with extra clothes in case of accidents). As I ran into the house I asked Jo to come in and grab his sweater while I made lunch. He opted to scrape squirrel poop off a neighbour's porch instead. He felt it was a higher priority at that time.
Proud of myself for not making a big deal about it, we rushed back to school in time. Everyone safely ensconced in appropriate classrooms, the day proceeded normally (at least normally for our reality).
Then right before afternoon recess the JK teacher came to find me. She was concerned the Jo had not used the washroom yet. He apparently was claiming that he only uses the washroom at home. Knowing that to be a song and dance from Jo, I followed her back to her classroom.
Jo was happily mucking about. When I asked him if he needed to pee, he said that he didn't. Then he said he needed to go in the big bathroom. So off we went.
After explaining that Mama is a girl and can't go into the boys bathroom with him (for the millionth time), he did his business and all was well. While he was inside I noticed that he had been was followed out of the classroom by a trail of curious JK students. They stood in the hall watching me wait for Jo outside the bathroom door. Nothing like an audience...
But the real news is that Papa got home before supper. We missed him SOOOO much. He got great big hugs. Super sized hugs. And I felt a great big load slip off my shoulders. Even though the Sprouts were wonderful, and I was a responsible grown up for the whole time he was gone there is nothing like knowing that your partner is there beside you, ready to handle life together.
I have no idea how single parents do it on their own. I have enormous respect for them. And I am ENORMOUSLY grateful for having LK in it with me; even if some days we are both just stumbling through the dark. At least we are stumbling together.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Day 3
This morning I came out of the bathroom after my shower to find Jo and Fi curled up in her bed.
"Mama, Fiona and I are snuggled up," Jo shared very contentedly.
A few minutes later I checked in on them again and found them both with their noses in bird field guides. This past library visit Fiona checked out all the bird field guides in the children's section of the library. (Do not ask me where this keen interest in things scientific came from; it seems to be a strange aberration LK's and my artsy genes).
For two days they have been out birdwatching in the evening.
It all began when we came home Monday to find a pile of yellow and black feathers on the driveway and a smear of critter guts on the front walk. We very cleverly deduced that something predatory had gotten a bird. But we were not sure what the bird was. We used the clues in the leftover feathers to hunt down options. The feathers were dragged to school and daycare for consultation with various experts. Fearless Leader at school thought it might be northern flicker feathers. Jo's teacher admired them with just the right amount of attention to make him feel very clever. We found the northern flicker in our field guide at home and thought that it was an excellent identification.
Then off they went; two little bird watchers.
Fiona has a little pair of "binoculars" from some toy set that don't magnify anything much, but they make her feel like a scientist. And Jo tags along after here with his own identification process; everything is a chickadee or a northern flicker to him.
Now the collection of feathers sits on the dining room table waiting for Papa to come home from his field trip so we can show him. It can join the jawbone Fi has carefully arranged for display on the side deck.
I just had a mental flash forward to a house filled with a collection of Fi's scientific finds over the next hew years; a veritable museum of her discoveries. Oh dear, what have we begun?
"Mama, Fiona and I are snuggled up," Jo shared very contentedly.
A few minutes later I checked in on them again and found them both with their noses in bird field guides. This past library visit Fiona checked out all the bird field guides in the children's section of the library. (Do not ask me where this keen interest in things scientific came from; it seems to be a strange aberration LK's and my artsy genes).
For two days they have been out birdwatching in the evening.
It all began when we came home Monday to find a pile of yellow and black feathers on the driveway and a smear of critter guts on the front walk. We very cleverly deduced that something predatory had gotten a bird. But we were not sure what the bird was. We used the clues in the leftover feathers to hunt down options. The feathers were dragged to school and daycare for consultation with various experts. Fearless Leader at school thought it might be northern flicker feathers. Jo's teacher admired them with just the right amount of attention to make him feel very clever. We found the northern flicker in our field guide at home and thought that it was an excellent identification.
Then off they went; two little bird watchers.
Fiona has a little pair of "binoculars" from some toy set that don't magnify anything much, but they make her feel like a scientist. And Jo tags along after here with his own identification process; everything is a chickadee or a northern flicker to him.
Now the collection of feathers sits on the dining room table waiting for Papa to come home from his field trip so we can show him. It can join the jawbone Fi has carefully arranged for display on the side deck.
I just had a mental flash forward to a house filled with a collection of Fi's scientific finds over the next hew years; a veritable museum of her discoveries. Oh dear, what have we begun?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Day 2
Things are CRAZY at work this week. Just CRAZY. I had a realization this morning (after dumping all my own crazy on my poor sister over the phone last night; thanks for being there, chickie) about getting through the crazy. The realization? Nobody needs my drama right now.
Everyone at work (and I mean everyone) is dealing with a whole big load of crap. People are tired. People are mourning loss of family or friendships. People are preparing for major transitions in their lives. People are trying to be strong for others that they love. People are scared that someone they love may not come home. People are scared that they may not make it home.
A colleague today modelled exactly what we all need right now. She was enjoying a 'recovery day', where her students were not at school (sleeping in and recovering from their field trip yesterday) and so had a quiet room all day. She popped in just before lunch and volunteered to supervise my class at lunch so I could have a break. She did the same for another colleague, taking two classes. Now that is a servant heart!
When I expressed my thanks for her kindness, her response epitomized what I need to turn into my refrain, "Hey we're all on the same team! We gotta help each other out."
In order for everyone to get through the next two weeks at school and at home, we need to be solid. No drama. No make a bigger deal than it really is. None of it. We need to be grown ups, not divas.
On the home front things are good. I thought that I would be losing it after 24-hours without my darling spouse to share the load. But the Sprouts are truly wonderful. I can actually cook more than one dinner in a row without dropping. And as long as I am not too ambitious about tackling home improvement or cleaning projects right now, staying on top of dishes is not much harder on my own. I know that doing this on my own long term would be really hard (big kudos to single parents out there), but I am just content that we are still doing pretty darn good as day 2 comes to a close.
Everyone at work (and I mean everyone) is dealing with a whole big load of crap. People are tired. People are mourning loss of family or friendships. People are preparing for major transitions in their lives. People are trying to be strong for others that they love. People are scared that someone they love may not come home. People are scared that they may not make it home.
A colleague today modelled exactly what we all need right now. She was enjoying a 'recovery day', where her students were not at school (sleeping in and recovering from their field trip yesterday) and so had a quiet room all day. She popped in just before lunch and volunteered to supervise my class at lunch so I could have a break. She did the same for another colleague, taking two classes. Now that is a servant heart!
When I expressed my thanks for her kindness, her response epitomized what I need to turn into my refrain, "Hey we're all on the same team! We gotta help each other out."
In order for everyone to get through the next two weeks at school and at home, we need to be solid. No drama. No make a bigger deal than it really is. None of it. We need to be grown ups, not divas.
On the home front things are good. I thought that I would be losing it after 24-hours without my darling spouse to share the load. But the Sprouts are truly wonderful. I can actually cook more than one dinner in a row without dropping. And as long as I am not too ambitious about tackling home improvement or cleaning projects right now, staying on top of dishes is not much harder on my own. I know that doing this on my own long term would be really hard (big kudos to single parents out there), but I am just content that we are still doing pretty darn good as day 2 comes to a close.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Day 1
LK got off safely to Thunder Bay on his great big adventure with his grade eights. They were almost bursting with excitement as they waited in the hallway to load up their gear and get on their way this morning. I can only imagine how much fun they are going to have - and how little sleep they will get.
Meanwhile, down on the homestead the Sprouts and I are making our way without our dearest Papa. So far so good. Fi was safely dropped off from her field trip shortly after 5. We all got our gear home and I got dinner underway with no meltdowns at all. Woohoo!
While cooking I was puttering in the kitchen; washing up breakfast dishes, checking Facebook, etc. The kitchen windows are open so I can hear the Sprouts outside and I was listening for the key words that mean I need to spring into action; bear, Jo did---!!!, and BEAR. I heard none of them and was enjoying the warm sunshine, leaves dancing - the whole nine yards of a gorgeous spring (almost summer) early evening.
Then I called the Sprouts in for dinner and I heard Jo say, "I need to wipe my bum."
Pardon me, I thought. Surely I didn't hear that correctly.
"What do you mean; you need to wipe your bum?" I asked, quickly getting outside to see what he was up to now.
I am sure you know. He is three. He is a boy. He seems to be under the impression the the ditch is a great place to dump all sorts of things.
After a very clearly enunciated rebuke that we do not, under any circumstances, poop in the ditch when there is a perfectly good toilet right up the stairs, we went in for supper.
I guess his mistake is understandable as he has had to stop to take care of business in the bush on a hike. He didn't seem to see the difference between the bush, way out there, and the ditch right beside our house.
He understands the difference now. And just to be sure, we went over it again while I scrubbed him in the tub after supper.
Meanwhile, down on the homestead the Sprouts and I are making our way without our dearest Papa. So far so good. Fi was safely dropped off from her field trip shortly after 5. We all got our gear home and I got dinner underway with no meltdowns at all. Woohoo!
While cooking I was puttering in the kitchen; washing up breakfast dishes, checking Facebook, etc. The kitchen windows are open so I can hear the Sprouts outside and I was listening for the key words that mean I need to spring into action; bear, Jo did---!!!, and BEAR. I heard none of them and was enjoying the warm sunshine, leaves dancing - the whole nine yards of a gorgeous spring (almost summer) early evening.
Then I called the Sprouts in for dinner and I heard Jo say, "I need to wipe my bum."
Pardon me, I thought. Surely I didn't hear that correctly.
"What do you mean; you need to wipe your bum?" I asked, quickly getting outside to see what he was up to now.
I am sure you know. He is three. He is a boy. He seems to be under the impression the the ditch is a great place to dump all sorts of things.
After a very clearly enunciated rebuke that we do not, under any circumstances, poop in the ditch when there is a perfectly good toilet right up the stairs, we went in for supper.
I guess his mistake is understandable as he has had to stop to take care of business in the bush on a hike. He didn't seem to see the difference between the bush, way out there, and the ditch right beside our house.
He understands the difference now. And just to be sure, we went over it again while I scrubbed him in the tub after supper.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Hanging On
Nine days.
Nine days of teaching to be cheery and gracious and just keep swimming (thanks Dory)through. And then, the light at the end of a very long tunnel will burst over everything and we can slow down and smell the roses (or dandelions). It can't come soon enough.
Maybe by then the actual sun will burst through these crazy cool temperatures and going to the beach will be more than a dream.
Visions of sunny days and sparkling water are keeping me going right now.
Nine days of teaching to be cheery and gracious and just keep swimming (thanks Dory)through. And then, the light at the end of a very long tunnel will burst over everything and we can slow down and smell the roses (or dandelions). It can't come soon enough.
Maybe by then the actual sun will burst through these crazy cool temperatures and going to the beach will be more than a dream.
Visions of sunny days and sparkling water are keeping me going right now.
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