I just had the following conversation with my seven year-old son (who is going on eight in a few months):
Him : Phew, that was easier than I expected.
Me : What?
Him : Dealing with Julia. (sounding like he is more like 7 going on 38).
Me : Oh... okay... Um, Stu, thanks for telling Julia that you were down here, but you know it's Mama's job to deal with Julia right? I'm the grown-up.
Him : Well yeah...
Me : Stu - do you feel like you have to act more grown-up when Dad's away?
Him : (non-committal noise)
Me: Stu? You don't have to be a grown-up you know. I appreciate when you help me with things and try to get along with Julia, but you don't have be a grown-up.
Him : Yeah, I know... it's just that... when Dad's away and Nana's not here I feel like I am the Dad replacement. You know, so I have to act like an adult.
Ouch.
I explained that he doesn't have to but I am not sure he believes me. I gave him a really good answer about being a kid and that Mama was the adult etc etc etc... and he kind went "uh-huh..."
Then again, he just tattled on her. Sigh. The bickering is what I would LOVE to have them stop.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
I have a rock in my bra
No seriously, I do.
It's a blue aventurine crystal that is an Aries stone (I'm an Aries). It is a small, lovely, blue stone with soft smooth rounded edges. The best place to carry it is close to your heart - thus the whole bra-stuffing. It is supposed to help me through what is going on in my life right now.
Honestly? I think it's a bit weird, and after my mum and I had left the store I said "You know who I've turned into? Mrs R!" referring to the mother of a close friend who went through a phase with crystals and such and we all thought (with much respect) that she was one sandwich short of a picnic when she did all this stuff 20 years ago.
Hmmm. Don't you just love it when you think you know about something and it comes back to bite you in the ass?
Sorry Mrs. R.
It's a blue aventurine crystal that is an Aries stone (I'm an Aries). It is a small, lovely, blue stone with soft smooth rounded edges. The best place to carry it is close to your heart - thus the whole bra-stuffing. It is supposed to help me through what is going on in my life right now.
Honestly? I think it's a bit weird, and after my mum and I had left the store I said "You know who I've turned into? Mrs R!" referring to the mother of a close friend who went through a phase with crystals and such and we all thought (with much respect) that she was one sandwich short of a picnic when she did all this stuff 20 years ago.
Hmmm. Don't you just love it when you think you know about something and it comes back to bite you in the ass?
Sorry Mrs. R.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
explanation required
My sweet daughter woke up at 3:15 this morning.
I was up with her until 5:45, when I succumbed the heady combination of sleep deprivation/sinus infection and sent her in to her father and passed out in her bed.
Marc and Stu left for work/school at 7:30 and Marc put the tv on for her. No I am not proud, but hello, I figured it was one of the only ways we were going to survive today. I crawled back into my own sweet bed and passed back out until 9:15.
She is bright and chipper and talking a mile a minute. She has been up since 3:15. I on the other hand who was only awake for 2 1/2 hours of that time feel like I've been hit by a truck.
How exactly does this work?
I was up with her until 5:45, when I succumbed the heady combination of sleep deprivation/sinus infection and sent her in to her father and passed out in her bed.
Marc and Stu left for work/school at 7:30 and Marc put the tv on for her. No I am not proud, but hello, I figured it was one of the only ways we were going to survive today. I crawled back into my own sweet bed and passed back out until 9:15.
She is bright and chipper and talking a mile a minute. She has been up since 3:15. I on the other hand who was only awake for 2 1/2 hours of that time feel like I've been hit by a truck.
How exactly does this work?
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Day Two
2:30 found me holding me breath again.
When I dropped Stu off this morning he suddenly bordered on whimpery, half-heartedly dragging the bag of extra school supplies he had to take in. It was TOO HEAVY he whinged, and he couldn't possibly carry it up to his 3rd floor classroom. The bag contained 4 packs of loose-leaf and two kleenex boxes, hardly the two tonnes of bricks he was intimating it felt like.
But he came out smiling. His day was great. And while I have yet to get many details (besides the fact that two boys asked him, one right after the other heaven forbid if he'd had toast for breakfast... I am still working out what the problem there is) I am going to chalk this up to another successful day.
Marc, Julia and I went for an interview with her teacher. Who spoke to us for 35 minutes instead of the 20 minutes allotted. Who not once made me want to go home and take Valium (as opposed to crazy lady from last year). I think this is going to be am uch better environment for my kids.
Phew.
When I dropped Stu off this morning he suddenly bordered on whimpery, half-heartedly dragging the bag of extra school supplies he had to take in. It was TOO HEAVY he whinged, and he couldn't possibly carry it up to his 3rd floor classroom. The bag contained 4 packs of loose-leaf and two kleenex boxes, hardly the two tonnes of bricks he was intimating it felt like.
But he came out smiling. His day was great. And while I have yet to get many details (besides the fact that two boys asked him, one right after the other heaven forbid if he'd had toast for breakfast... I am still working out what the problem there is) I am going to chalk this up to another successful day.
Marc, Julia and I went for an interview with her teacher. Who spoke to us for 35 minutes instead of the 20 minutes allotted. Who not once made me want to go home and take Valium (as opposed to crazy lady from last year). I think this is going to be am uch better environment for my kids.
Phew.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Alien abduction
Stuart started his new school today. I have a wicked sinus infection (started antibiotics at lunch) so I was pretty much dreading it.
All the way there in the car he said he was nervous.
We got there and he told his teacher he was nervous. She leaned over and whispered "You know what? I'm a little nervous too." (I think I might love her).
The three of us went to pick him up after school. I know my brain is not clear in this current state of sinus crisis, but I think I was pretty much terrified of him coming out the door of the school. I am pretty sure I sprinted over to where he was as soon as he walked out of the door.
Me: Hey Stu! How was your first day?
Him: GREAT!! (he was grinning and almost jumping up and down)
Me: That's great! (Inside voice piped up with "did funny little green men take you away on a spaceship and brain wash you?" but I kept it to myself - barely)
Later I tested the waters again...
Me : So - do you still hate school?
Him: NO!!!! (again with the grinning...)
It wasn't perfect (someone called him Stuart Little but the teacher noticed he didn't like it so she asked everyone not to call him that... and he is satisfied that it has been dealt with...). But it was great. And I know we've still got a long way to go, but can I tell you that...
To my knowledge, my son has NEVER come out of school grinning and saying his day was great. Certainly not in the past two years, that's for dang sure.
Fingers crossed people. But I may be able to exhale for the first time since the 4th of June when I realized that his little world was messed up. Phew.
Oh and in other news - Stu's best friend who moved off our street but was still going to go to the old school for one more year? He changed schools too. Want to know who didn't change schools? The BULLY. He's back. I wasn't having any doubts about our choice, but for once it's nice to know I got my ducks lined up and made the right decision.
Exhaling....
All the way there in the car he said he was nervous.
We got there and he told his teacher he was nervous. She leaned over and whispered "You know what? I'm a little nervous too." (I think I might love her).
The three of us went to pick him up after school. I know my brain is not clear in this current state of sinus crisis, but I think I was pretty much terrified of him coming out the door of the school. I am pretty sure I sprinted over to where he was as soon as he walked out of the door.
Me: Hey Stu! How was your first day?
Him: GREAT!! (he was grinning and almost jumping up and down)
Me: That's great! (Inside voice piped up with "did funny little green men take you away on a spaceship and brain wash you?" but I kept it to myself - barely)
Later I tested the waters again...
Me : So - do you still hate school?
Him: NO!!!! (again with the grinning...)
It wasn't perfect (someone called him Stuart Little but the teacher noticed he didn't like it so she asked everyone not to call him that... and he is satisfied that it has been dealt with...). But it was great. And I know we've still got a long way to go, but can I tell you that...
To my knowledge, my son has NEVER come out of school grinning and saying his day was great. Certainly not in the past two years, that's for dang sure.
Fingers crossed people. But I may be able to exhale for the first time since the 4th of June when I realized that his little world was messed up. Phew.
Oh and in other news - Stu's best friend who moved off our street but was still going to go to the old school for one more year? He changed schools too. Want to know who didn't change schools? The BULLY. He's back. I wasn't having any doubts about our choice, but for once it's nice to know I got my ducks lined up and made the right decision.
Exhaling....
Saturday, August 29, 2009
change is in the air
Fall is coming - the days are cooler (or the pouring rain today) and you can feel that it's time for a change.
Change of school next week - my stomach is in small knots for the Stu. They were big knots until we went to pick up his school supply list yesterday and met his teacher. She is lovely. Lovely. I have a good feeling about this. Now let's just hope he clicks with some of the kids. It's hard sending him in there on his own, my sweet boy who can have so much trouble communicating with other people. I hope this school will help him to feel comfortable in his own skin.
I am tired of my blog - look at that hideous template (which I liked at the time, but that time was an insomniac night). I have been feeling like a fraud as of late - not so european-ey. My blog title almost mocks me, I think it's time for a change. A move to another title. Possibly even change from blogger. Hmmm. I have some long afternoons in the cafe around the corner from the school in my future. Maybe I will finally get my blog how I would like it.
Marc is touching up paint (legacy of bad contractor). Feels like moving on a bit. I am going to go and pack up all those baby gifts I never seem to mail and get them out the door. The wheels are turning... new school, new season, new, new, new... it's kind of exciting.
Change of school next week - my stomach is in small knots for the Stu. They were big knots until we went to pick up his school supply list yesterday and met his teacher. She is lovely. Lovely. I have a good feeling about this. Now let's just hope he clicks with some of the kids. It's hard sending him in there on his own, my sweet boy who can have so much trouble communicating with other people. I hope this school will help him to feel comfortable in his own skin.
I am tired of my blog - look at that hideous template (which I liked at the time, but that time was an insomniac night). I have been feeling like a fraud as of late - not so european-ey. My blog title almost mocks me, I think it's time for a change. A move to another title. Possibly even change from blogger. Hmmm. I have some long afternoons in the cafe around the corner from the school in my future. Maybe I will finally get my blog how I would like it.
Marc is touching up paint (legacy of bad contractor). Feels like moving on a bit. I am going to go and pack up all those baby gifts I never seem to mail and get them out the door. The wheels are turning... new school, new season, new, new, new... it's kind of exciting.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Well hello there!
Well it's been a busy summer - I've lost 30 lbs, jogged 15 km a day, my skin is perfectly clear, I look 10 years younger, the kids have been a joy to have around every single day, no bickering, it was almost too difficult to drop them at camp the few weeks they were there...
Yeah, no.
Not that it's been a bad summer, it's just been - busy. Busy in ways that have not involved any of the above-mentioned fantasies...
Busy in:
- finally going to small claims court for our settlement conference and paying the *(&*#&@*^(%#*^@_*#^%_^#*^_*^# contractor a couple of hundred dollars to go away. And spending the last 6 weeks feeling like a complete and total chump. But - he lied. He lied lied lied lied lied at the settlement conference (did I mention that we were the 4th in a group of people at a certain time and I had to spend close to two hours sitting in the waiting room with him? UGH). I didn't feel too badly when I left the court - I felt like I had taken the moral high road, he was a liar and a cheat and was going to continue to lie and cheat and obviously had been in this situation before and know how to muddy the waters - I would much rather be an honest person who was taken advantage of than be a slimy bastard like him. But it still stings that he walked away with even a dime more of our money. I just decided that he wasn't going to be fair or honest and the judge was about to decide that we had to go to a full small court trial - at which he could have lied further and who knows what would have happened. Slimy nasty beast. I just don't understand people who lie like that.
- two kids on holidays... overall it's been great. We've had lousy weather so it hasn't felt as much like summer as we would have liked. No sense in crying over bad weather. I'm nearing the end of my summer patience though - the bickering is getting to me. And J has not had any activities in August and is getting a little... she's a bit of a pain in the ass. Stu was at camp this week with his BFF (who lived on our street and then - sob - moved a 10 minute drive away). They both did swimming camp (different weeks) Stu did hockey camp (the last day they had a game and they "announced" them as they came onto the ice - too cool!) and J did ballet camp for 6 mornings over two weeks. Lots of packing lunches, snacks, bathing suits and sunblock.
- vacation! We spent a week in Prince Edward County, about a 20 minute drive from Picton. Loved the area. Ate lots and lots of good cheese, drank good wine and cider. There is an amazing new cheese maker there called Fifth Town that claims to be the greenest dairy in Canada and makes only Goat and Sheep cheese... great for this cheese lover with a cow's milk problem. Downside of the vacation had to be the really bad beds - hard as a rock, creaked so much if you so much as moved a limb (rolling over and/or getting out of bed woke the rest of the household. No joke.) It was wonderful to have Marc all to ourselves for a week (cell phone OFF! Only checked once a day!! No laptop!) We had the most beautiful afternoon at the Dunes beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park (gee, I should be linking all these things...)
- trying to start getting ready for back to school in 10 days. I am so certain that we are making the right choice moving the kids. Stu had been getting in our bed every night from March to the end of June. The day after school was over? He started sleeping through the night again (he's still up too late and wakes up too early, but you can't have it all, right?). I really had no concept of how much he hated going to that school every day. My poor little man. The kids in this area are really intimidating to him - we went to a local park with a splash pad last week and there were 4 kids (3 girls, 1 boy) of a certain background there, yelling, screaming, pushing, shoving, generally wreaking havoc as children of a certain background in this area always seem to be doing (with no parental supervision even though the two younger girls appeared to only be about 6) and Stu just really hung back, walked around the periphery, tried not to get involved... even Julia didn't want to go near them. This must be what he felt like every day at school. So I am glad we are changing schools. But can I confess something? I'm scared too. I'm worried about my kids fitting in, about them making new friends and being happy - and also about ME fitting in, making new friends and being happy... I've spent a lot of energy in the last two years to do what I could to settle us all in this neighbourhood and especially in the school and now I'm starting all over. Ugh.
- looking at houses... no, we are not moving. But I am quite disenchanted with our area. I feel like a fool for not seeing it before we bought this house last year. I am also dreading the drive to and from the new school - it will be about 20 minutes each way (could be more depending on traffic). When Marc is home he will take Stu in the morning and I will take Julia at 12:00 and be there to pick them both up at 2:30. Which doesn't leave a lot of time for doing much if I wanted to come home (not to mention the gas) and Marc is already scheduled to be away a lot in September. So a move closer to the school was so tempting but unfortunately far too far out of our budget. Our budget that just got a pretty serious overhaul in order to possibly afford moving sometime in the next couple of years.
- trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up - or more specifically a job that I can do mostly from home when Julia starts full days in September 2010 that will enable me to be home at the end of the day for them and be here in case they are sick etc... Everyone is telling me to start free-lance translating from home but my degree seems a million years ago and I am very intimidated. I need a lightning bolt (or some very good suggestions... anyone got any??)
- eating. Guess what? When I am: stressed, bored, irritated, worried, tired (etc... you get the idea) I EAT. I had been doing well with losing weight (I was down 23lbs in May) but I've fallen off the wagon and gained about 7 over the summer. I still weigh as much as I did 9 months pregnant. Bleah.
Other than that... hmmmm. Not much. Where on earth did the summer go??
Yeah, no.
Not that it's been a bad summer, it's just been - busy. Busy in ways that have not involved any of the above-mentioned fantasies...
Busy in:
- finally going to small claims court for our settlement conference and paying the *(&*#&@*^(%#*^@_*#^%_^#*^_*^# contractor a couple of hundred dollars to go away. And spending the last 6 weeks feeling like a complete and total chump. But - he lied. He lied lied lied lied lied at the settlement conference (did I mention that we were the 4th in a group of people at a certain time and I had to spend close to two hours sitting in the waiting room with him? UGH). I didn't feel too badly when I left the court - I felt like I had taken the moral high road, he was a liar and a cheat and was going to continue to lie and cheat and obviously had been in this situation before and know how to muddy the waters - I would much rather be an honest person who was taken advantage of than be a slimy bastard like him. But it still stings that he walked away with even a dime more of our money. I just decided that he wasn't going to be fair or honest and the judge was about to decide that we had to go to a full small court trial - at which he could have lied further and who knows what would have happened. Slimy nasty beast. I just don't understand people who lie like that.
- two kids on holidays... overall it's been great. We've had lousy weather so it hasn't felt as much like summer as we would have liked. No sense in crying over bad weather. I'm nearing the end of my summer patience though - the bickering is getting to me. And J has not had any activities in August and is getting a little... she's a bit of a pain in the ass. Stu was at camp this week with his BFF (who lived on our street and then - sob - moved a 10 minute drive away). They both did swimming camp (different weeks) Stu did hockey camp (the last day they had a game and they "announced" them as they came onto the ice - too cool!) and J did ballet camp for 6 mornings over two weeks. Lots of packing lunches, snacks, bathing suits and sunblock.
- vacation! We spent a week in Prince Edward County, about a 20 minute drive from Picton. Loved the area. Ate lots and lots of good cheese, drank good wine and cider. There is an amazing new cheese maker there called Fifth Town that claims to be the greenest dairy in Canada and makes only Goat and Sheep cheese... great for this cheese lover with a cow's milk problem. Downside of the vacation had to be the really bad beds - hard as a rock, creaked so much if you so much as moved a limb (rolling over and/or getting out of bed woke the rest of the household. No joke.) It was wonderful to have Marc all to ourselves for a week (cell phone OFF! Only checked once a day!! No laptop!) We had the most beautiful afternoon at the Dunes beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park (gee, I should be linking all these things...)
- trying to start getting ready for back to school in 10 days. I am so certain that we are making the right choice moving the kids. Stu had been getting in our bed every night from March to the end of June. The day after school was over? He started sleeping through the night again (he's still up too late and wakes up too early, but you can't have it all, right?). I really had no concept of how much he hated going to that school every day. My poor little man. The kids in this area are really intimidating to him - we went to a local park with a splash pad last week and there were 4 kids (3 girls, 1 boy) of a certain background there, yelling, screaming, pushing, shoving, generally wreaking havoc as children of a certain background in this area always seem to be doing (with no parental supervision even though the two younger girls appeared to only be about 6) and Stu just really hung back, walked around the periphery, tried not to get involved... even Julia didn't want to go near them. This must be what he felt like every day at school. So I am glad we are changing schools. But can I confess something? I'm scared too. I'm worried about my kids fitting in, about them making new friends and being happy - and also about ME fitting in, making new friends and being happy... I've spent a lot of energy in the last two years to do what I could to settle us all in this neighbourhood and especially in the school and now I'm starting all over. Ugh.
- looking at houses... no, we are not moving. But I am quite disenchanted with our area. I feel like a fool for not seeing it before we bought this house last year. I am also dreading the drive to and from the new school - it will be about 20 minutes each way (could be more depending on traffic). When Marc is home he will take Stu in the morning and I will take Julia at 12:00 and be there to pick them both up at 2:30. Which doesn't leave a lot of time for doing much if I wanted to come home (not to mention the gas) and Marc is already scheduled to be away a lot in September. So a move closer to the school was so tempting but unfortunately far too far out of our budget. Our budget that just got a pretty serious overhaul in order to possibly afford moving sometime in the next couple of years.
- trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up - or more specifically a job that I can do mostly from home when Julia starts full days in September 2010 that will enable me to be home at the end of the day for them and be here in case they are sick etc... Everyone is telling me to start free-lance translating from home but my degree seems a million years ago and I am very intimidated. I need a lightning bolt (or some very good suggestions... anyone got any??)
- eating. Guess what? When I am: stressed, bored, irritated, worried, tired (etc... you get the idea) I EAT. I had been doing well with losing weight (I was down 23lbs in May) but I've fallen off the wagon and gained about 7 over the summer. I still weigh as much as I did 9 months pregnant. Bleah.
Other than that... hmmmm. Not much. Where on earth did the summer go??
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