School daze

1, 2, 3. That's how many kids I have in the same school at one time. Gawd help the teachers!

I don't have much of a report on CUs 1 and 2 yet except to say I've seen them and have been able to complete two intrepid shoe exchanges (apparently they didn't like their father's or their father's partner's choices [I've seen the underwear they picked out for CU-2 - can we say "grannie pants" for a 10 year old?!]. Who can blame them.)

CU-3 does a staggered intake. Today was her first day. The feed back that I got back was that she'd done spectacularly. She herself reported that she listened and didn't end up in the time-out chair for not listening. So far so good.

There is one rather amazing development I can post about. That's about CU-1's choice hair. As one comedic friend commented "oooh a sunrise!". It's now three toned. Yellow, orange and a flaming, flaming red on top. (Great for first day of school. I think he'll fit right in don't you?) Though, I have to think that I've broken the code. My dear-EXH didn't want CU-1 to wear glasses because he thought he'd get laughed at and picked on. I figure the hair is to distract any one from seeing that CU-1 is actually wearing glasses! That's got to be it.

Right now I'm saying silent prayers that he doesn't do the same thing to this kid when he's in high school. He's going to get the snot beaten out of him for sure.

So much for joining the circus

"Where's Mom?" child unit three cries out two rooms away.

"She's gone" replies The Huz looking at me as I put my head on the table. (So much for a quiet post-dinner chat.)

"Where'd she go?" whines CU3.

"She's run away to join the circus" The Huz replies.

"Can I go too?" is the nasal-based question from CU3.

"Sure."

"But I don't know how to go there."

um, that's the point isn't it?

Crabasses unite

Summer is supposed to be a time of relaxation, and good spirits, or so *I* thought.

Not this year.

Yesterday night I had a bad parenting moment 101 where I blew-up at one of my children based on their father's behavior (not the one I live with - the other one). I wanted to just stop being a parent/adult and have my feelings considered. I wanted some one to stand up to this guy who just continues to be mean to me. I have to be an adult though.

* * *

Friday, as I was walking homeward to collect children, I stared at the railroad tracks at my transfer point and wondered what would happen if I just didn't go home for a few hours ... It has never happened, except in my head. (I've been doing this since I was little. It's a version of the fight or flight mechanism.)

Summer vacation, the good and the bad

Well, I survived the three weeks internment with the Mothership and four kids. I wouldn't call it a vacation (making all lunches, dinners and snacks for six for 21 days straight is not a vacation. Vacation, in my opinion, involves eating out a bad restaurants at least twice).

The kids were unhappy when the three weeks were up. I was thrilled to be returning to work. FINALLY, there was some down time. Except. Sigh, there's always an exception.

At the beginning of the summer we got the school rabbit. While I'd carefully interviewed my son regarding the rabbit's drinking habits (he assured me she was no party animal), cleanliness, and level of rabble rousing-ness, (he assured me she'd pass any and all tests I could think of) I'd forgot to tell him that she was not allowed to have friends over.

While I was away, and The Huz was left behind to fend because he only gets two weeks of vacation a year (and one is always used at Christmas time because his company has a mandatory shut down at Christmas where the employees don't get paid ...), apparently Bibi (the bunny) threw a party and invited, oh about 500 of her closest friends. Dear readers, we had a flea infestation.

It was bad, very very bad. I kept getting 911 calls from The Huz who would sneak to the phone while being held captive by Bibi and her roudies. Whispered telephone conversations would ensue so that they wouldn't know where he was.

He did eventually escape and came back with eco-chemical war fare to try to get his home back.

Fast forward to my return.

My house has never been so clean. Ever.

The enemy has been routed. The last of the stragglers are suffering.

Mata Hari goes back to school in 11 days.

On the road soon

Oh, the lecturing has already begun! CU-1 hasn't been home more then 35 minutes and it's been non stop chattering. (Anyone who knows this child and has been left alone with him for more then an hour has a good idea of what I'm talking about.)

I'm debating whether to send him out in the first car load or the second.

All in all, the kids are glad to be home, and I'm glad to have them. We'll collect the reinforcements shortly, stop by the library to get our fill of books, and run the last of the errands.

The blog will be quiet until August, unless I find my way home earlier!

Feeling like the Mad Hatter

In Alice in Wonderland's story, the only one I've seen a Disneyfied version of too, there's the dumb rabbit running around creating some kind of chaos (as you can see, I don't recall all of the story).

Bumpy segway.

I headed over to Josie's blog to check in with her while I procrastinated and was relieved to see she had a list. I'm soooo borrowing it, though I don't know what I'm going to do with a dress for a wedding.

I've got a weeks worth of laundry that I need to take with me for the three week "vacation". (I'm still debating whether packing/showing up at the cottage with dirty laundry is gauche.)

My pants need to be let out. So, there's another conflict. (I'll just pack the one's with a bit of stretch to them. So what that they've been on the bottom of the laundry pile for a week +_.)

Make-up? What's that. I guess I'll replace that with find the first aid kit.

Don't need my passport to go to Québec. Wait a minute. I better check the current political climate.

Laundry ... maybe I can get Rhino to finish it before I leave ... hmmmm

Colour hair. Frig. I'll just toss the box in with everything else and maybe get around to doing it at the laundromat.

Money. Fewf. I don't have any, so that'll be no problem!

Insomnia, or what cats do when I'm sleeping

I'm going through a bout of insomnia again, or maybe it's just a bout of anxiety. Having just given birth to a large personal project, having to prepare for two presentations (one two-hour presentation in front of ALL my peers at work, the other is before a client Friday morning, a mere few hours before I start my "vacation"), and having to pull my shit together for a three-week indoor camping extravaganza for five (aka vacation with the Mothership at her cottage), I can't sleep.

I've tried. Lord knows how I have tried. While The Huz rumbles and snorks next to me, I lie there in a lucid state, visions of toothbrushes and small person's underwear going through my head.

So, instead of trying to calm my concerns, and write lists, l-o-n-g, detailed lists, I start new projects (yes, it's a good time to start cleaning cupboards at 3 in the morning!) until I get distracted ... Oooh shiny things! Other's blogs! Time to catch up! Webkinz. Gawd knows I haven't watered the garden for weeks.

It's going to be a very long day.

Failure is scary; success is scarier

Ok. Ok. It's been a rough week. I'm not a person used to getting a lot of attention (despite what I look like!)

I just finished a project for which the idea has apparently has been kicking around my 'hood for quite a while - an arts map identifying all the interesting places that support the arts in our immediate corner of the city.

A friend of mine was pushing me hard to get it up and out. I guess he knows I'm a great three-quarter person. That is, get three-quarter of the work done, then just forget to pass it in. (Not that I ever did that kind of thing in school. I just didn't have to. I wasn't scholastically hot shit until I hit graduate school.)

So, it's out now. Made free. Go out and multiply!

***

On a "where the hell is this all coming from" kind of note, as I think I've ceased to have a hold on much of my reasoning abilities, I just finished The Adventures of Johnny Bunko a book that's fast, easy to read, and makes reasonable career sense, coming from a comic book. (It's worth the wait from the library, or, if you go to the website - he posts a couple of pages a day.)

To summarize the lessons learned:

1. There is no plan.
2. Think strengths, not weaknesses
3. It's not about you
4. Persistence trumps talent.
5. Make excellent mistakes.
6. Leave an imprint.

I feel that the release of the map, and quite a few things I've done recently, hits quite a few of those lessons.

Well fill my boots with pride

A supper hour post to spread the news! A photo I submitted to my library system to celebrate the 90th birthday of our local branch has been deemed banner-worthy. It will be used as signage that will appear on the side of my local branch library later this fall!

I'm mildly pleased.

When Mom's rock

There's something in the water.

In the last four days I've had at least five people ask me if I was going to have more children. I don't know where that's coming from. It could be that the extra weight is a signal for people to ask if I'm in the family way (I'm not). It could be that the idea that once you have four, what's another couple? Or, just maybe people think I like kids. Ha. No way it could be that one.

Here's a snippet of a discussion I had today at work with some of my male colleagues after one asked (he said he was joking) :

Him: "I had a great weekend with my kids."
Me: "I'd have probably had a great weekend with your kids too."
Him: "Aw come on. You like your kids."
Me: "Just what would give you that idea?"
Him, staring at me trying to figure out if I'm joking.
Me: "I like other peoples kids. Mine? That's another thing."

Tonight, while in transit to pick up CU-4, I met up with the Ball Hockey Canteen Den Mother who started going at me, telling me that the world needs more parents like me. Like what? Like huh? Me? Nah.

And this weekend, one of my bestest friends from grad school called me, out of the blue, and went on about me. Good grief. You'd think I was Josie or something! ;-)

Happy

Happy birthday Margaret!

Happy birthday American! Happy Independence Day American cousins!

Blogging has been light. Life is meh. Laundry, and a lot of rain (so so much for the reinstatement of clothes lines in my part of the world).

It's amazing the basic pleasures that I'm enjoying with the less soap operaish life. The Huz finished the stairs leading to the back door and now we have a most enjoyable place to just sit and be and watch the children act like squirrels on speed.

I'm taking a lot of pictures and am jamming up files at home and work. They're just not getting farther then being put into the junk drawer on my desk top. It's that kind of time I'm going through. There are other things to distract me, and paperwork, even creative paperwork is for Fall and Winter pursuits.

We're having a light month for pizza nights as the older kids aren't on high rotation. The next one is tomorrow (hint hint Josie ... just in case you do a road trip to Ottawa with WG to visit Rhino). Or Alison, if she'd like a night out with her girls and no cooking!

The next one will be in August. Probably the 18th, which will be the kick-off for the rest of the year (minus the screwy rotation adjustment that occurs in the new year).

Happy Canada Day

And now just because ...

There is something wrong about this:

Summer vacation

Schools out for summer. The two older kids go off on the first leg of their summer adventure. Little red "turtle eyes" abound.

I'm kind of looking forward to the downer-time. It just means that I have a 25% greater chance of going to the bathroom ALONE or without having to ref a fight from the throne. (The Huz picks up the slack, thus not a greater percentage.)

I'll also have some time to go hunting for library books that have found themselves wedged into the most interesting places (I think I've previously outed my children as being part squirrel).

And maybe I'll get around to the neglected victory garden, though I think I should try and cut my losses and open a free for all to the skunk who uses the yard as a free way every night.

While they're gone, life will go on. I've got a show at a local coffee shop, and it's getting positive feedback. I'm volunteering for our community fun run through the neighborhood. I'm also taking up some activist causes that have a short shelf-life (to match my current attention span).

And for spice in my life? On going parking war issue (parents of the daycare in the neighborhood park North on the East side of the street - that's parking backwards on the correct side of the road) that just got escalated when the representative from the counselor's office that we were working with outed me and The Huz (not that we really were hiding) by sharing our names and e-mail addresses.

I've been more or less careful about when and were I post my email address since experiencing stalking behaviors from The Ex. It showed lack of judgment on the senders part to include the email addresses and even more so, our names. Stay tuned for stories of by-law being used to retaliate. Weee.

Alas, that's a mere distraction for what's happening over in Josie's world.

When I stop and try to mope about my sheet, I get distracted by her story. What a freaking year since I lucked out and followed her id back to her site. (BTW she writes well, and is very witty, and it worth going back a bit to read earlier posts.)

What a difference a year makes.

Grape vines

It's a weird four days away. I've come back to a warped version of the world.

I'm in a cross-roads of interpretation with one friend. Interpretation of events are considerably different. Makes me wonder who's universe I'm living in. I had to ask my dear Huz about a comment made, that I believe pertains to me: that I hold grudges. Now he's agreeing with my friend about this, so I had to look up the word in Websters, that states: "to be unwilling to give or admit : give or allow reluctantly or resentfully". Huh. I wouldn't have used those words to describe me at all. (Except for three instances we agree on, and another instance I voluntarily admit to, and in each of those instances, the person came after me through my children.) So, to the friend who is flirting with dumping the friendship. Do what you must do. Let me know if you ever want to come back and play in the same pool.

In another weird turn of grapes on the vine, The Huz was talking to him Mom who gets a day pass from the hospital to test the waters at home, and see how she can manage. It's a good thing to because Grandpa is having his later-life crisis now that he's living life like a cat and is counting on extra lives. Apparently he's gone out and got his ear pierced. WTF is all I can say about that one. I guess there's another store we can shop at now for his Christmas present.

While we're in the WTF mode, a fellow blogger, whom I count as one of my friends, is going through a significant, earth shifting period in her life. It's a "holy crap" moment and I'm very very sorry for it. Though I haven't been through the exact same thing she and her BFF are going through, I can relate. I had a very close friend who went through the same scenario. I'm sorry you're going through this. I can still recommend coming to Ottawa. We've got lots of amenities and support, if things go that far.

June 20

Their point of view:


Mine:


Need I say more?

Insane

If you follow Miss Vicky's blog, you'll know where I've been running around to for the last couple of weeks. There's a lot going on in my community and, for the most part, I love it. The downside is that laundry and the cat-hair dust rhinos just don't get attended to.

Last week I was on course for the entire week. Lucky me. In many ways. I have a great employer who sees value in education and is open to trying some new things after some one has consumed the kool-aid of the day. Last weeks was all about facilitation. It took five days of discussing what markers to use, how to rip paper, and how to lead people through a chat about how to do things!

I'm being flippant about the subject. It really was an exceptional course. For people who don't feel comfortable leading a group in discussion, TAKE THIS COURSE. For people who need to try to direct a group of people to come to consensus



(sometimes its like herding cats), TAKE THIS COURSE.

It was good. Actually, great, as courses go. With applicable processes! (I spent the better part of today trying to figure out how to integrate parts of the techniques into how I do my job currently. The first test comes Thursday when I get to take a group of people through a review of work that's already been done on their project and conduct a gap analysis.) Thrilling stuff by the sounds of it eh? Well, for me it is.

Downside? I'm taking Friday off.

Schools out for summer!

Boo versus Yah

Alison over at Party of three is having a cheerfest of the good and the bad. She's asked for an update on her reader's status. Seeing that that pile of laundry hasn't shifted from my kitchen table in about four days (it's a bit like the magic pile that never goes down, but the colors have changed), and I've been burning candles towards the middle, and like every year, I keep forgetting about the end of the school year, I'm posting my response.

There's WestFest AND Le Frano both going on. Yay.

I don't know if I'll attend either. Boo.

***

I got my lawn mowed and the garden tended a bit (yes, bylaw doesn't have to come by and site me!) Yay.

***

My eldest daughter told me about a sleep over she's having a school tomorrow and has asked that I make cookies, from scratch. Yay for her.

***

I didn't know about the sleep over because she transfers to her other home tomorrow - aka the cone of silence. Boo.

***

This last week has been a rough one. My FIL and MIL both have been hospitalized. MIL the great has been out for a couple of weeks in traction with a broken femur. FIL gave us a good scare when his health went down very very quickly. The Huz and I were worried that we were on a death watch. The details were frightening (and involved some pretty serious tests). All boo.

The Huz talked to MIL the great tonight. She's going to still be in the hospital for another six weeks. Double-boo for boredom.

FIL? He's being sent home tomorrow. Hoo-ray for fast recovery, with no foreseeable damage to his internal organs. Yay.

***

I have Monday off. Yay.

I have to spend the day running back and forth between the kid's school collecting bedding and food and eventually our summer boarder - aka Bingo/Bibi the rabbit. (Last year we had birds. I won't do birds again thank you).

I'll also be doing an installation of some of my photography at a local coffee shop. Yah.

So, for the most part - it's a pretty good dose of yays, if I can just stay awake long enough to enjoy it all!

A familiar site