Since Connor learned how to use the toilet, he has always sat down to do whatever it is that needs to be done. He probably should learn to pee standing up. His dad isn't here though and I don't have the "equipment" to show him how. I've tried once or twice to get him to go standing up, but he's more comfortable sitting. No biggie, he's only 3, right?
Last week (I think it was Saturday maybe?) we were at the Dollar Store and he had to go pee. We found our way to the staff washrooms behind the store and he proceeded to sit down and do his thing. Only he was so busy looking around and asking questions that he forgot to uh...point it downwards into the bowl. So yeah, it kinda went straight onto the back of his underwear and soaked them.
I took them off him, and since his pants were pulled down lower than his undies, they were still dry, so he went commando under the pants. I rinsed his undies in the sink, wrapped them in a huge wad of paper towel and put them in my purse. (They're Bob the Builder!!)
Today I was searching for my Lip Balm and remembered that I left it in my purse. I found Connor's underwear still wrapped in the wad of paper towel - in my purse where I put it FOUR days ago.
I need a new purse.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
A Day in Numbers
4: number of hours of sleep I had last night. Note to self: chocolate before bed? Not so good.
3: the number of zits I woke up with this morning. Note to self: chasing chocolate before bed with 2 huge glasses of cow's milk is also a very bad idea. BAD.
1: number of times Connor compared my new horns to that of a Triceratops.
4: number of times I looked in the mirror and was reminded why I don't do the dairy thing.
3: number of times I got growled at by one of my kids for calling him by the other kid's name.
2: number of times I spoke to Levi on the phone today!
3: number of times I lost the cordless phone, my cell phone or my apple(?!) in all the chaos of the day's activities.
3: number of times my heart cracked open a little bit today because of something one of the kids said about how much they miss Levi. (or the Christmas Tree...post for another day!)
1: number of times I cried today. (getting better!!)
131,426: number of times I thought about Levi and missed him. (roughly)
17,837: number of needles that fell on the floor when taking the decorations off the tree today.
23,674: number of needles that fell on the floor as I dragged the tree outside.
2: number of needles left on the tree.
7: number of hours spent sorting through books in computer/exercise room. Not only are they now sorted, they are also shelved and categorized by theme,subject and um... in descending height...(I know, I need to get out more)
324: number of books I put on the new shelves for the kids. (I wasn't kidding when I said they had hundreds of books!!)
53: number of books we are donating to the library or hospital because we have doubles or have "moved on" since getting those books.
58: number of books I have to toss out because of damage from dampness (long story, we're not gonna go there tonight), crayons, teeth(??), torn covers, age or other.
435: total number of books I have in the same room with me right now, and I'm a bit giddy knowing that this number does not include any of the books on the "grown up" bookshelf in the sitting room (there's lots there!!), nor does it include any of the books or magazines the kids or I have in our rooms or closets!! (Nerd much?)
6: number of hours of sleep I will get before Connor comes tearing into my bedroom with his Diego pillow/doll thingie and Lion Keekee (sookie blanket) flying behind him if I go to sleep right now!
SIXTEEN: number of years ago I attended the birth of my little sister and earned bragging rights as The Very First One To Hold Her. She was a beautiful baby and has blossomed into a stunning, intelligent young lady. I'm so proud of her for who she is and who she will become! Happy Sweet Sixteenth Kayla! I Love you!
3: the number of zits I woke up with this morning. Note to self: chasing chocolate before bed with 2 huge glasses of cow's milk is also a very bad idea. BAD.
1: number of times Connor compared my new horns to that of a Triceratops.
4: number of times I looked in the mirror and was reminded why I don't do the dairy thing.
3: number of times I got growled at by one of my kids for calling him by the other kid's name.
2: number of times I spoke to Levi on the phone today!
3: number of times I lost the cordless phone, my cell phone or my apple(?!) in all the chaos of the day's activities.
3: number of times my heart cracked open a little bit today because of something one of the kids said about how much they miss Levi. (or the Christmas Tree...post for another day!)
1: number of times I cried today. (getting better!!)
131,426: number of times I thought about Levi and missed him. (roughly)
17,837: number of needles that fell on the floor when taking the decorations off the tree today.
23,674: number of needles that fell on the floor as I dragged the tree outside.
2: number of needles left on the tree.
7: number of hours spent sorting through books in computer/exercise room. Not only are they now sorted, they are also shelved and categorized by theme,subject and um... in descending height...(I know, I need to get out more)
324: number of books I put on the new shelves for the kids. (I wasn't kidding when I said they had hundreds of books!!)
53: number of books we are donating to the library or hospital because we have doubles or have "moved on" since getting those books.
58: number of books I have to toss out because of damage from dampness (long story, we're not gonna go there tonight), crayons, teeth(??), torn covers, age or other.
435: total number of books I have in the same room with me right now, and I'm a bit giddy knowing that this number does not include any of the books on the "grown up" bookshelf in the sitting room (there's lots there!!), nor does it include any of the books or magazines the kids or I have in our rooms or closets!! (Nerd much?)
6: number of hours of sleep I will get before Connor comes tearing into my bedroom with his Diego pillow/doll thingie and Lion Keekee (sookie blanket) flying behind him if I go to sleep right now!
SIXTEEN: number of years ago I attended the birth of my little sister and earned bragging rights as The Very First One To Hold Her. She was a beautiful baby and has blossomed into a stunning, intelligent young lady. I'm so proud of her for who she is and who she will become! Happy Sweet Sixteenth Kayla! I Love you!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
The Post Where I Blather On...
It's a rainy Saturday night here at my house. It's 11 degrees above zero. And there was LIGHTNING!!! Did Mother Nature forget that it's January in Atlantic Canada?!? Where is all the snow and stuff that makes winter so fun?? Most people would be telling me that rain is easier to deal with than snow - no shovelling. Maybe at their house. Here, not so much. I'd take snow over rain any day. Snow is pretty and makes the ground look clean and bright. A marshmallow world - you can play in it and not get covered in mud. And when it snows, my basement and back porch doesn't leak.
"Ahhh..." you might say with complete understanding. See - I haven't lost my mind- I'm just tired of mopping up leaks off the floor and wearing rubber boots to put wood in the furnace! "Wait - what?" you might ask, "Furnace? Isn't it 11 degrees?" Um, yeah... but it's damp and there is water all over the basement... so I have a fire going and it's just a wee bit warm in here. Normally I like it warm in the house. I'm One Of Those People who like to crank the heat then walk around in my tank top, boxers and fuzzy slippers. Not tonight though. Terran and I were putting together two shelving units for some of the hundreds of books we seem to have everywhere.
Ever try to assemble anything with a thirteen year old who's been up all night playing video games with his buddy? Or with the mother who was up all night trying not to hear the thirteen year old who was up all night playing video games with his buddy? I'm sure to an outsider it was probably not the best way to spend a Saturday night, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I mean, I got a blister on my palm and all, but the shelves are done, I have a place to put some of the books we're currently using and nobody got hurt by airborne screwdrivers. That in itself is pretty sweet! LOL!
Ok, other news. Our van is officially on the way out. It's beginning to cost more just to keep it going than it would to actually have a new(er) vehicle. So we're (I'm) looking. This week I have learned/decided that I do not like car/van/SUV shopping. And that The Next Used Car Dealer that calls me sweetheart had better be wearing a cup. I bet they wouldn't do that if Levi was with me.
I also learned/decided that I can not buy ink for the printer either. I even showed the girl working at The Store what my printer looked like so she could show me what kind of ink cartridges I needed to buy. Turns out that I was close, but not close enough. I got home and realized that having The Transparent Blue Lid on your printer apparently is different than having The Solid Beige Lid, and that even though they may look identical in every other way, the cartridges are just not the same (they looked identical to the ones I took out!) So I had to go back to The Store and get the correct ones, which of course were also twice the cost of the ones I had to exchange. And those were the cheaper Store Brand ones!!
On the homeschooling front, I picked up some of the preschool series workbooks for Connor and he's quite excited to dive into them each day. He tends to go through them quickly and seems to absorb what he is learning, so he'll probably be to Kindergarten level shortly after he turns 4. I don't want to rush him, but I don't want him to get bored either. I'm just following his pace, which I guess is probably the best thing. We're also starting a unit on Dinosaurs. We were at The Dollar Store tonight and picked up a few plastic dinos. He wanted to find out more about them before he went to bed, so we were able to look up a just a few to satisfy his curiosity until morning. His favorites are the T-Rex (of course!) the Maiasaura, the Ankylosaurus and the little(!!) Troodon. He's still into Constellations too, and it's funny to hear him talking about Polaris and satellites and orbits and stuff.
Our Christmas tree is coming down tomorrow. I know, I still have it up. It's so pretty though, even if Lilly has decided that she must help by removing an ornament or three every day by batting it off the lower branches then trotting through the house with it in her mouth. A lot of people tear their trees down a day or two after Christmas is over, but I actually enjoy the tree more after the craziness of the holidays are over. It seems peaceful somehow. We decorated our tree with white lights and star shaped ornaments on Winter Solstice in the spirit of celebrating the return of light and lengthening of days, and welcomed the new solar year with reflections on the year that had passed and wishes for the new year to come. Tomorrow we'll put our Christmas tree in amongst the other trees behind our house to provide additional shelter for some of the little woodland critters - should we ever get some snow! Happy New Year everyone! Here's to another spin around the sun!!
"Ahhh..." you might say with complete understanding. See - I haven't lost my mind- I'm just tired of mopping up leaks off the floor and wearing rubber boots to put wood in the furnace! "Wait - what?" you might ask, "Furnace? Isn't it 11 degrees?" Um, yeah... but it's damp and there is water all over the basement... so I have a fire going and it's just a wee bit warm in here. Normally I like it warm in the house. I'm One Of Those People who like to crank the heat then walk around in my tank top, boxers and fuzzy slippers. Not tonight though. Terran and I were putting together two shelving units for some of the hundreds of books we seem to have everywhere.
Ever try to assemble anything with a thirteen year old who's been up all night playing video games with his buddy? Or with the mother who was up all night trying not to hear the thirteen year old who was up all night playing video games with his buddy? I'm sure to an outsider it was probably not the best way to spend a Saturday night, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I mean, I got a blister on my palm and all, but the shelves are done, I have a place to put some of the books we're currently using and nobody got hurt by airborne screwdrivers. That in itself is pretty sweet! LOL!
Ok, other news. Our van is officially on the way out. It's beginning to cost more just to keep it going than it would to actually have a new(er) vehicle. So we're (I'm) looking. This week I have learned/decided that I do not like car/van/SUV shopping. And that The Next Used Car Dealer that calls me sweetheart had better be wearing a cup. I bet they wouldn't do that if Levi was with me.
I also learned/decided that I can not buy ink for the printer either. I even showed the girl working at The Store what my printer looked like so she could show me what kind of ink cartridges I needed to buy. Turns out that I was close, but not close enough. I got home and realized that having The Transparent Blue Lid on your printer apparently is different than having The Solid Beige Lid, and that even though they may look identical in every other way, the cartridges are just not the same (they looked identical to the ones I took out!) So I had to go back to The Store and get the correct ones, which of course were also twice the cost of the ones I had to exchange. And those were the cheaper Store Brand ones!!
On the homeschooling front, I picked up some of the preschool series workbooks for Connor and he's quite excited to dive into them each day. He tends to go through them quickly and seems to absorb what he is learning, so he'll probably be to Kindergarten level shortly after he turns 4. I don't want to rush him, but I don't want him to get bored either. I'm just following his pace, which I guess is probably the best thing. We're also starting a unit on Dinosaurs. We were at The Dollar Store tonight and picked up a few plastic dinos. He wanted to find out more about them before he went to bed, so we were able to look up a just a few to satisfy his curiosity until morning. His favorites are the T-Rex (of course!) the Maiasaura, the Ankylosaurus and the little(!!) Troodon. He's still into Constellations too, and it's funny to hear him talking about Polaris and satellites and orbits and stuff.
Our Christmas tree is coming down tomorrow. I know, I still have it up. It's so pretty though, even if Lilly has decided that she must help by removing an ornament or three every day by batting it off the lower branches then trotting through the house with it in her mouth. A lot of people tear their trees down a day or two after Christmas is over, but I actually enjoy the tree more after the craziness of the holidays are over. It seems peaceful somehow. We decorated our tree with white lights and star shaped ornaments on Winter Solstice in the spirit of celebrating the return of light and lengthening of days, and welcomed the new solar year with reflections on the year that had passed and wishes for the new year to come. Tomorrow we'll put our Christmas tree in amongst the other trees behind our house to provide additional shelter for some of the little woodland critters - should we ever get some snow! Happy New Year everyone! Here's to another spin around the sun!!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Back On Line!
Merry Christmas! Hapy New Year! I've missed the internet soooo much! My brother-in-law fixed our modem problems today and we are now officially back on line! Hooray!! Thanks Reg!!
So much has happened since my last post in September. In October Levi went to Alberta to work for a few months. He has work here, but nothing in the construction industry is written in stone these days. He had a chance to make some really good money out there, so after many nights of endless discussion we decided that a sacrifice of a few months would be of long term benefit to our little family. It's been hard, to say the least. There have been the usual good and bad days - days when I've felt like completely giving up and calling it quits, and days when I was just contentedly buzzing along in the new daily routine that we've created. We talk on the phone every night and text message several times throughout the day, so that helps tremendously. Still, I miss him and miss having someone to lean on when things get insane around here.
In November Terran became a teenager, Levi turned 27, and I tested my seamstress skills and made an old fashioned dress (think Little House on the Prarie!) for Madeline's play. We also said goodbye to our beloved dog Daisy. She had a tumor and was not going to be well again. We made the difficult decision to have her put down. She is misssed and fondly remembered.
December was in a class all its own. Between trying to get some Christmas shopping done, having the van break down several times, a drunk neighbour stopping by occasionally, hurtful rumors about why Levi is away and what I'm supposedly doing with my free time (??) since he's been away, missing Levi terribly, Horseback riding lessons on Monday evenings, Cadets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and play rehearsals on Friday evenings, Saturdays and eventually Sundays, I had a bit of a meltdown. Nothing serious, I just stalled. Ran out of gas. Ka-put. Nothing. I woke up one morning and had no desire to do anything for anyone anymore. Levi's mom and I bought a Christmas tree on the 18th. It sat, undecorated, until the 21st. I finally dragged the decorations out of the attic and the kids and I went at it, making the house feel Christmasy at least. But I felt guilty, as if I was robbing the kids of any pre-Christmas excitement. They didn't seem to notice, they had their sights set on the day Levi would return and the Big Jolly Guy would leave loot under the tree - Christmas Eve.
Levi surprised all of us by coming home a day earlier than expected for Christmas. That, for sure, was the best present I could have ever asked for! He arrived home on the 23rd and I dropped him off at the airport very early this morning. He was only here a few short days, but we squeezed every last second out of the time that we had together. Hopefully he'll be home for good by the end of March. The kids and I had a great Christmas with Levi here, and everything was finally set right again. My thoughts became clearer and things were put into perspective once again. The sacrifice he is making is far greater than what I am making, he is the one who is over three thousand kilometers away from his loved ones. I have the kids to hug when I feel lonely, the familliar surroundings of home to soothe me, and I get to witness the joys of parenthood first hand while he has to re-live them through my tellings. I am so proud of him for everything he is willing to do for our family. His strength of character and selfless love for his family are just a few of the many things I love about him, and that is what makes all this worthwhile.
So much has happened since my last post in September. In October Levi went to Alberta to work for a few months. He has work here, but nothing in the construction industry is written in stone these days. He had a chance to make some really good money out there, so after many nights of endless discussion we decided that a sacrifice of a few months would be of long term benefit to our little family. It's been hard, to say the least. There have been the usual good and bad days - days when I've felt like completely giving up and calling it quits, and days when I was just contentedly buzzing along in the new daily routine that we've created. We talk on the phone every night and text message several times throughout the day, so that helps tremendously. Still, I miss him and miss having someone to lean on when things get insane around here.
In November Terran became a teenager, Levi turned 27, and I tested my seamstress skills and made an old fashioned dress (think Little House on the Prarie!) for Madeline's play. We also said goodbye to our beloved dog Daisy. She had a tumor and was not going to be well again. We made the difficult decision to have her put down. She is misssed and fondly remembered.
December was in a class all its own. Between trying to get some Christmas shopping done, having the van break down several times, a drunk neighbour stopping by occasionally, hurtful rumors about why Levi is away and what I'm supposedly doing with my free time (??) since he's been away, missing Levi terribly, Horseback riding lessons on Monday evenings, Cadets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and play rehearsals on Friday evenings, Saturdays and eventually Sundays, I had a bit of a meltdown. Nothing serious, I just stalled. Ran out of gas. Ka-put. Nothing. I woke up one morning and had no desire to do anything for anyone anymore. Levi's mom and I bought a Christmas tree on the 18th. It sat, undecorated, until the 21st. I finally dragged the decorations out of the attic and the kids and I went at it, making the house feel Christmasy at least. But I felt guilty, as if I was robbing the kids of any pre-Christmas excitement. They didn't seem to notice, they had their sights set on the day Levi would return and the Big Jolly Guy would leave loot under the tree - Christmas Eve.
Levi surprised all of us by coming home a day earlier than expected for Christmas. That, for sure, was the best present I could have ever asked for! He arrived home on the 23rd and I dropped him off at the airport very early this morning. He was only here a few short days, but we squeezed every last second out of the time that we had together. Hopefully he'll be home for good by the end of March. The kids and I had a great Christmas with Levi here, and everything was finally set right again. My thoughts became clearer and things were put into perspective once again. The sacrifice he is making is far greater than what I am making, he is the one who is over three thousand kilometers away from his loved ones. I have the kids to hug when I feel lonely, the familliar surroundings of home to soothe me, and I get to witness the joys of parenthood first hand while he has to re-live them through my tellings. I am so proud of him for everything he is willing to do for our family. His strength of character and selfless love for his family are just a few of the many things I love about him, and that is what makes all this worthwhile.
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