11 posts tagged “life”
Weekend Musts:
- Finish preparing lessons for Sunday School tomorrow.
- Complete marking: poetry and business letters.
- Take in diaper laundry drying outside.
- Sleep.
- Pray. (Really, I'm too busy not to.)
Weekend Maybes:
- Continue to escape real life by reading Lord of the Rings (the Battle of Helm's Deep has just finished).
- Walk.
- Do more laundry.
- Make paneer.
- Enjoy the sunshine.
Weekend Lyric In My Head (in a good way)
You've got to open your heart
And disbelieve the lie.
Spit out that bitter seed.
Today is Wednesday and I have the day off. Officially, it is a sick day for me and that's the truth as I have nowhere else to designate my doctor appointed medical appointment today: Our 20 week ultrasound! Of course, the visit itself probably doesn't mean I need to take all the day off, but it is smack in the middle of my day and last time I went in, I waited over 1 1/2 hours before my appointment even began. I just don't want to have the stress of wondering what I'll do just in case I can't make it to my last class of the day.
I was feeling a little pleased with myself as I got dressed: I was able to pull on the jeans I bought in September without any trouble. While I'm definitely getting my belly, this is a testament to the pounds lost before I got pregnant in December and for that I'm thankful. Losing weight after Gus was born was a struggle. It took me some time to just 'get over it'. I decided I'm not going to go into focused weight-loss until we've decided all is done in the kidlet department. In the meantime, my body just isn't my own, so I'm going to try not to get to worked up over it.
I pulled out my pregnancy clothes last weekend, to see what fits and what doesn't. I'm very glad that I'm pregnant through the same seasons as before (in fact, Kidlet #2 is due 2 weeks after Gus's second birthday), so all my summer stuff will still apply.
And now that I have a boy grabbing at my pants yelling "Mummee!" I should be off. Happy Wednesday, all!
It's Spring Break.
I love it.
These last few weeks of work have been demanding and draining for me. At first I just attributed it to a new semester and figured I'd find a groove. And I have: the groove is deep, demanding and draining. And June is the nearest end in sight.
But this week is Spring Break. We had a non-instructional day the Friday before. I did my requisite professional development in the morning and then spent the afternoon cleaning, organizing and planning. I finally discovered the colour of my desktop. (The real desktop - not the computer one!) I have some marking, but I'm not going to think about it until the night before I return. This week is about family, friends and rest. And I'm getting all 3.
We're heading to see the in-laws for the weekend, but I'm taking off to the Big City (and it's suburbs) tomorrow, a couple days earlier, with Gus to visit folks. C. will take the bus and catch up at the end of the week. I get to see my sisters - including the one who has been in Australia for the last 8 months - and other friends and in some cases, their new babies.
(Got babies coming out the ears around here: I've made 3 meals in the last 8 weeks for friends with newbies. So cute. And have got word of 5 pregnancies from here until fall.)
So here's my list of things to do today,in no particular order, before departing tomorrow:
- Quite procrastinating on the 'puter.
- Get out for some exercise.
- Make coleslaw for dinner at a friend's house tonight. (I love beef on a bun.)
- Laundry
- Find phone numbers and addresses.
- Locate city map. (I used to live around there, but it's still nice to have.)
- Pack.
- Make snacks for trip.
- Buy wine.
- Stock CD disc changer.
- Go to library.
- Clean house (actually, this won't take too long - we just did a pretty good and much needed clean in anticipation of my grandparents' visit. I love having visitors and it helps me keep the place cleaner.)
It's actually not too onerous a list, but I suppose I'd better get on it.
Cheers.
I'm in the middle of a battle right now.
Gus is not keen on the whole wearing clothes thing. At least we've got his diaper on him and he keeps it on... for now.
The thing is, is that we've always said 'no breakfast before your clothes are on.' Sometimes he's bucked it for a bit, but we've always been able to tag team it. So once C. has tried, a few minutes later I'd just say something like "Hey Gus, bring me your pants" and - ta-dah! - we're clothed and slamming back some yogurt.
But I'm single parenting it today. Tomorrow, too, just like yesterday. Thank you God, it will end tomorrow. (C. is off on their annual regional conference, which includes, among all the meetings, team building activities which often seem to happen late in the evening and look and sound an awful lot like a house party :) but I digress).
So here sits Gus, not yet eating; at first he cried, then he'd roll around on the floor with his blanket partaking in what looked like a pity party, and now he's moved on to playing with old baby toys. We'll have to leave the house in about half an hour. Right now, it's looking like I'll pack some extra food and he can eat at daycare. By then, he'll have clothes on! He'll but up a fight but I'm bigger and stronger.
I just wish it wasn't a fight. In these last couple months as he's developed his own mind about things, we've had to pick and choose our battles. And once that's been done, we've had to figure out how to fight the battles we've chosen. Last months was "No, sitting on Mom's lap is not where you will eat dinner every night." We had to try a lot of things, and today he still has 3 other options for eating dinner. But I did not want to start the dining-on-my-lap routine. So we fought that battle. And now there's another one.
I know some are probably thinking - what's the big deal? Eat in the nude! And yeah, I'm wondering a bit, too. Except that we've got morning routines, and things to do, and in this climate, I can't just take him out in a diaper. *sighs*
So, pray for me, my friends. After dealing with this soon-to-be-clad young'un, I must go off and deal with 16 year olds who often act in a similar fashion when having to do something, like, say, write a paragraph. :)
Hi there.
I know I would never win a consistent-voxer award, but I was still a bit aghast to see how long it has been since I posted; it's been a bit since I've checked in on my neighbours and I'm usually pretty good about it, even if I don't always comment.
Work has been humming along. It's had its hiccups, but I'm mostly quite please with things. I've finally hammered out a clearer path for the next few weeks for the class that I am the least experienced with. Ironically enough, that's the one going well. I must say though, the kids are great, and most have already gone through enough labels. They may roll their eyes a bit but know what they're there for and get down to work. For now, that's enough for me!
I've had some fantastic highs, good times with family and friends.
I've had some low times, with family and friends.
Right now I'm in a low. It's hard when friends leave.
We cut my Gus's hair. Gone are his curly wisps, but I kept a lock like a dutiful and sentimental mother.
I had my hair cut. It's back hanging just to my shoulders. The big step was bangs. I haven't had bangs since I was 12 and at first, I felt like I looked 12 again. But they're working out. It does mean actually using a blow-drying for styling purposes which, again, I haven't done since I was 12. But I think I'm getting the hang of it. Usually the blow dryer was used only so it didn't actually look like I had just showered and taken off. Growing up, my walk to high school was less than 10 minutes but in the winter I usually arrived with frozen hair. Man, I guess I really didn't care.
Off to do exercise for my back. It's weak. Or at least that's my explanation for why it gets sore within 3 minutes at the sink doing dishes. Any suggestions?
To close:
Though un-related to this post, it's been on my mind these days. These words are from Madeleine L'Engle.
Wherever there is unity in diversity,
then we are free to be ourselves;
it cannot be done in isolation;
we need each other.
What do you do with the cards and letters you receive? Do you keep them all, just keep the photos, throw them away?
Inspired by jacolily.
Pretty much all I receive, I keep. There are some that I toss, but rarely. I keep them in a small rubbermaid, unless they are particularly pretty cards and then they get a place of honour on my bulletin boards. I just had a second one put up in my office to keep up with the pretty people and pictures we get from discerning friends and the courtesy of the delightful taste of my swap-bot buddies.
Eventually, some cards may get tossed, but rarely the letters. I have letters from waaaay back. My now-husband and I wrote a lot when we were dating/engaged (for the 17 months of that period, we only spent 10 weeks of it living in the same city, and a chunk of it had us on different continents) and we have almost 400 letters or cards from that time. They now live in sizable shoe boxes.
I know this really isn't that interesting as a post, but I'd like to post something, and realized this QofD was an easy one. I'll do better. Really. Probably. :)
What's on your holiday wishlist?
For about the last four years I've kept a wish list on amazon. It works well because most of my items are books or CDs anyway, and they have a lot of other stuff that I'll add to represent stuff I'd like. For example, right now I have a silver pendant listed; I'm not hung up on that particular pendant, but anything pretty and silver sounds good to me! I'm partial to yummy consumables and journals and crafty things are always loved. But this year, I'm hoping for some books and music... and Season 4 of Corner Gas, of course. ;)
Here's a sampling of what's on my list:
Hmmm.... As I survey this list, I find it interesting that the things I want (with the exception of Funk's poetry) are ones I've already had/listened to/read in the past - all previously loved pieces.
I guess I want that back.
Here's how things have to work so that Gus will let me brush his teeth! Usually he's content with just holding it, or trying to stick it in his own mouth, but now he wants to brush (another's) teeth, too!
I'm around. And kicking. Most days. Things are humming along and I've been mentally composing posts and never getting to the computer on time. In fact, I'm procrastinating from marking, right now.
We're in the middle of a poetry unit at school so poems have been on the brain. In lieu of 'real' content, I'll share on of my favourites.
Poem
The poem wants to be an extra bone
in the boy. Lonely,
it wants the day to come back for it:
a jacket left at the coat check,
the dance floor deserted.
There is no wisdom in the poem,
but it repeats its small ife as many times
as we ask. The poem is everybody's
mother, remembering what can't be found,
remembering who you are, remembering
what hasn't even happened yet.
-S. Sinclair.
Have you figured out what your (or your kids') Halloween costume will be this year? What's it going to be?
I'll have to dig around and see if Gus-Gus can fit the pumpkin costume his uncle got him last year... you never know!
As for me - I'll see how I feel on the day of. Two years ago, (the last Halloween I was working) I was able to get into a bridesmaid dress, wore heels, a sash and a dollar store tiara to make myself a princess. Imagine a princess writing your assignment on the white board and handing back papers. Weird.
Flashback: my favourite costume was the fried egg. Yep, that's right. My mom made it (she can make anything - the two runners up were the chicken costume and the oreo cookie) for me when I was in Grade 3. I wore tights or something, and the back was a simple piece of cloth, but my whole torso sported a round white with a yellow middle, slightly stuffed so it puffed out. I took great pride in being able to lie on my back and 'flip' myself.
Too bad we don't have any pictures of that!
Public Service Announcement:
I'm going to give my boy a online persona - I like his name a lot, but don't want to use it here. If you pm me, I'll more than likely share it, but from here on in, he's going to be Gus, and sometimes, Gus-Gus. (I liked Disney's Cinderella.)
I'm tired of writing 'my boy' and the like.
The dust has settled. Mostly. I'm still not in the 'well' category, but I'm not feeling nearly as badly off as I was a few days ago. My cold is progressing (I'm in the my-nose-is-a-faucet stage) and ibuprofen can do wonders for the achy feelings. Yesterday, while C. was out of town for work, I got a call at work from my daycare. C.'s job, which does have meetings and conference calls from time to time, is much more flexible when it comes to leaving the office. Therefore, he's the one who is to get the first call if Gus is sick. I, on the other hand, am generally not really available for calls for 75 min chunks and then must find someone to cover for me. (Nope, not allowed to leave 30 thirteen year olds to their own devices.) So there I was, learning that my son had a roaring fever and I felt completely stuck: couldn't get my kid, couldn't really just take off from work. Fortunately, T. didn't realize when she had called that I'd be off in an hour, so I was able to beeline straight from work to him, but it sure made me wonder how single parents do it!
We have a fantastic doctor who leaves space in his day for drop-ins and the receptionist was more than welcoming when I just showed up. (I'd called earlier to say I might be.) And we got in within 10 mins. Since Gus had been tugging on his ears, we thought it might be an infection, but no - just your run-of-the-mill cold. Phew. C. arrived home a few hours later just in time to help me put Gus to bed and Gus slept all through the night.
And now I have a to-do list before the in-laws arrive in about, well, anytime really!
But first things first. I had to let all you caring neighbourhood folk know how we were doing. Thanks for your thoughts!
Now - off to fold laundry and clean toilets.
