Monday, Sep 14, 2009 | Swimming |
Recently, while playing wedding (Chach and B, we have you to thank for this alarming new trend), Fooey said, “And here’s where I’ll put the wedding cheese.” That caught the ear of her mother, passing by. “Umm, the wedding what?” “The wedding cheese.” “Oh?” Fooey looked a bit disappointed in me: “You know the wedding cheese. With the little people in it.” Then I realized that my brother had displayed just such a cheese (standing in for their cake) at his wedding. Ha! This is how traditions are started.
Well, she went into the school today looking very small, and very excited. “Hand on your hips, and finger on your lips,” said the teacher, and Fooey looked pretty darn pleased to oblige. I am thinking of her now, as quiet time approaches. So many small hopes I have for her day: hope she enjoyed her food. Hope there was enough. Hope she’ll have a rest. Hope she finds a friend to play with on the playground. Hope her big sister or brother visit at recess. And on and on.
I spent the morning alone with a little guy who could hardly believe his luck. We baked muffins together, matching aprons. Built block towers. Read books. Put teddies onto riding toys. Sounds pretty lowkey, doesn’t it? Then why am I twice as tired as usual? Here’s hoping I can head upstairs and get an hour to write. Cup of tea in hand.
Oh, I cooked a frozen chicken overnight in the crockpot. It was done by morning, whereupon I added potatoes and carrots and they were done within two hours. I set it to low the whole time, so maybe my pot runs hot? I removed the finished stew to the fridge, because it didn’t seem like it needed more time on the counter. The scent of roasting chicken invaded my dreams. I woke with this strong sense of purpose: to go downstairs, core one tomato, stuff said tomato with one peeled clove of garlic, and add this to the pot. The idea may have come to me in a dream, but that’s exactly the first thing I did this morning after brushing my teeth.
Yesterday’s crockpot meal was a perfectly acceptable (read between those lines) use of leftover brown rice, but not something I’d willingly serve to guests. Four out of six of us agreed; two said major blech and ate buns and cheese instead. Then we went to the family swim at the Rec Centre and had a blast. A perfect activity for Family Fun Night, as the kids like to call anything we do together that’s ever so slightly out of the ordinary. Way cheaper than going to the movies.
Shoot, was just prepping photos to post, and realized the ones of Fooey in her class lineup all involve other children whose parents I don’t know. It looked like a class of mostly boys. Sure hope they let her boss them around.
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2009 | Swimming, Writing |
Up early to prepare for another round of daily swim lessons, our last of the summer. This time, CJ and I will be in the water, too, which complicates matters. My planning brain has been working overtime to calculate what combination of changerooms, snacks, and locks will precipitate maximum smoothness of transitions, but the success of the venture really comes down to patience and flexibility–mine. Today’s weather is calling for morning thundershowers. And we have no vehicle at our disposal. This is your mission, should you choose to accept.
(I do).
Everyone’s still sleeping. Our schedule has gotten later and later on both ends of the day. I find myself looking forward to more routine, less lazing about. It’s a fine line.
I like getting up early when it’s quiet. Maybe I should rethink my office set-up (currently in CJ’s bedroom), so I could use my work computer in the early morning.
Thinking outloud.
Here’s what I wanted to get down on paper (virtually): CJ walked down the back porch steps yesterday. I nearly screamed, discovering him mid-stride. No holding onto the railing or anything. If I want to go there, I can make myself feel downright woozy imagining him doing this without me present and able to catch him should he stumble. Because even though he can, it doesn’t mean he can with consistency. Yikes. The risks these babies take as they grow and develop, and us with them.
It’s been a year since I started this blog, and it’s with gratitude that I note this. How thankful I am to have this scrapbook of our daily lives. But here are two unexpected gifts it’s given me: better photo-taking skills, and more bravery in talking about my writing life, warts and all.
Thanks to everyone who’s read along.
Thursday, Aug 13, 2009 | Backyard, Chores, Play, Summer, Swimming |
Here’s what’s happening in our yard this morning. Add in the sounds of the children yelling over the chipper, and you get the full picture.
Below, our Monday evening activity. Also better than television. Add in a popsicle and a scrounged-up frozen chocolate chip cookie or two, and Kevin’s soccer-playing night looks a whole lot more fun for this Mama.
Tuesday, Jul 21, 2009 | Bicycles, Holidays, Summer, Swimming |
Figuring out (or remembering), based on today’s success, that a mixture of planned and spontaneous is the way to increase each day’s pleasure. We started swim lessons this morning, a two-week every-day stint that unfortunately won’t include CJ, whose session got cancelled. But he comes along anyway, and proved easy to entertain today, as we spent a great deal of our time coming in and out of various changerooms with various combinations of children in various stages of wet and dry. We transported ourselves to and from using the bike/run combo, which makes me feel fit and fitter, and ate a snack at the nearby park after swimming, then went onto the library to refresh our reading material. Home for lunch, siesta, and cookie baking. Yesterday evening, while Kev played soccer (almost the whole game … on that knee … he came home and iced it for ages), the kids and I biked/ran to the zoo at the park. Not an especially exotic zoo by any stretch of the imagination, but absolutely thrilling to the smallest of our crew, who almost lost his mind with excitement–uh, Mama, can you believe this, like, seriously, I’m going to have to crouch over, point and scream, because I think, if I’m not mistaken, that what we have here before us is a DI-DI!!! And another, and another, and another!!! Bunnies, deer, a cow-like animal, miniature horses, donkey (“what’s the difference between a donkey and a horse?”), goats, sheep, peacocks, and two piglets (“Look–‘these two little piggies are not going to market’. That’s good, right Mom?” “Hmm, it says that every year, but I have my suspicions …”). We snacked beside the deer, and arrived home in time to brush teeth and go to bed: perfect timing. Alone, at last, I indulged in the Bachelorette while folding laundry because heaven help me, I’m a summer reality television addict (not recovering). This afternoon, figuring they’d gotten a good dose of healthy exercise, I gave into the three oldest children’s pleas for “screen time” and let them spend our siesta playing on the computer; which meant that I couldn’t. So I read instead. It was LOVELY. At least as much fun as Facebook. Simple pleasures.
When I started this post, CJ was sitting at the counter on Albus’s former stool, proudly eating a cookie fresh from the oven; he’s now “dow, dow” and bringing me stuffed animals, kissing them, telling me stories, imitating their noises “woo, woo,” and requesting attention, please, Mama. Supper’s well underway (brown rice in oven; beans already cooked). Sure, kid. Meow, moo, peep.
Tuesday, Jun 16, 2009 | Chores, Laundry, Swimming |
It’s a beautiful sunny day in a week that calls for rain, so naturally I’m throwing the clothes onto the line, when I turn around and say … hmmm, that looks kinda counter-productive. Today’s construction innovation involves great plumes of black smoke wafting from the half-filled pit.
On another subject altogether, last night Mama treated the kids to delectable and questionable and surprisingly expensive ice-cream sandwiches to celebrate the end of this session of swim lessons; everyone passed, hurrah. The sandwiches sent the older children into some kind of fugue state of angelic behaviour, while having the opposite effect on Captain CJ, who literally lost his mind. I love the frantic treat-stuffing look in his eyes, below.
Recently, while playing wedding (Chach and B, we have you to thank for this alarming new trend), Fooey said, “And here’s where I’ll put the wedding cheese.” That caught the ear of her mother, passing by. “Umm, the wedding what?” “The wedding cheese.” “Oh?” Fooey looked a bit disappointed in me: “You know the wedding cheese. With the little people in it.” Then I realized that my brother had displayed just such a cheese (standing in for their cake) at his wedding. Ha! This is how traditions are started.
On another subject altogether, last night Mama treated the kids to delectable and questionable and surprisingly expensive ice-cream sandwiches to celebrate the end of this session of swim lessons; everyone passed, hurrah. The sandwiches sent the older children into some kind of fugue state of angelic behaviour, while having the opposite effect on Captain CJ, who literally lost his mind. I love the frantic treat-stuffing look in his eyes, below.
